Mr.Know It All...

 Kelly Clarkson has a great album out right now.  On it is a single titled Mr. Know It All.
I love it.  The words, the sound, the beat and the way she sings it...with attitude.

That has nothing to do with this post other than the fact that Brent is a Mr. Know It All when it comes to me and gently coaxing me away from the edge of the cliff called "I Can't Do One More Thing".

As was the case mid December when I was vicariously teetering on the cliff's edge.

He could of said something like "hey, i'm stressed out too" or "you're not the only one who is feeling tapped out right now" he instead steadied my slipping feet by placing a little something on my pillow one night.  It read:

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
a box of See's candy.

And so began my very own 12 Days of Christmas.
From him. To me.

I cried.
Of course. 
It just meant so much to me that he would rescue me and help me enjoy my December.

Instead of four callings birds, I got a red angry bird!


and instead of 9 ladies dancing, I got a little penguin dancing.

I keep this in my kitchen window.  He is powered by the sun so he wobbles side to side all the day long.  He makes me smile.

As does my Mr. Know It All : )

the story of the fudge...

My mom was very ill at the time and I was looking for her fudge recipe. Not looking really as much as frantically searching. I had called my aunts and uncles that I thought might have it but nothing came up.  Could I have gone throughout my life without writing this one down? It was no where to be found in my mom's recipe files. Believe me...I had repeatedly flipped through the cards in  those little boxes!

You see, my mom had a knack for making fudge and I was responsible for passing it along so that generation after generation would know it's dreaminess. Why hadn't I paid closer attention when it counted?? Now I was desperate and felt I had let her down.

Nobody could copy my mom's fudge. It was her trademark and if you were lucky enough to receive some as a gift, usually during the holidays, it meant she loved you.

A lot.

She learned from her dad.  My grandpa.  I sure loved my grandpa.  He was a master at many things.  One of them being fudge, another being a gardener of flowers and vegetables, another being a raiser of mighty fine pigs, another being an artist with oils, or wood or what have you, another being good with a gun and another being so wonderful to my grandma. And the list goes on.


But I remember standing beside my mom many a time and watching the process unfold and being told that the tradition of this fudge would fall to me to learn and carry on.  She may have told my brothers the same thing but the importance rang in my ears and heart.  It was special and made with great care. The sugars were cooked to the perfect softball stage. Not determined by a candy thermometer, mind you, but detected by dropping a spoonful of the molten liquid into a cup of cold water and then manipulating it into a chocolate drop of melting fudge. Mom would set the cooled soft candy on my tongue and ask if I could taste the exact depth of chocolate and feel that the sugars had dissolved. I don't think I was paying attention to any of that stuff. I was just in it for the yummy gooey drop of warm chocolate in my mouth! ( I think I took turns with my brothers but I might have been selfish : ) It was no easy task but my mom was perfect at it and then she would take the boiling confection off the stove and pour it onto a perfectly chilled marble slab that had been sitting out on the back porch so as to stay cool until the moment she needed it. She would then beat it with a wooden spatula that my grandpa had made especially for the job of beating warm, soft chocloate into smooth and dreamy fudge. When the shine was gone from the surface it was ready to be shaped into long rolls that she stretched with the ease of an expert fudge maker along a piece of wax paper. While the fudge set, she would give me and my brothers a table knife to scrap the leftovers off the marble slab.
Mmmmm...that was so good!  Maybe the memory now, more so than the fudge itself.

Nah...it was definately the fudge.

I have the tools that my mom used.  Her slab and spatula.  Now I just need to learn the trade.

I've tried once.  It didn't work.  It was a disaster actually.


I'll try again.

Somehow I think no matter how proficient I become at fudge on a marble slab it will fail to compare to the delicious bite of chocolate that was made by her.

But to have her recipe, found by my sweet Aunt Karleen, really takes the cake!

Going about doing good...

"God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good."   ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

My Aunt Karleen was one of these blessed, humble souls.  She was just a tiny lady but full of warm kindness and genuine love for all those that crossed her way.
I was lucky enough to spend a couple of my young summers in her home.  Being the only girl in my family, it was always a great adventure to join my aunt and uncle's family where I instantly gained two sisters; Melanie and Maree.  Melanie, just younger than me and Maree young enough that I remember carrying her around on my hip.  I remember spending summer days soaking in the Dixie sun, playing on the back balcony for hours, watching fireworks from the top of the red rocks and getting my first stitches in my elbow from a fall in the back of Uncle Val's pickup truck.  I remember Aunt Karleen caring for me like one of her own seven.  Eventually she brought eight beautiful babies into this world and I thought her to be an elect woman for all she embodied.  I remember whole wheat pancakes with a yummy apple topping and homemade granola that beat everything else.  Eating healthy and seeing that her children did as well was a speciality of hers but I remember Uncle Val sneaking us out for a chocolate shake on a few occasions too!  I remember the matching dresses she sewed for Melanie and I ~ kelly green fabric with white ric rac sewn down the front.  I have a picture...I must find it : )  Thinking of it now fills my heart with tender memories of a such a lovely lady.  Even as I grew and became a wife a mother myself, it wasn't uncommon for the phone to ring and then hear her sweet voice on the other end just to check in and see how the family was doing.  Inevitably, she would put me on speaker phone so both she and Uncle Val could chat together and mention of a chocolate shake would somehow become part of the conversation.  I always hung up the phone smiling and being extremely grateful.

About two and half years ago, June of 2009 to be exact, I got an email from my Aunt Karleen.  She had found something I had been seeking.  Something of a treasure.  Her email was a follows...

Dearest Andrea,

Please read this all before screaming.  Now I know you will love me forever.  I was looking for a recipe ( my recipes are as disorganized as my mothers were and maybe someday I will do something about that!)
Guess what I found?
I'm sending the attachment so you can't see it right now.
I changed my mind.
Here it is:

(a recipe followed here)

The recipe title on my card is Aunt Joan's Fudge.

Love,
Aunt Karleen

The story of the fudge is a story of it's own but to have the recipe was a miracle.  It was an emotional time for me.  I knew I was losing my mom and trying to hang onto anything about her, of her or by her was important to me.  Aunt Karleen found the recipe I had been searching for just five months before my mom passed away.  That will always mean so much to me.

Aunt Karleen and I shared an email just the day before her own passing.  I'll be forever grateful that we were able to share that last expression of our love for each other, without knowing what the following day would bring.  And understanding my mom was waiting with open arms to welcome her home was a joyful moment to ponder.

I love you Aunt Karleen.  Now you and mom get busy going about doing good, after all, you are both so good at it : ) 

Colors of a new year...

Growing up in Utah brought the changes of the seasons and I looked forward to seeing the world, at least my little piece of the world, take on a new face.

The first fluttering snowflakes of winter.

The courageous little crocus flowers peeking up through the late March snowfall meant spring was on it's way.

Feeling the warm sprinkle of sun on my face meant a beautiful summer and

then the evenings would turn crisp and the leaves would color my backyard with shades of red, orange and yellow.

I love the seasons.  I miss them.

Living here in Arizona has meant giving up some of that.

Seasons exist it's just that it isn't happening right outside my front door.

We have to drive a couple hours north to find the snow or the really significant fall colors.

And identifying spring and summer as separate seasons really doesn't happen.  They melt together.

On my little street there a very few trees that actually change colors.  I think I can count two.

But one of them IS right out my front door.

I like to think it was meant to be.

And it makes me smile.  Especially when the sky is so beautifully blue behind it.

Every January for the past 11 1/2 years, this yellow beauty reminds me of a couple things...

1. Time to let go of yesterday's sorrows but hold close the joys that blessed my days.

2. Heavenly Father has a truly beautiful painter's palette.

Some favorite Christmas moments...

2011 was the year of two trees.
I have been wanting to use blue, silver and white (a childhood thing) in my Christmas decor for awhile now so this was the year I changed things up and put a blue and silver tree and all those winter-y decorations in our big room and brought our warm and cozy kid's Christmas decor into our family room.
I loved having both!




I like to keep the decorations up until the new year rings in.

The cutest elf.

Christmas morning mayhem.
It's so fun to sit back and watch it all unfold through the eyes of our kids.

Our annual get together with the Slades.
One of my favorite parts of our Christmas activities.
Yummy food, even better company and the family photo!

We eventually get one that works!

And the newest addition to the family is this absolutely delicious piece of heaven...
Elliott.

And underneath that stocking hat are ginger curls galore.
He's a keeper.

Whatever your Christmas traditions and activities are,
I hope you feel as blessed and happy as I do.

Merry Christmas!

Dear family and friends,

Here we are at the end of 2011. We’ve had an eventful year so let’s get started on the details!

To celebrate the milestones of our 20th wedding anniversary, Maddison turning 16, Davis being 12 and receiving the Priesthood and Cooper turning 8 and being baptized we made an unforgettable trip to Nauvoo. Brent and I had been planning and saving for three years to make it happen at this particular time when our kids were all at just the right ages. Kansas City was our first stop. We saw ALL the church history sites; the highlights being Liberty Jail and Adam-ondi-ahman. We ate lots of BBQ, went to a Royals baseball game and toured the Truman Library. We stopped in Hannibal, MO and got a giant dose of all things Mark Twain. It was lots of fun and so beautiful being right on the banks of the Mississippi River. Four days in Nauvoo allowed us to explore and enjoy it to the fullest. No stone went unturned. The highlights were Carthage Jail, the pageant and trips to the temple for Brent, myself, Maddie and Davis. Although the summer heat and humidity was intense, Nauvoo in the summer is the time to go. There is a tangible feeling and spirit there that made you want to linger. Keeping the “Nauvoo Spirit” alive in our family is a joke we often make but honestly it is real and something to treasure. It will be a life long favorite memory for us.

Maddison is a Junior this year and turned 16 in June. She celebrated in fine fashion with 50 of her closest friends. HA HA! Dating and driving are two of her favorite pass times and I do have to say that having an extra driver in the family is very nice. She spent a week at BYU this summer enjoying EFY and making lots new friends. Playing basketball at her high school and being an excellent student keep her out of trouble and plenty busy. Our time with her is going too fast. How do you hang on??

Davis made his theatre debut as Daddy Warbucks in the school musical “Annie” in May. He took the stage with a freshly shaved head and all! It was great fun to see some of his many talents shine. He played baseball in the spring and worked hard in Scouts all through the summer. He is a Life now and planning an Eagle project. Davis began Junior High this year and loved playing 7th grade football. He is trying wrestling now and learning that if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.

Cooper is in the third grade. He turned 8 in February and it was wonderful to celebrate his baptism surrounded by family and friends. He is most happy on a baseball or football field. He loved playing Little League this year with his Dad coaching them to end the season as Champions. Football this fall was a good lesson in learning you can’t always win when they lost the Championship game by a touchdown. Life lessons are good! He enjoys Scouts and is now a Wolf with a shirt and belt full of accomplishments : )






Brent keeps extra busy now that he is the Young Men’s President. He is excited to have this calling a 2nd time as the first time around he was 10 years younger and less “wise”. I am still a ward missionary and enjoying the spirit of missionary work in our ward and neighborhood. Brent had a business trip to Seattle a couple months ago and so I tagged along. Being back in our newly wed stomping grounds was a romantic and fun way to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It was a wonderful five days!

We send our love and warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with much happiness.

Love ~ Brent, Andrea, Maddison, Davis and Cooper

a birth day story...

How each of my children made their way into the world has their similarities and differences.

I'm an epidural girl but when I was in labor with Davis, the meds never caught up to how quickly he was making his entrance.  The meds finally kicked in when it was all over and he was in my arms.  Because of that I was totally aware of every little detail during the process of getting him here.  When Davis was born I was actually sitting up enough that I was able to see him emerge and bring him up to snuggle into my warm, spent body.

That moment ~
It took my breath away. Truly.

I can still feel it.
The emotion of when I caught my breath.
I've never felt so close to God.

He's offically a teenager now and somehow I know he'll glide through it all.

I knew from the moment I saw him that he was going to be something special.

And he has been.  And is.  And will be.

Happy Birthday my beautiful boy!

Cooper has been busy...

Cooper finished up another season of flag football.  He loves it!
His favorite part of the week was when Friday finally rolled around and he could go to practice and look forward to a game the next day.

The Vikings were a great little team.
Undefeated until...



The final tournament game when they went up against another undefeated team for a chance at the title of
CHAMPIONS!

They lost by just a touchdown but by the look on my little man's face you'd think it was by a mile.

Maybe losing by only a touchdown is much worse than losing by a mile.
As a mom, I'm still trying to figure that one out : )


Cooper also enjoyed Cub Scout Day Camp a couple months ago.
We took almost 30 boys to Usery Park and hiked the Wind Cave trail and in so doing I made a mental note to myself that hiking really is not my thing.

But he's worth it.

Oh! For the love of Pete...

Just in case you missed this indulgence this year...
I'm giving you plenty of notice for next year.

No thanks necessary : )

Don't let this one pass you by!

It's Day 5 on our ADVENT...

How far that little candle throws its beams!

So shines a good deed...

~ Shakespeare

It's time to pull out the advent and start the countdown.

As I was pondering how to pull it off this year, I was inspired by Rachel's idea of a service advent.

She put much thought into her countdown using Christ's words from the New Testament.

So I'm taking her inspiration and tweaking it here and there for my family.

Instead of pockets being filled with treats, cash or instant gratification, the pockets will be filled with opportunities for our family to look outward and let our little candles throw their beams.

Oh, I haven't let the other things go completely.  For instance, on one day when we read Luke 6:31-46, it teaches us "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
So along with this invitation (and we have to report at dinner time) I have included some Christmas Tic Tacs that say "here's a little something to keep your smile and words of love to others minty fresh!"

And so it will go throughout the season...

I'm hoping it will be a memorable advent this year.

Starting December off right...

Please enjoy this Christmas message of pure love...

Finding my inner Dr. Seuss...

Say!
I am Thankful!
I am! I'm thankful, that I am!
And I would be thankful in a boat.
And I would be thankful with a goat.
And I will be thankful in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
God is so good, so good, you see!

So I will be thankful in a box.
And I will be thankful with a fox.
And I will be thankful in a house.
And I will be thankful with a mouse.
And I will be thankful here and there.
Say! I will be thankful ANYWHERE!

I am so thankful, that I am!
Thankful!
Thankful!
Yes I am!

  

Wolf-ing it...

Doesn't he realize that as the "baby" of my heart, he is not allowed to grow up?!?!

But regardless, he's doing it and doing it well!


Wolf-ing down the pudding is the rule in our pack to earn your badge.
He managed rather nicely.

And yes, that is my eight year old, nearly as tall as his mother.
I resigned myself to being the shortest in my family a long time ago.

Cooper ~ I love you with every piece of my heart!

Her feet weren't that big but her shoes are sure hard to fill...

Two attributes my mom carried beautifully and ones I'm still trying to figure out...

1.  Unconditional love
2.  Thinking of others before oneself

Sometimes two years seems so long ago and sometimes it feels like it was just the other day.

Missing you still.
Loving you always.

more on gratitude...

My very smart, beautiful, funny, insightful friend, Rachel (is that enough praise??) said these words about the month we call November...

"I find it no accident that we spend a month focusing on gratitude before we are ready to spend a month focusing on the Savior."

See!  I told you...smart and insightful : )

And I really do love November.

I love the welcome change in weather ~ finally getting out the comfy quilt to add a layer of snuggle to my bed.

I love the colors ~ earthy and natural with speckles of sunny yellows and radiant reds.

I love the smells ~ Gold Canyon Mulled Cider and Apple Orchard Paradise are the best candle scents this time of year.  Heart them : )

I love the sounds ~ the occasional rain dripping from the eaves and splashing in the pool, crunchy leaves on my porch that I don't sweep away on purpose and opening my windows first thing in the morning to hear the birds morning song.

I love the tastes ~ pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies!  But let's not forget the warm soups and roasted turkey!

I'm grateful to pause, give thanks and recognize from where my blessings come.

By doing so, just like President Monson said, the doors of heaven are open and my mind and heart are ready to welcome

December.

Pondering my gratitude...

I read these words about a month ago...

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

If that was true then today I would have woke up with...

Brent and Maddison (arriving safely home from Youth Conference in the mountains)
Davis (spending the entire day together supporting Cooper at his football tournament)
Cooper (for his safety and all the fun during his football play)

So this morning it looks like all I'd have is my family.
Thankfully.

But there is so much more I'm grateful for!
The list is extensive.

I must say that for the most part I think I would wake up pretty darn good.
But last night was a quick expression of my thanks before I fell into bed ~ asleep before my head touched my pillow.

It happens, right?

I do know that there are blessings that come from the verbal expression of thanks.

But I find comfort knowing that the Lord "looketh on the heart". 

I do try to keep a prayer in my heart going about my daily and sometimes mundane routine.

I find that this is often when I have my best conversations with the Lord...
...driving to and from countless errands
...over a kitchen sink filled with suds
...looking in the mirror applying mascara
...or even eating my bowl of cheerios

So I'm glad I read that quote awhile ago.
I have been much more aware as I've knelt beside my bed.

But I'm glad to know that the Lord looks at my heart...

Thankfully.

District Champs!

Davis + Jr High = SUCCESS



And not just on the football field.

But in the classroom as well.

For whatever reason, he's got this jr. high thing figured out.

And it has been a joy to watch!

He had such a great time doing flag football that he is going to give wrestling a try next.

I love this kid.

S P O O K T A C U L A R ! !

I love to decorate for Halloween.
This year I added a few DIY projects that only costs me a few bucks.

Here is my entry table...


This is another spot...

This was a new DIY...
I bought both the candlesticks and glass jars at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.  I glued the jars to the candlesticks with E6000 glue, filled with candy, tied on some ribbon that I already had in my stash and printed off some Halloween labels from the computer...FREE!
If you haven't found Pinterest - please don't go looking.  Well, I guess you can if want some great ideas like this one : )
It's a love/hate relationship for me!

These were a new addition this year as well and LOVE them!
Total cost...nothing!
I just googled Halloween printables, picked a few I liked and clicked "print" on my computer.
I used scrapbook paper I already had to matt them and then put them inside some black frames I had sitting in my closet that needed to be put to use.

 

I bought the colorful glass bottles at Hobby Lobby at 50% off.  I think the largest bottle (purple) cost me $2.50 and the red and green were about a buck.  I found the lables through a link on Pinterest but you can find them just as easily (and without the addiction) if you google "printable Halloween potion labels".

I love Halloween in Arizona!
Perfect weather.
No coats under or over a great costume.
Neighbors gather out on driveways to pass out candy and enjoy the evening together.
We build fires in pits, share BBQ and all sorts of great food and chat the night away.

Why we believe...

Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a blessing.  If you've ever wondered what we are all about just click here to read about people just like you. 

And if you care to know why we believe, you can click on our names : )

Maddison

Brent

Andrea

4 minutes well spent...

I've heard Amazing Grace sung many times.
But never quite like this.
It is sung by Il Divo in the Rome Colosseum.
Please pause my music on the side bar.

Have a beautiful day!

Part Three ~ final thoughts on Seattle

When Brent graduated from the mighty Y, he interviewed with a company that his sister was working at.  They had an opening...in Seattle.  He took the job and left for training without me.  I stayed behind and kept working at my job, trying to save save save some $$$$$.   At some point I joined him for a weekend and we went house hunting.  Not far from his new office building was a little hill called Queen Anne.  It was a fun, vibrant and quirky small community and that is were we began looking for a place to call home.  After seeing a few places we ended up at the Fourth West Square apartments.

That's our place.  On the second floor, corner apartment. We paid $575.00/month for rent.  I remember that we looked at two apartments that day.  One did not have a window with a view of the Puget Sound.  The corner apartment did have a window view.  The view came with a price and Brent and I pondered over that extra money for quite some time.  Keep in mind that the view could only be seen if you stood at a certain spot at the corner window, held your breath, closed one eye and clicked your heels three times : )  But we took the plunge and signed the papers. 

It was great to go back after 20 years.  It still looks exactly the same but I'm sure the rent has doubled even though the view hasn't changed!  It was fun to think about all of our "firsts" in that apartment.  Our first Thanksgiving dinner was just the two of us.  We managed to put a decent dinner on the table.  We cooked a turkey, I made my dad's gravy, Brent made his mom's orange rolls, we followed the Libby's label and made a yummy pumpkin pie and we toasted with Martinelli's.  Our first Christmas together followed.  I still have the pretty umbrella that Brent gave me.  I could go on and on...

Twenty years ago this little Thai restaurant was our hangout spot.   The price was easy on the newlywed budget, it was just up the street and around the corner from our apartment and the food was DELICIOUS!!  This is where I fell in love with Thai food.
We went back and nothing had changed except a fresh coat of pain and they had upgraded their once paper menu for a laminated menu!  You still ordered your food the same way...1 to 4 stars depending on how spicy you want it.  We always go for two stars.  The food was still incredible and it felt quite romantic sitting across the tiny table from one another all over again : )

The best place for gorgeous views of the Seattle skyline is right on Queen Anne hill.  There is a small park that was made just for taking in the incredible sight. 

The view is so sweeping that you can even see the ferries come in and out of the harbor. 

On our last full day we drove out to Bellevue and did a session in the Seattle temple.  It was the perfect way to end our trip.  It all came full circle...beginning our life together here 20 years earlier and celebrating it again right where it all began.

 

If you haven't enjoyed a vacation to the Northwest yet...please put it on your bucket list!

Special note to Maddison, Davis and Cooper...
when we retire here, please come see us : )