These are a few of my favorite things...

(I'll be singing that song all night long now!)

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things with you. I've already shared my yummy runner's granola in a past blog, here are three more favorite things, in no particular order.

Home-made Wheat Bread

The recipe is a slight variation from the one Sister Hinckley used to make where her kids were young. I once told Andy that if it was good enough for the prophet's family, it's good enough for mine! Here's the recipe, I make this about every other day.

1. Dissolve 1T dry yeast in 1/2 c warm water and 1/2 T honey. Let rise.
2. Combine: 1.75 c warm water, 1/2 c oil, 1/2 c honey, 5 c wheat flour, 1 c white flower, 1 c powdered milk, 3 eggs, 1 T salt, add yeast mixture when risen. Combine all these in a KitchenAid. This is a very moist dough and would be hard to mix and knead by hand.
3. Knead (in KitchenAid) for 8 minutes.
4. Let rise one hour.
5. Divide into two loaves (oil bottom of pans)
6. Let rise one hour.
7. Bake at 300 F for 50-60 minutes
8. (my favorite part) treat yourself to a piece of the warm bread when done baking- be sure to add a little butter. MMMMMM :)

Chewy Fruit & Oatmeal Bars

This recipe is a version of the one I got from Gwynn Kinney. I make this about twice a week - the kids LOVE them. I might try to sneak in some wheat germ for a little extra protein, but I haven't tried it yet.

1. In large bowl combine 3/4 c honey, 8 oz yogurt (any flavor), 2 eggs, 2 T applesauce, 2 T milk, 2 t vanilla. Mix well.
2. Add 1.5 c wheat flour, 1 t baking soda, 2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t salt. Mix well.
3. Add 3 c oats (not instant) and 1 c craisins, raisins, and/or any other dried fruit you have on hand. Mix well.
4. Spoon onto a greased 9x12 casserole dish.
5. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Now, once you have your warm piece of bread and yummy granola bar, you need to sit down, put your feet up, and feast on a fabulous book. My last favorite for this evening...

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Oh what a fabulous book! I just finished it this morning and LOVED IT! In fact, I just ordered the DVD (BBC version) and can't wait for it to get here! I loved Charlotte's writing (I'm starting her next book, Shirley, tonight). I loved how noble and virtuous Jane was - how committed she was to doing Heavenly Father's will, and how that thread was woven so expertly into this wonderful tale. Books written in the 1700-1800s really are my favorite genre. I've loved the English authors from this time period, I'll have to venture out and explore other works written outside of England during this time period too. Good thing we know have access to a fantastic library! If you haven't read Jane Eyre recently, go grab a copy and lose yourself in a wonderful tale. Thank you Charlotte!

Dancing in the Kitchen!

It's a rainy, cool day today. The girls at their Hogwart's Science camp and daddy is at work. So, I pop on the radio in the kitchen, whip up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, and before we know it, we have an impromptu dance party going on! My boys sure know how to cut a rug (they get it from their daddy)!

My first 39th Birthday

I celebrated my first 39th birthday this past Sunday. I told myself it was no big deal, my age has never bothered me before, always joked about it, but this week it was there in the back of my mind. This morning I even found myself asking Andy, "do I look like I'm almost 40?" Andy, being the very wise and kind man he is, looked me straight in the eye and said, "no." What a good man!

So this is my last year in my 30s. My 30s have been so good to me, my favorite decade by far. So, before I bid them a fond adieu there are a few more things I'd like to accomplish. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Run a half-marathon


2. Increase my running per mile speed to a consistent 10 minute mile (I can do this on the treadmill, but not on pavement).


3. Spend a lot of time with the kids - "geeking out" with them as we indulge our love for learning.


4. Get an article published in a magazine (preferably the Ensign, but I won't be picky)


5. Have a baby girl. I'm ready to meet my Evelyn now, whenever Heavenly Father decides to send her to us. Sat behind a cute little red head baby girl in church today - oh yeah, I'm totally ready for a baby again. Love 'em!

So there you have it. I'd love to say be debt free, but that isn't going to happen in the next 12 months. I'd love to say buy our dream farm in New Hampshire, but that's not in the cards either. I'd be quite happy to say buy or build our other dream log cabin in Alaska, but until our house sells in NH that isn't going to happen. So, I'll just focus on what I can really do as I spend the next 12 months winding up this decade of my life. Then, I'll think about what I want to do in my 40s. Oh wait, that's right, when Andy turned 40 (2.5 years ago!) he outlawed the use of the "f-word." Did I mention he was a wise and kind man??

Living the Glamorous Life!

Well, we're just living the glamorous life here in Alaska, thought I'd share my day with you today.

I started off with a good breakfast. It's raining, so no run early this morning, I'll run 3-4 miles when the boys nap a little later. This is what I've been having for breakfast for the past several weeks. It's "Amy's Runner's Granola" with blueberries, strawberries and skim milk. SO yummy! I make the granola using my friend Amy's recipe, it's loaded with seeds and nuts so it has a lot of protein and healthy fats. I add vanilla and cinnamon to it for extra flavor. My favorite breakfast!

The girls have their first day of Girl Scout camp today. Yes, notice the sweaters in July; it's chilly today. Our high is only 54 (it's been in the low 70s last week, hoping today is just a fluke), and, as I mentioned it's rainy so they dressed warm and have rain gear in their backpacks. They have on t-shirts underneath their sweaters, but I doubt they'll be taking the sweaters off today.

The girls left around 7am with Andy, so it's just the boys and I today. Here are my big boys learning how to use the potty. The t-shirts were quickly replaced with long sleeves, but we tend to start the day with optimism!

In between trips to the potty, it's laundry day. OK, who am I kidding, every day is laundry day! I didn't to laundry Sunday, so I've got about four loads to do today. Here they are, waiting patiently for me to wash them.

Oh yes, and all the laundry that I did on Saturday is still waiting to be put away, here's Christian "helping" me with the laundry.

In addition to potty training and laundry, there is the standard cleaning to do, bread that needs to be made (we go through a loaf a day now - but it's the size of the Pampered Chef stone bread pans, not supermarket size). I bake two loaves at a time, so I make bread about every other day - give or take. I'm getting ready to do circle time with the boys (sing songs, read stories, and practice shapes and colors), so I need to get going. But I thought I'd share a typical day in my glamorous life with you all. :)

So Much Good Stuff!

It has been a busy, happy time here in Alaska. Let me get you up to speed.

First and foremost, Andy's sister Stefani got married to a wonderful guy, Ben, on July 9th. Here is a picture of the happy couple.

They were married in the Anchorage Temple. I almost made it through without crying! So close! They are spending their honeymoon in Hawaii and will be back later this week. They are so good together and we are having such fun with them!

In between wedding fun, we've also been exploring Alaska. Andy took us on a hike through a small part of the Eagle River Nature Center. There are so many trails to explore, but we did a short one as the kids were tired and it was hot that day. Here are some pictures, I don't remember the name of the mountains, I'm still learning the geography.

We also discovered a great hands-on science center for the kids. We quickly became family members as the girls impressed the staff in the Marine tanks by telling them that they had sea stars, not star fish.

Sarah and Ben INSIDE a bubble!

And Christian, practicing to be the next Shuttle Pilot!

We are having fun and staying busy. We home school Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays we have Library day where we go for toddler story time in the morning, stay for live music on the lawn (and have a picnic lunch), then stay for the older kid story/craft time. About four hours and 40+ books later, we all leave the library excited to get home and start reading our books. We are so nerdy!! Thursdays are our Field Trip days, the science center has been our favorite so far. We might go to the zoo this week, either that or back to the science center!

Next week the girls are going to a Girl Scout camp in Anchorage. They are having a detective themed week and I think they girls will have a blast! The following week the science center is having Hogwarts School of Magic, Science and Imagination. I wish I could attend that one! While the girls are thus occupied, I'm planning on potty training the boys. My focus will be on Ben, but I purchased a second potty chair for Christian just in case we wants to try too. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to get two trained at once, but a girl has to try, ya know? Any tips on potty training boys, please let me know!