Live Nativity

The weather for this year's live Nativity at church was just miserable. It was 20 degrees and rainy. However, Abby got the chance to be Mary (with Nephi as Joseph). Quinn was an adorable shepherd--too bad the photos weren't better. Emma was an angel but I didn't get a chance to take her picture. I worked in the kitchen and enjoyed it because it was nice to do something different. Kip missed participating because he was in Hong Kong again this week. Evidently the weather was much better the second night.

Abby & the Harp

Abby played the harp for the high school's annual Madrigal Dinner. She (and 2 other musical groups) played during the intermissions for the dinner courses. It was a lot of playing for her and she really had sore fingers by the end of the evening. She did a wonderful job and it was the perfect setting for a harp.

This week she will also play for the faculty breakfast at the High School. It is great that she is getting so much performance time!!

Thanksgiving

We spent the day at our friends, Justin, Sarah and their family.

Great food, enjoyable company, fun games and activities. Just what the holiday should be.

Emma made the rainbow jello. She did an excellent job and everyone loved it. Thanks to Laura O. for a new thanksgiving tradition. We also continue Kip's family tradition of "Bingo" after the meal. We play for candy bars.

Another one of our favorite thanksgiving traditions is Sweet Potato & Apples, thanks to Andrea for this fantastic recipe. (much better than the marshmallow dish, sorry Grandma)

'08 Headlines: October, November, December

It has been an interesting fall. Kip's work is very stressful and he is trying to juggle two pieces of the project-- the US implementation and the planning stages for Hong Kong. He was also released from the High Council (which is a great calling because his time was very flexible) and called to be the Stake Young Men's President (which requires a lot more meetings and less flexibility). He loves working with the youth and he has great counselors, but it has been a bit overwhelming for all of us. A happy thing though--he finished his ticket for Wood Badge. A great thing to have done!


Kip's calling meant that I was released as Stake Primary President. I had been in four years and had really enjoyed the work. I am now teaching Sunday School for the 15-16 years old. Abby is in the class and they are great. But, I'm finding I have a lot more time to fill. For two years now I have been working for my friend, Shauna, who owns a custom window treatment business. But business is slow because of the economy. During one week in August I was released from Primary, laid off from my job, and my last child went to school (after 19 years with a preschooler at home). Wow. It was all a huge change. I have done a lot of reading and practice the harp more. I've completed a lot of home projects and I'm trying to enjoy all the free time because I know it won't last.

New Suits for the men in the family. (See Nov. 22 blog for the story of Kip's suit). Quinn couldn't wait to geat dressed just like dad.

Emma continues to make great progress on the harp. This fall we had to switch harp teachers because Ms. Suzanne moved out of state. We really miss her. Both Abby and Emma have had several opportunities to perform this fall. I think the best reaction comes from Kip. He loves it when anyone is practicing.

'08 Headlines: July, August, September

Kip had a really great opportunity to watch the US Olympic trials in Omaha. He went with his friend Frank whose daughter was swimming in the trials. They had a lot of laughs and enjoyed some spectacular swimming events. It really made the Olympics in China all the more exciting for all of us.

July was EFY for Abby and Girls Camp for Kari & Abby. Kari worked in the kitchen and Abby was a Stake Youth Leader.

Emma and Kari also spent a couple of days in Cedar City, Utah with some of the female relatives in Kari’s family. We met to donate Great-Grandma Redd's beaded "vestie" to the historical musuem in Parowan where she was born. It was great to be together and we loved attending two plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.



August was our 22nd wedding anniversary. We have always wanted to go to Mackinac Island, Michigan and so we took advantage of Krista being home for the summer and left for a few days. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery and being together. Mackinac doesn't allow motor vehicles so we took our bikes and explored the island. Our bed & breakfast was very quiet and restful. We even went dancing at the Grand Hotel. (Remember the movie "Somewhere in Time"). The Grand also has one of the longest front porches in the world.

Kip really loves driving so we ended up driving completely around lake Michigan. (1220 total miles). The Upper Penisula was like a different country and even has it's own vocabulary. The shipping locks at Sault St. Marie were interesting as were the many water falls. We enjoyed another very lovely Bed and Breakfast and had a great time together.

In August Krista headed back to BYU. New schools for Quinn and Emma and lots of color guard practice for Abby.

'08 Headlines: April, May, June

The winter was COLD. We thought spring would never get here. But, I have a friend who loves to work in her yard and she helped me make a plan for our yard. We spent a lot of time this spring buying and planting new bushes, trees & flowers. It is really coming together.

The first week in May Kip and I went to New York City for four days. It was a reward trip from Kip's employer. Highlights were some amazing restaurants, a boat trip around Manhattan, dinner and a show at the “Blue Note” jazz club, and three broadway plays. It was very memorable.

In June, Quinn graduated from preschool and Emma graduated from Elementary school. Our stake youth did a pioneer reenactment trek. Abby found it to be very hard but very rewarding.



Our family vacation this year was a trip to Cedar Point in Ohio. It is an amusement park, water park & beach. We rented a great little cabin near the park and had a blast. Emma surprised us all by going on every roller coaster (and they have some of the world’s fastest and highest coasters). Best of all it was a time for us to be together and get some rest.

'08 Headlines: January, February, March

January was spent finishing up our kitchen remodel. It is so nice to have new appliances. I absolutely love the extra space on the countertops and cabinets. My favorite thing is the Brazilian Cherry floors. They are a fabulous variegated color. On the down side, this floor is are harder to keep clean than the old floor (because they are darker in color) but I still love them.
It was a long time coming, and a lot of work but we are thrilled to have it completed.

Krista’s boyfriend, Alex, spend a lot of time with us. He helped on the kitchen, was a huge part of Abby getting her 50 hours of practice drive time and really became a part of our family. One of Alex’s passions is cars and he has taught us how much we really don't know about cars. Krista came home for his mission farewell and he left in April for the San Fernando CA (Spanish speaking) mission.

Apple Cake Recipe

Several people have asked for the apple cake recipe I blogged about on 9/23/08.

Here it is:

Apple Pudding Cake

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups flour
• 5 or 6 large apples (cored and shredded)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
  Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and mix. Add flour, salt and soda and blend well before adding shredded apples. Pour into greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Butter Sauce

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 cups light cream
  Cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Add ½ tsp. Vanilla and dash of nutmeg. While still hot pour over individual pieces of cake and serve. Can be made in advance and then reheated.

Baseball

It was a fun summer watching the Cubs do so well. They just kept winning and we couldn't believe it really was the Cubs. In the end, they broke our hearts again but it really was fun following them this year. So much for "It's been 100 years and THIS IS THE YEAR" I guess it will have to be year #101. At least the winner wasn't the White Sox, the Cardinals or (gasp) the Yankees.
BTW Kip's boss thinks it is really weird that we became baseball fans as adults. We told him we had never lived where it was such a big deal--you really can't live in the midwest and not get caught up in it. He said, "Well, it's like an adult picking up smoking, it just isn't done."

Kip in Hong Kong

Kip's project is ready to begin in Hong Kong and he went for a week to get a look at the set up there. He lived in Japan for two years during his mission and found many cultural things to be similar in Hong Kong. He enjoyed his time there and will likely be going again.

Dim Sum. Yummy!

This is his Tailor. He bought two hand made suits while he was there. Entirely customized to his measurements. They are beautiful and fit him very well.
When he told me he wanted to have a suit made I thought about the M*A*S*H* episode where one of the doctors had a suit made and when it is was delivered it was pinstripped. Only the strips were horizontal instead of vertical.

Stunning

This is the beautiful Sugar Maple tree in our back yard. It has amazingly beautiful fall colors. Stunning!

Beautiful Fall Day

One of the things we have most enjoyed about our backyard rehab is the hammock. We finally have trees that are big enough to support a hammock and this one is big enough for several people. In June Kip added a permanent post for one end so it is easy to remove when the lawn needs mowed. The sugar maple gives just the right amount of shade. Add a good book and it is a great place to spend the afternoon. AHHH.

Saying Goodbye

Time to clear out the annual flowers. I will miss looking out the window and seeing my lovely flower bed. This year's favorite plant was a great red and purple "Bat Plant". The flowers look like a bat face! I'm sad to say goodbye.

Is it Halloween already???

New Glasses for Emma

Emma started middle school; Emma started playing the flute; Emma has new friends from the neighborhood and.. Emma has new glasses. Cute.

Fall means Marching Band

Abby is rifle captain this year. She is very talented. Since moving to the midwest we have really enjoyed marching band and especially attending competitions. There are lots of exceptional bands in our area.

Living Room

During the summer Krista was home and did a bunch of projects for me (for a price of course). One thing we worked on was painting the living room a beautiful orange-gold color. It is very warm and inviting. I found the fabric for draperies more than a year ago but with the new wall color I got motivated to make the window treatments. They are flat panels with gussets between the panels and a pleated underskirt. The big window also has side panels. It is a new design that I haven't worked on before and frankly this design is a lot of work but I love the new look. It really makes the room feel finished.

It's Autumn

Yesterday was the first day of fall. Abby had a friend over for a game of dominos, dessert and Family Home Evening. I made our favorite apple cake. It isn't much to look at but it really is delicious. The batter is thick with very little moisture until you add six shredded apples. It bakes into a very moist cake. Topped with a warm butter/cream sauce it is fantastic. I always think of my friend Jan Cassinat from CA for this great recipe. Last year for a stake activity I made it and had dozens of people ask for the recipe. This cake is one of the great tastes of fall!

Batman

Quinn is such a delightful child!

Wednesday we pulled out some winter clothes and found a pair of Batman pajamas for Quinn. They were hand-me-downs from a friend and they even have a cape. He wore them to bed that night. Thursday he changed into them when he got home from school (at noon) and wore them the rest of the day and to bed again. This morning he informed that he was going to wear them again when he got home from school. We had to put a safety pin in the waist band because they kept falling off him. I think I might need to actually sew them!

My Gift

One day last month Kip suggested that a blog would be a good thing to have now that our oldest daughter, Krista, is in college. His thinking is that we could share more of our lives with distant family through a blog. My thinking is that I really don't need another thing to do.
So, as my gift to Kip, I'm starting this blog. Don't expect it to be kept up to date. Don't expect me to write a ton (writing is not my favorite thing to do). Don't expect anything and nobody will be disappointed.

Ding Bats

Our new Family Blog--Ding Bats

dĭng'bāts n 1: Slang. an eccentric, empty-headed or silly person 2: small ornaments, gadgets or symbols

Every family has words or phrases that are unique to the family. For us, one of the those phrases is "Ding Bat". It is usually used with great affection and often combined with the word "Goober". Who knows how this started but it is an appropriate title for our family blog. Our life rarely has huge events, just small ones that combine together to make our family culture. And, we have several members who ARE very silly people.