First Julia Childs Recipe

I made my first Julia Childs recipe for dinner tonight--chicken breast with cream sauce, risotto, and marinated artichoke hearts. We liked it, and Aiden even had seconds on the risotto (of course I DID leave out the onions). :)

Holiday Cards and Letters

I LOVE to get Christmas cards. They are such a great way (for those not on FB) to stay in touch, at least once a year. I love to hear how people are doing, see their kids growing up, etc. Sometimes, we hear sad news,and mostly happy, and I'm glad to know what is happening in my friends' lives.

Thoughtful Husband/Favorite Gift

A few weeks ago, Rich and I watched Julie and Julia. It had some cute parts and we like to cook. Well, I thought I knew everything I was getting for Christmas because I picked it out. But, for Christmas Rich surprised me with the Julia Child's cookbook that the movie was about. I was impressed by both his creativity and his thoughtfulness. I would never have bought it, so it was fun to get something that I love that I never expected to get.

Holiday Decorations--How Long?

How long do you keep your Christmas decorations up? I usually like to keep them up until Jan 1 or 2, but this year, I took them down as soon as we got home from Idaho. I really felt the need to get organized and to find a home for all the fun Christmas presents we got.

Christmas Day

So, I'm a little behind on my blog update. We went to Idaho for Christmas, and things were a little hectic.



Christmas Day was really fun. When the kids finally woke up, we enjoyed a breakfast of cinnamon rolls, and when Aunt Janae arrived we spent the morning opening presents, and I must say the kids brought home the loot. I'm going to have to clean out all their old toys to make room for their new ones.



In the afternoon, the boys went hunting and the girls hung out at home with the kids. We had a yummy turkey dinner and then played games and talked until late. Here are some pictures of the gift opening:

And, the big news of the Holiday is that my SIL, Janae, is engaged. Congratulations Janae!

Christmas Eve

We have a tradition in our family of opening a single gift on Christmas Eve, which is a pair of PJ's. I know I'm not the only one. Aiden hasn't caught on to the fact that he's getting a pair of PJ's yet, and was looking forward to opening his present. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Cinnamon Rolls

Every year since Rich was a little boy, for Christmas morning (and General Conference Sunday), Rich's mom, Lorinda, makes cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa. When we can't be with his family at these times of the year, we continue with the tradition on our own (using Grandma Hymas' cinnamon roll recipe). It certainly makes for a tasty breakfast and a fun holiday tradition.

Neighbor Gifts, Family Home Evening, and Holiday Lights

Almost every year, we make a batch of Christmas mice. These mice are made from a freshly chocolate dipped maraschino cherry with a stem, a Hersey's kiss (I prefer the caramel kind), a peanut for the ears, and some black gel frosting for the eyes and nose. They make for a scrumptious treat. After they are all made, we deliver them to our neighbors. That took up a good portion of yesterday.




After we delivered our goodies to our neighbors, we came home and let the kids make their gingerbread house. They, of course, tried to include a string of lights on the house. It turned out really cute.

Finally, the topic of the day is holiday lights, and the part they play at Christmas. I think they represent the light that Christ brought into the world and the star that commemorated his birth. I love to take some time each year to go and look at the lights (which we did last week).

Miracles

And now to the second entry about gratitude. Last September, we asked for your faith and prayers on Rich's behalf in regards to the completion of his PhD. He's been working on this for the last nine years and things were looking like they were wrapping up, and then he had a major set back. His professor started to question a set of data that he felt invalidated Rich's entire project. We were fearful that all of it would get thrown in the garbage and that Rich would have to take a year off medical school to do a whole new set of experiments.

Rich's professor, and another professor in Hawaii, set about trying to solve the problem or salvage the paper. After severl months, things were still not looking good; but then the miracles started. First, Rich found an advocate in department who had some influence and who felt that Rich had completed the departmental requirements. Then, Rich's professor decided that a new set of experiments would not be fair and decided to try to turn the paper into some theoretical piece of work, throwing out all of the experimental data. Rich's advocate then met with
Rich's professor, and told him it was time wrap things up or change Rich's graduation committee.

Then, the greatest miracle; Rich was inspired with a mathmatical solution to the problem and Rich's professor was in the mood to listen. Because of that, his work is validated and publishable, and Rich earned his professor's respect. In his professor's words, Rich had earned an A+ by solving a problem that his professor couldn't solve.

So, now instead of years, we're down to weeks until Rich has his professor's signature on his thesis. It still has to go to the thesis editor, but the big hurtle seems to have been gotten over.

So, thanks to all of you you fasted and prayed for us. You're prayers have been answered; our faith has been increased; and I know the Lord loves us. I am grateful!

Putting It On the Altar

I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves me enough to allow me to have trials in my life that help me to learn and grow. I know that sounds crazy, and those feeling of gratitude don't usually last long, but today, I'm there.

I had the wonderful opportunity years ago to serve a full time mission for my church. Rarely in my life have I felt the influence of the Spirit urging me so strongly to do something as I did when I made the decision to go. I had finished school about a year before and had been aggressively saving my earnings to build up a little nest egg. When I made the decision to go on a mission, I figured I would use that nest egg to finance my way.

Much like the story of Abraham and Isaac in the Old Testament, I put my little nest egg "on the altar"; in other words, I was willing to sacrifice it for something I felt the Lord wanted me to do. Also, because of the generosity of others, the Lord did not require that I actually spend that money, and it was still there when I got back from my mission, as was a great job.

Since then, I've had a few similar experiences, the most significant of which was the decision to stay home with my kids. Rich and I were living in a house that I considered to be pretty darn close to my dream house, and I had a great job with great benefits. We had always planned that I would stay home with the kids when Rich finished school (which was always just a year or two away), and he would take over the financial responsibilities of our family.

However, he made the decision to continue his education in medical school, which left us with a quandary of what to do about my employment. Then, the miracles started to happen. We had the amazing miracle of someone just knocking on our door, and offering to buy the house, removing that financial burden, and giving us a significant nest egg from the proceeds of the sale. Then, my parents offered to let us live in their basement, giving us not only a place to live, but tremendous support while Rich was busy with school.

I continued to work for a few months, but then we felt very strongly that it was time to quit. Some of those feelings were very personal promptings and answers to prayers, and some of those came from talks given in the Oct 2007 General Conference (http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-775,00.html). There was no doubt in Rich's or in my mind that it was now time for me to stay home with the kids. I was blessed however, to keep working one day a week and keep my skills sharp, my resume current, and some income for our family.

At the time we sold our house, we also chose to invest most of the money in some loans to developers. For a while, this supplemented our income significantly, but as the economy failed, so did the income, and the loans. We believed that money to be secured by the underlying properties and personal guarantees, but due to either the failing value of the properties and/or the negligence of the company we used to lend the money, that principal now appears to be gone. We will feel really blessed to recover any of it.

This has been kind of a hard pill for me to swallow. I've been praying hard to recover our investment, but so far, we have not been blessed with that. I find it extremely ironic that our efforts to preserve our principal and live off the interest have actually had the opposite affect.

I also feel very foolish for unwisely investing such a gift and miracle from the Lord. Rich remembers a talk given a few years before by President Hinckley about the importance of preserving your principal. If we could take it back, we would

At this point, all of that is beyond our control and it is in the Lord's hands. We still have sufficient for our needs despite these set backs. Will we have to pay the price this time? Probably, but that's okay. The bottom line is that this life is not about the bottom line, it's about what you learn along the way, and we're learning that things like family are priceless, and that money is just a means to an end; it does NOT make you happy. We're putting this on the altar instead of letting it destroy our peace or our family.

The Christmas Box House

I think the idea of good will, or charity, has a large part to play during Christmas, especially during hard economic times like these. I think it's important for the kids (and grown-ups) to know that they are still loved, and Christmas is a wonderful time to do it.

At work this year, they are sponsoring the Christmas Box House. I've heard of it, but I've never really known what it was. This year I found out. It's a charity to help kids in the foster care system. Some of the stories absolutely broke my heart. Many of these kids just have no idea about the good in the world; they have only experienced the bad.

It's a pretty affordable charity to help out with. They ask for new items that are pretty inexpensive--socks, pajamas, stuffed animals, etc. If you are looking for a worthy cause, this is it.

I think one of the saddest parts about it is that as soon as the kids turn 18, they are out of the system. Most of them don't make it (meaning that within a year they are either in jail, on the street, or dead). There is definitely an area that needs some support... Ideas?

Santa Clause

We have a pretty typical Santa Clause tradition. He of course comes on Christmas Eve and fills our stockings and leaves a present for each of the kids. This year he is also leaving a family gift.

Santa usually tries to include a package of socks for our stockings (it seems appropriate) and a chocolate orange, along with whatever else looks good.

Gift Giving

I'm going to have to come back to this one after the Christmas holiday, because Wednesday's topic is what are you most excited to give. Well, on the very small chance that Rich actually reads our blog, I don't want to give away anything.

However, I am very excited for my kids and Christmas morning this year. Aiden is old enough to be excited for Christmas this year, and Mackenzie is enthusiastic about everything. It should be a really fun Christmas for the kids. I must confess to spoiling them a bit this year (it probably won't be the last year either). But, Christmas is only once a year, as long as I'm good the rest of the year, right?

Hope

I've gotten a little behind on my blogging this week, so you'll have to forgive the multiple posts today. Tuesday's topic of discussion was hope and how it relates to the holidays.

I guess to me hope means that you have a strong desire that everything will work out; it goes hand in hand with faith. It needs to be realistic. For instance, I can hope I win a million dollars before the end of the year, but that's just not going to happen. I also think hard work goes hand in hand with hope. Things aren't going to happen without a little (or a lot) of effort on our part.

So, this year I hope that Rich will finish his PhD by the end of the year (fingers crossed thanks to your faith and prayers, it looks possible). I hope everything goes well with this pregnancy. I hope my children will be wonderful kids and adults.

Along with the wonderful Christmas season and the birth of our Savior, I hope that I, and all my friends and loved ones, live worthily to receive the blessings that were provided by the Savior of all men through his life and death.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Lights and other Potpourri

The Christmas season is such a wonderful time to renew friendships and spend time with family. I just got our cards out today. I love to give and receive them because it's nice just to touch base in a personal way (although blogs and FB sure make it easier to stay up on how everyone is doing).

We also went to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point with the kids tonight. They enjoyed it. Then we came back home for scones and hot chocolate. I just keep thinking of every pound I'm going to have to loose in 3 1/2 months. Sigh. But, it's all worth it, right? I mean those sugar cookies from the weekend sure were tasty.

Onto the topic of the day. We usually alternate which family we spend each holiday with. It's nice to have everyone close enough that that's possible. This year, we spent Thanksgiving with my family (although the Hymases were able to come join us, which was awesome). So Christmas is with Rich's family this year; we are looking forward to finally making it to Idaho after way too many cancelled trips.

The sad thing is that I don't know how much longer we will do that; with the kids getting older (and the size of our family growing), I doubt that we will be able to do that indefinitely. But, I'm sure we will always find ways to visit and spend time with our families one way or another. Isn't that was Christmas is all about?

Oh Christmas Tree

For the past couple of years, I haven't put up a tree. My mom has had one upstairs and ours has been buried deep in the attic (not to mention no where to put one), so we opted not to. However, this year, we put up the big one and the little one.

We always put up the fake variety. While I LOVE the smell of a fresh cut tree, I don't like the fire hazard, and the needles dropping on the floor. So, we go for the reusable kind.

The big one is decorated with a more elegant look and the little one is decorated with my favorite collectibles. Maybe someday I'll have enough to decorate the big one. Here are some pictures:

One Last Thing...

Sorry for the multiple posts today (just getting caught up), but I wanted to tell everyone how proud we are of Grandma Hymas. She graduated from nursing school yesterday. We were so sad we weren't able to go to the graduation ceremony (Rich had a final), but we couldn't be any more proud of her accomplishment. CONGRATULATIONS GRANDMA!!!!!!

Favorite Holiday Movies

My family and I were able to sit down this evening and watch the Santa Clause 2 while we decorated holiday cookies. It was fun to spend some family time together (Rich had finals yesterday and was home today. YAY!). And, I found that I really liked the movie, even though it was corny, it wasn't full of the trash that is so typical these days. I guess that's what I like about the holiday movies in general. You just find so much less of that.

Anyway, I still love the classic Christmas movies--It's a Wonderful Life; A Christmas Carol (really any version); and all the classic kids shows like Ruldolf, Charlie Brown, and the Grinch. They just make Christmas seem like Christmas time.

Here are some pics of the cookie decorating:

The Not Holiday Party

It's been a tradition in our house most years to have a Christmas Open House. When I was on my mission, there was a family (one who was both kind and affluent) who had a Christmas Open House. We were able to attend because they were also very missionary minded and introduced us to their friends. It was a fantasic event and one that I wanted to adopt. So, back in my single days, my roommate Molly and I started having one. I've tried to keep the tradition alive since I've been married; I certainly like being able to see my friends and family.

It's been a lot harder the last few years between pregnancies, kids, and now living in my parents' house. I think it's also been pretty hard for our friends to come because they are either in the same boat we are in or just very busy with the holidays. So, in light of that (and the fact that I'm 23 weeks along), we have decided to forego the event for awhile. It makes me sad because I really look forward to seeing everyone, but sometimes, it just doesn't work.

Hopefully, it's something we can do again (probably not until Rich is done with his residency). So, in 8 more years, I hope you will all be able to come (just trying to give you lots of notice).

Favorite Holiday Sights

I think one of my favorite holiday sights is the Christmas lights on Temple Square. It's not something I even get a chance to go see every year, but I love to see the beautiful lights, and feel the brisk air as we walk around. A Christmas concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir really makes the whole scene picture perfect.

Christmas Stories

One of the fun things we like to do at Christmas time is revisit some of our favorite Christmas stories. Many of you know that I love classic English literature, and among my favorite authors is Charles Dickens. So, of course A Christmas Carol belongs on the list.

We've also been reading a lot of children's literature lately. Two of our favorites are How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Polar Express.

And finally, the Christmas story in Luke 2 brings home the beautiful celebration of Christmas. It's so fun to dust off these stories and read them again and again.

Grandma GG

My Grandmother (Grandma GiGi) passed away a couple of years ago, and, of course I still miss her. She was a beautiful person and a beautiful seamstress. I am blessed to have a few Christmas decorations that she made for me over the years. These include a couple beautiful cross stitches of poinsettias, a table runner, and some Christmas stockings. They are velvet and lace and I love them. I hang them by the fireplace every year. It so great to have these little reminders of her. Take a look:

Holiday Feasting

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that food is one of the things that makes the holidays the holidays. From scones and hot cocoa, to Christmas dinner, to the yummy homemade treats, it doesn't get better than that.

Some of our traditions and favorites are:

Spinich artichoke dip
Waissle
English toffee
Chocolate covered cherries
Cinnamon Rolls
Scones
Turtles
Cinnamon almonds
Cheddar fondue
Truffles
Hot chocolate

I've added 5 lbs to my hips just thinking about it.

Today, I made a couple batches of English Toffee. Here's a pic:

December Visiting Teaching Message

Christmas Symbols

One of my favorite symbols of Christmas is the nativty scene, in particular the one by Willow Tree. It's so beautifully simple; it captures the essence of Christmas.

Favorite Christmas Song

I've been pondering what my favorite Christmas song is and have had a hard time narrowing it down to one. There are at least a few to choose from. However, I did manage to get the list down to my top 4, and even in order.

4) Do You Hear What I Hear?
3) Little Drummer Boy
2) Silver Bells
1) Oh Holy Night

What are some of your favorites?

Christmas Home Decor

The children are nestled all snug in their beds, and I'm taking a moment to write about the idea for today, which is a sentimental piece of holiday decor.

While I was attending BYU, I was browsing the bookstore one day and found this Christmas ornament of a pair of mice looking through a pair of spectacles. I don't know what it was, but I thought it was the most adorable ornament I'd ever seen, and I bought the last one they had. Of course, I paid a ridiculous amount of money for it, at least for a college student, but it started the only "collection" I have, which is Christmas ornaments.

Joy and the Festival of Trees

The writing and photo assignment for today is joy. This assignment ended up being easier than I thought it was going to be because we went to the Festival of Trees today. First of all, what a great cause. It was nice contributing a little bit to Primary Children's Medical Center, and to see so many others generously doing the same.

But more than that, it was a little heart wrenching. I was done looking a the trees after a few rows, mostly because so many of them were dedicated to the memory of lost family members. I found myself tearing up at almost every tree.

So how does that relate to joy you ask? Well, first of all how can there be joy with no pain? There is a quote from the movie Shadowlands that says "The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal." Who would trade the happiness and joy they've had in their life in order to avoid the pain of loss?

While we were there, the kids also got a chance to visit with Santa Claus. I love that Christmas symbol of the innocence and love of children.





There were also lots of gingerbread houses. There were two that were of the house from UP, balloons and all (I may have to attempt it). That was such a great show about making the most of our lives, even when were old and gray, and finding joy.

"Welcome Home, for the Holidays"

Here is a link to the article that served as inspiration for the December 2nd writing assignment:

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/reality-check/welcome-home-holidays

Having a home that is welcoming to friends and family is really something that I want to have, and it's something that I'm afraid I sometimes fall short of.

We usually have a Christmas Open House each year, but we are going to fore go it for this year and probably for a few more to come. I think we're at a point in our lives when our friends and family that are our age are busy with their families, and an Open House is just one more thing no one has time for; December, after all, is a busy month for everyone. However, when we are settled into a home of our own again, I would like to resurrect the Open House. It's a great time to see and visit with friends and family.

In the meantime, I hope that everyone feels comfortable and welcome who comes to our house.

The photography assignment for December 2nd is something warm. Here is a lovely bowl of tomato soup. I will post a few more pictures as I take them.

Holidays in Hand

A couple of weeks ago, I took a free on-line class from JessicaSprague.com. It was just a fun holiday oriented bunch of ideas, which included a daily advent calendar of things to do, make, photograph, and write. It's called, ironically, Holidays in Hand; and here it is, Dec. 3rd, and I'm writting the assignment for Day 1 (although I intend to get caught up today). I thought my blog would be a great place to do it.

The assignment for day 1 was to write about my family's holiday values. I like this idea because I think it's so easy to get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas; I have a house full of Christmas gifts to prove it. But, I wanted to take a moment to focus on three values that feel are the most important in my life.

First and foremost, I (we) value the entire reason for the holiday, which is the birth of our Savior. The love and sacrafice that Christ has for us and paid for us is just beyond comprehension. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of just how much he love us and am completely blown away. I am grateful for his example, patience, love, and understanding.

Secondly, I value my family; what a blessing they are in my life. I love seeing my children grow and I appreciate the love and support my family gives me.

Finally, I value charity. There is no other time of the year when I am more aware of my blessings and of how many people there are who don't have the blessings I do. It's actually easy to buy a package of socks for the poor baby who doesn't have any. It's hard to know how to give that baby the love they deserve and don't get; Or to let the person who is missing a loved one how much they are still loved.

As I said, I truly feel blessed. Merry Christmas!

The photography assignment for Day 1 was a welcome to December picture of the family. Unfortunately, that one will have to wait until Rich is home when the kids are still up. But, I'll get one posted as soon as I can.

Turkey Cookies

I have been making an effort to have some fun activities and themes for the kids to do. Last Saturday, we spent an hour or two making these cookies. It was a really fun activity. We used oreos, whoppers, and candy corn to make these turkey cookies. The kids had as much fun sneaking the ingredients as they did putting them together.

It's a .....

If you don't want to know what we are having, then stop reading now. I did not include an image that would give it away.






Mackenzie wanted a girl. Aiden wanted a boy. Mackenzie was disappointed and Aiden was not. We're having a baby boy.

Miracles

I'm grateful that we're all better, or almost better, including my Dad. I'm looking forward to a beautiful, healthy holiday season. Thanks to all of you for your faith and prayers during this ordeal.

Also thanks to everyone for your faith and prayers on Rich's behalf in regards to his phd. We are beginning to see miracles. This last week or two, Rich has found an advocate in one of the other professors in his dept. Additionally, Dr. Higuchi told Rich this week that they would make the data work and that further experiments would not be necessary. That is a tremendous softening of his heart and a change of tune. In short, it's a miracle.

Please continue to pray for him. Your prayers are working!!!!!

Weed Picture

I took this shot on a foggy day in Idaho back in January, but I made some adjustments to it with my newly learned photoshop techniques. Enjoy.

Hospital

Well, Dad was checked into the hospital on Monday afternoon. He had pneumonia as a complication of swine flu. He also had some bacteria in his blood. They let him come home today, but not until he'd had about 6 different IV antibiotics. I'm still expecting a slow recovery. It's been a rough week and a half.

Aiden's Birthday Party

Here are some pictures from Aiden's b-day party. I will add more details tomorrow.

Flu

Rich woke up with the flu this morning, making Aiden the only one who's healthy. Although, Aiden was sick two weeks ago. At this point I hope he had the flu and is now immune.

Tamiflu is a magical drug. I am already starting to feel better, but Kenzie is feeling worse.

On the bright side, at least we are guaranteed a swine free holiday season (unless this darn bug mutates).

Fantastic

Kenzie's new word of the day is Fantastic. For instance, "I found my duckie slippers. Fantastic!" So cute!

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

I got the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines on Tuesday afternoon. Fat lot of good it did. I started having symptoms Tuesday night. My Dad had been sick since Sunday, and finally went to the Dr. Thursday night with a temp of 104. Turns out, he's got it. Grandma, Kenzie, and I went to the Dr today, and we all have it. We all got Tamiflu today. Kenzie and I aren't too bad, but the concern is for the pregnancy. I guess the complicatins can be serious.

So far, Rich and Aiden's vaccines are doing the job (fingers crossed; they were vaccinated 3-4 weeks ago). Grandpa, I'm afraid, is down and out for now. Hope we all feel better soon.

Photoshop Class Day 13

Night Time Routine

I've started a new night time routine with my kids which works like a dream. They go to bed most of the time without a fuss. First, we get the "chores" out of the way. We put on our jammies and brush our teeth. Then we read our family scriptures. After that, we do a 10 minute kids yoga routine available On Demand (we just got cable not too long ago). They love it and it includes a relaxing blanket time. After that, it's warm sippie cups of milk, we read two books, and then it's prayers and bed. It's like magic in getting them for the night.

VT Message

One thing that I try to do each month is create a Visiting Teaching message card for ladies I visit. I decided to start posting them here. If you want to use it feel free. This month I chose to use President Uchtdorf's talk from the Priesthod session about working and learning. Let me know if this didn't upload with a high enough resolution to print.




I used papers and embellishments from Shabby Princess Harvest Spice and Shabby Fall kits.

Happy Halloween

So I'm a little late in posting our Halloween activities, but we had a lot of fun! We went to Halloween parties and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood(Rich was even able to join us). The kids can hardly wait until next year.

Photoshop Class Day 12

Photoshop Class Day 11

Photoshop Class Day 10

Photoshop Class Day 9

Here's a subtle technique, but I think it does a great job of drawing the eye to the focal point of the photo.

Before edge burn:


After edge burn:

Photoshop Class Day 8

It has really been fun to go back through so many of our old photos and find ones that fit the lesson for the day. I LOVE the new stuff I've learned about how to use photoshop. I wish I had more time to spend on it.

Photoshop Class Day 6

Here is Day 6.

Scare

This Halloween week started with a big scare. On Monday, my Dad came wondering downstairs. He was bleeding from a cut on his face and was completely disoriented and suffering from memory loss. All he could remember was that he thought he had had a bike accident. He didn't know where his bike was or how he had gotten home. We rushed him to the ER and gratefully he was okay, just really rattled. He had a concussion. After a couple hours, he was back to his normal self and remembered everything just fine.

Turns out he had been going up over a curb, got the timing wrong, and fell. He hit his head, shoulder, and knee pretty hard and was pretty scraped up. Somehow, he had ridden this bike and found his way back home. He is pretty sore and got a few bruises and scrapes, but we are VERY grateful that he's okay.

Photoshop Class Day 5

So, I definitely have been a little busy, but here is day 5 of the photoshop class. I love knowing how to texturize a picture.

Photoshop Class Day 4

I know you've all probably seen this photo already, but here is one of my favorite flower shots with a cool new edge.