Having fun with Aunt Marnie and the cousins

This evening we went to Boondocks! The kids had a blast! But, poor Uncle Rolo is not as young as he thinks he is, he tried being adventurous and got sick on a ride called max flight. It's tough getting older ;) We rode on the go karts, played laser tag, and had fun playing all the arcade games. We have been keeping busy, playing at the Park, bike riding, went to the dollar theater, lots of shopping, playing soccer. . .

WILD KIDS

For breakfast on April Fool's day we had dessert! I wouldn't mind doing that every day. Mmm Mmm Good!

Here is a good recipe for an Orange Julius (From my sister JJ)

6 oz. frozen orange juice, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 12 ice cubes,
Blend and Enjoy!!!!!

Penny and Austin Chillin

"Give me this Mountain"

That saying was a motto in my mission. It meant take the challenge, aim high and conquer. I had a great run this morning! I have taken on the challenge to start running and I can't believe I am easily running 5 miles and feeling great when I am done. I have been running for six months now and it is on the top of my list of some of my greatest accomplishments. It is such a rewarding feeling to have your body in good shape. I can conquer running up hills now, it is neat to see the progress! I am so looking forward to running my first 1/2 marathon "Give me this Mountain"

...when a person is a "picture of health", it is because he is a happy frame of mind.

April, the Angel of the Months

(My daffodils in the backyard 2008)

Today is the first day of April! The sun is shining, the grass is turning green, the sky is a beautiful blue with just a few passing clouds, our bodies relish breathing in the fresh air, we can start to walk bare foot out side, flowers are blooming with radiant colors, I agree with Vita Sackville-West that this is the Angel of the Months.

A few thoughts for this morning :)

Yesterday in primary before I started my lesson I asked my girls "What makes you happy?" It was interesting to listen to there response and to see what makes them smile.

Quote "Where is happiness, real happiness? Nowhere but in God. By possessing the spirit of our holy religion, we are happy in the morning, we are happy at noon, we are happy in the evening: for the spirit of love and zion is with us, and we rejoice in God, for he is the giver of every thing good . . ."

&

I need this added prayer for this morning:

Dear God -

So far today I have done all right.

I haven't gossiped, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overly indulgent. But in a few minutes, Lord, I am going to get out of bed, and from then on, I am probably going to need a lot more help"

That prayer makes me chuckle inside. There is no better way than to start your day with prayer. Heavenly father will help us and if we do our part we can be happy and help others to also have joy in there lives.

I wish everyone a happy morning, happy noon and a happy evening :)

She Who Loves A Garden . . .

. . . . Has A Very Special Treasure For She Has Found Her Private Paradise.

Today the sun is shining and I am planning on enjoying some fresh air in my backyard while I do some gardening. Happy Saturday everyone :)

This apron is too cute! I would like to sew an apron like this one, i need to write it down on my "TO DO" list. Can you tell that I am a Mary Engelbreit fan ;)

Ricks College Friends

1998?

Today I talked to a good 'ol friend :) We were roommates at Ricks College. It was so nice to talk with her, she has the sweetest voice and is so kind in every way!! Thank you dear friends for your great examples! You have a positive influence in my life.

2001

I can not believe that this picture was taken seven years ago! Ladies we are getting old :) Do you think we have changed much? A lot has happened in those seven years! We all have wonderful husbands :) Cute Kids :) . . . . and many more happy times ahead!

I added a special effect to these pictures. Rolo gave me these miniature daffodils two years ago and they are still blooming :) Yikes, this is my third post for today :0 I'm feeling better, that flu bug wiped me out for a solid two days. Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that my kids won't get sick.

The Shadow of Spring

By Staci Rocha :)

O how lovely to know

that you can rely on



your shadow below



just like spring time

it is joyous to the soul

for you know that you will see

what is buried below

O.K so I just made that up . . . . I took that picture the other day and I thought it was neat. . . . :)

Find some Great Recipes at www.pickypalate.blogspot.com

This gal from picky palate is an amazing cook. Her recipes seem realistic to me and I definitely want to try some of her recipes! To get these recipes you can go to her blog! These cookies look good!

"bye bye butter chocolate chip cookies"

Blueberries and white chocolate chips :) "Blue and White oatmeal chippers"

This soup looks so good! I like how she topped it with avocados, i have never tried putting avocados on top of a soup before.

I found these pictures below from one of picky palates links on her blog and I can't remember which one. I need to find it and i will post it later. But, I thought it was a great idea so I saved the pictures. This lady had the idea to do a "pot luck" dessert table for a wedding reception. With some planning ahead she had friends and family members that were coming to the reception bring a family favorite dessert and she put adorable labels with each treat.

" Aunt Dawns Key to your heart key lime bars"

Aunt Cathy's "Just for the little girls cupcakes!"

Cute idea!

We caught the icky . . .

FLU bug at our house. YUCK! Both Rolo and I woke up yesterday morning not feeling well. It's not suppose to hit us both at the same time, i thought we were past the flu season, I guess not! Hopefully, the kiddos will not catch what we have had. I feel a little better today, I'm just keeping things low key, drinking sprite and eating lots of saltines - JOY - JOY

Cute Kids!

Penny's curly curl's

Good Morning!

This Easter morning we watched a gorgeous sunrise while we listened to a musical program next to the Boise Temple. The weather was freezing, but it was a wonderful morning to ponder on the life and gift of our Savior.

You can tell how cold it was by looking at Penny's cute little RED nose :) I will post more pictures later of the kids. (i put hair rollers in Penny's hair for the first time ;)

I have enjoyed reading the Ensign for this month. It really is a SPECIAL issue! I would like to write down the welcome message that was written in this issue! WELCOME TO THIS SPECIAL ISSUE: When you read the scriptural accounts of His life and ministry, you realize how much Jesus Christ exemplified love. He healed and blessed. He looked past human frailty to see the heart - offering hope, healing, and forgiveness through His ministry, teaching, and great atoning sacrifice. That same Savior, the Son of God lives. He knows our hearts and loves us. He has compassion and desires to bless us. That is the message of this magazine. You will find it in the words of living prophets and apostles, teachings who Christ is and what He offers us. And you will find it in the testimonies of ordinary people whose lives have been blessed by their accepting Christ's invitation to come unto Him, learn of Him, and follow Him. We invite you to study these messages prayerfully, take them to heart, and share them with others -The editors

I drew those pictures onto poster board for sharing time today! I believe in miracles and I know that death is not the end and 'Because Christ lives, we shall live also' Spring time is so symbolic of the Greatest miracle of all, that our Savior was resurrected, He lives! Happy Easter Sunday!

Easter Weekend

I hope everyone has had a beautiful weekend. Last night a wonderful elderly couple in our ward offered to watch our kids so we could attend the temple, what a kind act of service. It is so refreshing to enter the temple and enjoy some peace and quiet ;) Today we have finished some spring cleaning. We had the sister missionaries over for dinner, I love missionaries! And I made a yummy dessert :)

Caramel Brownies

Doesn't that caramel look good?

Recipe for Caramel Brownies:

50 Caramels (14 oz. pkg.)

1/3 c. evaporated milk

Melt until smooth

1 pkg. milk chocolate cake mix

3/4 c. butter melted

1/3 c. evaporated milk

Combine & stir by hand until smooth

1 c. chocolate chips

Grease 9/13 pan. Press 1/2 of batter into pan and bake at 350 for 6 min. Remove from oven. Spread caramel mixture over top then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Crumble remaining dough over top. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min.

ENJOY :)

Does Penny look like me or what?

Penny D. 2008 2yrs.old

Staci D. 1980 2yrs. old

Easter Egg Hunt

The Easter bunny came to our house and left some treats in our mailbox. The kids colored there own bunny bags and hunted for some yummy treats in our backyard!

It's the first day of spring!

PSALM 19 David Testifies: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. There line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

I am grateful for spring time and for the beauty of the earth. Everything truly denotes that there is a God. ' I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me and you! '

Simple Pleasures

A little bird delivered two beautiful cards for Dallin and Penny

The Dog peaking out the back door at the bunny is adorable!

Inside the card it reads: May you find lots of eggs and lots of happiness.

I know Dallin will be grinning from ear to ear when he gets to go gather some eggs and candy to put in his little basket. Oh the excitement of being a kid.

Receiving mail is one of those simple pleasures that brings a smile to your face!

Thank You Poppa and MaKey

We Love you too!

Family NIght

The kids had a great time coloring eggs! The Easter Bunny will be coming to our house tomorrow! They're Excited!

24 cents for a box of cereal at Albertson's

This morning I went jogging and we cut our run a little short so we could go to Albertson's at 6 am to pick up our pre-order of cereal. I ordered a year supply of cereal for a total of forty dollars. Incredible deal! Fruit Loops, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Corn Flakes . . . We can survive off of our food storage now :) We have cereal and moo milk!

LUCK!

I hope everyone had a lucky day yesterday. I wore my green lucky slippers I made and my husband was still pinching me ;) I am one lucky gal to have a great hubby!!!

While i am thinking about luck, my husband also spotted a ladybug inside our house on saturday

Ladybug Lore:

*If you find a ladybug in your house, count the number of spots and that is how many dollars you will soon receive. (My husband actually found a two dollar bill on saturday! And the lady bug had two spots :)

*If you find a ladybug in your house you will have good luck! (I have found a ladybug in our house the past two years before spring time. Rather than saying i am lucky, i prefer to acknowledge that i am blessed ;)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

* Irish blessing: May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow and may trouble avoid you wherever you go!