Who Knew !!!

In October 2012 we opened our home and our hearts to an international student!  We had recieved a picture and some information about her.  The first time I saw her picture the thought came that she could be one of my own.  She had long dark hair a beautiful smile.  I was nervous and excited all at the same time.   I was excited to have another girl in the home.  I was missing having a girl around since my own daughter was away at college. 

The day came to pick Stine (Stee-nah) up at the airport.  We were all excited.  I remember her walking up and past the security check point..  I could see how nervous and scared she was.  I gave her a hug that her mom had asked me to give to her and from that moment on my heart has never been the same.  

It was not hard to have Stine in our home, She fit right in.  We got to love Stine through a couple of hard times. Stine made some wonderful friends and we got to know them and love them too. 

Who Knew that we would grow to love Stine like a daughter.  Her presence is missed greatly.   A part of my heart will forever be in Norway.   If I could move there during the summer months I would. 

Hello?

Hello  !   Maybe I should check in more often. Haha   It has been a crazy but blessed year!!  Maybe I will have time later to sit down and post some pictures  and do a little journaling.   But for now I will just say a quick hello  and then get back to the craziness that my life seems to be .

Family Hikes

The last month has been busy.  We have spent our weekends doing some hiking, we have hiked the Wind Cave Trail out at Usery Pass Park twice.  The first time was hard for me and I only made it up half-way.  The second time we went I made it all the way up to the Wind Cave.  I am so thankful for my dear husband and his patience with me.   What a beautiful hike it was. Well worth all the pain I endured afterwards. 

Last weekend we went up to the Grand Canyon.   Mister K. and I stayed behind at a hotel while my Dear Husband, Mister B., and Ms S.  went on a hike down the Bright Angel Trail.   It was my first time to visit the Grand Canyon.  What an amazing place!  So Beautiful.  I hope that I will be able to go again next year.  I don't know about the hike yet.  I think I will have to do some serious training for that.  hehe:) 

Senior Prom story

Prom night at our house was quite the circus.  It is such a long story, so hopefully I can tell it without getting lost in it.

We started thinking about dresses a month before prom, I did not want to wait till the last minute to get things done.  Chantel likes to sew and create things, So she found a pattern of  formal skirt that she wanted to make.  We got the material and everything we would need to make it.  Needless to say everything stayed on her bedroom floor till the night before prom.  It seemed to be going ok, she had it all cut out and half way sewn.  She said told me that the only thing it needed was a zipper and to be hemmed.   Well I dont know how to sew a zipper so I called my mom and she came over to sew the zipper in.  We looked at the skirt and found out that the skirt had been sewn crooked and we would have to take the gathering stitches at the waist out and start over so that we could get the zipper in.  We almost had it sewn back together when my sewing maching decided it had had enough and did not want to work any more.

Taking apart the skirt and getting the gathering to look right took most of the day.  Chantel was supposed to meet her friends (by 5:15 )at a park and get pictures taken. (I was supposed to take the pictures).  Instead of meeting her friends we were on our way down to AZ Bridal  to get a prom dress.  Luckily we found one pretty quick and were on our way to Target to get the last minute detail she needed.  We got her home and tried to get her into the dress we just bought and when some of the snaps on the dress started coming off so we had to sew them back on.  Well  we fixed the dress and got her out the door and dropped off at The Olive Garden to meet up with her friends.   I was back home and cleaning up from the day when Chantel called and told me she was at the wrong restaurant.  Luckily one of her friends came and picked her up and drove them back to where the rest of the group was (from Power & Southern to Scottsdale & Osbourn).  She had a good night and lots of fun once everything settled down.    

Chantel was very sad on Sunday that she could not wear the dress she had bought because on her way into the house she dropped it in the wet gutter and got mud all over her brand new prom dress. 

Sooo,  Someone please tell me that boys are easier to get ready for prom than girls. Please!!

Distraction or torture?

Today I am trying to keep myself busy.  I have to go in for a colonoscopy tomorrow and I can't eat any solid foods.  So what do I do to torture myself?   I make my Mother in Law's recipe for Garden Salsa.  It looks and smells so good.  (Sorry no pictures) We had all the ingredients and they were going to go bad if I didn't do something with them today.  Here is the recipe. After I get to feeling better and  can eat again, maybe I will post a picture or two. 

Garden Salsa
16 cups Chopped Tomato's
1 Cup Chopped Green or Red Bell Pepper
2 cups of Chopped Onion.  (I used green onions)
7 ounces of Diced Green Chile's
2 Cups of grated Carrots
2 Teaspoons of Garlic powder ( I guess you could use fresh garlic)
    Salt to taste
1  Teaspoon of Oregano
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Cans of El Pato Sauce

Boil thirty Minutes.  Can be bottled and processed in a water bath for 25 minutes.

No Words.....

I think these two pictures say it all.  Congrats to my little man!!

Wishes

I have heard that if wishes were fishes we would all get what we want.  I think I have lots of wishes this year.  I know I wont get all of them but I can at least put it out there and hope for the best right? ( said with a hint of a giggle)   I think I am going to use this post as my hypothetical fish bowl and put all my wishes into it and see if I can fish any of my wishes out this year. 

So here it goes, here are my wishes for this year:

1.  That my Colitis will stay in remission and that I can continue in getting healthier.
2.  That my family can stay healthy also. 
3.  That my Daughter graduates from High School. (fingers are crossed)
4.  That my son Kade will improve in school.
5.  Get a new front door.
6.  Have closet doors installed on  ALL the closets in my house. 
7.  Have a mantle installed over my fireplace. 
8.  Window installed in my playroom. 
9.  Landscaping done around the pool.(water and dirt don't do well around the pool) 
10. Garden area finished and plants planted. 
11. House painted. 
12.  Get my suburban fixed or a new used car.
13.  A bike .  I want to go on bike rides with my kids. 
14. Have all my exterior doors painted too. 
15. I know this one is petty but I would love a new Wedding ring. 

I guess I could go on and on but these are the top things I am wishing for this year.   At the end of the year I will look back and see if I fished any of these wishes out.  

Baked Potato Soup

4 to 5 Baking Potatoes



1/3 cup of butter



1/3 cup of all purpose flour



3 cups of milk



3/4 teaspoon salt



1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper



1/2 cup bacon bits, divided



2 green onions chopped



5 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese



1/2 (8 ounce) container of sour cream



Directions:



1. Bake the potatoes in the oven or the microwave. (I prefer to bake them in the oven) After Potatoes are baked, peel and cut into cubes.



2. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly till thick. Stir in milk a little at a time and cook about a minute. Stir in potatoes, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup bacon bits, 2 Tablespoons green onions and most of the cheese.(I did not add the cheese to the soup, I just served it on top of the soup) Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Serve with remaining bacon, onion and cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

GrandMother

My Dear GrandMother Passed away on Thursday.  When I was nineteen I had the opportunity to live with her and GrandPa for a while.  What a blessing.  She taught me about Geneology and showed me how to start doing my own.  She was a wonderful example in so many things.  She could make dinner almost out of what I thought was nothing and we had a feast.  She also shared with me her Testimony and Love of the Gospel.  Her favorite hymn was " I Stand All Amazed".  My daughter sang that too her just a week ago when we took a trip to Utah to see her.    She loved her family!  She helped raise four children who were not her own and loved them as such.  She Very much loved her own two children and wanted more.   GrandMa loved each Grandchild and worried over them.  She is a Great Woman and will be greatly missed here on Earth.     Thank You Grandma  for all you did !

A day of fun

We celebrated Independence day by having a BBQ at Uncle Sven's.   We went swimming, had tons of good food, and played games.  It was great getting to spend time together as a family!  We rarely ever get to do that.  Thank Goodness I have a few pictures to prove that we did something together. 

Just a fun picture of the towels hanging on the fence. 

Finally

Life has been a little hectic but finally we have been able to spend some much needed time with skadster teaching him to ride a bike "without"  the training wheels.  He has been enjoying his new found freedom. (and so has mom.)

Skadster also played baseball and he grew leaps and bounds by the time it was over.  We were very proud of him when he hit his first home run. (not a home run like the pros but good enough for a first year baseball player.)

Prom Pics Sneak Peak

Old Time family pics...

 Dad

 GrandMother Joy

 GrandMother Rose

                                                 Beauty and some very handsome fellows

A missionary Farewell.

My Mother had these and wanted copies of them so I scanned them and now I am showing them off.  :)

I wish...

I have been wishing that I had something to blog about lately,  but not too much has been happening. 
We have had our share of sickness this time of year.  Everyone has been sick at least twice and now it seems we are headed on our third go around.  I am now sick. NO Fun when mom is the one that is down. 

Skadester has been through his struggles at school. We had him tested for ADHD, autism and seizures.  Come to find out that he is a Normal boy for his age.  His teacher and counselor at school were shocked to find that out.(said sarcastically)   The Dr's prescription was playtime and friends.  With all he has been through he has grown leaps and bounds.  I am so proud of him!! 

I am proud of Telly and BK too!  Telly is still learning to drive.  I think we have learned that mom does not sit in the car with her when she drives.  She is also very crafty and loves sewing and making things with her hands.  I am amazed at the things she does.    BK  will start learning to drive in six months.  I don't know if my heart can handle this. hehe.  He is also very talented with his music abilities.  If only I could get him to practice. 

Kirt is keeping busy with work and being in the bishopric. I am thankful for him every day!   And me, I am just trying to keep up with it all.  Sometimes I wish things would just slow down and let me breath but I think I will have to keep on wishing.

This time....

This time of year is hard for me, and for many reasons.  Its hard because money is always tight, but I can handle that and life goes on.  My kids may not get all that they want or what I want them to get but we make it through and we are blessed.  Bills seem to stack up and that seems to take away from the christmas spirit and make it hard to remember the real reason why we celebrate the birth of ou Savior.  I try to put things up that help me remember but sometimes I dont want that reminder because I want to be mad and feel sorry for myself.

Another reason this month is so hard is because it is the same month that I lost or miscarried twins 19 years ago.   I was four months along and I started bleeding as I was out christmas shopping.  It was pretty scary for me not having been pregnant before.  I was put on complete bed rest and put on meds to stop the contractions.  When I went in to the Doctor for a  check on the babies there were no heart beats.   They had died.  All I could do was wait for my body to finish the labor and have them.  I had one at home and one at the hospital.  They were tiny, I could hold them in the palm of my hand.  I  have a wondeful doctor that took my hand and explained that Heavenly Father had a plan for them and that they did not need to come at this time.  It is harder some years to deal with this than others and this year it is hard. 

I went on to have a Beautiful Baby Girl two years later and she was born the day after Christmas.  Labor was long and hard but she eventually got here.  I had to have an emergecny c-section.   I am so thankful that Heavenly Father granted the gift of two more babies after her.  I didnt have them naturally.  I had to have them by c-section.  It is a joke between my husband and I that neither one of us "know nothing about birthing no babies"  (Gone with the Wind). 

Even though things are hard for me right now I know Heavenly Father has a plan for me and I will be able to hold my babies in my arms and raise them later.  I have Three wonderful kids and an Awesome husband who puts up with ranting and crying when I have my breakdowns each december.   

Well I am off with my Three wonderful blessings to do some christmas shopping.  I hope they can get along and not fight and we can have a good day just being together.  Haha  ya right!  We will see how long that lasts. hehe.

Annual Gingerbread House Making

Warning Picture Overload.....

  By the smiles that were on their faces I think everyone had fun! 

My Full plate

Today has started out rough.  A lot is catching up with me.  The only way I can describe it is that my plate is full and people and circumstances keep piling things on it.  I am not hungry and would rather leave the table that this plate in on. But I have  sit up and eat what is dished out and I am mad that I have to eat every last bite.  I am at the point of all I can do is sit and look at it and cry.  I have tried eating one bite at a time but things are not working out that way.  I know we all need to eat things we don't like but I feel like I have eaten enough of those things to last me for a while.  Some of the things I have to eat I have chosen and I can handle that, I made the choice to put that on my plate.  I know things will work out in the end and that my plate will be empty of these things and I will get a dessert plate handed to me.  Sometime in life we don't get to eat dessert first and we have to eat the gross nasty food that has been handed to us.  Hopefully I can handle the gross stuff and get it over with so I can get on to the dessert. 

H. Family Kid pics

What a Day....

 On ThanksGiving Day we celebrated twice.  We started with lunch at My Sister's house with my family, and then later on that day in Glendale with my Husbands family.  It was wonderful to see family and spend time with them. Had a good time and can't wait till next year:) 

We also got to celebrate this little mans birthday too!   We had fun after dinner singing Happy Birthday, blowing out his number 7 candle, and opening gifts.

Skadester got an Iron Man watch and was shown by his Uncle Sven how to tell time on the watch. (not digital).   Bubba made him a red velevet cake with a Transformers face on top.  He was happy with that.

The present Skadester is most happy about is getting the Buzz Lightyear.  He has played with it and slept with it ever since his birthday.  We had a good day and I think Skaderster had and even better one that we did:)

Best Friends

Today I had the opportunity  to take pictures of my Daughter and her Best Friends.  They have been friends since jr high .  What a blessing it is that Telly has such wonderful and Beautiful friends.   

Decade Day

Telly Borrowed her Granpa's letterman jacket for decades day.  She even got into the groove of things with some steps she has learned in her swing dancing class. 

Dang, I look Good:)

A few weeks ago Telly and Skater got glasses.  So now I have all three kids with glasses.  I think it took a whole week of Dr. appointments and  going back and forth  for fittings.  When Skater had his last fitting he put them on and without heistation said "Dang, I look good".  I think everyone in the store was laughting. I was laughing and turning red from embarrasement.  Boy, can these kids keep me entertained and on my toes. 

Sick day.



When my youngest is sick, one of his favorite pastimes is to play with his cars.  He really likes to line them up.  He would have a line of cars stretch the length of the house if I let him.  

Baby Mak

Baby Mak turned ONE and She could not have been Happier!