By the Way

We got a call that someone was worried about our Christmas, so I wanted to assure [maybe it was because of a previous post?] that all is well. We waited until Tuesday to start because Stephen was waiting on a bonus. So I was on pins and needles. But it came. We conquered. In fact, I'm done, and Stephen is out finishing up what he wants to do. It wasn't as bad last minute as I thought it would be either.
Thank you so much for looking out for us.
Lots of love,
Riley's

Does that Really Happen?

I didn't think so. Until I did it. I had some MS clean up, so I left them in the sink and turned the water on, went into the other room and promptly forgot. My bathroom had a half inch of water on most of the floor, in the cupboard under the sink and across the entire counter before I came back to it, thinking of course, when I heard the water running, that Landon had left it on after I wiped his bottom a little while before. Nope.

I couldn't leave a comment on Melanie's blog because I am on the new one and she's not I think. I switched only because when I went to post on Megan's blog I couldn't without the new version. Anyway, Melanie, hooray for English Toffee and Peanut Brittle (yes they require capitalization), and, actually, for K'nex too!

added later: It's almost unbelievable. Tonight when I went to put the pickles away I didn't have the lid on tight and tipped it over as I set it in the fridge. Pickle juice everywhere. Oh, and when I emptied the shelf to clean it? I dropped a yogurt and, yes, it split open on the floor. Sheesh. What's a girl gonna do with a two year old if she is still one herself?

Food from Thought (and lazy necessity)

Monica's chicken pot pie

2 frozen single crust, deep dish, 9" pie crusts
1 can cream of chicken soup
milk
frozen mixed vegetables (I used peas, carrots, corn, Lima bean mix)
frozen hash browns (not patties, although if you break them up maybe they could work too)

Invert one pie crust on towel, allow to thaw 10 minutes or so, until it lies flat.
In a bowl mix soup, 1/2 soup can of milk, vegetables (maybe three cups?), and hash browns (2 or three cups?). It should end up really thick, like mashed potatoes maybe. Place in remaining pie crust and top with flattened crust, make a slice in the center of the pie (or a smiley face).
Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes or until crust is browned.

optional: reduce veg. and hash browns and add chopped cooked chicken.
May need a sprinkle of salt and pepper depending on personal taste.

Drawing a blank

The problem is I almost never have anything to say, and when I do it is the wrong thing or time. I am pretty sure whatever it is I am always doing wrong is right in front of me, but for the life of me I can't figure it out.
I am thankful for all your blogs though! This gloomy weather mirrored my mood (or vice versa) until I remembered I could go read something from somebody who knows me and might like me anyway.
I can almost face the dirty house.

Almost.

Maybe I'll go Christmas shopping with a credit card.

The children made some homemade gifts for the children in our rotation, and I thought It was o.k. but Stephen goes and says we need to get something 'good'. Grrrr. Am I totally in the wrong or was encouraging them to give what they could (they and I have no money) a good thing? Will our family really be disappointed because we are too thoughtless to get them whatever we could find on the shelf at the store that might be enjoyed by another, or is it better to give what we think is good and the best we (the children) could do this time? Anyway, they had fun thinking of their cousins this way rather than begging for what they want from the store while I try to convince them we aren't there to shop for them, but someone else . Maybe, as always, I am going for the easy way out?

Happy Thanksgiving!

So many things to be thankful for, where do you start?
I am thankful for...
A five year olds rendition of a pilgrim
someone to go to the store with (yes, even a two year old sometimes)
playing chess on the computer while Adria and Ammon tell me what moves to make
color
Mom and Dad
Grandparents
My ward
Aesthetically pleasing stuff
quilts
quilting magazines
cuddling with a small child
flavors
Holidays
Teachers
'imperfections' of all kinds....
etc.

Have a good one.

Happy Halloweeeeeeen!

***Picture and costume by Ammon!***

Or will be if blogger starts working today.

Happy Late Birthday to Melanie!

Trunk or Treating Tonight!

Thought you all might not mind seeing the snapshots of the kids!

Check this out!

For some reason this is great fun!

Dum, dum...Dah, Dah!

It's a finished Mystery Quilt top #2!


It only took me two years! Ahem.


You know, I've been thinking lately that perhaps I spend too much time thinking and usually end up with erroneous conclusions. Often the second my thoughts are interrupted I forget what I was thinking (Winnie the Pooh anyone?). I am unsure if I benefit at all. I hope so. I have at least come to the conclusion that I don't know enough (anything?) and maybe never will. Also, I think somehow there is something just out of reach, and simple as it is I'm not getting it.
How do you know if you are righteous? What really are the commandments now that the law has been fulfilled? Isn't it mainly to repent? How do you repent if you don't know you're messed up? It took me a long time to see how in some ways I am off the mark (and that it may take me that long to correct it), and who knows what else I'm missing? The righteous will be saved, have joy, everlasting life, etc... Will any of us make it I wonder? It seems all you can really do is love everyone and have hope.

I hope.

A Walk in the Park, cont.

As you can see, I took too many pictures.

I have more, but I think I will move on so I don't bore you all to death!

I'll save them all for another day when I have nothing else to say.

A Walk in the Park

Non-diapers

Lando has done really well with potty training! He's been sleeping through the night dry (except twice, I think it was because someone put a diaper on him one evening after an accident so he forgot temporarily-I have since hidden the diapers), and he hasn't had any 'number two' accidents (I don't count the park where there wasn't an available toilet). He loves to wear his "big boys" as he calls them.

We've just done it by encouraging him not to pee his big boys or my bed and giving him a treat every time he uses the potty. Working pretty well for him. Woot!
It's helped the older children too. They have been getting treats for flushing the toilets and not wetting the bed. It's working really well for the flushing, not so great for the wet beds (darn).

Dropli finds a sponsor. It doesn't last.


Dropli goes on safari.


Dropli as a paleontologist.


Dropli reads his scriptures. Bet you didn't know that.

**Cathie has joined the blogging world. Check her out!***

umm, bad choice of words maybe...

Jest pik-shers

That thar's a tree.

Fed up with lookin' like a shaggy dog, I cut meh own har.

Back in meh day we didn't have things like that thar co-lar.

Last, but not least.

Introducin' DROPLI !

(yull be see'en mar of him 'cause Ammo and I tried him out in a lot of sitchiashuns).

Gratitude

Somehow, blessed. As far as I know, nothing has been done for the pear tree. We didn't thin it so some branches broke, as it is still very young, and it hasn't been sprayed or anything, but here we have a bounty of bugless pears to enjoy. I made pie, but the results weren't very photogenic. Thank goodness for internet recipes, so far so good. They have been so tastey, I'll have to bring some your way if they don't overripen or get eaten in the meantime.


By the way. One of my neighbors is running for congress. Here is his video. Tell me what you think.

Epiphany

As I was reading Alma 60 I felt like a lot of it could totally be applied to our time as far as government and country and/or individuals, so I thought I would share some tidbits. I am going to skip around the chapter and not bother with other references, you'll just have to read it yourself I guess...

...we desire to know the cause of this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless state. Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you?

...many have fought and bled out their lives because of their great desires which they had for the welfare of this people...

...ye ought to have stirred yourselvves more diligently for the welfare and the freedom of this people; but behold, ye have neglected them...

Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain.

...the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgement may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God... I fear exceedingly that the judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their exceeding slothfulness, yea, even the slothfulness of our government...For were it not for the wickedness which first commenced at our head, we could have withstood our enemies that they could have gained no power over us.

...ye are in the heart of our country and ye are surrounded by security...do you suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?

...So ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay.

...the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.

...repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing...

I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them--And this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience in their tribulations--...behold, I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear...

...bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your little ones...

Behold I wait for assistance from you...

...for behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people. Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment against them...when it is the tradition of their fathers that has caused their hatred...while your iniquity is for the cause of your love of glory and the vain things of the world?

...If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them...

And now behold, I am constrained, according to the covenant whichI have made to keep the commandments of my God; therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God...

I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. (Amen. This should be the motto for our country don't you think?)

Funny that I didn't see it before.

I've joined the masses...

It was this or a pink razer, but I couldn't justify the extra $50 for a phone with less options, plus I kinda like the dark grey better anyway. Whattya think?

Of Shoes, Socks, and Self-Discovery

When Stephen travels to CA he often brings home hand-me-downs from our nephew for the boys, often they are way too big or worn, but these shoes were a hit. Ammo loves them, and I have to admit I think they are pretty great.

Here we have Lando's new shoes, which happen to have some similarities to Ammo's. I bought them with the $10 we made at our garage sale (on some little tykes things we've outgrown):

And here are Lando's shoes no longer shiney - only 2 hours later. sigh.

As for socks, we have a mystery. This toddler sized brand new looking female sock came out of my dryer. Where could it have come from?

We haven't had anyone over with this small of a girl for a very long time, other than Kinley (how do you spell her name?), and I don't know that they would have left without at least knowing it was missing, you know? It didn't come out of the basement - we cleaned that out for the garage sale - and the rest of the house has been gone through recently enough that I can't imagine where it could have been hiding. huh.

As for self-discovery. That was a lie. I wish I had something awsome and witty to say to tie them together, but I don't. It just sounded good in the title.

Motivation

The garage sale went o.k. We really didn't have a lot anyway. Ad sold her old bike for $10, but afterward we were unsure wether it was a real ten dollar bill. I know there is new money coming out, but this looks way off. Guess we'll find out. The boys all spent their dollar they earned at the garage sales down the street, and I am left with ten to decide what to do with. Put it in the account toward a bill, a haircut, pants for one of the children, stash for going to garage sales, crafts, or food....I don't know.
Anyway, it did motivate me to finish the little quilt (see yesterday) and this doll (no they didn't sale, too much for a garage sale I think, and a good thing I suppose, Lando and Big B loved them):



Does she look like a Rachel to you?
Here is a close up of the bottom of her apron:



It started out as an idea for overalls, then it turned to maybe a dress, but it ended up as an apron. I had tons of fun sewing it!
By the way, does she look like a cow to you? Someone that actually noticed it said "cute cow". I didn't think of her as a cow at all, but I suppose it works.

I bought an eggplant at the farmers market just to see what it was. I ended up using this recipe. It's pretty good! I was kind of suprised. I've been eating it on saltines, but it was fine plain too. The children haven't tried it yet, so the jury is still out....

Garage Sale

The neighborhood is doing a garage sale tomorrow from 7:30 - 2:00 so I have been looking for things to sale. I had recently told Stephen I didn't think we had much, but he feels he has some things in the garage that we don't use. So I got to looking. So far I don't have much, but I was thinking I could finish off that doll to sale (if I can get it done today), and I bound this blanket:





The problem is, I don't have clue what to sale it for. It is just a prequilted panel that I pieced some scraps together for the binding, and all I did was pin it down and stich in the ditch on the front so that the back is kind of a mess. I think the panel was 7-10 dollars, but I can't remember for sure.
The children have all been brainstorming on things to sale too. I think Ad has a plan for a lemonade stand, Ammo has some toys picked out, and T is making some tinfoil covered can people (?), so it should be a family production anyway. Could be kind of fun!

You're one year older, and one year wiser too?

It's not quite midnight so it's not a belated birthday wish yet, right? I didn't forget, I told B it was your birthday and had a plan, only I just finally remembered the computer. Hope your hot date was wonderful, and I'll bet Megan's cake was (I had a couple of ding dongs all to myself in your honor, thus your lovely birthday picture).
You know, I first looked for 20th birthday pictures, but they were all kinda sleezy, what's up with that? I thought it would be the 21st that would lean that way?

Anyway, I am glad you are you! Love ya!

R is for Robot

Say Hello to Robo Riley 2006A:



Today I had a rare brainstorm as B and Lando were about to head, once again, to watch a movie. Feeling like I have let them do that too much for their own good, together with the fact that B is learning the letter R in school, and that we have a lot of recycling I haven't taken to the bins, we ended up with R.R. 2006A.



Ammo and Big T came up with the name, B helped pick out boxes and cut out the hands (I wish I had gotten them in the picture), Lando did his best to help too and they all colored him. It went really fast, little mess (duct tape rather than glue, and very little cutting), and they forgot about the T.V. for the duration of the activity and them some. I love these moments.

I haven't posted for a while because I just haven't had much to say. Too much childishness in we adults around here lately, and, until today, not much motivation. I have been working a little here and there on the Mystery Quilt #2 border. I need to get some backing fabric for both of them and for the one we're doing in the ward. It's starting up in two weeks on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 6:30 if anyone is interested in coming ever I would love to have you join us!

Happy Anniversary to the Parents!

Fly Fun

Stephen took Ad to a school advertised activity where she got to go up in a small airplane! She loved it so much. Afterward, Stephen says he kinda hoped they'd offer a ride to the parents.
Here are some pictures.