Bookworms at our house

Monday evening as we were cleaning up dinner and getting ready for Family Home Evening Joshua and Lydia were very quiet. I discovered why when I walked in the quiet room.  This is what I discovered they had been up to:

They somehow managed to pull every book off every shelf but the top one.  I don't know how they did that without someone hearing them.  I finally got all the books organized and put back on the shelves. I guess they were just making sure I spring cleaned the shelves.  Thanks for the help.

While we're talking about holidays...

I know St. Patrick's Day is long past, but I never got around to posting our festivities.  We really don't do too much to celebrate.  We did eat a green dinner.  We had green pancakes and green scrambled eggs.  We also made a green velvet cake with cheesecake filling.  It looked like it had been flavored with spinach, but it tasted good.

April Fools Day

We made it through yesterday without any pranks being played at our house.  Well, except the scam caller that called me four times and told me that the US Department of the Treasury was investigating charges against me and I needed to call a number and talk to a specific person.  When I told them I thought it was a scam and I wasn't going to call they told me they were going to mark in my file that I was uncooperative and I would be arrested by 10:00 this morning.  I am still here and haven't seen any police officers all day.  I wasn't worried, I figured it was a scam all along.

We woke up this morning it discover that Mother Nature had pulled a great April Fools joke overnight.  Here is what we saw this morning:

It has snowed all day!  There is only a few inches on the ground, but we are so ready for spring here in Wyoming.  It will come I know it will, I just don't know when.  We have had signs of spring coming.  The crocuses are coming up in my flower box and it was about 60 degrees on Saturday when we went to Matthew's track meet.  It was windy, but sunny.  We all got a sunburn. Bishop Opps told us that he could tell who in the congregation had been at track meets by who had sunburns. 

Our new kitchen, spring break adventures 2014

Make a slideshow design I have wanted to put new countertops in our kitchen for a long time.  I bought a pull out faucet about five years ago in hopes that I would be able to update the countertops and have a sink out of the same material as the countertops sometime soon.  We priced the countertops I wanted last year and decided we had to keep saving our pennies before we could do the project.  Finally, a few months  ago we decided we had enough to do it.  I really wanted to do this project.  We talked with our friend, Scott Shoopman, who sells and installs countertops about coming to measure our kitchen.  Right before he was coming  I got thinking about our kitchen and the possibility of adding another drawer base by the dishwasher.  I talked with Neil and looked on Lowes.com for drawers.  I found some I liked and they weren't too expensive.  We bought them unfinished and Neil stained them to match our other cabinets.  Neil spent time during his spring break moving the original cabinets over 18 inches and putting in the new drawers.  He did an amazing job! We made the school room smaller and the kitchen bigger.  I am so grateful he was willing to spend his vacation working on a project I wanted to have done so much!  Thanks so much!  I love the space, the new countertops, and the new sink.  I think it looks perfect! Some of our other spring break adventures included cleaning up the basement from flooding (twice).  On Monday we thought Joshua had used the hose and left it running resulting in a flooded storage room and a little in Emma's room and the playroom.  We pulled up carpet and cleaned up.  A couple of days later Neil used the hose to wash the car and van.  When Julia went downstairs she discovered water again.  I think she was bad luck because she discovered the flood both times. Actually, maybe she was good luck so we could find it quickly and it wasn't too bad.  We have decided that the outside faucet broke in the really cold weather we have had the last couple of months and was causing the flooding.  Neil took the faucet handle off so no one will forget and turn it on resulting in another flood. Neil was a great sport and did an amazing job cleaning up the floods.  Not what he planned on doing during his vacation.  I know this is at least the second year we have cleaned up floods over spring break. I think we will just have to put all use of hose off limits during spring break. Tonight it looks and feels like winter is here again. It is snowing and the wind is blowing. I really hope spring is right around the corner. I guess I will enjoy time baking in the kitchen while winter rages on outside.

A little late, but a sweet 17 year old!

On February 12th Julia turned 17!  What  a sweet teenager she is.  She is easy going and great to help out with anything I ask her to do.  She really is a great young lady. 

We had  a busy day on her birthday.  I took all the children to Lovell for a field trip to go bowling.  Julia really didn't want to go, but she was  a good sport and came along.  The bowling and pizza were both good, free is always good.

In the evening on Julia's birthday we had a stake auxiliary training in Cody.  We had to work dinner, presents and cake in before leaving Julia to babysit.  She wanted Minestrone soup and french bread so it was an easy meal to fix before hand.  We made a simple cake, but her favorite frosting on it and decorated it with green frosting.

I love doing things for Julia because she is always so grateful.  She is so good at helping me, and visiting with me. I love having her home.  Happy Birthday (a little late) to our favorite elf, Julia!  We love you!

What happens when an 11 year old boy tangles with an apple tree

One of our great family traditions is that Neil pulls the children behind the car on the sleds around our loop when there is enough snow.  The children love it and ask every time there is snow for Dad to take them sledding.  There is only enough snow once or twice a year.   This year the children only got to go once and it ended in a tangle.  We have a little apple tree right by the loop.  David and MaryAnne were riding and somehow they swung out wider than usual.  David ended up tangled up with the apple tree.  David was pretty scratched up and I am not sure who got the better end of the tangle.  The tree lost a few branches.  We had fun coming up with a story could tell his friends at school.  He told his friends that he got tangled up with the apple tree, but some of them still thought he had been attacked by a bear.  Oh the stories kids can come up with. He looked kind of bad, but it really didn't hurt too bad. He was  a good sport about the experience.

Hope you enjoy the sledding videos and the pictures.

Free photo collage made with Smilebox

Winter Camping Wyoming Style

February 21 and 22  the weather forecast was snow and down right cold, I think about 15 degrees for the low.  Our scout troop had a overnight campout planned and they invited the eleven year old scouts to come along for the fun.  Neil, Matthew and David packed up their warm clothes and sleeping bags and headed out for the winter fun.  It snowed about 3 inches Friday night and Saturday morning.  Matthew said that it was the first time he had snow land on his head and not melt.  By the time they went to bed he had about 3 inches on top of his head.  I'm glad to say they planned well and didn't get too cold at night.  I was glad when they came back safe and sound.  By the way, you can click on each picture and see them up close.  Hope you enjoy the boys experience.

This free collage customized with Smilebox

Meanwhile back at the homestead the rest of us had an enjoyable evening and sleep in our soft, warm beds.  Bethany came over for the evening. We made pizza and watched Pride and Prejudice.  When the movie got over we watched a little of the Olympics.  We had a good time together and hoped the boys were all staying warm enough.