The Orchard in Bloom

The Letter "P"

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Peter turned 3 in May and is like a little sponge. His mind is so thirsty for knowledge and yet he is so busy and always getting into trouble. The key I have found is to keep his mind and hands busy and then he doesn't look for trouble quite as much.

Recently I have noticed that he is learning his letters almost by himself as if through osmosis. He is exposed to letters through our alphabet magnets, Sesame Street, alphabet puzzles, and his desire to write his name. To further cultivate this I have started collecting the letter "P" from junk mail and old magazines. The mail arrives and Peter instantly wants to have it so he can look for "P"s. I am shocked at the tiny letters he can spot. He points them out and then we cut them out and past them on a piece of paper.

The paper stays on the refrigerator for use the next day. Throughout the day he talks about all the "P"s he has found and wants to look at the paper. I figure that we will do this until the paper is full and then start on the next letter in his name and so on until we have finished his name completly. It is a great free activity that is laying a foundation for his future education and keeps him occupied for quite some time.

This is what Jacob does while Peter and I work on letters - Look Cute.

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Stitched Notebooks

2011-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

I really like to write in visually appealing notebooks but they are so much more expensive then the plain ones. Here is a solution for free.

Take your scrapbook paper scraps and a few sheets of plain white paper (or any paper of your choice for that matter) and turn then into pretty little notebooks.

If you can sew a straight line on your sewing machine you can make these.

Look through your scraps and decide what size notebooks you want to make. In the photo below I have two separate pieces for the front and the back and one more small piece to place on the top.

Cut you paper about 1/4 inch smaller than the finished notebook. Stack all your layers together.

Place the top portion on the finished stack. In the photo below I have cut one piece of paper for the front and back and just folded it in half. In this case I didn't put a top portion on.

Take your finished stack to your sewing machine and stitch it together. I lengthen my stitch to the longest possible and back stitch a few times on each edge to prevent the thread from pulling out.

Sit back and enjoy your new supply of pretty little notebooks. Stick them in your pocket, purse, car, desk.... you get the idea. Now when you have a brilliant idea you can write it down.

I have a vivid childhood memory of sitting next to my Mom while she made larger versions of these out of lined paper and construction paper. She would always make us a few stitched notebooks in preparation for a road trip. My girls (10 & 8) can even make these for themselves.

________________________

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Chopin at 90 years old

2011-09-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

My Dad turns 90 in a few weeks and he is my hero.

We went to visit my parents today and after a while Dad announces that he is going to play us something on the piano. He proceeds to play a beautiful piece by Chopin. It literally brought tears to my eyes. Dad has always played piano but has never considered himself a pianist. He always said he knew just enough to get by but doubted his ability to be really good at piano. He is really just being modest - he is the organist at church and has been for the past 20+ years. It doesn't come easy for him and requires a lot of practice but he is good at it.

Apparently last week he decided that the beautiful grand piano in his house shouldn't go to waste and should be played every day. He wants to develop his talents and not just be satisfied with his abilities as they currently are. So at the age of 90 he has started playing beautiful music by Chopin and who knows who else. At an age when most people really start to slow down he just never seems to stop. He has finally started to age a bit but what that man manages to do each day inspires me.

If at 90 years old he can decided to play Chopin and further his musical talents what should I at only 35 be doing each day to further my talents?

My Dad taught me an important lesson today that I hope to never forget.

Quiddler

2011-09-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

We spend a lot of time playing games with our kids. We started teaching them to play UNO when they are 3. It is a very simple game that they can play with help that teaches them colors and numbers.

As the kids get older we move onto more challenging games. My favortie games are the ones that are fun to play as well as educational. Quiddler has become a favorite to play after we put the little boys to bed and have some peace and quiet in the house (Ok that is all relative - the big 4 kids make plenty of noise). It takes a bit of concentration but is a great spelling and vocabulary reinforcement.

One of the funnest parts is seeing the silly/gross/unusual words that get spelled. Here are the kids with their winner hands.

Jim generally spends the game helping the kids with their hands and then having to play his own. He is a great father - and I am not saying that because I am a bit biased.

Follow this link to Amazon to read a full review of the game. So much fun.

What games do you like to play with your family?

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Mine is #14

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

2011-09-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

I love all things pumpkin. During the fall it is a must have but I like it so much we have pumpkin flavored things all year long.

We love this cake for dessert (and sometimes breakfast)

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Yield 2 sheet cakes (can easily cut recipe in half)

3 cups white sugar
1 cup margarine
2 teas vanilla
2 cans of pumpkin (the regular size cans)
4 eggs
3 cups flour (I use whole wheat and it taste great and is more nutritious)
4 1/2 teas baking powder
1 Tab baking soda
1/4 teas salt
4 teas cinnamon

I dump all the ingredients into my mixer and turn it on until it looks good and mixed. (I am not a very precise person in the kitchen)

Bake at 350 degrees in a greased cooking sheet for 20-25 min.

It is tasty plain or with a light glaze on the top.

________________________

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Mine is #14

Felt Owl Tutorial #2

2011-08-31T04:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the next installment of the felt owl tutorials.

You can see the first one here.

How would you like to make this?

or this?

Use the template below to cut out your felt shapes. Cut two of the body and one of the belly and two of the wings if needed. To make the eyes just cut circle of felt. Play around with their shape and size to change the look completely.

For this cute fellow -
Running stitch on the wings and nose
For the belly I just made long parallel running stitches
The eyes – Starting on the back stick your needle and thread up through the center of the eye and them back down on the outside edge. Repeat all the way around the eye.

To make this one -
Basic cross stitch on the nose
Whip stitch on the eyes, wings, and center contrast

For the hanging loop you can use ribbon, strips of felt, or a loop of embroidery floss. When you use embroidery floss or thin ribbon tie a knot in the end to create the loop. The knot will help ensure that the loop of floss doesn't pull out of the top.

I like to sew the front and the back together on my sewing machine but you could do it by hand as well. On both of the owls you will need to fold the wings out of the way when you stitch around the outside edge.

Use the templates on any of your favorite crafts. In the photos you can see how I made not only hanging ornaments but keychains, small stuffed animals, attach a pin back and you have a brooch, you could even shrink the size of the templates and make hair bows. Only use one layer of felt and you can applique the shape onto your favorite bag or the end of a winter scarf. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with.

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My skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

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Mine is #14

New Skills

2011-08-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

I love to watch my children learn new skills. Peter is learning to joy of cutting paper. So far is he content to cut paper - mostly. I did catch him trying to give the stuffed Elmo a hair cut.

I guess the next task is to teach him that it is not necessary to stick your tongue out while cutting.

Formula instead of Milk?

2011-08-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

I did something a bit unconventional the other day with my mashed potatoes. I was out of milk and didn't want to run to the store to get some right then. But I needed milk for the potatoes. I rummaged in the pantry looking for options and I stumbled on a can of baby formula. I have never used formula on any of my babies but some how I got on a mailing list and was sent a free can in the last few months. I know it sounds weird but I made up 1 cup of the formula and used it when I mashed my potatoes. I couldn't tell the difference and the kids were none the wiser. It was definitely a make it work or do without moment and I think it went well.

Have you ever used formula instead of milk in cooking? How did it turn out?

As a side note I mash my potatoes in my Bosch mixer with the wire whips on. I like mashed potatoes that are smooth and creamy. No lumps for me here.

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My skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

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Mine is #14

What Motivates Me

2011-08-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

I am always coming up with a mile long list of things I need to change in my life and while
I could ignore that list it gets a little hard because every time I turn around I see one of my kids.

I have Tim who when I announce what is for dinner (if he is excited about it) give me a hug and tells me he loves me - food is the way to that boys heart.

Then there is Andrew who although a total goof ball can be so sweet and loves to snuggle.

Allison is full of creativity and is learning to sew. A small compliment and she is beaming for the rest of the day.

Kathryn wants so much to participate in whatever I am doing. She wants to be helpful and takes joy in being of service. I am hard pressed to start working in the kitchen and she is not there asking to help.

Then there are the little boys - Peter and Jacob. They are just a bundle of trouble and yet I can't help but smile every time I see them.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about my health. I have come to the point in my life where I realize clearly that I am not getting any younger. Not that I am old but I am squarely in my mid 30's. I am about 50 lbs overweight and I need to loose those extra pounds. I need to do it for my children so they can have a healthy and active mother who can keep up with them for years and years to come. Yeah and I want to be thin so I can feel good about myself and look great in the latest fashions but really it is about my kids.

My children are my motivation. I need to put a photo of them on my fridge and pantry so when I am tempted to make a not so healthy food choice I will remember why I shouldn't.

What motivates you?

Pinstripe Skirt Giveaway

2011-08-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have received so much great feedback on my skirt and a number of request to sell it. So..... Here is your chance to own your very own Pinstripe Skirt with Pockets.

You get one entry for each of the following -

Vote for my skirt (#14) here
Become a follower of The Orchard in Bloom
Post about the Shabby Apple Dare to Design Contest on Facebook and encourage everyone to vote for #14
Tweet about the Shabby Apple Dare to Design Contest on Twitter and encourage everyone to vote for #14
Share the Shabby Apple Dare to Design Contest on your blog and encourage everyone to vote for #14
Post about this giveaway on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter
Write about this giveaway on your blog and include a photo of the skirt
Pin one of my skirt photos on Pinterest.

There you go - You have 9 chances to enter. For each entry post a comment regarding what you did. So if you want to do all 9 you need to make 9 comments.

You have until September 10th. The winner will be announced on September 11th.

The winner will need to provide me with a few basic measurements and I will make the skirt custom to your measurements.

If you have any question just let me know. This is my first giveaway so......

Week in Review

2011-08-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Highlights from my week.

Jacob is teething - such a sad little boy.

Jim and I have an agreement. He is the potato peeler and I am the potato cutter. It sure makes cooking with potatoes go so much faster. Plus we get to visit while we work in the kitchen. Not a bad deal at all.

Our wheat is stored in 5 gallon buckets with containers of sulphur in them to hep preserve the wheat. I don't entirely understand the whole sulphur thing (the wheat came from my parents). Well to make a long story short the sulphur container spilled into the wheat and we had a disaster of a batch of bread. The entire house smelled like rotten eggs. It was nasty!

The bread from the bad sulphur contaminated wheat was supposed to be for lunch. I didn't have much else on hand for a quick lunch so I had to get creative. I sauteed squash, broccoli, carrots, cabbage and green onions on some bacon grease (I always save it in the fridge) tossed in leftover black beans and rice. I seasoned it with fish sauce and Thai curry paste. The kids loved it so much we had it again for lunch 2 days latter. I love that my kids will eat veggies.

Tim is camping with the young men in the ward tonight. He is a good sport to let me take his photo on the way out the door. He needs a hair cut. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so curly.

School started this week. That means that I once again have 4 math lessons to correct every day. The kids do it sometimes but I like to do it to keep better tabs on their progress. Andrew has terrible handwriting. He has this thing about using as little of his paper as possible. It makes it so hard to correct.

Allison was hungry and went scavenging in the kitchen. She thought that Peppermint extract sounded good. She was surprised by the flavor and will never do that again.

Best Cookie Recipe Ever

2011-08-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion this is the best cookie recipe ever.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups flour

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 min.
(My oven runs cool so I bake mine at 365)

Be sure not to overcook them. They should be puffy when you take them from the oven but as they cook they flatten a bit.

This is the only cookie recipe I use. I alter it to suit the type of cookie that I want to make. Today I replaced the brown sugar with white sugar and rolled the dough in cinnamon and sugar to make snickerdoodles.

These cookies are moist and chewy - Never dry and crunchy.

My mother made terrible cookies. They were always crunchy and often burnt on the bottom. She thought she was being efficient by cooking 4 trays of cookies at once but in order to put the 4 racks in the oven she had to place one rack all the way on the bottom. That tray of cookies ended up burnt to a crisp - ALWAYS. You would think that she would have noticed this problem and changed her ways but no.

I remember my sisters and I learning to place burnt peanut butter cookies under a little water and scraping the burnt bottoms off to make them more palatable. Wet soggy peanut butter cookies - ~~yummy~~ yuck! We must have been desperate. Don't get me wrong she made other things that were quite yummy but the cookies were not one of them.

________________________

If you haven't voted yet please do.

My skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

You can go here to vote - PLEASE :)

Mine is #14

Felt Owl Ornament Tutorial

2011-08-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Want to know how to make this?

Over the next few weeks I will be posting tutorials on a series of felt owl that I made.

Today lets start with a few very basic stitch.

When I give my kids a needle and thread to stitch with this is what they tend to do
naturally. A running stitch is very easy for even the most inexperienced sewer and looks nice when spaced evenly.

This stitch I call the snowflake stitch for because it reminds me of a snowflake.

The photos are pretty self explanatory -. Make a basic cross stitch but in a + shape. Then on top of that do another basic cross stitch slightly smaller. That’s all there is to it.

If you can make a running stitch , a snowflake stitch and sew on a button you can make this.

Use the template below to cut out your felt shapes. Cut two of the body and one of the belly. To make the eyes just cut circle of felt. Play around with their shape and size to change the look completely.

You can shrink or enlarge the template to suit your personal style. These would make adorable Christmas ornaments. You can even enlarge the templates and make something as large as an accent pillow or a stuffed animal.

Click on the above photo and you can see the details of the stitches.

Stitch instructions -

Running stitch to attach belly and snowflake stitch in the middle

Nose is attached is a few running stitches.

The eyes are held on only with the button in the center

For the hanging loop you can use ribbon, strips of felt, or a loop of embroidery floss. When you use embroidery floss or thin ribbon tie a knot in the end to create the loop. The knot will help ensure that the loop of floss doesn’t pull out of the top

I like to sew the front and the back together on my sewing machine but you could do it by hand as well.

I don't do hand work as often as I should. I always find it calming and therapeutic. What are you feeling on handwork?

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My skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

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Mine is #14

What the 3 yr old does when no one is looking

2011-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I took a few photos yesterday and while reviewing them noticed that there were pictures on my camera that I did not take. From the little finger in each shot and the fact that Jacob is being photographed in a few of them I am pretty sure it was Peter.

I suspect this all happened while I was upstairs moving laundry from one machine to another or an equally exciting core.

Enjoy!

Peter sneaks the camara off the counter.

Jacob is looking over the gate for me

Peter begins to explore

Peter is fond of playing with duplo blocks

The day is not complete without a little Sesame Street

More shots of his finger

Jacob has learned that Peter has the camara

Here he comes for the camera. Jacob never wants to be left out of the fun.

These two little boys are so cute but are quite the troublesome duo.

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My skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

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Mine is #14

$0.40 or $2.49?

2011-08-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

Shopping for school supplies always give me a bit of anxiety. Having 4 school age children gets expensive really fast. This year is better because we are homeschooling and using a program called Harmony that is paying for all the kids curriculum but the notebooks, pen, paper, erasers...... all start to ad up.

I needed to buy 3 composition books for both of the girls and fell in love with some very cute patterned ones but was shocked at the price difference. I could by a plain one for 0.40 or I could get the girls pretty floral or stripe ones for $2.49 each. Quickly doing the math I found that it would cost me $12 more just for pretty notebooks. Sadly I realized that cuteness was completely out of my budget. I bought the plain ones.

It wasn't until days later that I came up with a solution. Scrapbook paper and Mod Podge.

I cut the paper to fit the front and back covers, added a bit of accent paper on the edge and used the Mod Podge to put it all together. Allison and Kathryn did most of the gluing work with me just supervising. Not only did I save $12 but my girls are so proud to have cute notebooks and we spent meaningful time together doing a useful craft.

________________________

If you haven't voted yet please do.

My skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

You can go here to vote - PLEASE :)

Mine is #14

Good, Better, Best

2011-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

One of the things that keeps coming to me is the importance for me personally to write. I have always known that I need to write of my thoughts, feelings, and day to day life. I know that my children will be blessed because of it and yet I struggle to do it on a regular basis. I started this blog with the hope that putting my writing out in a public arena would be motivation and that worked for a while but I struggle to know at times what to write about.

So here I go again with a slightly new format. Each day of the week will have a different assignment. On Sunday my task will be to write about something to think about and ponder on. More info on what each day will be coming soon.

So here goes my first something to think about post -

I am always trying to decide what to do with my time. It is not that I have too much free time – quite the opposite. I worry about if what I am spending my time on is the best use of my time. Some things are easy to figure out like should I really be wasting away time browsing the internet – no or should I play with my children – yes.

I often think about a talk by Dallin H. Oaks entitled Good, Better, Best. It causes me to reflect on what might be a good use of my time versus what would be better or even the best use of my time.

“We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.”

Dallin H. Oaks

Time is such a limited resource as a parent that I need to try my best to make the most of it. I need to be finding/making more time to spend engaging my children - Not just being in the same room with them while they watch TV and I read a book. I know that I have a limited amount of time to be with them while they are young and I need to make better use of that time. In this talk Elder Oaks quotes President Gordon B. Hinckley as pleading that we “work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it.”

My jumbo sized white board in the kitchen this week will have

GOOD, BETTER, BEST ?

written across the top to help me to remember to think about this all week long.

________________

If you haven't voted yet please do.

This skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

You can go here to vote - PLEASE :)

Mine is #14

Design for Shabby Apple - Submission #2

2011-08-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is my second creation for the Shabby Apple "Dare to Design" contest.

This dress is so much fun. It is simple to wear and has a very forgiving fit. The entire front bodice has very small pin tuck seams that enhance the crinkly appearance the fabric naturally has. The waist sits at your natural waist and is elastic. It could be made with a matching sash but I chose to model it with a favorite belt that gives a nice pop of color.

The skirt is a full circle. I love circle skirts because you gets lots of flirty volume on the bottom while not adding volume to your waist or hips (who wants that?).

I don't normally think of gray as a color for spring but I think it works in the dress. The fabric is a very soft crinkly lightweight synthetic fabric that is wash and wear - huge plus. I think it would look equally good in a floral like one of these.

This dress in either a solid or a floral would be a great Shabby Apple dress. It would be a great honor to design for Shabby Apple. In the mean time I just need to make this dress for myself.

Design for Shabby Apple Submission #1

2011-08-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

8/19 - UPDATE

_______________

This skirt made it into the top 15 designs for the

Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest

You can go here to vote - PLEASE :)

Mine is #14

When I first learned about the Dare to Design (click the link to learn more) challenge by Shabby Apple I was intrigued but unsure if I wanted to take the time to put together a submission. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to do it. So here is what I came up with.

I wanted to make a pinstripe skirt but with more whimsy than usually found. The skirt sits just slightly above your natural waistline and is fitted to the top of your hip. The skirt is pleated and very full. No woman wants to be without pockets for her cell phone, keys or lip gloss so this skirt has two large pockets that have been placed at a diagonal for comfortable access. The pinstripe is vertical on the waist band, horizontal on the skirt, and vertical on the pockets. The fabric is a black polyester pin stripe fabric. It doesn't wrinkle and can be machine washed and dried - what more can a woman want. I would love to see this skirt in other colors of pinstripe fabric as well.

The white blouse is an easy fitting top with a deep (but not too deep) V neck that has the same pleated detail as a designer mens tuxedo shirt. It can be worn tucked into a skirt or left out and belted with your favorite pair of jeans. I have no patience for separates that only look good with one thing. If I am going to buy separates I want it to mix and match with my entire wardrobe. This shirt fits the bill. The shirt is made from white cotton fabric so it is nice and cool all year long.

It would be an honor to design for Shabby Apple so here goes nothing. First step is to make it into the top 15 and then the voting begins.

Peter vs. The Big Hill

2011-06-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Friday was the Ward Campout. Since we don't camp we just went up for the evening, went home to sleep, and went back up for breakfast in the morning. The kids had tons of fun. Jim and I not so much since we spent the evening chasing Peter and Jacob.

The big event of the evening was Peter losing the battle with the big hill. The big kids were all trekking up the hillside. It was steep and had no real path but that didn't stop them. Peter did not want to miss out on the fun so he followed. Jim stayed at the bottom and kept calling after Peter for him to come back. Being 3 years old he did not listen. Peter kept going higher and higher. Eventually he did decide to turn around but he wanted to run down - it didn't go well. He ended up sliding on his face for a bit and getting nice and scratched up.

As I have thought about the incident I couldn't help but notice how much I act like Peter at times. I am bound and determined to do something that I know I shouldn't. Once I finally decide to listen and turn around it doesn't exactly go smoothly - more often than not I stumble and fall.

Take for instance the other night. I was trying to teach Allison how to sweep the floor. I allowed her stubbornness to get under my skin. I know better than that. Once I get frustrated with a child I have a hard time being rational and end up loosing my temper big time - this was no exception. As soon as she started to give me grief it was as if I stood at the bottom of the hill. Instead of walking away I plowed on up - big mistake. I should have explained the task one more time and walked away and asked Jim to finish up with her but no.... By the time I realized how bad the situation was I was way up the hill. I turned around but it was too late and I fell big time. It was not pretty. The simple task of teaching her how to sweep the floor became a total disaster. I was yelling, she was crying and Jim was watching in awe of the horrible mess I had made.

I really need to learn to listen to the advice I give my children and not go up the big hill.

Loaded Questions

2011-06-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

After over 15 years of marriage Jim has gotten quite good at dealing with loaded questions. Tonight it was -

"Is my butt really this big?" As I held up a pair of jean shorts.

He replied very diplomatically that "No - see the fabric wraps around your body so your pants look much larger flat than your body is in reality"

I couldn't help but laugh. He says he loves me even though I ask him loaded questions.

Sadly I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. These are really my jeans and my butt fills them so it must be rather large.

It is past time to diet.

Old Clothes = New Clothes

2011-06-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

I purchased new shorts for the boys a few weeks ago and yet Andrew still is wearing his shorts that are way too small for him. I decided to take matters into my own hands and take away the shorts that I don't want him to wear any longer - problem solved. Now he has no choice but to wear the new shorts. SIDE NOTE - As it turns out Tim had claimed all the new longer shorts for himself so Andrew didn't have anything but the old shorts to wear. I have fixed that.

Now that I was looking at a pile of 4 pairs of big boy shorts I got to thinking (never a good thing) that Peter needs new shorts. With a family of 6 kids someone is always out growing their clothes. While the big boys shorts would be way too big for Peter it still gave me an idea.

I turned Andrew's out grown shorts into great shorts for Peter. An hour or so later I have 4 pairs of little boys shorts that have plenty of growing room. I will post a full tutorial of how I did it later. It was way easy.

I love the satisfaction that being thrifty gives me.

Holding Hands at Bedtime

2011-06-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

Bedtime with the little boys is an adventure. They sleep in the back end of our very large masterbedroom closet but it is a closet afterall so their beds are pretty close together. At first it worked great but as they have gotten more accustomed to sleeping in the same space (I can't exactly call it a room) they have gotten more crazy.

Jim or I always sit with them until they go to sleep but there is still the throwing of blankets, the talking to each other or even better the intentional rolling out of bed by Peter quickly followed by the taking of Jacobs pacifier - that one never goes over well.

In an effort to keep them more under control we now sit between their beds and read the scriptures to them until they are asleep. Peter and I often hold hands while I read. It is the sweetest thing. If he is holding my hand he can't be too wiggly. It works like a charm and Peter doesn't feel like he is being contained. Jacob will stand up and ask to hold my hand - it never last very long but nor does he feel left out.

When I open my scriptures Peter asks me to "Read Jesus Mom". I love that he is learning at such a young age that the scriptures teach about Christ. If I stop reading before he is asleep he is sad and asks to have more scriptures read to him. I honestly think I could read just about anything to them but it is a great way for me to be sure that I am reading my scriptures every day. I have never read from the scriptures for as long each day or as consistently as I am doing now. I love it when my children provide the catalyst for me to do better.

When the older four kids were little we read to them as they went to bed too. They have gotten a little too old for that now. Some nights when they are talking and carrying on I think maybe we need to do it again to keep them calm and quiet. Somehow I don't think that Tim or Andrew would be too fond of me holding their hands as they went to sleep. It might work as a threat. I can hear it now - "Boys if you don't stop wrestling and go to sleep I am going to come in there and hold your hands while I read to you" I think the silence would be deafening.

The Sounds of Dad making Pancakes

2011-06-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

I am sick today. Really really sick. Stomach troubles, head ache, all over body aches, dizzy, chills - it is not pretty.

I didn't have anything quick to fix for breakfast for the kids (out of bread and out of cereal) so I managed to mix together the pancake batter and Jim cooked them. He has very little experience cooking not that he wouldn't try I just don't let him.

Here are a few things that came out of his motuth as he cooked -

Crap
oh no
that one is too big
is that done yet?
the center is undercooked - what do I do?
with a healthy springkling of sighs and moans

I have decided that if I want to start my day with a little humor I need to ask Jim to make pancakes. He really did a great job. What that man wouldn't do for me - including vacuuming. He is teaching our sons well.

Books + Food = Happiness

2011-06-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Jim loves books. I think his love for me comes close to his love for books. I know that if he had to choose me or the books it would be me but .... The anguish would be intense.

We had the opportunity to go out on a date today. We had a late lunch/early dinner and then we went to the library. Being with Jim in an environment surrounded with books always makes me happy. Jim is not the only book lover in this relationship. I love books as well I just don't manage to find/make as much time for reading books as he does. We often complain to each other that there are so many books to read and so little time. We spent a lot of our early dating years browsing used books stores so it makes me feel a bit nostalgic and young again to be with Jim in book heavy surroundings
.

I love watching him browse books. He gets lost in the pages as he decides if a particular book is going to be worth his time. I on the otherhand pick up books willy nilly and decide after I get home if I really want to read it. If Jim takes the time to check out a book there is a 90% chance that he will read it. When I check out a book there is only about a 20% or less chance that I will read it.

On today's trip to the libray Jim got 7 books and they are all about 300+ pages long. To him that is a short book. A book has to be in the 700-800 page range to be considered long. He will probably have read most of them in the next 2 weeks. That is not including the 3-4 books that he owns that he is trying to get through at any given time. We go to the library so much that we pay for a Provo Library card because the Springville Library is lacking in book selection.

In addition to books we both love to eat. Despite how full we were from our meal our date wasn't complete until we stopped for a treat at the Provo Bakery. If you have never been you need to. No donut, cookie, or pastry will ever be the same once you have tasted the best.

Food then Books then More Food = One very happy couple.

Chips Provide Natural Consequences

2011-06-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love natural consequences - here is what happened:

I got the chips out to give the kids a snack and discovered that the can of BBQ Lay's Stax was almost gone when it should have been about half full. I asked Allison if she had snuck some last night while I was putting the little boys to bed. The guilt was evident on her face immediately. With less than one serving of BBQ chips I asked who wanted it. Andrew and Allison both wanted it.Since Allison apparently had her serving last night I gave it to Andrew.You would have thought that Allison's world had come to an end with the weeping and wailing that erupted from her. She seriously asked why she didn't get the last serving because she asked first - completely in denial of how her actions effected this situation.

The result of all this :

She was sad. Not so much about her choices - more about that fact that she didn't get the type of chip she wanted - I am working on that with her. I was thrilled that there was a perfect natural consequence to her actions. I find my job as a parent is easier when there are natural consequences.