foodie reigned in.

I think that this week may be our UN-healthiest week ever. For me at least. If something doesn't sound good to me, I just don't eat it. Period. That simple. So when the option is oatmeal for breakfast again- or nothing? I choose nothing. I've apparently been the milk natzi this week. I've tried to make our gallon of milk we opened sunday morning last this whole week incase I need it for a recipe. The other morning for breakfast I decided corban and I deserved a treat for not having our morning cereal everyday like we have been always. So I thought we should make some pudding for breakfast. I told him that it called for 2 cups cold milk as I was getting it out of the fridge. I go to pour it and corban says: "Don't waste it mom." in a very serious-life or death tone. After I had mixed the pudding up and poured it into bowls he said all sorts of sweet things: "Oh THANK YOU mom! You're my Hero!" "You're my lifesaver!" Sometimes it's really nice to have such a vocal son. And sometimes it's nice to do something that isn't necissarily healthy for you or your son's body, but healthy for his happiness in getting a fun treat.

I've determined that we definitely NEED to accumulate some healthful food storage recipes like my sweet aunt Liesa Card has outlined in her book I Dare You To Eat It. (http://Idareyoutoeatit.com) Liesa will be coming in february to do an adult activity to teach us more about provident living and food storage.
I realized that we will have to get canning some meats because even though we've been able to pull them out of the freezer this week- if we didn't have power that would be a different story.
On top of that we need to learn the art of planning ahead! That has been my near-downfall this week. If I was taking the boys out to run errands and we'd be out during lunch it wouldn't cross my mind that I needed to make us some sack lunches instead of grabbing something while we were out. There were a few close calls like when we were passing a new mcdonalds that was doing almost everything on their menu for 99 cents...or smelling yummy foods while we were at IKEA getting a high chair for gabe.
Just tell me when this is over so I can go to the store- I miss it. You'd think with all this IN time my house would be cleaner- it's not. It's more messy. Such a pain. Where are the house cleaning fairies?? If you know give me a shout. thanks

Emergnecy Preparedness

So yesterday as we were hustling into our sacrament meeting at 1:02 a dear sister from the ward stops us and says we are just the family she was waiting for. (uh oh.) "Here" she says as she hands us a paper. "The bishop picked you to do this chanllenge-they'll explain in sacrament meeting." And she walks away. I look down at the paper and see:

Magna Stake - Are we prepared in 2009? Series Event

Food Storage CHallenge

Live for 1 week out of your food/supply Storage

We have learned a lot about Emergency Preparedness this year ... now it is time to see what you learned and if you are truly prepared for an Emergency Event in your life.

Challenge: Your family will live off your home food and supply storage for 1 week!

When: Beginning Sunday November 8th...right after your Ward Block through Saturday November 14th.

Rules:

You cannot go to the store for anything! (exception: prescription drugs.

You may use your home utilities including city water.

If you run out of an item or find you do not have something, you may trade, barter or buy items...but only from other families involved in the challenge.

Let's not- and say we did.

I know we'll do fine because I have an amazing storage room full of canned foods and such but it's just the principle of the thing.

(I hit the Smith's Case Lot Sale a couple weeks before we moved in.)
Believe me it's not this organized any more but it's still just as full- maybe even more full.

It's someone saying "you can't go to the store". That makes you want to go even more!!! Maybe that's just my personallity. Anyway, we're glad that we bought formula for gabe last week and we just cracked open a gallon of milk this morning- but we'll definitely purchase some "morning moo" after this is all over. Possibly we'll learn some other must haves. We've realized how blessed we are in many ways as we joked around about how we could survive on our mac and cheese stash alone.{notice the picture above second shelf from the floor on the right? mac and cheese. check :) } Jack frequently gets to bring home different meats from work for many reasons- either a tipped pallet (nothing wrong with it but the consumer won't accept the shipment) and late shipment. So we have a freezer full of chicken, beef, and some salmon patties (check those out at Costco they're salmon filets ground into patties and they're fabulous- and about a buck/pattie which is cheap for salmon) The kicker of this is that the bishop mentioned something about "could you live off your food in your house for a week?" in an email last week. Jack and I thought- "yeah, maybe, it probably wouldn't be that bad- soups, pastas, rice, beans, and canned fruits and veggies. We should be living this way ANYWAY." But we didn't imagine we'd have to do it this week. Jack and I would like to have the other two families that were assigned to participate over for a dinner together this week so we'll get to work on figuring that out. Wish us luck in keeping the variety going instead of just making mac and cheese every day. Cause you know I'd do that in a heart beat ;) .

little things

So just some stuff that's been rattling around in my brain:

• We don't have ANY family pictures of all four of us. *edit* we have halloween pictures.
• We NEED a dishwasher like a year ago.
• I shouldn't go after-halloween sale shopping tomorrow morning- but I'm going to anyway.
• My boys are the cutest ever-if not very very crazy.
• Gabe loves Corban with all his heart.
• Corban loves to wrestle Gabe.
• I'm glad I'm not chasing Sam round these days plus my boys, I'm glad that my dad is LOVING having him.
• I love our home.
• I'm grateful corban's potty trained-however many times he has to go at inopportune times.
• I love that we have two working cars.
• I'd love to do more hair than I'm doing, but only by a little more.
• I wish the house cleaning fairy would visit more often. (or at least the mood to clean would strike me more often)
• I wish my vacuum didn't make the house smell like popcorn every time it's used (apparently you shouldn't vacuum up buttery popcorn unless you like that smell every time you vacuum)
• I shouldn't be complaining but it feels nice.
• My days are going to fill up quickly-very shortly.
• I should post halloween party photos :) maybe right now, maybe tomorrow....we'll see.
  

I think that's about it. phew that feels better. you should try it.

oh ps. let's have faith that whatever needs to happen is happening at the time it should happen and that we can be strong enough for it when it happens.

Just in case you were wondering...

Candy Corn

First created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company, the three colors of candy corn are meant to symbolize actual corn. Each piece is approximately the size of a whole kernel of corn, as if it fell off a ripe or dried ear of corn.
Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup and honey. Working by hand, the original manufacturers first combined sugar, corn syrup and water and cooked them into a slurry. Fondant was added for texture, and marshmallows provided a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds. Three passes were required during the pouring process, one for each colored section. Few changes have been made to the process or recipe, with machines now performing the tasks formerly done by people. Candy corn can be found at most popular grocery food stores in the United States.

no posting???

I have a new hobby. digital scrapbooking. I got sucked in (thanks a lot tina...) jk, I really am enjoying it. I also am enjoying the Catching Fire book!!! It's the sequel to The Hunger Games (only the best book ever.) so i'll post one of my little pages I've worked on. Don't scoff. I'm learning- slowly but surely. and don't laugh that I'm this far behind in scrapbooking.

thanks

amanda

SAM

This is sam. He's the puppy that jack bought as a surprise birthday gift 2 yrs ago. We've loved having him as a part of our family. He started not acting like his happy self when gabe came around because sam became the bottom of the totum poll. He was sad, he wasn't getting the attention he needed or the exercise. My parents were gracious enough to take him right before I had gabe so he wasn't around a new born, and he is visibly happier someplace other than our home.

We came to the conclusion a few months ago that he needed a home that would appreciate him (and maybe one without a toddler that would hit him). We talked about putting him on ksl, but my little brother's friend said that he wanted sam. We gave him several months to try to convince his dad to no avail. We were back at square one. Just when we were about to put an add up on ksl, we found him a new home. These people will love and care for him-he has a fenced yard to romp and play, and people to walk him. He transitioned really well to this family and I'm sure he'll be happy.

Afterall-my parents are the ones that decided to keep him :) We are so thrilled, it couldn't have turned out better. We'll still see him lots, we won't have to wonder about some strange family taking him, and I won't have to explain where sam is to corban, and my dad fianlly has his dog!

PS have you rsvp'd to the halloween party yet?

HALLOWEEN PARTY!

What else to say besides I hope to see everyone there! (unless you're out of state then you get off the hook ;) )