I'm Leavin'...

But, again, not on a jet plane. We are leaving in the morning for the mountains. We will be playing in the snow with Daniel's family. Yay! A vacation in February. I'll try to take lots of pictures. But for right now, it's 10 pm and I have nothing packed! See you all in a few days.

Name Share

Sam came home with his backpack bustin with stuff. As usual. One of the papers in his folder was a Name Share. I read through his answers and was in tear inducing laughter. So I thought I would put all the Names out there so you can try it at home.

1. YOUR REAL NAME

2. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (mother and father's middle names)

3. NASCAR NAME (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)

4. STAR WARS NAME (the first three letter of your last name, first two letters of your first name)

5. DETECTIVE NAME (Favorite color, favorite animal)

6. SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, town where you were born)

7. SUPERHERO NAME (second favorite color, favorite drink, add "the" to the beginning)

8. FLY NAME (first two letters of your first name, last two letter of your last name)

9. ROCK STAR NAME (current pet's name, current street name)

10. SUPER MODEL NAME (first pet's name, street you grew up on)

11. RAPPER NAME (first three letters of your first name, plus -izzle)

12. VAMPIRE NAME (Black and the name of one of your pets)

13. DANCER NAME (favorite smell, favorite candy)

I didn't put Sam's answers because of my need for privacy (last name stuff). But I wanted to share just a couple of his answers...#5- Blue Fish, #6-L. Hospital, #12-Black Tommy. The names used for your SuperModel name used to be for your Hooker name. Our pet growing up was Tramp. Fun!

Have Fun!!

Make A Meal Monday

Since my sister, Laurie, has come back from brand new babyhood and has begun Make a Meal once again, I've slacked. But I still make dinner and stuff. Last night I was getting ready for bed and thought to myself, I haven't done Make A Meal Monday for some time now. Maybe I should do it in the morning. So I got up, got my kiddos some breakfast, made sure my boys are dressed and teeth are brushed and got myself a bowl of cereal. It's only 8:15! Wow! And then I dropped my little thingy from my camera that has all the pictures in it into my cereal. Is this a sign?

Okay. Now it's 8:32. My boys are at school. And I can really concentrate on Make A Meal! Yay. Today's recipe is easy and yummy. It only takes 3 ingredients. So maybe it would be considered a quick meal and a preprepared meal. Don't ask me. I just make all the meals here.

Taquito Enchiladas

To prepare:

12-14 frozen Taquitos (I use Delimex brand)

Place them in a row in the baking dish

1 Can Red or Green Enchilada sauce, you determine the spiciness with Mild, Medium or Hot

Pour over the Taquitos

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes

As you can see, I only served this on this particular day with corn. I have served it with sour cream, sliced olives, chopped lettuce and chopped tomatoes. Speaking of all that, this is what we will be having for dinner tonight.

Yummm...

The Picture Project.

A gentle reminder that I did post Monday's picture with last weeks bunch.

Tuesday...It snowed. I went to take some trash out. I saw this. I told Daniel to take the trash out.

Wednesday...I love my Scentsy stuff. Just flip it on and the whole house smells yummy. Mmmm.
Thursday...Blue and Gold Banquet. Isaac earned his Wolf badge and some arrow points. Yay!!

Friday...Sam wanted to listen to my i-pod. Then he wanted to watch Star Trak. I know. It's Star Trek. As he watched, he yelled out, "Hey, Isaac, the ship is named the US Apple-Pies." I laughed and when I asked him why they would name the ship the US Apple-Pies, he said, "Because the ship is shaped like a pie." Makes sense to me!

Saturday...Isaac got to go to Target with his money and purchased himself a new train game. He has just been sitting and building since then.

Sunday...My head still hurts and I didn't want to look for photo opportunities. So I picked one from this last week...Sam the Super Hero! Never Fear, Sam Is Here!

Happy Sunday To You!

There Comes A Time...

...In every wife's marriage when she has no other choice but to depend solely upon her husband's judgement for a monumental purchase. A purchase so important that a single misstep will ruin the wife forever and the husband will surely pay. That time came today for me. I woke up with a tremendous headache and could hardly move. Daniel helped get me up and fed and Excedrined. He then announced that he, yes he, would be going to Target with Isaac and while there would purchase the baby girl shower gift I need later today. Excuse Me? Say What? After many pleas and complaints and very SPECIFIC instructions, I placed my trust in my man and sent him on his way. He called me from the store and described what he was holding. I said okay. Get it. It sounds very nice. Upon his return, this is what I laid my eyes upon...
He even purchased a very pertinent gift bag. (For which I have no matching tissue paper, but I can make do. I am a woman after all!) The gift will not disgrace the wife. The husband will still surely pay. And I can say he will certainly enjoy paying this price.

Have a Super Saturday!

KingBooCake

If you say it all together and say it really fast, it sounds cool. That's why I put the words together. KingBooCake. KingBooCake. KingBooCake. KingBooCake. Say it out loud. Go ahead. You know you want to. KingBooCake! I love it!

For Family Home Evening, the treat person gets to choose what we have. There are many choices, but you only get one. Sam was in charge of the treat this week. He wanted a KingBooCake. King Boo is a character on Mario Kart. So here he is...

KINGBOOCAKE!

And have a wonderful Wednesday!

Once Upon A Time... Part 21

I had realized that my plans for a single life had to be rearranged. I was really disappointed that I wouldn't be able to work in the temple. The time was closing in to start my training. My mom said they would be more happy to know I was getting married than upset that I couldn't work there. So I called and told them I was getting married and would be moving to another area and wouldn't be able to work there. She thanked me and offered congratulations.

Dan and I had talked about where we would live. Dan's brother was building a house and he suggested maybe we get an apartment and then build. Umm. No. We talked about living close to where I worked so I could work until we had a baby. I said no thanks. His job was the one that would be long term. So we began an online search for a house closer to where he worked.

I had told Dave, my boss, that I was getting married at the end of April. I also told him my long termness as his office manager would be coming to an end. He was ticked. I could tell. But the guys that I worked with told me to just ignore it because he would be able to find someone else. Yep. I'm so easily replaced.

Dan found a couple of homes and went to look at them while at lunch. He showed me one that was just recently built and needed a family. It was beautiful. It had an acre of property. It was a rambler with 3 bedrooms and a basement. It was just a couple of miles from his office and seemed perfect. He also showed me one that was a house with 3 different apartments in it. Um.
When he took me to see the house I fell in love. I knew this was where we would live. I loved the house. I loved that there was a big yard. I loved Dan!

We made an offer the same time as another family. I didn't see a need to look for another house. This was my house. We just needed to wait for the other family to realize this and move on.

They did. Our offer was accepted and we bought the house. YAY!! I was so excited.

We were home owners. We had a wedding date and everything was going smoothly. Dan had a lot of hair and we were both just so skinny. Everything was progressing smoothly and we were so happy. Life was good and we were not even started yet. Until next time...

My Wrestle With My Account

I joined Facebook a few weeks ago. I did. I didn't like it. But I did. I put my profile picture in. I put my first, maiden and last name. I put my birthdate (no year, thank you). I put what high school I went to and the year I graduated. My email address is on it.

I have been wrestling with the privacy issue. Among other things. Frankly, I don't care what you are doing Right Now. I know people love it. I know people love the connection. I know people love that you can "find" old boyfriends and such. But I just never felt comfy with it.

Tonight my sister sent me this link...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,494064,00.html

All the info you put on your Facebook account, even though you own it, can be used by them for any purpose. Pictures of your kids, your name, your old boyfriends name, your email address. And the list goes on.

My wrestle has ended. I won. My account has been deleted.

Thank you for reading!

The Picture Project.

Pictures.

Monday...Snow. Sam had left his bike out over the weekend and by Monday it was frozen to the ground. We need a spring thaw right about now!

Tuesday...This is the front of the birthday card from my mom and dad. You'll have to wait till the end to see what the inside said.
Wednesday...Ruthie got some of what the others had. A fever and cough.

Thursday...The boys hightailed it outside when they got home from school to build a fort.

Friday...PreValentine Day dinner. Heart shaped pizza.

Saturday...For FHE on Monday we each made heart shaped Valentines for everyone. Then we taped them all to the banister. It's still so fun to watch each of the kids go up and read their Valentines from mom, dad, brother, sister. Love!

Sunday...Here it is. The inside of the birthday card. It just makes me laugh. I used to watch a mom shake her arms up high to cheer for her son playing church basketball. It was horrifying! My mom just knows I still cry when I think of the arm dangle. It's just so funny.

And Monday...Because today is a special day. 4 years ago we finally got our baby girl put into our arms. Since each of my kids has been placed in my arms, every day is a special day with my 3 sweets and my sweet hubby!

One more thing caught up!

Happy Monday!

Make Up Monday

OK. Time to buckle down. Time to get serious. There is just a lot to catch up on in the blogging sphere. Not to mention the broken braces wire that necessitated an emergency trip to the orthodontist this morning. The "weekend" mess covering the entire house. The mangy dishes in my kitchen sink. The smell coming from the kids' bathroom. The laundry that still sits in the dryer. The popcorn I promised to make for a snack. What Am I Going To Make For Dinner?? Sam wants a cake that looks like King Boo for our FHE treat. Shall I go on? OK. I'll stop.

We had a fantastic Valentine's Day. Daniel got me Cranford. *SiGh* Oh *Big SIgH* I love it. And Daniel actually watched it with me. Love. True Love! We ate chocolates and sipped Sparkling Cider and ... Well. You know. We had fun. But Saturday was going to be a big day!

All My Valentines.... (I acknowledge the fact that the picture is blurry. I mean how can I not. I just can't change the fact that this is by far the Best picture of all my Valentines on Saturday!) (So there!)

And this is our Family Valentine...

The Monster Jam!

There is just nothing better than sitting in a large arena with screaming fans and dirt flying and loud engines and tattoos everywhere and big cups of beer coming in from the concession stand and so-so amounts of Cotton Candy going for $10 and exhaust permeating the air. Oh. It was FUN!

Sam was glued to the arena floor!

Ruthie doesn't look like it, but she had a fabulous time!

Isaac stood and cheered a lot for his faves!

After the Monster competition, there was a motor cross free for all.

They jumped and flipped...

and wowed the audience!

But back to the Monster Trucks!

WAIT! They did these little truck races that not one of my Valentines cared for. Not enough noise!

Now, really back to the Monster Trucks.

During the freestyle, Ruthie took a little nap. I don't know how. But she did!

Doesn't it look like a toy truck?

This one is turning in circles which caused the most noise of the evening. What did you say?? I can't hear you!

On the way home, all my Valentines got a Dilly Bar. Yum!

Okay. Now that is caught up. I need to get my Picture Project going while the cake is baking. Forget the bathroom. That will just have to wait.

Thursday Throwback

I discovered last evening that my blog has been hit over 5000 times. And to honor the largeness of the number of hits, I thought I would take this opportunity to list 5000 wonderful and magnanimous things about...ME!

Ha ha. Hee hee. Ho ho ho. Just kidding. I like myself. But not that much. And since I'm bored and finally found an old scrapbook, I thought I'd do a Thursday Throwback.

This is me in the 8th Grade New Haven Marching Band. I played the flute. I was awesome! Well, not awesome enough to keep going when I got to high school. The Flute is just one more instrument I didn't expound on. Like the Piano. The Harmonica. The Bell.

Have A Thoroughly Thtupendous Thursday!

Pay It Forward...

This idea came down the line and landed lately on Melanie's blog. This is a fun way to get something and give something in return. Hope there are a few takers out there, who knows what you might get. If you've already played and have gotten something on someone else's pay it forward, give someone else a chance. It's all about the love!

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a gift from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?! If you want cookies, I'll gladly oblige. If you'd like something else, hmmm, you might just get it. If you are one of the first 3 commenters, I'll let you decide.

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating and sending a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. 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!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it. We'd all like to hear how much you enjoyed it. If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! Just remember.... Pay it forward!

And Have Fun!!

All In A (Tues)Day's Work

Daniel once asked me if I thought we had enough food storage for 6 months. Huh? How the heck am I supposed to know that?? Sheesh. The Church once suggested having a 2 year supply. Then it went to a 1 year supply. Then they said, just get 6 months worth of food storage. Then 3 months. Now they have a 1 month kit you can buy. If you'd like to know more go HERE. Go ahead. Do it! So I have just been thinking of how much we actually have and what we would need to get to 6 months. Or even a year.

That said, do you remember one of my first pictures for my project? It involved my food storage room...
Isn't it beautiful?! I have been really trying to get in the mood to "organize" it. You know, get to the nitty gritty and see what I really have down there. How many cans of tomato sauce can one family use, anyway? And how much do I really need for 3 months? Six months? 1 year?? So I happily searched many sites/blogs about a year supply. There are a lot out there. I decided that with my wheat collection, I could just about have a year supply. Hmmm. So! I made a log of each group of foods and non foods needed for a 1 year supply for a family of 5. You know, Grains, Legumes, Oils, Sugars, Fruit, Veggies, Deoderant, etc, etc. Did you know that a family of 5 should have 500 pounds of wheat?? Well, well, well. I actually have 430 pounds of wheat. And I know how to use it.

So I went through every can and box and shelf and found that I really am not too far off of a 6 month supply for my family. I am lacking a bit in some areas, though. So that's what I'll be working on for the next little while. You know, my legume list is pretty darn adequate for 1 year! My toiletries, on the other hand, would have us not brushing our teeth for about 8 months. We are having an Enrichment meeting next week about just this thing. I'm so excited!! I love my food storage and I love that I use it daily. I hope we never have to fully depend on it to sustain us. But I'm grateful it's there.

Happy Tuesday To You All!

The Picture Project.

I am just so inconsistant with what I call this. As long as you understand what it is, I guess it shouldn't matter. Here we go...

Monday...After homework Sam wrapped the step ladder around him and sat to watch some TV. He actually wore it for about an hour.

Tuesday...Sick kid, sick dad, tired mom. This is...breakfast. Hey, at least I used a plate!
Wednesday...Sam did his Show and Teach today. He taught the kids how to make paper airplanes. He got 10/10 points. Yay!

Thursday...Me!

Friday...Daniel. Sick. Yuck. We did go out to Olive Garden for dinner and to see Inkheart at the theater. I had fun. Daniel, well, Daniel just got through it.

Saturday...Museum day. Sam made a "Godzilla Museum".

Sunday...Ruthie's got it! Yuck! Here are her slippers warming her Stars.

Happy Sunday!!

I've Never Been Called Betty Spaghetti

Ever. I've never been tall. I've never been super skinny. Therefore, I've never been called Betty Spaghetti. I've been called Jennie Henny. Jennie the Penny. Jennie, what are those spots on your arms?? Etc. And my name's not Betty. But I do LOVE Spaghetti!

When Daniel and I were first engaged, he would come down to my parents' house after work during the week so we could plan and dream. My mom made spaghetti for dinner weekly. My whole life. I always enjoyed spaghetti night. So one night Daniel got there and hadn't had dinner. It was spaghetti night. So I dished him a plate full of it. Mmmm. Lots of yummy hot spaghetti. He ate slowly and deliberately. He finished his plate and I asked him if he wanted more. The look on his face should have been a clue. Or maybe it was lust. He said no and we went on to our nightly planning and dreaming.

I later learned that Daniel doesn't like spaghetti. Or cherry anything. Or tuna. Or raisins. The tuna and raisins I can live with. He still won't kiss me if I've eaten something cherry flavored. But I won't kiss him if he's eaten raw onions. (So there!) And one night early on in our marriage when I made spaghetti, he only ate the salad and green beans. I ate spaghetti for lunch for the next couple days. That was when I learned of his dislike. I didn't make it again for years. Years. Then I couldn't stand it anymore. I made spaghetti. My kids LOVED it. Daniel just picked at it. Spaghetti is a weekly meal at our house now. I try not to make anything else with it just so Daniel has to eat it. Is that mean? No. Spaghetti is cheap. It's easy. It's yummy. He has learned to deal with it. And eat it. Just like my kids when they don't like something I've made.

I still don't get called Betty Spaghetti. But at least I don't hear, "She has freckles on her butt she's nice" anymore That's a relief.

Happy Saturday!

And may all your spaghetti be aldente!