It's beginning to look a lot like.....

a big mess!!!

The kids are LOVING having 2 weeks off from school

I have not wrapped a single present

We really did send out Christmas cards this year!

I let the kids decorate the tree....it looks pretty good.

We made homemade marshmallows for all our neighbors

We ate lots of marshmallows in the name of quality control

It has been a busy and crazy year but we lived through it

We find ourselves missing Carmen....a lot.

Brett is in the basement, writing. He does that often.

Marin rocks at piano!

Marin is also using all her natural skills in Drama Club at school

Gabe continues to be the self appointed School President

The Principal is OK with it

Gabe lives in a universe with no gravity

He also finds random black holes all around our house

The kitties will now sit within 2 feet of each other....but still will not touch.

They have lived together for 2 1/2 years.

We continue to forge onward and upward.....

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Sticking our necks out....

Brett thinks the title of this post should be "Pies, Thighs and Sighs" after the glorious Thanksgiving dinner we hosted. What an event! Here is a copy of our menu:

Hickory Smoked Lemon Cognac Herbed Turkey (on the BBQ)
Lamb Bracciole stuffed with Pesto and Goat Cheese
Fig, Fennel and Almond Stuffing
Cauliflower Puree Soup with Lobster Dumplings
Scarlet Poached Pears with Blue Cheese and Pecan Topping
Persimmon Pomegranate Salad with Cumin, Lime and Honey Dressing
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Pecans
Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish (from NPR)
Homemade Lion House Rolls
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Pumpkin Pie
Eggnog Ice Cream
Raisin Filled Cookies

Nah.....we weren't feeling ambitious at all and no, we didn't cook all of that! Many items came from another chef close by. Thankfully we had a wonderful family around our table to enjoy all those flavors, textures and aromas.

**********

This time of year lends itself to reflection and gratitude. We are so blessed every day of our busy little lives. We have two incredible children who delight and amuse us constantly. They are so smart and have such great humor-which helps when you live in this house! Brett is SO CLOSE to finishing his PhD and we are trying hard to be patient in all the details it takes to finish. Brett has had such a long, hard road with this final degree and I am deeply proud of him for finishing strong.

We have lived these last 8 years on love and prayers and hope that someday soon we will see what it's like to live on a bit more money....may be interesting! We have learned how to shop very creatively. We have learned how to yard sale and have decorated our home with items that are by all means considered cheap. We have learned to cook very simple dishes and we don't go out to eat much at all! We adore the library, we adore being home and hanging out together and we make the best we can out of not going on big vacations once or twice a year. It has been a humbling and simple time but we are better for it. The lessons we have learned will stay with us forever and our desire to "have it all" has gone out the window.....

This coming year we are looking forward to seeing Brett graduate. We could not afford to go to his Masters graduation so this one is a MUST! It looks like Minneapolis will be our destination and I think we will find plenty to do there. We have promised the kids this year will be the start of collecting their passport stamps with a jaunt into Canada after Brett's graduation. They are excited to start seeing parts of the world around them.

We are grateful for our home we live in and for all the people who have helped us stay in it. I feel so blessed knowing our children are safe, have an excellent school and amazing friends. It has been worth all the sacrifices and all the hard work to see them growing strong and happy. I am grateful for every shovel full of dirt Brett and I have lifted to plant trees and grass and flowers. We have learned how to tackle jobs in small bits and see the end results in stages. We have grown together through it all.

It has been an amazing year and although I have loved every minute of it, I really don't want to repeat it! Here's looking forward to a wonderful Christmas then on to a clean slate for 2010.

Our Passports Still Work!

We were invited to go to Spain this Fall (thank you so much, Mom!!) and we had a delightfully wonderful time! The Spanish people are beautiful, healthy, active, happy and helpful. We walked until our feet nearly fell off. We slept like babies at night (except when mom was fighting her bed and turning lights on and off). We ate (or at least tried) any food that was placed in front of us.



Our conclusions are these:

Anything with "jamon" is worth going out of your way for
Gelato/helado is best at 4 PM when you can still find the stores that sell it
Dinner at 8 PM is tough - hence the gelato
Bohemian style clothing is extremely comfortable and is actually really fun
Euros are a great money system but the exchange rate was awful
All women in Spain have great calf muscles
Madrid is so quiet.....
Barcelona is a party
Gaudi is still weird but I am getting to understand him a bit
If I could shop in an outdoor market every single day, I would
America has so much to learn.....




Brett and I enjoyed having 10 days together with no interruptions. We adore being together and this was truly a gift. We appreciated how European countries are so much more active and healthy - but they still have their issues and all is not perfect. We enjoyed their fresh approach to foods and eating - it's not rushed or timed - in fact, all the small shops close so the workers can go home for lunch. For 2 hours. What a treat!



We certainly have the travel bug and hope to start taking the kids to see some of the world. It's a big and beautiful place.

OK - Let's Review....

(picking strawberries)

We stayed home for the summer but managed to get out and do some fun things. Before Carmen went home we bought Connect passes from our local tourism web site and received tickets for entry into 13 different local attractions. http://www.visitsaltlake.com/visit/activities/connect_pass/

We took off one morning and went to East High to get pics for the HSM fan club, then to Hogle Zoo, the Clark Planetarium for a free IMAX film (Under the Sea) then to the Childrens Museum. We tried to end the day with a tram ride at Snowbird but one individual in our group would not go so we had to drive back down the canyon to home.

The next day we went to the Aquarium and to the Lion House Pantry for lunch. I think we maxed out our low price for the tickets! We could have done more but Carmen had to pack to get home the next day.

(the grounds at La Caille)

We had a few weeks where we all sat around trying to figure out what to do without Carmen. She brought good energy and enthusiasm to this house! The kids and I have since played outside, played with friends, had lots of birthday parties and finished the summer with a typical Marin over the top birthday extravaganza! This girl manages to get us for a party of some sort every year, no matter what we say or do.

We spent Marin's birthday weekend at Daybreak's Lake, on the playground, having pizza and cake, getting no sleep and great gifts! I love that she has a perfect little pack of friends that she adores. Gabe was thrilled that his best buddy "Tanner Man" could go to the park with him to build sand castles.

We celebrated with family on Sunday and she got her own fishing pole and tackle box so she can go fishing with Grandpa. Marin BLISS!!!

The next morning it was up and out the door to school. Both kids are in the access (accelerated) classes for their grades and both have the best teachers this year. It looks like we will have a fun and busy school year!!

It's almost August? Seriously?

This summer is going too fast. Must have something to do with age.

I finished my 6 months of work and am off until December or January- I hope someone needs me earlier so I can feel productive, needed and sane. I do so much better with work (something about a trait from my mother....). I have the rest of the summer to play (pull weeds), goof off (clean house) and go shopping (make 3 squares a day that will actually be eaten). I am so excited!!!

The kids have managed to spend 2 weeks playing at the Rec Center with great games, activities and swimming. Too bad it would break the bank to keep it going. I am not certain if I will tackle swim lessons or a pool pass this year. It always seems like so much work....did I mention it costs money?

Carmen is coming "home" tomorrow from her train tour. From the few texts and emails we have had it sounds like she is having a wonderful time. That girl has learned it is easier to have fun and be happy...smart girl! She has 10 or 11 days here before packing up to back to Italy. I can honestly say I have adored having her here and I will seriously miss her when she goes back home. We are crossing our fingers that we will be able to see her this fall (and give her all the things she forgot to take home).

We are happy, we are well. That is more than most people have in a whole lifetime......

I feel like I live in a time warp!

I truly have no idea where time goes around this house. It seems as though it gets eaten up or it flies out the window. All I know is that time is moving and I am trying to keep up!

The kids loved finishing school! I am still trying to decide if I can keep up with them this summer. I am hoping I have the energy and strength (and wallet)!! We finished school on a good note with all 3 kids. Gabe's grades rocked and he really made amazing strides as a first grader. Marin had her struggles this year but we managed to finish strong and get enough work done to pull the grades up. Carmen stunned us with awesome grades to finish a really amazing school year. Her english skills improved so much and she did an amazing job of finishing off her 1st senior year. She gets to do her 13th year of school back home in Italy so I figure she'll be a senior for the 2nd time there.

Marin had a piano recital for her piano teacher and also performed her recital piece for the 5th grade talent show. She adored her recital piece this year and for the first time memorized it! WOO HOO! She absolutely stunned me at her recital. Her hands are beautiful....they just flowed over the keys and looked so elegant. I have heard the song over and over for months but I had not stopped to watch. What an absolute treat to watch those hands... Her treat this summer is to have 8 weeks off of piano and take a break. Thankfully Brett enticed her with some music from Twilight to keep her working over the summer. She is hoping to stun her piano teacher with a completed Twilight song when she starts back in piano.

Gabe is the lego master at our house. He delights in designing new lego creations and making them all come to life. He has an awesome imagination and keeps us all laughing. I am stunned that my baby is going to 2nd grade. He still seems so small but so big. I don't understand how that can be but I adore that boy! Gabe is learning all the things he can do now and is quite thrilled that he can open a can of soda all by himself. He is gaining his independence but still loves to snuggle and hug. I can hardly wait to see what these kids become but I don't want them to grow so fast.

Carmen celebrated her 18th birthday with us at Lagoon. She took one of the other exchange students and they had a blast! I think we all wore ourselves out that day but we had Cafe Rio for dinner at Carmen's request and finshed off the evening with Mamma Mia - very loud!! I think she had a fun day and she doesn't have a ton of gifts to pack home. She and 4 other exchange students left Monday on a train tour around the US. They will spend 33 days traveling to some amazing places in the US. She was so excited! I'm sure it will be a fun and memorable trip.

Brett and I continue to work and try to keep up with this family. We are so happy and so lucky and so tired! It seems like there are never enough hours in the day to do all we want to do. Our lives are full and rewarding and filled with happiness. I could not ask for more than that.




(click on the above picture and see how Brett spends his Sunday evenings...)

Snowplows in Spring?

I'm sure you think we had some freak snowstorm this Spring. Nope. We just had a crazy Rhetta moment with an idea and people willing to have fun. I am grateful I have earned the trust of teachers and faculty alike at my kids school. I'm sure they wonder where I come up with some of my ideas, but somehow they continue to arrive and support me.

I found out that schools can paint the snowplow blades that work in the area of their school boundaries. So fun!! These are some pics of our results. For our first time I felt it was easier to do hand prints than try a major "work of art". There is always next year!

Taking a break at Daybreak

Daybreak has to be one of the best new walkable communities that I have seen. While running on Saturday, Mom and I came across the coolest area in the community so I had to take the kids back to see it. Who would have guessed that the developers would be so kind as to import a beach along the lake?

I told Gabe that I had found the most amazing Spider man playground ever! Thankfully the playground lived up to his expectations. I think we will be spending quite a bit of time there this summer.

I have learned I have a house full of monkeys and we need more playgrounds like this one....and the lake....and the picnic areas......and the running trails.....and the geese......need I say more?

The sweet stink of sweat

It surprises me every year what we have accomplished around here. We started with bare dirt, rocks and weeds and we are well on our way to creating the yard we have envisioned. There is still far too much to do but one major yard project a year is all we can handle - or afford.....



I took a minute this morning to photograph some of the pretty parts of the yard so I don't forget what they look like when it's 105* outside and everything turns yellow and brown. So far we have made some great progress on our "Spring To-Do" list.....I am loving it!


Each corner of the yard has something to please me....a mulch pile, chalk for the kids to decorate, a horseradish plant that scares me and a new little magnolia tree.....

Sophie, the garden cat.....catnip and new little flax flowers starting to bloom....

My favorite purple flowers!! Spring pea plants and purple tulips.....

The cherry tree has blossoms that remind me of little girls fluffy skirts, so full and swishy....

And here is our latest project - the new sidewalk to make it easier to get to the front door, give the kids more places to ride their bikes, give Brett more places to shovel snow in the winter and also give us more places to sit and visit with friends.....Come and visit!!