Happy Birthday to my 26 year old daughter...

Here is a four generation picture! It seems like only a few years ago when Jamie was a little girl. Now, today she is turning 26 years old and has her own daughter and is such a wonderful Mommy to Kylie. Jamie was born in Oklahoma City during a huge ice storm that hit the city. I was in love with her from the very beginning and when the hospital tried to send me home without her because she was jaundice I told them no way! Lucky for me insurance companies had a heart back then!

Jamie has always been a goal setter and has accomplished great things in her young life. She has so many talents and does things with those talents. She has great enthusiasm for life and is a go-getter! She is one of my best friends and I love her and would do anything for her.

Happy Birthday to a wonderful young woman!

I'll love you forever~ I'll like you for always...

As long as I'm living my baby you'll be...

Cold Weather

Just a little weather update. I was watching the weather report and they were telling us that this has been the coldest winter in fifteen years! On Monday I went to the gym at 8:15 a.m. and my car thermometer read -5! And I am here and am living through it! I love the snow and woke up to a few more inches this morning! The roads were very slick but Cara got her Seminary crew to school safely! We have had over a 100 inches of snow already and have two more months to go! I will really miss the snow and driving in it, as well. I know that sounds crazy but I LOVE the winter. Actually, I love all the seasons and what they all offer. But, right now I'm in heaven!!!

Yummy recipe

I wanted to share a yummy bread recipe that my friend Jenni McInnes gave me. I tried it when she had a group of us over during the fall.
Here it is, Jamie~~
Sausage Bread:
4 cups flour
1Tb. yeast
1 Tb. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tb. oil
1 1/2 cups warm water (not too hot!)
Stir together:
1 lb. cooked sausage
1 cup of onion
1 cup grated white cheese
Mix water, oil, sugar & salt into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the flour and the yeast, stir. Add browned sausage/onion (already cooled) and cheese. Stir. Add remaining two cups of flour. Leave in bowl. DO NOT knead. Stir down every ten minutes-do this five times. Divide dough into thirds. Form into round loaves. Put on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let raise. (Check after 30 minutes-maybe even minutes.)
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Serve with cream cheese ( I use the light stuff~ I hope that makes a difference!) This really is yummy-licious. Do not slice~ break off in chunks.
This is super easy to make and is a crowd pleaser.

Moving on!

I'm not even sure where to begin! We have had nothing but wonderful memories in our home here in Kalamazoo, MI. Last week I got a call from our last realtor and she wanted to know if we were interested in selling our home! Long story short~she showed it last Saturday and in a few days we had an offer! I'm not sure if any of you read the newspaper or watch the news but Michigan's economy is one of the worst in the entire nation. In our part of our state~ families are leaving it at a rate of fifty a week! That number is up even higher than last year!!! So to say this is a tender mercy from the Lord is a mild statement. I also feel that it is a test for me as I love, LOVE being back in our home and the stability that I enjoy just being here. People have been so wonderful and suppor-tive to us since we have returned. The test for me is do I love my home more than I do my husband/family? I don't want to sound too melodram-atic but this is how I feel. I don't want to have my life changed nor my address for that fact! But, how can I deny feeling that the hand of the Lord is right there in my life. When so many families are losing their jobs, homes, life-threatening illnesses the list goes on and on. I will trust that the Lord has a better plan for me. It doesn't matter that Cara and I are uprooted again. We will survive and make the best of it. The best is yet to come, I know this and have put my faith in the Lord and know all will work out for the best. Cara and I will live in a rental until June. She will have graduated from her high school and I will be able to finish teaching my seminary class. Who knows what the future holds. But, at least we know that we will be able to be with Rick/Dad again in June. If it is in Washington or wherever we'll be able to live as a family. Keep us in your prayers.

Inauguration day 2009

I'm not sure that I have seen a front loader move snow before in our neighborhood!

I just got my hair done! I'm loving it!

More snow pictures

Cara and Rick and Cathy in the snow.

Cool angle of the house!

Cara burrowing thru the snow piles!! tons of it!!

Rick & Cara building our electric snowman.


Cara helping with the snowman.

Snowy Sunday

Here is the house with the Christmas lights. Rick burrowing through the snow. We got a ton as you can see.

Our Electric Snowman~ have you even seen one?

Our totatlly loaded out trees!

Utah wins!

We had the zone over for the Utah v.s. Alabama game last week! Apparently, the mission president thinks football is good for the missionaries to view! It was a fun evening!

Rick and Cathy happy about the Utes winning the big game! It was one awesome football game!

We had two hours to prepare food for eight elders! One of the things I did was make "red" popcorn, salsa & red punch among other yummy foods! Go Utes!!!

holiday visitors!

Janelle wanted us to meet her boyfriend, Erick. We had a fun evening playing games!

Kelsey and Jan-Jan and Cara. We love having visitors and rekindling friendships!

Kelsey, Janelle, Cathy and Serena. Two of my old Laurels (actually all were!) Both Janelle and Serena served missions and are such awesome girls!!!!

Serena, Cathy and Shane came to visit us. We are just missing their brother Trevor who is serving his mission in Arizona. Shane will turn his papers in ... in February.