Take off eh...

Merril and I leave tomorrow to go on vacation for 9 days to Australia!! It's for our 10th anniversary! Wahoo!! Are we bringing the kids?? NOPE!! I'm so excited! I've been doing laundry like a mad woman to pack enough clothes for everyone. The hardest part has been underwear. I have a week's worth solid, but 9 days worth of clean underwear is hard to come by at our house. Thanks to all who are pitching in to watch the kids!! Without you, this trip wouldn't be possible!

We'll be back on the July 29th!

Wireless Mouse...

Seriously, a wireless mouse is one of my very favorite inventions ever! Until the batteries die and I don't have any more AAs. I like to keep my skills sharp and navigating with keyboard shortcuts is doable. That being said, sometimes I just want to point and click.

Lovin' some glasses...

I purchased some funny glasses for Young Women's the other day. My kids inherited the leftovers. Juliet LOVES them!

She wears them while watching tv.

She even wore them to her nap. She fell asleep with them on.

About me...

I'm the type of person who doesn't like to make phone calls. But a text is somehow different!! I would much prefer sending a text to ask a question, rather than call.

I'm not a huge fan of Tai Pan Trading Co. (except for a small cookwares section.)

I love to peruse the Harbor Freight Tools catalog.

I love to fix things (think Tinker Bell but without the outfit).

I like to learn and try new things. I strive to be smarter.

I love good food! Especially dessert.

I love my husband, in a crazy "can't live without you" kind of way.

I have to have a shower EVERY day!

I have no ambition to get a job, ever.

I love to travel! It gives perspective.

I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I miss my motorcycle.

Super Summer Tip of the Day...

I love to make homemade ice cream. I think it's super delicious! Creamy smooth! Yummy! So anyways, homemade ice cream requires rock salt. You can buy it at any grocery store and can get a 4-5 lb. bag for around $2-4 depending on the brand and the store.

Our water softener requires salt crystals, not the pellets. The first time I cracked open a bag I thought to myself, "That looks just like rock salt." So when I made ice cream last time, I checked on the salt crystal manufacturer's website to see if it could be used to make ice cream as well. Checks out it's perfectly fine for ice cream. The great thing is, you can get a 40 lb. bag of water softener salt crystals at Wal-Mart for $4.28. Now that's a whole lot of ice cream!

So when my water softener needs salt, I just save the bottom of the bag for ice cream!

Do you food storage?

I happen to love food storage lately. It's all due to my friend, Shauna, because she was the first person my age that had a sizable store of food in her house. Up until then, it had kind of been an abstract concept that I'd get to someday. She even gave me the idea of using tax return money to fund it! I started a year and a half ago. It loiters in the corners of my basement.

My favorite finds have been canned butter and canned cheese. I just think it seems awesome that butter can be canned. I have a recipe to bottle it at home with a pressure or water bath canner but haven't tried it yet. I want to try that and chicken!!

Food storage is like a huge insurance policy for me. I feel like saying, "Bring on the apocalypse!! I've got like beans and stuff!!" We use the beans, oatmeal and dehydrated onions pretty regularly. Wheat and apple slices less often.

Happy 4th of July weekend!!