First Snow of the 'Snow' Season!

This year there was a forecast of the first big snow storm rolling in by Wednesday October 26. The stores were bustling with people trying to get outfitted with snow boots, gloves and jackets. People were digging up their gardens preparing for the freeze. Some people were pulling out their skis eager to head to the mountains and get the ‘powder.’ And as planned Tuesday night it started snowing. In Boulder we got about a foot but other places were recorded to have gotten about 2. It honestly was a beautiful site to see.

One of the things I like about Colorado is how beautiful the snow season is (I have to say snow season because the winter in general is not beautiful) because unlike Idaho, or any other northern states, it will snow and then the sun will come up and the sidewalks and roads will dry. Then is when the world seems like it is in perfect bliss with beautiful drifts of shining crystal white snow covering everything and with perfectly safe roads and walkways. And to add to the splendid glory it warms up a little, the sun shines and we have a beautiful winter blue sky!

Speaking of cold weather- We were trying to prepare for the weather by changing he filter on the furnace and turning on the heater. I tried the heater on Monday with no avail, it just wasn’t getting warm. Tuesday night, when it started to get cold, Ben turned on our heater and again nothing happened. He crawled under the house with our neighbor and they tried to fix the problem (so handy). After a while they called the landlord who came over, crawled under the house and tried to fix the problem. It turned out that the pilot light would not stay lit. So around 10:30 they all came out, frozen to the bones, and decided to try again Wednesday. Tuesday night we put 4 blankets on the bed and had a space heater and we were quite cozy. Wednesday morning, before nine, the landlord and his son (the handy man) were under the house again. They soon replaced some part and got the heat on- YAY. Then they came inside and finished fixing the dishwasher- Double YAY! I was so grateful for everyone’s help, especially since it was so cold.

NEW Window!!

When we moved in our front window was in bad shape. The seals were broken, the frame was bowing and it had moisture stuck between the panes. Because of these problems we had holes from the outside, hence me flooding the living room with the sprinkler, and we would get bad drafts, making the house cold at night. In an attempt to rid ourselves of our nasty wasp problem the landlord told us to just caulk or expand-foam the cracks; we did and must have gotten a little carried away because it expanded and cracked the window. So we are getting our front window replaced!! Yay.

This is the outside trim

It is cracking, broken seal

The window has bowed so the pain around it is all cracking.

It has been quite a process. First they had to come look at it and get measurements and determine what was wrong, it turns out that the installation was bad and there was no insulation. (While he was here to measure the window, he fixed out dishwasher- yay!) Bruce (our super awesome handy man) came back Tuesday and started taking things apart. The more he took it apart the more evident it was that it was really messed up. He spent six hours on a 2 hour job- because he had to fix so much; he removed most if not all of the calking around the window, so it was just sitting there by a screw. So the window was ‘holey’ last night and let in a lot of the cold. I sat in my room reading with gloves and a winter hat on till Ben got home.

He cut all around the window, so removing it would be easy and fast. This is why we had such a cold night.

Removed trim- this hole should not be here. This is where the wasps lived!

Removing the lining he saw that they had chopped up the stabalizing boards.

He came back Wednesday morning to give us a NEW WINDOW!! Yay.

No window!!

New trim- he even re-pained all the blue trim on the whole house because it was not the right color!

This morning he came by to paint the cauck (he couldn't paint is yesterday because it was so wet), to clean stuff up and do finishing touches. I love the new window; better to people watch through, shiney and keeps the cold air out and the warm air in. YAY- Thanks Bruce!

Notice: No trapped water, no broken seals, no crack!!

Beautiful with repainted blue!

Weight Whining

I recently got weighed at the doctor’s office and upon hearing my weight almost shrieked and broke down. According to my BMI I am officially ‘overweight.’


I gained the freshman 15, lost 5 when I came back to live with Mom, gained Sophomore 15, lost 5 when I went to CA, gained junior/pre wedding 5, lost 10 in NY (I did a LOT of walking), gained Senior/Sickness 15, gained 15 living my lazy life at the in-laws, gained 5 pounds on this new medication. If you did count that up, which maybe you don’t want to, I have gained a LOT of weight. I have been doing a lot of thinking about this. When did this happen? Why did this happen? Are my habits really that bad? How did I not notice? Why didn’t anyone tell me?

First to start with the excuses; this all started after my surgery when I was trying to gain weight, so I kept the bad habits and the craving for whole milk. I didn’t know how to cook in college, so I ate cruddy food. I wasn’t in dance and all my high school sports, so I became sedentary. I hit ‘womanhood’ and my body is turning into a baby machine. My medication gives me the munchies, so I have to eat. I don’t like to exercise outside and the rec. center is far away and expensive.

Now for some realizations; all my cute friends, who are pregnant or just had their babies, were talking about how amazing it was that they have no stretch marks. Looking at my body I have stretch marks in places I did not know it was possible- do you really stretch there? My cute cloths I have had since college are now in the give away pile. Buying new cloths is not fun when you have grown 3 pant sizes in less than a year.

I have been running at least three times a week for the past month. As I mentioned before any ounce of athletic ability I used to have is now dried up and in a corner. The park across the street from us is .6 miles all the way around. I speed walk around once and then run/jog, about as slow as a speed walk but with more vigor, around once. So I figure I am doing about a mile a day- way more than I could do when I started. I was talking to Ben and he asked if it was really hard for me. Not really, I have gotten strong enough to do the mile. Then he said that to loose weight I needed to do MORE than was easy-Oh man!

I moved all, if any, of our junk food to the very bottom shelf in our pantry (Ben is not a fan of this, by the way) so that it is not what I see when I go for a snack. I tried tracking my food at an online calculator and found that even on the days that I am trying really hard and really focusing on what I eat, I am over my daily allowance and way over my weight loss allowance. Then I get depressed and eat red vines for lunch; that is one that I can’t really ‘excuse’ away.

Now it brings me to, how did I not notice this downward spiral? I have no answer for this. In middle school I had problems with my weight. I saw my body changing, due to puberty, and decided to eat unhealthy to keep my 10 year old self. After I got over this, with a little threatening from my Mom, I realized that weight doesn’t matter, what matter’s is that you are eating right, being active and feel good about yourself. Since then I have strived to be athletic, active and healthy. So when did that change?

I know that I am just going to have to buckle down and do it. I want to have children so I need to be healthy. I want to hike, rock climb and play sports so I need to get active. I want to change the lifestyle of my family. But, as a whining child might say, it is so hard. I can’t exercise for 5 hours a day, like they do in the Biggest Loser. I don’t want to go on 50 diets, loose a lot of weight get off the diet and gain it all back. I want to change my activity, my eating habits and my life!

So after this deep and personal revelation, what should I do? Any suggestions?

Pumpkin Painting with the Thevenin's

We went and did FHE with the Thevenin’s this last week. As with tradition (well we did it two years ago so…kind of tradition) we painted pumpkins.  It was fun to sit outside, talk and let our creative juices flow. Everyone is so different and it was fun to see how everyone decorated their pumpkins. Their son, Damon, got a little carried away and ended up painting his and his father’s face- it was funny. Then we sat inside and talked while munching on treats and drinking the most delicious warm apple cider. As always it was great hanging out with them (they really are some of the coolest people I know) and to get in the Halloween spirit with some pumpkin painting!!

Happy Birthday Melinda!

Melinda turned 8 this week and we were so excited to share her birthday with her.  We get together with the Newson’s often for Sunday dinner, but it just seems more special when it’s for a birthday. She got a lot of cool stuff (most of it eight year old crafts- which she was excited about). This was also the first family birthday Malcolm got to attend- which was fun. She had a beautiful unicorn cake but Ben and Jesse had already stabbed it before I got a picture. It was so much fun to be with everyone and celebrate this special day with Melinda.

Gardening and Bulbs

This weekend our neighbors, the Woods, and us built a garden in the back yard. We mapped it out, removed rocks and tilled it. In the tilling process we found more rocks (oops) and some bars buried deep into the ground. Needless to say we did not get the bars out- so matter how much digging and pulling we did- so we put a steel pipe, also found in our yard, over it and we are going to plant a squash or something there, that will look beautiful draped over a steel pipe (haha). We bordered it was the rocks and wood we found in our yard and we are excited for spring so we can start planting. We built it now so that will be soft and ready in the spring, we are planning to get some type of fertilizer (manure or mulch) so put over it through the winter.

Because I was already covered in dirt I decided to plant my bulbs. My front flower garden has been so sad and pathetic this year. I got plants but they mostly died, due to the dry direct beating sunlight, and so it just looked like a dirt/weed garden. I am determined not to repeat that disaster this year. I bought 90 daffodil bulbs at Costco (great price for a lot of bulbs) and traded some of them with the neighbors to get some tulips bulbs. In total I think I planted about 80-90 bulbs in the two gardens by my front door. I am really excited to see what happens in the spring; I got a pack of daffodils that would grow all spring, summer and winter.
(I was going to take a picture of the bulbs- but until they come up...it's just dirt!!)
So those have been our cool outdoor projects. They do not look like much now but we preparing for better weather, even though the bad weather hasn’t even gotten started.

A simple reason I love Ben...

Ben is CREATIVE!!

The other day Ben decided to make a big breakfast. Instead of making sausage and pancakes he made sausage pancakes. They were unusual but kind of good.

Before work oneday I asked Ben if he wouldn't mind making the bed. He went in the bedroom, said he made it and then went to work. When I went back into the room this is what I found...

I must say it is a VERY creative way to make the bed!!

Man, I do love that kid!!!

New Beautiful Art

I saw one of my friends, Michaella's, art at this Fine Arts thing I went to last Saturday. She took some holiday pictures for Ben and I a couple years ago but landscapes are her passion and she is FABULOUS. Here is her etsy page and one of her pictures- you should check it out because she really is amazing!

Musical Bliss

I love when Ben sings. He has an amazing voice and he sang in advanced choirs in high school and one semester in college. He sometimes sings in the shower but doesn’t sing in front of people anymore, I am constantly telling him that he is hiding this great talent under a bushel. The other day on the way to the Newson’s he was singing Les Miserables in the car and it was fantastic. When we got to his parents house I told Rachel and of course the pressure ensued to have him sing for Rachel, Nedra and Ron. After a lot of pressure and a lot of coaxing he relented and sang (Rachel just happened to have the music so she accompanied). He sounded great and because he messed up a little, he sang it again. Then Ron sang a piece from the Phantom of the Opera, he has a very good low booming voice. Then they made me sing a duet from Les Mis with Ben. I was so nervous, I don’t really sing in front of people, especially people with formal musical training. But we sang it and then they made me sing another and another and another. I loved it. After I got started I was no longer nervous and I just wanted to keep trying. Rachel then graced us with her amazing voice. It was such a fun night of pure musical bliss.

Speaking of musical bliss, on Saturday night there was a Stake Night of the Arts. The gym was full of artwork, quilts, photographs and statues done by members of our stake. Some of them done by people I did not even know had artistic talents. Then they had a concert with singers, pianists, violinists and much more. It was so wonderful to hear all the talent and see how spectacular all these people were. I didn’t feel like I was at a Stake Arts Concert at all, I felt like I was at a real grand concert (like those we used to go to when I was a child) and I loved it.

Caramelled Apples

Yesterday we had FHE with Mom and Dad and we made Caramelled Apples. We had three toppings; chopped nuts, crushed Oreos and Mini Reeses Peaces. We stuck in the sticks and then started dipping. The caramel was so thick and sticky. We ended up with nine delicious looking caramelled apples. We then noticed that we had a thick layer of caramel still in the bowl, so we ate it! Dad made a caramelled banana, which was delicious, and then we ate the rest with our fingers. I felt like a little kid scooping the caramel up and sucking it off my fingers. Needless to say we were kind of sticky. We then went to play games and when we went back to the kitchen we found that the caramel had all melted OFF the apples (good thing we had put them on wax paper or it would have stuck).


What we learned:
- Our apples were sweet and so was the caramel so it became too sweet after a while. Next time use green sour apples.
- We think the caramel fell off because it didn’t get cold right away. We think if we had cold apples it would have worked better- maybe have the apples sitting in ice water before dipping.
- Even Caramelled Apples with melted off caramel are REALLY GOOD!

Before the meltage.

Caramel Covered Banana

After the melting...

Time Out for Women

This weekend I went with some ladies in my ward to the Time Out for Women. Time Out for Women is kind of like EFY for grown women hosted by Desert Book; it is filled with uplifting talks, Christian musicians and a whole lot of sappy. When it first started I was considering running out of the room because it was so estrogen filled and a little more than I could handle. However I made myself stay and it turned out good.

Friday night we had two speakers (Mary Ellen Edmunds and Heidi Swinton) and Dallyn Vail Bayles was our musical presenter. He toured with Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. Most recently he was in the new Joseph Smith movie and has been writing Christian songs for years. He was very good and brought the spirit with his music.

Some of the interesting thoughts from Mary Ellen Edmunds the night included:
- A rose is a rose from the time it was a seed. When looking at the rose you would never have guessed what great things would come from it. We are often seeds!
- We are not ‘Adults’ of God, we are Children of God! We need to humble ourselves and be teachable.
- When you know who you are Satan can not make you forget who you are (and therefore miserable)

Heidi Swinton talked a lot about CHOOSING to Become like the Savior. She wrote President Monson’s biography and has a very deep and personal relationship with the Prophet. She told stories about how President Monson does not hesitate when receiving a prompting from the spirit and that by doing so we can be the answer to another’s prayers. It was great hearing all the stories about President Monson and again affirming in my mind and in my heart that he truly is the prophet of God.

Saturday there were many more presenters (Mariama Kallon, Emily Watts, D. Kelly Ogden, Merrilee Boyack and Emily Freeman) and Hilary Weeks was the musical presenter. Hilary Weeks has put out many CD’s about motherhood and Christianity. In preface to one of her songs she talked about being positive in our lives. In the song she talked about when it rains and storms we can cuddle up with loads and chocolate and hide in our homes or we can go out and dance in the rain, meaning we can hit life’s trials head on and be glad for the knowledge they are supplying us with.

Some things I learned from this day (I do not remember which was said by who):
- “If we complain about life, it is only because we are thinking about ourselves” – The happiest people serve, the negative/complaining people are self centered.
- Heber C. Kimball: “ I am perfectly satisfied that my Father and my God is a cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured Being. Why? Because I am cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured when I have His Spirit.”
- You don’t cheer down, you cheer up- there is probably a reason for that direction!
- Don’t just enjoy happiness but produce it. Elder Maxwell said: We can have a bad day but still have a good life!
- The Gospel means good news, not bad news. We are not on this earth to be comfortable we are here to learn.
- How could you become what you are not thinking? You accomplish what you think about.
- What is almost? ‘I almost read my scriptures.’ ‘I almost said my prayers.’ ‘I almost went to church.’ No, you need to get to the point where you are not living on almost’s but on absolutes and are altogether committed
- Pray and Ask- “What is the most important thing to do today?”

It was a great day and...to add a little flavor. There was a bad storm outside and all the power died right in the middle of the second to last speaker. The speaker walked off the stage to the middle of the huge auditorium and spoke loudly (shouted) the rest of her message. The crew finally got batteries for a mic and we had a little more amplification. They were going to have the last speaker just give her testimony and then close the meeting and during her testimony the lights came back on. It might seem like a simple thing but she was able to give her talk, which was great, and we were able to finish the conference. It was a testimony that Heavenly Father was aware of us. That we kept going and the power was restored so quickly so that we could hear the messages and feel the spirit.

Although it was VERY sappy it was a very good weekend and I am glad that I went and got to participate.

W.O.W Children's Museum

The WOW Children’s Museum is truly amazing. It is a small building in Lafayette Colorado full of child centered creativity, imagination and education. There is a pirate ship, a music room, an art room, a wind room, a science room, a stage with puppets and costumes and a dance studio with costumes and tap shoes of all sizes. There is a bank, a store and a train station all made for children to learn and experience life. There are life sized link-in-logs and a bubble maker that traps a person inside. There are so many wonderful things, each with an educational description of how/why/where type answers.
In the past two weeks I learned about the museum and went three times. I first went while babysitting. Then I went with Erica, Alice and Evelyn. Then I went with Becky’s three oldest Melinda, Jacob and Alex. Each time I was able to learn and do more things- it is made for children but kept me (an adult) interested and having fun for hours. I really love this place and am happy I found it.

This is a picture of Erica's kids after the WOW Museum. They were pretty tired.

181st General Conference

Last weekend we had General Conference. I love General Conference. I love going to the church and watching the Prophet and Apostles teach on the big screen. I love taking notes and having my whole mind and body filled with the spirit. I love that every time it feels like the speakers have prepared exactly what you need to hear, that they comfort your specific burdens and that they bear testimony straight to your soul. This conference was no different.


I am grateful for the opportunity I have to hear the words of God through his latter-day Prophets , Apostles and witnesses.

Mormon.org

The church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has been in the news and media lately; both for good and not so good reason’s. I have always found that people get their information about the church from other sources but the church. A new awareness project (mormon.org) has been started by the church to educate people on who Mormon’s actually are.

There has been a website started that helps inform people about our values (standards of living), our faith (gospel principles) and our members (the many people throughout the world that make up our church). I have loved looking around this website; reading the church’s statements of the things I believe (they have the words for things that I can not describe but can just feel) and I have especially enjoyed the videos. The church has asked the members to fill out profiles about them, so that people can get to know who the people behind the name “Mormon’s” are. They then make short 5 minute videos on some of these people. It is so great to hear the stories of conversion and faith from these people of different cultures, races, countries and experiences. I have spent hours (not exaggerating) watching these videos and perusing this website.

To get this website out there to the masses the church has started an aggressive media effort. They have put these short video’s on TV (I actually saw some on hulu) and have made billboards and other media efforts to let people know where they can find information. At first I thought it was kind of ‘in your face’ but as I have more closely looked at the website I see the inspiration that has come through this website and these media efforts.

The church told us that this might increase member missionary experiences and it has. I have been nervous about this idea (because, as I said above I am not very eloquent with my words, especially when emotions are involved) but I have been studying Preach My Gospel, Conference Talks, the Scriptures and other sources. I had the opportunity to talk with some people about my faith and to really bare a fervent testimony of what I was saying (and I was so confident and calm that the spirit was there). It was so empowering.

If you haven’t looked at this website- DO! If you haven’t made a profile- DO! It has really made me more aware of who I am and what I believe.

Here is my profile!!!

Stones Recipes Blog!!

I am always asking my family for recipes to help me make good food and gradually turn me into a better cook. We started a family cooking blog and it has been WONDERFUL. You should all check it out and comment or add recipes of your own.