2nd Annual Turkey Trot

We started a tradition last year of having Steve take the kids and run 1 mile the morning of Thanksgiving. This accomplishes a few things. 1. All the kids get out of the house, and let mom get some cooking done. 2. Before all the mad eating happens, they get some exercise. 3. I can't really think of a #3 but I sure there is one. So last year we had cousins to run with us. This year we stayed home, so we called around to see if anyone wanted to join us. No one did. I think it had something to do with the fact that the temperature was in the single digits. Come one people just bundle up. So Steve took the girls and went to the Timpview track solo. They didn't want to do it, but when they got home the report was good and everyone was happy. Their official time was 13 min. 47 sec. Pretty good if you ask me.

READY GET SET GO!!!!

Juliana and Kathryn

Backing up

So I am just realizing that I never actually posted the kids in their Halloween costumes, and Thanksgiving is already past. Someday I will be on top of things. They were M&M's this year. Fun idea and not too hard to execute. Although as you view the pictures, you will notice that the blue M&M is not as well made as the orange. I made it first, and since I was making things up as I went along, there was a lot of learning that occurred. That's one great thing about having two, I always get a second chance to make improvements. Here they are.

Kathryn

Juliana

Carving Pumpkins

Juliana: She really wanted to do something scary this year.

Kathryn: She learned about this art piece this year at school so when she saw it she had to do it.

What a Dad

Last Saturday, the 16th, Steve made breakfast in bed for the girls. They somehow got it in their heads that this was something they couldn't live without, and have been begging us for weeks for breakfast in bed. Steve woke up, and told me he was going to make them pancakes and serve them in bed. I was a little hesitant with the whole 7 years olds eating in bed, but figured it couldn't be too bad if they spilled. I had to hop in the shower to get ready for something. By the time I was done, he was ready. He had made delicious chocolate chip pancakes for all of us. What an amazing dad. The girls were so excited. They had been reading in bed waiting for their breakfast. They managed to eat all their breakfast with no spills and big smiles.

Juliana, Kathryn, Steve

What we have been up to

Well today was busy, we had some yard work to get done before it rained, and we barely made it, Steve had to finish mowing in the rain. I was working on tearing out the last of the hedge in the garden. We are getting rid of some of it to make more room in the garden. I also dug out the tomato plants. The only things left are a couple pepper plants, and some onions that decided to grow. I have got to get the peppers picked soon because it's going to freeze next week.

We have finally been getting tomatoes, and since I decided not to make salsa, we have had a hard time knowing what to do with them all. The first batch we made into spaghetti sauce and I didn't end up getting it into bottles, and processed, so it's in the freezer. Today I had another bunch of tomatoes that had to be delt with. They have been sitting on the counter staring at my for days. So I rolled up my sleeves and started in on them. We decided to make sauce again, only I found a new recipe. After all the work, it turned out really great. It was a little odd to peal and cook for most of the day and only come out with 5 pints, but I am pretty darn proud of them.

I also had to make bread today. I think I ended up doing three loads of dishes. While I was in the kitchen, Steve attacked the rest of the house. He is quite amazing and got the laundry, vacuuming, and bathrooms done. So not only do we have bread and tomato sauce to eat, the house is clean!

One more random thing. Last week I decided to cut all our pumpkins off the vine and get rid of the vine. For some reason, the vine suddenly died and was looking really bad. Since I was out there I dug up the cantaloup vine, and the watermelon one too. We learned a lot this year about gardening, and one lesson was that pumpkins need a lot of space. This year our watermelon got over taken by the pumpkin vine, and never grew anything. When I was pulling it out I found this.

A perfect little watermelon that was trying it's best to grow despite the lack of sunlight. I couldn't believe it. Too funny.

A funny tooth story and other stuff

On Friday night Steve and I got to go on a date. Since we are cheap and rarely pay a babysitter, we don't go out that often. When we do, we try to trade with someone else who has children. So Friday, the girls went to a friends house to play, while Steve and I went out. We had a good evening together, then went to pick up the girls. When we arrived we were informed that Juliana had bonked heads with Kathryn and consequently lost a tooth!!!! The funny thing was, they couldn't actually find the tooth. While we were talking about it, the mother happened to bend down and pick something up, and it was the tooth. The other funny thing is that I don't think this tooth actually has another one waiting to come down. It was just getting moved around by the other one coming in right next to it. So it may actually be a very long time before she gets another tooth in that spot!

Since we are talking about Juliana, she said the funniest thing in the breakfast prayer yesterday. I actually got up, and wrote it down so I would forget it. (Of course I didn't let her know that) Here it is, "Please bless the people that don't get three serving every day, (insert long pause) that they will still try to be healthy and not die." As much as she can drive me up the wall, she can say the funniest things.

Dishes and hard water

This is a rather long involved story about my woes with my dishes. If you have had trouble with your dishes coming out of your washer with white film all over them read on, if not, you may want to stop now.

A couple months ago, we started having a problem. We would run our dishes through the dishwasher and they wouldn't come out looking clean. Most started coming out with a white film. This did not make us happy, we realized that we had just bought a new version of our favorite soap, and decided that was the problem. We took it back, because were we bought it is good to take things back. As I talked to the clerk, I discovered that several others were having problems. We, being the curious nerds we are searched on the internet, and found that a lot of other people were complaining about this new formula and having the same problems as we were.

So I went to our little corner store, and picked up a box the good old fashioned stuff and life continued on. That is until, that box of detergent ran out and we had to get more. I went on my monthly shopping trip thinking that as long as I stayed away from the new version of our favorite brand I would be just fine, not so. We started getting the white stuff back, I went again one late night to our corner store and bought a different brand hoping that would fix the problem, it didn't. What to do.....I got smart and called Steve's uncle. He works as a sales man for high end appliances. I knew he would have an answer. He did, but it was not good.

When you get right down to the bottom of it, the phosphates in the "good old" soap cause algae build up in streams and rivers once they are put out into the eco-system. So the Eco people made a rule that said no more phosphates. Thus all the companies removed the phosphates. What does that matter you say??? The phosphates are what neutralize, or combat the effects of the hard water that we have. (As a side note we recently had our water tested, and it's a # 21 on the hard water scale). So basically we had no recourse. All the soap was going to make our dishes look awful. For about 1.5 days we decided to just wash our dishes by hand, but we are wimps and soon started searching for a better solution.

Well we soon found one, I decided to just toss some vinegar into the washer before washing. It did help a lot, and our problem was solved. Then the white stuff came back. But I had been doing my research and keeping my ear to the ground and I had hear of a product that worked "miracles" with this problem. I finally broke down and went in search of it. We washed a load with it added to the regular soap and held our breath......... The dishes came out sparkling and clean. Even the worst ones have come completely clean after a few washes. So now I will never be caught without my little dishwashing additive. I know you are dying to know what it is. If you have this problem RUN to your nearest corner store, don't look at W-M because they don't have it, and look for Lemi Shine right next to the soap. It will solve all your dishwashing problems.

2nd Grade

A few minutes ago I sent my girls off to second grade. They were excited, and I am not lying when I say that I was excited too. I know I should be sad that they are growing up so fast, but I know all that they will be learning, and how much they will become more of who they are. Does that make any sense. It's exciting. In a few minutes I am off to my first day of school as well. This year I am working with the first grade again. It will be fun, challenging, and there will be days that I wish I could stay in bed. Here are some pics of the girls, sorry none of myself, but I really haven't changed much. And since you will wonder, yes it really is cool enough to wear a jacket. When they come home, it won't be but this morning when they left it was 54 degrees. Crazy August weather.

Juliana

Kathryn

Hiking

On Friday the 13th Steve took work off and we started the day off with a little hike. We have been meaning to do it since we moved back, but just now got to it. We hiked up to the "Y". It's a short 1 mile hike, but it is steep, and I mean steep. I was proud of the girls for sticking with it, and if we are being honest I was proud of myself for sticking to it. Once we got to the top, the views were worth it. Here are some pics.

At the begging all smiles.

Juliana, Steve, Kathryn

At one of the switch backs where we stopped

to catch a breath. Meg, Jules, Kath, Steve

Looking up

The view from the top was spectacular.

All smiles at the top. This wasn't quite how happy

they were on some of the really steep parts.

Two Stories

In one day two very different episodes took place at the Nordstrom house. In the morning of Wednesday the 11th, we had gone to run some errands. We were just about to pull into the driveway. Kathryn said, "Mom"

I said, "What"

"My tooth just came out."

She had been chewing gum, and her second front tooth just came out in the gum. Pretty funny, and a very non-traumatic way to loose a tooth.
The next episode came just before bed time. The girls were in their pajamas and were supposed to be getting in bed. I had gone out to put water on a tree. Steve came out to turn the water on, and so the girls followed. Now some background. At the end of the last school year, the girls planted little seed in cups and brought them home. Only one of the four seeds lived. Juliana's Sunflower grew and against all odds, which included not getting watered all the time. Well it got big enough to transplant and put outside in a pot. We put the pot on the back porch. As the sunflower grew, it started to grow out and then up to follow the afternoon sun as long as it could. So first it grew towards the pot side, and then it grew up. Anyways on this particular day, it had just bloomed it's first little full flower. So Juliana was out on the porch, suddenly I heard Steve say, "You just broke it." I turns out she thought she could pull it and set it straight. She tried and snapped the sunflower right at the base. Once she realized what had happened she was heart broken. It was very sad. She thought that I would be upset with her, but I just felt bad for her. She learned the hard way that you can't bend plants, or at least not most plants. Just minutes after it was broken, I took pictures. It was already starting to wilt.

Harvesting

With the end of summer comes the fun part of the garden, harvesting. Starting with the peas (which I forgot to take pictures of) then onions and peppers. On sunday we picked an ear of corn as well. When the girls and I went out and dug up all the onions I did get pictures. It's a lot of fun to see the very literal fruits of our labors. We are looking forward to out beans, potatoes, a few carrots, and tomatoes.

One week latter

I was about to go to bed when I realized that I have not posted in a while, and I needed to add at least one thing. Although we have had a fabulous summer, I am not going to write about that right now, maybe another time. I forgot to post that Juliana lost another tooth exactly a week after her sister. So that have matching smile again for a while at least. Here is a picture, and yes it's a hair cut picture, so if I find the time I'll throw up some more pictures of all of our adventures.

Teeth

Our summer is zooming by. We are having fun and keeping busy. I had to post that Kathryn lost her first upper tooth. It makes her look so different, and made me realize that I have to document things, because kids don't freeze so we can remember all these moments. So last Saturday the 2nd, it finally came out. It had been wiggling around for more that a week. Here is a picture of her new look. Come back in a week or so for pictures of the girls room, I am in the middle of painting, sewing and designing. I can't wait to see how it all comes together. I found a preview picture of the girls and I painting enjoy!

Springtime in Utah

I get that weather in spring can be a bit unpredictable, rain sun, chilly weather. However, it is almost June so I was seriously offended Monday morning when we woke up to snow. It was rain that had just turned to snow, but it kept coming down and eventually we had snow on the ground sticking. When I came home for lunch and it was still on the ground I grabbed the camera. This is proof for future generations, this was taken on May 24, 2010.

Then on Wednesday, we had sun, and ate salad for dinner. I needed a scallion, but didn't find any in the fridge. So I went out into my garden and dug one up. I know that doesn't sound that amazing, but it was the first thing we have harvested EVER. It wasn't a huge scallion, but it was tasty, fresh, and I knew exactly where it had been grown. It was a really cool experience. after all the hard work, things are actually growing and they are edible. To commemorate the occasion, I took a few pictures.

Busy

Life is busy right now. I just had to write the quote of the day from Juliana. I walked into the bathroom where she was waiting for her morning shower. She was standing on the toilet. I lifted her down, and then she said, "Seems like I'm always busy doing my mischief when you walk in." Where does she come up with these things?? Hilarious. I replied, "Well if you wouldn't be busy doing mischief then I would never walk in when you are doing it." I am pretty sure the mischief will continue. This post is so I remember that she is learning and eventually will probably stop the mischief.

A parenting moment

Last week all the girls in the family got our hair cut. Nothing major, just a trim. Kathryn was first. She settled into the chair as I was getting Juliana started on her reading. The person who cuts our hair is a friend from a previous ward. She lives in the neighborhood over, and it's very easy to get to her. Since we last went, some changes have occurred at her house, and she is now cutting hair in her kitchen as her other space has been taken over for another use. So back to Kathryn in the chair. . . we were discussing renting vs. owning. They are renting right now, and the house they are in is pretty old, and is a little hammered. Kathryn decided to enter into the conversation with her opinion. She said, "You should change some things in this house, (pause) and clean it." I was of course mortified. They do live differently than we do, but I had thought that we have discussed what to say out loud and what things to keep to ourselves. My friend took it like a pro, and admitted that afternoon was a crazy time at their house. I apologized, and she said, "Out of the mouth of babes." It was a moment in parenting where you realize your teaching has come up short. We'll be discussing the nuances of what to say out loud and what to leave unsaid this next week.

A new look

Last spring as we were looking forward to owning our own house, one of the things I was most anxious for was to be able to actually choose color, design, etc. Since life never really goes how you plan, we are still living here in a neutral colored house. There are a few reasons for this, one being that we didn't have any time from when we had to move out of our rental place and into this house. Thus there was not any time to do any painting before all the furniture was moved in. The other main reason, is that one of us (who will remain nameless) get nervous when the subject of paint is brought up. So, last Saturday we ventured to at least start decorating one room. We chose the bathroom. Small enough to get our feet wet. The subject of paint was briefly addressed, and then quickly dismissed (after all marriage is all about compromise). We went out found matching towels, rugs, curtain, the whole shabang. It was a lot of fun. It's nice to have one color scheme and not random colored towels that were given to us when we married. So here it is the first "official" decorating in our new place. I know it may not be too interesting, but hey it's the first time I've had a bathroom that all coordinated, so it's exciting to me! :)

Green eggs and.....

It wasn't quite Green Eggs and Ham, but at least it was green eggs. Sunday we had breakfast for dinner. Steve whipped up some delicious buttermilk pancakes. (If you have never actually made pancakes with actual buttermilk, you are missing out. I will happily share our recipe if you want to try them, they are heavenly.) I was slaving away on a fruit salad and scrambled eggs. The girls insisted that green eggs taste better than your everyday yellow variety. Last year in Kindergarten they had green eggs and ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. So I thought why not? Dr. Seuss was born in March and we just celebrated his birthday at school, and St. Patrick's day is not far off. As I was dripping blue and green food coloring into the eggs, I couldn't help remembering my mother. She is famous, or perhaps infamous, for dying food around a holiday. I remember one St. Patrick's Day when we had green potatoes, milk, anything that could be made green was. I said to myself back "in the day" that I wanted to be just like my mom. Unfortunately my present self is often too busy, worn out, or forgetful to remember to stop and dye the food every now and then. It was nice to have a reminder. Here are the green eggs, and before you knock it, you gotta' try it!
P.S. I had to add the picture with Steve and the eggs. I did say that I made them, but really I just whipped them and then somehow he was the one who actually cooked them, and yes he tucks his tie in when he is cooking. Maybe I should get him an apron....

Just a thought

My friends posted this a few days ago on Facebook. It made me laugh so I wanted to share it.

"Women are angels. And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly...on a broomstick. We are flexible......."

Have a great day!

A Funny Conversation I Just Had

I just had a hilarious conversation with Juliana. She had been upset at her sister because Kathryn had eaten the last bite of her(Juliana's) cookie. There had been some yelling and maybe bodily contact, I wasn't in the room. So I called her to my side. Asked her to take a minute to cool off, and then launched into my very beautiful speech about how she will get to eat several cookies in her life, but she will only have one sister. At the end of our enlightening conversation, she posed this question, "Mom, when are you ever going to have a baby?"

I replied, "Well I'm not pregnant yet, I know that for sure."

"Yes but, what are we going to have for dinner?"

How these two thoughts are connected you got me, but it just hit me funny. I hope you enjoy it.

Painters Half Marathon

Steve ran the Painter's Half Marathon on Saturday in St. George. It was a quick trip, but still fun. Somehow we ended up with no camera so there are no pictures of the actual event. He did really well despite the cold weather, finishing in just under 1 hour 27 minutes. There was just one little hitch, he slipped and fell on a bridge around mile 7. So he ran half of the race with an injury. When he got done, his leg was all bloody and gross looking. Once it got cleaned off it wasn't so bad. The girls were really concerned. So for all you runners out there, just remember bridges freeze, and even if there is salt all over it, you can still fall. Here are a couple of pictures. He got his lower leg, and upper thigh.

Saying hello

Yesterday, Kathryn came home with wet and slightly dirty knees. I asked her what she had been up to. She said, "Something." I replied, "How did your pants get dirty?"

"I was kneeling on the grass."

"Why?"

"I was saying hello, because I missed it."

I kid you not. She cracks me up. Life is never boring with children.

Something to Ponder

The other night I flipped on the TV and it was on a public station. I don't remember which one, but the program was about how we learn to relate with others, and the importance of different relationships in our lives. It was fascinating how many different studies have been done. I used to think these kinds of programs were for "old" people. That brings up the question of am I old, or has my perspective just changed a bit...that's a subject for another day. For the concluding thought at the end of the program the "voice" said this profound thought, "Wether we like it or not, our happiness is in each others hands." I had to sit and think about this. We often tell children and young people that happiness depends on yourself. You alone can chose to be happy or not. I think that's not entirely true. We were made to be with others, family, friends, partners. So for today, just think about who out in the world is depending on you for their happiness, and who you depend on. It's really quite profound, or at least it was for me. Go out and spread the joy.