Stacie "borrowed" an idea from my cousin and went as the "Swine Flu".
McKenzie makes a cute little cat. For our ward's trunk-or-treat she went as a duck.
I wish I had fabulous words of wisdom to share with you here, but instead, I need some advice. One of my children is really struggling right now. They are feeling invisible and overlooked in many areas of life. (Fortunately, home is not one of them!) I'm not sure how to help with this problem. I don't feel like I can approach the people who are the main cause of this issue and say "hey, pay attention to my child--they matter!" I really struggle to make this child continue to participate in activities where they are pretty much ignored. I wish things were different, but I am at a loss for how to change things. Any suggestions?
This is Nathan's cub scout leader. She climbed the tree, in flip-flops, because the boys needed some of the leaves from this tree for their collection. Is it any wonder that Nathan LOVES scouts? Does it surprise you at all that Sister B. has inspired Nathan to earn his bobcat & wolf badges in just 8 months? Thanks, Sister B! Keep up the great work! Once upon a time, in a land far, far away... isn't that how all fairy tales begin? Well, let me spin a little tale for you today.
A long time ago there was a little girl who liked to write. She wrote poetry and short stories and aced through her English assignments because creative writing was as natural to her as breathing. She could visualize a scene and take you there with a few carefully penned words. Somewhere in her growing-up years she thought that perhaps she would become a famous author. Then she married and had children.
The dream didn't die with the arrival of her children, it just changed. Perhaps instead of writing about a teen-age girl's quest for self-approval, she could write of the merry adventures of the modern-Mormon mother. A noble thought, but one that hasn't reached maturity yet. Perhaps she could collaborate with her equally talented sister and make a coffee-table book for those non-coffee drinking Mormon women. Again, an idea was molded and sculpted and the dream was given a fertile mind in which to grow. And yet, publishers were not interested in her type/style/or idea.
And then the advent of the blog. Instant gratification! Published words! A world-wide audience! Brilliant, wonderful, adventurous, disastrous... Our heroine ran out of thoughts to publish. She was resigned to posting opinions on the weather (cold), the state of reconstruction on her home (slow), her ability to buy much while spending little (think cheap), and the hunting prowess of her daughter's cat (expert). Perhaps one day this fairy tale will end with "happily ever after". For now, it will end; try not to applaud too loudly.
Yes, we are home from Idaho and ended up bringing back 143 bags of potatoes, too. (It was supposed to be 144, but somehow we ended up a bag short on the russets.) Anyway, a few highlights from our trip.
y's family (haven't seen them in ages), Angie (her boys were in Cedar for UEA weekend), and Pap. Thank you, everyone, for making the journey to Fairview to spend time with us. And by the way, I still have my Holly Hobbie oven just like the one in the picture. That was my first journey into the wonderful world of baking.
eat (Swedish Fish this year. boo-yah!), hence the "combat" part. ("I had faith first!"). Cheryl also had mini chocolate bars that they could "buy" if they traded in 5 fish, but who would want to give away Swedish fish?!? I am so totally stealing this idea in full next conference! The kids were so quiet and actually listened! (Our first word was "faith" and all of the younger kids came to me during the song "How Firm a Foundation" because they know that song and knew "faith" was in there!) 
to do with McKenzie's stuffed tiger Mr. Fuzzy on my head. Then I stole Mr. Fuzzy and made him dance to the tunes on the radio. Earl stole Mr. Fuzzy for a while and made him drive the Excursion while a mini van passed us. Mr. Fuzzy waved. It's nothing big or really that funny, but when lack of sleep combines with being road weary, it was hilarious! Needless to say, whoever was waiting for the rest stop in Bozeman was totally doing the potty dance by the time we got there! 
turned, and 2 coats and a pair of non-holey school shoes purchased. (Just in time, since they are forecasting snow this afternoon.) Tuesday we were back to the same routine. After dinner (potatoes, of course), the kids wanted a treat and got the boxes of Zingers out of the pantry. Porter had been downstairs getting ready for bed and when he came upstairs, he saw the treats on the table. He turned to me and asked so politely, "Mom, can I have a zigzag?" More laughter. Zingers have been officially renamed at our house, because Jessica and Stacie think ZigZag is a much better name. 
Those who know me well, know that fall is potato time. Every year we make the journey to Idaho to visit grandparents and bring home some fresh spuds. Since our journey for spuds is next weekend, I have potatoes on the brain right now. During my lunch break at work today I sent Jessica a text reminding her to start our dinner in the crock pot and that I needed potatoes put in another crock pot to bake. (If you haven't tried baking spuds this way, you REALLY need to!) Anyway, she sends me back a text that says "How many potatoes?" Thinking that she was talking about our upcoming trip, I responded "130 bags". Apparently, she was asking about how many potatoes I wanted baked, not how many we were picking up at the farm and bring home with us. Oops!
The modern game of golf got its beginnings here.
One of the many castles in this country.
This country has a lot of ocean views. These are pictures from one area of the country.
Sir James Barrie is from this country. He wrote the "Peter Pan" books.
