Just so you all know...

Ode to Essie....

Farewell our dear Essie :)

You've been so good to us these last 13 years!

You've braved, the heat of Arizona,

the humidity of Missouri,

the snow of Rexburg,

 the heat and snow of Utah,

and 145,000 miles.

You will be missed.

Welcome to the family Angel!  (I bet you cannot figure out who gave you your name:))

You are a fantastic addition to our family.

You have air conditioning, a loud radio, and 

you don't make any sounds- especially over bumps and shifting. 

We've waited long for you. Thank you for finally joining our family. :) 

We look forward to many, many good years.

Winter in April

I had this on my phone, and figured everyone should see :)

Waffle Cone Recipe

Hi All!

We tried out our waffle cone maker for the first time tonight and loved it! I had heard from a few of you that the recipe that came with it was really sweet, so I looked online and found a different one with less sugar.

Here is a link to the recipe:

http://www.chocolategourmand.com/recipes/ice_creams/classic_waffle_cones.cfm

I am wondering if any of you have one that you have tried and like? I would love a chocolate one!

TRUTH

Dear Family,

I have an incredible opportunity to go speak at an APS (American Physics Society) Conference this coming week in Oregon. I have been a part of a group studying how people learn Physics, different techniques used to help students learn and the importance of natural ability.

However, I really haven't done that much. I don't really understand what is going on! I was not a part of the group when the majority of the data was collected, and for some reason, the data I have collected doesn't match the rest of the years. I only vaguely know the idea behind the research.

I have not been worried though and I kept wondering why. I am going to be among some of the greatest Physicists in the country and I have nothing to say! Why am I not intimidated?

Then, it came to me all at once. They may be able to understand the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics better than me, but I have the knowledge of the gospel and with that, the companion of someone who knows more than any human that is walking the earth. Once in Sacrament Meeting approximately two years ago, a young man said in church, "The Holy Ghost knows Calculus."

This one sentence has helped me through a lot of different situations. How lucky I am! I also heard from Sister Dalton a story this week about some young women in Africa who, when asked what challenges they faced, replied, "Of course we have challenges here in Africa, but, we have the gospel of Jesus Christ." Let's not take this blessing we have for granted. :)

Ki

P.S. I will be more prepared before I leave :)

Recipe run-down

I've been meaning to gather these links up for a while now, but I'm just barely getting to it.  I've found some great recipes in the last few months and thought I would share!
(I'm just linking to them, sorry.)

First, a recipe for Cafe Rio's Pork Salad. We tried this several months ago and really liked it.  The post also has a link to the salad dressing recipe, which is practically the most important part.  The pork was a little time-consuming, but worth it?? You decide.

Second, Reese's Cheesecake Brownies.  Just made these last week and WOW.  That's what pretty much everyone said about them.  I modified the recipe a little bit - I halved the cheesecake part (probably wouldn't do that again), and I cut down on the Reese's pieces quite a bit (I think I would just take them out, although some people really like them).  Also, the chocolate chip/whipping cream mixture turned out a little weird, both times I tried it.  I don't know why.  Bottom line - awesome recipe, I'll be making it again.  Probably many times.

Third, some Key Lime Cheesecake bars.  I made a plain graham cracker crust, since I didn't have the ingredients for his crust, but I'd like to try his sometime.  I also used less lime juice & zest than the recipe called for, and my husband still thought it was a little too tangy.  I thought it was fine.

I had a couple more - as soon as I remember I will add them here.  Check back!

Bathtub paint

A young woman in our ward does an art class for the kids once a week.  This week they made bathtub paint and had a great time painting our bathtub!  Here's the recipe:

Bathtub paint

1/4 cup baby shampoo

food coloring

2 TBSP cornstarch

Take a small muffin tin (or other container of your choice) and add 2 TBSP of corn starch to each cup.  Then add 1/4 cup baby shampoo and 4-5 drops of food coloring to each cup.  Stir together until the color is fully incorporated.  Add a small amount of water to each tin (about 2-4 TBSP) and stir. 

David and I enjoyed watching

Summer Jobs

We are only four weeks into summer, but I am already feeling a little stir-crazy.  It may be because we live in AZ and instead of being able to play outside for the summertime, we have to play inside.  I love having Nathan home with us, but I have had to be creative to find things to do.  I always begin summer with these great ideas of things I am going to accomplish with the kids, too.  I want them to be concert pianists, readers, and caligraphers by the time summer is over (ha, ha).  Some things work, and some don't, and we learn as we go.

One thing that I have come across is a great, free, online job chart.  It is called http://www.myjobchart.com/.  I heard about it last summer, but I think the kids were too young to really use it.  However, this year, it is a huge hit! The kids just get on in the morning and they mark off their jobs. The thing I like about it is that I can put point values for different jobs so they know they have to EARN movies, TV time, video game time, computer time, etc., etc.  Then I don't have them begging to watch movies all the time.  They have been practicing piano, cleaning their rooms, doing laundry, and dishes without much fuss at all.  We'll see if they keep it up!  Try it and let me know what you think!

The desert "blossoms as a rose"

ANNOUNCING the very FIRST zucchini, and vegetable,

to come from the Dopp Arizona garden!  :)

Ok, so it may not be a big deal to many of you, but we are pretty excited to finally have a garden that is our very own.  We may not get very much out of this garden, but it has been a great experience for us.  We planted everything from seed and have loved to see things grow. Growing up, I never really appreciated the gardening that we did as a family.  There is something so very therapeutic about getting your hands dirty and working the soil.  Hopefully this is the first of many succesful gardening adventures!

Hope you are all enjoying your own gardens!