Saturday, June 20, 2009

From Scratch


The other day Alex made an apple pie from scratch.  And when  say from scratch I mean it.


The apples came from our very own apple tree.  Yes, we have an apple tree here in the desert.  Last year, however, it was so hot, that before the apples were ripe enough to eat they literally baked, right in the tree.  Really.  We had a baked apple tree  (just need a little sugar and a little cinnamon...)

Well, this year the weather was so wonderfully mild that the apples had time to grow and even ripen.  On a windy day last week a bunch fell to the ground, and Alex determined to bake an apple pie.  That kid has a serious thing for baking.

Yes.  It tasted as good as it looks.  I dunno.  I think it is pretty exciting to eat our very first homemade apple pie with apples from our very own tree, baked from scratch by a kid that I also made from scratch.

Now that it has finally heated up around here, I think we'll be having baked apples again real soon.  At least we got one pie out of that tree.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Ward Camp Out


Last weekend the Bermuda Dunes ward went on a camp out to Hurkey Creek.  It was the last day of school, so everyone was already pretty excited.  As soon as we drive up, the kids were out and running around in the cool mountain air.  Laser Tag!


When we got there everybody have clean shiny faces.


But it didn't take long for every young face to look like these. (Except Dylan.  That kid didn't get a speck of dirt on him the whole trip!)

Dirty faces are fodder for photographers like Lillie.  Smile!

Soon it was time for s'mores.  The picnic table was PILED with marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers - enough to feed an army!


Luke wasn't very brave about the fire, so he used the longest stick he could find, stood very far away and really reached to get that marshmallow somewhere near the fire.


The s'mores received great reviews from everybody.

Well, almost everybody.


They also provided hot chocolate, but everyone was on their own for dinner.  we had foil dinners.  They were really good.  But the best smelling food came from outside the Valdez' tent where Maria was grilling carne asada.  I lurked around their tent until they offered me some.  Yum!


Then we all gathered around the camp fire for a wonderful lesson on dealing with hard times.


It was so fun to all be together.

Then there were some activities for the kids like a game of Red Rover, and a parachute ball toss.


Jeff and two of his cute kids.

 Shea is very very pregnant and very very brave.  I'm so glad she came anyway.

Give me five... but first give me Purell.


Derek sporting his five o'clock shadow.

It was worth sleeping on the ground to get the breakfast provided in the morning.  More hot chocolate and a breakfast feast!  Yummy!

The kids played, and the adults visited.  There was a fun craft activity for the primary kids - rock and wire necklaces to remind the kids that Christ is our rock.  Ryan got out of his tent, but not quite out of his bag.

Luke and Mila,  "baby" as he calls her, were kissing the Pooh Bear and Tigger pictures on the backs of the chairs.



Then he fed her a whole banana.  (Sorry about those nasty hands, Lillie!)

There was some SERIOUS competition over in the horseshoes arena.  Dennis was the gold ones above.  He tore it up!  I think he was just showing off for his woman.


Caleb found an hollow log...


and I found a crack.


My mountain man Nate.


Some of the little kiddos took a little trip down to the creek.


Luke's water shoes... well, they are now.


It was good to cool off a bit before heading back down to the desert heat.

Everyone had a great time, and we hope they make this a tradition.


THE END

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Letter to Washington

 The following is an open letter that some good woman wrote to the folks in our Nation's Capitol who have been hired to lead this great nation.  Glenn Beck read it over the radio, and it stopped me dead in my tracks.  I was in the car heading to the gym, and had to sit in the car listening to it instead of hopping out when I got there.  I just kept saying, "Yes, Yes, Yes." and "You got that right, sister!" This gal has it right!  It is how so many of us are feeling these days, as we feel powerless as we watch our great Nation falling apart right before our eyes.  If you haven't heard it or read it yet, you really should. 


I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.


Wasn't that AWESOME!  If you agree with this letter, like I do, sign the petition on Beck's blog, click here.  The folks in Washington are paying attention, and they will be afraid.

The ABCs of Me

I was tagged on facebook to do my ABCs.  Here is what I said for all you blogger friends who missed it.


A - Age: 36 (for one more blessed day at least)

B - Bed size: Cal King

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the boys' bathroom - do NOT go in there! 

D - Dog's name: I don't do dogs, I do boys instead.

E - Essential start your day item: my SWIMMAN waterproof iPod. Won't swim my morning workout without it.

F - Favorite color(s): PINK!

G - Gold or Silver: silver 

H - Height: 5' 12"

I - Instruments you play: voice

J - Job title: bus driver, nurse, janitor, mediator, Her Highness, teacher, judge, jury and executioner, editor, detective, chef, oral hygienint, police officer, photo-journalist, life coach, did I mention bus driver?, personal assistant, party planner, interior decorator, personal shopper, caddy, sheep-herder, oh, and community organizer (whatever that is) 

K - Kids: 6, boys all

L - Living arrangements: I live in my car. I have a beautiful home, but spend most of my time in the Suburban.

M - Mom's name: Mommy, Mom, Grandma, others call her Zola

N - Nicknames: Mom, Shelly, Sis. V, AtticGalRachelle

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth:a few weeks on a chair with a sick kiddo, no food, no cellphone, and no shower. Good times.

P - Pet Peeve: empty food containers put back in the fridge or pantry

Q - Quote from a movie: "I am just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her" Notting Hill

R - Right or left handed: right

S - Siblings: 3 sisters, one baby brother

T - Time you wake up: 5 a.m., with or without an alarm clock

U - Underwear: yep

V - Vegetable you dislike: soggy ones

W - Workout style: swimming and martial arts - anything that doesn't require shoes.

X - X-rays you've had: just teeth

Y - Yesterday's best moment: When Luke fell asleep in my arms in the cozy chair by the open window with a cool breeze coming through a quiet house while I read my book. Perfect! (Then the phone rang and a kid needed me to go pick him up. Darn!)

Z - Zoo favorite(s): baby elephants


Now you know my ABC's... won't you sing along with me??

I tag Diana, Melissa, Dayna, Roxy, Lisa, Jen, Shannan, Natalee, Mindy, and Shirley.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

When Kids Don't Have Homework...

Last week, nobody had homework (what a blessed thing that is!).  One evening they asked what was for dinner.  I said, "I dunno.  What are you making us?"  I was just kidding, because I hadn't been to the store and we were low on groceries.  But their eyes got wide as saucers and said they would make dinner.  They donned their chef hats and kicked me out of the kitchen (except for when I snuck in to snap some pictures before they shooed me away.)



Chef Nate oversees all kitchen operations because he is the one with the jacket.

Chef Dylan mans the panini grill.

Caprese Salad.  My favorite!

My mouth is beginning to water!

I gave nobody any direction whatsoever.

Sou chef Luke helped where he could, mostly by sampling the cuisine.

Always the pastry chef, Alex was busy baking peanut butter cookies.

Nobody worked harder than Derek!


Then came the big surprise.  The boys led Dennis and I out into the back yard where they had it all set up for a dinner for two.  Dylan is a genius with decorating.  

The chef himself served us.  First course - a smooth and delicious creamy tomato basil soup.


Dylan kept our water refilled like a pro.  But mostly they just left us alone!

The food was delicious and pretty too!  There was even a fire going!  How romantic!!!

See, good things can happen when kids don't have homework.

I think I am going to really enjoy this summer!

So Corny!



Saturday, June 13, 2009

Fun and Games with Cake!

The Twins had their Cub Scout Blue and Gold this Wednesday night.  They both received their Bear badges and some belt loops.

As tradition, they had a cake decorating contest.  The boys didn't have a hard time picking what cakes they had to make from the Hello, Cupcake! book I just bought.

This is Derek's cake - billiard ball cupcakes.  It was easy.  He certainly did most of the actual work (my work was shopping and finding all the different colored sugars he needed.)


It turned out so great!  I wish we had a pool cue to add to the presentation.  I have to tell you about the little blue chalk cube.  It required 2 blue Starbursts, which I found on my first try at Winco.  That morning when we were making the cakes before school, Luke grabbed Starbursts off the counter a ran off and hid to eat them.  Guess which ones he grabbed - all the blue ones of course.  He tossed them into his mouth just before I could rescue them.  I spent the morning trying to find the elusive blue Starbursts in 7 different stores before Alysa rescued me and picked up some on her trip to Winco.  Thanks, pal!  It was worth it.  The little chalk square is the perfect touch, don't you think?


Dylan made a bowling ball and pins.  The ball cake was baked in a mixing bowl, frosted in black and black sugar, and the holes were chocolate.  The pins were hard - made from cupcakes, mini cupcakes, and donut holes, then decorated with fruit roll ups.  We had a tough time getting the pins to stand up straight, but that's OK because the pins looked like they were getting knocked over!

I was so excited to find the perfect cutting board on clearance.  We needed one anyway.  Dylan cut the little black triangles from black paper and glued them on.


Dylan won the coveted "Most Frosting" award for his bowling alley cake, and Derek won for "Most Colorful."  

They did such a great job that I think I'll have them make my birthday cake.