Feeling Christmas Crafty

Bow ties for Tanner's birthday last month. He and Zach picked out some of the material by
themselves on a man-date to the fabric store. Go ahead, suspend their man cards.
I'll be making Zach's next.

 Thanks to our ward's Super-Saturday here are some of the cutsie things I've been up to lately. I'm not always crafty, but it must just be that time of year.

Glass etching. Not something I could do by myself unless I pre-ordered a vinyl stencil from someone with a machine

I have a few other tricks up my sleeve, but those are a surprise. You'll just have to wait. 

A stinging criticism- Approaching Zion

"The Hebrew word for financial activity of any kind is mamonut, and the financier is mamonai, that is, financing is, quite frankly, in that honest language, the business of Mammon. " p20

"Are their eyes single to the building up of the Kingdom of God? No; they are single to the building up of themselves." (I would add their own kingdom) p40
Yet they want to be good and rich at the same time, and so they reach a compromise called respectability, which is nothing less than Babylon masquerading as Zion. p46 Work does not sanctify wealth

It is much harder to be a Michelangelo than to work enough to buy a chisel and some stone." (I would add it is easier to get enough money to buy a Michelangelo than be one.)

Hugh Nibley's Approaching Zion is full of such criticisms of money and the Saints, and I'm only 1/3 of the way through. He sets it up as an "either-or" situation, not one to be balanced. You work, the Lord provides, anything in excess of your needs (which are met VERY soon) He gives you goes straight back to the poor and building up the kingdom. Food for thought. It appears that the full book is online and can be found here:
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=75

Go on, read a few chapters. You may laugh out loud as I did, or seriously consider the course your life is taking. Either way, it will be well worth your time.

Fun with Dink and Dunk

Otherwise known as Thanksgiving break. Zach's nice and nephew from BYU stayed at our house for two nights and we all went to Ben and Joy's for the big day. (I would just like to add that I am not the one who gave them their nicknames, that was Zach.) Good times. Too bad they won't be here for Christmas.

Here we have Dink taking a 40 minute nap after family prayer

And Dunk catching a few pre-movie Z's on the couch as well (its only 7:30)

Dutifully fulfilling my assignment of the bird

The head chef

Who looks like they are having more fun?

The spread (I opted, in my unbalanced state, to let Ben get up on the chair for this picture)

Dink's "I'm too full for dessert" plate

A little Thanksgiving living

Zach home teaches a lady in our ward with three small children and a husband overseas in the military. This week she needed a little assistance with raking her lawn. It was a good day to do it since Zach had taken off early from work and picked up Tanner and Naomi to sleep over- two extra helpers. Plus he had the little helpers we already genetically produced ourselves.  Being 7 1/2 months pregnant I opted to stay home to mop and make pie but they made quick work of her yard in a little over two hours. I think they earned their Thanksgiving dinner. Team work doesn't seem work.

They raked the state of Massachusetts into our neighbor's yard

And the letter 'Z'

Oh cousins! (sorry for the blur, these were phone pictures sent to my email)

    

I am thankful for

A two year old that asks for beans and rice for dessert. This was our conversation after dinner two nights ago.

Mom:" Mac do you want some ice cream?"
Mac: " No, beans and rice"
Mom: "Do you want some cookies?"
Mac: "No, beans and rice."
Mom: "Well ok I guess, you sure you want beans and rice?"
Mac: "Yes, beans and rice."
He had beans and rice

Last night I opened a can of black beans to use in a recipe and my little helper hopped right up on a chair and helped himself.  How can I say no?








On another note, do you know what David is grateful for though- dragons. I have the Indian feather from preschool to prove it. I'm glad we've instilled in him gratitude for the important things in life.

Beginning to think Pink

Zach did his man-job and put the crib up this weekend. After our three boys had used the last crib, which was second hand to begin with, it was time for a new one and different color bedding. The pictures hanging over the crib are some nature ones I took a while back, but they will be replaced by little hands and feet in a few months. When we decide on a name I'll do little block letters to hang over her crib too. Of course she still has to share a room with the guest bed, but most of the time she will be in the room by herself. Its kind of fun to have a pink corner in our house. 

Book Review

For anyone you care about on your Christmas list. This book is to physical health as The Infinite Atonement is to spiritual health. Order it for yourself, read it, and then lend it to a friend. I really can't say enough about this book. I put off reading it for a while because I had a feeling he was going to tell me milk was bad for me, and he did. I feel a little lied to by the dairy industry, honestly, telling me milk was good for my bones all these years. As to the meat industry, I've known that was a bunch of "bull" for a while.  The author himself is a vegan and advocates as little animal protein  in the diet as possible. (He's 70 years old and still able to run 6 miles a day.) Reading between the lines it sounded like you could get many of the same benefits on a flexitarian diet- or very nearly vegetarian diet- of up to about 1 oz of meat a day (think one big bite of a hamburger or one 7 oz serving/week). I'm not announcing my switch to vegetarianism thus far, but I've been drinking water with more meals and I have been scanning the horizon for more vegetarian options for my family.Meat eating opportunities come up often enough. Twenty years of good solid research have gone into these recommendations and there is convincing evidence that diet alone can reverse heart disease, prevent cancer, and cure type 2 diabetes. Diet can also slow the development of cataracts, auto-immune diseases, and memory loss. Its not just for weight loss any more folks. People say "I may die 10 years younger, but at least I'll die happy" but there is nothing happy about kidney stones, osteoporosis, nuropothies, pain and discomfort. A change in diet will not only add years to your life but life to your years and I for one want to be as useful as possible, as long as possible. Get this book, check it out from the library, read it, feel guilty. A little guilt is good once in a while if it leads to change. Good luck people, and share any stellar vegetarian ideas you have with me.

The Cake

Temple Cake Topper

 It's probably my favorite part of wedding reception decor. This time was no exception.

Can you just feel Christmas coming?

Mom's good friend and cake maker- Vicki Myers

They were very polite, no cake in the face which surprised me

Mom and Barry's Sealing

I was not the main photographer at the temple. I just took a few snap shots as they were coming out before I had to hop into some family photos.In fact, mom didn't even know I was coming. She had quite a surprise when the temple worker announced that I was there. It was a lovely ceremony and well attended. 

Congratulations to the Happy Couple!

The Party

Just letting the East coast know how we party on the West coast

He still needs a little help this year

Mac loves his "baby doll" . This is a re-furbished gift from Zach's own childhood. Thanks Mimi

The Bite

The new freshman craze- Ninja

The cakes

The kid cake. As mentioned recently, he likes a PBS kids show called Dinosaur  Train.
We only show him clips on the computer but he loves the theme song. 

The adult cake. For Tanner who is turning 19 this week. I bought all the stuff but Becky ended up making it for him when she was helping me out in the kitchen. Thanks Beck. 

Apple and Tree

The apple

Remember this picture?- The tree

Good tree that apple came from. Can you tell my boys like to be read to? That middle child in the top photo is actually a lender. Its our nephew Brady come to visit for the day. We figured with 8 younger siblings she could handle it, and she could. 

Mac-adoodle

Remember this little guy? Well he's turning 2!!! He has been so much FUN to have in our family, I'm almost sad to see his 1 year old self come to an end. He's talking up a storm now but just as huggable and kissable as ever. Some things I love about Lil' Kenny, formerly known as Cheeks.

That he wakes up happy

He has a great 'surprised' face

That he loves to push to buttons on the dryer and watch it spin

That he is learning to count

He loves to do 'pound' (fist) or touch elbows when he is being a good eater

He likes to show us how fast he can run and says ,'watch me' 

He can entertain himself with cars or trains, but also plays well with others

He likes to help me in the kitchen 

He enjoys being read to and jumping on the trampoline

He's just so darn cute

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAC!

Trick-or-sweet

Mediocre Mothering part 754: No theme, no homemade costumes, three re-uses. What can I say? Pregnancy is an excuse for everything. 

There's no padding under there, that's all Mac

He thinks he is dressed like a dinosaur from the PBS kids show "Dinosaur Train"

This is me going all out for my Halloween costume- my kid's pumpkin hat.
 Nothing else from my closet would have fit anyway

Ninja Gabe off to fight some bad guys

Warrior David ready to fight bad guys in a different century