sURpriSE! SurPriSE!

The CFO and I have been putting off taking the kids to Disneyland. Well, the kids were at the right age. It couldn't be put off any longer. So, this spring we decided to bite the bullet. We booked the flights, the hotel, the Disney hopper passes...it was just a matter of when and how we were going to tell them. We decided to wait until the last minute to avoid several weeks of "I CAN"T WAIT ANY LOOOONGER!" cries. Then, we set up a treasure hunt. This video shows the big REVEAL. I love it because it shows their personalities so clearly:
E: helpful, reserved and in-charge
C: exuberant, class clown, good with the math/numbers
O: excited but not too much because she already had it all figured out! (She came down with a high fever the day before and took a little trip to the doctor. She HATES the doctor. She refused to open her mouth so the doctor could get a strep throat sample...after 15 minutes, the CFO had to "bribe" her by telling her she could go see PRINCESSES if she would just open her clenched jaws.)

Political Activism

I am very interested in Politics and follow the issues fairly closely but I have never done anything politically active besides vote. So, tonight I attended our local republican caucus. I'm told that the last meeting there were 17 attendees. At this one there were around 100. The republican agenda was read outloud (all very conservative). Then delegates were nominated. Each delegate answered to their views on health care, cap and trade, amnesty for illegals, taxes, education, etc. It was very substantive and people were passionate. Thank Obama, Pelosi and Reid for this. They have awoken a sleeping giant if this type of activity is happening across our great country (and I believe it is). We then voted on the delegates that will represent our districs. It is interesting that the group was very much against one of our Senators, Bob Bennett. They disagreed with him on several of the votes he had made and the bills he had proposed. It is local caucuses like this one that will send delegates to the state convention to nominate the republican candidate (if I now understand the process correctly). This is how we can affect the candidates that we conservatives will get and how we can get rid of those we don't want.

Just thought that I'd share and encourage all to get involved.

CFO

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse Bars

Thank you, Betty Crocker, for e-mailing me this easy and delicious recipe.
It is my new favorite.

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
(1 stick of butter and 1 egg that is called for in the cookie mix)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 pkg. (80z.) cream cheese
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream

1. Make cookie dough as directed on package. Spread in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown; cool.

2. Microwave 1 cup milk chocolate chips uncovered on high for 1-2 minutes or until melted and smooth. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat melted chocolate into cream cheese. Beat 1 cup of whipping cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipping cream into the chocolate-cream cheese mixture until well blended. Spread over cooled cookie base. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

3. Microwave 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup whipping cream on 1-2 minutes until the chocolate is melted; whisk until the mixture is smooth. Spoon and spread the warm chocolate ganache mixture over the mousse layer evenly. Refrigerate until set. Cut into bite sized bars.

Miss You Mom

Two years ago this morning I got a horrible wake up call from my dad telling me that my mom had passed away. Although time does heal, it still stinks. I am the most sad when I realize that my young kids will not know her very well. This post is for them.
These are the things I remember most about your Grandma:

• she worked hard to be a good person, to serve her fellow men and please our Heavenly Father
• she never stopped learning...she took belly dancing lessons and Vietnamese language lessons.
• she spoke 3 languages
• she spent a ridiculous amount of time making Swiss Christmas cookies for the entire neighborhood.
• she was enormously Patriotic, but she also loved anything Swiss and would buy it if it had Swiss on the label, ie: St.Ives lotion and Ricola cough drops.
• she belonged to a Swiss Performing Group called the Swiss Chorus Edelweiss. She sang, danced and tossed the Swiss flag.
• she sewed, knitted, embroidered and quilted
• she played the piano
• she mowed the backyard lawn in a bikini
• she had great taste in clothes and bought most of them from Nordstroms...but she always bought off the sale rack.
• she was a clean freak
• she loved romance novels
• we would watch THE LOVE BOAT together
• she made yummy wienersnitzel and fliesh flugal
• her chili was terrible
• she loved chocolate and taught me everything I know about hiding it from my kids
• she drank "tea punch". That is what she called herbal tea so that we wouldn't think we were breaking the Word of Wisdom.
• she would swear, to this day, of the miraculous healing powers of cod liver oil. (Just so you know, Grandma would mix liquid cod liver oil with orange juice CONCENTRATE! then feed it to me by the spoon full. So when you complain that something doesn't taste good, you probably won't get a sympathetic ear from me.)
• she loved Tom Selleck but, she loved Grandpa more.

I am grateful for a wonderful mother. So, everyone call/hug your moms today!

The Skiing / Flying Bros

C in the Half Pipe

The Flying E - The kids going big

LOOK MOM..... No Edgie Wedgie

O has only been skiing 2 times this year but has made huge progress each time.

-The first time I didn't take her little backpack with attached ropes that I used to control her speed as I skied behind her. She made a huge leap that day and learned to control her speed on her own.

The second time...

- I left her Edgie WEdgie at home. An Edgie Wedgie is a device that ties the front of the skis together for those learning. It allows kids to make a "Pizza" with their skis and keeps the skier from doing the splits. It is diffucult to break kids of this, kind of like a binki (Cinda).

As you'll see in the video, no ropes, no edgie wedgie, lots of smiles and giggles. A great combination.

PS- This is also a test for the video camera for the new phone, "The Droid". How did it do?? Looks like I held the camera the wrong way. Guess that's my fault not the phone's. You'll have to tilt your head for a minute or so to see the video.

The CFO