And Speaking of Cute Missionaries...

...here is a picture of Kirsten taken a couple months ago on her mission. (She's the super cute one in the middle.) She is in the Ohio-Cleveland mission and is currently serving at the Kirtland Temple historical sites. She's been in Kirtland since June 15. She gives tours to visitors and has had a lot of neat experiences there. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir just came and that was really neat it sounds like. She also got to sing with the sister missionaries at the celebration for Emma Smith's birthday. She thinks this will be her last transfer in Kirtland. During the summer they transfer a lot of the sister missionaries to the church sites. The tourist season is slowing down now so she'll be going back out to the field soon. What a cool mission! A little bit of everything! I wish I could go through one of her tours while she is there. That would be so neat! I love to read her letters and see what she's doing. She writes the best letters! Very uplifting! She's such a great little missionary, too! Sure miss her!

Welcome Home Levi

Wow! I can't believe it! My little brother Levi, is coming home from his mission tomorrow! He's been serving a mission for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the last two years in Guatemala. I can't believe how fast the time has passed! I wish I could be there when he gets home. He arrives in Salt Lake City at about 6:30 tomorrow night. Everyone is going to be there except for me (sniff, sniff)...and my youngest sister, Kirsten, who is also currently serving a mission for our church in the Ohio-Cleveland mission. I'm sure I'll get to see him in a few months at least. It's just fun to see them when they're still "fresh". Ha! I'm sure he is excited to come home and start a new chapter in his life with college, dating, etc. But my heart also goes out to him as he leaves his Guatemala and all that he has grown to love there. I know that's how I felt coming home from my mission to Belgium/France. So happy, yet so sad! And still to this day (I've been home for 7 1/2 years!) I get a little choked up about it!

I know Levi has been such a great missionary. It's been fun to read his letters every week and see how much he has grown and changed. Going from a 19 year-old boy to a 21 year-old man. What an experience! Nothing else compares to it. It's something he will look back to every single day of his life. I know I do! There are so many things you learn on a mission from learning how to talk to strangers (often in a foreign language) to learning how to live with a companion 24/7 to learning how to study! The list is endless! I'm so happy for him and so excited to see him again! He's such a fun guy and we've missed him so much! Love you Levi! We're so proud of you and what you've accomplished and the example you have set for so many of your little nieces and nephews! Austin hopes he can learn Spanish on his mission some day like Uncle Levi! (He says french is for girls...hmmmm....) Welcome back Levi!

¡Recepción de nuevo a América!

Welcome back to America!

(I don't know if that's really how you say it in Spanish! I just used the language tool on Google! Might be a little too "literal" ya know? LOL)

Spiders...EEK!

Every Sunday evening Tory brings the garbage bins out to the curb for trash pickup. Tonight he was doing the normal routine but on his way back he was clotheslined by a giant spider web. Seriously! This thing was made out of bungee cords! He could pull on one strand and make it stretch out over 10 times its original length. Amazing! The spider web itself was about 24 inches in diameter and then it had connector strands that went from our neighbors tree to our tree...over 12 feet! And right in the middle was a big giant spider. EEK! Gives me the shivers just thinking about it. We tried to take some pictures but it was kind of tricky in the dark. Turns out it's just a GARDEN ORB-WEAVING spider. Regardless...it was unpleasant. See for yourself! Make sure you click on the pictures to blow them up so you can see better!

Reading Marathon

I haven't really had much to report this last week mostly because I feel like I've been reading quite a bit more than usual. Of course we started up the reading marathon with Harry Potter last weekend. Tory waited in line at Wal-Mart for over an hour Thursday night. He wishes he would have gotten there earlier because they were giving out bracelets to arrange everyone in order. The red "Gryffindor" bands were first, followed by the green "Slytherin" bands, and so on. Tory got there right when they were starting the Slytherin bands. Too bad. It was a great book though. Kind of weird that it's over though. At least we still have some more movies to look forward to. And we hear JK Rowling is going to do an encyclopedia type book that sums up all the characters and what they've done in their later years. But she says she certainly won't be starting that up too soon!

Just before Harry Potter I was trying to quickly finish my "dud" book just so I could find out what happened at the end. Very predictable. Oh, well. And THEN I read Twilight. What a fantastic book! If you're up for a good love story then you've got to read this one! It's a long book but goes quickly. You could easily read it in one day if you had the time to devote to it. I read it in two. Today I just picked up the second book New Moon. I read the little excerpt in the back of Twilight and couldn't wait. I thought my position on the waiting list was a ways out still. A pleasant surprise to find it was waiting for me at the library. So I was at the library when the doors opened at 10:00 am this morning. Tory says I need to slow down. I do love a good book! On Stephenie Meyer's website she actually has playlists of songs she compiled for "soundtracks" for her books. That's pretty fun! I guess she has to have music to write and these were the songs she used. I'll have to check them out. Here's her soundtrack for Twilight if you're interested:

1. "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" — Travis

2. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" [video edit] — My Chemical Romance

3. "Creep" [radio edit] — Radiohead

4. "In My Place" — Coldplay

5. "By Myself" — Linkin Park

6. "Dreaming" — OMD

7. "Please Forgive Me" — David Gray

8. "Here With Me" — Dido

9. "With You" [reanimation remix] — Linkin Park

10. "Time is Running Out" — Muse

11. "Dreams" — The Cranberries

12. "Tremble for My Beloved" — Collective Soul

13. "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" — Billy Joel

Cleaning the House

Love this quote. I gotta admit, this how I feel sometimes:

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~Phyllis Diller

Family Day

Yesterday we had a great adventure. We were able to get a great price on tickets for all of us to go to Six Flags for about the price of one adult ticket at the discount price! Cool! We went with our friends James and Rachael and their two kids, Sean and Kaitlyn. It was loads of fun. The best part was watching the kids. Every time we go I always think about how much they would enjoy it. I'm so glad we were finally able to take them. Austin was able to ride almost all of the rides except for the really big roller coasters. Of course we weren't able to go on all of them. Dallin was about a centimeter too short. The ruler would just brush through his hair and since it didn't actually touch his head they wouldn't let him on. Too bad. But he still had a lot of fun and was able to ride with an adult on all but the roller coasters. They have been asking when we get to go back all day! Lots of fun! Here are a few pictures from our day. Enjoy!

They had this water area in the park that the kids just loved. It was a great place too cool down since it was over 90 degrees yesterday! Even Coen and Kaitlyn had lots of fun in the water. Everyone was soaked from head to toe.

Smooth as Butter

OK, I have found a very useful kitchen tool that I must share with you. I have a hard time with can openers. Electric or hand operated...it makes no difference. For the last several years I have struggled every time I open a can. Either I can't get them to clamp down, get them on the can and then it starts cutting cattywampus* across the lid, or it cuts for a while-leaves a connected spot-cuts again, etc, etc. Lately I feel like I'm having to pry them off more and more with a butter knife. I fear my fingers are in grave danger. So Tory finally broke down and got me a new one. (Note: The can openers glide effortlessly across any surface for Tory so apparently it's been operator malfunction all these years...) This can opener is unlike any I've had before. It's the Safe Cut Can Opener by Chefmate. It's awesome! Glides through the lid like butter! And it's the kind that leaves the smooth and clean edge. (Not that I'm quite brave enough to slide my finger across the top...I'm just taking their word for it right now.) On my first try I couldn't even tell when I got to the end. I just kept going and going. Tory says I went around about 3 times! Ha! I'm just used to it taking that long! Oh, I'm in heaven! So if any of you are can opener challenged like myself, you've GOT to give this one a try! It's worth the little extra $$. Or if you just want a can opener that you can operate without using every muscle in both of your hands and arms...this is the one fore you. Butter...it's like butter!

*During the making of this post I also found out something I didn't know. I always thought the word was "scattywampus" but of course the spellcheck picked it out. I thought I should check to make sure before I posted this to the world. Apparently it's "cattywampus". I don't know how I feel about that. Just doesn't have the same ring to me. I don't know if I can really use this word anymore! Kind of disappointing. I'm afraid I use this word a lot. This is going to take some adjusting to. What a bummer. Scatty just sounds better to me. Oh, well.

Twilight

Yesterday I brought the boys to the library to "cash in" their summer reading cards for their prizes. They were pretty excited about their stickers, plastic toys, and tootsie rolls. They also got a few coupons for some local stores...but they didn't seem to really care about those "pieces of paper". LOL While I was there I picked up some things that I had put on hold. I got two books on CD for me and the boys-A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder both by Richard Peck. They are Newberry Honor books that I've heard a lot about. The book club we have with some women from church even read it so I thought I'd give it a whirl. We listened to the first few chapters in the car today and it's great! So funny! When I pulled into our driveway this afternoon Austin asked me not to turn it off yet. So we sat for awhile and listened. I finally got him out of the car by telling him we could continue it inside. I also got a book on CD for Tory. He's been listening to The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud lately. He has a long drive to and from school every day so books on tape are what help him pass the time. And finally, for me, I got the book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I have heard so many good things about this book. I've even read on several blogs that this book was recommended so many times and when the reader finally read it they absolutely couldn't put it down. Since I keep running into comments like this I decided to give it a try. It also happens to be a New York Times bestseller. I had to put it on hold since there was a waiting list ahead of me. I didn't expect it to come this soon so now I have to finish the book that I am now reading (which is the most boring book ever...but I've just got to see how it ends darn it all!) I can't wait to read my new book. All I know about it is that it is about vampires and love.....a love story with bite! We shall see! Have any of you read it? I guess the writer is a BYU graduate and this is her debut novel. She already has the second one out called New Moon and a third one that's coming soon (Aug. 7 I believe) called Eclipse. Apparently I'm quite behind on my discovery. But hey...better late than never!


**OK, my sister Heather just called and said she read the book and LOVED it! So now I HAVE to read it! So excited!!

The Mysterious Little Sesame Seed

Sesame seeds add a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible, crunch to many Asian dishes. They are also the main ingredients in tahini (sesame seed paste) and the wonderful Middle Eastern sweet call halvah. They are available throughout the year.

Sesame seeds may be the oldest condiment known to man dating back to as early as 1600 BC. They are highly valued for their oil which is exceptionally resistant to rancidity. "Open sesame," the famous phrase from the Arabian Nights, reflects the distinguishing feature of the sesame seed pod, which bursts open when it reaches maturity. The scientific name for sesame seeds is Sesamun indicum.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, I purchased some sesame seeds in bulk back in early April. We had a school break the end of April and when I got back I could never find my sesame seeds again! I looked EVERYWHERE and have continued to keep my eye out for them. I have even emptied the cupboard I kept them in. Finally, this last Saturday I broke down and bought some more. I finally realised I would never see them again. Well, just now I went to make dinner and opened this same cupboard (which by the way, I also keep Coen's baby food jars in-so it gets opened A LOT!) It's pretty empty right now. (Time to go shopping!) There sitting in plain sight were my old sesame seeds. Sitting right beside the baby food...in fact touching! I don't know what to say. It's a mystery. I'm so confused! I KNOW I've looked there a million gazillion bazillion times!!!! So now I have a serious supply of sesame seeds which leads me to the next question I'm sure most of you are asking right now, "Why would you buy sesame seeds in bulk in the first place?!" Well, they are supposed to be very nutritious and even have some calcium packed in that little seed. We could all use a little nutritious boost every now and then, right? I like to sprinkle them on all kinds of stuff. Tasty little guys! OK, so now I need to get back to getting dinner on the table! I just had to take a moment for this most bizarre incident.

For more on sesame seeds click here.

I am Elizabeth Bennet

I found this quiz on my friend's blog and since I'm such a Jane Austen fan...I just HAD to take it! Yeah! I'm Elizabeth Bennet! You should try it!

Take the Quiz here!

A Bit of Nostalgia

"Life as it should be"

Tribune, Kansas

Population: 835 (2000)

Elevation: 3616 feet

I love the song "Mayberry" (by Rascal Flatts) and the small-town atmosphere described. I recently read a book where the main character describes her small town and how she would go down to the drug store where there was a little diner in the back. The girl would buy a soda and put it on her dad's tab. It reminded me of Tribune, Kansas, the little town right on the western border that I grew up in. I lived there from age 4 to 18 and did all my childhood school days there-Kindergarten through Senior year. While I'm sure there were many disadvantages, I mostly remember how great it was! I always had lots of friends and fun times. And yes, there was a drug store with a little diner in back which my sisters and I would go to after school sometimes. When we didn't have enough money with us we'd "put it on the tab". They never asked who we were or who our parents were. Everyone knew everyone. We even had a little movie theater there! They had one movie showing at a time it seems like, and it would stay for a short time and then they'd get another. We had a bowling alley, a grocery store, a couple places to do shopping, a few diners, a public swimming pool, a couple parks, and even a museum. We had a nice, newly remodeled high school, which was connected to the junior high school wing, which was connected to the elementary school wing. There were usually around 100 students in high school at a time. I had 26 in my graduating class. But even though it was small...we still had most of the major sports and extracurricular activities you'd expect. Halloween was great because you could almost trick-or-treat the entire town if you really wanted to! My family lived about 5 miles out of town in "the country". We got to ride the bus to school. I thought it was a normal size bus. But Tory has since informed me it was a "short bus". It had about 8 benches in it I believe. I loved living out in the country. My brothers and sisters and I would spend most of the summers bike riding out on the cow trails, playing in the dry, empty Whitewoman Creek, and swinging on our giant swing set. We had two calves and a lamb that we bottle fed, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats, and a pot-bellied pig named Dexter. We also had lots of prairie dogs and of course rattlesnakes. Even though we had many close calls...none of us were ever bitten. We hung our clothes to dry on the clothesline and about the time you reached the end of the line the first ones up were dry! It was always windy and if it wasn't then it must be the calm before the storm! We had the best storms with lightning, thunder, rain, and of course...tornadoes! This was Kansas after all! I remember lying in the grass with my sisters and watching the huge puffy clouds roll by and figuring out what shapes we could see. And in the evenings we'd stay out late swinging until it was dark and then we'd sit and look at the huge sky full of stars and try to find shapes there as well. Because of Kansas I love sunflowers, windmills, rolling wheat fields, meadowlarks, and the excitement of harvest time. Even though my dad was a dentist, not a farmer, there was just something different in the air when it was harvest time. We'd often go and ride in my Grandad's combine or ride with him in his grain truck as he took his wheat to the grain elevators. Soon after it would be Fair Days at our little fairground. Only it was really big back then. We were always in 4-H and would work on baking and sewing crafts during the year. We won ribbons, auctioned our prize-winning food, and rode in convertibles wearing our prize-winning clothes in the town parade...which threw out candy! In the evenings we'd ride Tribune's very own giant ferris wheel and roller coaster. The smell of cotton candy still reminds me of that fairground. Tribune was a place you could leave your car running while you ran in to get some groceries. And if you did lock your doors, you could just give your keys to the nice man who would load your groceries while you paid. He would know which car was yours without even asking and have the door open waiting for you when you were finished. We had one blinking red light at the main intersection in town. I learned how to drive and got my permit when I was 14 years old. Sometimes we would go "cruising" on the weekends and after football games. Life was good in Tribune. It had a different pace. A slower pace. I doubt I'll ever live in a place quite like that again but I'll never forget living there either. For me it was the best place to grow up and most of my childhood memories take place there. I will always consider Tribune, Kansas my "hometown".

Thursday 13 - Wood Projects

Tory's really good at wood working. For my "Thursday 13" today I'm going to show you my top favorite wood projects Tory has made for me. Here goes:

1) My "X" plant stand. I explained what I wanted and he made it!











2) and 3) My little personal size bookcase and my heart shelf-the first thing he ever made for me. He gave it to me for Christmas, three days before we got married.









4) My side table. He and his Grandpa made this last spring while his grandpa was visiting. He brought the plans along and everything!






5) My heart table. This was his first "big" project. He made it all before he had any tools. Just a jig saw and a drill! Pretty amazing! Not even a sander! I love it for it's sentimental value!









6) Our entertainment center. Tory wants to replace this as soon as he can. He says it's embarrassing. The kids have worn it out (it's missing 2 panes of glass and has lovely artwork all over it) but I'm very thankful I even have one! Much better than the cardboard box and tablecloth we used to use!







7) My ladder plant stand. I also told him what I wanted with this one and he "whipped it up" for me! So fun!










8) Our computer desk. This is the first "real" desk we've had. We've used everything else you can imagine! Now we just need a computer room!










9) The giant bookcase he just recently built in our home. It divides our living room and dining room and is so nice! I love it! He even made all of the moulding and trim by hand! Nothing pre-made here baby! Such talent!









10) and 11) My bed and nightstands! Wowzers! The picture says it all! He made these for me for Christmas a couple years ago! Designed them himself. I LOVE these pieces!






12) The bookcase in Austin & Dallin's room. I bought the 6 baskets when they were on this great sale and had him build something for them! FYI-he also made the two treasure chests and the frame on the flag picture!









13) Our fish tank stand. Cute isn't it? He just barely built it. Still needs some stain. (Not to mention some water in that tank! Yikes!)










So there you have it! My top 13 wood projects Tory has made for me. If you'd like some for yourself...well you'll just have to wait in line! He's got projects lined up with both neighbors AND the neighbor across the street! A bookcase, fireplace mantel, and a glass display case! Cool! Can't wait to see how they turn out! And then of course there's my list.......

I've Got Music Now

OK, I'v added some music to my blog. Of course they're some of our favorite songs but they may not be yours. So feel free to scroll down to the bottom and change the song, turn it down, or turn it off! I got the idea for music on my blog from my friend Beth's blog. Thanks! I like it! :)

Fun in the Park

This morning the boys and I did our normal walk/run/bike ride in the park. We try to do this at least three times a week. I push the double stroller with Dallin and Coen and Austin bikes. We usually go 3-4 miles. Today I actually remembered my camera! But man was it HOT! The sun was actually out and it just zapped our energy. We'll have to get an earlier start next time! Here are a couple pictures from the trek. We stopped at the park at the end. The boys had lots of fun playing and climbing on the jungle gym.

Goodbye Grandma & Grandpa

All good things must come to an end. Grandma & Grandpa went home yesterday. Even after the suggestion from Austin that they just live with us. We sure had a fun time with them swimming, biking, shopping, watching movies, playing games, going to Six Flags, making shirts, going on walks, jumping on their bed, etc, etc, etc. We can't wait for you to come back again!

What FUN!

Friday we had so much fun! This time it was just for the adults. Our good friends, the McGuires, came over to watch our boys with their two little ones while we went to...SIX FLAGS!! What FUN! We owe them big time! We were there from noon until closing. We didn't bring our cameras though. Didn't want them to get wet. Let me just say...it was the best day to go. There were no lines! The longest we had to wait was maybe 10 min. Even the big rides like the "Titan" we just walked on over and over again! I don' t know if it was just the time of year, the day of the week, or the fact that the weather forecast was for 80% rain! We never got a single sprinkle and half way through the day the sun came out! It was perfect! I'm glad we took our chances. We went on every single big ride...at least once.

Grandpa really liked the "Superman: Tower of Power" ride that shoots you straight up and then drops you.

Grandma was crazy about "Batman the Ride" where you hang down from the track with your feet dangling.

Tory and I were all for the "Titan"-the highest roller coaster in park!

We all agreed that we'll never go on another wooden roller coaster though. Especially after riding the "Texas Giant". Nothing but pain there! We're just glad we have a chiropractor in the house after that ride! In the evening we decided to go see their big show called "Cirque Dreams Coobrila".

If you ever get the chance to see this show you should! It was great! Lots of black lights and the coolest costumes ever-a show of acrobatics, dance, music and special effects!

We got soaked at the very end when we decided to ride one last ride and came home sopping wet. It was great! Unfortunately we left at the same time a ball game was getting out so it took forever to get home. That was our longest wait in a line for the entire day! It was a quiet ride home. We were all so tired. We played hard! Fun, fun!