Ticklish Tangerine

Our Garden (sigh...)

2011-06-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

What a struggle our garden has been. I want one so bad!! I really feel like we need to do one. They are healthy, thrifty, good work for the kids, and it's a skill I really want to improve. We started our plants indoors 2 months ago. Then we had to work on a garden spot. My original clever idea (3 years ago) was to make it go along the back 3 feet of the yard, so it didn't seem like such a big chunk out of the middle play area. Well, our fence shades it, and our garden didn't do so well in 2009. In 2010, we just didn't get to it in time, so this year, I have been determined to MAKE it WORK!! Well, it's been HARD. Ty's so busy with his work, calling, and new dental building, so finally I took matters into my own hands. When he went out of town to a dental conference, I got the round-up out, and killed a nice large chunk of grass up next to our house. Ty was QUITE surprised (and maybe not so happy about it...). I borrowed our neighbor's roto-tiller and the plan was to just till in the dead sod for compost/mulch stuff. Yeah--that didn't work so well. Soooo, we had to take out all the sod. UG. Double ug. It is heavy, dirty work. It took Ty and I 4 hours to get 1/3 of it done. We seriously had dirt in every crevice of our bodies!! Then it took another whole Saturday with Ty, me, Marissa, and Chandler working to finish the other 2/3. So, finally our dirt was ready. We made some rows and put in red potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, and beans. (BTW--I also have spinach, peas, lettuce, and garlic mixed in my flower bed land-scaping in the front yard. We'll see how that idea goes...). The stuff we did from seed is doing fine. All my 2 month old starts are struggling though. All 4 of my cucumbers died. My pumpkins and squashes are half-dead from being wind-whipped, and are now each under milk jugs. My tomatoes and peppers are still in our kitchen--can't wait to get them outta there, if the weather would just cooperate!!

Is this garden going to be worth it???!!!??? Oh, I HOPE SO!

Lastly, here's a big THANKS to my honey for supporting his crazy, stubborn wife. I seriously couldn't have done it without him. Oh, the projects I get him wound up into. But I really, seriously appreciate his help. Thanks hon!!

Chandler's Kindergarten Field Trip

2011-06-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

I got to chaperone Chandler's field trip to the library and storybook park. It was fun to see him interact with the other kids in his class (especially since 19 out of 24 are GIRLS!!). The kids absolutely loved it. There was one mom that got some games going--you know, just those good ol' kid games like tag and duck, duck, goose and red rover. That was their favorite part. I wish I were a funner mom--but it looks like it takes so much energy (tee, hee!). Well, I joined them for the last half, after I took pictures for the first half. There is a boy in Chandler's class, Kelton, that always tells Chandler that the "boys need to stick together", so they sat together on the bus and stuff. It's cute. We all chipped in on a book for Mrs. Plotts--it was an alphabet photo book. One of the moms put it together. It's the kids laying on the ground in the shape of each alphabet letter. Cute idea. She loved it. We're gonna miss her for a teacher. She was wonderful.

Shoshone Falls

2011-06-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

We took a little day-trip to Shoshone Falls. Clarke fell asleep in the car on the way. He was excited when he woke up to see where we were, and he wanted to run EVERYWHERE!! He didn't care if it was hilly or muddy, he just wanted to GO. He did run right into a muddy area and fell down in it. He really didn't mind the muddy part of it, but didn't like it too much when I poured my water bottle over him to wash him up. The falls were absolutely gorgeous--the water is SO HIGH this year. The kids favorite part of the trip was the hike we took. Lotsa fun rocks and trails and stuff. Chandler had a little fall and got a little scraped up, but was okay after a couple bandaids. All in all, a fun family adventure.

Twin Falls Temple

2011-06-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

We went to run errands in Twin Falls one day and the kids really wanted to stop at the temple. We got out and walked around the temple grounds. The spirit is so strong there. The kids wanted to touch the temple walls.

Happy 6th birthday, Chandler!

2011-06-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

We sure love our sweet boy, Chandler. Happy B-day big guy!!

Ballet Recital 2011: Peter Pan

2011-06-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

Marissa was a lost boy in the Peter Pan production this year for ballet. Kirsten, my little sister, was a pirate. It was the funniest thing though--Clarke usually loves Kirsten, but I think it was the facial hair that scared him away. He wouldn't go near her. The girls both did great, even though both were a little dissappointed about playing male roles this year.

Gettin' Ready for Field Day

2011-06-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

Here's Chandler's cute Kindergarten class getting ready for field day. I wish I could still stretch like that--Ouch! This is also a picture of most of the 19 girls and all 5 boys in his class. This was also the day we celebrated Chandler's birthday at school. We made little hamburger cookies for his class.

One hot mama for mother's day...hee, hee!

2011-06-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Ty spent the week before mother's Day at a Dental Conference in Las Vegas. He brought home a glitzy little t-shirt and a hot chili pepper necklace for me. He wanted to see me in my most Las Vegas-ish outfit, so this is what I came up with--all black and skin tight!! HAHA--we were laughing so hard. I don't know if I dare put this picture out there--I have a feeling it will come back to haunt me...

Chandler's Kindergarten Program

2011-06-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Chandler had his adorable kindergarten program in May. Kindergarteners are so stinkin' cute. Ty's aunt Bev is the music teacher there, and she does a wonderful job with the kids. They loved it, and the parents did too. They had a hawaiian theme. Have I ever mentioned that there were only 5 boys and 19 girls in Chandler's class? It's a good thing he's had a little experience with an older sister who likes to (s)mother him!

Permament Marker+Piano+18 month old= Disaster

2011-06-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh!!! I seriously about died when I walked into the office and saw this. It was way too quiet for way too long, so I went looking for my little monkey to see what he could be up to. I never could've guessed he had found a permanent marker, an open piano, and an open office door all at once. I gave a little scream that startled him, and then snatched that darn marker! AAAHHH!! I ran for a magic eraser, but found that I had used mine up, so Ty ran to Kings, the closest store to us, and after an hour of scrubbing, it was as good as new (which is a darn good thing, since we're only borrowing it from my mom!!). Did I also mention that he ruined his clothes and that the marker took 2 weeks to wear off his skin?! Little stink-bug!

Easter

2011-06-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Not too much from Easter--Ty and I were on a little getaway to Boise for 3 days, and the kids were at my parents house. They colored eggs and had a little hunt there. We woke up to the baskets filled by the Easter Bunny, and spent Easter dinner at our Stake President's house (after stake conference)--and I forgot my camera!! Darn!

The Cheesecake Factory

2011-06-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Seriously, just typing that title makes my mouth water. Have you ever eaten at the Cheesecake Factory? It's pure indulgent, rich decadence. Ty and I got to eat there when we took a little trip to Boise. It's a good thing we don't live near one. I could rack up a bill there!! It was so good, we had to take a picture of it. Cheesecake is my all-time fave anyway, I just can't think how many calories are in it...EESH!!!

Mango Madness

2011-06-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we got a bunch of mangoes in our Bountiful Basket. The kids LOVED eating them "Brazilian Style". You mash up the mango while the skin is all intact, then make a small hole and suck out the juicy goodness. As you can see, it is a bit of an art that takes some practice. But I guess it doesn't taste as good if you don't get some on ya, eh?? haha.

Monkey on the Table!!!

2011-04-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is Clarke's very favorite new trick--climbing on the table. He does it alllll day, every day! Daddy has special nick-names for the older two kids, but it's taken a while to decide on one fitting for Clarke. Ty finally decided on "Roo". So we have "Moose", "Champ", and "Roo".

Marissa's First Piano Festival

2011-04-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't remember how many months we've been working on "Mr. Cat" and "Calliope", but it's been quite a few....
Well, the work has paid off. We finally had her festival and she walked away with a perfect score of 50!! YAY!! The judge especially complimented her on her timing, and nice steady beat, and expression. This is a picture of Marissa with her piano teacher, Mayna McGill, who is wonderful, and with our dear friends, the Rasmussen's, who also were playing at festival.

April 6th, 2011--Welcome Home Dione!!

2011-04-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

My adopted brother, Dione, got home from his mission on April 6th! It was so fun to go meet him at the Poky airport and see him for the first time in 2 years!! He looks great! The kids were so excited for the entire week. They made him a welcome home banner. Dione has really matured, but he's still the same good ol' Dione! We are so proud of him for serving honorably. We announced we were having Clarke at his farewell dinner, so this was the first time Clarke and Dione have met! Clarke was quite apprehensive at first, but warmed up after not too long.

April Fool's!!

2011-04-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

The morning started off with the kids trying to drink frozen milk. I froze their cups of milk the night before and then topped them off with 1/2 inch of fresh milk. The look on their faces was priceless when their milk got "stuck"!! Then Chandler and I made these mini "Shamburgers" for dinner (made of cookies, tinted coconut, and taffy for the tomato) and I made "fauxberry chocolate pie" for dessert--it was a pie shell with meatloaf (brown like chocolate) in the bottom and a fluffy pink mashed potato topping (looked like a berry flavored meringue). It was a lot of fun. Our neighbor boy ended up being here for dinner, and he got quite a kick out of our pranks. Chandler wore a sling to school for a "broken arm". I guess a girl in his class did the same thing. He goes to afternoon kindergarten, and he said that a few minutes after he got there, his teacher announced that there would be no more tricks from the day, because she was all tricked out! Can you just imagine all those kindergarteners? There's a spider on the ceiling--April fool's! I don't feel well--April fool's! hahaha!!

T-Texas

2011-04-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

T-texas has been Ty's nick-name for a long time, and over spring break, he went to Texas. We missed him terribly!! He was gone for nearly a week. He brought home some pretty sweet souvenirs. He knows us well!!! He got me a really pretty hand-painted necklace (don't you love the picture Chandler took?), Marissa some earrings (her latest obsession--they are in the little velvet cowboy hat case), matching Texas hats for he and Chandler (Chandler LOVES matching daddy or Clarke, and LOVES wearing hats), and a cute teddy bear for Clarke that he's been hugging on! We loved that he thought of us while he was away. The kids thought of him a lot, and spent hours making a really sweet welcome home banner for him.

Marissa and her pet "Pirate Dog"

2011-04-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Marissa and Chandler generally get along really well. We definitely have our days, but they do like each other and play well together. Marissa is usually the boss, and Chandler will pretty much go along with anything. They came up the other day like this. I had to ask what they were playing. "Chandler is my pet pirate dog", she told me. (probably the dog part was her idea and the pirate part was his idea!!) I thought it was cute. Cute little playmates, friends, and siblings.

My fun little project...

2011-04-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out a box of fabric and I found this delicious pink scrap that I had from making flower girls dresses for a friend in Florida. I pulled it out and thought, "Hmmm...what could I make out of this springy, shiny fabric?" I immediately thought of my girly-girl, Marissa, and then I found the white netting for ruffles, and 2 hours later--Wha-lah!! a fun frock for my sweet-pea!

Me and My Bud

2011-04-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Chandler has been my buddy this year. He is still home for half the day, and we like to do projects together. He honestly compliments me more than anyone else. He is such a sweet boy and a good helper.

Baking Day with My Mama

2011-04-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and I had a baking day during spring break mainly to get ready for my brother, Dione's homecoming. He will be speaking in church this week, and we'll have lotsa mouths to feed. Here's the rundown of what we made in one day: -4 loaves of bread -a pan of chick rolls (for the kids) -a pan of cinnamon roll bunnies (for the kids also) -8 dozen pumpkin cream cheese muffins -3--9x13 apple cakes -1 dozen apple cupcakes -5 large cheesecakes and 2 little gluten free cheesecakes -several dozen frosted sugar cookies. WHEW!! It sure smelled good in there!! It was fun, and we were able to accomplish so much because Kirsten, my 12 year old sis, played with my kids. I think that's the most baking I've ever done in one day!! Hopefully it will take care of breakfast and dessert for all the guests this weekend.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-04-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day was full of green food and food coloring this year. We started off the day with green buttermilk pancakes and green buttermilk syrup, and ended the day with green mashed potatoes, green beans, green jello salad, green cauliflower, and green milk to drink, with green chocolate chip mint ice cream for dessert. Chandler even made us each special green placemats. Such a fun day for kids. They just love things like that. Marissa was convinced, however that the milk tasted different when it was dyed green. HAHA!

Call me Mo...

2011-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Chandler and I had fun a few weeks ago doing a Mohawk on Clarke. I think he looks stinkin' cute no matter what. Babies are just adorable--period!! One of these days we're going to need to cut that cute curl off, but till then, I'm gonna enjoy playing with it.

Sledding

2011-03-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

I took the kids sledding Saturday after they got all their chores done. It was so fun!! Haven't done that in years!! Tromping up that hill is hard work--the pictures don't do it justice. We went home tired and happy though. The sun was shining, the kids and I were laughing, and the snow was perfect!!

Clarke found my eyeliner...

2011-03-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Need I say more? He's always up to something--what a busy little bee!! Just today he threw a book and a box of bandaids in the bathtub--yes, it was full. Although the worst thing he's thown in the tub was my cell phone, while I was showering. Luckily, it still works. Today Chandler taught him how to "give knuckles". It is so cute--I need to record it. He curls up his tiny fist and says, "BOOM!" as he hits Chandler's knuckles. He really mastered ba-ba (for bottle) yesterday, and is now constantly asking for his ba-ba. What a joy he is!!

Happy Birthday Ty!!

2011-03-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Ty is now 33!! Man, he's getting old!! haha! We had to postpone his birthday a few days because of sickness and church meetings, but then the kids and I took an entire day to get ready for the party. We had a special dinner, yummy chocolate potato cake (which Clarke couldn't stay out of), and the kids made him cards. We even got out a table cloth and bought balloons. We love Ty. He's a good daddy and hubby.

8 years old, going on 25...

2011-02-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

So, Marissa came out with 2 balloons in her shirt and announced, "I wish I had breasts and could wear dangly earrings!" OOHHH, my....I started to give her the "someday you will" lecture and "we have to enjoy the time of life we're in" lecture. Then she continued, "I wish I were a mom with babies. Moms have all the fun, (She's telling me this as I'm scrubbing the lasagna pan...ya, fun...) especially when your pregnant. You get to lay around all day and make the kids do all the work." HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I could not stop laughing. I guess the grass always look greener on the other side.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday! I have always loved making special things for those dear to me. Lucky for me, now my kids like to join me in that tradition. They are always up for a fun cooking or craft project. We have a lot of fun together. The icing on the cake is sharing what we make with others and seeing their reactions. I love "upcycling" things too, and the sweet hearts and love boat were made from things we already had (who doesn't have a few leftover candycanes after Christmas, eh?). Chandler made the love boat for his kindergarten Valentine mailbox out of an orange juice carton.

Ty and I went out on the Friday before Valentine's Day to celebrate (much easier to find sitters and not fight the crowded restaurants). Marissa took our picture for us--tee, hee. We had a yummy steak and seafood dinner, then went to a high school basketball game. (I surprised Ty and boy, was he surprised!! He thought we were going to a musical--hahaha!!) We had a lot of fun. Ty got me the most thoughtful gift this year--a heater for my office. We can't figure out why, but my office is like 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house. I always dread working in there and practicing the piano with Miss in there. Well...not anymore!! Thanks you honey--I love it!

To start off our day, I made the kids pink heart pancakes for breakfast and gave them coupons for the DVD "Tangled", when it comes out, and for an outing to Kiwi Loco for a frozen yogurt treat.

What a LLOOONNNGGG Weekend!!

2011-02-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

It's been such a long weekend, I honestly can hardly remember anything else that happened this whole week. Clarke has been sniffling all week, but started getting a fever on Friday afternoon. He woke up Saturday morning MISERABLE. He has been so fevered all day Saturday and all night that it took both IBProfen and Tylenol to keep the fever at bay, although the fever stayed low-grade till 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning, when it finally broke after Ty gave him a blessing at 5:30 before his early morning meetings! It was one of the longest nights I can remember. I dozed off here and there a few minutes, but basically was up the ENTIRE night. Today my whole body aches--got a kink in about everything. Today he took 2 naps (so did I). Friends took Marissa and Chandler to church while Ty visited another ward with the stake presidency. This morning my shower felt like heaven after such a long night of getting coughed on, barfed on, and used as a human kleenex. AAHHHH!!! Tonight I'm wishing it were either nice weather or not Sunday. Then I could either go take a walk, or go buy a strawberry-banana-golden oreo blizzard and have a few minutes alone. Oh, well, guess I'll vent on my blog instead. I'm praying he's all worn out now and will sleep well tonight...we'll see. Sick kids (babies in particular) are the WORST!! You just don't know quite what is wrong or how to fix it. It's been a long time since we've been sick, though, (like November) so I guess it's our turn! Generally, our family is healthy, and I am SOOOO grateful for that!!!

Random Pix from the New Year

2011-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

Missy lost her first top tooth and got bangs for the first time!! Chandler got to bring "Bob Bear" home overnight from kindergarten and write about their adventures together.

Clarke--our cute little lion.

One full laundry basket of adorable kids.

I'm done eating and I'm TIRED!!

Mr. Blue eyes. He is learning some fun words--kitty, light, dada, mama, hot, hi, buh-bye, yum-yum and uh-oh. He loves to climb, run, and thread strings between his toes.

Christmas of 2010

2011-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

We had such a nice, welcomed break for Christmas. I really tried to keep things more simple this year. It's hard not to get carried away and do too much, buy too much, spend too much, eat too much, and make too many sweets. I'm happy to report I did not buy any candy for Christmas, and I only made cookies once for a dinner we went to and were supposed to bring dessert. We just had so many yummy treats that family, friends, and neighbors brought! Among our favorites were spud fudge, homemade caramels, homemade almond cream chocolates, and the best coconut cream pie I've ever had. I tried to do things that would be meaningful to the kids. We made two countdowns--one was about the birth of Christ, and you would look up a scripture per day and discuss it, then put a little ornament on a tree. The other one the kids made after Thanksgiving dinner, and it had pockets that held a small gift or project to open every day of December. I think these made the whole month special and exciting for them. We also delivered gifts to neighbors together, helped do a secret 12 days of Christmas for some needy ward families, read lots of Christmas stories, and decorated gingerbread houses. Christmas day was a little hectic, as we had to get over to my family's house to talk with 2 of my brothers who are both on missions. It was so fun to see Darek on Skype (he's in the Bucharest, Romania mission, but was currently in a neighboring country of Moldova), and Dione was fun to talk to (in Raliegh, NC) and to see how much they have both grown!! What a testimony to me of missionary work, and revelation to know where they send them is the right place for them! It's always nice to see all our families and let the cousins play. I think the kids favorite things they got were their hats and cameras (little kid-proof digital ones). They still use them all the time. They love to be able to capture their own memories and document things that are special to them. The hats are well loved out of necessity--it has been SOOO cold lately!!

Clarke's first Birthday!

2010-12-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Clarke turned one on October 15th. I can hardly believe it. Time just keeps going more quickly. We had fun celebrating his birthday with lots of family and friends. His farmyard cake turned out so cute thanks to the help of my kids, cousin, mom, sisters, and friends. It was quite the group effort!

He was most enthralled by the flame of the candle, and my dad was letting him get a little too close for my comfort. Clarke also loved grandma's newborn kittens. He would just squeeze them and drag them everywhere (good thing they're resilient!!).

Monkey Boy

2010-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

It's pretty appropriate that there is a Monkey on Clarke's outfit, cuz he sure acts like one--climbing on everything, exploring everything, and pulling everything out of ALL my drawers and cupboards.

Marissa's Baptism

2010-12-11T12:00:00.001-08:00

Marissa was baptized on October 9th, 2010. She was so excited. She even got to be baptized with her best friend, Kaden. She is such a great example.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it's been almost a year since I've done ANYTHING on here...I could blame it on joining facebook or having 3 kids or my calling...Anyway, my sweet sister in law cornered me then took pity on me and helped me change my background and upload a picture, since I've totally forgotten how in the last year! ha, ha. So, here is a Halloween picture of the kids. YAY!!

Christmas on Valentines...Better Late than Never!!

2010-02-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know it's Valentine's day, and I'm way late putting our Christmas pix up, but oh well. I like to do them in chronological order, so I'm trying to get caught up (BTW--the baby is already awake and crying; I have a feeling I'm not gonna get too far!) We all enjoyed our matching Christmas PJ's this year. Ty, (uh...er, I mean Santa) visited Marissa's class at school--it was so funny. Just look at Marissa's expression on her face--she was AWFULLY CURIOUS!! We had such a nice leisurely Christmas morning complete with a delicious sausage, eggs, and potatoes breakfast. We got to talk to both my brothers on their missions (in Raleigh, North Carolina and Moldova--a country near Russia) and spent time with both families. Santa brought Chandler a horse and Marissa some interactive leopards. My mom got all of us girls "flirty aprons"--Aren't they adorable?

Clarke's newborn pix

2010-02-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

We got Clarke's pictures taken Thanksgiving weekend. They were finally ready in January, so they're pretty outdated already (newborns grow and change so fast) but I still wanted to share. I just took pictures of the pictures, (probably illegal, I know) so they aren't as good as the originals, but whaddaya do??

My favorite picture of Clarke...Isn't he sweet?

2009-12-20T19:33:00.000-08:00

Clarke's first bath

2009-12-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

It's always nice when the umbilical cord falls off and you can do a real bath. Unfortunately, Clarke didn't like it. Poor baby--he screamed. Funny thing is he has loved them ever since. The kids were soooo excited about this monumental occasion and about using his lion towel. They fight over who gets to bathe with him now.

Halloween

2009-12-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

I know it's way past Halloween, but I'm gonna post it anyway. Marissa was a wood fairy, Chandler was a cowboy, and Clarke was a cow. Also, someone gave us this adorable halloween outfit for Clarke.

Clarke Tyler Bodily

2009-10-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Clarke Tyler Bodily was born at 7:59 a.m. on Thursday, October 15th, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. and was 20 inches long. Both Kyla and Clarke are home now and doing well.

My Cookbook Is Now For Sale

2009-10-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

I've now had several requests to buy cookbooks. My mom and I really weren't planning on selling them, (we've only been giving them out as gifts to friends and family) but so many people have heard about them and either wanted one for themselves or have used them and now want to give them out as gifts, that we've decided to make them public. Since I'm having a baby in less than 36 hours, and my mom is going to be caring for me and my family, my brother has volunteered to handle the sales. We only have about 50 books left, but have contacted our publisher, and have set up to publish more if there is the demand for it. The cost is $20 per book plus $5 shipping per book.

So, if you want a book, there are 2 options:

1--Mail a check for $25 per book to :
Damon Jentzsch
575 Sunset Street
St. Anthony, Idaho 83445
(make sure you specify a shipping address)

-OR-

2--E-mail my brother and he'll send you an invoice through paypal, so you can pay securely online.
damonj2@gmail.com

Cookbook Corrections

2009-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

For all of you who have my cookbook, I wanted to post all the corrections we've made over the last nearly 2 years. We proofread it over and over before publishing it, but in using it, we've found a few mistakes and things that needed clarification. Please pull out your cookbook and make these changes/additions and pass them on to anyone you know who might have a book who doesn't read our blog:
Page 7-Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms--add to ingredients 8 oz. mushrooms
Page 89-Hawaiian Sandwiches--add to ingredients 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Page 113-Buttermilk Biscuits--should read 1 1/2 C buttermilk (instead of milk)
Page 121-Bread--Add to ingredients 6 C. warm water
Page 130-Jennifer Barzee's Maple Frosting--stir in powdered sugar with maple and vanilla
Page 139-Lemon Bars--should read 1/4 tsp baking powder
Page 180-No-Bake Cookies--boil for 3 minutes instead of 4
Page 208-Crepes--should read 1 C milk (instead of 1 1/2 C milk)
Page 221-Canned Apple Pie Filling--To serve: Prepare pastry for 2 crust 8-9 inch pie. Line pie plate with pastry; add 1 quart apple pie filling. Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam; seal. Bake at 400 for 50 minutes.
On the order form in the back of the book, the price to order more cookbooks has gone up to $20.

P.S. Let me know if you have any other recipe questions or corrections!

The First Snow of the Year

2009-10-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Five inches of snow surprised us a week earlier than last year on October 4th!! The kids were elated for winter. The weather seems to have gone from summer to winter and skipped fall.

A new Batch of Kittens

2009-10-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Pinky-Pie had EIGHT kittens. This is her second batch of kittens while I have been pregnant. She had 5 the first time, and now 8. They are adorable. They just now all have their eyes open. The pictures are from the day they were born. There is one orange kitten, one calico kitten, one almost white one with a black face and paws, and the other 5 are mostly black with a little gray.

Another Loose Tooth

2009-10-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Marissa lost her second tooth!! she was so excited.

Canning season once again...

2009-10-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

This year my mom and I have done a bit of canning--I think I was a bit of a wimpy partner being like 8 months pregnant. So thanks for all your help, mom. Together I think we did:

85 quarts of applesauce

60 quart bags of frozen corn

18 pints of crabapple jelly

25 quarts of tomato soup

100 quarts of peaches

Marissa's 7th birthday

2009-10-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl turned 7 this year--I can't believe it!!! It seems like just yesterday she was born. We celebrated on Labor day (the day before her birthday). We had a fun birthday party with our family and Missy's best friend, Clayton. The cake is supposed to be hello kitty (I don't know why, but it was falling apart all over--hey, I tried).

First Day of School

2009-10-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Marissa started first grade this year and Chandler started preschool. They both love their teachers and are doing well. Marissa had a rough week the 3rd week of school--she got stung by a wasp and a bee in the same day, got 2 bloody noses, got kicked in the face in P.E. and then came home throwing up. The next week, her teacher's husband got hit by a truck while riding his bike, so her teacher was gone leaving her with "grouchy substitutes", as Marissa put it. But...I think we're back to normal now. As per our tradition, the kids were greeted with fresh cookies on the first day.

Baby Shower

2009-10-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

It was all Marissa's idea--she wanted to throw a baby shower for our baby. Luckily, she has an awesome grandma (my mom) that agreed to help her. I kinda felt bad having one--on a third baby--so we just kept it in in the family. But, my family spoiled me rotten--delicious lunch, fun games and decorations, and generous gifts. My mom and Ty's grandma both pieced beautiful quilts. The game that was funnest was pregnant twister. Only those under 18 years old were required to play, and we had a hoot watching them.

Grandma Day

2009-10-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

Grandma Bodily threw a big grandkid party while Redge's family was here from North Carolina. The kids had the time of their lives. The hit of the party (besides the awesome food, fun games and projects) was the water slide. They couldn't get enough of it. They were soooo dirty by the time we got done. Thanks for everything, grandma!

some fun things this summer...

2009-10-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

*Missy lost her first tooth

*The kids did swimming lessons

*the Kids caught 3 praying mantis'

*we had fun with our bounteous garden

*we got 11 gallons of free apricots and made these delicious apricot tarts (the recipe is in my book)

Mission Calls!!!

2009-10-09T15:12:00.001-07:00

My little brother, Darek, and one of my young women, Maudeline Agenor, got their calls on the same day. Maudeline's family aren't members, so she opened her call with our family. Maudeline got called to the temple square mission, and Darek got called to the Bucharest, Romania mission. We got to go through the temple with both of them, and it was awesome!! They are both still in the MTC--Darek will be there 2 1/2 months learning Russian, so he'll leave like Nov 9, and Maudeline will leave next week. I also still have my brother Dione on his mission in Raleigh, NC--he's been out 6 months. (sorry about the awful pic at the temple--have no idea why it's so washed out!!)

4th of July

2009-10-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend the 4th of July with Ty's sister, Shay, and her family up in Rexburg. We had a blast!! We went to an early morning breakfast, watched a parade, played in the sprinklers, had a BBQ for dinner, and smores for dessert, then set off our own fireworks. Our kids get along so well, and they just played and played. They were such generous hosts, and we all enjoyed the weekend.

Kittens

2009-10-09T14:38:00.001-07:00

We gave all the kittens away except one, and this is Missy with the last one. Then.....I accidentally ran over it, and killed it. OOPS. Marissa has never been that sad in her life. Ty and I litterally cried over that darn kitten to see our little, sweet girl in such pain. So Ty decided we should NOT get the cat fixed, but should let her have one more batch (there will be a post on that later, but I will tell ya--we have 8 kittens right now).

I just love this picture though--it's like a mother with her own precious baby. She has such a pure love for animals--especially cats.

Stirling family Reunion

2009-10-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's been 5 1/2 years since I've seen my mom's parents and that whole side of the family. I was excited to finally see them after all this time and to let Chandler meet them for the first time in his life (he's over 4 years old). Marissa has met them 2-3 times, but we moved to Florida when she was not even 2. It was fun to catch up with everyone and celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday!!

catch-up before the next drought...

2009-10-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, be prepared for a barrage of posts--a catch up for the last 3 months, and then you might have to wait a while again after the baby is born! We set the c-section up for October 15th at 7:30 a.m. Only 6 more days!!

A Luscious Summer Dessert!

2009-06-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

I decided to turn my "Pig-lickin Cake" recipe into a fancy (but simple to make) trifle for a potluck party we went to. (the recipe is in my book for those who have it.) I cut up the entire 9 x 13 cake into cubes, then layered it in the trifle bowl with the filling, and an extra can of mandarin oranges and pineapple rings on top. Easy and impressive for hot summer days. yum.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

Ty is a fabulous dad and supportive husband. I feel so lucky to have him. After our father's Day breakfast, I found him and the kids snuggled up together in Chandler's bed. This is his 7th father's day, so here are 7 things I love about him:

1-He has high standards for raising our kids--he wants them to turn out top-notch

2-Ty spends time with them every day--they love it when he comes home and wrestles with them, tickles them, chases them, or plays games with them

3-Ty is a hands-on dad: changing diapers, immunizations, school plays, etc. He isn't above doing any of that stuff.

4-Family Night, scripture study, and family prayer are part of our daily and weekly routines, and Ty is good at applying them to our kids and providing teaching moments to our kids.

5-Ty is a great provider for us plus he realizes that although money is necessary, the most important things to give our kids don't cost a thing: time, attention, and love.

6-He holds the priesthood, and honors it, and happily offers it to us.

7-Ty puts his family and kids first.

The Kittens are Growing!

2009-06-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

The kittens are 5 or 6 weeks old in these pix--they are at the adorable, really fun stage right now. (so cute and adorable that even Ty will play with them or cuddle up with one!)

The circus

2009-06-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

It was Marissa, Ty, and Chandler's first time going to the circus. Chandler and Marissa were very impressed and intrigued. Ty and I were a little disappointed at the scantily clad girls, but not really surprised at it either. Marissa's favorite part was the lions and tigers jumping through the firey ring and doing other tricks--she now wants to be an animal tamer. Chandler loved the lions and tigers too, but also liked the elephants and motorcycles. Ty liked the motorcycles in the globe of death. It was pretty intense. There were 3 motorcycles circling in different patterns inside. I don't think the picture does it justice.

Kate Phister's Blessing

2009-06-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

We went to one of our new, sweet nieces blessings at the beginning of June. The grandkids had a blast playing together. Shay knitted Kate's dress--isn't it beautiful? I love the 4 generation picture and the one of Kate's tiny little hands by her great-grandma Lois's hand.

Shoshone Falls

2009-06-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

We've lived here a year and haven't taken our kids to Shoshone Falls till Memorial Day weekend. It is such a pretty park and the weather was perfect. Even though the water level was on low going over the falls, it's still a spectacular sight. The kids liked it, but were quite leery on the overlook--it's very high up. Notice the death grip Chandler has on Ty, and notice Marissa on the ground--she did NOT want to be picked up. Anyway, we had a fun picnic, played frisbee, and took a hike (well, as much of a hike as this pregnant woman could handle--really it was more like a walk). We went early in the day and left right as things were starting to get crowded. It was really fun.

Missy's last day of school

2009-06-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Marissa with her teacher, Mrs.Bedke Marissa conquered her fear of sliding down the pole-good job, sis!

Marissa and her best friend, Clayton Koyle. We really like him and his family--good people.

I went to Marissa's school on the last day and we had a party. It was fun. Vivian VanTassell Hanks (for those on the Hilterbrand side) helped with all the games. She did an awesome job. Marissa was sad to see the school year end. I'm kinda releived. Although she did a lot of the getting out the door stuff on her own every morning, summer is a lot less stressful and laid back. Chandler has enjoyed having someone to play with every day, and I appreciate her helpfulness--she really is a big help to me. She loved kindergarten and passed with flying colors.

Mini-Me

2009-06-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Chandler stole Ty's hat and glasses--we got a kick out of it! Doesn't he look just like his daddy? He was strutting around doing his "man walk" and talking in the deepest voice he could.

An extra birthday surprise--baby kittens!

2009-06-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Chandler's birthday is May 14th. When we woke up on the 15th, we found that Pinky-Pie had given birth to 5 beautiful kittens during the night. They have been a source of true joy every day since. The kids love them. I dread the fact that we need to find homes for them in about 2 weeks while they're still small and cute. The kids are gonna be broken hearted. By the way--anyone want a kitten? There are 4 plain black and 1 orange striped one. (we found out that there can be up to FOUR fathers for one batch of kittens--we're guessing 2 fathers in this one.)

It was hilarious how it happened. Marissa (who is always the first one up) had gone out to feed Pinky, and she came running back in shouting (and waking everyone up) "Pinky-Pie is skinny, Pinky-Pie is skinny." So Ty and I got up to investigate, and sure enough--5 tiny kittens were cuddled up in the cathouse.

Chandler's 4th Birthday

2009-06-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Chandler's request for his birthday dinner this year was a Barbeque. He loves his daddy to make grilled foods. So Ty grilled up hamburgers and hotdogs with all the trimmings served with potato salad, chips, veggies and dip, fruit salad, lemonade, and an inchworm birthday cake to top it off. We had all available family come, and everyone pitched in on a swingset for his gift. He loved being in the limelight, showing off his muscles to everyone:"Are my muscles as hard as a rock? I have big 4 year old muscles now." It was cute. We sure love our big guy--he can be such a rough, tough boy, but he is a teddy bear on the inside.

The other day he said the funniest thing. We've been working on memorizing the articles of faith. At dinner time (the day after we'd done #2) I had made taco soup for dinner. I asked Chandler what he wanted on his soup--cheese? sour cream? chips? His reply: "I want everything but Adam's transgression on my soup." Ty and I about died laughing.

It's aaaaaaaa...................

2009-05-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!!

A healthy baby boy. I'm actually kinda shocked. I guessed right on the other 2--totally missed this one!! That's okay though. We are excited!! Everything looked great in the ultrasound, so we're feeling blessed. Ty is still at work (we scheduled it for his lunch break) and he won't let me tell the kids until he gets home and can see their faces.

Boy or Girl??

2009-05-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have an ultrasound scheduled for this Friday the 22nd at 2:00. If you wanna take a guess at what we're having, leave me a comment before then.

A little update: I'm 18 weeks along now. Starting to feel the baby move. I've gained __ pounds (you didn't really think I'd tell you THAT, did you?) I'm pretty much over the morning sickness. I found out I was quite anemic and since I've been taking an iron supplement, I've had more energy, which is nice. Getting into the easy part of the pregnancy.

Our Garden

2009-05-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Our garden has been an ongoing project since before Easter. We planted some seeds in our house and they have been growing in front of our glass sliding door. Ty got our garden all tilled and ready and we've planted onions, spinach, carrots, strawberries, and peas so far--a lot of other plants you have to wait 3-4 more weeks till the chance of frost is gone before you can plant them. The kids have been absolutely elated, and loved every minute of it. They tend and watch and water the plants every day. Hopefully we can keep it all alive and actually get some good food from it--it's our first attempt at a real garden, so we'll see. (and yes, I know I graduated in horticulture, but I did floral design--working with flowers that are already dead. The class I had to actually grow plants in, I got one of the 2 "non-A" grades on a report card I've ever had in my entire life, because I killed ALL of them. I only got a "C" because I did a lot of Extra Credit!!)

Happy Birthday Kara!!

2009-05-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

My sister turned 17 last month, and I've been a slacker getting pix posted to share. Isn't she a cutie? She looks a lot like me (hee, hee). Anyhow, we had fun celebrating with her.

Welcome Kate and Mandie!!

2009-05-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

We got two beautiful new nieces this week--Ty's sister Shay had Kate (pictured in the swing with her 2 brothers). And my brother Damon, and his wife Catherine had Mandie, just a few days later. We are so grateful that everything went well and that everyone is doing well and healthy. Congrats, you guys!! (Now it's our turn....only 24 weeks left!)

Rice box

2009-05-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

And just what, you may ask, is a rice box? It is an idea I got from my mom, from when she worked at a preschool during her unmarried college years. Basically, it is an indoor sandbox. Perfect for winter time or rainy days (or in Florida's case, those sweltering summer days where you can't do anything but swim outside). Also good for people without yards, and mommies who don't appreciate dirt or sand on their children every day. It is simple, yet ingenious. You wouldn't believe how many hours the past few months my kids have played in this. I made ours from a huge rubbermaid container. Put about 10-15 pounds of rice in it, and wha-lah!! You can use all kinds of "toys" in it--funnells, spoons, lids, toy cars, whatever!! They can dig for buried treasure, make roads and hills, etc. The nice thing is that clean-up is a snap. I let them play in the kitchen, and when they're done, you wipe the counter and sweep the floor. Easy. At the preschool where my mom worked, they actually used one of those tables you fill up with sand. Vaccuumes up easy too.

My Spring Flowers

2009-05-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

This is how I've been scrapbooking lately--it's easy and free. I finally took the time to figure out how to post it on the blog. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. This is the album I made of the flowers in our yard, and the kids enjoying them. It took me hours and hours last year to landscape our yard and plant bulbs (I planted over 150) and I have absolutely loved looking at my flowers every day. They don't have tulips and stuff in Florida, and of course, this is our first home/yard. I think gardening is one of my new favorite hobbies. (a hobby which is very much encouraged in my family since my dad has a tree farm, grows thousands of landscaping plants, and runs local green houses). I just love springtime in Idaho.

Easter

2009-05-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

A few highlights from the Easter season--
I went to Marissa's Kindergarten class and we made bunny baskets and had an egg hunt. We colored eggs with my mom and sister. We did tie-dye eggs and glitter eggs (neither of which would I recommend or do again--think I'll stick to the plain jane kind next year.) We had easter egg hunts here and at my mom's house. The kids and I are showing off our new Easter clothes (Kids are so fun to dress up). The kids got Seeds for our garden, play dough and CTR rings in their baskets. (There must be a dentist in the house.)Even the eggs were stuffed with non-candy items--balloons, quarters, stickers, little toys, and sugar free gum! Part of it too, is that I am craving stuff like tomatoes and steak, and not chocolate and sugar (I know, WEIRD).

Obsessed.

2009-05-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

I tell myself every time I'm pregnant that I am not going to get obsessed. It never works. It's all I eat, sleep, think, and do. Pregnancy. It's such a big deal to me. I tell myself not to make it such a big deal--not to make it the subject of every conversation, the reason for everything I eat or do, but so far I have been unsuccessful. It just seems to encompass and affect every aspect of my life. It's not easy for me. I get sick, I show early, I always have complications. It is such a LLLOOONNNGG 9 months. So, here is a formal apology to everyone for the next 5 1/2 months left and the 3 1/2 months already past--it's gonna be a main topic, I'm warning you, so sorry for the obsession.

Guess what?!?

2009-03-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is what you think it is.
And yes, it's REALLY TRUE!!
Sooo, here's a little Q&A.
*When am I due? October 20
*How far along am I? 11 weeks
*Am I showing yet? Yes, to people who know me well, but I just look chubby to strangers. (I only have 2 pair of pants I can still wear!)
*Have I been sick? YES, and extremely tired. I don't remember it being this hard. Maybe I'm getting old. Haven't thrown up yet, though I felt like it almost constantly for the past 6 weeks (thus the lack of blogging). I've noticed a slight improvement in the past week. I never threw up with Marissa, and only did 2-3 times with Chandler. If I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I get even more sick, which is hard, cuz most food doesn't sound good.
*How did the kids react? They are ecstatic. Marissa actually figured it out 3-4 weeks ago. She remembered me telling her about being sick with Chandler, so she said, "Mom, you've been sick a lot lately, I think you have a baby in your tummy!" and then a couple of days later she came to me and said "I had a dream about you last night. I dreamed you came to me and told me there was a baby girl in your tummy." The funny thing was that I dreamed the same thing (except the part about it being a girl) that same night. So I told her the truth, and swore her to secrecy till we announced it. Chandler found out when we announced it to the fam--he just got wide eyes and came and tenderly patted my belly. He thinks it's a "brother". Marissa claims, "I'm going to be more than a big helper with this baby, I'm going to be it's 2nd mother." And I believe it. She's already been a huge help. I'll ask her to do something and she'll say, "Oh, I know why you need me to do that--the baby!! Sure, mom!!"

I hope they call me on a mission...

2009-03-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Dione had his mission farewell last week. He did sooo good on his talk--I'm really proud of him. I also loved seeing my family and friends from Florida rallying around him--it really is heartwarming. There were over 50 people who came to it and to the dinner at my parents after. Anyway, just a few pix of it...

Missy had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb...

2009-03-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, she wishes it were hers anyway. My grandpa adopted two little bum lambs (orphans) and wanted the grandkids to come over and see them and feed them. My animal lover, Marissa, begged every day for a week. She wants to be a veteranarian when she gets older. She has such a passion, love, and talent for animals. We went with the other grandkids on Ty's mom's birthday. All of the kids but Marissa were apprehensive. She just picked one right up and held it, and that little lamb just snuggled in on her shoulder. Then she let it suck on her finger, and then fed it a bottle. She is so fun to watch, and those little lambs are less than a week old--they're adorable. Can I just also say that I love and adore my grandpa?! He is so fun--he always has projects like this, just so the grandkids have fun. I remember being Marissa's age, and doing things like that with him. It's so fun to watch my kids create memories with him too. He's an amazing person.

Happy Birthday Grandma Bodily!

2009-03-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

Ty's mom had a birthday and we got to go celebrate. All but one of Ty's siblings came and we had fun. The grandkids did a talent show for her, the kids all did the cooking, and then we took her on a memory scavenger hunt. It was a lot of fun. Glad we're close enough to join in.

Sometimes you gotta let go!

2009-03-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Marissa just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. Ty took her out and ran after her for nearly 2 hours, holding on to the back of her seat the entire time. He came huffing and puffing inside declaring it my turn to run after her. Ha! I can't run that long OR that fast. I could tell Missy was starting to get it, so I ran for a few seconds then said, "I'm letting go", and gave her a good shove forward, and she did it!! After about 30 minutes, she was all over the place, and has been ever since. Our street is not busy at all, and there are lots of new sidewalks to ride on. She even told me "Mom, riding a bike without training wheels is funner than watching a movie."

Introducing Miss MHS

2009-03-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Every year at the high school, there is a pageant called Miss MHS. I had a hard time getting great pix, cuz I'm still learning how to use my camera in the dark, etc. BUT, I'm pleased to announce that my sister, Carmelite, won!! It was so exciting. I went over early and did her hair. She did a cute, fun skit for her talent, and did good on her question, and looked fabulous in her evening gown. I think she really deserved the win--she did so good. She got a bunch of prizes (including a tanning package--LOL) and a $500 scholarship for college. A side note--She also recently got into BYU-Idaho and got a half-tuition scholarship from them! She also got voted by the contestants to be Miss Congeniality of the Pageant too!! Talk about taking it all the way!!

Happy Birthday Ty!!

2009-03-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ty celebrated the big 31 this year. We had a lot of family out of town, but still had a fun party. Ty got fun gifts and we had a yummy potato cake, as is tradition.

Our Valentines Day

2009-03-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

We had fun playing games at Marissa's class party--I had one of the other moms do them. One we played was "honey, I love ya, but I just can't smile". Chandler actually won--he has such a poker face when he wants to.

We exchanged gifts--Chandler got an over the door basketball hoop, Missy got a butterfly home/cage, Ty got battleship, and then Ty sent me on a shopping spree with a gift card while he stayed home and babysat and cleaned the house. (Thanks, honey!)

We decorated sugar cookies with my little sister--they were yummy.

Ty took me to a good Mexican Restaurant and the movies. While we were gone, my sister, Kirsten, helped the kids make us cute flamingo Valentines.

Baby Hyrum's Blessing

2009-02-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

Right after the reception on Saturday, we ran home and changed into our PJs and then drove to Rexburg. We got there around 1 a.m. The blessing was at 9:30 in the morning, so we thought it'd be better going the night before.

The blessing was beautifully done--Ty's brother, Chad, is so humble and thoughtful in his words. I tell ya--Hyrum is one lucky boy--he has two fabulous parents. We had such a nice time with the whole family there--Redge and Cyndee came clear from North Carolina. It's the first time we've met their new baby--Emma. I love the picture of Chandler kissing Great Grandma Lois--priceless!!

Thanks everyone for such a good weekend--good food, great company, fun times, and two sweet new babies to celebrate.

David and Laci's Wedding Reception

2009-02-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

The happy couple:

Table centerpieces:

Laci's bridal bouquet:

The cake table (before the cake got there):

Laci and her flower girls:

The whole family (Chandler is asleep on Ty's shoulder--poor thing)

My little brother (well, younger anyway, he's not very little) got married a couple of weeks ago in the Bountiful, Utah LDS temple. Then last Saturday we had thier reception. He and his wife are both from Rupert, Idaho. Laci's dad is Senator Dean Cameron. So they sent out almost 900 invitations. The reception was well-attended at over 300 guests.

I got to do the flowers for it (thats what I have a college degree in--floral design, for those who didn't know). It was fun, but also a little stressful. The flowers ended up being delayed in Memphis, Tennessee because of weather, so when we got them, we had a few complications. The lilies were not opened up at all and so we put them in a bucket of warm water in the bathroom, then filled the bathtub with hot water to create some steam. They opened up some. Then we let them sit in front of the open oven for a while, and in front of my sunny sliding glass door. We only had 24 hours from the time we got them till the reception. The roses were a lot darker blue, but they lightened up once we got them in water and hydrated them. The wax flower we ordered was supposed to be white, and it was 2/3 PINK. Pink and white are WAY different colors when you're talking about matching colors for a wedding. Her colors were black, turquoise, silver, and white. NO PINK. Anyway, we just ended up pulling off all the pinker blooms and buds, and I think it ended up looking okay. My mom says I shouldn't tell people that and they'd never notice. Anyhow, I really do think it all turned out well in the end. It was fun to do.

I also want to congratulate Laci and David--I am so excited for them. David sure is lucky--he got a great gal!! I think she's fantastic, and couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law---she's a real sweetheart. Plus Laci's whole family is great, which is so important. We've really enjoyed rubbing shoulders withthe. Ironically, Laci's mom works at the same school as Ty's mom, too, and she speaks highly of them also.

Valentines Cookies

2009-02-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Our neighbors, the Hinckley's, invited us and a couple others over a few days ago to decorate Valentines cookies. We had snacks and the kids decorated their heart cookies, then played for a while and us moms sat and talked. It was fun, and the cookies were yummy.

Pinky-pie is loved.

2009-02-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

I think our cat, Pinky-pie is one of the most loved and best cared for animals in the world. Marissa is constantly holding her, playing with her, feeding her, and worrying about her. And Pink eats it all up!! She's one lucky kitty. She has more than quadrupled her size since we got her. She is getting huge!! Chandler loves her a lot too, which is good since he used to have quite a complex about animals. He is not a single bit scared of her any more. She has been the funnest pet we've had. she's snuggly and purrs like a well-oiled motor. Yup, we all love her. Don't tell anyone I said it, but she's almost like a member of the family...I can't believe I said that out loud. I've always been kinda a pet critic, I guess. But I will say even though we love her, she stays OUTSIDE--see, I'm not a fanatic yet.

Mister Snowman

2009-02-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

Ty's sister, Shay, gave the kids an adorable snowman kit for Christmas. We've been waiting for good snowman snow. We finally tried it out, although the snow wasn't very sticky, so our snowman was pretty small. The kids were nonetheless thrilled. They loved it so much they were kissing it. Funny kids. It was fun, though--thanks Shay!!

Gettin' ready for Valentines Day

2009-02-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

I saw this cute project on Martha Stewart, so the kids and I decided to try our hand at it. They are lolli-pop flowers. We made them for neighbors, Missy's class, and family. They're super easy.
You use the color of lolli-pop you want for the flower center--we did red and pink for valentines. Then you can use paper hearts or silk flower petals, punch or snip a hole in the end of each and slide at least 4 up each stick. Then cut out leaves (it worked well to fold the paper in half like you are cutting 2 out at a time, and then don't cut clear through one end, so it wraps around the lollipop stick and matches up good). Write your message on the leaves, then hot glue beneath the petals to hold them up in place.

Locks of Love

2009-02-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Marissa and I decided to cut our hair and donate it to locks of love. It is an organization that will take your hair and turn it into a wig for people who get sick and lose their hair. You have to cut at least 10 inches. We both did just barely 10. I think whoever gets Marissa's hair is going to be lucky--her hair is the perfect shade of coveted platinum blonde, plus it's super thick, wire straight, and coarse. Mine was layered, so it wasn't nearly as good. Oh, well. We both like our hair for a fun change. I cut bangs--they've been a big adjustment since I haven't had them for almost 10 years (that makes me feel old!!). I forgot to take pix of it, but I'm sure you'll see our new do's in subsequent posts.

Frosty Wonderland

2009-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we had so much frost that it looked like snow on everything. It was over an inch thick. I was trying out my new camera and got some cool shots. The picture of the chain is our chain rain gutter coming off our roof.

More Congrats!! To Carmelite!

2009-01-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for my adopted sister, Carmelite. She got accepted to BYU-Idaho. She and Dione are first generation college attendies. It's taken a lot of hard work, and she made it!!! It means so much to be part of her journey. She called me and thanked me the other day. It makes it all worth it. All the lessons and mutuals I worked so hard on for nearly 4 years. It's payday for me now. Good job C-lite!!! Love ya.

Congrats David and Dione!!

2009-01-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

2 of my brothers had exciting things happen this weekend. My brother, David, and his fiance, Laci, took out their endowments in the Twin Falls temple. (This is a preparatory ordinance in our church you do before getting married or going on a mission. You must follow guidelines to be worthy to do it. We make sacred covenants with God to live in a way that will allow us return to live with Him. Endowment means "gift" and basically the gift is the knowledge we recieve there to know how to live our lives.)They are going to be married on January 17th. The other exciting thing is that Dione got his call to serve a mission for our church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He will leave April 1st, 2009. The cool thing is that Ty's brother just moved there a few months ago, and his calling in the church is ward mission leader. So there is a good chance they'll end up working together. Small world sometimes, huh?

Happy birthday to me! The big two seven..

2009-01-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

You know, 27 is getting close to 30--I kinda am feeling old this year. We had a fun triple birthday party on new years eve. My sister, Kirsten, turned 10 on dec. 26 and my brother, David, turned 21 on Dec 27th, and my birthday is Jan 4. So all the family came over to our house for one big bash. We had a big birthday dinner of oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes and country gravy, glazed carrots, fresh steamed broccoli, frogeye salad, pomegranite punch, cheesecake with raspberry topping, and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and ice cream. YUM!!!! WE played wacky six, watched man vs. wild, and opened gifts. Ty got me a gorgeous picture of the Twin falls temple, my mom and dad got me a wheat grinder, and the kids each wrapped up a bunch of their own toys for me. On Sunday, my actual birthday, Ty made me a delish dinner--tender roastbeef, mashed potatoes and gravy, fruit salad, and best of all--Ty made butter topped homemade rolls using some freshly ground flour he made in my new wheat grinder. A lot of work and love in them, and they were excellent. Ty's parents came to visit sunday and brought me some luxurious chocolate colored towels, a pretty red placemat set (my fave color), and a set of glsses to use for company and special occasions. In church, the primary kids sang to me, and I also got phone calls and emails--thanks everyone!! I feel loved.

8 years of marital bliss

2009-01-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Ty and I just celebrated our eighth anniversary on December 20. Actually, we ended up celebrating it after Christmas, but we had fun. We went to Pocatello and ate at Texas Roadhouse Grill. Then we stayed the night at the Black Swan Inn. It's a themed suite inn. Our room was Romeo and Juliette. It was a castle with a heart shaped jacuzzi, a winding staircase up to the bed on the balcony, a huge-screened TV, a DVD collection, a huge double headed shower, and the toilet was an actual throne with a red carpet (it was tile) going up to it. They also had mints, hot chocolate, popcorn, bottled water, and a continental breakfast at Perkins restaurant. We definitely felt pampered. It was a fun getaway. Wish I would've taken pictures.

I am so grateful to Ty. He is a wonderful hubby. Here are 8 things I love about him:
1-He is very patient with me
2-He is a fun daddy--he plays with the kids a lot and adores them
3-Ty honors his priesthood and is dedicated in his church responsibilities
4-He is thoughtful and generous to me
5-Ty is humble and teachable and forgiving
6-Ty is family oriented--putting them first and teaching them good values
7-He is a hard worker--going through so much schooling and providing well for our family so I can stay home with our kids.
8-Ty treats my family good--they all love him because he's fun, considerate, helpful, and a good listener.

I know we've had challenges and hard times, but I'm glad you haven't given up on me honey. You are far more than I deserve. I'm lucky to have you.
Love ya, Ky

Christmas Day

2009-01-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas began at 1:15 in the morning for us. Ty was concerned that the kids would see the gifts under the tree en route to our bedroom to wake us up Christmas morning, so he gave Miss a cell phone to call him--but on strict order that only when the time started with a 6 or 7 . If it started with a different number, it was still sleeping time. The phone startled us awake at 1:15. "Is it time to open presents yet, dad?" "It's still nighttime Marissa. Call back when the time is a 6 or 7." 3:15 in the morning:"Dad, is it time yet?" "no, it's still nighttime." "I can't sleep." "Do you want me to come tickle you softly so you can go to sleep?" "Yes" So Ty went and shared Missy's bed for the night. Not long after, Chandler couldn't sleep and came and got in bed with me. It was pretty funny.

Christmas morning was exciting!! You should see the look on Chandler's face while he tears open a gift--he REALLY got into it. He definitely has that rough boy side. He was elated with his bat, ball, and mitt. Marissa oodled and awed over her beautiful musical jewelry box. I am sooooooo excited for my new camera--I went from 5 to 10 megapixels, and a screen literally 4 times the size. Ty likes his recliner and the kids love the bean bag--so far, the only furniture in our basement was one recliner we bought right when we moved in. It's nice, but can only fit one adult, or both the kids, so now, there is room for the whole family. (We're still working on guest seating.)

After a huge, delicious country breakfast, we played for a while, then headed out to my family's for the afternoon and evening. WEll, Ty thought he could bust through the 4 foot snow drift right outside our garage door. no need to shovel, right? The drift ended up being hard enough for me to walk on top without doing any damage to it, and the truck ended up being high centered on it. It took 2 neighbors, 3 shovels, and 1 hour to get us on the road. I thought it was hilarious. All the while I was snapping pix with my new camera. I also took pictures of what it looked like when I opened our front door. (we had a 14 stake fast for moisture, and we've been getting pounded.)

At my parents house, my soon to be sister in law brought her new Wii and we did guitar hero and bowling, and other games. It was fun (Ty wants one now). Then we had a huge dinner, and then sang Christmas carols around the piano. I love doing that, and it's been years since I have. Then my mom and I stayed home while the rest of the fam went to the movies and saw that adam Sandler show--bedtime stories, or something like that. It was in Burley, so my fam just dropped Ty off at our house after. Well, the roads got too bad, and I ended up being snowed in, so we spent the night. The funny thing was that after we had gotten stuck in the snow leaving our house, we threw in the snow shovel in case we had other problems. Ty had to drive my car to work, cuz I was snowed in with his pickup at my parents, but he had no shovel to dig out of the other side of the drive way. So he had to go back and forth, back and forth, inch by inch and finally maneuvered out of his side where we had dug the pickup out. The snow shovel did come in handy the next day for me, when my kids and my 2 sisters and I made a snow cave by my parents house. It was way fun!! We got it big enough for 4 of the 5 of us. It was heavy snow and hard work.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

We had our traditional Christmas Eve:
*Write letters to Santa.
*Leave cookies and milk for Santa.
*Open our 2 specially marked Christmas Eve gifts (coordinating pjs for everyone and a new book)
*Read our new book in our pjs.
It was fun--the kids were way too excited to sleep. They are at a very perfect age for a magical Christmas. Ty wanted Marissa to take a picture of me and him kissing in our new pjs, and then Missy wanted us to take a picture of her and Champy kissing. How cute!! I'll take it while I can. Someday maybe I'll use it as a blackmail pic--ha, ha.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

I am trying to gather all of your addresses to send your Christmas card/newsletter/picture. So if you haven't heard from me and you have a new address, please send it to me.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd post our newsletter and Christmas pictures. So...sorry if some of you are getting this twice. I'm really considering just emailing it out next year and posting it on the blog--it's a lot of time and money to send out 75 Christmas letters. Anyway, here it goes:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our Family and Friends!!

We sure hope this letter finds all of you happy and healthy! I can’t believe it’s already this time of year again. We want to give you an update on our past year (and for a more detailed account you’re welcome to check out our blog: ticklishtangerine.blogspot.com).

This year has really brought some big decisions, big events, and a lot of “firsts”. We started out the year in Florida, until the end of May, when Ty GRADUATED from dental school!! We are done with school once and for all!! It is such a good feeling after 7 ½ years of marriage to finally move on. We moved back to Idaho—it was very bittersweet. We sure think about and miss our friends in Florida. On the other hand, being back by family is priceless. We bought our very first house and are absolutely thrilled with it! We have our first yard, and love working and playing in it. We love our neighborhood and new ward. Ty’s job is fantastic, and we just feel so blessed and happy in our lives right now. Now for a little individual update:

Ty spent the beginning of the year doing job interviews, finishing requirements, taking his dental boards, applying to residency programs, and working nights at the airport so we could have flying benefits. He is so thrilled to be done with each and every one of those things. After much prayer and fasting, we decided to take the job with Family Health Services. Ty loves the challenges it has brought, and has learned a lot. His job has great benefits, and we are really enjoying them. Right after we moved here, Ty got called to be the assistant executive secretary in the stake presidency in our church. It has been a huge learning curve and kept him very busy, but a great experience to rub shoulders with such great people.

I (Kyla) started out the year at girls camp. It was a riot! I did the crafts again for 100 girls for 5 days. I sure love those girls, and have shed many tears over not being with them anymore. Then I was put on the enrichment committee for our last 5 months in Florida. I ended up being over crafts, as it was our most requested class. So we did 2 big craft nights, and although it was fun, I’m a little “crafted out”. I got called to be a primary teacher for the 4-5 year olds soon after moving here—it has actually been really challenging for me, although it doesn’t seem like it should be. I have really enjoyed decorating our new house, building up our food storage, and hanging out with family this year. I love having seasons, being by mountains, and country living.

Marissa is 6. She finished Pre-Kindergarten, and absolutely loved it. She tearfully said goodbye to friends and the only life she remembers (she was not quite 2 when we left Idaho). She enjoyed and excelled in swimming lessons this summer, then started Kindergarten in the fall. She absolutely loves it, and she is doing fantastic. She has made lots of new friends at church and school, and loves having grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles nearby to dote on her. She had a dream come true for her birthday—she got a baby kitten! She named it Pinky-pie, and adores “s”mothering her. Every waking moment she can, she spends it with her kitty, and weather permitting, playing in the yard. She had a solo song in the primary program for church, and was amazing! She loves being read to and reading on her own. Her favorite movies are “Tinkerbell” and Barbie movies. She loves coloring, crafts, singing, unicorns, hearts, butterflies, animals, and flowers.

Chandler is 3 ½. His big accomplishment is being potty-trained this year. He was remarkably easy, thank heavens. He loves playing outside, playing with pinky-pie, playing in the dirt, and loves wrestling. He is all boy. He also loves being adored by family that lives nearby. He chipped two teeth recently, and luckily daddy is a dentist. It took some bribery, but we managed to get them fixed. Chandler really enjoys helping mom while sissy is at school, and having her full attention. Then he is always excited to have Marissa home to play with. They play well together—mostly Marissa tells him what to do, and he plays along. Chandler loves singing, reading stories, watching Backyardigans, and anything PHYSICAL and rough. He loves his tool set, train set, and balls. He can dress himself and make his own bed. He always surprises us with big words, interesting insights and analyzations, and his ability to memorize things. His favorite song is “I am a Child of God”. He is very thoughtful and sympathetic.

We want all of you to know that each of us in our family believes in Christ. We rejoice in this time of year that celebrates his birth and life. We are grateful to be part of our church—the church we know to be the only true church. We are grateful for the prophet and apostles that have God’s priesthood and authority to lead us in these unstable and evil times. We truly know that God watches over us, protects us, knows us individually, and guides our lives. We feel His help and His spirit daily. He constantly blesses our lives with tender mercies beyond what we deserve. We love the temple and the blessings of protection and promise of eternity as a family that it provides, and enjoy the convenience of having one 40 minutes away now. We sure love our family and friends, and hope you have peace and true joy in this upcoming year. May God bless you and your families.

Take care, keep in touch, and you’re welcome to visit anytime!!

Love, The Bodily’s

Our new address:
1049 Zion Drive
Burley, Idaho 83318

Our home phone:
208-878-4821