Sunday Snow!

It snowed. Obviously! When we left for Stake Conference this morning, our driveway was still clear and the roads were okay. 3 hours later, on the drive home, the roads were snowy and icy and our driveway had about a foot of snow on it! WoW! So we got in the house and got lunch and got snow suits on and ran out to play in the backyard. I didn't. Daniel didn't. The kids did.
Isaac has gigantic hands because I wasn't prepared just yet for snow. So he's wearing his dad's gloves. The tramp had a wall of snow this morning on the net. So they went out to jump in all the snow that fell into it!

They also tackled each other. It's no fun unless you can tackle your siblings with great big boots and gloves and snowsuits on!

I think they tried to build something. But they got cold. So they stopped. Sam had to have a newspaper bag on his cast arm with a sock over that. No gloves could fit over that cast! It did stay dry!
Isaac crawled under the tramp and made a tunnel to the other side. He was met with snowballs and tackles from his siblings!

On to lighter things now...We went to Stake Conference this morning (is lighter the right word?) as I said above. Our Stake Presidency had some great counsel for us. Our President gave great counsel on our families. We are living in some perilous times and it was a very timely message! But the talk that I really appreciated came from one of his counselors. He talked to the kids. I wanted to take a nap, but I knew I needed to listen to be able to quiz my kids later. He talked about being obedient and following our parents. He told the story of Jonah and the whale. Because Jonah went the opposite direction the Lord wanted him to, he was swallowed by a whale. (the condensed version, thank you!) Then he told another story. But all I remember was a horse names Dandy. He left his pasture and was hit by a car. Then he left his pasture again and ate some oats with rat poison in them and died. So the moral is...listen and be obedient or you will be swallowed by a whale...and...be obedient or you will eat oats with rat poison and die. Okay. Not really. But my kids now are told that they are being swallowed by a whale when they have to sit on the stool. So far only one has had to be swallowed. Maybe we'll try rat poison. Kidding!!!! No. I would never do that.

Back to the pictures. I didn't go outside. I needed to be barefoot AND warm. So I took pictures through the back window. I think I've mentioned before that I don't clean windows. I already know what it looks like outside. So the pictures are not great. But I think you get the idea.

And here's a funny for ya! As we left this morning, we saw many cars passing as we were ready to drive out of our houses. They all had their Sunday duds on and we just figured them for all the other Mormons going to Stake Conference. So we got in line behind them. When we got to the stop sign where we figured we would turn right to get to the Tabernacle, they all started turning left. So Daniel says, "Is it at the Stake Center?" I say, "No, they said it's at the Tabernacle." So why are they all going to the Stake Center?? So we turn left, too. Then we realize they are all turning to go into our church building. WAIT! NO! They are turning into the Catholic church parking lot. DUH! So we almost went to the Catholic church this morning! Needless to say, we laughed the rest of the way to the Tabernacle!

Ooops! Someone needs to be swallowed by a whale. Gotta go!

Once Upon A Time... Part 16

That night I had a smile on my face that could never be erased. I was happy. This was it! He would be mine and I would be his. My sisters had left and the rest of the family had gone to bed. I went down to my room and swooned just a bit. I was in heaven and Dan was my angel. As I lay in bed, knowing I wouldn't get to sleep soon, I thought over the last almost 12 years of dating.

My first date was my junior prom. He didn't have his license yet so I drove his mom's car. He ended the evening by standing on his tippy toes, rocking back and forth asking, "Do I get a good night kiss?" The relationship ended when he yelled ugly remarks across the school courtyard to my good friend. There was the one who would be at every Regional Dance just to dance with me. I always knew when he sent a letter to me because a 10 foot radius around the mailbox would reek of cheap cologne. At one of the dances he requested King For A Day by Thompson Twins and dedicated it to me. There was the one who I was set up with just moments before they were to leave on a group date. We played pool then went to a play. After the play he asked me what I thought was the oddest question. "In your opinion, what was Christ's best quality?" I realized after he took me home that I never even knew his name. There was the one who asked me out and with every question he asked me, he would disagree with my point of view and say awful things about my opinion on the matter. He was very upset when I said I didn't want to go out with him again. There was the one from work who had to pull over every 10-15 miles to put another quart of oil in his car. He talked a lot about hunting and dead stuff. There was the one who took me to see Legacy and talked about how he and his friends could do a better job than the prophet. I called him on blasphemy and asked him to just take me home when he asked if I wanted to get something to eat. There was the one I wrote to on his mission for 2 years and when I went back out to California to see him, made eyes at my sister's friend who had come to keep my sister company while I went on a couple of dates with him. I drove all the way back to Utah myself and played The Carpenters really loud over and over just because I knew she hated it. There was the one from my ward who was a fun friend and who I knew was much younger and who I knew kinda had a crush on me. He took me to a concert in the park and we talked about how long we'd been home from our missions, and I said I'd been home a couple of years. He said in a slow voice,"How old are you?" I said I was 26. (He was 22) The rest of the date went not so smoothly and friendly. There was the one who I went out with a few times. He got a cold and stopped calling me. I took a "get better soon" basket with tissues and hot cocoa and meds in it. He wouldn't come to the door. I never saw him again. There was the one who actually asked me out 3 times, even though he never went out with a girl more than twice. He had told our Bishop he would marry me "if he had to". Whatever. There was the one that was a polygamist. There was the one who beat his wives.

Now there was Dan. My dark brown eyed angel, Dan. Dan who thought I was wonderful yet knew I had so much potential. Dan who knew that creating a family would be tough yet who would do whatever it took to get our family here. Dan who thought my nose was the cutest nose he'd ever seen. Dan who loved to listen to the sound of my voice when I taught Gospel Doctrine and wanted to ask me out just to hear my voice again. Dan who knew that without me, he would be lost and alone forever!

OUCH!

No! It wasn't my daredevil of a son, Isaac. He who has been swinging from ropes and monkey bars and tree limbs since he was 3. He who has jumped off high places into water or onto a trampoline.

And it wasn't my twirly whirly girl, Ruthie. She who loves to twirl and whirl until she falls, usually into something. She who has bumped into the same wall, which has remained in the same place, more times than I can count.

No. It was my too cautious Sam who broke his arm.

Yes. Broke his arm. We went to my parents house last night for dinner and birthday fun. Sam and his cousins were out playing on the swing set and my too cautious Sam decided to jump off the swing. Being the cautious boy that he is, he put his hands out to catch himself. The right one landed okay. The left one landed tucked under his arm. So we iced it. We medicated it. I planned for him to go to school today. Then I saw my sweet Sam's face this morning...
How can a mother send that face to school? So we dropped Isaac off and got dressed and headed for the Insta-Care. He thought it was all fun and games. I told him to at least pretend like his wrist hurt so they would think I had a reason to be seriously concerned. This is what I got...
Uhuh. Then the x-ray came back. The bone buckled right below his left wrist. (At least he can still take spelling tests!) So the Dr. said it needed a cast. So he sent us to the cast room. Aren't you in pain, Sam?
The same room where he got the stitch in his lip when he crashed into his brother's head. He knew the room well. Then the Dr. came in and started wrapping his arm. He got quiet and still. He still hasn't moved and we've been home for about an hour. I think it traumatized him. He picked the blue cast. It's his favorite color.

We dropped Ruthie off at preschool as Sam called Abbie and Dad to tell them the news. Then we headed to the new McDonalds to grab some lunch. He gets to sit on the couch for a while now and eat and watch mindless cartoons. Then we're going to the school to get this week's homework so he can get started. His right arm works just fine, thank you. We'll also practice washing hands with only one hand and pulling pants down and up for potty breaks at school.

Because he will be back at school tomorrow. The cast will be on for 4 weeks. Maybe this will teach him to land wrong on his hand! It already itches. Darn!

P.S.

Dingers in the fridge are amaaaazing! Thank you Holly, thank you very much!

Freaky Friday!

Well, it's really Thursday's dinner and I know I'm 4 weeks too early. But these Mummy Yummy dogs were irresistible. I mean seriously! Easy. Cheap. I had the ingredients. My kids loved them. Introducing Yummy Mummies (from The Taste Of Home Show)

This is Isaac's mummy. Notice the trail of "blood". (Ketchup is so great!) Apparently this mummy was shot in the middle and the blood oozed out. Love it!
Sam's mummy had the same thing happen. I think this mummy's "blood" was thicker than Isaac's mummy's. Who can be sure. I didn't even realize mummies had blood. I mean, haven't they been dead for thousands of years??
They are hot dogs, after all. Ruthie was too hungry to wait for pictures. The "blood" was easy enough to wipe the mummy through to make a tasty entree.
Yummy Mummies

8 hot dogs

1 package crescent rolls (the original recipe used Rhodes rolls, I didn't have any)
Cut one crescent triangle into strips and roll into one long snake.

Wrap around a dog and crimp edges together.

You can take a small piece of dough and wrap it around his head. The hats just fell off when served.

Repeat with each crescent triangle and hot dog.

Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes.

Make mummy eyes with 2 dots of mustard.

Garnish with ketchup.

Yum!

Offerings...

Now what would induce me to wake up at 5:30 am?? Short of someone throwing up, which wouldn't be pleasant at all, it's this cute little thing:

This is Ellie.

Her brother had a dentist appointment at 6. So she got to wake up on my couch.

Isn't she cute?? And she really didn't look this worried the whole time.

That picture was taken by Ruthie.

Ellie and her cute brother Tres came to visit us this summer. Their mom went to the dentist. I'm thinking there is going to be a direct link of the dentist to me for these kids. Hmmm. Maybe they should come play while their mom does something more fun!

Then there are the cuties that belong to me. They were all up frighteningly early this morning. Bed will come as an early shock this evening.

But here's the thing. I got an offering from their mom Sarah (you can catch her blog here!)

She's so sweet. She also reads my blog and knows how I tick...

I had even just opened my last Diet Pepper (as Ruthie calls them). So it was a welcome offering. Besides, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? Especially when there's my favorite cold beverage and chocolate in the balance!

Holly (who you can find here!) told me to put the Ding-ers in the fridge and eat them cold. So I did. I'm impatiently waiting for them now.

Thank you Sarah!

Quirky Tag

I was tagged by Tiffany (you should check out her blog) to do some quirks. Now I think I remember writing in one of the Once Upon A Time posts about quirks. So I suppose this is the time to let you all in on them! Yikes!!

1. I am a very even person. Not tempered. Just numbers. I have to take an even number of steps inside a square. Eat an even number of bites on each side of my mouth, eat an even number of M&Ms, have each hand do an even number of tasks. I know it's wierd. I guess that's why it's a quirk.

2. I eat my Oreos by taking them apart, then biting the cookie part around the cream, then eat the cookie half, then enjoy the cream with just the little bit of cookie that's left.

3. I've kinda grown out of this one. But since I'm racking my brain for another 4 quirks, I'll share it. I used to read license plates and know when the car was purchased. It had to do with the beginning letter of the letter set. Utah plates go 123 ABC and by that first letter, I could tell you when it was purchased. I was getting quite good at the centennial plates in which the letters started on the other end of the alphabet.

4. I could call this one good scheduling, but it really is a quirk. I have to have homework and laundry and dishes and lunch (for the next day) making all at a certain time. Homework started by 4 and done with each boy sitting in a certain place at the table. Laundry on Wednesday and Saturday. Only if necessary on other days, but it really bugs me. Dishes right after we eat. And we have to eat by 5:30, otherwise I get cranky cause it throws off the rest of the evening, like making lunches for the next day right after dishes are done.

5. All the chairs at my table have to be in under the table a certain way. During the day, and especially when kids are all home, the 2 end chairs need to be tucked behind one side of the table "feet". After the kids go to bed, I take them out and they just go in normal.

6. (Whew! Finally!) I really don't mind dust. Is this a quirk or just bad housekeeping?? I don't care. If I did, it would be a quirk to go around dusting everything at least once a week. Right?

Okay. The rules. I just did 6 quirks. I usually don't ever actually tag people because I don't like the pressure. But if 6 of you...hmmm...Laurie, Melanie, Kim, Crissy, Leanne and Holly, would like the challenge and don't mind the pressure, please amaze us all. And anyone else who wants to. No pressure! Share 6 quirks and then tag 6 more people. If you can handle it. And if any of you listed doesn't want to do it, well, just run to your local grocer and get yourself some Ding Dongs and rest easy!!