11 October 2015 -Elk Hunt

Ok, this week was awesome!  So the kids had spring break, and their dad expressed an interest in having them stay with him for the week, so that's what they did.  He picked them up on Sunday evening.  I went to work Monday and Tuesday as normal and then on Wednesday morning I got up really early and headed out on a camping adventure with the Elam clan.  Mindy had invited me to go camping with them as Evan had gotten an elk tag and would be hunting.   

 I stopped at the Phoenix temple on my way up to the White Mountains and enjoyed a little time there.  Then I changed clothes and made it up to the camp ground around lunch time. I don't have a lot of camping gear, but I didn't have to worry; when you camp with the pros its a pretty fun and comfortable experience.  My tent and cot and bedding went up quickly and I had my own chair and everything.  Wednesday evening I got to go out hiking with Troy, following a heard of Elk.  We didn't get to see them up too close because we had a couple of the little kids with us and they announced our presence in the woods quite nicely! That night there was a lovely camp fire, smores, and plenty of lively conversation.  I was a little cold in the night, but it was so fun I didn't let it bother me at all.  You could hear elk bugling and a coyote pack howling and the stars were incredible.

I was up and dressed with the sun on Thursday morning and Troy took me out hiking again for a couple of hours.  He was calling to the elk, and we saw some and some mule deer but could never get very close because the wind kept changing direction and giving us away.  It was gorgeous.  After breakfast we gave the kids quad rides and played cards and I'm sure I threw a football for at least an hour.  I took some crocheting with me and sat in the sun long enough to end up with a pink nose even though I didn't take my sweater off.  It was perfect and relaxing.  I missed the kids, and they would have loved it.  I'll make sure they get to come the next time.  I made some adjustments to my bedding the second night and actually got too warm!

The boys went off hunting Friday morning in search of Evan's elk, but came back empty handed.  The kids played so well and we had such a nice time.  In the evening the guys went back out and Mindy and Melynda and I took the kids for a walk.  They were so noisy we were never going to see any animals, but it was fun just the same!   Evan got his elk Friday night, but managed to cut himself badly cleaning it.  So Mindy and Melynda took him to the hospital while Dan and I made sure all 10 kids got dinner!  I think Dan was pretty relieved when Peter and Troy showed back up to camp so that every family had a parent there.  We talked around the fire until bed time.  The girls brought Evan back with a few stitches sometime after the rest of us went to bed.

We packed up camp, which took a fair amount of time and then we were headed home.  It was so much fun and I was so grateful for the fun opportunity.  I went to church on Sunday and then in the evening picked up the kids.  It will be hard to head back to work after so much fun!

04 October 2015

I am so grateful that this week seemed so much less hectic.  It really does seem that activities line up in such a way that they all land on the same week.  Felicity and I were reading fools all week.  We finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  The only thing worse than seeing her react to Dumbledore’s death, was having to hear her malign Severus Snape the rest of the week!  I guess it just gives me something to look forward to: seeing her face when we get to the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  She also had a social studies project that was due, so there was a night dedicated to that as well.

Last weekend I came to the conclusion that I needed to make some changes in regards to our finances.  I am extremely grateful for the great job I have and I’m tired of feeling like I don’t make enough money to make ends meet, because I really should.  Without going into too many details, I have some debts that I’ve been paying on for years now, including the year of student loans I took to finish my education, and some debt I acquired at a time in life when as a family we didn’t have any income coming into the house.  I made the decision that effective immediately, we would be cutting out a lot of the extras that we enjoy and tighten our belts a bit and focus on getting the debt paid off.  I canceled my weight watchers subscription, our Netflix, and piano lessons.  There are some other changes I’m making as well.  I hope that we can get to place where we have more financial freedom and can use our money freely instead of being burdened by paying debts.

Camping out on the couch

Helen had another student council meeting on Thursday and is excitedly planning activities and fund raisers for her school.  She has really enjoyed having this opportunity.  The kids were picked up in the afternoon and taken over to the Boveington's for a birthday party and I had a girls night out.  We had so much fun, I really look forward to those evenings.  The kids had a blast as well.  It was a fun mid week evening.

I worked from home on Friday, and after a morning of work, I took time to complete my chores and make a run to the grocery store.  In the evening we had our weekly movie night and got to watch, as you may have guessed, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  We had a great time.  I love to hear Felicity say ,"the book was better".  Saturday was the beginning of our weekend of General Conference.  This is something we look forward to twice a year.  It is an occasion for our church leaders to deliver inspiring messages and instruction.  I made each of the kids a packet of activities and a place for them to take notes.  They love this tradition and look forward to new conference packets every six months.  In between the morning and afternoon session we went to the park for a picnic lunch and to play on the playground.  The weather was beautiful, it was such a perfect day for it.

Sunday we continued to watch the remaining two sessions of conference from the couch in our PJs.  I managed to make three crocheted hats as Christmas gifts, so I was pleased with that.  After conference we went to Nana and Papa's to visit and have dinner.  The kid's dad came and picked them up at about 5:30.  They have fall break next week, so they are going to spend some extra time with him.  I know I will miss them terribly!

I would encourage anyone to read or listen to any of the talks given during General Conference.  Skeptical?   I read a great article entitled "TED talks with a twist—Why you shouldn’t be scared of Mormon General Conference".  Maybe some food for thought!  This conference was very special as three new apostles were called and sustained to fill vacancies in the quorum of the twelve apostles created by the deaths of President Packer and Elders Perry and Scott.  There were some very touching and inspiring addresses this conference.  The two that immediately stick out in my mind are A Plea to My Sisters by President Russell M. Nelson and Behold Thy Mother by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  They were both about women, mothers, and motherhood.  I'm so grateful that the Heavens are not silent that just as He did anciently, our Father still speaks to His children by way of prophets and apostles.  Love to all!

27 September 2015

We had a very busy week! Family Home evening this week was about decisions and consequences and we played a game together after bath time.   Aside from the usual homework and piano after school, we also fit in visiting teaching two nights and cake decorating!  Felicity’s deadline for reaching her AR goal is fast approaching and we have quite a ways to go to finish Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which we, I’m ashamed to admit, started at the beginning of the summer, so we’ve spent some extra time reading too.

Helen got to go to her second Student Council meeting this week and is really enjoying it.  She got to help assemble “Boo Grams”.  I made a fun Minecraft cake for Malachi's birthday this week that turned out really well.  It was fairly simple to decorate; the fun part was cutting four different colored cakes into concentric squares and then piecing them back together.  This created a neat pixilated affect when the cake was cut into.  I baked one night, assembled one night, and decorated one night.  That’s really the only way I seem to have time to get a project like that done!  

Friday night the kids went to spend the weekend with their dad and I headed to the ranch for Malachi's birthday party.  He seemed to really love the cake and there were plenty of “ohhs” and “ahhs” when we sliced into the cake; I think it was a hit.  Saturday morning I was up before the sun and headed to Wilcox with a slew of Elam’s to pick green chilies.  I was afraid it would be really hot, but quite on the contrary it was beautiful out.  We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather.  After chilies we went to the orchards and milled around among the apple trees, sampling, until lunch time.  We had lunch there and then headed home.  I took a short nap and then had the privilege of watching the General Women’s Meeting at the Stake Center.  It was inspirational as always.

I took myself off of caffeine (again) at the beginning of the month, but knew I had to get some chores done before Sunday, so I cheated a little and had a diet coke when I got home from the church.  Well, I forgot what it’s like to have caffeine after not having it for several weeks, and I ended up being awake until around three!  On the bright side, my house is immaculate and all the laundry is done and put away and the truck is clean!  Sunday was a little hard; the kids missed the Primary Program again this year because they weren’t home.  It was very cute and I love to hear the children express their developing testimonies in word and song.  After Sacrament meeting I drove to Tucson to spend the afternoon with Grandma.  My parents were out of town so I thought she would enjoy the visit since my mom usually takes her to see Grandpa on Sundays.  We had lunch and a really nice visit and I’m glad I went.  I headed home around 2 and worked on some crochet projects I’ve got going.  I was happy to pick the kids up in the evening and hear about their weekend.  We’re looking forward to fall break and hopefully cooler weather in the near future.  I also really need to get started on making Halloween costumes.  It’s all downhill from here until the end of the year!