{ He's A Winner! }

We managed to survive yet another Pine Wood Derby on Tuesday night. Jentry's car did great though, he won First Place for the Weblos and came in Second Place over all. I don't understand how his car wins, it's always a rush to get it done because he procrastinates until the 11th hour, then they are rushing around to get it done. I guess whatever he is doing seems to work for him.

I have to say though the boy is going to hate this picture of himself, but when this is the only smile I can get when the camera is on him......

well I have to work with what I get.

Yeah, Yeah, I Know.....

And as you can tell I have not been posting.

I have been busy helping my friends with their blogs. Bridget & Summer your blogs look so cute! Glad I was able to be of help to at least someone today. No, wait I take that back I did help pull a MAN yes a man/member of our ward & his little pickup out of the snow today with my truck. I am the all powerful woman hear my Diesel roar :) I guess I was of all kinds of service today. Yes I'm patting myself on the back-good job Rachel, good job.

Okay now that I got that out of my system.

I should get to bed here soon. Addison is slowly getting over a cold, so she has been a lovely little tumor stuck in my arms the past few days. Here are some pictures from this week. I love that little round face of her's and her expressions crack me up!

A Marvelous Man

Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

I was shocked & saddened to hear of his passing this evening but know that he is in a better place. Think of the homecoming he received! He was one of my most favorite Prophets. I know that Thomas S. Monson will do a great job. He has some big shoes to fill but I think he will fill them well.

VADER

Even Darth Vader takes time out from the Dark Side to enjoy life's little pleasures, like the crunchy goodness of cinnamon sugar graham crackers.

This little man just cracks me up.

52 Scrapbook Layouts In 52 Weeks

Layout for week 2Layout for week 1

Well I am going to try and do 52 layouts in 52 weeks. I know of some scrappers out there that are doing the 31 in 31 for the month of January, but I will not be doing a layout a day, I can't seem to find the time and I can't digital scrap to save my life. So one a week is a little more manageable for me and I'll have 52 layouts done by the end of the year and maybe more.

So to encourage me to scrap I have my little ticker on the left hand side of my blog letting me know how many I have left to do. And yes I know I am 2 behind. I promise to get those done and post them on here. Well I need to get back to my soup, today just feels like a soup day to me maybe it's because we are all frozen. So we are having homemade Chicken Noodle soup with fresh hot homemade bread.

What could be better than that!

So Darn Cold!

It may as well look like this outside if it's going to be this cold. When Lloyd got up this morning at 5:30 it was -7 and now it's 1 degree outside. Our new bedroom that needs just a little finishing is staying a cool 53. Too chilly for Addison. It's going to be a long cold week. By Saturday we should be having a little warmer weather. My poor electric/gas bill, I will be scared to see those bill's next month.

4 To The Dentist

Yup that's right we took 4 kids to see the dentist today. Which worked out perfect because not only did Lloyd have the day off, today is a holiday (MLK Day) so they didn't have to miss any school. They all did awesome including Corbin & it was his first time to the Dentist, he made not a peep. The kids were all pretty good about entertaining themselves as you can see from the pictures. Everyone had great checkup's and 3 hrs & 10 minutes later we walked out the door with 4 kid's & NO cavities! Even Addison was good, she just hung out & then took a nap in her front pack. We do have to go back in a couple weeks to get Brinley's sealants on her 6yr molars, & get Jentry's spacers taken off but other than that they are all looking good. Now Lloyd & I need to get our buns in there. Um yeah, that should be fun & expensive!

Jentry

Parker

Brinley

And Brave Mr. Corbin
Even Lloyd & Jentry were able to entertain themselves during our 3 hr wait. It takes real men to play games on a PINK phone in public. :)

Your probably all thinking what's the big deal about going to the dentist, well to these kids it was a big deal and they actually asked if I was going to put this on my blog for Grandma to see. And so I did. :)

I'm So Proud Of Myself!

I can hardly believe that I was able to change my blog "look" all by myself? Although I did have to make a couple calls to Melissa for reassurance, but hey I did it! I kinda like my new look it's not as dark, although I will always have a spot in my heart for that black plaid, may she rest in peace.

Okay enough mourning~ I did manage to get 1 scrapbook page done last night, Addison had other plans for me, but the page I did get done I love. Melissa & Bridget kicked my bahuky in the page department they each got at least 3 pages done. Maybe I can scrap more tomorrow after church or hey maybe tonight after the kids go to bed. Well the midgets are howling for food, so I better go answer the call of the hungry.

I'll post my layout later. :)

Guess What I Get To Do Tonight?

It's going to be a good night!

My friends Bridget & Melissa are coming over to scrapbook & they are nice enough to do it at my house (again). I would venture to one of their houses but I would have to take Addison with all her stuff and mine, plus it's so much easier to have her here in her own bed. It's so nice to have friends that understand.

There is nothing better than chocolate, scrapping and spending time with your friends.

I am so needing this today.

All I have done is clean and dejunk. It all started with Brinley's room, I think she has kept every paper (that I didn't already snatch) from kindergarten, she's a bit of a pack rat, I found all kinds of treasures in her room (scary) so her room is now clean. Mom I now know what I put you through when I was growing up, don't worry I'm getting my payback. :)

Then I made my way to the toy basket's under the TV, cleaned out all of Corbin's big boy toys which went to the playroom, and put all of Addison's baby toys in the baskets. Then I hit the playroom. I went through all of the toy totes 8 to be exact and purged big time. I sent Lloyd outside with 2 1/2 garbage bags of junk! But boy does it feel good. Phew! Now I can scrap. Have a good night!

Her Happy Day!

Well another birthday has come & gone. Brinley had 2 friends over and I was shocked to find that 3 little 6 yr old girls are louder than 3 10yr old boys. Learned something new yesterday. :) Anyway Grandma & Grandpa Berry came over with cousin CJ and we all had pizza for dinner, Polly Pocket Cupcakes with orange sherbet ice cream on the side. She opened her gifts which she loved, scored a little cash & had a ball playing with her friends. All in all she had a great day. She told me after she got home from school today that she likes being six because that means she only has 2 more birthday's before she turns 8 & that means she gets to be baptized.

She makes me smile.

So 2 birthdays down, 3 to go. At least I get a "birthday break" until May, I think I have earned a smallish break with having a baby, then jumping instantly into the holidays and then smack into 2 birthday's 3 days apart. It's time to take a short breather.

Disclaimer #2: Digital scrapbooking: shield your eyes yet again I digi scrap not!

And yes I totally cheated on her cake, I didn't have it in me to bake one more thing this week. So I talked her into cupcakes with a Polly shoved into one of them. Isn't that so bad of me? On my honor I promise to do better next year.

Happy 6th Birthday Brinley!

Happy Birthday Brinley Boo!

More to come later!

{ Birthday Recap! }

Well Jentry had a great 10th birthday, he invited his friends Tracer & Wyatt to come over, they played PS2 & Lego's and acted like a bunch of 10 yr old boys. 

They are so crazy. 

Jentry loved his gifts, he is such a Star Wars Addict. 
I was so proud of him, he actually decorated his own cake, he wanted a Monster Truck cake and so I let him at it. 
I thought he did a pretty good job.

My Craft Is Back!

I actually sat down last night and tried to find a little of my scrapbook mojo. I think I found it and I may be a little partial but I think this page turned out stinking cute! It's much better than Jentry's birthday post below (sorry buddy I'll try to get better) but I am a diehard PAPER scrapper all digital will be reserved for this blog of mine. This is the first page that I have done for Addison & now I want to do more!

And how could I forget--THANK YOU MELISSA! She is the one who came over to my house and helped me cute-ify my blog. I love my new "look". :)

{ Happy Birthday Jentry! }

Holy cow my first born is 10 today!

Happy Birthday buddy We Love You!

{ Amish White Bread Recipe }

Photo via: Tastykitchen.com 

That's right folks, I make bread. Me, myself, I, Rachel - & it's none of that bread machine stuff. I've been making this bread for about 2 weeks now and it actually comes out so yummy every time.
And that is a miracle in and of itself because the last time I made bread was way back in High School & it didn't turn out (my dad called it toast bread) so I decided that maybe yeast & me just don't work well together.
I know some of you may be saying so, what's the big deal I make bread all the time. Well to me having bread actually turn out & taste good.
Can I get a hallelujah here! ;)

Amish White Bread

2 cups warm water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast.

Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. Mix salt and oil into the yeast.

Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat.

Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Edited to Add: I mix in all my flour and then leave it in my Kitchen Aid and let it beat the crap out of it for 8 minutes, then I take it out and hand knead it for 2 more minutes on a lightly floured surface. 
Then, let it do the whole rise thing.

No Kidding!

'With hurricanes, tornado's, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

(Jay Leno)

Thought this was good!

Get Well Wishes For Parker

Parker was so excited to get these cute cards today.

Here's a huge THANKS to

Mrs. Hallmark & all his classmates,

these definitely brought a smile to his face.

THANKS SO MUCH! :)

Quick update: Parker is feeling better today, he's still a bit tired, still using sign language when he wants to speak, and is very mellow. He's getting better everyday though, before we know it he'll be back to his old self.

My 2 Girls!

I just love my girls eyes!

Addison's are such a pretty blue, I do hope they stay this way. She & Jentry are my only blue eyed kids.

And Brinley has the deepest brown!

Love them!

Mr. Tonsillectomy

Well he's home now and FINALLY fell asleep. I am having a hard time getting him to eat ice chips and drink fluids. And as a result he feels like he can't breathe as the swelling isn't going down because he's not eating the ice and such. I have explained to him why he needs to eat it so we shall see if he's better after a little nap.

I do believe it's going to be a long night.

Here are some pictures from today.

Before his surgery.

And after.

Okay my 10 minutes of free time is up. Gotta go save the baby & Parker's up now and he's crying about not being able breathe. The Ice Woman Cometh! I need an extra set of hands. Okay Lloyd you can come home from work now.

Parker Roni Update

Well it's 2:15 and Parker is still up at the hospital. The surgery went fine, they started at 8:30 and finished at 9:30 he did lose about an ounce & a half of blood. The Dr. said that kids his age don't normally lose blood, so they are keeping an extra eye on him. They would have been home awhile ago but when Parker sits up he gets really pale, lightheaded & dizzy so they are making him stay a little longer. I went up to see him for a little bit but then had to run to Wal-mart to pick up his drugs. I have to thank Teija, she read my blog this morning and saw what was going on today and offered to watch Corbin and Brinley while I went to the Hospital/Wal-mart.

THANK YOU TEIJA!

What a good Visiting Teacher! :)

I'll keep you all posted.

Quick update: Lloyd just called and said that Parker had a little scare, he said he had pain in throat and he was struggling to breath and it was scaring him (Parker) so the nurse came in and gave him some oxygen up his nose and some more meds. But things are looking better so they should be home here soon.

A Little Surgery...

Well Parker is going to the Hospital tomorrow morning at 6:30 to have his Tonsils & Adenoids removed and a tube put back in his right ear. He doesn't get a good night's rest because he stops breathing and that wakes him up plus Jentry is ever so grateful as he will no longer have to listen to Parker snore like a freight train so maybe he'll get a good nights rest from now on as well.

No more ear plugs for Jentry!

Lloyd is taking him because I have to stay home to get Jentry and Brinley off to school & take care of Corbin & Addison, but it does feels weird that I won't be there when he goes in for surgery (again) but I know Dr. Petrusek will do a great job! Parker is just looking forward to the Root Beer flavored Anesthetics and all the ice cream & Jell0 pudding he can eat!
GOOD LUCK PARKER! LOVE YOU!

:) Hello :)

Just saying hello to my 2 Brothers Daverle & Richard! They just drove down from Alaska for a couple days. We thought we might be able to see them but we aren't going to Tri-Cities until Friday. We are sorry we missed you! Love you guys have a safe drive back home. Love, Lloyd & Rachel,

Jentry, Parker, Brinley, Corbin & Baby Addison. :)

Cold & Freezing

UPDATE: Well the power is back on. It came on at 12:15 am. We had just gotten the kids all bedded down at Lloyd's parents --- we were going to sleep in the living room, but I decided to make one last call to our home phone to see if the machine would come on and and it did. So we ran home there's nothing like being without power for 15+hours. And the lowest it got in our house was a breezy 55. Brrr!!

Oh and Rebecca I think your crazy for having your heat set @ 58 in the winter. I love the feeling of being warm, you must be warm blooded I think that's how you stay all toasty warm at your hockey games. No wonder you don't mind it being a little chilly. :):):) Okay enough of this I seriously need to go find my bed. It's been a LONG day.

This post is the complete opposite from Addison's warm and cozy post. We have officially been without power for the last 7 hrs now thanks so some FIERCE WIND and lots of down power lines. It went off at around 9:40 this morning right at the moment I had my hair full of shampoo in the sink (because I knew I wouldn't have time to shower-Lloyd called from work and their power went out, I knew we wouldn't be far behind and not even 10 minutes later out it goes) and at our house you can't run the water while the power is out as we have a well and the pump runs off electricity.

So our house is a cool 58 degree's. Lovely huh?

We picked up Lloyd as they closed and ran a bunch of errands as there was nothing else we could do and being in the car was nice and warm.

Then we hung out at Wal-Mart for a while

and now we are at Lloyd's parents as they have heat, water, and most important a toilet for the little people. Even the boys came home early from school because of no power. So hopefully here soon we will be able to return to our home and sleep in our beds. But at the moment I'm not sure if we will even be doing that tonight. Well gotta go to town and find some food for my family.

Enjoy your warm beds tonight!

Warm and Cozy!

My Friend Maria dropped by on their

way through town the other day

& brought Addison the cutest sweater set

I think she looks pretty darn fab in it

& I always love a hat with dingle balls on it,

that's my favorite part.

And she made me the cutest bag

(I've gotten many compliments on it)

I'll get a photo of it here one of these days.

Thanks Maria!