Namesake

Today it occurred to me that Lincoln knows his name well enough now that I could have him read his name on our books about Abraham Lincoln and realize he had the same name. Then I could explain to him who he is named after. I asked him if the name looked familiar. He said it didn't. Then I had him spell out his name and pointed out the letters as he said them. He got excited when he realized he had the same name.

Elisabeth almost said Abraham Lincoln was a president but I told her not to because I had been waiting all this time until he was old enough to to appreciate and I wanted to be the one to tell him. Yeah, I am selfish. So I told him that Abraham Lincoln was a President of the United States and did very important things. This is his response
Lincoln: You should tell Dad!
Me: I think you should tell dad... he would think it is cool that you are so excited.
Lincoln: But I am not.

I waited 5 years for this day. . . for him to know he was named after an important person. Apparently I have to wait a little longer if I want him to actually appreciate it.

The Powers that Be

Have you ever wondered how to get rid of the hard water deposits and scum around your sink drains? Or anywhere? I mean besides getting a water softener. . . My mom taught me a secret the last time she visited my home. I have been noticing a nasty ring around my drains again and thought I should try it again. It always amazes me how well it works and how easy it is. Yeah...I need a life.
Anyway. Here is a before and after. I wish I had thought of taking a before and after picture before my last sink.
The secret? Vinegar. Let it soak for a few minutes. If it doesn't come off, wait some more. Ok. . . some of you may already know this, but for those who don't. Now you do!

IKEA: House of Horrors

Elisabeth received a coupon for a 3D Spook house at IKEA. We had no idea what it was and we decided to go check it out last weekend. Immediately upon entering the store we started looking for some signs or something to show us where it was. I saw a group of people go by. I heard them talking:
Person 1: Should we go upstairs?
Person 2: No! I don't want to do the maze again!
Foolishly I assumed because we were there for the Spook House , so was everyone else. I said to Tim.
"Hey . . . you should ask them. . .it sounds like they just came from it." I thought to myself "It must be a little scary if he doesn't want to repeat it. "
Tim then enlightened me that "The maze" is most likely in reference to the show room upstairs. I can be so oblivious. Now that I write this it so obvious.

The spook house is good for little kids but but a little cheesy. It is a big tent set up in the far corner of the parking lot, furthest from the store itself. There is a sign at the front stating "NO REFUNDS" Not terribly promising is it? It was fun to see kids reactions and it was probably just perfect for them. Nothing too scary. The kid's school gets $5.00 from what we payed so it is a school fundraiser too. There is a lady waiting at the end looking apologetic. She says
"You guys can go again if you want." What was said in the tone of her voice but not in words was
"I am sorry. I know it isn't that great and maybe you think the $25 dollars you just spent was wasted. Maybe if you do it again for free, quantity will make up for quality." We did it again. I don't think we will want to repeat it next year. I think the maze in the upstairs of IKEA is scarier. It is certainly harder to find your way out at least. As the famous song Hotel California goes "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. . ." at least not without spending a lot more money and time than you planned to going in.

Joe makes Church Movies now!

Today Joe was dying to play with his Movie Maker program and since it was Sunday we said he had to make a movie with some spiritual message. We suggested he do it on our scripture of the week. Moses 7:18. I knew he would do good things with it. This is what he and Elisabeth came up with.

The Movie Club

My son Joseph and his friends Duncan and Jake made this music video for one of my favorite songs, Viva la Vida. I think these boys did a great job picking the pictures and timing it just right. They received NO help from any grown ups. I am impressed that Joe seems to know more about Windows Movie Maker than Tim does these days. Tim was asking him how to do something with the program the other day. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_g63w6BWUw

Fruitsnacks and Applesauce and Juice! Oh My!

I love our house, and this year, I love our trees and grapevines too. As I explained in an earlier blog, I canned peaches about a month ago, and now it is time to harvest the apples and grapes. Tim went out and bought a juicer and I bought a dehydrator. Both in the name of Tim's birthday. If we have all this fruit every year we are going to have to get this stuff eventually so better sooner than later. I hope my friends forgive me for not making it a girls activity like a planned. There is always next year when I am more familiar with the process and know how much I get.


So, Saturday we made made 6 quarts of concord grape juice. We don't have any canning jars so it is just going to have to drunken soon. That is OK . I LOVE concord grape juice. After this week that might change though. Apparently one needs to prepare to be truly prepared. Wal-mart was out of canning jars on Thursday. Anyone know where else to get them? I haven't even had time to look. I guess next year I will know to be more prepared.



Sunday we dried some apples and bananas. They are addictively yummy. The dehydrator sounds like a blow dryer so we need to find a place to put it other than the kitchen or run it at night. It is just white noise but after 6 hours straight, it can get on the nerves. Yes, I worked on Sunday. We also went to church early enough to sit in the chapel instead of the cultural hall (where we usually sit.) Does that cancel it out? Probably not.

We made apple juice and applesauce as well. The cool part is that with a steam juicer you make them at the same time. You have to peel and core the apples. Then you steam the juice out of the apples. It takes about 90 mins and the bounty isn't as much as for the grapes but the pulp that is left behind is the apple sauce. That makes up for the less juice I think. One 1 lb of apples makes 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of juice.

I didn't have any idea it could be so easy. I thought you would have to have some fancy machine or grate apples till it killed you or your hands. I thought to have juice you would need some fancy press machine. The juicer can be used as a blancher and vegetable steamer as well. It has a water pan, a pan to collect the juice, and a metal basket with wholes to hold the fruit.

Happy Birthday Tim!!!!!

It is hard to make an entry about Tim that doesn't sound like it is meant for an anniversary or Valentines. That is because I can't celebrate him with out thinking about how happy I was when he became a part of my life. I am so glad he did! I am even more glad that he decided to stay a part of my life. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful man to spend the rest of my life and forever with. I could tell you how awesome he is but I already wrote a blog entry all about him and he is still just as wonderful a person. I love you Tim! Happy Birthday!

Kids make reason stare!

Lincoln: "Mom, can I eat lunch downstairs?"
Me: "You have to eat the apples and drink your milk up here but then you can bring the sandwich downstairs."
Lincoln: "But I don't like apples! I don't want the milk! (add really whiny tone)"
After arguing this one for a little while
Lincoln: "Mom, Sam has more apples than me!" He then bursts into tears!

Huh?

Elisabeth's Baptism

My daughter was baptized today! What a nice meeting it was too. Tim performed the baptism and confirmed her. What a blessing it is to have a worthy priesthood holder for a husband. Thank you Tim.

My brother David gave the Holy Ghost talk and used her very special blankie (that we secretly brought with us this morning) for his talk. She was quite thrilled to see it. I asked him to give the talk because he gave the Holy Ghost talk at my baptism so many years ago and did such a great job :) Thanks David! Eric, you have two and a half years to get ready for Lincoln's baptism. Both of my brothers were able to witness and participate in her confirmation. On Tim's side his Grandma was able to come for which we were very grateful. The rest of his family are all in different states. Most of our friends were able to come. Friends and family sure helped a lot in managing my smaller kids. THANK YOU! I was really worried about it from past baptism expereiences so I am more grateful than you can know.

I was able to do a little more for her baptism because I was able to help her dry off and get dressed up again afterwards. I wont get to do that with the boys. That was special for me.
We celebrated with her choice of resturants for lunch. Doc's Pizza Buffet.
Congratulations Elisabeth! We are so proud of you!

A Cold by any other Name

The last few days I have been suffering from a really stuffy nose, headaches, sneezing attacks, a scratchy throat, and most recently a cough. Up until a few years ago I would have said I have a cold. You treat colds with rest and liquids right? I don't know if I was just ignorant, or my parents were ignorant, but I had never heard of such a thing as a "sinus infection" until I moved to Utah. It sounds so sinister.

I really feel like what I have is a cold and that is what it should be called but I have had friends describe similar illnesses and call it a "Sinus Infection." I hear they take antibiotics to treat it. I never would have dreamed of taking an antibiotic for a "cold". I hope I never have to. My body is already pumped with antibiotics from other infections that I enjoy on a frequent and regular basis. Whatever this thing is called, I call it misery.

Quiters never win and Winners never quit

So. . . after two days of accidents, I quit potty training Sam. Pitiful I know. I don't know if Sam is ready or not but I know I am NOT ready. Diapers just are still a better option at this point. Maybe next week.

Mediating my Marriage

I am taking a Mediation and Negotiation class right now. I LOVE it. So interesting. So relevant to my life. I am not currently planning on becoming a Mediator but it is a Legal, Social Work and Psychology cross listed course for a reason. I am sure I will have lots of opportunities to use it in my future (hopeful) career as a counselor. I also know I will be able to use it in my relationships now.

Last night, in class, we talked about Story Telling. The first step of mediation is the Opening Statement when you as a mediator explain the rules and the goals of mediation. The next step is allowing each party to tell their story. No one is allowed to interrupt and it is the role of the mediator to make sure this rule is kept. This is a very important step for working out disputes because it allows everyone to be heard.

How many times do I interrupt Tim when he is sharing his feelings in a disagreement? It is always out of defensiveness, pride or over confidence that I know what he is going to say next (Yeah, I am a jerk.) How much more quickly could we solve our issues if I didn't do that? Do I need a mediator to tell me to shut up so Tim can share his frustrations? I sure hope not. What a simple little thing that could make a big improvement. We are happy together (well I am, I can't speak for Tim) but no matter how happy you are in your marriage, it can always be better right? I love this class!!!!!!!