Lost and Found

Middle of March Update

2010-03-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Many a sunrise has came and went since I last blogged.

Here's a little of what we've been up to...

Basketball
Jameson played on the Twin Rivers league and really had a great time

Connor is now one of the taller boys on his team

Snow

yes- that is up to the top of our grill

and more snow

puzzles

a puppy who has lived on the top step most of the winter b/c it was too cold for him to be in the garage

Connor's 12th birthday

(It's pretty cool to see both of my boys passing the sacrament each week.)

A fun date night to the play Little House on the Prairie where Melissa Gilbert played Ma. Bad picture taken from a moving vehicle while it was raining

Jr. High 80's dance

Valentine's Day
chairing Genna's class party at school

stack the sweethearts game

dinner at the Outback and then to the Stake dance with my sweetie

Our family dinner~
The table was set despite all of our cloth napkins and tableclothes being in storage

Fondue after our family dinner

I sure love these kids!!

Card Genna made

Connor's note

Jameson's made these

Put an offer in on this house- sniff, sniff, they wouldn't accept it with the contigency of selling our house

February Decorations

Couponing~

my system

after a shopping trip where I spent about $14

getting a stockpile

We watched Troy's sisters kids a few times and had a ball with Seth- he is such a cutie!

Currently reading: The Mitford series and the Percy Jackson series- on the last book of each of them

March "decorations" I think I am going to paint this table black

I can't tell you how happy these 2 little flowers made me when I discovered them today

that and some blue skies are doing wonders after a long gray winter

Thanks for reading this whole post- and sorry about the lack of big pictures

The last of Christmas & welcoming 2010

2010-01-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

I am late in posting these but for posterity's sake here are the rest of our Christmas festivity pictures.

We had a fun work party at TGI Friday's in Omaha...

Sam is holding a pair of barbie legs- a running joke between Lance & Troy

We actually held Christmas on New Year's Day with Troy's immediate family. We had a blast eating soup(I brought corn chowder), opening presents, and playing games(Things, Wheel of Fortune and Catch Phrase kept us busy).

New Year's Eve we spent at Tami & Greg's. Connor actually went to the Orchard's house. We were not crazy about not being all together for the night but after 5 minutes of 3 boys playing tackle dodgeball downstairs near Greg's glass display cabinets we decided that was a good decision on our part to let him go.

We had a fun time eating and playing games.

We actually missed ringing in the new year by a minute we were so engrossed in our game of bananagrams.

Poor Genna is still upset that she missed "the party". She just saw the picture today almost a week later and burst into tears again.

We are so fortunate to have such dear family and friends who bless our lives in so many ways.

Happy New Year to you all...

Zoo Trip

2010-01-06T17:27:00.001-08:00

Over Christmas break we all had cabin fever after all the snow days and sickness that we NEEDED a day out. We had Troy's work party in Omaha and so we thought it would be fun to head to the Henry Doorly Zoo. For as cold and snowy as it was, there were quite a few people out to see the animals- I guess they were going stir crazy just like we were.

We are so privileged to have such a fantastic zoo so close to us. We had a great time seeing all of the animals and it felt great to get out of the house.

Mr. Peacock

KarmaChameleon-

The Lied Jungle

the monkeys were just howling up a storm it was so funny!

The Aquarium- regretably I could not get a good picture of the huge sharks and turtles swimming over our heads

I was fascinated by the jellyfish, since I just had watched the movie Seven Pounds

One of my favorite spots at the zoo- I could watch them for hours

The Desert Dome

Mr. Meerkat

Albino Crocodile

Gorilla Valley & Orangutan Forest

Most of the displays were littered with boxes, paper towel and fabric- it looked eerily familiar to my house Christmas afternoon

There was the cutest 6 month old baby gorilla

Wish I could have got a better picture of his adorable face

It was definitely worth braving the cold weather to watch something besides the television- to see colorful animals after seeing snowdrift after dreary snowdrift and to move around the zoo after being caged up at home for several days on end.

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-28T18:37:00.001-08:00

Santa's Elves were up much later than expected- some assembly required took about 2 hours

The boys were excited to get Band Hero and Genna loves her new Barbie House

Stocking Stuffers

Mosby really got into opening his presents this year

Genna got a dog she named Snowball, her very own lego set, the Alvin & the Chipmunks movie

Connor got a new adidas sweatshirt, the book Fablehaven & a case for his DS

Jameson got a bomber hat, a gym bag & a new battery charger for his camera

Sorry about the scary picture- as you can see I was completely spoiled

Troy got a new coat & gloves, his standard white shirt & black socks, & a couple of the Office seasons

We woke up to huge drifts everywhere. Since our road wasn't plowed until the next day and I was up all night sick, we just stayed at home, which was definitely different for us.

our neighbors house

The day was spent in our new pj's, rocking out, watching movies and just being together. Thankfully, I had spent the whole day before making food- so while I was in bed, my family didn't go hungry. Troy did have to fend for himself to make the frosting to go on the almond rolls I had made- but besides that there was plenty to eat.

It was a different but happy Christmas

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-28T18:12:00.001-08:00

decorations compliments of Genna

gingerbread house crafted by Genna & Jameson

the rice pudding

blizzard conditions

sweet boy who went out to shovel of his own accord

nativity reenactment

Grandma is the narrator

new jammies

so weird the tree fell down as we were doing our jammie photo shoot

Me & my sweetie!

Cookies for Santa

Not pictured but still part of our celebration lots of Christmas carols were sung and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was read before tucking the children into bed

Christmas Can Come Now...

2009-12-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Cards and packages have been mailed

we attended my sorority Christmas party

poor Troy- I was in charge of the games

we've had snow(and are expecting a foot more)

neighbor gifts were delivered(along with the festive mexican dip mix and chips we performed a rousing rendition of Feliz Navidad 15 times)

goodies were made(pb blobs, chex mix, puppy chow and dipped pretzels) & delivered for church friends

Christmas concerts & plays were performed
(6th grade band)

(Jr. High Vocal)

(Jr. High Band)

(Christmas program @ Unadilla)

thanks Hannah for borrowing Connor the pajamas!

Santa was visited at the Ward Christmas party

traditional Norwegian Lefse was made

old favorites were baked

new recipes tried out
frito candy

the presents are all wrapped- all that's left is a little work for the elves on Christmas eve

the gingerbread display was visited in Omaha

Festive attire has been donned

a memorable night was spent with friends at the Lofte's prodution of UhOh Here's Comes Christmas

carols were sung as we delivered goodies plates to ward members

lights were looked at

In the hustle and bustle of this busy season, we are grateful for those moments that we can reflect on the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of our dear Savior

the merriest of Christmas wishes from our house to yours!

Christmas Parade 2009

2009-12-14T13:58:00.001-08:00

It was Genna's turn to hang the star. Does it look familiar? I found some new Christmas decorations on clearance last year but had never decided on a star so I painted last year's.

We had our traditional eggnog toast when we were finished decorating.

The magic happens when you turn off the lights for the first time.

This year since our house is on the market and we haven't had much interest we agreed to be part of the library Christmas parade of homes. We had 76 take the tour. We tried to have a little something in every room.

Master bed & bath

Genna's room

Connor's room

the hall bath- wrapping paper covering up Monet's Summer Day

the kitchen

the living room

my nativity collection- my favorite part of the Christmas decorations

Jameson's room- if you can't tell he has a nautical themed room

the office

the family room- you might notice Troy's contribution in the middle of the room- the old entertainment center and tv looked silly with the new stockings hung in the windowsills- we also got a real tree for the first time in Genna's life

and lastly the laundry & downstairs bath

Even though it was a lot of work to decorate it is so nice to have it all done and ready for Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a bit of a challenge this year for me as I was sick and doing a lot of subbing...

We managed to get the house cleaned and turkey and the fixings ready for all 33 of us. Sorry about the lack of pictures from the actual celebration- I'll blame it on my stuffed up head. The sad thing was I couldn't even taste my food. I think this was the first year I lost weight on Thanksgiving Day.

We got up the next morning bright and early and went down to visit my sister in KS. My kids were so thrilled to spend time with their cousins. Lorilee and I shopped, the guys watched football and the kids had a ball.

They just moved and so we were so excited to go and see them and their new home.

We exchanged gifts since we might not be able to get together at Christmas.

Despite the stress and business that went along with it- we truly were blessed to be with our families this year and feel so grateful for all the blessings in our lives.

November Wrap Up

2009-12-09T08:57:00.001-08:00

A few random pictures from the rest of November~ it was a busy but fun month:

Going to see New Moon with my sweetie

The start of Jr. High Basketball- Jameson is excited to start for the B team

Genna's actual birthday on the 22nd- 7 years old!

Hoarfrost

Another puzzle done

Jameson's edible cell project

Pink Poodle Party

2009-12-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

I am a lot behind in blogging but I wanted to get the pictures up from Genna's Pink Poodle Party. It was a lot of fun to plan and I think she had a great time.

Her party was after school on Friday November 20th. It was a giggly ride home. As soon as we got home I had a snack waiting for the girls. Genna's request was poptarts and pink milk.

After their snack they went and played for a bit in Genna's room and most of them changed into Genna's dresses she had hanging in her closet(her dress up clothes are still in storage).

We got the party started with an adoption ceremony. Each girl got to pick out a Lilkinz poodle and give it name. Genna named hers Coco.

There were games after that~

a version of hot potato with a dog bone(that we later gave to Mo) Connor helped us out by starting and stopping Who Let the Dogs Out

a bubblegum blowing contest-

pin the tail on the poodle

be the first to pop your balloon

We then went upstairs and decorated collars for their poodles.

After that we opened presents. Genna got a lot of nice things from her sweet friends.

Prizes for the games: pink whoppers, pink shimmer powder, a pink boa, fingernail polish, pink headbands and poodle stickers all found at the dollar store.

We then had dinner and poodle cupcakes.

It was a lot of work, but the giggles, smiles and squeals made it all worthwhile. It's hard to believe my little girl is 7. Genna we love you so much!

Halloween Hoopla

2009-11-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween fun started on Thursday night when Genna & I went to a Disney party at the Kunz house.

Little Sharpay

Heather & Genna(who felt much more comfortable without the wig)

Latrice, the evil queen, Cruella(Sue) and Tinkerbell

Ammon, Hannah, & Tyler in the unbirthday room

Ward Trunk or Treat on Friday night- my camera battery was dying and so I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted. Plus we got there late, Jameson's costume wouldn't inflate and it was really cold. Some of the primary kids couldn't believe that pirate was the Bishop.

Saturday morning and afternoon were the last Soccer games of the year

We were so happy it warmed up for Saturday evening.

The kids were ready to go.

Trick or Treating in Shane & JJ's neighborhood- isn't Jameson's costume hilarious? He must be getting too old, he went to about 5 houses and was done. Connor lasted about 10.

Pirate Shane & his treasure JJ- this was the first time we saw their cute house

Mr. & Mrs. Scary

We had the best time at the party eating yummy food, celebrating Betty's birthday and hanging out with our family

Not Halloween related but yesterday was sweet little Seth's blessing

Hope you all had a safe & fun Halloween

MidOctober Merriment

2009-11-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

Time Out for Women 2009 in Kansas City was SO wonderful!

The kids did a great job on their Sacrament meeting program all about the family

Another puzzle finished up

Bambi has a close encounter with our minivan while Troy & Jameson were home teaching

Mo tries on his costume and is not a big fan of the hat

Carving our pumpkins for FHE

The sun makes the fall colors so vibrant

the new Mr. & Mrs.

2009-10-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, we were so happy to be able to witness the marriage of Troy's brother Shane and his new wife JJ. We instantly fell in love with JJ when we met her and so we are so happy to officially have her as a part of the family.

At the temple

Before the wedding on the grounds

Genna LOVES her new aunt

Shane, JJ & Troy's parents

Shane, JJ & all of Troy's siblings

the whole clan

At the reception

Getting a little help from his big bro

Shane and all the niece, nephews & 1 nephew in law

Working the Gift Table

Gorgeous Cake

Happy Couple

First Dance

Dancing Queen

Twirly Girl

Connor cuts a rug

Sam had some moves

Caleb Boogies with his buddies

Little Jamie Horner (whose mom still hasn't gotten the wax out of his suit yet)

A sparkler sendoff (and yes, I was crazy enough to try and take a picture with a hot sparkler in my hand)

Thanks for looking at all of these pictures. It really was such a wonderful day.We couldn't be happier for Shane & JJ.

Fall at our house

2009-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's definitely fall around here...

mums & pumpkins welcome you to our house

several large acorns now reside in the bowl on my table

yummy fall food is baking in the oven(mini caramel apple pies & stuffed squash)

hot cups of herbal tea & muffins can be found near the computer

a harvest moon rises as I do the dishes after dinner

Puzzles are being completed at a faster rate than the ones lingering for weeks on end during the summer

my snowbird parents are getting ready to fly south for the winter

Connor has grown a mustache

I drive around oohing and aahing at the gorgeous colors

I did resist the urge to go crunching through these leaves on my parents street since I had to get back and pick up the kids from school

snow is falling on the lawn furniture- ok, thankfully that isn't typical and hopefully mother nature has that out of her system for another month or more

October FIRST

2009-10-01T11:41:00.001-07:00

Wow, has this year just flown by or what?

(please excuse my lame attempt at tying all these random things together)

First....

morning's light

time throwing a surprise party for my husband. (he figured something was up- we also celebrated his nephew's 20th birthday too)

time holding sweet baby Seth born Sept. 24th- he was 8'10 just like Connor

colors of fall

time doing a puzzle this big- it was huge, but lots of fun

soccer game of the year for both boys- (Jameson hasn't played since Spring of 2008 and Connor sat out Spring 2009- they were both thrilled to get back to it)

time making grape jelly- sorry you can't even see it, but it's there along with several other firsts~ unsweetened applesauce, pear butter, apple/pearsauce and strawberry raspberry applesauce

meal of the day- (yes, I am back to the no cold cereal rule at our house)

time playing football for Jameson- 3-6th grade football around here plays games on Sunday and so the boys have sat out until now- Connor is one of the team managers

time marching at a Homecoming game

trying the equinox tricks

time growing a pumpkin in several years- isn't it a big one, lol!

Otoe County Fair 2009

2009-08-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

August is fair time at our house. For the past 10 years now, Troy and his brother have had a booth in 4 different county fairs.

One county fair is fun, but add on 3 more- not so much. Then several years back we discovered Open Class and that added to the craziness that is fair time for us.

Ok, in all honesty we do enjoy the finished product of entering things in the fair- the ribbons, the money and just walking around and seeing our stuff displayed, but it is a lot of work getting ready for it. This year, we scaled way back on our entries, which helped some.

We still managed to bring home a few ribbons- sorry I was too lazy to remove the entry tickets

Our prize earnings are as follows: Me: $54, Jameson: $51, Connor:$28 & Genna $21

Here are some of our entries this year

Thanks to Grandpa & Grandma Koski and Cheryl for their help with fair stuff this year!

This year I have to take rides off the fun at the fair list. While there are a couple of classics that are still enjoyable, each one of my kids managed to get sick. Note to self for next year- don't buy the wrist bands.

The parade is always a fun part of the parade and it was even better this year because we got watch Jameson march for the first time.

The fair is always the week before school starts and by then we are ready to get back into a regular schedule. That's where we are now. But give us a few weeks and we'll start planning for next year's fair.

1st Day of School 2009

2009-08-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well ready or not, school started today.

15 Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches for the freezer- check

New Shoes- check

New Backpacks- check

The annual photo on the front porch- check

Can't believe I have kids at 3 different schools this year

Genna's the only one at the elementary in 1st Grade

Connor will ride the bus this year to Unadilla for 6th grade

My big 7th grader who is up at the high school

Dad's Day

2009-06-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice Father's Day.

My Mom & Dad were able to come down and go to church with us. Troy got home from his meetings early so he could drop Connor off. He's headed here for the week:

My brother and his cute family came over for lunch.

Look what Traci made- isn't it gorgeous- it was delicious too!

I am so grateful for my Dad and the chance to spend some time with him!

My kids are pretty lucky too!

We all think he's a wonderful Father- it was the boys' idea to get him a new basketball.

He even managed to sneak in a nap. He has to get up at 5:30 on Sunday mornings. I did have some hot cinnamon rolls for him before he had to leave for his meetings- thanks to Rhodes and the timer on my oven.

After my family left we headed over to Troy's parents house for dinner. We were so fortunate to be able to spend time with both of our families.

Troy thinks the world of his Dad!

Hope you all had a nice Father's Day!

Haircut

2009-06-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

My kids probably don't want me to show these pictures. We took Mo into get groomed yesterday.

Poor puppy had a lot of matted fur and so they had to shave him

last week

this week

The kids are having a hard time with how different he looks, I still think he is cute.

Vacation

2009-06-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful trip to Branson. It was a little crazy because we went just a week after school got out, but everything turned out great.

We drove down to Kansas to spend a few days with my sister at the beginning of our vacation. We all had fun relaxing, making pasties, and the part the kids like best- playing with their cousins.

We really enjoyed the condo we stayed in. The boys had their own room bedroom and bathroom and we had a nice little kitchenette to eat meals in.

To help cushion the cost of vacation, we did eat at least 2 meals at our condo or bring a prepared picnic along with us. We did find some other really fun places to eat:

Branson is famous for it's shows and so we had to go see for ourselves. We saw

Kirby Van Burch's magic show- we all were amazed

Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede- this one is dinner and a show- totally worth the money

The Hughes Brothers- an LDS family act- such nice people- we actually stayed and talked to them for a 1/2 hour after the show

The Haygoods- really talented family- the best music show we saw

GAC nights @ Silver Dollar City-

Speaking of Silver Dollar City- we spent 2 days there and had a blast!

We rode rides

One time where we should have taken them up on their photo

And walked through Marvel Cave

We spent a day at White Water

We rode the ducks- one of my favorite things that we did on our trip

We rode the go carts

With all the coming and going we made sure to relax as well-

there were bubble baths

the boys golfed

while the girls got pedicures- it was Genna's first, she loved it!

I even managed to do a puzzle and read 4 books.

Branson is a gorgeous place-

Lake Taneycomo- we drove over this everyday to get into town

Table Rock Lake

I'm sure we'll go back soon.

Square Foot Garden 2009

2009-06-16T07:22:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share some pictures of my garden this year. Last year we made some plans to do raised beds, but never got a round to doing it. One date night Troy and I were at Barnes and Noble and I found a book about square foot gardening and we decided to give it a try.

It was a lot of initial work, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Troy made six 4X4 boxes, six 2X4 boxes and we bought lattice for making the grids for the top.

Troy and Jameson putting weed cloth and cardboard in the bottom of the boxes.

The soil mix is a made up on compost, peat moss and vermiculite.

Connor and I making the mix. Later I decided it was easier to mix it all in the boxes.

My first watering system- drip hoses. I wasn't happy with how it didn't get the whole square wet.

Here's the garden this week- click on the pictures to see them larger

Not sure if something is eating my seeds I am trying to plant in the lower quadrant, I have another butternut squash plant I will probably put in that spot

Herb Garden- Lots of dill for pickles this year, hopefully the marigolds will help keep the pests away

Beans, Peppers, Onions, & Cucumbers. We put up a grid for the cucumbers to grow on.

More beans, zuchinni, celery, another pepper, kohlrabi and pole beans

This was supposed to be the strawberry bed, but I had trouble finding strawberries, so next year I'll finish planting the rest of it

Lettuces & broccoli

The tomato boxes- you can probably tell these are deeper than the 4X4 boxes. You can also see my watering system, which I think covers much better. I have it set up on a timer for 15 minutes a day. Much better than the hour or more I had to do with the soaker hoses.

One of the benefits of using this system is less wedding. I did have about an hour of weeding to do after being gone for 10 days, but I think some of my compost might have had some weed seeds in it. Since then, I can spend less than 5 minutes a day and get it completely weedless.

Spring

2009-04-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, for me time has seriously flown by since February.

It seems like just yesterday we were doing this....

And now thankfully we are enjoying this...

Still Alive

2009-04-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why it's so hard to get back into blogging, but I am obviously not figuring out how to fit it into my life these days. I have been subbing full time for a special ed teacher whose husband has cancer. It has been a longer than expected assignment and while I am enjoying it, it is definitely more of a challenge for me to get things accomplished.

Thank you for the encouragement to come back. I hope maybe I am getting a little better at balancing- but I'm not going to promise that I am ready to commit to regular updates.

Anyway, here are some belated Valentine's Day pictures. We had a special family dinner Friday night and then the next night we chaperoned the youth dance.

And while I am at it, I might as well post the Easter pictures as well. The kids decorated eggs on Saturday and then we had Stake Conference on Easter Sunday. Yes, our kids opened their baskets on the way to church. After church we went to Troy's sister's house for dinner and an egg hunt.

A funny

2009-03-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

I have forced myself to sit down at the computer for a few minutes. Paying bills and other related fun stuff was on the agenda. While I am here, I have to share a quick funny from Genna last night.

We were in the car last night at the gas station. Genna asked if I could see anything black on her tongue. I said that no, I couldn't. Then she asked to see my tongue. She couldn't see anything black on my tongue, either. I asked what she was looking for. Serious as could be, she replied, "taste bugs." We got a good chuckle out of her sweet curiousity.

Knock on wood, I will get caught up on some blog posts tomorrow, since we have nothing on the schedule, which is an amazing feat for a Saturday in our house.

Puzzling...

2009-03-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

I do want to apologize for my long blog break. I have neglected my poor computer and all those I keep in touch with electronically. It really has been a busy month and I will try to catch you all up on what's been going on.

The good news is that less computer meant more time spent with my family. We did 7 different puzzles this past month. It was relaxing and actually quite addictive.

If you'll just be patient with me a bit longer, I'll post about our busy February.

Pinewood Derby

2009-03-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Our Cub Scout days are quickly drawing to a close. Yesterday we participated in our last Pinewood Derby. It should have been our easiest year ever, especially since Connor quickly decided on the same exact design he has done the past 2 years, but somehow it ended up being one of the most challenging years. We had trouble with paint not wanting to dry and wheels that kept going in crooked. Then there were Genna's butterfly wings. We had to clip them down a bit so they would fit underneath the sensor bar on the track. As usual we were putting on the finishing touches, only hours before the weigh in. Despite all the difficulties, everyone was happy with how the races went.

Connor won first place in his Den with his rocket car

Jameson worked really hard on his vintage 7up can car

Genna got the cinder block award for the car that took the longest to get down the track

Welcome Home!

2009-01-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Troy's sister Tiffany's husband Orin got home from his year in Iraq. We are so thrilled to have him home safe and sound!

Someone surprised them with yellow ribbons for a mile & a half from their place. It had to have been cold when they were out their tying all those bows.

Sunday we hosted a welcome home party for Orin at our house. It was a lot of work getting ready, even though all the food came from Sam's Club. But I figured I could miss out on my Sunday afternoon nap to show my appreciation for Orin's service and his family's sacrifice.

Sign made by Jameson

Heather Kunz put together an awesome video of pictures from Orin's tour of duty and we watched it with the Giles' projection screen in our living room. I should have invested in kleenex boxes around the room. I wish it wasn't so long or I would post it here.

A little boy who wouldn't let his Daddy out of his sight!

Tiffany & Orin (sorry the picture is so blurry)

There were many who came out to help welcome him home.

Words can't express how grateful we are, Orin for your service to our country!

11 Years Old

2009-01-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

I know I say it every time my kids have a birthday- but seriously, it always shocks me when their birthday rolls around and they are another year older.

Wasn't this just yesterday?

Connor's birthday was last Wednesday night. He got to open one present before school that day- it was a pair of green & black shorts. He wears shorts to school every day. Even when it is 0° out, much to his mother's dismay. Yes, he wears pants over them, but I know they are shed quite often when he gets to his locker.

After school he got to open the rest of his presents: a snowboard, another pair of shorts, a new sweatshirt, a mentos geyser tube & cola, a new football & a nintendo ds game(thank goodness for all the clearance sales going on right now!) We ate dinner at Pizza Hut that night and then he got to go to his first 11 year old scout meeting at church.

Friday night was his friends birthday party. He opted to have more friends over and not go anywhere. After finding a football tablecloth on clearance & getting a ton of Husker cups from the Nebraska football games, we decided on a football party. Everything else fell into place because there is a lot of fun football stuff out there right now because of the super bowl coming up soon.

Here are some details on the picture:

1. An outdoor football game started the party off.

2. Make your own sub sandwiches on little football shaped rolls.

3. Football party games included strengthening for your other arm (tossing the football through the hula hoop)

4. And the blindman's punt. We used medical tape to put field markings on the carpet. It was fun to see that without their blindfold the balloon didn't go much farther.

5. Cupcakes & chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream(Connor's favorite).

6. Opening presents. Not sure about Connor's shirt- I guess he was hot. The boys were all supposed to come wearing their favorite football team's jersey. He started off in his Husker shirt.

7. The last party game- shaving for the big game. They drew a face on the balloon & had to remove the shaving cream without popping the balloon. The boys were actually disappointed because it is actually quite hard to pop the balloon while shaving. They did manage to accomplish that in the end.

8.I spent a lot of time prepping these quarterback bobblehead dolls for the boys. Of course, it took much longer than the suggested hour to make this craft. It required hot glue so the boys basically only got to pick out their number for their jersey and wait while Troy & I glued them on. But despite the fact that it wasn't kid friendly, they turned out pretty cute!

9. & 10. Next we slowed things down with popcorn, oreos and a movie(Rudy, Remember the Titans & the Game Plan are the football movies we own). Connor is into comedy these days and so I'm sure he would have played the Game Plan, but alas only the case could be found. So they actually ended up watching Slappy & the Stinkers.

11. the Breakfast of Champions.

12. Treat cups to take home. Their were football cards inside and so they spent a good amount of time trading cards.

It was a really fun party- even though the boys were up later than Troy & I would have liked.

Winter Decor

2009-01-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share my decorations for January.

Here's a little stitchery I made yesterday. Don't look too close- the one mitten got kind of wonky.

I used my cricut and some vinyl on the let it snow block.

Here's the entry shelf.

And the little black hutch downstairs.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you are!

Weekend in Review

2009-01-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we've had the last of our relaxing weekends till the end of February.

The craziness started 2 weeks ago when Connor & Troy went up to Lincoln for a special tour of the weight room, locker room and tunnel at Memorial Stadium. It was a reward for selling over $1500 worth of Cub Scout popcorn. They were also able to go to a men's basketball game.

(the only blurry picture from the game)

This past weekend included a crop for me, sleepovers for the boys, and a special Daddy-daughter date for Troy & Genna.

Also came the first basketball games of the season, tumbling for Genna, a hoop shoot contest for the boys and the pinewood derby car workday.

Little tumbler

1st place in age 10 boys, he made 8 out of 15 shots

2nd place in age 12 boys, he made 8 out of 15 and then 3 out of 5 in a shootout

Sunday was ward conference, which was very time consuming for Troy as the bishop. A member of our ward died and so he & I went and made a visit to the funeral home Sunday night. This week I am hoping for a real date, but it probably won't happen. Connor has his birthday party Friday night, Saturday is more tumbling, basketball, & the Kasten's Christmas and then Sunday night we are hosting a party at our house for my BIL who is getting home from Iraq.

Life is certainly not dull around here these days.

Made in 2008...and then onto 2009

2009-01-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to document some of my projects that I accomplished in 2008

Crafting/Sewing

Gardening/Baking

Now onto 2009- I think my goals for 2008 are pretty much all applicable to this year as well. I do need to get serious and write them out in a form that is more measurable. I have pounds I want to lose, 2 quilts I want to make, a blurb book from vacation last year to finish up, letters I want to write consistently, Sunday School lessons to be studied each week, debts to be paid off, more homemade gifts and a myriad of other specific goals swirling around in my head.

I've thought a lot about a word to define my 2009 and I keep coming back to respect. It's been a toss up between that and discipline. Respect seems more positive to me. It is applicable in so many areas- I want to be better at respecting my family, my Heavenly Father, my body, my time, my home, our environment, other people, etc.

What are your plans for 2009?

Ringing in the New Year

2009-01-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

We were happy to ring in 2009 down in Kansas with my sister, Lorilee. We had such a fun couple of days together. The kids had a ball playing together, Troy & Mark watched lots of football, and Lor & I cooked, shopped, sewed and had a great time together.

Jameson & Ashlyn

Our 1 hour aprons that we whipped out in 4 hours.

Going out to eat one night

Homemade pizza

Mo, first class traveler

We decided to try and come up with some activities for New Year's Eve for the kids that didn't involve the computer or Wii. We hit up the Dollar store and made up a bag for them to ring in each hour leading up to midnight. Inside the sacks were pop rocks, silly straws, sour straws, glow sticks, and those toys that grow in water. At 11:55 we had them open a bag with their blower, party hat and popper inside. We also had the kids decorate with glitter glue plastic champage glasses for our sparkling cider toast at midnight. After getting everything ready for the night, we were pretty exhausted and decided against a few of the activities we had planned. However, we did play the Candy Bar game, yahtzee and hangman. Genna and Ethan didn't quite make it till midnight. We laughed all the way through our New Year's toast. It really was a fun night and we were so happy to be with each other.

New Year's Day we traveled home just in time to go over to Tiffany's house for another Christmas get together. All of Troy's Dad's siblings(except his brother Denny who is currently on a mission) gathered together. There was lots of good food, fun games & a sweet Nebraska victory!

Wishing you a joyous 2009!

Last Christmas post

2008-12-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, this will be my last Chrismtas post for the year. I was just dreading it being over with and now that it is all said and done, I'm actually feeling good about moving on. I think all of our snow melting yesterday had a lot of do with it. Today's agenda is laundry and undecorating the house.

Last night however, Troy and I got to go out with Tony & Amber. We had such a nice time.

We went to Mahoney State Park and had dinner at the lodge then went to a play there called Every Story Ever Told, which was a mishmash of all the Christmas stories and songs. We had such a fun time talking at dinner that we got to the theater and there were no seats left so we could sit together. Troy and I were up front which we thought was nice until we realized they were pulling people from the front few rows to be part of the play. Thankfully we dodged that bullet! But it was cute play and definitely entertaining. It was a nice way to close out our Christmas festivities. The only drawback to the night was that we didn't get to visit more!

Here's Gustav the Green Nosed Raingoat balloon in the Macy's Day parade.

And the 3 talented guys who performed the play!

Thanks guys for being such great friends and for a wonderful evening!

Christmas with the Bennett's

2008-12-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas afternoon we headed over to Tiffany's house. Genna wanted to have curly hair and it turned out so cute! We first opened presents and then ate our traditional soup supper. Tiffany sewed beads on 25 little stockings with our names to be adorable little place markers. Then on top of that she made 25 bread bowls from scratch for us to put our soup in. Check out Creighton's bread bowl filled with candy, his mean mom made him dump it out and put soup in it, lol! We always have so much fun being together. After presents & dinner it was time for games. We played tripoley, hucklebuck & madgab.

Be sure and click on the picture so you can read the captions on the pictures!

Christmas Day in the Morning

2008-12-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful start to our Christmas morn- thank you Heavenly Father.

Thank you children for letting us sleep in till 7:30.

Thank you Santa for all the fun presents.

Thank you Mo for being so much fun to watch!

Thank you Hobby Lobby for providing such nice thick wrapping paper. There were no little mice nibbles in any of the corners of our presents. Also a big thank you to the blog I got the idea from years ago to wrap each person's present in their own paper. Then I just don't put tags on the presents and they have to wait to find out which paper their presents are wrapped in until Christmas Eve.

Thank you Target for making an "American Girl" doll named Jenny with green eyes & blond hair for a fraction of the cost of the name brand dolls. Thank you JcPenney's for making a matching doll dress to Genna's Christmas dress, she was more than thrilled to discover she could match her doll.

Thank you sweet children for letting us experience Christmas through your eyes.
Thank you again, Heavenly Father for our jobs to provide for so many nice things.

Thank you Troy for sending me on a fun scavenger hunt and for totally shocking me with such a fun addition to my scrapbooking supplies. Thank you Cheryl for finding such a killer deal for him!

(sorry about the scary picture of my basement & me!)

Thank you Grandma Koski for making the almond coffee cake wreath that evolved into our traditional Christmas morning rolls.

What a blessed Christmas morn!

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that Christmas is over. We had such a wonderful time and made so many happy memories.

For the past 3 years now we've invited the missionaries to spend Christmas Eve with us. Missionaries for our church are gone from their family for 18-24 months and can only call home a few times a year. So we love having them in our home and hopefully making it a special time for them.

A lot of preparation went into the food. I spent 2 whole days in the kitchen chopping, cutting, etc. But it was all worth it. We had a nice dinner, complete with my first ever stuffed turkey(thanks Cheryl). Troy's Mom & Dad and Shane came over and we all had a wonderful time visiting and eating.

After dinner we put on the nativity play. It is almost as much fun getting ready for the production as it is putting it on. After everyone had their costumes, we were ready. Troy's Mom was a the narrator and the play was a success. This is a tradition adopted from my childhood and it is one of my favorite parts of our Christmas every year. We even had a dog this year to help herd the sheep.

After dinner the missionaries- Elder Hedelius and Elder Larson(who will only be in our ward for 5 days) opened their presents. I also sent home some cinnamon rolls and a little stocking for their Christmas morning.

Elder Larson had a conversation piece belt buckle that Jameson was just fascinated by. My boy is always looking for projects to make and this one really caught his eye. I won't show you the 20 or more pictures he took of it, but here is one of them.

The next item on our agenda was decorating the sugar coookies that we'd made the day before. We had to have something to put out on Santa's plate. It was a messy but fun process. Santa's plate was overflowing by the time we were done.

While Troy & his Dad took the missionaries home, the rest of us played a game. Then the kids got our their instruments and we had a little jam session. Troy played and we sang Silent Night. Then the boys did several songs together. Shane even belted out a few songs on the trumpet.

We had just such a nice time with Troy's family. We're so glad they came over. And not just because Betty brought a yummy banana split pie. Johnny keeps us all in stitches. We love them so much. My parents don't get to come back for the holidays from Arizona and so I am so thankful to have Troy's family close by.

After filling up Santa's cup with milk, we set the plate out and read Twas the Night Before Christmas and then tucked the kids in bed. They all decided to sleep down in Jameson's room together.

It was a fun filled evening that will always be remembered.

BTW- several people have asked me about the borders and editing I use and I just play around in Microsoft Digital Image Suite. The snow on my blog I actually saw on someone else's blog and just copied and pasted the code into mine.

Christmas at our House

2008-12-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

I had to copycat Kristi's fun blog post about how they've been celebrating Christmas at her house.

So here's how we've been made Christmas special at our house this year:

We've snuggled up as a family and watched:
The Gift (an old BYU production of the story by Pearl S. Buck)
Charlie Brown Christmas special
The Grinch(with Jim Carrey)
The Nativity Story
The Polar Express
Christmas with the Kranks
A Christmas Story

Favorite sounds of the season:
Faith Hill- A Baby Changes Everything- it's on repeat every night in Connor's room
Straight No Chaser- 12 Days of Christmas
Colbie Calliat- Mistletoe
Josh Groban- The First Noel
Jason Mraz- Winter Wonderland
River- Sarah Mclachlan
Silent Night- Troy taught both boys to play it on the guitar

Tales that have made us laugh & cry:
This story in the Ensign
lots of stories from our Advent book that my sister Linda made(my two favorites being Christmas in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck and The Gift of the Magi by O Henry)
Santa Claus
There was no snow on Christmas Eve
The Crippled Lamb
The Night Before Christmas

In the kitchen we've made:
Rice Krispy treats
Sugar cookies (we always decorate these on Christmas Eve)
Peppermint bark
Peanut Butter Kiss cookies
Baked Potato Soup(for Christmas day at Troy's sister's house)
Sausage Dip- sounds gross, but is super yummy
Blackbottoms

And are making:
a turkey, homemade stuffing & all the fixins
green bean casserole
rice pudding
almond filled coffee cake rolls(our traditional Christmas morning breakfast)

Here's our card we sent out:

Crafting was at a bare minimum this year- note to self start earlier next year! I did a few other small projects but forgot to take pictures!

But check out these cute crafts that I got for Christmas:

Thank you, Lor!

Thanks, Amber!

Christmas isn't Christmas without:

Snow

Adopting a family & then ringing and running- this was Genna's first year to run with the boys.

Troy pointed out it probably wasn't very covert to take a flash camera shot as our kids are trying to sneak up to a house- oops!

And finally the reason for the season:

Wishing you and yours the merriest of Christmases!

Christmas Concert

2008-12-20T06:54:00.000-08:00

Jameson and Connor had a Christmas concert this week. They both did a great job.

Our little drummer boy...

Blow, Jameson, Blow

Here are a few videos for your viewing pleasure. They are each a little over a minute long. Ok, some of you might not find a 5th & 6th grade band on the top of your most wanted to see list. But I figured there are some relatives who will indulge me. Besides they really are bearable to listen to. A few years back I was subbing and the 5th grade concert was so bad I wanted a pair of earplugs. It was especially fun to see how much Jameson's group has improved since last year.

5th grade band(sorry about the wrong angle)

6th grade band

Art out my back window

2008-12-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

What's a girl to do when you are stuck inside because it's too icy to go out? The kids are playing games, working on puzzles and playing with the puppy. Me- I'm playing with pictures.

I took this picture of today's icy sunrise.

I was experimenting with some different filters and these are what I came up with.

Here is a cardinal and a junco perched in the tree.

I know these aren't gallery quality but they sure are making me happy today!

Snow Day

2008-12-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Last night we got an early Christmas present- no school today. I guess I should clarify, my two younger kids were actually a little bummed at hearing the news because they had parties planned and a magician coming this afternoon. However, Troy and I were happy to not have to drive out in the ice that we got on top of the snow we received a few days ago.

Genna has been the most excited about the snow this time. Last week, they had predicted a big storm that missed us and she was so disappointed. So this week despite temperatures in the teens, she spent over an hour playing outside in the snow.

It was good snow for a snowball fight.

Even Mo liked the snow- we needed the leash b/c our neighbors big dogs were out and they like to play pretty rough.

It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Feliz Navidad

2008-12-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

Our ward activities chairperson decided to steer away from the customary decor and fixings for the annual ward Christmas party. Instead we had a Feliz Navidad celebration. It was such a fun night. We had a ton of yummy food, a pinata and we sang and learned about how several of our Christmas carols came about. It may not have been the traditional party, but was a great way to commemorate this holiday season.

Kids!

2008-12-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

Every year at Christmas my friends, Cheryl, Tami and I get together to exchange presents and sit down and catch up with each other. It was my turn to have everyone over and so we set the date for last Tuesday when the kids didn't have any school.

My children had strict instructions to stay downstairs and keep themselves occupied. Connor ended up having a few friends over. They brought the puppy inside and inevitably he would come up and visit- sometimes bearing gifts- like pizza crust that he'd found on the floor. Then four boys would follow after him and try to persuade Mo to go back downstairs to play.

Meanwhile, Genna was having a hard time not getting in on the girl time, despite the fact that she was sitting as close as possible to us, on the steps, playing with toys. She eventually made her way into the room and into the conversation.

I was mentioning how she'd been struggling a little bit at school with being silly and getting her work done in a timely manner. I also shared how on her birthday, mysteriously every single one of the presents she was waiting to open, got a small hole in the corner.

Because of the peeking and the troubles at school, we decided to have her earn back a few of her presents. She did work hard at school the next week and so she was able to open a set of markers. I told my friends how the last present was a pair of pajamas and she knew it, so I didn't think she was working very hard to earn that one back. However, the day before at school, her teacher shared with me how she was really doing a much better job and trying to be a leader instead of a follower. So while we were sitting there visiting about this situation, she ran up and grabbed the present to show them. I decided to let her open it, and secretly hoping to buy some time if she went to try on the new pajamas.

She opened them and was so excited about her new cheetah pajamas. Before modeling them for us, she ran upstairs and brought down Mommy's "cheetah pants". It's probably one of those things that you had to be there for, but it was just so funny. I had tears coming out of my eyes, I was laughing so hard. I certainly never referred to those pajamas as my cheetah pants. Besides, in our conversation that day, there had a been a few moments where we were all teary eyed, so it definitely felt good to laugh so hard we cried.

Later on she did put on her own pajamas and is totally loving them. Last weekend I caught her wearing them under clothes. Silly girl!

Life certainly is not dull with children around.

Christmas Decor

2008-12-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to sharing a few pictures of my Christmas decorations...

my little entry shelf- (a work in progress as I really am not loving this as much as I have in past seasons)

Christmas cheer in the kitchen

on top of the entertainment center

little red chair

little black shelf

Christmas List part 2

2008-12-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

My 2008 Christmas list is dwindling...and even though I really do love the doing of all the things on my agenda- it still feels good to check them off and get a step closer to December 25th.

Here's what we've been up to:

family temple trip- check

drive around and look at lights- check

this one had music to go along with it

this one was just crazy!!!

help out at our local food pantry- check

make and deliver neighborhood goodies, caroling as we go- check

(it was a balmy 6º tonight when we went, we came back and warmed up with hot chocolate)

presents all wrapped- check

get together with my dear friends- check

12 days of Christmas presentation with pictures for Enrichment- check

Southeast Seamless Christmas dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise- check

yummy chocolate nachos

great minds think alike

We also started our 12 days of Christmas. Last year, I did a gift for each day, but this year, we're only doing gifts every couple of days and then reading our Christmas books on the other days.

What's left on your list?

Gingerbread on display

2008-12-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

One of our Christmas traditions is to go up to the Mormon Trail Center and see the gingerbread display. We always try to take someone with us- but it didn't work out this year. The theme was Christmas Around The World. Here are some of our favorites:

Happy Anniversary!

2008-12-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am way behind in my blogging- I have lots to share, but first I need to wish my cute parents a very Happy Anniversary! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you! We love you!

Checked off the list...

2008-12-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Sorority Christmas Party

Take Amber out to lunch for her birthday and love on cute little Josh!

Hire photographer(Troy's brother Shane) for family photo- make sure he takes dinner as a payment option

Find Mo a suitable outfit for our photo

Pick out "the perfect Christmas card picture"
(ok, so that really didn't happen with 3 kids and a dog, but I think they still turned out pretty cute) These are actually the ones we didn't end up using. Stay tuned to a mailbox near you for the winning photos.

Finish up my Christmas shopping. Woohoo-it is always a nice feeling to have it done!

I still have quite a few things on my list- presents to wrap, packages to get ready to send, projects to finish up for friends, baking and then I need to get ready for our 12 days of Christmas. Maybe one of these years I'll be on the ball and actually do the whole advent period.

How's your list coming along?

Decking the Halls, etc.

2008-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was awesome and the rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing. Friday, Jameson and Troy went to the last Nebraska home game and Connor, Genna, and I stayed home and hung out. We got all the decorations down from the attic. That night we all snuggled under the covers and watched Christmas With the Kranks.

Saturday, we got serious about putting up the decorations. I wish I could say it was just like a scene out of Norman Rockwell painting, but the reality is that it was more like a scene from Christmas Vacation with the Griswold's. The lights didn't work, there was fighting over whose turn it was to put up the star, etc. but the end result was magical.

That night Troy and I were able to go to the temple with his family. We decided we are going to do a monthly family trip. In our session that night, there were only 2 people who weren't part of our family. It was such a wonderful experience to be there surrounded by those you love. It was snowing when we came out.

Afterwards we went out to eat at Carlos O'Kelley's and then did a little Christmas shopping at Walmart.

Tonight we had FHE here at home and then went to visit Troy's Grandma Kastens and bring her a little Christmas cheer.

She was so excited that we sang some songs for her. She couldn't get over the fact that we all had matching hats on. She has a little book where people sign in and we were her only visitors today. Made me sad and more determined that we get there more often.

Last of all, while we were having our treat(Eggnog Shakes) Jameson finally set off his volcano tonight. He made this volcano about 3 weeks ago and it has been sitting in my kitchen, crumbling,ever since. We oohed and aahed as it erupted.

Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

Thanksgiving Recap

2008-11-28T09:00:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. I hope you all did as well! We spent the day up at Lisa's(Troy's sister) house.

We feasted all day long on all the fixings- turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole(my contribution), rolls, pumpkin pie, Tiffany's peanut butter & mint chocolate cheesecakes, etc. I really wished I would have worn sweat pants, lol!!

After dinner the guys all found a spot where they could "watch the game".

But of course, even better than the food was being all together. It was so nice to have Grandma Kastens with us. She cracked us up all day long. We played lots of games: hand and foot, bananagrams, racko, and a family favorite tripoley.

Grandpa entertained us too. He told his famous suit joke for J.J.

and delighted all the children with stories that would make them scream and giggle. It was so cute to look over and see them so entralled in his tales.

Sadly Genna woke up early in the morning not feeling well at all. Her and Cuddles spent some quality time on the couch while we all ate.

Thankfully she did start feeling better. She eventually ate and had a great time playing with her cousins. Rachelle even coached her through pulling her own tooth out.

It was an awesome day where many happy memories were made!

Good Things

2008-11-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

As I sit at my desk the day before Thanksgiving, my heart is full thinking of all the many blessings in my life. My family, my friends, my faith, my home...the list goes on and on.

Here are a few other things that have made me smile recently...

getting to be there for my niece Ashlyn's first birthday. My sister and I had a lot of fun together, while the guys went hunting. We actually got a lot accomplished that weekend, cooking, shopping and crafting. Click on it so you can see the adorable onesie, Lorilee made to go with the frilly skirt.

gorgeous weather for November

my sweet husband putting up the lights for me

same great guy going with me to Twilight and then listening to me ramble on and on for hours comparing it to the book.

learning how to make bows from my sister. I am so excited that Genna is going through a phase where she loves to have a bow in her hair. We had a 6 month period where she wouldn't even let me touch her hair.

a cub scout that worked very hard and was the top seller in our pack this year. He sold over $1500 and earned the prized rocket for his efforts and also $115 worth of gift cards that are burning a hole in his pocket.

a twelve year old who willing made chocolate chip cookies (and took pictures of the process) while his parents took a nap on Sunday afternoon. It was a heavenly smell to wake up to.

And all of you- I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Birthday Girl

2008-11-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to document Genna's birthday. It is so crazy to think that she is already 6 years old.

Turkey treats that she helped me make to take to school Friday for her birthday snack. She had a ball making patterns with the fruit loops. Our version didn't quite turn out as cute as the original, but that's ok. You'll notice we went for the beakless look. Candy corn is difficult to find 3 weeks after Halloween in this town.

Here she is sporting her fun new slippers from her Aunt Linda. She wanted to do the funny pose and made me take a bunch of pictures of her. Thanks again, Linda for the sweet present!

Friday after school, her friend Halle came over to spend the night.

We opened presents

and then headed up to Lincoln. We ate dinner at Culvers and then went to High School Musical 3.

Today on her actual birthday we had a lot going on- practice for the Sacrament Meeting Program, a scout service project, and shopping for a new freezer. We did squeeze in time to open a few more presents and a ride on the carousel at the mall.

I just had to look through some old pictures to see how much she has grown and changed over the years. She is such a joy to our family! We love you Genna Girl!

Chocolate Enrichment Night

2008-11-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy busy week, but I had to come on here and post about our fun enrichment last week.

Here's the invite that Glenda made-

We wanted to focus on building relationships. We played a game called Fast Friends- which is basically like speed dating. We had a topic and spent a few minutes discussing it before one side of the table moved on to the next person.

We asked everyone to bring a chocolate dessert and a recipe, which we made into a small little book.

Some of the yummy goodies.

Handouts that we could bring to the ladies we visit teach.

I shared this recipe.

5 minute Chocolate Cake in a Cup

4 T. flour
4 T. Sugar
2 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 egg
3 T. milk
3 T. oil
3 T. chocolate chips
splash of vanilla or other flavoring
optional toppings: whipped cream, powdered sugar or ice cream

Add all of dry ingredients in a mug and mix well. Next mix in the egg. Stir in milk, flavoring, and oil. After all combined fold in chocolate chips. Don’t have chips- try a broken candy bar. Nuke on high for 3 minutes in a 1000w microwave- increase time for lower wattages. It will start to crown over the top of the mug- don’t panic it will go back down. Remove and if desired add additional toppings. Enjoy!

Of course, I had to try it out first at home.

It was pretty, good, especially for a quick craving. In my opinion though, it did taste better after sitting for a little while.

And with a little vanilla ice cream.

November Decorations

2008-11-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'll admit, I am ready to get my Christmas stuff out. I have started my shopping, I even tried unsuccessfully to find the radio station that starts playing Christmas music the day after Halloween. But tradition holds that we put our tree and decor up the Sunday or Monday after Thanksgiving and so I will be patient.

Even though I am excited for the Christmas season to get started, I don't want waste a perfectly good excuse to decorate for a holiday. Plus, I really do think that Thanksgiving is a very cool holiday. The world would be a much better place if we remembered to be more grateful for our blessings.

So for the record, here are my November decorations.

My entry way shelf. I still would like to find some mini multicolored corn for the little basket.

On top of the entertainment center.

This vintage treasure used to be my Grandma Olson's. She used to read us a book we loved about squirrels who needed to learn some manners and so this little squirrel is precious to me.

The two sets of pilgrims are new this year and I really love them both. They remind me of the gratitude I have for those who came to this country searching for religious freedom. Plus, my old set was ceramic and Mr. Pilgrim's head was not going to be glued on an 11th time.

Return with Honor

2008-11-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, cheesy title but so true. Troy's niece Stephanie returned home last night after serving as a missionary on Temple Square for the past 18 months. She is such a wonderful person- we are all so thrilled to have her back home.

Here are the signs we made. Yes, we know they aren't in order. Everyone is holding their own sign and all the little kids happened to have made the welcome part. Plus, it isn't an easy task to get 23 people turned around at the last minute. We took up most of the walkway and attracted a lot of attention. One person even wondered if a nun was coming home.

It was a joyous reunion with lots of happy tears.

Even Genna burst into tears after giving Stephanie a hug. She didn't quite know why she was crying, but that was ok, we understood.

A few odds & ends

2008-11-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday Christmas shopping with Tami & Cheryl. We had so much fun and I actually got a lot checked off my list. It was a chilly day here in Nebraska and so these are our attempts at a picture in the car. As you can see, it's hard to take pictures when you are laughing so hard.

Troy and Jameson had to bundle up for today's Husker game.

Genna wished she could go and help usher too!

I fixed the link from Justin's myspace page.

My BIL just opened his massage business in Utah County- if you know anyone in the area needing a massage, check his blog out!

New

2008-11-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

dawn

(I promise I won't start every post with a sunrise picture)

glasses

haircuts

puzzle started

yummy bread recipe with homemade apple butter

way of eating pudding(during our service FHE)

idea that I think I am going to do for Genna's birthday treats at school- she'll love helping me make them.
cool music up at my nephew's myspace page (link fixed)

This morning

2008-11-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Started out beautifully...

and it got even better. Troy had to run up to Lincoln and asked me to go a long for the ride.

he even bought me breakfast, lol! That is his brother Shane's mini Book of Mormon sitting there, isn't it cute?

We made sure and voted.

It was so nice to have long lines to wait in.

I also noticed the leaves on our tree turned yellow this year- most years they just turn brown and fall off.

Hope you had a wonderful morning too! Don't forget to vote!

Wonderful Weekend

2008-11-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a reflection of the wonderful weekend we've had, seen through Jameson's eyes, since these are all pictures from his camera.

You never would have believed that Saturday was the first of November in Nebraska- it was sunny & 70 degrees. We took the opportunity to get some things done outside and made it a family work day. Now the kids weren't overly thrilled at first, but I think in the end we all had a fun time. Now the garden and all the flower beds have been cleared and leaves tilled in.

Look at Mo- he is getting so big. He has gained more than 3 pounds since we got him. He is such a fun puppy and we love him dearly! We're so glad that he has finally figured out that this is his home. While we worked on Saturday, he just played happily in the yard along side us. We were worried because before we would be playing with him and he would take off down the street to where he knew his mom and siblings were.

This weekend was our Stake Conference up in Lincoln. We had an amazing adult session on Saturday night which was all about the temple. Afterwards, we went out with Troy's family to Texas Roadhouse. Sunday's session was equally as wonderful. Such good reminders of how we can do a little more and strive to be better each day. Tonight we were on the road again, traveling up to Troy's sister's house in LaVista. We made welcome home signs because Stephanie gets back next week from her mission. I'll take pictures at the airport of the cool signs we all made. We had dinner together and just enjoyed one another's company tonight.

After Stake Conference today we came home and had breakfast for lunch. Troy made us pancakes and sausage. I was so excited to try out my new cute little OJ glasses. I look at these glasses every time I go to an antique store. My grandma has similar glasses and I just love the size and colors of them. But I could never bring myself to pay the $3-5 per glass price at those stores. Friday, I was shopping at our little thrift store here in town and found 2 sets of 3 for 50¢ a set. The sad thing is that we realized we're not big orange juice drinkers. Connor commented that he thought of the show Fear Factor and just downed his whole glass at once. Maybe next time, I'll have to buy citrus punch.

This is Jameson's halloween candy. He was thrilled with the full sized hershey bars(his favorite). Speaking of candy- you should go read the story of the Candy Bomber from WWII. It is really touching. Here is Cocoa's cool FHE lesson based on this story.

Jameson's trumpet and a few of the songs he is working on for their Veteran's Day concert at school. I'm so grateful for music in my life. This weekend I listened to a lot of great music- at Stake Conference and here at home on the computer. Hopefully Made with Glue and Love doesn't think I am blog stalking her- it's just she has the Mamma Mia soundtrack on her playlist, so I've been hanging out quite a bit at her site.

With Election Day and Veteran's Day fast approaching, I looked at these pictures from a flag burning ceremony we attended, with gratitude in my heart for this great country we live in. I believe our founding fathers were inspired men. I am so thankful to those who serve to keep our country free. I pray that on Tuesday that good men and women will be elected to run our country.

Add finally these pictures are just funny to me. Here is Jameson eating his first atomic fire ball! Thanks Cheryl for taking them.

I hope your weekend was wonderful as well!

How to have a perfect Halloween

2008-10-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

Carve pumpkins- check

make donuts- check (thanks Melissa for the great idea)

remember to wear fun socks from the Target dollar spot- check

Finish games for Kindergarten party- check

Help out with a said party- check

Have good friends over for yummy Chili and Cinnamon Rolls- check

Get all dressed up- check

trick or treat in 60 degree weather- check

pick out all the good candy when you get home- check

come home and watch The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown- check

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween too!

Love Adds Chocolate

2008-10-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I got home from my Enrichment Committee Planning meeting and started scouring the internet for fun chocolate sayings and quotes, since we are going to put together a little chocolate cookbook at our next Enrichment Activity. I had trouble finding what I was looking for and then I remembered that I had something all along that would be perfect for what we are doing.

Several years back my good friend Kassie made this adorable tag. The message on the inside of the tag is even better!

Money, of course, can buld a charming house,
but only Love can furnish it with a feeling of home.
Duty can pack an adequate sack lunch,
but Love may decide to enclose a little note inside.
Money can provide a TV,
but Love controls it and cares enough to say 'no'
and take the guff that comes with it.
Obligation sends the children to bed on time,
but Love tucks the covers in around their necks
and passes out the kisses and hugs. (even to teenagers)
Obligation can cook a meal,
but Love embellishes the table with a potted ivy
trailing around slender candles.
Duty writs many letters,
but Love adds a joke or a picture or a stick of gum inside.
Compulsion keeps a sparkling house,
but Love and Prayer stand a better chance
of producing a happy family.
Duty gets offended quickly if it isn't appreciated
but Love learns to laugh a lot
and to work for the sheer joy of doing it.
Obligation can pour a glass of milk, but quite often,
Love adds a little chocolate.

I did a search and found this book online that it must have come from.

I needed this reminder today. We got a late start to our morning and when that happens we are all grumpy and a little stressed. I hate sending my kids off to school with that start to their day. I know a lot of how their morning goes is dependent on me and my own attitude. First thing I need to do is start getting up before them. I am also considering trying an experiment one of my friends did where she made her kids a hot breakfast every morning before school. She said it really made a difference to her kids- there was less fighting and more unity. I am willing to give anything a try. I'll let you know how it goes.

Please excuse the mess...

2008-10-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to update my blog and it's not going well- so please bear with me!

Just so this isn't a totally boring post- I made these chicken tacos for dinner last night. Oh my goodness were they heavenly and so darn easy! I didn't have any salsa- so I used green chile enchilada sauce and fresh tomatoes. My kids who normally don't get excited over tacos- ate 2 helpings each.

And then because I don't like posts without pictures- here's one of the cute little garland Amber shared with me and the fun ghost that my Mom made.

Trick or Treat Bags

2008-10-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

I just finished up some new trick or treat bags for the kids. Previously, we'd been using some ugly orange buckets that took up a lot of space in my Halloween tote. So last year when my sister told me she made some cute fabric bags for her kids- I thought it was a great idea. Then I was at Target and found some Halloween pillowcases on clearance and knew it was meant to be!

I used this tutorial again to make the bags. I should have made the straps a bit skinnier, but I guess you live and learn, right?

Time Out 2008

2008-10-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time this weekend with my family at Time Out in Omaha.

Friday night we listened to Jenny Oaks Baker. I have never heard more beautiful violin playing in my life. I was amazed, delighted and moved to tears as she played.

My sister Linda flew in from Colorado. She was excited to see Ardith Kapp, who spoke that night. She had met Sister Kapp as a Laurel in 1978.

The next day was just as wonderful, we listened to Kenneth Cope and Cherie Call sing.

Elia Gourgouris, Pam Hansen, Wendy Ulrich and Mary Ellen Edmunds spoke to us. It was the spiritual nourishment I have been craving and I came away filled. It was so awesome to be able to share this experience with so many dear friends as well.

PS. My neat little upsizing trick is not working with Blogger lately- I'm not sure why. But I guess it is not just me, other people are having problems with it too.

At my house this week...

2008-10-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

we had a puppy playdate(with Mo's 3 siblings who live down the street)

I'm getting ready to put my heavier comforter back on my bed

I've been packing for Time Out For Women

I brought in all my herbs from the garden

drying lavendar(if I'm doing this wrong- can someone let me know!)

freezing parsley

I'm loving the view from front yard these days

my neighbor's tree

I'm in charge of Genna's Halloween party at school- so I've been getting that organized. This is for a pin the wart(hershey kiss) on the witch game.

I'm scrabooking for a sorority project. Scott Nisely was killed in Iraq in 2006 and we are putting an album together for his mother. We're just doing a uniform basic layout for now and will add titles and possibly embellishments later.

What's going on at your place?

Spooktacular Halloween Party

2008-10-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

I finally got done editing all the fun pictures from our Halloween Party last week.

We had such a great time. We really wanted to invite our whole ward- but our house is only so big. Troy's family alone counted for over 25 people.

We had everyone bring munchies or Halloween treats, if they felt creative.

Here was a sampling of all the yummy food.

I served taco soup and ghastly green punch. I also made the deviled eggs with spiders after I saw them on Wendy's blog last year. My friend Jennifer made the cute rice krispy ghosts and my MIL Betty made the jack' o' lantern mini pizzas. There was a ton more food- but I was busy playing hostess and didn't get any more pictures.

We asked everyone to come in costume or at the very least wear a funny hat. Connor stood outside our front door, greeting our guests as they arrived. He didn't say a word, just let them in. A few of them kept trying to make him laugh and he said it was pretty hard to hold it in. I think one of my favorite parts of the whole night was just seeing what everyone dressed up as. After they walked in the door Jameson aka Napoleon was busy handing out buttons that he made.

We had everyone vote for the best costume in 4 different categories. Jim Hergenrader (Betty's Cousin's husband, who happened to be passing through)won the Scariest with this spooky Husker fan getup. Cute little Emily won the Sweetest- if you can't read her Mom's apron it says, "If there's no chocolate in heaven, I'm not Going". John McCain(Shane) won the Most Original. And Johanna, I mean, Johny(Troy's Dad) won for the Funniest, although he did get votes in every single category!

Here are the pictures of the rest of the guests.

Everyone looked so great! Originally we wanted to do some fun Halloween themed games, but I just couldn't pull it off. It ended up ok though because we had a great time just eating, visiting and playing a few regular games- Apples to Apples and Bananagrams.

Halloween Trail Mix

2008-10-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

I feel a little silly sharing such a simple recipe- but it has been such a big hit at our house, I thought I'd put it on my blog.

Halloween Trail Mix
1 jar roasted, salted peanuts
1 box count chocula cereal
1/2 box of raisins
1 bag Halloween M&M's
optional: pretzels, fishy crackers, popcorn, licorce bites, cheese balls

Warning- you cannot each just one handful. We made this for Connor's hike last week and then again for our Halloween party on Saturday. Stay tuned for pictures from the party!

Lost Teeth

2008-10-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Genna has had some loose teeth for a while now. A few weeks back at Cheer Camp- I noticed her top front tooth was suddenly all crooked. Despite wiggling it every day, that darn thing, didn't seem to want to go anywhere. We joked that it was ok, because then maybe she could wait and ask Santa for her two front teeth for Christmas.

After school Thursday when I was picking Genna up, she ran and jumped up into my arms so I could twirl her around. On the way down she must have bumped her mouth. She quickly realized her tooth was out.

We searched the grass all over, but we couldn't find it. She was really worried that the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to come. She was relieved when I suggested we write a letter to the tooth fairy and explain what happened.

She is constantly writing these days- she loves to copy things. Troy got a note from her the other day saying "You've Been Halloweenied- passiton!" Wonder where she got that idea?

Later that afternoon, I got together with my good friends, Cheryl and Tami. Tami's birthday was in September, but we hadn't had a chance to celebrate yet. So, we went out for dinner. Genna just cried and cried because she wanted to come along and show Cheryl her missing tooth.

Well, funny thing was that the next night, after Connor's hike, the boys had a football contest going on at the high school and Cheryl and I sat by each other. Genna was thrilled to finally be able to share her exciting news with Cheryl. We hadn't been there very long when out of the blue, she lost another tooth.

Tonight when I was putting her to bed, I noticed that her top tooth has already broken the surface. I told her, she wouldn't have a hole there for very long. She asked if it would grow in before we got to see Lorilee. I told her it probably would and so Lor, here you go- she really wants you to see her with her two teeth missing!

The past two nights were late ones, and the tooth was left in the car until today. So, I'd better go call that tooth fairy and make sure she doesn't forget about our house tonight!

Oh, yeah, one more tooth related thing. Troy broke a tooth tonight eating some of his sister's koolaid popcorn. So I guess he's off to the dentist tomorrow. Poor guy!

Awesome Hike

2008-10-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

I awoke early Friday morning to the sound of thunder and heard the rain beating upon the roof. I was going to be very grumpy if it kept up and ruined our plans for the hike we were going on at Waubonsie State Park in Iowa. The stars had all aligned when we set up this activity- there was no school, the boys scouts could attend with us and all of our boys could attend. We are working on Arrow of Light requirements and this hike counted for our outdoor activity with the Boy Scouts and a hike for a few of the boys who still need to earn the Outdoorsman Badge.

Thankfully, as we were eating our butter braid and drinking our hot chocolate with halloween marshmellows, the sun decided to come out. And it stayed out the rest of the day! I was so grateful that the weather was cooperative. We had about a 25 minute drive to our destination.

Our first step when we got there was to get our lunch started. The Boy Scouts were awesome about teaching our boys about the different positions they hold and what their responsibilities are. They all worked together to get a fire started and a stew made so that it could simmer while we went on our hike.

We really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to go hiking. It was crisp and cool with a light breeze. There are some great views from the trail that we took. The last leg of the hike was a hill that was a killer and one of the parents jokingly asked the boys if anyone wanted to do it again and 3 of them ran down it and back up another time. I wish I had their energy!

We got back to our little camp and had our delicious stew and s'mores. The boys had still had quite a bit of energy and so they played capture the flag. Before we knew it our time was up and we had to clean up and head home. I am so grateful for the Scouting program. Even though I grumble sometimes about the responsibilities of being a leader, I am so grateful that Connor and I can spend days like this together.

Sewing Stuff

2008-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I am a collector. I've got a lot of fabric. More than I'll ever probably be able to use. But I can't help it, especially at garage sale and thrift store prices, how can I pass up something so cute that has the potential to be something even more wonderful?

A few years ago Troy got me a sewing machine for my birthday. I didn't have the heart to tell him at the time I really wanted it so I could sew on my cards and scrapbook pages. Thank goodness I have learned that sewing other stuff can be a lot of fun, too.

Here are some of the projects I've been working on lately:

Genna has grown 2 inches since April, but the hand me down size 7 jeans from her cousin Hannah are still quite a bit too long, so I've been working on them.

I went to a quilting party last Saturday for Relief Society. I got a box full of squares and I spent a few hours figuring out a pattern with the fabric available. I feel badly that I didn't contribute anything besides my sewing machine, to what they got done that day. But I've been working hard here at home to be ready for the next quilting day. We're going to donate the quilts to some local organizations.

My own vintage sheet quilt is still sitting, not cut out yet. I realize that's why- I just need to suck it up and get the squares done. However, cutting is my least favorite part- I am not really good at getting it straight. But working on the gingham quilt is making me anxious to get back to working on my own quilt.

A while back, I did a vintage sheet swap that Crafty Little Beana hosted. There were some really fun fabrics I'd never seen before and some that I already had in my collection. I hope I can incorporate a few of them into my quilt.

Last but not least, I finished up this ugly little pumpkinhead guy. I didn't really like how his smile turned out- but maybe he works for the "so ugly, it's cute" category.

Good Stuff

2008-10-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

We finished up our popcorn sales on Friday. Woohoo- no more popcorn in our trunk, ever- it was our last year of selling. Thanks to all our family who bought from our kids over the past several years.

We got to go out to dinner two times this past weekend-

once to Famous Dave's with my parents and my brother Dave and his wife Melinda, who came up from St. Louis. It was so good to see them and get some pictures of their cute kids!

Then Saturday night, Troy and I went out to the yummiest buffet up at the Horseshoe Casino up in Council Bluff's with Troy's parents, brother Shane and his girlfriend JJ. We had a great time eating and laughing!

Connor had a soccer game on Saturday. He was able to score a goal and had some great assists.

Jameson is having to just practice with the soccer team this year, since he is a month too old to meet the age requirements. He has been a good sport- even though it's been hard to watch all your friends play when he would love to be out there with them.

I went Lincoln this morning with my SIL Michelle and since it was raining, Troy was home for a while and he did 3 loads while I was gone. I had a mountain of laundry and he was so sweet to get it down to bunny slope status for me.

And I won a fun prize on Melissa's blog- 320 Sycamore. You'll have to check out the amazing transformation they have made with their house.

All my mums are blooming and they look so pretty. Last year I had a bunch die out on me and so I am excited they are filling in again.

And last but not least I was excited to figure out how to have large sized pictures on my blog without all the work of sizing them and uploading them to photobucket. All you do is find the HTML code where it says s200 or s400 and change it to s800 for a large photo. Note you might see two sizes one that says s1600 and s200 or s400. Only change the small number. You might have to do some rearranging with your layout- because it doesn't work on inbetween sizes like s600. Don't ask me why.

Example code:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WxgF9yn-g1U/SPOj2l1UZyI/AAAAAAAABs8/K0l8PZ-ZhuA/
s800/100_9766-1.JPG

Puppy Stuff

2008-10-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

I never realized what a dog person I am. Mo has been accompanying me while I play taxi driver for the kids. He is such a sweet puppy who is constantly making me laugh.

Yesterday he got his 8 week shots at the Vet. It was so funny because we got there a little early (they were all at lunch) and so we walked all around the outside. When it was our time to go in Mo started heading towards the door, but the closer we got the more he started sniffing and he promptly decided he was not going to be led inside that place. The receptionist was laughing at him through the open doorway. I wondered how he already knew to be afraid of going to the Vet?

Mo had his first bath this weekend. He did really good. However, he did not like the hair dryer. Of course, our bathing him ensured that it would rain shortly and it poured yesterday. The corner of the dog kennel has settled and there is a corner where dirt runs off from the retaining wall behind it. So we had our first taste of muddy paws last night.

Here is a slide show from his first bath.

Ok, and the blog where I saw this cool vintage looking slide show also had an awesome link to a video of Jimmy Stewart reading a poem about his dog Beau. It is definitely worth the watch- but grab your kleenex!

Halloween Party

2008-10-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

As many of you all know, I have sort of a obsessive personality. I get hooked on one thing and then that's what I'm all about for a period of time, until I move onto the next fancy.

Anyway, my latest love is decorating on the cheap. There are several fun blogs I read that combine my love of creating with my type of budget-which is next to nothing. Anyway, one of my new favorites is A Soft Place to Land. Kimba has great projects where she turns trash into treasures.

She is hosting a blog party and I decided to play along. The rules are: link up to your Halloween or fall themed post. It can be a craft, a project, a story, your decorations...whatever! If you're not much for halloween, then link up with something fall. That's fun too! And if you've already written all of your fall/halloween posts, then link up to an old one.

So here are the rest of my Halloween Decorations:

Remember this project?

And this one?

Scroll down through this post and the others to see the rest of my spooky stuff. And play along if you like- it's fun!!

Conference Weekend

2008-10-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Troy decided that he wanted to take Jameson out to Utah to attend his first General Priesthood Meeting in the Conference Center. They made it a family affair and took Grandpa Bennett and Shane along for the ride.

They left Thursday night and drove all night. They went up to Rexburg to get some of Shane's things out of storage. They said the drive was really pretty and the new temple is gorgeous!

Friday evening they arrived at Shantelle and Randy's house in Orem. Troy said she took good care of them and fed them well. Jameson had a lot of fun playing with Caleb and Anna. Anna just turned one in August. She is walking all around and has the cutest laugh.

Randy went with them and they drove up to Salt Lake. First, they stopped on Temple Square and saw Stephanie and her companion. She comes home from her mission next month. We were able to see her last year on our vacation- this picture was taken then.

Then they went to the priesthood session. They weren't allowed to bring cameras in, so they didn't get any pictures. That's ok, since Jameson said from where they were sitting the prophet looked like a little ant. They weren't up quite this high, but this was the view looking down when we toured the conference center last year.

But they both said it was an amazing experience- especially when the choir and congregation all sang Praise to the Man. Troy is so happy they went.

After the session, they walked around a bit and took some pictures. They had to park up near the Utah State Capitol. They said the temple was so pretty at night!

Not pictured was the Anti-Mormon protestor they saw dressed in a Devil costume. Rats, I would have liked to have seen that!

They had a long drive home. It rained a good portion of the way. They stopped to see this crazy tree growing out of a rock in Wyoming.

The rest of us had to stay home and watch General Conferenceonline or on tv. It was so uplifting as usual. Two of my favorite talks this time were by Joseph B. Wirthlin and Jeffrey R. Holland. Of course, it is such a blessing to be able to hear from a prophet of God, Thomas S. Monson. His talk in the Sunday morning session was awesome! I loved his message to "find joy in the journey- now!" We were able to see a program about him on KBYU during the break, called On the Lord's Errand. It was such a wonderful insight into this dear man who leads and guides the church. I couldn't find a link to the program itself, but, this is a pretty good article that shares a lot of the same stories.

I am defintely recharged and ready for whatever the world has in store for me this week.