Mt. Rushmore

A snippet from Jared and Sara's excellent transcontinental adventure:

"Jared, think like a founding father."


"Uh, okay... think regally."
"Never mind."

Et ceteras

The book I made using Blurb of Delovely 2007 came. I love it. I love it. I love it. It is exactly what I was expecting. Now the first year of our little blog is resting happily in our bookshelf.

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My siblings Sara and Jared have made it half way across the country on their killer road trip to Michigan. We are so excited to have them stay with us. They are making a stop to Mt. Rushmore on the way. Then we'll have them for a week or so. Hurray!

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I'm getting my hair changed today. I am so sick of it. Usually, when I get the overwhelming feeling I'm currently dealing with, I chop my hair off, love it for a few days, and then wish that it was long again. So today, I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm entering the long-term relationship that is highlighting. Even as I type the words I'm not sure that I am ready to be fully committed. I've made it 27 1/2 years without ever coloring my hair. But I really need something new. I'll let you know how it goes.

Like Joseph of Egypt

The first 3 months of executing 'the plan' has made an impressive addition to our food storage collection. I have to admit that I've spent more money on it than I planned (between $50-$70 a month- which works out to only $10-$20 a week. I was planning for no more than $10 a week, but there are sales. And Sam's Club). I could have pared back and spent less. Although I have the occasional thought of how many Gracie shoes/new clothes/house stuffs/kitchen gadgets/other things I could have bought with the money, I'm really happy about the investment. I feel an unexpected rush of accomplishment when I look at it all. I sleep better on stormy nights.

Here's the next installment:

April

Week 1

Pasta. 5 or 10 pounds. Don't forget the mac and cheese

Week 2

Dry milk. 40 oz. will make 5 gallons. (And, any self-respecting recipe for white bread will use at least a tablespoon.)

Week 3

Assemble an emergency sewing kit: thread, pins, needles, buttons, snaps, zippers, tape measure, etc.

Week 4

Ready Dinners: ravioli, pasta, oriental, boxed or frozen. Get what your family will eat.

May

Week 1

10 lbs. of flour.

Week 2

Dry soups and soup mixes. Boxes of crackers: saltines, graham, etc.

Week 3

Jello gelatin

pudding mixes

Week 4

Garden seeds: Radishes are great in an emergency. They grow fast, are full of vitamins and minerals, and are full of water. (I totally just included that only because it was in the booklet. Even in a disastrous emergency, I cannot see myself being willing to live on radishes. I hope I never have to prove that)

June

Week 1

Safety Items: rope or twine, flashlight, dated batteries

Week 2

Grate and bag 5 pounds of cheese. Use in casseroles and soups (or everything if you are in our family). Also, buy Parmesan.

Week 3

Condiments: mustard, ketchup, relish, mayo, Worcestershire, pickles, olives, soy sauce, salad dressings.

Week 4

White sales! Buy a new thermo blanket, some new pillows...

Wordless Wednesday: Still waiting

Easter

It was a lovely Easter Sunday. Pretty low key as Easter Sunday's go actually. After church and lunch the kids went down for their naps. Once they got up we had the ceremony of baskets and an indoor egg hunt. (Sadly, it was snowing outside) Our Easter dinner was a tasty buffet of yummy leftovers from the week. Cori and I spent some time that evening working in our respective callings. The only things that could have made the day better would have been some family and sunshine!

This is the beautiful dress Grammie Marla made Gracie. When I put it on her, she said, "Ooooh. This is so beautiful. I look like Cinderelly." With a dress and a Daddy like that, who wouldn't feel like a princess? The Primary President told me that during music time Gracie kept going to the front of the room to twirl her dress. And she made sure everyone knew what they were supposed to be looking at.

The Visit Part II

Our afternoon ski trip was really fun. And we took so many pictures. It got its own post.

We went back to Knub's Nob. Skiing here is great for a few reasons. It takes 12 minutes to get here. The lift on the bunny hill is free. Half-day equipment rentals for Grace are cheap. The whole outing is less than $15.







On the side of the bunny hill there is a series of steeper little bumps that the kids use as jumps. Gracie kept pointing at them from the lift, so we took her down. She was so cute. She laughed and screamed the whole way down. You can see her laughing in the pictures. When we got to the bottom, she said "I wanna do that again. With Mommy. Then with Papa Jeff. Then with Daddy. Then with Papa Jeff again." While I was taking pictures at the bottom of the hill I could here people on the lift laughing with her. These experiences are making the persistent snow a bit more bearable.

The Visit Part I

I just love, love, love being with family. Adult conversation all day long. Multiple hands to help with kiddos. An extended break from the regular in and out of our routine. And where else can a girl simultaneously experience the perks of being some one's baby and a full grown adult but with her parents?

I wish I could say that our children made liars of me and were perfect, happy, well behaved angels, but Mom, Dad, and Thea really got to experience a week in the life. The tranquility of the week was also threatened by an alarming amount of sand that started coming through our pipes the evening of their arrival. The problem subsided enough that we didn't have to stay in a hotel. We're still not sure of what is going on with our well. We have become well acquainted with the company that drilled the well. Hopefully everything will be resolved tomorrow.

Even sandy water could not have deterred the happiness of the week.

Things we enjoyed doing together:

• well, everything really
• a trip to Boyne City to see where Cori works and dinner at the Red Mesa
• story time with Mr. Ron and his banjo at the library
• a little taste of the shops downtown and lunch at the Traverse Bay Pie Co.
• hanging out in our space downstairs
• chatting. all day.
• dinner with the Missionaries. We made tacos that earned the status of "killer" from my dad. This is a big deal. Believe me.
• a beautiful evening show courtesy of Mother Nature herself at Sunset Park
• playing on the new piano
• great family prayers at night
• a scenic drive up to Mackinac bridge and a glimpse of the UP (upper peninsula) and Mackinac Island. I cannot wait to get out there.
• shoe shopping with my mom and Gracie
• an afternoon ski trip with dad
• the seafood buffet at Bay View Inn. I actually ate mussels. Two of them. They were good.

Other things I loved about the week:

Watching Gracie follow Thea around. Aunt Thea is super cool and has achieved serious admiration around here. Every morning, Grace spent our whole breakfast begging to go down and "wake up her."

Having my parents see our life. It felt like showing them a good report card. Still their baby, I guess.