Enchiladas

This recipe is one I just throw together. I've never measured anything for it. My husband says my favorite saying in the kitchen is, "Just add enough to make it look good." These are great topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream.

Cooked Spanish Rice (I like using Zaterain's)
Cheese
Enchilada Sauce
Cooked Chicken, optional
Tortillas

Mix rice, cheese, and enchilada sauce together. Add cooked chicken. Spoon into tortillas. Top with more enchilada sauce and more cheese. Bake in a greased pan at 375 degrees until cheese melts (20-30 minutes).

Skillet Variation

Instead of baking in the oven, cut the tortillas into bite-size pieces (a pizza slicer is great for this) and add to the enchilada filling. Heat through in a skillet and top with cheese. Fabulous!

Scones

The perfect fluffy scone for honey, cinnamon and sugar, or as a Navajo Taco

3/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. scalded milk
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. salt
4-5 c. flour

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Add milk, oil, and water to yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt and stir until evenly mixed. Add enough flour mixture to the yeast mixture to make a soft dough. Let sit 5 minutes. Knead lightly on a floured or oiled surface and roll to 1/2 inch thick. Let rest another 5 minutes (I think I forget to do this). Cut into pieces (I like using a pizza cutter) and fry in hot oil, turning once. Cook until golden brown and done. Eat with topping of choice.

Navajo Taco

Top with chili, cheese, lettuce, corn, onions, olives, sour cream, pretty much whatever you like on a taco

Spaghetti Sauce

A Vidalia onion and orange bell pepper make this a little sweeter.

2 lbs. hamburger
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 small cans or (2) 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 pkgs. spaghetti seasoning
a pthuu of sugar (about 1 Tbsp.)
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

Brown hamburger with peppers and onion. Add tomato sauce spaghetti seasoning and sugar. Add other seasoning if desired, but taste your sauce first because some spaghetti seasoning packets have enough salt and garlic already. Simmer 20 minutes and serve on cooked noodles.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Well, I've tried out the Homemade Laundry Soap and have good news! It's AWESOME!!! We've washed lots of dirt, vomit, and urine. It's been an interesting week to say the least, but EXCELLENT for testing new laundry soap. Anyone who's washed anything that's been peed in knows it takes a couple washes for the smell to be gone. Same with vomit. But, one wash and it was out!!

Because we don't have grass in the back yard, Lilly's kennel is filthy. I have to vacuum it out every other day at least! So, I decided to wash her blanket with the new soap. I was amazed at how clean it was after washing! There were a couple little stains, but I don't know if they were there from before this wash or not. All I can say is that it looked amazing!

Another bonus - it didn't cost very much to get started!

So, are you ready for the recipe? I've seen lots of variations, but this is the one I used.

Liquid Homemade Laundry Soap

3 Gallons Warm Water (I used hot)

4 C. Water

1 Whole Bar Fels-Naptha* soap, grated

1 C. Washing Soda

1/2 C. Borax

Essential Oil, for scent if desired

Place 3 gallons warm water in a 5 gallon bucket. Bring 4 C. water to a boil. Add grated Fels-Naptha bar and stir until completely dissolved. When melted, add to water in 5 gallon bucket. Add Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until completely dissolved. If you would like to add fragrance, you can add 10-15 drops of essential oils to this mix. (I think it has a nice clean smell already, and I use fabric softener; so, I didn't do this). Place the lid on the bucket and let sit over night.

After it sits, the top will have turned to jelly. Stir well and use 1/2 cup per load. Enjoy!!!

*I had no idea what Fels-Naptha was, but I found it at Ace Hardware. It's a laundry bar not a body bar. Those who I've talked to, who use it, LOVE it. If you can't find it, I've also read that you can use: Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile, or Zote.

Also, the Borax and Washing Soda are found on the Laundry Isle. Washing soda is by Arm and Hammer and comes in a yellow box that's similar to the baking soda box. Just remember, baking soda will not work in this recipe.

****Edited to add: Although I'm still impressed with how well this soap works, and it really is amazing, I think it could use an extra enzyme boost to help with food removal. OR, I could just remember to rub a little extra laundry or dish soap into the spots before I wash the clothes. (Mostly, I'm just adding this as a mental note to help me remember to do it.) Happy washing! :)

Homemade Laundry Soap and Fabric Softener "Sheets"

I am SO excited! I'm going to try making homemade laundry soap! I know...the things that amuse me... ;) Anyway, after I try it out, I'll let you know what I've discovered. One of the women in our ward has started making it, and loves it - and she was a Tide girl! She was at her daughter's softball game the other day and received the comment, "[Your daughter's] uniform is the cleanest one out there." If it works for them, it may just work for me - and you too!

Oh, and she told me how she started doing her fabric softener.

Fabric Softener "Sheets"

What you need:

5 gallon bucket with lid

Liquid fabric softener

Water

A couple new sponges, cut in half

What to do: If your fabric softener is not new, mark the side of the container where it's filled to. If it's un-used, don't worry about it. Pour the fabric softener into the bucket. Fill the fabric softener container with water to the mark or top. Pour the water in the bucket. Fill the fabric softener container again the same way and pour it into the bucket also. (Our solution should have twice as much water as fabric softener). Now, throw your cut-in-half sponges in the mix and it's ready.

How to use: When you're ready to dry clothes, grab a sponge, squeeze out some liquid, and throw it in the dryer with the wet clothes. Now dry. It works like fabric softener sheets and doesn't leave those greasy spots on everything!

Oh Where, Oh Where Does it All Go?

It seems to me that more and more, time just slips away. Not because I'm not doing anything, but because there's so much to do. Recently I had a little experience. O.K., it wasn't so little. In fact it seemed quite large. So big that I felt like I couldn't keep up with everything that needed keeping up with. I know we've all been there. I know you know what I'm talking about. It's those times when everything seems so out of balance, like you can't do anything, yet you're trying to do everything you need do do. And it's just not enough. And instead of treading water, you just feel like the waves are crashing over you and it's taking everything you have not to sink.

I think every person has experiences like this. I know that we don't all have the same trials. They're all tailor made for each of us; but, our feelings may be similar. I really needed some special help, and I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who helped me learn that these are blessings I haven't yet realized.

Do you know what I learned? I learned that I needed to change the way I was thinking. Once I started changing my attitude, I realized that all of this crazy stuff, all the treading water, feeling lost and uncertain about what I was really doing, was teaching me and helping me become a better person. Was changing my thinking easy? No! Did it even cross my mind in the middle of all the chaos? NO! Not until a quiet voice reminded me that this challenge was a blessing. I am grateful for that quiet voice.

Six years ago, my friend Rachel told my about a very moving lesson they had had in Relief Society. The women teaching drew two circles on the white board and wrote "trials" in one and "tribulations" in the other. Then, she had each women tell her some trial they had had or were currently experiencing. For each one, she wrote it in a smaller circle and attached it to the larger circle - just a bubble graph. When they were all done talking about their challenges, she erased the words "trials" and "tribulations" and replaced them with "blessings" and "opportunities."

Whoa!

I don't think it's easy for anyone to have challenges. Growing's not easy. It hurts. But, I know we're not alone on this journey and that no pain is too big for our Savior who loves us.

A Puppy and the Loves of My Life

Lily at nine weeks

Well, as of three weeks ago we have a new addition to our family - a little black puppy. O.K., she's not so little. Actually, she's over thirty pounds! This is Lily and she's a Newfoundland. She's almost thirteen weeks old now and big enough to snatch food off the table - if I'm not watching close enough. We have so many people ask us what kind of dog she is, and only two of them knew what a Newf was. Jake was walking her one day, and a woman actually pulled over just to tell him she was cute. Can you believe that?!

This is a picture of Mercedes with one of her science experiments. She had a lot of fun playing with the food coloring and figuring out what colors make what colors. Mercedes is also loving ballet. Today she was helping me do some rolly polly warm-up things they do, and she told me she gets her strength from ballet. This girl will forever be a social butterfly who loves all things friends and the colors pink, purple, and blue. (O.k., her favorite colors will probably change, but I don't think the butterfly thing will). :)

I just get a kick out of this picture. Christina would start out with one finger on each side, then two, three, and finally four. They were all pretty silly! She also had an awesome show and tell the other day. Monday, I showed her a potato that had started sprouting leaves. She thought it was so cool, she waited three days and took it to preschool to show everyone. Can you believe that? She is so funny! She wasn't feeling good the other day, and all she would say was, "The Lady Bugs eat my bones!" I don't think I want to know what that feels like.

You've got to LOVE frosting! Especially chocolate frosting that your mom let's you lick out of the container when she's done with it. This is my snuggly buddy and he's quite the big helper! He loves setting the table at meal time; oh, and the other day at dance, he was dancing around where the moms all sit, and decided this wasn't good enough. He put on a tutu, walked onto the dance floor, and danced the last couple minutes with Mercedes and the other girls. Boy am I glad Miss Barbara didn't mind because it was really cute! (Even in a tutu).

I think of all the things we do, the thing I love the most is being together. I also love that my children play so well together. Yes, they still have their squabbles, but they love each other and look out for each other too. I couldn't have asked for better children and I have truly been blessed because of them.

The Road Home

Earlier this month we made a trip to The Road Home. It was awesome! We collected all of the children's clothes my kids couldn't wear any more - everything from when they were first born. We had so much that we filled my parent's Expedition and still had six boxes and two huge garbage bags to squeeze in. But, after a prayer and repacking the entire thing, it all fit! We took it to my mom's, sorted it, boxed it up, and delivered it. It was so neat to know that we were going to make a difference in the life of a family. Some where out there, some little child is going to have "new" clothes! I was so excited that my children helped with the whole process too. Mercedes was a big helper sorting and packing; and, they both had so much fun unloading all the boxes into the gentleman's cart who was helping us. I hope my children will have many opportunities to serve those around them. And, I hope they continue to feel joy in doing so.

Long Over Due

Well, it is way beyond time for a new post! What do you guys think? I tell you what, being in school really messes up blogging. I don't write. I don't read. I feel so out of the loop!!!

It has been a good holiday season. Mercedes is in Ballet and has had five recitals since Thanksgiving. It is so fun to watch her! Miss Barbara is a sweet heart too. She's let Christina and Alex join in on the last dance number a few times and they enjoy it so much! It's also been good because we've been out to some of the community events that we wouldn't have gone to, like Holly Days and Breakfast with Santa. Mercedes is also quite busy with school and really loves it. In fact, K12 just had their winter event for the students, their friends, and family. We went ice skating, ate lots of pizza, and the students had a gingerbread contest. All I can say is, "Thank goodness for pre-assembled gingerbread houses!" Otherwise we probably wouldn't have had one. Of the 25 houses entered, Mercedes actually won one of five special prizes. She won Best Use of Frosting; but sh, we wont tell them that was the only part I did. (Although, I didn't do it all). Everything else was the kids' work. K12 also had an extra medal, so they gave it to Christina. She and Mercedes were all grins from then on.

Christina is really enjoying school too. She went through a little phase where she would scream and cry if I tried to take her, and there were a couple times I took her home. But, her teacher said she would be fine and to leave her. Miss Dana is a really gifted person and a huge blessing for Christina. I'm also grateful for her Primary teachers who have been amazing this year!

Well, Alex had surgery last month and just had his follow-up. His hernia is healing nicely. It was kind of weird that he had a hernia just after Jake, which I don't know if I ever got around to writing about. But they both had one within a month of each other. I'm SO glad they're feeling better! Alex is also crazy about trains right now. He loves them and is so much fun to watch as he plays. I just enjoy watching the children's imaginations bloom. It is so fun!

As for Jake and I, we have one more semester finished. WOOHOOOO! It is so good to be going to school, (Jake just read this and said, "No, no it is not,)" but it is also a lot of work between everything else. We had finals last week and now we can do something else for half-a-month. Maybe we'll clean house. Maybe we'll just talk about cleaning house. Who knows. ;)

And dud...dun...dun...tis the season for cheery greetings and warmest wishes. Merry Christmas to you and your family! We hope you find much peace and happiness as you enter the new year!

Love you all!

Otitis Media - the Ear Infection

I have been meaning to make this post for awhile now, but hadn't got around to it yet. Now I'm awake and I'm not falling back asleep, so I figure - there's no better time to talk about Otitis Media.

Just a little background on my search for a cure...

When my oldest daughter was born, she had quite a few ear infections. I have an aunt who swears that tea oil is the answer. She "used it in her kids ears and it worked." If you hear anyone say this, run away! I learned from sad experience that melaleuca oil is NEVER to be put in the nose, eyes, or ears. It will cause the membranes to blister. Tea oil, also known as melaleuca, is an antiseptic for cleaning wounds - like hydrogen peroxide. Don't put it in your ears to cure otitis media!

Years later, after that whole tea oil episode, I was talking about ear infections with one of my grandmother's friends. She said she had herbal drops that had helped all but two of her daughters' ear infections go away. She gave me a little bottle and said, "just put 2-3 drops in the infected ear every couple hours for a day. You can do it for two days if you really want to be safe." Seriously?! I was so skeptical, that little bottle sat in a box in my closet for nearly two years.

A few years ago, our children - one in particular - began getting lots of ear infections. Our pediatrician told us most ear infections are viral; but, the only way to find out if the infections is caused by a virus or bacteria is to stick a long needle in the ear, draw out the fluid, and test it. They don't like doing this for obvious reasons; so, antibiotics are the prescription.

According to what the pediatrician said, if most ear infections are viral, and medicine can't kill a virus - the common cold for example - then the antibiotics aren't affecting the otitis media in any way anyway.

During the summer, while in my Human Development and Child Psychology classes, I learned that 80% of ear infections are viral, so antibiotics only work for 20% of ear infections. Antibiotics are affective for 1 in 5 ear infections. WHAT?! And, what happens when the body has too much antibiotic? It builds resistance and the antibiotic wont work anyway. Or, in the case of a particular family member, you become allergic to it and experience painful and irritating symptoms when your mother forgets to tell the Dr.. (I will never do that again)!

After learning and experiencing all of this, one of my kids got an ear infection. It was the weekend, the pediatrician was closed. The only thing to do was visit to the ER - and we don't do the ER unless we're dieing or have the potential to die as a result of not going :) Anyway, it's the weekend, and we have an ear infection. I being extremely skeptical, but wondering if there's a chance, dig the little bottle out of the box in my closet. We administer the drops as directed - for two days, just to be safe. And, do you now what happened? The infection went away. We have done this a total of three times now. And, each time the ear infection has gone away.

I wanted to share what this stuff is. If you want to try it, go ahead. If you want to research what I researched, go ahead. (Whatever you do, don't experiment with tea oil in ears)! The mixture that we have used for our last three ear infections is a combination of: olive oil, garlic, mullein, and lobelia. (All liquid - no powder). The first mix I had was home made, the second was purchased at a health foods store. Both worked, although the home made tincture was a lot thicker and smelled stronger. (I would like to learn how to make this).

I just thought maybe, somewhere out there, someone might find this information useful. There's nothing worse than watching one of your kids with an ear infection.

Love you all and good luck on your search for a cure!

July 20, 2015 I do want to add a little comment to this: we've been using these ear drops for years now and they are awesome! And, antibiotics do kill bacteria that begins to grow in mucus in the ear. My oldest recently had an ear infection and we did antibiotics instead of the ear drops and after a few days I asked her what she liked better: ear drops or antibiotics. She prefers the drops because she doesn't have to do them for as long.

While I Was Making Breakfast...

What do you do when your five-year-old exclaims, "We're 2/3's!" I had no idea what she was talking about until she continued. "Me and dad are 2/3's of me, daddy, and Christina." What the heck?! You're not supposed to be doing fractions. You're 5!

I have a few minutes...

Hello all! Just a short post to say surgery stinks and I hope we never have to go through this again! Poor Jake is miserable and wouldn't wish this on anyone!

On a happy note, Mercedes is still having fun with school! She went to one of the elementary schools out here and took a small reading comprehension test yesterday. She said it was fun, but I hope they assessed her correctly because she wasn't in there very long.

Anyway, we're all good, all surviving. We've been eating too much prepackaged food and not enough home cookin', and you can bet we're all feeling it. We'll that's not entirely true. Some of the ladies in the ward have brought a couple meals - which I am so grateful for! I'm just hoping I'll feel like cooking "normal" food again soon so we can all start feeling better.

Krystal's Marinara

I came up with this sauce today and it is fabulous! I wanted to use fresh tomatoes from my garden because we have a few and they'll go bad if I don't eat them. The best part about this is all my kids like it!

2 T. olive oil

2 T. dehydrated onion

1 t. garlic powder

3 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes*

1 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1 T. dry parsley

2 t. dry basil

1/2 t. dry oregano

1/2 t. dry thyme

1/4. t. dry marjoram

Begin by heating the olive oil, onions, and garlic for about 30 seconds in a pan. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. When the marinara began simmering, I started heating up the water for my noodles. I let the sauce simmer and thicken until the noodles were done cooking.

*I was aiming for 3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, but by the time I was done, I had closer to 4 cups. I also pealed the skin off the tomatoes that were more ripe and left it on the ones that were not as ripe.

*****Edited to say - I didn't like the tomato peels in this, so I think next time I make it, I will chop the tomatoes and process them in a food processor or blanch them first to remove the peels.

Mormon Message: Voice of the Spirit

Everyone's Got a Story to Tell

Today is a good day! Christina started preschool! I was really worried about her and how she would react to being left at a strange house, but she did o.k.. It's nice that Miss Dana let her keep her monkey with her, even though we were all told don't bring anything from home except a back pack. That monkey is her best friend in the whole world!!! And no, I didn't get a single picture because the camera has been dying for days now, and refused to summon any energy from it's lifeless batteries. Darn it.

Mercedes was so cute today! She was SO excited about Christina going to school, that she helped pick out Christina's clothes, collected her backpack, filled it with paper, colored pencils, and crayons, and rode her bike in front of us the whole way saying, "Christina, you're going to school!" There's nothing like big sis being excited.

Alex had an experience yesterday. We have a Playskool play house on our porch. I was on one side and Alex was on the other. All of the sudden I hear him scream and start crying. I was on the porch and stood up so fast I lost my balance and fell off of it. When I got up, Alex said, "Bug scare me." Now, usually I don't encourage fear of bugs, so I said, "your o.k., let's find it." When I looked at the house where Alex had been, do you know what I saw? It was a huge black widow! These aren't your average spider either! They're absolutely beautiful and amazing with their strips of brown and white, but just as dangerous as the more common black. I am SO glad that "bug" scared him and he left it alone. And, I'm glad no one was bit and that I was right there to take care of it! WOW!

Thank goodness for tender mercies! And thank goodness for bug spray!

Quick Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Bread

From Anna Thomas' Love Soup. She says, "The loaf is crumbly at first but becomes less so as it cools down." I just thought it was good!

2 c. whole-wheat flour

2 cups unbleached white flour

4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. sea salt

1/3 c. light brown sugar or raw sugar

1 c. rolled oats

1 large egg

3 1/2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 3/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two medium loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg, butter, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the dry one and stir together until just combined into a thick dough. Cut the dough in half. Wet your hands and quickly form dough into two loaves. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan and then remove it and cool on a rack.

More From Me

Good morning! School starts up again today. I feel like I need to take more credits; but, I'm really torn between actually doing it and everything we've got going this fall. Mercedes LOVES school! She is having so much fun. Even when I think, "Alright, that was good for the day. We'll be done for the evening." She still wants to have another lesson. I don't think this is going to be easy, but I look forward to all our time together and am excited about learning "new" things.

Mercedes has been on a bug kick. She goes out with her jars and catches bees, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, and spider egg sacks. I have no problem with any of the bugs, and knowing what I know about bees, these are o.k. too. But when she starts bringing spider eggs into the house, it really freaks me out. The last thing I want is baby spiders crawling out of the jar!

Christina has discovered a new puzzle. This girl is so good at them! It's amazing! She could spend hours putting them together. And then, when she's done, she's completely content to carry them around with her. She's also having lots of fun building things with clay and painting.

Alex is such a funny boy! He's always making me laugh. It's interesting that during the summer, when I'd get so busy with homework, he was the only one who could successfully peal me away from it. He's such a blessing!

Jake is on his way to the surgeon today. Too bad he's not actually having surgery though. We thought he was coming down with a UTI but it turns out it was a hernia! He's put on a good face, but there are times when he's in a lot of pain. Oh, the other day, Jake found out that at the end of the school year, we're supposed to mail all the K12 stuff back to K12. He was like, "What?! We don't get to keep everything? What happens if we don't send it back?" I guess he was very attached to all the cool stuff; and, now he just asks random questions like, "What about the clay? Do they really want used clay back?" And, "What about the [inflatable] globes? Do they really think these will still work when they get them back?" He has finely decided they donate everything to third world countries and this has brought him peace. Although, we have no idea what they really do with everything.

Well, I hope you have a wonderful day! Do many good things.

So Much to Say, So Little Space!

Holy moly, is it time to make a post or what?! Where has summer gone? We finished our summer classes and it's already cooling off out side. In fact, it's too cold to leave the windows open at night - unless of course you like waking up with a sore throat! (I know I don't)! We're so excited class is over! I'm so excited class is over! I feel ten feet tall. I don't know if its from the weight of four classes being over or if it's the fact that I finished the four classes, but it feels great! Now, I need to quit deflating and get busy around the house.

Mercedes school supplies came yesterday! We are so excited! It was better than Christmas, seriously!!! Mercedes was ripping boxes open and Christina would grab the contents out, squeeze it tight, and say, "Oh, my paint! Oh, my book!" It was SO cute! I have tons of laminating to do and haven't had time to paint our class room, but that doesn't matter. We have picked out the paint colors and will get around to it, but probably not this year.

Speaking of paint! I started repainting a little dresser and still haven't finished. I am a glutten for unfinished projects! The project wouldn't be tied up, except the nobs had been glued on and I didn't want them. I had reconciled myself to using them, but NO! So, I beat them off with a hammer which pulled some of the wood off. You'd think I could just go buy the filler and finish my project, but no. It's just sitting in the garage.

Earlier this month, when we were visiting my parents it rained every day! While I sat in class, the kids had a blast! My parents snapped the pictures and "Uncle" Konrad played the guitar. What a beautiful day!!!

Well, I must away. I hope you are all enjoying your day! Hopefully, I'll be back soon...

Life's Experience

I am learning a lot from being in school, and it's not all curriculum based. What an exciting time! It's definitely not easy, but worth the struggle. The biggest lesson is: "it is not requisite that a man run faster than he has strength" (Mosiah 4:27).

Take my garden for instance. I don't know what I was thinking planting such a huge garden this year! O.K., that's not true. I was hoping to get a lot of canning done and try some dehydrating. My plot is 76" x 27", and you better believe it's full! And yes, my garden is becoming a lost cause - it's lost in all the weeds! Hahahaaa... We returned home from our recent trip, and still haven't found a whole hill of musk melon. I know I planted two, but one has vanished!

The other thing I'm really learning is the importance of me being at home. I know I've had times where I feel so swallowed up in the responsibility of it all, I loose sight of the value and purpose. Have you ever felt like you give give give and don't get any thing except more work in return? I've been able to study the psychology and development associated with mothers and their influence, and it is incredible. To turn this information around and study how it affects the population through education in general is AMAZING!!! Then, to top it off, I can see how my return to school affects my children. Don't ever feel like you're not of worth.

Repeat with me, "I am of infinite worth with my own divine mission which I will strive to fulfill."

Whether you stay at home, work, or don't have children, know that you are an influence in the lives of so many! Cherish your opportunities and "delight in your children," whoever they may be.

What Should I Call this Post? Hmm...

Good morning, good morning, good morning! How are all of you? I am so very happy this morning! My children are doing a little better. I'm doing a little better. Jake's doing better. Phew! Being in school has totally thrown everything out of whack! But, all's well.

School is so exciting! Elementary Education is something I never wanted to do until about two-and-a-half years ago. I'm so glad we have a Heavenly Father who knows us better then we know ourselves, because I'm doing this and I love it! My professor wrote and told me "[I] have an optimistic yet realistic view of teaching." He also said, "Buena seurte en tu estudio del Espanol." Do you know what that means? "Good luck on your study of Spanish." (I'm going to get an emphasis in Spanish, which I'm really excited about too)!

And guess what? I ran into one of my old friends from college yesterday - way out here - at Arby's of all places. I just happened to mow the lawn yesterday morning and he came in with some of his coworkers. I told Jake, "I think I know him." Turns out, I did! We never had a single class together, but ran into each other at Institute. Have I ever told you guys how much I loved Institute? It was a good place to be...

Well, other than that, the house had a bomb explode inside and we eat a lot of sandwiches lately. What about you?