Fernwood Park

Between Conference sessions yesterday, we went to Grandma's house to visit with her and Mom. We took them some lunch and ended up watching the last session with them. Afterward, we "kidnapped" Mom and took a little drive around the Fruit Heights area. We drove by the castle house on the hill and ended up at Fernwood Park. Wow. It reminded me a little of Mueller Park. It was beautiful. The oak trees were just beginning to turn brillant shades of red and orange. We walked on the path a little ways; it was both invigorating and peaceful. Quentin, the girls and I are planning on going back in the next week or two and maybe take a picnic and some better shoes so we can hike "for real." Ahhh, Fall....

Favorite Prophets

This morning as the girls were playing and I was getting ready for the day, cleaning up the house, etc. we had Conference on. I figured even if we weren't sitting there watching the whole thing, we could absorb at least some of it. At one point, Makenna said, "Kiera, come on - let's go play." Kiera replied, "Not now, Makenna. I have more important things to do." Not knowing what she was up to, I trusted her (I never have to worry about her) and continued doing my own thing. About a half-hour later as I went downstairs to check on her, she showed me her project - a manila folder with a few papers inside. She had drawn her "favorite prophets" (or Profis), including Gordin Be Hencklie, Josof Smith and Mestr. Snow. So cute!

House Tag

As I finished my blog posts this evening, I checked out some of my friends' blogs and stumbled on this one from Denise. It's a house tag. I thought, "Oh, that would be fun to do someday." But then I figured that wouldn't be fair since this tag is to take pictures of certain parts of your house, as is, right now. I thought when I got around to doing it, I would make sure I did it after everything was perfect. And that's not fair. So I grabbed the camera and snapped away. It was kind of fun - and now I tag whoever wants to play!!

THE KITCHEN SINK


THE FRIDGE


AND THE INSIDE


THE BATHROOM - THE GIRLS WANTED TO POSE



CLOSET


FAVORITE ROOM - FAMILY ROOM (It's where we hang out; see Quentin watching TV and see all the toys on the floor?)


MESSIEST ROOM - PLAYROOM (I had painted my "grass wall" earlier today and shoved all the toys against one wall; plus the girls got out more toys this evening)


WHAT THE FAMILY IS DOING NOW...
QUENTIN IS WATCHING THE VICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES (SEE ABOVE PIC)
KIERA FELL ASLEEP ON THE COUCH (IN HER CLOTHES) AT 7:00 PM!

KASIDEE IS PLAYING

AND MAKENNA IS UP TO TROUBLE!

Project-Antsy

LIVING ROOM BEFORE...


TRYING TO DECIDE...


NEW PLAYROOM WALL...


I've been project-antsy lately. Just in the mood for a good a project. And for the last few years, I've been obsessed about the color sage. I've "sprinkled" the color sage throughout my house but have felt like I needed more. (These two totally separate thoughts will eventually make sense). Our living room is painted a milk-chocolatey brown, which is really pretty but has seemed kind of dark to me. So after nearly a year of having paint chips taped to the wall, I decided I was ready for this project - to paint my living room sage. So yesterday I started. I primed 1 1/2 walls and painted 1 wall the sage color. And I don't think I like it. It seems too bright or something. I wanted a soft, soothing sage color but I think I picked the wrong one. I'm not good at things like that. So my walls are still sitting there - one sage one, 1/2 of a primed one, and 2 1/2 walls the original color. And I don't know what to do. Just go with it and finish painting the room? Change it back to the original color? Add some white to the paint can and lighten it up? Hmmm.... So in the meantime, I decided to try a different painting project that I've been considering for awhile - and use some of that sage paint. I've noticed in a few magazines (as well as on my friend Katie's blog) that you can paint a wall to look like grass. So cute! So I tried it out. In the girls' playroom, I took one big wall and went to work. Kiera was at school, Makenna was at preschool, and Kasidee was napping. And I finished it! The girls love it, and this may have given me the sage fix I needed as well as satisfied my need for a project!

Dinner

Tuesday night we had hummus sandwiches for dinner. If you've never tried hummus, well, it's to die for. I LOVE it. I've tried different brands and have even made my own, but the best I've tried is Meza Hummus, sold at Costco! Hummus is a spread made from garbanzo beans, sesame seeds, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Delicious! It's also so yummy with pita chips or as a veggie dip. So there ya go. Then tonight we tried millet. I've had this grain in pilafs, but I've never bought it and cooked it separately. I cooked it in veggie broth and added sauteed carrots, celery and garlic as well as grape tomatoes and olives. It was pretty good - it's kind of like a cross between risotto and couscous. It was fun to try something new!

Nature Walk

Makenna's preschool class went on a little (hour-long!) walk along the Lagoon Trail this afternoon. Parents and siblings were invited, so Kasidee and I tagged along. Except for it being quite warm, it was an enjoyable walk. I thought Makenna would cling to me (like she always does), but she and her new friend Molly were inseparable. So cute!

Tooth #3

Kiera's Saturday morning ritual is to wake up early (sometimes earlier than she has to for school!) - but thank goodness she's thoughtful enough to not wake anyone else up. She tiptoes around, gets a snack and watches Saturday Morning Cartoons till everyone else finally rouses. This morning the silence was shattered by her screaming, "Mama! Mama! Hurry!" Freaking out, I thought she was hurt or there was a spider or something. As I met her on the stairs, she produced her loose tooth that had fallen out. Whew. This poor tooth had been literally hanging by a thread for weeks. She had even gotten to the point of talking with her mouth clenched so the tooth wouldn't wobble around. Good thing it's finally out!

Trick!

This is Kasidee's latest trick. She tends to do it when Kiera and Makenna are doing cartwheels or ballerina twirls. Just trying to keep up, I guess!!

Happy Birthday, Johnny Appleseed!

Well, apparently today is Johnny Appleseed's birthday. He would be 234 years old if he was still alive. Kiera's school has been doing all sorts of apple activities this week to celebrate. In fact, today they'll be making applesauce. How fun. Anyway, at breakfast this morning, Kiera softly said, "Mama? Today is Johnny Appleseed's birthday. I wanted to make him a card, but I know he wouldn't get it. So I prayed to Heavenly Father that Johnny Appleseed would have a good birthday today." What sweet, simple faith and thoughtfulness! That's our Kiera!!

The Greatest Show on Earth

THE GIRLS GOT TO TRY ON CIRCUS CLOTHES!

MR. TALL MAN AND QUENTIN'S CLOWN NOSE



Last night we went to the circus! I was a little nervous and wasn't quite sure what to expect. But I figured the girls have never been, and Quentin and I hadn't been since our family reunion in Wisconsin about 10 years ago. So we figured it was time to go, and it would be neat to experience something different! Kasidee stayed with Granny at her house, and we joined Corbin, Nikki, Marina and Roman at the circus. It was fun. It was crazy and loud and overwhelming and strange, but it was fun. The girls especially loved the elephants and tigers; Quentin and I liked the motorcycles in the steel cage and the trapeze artists. All in all, it was a fun experience - perhaps one we will enjoy again in a few years!

Lucky Day!

Makenna was SOOOO excited to get the cutest little Halloween card in the mail yesterday afternoon. It was from the Rock Loft/Secret Haven where we went a couple of weeks ago. Inside it said she had won a "door prize" and that she could come in to get it. Yippee!! She was so excited, so we had to go get it right away. Pretty cool, eh?

Last (?) Pool Party

Kasidee riding in the "Swim Bag!"

For several weeks now, every time we go swimming, I figure it's the last time we'll swim till next summer (well, I know we can swim anytime at the indoor pools, but we don't go very often in the wintertime). Anyway, I think this really was the last time. Last night for Family Home Evening, our neighbors invited the whole ward over to their house for swimming, hot dogs and ice cream. Even though the air was crisp, the water was SOOOO warm. What a perfect way to spend a late summer/early fall evening!

Risotto Recipe

I guess I should have learned to post the recipe when I show a picture of what we had for dinner! I'm just never sure if anyone is interested in the recipe. Anyway, here's the recipe for the Risotto from one of my previous posts. You have to pretty much stand by the stove when cooking the risotto since you have to stir it pretty constantly, but oh - it is so worth the effort! Let me know if any of you try it!

1. Bring 6 cups of vegetable broth to a boil and keep simmering on the stove.
2. In another pot, saute 1 cup diced onion, 2 diced carrots and 3 stalks diced celery in 4 Tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups risotto rice (arborio rice) and toss with vegetable/oil mixture.
4. Add one cup of hot broth to rice mixture. Stir constantly until liquid is absorbed.
5. Gradually stir in remaining broth, one cup at a time, cooking and stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup (total time is about 20 minutes).
6. Add 1 can corn (drained and rinsed), 1 can Great Northern beans (drained and rinsed) and 1 can sliced black olives (drained).
7. Season to taste with salt, pepper, cumin and/or garlic powder.

Bounce Bounce Bounce

Today we had a two-hour playtime at Backyard Adventures with Corbin, Nikki, Eric, Mischelle, and all of our kids (thanks, Corbin & Nikki!) We got to play on the bouncy toys, have pizza, and just goof off. It was fun. From there, we went to Ikea (I LOVE that store - it gets me in the mood to paint or decorate or something!) Then we went to Cabella's and checked out the huge aquarium - the girls loved the huge fish! From there, we were going to head to Eagle Mountain to pick up a trailer from our friends, but they called to let us know the tailer tire was flat and it would take till next week to get it fixed. So since we were out that way, we HAD to have dinner at my favorite place - Sweet Tomatoes. There are only 2 locations in Utah, and they're both pretty far from our house. So anytime we are out "that way," we make it a point to go there. Yum!

Risotto

(Sorry about the blurry photo. I need a better close-up camera)

Dinner tonight was risotto. Yum. Can you tell I've been into "comfort foods" lately? I guess that's what Fall is for. Risotto is hearty, savory and creamy. Mmmmm... I'm still stuffing my mouth with it (as I type!) - I can't get enough!

Puppy Prayer

(Warning: this got to be kind of a long story as I typed it. It will probably be boring for you to read, but I wanted to record this for posterity!!)

Makenna has been a little obsessed with some Littlest Pet Shop creatures that she acquired for her birthday. She's been particularly attached to a little puppy and likes to take it everywhere with her. On Saturday we made a quick trip to Walmart and we warned her that she probably shouldn't take her puppy in the store. We didn't know she had put it in her pocket till we saw her puppy prancing on the store shelves. Well, I bet you can guess what happened. Yep - we got to the car and Makenna said, "Oh no! My puppy!" So she and I went back in and retraced our steps (which were few), but no puppy was in sight. When we got to the car, Kiera began crying about the lost little puppy but Makenna's face was like stone. Quentin promised the girls that he would come back later and look for it. When we got home, I spied Kiera saying a sweet little prayer that Heavenly Father would be with the little puppy and comfort it and keep it safe. She also asked that we might be able to find it. This was around 2:00 and our afternoon and evening were jam-packed with things to do and places to go. Finally around 9:30 (after our ward swimming party), Quentin pulled into Walmart's parking lot and said he'd look for the puppy. While he was in the store, the girls and I offered a little prayer. I know it might seem silly - first of all, the puppy is replaceable, and second of all, this should teach Makenna a lesson, right? But Makenna simply said, "Heavenly Father, I'm sad about my puppy. Please help." How simple and sweet. When Quentin got to the car, he wordlessly started the car then quietly asked, "Well, should we go home?" The girls nodded with tears in their eyes. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out the little puppy. Makenna's eyes were huge as she gasped and reached for the puppy. She pulled it close to her face, closed her eyes and just sobbed. Foolishly, I figured that maybe Quentin bought another puppy (isn't that what parents do to protect their children?), but no - these girls' humble prayers were answered. Quentin went in the store and began going down every aisle. Finally he decided to check the checkout line we were in. A different cashier was there, but he asked her if she had seen it. She wasn't sure, but she said she had found something earlier and turned it into customer service - not to the lost and found department, but it was put in a basket to be returned to the selling floor. It could be anywhere! But Quentin went to the customer service area and began looking through the baskets. The first one he went through, he saw the puppy toward the bottom corner! It's kind of a silly story, but I'm sure the girls will look back at this event throughout their lives and remember that Heavenly Father hears His children's prayers. Even if things don't always turn out how WE would have it, He still hears us and loves us and answers us.

Maybe...

This evening as Makenna and I were making cookies, she began eating an apple as we waited for the cookies to finish baking. She came across a few apple seeds and asked if she planted them, if they’d turn into an apple tree. I said yes, then began explaining that there are different kinds of seeds that grow different things (like watermelon seeds and apple seeds might look similar, but they each grow different things). She nodded her head then said, “So chocolate must come from M&M seeds. . . .”

Parade and Pool Party!

Saturday could have been called a ward party day. Kiera and Makenna (and me too!) were part of a Stake Children's Parade. Each of the 9 wards in our stake was assigned a country (ours was Italy) and we got dressed up and had props and walked from the Stake Center to the park, where they had popsicles, a band, and the kids all sang the Primary song "Children Holding Hands Around the World." The kids had so much fun and loved trying to spot their parents and friends lining the streets. A little while after the parade, our ward had a party at the Rec Center in Bountiful. We had dinner and had the whole pool just for our ward. The girls always like going to the Rec Center, but they especially liked being able to be with all their neighborhood friends! What a weekend!

First REAL Day of Preschool

Makenna FINALLY started her first "real" day of preschool today - meaning, without Mommy or Daddy there. The teacher said there were a few tears at first, but then she was okay. She was so excited to tell us all about her day - she picked her nametag off the wall, learned how to hoola-hoop, and best of all, she got a tootsie roll. Wow - it makes me want to go to preschool too!