Pancakes

Once when we visited our Uncle Eldon the boys have always remembered a few things. One was the pluthera of pancakes... apparently Uncle Eldon (or Aunt Mindy) make "extra" pancakes when having pancakes. Then they freeze the leftovers. Smart!

S0, when we came to visit and Uncle Eldon was out of town; Aunt Mindy took Cindy running and Glenn was still sleeping, the kids got up and raided the freezer. Zach said, "Mom, it was great!"

So, ever since, I have been trying to always make "extra" pancakes. BUT, there's a problem, I have to make about 4 batches before I get EXTRA! Today I finally got ahead of the system! (The boys will be happy come Saturday morning.)

Christmas 2007

It's the day after Christmas and little Emma Lee (2-3/4) is wondering why? "Why didn't Santa Clause come again Mom?"

Christmas day started around 5:30am when the pitter/patter of feet trampled down the stairs. (Well, a few days earlier we had gotten a few movies Christmas movies at Blockbuster, so we asked them to watch a movie and to wake Mom and Dad up at 7am.) I didn't think it would fly, but they agreed! Yippee! Merry Christmas to Mom and Dad! We got an extra hour of sleep and then the fun began!

Zachary (8-1/2) has been asking for The Wave for some time now. We were hesitant to get him this "skateboard-like" thing. But then I found a Junior Wave on-line at Sports Authority and - Wa La - one happy skater! And guess what, it'll hold up to 225 lbs. so Glenn is also having a blast on it too! He wants one for his b-day! :)

Benjamin (10) is really into crystals and physics and all this kind of "science stuff." He has a brain that is constantly wondering and inquiring and asking me stuff that I have "no idea" on. Good thing he has a wonderful Dad who can answer all these questions! He has been busy doing things like...

Nicholas is really into Legos, but then again, so is Christopher. They both enjoy remote control cars too. So, they got their fair-share of these kinds of toys.

The last couple of days have been just gorgeous here. The boys are having fun jumping off the swing set. (I really do need to find out where the closest ER is.) And even though we are about 1100 miles from our family in AZ and about 600 miles from our family in NE, we are all doing well wishing that all of you guys had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

LASIK problems

I went back to Mesa last week to do some enhancements on my eyes. You see, a few months ago I had the LASIK procedure on my eyes. I felt at the time that all went well; there was absolutely no pain. Yet, I didn't have the best vision. I continued to tell myself, that over time, the healing process would help my eyesight become better.

Well, the first month passed and all was pretty good. Then the second month came and we moved our family to Dallas. During this time, I felt that I was having a harder time seeing but I just dealt with it. From time to time I would use Zachary's glasses and I would get by.

Then, it seemed as if I was wearing Zachary's glasses more than HE was. This posed a problem - he needed them for school! Glenn shooshed me over to Lenscrafters and after the apointment, I came out with a new pair of glasses.

LASIK - blah! Of course I was a bit unhappy. After all this $$ spent to ease my life, it did not work?!?! I went back and the procedure was just as before, yet I came out being able to see much better. But... it's not like it really really should be yet... maybe time will heal the bit of flaws I still have? Wait and see...

There is a very nice upside to all this - I got a GREAT 3-day vacation with Mom & Dad/Grandma & Grandpa! Thanks for a relaxing visit!

Double Digits

We are the proud parents of a young boy who just turned 10!

The BIG TEN!

Ben didn't have a friend's party this year - mainly because most of his friends are in Arizona. But by next year, he should have a few friends to invite over. :) We celebrated with presents and a chocolate cake!

Home Improvements

We stopped at IKEA the other day and look what we found. It is the most WONDERFUL purchase! (I'm not much into IKEA, for I think it's much toooo big and they just have toooo much stuff.)

But with 7 people in our family, that's 14 feet. That's 14 running shoes, 14 sandals, 10 rain boots and then all the extra soccer and baseball shoes at the appropriate time of the year! It can be a big MESS! (We use to have a great big laundry basket but the shoes on the bottom were always so so trashed.)



So, we were looking for some way to organize our footwear and as we drove past, Glenn said, "Oh, let's just stop and look." "NO WAY," I shouted. We had all the kids with us and it was after 8pm. I could see disaster written all over this! "What are you thinking?" I blurted.

But, it was indeedy a GREAT stop! And as you can see, I can put my potatoes on the top shelf and a few cookies that needed the frosting set on the second shelf... just lovely!

Turning Over A New Leaf...

While all of you out there are in a frenzy about hanging your lights, decorating your tree, going shopping and getting ready for the Holidays... I just have ONE thing on my mind... I WANT THE VAN IN THE GARAGE! I'm not asking much (I don't think) - and after just 3 weeks, my husband delivered!

You see - the rains are falling and the temps are dropping and there's a feeling of Christmas in the air! I LOVE IT! And, there's something about "getting in the van tomorrow morning" and NOT having to scrape the ice.

Now, with that said, I do want to report that the Holiday Spirit is catching up to us too. The tree is bought and after reading Uncle Eldon's post about his Holiday Tree Buying Experience, I'd like to report that that is the norm over the last few years at our house.

But, this year was different, we did not go to the local nursery as in year's past, we did not buy the artificial one either - instead, we went to THE HOME DEPOT! It was hard for me to accept that (and it was even hard to post)... but Glenn and I are to the point now that it's just better to let the kids run wild in an enclosed area while he and I hash out the "picking of the tree" and this year I feel good to report that after he picked a very nice one, I just said, "Sure Honey, it looks wonderful!"

I just don't know if I'll ever get to the point of buying that artificial tree?!?! (It does sound so easy and good.) But, after speaking with my Mom and Dad in Bruno Nebraska (Dad now 75+ years) they still do the yearly trek (now to the local nursery in a nearby city) and purchase that REAL TREE!

When I was young, that was "the thing" that my Dad and I did together each year. I believe that my brothers and even my Mom stayed home most of the years. It was just something that Dad and I did together each year! And, it just might be something that Glenn and Emma Lee get to do in the year's to come!

Christmas Is In The Air

There's a previous post about "the House That Glenn Bought." And as you can see, it is a very TALL house.

So, it is Christmastime and all the lights in the neighborhood are beginning to go up, and up, and up. And Glenn is bound-and-determined to put lights on this house - just he and a ladder!

Don't y'all remember reading in the paper last year around this time about a man who was hanging lights off his roof, and he fell and DIED?!? I am trying to explain this story to Glenn this afternoon and I think, I just think, it soaked in.

So, instead, I've got him out with the craft glue gun... attaching hooks to the brickwork. This is so we can hang some lighted garland.




We put some netted lighting on the front bushes and I think (beneath all these boxes we still have) we are going to be feeling the Christmas Spirit! Merry Christmas!

TEXAS - we're here!

WOW!

TEXAS IS BIG, LARGE, HUGE, BIG, GIGANTIC, BIG, BIG!

Everything in Texas is just plain old BIG!

The truck pulled into the Lone Star State last week. It was loaded on Tuesday morning and by mid-day (3ish) he was on his way.

The loading went well. We only filled half the truck. That evening and the next day we cleaned and cleaned and touched-up and got the house ready.

We said good-bye to lots and lots of friends and family! One can not image the treats, books, activity pads, CDs, gifts and snacks that were sent our way! WOW - thank you! The kids thought they were riding in Santa's Sleigh.

As many know, we drove both car & truck out here. I worried the night before that I would fall asleep at the wheel; I tend to do that occasionally (that's when Glenn & I would switch)! Well, there would be no trading for the 1100 mile trek! The excitement was great on Thursday morning and we traveled nearly 700 miles to Midland TX (with a few stops along the way). On Friday morning we continued the travel and arrived around 3pm. We swept up a few things at the new house that evening and off we went to stay at the fancy Hilton Hotel in downtown Dallas (courtesy of http://www.hotwire.com/ -- highly recommend it)! We jumped on the beds and swam in the pools. On Saturday, the truck unloaded and by noon we were residents of Frisco Texas. WOW!

Ben & Zach traveled with Glenn and mostly read books and did Power Point presentations on Glenn's computer. Nick, Chris & Emma rode with me and we sang so many songs, I'm STILL singing them today! Some of the favorites were "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "The Mambo #5" and of course listening to the "Star Wars" theme song, over and over and over!

What's Texas like - well it's definitely BIG! Here's a few bits of information that I've picked up over the first week in the Dallas area:


The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845. So, when Texas was annexed in 1845 it retained the right to fly its flag at the same height as the national flag. (This is probably the "oddest" thing to see... driving by these incredibly BIG auto lots, to see the two flags flying side by side. Or driving by these BIG banks and BIG churches of every faith imaginable and seeing the flags, side-by-side.)


Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper. (That tidbit of info was specifically for Uncle Brent! You guys need to come visit to get the REAL stuff!) There is even a Dr Pepper Ballfield nearby.

The state's cattle population is estimated to be near 16 million. (But we haven't seen one yet. We have seen more and more diggers and construction equipment than one can imagine. Christopher thinks he's died and gone to heaven!)

Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation's total area. (I guess that's why everyone thinks BIG out here!)

As for all of us - we're doing just fine! The house is beautiful,but then one must not forget that stucco to Phoenix (Mesa) is like brick to Dallas (Frisco). The area in which we live reminds me much of Ladera Ranch (newness, colors, and currently beautiful temperatures). Glenn did do well and there is plenty of floor for guests. (I'm on the look-out for some furniture.)

The boys were off to school on Wednesday and as we get to know our neighbors and members of our church, we're beginning to realize that most of us ARE NOT TRUE TEXANS, and that's okay, y 'all! :)

Halloween 2007

You know... even though I think that Halloween is a silly holiday, we sure had FUN tonight! We had Superman and Dash running through the neighborhood!

There was also a cross between a beautiful ballet dancer and Frankenstein!

We also had a magical candy bowl - whereas most candy bowls empty out over the evening, OURS continued to FILL UP with mostly peanut products! :)

CA Fires

Our (old) next door neighbor in Ladera Ranch sent me this photo. It is taken from the top of the Oakley Building in Foothill Ranch CA where her husband works.

When we made our return to California in 2003 we were in contract to purchase a house right up the street from this company. The price was $450,000 and we declined for WE THOUGHT it was way too small and was just too pricey. (It also had a few issues too.) Well, when we left CA in 2005 the price on this house was over $650. Man... now it's right in the path of fire, fire, fire... who would have known!

She said that the layers of ash have been building up for days around their house in Ladera Ranch. When you walk through the grass, it kicks up clouds of ash! The sun is RED!

We continue to pray for all these dear friends and especially for our family. Hang in there!

Month at a glance (Oct)

It's been another busy month. It just baffles me how the months just roll one into another. Glenn finished up his old job with Intacct Corp out of San Jose and began a new job with RealPage out of Dallas. What's so interesting with this new job is that he'll be working with so many of his old friends in San Jose.

He headed for TX last week (during Fall Break) and will be returning this week. He really went out to look for a rental but instead will be coming back with a house that we are in the process of buying.

No, I haven't seen this house... and most everyone thinks that I'm crazy. "You'd let your HUSBAND pick the house where you're going to live!?!?" Let me explain. This guy I married has an awesome track-record of finding the best house for our family. It just amazes me!

We lived in Chicago from '96 to 2000. During that time we were in a condo while we built a nice house (together)...

then the separation began...

He accepted a job in San Jose (2001) and went out to find a rental and found a really really old house in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the Bay Area. We made wonderful friends out there! It was a rental and we lived there for 3 years.

Then we moved on to Southern CA (2003) where he found a really really new house but it too was only a rental and it was nice. We left friends there too.

In 2005 he accepted a position with the San Jose Company once again, but this time he was able to work from a home office. This allowed us to move on over to Mesa, to be closer to family and to have the opportunity to buy an affordable home. He found a beautiful house in a nice part of town. Sent me pictures. Made an offer (after checking with me) and on we came to AZ.

Neither of us have lived in Texas but we're excited for an opportunity to see more of this great country. The boys are also excited, probably more-so than me. Emma keeps asking if Haley and Lindsey (her cousins) will come too. (I sure hope they can visit!)

During Fall Break (since Glenn was gone)... the boys and Emma and I had a good time together too. We didn't do much on Thursday, a few doctor appointments. But on Friday we decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo. We've been to the zoo before, but there's always been more adults than this visit! We arrived at opening (9) and stayed till nearly closing (4).

We ALL had a wonderful time! We were able to see so many animals and just have a nice time walking the park, playing in the water areas, eating lunch, petting the farm animals and best of all - eating ROCK CANDY!

The MOVE

We are in the process of getting our home ready to sell. That should not be toooo hard. We've only lived in it for 2 1/2 years! Well, when we bought the home we bought it "as is" and we never found time to paint a few of the rooms.


The one room Glenn did paint before we moved in was the beach room. The beach room was interesting: it had a beautiful light blue sky with rolling clouds. Then, on the wall, were the THREE LADIES IN BIKINIS. Those HAD to come off even if Zachary assured us that he'd "look the other way." These women were cartoon women, with large busts, big hips and ruby red lips! They were disgusting to us! Glenn began painting over and over and over and over with about 3 to 4 coats of red paint, and then green paint. The room came out nice for the boys... but for resale, NO WAY!

Last week Glenn began taping the room off - to get ready for the 5 to 6 coats of natural beige paint that it would take to cover up this red and green paint. As he began working with the tape and stuff he noticed that the paint "peeled" off very very easily. (Well of course it would, it was vinyl-like and had about 3 to 4 coats.) So our Friday Night Party involved getting all the kids into the room to peel paint! It was like peeling large pizza-sized chunks of paint off the wall - it was easy and fun!

It was a blast till we told Uncle Brent what we were doing. He questioned about the drywall and asked a few "thoughtful" questions that we had never even thought about... what is happening to the texture on the wall? are you taking the drywall off? will the paint stick to what you have left?

Of course "we should have NOT been doing what we were doing" and Uncle Brent came to the rescue last weekend. He and Glenn "re-mudded" the walls and the room is bikini-free, red & green paint-free and READY TO PAINT! Thanks Uncle Brent!

As for the move... we will continue to box and box and hopefully be out before the Holidays! :O

The GECKOS are back!

Summer is ON ITS WAY OUT! The gecko's are back on the back porch! I am so happy to see them, for they only come when the temps are going down, down, down! Lovely!

Whirlpool

This is one of Christopher's treasures. He found it at the park a few days ago and was so so happy when I found it today (it was lost)... it was IN MY DRYER!

Stake Conference

Last night and this morning we had the priviledge of seeing and listening to one of the 12 apostles from The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints... Jeffrey R. Holland.

Oh, where do I begin... LIGHT! On Saturday night at the adult session of this spectacular conference Elder Holland spoke of a book he had read a while back. It describes the holocaust and speaks of when the victims rode the train into the camp. Men and boys were escorted to the East and women and girls were escorted to the West. At the end of the day they would "line up" to watch the sun go down (in the West). This young boy at the age of 12 could remember seeing his mother. And as the sun went down it always went down directly behind her causing her silhouette to shine through... until it was down and the camp was dark. He wondered if he would ever be with her again.

He went on to say that sooner or later in life we would all have this darkness (be it marital problems, drugs, educational battles, divorce, wayward children, financial, social, etc.) Some of these darknesses can last days, months and even years.

He said that many of us are out there with this darkness and continue to carry on. BUT, some are "jumping ship!" His plea to us was "YOU DON'T JUMP SHIP!" No matter how bad it gets, there is someone that loves you and sees your individual worth - it's our Heavenly Father! "Without the Gospel of Jesus Christ you will not succeed." On Sunday morning he reiterated this same message to the youth.

He spoke highly regarding President Hinckley, our prophet who is 97 years old. "Each day he comes to work, day-in day-out. Can you imagine being 97. His wife is dead. He has terrible health and is in much pain. He will continue forward until his time is up. He's not jumping ship on us."

Since it has been 19 years since we had an apostle come to visit in the Mesa area, our older boys really wanted to be at the conference. (The conference was being broadcasted to another building.) We arrived at the Stake Center at 7:45am and they patiently waited and took many walks till the conference started at 10am. There was no complaining! We ended up sitting in the basketball area, about 10 rows back from the last padded bench in the chapel. (Not bad.) We had friends that were 3 rows from the front. THEY arrived at 6:30am. (They only have 2 older children though!)

We ALL loved listening to this apostle of our Lord and Savior. I am so excited for Conference coming up next month and it's really really rewarding to see the boys getting excited too! I am very grateful for the teachings of the Church.

I Can See!

After 9 years of glasses and 25 years of soft contact lens... I AM FREE and I CAN SEE! Why, tell me why, did I not do this procedure (LASIK) sooner?!?! Probably the price tag attached to it! ;0

Labor Day Fun

We thought about "going swimming" once again... but we are really really getting tired of "going swimming" already. So, we took our yearly jaunt up to Flagstaff, or Snowbowl, to ride the ski lift and go on a hike. This is our 3rd year and we thoroughly enjoy it!




So, once again this year came by and we decided to make the trip. The only problem - there were thunderstorms in the area that day and after waiting an hour we were informed that the ski lift never would open. So, the boys took a quick hike and we continued on to see the Arizona meteor/crater.

Basically, a miniature Grand Canyon.

Anyone need a trim?

We returned from our Labor Day Day Trip... all were put to bed... Glenn and I proceeded to the bedroom to get ready for bed... and there on the ground was THIS SIGHT! Augh...



All were already put to bed. Who could it be? When was it done? Well, you can only guess - EMMA LEE! As each one awoke on Tuesday morning, the interrogation began... WHAT DO YOU KNOW? Know one had any clue EXCEPT - CHRISTOPHER!

Apparently he tried it first. (He has a patch on his forehead removed.) Then he proceeded to Emma where she stood on the step stool and he grabbed a chunk from the top of her head and took a nice close-to-the-scalp SNIP! He told us that we were getting the older boys ready for bed and that they were just jumping on Mom and Dad's bed (and snipping hair).

Live and learn! :)

2 1/2 YEAR ITCH

Well, it's that time of life for us... again... for the 5th time.

Glenn accepted a job in the Dallas TX (that's TEXAS) area and we'll be leaving AS SOON AS THE HOUSE SELLS! (augh!)

Now, why would you ask... would my husband accept a job where:

1. He has to go TO an office.

2. He has to dress up (not shorts and a t-shirt, and flip-flops are optional)

...well, I'm not sure either. So, ask him.

Some Thoughts...

When Christopher got off the bus this morning (from Kindergarten), he, Emma and I went to swim lessons. Then we traveled over to Queen Creek to pick up some boxes. (Queen Creek is about a 20 minute drive to the SE.) On the way we stopped at Wendy's and got a burger and fries and frosty. Then we filled the truck full of boxes and started our journey back home.

As we were traveling in the truck, Emma fell asleep. Christopher and I had some good conversations:

Christopher: Mom, why don't you ever cook ice for us?

Cindy: Well, I guess I don't know how.

LONG PAUSE

Cindy: Do you know how to cook it?

VERY LONG PAUSE

Christopher: Yes. You fry it.

Cindy: Oh. Then what do you do?

Christopher: You fry it with water. Then you make it into a sandwich.

Cindy: That sounds good. I'll have to try it soon.



Or this one...

Christopher: What are we going to do with all these boxes Mom?

Cindy: We're going to pack our things. Then we'll move to TX.

Christopher: Can my stuffed animals go?

Cindy: Yes.

Christopher: How will we get ALL THESE BOXES in the airplane?

Cindy: No, the boxes will go on a big truck.

Christopher: Do you think they'll have treats on the airplane?

Cindy: Yes. They usually have some snack. And pop.

Christopher: What will they have?

Cindy: Probably pretzels.

Christopher: Yeah, probably some special airplane snacks too Mom.


What a good little guy! :)

Thumb Sucking

Christopher (now 4 1/2) had this yucky habit when we lived in California... he sucked his thumb! None of the other boys had this habit and I wondered how to get rid of it.



Glenn threatened to buy the "icky tasting paint" that you'd paint on the finger. But I thought that was too cruel. My mother used it on me and it never worked!



So I tried my magic on a 2 1/2 year-old... it was too easy... I put a sock over his hand and arm and promised him an icecream cone for breakfast - HE DID IT! Glenn was shocked!



Two years later... same story, different child... EMMA LEE is her name... for her "the sock" thing did not work. And Glenn laughed... Once again Glenn threatened to buy the "icky tasting paint" and I dared him to do it. Did he? Never. He wanted ME to do it. (Talk about a little girl wrapped around his finger!)



Well, a few weekends ago we went up to see Brent & April and Fam and Emma had the funnest time with these cheap sunglasses. As we drove out the driveway and waved good-bye she could not stop talking about these sunglasses. SHE WANTED A PAIR - How Badly? BADLY.



After three days of no thumb-sucking... we now have these...

It Begins...

A day that every Mother longs for???

I'm just not so sure about that.

This week we sent our youngest son to school.

I really thought that we would never , ever have FOUR boys in school.

I really believed, not so long ago, that this day would ever come... but it did!

Chris (K) - Zach (3) - Ben (4) - Emma Lee (home) - Nick (1)

This is a great picture of Christopher making friends, the very 1st day of school... we won't tell anyone that she's related to us :)

Still still HOT

We are going on our third summer in Mesa AZ.

I'm still not sure what to say about it. It's just so... so... hot! There is no other word to describe it. I was watching the 10 o'clock news the other night (that's 10pm, not am) and the outdoor temp stated at the bottom of the picture screen was 111 degrees. I still don't know how to describe my feelings for this. (This just does not seem possible to me.)

I really try to keep in mind that it could be -10 below. That would be... cold. And I feel like I can handle cold for I lived in the cold most of my life. But... 111 at 10pm and 85 at 5am... I'm just not sold yet!

Picture this... you know that BLAST of heat you get when you open the oven door when making cookies... THAT'S IT! That's the HOT I'm talking about.

Growing up I would have NEVER, NEVER worn a skirt during the week. It was always, always jeans, jean shorts, etc. The ONLY TIME, only time I ever wore a skirt was on Sunday. And then, one always wore pantyhose with it. When I went on my mission to Argentina, the only real worry I had was wearing a skirt 24/7. That terrified me! Never, never had I ever worn a skirt that much...

BUT NOW... in these temps... I would NEVER NEVER NEVER be caught in anything BUT a skirt! Here's to skirt-makers everywhere... THANK YOU!

My FIL tells me, just 6 more weeks... can I make it? I will try...

One Man's Junk...

is another boy's treasure!

Our next door neighbor cleaned out her garage... need I say more! :}

Bay Area Fun

During the years from 2000 to 2004 our family lived in the Bay Area, namely San Jose. We had four young sons (newborn, 1 1/2, 3 1/2 and 5) at the time and I guess, bottom line, I didn't take them to see many sites. (We did know of all the parks in the San Jose area though.) And oh, is there so much to see in the Bay Area! (But, it just wasn't the time in our life.)

Glenn continues to work for the San Jose company out of our home in Mesa. He visits the office every-other-month and for the past three years I have convinced him to take ALL OF US with him during his summer month trip! (Last year we went for 2 weeks! Now, that was a relief from the heat all right.)

This year we were only able to squeeze in 1 week, but it's better than no weeks at all!

Glenn and I took the boys and Emma to San Francisco one day. We traveled down Lombard Street, the crookedest street in America. Emma Lee had fun holding her hands in the air, pretending she was on a roller-coaster ride. We also went up & down Hyde Street which has one of the steepest grades in the city. Zach was a little worried; and Zach doesn't get too worried - ever! FUN!

We highly recommend the Hornblower Cruise. We did this once before when we only had three sons. (I remember getting sick for I was pregnant with Christopher.) This time I wasn't pregnant :) and had a more enjoyable time. We had a very informational guide who had grown up in the city. We enjoyed learning about Alcatraz Island. It was also fun learning about (and seeing) the Bay Bridge and of course the majestic Golden Gate Bridge!

The cruise had a wonderful lunch buffet. The boys ate well and when we couldn't find Christopher, well, he was at the fruit tray keeping himself all filled up! (Take a look at those cheeks!)

A day later I took the kids back to the Moscone Center in downtown SF. This convention center hosted the yearly Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest. Our neighbors in Mesa had tickets to this event which let us in free for the day. Here's a picture of the World's LARGEST BASEBALL!



The boys enjoyed the batting cages,



fielding balls, playing unlimited game cube, playing t-ball for the little ones, driving crazy cars,





and we all sang and recorded "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"


It was wonderful to feel the cool breeze for 7 days, but best of all to see old friends. Here's a picture of 1/2 the Peake Boys (our old neighbors that lived across the street in Campbell) and Zachary working on a cornhusk project at the Discovery Museum.



The most fun for us - THE BEACH! Whether we are with cousins or friends, the beach is the place to be!

Plum Dumplings

We were in the Bay Area this past week visiting friends and one of my old neighbors delighted me with a bag full of plums!

She has wonderful fruit trees in her backyard (apricot, apple, plum) and I sure do miss trading grapes and oranges for her plums!

So, I snuck them home. (Don't tell Zach, for he could have ate the whole bag.) I made Mom Stara's Wonderful Plum Dumplings! (We seemed to eat a lot of these in the winter months growing up in Nebraska!)

It was definitely a treat for me, but it just didn't taste quite as good as Mom's - probably since I made them in the dead of summer, temps nearing 110! (Not the same as a cold, blustery January day in NE!)

Guess I'm going to need some more plums Mary! :) Thanks!

Double Dessert

When we moved to Mesa a few years ago, we started a tradition. Everyone who lives in Arizona needs this tradition! When the temps go above 110 degrees, it's a double-dessert day! :)

We've been enjoying lots of double-desserts for the past 3 weeks now.