Ruth's Vacation!

Ruth: I'm here and feeling better, finally! I'm still fighting some kind of allergy but for the most part I'm better and have finally found some time to blog! I'm sure you're all so excited and can't wait to see how much fun we've been having over here and hear about my wonderful vacation!

Warning!!! It's a long one and I talk about eating a lot! But I've included pictures and a slideshow so I hope you won't be scared off!

I flew out to Utah for a bridal shower for one of my best buds from High school on March 19, a Thursday afternoon and arrived in Salt Lake around 7pm. After some problems with getting the rental car I had reserved (too embarrassing to share with the world) I was able to be rescued by my wonderful Aunt Donna and my sisters! Becky, Jacob and their family came up, and Mary and Liz are attending BYU. I was also able to get upgraded from an economy car to a 2010 Mazda 3! It was a sweet ride let me tell ya! The only problem it had was no power locks, which for a 6 1/2 month (at the time) prego was something to complain about! Its not fun having to climb in and reach over to unlock doors in this condition!

Anyways, I was grateful to have it and not be stranded in Utah bumming rides off of my friends and family! That first night we headed back to Donna's house and hung out for a while just visiting and getting caught up! I hadn't seen my Aunt Donna for a long time and it was great to visit and relax from the evenings events. I stayed at Jacob's aunt's house with Becky's family while I was there. She had an extra room for me and since Becky and I were gonna hang out most of the time it was nice to be in the same place.

Friday morning my good buddy Courtney (the whole reason I went and was able to go out in the first place) met us at Jacob's aunt's house and from there we went to a place in Provo for breakfast. We then headed out to Springville to visit with our other good buddy Krista, who just had a baby the end of January! We visited with her for a while and I was able to rock her sweet baby Mitchell to sleep. He was adorable and I was so glad I was able to meet him and see Krista!

After that visit, Becky and I went to a yummy Mexican restaurant, Cafe' Rio, maybe you've heard of it. I hadn't because I live in the middle of nowhere. Anyways, that night Liz, Mary and I hung out at Donna's eating a yummy dinner, thanks Donna! We played Singing Pop Star (I can't remember the name of it for sure, but we sang songs) and Dance Dance Revolution! Sorry no picture of that! You'll just have to imagine me with my big belly hopping around and trying to dance better than my sisters and my cousin Valorie. I think I did pretty good! I did beat Mary once I think.

Saturday was the day of the shower and Becky and I went shopping that morning for some useful bridal shower gifts (since my P.Chef order didn't come in time for the trip). We were able to find some cute things and we had a wonderful time at the shower! After the shower I went with Krista to the grocery store Smith's (what an awesome store! I wish we had one!) We got ice cream cones for 51 cents each and that day they were having Circus Days! They were selling hot dogs and cotton candy out front and if you know me, I never pass up a chance to get cotton candy! We had to wait a while for it, but it was fun to chat with Krista and other locals, who I'm sure were Mormon. I didn't even have to ask, the minute the lady in front of me told me she was #6 of 13 children I knew. So, after getting my cotton candy fix we headed back to get my car and Courtney. Krista had to get her milk and baby home. Courtney and I headed out to Payson to her mom's house. We visited with her family for a while reminiscing and having fun almost just like old times except no videos were made and we didn't dress up. Still fun though!

That night us sisters got together for our Girl's Night Out. We went out to Chili's where I made Mary leave her phone number for our waiter, some cute and friendly guy who they knew from BYU, and we had great food and tons of laughs. After we ate, we went to the mall and walked around a bit. We headed over to the creamery where we met up with Courtney one last time before my trip was over. We met her at the BYU Creamery where the line for the over-priced yummy ice cream was out the door after we had got ours. We shared some more laughs then took Mary and Liz grocery shopping. We also got us some breakfast for the next morning and then took Mary and Liz home. The next morning (Sunday) I headed out to the airport all by myself in the rental. While in line to pay for it, the guy behind me pointed out that Steven Colbert, from the Daily Shows "Colbert Report," was walking past us! I looked back and indeed it was him. Not that I watch the show, I've just heard of it and seen him on t.v. before, crazy! He saw the guy pointing and he smiled as he walked away. That was pretty cool.

Anyways, I returned home safely and Jason picked me up from the airport. It was sooooo good to be able to get away and focus just on my friends for a weekend! Especially since I hadn't seen them in such a long time! Thank-you Courtney for being such a wonderful friend! And thank-you to everyone that helped me in my little dramas while I was traveling alone! I don't know if I want to travel by myself again! I had so much fun! Thanks to everyone who took care of my kids while Jason worked at his Dad's that weekend too! I couldn't have done it without you either! And of course to my wonderful sweet husband who let me go play with my friends and sisters! I love you all!

Not the car I was driving, it was just like it this one, same color but without the sunroof. Nice car! I would never be able to fit my family in it but it was fun to drive! Zoom Zoom!

Me in my sweet ride for the weekend!
My good buddy Courtney! Good luck with married life!

Me and Mary fun girl's night!

Cute Becky and Liz on our fun girl's night!

Me and my big belly, with Courtney, Krista and her son, Mitchell

Our yard

edited
Ruth: We planted all of the young trees from seed, except the Apricot, that was a gift from a friend to convince us to stay here in Clearlake. And the cherry tree was transplanted from Jason's parents. And for those of you who may not know, Jason found a job in Nice. He's working for a family in our ward. So it appears that we will be staying for a while longer.

Springtime in Clearlake!

I love this time of year! Everything is in the process of blooming, budding or growing. I don't know how to describe how it feels to be driving through the hills around here, just before everything turns green, when the the Redbuds are blooming. They are such a vibrant purple color it is amazing to see. The picture doesn't do justice. This picture is not ours. We borrowed it from the internet.


We planted three trees, several grapes, more grass, and five pieces of telephone pole this spring. The telephone poles aren't growing, but the plants and grass are.

There is text to go with these pictures. If you click on the slideshow it will take you to our album at photobucket.com where you can read my comments about each picture.

If you haven't heard about this, than you should. Everyone should be aware of their rights and protect them when dealing with law enforcement..

Edited: This vacuum sucks!

I was messing with our vacuum the other day. I remembered something that Mark (Ruth's brother) said about the height adjustment being a nonfunctional gimmick on most vacuums. This was when he was a Kirby salesman. So, I put our vacuum, a $40 Hoover Tempo Widepath, up on the kitchen table and studied the bottom. The beater was covered with hair thanks to the Mavy females in the house. I moved the height adjuster back and forth, trying to see a difference and there was nothing noticeable. The beater actually would not touch the carpet! So, I got the screwdriver out and began disassembling the beast.

We have had this vacuum since we moved here about 3-1/2 years ago. It was the cheapest upright at Kmart and Consumer Reports gave it great reviews (as if that had any value). With a previous vacuum the height adjuster had worked just fine, so I had faith that I would find some well intentioned mechanism in this one.

After getting the belt cover off, the belt broke, necessitating an unwanted trip to Wal-mart, then K-mart(a 30 minute drive one-way) when Wal-mart didn't have the belt. Kmart didn't have a belt listed to fit this vacuum either so I picked one that I figured would work. But before all the driving, I dug into the vacuum deeper. The height adjuster actually appeared to have been designed well. But the shape of the adjusting wheels against the adjuster was not quite right. I got my jigsaw out (remember our Halloween post) and modified the adjustable wheels. It took a couple tries, but I finally got the offending plastic out of the way. Put it all back together and tried it out. Ruth isn't going to like this admission but I could hear the vacuum sucking up 3-1/2 year old dirt!

Now we have a fully functional vacuum! I am so excited. Really. Now Ruth can do a better job of cleaning. Really, I am excited.

Edited to add: My dream is to open a sew and vac shop. If only I had the capital. I could be living the high life. Everyone would bring me their vacuums. I would listen to their vacuums and tell them exactly what the problem was. Then I would fix them with my awesome vacuum repair skills.

I would have to have somebody else take care of the sewing machines for me. While I don't have any problem working on them or using them, they just don't spark any interest as far as the "take-it-apart-to-see-how-it-works" gene is concerned. (sorry if you had to read this twice, Tamie!)

Ruth's trip to Utah!

Well, I just got back Sunday from the most wonderful weekend! I was able to spend time with family and friends. However, I am dealing with a very uncomfortable head cold so I am going to rest for now and wait until I'm better to spill all the fun details of my trip!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From the "Greenie." Emily wanted to be dressed all in green today. I guess she didn't have any green socks, but everything else is green! I pulled out that huge bow to see if Rachel wanted any green on today (she's all in blue) but she was quick to say "No Way." Emily heard her say no and quickly agreed to wear it in her hair! Rachel agreed to wear a shamrock necklace, and she put on green socks.
Are your kids into dressing all in green today, like Emily? Or do they opt out and wear as little as possible, like Rachel?

Ultrasound #2

Ruth: I had another ultrasound this last week. It's still a boy! For each ultrasound that we've had we were sent home with a disc containing pictures and video of the baby. It's so cool to be able to share this with you all! This one is of his cute little face and hand. The ultrasound is definitely my favorite part of being pregnant. My other favorite part is when The baby is finally out!!!

Flubber Gak fun!

This last Monday, Kaitlin and Christopher's school readiness teacher made "Flubber Gak." While she was mixing it up, neither Kaitlin or Christopher wanted to touch it, but when it was at the point where it didn't look as messy, they played with it for hours. O.k. maybe it just seemed like hours. Anyways, they had a blast blowing bubbles and using their cookie cutters. Rachel and Emily got their homework done extra fast so they would have time to play with it before it had to be cleaned up for dinner. I too, was haing fun with it. That is obvious if you can see my face in some of these pictures below. It was so cool! Can you blame me for getting a little goofy!? I even blew a bubble about 3 feet around! Sorry no picture, you'll just have to believe me. We were out of charged batteries. I'll try again soon and get it documented next time! Well enjoy the pictures and the recipe is at the end of the post! Have some fun with it yourself!





Flubber Gak
Warning!!! There is fun to be had by all with this fun science project! And it makes a lot! We have ours stored in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. You may want to half the recipe for a smaller batch.

You need:

5 Tbls. Borax
2 Cups Elmers glue
1 1/2 Cups water to mix with the glue
an additional 1 cup of HOT water to mix with the borax
Liquid watercolor or food coloring (if desired) Kaitlin opted out on the coloring.

Directions:

Mix 2 cups of glue and 1 1/2 cup water in a big bowl. Add color at this point, if desired, you won't be able to add it later in the process if you change your mind. In the extra cup of HOT water, dissolve the Borax. Stir it well. After it's dissolved, pour the Borax mixture slowly (a little at a time) in to the glue and water mixture. Mix it with your hands or a sturdy wooden spoon. At first it is wet and slimy, but keep kneading until it becomes one big flubber gak ball! It will keep in an airtight container or ziploc bag for a few weeks. When it begins to flick apart or get too hard, it is time for a new batch.

*If it happens to get on clothing, which is bound to happen when your 5 and younger children are playing with it, soak fabric in vinegar to remove the gak.

are you going to try this cool experiment? let me know how it goes over with your kids, or whomever you will make it with!
This is just a cute picture I had to share of our little goofball! I'm so glad summer is coming! I think babies walking around in just their diapers are just so adorable! Even if they are skinny little guys like mine!

Becky, you'll be so proud!

So I was looking at one of my favorite blogs this morning http://www.beingfrugalisfabulous.com/ and saw this amazing cereal deal at Safeway this week! I just wanted to share with everyone my excitement on how much I saved! It felt so good to stock up and save so much! She also had some printable coupons for Bagel Bites and Bagel-fuls which are on sale at Safeway this week as well.


I returned home with 20 boxes of cereal (Buy 5 save $5, making each box $.99-$1.99+some coupons), 2 boxes of Bagel Bites with 40count (Sale price, $7.99ea.+$1/2 off coupon), and 2 boxes of Bagel-fuls (Sale price, 2for $5+ $1 off coupon for each box).
I actually checked out twice because the after the first time I was handed a store coupon for $1.50 off 3 boxes of cereal (Ones that were on e sale) so I had to go back! Who knows when I'll be out again! But here's the kicker, after my second checkout, I was handed another coupon for $2 off the same brands of cereal. I decided thought that I probably didn't have enough room in my pantry for the cereal I had already purchased and the sale lasts until next Tuesday! So, instead of going back and getting more all day long I called it quits and headed for home with my bounty! I was glad that the deal included some healthy cereals and the kids were glad that it included the sugary ones! Rachel came home and saw all the goodies on the counter and she quickly spotted the Lucky Charms and said, with eyes watering and a big smile on her face, "I'm SO having these for breakfast tomorrow!"

So, here's the breakdown:
groceries regular price total: $105.78
total savings with coupons and specials: $61.25

Total $ I spent: $44.53 !!!!! Are you proud of me Becky?!

Hopefully these great deals will keep coming and I will be able to find them! This IS so much fun!

Babies, Fathers and 9-1-1

Ruth: Take a minute and laugh! Jason is so good, he's never reacted like this, that I know of, but maybe you know someone who has!? I laughed so hard all three times that I watched this!

Babies and Fathers @ Yahoo! Video

These are hilarious too! I found them on a friends blog.

9-1-1 What is your emergency?

These were sent to me from my daddy! I've just about died from laughing so hard! These are what they call "An idiot is born every minute!"

Dispatcher : 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the brown house on the corner. Dispatcher: Do you have an address? Caller: No, I have on a blouse and slacks, why?

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency?
Caller : Someone broke into my house and took a bite out of my ham and cheese sandwich . Dispatcher : Excuse me? Caller : I made a ham and cheese sandwich and left it on the kitchen table and when I came back from the bathroom, someone had taken a bite out of it. Dispatcher : Was anything else taken? Caller : No, but this has happened to me before and I'm sick and tired of it!

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is the nature of your emergency? Caller: I' m trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn't have an eleven on it. Dispatcher: This is nine eleven. Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one Dispatcher: Yes, ma'am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing. Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I'm not stupid.

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What's the nature of your emergency? Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart Dispatcher: Is this her first child? Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 Caller: Yeah, I'm having trouble breathing. I'm all out of breath. Darn....I think I'm going to pass out. Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from? Caller: I'm at a pay phone. North and Foster. Dispatcher: Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic? Caller: No Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble breathing?Caller: Running from the Police.

I hope you've had a good laugh today! I know I have!

Snapshot

Jase: This was in an email my dad sent. I remade it and thought I would share it with you all. This is me to a "T".

Freecycle: CD Storage

holds 100 compact discs. Tells only part of the news in order to cast itself in a good light (spins). Maple-looking.

Freecycle: Bed Frame and TV Antenna!

Jase: For all you collectors of fine antiques we have a Radio Shack ATV1000 TV antenna (bunny ears). It is in very good condition, lightly used. Our only broadcasting station in our area has gone digital. So, the antenna is no longer useful to us. Maybe it can help you for the next four months.

We also have a queen bed frame. It isn't broke. I don't know what else to say about it. It's hard to think of something funny to say about a bed frame.

This is our second blog today. Please read the one below also.

Yummy treats: Kettle Corn

Jase: When we lived in Auburn we attended a ward dinner where one of the members provided kettle corn. It was the first time I had ever tried it and I was immediately hooked. But I never got to have the real thing again until recently. I have had the microwave version and it is a far cry from the real thing.

Growing up we often ate air-popped popcorn with butter and salt. We had pan-popped popcorn once (if I remember correctly) when the power went out for a couple days in winter. But, now that I’m older, I really don’t like air-popped popcorn. To me its like eating sponge, not that I’ve ever eaten sponge. Pan-popped popcorn is crunchy. But pan popped is usually pretty greasy after you add the butter.

We have continued the tradition of after-church-popcorn in my family. But very recently, I got the idea to try kettle corn. I found a couple recipes on line, and one very unhelpful video. My kettle corn debut opened at a Family Home Evening and was an instant hit with almost everyone. Ruth is now a staunch convert, previously being against the delectable snack food, with her only memories being of the microwave variety.

Kettle corn is salty and sweet. And those two flavors work together better than chocolate and peanut butter! It is easy to prepare yourself. It has half the fat of buttered, pan-popped popcorn.

To make kettle corn heat 1/4 cup oil in a 3-quart saucepan or a frying pan, making sure to use the lid. Use a little more oil if you are using a frying pan, between 1/4 and 1/3 cup. Heating the oil takes 2-3 minutes. Then pour in 1/2 cup of popcorn seeds. Shake the seeds around until they are level in the bottom of the pan, then immediately add 1/4 cup of sugar. With a Pampered Chef bamboo spatula (this part is extremely important) push all the seeds and sugar to one side of the pan, then to the opposite side, then back again. Then shake the seeds out so they are level on the bottom of the pan again. This mixes the seed and sugar quickly and well. Replace the lid. As the seeds pop, shake the pan so the unpopped kernels stay at the bottom of the pan. They like to fly around with the popping and ride on the popped kernels.

When the popping slows to 2-3 seconds between pops, take the pan off the heat and dump the popcorn into a large bowl. I like to shake 5/8 teaspoon of salt over the mixture, adding half, stirring the popcorn, adding the rest. The salt is really to your taste. If you have a Pampered Chef adjustable teaspoon measure its easy to measure 5/8 or tweak the amount salt you use.

The popcorn will be sticky at first, while it is still warm. When it cools it will appear to have a clear coating on it. This is the candied sugar. Six cups of popcorn is a serving. So, enjoy!

Here is a helpful video on making kettle corn. Fair-sized machines are awesome. We should build one for family reunions. http://www.kettlecornmachine.com/Portals/0/uploads/PerfectBatch.html

And here’s what Wikipedia says:

Kettle corn is a sweet-and-salty variety of popcorn that adds granulated sugar, salt, and oil. The flavor of kettle corn is less sweet than caramel corn. It is a lighter sweetness that contrasts subtly with its saltiness. Additionally, nutritionists point out that it has less fat and sodium than most flavored popcorns, a desirable feature for people on low-calorie or low-sodium diets.

Kettle corn history in the United States
In the 1700s, kettle corn was introduced to colonial palates in the United States. It is referenced in the diaries of Dutch Settlers in Pennsylvania circa 1776. It was a special treat often consumed at fairs or other festive occasions. The corn is cooked for maximum taste in iron kettles and then sweetened with sugar or honey before adding salt. The combination was widely popular in the early 1800s but fell from wide usage during the 1900s. In the early 2000s, it has made something of a comeback in America, especially at 19th century living history events. As of 2006, it is cooked and sold at fairs and flea markets throughout the United States, especially art and craft shows.

The microwave version is sold at grocery stores by Orville Redenbacher's, Act II, and other brands. Most microwave varieties of kettle corn do not contain sugar, since sugar tends to scorch in the microwave. This problem has been solved by replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners such as sucralose. This is a health concern to some consumers, but it is not widely publicized.

Family Valentines

Hope you all had a happy Valentine's Day!

This morning Ruth made Valentine cards for our kids and put them on their bedroom door while they were cleaning their room before breakfast (Swedish pancakes are the best!). Kaitlin had lost her card by picture-taking time.


After our late breakfast we got our snow clothes out and bundled everybody up and drove up to Boggs State Demonstration Forest. This forest is in the Mayacama Mountains just to the west of Clear Lake off highway 175. The elevation at the forest entrance is right at 3000'. We weren't sure if we would find snow up there but we had high hopes. At around 2500' we started to see snow on the ground and the kids started to get excited. I said I didn't see any snow so we would have to turn around. Of course the kids all hollered "NOOO!"

We had fun for about and hour. There was four to six inches of snow everywhere. The forest is so thick there was always snow falling from the trees somewhere close. We made a big snowperson and threw lots of snowballs.

It started to snow and Aaron's outer layers were getting wet so we headed home. Everyone loved the snow! Hopefully we can go again soon.

Edit: In the evening Ruth and I enjoyed some broiled rib-eye steaks, thanks to Sarah and Joe. A sitter came over and played with the kids while we went to the ward Dance and Dessert event. We tried learning the "Two-Step" without any success. We did learn how to say "One-Two-Quick-Quick". I think it was my most enjoyable Valentine's day ever.

The Man is Old!

The Sun was out, warming up the day. We were in the van driving home. I had Kaitlin Christopher and Aaron in the car with me and all of a sudden I hear Christopher start belting out: "It's raining, it's pouring the man is old and snoring!" WHAT? Where did that come from?! Cute, and totally out of the blue! Aren't kids great!? They make my life a fun musical! I LOVE that my kids enjoy singing. You never know who is going to be singing a random song. It sure helps make my days a little brighter! Especially when they sing slightly different words that still work and are ten times cuter than the real words!

Just a cute picture I got of Aaron.

Kaitlin singing "I Am A Child of God."

Do your kids sing to you throughout your day?

Spalted Sycamore bowl

Thanks to those who commented on the last post on the bowl. Here is an update. The bowl is in its final shape. I need to put a finish on it still. The center portion of the bowl that is spalted is very fragile as it has already begun to decay. It would make a very nice decoration.

New family member blog

Welcome, Kip, to the blogosphere. I've added my brother Kip's blog to our link list here. You can navigate to his page by finding the link in our list below or click here. Now if we can just get Lyman to blog, we will all be on here.

Dad says I am an artist. I disagree, although I enjoy beautiful things and try to make nice stuff out of wood, I never feel like I've created anything original, just taken another person's idea and showed it to someone who hasn't seen it.

Dad is shortening his sycamore trees. I grabbed a piece of the wood hoping to find something exciting inside. Here is a picture of a half finished bowl from a cut-off from one of the trees. The brown squiggly marks (called spalting) running through the wood are most likely caused by a fungus but they add a lot of interest to an otherwise plain wood (no pun intended, the tree is also known as a plain tree).

Princess for a day...

O.k., maybe just a couple of hours. Yesterday was my 29th birthday and I decided to celebrate with a princess party! A couple of weeks ago Emily brought home an invitation to a princess party put on by the Girl Scouts where they would be able to dress up, have their faces painted play in a castle, etc... but the cost was $15 per child and I'm sure I couldn't send Emily without sending Rachel as well. So, first of all I probably wouldn't have let them go even if it were free, and I certainly couldn't justify paying $30 for a couple hours of fun that would probably bring the girls home cranky and wanting more. Also, with things the way they are for us right now, I barely have $30 to spend on groceries (Let's hear the sobs and see the tears now people!).

Anyways, I was very quickly able to talk the girls into having our own Princess Party for my birthday instead. They were thrilled and we spent the next few days thinking of things we could do and we made the calls for the invites.

Yesterday was the big day and almost everyone we invited was able to come. It was mostly my friends and their daughters. For dinner we enjoyed some "Princess food," Caesar chicken salad, Fruit salad, Ham and Turkey sandwiches on homemade french bread, Salsa, chips, and pretzels. For dessert we each gobbled down a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting. After we had stuffed ourselves silly, the young princesses decorated their own princess hats. They then put on lipstick and took turns kissing our Frog Prince (Blindfolded of course) that I drew and the girls helped me color. Alaina was the one that smacked him right on the lips (She may have been peeking though, still not 100% clear on that one yet, Oh well). When each was done swapping spit with the handsome frog we finished the rest of their make-up and painted fingernails. We all had a blast! The girls were such a big help and they had such a good time! We only got them in bed 45 min. late. I hope they have a good day at school today! Anyways, the moral of this story is: You can never be too old to throw yourself a princess party! So I hope to be invited to yours someday!

Thanks to all my friends and family who called to wish me a great day! I wish you all could've come to the party!

Finally! Christmas!

So, I've put this off long enough! Sorry it took me so long to get this on here! We had a great Christmas thanks to our family and friends this year! A couple of out friends from the ward (Their identities remain partially secret) acted as Santa for our family, since Jason has had very little work. We came home from caroling one night to a bag FULL of gifts for the kids and us! We spent time with our families and were spoiled with a new DVD/TV from G&G Mavy plus much much more. Thank-you to all who helped make this last Christmas a great one! We were definitely blessed and the kids will hopefully remember this Christmas for the rest of their lives! I know that I will never forget the love we have felt from our family and friends. We love you guys!

Oops!

The Church contribution to Prop 8

copied from http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/church-clarifies-proposition-8-filing-corrects-erroneous-news-reports

Church Clarifies Proposition 8 Filing, Corrects Erroneous News Reports

SALT LAKE CITY 2 February 2009
Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints clarified erroneous news reports following the filing of its final report on donations to the ProtectMarriage.com coalition.
On Friday, 30 January, the Church filed the final report of its contributions (all of which were non-monetary) to the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. The report, submitted in advance of the 31 January deadline, details in-kind donations totaling $189,903.58.
The value of the Church’s in-kind (non-monetary) contribution is less than one half of one percent of the total funds (approximately $40 million) raised for the “Yes on 8” campaign. The Church did not make any cash contribution.
Because media coverage about this filing ran without a comment from the Church, the following statements of fact from the Church add context to this story and should help correct the record:

Fox13 (Utah): “The documents show the amount spent by the Mormon Church is greater than what was initially stated.”

Fact: The Church, like other organizations on both sides of the ballot issue, was required to publicly file these donations by the 31 January deadline. The Church has been filing required contribution reports throughout the campaign. Those earlier donations “initially stated” were filed for specific time periods prior to this last reporting period, as required by law. Other groups are also filing their final contribution reports to meet the same deadline.

San Francisco Chronicle : “Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Friday reported nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.”
Sacramento Bee : “The disclosure comes amid an investigation by the state's campaign watchdog agency into whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints violated state laws by not fully disclosing its involvement during the campaign.”

Fact: This filing is in no way prompted by an investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Many organizations are filing this week to meet the deadline required by law. We believe we have complied with California law.

KFMB 760 AM (San Diego) :
“Mormon Church Misstated How Much It Spent in Prop 8 Fight.” “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints previously claimed only about $2,000 was spent in support of the measure.”
365Ga y : “Mormon Church admits it spent 100 times more for Prop 8 than reported”

Fact: Again, the previous disclosure of an in-kind donation was to meet an earlier deadline. In fact, previous filings detailed over $50,000 out of the total non-monetary contribution of $189,903.58.This week’s filing reported donations that fell within a different time period and required reporting by the 31 January deadline. Other groups also made their final contributions reports this week.

Are you crafty?

I LOVE FUN and this is FUN! DO IT!

Pay it Forward Exchange
I copied this straight from my Mom's blog and I was the first to comment on hers so now it's your turn! This is how it works:

Pay it Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it Forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange.

All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive!

What you do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG.

I'd love for you to join me! Will you?

Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Pay it Forward recipients. Sounds like fun, right?

No pressure, just fun.

Just so we're clear...

It's a BOY!

Are we CRAZY?

So I (Ruth) must start by apologizing for boycotting the blogging world for so long and for not keeping you all posted on the family's adventures. I will get to that in another post, I promise. But as for now this will have to do.
As most of you already know we are indeed expecting our sixth child! We are excited and a little bit nervous about what will happen during the next few months since Jason hasn't had much work, we live in a ever growing smaller three bedroom house with no garage, and our van only seats seven. What a pickle we have gotten ourselves into this time! We remain faithful and know that we will be taken care of. We are grateful for all the help that we have received from our family and our friends who we know care for us so much! We wouldn't be able to do it without the love and support of our family!

Smoking

This last Wednesday I smoked a 14 pound turkey which turned out really good. It took eight hours and I didn't have enough charcoal. So I used some willow wood from a tree here at home. Willow make a huge amount of smoke! I must say that you can slow cook great food with with or without smoke. I won't use willow again though. The meat had a little too much smoke flavor.

Back in August I mentioned I was making some upgrades to my charcoal smoker-grill. It had some minor issues that were developing and some inadequacies that needed to be addressed.

The wooden tray on the front wasn’t deep enough to hold anything but tools. It was also getting kind of flimsy. There was also an 1/8” gap all the way around the fire door which allows a lot of room for air intake. Heat control was difficult at best because the adjustable vent on the door did not control all of the air intake.I decided to amend the airflow situation. The fix was accomplished by cutting up some gutter from the scrap pile and riveting it to the door on the fire box. I was originally going to cover all four edges with metal fins. However, the day I was working on it was also BBQ night, and I only had time to get two pieces on. It turns out that the additional metal made quite a difference. I can adjust the vent as little as an 1/8” and see a thermometer move shortly thereafter. More air means hotter, less air is cooler. So with the successful change I was stoked!

Some time later I attacked the front tray. I replaced the three boards on the front with a piece of 1/2” plywood. I

cut some metal brackets from some scrap and attached those from the front of the new tray down to the front of the legs. This forms a triangle, the most stable geometric shape, transferring the weight of the tray and its load to the legs below, instead of hinging at the back edge (falling). On top of the plywood tray I applied some thinset and screwed down

some 1/4” Hardibacker. Next, I applied more thinset and placed six 6” x 12” tile cut-offs. The tray surface is now at the same level as the front of the main opening so there is no metal in the

way when I am set a plate down. The finished tray is now 12” by 36”, more than three inches deeper and big enough and sturdy enough to hold half a pig, if I had half a pig.

The thermometers on the grill are the first upgrade I made in June 2007. The left one is on the firebox. The right is on the grill box. I can cook in both boxes but when smoking meat, the meat goes in the grill box which stays between 200 and 250 degrees.

Video Rocker freecycle

Alas, this was a gift that is not receiving proper use, nor do we have the space for it. It sits by a door and collects a multitude of things other than bottoms. Its growing very sad because it spent its youth rocking out, but is now neglected and holds up the wall like a shy young man at an LDS dance.

Please let us know if you can give it new home. It is not exactly like the one pictured but very close (has buttons instead of seams across the front). It is in excellent condition, although its hard to tell under the pile of stuff on it.

Score on Freecycle

We've added a page element to our blog, all the way at the bottom right. We are going to list some things that are still useful/in fine shape that we no longer use/can't use. This is in the traditions of freecycle.org. If you have questions ask. If nobody claims anything, we will rid ourselves of the stuff after a completely arbitrary period of time. First we have a christmas tree stand used once in 1999. Since then it has lived in a box.
Second is a child's motorized car. Forward/Reverse. One seater. It does not have a charger. But it has a four prong trailer type connection if you can find a charger that works with that. I've charged the battery with a charger that works for 9 volt and AA type rechargeable batteries. I just used a pair of alligator clamp wire connectors. It doesn't work on the rough, uneven terrain at our house. If you have a flat, smooth yard it would probably work great.

I'm not planning on giving this away. This is something I got off freecycle. If any wish to use it let me know. I've leak tested it for air, but not on the water. It has a pump and paddle. And it all fits in a big bag. 400 lb/2 person capacity. I don't know if I would take down the South Fork, but I might.

Darwin

Darwin is going to get this guy

Our Christmas Tree

We watched Freedom Writers the other night. Ruth was afraid it was going to be another cheesy gangsta movie. I think it was pretty good. I would recommend it.

If you haven't found Pandora radio you should try it. Go to http://www.pandora.com/. You type in a song you like and it creates a "radio" station that plays similar music. We've been playing Christmas music from the site almost non-stop for the last couple days.

Thanksgiving videos of Aaron

Check out these videos of Aaron. They were recorded at Ruth's parents when we visited for Thanksgiving.
http://voteforplato.blogspot.com/2008/12/aaron-being-cute.html

Great Deal!

Hurry before this offer expires!

The photograph below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect wildlife in the US.

Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democratic Party... as apparently they have learned to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance. This photo is of a Democrat black bear in Montana nicknamed ' Bearack Obama ' !

Some great News!

Last week at Church I was pleasantly surprised when the Bishop announced that they were releasing Jason from Young Men's President! He had known for about a month and never said anything or acted like anything was going to happen. He sure knows how to keep a secret! I wonder if there is anything else he is keeping from me! :) He did such s great job with the Young Men and I hope he knows that! they did keep him on as the Scout Master which means he will still have to go to Scouts each week. But now he can focus on just Scouting and not all the other President duties. The best part though is that he doesn't have a meeting before Church EVERY Sunday and we can drive there as a family! Except for the weeks where I have to go to Ward Council of course. Thank-you for being such a wonderful example to our Wards Young Men for so Long Jason! I love you!

Halloween Contest

Hey everyone! My family has started a new Halloween tradition. Sarah has posted all the families 2008 costumes at http://sandjchapman.blogspot.com/2008/11/halloween-costume-contest.html
check out her blog to vote for the different categories. Voting ends on Saturday Nov. 15th. Come see how creative and funny my family can be!

Come listen to a prophet's voice!

This was sent to me by our bishop's wife. More proof that the Lord really does speak to our loving prophets.

Emily's Special!

This Week Emily has been the special student. Last week she was sent home with a poster to fill out with information about her and she had it back to her teacher the very next day. She was so excited that she was going to have her week to shine! Thank-goodness I didn't have to pull my kids out of school on Wed. to start Homeschooling. Monday, I'm sure she arrived at school to see her beautiful poster all about her on the special place on the wall in the classroom. And she was able to explain to all the kids the drawings of her family, things she likes to do and a bunch of her other favorite things. On Tuesday she got to bring in her favorite stuffed animal to share with her class. She also gets to make some special decision about what the class will do for certain activities throughout the day. Today, Thursday, she was able to have a special guest to share with her class. And she chose me! I love you too Emily! The thing is, a couple of months ago, at a book fair, we let Emily pick out a book and she chose one of the cutest little stories called: "PINKALICIOUS!" This quickly became one of her favorite books to read and for me to read to her. She wanted me to come read it to her class. We also made some PINK cupcakes to share with her classmates. I made them to look like the cupcakes from the book. It was so fun to read to the kids and have them enjoy the story as much as Emily does. She was so cute! She stood next to me the whole time I read and chimed in at her favorite parts of the story. After we read the story we handed out cupcakes. All the kids were asking for more cupcakes. So, go to your local library and check out this adorable book! Then you can see what happens when you eat too many PINK cupcakes! Do you like my Reading Rainbow plug?

The Time Has Come!

It is election day. It's now or never. This year we are voting upon one of the biggest moral issues that our country has ever faced, that of the definition of marriage. Eight years ago we voted on this very issue and were able to succeed with a 61% victory to define marriage as being between a man and a women, yet in May of this year with a 4-3 vote the California Supreme overturned the opinion of the people. On the ballot today we are voting upon a constitutional amendment to once again define marriage between a man and a women. Many people are trying to treat it as a civils right issue, comparing it to when African Americans or women didn't have the right to vote. But it is a moral issue. We are not taking any rights away from individuals that want to live this lifestyle. They have all the rights that we have in a civil union. But they want to change the definition of what marriage has been for thousands of years. Marriage is a union between a man and a women and that is how it should stay. There are so many other issues that could arise if this proposition doesn't pass, but I am sure you have heard them all. For our children, for this country, and to protect our rights, get out and vote YES on PROP 8!

Our democratic republic

I was reminded today that our legislators are not always working in the house of government that they represent, whether they are state or federal lawmakers, and it crossed my mind that they should be paid like pro athletes are paid. If an athlete misses a game he forfeits a game's pay. So, I thought that if a senator, congressman, or assemblyman was to not be in their house of government on a work day than they should forfeit a day's pay.

Now with the way our representatives pass legislation I thought that maybe that's not such a good idea. Keeping these guys in their offices and on the floors of their respective houses may not be such a good idea.

So maybe their payscale should be reflective of an approval rating provided by their constituency. But that creates a host of problems without addressing the actual problem of rep's working for their own interests and not ours.

We need to find a way to make our officials' actions and associations more transparent and more public so that they can be held accountable for their actions.