Cranberries are Sour

Just a little somethin somethin since I can't blog right now.

I am going through withdrawls...

Ok, so I haven't posted in like two or three weeks and I am going crazy. Well not really but I really miss it. I am missing the blogging community immensely. We don't have a commuter at the new digs yet, alas. I am at my parents right now and should probably go visit with the fam. Just know that I am missing you all terribly and really want a computer. Maybe for Christmas...

Obama Fans, Close Your Eyes...

So I thought this was too cute and humorous not to post. And as I have mentioned before "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite movies, so I couldn't resist.

Halloween Confetti

Brace yourselves. You are about to be updated on all of our Halloween activities in one fell swoop. Let the festivities begin!

(You can't tell, but Korbin is letting out a very high pitched scream in this picture. I think he was warning me to back off, or maybe he was warning you about the lengthy post on which you are about to embark...)

Pumpkin Carving Fun!

So excited to be sitting at the table like a big boy. Unfortunately he does not realize the slimy guts that await him.

Joel carving out the symbol for Pi, thus making his jack-o-lantern a Pumpkin Pi.

Jared and Tucker hard at work.

Kelsi and Paul. (And no, Paul doesn't always look like that. Only on good days.)

Korbin did a little shudder the first few times he touched the guts. After that he tried to eat it. Where's the logic in that? I don't know.

A proud boy and his pumpkin.

All done. Tucker modified his pumpkin after realizing that I was right (as I always am) and his pumpkin was too large and thick for the pattern he had selected after all.

The finished product. We didn't get a closeup of Tucker's pumpkin. (Sorry honey.)


Fun at Cornbelly's

Parker, Dan, Carolyn and Caden

The two Prince Charmings in my life.

My cute mom and littlest bro, Jared

Here we are cuddling with a cow; trying to keep warm.

Look at those beautiful blue eyes. He gets them from his dad.

Carolyn's Halloween Party

Korbin was such a good sport about his very warm and cumbersome costume. I just love him.

The Addams Family: Will, Candis and Jake (missing: James)

Dan and my adorable nephew Caden

My cute nephew Parker.

My brother Andrew, as Colonel Mustard, and his girlfriend Julie, as Miss Peacock. Very clever.

My sister, Carolyn's adorable family as the story 'The Cat in the Hat.' Carolyn is 'Mother' from the story and the rest is self explanatory (well, Caden is out of his costume at this point.) Carolyn made all of their costumes. She puts me to shame in the sewing department.


Halloween Day

This costume is officially award winning (allow me to boast for one second.) Yes it did win the costume contest at my sister's party but, had my sister's family been allowed to win, they would have. My brother Paul borrowed the Tin man costume to enter the costume contest at work and won the $100 prize, thank you very much. I also hear tale that his picture was displayed on Super Sonic's billboard for all of State Street in Orem to see. I am a proud momma.

We're off to see the Wizard.

Phew, you made it!

I'm a Goofy Goober

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Hey just so y'all know, I finished book two finally! It only took me four months... Ok so it wasn't my favorite and I think I am maybe a little disenchanted with the Twilight series now, but I will persevere to the end. I have heard that book two is a struggle for some, it was for me. Am I the only person who finds the intensity of their teenage love just a little odd? Well I don't want to make too many enemies on here so I will end my criticism now. I am looking forward to going to a midnight showing of the movie with my sister and mom and a fun group of girlies (although, don't tell anyone, the movie trailers kind of creep me out.)

We Are Moving!

Just a quick little blurb to let you all know that we have found a house to rent in Heber. We are very excited to move to Heber and to have our very own home. The house is a 4 bedroom and is on a 1/3 of an acre with a large fenced back yard. We have the keys and will start to move as soon as we can. We have been looking for a while to find something but haven't had any luck. Believe me, it has been a testimony building experience. (It's true, everything is done in the Lord's time.) We feel so blessed to have this opportunity and to be closer to Tucker's job. Now Tucker can come home everyday after working instead of renting a room every other week in Duchesne. It will still be about an hour commute each way but one less canyon to drive through. We are so excited and blessed! We will get an email out soon with our new address. We will also have room for visitors to stay, so come visit us.

Oooo-st! (see previous post)

As I have mentioned before, I love Halloween! This includes Halloween decorations; the cute and tasteful kind. I worked for six years at The Quilted Bear where I was surrounded by such things and acquired many of them. This year however I vowed not to buy a single decoration. I have oooohed and ahhhhed at many adorable decorations but have held firm and not purchased anything. Tucker saw a jar of eyeballs that made gurgling sounds (not my idea of a cute decoration) at Target and wanted to get it and I told him I could make something like it. Well it evolved into a jar of spiders. OK, so I had to buy the spiders and lights and paper and glitter but I had the jar and the sticky letters. So I did spend money but not that much. It's a little on the cheesy side I know, but Korbin loves it and that is all that matters to me.

Things Korbin is Up To These Days:

• Folds his arms for prayer (actually more like his hands.)
• Claps for himself when I say "good job" or when he thinks he has done something to deserve praise.
• Says "O-st" as in "ghost" for everything Halloween. He makes ghost sounds too. "Ooooooohhhhhhh ohhh oooohhhhh." Very spooky.
• Shakes his head 'no' when he is does something he knows he is not supposed to.
• Eats with a fork. (He still needs a little help with this)
  
• Brushes his teeth (He has two toothbrushes. One for Mommy to brush his teeth with and one for him to brush with. That little mouth gets pretty crowded with two toothbrushes in it.)
• He still likes to lead music and dance his little heart out (which usually involves bobbing up and down and shaking the toosh) whenever he hears music.
• Makes scary dinosaur sounds.
• Squats down behind a bed or the nearest available piece of furniture to hide (and peeks barely over the top with his eyes) when I come to get him out of a room he's not supposed to be in.

There you have it. I know that these lists are more entertaining for the actual parents of the child, but hey, I have to brag about my boy.

Boobees

What the Tag?

Tag's seem to be going around like colds right now. Just kidding, I like doing them. In fact I have wished in the past that someone would tag me. Sooooooooooo, here goes another:

5 Things About Me- Tagged by Heather










5 Things I've Done in the Past 10 Years:
1-Bought my first car
2-Lived with some fun girlies (and some crazies, but we won't get into that)
3-Got married to the greatest guy
4-Graduated from Provo College
5-Had an adorable little boy

5 Things I Wish I Could Do Today:
1-Be sealed to my family
2-Move to Duchesne
3-Get out of debt
4-Buy a house
5-Go on vacation with my fam

5 Foods I Wouldn't Want to Live Without:
1-Pizza
2-Tomatoes
3-Grilled Cheese sandwiches
4-Blackberries
5-Hamburgers

5 Things I Would Do if I Were a Millionaire:
(We're assuming that a million dollars is still worth a lot right?)
1-Get out of debt
2-Buy a comfortable home
3-Get my food storage in order (yes I may be a little obsessed, but I don't like to be hungry)
4-Turtle Tuff Shelter (just in case)
5-Share with my family

5 Places I Have Lived:
1-Orem, UT
2-Seattle, WA
3-Mesa, AZ
4-Centralia, WA
5-Provo, UT

5 Jobs I Have Had:
1-Icing bag washer (for Peppermint Place, ironically before my dad worked there)
2-Craft Coordinator
3-Cashier/Supervisor at The Quilted Bear
4-Medical Assistant for midwife clinic
5-Receptionist for women's clinic

5 People I Tag:
Well the last peeps I tagged have still not done it, so I leave it open to whomever.

Branching Out

So I have been considering doing another blog for a little while now. One where I can post some of the things I think are important besides family stuff. It is still definitely a work in progress but I hope some of you will find it interesting. My hope is to make it more of an informative place instead of the fluff and fun that I post here. I'd love to know what you all think. Let me know if there is anything you think I would find of interest to post at my new blog, be it insights, signs of the times, food storage tips, recipes, websites, anything. (nevinjm@yahoo.com) Please know that I am not doing this blog because I think I know more or better than anyone else. It is simply my meager attempt to get out some of the things I think are important and a way for me to keep learning. I am just getting going on this stuff and would love to know any thoughts and information you have.

Tag, I'm It

The "rules" of the game are as follows:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself.
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.

Now, 6 things about me...

1. I am a home body. My idea of the perfect weekend is hanging out at home with my family watching TV or movies and eating frozen pizza (the good kind.)


2. Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays which makes The Nightmare Before Christmas one of my favorite movies. (It brings my two favorite holidays together, what's not to love?) I love the movie, I love the music. I even made a Jack Skellington costume for my brother Jared a few years ago. I was Sally.


3. I am a crafty person. If you need proof, just check out that sweet Halloween costume I made for Jared. Ok, maybe I am tooting my horn a little but if you only knew the hours that went into taping off that suit (not to mention the time I spent searching high and low at thrift stores to find it) so that I could paint the lines and making his paper mache bat-bow-tie I think you would understand a little.


4. I am a Martha Stewart fan. I was, even through the "jail months," (during these dark days my sister Carolyn and I sported pink shirts that Carolyn embroidered to read "FREE MARTHA.") Yes Martha is pretentious, obnoxious and she's awkward when interacting with guests on her show but she has good ideas (or at least she hires people to think of good ideas for her) and I gotta love a lady that made homemaking a lucrative business.


5. I am a reality TV fan. Sometimes I watch the occasional sitcom like The Office (which ironically imitates reality TV) but most of my TV viewing is spent watching HGTV, Food Network and shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter, The Biggest Loser, and Tori and Dean:Home Sweet Hollywood (I didn't know I even liked Tori Spelling until I came across her show. Until then I had thought she was annoying, but now I find her endearing. And yes I know that she and her husband cheated on their spouses. Awful. I definitely don't look up to her as a role model.)

6. Last but not least, I am a wife and a mom to the two greatest and cutest guys I know. I love their roles in my life and I love my role in theirs.

Tag, You're It
1. Carolyn G.
2. Daffany Q.
3. Melissa W.
4. Raya M.
5. Alice M.
6. April S.

Tribute

My parents just celebrated their 29th anniversary on Sept 29th. I wish I had a picture of just the two of them but I don't, so here's one of them at our wedding, a week before their 27th anniversary. They are such a good example to Tucker and me. A lot of marriages don't last long these days so it's good to have an example of love and devotion during times like these. My parents' marriage has not been perfect, they have had their share of trials and tribulations (eight kids is bound to prove a trial in itself - of course I have never contributed to their trials myself) and yes even a few mistakes, but they always seem to pull through it with love and faith. I hope they know how much I love and admire them. I look forward to celebrating my 29th anniversary with Tucker in 27 years.

Thanks for your good example to all of us, your kids and grandkids Mom and Dad. We love you!

Halloween is in the Air!

I have been just waiting for this day to do a little Halloween decorating on my blog. Yes the music has been here for a while but if you know me you know that I always listen to holiday music a little prematurely. I have been known to listen to Christmas music in September, (sometimes much to the chagrin of those around me). I have been holding off on the Christmas music this year. I think I can manage until November 1st, after that all bets are off.

HERE'S A SNEAK PEAK OF THINGS TO COME

The Leaves Are Changing!

We took a quick trip to Bridal Veil Falls last week...

...to go for a walk...

...and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

As you can see, we were not disappointed.

Leave a comment and tell us about your favorite part of Fall.

Chestnuts Freezing by an Open Fire

Ok, I know it's been a constant barrage of new posts and pictures but I can explain! The cord that connects my camera to the computer has been lost since the beginning of July. Ahhh. Well really it had just been carefully tucked away in a sack filled with TV cables and cords and other random things by my mother. Thanks Mom! Well I finally tracked it down (and labeled it with masking tape of course) and I am now trying to catch up. Here are some pictures of our Labor Day activities. The weather was freezing and there was always at least one baby crying (they must have had a prior agreement we were unaware of to do the crying in shifts. At any given point you could here the pleasant wailings of one of the three children) but we had fun none the less.

The Celebration of the Commencement of Our Union

Or, in other words: today is our anniversary (the second one to be exact). A lot has happened in that two year period, two job changes, two moves, two graduations, two car changes, and most importantly a baby (thankfully not two of those yet)! We have been blessed and have learned lots from each other. Happy Anniversary Tucker, I love you! I can't wait to see what this next year brings...

Twilight Gangsta Ballad

The View From Squaw Peak

We took Korbin on a drive up to Squaw Peak a couple of weeks ago and this is my favorite picture from the trip. Korbin kept trying to grab the moon. I am so lucky to have such cute and loving guys in my life. How about that view?

August Birthday Bash

August is a busy month of birthdays for our family so my sister Carolyn and I decided to have one big party and celebrate everything at once. We reserved the big pavilion at Nielsen's Grove and invited friends and family. It was a lot of work but so much fun. We had a pinata, a balloon launcher, party poppers, yummy food, yummy cake and fun with a few bee hives (nestled in the pavilion). Thank you to everyone who came and made it a success.

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

Last week I went and did a cannery assignment at the Lindon Cannery. My mom watched Korbin while I went out into the bright and early world to can peaches. I had such a good experience and felt such peace (yup, at the cannery). I could not help but notice the cute elderly couples that were able to attend together. It made me wish Tucker was there with me, but alas he was all the way in Moab working.

On Sunday, much to my delight, they passed the sign up sheet around again! We signed up and were able to go Tuesday evening. It was a great date night for us as we are trying to find inexpensive things to do. Our job was to stand at the front of the line and pick out the peaches that didn't need any work done (pit, skin, blemish removal) so that the peaches that did need work done could go down the line to the people with knives. The peaches came pretty fast and at one point Tucker commented that he felt like Lucy and Ethel.

We had a lot of fun together but the thing that made the biggest impression on me was the what they said before we went in to work (I missed this part the first time because I was a few minutes late). The Sister read a poem that I do not remember word for word but the gist of it was that serving at the cannery is like serving at the temple, the only difference is that the work you do at the temple is for the deceased and the work you do at the cannery is for the living. I was excited to hear this because Tucker and I have not been able to go through the temple yet so this was the first "temple work" we have been able to do together. What a blessing for us to be able to serve at the cannery and in turn bless the lives of others. Plus at the end we were able to buy some cases of peaches for our food storage and they are delicous. We want to go back as often as we can. (No pun intended)

Look Out Buff, New Body, Here I come!

So we finally did it! We have had a membership to the Orem Fitness Center since May but all we have ever used it for is the swimming pool. Well today Tucker and I finally went and used the treadmills, elliptical machines and that was as far as we got. We were only into 30 minutes of our workout when Korbin was brought to us stinky and crying. I was a little worried about him because it was the first time he had ever been left without a family member, but when we set him down he went running into the room. The daycare provider said he did really well until another little boy accidentally knocked him over and then he kind of lost it. I think it was during the consoling that they discovered he was stinky. Anyway, here's hoping for a full hour tomorrow!

Seven Years Ago Today...

Seven years ago today there was an attack on the World Trade Center and many innocent people lost their lives. That should not be news to anybody but what may be news to some is the science behind what happened that day. My little brother Jared, who is in 5th grade, had the assignment of writing an essay on September 11th. My family has different views than most about what happened (call us crazy) on 9-11-2001. Jared's essay is based on some of the research that has been done by scholars including Steven E Jones, a former BYU professor. I am posting Jared's paper as it is a mild introduction into the truth we believe about 9-11.

The Science of 9-11
by Jared Nevin

On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers fell after two high-jacked airplanes crashed into them and caused fires. Never before have steel skyscrapers fallen because of fire. Many scientists and engineers have examined the evidence and scientific data, and it all points to explosives. Steel melts at 1510 degrees Celsius and the fires were not that hot. They have found residue of thermate (iron with sulphur, potassium and manganese) and white ash. Thermate is an explosive that is used in the controlled demolition of buildings. Some steel columns, four feet thick, were found with perfect 45 degree angle cuts. Thermate can cut through steel cleanly and rapidly. The buildings fell right into their footprints at free fall speed, with no concrete rubble, just pulverized dust, like in a controlled demolition. We don't know all the truth about that day, 9/11/2001..... but science doesn't lie.

To learn more, visit:
www.911scholars.org
www.911truthseekers.org

and to learn more about Liberty visit:
www.latterdayconservative.org

Another Delicious Recipe

A friend of mine asked me for this recipe today and since I had already typed it up I decided I would post it here too. It is my dad's recipe and is especially good this time of year as the leaves start to change:

Italian Black Bean Chili
by Leonard Nevin

• 1/2 lb Italian sausage
• 2 cans black beans (15 oz)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth (or beef bouillon)
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato soup
• 1 cup very thinly sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (cook with meat)
• 2 bay leaves

In 4 qt saucepan, cook sausage until browned; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes*. Remove bay leaves. Use a potato masher to mash carrots and beans slightly. Soup will thicken while mashing beans. (approx. 9 servings)

Variations:

• 1 green or red bell pepper, diced
  
• cook 1/2 lb hamburger along with the sausage
• substitute 1 can red kidney beans or small red beans for 1 can of the black beans
• add 1 can of re-fried black beans or regular re-fried beans to thicken
• add any type of pepper that you like to make spicier

*If you add peppers, extra onions, or anything else vegetable-like it will probably increase the simmer time unless you partially cook them before adding.

Making The World A Better Place One Wood Chip At A Time

Just a cute little story about Korbin from our trip to the park last night. Korbin is a very social little guy. He loves to pal around with other little kids whether he knows them or not. I should also mention that Korbin not only loves to play with kids, he loves to pick up the wood chips at the park and lick them and last night was no exception. I follow him around, take the wood chips away and repeat; it's a fun game we play. Last night at the park there was another little boy about the same age as Korbin and of course we had to say hi. Well the other young lad apparently did not know how delicious the wood chips are. Korbin hates to see perfectly good wood chips go unnoticed and saw fit to enlighten his new found friend. He found a nice sizable wood chip (extra tasty I'm sure) and held it out to his unsuspecting comrade's mouth. The other little guy stared the wood chip down reluctantly, then threw caution to the wind and opened his mouth widely and Korbin happily placed the plump wood chip in his mouth. Such trust! I'll bet that little boy's mom is glad that Korbin introduced her son to the tasty treats at the playground.

Adventures in Dinner

I love to cook but I don't do it all that often maybe once or twice a week at the most. We live with my parents' and my mom usually does most of the cooking. However the last two nights Tucker and I made dinner together and it was a lot of fun. I really can't wait until we find a place to move to in Duchesne so we can be our own little independent family, not that I don't appreciate living with my family, I do.

Anyway, on Tuesday we made Italian Meatloaf which is scrumptious (I encourage you all to try it), zuchini, and oven roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic.Tucker loves meatloaf, it is not my favorite thing but this recipe is great.

Last night we had Foil Wrapped Side of Salmon with Lemon and Rosemary which was even better. It is so easy to make but looks very impressive, it's a great "hosting" dish, and it tastes like the best salmon at any fine restuarant maybe even better. We also had broccoli and rice which were great compliments.

So if you need any ideas for dinner, try these recipes. I can't take the credit though because it was Tucker's idea to make both things. He came up the ideas, we found the recipes on Food Network.com, and I just went along with it.

Happy Birthday Tucker !!!

Today is Tucker's 32nd birthday. I love this old picture of him; it's one of my favorites. You can tell where Korbin gets his good looks. We love our daddy and here are just a few of the reasons why:

• He works hard to support our family and even though he misses us like crazy he's willing to work out in Duchesne every other week. (We are moving there soon, hopefully).

• He is a big kid and loves to play.

• He is the "event planner" in our family and likes to be in charge of making sure everything is ready to go.

• He loves being outdoors and likes to take us on canyon drives (one of my favorite things to do).

• He is a caring person and would do anything for anybody.

• And I love Tucker because he has a big heart, he is a good snuggler, he makes me feel like the most beautiful and loved girl in the whole wide world!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TUCKER/DADDY!

My Little Stripper

Yesterday I was getting ready to go to a wedding reception while Korbin slept. He woke up while I was putting the finishing touches on my hair but he sounded happy enough so I let him stay in his crib while I finished up. I could hear him in his room talking and having a good old time, I assumed he was talking to Tigger and playing peek-a-boo with his blankey. Not so. I walked into his room to find him bare butt with his diaper in his hands, a proud smile on his face and a puddle in the middle of the bed. Korbin and I had a great laugh over the whole thing; he has such a keen sense of humor. Yep, we are to the diaper stripping age; I didn't know it would come so soon. I have learned my lesson, no more pantsless naps for my little tyke (even if his legs are sore from getting shots).

Olympic Fever

We have been watching lots of Olympic events at our house this last week. We love it and have been so excited to watch many of our American athletes in different events but our most favorite have been Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, Alicia Sacramone, and Shawn Johnson. Anyway, my poor husband was a little sick yesterday and spent the better part of the evening laying on the couch with a blanket and dozing in and out of watching the Olympics. That night as we were getting ready for bed I nudged him from a light slumber and asked him if he wanted me to say the prayer or if he wanted to. Tucker said he wanted to. He said a nice prayer but towards the end he was starting to fall asleep again. After asking to feel better he said "and please let me have strength..............long pause...............in the Olympics." I lost it and couldn't stop laughing. I hope he doesn't mind me sharing this little story, but it's too funny to not. I guess you could say we have Olympic fever in our home.

Happy Birthday Korbin!!!

Korbin is one today and as I am sure all parents say, we can't believe it! We are so grateful to have him in our lives. He is our happy little guy with a little bit of attitude. Right now his latest things are: carrying around blankey and Tigger, conducting music, trying to walk (not crawl) up stairs, running around, dancing, and exercising his independence at every opportunity. He also loves his baby cousin, Caden. He likes to entertain Caden by petting his (Caden's) head, poking his eyes, and also by playing Peek-a-boo with him. Caden is a patient little guy tolerates Korbin very well. Happy Birthday Korbin, we love you!
P.S. I am a little sad because I sent Korbin's picture into Good Things Utah for the First Birthday segment and we forgot to watch it. Ahhh man!

Korbinator

I love this little man. He has been so affectionate lately and I just don't know how I got so lucky to have such a loving little guy like him. These pictures were taken a little while ago (back when he would actually wear his sunglasses) but they are some of my favorites of him. I enjoy the fact that they hover and float off to the side of his nose.

I'll Be Back...

Memory Tag

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember.

2. Next, repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Nielsen's Grove

We are very lucky to live near parks. We have one right in our own backyard, one across the street and a beautiful park called Nielsen's Grove just a few blocks away. We have gone there a few times now to enjoy this great park. On Sunday we went to Nielsen's Grove to feed the ducks and play.

Korbin and Grandma Laura (my mom)

My little brother Jared

There were three baby ducks (I only caught one). They were fun to watch. Two of the ducks stayed very close to the mama duck but one wandered off and did his own thing. My mom said "see that little duck way over there, his name is Tucker." I have a feeling his name may have been Korbin instead.

Nature baby