Pumpkin Carving 101

Brennan counting pumpkins seeds - we had everyone guess to see how many seeds were in a single pumpkin... Tanner was the winner at 427 - but the total was well over 500.

Precise carving... don't mess with Tanner while he is busy carving!

Tate working on his design... after much thought, he decided to try one of stencils that I had bought... I think we would have been better off with his design. These stencils are HARD.

Brock was a little hungry!!! Well maybe not!

Reese was sitting in the middle of the table the whole time having a ball watching everyone.

We Have a New Shopping Addict!!!

Bedtime stories take on a whole new meaning for this little girl. It looks like we have another woman in the family that is going to LOVE to shop!!! This was Reese's first reaction to the always popular Toy's R Us toy catalog for Christmas. She immediately found her way to the bright pink pages and then loudly squaked about every "Pretty" thing that she could see. Everything was "pretty" or "baby" with a whole bunch of OOooooo... as the picture shows! Reese is all about girl things in a BIG way... for those who thought that this little girl at the end of four boys might end up a tomboy... well THINK AGAIN!!! She is ALL GIRL!!!

Note: Mark has a little nervous look on his face... for good reason! Oh my is he in trouble now!

Sick Computer Causes Competition!!!

Well my computer has been giving us trouble for several months now and it's not even a year old... to make a long story short, it crashed last week and would not even boot up anymore. Life without a family computer has made things very interesting. It's not exactly easy to share Mark's business computer with a blog happy- email addict like myself and the kids who have reports due. Let alone the fact that it's a rare moment when you actually find a spare minute to get on Mark's computer. Mark has been putting in some very LONG hours with the market giving everyone fits! I finally have a few minutes to blog a little while he is at a lunch appointment... if the entries are short and nothing but pictures, you'll understand. PLEASE, Hewlett Packard, fix my computer QUICK and ship it back ASAP!!!!

For All You Genealogy Buffs...

My friend Heather has started a great family history gift site with very cute ideas for Christmas. Hope you enjoy the link! However... if you are related to me... I get first dibs on giving these as gifts! Hee, Hee! Check it out... http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6275532

We SURVIVED Dinner Impossible!!!

About a month ago I got a call from one of the leaders at church asking me if I would be the cook for a youth activity / camp out they were having. I was told it was going to be a group of about 160 people and I would need to provide heavy snacks for Friday night and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. In my crazy and somewhat nonfunctional brain - I said.. "Sure! I'd be Happy To!" What was I thinking??? As the time grew closer and I started really adding up all the amounts of food I would need to buy and cook, I found myself thinking that I was about the craziest mother of five kids, who holds three callings at church, and has a husband who serves in the bishopric, ding-dong, brainless person who can't say NO to anything Idiot! I am not sure why I was the one selected to be given this assignment, but I was in NO way able to back out at that point.

SO.....Here's what you end up buying and cooking for 160 people...

Friday we had nachos, popcorn, apples and Carmel dip, and candy

6 cases of tortilla chips

4 - gallon size cans of nacho cheese

2 - bushels of apples

7 - batches of homemade Carmel!!! (Yes - I was stupid for making this! But it was YUMMY)

32 - bags of microwave popcorn. Do you have any idea what you microwave looks like after you pop this much popcorn??? Grease City!!!

3 - Economy size bags of Halloween Candy

Saturday morning we had breakfast burritos, fruit and granola bars...

20 lbs. Jimmy Dean sausage - takes forever to cook.

225 Flour tortillas

360 eggs - Oh my! The shells... we cracked them all ahead of time to get them in the fridge!

15 pounds of shredded cheese

2 gallons of salsa

6 gallons of fruit

2 cases of granola bars

200 packets of hot chocolate

15 gallons of Orange Juice

Saturday at lunch we had taco salad, rice, beans and cookies - can you see the Mexican theme going on??? It sure made things easier to use the leftovers for the next meal!

42 pounds of taco meat - It took Mark and I 4 hours to cook all the meat... we've got huge biceps on our right arms now!

2 cases of tortilla chips

15 pounds of shredded cheese

25 heads of lettuce

2 buckets of sour cream

2 gallons of salsa

10 gallons of rice

15 gallons of refried beans

350 cookies

Thanks to a generous member of the church, he had a restaurant he supplies make the rice and beans... they came in 5 gallon buckets... We barely put a dent in them. We were giving away rice and beans to anyone we could think of!

I am SOOO thankful to the many people who helped in the kitchen this weekend. This was supposed to be a camp out on the stake farm with no running water or kitchen. Thanks to the rain, I was BLESSED to have everything moved to the church where we had a full kitchen and all the comforts of home! HOORAY! I am certainly not ready for this again anytime soon... but at least WE SURVIVED!!!

And then on Sunday I took a LONG nap!!!

Terrible Mommy!!!

So last week, I mentioned that Brock had been sick with a fever and throwing-up all week. By Thursday, he was still running a fever and showing no signs of things letting up. Knowing that I had an incredibly busy weekend having to cook for Zion's Camp, I took him to the doctor hoping that we would fine some reason why he was still SOOO sick. And they DID!!!... in a really bad way!!! Brock had two horribly infected ears that were causing him to be so violently ill that it was causing the really high fevers and the vomiting. I felt like the most AWFUL parent on earth! He had mentioned at the beginning of the week that his ear hurt, but not when we tugged on it or touched it, just when when he touched the top of his ear lobe. I thought, that couldn't be an ear infection, he would be in pain if we did all that and it certainly wouldn't hurt on the outside of his ear. WRONG! To make a long story short... his ears were so bad that they had to give him antibiotic injections in both legs! This was after I had the hardest time convincing him to go to the doctor in the first place and PROMISED him that we were just going to check his ears and they would NOT give him a shot for that! HELLO.. I will never promise such a thing again... who would have thought! By Friday afternoon, he was a different kid. He was feeling so much better and no more fever or puke! Hooray! He is still having trouble hearing, but with as bad as his ears were, I think it will take some time for them to get back to normal. Moral of the story... for heaven's sake, listen to your kids even when it doesn't make sense! Guess I need to go back to Parenting 101.

Cutie for a Buck!!!

Bargain Betty strikes again! I found this darling Ralph Lauren dress at a consignment shop for just $1.00!!! Hooray... What a find! However I could not pass up on the opportunity to expand her ever growing hairbow collection and just had to get a matching bow for $3.00. Hmmm... I think it was worth it for an entire outfit for $4 bucks!

Oh so Pretty!

Here We Go Again!!!

Well somehow I think we got off the merry-go-round full of viruses, but then decided the line was short and we wanted to ride again. Hmmmm! Reese was sick all last week with a very high fever again (but no seizures this time - thank you Heavenly Father!) and now Brock's been sick since Monday with a high fever and throwing up! YUCK! Just don't let this roll thru the rest of the family...PLEASE!

What a Roller Coaster Ride!!!

Let's just say this... now is NOT the time to be in the financial industry. OUCH! This week has been painful to say the least. I am amazed and eternally grateful for the ROCK of a husband that I have been blessed with. He has handled this stress far better than I could ever imagine and through it all has remained determined to keep things positive. This down turn effects us for months to come with our income being directly tied to the amount of money he has under management for his clients. To put it plainly... the market goes down, our income goes down. Thank goodness for wise counsel from the prophet to have a year supply of food storage and savings for a rainy day because for goodness sake... IT'S A DOWNPOUR OUT THERE! Following a budget and cutting back on things has NEVER been more important than it is now. We have complete faith that everything will be fine and that we will be watched over during this turmoil, but it still tests us to our very limits at times to see this all take place. If there is an upside to things... there are many out there who are in need of an honest and knowledgeable financial planner right now to help them and thankfully Mark's clients have been very gracious in sending referrals to Mark. Now is the time when the self-guided investor really wishes they had gotten some help. Let's all pray for a better week next week! However... for those thrill seekers out there who love a good adrenaline rush.. save the $50 from the ticket for an amusement park and just watch CNBC for a day. It's guaranteed to give you a day of heart pounding excitement far better than any roller coaster!

Voting this year... Read this!!!

Here is some food for thought that was worth passing on. I received this letter today in an email from a good friend of mine from college. I found it quite interesting and thought it may be of interest to many of you. And to top it all off.. on a funny note from the Kenison house.. Brock tells everyone he is Barack Obama and thinks he is the most popular thing on earth since his name sounds like Barack... I have always loved the name Brock... but now I am sure that people turn heads when they hear me call his name!

I know this might be ignorant, but I keep thinking of what Al Queda
said after the New York bombings. They will infiltrate our deepest
and most inner systems - our financial markets and our political
system. There won't be anymore "Planes into buildings". Been there,
done that.

Now look at the financial state of our country and who is running for
President. This is scary. This is a great letter and I know written
by a patriotic Democrat.

This letter is from a friend of ours who we believe wrote this with
great concern. I think it is important to send this on so anyone that
is open to ideas and wants what is best for our country can have good
information to use when making up their mind regarding who to vote
for. This is not a political slant, but a REAL person doing research on an individual who
will be in charge of our country.

Just read it and make your own decisions.

To All My Friends, this is long, but every important, please take the
time to read it.

This election has me very worried. So many things to consider. About a year ago I would have voted for Obama. I have changed my mind three times since than. I watch all the news channels, jumping from one to another. I must say this drives my husband crazy. But, I feel if you view MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, you might get some middle ground to work with. About six months ago, I started thinking 'where did the money come from for Obama'. I have four daughters who went to College, and we were middle class, and money was tight. We (including my girls) worked hard and there were lots of student loans.

I started looking into Obama's life. Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California . He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies. 'Barry' (that was the name he used all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan . During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a 'round the world' trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia , next Hyderabad in India , three weeks in Karachi , Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Where did he get the money for this trip? Nether I, nor any one of my children would have had money for a trip like this when they where in college. When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York . It is at this time he wants everyone to call him Barack - not Barry. Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia ? It's not cheap to say the least! Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans? Maybe. After Columbia , he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000 a year. Why Chicago ? Why not New York ? He was already living in New York .

By 'chance' he met Antoin 'Tony' Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria , and a real estate developer in Chicago . Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named 'Entrepreneur of the Decade' by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association'. About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School . Do you have any idea what tuition is for Harvard Law School ? Where did he get the money for Law School? More student loans? After Law school, he went back to Chicago . Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Guess what? They represented 'Rezar' which is Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago . In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with 'seed money' for his U.S. Senate race.

In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property? On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price. The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased. Obama met Nadhmi Auchi many times with Rezko.

Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett, was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz , Iran ! Do we see a pattern here? Or am I going crazy?

On May 10, 2008 The Times reported, Robert Malley, advisor to Obama, was 'sacked' after the press found out he was having regular contacts with 'Hamas', which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran . This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama's visit to Iraq , he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will 'Take care of things'.

Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that where born in Pakistan ? They are in charge of all those 'small' Internet campaign contributions for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East ?

And the final bit of news. On September 7, 2008, The Washington Times posted a verbal slip that was made on 'This Week' with George Stephanapoulos. Obama on talking about his religion said, 'My Muslim faith'. When questioned, 'he made a mistake'. Some mistake!

All of the above information I got on line. If you would like to check it - Wikipedia, encyclopedia, Barack Obama; Tony Rezko; Valerie Jarrett: Daily Times - Obama visited Pakistan in 1981; The Washington Times - September 7, 2008; The Times May 10, 2008.

Now the BIG question - If I found out all this information on my own, Why haven't all of our 'intelligent' members of the press been reporting this?

A phrase that keeps ringing in my ear - 'Beware of the enemy from within'!!!


Now tell me what you think!??!?!?!??!?

Where NOT to raise you roll dough!

IN THE OVEN!!! For years I have used a cold oven as the place that I allow my dough to raise. It's the perfect environment, especially when you place a hot pan of water under the tray. Only once before have I ever accidentally turned the oven on by mistake... until NOW! This is the lovely result of what happens when too many cooks in the kitchen are trying to cook TOO many things at once!

On Sunday, while I was making rolls for dinner, Mark was making cookies for a family that he home teaches and without knowing, he turned on the bottom oven for the cookies and wham-0.. we got our first batch of Mickey Mouse Bread! Can you see the resemblance? Mark felt awful and was so sad seeing as how we all love homemade rolls on Sunday and we had made extra dough so that we could have cinnamon rolls for dessert. We were all sad, but no big loss, we made the best of it. THEN on Monday, my parents and grandparents came to stay for a few days while they were on their way to Florida. Deciding that I would make it up to Mark, I made another HUGE batch of roll dough so that we could have rolls and cinnamon rolls again on the menu. HOWEVER... this time I turned on the oven! Round TWO of Mickey Mouse Bread. This time was not nearly as funny as the first time. I was furious! How could this happen two days in a row? Well needless to say, I made a quick pan of brownies and we all feasted on the beautiful round loaves of bread and had a good laugh to go with our dinner! I hope that I will forever remember my lessons of the past few days and so help me if I bake another pan on Mickey Mouse Bread - I'll QUIT making rolls!!!