I (Almost) Have a Car Again!

While going to the dentist just before school started, July 21st to be exact, my car died. At the end of our street, it just died. School started on July 27th, so I have had a fun time walking my children to school since then. (Why haven't I lost any weight?) My husband decided it was the transmission. He bought one and was putting it in when he broke the block-the bottom part of the engine. Okay, my van is a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan that my dad gave me after someone had rear-ended him and the insurance gave him enough to get a newer van so it isn't worth the money for a new car. My husband went the the junk yard and bought an engine. He brought it home and it didn't work. So, he went and got another one-which would not start. It would try but not actually turn over. So, after trying to get it to work for a week and half, he took it back to the junkyard. When he brought the next one home, it was half price so they gave him some money back! He put it in, started it and didn't like the way it sounded so he proceeded to replace the heads. Last week he put in the first head. He didn't have time to finish it because he works 2 jobs and we ended up going to a birthday party for my great neice, going to a baptism for another neice and going to another town 1/2 hour away to get something that ended up not being there. Yesterday, he put in the second head and put the rest of the engine back together. He started it and was so happy that it is a very quiet ride now. Today, after I pick him up from work, we will put the hood back on. Tomorrow we will take it to get the safety and emmissons test done and next week, I will borrow his car again so I can go for an hour drive to the nearest DMV so I can get new stickers on it so I will be legal again.

random thoughts

I have been working at a job that I get to work at home. Now, that sounds like a good thing. There are pros and cons. Unfortunately, I'll be losing my job soon. But the silver lining is I'll be able to post more and get to read more of my friends blogs again. Yeah. Can't wait. So, I'll be seeing more of all of you soon!

Menu Planning Monday

Breakfast: French Toast with Sausage
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Chips
Dinner: Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, Fresh Vegetable
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Pizza
Dinner: BBQ Chicken , Baked Potato, Steamed Vegetables
Wednesday:
Breakfast:Cereal with Skim Milk
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwiches with Chips
Dinner: Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Fresh Steamed Vegetables
Thursday:
Breakfast: Cereal with Skim Milk
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Chips
Dinner:Spaghetti,Fresh Salad,Fresh Steamed Vegetable
Friday:
Breakfast:Cereal with Skim Milk
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwiches with Chips
Dinner: Out dinner
Saturday:
Breakfast: cereal with milk
Lunch: sandwiches
Dinner: Spagetti with garlic bread and salad
Sunday:
Breakfast: cereal with milk
Lunch: fend for yourselves
Dinner: Beef roast with roasted veggies, rolls and salad

to see more great menu ideas see Organizing Junkie

What A Summer!

I haven't been posting for a while because after I get done working, I just want to go to bed and get some sleep. That doesn't mean we haven't done anything fun this summer. We have been doing a couple of things a month since May. The best part is, my husband has been able to join us. He is usually busy even if I have planned to do something so we go when he is at work but this year, he said he wanted to do "stuff" with the family.

We have been to Lagoon, the local amusement park,

Red Butte Gardens,

took the new boat out for a spin,

visited the ranch at Antelope Island, the biggest island in the Great Salt Lake,

and went to the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden.

We also took swimming lessons, went on a few picnics at the park, saw an actual movie in an actual theater (Disney's "Up"), went to the natural history museum (cool traveling frog exhibit), and went to a couple of family reunions.

I am sure there are one or two things I am forgetting or overlooking or maybe I just thought we did more things this summer than we actually did. I would still like to go camping which I was looking forward to but we haven't been able to do. I would like to go to Dinosaur Land and see the museum where one wall is a real dinosaur dig but it has been closed and only recently got funding to rebuild. I guess we will wait a couple years until it reopens.

I am hoping to do one or two more things before they go back to school. School starts on July 27th. Although I am not excited about school starting so early or the summer essentially ending, I welcome the structure that the school year brings. I will miss my children when they go back to school but I have one more at home for at least a couple more years.My youngest turned 3 in February.

Grandmother Webb

My husband's Grandma Webb died yesterday. She was very sick and ready to go. She thought she was seeing and speaking to her husband who has been dead for 37 years. Being LDS, I believe that our spirit lives on after we have passed away. I believe she was seeing and speaking to her family that has passed on. She is out of pain now, for which we are thankful. I did not get to know her as well as I would have liked. She was very creative and made many things for her family. She knitted, crocheted, did plastic canvas and cross-stitching. Her husband died when my husband was a child so she has been widowed for several years. She raised 9 children4 boys and 5 girls. We will miss her.

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day we went to my mom-in-laws for dinner. My son was wrestling with his cousin and hurt his left arm. (thank goodness he is right handed) After dinner we went to visit my mom also. He was running and tripped. On Tuesday, he said it was still hurting so we took him to the doctor. They did an x-ray. They had to send it out to get a final reading on it but they did give him a splint for his arm. They called today and said they had the final reading. He does have a small fractor and they'd like to have my son get a cast on his arm. He is afraid of getting a cast on it for some reason. I'l tell him when he gets home from school. I am not looking forward to it.

Kittens

I promised pictures of my little balls of fury so here they are. I haven't downloaded mine but my son has so I'll show you the ones he's taken. There are more to come as my son spoils these little guys! Yes, they are both boys. No, they are not currently fixed. Yes, they will be.