JET SETTERS

After almost 24 hours of traveling and spending time in the airport we made it back safe and sound to the land down under. It was a mostly uneventful trip - just the usual not enough sleep or space on the airplane. The kids did really well. They slept for a good portion of the 14 hour flight which was nice. It was sad to say goodbye to family and friends again, but we were grateful for the time we all got to spend together even if the circumstances for our travel to the States weren't that fabulous. We will miss everyone terribly, and thank you all for making time for us and helping us to build memories. I will post more pictures of our trip in the next week or so - I have so many - but I am super tired at the moment. Thanks so much to our Aussie friends for taking us to the airport and the treasures we found on our front porch (thanks Lisha you are a life saver!!). We are so blessed!!

THE BIG GAME

Well Saturday was the BIG GAME!!! If you live in Utah you know exactly what I am talking about - the rivalry between BYU and the University of Utah. I was actually really excited when I found out we were going to get to come back to Utah and be here for this huge event. The entire week before is full of trash talk and analysis of the game ahead. Each and every year it is hard to predict based on the record what will really happen on the day - it is a rivalry after all. I have heard that this is one of the top five rivalry match ups in the country.

My brother-in-law, Brandon, had given me a black package to take home with me the last time I was here and it stated that I could not open it until November 22nd. So of course we brought it back with us and opened it up here. Inside were t-shirts for all of us in our various school colors - Rylee's was pink with a UofU logo on it. Kev had told me that no matter what was in the package we had to wear it. He had told Brandon to get Rylee a little something red to wear for the game. Of course Brandon went well above what he should and we all got a new shirt - thanks Brandon! WE ARE A HOUSE DIVIDED. It is quite funny to see really. We had to stop by the store on the way to a family lunch before the game and got some strange looks from those around us.

I have to tell you this funny story from the mouth of Cooper. He gets a little sensitive when people trash talk his cougars. Kev and Madi are constantly telling him that cougars meow and not roar and he gets so upset. So we were telling him that some of his cousins were going to give him a hard time (we were heading over to Kev's family lunch before the game and they are all red). I told him just to tell people that it didn't matter his team was going to win anyway and not let it bother him because they were just trash talking and it was all in fun. Later as we were leaving the store Cooper says to Madi, "My team is going to win today Madi!" I told him to be nice to his sister and he says to me, "Well mom, what if I want to start the trash talking? Is that okay too?" I just started laughing -what a funny kid.

We headed over to my sister's house after lunch to watch the game with my family. Somehow I have several brothers who have gone over to the dark side and now cheer for the U. Plus my sister and I have both married U fans. It was pretty fun to watch the game with my family and eat lots of snack. Lots of trash talk and cheering on both sides - of course most of the cheering came in the second half when BYU's quarterback, Max Hall, decided to give the game away. You can't win a game if you turn the ball over 7 times.

FINAL SCORE:

UTAH 48

BYU 24

TEMPLE SQUARE

Last week I decided that we should take the kids to see Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Cooper said that he didn't even remember what Temple Square was. It was a fun afternoon. We went to the Conference Center first and told the tour guide that all we really wanted to do was see inside and go to the roof. He was a good sport and did the shortened tour for us. The kids couldn't believe how big the inside was. Then we walked over to the Salt Lake Temple and climbed one set of steps to the doors. We walked around the Main Street Mall and marveled at the beauty there. I can't believe that people didn't want the Church to make this haven in the city. It is so peaceful and beautiful - all cities need garden areas like that to maintain peace and quiet in the bustle of a city (at least in my opinion). We even took a picture of the kids on the circle stone where Kevin and I stood 10 years ago when we were married in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity. I am amazed how much our family has grown and how much we are blessed.

Next we headed inside to the two visitor centers and watched some Church commercials (I love the feel good commercials that you see on TV here and miss seeing them) and then of course went to the North visitor center to see the Christus Statue - can't miss that. I love the feeling there and the peace and love I feel from my Savior when I am in this room with a giant statue of him. We tried to find Sister Cross from our ward in Australia - although we asked several people we never did find her . She was on the Square somewhere, but we never did run into her. Last, but not least we headed to the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to see the temple all lit up from above. The kids thought it was cool that they were so high up. We also got to see the last glimpse of the sun setting in the West over the mountains.How blessed we are here in Utah with so many temples so close by. While we were driving south down Bangater Highway the other day and pointing out to our kids the two new temples currently being built I was reminded of how amazing this Church really is. It is world wide and the same no matter where you live. The blessings of the temple are a reality now for so many more people across the earth. How blessed I feel to have been married in the temple for time and all eternity. This means that if we make the correct choices we will be together forever not just until death. This means so much to me - more than I can express in words.

FEELIN' A LITTLE MUSICAL...

I had told Madi that I would take her to see HSM3 while we were here, so tonight was the night and we invited her "best friend ever" to come with us. You should have seen the two of them when they saw each other for the first time. They ran towards each other with hands outstretched. Once they had closed the gap a huge hug came next followed by Brookie picking Madi up off of the ground. It was so cute to see. They picked up right where they left off, talking and laughing together. We were three of maybe 10 people in the theater and the show was pretty good. Lovin' the music and the dancing. Of course I am a sucker for a musical anyway. Madi and Brooklyn will be seeing more of each other while we are here - at least one sleep over is already planned with the possibility of another. Could life get any better

On the road again...

Can you guess where this picture was taken? The airport. Can you believe that we are in the States again? I talked to my mom on Monday and she mentioned that my grandma wasn't doing very well. I called Kev and asked him if the part of our contract that covered flying us home for funerals included grandparents as well. Good thing for us it does. A few days later my mom called me and told me that my grandma had passed away. 24 hours later we were on our way to the airport. It all seems so crazy and it all was so rushed. We are all here this time and since we came all this way Kev decided that we needed to stay for a while so here we are until the day after Thanksgiving!

Of course the circumstances for coming home are not great. My last grandparent has left this earth. This is sad to me. It makes me realize that there isn't another generation older than my parents. However, since she has suffered with Alzheimer's for about eight years the end is a welcome sight. After flying, and the longest day of our lives, we spent the night at my in-laws before driving another 4 hours up to Idaho for the viewing that night and the funeral the next day. My grandma, just like grandpa, was taken by a horse drawn carriage to the cemetery.

The flowers were gorgeous - grandma would have loved that - and the ones for her casket of course in her favorite color of red. My mom also asked us to put flowers on her sisters grave so the kids and I did that as well.

I am so happy that I know where we go after this earth life is over. I can't imagine not knowing that and having a loved one pass away. I know that my grandma is in heaven and reunited with the love of her life - whom she has been away from for too long. She is healthy and her memory is back in it's fullest. I will get to see her again and she will remember who I am and I rejoice in this thought. She was a remarkable woman. Always had a remarkable vegetable garden and she along with my grandpa worked so hard to run their farm. I come from such a strong legacy. My background is rich with history and hard work. I am blessed to be part of the family that I belong to.

Her favorite motto: "Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"

MY CARBON FOOTPRINT

I have always cared about the environment. I have always tried really hard to recycle. When I was in the States I grew my own veggies and composted most of my kitchen waste - something I really miss doing. I hated hanging my clothes out on the line when I first got to Australia but I don't mind much anymore. I am really thinking that we need to install a clothes line in the house we purchase when we move back to the States. I love my green bags and hardly ever get plastic anymore. I was excited to see that many of the stores in the States are beginning to sale green bags, although I was disappointed to see that not many people were taking advantage of them. I have always tried really hard to run all my errands on the same day and not drive if I don't need to. Kev used to hate it when I would try and figure out anyway possible for us not to have to drive two cars places - sometimes the plans would be so elaborate.

There is still so much I can do. One thing that I have been wanting to change is the chemicals that we use in our house to clean. I especially have been wondering about the laundry detergent that I use. Then I was browsing a few weeks ago on my friend Carli's blog and she had the answers that I was seeking. Carli is the guru when it comes to all things environmental - at least I think so. She has incorporated green into every part of her life yet doesn't push it on anyone - that is the part that I especially like. Anyway I was looking thru Carli's blog and catching up on what I had missed while in the States and she had a link for a recipe to make your own laundry detergent. I decided that I was going to try it out.

Here is the recipe:

CONCENTRATED LAUNDRY POWDER - this is the powder I use in my front loader

4 cups grated laundry or homemade soap or soap flakes (Lux)

2 cups borax

2 cups washing soda

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and store in a plastic container with a lid.

Use 2 tablespoons per wash. Again, this powder will not make suds and again, this is perfectly okay.

Last week I got all the ingredients and yesterday finally got a chance to make up a batch (perfect timing because I used the last of my store bought stuff). It took me all of 10 minutes to make it and that included grating the laundry soap. You can buy soap flakes but the brand of soap flakes they had bothers Kev's skin so I opted to buying bars of soap and grating it myself. 10 minutes to make a batch of my own laundry soap. I know what is in it, and I only have to put 2 tablespoons in each batch. It is estimated to being about $2 to make per batch. I can cut costs as well as help out the environment and keep some of the chemicals out. I am so proud of myself. I was a bit nervous about it really cleaning my clothes, but it has done well so far. The biggest test was Kev's stinky basketball clothes that he played in last night - they smell fine. The thing about this recipe is that it doesn't make your clothes smell (that's the chemicals they add anyway), but you can add essential oils if you want. I have bought lavender but didn't put it in this batch - maybe the next one. Now I am looking into using some green methods to clean my house as well. Look at me!!

I was talking to my mom and telling her that I was going to make my own laundry detergent and she started laughing. She told me how my grandma used to take a big pot out into the yard and boil and cook her own soap. She would then spread it out and wait for it to dry and cut it into bars. My mom hated it because it tore at your skin when you washed your hands and left them dry. I haven't gone that far, but I think my grandma would be proud of me as well.

CHORES, CHORES, & MORE CHORES

In my quest to teach my children a good work ethic - and to have a clean house - I have made this chore chart for them to follow. I put my two talents together, scrappin' and organization, and I am pleased with the result. I really wanted something with fun colors - hopefully this will get them excited to do their chores each day, although realistically there will probably be lots of grumbling.

Tonight for FHE we are going to talk about chores and helping around the house and then we are actually going to clean the house - which is a disaster at this point and is driving me crazy. We usually clean on Saturday, but we were gone all day so I thought I would take the opportunity to incorporate that into our lesson tonight.

PRIMARY PROGRAM

Today was the day for the long awaited primary program. Week of practicing with the kids and still not knowing how it was really going to go made me a bit nervous when I woke up this morning. I shouldn't have worried much, it went so well. I had written the program so that we sang the first verse of "I'm a Child of God" first and then I spoke to introduce the theme. I really shouldn't have had the children sing before I spoke. I was crying and full of the Spirit before we even began. The program went well. The kids all did a fantastic job both with their speaking parts and with the music. All in all it was a great program, but I am glad that it is over for another year.

Cooper's part: Because of the temples we can be together forever with our families.
Madi's part: Jesus Christ will come to the earth someday. He lives and we will see him again.

I have to admit that I was overwhelmed with the Spirit during the entire program. I just love Primary. I love the Spirit of Primary. I love the children and their potential. I love to see them gain personal spiritual insights. I love learning from them each and every Sunday. Even on those days when I come home exhausted and overwhelmed I remember that God loves the little children and I am lucky to be in Primary.

FIRST FETE

We went to our first fete on Saturday. What is a fete you might ask - well a carnival of course. Madi's school has a fete every two years as a fund raiser. This was the year. So on a overcast, cloudy, yet warmish day we headed over to the school for a day of fun. We gave the kids their allowance before we went and told them that this was the money that they could spend. Then we told them that we would pay for them to ride three rides each. They had a fabulous day. Since the largest ethnic group at Madi's school is Korean there was also a Korean BBQ for lunch. It was so good - yummy dumplings and BBQ beef. It was a great day - and we were exhausted when we got back from that and a few errands at the shops. Here are a few pictures from the fete.

The year 1 classes did a musical number.

Lucky for us they both picked the same three rides.

The rocket simulator

The swings

The big slide

They both spent their money at the toy stall and to get a candied apple at the candy stall.

Cooper bought these binoculars - Rylee stole them for a while since he was on the rides. She was so cute trying to look through them.

Thanks to photographer Kev for taking all the pictures!

The right to vote

I am glad that I am a citizen of a country that has a right to vote for it's leaders. I realized that in the past men and women suffered and protested for these rights to be equal for all. This right to vote makes me proud to be an American. However, the candidates for the highest office of our country do not necessarily make me happy. For the first time since I was old enough to vote I was undecided until I filled out my absentee ballot. Which I filled out and took to the post this afternoon - it had to be postmarked the day before the election, cutting it a bit close right?! I just couldn't decide who to vote for. The Utah elections were easy for me to decide, but not the big one - who should be the next president of the United States. I am not sure that I really care. I am not happy with either of them and I don't think that either will do good things for our country. Neither one has a good economic plan or health care plan (in my opinion) and those are the big issues to me. I hate hearing that this is a contest between the races - do we really care that one man is white and the other black? No the smart Americans care about the issues not the color of the skin. The country is in a crisis - not only our economy but the how the rest of the world views us. We need to fix these things and I am not sure that either of these men can get the job done. It will be interesting to see who wins on November 4th - Barrack Obama or John McCain - really I just don't want to hear any more campaigning or see any more political speeches.

A LITTLE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT IN THE LAND OF OZ!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

You put the American in charge of Primary, and what do you get around this time of year? A Halloween party of course. I have to say my counselors were so awesome with this activity. I told them what I had in mind - although they weren't really quite sure of my vision I think - and then said, "but you will have to plan it because I am going to Utah for most of October." They both took the challenge and ran with it. Due to them we had the best party ever!!! I think we may have started something here in the land of Oz!

We started out our night, before heading over to the church, with the traditional Cooper Halloween dinner - sloppy joes!!! My mom always made these for us and we always had to have something healthy before we could go trick or treating. Even as we have all had our own kids she still makes a big batch of sloppy joes and it sits on the stove all night waiting for anyone who wants to eat it. Something healthy with all the candy.

My three little munchkins:

The cowgirl (complete with her pink boots!)The ghost (for the second year in a row)The vampire and her prey

This kills me: I have never seen a whole pumpkin here in Australia, they have half pumpkins for sale all over and people here actually eat pumpkin. Never knew it was good for anything besides carving and putting a candle inside. Anyway, apparently you can find a whole pumpkin, but it is hard to find and very expensive. No $2 pumpkins here - they can go for as much as $20 or more....can you believe that?!

A multitude of Halloween carnival and trunk or treat pictures.

I introduced a cake walk too - I thought it was a universal party game, apparently not.

If you want to see some more pictures from Lisha head over to her blog