Ghostly Dip

I haven't been very ambitious lately in my cooking but when I saw this idea in October's Family Fun magazine I just had to give it a try. Their recipe called for a humus dip which I wasn't so keen on. I decided on more of a 7-layer dip idea instead. Just choose your favorite 7-layer dip recipe and be sure to end with guacamole dip on top for the graveyard "grass". Then add crackers for gravestones using edible marker to write on some of the tombstones. Hardboil some eggs, peel them and cut slits for eyes and push in some olive slices for eyes and mouth. The trees are broccoli and celery and the graveyard fence is made of pretzels.

Fall is Here

I can't believe that October is already half over and Halloween will soon be here. I need time to slow down a little!!! Frankly I'm so tired from the day that I can't believe I'm doing a post right now but life has been so crazy that I have been posting rarely and I can't see it slowing down anytime soon so I'm just pushing through tonight.

Today we took some to enjoy the beautiful day and go to a local festival for some fall fun. It was packed!!! We had a great time despite long lines and we didn't even have time to half of the things there.







Next year we will have to go much earlier in the day to take it all in.

You're Supposed to do what???

Conference Sunday has come and gone. -sigh- I love Conference weekend especially Saturday when I can listen to the talks in relative peace. There were some really great ones this weekend that really hit home for me and of course will be totally highlighted in with highlighters when the Conference Ensign comes in and I read the talks again.

Conference Sunday, however, is an entirely different animal than Saturday. In the morning I try to have different "stations" for the boys in order to help them get through the two hours of talks.


There is Conference bingo set up at the counter with cards and Fruity Cheerios. When different words are said in talks you put a Cheerio on the square. When you get bingo you eat your Cheerios. At the table are crayons and activities from The Friend magazine as well as coloring books and pages. On the carpet are Friend magazines and children's church books to look at. Despite this kids keep trying to sneak out to go to other areas of the house to play. When you have 4 boys and 3 exits out of the room this is pretty easy to do and you have to keep doing a head count and inevitably have to call someone back.


Sunday afternoon is even harder with the session spent at Grandma's house. You're supposed to WATCH conference with 16 grandkids in the house running around with princess and spiderman costumes on while having a tea party in the background and riding cars over your feet and asking for refills of lemonade and more cake and pickles and chips and so and so knocked down what I built etc. etc. etc. Thank goodness for the modern age and the ability to tape conference on my dvr!

Then there is the family photo I take every fall. Count how many are in the family now. (thanks to Carin for her advice on camera settings by the way as this year's picture is an improvement over last year's). Carin has no control over the goofy faces in the picture however or the fact that the remote control only works up to a certain distance and I had to RUN to get into the picture. The first few attempts were unsuccessful...


The little ones were quickly showing their funny sides as the rain started coming down...


But I think this is the best one of the lot (there is a little editing to achieve this mind you)...


Can't wait until next year to do it all again!!! hahahaha!!!!!

Me Sing???

Getting a new calling brings with it all kinds of emotions. Trepidation, excitement, nervousness, fear, or in my case HORROR. JK or am I???

In church on Sunday the executive secretary approached me and asked if I would be free to meet with a member of the bishopric at 3:00pm. I smiled and said that my recommend would not be expiring until next February. He smiled and asked again if I would be available at 3:00. I smiled again and said that Brett already HAD a calling. He smiled again and asked if 3:00 would be convenient. There was just no getting out of it. I would just have to show up and find out what it was about. His parting comment was that he was sure I would like it (whatever "it" was.)

We met with Brother Snow and chatted for a few moments and then he asked if I would be willing to be the ward co-choir director. Brett and I burst out laughing. Are you supposed to laugh when you are given a calling???? Brother Snow looked confused as he glanced back and forth between the two of us laughing whereupon Brett says .... "have you heard Robin sing?" Now you would think I would be offended by such a question but really... have you heard me sing???

Let's rewind a few years to when Sheriff was a baby. I loved singing Primary songs to him and even then (frankly all my life) I have had an unremarkable voice. Less than unremarkable voice - if someone or something goes off-key I'm right along with it. So picture me singing songs to Sheriff (my captive audience) as we drive in the car on our errands. One of the first full sentences he said was "mom no sing". Seriously. He asked me to stop singing. I couldn't make this up if I tried!!!

Fast forward to the future and I'm being put in charge of the ward choir??? I truly believe God has a sense of humor (and gives us opportunities for humility... believe me... this will be pretty humiliating for me hahaha!!!) So I say to Brother Snow "just be prepared for ward members to come up to you and ask why I have been put in charge... you'll have to tell them it's for my own growth, not theirs."

Whatever happened to my easy gospel doctrine calling???? :)

Photo Walk

A couple of weekends ago I actually had some time to myself (cue halleluia chorus) and so I went on a photo walk with Carin Davis and others. I have always loved Carin's photography and frequently visit her blog to see what she has done lately. Seeing her pictures is what inspired me to get a better camera and learn more about photography. I have a long way to go (obviously) but when I look at my pictures from a few years ago and what they look like now I can see some improvements. Of course it helps to be able to edit photos today versus the old style rolls of film where you were stuck with what you had. Thank goodness for today's technology to correct lighting difficulties!

here is a sample of what I saw on our walk.




Thanks to Carin for the inspiration and also for a fun night!

Secret Surprise

Some people love surprises... others hate them. Me - well ... it depends on the surprise.

If the surprise is Brett rolling a black ball of yarn at my feet and saying "is that a mouse?" then the answer is no. Initially funny for him as I scream and hop around but he pays the price for days with my skunk-eye looks.

If the surprise is a free cruise to Europe, a trip to NYC all expenses paid or winning a long-arm quilting machine. All-right I'll even go smaller than that... how about a simple date with my hubby or a clean house with laundry done and dishes put away? I like those kinds of surprises!

We knew when we moved into the neighborhood that there were plenty of kids. What we didn't realize was that the majority of the kids are girls. So on Friday when a cute little surprise appeared at our doorstep and we didn't see who dropped it off, I think it was safe to assume that it was left by some girls.

Here is what we found...


and this is what was inside...
Girls are too cute!

First Days of School

It's that time of year again when kids pack up their backpacks and lunches and head back to school. Because we moved in the spring we are at a new school so we are having to figure out a new school with new teachers and another new experience...

the bus...


The boys of course love it although if you are at all familiar with Giggles you will understand my angst about sending him on the bus.


He has a difficult time following rules and to be riding a bus with no seatbelts in it is just asking for trouble. He has his older brothers with him on the way to school to help keep him in line though. Or will they????





So when the boys started coming home with all of their homework in the 2nd week of school ... and believe me it was a lot... and I started commenting (aka complaining) to Brett about how much they had and did the teachers understand that kids need time to play?? I also said that soon Giggles would be starting and he would be bringing homework home as well. Brett said "kindergartners don't get homework". What the what??? Where was he when Sheriff and Wannabe went to kindergarten??? Apparently I did my job altogether too well and he was totally unaware of the cutting and pasting, the spelling tests and rhyming homework as well as reading homework the boys had in kindergarten. So on Tuesday when we met with Giggles' teacher she gave him an assignment (homework) and some questions for the parents to fill out. There was a question on it I needed to ask Brett's help with.

"what's that for?" Brett asks.

"Giggles' homework" I reply.

"But he hasn't even started school yet" says Brett.

"I know, but we met his teacher yesterday and she gave him some... you were saying something about kindergartners not having homework?"

I know, I know... I'm a smarty pants.