Weekend Getaway

Here we are at my parent's "cabin" in Granby, CO.  This same weekend last year we had a kid-free weekend up here with our friends the Laws and the Purcells.  That weekend was wild and adventurous with late night sledding, skiing trips, Rock Band, etc.  But this time my pregnancy, Liesl's leg injury, and the absence of the Purcells made things much more mellow.  
We spend the afternoon on Saturday in Grand Lake, walking the boardwalk, window shopping, braving the ice on the lake (as seen in above photo), and eating at a great little pizza shop.
We celebrated Adam and Liesl's birthdays with a grand meal of London Broil, roasted peppers, baked potato topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions, bread, and this little chocolate cake I made.
We entertained ourselves with "Mexican Train Dominoes" and movies.  I talked everyone into watching "City of Angels" and I regret it.  I'm surprised they didn't ask me for that 114 minutes of their lives back when the show was over.  "City of Angels" is the American version of the German film "Der Himmel uber Berlin" or "Wings of Desire".  The latter is one of my all time favorite foreign films, so I thought the former would be worth watching.  I'd forgotten that I'd seen the movie in '98 when it came out and didn't like it much then either.  My biggest complaints are the ridiculously long and revealing intimate scene and the fact that we are supposed to believe that Meg Ryan falls madly in love with Nicolas Cage even though he is nothing but creepy and stalkerish during the whole movie.  It does have the following line which I think is profound, "Some things are true whether you believe them or not."  I like seeing angels all around people, knowing their thoughts and guiding them along, ect.  But I don't agree that they are dressed in black trench coats, that they are separate from the human race, but by "falling" (which just involves a very, very slow motion drop off a building) they can join us.  Anyway, this is the end of my movie review.  Save yourself the trouble and just watch "Wings of Desire" if you are into subtitles and depressing yet uplifting German themes and plots.
I didn't want to post the picture because I look awful.  But I reminded myself that I'm 30 weeks pregnant and most women sitting next to Liesl would pale in her beauty also.

Adam stayed up at the cabin because 4 cousins of his were joining him there for a few days of skiing/snowboarding.  I came home and picked up our kids from my parents.  It must be a combo of lack of sleep, missing mom and dad, and insanity because today has been a rough one.  They all spent the day spontaneously bursting into tears and Tristan refused to nap.  Luckily Gram and Pop really stepped in to help.  Then Adam calls and says he wants to stay up in the mountains another day.  "Sure, babe, it's your birthday.  Have a great time." I say.  Then take a few more Tylenol.

"The foundation of all happiness is thinking rightly." --Franklin

Benjamin Franklin had this to say about choice:

"We stand at the crossroads, each minute, each hour, each day, making choices.  We choose the thoughts we allow ourselves to think, the passions we allow ourselves to feel, and the actions we allow ourselves to perform.  Each choice is made in the context of whatever value system we've selected to govern our lives.  In selecting that value system, we are, in a very real way, making the most important choice we will ever make.

"Those who believe there is one God who made all things and who governs the world by his Providence will make many choices different from those who do not.  Those who hold in reverence that Being who gave them life and worship Him through adoration, prayer, and thanksgiving will made many choices different from those who do not.  Those who believe that mankind are all of a family and that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man will make many choices different from those who do not.  Those who believe in a future state in which all that is wrong here will be made right will make many choices different from those who do not.  Those who subscribe to the morals of Jesus will make many choices different from those who do not.

"Since the foundation of all happiness is thinking rightly, and since correct action is dependent on correct opinion, we cannot be too careful in choosing the value system we allow to govern our thoughts and actions.  And to know that God governs in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, is indeed, a powerful regulator of human conduct."

Lord Chesterfield said, "Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best."

Quotes taken from an address given by M. Russell Ballard at BYU during the opening of the Marriott School's Center for Economic Self-Reliance, March 11, 2004.

Pay It Forward

There is a great idea floating about lately and here's the drill:

I promise to send the first 3 persons who comment in this post something hand made before the end of this year. (Thank you to whoever came up with that rule!) Yup, something fabulous from little 'ol me! Maybe cards, maybe "doodle stitching", or who knows? But definitely hand made! And received before this time next year. Oh the mystery! What will it be?

Here's the rub: If you sign up to receive a hand made gift you need to "pay it forward" on your own blog. That is, you'll make a post similar to this and then promise and hand make a gift for three other bloggers. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember it’s the spirit and the thought that count! C'mon, an-y-thing home made by you within the year! You can do this! How fun!

So o.k. comment away!

Thanks Chrystal for this fun idea! (Sorry I misspelled your name in my comment!)

V-day

What a weekend! Saturday morning Adam made breakfast. I'm not sure what these pancakes are called, but it is our friend Liesl's recipe and they are wonderful! Then we got the house clean, even the kids helped because they knew Gram's friend Pauline was bringing them Valentine treats. Adam towed Sierra and Kaia in the bike trailer all the way to the gym so that Tristan and I could nap in peace. Then we all met up for swimming. For dinner we were lured in by a Papa Murphy's pizza special. Then we all watched "Mama Mia" together (heavily edited by myself).



Last week I saw a newspaper article titled "Holiday dining on a 'dime'" with a bunch of recipes to make at home instead of fighting the crowds at the restaurants. Since Adam hates nothing more than eating out on V-day weekend, I started planning the menu. Chicken Paillards with Cremini Mushroom Sauce, a side of rice and asparagus is what I ended up making. The article boasted that "this dish can be prepared in 30 minutes and costs less than $2.75 per serving." It certainly took me longer than 30 minutes, but I thought it turned out really well. We ate together by candle light and had a wonderful meal. Adam had to rush off for a Priesthood meeting, so we made and decorated cupcakes in his absence. Then--stealing a family tradition from Meagan and Cory--we watched a slide show of our pictures and videos from the past year. I told Adam not to bother with flowers and to just write me a love note. He wrote a doozy, I tear up just thinking about it. I wrote to him saying, "I hope our children are watching us and that when they start to date they say "I want to be in a relationship like my parents have".
p.s. (yes, Kaia is wearing her super woman cape and mask at dinner. She has worn it as often as possible since attending Cooper's birthday on Friday. The flowers on the table were part of Gram's bouquet that she said didn't fit in her vase. But really I know she knew how much I love to have flowers and she is so good at sharing.

Goal: Make Stuff

In January I had an intense desire to make stuff. We had several projects going on at once and I did my best to be patient while the kids helped.
This was our Christmas gift to Gram. We wanted to "doodle-stitch" things that Gram loves. Kaia drew Vinny, the cat. Sierra was in charge of the cake, we all sewed on the buttons and I did the rest. The tree is my favorite.  It has four branches to represent her four kids and 14 apples for all her grand and great-grandkids.  Then "FAMILY" sewn with beads on the trunk.  The pillow screams "homemade by unskilled craftsgirls" but it was made with love.

This is the pillowcase I had up for auction way back in August (see here) for Nie-Nie day. Thankfully my mom won the auction and is very merciful and patient because it'll probably take me at least another month to finish the other pillowcase.
This is one of 9 cards I made for card club last month.  I just noticed this picture is upside-down.  I spent lots of time cutting and sewing paper on my sewing machine and had a lot of fun.  The background is my Valentines Day table runner I made a few years ago.  Also fun.
These are the best.  I didn't make them, my amazing friend Joy did, but she is my inspiration for creativity so I get to include her in this post.  For Joy's son's birthday party she made each kid in attendance their very own super-hero cape (really high quality too!).  My kids haven't taken them off.  Kaia sleeps with cape and mask on.  Thank you, thank you, Joy!

Juror # 3547

Jury duty, again?! Really?  Can't they only ask me once a year?  I just went in three months ago!  Adam hasn't been called to jury duty once in the 8 years we've lived here!

Talk About The Weather

"There is a destiny which makes us brothers, None lives to self alone; All that we send into the lives of others Comes back into our own." —Edwin Markham

I'm currently reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which is a bit depressing unless you are on the verge of feeling sorry for yourself on any level. Then you read this book and think, "Wow, I have it really good."

The weather was wonderful yesterday and we were able to go to the zoo with my sister, Janelle.


As we were leaving the zoo, the local news station was doing a live weather report. Sierra was asked to join in. Here's to 20 seconds of fame:


Spiritual Enlightenment HERE