Meet the Robinsons

Hospital pictures

2012-01-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

We had these pictures taken while at the hospital. They were taken Saturday at noon-ish, so Hailey was one and a half days old.

Grandmas, Grandpas, etc...if you want pictures, I've uploaded them to costco photo center so you can order prints to your hearts content. We bought the cd with the rights to reproduce for that very reason.

Hailey Ann Robinson

2012-01-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 19 January, 2012

7am - checked in at the hospital
8:05am - started Mommy on pitocin, increasing dosage every half hour

10am - Mommy's contractions weren't so comfortable any more
1pm - Mommy got an epidural. This made Daddy very happy.

Grandma came to visit in the afternoon. She helped everybody know what was going on.

a few hours later - discovered the epidural got disconnected and that's why Mommy was still feeling everything so much.
Baby girl's heart was fluctuating too much with contractions...possibly her cord was around her neck?
A little later - Mommy was still hurting, even with the epidural. The midwife said it's because baby girl's head is face up instead of down, and every time she moves down it's putting pressure on Mommy. Baby girl is stuck above Mommy's pelvic bone.
8pm - just after daddy left to get food, the midwife decides we need to start pushing. She is concerned about baby's heart rate and that baby is stuck face up. Daddy hurries back. Good thing Grandma was there to help.
9:15pm - Mommy is soooo tired. This pushing is wearing her out and it still hurts so much, even with that epidural! The anesthesiologist gives Mommy a "bolster" of epidural and that gives mommy the energy to keep pushing.
About the same time, the midwife is concerned about baby girl. She just isn't coming down any further and if she keeps getting stuck, it will be harder to get her out if we have to do a c-section. Nobody wants a c-section, but there were some tough decisions to be made. The midwife called to doctor to come give his opinion, and we decided to keep pushing in the meanwhile.
The doctor arrived just as Baby Girl made some progress! Yay! It was just enough that we knew she could come out without a c-section.
11:39pm - Baby Girl ____ Ann Robinson was born. (first name yet to be decided)

7lbs, 3oz
19 inches long
healthy!!

Mommy and Daddy had some things to do...Daddy helped Hailey bathe and get footprints and stuff. Mommy got unhooked from everything and transitioned to the new room. When they took off Mommy's epidural, they realized it hadn't been working right. There was only supposed to be 50cc of fluid and there was 200cc or something. No wonder... The nurse talked forever, and finally Mommy and Daddy got to go to sleep about 3:30am. Not for long though :)

38 weeks, 4 days pregnant

2012-01-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here I am, 38 weeks pregnant! Our baby girl is growing healthy as far as we know! I went in today for a non-stress test and all looked good. I had a contraction during the test, too, but I didn't feel it. They did another protein test and my levels are still under 300 (which is good.) As for now they are keeping me on bed rest till she decides to come. I go back Monday for another non-stress test, an ultrasound and a check-up.

Roxy has been really concerned about me. As you can see, she stays close by my side. (When Tim takes a picture, he snaps a bunch real fast, so that's why we got this one with my "shadow" and my head chopped off.)

We are so excited for our baby girl to come! I can't deny that I am looking forward to being finished with this pregnancy, but I'd rather her take whatever time she needs to be healthy and strong! I love feeling her wiggle around, and even watching her move through my belly.

results

2012-01-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

The protein level was low enough that they aren't going to induce me as of now! Just an update for all wondering. :)

Baby is getting ready!

2012-01-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, when I went to the midwife at 36 weeks, I was dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced.

Yesterday, 37 weeks, I was almost to a 2 and 70-80% effaced. She said that baby's head was moving down. I've been measuring 2 weeks ahead for quite a while now. Predicted weight of our little girl yesterday was 7.5 pounds.

Also yesterday, my blood pressure was insanely high. They did a protein test to check for preeclamsia last week and protien was present, but not high enough to necessitate induction. Yesterday they took another test, and we'll find out the results today. However, because of my crazy high blood pressure (it has been great the rest of the pregnancy) they put me on bed rest. So until baby girl comes I get to lay down on my side--a lot. I plan on typing up some sub plans, sleeping, watching some Netflix...and trying not to go stir crazy. Good thing I got a lot accomplished over the break!

I think I'm going to handle this just fine, but then again it's only 9:30am and my first day of doing, essentially, nothing. The good thing: I probably wouldn't have rested enough prior to baby girl coming any other way. Another good thing: she'll be here soon one way or another. I can't wait to hold my little princess!

Bring on the rest! :)

Christmas Break

2012-01-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

I've kind of slacked on the posting during the break, so I'm doing one cumulative post at the end. Today is officially my last day of Christmas break, and I'm very sad about it. It's not that I don't want to go back to work, I just know how hard it will be going back to work being as pregnant as I am. Enough whining though, here's a summary of what Tim and I have been up to the last little bit.

Just before the break, my school choir had their Winter Concert. After the regular concert, we got to go on a "mini-tour" and perform at another elementary school and at BYU. Aren't they cute?

Tim worked a 72 hour shift from the 24th-26th, so we celebrated Christmas a little early.

Santa really spoiled us this year. We didn't give each other much, but "Santa" gave us a new dishwasher,

a food saver,

a stroller,

some sweet gift cards,

some tools,

a labeler... (already been put to use!)

We feel very blessed to have such loving and supportive family. We missed being with everybody on Christmas, but you were in our thoughts.

Roxy got this goose for Christmas. It doesn't look like a goose in this shot, but you can see how excited she is about it. That tail was wagging and here eyes were glued.

Christmas Day I enjoyed a lunch I didn't have to fix at the station. We didn't get any pictures...I'm not always good at that. It was catered by a BBQ place that volunteered their services. How nice is that? Tim got a couple back to back calls about an hour after I got there, so it was a short, but sweet visit.

We got another "Christmas present" we're pretty excited about. Tim was hired as a part-time firefighter/paramedic at Saratoga Springs Fire Department. He's now working three part-time jobs. I'm really proud of him for working so hard. We just keep praying a full-time position will open up soon.

Thursday night, Lehi Fire Department had their yearly bowling/holiday party. I bowled at 36 weeks pregnant. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy, and I felt it afterward. It was a lot of fun. Tim was on shift, but there weren't any calls to interrupt!

Saturday, we went for a drive out to Vernon Reservoir. Tim was really hoping to do some ice fishing, and we wanted to go for a drive with Roxy. She LOVES going for drives. There were enough fishers out there already that we decided against fishing, but we enjoyed the drive and the sights.

Our good friends, Stephen and Lynette, are going to be moving this week. We're excited for them but will miss them! We had them over one last night for some homemade chicken soup and rolls, and games. Here's our farewell shot.

We did some other fun things, too, but not all captured by photo. A neighbor generously gave us a gift card to Cinemark. Tim helped them build a portable tetherball stand and that was their thank you. We went and saw Sherlock Holmes. Very good movie, but I did miss hearing some of the cliche sayings that are in the books. (Elementary, my dear Watson.)
We used a gift card (from Annette and Conrad) to buy a sweet sleeping bag for Baby Girl. It's called a "bundle me." It is compatible with the car seat.

Today is our last day together before I go back to work. We're relaxing/doing some baby preparations. When it gets together I'll put up pics of the baby's room. Happy New Year!

35 weeks, 3 days

2011-12-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

Brown Dirt Relay (much belated)

2011-12-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

Back in August I ran a relay race. It's taken so long to post about it because I have been waiting to get the pictures. (One of those deals where everyone has a camera and one person says, lets just use mine and I'll share the pix, then takes a very long time getting them to you.)

Anyway...it was a relay race in the back hills of Eagle Mountain. My leg was 6-point-something miles. I can't remember exactly anymore. I was very proud of myself, because I was 18 weeks pregnant at the time. Not only was this a more than 6 mile run for me, but it was very hilly territory. I did it though, not fast at all, but complete. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Waiting for the race to get started...

The end!

We wanted a picture of the numbers on our calves, but I think by the time we all ran they kind of faded.

After we all had finished. I promise, that's not sweat on me.

I was hot, so I dumped a bottle of water on myself.

Currently, I've been restricted to low-intensity exercise because of my back combined with this pregnancy. I really, really, really miss running. However, I'm determined to get back into running as soon as my doctor lets me. In May, I'll be running a relay race with Tim, Lorraine, and one of Lorraine's friends up in Ogden.

Thanksgiving and such

2011-11-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

I got to see lots of family last week. I love family. Lorraine and Brooke and Bryce came down early, on their way to Vegas for some extra visiting. They were more than helpful. Lorraine whipped some organizational sense into my house to help me get ready for the baby. I'll do another post with pics of the baby room soon.

Brooke was always crafting something beautiful.

We visited Tim at the fire station.

Brooke was full of questions.

Bryce checking things out...

Jared and Dana (cousins) came over with their adorable twins for a visit.

We had other visitors, too, and more things we did, but I didn't always have the camera handy.

The Witt family congregated in Las Vegas at the Moulton's house for Thanksgiving and for little Samuel's baby blessing. This was Tim and my first chance to see Heather and Todd's house. It's so nicely decorated and put together!

Brooke made these place markers for our Thanksgiving feast.

One evening, Heather, Todd, Samuel, Tim, and I went to the Ethel M chocolate factory and cactus gardens. They light it up for Christmas. I wouldn't want the job of putting lights on cacti!

We ate at the breakfast buffet at one of the Station Casinos. There was more than enough good food to fill our already once stuffed Thanksgiving bellies.

We got to see the Lion King at Mandalay Bay. The talent of those performers was beyond amazing.

I made this cake for Lorraine's birthday. It was on Monday, but we celebrated it a little early Saturday night while we were all still there.

Dad put a lot of extra whipped cream on Todd's cake. He was a good sport about it.

Here's the proud new Mommy.

Witt Family

Parents and Grandparents

It's sad that our family lives so far apart from each other, but it's nice that we can get together on occasion, too. Tim and I can't wait for everyone to come see our baby in a couple months!

Jeff and Becky

2011-11-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

Tim and I have lots of favorite people in the world, and two of those people are Jeff and Becky. Becky and I were roommates in college, and then after all of us were married we ended up, coincidentally, in the same ward in Orem. We've since moved our separate ways, but we really miss each other. Jeff and Becky came up for a visit this weekend. We played games, including our ritual Phase 10 game, we ate lots of good food, visited Costco, and went to a BYU football game. It was fun to just relax and reminisce together and pretend we aren't as grown up as we are now.

a couple pix and a general update

2011-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't been so good about posting lately, as you may have noticed. I don't like to post about things that aren't picture-worthy, but I guess I haven't had enough picture-worthy things lately. So I'll give you a couple pictures and fill ya in with all the not so exciting stuff we've been up to lately.

This school year is going great. It was fun last year, but this year, knowing the students already has made it so much easier! Instead of learning about 900 some odd names, I just have to learn the new names. It's not easy to get up and go to work, being pregnant. I just want to stay snuggled in bed. It seems I never really get into that good sleep till it's time to wake up. But by the time I start teaching those kids I feel so lucky to have a job I love. And with all this school talk, here's this years school picture:

This is just a shot of it from my cell phone. I didn't feel like scanning it in. I thought it turned out good for a school picture, eh?

In other news, I'm still teaching piano, and I get to babysit an adorable baby on Mondays. She's 5 months now. I look forward to every Monday I get to spend with her and just can't wait for my little girl to arrive. Yep, I'm baby hungry! Good thing I've got one on the way!

Tim is still working part-time for Lehi Fire Department. He's taking a class right now, too, that will certify him to drive the Fire Engine. Sweet huh? He's also taking another college class for his major. And to top it off, Tim recently started another part-time job working as a paramedic in the hyperbaric chamber at one of the hospitals here. He's a busy boy. Our schedules seem to run opposite, so we try our best to enjoy the time we do get to spend together.

And...here's another belly shot. I'm not super fond of the belly shot thing in general, but I feel some need to document my growing belly for whatever reason. Another cell phone picture, but better than nothing, right? :) I am 29 weeks and 4 days in this picture.

Have a great day!

Weekend Work

2011-10-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Tim got his elk last week, so this weekend we had the privilege of processing all the meat. Oh, what a project. Tim did most of the work--the cleaning and cutting. I ground it and wrapped it all up, and I'll be canning some of it, too.

Along with getting all this fabulous meat, we needed to create some freezer space. Dave and Debbie (Tim's aunt and uncle) have given us their freezer on loan while they are moving a bit. It needed a little bit of defrosting when we got it, and that need has increased, but never been met, as you can see.

Well, we finally met that need yesterday. Doesn't it look SOO much better!?

The meat will all fit nicely on that second shelf from the top. :)

Needless to say, we both were ready for bed nice and early last night.

belly shot - 24 weeks, 3 days

2011-10-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

For all you that wanna see my growing belly, here it is!

This and that

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't been too diligent about posting lately. Here's a few random recent happenings.

A couple weekends ago, I got to get together with a bunch of my elementary music ed friends from college. This is just a few of us...I love these girls!

We got a "new" grill! Some of our good friends in Washington (Conrad and Annette) passed it on to us. Mom brought it down on her last trip here, but first Dad put a lot of time into fixing all the broken parts so it'd be as good as new. It was about an inch too big to fit on our mini-deck, but Tim made some minor adjustments and it fits just right. :) Now I can use that burner to can!

We've been collecting baby things. Tim and I haven't bought anything yet, and I'm thinking we're probably not going to have to buy much at this rate. We've already been given a pack-n-play/bassinet, crib, changing table, a few toys, a baby monitor, a wrap, and a lot of clothing items. This morning I made it my project to sort through a lot of these donations. Below is a picture of some of said items all spread out on our living room floor. After getting them all washed I'll organize them by size and put them away accordingly. Lindsay is sending my some stuff, too, so I'll have more to add soon! Friends and family have been extremely generous and Tim and I are so grateful. We are sooo excited for baby girl to come.

Aaaaah, Monday

2011-09-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have come to love Mondays. I only teach Tuesday through Friday at school, so Mondays are my days to either catch up on work, or rest. Last week, I added one more exciting thing to my Mondays to make them even better. I get to watch a baby every Monday.

This morning, I made these delicious whole wheat blueberry muffins while baby was still sleeping.

Tim had the day off, too, so we got to enjoy some time together. While baby took her naps today, I did some cleaning, and some napping myself. For one of her naps she slept right on top of me and it was so nice. I can't wait for our baby girl to come.

For one of baby's naps today, I was doing some cleaning in another part of the house. (She was on our bed.) I heard a little sound and thought, she'll be waking up soon. Well, it had been a little while and I was surprised I hadn't heard her cry yet. I went in to check on her and saw this: aaaaawwwwww

Yay, baby surprises!

2011-09-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tim and I got a package in the mail today. Mom and Lorraine went shopping for "baby girl." We got lots of little onesies that were SOO adorable. And some cute jammies. And Lorraine threw in some chia seeds, too, in case you're wondering what those are. Tim snapped some pictures on the phone real fast while I was unpackaging the goodies. Not too high quality. Oh, and Roxy watched us open it all, patiently. Thanks Mom and Lorraine!

Golf

2011-09-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today, Tim and I went golfing with some friends. This was only my second time golfing, but I really enjoyed it. I think I could get used to golfing.

Mom!

2011-09-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Mom came to visit. We NEVER get enough pictures either, of course.
We had a to do list, here's some of the things we accomplished/did:

Tim put together the "new" grill from Conrad and Annette, that Mom brought down
canned pickles on the burner on the grill
bought fresh picked peaches
found out baby is a girl
bought some clothes and such
cleaned and organized (mom did lots of little surprises here)
went swimming
ate yummy fish
I ran a Dirt Relay in Eagle Mountain
Mom visited lots of family
gardened (Mom taught me how to prune my tomatoes)
got our feet "zoned"

Here's a few, very few, pictures, enjoy!

She's a girl!

2011-08-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

This is our baby girl at 10 weeks. We didn't know she was a girl yet.

Here's "baby girl" yesterday. She was taking a sweet little nap.

Guess what?

2011-08-29T12:06:00.001-07:00

Today we got to find out what our baby's gender is! Vote on the poll (it's just on the right side of this page), if you want, and we'll post what it is tomorrow.

Family!

2011-08-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

In about a weeks time, I got to see every one of my siblings and parents, except Steven.

Heather and Todd came up to visit their grandparents, and Tim and I got to host them a couple nights. We ate food, relaxed, played a rousing game of scrabble, visited Tim at the fire station (he was working one of the nights), and got to enjoy shakes from Dairy Keen in Heber, among other things.

Here we are visiting Grandpa and JoAnn. (picture courtesy of Heather.)

Heather and Todd are most gracious guests. They insisted on taking us out to dinner.

Who can turn down Texas Roadhous? mmmm...

(picture courtesy of Heather)

A few days later, Jonny and I headed to the airport together. He was flying to New Mexico, and graciously worked it so his flight would leave about the same time as mine. He took me to the airport, and since his flight left after mine we enjoyed a nice visit until I had to board. No pictures here, but it was good to visit.

While I was heading to Washington, Tim took off to go fishing with his Dad in Montana. He didn't get any pictures, but Art did, so maybe we'll get ahold of some.

I had a 3-hour layover in Boise on my way up to Washington. Just enough time to see the Howells! Lorraine, Bryce, and Brooke picked me up at the airport. They took me to a park nearby, where we enjoyed a great picnic lunch made by Lorraine.

We saw this cute little squirrel building a nest.

In Washington, I was super spoiled by my parents. Mom and I went maternity shopping before heading home, and I got some cute maternity clothes that I can feel good about wearing to work. (As good as you can feel about having a bigger belly anyway.)
When we got home, mom surprised me with this welcome basked on my nightstand.

Before going up, I joked with Mom about having a pinata for me. The last two times grandkids have been up there they've got a pinata. Well, Mom never fails to go the extra mile. Here's my makeshift pinata and the contents inside. Still for grandbaby :)

Mom and I got busy while Dad made a quick trip to Montana. (If I'd gone with him I would've seen all my immediate family in a week!) We worked on our freezer paper stencil skills and designed these onesie prints for future baby. I'll be prepared whether it's a boy or a girl.

Mom also made me this adorable maternity skirt. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Dad came back in time to get a little bit of rest in over the weekend, and brought Moose Moss ice cream, which he generously shared. My baby's gonna love ice cream. :)

Here's Dad talking to somebody on his birthday.

Monday morning, Mom and I made chokecherry jelly. Two years ago Tim and I helped pick the berries, and all together we made a huge batch of juice. Mom canned the juice for future use. Here's our jelly, straight out of the water bath.

On our way out, I gave Annette one last hug. I met Annette and Conrad last winter/spring, when they came down with Mom and Dad and stayed with us for a couple days.

And here's Mom and me, bidding farewell at the airport. Doesn't she look pretty?

Tim picked me up at the airport. He'd driven home earlier that day. He brought Roxy with him, and now we're home, enjoying the last few days of summer before I have to go to work.

Guess what?

2011-07-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Tim and I are having a baby! We are more than excited.

We don't know what it is yet, but I'm 14 weeks and due January 24.

Our little Baby is currently the size of a lemon. About 3.5 inches long and 1.5 oz.

We'll keep ya posted!

camping

2011-07-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

When Tim got his July work schedule, we were both so excited to realize Tim had enough days off that we could go somewhere. Inevitably, our plans kept getting shrunk, but we were determined to do something. We decided to go camping.

Tim and I packed up and headed out on Wednesday for Mirror lake. On the way there, we stopped by Dairy Keen and enjoyed delicious shakes. MMMM....If you ever go to Heber it's definitely worth stopping there.

We got to Mirror Lake and were quite disappointed that all the primitive campsites (non-pay) seemed to be closed. We drove around looking for a good spot, but Tim's stipulation was that it had to be by a lake for fishing. Well, that just wasn't happening. There was a place we wanted to go, up by Echo Lake, but the road was all washed out. That seemed to be the trend.

We finally settled in a pay campground by a lake called Lost Lake. It was as beautiful place.

Here Tim is explaining that one side of the table is the fishing side and the other is the food side.

Firepit setup.

Inside our tent.

Tim was eager to get his line into the water that very evening.

We had no cell service, which was fabulous. That gave us lots of time without distraction to relax and enjoy.

Tim worked hard to make sure we had enough firewood.

We took a bunch with us, but it never hurts to have more.

I made sure the air mattress had enough air. Nobody likes your bum hitting the ground when your asleep...at least I don't anyway. Roxy helped by watching.

We got to enjoy lots of pretty views. We spent a good chunk of Thursday walking around the lake, stopping here and there to fish. Roxy really got used to the water.

And I learned never to forget the sunblock.

After we got back, Roxy enjoyed the ice leftover from the cooler.

We ended up coming home a little early because we didn't want to pay $18 to stay another night. Next time we'll buy the $10 map so we know where to go without having to pay. At least we'll save $8 that way.

If you want to go camping with us, let us know! There's only one month left till school starts...

French Bread

2011-07-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

I made this today... mmmm....

Cement!

2011-07-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of owning a house is getting to take care of a yard. (I really do mean that, I like yard work.) Well, at our house, we were/are also responsible for landscaping our yard. It was all dirt when we bought it. Tim has been the mastermind behind this, and worked hard at putting in a nice looking yard. There has been one last piece missing for a while which is now finally complete! We wanted to extend our barely two car driveway to give a little more parking room. We had the concrete poured and finished Saturday! Now there are little things here and there we still need to do, but it at least "looks" complete. :)

Before...a nice chunk of unfinished property.

The chute wasn't quite long enough, so the first little bit had to be done by wheelbarrow loads.

Somebody always has to step in the fresh concrete, right? I'm just glad it wasn't me. :)

The finished look! (Still drying...)

And here's a shot of the front of our house now. It looks so much more complete!

green thumb update

2011-07-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I made several exciting discoveries today!

Last summer, Tim brought home 2 rosebushes that he dug out from a house he was working on. Most of our greens in the front yard were actually acquired that way. We planted both, and one didn't make it. The other was a maybe...it was a cold winter. Well, it started to sprout leaves this spring, and I've been sometimes watering it, patiently waiting to see what would happen. Today I discovered these!

I've also been not-so-patiently awaiting produce to come forth in my garden. The lettuce has been doing well all along, but I've been waiting for everything else to follow suit.

My cherry tomatoes have had yellow flowers for quite some time now, but my keen eyesight has been blind to any little green tomatoes. Well, today, my neighbor and I were visiting and she noticed several of these!

Now I just have to wait for the regular tomatoes. The plants are bigger, but still no flowers...

Yesterday, as I was examining my squash and zucchini, which actually survived,

I found this little guy hiding under those leaves.

Little surprises are hiding all over!

My green onions (round 2) are coming along as well.

I don't know if I mentioned the tomatillos in my last garden post, because I thought they were dead. This isn't the best photo, but they survived and are flowering!

And last, but not least, I keep checking my peas. They've had cute little white flowers, but I didn't notice several of these till today!

I hope you enjoyed your tour of my garden!

"U" napped

2011-07-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

So you may or may not be familiar with the BYU/Utah rivalry. I happen to be a BYU fan (duh, I graduated from there!) My neighbors/friends a couple houses down happen to be Utah fans. Well, we've had some fun jesting with the rivalry, but I seized an opportunity today that was just beyond resisting.

Our good friends asked us to check on their dog. They were going to be gone a while. I agreed to with pleasure. When I was getting their dog out of her kennel, I noticed this, sitting on their table.

Hmmmm...what should I do with this beautifully crafted symbol of their loyalty...I didn't want to harm or destroy it; that'd just be disrespectful and mean. I decided to "hide" it. I brought it home with me, along with the dog (to play with my dog.) On my way I decided I would replace it with this:

I quickly got to work painting my "Y." I think I'm just going to put it in the dog's kennel and keep her here to play. hehehehe...

to Grandpa's house we go...then on a drive

2011-07-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Tim and I went up to help Grandpa with his yard. It's quite the large yard, and our job was to mow it. Tim took to the riding mower and I took to the push mower to get the edges.

Then we went for a beautiful drive through the Alpine Loop. There were some other roads we ventured on too, but you'll have to ask Tim if you want to know what they are called.

At the bottom of the canyon, we found a nice little fire spot. Tim built us a fire and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Roxy got to take her first drink of river water (that we know of anyway.)

We feel so lucky and blessed to live close to such beauty!

Weekend Visitors

2011-06-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of living fairly close to I-15 in Utah is that we get to see lots of visitors traveling through. Sometimes it's a brief hello and goodbye, sometimes a little longer.

Friday, we had the pleasure of Mom and Dad visiting. Tim was a work, so he missed out. It was a short sweet visit and most enjoyable.
I got a picture of Mom, Dad, and me...but my memory card wasn't in the camera, and I don't have the camera cord...I'll work on saving the picture somehow. :(

Saturday, Grandma Donna, Debbie, Angelica, and Marissa were traveling through. I met up with them in Orem and we visited there for a while. Then they decided to stay the night, so we got to enjoy dinner and more visiting.

Thanks for stopping by!

Green garden!

2011-06-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to planting a garden ever since I knew I wouldn't be living in BYU housing anymore. At our first house, there was no place for a garden. At our second place of residence, the garden didn't turn out so hot. The only thing that grew successfully was the green onions; everything else was infested by bugs or eaten by animals.

So...when we bought our house in Eagle Mountain, having a garden spot was priority! Last summer the spot wasn't "built" in time, so this summer I couldn't have been more excited to FINALLY grow a garden in the great garden spot Tim built.

I'm not too experienced with growing things, and I'm learning a lot as I go. I started out by tilling the soil with a shovel. It was nice and soft from all the rain.

I planted some peas, green onions, yellow onions, and lettuce from seed. From starts I planted tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatillos, peppers, zucchini, and garlic.

For some reason, my green onions didn't grow the first time, but after a second planting they are sprouting up so cute. They are budding up to the left of the lettuce. (Ironic, since they were the only thing that grew for me in Orem.) The lettuce and peas are thriving!

My tomatoes are hanging in there, and a couple of them are starting to finally get little yellow flowers!

Sadly, the cantaloupe and cucumber didn't survive. I am on round two of squash and zucchini, and I think the squash isn't going to make it. The peppers might survive.

I've learned a few things for next year:

I'm going to get rid of half of the CLAY in the garden box and replace it with good soil.
If something doesn't grow the first time, try again. (like my cute little green onions)
Cold weather plants thrive with an overabundance of rain, warm weather plants...not so much.

I'll keep you posted when I get more produce!

Mom...for a minute

2011-06-17T08:19:00.001-07:00

Mom stopped by on her way down to Las Vegas. It was a short visit, but a good one. We snapped this shot on Sunday.

Montana

2011-06-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last week Tim and I got to visit Montana! Austin turned 8 and chose to get baptized, so that was the primary reason to get to visit.

We took Roxy along with us. She really enjoyed the ride.

We arrived Wednesday night. On Thursday, Tim and Art went golfing, and I went to Billings with Tanya, Diane, Austin, and Gerrit. I can't believe how big those boys are getting! We had several things to do. Austin got to pick out a birthday present.

Gerrit was just adorable.

Thursday night, Lindsay invited us to dinner. She made delicious chicken alfredo. We got to play with the kids, who grew up so much.

Macy really liked my lip gloss. She used it about every 20 minutes. I know what to get her for her birthday now.

Friday, the boys (Tim, Art, and Austin) all went golfing. I think my husband must like golfing of something :) I didn't get any pictures of that. I used that time to visit some old friends. This is Jo and Dora, who used to be my neighbors.

Friday evening we had a BBQ at the Robinsons. Grandma Donna and Grandpa Dan came up, too. While waiting for things to get started, Tim saw a bug on the ceiling. He decided to attack it with marshmallows-not so successfully.

That soon turned into Tim trying to make baskets in Diane's mouth with the marshmallows. She was a great sport.

Saturday morning was Austin's baptism. It was great weather,. Here's a picture of me and Tim with Austin and the Nevin's.

We did, however, get this great photo of us with "Aunt" Jenny and "Uncle" Joe. Tim always thought of them as family before we were married. I'm "related" to them, distantly, through marriage. Cool, huh?

Hopefully we'll get to go back sooner than later!

High School Friend

2011-05-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to meet up with Ashley! She and her family were coming through town on their way home so I met up with them for a bit to catch up.

Ogden Marathon

2011-05-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Bubba ran the Ogden Marathon, and Lorraine ran the 5k. Tim and I went up to meet them in Ogden Friday night.

Tim had to work Saturday, so he left me there and I got to have fun with Bryce and Brooke while their parents ran.

The Howell's brought me back to Eagle Mountain and stayed the night. We stopped at Ikea and Sweet Tomato on the way. When we got back to my house, Jon and Roxy were driving around in a sweet old-school golf cart he brought out. The kids LOVED it!

We got to enjoy dinner and a little time together before the Howell's took off after church on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for visiting!

rainbow

2011-05-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Many of us are just wishing for summer...begrudging this rain. This is the view in front of my house right now, reminding me to be grateful. I LOVE that the flag is in it, too.

firefighter

2011-05-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Lehi did a thing called "A Day in the Life of a Firefighter," where they invited people from the city and some local businesses to try out being a firefighter. They built this structure to do burns in, and Tim was helping out with it.

That's Tim all ready to go.

Projects

2011-04-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

A couple houses are being constructed by our house, and there is a dumpster full of wood by each house. We didn't want good wood to go to waste, so we went "dumpster diving!"

With our newly acquired wood, Tim built himself this beautiful workbench. (We did have to purchase some 2x4's.) Didn't he do good work?

My recent project is some not-so-healthy strawberries. I'm hosting a baby shower tomorrow, and I really wanted to make these treats as part of the refreshments.

If I ever make these again (they were A LOT) of work, I want to improve on the leaves somehow...I welcome suggestions!

Moments that make it!

2011-04-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

I teach music at an elementary school, as most of you know. During my day, I see 9 classes grades one through six, for a half hour each, back to back, except for a lunch break. There are nine hundred something students in the school, the students are divided into 3 groups. I see a third of the school for 6 weeks straight, then switch to the next group, going through this rotation 2 times during the school year. That makes it so I only technically see three hundred something students in a day, which is a little easier. Did I lose you yet?

All of the group switching and numbers is going somewhere, I promise. Friday was the last day of a rotation. In one of my first grade classes is this cutest little boy. He walked into class about a minute late with some flowers in his hand and a big grin on his face. He could see we were into the lesson already, so he just put the flowers on the back table and went to his spot quietly. At the end of class, he ran back to the table and shyly walked up to me with these beautiful flowers, grinning, and not saying anything.

You see, as a music specialist, I only get to see these kids for a total of 24 hours during the whole school year. That is, if they are an time to class, if there isn't assemblies or interruptions. Classroom teachers get showered with small gifts of this nature. I only get things like this here and there, so I think they mean a little more to me. With so many students in and out of my classroom so fast, it's nice to know I've made a difference, for sure, to at least one.

Aren't they pretty? And they smell sooo good :)

gun

2011-04-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

I asked Tim to send me any pics he took while we were golfing yesterday so I could update the blog. (He's at work.) He wanted me to have this recent picture, too. I just love my husband:)

Our new gun.

This sweet new addition to our small collection provides us with a little more security so that if bad man comes while Tim is gone, between Roxy and my new small friend I have what I need to defend myself. Better get some more practice in. Wanna go shooting?

A Golf Date

2011-04-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Tim and I were supposed to go on a double date with some friends, Heather and Jesse, golfing. Jesse has a corporate golf pass, so it was free for all of us.

At the last minute, Heather and Jesse couldn't go, sadly, but they sent us anyway. Darn, we'll have to go again with them :)

This was my first time golfing. Tim was a good teacher, and patient some of the time. He got upset with me when he thought I wasn't trying hard enough. Golf is serious business.

In front of the cart before we started the game.

That's Utah Lake behind us.

Getting ready for a drive. (Is that how you say it?)

Where it was my first time golfing, I wasn't so sure what to expect, so I didn't take my camera. Next time I will. :)

dinner tonight

2011-04-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

I just really wanted to share. Roast pork with homemade gravy from the drippings, carrots and onion that cooked with the roast, dark rye bread, and a mixture of squash, peppers and onions sprinkled with parmesan cheese. mmmm.... I can't wait for fresh garden veggies this summer!

New Gun

2011-04-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

We have a Cabela's credit card. We've saved up the points on our card since we got married. The goal: a pistol. Yesterday Tim got that pistol, with our points, with no out of pocket cost for us. For those of you who might be curious, it's a .40 S&W.

It was also the perfect excuse to go for a drive. That and the fact that it had been raining, which means fun in the mud.

I fully intended to take my camera, but I left it on the counter at home. I still got some pix on my phone.

My Beautiful Door

2011-04-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

Not the best picture ever, but I wanted to share. Mom surprised me with this fabulous Easter wreath on one of her recent trips down here. Then Annette gave me that awesome welcome sign. Happy Easter!

chip time

2011-04-17T14:50:00.001-07:00

The chip time for my half is in...2:27:08. If my calculations are correct that makes it 11:12 per mile. I'm proud of that, and it gives me something to beat next time! New goal, avg. time under 11 minutes.

SLC Half Marathon 2011

2011-04-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today, I ran my second ever half marathon!

To get to the start, participants were to park in downtown SLC and ride the trax up to the start line at UofU--a 25 minute ride, for a race that started at 7am. EARLY!

Not too long after leaving my house I had to go to the bathroom super bad. There was no place to go till the starting line, so I had to hold it. (This info will come into play later. No worries; not in a gross way.) Trax was SO crowded. It was standing room only, and barely that. Good thing I showered before I left!

I got to the start of the race at 6:50 (should have left earlier...trax actually took 35 min, too). I knew I had to use the bathroom before I could run. The lines were forever long, but I just had to. This being the case, I started the race at 7:21 instead. Good thing we have time chips!

The course was pretty easy and I thoroughly enjoyed the run. Sponsorship/support for the race was pretty lame. One of the aid stations was out of powerade, and I only saw, I think, 4 mile marker signs at mile 1, 5, 9, and 10. Last 3 miles without any idea how far I had left wasn't my favorite thing...I could have gone a little faster if I had known how close I was.

All in all it was a great experience. My time (they will post official times tomorrow but according to my calculations) was 2:28...an 11:18 mile. That's good for me. Next time it will be better:)

Tim's (and my) cousins were there running, too. Eric and Sarah ran the 5k in the morning, then the kids ran the 1k later. They were there to cheer me on at the finish line. (Tim had to work.)

Me and Sarah, post race.

Me by the finish line chute thingymabob.

Some of my favorite kids.

Oh and see my 5 finger shoes above? I LOVE them...if you were wondering.

One of the many things Tim does that makes me smile :)

2011-04-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

Marshmallow Easter Eggs

2011-04-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid we used to make marshmallow chocolate dipped eggs for Easter. Now I'm

all grown up, I like to carry on that tradition. Eating these eggs will definitely spike the blood sugars,

so be warned.

Step one: make a mold.

Steps two-three: Make marshmallow and pour into mold to set.

Step four: Take marshmallows out of the flour mold and dust off flour.

Step five: Dip in chocolate.

Step six: Decorate!

(Tim and I decorated together, but he wouldn't let me take a picture of him. We enjoyed orange julius' while we decorate so we didn't get a sugar overload eating eggs. I sweetened the drinks with Stevia.)

Tim got creative, as usual :)

I made one for each of my piano students, and a few other friends.

diaper

2011-04-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

It's that time for Roxy...we've only put the diaper on her a couple times.

Conference Weekend!

2011-04-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Tim and I had the pleasure of great company! My parents and the Ervin's came to visit.

The Ervin's became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints just over a year ago. They got tickets for General Conference and were excited to share them with us.

The pictures below are not necessarily in any order. Enjoy!

(Oh and disreguard the date on a couple of them. )

Aaaah...the tabernacle organ.

It's rare that you capture a picture of Mom that she's not trying overly hard to look "natural." I think the two of us in the conference center are some of the best pictures of my mommy:)

I love my Dad!

Me and my sweety.

I snapped this one real fast. I wish I would have taken a little more time, cuz it's blurry.

I still think it's pretty enough to share.

This is the morning my parents left...EARLY, if you couldn't tell by the picture.

Come again soon!

A visit from the Robinsons

2011-03-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Tim's parents came down this weekend. It was so good to see them!

Friday night we went to Donald McNiell's wedding, then we got to visit Tim at the fire station.

It was so fun to see how proud Art and Diane were of their son. I snapped this shot of them in front of the ladder truck.

Here's a picture of the four of us Sunday before Art and Diane left.

Thanks for coming. We love you!

Bald

2011-03-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Tim took an opportunity to "bic" his head. If you do it with a bic razor, then mail in a photo, Bic will donate $400 to Make a Wish Foundation for people with cancer.

One day, while Tim was on shift, the Fire Department in Saratoga Springs was shaving heads. Tim and a few of his coworkers loaded up and this was the product.

Isn't he cute?

A visit from Mom

2011-03-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mom came down for a visit. It was Grandpa's birthday, so a lot of the family came to a Chuckorama celebration. It was so nice to see everyone.

Tuesday, Tim, Mom, Cindy, and I got up far before the crack of dawn to go to a temple session in Salt Lake. We got to see Grandpa there, too, and then we went to breakfast afterwards.

Thanks for coming, Mom!

Music Preschool Time!

2011-03-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

I've got all the details together for my summer music preschool. Check it out, as pass the word on!

For my website, click here.

mmmm...fresh tomato soup

2011-03-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever got that hankering for tomatoes and not had any? Then when you were at the store, you bought some, and by the time you brought them home just weren't in the mood anymore. It totally stinks! Or you cut one up expecting the flavor to be that amazing fresh garden flavor and instead they just taste bland like something that takes the shape of a tomato but doesn't really begin to compare. And since they're so expensive you can not even begin to think of justifying not using them before they go bad? Well, this happens to me more than I'd like to admit. (I can't wait for my tomato garden this summer...mmm...)

Lately, I've been wanting tomato soup. I looked at the label of the can and was so disappointed. Here were the ingredients: tomato puree, high fructose corn syrup (WHAT???), water, wheat flour, salt, ascorbic acid, citric acid, natural flavor.

Seriously, corn syrup? At least they got the wheat flour in there, huh? ugh...processed food.

Well, today I just so happened to have 4 beautiful but needing to be eaten tomatoes on my counter, thanks to my Winder Farm produce basket. I thought, I'll just make some soup from scratch, and that I did. It turned out amazing. I looked up a few different recipes and tweaked up my own version. It tasted so fresh and healthy. I ate it all by itself without any cheese or crackers or anything. mmmm...

Fresh Tomato Soup (makes 2 medium sized servings)

Saute one sweet onion, chopped, and some fresh or freeze dried garlic till the onions are tender.
Meanwhile, slightly puree 4 medium sized tomatoes in your blender-I lift mine just a little but chunky. (I also used my magic bullet.)
Add tomatoes, one can of chicken (or vegetable) broth, fresh or freeze dried basil, 2 Tbsp cream or milk, and salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer about 10 minutes. Whisk in 2 tbsp wheat flour.
Continue simmer on low till soup reaches desired consistency.

Serve by itself, or jazz it up with whatever you like to accompany your soup.

Here's a picture, but the picture makes it look not so yummy. I was in a hurry...

past due

2011-03-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for my lack of blogging lately. And, since it's been SOO long, this is going to be a random post of this and that.

Back in late November/early December (see how behind I am) I repainted our bedroom furniture. The furniture is all mismatched items we got for free from this awesome website called freecycle. Here is the before and after:

Here is a couple pictures of Tim working on his Christmas present: a Lego fire station.

In February, we got to babysit the Sharp kids while Eric and Sarah went on a short getaway. We decorated these cookies, and those kids are quite the artists!

In February, we also went to St. George. I had a music conference there, and Tim came along like a good sport. Heather and Todd ventured up from Vegas and we got to enjoy each others company for a short, but sweet, time.

For Valentine's Day, I made these caramel popcorn hearts for my sweetie and a few other people. I used a heart-shaped pancake mold mom gave me a while back.

I also rediscovered homemade chicken pot pie. One of our favorites.

As of lately, things are going well. I'm just a little over 2/3 of the way through the school year and looking forward very much to summer. I'm applying for a collaboration grant this summer, as well as doing the music preschool.

Tim has been working like crazy. He's studying to become an insurance broker (let us know if you're interested), working for Lehi Fire, and working at a market research company. For him, some weeks are busier than others...this week he'll probably be home only about 18 hours. He also taking a college class this week.

This Saturday is my recital for my piano (and a violin and cello) students. Mom will be coming Thursday and we're excited.

Saturday Drive

2011-01-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

Tim and I have gotten into the habit of enjoying a drive in the mud every now and again, and we took one of those drives today. Roxy came along, too.

We almost forgot to take pictures till the end, but here we are with the mountains behind :)

Roxy didn't want to hold still for a group shot :(

Nice, open country and muddy windows...

See where the window is clean in the back? That's where we had it rolled down for Roxy.

Christmas at the Firehouse

2010-12-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

I got to spend Christmas afternoon with Tim at the fire station. The highlight was an amazing prime rib dinner, for which I didn't have to do any of the cooking or dishwashing:) Oh, and some impressive karaoke and "guitar playing" by the guys.

We only snapped a couple pictures, but here they are.

Family Fun

2010-12-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

This week Tim and I got to visit with almost the whole Witt family. Todd and Heather came up from Las Vegas on Saturday. They stayed with us till Monday, when we hopped on board with them to head to Boise. On the way up we stopped at this cool outlook place. We should've got a picture of the 4 of us, but it was COLD so we just hurried fast.

The first day in Boise we just enjoyed each other's company. We visited, ate good food, played the wii, played games, worked on special projects, etc. The Howell family were such great hosts are really made it easy for everyone to relax and have a good time.

Brooke and Bryce got to open a present early. They got these sweet snowmobile/snowmachine type sleds. The boys got right to work on the assembly. Jon and Tim worked on one sled, Todd and Bubba on the other. Bryce helped with both.

While the boys worked on the sleds, Grandma and Brooke build candy houses...I never took a picture of the finished product.

Wednesday, we went sledding. Bubba found this great place a little outside the city and we had the hill to ourselves.

This one of Brooke looking at her dad is one of my favorites!

Bubba needed a rest after hauling sleds and kids!

Chevy ventured to take a ride, but his favorite part was playing in the snow.

Jonny, I have no idea how, caught this cute little field mouse.

Grandma and Grandpa (Mom and Dad) took us out to eat. It was delicious. Dad was especially festive with his Santa shirt...are you thinking what I'm thinking?

And, just for one more mousie thing...here's Bubba and his experience setting mouse traps. None caught yet...

Finale!

2010-12-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Approximately 8-10 hours of work later...

Merry Christmas to me!

2010-12-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

I came home from work and errands on Friday, hustled through the kitchen to put my things down, and then I noticed this....

If you can tell, that says Merry Christmas! Love, Mom and Dad.

Jonny helped out, a lot, as well. He picked up and brought the microwave out to the house. His plan was to break in and install the microwave while neither of us were home. Unbenounced to Jon, while he was trying to sneak in Tim heard him. The boys got the job done, and I came home to this beauty.

Now, every time I look in my kitchen I smile. I love that all my appliances are black, and that I have more counterspace, and that I can have a microwave with a display that works.

Thank you!

Gingermansion Part 111

2010-12-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

Gingermansion update:

One side left to decorate, and a little more landscaping....

I love it when Tim has days off!

Gingerbread Part II

2010-12-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while I was at school, I got a text from Tim asking about cream of tarter. I thought, Oh no, he's making the icing. He's going to start putting that house together too soon and it'll cave. Oh well.

When I got home, not only had my husband cleaned the kitchen, but this mansion of a gingerbread house was successfully underway!

Now as you look at the pan that house is sitting in, you should realize...that's a jellyroll pan. One of the BIG baking sheets.
Here's where Tim decided to leave the house last night.

It took all the self-control in the world to stop bere, but given that the roof is being supported by some pantry items because it's still kinda soft, it was kind of a must.

After the house dries a little more, construction will continue!

Gingerbread Part I

2010-12-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

Every year, Tim dreams of making a grandiose gingerbread house. We decided to attempt it this year. We might have got a little in over our heads...
Tim found a recipe online and mixed it up with my assistance. We have our pieces baked now, and we must wait for them to cool and sit overnight to start putting the house together.

Montana

2010-12-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Tim and I went up to Montana to see Tanya and Todd's new baby. Oh my, was he cute! Tim and I were also extremely impressed with how much Austin has grown up. He is so mature! Congratulations Nevin family!

We also got to visit Steve and Lindsay while we were there. Gage, Macy, and Weston have grown up so much!

a drive

2010-12-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday, Tim took me for a drive. I love where we live!

Look out Mrs. Prindable's...here comes Mrs. Robinson's!

2010-12-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

Long story short...I made caramel apples.

Long story long...every time the family gets together at the Holidays, Lindsay brings Mrs. Prindable's caramel apples. Well, this December, most of the family will be in Boise, but Lindsay won't. I thought I might look into taking some of Mrs. Prindable's apples to carry on the tradition of deliciousness. After seeing how pricey they were I decided to make my own-using from scratch caramel.

This was my practice batch.

I learned a couple things I'll do differently to make them better (prettier) next time, and I'll roll them in all sorts of candy and stuff. Don't they look absolutely AMAZING!?

yah...they taste that great, too.

Dinner

2010-12-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

The other night, Tim made dinner. I like it when he cooks...especially twice baked shrimp.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

2010-11-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I just wanted to share a little of our Thankgiving with you.

My mom sent Tim and I these pilgrims and Indians to assemble and paint. This was quite a project, but well worth it. We had a lot of fun making them together. Tim made the Indians, and I made the pilgrims. This is the finished product:

So, Tim is working today. I actually don't mind him working Thanksgiving, because the guys at the Firehouse do all the cooking and I just get to go to the station and enjoy. Nice, huh?

I couldn't not make something, so I made some cinnamon rolls to send with Tim for breakfast.

I'll leave for the station in a little while...Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Refill Anyone?

2010-11-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

So I've heard that it's incredibly less expensive to refill your own cartridges rather than buy them. I've thought it sounded nice, but way to scary for me to try myself.
Well, finally, I got sick of paying so much for ink! I decided to take the leap, given that a whole refill kit is about the same price as a single cartridge. What did I have to lose...if the printer gets ruined, well, we have two more in the basement, just waiting to be used.

Step one, buy ink:

Step two: refill your cartridges:

Step 3:

PRINT!

If this idea even tempts you, I can give you more info on how to proceed. It was SOO easy, I'm never going back to buying cartridges again. The whole kit was 15 dollars on Amazon, all supplies included. There is 600 ml of ink in the kit, and a cartridge holds approximately 15ml of ink. You do the math...

All in a days work

2010-11-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

A bit ago Lehi did some live burn training. One of the guys made a video of it. Here's what fuels my hubby's fire! (Tim is the only one in the yellow helmet.)

Playing "Parents"

2010-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

A little while ago Tim and I got to "play parents." Look at this little angel, he got to spend the night at our house:)

The next day, we got to play all day with a total of 5 sweet, fun, happy kids.

We made these:

We had SOOO much fun.

Thanks for the fun!

this and that

2010-10-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

This post is somewhat random...a little of this and that of recent happenings.

A few weekends ago Tim and I went on a date to the Utah Symphony--a first for Tim. They played Stravinsky's Fireworks and Firebird, and a piece by Tchaikovsky with an amazing violinist. I absolutely loved it. Tim decided he'd prefer the opera, which I can't exactly complain about. Here's a picture of us afterwards.

I have a new bike (picture will be posted soon). Last weekend I went on a really nice long ride with a friend and Nelli. Nelli was actually exhausted afterward...but just for an hour. We took some trails with amazing views. It's so nice to live so close to convenience (Walmart is less than 10 minutes away) yet so close to the middle of nowhere. Here's a couple pix from our rondevoux.

We went to the "trunk-or-treat" Saturday night. The kids were so cute in their costumes. Here's a picture of mine...

Yesterday morning Tim was in the mood for hot cereal. He made us cream of wheat. My bowl is pictured here, decorated by my sweet husband. :)

My Classroom

2010-10-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

We had parent teacher conference this week. Sadly, nobody visits the music teacher...I had one parent. My goal is to change that by the next parent teacher conference. However, I got a lot done, even though the power went out. In that time, I took some pictures to share with everyone who hasn't seen my room.

Mom gave me this cool bamboo plant.

Roommate Reunion

2010-10-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

For conference weekend, Becky and Liz came, along with their men, and we had a fabulous roommate reunion!

We went to Kneaders for the fabulous french toast Saturday morning. Liz was so excited she wanted to save some for later :)

We got in lots of visiting and relaxing.

We played conference bingo.

Charlie (Becky and Jeff's dog) and Nelli also became good friends. Nelli was quite sad after Charlie left.

We didn't get a very good picture of all of us together, but here's what we got.

Canning!

2010-10-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

In September Mom, Lorraine, and Brooke came down for a canning visit. Lorraine and Brooke were only here for a short time, and Mom wasn't here much longer, so we really had to work.

Here's a picture of all the fruit to be canned. Let me tell you, before I canned I had no idea how much work was before me.

Our first canning project was apple pie filling.

We also canned a lot of tomatoes.

And of course, dill pickles.

Mom brought her outdoor camp stove and it was SO nice to keep the heat outside. I got to use my water bath canner from Diane, and mom's pressure canner sped things up a lot.

And of course, we ate good food.

Brooke was a good helper, and she also had fun working on other things besides canning:)

Thanks for a great, productive weekend!

we love company!

2010-09-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the pleasure of the Robinsons (Art and Diane) company! They got here Friday night and brought a wonderful surprise with them:
Grandma Robinson's organ!
We're very excited to be entrusted with its care and I'll make sure to practice it at least once a week.

We had fun relaxing, going to a baptism and Cabela's was in there, of course. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures with them while they were here, but I did take pictures of our Sunday dinner! I made my first ever French bread, and my first ever cheesecake.

We also had another visitor yesterday evening. This critter was in our driveway...

Once in a Lifetime...

2010-08-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, Tim took me to an upscale French restaurant. This little place is nestled in the trees next to Cottonwood Canyon. The path to get to the restaurant was a brick pathway, and the only way to park was valet. Good thing we drove the Chrysler.

We learned that an hours d' ouevre is required. At least, when the first menu they handed us at the beginning had only hours d'ouveres listed, we figured that was probably the etiquettly correct thing to do. We shared these crab cakes. They were light, flaky, melt in your mouth goodness.

We both got a warmed spinach salad with bacon, goat cheese, mushrooms, and some other simply sweet goodness drizzled all over it.

Tim ordered New York Steak, and it was cooked to perfection. Nice and brown on the edges and perfectly pink inside.

I fell in love with the halibut, for which there is no picture.

We shared a vanilla ice cream filled crepe with the most amazing rich chocolate sauce and berries for dessert. Here's what was left.

With our check they brought these. I think next time I host a party I might try making them.

There was a candle on the table that melted by the end of our meal. It kept us entertained.

Sadly, we didn't get a picture together, but we got individual shots.

Thanks Tim, and La Caille, for an unforgettable birthday experience.

visit from the Moultons!

2010-08-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

Tim and I had the privilege of the company of Heather and Todd this last weekend. It was such a nice visit! They got here Friday and left Monday. We would have loved to have them longer, but we'll take what we can get.

I didn't get too many pictures, but here are two events I did get pictures of.

Heather was having sinus issues, so Eralia, her old roommate who also popped by, and I convinced Heather to try out my Neti Pot. If you've never used one it's something everyone should get to experience, and you can definitely breathe clearer afterwards.

We also discovered our first, and hopefully last, scorpion during Heather and Todd's visit. Here's the cute little bugger.

He didn't last very long, because Tim found some hairspray.

And a lighter.

Heather and I enjoyed playing wii dance, Todd put Tim into humility with a 007 game, we ate good food, relaxed, and even were graced on Sunday with Grandpa and JoAnn as dinner guests! It was delightful. We love you Heather and Todd! Come again soon!

Zucchini brownies

2010-08-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here is my zucchini brownie recipe. I want to preface it with a couple things, however. First, honey varies a lot, so start with less and add more as needed. Second, the batter tastes disgusting but trust it because somehow the flavor transforms in the oven. Third, I'm going to post 2 frosting recipes. Both are delicious, but the one with powdered sugar I like better on these brownies. The honey frosting tastes amazing but I think would be perfect for a cake. And these brownies are the type of brownies that just need frosting. Lastly, these brownies are kind of like a cross between brownies and sheetcake.

Healthy zucchini brownies
1/2 applesauce
2/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
(opt.) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched. Spread frosting over slightly cooled brownies.

Frosting 1(my preference but not so healthy)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine. Add remaining ingredients and mix.

Honey Cocoa Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/8 cup clover honey
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pint heavy cream

Whip the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the honey, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.

Beat the cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the cream should form a sharp peak that holds its shape. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

ENJOY!!!

Yard Work

2010-08-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Tim got ahold of a skidsteer this weekend, which meant we/he made progress on our yard! This is the trailor he hauled it home in, along with a shot of our park strip and the green spots from our sweet Nelli.

Tim built me a garden. I can't wait till next summer! There is going to be weed mat, then gravel between the wall and the grass. My smart hubby also knew to place weed mat between the dirt and little retaining wall. That way the dirt can't erode out with water.

And Tim hauled a bunch of rock! Much better than wheelbarrowing. At one point, a guy was driving up the street in his tractor. I waved. Then I noticed he was headed toward our gravel pile. (Our gravel, btw, is sandstone, which is not a natural rock around here, which should indicate ownership.) Tim was spreading dirt in the neighbors yard. We flagged Tim down and he zoomed over in the skidsteer, which looked tiny next to the tractor, and resolved the issue. I was glad I didn't have to chase a tractor down, and that we kept our gravel.

Tim also created a path to our backyard neighbors yard in the empty lot behind (There's a lot of back and behinds in that sentence...) We have a few backyard neighbors a couple lots down that we hang out with a lot. It's now much easier to get there.

Yay for more yardwork getting done!

death by doughnuts

2010-07-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been wanting to try this doughnut recipe in my "Mormon Cooking" cookbook. It has mashed taters in it. I decided to begin that adventure today, as well as fry up some cake doughnuts while in the process (another first).

Below are some pictures of my results. Needless to say, both recipes made many more than anticipated and my neighbors are reaping the benefits. Holy doughnuts.

and some scones

Mom's Zucchini Bread...modified

2010-07-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

My Mom makes the best zucchini bread in the world. Hands down. And I have her recipe.
Well, recently I've been experimenting using honey in a lot of recipes instead of sugar, and I've always experimented with whole wheat and applesauce. I've found, to my excitement, that using applesauce actually works better for texture when you use honey, because honey holds in moisture and prevents that cakiness you get with applesauce.

Well, here's the product of my experimentation with Mom's zucchini bread recipe:

Don't ya just want to eat that up? It was perfectly delicious and moist and normal tasting :)

Here's the new and improved recipe:

Mix:

4 eggs
2 c applesauce
1 1/4 c honey (play with this a little, different honeys have different amounts of sweetness, but the original recipe called for 4 cups of sugar.)
4 tsp vanilla

Add and mix:

2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
a little ginger
a little nutmeg
6 c. whole wheat flour

Last thing, add and mix:

4 c. grated, not peeled, zucchini
1 c. chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees in 4 medium loaf pans, 35-50 minutes. (I always just use the clean toothpick test. And, they also make good muffins but only need to bake 15-20 min for that.)

Nutrition Facts in a nutshell, per slice:

3.1 g protien
21.2 g carbs
1.7 g fat

This and that

2010-07-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have lots of "this and that" about which to update you. So, this is going to be a very random post.

Last weekend, while Tim and I were working on various projects in and around the house and yard, Tim beckoned me to come check out the cloud of smoke showing up over the hill. We grabbed Nelli and went for a drive up the hill across the street to behold this view:

FIRE! Just over the hill yonder. Luckily, it was plenty far from us and we had absolutely nothing to worry about. Nelli also had fun on that drive, but not for the same reason, she enjoyed tearing up the sage brush.

I've also been dedicating a good chunk of time to catch up on some sewing projects. This is just a taste of some of them.

I made this skirt out of some sweet vintage fabric from Mom. It looks crooked in the picture, but I promise it's not. I also converted a couple dresses into skirts, but I didn't take pictures of those.

I sewed another pillow case to tie in a little more red. My mom made the first one when she was down here, and I just created it's twin :)

I've had these place mats to be made into purses for longer than I can remember, and here's the purses.

I ventured to make a pretty pie top, the lattice kind. This is a venison pot pie. If anyone wants the recipe let me know.

And last, but not least, I signed papers with the Alpine School District today to be an Elementary Music Specialist. I'm officially employed!!!

Witts in Washington

2010-07-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Tim and I went up to the first Witt family reunion over the 4th. It was a most enjoyable weekend.

Grandma planned lots of activities. One of the first was a treasure hunt. The prize was shirts for everyone:)

We all got to wear our shirts for the family picture. We missed Jonnny...

We also got to go on a train ride. There is this fabulous old man, who is legally blind, that built this train and railroad in his yard!

Tim and I had lots of fun with all the nieces and nephews.

Bryce even helped Tim have a fabulous nap.

Nelli got to go on her first fourwheeler ride.

There was a big bonfire.

And some fabulous fireworks, put on by Grandpa and Steve.

Tim and I also snuck down to the river (along with Heather and Todd) to watch more fireworks, courtesy of neighbors.

And of course, we can't forget the pinata. I even got to take a swing at it.

Thanks Witt family for a memorable weekend!

Flowers and Cinnamon Rolls

2010-07-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

So last Friday I got to help my lovely Aunt Cindy build floral arrangements. I "prepped," and she made pretty. Here's a little of what we did.

Tomorrow Tim and I head to Washington for a 4th of July family reunion. We're pretty excited. I'm bringing cinnamon rolls, a recipe I shared previously. Here's pix of the beauties....mmm...

before frosting

after frosting

sewing

2010-06-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm LOVING that right now is catch up time on so many things I've been wanting to get done. Here's a couple of my recent sewing projects:

This is in the guest bathroom. Our bathrooms don't have fans (yet), so you're supposed to open the windows when you shower. Well, that creates a problem when neighbors could see in the window. My solution is below.

So we have this great white table my sister gave us. It actually is almost a dead ringer for the main feature table at of Pottery Barn - the distressed white. We have a white couch and tan walls and carpets, but chairs with tan seats. The white table kinda works, but just needed something to be able to pull it all together (without using a table cloth). So, I turned my chair covers white. I kinda think it's too crisp of a white, but it'll do for now and I'll keep my eyes open for that perfect, just eggshellish enough white.

running with new shoes and a view

2010-06-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

I got some new running shoes, well anything shoes, and I've reaffirmed my commitment to run.

These are my shoes:

And this was one of the views on my run today, taken from my cell phone:

Father's Day

2010-06-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a relaxing Father's Day yesterday.

Tim got to open some presents:

Mom and Dad Witt gave him a belt, which he wore to church Sunday.

I gave him Cars, which he's been wanting for a while. We watched it Sunday afternoon (notice he's wearing two different outfits while unwrapping each present...I wonder why...)

I also made him some fresh cinnamon rolls. I didn't take a picture, but I just have to share the recipe. This is now my alltime favorite cinnamon roll recipe:

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls (from Taste of Home magazine)

4 cups water
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons yeast
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups quick-cooking oats (may also be used with rolled oats, you just have to cook them longer)
2/3 c. warm water
2 tablespoon sugar
9.5 to 10.5 cups flour (I ground wheat and it turned out great, but I added 1 Tbsp of glutin and dough enhancer)

1) Boil 4 c. water, add oats and butter and cook for 2 min. let cool.
2) dissolve yeast in 2/3 cup water
3) When oats have cooled (they will kill yeast if they are too hot, but can be warm still), add to yeast mixture. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, knead, however you make bread till it is a soft, barley sticky bread dough.
4) Rise till double in size.

Meanwhile...make filling and frosting.

Cinnabon Style Cinnamon Rolls Filling

2. c packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Mix first two ingredients. Reserve Butter.

Cinnabon Style Cinnamon Rolls Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 cup), softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 cups powdered sugar (to taste)

Mix all ingrediants. (Don't melt butter or cream cheese.)

To put it all together:

~Divide rolls into 2 portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, 16 inches wide, 21 inches long. Spread on reserved butter and then sprinkle on cinnamon/sugar filling. Roll up into logs, and cut about 1 inch thick (I use thread to cut). Place on cookie sheet and let rise 30-45 minutes.

~Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. (I learned the hard way, preheat your oven first and 15 minutes will give you the exact baking time you need.)

~Immediately spread frosting over rolls and they are ready to serve!

Brooke's visit

2010-06-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Brooke came down to visit us from Boise! She got here Sunday night, with her dad, stayed a while by herself, then left today.

On Monday, we got to visit Jonnycakes and he showed us "Lucy" the helicopter. It was pretty cool to have Brooke sitting up in that big helicopter.

We also indulged in some girly activities, like nail painting and watching Alice in Wonderland.

Tuesday Brooke was my assistant in the music preschool. It was so fun to have her. After preschool we went on a walk with Nelli, and some neighbors invited Brooke to go swimming.

After swimming, we played in the park, and then we took off for a hike. Across the street from our house is a big hill with a great view. Here are some pictures from our hike.

Brooke was also Nelli's best friend while she was here. They even slept together Monday night! Brooke also got Nelli to fall to sleep on her lap a couple times, too. Sleep never lasted long though, and they were right back to playing.

Tuesday night we made drums together. Here's Brooke with hers. She did most of it all by herself!

Brooke spent the night at the hotel with her dad Tuesday night, then I went in this morning and played with her tell it was time to go. We went swimming first, then we went for a walk to see some sights. We made a stop at the "Beehive house" and took a tour. Here is Brooke in the sitting room.

And here we are together in front of a fireplace. I don't know why she decided not to smile here, becuase she is ALWAYS smiling and cheering everyone with her sweet smile and giggle.

Brooke we are so glad you came to visit! Please come again soon!

Grass!

2010-06-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

We finally have grass! Yay! On Thursday night, Art (Tim's Dad) came down to help us lay sod. The sod was delivered Friday afternoon. After some prepwork, and in between rainstorms, all the sod is in, except for the park strip. Our yard still has work to go: moving rocks, planting plants, etc., but we have grass!

Preschool Preparation

2010-06-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Next week is the first session of my music preschool. Yesterday, I went shopping for supplies, and today, I worked on putting stuff together. I'm getting really excited. Here's a sampling of some of the craftier projects I've worked on:

RHYTHM STICKS/BATONS: Well, this is probably the easiest. The only work was purchasing these pre-cut dowels. Genius, huh?

EENCY, WEENCY SPIDER: Isn't he just adorable? All he is made out of is pipe cleaner and two little googlie eyes. Simple. I'll add a piece of yarn and he will be used as a manipulative for his song. EGG SHAKERS: Some of these beauties are simply for the joy of a shaky, maraca-like rhythm instrument, and some, pictured here, serve a bigger purpose. These are 3 sets of different sounding rhythm shakers, filled with pennies, beans, and rice. It will be a listening discrimination activity for the children. Fun, huh?

DRUM: 2 old (but cleaned) yogurt/cottage cheese containers, glued together at the bottoms, taped with masking tape, then painted with craft paint and smudged with a paper towel. Maybe I'll get ambitious later and paint (or draw) some designs on the sides.

JINGLE BELLS: These were actually a lot of fun. I put them together in 2 different ways so they can be used as rhythm instruments. Initially, I was just throwing them together...then, I made a discovery: the bells had slightly different pitches! I carefully sorted them out and began making "pitched" bell shakers. Exciting...I've got lots more up my sleeve for this preschool, including a HUGE drum and an autoharp being graciously loaned to me by my past professor. I can't wait!

(If you're interested in finding out more info about the preschool, click here)

Boise, Brianhead, and our very own yard

2010-06-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't been so good at posting lately, but here's what I've been up to while not blogging...

Shortly after graduation and company, some substitute teaching, and other miscellaneous this and that's to keep Tim and me busy, we took off to Boise for the Idaho Spud Run. We got to watch the kids while Bubba ran a full marathon and Lorraine ran a half.

We also got to see an old friend from high school, Chris, and meet his wife. We should have got some pictures, but we didn't.

Tim headed back Sunday, but I got to stay an extra week or so along with Nelli. The next weekend, Grandma came down, too, for Brookie's dance recital. Isn't this the cutest picture of Mom and daughter?

Here's a taste of some "at-home" dancing with the Wii. Go Grandma!

Nelli had lots of fun in Boise, but I'm not so sure Chevy enjoyed having Nelli there. Brooke and Nelli were great friends the whole time, and Chevy decided to make acquaintances by the end.

This is everyone (minus Tim, who'd already left, and Chevy, who was hiding) right before Bubba took me back down to Utah.

Over Memorial weekend, Tim and I made our first trip down to Brianhead to meet up with Heather and Todd, who graciously invited us to share a night with them at Cedar Breaks Lodge. Here we all are at Cedar Breaks viewpoint before church on Sunday.

And, we're making progress on our yard. Tim marked things out and we both worked on the trenching, by hand. I learned the difference between a pick axe and a trenching shovel after the first day.

(Tim thought he'd bought a shovel and told me it was in the garage to use while he was at work. I got the tool that looked like it was the best for the job, and when Tim came home we both discovered I had been using a pick axe all day. He actually hadn't bought a trenching shovel, yet.)

The sprinkling system is pretty much in now. This weekend Tim will use a skid steer and do a bunch of dirt moving and such, and then next weekend we'll have grass!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, my mom made every effort to have music as a part of our home. One of my memories of growing up was my mom singing Love at Home every time any contention arose. We hated it then, of course, but now I appreciate it. I guess that's what happens when you grow up.
So, for Mother's Day this year, I recorded an arrangement of Love at Home/Families Can Be Together Forever. It's arranged by David Glen Hatch. I'm so grateful to have grown up in a home with so much love, and I'm grateful for the fact that I have a family forever. I love you Mom.

Click Here To Listen

Enjoy

finally...

2010-05-08T10:20:00.001-07:00

...my valances are all hung...in the main part of the house anyway:)

2 YEARS!

2010-05-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was officially 2 wonderful years of marriage for Tim and me. Our cousin's daughter, Madison, had an art show, so we went to that. Then we went shooting, and drove through some excellent mud to get there. Nelli got to join us for that excursion. When it started raining, we headed home and cleaned up to go out to dinner. We were given a gift card to Chile's (thanks mom and dad) and we put it to good use. On our way home we stopped by and watched some boys playing baseball. It was cute:) It was a perfect day to celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

Today I came home to smell a delicious aroma filling the house. Tim made cake mix cookies, and surprised me with this, reminding me again of just how fun it is to be married to such a great husband who makes me smile every day.

I Can See Clearly

2010-05-03T18:37:00.001-07:00

So, here is the video, as promised in the previous post. Here, the students are performing for some of their classmates during the daytime school concert. There were drums added in at the evening concert.

A little history: When I started student teaching at Northridge my mentor teacher expressed an interest in singing this song. (well, the choir singing it.) We couldn't find a good choral arrangement of it, so I volunteered for the job. This isn't the best quality sound recording, but it gives you the idea. Maybe when the cd comes out I'll put a clip of a good recording of them singing it.

Enjoy! (Oh, and if you're only gonna watch part of it, watch the last half...its the best.)

Tim's big 25, Graduation, and more...

2010-04-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

Well lots has happened since I last posted, and an awful lot of it happened last week! On Tuesday, Mom and Dad Robinson came down to stay with us and visit for a few days. Mom and Dad Witt arrived on Wednesday, also Timmy's big 25th birthday! He's a whole quarter of a century old!

For Tim's birthday we had pork chops with onions, apples, and cheese, and Raspberry Italian sodas.

I made Tim a way to sugary cake, "better than ... cake" for those of you who are familiar with it. And Nelli even got a present from Mom and Dad Robinson. A new pink rope!

On Thursday we went to the Northridge Elementary Chorus Concert, where I did my music student teaching. I have a couple video clips of them singing, but I'll upload one later. One of the songs they sung I arranged! It's pretty cool to have a work you did actually performed!

Grandma Donna and Grandpa Dan joined us Thursday, as well as Bubba (and Jonnycakes.) We at Cafe Rio style pork burritos or salad and had leftover cake.

Friday I walked across the stage to receive an empty case symbolizing my diploma, that will be mailed later. I wish we would have got better pictures of all the family at graduation, on both sides, but here I am with Tim and my parents.

Thanks everyone for all your support!

Easter goodness...and some other randomness

2010-04-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Tim and I had a great Easter! We slept in, and then ate an Easter brunch. We got to watch General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and just relax and enjoy the day together...just us and our puppy. Here's a couple pix of our Easter Basket and breakfast. mmmm....

orange juice, bacon, potatoes, and whole wheat pancakes with fruit and cool whip

I haven't been very good at updating the blog lately, and here's a picture of something I've been meaning to put up for a while now. My handy husband extended the steps in our garage so that the freezer could set on top of them. Now when I'm cooking I just open the door and reach in the freezer without having to walk down the steps.

I finally broke out our dehydrator yesterday. We got it for Christmas and were super excited, but I wanted to make sure that when I used it for the first time I did it right. Welcome Spring Break!!! Here is a picture of the onions that I dehydrated this weekend. Now I know how easy it is I'm going to start experimenting with all sorts of stuff. I can't wait till I have my garden this summer! Happy Monday everybody!

My husband is a hero!

2010-03-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

Check out this news clip about how EKG helps Orem Paramedics save lives!
ksl.com - Fast-acting students, new technology save UVU professor's life

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Here is a clip from a different news station:
click here

One down...one to go!

2010-03-02T11:14:00.001-08:00

I just wanted everyone to know how happy I am right now because I am one huge step closer to graduation! Last week I finished my student teaching in the general education classroom, and this week I've begun my MUSIC student teaching at Northridge Elementary. Oh happiness...