Seven Signs

7 signs that you have been married for 7 years, and at one time thought that it was a good idea to have 7 children.........................

1. You cant remember which day it was that you were married. A sure sign of impending alzheimers.

(Randall and I went back and forth for days. I finally had to get our marriage certificate out, its the 22nd.)

2. You have resorted to calling each other mom and dad. Its just easier that way.

3. Your idea of a romantic getaway is touring a garden, watching TV and going to bed early.

4. Lots of white hair and not so much hair. Need I say more.

5. Youre TV is permanently tuned to QUBO and PBS kids. You dont even know what is on the other stations.

6. The best date you have had in a while consisted of a cheesecake brownie in the back of the Expedition.

7. You know without a doubt that marrying each other was the best decision you have ever made.

Magic Number 7

This last weekend we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Nana and Papa were kind enough to watch the kids overnight so Randall and I could sneak away for a much needed getaway. We kept it pretty simple this year and stayed close to home. We started the weekend by hiking at Silver Creek Falls. It was so nice to get away from the business of life and reconnect in such a beautiful place. The weather was perfect. 70 degrees to be exact, which is rare for a March weekend in Oregon. We were so grateful for the sunshine that lifted our spirits.
After a relaxing picnic lunch and some good adult conversation we headed over to our hotel at the Oregon Garden. The hotel was beautiful and far exceed our expectations. What a wonderful place for a quick getaway. We first roamed the Garden by way of our private entrance. It was absolutely beautiful and we had so much fun just being together, a rare treat with 3 kids. Then, after a delicious Filet Mignon dinner we went for another private stroll in the Gardens. We had the whole place to ourselves, it was awesome. So, we goofed around and played in the kiddie garden until dark.
The next morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Hotel and then headed over for our couples massage in the spa. It was incredibly relaxing and well worth the cost.

We finished up our weekend with lunch at the Glockenspiel in Mt. Angel and touring a covered bridge.

It was such a wonderful weekend, and I am so blessed to have shared it with the love of my life.

A day at the museum

Last weekend we packed up the kids for a much needed family outing. We decided to head on over to OMSI for a picnic lunch and some science fun. It had been a few years since we had been to the museum, and to my surprise Parker and Abrianna loved it. Parker and I started in the chemistry lab and learned how to blow up a balloon by mixing different elements together. Tons of fun, and I loved the great goggles that we had to wear. Classic!!!!!!
It was really neat for Parker to be able to try some experiments in a real lab. He is always coming up with his own "experiments" at home like, growing a crystal in my freezer. His mind is such a little sponge and constantly thinking of new things to try. I love it!!!

We then headed over to the Space exhibit and learned what it is like to fly in a shuttle and what it would be like aboard the space station. Randall went for a spin and exercised his way into being fit enough to fly into space.

And this is how Abrianna spent most of her time. Quite typical of her these days. I thought these pictures were so classic.

And little Autumn was of course, happy as always. She is such a good little girl.

It must be spring

I dont care if the groundhog saw his shadow, at my house it's spring. I have a much better, although slightly more annoying, gauge of the seasons arrival. Long before I can see the flowers bloom and feel the warmth of the sun, I HEAR springs long awaited advent. It isnt the glorious song of a blue bird, or the soft breeze blowing through the trees, its FROGS. And the sound really isnt pretty, and its quite loud-no actually, it's extremely loud. And they are the worst at night. They seem to sense the exact time I lay my head on my pillow after a long day anxious for some R&R and some peace and quiet. As if listening to my groaning kids all day wasnt enough, I get to listen to croaking mating frogs all night for the next several months. I am actually tempted to put bleach in our ponds this year. I know it seems so inhumane, but after several MONTHS of croaking frogs all night, you would do the same. So as grateful as I am for the arrival of spring-I could really do without the frogs.

It's Time...

...to choose a new paint color for the house.

Spring is fast approaching and bringing with it a host of outdoor projects that need to be done. We have been putting off painting the house for a couple of years now simply because it is so expensive. But this is the year that it has to be done, no matter what the cost. So as the time quickly approaches I am perplexed as to what the PERFECT color is for our home. It is such a daunting task to pick the color that I will have to live with for the next-I dont know how many years. When we painted our last home I didnt get the color quite right, and I was not happy at all, but was not about to pay another $2,000 to have it redone. So I'm a little gun shy on this one, considering it is a much larger house, and a lot more money. AHHHH the Choices!!!

Magic in a Bottle

Spray paint truly is magic in a bottle. Who knew you could do so much with it. I have had so much fun this week turning trash into treasure, and making old new again. It is amazing how far $7.49 can take you. Here are a few of my latest projects.

Old terra cotta pots that came with the house when we bought it 2 1/2 years ago. Definately needed some serious help. I have been wanting new ones forever but could not justify the money for new pots, they are so expensive.

Voila!! New pots for only a fraction of what it would have cost me to replace them. Gotta love it. Only 4 more to go.

Lamps that I really did not care for the color of, but I got them at a great price on closeout at Lowes a couple of years ago. They look fabulous now and i cant wait to put them in my living room.

More new adventures tomorrow. I plan to spray paint a chair, several baskets, and the front of my ugly gold fireplace. Hopefully it works. I'll let you know later. Happy painting to all.

My New Quest

I am on a quest. A quest to learn how to make rolls and homeade bread. It is my one cooking nemesis. I can bake and cook practically anything except, bread and rolls. And who doesnt love a nice ward piece of homeade bread!! Actually I may love it a little too much. The love turns right into love handles!!! Well good news-I think I have finally cracked the code. I know some of you will probably laugh at my new found discoveries, but for me it is huge. After all how can I be a proper Mormon Mom if I cant even bake a fresh loaf of homeade bread. So, I searched through many recipes until I found a few that I absolutely love and work for me. So for all of you who may be on the same quest, here are a few things that I have learned:

1. A Kitchen Aid mixer or similar machine is a must.
2. Knead, Knead, Knead-nearly 12 minutes in one recipe(of course this is what the mixer is for)
3. Dough enhancers-Vital wheat gluten, potato flakes, and vinegar
4. Rise, and Rise again.
5. Bake for the exact time given

Now here are the delicious recipes that I told you about. For my new favorite crescent roll recipe visit http://www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/. The directions are really long, so I wont even attempt to re-copy it all, so look it up and print it out. It seems like alot, but it is really easy and they taste delicious. The second recipe is for homeade bread that really tastes like store bought bread, courtesy of my favorite website http://www.everydayfoodstorage.net/ vist this site, you will not regret it. She even has videos that will show you step by step how to prepare it. I am so happy to feel confident in my bread making skills, and am excited to share it with others.

HAPPY BREAD MAKING

EZ Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup honey or 1/3 cup sugar

2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat gluten

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp nonfat non-instant dry milk

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup potato flakes
Mix ingredients in order listed in mixing bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment for 12-15 minutes. Let rise until double, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, and shape into loaf or rolld. Let rise again until double and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.