Bouncing Fun

We got the kiddos a trampoline for Christmas. We gave it to them Christmas Eve and set it up (almost).

We didn't get the outside safety net on it so Christmas morning we went out and worked together getting it put up. 

 The girls have been enjoying going out and doing flips, making up little dances and just bouncing on it.

This is Gabby (yellow shirt) Faith (green shirt) and E'lyse (white shirt) 

 WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! 

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. It was quiet and very relaxing for our family. 

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas everyone!

These pictures are from Christmas morning 2011. 

We slept in a little longer than normal this year. We got up at 5 am

This is the view from the top of the stairs

 Faith and E'lyse opening gifts

 Gabby and Dallas opening gifts

 Dallas smiling even though he had only had 2 hours of sleep before us waking him up

 Faith holding up her gift from Gabby of an 8 pk. of Dr. Pepper

 Alan got each of us girls a stone pendent of our favorite color with our initial on it  (perfect)

I also got 4 hematite rings, a Harley Davidson calender, Pittsburgh Steeler glasses, Snow White glasses , a Snow White mug and chocolates. 

  Alan got me some new p.j.'s They are so soft and pretty color. 

It has been a very laid back Christmas. Fun spending time at home with the kiddos. 

We took naps this morning then set up the protector net on the trampoline. Pictures to come on that later. 

The girls are sleeping out on it tonight.

 So blessed and thankful to have such wonderful people in my life.

 I was sad that Coco and her family couldn't be down her but we will be going up to visit next weekend and stretch Christmas out a little longer. 

 Wishing that everyone is in good health and enjoying this Christmas Day! Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Christmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve!

I am glad that it is almost Christmas. It has been a very low key, and  low stress Christmas season. 

I didn't stress to get out Christmas cards or anything that was too much extra this year.

The two younger girls are making plates of goodies to give to a few neighbors & husbands home teaching  families. 

Right now the house smells like brownies.

Below is the pile of Christmas gifts Gabby built.

Black Friday brought us the opportunity to get a new trampoline for the family. The price was great & it is one of those things that get's used year round. So yesterday (Friday) Alan brought it home from work. He had been storing it in his work trailer. The girls are so excited about it. We thought since Christmas is on Sunday we would give it to them early so we can set it up today.
Tonight the 3 girls that are still home are having a Christmas Eve party in their room. Watching Christmas movies, having munchies and exchanging small gifts to each other. I am sure not much sleeping will be involved but I know they will have fun.
It use to be tradition for all the kiddos to stay in the same room on Christmas Eve. What fun memories I am sure they have of those long nights.

 Tomorrow morning we will be getting up (early I am sure, we usually do) we will open gifts. Then I will make a Hootinani for breakfast. We will eat and get ready for church. 

There will only be one hour of church tomorrow so I am sure we will be coming home, eating lunch and having a short nap. (At least Alan & I) while kiddos enjoy what they got.

From our home to yours we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

 Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Start on Monday Diet Mentality

In case any of you don't know I have OCD ( obsessive compulsive disorder) Or as I like to say CDO the letters should be in order. he he I have to work daily on this issue because it can cause me more work, frustration and problems.
  One of my OCD issues is I have always had this mentality of okay I will start the diet on Monday, or the beginning of the new week or year. This has gotten me no where other than when I decided for my new years resolution to lose weight.
The one problem with this was I lost a good amount of weight almost 60 pounds but then I stopped watching what I ate as closely, I never did kick the habit of cutting out the sugars and sticking to a healthier life style. I also failed at staying active. I let a couple days of not working out into a couple months then here and there I would do something.
 Then when I decided to go to massage school I let it consume me. I didn't continue to take care of me. I did good for the first 3 weeks then it was just too much between cooking, cleaning, studying and the hour drive to and from school my days were just full. LAME excuse!!! Now that I look back on it. I could have done it all had I been eating healthy and exercising I would have had the needed energy to keep up on it all.
 I had read a quote on Facebook the other day that said " A year from now you may wish you had started today! " by Karen Lamb. YES I DO!!! I have gained back some of the weight not all of it but I think of "if I had kept up the great work I was doing I could be so much better off ". Then I beat myself up verbally then physically buy eating junk food. This is a very bad cycle that has to be broken.
 I have suffered in the past with major depression. I am not talking oh I am so bummed and I don't want to do this or that. No mine was clinical depression to the point of suicidal thoughts and attempts. The attempts were made but Heavenly Father was watching over me and apparently has a purpose for me not dying. I had gone through 6+ years of counselling, antidepressants, more counselling and learning how to deal with things a little better. I still suffer from anxiety and depression once in a while. Now I tell my husband when I am feeling it coming on and he helps me out.
 I was anorexic for 2 years and then went bulimic for 15 years due to I LOVE FOOD! This disease ruined my metabolism so much. I ended up with a mitrovalve prolapse and a prolapsed stomach. This means my stomach had dropped and turned (this is the explanation that my Dr. gave me.)
 The point to all this is being open and honest with you as the reader and even if no one reads this it is my way of sorting things out to make sure I am changing what needs to be changed in the right way.
 I don't think I have ever learned or dealt with the portion control issues I have. So last week after thinking about what my issues are and needing to make changes. Now mind you I was thinking when the new year comes but that mentality is leaving and changing. I signed up for Weight Watchers Online.
 I have done it one week so far. I did not weigh myself for the start of the second week. But I am liking that when I go to eat something I think to myself " Wonder how many points this is going to cost me?" For me this is a start to what I want and what needs to change with me.
 I was reading the blog Roni's Weigh and she wrote a great article called "3 Steps to a Healthier YOU!" it is under the link there. A MUST read for us who are struggling to get healthy.
 I am currently working on making small changes. These are 1) slowly weaning myself off of sugar. So hard this time of the year when there are so many goodies being brought to our house. For this reason I have decided to go slow at this. I do have to admit that I have come a long way on this one in the past year. 2) Learning to except me as I am and not beating myself up. 3) Moving more. Now I just went in today and had some more vein work done on my left leg. I am not aloud to do any exercise other than walking for 2 weeks. 4) Working on my goals -short term & long term. 5) Studying and learning all I can to better my health not just for myself but for my family. These are just the 5 I want to share right now.
 Hugs, Bobbi Jo
 For those of  you who read my health blog this was posted on there too.

Random Pictures of Life

 Last Monday night Faith had an orchestra concert. I knew I wouldn't be able to get near the stage to get a good picture of her while playing so I needed to get one before we left the house.

Faith (front with blue shirt)

E'lyse (to the left looking like she is in pain)

Gabby (in the back ground)

 Gabby came into my room before starting school last Tuesday looking like this. 

 She took blush and covered her face in it because she was bored. 

 E'lyse had started this stocking in Young Women's a little while ago and finished it at home. 

Decided to give it to her guy-friend Drew.

 E'lyse also made 2 pillow cases for her guy-friend Drew for Christmas

 Alan had a Birthday on December 16TH. He and Dallas went varmit hunting all day and had a blast. 

This is one of Alan's favorite things to do. He called in a bob cat and shot it. 

Poor BOB! The cat actually looks like it has a smile on it's face

 I had found this recipe on a you tube that I have been following called "Debtisdum"  

It is called a hootanani or a  German pancake . It is really yummy! 

 Recipe for this is:

1 cup white flour

1 cup milk

6 eggs

3/4 tsp. salt 

Pour into greased 10 X 13 pan.

Then add a half a cube of butter (don't stir this in the mix)

Then cook in preheated oven 400* at 25 minutes.

Serve with syrup & powder sugar.

 Next time I am adding a can of the apples for pies in it. 

Hugs, Bobbi Jo 

Christmas Tree

This year we down sized our tree and our Christmas decorating. 

I have had a 12 ft. tree for the last 7 years. The problem with my massive 12 ft tree was the guys that I need to help me set it up didn't like doing it too much. 

So Coco offered to sell us her 9 ft tree that she got on clearance a while back but couldn't use, due to her ceilings being to low. She sold it to us and it worked out just great. 

The downsizing of the decorations have come due to me just not feeling like decorating everything this year because of other (what I feel more important things) needed to be taken care of.

So not all of my trees got up and not every room is decorated this year. 

This is Gabby who requested that she put the topper on the tree this year.

This tree has mostly homemade or ornaments that family & friends have given us over the years. 

 There is 24 years of love on this tree.

 The pretty tree topper that Coco & Kyle got me a couple of years ago.

 Another angle of the top of the tree.

 Our display of the three trees and a picture of the in the process of being built Gilbert Temple 

 9 ft, tree with gifts under it

 My girly tree that Faith and Gabby decorated for me. 

My dog Nellie is on the left side of the tree. Guess she thought she would sneak in for a picture.

More Christmas to come a little later. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Thanksgiving Temple Trip

My posts are somewhat out of order due to me feeling like my life is a CRAZY out of order place. 

 Trying to play catch up is a challenge but I am determined to do so. 

On November 26 Th, 2011 we made our annual family trip to walk around the Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latte-Day Saints . 

Coco, Kyle, Talmage and Naima had come down to spend Thanksgiving with us.

I mad hot chocolate and we put it in our traveling mugs and went on our way.

This is the Temple view that I think is so beautiful. This brings back a fond memory of when my oldest brother Cecil and his family had come out from Pennsylvania to visit and he had taken a picture of the Temple similar to this. 

Anyway this is behind the visitors center and the side of the Temple. The entry to the Temple is on the right side of this picture. 

 Below is Naima and Talmage. I don't think Talmage wanted his picture taken to bad. 

 This is Faith in the purple, Talmage balancing himself and E'lyse 

 Kyle and Coco sitting in front of one of the many beautiful tree areas.

 One of the manger areas. There is a tape playing the scripture reading of  Luke 2 of Jesus birth in English and Spanish.

 This is Joseph and Marry as they were headed to Bethlehem

They figures are so beautiful and amazing the details.   

 This was a view of some of the thousands of lights as I looked across the area behind the visitors center.

If you get the chance to visit the Temple, especially at Christmas time do so you will not be disappointed. Even the business of all the people there it is calming and so pretty. 

 Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Snow Bunnies

After going to bed late Saturday night I had woke up when the alarm went off at 6:15 to get up to get ready to go to church. Well I started to stretch and next thing I know Alan wakes me up at almost 8 (this is when church starts) and says, "Um hun we overslept!" He climbs back in bed and then as I am still trying to pry open my tired eyes he says that today would be a fun day for a short ride. So twist my arm... I LOVE road trips. So we went over and woke up the girls and told them we were going on a short road trip to see the snow and maybe play in it. They agreed so we had breakfast together and then got ready for the day.

We decided to drive up to Payson then maybe a little further up the Rim to get to more snow. So we drove past a beautiful little town called Strawberry and to the top of the rim and the snow way beautiful, fluffy and perfect for making a snow person.

This is my three snow bunnies with Snow lady

E'lyse, Faith and Gabby

This was on our way up. Gabby took a picture of me as I took a picture of the girls in the back seat.

E'lyse at the beginning of the snow lady

Gabby making snow angles to mark her territory as she played out in the snow

Faith trying to get a brain freeze

Mrs. Snow lady

Mrs. Snow Lady with her new eyelash extensions. (Sorry we didn't call you Janel for this one!)

The snow bunnies posing E'lyse, Faith and Gabby

Me and Mrs. Snow Lady

Snow bunnies throwing snow balls

Gabby, Faith and E'lyse

Alan was with us but chose to stay in the car for a nap while I took pictures of the girls. We had a good time. We miss living in the snow and the beauty of it.

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Not Much

Yesterday as Dallas, Gabby and I had gotten home there was this little gecko in our garage. Not uncommon but not usually this tiny. Dallas caught it and it is on his finger here.

I started to say "I will hug it, love it, feed it and call it Herbie and he will be my friend", then as I started the kiddos are like yea right Mom. These little guys creep my out something fierce.

Honestly I have not had much to post here. Life is going along day by day. I was talking with hubs about this, this morning and told him I have lost passion for things and I don't know if it is just feeling under the weather lately or what? Just puzzles me. I love Christmas but I just don't feel like doing all of it. We have our shopping just about done I am talking there is maybe 3 more things we want to pick up and we will be done.

I started back on call last week at the spa. Sad to say but my main focus has been on trying to get Gabby all caught up on her school work. She has fallen behind in math and I am the WORST ever to help teach math. It has never been my strong point nor have I ever enjoyed it.

We got our tree set up on Thanksgiving Day. Kyle put it up for us but it was missing the screws that go on the bottom to keep it in place. So I waited and got the girls to try and help me but I couldn't lift the 9 ft. tree up to get the three little screws in the bottom base of the tree. ARG!!! So I waited some more then finally Alan and Dallas got it done. Guess what the tree still isn't decorated! I know shocking. We did get the white tree up it is 6 ft. Actually Gabby set it up when I was at work last week and her and Faith decorated it in all pink. LOVE IT!! So maybe just maybe tomorrow the big tree will get trimmed.

Well now back to working with Gabby and housework. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Thanksgiving...Can I have a do over?

So yesterday was Thanksgiving. Coco and her sweet family came down to spend it with us. I have been excited about this holiday it is my favorite. But come the night before Thanksgiving I wasn't ready.

Coco and her family got in late. We stayed up WAY too late. Woke up Thanksgiving morning not feeling so great. Besides the recovery process I have been going through from the surgeries my body is fighting or going through something else that I haven't been able to figure out other than a little depression.

Anyway so I get up and things were going a long and I had assigned some chores to be done and they weren't finished due to some change of plans of those who were assigned and I lost it. Unfortunately not one of my best parenting or mothering moments. I yelled. I was so upset and tired and didn't seriously f eel like cooking or doing anything but going back to bed. There is more to the story but to protect the others I will only say it was not good. Not trying to make people get down just trying to keep it really.

I cried, child cried, we talked, husband came home I cried more and hubs went and talked with crying child.

All was taken care of but boy what a terrible memory maker this one was.

Then as I am preparing dinner I come to find out that I am out of a bunch of things that I needed. So sweet Al went to the store for me and got them.

Dinner was made and eaten but not the greatest I would have to say.

Then a little later I found out that Coco had told Gabby that Santa wasn't real. Poor Gabby! She keeps saying that Coco ruined her child hood because of it.

So in a nut shell this is one Thanksgiving that will go down in the books as the one that was the worst disorganized Thanksgiving in our family history.

I guess it could be worse my Father had a Aunt die right at the table on Thanksgiving when he was a kid. Gotta look on the bright side.

So can I have a Thanksgiving do over?

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Not Much

I haven't been blogging due to not much has been going on. Well things have been going on but really nothing that I felt I wanted to blog about.

I went in on Tuesday the 15Th and had my leg worked on. I didn't ask what they were going to do because I really didn't want to know in case it would freak me out even more than I already was. I know this was WAY less invasive than the bladder lift or the hernia repair but I was really scared. So anyway I went in and they started with laying me on a table and rubbed me down with freezing cold iodine from bottom of left foot up to my belly button. The Dr. then came in and said he would be giving me numbing shots so I would feel a pinch. WHY DO THEY SAY THAT? So he started there worked his way up the leg as they had lifted the table and had it at a tilt that I felt I was going to slide down and off of. Weird feeling! I won't go into great detail but I kept feeling what they were doing so he would numb me some more. I was given about 42 shots the entire way up to the groin area. WOW talk about weird. On top of that they had me on some loopy narcotics so I would relax. It ended up what they had done was a striping of the vein. I go back in on Dec. 21St for a different procedure for the rest of the veins on that leg. Merry Christmas to me!!! he he Actually I will be glad to get this all done and feel better. The vein that was first worked on wasn't even the one that causing me pain.

This week is Thanksgiving and is my favorite holiday. Coco, Kyle and her sweet kiddos will be coming down on Wednesday to celebrate with us. I am excited to see them all.

So off I go to take kiddos to where they need to be and back home to work on what needs to be done here. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Goofy Things

It has been a somewhat not super busy but fast week for us. I have been frustrated with my workouts or trying to work out. Finding out that after two or three weeks of not using muscles they start the process of disuse atrophy. Well during the first 4 weeks of recovery the muscles I used were for walking, going to the bathroom, eating and talking. Needless to say these last 2 muscles are in great shape. My endurance just flat out stinks and I tire out going up our stairs in our house to our room. NOT COOL!! But I will chug along and it WILL get better, regain my strength, stamina and energy again.

A few weeks ago I got my hair cut but 2 short days later I was getting what I call the dog ears in my hair. This is when the hair right around the ears starts to stick out and on me it looks like dog ears. So I called my sweet friend and neighbor who cuts & colors my hair in trade for massages to cut my hair again. I told her I wanted it short, spiky and sassy just how I was feeling. So she did! And this is an view of it at the spikiest points.

I don't think hubs likes (nothing was said and he was home when I left to get it done & there when I got back.) He likes hair flat, and due to the party moving from the back to the top but I like it. It can be dried with my hand shaking through it and a blow dryer. How easy it is to fix. LOVE it! I kind of wish I had my maroon hair coloring on it though.

Gabby likes to play with things while she is doing school and she sometimes get's a little distracted making things. Today when she was working on it she came in a plopped this little guy down on my desk.

I think he is cute! It helps that he is pink

Again today as Gabby was doing (supposed) to be doing school work she comes in and says to me ,"Mom, I have a lazy eye."

She is such a goofball. I guess that is one of the reasons I get along with her so well.

Hope you all have a great Saturday. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Some Home Ec

Today at lunch time Gabby said she was hungry and wanted a Big Mac. I told her we weren't going out to eat. She said well can I make my own here at home. I said sure so we got patties out of the freezer, she chopped up some spinach instead of lettuce and I always keep secret sauce in the fridge. (Doesn't everyone? )

We proceeded outside and I taught her how to fire up the grill and cook the perfect (or what we consider perfect for us) hamburgers.

This is what it looked like when she got it all put together

Pretty good job huh?

I know you are just dying to sing the theme song out loud.

Go for it, it will make you feel better.

This Gabby and her homemade Big Gab Burger!!

Can't wait till the next cooking, grill or baking class.

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Home Schooling

I had been doing online/homeschooling (using an online school program in our state) with Gabby since the beginning of the year. She has not been super thrilled about most of the work being on the computer and in her words it was boring, until last week.

After doing some research on programs that would give her the hands on that she wanted, the knowledge that she needs to get a good education but not cost a lot of money if any at all I found one. We are now using the K-12 program. After registering her into the school and filling out the needed paper work to get her started up the school was in touch with me through emails to get started right away. Supplies were sent within 4 days and continuing contact on all that was suppose to be happening.

True we are only a little over a week into it but it is so organized, all the supplies were delivered to us, they have online training for the Learning Coach (me), continuing learning classes to help me be able to help her learn and understand the material and a teacher ready to help at any time. LOVE IT!

The program is so organized and Gabby seems to enjoy it a lot. As her elective she is taking French as her foreign language (how fun is that!)

This is Gabby on Thursday morning as she was doing school work. The house was cold & I startled her when I took the picture

I Want To Marry You Cookies

I have a friend Melissa Stadler who I met a while back. She was a neighbor and my oldest daughters Young Woman leader. Melissa is not only beautiful inside but outside as well.

She had made my family some sugar cookies once and they were PURE heaven. Anyway Melissa has had a dream to be cooking contest winner. She was a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest in March. Recently she won another contest for the TV show called The Perfect 3.

I just had to share this with you wonderful blog followers.

Melissa was the winner on the show The Perfect 3. Take a few minutes to watch her segment. She did a great job!

This was posted on a wonderful blog written by Mary Younkon that I follow called Barefeet In The Kitchen. She has so many yummy recipes on her blog please go check it out.

When I asked Mary if I could post her post on my blog she said yes and that she has made these cookies twice and they were a hit both times.

I Want To Marry You Cookies

First of all, this is NOT your average chocolate chip cookie. I have run across several variations of this cookie in the past few months. This past weekend, I finally had the perfect opportunity to try them. I stayed as close to the original recipe as possible, in an effort to see what the fuss is all about. (As far as I can tell, the source below is the original author of this recipe.)

The thing that sets these cookies apart from every other chocolate chip cookie I’ve made is the melted butter. Such a small thing, but it has an enormous impact on the flavor. The best part of making these? Everything happens in a single pot. Easy cleanup makes this girl very happy.

The warm butter is blended together with the sugars and it creates a rich toffee flavor that I have never before tasted in a chocolate chip cookie. The cookies positively melt in your mouth. This is the BEST second day cookie I have ever made. They taste phenomenal warm from the oven and they taste ever better the next day. I froze several of them to see how they would handle it and they were excellent as soon as they thawed.

I’m not going to bother saying that these are the best chocolate chip cookies in the world, because everyone has their own opinion on what that would be. However, these are truly some of the best cookies that I have ever made. I can hardly wait to try a whole wheat variation.

I Want To Marry You Cookies

recipe just slightly adapted from Melissa Stadler, 2011

(The original recipe stated that it makes 2 dozen cookies. Apparently, I like very small cookies, because I wound up with 5 dozen small 2-3" cookies.)

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups AP flour

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (my note: the oats are not a strong flavor in these cookies, they provide a great texture, but they in no way make this an oatmeal cookie)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (my note again: this is barely discernible, but is adds a unique flavor to these cookies)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (the original recipe called for 1 cup semi-sweet and 1 cup white chocolate, however we are not big fans of white chocolate, so I simply used all semi-sweet)

In a large saucepan (I used a 6 quart pot), melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat and add the sugars. Stir until the sugars are well-incorporated and mostly smooth. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

While the mixture is chilling, mix together the dry ingredients and set aside. Remove the pot from the refrigerator and stir in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the chocolate chips and use your hands to make sure they are evenly distributed.

Roll by hand into 24 medium size balls or 50-60 smaller ones. Chill for at least 30 minutes. (I simply rolled them into balls and placed them on a couple of plates. Then I stacked the plates in the fridge until I was ready to bake them.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the cookie dough balls from the refrigerator and place them onto a large baking sheet a dozen at a time. Bake for 10-12 minutes, larger cookies will require an extra minute or two in the oven. Remove from the baking sheet immediately and cool on a wire rack.

When you make these I would love to hear how you liked them. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Proud Momma

Faith came home yesterday from school with two awards. The first was for Outstanding Student Class Award for Math and the second is for the Dean's Honor Roll. So proud of her!

I told her this is what she need's to keep doing so she can get her scholarship to BYU. Since she was little she has wanted to go to BYU and I think she will make it there!

2ND Award

Hugs, Bobbi Jo