Mi Vida Loca

Driveway remake, part 1

2011-11-11T18:33:00.005-07:00

This was my driveway this morning. It hasn't always looked like this. But, long story short, our driveway kind of fell into a trench dug by the neighbor.
This is the giant crack and step that leads from our "mud room porch" to the parking pit. It has taken all summer to dig this out. Why? Well....

This is the culprit. See that funky brown blob in the middle of this photo? That is our water main. It resides in the middle of our driveway. We don't know why. But, it makes it impossible to use heavy equipment to dig out the driveway. So, we dug by hand. Well, with shovels, anyway. The whole thing. Loaded into 5 gallon buckets. Then loaded into the back of a pickup truck. Then unloaded the same way. It took a long time. It was very labor intensive. But we had the 1st payoff today.

This showed up. He couldn't dump down the driveway because of our little friend the water main. So he left this:

Guess how we move this? Yep. Shovels. Good thing we have practice, huh?

Next step...concrete. Hopefully soon. I'm tired of the mud room being covered in mud.

What we've been doing....crafts!

2011-11-06T15:15:00.007-07:00

I don't get to log on to the home computer much anymore. Earl is working 60+ hours a week, usually out of town. (And sometimes out of state.) *Not complaining, just explaining. We're very grateful for a job and overtime pay!*

Between being a single parent Monday thru Friday, working full time, and trying (but not always succeeding) to keep the house somewhat tidy, there isn't a lot of time to update the blog. But... there is ALWAYS time for some crafting around this house! Here are some of the goodies the kids and I have been making in between homework, practicing instruments, scouts, church, work, and sleeping.

My first attempt at a quilt. It's not finished; cutting all those squares of denim takes some time. My own personal triumph...the seams actually line up on the back! The front won't matter because of the fraying that will hide the seams.

Stacie wanted to paint and found this penguin sign holder sitting in my craft stash. Googly eyes make everything better!

More Stacie painting. Scrap lumber and craft paints make a girl happy.

Another project made with scrap lumber and craft paints. Lookin' good!

Stacie was bored one Sunday. This is what she came up with. It took her a couple of days to finish up her Frankenstein, because she had to go buy giant googly eyes and thick pipe cleaner. Total out of pocket expense for this boredom buster...less than $2.

The 3rd grade hosted a "family fun night". This is Porter's lantern. Easy-peasy to make! Supplies: 1 empty jar, tissue paper, glue, paint brush. Brush jar with glue (thinned with water), place on tissue paper. Let dry. Put in a tea light candle (we used LED). Light and enjoy.

Photo/card holders. We are going to be making these for Fantastic Friday. I also used this idea for girls' camp crafts. However, we called them Mormonad holders and supplied each girl with a packet of 8 Mormonads to put in the holder.

Googly-eyed card holder. In this case, a recipe card.

A Christmas-y version of the card holder.

A girly version of the photo holder.

*A tad ironic, since my girls aren't totally girly-girls and 2 out of 3 of them HATE pink.*

Bath salts. This was my first attempt. The stripes are cool, huh?

Again, a Fantastic Friday project. Can you guess who is charge of the craft projects again this year?

Nathan needed a cake for pack meeting for a cake walk. He wanted "Angry Birds". This is what we came up with. Jessica did most of the "finish" work. The pigs and birds are cake balls dipped in colored candy melts. The piggy fortress is graham crackers and pretzels. The sling shot is pretzels and a melted tootsie roll. The surface is covered with crushed Nilla wafers and colored coconut to simulate dirt and grass. Even the beaks are edible--lemon tootsie rolls. A little messy looking, but identifiable and cute!

These are just a few of the projects we've made. I've made a few other crafts for Fantastic Friday. Of course, the kids had to carve and paint pumpkins (which they then take out to the shooting range to "murder" with a small caliber rifle). And, they've been digging a massive hole in my front yard. Massive. As in, big enough to park a large, white, somewhat dented people-mover in. Hopefully, someday soon we will be able to fill said hole with gravel and then top it with concrete and call it a driveway. Someday.

What we've been doing...

2011-11-06T14:55:00.004-07:00

We've been doing home repairs.

But that means making holes in the wall.

And patching holes in other walls.

But, we've been doing other stuff, too.

Like taking the kids to see some Monster Trucks.

El Matador was a favorite.

Shock Therapy totally crushed the competition (and some mini vans) during freestyle.
It's not all work around here.

*A special note: We don't usually attend events at our local events center because ticket prices aren't exactly "family friendly." However, there is a back story here. During Montana Fair, Earl decided to treat the kids (minus Jessica, who had to work), to the demolition derby. We were excited to see a "combine derby" that was advertised as part of the "crash em', bash 'em" action. But...the promoter couldn't get any combines to join the fun. So, all demo derby ticket holders were told to hold their tickets until Monster Trucks were advertised. We would be given free general admission tickets to monster trucks because they couldn't deliver as advertised. So...we bought a $15 ticket for Jessica and enjoyed a fun, rowdy, loud evening as a family.

Ch-Ching!

Coming Soon!

2011-11-01T17:56:00.001-06:00

a new update will be arriving just as soon as i locate batteries for the camera. check back often!

Crazy Kids

2011-09-23T10:17:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago I did a mega shopping trip. Nathan & Stacie were my helpers. Apparently, grocery shopping is terribly tiring for teenagers. I stepped away to buy a roll of quarters, and I came back to Stacie sitting in one of our carts. Nathan decided to push her out to the vehicle like that.

Oh...the looks we got. Perhaps someday Stacie and Nathan will be added to the "People of Walmart" book. I hope not.

Teenagers Make Me Gray

2011-07-20T20:12:00.002-06:00

Stacie is taking her driver's test on Friday.

Jessica is facing "adult" decisions. They are giving her nightmares. College? Military? Career?

I wonder if there is a frequent-buyer club I can join to get a discount on hair dye. I may need it.

Fudge Ripple

2011-06-17T20:50:00.002-06:00

Fudge Ripple past away on Wednesday.

Nathan was the first responder. He felt for a pulse and found nothing.

Stacie was the coroner and the mortician. She surmised that the cause of death was either a bunny heart attack or something he ate. Since the bunny had started consuming his piddle pads, I'm not doubting her assessment.

McKenzie made the tombstone and requested the funeral be held after everyone arrived home.

Earl and I were notified by text of the bunny's passing.

After I got home, I sent the boys out to dig the grave. When they came back in, I asked them to gather everyone and asked where the bunny coffin was.

Their response: "Oh, we buried him. We're done."

And I didn't even get to attend the viewing or the funeral!

Sorry, I don't have a picture of Fudge Ripple. But I will tell you that he was well named. Just open a carton of F.R. ice cream and you will see his coloring perfectly!

5 minute update

2011-06-09T21:12:00.002-06:00

Stacie thought she had a job. They said, "Call us tomorrow if you want the position." She called. They are unsure. She is still unemployed.

Porter made it through his first venture into Day Camp. Monday was so stinking hot they had "Mr. Misty" running. Tuesday at the closing ceremonies you could see your breath as you exhaled. What the heck?!

Porter was made part of the fire guard for the closing ceremonies. They said that the boys selected had done all these great things to earn the privilege. I wanted to know who had inhabited my son's body at camp.

Nathan started Day Camp today. They served hot chocolate. In June!

Monday night we had another tornado warning. A funnel cloud was tracked from Laurel (10 minutes west of us), to Shephard (30 minutes north and east of us). The children were in tears because Jessica's boyfriend lives in Shephard. All is well.

A house blew up yesterday. It was not my house. A boulder fell from the rimrocks and crashed into a neighborhood. A gas line exploded. Much damage. No injuries reported. Even the pets were safe.

Washington DC: T-10 days and counting. Debate to prepare for. Speech to prepare for. Clothes to pack. Clothes to purchase. Must go shopping. ICK! Must enlist help of generous friend to take daughter shopping, everyone will be MUCH happier that way. Thanks Julie! If your children ever need to learn the finer points of hardware identification or small engine repair for the FFA competition, I'm your gal!

Girl's camp: T-17 days and counting. Still need to cut wood. Still need to sort supplies. Off my mo-jo for camp this year. What's up with that?

Father's day hasn't even made my radar this year. I'm a horrible person & I admit it.

Good-night all. Tomorrow is another day. I must go to prepare for it.

Stacie's turn

2011-06-03T14:48:00.002-06:00

I promised that this was not the "all about Jessica" blog. Well...drum roll please....it's Stacie's turn! Stacie applied for and got a job at a local Animal Hospital! She is super excited to be working AND (more importantly) to be working with animals.

Stacie has wanted to be a vet since she was very, very, very young. Earl challenged her some time ago that if she really wanted to be a vet, then she needed to find a job at a vet clinic. In answer to that challenge, she went and found a rescue center to volunteer at. Now that she's a few years older, she has found and secured a job at a vet clinic. I think that maybe she just might be serious about this vet thing.

Now we add another work schedule to our calendar. Welcome to mi vida loca.

Looking Forward

2011-05-27T11:36:00.009-06:00

I'm enjoying a quiet day at home. Alone. Just me and the pets (all 5 of them). This won't happen again for quite some time. There are only 4 days of school left for this year. *insert hallelujah music here* I'm really quite OK with this, especially since I hate to pack lunchboxes and the end of the school year = an end to lunchboxes... for now.

However, the end of the school year ushers in the month of June, which is rapidly filling up to be a wild ride. *Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Make sure your lap belts are completely fastened and enjoy the ride.* Here's the easy version.

Friday, June 3rd: school is dismissed for the summer.

Saturday, June 4th: Jessica takes either the SAT or ACT test. (I can't remember which, I hope she can.)

Monday & Tuesday, June 6 & 7: Cub Scout Wolf Day Camp for Porter.

also Monday, June 6: Jessie (re)starts job #2 at the pool as a lifeguard/swim instructor. Yes, you did read that correctly. My teenager will be working 2 jobs this summer. And going to Washington D.C. And going to girl's camp. And going on Trek with the stake. No, I don't plan on seeing her much.

Thursday, June 9-Saturday June 11: Cub Scout Webelos Day Camp & overnighter for Nathan.

Saturday, June 11: Jessica takes the other of the ACT/SAT test.

Monday, June 16: Begin "lunch in the park" program & "reading rocks". This is also known as "send children to the park to eat for free and play on the playground equipment for a couple of hours of mom I'm not bored time and encourage the kids to read throughout the summer by bribing them with free books."

Monday, June 20: Put my daughter on an airplane for the 1st time in her life...AND without a parent/friend/associate/mentor/chaperon. Say good-bye for 6 days while she enjoys Washington D.C. (Yeah, Mom IS nervous, thanks for asking.) Try not to cry in front of her or go to work with red, swollen eyes.

Sunday, June 26: Pick up Jessica from the airport. Try really hard not to cry in front of her. (I'll let you know how that works out.)

Monday, June 27: Leave for girl's camp with Jessica & Stacie. Hope that Earl and the younger 3 can get some repair work done on the house while we are gone. Really hope that dad doesn't feed the kids McDonald's and Hungry Man for the 5 days we are gone.

Saturday, July 2: Dilemma: Do we take the kids camping for the 4th of July weekend as we have done the past 2 years, or stay home and attend the company picnic/baseball game and let Jessica actually sleep in her own bed? Hmm.... I'll get back to you on that one.

As you can see, it's gonna be a fun one. *Please remain seated until the ride has come to a full and complete stop. Thank you for visiting our amusement park and have a safe summer vacation. * Welcome to mi vida loca.

P.S. Did you notice that not a lot was said about Stacie or McKenzie. Well, Stacie is applying for a summer job, but we haven't heard back on anything yet. As for McKenzie, well, Kenzie might be bored.

Y.E.S.

2011-05-18T16:44:00.006-06:00

No. This is not the "all about Jessica" blog. But I do want to share the kids' highlights and accomplishments, and since she is the oldest, she seems to have more of those at the moment. That said, here is the press release I submitted to our local newspaper. Unfortunately, they cut it down to about 3 sentences.

Jessica Esplin, a junior at Billings West High School, was selected to participate in the national Rifle Association's annual national Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.). Y.E.S. is a seven-day, expense paid educational experience in Washington, D.C. for outstanding high school sophomores and juniors. While in the nation's capital, Jessica will learn the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights while developing an understanding of government and the importance of actively participating in it.

Jessica was selected from numerous qualified applicants from across the country. Jessica was required to complete an extensive application, which included the submission of transcripts, an essay about the Second Amendment, a personal statement, and three personal recommendations.

Jessica is co-president of the creative writing club at West High School. She is a Red Cross certified life guard and works summers for the Billings Department of Parks and Recreation as a life guard and swim instructor. Jessica also works part time during the school year at Hobby Lobby while maintaining a 3.73 grade point average. She is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in which she serves as secretary of the stake youth committee and also as 1st counselor in the Central Ward Laurels class. Jessica enjoys cooking, archery and outdoor activities. Jessica hopes to attend college upon graduation to study forensic science and eventually wants to work in a crime lab.

The National Rifle Association launched Y.E.S. in 1996 in an effort to encourage America's youth to become active and knowledgeable citizens at both national and local levels.

A Few Ramblings...

2011-05-03T21:05:00.006-06:00

When I first started the whole "blog" thing, I had visions of showing my extended family the exciting things that were happening with the kids. They would see day trips and dances and Halloween costumes. I also thought that they would get to witness our home remodel virtually. Well, that isn't happening. I take the pictures, but don't load them to the blog. Our home remodel is progressing so painfully slow that I am almost embarrassed to let people see the inside of my house. We have fun times with the kids, but I get so wrapped up in being the mom that I don't take the time to be the blogger mom. Guess what? I'm OK with that.

Lately, I check my e-mail and my facebook from my cell phone; sometimes it's while I'm waiting for a child to finish with a certain activity, but mostly at night when I finally fall into bed. No, our house is not spotless. There is pet hair on more than just the pets. The children aren't perfect. (Just the opposite: I got a call from the school this afternoon telling me that one of the children had been late 10 times in the last month and I didn't even know about it! I guess that's what I get for starting my shift at work before they start school, huh?) Welcome to real life.

But if the above ramblings are real life (and they are), then so are the feelings I had this afternoon watching my son as part of an eager troop of 8 year old cub scouts, venturing across the church yard to an empty parking lot with fishing poles in hand. Their objective: To learn how to cast a fishing rod. You could seriously see the excitement radiating from the backs of their little yellow neckerchiefs. I was struck by how different but similar they were. Seeing the backs of all those blue and yellow upper bodies was such a contrast to the jeans, athletic pants and even plaid knee shorts. There were brown heads and blond heads and red heads. But there was also determination and purpose and potential. They were going to learn. They were going to succeed. They were going to have fun doing it. And for a moment this afternoon, I got to watch. And then hear about it all the way home. Welcome to "mi vida loca."

Prom 2011

2011-03-20T16:53:00.007-06:00

I could give Angie & Thony another reason to call me "turbo tongue", but I think I'll just add a couple of captions and let you fill in the rest. Enjoy a visual review of the prom 2011.

Pinning on the boutonniere.

Slipping on the corsage. Notice how much easier his job was?

A close up of the flowers.

He done good. Real good!

The cute couple.

Jessica was very nervous.

"Relaxing" in the gazebo while waiting for the other couples to arrive.

Just couldn't resist the chance to make her daddy uncomfortable.

The group in front of the limo.

Laundry Room

2011-02-02T14:59:00.002-07:00

A long time ago I started this here blog so that my extended family could keep up with the children and see progress on our home remodel. As I have reviewed some of my posts, I don't see a lot of the home remodel coming across.

This is how we spent our January weekends: relocating the laundry area from downstairs to upstairs. Before, my washer was in the right corner of a basement room, and my dryer was about 15 feet away on the left. Inconvenient. Really inconvenient. Especially since the set is made to have the washer on the left and the dryer on the right. (At least that way the doors open away from each other and you don't have to do some crazy contortionist moves to change laundry!)

Hooray! My laundry machines are upstairs and centrally located in the mud room. We're not done with the project, I still want cabinets and paint and a floor that doesn't slope. And then there's the dryer vent issue. And the holes in the drywall where electrical and plumbing were run. And a door that needs replacing and a window that needs removal. And I won't even start on the kids' bathroom....

Shopping

2010-12-15T21:04:00.003-07:00

Hello. I'm not dead. I'm not quitting the whole "blog" business. I've just been busy. It's December. I work in a retail enviroment. That should explain it all. However, I still have to do other things, like clean the house (not very clean right now), taxi children (thank goodness Jessica has a license and can help with that), fix meals (we can't eat leftovers if I don't make something in the first place), and buy groceries (which is why I'm posting tonight).

I ventured into our neighborhood IGA this afternoon with all 5 children in tow. No, I was not needing medication, I was needing groceries. See, the local IGA was running a 1 day sale on items that we needed to stock up on. However, they were also limiting quantities on these items to 2 per customer. Yep, you guessed it! I handed each child a list and some cash and told them to go become a customer. Here are our amazing results:

12 -5 lb. bags of flour
6 - 2 lb. bags of powdered sugar
6 - 2 lb. bags of brown sugar
4 dozen eggs
6 -16 oz. bags of frozen veggies
12 - 2 lb. blocks of cheddar cheese (thank heavens for the food processor and the freezer!)
12.62 lbs. of apples
3 bags of chocolate chips
2 -8 oz. packages cream cheese

Total spent: $76.92.
Total savings: $62.49 (Not counting the apples, because they didn't have the regular price listed on my receipt. But, at 49 cents/pound, I wasn't about to pass them up!)

Not bad for 30 minutes, huh?

Fantastic Friday and Fall Ball

2010-11-14T17:04:00.005-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted. Here's what's been keeping me busy, besides my children: About 3 weeks ago I received a phone call asking if I would help with crafts for our ward's Fantastic Friday. Sure. So, this is some of what I came up with and we made last Friday night.

Snowmen ornaments: My kids called the one on the left the "painted" snowman, and the one on the right was the "melted" snowman. The right one has black pom-poms and orange foam inside to be his "melted" face.

They say that the highest for of flattery is imitation. I'm really guilty of a lot flattery then, because most of my ideas were tweaked versions of something I found on-line. I've been told that this little snowman guy can be made with a 2x4 and an old sock for his hat. *Note: Since this picture was taken, I have snipped the top part of his "hat" to make it look like a pom-pom.

The hardest part of this project was finding someone who could cut our vinyl and get it back to us in time for our event. A local business, Sign Pro, came through big time! This project seriously only takes 5 minutes, and that's if you polish the plate first AND spend a lot of time talking to your neighbor.

This was our most popular project. We had 36 of these signed up for, and could probably have sold another 15 if I would have had the vinyl and wood available! Earl cut every piece of this project, including the parts you can't see. Nathan, McKenzie & Porter sanded all of the little "letter blocks". A lot of work, but so worth it if the ladies enjoyed themselves!

Hannah (left) and Stacie all dressed up to go the the RMCC homeschooler's "Fall Ball". The girls spent the morning Saturday with dance instruction and then went back for the "Ball" later that evening. It was a formal night (complete with a "Grand March" and a dance card.) Unfortunately, the boys in attendance were overcome with the girls' beauty and did not work up the courage to actually dance with either of these beautiful ladies.

My little girl is getting pretty grown up. *tear*

FREE!

2010-10-09T21:42:00.003-06:00

My talented cousin Chelsie is giving away one of her temple pictures for free! I want one, and if you check out her blog, you're going to want one, too! Here's the link: http://www.ldstemplepictures.blogspot.com/. Here's a preview:

Reality TV and Me

2010-09-21T16:08:00.004-06:00

I'm not a HUGE fan of "reality" TV, just a fan. I really like 19 Kids and Counting, but I'm not sure if some of my other favorites really count as reality TV. (Sweat Equity, Holmes on Homes, and House Hunters all let us get a glimpse into another person's home, but isn't that a totally different issue?) Well, my friend Michelle (no, not Michelle Duggar) thinks that the "adventures" our family has are better than "reality TV". Part of me thinks that she might be right, but I'm not about to invite a camera crew in to document the whole thing! Here's what she was giggling about yesterday.

Story #1: The bunny has been moved into the family room. We won't get into the "why or what fore", but just leave it at Nathan & Stacie are now taking care of the rabbit. Yesterday I woke up late and had to rush to make it to work on time. Earl didn't have to be to work until 1 hour later, so he had the privilege of making sure the kids were dressed, combed, and fed. Nathan handled this part with amazing speed, so he decided that he would take care of the bunny's cage before school. No problem. He empties the "catch pan", changes the "piddle pad" and makes sure the bunny has food. Not a difficult task, and certainly not one that means that the bunny needs to get out of the cage and hop around the family room. Of course, my son, the responsible one, would never get the bunny out of the cage before school! And if he did do this, he would surely make sure that he had an adult around to control the dog. (Did you catch the sarcasm here, folks?)

When Earl got out of the shower, he heard Nathan & McKenzie yelling at the dog. Nate was fully dressed, but Kenzie was doing the "one shoe on, one sock on" dance through the family room. Porter was in the other shower. The dog was chasing the bunny around the family room. You can see it--they were doing laps; the bunny was terrified, the dog was playing with her new "toy". When Earl finally got the dog under control, she was so winded from playtime that she just flopped right down on the floor! The bunny had been wise enough to seek sanctuary underneath the love seat. Needless to say, there is a new rule in place that involves the restriction of "no bunny out of his cage before school."

Story #2: The might hunter was on the prowl again Thursday night. Not really a surprise here, because Sly the cat goes out almost every night. Friday morning the kids were excited to tell me that there was a live bird flying around the basement (yes, again.) Oh, goody. The mighty hunter had failed to kill his trophy before depositing it in Stacie's bedroom. Feathers everywhere. I really only had 2 thoughts: at least it was in the basement and I hope Sly actually kills it the next time he catches it. I finally got the kids off to school, handled my morning, and started working on canning peaches.

So, I'm sitting at the table peeling peaches when suddenly this bird flies upstairs and lands on the railing right by my canning supplies! ICK! I don't want "bird germs" in my canning! My grand plan--prop open the screen doors and the bird will fly outside. Right? Dumb bird (as I had now named him, because he was dumb enough to get caught by the cat) decided to fly down to the family room. Ok, my plan was working. He would see the open door and fly through it! Wrong. Dumb Bird decided that the skylights were more to his liking, so after studying them out for some time, he decided to fly up through the southwest skylight. Flap!Flit!Flap!Flit! Dumb bird can't figure out how to get through the skylight. (Duh! It doesn't open! I told you he was a dumb bird!)

So, he lands on the M&M dispenser we have next to the tv, where he catches his birdy breath and spies the southeast skylight. Maybe if the last one didn't work, this one will! (Should I point out that Dumb Bird has flown right past the open doorway at this point?!) Flap!Flit!Flap!Flit! Dumb Bird can't get out of this skylight, either. So he flies back toward the front room, spies a 3rd skylight (we have 6 he could have chosen from) and tries the whole thing a 3rd time! Same results. A battered birdy body hitting repeatedly against the skylight does not make a pretty sound.

By now Dumb Bird has flown back into the dining/front room area and is now perched on the giant Tootsie Roll bank we keep coins in. He keeps looking around and I swear he's plotting ways to contaminate my peaches! Finally, he decides the flowers must look real (the don't and they aren't), so he flies over and tries to land on them. Big mistake. The plastic stems can't hold the weight of a dumb bird, so he flops onto the floor. Right in front of the open screen door! Do you think he will notice this one?! He does the little birdy bounce toward the door. Yes, Dumb Bird, it's still open. Another little bounce. Still open. A slight breeze comes through and I think Dumb Bird finally figured it out, because suddenly, he was on the front lawn! Yeah! No more birdy germs by my peaches! (Thank goodness they will be cooked for so long--it'll kill all the Dumb Bird germs!)

So, are we more entertaining than reality TV? Probably not, but we are more real.

Looking Back

2010-09-03T13:45:00.010-06:00

Next weekend is our 17 year anniversary. No, we do not have grand plans. Originally I had asked Earl to redeem all those "frequent stayer" points on his hotel rewards card and take me away for an over-nighter. I changed my mind, however, and have actually asked him for a new breaker box. I really would like to get a move on some of this home improvement stuff, and since everything seems to be waiting on the electrical components, I want a new breaker box. I know...silly girl!

Sometimes I wonder about this whole home improvement stuff. We are torn up. There really isn't any such thing as a "clean" house around here. How can you really clean with walls missing or closets only half completed? Have you ever tried to clean hardwood floors that have a worn/missing finish? It just doesn't work all that great. Admittedly, it's getting a little wearing. For an "everything in it's place, organized neat freak" like myself, this is trying on the nerves. However, I have to keep ~~reminding~~ convincing myself that the kids will remember the fun stuff more than the fact that the floors weren't shiny. With that, here is my attempt to capture part of our summer in photos (I've already documented part of the summer here.) Hopefully this will help me remember that raising children is more important than having a perfect home.

Nathan in his "space hat" before his tonsillectomy. (Here's a tickle your funny bone moment: When the doctor gave Nate a comic book about his surgery, instead of "Tonsils and Adenoids", Nathan read "Tonsils and Asteroids". Kind of fitting that he would have a flying saucer on his head to have his asteroids removed!)

This was taken at Zoo Montana in the "Sensory Garden".

I think the "farmer dad" would be a little cuter if I could see her face more and her forehead less...

These funny looking guys are called "Red Pandas". They're quite the playful little guys, but in this picture they seem to be saying "Go away so I can take a nap!"

Jessica entered a couple of items at Montana Fair this year. She won a blue ribbon and best of show ribbon for the pears she canned for Wassmers last year! Her photograph taken in the Pryor mountains won a white ribbon. Pretty great for a first time entry! The younger kids have all decided that they want to enter items in the fair next year. I think we are going to be busy! (Not pictured: I entered a loaf of bread and a plate of cinnamon rolls, too. I won blue ribbons on both of my entries.)

Pop Quiz!

Question: What happens when you are driving on the freeway at 80 mph and the tire blows out? Answer: This. Followed quite closely by a few rapid heartbeats and a little deep breathing. Thankfully, Earl was driving and always insists on carrying tools in our travels. Most people don't have a cordless impact wrench when changing a tire on the side of the road. He did!

Ready! Aim! ~~Fire~~ Water!
At Pappy's birthday party, the water balloon launcher was a huge success! In the background you can see the bounce castle that was equally popular. What a fun birthday party for my sweet grandpa. Mom, Aunt Vera and Aunt Velma sure know how to plan a great event that had something for everyone! (Yes, it was worth the blown tire to attend!)

My Life is Like Dandelion Fluff

2010-08-25T20:46:00.009-06:00

Ever have one of those days/weeks/months where "stuff" just floats around in your brain and you can't quite latch on to it? It's kind of like blowing all the fluff off of the dandelion and then wanting it all back. Or maybe how little kids love trying to catch bubbles, but once they touch the bubbles, the bubbles pop. Maybe I'm not making much sense yet, but hang with me a while.

Today was the first day of school for my youngest 4 children. Jessica didn't have to go because they only want students who are "new to the building" on the first day. (Rough translation: We are so stinkin' big we are going to give you a head start before all the know-it-alls return.) This is the first year that I haven't been able to take my youngest kids to school on the first day. I got them up and ready, took the pictures (except for Stacie, because she was a slow-poke), and made sure the lunch boxes and water bottles were ready. Then I piled Stacie in the vehicle and left for work, dropping Stacie off on my way and asked Jessica take the others to school. They were fine. They had a wonderful day. They remembered to brush teeth and take their lunch box and lock the door behind them. So, why do I feel like I want the "fluff" back?

Another first today. Jessica went on her first date. It's a little weird, however, because K. doesn't have a driver's license yet. So, Jessica is driving, he is paying. Does that make anyone else say "huh?" So, now I'm wondering where my "little girl" went and why I suddenly feel twice the age that the calendar shows for me. Add in a little nostalgia from my weekend with my extended family (which was not even close to long enough!) and a little "my hubby's been on the road for 3 weeks now", and I think I might have a clue as to my mood. But I still don't know how to put all the fluff back on the dandelion.

Growing up

2010-07-22T20:33:00.004-06:00

Every mom has a "baby". The youngest child. The one who's milestones make her heart catch just a little, because she knows that with each milestone achieved, this will be her "last-first". Last "first steps", last "first day of kindergarten", last "first time riding a 2-wheeler"...

Last, "Dad, when will I get to mow the lawn?"

Last "first time mowing the lawn"

Last, "Look how big I am, Mom"
*tear*

I write like...

2010-07-18T12:07:00.005-06:00

Today I took one of those crazy quizzes on Facebook. You know the type--they "predict" the day you are going to die, or which celebrity singer you are most like, etc. I don't often take these quizzes because, quite frankly, I figure I'll die when I die, and I don't really care what celebrity singer I'm most like. However, the title of this one: "I write like".

Hmm....this could be interesting! Perhaps my style is most like my literary heroine, Erma Bombeck. Maybe I will find something very interesting about my writing style, something in-depth and soul-reveling. So I post my 2 paragraphs, take a deep breath and click "analyze". It only takes seconds to get my results. Erma Bombeck? Nora Roberts? Debbie Macomber? Nope.

I write like Stephen King. Apparently, I scare the shorts off of folks by writing about evil dogs, psychotic high-school students, or people that kill their wealthy boss. Well, isn't that interesting....

While we were out

2010-07-13T12:39:00.012-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I was able to attend girl's camp with my darling daughters.

While they were out and hiked forever and a year and wandered all over the countryside, I was peacefully hanging out in this cabin making memories with other girls who were busily creating crafty projects.

One of our simplest projects was this vinyl on mirror.

On Monday Earl sent me a text with this picture attached. The text said simply: "K, just hanging out." I showed this to Jessica & Stacie the next morning and they asked, "What are Nathan & 'Kenzie doing?" My response: "What are they doing it on?" Yep. While we were out, Earl removed the old cook top and wired in our new stove & oven. Baking, anyone?

While we were at camp, we were entertained by Sis. Betts, Bro. Pennington & Sis. McClain. The were showing us exactly how to get ready for girl's camp. Too bad that Sis. Grosman, Bro. Marvin & Sis. Smith were behind the "curtain" being their arms. The brethren really need more practice applying lipstick.

While we were laughing ourselves sick at camp over the antics of our leaders, McKenzie, Porter & Nathan got to put on these cool "Mormon Helping Hands" vests and assist with the clean up at Metra Park from Billings' Father's Day tornado. Beside the reward of service, they were also given free tickets to the upcoming fair. Wahoo!

While these girls dutifully studied their scriptures each morning, their leaders had a "pow-wow" to coordinate for the days activities. On one particular morning, Sister Jordan entertained us all with her amazing Spanish translation of Sister Olsen's confusion.

While on our way home, I stopped to get pictures of the wind mills for Stacie. Our vehicle load of sleep-deprived, sugar-hyped campers decided to do the chicken dance for on-coming traffic (what little traffic there is to be seen in Judith Gap, Montana). They got 1 "thumbs-up" and 1 "honk".

After we got home Thursday night, I convinced Earl to take the family to the drive-in. We were waiting for the show to start, so Jessica & Stacie started teaching the others a new song we had learned called "The Jellyfish". While they were singing, a Suburban load came past us and yelled out "We busted you doing the Jellyfish!" One of Jessica's 1st year campers was coming to enjoy the same show as us.

And now you know what happened "while we were out".

R.I.P.

2010-07-10T20:38:00.002-06:00

Ducky the Gerbil is dead. Sly the cat ate him. This time the text was not a mistake. There was no more lucky escapes for Ducky. Jessica found a tuft of fur, some intestines and a back leg. Tears were shed. Ducky will be missed by all (except maybe Grandma McKenzie, who isn't fond of rodents). Rest in peace, Ducky.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2010-06-20T17:10:00.006-06:00

Actually, I really like rain storms. I really like thunder storms. My older children love a good thunder storm, my younger children--not so much. A few minutes after we got home from church today, the tornado warning sirens started going off. The younger three were in a panic. They have been sent downstairs (where there are no windows and thick concrete walls) so that they can watch a movie and not get quite so worked up because of the storm.

But the reason behind my title for this here post is such: My family room wall has sprung 5 leaks. One of them seriously looks like a drinking fountain that has been locked in the "on" position. We have the mop bucket catching the water, and in the last 30 minutes or so, have emptied the bucket twice already. I also have a "Homer" bucket (the bright orange ones that you can buy at Home Depot) catching a drip from my family room ceiling, and we put a towel down on the piano bench to catch the leak where one of the old fireplace chimneys went through. ( I say "one of" because there used to be 4.) So, while I love a good thunder storm and enjoy a rain storm, I guess I'm a bit demanding when I say that I would like the water to stay on the outside of my house. Details, details.

PS: My older girls thought that they should go play in the rain and I just couldn't resist the urge to get some photos of their craziness.

Jessica is catching the rain-turned-hail to bring to me.

Notice how deep the water looks in relation to Stacie's leg? Craziness.

Yes, the girls could actually ring water out of the clothing when they came inside.

CopyCat

2010-06-02T20:52:00.009-06:00

Some might say that I'm a "copycat" since I am using Angie's idea of a teacher gift for our kiddos to hand out, too. However, since she did call me and say, "You know those cute little light bulb shaped jars at Hobby Lobby? What could I do with one of them for a gift for D's teacher?" and I came up with the answer, well, I can't be copycatting myself, can I?

Ok, fine. So I am copycatting my sister. I've done it before and will probably do it again. Get over it already!

Here is my version of the light bulb gift. Hope you enjoy it.

This is the light bulb jar filled with Jelly Beans.

My little chalkboard looking sign says "It's BEAN a great year! Thanks for enLIGHTening my mind! Love," and the kiddos will sign their name. Not bad for a 35-second phone call idea, huh?

Our 2 Honor Roll Students

2010-05-29T18:39:00.003-06:00

I am admittedly biased, but we have amazing girls. Our 2 oldest daughters are great students and good examples for their younger siblings. This week Stacie's school had an reception and awards assembly that I was invited to attend. Jessica has been on the honor roll for EVERY quarter since starting 7th grade. (That's 16 quarters & counting, folks!) I thought that I would boost their self-esteem by posting this for y'all to read, and I've included a few interesting photos just to keep you reading to the end. Enjoy!

Stacie (right) and her friend A.B.

Both received certificates for being on the honor roll for 7 consecutive quarters. A.B. also got a faculty award, and a presidential honor roll award. Stacie received a gold medal for being part of the 1st place team for "Battle of the Books." The students were encouraged to "dress up" for the assembly. A.B. decided to be a rebel and wear part of her dad's suit with black, knee-length shorts & purple high-tops. Stacie's version of dressing up was to have "Laura Ingalls" braids instead of her normal pony tail. The bright blue shirt is part of her "uniform" for BARK, where she volunteers every Friday after school. (See, I told you she was a great girl!)

Jessica spent 4 1/2 hours at the salon getting her hair dyed red, white & blue. Like her daddy says, "If dying her hair funny colors is the worst thing she ever does, then we've done pretty good raising her." She's kind of excited for the reaction she'll get at church tomorrow.

Aren't her curls BEAUTIFUL!? She doesn't wear her hair down very often because it "poofs" and goes frizzy. We're hoping that the products they used at the salon today will help prevent that.

Here's a better shot of the "blue" stripes. She only has the blue around her face, and the red & blond are through the rest of her hair. Other than the blue, I think the colors are great! And, an honor roll student can have funny colored hair if she wants. In my mind--she's earned it!

Hi Honey. How was your day?

2010-05-18T21:21:00.011-06:00

Famous words, huh? Ever say them? Yeah, me either. Here's a little example why:

Today, the highlight of my day was going to Albertson's with Stacie to pick up a few groceries. I didn't do too bad, money wise. I managed to bag a cart-load of groceries for $89.22. Total savings today: $130.00 All-in-all, a pretty good grocery trip.

Earl's day: Drove to Great Falls. Got into a helicopter. Found out from the pilot that they needed to fly around to "burn off fuel" and he got to see some sights along the way. Landed on the top of a mountain. Repaired a generator. Got back into the helicopter for an eventful but safe ride down the mountain. Drove home.

So, how was my day you ask? I'd say it was pretty darn boring. But, thanks for asking.

Cake Class Final Exam

2010-05-04T19:54:00.005-06:00

Tonight was the girls' final cake decorating class. They seemed to enjoy cake decorating, but struggled with the teaching methods of their instructor. Stacie was a little put out with the instructor, tonight especially. As Stacie explained: "She did this, and this, and this, and that, and basically HALF of MY cake". Unfortunately, the girls want to take course 2, just not from their current instructor. As promised, here are a few pictures of their "final exam" cakes. Note: Their color choices perfectly reflect their personalities.

Jessica's cake is all Jessie: Red, White & Blue.

Stacie's cake is purple, green and yellow. Stacie has always liked purple.

A blurry close up of Jessica's cake. That red blob is actually several roses. The writing says "God Bless the USA".

A close up of Stacie's cake. Her written sentiment pretty much explains her attitude about the class : "I'm Done!"

A little bit of irony

2010-05-03T19:04:00.003-06:00

I know that my brain is wired a little differently than most. I've accepted and embraced the fact that those things that I find humorous, not many others will. For example, the owner of the company I work for is Mr. Green. The computer intranet system we use is "Verde", which means "green" in Spanish. I get a little chuckle out of that. Not really anything spectacular, but worth a Monday morning giggle, anyway. (Especially after the computer monitor went belly up and we got a new one which shows the Verde menu in, you guessed it, green.)

So, today I check my e-mail and my dear sweet husband sent the following picture and text:

This beats the heck out of those ADT and Brinks Home Security signs.

The ironic part of this: The home security guy came to our door tonight. What are the odds? Told you that I had a twisted sense of humor.

Just because I could...

2010-04-30T18:37:00.007-06:00

I have a very handy hubby. Some people call him a "minimizer" because he thinks so many things are just "what you do". Brake problems on a vehicle? Fix them. Only 2 bedrooms in a house for 7 people? Build more. Daughter needs a mousetrap powered contraption for school? No problem! I guess that 17 + years of being together have rubbed off on me a little. Let me tell you a little story...

A friend of ours just replaced his "1 year old, came with the house he just bought" toilet with a "fat man" (his words, not mine) version. He asked how we were on toilets. Well...now that you ask...the kids' toilet is so old that it's not even a "low flow" model. The seat is the old 1980's "oak" wood version. Stylish in its day, but worn to the point of near slivers. (And for the record, I would have changed out the seat, but the "brass" hinges are so rusted on I can't get them off!)

Go ahead, insert your best redneck joke here: Well, we got us a new toilet! Because Earl has had a long week at work and because I wanted to make the weekend easier for him, Nathan and I installed a new toilet tonight. Who says that all those hours/days/weeks/years of DIY TV and This Old House don't pay off? Bolt snap off during removal? No problem, I installed a new one. New wax ring? Checkity check. Did I install it because Earl wouldn't? Nope. I installed it just because I could.

Cake Class

2010-04-27T20:43:00.005-06:00

Stacie asked to take the cake decorating class offered at Hobby Lobby. She begged, pleaded and somehow convinced Jessica to take the class with her. Last week (week 2) was a bit of a disaster. (Let's just leave it at Jessica didn't take a cake to class and Stacie's cake didn't make it past the dumpster once we got home.) This week was much better. Take a look at the cute cupcake clowns the girls made tonight! Next week is graduation. I'll try to show you their "final exam cake".

Jessica's clowns. She says that she "killed" the first one, so she piped an arrow next to it so he could play dead. Silly girl!

2 of Stacie's clowns. The one on the left is kind of splayed out like he's on his "tummy".

All 4 of Stacie's clowns: 2 laying down, 2 sitting up.

A little closer look at Jessica's clowns.

All grown up, part 1

2010-04-23T19:50:00.002-06:00

One indication that your "baby" is no longer a "baby"...

When purchasing new underwear for said off-spring, you notice that the needed size no longer comes in "fun cartoon characters". Hence, the big-kid underwear truly is for a big kid. *tear

Counting blessings

2010-04-17T20:42:00.005-06:00

Thanks, Farmgirl, for reminding me that every once in a while we ought to use the blog as a way to count our blessings. So, for your review (and to reinforce this in my own mind), a few random things I have noticed in the last couple of days that I've been blessed with. (In no particular order, folks!)

I have a home. It might be under re-construction and often more un-tidy than I would care for, but it's ours.

We have children.

They are healthy.

They are active.

They try hard to behave.

They try hard in school.

We have food. The children might not want to eat what we have, but we have it. We have never had to go to bed hungry.

We might have times when money is tight, but we have never had to choose between heat and eat.

My husband loves me. He shows me in little ways, like letting me take a Saturday afternoon nap. Without interruptions. And he washes the pots & pans.

I have a job. I love my job. In fact, one of my many passwords is 1GR8JOB. I am good at my job. I know this because my boss actually told me. So, not only do I have a good job, but I have a good boss, too.

This list could continue for quite some time. The funny thing about counting your blessings, once you get started, the mind opens up and you start to realize just how much you have to be thankful for. Making your own list? I'd love to read it!

What's in a name?

2010-04-09T20:37:00.005-06:00

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose would smell as sweet..." Shakespeare had it right when he penned those famous words. However, I do find the names that our pets have been given just a tad ironic, bizarre and just plain weird.

I submit the following for your review:

A gerbil named Ducky.

A cat named BearCat.

A turtle named Flash.

The dictionary claims that "flash" means "sudden, instant...". Somehow I don't normally think of sudden and instant in the same context as turtle. Not that the turtle will come when called anyway. Come to think of it, the kids don't usually come when called either.

Playing catch-up

2010-03-27T21:19:00.005-06:00

No, catch-up is not a fabulous new game invented by the Esplin children designed to keep children quiet and parents happy. It is the pathetic attempt I will make to share some of the goings-on in our life the last few weeks. Also, I finally loaded some (ok, 428) pictures from my camera. Cut me some slack, wouldja, I've been a little busy learning a new position at work!

"Mom! Santa left his whole, entire bag at our house!" The kids sure had a fun time crawling in to find the next treasure. We had the kids take turns crawling into the bag to find a present and then whoever the gift was addressed to was able to unwrap.

For birthdays this year, each of the children were given roller blades from Mom & Dad. Earl put on his blades to go teach the younger children how to skate. He worked his way 2 houses down and turned around to come home. After pushing off with his right foot, the skate completely fell apart! It was quite the sight to see his stocking foot in mid-air without a skate on! The mess above is the result of his adventure.

Nathan's pinewood derby car. He was a little disappointed that he didn't win one of his races, but he did win Best in Show for the second year in a row. (Sorry the picture is a little out of focus, but this is the picture that showed the most of his car. In case you aren't a NASCAR fan, this is Nathan's version of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 88 Amp Energy car.)

This next week the kids are on spring break from school. Do we have fabulous plans? Not really. Amazing adventures in store? Nope. We've got nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. We are so boring that our plans include Mom and Dad going to work, the kids sleeping in, and each child getting the opportunity to cook lunch for his/her siblings one day next week. I think Stacie might go for a mega-bike ride. Click here for her mapped route. I'll let you know how that goes.

Is this contangious?

2010-03-07T17:46:00.004-07:00

Ever had one of those "I don't wanna" days? Ever had several of them in a row? How'd that work out for you? Probably as well as it has for me. I want to do the things I want to do at the time I want to do them. Maybe if I were 3 years old, I could throw a temper tantrum and get my own way. Seeing as how I am not a 3 year old, I guess that I have to keep trudging through. I think I have a serious case of spring fever. Too bad there isn't a sick day for that, huh?

A little guilt is a good thing!

2010-02-28T11:37:00.005-07:00

We all know that mothers have a special knack at invoking feelings of guilt in their offspring. I've always wondered how, exactly, my mom could do that. I've decided it must be a result of all those pregnancy hormones. Apparently, it also works on husbands. Consider the following scenario as proof:

Last year Earl came home and told me that he had put a handgun on lay-away. OK, no problem. At least I wouldn't have to listen to him tell all about how he wanted one and explain all the numerous reason why we should own one, but don't tell him that. I really didn't care one way or the other, but we will keep that as our little secret. Fast forward about 65 days. The gun is now paid for in full and my sweetheart comes to pick me up from work on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. He admits, sheepishly, that the little bit-o-metal now resides at our home; he had paid off the lay-away almost 30 days early. I think he might have been feeling a bit guilty, because without any hope, I asked, "So, I get to spend an equal amount on myself now, right?" His reply. "Sure." Holy cow! This is better than winning the lotto!

My first step was to repeated bid on various Cricut machines on E-Bay. To my surprise, I won one of the auctions. That little gem was my Christmas gift from Earl. *wink-wink* Early last week I received an e-mail from a vendor that announced that Cricut cartridges (normally between $60 & $90 each) were on sale for $29.99 each. Cha-ching! Engaging a little of that afore mentioned guilt, I pressed a check for $160 from Earl so that I could purchase 5 of those little gems and have them sent 2-3 day priority mail. Now I have a little under half of my original amount spent. I wonder what will be next? Laminator? Rolly desk chair? Ott-light lamp? By the time I actually decide and spend, perhaps he will have purchase another little bit-o-metal and I can begin this whole process again. One can always hope!

My Crazy Conversation

2010-02-24T06:59:00.005-07:00

Life has made me become more of a morning person that I want to be. You don't get to sleep late when you have kids...duh. But, admittedly, I'm not always fully awake when I start rousting out the little people. Because of that, I sometimes wonder if I say or hear crazy things. Today, I really did have the following conversation with my children.

McKenzie: "Did you know there is a bird in the laundry room?"
Me: "Huh? Is it dead?"
McKenzie: "No, it's flying around."

Hmm....text Stacie and Jessica the following. "According to McKenzie there is a bird in the laundry room. Any guess how that got in the house?"

Stacie replies: "Sly was playing with it in my room. Did you know that cats can fly?"
I admit...I've had some crazy "did that really happen moments", but I think this one takes all!

Thursday Night Drama (posted on Friday)

2010-02-12T20:00:00.004-07:00

Thursdays are my long day at work. As such, I turn into the poster-mom for "Bad Mother's United". After my long day, I grabbed my phone to check for messages on my way out from work. Stacie had sent me one very short message. It read: "Ducky's dead. Sly ate him." HUH?!?

Talk about dangling the carrot--I really wanted to find out what that was all about! However, in my deliriously tired state, I'll admit, I found it just a bit funny that the cat had just been accused of eating the gerbil. It didn't take me long to snap back into Mom-mode and feel pity for Jessica and her beloved pet, especially when I called and she was in tears. (FYI--Jessica simply does not show emotions very often.) Here's the "drama": The devil cat had finally climbed up and managed to push the gerbil cage off its really high shelf. Plastic cage plus inertia equals a shattered cage and a chase. The gerbil ran for his life with an "evil" predator in hot pursuit. We don't know where, exactly, Ducky went. He was missing. The cat was blamed--with good reason. It got late. No corpse was recovered. We went to bed. Well, some of us went to bed....

Next text. This time from Jessica, time stamped 11:40 pm. (I didn't actually read this text until 6:30 this morning. I tend to really sleep when I'm asleep.) Her message: "I found Ducky. The cat got him in his mouth and gave him a scratch." The gerbil lives! We still don't know how or where, but the hunted outran the hunter and managed to escape. I'm not sure what the gerbil thinks of his "rescue"...he got put in his exercise ball for the night. That's quite the downsize in living quarters. Currently, he is housed in a photo storage box with his water dispenser weighting down the lid. The cat has been released from jail (Stacie's room), but I don't think he's been forgiven yet. And now there is one more reason for Earl to finish building that gerbil cage he started before Christmas. We have a homeless gerbil and a hungry cat...hmm....I wonder how that is going to work out for us?

B.O.B.

2010-02-05T17:44:00.003-07:00

B.O.B. in this case isn't the name of our last co-manager or even that blue blobby guy on Monsters vs. Aliens, but rather a middle school acronym for Battle of the Books. Stacie and 3 friends competed in B.O.B. on Thursday. They ~~won~~ tied for first place with another team. Now they get the privilege of competing against other middle school teams in the city at the "City-Wide Battle Of the Books." Sounds official, huh? Can't you just hear some deep-voiced Mike Rowe"ish" announcer echoing that through the arena? It probably won't happen quite like that.

In B.O.B., the students are given a list of 16 books to read. Yes, they read all of the books. No, this is not part of a class. Yes, they do this in addition to all their other homework, music lessons, sports, church, etc. Yes, they choose to participate. There were 22 teams and 85 students who signed up to go to battle. Each team is asked a question regarding one of the books, for example, "In which book was there a virtual game head-set that made you feel like you were inside the game?" For the answer, you must give the book title and the author, in this case "The Bar-Code Tatoo" by Suzanne Weyn. If they can't remember all of the author's name, they don't get full points. If they don't know the answer at all, the next team can "steal" points by giving a correct answer.

I am so proud of Stacie for being part of a winning team! But I am also just a little perplexed. I wonder how a girl who can remember all these little details for a battle of books, not remember to set a timer for the rice she has on the stove cooking? Hmm....she's probably just too busy reading!

Snow Days

2010-02-02T20:13:00.005-07:00

I have something to admit. I like snow. Call me crazy if you want to, but I enjoy curling up on the couch with a warm afghan and watching the snow come down. I like walking into a warm house and smelling a pot of soup that has been simmering all day in the crock-pot. I like feeling the heat from the pellet stove and having an excuse "ta-not-to" as Mater would say. What better excuse to "not" go to the store, buy useless items, or run errands with 5 children in tow than slick, snow-covered roads? There isn't one!

I have been out of the snowy areas for several years. Western Oregon doesn't get much snow. We spent 8 years there. That's plenty of time to get "out of the habit" of having snow. Then we moved to south-central Montana. Oh, but you're in Montana, you say. Guess what? We are in a rain shadow. We don't really get much snow here on the plains. Except this year. We have had a lot. For a long time. Our first snow storm came on October 4th. That was almost 120 days ago. 120 days, folks! They don't plow side streets in my neck of the woods. There is no such thing as a "school snow day". We just have to "cowboy up" and deal with it.

Guess what? I'm getting tired of it. That's a long time to be in the white stuff. It can leave if it wants. I'm OK with that. REALLY OK. Then that stupid rodent in Pennsylvania has to go and tell us that we have 6 more weeks of winter?!? 162 days of white stuff? I think I'll go start planning my spring garden. I wonder, do they make flowers that bloom in 17 days? I think that may be all the summer we might get this year.

Family Free Day

2010-01-23T20:23:00.003-07:00

Can I just say, "I love my new position!" Because I am in the office and not working on the sales floor, when I finished my work this morning, the boss encouraged me to go home early. I believe his exact phrase was "so you're going to go play in the snow with the kids, right?" I can take a hint. Going and gone!

So what did I do with my now empty Saturday? Well, Earl and I took the kids to the Symphony. Yeah, you read that right, the symphony! Billings Symphony and Alberta Bair Theater put on a Family Free Day sponsored by one of the local mines. (Thanks Stillwater Mining!) Today's performance was "Pecos Bill" and was hilarious! "Pecos Bill" and the symphony conductor were as entertaining, and sometimes more entertaining than, the actual music. Some of the music was familiar: William Tell Overture and Hoedown. Did you click the links? Did you call it the "Lone Ranger Theme" and the "Beef: It's What's for Dinner" commercial music? I'll admit that's what I first thought. It was a fun and inexpensive way to spend an hour on a snowy Saturday. After we got home, I took a much needed nap and the kids built snow forts with dad on the front lawn. All in all, a pretty great day.

Every Queen needs a King, or how I spent my day off

2010-01-20T19:30:00.013-07:00

WARNING: This post will have to give some background information for you to fully appreciate the wonder that was my day. I'll try to keep it short(ish).

It isn't going to be often that I get a day off in the middle of the week anymore. I have requested and been given a new job at work. I will be in the office now and as such will have a schedule of more than 15 hours per week. However, today was one of those rare days when I got to be home during a week-day. Making today even more unusual was that Earl didn't have anything scheduled at work and was able to have a day at home with me. Yahoo!!

We have been in our house for over 2 1/2 years. We have a strange layout and lots of "levels" in our home. We have 3 "family areas" in our home, which we have simply named the "front room", because it is in the front of the house, the "family room", because that's where the family usually is, and the "game room", which is in the basement and once housed the now broken game system. We don't have a lot of furniture. (That's kind of an understatement!) We have 1 couch, 1 love seat, my glider rocker, and Earl "rescued" a recliner from somewhere. For a while, the kids had some bean bag chairs downstairs, but they are now in the family room. The last few times my visiting teachers have come to visit, we have been on folding chairs in the "front room" because the kids were in the "family room" watching TV. Not cool.

Enter yesterday. Earl came home from work asking if I could help him unload a some furniture some time that night. HUH? OK, I'll bite.... what furniture? It seems that the driver's lounge at work was being redecorated. In an effort to keep things "fair", all of the removed items were placed up for bid. Earl had mentioned this to me some time ago, but when I asked him about it, he said that he hadn't been in the shop and hadn't been able to bid on anything. Yesterday, he was in the shop. The bidding was to close yesterday afternoon. It seems that nobody had bid on the couch, chair, bookcase or end table. Figuring that he was being "clever", my sweetheart decided to bid on these items. Guess what? He won. His grand total--$30. However, one of his single-guy co-workers saw the end table and expressed interest in it, so Earl sold it. My front room now has a couch and chair and Jessica's room has a bookcase. I spent part of my day off cleaning furniture. (Thank goodness we have a carpet cleaner!) Total out of pocket, including carpet solution, $30. I'll let you be the judge on whether it was worth the money. Seems even the "Queen of Cheap" has a "King". PS: The pictures make them look kind of blue, but they are actually a charcoal gray color.

Saturday Slumps

2010-01-16T17:25:00.002-07:00

Ugh!!!! Send me back to work, please! I don't know if I can stand listening to the children argue for another 38 hours! (Well, at little less, because I will be sleeping for part of those hours, even if they don't!)
And, for the record, I may change my name soon. I don't think I want to answer to "mom" anymore. "Mom" gets asked the same question way too many times. Really, how many times do I need to tell the children that "no, they can't have a pop-tart" (5-once for each child) or that "yes, they can have a yogurt" (again, 5) or that they can watch a movie on the TV downstairs (isn't that why we gave them a DVD player for Christmas?) or that doing their chore means actually doing the chore they were assigned (I thought "sweep the floor" was pretty self-explanatory. My mistake.) Perhaps I just need a nap or a really good piece of chocolate. Or both.

Spoiled!

2010-01-08T08:30:00.003-07:00

Approximately 1 1/2 years ago I wrote a discouraged little tidbit about how my "baby" had started school. I commented on the lack of companionship. I lamented the growing of my children. I was SO misinformed!

Through a series of events I shall call "work", I have not experienced a day home, by myself, in several weeks. I have either been at work, or the children were home from school because of the ~~Christmas~~ winter break, or it has been a Sunday/Christmas day when the whole family is home together. I love my family. I really, truly like to spend time with them. That is one of the reasons that I work the shift I do (off by 2pm), so that I can be home with my children after school. With that, here is my whole point to this rather long-winded post.

I am home alone today! I do not have children to worry about feeding. I do not have arguments to referee, I do not have chores to supervise nor television/computer privileges to monitor.

I have the day to myself!

I only have 1 errand to handle. I have a few crafts that I would like to do. There is a book that is just building up to the good part. I have a few recorded programs that need viewing. In all, it promises to be a wonderful day. I better get busy enjoying it.

The Water Snowed

2010-01-07T19:26:00.005-07:00

It was a tad bit chilly here today. Not the typical, brr it's January and cold, but rather the "suck the warmth right out of your soul so that even your hair is cold" cold. School buses wouldn't start. I think the temperature at 7 am was -21. With the wind chill factor, it felt like -40. There were low lying areas around town where the temperature was actually -42. I don't even want to consider what the wind chill would have done. (I have experienced -40 with wind chill of -70; it's not pleasant.) Being the totally cool mom that I am, I gave the youngest 4 a skip day. (Jessica is just a tad dedicated and was out the door for seminary before I even could get both eyes open at the same time. Good thing I wasn't driving the carpool this week, huh?)

As I arrived at work, 4 giggly co-workers were headed up to the front doors with a cup of warm water. Their purpose: to toss it in the air and see how quickly it would freeze. Of course, I totally copied this idea and called the kids to suggest they do the same. 1 cup of hot water + 4 kids + frigid temperatures = a text that said "the water snowed". Apparently the water turned to snow before it could hit the front lawn. Who knew?

the super-condensed version

2010-01-04T18:21:00.004-07:00

There are dozens of things that I really ought to blog about. But, since my day has pretty much gone the way of the sewer, I'll give you the super-condensed version.

McKenzie was baptized on December 13th.
I got hit in the Excursion, again.
The insurance company totalled our vehicle. (Which translates to a check to the finance company and a paid-off but dented vehicle.)
I have applied for and begin training for a new position at work.
My oldest "babies" BOTH attended the stake New Year's Dance.
I have started the shopping for Christmas 2010.

There are other things I could tell you about, but since they directly relate to Ginger's "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day" I'll skip the rest. Happy New Year!

Dear Grandma

2009-12-02T08:28:00.006-07:00

I always wonder what kind of relationship my children feel that they have with their grandparents. I was blessed to live very close to my grandparents, and I sometimes feel guilty that my children aren't getting the same privilege that I had while growing up. That said, here is one of Stacie's school assignments that I found while going through the stack of schoolwork she left for my review. I'll skip all the address and date part--just to make me feel a little safer. ;)

Dear Grandma,

At this time of year, I would like you to know how much I appreciate you. First, I am really glad you taught me how to crochet. (Editor note: Grandma gave her about 1 hour worth of instruction!) Hot pads seem to disappear at our house, so I constantly have to keep making them. Also, I just finished my first dishrag. I also appreciate you for your funnies. I had a really bad day at school a couple of weeks ago and I walk into mom's room and mom tells me that she just called you. That's nothing out of the ordinary, until mom tells me what she said. She says that "you have created a monster", and that you didn't understand what that meant until mom told you. I thought that was so funny!

I would also like to thank you for showing me your afghans. I saw one of them with tassels on it and wondered how you made it. I wondered so much that I went and got a book that had an afghan with tassels in it. That's the same book that showed me how to make a dishrag.

Again, I would like to thank you for the wonderful aspects you have added to my life. I will be forever grateful for your love and support. I am so glad to have you in my life. With love, Stacie

Halloween pictures, a little late....

2009-11-23T14:47:00.004-07:00

OK, I admit it, I'm a little slow at posting pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes. I don't even have a valid excuse, I'm just slow. So, for your viewing pleasure--Halloween. (At least it's not Thanksgiving. Yet.)

Jessica as Abby from "NCIS".

Stacie "borrowed" an idea from my cousin and went as the "Swine Flu".

Nathan, with a puffed out chest, is proud to be dressed as Batman!

McKenzie makes a cute little cat. For our ward's trunk-or-treat she went as a duck.

Porter is a cowboy. He's not too happy because Mom made him have a moustache.

A little help, if you please

2009-11-08T19:38:00.002-07:00

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?

Go climb a tree

2009-10-21T09:41:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-10-14T19:26:00.004-06:00

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.

Combat Conference and ZigZags

2009-10-07T08:03:00.013-06:00

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.

Saturday we were invited to Mom & Pops' house for a family get together. I was ~~ordered~~ asked to make bread for dinner. I loved the opportunity to bake in a real oven again! We got to spend some time with Anthony'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.

Also on Saturday, Wendy (one of Earl's sisters), traveled from American Falls (where she had been visiting her first grandbaby) to Preston so that we could visit with her. We were able to visit for a little while on Saturday and then spend some more time with her on Sunday morning. Earl and I have been married 16 years, and I think this in only the 3rd or 4th time I have seen Wendy, the last time being 6 years ago at Dad Esplin's funeral. I don't think I have ever had the opportunity to just sit and visit with her. Thank you, Wendy, for making the extra effort to come to Preston!

Now we get to part one of the title of this little post. Combat Conference. I tweaked an idea from Anthony and Cheryl for this one. For each session of conference a "code word" is given. Any child who hears the code word could come to me for a treat. (Treats for the Sunday morning session was a tic tac, Sunday afternoon was twizzlers bites.) The "code word" changes at "half-time" (the intermediate hymn). At Thony's house, only the first person to raise their hand gets the treat (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!)

We drove home Monday, and for the most part it was pretty uneventful. Somewhere between Norris, Montana and Bozeman, Montana the long weekend and lack of sleep caught up with us and we turned into 7 laughing fools. I can't really tell you why we were laughing so hard, but I think it had something 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!

Monday almost half of the spuds were picked up (thank you!), the U-Haul trailer returned, 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.

We might be a bunch of loonies, but they're my loonies and I love them. Family is not just everything, they are the only thing that matter! I am so grateful that I got to spend a 3 day weekend with all of them. Now go give your family a squeeze and share a little laughter, it will make all the "yuck" go away, I promise!

Momma say what?!?

2009-09-26T18:14:00.003-06:00

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!

Extended Studies

2009-09-23T08:08:00.004-06:00

In Nathan's extended studies class they are learning about different cultures. His teacher sent home a note last week asking each student to bring in one item a week for the next 4 weeks to show where his family is from. Then she asked that the students not bring in anything that was an "automatic gimme" for the country. For example, if the family is from France, don't send in a picture of the Eiffel Tower, but find something else to represent France. So, here are the pictures/items Nathan has decided on for our family. Do you think that you can guess which branch of his family tree we chose to use? Can you figure out where this branch of the family came from? Good luck!

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.

I am soooo proud!

2009-09-20T21:20:00.004-06:00

As mothers, we always wonder if our children are really learning the things we try to teach them, like responsibility, manners, values, etc. In the last 24 hours I have had the opportunity to be reassured that at least two of my children really have learned some of their lessons well.

Experience 1: Late last night (or rather, very, very early this morning) Earl and the children arrived home from an Elder's Quorum "activity". (They went off-roading, or "Jeeping" as the EQ Pres. calls it.) Earl and most of the kids arrived home first, then Stacie, who rode home with the EQ president, since there weren't enough seat belts in the vehicle Earl had been driving. Her first words to me were: "Did anyone bring the camera and binoculars in?" That made my heart melt just a bit, because she was the one who asked to take ~~our~~ my good camera on their adventure. Yeah, me! Stacie is learning to be responsible.

Experience 2: Earl's boss has upgraded his home televisions to flat screens. Mr. Bossman was going to be getting rid of a "36-inch, nothing wrong with it, I just wanted better, picture-in-picture" television. Earl had graciously offered to take it off Mr. Bossman's hands, because he is just as cheap as I am. I asked Earl how much it was going to cost us, and Earl mentioned that they hadn't discussed payment yet. Quickly Nathan pipes up: "Couldn't we just offer to bring him back some potatoes, too, like we did for the dishwasher?" Yes, Nathan is learning how to barter. It makes a Momma proud!

I am sooo CHEAP!

2009-09-18T11:58:00.004-06:00

There is a reason my kids call me the "Queen of Cheap". Yes, I like a great deal. Yes, I try to get as much as I can, spending as little as I can. Today I discovered Amazon.com and the used book section. That could become addicting! Earlier this week I finally won an e-bay auction for the cricut machine I have been coveting for several years now. And of course, Angie won't let me forget about all that barbecue sauce! Here's my current issue: The Tooth Fairy.

One of my friends just had her son loose his very first tooth. First child, first tooth, kind of an emotional moment for mom. So she starts checking around--"How much does the Tooth Fairy leave these days"? Holy bad words, Batman!!! According to her, the TF leaves $5. Children will lose 20 primary teeth. At $5 a tooth, she'll be shelling out $100 per child! Helloooo!!! What on Earth will she do with all those teeth? And are they really worth $100 to her? I can't even imagine $5/tooth times 20 teeth times 5 children. $500--I think not. I'll stick with a quarter.

And now you know why I truly am the Queen of Cheap. It's not that my childrens' teeth aren't worth more, but rather, I think that a 6 year old can do a lot with a quarter. See, I told you that I'm cheap!

A Walk Down the Red Carpet

2009-09-12T21:03:00.013-06:00

Tonight was a bi-stake dance with a theme of "Red Carpet". The youth were encouraged to dress as their favorite celebrity and take a walk down the red carpet. One of Jessica's friends, T, went as a celebrity "incognito". (She was wearing jeans, t-shirt, ball cap & sunglasses). Another friend, D, dressed as country singer Gretchen Wilson. So, can you guess who Jessica went as? It's from one of her favorite crime shows....

Jessica as ??

Pauley Perrette as NCIS's Abby Sciuto

Hair today, Gone tomorrow...

2009-09-03T18:23:00.008-06:00

...at least that's what Stacie's friends will be saying when she gets to school tomorrow, or some version thereof anyway. So, here are some fun pictures for your viewing pleasure.

I had to get a "before" picture. Stacie's stylist is in the background. The waves are natural.

Mid-way through the cutting process.

This mess is what used to be attached to Stacie's head.

The 'Cheesy Grin' after picture.

My Love/Hate Relationship

2009-09-01T20:24:00.007-06:00

I admittedly have a love/hate relationship with fall. Some people (like my sister) just plain love fall! I'm not sure if it is the temperature change, the colors, the smells or exactly what it is, but she loves fall. As for me, well, here's my dilemma.

I like to can. There, I said it. For some reason canning appeals to me on a basic level. Perhaps it is knowing that I am putting away good things so that my family can have healthy foods through the year. I kind of like seeing all those filled jars lined up like little soldiers on the kitchen table, waiting to be cool enough to take downstairs. I kind of enjoy glancing over at those shelves and seeing that we won't be hungry if something happens and groceries can't be purchased. Mostly, I kind of like being organized and prepared. Having food storage is one way that I can be organized. But there is something fulfilling when I collapse into a chair and hear a "pop" from the jars as the lids vacuum-seal, locking in all that goodness. My mom called that sound "canning music". In a way, I guess she's right. Maybe I'm just a ~~little~~ lot crazy.

Currently, I have 60 pounds of pears ready to be peeled, cored, sliced, treated, jarred, syrup-ed, lidded, processed, cooled, labeled, and transported to the basement. Can you guess how I will be spending my day off tomorrow? Saturday involved a bushel of cucumbers and 20 pounds of pears. I know that there are several people who "put-up" tons (literally) more produce than I could even dream of completing. (Becky!) We haven't even sourced this year's supply of peaches or apples, and of course, there is our annual trip to Idaho for potatoes. Some of those get canned whole, others get turned into vegetable beef soup.

Here's my problem. (And I readily admit that it's my problem.) I have a strong dislike for sticky kitchen floors. Fruit juice tends to get sticky when spilled on the floor, and I seem prone to "dripping" often. I really dislike fruit flies. It doesn't seem to matter how often I scrub, empty, wash or remove fruit peelings--from now until the first frost, I will probably have some of those pesky little devils flying in my face. Canning is long, tiring, hot work. Even with the AC running (don't judge me! I told you it was hot), I can't seem to stop the flow of water running down my forehead! Some nights I fall into bed hoping for just two things: #1-that I won't stick to the sheets when I try to roll over, and #2- that when morning comes my muscles will have magically healed and I will be able to stand and walk under my own power. Admittedly, I am often grateful that there isn't anybody to witness my nocturnal journey to the "loo". It's probably a funny sight with me all hunched over and groaning. I probably look like I'm 136 years old, not just 36!

Yet, with all that negative, I BEGGED Earl to build me more shelving downstairs. He did. Or at least, he started. In the portion he completed, I can fit 288 jars. When he finishes this shelving unit, it will hold 576 jars. He We have plans to build three more such units. At currently calculations, that's 1728 jars! Maybe we need to re-think the configuration for the second and third units so they could fit larger items, like cereal. Yeah, cereal! I like cereal--and it doesn't have to be canned!

Mastercard isn't the only thing "priceless"

2009-08-31T18:31:00.015-06:00

I think we've established that I like a good deal. Let me explain my thinking just a tad. My grandpa has more items in food storage than the small grocery store he lives next to. I have learned through example and experience that when something is offered at a great price, you stock up. That's why I buy LOTS of crayons when they are only 20 cents per box. I REFUSE to pay $1.89 (or whatever) for something I can get for less than a quarter if I plan correctly. That is part of the reason I bought 100 bottles of barbecue sauce this summer. My friend Heather hooked us up with some awesome coupons, so after piano lessons we journeyed to Target for a little bargain hunting. So, here is today's installment, by transaction, of our little journey into "Cheap-ville" (of which I'm the Queen, remember?).

Transaction #1: 10 small cartons of General Mills cereal ($1.00 each), 36 string cheese--of which I would have gotten more, but I snagged all they had (40 cents each), and 5 cartons (1.5 quart) Dreyer's ice cream ($2.50 each plus a gift card offer of $5 when you buy 5). Next, redeem 10-$1 off coupons for cereal, 18-$1 off coupons for cheese, and 5-$1 off coupons for ice cream. Money out of pocket: $2.50 Plus they handed me a gift card to be redeemed for $5 on my next purchase.

Transaction #2: 5 cartons Dreyer's ice cream. Redeem 5-$1 off coupons. Redeem gift card. Money out of pocket: $2.50 and I received another $5 gift card.

Transaction #3: 5 cartons of Dreyer's ice cream. Redeem 5-$1 off coupons. Redeem gift card.

Money out of pocket: $2.50 and I received a 3rd $5 gift card.

Transaction #4: Nathan chose a Scooby-Doo movie. Redeem gift card. Money out of pocket: $0

Totals (because I'm crazy like that): 15 cartons of ice cream (yes, we ~~have~~ had lots of freezer space), 10 "snack-size" General Mills cereals, 36 string cheese and 1 DVD movie. Total spent: $7.50. I love a good deal!

End of summer fun

2009-08-24T14:53:00.006-06:00

Yesterday our family was given the opportunity to attend a Billings Mustangs home game. For those who have never heard of the Mustangs, well, you're not alone. After doing a quick google search, I found out that the Mustangs are a pioneer league team tied to the Cincinnati Reds. I don't even pretend to understand all the jazz about major, minor and pioneer teams; but I think the idea is that eventually the guys that we watched yesterday MAY be playing major league ball. (But only if they play better than they did yesterday!) The best part of this little adventure was the price--FREE!

Let me explain:

Cummins Rocky Mountain, Earl's employer, hosted a family day at the ball field. We met at 2:30 for a cookout (burgers, dogs, chips, salads, fruit and cool beverages). After eating, the younger kids journeyed across the complex for a little bounce-house action, then it was into the stadium to watch the game. The Mustangs hosted the Casper Ghosts (which we thought was a highly hilarious name). Casper was clearly the better team, but still a fun game to watch. Around the 6th inning I turned to Nathan and asked if he was having fun. His reply: I didn't think that I would; I thought I would be bored, but THIS IS GREAT!

After the game, the children were invited to come "run the bases". Thinking that it would just get some pent-up energy out of some little bodies, I said sure. The Mustang crew actually makes this a special event for the kids. The kids have to go one at a time with plenty of "lead-time" for the runners with littler legs. They even encouraged a young man that was wheel-chair bound to take his turn "running" the bases. After each child touched home plate, they were given a water bottle for their efforts. We may not be big baseball fans, but it was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon with the family! PS: Sorry there are no pictures of the kiddos, I left the good camera home and the cell phone just doesn't cut it!

School Days

2009-08-20T16:47:00.001-06:00

School Days

“School’s out!” I think with glee,
“I get to have the kids with me.”
Swimming pools and a trip to the park,
Hotdogs, tents and up past dark.
There’s so much that we plan to do,
Beaches and camping to name a few.
Summer’s here with time to play,
“I like it best!” I’m heard to say…

The backdoor slams and out they run
Playing in the blazing sun
Games of tag and kick-the-can
“Mother-May-I” “Yes, you can”
“Are we there yet?” and “He touched me, too”
“Mom, there’s nothing much to do!”
Camping and vacation is done
Back to school the children run.

“School’s in!” I think with glee,
“No more having the kids with me.”
No more swimming, no more park
No more staying up past dark.
Reading, sewing, quiet time, too
There’s just so much for me to do.
Winter’s here with time to rest,
I think I like this season best…

Ginger Bodily Esplin

By the Numbers...

2009-08-17T14:31:00.006-06:00

They say that all really good ideas are stolen/borrowed/recycled. So, if you recognize the idea behind this post, then pat yourself on the back and say, "Self, you had a really great idea! It was recycled by someone else, so you done good!" With that introduction, here is our weekend, by the numbers. (In no particular order, so don't try to get all math-nerdy on me!)

65: Number of miles--one way--that we drove in order to speak in a different branch. To put this in perspective for some of you that live in Cache Valley, this would be like driving from Preston to Pocatello in order to speak in church. By the way, the branch we visited is in our stake.
3: Multiples for this number. It could be the number of priesthood used to pass the sacrament, or the number of children in the senior primary at the branch we visited, or the number of hours I napped once we got home.
36: Degrees. Truly! This was the temperature when we stopped at the summit of the Beartooth Highway.
71: Degrees. This was the temperature when we got back to town.
11,000: Feet above sea level. OK, I rounded a little, the summit marker only said 10, 970 or something like that, but since Stacie and Earl hiked higher than the sign, I went ahead a rounded it up a tad.
0: Amount of money we spent on our new dishwasher. I LOVE that price! And I REALLY love that the new dishwasher doesn't leak AND actually gets the dishes clean. Yeah!!!
2: Multiples for this one, too. This could be the number of our children that had to go potty in the middle of sacrament meeting ('Kenzie & Porter). Perhaps it was the number of children who got tagged by the Branch Presidency to share their testimony (Jessica & Nathan). Or maybe this was the number of dinner guests we had on Saturday evening (the Elders).
4: The number of miles that Stacie road on her bike ride yesterday. She and Earl both want to haul their bikes to the summit of the Beartooth Highway and ride down. Notice that they are not volunteering to ride up the hill!

They're growin' up

2009-08-14T20:08:00.003-06:00

Every once in a while, something comes along and slaps me up-side of the head and says, "pay attention, Mom, your kids are growing up!" Here are a few examples of what I mean.

Porter can now tie his own shoes. There is a little part of me that is screaming "FINALLY!" We Earl has been working with Porter for almost 2 years to help Port learn this big-kid skill. His preschool teacher worked with Porter on the shoe-tying thing. Yesterday, he finally decided that tripping over un-tied shoes wasn't much fun. He sat down and tied his shoes. Yea Porter! However, there is a little part of me that is getting teary because her "baby" can tie his own shoes. Silly, Mommy.

Tonight Jessica and I popped into Wal-Green's for a couple of items. The clerk knows me (and our gang). She looked at Jess and questioned, "Is this your oldest?" "Yeah." "Oh, I didn't recognize her. Didn't she used to have brown hair and glasses?" Well, about that...a summer of being in the pool tends to sun-bleach one's hair, and it didn't hurt that Jess added a little L'Oreal in March or so. And the glasses--No, she didn't outgrow the need; Dad said that she was responsible enough to get contacts. She's on day 2. She seems to love them; Mom's still wondering what happened to her little girl and why everyone else thinks she's old enough to drive.

Speaking of driving: I (not Jessica--I'm not that patient) was driving down the road today. One of the little ones wanted to know what "razors" were used for. I explained that the older girls use a razor to stop the "chimpanzee" look. Nate pops up: Us boys use them to shave our mustache. "Us boys?" When did 8 and 6 year olds start shaving? And why does it make my heart catch just a little to even imagine my boys shaving?

The Phone Call...

2009-08-12T19:22:00.003-06:00

We all love the phone call. You know the one--a member of the bishopric calls your home. Very friendly. Always cheerful. Usually they want you to speak in church. Our "phone call" varied just a little this time. "Sister Esplin, how would your family like to attend church in Red Lodge this week?" Sure, we'll drive to Red Lodge for church. It's only an hour away. Beautiful drive. No problem. The catch--there's always a catch, you know. We, Earl and I, get to speak in the Red Lodge Branch this week. Oh goody. If we hurry, we might make it back to our ward in time for Primary. Or perhaps we should take a picnic and enjoy the mountains? Yeah, that sounds good!

Sir Hopsalot

2009-08-04T10:25:00.002-06:00

Porter has 3 new pets. Their names are Climb, Grass, and Sir Hopsalot. They are grasshoppers. Nathan made them a home out of a Happy Meal Box. Oh, the joys of being a kid in the summer!

This and That

2009-08-02T20:11:00.008-06:00

Since I kind of use my blog as a journal for the happenings in our family, here are a couple of "highlights" to share with y'all.

Nathan went fishing for the first time yesterday morning. His cub scout troop went to Riverfront park. With the help of his troop leaders, he managed to catch and release 6 fish! He also told me that he caught some "seaweed" and 2 fish with the same worm. My only regret--I wasn't there to see (or photograph) the experience.

Porter lost his first tooth this afternoon. Of course, this is no big deal to him because all of his older siblings have "been there, done that". Mom, however, is trying not to get teary over her "last, first lost tooth". He is my baby, after all.
Jessica spent a fun-filled 36 hours with the 4th year girls and their awesome leaders! The went to the Tongue River for their "high adventure", which consisted of jet skiing, wake boarding, water skiing, tubing, knee-boarding, swimming, cliff diving and candy eating. She claims that she was the only one that didn't come home sun-burnt. Since she works outdoors at the pool Monday-Friday, I should hope that she didn't burn! (She's already pretty tanned and sun-bleached.)

Earl made it home from another long week on the road, just in time to take the boys to our ward's "Father/Son cookout". The boys seemed to enjoy the daddy time. The only complaint that the girls had was that we didn't have enough time without the boys. (At least, that's what McKenzie claims.)
After an action-packed Saturday, Earl and I snuggled up in bed and promptly got sick. (No, not of each other.) We spent Saturday night urging the other to leave the bathroom quickly because the other needed another turn. I'm hopeful that this is the last of the summer flu-bug for our family.
Earl put a hand-gun on layaway. I have 2 purely selfish reasons for even caring about this. #1: I don't have to hear about it any longer. #2: He has told me that I can spend an equal amount on a purchase for myself (not the household, not the kids, ME!) Cricut, here I come!
Best news of all: The replacement parts for my carpet cleaner should be arriving next week! I can finally get the carpet and furniture cleaned up to my standards, and the hard-floor attachment has been ordered as well. Who needs to mop when you have a Bissell?!?

Cheap, again

2009-07-31T17:27:00.004-06:00

I have another great deal to share! Albertson's is offering Starkist Tuna for 39 cents a can (for the first 3 cans, anyway.) Guess who still ~~has~~ had 5 "$1-off your next shopping trip" certificates? Well, here's the deal: When you send each child through the line with 3 cans of tuna, a $1 off "coupon" and a quarter, you end up with 15 cans of tuna for 85 cents. Total. I'd say that was a great way to spend 15 minutes, wouldn't you?

Not Me Monday...on Tuesday

2009-07-28T11:36:00.003-06:00

My friend Becky does this thing on her blog that is titled "not me Mondays". Basically, she gets to admit to all things that "not me" does at her house. Becky's "not me" bought $1000 worth of groceries and then spent several sleepless nights having an all-night cook/bake-a-thon to make and freeze 120 meals in an effort to not cook every night. Well, I'm not that type of person. I admit to the screwy things I do, without hiding behind "not me", probably because I have no shame, but more likely because I don't do half of the things that Becky "doesn't".

With that, here is today's version of "yep, I did it" instead of "not me." Today was my day off. Earl is out of town all week, so there was no reason to wake up early and pack a lunchbox. So, I did what any self-respecting lazy mom would do. I texted Jessica and made sure that she was up and heading to her job. I told the littlest three that they could watch television or play on the computer. I convinced Nathan to bring me a cold Diet Dr. Pepper, which I promptly popped the top on. Then I settled back under the covers and finished the book I had begun reading last night. Was it worth it to not get an early start on the day, have the house in disarray and be a little sore from staying in bed for too many hours? Worth every. single. word.

This is why I don't watch the news (and other stuff)

2009-07-23T19:11:00.005-06:00

Read this. Now you know why I don't watch the news. When Earl gets home from his latest road trip, he will expand on this. He will rant and rave. He will get his blood pressure pumping. So, I ask you--why should I watch the news AND listen to him go on, and on, and on, and on about this? I just don't see the need.

On the other hand, I DO truly enjoy taking the kids to the local pool on an incredibly hot summer afternoon. Today was our first 100 degree day. After I got home from work and found that the kids had actually done their chores, we changed into our suits and headed for the cool refreshment that was Rose Park Pool this afternoon. I love when they actually do what they are supposed to do.

Queen of Cheap--Again

2009-07-20T14:22:00.007-06:00

Thanks to my friends Julie & Heather, I found a reason to visit Albertson's. I'm not a big visitor of this particular grocery store, mostly because they seem to be higher priced than some of their competitors. That said, enter today's bargain shopping whirlwind!

Through Tuesday, our local Albertson's stores are offering Kraft Barbecue sauce for 99 cents each. However, when you buy 10, they give you "epic savings" instantly of $5.00. Which roughly translates to 49 cents per bottle. That's pretty good, however, it gets better. On several (OK, most) of the bottles, there was a coupon to save 35 cents per bottle. Now we're down to 15 cents each. That's pretty good, too, but again, it gets better. After you finish the transaction, the register is going to spit out 5 - $1.00 Albertson's cash, good towards your next purchase. With which you then repeat the process with another 10 bottles and coupons. At this point, you will be money ahead. Repeat over and over and over....

Here are today's totals: 100 bottles of barbecue sauce, 4 bags of salad, 2 pounds bananas (salad are 2/$5 with a coupon for free bananas, up to 2 pounds), 20 Haagen-Dazs minis (4 oz. 10/$10 plus on-line coupons for $1.00 off 3), 2 pounds of deli chicken strips (hey, it was lunchtime!), and 2 6-packs of Klondike ice cream bars (BOGO plus on-line coupons for $1.00 off with the purchase of 2). Total spent $38.00...plus the $5.00 worth of Albertson's cash in my wallet just waiting for an opportunity to purchase more sauce. The best part--the perplexed lady behind us that was too busy wondering what we were going to do with that much barbecue sauce to be put out with the fact that she had to wait so long.

PS--what kind of person lines up all of these bottles just so she can get a picture? Duh--the same type that buys 100 bottles to begin with!

Adventures in DIY

2009-07-18T19:19:00.004-06:00

Last weekend was fun, this weekend is all about work. Besides, we had our fun on Thursday night, remember? So, enter today's adventure in DIY. Every time it rained terribly hard or the spring thaw happened, we would have a damp spot on the carpet. The bottom half of the wall is painted forest green, so it's not like we could see anything staining the wall, but there was a musty odor to the family room that we couldn't pin-point. After asking the neighbor about it and wandering to the side of our house (which meant walking through her yard because we don't have any side yard), we found a foundation crack. We can handle that easily enough, right. (Note: The black line you see in this picture is a television cable, not the crack.)

Earl decided (with a little prompting from me) to remove some of the drywall (or whatever the green-painted stuff was) and look for the crack from the inside. He pulled back a couple of sections and found a little mold (not surprised), but not the crack wasn't there. He pulled off a couple more sections and finally found our little crack. Guess what? It's not so little. This monster fault runs from the top of the foundation clear to the bottom! We also found more moldy drywall, so that had to come off, too. Earl just kept ripping off drywall until he didn't find anymore evidence of water damage. Well, by this time he was about 5 feet from the end of a 30 foot wall. May as well take off the last 5 feet, too.

Today's repair consisted of a 1 quart bottle of liquid cement crack filler. This is a silicone loaded liquid fix-it. The idea is that you pour this in the crack and as it dries, it expands to fill all the little nooks and crannies of your crack. Earl started on a few of the holes in the cement where it appears somebody drilled into the foundation to mount something on the wall long, long ago. Then he moved on to the monster crack. He started by pouring the liquid in the top of the crack, certain that gravity would help us out. Well, it did. And then the stuff oozed out. Then we had a minor mess on our hands. Enter the scrapbooking tools--the embossing heat tool is a perfect addition to the home-improvement tools, right? So Stacie heated up the ooze and Earl used the putty knife to work the ooze back into the crack. Pretty soon the leak was under semi-control, so it was time to add more filler. All told, we used the whole quart bottle of filler and not all of the holes are filled. And thus ended the Saturday adventures of the clan. Thank heavens Jessica is adept with the gas grill! By the time Earl was ~~ready to quit for the night~~ out of crack filler, burgers and dogs were ready for dinner. DIY is soooo much easier as the kids get bigger! Check back soon for the next stage of the adventure.

Fun on Thursday

2009-07-17T17:09:00.011-06:00

If I could figure out how to load music to this post only and not the whole blog, I would send you on a musical journey. We would listen to Chris Ledoux lament about the "Night they tore the last drive-in down", we'd "Walk the Dinosaur" with Queen Latifah, and then spell out some "Good Time"s with Alan Jackson. But since I can't actually do all that, you will have to click on the above links to enjoy the sound that might go with this post.

We had a little adventure last night. About 9:15 pm, we loaded up the kids, snacks, chairs and cooler, fueled up the buggy and headed down the road about 15 miles to the local drive-in theater. I've never been to a drive-in. Earl has never been to a drive-in. The youngest 3 children in our family have never seen a movie in a theater of any sort. So, not knowing quite what to expect and hoping for a great outcome, we set out. One note: I had never actually SEEN the drive-in, neither had Earl, and someone (probably me since this was my bright idea anyway) forgot to print out directions on how to get there. Oops! A couple of well educated guesses, a little luck and some "follow the traffic" got us headed in the right direction. We arrived just in time!

Our experience was just a little different from the "Hollywood" version. We parked the great-white whale towards the back of the lot. We didn't have to put a little speaker thing on our window, but rather tuned our vehicle's radio to the correct FM station and "wal-la" we had sound! So, how did all the kids see, you ask? Well, Earl grabbed the camp chairs and tossed them up on the roof and then handed up 4 out of 5 kids. While they kicked back in camp chairs on the roof, we relaxed in the front captain seats of the beast, and ~~chicken little~~ Nathan, peaked out from the center seat of the middle row. The best part--admission was only $10 for the car load. Yep, $10 for a family of 7 to see a movie in a theater-type environment! I can't wait to see what's playing next!

What a weekend!

2009-07-13T16:41:00.011-06:00

Sometimes a good weekend just happens when nothing extraordinary is planned. I am happy to announce that this was the case for our family. We started out Friday evening with a Primary activity. We were small in numbers, but enjoyed the activities! Games like "Good Choice/Bad Choice" (ala green light/red light), "Sister Marin Says", "Twister" and a "Noah's Ark Cupcake Walk" entertained the crowd. We enjoyed pigs-in-a-blanket and homemade root beer. We learned a new song called "Father Abraham". I have wonderful video of our primary president, aka Julie Green, performing this song. However, she has threatened legal action if I post it. So, since she didn't say anything about photos...enjoy these.

Our President leading the very popular "Father Abraham" song.

Porter, R., T., and C. playing Twister.

This little guy couldn't cram his cupcake in fast enough!

All lined up to play "Good Choice/Bad Choice". This time they had to run like a bear--hence the "bum in the air" that you see here.

Saturday was a lazy day. We took the much needed opportunity to sleep in. Then it was off to the mall to buy Porter some new shoes. Disclaimer: Normally, the mall is a place we avoid on principle--it is an over-priced, over-populated, claustrophobic nightmare. However, there is a sporting goods store that has realistically priced shoes for kids. When we pulled into the parking lot, Earl asked who of us had eaten. Nobody had. Don't blame me--most of my children are old enough to pour their own cereal. Earl decided to treat the kids to lunch at the mall's food court. That has never happened before--not even when it was just Earl and I decades ago! He decided that the kids needed to experience Orange Julius.

After shoes, it was home for ice cream cones and then a quick change into suits for a visit to the city pool. Again, a first this summer. We discovered something amazing...our whole family can get in to the pool for $16! Some of you may be choking on that amount, but let's be realistic. Recreation for a family of 7 is not cheap. Anytime all of us can do something together and it costs less than $20, we feel like we got a bargain. We spent 2 1/2 hours in the pool. The most enjoyable part of this was that for the first time in 8 years, I did not have a baby on my hip! All three of our children are tall enough to be in the shallow end of the pool without a death-grip on a parent. By the end of the evening's adventures, Jessica had taught Nathan and McKenzie how to float on their back and they were starting to do the front-crawl. We even had Porter jumping into the pool without trying to hold on to the side on his way down! Finally, Earl can feel comfortable with me taking the kids to the pool without his assistance. A pretty simple day, but filled with fun and happiness!

Random pictures

2009-07-05T19:18:00.008-06:00

To celebrate the 4th, we took the kids camping in the Pryor mountains. After "dwelling in a tent" for a night, we set out in search of the wild horse herd. We found deer, squirrel and a bear on our journey. Much like Angie, I do not have pictures of the bear--my camera took that opportunity upon "zoom" to have the batteries die. Did you know that brown bear can run faster than one can reload batteries into a camera? I do...now. Upon down-loading the photos of our weekend, I found others from the last 2 months to share as well. Enjoy our little photographic journey.

We went to the Pryor mountains to find the wild horse herd. We found part of them, but had to photograph them from across a canyon. Sorry it's not a little clearer.

One of several deer we saw on our July 4th adventures.

This little guy was gracious enough to pose long enough for me to capture this moment.

Our "wild bunch" posing for Mom--again!

Girls camp: These poor souls lost their bag-o-props for the evenings' skits. Instead of singing, they opted to do push-ups (because we were at B.O.O.T. camp) to retrieve their goods. Our stake camp leader is on the far left.

Stacie (blue stripes) and her friend C. (in the black hoodie) playing water-ballon volleyball.

The mighty craft cabin. I spent the better part of camp here.

This picture just cracked me up! Sorry, but my girls' camp experiences didn't involve food trucked in this way. It made me just giggle like a school-girl. Then the thought that girls would eat this much food...well...more giggling!

Nathan is using the little fork, and Porter (in the red stripes) helping to re-do the front flower beds on Memorial Day weekend.

A little (bragging) goes a long way...

2009-07-02T12:53:00.006-06:00

I admit it: I like to brag about my children. Mostly because, let's face it--if I don't brag on them, who will? That said, you all know by now that Jessica has taken and passed her life-guarding class. Good on her. Guess what? Some of the other kiddos do some wonderful things, too.

Stacie has been volunteering at BARK for almost a year now. She loves working with the animals! Now Stacie has started indexing on-line. What is this, you ask? Well, my grandpa called it extraction. He used to drive into town everyday in order to use the computer there to type in information found on old documents (like census or marriage licenses). Because of the Internet and home computers, now this can be done at home, in your pajamas, in the middle of the night. Granted, Stacie has been locked out of the computer after 11 pm, but still, she is spending more of her computer time doing something useful instead of useless. And I get to blog/brag about her. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Porterisms

2009-07-01T15:24:00.004-06:00

We made a shirt for Earl for Father's Day that was full of "Dad-isms". The kids and I had great fun coming up with the funny sayings that their Dad says all the time. Some of these include gems like "I'd like to say I feel your pain, but I don't" and "You'll never learn younger". On this note, I have to share today's "Porter-ism".

Stacie was downstairs with Porter and they both came up giggly. Stacie told me to ask Porter where he was ticklish. Porter pointed to the back of his knee, and when prompted as to what it was called responded, "My leg-pit". You gotta love 6-year-olds!

This is your brain on Girl's Camp

2009-06-27T18:01:00.007-06:00

Those of you who are close to my age may remember the PSA that said "This is your brain on drugs" and showed the fried egg. That may have worked in the early 80's for an anti-drug message, but it doesn't quite do justice to girl's camp. Here is the more updated version--the blender. That goo in the blender is my brain after 5 days of girl's camp. I can barely put together a complete sentence. I pretty much fell asleep at the computer table earlier today. I'm hopeful that I will be able to compose a coherent sentence by early next month. In the meantime, I will give you these few details of camp.

Camp is A LOT different from when I attended. There is less emphasis on tying knots and trenching around your tent and more on creating an atmosphere that will allow the girls to build friendships and grow their testimony. These girls have women that are the camp cooks. These amazing ladies' sole purpose at camp was to cook and serve outstanding keep-up-energy-so-you-can-walk-another-45-miles-before-the-next-meal meals. I ate better at camp than I usually do at home! It was a HUGE campground area. Walking over 10 miles a day was the norm. Flag ceremony began at 7:00 am with a blast from the air-horn, and the last group to flag ceremony were the last in line for breakfast (which ranged from french toast and bacon to breakfast burritos). Lights out was at 11:30 pm. Lights out for these girls simply meant that they were in their tents, but not necessarily asleep. One poor leader reported that her gaggle of 1st year girls didn't zip the lip until 4 am! I wasn't that leader, but my brain definitely feels like it has been put in the blender and the puree button hit.

More camp updates will be forthcoming as soon as I can remember where to place my fingers on the keyboard. My backspace button is getting more of a workout than any other key. Overall, it was a great experience, but I am SO grateful to be back in my own bed.

The Queen of Cheap

2009-06-20T16:47:00.005-06:00

I am the self-titled "Queen of Cheap". I don't like garage sales (why should I buy somebody else's junk when I have enough of my own.) I've never really had great luck with thrift stores. But I am the one who will buy in bulk when I find a good price on something. If you don't believe me, ask my children about the time I brought home 82 boxes of cereal because I could get them for $1/box. My grandfather at one point had over 200 boxes of salt on his storage shelves. I figure that I come by this character trait naturally.

Enter today's venture to the tent sale at Shipton's Big R West. (For those outside of Montana, this is a ranch supply store. Cache Valley--think Smithfield Implement or IFA, others--think Tractor Supply Store on steroids.) Here's what we found: 1 Porter size coat, 2 McKenzie size pants, 1 McKenzie sweater-shirt, 3 Stacie pajama pants, 1 Jessica shirt, and a package of Earl socks. Here's what we spent. $30. Yep, you read right--$30. Stacie's pajama pants were 99 cents each! Thrift store items aren't usually that cheap! Porter's new coat was tagged originally at $34.99--we spent $3.99. See what I mean...I'm the Queen of Cheap.

*Note: Yes, we noticed that Nathan didn't get anything this trip. He needs new hiking boots and they didn't have anything his size for a good price. Don't worry, he'll get a turn soon. ;)

To the men in my life...

2009-06-19T19:53:00.009-06:00

This weekend is when we celebrate Father's Day. I wish that I could give Earl all the goodies and gifts he deserves. Since I can't, I thought that I could share with you some of the wisdom that the males in my life have taught me.

From my boys I have learned:

Wet=clean. Soap is not needed to get clean, especially if you are age 6 or 8.
Freckles and a quick grin will get you just about anything.
Bugs are fun and interesting critters, unless they are spiders hiding behind the toilet. Or they land on you while camping. Or they are big and scary. Or your name is Nathan...
The reason mothers cry at missionary farewells is because it is the first time she has seen her son with his shirt tucked in. (I'm still waiting for this part.)

My Dad has been heard to mutter:
I have my Happy Hat on, so Dammit! Be Happy! (This is one of my favorite Dad quotes, even though I wasn't present to be hollered at.)

From Pops I have learned:

Don't take any wooden nickels. They don't spend.
Sometimes I get a very bad case of eye disease--I just can't see doing *insert whatever here.*
There is a rare, but dangerous Ancient Chinese Virus that goes around every so often. It is very vital that you give in to it whenever it strikes! It is called "DragonAss".
Taking a tiny is good. Taking a teeny-tiny is better.

From Earl I have learned:

Don't say anything about someone that you wouldn't say to their face.
Respect is earned, not given. (This was followed by "and you haven't earned mine" and delivered flawlessly to his boss. No, he was not fired.)
Most problems are caused by O.E.--Operator Error.
The phrase "Daylight's burning" does not bode well for my desire to sleep in.
You can choose all you want, but you can't choose your consequences.
"You'll never learn younger" is not a comforting thought. Especially when it's your baby girl who is being told that as she climbs behind the wheel of a vehicle for the first time.
Pets are for kids.
Dad is the biggest kid of all!

Late night reading

2009-06-15T01:15:00.001-06:00

Can't sleep, again! So what did I do this time? Check my e-mail. Not a lot in the ole inbox, so I shift to the junk folder, just to see if something slipped through the cracks. What do I read--"Fashion Diapers". HUH?!? My mind ran with that one! Why on Earth would you need fashion diapers for your baby? They just get poo in them! Wait a minute....

Brain refocuses....

Oops. I combined 2 lines. Fashion Degrees. Diaper Service.

Maybe it's time to try that sleep thing again.

Don't put yourself through the windshield...

2009-06-13T22:33:00.002-06:00

That was the warning Earl gave me tonight after finally finishing the brake job on the Excursion. When we bought the great-white whale we knew that the brakes weren't the greatest. Two years later that "not good" went to the top of the "fix it now" list. Approximately 5 1/2 hours later, the brakes are done. Normally, it doesn't take quite that long for a brake job. Normally, one doesn't use a torch, a full can of penetrating oil, a vise, a sledge-hammer, a drill, several re-charged batteries and a handful of bad words to replace the brakes.

It seems that on one side of the vehicle the caliper was leaking brake fluid. Earl anticipated that one and bought a new caliper when he picked up the parts. First side went well. Switch to second side. Seems the caliper on this side was seized. The part that was supposed to move, didn't. After several hours of attempting to free the "stuck part", a pin of some sort broke off. (Any of you that are mechanically inclined, please excuse the dumbed down version here.) Several hours later, Earl finally had the broken part drilled out enough to replace it with the pin from the leaky caliper. Apparently, the leak wasn't at the pin, which was good for us. Brakes work.

Now on to the next project...which will it be? Leaky water heater? Leaky foundation flooding family room? Refrigerator that doesn't cool? Oven without elements? Boys' bedroom without 4th wall or closet? hmmmm...

Lovely Blog Award

2009-06-13T14:05:00.004-06:00

My friend Becky at Nine is Fine nominated me for a Lovely Blog Award. WOW! And this on a day when I wasn't feeling particularly articulate or lovely. Thanks!

In keeping with the spirit of this award, I get to forward this honor to others. There are always a couple of blogs on one's reading list that stand out from the others. If you check these out, be sure to add them to your list of preferred reading. You'll be glad that you did! If you find yourself nominated here, please pay it forward.

Angie at 3 Musketeers, Laffs & Duds: OK, so she's my sister. It's my blog and I can nominate whomever I want! Seriously though, Angie's blog keeps me connected to my family that live Far Far Away. And have you checked out her posting on "Sticks are Cheaper"...she's keepin' it real and makin' me laugh at the same time!

Audrie at Bernhardt Bunch: I am in background awe. Audrie's backgrounds, banners and layout totally puts mine to shame! She tends to change the background for the season. I'm lucky if I remember that I have decorations for the house to put out for the different seasons, let alone change my blog. Let me just go bury my head in the sand now.

Mandie at Anything but Normal: I have several cousins, friends, and associates that are awesome with a camera. Mandie is one of these. However, if you want fun, cool, crafty projects that you can complete without breaking the bank, Mandie IS your go-to girl! All I can say is WOW!

Julie at Greens Gone Wild: Julie is a writer. Reading her blog is proof of that. Her posting on Sunday Drives and Death Marches made me laugh so hard the eyes (and other spots) started to water! Julie doesn't blog often enough for my liking, but seeing as how she has like 3 billion jobs, 2 amazing kiddos, and is our Primary President, I guess I ought to cut her some slack. Nah!! Start typin', Sista!

Honestly, I would love to return the honor to Becky, but there is probably a rule about that somewhere. If you didn't click on the link above, you really ought to do it now. Go ahead, I'll wait. OK--you're back now? Have you picked your jaw up off the floor yet? I know, 9 kids. I've met them, well, the first 5 children and the parents anyway. They are an awesome family. You know the type, the kids are well behaved (but not stiff and formal), Mom has an "S" emblazoned on her chest under her normal clothes. She seems to be able to do it all and not break a sweat. I did, however, really enjoy the little Becky vs. the cake entry. It made me feel a little less inadequate. A little.

Certified!

2009-06-07T20:02:00.004-06:00

I'm sure that you are all figuring that I have officially been certified as nutso, but while that may be true, it is not the topic for today's brag, I mean, blog session.

School is out for the summer. Most teenagers would be anxious to spend the first weekend of summer vacation with friends, hanging out at the mall or going to the movie or the lake or some other such thing. Not Jessica. School was dismissed at 12:37 on Friday afternoon. Friday evening she started another class. Her class was Friday night from 6-10, then again both Saturday and Sunday from 8-5. There were 3 written tests to pass, along with practical applications testing. And what is she certified in? CPR for adults, children and infants; Heimlich maneuver for adults, children and infants, the AED machine (that cool automatic defibrillator thing that shocks the heart back into working), and life guarding. Our 15 year old is now qualified to work as a lifeguard! Her job starts tomorrow morning, along with Driver's Education. What a way to begin summer vacation, huh? PS--Jessica's bunny "Bugz" passed away on Saturday. He has been replaced by a Gerbil named Ducky.

Finally...

2009-06-02T15:35:00.008-06:00

This might look REALLY boring to you, but after almost 2 years of waiting, it looks miraculous to us!On the left is Jessica's closet, on the right is Stacie's. Notice there is a space to hang clothes. Notice there are shelves behind the clothes. We may finally be able to put something away. Finally!

Isn't this cool...

2009-06-01T10:10:00.004-06:00

A little information for you. This is Mom & Pops' kitchen wall. It is very long. It was very empty (for 33+ years!) Mom & Pops came to visit. Mom finally framed the cross-stitch I made for her over 14 years ago. The fork and spoon are my Mother's day present to her. (I can brag just a bit, right? After all, this is my blog and I did the flowers & bows.) The wall is empty no longer! And, I posted this here because I don't think Mom will get around to it on her blog. Thanks for visiting!

Breaking News...

2009-05-25T19:02:00.002-06:00

This just in! (Well, not really, but I'm getting around to it now, so it's new to you.)

We had lots of fun with Grandma & Grandpa. Sunday night Grandma had a fun game for us to play with giant dice. We were supposed to roll double sixes to take a prize, but after a long time of no sixes, Grandma adjusted the rules to just be "whoever rolls doubles". We aren't very lucky with dice at this house, but the game was still fun!
Last Sunday night Splitz died. We, I mean Earl, buried him in a big, black box on wheels in our backyard. Bugz is doing super! Jessica just bought him a new cage and water bottle. She had been giving him water with an eye-dropper. I think she has a new-found appreciation for mother's of newborn babies, however. Bugz was having to get water every couple of hours, and she was the lucky soul who got to give it to him (from the eye dropper-remember.)
Monday was shopping. Hobby Lobby, Cabella's, lunch, Hobby Lobby, Sears, dinner-Softies-dinner. My crock-pot cooks a tad differently than my Mom's, so dinner was eaten in stages. Potatoes, veggies, salad--off to Softies for ice cream--then back for the meat portion of dinner. Doesn't matter what order you eat it in, if Grandma's cooking, it's good!
Tuesday with Grandma & Grandpa--well, we didn't go much of anywhere. No, strike that-I did the shopping before they got to our house that morning. After we spent several hours together, Mom & Pops got brave and headed for Wally-World and Catherine's by themselves. I don't think they spent nearly as much time shopping as they did heading back to their hotel room for a nap. I think Grandpa was "tuckered out" from all the shopping on Monday.
Grandpa & Grandma went back home on Wednesday.
On Saturday, our family spent the day working the flower beds in the front of the house. The beds went from stick-straight, thin and weedy, to curvy and not weedy. I planted a wildflower mix in the front of the house. Hopefully, it will actually grow! I haven't tried any gardening at this house, so I'm not to certain about what will happen.
Monday (Memorial Day): I guess you could say that the whole day was one of opposites. Earl spent the day with the kids. I had to work. Earl, Jessica & Stacie worked on the shelving units for the girls' closets. When I called from work and asked Jessica if she could start mixing up the cake for tonight, she said that she was busy in the workshop--so Nathan made our cake for dinner tonight! Like I said, a day of opposites--girls in the woodworking shop, boy in the kitchen. It's good for them to learn, and we firmly believe that the only gender specific "job" is that the Mommy has to give birth to the babies.
Dinner guests tonight (missionaries). Guess who didn't cook dinner? Yep, that would be me! I assembled the dutch-oven potatoes and baked & frosted Nathan's cake. Other than that, I did nada-nothing-zip-zilch-zero! I love my life!!!! So, how was your week?

Creative Kitchen Idea

2009-05-25T16:47:00.005-06:00

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm game for anything that allows me to show my crafty side. I don't profess to be the next "Martha Stewart". I'm more down-home than that. I'm more of a Martha Stewart meets Beaver Cleaver's mom--I like to do the creative stuff, but in a "super-simple, I do this because this is how I show love for my family" sort of way. A good friend once taught me that presentation is EVERYTHING! It doesn't matter what you put on the plate nearly as much as the way you put it on there. Translated--if it looks good, it tastes better! So, with that long-winded explanation, I wanted to share the fun-looking cake I made when Mom & Pops were here to visit.

DISCLAIMER: I did not make this up all on my own. I found this idea while blog/web surfing. I wish that I could tell you where I found it, but honestly, I don't remember. So, while the pictures and directions found here are mine, the idea, like all good ideas, was "borrowed" from someone else.

Tie-Dyed Cake: Make your favorite white or vanilla cake mix as directed on the box. Divide batter into 6 equal portions in separate bowls. To each bowl of batter, add paste food coloring. (In this picture, I used yellow, orange, red, green, blue and purple.) Layer batter into a well greased cake pan in the following order: Pan #1: red, orange, yellow. Pan #2: green, blue, purple. Bake as directed on box. Remove from oven, invert onto cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

To make this really fun, I split each layer into two, and used thick chocolate pudding as my filling (cake, pudding, cake, pudding, cake, pudding, cake). Then I slathered the whole concoction with chocolate frosting. Why did I do this? Because I could. Did the kids like it? Well, yeah! Who wouldn't like eating purple cake? Would I do this again? Already have--there's a red, white and blue version in our fridge right now. This time I used vanilla pudding instead of chocolate, frosted it with cream cheese frosting and topped the whole thing with red and blue sugar crystals. Other ideas for this cake include Super Bowl team colors, school colors (think graduation, homecoming, etc), birthday party colors. Wouldn't this be fun at a baby shower with pastel dots of pink in a chocolate cake? Let you imagination run wild and have fun--we did!

The Mighty Hunter Strikes Again!

2009-05-17T09:16:00.005-06:00

Round 2 (and 3) goes to the trophies this time. We had quite the after-dark adventure last night. Again, seeing as how it was after my bedtime, it seemed a lot more funny in the depths of "late last night," however, here is the story of how the cat strikes again.

We'll skip all the tear-filled estrogen melt down that led to Mom & teenage girls being awake until 11:30 pm and go straight to the good stuff. Lights were turned out and Jessica, Stacie & I had finally headed our separate ways to turn in for the night. (Remember from a previous posting that Earl is at work tonight.) Things at the Esplin household were quiet for a brief moment. Soon enough, Jessica and Stacie were back upstairs and giggling in the hallway. As I exited the bathroom, Stacie exclaimed "the mighty hunter strikes again!" and Jessica whined, "this is not your trophy, this is my PET!" I was as confused as you probably are.

Stacie's cat, Sly (also known as the Mighty Hunter), had left her another trophy. It was not dead this time. Jessie rescued it. "It" is now known as "Splits" and is a baby bunny. She is calling it "Splits" because the Mighty Hunter split one of its ears in half lengthwise, and the dear thing now looks like it has 3 long, floppy ears instead of 2.

I finally got the girls settled down again and went to bed, hoping that soon I would be allowed to go to sleep. 12:14 am--A text arrives from Stacie that simply says "another bunny." HUH?!? The Mighty Hunter had returned to the hunting grounds and returned with another trophy. This time, lights were out and Stacie heard what she thought was her cat playing with a squeaky tennis ball. NOPE! The squeaky tennis ball turned out to be another baby bunny. Jessica is calling this one "Bugs" (naturally).

Currently, Stacie's trophies/Jessie's pets are safe inside the kitty carrier. They are being pampered with fresh water and grass served in the hardly-been-used Easy Bake oven cake pans. We are not quite certain how to proceed, but have adopted the "let's wait and see if they live before we get them 'fixed'" attitude. Tune in soon for another thrilling adventure at the Esplin house.

Busy beavers

2009-05-15T21:35:00.004-06:00

So, here's the deal...I've been very busy. I am likely to stay very busy for the next 4-5 days. That said, I have not a lot of time to say a lot of nothing. I will update y'all after the visit from the folks. 1 day 20 hours and counting...

All samples of camp crafts need to be delivered to the stake leader prior to 9 am tomorrow.
I get to (read--have to) work tomorrow...the day before out-of-town guests arrive. Very convienent.
Earl worked 58.3 hours last week. To date, he has put in over 40 this week, and has to report to work at 11:30 pm Saturday night. I told you that it's getting busy...
Speaking of busy, Mom & Pops arrive Sunday, Earl has to go to Helena on Monday morning. He gets to leave home about 4 am. I hope he enjoys whatever time he gets with them on Sunday night.
Normally, I would recruit the rest of the family to help clean house and all that jazz--however... Jessica will be babysitting from 7:30-4 tomorrow and Earl is taking the kiddos on an Elder's Quorum service project. Not a lot of help at home, huh?
Primary. 'Nuff said. There's always something going on here!

A present for Stacie

2009-05-09T10:30:00.003-06:00

I heard a very funny story late last night. And, seeing as how it was 4 hours past my normal bedtime, it might have been funnier then, but I will share it now.

Stacie was downstairs in her room working on a paint-by-number. She told me that she felt something tickle her foot and found a feather. She got up and moved over to her bed and thankfully, saw before she stepped on, a present from her kitty, Sly. Seems that Sly is quite the hunter and left a trophy for Stacie on her bedroom floor, right next to her bed. Judging from what I could make out from her bad cell phone picture and the bird's horribly mangled body, Sly caught and killed a Western Meadowlark and left it for Stacie as a "look at how wonderful I am, you should love me sooo much" present.

The part that I found so funny was listening to Stacie tell the story. She claims that there were feathers EVERYWHERE in her bedroom. She wanted to know where some clean sheets were--she didn't want to risk sleeping on the ones that had been on her bed "just in case". And yes, there were feathers everywhere in her room. She was giggling about the whole thing, imaging the poor bird flitting around her room, trying to get away from the killer cat. She told us that she found one wing separated from the birdy body. Using her great skills as an avid viewer of CSI, she made up the whole scenario, and concluded that the poor birdy wasn't quite dead when Sly bought it into the house. When the "trophy" was set in place, it proceeded to flap around, trying to escape, but the hunter was too mighty!

When I asked her about "body disposal", she admitted that she used paper towels to carry the bird and "threw it in the backyard". Then she washed not just her hands, but clear to her elbows. Personally, I thought it was a great bedtime story!

A week in the life of my hubby

2009-05-08T16:58:00.002-06:00

Officially it is beginning to be the busy season for Earl at work. How can I tell this? Well, the last 24 hours and next week should be a fine example.

Yesterday morning Earl left Billings for Glasgow and St. Mary's, which is north and east of here, almost to Canada. We figured that he probably wouldn't be home last night because of the drive time alone. (Google Earth puts this at 276 miles and just over 5 hours.) This afternoon he phoned and said that he wasn't going to be home tonight, either. He was leaving Glasgow and heading for Great Falls, which is north and west of here. (271 miles and just over 5 hours, but not toward home.) Tomorrow he will finish up whatever at Malmstrom Air Force base and head for home. I think. (About 229 miles and 4 1/2 hours.)

Next week Earl will be in Thermopolis, Wyoming and points south. (Which is a short trip, comparatively, at 193 miles and 3 1/2 hours). He has to be home Thursday night, but that is a story for another post. Just in driving, Earl will put on over 1200 miles from Thursday to Thursday. (That does not include any trips to say, a hotel or a parts store or perhaps someplace to get food.) He will spend over 20 hours just driving to various locations to do his job, and then he has to actually do the job once he gets there! It tends to make for long days for him while he is on the road. If asked, however, he would claim that long days are better than going back to an empty hotel room with nothing but the TV for company. He claims that he actually misses the chaos that is home. ;)

His company has been asked to quote maintenance services for Alltell Wireless. They are currently doing services for Qwest and AT&T. With just those three companies, Earl will be busy (and on the road) from now until September or October. That does not include any current contracts that they have for other businesses, like hospitals, or any repair work that might come up because something went wrong. And let's not forget the all powerful RV clientele with their "gotta have the AC running or my poodle will die" emergencies.

I'm not complaining!

I try really hard not to complain, because his killer schedule is what allows me to only work part-time and spend so much time at home with our children. But perhaps by reading this, you will begin to understand why I have gray hair at the temples (a sure sign of stress), and why I buy multiple boxes of L'Oreal Excellence each time I go to the store. This may also explain why Earl seems to spend so much of his time at church "absorbing" things through closed eyelids. And for somebody who gets sleepy just driving across town to the grocery store, I am amazed at his ability to "arrive alive". I thank heaven that Earl was smart enough to get us signed up for Verizon's unlimited "in" calling and texting! Some weeks that's the only way the kids get to talk to their Daddy.

Wouldn'tcha know it...

2009-05-07T07:41:00.005-06:00

The last several days at work have been crazy. I'm not talking the amount of customers, either. Last week we were notified that the regional manager was coming for a store visit. (Think of it as my boss's boss's boss.) Scurry, scurry little worker. Everything has to be as perfect as we can make it. Every photo frame taken off the shelf, the shelving cleaned, and all frames put back on perfect. Wash the outside of the windows, come inside, move all the furniture, vacuum the floor, wash the windows, wipe down all the ledges, put the furniture back in place perfect. Are you getting the picture here? Most of my co-workers had a scheduled shift of 10-10 on Tuesday, the day before "the visit". Personally, I worked my regular 9-2 shift, went home, took care of kiddos, did the cub scout thing with Nathan, and then went back to work from 6:15 until just after 10 when they called it quits. Thank heavens I had Wednesday off so I could take a nap, right? Well, here's where the title comes in...

I got all the chaos handled Wednesday morning and thought that I would go back to bed. Wouldn'tcha know it, I couldn't sleep. Get up, shower, try to look like I'm not a zombie (probably didn't accomplish that part), made my camp crafts list and headed to Hobby Lobby (work) for some "research" (and shopping--thank you birthday money!). There I found out that the regional manager had phoned and said that he wouldn't be coming for a visit after all.
**insert eye roll here, throw hands in the air and say wouldn'tcha know it! **

Phone calls from the school...on a weekend!

2009-05-02T22:42:00.005-06:00

What do you do when you can't get to sleep and you've already taken the nightly dose of "help you get to sleep" medication? You blog, of course!

I received an interesting phone call this afternoon. Double check the date at the top of this post. You will see that today is Saturday, May 2nd. Saturday. One of the teachers from the elementary school called me today. On my cell phone. On purpose. To talk about my child and his schooling. ON SATURDAY! Are you getting worried yet? Good, because I was when I retrieved her voice mail message that said I should call her back "this weekend". Huh?

Being the good little mommy that I am (and the horribly curious person that I shouldn't be), I called her back. Immediately. Turns out this was not a bad phone call. In fact, just the opposite. Nathan has been tested and the school is recommending him for their "Extended Studies" program for next school year (3rd grade). Apparently, our little man scored in the 95% for his IQ test and 99% for his math test. Translated, that doesn't mean that he got that % of the questions correct, rather that he ranks above that % of the students his age in the skill area. (Reading test scores were about where I would have expected Nathan to test--right in the middle.) What exactly does this mean? I don't know yet, but I'll let you know when I find out.

I hate to admit this, but...

2009-05-01T20:20:00.006-06:00

...our master bedroom has not been known for its restful qualities or cutting edge decor. Our master bedroom used to be 2 separate bedrooms, but the previous homeowner took out the wall between them. We have a rather large room, complete with "his and hers" closets and entrances.

On "my" side of the bedroom we, oops, I mean Earl, has made me a crafting area. I found an old dining room table at a local thrift store, and Earl installed shelving around it. Last weekend, Earl cut my craft table in half (yes, I asked him to do that). We then moved its location to under the window, allowing me to have complete floor-to-ceiling shelving for my craft stuff, or "crap" as he affectionately refers to it.

Fast forward 1 week. Enter a day off from work with the slaves (I mean, children) home from school. Nathan & I attacked the master bedroom today. For the first time in months (possibly longer) we can see the top of our dresser and all the contents there-on with a single glance. (Opposed to the dig through the pile and knock something on the floor version that we have had.) The floor no longer has dust bunnies reproducing under the dresser. The mirror actually reflects something besides the dusty film it was covered in. And for the last (almost) 2 years, I have thought that we had really cool, cream & gray marbled blinds in our bedroom. An excellent place to begin the bedroom makeover, until...

...I took them down to wash them. Fill the bathtub with steamy, hot water. check. Add Lysol to water. check. Walk away for a couple of hours to lets Lysol water soak the "gunk" off the blinds. check and double check. (I even took a 30 minute nap during this part.) Take wet rag to blinds to gently remove any remaining residue. Well, that's where the adventure begins. Here's my point: Did you know that vinyl blinds have very sharp edges? Did you know that one can get a "paper cut" from the edges of said blinds? Do you realize that bleeding on clean blinds is not a great plan? So, that's my story....that, and the blinds were not a pretty marbled pattern. Let's just say that whatever the previous homeowner did to this house prior to selling, cleaning the blinds was not one of them!

Birthday Update

2009-04-28T20:59:00.003-06:00

FYI: I did get birthday presents. My family took me to Hobby Lobby and let me pick the things I wanted (within reason). I had told Earl that I wanted a tabletop fountain and a colorful, floral print bag. Well, rather than pick the wrong thing, he just had me choose the ones that I wanted and then he paid for them (minus my employee discount, of course). Mom & Pops sent me birthday money, and I thought that I might have to use that to get my bag & fountain, but now I get to find another something fun!
Stacie made my birthday cake in the handy-dandy roaster oven. She forgot that a cake mix needs to be baked in 2 round pans, so we had a rather puffy single-layer chocolate cake (minus frosting, because she couldn't find any of the 3 cans that I have in the pantry). My birthday dinner was Burger King. We got coupons in the mail today, so we could actually afford to take the whole family out for burgers. The kind ladies at Burger King even gave me a crown and sang to me. All in all, quite a fun day! Thanks to all who sent me well wishes.

Birthdays

2009-04-28T18:23:00.008-06:00

No presents, the cake is questionable, my craft area is a disaster zone, as is the rest of my house, but I have had a great birthday! Let me explain just a tad...

I have had birthdays in the past when I have gone the entire day without a single birthday greeting from anyone. No cards in the mail, no hugs from the children, a husband that had purchased an item for me, but didn't even bother to give it to me. (He just left it on the dresser in the original box--no gift wrap, gift bag or anything...just a forgotten purchase.) So, I know what a lousy birthday feels like. As the saying goes--been there...

I started the day with birthday greetings from my children, followed by a frantic search for the card made by Nathan and put on top of the fridge so it wouldn't get lost and I wouldn't read it. Yep, you guessed it--the card got lost. Because of that, the children decided that they all needed to make me a card after school. O.K. (Hence the note above that says that my craft area is a disaster. I may not have a whole sheet of paper left in the stack, but I have some really cool cards that my children made for my birthday!)

I received a phone call from Mom early this morning. (My birthday card from them was sitting on my desk just waiting for today!) I received a birthday text from A ngie and Dad later this morning. (Later being after 7:30). Then Angie and Dixon called to sing to me. This afternoon Pops serenaded me with his Idol winning performance of "Happy Birthday". I logged on to "Facebook" and got more and more birthday wishes. Then Stacie handed me a card/booklet that she had made that started to tell my story in rings (like the rings on a tree). My visiting teachers "kidnapped" me for a sweet treat at the Cracker Barrel. Now I am being rewarded for getting older by not having to cook dinner. I think tonight will involve a hamburger from somewhere, but I'm not complaining because I'm not cooking! All in all, a pretty great day.

Adventures in Baking

2009-04-26T20:33:00.003-06:00

No, we have not yet replaced the elements in our oven. I'm sure that from the title, you assumed that I had turned into the Mormon version of Sara Lee, Betty Crocker and Paula Dean all mixed up together. As yet, that is not the case. However, I have gotten pretty creative with the roaster oven. To date, I have "baked" a penne casserole, chicken enchiladas, meatballs in mushroom gravy and brownies. Yes, I did say brownies. They are cooling right now. We shall see how they taste.

Stacie is currently volunteering to be my official taste-tester. She has also asked why, if I could make brownies in the roaster oven, why couldn't I make my birthday cake in the roaster, too. My answer: I shouldn't have to make my own birthday cake when I have 2 teenagers and their Dad at home to make one for me. Stay tuned for more fabulous adventures from the Esplin kitchen.