Food Storage

It was our goal this year to get our year's food storage supply and we did it! We bought long-term storage stuff like rice, oats, sugar, flour, etc. we went to the dry-pack cannery in Ogden where we met this wonderful missionary:

who helped us can our food storage.

We were mild-moderately intimidated by getting our food storage. We didn't know what to do really but it was so easy! I'll take you through it step by step.

Step 1: Find hidden location of dry-pack cannery.
Step 2: Sign in and put on funny hat.
Step 3: Shake hands with service missionaries and do what they say.

Step 3.1: They told us to get a cart and put bags of rice on it. So we did (well, Whit did).

Step 3.2: They told us to open the bags and pour the rice into the cans. So we did. Well, Whit did.

Step 3.3: Seal the cans. (They helped). You can see the stacks of empty cans behind Whit - we didn't have to bring anything!

Step 3.4: Put labels on cans. So we did. This is something I can do.

Step 3.5: Then they told us to clean up. And we did! Well...

And after 3 simple steps and 5 mini sub-steps that even people who can't walk can take (when they have their own "Whit"), we took home boxes of long-term storage food that now live in our office closet!

Now I just need to master rotating through it...

Merry 2011 Christmas

I can’t believe it’s Christmas eve! I knew this day would come way, way, way too soon and it did! I taught seminary up until Thursday and it feels like this beautiful holiday is going to be over so quickly. I wish I could just lengthen out this night indefinitely. I love the lights and the unwrapped gifts and the anticipation the best.

I’ve done quite a lot of painting this month, which has been super fun. My family (mom, dad, sister, brothers) are in tradition transition because people have gotten married recently and we’re not sure what to do so this year we tried doing a homemade white elephant gift exchange. I think it’s a keeper. So fun. I have the most creative family. Ever. Here’s a run-down on the gifts:

Mom – hand-sculpted ornament

Dad – hand-crafted water tower for a model-A railroad

Sister Kat – hand-knit gloves and matching hat

Brother Blake – hand-made tool shelf

Brother Tom – hand-crafted mobile with beads and hemp

Brother John – hand-carved, hand-painted Santa Claus

Sister Mindy – hand-crafted Cowboy Cookie jar (doubly homemade because the recipient gets to bake them)

Husband Whit – hand-made juggling balls with homemade “how-to juggle” book

Nephew Cael – Hand-made, hand-carved, and hand-painted bird house

Me – Hand-painted ornament Nativity set

I’ve been really wanting a Nativity but I can’t seem to find one that really speaks to me. So it was my first thought to make one of my own when this family party came up and we decided to create hand-made gifts. I thought I’d make use of some white ornaments I’ve held onto for a number of years (I never have put them on the tree, I just thought they’d come in handy one of these days. I guess this is one of the small advantages of not throwing things away…). I had many ornaments, so I made 2 Nativity sets and gave one away at our family party but kept the other one for us.

There are 7 ornaments all tied together with twine (but spaced apart so as not to hit each other). The idea was that they could be hung on a wall or between a couple stocking hangers, but we just put ours on our tree and I like it.

It starts with the shepherds...

who bring their sheep...


and find Mary...


and baby Jesus...


and Joseph in the stable...


The star shines...

and leads the way for the wise men...


Here's our tree (with 3-year-old popcorn strings Whit made our first year). The Nativity ornaments are strung across the middle.

When we first got married, our tree was a little barren and the only ornaments we had were from my little stash I had collected through my life. My parents gave each of us kids an ornament or two each year so we'd have our own little collection to decorate our tree when we got married. I like my old ornaments, but they're mine, not ours, so we've come up with our own little tradition of making each other ornaments every year.

Our first year we each sculpted each other a giraffe (weird, I know). We didn't know what the other was doing. Our second year (last year), Whit was graduating with his MBA and so I got us both ornaments - an owl for him with a little graduation cap and purple tassel (Weber State, Weber State - great! Great! Great!) and a lion for me with a purple bow (I just liked it and I was feeling, well, rawr!).

We're trying to morph the tradition into the idea that we each give an ornament that symbolizes an accomplishment of the other person from that year. So this year, Whit sculpted me a book because I got a book published (it's being released next spring at Deseret Book and Seagull) -

He was so funny as we decorated our tree this year because he was making fun of the fact that my family writes the year each ornament was received (how else would you remember?).But it does kind of get out of hand when there are giant years written all over a beautiful glass ornament ALREADY engraved with "Baby's first Christmas 1982."

So he put a "2011" on my ornament.

I think I may write 2011 on the other side in Sharpie just to make sure future generations know that it really WAS received in the 2011 year...

My ornament I made for him recognizes his halftime entertainment business he started this year. Yes, my super smart, money-managing hubby has traded in his Excel spreadsheets and calculator for three basketballs and a unicycle. To watch the video, just go to www.unihoops.com - he's quite awesome.

Yes, those charms are a unicycle, a basketball, a music note (his song is, appropriately, "Play that funky music, white boy"), and (drum roll, please) a 2011.

Merry 2011 Christmas!