General Conference

When our kids found out that they get to be with us the weekend of General Conference, they each let out a big "WOO-HOO!!" This melted my heart for 2 reasons. Not only were they excited to be with us, but they were also excited it was General Conference! We have tried to make Conference fun for them...cuz, it really isn't all that fun for a 5, 8 and 10 year old. We are trying to continue the traditions set by my parents and it seems to be working so far!

To get the kids prepared for General Conference this weekend, Rich's Family Home Evening lesson tonight was on "Getting to know the First Presidency and the 12 Apostles". It was such a cute lesson. First, he had us listen to the "Prophet Song" which I am sure most of you have heard. If not, take a listen here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEw4C64izp0 But, beware...it sticks in your mind for the REST OF THE EVENING! Anyway, after the song, Rich had printed these cards that had interesting facts of the Presidency and the Apostles. Here they are! http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2125&Itemid=429

It was so fun to learn about the Leaders of our church. I am very much looking forward to conference this weekend...not only for the Spirit I will feel and the things I will learn but that we'll be spending it with my family in Utah! YEAH!!! CAN'T WAIT!!

Domestic Goddess??

Ok, Domestic Goddess is going a bit too far, but I have always wanted to use that term. I felt like one over the last couple of weeks because I decided to can. Yes, bottle fruit for our growing food storage. Rich found a sweet deal on fruit and since he's canned several times before, he asked if I would try it. We only bought 2 cases of peaches and 1 case of pears because we weren't sure how I was going to like canning.

Prior to me canning, I went to and hosted an Enrichment activity on canning and I tried to learn as much as I could but still felt lost. Luckily, my dear friend, Mignon came to my rescue and offered to come over and help as well as can her fruit at the same time. She is a canning expert! She came over last week and I quickly learned why I have never canned before or even had the desire! It was the worst two days of my life...no kidding! My back hurt, my feet hurt, my hands hurt, my kitchen was a DISASTER and I ruined our grass in a few spots. BUT, do we have some BEAUTIFUL bottles of fruit or what?! I never thought fruit to be so gorgeous until now.

We bought a Camp Chef this year for camping and it came in handy for our canning! We did all of the "water-bathing" outside on that and the blanching, peeling and syrup making inside. The house got so steamy! For some reason, our smoke detector can't tell the difference between smoke and steam and continued to go off throughout the day. We finally had to take it down and hide it under the covers on my bed!

So, after my days of canning, I decided I would never ever can again. When I tell people this they tell me that I will love eating what I have canned throughout the winter and will be looking forward to doing it again next year. We'll see...

The trusty Camp Chef

Water-Bathing

The Mess (it actually looked a lot worse than the picture portrays. It

doesn't show how sticky the floor was!)

The beautiful peaches!

The beautiful pears!

Collin Raye Concert!

If you know me very well, you know I am quite the Collin Raye fan! I fell in love with his music 13 years ago when my best friend, Tammie introduced his music to me. I have seen him in concert probably every year he came to Utah and Idaho and have never been on the front row. Once I even got to meet him! This year, he was one of the performers after the WBR Rodeo in Idaho Falls and that night became one of my most favorite summer memories of 2008. I was very excited to get tickets because the concert was going to be General Admission. For weeks, I plotted with Rich on a plan of how we could get on the front row. Being the awesome hubby that he is, he went along with my plotting and was patient with my ideas. Before we knew it, the rodeo/concert was here! We watched the rodeo but I wasn't really into it. I was so caught up in our plan of attack. Right before the rodeo was over, we left our seats as planned and walked to the spot where we thought the grounds crew would let in the concert-goers. We got there just in the nick of time cuz they were just about to open the gates! We were 2nd in line. My heart pounded hard and I couldn't keep still. We waited as patiently as we could until the gates opened. Finally, the gates opened and I took off across the dirt, sprinting like a rodeo clown running from a bull, screaming all the way. Now, you must know I was wearing my favorite chunky brown boots. These suckers are tall and chunky and make not only walking difficult but also running. As I ran across the dirt towards the stage, thoughts of spraining my ankle ran across my mind, but I didn't care. I was determined to be in the front row. I lost Rich in all of the commotion but, we met back up IN THE FRONT ROW! We made it! I jumped up and down, screaming like a little girl on Christmas morning. I hugged Rich...he is the best hubby. What other hubby in the world would run across dirt for his girls' fave singer?
The concert began and the night got better and better. First, Collin glanced at me and smiled. And, I caught it on film! YIPPEE!

He also shook my hand! I know the shot isn't that great, but it was so quick and Rich did his very best! But, that is my hand and my curly hair!



The best part of the concert was the end. One of Collin's traditions is to take clean towels and dry the sweat from his head. Then, he throws the towel into the screaming audience to some lucky fan. Collin continued his tradition that night and proceeded to dry his sweaty head. Meanwhile, I was screaming like a maniac, holding my hand out letting him know that I wanted the towel. He came right up to me and handed ME ME ME the "Sweaty Towel!" I screamed and screamed and jumped up and down like that little girl again! I immediately wrapped it around my neck and felt so proud.

Ok, so you're probably thinking I am a lunatic or some sort of sick and twisted groupie or something. But, let me assure you I am not. Collin's music has got me through some very tough times in my life as well as all of the wonderful times. When Rich and I were dating. Rich surprised me with tickets to his concert in Preston, Idaho. I will never forget that night. Several of Collin's music has become the soundtrack to mine and Rich's' life together. Collin represents anything that is good. His music is very inspiring and uplifting.
Tonight, we get to see him again! He is coming to Rexburg for a charity event. It's General Admission again and the doors open at 6pm. You better believe that Rich and I are going to try to get front row again. Cameras are not allowed there tonight so I won't be able to have pics, but I will try to update you anyhow.

Summer Rain

One of my most favorite memories this summer was dancing in the rain with my kids! It had been so hot for weeks and a nice summer sprinkle of rain was not only needed but sounded nice. Well, out of no where, the rains came down! But, by no means was it a nice summer sprinkle. It was a down right down pour! Ike suggested we run out and play in it and we all thought that was a splendid idea! Since Rich had to go to a Young Men's activity and didn't want to show up like a wet dog, he grabbed the video camera to document our craziness! We jumped on the trampoline, danced around the yard and pretended to wash our hair and bodies while I sang, "I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair." GOOD TIMES!

Summer Memories 2008

It's a bummer that I started this blogging thing after summer was over. As I mentioned before, I had the best summer with my family and to go back and document ALLLLLL of our summer memories would take a great deal of time. So, over the next few days or weeks or however long it takes me, I thought I would highlight some of my favorite summer memories of 2008. Enjoy!

Are you prepared?

One of my goals this year is to get our family prepared for an emergency. This weekend, Rich and I found these perfect little diddies at Sam's Club for $89 buck-a-roos! Check out the sweet features below and then go out to their site. Check out the shelf-life!

285 Total Servings

57,066 Total Calories

36 day supply at 1600 calories per day

Variety Packs

Easily Transportable (side note: this baby is so light, my 8 year old could carry it)

Convenient Packaging

Variety of Milk and Juice Drinks

Quick and Easy-to-Prepare

Rectangular Bucket is Convenient to Store

Meals Designed for ON-THE-GO, High Stress Situations

Quality

Taste-Test Proven

Premium Quality Brand

Packaging

6.5 Gallon Rectangular Bucket

Easy-to-Open/Close

Re-sealable Lid

Re-sealable Pouches

Shelf-Life

Up to 15 years

Oxygen Packets in Pouches ensure better shelf-life

Pretty cool huh? Check out their site below.

http://www.getyourark.com/

First Day of School

Yes, I know the 1st day of school was 3-4 weeks ago, but, who cares...right?

Out of the 3 kids, Maddy was the most excited to start school. She is a true Kindergartner...beaming with excitement everyday before school starts. She is enjoying learning new things and of course, eating the snacks. The 1st day of school brought several surprises for me. My dear and sweet Maddy-Paddy surprised me the most. To make a long story longer...we had discussed for weeks about me taking the kids to school and walking them to class. Unavoidably, the 1st day of school came and I felt emotionally prepared and ready. This year, the kids get to ride the bus. Although I was taking Maddy to school, the bus driver asked that Maddy and I go to the bus stop anyway and wait with the other kids so Maddy can see the "routine". Then, Maddy and I would walk back home and go to school. Well, as instructed, we walked to bus stop and soon the bus came down the street. I could feel Maddy's excitement and the bus drew nearer. She looked at me and said, "Mumzy, I think I want to ride the bus!" I panicked for I was neither emotionally or physically prepared with the CAMERA! So, I ran ran ran home and please know that I am NOT a runner by any stretch of the imagination. But, the adreniline had kicked in and I was running as if I were in an Olympic heat! I made it back to the bus stop just in time to snap a few pics. They aren't the best cuz I was shaking and breathing so hard! As the bus drove away, I stood there feeling so proud of my Maddy-Paddy for being so independent. And, since it all happened to fast, I didn't have time to shed any tears as she left me...but, I did shed a few tears when I returned home.

I did get to walk Julia and Ike to their classrooms that day. What surprised me is I couldn't hold back the tears as I dropped them off. Why was I emotional? What was making me feel so sad? In my mind, I had been thinking of the days ahead where I would get some Lindsay time and I was very excited! But, why was I sad? I figured it out. The best summer was ending. Those 3 kids filled my summer days with fun, challenges and learning. Thank you, Ike, Julia and Maddy for a superb, amazing and fantastic summer!

TA-DA!

Hello out there!

Ok, you all talked me into it! I am officially a Blogger! I can't believe it! I have absolutely LOVED your blogs and frequent them weekly. And, since I love to keep a journal and do so regularly, I thought this would be a new and less boring way to journal! However, bear with me as I work out the bugs and such. Oh, and just a side note...my template is from a website with an interesting name. Sorry if you come across it...

One of my goals this year was to learn a new talent...well, I don't know if talent is the right word. Let's just say I am learning a new skill. So, I decided on Clogging! I have been waiting very patiently for a clogging studio to come to Rigby and whaddya know, two new studios just opened after Labor Day! After bugging the instructors to death with questions and talking it over with Rich, we decided I would sign up at In-Step Clogging! The instructor said that so many girls signed up, she would need to split the class into 2...a Beginner class and an Intermediate class. My confident side of me said to myself, "I've danced lots before...how hard could this be? I'll be accepted into the Intermediate class no problem." Well, I was dead wrong. It is a lot harder than I thought. Sadly, I did not make it into the Intermediate class. I am a just a Beginner with 5 other gals. Oh well, I am so pumped and can't wait till class again! We order our new shoes tomorrow! I CANNOT WAIT!
Also, I have been released from teaching the Naughtier-Than-EVER primary class of 8 BOYS and 1 GIRL! Yes, I will miss the little buggers and will enjoy my new calling as the Beehive Advisor! Young Women's has always been my favorite calling. I teach my first class this Sunday on Eternal Perspective! Got any lesson ideas? I've looked over the lesson and it sure needs some attention getters. Anyhoo, wish me luck!