Swim Lessons

 The girls took swim lessons for the last couple weeks (Vivs at a level 4 and Olivia at a level 5 - this is a notation for me so I don't forget next year).  I was glad that we were able to make time for it this summer!  

The Garden is Coming Along

Tonight I found my first and only red tomato! I don't know why the tomato plants look like they need water with their leaves curling up.  I gave them more water, but they weren't dry.  I have zucchini that are steadily maturing and green beans that are close.  Plus, I have rows of onions and peppers for my canned salsa.  I am happier with my garden this year because we installed a timer with zones for automatic watering!

Swimming, Shakes, and more Shakes

Swimming for FHE at our local pool with friends and cousins.  The girls had fun jumping off the diving boards and the boys hung out with cousins!

Afterwards we enjoyed shakes at Sonic - half price after 8pm!

Shakes two days in a row!  My favorite shakes are at Arctic Circle (they are half price every day from 3-5 pm at one location here).

Instagram

I just got an instagram account and I am slowly learning how to use this cool app.  I thought it might come in handy when I go to Alaska.  I can instantly share some photos with my siblings, who I wish were coming with us.

Zion's Camp

“Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham” (History of the Church, 2:182).

 Doctrine and Covenants lesson #27 was today's topic.  The Lord clearly tells the saints that the reason that they are being driven from Missouri and having problems is because of their own transgression (refer to D&C 101).  The prophet seeks the Lord's counsel on what to do for the saints in Missouri.  The answer comes that they need help reclaiming Zion.  However, this is an excellent example of things not turning out like you expect.  Those who relied on the Lord's wisdom and who were obedient were greatly blessed by this journey in many ways.    I thought this video of Zion's camp was a great summary of D&C 103 and 105.  

Today's Work

Our family is in the middle of another house make-over project.  This one has been slower because we have been  out of town a lot this summer.  It has been rough with these extremely HOT days.  We try to get there by 8 or 9 am and work until a late lunch, then we call it a day (however, Paul worked a 12 hours today!).  Corbin and Paul have been braving the roof as they have been painting it by hand with its crazy roof angles and dangerous ladder feats.  They have been trying to get everything above the roof painted so it will be ready for new shingles.

I am the master of covering windows with paper and getting the main floor of the house ready for a paint spray gun - that is Monday's job.  The whole house needs new paint, both the interior and exterior.  It wouldn't be so bad, except that most of the interior walls are vaulted with high ceilings.  It is going to be tricky.  We have started the interior paint - there is still plenty left.

Porter spent hours today stripping wallpaper the walls in a bedroom.  The room looked like a dungeon with the dark paint and dark paper.  I can't wait to give it a white ceiling and a new wall color.

What else is on the list?
lots of interior painting!!!!
more wallpaper to remove in a bathroom and the kitchen
paint and glaze kitchen cabinets
paint bathroom vanity
choose paint colors for bathrooms and the dungeon bedroom (and paint)
paint all the trim in the house (some of it needs primed too)
install new master bathroom vanity
find new bathroom mirrors
paint interior doors
wood floors?  what to do to shine them up
paint front door inside and out
clean up garage - it's full of tons of junk
install new kitchen counters
find new cooktop
...I am sure I am missing something!

Laundry Room Curtains Hung ---Finally!

These curtains have only been laying around for a year, waiting to be hung!  I made the curtains from a table cloth that caught my eye a couple years ago at Target.  I had them ready to hang, and then I lost part of the hardware.  I just recently found the lost hardware and decided to hang them.   I also (with the help of Paul) hung the floating shelf that has been in my storage for the last 10+ years.  Somethings take me a while to get done!

Independence Day & Citizen's Last Stand

We had a great Independence Day celebration in Utah.  It started off with meeting up with Mom/Keith and Tonya & Ryan's family.  Before we made the drive to Utah, we had a little ride on the Redders golf cart train - the kids loved it!

The day was full of good food, family, fireworks, and spikeball.  I love our country and feel so blessed to live here in America.

I read the first three and the last two chapters  of this book (I need to finish the middle).  It is quite an eye-opener and makes me feel that I have an obligation to be more informed and involved in my community.  I can't just sit back and enjoy my freedoms, I need to be actively defending them.

Read an interview with the author Jeff L. Wright

Quotes found in the book that stood out to me:

"Every time history repeats itself, the price of the lessons goes up."  Anonymous

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."  Leo Tolstoy

"Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of mankind, even some act or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end.  Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way."  John Stewart Mill

Where has half the summer gone?

Wow, summer is in full swing and I feel like I am barely keeping up with everything.  It started off with a week long trip to Montana to visit Paul's parents.  That trip ended with a family reunion on his dad's side.  I will have to post more details of that trip!

Then 10 days later we jetted off to Utah to enjoy the fourth of July with lots of family at Tami's home!  That was a lot of fun being together with family and lots of cousins.  Then that weekend was full with Glenn Beck's Man on the Moon events.  I can't wait to show you my pics with Pat Gray, Richard Paul Evans, Tonia Beck, Brian Sack, Michelle Malkin, Larry Schweikart, and Michael Allen.  We had a great time.

Then the next weekend we had a big family reunion for my family that was a total blast, probably the best reunion we have had.

In between traveling (now I am getting ready for a trip to Alaska with my brother, Chad, my dad and Luanne) I garden, tend to the cow, goats, and alpacas, try to keep the yard up, help Paul with a house remodel (lots of work), and try to throw in some fun activities for the kids.

I need to remember that summer is very busy and that I can't hope to get any of "my" projects done, those have to wait until the kids are in school!

Menu Monday (just a day late)

I feel like I have been dodging the menu planning for a while now due to being here and there.  So far so good, but I need a plan for grocery shopping.

Pesto and Sausage Baked Ziti, bread, salad (new recipe to me)

Chopped Taco Salad with Homemade Catalina Dressing (new recipe to me)

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice, veggie tray (new recipe to me)

Chicken Gyro, fruit smoothie (we love these)

Quinoa Veggie Burgers, Loaded Baked Potato Salad, fruit

Pork Chalupa, rice, salad (family favorite)

Desserts: They caught me eye!

Chocolate Turtle Cookie Sundaes

Sour Cream Lime Pie

Extra:
Pesto Chicken salad on croissant

More Chickens

We have lost quite a few chickens this summer, a couple due to the heat (now we have no more White Brahma chickens) and others for unknown reasons, they have just disappeared.  Paul had mentioned this to Pres. Myers (member of Stake Presidency) in conversation, who said that we could have some of his chickens.   He was insistent that we come over and choose some chickens.  So tonight for our FHE activity we all went over to his home.  The girls were in heaven as they got to choose some more chickens. We came home with five more hens to add to our bunch.  One of them was a sad looking chicken with most of the tail missing.  Olivia said that she chose that one because she didn't think anyone else would love it, so she will.

He said that we could borrow his incubator if we wanted to hatch chickens!  Oh, the girls would love that.  We might have to take him up on his offer next spring.

Oh, they just love their chickens!

Baby Alpaca Surprise!

Wednesday afternoon we were on the way to pick up some friends when I noticed in the pasture a brand new baby alpaca!  I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but after blinking a couple of times I realized I was really seeing Cocoa's new baby.  The crazy thing is that we never knew she was expecting a baby because Fudge (the male) has been gone for over 11 months.  However, alpacas have a very long gestation period running 11-12 months.

Things never get dull around here!  In the pictures above, the baby is one day old.  I am amazed how strong she is on her very first day.  For the first couple nights, I pinned the mom and baby in a fenced area for the night.  That gave me the opportunity to hold the baby, she is so sweet.  It's cute to her Cocoa and the baby hum to each other.  The baby has been well taken care of by Cocoa and her aunts (Twix and Angel).

On the afternoon of the baby's first day, Cocoa didn't like me removing her from the other two alpacas.  She was able to escape out of the fence because of it being slightly ajar from me moving the goats.  Then Cocoa ran down the driveway and in front of the house.  I thought she was gone for good.  Luckily I was able to draw upon my unknown alpaca powers and grab and hold her against the fence (I had never handled her before this).  Then with help of a guide rope, I was able to walk her around the fence and get her back inside the gate against her will.  In the meantime, I had Porter call Ben, a 14 yr old friend down the road.  I was thinking that I would need Ben's horse skills to get her corralled again.  He quickly road to our house on his bike with a backpack full of ropes.  I was so impressed with his quick response to my cry for help.  However, I was able to get Cocoa back in the fence just as he pulled up.

Powerful Monologue - Must Watch

This is a powerful, silent monologue.  I hope you take 10 minutes to watch it, even if you aren't a Glenn Beck fan.  This got me thinking what would my last words be?  What did my words tell of me today?  

At the Shooting Range

We went to the shooting range with Tina & Steve, something that I had been nervous about all day.  I told them that I didn't really want to be there.  Although I like the "idea" of having guns in our home  for protection, I didn't think I would like handling them myself.  I thought I would feel more comfortable with a baby gun, something that is harmless and weak.

With all that said and explained to Steve and Tina, I was truly amazed that I left the shooting range feeling confident and empowered.  I know that I owe my positive experience to the great lesson that Steve (a current police officer) gave me.  Step by step he taught me the parts of a gun and how they work, he taught me safety skills and showed me all the safety features on the gun, he taught me how to properly grip a gun and to site in a target.  First he trained me on a 22 semi-automatic hand gun that we rented from the range.  Then after feeling confident with that gun, he said I was ready for Paul's 9mm.  The first video below shows me shooting it for the first time!  I had a huge smile after that!

They (Steve, Paul, and Tina) were all amazed at my first time - I hit that target dead in the center.  Steve joked that if I ever wanted a job as an officer that he would give me a good reference!  I guess I have an amazing aim (check out my target below - that was all me!)

I look forward to going shooting again.  I feel more confident that I could protect myself after learning how to properly handle the gun.  I know I have more to learn and I look forward to some more lessons from Steve.  And I think I want to get my concealed weapons permit.

Here is my first time shooting Paul's 9mm (I have been telling everybody it was the 40 - but I was just corrected by Paul).

Here are a few shots in a row, I am getting the hang of it - now!

Menu Monday

I saw an article on LDS Living (online) titled "The Perfect Family Reunion Menu".  It caught my eye because we have a family reunion this summer and we need to plan an easy menu.  So this week I thought I would make it my family's menu!

Recipes from the Article:
Monday's Breakfast:  Chunky Monkey Pancakes!  The peanut butter syrup sounds delicious.

Super Simple Sloppy Joes and Coleslaw, veggie tray

Pork Chile Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

Creamy Noodles, Malibu Chicken, Caesar Salad

Chili, Corn bread, Greek Salad

Other Menu plans:
Chicken Tacos from the Food Nanny, Seven Layer Dip & Chips
Whole Wheat Banana Buttermilk Nutella Muffins
Canadian Bacon & Pineapple Quiche

Menu Monday

Monster BLT, crock pot BBQ beans, fruit smoothie

Hawaiian Haystacks

Amatriciana pasta, green salad & spinach/strawberry salad, bread, corn, Best Ever Chocolate Cake (missionaries coming for dinner)

Chicken Noodle Soup, rolls

Taco Night

Weekend:
leftovers
Egg McMuffins, fruit
Biscuits & gravy, cinnamon rolls, Spinach Quiche Cups
Costa Vida Salad Bar for Sunday Dinner

Motherhood is about Teaching Souls to Fly

On Pinterest I came across an interesting article titled, Motherhood is about Teaching Souls to Fly (printed in the Desert News).  A sister asks her older sister with three children, "why would anyone want to be a mother anyway?" The article is the answer to this question.  It is inspiring. I hope you all take the time to read it and give yourself a big hug for being a mother.  The article mentions Elder Ballard who said that we, mothers, are the first line of defense against the wiles of the world.

The story mentioned in the above article is one of the stories that is published in the book, Choosing Motherhood:  Stories of Successful Women Who Put Family First.  I would love to read this book.

Amazon book description:  Motherhood or a career? Which one truly matters? Both are important in their own way, but in Choosing Motherhood learn how these bright, young LDS women from the Yale community, while their peers were putting off motherhood or forgetting it entirely, decided to become mothers and make an eternal difference in the lives of their children and their communities.

Porter's Story is Shared

Porter is showing Grandma Ramsey how to use Family Search.

At the temple, President Belliston, the 1st counselor of the temple presidency met with our group and spoke with us.  After his message, I spoke with him one-on-one and told him we were at the temple because Porter found the names for us.  He then asked Porter how many people he had found (750 on that day...he found another 130 the following day), his age, his name, and which ward he attended.  He was so impressed with Porter that he asked if he could share Porter's story at a fireside that he was speaking at the next day.  Of course, Porter was honored to share.

The next morning before sacrament meeting, our bishop came over to us and said that President Belliston had called him the night before because he was so impressed with Porter.  He asked if the bishop would have Porter write down his story and then give it back to him.  Pres. Belliston said that he believed that Elder Bednar would also love to hear Porter's story.  

How exciting!  Porter came home and quickly wrote up a little sketch of where this passion for family history began.  He forwarded the message onto the Bishop and now we will see where it goes from there!

Here is Porter's letter to President Belliston.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

You asked me to write about my recent experiences with family history. Earlier this year, my bishop challenged me and the other youth in our ward to find just one ancestor that needed temple work. We were preparing for a youth temple baptism trip and my bishop said we were short on names. I felt a strong desire to find as many ancestors as I could.

As soon as I started doing family history work, I loved the way it made me feel. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even play any video games that day. As I was finding name after name of my ancestors who needed temple work, I could feel their joy.

So far, I have found 880 people who need temple work. My parents have not been able to keep up with all of the work that needs to be done, so we have called on other family, friends, and ward members to help. Last night, I brought 160 of these names to the temple. My parents, brother, aunt, uncles, cousins, Grandma, and friends met me there to be baptized and confirmed for my ancestors. I felt so grateful to them for helping me help others. It was the best kind of family reunion.

As I have done baptisms for them with my family members, I could feel their joy again as they got the chance that they have been waiting for, to be able to repent and be in spirit paradise.

By Porter W...
K. 11th Ward, K.East Stake (I edited this info....for this blog post)

At the Temple with Family & Friends

Those that came included:  Cousin Clay and triplets (Brigham, Cooper, Isabelle along with two girl friends), Craig along with Emily and Allie (and one friend), Tisha & David, Chad & Braden, my mom, Corbin, Porter, Paul, and me.

Last Saturday we were able to reserve a time at the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  Porter had found 160 family names that needed this work done.  I was thrilled to have so much support from family and friends.  It took all of us to get this done!  The girls (10 of us) each performed eight baptisms while the boys (5 of them) each did 16!  Holy Cow!  I learned that next time we will need a few more boys and a few more men to make it run more efficiently.

But who can complain about being in the temple.  It was a wonderful evening.  For the very first time, my brother, Chad baptized Mom, Tisha, and me.  I gave Chad the experience that he will never forget.  For some reason, I was creating huge splashes in the font and making quite a scene - it was probably the cause of my bloody nose (which started after I got out of the water).  My new nickname is "Splash".  Maybe next time I can perform it with more grace.

After performing this work, I revisited the talk from Elder Richard G. Scott's titled, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead from the Oct. 2012 General Conference. It is a powerful talk that I encourage you all to read again.  In there many phrases stood out to me.  

"In an epistle written over 150 years ago, Joseph Smith stated: “The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for … their relatives who are dead … who have received the Gospel in the spirit, through … those who have been commissioned to preach to them.” Later he added, “Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation".

He talks about temple and family history being one work with two parts.  And that blessings come from doing each part of the equation.  Then he emphasizes that "there are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter-day prophets. …

“I have learned that those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing.

Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. The First Presidency has declared, “Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors.”

Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life."

 What a powerful statement!  As a parent, I want to make the temple and family history work the top priority, especially knowing the protection that it provides.  That is more than enough motivation.  

If I can Disbud Goats, I can do Anthing!

Last week I was taught how to disbud goats using a hot disbudding iron.  After Vita showed me how to do it with one goat, it was my turn to disbud the remaining two goats there with her coaching me.  I came home a little traumatized and had nightmares all night about the process.  She also taught me how to give them shots!

Today was the day to disbud two more goats and give them shots!  This time I was on my own.  After watching several youtube videos, I felt like I was up for the terrible, awful smelling task.  This time I shaved their hair with hair trimmers around the horn bud so it would be more visible.  I am proud to say that it was easier than I thought it would be.  I am now feeling confident in my abilities.  Only three more goats to disbud, when they are a few days older.

They look so cute before they are disbudded.  Don't worry the hair will grow back and you won't even  see any scars.  We know from experience that you don't want a goat with horns.  The reasons being that they use the horns to hit each other which can be dangerous when they are butting or tossing another baby goat, they also can get stuck in the fence - which has happened several times with one of our goats.  Plus you always have to me mindful of the horns, especially when children are playing with the goats.