Slice of Life # 54~Why I Live Where I Live

This weeks Slice of Life is Why I live where I live....mmmm....Well when we first got married we just needed something that wasn't too small for both of us as we were combining things together since we had both lived on our own for so long, we both had a lot of stuff, and even then we had to get rid of some of it.  We got an apartment in South Salt Lake that still allowed us to commute to work ok and was still within a price range we could afford.

Then we moved to WI with a job change, this time we needed a 2 bedroom as we were excpeting our first child.  We found an apartment in New Richmond, WI that was only 24 miles to my sister-in-law and best friend Sarah's house.  Again we needed something that was in our price range.  It was nice without being too small or too big. I picked the place without Dan ever seeing it until we had the keys and were ready to move in.

We then moved to a 3 bedroom duplex in North Hudson, WI.  This put us only 14 miles to Sarah's house and closer to work and church.  We chose the 3 bedroom as Dan's sister Annette was living with us and we were expecting baby number 2.  This had an unfinished basement that worked great for storage and as Dan's office.

We then lost our job and moved in with Dan's parents in Spokane, WA and stayed with them for 11 months.  During this time we had the twins.  Once we had a job and were back on our feet a little bit we moved into a 3 bedroom apartment not far from his parents house.  It was close to all the shopping, Dr's and such.

But we weren't happy with having a  "Temp" job so Dan kept looking, and 4 months after we moved into our place in Spokane, Dan got a job back in UT.  He headed down ahead of the kids and I and stayed with my aunt and uncle while he found us a place.  I looked online and would tell him to check out these places.  We knew we needed at least three bedrooms, but we didn't want it to be too small or to pricey.  Several he looked  at  where in the right price range, but the space was so small and no storage.  Some were to far out we didn't want to spend a lot in gas for the same price as some of the one's closer to work.  Then I found the apartment that we live in online and set up an appointment for Dan to see it on his lunch break.  It was only 1 mile from work.  He decided this was the place and put the deposit down on it right away and moved into it two days later with the kids and I coming to join him 2 days after that.  I didn't get to see it until after I arrived.  Right now this place is great because now that we are only down to one car he walks to and from work everyday.  It makes the convenience of living here all the better.


So we both have picked places that the other hasn't seen until we went to move in.

We would love to rent or buy a house, but right now that isn't an option as the size we need is $400 more a month then we can afford.  But we will see what the future holds.

Slice of Life # 53~ Helping Hands

It has taken me all week to think about what I wanted to write.  And my mind is still really blank as to what to say.

When I think of Helping Hands, I think of giving service, and this can be in any form.  There are ways of service that Dan and I have talked about but we have yet to do them... maybe this year.  But I have helped take meals to those in my neighborhood who were ill, just had a baby or such.  I have helped with cleaning projects, I have babysat for people so they could get things done, and have told them don't pay me, it is my way to help.  I have also gave a dear friend a place to stay for a month when she had to move out of her apartment and had no were else to go.  And I have bought bus tokens for friends in need.

Sometimes we don't think of ourselves giving service when we are just reaching out and being a friend.

Let us remember to reach outside of ourselves and give to others as Christ would give to us.

Shred Fest!

Back at the beginning of May Salt Lake City had a "Shred Fest".

You were to bring everything from computer hard drives, papers, cell phones that you wanted shredded and it would be shredded, without all the time involved. So I had just cleaned out some papers from 1994-2002 and was going to spend time with my little shredder that is getting so old it isn't doing it's job anymore, to shred these papers, when I heard about the Shred Fest.

They were trying to break the Guinness World Record Book for the most amount of stuff shredded determined by weight in 24 hrs.

So I loaded the kids up and we went.  There were lines of people and we were there just after they opened.  We stood in line for about 1/2 hr and then we were done.

Sorry I didn't get pictures of the machines.  But here is pictures of the kids!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I don't have a garden. We don't own any land. We live in an apartment. I would love to own some land, though I don't know if I will ever have a garden like my mother's.

Growing up, for those prime years of my childhood, we lived on an eighty acre hobby farm. My dad commuted into the cities to work. In the evenings and on the weekends, we would occasionally have to help dad with the fields. Wheat, oats, and hay are the crops I can really recall. Now about a good third of that land was in forest and swamp, so that wasn't too bad. It provided some supplemental income I gather, or at least reduced the cost of living there. Because of it, I grew up on a wheat diet. Wheat bread, wheat in our cookies, and wheat pancakes.

Now my wife is correct that my mom did have a garden that you used the word "acre" to describe the size of it. It wasn't in back though. One of the fields off the driveway had part of it converted into mom's garden. I remember being told that before we could go to the lake that we had to weed a row of corn. We moaned about it like many kids do when told to work on mom's garden. And although we enjoyed the fruits of her garden all year (corn would be prepared and frozen so we ate mom's garden corn for many months), we would give mom the complaint "but it so long!" or "You cannot even see the end of the row!" Her garden was on a hill, so you literally could not see the end of a row of corn standing at the driveway. Corn, potatoes, beans, peas, carrots, lettuce, and even tomatoes were a few of things mom grew in her garden. The spot dedicated to watermelons and pumpkins was probably as big as many people's backyard gardens alone. And, yes, mom had a backyard garden as well. Probably still bigger than most suburban gardens, but we did live in farmland. There was a large section for strawberries. And I cannot forget the raspberries. Thinking of raspberries, I seem to recall that the raspberries were divided into several groups and not all restrained to just those two gardens. Not all the raspberries flourished while we lived there either.

I wonder how many gardens are prepared by tractor and plow instead of 'tiller.

Mom's garden may have been rather large, but now when I hear others complain about weeding gardens I generally get a good chuckle out of it. I have since learned that when we complain as children that the nature of the task is what drives our complaint and not the scale of it.

I heard that some of the neighbors wondered who was going to maintain my mom's garden when we left. Remember, that large garden measured in relation to an acre was along the driveway, a portion of a field in front of the house. So everyone around had been seeing that garden for years. My parents have moved several times since then, and my mom has often kept a garden. Though none of them on quite the same scale.

As big as my mom's garden was, I seem to have heard some stories of another amazing gardener who worked in a much smaller garden. Someone who was in wheelchair? If I got that right, that is a story my wife witnessed.

Slice of Life # 52 ~ The Book that Changed Me

I love to read, so to say a book truly changed me is hard.  I love reading the Book of Mormon and Bible.  Recently I did read a book that I did really enjoy and some of the things talked about I could definitely apply to me.  I have decided that I need to buy this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book about Larry H. Miller.  My husband worked for him for 8 years.  And reading how his life and  some of the things he did.  I think he had some good things to talk about in this book.

Annette turns 33

Yesterday was my 33rd Birthday!  I started my day off by getting up at 5:45am and driving to Orem to pick up my nephew's Leo and Cole, so that my sister Alysha could go to work at 7am.  I brought them back to my house and was back in time for Dan to go to work.  I then did cereal with all 6 kids for breakfast.  I received a call from a sister in my ward wishing me Happy Birthday, and my grandmother called me.  I got lots of  Facebook well wishes.  When Alysha came she offered to watch the kids while Dan and I walked to Red Robin and have dinner.  While I waited for Dan to come home I scanned some pictures that Alysha needed.  When I came home Wendy was there with a beautiful and tasty chocolate cake with strawberries.  I then scanned more pictures for Alysha and talked with my dad and my mother in law before I went to bed.  I talked with my mom this morning as she had forgotten her phone yesterday and didn't get home until midnight.  I got cloths from my sisters and my parents and I got some add on's for the Wii Fit, that I have tried out already and love!

It was a good birthday and I am grateful for my family for making it a special day.

Slice of Life # 51 ~ How Does Your Garden Grow?

I have asked Dan to write this one, but he hasn't so far, but I do plan on having him write down what it was like to grow up on a 80 acer Hobby Farm and his mom had 1 acer garden in back, and a smaller garden in front like I grew up with in front.


I grew up with a garden.  I remember helping to till the ground, plant, weed and then harvest.  I seem to remember having broccoli soup when ever company came in the late summer.  I still like broccoli soup.  I think I should get the recipe from my mother!  I loved corn on the cob, tomatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, zucchini and pumpkin.  As I got older and Grandpa Dillon lived with us he would also have radishes too.

And now as I am raising a family of my own, I want to have a garden to plant and grow food.  Hopefully in the next few years we can do that.

Happy Mother's Day 2011

This week Dillon brought home a Mother's Day Card for me!  What I love is his attempt to sign his name!

And here is a collage of the rest of the card!

It is so nice to be entering into that time in my life when my kids will be bring home all the artwork or special projects for me!  I love all of my kids and can't wait to see what the future holds for us together!

Slice of Life # 50 ~ Happy Birthday

This Weeks Slice of Life is about Birthdays! I have had some fun ones over the years. In 9th grade, my group of friends left a gift for me in each class, and a big balloon boquate in my last class.
My 21st birthday I went to Hard Rock Cafe with my family.  My parents may not have appreciated that, but I sure had a fun time, and I got the sweatshirt I am wearing in these pictures there.

These pictures are from my mission. Since I love Cheesecake or angle food cake as my birthday cake, my parents sent me a no bake cheesecake mix and little shortcakes. I also got a new outfit. My companion and I went on a hike since it was our perperation day, and then at our dinner appointment that night, they had made a cake and put candles on it when they found out it was my birthday. My birthday is this next week, and we may not be doing much, but I feel loved by my family!