NO!

I was already having a bad day; then I went into my room and found this...

I wasn't sure what reaction I should have. I couldn't stop laughing, but inside I was furious. How do you punish a toddler when you are laughing? Everything we laugh about, he thinks is hilarious too, therefore, he thought this was pretty funny. I am big on showing my kids (even toddlers) consequences, so I had to do something to show him that "this is not okay. "

So first I made him pose with his art work. He hates getting his picture taken and he hates standing in one place, so it was sufficient to make him regret his actions.

Then we made him clean it up. As you can see here, he {HATED} it. And by hate, I mean, thought it was the coolest thing he had done all day.


At least I know he will enjoy helping me clean.

Wordless Wednesday

Pure Talent

He figured this out all by himself. Playing with your food is out, the new generation plays with heir utensils.

Food Storage

Jared has brought this thought up and it has come across my mind a few times as well, so I thought I would address it with a post! Maybe I just need to justify it for myself.

I am afraid that my posting about my food storage experience might come across to some people as arrogant, boastful, prideful, BRAGGING, audacious, egocentric, conceited, or what ever you want to call it. But it is not meant to be that way at all. I have very good reasons for posting my {very little} experience with food storage on the blog.

1. One of the major things that has motivated me thus far to get in gear with storage (besides the prodding from a prophet of God and my current bishop) is reading food storage blogs. After reading other peoples real life experiences, I think "hey this is something that I could really do." So this is my #1 intention is posting my experience here is that maybe you can be motivated by reading my experience as well.

2. I have said this before and I will say it again and again. The blog is my primary form of journaling, so if I want to remember it or if I want my posterity to know it about me, this is how it is going to happen. {that reminds me, I need to back it up, another project, another day.}

3. I have a blog to keep everyone updated on our family (and sometimes my) ongoings. This is what I am up to, this is what I am doing and this is what I am currently passionate about. If you read this blog, then I assume you are interested in what I am doing, so I am going to assume that you are interested in my food storage.

4. The last reason and probably the least important, but still very important, when I feel I have accomplished something, I like posting about it, because it is my way of giving myself a pat on the back. when I post about it, I feel good about what I have accomplished and it makes me want to do it again (warm fuzzy stuff). Thus posting about things (and reading your feedback) gives me confidence and motivation.

For those of you who dont know why in the heck (that is right I say heck, Jared makes fun of me) we collect food and store it, it is not becuase I am so in love with food that I am afraid it will run out one day. Allthough I know you think that is the reason, here is the real one. Family Home Storage.


So with that said...

This week for food storage my mom and I canned some fruit coctail and GRAPES. Yes I said grapes. Maybe you already know that you can can grapes, but I didnt and I thought it was the coolest idea EVER. Who ever tried that one is a GENIUS!! It was tons of fun, and I think I will do some more. Grapes are on sale for 98 cents/LB at albertsons right now, and they are big and beautiful ones. I LOVE IT.

Rory alexis

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a long time, but I have the hardest time choosing which ones I like the best. But I figure it is about time I get these posted.

If you follow my blog regularly, you should remember reading about Amanda and her exciting news, and you saw the maternity pictures I took of her, well now you get to see Rory. I took some (ok, 300) pictures of her when she was five weeks old. She is so precious, and she has already grown so much. She is so alert and beautiful now. But here are some new born pics of the lovley. You will agree she is perfect.

Fall cleaning

A few weeks ago I decided that we needed a cleaning day. Just a day to organize and revamp. So I marked the calendar (September 14, Jared had no school) and scheduled a babysitter (grandma) and we cleaned. It was so nice. You can even see the day scheduled in orange on the calendar in this picture.


Jared cleaning the floor. What a man!! Thanks babe for helping.


Me and my yucky rag and cleaner. (It is really amonia, we don't have money for 409.)


A few funny side notes...
Jared had an eye appointment that morning, and had his eyes dilated. He thought he was off the hook for cleaning, but I was perfectly O-K with cleaning in the dark.

Kroten had a poopy blow out at the grocery store with grandma. HAHAHA he hasn't had one of those in a long time, I am glad he picked a day with grandma to do it. Good job buddy, she has been asking for it for years. Just remember you wanted grand kids.

All she had was a pair of overalls and no shirt, she had a doctor appointment that she was going to take Kroten to, so he went hillbilly style.

Funny day, but my House is clean!

More food stored!

This week for food storage I did two things. WOOHOO!!!

1. My mom and I canned peaches. It was hard work, but a lot of fun. We had to peal and pit a ton of peaches. My back hurt afterward. Then we canned some and made peach jam with the rest. I havent tried the jam yet, but doesnt that sound divine?

2. I tried an easy food storage dough recipe. It was AWSOME. I was already going to make pizza for dinner and instead of buying dough like I normally do, I decided to try this recipe. You can make it entirly from your food storage and get this... it only takes about 30 minutes.

The best part about the recipe, besides it being made from food storage and being delicious and only taking 30 minutes to make and being super easy... I used the left over dough to make cinemon rolls the next morning. I didnt let them rise as much as I should have, but they turned out pretty good considering.

And since I know your dieing for these recipes...

Everyday food storage - pizza dough

Food Storage deals - Peach Jam

It may seem like I got a lot done this week, but just ask Jared... nothing els got done. It seems as though you accomplish one thing, everything els goes undone. One day... one day it will all work out. But heres to food sotrage (this week anyway.)

Camping trip - part three

On our way home, we stopped by crater lake for the day. It was beautiful. Not much to it though, it is just a big lake. We saw lots of exhibits on how it was created. In case your wondering...

it is not a crater, it was a volcano (Mount Mazama) that built up lots of lava under it in a bubble, and 7,700 years ago it exploded (out the sides)and the top of the mountain collapsed into the now empty bubble where the lava was builing up and created a calldera. It took 250 years to fill up with water and snow and is now the deepest lake in the US. It is 1,949 feet deep. CRAZY! (I learned all of this from the museums they had around the lake. If I was 12 or under I would have gotten a ranger badge, stupid age limits.)

Since I know you all read and learned something from that little lesson on crater lake here are some pictures as your reward.


It is blue like that because it is so deep. It was really awe striking and beautiful.


Blurry I know but that is what happens when you let a stranger take your picture and your auto focus is busted. (stupid. Ill explain later.) Atleast the lake is in focus.


Love Love Love this picture. I Love my boys, I Love oregon, I Love water, I Love being outdoors, I Love this picture!

Crater lake was fun, next time we will stay longer and go camping there. One afternoon was not enough.

Camping trip - part two

On day two of our camping trip, we drove into town and went to Wild Life Safari, it is a drive through zoo/safari. It was really fun for Kroten, he is getting more in to animals. it is so cute to see him and his reactions. Every animal is either in the kitty or doogy classification, but were just happy he knows it is some sort of animal.


Kroten loved the fact that we were moving and he didnt have to be in his car seat. He liked the animals, but I think he loved all the buttons on the dashboard more.




Weird Bird!


Kroten admiring the kitties (llamas.)


I could have reached out and touched this ostrich. It was kind of scary.




This elk went in front of our car to eat on the other side. COOL!


Can't you tell he had a blast. He even enjoyed getting his face shoved in a hole so that mom could take a picture.


His favorite part was deffinitly the petting zoo. I think he was amazed at these weird creatures.


I am pretty sure that it ticked his hand when they would eat the food, that and it was super exciting to be so close to the goats. He would laugh and laugh. I loved seeing him so excited. It was a great day.

Thanks Sam and Josh for inviting us... your the best.

Camping trip - part one.

We went camping a few weekends ago with Sam and Josh. It is trips like this that make me wonder why we don't go camping more often. We love it, it is on my LONG list of things to do to go camping more often.

It is also my goal to take better pictures of the camping experience. I didnt really capture it, I will next time, I promise. But for now our crawdading experience will have to do. Jared and Josh went crawdading on the beautiful river by our site. They even ate tham (YUCK.) It was really fun.


My handsome hubby getting ready for the catch.


This was one of the little guys. Actually he was huge. I found him I was so impressed. The boys were down river a little ways and couldnt hear me, so I just stood here and stared at this little guy till they got back. I watched him for like 15 minutes and he didnt move. Of course right after they saw him he moved.



This is the boys trying get the above crawdad. Josh looks tough and strong, but that rock was not going anywhere. I am assuming it has been there for a very long time.



{YUCK.} But Kroten loved it.



Sam and I thought it was a smart idea to wear flip-flops (as always) for this adventure. I must be getting old, because it just isnt as easy to hike around in them anymore, especially in the water.


Sam Josh and Issac (their nephew) in our cool swimming hole.


So Kroten may look like his dad, but he thinks like his mom. We didnt put swim stuff on him cause it was kind of cold, and the water was deffinitly cold. But Kroten went from dipping his feet in, to full clothed water fun in no time. He loved the water. It was freezing and he was shivering but he still cried when we took him out.


And of course, what would be a camping trip without light pictures.


I LOVE CAMPING!!!

Owie.

Kroten was trying to be a big boy and run (he just learned to walk.)His body got ahead of his feet and he slammed into the couch {the part without cushions.} He had a little bloody nose and a lot of tears. Jared was so good at comforting him.

This is all that was left today, a big boy owie on a little boy. You can see a little bit of a bruise on his right eye, and of course his nose owie. Poor little man.

Wordless Wednesday

Finally...

...a little moisture and the end of the hotter than snot.

I was starting to feel like a peice of dried fruit.

Hello, my {blogs} name is MJ.

If I were as obsessed about changing my looks as I am about changing the blog, I would look like Micheal Jackson.

I know, I know, I am borderline obsessed with changing the blog (some would argue to scratch the borderline.) it is not becuase I like change, but becuase I can't quite get it the way I want it. The worst part is that there are times when I get it close to where I like it, then I see something cool on someone elses blog and I just have to have it. I swear one day my blogs nose is going to fall off from all the face lifting.

I mean seriously, it is just too much for me...
I want a background... no i dont.
I want a cool font... it's too much.
Center or Left aligned?
Bigger... NO, smaller.
That doesnt look good.
That girls blog looks cool, no I like that blog.
I want to be BLACK, No I want to be WHITE.

UGH... how do you get over it? How do you stop? And now look, my header is all pixely. I know how to fix it, but I am about up to here (Waving my arms above my head) with all my changes, and the time spent working on them.

One day my blog will be perfect. One day I will look at it and not think dang-it that doesnt line up right. One day I just wont care any more. One day it won't take me an hour to do a single post. One day I will stop eating cookies for breakfast.

I think I need Rehab.

Out with the old...

...in with the new.

Jared (for those of you who don't know him well) is blind as a bat. He also has had the same pair of glasses since he was 16. That is 9 years.

 
This is him in his current (OLD) glasses.

I have really good insurance at work (thank goodness) and we felt it was high time that Jared update, not only his look, but his prescription. So we went glasses shopping yesterday. We settled on a few pairs, some Jared likes and some I like, but we can't decide.

so we need your help.

please vote on your favorite pair.


Number 1: Smart and classy


Number 2: always a classic.


Number 3: Casual and Sophisticated.

You decide!

Wordless Wednesday