...and now the snow is gone.

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FIRST SNOW!!!!!!

First 6 months progress report!

Just hit the 6 month mark and I have success to report!

Date Started: May 20, We had just arrived and gotten settled in our temp apartment here in Bloomington, and Jeff started his new job! Baby Beck is now 3 months old! Its my birthday and I am determined to get to a good weight (or as close to it) by my 30th birthday!)

Weight Lost: 56 lbs
Inches Lost: 32.5 "  (that's not a typo!)
I'm down 3 pant sizes and 1 shirt size!

What am I doing:

• Started out with 30 minutes of Turbo Jam each day.
• Moved up to running 3 times a week (but now I'm back to 1 day a week ... to cold!)
• Daily I workout at least 45 minutes: elliptical, treadmill, DVD, Bike-ride, Aerobics at the Church, or outdoor run.
• Hit a plateau in Oct so I started Weight Watchers...love it!

Lbs to go: 30
Don't bother looking for them...its not coming back....ever!

Or another one...

...or these made of crescent rolls, hot dogs, and bologna trim...

Great Thanksgiving Treat Idea...

... I may just do this!

Elise's friend in Nursery

She has just started to go and hug her friends, say hi and address them all by names it is sooo cute!

Sunday morning dance lessons...

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Last one there is a rotten egg...

...Ehre learned about idioms.

Sorry for the flux of new posts... I realized that I had a bunch of unpublished posts...not sure why...and I accidentally clicked to publish them all..that's what I get for trying to clean things up.

Preschool graduation

Ann Maas

Surgical Video 2

#1

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#6

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Stay tuned Amy...

Amy you asked for a cake tutorial and since I am making a wedding cake this weekend you can get it in stages. Gmail and Facebook don't like it when I put lots of photos in a blog post...not sure why so this will be unconventional. The following pics that I will post will show you the first few steps in making a cake...these are no brain-rs but I've got to start somewhere.

1. Figure out what you are going to do...this is a 3 tier wedding cake.
2. Make your cake mix (My favorite brand to use is pictured here)
3. Grease and Flour pans or use a spray... I like the spray.
4. Fill pans 3/4 full and tap them so air bubbles come to the top. (The small pan will be used for a top tier.)
5. These are pan wrappers that make is to when I bake a large cake it doesn't dome up when it cooks...it keeps it baking evenly and flat...love them! (They are soaked in cold water and then wrapped around each pan)
6. Bake in the oven,.... this is a 12" cake for the base layer so its going to take quite a bit longer to cook esp since its 3" tall.

What to do while this cake takes forever to bake...well for me my house isn't nearly ready for the wedding (yes its here) so I've got a lot of work to do.

Ok I'll post more when I get a few more steps done! Enjoy!

My new hat....

My mommy just made it for me!

My shinning star.... I'll share her.

View from our back porch

Awesome clouds before a storm...

...to bad you can't hear the thunder and see the lightning!

Colors of Indiana

It is so pretty this time of the year!

I <3 lists!!!

Ehre's trip to the Art Museum!

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So tired

At 10:30 we knew she was tired. I tried to get her to nap during sacrament meeting...no luck. She screamed so much during nursery they brought her to me....I tried to send her back at the end of second hour....no luck. She hung out with Jeff during third while I had Beck and then fell asleep on the ride home. Its now 5 and she is still asleep....I guess I will have to wake her soon for dinner and so she will sleep tonight but I really don't want to.

Purchasing drywall...

Requires driving like this if you don't have a truck.   :)

Elder Ammon

Goes home this week and we may get Sisters next :) 

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5k finished

Last year I ran my first 5k in 35 minutes. Today I ran it just over 34!!! Pics to come soon!

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To bed I say......

They like it better when dad puts them to bed.... I wonder why.

Phone changes..

I type one thing it changes it ...ugh...makes me sound stupid in my blog posts! Beck is getting the grumpies...

Top teeth

Grumpier are starting again as the top teeth are starting to come!

Long day...

Ran 3.5 miles this.morning with the youngest two in the stroller, I've had some shin splints that have been bothering me...but are finally starting to feel better. But now my L knee is starting to really hurt. I am wondering if running through the shin splints is causing some tendonittis.  So here I am icing it and cuddling with baby B who just happened to fall asleep..it's ok I am not going anywhere.

Pre- Conference Camping Trip

Hello Friends,

Don't sweat it when you realize that both Purdue and IU friends have been invited!

I am trying to put together a family camp out with friends. I am planning this the Friday night before General Conference, because we will still have time to get back and settled....plus maybe a hike in the am will help the kiddo's let us listen to conference better...especially if they are napping!

When:Oct 5th
Where: Brown Co...location to be determined
Dinner Time: 6:30
Kids Bedtime: Dark
Parents: well we can stay up and play games and eat dutch oven dessertt.

Email me back if you are interested and we can make more definite plans! Doesn't dutch oven cooking, tinfoil dinners, smores and bread pies sound amazing right now!...oh and Hot Chocolate too!

Ann

Politics

I wish I could write like my little sister. I am attaching her recent post because I LOVE IT....may be she was just writing down my thoughts the whole time....maybe.

http://elderelderelder.blogspot.com/2012/09/politics.html

Heading to the co-op for lunch

Spencer is married....now I can have lunch!

Jerry Woodward honeycreek ward

Canning!!!

I still have 6 bags of apples and 3/4 a bushel of peaches but I am really excited ! I am also making apple butter and dried appear. I plan to still can Rhotkohl, pinto beans, and maybe salsa. Next year hopefully more of the produce we will grow ourselves!

Slip n slide

12 hour lipstick

Elise did this just before church and it didnt.come off till this morning!

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First Day of School!

Introducing Odious!

Actually its Odysseus but we call him Odi. He is our new Zebra Finch. The kids love him and he is a lot of fun. He sounds like a sqweeky toy but quiets down at night. Ehre and Ben do well to feed him each day. Elise and Beck love to sit and watch/listen to him. Jeff says its NOT his pet... I think we will manage fine with him.

Welcome Home Dad!

Jeff has been in DC since Monday and we have missed him terribly. Since this is his second trip in two months and not his last, the kids and I decided to make him a reusable banner. The kids helped me pick out paper, I added the message and then laminated it. I think eventually we will do a birthday one as well, its so cute!

Yummy goodness

These are all ready to enjoy. I will make 3 more types of cookies so we have a good variety, but not today. I was thinking, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, pumpkin spice, and snickerdoodle.  I have a goal to bake up 2 dozen easy Saturday to be used in lunches the next week.

Elise did it

I stepped out to put cookie dough in the freezer and when I came back TWO cookies were missing...and Elise looked like a gerbal...seriously I was only gone 10 seconds!

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Missing cookies

Prayer and Scripture Rocks

PS I <3 U

Is a reminder that through Prayer and Scripture study we are reminded that our Heavenly Father loves us. We need this reminder morning and night. These prayer rocks are for my activity day girls to color tomorrow night.

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Big sister

Ehre helped Elise fall asleep tonight. Elise can now climb out if her crib so we are teaching her to sleep in a big bed. Ehre is such a big helper.

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Settling in....

After a week of unpacking we are almost settled in. I have a few more boxes and the garage to finish so I will work on that while Jeff is in DC this week. what a blessing a house is. We made a run to Michigan this weekend for a day to see "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" staring the Peterson family! They did a great job. This is our last week of summer before school starts I think we are ready.