Conestoga Branch Christmas Party

We didn't get pictures of all of the festivities, but our branch party was a lot of fun, thanks to Michala! We had a yummy dinner, followed by rotations of crafting, and The Nativity, and inspiring words by the 3 Wisemen. Mark and I were in charge of the Nativity, and for being planned at the last moment, (yes, this is probably my worst case of procrastination ever!), I think it went pretty well. At first it was planned that Mark and I would be Joseph and Mary and act it out, or tell the story. As many people know, I am no actress, and definitely not a good story teller. So, at the last minute we decided to make the 3 groups into 3 mini paegants. The first two groups loved it! The last group was mostly teenagers, so they were less enthusiastic about it, but they still performed very well. So, without further ado, here are the pictures, and a very short video of Elder Brown as the donkey, with Alex Long as Mary, and Robby Foster as Joseph.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I hope you enjoy this. It helped me remember again what Christmas is all about.

Pinewood Derby

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008 was the second annual Conestoga Branch Pinewood Derby. I only got a few pics of the racers, so here they are. On the left we have Erin Gurney, and her Petal Pusher car, with Robert Foster and his #1 car. On their right is the "official" racer. Below we have Brandon Snedeger and Pres. Wilkinson, the branch president, and Elder Brown, one of the great missionaries in our branch.


















Here is Mark, with his winning car, thanks to Craig, and Andrew, one of the recent converts in our branch who, as we would say in my mission, is bien calidad!





Mark's winning car, which was supposed to look like a pill, but it just ended up looking like a flat car with some random numbers on it. We had to pile a bunch of coins and metal on top to get it up to weight! I guess it wasn't being judged by its looks, right?

Recap of the "festivities"

Well, in our usual nontraditional manner of doing things, we avoided making anything, and took a trip to Kansas City. We drove through Liberty and Independence on the way down, and we stopped off for a while and Adam-Ondi-Ahman and the way back home. On the way down we saw lots of great city/town names, and had to take pics of a few of them. Here's a shout out to our niece, Savannah!


And you can't help but take a picture of a city named Amazonia!










So instead of cooking we went to Mimi's and had a really great dinner. We shared our Thanksgiving with a bunch of Senior Citizens!





Then we went to the Country Club Plaza to see the lighting of the Plaza. They had a bunch of singers, which reminded us of the Osmonds, unfortunately. But it was fun and we got to see the fireworks and such from the top of a parking garage. We have ended up at parking garages for our last few fireworks displays. Huh. Any way, so here are a few pics of the Plaza. It looked like a giant gingerbread village.

Movie Review

Ok, not really a review, but Mark and I went to see City of Ember tonight at the dollar theater, and thought I could use that for a blog post. It was good and bad. It was bad because the theater is a total dump. We don't usually go to that one, but the other theater that we like didn't have City of Ember. The good part was the movie. It was really good. We were both surprised, especially since it has only been out for just over a month and it is already at the dollar theater. We thought it would be a comedy, considering it has Bill Murray in it, who was funny by the way, but it was actually a serious movie, and a really good one at that. Very inspiring! I won't say anything about the movie, because I don’t like giving things away, except that it had some similarities to The Giver. We both have decided that City of Ember is another book that we need to read.

I've been gotten, or bitten, or tagged...that's it!

Some of our friends from Orem that are now living in Mississippi tagged us. Sorry it has taken so long to respond! I have never been tagged before. I guess that means that I'm not a very interesting person, and so people don't want any more information about me. Or maybe it's because I already provide too much information. Who knows! And no, this doesn't mean that I necessarily want to be tagged. I was never very good at tag! Any way, here goes...

8 Shows I love to watch:
House, MD
The Office
Cold Case
Everybody Loves Raymond
King of Queens
America's test kitchen
So You Think You Can Dance (you bet I do!)
(and a big shout-out to Heidi! =) Smallville

8 Favorite Restaurants:
(this is hard for me, since I have a passion for food. Not cooking, just eating it.)
Mimi's
Famous Dave's
Olive Garden
Applebee's/Chili's (they are very similar to me)
Texas Roadhouse (new for us)
Quaker Steak and Lube
Greek Island
Taco Bell

8 Things that happened Yesterday:
woke up
Website went down
(thanks to Richard for fixing it! We don't know what we would do without him and Darron)
did homework
Took one of my finals
decided my major
cheered Mark on during his studying
received bad news about a house we wanted to buy
drove by the house, so I could have closure

8 things I am looking forward to:
Mark graduating!!!!
Buying our first house!!!
Christmas in Utah next month
sleep
Our first year with a net income
paying off our student loans
our first child (purchased or naturally)
tomorrow

8 Things on my wish list:
Lose half my body weight (but I don't think wishing is going to work!)
World happiness
A better economy
A better president the coming 4 years
I was a better person
I loved tofu, or something really healthy like that
I knew what I was doing
I knew where we should live after Mark graduates
I was already done with school

8 People I tag:
(this is where a big family comes in handy)
Heidi Stewart
John Stewart
Jennie Robbins
Stacy Robbins
Jamie Robbins
Lisa Robbins
Chelsea Chambers
Erin Gurney

Fall Fading Away

So fall is all but gone, and winter is hard on its heels. We have had horrible rainy cold weather the past 2 days, and we are not supposed to be thawing out again until spring. This makes me so sad! But the holidays will be great, I'm sure! So the last time that we went walking in our favorite park before it started getting colder, we took some pictures of the beautiful foliage. Unfortunately, our camera kinda stinks. Or maybe it was the photographer. I'll stick with it being the camera. Any way, here are some of our favorite spots at Elmwood Park here in Omaha.

Education!!!

So I am taking several classes, which are undergraduate classes, and I think most people that have some sort of degree know what I am going through. But, I have one class that is very special. Not a week goes by without me getting a good laugh or guffaw from the content of the book. So far, I haven't done much more than read the heading of the chapters, and I am getting an A in the class. It's not me, it's the class.

So this week's material is extra special!!! It talks about redefining our work lives, and achieving, our "right livelihood" without thought or concern for money. Sounds good, right? So I decided I would read this chapter. Two pages into it, I had to start laughing, which led to a very interesting discussion post from me for the class. The example that they give as a model of people achieving their "right livelihood" is of a 45 year old woman who lived and worked in Atlanta in a lucrative medical practice. In my own words of their story of her, she decided that even though she had a great life, she was better off exploring her passions.

Okay, still nothing crazy, but then they go on to say that now she spends her time working as a potter and raises tomatoes and flowers. "Really? Is this a joke?!" I am thinking. Nope, not a joke. They go on to give several other similar examples of similar situations. Okay, well, lucky them, right? So I go to the course work online, and they actually expect people to decide their professions solely on what you are passionate about.
Remember, this woman is filthy rich. She could sit in a hammock and drink, I don't know, something good, all day long if she wanted to. Actually, that is essentially what she was doing. But the point is, she worked at a job she wasn't passionate about to get the money to make it possible for her to do this. I am sure that if she wasn't loaded, her name would not have been included in this book for finding her zen.
Well, one of the discussion questions for the class talks about different aspects of reaching the ultimate spirituality, and what role physical fitness plays in your developing this perfect, challenge free life! So, here is my response. Disclaimer: Mark told me I should write a post about this!

Discussion: I have noticed a lot of people saying "If only it were that easy!" Reading this chapter, and the comments in this post makes me think that the new idea of success is finding the easiest path. Problem is, easy never does anything for you. That's the whole point of growth. If things aren't hard, then you aren't going to grow. I have always battled weight problems, since I have hypothyroidism, and a passion for yummy food. But when I am proactive about getting into shape, it means that much more to me when I lose a pound, because I worked hard for it. Getting into shape, or any other goal for that matter, is not supposed to be easy. It is supposed to make you stretch, make you push yourself, make you take the time to exercise.

It is so important to be in shape for many reasons, but the one most applicable to this chapter is to save you money, since you aren't supposed to be working for money, according to them. So, since you won't have much money, because you have decided to doodle for a living, being healthy will cut down on health costs.

Sweet Potato Casserole

So Mark and I both really like sweet potato casserole, and I bought some sweet potatoes a while ago, so I decided to finally do something with them. I think this is my first encounter with domestic life! So, since many won't believe that I actually made this, because it has more than 2 ingredients, I had Mark take pictures. It was a momentous occasion. I mostly did it because it is now really cold here, so I wanted to bake something to warm up the house a little. We kind of refuse to turn the heat on yet, since we don't like to spend our money on that. Speaking of which, we would like to apologize to Jared and Stacy for being so "cold" when we were living in your basement. I think we understand, now. Just put on a long sleeve shirt and some sweatpants! Thanks for the great idea, otherwise, yeah, we would be burning through our small amount of money on utilities! Any way, Sweet potato casserole. Here is the proof!

Halloween Party

So our branch had the Halloween Party tonight, at it was a ton of fun. Michala Bernal planned it, and she did a GREAT job! Thanks Michala! Any way, By the time that we remembered our camera, costumes were already being shed, at least the most uncomfortable ones. So we didn't get pictures of very many, but the costumes were creative, and so fun!







We also had a chili cookoff for the party, and were asked to come up with good names, so we made the chili recipe from Jamie, at http://jamierobbins.blogspot.com , and we named it "Sleeping Alone Tonight." We were going to just open a few cans of Castlebury Chili, but decided to give this one a try. It was pretty good. We didn't taste it until we got to the party, since I am always afraid of my own cooking!


Here is one of the creative
costumes from
our neighbor,
Will Weigt.
He is a cereal
killer.














Some of the other cute costumes, left to right, Alicia Wood was mama bear, Maddie Chambers Tinkerbell, Chelsea Chambers Wendy, and Craig Chambers Peter Pan or Robin Hood, depending on which child you asked!




We were in charge of the doughnut eating. Not actually eating the doughnuts, but making it difficult for others to eat the doughnuts. President Wilkinson, the branch president, got in on the action too, and drove all of his participants crazy! He kept moving it on them. It was pretty funny! I was much nicer. TO the left is Joyce Karl, a single sister in our branch, and to the right is Clara Cook. What a fun night it was!!



After all of the games we had a trunk or treat. The few things that we had planned for our trunk ended up not working, (that's what we get for buying cheap things) so I made do with what I had. We had some reusable green grocery bags, and several flashlights. So I turned that bags upside down and put them over the flashlights, and it wasn't too bad!




I forgot to put this on yesterday. Mark won the "Most Macho Costume" prize, and a great prize it is!

Costumes

After much searching, I finally found my Halloween costume, in my closet. At least part of it. We were not going to do Halloween this year, but our branch is having a Halloween party, and so we have to now. So, I got Roslyn's costume, which is Tinkerbell, and since Roslyn is my little sidekick, I decided to be Peter Pan. Not very convincing, I know, but it is the idea that counts!So here are some of the pictures. The top is one of my maternity tops. Thank goodness I didn't throw them out like I was going to!

Weanie Roast!

I had to put this on here, because all of our Daschunds have always loved roasting in front of the fire... er, heater. So funny!

Happy Halloween!

So, we finally got Roslyn's costume. She hates it! Figures. Any way, her little sweater that we had for her kept falling of, so we got her a new one, that fits way better. She is just so odd shaped! I thought us women were the only ones that had troubles trying to find clothes that fit right. So this is her new pink sweater, and her cute Tinkerbell costume.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies

So, I have noticed that everyone puts recipes on their blogs, and so, to fit in I have decided to add my own. Actually, it's not my own, it is my sis-in-law's/everyone else's recipe. But Mark and I love it because it is so easy! Even I like to bake it, and I hate even walking into the kitchen, let alone doing something in it! So here it is:

1 spice cake mix

1 small can of pumpkin

yummy chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is our favorite!)

Mix it all together, and bake at 400 for about 12 minutes. Don't make the mistake that I did, and mix the cake ingredients and then put the pumpkin in. All you need is what is in the box. Like I said, I don't venture into the kitchen much! Enjoy, we love these!

Funny Baby Instructions

Some of our friends posted this on their blog, and we thought it was hilarious, so we had to share. The instructions are very helpful! We'll be prepared if we ever have a baby. Baby Care Instructions

What's going on in the Stewart house

So, since I haven't posted anything personal for a little while, I thought I would do a little journal entry. Mark and I are still plunging through school. Mark can faintly see the light, while I can't see anything but books! My term will be over in about 3 weeks, and Mark is having his fall break next week, which will be great! Since it has gotten colder, Roslyn spends most of her time trying to get under something, even us, to warm up. She just sits around shivering on us.





The best part is that she finds her kennel to be the warmest spot, so she doesn't fight us on going in it anymore. She doesn't fight us when we put her sweater or jacket on either. Funny!

Here she is in her winter coat.





We are also trying to find a new place to call home. We have been searching for houses all over Omaha. Hopefully we will find something soon. We'll keep everyone posted. Here are a few of the houses we are considering going to look at right. Of course, the second house is a little out of our price range!

Only $765,000. Maybe Warren Buffet will buy it for us.

Proposition 8

Hey Everyone,
we had this brought to our attention by some of our friends and want it brought to the attention of many more about this proposition in California. Please read about this because it can and most likely will spread to all other states. There are many other resources that you can find elsewhere, but here are a few things that you can read to understand a bit better what is going on.

Here is a website concerning Proposition 8 made by the LDS Church. Click on the button below.



If Proposition 8 passes:
1. Same sex couples will receive the same benefits. Proponents of proposition 8 argue that the amendment will not eliminate civil union benefits, including tax benefits and hospital visits. The amendment will only allow citizens to be better able to distinguish between the different institutions (heterosexual and same sex ceremonies).

If Proposition 8 does not pass:
2. Traditional marriage may have less significance and given less respect within the society and future generations.
3. Public Schools will, according to the defined law, legally teach public students the definition of “marriage”. This practice may very well affect separation of church and state. If marriage includes same sex couples then students whose parents differ in belief of same sex marriage will be taught in conflict to the belief.
4. Churches may be hindered from practicing ceremonies according to their own beliefs. Churches that refuse to perform marriages for same sex coupled may be qualified for state penalties. For example, Churches that only perform marriages between one man and one woman may be threatened to face the possibility of being excluded from state tax exemption.
5. Religious organizations may be restricted from teaching narrow definitions of marriage in church gatherings. And may be compelled to teach the state definition of marriage.
6. As a result of the definition of marriage to include same sex couples, Churches that refuse to participate may lose state benefits or certain freedoms of religion.Adoption agencies that believe only in heterosexual marriage may be compelled by law to give same sex couples equal rights for children to be adopted.

These things are already happening in Massachusetts where same gender marriage is Legal:


http://www.protectmarriage.com/

http://www.savecalifornia.com/

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage

And here is a video of Elder Bednar from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints talking about Proposition 8:


Now that you have seen some of this, take action! Some things that you can do is put it on your blogs, email it to all of your friends and family so they can share with others, if you are in california...hopefully it is clear what you can do, and if you are in the position to, donate to the cause.

Roslyn vs Geese

Roslyn attacking the geese. We thought it would be the other way around!

Making! sure those geese know she is there!















Look at those geese fly!

Roslyn is not too far behind!
She has been such a joy and is always sure to keep us entertained.