I Did It!

I really read the whole New Testament this year!

Family Fun

I apologize for the absence...

Dh is a teacher, and as such, has this whole holiday time off work. We are PLAYING and enjoying each other, so it's bye-bye till after things are back to a normal routine!

So, To Honor Him

Merry Christmas, everybody! Catch ya next week...

More favorites

My mom has the wonderful tradition of giving ornaments on Christmas Eve that have special significance from the past year. As I decorate with each of these, the memories of those times in my life come flooding back. Thanks, mom!




This is the lovely one I got in 2005 when my angel joined us. After three boys we never really thought a girl was headed our way, but she is a true joy to us.
We have many family ornaments, this one being DS3 as the new baby.
And Baby Makes 3... My mom is awesome. If she finds the perfect ornament that says the wrong thing, she will paint over it or alter it to say what she wants.This is the year DS1 joined our family.
Hard to see, but it says "Parents-to-
Be" from the year we were pregnant with DS1. I LOVE this one.

Some favorite ornaments

While in high school I was in the 1992 movie WIND, with Jennifer Grey and Matthew Modine. This sailboat reminds me every year.
The year I passed my CNA, I got this nurse ornament.
This is a car to symbolize the year I got my license
This is from the year DH and were still dating.
This is from the year I graduated from high school. Blue and gold are the colors of CHS.
This nativity was given to us by a dear friend last year. It is made from real olive wood.

too much D-d-d-d-dora

My 2 yr old DD was talking about our black cat Shadow and another black cat she saw today.

I said, "Yes, there are two cats".

She exclaimed, "We found one in the hay field, and one in the barn!!"

Oh brother.

the Red Pinecone Ornament

I want to tell you a story. It's a story of Christmas hope.

When my mom was a girl, their prized Christmas decoration was a red pinecone ornament. It was so well-loved over the years that the red had actually turned sort of brown. Every year, just as some families place the tree topper on very last, the Riley family hung the red pinecone on the tree as the final touch.

When my mom was very young, they went to a movie as a family and they came home to discover their house had suffered a devastating fire in their absence. It was destroyed. The only item my mother remembers salvaging was their special pinecone, now a miraculous symbol of hope and love and renewal.

My grandmother died over a decade ago and when she died she willed the ornament to her youngest daughter, my mom's little sister. My mom has been wondering the whereabouts of it recently and had hoped it was being taken care of. She wanted the story surrounding it to be preserved.

That aunt of mine in Pennsylvania contacted my mom to tell her that someone recently cut the lock on her storage unit and stole most of her belongings, including all her Christmas decorations. How devastating a loss! But then she told my mom...somehow, that little pinecone must have fallen out of its box because it was left behind. Of no value to the burgler, one would never know the significance of that Christmas symbol to the Rileys.

On Sunday we had a special Family Home Evening with my parents. My mom told us this amazing story and presented each of us with our own red pinecone for our trees. It is my new favorite ornament, and I have a LOT of nostalgia on my tree.

I wanted to pass this along to any of you who read my blog so that you may know that you are known by our Heavenly Father. He is aware of you and the happenings in your life, just as he notices each sparrow's fall. Christmas is a reminder of that love and care. I hope you have a merry one.

Frosty the Snowbug

I forgot to tell you the funny thing that happened last week. When we brought our tree home, we had a stowaway.



Now, I'm pretty sure that tree was outside for a LONG time before we got it. In snow. And rain. And I think it's awesome that we had a new little friend. He was happily hanging out on walls and curtains till a few days ago, too. We haven't seen him since Monday.

And, my other brother and my BIL both gradutate from Weber State today! Congrats!







While browsing my well-loved-blogs I came across one I don't subscribe to, and so I forget to check it. Confessions of a Pioneer Woman is a great read. And a great look, too. Her photography of her ranch blows me away. You must check it out. And today's muffins are defnitely going on my "need-to-try" list.

Stay warm everybody. I will spend the afternoon today at the doctors, and the afternoon tomorrow at the dreaded work party.

My Brother

Alma 48:17 "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men".

There is nothing else that comes to mind when I think of my little brother than this scripture. If anyone's name can be substituted for Moroni's, his can.

He is the first one to offer assistance, the last one to think of self. He is the first to say thanks, the last one to leave. He is the first to say "love ya" and the last one to seek the spotlight, even though he is in it continually.

Thanks, buddy, for being my giant of a little brother.


If you're interested, you can watch a video of him wrestling. Click on the video on the right side of the page.

Baking Night

We had a family activity that was scheduled for tonight but was moved to a different day, so we have a free night! Well, DH has to be at the church, but the rest of us have a free night!

My baby sis is coming over to work on the computer and the kiddos and I will start some treat-making. I think they will have fun with these.

And if I feel adventurous, I may try these.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! Wouldn't you know it?!

1. It's below freezing all week, so the snow from Friday is here to stay.
2. My kids are pestering each other more than normal, despite Santa nearing.
3. I, not usually one to make too many treats at Christmastime, was giddy as I planned my baking list today.
4. The shopping is done.
5. The tree not only smells great, but it's up and decorated!


It must be here and I am truly feeling it now.

Ward Party

I was in charge of a good portion of our ward Christmas party this year. I borrowed most of the decorations from my home ward and had to buy very little, which was nice. Everything was red and white, and those are giant starlight mints on the walls.

It seems like everyone had a nice time and I was pleased with how everything turned out. Above, you can see all three boys in the nativity play, with DS1 as Joseph, DS2 as a Wise Man and DS3 a shepherd.

Status of the to-do list so far...

*find and buy a tree (one that smells this year)*get a wreath on my naked front door
*put out at least a few decorations so my kids will know what month it is
*begin wrapping the gifts I have
*keep reminding myself that I'm pretty much done shopping and should stop picking up cute pink things
*start getting small items for stockings
*decide which gift to give DH now, and which to hold for his Jan b-day
*borrow peppermint decorations for our ward party on Sat
*check on entertainment people for the ward party
*make dinner tonight for a new mom/baby in the ward
*coordinate monthly calendar of family stuff/work stuff with the ward stuff we also have going on
*get Christmas crafts ready for our Activity Day party tomorrow
*get gifts ready to give the girls
*write a lame email Christmas card since I'm too cheap to buy stamps this year
*send out a few real cards for those loved ones without email
*figure out what goodies to bake with my sisters on our baking night
*try to find a night when everyone is free for visiting teaching. yeah right.

Two quotes by the two year old

In less than one minute...


I'm eating breakfast and she comes up to me, very serious and says, "mom, how do you make meatballs"? (yes, emphasizing the make)


30 seconds later...
"Shadow has blue eyes!"
Me: no, I think he has green eyes.
"Yeah, he has green eyes. And I'm brushing my hair"

About Me

Random stuff about me. I'd love to see your responses to these. Email me or put them on your own blog!




Someone gives you money and sends you into the grocery store to pick up 4 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What is it?
1. Produce: Bananas
2. Bakery: Donuts
3. Meat: Chicken
4. Frozen: Meatballs

If I were to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. What homework do you have tonight?
2. Sure, I'll do that.
3. Get dressed!
4. Please stop fighting.
5. What should I make for supper?

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Read
2. Eat
3. Listen to Sports Radio

Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Making Dinner
2. Cleaning
3. Napping
4. watching a movie.
5. going shopping

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. ER
2. Oprah
3. Ellen
4. Good Things Utah

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Moose Tracks
2. Vanilla
3. Cookies and Cream

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Black wallet
2. chapstick
3. coupons
4. a tampon
5. Salon punch card

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Stay-at-home mom
2. Nurse
3. Floral Designer
4. Baker or Chef

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Don't date one boy exclusively
2. Don't compare yourself to others
3. Listen to and respect Mom and Dad
4. Focus more on your testimony than impressing others

Strange Staples

What a weird mail experience. I placed a $6 order (3 clearance items) from Staples with free shipping. So yesterday morning I get a message saying "your order will be a day later than we hoped". Two hours later the huge box shown above was delivered to my side door. In front of the box is what was inside.

Yes, that box of mini pens. In that HUGE box.

An hour after that, the small box was delivered to the side door, containing the two items shown in front.

Weird.

I mean, it was free shipping, so I shouldn't even care. But I do, because it just bugs me. And what was with the phone call?

Works for me Wednesday

Ever wonder what to make for supper when you are out of time and out of brain cells? I love this post from Rocks in My Dryer and all the replies (over 200!) from fellow bloggers about what they whip up in a jiffy.

I'm looking forward to trying post #212...


"Here is my version of healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken
All you need: a couple of chicken breasts
1 small onion (optional)
a jar of apricot jelly ( I use a small jar of all fruit spread)
a jar (or a portion that is the same size as the apricot jelly) of salsa
I simple spray a wok or large frying pan with Pam and brown my chicken (with the onions). Once chicken is no longer pink, I add the salsa and apricot jelly. Bring it to a boil, simmer…and you are done. We love it and it is relatively healthy.
Rice and steamed broccoli make great sides.
I often serve pineapple chunks with it to go along with the sweet and sour theme. Sometimes I cook sweet red peppers with the chicken and onion.
Enjoy!"

Making a List, Checking it Twice

OOOhhhh, December. I suppose it realy truly is. Why do I still feel like I should be looking for sales on pumpkin pie and stuffing?

Anyway, I suppose I should quit being lazy and get moving on my list. To-do list. Need-to-buy list. Things-to-bake list. Find-a-darn-tree-and-get-a-wreath-on-my-door-list.

Here goes:

*find a buy a tree (one that smells this year. Last year we cut down a 10 foot tree and it had NO scent whatsoever)
*get a wreath on my naked front door
*put out at least a few decorations so my kids will know what month it is
*begin wrapping the gifts I have
*keep reminding myself that I'm pretty much done shopping and should stop picking up cute pink things
*start getting small items for stockings
*decide which gift to give DH now, and which to hold for his Jan b-day
*borrow peppermint decorations for our ward party on Sat
*check on entertainment people for the ward party
*make dinner tonight for a new mom/baby in the ward
*coordinate monthly calendar of family stuff/work stuff with the ward stuff we also have going on
*get Christmas crafts ready for our Activity Day party tomorrow
*get gifts ready to give the girls
*write a lame email Christmas card since I'm too cheap to buy stamps this year
*send out a few real cards for those loved ones without email
*figure out what goodies to bake with my sisters on our baking night
*try to find a night when everyone is free for visiting teaching. yeah right.


You're probably thinking I'm a scrooge. I'm not, really. I just like getting ready for Christmas a little closer to Christmas. I remember my mom telling me that they used to wait till Christmas Eve to put up their tree. That's my kind of tree.

Ok, that might be going a bit far. But I find I'm more ready for Christmas if I don't drag it out forever. It also helps Santa because the sooner the kids make their lists, the more time they have to keep adding to them!

We had a great weekend. Friday DH and I went to the temple. Sat he had a scout conference most of the day and we were just lounging around and staying warm for the rest of it. It snowed a decent amount and it was a perfect day for doing nothing.

Yesterday we had DS2's confirmation. We were sadly missing several family members, but it was nice. I so appreciate the support of those that did come. We are usually at my side of the family for Fast Sunday dinner. My mom and little bro are very busy every weekend during wrestling season, so dinner plans were changed at the last minute to give mom a break. We all crammed into my sister's apartment and it was great. Good food, nice visiting. My kids especially love it there.

Today I'm just doing the normal Monday catch-up. Laundry, dishes, FHE. We ran errands and went to the library this morning. Came home with far too many books and movies :) And my neighbor just came over and gave us a family size Papa Murphy's BBQ chicken pizza that she got from her brother. Turns out she hates BBQ but didn't want him to feel bad, so she brought it over! DH will love it. I already invited my baby sis over for FHE and Sloppy joes for supper, but we can cook the pizza tomorrow.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

HGTV? TLC?

I feel like I'm on a home decorating show. I feel like I'm in someone else's house, actually. We've just changed a few things, but I have fallen in love with my home again, and it's very exciting.


We sold the couches on Tuesday and my BIL brought the new one to us late last night, so it was a couple days of a bare living room, which was weird. It felt like we were moving or something.




Obviously the kitchen was a big deal for us. But this week it was the living room's turn. We sold the worn, fraying, too-big couches in the living room and bought a sleek used sofa bed from the classifieds. It will help us minimize the overall look and has the added bonus of allowing the occasional house guest.

Old ones:



Sold: $40

New look:




Cost: $100 plus a borrowed truck from a nice brother-in-law :)

Every glance into the living room: Priceless

Drumroll, please

Ok, folks. Two months. Two packs of sandpaper. Two colors of paint. $180. Lots of effort. I am absolutely in love with my new kitchen. My DH put in so many hours. And he didn't swear, even when he felt like it. Haha. The doors and drawers were covered with this nasty pebbley texture, almost like a popcorn ceiling. The sanding was endless but I'm so glad we took that texture off. The surface is now smooth and more wood-like.

Here is a slide show so you can get a feel for it. It starts with 3 "before" pics and then shows several finished ones. Boy, I love it, from the color of the backsplash to the detail on the cabinet knobs. My dear friend Sonja gave me the little candle lantern (see in pic # 7) on top of the cupboards. See, I told you that it would look great in there!

Ok, sorry for the break. Again.

Saturday was awesome! It was ds2's birthday, but because we celebrated Friday and Sunday, I was able to go to the Holy War (i.e. BYU vs. Utah) in Provo. Oh my heck, what a good game. We knew the defenses were evenly matched and we were right. We pulled out a 17-10 win with just seconds remaining. This picture above shows the fans after they stormed the field.

Sunday was the very special baptism day.



He was positively rotten the whole day on Sunday, till about 15 min before we left. Boy, does Satan work hard! But the baptism was lovely with so many people, I couldn't believe it. DH set up 64 chairs to start with, and they still added two more rows in the back. I was so humbled by the support for my little guy. The Bishop had him bear his testimony at the end and it was very sweet, bringing me to tears. What a wonderful weekend.

Thanks and giving

Our whirlwind week has ended. We have been so uplifted and had so much fun over the last four days.

Thursday was a nice laid-back Thanksgiving with FIL's side of the family. We went to a clubhouse on the shore of Utah Lake and had a great meal. DH's aunt is a great cook. Kids played with cousins and uncles and built a marble roller coaster. We stopped for a short visit on the way home to see my family and had a nice time with them.





Friday was my DS2's special "friend birthday party". My kids have it rough...we have tons of family, but they don't get a REAL party with friends till they are eight. SO it is looked forward to with MUCH anticipation and we usually make it a really big deal. The bad part is that it had to be holiday weekend, so a few of his buddies were out of town and unable to make it. Those that were there had a great time and they swam and climbed the rock wall and had yummy pizza, among other things. I was so nervous watching all those kids in the water and I was glad DH and my sister were there to help.



I'm trying to put my house back together from the weekend, so I'll blog later on the rest of the weekend.

Mmmmmmm.

I LOVE making muffins. Pretty much my new baking obsession. Every time I buy bananas I only intend for half of them to be eaten normally. I need the extras for muffins! The kids are off today for the long weekend (hubby's not tho) and the temp is 35 degrees colder than the first part of the week. So we are just having a cozy, snuggly, muffin-eating, scarf-finishing day as we get ready for tomorrow.

And yes, that's my mostly-done kitchen you see in the background. I can't wait to post the after pics next week.

Ta-Da!

It's finished! Here is my very first handmade scarf, modeled by the 9 year old. Cool, eh? I would have made it a tad longer, but that was the end of the yarn! I really love it though. Should be good to wear at the holy war in Provo on Sat :)

I was just reading over my last post and it sounded so down. I was sad to miss T at our activities all week, but I don't want that to overshadow the great mother-daughter night. It really was great! The girls got to take turns sharing what we had done since May in our activities. It was impressive! Even I didn't realize how much we had accomplished.

And the Primary Program was indeed yesterday. DS1 and DS2 each had two parts, and DS3 had one. DS2 had a long talk on baptism for his one part and did a great job talking about his upcoming eighth birthday and what that means to him. Even I got to take part, helping conduct the music for two songs that are sung in parts. I loved it and it reminded me of when I was Primary Chorister soon after moving into this ward. Seems so long ago.

Yesterday was my brother's birthday. If he's 27, I MUST be old. Strangely out of character for him, he offered to take DS1 to the Jazz game tonight which of course he is thrilled about. I'm happy for him and I hope they have a good time.

No Show

The dinner was lots of fun. The girls and moms that came had a fun time and full bellies. Sadly, the one I mentioned in my last post did not come, and I only was able to leave messages on her phone. I hope she knows how much she was missed.

I also called her before church to tell her I'd pick her up a few minutes earlier than normal (Primary Program today), and she told me she was sick. I was very choked up as I told her to get better and said good-bye.

I know people have their agency. I also know that a nine year old is not in much control of her own actions yet and I don't know what is going on in her family. I just know that after two missionary discussions and a month and a half of church she has seemed so happy, eager and bright. My heart is heavy today for her sake, and I plan on contacting the sister missionaries to see what I can do to help them/her.

Countdown...

The girls learned their manners. The food has been bought. I've changed my menu twice. I think we're good.

Our Mother/Daughter dinner for Activity Days is tonight. Twice a year they are supposed to recognize their accomplishments, so here we go! I'm very excited. Thanks to Ash for getting them excited about manners and courtesy and thanks Rach for helping with the food.

I'm SO nervous but hope the food is good and the turnout is even better! I have one girl in particular, an investigator, that I'm hoping with all my heart comes tonight with her mom. Please say a tiny prayer with me that she will have the desire to attend.

Card Swap

Got together this morning with some great, talented friends to get some Christmas cards done. Here are the cards from our swap. The close-up is my creation.

We had lots of fun. When I got home I couldn't believe 2 hours had passed! The time flew by. I also realized that most of them read this blog, so HI girls! You could leave me a comment sometime so I know you've been here :)

Crochenit

Well, it's been a long time, but on Friday I went to one of the Parent Workshops at the elementary school. They offer several classes each month and they teach different crafts, cooking, book reviews, etc. This time it was "Crochenit", a combination of crochet and knitting. I learned a little knitting from my grammy when I was little, and I'm horrible at crochet, so I thought the result might be interesting. It uses two colors of yarn (mine is blue and charcoal) and just one needle like crochet. But the stiches stay on the needle through most of it, like knitting. The teacher for our class says she prefers this method over either of them.

It was VERY frustrating to begin with, but after about an hour I was feeling a bit more confident. I wondered how I'd do at home with it.

It turns out I remembered pretty much everything I needed to. Phew. So here's my scarf, on days 1, 3 and 5...


FRIDAY



SUNDAY



TUESDAY



SO, I'm not a prefessional, ok? But it is now well over a foot long! If I keep it up I might be able to use it before the spring bulbs are up.

Dinner Rolls

Yesterday we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with hubby's side. I made the rolls to free up MIL's time a bit. They worked really well and I wanted to share the recipe...

Fairy Rolls

1 cup margarine
2 cups hot water
2 Tbls. yeast (or 2 packets)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (use a little less if you don't like sweet rolls)
1 tsp. salt
6 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Pour hot water over margarine in extra large bowl. Let cool before adding yeast; blend in eggs. Add sugar and salt, then flour and baking powder. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Form into rolls and let rise again for about an hour. Bake 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 3 1/2 - 4 dozen rolls.

Shaping dough:
Roll dough into a large circle and then cut triangles with a pizza cutter. Then roll the triangles into crescent roll shapes.




Notes: I used half butter half margarine. I also mixed up a huge double batch Saturday and stuck it in the fridge. Sunday after church I rolled, cut and set them out to rise for an hour. It took me about and hour and a half to get all 7 dozen rolls done. You will love these!

Chopping block

Before and after pics. I needed a change and mom was nice enough to watch the kids a bit yesterday so I could get my haircut and go to the store.

Expect short posts from me for a while as I move into a VERY busy time, with many Primary Activity Day events, Primary Program, enrichment, and ward stuff taking over my life for the next week. That will be followed by Thanksgiving, ds2 birthday and baptism. Happy November!

Mouth of Babes

Some DD quotes from this week...

1. We were naming everyone's pumpkins outside. She pointed to them and I would say who each belonged to. When we had named them all she said "Good counting mom!"

2. Her nails were long this morning and I said "We need to clip your nails! They're getting scratchy" She said "yeah, we want to scratch like a lion"

3. A question to me yesterday..."Do you have any parents?"

kitchen transforming

Ok, I was asked by a friend what was up with the kitchen. SO here's where we're at so far. The insides of the cupboards are painted a creamy buttery yellow and the beadboard backsplash is the same color. We have the first piece cut and painted, and it's behind the range so you can see it, but it's not actually installed yet. Cool, eh? The beadboard will all be covered with a polyurethane finish because it's in the kitchen. And we got the kind that is rated for moisture and is mildew resistant. I am so excited.

And what do you I think I paid for the paint? zilch. It was free from the recycled paint shed at the landfill. Pretty much the neatest perk ever. If you go, take a screwdriver to open paint cans and a handful of stirrer sticks if you can. It will make your life easier. So far we've spent $120 on supplies, including a really good white enamel that will go on the cupboard doors and two huge sheets of beadboard. I'm hoping to keep it to $150 max. Hoping.

In the swing of things

Monday: Chili w/ cheese and tortilla chips



Tuesday: Crockpot Ranch Chicken w/ corn

In the slow cooker:
6 chicken breasts
5-6 potatoes cubed

Mix these ingredients together and pour over potatoes and chicken:
2 cans cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1/4 C milk
8 oz. (1 brick) cream cheese
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

Cook in the slow cooker on high for 6 hours.

Wednesday: BBQ Pork Roast w/ rice and green beans

Thursday: Roasted Chicken and mashed potatoes

Friday: Date Night (been saving up Red Lobster gift cards! Yay!) and maybe hot dog for the kids or something

Saturday: Maybe Beef Stroganoff, not sure

Sunday: Dinner at Madsen's


I need to really get things going again in the household. Laundry has slacked off. My one-load-a-day goal seems so far in the past... Kitchen is slowly being worked on and I just feel disjointed while tools and things are still lying around. I'm trying to have patience, though, as DH isn't superman and can't hardly carve out the time for such projects. I figure, DS2 gets baptized in three weeks, so that's my ABSOLUTE cutoff. MUST get done!

Took dd in for pics this morning. With coupons at JCPenney I got 5 sheets for $11 with no sitting fee! Happy Dance

I've been without a cell phone for 3 1/2 weeks now and it's bugged me, but since I'm just a free ride on mom's family plan it's not like I could complain, right? My SIM card turned out to be the problem, so I took a few minutes on the way back from the mall at T-Mobile to get another one. $25 (blah) but they gave me a case with it. Not too bad, especially when my mom just handed me a cute new phone yesterday at Sunday dinner. Thanks, mamma!

Last night was a riot with my fam. My baby bro wanted to play "Mafia" (like Gadianton Robbers). It's certainly not my favorite type of game, but I joined in this time. It got CRAZY with my dad and others screaming and scheming. I have SUCH a hard time lying or tricking anybody, so I'm not all that good. But it was worth it to be with everybody and have such a good time.

string on my finger

Why am I so forgetful lately? It's really not like me. I went to the store for TWO things, and didn't take a list because I only needed TWO things. Came home with NEITHER.

And every meal I planned for our weekly menu required thawing meat or putting something in the crockpot to cook all day. Yet every day this week I've thought of supper no earlier than 4pm, leaving me no time to thaw OR slow cook.

AND...I made a big dinner last night. We have been doing the kitchen renovation and yesterday was the first day that the table had been cleared off in a week. I wanted to give the kids something yummy (not candy) to fill up on and DH was coming home late following basketball practice. Perfect time for a good meal, right? I had the roast beef, homemade macaroni and cheese, pierogis and veggies all ready when DH walked in the door. We sat down and prayed at 6:15.

Then DH looks at the calendar (I get points for writing it down, right?) and says, "Oh, I thought there was something going on tonight". I looked too, and saw that I had totally spaced my Primary Board meeting...a dinner. Beginning in less than 15 minutes. Spouses invited. Huge meal on the table. SIGH

Leftovers anyone?

Happy Haunting

We had a nice, laid-back halloween. DH was off classes but had to go into work to do grades for the end of the term. Since the boys are off-track I suggested that ds1 go spend the day with him. They had a ball! They ate lunch together and he read while Daddy was doing other things. He even finished Harry Potter #6 while he was there. They grabbed a round of miniature golf before heading home.

So we decided to go to the mall store trick-or-treat which started at 5, and then we went to the ward TRUNK or treat activity. DS1 had signed up to be in charge of a game booth at 6, so we hurried back from the mall to be there on time. I forced all the kids to eat a few bites of soup before gathering candy so they might have SOMETHING in their bellies to start with.

We stopped home quickly at 7, just long enough to grab toothbrushes (knowing they would be asleep in the car when all was said and done; I was right) and headed up to the grandparents' to show off Harry Potter, the Cop, Jack Sparrow and Cinderella...