The Joy called BOY

Noah's dad has been reviewing...well, really DRILLING the scout motto, slogan, oath, etc. into Noah's head this weekend. He memorized everything except the Outdoor Code. As part of this Outdoor Code discussion Jim asked Noah what the benefits of the Buddy System are. Noah's response, "If you get hurt, someone can run for help. If you are lost, you are not alone. And if you are lost AND hungry, you won't starve.........you could always eat your buddy." A moment of silence passes until I ask, "Did you just say you could EAT your buddy?" Noah: "Yup....hee-hee-hee!" Ahhh...my sick twisted boy really made me giggle today. Gotta LOVE that kid. (Although if I were a scout, I might reconsider being his buddy. Ha!)

All Ears...

Last Friday, my friend Christine called (Hi Christine!) to say she knew of some FREE CORN. But it was now or never as the owner had opted to turn the water off! Basically a whole field of corn was just dying on the stalks waiting to be picked. We jumped in her car and after a short detour to the Oh Sweet Sadie Craft Show & Boutique (hee!) we found our way into the most obscure corn field ever! It was in back of a teeny tiny little house in West Jordan. You would never know it was back there! We made our way down a very skinny path, across a rickety, narrow bridge (over a very mucky creek), and down the road...it you could call it a road! We decided there was divine intervention getting us up that path. On the way out we needed assistance. There was a RUT (more like CANYON) winding and curving and running the entire length of the road. We have no idea how we did not fall in that thing! Miracle! The field was dry...but we persisted and found a section with plenty of green ears ready and waiting.

We filled 4 IKEA bags to the brim. And we cut down a bunch of corn stalks for our porches. Of course we were sure our hair, clothes and car were full of creepy crawlies. And I wore shorts! Ok...so I'm not a farm girl. Oops! It was itchy.

We had a great view! I don't think we could have been much closer to the temple. It was even prettier when the sun went down.

Ahem...did you catch that? Now it's DARK and we have to navigate the bridge and rutted road again...IN THE DARK. But we made it. Whew!

All that corn picking and 4-wheeling made us hungry...off to Pei Wei for a gluten-free festival of goodness. I especially love those spring rolls! Yum!

Since the corn was so close to being too dry to do anything with, we had to freeze it ASAP. It was a fun family project. The kids and I...

Shucked the Corn:

Posed with the Corn:

Blanched the Corn:

Cooled the Corn:

Dried the Corn:

Cut the Corn:

Chucked the Corn-Cobs:

Bagged, Stacked and Froze the Corn:

We ended up freezing 16 on the Cob and the rest as cut kernals. (Can I mention that I wouldn't know how to do anything without the internet? Including preparing corn for the freezer.) Yum...we were listing the yummy things we can make using our FREE CORN. Corn Bread, Clam Chowder, Salsa...yummy goodness. Thanks anonymous Farmer Guy who gave us your corn! We are grateful!

I *heart* Converse

After Livi's soccer game yesterday we stopped by the mall to look for the yellow peacoat that Alyx is wishing for...didn't find the coat, but look what I tried on! AREN'T THEY COOL?!?!?!

disclaimer: these are not my actual legs as I did not have my camera to document the awesomeness - I borrowed someone else's pictures off the internet. :)

I have a passion for Converse shoes. I love them. I wish I had some in every color of the rainbow. I wish THIS was my closet:

Make that every color in low AND high tops. Then just throw in a couple pair of Knee-High's and a pair of these Double-Tongues and I'd be in shoe paradise!

Didn't buy them, but it sure was fun to feel them on my feet! Very, very COOL.

Remember...and Believe

I was very touched by this message today. It is beautiful to see how Jesus Christ can heal our spirits and bring us peace and strength through our adversity. I am blessed to know that when times are hard the only true way to find peace is to turn to our Savior. I am so grateful for that gift.

Contented

A few days ago Olivia asked me what all the books stacked up on my desk were for. Remember those darling vintage storybooks? Those are the ones... "Oh, they are for cutting up and using in scrapbooks and other projects like journals and things," I answered nonchalantly. "WHAT?!?!?!? You are CUTTING THEM UP?!?!?!?" was her distressed response. She was genuinely UPSET. "But aren't you going to READ them first?!?!" Apparently, she had been sneaking them off my desk and reading them bit by bit. And I realized that it was probably a good idea! So we started off with Olivia's first pick that night at storytime. She chose The Contented Little Pussy Cat by Frances Ruth Keller. I had picked this book for my original project because the illustrations were so darling (reminded me of my good pal Lynley!) but I had never even given thought to the story. Boy, was I glad Olivia wanted to read them. I had been having a moody week. Feeling a bit sorry for myself. Praying for strength. Who knew that the Contented Little Pussy Cat, whose name turns out to be Abner, would have my answer.

The story is about a cute little kitty who is "always happy & good-natured". He was "never cross or sulky". His neighbors, Mrs. Brown Sparrow, Mr. Black Crow & Mr. White Bunny discuss Abner's good nature with Mr. Great Owl one day. They wonder how he can be happy ALL THE TIME. Mr. Great Owl brings it to their attention that they always want to be as happy as Abner but they "never do anything about it". He suggests they ask the Pussy Cat what makes him so contented. The three neighbors rush right over to see Abner. He sees them coming and "hastily smoothed down his fur and gave his fave a lick and a promise with a wet paw". After the "how do you do's" the neighbors ask Abner why he is so contented. "Abner was dumbfounded." (Hee! I love that we read this part, then turned the page to see a full page illustration labeled..."Here is Abner Dumbfounded." It made us all giggle!)

Abner thinks about the question, he just has to give a good answer. Every time he thinks "the tip of his tail jumped this way and that way".

He decided that because he is always neat and clean he is happy. The neighbors agree and yet they say they are all neat and clean but that doesn't make them happy all the time. There must be another reason. Abner thinks again. He answers that he always tries to be kind and loving to his friends and neighbors and that makes him happy. (Do you get the feeling this is a WISE little guy?) Again, the neighbors agree and yet, they try to be kind and loving and they still are not ALWAYS happy. "Tell us the really and truly reason, little cat, " Mr. White Bunny pleaded, "we're so anxious to know." This time Abner thinks for "a full minute and a half" and meows: "I really think I'm always happy because I never feel sorry about what happened yesterday nor do I worry about what might happen tomorrow."

I smiled and almost cried at the same time when I read that! It is AWESOME. So simple and so TRUE. That is one wise little cat, I tell you what! Of course his neighbors were also stunned by the truth he spoke. After a moment they all realize that they were unhappy that very day for feathers lost yesterday or fear of rain tomorrow. Abner asks if being unhappy can put the feathers back or keep the rain away. Of course the answer is "No, it never has." Then the neighbors ask, "Dear me, there are so many, many things to trouble a body! How can we ever stop worrying about them?" They look to Abner again...""Why no good thing was ever learned without practicing", meowed the little cat with inspriation." The neighbors commit to "start now to practice being happy, so we won't lose any time." They thank Abner for his sound advice and bid him good-bye. The story ends like this: "Abner gave a great BIG sigh. Then he yawned and stretched and stretched and yawned. Then, last of all, he curled up into a yellow furry ball for a good long cat nap, feeling like the wisest little cat in all the whole wide world. And perhaps he really was. THE END."

Needless to say...this book is no longer in the "to be cut up" pile. No way! IT IS A GEM. Olivia saved it from a horrible death. I love to read it and remember that being happy can really be that simple. Letting go of our past mistakes or hurts and letting go of our fear of the unknown. Practicing every day to be happy so we won't lose any time being miserable. Really, that is what faith is: Letting go, doing our part and then TRUSTING that all will be well. Thanks, Abner.

We're Back from the BEACH!

So much wonderfulness...it was definately hard to come home. Oh, how we love it there! The sand, the sound of the waves, the quaint little town. It is so full of goodness. I really wish I lived there! For right now we are definately grateful to Uncle Jan & Aunt Nancy for their generosity in inviting us to come and play on the beach in our fav little town of Carpinteria, CA for the second year in a row. It is something my kids talk about the rest of the year. WE LOVE IT THERE. And how could anyone not?....













The first thing we always do is check out our "Beach House" (as Ella calls our condo). We had a first floor apartment this time and it was decorated very cute! The things that stood out to the kids were an entire wall made of mirrors in the living room, the tile floors (no wet, sandy carpet this year!), the remodeled bathroom (the shower had no door and consisted of just a large panel of glass...the kids felt like they were standing nekked in the middle of the room), the shell shaped plates and bowls in the kitchen, the outdoor eating area on the back patio, and last but not least...the very large flat screen TV with satellite and DVD player. Since we don't have TV at home this was a real treat at night when everyone should have been in bed.




After we are settled into the Beach House it is certain that everyone wants to go immediately to the BEACH! It is so fun to see the kids running like crazy straight into the ocean. My cousins and their kids are all there for the week (in fact it is truly their party...we are just lucky enough to get to tag along). Everyone has cousin-friends that they are really happy to see again. And of couse...Grandma Vickie comes down from Sacramento!







This year our trip seemed to zoom by too fast! We wondered if it was because it was a bit chilly and we ended up spending more time inside or shopping and such because being wet meant being cold. Each day there was a mid-afternoon burst of sunshine so we were able to play in the ocean every day. But last year we swam a lot more. The breezy, cool weather kept us on the sand this year. I didn't mind! I loved laying on the beach reading my book (I read two books cover to cover this week! Woo hoo!). Alyx read, Kaytee played her guitar, the kids ran around loving every minute of their day.





On Sunday after we go to church in Carpinteria, we like to take a short jaunt up to Santa Barbara. There is a Community Arts Show along the beachfront where we can observe a very interesting array of art, jewelery, pottery, hats, crafts, clothing, and ecclectic artisans selling their wares. My treat to myself this year was a cute little blown glass heart necklace. We took another trip later in the week to visit the antique shops between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. There was a darling Folk Art shop that had amazing vintage quilts and folk style artwork. My favorite piece there was a hand carved Noah's Ark with Noah's family and all the animals made in 1908. I couldn't believe that the skinny little legs on all of those animals survived all those years of playing. Kaytee and Grandma Vickie had an especially good time there. There was some fun art to look at.







On another day, we walked down the beach for about a 1/2 mile to the tide pools. It was rough waters in there this time! Just as I hiked up to the top of the ridge to snap an arial view photo, Noah was knocked down by a wave and bashed against the rocks a bit. Luckily, he was able to get out with a banged head and a bruised back. We decided it was too trecherous to find shells in there this year. It is still a very beautiful spot on the beach. And a nice walk to get there!

The week went by to fast and before we knew it Friday had arrived. We spent Friday on the Beach. Soaking in the last bits of sun and sand. We have so much fun here! We love the Family Sing-a-Long with Ukeleles and Guitar, the delicious fruit, squishing our toes in the warm sand, seeing Grandma Kay, Lindon Street with it's cute little shops and the Candy Store, visiting with cousins...there is so much here that we love. I am so grateful to Uncle Jan & Aunt Nancy for letting us tag along! Carpinteria is our favorite place to be!