Living within our means: update

Way back in February I posted this. It was the story of how I managed to get our family into debt. Once I realized how bad things had gotten with our debt and decided to do something about it, I made plan after plan to get out of debt. We stopped charging on our credit cards about seven years ago. Still, it took me a long time to really buckle down and pay extra on our cards. Oh, I did a token amount of extra here and there, but not to where it felt like a big sacrifice. Finally, back in February I took a look at things and decided to make the changes we needed to make. We were never buying a lot of expensive things, but I had been nickel and diming us to death (or to debt). Our tax return was used to pay off our van and to pay down one of our credit cards. The final card had about $9,000 on it still, but I had plans to pay it off. Over the summer two of our boys needed dental work to the tune of $2,000 between the two. We didn't have the money to pay it outright, so we had to get a special credit plan for medical and dental expenses. It was our only option, but it did offer us no interest for the first year if we paid it off before the deadline.
All of my good intentions of paying the debt down on my schedule were thwarted by things like needing sneakers for my kids, and brakes for our van. Still, we were making progress, putting a lot more towards our payments than I used to. My ultimate goal was to be out of credit card debt by the end of this year.
In November I had a small epiphany. D's job lets him accrue vacation time. He doesn't use his vacation time very often, so he had quite a bit saved up. We decided to cash in 100 hours of his vacation time and we used it to pay off our last credit card last month. My goal was reached! However, the year wasn't over yet, and I realized that if we were willing to sacrifice just a little bit more, we could also pay off the dental bill and be debt free aside from our house. I paid the final balance on the dental plan today, and we are now debt free!
We have truly been blessed for our efforts and all of our needs have been met. When I needed a new oven, someone was getting rid of one that fit not only my needs, but my wants as well. I truly feel that by living within our means, and continuing to pay a full tithe, we have been blessed. We aren't rich by the world's standards, and our money will be going to fixing up our house and trying to add on so that we have more room, but I FEEL rich. Rich in blessings, and love.
I promised an update back in February, and this is it. For anyone that is struggling with trying to get out of debt. It CAN be done! It took us more than seven years and a lot of heartache over it, but we are finally FREE!

Wordless Wednesday

At first I was disappointed that our tree wasn't perfectly shaped (it came from my parents' yard). But the longer I look at it, the more I like it. It's imperfect, and homey, and reminds me of old fashioned Christmases. I think Charlie Brown would be proud!

I feel like I am falling behind!

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. I even missed a Wordless Wednesday, which is almost unheard of for me!

So, I am posting a short one today, to let anyone who might be wondering, that I am still alive! D and the boys all had vacation time ALL week last week! When we found out the boys would all be out of school, I asked D to take the first three days of the week off (he already gets Thursday and Friday). We didn't do anything fancy. In fact, we got a dumpster delivered to our yard, and we filled it with junk from our garage (TWICE!). We rented a couple of movies, did some Christmas shopping, and just hung out together.

Thursday we went up to Vancouver and had a lovely Thanksgiving with D's Dad, one of his sisters and her family. The kids loved spending time with their cousins.

Friday D and I went to the Portland Temple (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) while my Mom watched the boys and Baby B hung out with my sister Pink Avenger. Then that afternoon my Mom, sisters and I got together for our annual Christmas Card making party. It was a lovely day! Friday night it was out to dinner with D's Dad and Sister and fam, and then we headed home!

I'm sad that today meant back to work for D and back to school for the boys. If I had my way, we would be together all the time!

This week is a busy one with meetings, scouts, and me being in charge of the food for our Church Christmas Dinner (planning for 200 people) so I am feeling a bit stressed out! Hopefully I will survive and live to be stressed out about the rest of the Holiday season!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday

Making Apple Turkeys is a tradition from when D was a kid. We do it every November.

The kids love using various candy, marshmallows and cereal to decorate their turkeys.

D and I enjoy decorating our turkeys too! (and I got to decorate Baby B's...Bonus!)

One of our boys has an aversion to apples, and so he does a potato turkey every year. It's all good!
If you haven't tried making apple turkeys before, you should. It's a great way to keep kids occupied on Thanksgiving day while they wait for the real turkey to cook.

Wordless Wednesday: Veteran's Day Edition

My Grandfather keeps this picture on the wall in his living room as a reminder of his time in the War. He served in WWII and in Korea.

My Grandpa.

This is a picture of D's Grandfather's unit drilling during WWII.

A Soldier from D's Grandpa's unit poses with a captured German flag.

Manning the gun.

D's Grandpa (on the left) and his close friend Vic pose with a little girl.

D's Grandpa and Vic. Vic did not survive the war. D's Grandpa would never talk about the war. It scarred him for life. I managed to get ahold of some of his pictures and scanned them a few years before he passed away.
War is a terrible thing. I am so grateful for those who are willing to defend our country and who have shouldered the burden of war in their life.

Christmas Photo Cards for a great deal!

I was told about a great deal on Christmas photo cards by a friend. I checked it out, and sure enough, when I put in my order, the coupon worked and I was able to order 50 5x7 photo Christmas cards, and it was FREE! Including shipping!
If you want to check it out, you can find the coupon code here. I don't want to put the coupon code on my blog, because it is something that is a special deal through the Freebies 4 Mom blog, so I am directing you over there instead! According to her, the freebie code on her blog ends on November 30th. She said the site can be a bit slow sometimes. I personally didn't have much trouble getting my stuff figured out. There are many great backgrounds and layouts to choose from, and you can even add more than one picture to your card if you want. You can choose between 4x6 and 5x7 cards, and they include the envelopes. My order would have been $39.50 without the coupon code, so it is quite a savings, and the site is run by Fuji, so it isn't some unknown company.
I just thought I would pass this along! With the economy the way it is, it can't hurt to save some money, so check it out!

Honest Scrap Award

Connie over at I Started Out as a Child was kind enough to give me a blog award. The Honest Scrap Award is "gifted to blogs that are encouraging, inspiring or brilliant." I haven't felt I was any of those things for a long time, but I am happy that Connie felt that I fit at least one of those qualities. Thanks Connie!

In accepting the award, the rule is that I have to share ten honest things about myself. So here you go!
1. I usually cut my own hair and I cut all of my sons' hair and my husband's.
2. I have a weakness for Tillamook Ice Cream. I can turn down ANY other brand of icecream pretty easily, but not Tillamook. It's like my Kryptonite.
3. I get almost as restless as my kids do when I have to sit still for long periods of time. (Think, at church). It is sometimes a relief when my daughter fusses during church and I have an excuse to take her out of the room. Not to say I don't like going to church, I just get restless.
4. I had a horrible swearing habit during High School. It took me a LONG time and a lot of work to break that habit. I HATE hearing people swear now, whether it is in movies or just at the grocery store. It drives me crazy.
5. I don't watch The Office. I tried watching an episode once and found it offensive. Yes, parts of it were funny, but the funny wasn't worth the offensiveness to me. I have a lot of friends that LOVE that show, and that is fine, just don't try to get me to watch it.
6. I am not a morning person. If I could sleep late every day, I would.
7. I think milk tastes gross. I use it on cereal and in cooking, but don't drink it plain. However, I loved milk until sometime after high school. One day I just didn't like it anymore.
8. I like to sing and dance my way around the house. Especially if no one else is home.
9. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Most of my readers probably know that, but probably not all of them.
10. I have always wanted to have a set of twins, and have been a little bit bummed every time I had just one baby instead of two. I know it's crazy to want twins, I just do. I think it's because my Mom had twins when I was 11. Ever since then I always hoped to have some too.

Now I am supposed to pass this award on to seven worthy bloggers. This is where I will depart from the rules a little bit. If I read your blog, then you know you fit into at least one of those categories of encouraging, inspiring or brilliant. Feel free to take an award for yourself! If I have ever commented on your blog, it means I am a reader of it. I just don't always comment on every post.

Illness and gratitude...

I am generally a healthy person. Sure, I get the usual cold and the occasional flu each winter. A little over a week ago, I came down with a whopper of a flu bug. I'm still not quite over it. I did what might be more than my share of feeling sorry for myself and some complaining too.

However...it has gotten me thinking. Thinking about gratitude. And since it November, what better thing for me to be thinking about right?

I may still have gross stuff in my lungs, and I may still be coughing and hacking and only have 50% of my voice, but I am thankful. Thankful to be home and not in a hospital. Thankful for a husband that has picked the kids up from school every day for the last week, made us dinner every night AND done the dishes (and we don't have a dishwasher either), on top of working a full day. Thankful for being able to breathe without the aid of machines, and thankful that I am able to breathe a little more clearly each day as I get better. Thankful for modern medicine and a good health care provider. Thankful to be able to afford the medications I needed to help me on the road to recovery. Thankful to be listening to Christmas music even though I can't sing along. Thankful for my home, my family, and so many blessings in my life.

What are you Thankful for right now?

Wordless Wednesday

Every year something strange and frightening happens to our house around Halloween...

Wordless Wednesday

Even though it is Autumn, we have had some nice days in the last few weeks.

Baby B's first time walking on the beach. (She usually rides in the backpack.)

Ooooh, sand!

Sweet Baby Beautiful

Halloween Preparations part 2

I have been working on the rest of the Halloween costumes. My sister Myra's yearly pumpkin party is coming up, and the costumes have to be ready by then! Today I finished up on #5's Ninja Turtle Costume.

The brim of the hat is actually made to fold down and there are eye holes and the bottom of the brim is curved to be like a ninja turtle's nose. #5 doesn't like wearing it that way though. I had to convince him to let me take a picture with the orange mask over his eyes and he doesn't like wearing it the way I originally designed it, so I don't have a pic of that. Luckily part of the design was for the brim to fold up so it would look like a regular fleece hat. I designed it that way so that it wouldn't be wasted after Halloween. He prefers wearing it that way, with the orange mask tied over his forehead too. I am okay with that.

Here is a back view of the shell. Again, it isn't a perfect costume, but still better than those plastic ones you find in stores. He is happy with it, so I call that good. I also finished the sewing part of #2's Link costume. Now all I have left is the sword and shield, and the Fairy wings for Baby B's costume. Phew! I might just finish on time!

Tip or dare: Autumn cooking edition

Okay, so this one is really more of a tip than a dare, although I do highly recommend it.

I am a waster of produce. It is something I am working on, but need to be better. I love making soups and such in the fall, when the weather is turning crisp. Many of the soups I make have celery in them. I have a tendency to buy celery for a recipe, and then I forget about what is left of it and find it later, wilting in the fridge. Last year, I came up with a solution.

Whenever I buy celery, I make sure I get carrots and have onions on hand as well. In my big soup pot, I melt a stick of butter, then add some chopped onions (one or two large onions, depending on your tastes), a few medium to large sized carrots (also chopped up small) and celery. I pretty much use a whole set of celery, cutting the bottoms and tips off. You can also use the leaves if you want, for extra flavor.

I have a small hand cranked food processor, and I use it to chop up the veggies. I got mine when I used to sell Tupperware, but I have seen similar choppers sold as Salsa makers. It works great, and is really quick, it even chops my carrots up into small pieces.

As I said, I use butter for this, but you can also try this with olive oil. I have used olive oil in place of butter for recipes when making them for someone who is vegan, but I have not tried freezing it before, so let me know if you attempt it. I also like to add some basil and parsley to this while it is cooking. Cook and stir over medium heat until the celery and onion start to become translucent. After this, I spoon the mixture into muffin tins, cover them with waxed paper and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen I pop them out of the tins (sometimes it helps to place the muffin tins in a shallow pan of warm water for a minute to help loosen them) and place them in plastic baggies back in the freezer. When I am ready to make soup or stew, I take two or three out, and put them directly into my pot over medium heat until they are melted. It cuts back on my prep time for making soups and stew, and I also use it as a base for making Chicken Pot Pie. I have four different recipes that I use this as a base for. This has been a great way for me to not be so wasteful, and dinner is ready a lot sooner than if I were to be chopping everything at the start of cooking each meal. What are some ways you cut down on wasting food and cooking time? I dare you to share!

Wordless Wednesday

Our latest family shot

Wordless Wednesday...

Our Harvest...grown from seeds from last year's Halloween Pumpkins.

Halloween Preparations

I try to come up with Halloween costumes for our kids each year. This was much easier to do back when I got to pick what they were going to be. As they have gotten older their tastes have gotten much more interesting for me to fulfill.

I am not much of a seamstress. I have generally sewn Christmas stockings, and a few other simple things. A few years ago I made my first attempt at sewing a costume. My youngest son wanted to be James the Train from Thomas the Tank Engine. (Well, he wanted to be Thomas, but they didn't have the right shade of blue felt, so I convinced him to be James instead. I used other costumes I had seen for inspiration. I was satisfied with how it turned out and so was he, but I had set a precedent for making them what they wanted.

The next year #3 asked to be Jango Fett from Star Wars. (They were all Star Wars Characters that year). I spent hours making Jango's helmet out of cardboard, glue, spackle and paint and all the other costumes suffered in the process.

Last year, #3 wanted to be Sonic the Hedgehog and #4 wanted to be Indiana Jones. Both were vetoed. Sonic, because I didn't think I could make the costume and Indy due to the lack of a hat. Instead one was Mario and the other was Dash from The Incredibles.

This year they both made the same request as last year. I prepared to veto, then decided to try.

There are a lot of Indy hats out there, but I am not willing to spend $30 for part of a Halloween costume. Instead, I took a plan, floppy wool hat I had, cut the brim down and used fabric stiffener to shape it into an Indy hat. It isn't perfect, but he is happy with it. I sewed a messenger bag for him to use in the costume, and as his Trick or Treat bag. He picked the other clothes out. I'd like to find a better shirt, but he doesn't mind this one if we can't find a better one. All he needs us the bull whip I made out of duct tape for him last year. It's in a box in my closet.

Indy is ready for a fight....

Next came Sonic. I spent some time looking online at other Sonic costumes and didn't love any of them. My son is also somewhat picky about things and didn't like the relatively simple looking hats I found online. I decided to design my own. I made a basic stocking hat, adding other parts to be the spikes of Sonic's hair. Then I attached ear flaps to the hat to help make the area around Sonic's eyes, and to make it look more like Sonic in general. Last came the ears.

For the body, I wanted to just get bright blue sweats, but I couldn't find any the right shade, and they had to match the hat, so I decided to just sew it. This was my first ever attempt at sewing pants. I used a pair of #3's PJ bottoms to make a pattern and went from there. The shirt was the same story. I used an old T shirt for the pattern, but made the sleeves long. The costume is mostly made out of polar fleece, which doesn't fray and is also very warm. It isn't perfect by any means, but #3 loves it and that is all that matters to me. I also sewed some shoe covers so he could have sneakers like Sonic.

Sonic gives the thumbs up on his costume.

A side view of him "running"...

So, that means I am half done this year! I already made a tutu for Baby B's costume (no pics yet) and that means I just have to sew a Link (Legend of Zelda) costume, a ninja costume and #1 is going to be an insomniac and wear his PJs so no sewing there.

What about you? Do you make costumes or buy them?

Wordless Wednesday...

We took the boys to an art gallery showing this last weekend. A little culture is always good right? This particular showing was unique in a way that interested the boys in particular though.

The artist works in Legos. The above portrait is done in a mosaic style, with Legos.

Then there were the sculptures...

The boys really liked the art, and so did we.

If you are interested in seeing other artwork by the artist Nathan Sawaya, check it out here.
He has every little boy's dream job.

Wordless Wednesday

We went to the jetty for a family photo shoot over the weekend. The sun was on it's way down, and I took some pics of the boys on the rocks. Happily, I had the flash off, and discovered that, with the sun behind them, I could make some nice silhoettes.

Indy (#4) cracks his imaginary whip.

#3 (I love that the ocean and sky are in the background)

#5

#1...I didn't get one of #2. I'll have to do that next time.

DMo and Baby B. Not quite a true silhouette, but I love the little glints of light on her face.

Next time I will try to make sure I am getting a full silhouette of the boys. I like the ones with their eyelashes in them better.

Planting Seeds...

A year or so ago we had some potatoes that were going bad. I tossed them into an empty planter next to the back porch (empty of a plant, but full of dirt) meaning to take them out into the back of our yard to compost later. Then I promptly forgot about them. Occasionally I would notice their slowly decomposing state, but I figured they were okay where they were and continued on my merry way. Eventually the potatoes were gone.
Then this spring there was suddenly a plant growing in that planter. It was a green, leafy plant, and I wasn't sure what it was. In time we came to realize that it was a potato plant. The potatoes that I had carelessly tossed aside had taken root and grown, becoming new life. We have since had a small harvest of potatoes from our accidental plant.
Thinking of this has made me think about other seeds we plant in life. How many times have you smiled at a stranger, or called up a friend on a whim, just to say hello and check in with them. The small things we do can become seeds of joy, and we may not even know we are planting them. Imagine how much good we could do if we were planting those seeds on purpose? Go ahead...I DARE you.

Just an FYI: 99 Days!

Only 99 days until Christmas! Have you started getting ready?

Wordless Wednesday: Airshow

We went to the local airshow a few weeks ago. Most of the attractions are Coast Guard related. This shot was of Goliath, a Coast Guard plane dropping supplies to the ground below.

The car drop is a favorite.

Coast Guard Chopper coming in for a landing. A big THANK YOU to all the Coast Guard members who patrol our seas and help protect our country!

9/11 remembered, reposted from 9/11/2007

I wrote this "poem" if you will (its not a rhyming poem, so I sometimes wonder if I should call it that) a year after 9/11. I thought I would post it here today in remembrance of that time.

Revisited version II

In Memory of 9-11-2001

I try not to think about it-At least not in depth
Waking up that morning like it was a normal day
Browsing through my email news... And there it was...
I was in shock-And so I sat all day watching
As my children played on the floor around me-oblivious.
I watched the explosion as the second plane hit
I watched the bodies of the people who jumped-Falling... falling...
I watched the people fleeing as the first tower collapsed
And I sat and watched that collapse-a silent witness to untold deaths
My mind tried to grasp what it meant and would mean
Tried to understand what people who were there must have felt
And then I stopped thinking about it... put it away
It was always there of course-every day
And now a year has passed. I have not watched TV today
Afraid I will see the replay of all of the deaths that still haunt me
And I realize that I did lose something that day
I lost brothers and sisters I had never even met
Potential friends who might have enriched my life
And the feeling that I could keep my family safe in this world
A world on the brink of explosion

Wordless Wednesday

D took this one of Snoqualmie falls on our way home from our family reunion last month. This is one of those pictures that I could never take because the overlook is hanging over the edge of a cliff, and I have a problem with heights. I couldn't even stand back against the wall, so this is as close as I had to settle for looking at the falls via this picture instead. (So much for this being Wordless!)

Educational Challenges...

Our oldest son #1 asked us at the end of last year (his sixth grade year) if he could try homeschooling. He has had a lot of trouble with bullies throughout his whole school career. We had thought about homeschooling before, but because of his being on the Autism Spectrum (he is high functioning) we thought that he needed the social experiences that school could provide. Well, after years of him having to deal with jerky kids, I came to realize that social experiences don't help if they are not positive ones. We considered the possibilities and prayed about it and decided to enroll #1 at Connections Academy. It's technically not home school, but rather a virtual or online public school. He can still get some of the benefits of his old school. For instance, he will still be in band there, but most of his school is done at home.
Last week was the first week of school for him. It was a challenge, mostly because his brothers don't start school until this week, so they were around and a big distraction. We survived though, and once we get used to the routine I think it will be a great opportunity for him. Hopefully I can be patient while he learns new work habits, and hopefully I won't drive him too crazy making sure he is motivated to complete his work.
The great thing about Connections is that since it is a public school, they provide most of the materials. They sent us a computer for him to do his work on, and textbooks as well as some other supplies. We have to provide the printer ink and paper for when assignments need to be printed out, and various school supplies.
There are some sacrifices. Mostly personal time that I will be spending, but I certainly think that #1 is worth that, and I hope that this school year will bring us closer together and be a good thing for both of us. #2 is already asking if he can do Connections next year when he starts Junior High. Wish us luck!

Wordless Wednesday

The Frog Prince surveys his Kingdom...(taken by D)

I never realized before that frogs are pollenators but they are. Biggify for evidence. (D again)

Frog in a pumpkin bloom. (D)

Chillin' in the Cabbage (I took this one)

Peekaboo! (Me)

Why blog?

I started blogging for very different reasons than I continue to blog for.

See, I wanted to be a writer. I have wanted to be a writer since I was in first grade. My writing goals evolved many times over the years and went from writing horse books (as a first grader, I didn't have much imagination outside of the Black Stallion books I was reading) to fantasy fiction, to poetry, to children's literature. I even wrote a hundred pages or so of a romance novel when I was in the 8th grade (don't worry, it was nothing racy, but was more along the lines of the Emily Loring romances I read when I was a teen, where the leads kiss at the end of the book.) Writing used to burst out of me. I would start many stories, and thinking about them would consume my thoughts almost constantly. In my late teens and early twenties I would be driving somewhere and a poem or song would suddenly be in my mind, and I would have to pull over and write it down before it was gone.

When I started blogging a bit over three years ago, it had been a long time since I had written much of anything, other than a poem or two. A couple of my friends had started blogs, and suddenly there was this open format waiting for me to fill it up. I wrote about why back to school is one of my favorite seasons, and why dieting is hard for me as well as writing about family anecdotes and my general opinion of several other things. I wrote at least three times a week, often more. I didn't write for comments as the only people that were reading my blog were a couple of family members and a few close friends. Some of those old, and rarely read posts are my favorites.

Somewhere along the line, blogging changed for me. When I started "meeting" other bloggers and getting a few comments, I was suddenly much more reserved. I realized that my posts were generally very long, and few people wanted to put the time in to read a whole one. I loved getting comments, and it was suddenly pressure to write something worth commenting about. I also got pregnant with my sixth child, and my first daughter, and I was tired and sick, and had no energy. I kept blogging because I felt obligated, and I knew that eventually I would evolve again. Evolution is one of the joys of blogging. You don't have to quit if you get tired of it, you can just cut back, or take a bloggy vacation. Sure, you might lose some of your commenters, but chances are that you can get them back later. Blogging isn't about the comments for me anymore. I reached my goal of getting ten comments on a post, and I even surpassed it and got more than twenty once!

I blog now because it is my space to put my thoughts and memories. Of course I still enjoy getting comments, but it doesn't consume me the way it once did. Blogging is the closest thing I have ever had to a successful journal. I don't put everything there, but at least the highlights are usually present. It is also a place to post some of the pictures I take. I love taking pictures as much as I used to love writing, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so maybe there is still a writer somewhere inside of me after all.

This post has been an assignment for School Days by TravelinOma.

Happy Birthday S aka #2

S was a much anticipated baby. Some people thought we were crazy for having our kids so close together, or that some of them were accidents or mistakes. That is not the case. After J was born we loved being parents, and looked forward eagerly to the growth of our family. I was very happy when I found out we were going to have another baby.

S sure loved that pacifier when he was little!

He got himself into his share of mischief as well. Still, he looked so cute all covered in flour that I couldn't be too mad.

S has a great smile and a wonderful laugh.

Then suddenly he wasn't a baby anymore. I missed a couple of years worth of pics because they got lost off the computer, and our scanner isn't hooked up right now for me to rescan them. Trust me that he was cute during those years too. When this picture was taken he had three younger brothers already! He is about five years old here.

S loves being outside.

S and I on a walk along the Columbia River.

S and D at S's Baptism.

S loves to joke around with his Grandpa A.

Jumping over the rainbow.

And now he is growing up into a young man. I can't believe it has already been 11 years!

Wordless Wednesday

I caught this one out in the garden, perched on top of a corn stalk. (The bug was perched, not me.) Note, when you see a pic with the Copyright Moss-Grove on it, it just means that it is one of our pics that D has posted on his blog.

Family Reunion

Last weekend there was a family reunion on D's side of the family. It included his Mom and Stepdad and their kids and grandchildren. In all we had 28 people there for at least a few hours. It has been 16 years since all the siblings were together at once, and unfortunately we weren't able to get everyone there this time either. We were missing 11 people as D's oldest stepbrother and his family live out of the country and were unable to come, and his youngest sister recently had twins who were born premature and aren't ready to travel yet. Still, it was a lot of fun with those family members who were able to make it.

The reunion took place at Ensign Ranch, which is a facility owned by our church. We rented the Lodge there for four days and three nights. The kids loved the opportunity to feed the horses and to play with their cousins. They ran around the grounds and around the main rooms of the Lodge, played pool and ping pong, and just had an all around great time.

There was also fishing (no one had much luck with that), hiking and canoeing. D took S and T out on a canoe while J went with Grandpa Dan. C and K were too nervous about getting on a boat, and so they stayed on shore with me and Baby B.

We slept either in The Lodge, which has seven bedrooms, or in a bunkhouse. In the case of D and myself, along with the kids, we stayed in a bunkhouse just next to the Lodge because the bunkhouses sleep ten people per side, so we could all stay together. The Lodge was lovely, but not luxury accomidations. It was more like camp. We slept in metal bunks and ate cafeteria style in the dining room just off the commercial kitchen. Still, it was a lot of fun, and great to see family members that we don't connect with very often.
For our boys, the all time favorite activity was the slip and slide. Ensign Ranch has a very large slip and slide set up with sprinklers at the top, and the boys spent hours sliding down. It was a big highlight of our trip for them and a great way to stay cool. Their cousins enjoyed time on the slip and slide as well (see below).

All in all, it was a wonderful time and there are plans in the works for another family reunion in two years. By then D's step brother will be back in the U.S. and his sister has promised to make it next time as well. By then though, his youngest brother will be serving a mission for our church, so it still won't be everyone together at once. Maybe the time after that!

Here is a final shot of everyone that stayed through Sunday. We all went to church together and took up four rows in the chapel there. I can't wait to see everyone again! Two years is too long!

Wordless Wednesday

Daisy was disappointed when she didn't make the synchronized swimming team.

Wordless Wednesday

You might remember a few weeks ago I did this Wordless Wednesday with a chrysalis pictured. That butterfly has since hatched, along with others and they can be regularly found flitting around our garden. Here are a few shots...enjoy!

Flying over its old grazing grounds (i.e. what is left of my cabbage)

Time for a little rest.

Checking on the corn crop.

A yearly Tradition...

Our family has had a tradition of getting together every summer for a picnic at Blue Lake Park in Portland. This year we made plans to move our festivities to another park because Blue Lake is always extremely crowded and it just hasn't been as much fun. Unfortunately when we called to reserve a spot at the new park, all the reserveable areas were full. My lovely sister Myra (not her real name) opted to invite us all to her house for a lovely BBQ instead.
There was a LOT of food (that is also a family tradition). We were all in HOG heaven I think. There was also badminton and a huge water fight. It was a lovely day and the time flew right by. The best part was that because we were at my sister's house we spent most of the time in the nicely fenced back yard and didn't have to worry about the kids escaping. Usually the parents of younger kids spend all of the time at Blue Lake trying to keep their kids away from the water, and it is STRESSFUL. So thanks Myra for a lovely Saturday!

Here are a few pictures...

Oldest sister Ardyth shows us how to play badminton.

My younger sister Ezre learned that badminton is good exercise!

Our hostess Myra dives for the birdie.


Baby B enjoys the swing.




Someone is impatient for the water fight.



Pink Avenger, my youngest sis tossing water at #4. Who knew Aunts could be so ruthless!

#4 gets his revenge.

Cousins are ruthless too...poor # 5 is about to get soaked by his cousin T-gal!

My Nephew G-Man knows that happiness is a warm towel and a full squirt bottle.

Not pictured were the rest of our kids, cousin J-Man, my parents, my brother, my three brothers in law and my Aunt and Uncle. I can't wait for next year!

Wordless Wednesday

Another shot from the temple grounds...

Out of my comfort zone...in more ways than one

Last night I had the opportunity to push the boundaries of my comfort zone.

A woman that I know through church called us yesterday and invited us to come over to her house for dinner. Being a large family with rambunctious children, and knowing that several people perceive some of our kids as troublemakers, I was taken by surprise by the invitation and was too flustered to refuse.

The poor woman didn't really know what she was getting herself into. She just knew me, knew of my husband and that he had served a mission in Korea, and knew my oldest son. She was a bit surprised when I mentioned that I had six children and was she sure about inviting us. She sweetly responded that it would be fine, even after I mentioned that some of our children have Autism. We arranged to be at her house around 6 p.m.

I am not much of a social person. Social situations are out of my comfort zone, and even though I usually end up talking a lot (sometimes to the point of babbling) I almost always feel foolish afterwards. I made a fruit salad and we bought a macaroni salad as sides for the dinner. When we got there, Sister T (we call each other brother and sister in our church, so I will refer to our hosts as Brother and Sister T for this post) had plastic leis, Hawaiian straw hats, ribbon and candy ready. She had the boys tie candy onto their hats and leis to keep them busy. After a short time the missionaries and another brother from our church arrived to join us for dinner. Now, let me see if I can remember everything we had! Sister T had told me it would be a luau type of party with an Asian fusion theme for the food. She offered:

Rice

Curry

Shrimp with sauce

Pot stickers

Egg rolls

pan fried balls of shrimp

Octopus (I can't remember what they called it exactly, but it was steamed octopus in a sauce)

Two kinds of Kimchee

Korean radish

Honeydew melon

Pineapple

Kalua pork (cooked in banana leaves)

Steak

Kalbi (Korean style ribs)

Kim (toasted seaweed)

Steamer Clams

Traditional Hawaiian rolls cooked in coconut milk

Poki (this dish involves raw tuna in a sauce)

Two kinds of sushi, one made with Lox (smoked salmon) and one made with raw tuna.

We also drank a Korean juice drink called Sac Sac which is basically grape juice with sugar, and whole pieces of grape mixed in the drink. All that plus my fruit salad and Macaroni salad and that was a lot of food for a total of 11 people!

The food was the second part of me getting out of my comfort zone. We eat some kinds of Korean food here because D loves it from when he served his mission. We regularly eat the Korean brand of curry, we eat kimchee and we make Kim Bap (which is similar to sushi but doesn't involve raw fish) a couple times a year. The menu items in this case that were out of my comfort zone were the two kinds of sushi, the raw tuna, and the octopus. I have never eaten sushi other than the Korean kind we make that has ham, Korean radish, spinach, egg and carrot in it. Sister T used to own a sushi bar, and she made the sushi fresh that evening. I tried both kinds, and even had seconds of both. I will say that I didn't love it, but I liked it. I also tried a small piece of octopus which I didn't like much. Octopus is very chewy, and I am big on texture. I wasn't brave enough to try the poki, because I was afraid enough to eat raw fish when it was mixed into a sushi roll of rice and seaweed. All in all, we had a great dinner, I got a couple of new recipes, and Brother and Sister T sent us home with enough leftovers to set us up for dinner tonight, as well as two pies!

After dinner they made us Hawaiian shave ice. They started out with vanilla ice cream at the bottom of the cups, then put shave ice and syrup over the top. The boys each had two helpings and loved it. After that there was no more room for the other desserts so she sent the pies and cookies home with us. The boys had fun making their candy leis and decorating their hats, and for the most part they behaved very well. Maybe I don't have to be quite so scared of being social! (Really though, I don't see me ever being very comfortable with it.)

Sister T was a great hostess, did a ton of work and was accepting of our kids. It was a good experience for the boys and we were able to praise them for doing so well.

My question for you...do you like to socialize? And what do you think of Sushi?

Wordless Wednesday

I took this shot last weekend on the temple grounds. I should note here that this pic is unaltered and straight out of the camera.

Three Years...

My how time flies! Three years ago today I began my blogging journey. I started out writing long blog posts that nobody really read, and I did my best to be funny. I loved blogging for the outlet that it was.
Today, my blogs are fewer and farther between, and they are generally shorter! I have a few loyal readers, and that is okay with me. My blog has changed along with me. I have found that I don't have the time or the energy to blog the way I used to. When I first started out, all of my blog time was spent writing blogs. I only had a couple of friends who had blogs, so I didn't have a long list of blogs that I felt like I needed to be reading. Of course all that eventually changed, and I have to admit that I rarely look for new blogs to read, not because there aren't more great ones out there, but because I just don't have the time or energy to add more to my already long list of blogs I try to keep up with.
I know that a lot of people do giveaways on their blogs when they reach milestones, and I hope you will forgive me for not doing that this time. I am just writing this post to say Thanks for your comments and encouragement, and thanks for sticking with me through the boring times as well. I look forward to continuing to blog, and who knows, maybe I will even blog about something exciting one of these days! (Right now I am coasting through the summer...look for Tip or dares to start up again in the fall.)
Anyhow...if you are bored and have nothing better to do, feel free to peruse older blog posts, and if you are short on time you can always just search Wordless Wednesdays and catch some pics you might have missed! Thanks again!

Be jealous if you have to...

Yesterday I had the chance to get together with one of my very favorite bloggers, Lilac. I have met her a few times before, but I certainly haven't gotten tired of getting to spend time with her! I was also able to briefly meet her hubby which was a treat as well.
Lilac and I enjoyed a nice lunch together at a local diner, where we were lucky enough to get a table, and NOT have to see old people eating sloppily. After lunch she treated me to dessert, and then I dragged her back to my house to meet the fam. We also perused a garage sale at my neighbor's house and then the kids and I took her back to her family. It was a lovely couple of hours! THANKS Lilac!
I'm going to make sure to be extra nice to her, especially since she now knows where I live!

Wordless a day late

I had guests from out of town yesterday, and Wordless Wednesday flew right by! Here is one to catch me up...

We all need to take a little break now and then don't we?

Wordless Wednesday

I love this girl.

Please see my Tip or Dare post below if you haven't yet.

Summertime Tip or Dare

Somehow it feels to me like Summer is almost over. Then I look at the calendar and realize that we still have more than eight weeks until school starts here. That is a lot of "I'm Bored!" to live through!
To combat the mid-summer lull, I thought I would do a tip or dare and give you a few ideas for battling the summertime blues. Of course, I would love to hear additional ideas from you in the comments section! I dare you!

I know this post may be a bit overwhelming size wise...so I am going to bold the basic idea for each one, and if you aren't interested in that category, feel free to skip it!

1. Camp Out! Of course, camping is a hallowed summertime tradition. You don't need to load up the car to enjoy a nice camp out though! Pitch a tent in the back yard. Even if you don't want to sleep outside at night, kids can have fun playing in a tent during the day. If you live in an apartment, consider asking friends if you can bring a tent over and spend a night in their back yard. Our kids love it when we camp out, and our back yard is our favorite camping spot. It's free, and there is indoor plumbing just a few feet away! We even cook breakfast outside in the morning and sit around in our camp chairs and PJs.

2. Camp IN! If you don't have a tent, or a yard, or it is rainy where you are, or if you are just worried about scary people bothering you outside, then consider an indoor camp out. We have a yearly tradition of having an indoor camp out in January, when the weather is too awful to enjoy being outside. There is no reason you can't try indoor camping in the summer. When we do our indoor camp out, we make a point to leave things that work with electricity off during that time. We use flashlights and glow sticks, set up our sleeping bags in the living room, cook outside or make tinfoil dinners in the oven, and enjoy each others' company. Back when we only had a few children and our tent was small, we would even set it up in the living room and sleep in it. That isn't an option for us now, as our tent is bigger than our living room, so now we just sleep in the living room and call it good. We have done a few fun activities as well, such as "fishing". We used a pole with a string on it, and tied a strong magnet to the string. Then we set paper fish behind our couch (which we pulled out so there would be room behind). The fish had paper clips on them, and the boys loved fishing for them. Sometimes we would attach small snacks such as fruit snacks or other prizes to the fish. If your kids are older, you could tell spooky stories and sing camp songs. We even made a paper campfire one year and taped it over the front of the TV.

3. Day Camp. I know...the camping theme may be getting old, but stick with me here! One of my boys' favorite things in the summer has been going to Cub Scout Day Camp. Not all of my boys are the right ages for that, so this year we are doing Cousin Camp. My sister and I are planning a couple of days of Day Camp type activities for our kids. I will take my kids up to Vancouver for a couple of days, and then she will come down here with her kids for a day as well. We decided on a Storybook theme. So far we have a day planned of Pirates, and one of Knights and Castles. We are working on planning for other Storybook themed days. There will be crafts, activities, fun, and camp shirts. The boys love spending time with their cousins, and my Mom and another sister are planning to help us out with things as well. I think that having Cousin Camp will become a yearly tradition. For families with a mix of older and younger kids, the older kids can help out as camp counsellors. If you don't have cousins nearby, think about getting a small group of friends together and planning camp for all of your kids!

4. Virtual Vacation. I had this idea last year, but we never got around to doing it. That isn't to say it wasn't a great idea, just that I had forgotten how much time and energy went into having a new baby. I will also admit that I am sometimes much better at coming up with ideas than I am at following through with them. That said, a virtual vacation is still something to think about. It's inexpensive and happens right in the comfort of your own home! To go on a virtual vacation, pick a destination and plan activities around that place. Cook foods you might eat there, learn about the culture and find ways to fit fun activities into it. Sometime I hope to plan a virtual vacation to Hawaii. Some ways to do this would include having a family Luau, buying fresh pineapple, making flower leis, going swimming at a local pool, going to a beach if you live near one, watching videos of undersea life and pretending you are on a family snorkeling trip, getting sugar cane at a local grocery store, watching travel videos, and learning cultural things such as hula dancing. Movies that take place in your destination can also be added in to fill out the activities (Blue Hawaii, Lilo and Stitch, etc). With a little research your family can learn about a new place, have fun together and get a great vacation without having to pay for plane tickets and hotel rooms.

5. Field Day. This is another one that you may want to combine families for. I always looked forward to Field Day when I was in school and I know my boys love it as well. Get together with extended family and/or friends and plan a Field Day of your own. You can have potato sack races, water balloon tosses, relay races and tons of other fun activities. You could even step it up if you wanted to and combine Field Day with a small family carnival. Basic booths are fairly easy to set up, and kids will have a blast competing for small prizes.

6. Beat boredom with boardom! Have a board game day. Again, this can be done with other families if you want. If you have smaller kids in your family, consider having a couple of games going at once. Some for older, and some for younger kids, and adults and older kids can take turns helping out with the younger games. This way, no one feels left out. Doing this activity with other families can be especially fun because they might have games that you don't. You could also consider buying a new game or two for the family.

7. Design your own games. This can be for outdoor games, or board games. You might be surprised at how creative kids can be if you give them a few tools to start with. For outdoor games, provide a variety of things for them to choose from, such as balls, frisbees, squares of fabric (that can be used for bases, flags or markers), cones and whatever else you can think of (we have a play parachute for instance). For board games, use marbles, pieces from other board games, dice, spinners and etc. Let kids make up their own boards or use existing boards and make their own rules to the game. Another great idea is to use small tins, let kids draw a board on a piece of paper that is sized to fit inside the tin, and then use small round magnets for game pieces. Magnets can be painted different colors or you can use FIMO clay, sculpey or some similar type of clay to make game pieces and use a magnet in the base of each piece. Glue or tape the paper playing board inside the tin, or you can get some modge podge and attach it that way (just make sure the ink used to make the board is water proof). Pieces can be stored in the tin, and voila! You have a game complete with it's own storage box and ready for travel as well! Kids could even make more than one playing board using the same pieces. A board could be glued into the tin, into the lid, and onto the bottom for up to four games using one tin. Lastly, index cards can be used to design card games, or to make cards that go along with board games. Kids can draw their designs on the cards, or they can use stamps and ink in their designs. If you have a laminator, cards can be laminated after they are done to add extra durability.

8. Christmas in July! Christmas is less than six months away, but you can get ahead of the game by starting to think about it now. Have your kids craft ornaments to save for your tree, or get them started making gifts that they can give to their teachers. Having those gifts done early will relieve stress when the Holidays are really here! Pull out some Christmas music or a Holiday movie and enjoy them! You don't have to do this all month long, just pick a day. I bet the kids will love it! You might also think about making a treat that you might normally only make at Christmas time. Start making Christmas Cards that will be ready to be filled out when the time comes. You can find directions for making some of my favorite ornaments here and here. If you really want to have some fun, go Christmas Carolling in July! I bet you will surprise some people and have a great time in the process!

9. Have a family game show night! Make up your own game show, whether original or modelled after another show. For instance, we are planning a night of Jeapordy. Each of us will come up with a category and the questions for that category and then we will take turns playing each other in groups. I think it will be a great evening of fun! Consider video taping your show and then watching it together afterwards. You might also challenge another family to play your game with you!

10. Movie Marathon. One of our summer traditions is to have movie theme weeks. I know that summer is all about being outside and enjoying the weather, but we still enjoy some screen time during the summer. We like having theme weeks such as Harry Potter week, where we watch a different Harry Potter movie each day. We might also do some coloring pages (if you google a movie title and coloring pages you can usually find some if they are a kids themed movie), and some games or activities that have to do with that series of movies. The next one we have coming up is Star Wars. We are going to watch a different Star Wars movie each day (in order of course as far as prequels first, then the real Star Wars movies). We also have Lego Star Wars the complete Saga for the Wii, so we will be taking turns playing different levels that correspond to that day's movie. You might also consider a genre theme, such as Movie Musicals for a week. Or you could just have one night a week that is family movie night, if movies for a week seems like too much. We don't do our Movie marathon every week, just a couple of times a summer, but the boys really enjoy it.

Phew! This post has turned out huge! I hope you find something that inspires you to enjoy the summer! Don't forget to leave your ideas in the comments!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Seeing a Pelican is common where we live.

It's even common to see several flying together...

On a recent trip to the beach we were surprised to see hundreds of them on the beach and in the sky. (Click to biggify)

It must have been a Peliconvention.

Update...

Well, we survived our ordeal at the dentist office! #5 got four caps, and two teeth pulled as well as a couple of fillings. He didn't have any bad side effects from the anesthesia other than being a bit dizzy afterwards for a couple of hours. He didn't complain of any pain where they pulled his teeth and is now back to eating normal food as well.

He goes back in a couple of weeks for them to put spacers in where his teeth were pulled. Hopefully he will let them do that. I certainly am not going to pay another $925 for anesthesia for them to put spacers in his mouth. Now that he has survived a trip to the dentist I am hoping he will be more willing to let them do cleanings and to do what needs to be done without being put under.

Obviously, I also survived Day Camp. Living on the coast is wonderful. Instead of hot summer weather at camp, we were treated to nice weather around 69. It rained a couple of times, but not much. For the most part it was sunny and warm but not hot. I did a lot of tramping around camp to the various activities, and I also managed to not throttle some of the more annoying cub scouts at camp. Thursday I hiked five miles, most of it uphill. Friday afternoon, once #5 was feeling better, we went on a three mile hike at Lacamas Lake, and Saturday we spent several hours at the zoo. My feet are sore, but other than that I am feeling pretty good!

Thanks for all your good wishes and prayers for #5!

Wordless

I wish I had taken this picture. All I am responsible for is sending D out in the back yard to take pics and asking the boys to go out and blow some bubbles for him to photograph. This one is my favorite.

Bloggy vacation against my will!...and teeth...are we sure we need them?

I have been taken hostage by a bunch of Cub Scouts! Send help quick...
Actually I am at day camp all week. I have been rained on, baked in the sun, sat on some prickly grass that left little thorny things on my bum, and listened to little boys yell, fight and make jokes about bodily functions. When I get home in the afternoons I have been so exhausted that I can barely think. I tried to read your blogs, really I did, but my brain is all fuzzy. Even an evening nap has not helped with the fog much, so I am afraid that I won't be reading much or commenting until the weekend, or next week.
I scheduled a Wordless Wednesday to post tomorrow, so I doubt anyone will miss me much!

Friday #5 is going in for some dental work. #5 is a sweet boy, but he has some issues. He is our third son to be getting evaluated for Autism. Two of our older boys have Aspergers, and #5 has really been struggling with some things, so we are having him evaluated. One of his issues is a great fear of Doctors and Dentists. He has sensory issues, and won't let the dentist even clean his teeth. His first visit to the dentist involved screaming and panic. They didn't even touch his mouth. The second visit, this time to a pediatric dentist was a little better. He let them do an exam and an x-ray, but still won't let them clean his teeth. He has major tooth decay, so Friday we are taking him in and they will have to put him under to do the dental work. This is spendy, but I know this boy, and it is the only way the work will get done, and he NEEDS this to be done. So, any and all prayers on his behalf (and to comfort my worried mind) are welcome. I am very nervous about the general anesthesia, and afraid of losing my baby boy, but there is no other way to do this work short of strapping him down and forcing his mouth open, and even then it would be iffy. I am hoping this will end up as a positive dental visit for him and he will get over some of his fear. Wish us luck!
I'll be back to lurking around and commenting on your blogs next week! See you then!

Happy Father's Day!

D is a wonderful father to our six children. Even before we were married I knew that he was going to be a great Dad, and both of us looked forward to getting married and having a family of our own. He has been an example to our kids, and I really appreciate him. Thanks D for not only being a great husband, but a good father as well! I LOVE YOU!

Here are some of my favorite Dad moments over the years. These are not all in the correct order.

#1 and D at the park

D with #3 after we brought him home from the hospital.

#2 and D share a smile.


D and #5 at the hospital.

#4 and D...may the force be with you!

All good Dads know how to play.

Five sons can sure tire you out, but they are also fun!

Little Girls are fun too though!

Happy Father's Day!

Wordless Wednesday

A fledgling in our yard.

Happy Birthday #5!

Baby C aka #5 was born 6 years ago today.

Our 5th boy, he fit right in with the rest of us!

Ever since he was tiny he has loved trains.

#5 has a great smile...

and can be a real sweetie too.

He also has his share (or more) of mischief.

We love you #5! Happy Birthday!

Wordless Wednesday

It's me and them...24-7...School is out for the summer!

Wordless Wednesday: Cake

B enjoys her Birthday Cake...watch it if you have a spare couple of minutes. It's fairly short.

B on her Birthday!

How does your garden grow?

We are attempting a garden this year.

I have what you might call a black thumb. I have a hard time keeping plants alive. I either drown them, or forget to water them until they shrivel up. So far my best luck has been with desert plants, or things like bamboo that need very little care.

Still...the idea of a garden has always called to me.

When we lived in Salem several years ago we lived in a duplex with a tiny yard. There was a mushroom plant (meaning a place that produced mushrooms) nearby and mushroom compost was cheap and easy to get. There had been a tree in the middle of our yard, but the owners had cut it down, and most of the yard was taken up by a large stump. It wasn't a play friendly yard, so we decided to build a raised bed over the stump and plant a garden. That garden was my first and only experience with a successful garden.

Our Salem garden one July.

The mushroom compost really made for a great garden, and for a couple of years we had a lot of success, with beautiful tomatoes, corn, onions and garlic. We also grew some pumpkins, broccoli, carrots and strawberries. Then we moved, so we took the garden out and spread the dirt through the yard. One of the nice benefits of that garden was that it helped to dissolve the ugly stump (we sank some nails into the stump before we covered it to help along with breaking it down).

So here we are living at the coast. We have not attempted a garden in the 5+ years we have been here. Our yard is pretty sandy, and I have just not had the energy. This year we had an opportunity to have our back yard tilled for free, so we took advantage and set up a small garden. It certainly doesn't have the advantage of raised beds and a lot of really good soil, but it's a start. So far we have some corn, pumpkins (that we started from seeds we saved from last year's Halloween pumpkins), tomatoes, cabbage and zucchini. We lost the starts we had planted of carrots, broccoli, lettuce and peas, and we are trying again with some of those. We also have plans to do some garlic and onions. I'm not sure how much success we will have, but next year when we are out of debt we will be able to bring in some better soil and build raised beds. For now we are trying to see what we can accomplish.

Do you garden? If so...how does your garden grow?