family photo?

will there be a family photo next week at christmas-time? if so, what should i pack for each of us to wear?

The Love Sac!!

Thanks mom for introducing us to divine comedy on youtube. I thought this was hilarious.

My bad!

I messed up in linking the previous mentioned "YW in Mediocrity." So this is the right site now, I hope!

Divine Comedy Hilarity

Okay. My seminary YW are having YW in Excellence tonight so I asked them what they were doing and they told me they are copying a skit from Youtube depicting a BYU Divine Comedy episode entitled "YW in Mediocrity." Hilarious! Sarah, this might be an idea if you have a fun, humorous group. Also, take a look at this too, from Divine Comedy based on "The Princess Bride." There are lots of entries there that are so funny!

Anyone want to buy a pregnant goat?

I was looking at Craigslist to see Katie's new washer/dryer and came across this. Only in East Texas!

My Color is the Color of the Year!

Look at this. It seems like we're pretty cutting edge after all, (even though we've had the paint up over 10 years!)

So thats how Santa does it....

amazing.

merry christmas to me!!

just wait until you guys see it in person.

Katie and Will's House

Be sure to say a little prayer for Katie and Will's house to go through. There's a problem with a second lien that was discovered on the house which seems to be gumming up the works a bit. But the power of prayer is great...

Also, remember sick little Max in your prayers too. Those ear infections are treacherous for sure. It's strange to see so much unstoppable energy brought to a halt just like that...

Yummy recipes!

Here are two great recipes that we loved!

A scrumptious Pumpkin Roll (For rolling up, follow directions using foil and then parchment in the first comment.)

A savory Spinach Bacon Pasta Toss (Scroll down to November 12) healthy and colorful...(Sarah you may have to remove tomatoes for Chris, but they make it so good. I added sauteed mushrooms and used Olive Tree dressing but any Italian dressing would work.)

Oh, Michael...

This is a deleted scene from the office. The first part is awesome!

Roma the Ballerina

I just wanted you all to see this photo of Mom as a ballerina. I think she was in her early teens, maybe only 12 or 13. Katie is using this for a present for Mom, but I didn't know if you all had seen it or not. It's sad as Mom's memories fade how many details we lose like the date or place that things happened. She still knows us all, though, so that's good. I think she associates me with chocolate these days because I often bring her snack-size bars or M&M's. The other day she even said, "Do you have any chocolate?" right out of the blue! And luckily, I did!

Funny

Police Beat

This was in the Police Beat for today....

Oct. 18: A female resident of Wymount Terrace called in a suspicious phone call in which a man made statements with the intent of hypnotizing the student. The student said she does not remember most of the conversation, but remembers she called him her master. Police say it is virtually impossible to hypnotize someone over the phone.

Drag Race

Last night Will and I went to the drag race. (It was all my idea. As you can tell that I am an avid diesel fan.) For ten bucks you can race your own car as many times as you can wait in line to go. It was really fun. Will won both times. We beat a civic and an F-150!

The Secret Life of Bees

I just saw The Secret Life of Bees last night. It's a wonderful, touching movie about the need for all people to find real love and validation, set in the early sixties in times when racial tensions run high in the rural South. Beautifully acted and directed starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Hudson and others. It follows the book almost perfectly, which is often rare when a book is translated into film. Go here to see a clip and find more about it. The music is good too!

Healthy Skin-Nourishing Hot Chocolate

I found this recipe on a post from RealAge.com. Apparently, hot chocolate can be really good for your skin if it's made with the really deep, dark cocoa. Enjoy for those chilly, frosty mornings coming soon--we had one today!

Harry's Super Simple, Healthy Hot Cocoa
The secret to this easy recipe? Heat it slowly. Slow heat helps release the antioxidants.

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder with 70% or more cacao (such as Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder or Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa)
2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup skim or low-fat milk

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently (do not let it boil), stirring frequently, until cocoa is just beginning to steam. Pour into a mug and enjoy.

Tomato Onion Basil Pie

Okay. I know I keep posting recipes, but I think it's because Evan and I have been on a no-frills diet of very plain food and ever since Chris and Sarah and family came to escape the hurricane I got to cook again! And it's so fun to experiment, plus I was basically starving!

Anyway, I tried the Tomato Onion Basil Pie (using our fresh homegrown tomatoes and basil) that is in the Brookshire calendar for October that I gave each of you. I was going to try and be fancy and link the recipe from that site to this one, but it's not on their site because of some compatibility issues. It is so delicious! Try it and tell me what you think, (Will Chris eat baked tomatoes?) I even had all four cheeses on hand that the recipe calls for but you could probably get by with fewer, just use the same entire amount of cheese (2 cups). Next time I'll include a picture of my creation, but this half-eaten pie doesn't look so photo-worthy.

Dutch Baby for Dinner

I saw this post on a new blog Katie introduced me to and it looked so yummy (Remember Dutch Pancakes that puff up in the oven?) I wanted to share it with you. Scrumptious!

What makes a happy family?

I was listening to the radio the other day in the car and heard John Tesh (Yes, that John Tesh who plays sappy songs on the piano, but he has an informative show and it's good!) talking about what elements are common to cohesive, happy families. Here they are:


1. Successful families CHEER for each other and support each other in their activities.

2. Happy families share and encourage SPECIAL TRADITIONS like picnics at Eastertime or a family program and talent show on Christmas Eve.

3. Happy families SHOW AFFECTION for each other and EXPRESS their love for each other everyday.

4. Successful families are SPONTANEOUS and do things to surprise each other often like going on a fun, impromptu weekend trip or bringing home flowers or making goodies for the family.

5. Happy families share FAMILY HISTORY together like watching family movies or making photo albums together.

Just thought I'd share this with y'all because I thought it was really good and I am going to work on the spontaneous suggestion. We need to put some more excitement in our lives up here in Tyler!

( BTW, I thought that John Tesh actually had a show in Jacksonville where this station comes from because the previous announcer always says things like "There's John Tesh coming through the door," or "John is walking in right now" but Evan assures me that his show is syndicated so I guess I believe him.)

updated silhouettes

Maybe I should have done them all white plates. What do you think?

Birthday Pics and other things

This is a pick from my birthday! Thanks mom and dad for the wii and wii fit. We love it!




Also, I am making a scary halloween plate wall. I originally wanted them all to be black with a white silhouette, but now I am thinking that some should be white with a black silhouette. Just the witch one is done. I can change it though. Should I keep them all black or should I have them be different. What do you think?

In the Mood for Soup!

In keeping with my new resolution to post more, here's a yummy recipe we had for dinner from my seminary student's mom, Pam Egan. Perfect for cool autumn nights coming soon (maybe not as soon in Vegas or Houston)

Tortilla Chicken Soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, undrained
1/2 cup instant rice
1 pkg. Knorr or Lipton Recipe Vegetable Soup Mix
2 1/2 tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 tbsp. onion flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
8 cups water

Mix all ingredients in a large pot. Heat to boiling and then simmer until rice is tender, 5 or 10 minutes. Stir and serve with crushed tortilla chips, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, and sliced olives as garnish, if desired. Yummy for a cool autumn night!

This recipe was adapted for a larger group from the below recipe which could be used for a teacher gift or a visiting teaching gift.

Tortilla Soup in a Cup

3 Tbsp. crushed tortilla chips
2Tbsp. instant rice
1 Tbsp. Lipton Recipe Soup Mix (mix contents in envelope before removing)
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. onion powder (I used onion flakes..maybe 1 tsp.)
1/8 garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cumin

Mix all ingredients well in a plastic or Ziplock bag. Pour soup mix into a plain coffee mug that holds 1 1/2 C. liquid, with no metallic decorations. Add 1 cup water. Stir well and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and cover. Let stand 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Refugees, Anniversaries, and Movies

I have a resolution to post a bit more just so we can all stay more connected! I'm even getting used to typing on my new laptop--I can still learn new things (I am a Seminary teacher for goodness sake) but it just may take a bit longer for me....

Recently, we loved having Chris, Sarah, Max and little Cooper here for a week and a half as they sought refuge from a powerless home in Houston. They were most certainly blessed with only minimal damage to their fence and debris strewn on their property. Sarah has posted great pics on their website , but after Evan downloads our pics (remember I learn very slowly...) I'll post some of our own pics from our adventures here in Tyler. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we went to the zoo, the park, the Discovery Museum and just had fun being outside in the cool fall temps. What a darling and fun family they have!

Evan and I celebrated 28 years on Friday, Oct. 3! I have the best husband ever! We went to a baptism (the Atwood twins) and then went to dinner at Potpourri House (Evan was willing but still complaining about the blue hairs we would dine with) and then we ran into the Murrays! So we all had a fun dinner together! Afterwards, at nearly 10 pm, we were still game for entertainment so we went to a great movie called "Flash of Genius" about the inventor of the intermittent windshield wipers (Robert Kearns). Very good movie and nostagic for Evan and me as it was set in 1962. We loved seeing the cars and the furniture and the clothes. Here's a link to the New Yorker article the movie was based on:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/01/11/1993_01_11_038_TNY_CARDS_000363341

Okay, I'm pretty sure I did that totally wrong. I didn't follow Sarah's directions--somehow I thought I could do it on my own (just copy and paste, right?), but you'll find it if you really want to . Some of it is a bit technical but it recounts how Kearns had that "flash of genius" to think of the idea and also his struggle with Ford in getting credit for his invention. It's a good "thinking" movie.

We also saw " The Ron Clark Story"---no, not the country western singer but the teacher who wrote the book we are reading in Great Books, "The Essential 55." A teacher develops 55 rules of conduct to teach his rough Harlem 6th grade class. Matthew Perry stars and the kids are quite believable.

I've gone on way too long, but I'm trying to catch up. Congrats Katie and Will on getting a great house! We'll help you paint when we come!

Funny

Constantly Hugged Goats

My Sweet Helmet...

Here

Max squeals with delight as his mom opens up her Wii Fit! Yes!(He could barely see the graphics on the package but knew exactly what it was!) We enjoyed the day (August 8) with Chris and Sarah's family and the Scovilles witnessing the blessing of little Cooper.

baby cooper

evan & karen, we will have fun!
katie & will, we will miss you!

Wedding Celebration

We had a great time at Jeremy and Melody's reception. This is just one picture of the event. (We'll see if I can follow Sarah's good directions on actually publishing this picture!)

Max's Tricks and other stuff

It looks like max is playing wii from the great room!

Trip to Utah

First, we saw this beautiful hill of poppies in Hyrum.

Jeremy and Melody were so happy!


Then dad fell asleep.

But then he saw his man-crush, Mack Wilburg at music and the spoken word. He nearly teared up. It was touching.

The End.

P.S. Mini Cooper is really, really cute. Can't wait to see him.

smiling

well, since no one else is posting anything around here... i will. cooper smiles. it's cute.

brothers

they are just so cute i had to post something.

Swimming Pool Transformation

Hello Family! I thought I would entertain you with a series of photos that chronicle the amazing transformation of the Nielsen swimming pool. I can't wait for you to come swim!!!



First, it took several days to remove the wooden deck boards using a variety of tools - crowbar, hammer, and a reciprocating saw. One tool I didn't use was a screwdriver because all the screw heads had rusted off.



While working, I drained the pool - it took a whole day to remove the water.



Late at night I used my old sump pump to remove the last 3 inches of water.



The next morning I could only say one word: Ugly!



Then it was time to begin cutting out the old liner without dismantling the pool structure.



And things became even more ugly -- and now very, very smelly!!!




The liner is cut into several smaller pieces for easy removal and disposal.




I spent hours and hours trying to smooth the old pool floor, but it was too flawed to save. I eventually purchased about 1,000 pounds of new base materials and I completely resurfaced the entire floor base with the use of a hand trowel.




After several days, many late nights, two sore knees and a sore back, the pool floor was perfectly smooth. Then I added a foam wall liner.




The foam helps to smooth out the wall and it also adds insulation to the pool.



I then added a special cloth floor pad on top of the new pool floor base.




This cloth pad provides more floor cushioning and protection from protruding rocks and roots.




In goes the new liner - installed at the hottest time of the day on purpose - because the heat helps smooth out the wrinkles and and allows it to stretch into place easier. I used a vacuum hose to remove air between the pool wall and liner as it was massaged into position.




Many hours later after adding about a foot of water, the pool tops were removed one 4-foot section at a time to stretch the liner over the top of the pool edge to attach it into place. Then the pool tops were returned in sequence to keep the whole structure from falling apart. Now it is time to add water all night long to fill it to the top.




16,000 gallons later, the pool is full. Now it is time to hide the unsightly yellow pool top with specially mixed blue paint that exactly matches the pool liner.




The blue paint is beginning to look great!



All the wooden boards are screwed back into place - with fewer, stronger, non-rusting, lifetime warranty screws this time - just in case the boards need to be removed again someday.




And the pool is done!!! Now when we re-seal the wood deck, everything will look brand new.

new news please

as max would say in a hopeful voice, "watch a news, mom?" surely something has happened to someone somewhere since cooper was born...

in the mean time, cooper is one month old and pushing 12 pounds.

The Coop!

Here he is. Sarah did an amazing job. It was incredible to watch her do her thing...












Here he is. Sarah did an amazing job. It was incredible to watch her do her thing...