Five Girls & A Guy

Race Day

2012-02-15T20:22:00.001-08:00

Here's some action video for you... Hannah, Paige and Maren on race day.

Hannah

Paige

Maren

Hannah - 1st Place in her age group (Go Hannah!)

Maren - 3rd place in her age group

Paige - Disqualified due to fall, but had the best first run time out of everyone!

Izzy leads everyone on the last run of the day...

Quote of the Day

2012-02-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

Farm House Remodel

2012-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

The farm house remodel is in full swing. With some sunshine and nice weather this past week, Kirk was able to replace most of the windows in the house. The old siding is coming off and new windows are going in.

Framing for the Bathroom Window

New Living Room Window

The kitchen cabinets were removed and new ones are on order.

Before

After demolition

Earlier this month, Kirk framed in the carport and we are picking up new garage doors this week.

Before

Waiting for Garage Doors

Ramekins

2012-01-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

This may just be the excuse I need to buy some ramekins...

Deep Dish Cookie Recipe

Fearless

2012-01-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

Introducing.... Izzy the fearless.

She jumps

She parallel turns

She swings her arms when she wants to go faster

She is 3 years old.
She is generally a happy skier as long as she gets a few snack breaks.

Taekwondo

2012-01-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Maren tested for her orange belt. She has been preparing for a few months in her Taekwondo class and was ecstatic, but nervous, to test. She did great.

Maren, the Birthday Girl

2012-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Happy 7th Birthday Maren! Grandma said it best in your birthday card...

M is for magnetic which means you are charming and people like to be around you.

A is for agile which means you are quick and fast and nimble.

R is for remember meaning you have a good memory and are a good learner.

E is for exuberance which means you are enthusiastic and a lot of fun.

N is for nice. You are one of the nicest, sweetest persons we know.

You are all of the above and more and we are so happy to be in your family!

It was a fun week of celebrating Maren's birthday. Age 7 is when our kids get a birthday with friends. Star the Magician was the entertainment for this lively group of kids. They kept him on his toes with lots of questions and a bit of skepticism. He handled himself well and impressed everyone.

The family party came a few days later, complete with an ice cream cookie cake. We're all about non-traditional birthday cakes around here! Happy Birthday Maren.

Christmas Break - Week 2

2012-01-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

On the second week of Christmas Break, my true love gave to me.... Holiday ski camp.

The girls spent all week getting up at the crack of dawn (actually before dawn) and skiing with coaches. They worked on tons of skills, did lots of free skiing all over the mountain and spent some time running gates. I thought they would be wiped out after waking up early and skiing all day, every day but they often wanted to take an extra run or two after class ended.

It was a great week for them and they really improved their skiing skills. I love to be able to go anywhere on the mountain with them now. In fact, they are often taking Kirk and I on runs that we didn't know existed or hadn't been on before.

What a great week!

Hannah and Ally waiting to run the gates.

Maren still smiling after a long day.

Hannah in the gates.

Paige having fun on the bunny hill.

Christmas Break - Week 1

2012-01-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

On the first week of Christmas break, my true love gave to me.... a whole week of sleeping in, playing with friends, spending the day in pajamas, building blanket forts, making play dough and...

A photo shoot

Cleaning house

Making treats for neighbors and friends

Craft projects

Shepherd's Dinner (a favorite tradition we borrowed from my sister)

And a Christmas Eve complete with skiing with Santa and our traditional crab dinner

First Day

2011-12-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

We've had two beautiful blue sky Saturdays of skiing this season. Thanks to an early snowstorm Schweitzer is open. Thanks to cold temperatures the snow has stayed great despite a lack of new snow. The girls are doing great. Hannah and Paige are fun to ski with on any run at any speed. Maren can ski all over the mountain at her own speed and Izzy can ski down the blues. Izzy's favorite speed is FAST, but at least she knows how to stop. It is fun to have everyone on the slopes together.

We are asking Santa for some new snow for Christmas.

Big Guns

2011-11-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

What do you do for Thanksgiving at your house? When we travel to visit Kirk's family there is plenty of great food, cousins to play with, game nights, and after-Thanksgiving day sales. But one of the things that Kirk loves to do is go skeet shooting. Luckily, so does the rest of his family.

Here are the boys checking out the newest purchase...

The girls aren't left behind.

You can never train them young enough, right???

Bring on the Drums

2011-11-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

I think that a 6th grade band concert is something only a parent or grandparent can appreciate. Here's a look at Hannah's first band concert. She chose percussion and is loving it.

First Snow

2011-11-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

We saw the first snow on the mountains last week and a little more this morning. No snow at home yet, but we are getting ready.

We have been busy at the farm trying to get some things done before winter sets in. Kirk replaced all of the poles and some siding on one of the barns so it will last the winter. Good thing too, because most of the posts were totally rotted at ground level and I can imagine a good wind or snow storm would have sent it crashing down.

Last weekend we all worked on clearing a trail from the creek up to the forest. Kirk worked the chain saw and the girls cleared it out.

The fall leaves are really beautiful right now. There are some western larches on the property that are especially beautiful.

The girls also enjoyed a little frolicking in the forest.

Today we spent some time clearing out trees to make a sledding hill for this winter. Kirk cut them down. Paige and Maren ran the quad and pulled the smaller downed trees and branches to the burn pile. I drove the tractor (for the first time!) and pulled out the bigger trees. We are hoping to have a nice sledding hill so all of our friends can come and have fun with us.

Oat Drops

2011-11-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I found this great recipe on Pinterest. I can't really claim that these are cookies since there is no butter and no sugar. The bananas add plenty of sweetness and keep them moist. They taste great and will make a yummy, healthy after school snack for the girls.

Oat Drops

1 ½ cups regular rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ cup of almond meal*
½ cup mixed nuts, finely chopped
1 cup dried fruit*
3 ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, almond meal, mixed nuts and coconut flakes. Stir in allspice and cinnamon. Add dried fruit and stir until well and evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit does not clump.
In another bowl, combine canola oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
Use a ice cream scoop to mold the batter into balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

* For the almond meal, I put 1 c. blanched almonds and 1T. sugar in my food processor and processed until very fine.

** I omitted the dried fruit and used chocolate chips instead. A little bit of Chocolate always makes it better, right?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here is our Island Princess, Artemis (daughter of Zeus, twin sister of Apollo) and the classic Halloween Ghost.

And here is our Gypsy enjoying her Candy.

And here are the girls teaching Izzy the art of the Candy Swap.

We had an unusually mild night (weather wise) for trick-or-treating with plenty kids swarming the neighborhood.

Tooth Fairy

2011-10-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Maren just lost her 3rd tooth. Kirk found this note under her pillow along with the tooth...

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Please give me $200 for my tooth.
Hello, thank you for the money.
Next time I will probably keep the tooth.

Love, Maren

The Harvest

2011-10-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's harvest time at the farm. Some things we have planted (corn and sunflowers). Everything else we are discovering as it comes. There is an orchard with at least 20 trees. It's kind of like 'The Secret Garden' and we are in the process of clearing out the weeds and overgrown vegetation to discover what lies underneath.

Kirk's field of dreams (a.k.a. the corn patch) has given us lots of corn to eat and share. The girls like the corn so much, they will munch on it raw while we are at the farm. We planted yellow and red corn. FYI... red corn looks interesting, but doesn't taste nearly as good as the yellow.

My 'frutarian' children love all of the fresh fruit and are great helpers when it comes time to pick.

Plums, apples & pears from the fruit trees.

And, after all of the work, there is time to play.

Hannah has found a friend next door (Lindsey) who has horses... perfect!

Work Detail

2011-10-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend at the farm, we involved the girls in a few work projects. While Kirk and I rolled a culvert down to the creek to make the beginnings of a bridge, Hannah and Paige were in charge of bringing the branches of a downed tree over to the burn pile. They were good workers and made a great team.

Peaches, and Pears, and Apples! Oh, my!

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know what possessed me, but I've been on a canning binge this past month. Normally I do a batch or two of pear sauce. And that's all. My neighbor has these amazing seckle pears that make super sweet pear sauce with great texture and no added sugar. But after a rather heavy pruning last year, there were no pears to be gleaned,

and this year my cupboards were feeling rather empty,

and the fruit at the fruit stands looked rather appealing,

and I went a little crazy.

It all started when my good friend Cassi did a day trip from Spokane to be my applesauce partner. We tackled several boxes of freshly picked apples from the Whitby's.

It is never safe to attempt applesauce without help.

We make a good team.

We make a good mess.

We always wonder why we do it.

In the middle of winter when we open a can of applesauce and enjoy it's fresh taste,

we remember why we do it.

Processing outdoors on the camp stove is a lifesaver.

After the applesauce came pears, which I always swear I will NEVER DO AGAIN. Until next year, when I forget and do it all over again because, like childbirth, I forget how much work it takes.

Then I did peaches for the FIRST TIME. They weren't as bad as pears and I know I will have to ration them because my kids will beg eat them everyday, all winter.

This is why I dislike canning... the big mess.

But, with a little help from my favorite stove cleaning product

and lots of elbow grease, it (usually) comes clean.

School Begins

2011-09-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

School has begun. It actually started a few weeks ago and we are getting into the groove although it has been a hard transition from a fun summer. I just found my camera, so this post is a little delayed. None of the girls were very excited to get their picture taken. Paige was the least excited, can you tell?

Maren is in 1st grade with Mrs. Vanhorn. Going a full day is tiring and has been a transition for her. She likes riding the bus home with the big kids. She reports that 'there is too much math' but likes school otherwise. I just realized that this is the year when I will need to sit with her EVERYDAY as she sounds out each and every letter in each and every word in each and every book she brings home. This is tough for me. I am hoping that her learning curve is short and she can be a smooth reader soon.

Paige is in 4th grade with Ms. Litven. Her group of friends got split up this year. She is a little sad about this, but I am hoping this will give her an opportunity to expand her pool of friends. She is in advanced reading and math. This is the year she gets to go skiing for one of her field trips. I have already signed up as the parent volunteer for that one.

Hannah is in 6th grade with Mrs. Roget. Her first pile of math homework (she is in advanced math) was more than she has ever gotten before. I have a feeling that this is the year when she learns how to balance homework and free time. No more finishing homework on the bus. This is her last year in grade school. I am already nervous to send her off to Junior High next year. Is she that old already?

Boys Club

2011-09-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

On our third night of our rafting trip, we had a perfect rock to jump off into the Snake River. The boys got serious after all of the kids got their fill and a little showing off was in order.

A little back flip and muscle man from Kirk.

From Keith we witnessed a few twisting maneuvers.

Bruce won the silliest award with his excellent Popeye dive.

Bret showed off his running man and back flip.

Jake (aka 'the Fish') learned how to do a back flip with encouragement and pointers from the men. Way to go Jake!

Megan finished us off with style as she performed her fashion dive.

Adventures in Rafting

2011-09-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day weekend rafting and camping on the Lower Salmon river. It was our best trip yet with plenty of good water and weather.

Some of the highlights were having great family and friends with us, camping under the stars, (intentional) rapid swimming, rock jumping, fun camp spots, great food, perfect weather and lots and lots of swimming.

It is one of those trips where you don't want it to end as soon as it does.

Thanks everyone for a great trip!

Maren in the drivers seat

Campground on the Snake River

Bruce cleaning up at camp.

We had the perfect rapid for swimming at our first night's camp. Almost everyone jumped in from the oldest (Grandma) to the youngest (Neil). Hannah and Paige did a great job. Jake and Megan were the biggest fishes and really had fun.

Paige and Hannah loved rock jumping into the Snake River on our third night.

Bruce & family, Kelli & Brandon rowing the spicy tuna.

Keith, Jenny, Drew, Neil & Grandma on the river. We never did come up with a name as good as spicy tuna for our boat or Keith's boat. We were referred too as the refugee boat at times because of the number of people. But Paige insists that that name is not good enough for our boat so we will continue to search for the perfect name.

Grandma's, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and good friends. Priceless!

Aren't they cute? It doesn't look like Neil is quite ready for bed, does it?

Cousin Natalie was a favorite addition to the trip this year.

Next year Izzy will be old enough to go with us and we can have a complete family picture.

Dirty Jobs

2011-08-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Have you every seen Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel?

After the latest project on the farm, Kirk officially qualifies for a spot on the show. The episode would show him scraping cat poo off the tack room ceiling in the barn. A pile a few feet high and more than a few feet wide.

The worst part? It smelled like CAT POO!

Lots and lots of cat poo!

The Cob

2011-08-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Whitby farms (Kim for thinking of me and Kennidi and Braden for the transportation and delivery), I spent this morning filling my freezer with sweet corn. Hannah, Grandma and Izzy helped shuck the corn. Then I blanched it and Rosemary helped me cut the corn off the cob.

Here's a tip... place the cob upright on the center post of a bunt or angel food cake pan. Then cut the corn off, letting it fall into the pan. It makes things (somewhat) easier and less messy.

Then I used my Grandma Vivian's recipe:

8 c. cut corn

1 cube butter

1 1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. water

Boil 5 minutes. Cool and freeze in Ziploc bags.

** I modified the recipe by reducing the butter to 1/4 cup. One cube sounded delicious, but my waistline just wouldn't appreciate it!

** I also modified the recipe by blanching my corn before mixing it with the butter, salt, sugar. But my brother Bret said it is easier to cut the corn off before it's blanched. I don't have enough corn experience to know. Anyone have a preference?

So, thanks to the Whitby's, my freezer is now filled with 18 quart bags of delicious sweet corn. I can't wait to heat them up for dinner this winter.

And, of course, there were plenty of dishes to be done. Unfortunately, my dishwasher is currently making ugly sounds, so I was forced to wash everything by hand.

Newest Family Member

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

When we knew Sophie wasn't going to be with us much longer, we took a trip to the animal shelter to find her replacement. After an afternoon playing with all of the kittens, the girls voted and we came home with Sweet Pea.

She is sweet, and seems about the size of a pea compared to our older cats.

Sophie somehow knew she was being replaced and instantly disliked sweet pea.

Max is slowly warming up to her.

The girls love her. She gets lots of holding, playing, behind-the-ear scratching, and loving.

She is becoming part of our family (whether Max likes it or not).

Raspberry Season

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is raspberry season and we are loving it. In addition to the small patch we have at home, there is a large patch of raspberries at our property. We have been busy trying to keep up with all of the ripe fruit. I have already filled the freezer with jam, we have eaten two raspberry pies,

we eat raspberries by the handfull, throw them on cereal, oatmeal and waffles. But the raspberries are still coming, so I am trying to figure out what to do with them next...

Perhaps raspberry sorbet,

or raspberry sauce over panna cotta,

or maybe raspberry pancakes.

Do you have a favorite raspberry recipe you can share?

Grouse Creek Waterslides

2011-08-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday we discovered that the falls on Grouse Creek (where we have hiked numerous times in other seasons) become a perfect water slide when the weather is warm and the water is low. It comes complete with deep pools, high cliffs and natural rock slides. Keith & Jenny - guess where we are taking you next time you visit? You will love it... we did!

Did You Hear?

2011-08-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

USA Today, Rand McNally name Sandpoint most beautiful small town in America.

But of course, we already knew that.

Summer Fun

2011-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of pleasures of summer... running through the sprinklers.

S'mores

2011-08-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

What is better than being at Grandma's & Grandpa's with cousins and a whole bag of GIANT, gooey marshmallows? Not much!

So You Need A Typeface?

2011-08-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Some of you out there (who may agonize over choosing a typeface like myself) might appreciate this student project. It is a flowchart of the choices we go through choosing fonts, with a humorous approach. Quite clever!

You can purchase the original and see a larger version here.

This is the Place

2011-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Actually, the quote that gets attributed to Brigham Young is
"It is enough. This is the right place, drive on."

Either way, we spent one fun filled day at This is the Place Heritage Park during our trip to Utah. The girls got a real taste of pioneer life as they scrubbed clothing and hung it to dry...

Panned for gold...

Learned about the Navajo Hogans and made arrowhead necklaces...

Rode the train...

And generally had a really fun time.

Feline Funeral

2011-07-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today we mourn the passing of our dear cat, Sophie. She was ill and uncomfortable and it wasn't something the vet could fix, so we laid her to rest at the farm. Kirk took care of the dirty work and the girls and I showed up just in time to put her in the ground. The girls decorated a box for her and we lowered her into a hole in the pasture. Each girl said what they loved about her and then threw flowers followed by a few shovel fulls of dirt.
It was so interesting to see that each girl had a different reaction to her departure. It really varied by personality and age...
Hannah - Tears, fond memories, sadness.
Paige - I will miss her, now let's move on.
Maren - Can I help put her to sleep? How will you do that? What happens when we put dirt over the box? Let's fill up the hole. Won't throwing dirt on her box be uncomfortable for her? Let's plant a tree here.
Izzy - Goodbye Sophie, I liked to hold you. And I know you liked me too.

Cousins

2011-07-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

My sister has beautiful kids. Here are two of them. We were able to spend a few days with them while in Utah. It was so much fun! Thanks for coming down to play with us Karie!

Beautiful

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

After Paige had her ears pierced, Hannah decided she was brave enough to get hers done as well. When we were visiting Utah, we stopped by the mall and now Hannah is an official member of the earring club too. She purchased several cute pair of earrings and can't wait until her ears are healed enough to start wearing a different pair every day.

Horse Camp

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Grandma Johnson's neighbor graciously puts on a horse camp for my girls and cousin Natalie every summer. Mornings are for the horses - including grooming, saddling, riding. And afternoons are for crafts and swimming. Isn't that every girls dream for summer vacation?

Hannah and Natalie in the arena.

Paige and Rufus are quite well acquainted after three summers together.

On the last day of camp, Maren chose to drive the buggy instead of ride.

And for those of you wondering, NO we are not getting a horse. One week of horse camp and horses on all sides of our new property is just going to have to be enough.

Fourth of July

2011-07-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

We spent a rare 4th of July here at home. Too much water (no rafting this year) and not enough wind (no kite boarding) kept us from our usual activities. Instead Keith and Jenny (with their two adorable boys) visited us from Southern Idaho. It was such a nice visit and we were able to enjoy all of the fun things about summer in Sandpoint. Kirk and Keith spent some time figuring out the catamaran.

Izzy and Neil enjoyed ice cream and rope swings.

Although he little kids couldn't postpone bedtime till dark, we did get some fun fireworks going. Neil gets the prize for being the most excited.

Sparklers were a hit.

In my opinion, the best part about the 4th in Sandpoint is the fireworks over the lake. The second best part is our small town parade. For some reason, they don't let the parade participants throw candy, so Kirk purchased a few bags of his own and had a great time throwing it out to the street for the kids to pick up.

First Day of Summer

2011-06-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

The first day of summer was actually warm! We went to the beach with friends. Most of the kids were brave enough to be pulled behind the boat and had fun even thought the water was cold. The water is so high in the lake that half of the beach was gone and most docks are covered in water. We are hoping that this warm weather is a good sign for a nice summer.

Photo Shoot

2011-06-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to get some photos of my girls at The Farm. Often, when we are there in the evening, the light is beautiful, the grass is green and the old wood has lots of character. A perfect opportunity for some fun photos of the girls. I snapped these last night. I was a little late to catch the perfect light and the girls didn't have enough patience to stand still for too long. But I thought there were some fun ones. Oh yeah - please disregard the dirty shirts. Things seem to become instantly dirty the minute we pull onto the property.

Happy Birtyday Paige!

2011-06-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Paige! Except... Paige's birthday is in April. For her birthday she received earrings and the promise of pierced ears. But - because of getting the house ready for sale, soccer (didn't want to get those new earrings ripped out), school, a generally busy life and the fact that there isn't anywhere in Sandpoint (that I could find) that pierces ears - we haven't been able to get her ears pierced until this week. Paige and I made a day of it and went to lunch, then some shopping, then to the mall for the big event. It's a birthday gift that keeps giving!

Before

Getting it just right

Both ears at once

After. It wasn't so bad after all.

Sighted...

2011-06-12T08:45:00.001-07:00

Bonner County -
Local resident, Dr. Kirk Davidson, was recently sighted heading East on Highway 200 driving a backhoe. He was later seen in the vicinity of Shingle Mill Road digging holes and removing stumps with the large machinery. Local residents wondered if a possible career change is in store for the respected community dentist. Perhaps farming or large equipment operation is in Dr. Davidson's future? His wife assures us that it is only a hobby. But the excitement doesn't seem to be fading. When a neighbor came over to admire the equipment, the smiles were reminiscent of Christmas morning. What is it about boys and machinery?

Overheard Today...

2011-06-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Maren to friend Ashlee -
"Let's play karate princess"

Izzy as she chose a drink for lunch -
"Eeny, meeny, spider (pronounced 'pider), mo,
Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he's grumpy put him in time out,
My mother told me to pick a best friend,
And you are not it!"

Rosie

2011-05-31T20:54:00.001-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we packed up and headed to Roosevelt (a.k.a. Rosie) on the Columbia River for some camping and kite boarding. A lot of Kirk's family joined us so it was also a sort of family reunion. Besides having good wind every day of our trip, here are our favorite parts...

Izzy

The swings. Swimming. Playing with Grandma.

Maren

Playing with Grandma and cousins. Not swimming - because I couldn't, because I hurt my foot and couldn't get it wet (hence the wetsuit booties).

Paige

Finding old friends, making forts and hideouts.

Hannah

Flying the trainer kite, playing an impromptu soccer game.

Other highlights...

Watching most of the kids, Uncle Rick, Aunt Judy and especially
Grandma Hyde (she is 92 yrs. old) fly the trainer kite.

Kayaking

and (of course) Cousins

Pass the word...

2011-05-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

131 Ponder Point Drive is officially for SALE! Pass the word...

House For Sale

Work Detail

2011-05-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Kirk figured now that we have a farm, we have the perfect opportunity to teach the girls how to work. First project... stacking wood. We spent the evening loading up wood from a few large trees that Kirk downed. It went into the trailer and we used the tractor to haul it next door to be loaded into the Boren's woodshed. Paige is aspiring to be the tractor driver.

Ahhhh, life at the farm!

The Civility Experiment

2011-05-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

This subject has been on my mind a lot lately and so this video resonated with me. If you remember President Monson's talk, you will understand when I say that I am striving for cleaner windows.

I think this narrator just had her windows cleaned.

Conference

2011-04-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Spring in Utah usually brings to mind white capped mountains and green valleys. Not so this year. The morning after we arrived, we woke to a fresh coating of snow. It didn't stop Hannah, Paige and I from driving to Salt Lake to attend our very first live session of General Conference in the conference center.

It was a wonderful session and we had great seats. The girls listened attentively. Afterwards, we spent some time walking around Temple Square and taking in the sights.

While waiting for conference to start we had the opportunity to walk around the conference center, people watch and enjoy all of the beautiful artwork. My favorite piece of art in the Conference Center (by far) is this sculpture by Kraig Varner. Now, if I only had the $20,000 to purchase one of my own. Too bad.

Initiation

2011-04-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hannah was initiated into Johnson Canasta over spring break. As per usual beginners luck, Hannah and I (as her partner) won the game. It probably helped that she was flanked by Uncle Bret and Grandpa who were very helpful and patient as she learned. Wait to go Hannah! Granny would be proud.

Baby Animal Days

2011-04-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

Spring Break found us in Logan just in time for baby animal days at The American West Heritage Center. We visited on just about the only sunny day in Logan that week. There were plenty of baby animals to hold and plenty to pet. If we lived in Logan, I'm sure we'd get a yearly family pass to the Heritage Center. What a fun place to visit!

There were also pony rides for everyone. Hannah was sad to realize that next year she will be too old for pony rides. Paige wanted to know when they could take the ponies off the leads and gallop them in the field.

I loved being there with most of my siblings and their families.

What a great way to spend a day!

Happy Birthday Izzy

2011-04-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

Izzy turned 3 this week. Hard to believe our baby is not a baby. Her independence is becoming more and more apparent. She recently informed us that she won't be using the toddler plates or silverware anymore. And a bib is out of the question. She dresses herself at least 10 different times each day and refuses to wear anything that I might choose. Consequently, she ends up with some interesting outfits. Her latest fashion statement is wearing different shoes on each foot. Her favorite color is pink.

She's been waiting for her birthday for months and wasn't disappointed. She insisted on helping make her birthday muffins (cupcakes). At our house the birthday girl gets to choose who says all of the prayers for the day. Izzy chose herself each time.

New Purchase

2011-04-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Can you guess why I am interested in purchasing these?

It's because we have just purchased this...

It's 18.6 acres of lovely pasture and forested property about 2 miles from our current home. The girls were thrilled when we took them on a tour. They already have plans for exploring and forts and camping and more exploring.

The property has...

A hay barn, a horse barn and lots of neighbors with horses. No, we are not getting horses so don't ask. The are still hopeful, but they'll just have to settle for the possibility of a dog.

Two creeks with plenty of place to explore. We found evidence of a beaver, deer, moose and elk.

A real outhouse! We didn't check to see if it's working. But if you come visit, you are welcome to give it a try.

And a beautiful piece of North Idaho forest.

Sometime in the future we are looking forward to building a home on the property. For now, we'll have plenty of work cleaning up the old farmhouse and exploring.

Updates... Lighting

2011-03-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dining Room

The updating continues at our house. I have always hated the light above our dining room table. There was one time, 5 or 6 years ago, when it stopped working and I though 'I can finally get rid of this thing and Kirk will have to relent and agree to replace it'. Not so. Robert, our electrician friend, was able to fix it. Bummer. So, I've been stuck with this one ever since. I haven't been able to spend the money to replace it - there is always something more important in our budget.

The girls love this light. In fact, when I went to replace it this week, they begged me to keep the old one. No chance. To console them, I boxed up the old light and promised to give it to whichever girl gets married first. They excitedly agreed. I wonder if they will be so excited about it when they open it on their wedding day??

Anyway... back to the updates. While walking the lighting aisle at Home Depot, I came across this beauty (actually Kirk spotted it first). It was on sale for a cheap $39 (down from $220). Everyone must have noticed that lovely gold running down the center and overlooked it. I only noticed the nice shape. Over on the painting aisle, I picked up a can of Rust-Oleum oil rubbed bronze spray paint and Voila... a new light. And all for under $50.

+ (plus)

= (equals)

Hallways

Before:
The original gold bubble light adorned our hallways and laundry room.

After:

I purchased these lights in a 2-pack for $31.47 (that's roughly $16 a piece) from Lowe's.

I looked and looked, but couldn't find anything in the oil rubbed bronze finish I was looking for. So, I used the rest of my oil rubbed bronze spray paint from my dining room light and VOILA...

Bathrooms

I am still wondering why we have lived in this house for 8 years with these bathroom vanity lights. None of the girls asked for these on their wedding day. I couldn't wait to pull them down and pack them away for Goodwill.

Thanks to a very handy husband, we now have these lovely lights in our bathrooms...

Birthday Money

2011-03-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kirk took Maren to the bike store. She has been saving her allowance and birthday money for several months to buy a new bike. Now that the snow is leaving and warmer weather is coming, she is anxious to be outside. Her old bike was a cheap hand-me-down with a loose wheel. Last year she was discouraged trying to keep up with her sisters. Now she won't have a problem...

Happy Pi Day!

2011-03-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Did you know that today, March 14th, is officially Pi day? Get it... March 14th = 3.14.

In case you don't remember... π is a mathematical constant approximately equal to 3.14159265 (Hannah had to remind me of this bit of math information).

You learn some really interesting things when you have a 5th grader.

Spring Skiing

2011-03-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a rare and beautiful day of spring skiing. We had blue skies, new snow and warmer temperatures. I headed up to Schweitzer with the older girls while Izzy and Kirk stayed home. Izzy claimed that 'I hate skiing'. Which isn't true (she's usually the one most eager to go), but only proves that the ~~terrible~~ wonderful three's have begun in our house.

It was such a nice day that I continued an old Johnson tradition. We grabbed our lunch backpack and headed over the river and through the woods (actually up the T-bar) to eat lunch in the sunshine at the top of Recess. When I was a kid this was a favorite thing to do with my family. I remember many sack lunches eaten on top of Gentle Ben with my Dad, Mom and siblings.

Here's some spring powder skiing from Maren & Hannah:

Paige is our speed skier and usually the first one down.

The girls can go just about anywhere on the mountain now, which is great and gives us lots of options for exploring. The t-bar accesses a whole slope of black diamond runs which usually has some good stashes of powder. We skied powder, crud and groomers.

It was a fun day.

Updated

2011-03-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

I am doing a little updating in our gold accented 1990's home. It has some (ahem) lovely touches which I am not sad to loose. I started this weekend with doorknobs. Before...

After...

Now, doesn't that look more 2011? I love the way it brightenes up the white doors and trim. Next... hall lights, bathroom lights, closet knobs and ceiling fans. Goodbye gold, hello oil rubbed bronze!

Snow Day

2011-02-25T17:07:00.001-08:00

The kids missed quite a bit of school this past week due to large amounts of snow, then blowing snow, then freezing temperatures. It was so cold that Kirk and I only lasted three runs on a bright sunny day because the cold was too much for any exposed skin. Here is Kirk blowing off the back deck. It was light and fluffy - too bad it was too cold to ski!

With the girls home and the weather too cold to go outside, we huddled up, turned on the fire and made bread. I have a new favorite recipe that you can find here. It's even 100% whole wheat.

The girls made theirs into small cinnamon swirl loaves - which were perfect with soup for lunch.

The Modern Music Video

2011-02-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've watched a music video since the early days of MTV. Raise your hand (this will date me) if you remember Robert Plant and his plastic models swaying back and forth with their bright red lips to 'Simply Irresistable'. That was when I was a teenager and complained that 'everyone else has MTV, why can't we?' to my parents. (Thank for not giving in Mom & Dad!). Since then, I'm not really up on what's been happening in the music video world. But I did see this video that I thought was so clever that I had to pass it on.

Skiing & Friends

2011-02-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

Presidents Weekend was complete when our good friend, Gabi, came from Spokane to ski with Hannah. It was a fun girls day on the mountain for Hannah, Gabi, Paige and I. The weather was chili, but the girls were good sports with the help of an early lunch and a few hot cocoa breaks.

Gabi is now part of the Schweitzer Club - having skied all but two of the lifts. We even made it over to the t-bar. Here are the girls on Snow Ghost, making their way to the top.

We loved skiing with your Gabi. We hope you come again soon!

Inter-House Mail

2011-02-16T19:23:00.001-08:00

Several months ago, Hannah came up with a clever mail service for our family. She assigned everyone their own address, hired mail carriers and set up a delivery schedule. Quite clever. The girls have had fun sending notes to each other. They especially love getting mail from Mom & Dad (mostly Dad).

Then a month or so before Valentines Day, I found these cute little mail boxes at Target for $1 each. I couldn't pass them up. Hannah helped me label each one with each person's address. The Davidson Post mail service has come in particularly handy during the busy Valentine delivery season. Hearts and notes, cards and drawings have been moving through the mail system each day. What a clever idea Hannah! Thank you.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

I am so glad for all of you that are so important to me.

Huggs and Kisses.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Birthday Maren

2011-01-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 6th birthday Maren! We are so happy to have you in our family. But how did 6 years go by so fast? It seems like we just brought you home from the hospital during a snowstorm with your crazy black hair and tendency to nap the day away.

Now you are a beautiful 6 year old girl, going to kindergarten, skiing black diamond runs and playing jokes on your sisters. You are imaginative and enthusiastic. You are spunky and anxious to be doing something. You love projects and outings. You hate chores and keeping clean. You have the most expressionistic face. We love you and hope this next year is even better than the last.

Birthday cake request... Chocolate cake with green vines, blue and purple flowers, and white writing - OR - a gingerbread house. I opted for the chocolate cake. It just isn't gingerbread season anymore.

Birthday breakfast request... Crepes with fruit and whipped cream. For dinner... Sukiyaki - a family favorite (recipe to follow).

Noise

2011-01-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Izzy discovered Paige's old tap shoes in the dress up box a few weeks ago.

They have not left her feet since.

Before, her constant chattering filled our house with noise.

Now, the chatter is joined by tapping.

As you can imagine, nap time is a much appreciated oasis of quiet in my day.

Holiday Camp

2011-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

This year, we enrolled Hannah, Paige and Maren in Holiday Ski Camp. They spent the 5 days skiing from dawn till dusk and loving it. They had great coaches who helped them gain confidence and improve their skills. They would come home each night telling us about skiing on runs that we'd never even heard of. I was able to go up on the last day and ski some runs with them and thier coaches. I am so impressed with all that they learned and how much fun they had. They were skiing powder, groomed, crud, gates and trees. Grandpa would be proud!

Paige and Ally waiting to run the gates.

Maren with her coach.

New Year's

2011-01-01T18:51:00.001-08:00

Since the girls spent all last week at Holiday Ski Camp, we decided to take a day off skiing and spend it at home taking it easy. The roads are covered with snow from last week's big blizzard, so we had some fun on new sleds from Grandma.

Kirk pulled us down to the lake with the quad. What a beautiful day!

The lake has frozen over and is amazingly clear and smooth. It's like walking on a very large sheet of glass. I wish I had ice skates! The ice is so clear that you can see everything underneath. The girls found plenty of interesting things, including a fish head and a barrel. It was so amazing!

Christmas Day

2010-12-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

The girls are the perfect age to make for and exciting Christmas morning. Luckily, the girls stuck to the rules and didn't come down until after 7am when the Christmas lights were on and the fireplace going. We did Santa's gifts for a while, then had a nice breakfast, then dug into the gifts under the tree.

Grandma Rosemary provided some fun gift opening with her delivery of several LARGE packages containing an assortment of sleds. We now have enough for neighborhood sledding. The girls loved their sleds and are praying for more snow.

The sleds became indoor Christmas gift carriers and beds. In the afternoon they got some use outside.

Another favorite gift were aprons for the girls (made by Grandma) and matching aprons for their American Girl dolls (made by cousin Natalie). The girls were thrilled and couldn't wait to try them on.

The best part of Christmas was watching the girls plan, shop for and make gifts for each other. They spent a lot of time thinking about what to get for each other. And, as usual, their gifts to each other were some of their favorite presents on Christmas day. Here is Hannah making a cute little bean bag dog for Izzy.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T19:24:00.001-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve on the slopes of Schweitzer. It was a beautiful day and we even saw Santa & Mrs. Claus. Izzy is a little unsure if she wants gifts from this guy.

We tried out a harness on Izzy (thanks Keith & Jenny!) and it worked great. It satisfied her need for independence (‘Do it by MYSELF!’) and our need to keep her from tearing down the hill out of control. She had so much fun, that after a whole day of skiing and no nap, she staged a protest. She laid down right in the middle of the parking lot and refused to go any closer to the car (and thus the end of skiing for the day). I have a great video, but for some reason it won't load.

The older girls all had fun skiing with friends and even skied Jack's dream - a black diamond run they are fond of. All in all, a great way to start the Christmas celebrations!

Izzy Learns About Money

2010-12-14T16:15:00.001-08:00

In our house, 2 years old is definitely too young for allowance. But our crafty Izzy thought otherwise. While I was busy helping the other girls separate allowance into tithing, savings and spending, Izzy was busy helping herself to the Davidson Allowance Bank (a.k.a. a bowl containing change and bills that I use to hold allowance money). Before I realized it, she filled her little purse with about $5 in quarters.

She has been carrying it around every since, just waiting for the right moment to spend it. All of the other girls have had a special trip with Mom to do their Christmas shopping and she was just waiting for her chance. As we were out running errands the other day she seized the opportunity and brought her purse - asking to use it at the Library, Post Office and just about every other place we went. Finally, we ended up at Super Drug and I gave in. When I told her she could spend her money, she started shopping in earnest for Christmas gifts for her sisters. I helped her settle on .50 packages of Christmas candy - one for each sister.

She proudly carried her goods up to the counter, handed them to the cashier and pulled out her wallet. She is too short to actually see the cashier over the counter, so I lifted her up to sit on the counter. As a line of three or four people started to gather behind us, Izzy proceeded to pull her money out one coin at a time. Knowing this would take more time than the patience of people in line, I asked if I could help her count it. 'Do it BY MYSELF' was her response. I knew a 2 year old tantrum was in the makings. Luckily, the cashier was kind and a quick thinker. She said that if Izzy let me help count the money she would give Izzy a special piece of paper with her purchase (a receipt). Izzy was so excited she said Thank You and was pleased as can be.

I think I'm going to have to hide that little purse of hers for a while. She is sweet and cute, but definitely has a will of her own!

CHRISTmas

2010-12-13T21:15:00.000-08:00

Cassi posted this great video on her blog. I had to pass it on. I wish I were eating at the food court that day. Molly, I kept looking for your face to pop up in the crowd - this is just up your alley!

Simplicity

2010-12-11T15:55:00.001-08:00

Shortly after Thanksgiving, I found this story by Janet Lee, the wife of former BYU president Rex Lee…

Several years ago, during the Christmas season, President and Sister Hinckley came to BYU for a musical event. Before the program, there was buffet dinner, and at one point while the men were away from our table, the women began to talk about the frustrations of getting ready for Christmas. Our conversation focused on the fact that everything about the season was becoming a burden for women. We bear the responsibility of selecting gifts, organizing social events, preparing everyone’s favorite food, and making certain that family, guests, and even the less fortunate have a merry Christmas. We felt overwhelmed if not resentful.

Sister Hinckley listened patiently, and then without the slightest edge of criticism in her voice said, “I love Christmas. It is the most joyful of all seasons. I love seeing the eyes of little children light up on Christmas morning. I love giving gifts. I love being with my family. We just need to simplify and remember what we are celebrating.”

After she had spoken, something magical happened. Our attitudes shifted, and we began to talk about the birth of our Savior and the spirit of giving. In the years that have passed since those words were spoken, a burden has been lifted for me during the holidays. As I shop, prepare food, and join with friends and family to celebrate the birth of our Savior, her words nurture and calm me. “I love Christmas,” I hear her say, and I let her teach me to relax and enjoy the season.

This story reminded me how much I love Christmas and how much I enjoy doing all of those things that make it special. It also reminded me that I need to stop getting overwhelmed, keep things simple, be more patient and enjoy the small moments. I love wrapping gifts. I love decorating the tree and the house and putting up our Nativities.

I love the Christmas lights in the windows and the traditions that we have started in our family. I love that my girls spend more time trying to decide what to buy for their sisters than they spend making their own Christmas lists. I love reflecting on the birth of our Savior.

First Snow

2010-11-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

It has been snowing hard for a week now. We have been sledding, skating, building snowmen and riding behind the quad. Yesterday we spent our first day on the slopes. Although the base wasn't too deep, Schweitzer opened with some amazingly soft and fluffy snow the day after Thanksgiving. We decided to take the whole family. It was Izzy's first time and she had lots of fun. Hannah, Paige and Maren picked up where they left off last year and we had a great day!

Look Dad, I can parallel ski on my first day out!

Here I am with Maren. Uh oh! Who is this crazy boy skiing into me? Oh well, I'm too good for him. I'll just keep going and beat him to the bottom of the magic carpet! That will show him that girls are better skiers! Slow and careful - that's the way to do it.

Last Minute Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T20:45:00.001-08:00

We had lots of great plans to travel to Utah for the Thanksgiving weekend. We were all looking forward to dinner with most of my siblings and their kids, tickets to the Nutcracker, cousin sleepovers, putting together care packages for cousins on missions, humanitarian aid projects, bingo games and probably a late night game of Canasta.

Instead, we found ourselves in the middle of freezing temperatures, closed roads and six days worth of snowstorms in the forecast. We decided to stay home instead of chancing a possibly long and dangerous drive.

We were sad, we were blue, but we found lots to be grateful for. We were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with friends who also changed plans because of the weather. My refrigerator was empty, so I had to do some last minute scrambling to come up with some things to contribute to the dinner. I searched some of my favorite blogs and found some great recipes. We had a really yummy meal. Dawn's turkey was amazingly moist and tasty. Rosalie's rolls were delicious. Here's what I brought (can you tell which part of the Thanksgiving meal I like best?)...

This delicious candied walnut salad from Our Best Bites…

An amazing Key-lime coconut pie from Everyday Food…

This wonderful White Pumpkin Cheesecake turned out creamy and smooth and looked beautiful (also from Our Best Bites)!

From The Pioneer Woman came this great recipe for Pecan Pie. I think it’ll replace that recipe from the Karo Syrup bottle that I have used in the past.

I have always struggled with pie crusts. I have never found a recipe that works consistently for me. Recently a friend recommended this Pie Crust recipe from Martha Stewart. It uses a food processor. I have made it three times now - and each time it has come out well. This recipe may change my pie crust luck.

Daddy-Daughter Date

2010-11-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

(a.k.a. fire-arms training)

If our girls grow up and ask the bridesmaids at their wedding to wear Camo,

it's all Kirk's fault!

Halloween

2010-11-09T14:40:00.001-08:00

I'm a bit slow, but here's a photo of our little trick-or-treaters.

Princess Eilonwy (from The Black Cauldron), the Witch, the fortune teller and the 50's cutie.

Running

2010-11-06T13:56:00.001-07:00

I ran 6 miles this morning.

No big deal... I run 6 miles, three times a week.

The difference is that I ran it ALONE.

I have always considered myself a social runner. Sure, my body can do the miles, but I have always thought that, mentally, I needed my running friends right beside me to get through the miles. I have had some great running partners. They keep me talking, encourage me and push me.

This morning I didn’t have any running partners. So I put my earphones in and took off. It felt great to get home after running hard and knowing that I did it on my own.

Food Storage Challenge

2010-10-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have given myself a little challenge. For the next few months I am going to prepare one evening meal per week with only food storage items. I’m great at using food storage for breakfast, but I don’t have too many dinner recipes in my repertoire that come only from food storage. And who can eat pancakes and oatmeal everyday? Well, maybe Kirk. But not the rest of our family.

I feel a need to build up the number of recipes that I enjoy making, we like eating, and come mainly from food storage and pantry items. I am asking for your help. If any of you out there reading this have some favorite recipes that you could share, please email or call me with them. PLEASE! My only requirement is that the meal must be something (1) made mainly from food storage items & must be a food that (2) your family likes to eat on a regular basis.

Here is one that I do make often. It came from my great sister-in-law, Molly. I hope you like it!

Black Bean Stew

1 onion (you can use dehydrated onion)

3 cloves garlic

1/8 tsp. red pepper

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. thyme

2 cans chicken broth

1 large can green chilies

14 oz. can stewed tomatoes

3 cans black beans (I use my dried beans and cook them the day before)

Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper. Add herbs, broth, beans and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Remove half of the stew and blend until smooth. Return to pan and heat till warm. Serve over rice with lemon, cilantro and sour cream.

Crib for Sale

2010-10-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Do you know of anyone that needs a crib? We have moved beyond it now that Izzy is in a big bed. Here are the details:

Natural Maple hardwood

Good condition

Mattress can be raised or lowered to desired height

Mattress included, but well used

I also have several sets of white and cream crib sheets

$60

Garden Finale

2010-10-21T09:59:00.001-07:00

We had our first frost this week. The tomatoes got hit before I could get the last few green ones picked.

I didn't have too much luck with the garden this year. We just didn't have a very long or warm summer. I had great carrots, swiss chard, lettuce and peas. But everything else was pretty sad.

This was going to be my big tomato year. I planted 6 plants in hopes of having enough to make some great salsa. I may be able to make a batch or two, but definitely not the quantity that I had imagined.

I tried a few different varieties this year. The Matina tomatoes that I plant every year did well, as did the Sun Gold variety. But my Roma, Isis Candy and Supice all looked pretty sad. Maybe next year. Do you have a favorite variety that can grow in a short, cooler season?

Lunch Money

2010-10-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have three girls packing a sack lunch to school everyday. For some reason adding Maren into the morning lunch routine this year got me to thinking.... About Ziploc baggies. I figure I use about 4 Ziplocs per kid, per day (to hold sandwich, fruit, vegetable & chip or treat). That comes to 12 Ziplosc per day or 60 Ziplocs per week (wow!). Average cost is about 5 cents per Ziploc. That adds up to $3 per week - or roughly $108 per school year. That's a lot of money in plastic! Actually, it's not really the money, but stuffing everything into those little bags every morning that got me thinking. Is there a better way? Do I always need a supply of Ziplocs on hand - what if I ran out? Is it wasteful for my kids to throw out so much trash after lunch everyday? I really hate stuffing food into those things every morning! So, I got some inspiration from this cute blog, another lunch, written by a mom who does amazing things with some pretty ordinary lunch items. She gave me this idea... the metal lunch tray from Planet Box. No more Ziplocs. Their cute little metal tray has individual compartments to keep food separated, closes into a nice little package, and is dishwasher safe. Unfortunately, it is a little out of my budget at $35. Maybe some day I'll splurge. In the meantime, I opted for a less expensive option...

This nifty little find from The Container Store was only $10. It also has individual compartments, plus comes with a water bottle that fits perfectly into one of the pockets. The kids come home, clean out the crumbs and stack it on the counter for the next day. It's been a great alternative to the traditional sack lunch.

Kitchen Art

2010-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to think of ways to keep Izzy occupied while I work in the kitchen. There are many times when she is standing on a chair beside me scrubbing carrots or mixing pancakes. But sometimes I need her busy doing her own thing.

I think I found something when I ran across this free printable...

You can find it at babalisme. Download it. Print it onto Avery Magnet Sheets. Cut it out and VOILA...

Instant entertainment.

Hillary’s Pita Pockets

2010-10-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

WARNING: If you try this recipe you'll never be able to eat another dry, hard pita pocket from the store again!

Here's the basic recipe and some tricks to make it work. For a more detailed explanation and better pictures check out Cassi's blog.

Pita Pocket Bread

1 3/4 c. warm water

2 1/2 t. yeast

2 t. sugar

2 t. salt

2 T. oil

2 c. whole wheat flour

2 3/4 – 3 c. white flour

Mix water, sugar and yeast together. Let stand for five minutes. Add salt, oil and wheat flour; mix well. Add white flour one cup at a time until dough is soft and slightly sticky. Knead for five minutes. Let dough rest for 30 minutes, well oiled and covered.

Roll dough into eight balls (10-12 for smaller pitas). Roll out into circles on a well floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Place on a floured cookie sheet without sides. This is important as you will need to slide the pitas into the oven with as little handling as possible. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking stone or baking sheet in oven to preheat. VERY CAREFULLY transfer bread to oven and bake until lightly browned. This takes about 4 minutes in my oven. Cool and cut pockets in half.

Tips:

* Do not rest unbaked pitas on top of each other or touching in any way.

* Do not push down on or disturb pitas after the rest period.

* Pitas freezer very well. I often double the recipe and freeze what we don’t eat for another meal.

What's for Dinner?

2010-10-14T19:38:00.001-07:00

I am in mourning.

I sunk into a real life, honest-to-goodness depression the other night when I looked in my freezer and realized it was empty of freezer meals. What was I going to do for dinner? It was a busy day and I really didn't have time to plan. I just needed something I could pop into the oven in a hurry.

For the past several years, my friend and I have been exchanging freezer meals on a monthly basis. We would each make up several meals, freeze them in disposable containers and swap them. She recently moved. So now I am on my own, her freezer meals long ago eaten.

I decided I better pick myself up and get to filling my freezer again. I started with Emeril’s Chicken-patty Pockets. A delicious recipe from my Everyday Food magazine.

To make as a freezer meal, simply shape the patties and freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer Ziploc bag, label with instructions and a date and store in freezer. When you are ready to use, pull them out of the freezer, put them on a cookie sheet and broil as directed. From frozen they only take a minute or two more to cook.

You can purchase pita bread from the store, but it’s about a zillion times better if you make it yourself. I have a great recipe I’ll share later this week. You’ll never go back.

A New Do

2010-10-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hannah has a 'new do'. Actually, we all have new haircuts thanks to a recent visit to Aunt Verna (who is the best hairdresser ever)! But that is not the point. Hannah's 'new do' is a little more drastic than the rest of ours because she decided to cut 10" off and donate it to Locks of Love - a non-profit organization that provides hair pieces (made from donated hair) for children with long-term medical hair loss.

Hannah loves having long hair and has grown it out for several years. So this was a big deal. She was a little nervous. But there was no turning back after that first cut.

After the 10" was gone, but before the real haircut... a nervous smile. She's not sure she should have done this.

Finished! Thanks Aunt Verna!

There were no regrets after a day of compliments and the sense of self confidence that comes with a new hair cut.

Isn't she cute? They are all pretty cute with new hair cuts.

Give,

2010-09-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Give,

it will make you happy!

Imagine how great things would be if we all were...

Beautiful on the inside.

I just love this artist. I was so happy to find her art at our local summer art fair. When I saw my girls playing in the leaves yesterday, it reminded me of these beautiful prints. See more of her work at Etsy.

Time

2010-09-21T19:33:00.001-07:00

Tonight I sat on my bathroom floor for twenty minutes.

The house was quiet - the older girls on a bike ride with Kirk. Izzy had just gotten out of the bath tub and wanted to brush my hair.

So I sat.

She brushed, combed and 'braided'. At first, I my mind started making a list of all of the chores I should have been doing - dishes, pajamas, teeth brushing, etc.

Then I realized.

Sitting quietly with Izzy is what I needed to be doing and the list vanished from my mind. Which is amazing, considering what a task oriented person I am.

Right now Kirk is outside looking at the moon through the telescope with the girls. He loves spontaneous moments like this and they come naturally to him. For me, on the other hand, they do not come naturally.

But I am learning.

I hope to have many more quiet moments with my kids before they are too big to appreciate them with me.

Saturday is a special day...

2010-09-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

It's the day we do something as a family. Like...

Riding our bikes to city beach.

There is a great path along the lake from our neighborhood to City Beach. It's a little undeveloped (adventurous) in spots, but fun and beautiful. There are plans to develop the trail. To see what the proposed new trail looks like and see what you can do to help, check out the Friends of Pend d'Oreille Bay Trail website.

Potty Training update

2010-09-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Without giving too many details you probably don't want to hear anyway, let me just say that Izzy is doing amazingly well with the transition from diapers to panties. She has been at it for a week and a half now and hasn't had an accident in days.

I can't take much credit - she was just ready. Potty treats are also a big help.

Way to go Izzy!

Thanks for making this milestone so easy on your mother!

Labor Day Rafting

2010-09-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

We spent labor day doing one of the things we love best - Rafting. We took four days and ran the lower Salmon river in central Idaho. It was a beautiful trip with plenty of adventure (ask Maren about how she saved Grandpa in the rapids). The girls love spending time with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.

Bruce joined us as our newest rafting recruit. Kelli trained him well and we are hoping the rest of his family can come along next year.

We always enjoy sleeping under the stars. As always, the food was excellent. Thanks to everyone who was willing to pitch in and feed us so well.

Another successful family vacation, Davidson style!

All In Jest

2010-09-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

My super talented, super creative friend Jenee just added a few more adorable creatures to her Etsy store. Check her out at All In Jest. Wouldn't this adorable 'Sophie Softie' doll make a great baby gift?

Potty Time

2010-09-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's time. Izzy is ready. So today we cleared our schedule, pulled out the panties,

the skittles,

and set the timer every 30 minutes.

Wish us luck! I'm hoping to cross diapers off my grocery list for good in the near future.

Summer is OVER

2010-09-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Summer officially ended today! It's turned cold - I don't think it's gotten above 60F today - and rainy. On top of that, today was the first day of school.

Summer is over!!

But we drug out summer as long as possible. We pulled in the driveway late last night from a wonderful rafting trip (I will post on that sometime soon). The girls showered, picked out their first day outfits and went to bed. This morning it was busy, but not to chaotic as we woke early, tried to re-start early morning scripture study, made lunches and drove to school in time to drop of each child to their new classroom with a VERY LARGE bag of school supplies.

I did not have time to take photos before school, but I did manage to get one as everyone arrived home. Just picture the girls with less messy hair and you can imagine what they looked like as the walked out to their new classes.

Maren started Kindergarten today. She was a little nervous and kept telling me she wasn't going to go. But she did fine and even made a new friend. We are sad that our favorite Kindergarten teacher retired, but Maren has a new teacher that is very excited and we hope she has a good year.

Priest Lake

2010-08-30T13:44:00.001-07:00

We spent a great August weekend with our friends at Priest Lake. 7 Families, 23 kids, 9 tents, 2 boats, 1 catamaran and lots of beach toys. The kids will have great memories of spending days on the beach and evenings around the campfire with their friends.

We had great water skiing in the mornings and evenings and gentle breezes during the day for the catamaran. I still don't know if I'm over the work of packing and unpacking - but it was definitely a fun trip. The kids loved the beach and spent at least 14 hours a day in their swimming suits.

The adults had lots of fun water time too. The Dads spent an afternoon trying to figure out the air chair. I wish I could have been on the boat to see that!

The Moms got out too. Here's Cassi and Erin skiing double. Way to go girls!

An unexpected wind and rain storm blew the catamaran off the beach. Kirk had to swim for it. But no damage was done.

Some of the girls had the crazy idea of doing a polar dip. We did say they couldn't get out of the tent until 7am, but it still seemed too early to be swimming.

Got Milk?

2010-08-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

I made my first purchase of raw milk this week. We drove to a small farm not far from our house - complete with barefoot children, chickens on the front porch & cows in the meadow. We spent $5 for a gallon of milk in a large olive jar from the fridge in the garage.

There are very strong opinions on both sides of the fence regarding raw milk. You can check the information from both sides and decide for yourselves. Many argue that raw milk is healthier. See this website for more details. The other side argues that pasteurization is essential in avoiding the risk of bacterial contamination. See this website for more details.

I'm not sure which side of the fence I sit on. I've always put a gallon of milk into my cart at WalMart and not thought too much more about it. So why the raw milk purchase???

Purely NOSTALGIA.

When Kirk heard a friend mention she was buying raw milk, it reminded of him drinking raw milk growing up. He also reminisces about powdered milk (which he likes for some unknown reason). Two extremes, I know.

So we came home with a gallon of raw milk. What did the kids want for dinner? Cereal to go with it. Perfect. Kirk showed us how to skim off the cream and we had a delicious dinner.

Fair Results

2010-08-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

The results are in. We went to the fair tonight and came out pretty well with our photo entries. 2 blue ribbons 2 red ribbons Yeah!

The Fair

2010-08-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

The Bonner County Fair begins this coming week. We love our local fair. Kirk and I enjoy it mostly because it's small - which means easy parking, small crowds and seeing friends and neighbors. The girls love all of the animals and the horse rides and the face painting.

One of Kirk's more recent hobbies (he has many of them) is photography. This past year he challenged our family to submit a photo at the Fair. We've just had them printed and are submitting them today. Here are the photos we've entered. Hannah

'Sophie in the Morning' - domestic animal photography

Kirk

'Sebastian' - wildlife action photography

Kirk

'Green Monarchs' - landscape photography

Kirk

'Half Moon over Hope' - sunset photography

Kirsten

'Toothy' - child portraiture

Kirsten 'Sisters & Best Friends' - family portraiture

Kirsten 'Miss Photogenic' - black and white photography

As you can tell, I didn't get too creative. Just stuck with the standby photos of my kids. But I was impressed with how Kirk has developed his creative side. Hannah, too, was excited and really started figuring out how to use a camera. I'll update our standings after we visit the fair this week.

Snack Time

2010-08-20T10:35:00.001-07:00

Isabelle (who turned 2 in April) is growing up quickly. We are discovering what an independent child she can be. For example, we had this interesting experience yesterday...

I came home to find her walking around the house eating a bag of microwave popcorn. Annoyed that her dad was not supervising the snacking, I started a conversation that went something like this...

me: 'Kirk, why is Izzy eating popcorn in the living room?'

Kirk: 'What popcorn?'

me: 'The popcorn she is dropping all over the house.'

Kirk: 'I didn't give her popcorn.'

me: 'Maren, did you make popcorn for Izzy?'

Maren: 'No, but can I have some too?'

me: 'Izzy, where did you get popcorn?'

Izzy: 'Make it MYSELF' (said really proudly while sticking out her chest)

She then went on to tell me how she found scissors in the drawer to open the packaging with and put the bag in the microwave and turned it on. After the explanation, she popped a piece in her mouth and smiled proudly.

The bag was only half popped, which I thought was quite amazing. She could have easily put it in to for too much time and burned the popcorn. How she figured all of this out after only watching us make popcorn a few times amazes me.

Let's hope she doesn't try to make cookies next!

Summer Fresh

2010-07-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Summer is all about FRESH FRUIT! Right now our strawberries are on and we are enjoying one of my favorite recipes...

Glazed Strawberry Tart

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. orange juice (the juice of about 2 oranges)

1 T. lemon juice (the juice of about 1/2 of a lemon)

orange and lemon zest (zest a little lemon and orange and throw it in!)

1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced (more if you like)

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Baked tart shell

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, lemon juice and zest in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Spoon into a bowl to cool.

When sauce is cool, toss with the sliced strawberries. Filled the baked and cooled tart shell with the strawberry mixture.

Before serving, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread over the berry filling. Serve immediately.

** This recipe is also great with raspberries.

** I often use a regular pie crust instead of a tart shell.