Hello Family! It's be a while since we had time on a Sunday evening that lasted long enough to post on the blog, so I made a commitment this morning that I would write something regardless of how late we got home from the fireside. It's not very late yet, so here's our two bits of news...
First off, Jenn, Dad says you should spread your ashes on the snow and watch it melt. I told him you don't have enough snow, so he'd like you to send us your ashes for us to spread on the snow in our yard! He also recommended taking the 8mm videos to Walmart or Costco or Walgreens and be done with it. Apparently they do a good job and it doesn't take long. Just an idea.
Speaking of Dad, he climbed on the roof yesterday and tried to unburden it from all the snow up there. He clomped around for a long time and pushed a lot of snow off on to the already very high piles of snow on the ground. He has sore arm and back muscles today...
Gem is getting accustomed to being in the house for short periods of time and to sleeping in the garage. She has run away many times since Christmas, so we've had to keep her in the garage all the time, which has been good during our subzero days. Dad has tried to fix the place where she's been getting out, but she just keeps climbing the door no matter what he does to prevent it. Chester isn't so sure about having her in the house and tries to bite her when she comes in.
Emma sang a beautiful arrangement of Beautiful Savior/If the Savior Stood Beside Me in Sacrament Meeting today with Linsey Pedersen. It was very lovely. They harmonize and balance well. She's working diligently on her algebra and has a tutor help her once a week. I think it's going to work out great. She'll only have geometry left after that, and then she'll be finished with American School. She is getting very excited to go to Washington in April.
I finished a quilt for Elise's boys this week and am still waiting to two moms to have babies. Hopefully that happens soon so I can turn my full attention to Ruth!
We attended a wonderful fireside tonight with Elder Wilford Anderson. He spoke to the YSA members about acquiring "head knowledge, heart knowledge and soul knowledge." It was excellent. It was nice that the high school seniors were invited, so Emma went and we were all edified.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Manning Moments
It sounds like everyone is so productive and doing great things! Congrats to the Flakes for getting their house done, the Belliston's on the new baby, the Nilssons on amazing remodeling. You guys inspire me!
Things are pretty routine around here. Nick started a new semester of teaching seminary and it seems like these classes are a little more involved and willing to talk. Nick is learning a lot of tough things and I now have a lot more respect for seminary teachers. He is doing a great job. He also decided that he wanted to do the Atkins diet so he started that at the beginning of the year. He has done well with it and we have had some pretty good meals. One thing we have liked is have zucchini or squash in place of pasta or rice. So we have had fettuccini alfredo and stroganoff over veggies and it is tasty. So that is one reason I haven't put any recipes on the blog even though it was my idea. If you want any Atkins recipes they are on the website and are simple and fast most of the time.
Wesley gets cuter every day. He has been crawling for the last couple weeks and he loves his new freedom. He is like a little shadow that follows me around but he has also learned that he can go wherever he wants and is starting to be independent!
Other than that life is snow, snow, snow. I hope it is an awesome spring and summer because we have the water for it! I like the snow but I'm not so fond of the cold but we don't go out much so I can't complain!
Love you all and hope to see you soon!
Things are pretty routine around here. Nick started a new semester of teaching seminary and it seems like these classes are a little more involved and willing to talk. Nick is learning a lot of tough things and I now have a lot more respect for seminary teachers. He is doing a great job. He also decided that he wanted to do the Atkins diet so he started that at the beginning of the year. He has done well with it and we have had some pretty good meals. One thing we have liked is have zucchini or squash in place of pasta or rice. So we have had fettuccini alfredo and stroganoff over veggies and it is tasty. So that is one reason I haven't put any recipes on the blog even though it was my idea. If you want any Atkins recipes they are on the website and are simple and fast most of the time.
Wesley gets cuter every day. He has been crawling for the last couple weeks and he loves his new freedom. He is like a little shadow that follows me around but he has also learned that he can go wherever he wants and is starting to be independent!
Other than that life is snow, snow, snow. I hope it is an awesome spring and summer because we have the water for it! I like the snow but I'm not so fond of the cold but we don't go out much so I can't complain!
Love you all and hope to see you soon!
Nilsson News pics.
This is what the little kids do when I'm doing projects.
Building with Keva planks at the library.
A coat rack!
This bathroom is so small you can't get in to take a picture. Above is before, below is after!
Nilsson News
The news for the week is that we finally finished our upstairs bathroom!!!! It should not have taken as long as it did especially considering the fact that it is only a 5x4 space. We would almost be finished and then realize we bought the wrong part or run into a random stud that really wasn't supposed to be in the wall. We are becoming one with the folks at Lowes. This coming week, Garrett's dad is going to come up (he is now retired and is in need of some projects) and we hope to make some major progress in the basement. We shouldn't run into any hidden studs because they are all exposed downstairs.
The older kids and I had a really fun field trip to the local glass blower. The Hart's came, along with two other families. I had no idea that blowing glass was so scientific. During the day this guy works as a scientific glass blower making experimental tubes and containers for the national science lab and then in the evening he is an artistic glass blower. Very fascinating!
We are about two weeks out from having any new additions to the family, the farm family that is. In our direct family it is probably 5, 6, maybe 7 weeks out (sigh). Eliza likes to tell me the different positions of the baby. She will pat my tummy and say "That's its leg and that is its arm and that is the other arm." It is very interesting to see what positions this baby can get itself into according to Eliza's expertise. Let's just hope it doesn't stay that way!
Henry found his shovel yesterday and was quite perturbed that he couldn't find any dirt to go along with it. I tried to explain that all the dirt is buried under the snow but that did not make him any happier. We may need to visit Jenn and Scott soon because it sounds like they may have a lesser amount of snow. If Henry can't find any dirt to play in there, I'm sure he'd be content to play in their ashes. Save those for your garden by the way!
I have done a lot of rambling but hope all is well for each of you!
I have some pictures to upload but they are being slow. Hopefully I will get them up before the day is over.
The older kids and I had a really fun field trip to the local glass blower. The Hart's came, along with two other families. I had no idea that blowing glass was so scientific. During the day this guy works as a scientific glass blower making experimental tubes and containers for the national science lab and then in the evening he is an artistic glass blower. Very fascinating!
We are about two weeks out from having any new additions to the family, the farm family that is. In our direct family it is probably 5, 6, maybe 7 weeks out (sigh). Eliza likes to tell me the different positions of the baby. She will pat my tummy and say "That's its leg and that is its arm and that is the other arm." It is very interesting to see what positions this baby can get itself into according to Eliza's expertise. Let's just hope it doesn't stay that way!
Henry found his shovel yesterday and was quite perturbed that he couldn't find any dirt to go along with it. I tried to explain that all the dirt is buried under the snow but that did not make him any happier. We may need to visit Jenn and Scott soon because it sounds like they may have a lesser amount of snow. If Henry can't find any dirt to play in there, I'm sure he'd be content to play in their ashes. Save those for your garden by the way!
I have done a lot of rambling but hope all is well for each of you!
I have some pictures to upload but they are being slow. Hopefully I will get them up before the day is over.
Flake Fun
29 January 2017 - First off, congrats to Joe and Lori on their news! We are always excited to have new family members joining the family!
This week has been fairly normal. We got some snow on Monday but not a whole ton. Then the temperatures dropped quite a bit! I don't think we have let the fire go out for the past 2 weeks which means that the ashes are piling up to the point we almost can't get wood in! Not really but there are a lot of ashes!
We got an email yesterday from a lady that is interested in the house so we'll see if that pans out or not. It has been too cold to do any yard work there so I hope that doesn't repel prospective renters!
On Wednesday we took some time off to go snowboarding but the universe was against us so we never got there. But we did have a good day together.
Golly, when I start writing out our lives, I realize we are pretty boring! Other than being at work that is about all we did! Oh, we did some organizing in the basement and stumbled across some more family relics which is always exciting. I am trying to figure out how to digitize the old 8mm tapes that we found. It would be so fun to see what is on them!
Anyway, I hope that you all have a great week!
This week has been fairly normal. We got some snow on Monday but not a whole ton. Then the temperatures dropped quite a bit! I don't think we have let the fire go out for the past 2 weeks which means that the ashes are piling up to the point we almost can't get wood in! Not really but there are a lot of ashes!
We got an email yesterday from a lady that is interested in the house so we'll see if that pans out or not. It has been too cold to do any yard work there so I hope that doesn't repel prospective renters!
On Wednesday we took some time off to go snowboarding but the universe was against us so we never got there. But we did have a good day together.
Golly, when I start writing out our lives, I realize we are pretty boring! Other than being at work that is about all we did! Oh, we did some organizing in the basement and stumbled across some more family relics which is always exciting. I am trying to figure out how to digitize the old 8mm tapes that we found. It would be so fun to see what is on them!
Anyway, I hope that you all have a great week!
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Help Wanted
Thank you for playing Belliston Balderdash! It looks like Ruth and Emerson were the winners, so they will get a prize sometime soon. The "Mado is da mom" quote is from Cars 2. Jake loves quoting the movie and singing the theme song.
Thanks to Ruth for convincing us not to remodel. Thanks to Jenn for the recipe.
I think Emma should definitely come down south for the summer. Maybe she could be an EFY counselor. Or I know someone who would pay a pretty penny (really, a nice shiny 2017 penny) for someone to help clean the house, weed the garden, go grocery shopping, play with the kids, and help with the new baby in July. And I've been told there are lots of nice boys around as well. Zach, Austin, Wesley, Adam, John, and Mr. Darcy would all love to get to know Emma I'm sure. We have a nice guest room in the basement. It looks a lot like a living room but don't be fooled...It has a blow up mattress and a ping pong table. Definitely a guest room.
Well now that we've taken ourselves out of the running, maybe Idaho isn't so bad.
Love you all!
Nilsson News
I can't remember what I wrote about the last time but we have been in the midst of remodel chaos. The plumber finally finished things up. It is amazing how grateful you become for everyday conveniences when they are broken. We were without our upstairs bathroom for two days because the toilet flange was completely deteriorated and leaking into the basement. It required that we install a new toilet and that was not in the plan. It also required new pipes downstairs and that wasn't in the plan. It was adventurous to have to get shoes on and coats to go to the bathroom in the garage. Almost like we were camping. Our upstairs master bathroom was not available to use because we had to gut it because of leaks and moldy floors. Not in the plan. So, when you are remodeling anything plan to spend an extra $1500 on the things you don't plan on doing. Garrett has been doing great at becoming an electrician. Tomorrow he will be a drywaller and next week a tiler. A lot has been done but there is still a lot to do before we have a baby join the family.
Eliza right now is is talking my ear off and reminding me off how large my tummy is getting. You gotta love how truthful kids are. Henry is letting us know that he is almost two. He has taken to screeching these days and it is most unpleasant. Luckily, he can talk pretty well so we try to remind him to use his calm voice and words. Emerson has become super intrigued with weapons and wants us to help him melt down some metal to help him make some swords. Any ideas on how to do that? Addy is getting ready for some dance and piano competitions. Life is going well.
I liked Jenn's idea about having Emma work someplace near her siblings. I think her marching band career has been good but it is time to move on? D.I. is always hiring (wink, wink).
Love you all and hope you are surviving this winter weather!
Eliza right now is is talking my ear off and reminding me off how large my tummy is getting. You gotta love how truthful kids are. Henry is letting us know that he is almost two. He has taken to screeching these days and it is most unpleasant. Luckily, he can talk pretty well so we try to remind him to use his calm voice and words. Emerson has become super intrigued with weapons and wants us to help him melt down some metal to help him make some swords. Any ideas on how to do that? Addy is getting ready for some dance and piano competitions. Life is going well.
I liked Jenn's idea about having Emma work someplace near her siblings. I think her marching band career has been good but it is time to move on? D.I. is always hiring (wink, wink).
Love you all and hope you are surviving this winter weather!
Flake Fun
22 January 2017 - If the radar is at all correct, you guys are getting the same storm that is hitting our area right now. It snowed yesterday and a little bit today which has been really fun. We had a very relaxing day yesterday and stayed home, nearly the entire day. We did have to run out to the store really quickly but that was as much as we left the house! I made Mom's creamy potato soup for dinner and it hit the spot.
Scott was down in Chandler for a conference for a day and was driving back on the day that the storm was scheduled to hit. He didn't have bad weather though which was a good thing. I have been getting messages 1-2 times a day from my boss with status updates on the storm and have been on emergency standby all weekend.
We did quite a bit on the house and actually showed it on Friday but the man wasn't able to get out of his current lease so we are still tenant-less.
In answer to Emma's quandary about what to do this summer, I think everyone should look for summer jobs in their areas for her. Just to give her some options!
Other than that, life is pretty much the same here in Snowflake. Hope that you all have a great week!!
Oh, as for recipe ideas, the soup was delicious, as I said but we also had pepper stuffed chicken breasts with quinoa which were yummy.
Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella and Basil Stuffed Chicken
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 slices
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers sliced into 1 inch pieces (about two whole red peppers if you roast your own)
1 bunch of basil, whole leaves
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Scott was down in Chandler for a conference for a day and was driving back on the day that the storm was scheduled to hit. He didn't have bad weather though which was a good thing. I have been getting messages 1-2 times a day from my boss with status updates on the storm and have been on emergency standby all weekend.
We did quite a bit on the house and actually showed it on Friday but the man wasn't able to get out of his current lease so we are still tenant-less.
In answer to Emma's quandary about what to do this summer, I think everyone should look for summer jobs in their areas for her. Just to give her some options!
Other than that, life is pretty much the same here in Snowflake. Hope that you all have a great week!!
Oh, as for recipe ideas, the soup was delicious, as I said but we also had pepper stuffed chicken breasts with quinoa which were yummy.
Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella and Basil Stuffed Chicken
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 slices
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers sliced into 1 inch pieces (about two whole red peppers if you roast your own)
1 bunch of basil, whole leaves
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x12 casserole dish. Butterfly chicken breasts by slicing into the long side of the breast, stopping just about 1/4 of an inch from the opposite side. Lay chicken breast in casserole dish opened up. Sprinkle the exposed insides of the chicken breast with 1/2 of the Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stack the roasted red pepper, basil, and 1 slice of the mozzarella on the bottom side of the chicken. Fold the top flap of the chicken over, tucking in the mozzarella, basil and roasted red pepper as necessary. Sprinkle with the remaining Italian seasoning. Bake chicken for 30-40 minutes (until chicken is no longer pink). Pull chicken out of oven and turn the oven to a high broil. Top chicken with remaining mozzarella slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
...And Loving It!
Okay, so the title is actually true this time around. Most of the time it's just an oxymoron or something because I'm actually not loving it... but that's beside the point. Anyway...
May I just say I've got the best siblings in the entire world?? Y'all are the greatest! Thanks for all the great texts this week!
So State for We The People was this week! It was super fun. I totally botched one of the answers (and yes, I'm still bitter about it), but we still won. All the units did super good. Just to give you a clue as to what we nerds do, we spend about ten hours a week outside of school in our units (there's six of them, we're number five), and we research stuff that has to do with one of our three questions. Unit 5 deals with what rights the Bill of Rights protects, so this time around we had questions regarding Free Speech in school, Search and Seizure in a technological world, and Freedom to Peaceably Assemble. We wrote three, two and a half page papers for each of the subjects, memorize it, then answer random questions about it. You must take about 3 minutes and forty five seconds to do your memorized paper, then you put all your stuff away and the judges ask you questions for six minutes. We prepared three papers, but you only get to do one at state, and you don't know what that is until you're there, ready to begin. So basically you have to be really on your toes (something I'm not, but hey). So I really wanted the judges to ask us to do our assembly paper, but they hate me, so they chose Search and Seizure, my least favorite... Oh well. The judges were actually judges and lawyers and stuff so you can't just make up words. So we did our paper and then put all the stuff away and they asked questions. Super easy questions. I was really nervous so my answers weren't exactly coherent, but that's alright. When we got done, they left to go have a meeting with the other judges and decide scores and such. Every unit gets a score out of 180 based on a simple grading sheet, like when they answered, did they have a case? A case is anything from using the Constitution to an actual court case, or a quote from a famous dead guy. I didn't think we did very well so I was pretty upset, but I guess it wasn't too bad because U5 got a perfect score... The only perfect score.... So yep. 180/180. We're kind of cool. It was really fun and we all got medals and the other teams hated us because we worked harder than them. Ya snooze ya lose. It was kind of nice to be hated for once... I mean in band we all hated AF but now I know how they feel and it's great. Well. I know I sound a bit cocky, but don't y'all worry. It was really my colleague Carter who saved us. The kid is a genius and he's going to Harvard. It does worry me though when the average ACT score for our class is a 33..... Awkward. I'm obviously in the wrong place, but it's cool to rub shoulders with some really really brilliant people.
Just want a few ideas from my equally brilliant siblings (and nieces and nephews). I have a "job" for the summer with the marching band. Here's the thing. I'm not overly excited for it. I'll be making an average of about .40 cents an hour, which comes to about $3,000 by the end of the summer. Add that up and that equals a freaking ton of hours. I'm the only one on staff as of now that actually knows how to march and set drill, and create visuals... Which means I do everything because the rest of the staff are percussionists and they don't know how to march and do cool stuff. Well anyway, I feel bad leaving them in such a lurch, and I'd hoped to come around and visit all you guys. So, here's my quandary. I'd have a good time doing it because I'd be helping them out, but I don't know if I want to put in the time. Hmm. Yes, I have a problem. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear it! also sorry my posts are so long... I love to ramble. Love you all!
May I just say I've got the best siblings in the entire world?? Y'all are the greatest! Thanks for all the great texts this week!
So State for We The People was this week! It was super fun. I totally botched one of the answers (and yes, I'm still bitter about it), but we still won. All the units did super good. Just to give you a clue as to what we nerds do, we spend about ten hours a week outside of school in our units (there's six of them, we're number five), and we research stuff that has to do with one of our three questions. Unit 5 deals with what rights the Bill of Rights protects, so this time around we had questions regarding Free Speech in school, Search and Seizure in a technological world, and Freedom to Peaceably Assemble. We wrote three, two and a half page papers for each of the subjects, memorize it, then answer random questions about it. You must take about 3 minutes and forty five seconds to do your memorized paper, then you put all your stuff away and the judges ask you questions for six minutes. We prepared three papers, but you only get to do one at state, and you don't know what that is until you're there, ready to begin. So basically you have to be really on your toes (something I'm not, but hey). So I really wanted the judges to ask us to do our assembly paper, but they hate me, so they chose Search and Seizure, my least favorite... Oh well. The judges were actually judges and lawyers and stuff so you can't just make up words. So we did our paper and then put all the stuff away and they asked questions. Super easy questions. I was really nervous so my answers weren't exactly coherent, but that's alright. When we got done, they left to go have a meeting with the other judges and decide scores and such. Every unit gets a score out of 180 based on a simple grading sheet, like when they answered, did they have a case? A case is anything from using the Constitution to an actual court case, or a quote from a famous dead guy. I didn't think we did very well so I was pretty upset, but I guess it wasn't too bad because U5 got a perfect score... The only perfect score.... So yep. 180/180. We're kind of cool. It was really fun and we all got medals and the other teams hated us because we worked harder than them. Ya snooze ya lose. It was kind of nice to be hated for once... I mean in band we all hated AF but now I know how they feel and it's great. Well. I know I sound a bit cocky, but don't y'all worry. It was really my colleague Carter who saved us. The kid is a genius and he's going to Harvard. It does worry me though when the average ACT score for our class is a 33..... Awkward. I'm obviously in the wrong place, but it's cool to rub shoulders with some really really brilliant people.
Just want a few ideas from my equally brilliant siblings (and nieces and nephews). I have a "job" for the summer with the marching band. Here's the thing. I'm not overly excited for it. I'll be making an average of about .40 cents an hour, which comes to about $3,000 by the end of the summer. Add that up and that equals a freaking ton of hours. I'm the only one on staff as of now that actually knows how to march and set drill, and create visuals... Which means I do everything because the rest of the staff are percussionists and they don't know how to march and do cool stuff. Well anyway, I feel bad leaving them in such a lurch, and I'd hoped to come around and visit all you guys. So, here's my quandary. I'd have a good time doing it because I'd be helping them out, but I don't know if I want to put in the time. Hmm. Yes, I have a problem. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear it! also sorry my posts are so long... I love to ramble. Love you all!
This is my unit ^ and below is the team. Rigby is our coach and he's amazing.
Flake Fun
15 January 2017 - It has been overcast and chilly this week. I say that with the utmost respect to those of you who are experiencing actual cold and not just chilly conditions. I believe our coldest day was upper 30's to low 40's. We have gotten some very nice rain the last couple of days though.
WE POSTED OUR HOUSE!!! That is right, it officially on the market for renters! As with any house, there are still things that we can do but it is livable and everything seems to be functioning! YAY!! Now all we need are some good renters and we'll be in business.
Scott was released today as they organized a new Elders Quorum presidency. I still don't have any idea what being the communications secretary means but some day I'll find out I'm sure!
Joe, I have to admit that I wasn't familiar with all of your terms but I did know some of them.
The most interesting meal that we had this week was stuffed tomatoes. Similar to stuffed peppers but in a tomato. It was quite tasty.
Anyway, that is about all for now. Hope you all have a great week!
WE POSTED OUR HOUSE!!! That is right, it officially on the market for renters! As with any house, there are still things that we can do but it is livable and everything seems to be functioning! YAY!! Now all we need are some good renters and we'll be in business.
Scott was released today as they organized a new Elders Quorum presidency. I still don't have any idea what being the communications secretary means but some day I'll find out I'm sure!
Joe, I have to admit that I wasn't familiar with all of your terms but I did know some of them.
The most interesting meal that we had this week was stuffed tomatoes. Similar to stuffed peppers but in a tomato. It was quite tasty.
Anyway, that is about all for now. Hope you all have a great week!
Belliston Balderdash
Happy New Year!!!
It was fun to have dad stop by for a visit this month. He was here for about an hour but it was good to catch up. We don't get to many visitors down this way, but we got a new air mattress and we always have ice cream, so feel free to stop by.
Anyway, while dad was here it seemed like he had a hard time understanding some of the English being spoken at our house. So we thought it would be fun to play a little Belliston Balderdash! Here is a list of vocabulary words that will be helpful to know. Guess what the word means, write it down, and put your answers in the comments. The winner will receive a prize! We will put the answers at the bottom but make sure you don't cheat (honor code applies here). Here we go!
Loopies
Doe (as in go to the...)
Boliag
Show
Dop
Duyo C
Fato (Fato dad, Fato!)
Nemnem
Teet
Gant
Feuwd
Clocklet
Popo
Bafum
Mado is da mom!
and my personal favorite - P(spit)aketball
Best of luck!!
A far as the predictions go, I think I want to renew the 2016 predictions if that's OK. I think I was about a year off on those.
Lori has a new favorite game, Boggle. I'm not much fun to play with because I can't spell anything longer than 3 letters, but Lori can't wait for the Boggle tournament!
We miss you all!
Answers:
Loopies - Cereal
Doe - Store
Boliag - Boiled Egg
Show - Sure
Dop - Stop
Duyo C - Studio C
Fato - Faster
Nemnem - M&M
Teet - Treat
Gant - Grant
Feuwd - Food
Clocklet - Chocolate
Popo - Purple
Bafum - Bathroom
Mado is da mom! Mater is the bomb!
P(spit)aketball - Basketball
It was fun to have dad stop by for a visit this month. He was here for about an hour but it was good to catch up. We don't get to many visitors down this way, but we got a new air mattress and we always have ice cream, so feel free to stop by.
Anyway, while dad was here it seemed like he had a hard time understanding some of the English being spoken at our house. So we thought it would be fun to play a little Belliston Balderdash! Here is a list of vocabulary words that will be helpful to know. Guess what the word means, write it down, and put your answers in the comments. The winner will receive a prize! We will put the answers at the bottom but make sure you don't cheat (honor code applies here). Here we go!
Loopies
Doe (as in go to the...)
Boliag
Show
Dop
Duyo C
Fato (Fato dad, Fato!)
Nemnem
Teet
Gant
Feuwd
Clocklet
Popo
Bafum
Mado is da mom!
and my personal favorite - P(spit)aketball
Best of luck!!
A far as the predictions go, I think I want to renew the 2016 predictions if that's OK. I think I was about a year off on those.
Lori has a new favorite game, Boggle. I'm not much fun to play with because I can't spell anything longer than 3 letters, but Lori can't wait for the Boggle tournament!
We miss you all!
Answers:
Loopies - Cereal
Doe - Store
Boliag - Boiled Egg
Show - Sure
Dop - Stop
Duyo C - Studio C
Fato - Faster
Nemnem - M&M
Teet - Treat
Gant - Grant
Feuwd - Food
Clocklet - Chocolate
Popo - Purple
Bafum - Bathroom
Mado is da mom! Mater is the bomb!
P(spit)aketball - Basketball
Monday, January 9, 2017
More Predictions
I knew Joe and Lori had made predictions! And here they are....
Lori: New apostle and new prophet; Another set of twins in the family; Donald Trump gets rid of his toupee; Change in Joe's employment situation
Joe: Dad take an international trip; Snow in June; Harts move to Utah; Scott has new job and another rental property; New technology to change the world the way Apple did
Some pretty great predictions... still yet to come!
Lori: New apostle and new prophet; Another set of twins in the family; Donald Trump gets rid of his toupee; Change in Joe's employment situation
Joe: Dad take an international trip; Snow in June; Harts move to Utah; Scott has new job and another rental property; New technology to change the world the way Apple did
Some pretty great predictions... still yet to come!
2016 Predictions
Well, I found most of the predictions. I'm pretty sure Joe, Lori, Emma and Thomas made some predictions, but they are not with the rest, so we'll have to see if we can jog their memories. Some of these predictions sound like hopes, but some were right on!
Elise: Joe goes solo - leaves BYU; Ruth and Garrett will move
Alex: New baby for Elise
Ian: Jenn have a baby; New prophet
Jack: Ian will lose his ipod
Ruth: Emma finishes American School; Jack will lose another tooth; Garrett starts PhD at USU
Lauren: Thomas and Ruth will have a major life change; Harts will be expecting a new addition; Ruth and Garrett will be teaching Primary in a new ward; A new apostle; Nick will student teach seminary
Nick: Mannings will have a baby boy; Jim will have to make room for another ward in his building; Sky View will beat American Fork in band; New prophet; Harts have a new house
Mom: Dad will still work at USU and we will still live in Hyde Park
Dad: Brother Hales will pass away
** Looks like I'm the only one who got 100%!! But that wasn't a real difficult prediction, so it doesn't count... Elise and Nick and Lauren get points for hitting a few unknowns right on the head! We will think of a prize to award them :)
Elise: Joe goes solo - leaves BYU; Ruth and Garrett will move
Alex: New baby for Elise
Ian: Jenn have a baby; New prophet
Jack: Ian will lose his ipod
Ruth: Emma finishes American School; Jack will lose another tooth; Garrett starts PhD at USU
Lauren: Thomas and Ruth will have a major life change; Harts will be expecting a new addition; Ruth and Garrett will be teaching Primary in a new ward; A new apostle; Nick will student teach seminary
Nick: Mannings will have a baby boy; Jim will have to make room for another ward in his building; Sky View will beat American Fork in band; New prophet; Harts have a new house
Mom: Dad will still work at USU and we will still live in Hyde Park
Dad: Brother Hales will pass away
** Looks like I'm the only one who got 100%!! But that wasn't a real difficult prediction, so it doesn't count... Elise and Nick and Lauren get points for hitting a few unknowns right on the head! We will think of a prize to award them :)
?? What are your predictions for 2017 ??
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Happy, though cold, in Hyde Park
Cold isn't really the word... Freezing? Frigid? Bitter? Frosty? Icy? Arctic? You get the idea. Very, very cold. We brought Gem into the garage, where she hung out for several days and nights. It was much warmer in there with a little space heater going, even though the water in her bowl still froze solid! I didn't see the chickens out for a few days, but when I went out to feed them yesterday they were out under the coop clucking and pecking around. I am really amazed that they didn't all freeze solid! Like Ruth, we felt it was rather a relief when temperatures got above 0 degrees today!
The students were supposed to return to school on Tuesday, which they did. Then Wednesday, due to heavy snow, they were told to not arrive at school until two hours past the usual starting time. And that was it for this week. Only 1.5 days - no more school due to extreme temperatures and icy road conditions. But Emma did plenty of studying at home. Her state competition for "We the People" is tomorrow. If successful, they will be going to a national competition in Washington, D.C. sometime in March, I believe. She has worked long and hard and she hopes her efforts, and those of her teammates, will pay off.
My resolution to get more exercise this year was realized this week by shoveling snow and shoveling more snow. Actually, Dad did most of it, but I did help. My other resolution to get more rest and go to bed earlier was realized by getting sick and feeling like it was bedtime at 8:00 p.m. It's not much of a peaceful rest, though, when you're coughing and blowing your nose all night! Things are looking up, however. My nose is still attached, which was has been a concern, and my throat and ears are not as painful as they have been. I am on the mend! I even attended Sacrament Meeting today, which always helps with the healing process.
We had a lovely holiday time and were so grateful to see all of our family sometime during the Christmas break. It was a blessing to have Jenn and Scott here. Emma was especially delighted to have them come. Lauren and Wesley spent the better part of one day here so he could get familiar with Auntie Jenn and Uncle Scott. He did eventually warm up to them. Thomas and Victoria came for dinner on Christmas Eve and then for a while on Christmas Day and it's always delightful when they are here. Joe and Lori's family came the day after Christmas and got in on Hyde Park's free ice skating night. They stayed for a little while the next morning before loading up to head to the cabin at Bear Lake. Then we drove up to Idaho for a day of fun with family and thoroughly enjoyed visiting at the Harts home and having dinner at the Nilssons. So, our holiday was complete! Thanks to everyone for making it so wonderful!
Emma and her friends had a wonderful experience with her Christmas for the needy this year. Again inviting donations from neighbors and ward members, she was overwhelmed by their response this year. The needs were greater than ever in Angela (Aschcroft) Hansen's ward that now has a number of refugee families living there, as well as many, many families in need of space heaters and warm blankets to help them stay warm in this weather. In the end, the girls had over $1500 to spend on 7 families and 2 single adults! They purchased heaters, blankets, food, clothing, diapers, paint supplies, toys and other necessities. It was truly amazing! Jenn and Lauren helped with wrapping. Scott and dad loaded it all up to take over to Angela's house. It was a team effort of love.
I was impressed this year again with how contagious kindness is. When I went to the paint store to get paint for a man in Angela's ward who was trying to improve his living conditions, the man who was helping me asked if it was for some kind of service project. I told him it was and that the person we were trying to help had stopped smoking a few years ago, but there were still nicotine stains and smoke smells and he was trying to get things cleaned up, but couldn't afford to do it himself. The man said, "Well, I'm going to give you the contractor's discount since you are doing such a nice thing for someone else." It was a substantial discount on the supplies, but provided a great increase on the feeling of goodness of people. I think it's "what Jesus would do," and I, like Lauren and Jenn have mentioned, hope to have similar opportunities daily this year!
Lots of plans for the new year.... New flooring upstairs, painting downstairs, lawn in the back yard, livingroom blinds, garage side doors, some fun vacations, reading great books, etc., etc. We'll see how much of it actually gets done! But it's fun to plan and hope and dream! That never gets old!
The students were supposed to return to school on Tuesday, which they did. Then Wednesday, due to heavy snow, they were told to not arrive at school until two hours past the usual starting time. And that was it for this week. Only 1.5 days - no more school due to extreme temperatures and icy road conditions. But Emma did plenty of studying at home. Her state competition for "We the People" is tomorrow. If successful, they will be going to a national competition in Washington, D.C. sometime in March, I believe. She has worked long and hard and she hopes her efforts, and those of her teammates, will pay off.
My resolution to get more exercise this year was realized this week by shoveling snow and shoveling more snow. Actually, Dad did most of it, but I did help. My other resolution to get more rest and go to bed earlier was realized by getting sick and feeling like it was bedtime at 8:00 p.m. It's not much of a peaceful rest, though, when you're coughing and blowing your nose all night! Things are looking up, however. My nose is still attached, which was has been a concern, and my throat and ears are not as painful as they have been. I am on the mend! I even attended Sacrament Meeting today, which always helps with the healing process.
We had a lovely holiday time and were so grateful to see all of our family sometime during the Christmas break. It was a blessing to have Jenn and Scott here. Emma was especially delighted to have them come. Lauren and Wesley spent the better part of one day here so he could get familiar with Auntie Jenn and Uncle Scott. He did eventually warm up to them. Thomas and Victoria came for dinner on Christmas Eve and then for a while on Christmas Day and it's always delightful when they are here. Joe and Lori's family came the day after Christmas and got in on Hyde Park's free ice skating night. They stayed for a little while the next morning before loading up to head to the cabin at Bear Lake. Then we drove up to Idaho for a day of fun with family and thoroughly enjoyed visiting at the Harts home and having dinner at the Nilssons. So, our holiday was complete! Thanks to everyone for making it so wonderful!
Emma and her friends had a wonderful experience with her Christmas for the needy this year. Again inviting donations from neighbors and ward members, she was overwhelmed by their response this year. The needs were greater than ever in Angela (Aschcroft) Hansen's ward that now has a number of refugee families living there, as well as many, many families in need of space heaters and warm blankets to help them stay warm in this weather. In the end, the girls had over $1500 to spend on 7 families and 2 single adults! They purchased heaters, blankets, food, clothing, diapers, paint supplies, toys and other necessities. It was truly amazing! Jenn and Lauren helped with wrapping. Scott and dad loaded it all up to take over to Angela's house. It was a team effort of love.
I was impressed this year again with how contagious kindness is. When I went to the paint store to get paint for a man in Angela's ward who was trying to improve his living conditions, the man who was helping me asked if it was for some kind of service project. I told him it was and that the person we were trying to help had stopped smoking a few years ago, but there were still nicotine stains and smoke smells and he was trying to get things cleaned up, but couldn't afford to do it himself. The man said, "Well, I'm going to give you the contractor's discount since you are doing such a nice thing for someone else." It was a substantial discount on the supplies, but provided a great increase on the feeling of goodness of people. I think it's "what Jesus would do," and I, like Lauren and Jenn have mentioned, hope to have similar opportunities daily this year!
Lots of plans for the new year.... New flooring upstairs, painting downstairs, lawn in the back yard, livingroom blinds, garage side doors, some fun vacations, reading great books, etc., etc. We'll see how much of it actually gets done! But it's fun to plan and hope and dream! That never gets old!
Hart Happenings
Greetings everyone! Welcome to 2017. I need practice writing and typing that. 2017 2017 2017 2017.
I personally think it is going to be a great year. Is it time for our predictions yet? We'll get our soothsaying hats on and see what we can come up with.
Our big project this past week was painting Ian's room. He was tired of being surrounded by flesh colored walls and so he chose a gray that he loved and we all attacked his walls. It was super quick and looks really, really nice. The trim part wasn't so quick, but he persevered and it looks so clean and fresh now we all like to go in there.
We've mostly been watching snow fall and the temperature drop, so not much playing outside going on.
Alex and I attended our first water/irrigation meeting. Looks like there will be lots to go around.
We decided to pitch our vacation rental idea to the wedding industry and spent our weekend at the local bridal fair. The concept was really well received and we're thinking it will provide a nice service for those brides who have guests coming from out of town. It was a little surreal to be back in that environment but not with the bridal shop. So much of the first years of our marriage was spent in that arena. Alex kept remarking how glad he was that we are not in retail anymore. AGREED!
We had a really fun art class with Ruth this week. The boys learned all about lines and creating 3 dimensions out of all kinds of lines. It was kind of like magic.
This new year will bring lots of projects. Alex has some he wants to work on, I have a list, the boys keep reminding me of things they want to do, so hopefully we will be able to find the time to get all those done!
Speaking of time....I watched a really great TED talk on time management. The speaker had an unexpected way of looking at managing our time. Check it out!
I also stayed up way too late the other night watching a Netflix documentary called Minimalism. It was fascinating! If any of you watch it, let me know, because I'm dying to discuss it with someone.
Sounds like things are well with you guys! Hope that is true and we really hope to see you all soon!
I personally think it is going to be a great year. Is it time for our predictions yet? We'll get our soothsaying hats on and see what we can come up with.
Our big project this past week was painting Ian's room. He was tired of being surrounded by flesh colored walls and so he chose a gray that he loved and we all attacked his walls. It was super quick and looks really, really nice. The trim part wasn't so quick, but he persevered and it looks so clean and fresh now we all like to go in there.
We've mostly been watching snow fall and the temperature drop, so not much playing outside going on.
Alex and I attended our first water/irrigation meeting. Looks like there will be lots to go around.
We decided to pitch our vacation rental idea to the wedding industry and spent our weekend at the local bridal fair. The concept was really well received and we're thinking it will provide a nice service for those brides who have guests coming from out of town. It was a little surreal to be back in that environment but not with the bridal shop. So much of the first years of our marriage was spent in that arena. Alex kept remarking how glad he was that we are not in retail anymore. AGREED!
We had a really fun art class with Ruth this week. The boys learned all about lines and creating 3 dimensions out of all kinds of lines. It was kind of like magic.
This new year will bring lots of projects. Alex has some he wants to work on, I have a list, the boys keep reminding me of things they want to do, so hopefully we will be able to find the time to get all those done!
Speaking of time....I watched a really great TED talk on time management. The speaker had an unexpected way of looking at managing our time. Check it out!
I also stayed up way too late the other night watching a Netflix documentary called Minimalism. It was fascinating! If any of you watch it, let me know, because I'm dying to discuss it with someone.
Sounds like things are well with you guys! Hope that is true and we really hope to see you all soon!
A recipe
I completely forgot to share my favorite meal of the week. It is a recipe from the seasons Best Bites book. It is the Lime Chili Chicken...or something like that. It is right after the Tandoori recipe. Anyway it was really delicious. We had it with cheesy quinoa (which was supposed to have broccoli in it but we were out so it was just cheesy). Yum!!!
Flake Fun
8 Jan 2017 - It is hard to get back into the groove of things after a couple weeks of vacations, holidays and the like but we eased back into the work life this week without too many bumps and bruises.
The weather has been chilly with little to no sunshine and some bitter winds but nothing compared to Idaho so who can complain? Ruth, you guys are welcome any time. Today was about 50 and the low last night was about 34. Come on down! That goes for anyone else that is tired of the cold weather up north. I can't promise sunshine but we do have a nice wood stove that has kept us comfy.
We ordered seeds for the garden which was fun...or at least will be when the come! It won't be too long before we can start them in our greenhouse.
The highlight of this week was finding a package on our porch on Tuesday that contained the fixed piano peddles! The piano is now fixed and sounds wonderful!!! Thanks to Dad and Mom for getting those fixed and surprising us with a belated Christmas gift.
We are excited to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel get bigger!!!!
We are hoping to get the house posted by the end of next week. It is livable but the clean up has to happen and a couple of other minor things. So look for the official good news next Sunday!
The weather has been chilly with little to no sunshine and some bitter winds but nothing compared to Idaho so who can complain? Ruth, you guys are welcome any time. Today was about 50 and the low last night was about 34. Come on down! That goes for anyone else that is tired of the cold weather up north. I can't promise sunshine but we do have a nice wood stove that has kept us comfy.
We ordered seeds for the garden which was fun...or at least will be when the come! It won't be too long before we can start them in our greenhouse.
The highlight of this week was finding a package on our porch on Tuesday that contained the fixed piano peddles! The piano is now fixed and sounds wonderful!!! Thanks to Dad and Mom for getting those fixed and surprising us with a belated Christmas gift.
We are excited to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel get bigger!!!!
Laundry Room = Complete!
Back bedrooms = Complete
Master/Living room = Complete
In 2-3 days this will be a new concrete countertop for the basement bathroom.
We are hoping to get the house posted by the end of next week. It is livable but the clean up has to happen and a couple of other minor things. So look for the official good news next Sunday!
Nilsson News
Happy New Year! I have been out of the groove for a couple of weeks so I'm a little late saying that, but it is still the new year. We had a wonderful Christmas but we were disappointed not to see the Flakes. The weather has been crazy! The wind, combined with the snow on Christmas, cancelled church for us and I haven't seen that in awhile. We did manage to drive to the Hart house that day and had a delicious feast with good company. The cousins had a great time!
Since the Christmas storm we have had 7 car accidents in front of our house and our neighbor's. Two cars have run into our neighbor's mailbox, one ran into the fence and had to be cut out, two flipped into the big ditch across the street, one ran into our neighbor's pine tree and one ran into the telephone pole and cut our power for a bit. Use caution when driving on roads made of ice! This week has been cold, bitter, frigid. Thursday and Friday schools were cancelled because the temperature was estimated to be -23 and with the wind chill it felt like -40! We went through extensive measures to shut all animals in the barn, build up their bedding and start up a heater. They survived! This morning felt tropical when Addy and I went to feed the animals and the thermometer read 5 degrees above zero! Woohoo!
Garrett has been working extra hard on our basement project. He has decided to take it into his own hands to be our electrician because our plumber has taken a good chunk out of our budget and continues to run into more costly problems. Scott, we may be calling you if/when we run into trouble. He has installed eight can lights, a light switch, and run wiring for the outlets. He has only caused sparks a few times.
One thing our plumber discovered was water damage and leaking in our upstairs master bathroom. He said we needed to pull out the toilet, rip up the floor and replace both of those. Since the bathroom was so outdated, we decided to gut the whole thing. Garrett had demo day in our bathroom all day yesterday. He got the toilet, sink, vanity, floor and some of the panelling ripped off the walls. I can't wait to start the painting and putting back together phase!
The kids have enjoyed playing in the snow, although I told them they can only play outside when the temp is above 0 degrees. We are slowly getting back into a school routine and chore routine. It has been lovely. If anyone has temperatures in the 40's or 50's, let us know and we might run down for a visit to thaw out! If anyone would like to try their hand at some serious ice fishing, come visit us! Hope to see you all soon!
Since the Christmas storm we have had 7 car accidents in front of our house and our neighbor's. Two cars have run into our neighbor's mailbox, one ran into the fence and had to be cut out, two flipped into the big ditch across the street, one ran into our neighbor's pine tree and one ran into the telephone pole and cut our power for a bit. Use caution when driving on roads made of ice! This week has been cold, bitter, frigid. Thursday and Friday schools were cancelled because the temperature was estimated to be -23 and with the wind chill it felt like -40! We went through extensive measures to shut all animals in the barn, build up their bedding and start up a heater. They survived! This morning felt tropical when Addy and I went to feed the animals and the thermometer read 5 degrees above zero! Woohoo!
Garrett has been working extra hard on our basement project. He has decided to take it into his own hands to be our electrician because our plumber has taken a good chunk out of our budget and continues to run into more costly problems. Scott, we may be calling you if/when we run into trouble. He has installed eight can lights, a light switch, and run wiring for the outlets. He has only caused sparks a few times.
One thing our plumber discovered was water damage and leaking in our upstairs master bathroom. He said we needed to pull out the toilet, rip up the floor and replace both of those. Since the bathroom was so outdated, we decided to gut the whole thing. Garrett had demo day in our bathroom all day yesterday. He got the toilet, sink, vanity, floor and some of the panelling ripped off the walls. I can't wait to start the painting and putting back together phase!
The kids have enjoyed playing in the snow, although I told them they can only play outside when the temp is above 0 degrees. We are slowly getting back into a school routine and chore routine. It has been lovely. If anyone has temperatures in the 40's or 50's, let us know and we might run down for a visit to thaw out! If anyone would like to try their hand at some serious ice fishing, come visit us! Hope to see you all soon!
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Flake Fun
1 January 2017 - Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you all had a fantastic first day of the new year. It rained here quite a bit which is a good thing for the coming summer. It was so fun to see most of you over Christmas and to have a white Christmas. It has been quite a while since we saw one of those.
We have gotten back into the groove of the house again so we are slowing getting things done there. Hopefully we'll have it finished in the next couple of weeks but who knows for sure.
Today I was called as the relief society communications secretary...not really sure what that means but I'm up for it.
We still haven't quite recovered from our trip and the house is a mess but all in good time, right?
Well, not much to report but hope that everyone has a good first week of a good new year! Lauren, thanks for the reminder to read that book again and focus on what is really important. I feel like I have been coasting, kind of lost the last few years trying to find my place in this whole scheme of things. Although I haven't really found that place yet, I am going to work on it this year and focus on finding myself again and firming my feet on the rock of Christ.
I love you all and miss you like crazy...more than you know.
We have gotten back into the groove of the house again so we are slowing getting things done there. Hopefully we'll have it finished in the next couple of weeks but who knows for sure.
Today I was called as the relief society communications secretary...not really sure what that means but I'm up for it.
We still haven't quite recovered from our trip and the house is a mess but all in good time, right?
Well, not much to report but hope that everyone has a good first week of a good new year! Lauren, thanks for the reminder to read that book again and focus on what is really important. I feel like I have been coasting, kind of lost the last few years trying to find my place in this whole scheme of things. Although I haven't really found that place yet, I am going to work on it this year and focus on finding myself again and firming my feet on the rock of Christ.
I love you all and miss you like crazy...more than you know.
Manning Musings
Happy New Year! Time just flies by. This past year has kind of been an unusual and life changing one for me but it has been very educational and wonderful too! Christmas was so great this year. We spent Christmas Eve down with the Manning family and then came back that night so that Nick could play in the Christmas program at church. We spent most of the day at our apartment and then took an hour trying to jump start our car and dig it out of the snow so we could go the Belliston parents' home. It was delightful to see Jenn and Scott and they were Wesley's favorite. Speaking of Wesley, he is about as close to not crawling as can be without actually crawling. Any day now but I don't think I am ready to baby proof the house!
This past month I reread the book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. It has always been an inspiring read but it was more so this time and I have been thinking a lot about what it means to follow Jesus' steps. The great thing about being a member of the church is that we have already covenanted to do that and we have the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us but I know that for me I don't always see it that way. It is a pretty daunting idea to always ask "What would Jesus do?" and then follow the best you know how. But I am going to try it out this year and see if I can remember longer than next week!
Can't wait to see you all again! I hope it is sooner than later!
This past month I reread the book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. It has always been an inspiring read but it was more so this time and I have been thinking a lot about what it means to follow Jesus' steps. The great thing about being a member of the church is that we have already covenanted to do that and we have the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us but I know that for me I don't always see it that way. It is a pretty daunting idea to always ask "What would Jesus do?" and then follow the best you know how. But I am going to try it out this year and see if I can remember longer than next week!
Can't wait to see you all again! I hope it is sooner than later!
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