January 7, 2010

Well, thanks to my sister in law, I am getting better about posting to this! (Thanks, Jen!) Guess I just needed a little motivation!

Nothing much is happening here... a quiet start to the New Year! We are slowly getting back into the school routine. We registered for classes at our co-op today. I was surprised that we were able to get classes that the girls wanted because I forgot to call for a registration appointment and we did not register until day 3 of registration, and that usually means that all the good classes are full by then. In a way, I was kind of hoping that there would not be any classes so we could have a rest from that, but when I suggested that to Hannah, she broke into tears and stomped into her room (ahhh, 11 year old drama) so I figured that would not happen unless there were no classes.

This year I am striving to become more organized... that is my goal for 2010. I am going to do it in steps, instead of trying to overhaul everything at once. Maybe if I attack it that way, I will be more successful.

The first step I am taking is to become more organized in meal planning and preparation. I absolutely hate it when my husband comes home from work and wonders what is for dinner, and I have absolutely no idea because I got so wrapped up in school or chores that I completely lose track of time. I would love to find a software program that would help with that... I have an ancient recipe program that my mom gave to me years ago, but all it does is store recipes. I guess that I will just have to figure out my own system.

I intend to use my crock pot more often, like several times each week. I have checked out several crock pot books from the library and borrowed some from a friend, and received one as a gift at Christmas - but my favorite so far is 'Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook' - I borrowed that one from a friend. That one I will have to go buy. The main problem I come across is that most recipes that are out there for slow cookers use canned condensed soups as ingredients. Not only can't I eat them because of my allergies, but after all that I have read on how processed foods are prepared and what goes in to them, I would not want to, either.

So, now I am off to our church to pick up the materials I ordered for our new Financial Peace University class that begins tonight ( #7!). I also have to make copies of the syllabus for this class and then make up our class roster. I was going to do that this morning, but received another registration, so I figured I would do it this afternoon so if any more come in last minute I can include them. Then it's dinner time and off to class!

December 29, 2009

Today started with errand running. We went to the church to make sure it was okay to order the kits for our upcoming class and had a nice chat with Fr. Paul. We are so blessed that he is our priest, he has so much wisdom and insight into things... We then went to Wally World to pick up a few groceries, and Hannah used her Christmas money ( augmented with some of her sisters' money) to buy a new Wii game. For dinner, we went to Red Lobster because my brother John and his wife Jenny are here for Christmas with their four kids: Erin, Jack, AJ and Luke. Tomorrow we will have a cookie baking day at my mom's house for all the kids. Should be fun!

December 28, 2009

Haven't posted for a while... been busy with birthdays in October, Thanksgiving, getting ready for Christmas, and then trying to squeeze school in to boot... Whew! So... here is what has been happening since our trip.

In October we had Hope's 8th birthday and Hannah's 11th birthday. James was out of town in Burlington trying to finish up surveying before the ground froze too badly. We went to Itz on Hope's birthday with Grandma and Grandpa John and Gran (Nee Nee). I brought along cupcakes and we spent so much time playing that we ended up having them outside after they closed! Hope's friend party wasn't until November since she got sick and we had to postpone it. She had fun with her friends Alyssa and Micah.

On Hannah's birthday, we went to Itz again, but I brought brownies instead, and we made a point of eating them before we went to play. Hannah had her usual Halloween themed sleepover party with her friends Heather, Megan, Madison, and her cousin Sara.

High Country ended in November, which always brings mixed feelings... The kids are sad, because they love their classes and seeing their friends, and moms are both glad and sad - sad that Mom's group is ending, but glad that there is a rest from going each week.

Our 6th Financial Peace University class ended the week after Thanksgiving. We saw the usual dwindling of attendance, and only graduated 2 couples, but the others are planning to return in January so that is good.

December started with birthdays - my Grandma's, then mine, then my Mom's. My cousin's mother (my first cousin once removed) had a heart attack, and at first it did not look very good for her, but through God's grace she is recovering and doing better each day. We decorated the house, and the girls had lots of fun putting out the Christmas villages that we have and arranging all the figurines that go with them. Saturday mornings were spent at church for the childrens' choir rehersals. On Christmas Eve, we went to Mass, where Hannah and Hope sang in the Children's Choir. We came home and had a nice dinner and baked cookies for Santa. On Christmas day, Grandma and Grandpa John and NeeNee came over and we had a nice brunch and played with the Wii that Santa left for us. Then they left to go pick up my brother John and his wife Jenny and their kids. The next day, I spent the day finishing up Christmas gifts and then we went to my Mom's for a nice Christmas dinner and package opening. The following day, we went to see my Dad and Grandma Bigler for package opening. My Dad, Sandy, Grandma, Uncle Randy and Aunt Marva, Aunt Meredith, Sandy's daughter Carrie and her son Cody, my cousins Meredith Dawn and her husband Andy, James, Sean, Rebecca, and Mariah, and my brother John, Jenny, Erin, Jack, AJ and Luke were all there. It was great to catch up with everyone.

Today we are going ice skating and then maybe out to lunch with my Mom and John, brother John and Jenny and all the kids - 6 in all! Should be a fun day!

Day 4 of our trip

Today we woke up to about 6" of snow. We decided to do something inside - well, relatively inside - and go to Jewel Cave National Monument. Jewel cave is the 2nd largest cave, and new caverns are being discovered all the time. We took the tour, which started above ground and we went down by elevator deep into the cave. We only toured a small portion of the enourmous cave and learned a lot about its interesting history - not just geological but also involving humans.

Day 3 of our trip

On the third day of our trip, we had planned to go to Mt. Rushmore. However, we woke up to about 6" of snow! We decided to go to the Badlands instead. Although there was no snow, it was cold and rainy which meant that we did not do any hiking in the Badlands. We will have to take a trip back sometime so we can do some more exploring! The Badlands is known for being rich in fossils. It was formed by the layering of different sediments. The different layers of sediments are very evident, as they are different colors. Red, tan, white, and yellow layers were very distictive, and each layer could be easily seen throughout the formation.

Day 2 of our trip we went to Devils Tower. This was the first National Monument in the United States. It was neat to see from afar, but really awe inspiring to see up close. The girls did the Jr. Ranger program there and earned "Badges" that say they are now Junior Rangers for Devils Tower. We went on a hike that took us completely around the base of the tower. It looks different from all sides. The first person to climb the tower made a ladder with wooden pegs stuck into a crevice and a rope. It is still visible today. The tower is a spiritual place for many Native Americans and they leave prayer cloths and prayer bundles around the base. On several sides of the tower are boulder fields with large chunks of rock that has fallen off the tower. Many of these were absolutely huge!

Day 1 of our Trip

The first day we spent in the car, driving to Wyoming. Wyoming is very barren, not much except hills and grass. And wind. Very windy here. We stopped at a rest stop to have lunch. Because of the wind, I made lunch and we ate in the van. All the picnic tables had two walls and a roof to protect the table. All the walls were facing the same way. Makes me think that the wind always comes from the same direction. There were also lots and lots of snow barriers next to the highway, and every time we came to a town, there were gates on the highway in case they closed the highway. I am thinking that it is a common occurence here. When we were almost to Sundance, we could see Devil's tower off in the distance. That is our first stop. The motel leaves something to be desired, though. Thank goodness it is only for one night. Hopefully we will be able to do everything we want to. The weather is not supposed to be very nice.