Make overs and growing up~

Its been a "tradition" that my girls get to start wearing make up in the 7th grade. They've each waited for their 12th birthday to come so they could get make-up and start playing around with it. But it isn't until they start school that they get to wear it in public. A couple of weeks ago, Halle asked me to do a "make over" on her and teach her how to apply make up, what colors to wear, what not to wear...you know...the usual "girl make-up things". We sat her down in a chair and got out different colors of eyeshadow, lip gloss etc...trying a few different things. We tried a dramatic look and a not so dramatic look....and decided that the "not so dramatic look" was more "HALLE". She's been playing around with her make-up since her little make-over and has figured it all out. She still isn't totally sold on the idea of the make-up thing yet, only because she said she doesn't want people to think that she is playing dress-up, or have it look like she is... I think she looks cute and I am positive that she will grow right into loving it...my other 2 girls did, I can't imagine that Halle will be any different. Another change that she's decided to make this year is.... she wants to grow her hair out long. She got Deron's naturally curly hair and she wants to see what it would look like past her shoulders.... Gosh...they turn 12 and get their own oppinions and ideas...whats that all about!?! Its hard to believe that she is the last- of the last. I won't get to do this again...no more firsts in the make-up category for me...this is it!

Part of being ME~

My mind has been heavy for awhile now. So many things have been weighing me down. I have wanted to express my feelings but don't know exactly how to go about it. I don't normally express my deepest thoughts or feelings to anyone because it makes me feel vulnerable. I feel exposed, "naked" (so to speak), if the barrier that so closely surrounds me...is removed or taken away. But life has a way sometimes, of forcing that barrier down and cracking the shell just a bit, because of circumstances that are completely out of my control.

For several years I have felt like I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions...lots of highs, and lots of lows. The highs never seem to hit high enough and the lows are very low, plummeting me into a black hole it seems at times. Ever since I can remember, even as a small child, I've had a hard time getting excited about things, anything. I don't get excited about getting a new car, getting a new house, going on a trip or a vacation, holidays, the future....really anything. (Although... after I have whatever it is I was hoping for/looking forward to, in my hands or experiencing it~ I get excited and I am thrilled beyond measure that I am able to have/do whatever it is that was going to take place...I just want to make that part clear) Its not because I don't WANT to get excited, because I do...but its because I don't want to be disappointed if/when it doesn't work out. I realize that part of the excitement is in the anticipation of whatever is going to take place and whether or not what your hoping for happens or not...the anticipation is supposed to be some kind of a "high". Not in my book. It's part of the "safety barrier" thing for me, if I don't get excited about things then I won't get hurt or disappointed in the end. Because it seems like there is more disappointment than joy anymore...at least that's the way it feels to me sometimes. (not trying to be negative, just making an observation and stating a fact) Several months ago our family received some news of something wonderful that was going to happen...something that we had all hoped and prayed for. At first I had decided that I wasn't going to let myself get excited about it. I would stay in a "reserved happy" phase and just hope that everything would work out and THEN I would get excited when it all happened (because there would be time for that). But as the days (very few of them in fact) went by...I got more and more excited. I let my guard down and got "thrilled" at the thought of such a blessing coming into our lives. I thought about it daily, prepared, planned and even made extended plans for the future. I talked about it with my children. I was EXCITED, to say the least! I put my emotions out there...feeling like "this time" everything was in place and there wasn't a chance for anything to go wrong. Then just over a week ago, we found out that this blessing we had all hoped and prayed for will no longer be ours. It was as if someone had let the air out of my balloon. Excitement was replaced with sadness. Plans were replaced with heartache. I feel lost, confused and full of so many questions. Why can't life be fair? Why can't we all be blessed equally? Why do trials have to come along and dash out hopes and dreams? Honestly...I am sick of trials! I am sick and tired of feeling like I am at the end of my rope all the time. I am tired of struggles and I'm tired of watching my family struggle. I try to count my blessings...because I KNOW that I am blessed. I have no doubts about that...I know that if I turn around and look the other way, in any direction, someone has worse problems than me...and I know that in turn, I wouldn't trade them problems. BUT that doesn't take away the pain that I feel, even though I know that it should. It doesn't take away the hurt and pain that my family feels. As a mom, I'm a fixer, I'm supposed to make things better, fix problems, fix boo-boo's and kiss them better, put a band aid on them and make them go away. That's not going to work this time. As hard as I try, I can't make this better and I wished so badly that I could. I wished that I were a stronger person...an emotionally, mentally and spiritually stronger person. Time heals all wounds...it always does....and I am sure in time these wounds will heal for all of us too, but not without leaving a scar. Even though the days will go by and the months will pass...we will always remember and hold a special place in our hearts for the one special little blessing that just didn't get to come our way this time. But I know, eventually, another one will. Hopefully a day will come when I can look back and trials in life will seem small and not as big as they do now.

In hind sight....do I regret letting myself get excited about the blessing that was going to come our way?....NO. Would I do it again?....YES. Does it change anything?...No, I still prefer my little "safety barrier" and will probably leave it up most of the time. I feel better knowing that I have it surrounding me and that I don't have to put my emotions "out there" for people or life to stomp on. Its hard for me to be open, to air my dirty laundry (so to speak) or to admit that I have problems (not that you don't already know that I do....because don't we all??)...I am not feeling sorry for myself or my family. Today- I just needed to vent a little, and I had to open up my "shell" just a crack so that I could...and now that I have vented, I will pull myself together, put myself back on track and get back to holding it all together.

Here it comes...ready or NoT!...

"Cameron's Old Timer"

Yesterday was the first day of school and Oh...the getting up at 6:00am, the making of breakfast by 7:00am and then the coaxing to get the kids to hurry up and get ready before 8:00 when they have to dash out the door....and then there is the dreaded homework and the constant nagging to get some of them to get it done (if they even remember to bring it home...AHHH), the whining and complaining about how bad they hate school... and now its all coming back to me WHY I HATE the school year. I like my kids home during the summer. We have fun together, we work hard, we play hard and we even take time to relax a little. When school starts back up again it becomes all about schedules...its the "time to be here" and "time to be there".... that makes me go nuts. Its the crazy life again and I am not so fond of "CRAZY LIFE". But reg
ardless...of what I like or don't like, I am grateful that they can attend school and learn, because I'm not smart enough to do the homeschool thing. And even though I like them home during the summer...I'm sure that in this case TO MUCH OF A GOOD THING...MIGHT BE A BAD THING...at least for me. So yesterday was the BIG DAY...Halle's firstday in Jr. High, Kim's LAST "first day of school" and Cameron's first day as a big sophmore. Elementary is a thing of the past for us and we are looking forward to the next 6 years....we all know that it flies by faster than we think. Cameron wanted Kim to drive his truck to school on the first day...show it off a bit...and get to make an impression on the girls (boys...they're always thinking~). Everyone had a great day. Halle said that she couldn't get her locker open by herself for most of the day, Kim said that her favorite part of the day was being a senior and getting to cut in front of the lunch line and not get in trouble. Cameron said his favorite part was when the bell rang to come home....gotta love those first days of school!

Day 6 and 7...the end of the week

After Friday's long day...Saturday came along and I just wanted to rest! But resting wasn't in the plans. I still had to go and get groceries. I was out of everything and the dreaded chore was now a HAVE to. Halle didn't want to go and so she and Deron planned a picnic and a little drive, just the two of them. Cameron once again wanted to go up on the mountain with Grandpa and Lee, so that's where he spent his day. Kim, bless her heart, decided to come with me and help me do the drudgery's of getting groceries. After arriving home I sat down with the girls and watched the "Hannah Montana Movie." I don't usually get into Hannah Montana or any of the little shows like that, that are on the Disney channel, but Halle really wanted me to watch it...and so I did. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a fun little show. It had a really good message about being yourself, not letting others decide who you are and following your dreams. I'm glad that she talked me into watching it with her.

On Sunday...Day #7 we have just relaxed and we are calling that "FUN," today. Someday's that's just what you have to do and Sunday seems to be the only day I get to do that. I forget about the laundry, the cleaning and the regular stuff and I try and take time to do a little R & R and catch up on my blogs.

I loved our "FUN WEEK!" I learned alot about my kids, about myself and most of all...that its okay and important to take the time to have a little fun. It doesn't have to cost money, it doesn't have to take hours and hours and it doesn't have to consist of leaving your comfort zone (home)...all it takes is some imagination, some time and the ability to let your hair down a bit. I hope that I can remember to have fun more often, to spend time with my kids and make memories that they will have throughout their entire lives. I love them and they mean the world to me. Someday when they look back on their childhood and teen years I want them be able to reflect on many fun and happy times....and I want to be a part of those "FUN and HAPPY TIMES".

Day 5...a little FUN mingled with a lot of hard work!

School shopping has gotten a little less time consuming than it use to. When I had all 6 of my kids at home we would take one day to do the 3 boys school shopping~ and one day to do the 3 girls school shopping. We would go to all of their favorite stores and I would take them to a fun restaurant (the boys have different favorites than the girls do...you know "man food" vs "Chick food") to eat lunch on their special trip. It would take the entire day, but for me that was TWO entire days, and having to do it all in the city 2 hours away, made alot of traveling on my part! BUT GOOD NEWS....we are down to doing it all in ONE day...that's what having only 2 girls and one boy left at home does to my school shopping extravaganza. Friday (yes, that was the last day before school starts) we were planning on leaving bright and early at 8am--- but I learned at 8:45am FRIDAY morning that my car wasn't registered and it needed to be inspected before we left!!! UHG...not cool. But because we live in a small town of AWESOME people, our friend that owns the tire store here, got me RIGHT in for an inspection (I love my little town of friends and neighbors who all look out for each other!!!!) and I was then out the door and on my way to get it registered. Then off to the bank, the gas station and away we went...only 2 hours late, but hey...better then never! Cameron had done 99% of his shopping on-line this year (bless his dear heart!) and so all we had to do was find shoes for him. Kim had gotten all of her pants on-line this year (which if any of you know her and her long legs...37" inseam pants are hard to buy off the rack from ANYWHERE) which again was a great blessing because we can spend and entire day hunting for 1 pair of jeans for this girl...so I was sure that we were going to have a little time to play plus I had some grocery shopping that I needed to do at Walmart too, so I was giving us about 3 hours and figured we would be done, with at least the school stuff. WRONG! I forget just how long it takes to find school clothes, the trying on...the taking off...the hunting...the perfect outfit...the perfect fit...the wrong color...the wrong size...the wrong store...etc. etc. etc....( you all know the drill)...at 8:30pm, and almost dark outside, we finally finished the school shopping, not the groceries, just the school stuff. I decided that the groceries would have to wait until Saturday because we still had a 2 hour drive home (if the deer made themselves scarce and stayed from off the road so that we would be safe in our journey). We still did all the shopping in record time (I thought). Thank goodness that Dayna was along to help! She has an eye for good deals, bargains and had coupons to pass around as well. She is a mighty trooper and we loved having her come along. (sorry Dayna, that we drug you around the entire city on a mad dash, but THANKS A MILLION for coming along). We loaded up our goods and headed for home. The kids were all wonderful that day. I don't think that we had one fight or even an argument the entire day (HEAVEN...YES I think I had a taste of it that day!!). As we were driving down Provo Canyon, Cameron requested that we listen to some "Taylor Swift" tunes...we popped a CD in, opened the sun roof, turned up the music and we jammed out to Taylor Swift, among others, all the way to Heber (that's when it got too cold to have the sun roof open anymore). We stopped and got the kids some McDonald's to satisfy their rumbly tummy's and we arrived home at a little before 11:00pm....AHHHHH...all in a days work!

Day 4...a day of "thought"~

Living in a rural area, as many of you reading this will know, there isn't alot of entertaining things to dash out and do. We have to drive for at least 30 minutes to do anything...and an hour or more to get to REALLY do very much other than go to a movie...SO we usually have to create our own kind of fun entertaining ourselves or make plans well in advance to go somewhere. I had a busy day on Thursday and so leaving wasn't really an option (plus Day 5 was school shopping and we would be leaving for that)...so I got creative and decided that we would play night games in the yard. NOW...keep in mind that I am not as young as I use to be, as fast as I use to be, or as crazy as I use to be...BUT I still know how to have fun. At 10:00pm we put on our jackets, our bug spray (with lots of DEET) and headed out into the dark night. We decided to play "Kick the Can". If you haven't played it before, it's similar to hide and seek with the twist that if your found you have to come running and jump over this can before the person counting does, otherwise you will be in "jail" until everyone else is found. Halle and I were on a team (because she is terrified of the dark), so that left Cameron and Kimber to hide. Halle and I counted to 100 and headed off for the hunt...we had our flashlights just in case was thought we saw something that we might need to check out (we are little cheaters!!!!). Now...mind you, that it was a VERY DARK night- and I AM over 40 now, (so my vision isn't what it use to be) and Halle was so scared that the BOOGIE man might come out, that I don't think she was doing much"hunting"....we couldn't find ANYONE! We walked around the house, through the yard then around and around again-squinting our eyes to see if we could catch anyone and where they might be hiding. After what seemed like a long time, we finally found Kim. She went sprinting across the yard and over the can before we even knew that we had actually found her. Cameron stayed hidden and we looked and looked and still couldn't find him. Finally Kim gave us a hint that he was up in the tree (I kept hearing things up there but couldn't see him so I thought it must be the cat)...regardless, Halle and I lost BIG TIME! After playing twice, with Halle and I "IT" both times, we decided that we needed a change of activities. So we laid on the grass and looked up at the sky, trying to find the big and small dipper (because those are the only ones that we can make out, or CARED to TRY and make out). Kimber saw fit to dump water on us from the watering can...but because we were all having a good time, we all just laughed. As we sat there and watched the lights from the airplanes and the twinkling stars, Cameron said, "Mom, why don't we do this more often?"...it got me thinking- Why don't we do that more often? It doesn't cost money, we don't have to leave the comfort of our own yard and its fun....then WHY I ask? As we all laid there quiet and thinking, he said "We should do this FUN WEEK all during the summer and not just wait until the last week of summer to do it, we should just do it ALL the time."... I was taken back by the thought that it REALLY isn't about cramming it all into 7 days, but doing little things all the time....making time-Quality TIME- to spend with my kids. Night time stimulates teenagers to "want to talk" and that's what our night mostly entailed. We didn't talk about problems, I didn't give lectures, we just talked-observed our surroundings and relaxed. It was my favorite FUN day of the entire week.

Day 3...Our own kind of FUN~

Our FUN week continues with day #3 which would have been Wednesday. With 3 teenagers in the house, we are always busy. Wednesday's FUN consisted of everyone doing their own FUN thing(...hence the reason for no pictures). There was a church activity that the kids were invited to go to. Halle was the only one that was around and wanted to go. They had a big "Breakfast" at 6:00PM for all of the kids and then there was free swimming at the pool or bowling at the bowling alley. Halle chose to go swimming and hang out with a few of her friends. Cameron wanted to go up on the mountain with my brother, Lee, and Grandpa Weight. Lee is building a cabin and loves for Cameron to come up and help with the building. But the funny thing is...I think that Cameron loves it just as much, if not more than Lee. He loves to build and to create, so building a cabin is right up his alley. I had a meeting to go to over in Roosevelt so Kim decided that she wanted to ride over with me. We went and had a hamburger at Rocky's and "people watched" while we ate. It was fun just having time to chat and talk about life with Kim. Deron stayed home and put his feet up and caught up on his TV time....you see we all had FUN...we just had OUR OWN KIND OF FUN today.

Day 2...

Our second day of fun was a bit "melancholy". We had gotten some sad and heart wrenching news that put a damper on our day....but we did the best that we could to press forward and tried to do the best that we could to get through all.

Deron and Cameron were in Vernal for the afternoon doing some things that they needed to over there. On their way home they decided to stop and see a movie together...which was fun for them...(no one said that the "fun days" had to all be spent as an entire family at home.....I guess we do what we can, where we can and when we can, right?!)

As for the girls and I, we decided that we were going to make nacho's for dinner and have a picnic while we watched

"The little Mermaid 1 & 2".

Watching those sweet films by Disney always takes me back to my childhood as well as my

children's childhood. They are just innocent and wonderful entertainment that make you forget about life for awhile... And thats what we tried to do.

I love "The Little Mermaid". When Dayna was little she would watch it over and over...I don't know if it was because she loved it so much or because we only had 2 movies, Peter Pan and The little Mermaid...regardless, we watched it hundreds of times before she grew tired of it.

At the end of the day we looked back on our evening. It was just fun to spend some time with Kimber and Halle picnicing and hanging out~ and Deron and Cameron had a good time together at the movies. It was time spent together with people that we love and thats what makes days special.

PaRTy all WeEk!

I use to look forward to my kids going back to school when they were little and took hours to entertain and care for, but now that my kids are older and they don't take as much "entertaining"...(they can entertain themselves)...I don't look forward to sending them back. Our summers are pretty care free and boring, but there isn't the stress of activity after activity that they have to be to, or homework that I have to constantly ride them about. We work around the yard, in the house and do what needs to be done, but we try to make time to play a little too. And with the summer months, its nice that we have many days a week to try and fit the fun in instead of just a Saturday. I decided this year I was going to try and make the last week before school started, a little different. I was going to plan something fun to do every single day for a week. Monday was our first big day and we started it off with a bang! We set up the croquet set and played outside all evening. We ate ice cream cones and laughed and had an enjoyable night... (we didn't even have 1 argument between the kids...woot woot!!!). The kids are looking forward to the week and anxious to see what each day will bring. We aren't going to do great big elaborate things, but just spending time together, doing something different from the "norm", that we usually do every day. I am looking forward to a fun week too. Sometimes I forget to take time to relax and laugh like I should, so this week is going to be good therapy for me as well as just plain ol' FUN....its a PaRTy at our house!!!! (at least for this week)

School Daze....here they come again~

Twelve years ago, I thought this day would never come, our last child is entering into the Jr. High/Sr. High School world, no more elementary for us. I know that we all say it, think about it and yet wonder...where does all the time go, I am no exception...WHERE HAS ALL THE TIME GONE?! It seems to travel on wings of lightening anymore. Dayna graduated 5 years ago, Todd 3 years ago, Erik 2 years ago. Kim will graduate this year, Cameron in 2 years and Halle in 6 years. It seems unreal to me, because in my small mind I'm still young and feel as though I just graduated a year or 2 ago. (like I said...in my SMALL mind~)

Halle turned 12 in May and that means....she is old enough to move on to, the "BIG SCHOOL", as we so often refer to it. She was a little anxious when we walked into the halls of the Jr. High/Sr. High School last week as we went to register her for the 7th grade. Everything is bigger, more spread out and so much different. Not only do they get their recess's cut, they now have to walk the halls where the seniors are walking as well. They will move from one class to another and have several different teachers instead of the same one all day long. She likes the thought of eating lunch where you have several choices in what you want to eat, getting to have a music class and an art class and even getting to be in class with some of her friends. So its not all "scary" to her. We walked around to each of her class rooms so that "hopefully" on the first day of school she will sort of know where she is going. I remember the apprehension that I felt when I went to Jr. High and I was scared to death. I asked Halle if she was nervous or afraid for the first day of school and she quickly told me that "YES," she was. She tends to be a little shy and anxious anyway, so I hope that she can have a positive experience and that she will make some new friends along the way and enjoy the change that is happening in her life.

A plug for "Mimi's Cafe".....

If any of you have ever gone to "Mimi's Cafe", you will love this recipe. If you've never been...you'll wish that you had. Last year my step mom and I went and tried it out when we were out in Salt Lake. I had never been, but had always wanted to try it out. They have awesome food there, but my favorite part of dinner was their "Carrot Raisin Nut Bread"! It was the best quick bread that I had ever eaten. In one of my many searches for new recipes I fell upon a copycat recipe for this bread. I thought I would give it a try and much to my delight, its a very close fake.

You've got to try it to appreciate the just how fantastic it is!!!!

Mimi's Cafe Carrot Raisin Bread

3 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

4 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

2 c. vegetable oil

2 c. brown sugar

6 eggs

1 c. chopped nuts (don't leave these out unless your allergic, they add alot to the bread)

1 c. diced or crushed pineapple, completely drained!

1 c. raisins (I used CRAISINS...because my kids aren't big raisin fans)

2 c. finely shredded carrots

Sift the first 5 ingredients into mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar and eggs. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour; mix well. Add the next 4 ingredients; stir again. Grease AND flour 3-4 bread pans (i used 4 so that they are smaller loaves and cooked clear through). Fill the pans 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes ( or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.) Enjoy!!!

* If you use mini loaf pans they take about 20 minutes

Happy Cooking!

BBQ with a twist~

I told you I was going to do better this week with my menu and new recipes...and I DID! I actually made a new recipe Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Our schedules were a little crazy the rest of the week and didn't allow me to dive into cooking as much as I had planned. But I was proud of myself for accomplishing what I did (since I hadn't explored much in the cooking world for awhile). On Monday, I looked and looked all day for something that sounded good to make for dinner. After hours of searching, I finally just made up my own recipe. I named it "BBQ Meatball Sandwiches". Everyone was a little skeptical at first but after tasting them, they all liked them and even said they would eat them again.

Julie's BBQ Meatball Sandwiches

1 lb. sausage

1 lb. ground beef

4 cups of crushed BBQ potatoe chips (I am sure that you could use any potatoe chip)

3 eggs

1 t. salt

1/2 t. onion powder

1/2 t. oregano

1 t. season salt

1 t. garlic powder

1-2 bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce

Hoagie Rolls

Cheese, sliced

Mix first 9 ingredient together. Shape meat mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut. Fry in a pan with just enough oil so that the meatballs won't stick. Continue to turn meatballs every few minutes to keep them from burning. Cook until done. Drain oil. Pour BBQ sauce over cooked meatballs and let simmer for 10 minutes. Open Hoagie rolls and place sliced cheese on one side, place under broiler for 1-2 minutes, until light brown, remove from under broiler and place onto a serving plate. Place (3) meatballs onto bun (enough to fill it from one end to the other) , close and serve immediatly. ENJOY!

*this is a large batch and makes enough meatballs to fill 8-10 sandwiches. It also made great leftovers.

Happy Cooking

Sometimes you feel like a nut~

Last weekend we held our 4th annual Weight Family Reunion. I don't come from a large extended family on either side- combined, I have 4 aunts (thats 3 from my dad's side and 1 from my mom's side) and 5 cousins (4 from my dad's family and 1 from my mom's family). After my grandparents passed away, we knew that it would be harder to get together to see each other because we weren't going to all be meeting at grandma's and grandpa's house for special occasions. So we decided that in order for our family to try and stay close we were going to have a reunion with my dads 3 sisters and their 4 children, and all of my brothers and sisters and their families. Each year we rotate who will be in charge of the reunion, between my dad, my brothers and sister and me. This year my dad and I were in charge. We chose to have it at Hardings Hide Away over by Myton. The owner is a close friend of my dad's so we were able to get a really good deal on it. The kids look forward to the reunion every year. Its always a blast. I love getting together with my family and laughing and goofing off (yes, we grown ups do crazy things like that!) and just having a great time. We decided to shake things up a bit this year and camp over night. We had a fun talent program, roasted marshmellows and made smores, sang campfire songs and visited. The next morning we got up and made a big breakfast, cleaned up (yep...we have to do that at reunions too) and then headed for the water. My niece Avery and I went on a frog hunt. We usually spend hours looking before we find any (we've had the reunion here 3 out of the 4 times) that we are able to actually catch. But this year we caught 2 in about 10 minutes. The little kids all loved our frogs, but Dayna wasn't very amused when we showed her how our frog liked to jump in her hair....(hysterical for all who were watching) but she was a good sport and we all had a fun laugh. Also, at Harding's they have a great big pipe that they have converted into a water slide. I've always had so much fun watching the kids slide down it...because it is really high and quite terrifying... they usually scream at the top of their lungs the first couple of times that they go down it and sometimes they even wipe out when they get down to the water. The slide is great entertainment for everyone to watch, as well as slide down. I had decided this year that MAYBE I would try to go down the slide after lunch when it was warmer (last weekend was a chilly one). My brothers had been trying all morning to get me to go down and I kept telling them that I didn't want to get wet until after lunch and then MAYBE I would try the slide, but I hadn't decided for sure because it looked so scary!!!! Not too long after that my brothers decided that I "needed to just get wet now" and go down the slide. You know how brothers are...so persistant! They proceeded to chase me down, pick me up and toss me into the water....and OH SO COLD water at that!!! After I was wet anyway I decided that I would be brave and try the slide. I have to admit...I don't know what got into me because I am scared of heights, I don't swim very well and the water was so cold...plus I really don't like swiming in ponds, lakes or rivers as there tends to be things (tadpoles, fish, SNAKES, water skeeters...etc...) that swim around your legs and feet, and frankly~ it freaks me out!!! So honestly, I don't really know what I was doing!!! I climbed up to the top of the slide and just kept telling myself to "not look down". I climbed on to my boogie board and looked at my brother John and then looked down the slide, and then I started to realize just how far I was up there...I started to get scared so I told him to let me go (I knew I had to do it before I chickened right out) and down I went....TERRIFIED all the way to the water. I have to admit, it was really fun, still really scary, but it WAS fun. I even tried it a couple of more times after that. We all had such a great time. Everyone was entertained in some way or another. Some paddled around in the boats on the pond, some of the little ones played in the sand, some of the grown ups goofed off on the slide, and some just wanted to watch, but I think that everyone that was there had a wondeful time. Thanks to everyone that was able to be there! Reunions are the best!!!! The food was great, the company was great...and I can't wait until next year when we do it all again!

Chewy, Chunky...YUM

We had the missionaries over for dinner last night which is always fun, but I was having a bit of a problem figuring out what to fix for them. You know the dilemma ...I wanted them to enjoy and eat whatever I fixed, yet I didn't want to spend hours in the kitchen...well, the 2 don't mix, something good usually takes hours in the kitchen I've discovered, anyway...SO I fixed Navajo Taco's and Cookie Dough Brownies. I will have to admit that the brownies were a NEW RECIPE and so I was a little nervous to serve them to company. Erik came over to eat as well and was the first to sample the brownies. He isn't much of a "sweets" kind of person so he just had a nibble, but then he kept coming back for more...thats when he said that he "really liked them"...so that was my que that they were going to be a hit. I actually had to steal one off of the plate really quick before they were all gone...because every time I turned around they were disappearing quicker and quicker. My point being....IF you make these, make alot~ because they don't last very long.

Cookie Dough Brownies

1 c. chocolate chips (I used milk) + 1 T. shortening

1/2 c. butter, softened (margarine works just as well)

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 1/4 c. flour

1/4 t. baking soda

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

In the microwave melt shortening and chocolate chips for 15 seconds, stir, then for 15 more seconds and stir...repeat until its melted but not stiff. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in melted chocolate. Combine flour, and baking soda; add to batter. Stir in walnuts. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 f0r 30-35 minutes (the original recipe said 16 minutes but mine wasn't near done by then...so watch yours- I guess it depends on your oven. ) Or until a toothpick comes out clear when inserted in the middle.

Cool completely!

Frosting:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 T. milk

1 c. flour

1 c. chocolate chips

Cream the butter, sugars, and milk together. Mix in the flour until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and spread frosting over the cooled brownies. Keep all the leftovers in the refrigerator.

Happy Cooking my Blogger Buddies!

Trying to do better~

JUST a note...I am going quit being a slacker and get back to planning and following a "menu," so I will be trying a few new recipes again and I will post them on my blog! For all of you "foodies" out there that love to eat good food like me...it will something to look forward to!....I hope to get it planned out today and start with a new recipe tomorrow....I CAN'T wait!

An Artist in our mist!

The County Fair always brings back fun memories, some from my childhood but most from when my children were little. It use to be such fun, and a BIG DEAL that we looked forward to all summer. We use to take the kids to look at all of the animals, to the Derby, the Rodeo, the parade, and for a walk around the fair building to look at all of the Arts and Crafts Exhibits. The kids loved it. It was usually a very busy, fun week. As the kids have gotten older we haven't really participated in any of the fair events. The price to get into the events has gone up significantly over the years and it all adds up with a family of our size. When we were spending $80 to get into one event, plus the food (it always smells so good inside of the rodeo grounds and it all entices you to come and eat some of it as well)...it just got a little too much for us to afford. If I had the amount of money that we were spending at the fair just laying around to blow, I guess I would choose to take a "mini-vacation" instead, to someplace other than my back yard. So the fair has actually become a week that I dread instead of look forward to anymore. Being so close to the fair grounds (no its not right out my front door like some people, but its still close) we can hear everything that is said from the announcers stand, the music, see the fireworks and smell the exhaust from the Derby Cars and Motor Cross...its just like being right there in it anyway. Although we don't participate much in the other events, we've always still tried to go and look at the Arts and Craft exhibits, we've missed a few years, but we enjoy it when we are able to attend. This year Halle wanted to enter some of her drawings into the Arts and Crafts exhibit. She had worked hard on them and was excited to have them judged and win premium money for her ribbons. After waiting a day for the judges to look over all the entries we ran down for a peek at what they awarded her with. She got blue ribbons on all of them! She was thrilled. Its fun to see her face light up when she feels successful and a sense of accomplishment. Although she didn't get any premium money (I guess they don't do that anymore?), she was happy that she entered her drawings and is going to start working hard for next year. She is a wonderful artist and has alot of potential. There were alot of wonderful entries this year and it was fun to be able to take a quick peek at them all. We were in a hurry and didn't get to look at all of them, but I was really impressed with the talented people in our area that share what they are able to do, with those of us that aren't so talented. NOW that the fair is over we are well into the fast moving count down until school starts.....I might be a little strange, but I am not looking forward to sending my kids back yet! Where does all of the time go, summer just goes by way too fast!

ThE "TANK"!!!

Erik is my one child that has always loved animals, creatures and things that creep and crawl. He was always bringing home lost, homeless animals, birds, and strays. I remember one time when he was about 9-10 years old, he was down at the fair grounds...I think to go fishing...and he came home with a rooster. It was pretty mangy looking and was missing feathers sporadically over it body. Erik begged and begged us to keep it. Finally we relented and let him put it in a cage outside and told him that he could keep it if he fed and watered it. Well, it wasn't 2 days later that we noticed that the rooster had LICE...and so did Erik! It was awful! Erik got his head shaved bald, a massive dose of RID and we hauled the rooster off and "took care of it". After that, Erik didn't bring home strays, but always begged for this pet or that pet. He had Guini pigs, rabbits, parakeets, kittens, puppies and even a salamander. Lately he has been wanting another pet...a Doberman Pinscher. He has talked about it often and said how "one day" he was going to get one. I guess an opportunity arose and his "one day" came. Yesterday he brought over the cutest little Doberman puppy. We all fell in love with him. He had quite the funny personality. We all cuddled him, played with him, made him chase sticks and wore him right out. He fell asleep on the grass with his paws over his eyes...(he put them there all by himself ) AHHH..isn't he so cute!. His name is "TANK"...which is a big name for such a little guy, but I have no doubts that he will grow into it before too long. Erik was just like a proud parent, showing him off to his family and friends. He is really good with animals and I know that he will be a good "dad" to baby Tank.... I am excited for him and that he finally has his dream dog!