Thanksgiving Horse

This is a little late, but as promised, here is a picture of the feed store horse all gussied up for Thanksgiving. 

When I drove by today, she had already started getting the horse ready for its Christmas look.  I will share that soon.

A few of my Favorite Things

Well, Thanksgiving is upon us again, which means it is time for one of my favorite things posts.  This is where I post about a few things in my house that bring me happiness.

First...

I love fresh flowers in my house. My awesome husband brought these home for me on my birthday a few days ago, and I love how they just make the whole space seem happier.  He would probably make sure that I always had some in my house if the budget would allow for it, but since it doesn't I pretty much get them for every important occasion (birthdays, mothers day, anniversary, every time I had a baby, etc.) and every once in awhile he will surprise me with some for no reason at all.

My magnetic chalkboard menu.  This fills up the perfect spot in our kitchen and I think it is so fun.  The boys think it is pretty fun too, so, it rarely looks quite this nice.

We recently revamped our teeny tiny laundry room and I am so much happier with it, but this little basket shelf is the best thing we did, and I plan on taking it to whatever laundry room we end up in after we leave this house.  When I fold the boys clothes, they go in their designated basket and then the boys take them to their rooms and put them away as part of their daily chores.  It makes laundry so much more efficient around here.

My Bernina sewing machine.  My dad bought this for me as a graduation from college present.  I am so glad he did, because I never would have purchased such an expensive one for myself, but I have used it and used it and used it and it still runs like new.  In fact, when I went to pick it up after the last time I had it serviced, the technician kept telling me what a nice machine it was, and I had to agree.  I love my Bernina.

Without that Bernina, this quilt would not have been possible.  I pieced this quilt last spring and took it to a long-arm quilter to be quilted this summer.  I love it.  It is so cute and happy and the quilter did a great job on the quilting.  I have this on my bed to keep me warm when Jeremy steals all the covers. ;)

Back in the days when I was working and had money to spare, I used nothing but Lancôme Defincils mascara.  I loved it because it did not flake, or smudge - ever, but it came right off with just soap and water.  Now, that we are living on an educators budget, $27.00 for one tube of mascara is out of the realm of reality.  I am so glad that I discovered this Kirkland Borghese mascara from Costco.  While it isn't as great as my beloved Defincils, it is darn close and for less than half the price per tube, it is well worth it.  If you keep an eye on your Costco coupons, this usually comes up often for a nice big savings.  Love this stuff!

And finally, I can't have a favorite things post without posting about my very most favorite things in the whole world.

These six people mean everything in the world to me.  I am so grateful that I get to be their wife/mother.  They are all extraordinary and I love them tons!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A few things I love about Taylor

Yesterday, I went visiting teaching.  This was my first visit with one of the sisters on my new route, and when she found out that I was from Orem, she said to me.  "Oh, how do you stand living here?  I just don't think I could stand living here if I had grown up somewhere as nice as Orem."  This was coming from a Taylor native.  This is the second person from Taylor that has said this to me.  I had to come right home and tell Jeremy, since he thinks my lack of love for his hometown is just unthinkable.

I am a city girl.  I love the city and I feel much more like myself when I am in a city - especially my hometown.  I do love Orem - so, so much, and I would move back today if I could.  I have a hard time feeling like myself, or really even being myself in Taylor and so sometimes I may be a little overly hard on the poor little place, but I want you all to know that I think that Taylor does have its charms.  So, here are a few things that I really love about Taylor.

This is a field that is located about a block from our house and is normally not so pretty, but this summer, we had a lot of rain and it got filled with these cute little yellow flowers.  I took this picture when it was a little past its prime, but at least you get the idea.  It was so pretty and it made me happy every time  I drove or walked past it.  Now, you tell me where you are going to get a view of a big open space filled with little yellow flowers in the city?  Not gonna happen my friends.

This is the view of Taylor from our church building. I love this view in the fall when all the trees are in color.  This year, we had a lot of wind in the fall, so as soon as the leaves started changing, they blew off the trees and I didn't get my pretty fall view that I love, but I still think it is kind of pretty, and definitely not something you would see in the city.

Okay, I don't really have a great love for this traffic light, but I took a picture of it, because it is the only traffic light in all of Taylor - which means - I am never, ever stuck in traffic here.  After putting up with a 10 mile commute that took 30 to 40 minutes when I lived in  the Phoenix area for five years, no traffic is a major, major plus for Taylor.

Another thing I like about living in Taylor is the fact that the crime rate is relatively low.  When I leave town, I don't have to worry too much about someone breaking into my house or stealing my car.  These were pretty big worries when I lived in the valley.  I am also always amazed that my boys can leave their bikes out in the yard night after night and they never get stolen.  That wouldn't have happened even in my beloved Orem back when I was a kid.  If you left your bike out overnight, you could pretty much count on never seeing it again.

And finally, this is my most favorite thing in Taylor.  The horse at the feed store on main street is always soooo festive.  It is always decorated up for the current holiday or season.  This is what she did for Halloween.  I just can't wait to see what the horse ends up looking like next.  Seriously, if you are ever near Taylor you should make a point of driving by the feed store to see what the horse is looking like, and then stop at Trappers Cafe for a meal or at least a piece of pie.  They are famous for it.

Now that I have let you all in on the horse treasure we have here in Taylor, I think I will keep you all updated on its latest look here on the blog.

I also want to say how much I appreciate all of my in-laws and how good they are to my boys and to Jeremy.  I think one of the reasons that Jeremy wants to live in his hometown, is he knows he has people he can count on if he ever needs help with anything, and his family is great about helping each other out when it is needed.  They have also been so good about watching my boys while Jeremy and I go on an occasional date or overnight trip. Since I don't have family near to help me with these things,  it is so nice to know that I have people I trust with my boys, so that I can get a little break now and then without worrying too much.

So there you have it.  I might not ever really feel like myself in Taylor, or even like living here very much, but I can appreciate some of the advantages to small town life, and if we were ever to leave Taylor, I can admit that there are several things that I would really miss about it.  Especially that horse. :)

Halloween

Here are a  few pictures of my kids in their Halloween costumes and at their school Halloween parade. 

A powerful Jedi Knight

 



 Captain America

 

 

Thor

 

Drake wasn't old enough to participate in the Elementary School parade, but he had a great time playing on the playground while the students marched around.

 

The powerful Jedis vs Captain America.  Who will win?

 

Cute little Yoda.  He had so much fun getting in on the fun with his big brothers.

 

The entire crew.  This picture makes me laugh.  Getting a decent picture of all five of them together is next to impossible, even when they are all in costume.

 

 

 

 





Drake is Four!!

My little Drake just had his fourth birthday.  As you probably guessed, it was filled with trains.  I made the cutest little train cake, that he loved and I must say I loved it too.  So, I have to show a few beauty shots. . .

I found the idea on Pinterest about a year ago, and thought I could pull it off.  It was easy and fun.

Now onto the real reason for this post - My awesome little Drakers.

He admired the cake.

He blew out the candles, with all the intensity they required.

Then he ripped open presents with great enthusiasm.  Most of them were, you guessed it, trains!!

He got two new train sets that attach to his Blue Mountain Quarry set, and three new engines.  His favorite being Talking Diesel 10.  It is much loved, and much fought over.

He has pretty much played with them non-stop since he received them.

(Please ignore my dirty floors. It was a busy day with more important things to worry about like wrapping presents and making awesome train cakes. : )  The floor got mopped the next morning.  I promise.)

Drake is smart and happy and super fun.  We love having him in our family.

October

October means a couple of things to me. 

First, getting out the Halloween decorations.  I started this month with a case of the flu, so this year, I only got out two things. . .

My favorite 2x4 pumpkins.

 



And the Halloween quilt that I made last year.  The boys still fight over it every day and it totally makes me happy.  I love it when all the effort I put into a quilt is appreciated.

I kept the decorating pretty simple and boring, but when you start the month with a fever of 102 that is how it has to be.

Second, October means the end of soccer season for my boys.  I am happy to be getting my Saturdays back, but a little sad, because I love watching my boys play.  Here are a few final shots of them in action on the field.

Jack waiting for play to start.

Jack at goalkeeper.  I am not sure that soccer is going to be Jack's sport, but it was only his first year, so we will see if he gets a little more into it next season.

Notice how the ball is heading the opposite way of the direction all the players are running?  That is because Thomas just made an awesome kick sending it rocketing back towards the opponents goal.  It was really cool and everyone in the crowd said a collective "Whoa!!  Did you see that?!!"

This is Dallin muscling his way into the ball.  He is a really good player and is not afraid to get physical with the bigger boys.  His team was amazing.  The coach had done a great job of drafting good players who worked really well together.  It was fun to see them grow together as a team and play some good soccer.  They were undefeated and were only scored on by one team all season.  Dallin is going to miss the games, practices, and all of his teammates.

Now, we are just enjoying the nice Fall weather and hoping that Winter doesn't decide to come too early this year.

Art

This is what I have been finding around my house lately. . .

A new wall mural.

A little work done on the dining room table.

A little something extra added to the print on my throw pillows.

A newly tattooed two-year-old.

After 5 boys and many years as a mother, I have finally learned to not sweat some of the small stuff.  All of my boys have gone through the phase where they have to write on everything.  Some have been worse than others - but at last I have learned to just take the pen away, try to hide all writing implements well, and when those smart little buggers find a way to get ahold of one anyway, (or when a big brother leaves something out), to just let it go. 

As long as the writing isn't anywhere too conspicuous, it is staying put until this phase is over and then I will give everything a good scrub down and get out the touch up paint. In the case of my family room wall, it needed some repairs and cleaning anyway. It's all good. 


This is my last little one that is going to go through this phase, and - if I am completely honest, there is a tiny piece of me that wants to keep this "art" around as long as I can, since, I know that all of the sudden one of these days he will be out of this phase and the days of writing on everything in my house will be over.  There is no new little artist coming up to take his place as resident graffiti man.

But don't get me wrong, there is an even bigger part of me that really looks forward to getting out the scrubbers and the touch up paint and having a fresh and pretty house again.  Until then, I am just enjoying my littlest being little and all the good and bad that goes along with it.

Picture Dump

I haven't blogged in almost a month, so, today, I am just dumping some of the random pictures I have taken over the last few weeks.

Dallin got his wolf award in Cub Scouts.  We are pleased with him and his enthusiasm for everything he does in life.

 They put me in as the wolf leader about a month before he was finished. Now, I am going to get on my soap box here.  If you are in a bishopric, or primary presidency - please, please, please listen to me.  Do not do this to the poor woman that has a ton of boys.  It is like putting the woman with 20 month old quadruplets in nursery.  It is just mean.  I love my boys like nothing else, but sometimes they push me to the very edge of my sanity and patience.  Adding 5 more every week has caused my unbearable migraines to resurface.   So, I repeat, if you have anything to do with picking cub scout leaders, do not, do not, do not, do this to the woman with a bunch of boys. 

Okay - moving on. 

Sadly, our trusty lawnmower died on us, so we picked up a new one that came in this box.  Jack told me that I had to take a picture of  our own, real life Jack-in-the-box.

Then all the boys piled in and had to have a picture of brothers in a box. 

Have you noticed that Drake is almost always missing his pants or his shirt?  The child must get hot or something, because it is really hard to keep him fully clothed.

 My sweet Tad asleep with his Pooh Bear.

My favorite summer meal.  BLT's made with our own fresh garden produce.

The three little guys at the soccer fields last weekend.  I didn't get any pictures of Jack at his game, because the batteries died in my camera.  Crossing my fingers I will get something this Saturday.

Thomas playing goalkeeper in his game.  He did a good job.  I think he is best at midfield, but his coach usually makes him play goalkeeper at least one quarter and then puts him in at forward for the rest of the game.  His team is really young though, so maybe next year things will change a bit.

Thomas defending the goal.

This is the only picture I got of Dallin before my camera died.  He usually plays midfield, and occasionally forward.  He is a really good soccer player and is on a terrific team that is undefeated so far this season.  He is the youngest player on the team and is able to play and be competitive with all of the older players.  I enjoy watching all my boys play, but it gets more and more fun the older they get.

Well, that's it for now.  Hopefully, it won't be so long between posts next time.

Dallin is Nine!

Can it really be so?  Is my little Dallin really nine years old?  Oh my goodness, I don't know how I will ever forgive my kids for growing up so fast. 

Dallin had a great ninth birthday starting with an airplane ride first thing in the morning.  He then went to the Sweet Corn Festival Parade.  We had lunch at his favorite Pizza place in Snowflake and then went home, opened presents and had cake.  He requested a chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting and gumballs.   Easy enough - but if any of you have a recipe for chocolate frosting that is fluffy and not too sweet, let me know, because I have been looking for years and have not found one that would satisfy me.  The one I tried for Dallin's cake was the most epic fail yet.  It was heavy, hard to work with and way, way, way too sweet.  Oh well, it got eaten anyway and I think Dallin had a good birthday in spite of the frosting fail.

Dallin is an all around great kid.  He is happy, athletic, smart, compassionate and confident.  He is a fantastic big brother and a big help to Jeremy and to me.  We love him with all our hearts and are so grateful that he is in our family.