This is what summer should be about.
Hanging with your friends.
Category: Uncategorized (Page 21 of 118)
Oh, how I love summer. I love the lazy feel of the days, the free time, and the fun activities!
Our first week has been good.
We started out with a clear list of jobs, and expectations of what needs to be done before we up and have fun. Day one was GREAT. The kids were excited to do their jobs, and they even picked EXTRA jobs off the “extra pay” job list. John wanted to wash the car. I couldn’t get any of the taller kids to help him with that job, so John and I washed the suburban. He washed the bottom part, and I washed all the rest. It was fun, though. The second day they did their jobs, although less enthusiastically. By Friday, they are pretty much back to their usual, “Jobs? What Jobs? You want me to do jobs?”
Natalie has had tennis lessons every day this week, and next week. She has been having a fun time, and it’s good for her to get some exercise. One day this week while she had her lesson, I hit the track. I managed to walk/jog for two miles before I thought I was going to die. John sprinted about halfway around the track. Boy is he fast! Jenna jogged with me, and honestly, even she is faster than me.
When we came home, Megan said to me, “Mom, you might need some sunscreen. You’re face is red.”
“Yeah, that is red because we did some jogging. And I will never be able to beat any of my kids. They are all faster than me. Because I’m old and fat.” I said.
“You’re not that fat, Mom,” she said, trying to make me feel better, “There’s lots of people fatter than you. All those people on the Biggest Loser are a LOT fatter than you.”
Thank you SO much.
She went on to tell me that someday I will be able to beat John. When he’s old and can’t run fast, she will get me a really fast Jazzy or electric scooter. Only she kept saying she’d get me a really fast electric chair. So which is it, you want me to be able to go fast, or you want me to GO fast?
Yeah, that makes me feel a lot better.
This week we’ve had a lot of two things: Baseball and rehearsals. Since my concert is Friday night, that means extra bell rehearsals, so I’ve been gone a couple nights. Natalie and I also have tiny parts in this year’s Alpine Community Theater production of Cinderella. So that adds a couple more rehearsals this week.
John had his last regular baseball game, then started his tournament. Wednesday they pulled off two wins in a row, despite micro bursts and plummeting temperatures. That means two more games, whether they win or lose. And he’s not the only one. Megan and Jenna are also playing softball, so they’ve each had at least one game a week.
Wednesday I took the kids to Trafalga in Lehi. We had fun miniature golfing together. They also rode the merry-go-round, the go carts, and had a great time. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Since we have some extra time on our hands, I managed to go to the temple on Thursday. When I got there, there were 4 or 5 wedding parties taking pictures and being generally happy! When I came out of the temple, the wind had picked up and clouds had rolled in. I hope all those brides got all the pictures they needed before the weather turned.
I’m going to encourage the older kids to also go to the temple often during the summer. I think it will be a good bonding experience for the three of them, and also keep in focus what really matters. They did go Friday morning, and it was fun to see the three of them getting into the beat up old truck and head off to the temple. They said it was “crowded”, and they had to wait a long time. I guess that’s a good thing, right? Maybe they will be nicer to each other after having that service experience. Let’s hope.
I can’t believe how big my chickens are getting! We’ve only had them a week and a half, but we love them. We survived the drama of the dog attack, nursed that little chick back to health, and the kids named her Pirate (because she had one eye that wouldn’t open after her brush with death (or dog). The others are: Henrietta, Gabby and Caramel. Good names for chickens, I think. They aren’t quite the scraps eaters I had hoped for yet. I gave them celery and strawberries yesterday and those same foods are still out there. But I think as they get bigger they will eat more and different foods, not just their chicken food.
So, that’s what we’ve been up to this week. How’s your summer shaping up?
Once there was a girl who wanted chickens. It’s not like she dreamed of having chickens from the time she was little, but as an adult she realized that having a few chickens would be a great experience for her family. They could have animals to take care of, and even fresh eggs.
But the girl’s husband did not share her enthusiasm for the feathered creatures, perhaps because they had so many birds inside the house already. Or perhaps it was the fear that the girl would undoubtedly ask him to BUILD something for the chickens. Because while the girl has plenty of enthusiasm for starting a project, she sometimes lacks the know-how or the right tools to do all the follow through.
Then, in a happy coincidence, the girl found someone offering up a chicken coop on freecycle. And not some far away chicken coop, but a chicken coop in her very own town, not far from her own castle, I mean house. So the girl arranged a pick up time, asked her son and daughter to follow her over in the old beat up truck, and they loaded up the chicken coop and hauled it on home. What could be better?
The children were super enthused about the coop, and they helped the girl paint it a lovely red color.
And a nearby friend even offered up the baby chicks that she had hatched for her preschool kids (Ok, truthfully, she *tried* to hatch some fertilized eggs in time for Easter, but they just didn’t hatch, so she went to IFA and bought some chicks so they would be there by Monday. Her preschool kids were through the roof excited, but now she doesn’t really want to add 3 more chicks to her coops. She already has about 40 chickens. So, as soon as it’s warm enough to keep them outside in this little coop, we’ll adopt them.)
But then the friend un-offered her baby chicks because her husband wanted to keep them (What?) so the girl had to find her own chickens. CLASSIFIEDS!
So the girl found an ad on KSL.com, asked about them, and went over and got some.
We got two California White Leghorns, and two Rhode Island Browns.
When they grow up, they should look like this 
(I think.)
They certainly didn’t look so comfortable in the box we brought them home in.
We really don’t know much about them except I got some food, a food dish, a water dish and some bedding, and we’ll see how they do. This week it should really warm up so I won’t need to worry so much about them being cold, which is good.
We put them into their little coop and they seemed a little bit lonely and overwhelmed, and aren’t sure what to do. But they are chickens, after all. They don’t need to do all that much.
The kids are so excited about them. We’re going to have to pick out names, even. When they were all huddled together in the bottom of the pen, I had John crawl in there and get chickens and hand them to me so I could put them up in the nesting box for the night, so they would be warmer. I don’t think they know how to navigate the “ladder”. This morning we all had to run out there and make sure they were still ok, and it looks like they survived the night. Everyone wanted to pet them and say hello.
Ryan tells me I had better be completely happy for the next 6 months. What? I guess I will, then. The girl finally got her chickens. The girl (and her kids) is happy to embark on this chicken raising adventure.
My Mom and Dad have entered the digital age, and they have a BLOG!! It’s mostly a way to show off their pictures from their wonderful travel adventures, like this one.
Hooray for them!!!
Do me a favor and check it out, would you, please? They would love some happy comments, I am sure. You can find them at http://colemansonthego.blogspot.com/
Oh, and just in case I forget, you can catch me on Sunday’s Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. I’ll be the blonde one ringing the bells.
I have been pretty frustrated with the whole scouting thing, and have shared my opinion liberally with many of my friends. I just don’t know why those people in charge must make it so complicated and confusing, and why there is a complete lack of communication from the ones in charge to the the ones who make things happen–the MOTHERS.
It probably doesn’t help that I’m in the Primary presidency, and we are currently wracking our brains to figure out who would possibly be good cub scout leaders for the little guys. It’s not an easy calling, and there are NOT a lot of people who will do it. Double frustration for scouts.
Why is there not a book titled “Eagle Scouts for dummies”? Maybe there is, let me check. Nope. They do have this book at amazon, though.
Some mom out there needs to write a book explaining to all the other moms out there the steps to follow to help the sons of the world complete in an orderly fashion, all the requirements. So that we won’t be running back and forth trying to get things done, saying, “I thought you DID all those requirements.”
Ahem.
Well, before I pull every single one of my hairs out and work myself into a tirade where the only thing will help me calm down is a plate of mint brownies or other such sugar and fat laden confection, I’ll skip most of the complaining and go right to the good news.
Cole has finally obtained all the signatures needed, and is ready to START his Eagle project.
Can I get a “Hallelujah”?
He will be collecting used eye glasses. We’re hoping for 100 pairs. Then he will clean them, make minor repairs, and have eye doctors tell us what the RX would be, then we’ll package them up nicely and give them to a local charity, who will then send them to Iraq, where they will be distributed to people who don’t have glasses.
So, do you have glasses hanging around collecting dust? Would you like to get rid of them? Here’s your chance. Let me know, and I’ll send the boy over to pick them up. Or you could just bring them to me. Or send them to us.
We WILL get this project completed.
He WILL get those last couple of things finished up and pass off those remaining merit badges.
We WILL figure out the whole paperwork thing and get everything done and turned in.
We have 10 months to do it.
Wish us luck.
The rain, it keeps coming. Last night I heard a HUGE long clap of thunder and then it sounded like I was in the shower full strength. I wondered how much water could POSSIBLY fall down on us. Thankful that we are not close to a river or stream (or any body of water, for that matter), I said a little prayer asking for blessing and courage for those who ARE facing flooding. Eventually I went back to sleep.
But this rain, it’s getting me down. Isn’t there a song about that? Oh, yes, Karen Carpenter, rainy days and Mondays get me down, too. I don’t even want to leave the house. Seriously, I want to stay home, bake bread and yummy treats, make soup, eat the yummy treats, and curl up and read a book. I bought some shall/blanket things at Kohl’s the other day that were on 90% off clearance, because, technically it’s spring, and should be getting warmer. But my kids have all embraced them and are wrapping up in them every chance they get. I find them quite cozy, too.
On the other hand, it is spring, and a part of me is itching to get outside and take care of my baby plants in the garden before the gopher gets them. I want to kill every last dandelion and pull out all the weeds that are crowding my gorgeous tulips. But I can’t do any of that if it’s RAINING. So, I hole up inside and read, bake, and watch tv.
It was supposed to be the Fathers and Sons campout this weekend, but for the second year in a row, it was cancelled (or postponed, rather) due to the weather. Hopefully they will reschedule it for another NICE day and Ryan can take the boys then. John was SO looking forward to it. He wanted to pack two days ago. I’m glad I didn’t let him.
The lawn is SO LONG. Cole mowed it last Saturday and it took him HOURS. It filled up all the garbage cans, and then it was filling up the back of the truck. We told him he should really mow at least the front lawn by Tuesday or so. Fat chance. We haven’t had two hours of non rain to dry out the lawn.
Oh, well.
In other news, Cole now has all the signatures needed to begin his Eagle Scout project. Finally. He is going to collect used eyeglasses to send to people in Iraq. After he collects the glasses, he will clean them, do minor repairs, and have eye doctors prescriptionize them for us. So, if you have any old eyeglasses around the house, we would love to take them off your hands.
And we’re hoping that at some point, the rain will stop, and we can continue on with spring and baseball and softball games.
I was going through some old pictures looking for something specific. But I found it hard to not stop and look at all the pictures of my kids when they were cute and little. Not that they aren’t cute anymore, but honestly, they aren’t NEARLY as cute as they were when they were little.
Look at my little dancers. Dancers! And they liked each other.
(Sigh)
And those little faces. And those little cheeks. And those little hands that wanted to hold my hand.
It’s just not the same anymore.
There I was, sitting on the couch, enjoying the silence of a quiet house with all the kids at school. *Sigh* It’s lovely, really.
When–BEEP-Beep-Beep-BEEP-Beep-Beep ZZZRT. The front door unlocks. What the heck? Nobody is supposed to be home from school yet. Giggle, Giggle. I go to check it out and I hear, Beep, ZZZRT. The door is now locked. It’s the neighbor girls. Unlocking and locking our door. Not because they want to get in, but because they think it’s fun.
I get a text from my husband asking me if it’s early out day. HE just got a text that is generated whenever anyone uses their code to unlock the door. Jenna’s code.
So. Jenna is the one who “shared” her code with these little hoodlems.
Time to update some codes.
About a year ago I found the perfect wheat bread recipe for me. I can’t say that MY recipe would work for everyone, but here, it’s not failed me. Granted, sometimes I let them rise to long and we end up with some funky shaped loaves, (like these ones) but they still taste yummy.
But as far as rolls go, I just haven’t gotten it right. The recipe I had just didn’t seem to rise enough, and I always ended up with rolls that tasted ok, but just weren’t light and fluffy enough.
Then I found this recipe for bunny rolls
We tried to for Easter. The bunnies didn’t turn out so greats, so we just made regular rolls shapes. And we left out the orange zest and used water instead of juice, and the taste was PERFECT! I made rolls again last night, and they turned out great AGAIN! So it wasn’t a fluke, it’s just finally a recipe that worked for me.
So, here’s the modified Roll Recipe that Works for Paige
1 1/2 T. yeast
2 1/2 c. hot water
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
Mix together and let sit for 10 minutes until yeast begins to foam. Then add:
1 egg
3 T. water
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. powdered milk
1 T. salt
7 1/2-8 c. flour
Knead everything together in the Bosch until dough is smooth and then continue to knead for another 5 minutes. Once the dough is incorporated, let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. Once the dough has rested for a few minutes, roll the dough into a large circle, cut into pie shapes and roll up to make crescent shapes.
Place on a sprayed cookie sheet a couple inches apart. Cover them and let them rise for 40-60 minutes, or until they have doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Yes, I’m sure there are other amazing roll recipes, but for me, this is the first one that has worked. Hooray!
Crockett Grey is a teacher of troubled children. He has gone through a terrible tragedy and all he wants to do is start his summer vacation by forgetting his problems. Little does he know that one of his students, Jaimie Piper, is on her way to his house with a whole new, terrifying set of problems of her own. Now Crockett is in a race for his life, trying to solve Jaimie’s nightmare in order to end his own, even if that means taking on the largest religious organization on the planet!
“The Canary List” by Sigmund Brouwer started out well with compelling characters and questions. It kept me wondering what was going to happen, and I really did care. I wanted things to work out for Jamie, the 12 year old girl, and I cared that Crocket was being framed for things he didn’t do. Oh, and the sweet neighbor, Nana, was also a loveable character. I was caught up in the great beginning, and wanted to know more.
The writing was subtle and compelling, although there were many, many typos that will hopefully be corrected. It REALLY made me appreciate a good editor and proofreader because it was so distracting. Honestly, there were extra words or mistakes on nearly every other page. But, since this was an advance copy, I have to overlook those mistakes and focus on the story.
Even though this story was very Dan Brown-ish (ala the DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons) and had way too much reference to demons and corruption hidden in the Vatican for my taste, I still continued on. Normally all that supernatural stuff would turn me off of a book, but the characters and the plot drove me to continue reading.
The ending. Sigh. I have a thing about endings. I like the story to wrap up at the end. I also like the characters to be somewhat happy. Yes, I admit, I’m a sucker for a happy ending. I just like to know that those characters who have been in my head for a few days or weeks are going to go off and live happy, normal lives. I don’t want to spend any more time worrying about them. Sappy, I know. But that’s just my personal opinion. Without giving away too much about the ending here, I will say that things do get resolved and I can stop fretting about if they will all get out of the terrible situation they are in, HOWEVER, I do not enjoy a WHOLE BUNCH of twists and turns and hidden agendas right at the end of the book. As I’m reading, and I know there are only four pages left, I scan to the end and think, “How is this all going to end in just four pages?” Once all the secrets have been revealed, it seems there are even MORE secrets, and then I wonder…What the heck? So, I have to say I didn’t like the ending, but that’s just my opinion.
In all, I enjoyed the book. I wanted to read it, and wanted to know what happened to the characters. I would have liked the book to be more about Jamie and hear more from her point of view. I didn’t LOVE the book, and don’t know if I would recommend it to everyone I know, unless they were into the supernatural or kind of creepy thriller books.
This was the first book I’ve ever read by this author, and while I didn’t immediately search to see what else he had written, I would read another book by him if given the chance.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
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