Growing Up

Rebecca gave her first talk in church today.  She looked beautiful ... she wore a white dress Barb gave her and Emily (Emily wore it to 5th grade Recognition earlier this week) and wore her hair down (something she rarely does).  She researched and wrote the talk all on her own with a few guiding comments here and there from us last night.  She did an amazing job - we were all a little nervous for her because we knew she was a bit nervous.  But she did an amazing job - you never would have known she was nervous.  She was poised, calm, and spoke clearly, and GR and I were so impressed and proud of her! 

She wrote the talk in her journal but I wanted to preserve it here so we have another record of it.  

I was asked to speak on the topic "How the Holy Ghost can help me."   The Holy Ghost has been called many names: The Comforter, Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord and Spirit.  All of these names mean the same thing:  The third member of the Godhead, the one without flesh and blood, a still small voice.  The Holy Ghost is kinda like God's messenger.  God sends warnings and promptings through the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost delivers the message/prompting to us using a still small voice. 

The main job of the Holy Ghost is sending us the warnings and promptings of God. The Holy Ghost uses a still small voice when speaking to us, but when we ignore him, he will get progressively louder and louder, simply go away or both.  

After we are baptized we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, or as the scriptures say, "Baptism of fire."  This is when you officially receive the Holy Ghost, prior to this, the Holy Ghost would give a prompting every so often, but it would be infrequent.  Once we are confirmed however, the Holy Ghost is here to stay as long as we keep the commandments and obey the Lord's wishes, and remember what Helaman 4:24 says, "... the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples."  This is pretty straight forward;  the better you keep the commandments the easier it is to hear the Spirit, but if we offend the Spirit by sinning, then he will withdraw. 

I sometimes think of the Holy Ghost as a well oiled machine.  He works on faith and obedience.  When we are obedient and faithful the Holy Ghost still speaks with a still small voice,, but we are better able to hear it and recognize that it is from God. 

I am still learning how to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost in my life.  He has helped my family find lost things like keys, wallets and all the temple dedication tickets.  He has helped me feel calm, at peace, or have courage in a hard situation.

Once in Social Studies we were talking about the election and Mitt Romney. Because he (Mitt) is Mormon my teacher started to say things that were incorrect about the Church.  At first I wasn't sure if I should speak up and correct the teacher, but after I started thinking about it, the Holy Ghost filled me with enough courage to raise my hand and correct my teacher and the more I started talking the less scared I was and I corrected every wrong thing my teacher had said and even answered some of my classmates questions.  

The Holy Ghost also testified at the cultural celebration that I was seeing the Prophet of God.  And when I went to the temple after it was dedicated, He testified that I was in the House of the Lord.  

I bear you my testimony that if we keep the commandments and do what is right we will always have the Holy Ghost with us.

Amen. 

Twelve years has gone by so quickly, and I am constantly amazed at how blessed we are to be the parents to these astounding kids! 

Piano Recital

This past summer Rebecca started taking piano lessons from a friend of ours who is extremely accomplished and very good with tween/teens.  Saturday was the recital ... a dozen students each played 2-3 pieces.  

Rebecca performed three pieces near the end of the recital.  

I don't think Rebecca had any real idea what to expect - actually it's obvious when you watch her performance.  Heavens, she wanted to go in jeans and a t-shirt.  The only hint I had that she might be a tinge nervous or at all apprehensive was that she would only allow one of us to attend and I think she would have preferred us to just drop her off.  GR took the middle two to a chess tournament and I took Becca and the little ones to the recital.

She's doing really well and is continuing to stick with it. She is so excited to start playing Christmas music and it's time to get a little metronome to help her with her counting - so purest, I suggest not hitting the play button below.  

Anticipation

Rebecca and Emily are huge Percy Jackson fans.  We've been waiting nearly a year for book 2 of his 2nd Olympian series.  As a family we listened to book 1 on our way to DC for the Rally and to spend Halloween with GR's sister. 

We pre-odered it through the last school book order and I had to resist the temptation to buy it from the bookstore over the long weekend.  She got it today and the race is on.  Becca's done nothing else since the school bell rang ... nothing else, and I'm looking the other way.  GR couldn't wait and purchased the eBook for his phone a few days ago.  They will likely finish at about the same time.  I'm hoping the audiobook waiting list moves quickly so I can get in on the fun soon too!

Choir Concert

The 6th grade had a small performance this evening at the middle school.  It was one of the shortest performances I've been too, but it was delightful.  Anna and I went, as two others had soccer this evening and GR played Currier.  The theater was packed and thanks to some friends Anna and I got decent enough seats to record most of the two songs Rebecca's music class prepared.  We quickly learned that it is simply impossible for even half the parents to have a seat in the auditorium, making me extra glad that the entire family did not attempt to attend.

5th Grade Recognition

In a few short days, Rebecca will complete the 5th grade and at the end of the summer, move on to middle school.  She is super excited about this new phase.  Sunday was 5th grade recognition and we all attended an earlier Sacrament meeting so we could all be in attendance.  It was really fun to see how all the kids have grown over the years.  After passing out all the traditional awards, they showed a short PowerPoint with pictures of the kids through the years.  Rebecca got awards for reading and participating in Math and Chess Club and was recognized for having been at the school since Kindergarten.  

Tuesday is their last day and Rebecca is very excited about the 5th and 6th grade Fun Day the PTA has planned!  They are going to a movie at the theater, and then a catered lunch at a local park thanks to the PTA.  She is so excited to do this with her friends.  They have been planning out snacks for days, even calling the theater to find out how much the candy costs so she knows how much money to take with her.  She had a great time with her friends.  And the rain that was in the forecast held off until the very end of the picnic. 

{now starts the parental rant ... feel free to skip}

The movie started out as a major issue, but was thankfully resolved - not as perfectly as I would have liked, but resolved. 

Earlier in the month we got a letter outlining the last day of school activities for 5th graders who had exhibited appropriate behavior (staying out of the principals office, no missing assignments) - a movie at the local theater in the morning and then lunch at a park.  

The movie they picked for the 5th and 6th graders (and interestingly enough, the 9th graders at the Jr High too) is the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie ... PG-13.  When Becca's teacher asked if anyone in the classroom thought their parents would have a problem with the PG-13 rating, Rebecca and possibly one other child raised their hand.  I was livid to say the least that the teachers even considered this.  Parents of 6th graders during the last couple of years have raised eyebrows and in some cases voiced serious concerns about their child seeing a PG-13 movie in 6th grade.

The district doesn't organize this activity, one of the teachers sets it up with the local theater, but I've got to tell you I'm still stunned that for years a PG-13 movie has been acceptable.  In every other instance I can think of, the school has taken a ultra conservative approach to what the offer their students.  We have fall, winter and spring parties now because of religious differences, we can't take cupcakes or cookies for birthdays because kids get too much sugar [at home] and need to have healthy snacks, and I can't take a salad from Wendy's into the school lunch room, because fast food isn't allowed there ... but we can show 10-12 year olds a PG-13 movie. 

I called a friend whose daughter is good friends with Rebecca and has similar values and asked if she was planning to say anything or just keep her daughter home.  Then I emailed the 5th grade teachers asking to discuss the movie selection.  When I got there, the principal had already put a call into the movie theater to see if they could offer a PG movie alternative.  In the end, Becca and a very small number of other kids watched Rio and had a grand time.  I was pleasantry surprised that kids were torn between seeing Rio and Pirates; in the end most saw Pirates.  I really wish the outcome had been different. For it to have been a true win for me, I would have had to intercept it earlier, before the announcement, and pushed for the entire group to see Rio.  Thankfully, Rebecca was happy and excited to see a cool movie with friends and was a really good sport about the whole situation.  

As I left the principals office (never really giving my full concern or argument) I said, "And this won't be an issue next year will it? 'Cause I have more 5th graders come up the ranks and you'll have more families taking this position next year and the year after that too."  Apparently he'd really rather not do the movie activity at all and would rather do an educational camp type activity instead.  We'll see. 

But I'm adding Fun Day to my now-that-I-get-to-do-it-again-with-my-2nd-child list, cause I'd really rather not ride that roller coaster again.  

I'm also going to offer to help organize Emily's 5th grade recognition.  I really expected more out of this recognition.  They did all the usual stuff ... had the kids who'd been at the school since kindergarten stand, those with perfect attendance (2), those who'd done the reading program, participated in StuCo and other groups and clubs, but after awhile it got old seeing the same handful of kids getting awards.  Shallow I know, but they are asking parents and kids to spend an hour on a busy Sunday afternoon, make it worth their time.  

Every child should be recognized for some kind of achievement.  85-90% of the kids and their parents were there to simply get recognized for being in 5th grade.  It was frustrating to see such a small percentage of the 5th grade getting recognized when there were so many great kids who have accomplished and achieved great things this year.  I hope that next year we can have teachers and students handout awards of character, achievement and overcoming obstacles to the majority of the 5th graders.  There's got to be a way to recognize each 5th grader for more than being a warm body in a chair.  

Yet another item to add to my now-that-I-get-to-do-it-again-with-my-##-child list.

Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney

This morning was Rebecca's Wax Museum project.  It's both a reward as well as a graded project.  They had about a month to research a famous person, write a two page paper on them, then using their research paper, write a 2 minute speech and create a costume that represents the person.  The speech and costume were then used to put on a "Wax Museum" at the school.  5th grade students lined the hallways, spaced about 4 feet apart and (in theory) remained perfectly still, until a passerby pushed their button, animating their character.  

Most of the grades came through and learned about political figures, famous athletes, generals, scientists, business men and women and more.  Lots of parents and grandparents made their way through too.  GR's parents and my parents were able to come through and listened to lots of students recite their speeches.  Alex and Anna had a great time pushing buttons and making the characters come a live.  I am so glad I was able to go!  I wasn't sure I'd be able to go.  I'm working textbook buy back again this week, but they had plenty of people and I was able to shift my schedule around so I could help her get into her costume and watch her perform her speech a couple of times. I'm really looking forward to doing this again as each child get's to fifth grade!


Rebecca selected Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney, who is famous for not only being a plantation owner, but was instrumental in bringing indigo and silk (among other things) to the south, allowing Americans a local supplier other than China in the mid 1700s.  Rebecca was very passionate about Eliza and I couldn't have been more excited for Rebecca to learn about her - what a great woman to learn about and admire.  

For her costume we were able to re-purpose my sisters bridesmaid dress from my wedding.  Barbara was a few years older than Rebecca, but the only alterations the dress needed were two good tucks up in the back.  Mom and I cut and sewed and pined to transform that little dress to meet Rebecca's specifications.  And while it isn't exact, she was thrilled, and all the kids in her class, knew exactly who she was.  Everyone kept saying, "You look just like the picture in our social studies book!!" 

Happy Birthday Rebecca

Rebecca's birthday was a fun, fun day!  My parents made a last minute decision to drive out to spend the afternoon and evening with Rebecca.  Grandma Mum and Grandpa Bob had lunch with her at school.  Then Grandma Mutti and Grandpa Art surprised her with her birthday treat for the class.  She'd made a loaf of her special banana bread Sunday night and I made two more loaves for her so she'd have enough for everyone.  She was so excited about sharing this with her class.  So cute! 

We went to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants and returned home for cake and presents.  Sunday she told me she wanted a chess cake ... complete with molded pieces.  I asked if it would be okay if I made my interpretation of a chess cake and she agreed (thank heavens!).  It was no where near as elaborate as she first described.  But she was thrilled and it was a very, very yummy cake --- it was also HUGE and took four pounds of powdered sugar to make all the frosting.

She got very thoughtful gifts.  It's hard to shop for an eleven year old.  I found some cute hair accessories and church dresses for her that I hope will make Sunday's easier.  Her Aunt E. sent a water bottle filled with little girlie goodies.  Grandma Mum is taking her shopping for some summer clothes one school is out, and Grandma Mutti & Grandpa Art are giving her piano lessons, something she's desperately wanted for quite some time.  So we're now on the hunt for a teacher. 

Rebecca is an amazing kid, she is talented, bright, ambitious, out going, friendly, courteous, creative, determined, head strong.  She continues to love to read and has been learning how to knit.  She has been working on learning how to cook meals.  She's had two making dinner solo for the family experiences (spaghetti) that were good learning experiences for her.  We love having her in our family.  It's been amazing to see her mature over this past year and start to stand on her own two feet.  Next year will be middle school and we are looking forward to the opportunities it will provide her. 

State Chess Tournament

Friday night and Saturday were spent traveling and participating in the state chess tournament with the three big kids.  We left the little ones with Grandma and Grandpa, knowing they would have a better time with them than with us and that made the entire experience much easier. 
 

State chess is for grades K-12 and is held at different schools in different towns each year.  There were TONS of kids participating.  Sam competed with 105 K-3rd graders, taking 43rd place, winning three of his six rounds (his best tournament so far!).  Rebecca and Emily both did well, each winning 2 of their 6 games, but ended up near the bottom of their grouping.  They were disappointed they didn't do well enough to metal.  But each of our kids did much better in this tournament than previous tournaments and that is something we are very proud of them for.  They were confident and didn't get rattled at all by the number of other kids participating.  Before Becca and Emily's first round started, a kid came out and threw up in the trash can outside the playing room, his stomach in knots with nerves.   

This was our first year attending the state tournament and I think in the end we decided that as long as the kids enjoyed it, it was worth the investment of time and money*.  We are continuing to look for ways to help the children better understand how to play chess, specifically helping them understand and identify classic patterns and how they play out.  I'm learning this is critical to doing well consistently, and something that truly comes with practice.  Nevertheless, I'm on the look out for a good chess book or two for kids (either geared toward them, or for adults to help teach children the game) to purchase with my supply of Borders gift cards before they are worthless ... if you have any recommendations, send them my way.  One I've looked though and like, although it's a bit advanced for my kids at their current stage, is "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess." 

  

* For the sake of family history ... typical tournaments cost $7/child as an entrance fee. State did not have an entrance fee.  Then there is food.  Much to the childrens annoyance, we do not purchase items from the concession stand.  It just isn't practical financially.  We typically pack snacks, water, and purchase lunch off site ... 2 $5 pizzas or at state, we purchased Subway sandwiches, which doubled as our dinner.  Since this tournament was 3.5 hours away, we stayed in a hotel Friday night to the tune of ~$100.  And then there is the gas money ... ~$3.20/gallon.  As for the time commitment ... you arrive at the tournament at 8:30am and you're there until 4:30 or a bit later.  Add to that travel time if it isn't local (and we are very blessed to have most of our tournaments close by) ... and that's a serious amount of time spent in a school commons.    

Dig It and still Learning Lessons

For months, the fifth grade has been working on their music program, Dig It: Traveling through Ancient Civilizations, and last night they finally got to perform it.  It was fun and the kids did a great job ... least you think I always say that, word is that the 4th grade was totally and completely ill prepared for their program (yes, Emily's that I sadly missed because I double booked myself).  Apparently, it was bad.  Really bad. 

But back to Dig It ... Rebecca and the girls in her class had the part of Egyptian Princesses.  In December Rebecca started telling me I was to sew 8 white Egyptian dresses for the girls in her class to wear for the performance.  I was doing no such thing, until I saw a note from the music teacher outlining costume needs for the program.  By Tuesday when I hadn't heard anything official, I emailed the music teacher.  The girls were to wear heavy eye make-up and had talked about some kind of headband/head dress, but hadn't really decided what it would be.  They wanted more, but didn't really know what.  

The internet mixed with desperation provided two "do-able" costume options I felt I could duplicate eight times in two days.  I wanted something I could bang out in an hour.  The headdress in this YouTube video fit my criteria ... Gold Jumbo RicRac and safety pins.  All the Egyptian costumes I saw had gold or colorful collars.  Using white butcher paper I made a collar similar to what I saw as a test.  We colored it jewel toned markers and added three tin foil diamond jewels to the front.  Cute and quick.  I emailed the teacher offering to do these two options for the kids, suggesting that we use the butcher paper at the school, orange or yellow, to make solid color collars for the kids to make.  

As you can see, the teacher took me up on my offer ... you'll also notice that the collars are NOT a solid color.  I did not stand my ground.  And I can't articulate why, other than I was in a hurry.  Wednesday after school I stopped in the office to show the music teacher the collar and get paper.  I had 15 minutes to get what I needed, pick up kids and get Sam to a dentist appointment.  The music teacher took one look at the collar I made - stripes and all - and never heard a word I said about, "What solid color would you like the kids to wear?  Orange?  Green is pretty.  What about blue?"   "I really like the stripes."  ... this is where I should have stood my ground.  I should have said ... Yes, I like how it turned out too, but I don't have time for stripes.  I have time for a solid color.  Which one would you like me to use?  ... instead I said.  "Well, we could layer them I guess."  

Despite the hours I put into them, and how upset I was at myself for not standing up for myself and sticking to what I knew I could do and handle, I am pleased with how they turned out.  Most of the girls happily wore them, and they did exactly what we needed them to, simply and inexpensively transform the girls (with the hugely helpful aid of their make-up) into Egyptians.  The time wasn't a total waste.  I reinforced the "seam" used to get the collar on and off with packing tape and they were reused the same night by the sixth graders.  Mrs. A is planning to laminate them for future years.  

I'm keeping this in mind for future Halloween costumes. 

FYI - The tin foil diamond shaped jewels ... I colored the tin foil with a gold maker (the bold colors of Crayola markers), covered it with packing tape so the marker wouldn't come off, and then cut the shape out gluing it on with a glue stick.  Surprisingly effective. 

And the Winner is ...

 

Saturday evening, we had our annual chili cook-off at church.  This year everyone wanted to enter the contest.  Rebecca and Emily looked through chili recipes with Grandma and Grandpa Wednesday afternoon and brought 5 or 6 they were considering.  They each choose a recipe to make Saturday morning, and with a little help from Dad, made their chilies on their own.  Sam and I made cornbread muffins and I also made Baby Ruth Bars.  We were totally surprised when the votes were counted and Rebecca and Sam both won!!  Rebecca won first place for her spicy chili and Sam, for cornbread!!   

This continues to be a favorite ward activity and since we weren't up against a basketball game, we had amazing participation ... 19 pots of chili were entered!!  And from what I hear from the judges, they were all really good.  No wonder the counts were close in each of the categories.  
 

Rube Goldberg

For the last five weeks, Rebecca has been working on a science project with a partner. The task, build a Rube Goldberg machine.  Basically, combine 6 simple machines, using three of Newton's laws of motion, to perform a simple task ... move a soda can a meter, pop a balloon, knock over a row of dominoes, etc..  

The girls settled on removing a lid from an applesauce jar, and pouring the apple sauce into a bowl as their task, and put together a plan.  Once they had a plan, a design, a phone call to Grandpa Bob (who should get all the adult credit for insuring this project happened) was made.  Rebecca really wanted the jar lid to be sealed, but I was able to convince her that for this project an unsealed lid would be sufficient.  Maybe for their 8th grade Rube Goldberg project they will figure out how to remove a sealed lid from a canning jar.  

Alex, Anna and I went up with GR to see the projects in action.  So cool. So fun.  There were some really ingenious projects done with very, very simple materials.  I wish I had pictures and video of all of them, but there were so many!  The 5th graders presented their projects to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade classes who came to see the three 5th grade classes machines in action.  

Here's Becca's project in action, followed by two classmates projects:

The Girls

Picture of my girls snapped last night before bed. So cute!!  Emily right now is all about hair ... has been for most of this school year.  It's always fun to see how she's braided or done up her hair for the day. 

I made the dress Anna is wearing Monday afternoon melding two different tutorials out there, this tutorial for the pattern, and this for the embellishments. I'll write more about the dress on my TS blog in the coming weeks.

Petite Chefs

Rebecca started planning her birthday party in December.  With the move, we finally had to tell her we couldn't discuss the party plans until April 1st.  For most of April party plans were being discusses right and left with modifications being given almost as quickly ... I don't think the plans were truly decided on until right before the party ... our conversations went something like this ... 

yes cake decorating would be a great idea, 
we can bake pizzas too, 
I don't see how there's time to bake cookies too, 
no a competition would not be a good idea, even if Emily and Halle are going to be the judges, and I don't think teams are a great idea either, let's just let everyone do their own, okay?
if you're going to invite 8 of the 10 girls in your class, you should invite all of them, I understand they don't all get along, if they don't want to come that's their choice.
you're going to have to choose between watching a movie and all these other things you want to do, I don't think a six hour party is going to work, honey. 
ooohh sequins monograms would be lovely, but not at $6 a letter. 

In the end she settled on a handful of girls, her good chums from school, to come for a night of cake decorating, making pizzas and well, eating and giggling.  It was one of the best birthday parties we've held, by way of my personal enjoyment and stress level, and the girls had a great time.  

We had a 6" cake for each girl to decorate with lots of candies and icing and sprinkles.  They also decorated cupcakes which we used as Rebecca's birthday cake at the end of the party.  While the girls decorated their cakes, I made pizza dough so they could each make their own personal pizza for dinner.  

Becca and I toyed with the idea of decorating aprons but that quickly became cost and time prohibited, so I opted to make the girls aprons, and I'm so pleased I did.  The end result was so much better than anything I could have hoped for.  To make them a bit more fun, I made each girl a little flower pin using scraps from the aprons and coordinating fabrics.  I love this tutorial!   


While the girls and I were doing the party, GR took the four other kids to dinner, and then Mother's Day shopping.  Becca got upset that she didn't get to go out to dinner, and Emily and Sam were sad they didn't get to decorate cakes.  How do you win?!

I'm hoping I can figure out how to help the this summers birthday parties be just as fun and easy going for us and the kids.  For sure we need to have one for Emily.  The poor kid hasn't had a birthday party with friends, that I can remember since she was three or four maybe.  So, this is the year, wish me luck that I don't get totally wiped out by the rest of the summer and poop out. 

Double Digits

[A couple of years ago my mother started sending email announcements to the extended family about birthdays. Her hope was that this would be a unifying exercise given that both sides of the extended family -- my mothers family and my fathers family -- live all over creation. Her secret dream is that the email announcement will spur family members to send either personal or public "shout outs" to the individual celebrating their birthday or anniversary.]

Today, Rebecca is 10! I sent my family the following spot light on Rebecca and decided to include it the blog ... enjoy and feel free to add your own insights about Rebecca in the comments.

Rebecca is a hands on creator. She is constantly making something out of anything and everything she can find ... paper, fabric, boxes and cans from the recycling bin, etc. Right now she has two different quilts pinned together on the floor of the craft room. [quilt she made last year, and another she did the year before] Rebecca also enjoys designing things on the computer. Using Microsoft Publisher to design invitations, books, labels, business cards, fliers, etc.

Rebecca is an avid reader and excellent student. She caught on to reading quickly as a kindergartner and fell in love with the Junie B. Jones series. Since then she's found lots of favorites ... All of the Ramona Quimby books, both Penderwick books, Judy Moody is another favorite. But recently, Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian has been her books of choice. She read all four books in two weeks. Rebecca is one who will re-read books. They are her good friends, and when she finds a book she loves, she will read it again, and again.

Rebecca is a planner. Birthdays, vacations, etc. When she wants to do something she plans it all out her in head with very detailed ideas about how she wants things. She and her friends had her birthday party planned by mid-January this year.

Back in early March she started planning our family garden ("her" garden, as she calls it). She called her primary teacher for advice on what fruit trees to plant in Kansas (we're holding off on this stage of the garden). She then called my visiting teacher & her husband, avid gardeners too, for advice on what to plant - even arranged for them to come over and advise us on where to plant, making a list of their suggestions of what to grow in Kansas. And she called her Great Grandfather to talk with him about gardening and started reading the book he published about gardening.


Rebecca has always been a black and white, right or wrong kind of kid. She works hard to figure out how to do something correctly and she will not deviate from it. She is not easily intimidated by adults or peers and freely speaks her mind.

Since a young toddler Rebecca has taught us the importance of making people feel loved and accepted. She is an incredible example of being a friend, and extending a hand of fellowship to all she knows. She says hello to everyone. She is always excited to see you, and will greet you with a smile, hug and ask you how you are. Even if she only met you for a brief moment, she will remember you and excitedly greet you the next time you see each other (and remind you how you know each other if necessary).

Last night Rebecca was asked by a member of our Stake Presidency to speak in Stake Conference today. She was asked to share her favorite scripture about the Savior, share why and bare her testimony [side note: 10 members - 2 each: primary, youth, young adult, male, female - were asked to do this, along with a member of the stake presidency. Becca was one of the two primary children, and she was the youngest].

Last night she excitedly accepted, but this morning her confidence was gone and she was a puddle of tears; scared, nervous and completely unsure of what to share. Thanks to calm assurances from her parents, a phone call to her primary teacher, and the answer to GR and I's silent fervent prayers that the spirit would bring peace and calm to her heart, she began to prepare and choose a scripture they recently studied in her primary class. She wrote a few key words down as notes, and shared her scripture and testimony in Stake Conference this afternoon. She didn't even get flustered when she realized that the scriptures she had marked and put her notes in didn't make it in the car and she had to write out her notes again.

The scripture she shared was: Mark 14:21-25. So fitting for a 10 year old who 2 years ago was baptized and has such a vivid memory of her baptism, and the covenants she made in that ordinance, and renews each Sunday when she partakes of the sacrament. Her testimony was basic, simple, as all first testimonies are.

Rebecca is a pretty mature 10 year old. She is asked to shoulder a lot of responsibilities in our family. Even today we needed to celebrate with a birthday breakfast rather than our traditional birthday dinner because GR had BYC and was the speaker for the tri-ward Bishops devotional for the youth tonight. She bravely and maturely agreed to have her birthday dinner Monday night instead of Sunday night. No need to feel too poorly for her. We celebrated in style this morning with pancakes, sweet rolls, all her favorite fresh fruits, sausage and donuts!

She opened her presents in a small break this evening before GR left for the church. While he was gone, the girls and I put Rebecca's new bedding on her bed. Her new favorite color is green, and everything she got today was green (with a couple minor exceptions). Green scriptures, green sports watch (that will show military time), green sheets, green bedspread, green print pillowcases (made using this tutorial, but awaiting the crocheted trim), and some fun new artwork (from this website) for that big blank wall!

Little Orphan Annie

Our last school music program was tonight. The fourth and fifth grade did their 'broadway' selection together and did an amazing job, as always. They did a very, very truncated version of Annie. From start to finish the entire show lasted 18 minutes. There were lots of speaking parts and solos to pass around to the kids. And lots of costumes for them to come up with ... among our favorites, President Roosevelt, the Rockets, Babe Ruth, Mobsters, King Kong, Lady Liberty. Most of the kids dressed up as orphans, newsboys, flappers, or hobos. Rebecca had a small singing part, as Molly, one of the kids in the orphanage, so we created an orphan costume, using these as inspiration. With some layering and a smock made with calico I had, I think she turned into a pretty good little orphan.

Wednesday night we tested the smock I made along with the piece from the closet we were layering together to see if the ensemble would pass as an orphan.

With some finishing and a little embellishment we had ourselves an orphan. Here she is with some of her good friends from class. The gal on the far left, had the part of Annie. Rebecca singing her solo.

The Cakes

It took a while and one had to wait until tonight to be eaten, but they each made their own cakes without the other interfering and they were delicious.

Emily's Quick Tunnel of Fudge Cake was a favorite Sunday night:
Rebecca's Buttermilk Devil's Food Cake w/ White Chocolate Frosting made the perfect end to Family Home Evening:

Chili Cook-off 2010

Ever since Emily got wind that the ward was hosting a Chili Cook-off she has requested to enter a pot in the contest. She complicated things this week by saying she wanted to make a unique chili - something different than my standard recipe. Something we've never made before is fine, but I wanted to make sure she would eat her chili too. I also wanted the recipe to be simple enough that she could literally make the chili all by herself. After consulting the one cookbook left on the self, and my Southern Living magazine, we found a recipe that fit all the criteria.

Emily's chili was really terrific, although it didn't even hit the judges radar screen. There was a lot of stiff competition this year, even with our attendance more than half what it typically is, (there was a big basketball game tonight between the two rival Kansas teams! thankfully our team pulled it out in the end, but man was it close!) Emily's chili was quite a hit with the audience members who tried it and she got LOTS of complements from them. It's a simple chili with great flavor and texture. It can be made with ground turkey, but since I forgot we had ground turkey in the freezer, she used the ground beef I knew about in the freezer.

Turkey-Black Bean Chili (from Jan. 2010, Southern Living)

(From SL) Black Bean Chili using meat crumbles or ground round received a "definitely a keeper" comment from our readers when we first shared it. Here is our update using ground turkey.

3 (15-oz.) cans black beans
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 lb ground turkey (or ground round)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 ((14 oz.) can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers (we used one plain can, and one with green chilies)

Topping options: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeno peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, lime wedges, corn chips.

Drain and rinse 2 cans blacks beans (do not drain or rinse the third can.)
Saute chopped onion and ground turkey in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, 8-10 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in chili powder and next three ingredients; saute 1 minute. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Serve chili with desired toppings.

A fun addition to this years contest categories, cornbread. Hearing Emily was going to make something for the ward activity, Rebecca wanted to make something too. It took her a while, but she finally settled on cornbread muffins and made an excellent batch that was quickly gobbled up. It went up against Native American fry bread in the competition and didn't stand a chance! Someone brought homemade walnut honey butter - oh so very, very scrumptious, especially on Becca's great muffins.

* * * *
Today was a crazy day. It's our last weekend before the big move. Alex had a birthday party this morning, Kathy came and helped me pack boxes for most of the morning, and GR and I took a couple good sized loads to the basement of the new house. My Mom has been here all week long. She came to help with the kids so I can make better use of my time during the day. She was suppose to go back yesterday, because of assignments she had a home, but realized that since she was coming right back on Sunday, it wasn't worth the 10 hours in the car. And so she stayed. This morning, she got royally sick and has been in bed since about 9:30. This afternoon, GR and a friend gave her a priesthood blessing, and she says she's feeling a bit better but man, whatever she has, has really hit her hard! She did ask that we save her some of Emily's chili and one of Becca's muffins so she could try them.

ETA: Sunday morning about 3am, Mom woke up, felt up to eating a bit, and ate Emily's chili with Becca' muffin, and went back to bed. She was a bit slow moving today, but felt so much better. She said that in the blessing GR gave her, he said something to the effect of, ' this infection is going to take some time for you to recover from, but don't worry, we will be taken care of.' This has been so true.

My Brunch Bakers

I'm enlisting the girls in helping me do some of the brunch baking this year. They are loving it and doing a fantastic job. They tested a new pan I found that does mini bundt cakes. The portion size is perfect - smaller than an actual slice - perfect for the brunch. Invitations go out via evites this weekend. If I happen to miss you - please come anyway - December 12th, 9-11am @ GR's Mom's house.



Mini-Orange Zest Cakes:

Their latests craft obsession

In the last week or so these perler craft beads have been the kids craft of choice after school. We've had quite the neighborhood craft circle as kids crowd the dining room table making shape, after shape, after shape. Above is just a small sample of what they made - 7 kids can really crank out a lot of designs! It's a super cheap craft they can do (other than the melting with the iron) by themselves and doesn't take any prep work on your end.

The multicolored circle was made by Alex. I was shocked he finished it when I put the group of green ones in the center for him. Don't you love the end result?! The two squares are Sam's; the dolphin Emily's and the bottom heart, Rebecca's. Some of these are getting shipped to Sister Aunt Barb who's birthday was earlier in the week and her box is still sitting waiting for a few more treasures before it get's shipped off to sunny California.

If you're considering these activity beads for you kids, might I provide a few tips ... since over the last year and half that these beads have been apart of my kids craft cupboard, my approach has evolved.

• First, melt the daylights out of those beads - you want them completely fused together, otherwise they break very easily.
  
• Second, in comparison to some of their other crafts of choice (paint, glue, clay/playdough, etc.), the mess here is minimal ... I should explain that those beads end up everywhere ... but I no longer get down on my hands and knees and search for every bead, sorting them back into their little compartments. Whatever the kids don't get picked up gets sucked up by the vacuum, thank goodness for vacuum hose attachments
• Third, all projects must be finished, no unfinished projects sitting on the buffet for weeks and weeks getting knocked about. They are now, either finished right then and there, or they are dumped back into the bucket.
• Fourth, encourage your children to give their creations as gifts ... that way someone else has to figure out what to do with all these masterpieces. They make fun "sun catchers" for your windows, key chains, and coasters.
  

Kids Cooking School - Banana Bread

Near the end of last school year the girls came home with a recipe box from grandma's house. The box had kid friendly recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc. This summer they have perfected one of the recipes from the box and it has become their go-to recipe when they are looking for something constructive to do and all the ingredients are on hand.



It's been a great learning experience for them, and teaching opportunity for me.

In the first week they made over 10 loaves of banana bread. The girls are learning as they go ...

• it is possible to make this recipe without using 7 bowls.
  
• a wire whisk works just as well and is faster than a sifter
  
• scrap all the ingredients into the main mixing bowl - don't leave anything behind
  
• when using all natural peanut butter, don't pour off the oil at the top of a new jar.
  
• cleaning up the kitchen is part of the cooking/baking process, you don't get to leave that part to someone else.
  
• it's best to clean up the kitchen while the bread is baking, so you can enjoy eating it when it comes out of the oven.

Yesterday after school, the girls made a batch for their teachers. The whole process is so much easier to sit through now than when they first started! It's quite exciting to watch the girls learn and get better and better at making this recipe. And their work has received rave reviews from everyone they've given loaves to!



Monkey's Favorite Banana Bread
2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 small egg, well beaten
1 mashed up banana
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

Remove butter and egg from refrigerator, 1 hour before using. Grease 4x2x1-1/2" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a square of waxed paper. Set aside. With wooden spoon, cream butter, gradually adding sugar. Add beaten egg and mix well. Mash banana with fork or potato masher. Blend well with peanut butter. Add dry ingredients alternately with mashed banana mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 35 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a fork in the center - if the fork comes out clean, it's done. Let cool in pan on cooling rack 10 minutes before turning out. Refrigerate batter for up to 4 days. Makes 3 - 4x2x1-1/2" loaves. Makes 2 - 5-3/4x3x2-1/8" loaves.

Double recipe to make a full size loaf.

This recipe creates a very nice, moist yet light bread. Very different than the dense banana breads I'm use too.

I want to try using Soybutter or Sunflower butter in place of the peanut butter so we can use it school and give loaves of it to our peanut allergy friends. Anyone experimented with it?