Here is a little blog I found the other day.

Go here if you want to check it out.

I am fascinated by it. And of course it has to do with one of my favorite past times. Organizing and purging.

I sense a project coming up in 2012.

Taking a break until after Christmas.

See you in a few weeks.

love, me

Don't you just LOVE your Elf on the Shelf?

We sure do! There are so many fun ideas out there. This is what will greet the boys tomorrow morning.




I just wish he would stay all year.

Don't know what I am talking about? Go here.

Wow! Chickens really do lay eggs!

We found our first egg on Thanksgiving Day. What a nice surprise. Since then, we have gotten 3 brown eggs and 3 more blue eggs. The first egg we actually broke into was a double yolker!




Love the fluffy butts!

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

And I Have No Privacy.....Whoa o oh.

Remember this song?



I've been humming it lately when I look out my back door and see this.

Feeling Crafty

The past few days I was suppose to be tagging along with Scott while he was on a business trip. However, due to Chase getting sick the day before we left, I ended up staying home.

I was feeling a little crafty, which is unusual for me. I stopped crafting years ago when the babies started showing up. But, having a few nights suddenly free at my disposal, I decided to do something about it.

I saw this cute felt garland online and decided to give it a go. I went over to Hobby Lobby and bought $5.00 worth of felt. About $2.00 more than what I needed. A few leaf patterns and lots of cutting later I ended up with a bunch of these.






I'm not quite done with the garland because I have no hot glue in the house to glue the leaves to the ribbon. That is how uncrafty I am these days.




I also made a few extra to put in my kitchen above my cooktop.





It's good to get that out of my system for awhile.

Love

Have you ever tried the hot chocolate from Kneaders? I don't know what kind of magic they are mixing into it, but it is divine. This one thing is going to get me through winter this year.








ps Don't tell anyone, but I had two yesterday. It is that good.

Fast Asleep

That is, until Scott went to move him. He then woke right up and asked if the rice krispie treats were ready. He had been patiently waiting.

A Very Scary Story

I have always wondered about a certain smell in my house. Anyone with young boys that use the toilet know what I am talking about. To be perfectly blunt about it, it is the "wet pee" smell that pervades the bathroom after I have cleaned it. Not to be confused with the "dry pee" smell before the cleaning. Now, I say cleaned, but the smell would indicate that I am not cleaning in the right places if it is still present. No matter where I wipe, it is always there.

The other day I was wandering down the Halloween aisle at the local Walmart. I came upon this.


A black light. Years ago I had heard of a mom of all boys buying one to find out where the pee was still lurking in her bathrooms. For $7 bucks I threw it in the cart.

As soon as I got home, I immediately took the light out of the package, went into the bathroom shut the door and turned off the overhead light.

Horror of horrors is all I can say. Just about everywhere I shined that black light something was glowing back at me. I was shocked. What I thought was a reasonably clean bathroom was not.

After I came out of the den of pee, I jumped on the internet to do some quick research on everything that a black light will reveal. It didn't take long to find out that it will also show soap as well.

So, the mysterious glowing substance streaking down the wall underneath the hand towel and around the sink is probably soap instead of pee. Probably. That was somewhat of a relief.

However, the mysterious glowing substance around the walls of the toilet. Pretty sure that ain't soap. The streaks on the underside/back of the toilet that I have no idea how anything reaches back there. Not soap either. The mysterious speckled glow on the other two walls? I shudder to think which one it is.

It was quite a revelation to the boys as well when I took them in and showed them the glowing room. I don't know why. They are the ones who personally designed it.

The moral of the story? Wipe down every surface in your bathroom. Every one.

How is it possible.....

to have 11 socks left from the white load of laundry and not one of them match?



I know not.

And now back to real life....

After a lovely week with my lovely friend it is back to all the things that make up my life. I life I love even more after a little r&r.

I've been asked by several people what I did while I was gone. My answer? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.










Things to remember:
pineapple and avocado diet
razor sharp rocks
talking
daily walks
brats
fresh limes
red snapper
nameless stories
sitting
a few good books
non-existent A/C

Happy Birthday Owen!

What would we do without our boy that has limitless energy? I know not.

This year we let Owen open his present in the morning before he went to school. Once we sorted out the kinks, he ended up with a new bike that was his size and that he loves. Much better than a Lego pharaoh set that he thought he was getting. He definitely agrees.


This year was a no friend party year. We headed out to McDonalds for dinner- his choice. Came home, knocked apart a pinata and ended the evening with our favorite cake.




Happy Birthday!

How was your weekend?

Staying overnight at Park City.


Playing in the pool.


Kneaders for breakfast the next morning. Have you gone there for breakfast? Holy smokes. Their french toast and bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches are to die for.


Visiting Provo River Falls.


Ending up at Mirror Lake. What are the boys looking at so intently? A dead fish of course.


The weather was gorgeous and the trees looked like they were on fire.

I'd say mine was pretty good.

And Speaking of Doing Hard Things

While I have been limping around this past summer, Scott has been training for the LOTOJA race. A bike ride that starts in Logan, Utah and ends in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a total of 206 miles. He originally signed up for the relay with a bunch of his riding buddies, but about a month before the race, he decided to ride the entire thing. And he did. All 206 miles. It took him 12 hours and 15 minutes. Very proud of him!



At the beginning, looking all fresh and ready to go.





One of his many stops to get food and water that he had prepared beforehand. He learned from a veteran bike rider that this race is as much a test of staying hydrated and fueled as physical endurance. If you aren't careful, you won't make it. Part of his training this past summer has been figuring out what and how much to eat and drink during his long rides.







At the finish line with one of his riding buddies.



I was expecting some major recovery time, but all he suffered from was a sunburn and a sore arm. I don't know. He looks a little tired in this picture if you ask me.

Oh and if your interested in losing some weight really fast, this is the way to do it. He lost 5 lbs. in one day.

He did learn one thing from this ride. Never put sunblock on above the eyes. Even if it does say "sport" on the bottle. It will run into your eyes and sting making it quite difficult to see.






The real question is whether he will want to train for it next year to try and beat his time. But, like childbirth, you never ask this kind of question immediately after. You have to wait until the memory of the pain has dulled a bit.

You can see the all the ride data from his GPS at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/113388954

Today I Miss Running.

Today I was typing on my computer and this song came on. It is one of my running songs. There is nothing special about it, only that it has a good beat and it was one of the last songs I listened to while on a run before my surgery.

Songs bring back memories and this one is no different. Running is hard. That is why I like it. In the few moments when running isn't hard, it is exhilarating. I really like this part too.

Trying not to get too discouraged about how long my hip is taking to heal. I'm ready to lace up and go. My hip says otherwise.

This and That

The past week or so I have been doing a bit of organizing. Not huge overhauls. But little spots here and there that have gotten out of hand this past summer. I like these kind of projects because they take all of 15 to 20 minutes. I feel like I have accomplished something and to me it makes a big difference. When I organize an area I try to leave empty space somewhere. I like that.



The kid's drawers for instance. They look nice, yes?



The closet in my mud hall. Much better now.




A lady in my Ward told me a really good way to organize Scout awards. I checked that off my list.




And in between my itty bitty projects I have been roasting up batches of tomatoes. Have you tried them yet? You must.

Sign of a Successful Camping Trip

Are we heading in the right direction?

Chase running inside the house loudly proclaiming "Mom I pooped outside, just like Andi." (Andi is our dog.)

Sure enough. There is was right in the grass.

At least he didn't play with it.

Today My Home Smelled Like Heaven

Being overrun with tomatoes I knew I needed to do something with them. I cannot bear to see ripened homegrown tomatoes hanging on the vine. I have seen recipes for oven roasted tomatoes before, but for some reason I have never tried them. What was I thinking?

The first hour they were cooking, my house smelled like garlic. Not a bad smell at all. But the second hour the tomatoes took over. I can't even tell you how good it smelled, but divine is the word that comes to mind.

Looking at the finished product, I had serious doubts about the taste. I was fully prepared to be disappointed. Nothing could taste as good as that smell. And let's be honest here. They look like a recipe that went horribly, horribly wrong.







And the taste?

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I have never been more surprised and delighted with something that looks so unappetizing. They are amazing.


Oven Roasted Tomatoes

tomatoes
garlic
olive oil
sea salt and pepper

Cut your tomatoes in half if they are smaller (Roma size) or in quarters if they are bigger.

In a bowl, pour in enough olive oil to lightly coat the tomatoes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper.

Place tomatoes in the bowl and make sure they are evenly coated. Put on baking sheet, skin side down.

Mince up garlic and sprinkle right on top of tomatoes, making sure most of the garlic ends up on the tomatoes instead of on the cookie sheet. The amount of garlic depends on your taste. The garlic taste intensifies so unless you enjoy eating a lot of garlic, go easy the first time.

Lightly sprinkle a little bit more salt on top of tomatoes.

Bake 325 for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until blackened around the edges, but still soft in the middle.

I cooked mine for 2 1/2 hours and I probably cooked them about half hour too long.

Let cool slightly, pluck off baking sheet and pop into mouth!

Beware

To all those who frequent my home...frequently,


I have had to use this product a lot the past several weeks. And it is not because of our dog. She is house trained and knows where to do her business. It is my babe that is having some issues.

I haven't been pushing the potty training on him. I learned my lesson several boys ago about that. On his own he is taking an interest in pooping in the potty. That is a good thing and I am encouraging it wholeheartedly.

Here is the problem. He is also taking an interest in pooping in his diaper, taking off the diaper and then sitting down in multiple places. We won't even talk about the finger painting. The first few times he stayed in our playroom on the steps. All hard surfaces. Gross, but easily cleanable. His last incident occurred in his bedroom, and unfortunately a swimming noodle got the brunt of his artwork.

I have never had a kid do this. I am hoping he gets bored of this really soon. So please use caution when you enter my house. As much as I scour and clean after I catch him in the act, I don't know what is lurking. And it may be a good idea to wash your hands after you leave.

A sure sign of summer at my house

filthy feet and mismatched flip flops

Camping

Because we go camping so often in the summer we have it down to a science. We also have our little routine that everyone is happy with.





The packing actually starts with me. I tell the boys to bring up to my room 2 things - a change of clothes and a jacket. They can usually remember the jacket and one other item. I then go and fetch the rest. I have learned how to pack the boys overnight duffel for efficiency. On the bottom goes the least-likely-to-be-used items. This is usually their jeans. On top of the jeans go the clothes for the next day. Then pajamas and last but not least jackets on top. When I open the duffel I know that jackets come first before jammies and clothes come after jammies. No digging around in the dark with a flashlight trying to find what I am looking for. I just grab what is on top.

Once the van is packed, see post below, we head out to one of our favorite camping spots.

Immediately upon arriving the boys usually head to the creek to begin the first hour of rock throwing madness and Scott starts building a fire. We have learned that getting the fire down to coals and then cooking our dinner always takes longer than what we think. Scott prides himself on using only 1 match and no paper to start a fire.




We always have tinfoil dinners. The boys would absolutely revolt if they weren't on the menu. And who could blame them? Do you want to know the secret to a great tasting, perfectly cooked tinfoil dinner? Get fatty ground beef. Pre-cook your veggies. Add a healthy amount of seasoning. And use two layers of tinfoil with wet newspaper as insulation in between them. It works every time.

Oh and don't forget Red Vines. What would we do without our Red Vines?







While the fire is doing its magic to our meal, we work on getting the tent set up. The oldies get a nice cot with memory foam on top. The boys. Well they get a sleeping bag thrown on the floor. I haven't heard any complaints from them yet.


By the time dinner is over it is starting to get dark so other activities begin. The boys start clambering for their flashlights and glow-sticks. Within a few minutes they all look like the African ladies with large earrings, 10 bracelets and 15 necklaces hanging off their bodies. No worries about them getting lost. They glow for hours.






We also start to think about dessert. Now don't think that we are so set in our ways that we won't try anything new. That is not the case.

This year we have experimented with one of our favorite desserts - dump cake. Sounds delicious right? It is. We make this routinely when we have neighbors over for dessert. We decided to try it in a dutch oven and it tastes just as good.





Have I told you I have been without a camera for 3 months? True. My iphone is just not cutting it these days. Once our dump cake was finished it was dark, so I had Scott shine his flashlight on it.

I still haven't told you what dump cake actually is. So when I am done with this post I will put the recipe on my other blog.

As if this dessert isn't enough we then pull out the roasting sticks and start on our s'mores. And here is another little secret we learned this year. Do you want to try a new twist on s'mores? Replace your chocolate with one of these. You won't be disappointed.



Finally it is time for bed. Once the boys are in bed, the routine goes one of two ways.
1) They are asleep before their heads hit the pillow.
2) We end up yelling at them for an hour because they can't settle down.

The next morning, bright and early, we see signs of camp sleeping. Bags under the eyes, hair that is standing on end and dirty faces. That is what camping is all about.




And another thing we tried this year. Scones with honey butter. It can't get better than this.

The rest of the day goes as follows:




Hanging out by the fire.




Throwing as many rocks in the creek as possible.




And going for hikes around the campground.

That is our way of camping.

The Kimball Packing Gene

Have I ever told you about the Kimball packing gene? No? Well let me explain. Scott's father and all of Scott's siblings have this inborn ability to pack a huge amount of stuff into very small places. They all have it. Male and Female alike. Since I only married into the Kimball family I do not have the genetic material to do this. Neither do any of the other in-laws. I know because we have joked together about this trait. When our van needs to be packed I do not pack it. Scott will pack and repack until everything fits without any space wasted. This also happens in his sibling's families as well. So what has he packed into our van on our latest camping trip? Let me tell you.







1 tent
6 sleeping bags
6 pillows
4 folding chairs
2 memory foam pads
2 cots
2 duffel bags
1 CampChef stove
1 emergency car kit
1 propane tank
2 boxes of wood
1 10X10 EZ Up Canopy
1 lantern
1 water cooler
1 briquette starter
1 dutch oven
1 25 gallon tub of camping supplies
1 laundry basket full of food
1 cooler
a handful of roasting sticks
4 boys
2 adults
1 dog

Pretty impressive.

Is Your Summer Flying By?

Mine is. But I'm glad I get to spend it with my boys.










(Is it just me, or do you think Owen is related to an angry pig?)