First Day of School

Today is the first day of school. Britni is a Sophomore, Daniel is 8th Grade, Jacob is 6th Grade, Benjamin is 3rd Grade and Samuel is 1st Grade. So far they have all come home happy. The older boys with homework. Daniel and Jacob decided to catch colds before school started. How lucky for them.

So what did I do all day? Yep, that's right. I cleaned and rearranged furniture in my house. Mainly cleaning though. That literally took the whole entire time they were gone today. I hope tomorrow to enjoy a little bit of the solitude though. I will probably be freezing corn tomorrow afternoon.

Here are their pics from this morning.

The rest of the Fair Results and Recipes

Jacob did very well at the Dog Show on Saturday. However, it was so hot that the dogs just didn't want to cooperate by the afternoon. He got Grand Champion and 1st place ribbon for Showmanship in his division. Then he got white (3rd) for obedience and white (3rd) for judging (this is where the kids judge the leaders doing obedience with dogs). He also got Blue Ribbon (1st) for his educational poster (which I did mostly) and a blue ribbon (1st) for his presentation of the poster (he did on his own). His poster was selected to go to the state fair, however, someone splashed water on it while it was hanging up at the Dog Show. So that is a bummer but those things happen. He also got a Red ribbon (2nd) on his 4-H Record Book. Which is funny considering his writing isn't the greatest. I am happy that Jacob did so well. He plans on doing it again this next year. He was only in the dog classes for 4 months before this Dog Show. He should do much better next year. As long as he trains his dog for 10 minutes a day.

Now for a couple of the cookie recipes that I entered. I have been asked by one of my AWESOME Sister-in-laws to post the recipes.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cereal Drops

1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 cup White Sugar
2 cups peanut butter (If I use Crunchy P.B. I will add a little extra)
4 cups Cheerios, cornflakes, or any non sugar cereal

In a large saucepan over medium heat cook syrup and sugar for 7-8 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add peanut butter; stir until dissolved then fold in the cereal and mix until well coated. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper. Cool for 1-2 hours and store in an airtight container.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

Preheat oven to 350.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup craisins

Cream together butter, shortening, sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, salt together and add to creamed mixture. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips and craisins. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheets (I don't think I greased mine and they were still o.k.)

Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

I altered this recipe and I hope I remembered everything that I altered. The recipe actually calls for 1 cup brown sugar but I usually use more brown sugar than white sugar because I like that flavor better for cookies. That's just me though. ;) Play with it and let me know what you think.

Personally I couldn't believe some of the judges comments. I'm really glad that I entered just for fun and that I know I'm an awesome cook anyway!! :) Have a great Monday!!!

Klickitat County Fair Results for us! :)

Well, Britni entered about 12 pictures into the fair under the youth open category. Daniel entered his favorite sugar cookies with icing in the youth open baking category. I entered my favorite chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip craisin cookie, peanut butter cereal cookie and chocolate zucchini bread in the adult open category and Jacob yesterday had a prequalifier for 4-H dog show.

The results are in from yesterday!! Britni: 7 Blue Ribbon (1st), 4 Red Ribbon (2nd) and 1 White Ribbon (3rd)

Daniel: 1 Blue Ribbon (1st)

Mom: 1 Blue Ribbon (1st), 2 Red Ribbon (2nd) and 1 White Ribbon (3rd)

Jacob: 1 White Ribbon (3rd) He was 2 points away from a Red Ribbon!! Considering he has only been in the dog 4-H for 4 months and never trains his dog, that is pretty good.

This is just a prequalifier for Jacob. The real obedience, showmanship and judging show will be on Saturday. I told him if he wants to do better he should train her today. So far no training has been done. He's kind of a procrastinator.

I am very happy with all the results and so are the kids!! It was so much fun just to enter. I don't really care about the ribbons because I know my food is "Good Mood Food" :) That is all that matters!! :)

It has been quite a busy week. I can't wait until Fair is over with!! But then school starts next week. :) Yea!! Have a great weekend. I'll keep you posted on Jacob's progress on Saturday! :)

Recouped and Ready to go!!

O.K. so I think I am recouped from Girls Camp. This week Jacob had some 4-H stuff due for the Fair. He did a poster about K-9 Dogs. I did the poster while he did his record book. He also did a presentation and got a Blue Ribbon for it!! Yea Jacob! He will be in the Dog Show at the Fair this weekend. I am thinking of entering some baked goods. Britni is entering some pictures that she has taken. It should be a fun weekend.

Britni starts soccer practice tomorrow! She had a parent meeting last week and got registered!! She's excited.

We went school supply shopping and the boys packed up their backpacks the same night!! They are a little excited to start school but won't until August 31st.

Not much else going on. Really grateful for all that I have!! I am truly blessed!!

P.S. Lynn outdid himself yesterday with the house chores. Between painting the pump house and the trim around the house. Then he defrosted both freezers and planted strawberries. Busy guy!! :)

Back from Girls Camp Tired and Sore but Happy!!

Girls Camp was really nice this year. It was relaxing, spiritual and fun. We packed up Monday morning and headed to Camp Zarahemla which is by Clear Lake up past Yakima. It took us about 2 hours to get there. We unloaded the girls and got registered and then had our flag ceremony and then camp time to decorate the camp and get settled before all the activities. We were the Pirates seeking treasure. So I had some pirate decoration that we put up. Being the 4th year girls leader is great. They already know the basics and they are a great help with decorating or anything else I need. That night we had Singing Trees as our special spiritual experience. This is where each ward practices a song and then they go out into the woods in a circle and shine our light and sing our song then turn out our light and the next ward sings their song. It was a little crazy when the girls couldn't remember where they were going but then they found the path and led the way. :) It was nice. Then the 4th years did their star gazing certification. I had a great certification leader Aimee McCall who was on the ball. All the girls got certified this year. Yea!!

Then Tuesday night we had classes during the day that the YCL's either taught or had someone else teach. The classes were on Journals, being One in a Million, Individual Worth and etc. they were spiritual and great. We had 4 non members at camp and it was great to see them feel the spirit and ask questions. That night we had a special fireside with one of the leaders. It was on Seeking good things.

Wednesday we had more classes during the day. On the Atonement, fun modest dressing, enduring challenges, and eternal perspective. The afternoons usually had Kapers (chores around camp) and then Unit time and then certification time and then 3-4 hours of Free Time. There was canoeing and lots of fun crafts everyday. I made some really cute clipboards, journals, bookmarks, and magnets. :) That night was our Skit night. We decided to do our skit based on the book Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies!! We were seeking Knowledge. It was great. The girls did a great job!!

Thursday was the day the 1st and 2nd years went on a 5 mile hike. The 3rd years did their orienteering and the 4th years did their High Adventure!! We went horseback riding. I have been on a horse before but never riding trails in the woods. It was quite the experience for me. I figure I was the entertainment that's for sure. I was on a pretty painted horse named Romeo. I can tell you he's no Romeo. He had a mind of his own. I am not aggressive enough to really control him but I survived. You see he liked to scratch his belly on little trees. Then he liked to go really slow down the embankments then liked to gallop up the embankments. He didn't like to be too far behind the other horses and trotted to catch up. (Can you say sore bottom?) :) Then he decided to go off the trail and in the process of trying to get him back on the trail, he hit a tree. But it didn't hurt him. I got him backed up. I think Grandmother Rayborn was helping. She always loved painted horses so I know she had to be there helping inept me out. :) After 2 hours of riding, I was pretty stiff and sore. I'm such a weenie!! :) But it was fun and beautiful scenery!!

Thursday night was also the night hike and testimony meeting along with a special talk by a member of the Stake Presidency. IT was a very long night. The night hike was really interesting. The YCL's act as women in history who overcame tragedy and challenges and seek for a better life. Doris Day, Mother Teresa, Marie Curry, and others. It was very interesting and spiritual. We also had a YCL explain what testimonies are and how we should bear them. So when testimony meeting came along there was actually not very many who actually bore them. I'm not sure if everyone was just so tired from the hikes and all the activities or if they just didn't feel the spirit by then. It was midnight by the time they had testimony meeting. Way too much to do in one day.

They also had activities like the Amazing Race, Canoe Races and other fun games to do during free time.

Friday we cleaned up camp and came home. We were home by 1:30 in the afternoon. It was fun but I am still tired. I'm sure it will take me a few days before I am back to my usual self again. I am still a little sore from the horse back riding too. :)

As soon as I got home it was busy busy to get Daniel and Jacob and Lynn ready for their Boy Scout over nighter. So I saw Lynn 2 hours then he was gone. But I am so happy that they got home around 2:30 this afternoon. It's so nice to have everyone home and to be home!!

I am starting to get really sleepy. I better get going. Have a great Sunday!! Love you all!!

Ready for Girls Camp? I think!

Well, I have been packing all day and trying to get everything ready. I am just sending Benjamin out to the play house to find our pirate costume. So the girls will be able to have one costume for their skit. We are Pirates Seeking Treasure. It is going to be really fun. I am finally getting excited. I have 6 girls in my group. Just the right size. However, our High Adventure is horseback riding and they only have 6 horses available so they are splitting us up and doing one group in the morning and one in the afternoon. I wish they would just have the girls go without the adults, personally but I guess church policy is against that.

The men will be on their own. I haven't even prepared any meals or anything for them. They are truly on their own. I am hoping for some appreciation when I get back. However, I know better. Lynn actually taught me to cook so they won't starve to death.

When we were gone to Idaho, Mom and Dad (who have very green thumbs)did very well with our garden. In fact, my Zucchini plant is huge!!!! I just pulled 4 more this evening. Our corn and beans are growing well a long with our carrots (that the kids didn't pull while weeding) and our tomatoes and potatoes are doing well also. We even have a few raspberries this year. Not as many bees eating them this year. However, we have found our dogs are eating our produce!!!! They have never eaten them before. But they do now. Who Knew??

Well, I better get going. More to get ready. You won't hear from me for a week as I will be at Girls Camp. Have a great week. I will update next weekend. :) Love ya all!! :)

Home At Last!!

I love coming home after a vacation because the house is clean for a moment until everything is unloaded!! And it is just good to come home to your own bed, your own kitchen, your own water that tastes good!!!

We had a great vacation visiting Lynn's family for the past 10 days. We got to meet some family that we had never met and play games and have the famous Bischoff BBQ. Why it's famous? I don't know?? That all happened the first weekend we were there. Then Britni went to EFY and we hung out on the farm. The kids had a great time playing with cousins and helping with the farm chores. Lynn and the boys helped Caleb with his Eagle Project. Which was good for them to do. We went to a couple of movies and I got to hang out for a few hours with my college roommate, Karen.

We saw Thor at the cheap Paramount theater. It was pretty good. It was clean which was nice in a movie these days. Then we of course had to go see Harry Potter 7.2!! That was pretty good also.

Now time to get ready to go to Girls Camp. The more I have talked to people the more excited I am becoming!! I better get on with the laundry!! Love to you all!!