Knights, Ben and Baseball

Ben & Ben's show is going to be airing on National Geographic Channel in under 30 days; November 15th to be exact! Nat Geo has started an advertising campaign and we are going to start seeing ads pop up. We saw one behind home plate in the 5th World Series game last night. It was so exciting. It's getting to be a reality!!

So I was looking through some old photos and found this shot of my handsome husband. He hates when I post photos of him, but I'm rebelling and posting it anyway. He's so cute! I'm so proud of him. He is a really great husband and a fantastic father to our babies. I hit the jackpot the day he walked into my life! I love this guy!

Yellow

Mag's favorite color is yellow. He wanted to paint his bike yellow so he went ahead with that project (with my blessing). Then when he was done, he decided he didn't want a brown doggie, he wanted a yellow doggie. Next he decided he wanted to be yellow too. It was a very yellow day!

Mr. Waffles; Our New Family Member

So we got a dog. It just happened. Kind of by default. He had three previous homes and they just didn't work out. We were going to take care of him for a few weeks before we brought him to California to a new home but now he's staying here in Utah with us. He's an adorable and sweet little dachshund and we have named him Mr. Waffles. He's kind of warry of strangers and is afraid of basketballs but for the most part he's quiet and good. We're still working on housebreaking him. He'll get it soon.

This is my very first dog experience. Ever. It's a bit different than a cat. That's for sure!

Eva Marie LOVES to hold his leash. Loves, loves, love it.

This is one of my favorite things about a dog.

A Year Gone By

Eva Marie and Miles turned one! How did time fly by so fast? Here are a ton of photos from the birthday fiesta.We finally gave up on whacking the pinata and just let the kids tear it apart. They loved it!

Uly and his loot!

Eva Marie is eating the gum drop out the center of this sombrero cookie. The cookies were a hit. I love that in my family the licorice flavored gum drop cookies were the most popular!

The recipe is one that I really liked. It's my new favorite sugar cookie recipe. I have made it a few times since the birthday party.

Cake is good on a plate so why wouldn't the plate be tasty too?

Birthday cake!!!!! Eva Marie learned a new cake eating tactic from Miles.
Perhaps she feels threatened? Your cake is safe, baby. It is all for you!

Eva Marie's first experience with a lollypop. She loved it.

Such a handsome little guy! It's so fun that these little ones share a birthday.

Fruit Salad... Yummy! Yummy!

Decorations...

Baby + Dirt = True Love

Eva Marie loves playing in the dirt. She squishes it. She smells it. She tastes it. She rubs it on things. She loves dirt.

I Love Sewing

I think I need to print this out and hang in my sewing area. I made it using a vintage sewing machine and the 2011 Pantone palette for women's fashion. It might be a good reminder.

If anyone wants a copy you can download a pdf here




Addendum:
Here is a knitting version for you, Cutzi. :)
I am having trouble with how it looks in Google Docs. The heart looks mottled to me which I can't understand because it doesn't look mottled on my computer. If you download it and it does look mottled to you, I can email you a copy that shouldn't look like that.

A New Year

I have really been so bad at blogging lately, it is not even funny! I pretty much gave up on MomShots. It ran its course. I'm kind of sad about it but I have way more pressing things on my brain.

My latest photography related project is a photo a day for a year. I did really well for the month of January and am excited to keep going. The goal is to help me learn to be more creative and be better at photography in general. It has been fun. Some days I have a harder time than others but I really see the benefit of keeping up with this massive project.

I am blogging each entry on the Active Artist Network. Which in itself is fun because it makes me feel like an actual artist instead of a person who just pretends to be, which is what I have always told people when they asked me if I was an artist. I like that.

The kids are growing so much. Ulysses just turned 7. We went to Pirate Island Pizza and had a little party with the McPhersons. It was fun and Uly enjoyed it. That's the important thing.


Ben's been really busy. They sold the Knights of Mayhem show to the National Geographic Channel and shooting is starting this week, I believe. He's not doing the shooting so he can work on other projects. There are other projects in the works and we are hoping and praying that something starts sending some cash our way because we are out of it again. That's the way of self employment, for now.

Ben and I are working hard on counting calories and exercising. We really want to make 2011 the year we lose our weight and get back in shape. It has been fun. Plus we are seeing progress. Ben's lost about 17 pounds and I, 16 since we first started. That's encouraging.

We had a houseful at Christmas and after. That was wonderful. We really miss living near our family. It is always fantastic when they visit. It's always much too short.

That's what is happening for now. Good stuff. Normal stuff. Not very eventful and that's good.

Here are a few photos from the past month or so.

Eva Marie and Great Grandma. They are both in their jammies and I'm sure Frannie would not like me to post this online because of that but I think it is just so sweet. I hope she'll forgive me if she ever sees it.



We have been spending a lot of time going out into the desert and going shooting. It is a favorite family pasttime and one that I am sure will continue to be a favorite for the rest of our lives. That's hard to avoid when you have four boys in your family! Here is Uly shooting the .22, which he is getting very good at. The whole using the sites to aim clicked last time we went and he shot five targets right in a row. That's my boy!




Mag dressed as a robot.



Uly & Gar sticking out their tongues and touching their noses.



Gar & Mag hugging. When Uly is at school, Gar & Mag can either be the best of friends... most days.



Ben & Gar. Dad's phone is the coolest. Aren't they handsome?



My favorite little pirate.



Eva Marie and her favorite toys.



More brotherly love; Ulysses & Garland.




Lavender licking Space Dust aka Cheeto cheese off her face.



Well that's about it. Of course there are a million more photos just dying to be put online but they probably won't ever see the light of day. That's what happens when momma is a photo taking fool!

Christmas Countdown a.k.a. Our Advent(ure)

A few years ago The Best Mother in Law in the World gave us a beautiful Christmas countdown house. It is absolutely adorable and will be a treasured decoration for years to come. Especially now that I decided to do a Christ centered countdown instead of a candy centered countdown. My kids won't be playing with it when my back is turned (or at least that is what I am hoping). Last year I tried the candy thing and after a few days of it being up, the kids broke off the Santa. Thank goodness for superglue! I'm hoping to avoid that kind of destruction in the future.

I have been thinking about this Christmas countdown for a few weeks and finally found a countdown that I liked well enough to use. I wanted an LDS theologic base and activities for my kids to do. Google introduced me to an old issue of The Friend from 2000 that had a great countdown. You read a few verses of scripture and then do the activity for that day. So instead of creating my own, I decided to use this one since it met all of my needs. I am not doing the nativity puzzle although that is a cute idea too.

I updated it with the current Prophet's name and included all of the scripture verses listed so we can read them directly off the paper. Then I printed out the list and cut into strips, rolled or folded them up and stuffed them into each day's box on the Christmas countdown house.

I think it will be a big hit and also be a great way to bring the Spirit and focus on Christ a little more frequently in our house. I am looking forward to tonight's first little door opening.

If you also want to do this with your family, I made a PDF that you can download here.

The Great Pumpkin Experiment

I am just going to come out and say it; I am not a fan of pumpkin pie. I have yet to take a bite of pumpkin pie and be wowed by the deliciousness. I would rather eat a cherry pie any day. You may have noticed that my feelings toward it has not ever stopped me from eating it. It IS pie, after all. Who says no to pie?!?

So with this being the case, I have not really been big on pumpkin. I love the orange skin and the fun that can be had by carving them. I love the feeling of squishing pumpkin guts between my fingers. I have not been big on eating pumpkin...

until this year.

I went to the grocery store with Magnus and he found these adorable little pie pumpkins and so we got one for each kid. They have been sitting on the table or on countertops since, as decoration. It was time to either use them up or throw them out.

I chose to use them. I chopped them up with a serrated knife into large chunks and scooped out the guts. I put them in a large microwavable bowl, added a half inch or so of water, covered and cooked for 10 minutes. Then I put them in a collander to cool for a few minutes. When they were cool enough so that I didn't run screaming from the kitchen when I touched them, I peeled off the skin and put all the soft flesh into a bowl. Next I got to use my potato masher and squish the soft flesh into a puree'. Easy and fun.

Now that I had this big bowl of pumpkin goop I had to find a use for it. This has proven very easy, fun and delicious!

We are big porridge eaters at our house. That could be an insult except that it is just too yummy. I decided to add some pumpkin to our porridge one morning.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Porridge
4 C Water
1 C Cornmeal
1/2 C Pumpkin puree'
1 C Sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 Eggs
1/2 tsp Salt

Put water, salt and cornmeal into a pot and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally with a whisk to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan and clumping. Reduce heat to medium low heat. Add pumpkin and sugar. Put a lid on the pot and let the porridge cook down until it is the consistency of nice oatmeal. I like mine kind of thick. I think it is less messy that way. At this point turn off the heat and add the eggs and spices then whisk until the eggs are fully inorporated and your porridge has a nice custard consistency. Usually the heat of the porridge is enough to cook the eggs but if yours are still slimy turn the heat on and make sure they get cooked. If you whisk the eggs in well you won't even know that eggs were included. It's my little secret porridge ingredient, adding protein and a great consistency.

Scoop into bowls and enjoy. Add nuts, raisins, cream or butter. Enjoy!


Another recipe that I think is a fun use of pumpkin is in brownies or cake. You can replace the oil in any brownie or cake recipe with pumpkin and it is delicious. I am out of cocoa powder but have some Nestle Quick powder mix and found a recipe for brownies here. I changed that recipe to this one. It was a hit. In fact, I'm pretty sure we are eating this for dinner tonight. It's got whole grains and a vegetable so that's OK, right? :)


Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies
1 1/3 C Whole Wheat flour
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 C double chocolate-flavor Nestle Nesquik powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 Cup Pumpkin puree'
1/4 C water
2 large eggs

3/4 C Almonds
3/4 C Pecans

Mix well and pour into 9x13 baking dish. Pulverize the nuts in the blender or food processor and spread over top. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes.

My kids devoured it.

What do you like to do with pumpkin? Any favorite recipes?

Give Thanks

I need to focus on giving thanks more often. All the time. Today in Relief Society a sister was talking about giving thanks with every breath we breathe and with every fiber of our being.

I love that.

I have moments of giving thanks. Every night at dinner we have been discussing things we are thankful for. Ulysses has been reminding me on nights that I forget (like tonight).

We have been discussing being thankful for things like our teeth, feet, each other, Jesus Christ, cars, Daddy, forks, thumbs and fingers, robots, imagination, school, warm houses, windows.

It is so fun to discuss why we are thankful for these things. It seems to bring an awareness of everyday objects in our world to my children. To me too.

I need to give thanks more often. I need to breathe thankfulness. Especially right now. Some days it is really hard to have Ben working so hard and away from home so frequently. It's not something I can really vocalize. I support him and want to encourage him to pursue the career that brings him so much joy and love that he has been able to support us. But sometimes I feel very alone living here in Utah. I am tired of struggling and miss the days of living in San Diego where we had health insurance, a beach within 10 minutes and friends and family so near. I have no beef against Utah. I just don't like that alone feeling.

I am thankful for the beautiful seasons in Utah. I enjoy that immensely. San Diego doesn't have that.

Today is one of those days. There is no particular reason. I just am having a hard time being patient, loving or even caring about things that need to be cared about. I'm sure its hormones. It'll pass. Whatever.

I want to print this image and put on a notebook. I am going to try to do that tomorrow. I was thinking that it would be a fun visiting teaching gift. Which is actually laughable since I am the world's least diligent visiting teacher. I could go off on a rant about visiting teaching but I will exercise restraint right now. Let's just say that I need to think really hard about it to find something to be thankful for.

Oh! I got it. I'm thankful for visiting teaching because it gave me a chance to make this notebook cover.

Ok. I have to stop typing because I keep deleting the things I am writing. I try not to complain to other people. Maybe by writing a blog post it will send my thoughts both written and unwritten off into the ethers of the Internet and I'll feel better. I better hit the publish button quickly!

Simple Woman's Daybook Early October

My Simple Woman's Daybook entry is inspired by this wonderful site.

FOR TODAY; October 6, 2010

Outside my window...
Is my weed ridden back yard. I would very much like to replace the weeds with grass in the near future. I had a contractor give my a bid but Ben thinks he can do the work for a whole lot less. I know he could, but will he? He's so busy. It's really hard for him to find time to do anything around the house.
I am thinking...
That I really need to find someplace to drop of Mag and Gar this afternoon. Uly has his appointment to get his cast on his broken arm and I don't want to bring all the kids. I am having a hard time finding someone. I could sure use Olea right about now! Oh well...
I am thankful for...
That Uly needs more fiber in his diet instead of an appendectomy. He woke up in major pain last night so I ended up taking him to the ER. Again. We did this back in December 2009. We thought it was probably the same thing, trapped gas, but there's always that slim chance that if you don't act then is turns out to be something serious. Grrrr. Three hours at the hospital in the middle of the night makes for a very tired momma!
From the learning rooms...
I am trying to fit Kindergarten worksheets into Gar's days. He loves doing them. I need to make them more of a priority. I am also trying to read with Uly more. He is such a good reader, it surprises me. I think he'll be reading chapter books by the end of the school year. I need to help him practice so we can reach that goal.
From the kitchen...
I was feeling bummed out yesterday morning so instead of doing something healthy or productive, I baked. I made a pumpkin spice cake. It was amazing. There is only a few pieces left. I can't do much with beef, chicken or pork, but I can sure spice up a cake!
I am wearing...
Sloppy pajama clothes. Ben's big In-n-Out t-shirt and some stretch pants. I am thinking I'll take a shower and get dressed here in a bit. I think I'll wear my maternity Gap jeans and one of the new blouses I bought at the Gap a few days ago. I'm a Gap billboard. I have to take in the shirts in the lower armscye and/or put a dart in the bust area. The fit is a little off but I think I can fix them so that they look OK and are comfortable still.
I am creating...
Halloween decorations. I have two ideas that I'm mulling around. A garland using halloween themes clip art from my new favorite graphics site, the Graphics Fairy. I also like these two ideas: Spirit Jugs and the House o'Lantern. Our house is set back from the road and I am thinking I need some kind of inviting project so that trick or treaters will know to come down our driveway. I also need to start thinking about and working on costumes for the kids.
I am going...
Crazy.
Today I am taking Uly to the orthopedic surgeon to get his cast on. This doctor seems to be much better than the one Gar and I went to. This is Dr. Callahan and he is actually doing something. Dr. MacArther didn't straighten Gar's arm and it is still a bit bent. He says that Gar will grow into it but I'm not sure. I feel like I paid a whole bunch of money for him to not do a thing.
I am reading...
Ulysses by James Joyce. After a while I feel like I finally got the hang of how it is written but it is still taking me a very long time to read. I am reading it in little nibbles. It's on my phone. I love being able to read books on my phone. It is very convenient. I really don't miss turning pages or holding the book. I love having my book with me at all times and not having to remember where an extra item is.
I am hoping...
That I can stay cheerful and happy with my kids today. I am also hoping I can find somewhere to dump my two craziest boys for a couple of hours. Maybe Kristina can help me. I hate to ask her. She has her hands full already. My babysitter girls are all busy tonight. Maybe my visiting teachers. I don't know. I wish my kids could just be well behaved so I didn't have to worry about this!
I am hearing...
Eva Marie grunting and making guttural noises at her fingers. She just sneezed. Cute little sneezes.
Around the house...
Things are mostly clean and mostly tidy. I feel like I'm doing a better job of being on top of that than I was. Some days are better than others.
The family room upstairs is littered in Kleenex. I don't want to see how bad it is. Mag grabbed a box of tissues and took it upstairs. Then he proceeded to pull many of them out and throw them around. He didn't make it through the whole box, thankfully.
One of my favorite things...
Is sitting on my bed and reading blogs that inspire me to make more projects. They also inspire me to blog more but I don't listen to that inspiration.
I have been thinking about blogging a lot lately. I loved working on MomShots but I can't make it fit into my life right now. It's kind of depressing. I had so many fantastic ideas for that site when I first started it but due to my lack of knowledge and lack of funds none of those ideas really got off the ground. Now there are other photography sites that have since sprung up that do exactly what I originally intended. It kind of leaves me feeling deflated and not inspired to work on MomShots. I really needed a partner for this project. I think it originally had a lot of potential. Now it's just tired. Another one of my projects uncompleted. Maybe it is complete. It is time to move on though, me thinks.
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Figure out some outfit for the kids to wear so I can take their picture for Christmas.
Work on Halloween costumes and decorations.
Get more exercise.
Smile more.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I wish it were in more in focus. I really need to focus (pun intended) on that more.

Four Months

Eva Marie is growing up so fast. She's laughing, cooing, grabbing her toes and is such a joy to our family. She is a fantastic sleeper and can actually sleep in her own bed (unlike some certain brothers of hers). She wakes up at night to be fed around 5 in the morning but goes right back to sleep and stays that way until about 9:30. She could not possibly be a better baby.