Happy Memorial Day!

It was gorgeous weather today, so I told Bruce that I wanted to go for a hike, which we did. We hiked a trail called the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail, which ends at the boundaries of the USAF Academy. It's a nice trail, with a stream running along the side and lots of pretty wildflowers and an assortment of trees and other vegetation, and old train car remains. Round trip is just short of 4 miles. 

Later we BBQ'd with our friends Elsie, Gary and Susan. These are our friends that we pick up for church each Sunday. Most would refer to them as mentally challenged or a bit slow; we just think they are fun and enjoy being around them. This next weekend, Gary and Susan are participating in the special olympics. They are a cute couple and we're glad that we could spend time together with our friends this Memorial Day. 

Bruce, Susan, Gary and Elsie

Cathy, Susan, Gary and Elsie

Why LDS Women Stress

My good friend, Lynne, sent me this yesterday. I thought it was priceless.

As Latter-day Saint women, we are practically obsessed with anxiously engaging ourselves in good causes. 

Maybe it's subliminal. 

Glancing through the hymnal last Sunday I noted that as sisters in Zion, we who are called to serve are all enlisted to go marching, marching forward because the world has need of willing men to all press on scattering sunshine. We wonder if we have done any good in the world today, because we have been given much and want to do what is right, keep the commandments, press forward with the Saints, choose the right, and put our shoulders to the wheel, going where He wants us to go. However, as the morning breaks high on the mountain top, truth reflects upon our senses, and while we still believe that sweet is  the work, we also realize that we have work enough to do ere the sun  goes down.  And thus we ask Thee ere we part, where can we turn for peace? 

Wow, has it been that long?

It's been forever since I've posted anything on the family blog. I've been keeping up to date on my other blogs, but just not this one. Is it because I'm busy, or because there is just not anything worth posting, or maybe a combination of both? I got behind on everything when Paula and the girls were here, but now I'm just busy with no other excuse. Anyway, so I guess it's time for an update...

I've been busy with cakes or catering almost every weekend. This weekend I had an early cake delivery, so that's always nice because I still have the remainder of my Saturday to catch up on other things. When I'm not doing cakes or catering, I'm busy helping Bruce with inspection reports. Last year, we purchased a reporting system that was supposed to make it so Bruce could do his own reports. Hmm...still working on that.  

I'm making some headway on my weight loss, but I still have things that call out my name like...chocolate ganache from wedding cakes, Bavarian creme filling from wedding cakes, chocolate fondue left over from chocolate fountain from catering a wedding, cheese and crackers left over from catering a wedding. Get the picture? My business isn't always conducive to my weight loss :(. I do enjoy the healthy snacks, too...it's just that the other stuff just sometimes gets in the way. So anyway, last week at Weight Watchers, I was sharing the fact that I had a skinny husband and that when I do cakes, I just leave the leftover stuff on the counter and Bruce devours it. But...since he had oral surgery a little over a week ago and can't eat everything, things have been sitting there and calling my name. My friends at WW gave me an assignment to ask Bruce if he really enjoyed eating the stuff or did he just eat it because it was there (meaning I could toss the leftovers if he really didn't like it all that much). So I asked him and this is the answer I got...ARE YOU KIDDING? Just have them come over some weekend and see what they think. OK then, I guess I can't throw out the stuff. Update on Bruce...I took him back to the dentist on Thursday because he was still in pain and too stubborn to go himself, got some antibiotics for an infection that was starting and more pain pills and a special mouth rinse to help him heal quicker. Another few weeks, and he will have rest of teeth pulled before the dentures go in. I'm still enjoying using the Wii Fit except for the annoying little person that keeps telling me to keep up when I'm doing the "free step" and riding the "bike" for almost 5 miles because I can't find the last checkpoint on the long ride. 

Entire wedding cake in chocolate ganache with bavarian creme filling

Cheese and crackers from catered wedding

Bruce and I have been teaching the gospel doctrine classes while the regular teachers are teaching a financial management class. Old Testament isn't my forte, but I'm managing OK, I guess...I suppose I should ask the students in our class. Last week I got to teach about Balaam and the talking donkey. That was kinda fun. Where else do you get to read about a donkey that sees angels and chastises a disobedient prophet?

Balaam and his talking "ass"

We planted part of our garden last week, and of course, then it froze and snowed. Thank goodness for "walls of water." In case you don't know what those are, they are little plastic teepee-like things with water pockets that you put around your plants to protect them from the cold...they act like little greenhouses. Bruce also put up the screened garden enclosure. Each year it looks different...depending on his mood, I guess and which PVC pipe he decides to use that year. At least it protects our garden from the hail, and little critters that would otherwise find our plants very tantalizing. 

Walls of water from previous years...this year we have 14

The Wii Fit...makes exercising fun, but also deflates your ego

So Paula got a Wii Fit Plus so we could both exercise, and have a little fun at the same time. I find that I am really enjoying it, except my body is beginning to hurt and says otherwise. I do find, however, that while the Wii Fit can be entertaining, it can also be somewhat deflating to one's ego. See the tiny little characters all dressed in different colors above? Well, when you first use the Wii Fit, you design a "Mii" that fits your own character. Every day before you begin exercising, it does a body test to test your balance and judgement, your BMI, and of course, your weight. Then, if you continue, it gives you your "Wii Fit Age," depending on how you did on your body test. Each day after measuring, my little character blows up like a balloon, and repeats, "That's obese." As if I didn't already know that. My Wii Fit Age has fluctuated between 75 and 40+. You also get to choose your trainer, so I chose this cute little male guy who tries to help me get in shape. One day, I got on, and it had substituted my trainer with the female...maybe my guy got tired of looking at my little obese body.  

Laundry, laundry, laundry...

Does it ever end? I just finished the tenth load of laundry after returning from our trip to CT. It seems like a never-ending battle. Once you get it all done, it starts to pile up again. It is amazing how many pairs of little pink and lavender socks that 2 little girls can go through. I guess I shouldn't complain. When the girls are gone in a few months, I will miss all those little socks and the cute little pink dresses, and soft cuddly pink blankets. Until then, I will just enjoy being Grandma.

Trip to Connecticut

Paula, Lexi, Carissa, and I just returned from a trip to CT to visit Tom, Amanda, and Lucy. The flight was long, especially with a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 mo. old, but we had a good visit. Lexi and Lucy especially had fun playing together. Paula was able to spend a day in New York with Tom doing some of the touristy things and then we took the train into the city again on Saturday to do Times Square and the Museum of Natural History. I was able to teach Amanda a few cake decorating techniques while we were there, and I am happy to say that she is a very quick learner. 

Lexi at airport

Lexi and Lucy looking out front window at Tom and Amanda's

Uncle Tom with Carissa and Lucy

Tom with Paula and girls by Times Square

Dinosaur at Museum of Natural History

Lexi and Lucy in bookcase

Paula and Carissa

Amanda with the cake she decorated

Thanks, Tom and Amanda, for a wonderful visit. We love you!

Fun Christmas Gift

I told Bruce that I would like a professional Belgian waffle baker for Christmas this year, so he was good enough to get me one. It is great...I love it! I know...I get way too excited over anything to do with new baking equipment or kitchen gadgets, but this is really awesome. It's the kind that you flip over while it's baking, and then when it's done, it dings. It takes only a fraction of the time that my old relic waffle baker took and the waffles are thick and pretty and yummy...like you would get in a restaurant. I had my first one with blueberries...yummmm!