Busy, busy...

I've been too busy to do any blogging.

So here's a quick update on what's going on at the Love house.

Mark spent a week in the hospital to try and get to the bottom of his seizure activity. Unfortunately that left us with no real answers again. So we continue accepting, maintaining, loving. :)

The views were fabulous from the 14th floor of IMC. The girls were playing "Slug Bug" from the window.

Christian continues to auxiliary pioneer and is going to pick up more hours at work very soon, still growing. He has to get his car inspected this month... learning the joys of adulthood. Doing his 18 year old thing... whatever that is. :)

Here's Christian sitting with Sydney.

Brittany had to stop auxiliary pioneering, but continues to get a good amount of service. She is concentrating on her studies, writing a book, always expressing her artistic side. And she posted some photos on the National Geographic website. She is still my right hand, holding down the fort when I have to work.

Brittany had a great time at the Lifehouse concert with her friends!

Madi is keeping up in sixth grade, easily. They have a long term sub this year, and I think the expectations have been a bit low in her class because of this. I mentioned this to the principal, and her answer was that they don't like to give the kids too much at this school. SIXTH Grade! She's had no big projects, no book reports, no reports at all! I'm not sure what they do there. Strange...  We'll see how junior high goes next year.

Madi is our resident smowman maker when the opportunity arises.

Sydney is keeping everyone running! A month and a half from three... She is SO busy! She loves to play Playdough with Madi, read books with Dad, watch princess movies, dance & sing to princess songs and do anything else we deem as princess worthy.
Yesterday she decided to bite Madi. There ARE teeth marks. OUCH! Ah, these learning moments. :)

Sydney thinks throwing snowballs is the way to go.
Obviously a bit of a love hate relationship between these two.

I have been working full time and trying to keep up with everyone at home. My days off are spent at home cleaning, cooking, whatever, so the kids can go do their thing. :) This last Sunday the girls and I visited Ogden North Congregation so I could work in the afternoon. It was a good meeting with lots of hugs! I knew more people there than I realized. And I even commented on the Watchtower! For those of you that know the difficulty I have with this, there it is.
I tried to start going to a Zumba class, but life will not allow it right now.
I posted my own recipe on Allrecipes.com. It's still waiting for review, but you can view it here. If you have an Allrecipes account, give it a rating. It's really good, I promise. ;)

I created an original recipe for these Cranberry Delight Bars.

I run a Facebook page for my store. That's no big deal though. If you're on Facebook you can go here and "like" it. :)

This is the fabulous view that I get to enjoy occasionally from work.

We have some fun family gatherings this weekend, so I'll try to get some pics and post something more exciting. :)  Anyway, that's all I have for now. Love to all.  ❤

This time with homemade caramel!

So, I guess I am in a caramel apple mood this year. 

And since we have an apple tree in the backyard, I decided to caramel the rest of them.

Madi picked them all for me.

Don't they look delicious?

But I'll be honest, my family won't eat all of these before they go bad. Unless I make them more appealing. ☺

In anticipation of this I bought the Kraft caramels. But, since I waited a couple of days the caramels were half gone by the time I decided to make them!  So, I tried homemade caramel.

Sugar, corn syrup, water, heavy cream, butter & vanilla. Mmmm...

Happy helper!

Sydney made sure to give the apples a hug & kiss.

Stab them with sticks, and... they're ready to dunk.

Well, as soon as this caramel cools a bit.

Notice the sugar crystals around the edge of the pan?

Those are NOT good for caramel. SO, my first attempt at homemade caramel was grainy. ☹

But, still delicious!

After the dunking, they get a roll in the tropical toppings. Toasted coconut, macadamia nuts & white chocolate chunks. 

Delightful!! 

Of all the toppings we tried this apple season, 

this was my favorite!

And here it is! My very own Tropical Caramel Apple!

And, when we ran out of the tropical toppings, I dipped the rest of the caramelized apples in melted white chocolate & cinnamon sugar. These ended up tasting more like candied apples. Mmm...

And here is my Sydney-Boo with her typical 2 year old Cheeeesy grin, enjoying her caramel apple.

I do plan on making some caramel again. I have to figure out how to make it smooooth & delicious.

☺

On this day...

Two years ago, I sat at Primary Children's Medical Center with my beautiful Brittany as she went through the stages of prepping for surgery. Scary for a 14 year old. I comforted her through every step, reassuring her that everything would be just fine. All the while, thinking also of my dear husband Mark who laid in a hospital bed next door at University Hospital awaiting surgery as well. And... My dear sister Heather who had the pleasure of sitting with the little girls, Sydney only being 9 months old. Thanks Heather! :)

So finally, Brittany was all ready to go. Blood drawn, all dressed up in hospital garb, starving, and we wait. The hospital always seems to offer a hurry up and wait situation. Wait.... hurry up . and . wait.............

This day offered Brittany an awesome opportunity to stand for what she knows to be Jehovah's will, but is not popular in today's world. 

[Deuteronomy 12:23-25, Acts 15:22-29]

At Primary Children's Medical Center they require a parent to sign a waver that says they can give the child blood if needed during surgery. We had talked to the surgeon about not taking blood before this day, but being new to the hospital (and this great state of Utah,) he was not aware of the requirement. Several men came out and talked to us saying that I must sign the paper. They assured us that Brittany would not need blood so, "it's no big deal if you just sign the paper." Then we were informed that REGARDLESS of our stand, if they determined that she needed blood, they would give it to her. (Please know that there are many bloodless alternatives in this day & age.) This went on and back & forth for about an hour with different people coming out to talk to us. Finally, we just walked out of the waiting room. 

(Thankfully I had Brittany's belongings so she could change.)

So after 4 hours spent prepping & waiting with no food, not to mention the thoughts & feelings Britt must have had leading up to that day, we went down to the cafeteria for some food and a bit of a meltdown. 

You know when you have so much stress built up inside and then it's over... Brittany was relieved, frustrated, sad, among many other feelings simultaneously. I was so proud of her! And reminded her that Jehovah God was proud of her too. 

[Proverbs 27:11]

And we left the hospital around noon. I don't remember if the kids stayed with Heather for the rest of the day or went somewhere else. I apologize if someone else helped out and I've forgotten.

Anyway, back up the hill that I had driven up so many times since October 9. Mark was getting ready for surgery again. He had been through several over the two weeks prior, but this was the big one. Again, that whole hurry up and wait thing going on. Mark was waiting to have his feet amputated. Mark made his stand on No Blood that day too. They respect the decision a little better coming from an adult. Once he went in, it seemed like F O R E V E R . . .  My good friend Holly waited with me ALL DAY. We had some food. We talked about a lot of different things. They finally called me in at 11pm to say I could see Mark. A very long & tough day. But, it's all good. We are a family that truly loves & stands by each other through thick & thin.

There are good things that came from Mark's surgery & hospital stay that I as a wife & mother am VERY thankful for. I remind Mark of these things when he is feeling down.

Two days later we moved from our house of 5 years, the one we planned on staying in. Mark was still in the hospital until November 19.

Thanks to all of my friends & family that packed our junk (there's a LOT of it,) and helped us move! It had to be the most impressive move ever! So many people came to help it went very quickly. Everyone worked together to take care of me & my family. 

Thank you, thank you for your loving kindness.

Now today, October 23, 2010, I will go to the memorial service for my very encouraging friend, Lyn Campbell. Sick & in pain everyday, she was always asking how everyone else was. Showing loving concern for others rather than focusing on herself. She was a faithful servant of Jehovah up until her death. I will miss her and look forward to seeing her in the New System.

That's where I'm at today, in a nutshell.

Hugs & Kisses

❤

6 days off...

Day 1 was a mish mash of happenings. The kids had friends over. We had Panda Express for lunch. Mmmm.... Panda.....  :) Visited with Mom for a bit. Got Italian ice & custard at David's. And Brittany had a sleep over at the Smullen's after the meeting. It's always nice when she gets to escape.

Madi holding Gypsy (Grandma Patty's dog.)

Day 2 I took Madi & Sydney for a drive up to Bear Lake with Rebecca, whom I haven't seen in what seems like a million years. The company was great & drive was beautiful!

Yes I did take this pic. Brit was wondering, so I thought I'd confirm. LOL

Pizza at Bear Lake Pizza Co. is Delicious! And the gift shop at the pizzeria is FULL of wonderful Bear Lake treats. We had some chocolate covered raspberries. Thanks, Rebecca!

Sydney is talking to the bear. "See Bear, see the ball, Bear?"

Tried to go to the lake, but since it's low, this is as close as we got. But, Oohh, how Beautiful!

Sydney wanted to take ALL of the rocks home.

Time to start heading home because we are on a schedule. Meeting up with Heather in Salt Lake for girls night at 6. But first a couple of quick stops in the Logan area. Logan is lovely by, the way.

Pepperidge Farms to buy Goldfish (a huge bag of green ones,) cookies galore & a couple of cakes.

Creamies Factory Store to buy Creamies, Fat Boys, & Casco Nut Sundaes.  Mmmm...

What's in here?

No time for the dairy on this trip. We'll have to come back another day. 

Gas up the car & head down the canyon.

Back at home, Rebecca had the pleasure of meeting the whole family in our natural habitat. LOL

Then she & I left for Salt Lake City to meet Heather at Red Iguana.

Dinner was delicious! But the feeling of being rushed, not so appreciated.

Shall we go to a movie at Gateway? Why not?

Too late for "Social Network" so "Life as We Know It" was playing next. It was pretty good.

A walk through Discovery Gateway to get to the parking lot.  Heather is PRO at spinning the color wheels.

Then hugs goodbye. What a great day with Rebecca and I had a blast at girls night! Lots of laughs. :)

Heather dropped me off at the train. 

Aah... public transportation... great when everything goes as planned, not so fun at midnight when the switch is stuck & the trained stopped for an hour. Blah.

Thankfully Christian came and picked me up at the next station so I could be done with that. 

Thanks Christian!!

Madi had Tristan over for a sleepover. Always fun!

Day 3 starts with me thinking, "I need to go back to work to get a rest!" And. . . we get ready to go to Hogle Zoo! Kids love the zoo, right? Everybody pile in the car... my 3 girls & Tristan. We'll stop to pick up Taige & Tia on the way. I figure if you're taking kids to the zoo, you might as well make it count.  :)

Where does everybody want to go?  LOL

Elephants...

Momma & baby.

Sydney's reaction to the elephants.

Ooohhh... So cute!

So... where does everybody want to go now?

Madi gave up on navigating with the map & decided to use it for shade.

Buddies!

The Carousel will be fun!

Click on this one. Some how I managed to get the kids in focus while the rest is in a blur. Pretty cool!

Too fun! You would think as a mother of 4 that I would know better than to let the 2 year old ride a fun ride at the BEGINNING of the visit. Aah the joy it brought each & everytime we walked by the carousel. Because in the mind of a 2 year old, we should be able to ride it all day long. Poor Sydney thought I was just being mean for not letting her ride it 20 times.  :(

And in this pic, I just happened to get Britt in the background without even knowing it!

AND... here is Tristan. NOT on the carousel. Why? You ask... Because I counted wrong when I bought the tickets and didn't have enough. So I ran over to the carousel people to ask if she could get on with everyone while I go buy the ticket. One person said, "Yes!" Then the other person started the ride without her. : \  So the first person says, "You can still buy a ticket and let her ride the next one." Apparently this person does not have kids & never was a kid. How fun is it to ride a ride by yourself after the rest of your group already rode it together? It's NOT!!  DUH!!

Thank you Tristan for being a good sport! I know, I'm lame. Maybe Sydney can teach me how to count. LOL

Here's a pic for Grandmas. :)

My view of Sydney for a lot of our time at the zoo. She can run fast!

Check out this group of kids! Missing Sydney because the elephant made a loud noise & she ran away! Far, far away!   LOL

Then we saw giraffes, big cats, the little critters in the stinky building, etc.

Rode the train!

I made sure to get another ticket, so we had enough. :)

Discovery Land... Let's play!

Sydney loves slides!

Hatchlings

Taige the Turtle on his back. :)

Time to go home. We stopped at Arctic Circle for chocolate dipped ice cream cones. Dropped Taige & Tia off at home. I hope you got some good rest, Melanie.  Then drive to our house where people were waiting to eat dinner. :)

Mark's family came over for a visit. It was Claudette's anniversary. A tough day for all of us. We sure do miss Gumey. So, pizza from The Pie, and some time to visit was good. Then Madi went for a sleep over at Tristan's house. :)

Day 4 Mark was worn out, so we listened to the meeting while the kids went. I made more caramel apples. I'm kind of on a quest to figure out the best way to make them. 

Our good friend Rick & Chris brought dinner over that evening. Polish sausage & scalloped potatoes.  Mmmm.... (I'm eating leftovers right now!) It was a wonderful evening!

Day 5 was Date Day! I got to spend the whole day with Mark! We went to Gateway to drop the computer off at the Apple store. Then some shopping (Thank you Mark!) an early dinner at Z'Tejas, dessert at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and Cappucinos at Starbucks (Thanks Lindsay, they were delicious!)  Madi & I went for a mini shopping trip that evening. A wonderful day!

And finally Day 6 finds me at home relaxing. I get to have a late lunch with a good friend. So... looking forward to it!  Parent Teacher conference later to find out how Madi is doing. Tomorrow I will be back at work, probably for 8 days straight! 

I have had a wonderful "Stay-cation!"

Monday again... But we had another Glorious Sunday!

Sunday morning the kids went out in the field ministry. Then we all enjoyed a very encouraging meeting!

Sunday afternoon Brittany continued in the field ministry. The rest of us came home for lunch & Mark got the Watchtower library working on my computer again. Yay! Thanks, Mark!  :)

Sunday evening the guys went to a gathering at our friends' house to play games and enjoy encouraging association, pizza, beer, coffee, & all that good stuff. :)

Us girls went for a ride up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Of course we stopped at Starbucks on the way. :) We started on our journey a little late in the day, so daylight was quickly fading.

Walk on the boardwalk...

Hand in pocket 'cause it's cold! Brrrr...

To Silver Lake...

Being silly on the dock...

Sydney took this pic. She generally only gets our legs, so the girls made sure they got in the shot. :)

Me & my Britt

Me & my babies, Sydney & Madi

Back in the car to warm up & head back down the canyon...

Of course, since the canyon comes out to Grandpa & Grandma Maxfield's neighborhood, we must stop & visit for a bit.  Grandma & Grandpa are my "constant" in life. (for those of you familiar with LOST) Of course we made a special delivery for Mark... the 2011 Union Pacific RR Calendar. Grandpa likes them so we give it to him every year.

I love you Grandma & Grandpa!

On the way home we grabbed some chicken at Sonic. Picked up Mark & dropped off Brit at our friends house. Then home for a little more silly before bed.

Have a terrific week!!