In the Badger Den. . .

Pie is pie, . . . right?

2011-11-19T21:13:00.001-08:00

This morning while I was getting ready, Reese was doing her usual thing at the table which is talking to herself and her toys and carrying on an entertaining conversation. We've already established what an animal-lover the girl is, and I'm pretty impressed at her memory for the more 'unusual' ones we mention- usually only once. 'That's a gemsbok, mom. It lives in Africa.'

Suddenly her voice changes and I hear her exclaim - to me this time instead of the stuffed dog she was playing with -

"Mom! There's a pumpkin pie!!!"

I gave one of those automated mom responses, you know- the ones where you answer, but you're really concentrating on the five or so bobbypins in your mouth and trying to get a stubborn piece of hair to just lay flat.

"Nope hon- not time for pumpkin pie yet, but we'll make one for Thanksgiving, K?"

"No, no, no mom. Outside. The BIRD."

Now I was intrigued. A pumpkin pie bird? I'd never heard of that. So was Ryan, and we walked to the kitchen where, just outside our glass door, there sat a magpie staring at us.

A Mag-Pie.

Well, everyone's bound to slip here and there I guess. :)

The Book of November

2011-11-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

It occurs to me that we never discussed reading The Help.

It was a stellar book- loved the humor, loved the urgency to turn the page and keep reading. So well written, and a wonderful style to do it in. I loved the changing points of view throughout. It felt like a mystery, an action-thriller, and a history lesson all rolled into one. Awesome.

In fact, I wept as I turned the last page. A sure sign of a great story. It's definitely on my favorite books list. And now I can see the movie- the great part about always being a step behind is that it's probably bound for the cheap theaters in no time.

Huzzah.

One of my favorite parts was the 'interview' with the author in the last pages where she describes her own experiences as a white family with 'help' in Jackson. I love fiction based on true stories!

We'd love to hear your thoughts too!

Well, this little book club has definitely gone through an interesting evolution through its first year. Mostly we've been ambitious, overly busy, and consistently behind, but thanks for following anyway. :)

Here's what we're reading this month. . .

It's an beautiful book; it's poignant and honest and life-changing.

We hope you'll pick it up, read with us, and join us December 1st for a discussion.

Storm a'brewin'

2011-11-11T07:51:00.001-08:00

Last night Ryan and I went out on a real, live DATE to see a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest by the Actors from the London Stage on campus.

It. Was. Phenomenal.

Background- the only production I'd seen of this particular play was my own back in middle school (I played Sebastian, by the way), and as you can imagine the caliber was. . . er, lower. Make that, much lower. I had never counted The Tempest as one of my favorites, but these actors were seriously AMAZING, and it's climbed up near the top. They did the entire thing with only five actors and no set but a small piece of stage and a few props. Their talent blew us away; it was incredibly moving and then, in the next moment, made us weep with laughter.

I absolutely LOVE that I married a man who will revel with me in my love (obsession?) for Shakespeare and all things literary. That's when you know you're with "the right one"- when you can both be unabashed nerds together. By evening's end, we were giddy with plans to attend the Shakespeare festival, the Globe theater in London, and even become actors ourselves.

It was that good.

So, if you're ever in a vicinity to see this INCREDIBLE company, do it. You'll love every minute.

Yay for dating and nerdiness and standing ovations so well-earned.

Holy Halloween Costumes, Batman!

2011-11-08T15:54:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry. That title was pretty misleading since there will be nothing about Batman, Robin, or even a glimpse of Batgirl in this post. But I felt, after a month-long fast from blogging, there was a serious need for punchy enthusiasm. And how can you go wrong with a show that flashes fluorescent-colored 'Bams', 'whaps', 'biffs', and 'zowies' across the screen?

Anyway, here I am, bound and determined to ignore the guilty feeling inside from neglecting to document the happenings around this little den, and start fresh. So to begin, here's our Halloween happenings- we had an absolute BLAST this year! Reese finally got what was happening, made a friend and life-long fan of each bestower of candy, and even did the snorty laugh we taught her on cue. (That may or may not have had anything to do with the fact that we told her in no uncertain terms it was the only way to get any candy at all. Hmm.)

Without any further ado, I give you a family of Erkels. Except that we're white. And we didn't end the night signing a TV gig. Oh well. You can't have everything.

On a side note here, the candy haul was much better this time around-- thanks to our patient teaching, Reese was able to bring in SEVERAL more pieces of chocolate than last year. And, best of all, she happily handed them over in exchange for a few suckers.

Score.

Carve it up!

2011-11-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

We got ambitious with our pumpkin carving this year and decided to tackle actual pictures. We finally settled on Monsters, Inc. as the theme. I took Mike Wazowski (sp?), and Ry opted for Sully.

The kids just had fun hanging out around (and on) the table, playing in the goop and pumpkin seeds, and occasionally taking a bite or two.

"No, it's good, Mom. I promise!"

Despite all his effort I take FULL blame for Ry's not working out. :( I was the one that insisted we didn't need the special pumpkin carving kit, we had plenty of knives at home.

He finally ended up swinging his pumpkin around and free-handing a very Headless Horseman type face instead-

Well, you live you learn, right?

Mike, fortunately, was an easier pattern to cut.

Autumn in Logan Canyon

2011-11-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we decided to take advantage of the fabulous weather and trek up the canyon for a little morning hike. One of our new-found favorite places is Tonys Grove. Absolutely gorgeous! They have a ton of hikes to choose from, so we opted for a fun little nature hike that circled the lake and had lots of "did you know. . ." markers. They were Reese's favorite thing!

We did a little climbing,

plenty of exploring,

and oodles of basking in the glory that is Fall!

Sigh.

Logan Canyon, I love you.

Favorite Things: Broccoli Slaw & 'Forget-me-nots'

2011-09-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Look at me- following through on a goal! Hooray! Ok, week two of favorite things includes food for tummy- and the soul! lol!

The first is this little beauty of a product right here-

Broccoli slaw. It's awesome! I'm not much of a coleslaw person, in fact I usually avoid the pungent little tub at fried-chicken-and-side picnics, but this particular mix is just stellar. Maybe because

1- I know it's SO much better for you, and
2- I have used it in a myriad of ways-- none of them being a traditional slaw. :)

We mix it into cooked ground turkey with a can of tomatoes and a little BBQ sauce for a way better version of Sloppy Joes, add it to stir fry for more veggie power, chop it fine and stir it into homemade meatballs or meatloaf for more flavor and vitamins, and it makes an excellent veggie omelette. Awesome. If you haven't tried it yet, then grab a pen and put it on your grocery list. I usually find it by the bagged salad in the produce section.

Now for the 'soul food'. :)

My other favorite thing is the General Relief Society Broadcast. I LOVE hearing from these amazing, inspired women twice a year. Each of them gave wonderful talks about charity, appreciating our blessings and potential, and encouraged us to recognize and use our power for good. One of my favorite talks was by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the first Presidency. It is a wonderful talk for and about women, and how to find joy in the little things that are happening now. It's a perfect reminder for me on a Monday to focus on what's important and remember why I do all that I do. Prepare to laugh and be uplifted! Listen to it here, or watch it here- Enjoy!

Somewhere between the cantaloupe and a box of Berry Blue Jell-O. . .

2011-09-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

It's true I failed my first Drivers' Ed test, but at least I never crashed a car, which is more than I can say of my baby girl and a certain handicapped motorized shopping cart last Friday.

I've always been a real fan of those self-check out lines in grocery stores. Finally I have control over the scanning/bagging speed when time is of the essence. Lately Reese has been on a huge independent kick and so grocery stores are much more fun- usually with me walking alongside the cart, steadying her drunk driving as she plays 'mommy'.

This particular day, however, she was pretty chill. I was buying only a handful of things- a melon, some jell-o, animal crackers- you know, the toddler staples. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her singing something 'princess' to the plastic M&M man at the end of the row and I figured she'd keep herself busy for the two or three minutes it would take me to finish. And keep herself busy, she did. Oh the curse of getting what we want!

Seconds later I heard the vroooom of a moving vehicle behind me and turned to look in time to see her plow into the root beer extract display at the back of the store.

To say that I was shocked would be horribly insufficient. Floored? Yes, but I'm still searching for a stronger word. I dropped the bag of raisins I was holding and rushed over, whipped her out of her joy ride, and uttered no less than five hundred apologies while I cleaned up and finished checking out- faster than ever before! I know I should have been furious or even humiliated and sick with remorse, but the look on my wild-child's face was priceless. Eyes wide, cheeks flushed, with her mouth opened to a small 'oh' as she stared at the Handicap Hot rod. It was pure and unadulterated bewilderment.

'That was really fast, Mommy.' she whispered.

I'm sure it was. I remember the rush that came with almost crashing my neighbor's riding lawn mower into the side of the house- I would have sworn I was going 80mph!

At this point the daggers being sent with love from the head checker woman caught my eye so we wrapped things up and headed for the exit. I made sure we held hands this time.

'That was really fast, Mommy,' she repeated. As we walked out the door and into the sunshine Reese said,

'Whew! Mommy, my face is re ally hot.'

'Yes, my child,' I told her. 'that's a special emotion-- it's called call shame.'

One Sweet Kid

2011-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today my baby boy turns one.

I seriously can't believe how fast the time has flown by, nor can I imagine life without that red hair or shy smile.

It kinda blows my mind. This morning when we went into the kids' room to get him up to sing before Ryan zipped off to French class, the two of them were giggling their little guts out playing Peek-a-boo through the bars of his crib.

It was one of those times that thrilled my mommy heart. It seems that the majority of my 'mommy posts' here recount the frequently frustrating and catastrophic bits of life that every mother knows intimately.

But today
I am absolutely in love with being Mommy.

Thank you, Sam, for joining us; we are blissfully blessed to have you! So much like your sister and daddy, but with your own sweet flair.

Happy, happy birthday baby boy! We love you!

PS- Check out more of this gorgeous sunflower shoot at Melese's blog. I love having such a talented photographer for a sister!

Favorite things. . .

2011-09-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning for weeks to share a few fabulous sites with everyone, and am finally here to do it. The first is a fantastic site dedicated to planning, organizing and accumulating home food storage and was created by none other than my insanely-organized and brilliant sister, Meg.

My Food Storage Cookbook is seriously awesome! She's included tons of delicious recipes (please, please, please try the Chicken Cacciatore w/ Herbed Polenta- it rocked my world!), step-by-step instructions and how-to's on everything you need to know to plan easy-peasy pantry meals, a 3-month, or 1-year of food storage. Not to mention some great links to all things foodstorage. It's amazing, and if you're feeling overwhelmed by this particular brand of project (let's face it, who isn't?), you should definitely check it out. Sign up for Daily Digests while your there to find out what's cooking each day!

The second is My Oatmeal Kisses, the creation of my very good friend who worked for five years as a Kindergarten teacher and now shares an endless list of fun activities to do with toddlers and young children. I LOVE this site! It's perfect for preschool ideas (she even includes the schedule and links she and a few friends use for their own preschool), or if you're just looking for fun, , educational, and cheap things to do with your kids. Check. It. Out. You'll notice the cute little button down the sidebar of our blog; click it, and prepare to feel like you're five again- it's that much fun!

The last is Pinterest. Oh my gosh! I'm a total junkie who, to be perfectly honest, is just a tad freaked out that someone I've never met read my mind like that, and actually created a website to organize the chaos of my brain. LOVE!

Well, those are my favorite things this week. We'll see how I do at keeping this little 'weekly sharing time' going, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy these AWESOME sites!

The Book of September

2011-09-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

Alright folks, lets get right to it. The book we've decided to read this month is. . .

I'm sure you've heard of the movie based on this book that just came out a few weeks ago. We haven't seen it yet, but are excited to read the book we've heard so much about. Hope you'll join us! Let's finish by the last week of September and then discuss.

Happy Reading!

Time's Up!

2011-09-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's the end of the month, or rather the beginning of a new one, and that means it's end of one Book Club era and the beginning of another. So let's wrap it all up and talk about Young Adult Literature. For August, the challenge was to read as many young adult books as possible- hopefully new ones- and report back. Well, being the visual people we are, we plastered our accomplishments up on the wall for bragging- er. . . tracking. Yes, tracking purposes only.
After the first week or so, this is what it looked like. . .

The month wore on, and Ryan, being the sneaky man he is, decided to keep all his cards in his hand, ready to lay them all down at the end and wipe me out. Sort of reminds me of playing canasty with a friend of mine and her dad when I was young. He always creamed us.

Anyway, last night, our board turned into this. . .

I had such aspirations of reading the entire Series of Unfortunate Events (that's the SOUE abbreviation there), but unfortunately- no pun intended- got the idea too late in the month and only made it through a couple before the buzzer sounded. Ry and I also started reading Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy together (how have we never read this book?!), but didn't get through it all in time.
I guess we'll just have to finish that one this weekend!

Ok, so the absolute BEST part of this month's Book Club was ~~finding~~ making time for reading again. With the craziness of life, I had sort of resigned myself to not reading as much as I would like until, oh I don't know, the kids were' grown up and left the house. But in just one month I read a heap of books that have been on the must-check-out list for ages. And some of them were AMAZING!

My two favorites were. . .

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

and

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

If you haven't picked these up, then you DEFINITELY should! Both beautiful and incredibly moving stories that just become a part of you.

Ok, now it's your turn- what did you read this month?

And, ahem, I just want to point out something in case you didn't notice.

I totally beat Ryan!

HOORAY!!!

That's all. :)

Get Ready for September's Book-- we'll announce it tomorrow!

The Training of a Witch

2011-08-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like there are certain areas in which I find myself forever in a state of apology and promise to be better, and this blog is no exception. It's amazing just how much time can lapse between when you mean to do something and when that something is actually accomplished! Oh well, someday I'll be a consistent soul, but for now I'll just tell you a funny story to get myself back up into the saddle and try to work my way back from there.

A few weeks ago we brought a favorite children's book home from the library- Heggedy Peg by Audrey & Don Wood. I don't think we'd ever read it to Reese, but what with her recent witch admiration, I was sure it would be a hit- and it was. Personally, I like to think my "Derr voice" was the clincher (demonstrations are available ONLY upon very sincere request. Those outside the circle of Witchy Derr Women seldom appreciate the skill- I seem to recall a mission companion commenting that she's never actually heard a troll voice, but was fairly certain I was doing a perfect imitation). When I'd finished the story Reese's eyes were glued to the page where the foul Heggedy Peg had disappeared, leaving only her gnarled cane floating in the river. After a long pause, she declared,

"Whoa- that was a scary one!"

"But did you like it?" I asked.

She looked at me and nodded emphatically, "Yes!"

That was the beginning of a week of witch stories, which thrilled me to pieces. Fall is my absolute favorite and reading about witches, flying brooms and pumpkins helped ease the summer weariness.

As a result, our kitchen broom graduated from it's banished place in the hall closet to an almost permanent fixture in the front room and I've literally had to pry the thing out of her hands for meals and sleeping. I noticed it cast aside this morning as she came to me with her little brow in a furrow and said,

"Mommy, I think we need to go to the store to find a new broom."

I figured I knew where she was headed with this. "We do, huh? A more witchy-looking one?" Green plastic wasn't in the books.

"Yeah. We need a new one." She sighed heavily. "This one doesn't fly."

In that last word her utter disappointment was plain. She'd done her best, helped all she could, but despite all effort, the non-magical, un-witchified broom was beyond fixing; she needed the real thing.

So now, if you'll excuse me, we're headed out to start the search.

Trouble-maker No. 2

2011-08-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

I remember laughing at the toilet seat lock scene in Baby Mama, thinking the lock was for insanely overprotective parents, but I'm feeling a shift in my perspective. I may even join the believers on this one.

I just discovered Sam holding onto the edge of the toilet, soaked up to the armpits and wearing a smile like he'd struck gold, water and bits of (unused, thankfully) toilet paper everywhere from his splashing.

What is it with kids and 'potty-ness'?! Poopy picassos, dunking toys in the toilet. . . I"m just at a loss here.

Oi with the poodles already- err, make that 'puddles'.

A Future of Fruit Loops?

2011-08-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sam inherited these jammies from a friend in our last ward and only last night did we realize the connection- getting a good laugh in the process.

It's Toucan Sam!!

Tiana's Famous Beignets

2011-08-10T10:26:00.001-07:00

For Reese's birthday she got this adorable little cookbook from her favorite Disney-crazed aunt and uncle (I can't say that I wasn't super excited myself). So the other day we decided to crack it open and give the 'house specialty' a whirl.

For Tiana's own recipe, click here

Mixing the dough

Patting a square

Keeping an eye on Mom's frying skills

(Sticky dough made our beignets look more like fried chicken than cute little pillows-

I guess we'll just have to keep practicing. ;)

PS- I just love seeing her in the little apron my mom made for me when I was her age!)

Time to dust with a little sugar!

This recipe makes A LOT!

But that's ok, 'cause this is one satisfied customer!

Thanks again Uncle Justin & Aunt Erin!

Here's Your Sign!

2011-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Driving through downtown Logan today we saw this:

I wonder if this little Cell Phone store realizes that the 'N' in this phrase is

a placeholder for the word

and not in.

Hmm.

So here's something funny. . .

2011-08-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Driving around the other day I found myself next to a U-haul truck on the highway. I couldn't help contemplating how convenient a "How's my driving?" sticker would be on this bad boy's bumper- Oh how I'd relish a call that would slap this guy with an extra fine when he dropped the weaving mobile home off in Tallahassee!

I let the scene play out in my mind as I made my way around him, and that's when this caught my eye:

It's only natural for a reader/person-who-likes-to-know-things to be sucked in by the phrase

"Did you Know. . ."

And that started my mind on something else:

What in the world were these people thinking

putting whole paragraphs of interesting, little known facts on the side of moving trucks?! Did they somehow miss that it's just that- a moving truck? Putting a less-than-skilled 'home trucker' behind the wheel wasn't enough of a threat, they decided to draw the well-intentioned 10 and 2 public into a wild-wheeled trivia game that would have whole cities weaving like a bunch of drunks at a demolition derby.

Oh, and how 'bout making the print really small- just to keep things interesting.

That's one hazardous game of Jeopordy- "I'll take deadly maneuvers for 1000, Alex!"

Luckily, this thread of thought took me away from the side of the truck in time to notice the bull moose closing in and the bulk of a 2 to 3-bedroom only inches from my side mirror.

I'm thinking some poor aspiring eye doctor that flunked out of optometry school

eventually found his calling as a graphic artist for U-Haul,

and this is his way of 'sticking it to the man'.

The August Reading Rainbow!

2011-08-06T13:51:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow bookworms!

Molly here to announce/invite you to join us in this month's Badger Bookclub pick. Honestly I've been itching all year to get my preferred genre in, and what with school starting in the near future, there couldn't be a better time. And so, for this month, let's read books from the

Young Adult section of your local library. My all-time favorite ever is this one:

It is an amazing story- one that I never tire of laughing and crying through (you know it's a good book when they happen simultaneously!),

and if you've never read it you simply MUST get a copy asap!

Seriously.

Since we're going with the Young Adult theme that means fairly short, easy reads. So let's see just how many each of us can tuck under his or her belt over the next few weeks.

We had a good time with the patriotic competition, and I'm feeling like spreading the love.

Any takers? :)

Whoever reads the most WINS!

(Can't guarantee prizes at this point, but bragging rights will definitely be included)

Here are a few of my favorites, if you need some inspiration before

whipping out your library card--

Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

The Harry Potter Series (obviously) by J. K. Rowling

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Authors I love--

Robin McKinley

Roald Dahl

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Lemony Snicket

There are SO many greats out there, so if I left out some that you know (which I'm positive I did) please leave a comment to share with the rest of us!

Now get out there and find your inner child!

Happy Reading!!!

Tangled Up After 4 Fabulous Years!

2011-08-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that our little girl is four years old!

Like all parents, I'm standing here in shock, thinking of the little button with the boxer eyes that wept brokenheartedly in the delivery room.

She is such an amazing girl with a zest for life that has us convinced she's going to be an overwhelming success at whatever she puts her mind to. Incidentally, she also inherited the stubbornness, er. . . determination to make it happen.

She's a wonderful big sister, a sweetheart daughter, and a first-rate people charmer.

Oh how we love her!!

This year we decided that it was high time we threw a little party.

Correction. I realized that despite the years, I had yet to throw an all-out, themed birthday party and was smitten with the idea of it. Despite Reese getting all the presents, I'm pretty sure I had the most fun!

We initially had a few activities planned- pin the hair on Rapunzel, a frying pan toss at a Mother Gothel- but after a long day of preparations, eating, chatting, and opening presents was exactly what the doctor ordered.

We'll have to save the pan toss for Halloween.

So, without further ado, check out Reese's Disney's Tangled party. . .

the Food. . .

the Friends. . .

. . .the Fun!

Thank you SO much to everyone for travelling up- and to those who were here in spirit!

And, as always, thanks to Mese and Kyle who made it look A-mazing!

Our Snuggly Duckling Menu Included:

Five-Star Philly Steak Sandwiches on Ruffian Rolls

I've Got a Dream dip w/ Vladamir Veggies

Max's Favorite Apples

Love Connection Lemon Bars

Flynn's Island Fruit Skewers

Killer, Bruiser & the Gang Brownies

Atilla's Cupcakes

And to drink:

Flower Gleam and Glow Lemonade

A Tall Drink o' Water

Can you guess what we've been watching lately?

2011-08-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Reese just closed the screen door on her toe, resulting in a cut, some immediate Mommy First Aid, and the kind of drama I'm sure won't be over any time soon (she's still telling strangers about the time she stepped on a stick a year-and-a-half ago).

Amidst the wails of dressing her war wound, she mumbled something I didn't catch. I asked her to repeat it. Through sniffles she moaned,

"My foot," Sniff. "is cut," Sniff, sniff. "just like. . . Koh-lee-poh-keeeeeeee!"

The weeping began afresh.

Well. . .

Minus the rats. And the pouring blood. And the whole not being able to walk thing. . . yes, my dear. You two are practically separated at birth.

If you have yet to see The Other Side of Heaven (the mission story of Elder John Groberg) I highly recommend it.

It's spiritual and entertaining!

Literary Defibrillation- The Forum

2011-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I bet you all thought that you would never see this post, didn't you? Well here it is readers, and I mean that in every sense. It is time to discuss the books we read for the month of July that celebrate our freedom. Whether you read or not I hope you all had an excellent Independence Day, it is one of those rare occasions when, in our tumultuous country, we can reflect on the ideals and sacrifices that were made so that we can live our lives according to the dictates of our conscience.

Now to the forum...

Molly and I found that competing with each other to see who could finish their books first was excellent motivation this month. I read Washington's Crossing, while Molly read First Family.

Washington's Crossing was one of the most engaging books I've read in a long time. The book examines each party that was involved in the fight between the Continental Army and the Hessians/British Regulars. By delving into each group and the important figures within those groups Fischer (the author) makes Washington, Hamilton, and the militia, as well as the Howe Brothers, Lord Cornwallis, and the Hessians into very accessible, human characters, where they had generally been figureheads with distinct roles (Americans were the 'good guys' the British were the 'bad guys'). However, the author shows that each man had their own motivations for entering into the American Conflict, many of the British leaders were opposed to military action against the Americans, and many of the Americans vacillated in their devotion to the American cause. For me, I think the amazing thing about history is that amazing things were accomplished by ordinary people; people with flaws, who made mistakes, and saw that issues were not black and white but varying shades of grey. Hollywood and 'old-school history' makes us see things in terms of good and bad, and it makes those who changed the world seem like unattainable demigods, when in reality, they were as human as we were. If we rise to the occasions that face us and work to bring out the best part of ourselves we will still stumble and make some mistakes, but we will also become the kind of people who might change the world for the better.

That was my soapbox for the day. Feel free to borrow mine, or bring your own as we discuss these books.

One small note here:

2) We are starting a new blog (I know, it's a lot) but it's something we think is pretty important. The premise is that as a young family we are always looking for things to do together, and while we enjoy Disneyland, Chuck-E-Cheeze and the movies, we think there are alternatives to this kind of entertainment, Families Unplugged, which is the name of our new blog and will provide some ideas about what inexpensive, non-electronically based activities there are in the United States, as well as our experiences, and some cool historical information that might make your trip more interesting as well. So, if you are anxious to find something new to do with your family check us out, we should up and running by this weekend!

Look at Me- I'm 10 Months old today!

2011-07-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm almost a year old, and I think Mom's in shock. She keeps squishing me and saying how she can't believe how big I've gotten. It's probably because she's blown away by my stellar new set of skills. Ready for my resume?

I can now. . .

pull myself up on the furniture

army crawl faster than Mom can run after me,

and, when I'm in the mood, crawl on my hands and knees

walk when I can hold someone's fingers or my sweet walker

clap when I'm excited

wave at myself in the mirror

sign 'more' & 'all-done'.

And you know what else?

I have 4 new teeth and a killer smile. . .

. . . so I'm pretty sure I won't have any problems wooing the ladies!

Wink!

Check out my video!

Things Reese says that make me laugh against my will

2011-07-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

She's a funny little bug, our Reese. And, unfortunately, her peak moments often coincide with Mommy saying 'no' or doling out a little punishment. Here are a few that made me have to bite my lip over the last few weeks. . .

"Reese, you're funny."

"Yeah, I know. . . Hey Mom! I'm so, so, so funny, huh?"

"Yep. You sure are. "

. . .

Wanting to watch a movie I already said 'no' to, she goes,

"Mom, I have an idea. You're Reesey, and I'm Mommy, ok?"

"Ok." I answered. This is one of her favorite games- usually at the grocery store when she makes me hold onto the side of the cart while she gets to push.

"You say 'can I watch this?' ok?" she held up the movie she wanted.

"Ok. Can I watch this?"

"Of course!"

Silence. Winning smile.

. . .

Me, at my wit's end at the end of our move with only a few hours to finish cleaning the old apartment, lost it and yelled at her to get moving and into the car- NOW! She took her sweet time climbing in, finally snapped her buckle and, after a few minutes of silent reflection, asked,

"Hey Mom? Well, . . . you're not a very nice person today, are you?"

. . .

Driving in the car, we see someone walking their dog and Reese calls from the backseat,

"Mom! Can we pet that dog?!"

"Not right now, Reesey."

"Ohhh, because that dog is so, so, so furious- huh Mom?"

Patriotic Plagiarism

2011-07-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Summer is a wickedly crazy thing. So much happens in such a small amount of time.

And thus begins the first of endless catch-up posts.

Here is our Fourth of July celebration. And I'll willingly admit that I totally stole each and every one of these pictures from my sister. But I'm a believer of sharing your talents- I'm just helping her out with the sharing part. ;)

As most of you know, the Fourth of July is big at our house. It happens to trump Christmas or any other holiday for my Ryan, and since the impressive firework shows ring in our anniversary I'm growing more fond of it as well.

This year we got together with my brother and his family and my sister and hers up in Park City and had a BLAST!

Oh the joy of Shay's blue cheese bacon burgers- and the maniacal skill that created them!

So much watermelon. . .

. . . so little time!

Cousin Love!

(We joked that all Reese needed was an inflatable giraffe around her middle and some huge flippers to make her ensemble complete. Lol!)

Bryson is SO much like his dad! I just look at him and I'm instantly transported back to my childhood with Shay, hiding under the bed as we crunched our way through 15 suckers in one sitting so that we didn't have to share.

It was a fabulous Fourth- thanks Shay and Uchi for hosting!

Happy Birthday America!

Literary Defibrillation- You're Bound to See Fireworks

2011-06-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hello to all our readers, both faithful and sporadic. I'm sure you are all wondering the meaning behind this title 'literary defibrillation;' truthfully, we made it up! What it means is to jump-start and enliven our love of good books. Those of you that have read our blog in the past know that we began a book club at the beginning of this year and have maintained it with only marginal success. The fact of the matter is, the book club has been flat-lining for months and now we want to shock the life back into it (1.21 gigawatts anyone?). So we propose to start again from a new angle, a book forum rather than a book club. We will suggest a topic (use the topic or don't it's at your discretion) at the beginning of the month and anyone interested can find a book that interests them and give their opinions to the group at the end of the month. It's all up to you! Have a favorite book you haven't picked up in a while? Been meaning to swing by the local library for a few months? Finally fixed the coffee table and don't need that old book to level it out any more? What better time than the heat of the summer to crack open a good book, flip on the AC and wait out the heat.

That being said, we now come to our topic for July... any guesses?... AMERICA! See that was the reason for the fireworks... you get the idea. Anyway, find a book that screams GOD BLESS THIS COUNTRY AND ALL IT WAS FOUNDED ON!!! Despite the current cynical trend, we still live in a great nation where we are free to live, work, play, and worship as we please. Patriotism is not outdated and only needs a little fuel to reignite itself in our lives. So it is only fitting that during July, the time when we celebrate our independence, we take a good look at our past and how it will influence our future. READ ON!

At a loss? Need a hint? Here are a few of our favorites:

His Excellency by Joseph Ellis

First Family by Joseph Ellis

American Creation by Joseph Ellis

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

1776 by David McCullough

John Adams by David McCullough

Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer

Washington the Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

To America by Stephen Ambrose

The Boston Tea Party by Benjamin Woods Labaree

The Glorious Cause by Robert Middlekauf

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (also an excellent film by Walt Disney)

The Patriot by Stephen Molstad (a novel based on the film)

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

The Prelude to Glory Series by Ron Carter

I Am America And So Can You! by Stephan Colbert

And go to see Captain America on July 22!

'The Friends'

2011-06-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Reese's imagination has gone into hyperdrive over the last few months and one of my favorite pastimes is to pretend to do something else while I listen to the dialogue between her toys. Whatever the melange of playthings- Strawberry Shortcake and Spiderman on an adventure with two zebras and a bobble-head mouse, or Buzz Lightyear sipping tea with pez dispenser Woody and a bald, naked cabbage patch baby- the group is the same. They're always 'the friends'.

Well, the other day as I listened to her animated banter something struck me. I'm not sure how I missed it in all those quiet, giggling moments of eavesdropping, but I did.

No matter who she plays with, one of 'the friends' is always named 'Mommy'.

If you have you're own 'Roxy'. . .

2011-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I don't know if you all saw this link in the comments, but if you related to the 'Roxy' post or found it even remotely funny, you simply must check this out. LOVE it- it's like my own personal cartoon!

Thanks Allie!

http://www.nightswimming.com/rose/vicki/vicki1.html

Roxy

2011-06-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

General George S. Patten, US General and 1912 Olympian

Amen, General. Amen.

I've been doing my best to kick things into high gear to get my baby weight off, and so despite getting occasionally off-track (oh how we enjoyed that batch of peanut butter cookies last week!) I feel pretty good about my efforts. Sam turns nine months tomorrow and I'm back where I started. Yay! I still have a way to go to where I'd like to be ideally, but at least I'm on my way.

I once read a book about a woman who, when things became really tough and she was sure there was no way she could do something, invented a sort of alternate woman she could become to get the task done. She would tell herself, "I may not be able to approach that person. . . but Anabel sure can!"

I have to tell you that I found this both hilarious and delightful. So much so, that I find myself, on occasion, deferring certain tasks to Roxy.

In fact, she finished my run this morning when I was sure my energy was completely spent and I'd never make the last mile. She's really quite the go-getter, you know.

So here's to mind over matter and the glories of an alter-ego!

Pascally

2011-06-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

We're big Rapunzel fans around here, and so naturally this was our Play-doh project-

Everyone, I'd like you to meet Pascally,

our favorite chameleon.

A lovely new pet, and no psycho heating rock to worry about malfunctioning and setting the poor thing aflame. Hooray!

I, uh, had a bad childhood experience.

Dad

2011-06-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my mother-in-law's introduction, I am a huge fan of Erma Bombeck's writing.

Love it!

After reading this article of her's earlier this week, I was pretty sure she had mistakenly written about my dad and not her own husband. Throw a few 'utilization dinners' and a chunky watermelon smoothie into the mix and it is 100% him! I couldn't resist posting a copy of it as an 'ode' of sorts for Father's Day.

Whether it's your dad or not, I hope you enjoy!

CONSOLIDATING CEREAL, ICE CREAM, COOKIES, ETC.

by Erma Bombeck December 8, 1974.

I poured myself a bowl of cereal this morning, and out dropped the weirdest array of raisins, flakes, oats, puffs and squares I have ever seen.

"Whatcha call this?" I asked one of the kids.

"Frosted, fortified, cracked Cranbran flakes."

I dropped my spoon and slumped. "Don’t tell me. Your father is on his annual crusade to consolidate all the empty boxes cluttering up the cupboards into one box!"

"Right," said my son. "If you think the cereal tastes rotten, you should dip into the ice cream. He found six cartons, each with a different flavor, with a spoonful left in each box, and put them into one bucket. It looks like someone spit up at Howard Johnson’s (ed. – Baskin Robbins)." "Please," I cautioned. "No more.”

"Not only that, he mixed all the cookies left lying around into one bag, and every time you reach in, it’s like trick or treat. You don’t know if you’re getting one baked this year or not." "I’ll speak to him," I said.

I found their father in the bathroom trying to siphon a cap of toothpaste into another tube. "I want to talk with you," I said. "If it’s about the jellies being mixed together into one jar, I think you’ll find the flavor rather interesting.

"It’s not just the jellies," I said. "You’re becoming paranoid about empty boxes." "What’s wrong with that?" he asked.

"You’re making skeptics out of the children. They don’t believe in anything anymore. They grabbed a box marked pretzels off the shelf the other night and sank their teeth into banana-flavored corn chips."

"The banana corn chips weren’t moving in their box," he said.

"That’s not the point. You do it with everything. Mother asked for an aspirin. I gave her one of the pills that you mixed together into one bottle. I didn’t know if it would cure her headache, sweeten her breath, dry up her cold, put her to sleep, make her regular again or control birth. I can’t go on living with a man who grafts soaps together in the soap dish and puts cake coloring in old shampoo and pours it into herbal shampoo bottles."

"Go on out and have your cereal," he said softly. "You’ll feel better after breakfast."

I checked the dog’s food supply. The box was full. I felt better already.

For this, and oh-so-many other reasons,

I love you so Daddy-o!

Lovin'

2011-06-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

The time has come once again for me to rant and rave about things that I love so much they simply can't be contained anymore.

The first has got to be Garage Sales and Thrift Stores. SO. MUCH. LOVE. We happened to be out driving last night and caught a woman setting up early for a yard sale she was having today and what was she putting out but a fabulous wooden hat stand for only $3! To understand how extremely cool this was you have to know that we were talking only the day before about how great it would be to find a cool hatstand for our living room. Seriously.

Despite the kiddos in the back, we snatched that and an like-new oscillating fan ($7) up and stuffed them into our car. And of course they fit because we're getting really good at fitting all sorts of odd things into our car- probably because both Ryan and I are SO stubborn the item being stuffed doesn't dare protest.

Anyway, the conquest inspired me. All day I've been reading a multitude of blogs like this one and this one about refinishing furniture, reupholstering chairs and couches and the like and I've made a decision: I'm going to jump in and become one of those crazy decorators with a plan, a wild glint in their eye, and a gorgeously eclectic home. Most of this is all coming to the surface as a result of us moving in less than a week (yeah, that kinda snuck up on me), and finding an apartment with an avocado kitchen. I say that and I'm sure most of you are thinking 'ew, the Sixties!', but I've gotta tell you I'm in love with it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it would have a place in the kitchen of my dreams, but I am such a fan of character and vintage that I can't help but love it. Plus, it reminds me a little of my grandma's house where we made many a lemon meringue pie or yellow cake with fluffy coconut frosting with delicious results.

I'm excited for the DIY summer I'm concocting in my head and plan to photograph and document it for posterity. . . or whoever might be reading. :)

Alright, one more thing I have to shout from the rooftops has been one of my all-time favorites as I've been nurturing my first successful container garden ever. That would be Freecycle.

I'm sure this fabulous site isn't a secret to most of you reading this (in fact I'm fairly certain I've chatted with the majority of you about it's wonders), but I'm putting my praise out there nonetheless. If you haven't checked this out, then what in the world are you waiting for?! Click on that link up there (but be sure to do the 'right click open in a new tab' thing so you can keep reading this!), find your area, and CHECK IT OUT. Ok, putting away the bossy pants now.

So would you like to know what I've found on Freecycle in just the last month? Would you?! Well, here's the awesome list of plant starts that are thriving on my porch. . .

Oregano

Sage

Chives

Chocolate Mint

Tarragon

Bachelor Buttons

and

Goldenrod

My garden is a beautiful thing to behold which makes me oh-so-happy! And the only things I've had to purchase myself are the potting soil and containers- isn't that awesome?!

That's all. Just a few more 'favorite things' I had to share. Spread the love people!!!

Memorial Day

2011-06-17T16:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the catch-all post for the last few months of activities, though mostly it's about Memorial Day. Since both of us really enjoy visiting cemetaries (you had to know by now that we're quirky!), and it's been several years since we've been close enough to family graves, we were thrilled when asked to deliver mums in Grandma's absence.

And so, entrusted with such a monumental task (no pun intended),

we made a weekend out of it.

On Saturday we visited the grave of Ryan's great-grandparents. Reese especially loved that we were there to deliver flowers. She took her job very seriously and what time wasn't spent looking for these headstones was spent chasing her all over as she righted every pot she saw that had been tipped over.

Having been windy the night before, you can well imagine she had her work cut out for her.

Yes, Ryan is wearing buckskins in these shots. No he wasn't trying to 'blend in'- we stopped at the cemetary on our way to the Old Ephraim Rendezvous.

That night we thought it would be fun to have a family activity centered around the people we took flowers to earlier. So we decided to make Ryan's family's legendary Molasses Cookies.

Unfortunately we realized, after talking to his mom, that this particular recipe had come from the other side of the family.

Oops.

Oh well. It's the thought that counts, right?

Monday was part two of our Memorial Day celebration and it was honestly hilarious.

Don't be fooled by this lovely shot- it may look like a nice day but it was insane!

Rain, Hail, and lost in a cemetary with two little kids. Sounds like a horror movie, right?

We followed the directions, but 'right across from the SLC temple grave' lost meaning when we discovered not one, not two, but FOUR SLC temple monuments throughout the graveyard!

The upside?

We did finally find the right one,and learned how to read a cemetary map to boot.

Later that week Ryan had some unexpected free time so we decided to hit a few hikes that have been on the list for a while.

First we saw the site of the Bear River Massacre up north outside of Franklin, ID. Very interesting to see, but so tragic!

Beautiful views up there!

A few days later, we decided to hike up to see Old Ephraim's grave- a legend and the last known grizzly bear in Cache Valley.

Funny story. We followed the signs, hiked for about 3 or 4 miles, and somehow never made it.

Hmm. That tricky bear is still pretty elusive. ;)

But at least it gave us a chance to break in our new baby carrier.

LOVE it!

(Sam does too!)

And it gave Reese a chance to gather LOTS of rocks! Can you see her pockets bulging? lol.

We had such a great time in a seriously gorgeous canyon!

This Nut Machine will self-destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2 . . .

2011-06-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been new to a gym? I don't mean transferring from one part of the city to another, dear Gymrats, I mean the myriad of awkward moments experienced when you're new to the whole "workout" scene. Those moments when you, in your ratty sweatpants and husband's t-shirt, look around and realize you never received the dress-code memo explaining that perfect hair, makeup, and brightly-colored Lycra are where it's really at. Heaven forbid you show up in something that's seen sweat and better days.

Those moments when you hang out at a 'safe' machine (aka the only one you can actually figure out how to use in the three seconds it takes to walk over to it, thus saving you the embarrassment of looking like an idiot caught up in the paint scaffolding) while you watch and wait and study how it's used by seasoned, spandex-clad professionals before diving in yourself. If you're like me, this sometimes takes weeks of careful planning and attention.

I bring this up only because that's been my relationship to the grind-your-own nut butter machines at Winco for the last several months. Since we don't have a store in Logan, I make a trip down every month or so. The last few times I've made a point to watch the almond butter machine with a close eye. Unfortunately, each of my stake-outs have tanked; no one strolled up to show me how it was done.

A few months ago, I mustered my courage and gave it a go. I grabbed a bowl, I pressed the button. Nothing. The machine hummed, but that was it. I quickly looked around, shook the machine a little and tried again. Still my bowl remained empty. Feeling flustered (this was exactly why I did my recon in the first place- stupid masses who never shared their nut-butter know-how!), I dropped the container and retreated.

Well, we were back again a few weeks ago and I decided to get back up on the horse. I'd been working it out in my mind over the last while, and figured that maybe the cap screwed on the front of the dispenser was the problem and only needed to be removed to get the butter flowing. I pulled up with my cart and kiddies, snatched up a bowl with confidence and began unscrewing the pin that held the cap in place. Never mind the elbow grease it took to get it to turn- after all, I knew what I was doing now. I held the bowl, I pressed the button, and every almond within a mile radius exploded like the first hydrogen bomb.

In a state of complete shock, I watched as both myself and my kids were pelted with bits of nut and oil flying at fifty mph! I was so stunned it took me a full minute to turn the thing off. When I finally did there was no hiding the evidence of my idiocy. We were wearing it. Reflexes returned and I snatched a baby wipe out of my bag like lightening, mopping and brushing us all off in an embarrassed frenzy. I prayed I could clean everything up before anyone rounded the corner to stop, stare, laugh, and, inevitably, ask if they could explain how to work such a simple machine.

I moved to the table, aiming to clear that evidence as well when Reese bellowed at the top of her voice,

"Mommy- NOOOO! Don't hurt yourself!!!"

You should have seen the spectators come rushing then.

Dang it, I guess that cap was important.

We walked up the cereal aisle and waited for the audience to clear before returning, slipping the cap back on and securing it into place. I held the bowl. I pressed the button. And a marvelous stream of well-earned almond butter poured out.

Ha! I knew I could do it.

Furs, Fun, and The Facts of Life

2011-06-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Since Molly hasn't put this up on the blog I've decided to take the initiative before this little gem of a story is forgotten all together.

The Saturday before Memorial Day Molly, Myself, and the munchkins all went up Sardine Canyon to the Old Ephraim Rendezvous. The Rendezvous was excellent; hundreds of jolly bearded men and their indulgent families came together to escape the mundane aspects of daily life and do things their wives won't let them to at home (ie: throw hand axes and knives, shoot guns, bows, and cannons). In some cases they do all of this after drinking so much they can't see straight. So why, you may ask, would any sane person attend one of these potentially hazardous events much less bring the family along? Because it's AWESOME! Yes I fully intend to be among the fur-clad, weapon-wielding, can't-help-but-live-in-the-past droves of men and women who call themselves mountain folk- minus the drinking part. Those of you that know me won't be surprised at this; there are, however, other little tidbits that don't involve shooting, hacking, or skinning. Here's an example, and this is really the point of the post:

Many of these mountain men will bring their family dogs along with them as they wander the grounds or sit to keep them company as they sell their wares (that's right ladies there is shopping, and your husbands will actually want to go too!). Anyone who knows our daughter also knows her insatiable desire to make friends with every animal she comes across. After petting nearly every dog at the Rendezvous we stopped at one final vendor who had a multitude of furs to sell along with a dog that was in the last weeks of her pregnancy. Her doggy radar aglow, Reese zeroed in on this new 'friend' and politely asked the man if she could pet the animal. When she was done, another canine checked off her list, she looked up innocently at my wife and I and said loudly,

"Mommy, that doggie has little boobies- see?"

Dumbstruck we looked and sure enough the dog was ready for her new brood. Slightly embarrassed by the stares we received from middle-aged men and women who turned to look at the child that had just yelled "boobies" at the top of her lungs and her parents trying to stifle their hysterical laughter, we moved on towards the parking lot as Reese said, again very loudly,

"Did you see them? There were lots and lots of boobies!"

Fully satisfied with our taste of the nineteenth century Mountain Man Rendezvous, we decided to return to civilization.

Summer Magic & Family Pictures

2011-06-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited about this post!

A few weeks ago we set up an appointment with my amazing sister to have new family pictures taken-- check out her business blog here. We spent the evening at Liberty Park in SLC and had a blast wandering around, picnicking, and generally just doing our thing while she snapped away.

So. Much. Love.

A question for the pickle stork

2011-06-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

We cruised the aisles of Wal-mart the other night with a hankering for pickles. We're particular about our pickles, though; kosher dills must be eaten only alongside deli-style subs and 'poh-boys', sweet midgets are only right at Grandma's- sliced into slim halves and arranged in a crystal bowl, and bread and butters are the pickle for all seasons, to be consumed anytime anywhere.

Of course, having no sandwiches on hand and finding ourselves miles away from Grandma's, we were looking for the favorite bread and butter only to encounter a conundrum. I see chips, spears, and sandwich stackers. . . but where are the whole bread and butters? Surely all these pickle bits came from a whole pickle at one time or another! Why are they holding back? Have the effects of this rocky economy extended to the world of condiments? Are we experiencing the first-ever cucumber shortage and pickle ration? Or maybe it's the latest terrorist plot intended to decimate American morale?

Unless. . . well, here's the slightly more reasonable solution.

Far away on a special farm, bread and butter pickles are simply 'born' or dropped in neatly packaged white bundles from the sky to happy harvesters who anxiously await news of whether they were blessed with a tiny chip or stacker. They don't question the way nature works, so why should we? Be grateful, eat the spear, and move on.

I need a hobby. I've been spending way to much time thinking about this! However, if any of you do know where to find a whole bread and butter pickle, I'd sure appreciate the tip.

I love a girl who knows exactly what she wants

2011-06-03T09:43:00.001-07:00

About a week or so ago I talked to my little niece to plan her birthday cake. This year her birthday will fall at the end of our big Spaulding family reunion and Grandma, on her last visit to Texas, suggested we hold a little celebration as one of the festivities. Grandma also happened to suggest a Patriotic-themed cake since it will be July.

Before continuing, I have to say that I absolutely love this little girl- she cracks me up. Nine years old and the stories about her are already legendary; everyone knows and loves them and we usually end up weeping with laughter by the end of the telling.

So here's something of how our conversation went. . .

Me: "Ok, do you have any ideas for your cake?"

Annalee: "Yes. Aunt Molly, I want red, white and blue,

and an American flag- with the stripes and stars. And a river. And I want the Declaration of Independence on it, a feather quill, Thomas Jefferson, and a tricorn hat.

Lucky I had a pen and notebook handy. Smoke was starting to rise from the friction of my furious scribbling, trying to keep up. It appeared my own little idea of how this cake was going to go was already out the window. And I'm thinking to myself, did she really say a tricorn?

M: "Sorry, hun,. . . you want a what?"

A: "A TRI-CORN." Spoken in her slowest, help-the-toddler-learn voice. "Do you know what that is, Aunt Molly? It's a hat."

M: "Sure do." Scribble, scribble, sigh and drop the pen. "Alright, well that sounds pretty cool. . . is that it?"

A: "Nope. I want fireworks coming out of the top, and the cake should be white and then we can have ice cream and have blueberry sauce and strawberry sauce, and then that will go with the red white and blue. And can it be three layers tall with ten candles on top?"

M: "Wow, alright. That sounds pretty darn cool. How 'bout some tie-dye? Are you sure you don't want a little red, white, and blue tie-dye in there too?"

A: Silence. "Ok."

Like I said, I love a girl who knows exactly what she wants. It commands respect.

I think this cake will too. We'll probably need to salute before cutting.

Then her little brother got on the phone to tell me precisely what I needed to teach his mom to do for his Super Mario birthday cake on Friday.

If motherhood were a job, and I was applying, I'm not sure I'd get a second interview

2011-05-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kids and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine (it's so fleeting this year!) and get outside for a little while. We spread our blanket on the grass outside the apartment and broke open a tub of sidewalk chalk to let our inner artists escape.

Amid the greens and pinks of hopscotch and other doodles, Reese noticed a small ant making its way across the pavement. She tried to jump on it, but, thanks to her not-quite-developed coordination, she missed repeatedly and each time the ant surged forward, determined to survive to march another day. Thinking to myself that this was a great moment to teach the value of life, I launched into a wonderful lecture about living things, how we are merely visiting their home when we step outside, that they are beautiful and we should respect and let them be. She contented herself with laying a large leaf over the ant, a lovely new 'home' that just happened to block him from view.

I was feeling pretty good about my parenting skills when something caught my eye and I turned my head to look at it. A big, black, hairy spider was creeping up the sidewalk towards us. In an reflex of horror and defense I snatched up a nearby sandal and sent him flying, unfortunately leaving a smear of spidery goo across the sidewalk in front of us.

Silence.

"Where's the spider, Mom?" Reese asked.

That's what her words said, her innocent blue eyes stared into my soul and said something far worse.

Hypocrite.

It was an awful dilemma, and I did the only thing I could.

I lied.

"Well, Sweetie, the spider decided to go for a walk. See?

He's probably headed home now, all the way down there."

Fake it 'til you make it, right?

Eight Months!

2011-05-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm 8 Months old today, and look what I can do. . .

I can sit up,

roll,

and army crawl,

I love to say 'la, la, la' and 'da, da, da'

I eat all sorts of solids now-

apples and pears,

peas and carrots,

sweet potatoes,

zucchini

and pieces of bread and graham crackers

that I can pick up myself!

I have two little teeth

that are just about to break through.

I love to give Mommy 'kisses',

love-bite Daddy's nose,

and Reese is my favorite friend.

I'm SO big!

Thank you!

2011-05-19T10:03:00.001-07:00

Just had to tell everyone who commented on the "30" post that I loved reading what you had to say! You're full of great ideas, have your priorities in line, and I really look up to all of you. Not to mention reading your comments reminded me that I've always wanted to learn to play the cello. Don't know when that will happen, but it made me happy just remembering it.

(and, of course, I penciled it into my 'next thirty years list'! lol!)

Thank you all!

"Happiness is. . . "

2011-05-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

According to Charlie Brown, it's a warm puppy, which I happen to absolutely agree with.

But in the mean time,

here are a few things that make me happy-

My garden:

Look- it's actually growing! Hooray!!!

The steal I found at DI last week :

"Granny" suitcases (as Ryan dubbed them) for Reese's dress-ups-

could we possibly love that polka dot interior ANY more?!

And this cookbook:

I have loved every Giada recipe I've ever tried, and now, after borrowing the book from my mother a few weeks ago, I'm cooking my way through this little gem. Everything we've tried so far has been awesome!

The Turkey Meatloaf w/ Feta and Sundried Tomato is our official favorite meatloaf EVER,

and that's saying something because since it happens to be one of Ryan's favorite meals, we've tried out a lot of recipes.

also have to recommend the Pea Pesto Crostini- delish!

Can't wait to try the rest of the lineup!

Mmm. So happy.

The Greatest Hunt of All!

2011-05-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

For Easter we decided to go up to Pocatello to visit Ryan's Grandma, and we had a great weekend with her.

We must be a 'real' family now, because we took the o-fficial Easter Best pictures for the first time this year. I think all that was missing were the dainty hat and gloves for Reese. Am I right in assuming all my fellow children of the 80's were hatted and gloved for these pictures, just like me?

Anyway, I LOVE seeing the sibling-ness already coming out in these two munchkins!

The best part is, Sam is so thrilled Reese pays attention to him, he doesn't care WHAT she's doing! :)

Then is was time for a little lunch before we had the big egg hunt, but as I was feeding Sam I had a little deja vu of a few Easters before. . .

Same chair, and almost the same spoon even!!

Anyway, now for 'the hunt'. I have to say that this has been one of the most exciting holidays for me in a while. I had SO much fun getting all the eggs ready and hiding them throughout the yard. It reminded me of when I was little and my grandparents used to hide hundreds of eggs in the woods in front of their house for all the grandkids to find. It was a sugary Easter WONDERLAND and I loved it so much I made Ry promise we'll do it someday for our own kids.

I can't wait!!

Ok, enough reminiscing, time to see Reese's haul- quite a nice one considering she was the only one hunting. :)

We had to coach her for about 5 minutes before she found this one- it was just above eye-level and we were cracking up by the time she finally got it.

(Ha! No pun intended!)

A couple of good-lookin' guys enjoying the sunshine

The basket was overflowing. . .

And, of course, Reese was thrilled. . .

. . . especially when she discovered that Grandma Badger had filled some of the eggs with pennies and nickels- a HUGE hit!

As we gobbled up the chocolate, Sam enjoyed more sunshine and didn't know what he was missing,

and everyone had a great time!

Let's Talk 30.

2011-05-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

I mentioned yesterday that the idea of turning thirty next year has sort of parked itself in the forefront of my mind over the last while. And it has. . . bordering on the obsessive. I know lots of people who freak out at the very thought of thirty because the idea of getting older is a horrifying one. I don't care so much that I'm going to start looking older or that there's a new number starting off my age after this. I'm reminded of an amazing mission companion I had while I was in the MTC. She was exactly what I needed, and I'll tell you why. Weeks before we left the country we were talking about all the French food with anticipation, and I expressed my determination to 'not get fat'. She looked at me and laughed and said, "But eating chocolate and pastries is happy fat, and that kind doesn't count!" My stressed-out self needed her easy-going nature more than I think she ever knew.

That's what I'm thinking when it comes to wrinkles. Just like the poundage from Parisian pastries is inevitable (ooh- lovin' the alliteration!), wrinkles are bound to happen. So I'm thinking why not embrace it and go for happy wrinkles? I plan to wear my face out with smiles and laughter and be one of those cute old ladies whose eyes crinkle up at the corners and you just want to squish because you can't help but love them instantly.

Anyway, back to the original point; the physical aging isn't what I'm obsessing over. It's more the fact that I feel like I should have my life all figured out and this overwhelming need to feel incredibly accomplished when I say goodbye to my twenties. I couldn't even tell you what I define 'accomplished' as at the moment. Besides that, the problem is this: I'm a hopeless over-achiever and a perfectionist to boot, and that means that the list of "To-Do Before I'm Thirty" fills almost four pages. Hmm. I have a feeling this won't all cram into less than a year. When he saw my ten-foot scroll last night, Ryan was sweet enough to point out that I'm sort of expecting myself to have accomplished a lifetime of goals in half the time it takes and, despite the energetic enthusiasm, maybe I should re-evaluate my ambitions.

Hence the dilemma, and hence the thinking. So that's where I am: re-evaluating my ambitions and wondering what it is I 'need' to do to feel like I can look back with no regrets.

As of right now I don't know, but I'm enjoying taking stock and trying to figure it out.

I'd love to hear your thoughts- I know there are a few of you that have been there done that, and others who haven't yet but will join me in the near future.

Thoughts anyone???

Oh the Neglect!!!

2011-05-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

I know our following is small and we mostly write for ourselves, but I have to admit that the shame of nearly two months of neglect has been hanging over me for days now and despite times when I could have written, I continued to put it off. But no more! I'm shedding this shroud of guilt and returning happily, albeit dramatically, to the business of recounting little nothings and promoting banter on the blog.

(Phew! Sure is nice to have that confrontation over with- I've been dreading it for weeks!)

Alright, now for more difficulty- where in the world do I start? I know I ought to play catch up here and tell you about all the hilarious things our children have been up to 'cause, let's face it, we know why most of you actually read this. Things like, yes, Sam has turned into quite the army crawler/holy roller the last month or so, or Reese interrupted a 'discussion' (read: fight) Ry and I were having last night in the car to poke her head in between our two hot ones and whisper, "Pssst! Hey guys, can I watch a movie?" Of course we laughed and the tension was broken and we forgot all about what we were upset about. That would be just one of many great things I ought to take this returning post to share with you, but I'm not going to. I'm going to talk about something else.

The Patience Project.

A few weeks ago I read the most amazing talk given by a leader of our church named Elder Robert C. Oaks entitled The Power of Patience. Ryan and I both were ripe and ready for this one, seeing as how most of the last year or more of our lives have been one killer (sometimes in a good sense, sometimes not so much) lesson in the P-word.

Waiting.

There has been so much of it, and though I'm SO ready to be done, here we are still at it. To be honest, our last year in Logan has been one of huge struggle for our little family, but looking back I'm seriously in awe at all that we have learned and how much we have grown and, particularly, how much the Lord has blessed and taught us. For all my writings on this cute little blog, I don't seem to share a whole lot of what is in my innermost heart, and I think I want to change that. Maybe it's the looming 'I'm turning 30!' on the horizon (more on that to come), or that I am realizing a desire to open up more than I have over the last few years with those around me; it might be the overwhelming need I've always felt to document the important times of life and get the lessons we learn down on paper for posterity. Whatever it is, I'll share a few thoughts with you.

So, here we are, a year after Ryan's graduation from BYU in a very similar situation: applying for jobs, waiting, waiting, waiting to hear back from them, and hoping hoping, hoping for something amazingly wonderful to happen. :)

But here's the great thing: I am a completely different person now than I was twelve months ago. Wanna know why?

-I've never been closer to my amazing husband.

-Our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are stronger than ever because we have had a multitude of opportunities to put it into action.

-I love being a mother of two little munchkins more than I ever thought possible, and, amazingly (especially on the crazier days), I would not go back in time to postpone our family while we got 'it all' figured out. I never knew I could feel such highs in the midst of turmoil and adversity in the form of little arms and tiny toothless grins. I love being a mommy!

-Asking for patience and faith is a dangerous game because if you do ask you're very likely to find yourself with a case study or two (or more) to acquire them. But here's the great part- something I'm constantly amazed at, being the perfectionist that I am- tiny, daily, imperfect efforts actually bring about incredible results! The Lord somehow takes our menial effort and transforms it into something dynamic and powerful and life-changing. And we not only make it through the hard times, we come out stronger and more like Him. Like I said, it's amazing.

There are lots of other things bouncing around in my head as I'm clicking away here, but I think I'm going to stop there because I'm trying to simplify my life this year, and do things out of the ordinary and cutting myself short is definitely both of those. ;)

I'll catch you all very soon since there are scads of pics and tidbits of news and funny little anecdotes to be caught up on, not to mention the exciting discussion of our book club coming up in a few weeks. Huzzah for not procrastinating anymore!!

When Elephants Weep

2011-05-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

So... We kinda fell off the bandwagon with this whole book club thing. I blame it on the fact that we couldn't get our hands on the Autobiography of David Crockett, darn Providence Library. April went in kind of a blur with a combination of house guests (who we were very happy to see) and major event coordination at work. So now here we are in May and we are climbing back onto the bandwagon, so to speak. We will start again with a new book. For any of you that are wondering about our lives, don't fret, we will be getting back to writing about the exploits of the Badger Clan soon. Anyway, the book this month (for anyone interested) is...

This book is kind of a departure as it is non-fiction and a New York Times Bestseller. Both Molly and I have yet to read this book but we look forward to it and if you decide to read along we hope you will like it too. Let the reading begin, we will discuss the last week of May.

March Book Club

2011-03-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high! Take a look. It's in a book. A reading rainbow, (echo: a reading rainbow) a reading rainbow!

Remember that little ditty all you children of the nineties? Whether you do or not, you'll recognize Levar Burton from our previous posts, and that can only mean one thing... Time for the Badger Book Club! Yes we're starting two weeks into March, but I think the book for this month will be both educational and entertaining (meaning it will be a really quick read). The book for this month is, drum-roll please, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

That's right... The Autobiography of Davy Crockett, the "King" himself (if that doesn't make sense go watch the Disney film from the 1950's, it'll make you want to run our and buy a coonskin cap). This book is remarkably funny and lighthearted, kind of a change from our previous two months where the books have dealt with more serious topics. So pick up a copy today, buckle-up and enjoy the ride.

P.S. As we were scanning the internet for pictures of Levar we came across this little gem that we decided to share with you all in honor of last month's classic To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Good Eats

2011-03-11T20:56:00.001-08:00

Well, the time has finally come: it's time to introduce solids.

As you can see, this is a serious business.

I have to say this is one of the most exciting parts of Baby-ness to me. I LOVE getting my kids excited about food, and introducing their tiny palates to all sorts of joyous variety.

Love.

Reese was positively thrilled to be able to help. So cute!

We're only just into cereals and already Sam is a huge fan of all things on a spoon.

But lately I've been whipping up some Baby Love.

Ready for a commercial spot? Here we go!

This is an awesome cookbook by Norah O'Donnell & Chef Geoff Tracy with great photography and fun, fresh ideas for recipes that are easy & fast and so much healthier-

not to mention world's cheaper and better-tasting than the store-bought stuff!

Lots of nutrition info and fun toddler meals are included as well.

It's a great book, and totally worth checking out. :)

Here's a little video of the first bites!

Too Much Money

2011-03-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Reese is definitely the singer in our house; she doesn't stop, really, and puts on quite the variety show. Up until recently she's been set to the Disney/Musical station, but add our love of Pandora into the mix, and she's now got so much more to work with.

This is all cute and good until we hear her singing this tonight,

"Take me home tonight,

I don't wanna let you go til' you see the light!"

Oh dear. Hmm. . . Maybe we should monitor the classic rock more closely.

Be Prepared. . . for a tight fit!

2011-03-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

Our F.H.E. this week was something that we've had on the to-do list for a while.

We decided to re-pack our 72hr kits.

This is something that hasn't been done since Reese was probably about 6 months old, and seeing as how Ry was the highlight of our stake's Preparedness Fair last October, we thought we should probably get ourselves kicked in gear.

First of all, I wanted to show how we have organized our toiletries. It's a great idea I got from a friend of mine in our first student ward.

1. Hit the travel-size section of the local store and get a miniature of everything you need on a daily basis- plus a few extras.

We filled ours are filled with:

Nail Clippers

Mouthwash

Toothbrush & Toothpaste

Floss

Gum

Shampoo/Conditioner

Lotion

Chap stick

Deodorant

Small Comb

Washcloth

Tampons (not for Ryan of course!)

Hand Sanitizer

Q-tips

2. Take a hand towel, fold up the bottom half lengthwise, and lay out all of your items underneath the 'pocket'.

3. Pin or mark where you'll need to sew to create individual pockets,

4. Remove the toiletries and sew a straight line up from the fold.

5. With a length of ribbon, about 20"-24", bring the ends together and sew the fold to one end of your roll.

6. Tuck all your items back into the towel, in their own cute little pockets

7. Fold the top down over the openings to keep everything inside, then

8. Roll tightly from one end until you have a fat little toiletry roll

9. Tie securely with ribbon

and pack it into your bag

Ta-Da!

After working for a while, we got a little distracted.

"Hmm. . . this backpack is just about Sam's size. I wonder if. . . "

Yep. He does. :)

Snug as a bug in a rug.

Reese sporting her own little load- she gets to carry she and Sam's clothing, and apparently, she couldn't be more thrilled!

Hooray for Preparedness!

What great ways do you organize your 72-hr kits?

My Pastry Class

2011-03-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

I think I mentioned a while back that I've been teaching two community education classes for the last few months. Well, I've finally finished up with them, and despite some stress, I would totally do it again! Maybe just one class at a time in the future, though. :) Fabulous people, great times in the kitchen, and of course all sorts of exciting bits of pastry know-how.

I only remembered to bring my camara to capture it for my last class, and I wanted to show you all a little of what we did.

Throughout the eight weeks we learned how to make:

Tarts

Mousse

Choux paste (cream puffs & eclairs)

Baklava

Brioche

Chocolate truffles

Puff pastry

and in our last class we made Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes, learned about dessert sauces and caramel, and how to make spun sugar.

I think we had a pretty good time.

Here's Dorothy holding the finished product- a spun sugar nest.

Then we got down to the sauces: Caramel, Chocolate-Caramel, and Cardamom-Pomegranate

I was so proud of their presentation-

It's 80%!

Like I said before, I had a blast. A true learning experience for me, but it was so much fun, and I'm SO glad I did it!

Better Late than Never- Let's chat about the Mockingbird!

2011-02-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm sure all of you have been dying to discuss our latest Badger Book Club read, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and have wondered what's been keeping me. Well, friends, it's a combination of a crazy week (my last week of teaching, two kids with repeated colds, etc.), and waiting for Ry to finish reading the book. He wrapped it up last night, so here I am to get back on track and start the party.

Ok, so is it possible that anyone didn't love this book? I read it years ago in high school and remember loving it, but there was just so much more to it that I remembered. I have to say that I don't think I really got all of it the first time through. SUCH great themes, AMAZING characters, and life lessons scattered everywhere like Hansel and Gretel crumbs.

For this discussion, I would love to know what part or characters left their mark on you. Who made you want to be better? What moment burned itself into your memory? What did you think of the book overall? And, since I was once an English literary analysis major, what was the theme that you noticed the most, woven throughout it all? Feel free to answer any or all of those questions. :)

For me, I have to say that there are several characters that I absolutely loved. One of them was Atticus Finch. Talk about a rock of inspiration and amazing parenting skills! I could go on for a while about that, but why not just send you to this great link that does it for me?! ;) Check it out.

The 'moment' that changes me is this,

"Will you take me home?"

Followed by Scout's glimpse into Boo's life viewed from the Radley porch, this is the most touching part of the book to me. The reality and vulnerability just closes off my throat every time.

One of the overwhelming themes of the entire book is that underneath every exterior- whether it's Mrs. Dubose, Walter Cunningham, Tom Robinson or Boo- is strength, love, character, and vulnerability. Basically everything we hope to find in ourselves. Atticus said it best,

“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

I love the final discussion between Scout and Atticus-

". . . an Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things, . . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . "

"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.

Perfectly summed up.

Ok, enough of me, what were your favorite parts?

The Golden Age

2011-02-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, this year I celebrated my 29th birthday, a little strange since I seem to remember that being the age my own mother celebrated for most of my childhood (she's since moved on to 39, based on the fact that it's just weird to be younger than your oldest daughter).

It was a great birthday- originally we thought we'd get out the snowshoes and go for a little hike, but with two little munchkins in tow, we thought better of it and settled on a snow day instead. We found a great little hiking area of the golf course by the river which totally reminded us of one of our first dates that The Endowment Lands outside of Rexburg.

Fortunately, this time no one fell through the ice. :)

This was probably the only second that Reese wasn't going completely nuts- jumping in the snow, chucking snowballs at us (she has a surprisingly-good arm), and taking huge bites of the white stuff.

What's a snowday without a snowman? We worked for a while, and this is what we came up with. . .

Kinda looks like someone else I know.

Don't you think?

Our last few moments with the lil' gal before bidding adieu,

I'm a huge fan of symbolism and always love a good, tangible farewell to the past. In this case, all the worries and stress of the last year.

Later, Ry wowed me with dinner, and a birthday cake that he made himself.

Baby, I know you would much rather have purchased something, or gotten ice cream sundaes instead, but that just makes my heart melt all the more!

Plus, I love that face!

Less than 29 candles? No problem, how 'bout a giant 'M'? :)

Then Reese and Sam helped me blow them out- I LOVE our cute little family!

Thanks, babe, for a great day!

Teeny, Tie-ny

2011-02-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

One of the projects I've had on the docket for a while now has been to make a few ties for little Sam to sport at church using this tutorial. Well, I finally did it and found myself wondering why I didn't do it earlier- Fun, easy, and SO fast! 'Oh my gosh, Ryan, look how CUTE these are!' was probably shrieked a dozen times. And that's saying something considering my er, lack of skill/enthusiasm for sewing sometimes. 'Sewing with fury' is pretty much my style, and if I can't get it done in a few afternoons or less, I tend to loose steam and give up. Just ask Melese about her wedding quilt. Oi.

(Mese, I PROMISE you will be able to use the quilt before you're fiftieth!)

Anyway, let's focus on the victory here: the ties were so easy that I finished them in just under an hour. Huzzah!

These particular ties have a special significance; they belonged to Ryan's Grandpa, one of the men Sam was named after, who passed away last November. I think they turned out really well. How is it that anything small is automatically EXTRA adorable?

Sam's roly-poly nakedness helps too. ;)

Any tie will work- think thrift store, some of your husband's hand-me-down ties -

"Maybe it's time to retire the mission tie Babe, and perhaps pass that legacy on to the next generation???"

It would also be SO cute to get a couple new ones and do matching ones for Father's Day, Easter, etc.

That's my plan. I'll be sure to post.

*Also, after seeing all the mothers toting around their sons' clip-on ties last Sunday, the thought occurred that these would be great adjusted for little boys, too- harder to get off than a clip-on, but still no need to actually tie it each week!

Now all I need to find are some infant dress shirt onesies- I've looked all around Logan, but no one seems to carry anything smaller than 18 mo.

Any ideas where to find them?

"Hooooo's" the cutest treat in town?

2011-02-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

That would have to be this little guy,

cutie, chocolate cake pop owl.

I'm teaching a Community Ed class on cake decorating right now, and last night we explored the wonderful world of Cake Pops.

And that opened up the equally wonderful world of Owl Valentine puns and phrases,

'Hoooo' loves you, baby?

'Owl' be yours!

'Hoooo' wants to be your Valentine? I 'dooooo'!

I love my class! We dipped, we laughed, we munched and chatted.

It was a hoot!

Oh come on, you had to know that was coming. :)

Happy Almost-Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

(Yay!)

Pity Puddles

2011-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

I am such a bad mommy! I have hardly written anything about our sweet, pudgy little Sam since he arrived almost 5 months ago. I cannot believe that much time has already passed- so so quickly! Well, I plan to remedy my negligence and get a whole bunch documented here for future generations this month. First up? Puddles.

Let me explain. Sam has the sweetest, tenderest little heart. When I was little, all my parents had to say was "No" and I'd burst into tears of sincere remorse. It's never taken much of a reprimand to get me teary, and I fully expected my own kids to have that oh-so-convenient-for-the-parent gene. Imagine my surprise when Reese just looked at me when I said it to her. I was shocked and couldn't help thinking, "Wait- you're supposed to start bawling and then never, ever do it again to make sure I'll still love you!" Alas, children are born with their own ideas. Anyway, I have a feeling that Sam may follow in his mommy's footsteps. (Or maybe that's just wishful thinking . . .only time will tell.)

When we put him down to sleep before it's 'time' according to him, he cries. He cries so hard, and with such a sad little "Why did you abandon me?" sob that it just absolutely breaks my heart! Lately, though, he's been getting over a cold so I've been trying to get him to nap more. Nevertheless, he still feels completely slighted. After being the ultra-tough parent that I am (read: I almost start bawling too to hear him cry for ten minutes straight), I give in and pull him out of bed for some more snuggles. For days though, each time I get him from crying, his poor little ears have filled up with tear puddles that run down his cheeks when I hold him upright. It's totally pathetic, adorable, and I can't keep my own lip from popping out when it happens!

Yep. I'm totally wrapped around his chubby little finger- oh how I love him!!

The Book of February

2011-01-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Hello Book-Lovers!! Molly here to announce what the Badger Book Club will be reading this month. Have to say I was pretty jazzed to find the 'vintage' Lamar shot up above- don't they just look thrilled to be reading? The enthusiasm sure came a long way! But hmm. . . that mustache really reminds me of someone. Who could it be? I just can't put my finger on him. . .

Oh, that's right! ;)

Alright, enough of that. Here we go! Despite Valentine's Day being my all-time favorite holiday,

(yes, even more than Christmas sometimes-

Hello! RED, PINK, and FAKE LACE DOILIES-- how can you not get all giddy and excited?!)

I'm sorry to say that we will NOT be reading "the great romance of all time" or

any of that genre this month. Sorry, friends, no Twilight here!

I just couldn't help, for my first pick this year, deciding on

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

I realize we're a little behind the times, what with the 50th anniversary being last year, but who cares- still a fabulous pick, if I do say so myself. One of the deciding factors was that, while I read and fell in love with the classic tale of Scout, Atticus and Boo Radley back in High School, Ryan has still never read it. I know! So whether it's your first time, or a too-long-put-off second, third or whatever, join us this month as we read. . .

Let's try to be done and start discussing Monday, Feb. 21st. That way, you'll have plenty of time to chat it up with everyone here, and still be able to get out and find the perfect birthday present for yours truly!

(psst- that would be the 23rd, but then, I'm sure your calendar's already marked, right? ;)

Fahrenheit 451: The Discussion.

2011-01-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

January is coming speedily to a close, which means that it is time to discuss our impressions about Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. If this is confusing please take a look back at our older posts for this month and find the picture of Levar Burton (the Reading Rainbow guy). We started a book club this year and hence the discussion.

Anyway, I'll start the ball rolling. This story was originally written in 1953 as a science fiction illustration of a future where electronics have replaced books and everyone is concerned about feeling good in the moment, and has forsaken social ties for technological imagery. Man, glad we don't live in a world like that (note the thinly veiled sarcasm in this statement). Seriously though, I read this book for the first time in high school and it made an impression on my memory as a good book; however, after reading it the second time, ten years later, it seemed downright prophetic. When the book discusses Milly and her attachment to her 'family' I couldn't help but look back on my last get-together with my own family at Thanksgiving and recall all of us sitting in the living room one evening, each on their own piece of equipment. Whether it was a cell phone (aka: the pocket-sized computer), an HD TV, an Ipod, or a laptop (which was what I was on at the time), we were together and miles apart at the same time. I'm not saying that's all we do at our family reunions, generally you can't shut us up, that just happened to be a poignant flash where literature reflected life for a moment.

That's where I want to start the discussion, we can delve into imagery and hidden meanings in a bit, but to begin with I want to pose a question to you all: Do you think that Bradbury was right in his estimation of the future? When he wrote this book television was black-and-white and still a fairly new technology, radios were not so mobile, computer's were non-existent and if you wanted to listen to your favorite song you had to buy something called a 'record' (its like a big black CD, see link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record ). Now we have nearly unlimited information via the internet. Is this deluge of technology making us a more knowledgeable and advanced society or is the ease through which we obtain this information making us lazy and negligent of the knowledge to be had in books? So there it is, to begin with, how on the ball do you think Bradbury is about the present and the future? Look ahead in time and let's open the discussion forum, feel free to bring up any points you would like to about the book and let's dive into Fahrenheit 451!

Next month's book will be announced on Friday. Again, look for Levar Burton.

Deep Breaths. . .

2011-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my mom had a set of dish towels with this cartoon printed on them, and I always thought they were funny in a sad, "Why would you do that to yourself?" sort of way. But now. I have absolutely become that poor frazzled kitten.

And I'm not sure how to stop it.

Seriously, I really don't know how to say 'no' to things, and even more than that I don't know how to NOT VOLUNTEER for everything in the whole wide world. What's wrong with me, that in the same week I start teaching two 8-week community ed classes, I plan to attend a weekend family get-together where I OFFER to bring a crazy-ambitious, sculpted purse birthday cake (me do something simple? NEVER!), demonstrate how to make french pastry, collaborate on one of the meals, and even try to squeeze a job interview at a local bakery in before I leave?!

I'm a sick, over-achieving, insanely-ambitious-without-the-cool-to-hack-it girl who needs professional help. Ah, the phobia of becoming 'lazy'!

Well, that's about all the time I have to spare for writing-- I've got a red sparkly purse handle to make, and several cups of almonds waiting to be ground.

Welcome to the Future!

2011-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

We found this on Yahoo this morning and found it funny but, sadly, true.

Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know

by Stacy Johnson
Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Huffington Post recently put up a story called You're Out: 20 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade. It's a great retrospective on the technology leaps we've made since the new century began, and it got me thinking about the difference today's technology will make in the lives of tomorrow's kids.

I've used some of their ideas and added some of my own to make the list below: Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?

Video tape: Starting this year, the news stories we produce here at Money Talks have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago -- and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.

Travel agents: While not dead today, this profession is one of many that's been decimated by the Internet. When it's time for their honeymoon, will those born in 2011 be able to find one?

The separation of work and home: When you're carrying an email-equipped computer in your pocket, it's not just your friends who can find you -- so can your boss. For kids born this year, the wall between office and home will be blurry indeed.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Movie rental stores: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?

Watches: Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.

©Will D/flickr

Paper maps: At one time these were available free at every gas station. They're practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one.

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Long distance: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

Newspaper classifieds: The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprint just to see what's for sale.

Dial-up Internet: While not everyone is on broadband, it won't be long before dial-up Internet goes the way of the plug-in phone.

Encyclopedias: Imagine a time when you had to buy expensive books that were outdated before the ink was dry. This will be a nonsense term for babies born today.

Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

Forgotten anything else: Kids born this year will never know what it was like to stand in a bar and incessantly argue the unknowable. Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

The evening news: The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs -- replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime. Now it's cheap(er) and as close as the nearest Internet connection.

Film cameras: For the purist, perhaps, but for kids born today, the word "film" will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras -- both video and still -- are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.

Yellow and White Pages: Why in the world would you need a 10-pound book just to find someone?

Catalogs: There's no need to send me a book in the mail when I can see everything you have for sale anywhere, anytime. If you want to remind me to look at it, send me an email.

Fax machines: Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"

One picture to a frame: Such a waste of wall/counter/desk space to have a separate frame around each picture. Eight gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done -- now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a "slide show" or "home movies."

Wires: Wires connecting phones to walls? Wires connecting computers, TVs, stereos, and other electronics to each other? Wires connecting computers to the Internet? To kids born in 2011, that will make as much sense as an electric car trailing an extension cord.

Hand-written letters: For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means? Kids born in 2011 won't -- but they'll put you to shame on a tiny keyboard.

Talking to one person at a time: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you're supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

Retirement plans: Yes, Johnny, there was a time when all you had to do was work at the same place for 20 years and they'd send you a check every month for as long as you lived. In fact, some companies would even pay your medical bills, too!

Mail: What's left when you take the mail you receive today, then subtract the bills you could be paying online, the checks you could be having direct-deposited, and the junk mail you could be receiving as junk email? Answer: A bloated bureaucracy that loses billions of taxpayer dollars annually.

Commercials on TV: They're terrifically expensive, easily avoided with DVRs, and inefficiently target mass audiences. Unless somebody comes up with a way to force you to watch them -- as with video on the Internet -- who's going to pay for them?

Commercial music radio: Smartphones with music-streaming programs like Pandora are a better solution that doesn't include ads screaming between every song.

Hiding: Not long ago, if you didn't answer your home phone, that was that -- nobody knew if you were alive or dead, much less where you might be. Now your phone is not only in your pocket, it can potentially tell everyone -- including advertisers -- exactly where you are

Welcome to the future, little Sam!

11 Things I Don't Need in 2011

2010-12-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

Here is my unconventional list of New Years Resolutions. Since I seem to over-plan and over-goal myself each year, maybe by doing the opposite- coming up with things to eliminate rather than add- will bring me better luck. Also, I really like the idea of it- it feels a little like de-cluttering the junk drawer or cleaning out the crisper- getting rid of a few things makes everything better! Here goes--

1. Being Too Busy To Play - Maybe its the fact that Reese is a new Sunbeam, but I'm suddenly realizing that if I close my eyes too long my family will be all grown up before I know it. Nothing on my to-do list is more important than hanging out and spending time with my hubby and our kids. So this year I'm going to let 'the list' slide more often and be spontaneous instead.

2. Stress - I guess this goes along with the first one, but I definitely want a year filled with less stress. Some things can't be helped, and I'm going to ignore my instinct to stew over those, but I'm also going to find more humor in the stresses I do have a say over, and then let them go.

3. Clutter - Everything has a place, and yet, somehow, tiny gremlins come out at night to create all sorts of piles throughout my house! :) Seriously, though. I love organization, so my goal is to find a system that actually works with a crazy lifestyle and kids. (Any who are reading this and have something that works, I would LOVE your input!)

4. Judging Before I Know Someone - Over the last few years I seem to be learning the same lesson over and over and over and. . . well, you get the idea. Despite the old adage, I am almost always wrong in my first impressions of people, so this year I am going to avoid jumping to conclusions before I really get to know someone.

5. Skipping Reading the Scriptures - This is one of those things I know I need to do, I know it makes my day better, strengthens my testimony, and improves my relationship both with my Heavenly Father and everyone else in my life, yet I still put it off. No more!

6. Emotional Eating - Who doesn't do this at one time or another? I blame my days as a missionary in Paris (bad day= patisserie). :) But if I want to lose this baby weight I need to learn some self control- parenthood offers way too many 'deserved' pastries! ;)

7. Sugar - Now, being the baking/pastry-loving girl that I am, there is no way I will be banishing sugar completely. However, I definitely need to cut back on the sweets we keep at our house. If I get the itch to bake, I'm plating it up and making a visit to the neighbors.

8. Waiting for the Bluebird of Happiness - We all know what this is, even if we call it by a different name. I'm tired of telling myself, "I'll be happy when. . . Ryan's out of school. . . we have a house. . . I fit into that size, etc." I'm going to make an active effort to live in the now and LOVE it- every day!

9. Unnecessary Debt - Being that we're still students and will be for a while longer in order to get a good job, we won't be completely debt-free for a little while. But this year we're going to make every effort to get out of all the debt we can, and avoid adding more for things we really don't need.

10. Saying No - There are lots of things that are great to say no to (drugs come to mind), but far too often I find myself declining or not going to something because I get scared and shy. But I end up missing out on so much- new friends, fun times, etc. I want to get out of my comfort zone more this year.

11. Store-bought Bread - Over the last few months I've found several awesome bread recipes- wheat, multi-grain, white. The fact that they taste so much better than store-bought, are healthier, and cost pennies to make myself has inspired me to set aside time each week to bake our own bread this year.

Potato, po-tah-to.

2010-12-29T12:09:00.001-08:00

Most of you who know me, know that I am total nerd when it comes to food. That being said, after a quick Google search, I found this completely interesting and enlightening article. Read on and, for those of you who suffer from a confusion akin to my own, learn the fascinating difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes so that you too can join the throng of consumers out to "rid the world of yam ignorance." :) Enjoy!

*I personally got a huge kick out of the serious, life-or-death-ness of the article--

Informative AND funny- what a culinary bonus!

The Difference Between A Sweet Potato And A Yam Is No Joke!

Some people think they’re the same thing. Even producers stencil both names on the same box, since the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label “yam” always be accompanied with the words “sweet potato” when referring to a sweet potato. No wonder the poor consumer is confused. Hasn’t anyone told the USDA that these are separate vegetables that are not in the least related? Why should “yam” be on a sweet potato box in the first place.

The confusion began in the Antebellum era. The African slaves called the softer sweet potatoes cultivated in America “yams” because they resembled the nyami they knew from home. There were no nyami in America at the time: African and Caribbean immigrants wouldn’t cause import of real nyami, the white-fleshed African yam, to America until the latter 20th century, when they would appear in international grocery stores. By that time, most of America had only known “yams” as yellow-fleshed potatoes that weren’t particularly sweet. Some myths went so far as to say that yams were older sweet potatoes, after the sugar had converted to starch and the more colorful flesh had faded.

The Confusion Continues

Those encountering the long, rough, brown tubers called yams in international markets–or ordering yams in Caribbean restaurants and getting something white and starchy—have every right to be thoroughly confused. We are living in a multi-yam society. Perhaps it‘s time to go back to the terms sweet potato (domestic) and yam (African); or at least, domestic yam (sweet potato) and African yam (true yam).

The Final Word

Here’s a comparison to master; then you can help rid the world of yam ignorance.

	Sweet Potato & Domestic Yam	True Yam

Scientific Name	Ipomoea batatas	Dioscorea Species
Plant Family	Morning Glory (Convolvulaceae)	Yam (Dioscoreaceae)
Origin	South America (Peru, Ecuador)	West Africa, Asia
Age	Prehistoric	50,000 B.C.E.
Skin	Smooth and thin; yellow/tan to darker orange/tan, red and purple	Rough and scaly; the color is brown or brownish-black
Flesh	The color can range from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red	Generally white, although some varieties can have purple or red flesh
Shape	Short, blocky, tapered ends	Long, cylindrical, some with “toes”; often sold in chunks, since they can grow to 7 feet in length
Mouthfeel	Moist*	Dry
Taste	Sweet*	Starchy
Calories, ½ Cup	103	79
Provenance	United States	Caribbean
Varieties	Sweet potatoes: Jersey, Kotobuki (Japanese), Okinawan (Purple), Papa Doc Yams: Beauregard, Covington, Garnet, Jewel	There are about 500 species of the genus Dioscorea of the Dioscoreaceae family

*Most varieties grown in the U.S.

Taken from thenibble.com

The Book Club

2010-12-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION ALL READERS! Molly and I have decided to start off this new year by creating a book club. Those of you that know us are aware that we cannot get enough books and we thought it was time that we read some of them. This is mostly a project to justify our book buying binges, but we thought it would be fun to invite our friends and family to join with us and incite discussion. So, you are all cordially invited to the Badger Book Club. We will begin with one of my personal favorites Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. We will begin the first day of January and have the book finished by the 24th and hold an online forum through the end of the month. Leave your review in the "comments" area and be sure to check the box to receive follow-up comments.

We hope to hear from you all come the 25th. Happy Reading!

Who doesn't love a little Christmas poetry?!

2010-12-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

T'was the week before Christmas

and despite skills adept,

Badger parents were busy-

still so much to be prepped!

"How December flew by,"

frazzled Molly declared,

"It's practically here now,

and we're not prepared!

"There are presents to wrap,

all those treats to bake, too!

Not to mention the yule-cards,

Oh dear, what shall we do?!

"The yule-cards, the yule-cards!"

her voice moaned with regret.

"It's a family tradition

that we've never missed yet!"

"I've a thought," quipped her husband,

"since we can't make the Post,

we could write them on Blogger-

they'll be read coast to coast!"

Blog our card? Molly wondered,

The idea was so new.

Still, she found herself smiling.

"Yes! Now that's what we'll do!"

So they sat themselves down,

Jotted notes in the "Den"

Reminiscing on mem'ries

of Two-Thousand and Ten:

Ry graduated from Brigham,

with a Bachelor's degree,

only just a few months

before Reesey turned three!

Then dear Ryan went scruffy

in those months b'fore the snow--

He rode horses, made teepees,

threw tomahawks like a pro.

Molly rounded out nicely

as she neared the big day

that sweet Sam came to join them,

Now two kids laugh and play!

What a year we have had,

filled with blessings and cheer.

But this poem's long-winded,

so we'll sum it up here--

We're happy, healthy, and thriving

Now bring on the New Year!

Wishing you love, peace, and happiness this Christmas Season!

All our Love,

Ryan, Molly, Reese, & Sam

Reese's Letter to Santa. . .

2010-12-18T14:59:00.001-08:00

. . . as dictated to Ryan

Dear Santa,

I would like a candy cane and chocolate,

some princess dress-ups,

some dolls,

and some flowers (so I can get married).

Thank you for the presents and

Merry Christmas!!!

-Reese

Heaven help me, it happened again. . .

2010-12-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

To those of you who were here for the Poopy Picasso chronicle you can breath a sigh of relief. Fortunately, today's headliner has nothing to do with poop or art. Phew. (Lol- The things you find yourself saying as a parent!) But I will tell you it's not the first time the following scenario has transpired--

While shopping in the produce aisle at our local grocery store, a sweet old woman squeezed passed us to scoop up a handful of green beans and plop them into her plastic sack. She was a little hunched, her features defined and pointed from age, and there may or may not have been a large mole dangling from her chin. I won't comment on the likelyhood of hairs sprouting from the alleged mole, but sufficeth to say I can understand where Reese was coming from when she screamed, in a voice of sheer delight the whole world could hear,

"Mommy, it's a WITCH!"

What to do, what to do.

How was I going to explain to this poor woman that in Reese-speak this was the ultimate compliment?! We watch Sleeping Beauty and the Frog Princess not for pretty girls and dresses, but the dragon and a freaky voodoo man! Despite my repeated attempts to change her mind, Disney villains remain the folks she loves and looks up to the very most; they laugh so much and seem to be having such a great time, how could anyone not want to hang with them? They're the real popular crowd, though momentarily misunderstood. I think she's decided that what they really need is a good friend. I know, I know. Very foreboding for the teenage years.

Anyway, maybe it's because this has happened before and I try to learn from my mistakes, but I could see just how badly this explanation could go and decided it was far better to back away from the spinach and make a run for it. Even if the poor woman did buy it, managing to not take offense at being mistaken for an evil hag, I didn't want to be that mom, the one who fed her child a steady diet of cackles and deception. So I ran away- I'm not really the confrontational type.

Besides, I'd rather eat frozen peas for dinner anyway.

A Blessing

2010-12-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

Sammy was blessed by his daddy on November 21st,
the day after one of the men he was named for,
his Great Grandpa Badger
passed away.
It was a beautiful blessing, and a very special day.

Thank you again to all of the family that was able to join us,
and also to Grandma Badger for letting us have it in her home in the midst of having lost Grandpa.

I hope you like pictures, because I'm just going to let them tell the story.

So Happy Together!

2010-12-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Reese loves Sam. . .

Sam loves Reese. . .

Sounds like the beginning of a primary song, right? Well, it's true. On the days that we're not

chasing a giggling, naked three-year-old through the house,

saving Sam from being smothered with love,

searching for earplugs to drown out the 69th encore performance of Hairspray that morning

giving up and deciding that Reese actually will end up the only teen wearing pull-ups at the prom. . .

We are, indeed, a happy fam-i-ly!

And here's the proof:

Though Sam looks a little stunned in this pic, he is seriously in love with Reese. As soon as he hears her voice he grins.

You know what they say, the family that naps together, er. . . stays together.

Shoot.

Yep. We like sleep around here.

Hangin' out on the 'green bed' as Reese has affectionately dubbed it. Are we all seeing just how chunky Sam has gotten?! 14 lb 5 oz at his 2 month appointment, people.

How could I not include this shot- it's just so Reese!

And finally, here we are at what is possibly my FAVORITE shot of the two of them. Sam's face just totally cracks me up- if he were older, and knew how, I'd say he was mocking Reese's forced 'picture smiles'.

Oh how I love these two little munchkins- even though I feel like pulling my hair out or leaving the country at the moment. We're making our way through that charming time inevitably following a family visit when life gets back to normal and the kids realize the scads of people waiting in line to cuddle them and tell them they're cute every minute of every day are gone. Chez nous, we call it De-tox Week.

I love my children, I love my children, I love my children. . . ;)

Thanksgiving Snippets

2010-11-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Pocatello this year with Grandma Badger and all of Ryan's family. It was an interesting week with Sam's blessing, Grandpa Badger's funeral, and Thanksgiving all rolled into one, but we had a great time with family and it was so fun to have everyone all together!

I know I already posted on Sam's blessing, but I just found this pic, and had thought we didn't have any with Grandma Badger in them. Fun four generation!

These two were completely inseparable- that is, when Reese didn't do something to Meleka that required a time out. But even when that happened, 'Meka' was there waiting when the timer sounded and Reese could resume their games.

Such cuties!

Giggles, princess movies, and snacks- a good time had by all!

I don't know if Sam ever actually woke up the whole trip- he was SO happy to be passed from person to person and just be cuddled.

Meleka was SO excited about Sam. She really liked holding him, and asked to do it pretty much every chance she got. :)

And, er, unfortunately, I have no real pics of Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey, or any of the rest of the festivities, but rest assured that the food was amazing (loved Erin's southern sweetpotatoes!), and a good time was had by all!

Miss Toddler Hairspray!!!

2010-11-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

Hairspray has become THE favorite movie for our little three-year-old; singing and dancing with reckless abandon-- what's not to like?

We thought it was adorable to watch her dance right along with Tracy, Seaweed and the others until we found ourselves in Old Navy a few weeks ago. Before we knew it she ran to a stack of green tank tops, pulled them off the shelf, and started swinging them around like a feather boa- belting at the top of her lungs,

"Hey Mama, welcome to the Sixties!!! Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh-oh!"

Tank tops flew, Reese busted a move, and we ran to pick up the mess, weeping tears of laughter.

Here she is (much more shy than normal, being in front of the camera) performing

'Good Morning Baltimore'. . .

*Excuse the nakedness- the only time we could get her to do it was straight out of the bathtub. :)

Oh so Reese!

2010-11-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

It seems like everyday for the last few weeks Reese has done something hilarious or way cute that we've promised to ourselves to document. Here goes--

She's all about the getting married lately, and came into our room last week in this getup. She informed us that the striped shirt was her bouquet of flowers.

While out on a Daddy/Daughter date last week she told Ryan all about her wedding:

Booo-tiful flowers, a long veil, Prince Charming, the works. Then she said, "Daddy, can I pleeeeease get married in the temple?"

Oh, alright.

Rolling out molasses cookies with Mommy

It's a serious business.

Reese has become quite the Bugs Bunny fan- something we're a little unsure of since the characters tend to smack each other around, and we now have a defenseless newborn baby to think of.

Anyway, this was the treat she picked out for being good at the grocery store the other day, and ate the whole thing!

What's up Doc?

While I was getting ready the other morning, Reese came running into the bathroom like this,

"I'm just like Mommy!" she cried, and modeled her fat little belly from side to side.

I laughed SO hard!

A day or two before this Reese came in, again while I was getting ready, and said,

"Oh Mommy, you're so boo-ti-ful. Just like Reesey!"

What?!

2010-11-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ryan found this article--

HOUSTON,TEXAS —

Imagine a world without chocolate.

Screams from chocolate lovers are piercing, but the nightmare scenario could become reality.

Experts believe there will be a chocolate shortage this year. Most of the world's cocoa crops are in West Africa. That area is suffering from a drought and crops are being destroyed by two mysterious diseases that have scientists baffled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working on mapping the cocoa trees' DNA to help find a cure.

Forecasters predict the shortage will cause prices to shoot through the roof.

Speculators say in 20 years, the average person won't be able to afford the price to satisfy their chocolate cravings.

Matt SampsellKIAH

November 11, 2010

How is this possible?!!! We always knew the end of the world was coming, I guess I just thought it would be a little more bearable.

And I have no idea how to break the news to my dad.

Our Library

2010-11-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

Ry and I have spent the last few weeks cataloging the books in our library. We decided we would just feel better, if there was a fire or major disaster, having a list of what to replace. Also, we're total nerds and we've been dying for months to know just how many books we've accumulated over the years we've been together. Others think of a hot little sports car they'll own someday, but us, well you should just see the library of our dreams . . .

Anyway, the total surprised even us.

715

not bad, eh?

Tink Happy Tawts

2010-11-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

I find I always forget to take pictures of our house decorations, so here are a few--

(I'm oh-so-proud of the first one 'cause I made it myself! I know. I got the idea here. Also, check out Melese's version here.)

What with childbirth and work craziness, we didn't plan too much for Halloween this year and found ourselves making costumes the night of. Something we will try our hardest NEVER to do again. Seriously, we're sitting there, 7pm, Ryan sewing Reese's fairy shoes (he's such a better seam. . . ster than I am so I took the glue gun stuff and he got to sew), and wondering if Reese would really notice if we just threw a few fruit snacks in her bag and called it good. But, fortunately, we persevered and had a great time.

Reese and Sam were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, respectively. :)

The Dynamic Duo

Peter isn't too sure about his get-up

Soooo excited! We need to train her better though, she came home with only 4 pieces of chocolate! Disgraceful.

A few days earlier, we spent the day with Ryan at the AWHC playing in the Corn Maze--

Steering the Spooky Pirate Ship

Getting cleaned up after the Hay Jump

Making her way through the kid's maze

Reese's favorite, the Hay Slide

What a cute little criminal!

Finally, here's a video of the return from Trick-or-Treating