Christmas!

My post starts with our annual Christmas Tree Sleepover.  This is me, pretending to be asleep.

My face-painting victims.

 

This Christmas, I asked for a flute stand, a locket, a sock loom, some yarn, and some flute books.  On Christmas morning, I found a Christmas dress draped over a pillow (from my Grandma Woodward), and a locket in my stocking.  I got to wear them to to church.

My locket.

We unwrapped presents after church.  I got some yarn, a book of Disney flute songs, a new leather glasses case, some toe socks, and a book about food photography.

Here is a picture I took using advice from by photography book.

Later that day we went to Grandma’s house and did another round of presents.  I got a yoga book and a music stand!

About 30 years ago, Grandma and Grandpa went to Israel.  Grandpa got an ankh ring for Grandma for their anniversary.  It was very special to her, and she always wore it. About three or four years ago, she came to help us bottle pears.  She took off her ankh ring and her wedding ring, but couldn't find them when we were done.  She finally found her wedding ring at the bottom of her purse, but she never found her ankh ring.  So this Christmas, Mom and Dad decided to get her another one.  They looked for a design on the internet, but there was nothing that looked right.  So they made a rough design and to it to John Beesley, a friend of dad’s, who is a goldsmith.  He perfected the design, and made the ring.  He asked them if they wanted anything engraved on the inside.  After careful consideration, they decided to engrave “Keep away from pears!” in it.  Grandpa presented it to her as the last gift of the night.  You should have seen her face when she opened it!!

Priceless!!!

This is what the ring looked like.

Hope you all have a very merry Christmas season, and a happy new year!!

For Misty

As most of you know, our family bought two love birds about 7 months ago.  I was the one who wanted them, so I was put in charge of them.  Their names were Romeo and Juliette, but we called them Kiwi and Misty.  About a month ago Misty laid 3 beautiful little white eggs.  But after a month, they showed no signs of hatching, and the cage was starting to smell, so Mom told me to clean their cage, and we would take the eggs out one at a time, so that Misty wouldn’t notice.  Mom got the cage out and went out of the room.I took the nesting box out, and set it on the open door of the cage.  Kiwi ran out of the nesting box and sat on the top of the cage.  I opened the cage to see how Misty was doing.  I expected to see her looking up at me with that protective look like she always does when I open the nesting box.  But she was just sprawled out at the bottom.  Her eyes were blank, and she was not moving.  I yelled for Mom and she said Misty had died.  We don’t know how.  She might have been depressed because the eggs didn’t hatch, or she might have died of exhaustion from taking care of the eggs to long.  Or maybe it was just her time to go.  I was crying all night.  We made a casket for her out of a check box, and covered and carpeted it with pictures that we drew for her.  We buried her behind the house with her eggs.  Here are the pictures we put on her casket.

From Me:   

From Mark:

From Abbie:

From Spencer:

So I just wanted to write this post For Misty.  We love you and miss you and will see you again someday!

Recipe of the Week

Black Bean Pie

1 green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of water
10 oz. frozen corn
2 ½ cups shredded cheese
4 flour tortillas

Combine green  pepper, onion, garlic, spices, beans and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone about 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn.
Layer:  tortillas, beans, cheese (four times) in a glass pan. Bake at 400 until heated through, about 20 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.  Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole etc..

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

This year I was in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a production from Spanish Fork Youth Theater, directed by Sister Christensen.  I was in the angel chorus.  I also had one line when I ran across the stage screaming with one of the main characters on my back.  It was lots of fun, and I am hoping to do it again next year! 

Best Week EVER!

My family decided to go to the Grand Canyon for a week, but that would be missing a lot of school, so I decided to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a week.  You are probably thinking “You decided to go to school instead of the Grand Canyon!  Are you crazy?!”  But if I had missed a week of school I would have had a lot of work to make up, especially in band.  So my birds and I decided to go spend the week with my grandparents.  I even got to go to a yoga class with my Grandma!  Oh, by the way, my birds have eggs that are going hatch this week!  Anyway, we had lots of delicious food, and I was able to get out of the house by 7:30 every morning!  But my favorite part was the end of the week. 

For 11/11/11, my Grandma hosted a grand eleven course feast.  My cousins and their parents were going to come, and then Megan and I were going to have a sleepover!  Some of our courses included: The finest red wine(sparkling apple cider), bread dipped in oil, black licorice(to clear the palette), drumsticks, little sausages, 11 assorted m&m’s, after dinner mints, and a game of double 11 domino’s.  Then Megan, Jennie, Randy, and I went downstairs and played Mario Kart while the grown-ups chatted upstairs.  After everyone went home, it was past 10 ‘o clock, so Megan and I went to bed.

The next day, we went to the Pizza Pie Café for lunch and then we took Megan home.  Then I had a face painting job, and when I came back we had blueberry pancakes for dinner and watched a football game to top it off !  Then dad came and picked me up.  Last Thursday Grandma let my come to another one of her yoga classes.  It was fun, but I was so sore the next day.

I love my Grandparents!

Hope you all have and awesome week!

Two Hilarious Quotes

Number One: The wedding was so emotional, even the cake was in tiers.

I love that one!

Number Two: You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream, and that is about the same thing!

Let me tell you, that is a true statement!

Hope you have an awesome week.

Recipe of the Week

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies are my dad’s favorite.  He usually eats about three or four at a time.

By: Ramona Payne
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups butter
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
5 cups flour
4 cups oatmeal
1 pkg. cinnamon chips or semi-sweet

Cream first 5 ingredients.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix in chips.  Bake at 375° for 8 to 11 minutes.  Let cool on pan for 3 minutes.

*  We usually just half the recipe, because it still makes about 72 cookies.

Random Stuff That Happened This Weekend

On Thursday, Spencer came down with the flu.  This is not a good thing, because when the flu hits one of us, it hits all of us.  By Friday afternoon he was all better.  On Saturday we all went outside and pulled out our cannas, tomatoes, and peppers from our gardens.  Afterwards I was feeling very tired and nothing sounded good.  I got sick about an hour later, and so did Abbie.  Later that night I got a priesthood blessing from Daddy and one of our home teachers and didn't get sick all night!  Daddy also helped me finish writing my mystery story for English.  Thanks Daddy!  So now I am feeling fine, Mark is not, and neither is Daddy.  I really don’t like flu season!

Recipe of the Week

This recipe is soooo good!  It is spicy and cheesy and warm and delicious!

Cheesy Salsa Macaroni

1 lb. ground beef
12 oz. salsa
1 ¼ cups water
8 oz. macaroni
12 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Brown and drain ground beef.  Add salsa, water and noodles.  Simmer about 12 minutes.  Stir in cheese.  Serve hot!

Journal Prompt #1

One thing I want to do today: Do a craft

One thing I have to do today: Finish a Christmas Present

Five people who make me smile:  Mom, Dad, Tori, Roo Roo, and Megan

When I think of a strawberry I think of: Sweet stuff

When I think of a skyscraper I think of: A sky full of scratches

When I think of friendship I think of:  Friendship bracelets

When I think of an octopus I think of: The color purple

When I think of a paintbrush I think of: Splatter Duck Tape

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination!”

                             -John Lennon

Recipe of the Week!

This is my favorite soup!  It is perfect for the cold weather we had last week.

Corn Potato Chowder

3 cups water
6 to 7 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/2 a green or red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

8 oz. frozen corn

1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
8 oz. cream cheese

Boil the potatoes, onion, peppers, and seasonings in the water about 10 minutes. Add frozen corn and return to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Whisk the corn starch into the milk and stir into the soup. Add the cream cheese in small chunks and stir until the cream cheese it melted and the soup has thickened.

*Sometimes I add more peppers or corn depending on what I've got in the freezer. The taste of the peppers with the cream cheese really give this soup its tasty flavor. (I use the Neufchatel cream cheese.) Sometimes I have to add a little more salt.

Number Six!

One night I was staying up a little extra to practice my flute.  I was sitting on the couch assembling my flute, when a purple paper sitting next to me caught my eye.  I glanced at it and saw the word “maternity”.  I read the front and back, and by the time I was done, I was convinced that my mom was going to have another baby.  The paper was about the ultrasound my mom was going to have in October.  I was so excited!  I bounced around the house, and decided to ask dad in the morning, so nobody else would hear.

The next morning when dad woke me up, I told him about the mysterious purple paper.  He grinned, and said yes,mom is going to have another baby.  I had to keep it a secret for six days so we could tell Grandma.  My parents always think up clever ways to tell everyone.   Two Christmases ago when my mom was pregnant with Neil, she made a card that said on the front, “Unto us a son is born, unto us a son is given….”, making it look like a Christmas card.  When you flipped it open, it said “Or maybe a girl but you’ll have to wait till June to find out!”  Dad told me that we would announce it when we went to Whiting Campground for the Brian Memorial Cookout.  We had gone to the Payson Pond a few days earlier to get new birthday pictures.  They would give Grandma the new pictures to put on her wall, but inside would be tucked a picture of the ultrasound.  Grandma would look through them, see the ultrasound and know that a new grandbaby was on the way.  But I couldn’t tell anyone until then. 

It was so hard not to tell Tori, but I managed to keep it a secret.  We went up to Whiting, and I finally got to hand grandma the pictures.  Her face when she ran into the ultrasound was priceless.  Now I finally get to tell everybody!  That happened about two weeks ago, but then I still couldn’t tell a lot of people, because Mom still had to tell her mom.  She sent her a picture of the ultrasound with a post-it note over it that said, “Oops, forgot one!”.  Mom had sent her the birthday pictures a few days earlier.  So now I finally get to post it on my blog!!!!  

Recipe of the Week

I want to start a little thing where I post one recipe a week, because my Mom has the greatest recipes.  Here is the one for this week.

Buttery Crescents

1 Tbsp. yeast (1 pkg.)
½ cup hot water
½ cup warm milk
½ cup butter, softened
⅓ cup sugar
1 egg
¾ tsp. salt
4 to 4 ½ cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water.  Combine in mixer milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt.  Add 2 cups of flour mix for 2 minutes or until smooth.  Add remaining flour and yeast mixture and knead for 6 minutes.  Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch down and divide in half.   Roll each half into a circle on a floured surface (about 12-inch circle).  Cut into 12 wedges.  Roll up wedges wide ends first.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise about 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with melted butter if desired.  (I just cut a stick of cold butter (still in the paper) in half and use the cut end to gently rub over rolls.)

Makes 24 rolls.

We always double the recipe, because we can never seem to have enough of these little guys.

School and Stuff

I am now in seventh grade, which is in the junior high.  I am taking Band this year, learning to play the flute.  Don’t you think it is weird that when you play the flute they call you a flautist?  Then you might as well call the flute a flaut, and so I do.  I am such an English rebel! 

Some things I really like about junior high is E-time, all the different classes, the teachers, lunch, and having my own locker.  My favorite class is English, which I have for third and fourth period with Tori.  My English teacher is Mr.Buck.  I also really like Utah Studies, taught by Mr.Christmas.  No, his wife’s name is not Mary.  Did you know he also taught my Dad?  On the day that we get to check out the school, Dad went and said hi to him.  It was twenty-five years ago, but Mr.Christmas could still remember him!

Best Daddy Ever!

I have the best Daddy ever!  Mark and I really wanted to go fishing early in the morning, at the lake by the cabin at Yellowstone, since that was the best time to fish.  We begged Rachel to go with us.  She told us she would.  We tried to go to bed quickly so we would not be so tired in the morning.  Mark set the alarm on his watch for five thirty.  He came and woke me up to get dressed so we could go.  Rachel was sleeping next to me, so I tried to shake her awake.  She woke up enough to tell me that she had gone to bed late and wouldn't be going with us.  I went downstairs in my clothes and asked Mark if we should just go to bed, because I did not feel comfortable to go with out a grownup.  Then Daddy got up and told us he would go with us, but first he had to take a shower and eat something.  And he did!  We got there about 6:15 and fished until 7:00.  We didn’t catch anything, but it was still fun to be with Daddy.  He is the best!  

Yellowstone!

One of my favorite things about Yellowstone was the mud puddles!  On the road to my mom’s cousins cabin, there were two huge mud puddles, each about ten feet long.  They were so deep that you had to drive about twenty five miles an hour to get through them.  It was totally awesome!  The cars were a mess!

We saw a ton of animals.  Among them were skunks, bison, a bear (from very far away), a weasel, and a wolf.  Grandma, Grandpa, Becca, Katie, and I were driving back to the cabin from Mammoth Springs.  It was very late, and I was dozing off, when the car swerved.  I sat up and asked what had happened.  Grandpa said a wolf had run across the road.  So, I didn't actually see it.  But I almost did.

Cheesecake Cookies!

Some of my friends wanted to know this recipe, so I will just post it on here so that you guy’s can read it to.

Cheesecake Cookies

· 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

· 3 ounces cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)

· 2/3 cup sugar

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 2 cups All-Purpose Flour

· Toppings of choice: Chocolate Cookie Crumbs, Mini Chocolate Chips, Sprinkles, Cinnamon Sugar (the possibilities are endless)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in the flour until well combined.

Refrigerate (or freeze) dough for 10 to 15 minutes so that it is easier to handle.

In small bowls, place several topping options. Here we used chocolate cookie crumbs, cinnamon sugar, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles.

Scoop the dough and form into 1" balls. Let the kids roll in topping of choice so cookie is covered. Place covered cookie balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the tops are slightly puffed.

Cool on the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Just some fun stuff!

Here I am, sanding boards for some shelves for my room!

I have been practicing my food photography.  How does this look?

Here is the afghan that I was working on during the Owlz game that we went to.  I finished a green stripe.  The Owlz mascot came and tried to take it away from me so I would watch the game. 

Rachel and I shared a delicious glass of strawberry orange julius. 

Yum!

Yellowstone!

This year we are having a family reunion at Yellowstone with the Woodward family (my mom’s family!)  We are going to each have matching shirts and go see Old Faithful, the hot springs, and the animals.  We also get to stay in a cabin that my mom’s cousin owns.  I am so excited!  We are all meeting up at Yellowstone on Wednesday!

Girls Camp

Girls Camp was so awesome!  I will tell about it from the beginning.  On the first day we got there before all the other wards, and set up early.  We set up our mattresses ( really air mattresses and foam pads) and our sleeping bags.  We set up our backpacks at the ends of our beds and explored the cabin.  There is a three foot gap dividing the two cabins and rafters that you can climb on.  I got a bunk under Vickie.  We have so many girls in our ward, and so few bunks, that only the beehives and some of the leaders got a bunk inside.  When everyone else got there we  had a flag raising ceremony and some more free time while everyone else got set up.  After that we went to dinner, and had a very good devotional about applying the Young Woman's Theme.  Then we went to sleep, but I shouldn't call it that, because no one went to sleep, because we were all getting used to it.

On Wednesday we read a chapter in the Book of Mormon then went to flag raising ceremony.  On the way back through a trail in the woods, Tori and I were discussing bears, when suddenly we heard a really loud scream, and something big, brown, and furry charged across our path about three feet away from us.  We both screamed and finally regained our senses as it reached the edge of the path.  It was a deer! 

On Thursday we were supposed to go to the lake, but there have been so many recent deaths at lakes that we went on a hike instead.  It was three miles but it didn't seem that long.  Tori and I taught friendship bracelets to a bunch of girls and leaders.

On Friday we had a testimony meeting as a ward.  It was my favorite part of Girls Camp.  It was so spiritual, and after we went inside we read the testimonies that our parents wrote us.  That is when I started to cry, it was so touching.  It was definitely what I will look forward to next year. 

I got a mobile with the young woman values on them, a stuffed animal dog named mittens, a notebook and pencil with a cloth cover, a book made into a bag, and some really cute hair things. 

Hope you have a great week, and I will try to post more often!

Mesa Verde

This week we went on vacation to Mesa Verde.   It is a National Park in southern Colorado.  There are lots of cliffs there full of crevices that the water has carved out overtime.  When the Indians migrated, they discovered this place and built their homes in the crevices using pieces of sandstone and clay to build huge buildings on the edge of drop-offs. 

Here is of my favorite picture of Balcony House!

To get to the mesa top from the cliff dwellings, the Native Americans went through a little opening in the rock, then up a ten foot ladder and up a series of foot holds that went up a rock that was nearly vertical.  When we went up the rock, we got to use railings, and the footholds had been enlarged.  I can’t imagine how the Cliff Dwellers made it without the changes!

We also went to see Cliff Palace, the largest Cliff Dwelling in the park.  It was pretty spectacular!

 

This is kiva, where the ceremonial things would be held.  They also had a real kiva re-roofed, but other than that is was the real thing.  They had a ladder so that you could go inside and see what it was actually like.  It was really cool!

Right before we got in the car to go home, we went on one last hike.

These are the flowers one a Yucca plant.

A very pretty green and brown butterfly.

A very well camouflaged lizard.

And, since you are supposed to save best for last, THERE WAS A HERD OF WILD HORSES!!!!!

I took this picture.  When Mom and I saw them on the last day we were there, we hiked up to close where they were and got some great pictures, but this one is my favorite.

Last Activity Day’s

For my last activity day’s we had a mother daughter date.  We had taco salad for dinner and then played a game.  It was a type of jeopardy where the mom and daughter filled out little answer sheets about their  favorite things on different colored pieces of paper.  The leaders would tell the color of paper and the question, and the person who got asked the question would tell the answer.  If the person with the answer on the paper  had written down the same answer then they got a sticker on their score card.  Every star they had on their score card at the end was worth one topping on the dessert, which was Ice Cream Sundays.   Mom and I scored nine out of ten!  

My Twelfth Birthday!

Today is my twelfth birthday!  Hooray!  Soon I will go in for an interview with the Daddy and Mommy, Daddy and I will go to the temple together!!!!  I am so happy!  Tonight I will also get to go to my first young women's activity!  So many privileges come when you are twelve.  I will also get to sit in the front seat!  I like being twelve!  I also like posts filled with exclamations points! 

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For my birthday I persuaded Mom and Dad to let us get a pet.  Yesterday after we went to the cemetery for a service about Memorial Day, we got in the car and drove for forty five minutes for what Dad said was a big surprise.  When we got there we pulled into the driveway of a house.  I was hoping we were going to a pet store to get a bird, so I was kind of disappointed that we spent forty five minutes in the car to go visit someone.  Then Mom and Dad went inside and told us to wait in the car.  Mark and Spencer were going crazy.  Dad finally came out and told us we could come inside.  We went inside and into a bedroom with three love birds in it.  “We are looking at getting two of these love birds,” Dad told us.  I was so excited!  We finally had a pet, and just the kind I wanted!  Well, besides a horse, because we don’t have room for one of those (yet).  So we got two love birds.  The green and red one is male and the gray and blue one is female.  We have named the female Misty, but we have no idea what to call the male.  Any suggestions?

A Day “Jammed” With Fun!

Today is jam day.  We have four flats of strawberries, seven able workers, and some empty containers.  The goal is enough jam so that we can to through one every two weeks.  That’s a lot of jam!  Here are some pictures of me!

I was the sugar measurer. 

Funny pictures are awesome!

Neil loves to help Daddy!

Mashed up strawberries!  Yum!

Tada!  The finished product!

We had mac and cheese and corn for dinner.  Very tasty!  Neil helped us eat the corn.  It was pretty darn cute!

He also LOVES to pop gum bubbles!

We finally graduated from sixth grade!  Here’s Tori and I in our masks.  She made a butterfly and I made a zebra.

I am having a wonderful weekend so far, and I hope you are too!

Klutz!

This week I got to have a late over with my best friend Tori.  I was soooooooo fun!  We made friendship bracelets for two hours!  We checked out lots of different styles, and Mom taught her how to make a chevron.  After she went home at ten o’ clock, Mom and I stayed up until eleven doing friendship bracelets!  The reason I called this post Klutz is because I learned how to make friendship bracelets from a book I got from a company called Klutz, because it gives klutz’s something to do.  I also have Klutz books on sewing, twirled paper (which is how I make my twirled paper things), and battery science, and I LOVE THEM!  They are always what I do when I am bored, and so I am rarely ever bored!  If you want some good craft idea’s go get a Klutz book!  When I was at Robert’s, I saw one on Face Painting, which I am asking Mom to get me for my birthday because it looked so fun, one on Hemp Bracelets, and another that looked really, really fun is Gel Bracelets.  You take the gel that it comes with, which is four different colors, and do designs with them or put them on a mold I guess.  As you can probably tell by now, I really like making my own bracelets.  Hope you have a super-duper week!

Babysitting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I had my first real babysitting job.  Brother and Sister Child were going to the temple, so I got to babysit their four little kids for four hours.  It was a ton of fun.  We played Frisbee and tag outside, and played matching inside.  We had Macaroni and Cheese for dinner and then Felicity, Caleb, Joseph, and Seth put on a play for me afterwards.  It was really cute.  We got PJ’s on and were getting a bedtime snack when their parents in.  Time flies when your having fun.  I can’t wait to do some more babysitting!!!!

Oriel!!!!!!!!!!!

In Utah we have some beautiful birds called Oriels.  They have black a back and wings and a bright yellow chest.  They like to squawk a lot, but they can also sing very pretty songs.  Last year we looked in the bird book that Grandpa Woodward gave us the first time we saw them and figured out what they were.  We first saw the Oriel when it tried to drink from the hummingbird feeder.  We went online and ordered an Oriel feeder.  After it arrived and we put it up, it still took a while for the Oriel to figure our what it was.  A little while later we figured out that he had a mate, so we named the male Oreo and his mate, who has much less black, we/I named her Honey.  Well, today I went in for breakfast when I saw Oreo at the hummingbird feeder.  I just stood there with my mouth open and watched him fly from the  hummingbird feeder to the Oriel feeder and drink for a few minutes until he flew away.  I am so glad that spring is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twirled Paper Video

I know, you are probably thinking,"How on earth can you make a twirled paper video?”  Just watch this.

by Jessie and Vickie

by Jessie and Vickie

Two Princesses of Bamarre

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It is about two sisters that are really close.  Meryl dreams of fighting monsters, and practices sword play and defensive strategies.  Addie only wants to be safe and spends her time making beautiful embroideries and drawings.   Then, Meryl gets sick with the Gray Death, a disease that always proves fatal.  Addie decides to go on the quest for the cure to save her sister.  It is a very exciting book filled with monsters, hero’s and heroines, and love.  This book was written by Gail Carlson Levine.  Some of her other books are Ella Enchanted, Fairest, and The Fairy's Return.

Sunday Activities

Our family needs some good Sunday activities that are worshipful and fun.  If you have any good ideas please tell us. 

Special Things

Yesterday I was cleaning off my dresser and came across some sentimental things that mean a lot to me.  They are……………………………

A Mary and Her Little Lambs porcelain doll set, given to me by my great-grandma Woodward, a  little palomino horse model, a rock with a fossil of a plant on it, a rock shaped like a moon that I found at Goblin Valley, a framed cross-stich that has a bear with flowers on it and my name and birthday that my Aunt Steph made for my birthday, and a little jewelry dresser that my other Aunt Steph gave me.  I love good memory’s!     

Spring Break

This week was a lot of fun.  We spent the whole week playing.  I made a twirled paper Rapunzel with her frying pan and Pasqual.  They turned out so cute!  My friend then helped my to make some twirled food.

  We also went to Goblin Valley and Mark and I got lost.  We said a prayer and then Dad found us and helped us get back.  It was scary, but the rest of it was fun.  We went to Little Wild Horse Canyon the previous day, and hiked eight miles in only 7 and 1/2 hours!   It was lots of fun.  We got to jump off rocks and climb over big walls of rock too. 

Today we had our Easter program.  The choir sang Joy in the Morning, and some other songs, but the Joy song was my favorite.  Rachel and I got to take a walk and see the horses.  When we came back Mom asked if the horses were being reverent too.  Hee Hee! 

I got to sew a front and back for a bag on the sewing machine and I am pretty proud of m self.  Thanks Mommy!

We got to play a neighborhood game of capture the flag in our yard.  It wasn’t really a neighborhood game, but we each had a few friends over.  Our team had the flag tied to the bike shed handle.  Eventually we had all our people in jail, and we started to argue about getting out until the other team forfeited the game.  At least it was fun until then! 

Hoping you all have a great Sunday!      

Surprise Snow, Spring Break, Swimming, and Conference

I was hoping for the nice weather to last, but I forgot that that never happens in the spring when you live in Utah.  So instead we got a surprise snow with about enough snow to make everything white plus a little bit.  Oh well, at least we got to stay inside and clean.  We also went out on Conference Sunday when we also got some snow and built some snow stuff and Mark and Dad had a snowball fight.

Hooray for spring break!  This week consists of Planet Earth of Life in the mornings, a little bit of cleaning after that, and more playing following that.  We might even be going to the Hogle Zoo! 

On Saturday we went swimming, and I learned how to do a front flip off the diving board.  I also played monkey in the middle with Mark and Roo Roo (Rachel).  Neil got to try the water out for the first time and was a bit unsure and timid.  By the end he was able to splash the water without crying, and so mom held him and walked out into the four foot area to come be with us.

Conference was a blast!  I was able to get a bunch of great notes, and add another row to my afgan.  I also helped Roo Roo start her own with some really soft yarn that she has.  I think that my favorite talk was Elder Holland’s talk.  My favorite quote is “We should always try to hold Family Home Evening each week, even though bedlam reigns, inflicted by little bedlamites!” 

Hope you all have a wonderful week, and I will hopefully be posting a bunch of fun stuff we did over the break.

Me and my nicknames

My siblings and I love nicknames.  They are so much fun!  Here are my many nicknames.

PJ- My initials backwards

Essiej- My name in pig-latin

Ladybug- This is what my dad calls me

Sugar baby- This is what my mom calls me

Chickadee-  This is my code name whenever we play spy's

Jess- This one I do not like

Eissej- My name spelled backwards

Jebissebiie- This one is kind of confusing, it is my name in double talk

The Bug Lover- You can probably tell what this one means

Hope you all have a very good Sunday!

Blog Prompts

Outside my window…Tut Tut, looks like rain (or snow).

I am thinking…That I am ready for spring right now.

I am thankful for…Sunshine and birdies.

From the kitchen…Is coming the yummy smell of bread.

I am wearing…A black and yellow flowery skirt that my mom and my grandma helped me make.

I am creating…An afghan out of hairpin lace.  It looks really cool.

I am going…Nowhere, the whole family is sick.

I am reading…Super Fudge by Judy Blume

I am hoping…That it will rain instead of snow.

I am hearing…Lots of wind outside.

Around the house… Are lots of boxes that need a good home under my bed.

One of my favorite things…A family that loves me.

A few plans for the rest of the week:Go to a birthday party, get better, and go singing in the rain! (Hopefully)

A quote I like:If you think sunshine brings happiness you have never danced in the rain!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing…

No, Neil is not screaming, just opening his mouth.  He always does it when he has sun glasses on.

Book Review

Today I am doing a book review on the book Serpent Tide by K. L. Fogg.  It is about Wesley who leads a very boring life, being the son of the billionaire Imogene Vandergrift.  He is a big fan of Jack Mackey, also known as the snake stalker, who does shows about snakes and reptiles.  When his pet dog gets sick and a vet is called for, he uncovers a mystery and finds out that Imogene is not his mother, and that he is in for a big adventure that will change his life forever.  If you are looking for a book that offers excitement and adventure, than this is the book for you.  K. L. Fogg has also written Widows Revenge, and Diamondback Cave, the next two books in the series.  Hope you all have a great week, and I should have a new post soon.

Awesome Teacher!

I am taking piano lessons from my grandma!It is a ton of fun.  My favorite song that I am learning is Canon.  It sounds really cool.  I like how all the melody flows together like a river.   Not a white water rafting river, but a nice smooth river.

Book Review!

I have been reading a great book called the Fairy's Return, and Other Princess Tales by Gail Carlson Levine.  They are a series of short story’s, long enough to be interesting, but short enough to finish in about an hour.  They are fairy tales that have been twisted.  One of them is about a girl who has gems coming out of her mouth, and her sister that has bugs coming out of her mouth.  The one with the bugs coming out is a real stinker, but in the end she helps her sister, so it turns out good.  The next story is a twisted version of The Princess and the Pea, just a lot more funny. You can probably find this book at the library, but if you can't look for Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, and Other Princess Tales by Gail Carlson Levine.  If you like these books also look for Ella Enchanted, Fairest, and The Two Princesses of Bamarre, which are also some of her books.  The one book I do not recommend reading is Ever.  It was also by her, but it was a disappointing story.

Keep watching for more book review’s.