The Haunting Of Autumn Lake

If you read The Visions Of Ransom Lake by Marcia Lynn McClure then you must read this book. The Visions Of Ransom Lake is my favorite book of hers and The Haunting of Autumn Lake is book about Ransom's daughter. I'm a major fan of Marcia Lynn McClure's books. I love her style of writing and have never read a book from another author who writes like her. I'm a sap for clean romance. I've never been disappointed in one of her books and this one did not disappoint either. The only thing I don't like when reading one of her books is that the books ends. I just don't want it to end, but then that's how I feel about 95% of the books I read, I just want it to keep going and going. So, I love that she wrote a book continuing the story but with new characters too. Now we need a third Marcia. :)
Oh wait, I guess there is one more thing about her books that I don't like. Well it's not that I don't really like it, I just am a tiny bit bugged about it. Sometimes she has spelling or grammar errors, but that's ok. She should hire me to proofread her books. :) I would love that! Heck I'd do it for way less than what she's paying now I bet. I don't care though, I absolutely love her books!

Roasted Hummus and Brussel Sprouts

Tonight I roasted a bunch of veggies including hummus and brussel sprouts. I sliced up all the veggies and put in a large bowl then poured some olive oil in it and sprinkled Weber Season Salt on top then broiled it for about 20 min. I love doing veggies like this, thanks to my mother in-law Nancy who taught me that. It's so yummy! Hummus and brussel sprouts however are not my favorite to do that with. They weren't gross but I didn't want to eat more than about 1 1/2 pieces of each.  The other veggies were great. I wish I'd had some fresh beats to put in it because those are my absolute favorite to cook this way. Hummus not so great, brussel sprouts were better than the hummus but far from my favorite. I won't be adding those again.

I'm So Dizzy

So today I was weeding, not even for very long and I passed out. I was squatting down, stood up and fainted. I was probably only squatting for about 30 seconds, although I was squatting then standing, squatting then standing (because I was getting lightheaded) and I guess that last time did me in.  Luckily I knew it was coming and had time to move away from the huge sharp red rock my garden so I fainted on the lawn for the most part and sidewalk just a little, only got a small scrape on my leg. I haven't passed out for a long time, in my adulthood for the most part I've only fainted when pregnant but growing up I fainted almost on a daily basis. I know my limits now and how to tell when a spell is coming on so it doesn't happen very often, or at least not completely. I have no idea why I do this, always have and probably always will. I just hope the older I get that it doesn't get worse again.  During junior high and high school there were many mornings where I'd wake up, sit up in bed and pass out, hitting my head on my wooden bed frame. Even just turning my head quickly makes me dizzy. Pretty crazy, but I'm used to it. It's never happened while I've been weeding though. Haha!!! Probably because I don't weed very often! :)

I just decided to google again and see what I could find and Shannon you were right!! The type of problem I have can be caused by a blood pressure drop. On this website http://www.medicalook.com/Neurological_disorders/Dizziness.html it talks about 3 different types of dizziness and it sounds like mine is pre-syncope. Pre-syncope is when you feel faint or lightheaded, like when you stand up to fast and feel like you might fall. Usually pre-syncope occurs because of orthostatic hypotension which is when the blood pressure drops because of a sudden shift in body position. It can also be caused by not enough blood being pumped from the heart. A blocked artery, a decrease in blood volume, abnormal heart rhythm or heart disease can cause pre-syncope especially if the person is excited or in a state of heightened emotion.

Soccer

Tonight all three boys played their first soccer games of the season and Levi played for the first time ever. He's never wanted to sign up for soccer until this year and he's super happy that he's playing because he loves it and is awesome at it, I was surprised with how aggressive he was! Fisher's team lost 2-8, Levi's team won 6-2 and Kadin's team won 4-2. Kadin scored 3 of their goals and was happy all night about that. He couldn't stop talking about how he scored one of them from almost half a field away. Unfortunately Kerby was at scouts and I was at Fisher's game so none of us saw how awesome he did. Levi and Fisher almost scored goals, they both assisted in the scoring though. It was a fun night of soccer!

 Also unfortunately I did not have my camera so I took pictures with my cell phone and it does not take good pictures.

 Here is Levi kicking the ball.

 Levi just kicked it toward the goal but it was stopped.

Here is Fisher getting ready to kick it.

 

 It started raining on us and we got to see a double rainbow. Skylar thought it was so pretty and awesome.

Unearther

I finished reading the book "Unearthed" by Lara Stauffer and I didn't want to put it down, I would get so sad when my kindle battery would die and I'd have to stop reading.  It was very good and really made me want to re-read the Book Of Mormon, especially the sections it refers to. In this book the story takes place in our time and in Book of Mormon times...33 AD. It was a great read, very clean and anyone could read it and really enjoy it. I didn't think this would be my style of read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a few grammar errors and misspelled words but I don't know that I've ever read a book I haven't found those in. I really should be a Proofreader because I can spot those errors really good, probably too good. Ok, for those of you laughing right now because you've seen many errors in my posts, you can laugh at my expense. :) I actually don't reread through my posts (usually) so don't really catch it if I have errors. I guess maybe I should start doing that. Anywho (hehe) back to the book. I recommend this book to anyone, I'd love my kids to read this book. You really need to read this book. My complaint about this book is that I wanted more at the end. I didn't want to put it down so when I had to because it was over I was sad.

Matt's spent years resenting his father and the church, but a once-in-a-lifetime archaeology trip forces Matt to face more than he bargained for as he and his father unearth a city that's been lost for centuries. This thrilling adventure is bursting with laugh out loud humor, a touch of romance, and more than a little mystery. A fun read for the whole family.

It's Wedding TIme

Wow this month is really the month everyone likes to get married and I love it! We got married in December and I have to say if I could do it again I probably wouldn't choose that month. Ok, ok I probably would because I didn't want to wait any longer. :) Tonight I went to a beautiful wedding, Chris Losee and Alene Graham's wedding. The colors were gorgeous, turquoise and orange, they looked great together. The brides dress was beautiful too. What a cute couple. I'm seeing all these weddings in a new light now, I see them as a mom knowing it really won't be long before my own kids get married. Mostly I think of Skylar and things I love about all these weddings (because she'll be planning her wedding, the boys brides will be planning theirs). It's been really fun seeing all the different styles and everything. I thought I paid attention to all that before but now I really am.

The Three Stooges

Tonight the boys and I rented this movie and I have to say I'm really disappointed and I'm glad my boys fell asleep and didn't see most of it. The humor was too crude and in my opinion it shouldn't have been rated PG. There was too much sexual content and honestly it wasn't that funny to me. I only laughed a couple times and when the kids were away I only hear Levi laugh once. My kids have been wanting to see it for a long time. They wanted to go to the theater but we just never did and now I'm so glad that we didn't. I don't recommend this movie and am sad to have to tell my boys that they don't get to watch it. The story line was great and it had a happy ending, that was the only good thing about it in my opinion. I don't remember them being so crude but maybe I was too young to understand it if it was...I don't remember.

Sausage Zucchini Bake

 I made up a delicious new recipe today and everyone loved it! It was gone before I knew it and they were wanting more. I didn't have time to take better pictures of it, so sorry. It really was good though. It was so easy too so I'll definitely be making it more. I used sausage but you could use any kind of ground meat. Yum! I love it when I make up a good recipe, it makes me feel great! It's so weird though because I don't like to cook so I don't know why I feel so good when I do this...probably because I feel like a lousy cook. So, yay!

Recipe:

Sausage Zucchini Bake

1 1/2 lbs original ground sausage

2 medium zucchini

1 red pepper

1/2 yellow onion

1/2 tsp oregano

2 tsp minced garlic

2 c fiesta blend cheese (or any kind)

Preheat oven to 350. Brown sausage in skillet, add oregano and garlic.  Slice the onion (I left big pieces) and add to skillet. Cut the pepper into pieces and add to the skillet. Cut the zucchini in half (length wise) then slice it up and add it to the skillet. Mix all together and simmer for a few minutes. Pour into 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Levi's Pinewood Derby

 Tonight Levi had his cub scout pinewood derby. He and Kerby worked so hard on his car and did an awesome job. Levi named his car the Black and won the Black Streak award. He won a few races after turning his car backwards to get the weights on the right end. He didn't make it to the final four though. He was a trooper though and didn't get upset or complain about it. He just kept watching the other cars excitedly. The pinewood derby is always a fun pack night to go to. Way to go Levi and all other cub scouts.

I love Fisher and Levi's game faces while waiting for the race.

 Wow! This year Levi can even see over the track to put his car up. Last year he was too short.

 Receiving his "Black Streak" award.

First Day of School

Another first day of school come and gone. Homework...sigh, learning....good, tears....heartbreaking, quiet house....tranquil.

The kids were ready for school by 7:00 and Fisher was asking me every 5 minutes if it was time to go yet. School starts at 9:00 so I kept telling him that the teachers weren't even there yet. He didn't care, he said he just wanted to go sit at his desk and wait until she came. He was, well they all were way excited for school to start. So we get there and find all their classes. While walking back down the hall to leave I see Levi out in the hall with his teacher and he's crying...again. He cries almost every year. I just pray this isn't a repeat of first grade where he cried the first 2 weeks of school and after that about once a week he'd still cry. The very last day (the party day) he cried about school. Second grade was a million times better and third grade was good too (great teachers). So, I tried to settle him down by having him get a drink and splashing water on his face (which helps it look like they haven't been crying, I've learned) and having him take deep breaths. Nothing was seeming to work, he just kept sobbing. He told me he was scared and that he'd miss me and wanted me to home school him (which was great that he was actually telling me because in the past he wouldn't ever tell me the problem). I told him he didn't need to be scared because he's done it before and he'll get used to it really fast and only a few things will be different. Then I told him I'd miss him too and he'd only be gone a few hours then we'd see each other again and everything would be ok. I also told him that I had no idea how to home school and that I thought he'd miss being able to have so many friends around. I thought I had him calmed down and we went to go back in and he started sobbing again. So, I actually pulled him aside and we went and sat down in the hall and said a little pray for him. That seemed to help him a lot, he walked right in there with me and I told him I'd stay for a few minutes but that when it was time for me to leave he needed to be strong and remember that he needs to be in school and that he can do it. So, I stayed in for a few minutes and when I left I gave him a thumbs up and winked at him and he was fine. When he got home he said he really likes his teacher. Yay!! We'll see how tomorrow goes.

 Fisher originally had a teacher that I strongly do not want anymore of my kids to have as a teacher. So, I was able to have him switched and you know what he loves his new teacher and I'm so excited to see a different 1st grade teacher in action. Already I like her too and think she'll be great.

 He was so excited but timid when it came time to actually walk into his classroom.

Kadin didn't get a chance to meet his teacher last night at the open-house so he wasn't sure who she was. Well, he came home today and said she is who she was hoping for. So, he likes his teacher too. They all like their teachers and I'm so happy about that. I think/pray this is going to be a good year.  Now if I can just get in gear and be a productive person this year...especially this week to begin with.

Men In Black 3

 Today right after the school open-house we went to see this. One last fun thing before school starts because we're about to get really, really busy. This was another good movie! Man I really enjoy almost ever movie we go see. Then again I don't go see a movie that doesn't look really good to me...usually! This was clean, no swearing (from what I remember) and very funny. All the MIB's have been funny but I think this one was the funniest. I loved how they would go back in time, I thought that was really cool and interesting. I thought the ending was really good, but really sad too. I wonder if they're done with MIB movies after an ending like that? The villain in this movie does a great job and I love it when the good guys win. :) I enjoyed the new character Griffin and hope that they do have more movies just so they can show more of him. Griffin is a hyper-dimensional alien with the ability to see all outcomes — good and bad — of every possible reality. Anyways, we all enjoyed watching it and Kerby and I had some good, needed laughs.

Have a fun first day of school tomorrow everyone. My kids went to bed sulking that they had to start school tomorrow. Does that mean we had too much fun during the summer or not enough??

Pike and Camping Cont.

The night at Yuba was perfect. It was the perfect temperature and very peaceful.

Kadin caught the first fish of the morning. It took him several minutes to real it in.

 

 Kerby's attempting to grab it with the fish grippers because he knows it's a pike and that they have really sharp teeth. He never did get them on it though.

 Still trying to get it in.

 Kerby finally got a hold of it.

 Measuring with a piece of ribbon because we didn't have a tape measure with us.

 That thing is heavy and huge!

 What a monster!! Way to go Kadin! 40 inch pike, between 18 & 23 lbs (according to some calculations Kerby found online, going by his size). Awesome fish!

 Time to release it.

 A huge crowd has gathered around.

Here is Kerby's story he typed up for Big Fish Tackle...he's a much better writer than me, and says a lot more.
 

We caught several small but fat carp in the evening and all morning.  But early in the morning Kadin's rod gets a hard bite, he's not around so Fisher grabs the rod and makes a nice big hook set.  He reeled it for a minute til his brother came back and took over.  When we saw the beast getting close to shore we couldn't believe he would just eat a shrimp off the bottom.  We weren't prepared, had no measuring tape so we laid a ribbon Kristi had down him and cut it off.  We didn't want to debate too long whether to keep him, we had no where to put him and it was hot so we decided to release him.  Later we measured the ribbon, right at 39 1/4", that was from the tip of the snout to the tail along his back, we noticed later in the pics that his bottom jaw comes out further.  I had digital scale but no net and we didn't want to stick that up in his gills so we didn't try weighing him.  We thought at the time he would be 35 or 36" maybe, didn't know quite how big he was.  What a great surprise he was, some people spend years trying to catch a pike that big using all types of advanced angling methods, and we got lucky enough to catch him on a piece of shrimp.

Fisher's turn to catch a fish.

 And it's another carp.

 Kerby caught a pike that was 20 inches.

 Catching yet another carp. Everything else we caught was carp, which was fine because they were still fun to catch.

 Time to swim again. Fisher wanted to show me he could put his face under the water.

 Then Skylar wanted to show me she could too.

 Playing ball again.

 Back to fishing.

 Lizard catching time.

 Swimming again.

 They kept this tiny lizard.

 Mia loved the water but wouldn't go out much deeper than this.

 Kadin also caught a craw-dad.

 Swimming yet again. Trying to swim away from the big wave that's coming.

 Fisher riding the wave.

 Another carp.

It was a really fun trip and we plan on doing it again...hopefully soon. Then we'll start fishing early in the morning and hopefully catch some more big pike.