Where is Momma Ashaleea?

Summer Catch Up

2011-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

The sun finally came out and we have had a lovely summer. Not too hot, not too rainy. Unfortunately not quite warm enough for my tomatoes to get ripe, but I did plant them a tad late- and I'm not giving up yet.

We went to Utah at the beginning of the summer to visit family and had a wonderful visit. We had all my siblings and their families here in Oregon for a reunion. And we went camping with friends in California.

Also this summer: Marah went to her first year of Girls camp, Ethan went to Cub Scout camp, Abby has lost a few teeth, Mia changed her name to "Obsessed with candy Obsessed with potato chips Christenson", and Zane has turned into a real "terrible two" at the tender age of 18 months- and I have the scars on my neck and arms to prove it. Anyone who has experience with clawing toddlers- please help! This is a new one for me.

And as a final surprise, I'll let you all know that there will be a new little Christenson joining our family in February.

A Gloomy Sort of Day

2011-02-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today is a gloomy day. Its gray and windy and cold. One of my chickens died. We've been playing "Pass the Cold" in our family for two weeks; complete with ear infection, cough, runny nose and goopy eyes. I just want to go back to sleep and wake up when it is spring.

But some good things did happen today. Several talks and lessons at church really struck a chord with me. One particular lesson was about how our Father in Heaven knows and loves each of us and wants us to return home to him. I remember in the story "Alice in Wonderland" when Alice meets the cheshire cat and he tells her that if she doesn't know where she wants to go then it doesn't really matter which path she takes. I know where I want to go: home to my Heavenly Father. I know which path I want to take: the one that follows in Christ's footsteps. I know that through prayerfully seeking guidance and listening to the whisperings of the Spirit I will know what God wants me to do-and I know that this brings the greatest peace and happiness of all.

So even though I'm feeling a little gloomy today, I know my Heavenly Father loves me and that makes me look forward to spring.

A Flutey Sort of Person

2011-01-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

In one of my favorite movies, "Enchanted April", Lottie says she has always thought of herself as a flutey sort of person. Well our Marah IS a flutey person - a flautist and a good one! We are so proud of her. On January 15th she won the MTNA Northwest Junior Division Competition and she'll be going to Wisconsin in March to compete at the national level. Way to go Marah!

Happy New Year

2011-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Obviously I haven't had blogging very high on my list of "Things to Do" and I didn't get Christmas cards out this year either so here is the year in a nutshell for anyone who still happens to peek at this page once in a blue moon.

Spring 2010- The first week of May we picked up 18 one day old chicks. They were so cute. They lived in our play room in a kiddie pool under a heat lamp. Then they grew up a little and they were ugly and poopy. Mike went to work and rescued me from my over enthusiasm for farm life and built a chicken coop. The chicks did outgrow the ugly stage and now they are beautiful hens (and one handsome rooster)- We gathered our first eggs in October. And they are delish!

Summer 2010- We went to a family reunion in Idaho. We had a very small humble garden. Mike's parents came to visit. Ethan got baptized in August. Mike took three weeks off. Marah, Ethan and Abby performed in "Mary Poppins".

Fall 2010- We went to Utah for Thanksgiving- very icy roads. Can we lobby to have T-Day in September before winter weather hits?

Winter 2010- We went to Southern California for Christmas and New Year's Eve. Zane turned 1. Marah and Ethan went surfing for the first time.

Happy New Year!

Recycled dress shirt dress

2010-04-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

I made this dress for Mia from an old dress shirt that had an ink stain in the front pocket. The front buttons of the shirt became the back buttons of the dress.

When I finished I wished I had taken photos of the entire process. I used the bottom half of the shirt from the armpits down to make the skirt and then cut the bodice of the dress from the top of the shirt and the sleeves and collar from the sleeves of the shirt. I loved the fact that I didn't have to deal with making button holes or sewing in a zipper!

Ciao!

2010-04-11T20:19:00.001-07:00

Mike, Zane and I went to Italy last month for a week. It was an amazing vacation! We visited Venice and Florence. The art, canals and "elegant decay" of Venice was enchanting. The labyrinth of walkways between buildings gave our map reading skills and sense of direction a good work out!
In Florence we saw lots of art and sculpture including Michelangelo's David, works by Giotto, Da Vinci, Botticelli...it was like living in a book about the Renaissance. We also tasted the best gelato I've ever eaten at a shop called GROM! Oh how I miss you pistachio and hazelnut and dark chocolate...

I wish traveling wasn't so expensive because it makes studying history so amazing and memorable (and yummy!) Here is a pic of Zane and me on the Rialto bridge in Venice. Arrivederci!

Blessing Day

2010-02-28T19:21:00.001-08:00

We had Zane blessed a couple weeks ago. He wore the blessing outfit that Mike wore almost 40 (shhh!) years ago. The quilt was made by my amazingly talented sister-in-law.

I love this little cap.

12 days old

2010-01-04T22:55:00.000-08:00

Zane Michael

He's here!

2009-12-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

Our little guy was born Dec. 23rd at 5:45 am. He weighed 8 lb 11 oz and was 20 inches long. We're so glad to have him here safe and sound for Christmas!

Count down to Christmas

2009-12-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

I think counting down the days to Christmas has got to be one of my most favorite things. Here is our advent I tried this year. Several years ago I made these mini stockings but never used them. This year I got on the ball and stuffed them with candy and an activity to do for each day. Some days were simple activities like "Round up the Christmas CD's and listen to music", some were spiritual like "Read Luke 2" and some were crafts.

One day we made marshmallow snowmen, another day we made candy picture frames and another day we made candy cane reindeer.

We made a red and green paper chain for our tree.

And we made a little forest of paper trees:

Here are our gingerbread men:

And these are our gingerbread houses. Someday I want to make a REAL gingerbread house but this year graham crackers worked just fine. The candy is the fun part anyway, right?

Pumpkin Pie

2009-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

I made pumpkin pie with the pumpkins we grew in our garden. I eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, so these two didn't last long...and so I had to make two more.

Due Day

2009-12-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my due date but baby boy hasn't made his appearance. Is he waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to come? Is he waiting for Christmas Eve? Maybe he is waiting for us to decide on his name. What is your vote: Ezra Sean or Zane Michael?

At least we are lame together...

2009-07-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

If you celebrate something without realizing it does it count as a celebration? Last night I put the kids to bed fairly early and Mike and I enjoyed pina coladas before going to bed. This morning Mike was checking his email and then he looked at me with a funny smile on his face and asked "Why didn't we celebrate yesterday?" I was puzzled, "What are you talking about?" He replied, "Yesterday was our anniversary...your dad just reminded me in this email."

We've been married 12 years. We are both so lame.

I think I'll make pina coladas again, tonight.

And the take home message is...

2009-07-19T22:34:00.001-07:00

I asked Abby (age 4) to tell me about what she learned in Primary today at church. I will quote her to the best of my memory.

Abby: In my little class today my teacher tied a cloth over our eyes and then we had to find our seat, but I didn't have a turn because I didn't want a cloth over my eyes.

Me: So what was that supposed to teach you?

Abby: It was supposed to show us how easy it was to find our seat when we can't see.

Me: Oh

Read this book!

2009-07-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

A year ago my mother in law lent me "Three Cups of Tea". I finally read it last week and I wish I had read it a year ago. It is the story of a man's mission to bring schools and education to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber who was separated from his group on K2, the highest peak in the mountain range between Pakistan and China. He stumbled into a small village where they took him in, fed him, let him sleep and recover from near death. He noticed that the village had no school. The children met outside and scratched their lessons in the dirt...without a teacher (the teacher split his time between several villages). Greg Mortenson promised his new friends that he would build them a school. It is amazing that he was able to fulfill that promise and then go on to build many many more schools throughout the country and Afghanistan- schools for boys and girls. These schools offer a moderate Islamic education. They give the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan an alternative to the radical madrassa schools that the Taliban recruit from. He is fighting terrorism in the best way.

https://www.ikat.org/three-cups-of-tea/

Kitties

2009-06-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Abby's friend has a cat that had kittens. Abby had it all arranged with her friend that when they were ready to leave their mommy we would take two kittens. So here they are.
Violet is the white and black one. She has the cutest face ever.

Midnight is the black one. He has white tips on his longer hair. It looks like he brushed up against wet paint.

Watching kittens pounce and explore and wrestle together has been keeping us highly entertained!

Look what I got!

2009-06-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

I walked into a little shop today and this cute little purse said, "BUY ME!" So I did. Doesn't it look like a great tourist purse...hmmm, vacation anyone???

check out www.baggallini.com to see all their great styles.

No Cake!?

2009-04-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

On April 15th I took my four year old and 1 year old to a TEA party on the steps of the capitol building. We protested the excessive government spending that is putting our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren into DEBT.

Later that day Abby told my aunt, "We went to a tea party but we didn't eat cake."

At least she got an American flag.

My Artists

2009-04-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken awhile ago but I thought it captured so many of the reasons why I love homeschooling. I bought the kids new sketchbooks and they decided together that they wanted to go sketch. I love to see my children learning together.

First sewing project

2009-04-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is Marah's first sewing project on the sewing machine. Mom helped a little but she did most of it. She is ready for warm sunny weather!

I did it!!

2009-02-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

I was ready for a hairstyle change...and so I got BIG change. I aimed for an Audrey Tautou look. By the way...what is up with her one earring? Is it supposed to match her one sleeve?

Anyway, I think I might take a little more off the top. What do you think?

Happy Groundhog Day!

2009-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

I saw these on the Family Fun website and I couldn't resist. Marah thinks we have definitely found a new tradition. We will be munching Phil while we watch the movie "Groundhog Day" tonight. Yum yum!

Amelia

2008-12-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

To my little Amelia,
You are my little girl. We call you by a multitude of nicknames: Mia, Meemers, Curly Girly, MiMi, to name a few. I love to watch you play, but to you it is very serious as you investigate cupboards and drawers and rearrange things to your liking. You have recently discovered where the chocolate chips are kept and I sometimes find you helping yourself to a treat. Who can say no to a request for more when it is said in sign language?

I love how you carry around your baby dolls and give them hugs and kisses. Any scrap of cloth you find becomes a blanket to cover your baby of the day. You very gently pat and kiss the baby and instruct me to do the same with points and gestures. You are very pleased with me when I do it right.

I think it is adorable how you are so interested in any animal whether it is a horse a dog or a fish. You will not rest until I acknowledge the animal you have spied and name it for you. Our dog loves you because you are the only member of our family that welcomes his licks of affection.

I melt every time you wrinkle up your nose and eyes with a big cheesy grin and an irresistible giggle.

You love music and you ask for it often by pointing at the speakers and tilting your body from side to side like you are dancing. You especially love Marah to hold you and dance and twirl as the bluegrass fiddle and banjo sing away.

You are a joy little one. Sadly but surely part of the magic of childhood is knowing it doesn't last forever. I know I must cherish your golden baby curls and your little hand and feet now because all to soon they will only be memories.

"Tis the Season

2008-11-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

We pulled out the Christmas music this afternoon and this was my children's first choice:

This is a collection of original Christmas music by my talented mother!
There are some fun songs for dancing around the living room and some spiritual songs for that special Christmas spirit. If you are in the mood for something new you can listen at CDBaby here.
Merry Christmas!

In control

2008-09-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last night E. was invited to go out to dinner with my aunt and uncle and his 2nd cousin. They went to Happy Jing's, the local Chinese food joint. During the meal E. and Uncle P. had a heart to heart. I have gotten word that this is how the conversation went:

Uncle P: "So, E., who gave you that haircut?"
E. : *sigh* "My mom"
Uncle P: "Did you want your hair cut like that?"
E. : "No."
Uncle P: "So why did she give you that haircut?"
E. : looks down and with hands on either side of his head he shakes his head and laments "I just can't control her..."

(In my defense... I admit I may be too controlling at times- what mom isn't?- but the buzz was plan b when my less than optimal hair cutting skills failed. We'll go to the barber next time, okay E. ?)

Salty tears for the Ocean

2008-08-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

I love the ocean. Tidepooling, boogie boarding, snorkeling, even sand between my toes and crusty sea salty hair, I love it all! So when I read articles like this it wakes up the activist in me. I already have blogged about the floating graveyard of plastic in the Pacific Ocean... here is some bad news for the Gulf of Mexico, a dead zone created by agricultural runoff in the Mississippi River.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002943.html?hpid=topnews

It takes two to tango...

2008-08-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

...and to make tomatillos.
I planted a tomatillo plant several months ago and I have been so excited to make salsa verde. The plant has hundreds of blossoms and many have developed into the characteristic paper husk that surrounds the tomatillo fruit. I became suspicious that something was wrong when none of the husks seemed to grow fruit. I searched for tomatillo on Wikipedia and sure enough it says the tomatillo is "highly self-incompatible" It needs another tomatillo plant to pollinate. Bummer!

A typical day

2008-05-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that the difference between a typical day and an atypical day is just a fraction of an inch? Just for fun I thought I would give you an outline of a typical (or maybe atypical) day in our home.

Today...
I got up and did my morning routine: morning prayer, get dressed, hair, clean my toilet and take dirty clothes downstairs.
I read a couple of blogs and made a few comments. (This was a distraction)
Then the kids started waking up so I changed baby's diaper and said good morning to everyone. They got dressed and made their beds while I went down and started breakfast which was scrambled eggs, toast, leftover baked french toast and hot chocolate.

After breakfast we had family scripture study.

The kids did their chores while I did breakfast dishes. M- straighten and dust bookshelves, E- vacuum hall closet, A- empty silverware from dishwasher

Then we went upstairs for school around 9:30 am- later than I like to start.

Marah had her spelling test while Ethan played on a phonics computer and Abby played with toys.

Marah watched a video from the Institute for Excellence in Writing which we just bought (so far it has helped so much with Marah's attitude toward writing).

Ethan and I played a memory game that drilled 'ay' and 'ai' sounds. Abby played dinosaurs, Mia played with Twistables (a type of crayon) on the floor.

While Marah started writing a story, Ethan and I read a poem together, played animal memory and mancala.

I laid Mia down for her nap and then practiced the ABC's with Abby while Ethan did a puzzle and Marah was still writing.

Marah and Ethan played Mancala.

Marah went back to writing (Can this be the same girl who claimed she hated writing earlier this year? Usually we would do history at this point but she wants to write so we’re writing today!) Ethan did his math (learning what a line segment is and how to draw one with a ruler). Abby worked on a puzzle,

For lunch we had leftover homemade pizza from last night, quesadillas, and grapes.

After lunch Marah and I worked on her Math while the other kids did puzzles and played.

I had a few errands to run so I left the kids home to play (Mike works at home so they aren't alone)

When I came home we hung our hammock on the porch and the kids played on it while Mike and I made dinner- Sesame Peanut Noodles with Veggies.

We took our dinner over to Grandma's to eat and share with her. Friday is movie night for the kids and so we watched "The Indian in the Cupboard" and ate popcorn and Junior Mints for a treat.

Home for jammies and prayers and kids go to bed.

I read a bit and wrote this post and now I’m off to brush teeth, read my scriptures and go to bed at 12:30am- Past my bedtime, Goodnight!

Pajama Day

2008-05-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

When I was in elementary school our school declared "Pajama Day" once a year. We thought it was so novel to be able to wear our pajamas to school.

Earlier this week, in my efforts to be a "fun mom" and make homeschooling even more exciting than it already is, I told my kids that Friday would be Pajama Day. "We can wear our pajamas all day!" They were very excited. So today as I type this post it is almost 1:00pm and I am still wearing my nightgown...and I am going absolutely crazy! I feel unprepared, lazy and uncomfortable! (It doesn't seem to bother the kids a bit) We haven't been lounging around- we have done our school work and jobs, my bed is made, I even cleared out a box of office supplies that has been sitting in my husband's office- one of the last remaining boxes from our move last fall. I guess the past years of dabbling in Flylady has rubbed off on me. I want to be dressed to the shoes! So what makes you feel ready to tackle the day? Shower? Make-up? Clothes? Shoes? Cheerios?

When you can't afford the opera...

2008-05-04T01:35:00.000-07:00

...get your culture from yogurt instead! I can't believe it but I am a homemade yogurt maker now! I have made several batches so it is not just a one time thing. (I also make my homemade bread now too! Woo hoo!) So how do I do it? I'm sure you are itching to know. First I fiddled with my electric skillet to see where to adjust the knob so it would heat water to 100*F. Then I heat a quart of milk to almost boiling (180*F) Then I let it cool to 100*F. I whisk in about 1/4 cup yogurt (from the store or my previous batch). Pour the yogurt into several small jars or ramekins and place them in my warm water bath in the skillet. I then cover with the lid and walk away for about 7 hours and when I come back I have yogurt. I cool my culture in the fridge and enjoy it with maple syrup. Yum Yum!

He's BACK!

2008-04-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks we have been wondering where our dog was. He slipped out the door when Ethan was going outside and ran off and never came back. I've gone knocking on doors, made a trip to the pound, scoured petfinder websites, driven slowly along the highway looking in ditches, all to no avail. And then this afternoon our neighbor found him walking along the road in front of his house. How I wish he could talk and tell us what he's been up to. Welcome home, Jed!

National Hanging Out Day!

2008-04-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. Awhile back I posted that one of the things I was trying to do to save energy was air dry my clothes. Well since we moved to Oregon I haven't done it once! In California spring meant warm sunny days. In Oregon springtime is another story. And that rainy story has hampered my good intentions.
That leads me to tell you about April 19th -- National Hanging Out Day. No this does not mean you get to be lazy all day. You get to hang your laundry out to dry the old fashioned way! Did you know that after the refrigerator the dryer is the next appliance in energy consumption? Did you know that hanging clothes to dry has been outlawed or banned by many cities and homeowners associations? Can you believe someone telling you that you can't use the free energy of the sun to dry your clothes? That's like cities saying, "No walking or biking allowed---it doesn't make our streets look good."
So join with me and try hanging a load of clothes up on Saturday. Inside or outside. Its good for your pocket book, your body and the air!

Plastic, part 2

2008-04-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted about plastic. Since then I have been learning alot about plastic. Here are a few disturbing facts I have learned:
1) There is a floating garbage patch twice the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. By weight it contains 6 times more plastic than plankton.

2) Sea animals injest plastic, it blocks their intestines and they die. As their body decomposes the plastic is released ready to be eaten again.

3) Plastic doesn't biodegrade- it photodegrades, meaning it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces but it is still plastic.

4) That means plastic is being eaten on lower levels of the foodchain. And its not just plastic the animals are eating; pesticides and toxins in the water cling to these small plastic pieces.

5) It is often cheaper to make things with new virgin plastic than with recycled plastic.

6) Plastic is in everything: hair care products, lotions, exfoliants, food packaging, stuff packaging, it lines many of our cans and cartons of food, it is used in baby bottles, water bottles, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

7) Scientists are finding that plastics leach into our food and mimic hormones, damaging developing reproductive systems.

Bottom line...we are filling our world with plastic and it ain't goin' away folks!

Recycling is possible but it is not as economical for plastic so let's try to REDUCE and REUSE first!

Here are just a few ideas to get started:
* Try taking your own jars or bags and buy from the bulk food bins at the grocery store.
* Try to not use plastic baggies and wrap for everything. Foil can be reused if it doesn't get too dirty, a plate can be placed over a bowl as a lid in the fridge. People did survive before ziploc bags were invented....I promise!
* Take your own bags when shopping.
* Don't heat up food in plastic (especially in the microwave)
* Refuse to buy things that are excessively packaged

Trip to Southern California

2008-04-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Springtime in Southern California is gorgeous. It was sunny and warm and there were avocados, tangelos and tangerines dripping off my parents' trees. My sister and her family came to visit, too. It was fun to get all the family together again...we just wish Jonathan could have been there.

We went to Disneyland on Monday and we spent the rest of the week recovering from it. We had three kids on leashes, one in a sling, and two by the hand. I soon found trying to keep a large group together in a crowd mentally exhausting. My mom and I ended up taking the little kids home after lunch while everyone else stayed and played. I felt bad that Abby didn't get to go on any of the little kid rides but the lines were so long. Standing in line in the hot sun for an hour to enjoy a 2 minute ride is just not worth it sometimes. Maggie and Abby were perfectly happy to come home and dance in their new ballerina leotards and watch the fish swim in the pond.

We also went swimming at Sarah's apartment pool, poked around at some garage sales, and visited for an afternoon with my Grandma. We had a relaxing week with good weather. What more could you want for Spring Break?

Catalogs

2008-03-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

While we are on the topic of environmental questions....have you ever noticed how many catalogs one seems to receive in the mail? ( I get them from at least 20 different companies) Did you know 19 billion catalogs are mailed to Americans every year? Did you know 53 million trees are used to make these catalogs? Most of these catalogs just get tossed or recycled without anything being purchased. Around my house I know they create a lot of cases of the "Gimme Got a Get Its" and waste a lot more time than I care to admit.

So here is a challenge. When you receive a catalog you don't want, call the company and tell them to stop sending it to you. If you need an excuse say you prefer to do your shopping online. Or you can sign up with the free service at www.catalogchoice.org and they will do the dirty work for you. Either way a tree will thank you.

PLASTIC

2008-03-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

I know most of my posts are about my kids but lately I have had this question on my mind...

Why do we buy so much plastic STUFF? And why do we throw so much stuff away? It really turns my stomach when I walk into a store and see all the disposable plastic junk that will break after 3 uses (or less) and be tossed into a landfill.

I know plastics do have some great uses. Some medical advances would not be possible without plastic.
But the production of plastics and our dependency on them only increases our dependence on oil. As China and India grow and develop they will want more oil....the price is only going to go up.

So here are some things I have been doing for awhile or just started to try to reduce my dependence on plastics and oil.

1) cloth diapers and cloth wipes ( they are really not as hard as everyone thinks)
2) reuse plastic wrap and plastic bags (bread bags, bread sacks, etc.)
3) Use tupperware type containers or reuse sour cream and yogurt containers instead of ziploc/plastic wrap
4) reusable waterbottles
5) bring your own cloth bag when shopping (although I do reuse plastic bags as my trash bags)
6) buy used toys, wood toys, LESS toys
7) no individually wrapped snacks - buy in bulk
8) use beauty/hygiene products made without petroleum products (this is hard--most of the brands have it)
9) compost kitchen and yard waste so I don't have to buy fertilizers (made from fossil fuels)
10) drive less (another hard one, but by making meal plans and planning errand trips it can be done)
11) use less electricity (sweep instead of vacuum, turn out lights not in use, only run full laundry loads, air dry clothes, wear a sweater instead of heating the house to 70*)

I'm not perfect but every little bit of effort helps.

Any other suggestions???

Big Smiles

2008-02-08T01:23:00.001-08:00

Mia is changing so fast. Here are a few recent photos:

Baboushka Baby

2008-02-08T01:10:00.000-08:00

Snippity Snip

2008-02-08T00:52:00.000-08:00

Three months after I have a baby I always go through "The Great Hair Fallout". When it finally starts to grow back in I have a lovely fringe framing my face. In short, I hate my hair for a year or so. Now that I am 30, (almost 31!) I decided that I needed a more grown up look. I paid ($$$) a visit to my Aunt Sharron's favorite hairstylist and I was not disappointed. Here is the result:

Happy Birthday Marah

2008-01-25T01:13:00.000-08:00

Marah is nine. If you know Marah you know she LOVES horses. We invited our friends, the Bastians, to bring their pony, Classy, and cart for pony rides, as a birthday surprise. Marah was in heaven. She even got to steer with the reigns all by herself. Of course now she asks for a horse or pony every day.

Here are her horse cakes:

Marah has learned to knit and has made a hotpad and button scarf so far.

A Serendipidous Supper

2008-01-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

We had a delicious meal tonight due to several serendipidous events. A couple weeks ago we stopped by Trader Joes after taking my mom and brother to the airport. If you know us you know we LOVE Trader Joe's and we were throwing all our favorites in the cart to stock up our pantry. When we got home we discovered several purchases that Abby must have thrown into the cart. One of these surprises was a bag of raw shelled Brazil nuts. What are we going to do with a pound of Brazil nuts?!?
The second event that led to this scrumptious supper was a tip I got from my cousin, Lisa, that pork loin roasts were on sale at Safeway for 79 cents a pound. And the third event, I pulled down my New York Times cookbook and found a recipe for Pork Satay which just happened to call for Brazil Nuts. Here is the recipe, bon appetit!

Pork Satay (from NY Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne)
8 shelled Brazil nuts
2 Tblsp ground coriander seeds
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 Tblsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 Tblsp brown sugar
3 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 lbs lean pork
olive oil or melted butter

1. Grind the Brazil nuts very fine (food processor or blender should work)
Mix with remaining ingredients except pork and oil
2. Cut the pork into 1 1/2 inch cubes and let marinate at least 2 to 3 hours ( I let it sit one day)
3. String meat on skewers and broil slowly (on BBQ or under the broiler in the the oven) 'til done, about 20 minutes
While cooking baste with oil or butter. (I omitted this since I had my meat in a pan in the oven broiler) and turn to brown all sides.
4. Serve hot with rice and cilantro ( I think broiling onions with the meat would have been good too)

Cheap Christmas

2007-12-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

Do you want to impress with a big present but not spend much money? How about no money? (This method does require a credit card, but don't worry you won't end up spending a cent) First of all you need to be a good detective...find out what an out of town relative is buying for your hubby (In my case it was an electric razor--but I didn't have to do the detective work, it was purely coincidence). After you know what expensive gift your out of town relative is sending your hubby, buy him the exact same thing (this is where the credit card comes in). Make sure he opens your gift first. He'll be so happy you were so thoughtful. When the duplicate is opened (the one from the relative) act very surprised. Its ok, you say, I'll return the one I bought since we don't know where our relative bought this gift and it would be too much trouble to mail it back. Is there anything else you want from (the store you bought it from) It helps if this store is not an interesting store...in my case it was Hi-School Pharmacy...this technique would not have worked as well if the gift was from REI. Hubby will say "No" and you get your money back and he still has the gift....brilliant!!!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone and I haven't posted since early November. tsk tsk. Here are a few highlights of the past several weeks.

It snowed! (barely)

We got new wood floors and adopted a stray dog.

Our Gingerbread house decorating party with lots of cousins, candy and creativity!

Merry Christmas!

My little boy...

2007-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we were cleaning house. Ethan was having a hard time doing what he was asked to do. He was too tired, stomach ached...etc. all the usual get out of job complaints. Finally I took him by the hand and we emptied trash cans and cleaned the kitty litter box together. As I was instructing him on how to put a plastic trash bag liner in the can he sweetly asked, "Do I have to learn how to do this in case I never get married?" No, no my dear, you have to learn how to do this so you can be a responsible adult, clean up after yourself, not live in a pig pen and help your future wife...

The Haunted House by Marah Christenson

2007-10-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

I can see a house on the hill.
A door creaks. An owl hoots.
I hear wings flutter. It might be bats.
I can almost feel the creepiness and the silence
around me.

I walk closer.

I walk so close that I have to stop.
I can go no further.
I look up, scared.

The house is covered in spider webs!
The house needs serious cleaning. (I think.)

Creak.

I look around.
I see the door, its scary knocker.
It opens. A little.
Something grips the door. And I scream,
"HAUNTED HOUSE!"

Drumroll please...My orange kitchen!

2007-10-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got the clutter off my countertops so that I could have Mike take photos of the kitchen. What do you think of the color?

They just grow up too fast

2007-10-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

They say time flies when you are having fun. Well it flies when you are tired, busy, and moving, too. In the past three months my newborn has turned into an adorable 3 month old. And yes I have had fun with her but it just goes by too fast.

Happy Birthday Abigail!

2007-10-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

Abby is three years old! She loves dancing, reading stories, making silly faces, eating butter, frosting and sugar in any form, kissing Amelia's cheeks, and anything that is the color pink. Here are a few snapshots of her big day.

Helping make her "Horsey Cake" (that means adding a few ingredients, and more importantly being the taste tester :)

This is her "Horsey Cake" In case you can't tell it is a green flowered pasture with horses in it.

New clothes...so cute!

Something New in the Neighborhood

2007-09-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

New thing #1: Moving to Oregon
Since I last posted we have packed our belongings in a big yellow truck and moved to Oregon. We are still in the middle of unpacking and making our new house "ours" but so far everyone is happy with the move.
Here is a photo of our front room. ( More photos of the house to follow soon.)

New thing #2: Amelia is 2 months old
I have had several requests for photos of Amelia. She is growing so much. She loves to eat and sleep and inbetween those two favorite activities she gets lots of attention from adoring siblings...and parents too.

New thing #3: I canned grape juice!
My cousin Lisa and I canned 59 quarts of grape juice. Here are some of the grapes...yummy!

New thing #4: Toothless grins!

September 11th

2007-09-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

On my Dad's birthday I thought I would list some reasons I love my Dad.
1. He loves scuba diving
2. He is a hard worker and self motivator
3. He teaches himself how to do things
4. He can do anything with one hand
5. He is a wonderful story teller
6. He loves backbacking
7. He taught me how to drive
8. He let me go to UC Berkeley
9. He has great powers of concentration...just try to get his attention when he is thinking. :)
10. He loves my children
11. He loves my mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Comparison Test

2007-08-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

People are always asking me who Amelia looks like. Unfortunately I don't have digital photos of all my kids as newborns so here is a comparison of Abigail and Amelia.

Can you tell a difference?

My new baby sisser...

2007-07-22T20:49:00.001-07:00

Amelia Jane

2007-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 14th our Amelia Jane was born. Here are a few pictures of our little angel.

We're Goin' to Jackson, WY

2007-07-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

Last month we all piled in the stage and headed to Jackson, WY:

We saw real live buffalo,

and made friends with a cute little chipmunk.

We saw geysers, steam vents, mudpots galore,

and we did lots of hiking.

Thanks Kat and Ben for letting us stay with you...we had a great time!

Bride with Attitude

2007-07-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

My mom was cleaning out closets and gave me my wedding dress to take home to my closet. Abby found the veil and this is what happened...

We'll have to save these to display at her wedding someday.

My Turn!

2007-04-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is me

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Receptionist/Odd job doer at FES
2. Security Monitor at Stern Hall, UCBerkeley
3. Babysitter
4. Apartment Manager

B) Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Enchanted April
2. Pride and Prejudice (any version)
3. Anne of Green Gables
4. What's Up Doc?

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Newbury Park, CA
2. Berkeley, CA
3. El Sobrante, CA
4. Fremont, CA

D) Four television shows I watch: (disclaimer: we don't have cable or an antennea so I used to watch...)
1. Seinfeld
2. A Baby Story
3. Zaboomafoo (this is when Marah was little, although the Kratt brothers were pretty cute...:)
4. ???

E) Four places I have gone on vacation:
1. Spain
2. Hawaii
3. Puerto Morelos, Mexico
4. Upstate NY

F) Four websites I visit almost daily:
1. Blogger
2. Church website
3. Google search
4. craigslist

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. ice cream: Grandma Smith's homemade vanilla, pistachio, pecan praline, Haagen Daaz chocolate peanutbutter, are some of my faves
2. Pho (Vietnamese soup)
3. Boti Wrap (cubed lamb wrapped in Indian naan bread with a delicious onion and cilantro sauce) Sadly the restaurant where I used to get these has closed. :(
4. anything with pineapple (Hawaiian pizza, African Peanut Pineapple stew, pineapple upside down cake, etc.)

H) Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. the beach
2. hiking somewhere beautiful
3. Oregon...picking blackberries, yum, yum
4. visiting my Mom and Dad

I) Four people I tag:
1. MaryAnn McFarland
2. Megan Wilson
3. Kristi Smith
4. Carolyn Matthews

Happy Easter

2007-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here are our adorable children in their Easter best. Judging by her smile, I think Abby has had enough candy!

Abby is Free

2007-04-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

When Abby fell and broke her leg she went through many emotions. Pain...

anger...

frustration...

and disbelief that she had to keep that thing on her leg for 5 weeks.

But now her leg is all better and this is how she feels...

In fact she feels like a new woman, like Super Abby!

Sunol Wilderness

2007-03-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a beautiful spring day and we decided to spend the afternoon enjoying nature. We went to the Sunol Wilderness area. It's hard to believe we're only 20 minutes from our house when we are there. It feels like we're way out in the country.
Here are some photos of our adventures.

Marah's Baptism

2007-03-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind in sharing the news that Marah got baptized two days after her 8th birthday. We had both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a really special day. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was 8 years old, getting baptized...

Favorite Toy?

2007-03-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

My sister Kat posted about her daughter's favorite toy...a Curious George monkey, who she thought may be favored because it slightly resembled Maggie's baby brother, Cash.

Well this is Abby's favorite toy as of late...orange measle bunny...

I have no explanation.

Abby's Accident

2007-02-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Five minutes before we were about to leave on a sledding trip, Abby decided to climb the fence; actually the gate that was leaning on the fence...it tipped, she fell and, to make a long story short, she broke her leg.
Here it is in all its hot pink glory.

She has been a good sport. She asks me now and then, "Off, Mommy, pee (please)?" When I explain that we have to keep it on for a long time so her leg can get better she says "What!?!"
As of today she can walk with it and that makes her feel a bit less "stuck". She looks like a little peg leg pirate hobbling along!

Tea for...20!

2007-01-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

Marah and I wanted to do something special for her 8th birthday. She decided on a Tea Party with all her friends.

Welcome to my party!

We ended up with about 18 girls coming. We served cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, veggies, grapes, orange juice finger jello, pink lemonade, cranberry tea and mint tea. Of course it was served on very lady like glass luncheon plates and all the girls dressed in their finest tea party apparel.

The girls were asked to bring one doll or stuffed animal guest. I think the dolls and animals enjoyed themselves.

Marah had a four layer birthday cake (alternating choclate and vanilla layers!) piped with blue frosting. It was very yummy if I do say so myself.

The only thing missing was all of our friends and family who couldn't come. Happy Birthday Marah!

Recipe

2007-01-13T22:39:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been salivating over my rice pudding post, here is the link to the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamiest-Rice-Pudding/Detail.aspx

Hope you like it!

Rice Pudding Nirvana

2007-01-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

What could be cozier that rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon? I love rice pudding, I crave rice pudding, maybe you could say I am addicted to rice pudding...but when you are pregnant strong cravings are totally normal and acceptable. Yes, this is my public announcement that I am expecting...baby number four will arrive around mid July...but I digress. Back to rice pudding. I have made the baked kind and I love it, but my quest has been to recreate the KOZY SHACK style rice pudding. For about a year now that creamy texture has eluded me. My attempts were always too pasty. I bought a 16 oz container of rice pudding on Saturday and between me, Marah, Ethan and Abby we ate it in one sitting. (My kids share my love of rice pudding) As I gave Marah the very last drop from the container she remembered to ask me if I had gotten any. "Yes I got a little," I replied. "Well just be glad you don't have more kids! Then you wouldn't get any!" This comment, combined with my growing belly renewed my desire to make my own creamy rice pudding. And today I think I've done it. I have found a creamy rice pudding recipe that tastes like Kozy Shack. No more must I deal with 16 oz containters that are gone the moment they are opened. Now I can make pig pots of it. And I am eating for two, so don't make any comments about the size of my servings...

Our Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's House!

2006-12-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

Faces all aglow...

Santa's ho ho ho...

Waiting patiently...

Sleeping peacefully...(this is baby Scarlette Jane)

Sweep with hustle and bustle..

Show some muscle...

Sisters with their new gifts...

Abby on her new wheels...

Just relax...

Play hours of "Marble Blast"... (thanks for your patience Jonathan!)

And finally go to sleep...

Christmas Eve Morning

2006-12-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

We decided to have our family Christmas on Sunday morning so that we could get an earlier start down south on Christmas Day.

Can we go see now??

Baby!

Marah's dream come true...a Molly doll!

The world through pink colored lenses...or eyelids

2006-11-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

Abby's new favorite color is PINK! She has started pointing the color out everywhere. Clothing, toys, food, lips, gums, toes...if its pink, she will notice. The other day we were driving home late in the afternoon and we were sitting at a stoplight. Abby started yelling "Mommy! Pink! Pink!" I turned around to see what she was pointing at but she had her eyes closed. I realized that the sun was shining in her face and when she closed her eyes she could see PINK!

Climbers

2006-11-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

We recently discovered that REI has free rock climbing on Saturdays. The first time we went, Marah made it to the top but Ethan did not. The second time both Marah and Ethan climbed to the top where they rang a little bell. Ethan was so proud of himself.

Abby didn't climb any rocks but if the prize is for "injury received while climbing" Abby won hands down. She was playing around in the van after church while everyone else was carrying in armloads of stuff. She was swinging between the two front seats, slipped and hit her eye on something hard. She has a raspberry colored eyelid...it looks like she is wearing funky eyeshadow.

Happy Halloween!

2006-11-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here we have a black cat, a shadow ninja, and A-bee. Abby loved going trick-or-treating. Guess what she wanted for breakfast this morning...CANDY! Time to find a good hiding spot for that sugary loot!

Happy Birthday Abigail!

2006-10-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here is our birthday girl! Two years goes by too fast!

Where is Daddy Mike?

2006-10-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

After Mike's mom came for a visit, Mike went to visit her and his dad in St. George for a long weekend. Here are some of my favorite photos that he took. The first is Mike and his Dad...cameras in hand, ready for any gorgeous landscape that comes their way!

The third photo is of petroglyphs in a slot canyon in the Snow Canyon area.

Another adventure that Mike had recently is buying a car. A silver Jetta. MommaAshaleea thinks it feels really low to the ground after driving the van, Ethan thinks it is "a little sporty", Mike thinks it is fun to drive, Marah thinks it has a nice interior and Abby just says "ca"!

Bonfante Gardens

2006-10-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

On the last Saturday of September we took Grandma C to an amusement park in Gilroy called Bonfante Gardens. We were very impressed by all the beautiful and amazing plants and flowers there.

This is a circus tree. Several sycamore trees were grafted and trained into this specimen. There are several other different trees at the park including an arch, a ladder, and a four legged giant. We thought they were all pretty amazing.

Here is a lovely monarch butterfly that Mike found on some milkweed.

The rides are based on Gilroy's agriculture. Here we are on the "Artichoke Dip"

One of Marah's favorite rides was the "Mushroom Swing"

We all got to drive in "classic cars" as Ethan liked to call them. I got the thrilling ride of driving with Abby. The whole ride she kept smiling and saying "Abby! Abby!" obviously very pleased that she got to drive. I hope she doesn't get any ideas...

The most bizarre event that happened this day was this. We were waiting in a line up of boats on one of the rides, waiting our turn to get out when I overheard the family in front of us talking to their youngest daughter, Marah. I said "Excuse me, I overheard you call your daughter Marah...our daughter is Marah also! It isn't often we hear that name." We chatted a bit and then they asked what our youngest daughter was named. When we said Abigail, they laughed and said "No way! our oldest girl is Abby!" I should have told them if they ever have a son, they'll have to name him, Ethan!

We finished the day with ice cream. Yum! Yum! Thank goodness it wasn't garlic or artichoke flavored!

A Day on Angel Island

2006-09-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove to the airport to pick up our Grandma C, who is visiting for a long weekend. As we were driving along Ethan said excitedly, "Abby we are going to go on an airplane and it's going to be my second time!" I felt so bad as I explained that we weren't getting on a plane, we were just driving to the airport to get Grandma because she flew on a plane to see us. He looked so sad in the rear view mirror. All was forgotten though with the excitement of Grandma C in the car. Ethan and Marah love Grandma C because she tells them stories about two brothers named Jasper and Zebby. This trip they are having many adventures involving a dragon, a silver unicorn and their favorite foods: shoefly pie, apple candaddy, corn bread, and lemonade. But I digress. Marah and Ethan also love Grandma C because she always has gum in her purse---a rarity around our house. ( For those of you who don't know, Momma Ashaleea does not chew gum.)

Today we woke up early and took the ferry to Angel Island. It was a gorgeous day- sunny but with a nice breeze. The ferry departs from Tiburon, a peninsula in the north bay and it is just a 10 minute ride to the island. Angel Island is called the Ellis Island of the west coast. Immigrants from Asia and Russia used to be brought here to be checked for disease before going to the mainland. We walked around a bit, ate a snack, fed some seagulls and enjoyed the view. We saw a sea lion swimming, a cormorant catch and swallow a whole fish, and a very fast red, white and blue speed boat. Abby wanted to pick up every rock and stick we walked past and Mike got some beautiful photos of the bay. It was a great day for everyone!

This is an old canon that was found in the Carribean and donated to the island... it provided a lot of fun for the kids!

Here is Ethan, our hiker boy!

There used to be a lighthouse on the island. This is Grandma C demonstrating how the magnifying lens works.

Cutting Originality

2006-09-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids asked me if they could each have another slice of chocolate cake. I absent-mindedly said yes and a few minutes later came over to see what Ethan was doing. He was cutting a second slice of cake. "What are you doing?" I asked. He replied, "Cutting Abby a smaller slice of cake!" I thought it very original (or maybe artistic?) to cut a smaller piece of cake out of the middle of a larger piece of cake...

Daddy Goes to Work and Mommy Goes to Ikea!

2006-09-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

The title is an actual quote from Marah when she was about two years old. But it has been awhile since we have made the trek to Ikea and since my pantry is in desperate need of new shelves I decided to go today and scope out the options. I told Marah, Ethan and Abby that I needed to check out some shelves and it might be a little bit boring but if they could be on their best behavior we would eat lunch there and play in the kids section for awhile. I also said they could MAYBE get something. Everything went pretty well at first. We entered the Ikea Universe and strolled through the maze admiring all the comfy couches, bookshelves, pulling and shutting all the drawers (Abby especially liked that part) and I looked at the storage shelves that I was interested in. Marah and Ethan and Abby all chose to get stuffed animal bats as their treat (Ikea has weird stuffed animals...) Then we decided it was time for lunch. We stood in line, bought our plates of meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce, paid, sat and ate. All was well. I checked my phone and saw that I had missed a call from Mike, so I called him back and he was almost there to pick us up. I suggested he park and come meet us in the cafeteria and he could have something to eat. It was then that I made the MISTAKE. I thought to myself, I'll just go order Mike's plate now and it will be ready and waiting for him when he gets here. The table was in eyesight of the food line so I left Abby happily eating and told Marah and Ethan to sit there and play with their bats. I ordered a big plate of meatballs because Mike had said he was starving and Marah had said she wanted more too. As I was paying I glanced over to make sure Abby was still ok and she was standing in the high chair. So I quickly ran over to her, picked her up and went back to pay. I then carried Abby and the tray of food back to the table. If you weren't horrified that Abby stood up in her high chair unattended you may be wondering where is the mistake? Well, as I sat the tray on the table it was overlapping the edge a bit and in one graceful move my purse slipped off my shoulder landed on the tray and catapulted Ikea meat balls, gravy, potatoes and lingon berries all over ME! After a long deep breath I cleaned it all up and I was very proud of myself that I did not cry. I even went and got another plate of meatballs. I think the serving people behind the counter thought I was eating an awful lot of meatballs!
We did finally escape the Ikea Universe and I really think there is a time warp when you go from our universe to Ikea and back because my watch said we had been there for 5 hours....I think I'm going batty!

My Cultured Children

2006-09-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Today during our vocabulary lesson, Marah and I were talking about culture. What is culture? We studied Ancient Egyptian culture last year-- the buildings, the writing, the art, etc. Then I tried to expand upon that definition. To be a cultured person, I explained, someone reads good literature, appreciates fine art, and eats good food....then Ethan pipes up, "Yes! Like macaroni and cheese!"