Is anybody out there still?

Wow!  I've taken a LOOONG hiatus from the blogging world.  Life just seemed to be so crazy that I had to drop out of a bunch of things.  And I'm SURE none of you feel the same way in your calm, organized, predictable lives! ;P   Yeah, I know, we are all extremely busy and extremely overstretched.  Hasn't life just got busier and busier and busier?  How do you slow it down?  Since I'm sure the answer to that question is, "You can't." then how do you pick and choose what you have time for and what you will let go?  I think this video is a big part of the answer.  Click on this link:
 What Matters Most
Isn't that a lovely reminder?
One of those things that matters most is family.  And guess what?  I'm gonna be a grandma!  Yep, indeed!  It is true!  My oldest son and his beautiful wife, Salise are going to have a baby!  Oh hooray!  What is better than a fresh, new baby straight from heaven? They are due July 20th...I am so excited!  My lovely SIL, Kally, and my bro, Joel,  had their beautiful baby, Jazlyn, and my lovely little sister, Tiffany, and her hubby, Mike,  had their beautiful baby, Spencer just in the last week or so.  Hurray for new babies!

FHE

I was looking on www.sugardoodle.net for a cute quote to go with prayer for girls camp, and found this cute idea!
The Pretzel: A Reminder of Prayer
In about 610 A.D. a very creative Alpine Monk decided to make use of the pieces of dough left over from baking bread. The Monk formed them into thin strips folded into a looped twist to represent the folded arms of children in prayer.
This scrumptious treat was given to the children as they learned their prayers. They began calling the treat "Pretiola", which is Latin for "little reward". Soon it was known the world over as a pretzel.
The secret of making great pretzels is not only in the baking but also in the shaping. We, like pretzels, are made from the best ingredients, by the best hands available, the hands of our Father in Heaven.
Have you ever seen a broken pretzel, or one that's lost its shape? We too, can lose our shape when we don't pray always to keep our spirituality intact. Even in the midst of our greatest trials, we must remember, as did Job, to call on the Lord. The simple shape of the pretzel, arms folded in prayer, reminds us to pray each day. Our "Pretiola" or "little rewards" are the blessings we receive.
Every time you see a pretzel, remember prayer. Check to see if your arms are often folded in prayer and have not lost their shape.
Here are a couple different pretzel recipes. You can make them large like the ones sold at Pretzel stands, or a bunch of small ones .
Cheesy Soft Pretzels by Annette Wrigley
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. shredded cheese
2 tsp. baking powder1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cold butter
2/3 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt
In a bowl, combine flour, cheese, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk - just to moisten. Knead 1 minute. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 12X8 inch rectangle. Cut in strips and twist into pretzel shape. Pinch ends together. Place on a greased pan. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 400° for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

Homemade Pretzels by Paige Holden
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
3/4 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt
Wax paper
Mix yeast in warm water. Add sugar and salt. Add flour and mix. Put dough on wax paper and knead until soft. Cut off pieces and shape as you like (too thick = doughy, too thin = brittle). Place them on a cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle coarse salt. Bake at 425° for 12 to 15 minutes.

Isn't it darling and fun? So this will be part of tomorrows Family Home Evening lesson, and then we'll make the pretzels for refreshments. I'm thinking cinnamon and sugar would be very good on them, drizzled with a bit of glaze...mmm....

Tayzia's(late) Birthday Post

My tiny little Tazmania is now 17. And a senior. Holy cow! How did that happen so fast?
Here's some of the reasons why I think she is so fabulous.

She takes awesome photos.
She is gentle and loving.

She was brave enough to cut off her long hair, and she looks GORGEOUS!

She helps out in the kitchen.

She goes to the Easter Egg Hunts each year with me.

She does funny things on the trampoline.

She is sweet and kind.

She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

She likes to be silly and goof around with her siblings.

One night we came home late after a date, and found this:
Precious, huh?

Her dance partner in ballroom dancing a few years back was her sweet Down's friend, Josh, and he thought he was the king of the dance floor with Tayzia as his partner!

She loves her siblings.

She doesn't wear shoes anymore. She started an organization to help others who have no shoes and is trying to collect shoes to send to Sudan. Check out her link Click Here .

Did I say that she loves her siblings??? They love her too! Here they are pouring leftover egg dye in the ditch. It was really pretty:)

She was in the Dance Festival this year at Taco Bell Arena.

The kids LOVE when she gets to babysit them, because they know they will get to party and have F-U-N!!!

And she eats her veggies.

Tayzia, I'm so grateful that you are my daughter! I love you to pieces and am so proud of you! You amaze me with your kind heart, your brilliant brain, and the love you have for others. Of all the seventeen year olds on this planet, you truly are my favorite! And I mean it. You're the best! I'm thankful that Heavenly Father sent you to me. I love you!

Love, Mom

Cool Giveaway

Check out this cool new blog I discovered off my sister, Tiffanys blog: The Buzz. The gal from The Buzz is giving away a nursing bracelet from Chunky Monkey Toes.
These are my three favorites:

Way cute, huh?

The bracelets help you keep track of when you nursed last and on which side by using a moveable charm...very important info for all the nursing mothers....boy I could've really used this a few years ago! If I win, I'll give it to you, Tiff!

The Horrors of Blogging

So, I decided to finally check blogs...and I didn't get very far...As I was reading on Val's blog, I noticed a smell. "MMmmm....I thought, "it smells really good in here, kind of like...SKIN SO SOFT! Oh GREAT!" I turned and looked and there was Zoe giggling and dumping a bottle of Skin-So-Soft Bath OIL all over herself, Zac, and the couch...grrr...so I got a roll of paper towels to clean up the oily (but lovely smelling!) mess (anyone know how to get an oilspot about 2 feet long and a foot wide out of a couch???)...then I returned to reading the blogs...until I heard a CRASH!!!! At which time I discovered another one of my darling off-springs had accidently pulled out THE DRAWER. Not just any, normal drawer, mind you, but THE drawer. You know the one that collects all the little odds and ends and this's and thats's and is crammed full of all the CONFOUNDED JUNK THAT SHOULD'VE JUST BEEN THROWN AWAY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!??? Yeah, THAT one. Well, that's the one that got pulled out and spilled all over the kitchen floor....GRrrrr...so then I came back to read the blogs again....and then I heard a "PLOP! fzzzzzzzssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." "GRAND! THAT sounded BAD!" I thought as I quickly decided AGAINST Option #1 (which was running out the door and screaming down the street while tearing out my hair) and decided Option #2--though less desirable--was more appropriate (which was crawling into the kitchen and peeking around the corner through half-covered eyes to see what kind of horrors awaited me.) And low and behold! A GREAT surprise greeted me...50# of rice. On the floor. (Can I just crawl under the table and hide til Travis comes home??? OH, BUT WAIT. HE'S ON AN OVERNIGHTER WITH THE SCOUTS!!!! Guess that answers that question...GRRRRRRR!) But there is a bright spot to the 50# of rice issue, my lovely Tayzia had just mopped the floor about 45 minutes ago before she left, so the floor was spotless ('cept the rice...and the drawer contents...) so most of the rice was salvageable...So we got that taken care of and I came back to the living room to get back to catching up on blogs (will I ever learn???) and I find Zoe has torn up the whole roll of paper towels that I left out from cleaning up the SkinSoSoft....so what do I do? Turn off the computer? NOPE! I decide to write down this lovely experience for all you to read... and sadly enough, I'm really bummed that I didn't take pictures to post (I KNOW!!! What was I thinking...) Oh well, the night's still young, I wonder (dread!) what's going to happen next...

Happy Birthday, Zac!

This morning Zaccy came and climbed in my bed for a good morning snuggle. I whispered in his ear, "Yesterday you were my favorite 3 year old in the whole wide world! I'm so sorry, but today, you are not my favorite three-year-old any more." You should've seen the the glare from those big blue eyes! Then I hurried and said, "Because today you are my favorite four-year-old in the whole wide world!" He giggled and gave me the best four-year-old hug that I've had in ten days. (Nine days ago Abbee turned 5, so ten days ago, I got a super-great 4 year-old hug from her :)

In honor of Zacharias Henry Hansen's 4th Birthday, here's a list (in random order) of some of my favorite things about my 5th child:

1. He has big blue eyes and long dark lashes.


2. He is goofy.


3. He's kind-hearted.

4. He gives awesome hugs.

5. He is really good at sharing.

6. He tells me "I wuff woo!" often.

7. He is named after John the Baptist's father who it is said, in Luke 1:6 was "righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."

8. He has great facial expressions.


9. He loves his sisters and big brother, and isn't afraid to show it or tell them.



10. He has perfect faith in me.


11. He is always cracking us up with his silliness.


12. He loves Jesus.

13. He loves to wrestle.


14. He is friendly.



15. He likes to take weird pictures with my camera.


16. He's Tayzia's Transformer buddy.

17.His smile is contagious.



18.He falls asleep in the car.


19. And did I say that he is goofy?

Tayzia and Zac ready to leave on his Sister Birthday Date.

Pat Benatar

While we were listening to the radio, Tayzia and I heard that PAT BENATAR is coming to The Knitting Factory in Boise!!!!! We were SOOOOO excited! We (Travis and I and Mykal and Tayz, but mostly me) LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Pat Benatar!!! (I am an incredibly awesome mother...I taught my chillens to love 80's music...) So I looked up the concert date today and it is on Tuesday, July 14th....which just happens to be the day Tayz & I leave to church girls camp.... WWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! We can't go. WE CAN'T GO!!!!! (I feel a sob building up....) WWWWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! I am so incredibly bummed that you would not even be able to imagine my bummededness. (see the extent of my sorrow??? I even had to make up a new word to express my bummed-ed-ness). WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! Do any of you FEEL my PAIN!!!????????!!! So I finally changed my playlist to all Pat Benatar...it might help my mourning process..... WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
(I know, I'm pathetic)