My kids keep growing and growing....

It's the first day of school today for ALL of my kids. I just dropped them off. I'm a little overwhelmed. The traffic is just crazy. They say to give it a couple of weeks and it will get better. I hope so. I didn't expect it to take 18 minutes to go a little over a mile. My friends in Idaho, you have it so easy.
I still wasn't ready to send them off. I have really enjoyed this summer and how well everyone got along. I know I'm not ready for a schedule either, although it will help me get a lot of the things that I slacked the last year caught up on.
I took these pictures on Friday. These two are only a grade apart and their classrooms are right across from each other. I love how close they are and how they can help each other through school.
Over the last couple of years they have learned to really get along and play with each other.
They are so goofy....
silly.....
but yet lovable.
I really can't believe how these two girls have grown. Especially when we were shopping for school stuff. They are smart, strong willed and willing to learn.
And yet they still try to act so much older than they are.

Back to my kids being gone. I just got home and my house feels empty and quiet. What to do first?

Kirsten's special day

Kirsten had quite the day yesterday.
We started it off by taking her and only her shopping. She had wanted to pick out her own clothes and some jewelry. We went down to Forever 21 and she was in love. She picked a couple new outfits and of course....
A necklace and some "danglely" earrings. She has some rather nice taste.
Later in the afternoon she opened her presents and she was surprised. She loves to sing to her ipod and she her only thing on her birthday list was a microphone. I had been thinking that maybe a karaoke machine would be nice but Jacob suggested that maybe the Wii might have something that would work. It did and it works so much better. Plus between the two new games that she got, it has a lot of her favorite songs. She's been singing the past two days.
For dinner she chose to go to Rudy's. For those of you that don't know, this is probably my favorite BBQ place ever. You have to like meat to go here. Here is what we got.....
You pick out the meats you want and how much (in weight), choose some sides, and then they give you bread and butcher paper. It's delicious! I forgot to include a picture of their tasty BBQ sauce.
We started our fast after dinner as our stake, and several others in the area, were fasting for rain. We are in the middle of a bad drought and heat wave. Kirsten wanted her cake on Sunday. It was a good dessert to break our fast. She chose "pie O dirt" for her cake. (Chocolate pudding in a graham cracker crust with oreo's and gummy worms {I used bears} on top.) May her birthday wish come true!

"Nine is no longer considered a little kid."

Or this is what McKay has said and Kirsten hasn't forgotten it. As of now, It is Kirsten's birthday....officially.

Nine years ago on August 19th, we helped my parents take their garden out. I was pulling out corn. I remember thinking, "maybe this will help me go into labor." It did. I woke up a little after 2:30 a.m. with heavy contractions and my first thought was, "I have to do my hair and makeup." I didn't want the pictures to look horrible. I learned a lesson after the first. She came less than 4 hours later. We could never decide on a name before she was born. Jacob and I took one look at our sweet little angel and we looked at each other and said "Kirsten." And so it was.

Kirsten Skye reminds me of when I was a little child. I think she looks the most like me when I was that age. Although she is a very strong willed child and a counter just like her dad, she has a tender sweet spirit. She wants to learn and wants to do what is right. She really looks up to her older sister. I am so glad that she is a part of our family. Happy 9th Birthday Kirsten! I hope this year is fabulous for you.

small fish in a big ocean

Today Katanya went to Kinder Kamp. Basically it was where the parent and child meets the teacher, the child goes in for an "imitation of a short school day," and the parent goes to the lunch room to fill out papers and buy PTA selling fundraisers. Katanya was stoked. She has waited a long time for this. Her new teacher is amazing, too.

There are a few differences between our rural Idaho elementary school and our new Texas urban / community school. One big one is an additional 650 kids per say. (Roughly 1000 students and it's only K-5 here not K-6). Another will be where the bus used to pick up my children right outside my house, I get to drive them since there are no buses here and we are far enough away, (which could be a hassle for a couple weeks or so I've heard.) And lastly, they have all day Kindergarten. Wow! I'm excited though. The school seems great and really structured.

Although as I waited for Katanya to come back from her class, it hit me that this was my last one. I've never been one of those parents that cry when there kids go to school and thankfully my kids have all been excited and anxious to start school, but Anya is my baby, my last one, and she is my most independent. I still didn't cry but I ALMOST choked up as I read the cute little survival bag that the teacher gave them. (See bottom, it was just too adorable that I couldn't help but copy it.)

Now that poses another question. What do I do with all that time? Obviously I can volunteer at the school again and help the teachers. Do I find a part time job for a little extra income since things are a little more expensive down here? I definitely need to be home to pick up the kids and be home when they a are home so wanting that would make finding a job a little more difficult. I'm sure I can find (or rather I know of) a couple projects that need to get done, like my filing and books from last year and this year.

So school starts in less than 2 weeks. This summer flew by. We've lasted the heat by being at the pool so much. I've enjoyed having the kids at home. They've learned how to help clean so we can all get to play later and I've enjoyed the lax in structure at my house, like bedtimes and meals and waking up. But, all things must change and it's on to a whole new journey for ALL of us.

Kindergarten Survival Kit
(and then the following things were inside the bag)
* A penny because you are so valuable.
* The cotton ball is to remind you that our classroom is full of kind words and warm feelings.
* And eraser to remind you that it's okay to make mistakes.
* The lifesaver is to let you know that you can go to any adult in the school for help.
* The tissue is for drying your tears and those of others.
* A Band-Aid to let you know that together we can make things better.
* The chocolate hug is to remind you that you are cared for.
* A Smartie because you are so smart you will even teach me many things this year.
* A sticker because we always stick together and help each other in Kindergarten
* A starburst to remind you that you are a Kindergarten star and everyone in this class shines in their own way.

Sweet Potato Chicken Enchiladas!

Monday night at the grocery store, Jacob looked at me when I put my sweet potatoes on the scanner and said, "Yams? Why are you getting those?" No answer. I've always loved sweet potatoes or yams or whatever you want to call them.

I had found a recipe on my friends blog (Sara Ulrich) that looked worth trying. Last night was my trial night. I didn't tell my kids what I had put in there but simply that we were having enchiladas. They were excited as enchiladas (whether chicken or beef) are a favorite. After they had had one and were working on their second, I asked the kids if they could tell what was in there. They guessed everything but the sweet potatoes. McKay went for a third to try to figure it out. Needless to say when I told them they were amazed. I told them to not tell Dad until after he had eaten them, (as McKay and I had Mutual that night and I wouldn't be able to see it.)

Jacob texted me halfway through and said, "Surprisingly these sweet potatoes in the enchiladas are quite good." He ate his words!

So here is the recipe that all my facebook friends wanted. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

SWEET POTATO CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1 1/2 of chicken breast - shredded
1 can of black beans
2 cups of sweet potatoes, boiled and diced
2 cups salsa - (I used Pace mild)
2 1/2 - 3 tsp. ground cumin

Mix these ingredients together in a bowl. Put in a tortilla shell, sprinkle a little cheese if you want (I love cheese) and roll up in a tortilla. (I actually used the small tortillas and it made 20. A regular size would make less.)
Then I put a little of La Victoria Red Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish and placed the enchiladas in it. I then covered them with the rest of the sauce (for this many I used a little shy of medium cans). Then I sprinkled cheese (colby jack / cheddar mix) on top.

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes (covered with tin foil). The recipe called for 375 but my oven is hotter here so I stuck to 350. Best served with other vegetables on the side.
Enjoy!

*This fed our family of 6 plus gave us leftovers.

**The recipe called for La Victoria Red Enchilada Sauce. I had never used this one but decided to try it. It's now my favorite. It was also the most expensive in the store but sometimes you get what you pay for.

Get ready to laugh (or chuckle)

So....
You are probably wondering if all of my dishes are in my old cupboard....
What is in my other cupboards?
When your pantry is only one small door that is 15 inches deep, it doesn't leave a lot of room for your food storage that came from a big-ger pantry.This is how I coped with this situation.
Yep, all of them are filled with food storage.

Bringing a little Idaho to Texas

Finally a few before and after pictures mixed in with our Idaho home pictures.
Above was my kitchen in Idaho. I loved the cabinets. Jacob made them back when he remodeled the house. It was one of my favorite things of the house.
Our new kitchen before we painted (as shown before).
And our new kitchen painted in a light gray. We used our old cupboard (the one section we brought with us) for our plates and glasses.
Again, above is our living room from our Idaho house.
And, this is our new "game" room here in Texas. (I still like calling it a family room but everyone here refers to it as a game room.)
This room was a dark mud brown and it felt boxed in. I didn't take any before pictures but we ended up painting it the exact same color as our living room before. Between the paint that we had brought and what Betsy had left over that she couldn't take to Kansas, I didn't have to buy anything for this room. The colors (and couch) just made it feel so cozy and at home.
This is the before pic of the living room.And this is the new one. We never had a living room in Idaho so we had to take some of our "junk" (the stuff we sold on Craigslist) money and buy another couch. We still want to find a colored rug and some art for this room but that will come as we find the "perfect" pieces.

P.S. The broken Fiestaware count is at two and a loss of $24. This time it was my oldest. I told the kids they had one freebie and then it was over. Over the weekend we also went and bought plastic cups, bowls, and plates that they can use for lunch and breakfast. I can't afford buying a new dish every week.

#35

Happy Birthday to Jacob (two days late).

Jacob turned 35 on Wednesday. We celebrated tonight. Betsy and her family came over for dinner and cake. Jacob requested chicken enchiladas and his (norm) favorite applesauce cake. What happened to the cake you ask? It doesn't turn out when you accidentally forget the baking soda. So I substituted for strawberry-mango tortes (and we didn't have to count ridges.)

Jacob is a superb father and a wonderful husband. I hope this year is really great for him.

Bedrooms (part deux)

The bedrooms are finally put together. At least for the kids. Jacob and I still haven't even started our bedroom. Since we sold our bedroom set in Idaho, our bedroom is still bare.
Kirsten chose her room and I love her bed! The drawers in the bottom is a nice place for storage!
McKay's room was the last to complete. I sanded and painted her bed as well. This time it went faster and was easier. I already have my next sanding / staining project, you will have to stay tuned for that one.McKay put together her bedroom all by herself. She did get the smallest room but she got her own bathroom with it. And even though it's the smallest (it's still pretty big) I think it's the coziest.

Bedrooms

Yesterday was Jacob's birthday.
And this was him the day before. He usually takes a little snooze after dinner. I think that's what age can do to you. It's probably more from working full time and staying up late. Anyway, Jacob texted me in the morning and said that we were playing volleyball on a team that night with some friends from work so we are going to celebrate on Friday when Betsy and her family can join us. More pictures of this occasion will come later.
This is the what came to be with my sanding / painting project. I was so happy with the outcome.
We let the kids choose a new duvet cover (since the last one they had was when I chose back in '06) and a bed (within reason). After I put Katanya's new cover on, she informed me that it had forgotten the circle pillow that was at the store with it on display. It's funny how the kids pay attention to certain details.
This is Cruz's room. (If I was to paint the kids room, which I'm not, I would paint an accent wall in green.) McKay painted the picture in the background.

More power

Today....
I used Jacob's power tools.... and I liked it. I can't wait for more projects.This one was for Katanya's bed. She wanted a pink bed....and she'll get it too.

Fitting In

Our new ward is called the Old Settler's Ward. With a name like that, how can you go wrong.

We started going to our new ward the first Sunday that we arrived in Texas. Immediately, we felt like we belonged. The first Sunday was amazing! Everyone reached out to us and we knew this is where we were supposed to be.

A month here, I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting. I was given the topic "Press On." One of the most important things I learned was that while you endure and press on it is more than just that. You need to press on in such a way that you are bringing yourself closer to Christ. And even though you may be going through trials, there can be happiness while enduring rather than thinking the happiness is at the end. I know that this is a thing that I have a lot to work on.

The next week (last week) McKay had to give a talk in sacrament too. Her talk was amazing and I was impressed. Her subject was agency and she talked on our first choice in heaven and how it was to choose agency in itself. She pointed out a fact that Satan plan wasn't just to force us to do right but it was a disguise in getting the glory and the power all for himself. She pointed out how little daily choices can end in making choices that will lead to our eternal progression and how while we have the agency to choose the consequences will always follow and those we do not get to choose.

The week I had to speak, I also got called to serve in the Young Women's. There are going to be 19 Beehives by the end of the year making it a total of 30 girls. They are all so closely knit and it's the first time that I haven't seen any "cattish" acts in the group. I'm excited to work and teach and be taught in this organization.

Now for the next question. When will Jacob speak and what will be his topic? I can't wait.

The Oasis

One of the "requests" from the kids when we were finding a house to rent was that it had a community pool. Luckily we did and I can't imagine summer without one.
This is ours. It's actually a decent size and really fun. It's a short walk from our house.
It's never really crowded and it has a 2 foot roped in section and then a bigger area ranging from 3 - 5 feet deep.
We took a break while we were moving in and unpacking for ten days but now the pool has worked it's way back into our routine. Cruz has also learned to swim and take breaths while doing so. Three kids down, one to go.
It's one more reason to love Texas.

Tile floor-1, Fiestware-0

Today we found out what happened when my Fiestaware meets the tile floor. I have a fear what the future could hold for my dishes. Cruz felt terrible for dropping the dish but by far the positives outweighed this misfortune.

1. It was not a discontinued color. 2. It was only $8 to replace. But the best part of all....

3. I got to order the new place setting color for this year. Welcome Marigold.

P.S. I will never complain about the soft bamboo wood flooring I used to have.

What it was like before we came

(Apologies now for the blurriness of the pictures. Jacob took them from his phone and I don't think he waited for it to focus.) This is what the main level LOOKED like. I didn't want to do orange again so before we put down our deposit, I asked if we could paint. The owner said yes and to make it as if it were our own home. Of course I love color but I did keep it toned down a lot this time.There are two rooms (one left and one right) when you walk in the entry way. The were painted Texas Longhorn orange. It had to go.
We painted the floorboards white first. I remembered to have pictures taken after this was done.
The living room and kitchen were a marigold yellow.
Didn't strike me to well either since the counters were a dark navy blue.We finished painting 90% of it before we moved in since we had some minor setbacks. There is one room (the game room upstairs) that we will finish this week. It's a mud brown and really clashes with our couch. (No offense to any brown / beige / coffee / or tan color loving people out there but I just can't handle that shade.)

Pictures of our Home Makeover Edition will soon follow.