Catching Up!

As per Nicki's request, this blog is specifically for her and will be mostly boring to anyone else who reads it. However, if you elect to read it, you are going to get a glimpse of our most ordinary lives.

We got dumped on this past week. It snowed off and on from Wendesday through Saturday, but by far we got the most snow on Friday night. I know it doesn't look like much in these pictures, but Kent and I moved a ton of snow off the driveway Saturday morning. And it was wet, heavy snow. Yes, we do have a snowblower, and it even works, but Kent claims he loves the workout. It was beautiful, as snow always is before it gets nasty looking.
This is what the front of the house looked like.

Looking over towards Farnsworth's home.
The front yard.
View from the back deck.
Hansen's red barn.
Dad and Dean, after singing a very inspiring "Happy Birthday" to Claudia.
So, while Kent and I were out shoveling snow, he decided to take a break and go across the street and talk to Dean. While he was over there, Claudia (Dean's wife), came out to shovel the snow off her front door step. Next thing I knew they were singing "Happy Birthday" to Claudia in a very enthusiastic and off-key kind of way. It was cute and funny to see/hear these two old guys singing with much gusto to Claudia.

Kenna and Ringo enjoying the snow (boots) and sun (shorts???).



Backing up a bit to Valentine's Day. What is it they say about the best laid plans . . .
Nicki gave us a gift certificate to one of the few nice restaurants here in Cache Valley and we decided to save it for Valentine's Day. So a couple of days before, I reminded Kent to make the reservation. I also happen to love making something special for the kids for Valentine's Day. Traditionally I have made them chocolate heart-shaped biscuits for breakfast with whipped cream and strawberries. This year I wanted to change it up a bit and "surprise" the kids. I decided I would make a red velvet heart-shaped cake for after school/work. After I got off work, on Valentine's Day, I went to a couple of grocery stores looking for the red food coloring - none to be found. I was tired and it was getting late, so no red velvet heart-shaped cake for the kids. That would have to wait for later in the week. Then, to my dismay, Kent forgot to make the reservations until Monday morning, so no dinner out. I think we ended up eating mac and cheese, homemade, but still, very lame. We pulled the cake off a couple of days later and had a good ol' time decorating it. It was kind of a family effort, and tons of fun.


Below is a yummy fruit pizza Trevor and I made a week before Valentine's Day. It was just something we have never made before (I know, I must live under a rock). Trevor did the fruit arrangement. For some reason, my kids get way into food arrangements. He loves baking with me. For the longest time (almost up until he turned 6 or 7, he wanted to be a baker, then a librarian when he started school and discovered the library there, and the sweet lady who was the librarian).

An Amazing Artist

My neice drew this picture of Nicki and McKay from their engagement announcement. I think she captures them perfectly - not an easy thing to do in person, let alone from a picture. She really got the eyes and facial expressions just right. To see more of her work, click here. When I have grandkids (Nicki and McKay, are you paying attention?) I will commission her to do them with Christ. She does amazing work. She just did her neice with Christ and I love how it captures her neice.

Yippee For Me!

I started a new job today. I am now working at a chiropractor's office, by appointment only, doing face and foot zone balance treatments. I have my own little office with my own little spa music. I am so bona-fide now!

This is what I do

and this too

and this is how you feel when I'm done.

I love my job.

I'm offering free introductory face and foot zones for February.

Wish you could all come and visit!

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

For the past week all I've seen out my window is this. We have had snow off and on for days now. I love the first snowfall of the season, but I'm afraid I'm going to be sick of it by the time spring comes again. We have lived here for 7 years and this is the first time we have had snow for Thanksgiving.

When I woke up this morning it was 29 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. Yesterday it was -8. You do the math.

Undoubtedly, snow can be beautiful.

Party Crashers!

So, a few weeks ago, I decided I was going to host a little craft party at my house and invite my sisters and nieces that live nearby. Some said they were going to come and some couldn't make it. Our plan was to arrive, have dinner and craft on Friday night, then go to Gardener's Village on Saturday. So, on Friday morning I got a call from one of my sisters (Lanell) telling me that my sister from California (Janice) was coming to the party. She was coming up to Idaho to borrow my dad's chainsaw (don't even ask, but if you do, its a pretty funny story). I asked Lanell if it wouldn't have been cheaper for Janice to rent or buy a chainsaw, but at this point it was about more than borrowing my dad's obviously amazing chainsaw. Anyway, when Janice heard we were all getting together to craft, eat and talk, (our favorite best hobbies), she decided to crash the party. She wasn't invited because I didn't think in a million years she would drive 10-12 hours for a few hours of partying with us. Boy was I wrong. I'm so glad she came. But, we kept it a secret from the rest of the party-goers. April, Lanell, Ashley and Taunya arrived around 5:00, Darcie got there a bit later. Then around 8:30 Janice snuck in the house. The pictures below tell the story better than I can.

You can't tell from the picture below, but April is crying she was so surprised and happy to see Janice.

We were all sitting around feeling bad that the rest of the sisters couldn't make it, when to our surprise around 11:00 Shirlene showed up. She had told me on the phone earlier that she wasn't coming because of the cost and time. She is working on her Master's Degree at BSU and pretty involved with that, and like the rest of us, the money she would have spent on gas could go to so many other places. But then she had a "conversation" with mom that went something like this: "Mom, you wouldn't go if you were me and money was an issue". Mom, "Go be with your sisters". Shirlene "You wouldn't do this if you didn't have the money." Mom, "I have a different perspective now, go be with your sisters". So she decided to come. I halfway expected her to come, especially since I did spill the beans and tell her Janice was coming (it was a little pressure, nothing more). All the same, when she showed up I was so surprised and busy hugging her that I didn't get any photos of her walking in and surprising us all. Here we are working on the cute little pumpkin crafts we made. It was kind of challenging for some of us and we had some pretty good laughs.

Aren't these stuffed pumpkins cute!!!

After crafting we spent the rest of the night, (literally, we were up until 6:00 am) laughing, crying, talking and making some unforgettable memories. One by one we drifted off to bed for a couple hours of sleep before we were supposed to head south to Gardener's Village. Debbie didn't get there until Saturday morning because she and my brother (her hubby) work the Friday evening shift at the IF Temple. She was also surprised to see Janice and Shirlene.

Here we are Saturday morning drinking all manner of herbal teas trying to relieve our suffering-from-sleep-deprivation hang-overs and moving pretty slowly. I'm the one with the incredible bed-head in the bottom left corner. I look better than I feel.

Lanell had to leave Saturday morning-ish to go back to Pocatello, where her son was playing in a championship football game, so she couldn't go to Gardener's Village with us. This is a group photo before she left. I'm still in my pajamas!

We finally left the house around 2:00 (much, much later than we had planned) and drove down to Gardener's Village. We had a late lunch there and then walked around the many shops and had more fun. The sun was setting and reflecting this beautiful pink on the mountains to the east of us. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't quite up to the task so you can't even begin to appreciate how beautiful it was.

One final group picture before we left Gardener's Village. Back row: me and Debbie. Seated from left to right: Janice, April, Ashley and Taunya, (April's daughters), Shirlene and Darcie, (Debbie's daughter who has two buns in the oven due the first part of May, we're so happy for her).

Debbie and Darcie went home Saturday night and April and her girls were going to drive back home also, but we talked them into staying one more night. When we got home around 9:00 p.m., we made a run to Macey's (food store, not department store) so Janice could buy "Snaps". She can't find them anywhere near where she lives, so we always have to do a "snaps" run when she's here. If you don't know, snaps are colorful little licorice tubies that we McAffee's love. Debbie told Janice she thinks they taste like soap, to which Janice replied (think happy, excited voice here), "Ya, they do, and they taste like perfume too". And they really do, but they taste like soap and perfume with lots of sugar on them and we love them. I've actually converted Kent to them too. After the "snaps" run, we went home and watched, or tried to watch "Letters from Juliet", which I liked, but kept falling asleep through it.

Bright and early Sunday morning April, Ashley and Taunya drove home and Janice and Shirlene went to church with us. Right after Sac. Meeting, Shirlene left. It was so hard to say good-bye to people as they left, but Janice and Shirlene were the hardest for me because they were the last two to leave. Janice left early this morning for her drive back to CA. She drove through snow, rain, sleet, wind and sunshine, and sometimes all of it at once according to her. But she made it through the Sierra Nevadas and on home safe and sound. Thanks you girls for a glorious, albeit, unhealthy weekend. Thanks to all of you for making financial sacrifices and giving up time with your hubbies and babies (young and old) to be together. Love and miss you all.

Missing Mom

Yesterday marked two months since mom passed away. I really miss her. It seems like it has been years since I've seen her, talked to her or laughed with her.

Thanksgiving 2008

Dad sporting a nasty owie from a semi rearending them. His face smashed into the steering wheel. Ouch!

Mackay Dam, Summer 2009

May 2009 -I promise I did not stick my tongue in a socket just before this picture was taken. What is up with my wild hair???

Mom with granddaughters and great-granddaughters, plus Garrett.

Mom with daughters, minus Cindy, Shauna, Lanell and Shellie.

Mom with the latest batch of great-grandbabies.

June 2010 - at Hawaiian Temple

The Worst of the Tricks!

Trevor decided at the last minute to go trick-or-treating with his friends on Saturday night (yes, you saw this costume last year. We are pretty lazy when it comes to putting costumes together. Consider this recycling). He even took a pillowcase with him. I used to have huge hangups about kids trick-or-treating with pillowcases. How much candy does one need anyway? And, isn't gluttony one of the seven cardinal sins!?! Not to mention what all that sugar does to the kids - blissful energy, then the inevitable crash (like all good drugs should do, right?), tooth decay, lethargic thinking, suppressed immune system, and the list goes on.


Dumb things I have done in the past in regards to the Halloween loot:
1. Not take my kids trick-or-treating.
2. Let my kids go trick-or-treating, then make them pick out their favorite 10 items, trashing the rest (this was by far the most sadistic because it never really got trashed, Kent and I ate it. I know, we're sick!).
3. Pick out all the bubble gum loaded with sugar and trash that (I have never liked my kids "chomping" on gum, and you will never see me doing it).
4. Allow them to eat as much Halloween candy on Halloween night as they can, then trash the rest (very poor advice from a not-very-bright mom, and I fell for it. Who's the dummy here?).
5. Pay my kids for their Halloween candy - actually, I can't remember if I ever really did this, or if I've just fantasized about doing it until in my mind it has become a "real" memory.


For years Nicki and Regan have had to take the brunt of our "learning curve" when it came to parenting skills. This is just one example. I think I owe them bags of candy, if they really want to collect!