It is done. . .

I would like to congratulate our country on a wonderful day! And, I would like to congratulate Senator Obama on his win as President of the United States. This is such a wonderful and historic day and I am so thrilled to be part of. I will be honest. I voted for McCain because of a few moral issues I feel are very important. But, I think that Sen. Obama will make a great President. It has moved me to see a nation excited about its leadership, excited about change and hope, excited about fixing this mess of a recession. . . .excited to elect a black president! I am thrilled! So, here's to hope and here's to you, Mr. Obama. You are my president now and I will support you and your leadership. God Speed.

Vote Yes on Prop 8!!

Happy Birthday, Jakey!!

Well, it's finally here! A new decade. . . the big 3-0! Wowza! Where did the time go!? In honor of Jacob's 30 years, here are 30 reasons I love my Jakey!



1. We are now the same age for two weeks.

2. His eyes

3. His smoothe kissin' lips!

4. His encouraging words

5. His devotion to our family

6. He loves Disneyland

7. When we go on vacations I don't have to do anything - he willingly does it all. . .but, I

don't let him. . .it's his vacation too! It's the thought that counts.

8. He's fun to cuddle with

9. Pretty color eyes - hazel

10. His beautiful red hair

11. He works so hard for our family

12. He serves so diligently at church

13. He loves my crazy family

14. When he plays in the pool with Mae . . . for hours. . .like he's four, too!

15. Watching him do crazy things he did 15 years ago. . . it's just funny to watch.

1 6. When he hurts himself and I laugh, he doesn't make me sleep on the couch.

17. He doesn't go to bed angry.

18. He isn't affected by drama and avoids it altogether - he just doesn't let it get to him and it

keeps him happy.

19. He is a cuddler - always asking me to come closer.

20. He makes time for us to be alone and enjoy eachother's company

21. He's still romantic

22. He's happy

23. Have you ever heard Jacob answer the phone? He has the nicest "hello" on the planet.

24. I love how he looks in a suit and tie

25. He has goals

26. He likes my food and he eats whatever I make. . .even by some chance he doesn't like it.

27. He asked me to marry him.

28. He's promised me he will always honor his priesthood.

29. He has soft hands that I love to hold

30. He wants to be with me for eternity. . . how I got so lucky I will never know.

Funniest Rap EVER!

SNL Skit. . .watch it!

My Mom's Going to LOVE This!

Tonight while Clark was looking at pictures of family on the computer, he came across a picture of my mom. He got really excited (because, really. . .who doesn't get excited to see my mom!?) and yelled at the top of his lungs, "BUBBLES!" I tried to correct him and say "MooMoo" (that's what Mae calls her), but he insisted that her name is Bubbles! CUTENESS!!! And, the name really fits! All night it never changed. So, Bubbles it is. hehehehe. . .

Updated Pictures. . .

Hi! Well, I have been out of touch for a long, but wanted to post these links to view pictures of the family! Enjoy!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63081&l=cd3e3&id=642835648
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63085&l=1e91f&id=642835648
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63093&l=b4e08&id=642835648
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63095&l=c4f61&id=642835648
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63098&l=91ff8&id=642835648
If you open the album and view each picture, there are small text blurbs on what we were doing, etc. Hope you like them.

Buttercream icing. .

Did you ever need a good buttercream recipe? Here you go! (I have seen the error of my ways and edited this recipe. . .no Crisco. .just butter. Thanks, Melissa!)

Buttercream Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3-4 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

combine butter, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and salt, beating continually.Beat until smooth. For thinner frosting, add more milk. For thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. For chocolate frosting, add cocoa (2-3 Tbsp) to taste.

Seriously. . ..

Okay, this is crazy. I just found the most wonderful recipe! It says it will last forever, if it's not open, and I think this is amazing. Do you realize what this means, folks? YOU CAN CAN BREAD! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have years of bread already made when the "big one" hits, or you're sick, or you need to take something to visiting teachees? Oh, my word! I am freaking out right now! We can CAN bread!!!!!
(okay, upon more researching, this is NOT a new thing. .. . .just new to my generations. I guess it's really popular in Main and Boston. So, there you have it. Just new to me and I can't believe that I can have pumpkin bread when the rest of the world is starving. Still. ..geeking out.)

Canned Pumpkin Bread

This bread is baked in a canning jar, where, as long as the seal isn't broken, it will last forever. It was developed by Gerald Kuhn, retired professor of food science at Penn State. This is one recipe you don't want to modify, warns Kuhn, as its moisture content has been adjusted to make it perfectly safe for preserving in jars. You'll need eight 1-pint, wide-mouthed glass canning jars with 2-piece lids.
2/3 cup shortening (we used butter-flavored Crisco)
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree (we used fresh)
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup chopped nuts (optional; we used walnuts)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream shortening and sugar.
Beat in eggs, pumpkin and water.
Stir together the dry ingredients. Add to the pumpkin mixture, along with the nuts, if desired.
Pour the batter into clean, greased canning jars, filling them half full. Bake in jars without lids for about 25 minutes (we baked ours 10 minutes longer), or until the bread rises and pulls away from the sides of the jars.
When the bread is done, remove 1 jar at a time from the oven, clean its rim, and firmly screw on a 2-piece canning lid. Let the jars cool on the counter away from drafts. You can tell each jar has become vacuum-sealed when its dome is sucked downward at the center during cooling. Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

Makes 8 one-pint jars. (Ours all seemed to have sealed, so maybe we counted the Pops! incorrectly.) Each round loaf yields 3 or 4 slices.

Canned Bread!?

I found this recipe on the web and thought I should give it a try. . .has anyone ever done this? I would just love to have this for my pantry food storage. . no idea how long it lasts in the can, but it's brilliant. Brilliant, that is, if you love zucchini bread, which I do. But, now that I think about it. . .I really like all bread.


CANNED ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. cooking oil
3 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
3 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts

Spray 7 wide-mouthed pint jars inside with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, mix 3 eggs, sugar, cooking oil, vanilla and zucchini. Mix together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, soda, salt and nuts; and add to the zucchini mixture. Mix well.

Fill jars up to the bottom of the Big "K" in the work "Kerr" on the jar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. If the bread rises above the top of the jar, just slice it off before you put your lids on so it will seal. While bread is baking, sterilize your lids. As soon as you remove the jars from the oven, put the lid on, as tight as possible, and it will seal by the time you get the next jar out of the oven.

Note: Place jars in a pan to bake; it's easier to handle them.
Note: When you want to use the bread, just remove from jar and slice it for serving.

What about Jacob . . .

1. They are watching TV. What are they watching? OH, there are a few shows we love to watch together - Amsterdam, Life, Psych, Stargate Atlantis, House, Prison Break
2. You're out to eat. What kind of dressing do they get on their salad? He likes Ranch.
3. What's one food this person doesn't like? What's one food this person could not live without? You know. . . there are many things he doesn't like. . . most of them from the vegetable family. But, he couldn't live without french toast. . .he loves it, loves it, loves it. Especially my special cinnamon vanilla french toast. . with jam.
4. You go out to the bar. He/she orders... We don't go to bars but he really, really likes root beer.
5. Where did he/she go to high school? Laguna Hills High School in Orange County.
6. What size shoe do they wear? A 14.
7. If this person were to collect anything, it would be... Jacob isn't a real collector. . .perhaps musical instruments? He is very musical.
8. What is their favorite type of sandwich? Hahah! This is great question because Jacob has eaten the SAME sandwich every day for three years!!!!!!! Turkey, bacon, avacado at the sandwich shop down the street which he believes has the BEST bread on the earth.
9. This person could eat ______ everyday. Hmmm. . please refer to above answer.
10. Favorite cereal? He really likes cinnamon life.
11. This person wouldn't be caught dead wearing? white pants
12. Favorite sports team? He isn't a sports guy, but loves a good game. .. he likes BYU and OSU.
13. Who will he/she vote for? MCCAIN!!!!!
14. What is their sign? Don't know! I mean, I know his birthday. . just not his sign.
15. What is something you do that he/she wishes you didn't? Oh, I wish I couldn't think of 50 things to type right now! But, when I am upset I raise my voice. . .like saying it louder makes it more important, or something. It's silly. He, on the other hand. .he doesn't raise his voice. It makes me look fabulously psychotic, which I don't really like.
16. How many states has this person lived in? CA and AZ
17. What is his/her heritage? Ummm. .I should know this. . . but, I don't.
19. Did he/she play sports in high school? Nope. . he really enjoys sports, but never on any organized team in High School.
20. This person could spend hours... on the computer doing programming. . . .oh WAIT! He does!
21. He/She wants a new... nothing. . .we are really happy with what we have right now.
22. The CD I would probably find in their vehicle walkman is... Weezer
23. What can you do that will guarantee a laugh from him/her? Say I am going on a diet. .. tomorrow!
24. Does he/she get along well with their family? Of course.
25. If money wasn't an option, I would buy him/her... a BMW 3 series. . . .and, if money wasn't an issue. . .I would get me one, too!

Happiness from Yosemite and Labor Day. . .

Blog Dry Spell

Sorry, folks. . it's been a while. Do any of you ever go through a dry spell with your blog and just don't have the creativity or drive to keep it up? That's me right now. And, I apologize in advance because it isn't over, yet. . ..
We just got back from Yosemite and had FABULOUS time! My mom stayed and watched Clark at the house so I didn't have to worry about all his many, many, many allergies (yes, his list is growing. . .like peanuts, potatos, seseme seeds, oranges. . it's crazy). We were also able to do lots of hikes because the baby was taken care of. Mae was a trooper. .really quite amazing, if I do say so myself. She is quite the physical challenge girl! Anything that challenges her mentally and physically she is 100% up for. And, once she's conquered it and feels comfortable? Move over because she is going pro!
Jacob climed half dome - what a guy! He enjoyed it, but was thrilled to be back in the valley when it was all said and done 12 hours later. My FIL, Larry, asked me if I was going to give Jacob a big kiss when he got back. .. I cringed and said, "yes, after his shower." Good call, em. . .good call. .. :) Just teasing, Jakey.
It was wonderful! I will post pictures soon. . . .

Bye, Emma!

Emma! We are going to miss you so much, sweet girl! This was the best six weeks of Mae's life! You made us laugh and be creative and you are so kind and gentle. Clark has been walking around the house all day looking for you. At church today he looked in all the rooms, saying, Enna? Enna?" When he couldn't find you he cried. He thinks you are an original member of the family and still looks at our family picture and asks where you are. . .it just melts my heart. I am so excited for you to start school at Wilson Hill! You are going to love it there! And, you are going to LOVE going to school with your big brother and live so close to your grandpa!
Much love to you, angel. Until next summer!
Kiss Kiss!!
xoxo-aunt sissy

What going on. .

The Great Challenge!

Okay, who's with me? Let's start a challenge. The prize? You win. The perk? Weight Loss.

So, here's the challenge. .. this is the honor system, people.

Take the number of pounds you want to lose.
We will have a weigh in date.
Take the percentage of your weight loss against your goal. . .mom, I will help you with the math. :)
That's your point for that challenge period.
You get a point every day you exercise longer than 30 minutes.
This will be one week challenge periods.

So, who's in?

Wax Figures. .

Hey, check out these wax figures. Some of them are so uncanny, it's amazing. Enjoy!
http://movies.msn.com/movies/galleryfeature/celebrities-in-wax/?photoidx=1

Evil Step Mothers. . .

I just remembered this story from a few weeks ago. . .

Mae was talking to another child and they mentioned they had a step-mom. Mae gasped and grabbed her heart and said to other child, in all seriousness, "I am so sorry! Is she evil?" I, of course laughed . . .and had to explain that not all step-mothers are wicked. Hahah. .
Thank you very much, Disney!

All Done. . ..

The other day Clark and Mae were playing on the slip 'n slide and I was doing dishes, watching them. Clark came up to the sliding glass door and knocked on it to get my attention. I opened the door and knelt down to his eye level. He passionately grabbed my neck, pulled me in for a big kiss, put his hand on my face and pushed me away while saying, "all done." Then, he closed the door and went back to playing. It was the quickest tender moment I have ever had, but left me laughing and loving. .

Seven Things About Jacob . . that I love. . .

In honor of our seven years together, here are seven things I love about Jacob. . .
1. Jacob makes me laugh. .. really good belly laughs. He is witty, but also very silly. The combination makes him irresistible!
2. Jacob smells really good. Every time I kiss him goodbye, I can't control myself. . .I take a good whiff. . .it reminds me of our wedding day. He smelled so amazing that day and he still continues. Of course, he does like to you use the phrase, "Smell my pits," when laughingly telling someone off. . .I say that's not so bad. It could be worse. You could have to smell my brothers' pits.
3. Jacob will support me in anything that I feel passionate about. .anything. If I said I wanted to get a nanny and become an astrophysicist, he would support me. Although, considering I had to look up how to spell astrophysicist, it's not likely that will happen anytime soon.
4. I love being a mom and he loves how I mother our children. He has often commented on how precious the children are to him, and how wholly and completely he trusts me with their physical, spiritual and mental care. That trust is priceless. . . and, it works out just great that I feel the same way about him.
5. Jacob takes honoring his priesthood very seriously, and that humbles me. He is constantly making new goals to improve himself in all areas of his life, and he tells them to me so he can be accountable for those goals. He is inspiring.
6. I love his musicality. .the piano, guitar, singing. . .when I hear him play instruments and see how our children gather around him and pretty much worship the ground he walks on, it makes my heart melt. He is such a wonderful example of filling our home with a wonderful spirit, through the avenue of good music.
7. I love that Jacob loves Heavenly Father more than me. . .he does. . .and, although it is hard when his church responsibilities separate us, or someone is in need, it is that love that he has for God that brings us closer together. I love that he is always in the service of God, and whether that's with me or not. . .it makes me closer to him and thus, closer to God.

I love you, Jacob. These past seven years have flown by. . .Here's to the next seven years of happiness, joy, heartache, laughter and growth. . .with my best friend. xoxo-emmy