My children smell like OLD SPICE

In the amount of time it took me to sit down at my aging computer, log on to blogger, and begin catching up a bit, my children managed to get both of Josh's OLD SPICE deoderant bars out of the bathroom drawer, tote them half-way across the room, and begin a blue feast. By the time I got there Faith had licked a fair channel in the middle of her bar and Danny had bit and spit out the whole top layer of his bar (thankfully he spit it out). Faith says it's yummy. I didn't try. Being the good mom I am I figured I needed to dilute it with something in case it was too potent in their bellies. I promptly fed them ice cream. It may be an interesting night.
If it were not 100 degrees outside I would open all the windows to get rid of the classic smell exuding from my children. Do you think their sweat will come out as OLD SPICE? Wouldn't that be ironic.

Moving to the Face of Mars

We've accepted a job in Arizona.

Josh will start working there around Aug 12 and I will get down there with kids sometime thereafter after filling all my cans with yummy Northern fruit.

We move out of our lovely home here in 25 days.

Instructions = Destructions

I have a little problem following instructions, particularly when cooking. I have gotten by for many years substituting ingredients with fairly good success in many recipes, although I have recently discovered when you have all the correct recipes it actually tastes really really good. I continuously toggle between doing what the instructions say and what I figure will work good enough. Good enough is actually no good at all when it comes to making jam. Of course, I read that several times in the Sure-Jell instructions but still managed to do what I thought would be okay. See, I had the recipe for jam from my Mom, who, if you haven't gotten her pint of Christmas jam, makes AMAZING jam. I wanted to make jam by her recipe, despite not actually having the pectin that she uses. So I put in the lemon juice and amounts of sugar that she uses and then followed half of the directions for the Sure-Jell that I had. Even while noticing the fact that things were not setting up even while putting them into my jars, I happily assured myself that it would set up after sitting for a few hours. Wrong. I have successfully made strawberry ice cream topping. I will still use it for jam of course figuring that if I keep it half frozen all the time it will seem set up.

Independence Day: Celebrating like the Forefathers would have wanted

It was the perfect 4th of July this year (minus the fact that Josh was not with us). Independence Day in SouthEast Idaho is idealic to say the least. We woke up after a good sleep having gone to bed late because of the Rodeo. The sounds of the river sing outside the window. The mama bird that lives in the cabin rafters has just brought breakfast to her chirping little ones and you track their excitement by the sctratches inside the wood. Kids start stirring in the 'green room' while the parents roll over for a few more minutes rest. We start 'cabin pancakes' and some scrambled eggs while the boys head downstairs to remain 'quiet' playing arcade games. Bleary eyed parents slowly emerge with binky and blanketed little-ones, adjusting lethargically to the bright morning sun coming through the A frame windows. No one is rushed because the parade doesn't start until 10am and the grandparents have saved some prime Main Street seats.
At the parade all the family matches in our Liberty 5K boycott t-shirts, this year we are having our own FREEdom run, but not until later. The line of kids slowly inches out toward the middle of the street as candy throwers can't quite get the salt water taffy's to the muddy curb (hey, I give points to the Homestead folks for even throwing the candy). Parents sit squinting in the sun yelling at kids to come back to the curb as the Brent's Lawn and Leisure lawn mowers pull into formation. Grandpa sparks out of his seat as a 1960 Oliver Tractor comes into view. Ray's Cheveron still has the same guys doing the carwash dance (is washing cars really a career in Rexburg?) with the addition of a 'beauty' queen. This year the Legacy Flight Museum does their advertising in the air as 4 antique planes fly over the parade route multiple times in various formations. The only reason half of the crowd has stayed long enough to see 5 cheerleading squads and 18 beauty queens is the semi-truch full of chocolate milk coming slow enough to pass out as much milk as you can get from the wandering plastic crates. As the last giant tractor passes followed by the Rexburg Police Department people swiftly gather up the trash and blankets and cross whereever they want on the street to get to their cars.
The whole Hancock clan heads for Rigby for the greatest family reunion yet. There are some things you can always count on, one being the salad made by the Hancock aunts for any family gathering. I count on ham, potatoes, rolls and some pistachio salad followed by brownies with the carmel in the middle. Dad is now the patriarch of this large gathering and we all notice a little more tightness in his voice as he talks of the 'beginnings of this family' paying tribute to Grandma Ruby and Grandpa Virgil who got it all started. A round of applause is rallied for our troops fighting for freedom and the safe return of 1st Lt Walker, our own brother, from a 15 month tour in Afganistan. Some one yells 'Let's eat!" and Dad finally has someone give the prayer. Then it is visiting and eating until the water balloons come out. Faith and Charlotte seemed to be the two youngest participants and it must be that my Mom and Dad were the oldest. Uncle Scott brings out the potato sack (okay they were dog food sacks, but they worked just as sturdily) and twine for races. Faith and I found a rather good rythm in the 3 legged race and actually ran the thing; Faith ran, I kept up with a brisk stutter step. Just before all the fun completely wore out the family pictures were organized and kids corralled into cars.
Back to the cabin for the 1st Annual Hancock Family Dash n'Splash! What a blast. Everyone participated, and I mean everyone. Everyone had a good time. All the kids did some part of the .5 mile dirt road out from the cabin, which Faith absent mindedly ran the whole thing. Support vehicles followed behind with hazards as we took the fisherman's acsess around to the Fun Farm. Malcolm kept pace as the slow and steady pack leader with me and my kiddos (in the stroller) while various little rabbits popped in and out of the cars to try and goad us to a faster pace. Once to the river it was an amazing river full of floaters down to the cabin. I took my kiddos back to get a head start on dinner. Grandpa got the fire started and there were weiners, brats, and mallows to be roasted for dinner.
Just as the sun was crawling to silloheutte the eagle tree Jeff busted out Jill's giant stash of Black Cat fireworks to get the real party started. Although the first bunch of sparklers went up in flames and a grand puff of smoke, the rest of the evening was certainly entertaining. We had enough fireworks, and more, to last until the kids were too cranky too continue. Wonderful. Just a perfect day. Let Freedom live on. I am certainly feeling more patriotic now.

Rodeo (pronunced Row- DAY -o)

It just wouldn't be a proper Independence celebration without a RODEO!! I took the kids back to Rexburg to enjoy the hometown fun. It felt good to be back in tight jeans and a hoodie - the casual dress for all cowboy codes.
Front row seats!
Danny clapped for the clown anytime he passed by. That may be because he found out pretty quickly where the smarties came from.
We were in the "Splash Zone" of the arena. Notice that bareback bronc coming straight for us! The turned just in time to see the strained face of the cowboy and kick a fair amount of that fairground up into our faces.

Homemade Fun

The last batch of yogurt was a little slimey = perfect for play!!

Faith brought me all the scarfs one by one, I asked her where she wanted it, and she showed me. Great style!

Be Not Deceived, but Continue in Steadfastness

I realize that this lesson is designed to talk about avoiding personal apostasy, however, I was grateful that as I sat down today that I had a mini-lesson in the first few scriptures that let me know that the Lord is mindful of our prayers and the decisions we face right now.

"Behold, I say unto you that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures, and to preaching,..and to performing your labors on teh land, such as is required, until after you shall go to the [next place],..and then it shall be made known what you shall do. And all things shall be done by common consent in the [family], by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith." Doctrine and Covenants 26

"And it shall be given thee from the time thou shal go, until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do." Doctrine and Covenants 28:15