Game One

Ellea's 5th grade basketball team had their first game last night. It was a close game. The score almost always had only a 2 point spread. The gym got louder and louder with everyone yelling enthusiastically as it got down to the wire! Sadly the other team won, with a final score of 20 to 18.

Ellea didn't have the opportunity to make any baskets, but she played very well and did everything her daddy-coach told her to!

Skiing Sistas

The girls got to go skiing last Friday with the school. Fourth, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders all got to skip classes all day and were bussed up to the ski hill here in Cottonwood. I know nothing about skiing, but I know the price is right. Only $10 for the lift ticket and $10 for rental.

The lucky ducks got to go skiing again yesterday. Ellea's Uncle Dave (and Godfather) bought her a punch card so she could go a few times this season. Now if the snow will just stick around, she'll be all set!

Giving each other a hand.

The good old T-Bar pulls them up the hill!

This was only Ellea's fourth time going skiing, and I'm glad she's enjoying it so much. I tried going skiing once. That was enough for me! A friend offered to take me with her to Schweitzer after we got free lift tickets for being on the Honor Roll. She proceeded to put me on the ski lift at the bunny hill and give me ZERO instruction. She and her dad thought I could just point my skis down the hill and away we'd go. I wasn't a big fan of that plan after about 20 feet. I'm not much of a daredevil and stopping or slowing down were my priority needs! After taking off my skis halfway down the hill and hoofing it to the lodge, it occurred to them to get me a lesson. Lessons?! Lessons would be good!

It wasn't so bad after getting some instruction, but I already had that bad taste in my mouth. I'll just stick to watching and taking pictures, thanks anyway!

My Hubby

The logger.

The farrier.

The cattleman.

The teacher of all things forestry.

The referee.

The coach.

The lover of all things piggy.

The runner.

The farmer and daddy.

The carpenter.

The fun-loving parent.

The hay hauler.

The dancer extraordinaire and my best friend!

For these and all his many other talents and gifts I am forever grateful.

I love you, Glenn!

A Bend in the Road

We attended a motivational talk last night sponsored by our Church youth group. Matt Potratz, from Lewiston, Idaho, showed the video from an avalanche he was caught in while snowmobiling. They were shooting film for a snowmobile movie at the time. He ended up in a coma with zero brain activity and the doctors said it would take a miracle to save him. With lots of prayer, a miracle came, because after 88 straight days in the hospital, he was able to go home. He now walks and talks and is doing quite well except for his paralyzed left arm.


It was a great inspirational talk. He had lots of words of wisdom. He told us having a positive mental attitude was crucial to getting through life. Despite all he's been through, he is just grateful to be here and passionate about living life to its fullest. While he can't ride like he used to (he still rides a little bit--with one arm!), and his life has been turned upside-down, he chooses to live his life very deliberately.


My favorite quote was one of the last things he said:

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road....

unless you fail to make the turn."

Author Unknown

Missing Boy

We had a minor scare this week with a "misplaced" child. Morgan had instructions to ride the bus home if Glenn wasn't standing there to pick him up after school. When I realized he wasn't on the bus, I assumed he was with Glenn. I called and Glenn denied having picked him up, so I went looking for him at his school. It was mildly disturbing that he wasn't there either!

It made me incredibly grateful that we live where we do. I can't imagine if I lived in a bigger town that I would keep my cool if no one knew where my child had disappeared to! The teachers were frantically calling bus drivers and the other elementary building in town. They were very apologetic and felt badly that he was "lost." I was 99.9% sure that he was safe somewhere. I know a child can be kidnapped in even the smallest town, but thankfully we finally located him at the other school.

I was relieved and annoyed when I found out where he was! There was no reason for him to be on the bus that went to that school. He claims "he forgot" where he was supposed to go after school, but I don't buy that. He's had a stern talking to and won't be pulling that stunt again if he knows what's good for him!

We should hug our loved ones every chance we get and say a prayer for their safety. They're so precious and irreplaceable.

Even if they do silly, annoying things that drive us crazy sometimes!

Mini Sledding

The kids have been desperate to get some sledding in this winter. We've had hardly any snow. After the snowstorm last week, Morgan and Ellea made a point to go out and play in the snow after school.

The snow disappeared quickly. We still have some snow and ice but yesterday it was in the 40's so it's disappearing quickly!

They were especially delighted that Glenn made a big pile of snow with the tractor when he plowed the driveway. It's not much, but I guess they'll take whatever they can get!

This is one of the few times when sledding that they have to walk back up to the top of the hill! They catch a ride when we sled on the big hill. Guess that makes it nice that it's only 8 steps to the top!

Sit With Me

In all fairness, Ellea is still very fond of all the little people in our family. Her first choice is baby-holding, but playing with toddlers comes in a close second!

"Phone's for you, Ellea." Little Andie won't associate with just anybody, so that she'll even consider sitting in Ellea's lap is a huge compliment!

Mr. Cheeseface himself! This is baby William's big brother, Ben.

Peace and Quiet

My children are champion TV watchers so it was to their delight and my trepidation that we recently bought a van with a DVD player. It even has two wireless headphones and headphone jacks in the back row so Glenn and I don't have to listen to a movie we can't see.

We made our first trip to Lewiston in the new van over the weekend. We had to listen to the kids argue about which movie to watch. Excellent. Something new to argue about. Kids can never have too many things to argue about. That's what I always say.

I'm not sure what I was thinking. They watch too much TV already.

BUT, it did make for a delightfully quiet car for me to take a nap in. Maybe it is a good thing. I do love my car naps. I take a blanket and neck pillow any time I think I might get a nap. Which is any time we drive more than 20 minutes!

Baby Face

After 8 long days of waiting, Ellea finally got her hands on the newest baby in the family.

William Henry Kaufman was born early Saturday, January 14th to Steve and Christina (and big brother, Ben). This big boy weighed 9 lbs, 10 ozs. His mama looks fabulous. Even after experiencing childbirth three times over, I'll never fully understand how the human body can go through such trauma and bounce back so quickly. It's a miracle in so many ways!


Ellea insisted that she be first to hold him! She nearly refused to let Nicole and I have a turn.

He has quite the "old man" wrinkles when he screws up his face! Sure hope he doesn't do any permanent damage!

Nicole had a brief turn, but she was happy to get to hold him. She likes babies in small doses.

I had to insist on getting a turn to snuggle William. No, Ellea was happy to let me snuggle him--for about 5 minutes, and then she was determined to take him back! As you can see, Ellea was never far away when someone else was holding him!

Date Night, January 2012

Hubby and I went on our first date of the New Year last night. I tried to publish a blog post from his smart phone about our date, but phone outsmarted me! Romantic me, I'm typing on his phone while he drives us to our destination!

His employer has a "Winter Party" every January. Very smart to skip the busy Christmas season, since everyone's so busy in December. We had a yummy meal, lots of delicious desserts and a DJ. It was a fun evening.

I've decided we should strive to go out on date at least once a month. That's not too much to ask, is it? I guess I better mention this plan to Glenn since he's the one I want to go on most the dates with!

Volleyball, Here we Come!

Nicole has completed her first week of volleyball practice. The 7th grade team has about 18 girls on it, so she may not get tons of gametime, but she's having fun. She's grateful there's less running in volleyball than in basketball.

She's like her mom--please don't make me run.

Thank you.

Cross-eyed

Ellea asked the other day if I wanted to see her "cross-eyed fish" impression.

I had one question: "Can I take a picture?" I was surprised that she said yes!

So much talent for an 11 year old!

Bus Stop

Winter has reared its ugly head again! The kids are happy about it. And, I guess if it's going to be cold, it might as well be snowy, but it's not much fun to drive in. Especially when we're so out of practice!

The bus got stuck in our driveway yesterday morning.

Luckily, Glenn was home. He was Johnny-on-the-spot with his tractor. It doesn't look like much, but there was about 10 inches of snow, and a layer of ice under the snow. Darn that ice!

Glenn conferred with the bus driver and then he gave them a little push from behind. Nicole tells me they were wishing their dad hadn't helped. They didn't mind being stuck in the driveway!

I thought brieflly about venturing out into the snow to get a better angle on the action. Then I came to my senses, snapped the picture from the front porch and happilly went back into the house!

Body Piercings

Nicole discovered some small round magnets in my desk drawer. Somehow she came up with the brilliant idea of putting them on her earlobes. She immediately decided they would look better on her daddy's ears!


Glenn is so piercing-averse that he ran away when I grabbed the camera. NO WAY was I going to take a picture of him with "earrings!"

Nicole picks up the camera and he smiles. He's not wrapped around his daughters' fingers, is he? Yup! And proud of it, too!

Community Service

My mom runs all over town volunteering her time to many good causes. One of the places she's been helping with for years is the hospital auxiliary thrift shop. A couple of years ago, the kids and I started spending time there helping out, and we discovered that it's great fun! Mom's in charge of the toy room, so the kids get to "test" the toys (really!), stock the shelves, etc. We've also spent some time waiting on customers and running the cash register which the girls enjoy (and it's educational, but don't tell them that!).

And we do our fair share of shopping. We rarely leave there empty-handed. We're just doing our part! It's a terrific thrift shop. Very clean and well-organized.

They get some great donations.


Who doesn't love a humongous teddy bear?!

We happened to be there when they were taking pictures for a local business directory. After the big group picture, I insisted on a family photo. Ellea resisted, but once I told her she could find a cute stuffed animal to hold, she relented!

Sewing With Nancy

Last year, Nancy told our girls that she was going to teach them how to sew. A good thing, since their mother is pretty clueless in that department. She let them sew a baby blanket and they had a blast doing it. Morgan announced early on that he wanted to sew, too! Not wanting to argue with such an open-minded young man, Nancy agreed. Morgan finally got his turn yesterday.

He mostly pushed the pedal, but he paid close attention to the entire process. Thankfully, it moved along quickly. The blanket was finished in about an hour and a half, and Morgan's interest was about spent so that was perfect!

Morgan's Godmother, Donna, picked up the material for this project. It's cute little monkey's throwing snowballs at each other. Perfect for my little monkey! The blanket is just the right size to cuddle up on the couch with. It's his new favorite!

Soon, my children know more about sewing than I do. Maybe then they can teach me!

Chocolate Raspberry Bliss

Hal and Nancy had us over for a yummy steak dinner last night. That's two nights in a row that they've entertained us!


I provided dessert which is fine by me. I like eating dessert, so I'm happy to make it. I even made my own whipped cream (for the filling) rather than use cool whip. I rarely--no, never, make whipped cream. That stand mixer is so handy!This is a recipe that I don't make often, but should because it's very good. Sorry for the blurry picture. I meant to take a picture of the pie on my own plate, but I was so excited to eat it that I forgot all about taking a picture! I snapped this picture quickly and hurried back to eating!

Chocolate Raspberry Pie
1 graham cracker (or Oreo) pie crust
3 Tbs granulated sugar
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 cups unsweetened raspberries
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and berries in a saucepan; stir over med heat and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 15 minutes. Spread in crust and refrigerate.

Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c whipped cream

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy (not sure about this instruction--I beat it quite a while and never saw much fluff. I decided to beat until creamy instead!!). Fold in whipped cream; carefully spread over raspberry layer; cover and refrigerate at least one hour. (Or, if you always are running short on time, like me, 20 minutes in the freezer!!)

Topping
1/3 c semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbs butter or 1/4 c whipping cream

Melt ingredients in saucepan on med-low. Cool 4-5 minutes. Pour over filling; cover and chill 2 hours (Or, again, the freezer is your friend!!).

I added a few raspberries on top as garnish. And because I'm a big believer in chocolate (that is, I'm a chocoholic), I sprinkled some mini-chocolate chips on top. I would probably add even more mini-chips next time. Maybe even between the raspberry and creme layers.

But that's just me.

I have issues.

High Tech Games

The family went down to Hal and Nancy's house last night for card games. Well, the adults played card games. The kids played on iPads and smartphones.


They were in heaven! They were incredibly quiet for about 2 hours! Guess what they want Santa to bring them next year?! I told them to dream on!

Butt Prints

I've always been fond of the "Footprints" poem. I recently came across a similar poem with an interesting twist. This one has some value, too--humorous and otherwise!

Butt Prints In The Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore,

But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
and there I dropped you on your butt."

Because in life, there comes a time,
when one must fight, and one must climb.
When one must rise and take a stand,
or leave their butt prints in the said."

author unknown

My apologies for the irreverence.
But, you gotta admit--it's funny!! And true, too!!

Sisters

My apologies for missing yesterday's blog, loyal followers. I came down with another cold. Forgive me.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of Nicole "holding" her sister the other day. It's so sweet that they get along so well.
Ellea didn't appreciate the photo opportunity, thus the hand in the face!!

Mush, dog, mush!

The girls recently discovered the fun of pushing each other around the house in my office chair. I couldn't think of a good reason why it they shouldn't do it, so the fun continues!!


Then they discovered the fun of pulling each other around with the dog leash.

I Noticed that Nicole's in a dress and Ellea's in her pj's. Not sure what's up with that. To each her own. I'm more of a pj girl, myself!

Slice of Heaven

Nicole was in the mood to make dessert last night. And not just any old dessert would do. What she really wanted to make was Angel Food cake. She was hopeful that I had an Angel Food Cake mix, but even those are more work than I like to exert, so I don't buy them. I suggested a nice Pound Cake for her strawberry shortcake plans, but she was having none of it.

So, she and I made OUR very first Angel Food Cake.

One of the reasons that I've never actually made an Angel Food Cake is I'm too lazy to stand there with the mixer beating the eggs for three weeks. C'mon. Who has that kind of patience? But, I have a stand mixer. Thank God for that!

The other reason I don't make Angel Food cake is who wants 12 eggs yolks lying around with no where to go? I'm gonna have to figure out what to do with those puppies.

Nicole was amazed at how you separate eggs. And the girls where fascinated to see what happens to egg yolks when you beat them to within an inch of their life. It was very educational.

A little home ec. lesson in my kitchen.

I'm not a big fan of Angel Food cake without fruit and whip cream,but boy, oh boy, add those lovely ingredients and you have a little slice of heaven.

And no chocolate is involved. Amazing!

Lean on Me

The key to some of the games on our Wii videogame system is to lean forward to get your player to move faster.


Recently, the kids tried to help Nicole really get into the lean!


I guess it didn't help as much as they had hoped, but they sure had a good time trying! It's lucky Nicole didn't land on her nose!! She really trusts those two!