Friday, July 31, 2009

Hot Chocolate

My kids LOVE Hot Chocolate. Especially the recipe my Mom would make when I was a little girl.

The BEST Hot Chocolate ever
1 can evaporated milk
4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP baking cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

(My Mom got this recipe from Sis. O in KS).

Since it has been unseasonably "chilly" in CO this week, they have been wanting hot chocolate.

I didn't want an entire recipe made, so I told the kids how to make the hot chocolate individually.

2/3 cup milk
1 tsp baking cocoa powder
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp (or 1 individual liquid packet) of Coffee Creamer - French Vanilla flavor is our favorite.

They have been enjoying their hot chocolate this week. Not for too much longer. This is the last of the weather in the 60's. Next week it jumps up into the 80's ...

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Some must push and some must pull

Here are a couple of more pictures of Jenna from the trek. They bring tears to my eyes thinking of what this was to represent and that Jenna was able to experience the spirit of the activity - You can see the young men (their brothers) and their "Pa's" standing reverently and solemnly on the side of the road.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

They survived!

They survived AND loved it! Wyoming. 3 days 2 nights. 95 degree weather. One evening of rain sprinkles. Their first pioneer trek.

The trek was a wonderful experience. They met a lot of wonderful people in their cousin Peter's stake.

Julia said that the most amazing experience was pulling their handcart up rocky ridge without the help of her "Pa" (the adult male - the father of their family group) and her brothers. This was to represent the fathers/husbands/brothers that died along the route or were taken off in the Mormon Batallion and left the women and children to proceed on their own.

(Rocky Ridge photo from mountainsofstone.com)

And yes, they were the most beautiful pioneer girls EVER!!! Their dresses came back torn. I am grateful I zigzagged all of the hems and seams to prevent fraying. That stitch was what kept Jenna's bodice attached to her skirt! Yikes!

Jenna with a handcart - you can see Devil's Gate rock formation behind her.
Jenna and Allison C. swapped hats with their "brothers"


Julia and her family.


Monday, July 27, 2009

New lighting

We hung a new light in Jaley's room. The main issue was that the light came with a plug and a hook to hang it with; it had no ceiling mount/light canopy kit ... so I had to get creative.

While at Home Depot with John I found a white light kit canopy and a white rubber chair leg floor protector (with a hole in the middle to run the wire through and then into the large hole in the canopy kit) to use for attaching the light to the ceiling.

We replaced the small dome light and I LOVE how it turned out!


Jaley loves the underside ... it looks like a flower to her.




I love 29.99 light fixtures!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

He's ONE!


My little buddy, Conner is one today! He was just over 6 months when he and his brother (Cade - age 3) and sister (Kaylee age 4 then) came to stay with us for 3 months (Feb-May 2009) while their mommy (my sister, Shannon) recovered from a staph infection after a back surgery.

Happy birthday Bitty Buddy 2 (Kendall is Bitty Buddy 1)!
And Kelly, he's MY CONNER! ;o)

While I was busy ...

While I was busy sewing the pioneer dresses for Julia and Jenna for their pioneer trek in Wyoming, some elves came to visit.

I found my kitchen spotless; thanks Julia. Earlier in the afternoon while I was sewing, I thought I heard the vacuum running upstairs in the area of my room. Sure enough ... I went upstairs and found my room spotless. Vacuumed. Dusted. Towels folded. And .... a sweet note from Jaley.


Thank you elves! I love it when my children do these sweet surprises! I love them to pieces!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Trekking ... Jenna and Julia

We attended Spencer V's missionary homecoming this past Sunday in Colorado Springs. The bishop was going over some final announcements for the upcoming Trek their Stake was attending later this week. Rod V. mentioned that he could get Julia and Jenna in on the trek since there were a couple of openings.

The girls were interested in attending so we JUMPED on the opportunity.

So ... on Monday evening we picked out a pattern for a pioneer dress and found some material.

On Tuesday we began to sew like mad.

14 hours later ... 2 pioneer dresses, 2 pantaloons and 2 bonnets were ready to go on the trek. They will be the most beautiful pioneer girls ever!

The girls are on their trek. How appropriate and neat that they are able to do this wonderful experience on Pioneer Day! I sent them with a camera and expect some great photos! Updates will be coming once they return home.

Here is a newspaper article about this particular youth group attending the trek.

Mormon teens re-enacting ancestors' arduous trek
July 17, 2009 -
THE GAZETTE
Not many people are willing to pull and push a 400-pound handcart for 21 miles across a hilly landscape where daytime temperatures can rise to more than 100 degrees.

But that’s what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado Springs will be doing for three days in Wyoming on the Mormon Pioneer Trail beginning Thursday.

Three hundred and thirty area Mormons are making the trek to celebrate the 1,300-mile migration made by thousands of believers between 1846 and 1869 from Nauvoo, Ill., to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Mormons made the journey after being driven out of other American settlements because of their practice of polygamy and adherence to non-mainstream Christian teachings in the Book of Mormon, believed to have been translated by Joseph Smith from divine writings he discovered on gold tablets in 1823.

“This is a way to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to make it possible for us to live in religious freedom,” said Cortney Brewerton, co-organizer of the Colorado Springs East Stake Pioneer Youth Trek.

Every four years, the East Stake organizes a walk on the Mormon Pioneer Trail beginning near Alcova, Wyo. Participants make their own pioneer clothing and train for the arduous journey by going on group hikes. But it’s not all hard work. The travelers also practice square dancing, which Mormons on the original trek took part in most evenings to relieve tension during the months-long trip.

The East Stake Pioneer Youth Trek is basically a youth ministry. Of those participating, 235 are between the ages of 14 and 18, and 95 are adult chaperones.

During the journey, teens learn how God strengthened the early Mormons in their difficulties, and are taught that God will do the same for them in their difficulties, said Chad Slough, a former trek co-coordinator.

The trek is different from other Mormon migration re-enactments because it utilizes 25 handcarts owned by the Mormon church. Handcarts resemble large wheel barrows, able to carry hundreds of pounds of supplies, that some of the early Mormons pushed and pulled on the trail.
Handcarts were cheaper than a wagon pulled by draft animals, allowing poor Mormons to make the journey west. But it was also physically demanding, especially through the mountains to the Great Salt Lake.

Taylor Woodward,18, will be making his second Youth Trek. “It helped deepen my faith,” Woodward said of his 2005 journey, “and showed me what (the early Mormons) were willing to sacrifice for my religion.”

Krista Roy, a 17-year-old also participating for the second time, said her first trip taught her to “trust in the Lord to make it through hard times.”

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Framed - UT FC

I just finished framing the jersey, medal and trophy for this year's UT FC visit. It is hanging in the "art nook" as you go down the basement steps.

I included several action shots from the games ... wish I had more so I could represent each player ...



Here is the trophy. It is in the far left bottom corner of the case - It has glass etched engraving on it with the tournament, dates and CHAMPIONS written on it. I even left the finger prints and kiss marks on the back side of the trophy. Thanks guys!



I will be moving the framed jersy from last year to another wall.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Struck again

Last year we hosted the U18 Strikers soccer team from Utah for the Pikes Peak Tournament. This year they struck again ... but as UT FC (futbol club = FC). The Strikers merged with another club earlier this year and took the opportunity to change their name and their uniform (from Red to striking Black)
They were wonderful young men; their moms would be proud. Several boys came up to me daily to see if they could help with fixing food, cleaning the dishes, etc. I was touched. They were very courteous and kind.


We had several repeats from last year which made "breaking the ice" so much easier (Sam, Renzo, Emma, Javi and Brad). Kendall's best buddies were Emma and Brad. He would ask for them (and still does). Jaley offered to take Kendall to the park one morning. Kendall said, "NO, Emma take me."

We went to all of their games at the beautiful grounds of the Air Force Academy.
They won their first game against the Pueblo Rangers Maroon (5 -0) - they only played a few minutes into the first half when a crazy Colorado storm hit.

They won their second game (5-1) against Rush Pikes Peak Nike.

The third game was lost to Celtic Black from Oklahoma (2-1).

The final game was the championship game against Celtic Black.

The girls joined in on their warm-ups ....

and crashed their team photoshoot




The Championship game against the Celtic Black (from Oklahoma) was a nail biter. Emma tied the game in the second half with a free kick.
UT FC and Celtic Black went into 2 ten-minute over times (sudden death) which ended with no scores. That led to a shootout. 5 players (Renzo, Hanson, Nicco, Sam and Emma) from each team alternated turns to score one on one against the goalie.
Brad, our goalie set the mood by blocking the first shot taken again them.
Emma made the final goal as shooter #5.
What a celebration!



That evening the team presented us with a signed jersey, a medal AND THEIR CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY! I am working on framing the new jersey, trophy and medal in a jersey shadow box. I will post pictures when it is done (soon!).

It was a great experience to host these young men for this tournament. We hope to see them next year! Go UT FC!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Thanks, Mom


Every once in a while, certain things happen to make you step back and really appreciate what you have. This past week, my family hosted the Utah FC u18 team, which came along with a new appreciation for my mom. So many times the things my mom does goes unnoticed and unrecognized, I just wanted to write a brief summary of why my mom is the most amazing person in my life.

She's my chauffeur...

Drives the stubborn 16 year old (who still doesn't have her permit...) around without complaint.

She's my psychologist...

She really does know everything. Like I'm not joking. I can go to my mom for anything, and she'll have the perfect advice to get me out of some of my life's toughest challenges.

She loves everybody...

I still remember getting extremely angry that I had to share my mom with day care kids several years ago, but only now do I realize what a special gift my mom has for loving everybody. From very busy tiny children that live with our already large family for 3 months to a extremely hungry bunch of teenage soccer players, my mom always finds room in her heart to love everybody. Several of my friends call her mom because she always makes an effort to go the extra mile to show that she cares. I really look up to her for that

She's the best cook ever...

She always knows how to make me look on the bright side of things...

She always tries her hardest to be happy...

I guess she's caught on to the fact that if mom's not happy, NOBODY'S happy.

She knows when I'm upset.

She's my biggest fan...

...And I'm hers.

She makes so many sacrifices for us kiddos...

To the last piece of pizza to hours of her time dedicated to school musicals, she never ever ever ever puts herself first.

But most importantly, she's my best friend.


Mommyo... I'd just like to let you know how much you mean to me. You are what keeps me strong when life gets hard. You are my role model. The best example I could ever ask for.

Love always,

The luckiest daughter in the world (well... one of three I guess)

Julia

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Memories of Mom

Memories of Mom:
I remember my Mom and Dad teaching us about Bearing Testimonies during Family Home Evening one night. To be an example, my Mom told us she would bear her testimony in the next Testimony Meeting. I remember when she stood up ... she turned around and her beautiful red/brown hair spun with her (and yes, her hair is still beautiful red/brown without the help of any coloring).

I had to make sure that any English Homework help occurred before 7:00 p.m. After that time, I couldn't be guaranteed that her help was correct; her brain shut off at 7:00 ... she got up at 4:00 a.m. each morning to make sure we were all prepared for the day.

Lists (Weather for the day, activities and times). Duty Charts. Running our home like a well greased machine.

Rubbing my Dad's hands with "Moo Cream".

Making the best meals ... Meatballs and Rice didn't taste the same if it wasn't burnt. She always made sure we had the best of ingredients when our Grandparents visited. Home cooked meals every day. We rarely ate out; finances just didn't allow it with 7 kids.

Seeing the excitement while shopping with Mom on the day after Thanksgiving when she came across a couple of items she had been hoping to find. I had to convince her to pick them up for herself. She NEVER spent money on herself, and rarely does. She always thought of others, and still does.

Hearing the stories she would share about the road trips she would take as a little girl.

Always at home when we needed her (or didn't need her, she was still there. A constant. That didn't happen with my other friends growing up).

Family Council. My mom always made sure it happened ... even when the kids dragged it on F O R E V E R with their comments!

My mom attending the School Board meeting. She brought one of our favorite Momonad posters (gossiping) to make a point. She was standing up in behalf of our principal Mr. H. Her point was made. Much needed. Well taken.

Photographs. Mom always took pictures of us and saved the negatives. Even though money was tight, Mom made sure that she documented our activities and memories.

Always reading great books (how did she find the time?). She would read different books about raising children and then going to her knees in prayer to see if this was the right path to take with one of us (or all of us). She is a great example with this.

Hanging a picture of the temple in our bedrooms. A goal to shoot for. One that I saw every day.
There are so many more things ... She is a great example!

Happy Bday Mom ... soon!

Memories of Dad





Memories of Dad:

In the summertime we would push dad’s car out of the driveway to help him get to work.

My prom date, Cliff D., meets dad (my family can refer to page 21 of our private family web site news items and read Cousin David’s Visit, episode 1 and 2.)

On my 18th birthday, I cut my thumb on a glass at work (Spear’s Restaurant and Pie Shop). Dad came and rescued me from work and took me to the ER for stitches. I didn’t handle pain well then (that’s probably why mom sent dad to get me). While in the hospital during stitching up my thumb, dad noticed that my cut and stitches made a neat prop for the Smiles song we sing in Primary (If you chance to meet a frown). He proceeded to use my thumb as his visual aid and in his best singing voice, serenaded the nurse, doctor and the drunk man next to us in the ER mending room. My scar is still there, and so is the memory.

Dad somehow rigged the speaker system at the Battin House to project his voice over the speakers. One night dad knew that we were not quickly going to bed. We suddenly heard this voice over the speakers telling us to go to bed. We did not know dad had rigged up some kind of microphone to his sound system. We (the kids) were shocked at dad’s mysterious power to know what we were up to. We quickly got into bed… did he install hidden camera’s too?

Dad plugged up the swing set ends with cement so that the wasps would not come out and sting me anymore. He was my hero!

I was upset when I found out that I couldn’t marry my Dad. So, I decided that I was going to marry Uncle Keith. I was then informed that I couldn’t marry him. Thank goodness no one told me that I couldn’t marry John… I wouldn’t have listened to them anyway ;o) .

When John met the family, dad pulled me aside and told me that he loved John more than he loved me. That was dad’s way of telling me that he approved (especially since John was into tools, taking things apart, and rebuilding them).

Birthday ice cream sundae’s at Farrel’s Ice Cream Parlor. Dad looked forward to finishing our Gibson Girl (after finishing his far in advance).

Daddy Daughter Dates.

Monthly interviews with dad. Asking him when I would look as pretty as so and so… when would I ever grow up to be a young woman? Helping me on my math problems and going through tons of Boeing scrap paper drawing diagrams explaining all of the different steps to solving the algebra problem (John will have that job when the girls get older!)

Pulling my teeth at church in the Nursing Mother’s Room. (During General Conference and then again at Stake Conference).

Take us for “rides” on the merry-go-round in front of K-Mart. Thanks to Grandma P., we realized that the horses were SUPPOSED to go around in a circle! So much for dad’s “rides”.

Sending all of the kids through the grocery store line to purchase Ketchup, Paper Plates or whatever was on sale at the time that had a quantity limit. He would hand each of us money to pick up the “limit” and then send us through the line again until each of us had gone through every open register. I still find myself doing this when certain things are on sale… I haven’t been able to recruit John ... yet…

Teaching me how to drive stick shift in the Fish (station wagon… built like a tank). I dropped 1st gear. We had to start out in 2nd gear after my training in that car!

Dad’s long awaited Family Home Evening Treats (that came along every 9 weeks … not often enough). He sure knew how to pick out the best donuts (and mom sure knew how to video tape the consumption).

Dad let us dig in the garden at Battin. We had a huge hole going, we were planning on making a fort (underground). Dad never told us that it would be impossible to make, he just let us have fun getting our clothes muddy for mom to wash.

Our yearly Father’s Blessings before School started.

The wonderful letter my dad wrote to me when I was in primary attending a Father/Daughter Dinner. He called me his princess made of peaches and cream. I still have that letter in my memory box.

Dad’s singing. And sharing his musical talent with the Primary during a talent show. Dad… musical talent? Yep, Dad’s favorite pianist came (Tony G.) and played the piano. Dad’s musical talent was listening to Tony play the piano. Dad would sit in the living room for hours requesting more songs from Tony. Tony happily played. Dad closed his eyes and kept beat with his foot.

Sharing the crispy crusty skin of the Turkey with me before Thanksgiving dinner.

Paying me 5 cents an hour to scratch his back… with a hair brush. The redder the better.

Sending me a copy of the song Butterfly Kisses for Christmas. I cried. That was my dad.

I couldn’t imagine life without these memories (and so many more). Thanks for being my Dad!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

One step closer


We actually got Julia out on some wheels ... 4 wheeling. She enjoyed it! She was very cautious as well ... phew. Especially since I was her passenger ;o)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Prince and the Pea


You all know the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea.

I have a Prince and the Pea, sort of.

I went into Kerst's room this morning and found him sleeping on the floor.

"Kerst, why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"Don't worry Mom. I'll learn to sleep on the bed again. I am just used to sleeping on the floor from our family reunion. I like it, really."

Who needs beds when you have tons of cousins to keep you company on the floor while you try to sleep.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Settling down for a long summer's nap ...

Yah right. Although I want to.

We just finished 3 very busy weeks.

A family reunion.

Girl's Camp.

Another family reunion.

All back to back.

I'm ready for a nap. At least the laundry is now done and we are unpacked.

Now we are getting ready for our favorite UT soccer club to come into town to stay with us for a week.