We are making a really neat family tree picture in Relief Society. The other night when I went to get my 5 generation pedigree I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked everywhere for those dang family history documents - even up in the attic - but no luck.
I emailed some family members for basic information and got to work on FamilySearch.org. Through a bit of trial and error I was able to find everyone back to all of my great-great-great grandparents. For Lance's side of the family I got stuck at great-great grandparents. (But that's okay.) My mother-in-law really helped me out with that side of the family, too. (Thanks again, Joy!)
I've never done much genealogy before. I know, it's really important, but to everything there is a season, right? But this little taste of it was pretty fun. I can totally understand how people get addicted to it. It's like a giant puzzle, only you don't have a picture on the box to follow. I now fully plan to devote lots of time to genealogy when I'm a little grey-haired old lady. Or when my kids/home/life stops demanding so much of my time and attention. Whichever comes first.
I love looking at all the old names, birth dates, and birth places of my ancestors. I wish I knew their personal life stories; I wish they had written them down for me, because I'm sure even the most mundane of tasks back then would be pretty fascinating to read about now. It's neat to think that now we have blogs and such that can really track our own personal histories; my posterity won't have to wonder about my feelings about, say, Cub Scout patches or how Cole misbehaves in church, that's for sure.
I'll end with just a few of the most interesting names I have found. Could you imagine being a Jacobina? Neither could I. (But then again, who am I to talk? I mean, seriously, Maren?)
-Caroline Delight Allen (How... delightful!)
-Jerome Napoleon Remington (How distinguished!)
-Jacobina Katrina Cederlund (What a mouthful!)
-Olof Andersson Cederlund (Okay, it's not that weird. I just like Olof.)
-Helen Rose Hamblin (Okay, that's not weird either. Just checking to see if anyone out there is also of Southern Utah Hamblin stock. We're most likely related!)
-Sarah LaVerna Isom (Oh man - can't get much more southern Utah Mormon than LaVerna!)
-Beata Christina Tornquist (I just like the name Beata. (Think be-ay-tah, not beet-ah.))
-Zillah Greensmith (Zillah. Enough said.)
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
New Kitchen Art
Here is the art that has been hanging in our kitchen for several years. (Even back at our old Fiddlesticks address!)
There's nothing wrong with it, but I was getting kinda tired of the whole four seasons thing. (I took those pictures, by the way. Brag brag brag.) Plus, my kitchen is sorta morphing into having a red, white, and blue theme. NOT a patriotic, flags everywhere theme - my kitchen just happens to be a greyish blue with red accents. These pictures weren't really working with my theme.
So I decided it was time for something new and different. I took a trip to Goodwill and Hobby Lobby, and for around $10 I came up with this:
The utensils were a whopping $.20 each. The spray paint for them was the most expensive part. Lesson learned: don't forget to get primer when spray painting metal, otherwise it won't work. Oops. I actually painted the forks silver, but you can't really tell so I don't know that it was worth the extra expense.
I used spray adhesive I already had to glue the red paper to some cardboard, because I didn't want the weight of the utensils to pull it down. I used a good old glue gun to attach the utensils to the paper.
I saved the glass for the next time I get tired of this art and want to put pictures back in. :) I've had these frames since I was in high school - they've had all sorts of art in them: Monet prints, pressed leaves, lots of random pictures. And now silverware.
What do you think? I really like it.
Ignore the birthday decorations - they're left over from Cole's big day. Oh, and ignore the flag tablecloth as well. I promise, I'm not going permanently patriotic!
There's nothing wrong with it, but I was getting kinda tired of the whole four seasons thing. (I took those pictures, by the way. Brag brag brag.) Plus, my kitchen is sorta morphing into having a red, white, and blue theme. NOT a patriotic, flags everywhere theme - my kitchen just happens to be a greyish blue with red accents. These pictures weren't really working with my theme.
So I decided it was time for something new and different. I took a trip to Goodwill and Hobby Lobby, and for around $10 I came up with this:
The utensils were a whopping $.20 each. The spray paint for them was the most expensive part. Lesson learned: don't forget to get primer when spray painting metal, otherwise it won't work. Oops. I actually painted the forks silver, but you can't really tell so I don't know that it was worth the extra expense.
I used spray adhesive I already had to glue the red paper to some cardboard, because I didn't want the weight of the utensils to pull it down. I used a good old glue gun to attach the utensils to the paper.
I saved the glass for the next time I get tired of this art and want to put pictures back in. :) I've had these frames since I was in high school - they've had all sorts of art in them: Monet prints, pressed leaves, lots of random pictures. And now silverware.
What do you think? I really like it.
Ignore the birthday decorations - they're left over from Cole's big day. Oh, and ignore the flag tablecloth as well. I promise, I'm not going permanently patriotic!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Cole's Third Birthday! (Oh - and Memorial Day)
Cole's birthday is always going to be around (and maybe even on) Memorial Day. That's just the way things are. (Hey - he has only himself to blame.) Since both of these holidays deserve celebrating, we have decided to combine them from now on. Hey, there are worse things than the unofficial start of Summer to have your birthday associated with, so no complaining, Grown-up Cole In The Future.
Yesterday we had several of our friends and their families over for a swim in our neighborhood pool and then a barbecue. Unfortunately, poor Mr. Spencer had a pretty nasty poison ivy rash/sore on his leg, so he had to stay home. (Talk about a sad way to begin your summer vacation!) Misty, Addy, Tess, and I stayed home to keep him company. We also played some Phase 10 Twist, where Spencer began to see that I take after my mother in that I TAKE NO PRISONERS when it comes to playing games. (Okay, Spencer was giving me a run for my money... but I'm pretty sure I could have won if everyone hadn't come home in the middle of our game.)
Anywho, it was a pretty warm day, but not Man, I Want To Die I'm So Hot, so we all headed outside and enjoyed freshly grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and a rather extraordinary assortment of side dishes that my friends brought. (My friends? Awesome cooks.)
At this point you might be wondering why I don't have any pictures of Cole up yet.
To this I answer, have you seen Cole lately? The child does not hold still. He's always running to or from some sort of mischief.
Also, I forgot to take any pictures specifically of him. Because I'm a wonderful mother.
But I did get this one of Tess eating a pickle!
A note to Mr. Grown-up Cole In The Future: No, I do not love your sister more than you. It's just that on this particular day she was way cuter while eating than you. You just kept wandering around, eating Cheetos and spilling those gross fruit drinks you and your brothers loved so much.
After dinner I decided I should get some actual documentation of the families who were there with us. I didn't even attempt to get pictures of all the kiddos there - I know my limitations! (There was a combined total of 13 kids there that night!) But I did get some shots of the couples.
This is a lovely shot of Paul, who would not cooperate at first. I warned you, Paul!!
Here's a slightly better one! (Sorry guys - I swear I thought you both had your eyes open! Oh well - next holiday.)
Craig and Gigi Ream - aren't they so cute together? (I'm so glad you didn't have to work, Craig!)
Don and Heidi Fry - they're way cute, too. And check out Don's shirt; it's funny 'cause it's true. I can't believe Don is done with school and they're moving this summer. Even though we've known the Fry's for something like 15 years, it feels like they just got into town... See, this is the problem with living in a university town - you make all these great friends and then they just leave! Without any thought to how you feel about it! Bah! But this is a rant for another post...
What I should be talking about is Cole. Instead, here's another shot of Tess. Gigi took it while I was running away from a bee who was in love with me. Seriously, in the space of two minutes the dang bee landed on my glasses - twice, my hair, my arm, my shirt, and then followed me as I ran away from him. Stupid bee.
We eventually gathered everyone inside to sing Happy Birthday and eat cake and ice cream. Cole was super cute about the whole thing. And by super cute I mean he didn't really know what to make of it all. Oh, he knows all about birthdays and blowing out candles and such, but I think he was a bit intimidated by the number of people looking at him all at once. It's a pretty cute video.
And now for the cake. Was there any question that it would be ABC themed? I had bought a alphabet chocolate mold with the idea that I would make different colored chocolates and put them all over the cake. But on Sunday night, as I made the chocolates, I sadly realized that the kind of chocolate I bought seized up if I added coloring. Dang. It. So I quickly brainstormed my options and came up with the idea of putting sprinkles at the bottom of the mold and them pouring the white chocolate on top. It worked! I just wish I had had a ton of one kind of sprinkles, rather than the motley assortment I found in my cupboard.
But no worries - because Cole was sweet enough to Lurve his cake. He loved that his name was on top. And he LOVED that "END" was in bright yellow. (He never mentioned that "Mommy" was also there. Punk.)
In fact, it's a good thing this cake had to be refrigerated, because then I could keep it in our downstairs refrigerator, which has a child (read: Cole) lock. (It was a jell-o poke cake with whipped cream frosting. Probably one of the best cakes I've made in quite a while, if I do say so myself!)
Wait!!! It's a picture of Cole in his birthday post! And he's trying to read the letters on the cake! And sneak a taste! How very fitting!
It must be mentioned that the kids all got regular store-bought chocolate ice cream, but the adults got homemade strawberry. Made with fresh, Indiana-grown strawberries. So. Yummy. We fed the kids first, kicked them all outside to eat, and then stayed inside and hoarded the ice cream, kinda like addicts.
No one felt the least bit guilty.
I love my friends.
We decided to save presents for Cole's actual birthday (today). So after dinner we let him open them up. And by let him I mean I had to force him to sit in his chair and open the first one because he didn't want anything to do with the gifts, he wanted to go outside and run around - at least until he realized there were toys inside those wrapped packages!
Please note that, yes, he is wearing the same shirt as the day before. That boy LOVES his Thing 3 shirt. I normally don't let him wear it two days in a row, but it's his birthday and it made him so happy!
Tess, Spencer, and Josh got Cole some foam letters and numbers for the tub. Way excited.
Josh had to help him open the next gift because all Cole wanted to do was open the foam letters.
An animal alphabet book from Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie! Way excited again!
And finally - a Word Whammer from Mommy and Daddy. WAY WAY excited!! Please note the first word he spelled.
Now we have three sets of LeapFrog alphabet magnets for our kitchen. Aren't we the lucky ones? As Spencer said, it was a Fridge Magnet Frenzy! Cole was so very happy. (Score!)
Oh Cole. I love you so very much and am so happy you are in our family. You certainly give me a run for my money, but you also make up for it with cuteness. And smarts. Because, seriously, you just turned three. Quit reading and spelling - it's freaking me out.
I love you, Thing 3!!
Yesterday we had several of our friends and their families over for a swim in our neighborhood pool and then a barbecue. Unfortunately, poor Mr. Spencer had a pretty nasty poison ivy rash/sore on his leg, so he had to stay home. (Talk about a sad way to begin your summer vacation!) Misty, Addy, Tess, and I stayed home to keep him company. We also played some Phase 10 Twist, where Spencer began to see that I take after my mother in that I TAKE NO PRISONERS when it comes to playing games. (Okay, Spencer was giving me a run for my money... but I'm pretty sure I could have won if everyone hadn't come home in the middle of our game.)
Anywho, it was a pretty warm day, but not Man, I Want To Die I'm So Hot, so we all headed outside and enjoyed freshly grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and a rather extraordinary assortment of side dishes that my friends brought. (My friends? Awesome cooks.)
At this point you might be wondering why I don't have any pictures of Cole up yet.
To this I answer, have you seen Cole lately? The child does not hold still. He's always running to or from some sort of mischief.
Also, I forgot to take any pictures specifically of him. Because I'm a wonderful mother.
But I did get this one of Tess eating a pickle!
A note to Mr. Grown-up Cole In The Future: No, I do not love your sister more than you. It's just that on this particular day she was way cuter while eating than you. You just kept wandering around, eating Cheetos and spilling those gross fruit drinks you and your brothers loved so much.
After dinner I decided I should get some actual documentation of the families who were there with us. I didn't even attempt to get pictures of all the kiddos there - I know my limitations! (There was a combined total of 13 kids there that night!) But I did get some shots of the couples.
This is a lovely shot of Paul, who would not cooperate at first. I warned you, Paul!!
Here's a slightly better one! (Sorry guys - I swear I thought you both had your eyes open! Oh well - next holiday.)
Craig and Gigi Ream - aren't they so cute together? (I'm so glad you didn't have to work, Craig!)
Don and Heidi Fry - they're way cute, too. And check out Don's shirt; it's funny 'cause it's true. I can't believe Don is done with school and they're moving this summer. Even though we've known the Fry's for something like 15 years, it feels like they just got into town... See, this is the problem with living in a university town - you make all these great friends and then they just leave! Without any thought to how you feel about it! Bah! But this is a rant for another post...
What I should be talking about is Cole. Instead, here's another shot of Tess. Gigi took it while I was running away from a bee who was in love with me. Seriously, in the space of two minutes the dang bee landed on my glasses - twice, my hair, my arm, my shirt, and then followed me as I ran away from him. Stupid bee.
I wanted Gig to take a picture of just Lance and I, but Tess had other plans.
But look! Through the magic of Picassa you can't even tell she was there!
We eventually gathered everyone inside to sing Happy Birthday and eat cake and ice cream. Cole was super cute about the whole thing. And by super cute I mean he didn't really know what to make of it all. Oh, he knows all about birthdays and blowing out candles and such, but I think he was a bit intimidated by the number of people looking at him all at once. It's a pretty cute video.
And now for the cake. Was there any question that it would be ABC themed? I had bought a alphabet chocolate mold with the idea that I would make different colored chocolates and put them all over the cake. But on Sunday night, as I made the chocolates, I sadly realized that the kind of chocolate I bought seized up if I added coloring. Dang. It. So I quickly brainstormed my options and came up with the idea of putting sprinkles at the bottom of the mold and them pouring the white chocolate on top. It worked! I just wish I had had a ton of one kind of sprinkles, rather than the motley assortment I found in my cupboard.
But no worries - because Cole was sweet enough to Lurve his cake. He loved that his name was on top. And he LOVED that "END" was in bright yellow. (He never mentioned that "Mommy" was also there. Punk.)
In fact, it's a good thing this cake had to be refrigerated, because then I could keep it in our downstairs refrigerator, which has a child (read: Cole) lock. (It was a jell-o poke cake with whipped cream frosting. Probably one of the best cakes I've made in quite a while, if I do say so myself!)
Wait!!! It's a picture of Cole in his birthday post! And he's trying to read the letters on the cake! And sneak a taste! How very fitting!
It must be mentioned that the kids all got regular store-bought chocolate ice cream, but the adults got homemade strawberry. Made with fresh, Indiana-grown strawberries. So. Yummy. We fed the kids first, kicked them all outside to eat, and then stayed inside and hoarded the ice cream, kinda like addicts.
No one felt the least bit guilty.
I love my friends.
We decided to save presents for Cole's actual birthday (today). So after dinner we let him open them up. And by let him I mean I had to force him to sit in his chair and open the first one because he didn't want anything to do with the gifts, he wanted to go outside and run around - at least until he realized there were toys inside those wrapped packages!
Please note that, yes, he is wearing the same shirt as the day before. That boy LOVES his Thing 3 shirt. I normally don't let him wear it two days in a row, but it's his birthday and it made him so happy!
Tess, Spencer, and Josh got Cole some foam letters and numbers for the tub. Way excited.
Josh had to help him open the next gift because all Cole wanted to do was open the foam letters.
An animal alphabet book from Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie! Way excited again!
And finally - a Word Whammer from Mommy and Daddy. WAY WAY excited!! Please note the first word he spelled.
Now we have three sets of LeapFrog alphabet magnets for our kitchen. Aren't we the lucky ones? As Spencer said, it was a Fridge Magnet Frenzy! Cole was so very happy. (Score!)
Oh Cole. I love you so very much and am so happy you are in our family. You certainly give me a run for my money, but you also make up for it with cuteness. And smarts. Because, seriously, you just turned three. Quit reading and spelling - it's freaking me out.
I love you, Thing 3!!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
How Tess Gives A High Five
Tess is an unorthodox high fiver, proving that big brothers should not be used for the instruction of such important social mores.
Also, please note that I did not choose Tess's pajamas - that's all Lance's doing.
Also, please note that I am trying to grow out my hair. I hate its length right now. Grow, you cursed hair! Grow!!
Also, please note that I did not choose Tess's pajamas - that's all Lance's doing.
Also, please note that I am trying to grow out my hair. I hate its length right now. Grow, you cursed hair! Grow!!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Quack
This morning I caught Josh throwing pieces of bread to Tess, as if she were a duck in a pond.
In his defense, she was rolling around on the floor and gobbling up the pieces of bread just like a greedy little duckling. An amazing cute, chunky duckling.
In other news, I have the cutest almost-three-year-old in the world. Seriously, look at this kid.
(He was NOT that cute this evening as he bawled through our entire dinner because he was so stinkin' tired he couldn't think straight. But that's okay - we all have hard nights, right?)
In his defense, she was rolling around on the floor and gobbling up the pieces of bread just like a greedy little duckling. An amazing cute, chunky duckling.
In other news, I have the cutest almost-three-year-old in the world. Seriously, look at this kid.
(He was NOT that cute this evening as he bawled through our entire dinner because he was so stinkin' tired he couldn't think straight. But that's okay - we all have hard nights, right?)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monkies on the Bed
This morning Cole was jumping on our bed and singing "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" at the top of his lungs.
And then he fell off the bed.
It was all I could do to contain my laughter as I tried to console him. (He wasn't hurt at all, so I'm not that mean of a mom.)
Josh didn't even try to hide his laughter. That kid has a sense of humor just like mine.
*****************
In other news, we have been trying to teach Tess how to high five. But instead of hitting your hand with hers, she hits your hand with her face.
It's pretty awesome.
My kids are geniuses.
And then he fell off the bed.
It was all I could do to contain my laughter as I tried to console him. (He wasn't hurt at all, so I'm not that mean of a mom.)
Josh didn't even try to hide his laughter. That kid has a sense of humor just like mine.
*****************
In other news, we have been trying to teach Tess how to high five. But instead of hitting your hand with hers, she hits your hand with her face.
It's pretty awesome.
My kids are geniuses.
Monday, May 21, 2012
I Am The Laminator
Today I finally got something I've been wanting/needing for a long time: a laminating machine.
I know. I live a fantastically wild and exciting life.
But seriously, I cannot count the number of times I've thought "I wish I could laminate this" while working on one project or another. But I never got around to buying one.
Well, a few weeks ago Lance and I decided to do something that we swore up and down we would never do: drive to Utah. Yeah, so it's pretty easy to swear up and down that you'll never drive to Utah when you only have one or two kids and airline tickets don't cost an arm and leg. But when you have four kids and are faced with the prospect spending $4000 for plane tickets, baggage fees, and renting a mini van? Well, let's just say we're willing to take back that little promise. (Oh, we were so young and foolish once!) ((Let's just hope some day in the future I don't say the same thing about driving to Utah...))
Anywho, I kept finding tons of great ideas for keeping kids occupied on car trips, but most of them required laminated paper. So I finally broke down and shelled out the $30 for a little machine. (Extravagant, I know!) It finally came today and I tested it out on a little comic strip I have on the fridge.
Man. Laminating is fun. I know, I'm a dork. But I don't care. It's all I can do not to go around and laminate everything I can get my hands on! I'm practicing a little self-restraint for now. But just wait until July and I get into full road trip prep mode.
Okay, and totally unrelated, but not really: do you think I could trust Spencer and Josh with dry erase markers on the trip? Do you think they would only use them on their laminated pieces of paper, and not, say, the seat belts? These are questions to ponder...
I know. I live a fantastically wild and exciting life.
But seriously, I cannot count the number of times I've thought "I wish I could laminate this" while working on one project or another. But I never got around to buying one.
Well, a few weeks ago Lance and I decided to do something that we swore up and down we would never do: drive to Utah. Yeah, so it's pretty easy to swear up and down that you'll never drive to Utah when you only have one or two kids and airline tickets don't cost an arm and leg. But when you have four kids and are faced with the prospect spending $4000 for plane tickets, baggage fees, and renting a mini van? Well, let's just say we're willing to take back that little promise. (Oh, we were so young and foolish once!) ((Let's just hope some day in the future I don't say the same thing about driving to Utah...))
Anywho, I kept finding tons of great ideas for keeping kids occupied on car trips, but most of them required laminated paper. So I finally broke down and shelled out the $30 for a little machine. (Extravagant, I know!) It finally came today and I tested it out on a little comic strip I have on the fridge.
Man. Laminating is fun. I know, I'm a dork. But I don't care. It's all I can do not to go around and laminate everything I can get my hands on! I'm practicing a little self-restraint for now. But just wait until July and I get into full road trip prep mode.
Okay, and totally unrelated, but not really: do you think I could trust Spencer and Josh with dry erase markers on the trip? Do you think they would only use them on their laminated pieces of paper, and not, say, the seat belts? These are questions to ponder...
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The Demise of the Upside Down Tree
So last summer I realized that something was wrong with the tree in our front yard. It looked... unhappy. It was a sugar maple. It's foliage took forever to come in after the spring, and what did appear was thin and sad. Then, the leaves turned red crazy early, like two months before fall. I looked online and called the extension office and diagnosed our tree with Maple Decline. Through my research (which went well beyond a visit to Wikipedia, thank you very much) I discovered that, really, no one exactly knows how or why Maple Decline happens. There are a few theories, but nothing proven. Also, there's no cure. Our tree was looking at a slow, prolonged death. I decided we would replace the tree the following (this) spring.
Spring came. Everywhere around us, trees were coming alive with blooms and foliage. Just not our tree. It remained as bare and forlorn as it had been all winter. It had given up.
Well, not completely. For some unknown reason it decided to become an upside down tree, with branches, full of leaves, no less, growing up from the bottom of its trunk.
Stupid tree.
Lance and I knew it would be a big, no-fun-whatsoever project, so we kept putting it off. I'm sure our neighbors were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to take care of it. But yesterday I knew we couldn't put it off any longer. It had to go.
First, I had to take a picture of the stupid upside down tree.
True story: during the summer of 1999 I went to London with my dad and brother (hi Kyle!) for 10 days. While there we of course visited the Tower of London. One of the Beefeaters told a story about how a long time ago (I dunno, maybe during the 16th or 17th century) they executed a member of the royal family by beheading him. But then they realized that they didn't have a portrait of the man, which apparently was a pretty big deal, so they sat his body in a chair, propped his head back on his neck, and had the portrait done. Poor artist... Anywho, the same thing kinda happened with my tree. I had lopped off half of the bottom branches before I thought to take a picture, so most of them are propped up there against the tree. I betcha wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't mentioned anything. Unlike the portrait of that beheaded royal. Yikes.
So Saturday morning, which just happened to be the warmest Saturday of the year so far, we got to work. First, we had to take out all the rock that was surrounding the tree. Lance was lucky and discovered a gigantic colony of very angry and bitey ants. We took out rocks (and got bit by ants) for what felt like forever. We took out the day lilies (which, in my humble opinion, didn't help the tree any) and then took out even more rocks. Seriously, there were probably 2-3" of this decorative rock. Then we had to take out the landscaping fabric.
During this time Tess was in her playpen by the front porch. Cole decided to 'help' by putting at least a dozen landscaping rocks into the playpen with her. She eventually started fussing, so I went over to her and found her sitting on half a dozen of these sharp, pointy rocks. Plus, in one hand she had a rather large rock that she had been chewing on and her other little chubby fist was full of pebbles, dirt, and other sundry debris. She wasn't too happy about any of this, and was especially BANGRY when I took the rocks away from her.
Aren't big brothers wonderful?
Back to the tree. We finally got to the dirt and the roots. We only had one shovel, which Lance started using to dig up the tree. I felt dumb just standing around, so I decided to go to Lowe's and get a tree, some dirt, and a new shovel, because our old one was cheap and sounded like it was going to break.
An hour later (I took Cole with me, which is why it took so long!) I got back to discover the dead tree laying on its side on our lawn. Lance had gotten it out all by himself! I was very impressed. What a manly man of a husband I have!
We planted the new tree, spread the new landscaping fabric, and put back the bajillion rocks, which took considerably less time than taking them out. Then we carried the rather heavy and very dead tree to the back of our property, where we throw green stuff like that all the time in the tall grass and bushes. (Because, really, why would you throw a tree in a dump?)
So here's the new tree.
Isn't it so much more lovely than the old one? Okay, anything is lovelier, but whatever. It's a Cleveland Pear. It's not a fruit tree, the name just references the shape it takes on as it matures. These trees are all over the place here and seem to thrive with little maintenance, making it the perfect tree for us! (Because frankly, I don't know if I could convince Lance to replace another tree any time soon.)
Spring came. Everywhere around us, trees were coming alive with blooms and foliage. Just not our tree. It remained as bare and forlorn as it had been all winter. It had given up.
Well, not completely. For some unknown reason it decided to become an upside down tree, with branches, full of leaves, no less, growing up from the bottom of its trunk.
Stupid tree.
Lance and I knew it would be a big, no-fun-whatsoever project, so we kept putting it off. I'm sure our neighbors were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to take care of it. But yesterday I knew we couldn't put it off any longer. It had to go.
First, I had to take a picture of the stupid upside down tree.
True story: during the summer of 1999 I went to London with my dad and brother (hi Kyle!) for 10 days. While there we of course visited the Tower of London. One of the Beefeaters told a story about how a long time ago (I dunno, maybe during the 16th or 17th century) they executed a member of the royal family by beheading him. But then they realized that they didn't have a portrait of the man, which apparently was a pretty big deal, so they sat his body in a chair, propped his head back on his neck, and had the portrait done. Poor artist... Anywho, the same thing kinda happened with my tree. I had lopped off half of the bottom branches before I thought to take a picture, so most of them are propped up there against the tree. I betcha wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't mentioned anything. Unlike the portrait of that beheaded royal. Yikes.
So Saturday morning, which just happened to be the warmest Saturday of the year so far, we got to work. First, we had to take out all the rock that was surrounding the tree. Lance was lucky and discovered a gigantic colony of very angry and bitey ants. We took out rocks (and got bit by ants) for what felt like forever. We took out the day lilies (which, in my humble opinion, didn't help the tree any) and then took out even more rocks. Seriously, there were probably 2-3" of this decorative rock. Then we had to take out the landscaping fabric.
During this time Tess was in her playpen by the front porch. Cole decided to 'help' by putting at least a dozen landscaping rocks into the playpen with her. She eventually started fussing, so I went over to her and found her sitting on half a dozen of these sharp, pointy rocks. Plus, in one hand she had a rather large rock that she had been chewing on and her other little chubby fist was full of pebbles, dirt, and other sundry debris. She wasn't too happy about any of this, and was especially BANGRY when I took the rocks away from her.
Aren't big brothers wonderful?
Back to the tree. We finally got to the dirt and the roots. We only had one shovel, which Lance started using to dig up the tree. I felt dumb just standing around, so I decided to go to Lowe's and get a tree, some dirt, and a new shovel, because our old one was cheap and sounded like it was going to break.
An hour later (I took Cole with me, which is why it took so long!) I got back to discover the dead tree laying on its side on our lawn. Lance had gotten it out all by himself! I was very impressed. What a manly man of a husband I have!
We planted the new tree, spread the new landscaping fabric, and put back the bajillion rocks, which took considerably less time than taking them out. Then we carried the rather heavy and very dead tree to the back of our property, where we throw green stuff like that all the time in the tall grass and bushes. (Because, really, why would you throw a tree in a dump?)
So here's the new tree.
Isn't it so much more lovely than the old one? Okay, anything is lovelier, but whatever. It's a Cleveland Pear. It's not a fruit tree, the name just references the shape it takes on as it matures. These trees are all over the place here and seem to thrive with little maintenance, making it the perfect tree for us! (Because frankly, I don't know if I could convince Lance to replace another tree any time soon.)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Rice Crispie Treat DEATH MATCH: Maple Bacon (Bah-buh-buuuhmm!)
Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present...
You read that right. Maple. BACON. Rice crispie treat.
Heaven have mercy on us all. And our clogged arteries.
You might recall me mentioning that we had the missionaries over for dinner a few weeks ago. Somehow the subject of our annual Halloween Doughnut party got brought up. And then the Baconstein. And then it was like a light bulb went off in my head. "If bacon is yummy on a doughnut, it would certainly be yummy on a maple-flavored rice crispie treat. Ding ding ding!!!!"
And so I made it.
And it was so worth it.
The maple flavor was not as strong as I would like, but that's easily tweakable. The rice crispies stayed crispy and the bacon didn't get soggy like I worried about. It was an irresistible combination of sweet and salty. Plus, it's one of those desserts that just gets better with age, a definite plus for a family reunion.
And did I mention BACON?
Do we have a winner? Possibly, possibly. I still have lots more recipes to try. But do we have a contender for the short list?
Definitely.
You read that right. Maple. BACON. Rice crispie treat.
Heaven have mercy on us all. And our clogged arteries.
You might recall me mentioning that we had the missionaries over for dinner a few weeks ago. Somehow the subject of our annual Halloween Doughnut party got brought up. And then the Baconstein. And then it was like a light bulb went off in my head. "If bacon is yummy on a doughnut, it would certainly be yummy on a maple-flavored rice crispie treat. Ding ding ding!!!!"
And so I made it.
And it was so worth it.
The maple flavor was not as strong as I would like, but that's easily tweakable. The rice crispies stayed crispy and the bacon didn't get soggy like I worried about. It was an irresistible combination of sweet and salty. Plus, it's one of those desserts that just gets better with age, a definite plus for a family reunion.
And did I mention BACON?
Do we have a winner? Possibly, possibly. I still have lots more recipes to try. But do we have a contender for the short list?
Definitely.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Long Mother's Day Weekend
Our Mother's Day festivities began on Saturday evening when Dad and Susie got to our house. They were able to come out for a short visit because my dad had some spider killing project for work here in Lafayette. You read that right - spider killin'. We put the kiddos to bed and then enjoyed an "adult dinner", meaning that the food was too good be wasted on children. On the menu: grilled stake, grilled lime shrimp, glazed green beans, grilled pineapple, and homemade pineapple mango sorbet. You read that right, too.
As per usual, Sunday morning was spent at church. Spencer and Josh behaved. Cole and Tess did not. In fact, Tess decided to be a bit ornerier than normal, in honor of it being Mother's Day and all.
Tess loves her mommy. A LOT. As in, it took her just about three days to be willing to be held by grandpa and grandma. She'd be happy for a few minutes at first, and then realize that it was not me holding her. Then... ANGRY TESS. Fortunately, grandma and grandpa are not easily insulted by such rude baby behavior.
That afternoon I finally remembered to take some pictures of the early Mother's Day gifts I received.
Lance gave me some hostas.
Tess gave me some hydrangeas.
They look kinda small and silly now, but give 'em time and they'll fill in the space.
Spencer got me a Granny Smith apple tree, Josh got me a Gala apple tree, and Cole got me a peach tree. But only Josh was willing to pose for the camera.
Ah, yes, the ol' Madsen orchard. Or so it will be called 20 years from now.
A big thank you to Lance, who not only allowed me to go by MYSELF to choose all my Mother's Day gifts, but he also provided all of the hole digging and filling. He's a mighty fine husband.
In honor of Mother's Day, Grandpa cooked dinner. We had ham and macaroni and cheese and a yummy broccoli salad. This was a very kid-friendly menu, which meant there was no complaining, which made mommy very happy. For dessert he made a yummy raspberry chocolate cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream - in my brand new no-ice-needed ICE CREAM MAKER!! Woo-hoo! You know what we'll be eating all summer. (Yes, rice crispie treats.) ((NO! Homemade ice cream!))
Josh wanted to help Grandpa with the ice cream. And by help I mean get in the way, try to stick his fingers in it, and whine until it was done. Good job, Josh.
Monday was the last day of preschool. It was also the day I needed to pick strawberries at the local u-pick farm. Susie, who was sick with some sort of awful cold the whole trip, graciously and bravely agreed to come with me. What a trooper! In just less than an hour we picked 23 pounds! I think we probably could have gotten more, but for the last 15 minutes Tess whined and cried and demanded to be held ONLY by mommy.
The afternoon was spent cutting up strawberries, snacking on strawberries, and trying to stop the kids from making themselves sick by eating too many strawberries.
Tuesday was the end of the year preschool picnic. I sure was glad that dad and Susie were willing to join us for this. (I'm not so sure they were glad after the fact!) Actually, the weather was beautiful and the food was decent. But Cole? Well, Cole was Cole. He whined and cried and refused to eat and stepped all over my food and spilled my drink and got into all sorts of mischief. That child... that child. People say, "Well, he's a middle child, what do you expect?" To that I answer, "No, he's not A middle child. He's THE middle child. And he's going to send me to an early grave."
Josh wanted to get a picture with his teachers. Here's one with Miss Lori. (Miss Dee wasn't there - sad!)
Here's one of Spencer at the picnic. No, he's not out of school yet. I just thought it was a good idea to take him out of school for a preschool picnic.
Not really. See, he had an orthodontist appointment the other day and the orthodontist decided that two of his baby teeth needed to come out. Now. So I made a dentist appointment for him. And then I decided that, heck, while he's there we all might as well get our teeth cleaned since it was that time of year anyway. And then I scheduled it for 1pm, since our dentist is out by the preschool. And then I realized that that would mean I would have to go to the picnic, then go get Spencer from school, and then all the way back out to the dentist. Yeah, no thanks. So Spencer got a half day of school, and he sure was happy.
Thankfully - THANKFULLY!!! - Dad and Susie were willing to take Cole and Tess home while we were at the dentist. (And then at the orthodontist - again! - but that's another story.) Could you imagine Cole in a dentist's office? I shudder at the thought.
The rest of the day was spent playing with the kiddos and admiring Spencer's freakishly long root on one of his baby teeth. It was disgusting and I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it before the tooth fairy took it. (And left Spencer $5 richer!)
Dad and Susie were very amused by Tess and her refusal to crawl. She's pretty much as close as a baby can be to crawling without actually crawling. Seriously, it's like she's refusing to crawl on religious or political principles or something. She'll lean or roll or spin to where she wants to go. But crawl? Yeah, right.
It was a great Mother's Day and a great visit from Dad and Susie. I sure am grateful they are so willing to travel so far to see us! We can't wait to see them this summer! (I promise - Tess will like you then and Cole will be much better behaved.) ((You know that those are promises I really can't keep, right?))
As per usual, Sunday morning was spent at church. Spencer and Josh behaved. Cole and Tess did not. In fact, Tess decided to be a bit ornerier than normal, in honor of it being Mother's Day and all.
Tess loves her mommy. A LOT. As in, it took her just about three days to be willing to be held by grandpa and grandma. She'd be happy for a few minutes at first, and then realize that it was not me holding her. Then... ANGRY TESS. Fortunately, grandma and grandpa are not easily insulted by such rude baby behavior.
That afternoon I finally remembered to take some pictures of the early Mother's Day gifts I received.
Lance gave me some hostas.
Tess gave me some hydrangeas.
They look kinda small and silly now, but give 'em time and they'll fill in the space.
Spencer got me a Granny Smith apple tree, Josh got me a Gala apple tree, and Cole got me a peach tree. But only Josh was willing to pose for the camera.
Ah, yes, the ol' Madsen orchard. Or so it will be called 20 years from now.
A big thank you to Lance, who not only allowed me to go by MYSELF to choose all my Mother's Day gifts, but he also provided all of the hole digging and filling. He's a mighty fine husband.
In honor of Mother's Day, Grandpa cooked dinner. We had ham and macaroni and cheese and a yummy broccoli salad. This was a very kid-friendly menu, which meant there was no complaining, which made mommy very happy. For dessert he made a yummy raspberry chocolate cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream - in my brand new no-ice-needed ICE CREAM MAKER!! Woo-hoo! You know what we'll be eating all summer. (Yes, rice crispie treats.) ((NO! Homemade ice cream!))
Josh wanted to help Grandpa with the ice cream. And by help I mean get in the way, try to stick his fingers in it, and whine until it was done. Good job, Josh.
Monday was the last day of preschool. It was also the day I needed to pick strawberries at the local u-pick farm. Susie, who was sick with some sort of awful cold the whole trip, graciously and bravely agreed to come with me. What a trooper! In just less than an hour we picked 23 pounds! I think we probably could have gotten more, but for the last 15 minutes Tess whined and cried and demanded to be held ONLY by mommy.
The afternoon was spent cutting up strawberries, snacking on strawberries, and trying to stop the kids from making themselves sick by eating too many strawberries.
Tuesday was the end of the year preschool picnic. I sure was glad that dad and Susie were willing to join us for this. (I'm not so sure they were glad after the fact!) Actually, the weather was beautiful and the food was decent. But Cole? Well, Cole was Cole. He whined and cried and refused to eat and stepped all over my food and spilled my drink and got into all sorts of mischief. That child... that child. People say, "Well, he's a middle child, what do you expect?" To that I answer, "No, he's not A middle child. He's THE middle child. And he's going to send me to an early grave."
Josh wanted to get a picture with his teachers. Here's one with Miss Lori. (Miss Dee wasn't there - sad!)
Here's one of Spencer at the picnic. No, he's not out of school yet. I just thought it was a good idea to take him out of school for a preschool picnic.
Not really. See, he had an orthodontist appointment the other day and the orthodontist decided that two of his baby teeth needed to come out. Now. So I made a dentist appointment for him. And then I decided that, heck, while he's there we all might as well get our teeth cleaned since it was that time of year anyway. And then I scheduled it for 1pm, since our dentist is out by the preschool. And then I realized that that would mean I would have to go to the picnic, then go get Spencer from school, and then all the way back out to the dentist. Yeah, no thanks. So Spencer got a half day of school, and he sure was happy.
Thankfully - THANKFULLY!!! - Dad and Susie were willing to take Cole and Tess home while we were at the dentist. (And then at the orthodontist - again! - but that's another story.) Could you imagine Cole in a dentist's office? I shudder at the thought.
The rest of the day was spent playing with the kiddos and admiring Spencer's freakishly long root on one of his baby teeth. It was disgusting and I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it before the tooth fairy took it. (And left Spencer $5 richer!)
Dad and Susie were very amused by Tess and her refusal to crawl. She's pretty much as close as a baby can be to crawling without actually crawling. Seriously, it's like she's refusing to crawl on religious or political principles or something. She'll lean or roll or spin to where she wants to go. But crawl? Yeah, right.
It was a great Mother's Day and a great visit from Dad and Susie. I sure am grateful they are so willing to travel so far to see us! We can't wait to see them this summer! (I promise - Tess will like you then and Cole will be much better behaved.) ((You know that those are promises I really can't keep, right?))
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tess Mess
I'm sorry that my posting has been sporadic at best lately. I know, you're totally moping around your house, whining to whoever will listen that "Maren hasn't posted in a long time! What am I to do with myself?! Waaah!"
At least that's what I like to think of my blog readers doing.
Anyways.
I do have an excuse - we have family in town! So I find myself gabbing away with my dad and Susie during the evening, rather than blogging, editing, or doing much else, really. This is perfectly acceptable, and, in fact, preferable right now. Sometimes you need a little break from the norm.
However, I thought I'd post these most excellent photos of our very own Messy Tessie. Remember how she was something of a first birthday mess disappointment? (NOT that Tess was a disappointment - just her mess-making skills with her birthday cake. Ahem.) She made up for it yesterday with the yummy Mother's Day dessert my dad made: chocolate raspberry cake with homemade vanilla ice cream.
It was very much Tess approved.
And very much Maren approved. But you won't be seeing pictures of me shirtless and covered in cake, no matter how much you whine.
She doesn't look very messy, but trust me - Tess was so sticky we could have stuck her to the wall.
She looks like her momma.
She loves hamming it up for the camera now! (Remember when it was all I could do to get even a smirk out of the girl?!)
Say cheeeeeeeessseeee!!!
Cake that was just as fun playing with as eating!
And my personal favorite:
At least that's what I like to think of my blog readers doing.
Anyways.
I do have an excuse - we have family in town! So I find myself gabbing away with my dad and Susie during the evening, rather than blogging, editing, or doing much else, really. This is perfectly acceptable, and, in fact, preferable right now. Sometimes you need a little break from the norm.
However, I thought I'd post these most excellent photos of our very own Messy Tessie. Remember how she was something of a first birthday mess disappointment? (NOT that Tess was a disappointment - just her mess-making skills with her birthday cake. Ahem.) She made up for it yesterday with the yummy Mother's Day dessert my dad made: chocolate raspberry cake with homemade vanilla ice cream.
It was very much Tess approved.
And very much Maren approved. But you won't be seeing pictures of me shirtless and covered in cake, no matter how much you whine.
She doesn't look very messy, but trust me - Tess was so sticky we could have stuck her to the wall.
She looks like her momma.
She loves hamming it up for the camera now! (Remember when it was all I could do to get even a smirk out of the girl?!)
Say cheeeeeeeessseeee!!!
Cake that was just as fun playing with as eating!
And my personal favorite:
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Bit of This and That
1. Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. I've been trying to get a lot of work done outside, with the lawns and flowerbeds and garden and such. Also, it's the end of the school year, which means I'm pretty much editing non-stop. This is great for our DisneyWorld 2015 budget, but not so great for getting anything else done. Plus, my dad and Susie are coming for a quick visit this weekend, which means I've also been doing a bit of extra housecleaning lately. The rational part of my brain knows that Susie and Dad won't care or judge me if my house isn't immaculate for them. However, the irrational (and, frankly, larger & stronger) part of my brain wants to punch my rational brain in the mouth. But it can't because it's too busy scrubbing behind the toilets.
2. Spencer is a super-grouch. Do all 8 year old boys become super-grouches? Because this is a phase that just won't end. He's grouchy All. The. Time. And it drives me nuts, because we'll be having a perfectly pleasant afternoon at home, and then he comes home from school and sorts of heck breaks loose because all he does is squabble and pick at his siblings. (He's tried that with his Momma, but with disastrous consequences on his end.) I'm interested to see if he'll be a super-grouch while Dad and Susie are here. If he isn't, then once they leave I'll be all "Hey, how come you're not a super-grouch when Grandpa and Grandma are here?" This will probably make him even more grouchy, but at least he'll know I'm on to him.
3. I totally forgot that this week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Even though there were a bajillion projects for it all over Pinterest and such. I'm cool like that. But I remembered this morning and decided that I should make something for Spencer's teacher. I didn't want to bake anything because 1) we most certainly do not need more desserts around here, 2) she's a nice, single lady who lives by herself; I don't know that she would really want a dozen cookies or brownies, 3) I didn't really have time to bake. We gave her a bunch of much-needed school supplies at Christmas, so that route was out, too. So I randomly decided to make her a felt flower pin and put it in a cute box. Here's how it turned out.
Not too shabby, right? I totally want one of those pins for myself now. My only worry is that she'll think I expect her to wear the pin the next time I see her. I do not. Hopefully she'll just know how grateful we are that Spencer has a good, patient teacher!
4. Tess has decided she no longer eats breakfast. She'll drink about 1/2 a bottle of milk and then she's done until around 10am. This is a problem on preschool days because we are always out and about and it is not always convenient to feed a baby then. To make things even more fun, she has decided she doesn't want anything to do with Cheerios, crackers, or any other convenient on-the-go snacks. No, she wants fresh fruit and cheese for her 10am breakfast, and woe on anyone who doesn't give it to her! She is also teething (which may be why she doesn't like anything crunchy), has a slight cold, and is in the process of unsuccessfully giving up her morning nap. What a little ray of sunshine she is!
5. The other day we stopped at Menard's to pick a few things up. I swear to you that Cole sounded out the letters and read the Menard's sign while we were walking through the parking lot. "Meh-eh-ehn-ah-are-duh-sss". Madness. Sheer madness.
6. I think Cole's spelling and reading has made Josh feel a little inadequate. I have offered to help him learn how to read, but he turned me down. In reaction to everything, Josh now talks in baby talk about 75% of the time we are at home. Obnoxious.
7. Tomorrow is the annual father/son camp out that our church does every year. Only this year they decided to turn it into a family camp out. Nothin' doin'. Even though I haven't been since I was pregnant with Spencer, I actually do like camping. What I don't like is the idea of camping with little kids. Also, I do not like the idea of giving me one wonderful night each year where Lance takes the kiddos and I can do what I want, and then taking that night away from me. (Sure, I've had babies at home with me for the past few years, but I put them to bed and then do what I want!) So I'm not going. Sure, I understand that they probably changed it to accommodate families without sons or without children at all. To that I say: hey, if you don't have any sons you can borrow one of ours. Seriously, we have spares. And for those without children - are they really going to want to go camping with a bunch a group FULL of other people's kids? I wouldn't. (Heck, that's really just another reason I don't want to go - I don't want to deal with all of my kids plus others!) Instead, I'm hiring a babysitter and going out with some friends for pedicures and dinner. If that makes me a spoil sport, so be it. I'll be a spoil sport with cute toes.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Have You Ever Been So Tired...
... that you fell asleep while building a couch cushion fort with your brother?
Cole has.
I forgot to post this picture the other day. I don't know that it's really worthy of an entire "Have You Ever Been So Tired" post, but you have to admit his faceplanting technique is pretty awesome.
Dang, I thought we were out of this phase.
Cole has.
I forgot to post this picture the other day. I don't know that it's really worthy of an entire "Have You Ever Been So Tired" post, but you have to admit his faceplanting technique is pretty awesome.
Dang, I thought we were out of this phase.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Rice Crispie Treat DEATH MATCH: Peanut Butter Chocolate
So, I never thought I would say this, but... I think we're kinda getting tired of rice crispie treats.
And by "we" I mean "me".
I'm pretty sure Lance and the boys would eat them every day of the week if given the opportunity. Well, I know Josh would.
Anywho, that's why I didn't make a new batch today. I did, however, make a new batch last week, but I never got around to blogging about it.
I had several people send me this recipe, which leads me to suspect that people are using me as a guinea pig to test out new rice crispie treats before they invest the time and money into making it for themselves.
This is perfectly reasonable to me.
The missionaries came over for dinner last week and I served these for dessert. They just about fell out of their seats when I explained what they are: peanut butter rice crispie treats with peanut butter fudge and mini peanut butter cups in the middle, topped with peanut butter chocolate.
Verdict? Delicious.
However.
These treats had the same problem that I am beginning to realize all peanut butter rice crispie treats have: they aren't really all that crispie. I think the fat in the peanut butter makes them mushy unless you eat them right away. (Not an option in layered ones like these.) Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?
And while they really do taste wonderful (very rich, very peanut-buttery), I couldn't get past the texture. I like a crispy treat, not soggy.
All was not lost, though. The elders started talking about yummy and interesting desserts, which led me to come up with a wonderfully crazy rice crispie treat idea. A wonderfully crazy recipe that could lead to my win of ETERNAL FAME AND GLORY!
The boys have their annual father/sons camp out next weekend - the perfect opportunity to test out my recipe. Stay tuned.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Biggest Garden Pest
The biggest garden pest I will have to deal with this summer?
Not deer. Not rabbits. Not birds or insects.
No, I present to you the biggest pest of all:
Toddlericus Rexus Americana.
That boy tried to destroy most of the garden before I even got it in. I suspect it will be a long, battle-filled summer. Anyone know of any organic toddler repellents? (Haha.) (I'm not kidding.) ((Yes I am.))
Not deer. Not rabbits. Not birds or insects.
No, I present to you the biggest pest of all:
Toddlericus Rexus Americana.
That boy tried to destroy most of the garden before I even got it in. I suspect it will be a long, battle-filled summer. Anyone know of any organic toddler repellents? (Haha.) (I'm not kidding.) ((Yes I am.))
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)