My Little Meistro

Susannah has a lot of fun playing the piano when Rebekah and Hannah are practicing. Hannah helped capture these shots of our little lady.

Nursing Adopted Babies & BYU Traditions Ball

(April 12, 2008) This morning I went to a LLL Utah seminar on Nursing Adopted Babies and Helping Pregnant Mothers in Labor to begin a successful breastfeeding experience. I write this only to mention that yes, a woman who has never given birth can breastfeed her adopted child and also parents that have permission are now able to nurse foster children in Utah. Thought seeds planted. Contact your local LLL leader with questions if this is your desire. Later, this evening, Joseph took me out to the BYu Tradtion's Ball. We hired a sitter and had fun going to dinner at the Chef's Table (formerly Restaurant Roy) and then enjoyed the dancing, dancing classes, refreshments, and entertainment at this new alumni tradition. Look on page 10 and 11 of the photos for our picture. (Joe help me download pictures here please).

New Posts on Kirjasto Link

Tired today. So many good thoughts about reading and thoughts on writing. Reading any good books lately you would like to recommend?

Surprise!

Look what I found while downloading pictures today! Little amateur photographers left Mom a surprise on her camera. Hope you've had your laughs for the day.

New Teeter Tooter and a Yum Bagel

To celebrate Spring Break from school, we bought and put together an airplane teeter totter for the children. Today after school, the children were taking a ride, when Hannah joined them with a "yummy (chocolate chip) bagel" from Grammy Campbell. Welcome Spring!

Overnight at the Stein Eriksen Lodge

On Wednesday, April 16-17, Joseph had a work retreat at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City. Lucky for us it overlapped the children's Spring Break from school. His generous company treated our family to dinner with the executives and a room which Joe upgraded to one with two beds and included a balcony jacuzzi. The children had no idea really the royal treatment they received. That hot dog Jonathan ordered off the restaurant's Kid's menu might possibly be the most expensive he will ever eat! (Hot dog, fries, two mini bottles of ketchup and a pickle for the bargain price of $8.00). The girls ordered the grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli and carrots, $13.00 a plate. The Mushroom Casserole was my appetizer and was displayed very prettily in a small pot with a lid (3 inches?). The waitor described this as being very natural with few ingredients. The taste was fine, the grit was hard to swallow. Dirt? Joe had Lobster chowder for an appetizer and the dishes were fun because they reminded me of Finnish glassware, except that I guess they would be Norwegian? We did not have Elk which was the most expensive entree at a mere $52.00 a plate. For dessert the girls were delighted when the boss of EMIA told them they could order Joe's favorite dessert Creme Brulee. It came with strawberries and pound cake. (In my opinion Joe's recipe is better). I went for the $13.00 Carribean Castaway which included a "z" shaped cookie over a unsweetened coconut custard, passion fruit gelato, and chocolate custard with a "paint" of mango and passion fruit sauces. The lodge was quiet due to the fact that the last ski day of the season was the day before we arrived. The hills were still blanketed in new snow and pine trees. The flowers and orchids in the room were real (?). Hannah was impressed by the bed turn down service in the evening, which included: a teak tray with a silver canister of ice and tongs, Dasani waters and goblets. Mrs. Cavanaughs chocolate mints placed on our pillow, slippers, bathrobes, floor mats, and the Wallstreet Journal.

Tagged by Jamie

Ten Years Ago... I was more than half way through my first year teaching Sixth Grade at Copper Hills Elementary School, Granite School District in Magna, Utah. The contract was to teach from July 28, 1997-July 2, 1998 (Extended year, Extended day. I taught "C" track). It does indeed feel like another lifetime ago. I was pregnant with my first baby. I made many life changes that year (1997-1998). 1) Graduated from BYU in EL ED (4/97) 2) Got married (5/97) 3) Bought a house in Kearns (SW Salt Lake) 4) Went to Russia/Finland for 10 days 5) Got my first full time job 6) Had a baby (5/98) 5 Things on my To Do list: 1) Journal funny children's sayings 2) Get Blog caught up 3) Laundry--I need Troll Helga's magic soap and wax (Tommie DePolla) 4) Take Children around town to pick up their various school "awards" from fast food places 5) Vacuum house! 5 Snacks I enjoy: 1) Whole Wheat crackers with cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes 2) Yogurt parfet 3) Quesadillas with salsa 4) Fresh fruit and vegetables 5) Dove dark chocolate squares 5 Foods I love: 1) Popcorn 2) Grilled Salmon 3) Butternut Soup 4) Cafe Rio's Grilled Chicken Burrito Enchilada style 5) Dryer's Frozen yogurt What I would Do if I became a Billionaire: I would love to own our own home! I would like to be free of any debt and able to put money away in children's college and mission funds. My husband would be able to retire early and we would be able to spend more time traveling with family and writing. With Joe writing at home, I would love to go back to school and get a Master's Degree. I would like to be able to make a backyard with waterfall, interactive playhouse, and teeter-totter. * Favorite Family Recipe: Hawaiian Haystacks This recipe gives a lot of choices, is fast and easy to make, and our children love it! 2-4 cups cooked white or brown rice Combine, whisk together, and heat through: 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup (not diluted) 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tsp. Curry (Opt. 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice) Prepare desired Toppings: Chinese noodles Shredded cheddar cheese pineapple tidbits diced tomatoes diced green, red, or yellow peppers diced scallions sliced celery frozen peas, corn, or mixed vegetables warmed Roasted peanuts, cashews, or sesame seeds, etc. Serve: Begin with base of rice, add chicken sauce, put on cheese and toppings of choice, enjoy! 5 Places I have Lived: 1) Provo, Utah 2) Novosibirsk, U.S.S.R. 3) Kuopio, Finland 4) Mount Scopus, Israel 5) Kearns, Utah Favorite Quote of the Day:

Quotation is from Joseph Smith, as quoted by Joseph Fielding Smith.

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. . . . "... [A]s God has designed our happiness—and the happiness of all His creatures, he never has—He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed, and which will not end in the greatest amount of good and glory to those who become the recipients of his law and ordinances." (An essay recorded in the Journal History [HC5:134-35] Aug. 27, 1842) TPJS:255-56; DGSM:27 I tag Melissa and Rachel!

Finished at last?

Today, I was telling our next door neighbor Jim Burr that I was about finished with our construction project. He told me that a construction project is never finished. He also reminded me that any project takes two things: more time than anticipated, and more money than anticipated. Well, there are still numerous things to be done, but I guess that is always the case. Julie was gone yesterday, so I felt like I could use all the stinky finishes to get stuff done: Polyurethane for the wood, and a special sealant for the stone. Here is what it all turned out to look like, with a few comparisons of what it was before:

Front of the house, this used to be the breezeway doors.

The old look.

Front doors from the inside.

The old look. Kinda spooky! Computer nook. We were originally going to have this be a reading nook, but decided it was a nice open place to have computers. Another angle, computer nook.

Mailbox Blown up!

Ever get a guilty feeling when you have not blogged in awhile? Well, Joe and I were uploading pictures (actually Joe was playing an online computer game while I was doing this), when we heard a loud "boom"! We looked at each other and then at the time, 10:40 p.m. We did not hear a car (so it was not a car backfiring). There was no follow up noise. We checked to see the children were in bed. (All were except baby Susannah who is a night owl with us). Joe went outside to look around and came in several minutes later with smoking mail. Our utility bill was shredded and brown on the ends. Friday night vandals? Offended migrant workers? A friendly officer from the Provo Police Department came and took pictures and had us fill out a police report. Still very much awake and incredulous now at 11:30 p.m. Thank goodness we have not replaced the ol' mailbox yet...it is on our to do list for Spring. (Joe just brought in the mail--it is very smelly, gunpowder...The officer commented that to blow up our black metal mailbox it would take quite a charge...perhaps even a homemade bomb(?!).