Longing

I miss summer.

I want to be able to jump into the lake.

I want to be so hot that you NEED water.

I miss doing NOTHING with my sisters.

I miss the gossip.

The knitting.

The boating.

The beach.

The swimming.

The bonfires.

I miss tanned babies.

Sweaty afternoon naps.

AC in the trailer.

Fresh fruit.

Feeding hot dogs to the dogs.

Bare feet in the grass.
Cool breezes off the lake.

It's almost February.

Then we have Valentine's day

St. Patricks day

Easter

Anniversary

Then finally May long.

5 events. I only have to wait 5 more events.

Paper bag Prayer Book

The Lesson this week in Sunbeams is 'I can pray to my Heavenly Father'. I've been racking my brain all week to come up with a fun idea for the kids. I think this book will achieve what I was hoping for. I want the kids this week to walk away with the knowledge of the format of a basic prayer and the idea that we can pray to our Father in Heaven about pretty much anything. Most of the kids in the class can't read yet so I used as many pictures as I could.

This project took me about an hour to do. It's pretty basic but with a few more things it could be a really cute little book. I have lots of cut outs and will most likely attach them with either yarn or magnets. This book I attached my pictures with magnets. The actual construction of the book is only 3 paper bags. I stacked them with opposite ends so I could have pockets in the book. I bound this book with sisal twine but you could use ribbon, sew it, binder hoops, or raffia.

In this book I have cut-outs of:

1. Things I am thankful for

- A living prophet

-My family

-Scriptures

-the priesthood

-temple

-pretty much anything else you can think of

2. Things I am praying for
-me

-dusty

-Ellie

-Lucy

-Our Leaders

-Our food

-Pretty much anything

satiated

You know you've done too much blogging in one day when........
You start getting motion sickness from all the whirring pictures

Hollywood Dreams

have you ever watched the movie, 'You've got mail'?
It's one of my "go to" chick flicks. If I'm sick, bord, in a sappy mood, or just happen to pass by it, while browsing one of the many satellite channels we have, I will watch it. I saw it in the theater when I was a young whipper-snapper. Clearly not that long ago, in actual time, but it does seem like a life time ago! I watched the show with a bucket of popcorn and my eccentric aunt, whom I adore. I dreamed of living in a far off city, having a quirky job, and (the point of this rambling) a lap top computer. I wanted to excitedly type on my bed to my charming and handsome Mr. Hanks.
I have a lap top now, which RARELY moves off the computer desk. If it does venture off, it is only to my couch. There have been a hand full of times that the computer gets put in my bed to have me awkwardly type of the keys. Alas, my grace with the lap top does not measure up to Ms Ryan's!
Even now as I am typing in my bed, next to my snoring Mr. Hanks, I still feel a touch glamorous. I know in this day and age a laptop seems ordinary and expected but the fact that I can sit, snuggled into my down duvet (which Dusty bought me as an anniversary present a couple of years ago... I was completely surprised by the gift- which doesn't happen. I didn't even have it on a list or anything.. it really is a lovely and useful present and for those of you who are reading this and don't have one, seriously consider putting it on a gift list in the future!) typing to you is, well, still very Hollywood to me!

Dusty's Job

I LOVE Dusty's new job.
I love the job because every 4 days, our family gets a long weekend. I love that in that 4 days I feel like I get to spend time with him, Ellie, and Lucy. I love that I get to spend time with each of them and I also get to spend some time doing what I love to do. I love to bake. I love to bake in the peace and silence that my house can be, while Dusty is home for his "long weekend". I love that Dusty gets restless by the third and forth day so he will actually VOLUNTEER to do the dishes after I bake. I love Dusty's job because it means I get to spend more time with my family AND I get to bake AND I don't have to clean up my mess. Life is good, isn't it?!

Lucy's Bad Day

Grumpy

Pouting

Yawning

Bedtime

Our family, like every other family with kids, has been hit with the sickness. Both kids are tired, grumpy, and sick. Real ick!

Jam Jams

This is another old recipe I have. They make really delicious cookies BUT be forewarned that they do require some patience and time. For us, it's worth it.


Jam Jams

1 cup of shortening

3/4 cups of brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of salt

4 cups of flour

mix your wet ingredients.

Add your dry.

Roll out to a 1/4 of an inch

Cut with a small round cutter (my cookies are about an inch and quarter.)

**I don't have a cookie cutter that's as small as I like these cookies so I just used the top of the useless thermos' I have lying around.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Put jam in while they are still warm.

** I have used every jam imaginable for these cookies and the best choice is a thick tart jam. I like using a wildberry or a raspberry. In these cookies I used strawberry (which isn't my favorite but it's what I had).

Oh yeah AND I've had the dough resemble a fine crumb. Just work it like bread dough with your hands.

Sunbeams

I was having a little, "I'm not Mormon enough" spaz about teaching sunbeams. It seemed like EVERYONE I talked to actually taught a "lesson". Not to say I haven't been but I spend more time crafting with the kids and talking about our lesson then I do actually "teaching" it. I know this may just be rambling and I have received a LOT of encouragement from people around me but I feel slightly..... very inadequate at teaching any church based material (even to three year olds).

The point of the rambling is that I decided that this week I would try to teach all these kids the good ol' fashioned way. The result- 5 bord kids. Thank goodness for the help I had. The person assisting me became more of a bouncer (but in a tame three year old kind of manner) and I just kept talking and encouraging with the hope that somehow my "spiritual" rambling would catch the attention of just one child. Alas that would be a negative! I give all you teachers props for actually being able to give a 20-30 minute lesson to a bunch of wiggly sunbeams.

The day wasn't a complete loss. I learned some very valuable lessons.

1. help isn't a bad thing. (the primary presidency has been very supportive in trying to find some one for an assistant and I've been resistant to the idea of help..... but having someone in there was... helpful (who knew?))
2. have music time was a great idea
3. I broke down and gave the kids a snack (which I'm not really too fond of the idea) but I think the poor kids are starving.
4. I am a crafter and that's what I do best with the kids so that's what I'm sticking with.

I love my calling. I was hesitant in taking it, in fact I was sure someone made a mistake putting me in there. I am so thankful to be a sunbeam teacher. I am grateful for a really great primary presidency. And I am REALLY grateful to all those of you who listen to me and help me.

career path....perhaps

Will just have to get the camera turned the right way....

Ellie's Outfit

I cannot say how much I enjoy watching my Ellie. She is darling and precious and trying so hard to be independent! This is another of the many outfits she has put together since her "new closet". She walked out this morning so proud of her outfit. She quietly whispered in my ear, this morning over breakfast, "Mom, sp sp, I think that I am fancier than Cinderella".

Yes. Yes you are.