Happy halloween 2010

Jason was Khonsu, the Egyptian god of travelers and knives (We had to make the costume for a school project) Kayla was a black cat. Meow!

Aaron was Iron Man.

Pumpkin carving....

Be Thankful!

Be thankful!

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,

and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

paint project

It only took 2 1/2 years but I finally painted one of the rooms in our house. We had some minor home renovations done (added a wall, put in a closet) and the new walls needed painting.

Before....
After....

I had a friend give me some pointers on getting clean paint lines- look how good they turned out.

These were the paint lines before I added a few extra steps

Now its on to the next project!

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God,

and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

— Gordon B. Hinckley

Lagoon Quest 2010 completed!!!!

I did it! I went on every ride at Lagoon this summer. Even the ones I hate, and the ones that scare me, and the ones with long lines, and the ones that are not worth the wait, and the ones that no one else would go on with me, and the ones that make me dizzy. All of them, every last one. Yes, I did!

Thank you to everyone who made this goal possible. It took a lot of help from a lot of people, especially those of you who watched the little one while I went on rides, and the ones who went on the really scary ones with me and gave me encouragement when I wanted to get off.

I wanted to do this because I have been the girl on the sidelines for a long time, the one that sits with the baby and the stroller while everyone else goes on rides. I also wanted to teach my kids about goals and to show them that we can do things that scare us (you just take a deep breath, don't think about it, and go for it). The kids "new favorite ride" is always the one that scared them so much before they tried it. There were a lot of rides that I only went on once, and that is fine. You never know until you try. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Terror ride
Bat
Boomerang
Carousel
Centennial screamer
Cliffhanger
Colossus
Dinosaur drop
Dracula’s castle
Dragonfly
Flying aces
Hydro luge blue tube
Hydroluge black tube
Jet star
Jumping dragon
Kontiki
Tidal wave
Ladybug bop
Log flume
Musik express
Odysea
Paratrooper
Puff the dragon
Rattlesnake rapids
Rock-o-plane
Rocket blast off
Rocket re-entry
White Roller Coaster
Samurai
Sky ride
Sky scraper farris wheel
Space scrambler
Spider
Tilt a whirl
Turn of the century
Wicked (yikes!)
Wild kingdom train
Wild mouse

Quote of the Week

"Today I will connect with my children, bring joy into their lives, nurture and encourage what they love to do, and celebrate them for being exactly who they are"

-Anne Ohman

The best book club ever!

For August, my book club read Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. This was my book pick and I was the host for this months discussion. Instead of the normal discussion I tried to re-create a scene from the book, a leisurely Italian dinner under the stars.

I wish I had pictures of the table lit by candlelight, it was beautiful. And the food was fantastic.

we had a five course meal which included:

Bread (2 kinds) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping

marinated mushrooms and cucumber

fresh mozzarella

mortadella (a meat like Bologna)

cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto

Olives

Caprese salad

Mint and basil sorbet

Authentic Lasagna

Italian Soda

Tirimisu

Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato

ameretti cookies

Grapes

Watermelon

Strawberries with Balsamic vinegar

Sixteen people came and everyone brought something amazing. (Thanks bookclubies for making this night so much fun)

Here are a few quotes from Frances Mayes:

Where you are is who you are. The further inside you that place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Pg 86

Quoting Bachelard “ Mainly, I remember recognizing his idea that the house protects the dreamer; the houses that are important are the ones that allow us to dream in peace


It is easy for foreigners to romanticize, stereotype and over simplify local people…one a person is really known of course, the characterization blessedly fades..

One of those flash epiphanies of travel, the realization that worlds you’d love vibrantly exist outside your ignorance of them. The vitality of many lives you knew nothing about. The breeze lifting a blue curtain in a doorway billows just the same whether you are lucky enough to observe it or not. Travel gives such jolts. I could live in this town, so how is it that I’ve never been here before today?