{this tale to tell.....}

quinton

2012-01-24T17:13:00.001-08:00

"there is nothing more terrifying than your old man telling you to get your report card and get in the car."

"berry" thrifty cool.

2011-12-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

let's make some lovely christmas decorations shall we? and let's make them for mere pennies.
i bought some sparkling berry picks for 64 cents each on sale at Michael's. then i totally destroyed the berry picks. sounds wierd, but it's effective. TIP: you can make one berry pick or one bunch of flowers or one garland go a long way, just by deconstructing it. you can then reuse the individual flower, berry or leaf by using floral tape and wire. like this:

the first pick of golden sparkly leaves cost me 64 cents. which is pretty cheep, but i needed like 12 of them for my tree. well that's still only gonna cost me less than 12$. what's the big deal right? by taking the pick apart and rewiring them, i decorated my whole tree for 64 cents. i saved about 10$. in this economy... kinda big deal.

back to the berries. i had a 1/2 stryofoam ball that i got with my coupon for about a dollar. deconstructed berries, plug them snuggly in the styrofoam, and .......

i have a delicious looking decoration for my apothecary pedestal thingy....for $1.64. now that's delicious!

oh the possibilities!

tooth fairy potato

2011-11-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

the tooth fairy who visits our house is a little......different. but she has a sweet generous spirit. my little lady lost her first tooth, it seems like she's been waiting her whole life for this milestone to come. she faced it with bravery and fortitude and pulled out the little white remnant of babyhood all by herself. no screaming/crying involved. according to custom, she put the tooth under the pillow and also according to custom....the tooth fairy left her lots of change stuck neatly in a potato. who knows why our tooth fairy does things this way? perhaps to prevent change from getting lost in fluffy pillows and blankets? or perhaps she just wants you to have hashbrowns for breakfast as an added bonus? we may never know, but we love our loony tooth fairy!

10 things

2011-11-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

1. sandra dallas is my new favorite author. i read persian pickle club years ago, but haven't read anything by her for years. just finished "whiter than snow" and "the diary of mattie spenser" and had my annual good cry.
2. my favorite shlumpadinkas (translation: relaxing yoga/sweat pants) are holey and i am in need of attractive new ones. i'm thinkin' these or maybe these? hmmm. suggestions? please?
3. survivor is as good as season 1. jim is a bully, dawn is THE woman, and cochran is growing on me for stickin' it too the pretty people. i used to think brandon was a creepy wierdo, but his "protector" role over the vurnerable cochran had me doing the silent cheer.
4. i miss michael scott.
5. i ran over a cat. and it made me sad.
6. in related news, i really like driving fast on the narrow curvy road i live on. it's fun. but it has it's consequences.
7. i miss alaska, the blue mountains, and all my friends from both places. but coalville is a great little place, with lots of great people. i am happy here.
8.veterans day is my favorite. north summit elementary put on a wonderful assembly. the kids sang and there were old men in uniform. love a man in uniform. patriotism makes me cry these days. i have known men who have died in this war. my friend trish is now a single mom her husband was killed in february, and a high school friend recently died in a helicopter full of navy seals in afghanistan. i cannot have dry eyes when little kids are singing the national anthem. i am turned back in time to when mike came off that plane. soldiers rock. especially mine.
when i lived on base in alaska it was impossible to enter a building with out a soldier sprinting to open it for you. even at the gas station. every night at 5:00 they would play revelry over the loud speakers as they lowered the flag, and if you were outside you'd stop what you were doing and put your hand on your heart and wait for the song to end. even the little kids running around the neighborhood new what to do. we live in the best place on earth, guarded by the best people in america.
9. for the first time in 10 years, i get to have thanksgiving with my parents and my sister.
10. pinterest. you must try pinterest. it is a place to categorize and save every cool idea you can think of. i have learned how to get rid of armpit stains, make a lamp out of old books, and fix my hair in a lovely, messy, up do. so go. go on. go now. get outta here, and pin something.

happy halloween!!

2011-10-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

a pink witch....just like this halloween. (although avery claims her costume is "a teenager.")
a zombie...who prefers to feast on little old ladies.
the cutest skeleton ever. who had to pee at the first trick or treat house we went to. bless you lady who let us use your very clean bathroom and who didn't know us from adam.
a little old lady. watch out for zombies!!!

spongebob squarepants.

2011-10-25T07:24:00.001-07:00

recently i stumbled upon a "study" that made me think. it seems that watching sponge bob for just 9 minutes makes you dumber. there are hundreds of "studies" going on all the time. among the findings of such important "studies" are as follows: too many carrots can make your skin turn orange (anyone whose fed a 5 month old his first bottle of carrots can tell you that) but carrots also single handedly improve eye sight. to much vinegar from pickles can cause cancer, ( as does using dark brown hair dye vs. blond hair dye) but eating pickles as a snack reduces caloric intake and everyone knows brunettes have more fun. these "studies" it seems are endless in their scope and schizophrenic in their results. oh and viagra can also raise the dead. (ha ha i made that one up)
i've watched sponge bob many times with my kids. my favorite is the one where sponge bob relishes in the sound of pickles being rubbed together. squeaky squeak. or the one where spongebob runs into a girl that looks just like him and mr. crabs says "who is that?" and sponge bob says, " i don't know but she is UGGlyyyy!" it's one of those shows you watch and when it's over you think about it and chuckle and then you tell your friend the funny parts and laugh again. it stays on the brain. the phenomenon of thinking about movies or tv long after the credits roll is not a new one to me. all i could focus on for days after seeing "pride and predjudice" (kiera knightly version) was how to get mike to walk towards me at sunrise in some riding boots. or after i watch the last episode of "lost" i wondered how something so mysterious and wonderful could turn into such a big blah cliche.
i am disturbed by natl geographics "border wars" (how do we help the immigrants who work hard and at the same time, keep those cartel bums out?) i am mesmerized by the creative powers on "project runway" and "top chef" (can you really make pork belly and chocolate into a delicious entree) and i still can't wait to see what jim does to dwight every thursday night on "the office"
so i totally get how the scientists could come to the conclusion that spongebob makes you dumber. what kid is going to focus on math when hilarious undersea hijinks are on the brain? i think a more accurate study would also deduce that the dumbing down is not incremental or permanent. which i think means you are not actually dumber, just other wise engaged. and probably much more optimistic. (one day mike will wear riding boots at dawn)
i wonder what the process is for these scientists to come up with new "studies". maybe they were watching reruns of "pysch" and got a little distracted when they thought up the all important spongebob "study."

while we were away.....

2011-10-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-09-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

i love summer time with my kids, we hike, and travel and fight and fish....... but when that bus rolls around the corner on the first day, i do a little dance of joy. and say .....whew! here are the big kids on their first day of school last week. they are so serious and ready to buckle down to some major learning and studying.
little jace man had his first day of pre-school today. he has been so excited to go. and for the first time in 11 years, i have some time to my self a few days a week. woot woot!!
uh-oh...... the little dance of joy just got alot louder.

a summation of our summer. (that's really out of order)

2011-09-01T09:59:00.001-07:00

the boys have discovered fishing! they caught this here brown trout in the weber river right behind our house. ain't that just the most pastoral and picturesque thing ever?
we went to lagoon with the judi cousins in aug. it took half the day to convince quinton and austin to get off the kiddie rides and try a big boy rollercoaster, but once they did, we couldn't get them off.
we are on a well, which is all fine and good, cause i don't have to bottle water for the apocalypse anymore, but we did have to replace all the pipe and the pump. it took 25 feet of scaffolding, and lots of helpers, but we got 'er done. mike and his dad were so proud of their handy work. saved us a bundle.
avery has taken on the roll of small town girl very seriously. here she is at her cheerleading and drill team debut.
austin kept us busy with near nightly ball games in henefer. love henefer park, it is perfect for baseball. austin volunteered to be a pitcher and he was good at it!

on june 30th we celebrated jace turning 4!! we roasted hotdogs in the back yard, per his request. he got a "mote control truck" and lots of cars and treats. love that kid.

2011-07-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

my children are mingling in the garden eating a bag of licorice. my husband is swinging golf clubs. i am watching covertly from the window. sometimes, life is just grand.

doing work

2011-06-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

we watched the mavs win the nba championships two days ago. i always love a good sports battle. over the years, my love of sports has taken a back seat to taking care of kids, doing the dishes, normal mom stuff, but every once in awhile, i'll take the time to watch some of the big game.
sports center is a regular presence in our home. when asked, dirk nowitzki talked about how good it felt to have all that hard work pay off, how they worked. so. hard. for. so. long.
lebron and dwain wade talked about how hard it was to work. so. hard. and come so far, and fall so short. (dear lebron. i am one of those people who hoped you failed. so sorry to be a downer, but when you think your awesome so very publicly, i can't help but jump on the "you are full of yourself, so you need to be taken down a notch" bandwagon. ) it got me thinking about how trivial the life of a sports hero is. if they are hoping for sympathy or tears of respect for their hard work, they must have had only pampered rich people in mind. millionaire athletes will get no such respect from me. good for you lebron. you get paid 20 million dollars a year (or rather in a 9 month period) to play a game. sure you run ladders, and lift weights, and shoot baskets over and over and over. you are good what you do, I will concede that you "work hard."
even so, you don't have a clue what hard work is.
i am a mom. i once went on a 9 year spree of poopie diaper changing. 9. years. my body is scarred and battered from growing 4 people inside of it, and then trying to get them out. also, not sleeping through the night for nearly 11 years, and wiping boogers with my bare hands. i have scrubbed buckets of vomit out of the carpets, hosed off gallons of pee from the bathroom floor, and the poop. have i mentioned the poop?
i settle countless arguments without using a weapon. i have made thousands of meals, to the sound of a thousand complaints. made beds, folded clothes, vaccumed floors, canned fruit and vegetables, clipped coupons.....blah blah blah.
the other day my kids and i were pulling weeds, and austin asked me, " mom do you ever wish you weren't a mom? " i must have looked a little stunned, because he added, "you know like when you get sick of us cause we are onery and stuff?" i brushed aside my shock and managed to say, " austin, being a mom is the hardest job in the world, but it's the best job, and i wouldn't ever wish you away."
i have dried tears from soft cheeks, i have laughed at a toddlers jokes, taught my kids to swim, ride bikes and forgive. quinton gave me a thank-you card on sunday. once he gave me a rusty washer he'd found on the road. "it's treasure mom." he'd said. avery draws me as a beautiful princess. austin still wants to hold my hand. and jace....jace has learned to poop in the toilet.
i don't have 20 million dollars, the accolades of winning a hard fought championship tournament, or the adoration of the free world.
but i have four little people, and doing that work is reward immeasurable.

important things we've missed......

2011-05-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

in november we went hiking with grandpa, and found some lovely ruins and enjoyed the autumnal sun.

we ate giant peaches from grandpa j's tree. this one wasn't even the biggest.
we got all the judi cousin's together for a wonderful reunion in august.
we dressed up for halloween.
and austin dear sweet austin, got baptized in blanding utah.
it was a wonderful day.
we frolicked in the fall leaves and on the golf course.
it was a wonderful fall......

burning question of the week.....it's been so long....so very long.

2011-04-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

do you remember this? the question of little relevance that i like to ask once a week? i decided to dust it off and try it out again, cause it's just so darn fun to waller in some irrelvance once in awhile.
so here it is:
What is one or two things that have inspired you lately? and what are you going to do about it?

a: (1) the fields around my house are green as can be. (despite the AW.FUL. weather) and my first garden is coming to life in my kitchen. i've got tomatoes, (a boatload fave food ever ya know) 5 kinds of peppers, califlower, cucumbers, and herbs already started. can't wait to see if i can acutally harvest something.......

and (2) so i am sitting in relief society one day, trying really hard to pay attention and not let my mind wander, which is ironic, because the lesson was really good and i think i have religious ADHD....anyway. i was trying to focus my wandering gaze by dragging it back across the room to the teacher and along the way my eyes caught hold of this saying on the chalkboard.
"what would you do if you could not fail?"
holy crap i know exactly what i should be doing. but i am afraid of failing. i am afraid i will, quite frankly suck at it. i've been writing a book that has been in my head for about 5 or 6 years. i have finished 5 paragraphs. but those words hit me so hard that day. and so i've been writing more, and wasting time less. i'm playing around with the idea of posting the chapters here for my good friends to read as i go....SCARY!
ahhhhhahahahahah!!!
so any way....answer away! what is inspiring you?

thrifting

2011-04-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

for the first time ever in our marriage, we live in an actual single family house. it is our first home to buy and it is really lovely. i am in possession of hundreds of paint samples and dreams in my head of which room will be painted what color.
home ownership however, is not just that easy. with a mortgage to pay and lots of other monetary upkeep, not all decorating dreams can come true immediately. which actually i think is kind of a good thing cause if everything is fabulous........then what would i do?
so i've been accessorizing on the cheap. thrift stores are my fourth favorite place to be. and i've found some bargains!

I am in love with glass cheese domes. you can buy them online and on ebay for like 40$. but i found this one in castle dale for 2$. add a candle pedestal thingy, a cute plastic plate from target and some fake fruit. vwalllla!

i also love to cover syrofoam spheres with stuff. cheapy orange blossoms from michaels liven up these blue china bowls. bargain center in kentucky, i think they were like 1$ each.

i found this cute garland at the thrift store in park city (thrifting gold, people in park city are loaded ya know) any way it was all bent and stuff so i covered a ginormous stryofoam sphere with it. it took several episodes of downton abbey to finish, but it was worth all my hard labor.

this giant built in is in my kitchen. i accessorized it as i unpacked and i could not figure out why it just bugged me. one day i was looking at it and realized it just had too much going on. and so...

i detirded it and it looks soo much better!

easterness.

2011-04-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

we were so lucky to have family for easter! mike's sister, her hubby and there three boys came along with g & g judi. We had an easter egg hunt at our house, good food and lots of laughing. uncle norm brought his helmet cam. we put it on various children for the easter egg hunt and for riding our plasma car down the steep and scary drive way. it was awesome.

this rainbow happened on monday, but i thought it was a small glimpse of spring in an otherwise cold and annoying spring. look for the positive. right?

mike judi won the green jacket today......

2011-04-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

.....which is amazing considering he was on the couch the whole time....

k-i-s-s-i-n-g

2011-03-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

you know that quote i have over there? the one that talks about laughing after tragedy. well it's been 16 or so years since this particular embarrassing event happened, i think i'll air it out and see if it makes me laugh. here goes:

so i am 16 and all my friends have been kissed. it starts to be kind of a big deal in my head. i've built it up until i've thought about it so much that it scares me. and i equate kissing with crazy axe wielding murderers encountered in the dark. basically i'm terrified. so like many teenage girls i go on dates. and like many teenage girls i know what happens at the end of dates. in mormondom most dates are platonic. just practicing for when we are older you know. but some dates, i am pretty sure that the boy kind of likes me. and i am pretty sure that the boy probably expects a kiss for his troubles.
like that's happening.
so i come up with ways to avoid the door step thank-you kiss. hi fives for starters. it sounded good in my head, but you should have seen the kids face when i pulled that one. i might as well have just said, "you smell." which in all honesty he didn't but if it was a last resort i would have said it. my next great avoider: the turn away. i just waited until he was coming in for the kill and i'd quickly turn away and call over my shoulder, "thanks! i had a great time." that one however proved to be too obvious, and i started getting a reputation attached to me. one kid offered the victor 50$ . anyone who finally pinned me down with a good ole wet one would also find himself a little richer. i think that kid really thought that i'd never cave. I did come up with a better way of avoiding kisses. I stood on the very edge of the top step to my front door. which made me taller and no boy wants to kiss a girl whose hovering 2 feet above them. it's affeminate. teenage boys are very sensitive about their height. it worked pretty good. so good, i started selling my advice to other scared teen girls. (just kidding, let's face it, i'm the only teenage girl in history dumb enough to AVOID kissing.) *sigh of regret and a head shake*
but it started to get old. and that kid and his 50$ made me mad. so it's homecoming. and my dress is a lovely shade of peach and my date is a good friend who i like. and so i decide to stand on the bottom step. and keep my high fives to myself and not under any circumstances turn away.
the door step scene arrives. i smile, (a half crazed with fear kind of smile) and jabber on in nervous conversation. until i have to stop for what seems like eternity. don't talk, don't move, don't run away to honduras. and in he comes for the kill.
next thing i remember is shaking like a leaf in my mom's bedroom. and she is laughing her head off cause she knows i finally gave in and the ensuing adrenilin rush has rendered my brain useless. somewhere between the kiss and finding myself inside, i had blacked out, muttered goodbye and wandered off to find my mommy. *shaking head again* even my dad is chuckling behind half closed sleepy eyes and snores.
so that's the story of how i turned a regular teenage right of passage into a shock inducing night of blackouts. the end
ps that nice boy never got his 50$.

and nope, i'm not laughing. just shaking my head and rolling my eyes.

conversations with jace

2011-03-11T18:33:00.001-08:00

jace:mom do you know why my hair is lello?
me:nope
jace:because Jesus meaned it to be lello.

conversations with quinton

2011-03-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

q: do you want to hear something scary?
me: uhhmm....
q: so we were in science class and mrs. black was talking about
magnetism and this girl started sniffing my hair.

yep. scary.

sweets, than ain't too sweet.

2011-02-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

so i'm sugar fasting. not completely mind you. i'm gonna eat jam and drink juice and such. just no chocolate, or cake, or cookies, dessert basically. once i start i just can't stop and before i know it i'm horkin down left over cake for breakfast. but i still need something a little sweet to keep me going. here's my go to "healthy but isn't gross" snack courtesy of my good friend Mykel.
Also my sister in law Jenny is the most awesomest of cooks. she has a blog were she shares her menus for the week and lots of really great recipes. she just posted one with homemade tortilla chips (only 100 cal.) and 3 different homemade salsas. you can click here to see all the healthy eats jenny's cookin' up. eating good can be so grubbin'
enjoy!

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup maple syrup ( I use Agava Nectar)

1 c. brown sugar ( i use 3/4 c.)

6 cups oats

1 cup chopped almonds ( i use the mixed nuts from costco - brazil nuts ew.)

1 cup pecans ( I use pumpkin seeds)

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut ( I put more cause I like coconut)

1 cup dried blueberries (find em at costco)

1 cup dried cranberries

( I add also 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pineapple)

(also I add 1/4-1/2 cup of flax or wheat germ sometimes both)

Place oven racks in two center positions. Preheat oven to 350. Spray two jelly roll pans with cooking oil spray. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine oil, syrup, and brown sugar. Microwave uncovered for 3 minutes and whisk until any lumps disappear.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. ( I don't add the fruit until after its done cooking because they get all chewy and gross if they cook so just leave them out for now)

Toss to mix well. Pour syrup mixture over dry mixture and stir well until well mixed. Spread evenly onto jelly roll pans.

Place both pans in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove pans from oven atir granola, then place back in the oven rotating to the opposite rack. Bake 8 minutes more before removing from oven. ( I put both pans back in a large bowl and add the fruit. Mix really well. ) Cool to room temperature. Stir again. Store in airtight container up to one month. makes about 4 quarts

( I added all my modifications but whatever you do don't cook your berries. I did once and I ended up throwing it out, WASTEFUL. )

an alaskan marathon

2011-02-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

i found it emotionally impossible to post my farewell to alaska as i was actually in the process of leaving it. six months removed and i can finally share some of our last great experiences there.
up first: the best date i've ever been on

thanks to our wonderful friends "the hartzells" who entertained our kids for at least 36 hours so we could tackle a great alaskan institution: the 26 miles of iditarod trail from Girdwood to Eagle River. no words can possibly describe so here is a visual tour of the best hiking in the world.

the beginning

one of many waterfalls along the way.

our first view of the first mountain climb on the hike.

glacier melt waterfalls.

at the top of the mountain there is a public use cabin if you want to camp. most people were just using tents however.

see.

raven glacier.

heading down the mountain we had to go through some snow, it was challenging because if you fell you were headed for a steep ride down into the glacier fed stream.

a look back at how far we'd come, about 3 miles since the beginning.

this is our first "river" crossing. it is raven stream or creek or river.....i forget. it was cold, but nothing compared to what was to come....

the flowers were incredible, i really wanted to frolick...

this is were the creek drops into a spectacular waterfall. it falls over 100 ft. these pictures just don't do it justice. about 5 miles into the hike...

just up and to the right of my head is the raven glacier. and this rock's name is sylvester.

ginormous bull moose.

mike is standing on the trail here. the foliage was so thick and deep we had to look down alot. we took turns whistling to scare off the bear. we didn't see any, much to mike's sorrow. but we found out later we were close to a crazy incounter....

awww...

just so green......

bear poop. i guess this one likes berries.

our first view of eagle glacier, that feeds the Eagle River, that is 40 yards across, that we have to cross, that people have died trying to cross it.......
so we get to the crossing, about 13 miles into the hike and we are hot and a little dusty, and so we get some sticks and hold hands and plunge into the river. it is up a little past my knees and my first thought is "this feels good on my feet" immediately followed by, "someone is pounding my feet with hammers," and rapid breathing and panic. i started to head for a sand bar in the middle of the river because i was seriously dying of pain and luckily mike wouldn't let me go and said, "we can make it across. if he hadn't been there, i'd be a causualty of that river too. love that man. so we get to the other side, (but we still have to cross another 20 very shallow feet) and my body feels like it is going into shock and i tell mike to build a fire (it is 75 degrees) and he says, walk around you'll be okay!!

this is me trying to deal with the pain on the other side of the river. all the blood left my face and hands and arms for a minute to rush to my legs and warm them up. i couldn't move my hands or face for a few minutes. it was kinda funny though.

after the river we made good time. on one of these ladders mike's knee suddenly gave out. he had to limp the last 7 miles. we found out later that he just had severely fatigued tendons.

bear poop. 18 miles in.

a dryer, warmer, river crossing. 20 miles in.

oh my. i'll never forget this view. 22 miles in.

this is the eagle river nature center. 25.75 miles in.

the end!! 26 ish miles.

it took us from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to hike it. it was one of the greatest days of my life. mike and i had so much fun. when we got to the end there was a sign that said a big grizzly bear was gaurding a moose kill on the trail (at about mile 18) and that it had charged several hikers and that the trail was closed!!! crazy. we didn't even see it. i think it was the whistling.

complaint department

2011-02-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

do you ever just....get sick of stuff? and it's really hard to pretend like your kids aren't driving you crazy? do you try to pretend that the 8th time you sweep the floor is no big deal? like after you've spent 2 hours making a giant dinner and when it's ready no one says, "thank-you this is fabulous!," they just say something like, "geez.....finally." and so you want to really just smack someone, but instead you dish up everyone's plate and then like the mother in "a christmas story" spend the rest of the meal in the middle of a game of keep away between your fork and your sweet family's demands for seconds and milk? do you hate dishes and laundry and peepee toilets? to the point that when you see one, you don't even get mad. you just stand there. waving your white flag.
sometimes everyone is simultaneously needing help, asking a question, needing a drinky at one time. and i want to yell at the top of my lungs, "SHUT! UP!" and sometimes i think if one more kid argues about one more trivial thing, i'm going to develop a tick. maybe i already have one actually? i did smudge mascara all over today.
i think a gal just needs to lock the bathroom door, scream and cry into a pillow, and then go back out there and beg for more. it's like when you play sports and you say to your teammates, "sacrifice your body!" you know, give it everything. even when it hurts.
luckily, i love these people, especially when they are asleep.
and then like a good pep talk, someone says, "mom you bum is squishy, i like to squish it." or "hold me?" or "i love you." or "snuggle me." or the rarer still, "these mashed potatoes are awesome! you are the best cook." stuff like that.......you know.
and then it all sorta makes sense. they need me. to do those annoying insane things. that most people won't do. because i'm strong. i was born for this. i can take it. i can be awesome.
and that tick........it looks good on me.

a brilliant plan

2011-01-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

i put my scriptures in the silverware drawer so that every morning when i get out the cereal spoons i'll go "what the?...... oh yeah, i need to read my scriptures."

family picture

2011-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

why do i hate taking family pics so? let me count the ways.....
actually this time it was rather painless. Brooke Pehrson took ours this year, she is amazing. One day I will be on top of it and have her do them outside. poor quinton was the family picture casualty this time. you know it really is near impossible for every one to look 100% normal in every shot. just so you all know, quinton doesn't normally stare off into space like an alien looking for his home planet.

I am alive!

2011-01-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Don't believe the internet rumors! i have not died! i've just been spending the last 6 months with my jobless hubby. jobless hubbies are two things: fun and work. but it's been grrreeaatt! we've traveled far and stressed out a lot and bought a house and moved to...........Coalville Utah!! I know right..... utah? we told all our friends there was no way we could end up back here. too many dentists right? but we are now home again in rural, small town, glorious land of jello and ice cream and downeast basics stores. hooray! so it's back to blogging and writing for me. got all my pictures and curtains up, boxes put away ect ect. the kids are loving riding the bus and everyone i see says to me, " i'm so and so, we are so glad you're here!" once mike was out shoveling snow and some one drove by with their window down and shouted, "WELCOME TO COALVILLE!"

life is good.