Raspberries

Today the president noted that "tax relief must be joined with fiscal discipline. Americans are making hard choices in their budgets, and we've got to tighten our belts in Washington as well." (emphasis added)

It makes me want to blow a huge raspberry at him. I feel like that is what he and the rest of our communist government are doing to us.

We are no longer the United States of America. Our new name is the Socialist Union of American States. I thought about the Union of Socialist States of America, but some states like Texas or Utah might secede over that. And we're better off without losing them.

$10.5 trillion commited to fixing our economy
$2.5 trillion already invested.

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!