Another First

Today Collin had his first formal dance date. They spent the afternoon decorating t-shirts for each other and then went on a sleigh ride. (It was a perfect day for the sleigh ride considering that we shoveled at least a foot of snow this morning.) He had a blast. Tonight he is off to the dance but he promised to bring Kiah over to the house so that I could take pictures. I think that he was horrified but, being the good boy that he is (and wanting to take the new car), he did it anyway. He showed excellent taste when he chose his tux and vest to match her dress. It was perfect. When he walked out of the "dressing room" his sisters said things like, "Wow!" and "Is that Collin?" and "He looks good!" I must admit he does clean up pretty well.

Kiah made him look even better! She is lovely. Glad she asked him.

More Camera Fun

Today my sister, Cristy, and her family came to visit us (because I asked her to.) She lives about 2 blocks away. We have been planning for her to come teach me how to make bread since she moved here. Finally, seven months later, we did it.
Cristy worked at a bakery for years and is really good at all kinds of baking. Her rolls are always light and fluffy. Her bread is beautiful and looks like it came from a store. Her cookies are not only always delicious, but they look fantastic. I suppose that's why I've given up cookie making - her's are always better. When the twins walk home from school, they knock on my classroom window, say hi, and then go to Cristy's to see what baked goods she has to eat.
Today was my turn to bake. Together we made three loaves of light wheat and one loaf of cinnamon/raisin swirl. It was so much fun and the bread turned out lovely! It also tastes good.
Because we had fresh bread, and we have newly fallen snow, it was necessary to whip up some homemade chicken noodle soup. Cristy showed me how to make homemade noodles, too. (Cristy didn't learn that at the bakery. She learned it from my mom. I should have paid more attention to her cooking. But, I always planned to have a maid to do the cooking - like on the Brady Bunch. That hasn't happened YET.) Yummy!!!
Then I had to do a little camera practice. My camera has a setting (and two pages in the manual) dedicated to photographing "Food." Isn't that weird? Food doesn't even move. Nevertheless, I read up on it and think that I am quite good at it - at least it is in focus. So, here is a picture of the bread I made taken in "Food" mode. I'm sure that it looks completely different than a picture that I would have taken in "Portrait" mode. Whew, I'm glad I figure that out. My life is closer to becoming complete.

Christmas Fun

Christmas came and went. We've had a great time being together. The kids seem to be quite happy about it all. Santa brought Band Hero for the Wii (which is like Rock Band.) Nothing like a video game to remind you about your age. I thought that playing the guitar was difficult but it is nothing compared to playing the drums. I'm so uncoordinated. I'm amazed at how good the kids are. Hopefully practice makes slightly better.

My favorite gift was a new camera from Trent. It has video capabilities and so I can now record our children. It is pretty cool. I've been doing a lot of reading because the instruction manual is about as thick as a Harry Potter book. I've tried something new each day. So, yesterday's practice session was on "Time-Lapse Movies." I've never done it before and I'll have to keep practicing. I decided to try it out on a very average activity at the Grant home - meal preparation. Forty minutes in the kitchen preparing, eating, and cleaning up dinner was condensed down to two seconds on the movie. It is so funny. If you watch it, be sure to blink before you click play. Otherwise, you'll miss it. What I need is some movie editing software to slow it down. Do you know of any? Perhaps something free like Picasa. That might help.

An Utter Christmas Failure

I can't seem to get everything together this year. We decorated early, we had done some shopping early, and things were looking good. But, starting early didn't seem to help. I'm still behind. How? What do I have to say for myself? Nothing. I'm an utter Christmas failure. I haven't gotten the cards out and I probably won't. The neighborhood gifts aren't made and probably won't be by Christmas. I haven't finished the shopping and some of the presents aren't wrapped. Hopefully that will happen before the big day.

School ends tomorrow at 1:15. I wonder how much I can get done in a day and a half. If you don't get a card, you'll know not much. If you live close and don't receive a gift, you'll know I couldn't pull out of the slump. Sorry to you all ahead a time and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

McKenna went to the Christmas Dance tonight. She asked a young lady in our ward to do her hair because Stacey always has beautiful hair. Apparently a ponytail or piggy braids were not going to work this night. We had to bring in the big guns. Stacey did an awesome job though she was terribly nervous. She took my little girl and turned her into a glamorous young lady - without over doing it.


McKenna bought her own dress for $20 on the clearance rack. She loves it and it is perfect. It is totally her.












While taking pictures I looked at my little girl, who hasn't willingly worn a curl or a bow or a flower since about the age of 2, and realized that she is growing up very fast. Just yesterday she wore her basketball shoes, knee socks, and ponytail. Tonight she is wearing high heels, nylons, and an updo. She can pull off both looks. No matter how she looks, though, she is wonderful. She is such a good girl. She is just as fantastic on the inside, if not more, than she is on the outside.

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

My favorite show, when I was young, was The Facts of Life. The theme song says, "You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both and then you have the facts of life. The facts of life." It is so true. Everyday is full of the good and the bad. When you put them together you end up with life. That's just the way it is.

My new calling in our stake has me thinking about that song. I am in the stake Young Women's. My first thoughts were all positive. Yes, I get to go to camp and enjoy it without babysitting the girls. Yes, I get to plan activities for the Laurels and Priests. Yes, I get to do Youth Conference. Yes, I get to work with some amazing ladies. Yes, I'll get to know a lot of the girls in other wards.
But now the "bad"is settling in. Nobody told me I would be speaking at Young Women in Excellence Meetings. Nobody told me I would have to speak at Stake Leadership meetings. No one told me that I would have to speak with the the High Council at different wards. These are the bads. I get so nervous to speak. I really hate it. But, you take the good things and add the bad things then mix them together to get the reality of it. And, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to recognize both!

A New Season for Halloween

We made "shrunken heads" a couple weeks ago. This picture is just after we made them. They never dried out and instead got all moldy. So, we tossed them. But, it was fun to create them.

Halloween came with a different look at our house. Sure we had the same decorations that we have always have, blowing wind, and snow on the ground (until just hours before). But, this year no one went trick or treating. We didn't have the usual scramble for costumes or bags of candy spread all over the floor. We still had jack-o-lanterns but they were carved just before dark. No one begged to carve them during the week. I was practically begging them to carve them on Halloween day.

Katy's polka-dotted pumpkin is on the left. She carved each dot on her own. Adri went wit a new design - the cheese grater. It was unusual but still fun.

McKenna went with the team spirit pumpkin and carved the South Fremont Cougar basket ball. The other side had a paw print.

Instead we had lots of people here at the house passing out candy to visiting ghosts, goblins, and pirates. We made stove-top kettle corn and snacked on hot wings. Then when all the kiddies were home and our doorbell was quiet, we gathered to watch an oldie goldie "scary" movie, Rear Window (1954, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly). I think it is so scary. I can never watch it all. I always have to cover up my head and plug my ears.

Just recently I've begun to notice all the changes that our family is going through. The little kid stuff is ending and we're entering the all teen period. Can't wait for what will happen next.

One day I got a crafty hair and made these glowing Halloween creatures. They were easy and fun.