Samba, Anyone?

Last year and this year Jessica has been on the Elementary School Ballroom Team at her school.  She has Loved it!  They just had their year end concert.  They got to do a dress rehearsal at the school and then a performance for the parents that night.  She puts a lot of time and effort into Ballroom.  She stays after school 2 days a week and doesn't get home until after 5pm on those days.  They wait for the first hour for the first year group to practice.  Jessica is always good about getting her homework done while she waits.  Then the second year group gets to practice after that.

Here is a picture of both the first and second year teams.  The kids with black shirts are the second year.  As you can see there are twice as many girls as boys.  So the boys get to dance with two girls each.  They usually change partners half way through the dance.

They have multiple dances and multiple outfit changes.  They always look so cute.  Here the girls are watching as a couple from the High School perform.  They have learned the Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Swing and her current favorite is the Samba.


And if you want to see how cute they are, here is the video.  It is amazing to see the difference and improvement as she is in the class longer.

Dance away Jess!

My Pampered Chef Team

Last Friday (okay, I'm post dating this because I'm behind as always) we had the opportunity for a Sales Trainer from the Pampered Chef Home Office to come to Salt Lake for a regional training.  It was great!  I have met and worked with Karin Logston since she joined the company a few years ago and have really liked her.  The training was really good, but the best part was my Team!  I had five gals in my downline attend.

Back row: Tacy, Lisa, Stephanie

Front row: Christine, Angela, Cheri

One of the best parts of my job are the people I get to work with.  These five gals took an entire day out of their busy schedules.  And all of us had very supportive husbands which many took the day off work to make it so their wives could get a refill in their lives.  We had a great time together and had a fun time going out to lunch together.

We even got Lisa to go up and be the spokes person for our table during one of the activities.

The last couple of months have been the best sales I've ever seen in my 10 1/2 years in the business.  I know we are supposed to be in a recession, but people are cooking, literally, and need to tools to do it.  January was my personal best for my own sales with $6826 for the month.  February was my entire downline's best month ever.  As an entire Team we sold $18,706.  And just when I thought it could not keep coming . . . March was my First Line's best month ever.  Just my direct Team sold $14,895.  Way to go Team!  Thanks for always supporting me!

B, B & Beyond Warning

I must admit, it has been awhile since I've visited Bed, Bath & Beyond.  But this week I decided to be a big girl and go buy my own table cloths instead of borrowing my Mom's, again.  So Tuesday John and I went off for a quick trip in and out of the store.  I knew the exact kind I wanted (because I have been borrowing my Mom's for years now) so I figured it would not take long.  We barely made it in the store when John discovered his MOST favorite thing . . . INFOMERCIALS  You would think with our Tivo that he would not view the commercials, but I guess he gets lazy and doesn't click the skip button.  So Saturday mornings he gets his fill of infomercials.  The problem being he BeLieVes every single one of them.  What I did not know is not only does this lovely store carry almost everything available from "As seen on TV" but they actually have TVs positioned through out the store showing the actual infomercial.  Just getting to the table cloth section was painful.  He is convinced we need some great mop for hardwood floors.  I tried to explain that our tile floors did not need this mop, but he would not go for it.  By the end of our visit he commented "Wow, that guy sells a lot of things."  Don't even start John talking about The Shark if you have some place to go.  I'm proud to say we did get out of there with only the table cloths I was after.

There is Hope

There is hope . . . There is hope that summer will really come.  I enjoy all seasons, but summer is definitely my favorite.  I guess it is the Californian coming out in me.  And the first thought of summer is swimming.  You should have heard the squeals and yells when the kids found out I picked up the Scera Outdoor Pool Summer Punch Pass this week.  What does that mean???  That means we WILL be going to the pool to spend lazy afternoons splashing and relaxing.  And this year I remembered to pick up the punch pass while it was still at a discounted price.  Anyone want to join us?

One goal I have for this summer is to document our yard.  I thought of it several times last year, but never did it.  We have an incredibly beautiful yard that blooms all spring, summer and fall.  I can say this because it does this without any help from me.  Before we purchased our home a crew of professionals maintained our yard for the nice elderly lady that lived her.  Trust me when I saw Mark and I DO NOT equal the crew of professionals.  Our goal at the end of the year is to have everything still alive.  We achieved it last year, so here is hoping for this year too.

Yesterday was the first of what will be many hours spent working in the yard.  And I only did it because they are now picking up our green waste trash and dang it all, if I'm paying for it we had better use it.  So I filled up the can with the leftovers from Fall.  And while cleaning out the flower bed found this . . .

 

Our very first bloom of the year.  It is so small and delicate, but brings so much hope for what is to come.  I am no gardener despite the Horticulture class I took in High School from Mr. Whetten.  All I remember from that is you are not supposed to water your lawns at night because the water will sit and rot the grass.  So forgive me if I can't tell you the name of every cute flower.  All I need to know is that they are pretty and how to keep them alive.  And it is questionable whether I even know that.

Well today when I went to take the picture of our first flower, right next to it I found this . . .

 

Another sign that Spring is coming.

John's Quotes of the Month

John has wanted to take karate for a loooong time.  He has brought it up a lot lately.  So I finally broke down and signed him up for a 4 week class at the Rec Center to see how it goes.  His first class was this week and they talked about self defense and how to protect yourself.  This is what transpired in the 30 minutes after his class.

In the parking lot . . . "Mom, let me show you what we learned!  If someone tries to take you then you kick them, hit them in the face and if they grab your arm you twist both ways."   And of course he is "demoing" these steps.

"Okay Mom, try and take me."  Which I proceed to play along.  At the end of his demo he then yells at the top of his lungs "She's not my Mom."  Because of course that is what his teacher told him to do.  We jump in the car and I explain that if we are in public he is not to yell that if it is really me or the Police will come and take me away.

On the drive home . . . "I am the most likely one of our family to be taken."

"Really John how come?"

"Because I'm the cutest." (very frustrated with me that he had to explain this.)


Sometimes this little man just cracks me up.

Valentines Day 2009

Okay, I'm determined to post about Valentines Day before February is over.  And as it looks now it will be the last day of the month by the time this is posted, ugh!  How dare life get in the way of blogging!

It seemed more like Valentines Weekend this year.  With the big day falling on Saturday the kids all had parties at school on Friday so I kept thinking Friday was the actual day.  The kids of course came home with lots of notes and candy, but the cutest one was this one

My real live Valentines Card.  And he had me do a video and read the poem so you could all share in the love too!  But it is too late and I've never embedded a video before and of course it is not working.  Sorry folks, the poem is really cute and he gives me a kiss at the end.

As soon as the kids came home from school we headed up to "The Cabin".  My mom's boss has a couple of cabins up above Sundance just 20 minutes away.  We get to go to the small one (can you really call something with an underground heated garage and elevator small??) two or three times a year to make sure everything is functioning and nothing is damaged and we were lucky enough to get Presidents Weekend for our turn.

I had made it to the store before leaving and put together a few trinkets for the kids and my mom.  And Mark picked up some yummy cookies at Thanksgiving Point before joining us that night.

So Saturday morning the kids found these on the table LONG before we got up.

And Mark did some fancy shopping too in between working crazy hours and moving ward members with his new calling as Elders Quorum Pres so I was greeted with these

He knows I love tulips and he doesn't always have the best luck with roses on Valentines Day (it began the year we got engaged on the big day) so he strayed from the norm and I loved them.  And please note sitting next to the flowers is the BBC versions of Jane Austen movies.  I proceeded to have a Pride & Prejudice weekend after that! (That reminds me, I really need to return Sense & Sensibility to Lori soon, oops)

The kids were excited to find out what Mark was getting because I would not tell them and it was wrapped in a BIG box.  At least big for what was inside.  I hinted that he would always be able to find his way home to my heart with it.  And so Tom Tom was adopted into our family.  Mark has wanted a GPS for a LONG time.  And this year the pricing finally came down low enough and with a coupon and a sale I splurged.  This was after he had gotten lost on several Pampered Chef errands for me so I think it counts as a business expense (bonus!)

Saturday night Mom kept the kids at the cabin and Mark and I headed up to Midway.  Word to the wise, don't call the fanciest places in town five days before a big day and expect to get a table.  On my third call I finally got reservations at Mountain House Grill.  We hit my FaVoRiTe bakery in Midway before dinner so we could take dessert back to the cabin with us and then headed over for dinner.  Tom Tom even directed us so we didn't have to make a left turn into the parking lot!  Dinner was awesome (thank you to Christy for the recommendation)  And then headed back to the cabin for a cozy evening.

Now the cabin is not so romantic with 3 kids and your mom there.  But it is such a nice place I hated every minute we spent away from it that weekend.  The kids had so much fun.  The view out the back windows was this

And yes, that is pretty much almost 5 FeeT of snow she is standing in.  The girls made a sledding hill.

And it was amazing we didn't loose any of them in the snow.

Monday morning we headed down to Sundance.  Now before you think we were taking advantage of all the fresh powder that had happened that weekend, let me show you a picture.

Do those kids look like they are dressed for skiing?  I don't think so.  We trudged into the Sundance Grill looking very out of place in our street clothes.  But we still enjoyed a delicious breakfast.  At least some of us did.  If you think Ashley looks in pain in the picture above, you are correct.  Later that afternoon the Doctor confirmed she had come down with Strep Throat.  And it took about 24 hours after that before she could finally swallow again.

Despite Ashley getting sick and having to come down on Sunday for too many church meetings we had an awesome weekend at the cabin.  And we were just lucky enough it fell on VDay.

Quilting 101

Grandma Pat decided it was time to teach her eldest grandchild her obsession.  So for Jessica's birthday Grandma got her a sewing machine with the promise of teaching her how to sew by making a quilt.  They went shopping together and picked out all the fabrics.  Then spent hours working on this project.  After 3 months of working the first project is finished.

And here are the proud workers!

Grandma has a very fancy sewing machine that does embroidery so she taught Jessica how to make these on every square.

I think this will be a much cherished heirloom!

Temple Open Houses

I vaguely remember as a small girl attending the St. George Temple Open House when it was rededicated.  In fact I probably remember it more because I've been told I went not because I remember the event.  But in the last 13 years we've had the opportunity to attend 4 Temple Open Houses.

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the temple is the "House of the Lord." It is a sacred building, and after its dedication only faithful members of the Church may enter. Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and their fellow man. In addition, they participate in religious ceremonies that reach beyond mortality, such as baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors and eternal marriage.

But before a Temple is dedicated they have an Open House so anyone who wants to can see the inside of the Temple.

In 1997 we gathered Mark's family together and all went to the Mount Timpanogos Open House .  This is now the Temple we are assigned to attend.  We also got to participate and help with the Open House.

In September of 2000 we got the opportunity to go back to where I served my mission and take my mom, my husband, Jessica (then 3) and Ashley (then 6 months) to the Boston Massachusetts Temple Open House and Dedication.

This was an amazing two week trip that included a trip to the Sacred Grove. But of course the girls don't remember much of this event.

So we were excited when in January 2008 we were able to take the kids up to Rexburg for the Rexburg Idaho Temple Open House.

We went up with my Mom and visited with my brother, Brent and his family.  Their little girl, Hailey, joined our family for this picture.

When we went to dinner that night a local restaurant had an ice sculpture of the Temple.  It was cold enough I'm sure it lasted through the whole month of the Open Houses.  This was again a fun trip for me because I spent two years in Rexburg from 1983 - 1985 going to Ricks College.  It has changed a lot now that it is a 4 year university.

And now on Jan 30, 2009 we got to take our kids to another Temple Open House for the Draper Temple .

They are planning on over 1 million people to tour the Temple before it is dedicated.  In order to handle this kind of people flow they had to adjust how the open house was handled.  Our tickets "assigned" us a church to park at.  We watched a video and then loaded buses to drive us up to the Temple.

Our group was Grandma Neva, Grandpa Jim, Ashley, Christine (me), John, Mark, Jessica and Grandma Pat.
We were able to walk through the beautiful Temple.  The stain glass windows were made by my friend's husband, Tom Holdman  His work is always inspiring.

After the tour they had a gathering room at the Church building next to the Temple where we could visit and take pictures.

Then we loaded back on the bus heading to the "red" parking where they dropped us back to our cars.  We are so grateful our children have been able to see the inside to two temples in one year.  They will be able to remember these experiences so much better than I did as a child.  And we will have the opportunity to go to one more before the year is done when the Oquirrah Temple has its open house latter this year.

The Temple is a wonderful blessing in my life.  Because of the Temple I was married for time and ALL eternity to my wonderful husband and sealed to my children.  So that after this life I know we will be able to be together again as a family unit.

Ballroom 2009

Saturday, Jan 24, 2009 was the first Ballroom Competition of 2009.  This competition was about 300 elementary school children competing.  

The boys escort all the girls in to the gym.  I don't know why Jessica was the only girl in the correct position.

I think she looks a little nervous in this picture.  Next year I need to remember not to cut her hair short in December.  They are supposed to wear it in a pony tail.  We had to do a lot of little pony tails to get it all in.

Jessica and her partner did great!  They compete against everyone who has done ballroom for more than one year.  This year she did  Cha Cha first. And then their Surprise Dance was Tango.

They get the audience cheering for them.  John is screaming T A N G O at the top of his lungs.  And believe me, his lungs are loud!  Grandma Pat came along and so did Mark and Ashley is hiding beside him.

At the very end they have all the kids come out on the dance floor and they have to dance with someone from a different school they don't know.  It is cute seeing the beginnings of awkward dances.

Jessica's team took home a Bronze Ribbon and the whole school received the Spirit Trophy.  They were really excited about that.  The school gets to display the Trophy for the next year.

Great job kids!

Train Show 2009

My kids have one of two responses these days when I'm taking pictures.  First one is "This isn't going on the blog, IS IT???" or response number two is "Why haven't you blogged about MY event YET???"  So in response to the later, I'm trying to catch up.

January 23, 2009 I surprised the kids after school and took them to the Model Train Show at Thanksgiving Point (our favorite place to go).  Bonus of course is that Mark can meet us at any event!

You can tell the kids came straight from school because Friday they can wear their school t-shirts instead of collared shirts to school.  And of course John had to ham it up for the picture.  It is tough getting a good face out of him!

The very first train was the "Harry Potter" train.  It was definitely my favorite.  Amazing detail.  And the woman didn't make this out of a kit.  She had to create this on her own.  The details were incredible.

The Lego train was definitely impressive.

And here the kids are waiting to see the miniature train come around the mountain.  It was so small, I can't imagine how hard it is to work on it.

Proof the children were accompanied by an adult.

This shows the miniature train on a better scale.  They are so small they can fit in a suite case!

I think Ashley enjoyed the Train Show the most.

But we all enjoyed dinner at Chilli's afterwards.  Thanks Kim and Tom for the Christmas Gift Certificate!