Have a Spooky Halloween!

Here they are...

Bob the Builder

The Ninja

and... Vampire Boy

Since we don't live across the street,

I won't be able to share a treat.

So, here's my trick, I'll be the first...

Beware of ghosts on the 31st!

Primary Program - Bubba

Here's Bubba's Part!

(His little voice is very quiet - so hopefully you'll hear something.)

And just in case you're wondering... no, he did not do that little dance when he did his part in Sacrament Meeting.

Bubba's favorite part of the program?

Sitting on the Stand

Primary Program - The Professor

Here's The Professor with his part!

The Professor's favorite part of the Primary Program?

Singing!

Primary Program - OTG Boy

Yesterday was our Primary Sacrament Meeting Program. Each of the boys wanted to share their "parts" with you.

I'm still learning to use the movie recording stuff on my camera - so sorry, their voices are very soft - but, if you turn the volume way up and listen closely... hopefully you can hear what they had to say.

Here's OTG Boy...

OTG Boy's favorite part of the program?

His Speaking Part

(because they had a cheat sheet for them by the microphone)

Buddies!

The HOT HOT weather is finally coming to an end and playing outside is so much fun!

During the past year Bubba and the Professor have truly enjoyed playing together. Life is so much fun when you have a buddy! And even better when that buddy is your very own brother.

(Sorry, not my best pictures - but if you click on the pictures to make them larger you can see the looks of absolute pleasure on both of these boys. That's the part I love!)

A Few Days For Deep Thinking

First of all, let me clear-up a mistake I made yesterday. I said it had been exactly two weeks between Bubba being sick & The Professor coming down with... whatever it was. However, I was wrong - it's actually been three weeks. I guess time is going by faster than I thought!

Last Friday I ended-up in the hospital for a few hours of tests and observation and since then have spent a lot of time laying down, or just sitting (I have to say - staying off of your feet is highly overrated - I'd much rather be moving!) Anyway, I've had a lot of time to think and ponder and wonder about life.

We all have such different purposes and missions. Recently our prayers have been getting longer and longer. First we were praying for our baby and for me. In August, our friends, down the street, were in a small plane crash and have suffered terrible burns. Then last week, one of Handsome Hubby's dearest friends (he was the Best Man at our wedding and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet) lost his dad in a tragic gun accident. Now over the weekend, the brother of another friend has been killed in a possible car-jacking.

My first reaction is to just throw a pity party and start feeling bad about everything, but somehow you just can't do that for very long. You can't help but to start seeing the blessings - even in the middle of the trials. I am so thankful to know that we have a Father in Heaven who cares about all of us, and that the circumstances of our lives are for our good - life is not something to suffer through and just survive - with the help of our Father in Heaven and our Brother Jesus Christ we can find the beauty and possibly understand some of the reasons for what is going on around us.

If you have the time, the Sister-in-Law of our friends in the plane crash wrote this beautiful message about "Progress and Perspective" - I would highly recommend reading it. You can click here to see what she had to say.

And, just so you're not too worried - I'm doing much better since the weekend and I may even tackle cleaning the clutter pile that's built-up here on the computer desk - although, I'll have to do it sitting down - my dear Handsome Hubby has said he really doesn't want me to lift a finger for the next three months! Can a mom really do that?!?

The Professor's Turn

It's been exactly two weeks since Bubba missed school because he was sick with a fever. This week it's the Professor's turn. He missed school yesterday - stomachache & a fever. So today he's still home - waiting for that fever to be gone for 24 hours.

I think he's feeling better.

What do you think?

I'd say, definitely back to school tomorrow!

Pumpkin Muffins

Yes it's another pumpkin recipe!

Like I said we just love pumpkin at our house!

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup chopped nuts

In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk, oil and pumpkin; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Stir in nuts (or you can do what I did and omit the nuts and add as many chocolate chips as look good to you. Sure, they're completely unhealthy, but completely yummy!). Use paper baking cups in your muffin tray & fill cups 2/3 full. Bake in a 400 degree oven about 20 minutes or till golden. Remove from pans; serve warm. Makes 10 to 12.

My tip: always double the recipe & always use chocolate chips!

We love Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins!

What Do I Do?

I've had several people ask questions about what I do when I'm feeling so sick and on my days when I have to be in bed. Here's a breakdown:

For times I've had to be completely down - at least for a few hours (which thankfully I haven't had to do for a month or two now, only occasionally when something unusual happens) my only option was either listening to something or watching TV. Usually, I just watched something - but, thanks to my wonderful "across the street neighbor" she's been my personal Blockbuster! Between her movie library and movies from her extended family - I've watched a lot of really good - uplifting movies. So I do owe a big thanks to my friend and the Hallmark movie people for helping me forget my own troubles for a few hours of the day!

On days when I just need to be taking it easy and keeping stress low - my biggest time consumers are: spending time with Bubba before he heads out to school and then working on a simple project like indexing for Family Search - this helps to add names to their searchable online index for working on family history - anyone can do it - if you'd like to learn more click here. I also spend time either reading or working on cross-stitching Christmas Stockings for my family.

This is for Handsome Hubby. I've been working on it for a long time, but finally finished it up. I'll sew it together, hopefully around December, when I'm feeling well enough to get out and enjoy searching for some fun Christmas fabrics for the back.



I'm in the middle of working on this one for OTG Boy. He is very excited and checks my progress all the time. I'm glad he thinks it's "cool" that I would make a Christmas Stocking for him.

And now that I'm keeping my food down, more often than not, I do try to get out occasionally. I attempt to make some of our dinners. And my mom will be happy to know that at least I get my bed made everyday!

And I know I say it all the time - but I just have to say it again. I am so thankful that Handsome Hubby is willing to help around the house and take care of so many extra chores! Taking care of all of us is no easy task. I love my Handsome Hubby!

Quick Pregnancy Update

Just a short note today (I haven't been feeling so great, so it's been kind of a not-do-too-much kinda day) - but, wanted to let you know I had a doctor appointment yesterday - and everything is still looking good! We are very thankful that this baby has been strong and healthy and that I haven't had to be on complete bed rest. People always ask what they can do for us - just keep praying - we really appreciate your prayers.

Our friends, were in a plane crash a couple of months ago and burned severely. I'll just use their names since they've been all over the news. Stephanie is still in a medically induced coma, but her husband Christian - has been recovering well and is now in a rehab facility - and whenever you hear what he has to say, he always talks about how much prayers help and that you can literally feel the help. I believe that - I've felt that! I'm thankful we can pray for anyone or anything, anytime, anywhere - it really does make a difference.

A Visit From the Tooth Fairy?

I'm happy to say that OTG Boy is On The Go again! Yesterday, he had the day off - and he'll be the first to say - he wished he hadn't. First thing in the morning he was at the dentist's office being prepped for a tooth extraction! He had a stubborn baby tooth that was refusing to come out - and there was no getting out of it - the dentist said it had to go.

So, after the dentist, OTG Boy spent the day at home letting the anesthesia wear off, drinking Gatorade, eating soft foods and watching Harry Potter (that part he liked).

Today, he's back in school... feeling great... and very happy to have the whole thing over with!

Stir Crazy

This last week we had October Break - translated... no school on Thursday & Friday!

Which, actually, we love - everyone needs a break! However, since I'm still not feeling super great our plans consisted of a nice long weekend at home! Not quite as exciting as the kids had hoped, but riding bikes, roller blading and watching movies can be fun... right?!?
Well, needless to say by Friday afternoon my three bundles of energy needed a diversion or they were all headed for the longest "time out" of their lives.

So, after a few minutes of thinking, grabbing a snack to help my stomach settle, and snagging some quarters out of the change jar - we headed out the door to "Dollar Tree."

We bought a white plastic tablecloth and some black yarn... here's how $2 saved the day!

First, you cut your white tablecloth into 12 pieces.

Then, you wad up a piece of newspaper

(we already have plenty of that on hand).

Next you put your paper in the center of your plastic to form a head.

Now tie your head in place with a piece of black yarn.

Then, draw scary faces on each of your creations & attach a piece of yarn on top.

Most importantly, work together to hang them outside for everyone to see...

And in the end you have 12 spooky ghosts and 3 happy boys!

Happy Halloween!

Yes For Marriage

Here in Arizona we are working on Proposition 102 - that marriage is only between one man and one woman.

This is not new for us - we were involved in the same type of proposition when we lived in California.

The great thing about this time around is that the kids are learning from this experience as well.

First they are learning to become involved in the community and stand-up for what they feel is right.

Second they are learning that when you throw your heart in to something - it can be broken. The sign they are standing by is actually our second sign. We had our first sign out for one day (and the kids were so proud of it, they were pointing it out to everyone - Bubba even made sure his bus driver saw and read the sign). The next morning we found that someone had stolen our sign and our neighbor's sign. All of us were very upset!

So, our third lesson is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We explained that even though we want to vote yes on this proposition other people don't like it and want to vote no. But that's the great thing about living in the United States - everyone can express their opinion. However, you should not do things that are dishonest to express it. We taught the kids that whoever stole our sign has every right to put a sign in their yard that says vote no, but that stealing it was not the right thing to do because that is dishonest and breaking the laws of the land.

So now we have our second sign, we're learning lessons, the kids are very interested in the upcoming election... we'll see what happens next!

Our Pumpkin Time of Year

October and November are our pumpkin months. We have several traditions that involve eating pumpkin in one form, or another - and it's been a lot of fun.

Tonight we had Pumpkin Casserole! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
6 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (two pie pumpkins are plenty)
2 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Pkg. stuffing mix
1/2 cup melted margarine

Combine pumpkin in water in a saucepan; bring to a boil and simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Combine stuffing mix with the melted margarine and place half of it into a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish. Place the drained and cooked pumpkin on the stuffing mix and top with a mixture of the sour cream, soup, onion, and carrots. Add remaining stuffing mix on the top. Bake at 350 degrees F 25-30 minutes.

And voile you have a very yummy pumpkin dinner!

Just a note: Pumpkins best for eating are the smaller pumpkins that are also darker in color - they will taste sweeter than a pumpkin you would use to make a Jack-O-Lantern.

Also, don't forget to save your seeds! We always toast ours so we can have a tasty little snack for later.

Being Polite

Our speech homework for the week - we're still working on

being polite.

It's amazing, when you really start to focus on the politeness level in the house, how often we are not polite.

I've noticed our family often remembers to say, "please" and "thank you" at the table and we're pretty good at saying we're sorry if someone gets hurt or we mess something up. Our biggest issue - I've found that all of us are constantly telling each other what to do - instead of asking each other for what we need.

For me it's been a huge spiritual insight. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints it comes down to the very basics of our religion - The Plan of Salvation or Plan of Happiness (click here for more info). For the plan to work we needed a savior and we had two choices - Satan who wanted to tell all of us what to do, and our Savior - Jesus Christ - who knew we needed agency so we could have the opportunity of making our own choices.

So as we go around our home trying to remember to say things like, "please turn the music down" (offering a choice) instead of "turn the music off now!" (no choice). I am thankful to have these helpful reminders in my life of how our family can follow Christ's example.

Who knew Asperger Syndrome would turn out to be such a spiritual experience?

Watching From Our Tent

In Primary the boys were encouraged to "pitch their tents" for General Conference following the example of the people who came to hear King Benjamin speak in the Book of Mormon. So that's exactly what the kids did.

I enjoyed the Conference Sessions as a whole, but three talks that stood out for me were Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin - talking about being happy and remembering to laugh, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - angels in our lives and Elder Russell M. Nielsen - on marriage.

I am looking forward to getting the Ensign next month so I can read all of it again!

Bubba's Healthy Again

Bubba was sick earlier this week so he missed two days of school - he was davastated!

So yesterday and today he's been doing little dances for me to prove he is healthy enough to be back in school. Honestly, the fact that his fever is gone and he talks non-stop is proof enough - however the impromptu dancing around the house has been very exciting!

Our Family's New Find

As many of you know... or maybe you don't know, I am lactose intolerant. I wasn't always this way - it's something that came up towards the end of being a missionary in Korea and the mystery wasn't fully solved until a year after I was back home. Luckily, with the aid of lactase supplements I've been able to eat dairy with only occasional problems.

However when I am pregnant supplements don't work for me - at least for the first 20 weeks. Don't ask me why - my doctors have only been able to speculate with no real concrete answers. In a way, this is a problem because everyone knows you need more calcium when you're pregnant and the best source is dairy - but for me it just doesn't work.

This pregnancy Handsome Hubby brought home something for me to try... something I've thought of trying before, but just never got around to doing it. It was...

Yes, it's Soy Milk and it turns out it's delicious. Now I can get all of my calcium along with several other vitamins and some fiber without getting sick and without having to take a supplement. It's great!

Don't worry - I'm not trying to put Dairy Farmers out of business - Handsome Hubby's mom and dad are in the dairy business. So, let me just say - I still love cheese, ice cream and yogurt! I'm just glad I found something to add to my diet that I can handle on my own.

I guess I'm also throwing the soy milk idea out there to use as part of your food storage. If you have a cool place to store it - you can buy it on the shelf and I've seen some with expiration dates a couple of years down the road. I've been thinking of keeping it on hand just because it does have the same nutrients of regular milk along with a few extra benefits and it's already in liquid form so you don't need to use any of your stored water to reconstitute it. It might be a nice healthy treat to have on hand in an emergency (especially vanilla flavored - it's yummy). But, I would suggest you try giving your family some form of soy to try before adding it to your storage - some people do have soy allergies.