Temple Groundbreaking

We are so excited that they finally broke ground for the temple!  Attendance at the ceremony was by invitation only.  Kent was asked to sing at the event by our neighbor Keith Bradshaw who was in charge of the choir. Since Kent was singing I got a ticket.  It was so exciting! (It was pretty hot though.  I rocked my awesome hat even though I looked kind of geeky.  At least my head wasn't frying like 99% of the audience!)  We are so excited to have a temple here!

Just a few words about groundbreakings.  I think it is kind of funny (and silly, really) that bunch of people get together and dig in little pre-made troughs of dirt with golden shovels to celebrate the groundbreaking.  I mean, it's cool to have an event for it but it just seems kind of silly.  And at THIS groundbreaking event there was group after group after GROUP re-breaking the same ground with the golden shovels.

Look, it's Keith and Tracey Bradshaw, our neighbors using the golden shovels!

Hendrickson Lake Really Exists.

Since Ian didn't get to go on the first backpacking trip with all the girls Kent planned another backpacking excursion so he would be able to go.  Since the first Hendrickson Lake hike ended up being a bust he consulted more maps and Google Earth and found a clearer, better route to the lake.  They invited uncle Sam Wells, who is always up for some adventure in the wild and set off for the lake.

Archery

This kid begged and begged to sign up for archery because one of his friends did it.  Now we just gotta get him his own bow and arrows and he can go out in the back and hunt rabbits.

Hendrickson Lake?

Kent and I took Emilia and Elise and went on a backpacking trip with Sam Wells.  We were supposed to hike about 5 miles and then end up at a cute little lake in the forest.  We hiked and hiked and hiked. At first we were on the right trail.  Then we ended up missing a turn because it was unmarked and the map was wrong.  We ended up going about 3 extra miles til we finally realized that we were not on the right trail.  At this point we ended up just trying to find a place to camp for the night because it was getting dark.  We ended up camping in "Mosquito Lane", which should have been more appropriately called "Flying Ant Lane".  But, no worries, there were plenty of mosquitoes too.

Very tired of hiking.

Uhh, I think we are lost.

See my heart shaped blister?  It got even bigger, and actually looked like a bum when we were done hiking.

THIS is where we slept.

Pets

We have REAL pets!  Goldie is still alive and swimming but the kids just don't consider him/her to be a real pet.  Same with Bob the fish and Mrs. Sucker.  Someone in the ward was trying to get rid of a couple of cats that someone dumped near their house.  We decided to go take a look at them.  And then of course we couldn't say no.  The kids decided to name them after  Hunger Games. One is Rue and one is Prim.  Kent thought those names were dumb.  He wanted to call them Waffle Butt and Toaster Fanny.  I guess those will be their nicknames.  Maybe just Waffle and Toaster for short?

35 Aprons

I JUST finished my last apron.  (Well, actually the last 4.)  I wanted so badly to get them done today. Here they are.  Whew.  It's good to get this project done. Now on to the next one.

College Round 2 - Update

I am avoiding studying anatomy right now.  You'd think I'd be more diligent at blogging considering it's really easy to sit down and blog when I really should be doing something else.  Like studying.  Or laundry. Or 10 other boring household tasks.  I guess the guilt was just getting to me finally.

Summer update:
As far as school goes, I have finished another class, it was Biology.  The teacher of the class wrote terrible quiz and test questions and I was seriously worried that I would get the first C of my life in that class.  I studied WAY more than I thought I would for that 100 level 2 credit biology class.  It was HARD!  The textbook weighed something like 50 pounds and had 1200 some odd pages.  The course had lots and lots of biochemistry and molecular stuff that was completely new to me.  Add that to a professor who is very set on "critical thinking" which to him meant trying to trick the students and asking them questions on the test that did not resemble anything from the textbook.  I was glad to get that one done.  And I got a B+.  And it's over.

Another important victory for me happened after writing a letter to the department chair of SUU.  I wrote a letter a couple of months ago trying to see if I could take my required anatomy class online since I had taken that class in person many years ago.  I was told that I had to make this request in writing.  Also, on this letter I asked about a required human development class that I was required to take and was trying to get out of.  She answered the part about the anatomy class but did not address the other class. I called to talk to the secretary about the anatomy class having a different course number for the online class to make sure it would transfer since the one in the transfer guide had a different number. (Can't be too careful.  Everything must be documented. Too many people have been given the bait and switch deal with these people.)   I asked about the development class and the dept. chair called me back. I told her about my development classes and my Family Sciences minor and she actually said that should count for the prereq (miracle of miracles!!!)  I then immediately wrote her an email confirming all we had talked about to get the whole thing in writing.  Must get things in writing.  So, since I got that class waived, I only had to take 4 classes at BYU this summer.  I had planned to take a nutrition class but now I can take that at SUU instead of development.  Since I have a full schedule I won't have to pay extra for it.  WOO HOO.  Small victories. I have lost enough battles it's nice to finally win one.  So instead of 11 prereqs I only have 10.  And I mean classes, not credits.

So now I am working on my 4th of 4 classes which is anatomy.   I saved the best for last.  I have taken the first lecture exam and will take the lab exam on Friday or Monday.   (Hopefully they will have my favorite muscle on the test:  the tensor fasciae latae.)   After that I will be halfway done with the class.  When I get done I will have what is left of the summer (Maybe 3 weeks or something...) to relax, and I don't know, read a book for fun or something.  I start school in the fall and I have 12 credits.  I have another semester after that, during which I can apply for the nursing program.  It's pretty exciting.  And crazy.  And expensive!  But I am glad I am doing it.  It is a good goal to look forward to and I'm happy (most days) that I have gone down this road.

Sewing Stuff

My biggest sewing project of the year is almost done! As you know I am making 35 aprons for the moms of kids with cancer camp which is in October. I have been TRYING to get them done by August 3 when we have our family reunion so I can hand them off to my sis Carol and be done with them!  I have 30 done and 5 to go!  I'm super excited about that!

I haven't been doing sewing lessons this summer. I thought my little gals would do a few lessons at least but they must be having a busy summer just like I am. I do have a new friend that is interested in some lessons so we will see about that.  I don't have a lot of free time these days but it would be fun.  So maybe for the RIGHT student I could make it happen.

The other big sewing project that has been going on around here lately was sewing for the pioneer trek.  Elise and Emilia both sewed an apron for themselves to wear. I also sewed 2 bonnets and 4 skirts for them.  I found some ultra cheap fabric on clearance at Joann and some even cheaper at D.I. and whipped out some pioneery clothing for them.  Of course when a couple of people are having fun sewing the other ones want to get involved.  Ian also made some shorts and Adele was having fun sewing a pillow.

Macaroni Penguin Soup

Several years ago when I was asking the kids what they wanted me to make for dinner that week Adele piped in, "macaroni penguin soup".  It has been a joke in our family ever since.  Well, since we have started watching Chopped on Netflix Emilia and some of the other kids have been asking me to make macaroni penguin soup. I once had a creamy sausage soup with kale and potatoes and thought I'd try to make MPS out of it.  And then I found these Penguin crackers at the store and knew that MPS was meant to be.  I found a recipe online for a similar sausage soup and used pasta instead of potatoes and made it not spicy.  Once we threw the crackers in it it was truly macaroni penguin soup.  Unfortunately the kids didn't really like it.  So now I have to find a new recipe for MPS.

Chopped Challenge

So our new favorite show on Netflix is "Chopped".  There are 4 chefs that get a basket of weird mystery ingredients and they have to make meals out of them.  After each round one person gets eliminated.  The last round consists of 2 chefs making desserts.

The kids thought it would be fun to have me do a chopped challenge.  We went to the store and they each got to pick an ingredient.  Normally there are 4.  I have 4 kids.  Somehow we ended up with 5 ingredients. I am not sure how this happened.  I'm sure fighting was involved.

The mystery ingredients

The final entree

So on the show they have something like 30 minutes to make the food. I'd say it took me over an hour.  You can use other ingredients from the pantry but you have to use all the ingredients and transform them.  I ended up making a bratwurst and chicken meatball with crushed potato chips inside, a salad with a dressing made from the mango nectar and that weird pokey fruit that I can't remember the name of.  And I used the Thai sauce (I think) with the de-glazed meatball pan and served it with the noodles.  The kids actually liked it.  They really liked the chicken and bratwurst meatballs.  They are asking me to do this again. I think I might make them do it.  But it sort of scares me.

Birthday Girl

Another birthday for this girl!  She's 13.  She has changed a whole lot this year!  All these kiddos are getting so old.  This year (since February) she has been wanting a Nintendo 3DS.  She made a deal with me that if I would pay half and get it for her for her birthday she'd pay the other half.  She has been saving ALL her money all year.  She has resisted the temptation to participate in dollar store runs with the other kids.  I'm impressed with her dedication to save for something she really wants. Important life lessons!  We celebrated her birthday a day early because she was headed to Girl's Camp on her birthday.

The usual Swedish Pancake birthday breakfast

She wanted a chocolate and cookies n cream ice cream cake with the "Tri-force" on the top.  

Happy Birthday!!!

Statistics and Percentages

I almost got an A- in stats.  You know what is funny?  HILARIOUSLY funny (not)?  I had to get 88% on the final to get an  A-.  To get a B+ I had to score somewhere between 60 something and 87.51%.  Seriously.  It was hard to study because I knew that I probably couldn't get an 88.  But to get a 60 would be no big deal.  I got a 86 and missed the final percentage for an A- by half a percent. Sad.  On the up-side.  The class is done and I'm 100% happy about that.

Landscaping!

We finally got grass!  We had a landscaper come and do some work for us.  They installed the sprinklers in the fall and did the curbing about month ago. He was really really busy so it took him over  a month to come back to do the plants, rocks and grass.  It turned out so beautiful. We are so excited to have the front done and to have GRASS!  And the timing was perfect.  It rained all weekend which gave the new grass plenty of water to encourage its little roots to grow!

Last Week of School

May is always a crazy month.  Somehow I always manage to forget this.  There are always lots of school activities, concerts, field trips etc.  This year we added soccer to the mix, which made things extra crazy.  And the weather in May has been pretty cold and rainy. I think we will skip spring soccer next year and just do soccer in the fall.

My job ends the week before school gets out so that means I have an entire week at home without my kids home.  I'm pretty stoked about this!  I plan to do lots of homework and sew aprons.  Doesn't sound super exciting but it will be nice just to have a quiet house to get some of the stuff done I need to do.

Two updates from SUU
1.  I was finally able to register for fall classes.  I had to go to an advisor and "prove" that I was enrolled in statistics and biology.  I wasn't enrolled in the biology class because I was trying everything I could think of to avoid taking that class.  I ended up enrolling in the class WHILE I was at the advisor's office.  Once she saw that I was taking these 2 classes she waived the prereq.  She told me though that when fall comes if they don't have an updated transcript with the required classes on it they will remove me from the class. They are HARDCORE.  Wow... I guess there is no way to get out of this biology class.

2.  I was approved for a student loan.  My first student loan.  (*sigh*).  It's a federal Stafford loan so at least I don't have to pay interest until I'm done. I'm hoping that this investment into my education, purchased on credit, will be worth the trouble.  It shouldn't take too long to pay it back. I will have to get loans for 6 semesters.   College is expensive.  Especially SUU.  It's a rip-off actually but I'm not going down that road today.  Self-reliance, people.  There is no price, right?

Statistics

I can say with 95% confidence, that the mean number of days it will have taken me to complete my statistics class will be between the interval of (35, 50) days.  And then I plan to promptly purge my brain to make room for other useless stuff I have to learn this summer.
I can also say with 100% confidence that I hope I never have to go more in depth in statistics than I have.  You know, because in the book it tells you that a horrible, abstract, complicated procedure exists, "but it is outside the scope of this class".  When that happens I utter grateful praises that I don't have to learn it.  (But look there, I have improperly used the term confidence in that last example.  There's not even a quantitative variable at all! SHEESH.)

Curbing!

We have curbing!  And we are super excited about it.  In a couple of weeks we will also have grass, rocks, bushes and a tree!   I can't wait to have some grass!

Makin a "Hooch" in the wild

That's the back of our house.

Our new house has a lot of wilderness behind it.  That is one of the reasons we wanted to live here. Our backyard is pretty much just dirt trails and juniper trees.  Sometimes there are animal bones out there.  And a whole bunch of trash.  For some reason people who are too lazy to drive out to the dump just drive out here and dump all their junk.  We have seen old tires, scrap metal stuff, old mattresses, big plastic containers and on and on.   The up side of all the garbage everywhere is that it is super fun for kids to play with.  (No, I do not encourage this.)  What they say about people's trash being treasure could not be more true.
One of Ian's favorite tv shows is "Man vs. Wild" where a guy has to survive out in the wilderness in different types of locations.  The guy in the show is always building shelters out of stuff, which he calls "hooches".  One of Ian's favorite activities is to use the old junk he finds out behind the house to make a hooch, or a fort.  We just gotta watch out for rusty nails, broken glass and rattlesnakes. Hmm, kind of sounds like the real wild.

Crash and Burn

Now that we live on the edge of town Ian has a whole lot of wilderness to explore.  He went with the scouts last week to see some petroglyphs that were not too far from our house. Ever since he saw them he couldn't WAIT to show us.  He rode his bike down a dirt and gravelly road while Kent and I walked behind him.  And then we saw him crash. Hard.  He had actually crashed (again on some gravel) in front of our neighbor's house just a few days before. This kid is an animal.    After the crash he was a kind of light headed and dizzy so we let him chill for a few minutes.  We stuck him back on his bike and Kent and I pushed him all the way home.  We didn't make it to the petroglyphs.   We will have to go back another time.  When we got home we cleaned up his arm and couldn't decide whether he would need stitches.  It was about 8:30 on Saturday night and I knew the Instacare closed at 9 so I decided to just take him.  He ended up needing 6 stitches.

Long Time No See (Welcome to Crazy Town)

I couldn't even log in to my blog today at first because it made me enter my password since it has been so long!  I changed my password awhile ago and didn't remember it.  Yeah, it's been that long. So, what have we been up to these days (and not blogging about it?)

We have been up to:
Piano lessons x 3, dance lessons x 1, kids in school x 4, part time job x 1 and college classes x 2. And we just started soccer x 2 and we have been babysitting an extra kid after school x 1.  And we have Let's Play Music x 1.  And YW x 2 and scouts x 1.  And sewing classes x 2  I think that's it.  So, basically instead of blogging I have been driving around all over the place and doing homework (not housework... that's another story.)

It has taken me a bit of time to figure out what my college path will entail.  Since I am non-traditional, there are a lot of questions about the classes I have already taken, what will count, what I have to take etc.  The problem is that 1. most of the classes I have taken only count for electives so I have to re-take several classes (which is dumb) and 2.  The people at SUU don't know what to do with my situation.  Literally.  I go there to talk to *insert person here* and they say, "you need to fill out this form/go talk to someone else/write a letter/call the secretary blah blah blah...".  Then I do that and the run-around just keeps going on with the next person referring me to someone else who fills in another piece and then passes me along to someone else. It has been quite frustrating really.  I think I finally have things figured out though so now I'm on the road.  I'm actually more than just on the road. I have completed one class (a re-take actually), introductory psychology.  I did it through BYU Independent Study.  Right now I'm working on statistics (blargh) also through BYU.  This summer I decided not to attend SUU because the classes are SO dang expensive if you take them one by one. Instead I have 3 more BYU classes to take online during the summer and in the fall I will start at SUU and be ready to not have to pay for classes a la carte there.  I'm almost halfway through stats.  I will be glad for that. I don't find it to be fun at all.  And I keep thinking, "who would choose to study this for their life?  UGH!"  I have requested my 2nd exam and hope to get that taken next week.  Sometimes when I am slogging through regression lines and residuals I think to myself, "what have I done.  I'm totally crazy to be doing this".  And then I repeat in my mind what I have told myself many times:  I don't have to do it all today.  If everyday I do what I have to do "today", then in 3 years I will be done and will have conquered this.  And just in case you are wondering, next fall I am going to have all the kid stuff but I won't be working part time or doing sewing classes. That should free up a few brain cells, hopefully.

Emilia is 15!

This lovely and talented girl is 15!  One more year til she gets her driver's license.  That is scary for sure!  She can actually get her permit after she takes the written test. I'm leaving that up to her. When she wants to do it she can get it scheduled and do it.  I'm not pushing the matter!

Emilia has had a great year.  She started Success Academy and is a Freshman.  Success Academy is a difficult high school program that gives kids the opportunity to take college classes concurrently with high school classes.  This year she took the ACT and was accepted to college.  Next year she will start her college classes.  When she graduates from high school she will also have an associate's degree.  I am hoping we will both graduate at the same time.

Emilia loves to draw and has really grown as an artist. She can look at a picture and draw it.  She has also somehow gained an appreciation for languages, especially European languages and is taking German at school.  She is fascinated by Sweden and Finland and is super excited about going to Ephraim in May for the Scandinavian Festival.  And as always, this girl loves birds and can recognize almost anything by it's call or how it looks.  She's an awesome girl and we love her so much.

I am noticing that Ian is pretty much always in everyone's birthday pictures. He wants to be where the action is for sure.

These girls don't look excited do they?  They are doing what they call "fan girling".