Home Made Play Dough

We have been so bored lately. I have been thinking that Kroten needs more stimulating toys, so I put my thinker to work, and I made some play dough. It wasnt just fun for Kroten, I had a blast. Here is the recipe for those of you who have kids, or for anyone who feels like baking up something salty.

Home Made Play Dough
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
4 Tsp cream of tarter
2 Cups Water
2 TBS oil
food coloring


Cook everything over medium heat. Stir constantly.


Keep stiring until it gets doughy and a little more solid.



Knead the dough till it is smooth. (I had already added the food
color in this picture, but this is the consistancy.)



Flatten the dough and add the food coloring. Fold over the dough
and knead in the color. This way it doesnt get on your hands.



and TADA, you have playdough.



Now the hard task is getting a 16 month old to get the concept.
He is slowly getting it.

Wordless Wednesday

Sneak peak...

...at this years halloween fashions







I know you can't wait to see more.

It is...

...rainy, cold, gloomy, wet, stormy, gray, cloudy and yucky.

and I LOVE it.

Wordless Wednesday

apples

We went to the farm to pick apples. It was fun to be out in the fall air.


Jared and Kroten going through the hay maze. Obviously Kroten knows the way.


Look at my big boy. I love him.




He looks amazed. Maybe he knows all the yummy things I can do with these awsome farm fresh apple.


They had turkeys. Real turkeys. It was so cool and kroten loved it.


I love Jared for carrying the apples. What a man.


They had turkeys, real live turkeys. I dont think I have ever seen one. Kroten loved seeing them



Ill keep you posted on all the YUMMY things we make with the apples.

One last time

There are only two reasons I am sad that summer is over. Fruit and camping. I will post about fruit later.

A few weeks ago (I know, gasp, I am behind) we decided we couldnt let the summer end without one last camping trip. So we packed up the car and headed to the beach. It was so fun. It rained all night, but we some how stayed warm and dry. The tent on the other hand had a different story.






This is our dry spot. Jared was impressed that our tent left what looked like a baseball diamond. Only he would have seen that.

At the beach: For those of you who have not been to the oregon coast, it is COLD. This was not a particularly warm day either. But when Kroten saw the water, nothing could stop him. We didnt encourage this at all, he just went for it. I waited till he was shivering to tell him no more, and even then he threw a huge fit about getting out. A boy after my own heart. I LOVE MY WATER BOY!

I assumed rolling up his pants was good enough...


Wrong.



Apperantly taking his pants off wasnt even good enough...


I don't know why he was making this face, but I LOVE IT!!

Camping is great!

Molars

"If an adult were to push molars like a toddler does, that adult would need to be on vicodin."  - Kroten's pediatrician.

Lets just say, we do what we can to make it through each day.







Dont judge me for giving my child drugs and sugar and dye loaded ice.

the perks of working night shift

# 47 watching the sunrise in my review mirror.

living life...

... one day at a time.

And incase you want to try this YUMMY green stuff, here is the recipe
(thanks LAURA).

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing
1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
ignore directions on the packet
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro

Place all ingredients in blender (with top on of course) blend and enjoy.

(ps I am a hater of cilantro, but I still enjoyed this dressing. That says alot.)

It's going to be okay!

ok... this is the last time I am going to post about the camera incident becuase, I want to get over it. Not because I am abandoning it, not becuase I am not sad, not because I have no more faith, but simply becuase we all have better things to worry about, and there is SOOO much more that I am grateful for and lots of other things to blog about and it will all be ok.

So the final prognosis is...
Jared talked to the bus station AGAIN, for the 5th time. They said NO for sure this time. They do not have the camera, and they are sure they would know by now. Someone in Jared's class told him to check the pawn shops, so he called and they told him to file a police report. The pawn shops upload the police reports each night and can track if the stuff that is brought in is stolen. So this is our continuing hope. Maybe something CRAZY will happen.

BUT TILL THEN....
I say everything will be ok for several reasons. Here is my list.

-I have received comfort that it will all be ok. I feel good, kinda wierd, but you know.... its ok.

 -I have so much to be grateful for, the camera (allthough my second baby) is low on that list.

-I thought about scrapping the photo thing, but I know that it is something I am supposed to do. I need to develop this talent and I need to have this, FOR MY SELF.

-and the number one reason that this will all work out... trusty dusty (the camera Jared and I got when we got married) is going to pull through. I went and took some pictures with this camera the other day, mostly becuase I needed to see if it could do the job, and I think that it did ok. I am pleased with the results. Maybe it will help me raise money for a new camera. ANY ONE WANT PICTURES TAKEN?


I LOVE this little boy and I love this picture of him. After I uploaded it, I realized his face was a little too washed out, but easily fixable. I will work on that.

I love my boys. I am so happy. Camera or not, we are so happy. I am so grateful.

Wordless Wednesday

No news could mean....

good news...
in a really really righteous and very slim, very lucky, probably a different, universe. But we won't find out till later today.

{We are still hoping}

Since we lost the camera over the weekend, hence the reason we had to wait till monday, and there was a duck game on the weekend, they have not logged all of the lost and found items yet. Aparently there is a whole box full of stuff.
We should have said..."GO LOOK IN THE STUPID BOX! it is probably the only thing in there that costs over $500. I am sure you will be able to spot it." But we didn't, we will just wait FAITHFULLY for this afternoon.

Please pray for us. I know a lot of you already are, and we are so grateful for that.

Sad but Blessed

:(

I would like to start this post off by saying that Jared is the most wonderful husband. He is SO good to me, he is a fantastic father, he is a worthy preisthood holder and a righteous presider over our family. He is THE most organized person I have ever known {that is not an exageration,} he is frugal and so good to the things he has. He makes sure that everything that we own lasts as long as it can and that he gets his moneys worth out of it.

That being said, you should know that what I am about to post was an honest mistake and that he was not being careless, it was a total accident...

Jared lost my camera!!!
my fancy, expensive, christmas, birthday, graduation leap year, present.

He is taking a photo class (at my prodding) and the teacher encouraged them to take the camera everywhere with them. He has been riding the bus to school so we can save a little money (like I said, he is frugal) and he was trying to do some homework while on the bus, he didnt realize that his stop was coming and he was talking to my mom (she was watching Kroten while I slept cause I worked last night) and he just had so much going on that he left the camera sitting on the seat. He feels horrible.

LONG story shorter, we called the bus station and they said they wont know if it got turned in to lost and found till Monday. WHAT? MONDAY? That is three days away. YOU WANT US TO WAIT THREE DAYS!!!

So we went to wal-mart, bought a new swiffer (mine broke) and a new fish (Jared's died) and some oil for the car. {exciting I know!} Then went to Dairy Queen and ate way to much ice cream, all of this trying to drown our sorrows.

So Now what?
We knelt down and prayed very hard that Heavenly Father would 1. help us find our camera and 2. comfort us and let us continue to do what needs to be done (school, making Kroten happy, work etc.) because for the time being this was all that was occupying our minds.

Now I am just trying to think... okay, what does the Lord want us to learn from this.

I know this is prolly silly to most of you and it doesn't seem like a big trial, but this is a big deal to us, it was expensive, and I was just starting to get good and sorta confident at this photography thing. What am I going to do now, I have a few jobs lined up!!!

I think what I can learn and what I am TRYING (desperately) to learn is to trust my Father in Heaven. He knows what I am going through. He knows I was enjoying developing this talent and taking pictures of my family, he knows this hurts my feelings, and he knows how badly this makes Jared feel. I know that he will either help us find our camera, help us get a new one or give us peace that is OK. Maybe I need to learn to appreciate the things I already have, maybe I need to recognize how blessed we are, maybe I just need to acknowledge that with out Devine help, I wouldn't even have a fancy shmancy camera, or a car, an apartment, a job, opportunities, friends and family, the church, a fantastic hubby (who is going to school) and an awsome, cute, sometimes overbearingly annoying, red head son, A SON. I am truly so grateful for all my blessings.
To be perfectly honest with myself, in the long long long run, my camera won't matter. *sniff sniff*

OK now that I have learned those lessons, can I have my camera back? {Just kidding}

ashley rose - maternity

I hope everyone LOVES to see my attempts at photography, cause I am going to keep posting them. I am LOVING the experience, so that is all the matters.

I recently took pictures of one of my best friends from elementary school, we were like peas in a pod, tied at the hip, nothing could stop us. That was 5th grade, and look at us now, wifes, and mommies, and WOW life goes too fast. I think I just had what may be classified as a midlife moment, you know when you realize that life is short and your not 10 anymore. It kida takes your breath away, and makes you tear up a bit. {yes tear up a bit, dont laugh.}

It was so fun to take pics of her, and she looks SO good. Pregnancy fits you ash, but then again you always look great, so I am not too surprised. Thanks for humoring my photo bug and letting me take some pics.

I had the hardest time choosing my FAV, so you get to see lots of samples.