carriage

Just thought I'd show you my latest
experiment. Not the best, but it was
a trial run. I had never made one and
wanted to try it out. Learned a few do's
and don'ts :).

I think our house has a sign...

I think our house has an invisible sign:

"Animals, do you feel unloved
and unwanted? Are you hungry
and afraid? There is hope...
Enter here! Pets live long, long
lives! And they never turn anyone
away! You'll get fat and Sassy!"


Since we've been married we have had quite the
menagerie. Dogs, cats, ferrets, birds, bunnies,
chipmunks, turtles, lizards, fish, yucky crawly things,
chickens, horses... I've probably forgot something,
but they have lived with us, become apart of our
family... Lived looonggg lives and for the most part,
liked each other!





This is my nephews "visiting" Dog
sleeping by a couple of my dogs
and chickens.


Very strange, our house can be (and just not the
humans). It seems when someone or some pet
needs a home they end up at our house. Currently,
it's no different!


For anyone of you that haven't heard the Chiwa story,
I'll explain. A few months ago (in the spring) their was
this chihuahua running around in the neighborhood. She
was skittish, and skinny, obviously abandoned. So after
a month or so, she started coming into our front yard.
Like the big softy he is (not me:) Lloyd decides we should
put a bowl of water out for her. And food. Well, we already
have a "few pets" two big labs - Theo and Maggie, two
little dogs - Hada and Pebbles (technically I don't think
Pebbles qualifies as a dog, she thinks she's a baby and
don't believe anything Ashley or Lloyd says!), a few cats
some fish. Anyway, after a few weeks this little chihuahua
jumps our wall and starts hanging out with our other dogs!
Lloyd finally gains her trust (after she bit him) and she
one of the family (short version). We even found a lovely
home for her with a guy we know. She --declined.
Very-emphatically by eating every set of blinds in his condo!

This is Chiwa.


She totally loves Lloyd! I'm okay as long as he's not home,

but if she had her preference.... So anyway, Chiwa (her official

name) now lives with us. She sleeps in (and I mean IN) our

bed at Lloyd's feet. (Man, is Pebbs jealous!)

Chiwa and the love of her life :)

Here are a few of our other pets. I don't

have pictures of them all on here. For one,

not all of them are on this computer and

two, it would take up a lot of room (JK).

Pebbles is right now our oldest pet. She is 13.

However, is is not the oldest we have had.

A.C. the cat was 25 when she died and...

Lizzie the dog was 17 when she died.

Lizzie loved kids and would follow

them everywhere. Even up to the tree

house at our old house. It was about

20 feet up. She loved to climb. We

even found her on the roof of the house

once when a ladder was left out against it!

Hada our long haired wiener dog

Pomeranian mix...Love the ears!

He is the next oldest at 10 years old

.

Theo our chocolate lab (and he is

definitely a "chocolate" for anyone

that knows what I mean :) is 6 years

old. He is such a handsome boy!

Play! Play! Play! is his motto!

Maggie is probably our youngest.

We're not sure because we don't

know how old Chiwa is. Maggie

is a good girl (especially if she'd

stop chewing everything up. Like

trailer wiring etc.). She is very

lovey.

This is Lloyd hiking with his

boys. They love to go go go!

Hada and Pebbles resting in

Grandma Arlene's room a few

years ago. Aren't they cute?

They had been to the groomers.

So, this is just a sample. When I get a few more pet pics scanned

into my computer I'll post some more. I know for most the

absence of a picture of Aspen will be a biggie. He was our huge

Alaskan Malamute/Wolf dog. He was the most awesome dog. The

kids all loved him.

I think I'm totally gray NOW :)

Now I remember why Lloyd has mostly been giving Ashley her driving lessons! I don't think my heart can take another 20 hours of it! JK. You know I honestly don't remember either of my parents actually taking me out driving. Or it being so nerve wracking! Hmmm, how did they do that with out going totally nuts? I just don't remember driving with anyone with my permit! I remember going to DMV with my Dad and taking the written test...going with my oldest sister Lynne (on my exact b-day no less) and taking the driving test. (Side note-Cool big sister that she is she even let me use her car to go places the rest of the day, like the mall! Totally awesome for a newly sixteen-year-old with brand spanking new drivers license!) I just don't remember the in-between parts!

Oh sure, Dad let us drive all the time. I think before we could walk :). Definitely before I could reach the peddles. He'd work the peddles, I'd steer. I think that is how I wrecked the dune buggy at about 8 or 9 :P. Split that sucker right in two. (Step sisters flying out-into cactus plants...) Won't forget that hunting trip anytime soon. And when Mom was teaching in year-around school, and she was on break, she'd let me take the car to seminary or school. But not with her in it!

Funny thing about the dune buggy, is that the dune buggies were always stick shift, yet when I bought my first car (The Great Pumpkin -Triumph TR7) it was a stick shift... and I couldn't drive it! Getting it home was rather comical. I'm sure the guy I bought it from was cringing as I drove down the street. I know my brother was...as he laughed at me. My best friend Traci ended up teaching me to drive a stick in her blue wonder car, the ever amazing Datsun/Nissan! (I think her baby brother finally buried it, in places unmentionable, years later). Even worse, I think during the 2 years I owned the Pumpkin, it only ran about 6 months TOTAL! I drove my totally sweet and very nice big brothers big gray monster truck more that I did it... Aw the stories of the pumpkin and big gray we could tell... (I can still see all the mechanics in the cat-shop cringe when they would see me coming! :)

So, if anyone reading can remember any fun or weird stories about car adventures as teenagers, or such, just post them in comments. Remember this is a G rated family site! Plus my daughter might read it and we don't want to give her any ideas (or ammo ;).

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes!

The beginning of last summer (2007), my MIL Gayle (the best MIL ever!) and I took a series of cake decorating classes. It was a whole bunch of fun. By the end of the summer we were pretty tired of cake and frosting :). Yes it's true. Me the frosting addict was sick of it! It didn't last long...


Here are most of the cakes we made for class... (I forgot to take pictures of a couple of the very first cakes! No big loss trust me ;).






First layer cake made. The Jesse is on there
as a joke. Jesse HATES clowns! Writing was
harder than it looked.









Course one final cake.






Course 2 final cake.








Lloyd's Grandma Shorty had a
a birthday a couple days after
the end of course two. So we
used a mixture of both Gayle and
my royal icing flowers to make her
cake. She loved to garden and her
flowers at one time.










In course 3 we worked with fondant.

Course 3 final cake. Had to

be a tiered cake. This was the

last class we have taken so far.

There is one more in the Wilton

series. Gum Paste and Fondant.

Maybe eventually, but I still use

it and play with it ;) Even found

some fondant that taste half way

decent. Easier to work with too.

My FAVORITE Nephew (JK, JK, sorry-

family joke) Dillon had his 16th birthday

the month we finished classes. This was

my first official none class cake. It

turned out really cute. Dill wants to be

a farmer and live off the land. The cake

was a blackberry cake with blackberry

frosting. YUM YUM! Dill loved it and

he doesn't really like cake.

Time flew by, and I'd make a cake now and

then. I forget to take pictures frequently. Ugh...

This last year I have found a couple awesome web

sites that have really given me ideas and instruction

of do's and don'ts etc. You can find them on

my links list. Cake Wrecks is hilarious! Sometimes

disturbing, but always makes me smile. Cake Central

is just awesome. It feeds my cake and candy making

addictions. ;) When Britni moved in and we started

doing a lot of wedding stuff, I really started doing a lot

of things in the kitchen again. It has become my latest

thing...again :).

I decided in the beginning that I wanted to make different

flavor cakes and frosting's. So, they are all homemade or

semi starting with a regular cake mix. Some have been hits...

some not so :)...

Here is a few other cakes I've made this year.

Ashley turned 16 this year. I made this

cake for her SURPRISE birthday party.

It was strawberry with strawberry frosting.

This was her sweet sixteen cake for

our family round-up weekend that

fell on her birthday this year. The

Sponge Bob cake was an inside joke

between Ash and I. She would make

jokes about wanting a Sponge Bob cake

for her 16th B-day. This one was also

strawberry.

Tiggy turned two. She is totally into horses and My Little

Ponies! They have to go everywhere with her. This is

the cake I made for her.

My very cute niece (they are all gorgeous!) turned 18 and

graduated the same week. She was having a "Hippie Party"

and wanted me to make a cake with that theme in mind.

She also wanted an unusual flavor to go along with it. The

first cake was a trial cake. It was grape flavor. Britni loved

it. Everyone else, not so much... The second cake is the cake

that went to the party. It was a watermelon cake with straw-

berry/watermelon icing. She absolutely loved it.

This is the cake I made for Britni's

bridal shower. The flowers were fun.

The bride/doll cake was doing great,

until I tried to put polka-a-dots on the

skirt like her real dress. The top layer

and doll were watermelon flavor, the

bottom layer was banana pound cake.

Watermelon has turned into most of

the kids favorite flavor.

The same day I had Britni's shower, I also

had told my neighbor I'd make a princess

theme cake for her great-granddaughters

first b-day. This is what I ended up doing

after the shower on Saturday for Amaya's

party on Sunday. It was strawberry/banana

flavor.

In an earlier post I showed this one. It was for

my dad's 73rd birthday. It was a lot of fun. It

was a dark chocolate fudge cake with a Boston

Cream filling. The frosting is vanilla flavored.

It was a your life theme cake. Totally FUN to do!

The front desk girl where Lloyd works (Heidi) is pregnant.

I had been wanting to do something for her. She has been

looking forward to starting their family. It was kind of funny,

cause I did the think pink theme as a joke. The day Lloyd

took it to work she had her first ultra-sound. It's looking

like the think pink mantra is working! It was Chocolate

fudge cake with Boston Creme filling also.

Anyway, so far these are the cakes I or Lloyd,remembered

to take pics of. I totally enjoy doing them. If you need a cake,

I need practice! Let me know. I'll do them for free, you pay

for speciality materials (like things for the top, or special fillings

or ingredients).

Happy Birthday Pebbles!

Today Pebbles turns 13 years old.
That's like 91 years old in dog
years!





Currently Pebbs is our oldest pet
Her and Ashley have grown up
together and have a love/hate
relationship. Pebbles loves and
Ashley hates ;). Actually its more
of a sibyl rivalry thing.

When Ashley was little she would
tease Pebbles, so Pebbles would
retaliate by stealing off with her
toys. The competition is still on
13 years later...


Tiggone on the other hand, LOVES
Pebbles! And Pebbs is smart enough
to realize, be nice to the baby and you
get to stay in the house longer.





I don't think there has ever been
a time in my life when I haven't
had some kind of pet. Even though
they can be expensive at times and
they can be a pain in the behind,
they love so unconditionally it's
worth it.

If only people could love so
unconditionally. Without thought
of social standing or what you
look like. Without caring what you
do for an honest living. Or how much
money you make, or what area of
town you live in. If you think about
it, pets are a lot more like our Savior
Jesus Christ, then we humans. They
love unconditionally. Are loyal and
faithful and always forgiving.


I can't imagine not having at least
one pet. (Usually we have a tad... bit
more than one ;). Just ask any
one of the kids and they will have
a memory of one of our animals.

September is Preparedness Month

Emergency Preparedness - Are you ready?


(left to right) Personal 72 hour kit, sanitation kit
extended first aid kit, CERT back pack

Many of you know I'm really into emergency preparedness, emergency management and self-reliance. This month is officially preparedness month set by FEMA and Homeland Security. Even though everyday you see and hear about things happening around the world and country, it is amazing how many people still do nothing to be prepared. Watching the evacuation this morning of the Texas coast, because of the huge hurricane "Ike" that is headed its way, it made me wonder how many of them were ready. Before Katrina it was said to be prepared to be on your own for around 72 hours. Post Katrina they learned prepare to be on your own for up to 3 weeks or more. If there are a lot of different things going on, help could be very limited and slow in coming.

Then it makes me wonder how many of you are ready? Sure, we aren't going to have a hurricane here in the desert, but there are other possibilities. For Clark County our top four threats are communicable disease outbreaks, flooding, earthquake and fire. No matter where you live, stuff can happen. NO PLACE is immune!

I belong to the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) locally. I have gone through CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training with our local fire department under the direction of Homeland Security. I've taken classes upon classes on different aspects of being prepared, training, etc. The thing that amazes me most? How many people I meet in those situations (some of them work in the field) that aren't prepared. In an MRC meeting I attended in July, they asked how many of us had emergency kits ready to go. Only about a half of a dozen (including me) out of about 30-40 raised their hands. Then at the beginning of the month Paula (the head of the local MRC-great woman :), e-mailed the Reserve and asked anyone who had a kit ready to go, to e-mail her a picture of their kit and she'd send them a flashlight/radio or such. So of course, I did, and them some :). She emailed me back and and asked if I would take more pictures of what was inside my different kits-to-go. So, I did. I also figured I'd post them here, to give anyone who wanted ideas of how to build their own.



My personal 72 hour kit and its contents. (This one is at home)
I also have a small back pack in my car. You should keep a
small back pack type at work. Each member of the family
has their own tailored to their needs (even your pets should
have one!). My bag can be carried or it has sturdy wheels and
a handle. It has essentials in it like food, water, shelter, warmth,
light, hand crank/battery radio, small first aid kit, hygiene kit,
change of clothes, extra glasses, pen, paper, scriptures, a game
or something distracting. Any essential medications, and copies
of important documents, list of phone numbers and address,
extra keys, cash in small denominations, etc. (For a complete
list, let me know and I'll e-mail you what I have in mine).



This is my extended first aid kit. Most people would
not have one this big. It's just a "me" thing :). Take
a first aid/CPR class in your area. You should take a
refresher course every year or two to keep your skills
current.



The CERT kit was given to everyone who finished the class.
It has handy-dandy tools and items to perform duties as a
CERT member in the event of an incident. I highly recommend
everyone (and their family 8+)to take a CERT class in your
community. Most of them will let you drop in for a refresher
session if you let them know ahead of time. These classes are free.



My sanitation kit. Okay, if it is bad enough that your
out of your home. There is no water or electricity, so
there is no sewer. A girl has to have some way, some
where, to take care of business. There is a bucket with
a toilet lid, special bags to line the bucket, tp, Clorox, a
tarp and rope for privacy, containers for water with soap
attached for washing up, a plastic wash basin, hand towels,
LOTS of thick garbage bags for double bagging waste,
duct tape... (gotta always have duct tape :).




A safe easily accessible place to store everything
for a -grab -and -go situation. I also store extra
supplies and shelter in place items in here.




Know your area. If you had to evacuate your city, what
routes would or could you take? (Note: Las Vegas, does not
have many ways out of the city.) Where would you go? Do
you have a plan to meet with other family members? How
would you contact them? If you are not all together when
something happens, how will you reconnect or make contact?
(Dad's at work, kids at school, mom is gone to a meeting, etc.)
Do you know your children's schools plan? How about your
employer? Do they even have one? Remember, phones, even
cell phones don't always work during an emergency. Especially
locally. You might be able to call a different area code, but
not a local number, if you can get out at all. Have an appointed
out-of-town contact that (that agrees to be a contact) everyone
knows to call to check in with and get information from.
Also consider any one with special needs, medical conditions,
ambulatory issues. They all can put a kink in your plan and
how you THOUGHT it would work. Plan ahead, practice your
plan. Practicing your plan is important. How do you know if
what you have on paper, or what you think will work unless
you try it ahead of time by practicing. More than one plan has
had to be scrapped because it looked good in theory, but could
not be executed.

Do you have pets? (Cat's, dogs, horses, pigs, birds, fish, etc.)
Don't forget about them! Make plans for them also. If you
have to go to a shelter, most DO NOT allow pets. Clark County
is trying to find a solution for the problem locally, but as of yet,
pets are on their own. YOU need to plan for their well being
(they are part of your family also :), along with the rest of your
family.

Most importantly "members of the Church have been counseled
for many years to be prepared for adversity. Preparation, both
spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. With the guidance of
Church leaders, individual members and families should prepare
to be self-reliant in times of personal or widespread emergency. "
(Provident Living web- site). This counsel has been going on for
decades. Are we listening?

I know this is a long post and it doesn't even begin to cover all the
things to consider. For more information go to one of the links I
have listed on the side, or ask me for more information. I'd be
happy to help.