Kentucky Trip! Aug 2007

Biker Evan low ridin'!

uuuhhh what?!

cuzzin's just hanging out

Mr. Evan and Aunte Amy

Blaker Bee and Grammy

Peasss easss deasss boss???

The aforementioned sentence (and yes, it is a sentence) translates to "May I please eat this purple crayon?".

Let me explain.

Our neighbors' daughter - Shaylie is her name - is now a little over two years old (in the pictures above she is a little under 1 year of age).
Last I checked, the above sentence, formed with four simple words, comprise Shaylie's entire vocabulary. Here are the words defined, to the best of my knowledge (and from the help of parent translators):

1. peasss (sometimes pronounced as peasshhh) literally translates to the English word please and is often used in the form of a question with desperate tonality in multiple succession when a parent previously answers "No".
   
2. easss (often pronounced with a slight easshhh sound) this one word can translate to anything having to do with food (e.g., "Can I have some food NOW?!", "When are we going to eat?", "Did you bring my Cheerios and muffins to sacrament???", etc.)
3. deasss (again sometimes with a slight "-sh" sound at the end of the word) translates to the words "this", "that", or "look over here". It seems that the usage of this word is employed in various other situations and contexts as well.
4. boss (yes, spoken just like the word you would use for "your employer/supervisor") accept that this word translates to any tool that can be used to write with (e.g. crayon, lipstick, pen, pencil, permanent marker, eye liner, lip liner, etc. are all fair game for literal translations to this latest addition in little Shaye's arsenal of power-packed vocabulary words).

When I think about it, those words that Shaye employs, on average - 108 times each per day, are all that are necessary if you are limited in your language and rhetoric skills. With a nice little finger that accurately points to whatever it is that you want your parents' attention drawn to, BIG blue attention-grabbing eyes, and the utterance of a special word with almost universal application, it has been proven over and over by our little friend that you can make a very good living, indeed. As this little tike would tell you (if she could), the "terrible twos" aren't really terrible at all.

Dustin Rhoads - a Friendly Capitalist Neighbor Correspondent

Birthday Surprise for Everyone!

Click here and scroll down to the box where it says, "Happy Birthday Audio Sample" and click play.....

Indiana and Kentucky

Well I have had a ton of stuff going on and I will try to catch you up very quickly.

I went to Indiana for a work trip and then made my brother come pick me up in Fort Wayne and my dad drop me off so I could spend a little time in KY :)

The work trip was fun. Full of excitement as usual. All kinds of after parties going on....this is a TOTAL joke...if you have ever been to a genealogy conference you know that it is nothing but senior citizens. But I am telling you they can throw some mean parties...

This picture is the World Vital Records gang at Olive Garden for my birthday. I had some kind of ziti, tons of salad :), bread sticks, stuffed mushrooms, cheese sticks and of course chocolate cake. The next night Yvette (standing) and Whitney took me to a dollar movie in Indiana. We sent to go see Nancy Drew but then went theater hopping and ended up seeing Spider Man 3. I wasn't a fan, actually I don't think any of us really liked it, but it was a fun night out.


Well, Michael came to pick me up in Indiana, Northern Indiana to be exact, :) and we had a great time there. We stopped off at an outlet mall right before we hit Indianapolis and we may even go back when I come back next time. On Saturday we all went to Lissa and Nate's house to eat. It is SO fun seeing my brothers and sister's kids playing together. I LOVE it. We ate dinner and just hung out.

Sunday I went to Church with mom and dad and got to see a few people I haven't seen in a long time and it was great. It is so weird to see some people who where several years younger than you now married or in college or having a baby etc...

Then I went home and mom made an awesome lunch: grilled chicken and gravy, potatoes, steamed glazed carrots and brownies. She is amazing (as usual). Then we both took NAPS!! I was so exhausted from that week of travelling and I could barely keep my eyes open. Then we woke up and went to Melissa's Pampered Chef party. That was a lot of fun. There was a good turn out and Lissa gets a lot of stuff now. I want to have one of those parties too. I LOVE Pampered Chef. It all started with my Pampered Bride party. That was the best!

I spent the night with my sissy and we stayed up and talked and ate and it was SO good just to be there are her house with her. We all went for a walk putting Evan in his little wagon with his glow worm. I love Lissa's neighborhood. It was a beautiful night to go out. Then we came back and she plucked my eyebrows and tried to pop "blackheads" that she saw but I didn't and I now have two scabs on my forehead to prove it!

The next day I woke up and took a very long and relaxing bath in Melissa's awesome bathtub and felt so relaxed AFTER I did 2.5 miles on her treadmill. :) But of course I had to hit up White Castle while I was there so I don't know how much that treadmill really helped me. THEN daddy surprised me and took us all out to El Torasco's (sp?) for my birthday and Melissa, mom and I made her world famous flippin awesome cupcakes--chocolate cupcakes, chocolate pudding squeezed into the middle of them, homemade butter cream frosting with mini chocolate chips mixed in!!!! DA BOMB BABY!!!! Freaking awesome. I ate two of them. Oh yeah, mom and I went to Kohls and they had some amazing deals and we shopped there for a little after dinner.

I had TONS of fun being there with everyone and it was awesome to be at home. Family is some type of medicine that helps everything in your life just feel better. I can't explain how much I love them and how much they mean to me. I am so grateful that Dusty and I get to make a trip back there a week from today. I LOVE YOU ALL AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON!!!

Wheatberries :)

Here is a healthy snack you can put on or in just about everything....

You take wheat from your food storage or any kind you can find. Soak the wheat for about 5 hours. Then cook it in boiling water for 20 minutes. Rinse it under cool water in a colander then place in the refrigerator. It will stay good for about 3 weeks. Use in yogurt, on salads, over you cereal. Wheat has 78 of the 91 nutrients, mineral and vitamins the body need for good health. This is why it is called the staff of life. No other food has so many.

The Grocery List Game

Here is an article taken from an email list I am on. It's from Family Fun Magazine and it's the daily email from The Dream Team Daily. I love their short little articles that are full of great ideas, realistic kid challenges and humor. I thought this was a great idea and a good experiment to try out on children and husbands alike!

July 26, 2007
The Grocery List Game	by Kim B.

Once again, I found myself returning a sugary snack back to the grocery store shelf.

"Trevor, you know we have enough sweets. That's not on our shopping list," I reminded my 6-year-old son for the third or fourth time. I was losing count, and losing my patience.

"But Mom," he whined. "This is sooo boring. If I have to come, why can't we get stuff I like?"

Trevor enjoyed our weekly trip to the grocery store about as much I did — which means he dreaded it. But how else could our family get the food we needed to survive?

Obviously, we had to make our weekly grocery trek, but there was no reason it couldn't be more fun — and possibly less expensive — if I could curb his urges to add things we didn't need to the cart.

The following week, I gave Trevor a copy of the grocery store sales paper and his scissors, asking him to cut out pictures of the things we needed. He spent half an hour happily cutting out apples, lettuce, cereal, and ice cream as I made out our list.

"Can we get some fruit roll-ups too, Mom?" he asked. I said no, expecting some extra begging, but Trevor just turned the page, intently scouring the ads. Maybe hearing "no" was easier for him in the privacy of his own home, I thought.

"Do we need paper towels?" he asked next.

Paper towels? When did he start caring about such essentials?

After Trevor pasted his pictures on a sheet of paper, we headed to the store. Much like on a scavenger hunt, Trevor carefully shopped off his list, getting excited every time he could cross off an item as he added it to the cart.

"Here's the green apples," he shouted. "Next I have to find the bagels."

Soon we were done in record time, with no extras in sight.

Getting ready for the grocery store now takes a little longer, but his new-found eagerness to actually go is priceless.

Expanding my horizons....

OK. I have posted before about how I haven't tried much fruit. Well, now you can add two more to my list. :) YAY! I had a plum and a mango and I liked them both.

Here is a list of all of the fruit I have in my house at the moment:

• bananas
• strawberries
• apples
• plums
• cherries
• plums
• oranges
• watermelon
• grapefruit
• mango

....and I have been eating all of it! For those of you who know my eating habits you know that this is a big feat. I also have two bags of mixed berries and fruit. Angela, I wish I lived by you and I would be taking some of your berries too :)

OK. What is the next fruit I should try?

Safety First

My sister just sent me over a website where you can search to see how many sex offenders live in your area. It is sad to see how many people are registered on these things. It's sick actually. I did a search in my area and there are 45 sex offenders in my tiny little zip code and two or three of them are just one street over!!! In my zip code for work there are 24.

As creepy as it is, I think it is equally important to look at their pictures (especially the ones that are so close by) so that you may be reminded of their photo if you are ever approached by them. Let's pray that we will NEVER have to deal with that in our lives, but if we do I hope that we can possibly even avoid a tragedy by being as knowledgeable as we can about who is in our neighborhoods.

I know there are several more people that aren't even registered as they should be, but this is a start and we should use the knowledge from this resource to protect our families. Check every so often in your same zip code, especially when you move, where you work etc. so that we can all be a little bit more prepared.

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/states.htm#anchor198549

HP5 Baby!!!

So.....Dusty and I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I LOVED IT!!!! I think it was the best movie so far. I like it because they are growing up and there is a lot more action and complex issues.

There is so much stinking detail in the books that you don't get in the movies so if you haven't read the books you are missing out. I think this movie captured the essence of the book despite a lot of missing details. I liked the 4th movie but I don't think it got the points of the book across too well. I think that in this series you can't explain everything or else the movies would be like 5 movies per book (I would like that of course but...whatever) After this movie (Order of the Phoenix) I was ready to see the 6th movie and felt like there was lots of action, a little humor, some dark and twisted stuff, a good climax and left me wanting to stay in the theater for another 2.5 hours and watch the next one.

Does anyone else plan on seeing it?


** Melissa, I think you will LOVE this movie. **

Another Recipe Site

I don't know why I am in to recipes like big time all of the sudden. I am going to claim it is Melissa's fault. :) Here is a site I thought was pretty cool. When you click on the link it takes you to a blog where the recipes are.

http://www.free-recipe-books.com/

Some more DC, Nauvoo Pics

My picture of the Vietnam Memorial.

This is a spot Susan took us to that not too many people know about. This is the grave site of many early saints whose graves Susan discovered in the 70's (I think) and she figured out their temple work had not been done and researched every grave site and did their temple work. This is also the spot where President Hinckley comes to see every time he visits Nauvoo. You have to drive a little ways out and then walk in the woods to get to it. It was very peaceful there and a neat place to experience.

Probably one of my favorite places in Nauvoo is the Woman's Garden. It is just so full of power and inspiration of what it means to be a daughter of God and a realization of how much loving power and influence women have in their homes, community and world. The garden has 30 statues of women and it represents the eternal circle of womanhood and all the phases of it. I am going to post more on this later because it is so beautiful and it meant a lot to me.

This was a play that the missionaries put on in Nauvoo called Rendezvous in Nauvoo. It was SO cute. That was the first thing we did in Nauvoo. These missionaries sing and act and tell the powerful stories of the early Saints. The play was too cute and had a spiritual message that I will never forget.

Here is a little camera trickery with the Washington Monument.
It looks like I am leaning against it. :)

Here is the Nauvoo temple from the view of the visitor's center. It is amazing how the whole town revolves around the temple. I love it! I can't imagine what it was like to just have the markings of the old temple there. It was a beautiful temple inside and out. Absolutely gorgeous.

My first time at the White House. We were there when Tony Blair was there for his last little shin dig with the President as Prime Minister. They had secret service and security everywhere. They were having a party on the lawn on the side. It was pretty cool.

Virginia, DC and Nauvoo Pics

Shipping Cupcakes

My sister Melissa has recently made cupcakes at Evan's 1st Birthday Party that still have people talking! She has promised to make me some and them ship them to me but she didn't know how....until now!! :)

Looky looky at what I found. http://cupacake.com/

Once you put a cupcakes in these containers you can turn them upside down and it still won't move. I can't WAIT to get a box of my sissy's cupcakes in the mail ;) Well at least get the recipe.....

Where dat gap go?

This is a picture of me where you can't tell I have a gap. I only have a few of these pictures and this one you totally can't tell I have one.

Dangers of Hand Sanitizers and Children

http://www.king5.com/health/stories/NW_062207HEK_hand_sanitizers_risk_children_LJ.522f7fd.html

Another Cooking Site

I have gotten a few recipes from this site that I LOVE and I wanted to post it here mostly for my addict sister :)

Creative Homemaking


p.s. I promise that I am actually going to start doing posts with substance very soon :)

Everyday Food

Here is a link to some recipes for my recipe-aholic sister (and everyone else). I love the show Everyday Cooking because usually the recipes they show really do have ingredients you have at the house.

Everyday Food

Dusty's Back!

And as you can see he had fun! I love this picture of him.

He's really in his element :)

Yummy Oatmeal Cookies

This was from a friend at work. She brought them in and they were so good I wanted to share. Nothing fancy but really good. I will try and post a new recipe every now and then!

Oatmeal Cookies

1 c margarine
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 c oats (quick oats I guess...)
1 bag chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 mins at 350 and voila! Makes 4 dozen.

Decide to Decide!

I think that one of my biggest problems as of late is that I am indecisive. I hate being indecisive. It totally stunts your growth. It is a stumbling block for you and most of the time it doesn't need to be. I wouldn't say that I am paralyzed by fear (as it says below) but I definitely need to work on just making decisions more quickly. My focus lately has been making more decisions in a timely manner. It's still a challenge and I am trying to get over it! Below was an email from Dr. Paul here in Utah and I wanted to share it.

Many people are paralyzed by fear when it comes to making decisions. Look at the similarities between these words:

DECISION

INCISION

EXCISION

You will notice a common root to all three - "cision", which means "cut". An "incision" is a cut "into" something, like in surgery. An "excision" occurs when something is cut "out", like having a nasty mole removed. A "decision" is cutting something "off". Any decision cuts you off from the alternatives, which is why many people fear decisions. This concept is even more powerful when you realize that you are always making decisions. Even when you avoid a decision, that is the same thing as accepting the passive decision, which cuts you off from whatever you could have obtained by making an active decision.

Decide to decide!

I never signed up for this!!

I never thought that I would be married to someone who loved nature so much. Growing up I was never much the camping girl. Sure I would go every once in a while but never had this feeling of just HAVING to be there in nature. It has taken me a while to figure out the extent of Dusty's passion. I have since understood that nature, snakes, reptiles, zoos and anything closely related with be a part of my life forever. And I am OK with that. (Note that I say that now and not when I find lizards and snakes in their pockets while doing laundry....)

Everyone who finds out about Dusty's hobby immediately asks questions like "How do they breed?" "Have you ever seen them do it?" People who come over usually get the full educational version of how male snakes actually have two penises. And from that point on in the conversation they are fascinated. The conversation lasts at least an hour of a nonstop Q&A session.

Let me tell you, I know more about snakes than I EVER thought possible. I retain that information too. I can tell you which snakes give live births and which ones lay eggs. I can tell you what is different about the Loma Alta line of Subocs. I can tell you some genetics of the snakes we have. And I can even tell you the Latin names of some reptiles. Oh yeah, I am a herpetologist in training :) (Disclaimer: Herpetology is the study of reptiles...that explanation was mostly for Mike....it's not the study of herpes which is what most people think when they ask Dusty what he studies.)

Why do I tell you all of this? Well, Dusty just left yesterday for his big West Texas trip. He is going on 8 days of camping, snake hunting (no they don't kill them...), he gets to meet his publisher and he gives a presentation to 3 Herp Societies. He is way excited and I know he will do awesome!! I am so happy he is there.

However, we have a lot of snakes to take care of. There are a lot of mouths to feed while he's gone. We have eggs in the incubator that will hatch any day and a snake that will lay more eggs any day. Luckily he has a great friend that is coming over to help him feed them the live mice they require. I'm just not there yet! I might be able to feed them dead ones....we'll see.

Dusty left me a list of things to do while he's gone and if the one snake lays eggs I am responsible to put them in the incubator. I think the only thing that is helping me to overcome this obstacle is knowing that by me putting the eggs in the incubator...it means more money in my pocket :)

OK. I guess I am just doing a little reflecting out loud because it dawned on me how different my life is. Now to the point.....

Dusty is gone. He's miles away in the middle of nowhere. A old neighbor knocks on the door. He speaks very little English and hands me a Coke bottle. Upon further inspection I see a snake in it! Without much conversation he just leaves. What the?! Luckily Dusty was in range with his cell phone when I called. He told me to just give it back and tell him to let it go, but the guy was already gone! Then I was instructed to put it with the other snake the guy brought by a few weeks ago. My biggest fear was taking the lid off of the Coke bottle. Dusty would be ashamed because he would start telling me how stupid and irrational that fear is. (But don't worry honey, I was playing that lecture over in my head and it got me through...)

Anyway. I couldn't just open the bottle and stick it in the cage because the cage was too small and the lid wouldn't fit over it. So I was standing there for about 30 minutes waiting for the snake to come out of the bottle while trying not to have the other snake get out of the cage. Everything worked out in the end but I kept checking the lid to make sure it was fastened good.

I realized how "unique" my marriage is and how cool people think that Dusty is too. Our goal in life should be to do what we love and I can definitely say that Dusty is doing that no matter how many people have told him he's crazy or there's no money in it...he keeps on keeping on with his vision in sight. I know that he will go far in this industry...he knows it like the back of his hand. A passion for something and solid knowledge of the industry is a good combination. So, no matter if I signed up for this or not, this is the lot I have chosen and I am excited to see where this slithery path takes me!

Chance of snow?!

OK. Today I wake up and it's cold (high is in the 50's), rainy and we have a chance of snow! Dusty skipped out just in time. He's in west Texas where it's in the 100's. I don't know who got the better deal.

Rhoads Rolls Baby!!

This is our new version of "Rhodes Rolls". Dusty got up early and cooked me breakfast and made some croissant rolls too....except he forgot to roll them! LOL Maybe he thought you roll them after they bake...

Quote of the Day

"Of all the Republicans to run for president in 2008, the one who's only had one wife is a Mormon."

~Orrin Hatch

Catching up....

Well, it seems I have a lot to blog about, especially my Nauvoo trip. Things have been pretty crazy around the house lately so I am short on time for blogging....but it is coming soon :).......

Happy Birthday, Dusty!!

Today was Dusty's birthday!!! Hooray!!! He turned the big 2-7 :)

I Heart T J

OK. As some of you may know. I do Turbo Jam all of the time. It all started last year while vacationing at my Momma's house and I saw this infomercial (sp?) and I fell in LOVE with this workout. It started with 5 workouts on one DVD and then Dusty just surprised me with 8 more the other day!! I seriously have always wanted to continue to teach dance as well as also become an aerobics instructor. Well, come to find out you can get certified in teaching Turbo Kick which is the same as Turbo Jam. So, Dusty wanted to get me some more videos so I can practice!!

That was so thoughtful of him and I LOVE THEM!!!! I do them all of the time. Melissa and mom...I am going to bring them with me the next time I come home. I think there are 2 more DVDs I don't have that are next on my list! After that I will be good...for a while. :) They really are butt-kickin' DVDs and I love it.

Super Saturday!

So we had our little Super Saturday at Church on...well...Saturday and I used a sewing machine by myself for the first time!! (I didn't have to hook the thread of course but still! You should be proud!) I have included pics of some of the stuff we made. The blue bag is a little tote made out of ribbon and a placemat. Notice the bottom of the bag...that took skill!

The other little thingy is a piece of wook cut, sanded and painted with vinyl added. It is a little picture frame. Some people made them as recipe holders, but all I need right now is another thing on my kitchen counter!! I don't have any space as it is!

Let me know what you think of my mad skills! :)

Going to Nauvoo!

I am leaving tomorrow for a week long trip 1/2 work and 1/2 pleasure. I am flying out to a conferene in Richmond, VA with a couple of friends from work. We are going a day early so we can drive up to DC to go sight-seeing. I have never been to DC and am really excited. I remember in 5th grade one of the teachers always took her students to DC and I wasn't in her class. I was so bummed and thought that I would never have another opportunity to go :) Life was over in 5th grade ....wasn't it for everyone though...seriously!

The conference is for 3 days and then we are heading out to Nauvoo for another 3 days. I am SO EXCITED. I have never been. To top it all off I get to stay in Susan Easton Black's condo with her and her husband and two friends. Susan is going to show us around and we will have lots of time there. We are even going to do a temple session. I am so excited. This will be such a spiritual rejuvination that is long over due. I will try to take lots of pictures but I will make sure to write in my journal a lot!

This week even while on "vacation" I have a lot of stuff going on. I need your prayers that things will work out with my job (if it's meant to be of course!). I pretty much find out on the 18th if we finally get the long awaited funding or if there is another reason that it has been "pushed back". It's my fault for letting it come to this, but it has been a hard road to travel and one I am trying to figure out. If you remember, prayers are welcome!!!

I feel so blessed to be able to go to Nauvoo (for FREE at that!) with good friends and to be in such good company. Susan has written books on Nauvoo and has been responsible for thousands of the early Saints history and temple work preserved and done. This is so exciting and I am humbled I have had so many opportunities and blessing come my way in this life. I just hope I make the most of them.

I will blog again when I can!!!! Bon Voyage!

Kickin Trash and Takin' Names

So I had only played checkers once and the person kicked my trash and I didn't understand the game so I didn't play for years. The other day Dusty and I got out his game I bought him and he was teaching me how to play as we went. I BEAT HIM 5 TIMES IN A ROW!! Not only beat him, but STOMPED him! I had to take a picture and post a victory blog!

p.s. I am silver.... :)

Dusty's First Professional Presentation is Announced!

Absolutely Amazing!

http://tinyurl.com/yxewot

I think she understands the phrase, "Become as a little child" yet her expressions and understandings far surpass many of us. She is amazing and kudos to her mom for having the faith to let that child pursue her "visions".

Cheapskate Stories

OK. I am not at liberty to yet say what happened because it was with a business affiliate of Dusty's but we just had a really big cheapskate experience with someone. I wanted to hear some of your cheapskate stories. They can be either someone was a cheapskate towards you or you were a cheapskate towards someone else.

If you are having a hard time getting your brain flowing. Here is an example.

On February 8, 1986 my father thought that he had the perfect birthday planned for my mother. The children were gathered around the table eagerly waiting to see what my dad got for my mother--the love of his life.

The scene was set: streamers, birthday cake, ice cream, children and...the video camera so that she will treasure the moment forever. Here we go!

Present #1) Pack of Spearmint EXTRA gum
Present #2) Another Pack of Spearmint EXTRA gum
(by the way her favorite was the dark blue kind :)
Present# 3) Rubbermaid Tupperware for the kitchen
Present# 4) Another set of Rubbermaid Tupperware for the kitchen

.......and that was it folks! My dad has been sending us kids DVDs of our old VHS tapes and this one just got him landed with the 1986 Cheapskate Award.


I KNOW that working with Michael at Mr. Gattis in the ghetto that there were too many stories to count that constituted Cheapskate Awards too but I want to hear a few from everyone.

I need some laughter in my day. So take it away and let me hear what ya got!

Cann you see the Baby?

If you can't see the baby in the picture, don't give up.
It's really cool when it actually appears.
This is not a joke and ~ NO ~ Nothing is going to jump out at you!

You have to have an open mind.
Don't look for a Baby, and you will see the Baby! Once you see it you won't see anything else!!!

This is so cool. Do you see the baby?

My Easter Basket

This is my Easter Basket this year. 1) A basket we already had 2)A bowl of jelly beans we have had for weeks and 3) A peanut butter egg I bought like in February...

Happy Easter!!

I wish I could be there with all of my family :(

Mom, how did you Better Than $&# Cake turn out :)?

You Gotta Love It!

Lame Post

OK. I know this will be a lame post but I have been sick and in bedfor the past 68 of the 72 hours. However, one highlight was that I finally beat the computer game Mindsweeper! Have you ever tried that? I have like 2,000,000 times. I might be totally slow on the uptake but I finally did it. Another highlight is that I have eaten junk in bed, watched movies all day and wake up whenever I want :)

Other than that...hmmm.... I have taken up a new passion of scrapbooking. I am going to add a ton of pics of the pages I have done pretty soon. I have been using my fancy shmancy Cricut Dusty got me for Valentines Day.

I have some other stuff going on but I am getting tired and need to go to bed. I'll holla back lata. Ciao.