FHE Cook Style

I am not a competitive person. However, I'm surrounded by a family that is. Most of our Family Nights involve some type of competitive activity as part of our evening together.

Maybe all these competitive Cooks are rubbing off on me. Our last Family Home Evening was one of my favorites. General Conference Jeopardy.  We all know the game Jeopardy on TV, I remember my sweet grandma loved that show AND she knew most of the answers, love & miss her. She was amazing. 

What is General Conference? "General conference is a semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During general conference weekend, Church members and others who are interested gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders." http://www.lds.org/

I'm not sure if playing a game about spiritual matters is necessarily the right thing to do, but I think it helps our family remember what we have learned and we just might have a little fun in the process.

Don't think for a minute that I can do two things at once. When the family asked what we were eating for dinner before FHE I pointed out my awesome Conference Jeopardy game in the Living Room. Doesn't dinner get to be canceled if you spend all day taping papers to the walls?

The Unhappy Princess

This super cute little girl was told if she came to our door last night (to help answer Blake to Prom) she would get to meet Prince Charming...

I guess she didn't think Blake was her Prince Charming.

Raising A Good Mensch

In our home the adults often discuss the shenanigans of the kids. There are many. Mostly they crack us up, but we also worry about them, we want to make sure they will eventually become good, wholesome, responsible adults. As they grow and develop I still worry about what I should do to help them progress into good little mensches. After all isn't that what a parent is for? I try to teach them basic life skills.

Like you shouldn't iron your clothes while you are wearing them.

.

 

Or

It's not nice to keep your sisters head in your smelly armpit.

Always hug your grandmas.

and

Never, ever open a gift from Aunt Ami . . .

but if you do be ready to pose for a picture.

Other, more serious things are of a spiritual nature like teaching them to make good choices and those choices will bring happiness and peace. Hopefully working toward their own personal perfection will give them happy lives, a good mensch is a happy mensch.

Some days they are a little naughty but more often than not they do something that gives me pause. Things that make me feel that in a world of bad and evil and even while they are being raised by a very imperfect mother they display greatness.

I found out one of those kids did something amazing. It was done quietly. They stood against their peers, and a coach. A great opportunity was offered, unfortunately standards would be compromised. They turned it down, all while taking heat from kids with what they thought had the same standards. Advice on the decision wasn't asked for, it was made alone. Maybe I don't need to worry about them growing into good little mensches, today I feel like they already are.

*Note to reader, this is the point in the post where you know you have dirt on my family and you still refrain from calling and telling me about it. Ignorance is bliss.

Shoe Mullets

Graduation day is quickly approaching. I'm not done with school yet, I've got one more class to go so I feel sort of funny about celebrating the end before it's really here.

The hubby is determined to get me to the graduation ceremony. I'm not sure how I feel about going to something and celebrate what I haven't finished. But Jeff is one determined soul. He's offered a night off from kitchen duty if I go through with it. He's even offered to take us somewhere with real silverware. No sporks at this place, that's classy when you have more than one eating utensil. So I'm going. 

The other day I realized I better get a new pair of shoes for the big night. I hate shopping, and looking for shoes is my least favorite thing to do. Once I find a good pair I tend to hang on to them for way too long. My kids name my shoes, mostly to mock my shoe choosing abilities. Picking a new pair is a lot of pressure. 

Brooklyn volunteered several service hours to help me find the perfect shoes to wear to graduation. I can't seem to walk in the cute tall ones and Brookie won't let me buy old lady comfortable shoes. It's been sort of a shoe-ish nightmare.

Finally she found them. She turned to me and said: "Look they're like a mullet for the foot. Business in the front party in the back." There was no reasoning with her, I had to buy them. Here I come bachelor's degree, I'll be the one in the shoe mullets.

Sweet Sounds of Summer

Jeff claims there's a most wanted picture of me at the local library. I don't have the best track record for returning library books on time. I'm not sure how I convinced him we needed to check this bad boy out for the summer, but I did. 

 

I had no idea how heavy a harp could be. Brooklyn & I were taught the "two man lift" before they let us take it home. We learned that two girls doing the lift only creates the giggles. We moved the harp all over the house until we found the right spot, and then Brooklyn began playing. Oh I love it. It's going to be a great summer! 

Happy Birthday Broccoli

 

She doesn't look 13 to me.

 I should have paid more attention last year when she asked if we could eat at Moki's and see the
  fire guy for her birthday dinner, or this year when she asked to go back and watch him dance with fire again.
I was concerned about her hugging him, he was so sweaty!

Too bad fire man wasn't there this year.
It was still an amazing show.

Brooklyn is truly a good person and always does what is right, she is really laid back and

she never feels pressured to follow the crowd.

I love this picture, it's so Brooklyn! She just couldn't resist. I love her cute cousins that tried to keep her from falling, she was so little. Don't you sometimes wish you could make your kids little again for just one day? I do.

This year she got to have a birthday party, she wanted to take her friends to a chick flick. Wow that took me by surprise.

Her friends are amazing, really true friends and Brooklyn's cousin Aubrey is like a sister to her, she's sweet like Brooklyn and funny too. Right before we took this picture our dog did something naughty. I totally cracked up when I saw the look on Aub's face.

 Sometimes I watch Brooklyn and I think that I would love to be her. She's everything I want to be and more.

She really is the nicest person I've ever known. She doesn't like it when I say that, but it's true. I'm glad I get to be her mama.

Happy Birthday Broccoli, I'm not sure when you grew up but I love you anyway!

Peachy Keen

I tried to be nice after Jeff's surgery.

But I couldn't resist, I took pictures of him in his post-op glory.

So blog worthy.

I started to feel bad and thought it would be mean to put them on the internet.

Blake was offered $20 by his uncle for the pictures.

That kid then offered me half of the money if I gave them to him, but I held strong.

I think I can get more than that out of Jeff if I keep them off the internet.

The good news is Jeff smelled something a few days ago, it was a peach.

Hopefully more smells will be coming soon. 

Yay Jeff



Today I got an e-mail from him.

It was an itinerary to Texas.

I was not happy to see it was for one person and that person is not me.

He's going to be gone on our anniversary, again.

That peach smelling scoundrel.

 Has he forgotten about the post-op pictures I have?

I think I'm throwing away all the peaches in the house.