I found this picture of my “first” dad today. Doesn’t it look a little like Taco??

Today is a special day–or at least it has been for me and Amy for the last 19 years. Amy and I met in junior high, not long after my family moved to a new area, and we hit it off instantly. It’s not every day that you find a best friend. Amy and I understood each other. We could communicate without words, finish each other’s sentences, and laugh at unspoken jokes. I wonder how many hours we spent talking on the phone?
Karen (another friend), me, and Amy on …

Do you ever wake up from a dream that bothers you for the rest of the day? That was me this morning. What is it about certain dreams? PB laughed out loud when I told him about the dream that was keeping me distracted while I got the kids ready for school today. Here it is. Ready?
In my dream, I was walking along a busy sidewalk with stores and vendors everywhere (woohoo! Shopping!). I approached a vendor whose huge kiosk had lost power and their desserts were melting or in …

I found this paper yesterday when I was cleaning up the desk and thought it was too good not to share. I think Taco got this paper at church sometime last year, and added his special touch to it (simple, but classic!). Reese and Taco were going through an especially rough period and fighting all the time. They’ve always been like fire and ice….Maybe one day they will be best of friends.

PS–Reese’s name means lamb.

I was playing around on my computer this morning and fixing some files that Reese had shuffled around. A week or two ago, I panicked when I went looking for my cruise pics….and the folder was completely gone from my pictures folder. Reese has learned how to access the pictures on the computer, and I will occasionally find her at the desk looking at old pictures. Well, she moved folders inside other folders, and I finally found everything–including some pictures from December that I had completely forgotten about! SO here …

When I wrote my last post about the mice, I wanted to tell the rest of the story at the same time (or why our mouse family is especially significant) but I just didn’t have time. So here it is….Last year was the year of the bunnies for us. It has not been uncommon over the 10 or so years that we’ve lived in this house to see wild rabbits running through our backyard or nibbling on our grass. This year, though, the bunnies were regulars who hung out in …

Warning–this post may not be for the weak stomached. I find it amusing (I have to!) but some people might find my story a little creepy.
Last Friday, I went down to my basement storage room to get a can of something from our food storage. The can of whatever it was was sitting next to the box of instant oatmeal, and it didn’t take me long to discover all of the mouse droppings around the box. Mice! We’ve only had mice one other time since we’ve lived here. About 8 …

By request, here’s the recipe for Jewish Apple Cake (story to follow!)
3 cups flour1 1/2 tsp baking soda1 tsp salt2 cups sugar1 1/2 cups oil (I always substitute at least half or more of the oil for applesauce)2 eggs, beaten2 Tbsp vanilla1/2 tsp lemon juice3 cups apples, peeled and chopped
Combine flour, soda, and salt. Set aside. Combine 2 c sugar, oil (applesauce), eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat 2 min. at medium speed. Add flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into a 10 …

I made it through the first weekend of the year in Primary. We kicked off our new theme (I am a child of God) and had a huge breakfast for the kids on Saturday. We fed the kids a couple hundred pancakes and fruit, played get-to-know-you games with new teachers, and spotlighted the new presidency members. Two miracles–we had about 90% attendance, AND the kids (41 of them!) sat completely still and attentive for about 30 minutes while my counselors and I showed them pictures and objects to “teach” them …