What's up with You

My kids love them some you tube.

Here is a little taste of what they are loving right now.

Kim Possible.

She can do anything, but get to school on time. 

Baby Monkey.

I really don't get this but they love it.

The Duck Song.

We only watch this version, I guess there is one that scares Milo.

It is called the mean duck song in our home.

Shape Song

We're all about learning here.

Animal Sounds.

My fav is "the people go blah blah blah"

Once Upon a Jacket

I have wanted a leather jacket since the fist time 

Emma Swan strolled across my TV in Once Upon a Time.

(Ok before that, but she really made me want one more).

(source)

So today when I was wandering round Zulily,  look what I found!

Some Kick Ars faux Leather Jackets.

Best Part of all, they're only $22.99 or less.

Amazingly fab, I know. 

(Did I just write amazingly fab?  I might have to kick my own ars.)

(source)

This black faux Leather is only $19.99

(source)

Don't you love the Olive Green.  I almost bought this one.

(source)

Classic Brown.  Love where it hits on the wast. 

Don't worry for those of you who are a little Mary Margaret,

I've got you cover for the same price.

(source)

Who doesn't love a Camel Hooded Toggle Jacket?

I love the detail around the pockets.

Are you maybe feeling a little Wicked?  Here's

my Regina inspired pick.

(source)

Okay this jacket I love.  The black with the grey color blocking.

With such an awesome price, well I see nothing wicked here.

If only I could have them all, but alas I live in a itty bitty home,

so I went with the black leather and the grey and black color blocking.

Which do you love?

Just to make you want fall a little more, here's a sneak peak at the new season.

Here's a new show.  Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.  Looks promising.

I Wonder

Dear Levi,

         Your due date was the other day and with it came a longing.  I thought of the first and only time I saw you and held you.  So small and so perfect.  It has now been a year and a half since then.   You should be turning one.  Would you be walking?  Would you of said mama by now?  I wonder what your sweet little face would look like.  Would it light up when you saw me?  I wonder if your hair would be dark or blond. What your eye color would be.  I wonder who you are my little Levi. 

           Mostly I just wonder what it will be like to hold you again.  Levi I know someday you will be handed back to me in all your perfectness.  My heart aches for that day.  That joy.  I can almost feel it but then it slips away.  You make me grateful that our family is sealed for this life and the next.  I am so grateful for Temple blessing.  I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father and for our Savior. 

          Levi you are so loved.  You are so missed.  You have changed me forever,  you my son have taught me so much.  I am now more understanding,  I now see how much a heart can break and be put back together by the matchless love of our Savior.  I see how depression affects you and how you can hurt so much that you wish you could escape your own body.   How it can make you question that their is a loving and kind Father watching over you.  How the spirit can pull you back and see the miracles in your life, that our Farther is their watching and caring for each of us.   

        You have helped me fight for what I believe in and there were times that I felt like I was losing that fight.   Now a year and a half latter I am so grateful for that fight.  Without it I could not stand here and be certain of who I am.  We truly are Levi, children of God.  With his help we can come out the other side whole.   Thank you for the hardest year and a half of my life.  I truly mean it with all my broken heart.  It one day will be whole again, and you will be in my arms.

Love Mom.  

Somethings really are just yours.

So theirs no denying I have a big family.

Which I love but comes with its challenges.

Like when your in the living room and here one of your kids

say to the other "Why are you using my toothbrush?"

and then the other sicko say "what this is my toothbrush".

(source)

Say what?

So naturally I promptly threw out all the old toothbrushes and bought new.

I also never ever want to ever overhear that conversation again, I got my trusty sharpie out.

I put each kid's initial on the bottom of the toothbrush.

To be extra sure I put their name on the side.

Large family problem solved!!!

Take protective measures now don't let all that nastiness happen to you.

NYLT

My handsome Mike just finished up National Youth Leadership Training 

with the Boy Scouts.

Honestly I know about nothing when it comes to scouts and scouting.

His leaders tell me stuff and other parents talk about things and

I smile and nod.

I am Charlie Brown and they are the adult.

Whaa wah Wah wa. 

(Mike looking rugged and needing a shower)

So the way I know that NYLT is amazing and something to be proud of completing.

Is the fact that said leader and parents give approving smiles and nods

and a job well done pat on the back.

All of which is foreign to me when it comes to scouts.

I am use to the Dallin should be working on his Eagle project  or

the you really should sew on some rank badges on your boys shirt looks.

I am sure most people could careless that I am mediocre when it comes to scouting.

To those of you trying hard to help my boys out with all things scouts, a huge thank you.

 (Awards Ceremony)

Mike spent a week up at Camp Fife learning and growing.

He loved it, which what more could I ask for.

On Saturday we got to pick him up and see the camp.

I love driving to places I have never been, especially when its just me and my man.

 I love catching up with no kids distractions 

and on the way home hearing Mike's stories from the week.

My fav is the kid who got mad, flipped over a picnic table and then sat on the ground next to it.

No one seemed to know why he was mad.

Also the water taste like eggs, yuck.

This stop sign was on the way to camp and oh how it made me laugh.

Great job on the spelling my young friend.

I love that I also got this cowboy in the shot.  He was chasing a horse that had

gotten out and wasn't likely to give up his new found freedom easy.

P.S.  Just to prove my lacking when it comes to scouts. As I was writing this I put down NYL.

Mike came up behind me and said mom you have that wrong it's NYLT.

Whatever. 

Pantry Taco Soup

Don't you just love a meal that is budget friendly,  super easy, and lick your bowl clean good?

Then you my friend are in luck!

I first had this Taco Soup a few years ago at a home warming luncheon. 

It became a fast favorite.

So when a friend of mine had her 3rd little boy,  it was a no brainer what to make.

Pantry Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 can Tomato Sauce

1 can Diced Tomatoes 

1 can Corn

1 can Chili 

(I do 2 cans Chili)

1 can Black Beans

2 T Taco Seasoning 

(you can add more or less if you like)

Dump all cans with liquid in to your crockpot, add Taco Seasoning and stir.

Cook on low 6 hrs or high for 4 hrs.

So easy but yet so good.

Sometimes or all the time you have a 3 yr old, who the second you start cooking or anything, needs you to stop everything and be her minion.

So as the great mom you are, you snap a somewhat fuzzy picture of her prefect patheticness.  

Because no meal is complete with out desert.

Apple Crisp 

Ingredients

1 can Apple Pie Filling.

Or make your favorite Apple Filling.

1/2 stick Butter, soften 

1/2 C Brown Sugar 

1/2 C Oats

Cinnamon to taste.

Poor apples into a greased backing pan.

Mix butter, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon together.

Sprinkle mixture over apples.  Cover with foil.

Place in a 350 oven until bubbling, around 30 min.

Altogether I brought 

Taco Soup

Watermelon

French Bread

Apple Crisp

Vanilla Ice cream 

Almost everything I had on hand, so this meal fits in prefect with the save $100 challenge, I am doing.

Just goes to show you don't have to spend a lot to make a wonderful meal.

A great way to save some mullah when taking a meal to someone is to team up.

This what I usually do.  Sometimes I bring the main dish, sometimes the sides.

Why not share the work and the joy of serving with a friend.

Camp out (almost)

The plan.

Have a super family camp out, with my super siblings and parents.

What actually happened.

My mom and dad where so stinking nice and took my 5 kids up the night before

to save an extra spot at the campgrounds.

Having no kids = perfect date night with a side of food poisoning.

Lame I know.  I was so sick all night.

Knowing we couldn't leave my parents with 5 kids.

We made the trek up to the Unitas.

(About 2 hrs away) 

This place was so pretty.  Wish I could of had the energy to explore more.

Oh and this handsome boy had a fever off and on,  sorry mom for sending you

with a sick little boy.

Playing that throw the golf ball thing on the pvc pipe thing game.

So needless to say we didn't camp out.  My brother who's little girl hurt her

arm right as they were leaving to come up, didn't camp out.

Way to tough it out to my sisters and parents.

Better luck to us all next year.

We stopped by an old cemetery  in Poea (sorry if I misspelled Poea)

The story of this bolder in a nutshell, is that Brooks was pretty much

a jerk and took from everyone and never gave back and bragged about

helping in the martyrdom of Joseph Smith.

When he died and was lay to rest this bolder rolled down the hill and landed

on top of his grave.