The Great Blog Divide

So the time has come that I have come full circle, which I have actually been doing a lot lately, and have decided that my reasons for going "private" with my blog have actually become more of a hindrance than a help.

For example we recently went to Mexico with Families helping Families to build houses. I posted about the experience along with some pictures. My dad wanted to share it with some of his friends who were interested in going to Mexico. Bummer the blog is private!! SO he either has to log them in or I need to send them an invite just to read one post (although I do hope the Merill girls will check back occasionally). And had I know the post was going to be so widely shared I would have beefed it up a little bit. (maybe a revised post to come)

Then fast forward to work when someone asks me for a recipe and I tell them it is on my blog. "Umm! I'm not an invited reader" AWKWARD! Not that I care who really reads it . . . sometimes it is hard to keep track of who actually reads the blog- some people never accepted the invites blah blah blah.

My reasons for going private in the first place were because I wanted to keep certain aspects of my life - like bare bum pictures of my baby- private. But as I have blogged more there are also things I would like to more publicly share- like my amazing chocolate sugar cookie for February's Cookie of the month! I mean shouldn't everyone enjoy these with me?? By then new years resolutions will be less steadfast (except for Paige and Ashley they are sticking to it) and more of you will be willing to try these with me.

So I have decided to start a new blog where I can share not so private moments of our life- fun crafts and activities we do with the kids and great cookies recipes. And on this "private" blog I can post our post p90x pictures and Meg's potty training moments. A great new soup- public (Sampsons- did you like it?) Pictures of our 10 year anniversary cruise- Private. See already you are catching on.

The reason I blog is to keep a journal of my kids lives because I don't write about it otherwise. This is my version of scrapbooking. So I am hoping that my private blog will become even more private where my thoughts and feelings won't need to be edited and my public blog will be even more fun and crafty and a better way to keep in touch with friends because I will show up on their dashboards and they will remember to check my blog!!

Happy Chinese New Year

Last night we celebrated the Chinese New Year complete with orange chicken, egg rolls, homemade paper lanterns, and fortune cookies (chocolate dipped of course).

And with the New Year (traditional or Chinese) come resolutions . . . we all resolve in some form or another to: lose weight, eat better, exercise more regularly, save more or spend less, take more time for ourselves, and focus on what is really important!! This year I have resolved to have lots of resolutions thus I more likely to be successful (at aleast some of them)!

I resolve to: give it my best. I typed out a little list but reading it back it sounded a little trite. As great as the ideas are it is hard to put into words my feelings of introspection about how to be a better person. I don't want to set the bar too high and fail at most of my resolutions before the months end. (Like saying I will do 100% of my visiting teaching- it just sets me up for failure 50% would be a more attainable goal) Thus I just resolve to be better- a better wife, mother, sister and friend and for the rest we will let the cards fall where they may.



So have yourself a Happy Chinese New Year. And don't feel like you missed it- The Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days ending with the Lantern Festival. The paper lanterns are super easy to make!! Our lanterns turned out so cute we might have to save them and have a Lantern festival dinner . . .

Families Helping Families 2008

Families Helping Families

Over the Christmas break Dan and I went with (part of) the Parker Family to Rocky Point Mexico to participate in a humanitarian project building houses as part of "Families Helping Families"

The premise behind the organization which is patterned after Habitat for Humanity- is that you can't get a loan in Mexico- and we all know we would never be able to save enough money to be able to pay cash for a house. So families can qualify for a house by a) having a job 2) working a certain number of hours on helping to build the houses and 3) paying back the foundation over the next x number of years.

That's how it all looks on paper- but what actually goes on is totally different. You can see in the slide show above the innocent sweet faces of the children that live in the cardboard makeshift house next to where we are building. One of the boys Angel asked if he could have the house we were building because he liked it better than the one he was living in- and then he wrote his name in the cement front porch.

American families give up their Christmas presents and time off from school and work to spend 8+ hours a day laying block, working with messy cement, making new friends, and working together on what will become someones dream home. We eat at road side taco stands and offer our new mexican friends pizza through the barbed wire fence. Families brought with them old clothes and small toys to give away to the children and families they met. We forgot about ourselves for a couple of days and were able to change the lives of 3 families (yes there was a large enough group that we actually built 3 houses)

The first year we went to Mexico to build was in 2005. I didn't get to spend much time on the house because I was in the Condo with my little kids. I honestly didn't love the experience and didn't really understand why my parents insisted on going back year after year. Well this year I caught the bug- I actually got to work (really hard) every day and I truly felt like I was making a difference. So next year we will let Ash & John go and we'll watch their kids. And when our kids are a little bigger we'll take them too so that they can see how blessed they are, and what a great experience it is to help other people.

And speaking of blessed- although this is a lesson that I want to teach my kids, maybe it is really just a lesson that I need to be reminded of first. It is easy to always want more stuff- to fill our large houses with. But watching the mexican kids happy as can be riding their old 1980's bikes and wearing clothes you and I donated to the DI humbled me beyond belief- my kids will wear their shoes a little longer this year, and I will be happier with my old jeans. And I will spend more time helping that glow in my children's faces to be brighter!

want to come next year?? it will change your life!!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 lb bitter sweet chocolate

1/4 c. butter

1 3/4 c. brown sugar

4 eggs

1 t. vanilla

5 heath bars (1.4oz size) broken into pieces about the size of a chocolate chip

1 c. walnuts chopped

melt chocolate and butter together

beat sugar and eggs until frothy about 5 minutes

mix in chocolate mixture and add vanilla

add flour, baking soda and salt

stir in heath bars and walnuts

The dough will be extremely runny so refrigerate for about 45 min. (any longer and you will bend your spoon trying to get the dough out) then use a med size cookie scoop and bake on parchment paper for 14 minutes at 350. They should be soft and cracked on top. It's okay if they don't look quite done- they will set up on the pan and Don't forget the parchment- you will be really sad when they won't come off the bottom of the pan!!

makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Dedicated with love to AS who prefers a brownie! these are for you! hope you can find bars of bittersweet chocolate in NZ.

Draper Temple Open House

Tickets are still available to the new Draper Temple Open House

14065 Canyon Vista Lane

Open house dates: Thursday Jan 15th- March 14th.

get them here - it is free to the public you just need a ticket with an assigned time spot.

You do not need to be a member of the LDS faith to attend, before the temple is dedicated anyone can tour so this is a neat opportunity for families of all faiths!

Nativity

Christmas eve was spent at the Parker's and we acted out the nativity. It was so sweet- with Ashley's new baby laying in the manger and Sophie watching over her. After a quick reading of Luke 2 to accompany the nativity the girls sang us the Christmas songs they have been learning in primary. It brought a very nice, peaceful Christmas spirit.

(but the peaceful part didn't last long due to Hannah Montana guitars and a huge remote control car!)

I'm Back!

Yes! it has been a long time since I have updated the blog?? lots of excuses like running my own dance business from the corner of my kitchen, a trip to Mexico, Christmas and all of the events and parties that accompany that great holiday, looking for a new job (yes time for a change) and trying find an hour (and a half usually) to exercise. You would think in all of this I would have lots to blog about, but besides Mexico i haven't really taken a lot of pictures- nor is there much to tell yet. so alas- you did visit and you shall be rewarded:





Christmas 2008 (um did I mention I didn't take a lot of pictures?)

Meg enjoying the popcorn during our annual "night before the night before" dinner and a movie tradition.

Annie, Kate & Meg at the ward Christmas breakfast.

Meg dressed and ready in her new hat, gloves and backpack! thanks Aunt Debbie!!

Meg all bundled for a cold outing!

Check back soon: for my new favorite Tomato Soup, Cookie of the Month- Chocolate Toffee Cookies!! pictures of the house building in Mexico, and before and after pictures from p90x!!