finishing february

Well I had all these great intentions of doing an end of february recap- but my computer is moving too slow for me tonight! I will have to do my finishing february post tomorrow...and that will be March.
Was glad to have and "extra day" in February. There were a few things I was able to finish up, that I feel really good about having done "in February"-
I like the idea of an extra day. Wouldn't it be great if we could make 2 fridays, or 2 saturdays? Now that would really be nice.

What to eat Wednesday

* Re-posted with de-puffed mallow imagery


It may seem all we eat is chocolate and treats around here. It seems thats what I post a lot of! This is Jay's Mom's recipe- mmmmyum. This goes great with last weeks brownies, and a little ice cream!

Hot Fudge
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (1 whole can)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine ingredients and bring to a boil stirring continually. Turn down heat and continue stirring until it turns darker in color and begins to thicken. (10-15 minutes) Stores in fridge for a month or so. (HUH? how could you have this in your fridge for a month?)

blessing

I have been working on a post about Luke-and what his turning 5 means.
I will still post it, but had to post this first while the emotions are still right at the surface.

We have been planning for Luke to have a surgery this summer for his nose.
We have been planning to travel to California to the surgeon that did all of his surgeries in Oregon. (after we moved to OK, the surgeon moved to CA)

We knew that this would take sacrifice for our family, on many different levels.
The financial being the biggest.

I have been in contact with the surgeon and his office, emailing photos, and information back and forth. The surgeon said he thought Luke looked good, but he would preauthorize for the lip and nose, just in case he felt that his lip needed touching up when we got there.

One of my concerns was our insurance coverage. How much coverage would we have since we were traveling to CA- would they cover any of it? How much would this cost.

Well today, I was contacted by the surgeons office, to go over paperwork, and to talk about when we wanted to schedule. At the end of the conversation, I asked if they had heard anything from insurance and how much coverage we would have..and she said,

"everything is good, we are billing insurance only for the surgery"

My reply,
"excuse me?" as tears start to well...

After she replied the same thing, and then mentioned that we just needed to take care of getting our family out there and take care of where would stay, I did not have the sense of mind to ask: why? Only to say what a blessing this will be to our family.

I could not stop crying, and then she started to cry.

I am so thankful, grateful, and full of joy- for this blessing to our family.
It lightens the load, and makes our planning for this next surgery for Luke, a lot less fearful.

spt-scavenger hunt

so here was the challenge
"in honor of february, the month of L.O.V.E., all of the items begin with the letter "L"
lips
light
little
laughter
lavender
lunch"

lips-Tuckers lips...he has been doing this funny pucker when he is working on something, not when he kisses

Light-oh so thankful for the sunshine. I NEED IT!

Little-tiny gloves of our youngest

Lavender-I found this while cleaning up on my one productive day last week, so glad that I did. It was a mothers day gift from Savanna

Laughter-this is me laughing through tears, after a wonderful unexpected, blessing of a phone call (will write more about this-it deserves its own post!)

Lunch- just could not pick 1- they were both good, a picnic lunch on the floor with Luke, and

girl scout cookies with Kim on Saturday-

jack

Jack-
This is a much needed post for a dear sweet boy.
He has been so sick. He is one that when he is sick he just retreats. He is not one to make a lot of fuss anyway. But this week, you hardly knew he was home. Even the past 2 days without a fever he still took 3 hour naps both days.
I have such tender feelings about this boy. He is such a good boy. He wants to do what is right. He cares about what is right.
I worry that sometimes he gets lost in all the attention paid to the other kids. Some of them just require a lot more attention. Either for age, or attitude.
So I wanted to write about him, the things that make him special. I wanted to document that I do care for this boy of mine.

I took this photo of him this week. When I saw him sitting with his hands folded and a grey sweatshirt on, I immediately thought of this photo taken of him in 2003-photo taken 2003

Then there is this bear...he got it when he was having testing done at LDS Primary childrens hospital when he was about 21 months. He took to this bear immediately.photo taken 2004

One day this week when I went to put Tucker down for a nap, Ted was just sitting on the bed, waiting for Jack.

One day this last week, Jack was sitting in the recliner thinking and he said, "I was thinking about a scripture Grandma was telling me about the Savior, do you think you could help me find it?"
Then one night he was in bed, I was rocking Tucker, and I heard him kind of moan, and say I have to get out of bed. I asked why and his reply "I need to go read my scriptures."- It was all very quick. He got up, read a verse, got back in bed, and went to sleep.
I learn so much from this boy. Just do what needs to be done. Don't make it harder than it needs to be.
I am so thankful for who he is. I am so very glad he is a part of this family.

sick house

Our family has had so much sickness that it prompted me to do this...
I now have medicine syringes with everyones initials. Now, maybe organized people already have this. Not me! It took having to give everyone something at once to so this.

This home needs to heal! All the kids have had something, but not everyone has had the same thing.
Jack has missed a whole week of school because of high fevers-aches, and a pesky cough and sinus gunk, the dr. said it sounds like the true flu. (I have a whole post I need to dedicate to the boy)
Savanna missed 2 days, because of the same, but seems to be better except that dang cough.
Luke was sick with something intestinal last weekend, but has escaped the fever. Now we are still dealing with his chronic allergies and congestion-just did a medicine change to see if we can get that under control. But on a very good note.. for once his ears are clear!!
And Tuck, poor sweet thing, he started in with the fever yesterday. and all he wants to do is be held, and then sleep. But the sleep will only come if he is being held.
I took this with him this morning...he loves this bear. (thank you grandma, for giving me something to love)

power of words (ha ha)

So glad that I took and posted those photos in the last post, because...wooohhooo the power of words! The next morning we woke to the sounds of trucks, outside (it was 6:30 AM!) picking up our branches!

Now we have a pile of leaves that are matted to the ground....I'll get to that sometime later!

what's wrong with these pics

this is what's wrong ...
1. those buds are on branches that are not attached to any trees
2.those branches are still sitting ...waiting to be mulched....(from the ice storm in DECEMBER!)

this photo taken in january...

what to eat Wednesday-Chocolate Chip Brownies

When we lived in Oregon we made the best friends...they are truly what helped us make it through that year. They are part of the reason we look back on that year with all of Luke's surgeries with fondness. One family, the Barnetts had us over all the time. Holly Barnett, is my kids favorite cook-(2nd only to Grandma!)
This is one of her recipes...

Chocolate Chip Brownies-
3/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup butter
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag chocolate chips

Melt butter, add cocoa and oil. Stir well. Beat in eggs and gradually beat in sugar. Blend in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add to batter. Blend well. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into greased and floured 9x13 pan.
Bake@ 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Cool.

SPT

what do you turn to when you need a quick "pick me up?"

hmmm it seems everyone is in one of these moods...the quick pick me ups are more like one long need during the day these days.
Still have sick ones home, and I am a little tired. It felt last night that as soon as I got one settled back in, and I would lay down, there was another need.

So here we go SPT for this week.

Well there is one thing I do far too often, and I am trying to do it in moderation....
eating chocolate....

and these are the things I could do endlessly....and it would not matter how much I did them,
it would not hurt anything and would do some good
clean/organize something- I always feel good after a quick pick up, or something scrubbed
drink some water...I have started keeping a bottle in the fridge for everyone with their intials on it. It has helped me. I have to have it nice and cold.
put some peppermint lotion on-love the mint

and then there is always this......
take pictures

Lost and Found

Five years ago Jay picked up a black filing cabinet at a thrift store in Eugene Oregon. He brought it home for me and I started to clean it up and fill up the drawers.

As I was filing away, I found a paper stuck to the back side of one of the drawers.
It was a Mailgram from 1977. It was from a husband to his wife for their 10th wedding anniversary. I have kept it and pulled it out around valentines every year, because of this sweet sentence written ...

"knowing to whom I am wed I am well aware of my value"

Now, tell me this ... who would not love to have this written about them?
I kept thinking that I would love to do something with this but could never decide what so I just put it back in the valentine folder year after year.

Today I had it out and showed Jay. We wondered if we could contact the owners of this mailgram ... maybe they might want it back.

I would, if it were mine.

So Jay started checking around on the internet..
and let me tell ya...
What a place the internet is.
Jay started out with the name of the sender. He had sent it from New York to his wife visiting somebody in Jacksonville, Oregon.

The search results just seemed too old (Somebody born in 1892.) and this was for a couple celebrating their 10th anniversary in 1977.

So then we (Jay) searched for the address on google maps of the mailgram sender ... in New York.

The result came up with a business listing "Random House."

Sound familiar to anyone? It did to us, and not only because it's a publishing company we hear of often but because ... we had just read about this guy and his connections with Random House.


This was the old guy ... but how could he have been celebrating his anniversary ... a 10th? It just took a little more reading on down the page and you find out that his first wife had passed away in 1966 and he remarried in 1967!

This whole thing has been fun, watching Jay play detective ... and link back and forth to make sure this was the same guy.

So now we have this document, celebrating this couples 10th anniversary. They are both deceased. It appears that a University in TX, has all the documents of his.

Would you try and find the family?
And if so ...
Which side?
Do I just contact the University?
And what do I say? Do you want this old mailgram from 1977?
I am kind of attached to it ... what would you do?

Happy Birthday Mom!

my nephew Alex, Nan, my niece Julia

Today is my Mom's birthday..
Most of my family is home sick, so Savanna and I ran over to give her the gift from the family...and to wish her a happy day. We all went in together to give her a year membership to the OKC Museum of Art. Pretty appropriate gift for such a talented artist, don't you think?
(It was so different going over there with just 1 child, and an older 1 at that. I was able to sit and visit without having to keep checking up on kids!)
I love my mom.
I am grateful that I have gotten to live close to her for the last 4 years, and that my kids have gotten to know their Nan.
I think she is so talented...and she does not give herself credit for her abilities.
I think she is beautiful.
I am proud of how far she has come.
I know she can do great things.
I love how she reads stories to the kids.
I love how she makes up stories, and her imagination.
I love how she gives personality to inanimate objects.
I love her love for holidays, and decorating.
I love that she goes to the library.
I love that she goes to target, and waits for someone to tell her its time to go.
I love the funny stories that we have about her.
I love that she can laugh about them
I love that she has as difficult of time, with math , as I do.
I am thankful for my friendship with my mom.
I love that she cares for my friends, and asks about them, and wants to do things for them.
I love that my mom paints for all of her kids and grandkids.
I love that my mom thinks that anybody in her family can do anything they want to.
I love my mom.
Happy Birthday!

looking for beauty...

I saw this as I was coming inside yesterday...I pass by it every single day, multiple times!
But today it caught my eye. Maybe it was the bright green in contrast to the grey grey day, but I wondered why I had not noticed how pretty this is. I love it. I have gone and looked at it several times since, just to see it again.
What do you pass by thats beautiful?

waste of a good avocado

I have been craving avocados lately. With a little salt and pepper, mmmmm.
I had just cut one up, salted and peppered it, and added it to my turkey sandwich.
Just perfect.
1st bite. Yum
2nd bite. mmm even better.
3rd bite, oh I love this avocado.
4th- I don't remember what thought went through my mind, because at that moment, there was a scream from Jack saying

"AHHH- Luke really is sick!"

He was getting sick on the fabric re-cliner. He had kind of moaned and complained about his stomach hurting...but with him you just don't know. We did not pay any attention to it.

After cleaning and cleaning, my perfect sandwich, just did not sound so perfect anymore.

Heart Day

Yesterday I read somewhere that a valentine was just not a valentine if it was given the day after.
NOT TRUE!
Almost all of mine will be late....its still fun to give and to make them!
We still have a few crafts we want to make for february...so we will continue the crafting, and the adorning and decorating.
Our day was happy, lots of handmade goodness...playing outside (wow this weather we have been having, warm one day, cold the next!) going to kids party's, and just being at home.

The delivering of the valentines did not happen today...a few were given, and certainly all the kids got theirs done for school, but like I said...I still have more to deliver, and a few to make!
I had an important piece to my valentines, and now I can't find it! I am giving myself until tomorrow to find it, then I am moving on.
Luke gave heart shaped play-doh (the idea came from Kim) and we came up with a cute little note for it...
Do not eat
it's not a treat
instead just play
because it's clay!

We made yummy treats..
for us and for teachers.

I have given up on taking photos of all the kids together...so these 4 will have to do!





And this...
is my favorite thing from Valentines Day..totally unexpected!
Our 1st valentines day that we were married, Jay walked home from BYU with a VCR in his backpack, and he made me a heart out of some red branches and tied it together with his shoestring. I still have the heart, but after so many moves (10?) its lost a few twigs, here and there.
This year I told him I was making something for him. He said he would have to think of what he wanted to make for me.
Yesterday when he got home from work, he said
" I know what I am making for you..."
and he left.
AND this is what he made!

I love it, it is HUGE... here is a photo to kind of give a perspective.


There are still PILES, and PILES of branches in our neighborhood from the ice storm in December. And a lot of them are starting to grow! Little buds are forming. It's like they did not get the signal that they were cut down, or broken!
He used some of those branches for this....I LOVE IT!

Now I am getting off the computer..and I am not calling the Allsups-( wink )
Hope everyone had a "lovely" day!

What to eat Wednesday-My Dad's Spagetti Sauce

Tomorrow is Valentines Day-and I wanted to make my family something "red"...and I have made this on several Valentines Days...so I thought I better not break tradition. Only 1 problem...tomorrow is a very busy day. Lots of school parties, and I want to deliver Valentines, not spend time in the kitchen. SO I am making this a day ahead. Boy will everyone be so confused when their dinner tonight does not match the scent of when they walked in the door!


The year that I got married my Dad gave me several of his favorite recipes. This became "my" spaghetti sauce recipe that I always use. It freezes really well. I have never had this made by my dad. I wonder if it tastes the same?

Dad's Own Very Good Spaghetti Sauce
Brown
1 pound ground beef with
1 minced clove garlic, and
1 medium chopped onion
Drain then add
1 green pepper diced
2 more diced garlic cloves
2-16 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1-7 ounce can mushrooms
As this simmers add
2 Tablespoons dried crushed Basil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Simmer up to 30 minutes.