Family Goals 2011 List

Okay, I did this by random order, kindof like drawing from a hat. I wrote all the names down and Kari picked numbers from 1-12, except June and December. I hope everyone is okay with this.
January: New Year's Resolutions
February: Steve
March: Jill
April: Mom
May: Ronda
June: Dad
July: Sally
August: Dan
September: Leesa
October: Jason
November: Ron
December: ?

Family Goals 2011?

Hey everyone, just wondering a few things: 1. are we going to do goals again this year and 2. if we do them, what is the order going to be (same as last year; guys first then girls; vice versa, couples right after each other? Let me know, January is right around the corner! HOpe you all have a wonderful New Year!!

November Goal

We had lots of fun with this goal. The day before Jason posted the goal I hung up
a poster that we could all right down things we were thankful for at any time. It was
fun to see it hanging and then be able to talk about it at dinner. The girls had fun writing
things as they thought of them and then sharing it at dinner together. It was a really great
goal especially after conference and President Monsons talk about being happy with what
we have instead of focusing on what we don't have. We really enjoyed this as a family-thanks Jason.

I hope we do goals next year as I already have a great one!

December Goal

I know that we originally planned for no goal in December, but I was thinking it might be a good idea if each of us made it a goal to submit a family history and photo for the Tuttle centennial celebration. I really want to get a book and would love to have a snippet about each of my family members in there. And, sadly enough, I will not be attending the reunion, so hopefully someone will get me a book. :)

Swenson November Goal Results

We were once again fairly lame at fulfilling our goal. I did pretty good at the beginning of the month by writing down what I was grateful for and what blessings I have noticed in my life. Sometimes Steve and I would talk about it. Doing it at dinner time as a family was a great idea, but I think Steve only ate with us on average once or twice a week. Even though I didn't always say aloud what I was grateful for, I definitely thought about it more than I normally do. It's amazing how one can stop feeling sorry for oneself when we are focused on all the Heavenly Father has really given us. This goal helped me to stop complaining as much and try to focus on the positive instead. Thanks Jason for the goal and hopefully this will be something that we will continue to work on, especially with our children.

Jones Nov. results

We had a lot of fun with this goal. Most dinnertimes we went around the table and everyone said something they were thankful for. (Especially a great activity with the Thanksgiving holiday in Nov.) Funny thing was every time we did it the kids had to name about 20 things they were thankful for instead of just one thing. I guess thankfulness is contagious. We found many, many things for which we are thankful. Thanks for the goal Jason.
ps. We loved Ron and Ronda's poster idea. Hopefully we'll remember it to do it next year!

just me a thinkin'

The other day I was thinking about motherhood. And sometimes I feel like I'm going to go crazy! Part of it is because I'm a very social creature and I don't have a car during the day to get very far from the house. Many of my friends that don't work live across the highway so I don't like to walk over there cuz it's just scary. Other days I realize how lucky I am to have 2 beautiful children, a hard working husband, and a nice home to live in with them.

But I was thinking how hard it must have been for mom to live so far from everyone, with a husband that had to work long, hard hours every day, and five kids that fought over everything possible. (Sorry about that mom!)

And then I also realized that mom was my exact age when she had her fifth child!! Not to mention her oldest was 7!

Honestly, I cannot imagine having my fifth child right now! I'm having a hard time with 2 1/2!! I'm literally only halfway there.

So what I am getting at is, Mom, thank you for not killing us! Thank you for surviving your life and learning to deal with the struggles motherhood can create. And Dad, thank you for always working so hard to support our family and showing us the type of man we were worthy of marrying. I'm so thankful that we have such awesome parents! And not to sound boastful, but I think all of us turned out pretty good! (Maybe our husbands might disagree at times... but whatever.)

Anyway, I feel very blessed that I was raised in a God-loving home that taught me the things that I need to know to not only endure, but enjoy the stage of life I am in now. So thank you mom and dad! I love you both so much.

And I really hope dad gets a job in Utah soon cuz I really miss you. :)

Swenson October Goal Results

As Leesa stated, this month flew by in a flash. We actually did pretty pathetic for it being Steve's goal. Maybe if he was actually home we could have practiced more. We did however work on Salsa Dancing. I tried to learn it on the cruise, so I taught Steve. As we were practicing in the bedroom the kids walked in a busted out laughing at us. So I'm thinking that I won't be videotaping it! It would be fun for all of us to show off our moves the next time we are together. And hopefully we will keep working on this to improve our skills.

Jones Oct. Dance Moves

Wow, the month of October flew like a flash. This goal was a bit tricky. Dan and I both took social dance classes in college, although not together. The dances that we don't know, we also don't know exist. (Although I never did learn the Electric Slide either, good idea Ron.)
So, we practiced our country dance moves and taught them to our kids. (Dan's true love in dance is country dancing. And he's pretty good at it too!)
Some of the moves were tricky having such short partners. hehe
Sorry we didn't video tape ourselves. I really wanted to see everyone else's dances too.

October Goal Update

So no laughter but Ron and I decided to learn the Macarana (sp). We both had
not learned it in the mid 90's when everyone else did and Ron really wanted
to do that one. I wanted an Indian Rain dance but we found a wonderful
teacher online for the macarana a very handsome guy doing the dance in his
wood paneled basement so we went with that. We also worked on the 2 step
as Ron didn't really know that one either.
So thanks Steve it was really fun to practice it at night together even though
we are 15 years late on this dance.
PS - Ron also wanted the Electric Slide so maybe we will work on
that later!

November Goal

My turn. Lately I’ve been thinking about gratitude and how integral this principle is with being content with life and my level of happiness, especially when I attribute my blessings to God. My goal is pretty simple, I would like to recommend everyone tell their spouse at least one thing every day, maybe at the dinner table one thing that God did for them that day or how he has made things better. That’s it. I’m confident everyone will have much better days and we’ll realize how involved He is and how much He cares to be a part of our lives. Thanks everyone.

Jason

FHE

So just wanted to share something that is working for our family during FHE.
Of the 5 regular Mondays in a month, Ron and I teach out of the RS/Priesthood Manuals for this year. We thought it would be a good lesson for the girls as it is covering the basics every week. Brynja on the other hand is always running around doing her own thing. Addison and Kylee always want a turn to teach but were always coming up with random items and dragging it on for a "lesson" so we added them teaching on the 2nd and 4th Mondays with those 2 teaching Brynja out of the new nursery manual. I copy the color pages every week and we all sit on the floor while they gear their lessons towards her so it involves her and teaches them in the process. They have been so cute with it and worked so hard to teach her at her level. I know it would not work for everyone but it is working her and now. If you have not bought the new nursery manual it is really great. As a side note if there is a 5th Monday we have a game night!

Sept. Goal for Mom and Dad

Well, we probably did the worst of all!!! Dad usually exercises every morning while I am still sleeping. I tried to do my exercixe bike, but some days my feet will not do what I want them too. Excercise has always been hard for me. This really was a good goal Dan because the rest of the family did really well. We can't go on walks any more because I can't walk. I did do leg stretches and lifts before I get out of bed though. Dad did way better then I did!!

October Goal

It is finally my turn to pick a goal for the month. After extensive deliberation and introspection, I have decided that this months goal is going to be...................................................(drum roll please).........................to learn a new dance. That's right folks, you read correctly; nerdy, boring Uncle Steve's goal for all of us this month is to learn to dance. I'm sure all of you were expecting something more like "do 300 push ups every day on your fingertips with your spouse on your back" or "compare and contrast the original Greek text of the New Testament with St. Jerome's fourth century Latin translation". While those more "Steve-like" goals would undoubtedly produce a veritable cornucopia of enriching experiences and/or intellectual stimulation, not to mention countless hours of fun, I thought that I would mix it up a little bit. You can learn a formal dance, a break dance move, or you can just copy Napoleon Dynamite. For beginners, I would recommend watching the "how to dance" video clip staring Goofy from 1953-- you can look it up on YouTube. Maybe we can show off our dance moves the next time that we are together.

P.S. If your newly learned dance requires a pole, you can keep those moves to yourself.

cook family results

Well, I am here to admit that we did the worst of all. The week I first saw it was when I was at Jill's and sorry, but I was purely exhausted that week. (Not necessarily because of Jill's kids though... I'm not complaining....)
This week I have done pretty good, now that it is the final week.... we got an old exercise bike from Jason's brother that I've been using and we've gone on walks to the park and stuff. And on Monday we went on a super long hike with the kids. So we didn't do super awesome until the last few days. Jason usually tries to work out once or twice a week but it was a good reminder for me to be active too. I'll keep trying to get some exercise.... especially with this baby coming I need to find some good workouts. (Jill, I'm still going to check out that zumba thing.)
So, thanks Dan for the goal, and sorry I've been such a bad goal keeper lately!! I'll try better, well, unless Steve's is really as hard as everyone is making it sound, then I'll be slacking for one more month.... ha ha.

Jones Sept. Results

Wow, when I saw Ronda's update, I thought why is she posting the results so early? Then I realize this was the last day of September! Where did this month go??
Dan has starting mt. biking all over the place. It works more muscles than you'd think.
I have to say that my exercise has been in the garden. Picking tomatoes and peppers for 30 minutes a day (or longer...we have a LOT of tomatoes) has been the best squatting workout ever! My legs kill by the time I'm done!!
We slacked off involving the whole family though. We did family evening walks for a while, but then life got busier.
Good job Ronda on the morning routine. That's more ideal, but Dan leaves the house at 6:00 and Emmee leaves at 7:00. It just won't happen in our house! Hopefully the treadmill will get more use this winter.
And I am terrified of what Steve is going to make us do! Be kind Steve, please!!!

Swenson Goal Results

Well, we didn't do as awesome as Ron and Ronda. I'm very impressed that they have been getting up early each morning. As for us, well Steve and I do pretty good about exercising during the week. Steve has been coming home a few days during lunch to go running and I've been going to the gym. I haven't really pushed this kids to get more exercise like I should be doing, but they do run around outside a lot and Kari likes to do her own little exercise routines. Plus the older two do have gym 2-3 times per week so they get exercise there too.

I do wish I would've tried a little harder because I think a family walk in the morning or evenings would've been a great time together. Maybe I'll keep working on this one.

Thanks Dan.

September Goal Update

Thanks for the goal Dan. We have been getting up every morning
at 6:45am as a family to go for a 20-30 minute walk (depending on how fast
we can get the girls out the door!) I don't know if we have hit the 2 hour mark every week
due to Mom's late work nights and Addison's strep but we have been working on it and
trying hard. It was the extra push we needed to get going again as we slacked off
during the summer. We choose a trail so we could take Mugsey and have enjoyed
seeing deer, birds and even a red fox catching mice! We have loved the extra
family time and exercise time - Mugsey loves it too. And I'm sure this will
just help us get ready for Steves grueling goal that will come in October!!
Thanks again

Oven

I just wanted to share an idea. Last weekend Ron showed the Girl Scouts how to bake a cake in a cardboard box. He only needed tin foil, coals, and a box. We put the cake in and about 45 min. later it was done and tasted great. So I have been thinking what a good idea to have in our emergency prep items. An apple box or similar size, a big roll of tin foil and a few bags of charcoal. He only needed a few coals and it could bake whatever we needed. The charcoal would be a lot easier to store and safer than propane to run the grill or camp stove not that we wouldn't store any propane. So just an idea to throw out there for everyone to think about.

September Goal

Well since someone sent me an email asking for a goal I thought I better post one. There are many things that I need to work on but one that is undeniable is my strapping figure or should I say my pearish figure. The goal I have chosen is to do two hours of exercising every week. It isn't much but it is a start for me. For those of you who already do this I challenge you to exercise with your children and get them in the habit when they are young. For those of you who think this is too difficult of a goal...too bad. We all have our own level of exercise but we should try to get our heart pumping.

Good luck!

Dan Jones

Riskedahl Family

When we were in ND this summer we had a little family reunion with my family. There were 22 of us there for the weekend. Crazy but fun. So grateful for my family and the special weekend we had. These pictures were followed by the baptism of Braden Swenson and the baby blessing of our newest family member Andrew Jones

Old Faithful

We finally made a stop at Yellowstone Park. The girls have been telling us that they are the ONLY kids in the whole school who have not been to Yellowstone. So since we drive through there every summer to get to ND we decided to take the time to stop this year. The girls all look like orphans since it was so windy and they had already been in the car for 7 hours that day. But we have now been there and seen Old Faithful.

July Goal

Well this was a good goal for us. Steve and I both read the articles in the Ensign and learned a lot from them. Neither of us play video games, but I do have a tendency to spend a lot of time on the computer. It was good for me to remember that playing with my kids is more important than playing on the internet. I did still use the Internet a lot, but I also got off of it a LOT quicker when my kids wanted/needed me. I also tried to play games or read to them, or take them places more frequent.
I also enjoyed the articles because they reminded us of what CAN happen if we are not careful on the interent. It is so easy to build up relationships that truly have no importance, compared to the relationships that you can build with your family. I hope that I will continue to remember what Elder Bednar taught and to always put my children and husband first. Thanks Ron for the good goal.

is this yours?

I brought this tie home with me, but it does not belong to Jason.
Let me know who this belongs to and I'll give it back to you next time I can.

July goal report

I must be honest!! Dad and I did not do the July goal. Sorry Ron. There was just too much going on for us(me). Anyway we will treat the month of August as it was July and do the goal now if that's ok. We are going to start tonight!

Grandpa Singing

I caught Grandpa singing the song "If I Were a Merry Bird" at the nursing home. There's a little extra noise because he was sitting next to the elevator. Not sure why! It's pretty fun to listen to.

July Report

I thought the goal this month was a great one. We are getting way too doused with "media" in this day and age. I don't know how much less tv/computer time I actually did, but I was definitely more conscience of it when I was doing it. This is a goal I'd like to continue all the time.

June Report

Well here is our Jun report. I am impressed with the two that reported! I was just going to say that yes we did what the monthly goal told us too! So I will ditto what Ronda and Jill said please cause it is getting so hard to type or anything for that matter!! So please forgive an old lady and Dad it was a good goal!!

New House

Hey everyone, I have a lot of pictures of my new house, but there were too many to put on the blog. I will send you the link if you want them. My email is loochami@hotmail.com

Thanks. Jill

July's Goal

June's issue of the Ensign had many good articles in it that goes with my goal. Please read the article on page 13 and the article by Elder Bednar on page 16. This month goal is to focus more on our families and personal relationships with one another, instead of our many media devices. I am not saying to give it all up for the whole month but limit your activity. When your family is together, be together, playing a game, reading books, going for a walk, or even just sitting and talking, just interact with each other and build your relationships. Try to avoid just sitting in front of the TV, computer, or anything that take your attention away from your family or spouse. Husband and wives use the time you spend surfing on the internet, watching TV, playing video games and spend that time together, doing something that you can interact with one another, work on building your most important relationships. If we spent the time we spend with electronic devices to enhance our family relationships and stay connected with our loved ones our homes will be blessed.

Ron.

June Goal

This has been a crazy month for me and to be perfectly honest, I didn't read all the months' presidency messages until today. I did read Junes message three times (in the last 2 weeks:)). Anyways, here is what I learned.

Jan: We need to remember to remain faithful, hold on a little longer, and daily seek the Lord in our lives so that we can endure this life well.

Feb: We need constant gospel nourishment if we want to be spiritually prepared and to have a deep foundation of faith and a strong testimony. Our patriarchal blessing are our personal Liahonas and should be read often.

Mar: Moral courage is needed to get through life and return to our Heavenly Father. We have been blessed with the Atonement, the Holy Ghost, scriptures, and the priesthood to help us on this earth.

Apr: We are reminded that this is God's work and we should do all we can to be missionaries and help new members.

June: Even though we are imperfect we need to do the work of our Savior. We need to remember who we are, face our difficulties with happiness, and serve others. Our outward appearance may be marred, but our "song' is what makes the difference.

What song do you sing? That's the question I keep asking myself.

I even wrote all this down in my gratitude journal so that I can easily be reminded of all our prophets have to tell us.

Report of June goal # 1

In Jan. I learned that our souls need constant nourishing so we need to stay close to the Lord, reaching out to him as he reaches back to us. We also need to nourish our testimonies every day as it is something that will die or grow. Also to keep the faithful Saints in Kirtland in mind as we are discouraged and going through hard times to HOLD ON A LITTLE LONGER.
Feb- we were asked to remember the lessons of the past, to read, love and follow patriarchal blessings, to have patience as we watch, wait and work for the promised blessings and turn to the scriptures for inspiration and come to the Lord.
March-Prove to God we will keep the commandments and use the atonement, repentance, sacrament, scriptures, Holy Ghost, prayer and priesthood as helps to get ride of fear and have courage to whatever we face.
april-to live a good life as an example to others and to follow the promptings of the spirit.
June-be willing to help others bear burdens, develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, cheerfulness, humility. Gain a true perspective of who we really are as Children of God, have strong moral character work on that more than beauty and charm, have total commitment to serving the Lord and follow Christs example of mingling with the poor, downtrodden, oppressed and afflicted.

Andrew's Blog

I want to start a blog for little Andrew soon, but I just can't think of a good name for it. Please start your creative juices flowing and give me some ideas for what to call his blog. Since all my other kids have one with a creative name I can't just call it "Andrew Perkins Jones".
And I want it to be something he can grow with, nothing with a baby term in it.
Thanks

Nacho Baked Chicken

I'm making up for May a little now that I have a functioning kitchen again.
Last night I made a recipe from the family cookbook courtesy of Sally. It was the Nacho Baked Chicken...or something like that. Dan loved it. Anything involving salsa and chips is right up his alley. I really liked it too.
Emmalynn didn't like all the "chunky" stuff on top of the chicken, and of course Cassee wouldn't touch any part of it at all. So...all in all...it was a success!

Recipe

I need a little help. What and where can I find the best receipe for Rhubard/strawberry jam.
I need to use what I have soon.
Please help if you can -Leesa!

Hey Family, I just have a few more recipes to share that I didn't post earlier.

Layered Taco Salad

1 lb. ground beef
2/3 c. water
1 pkg. taco seasoning

2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. lemon juice

4 c. shredded lettuce
1 can olives, drained and sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
2 c. cheese
1 c. salsa
2 c. sour cream

Tortilla chips

Cook taco meat according to pkg. Make guacamole with avocados, onions, garlic, and lemon juice.

Layer all ingredients in order listed. Serve with chips.

This was fun and pretty, but the only downfall is leftovers. All those things as leftovers is not good, so don't make more than necessary.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme Summer Vegetables

Rub:

2 tbsp. dried parsley

2 tbsp. dried rosemary

2 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. sage

1 tbsp. thyme

1 tsp. black pepper

Vegetables:

3 tbsp. olive oil

small eggplant, cut into rounds

zucchini, sliced

mushrooms

cherry tomatoes

yellow squash

green peppers

Mix all ingredients for rub. This can store in tight container for six months.

To make the vegetables, put enough veggies to fill a large Ziploc bag. Pour in olive oil and 1 tbsp. of rub. Seal bag and massage veggies until covered with olive oil and rub. Grill over medium heat for 6-15 minutes.

May Goal

Sally, thank you for the wonderful goal for May. It was really fun to do. Now just to get the recipes off!!!!!

Dad's June Goal

For my last thing for this month I ate tonight Jills recipe called Poor Man's Dinner and I really liked it and so did dad!!
Ok for Dad's June challenge here goes:
Go back to Jan, Feb, Mar and Apr Ensign and read the Presidents messages. Then for Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Dec read the Presidents message three times in the month. This is a goal that you will be doing the rest of the year. Dad knows that all goals should be done in a month but he's is the dad and can do this!!!! He wants everyone to be able to say what the prophet tells us to do if anybody asks.

Chicken Pita Pizzas

This last week I created a simple recipe by looking at what food I had in my fridge. This is what I came up with.

5-6 flat (no pocket) pita bread
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. olive oil
cubed or shredded cooked chicken
sliced mushrooms
sliced zucchini
Parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
basil

Mix olive oil and garlic and spread evenly on pita breads. Place chicken, zucchini, and mushrooms on pita breads, then sprinkle with cheeses and basil. Bake at 350 until browned.


Thanks Sally for the fun goal. It's great to see all these new recipes to try.

Chicken Salad

I got this recipe from my friend Stacey Johnston.
It's more of a list of ingredients than specific quanitites. Make as much or as little as you want.

Chicken - you could use cooked frozen breasts, but it's a great recipe to use canned chicken. One of the cannery chicken cans is perfect for us. (Mostly because our girls don't actually eat any.)

Apple - diced in fairly small pieces. A whole apple is a little much for one can.

Cranberries - I just throw in a few handfuls and add more if I feel like it.

Mayo or Miracle Whip - Add as much as you want. Sorry Steve.

Basil, salt and pepper - add to taste. The basil really adds to the flavor.

Mix all together and chill. Eat on bread or a wrap. Great with lettuce, tomato, sprouts and cheese! It's a nice alternative to tuna sandwiches! It also tastes good on crackers too.

creative foods week #3

I know it's nothing special... but I haven't tried it before!
This is watermelon jello with bits of watermelon in it. I think the recipe is self-explanatory!
It's yummy. And we liked it!

Ramen Cabbage Toss, AKA Poor Man's Dinner :)

I actually came up with this recipe in college and I found it in my journal a little bit ago. I made it and the kids actually LOVE it. Bizarre.

There really aren't any measurements, I just make what our family can eat, so this is what I used this last week.

1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2 packages ramen (oriental, chicken, or beef)
8 eggs
garlic powder
salt/pepper

Break up ramen noodles and cook according to package. Drain water, mix in seasonings. Set aside.

In large frying pan, cook cabbage in small amount of oil or cooking spray. Fry until tender then push to the edges of pan.

Beat eggs and pour them in the middle of the large frying pan and cook (like scrambled eggs). Once eggs are cooked combine them with cabbage and add ramen noodles. Mix together and season with salt and pepper and garlic salt if desired.

You can cook all three things separately, I just do the cabbage and eggs this way to save using more dishes. I've also added mushrooms before while cooking the cabbage.



I also tried another recipe from the family cookbook last week. It was Leesa's ECLAIR DESSERT. A..M...A...Z...I...N...G... We all loved it as did all the company we had. I highly recommend it. It's very quick, easy, and cheap.

New Dessert Recipe

Key Lime Pie
I used my limes from the Bountiful Basket pick up for this

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. lime juice (which I squeezed from my limes)
Blend these 2 things together.
add 1 t. grated lime peel
pour this into a graham cracker crust. Spread cool whip over the top.
Put in the fridge for 2 hours to set up.

We really enjoyed this and EVEN MOM liked it. This was my week 3 receipe. I will post week 2 soon.

Week #2 of something new

A couple of days ago I made freezer jam. I've made it once before, but it was just plain strawberry, so for the challenge this month to try something new, I made 2 different kinds.


The one on the left is strawberry-mango jam and the one on the right is strawberry-blackberry jam.

The mangoes and blackberries both came from my Bountiful Basket, so they are two fruits I normally wouldn't buy (due to cost) so it was fun to have a few different fruits to mix and play around with. The strawberries I got at the Winco Grand Opening, 4 lbs for $2.98. And I still had plenty left for eating!

I just used the freezer jam instructions in the box of pectin, and used half of the strawberry and then half of the mango/blackberry instructions, then mixed 'em together. (I made two batches.)

It was really fun to make my own jam, I know that most of you normally do that, but I haven't really done it much.

And oh boy, is it yummy!!

Italian Chicken Stroganoff

I meant to put this up last week for my week #1 recipe, but never got the chance. I created this myself, so I was surprised that it actually tasted pretty good! And Jason said he'd like to see it more often, which is always a good sign! Sorry I forgot to take a picture. But it shouldn't be hard to imagine what it looked like....

Italian Chicken Stroganoff

Italian dressing
2 chicken breasts
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 pkg cream cheese
1/2 can of milk (1/2 of the soup can)
1/2 pkg Italian dressing mix

Put dressing in fry pan. Cut up chicken and put it in the fry pan, mixing it around with the dressing. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through. Add soup, sour cream, cream cheese, and milk. Stir until mixed through. Stir in dressing mix. Allow to simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Serve over noodles.

Skillet Ravioli and Vegetables

For our second week of the month I tried this new recipe I found in the newspaper.

4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 c. cauliflower florets
1 1/2 c. chopped peppers (I of course left this out)
1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 bag frozen cheese ravioli
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan-Asiago-Romano cheese blend
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in large skillet over high heat. Add cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute 2 minutes. Reduce heat to med-high. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove veggies and set aside. Add remaining 2 tbsp oil to skillet over high heat. Add ravioli and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring,until ravioli browns, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until ravioli is tender and plump, about 3 minutes. Drain most of the liquid, then add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add reserved vegetables and heat through. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

The whole family LOVED this recipe. It would also be a good one for Leesa (if you still don't have a stove.)

New Recipe

I haven't been adventurous enough to cook a new recipe yet, but I will be this week. Last week we finally tried a recipe from the family cookbook. We made Upside-Down Spaghetti by Leesa, which is in the 2010 edition of the cookbook. My whole family LOVED it. They even ate it for leftovers. My kids hate most leftovers, but they continued to eat this one. I should've tried it long ago. It's a great recipe Leesa.

P.S. Does anyone know how to copy and paste these recipes so I can print them. I printed them from the blog but there is SO much extra junk that is not needed.

ALSO,

This is a new recipe to me, but I started making them before the goal. You will all probably think I'm crazy, but it's really good for you.

Kefir Smoothie
1/2 - 1 c. kefir or plain milk
1/2 c yogurt
bananas
strawberries
blackberries
handful of spinach
ground flax seed
ice (if you are not using frozen bananas and berries)

Blend all together.
This is not a sweet smoothie, but very healthy. And my kiddos love it.

Kefir is a "grain" that I am cultivating on the counter. It basically makes the milk sour tasting, but it's supposedly really good for intestines (and we all know I could use help with that one.) If anyone wants to "grow"some let me know.

Mashed Potatoes

For this week we are falling under the "Something you've never tried before" category, and probably not in the sense if was meant for. But...its been a crazy week. (and I'm trying to be "Ray" food friendly!)

I made mashed potatoes from the crock pot.
It was so easy I think I might always do that.
I filled the crock pot up about 2/3 full of potatoes. Covered them with water and set it to cook for about 3 hours on high. (Or 6 hours on low if you think to do it that far in advance.) I poured off the water and mashed them in the pot with butter and milk. It worked like a charm. I'd never thought to do that before.
Now...everyone knows.
I can put on the potatoes right before Em comes home, go to my PTA meetings, Boy scout den meetings, and give piano lessons, then mash right before serving! I love it.

Curried Chicken and Grapes

Sorry for the recipe from last night. If you use the bottled alfredo sauce, don't use any cream etc.

Now I will put this #3 recipe on because I will not be at my computer for oh I don't know how many days!!!

Curried Chicken and Grapes
2 T veg oil
2/3 c chopped onion
2 t curry powder
2 t sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T cider vinegar
2 c cooked chicken cut in bite size pieces
3 c red or green grapes ( I used only red)
1/4 c cashew or toasted almonds

Heat oil and add onion and cook till translucent.
Add curry, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook till sugar is dissolved.
Add vinegar. Stir in chicken and grapes. Cook until hot and stir in cashews.
Serve over rice.

This sounds really weird, but was really good!

Shrimp with Spinach and Alfredo Sauce

So for night #2

Shrimp with Spinach and Alfredo Sauce.

The recipe is
2 T butter
10 oz. fresh spinach
1 bunch of green onions ( I did not put these in)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pk dry Alfredo sauce ( I used bottled)
3/4 C light cream or evaporated milk
pepper to taste
Melt butter, add shrimp, and spinach. Cook until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 more min.
Add milk and heat it thur, add pepper. Serve over rice or pasta. We used egg noodles.

Dad and I had to use up our spinach!!!! Sorry NO picture!!!

Side Note

I forgot to say to only put the dressing on each bowl and save the rest. It's good the next day, but not with the dressing on .

Oriental Chicken Salad

Dad and I tried a wonderful new recipe tonight. I will put the recipe on and then I will tell you what I did different.

2 Tbsp Mrs. Dash

3 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp vinegar

1/4 C orange juice

1 Tbps Djon mustard

1 Tbsp honey

1/4 C chicken stock

3 cups cooked and cubed chicken

1 1/2 c sliced celery

11 oz can mandarin oranges

1/3 c toasted almonds

1 cup packed fresh spinach

The first seven ingred. are for the dressing.

I used regular oil, for Mrs. Dash I used season salt, I used just regular mustard, (for Steve just forget the mustard) I used chicken boullin and water, the almonds I just took out of a nut mix dad got at Sams and I used way more spinach. I did not use any celery cause I did not have any and who needs celery anyway!!

This was such a good good salad. We just ate that alone. It was a meal!

I will probably put three new things on this week cause we are leaving so I hope that is OK!!!!

Microwave Recipe

This is for Leesa. this one you make the whole thing in the microwave if you need one for the goal this month.
Beef Casserole Mexicana
1 lb. ground beef
1 sm onion
1 clove garlic
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can green chilis
1 bag corn chips
1 10 oz. can enchalida sauce
2 c. cheese
Crumble beef in 1 qt. casserole and onions and garlic. Microwave uncovered 5-6 minutes or until meat is set, stire in soups and chilis
Layer about 1/2 chips and 1/2 meat mixture, sauce and cheese in glass baking pan. top with another 1/3 chips and remaining meat, sauce, and cheese. Sprinkle remaining chips on top and microwave 10-12 Minutes until hot and bubbly.

Christenson recipe # 1

yes it looks like I am first!
This is my recipe that I just did tonight AFTER reading the goal.

Waikiki Turkey
3 c. diced turkey breast (I used a bag of chopped turkey pieces that you buy back by the ham and brauts in the store)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
3 T. teriyaki sauce
Cook these things together. Add 1/2 c. thin carrot strips and cook 1 minute longer.
Remove from skillet. In same skillet stir 1 c. pineapple juice, 2 T. apple cide vinegar ( I used red wine vinegar) 3T. soy sauce, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 2 T. cornstarch. Cook and stir until thick and clear. Remove from head and add turkey mix, pineapple chunks, and 1/2 c. frozen pea pods (I used unfrozen). Serve over rice.
It was really good.
I also added mushrooms and Ron thought next time I should put in broccoli.

This recipe we tried new last week but Ron wanted it posted for him
Ravioli Soup
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
(I used all pork)
Brown meat with 1 c. chopped onion and 2 t. minced garlic.
Combine 1 can tomatoes, 1 can tomato paste, 2 cans beef broth (I used 3), 1 T. sugar, 1 t. Italian seasoning, 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add 1 12 ounce package frozen ravioli and let cook until they come to the top about 3-5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 c. shredded fresh Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread.

April Gratitude Goal

Hi to all my family. First of all do we have a May goal? I hope the goal is for everyone to be at Kylee's baptism on Saturday!
I really enjoyed the goal this month. Ron and I read the articles together and then I kept a gratitude journal every day Ron about the first week. (it sounds like this is turning out to be a girl thing in our family!) Anyway in our first ward when we lived on Bruce Street this was a goal for the Relief Society sisters to do all year long and it was a great year for me to spend every day looking for the things I would write down that night. Since that year I have been wanting to do it again and now have finally had the push. So I am really grateful for that. After reading the article I was trying to find more of the little things as I know the big things like food, home and family but I tend to forget the little things like not just health but my elbow which would be hard to work with out or the smell of cinnamon when I am making the food I was blessed with or the sound of the girls laughing when they are just having fun playing. So I tried to focus on the little things I take for granted every day. I also tried to have more prayers of only gratitude and not requests. It is great to think about what I was saying and and grateful instead of what I think I need. So thank you Jill for the the great goal.

May Goal

So, sorry that it's already the 2nd. It's been a busy few days. I had a few ideas on my list of options, but since most of the goals have been spiritually minded, I think I'll do one that is non-spiritual, yet helpful. I hope you guys will have fun with it.

Each week, you need to make a food/dinner following one of the following criteria:
-New recipe
-Something you've never tried before
-Create a new recipe

Basically each week try something new, and try to cook something new! And then each week report what it was you did, rate it, and share the recipe if it is worth-while.

You are allowed to use a recipe from the family cookbook Jill put together if it is something you haven't made yet.

You are allowed to work together as a couple.... I don't know how successful this will be with the non-cook of the family... but keep in mind, your new food does not need to be a main dish. Desserts and snacks are allowed too.

It can be something as simple as putting a different type of food than you normally do on crackers.... this does not need to be complex! But be creative!! And make sure you share your ideas with the rest of us.

Happy creating!

April goal results

I definitely needed a gratitude reminder. Between this month's goal and Conference I feel that I have had my eyes opened and that I am much more grateful for all the blessings in my life. I have enjoyed keeping the journal and I plan to continue it. I probably won't do it every day but I plan to do it a few times a week. I know who I will send my letter to... does that count for anything? I will probably sit down and write it right after I get off the computer. I've actually been thinking a lot about it, so I feel I know who I need to thank. Plus, at this point, it will eat at me for a long time if I don't write it!
I'm grateful that we had this gentle reminder to be grateful. And I'm grateful that I am a part of this wonderful family!

Jones April Results

Hello all,
We both read the articles. I wrote in a daily gratitude journal and will hopefully keep up the habit even after April ends. I also wrote my letter in a email instead of actual mail. We had a few FHE's centered around gratitude. Our children's prayers had been sounding very much like this: bless this and bless that instead of thank you for this and thank you for that. They have slowly changed throughout the month. We are also trying to remind each other more often to be grateful instead of always complaining. Thanks for the goal, Jill. We need this as a forever goal I think!!

April Goal

This month I read the articles and kept a daily gratitude journal. I don't believe Steve has read the articles yet (so much for supporting the wife). He did keep a gratitude journal most of the days. This was a great month for me to keep a gratitude journal. With all the problems of trying to buy the house it was super easy for me to want to be grumpy and ungrateful. Instead I had to focus on the positive things and think throughout the day of what I am grateful for. I also wrote a letter of gratitude and hopefully will actually put it in the mail today. :) Steve is not here, so I'm not sure what he got out of it. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to remember my blessings.

Mom and Dad's April Results

Here is the result of our April goal. We of couse read the articles in the ensign and I think I want to reread them quite often because I need to be reminded to be more grateful for what I have. I did keep a graitude journal, Dad however was unable to. We both either wrote to or in person told a person how they had made a difference in our lives. I also wrote a note to my mailman thanking him for being such a good guy! I'm not sure what inner things Dad did for this goal, but I decided to direct all my morning prayers to be graditude prayers only. Dad and I also started to have morning prayers with each other at 5:00, something we have never done before. This was a good way for me to start the day. This was a wonderful goal to do for our family. It made me more understanding of the many blessing Heavenly father has given in my life. It was a real good goal Jill!

April Goal

Hey Family, just wondering how your April goals are coming along. I just realized that we are super close to the end of the month and I haven't written my thank you letter yet. And Sally, are you ready for the May goal?

Swenson Gift Ideas

As Sally suggested, here are some suggestions for the Swenson family.

Preston: CARS anything. Not just any cars, but cars from the movie CARS. He would especially love Rescue Squad Mater, purple Ramone, Snot Rod, RPM, Tex Dinoco, Dirt track Lightening, Tongue Lightening, Bug Mouth Lightening, or Tumbleweed Lightening.

Kari: lip gloss, lotion, body spray, nail polish, hairbands, headbands, barrettes, scrapbooking paper, tape.

Braden: he likes Bionicles, Star Wars and his newest thing is Army Tank and Planes.

J & S ( I never realized until Sally posted her last post that we have the same initials as a couple.) I never know what I want. Good luck Leesa. I'll keep you posted. We do like games though.

HOpe that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cook gift ideas

As I suggested in the last post's retorts, I will give a few ideas for our family for gifts. As I hope you will all do... at least for R&R, Braden and Cassee....

Sam: he likes books, puzzles (jigsaw and big wooden ones,) Lightning McQueen, coloring, taking pictures, movies, flyswatter (his words, not mine)

Livia: she likes stealing Sam's toys, necklaces, bath toys, books

J&S: we like games, date nights, things to do together, movies


I hope that helps, and I will anxiously await your wish lists as well....

Christmas Names

This afternoon Leesa and I worked together to draw names for all the kids for our Christmas in July. Here is who everyone has:

Addie: Kari
Kylee: Adam
Brynja: Preston
Emmee: Sam
Cassee: Addie
Adam: Kylee
Andrew: Livia
Braden: Brynja
Kari: Emmee
Preston: Andrew
Sam: Braden
Livia: Cassee

Ronda/Ron: Leesa/Dan
Leesa/Dan: Jill/Steve
Jill/Steve: Sally/Jason
Sally/Jason: Ron/Ronda

If anyone has a problem with this........um, sorry. See you all in July!

Last one just for fun

So Ron my wonderful husband got up with Brynja and picked up our Bountiful Basket this morning. (He wanted it as I was not going to buy it this week since I would be gone)
So my last post on this just for fun:
1 head broccoli
2 bags carrots
1 Container Grape Tomatoes
1 Container Mushrooms
1 pineapple
1 cantalope
1 head romaine lettuce
1 pk/head swiss chard (if you know what this is or what to do with it let me know)
10 banans
1 container blackberries
8 fuji apples
16 red potatoes
I think I will continue.
I also bought the 9 grain bread again and learned to today that each slice is only 50 calories so pretty exciting since it is so good.

Week 2 of Bountiful Baskets

so this week we received:
1 head/bunch celery
4 little green squash
4 artichoke heads (never had these before and not sure what to do with them, Ron is excited to try it however)
17 Cuties
5 tom.
1 head broccoli
2 big heads of romaine lettuce
8 mangos
5 lb. bag of potatoes
9 Braeburn apples
1 carton of Strawberries
10 bananas

I also bought extra 12 lbs of strawberries for 8.00 and 5 loves of 9 grain bread for 10.00
so what do you think this week and any ideas for the artichokes let me know.

Like Mother Like Son!

Mom, maybe these pictures will look familiar some how!
I was sitting next to Adam tonight watching a movie and I looked over to see him rubbing the ear of his "puppy" Sally made for Christmas a few years ago on the underneath of his nose. (Cassee actually does the same thing with her blanket too.) I just thought it was funny that it was the same shaped stuffed animal I did that to.
Sally, it will make you happy to know he loves his "puppy". He holds it all the time and does this.
He loves any type of fleece/felt material. He is a blanket boy. The only good thing about this is that he's not attached to a certain blanket. He'll go for any blanket that has a certain feel to it.
Funny how something like this will transfer from generation to generation. I certainly didn't "teach" my children to do this, yet I did the exact thing when I was their age 30 years ago!

Jones March Goal Results

Sorry about being slackers on posting this goal, especially since it was my own.
Dan and I did the following things:
1. We each read a book. Dan read some book about direct investing. I read Suze Orman's book, The Nine Steps to Financial Freedom. Excellent book about insurance information (Life, Long-Term Care, etc.) and about wills v. trusts. Hopefully all of us with young children have Life Insurance right now!
2. We finally got all of our water barrels filled. We have 3 55 gal. drums and 1 100 gal. drum, and 3 5 gallon containers. I don't really want to see the water bill next month!
3. We replaced the snack food items in our 72 hour backpacks. The Mt. House food packs we have in there are good for another 4-5 years. They are light weight and actually very good to eat.
4. We also put our financial packet back together. Somehow with the move S.S. cards, birth certificates and car titles ended up all over the place in our house.
5. A week before March started I also opened an online savings acct. to stash away any extra money we get. Money like Dan's overtime, tax refunds, basically anything outside our regular paychecks. Hopefully all of you are savings for a 6 mon. living expenses savings acct. With this economy you just never know! Right Ronda??
Thanks for the April Goal Jill. I'm already more aware of my blessings and I've only been writing in the gratitude journal for 4 days!

Bountiful Baskets

Hi
Just wanting an opinion from everyone. I tried a new thing today. It is called Bountiful Baskets. It is a veggie/fruit co-op. You get on their site on Monday and order a basket for $15.00 then Saturday morning each site is different but the one in Layton is 7:30am you go down and get your food. It is a co-op so every basket is the same and you don't pick anything it is just what they have to split evenly. So today I got:
Fruits:
1 pineapple
1pk. Strawberries
1pk Blackberries
6 apples (like Fuji maybe)
9 oranges
6 bananas

Veggies:
1 head romaine lettuce
1 head broccoli
2 yellow squash
1 onion
6 roma tomato
9 corn on the cob
6 small yams

do you think it is worth 15. I will probably try a few more weeks and see what I think.
Sally they do it in Springville too.

Our March Goal

I am sorry but a few things are not going to be completed in March but a few day into April. We are going home this weekend and getting our 72 hour kits. We will then up date them. Our water storage will be changed this summer, but our apartment water storage is new. It was dad's job to get the car kits up-to-date so that is all I have to say about that!!! We have added to our food storage at home and in the apartment and we did cook at least 2 meals with just stuff from our food storage. Dad did go into the scary pit in our basement and came up with 4 quart jars of Orvil Redenbacker's popcorn that has been there for at least 20 years and we opened it and it is really still good, so canned popcorn last a long time I guess!! For the financial goal, we are pretty set with that, but we decided to look into nursing home insurance. I did read all I could of Suze Orman's book on the net, but I cannot get anywhere to get the book. Thanks Leesa for the challenge. It gets one going on the things we are supposed to being doing!!!

April Goal

I wanted to post the April goal a bit early so that you will all be prepared to have the full month to complete the goal. For the past few months I have been thinking of different goals that could benefit us. As I read the March Ensign I felt that this goal would be the best out of all the other possibilities I had.

First of all, I would like you to read 2 articles from the March Ensign. They are, "Two Words That Can Change Lives" (p. 42) and "The Value of Experiencing and Expressing Gratitude" (pp. 44-49). While I read these articles it spoke of the many health benefits of expressing thanks. There are a few key points that I want to emphasize.
1. The expressions and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature.
2. Practicing gratitude can also lead to increases in optimism, vitality, happiness, a sense of
well-being, and a greater satisfaction with life.
3. Gratitude can be defined as a coping response to challenging or difficult circumstances.

At the end of the second article there is a section called 'What can we do to Cultivate Gratitude in Ourselves and Others?' For your goal I want you to 1. Keep a DAILY gratitude journal for the entire month AND 2. Make a gratitude visit OR write someone a gratitude letter and send it to them. These are the first 2 things mentioned in this section, but there are also 7 other options and I would ALSO like you to pick 1 more and work on that throughout the month.

This is something that each one of us can do (husbands included) and greatly benefit from. I also encourage you to share this with your children and maybe have them write down things they are grateful for too.

I feel this is a good goal for our family because of the many spiritual, physical, and emotional benefits that can come about by being more grateful for all we have instead of focusing on what we don't have.

p.s. I suggest buying a new notebook of some sorts for your gratitude journal so that you can look through it when times are hard in the future.

March Goal Results

Like Ronda, we worked on many goals throughout the month, but there are a few that still haven't been completed all the way. We did change our food and clothes in the 72 hr. kits and started one for Preston. I never knew graham crackers could taste so bad. I guess that is what happens when they are 4 years old. We started car kits but have not finished them. We are hoping for some things to go on sale before too long. We did buy more food storage from the cannery and cooked homemade flour tortillas with refried beans (Leesa's recipe) for dinner one night. We are still working on our financial packet. I have lots of copies to make, but our copier isn't working so I've been lazy about taking it to the office. We have also been reading through a first-time home buyers guide, which I'm counting as a financial book. So thanks Leesa for all these goals to work on to try and help us be more prepared. I know that as we try and follow the guidance of our prophet our families will be blessed.

Brynja Update

We went to the doctor yesterday and found out she had gained 1 pound in the past month!! It doesn't sound like a lot but her doctor was very excited and it put her on the chart at the 3% mark which is good. She did have to have a lot of blood drawn again which is very painful to watch and be a part of so we will wait for those results in the next couple of days. Thanks for the prayers and keep praying she will want to eat.

Hey Everyone

Hey Family, I want to post my April goal a few days early so that you can all be prepared when April actually starts. So, maybe we could start posting our results for Leesa's March goals.

A Cry for HELP!

This happens quite often. Poor kid has to fight his sisters to get to wear their 'dance' outfits. This outfit is definitely the funnest. Emmee got it for her dance recital last year.
Apparently Adam sees his sisters playing like this all too much. His little brother is not coming soon enough.
We need those capes soon, Aunt Jill!!! Save us all from the 'little boy princess'.
Anyone who finds a play outfit for little boys (Spiderman and the such would be great, cowboy stuff too) let me know. We need to invest in some boy dressups!

Baby Andrew's middle name vote

We are having a hard time deciding on a middle name for this kid. Here's the list. Vote on your favorite. Say each to yourself with 'Jones' after it.

1. Andrew Lee (after Dad's middle name)

2. Andrew Perkins (Lindsay's middle name, also his mother's maiden name, both of Dan's brothers have used this middle name)

3. Andrew Riker (a great-grandma's maiden name on Dan's side) (Yes, we know this is your boy name you've picked forever ago, Ronda. We don't have to use it)

4. Andrew Harold (after grandpa)

5. Andrew Raymond (after the other grandpa)

6. Andrew John (after great-grandpa's) (a little too close to the brother??)

7. Andrew Jens (after a famous pioneer grandfather on Dan's side)

8. Andrew Adams (Dan's middle name) (a little too many Adam's in the family??)

9. Andrew Kumen (great-grandfather on Dan's side)

10. Andrew Corry (another Gr. Grandfather on Dan's side, this one played BB for BYU!)

11. Andrew Evans (Chris's maiden name) (maiden names on my side are just not middle name material!)

12. Andrew Lee Perkins (is it bad to give him 2 middle names??)

Everytime the Blackwood kids come over Natalie and I play with the dolls. We especially pay attention to Perry the cabbage-patch doll.

A Baby Belly for Nana

Sorry it's sideways. I guess you'll have to turn your heads.
This is my six month belly that Nana needs to see. Yes, I really am pregnant!!
Little Andrew still has 3 months left to cook!

A New Mexico Snow Day

So, apparently this is enough snow to cancel school for the day here in NM.
All this snow fell during the night and early morning of Feb. 22, 2010.
Here is the back yard.


Here's a few from the front door.

It can be slick on the roads in the morning, but by 2:00 pm, the snow was all gone! At least we don't have to make this one up!!
Pretty funny to someone who grew up in North Dakota!

Cousin Law

So this is what I found printed out on my desk this morning in Addisons spelling.

Cousin Law

All of Ben and Nicks hunting junk will be thoren out
The house bolangs to us. we must looak up all
People who are the folloing
1. who are not cousin
2. who do not clean.
3. who do not follow the law.
4. who dis obye the cousin
always show respet to the Braden. The olyn man or boy in the club. Cousins sta y on trak.

sighed, Addison, Kylee, Braden, and kair

For those who do not know this is in reference to the old house that they love to play in. They started this club one summer when it was just the 4 of them there. So sorry Preston, Sam and Adam no respect for you. But looks like it is open for other respectful cousins to join this summer!

Is anyone working on the March goal?

Is anyone working on a goal this week? Dan is reading a book called, "Investing Without a Sliver Spoon". It describes how to invest directly with large companies and starting with small amounts of money.
I am reading "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom". It''s a great book about budgeting and saving.
Hopefully this weekend we will finally fill the water barrels that have been sitting empty in our garage since we've moved!!

Of course February was my goal but still as Mom said as soon as I posted it as a goal it became harder to do and I was so much more crabby than normal. So Satan was trying hard to get in and destroy my goal here too. We read the article again on Sunday night and I just have one final thought that really stood out to me.
"The joys come from putting the welfare of others about our own. That is what LOVE is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness, which is the ABSENCE of love." That really stuck me as it is not just being selfish or spoiled brat or whatever but includes the absence of love. That makes me want to try hard to love Ron more and be less selfish and make his happiness more important than my own as that is what I have promised to do.
Brynja update: her doctor just called all her tests came back negative so no CF, thyroid, or Celiacs but there is a problem just not sure what it is yet. She will call Primary Childrens Liver spec. and get back to me. Something called Alkaine Phosphatase is at a 5000 count when it should be under 350 the normal level. So she said that could be a problem with the liver even though the other 3 liver enzymes were at normal levels (where Kylee had 2 that were elevated) she said it could also be her bones breaking down to provide more Calcium and Vit. D to her body since she is considered mal-nurised. So we will continue to look into and ask for contiuned prayers in her beahalf, mostly at this point that she will want to eat and provide nurishment for her body and of course that Ron will get a raise so I can contiune to buy ped-sure!! So Steve your extra assignment would be to look that crazy word up and see if there is more to know.

Our Feb Goal

Thank you Leesa for that very interesting challege for Mar. Dad is really going to have to help with that one. Now I will report on the goal for Feb. We of couse read the article for Pres, Eyring in the beginning of the month, in the middle of the month and again last night. I think Dad and I are pretty good about doing all Ronda challenged us to do most of the time, but we promised each other we would try to be more aware of each others needs and remember each other more in our prayers. I think the thing we worked on more then anything was praying for all the other members in our family for love to be shown to each other so no empty chair will be left. Dad has always shown a lot of love to me and his children, but we both tried harder this month. I tried really hard to make dad's life a little easier by pushing myself a little more to have something cooking when he came home after a long day at work. He tried to help me with little things like if I would mention that I couldn't get something open I would find it in the fridge the next morning opened ect. Or I find things like oranges peeled and waiting for me when I wake up. He does not complain when he has to do the laudry after work or sweep the floor or vacummn or do the dishes if I do not get them done. He also does not complain when people invite us to things that I cannot do and so he doesn't go either and he never complains on the things he misses out on because of me . In the beginning of the month we seems to be bickering a little more then usually and after the first couple of days we realized because of our new goal Satan was trying to interfer. When we became aware of that we concentrated more on showing the love we both knew the other deserved. I think dad and I are pretty good about showing others the love we have for one another, but when we were challenged to concentrate a little more we were better and more in love then ever. We both like the song quoted in Elder Eyring's talk "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" and hope this month we have showed to each other and people we meet everyday. Thank you Ronda for this wonderful goal to work on. We also took the challenge and gave a generous donation to the haiti fund. We love all of you and are glad we have disided to do these monthy goals. Thanks Jill

March Goal

Since that last two months have been spiritual and emotional goals I'm going to change things up a bit and do more concrete physical and financial preparedness goals.
I'm going to make a short list and you need to pick four that apply to your family. One per week is what I want you do to. Since we are all in different situations I'm giving more options than four so you can pick the ones that apply most to your families. (Although all are good and should be done at some time!)

Physical (not the exercise type, sorry Steve!):
1. Change out the food/snacks and clothing (everyone should have at least one change of clothes) that are in your 72 hour backpacks. I've heard that a great time to do these are around every gen. conference time. Put summer clothes in your 72 backpacks in the April conf. and warmer winter clothes during the Oct. conf. Plus your kids outgrow things all the time, so this will help to always have clothes that fit. Also, change the snack foods: granola bars, fruit snacks, water bottles, soup cans, etc. that might be in there. We always want fresh stuff, right? You can make a family home evening event of changing everything. That way the kids also know what is in them!
2. Fill or change out water in your water storage barrels. You'd better have some already! Also great to do every gen. conf. time. Ideally you'd have a 55 gal. drum for each person in your family. They can line the walls in your garage. Just make sure they are not directly on the cement. Blue is the recommended color to prevent algae growth in the water. Smaller barrels are fine, you just need more of them.
3. Create an emergency preparedness car kit for each of your cars. I've got some lists if anyone needs them. We have a backpack for each car. Others use a paint can. Whatever floats your boat.
4. Buy some additional food storage items. Also cook at least one meal during the week that uses ONLY items from your food storage. This will help you to know if your family even likes the food you have stored!

Financial
1. Put together your financial packet and place it in your 72 hour backpack. This should include things you don't want burned or otherwise destroyed like: insurance papers, social security cards, birth certificates, passports, car titles, home titles, savings bonds, wills, etc. I also have lists for this.
2. Create an online savings acct. or retirement acct. I just recently opened a Roth IRA for myself with Sharebuilder.com. Many other options are out there. I know some of you have one that Dad started for you, but nothing is continuously being added to them. I also just opened an online savings acct. with Ally Bank. It had the highest interest rate for a regular savings acct. This a great acct. for that 6 month emergency savings acct. that we are all supposed to have. If your hubby gets laid off for a year you'll be glad you had it!! It gets your money out of sight from your checking acct., is easy to transfer and access, and gets a better interest rate than any savings acct. you currently have at your regular bank. You can do a little research or I can advise. I also have an online savings acct. with FNBO and ING Banks. You also need to plan on setting aside a certain amount of money on a monthly basis to contribute to your acct. you create. The younger you start the better off you will be. If you open the retirement acct. don't plan to get that money back until you are 60 years old, FYI. The market is low right now and for someone who has 30 years left to invest it's an excellent time to get into it. But everyone should have this - and don't just depend on your husbands 401K for you retirement purposes!! The sooner you start something like this the more things will grow by the time you need it.
3. Read a financial book. Ones by Suze Orman (like, The 9 steps to Financial Freedom) and Dave Ramsey (Financial Peace and Financial Peace Revisited). They are easy read books, not full of financial jargon that no one understands. Most likely they will be in your closest library too.
4. Create a budget plan on the computer IF YOU DON"T ALREADY HAVE ONE. That are lots of programs that you can use or you can create one on a spreadsheet. Right now we use one called HomeBank. I think Dan got it online somewhere for free. This will help you see how much you can save too.

I've given 4 options in each category. Try to complete one a week, your choice. If you're ambitious and want to do more, great. Ones like creating the online savings acct will take you all of 5 minutes!
I suggest doing all of them sometime anyway.
Feel free to call with any questions, I love to talk about these subjects!!
Happy March!!