1964 Ford Thunderbird

Ryan's current project is doing the body work on and painting a 1964 Ford Thunderbird. He figures it will take about 3 weeks of hard work every night to get it done. This week he's been working on sanding and striping off the old paint. Depending on the area, there are 9-13 coats of paint on it that need to come off. There are some spots that are rusted through, and will need to be replaced as well. Its a big job, but should look really nice when its done.

England Family Party

Karen organized a family party with the relatives from her side of the family who live in the area. The weather was nice and I think everyone had a good time chatting and reconnecting. Ryan and Rick spent the majority of the evening tending to the ice cream makers. They were well rewarded with rich, creamy raspberry ice cream.

Caden tolerated playing on the grass, but only because he was rewarded with a large red ball. You can see our future soccer star balancing on his tailbone and kicking the ball to John. That is one game he never tires of, and he let us all know it when his todler aged cousin Peirce decided he should have a turn with the ball as well. Caden made sure to grunt, growl, and scowl when Pierce took the ball, then every time he came nearby after that. I think the biggest melt down came with Peirce wanted to share Grandpa Scherbel's lap with Caden. Its funny how possesive an 11 month old can be.

For me, the highlight was the large blue stretchy thing (yup, thats the official name - I just decided). Karen made it a few years ago when the kids were teenagers and the thing is a blast. Its made from swimsuit material and acts like a giant rubber band. In one of the games you play with it people from opposite sides run across, creating a sling shot effect that sends their neighbors running across the middle. Amazingly, everyone escaped with only a few minor injuries. I think Karen gets the medal for going airborne the longest. Shortly after taking this picture we migrated to the park for a little more space.

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Peter Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her!
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well!

Little kiddo loves to eat! He'll slurp down just about anything that gets within range of his mouth if its offered on a spoon or a fork. A current favorite is canned pumpkin, but I think that is quickly being replaced by chicken. Yummy!

Sunday Thoughts

I was reading a few weeks ago in the July Ensign (I know, I'm a little behind) about using the internet to share and build our testimonies. My blog isn't searchable, so I doubt anyone unfamiliar with the church will happen upon it but I've decided to go ahead and add a new feature anyway. Each week I'll try to add one thing I learned or was touched by.

In Relief Society today a portion of the lesson was on following the Prophet's counsel. We talked about some of the many things we as members have been asked to do that for whatever reason many of us have avoided. Some of those mentioned included food storage, getting out of debt, missionary work, political involvement, and family home evening. A quote from President Heber J. Grant directing the Saints to store a 2 year supply was read. President Grant gave that directive in 1932. Here we are 75 years later still being told the same thing. The point was made that things like this are more than just "advice" from the Brotheren, they are commandments from the Lord. If we are to be prepared and ready for additional counsel we need to act on what has already been given to us through mediums like the scriptures, General Conference, and the Ensign.

Which brings me back to this post. The Ensign says share the gospel via the internet. There are lots of commandments I'm still working on, but this one I can do.

The Transformation

We've been in our house just a little over two years now and the transformation from neglected rental to cozy home is almost complete. On Saturday Ryan hung the planter boxes, and the Saturday before that he put the glass insert in the front door. The only thing left to do on the exterior is to paint the front door. Here are the before and after pictures of our house and a close up of the planter boxes.

May 7, 2006. One week after moving in.

August 19, 2008.

Changes include the garage, shutters, railing, lights, windows, and front door.

Completed Planter Box

Rub-a-dub-dub

Rub-a-dub-dub
Three men in a tub,
And how do you think they got there?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker --
They all jumped out of a rotten potato!'
Twas enough to make a fish stare.

We still do long soaking nightly baths for Caden, so I thought a bath ryhme would be fun this week. I don't think I'd ever heard the entire verse before, its kind of an odd one.

A New Car Seat

We finally got around to getting Caden a new carseat. He was definitely ready for the next step. He sits up straighter and higher in this one and can see so much more. I can't believe how grown up he looks sitting there!

The only disadvantage is that this seat doesn't transfer nearly as easily as the old one did. I guess we'll start taking my car more often when we go on family outings.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:
4 zucchini squah (approx. 7 inches long)
1 lb. ground turkey (or beef)
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cut squash in half lengthwise. With small melon baller, start about 1/2 inch from end and scoop out middle of squah, making sure not to take out too much.

Brown meat, onion, garlic in pan until no longer pink. Drain, add basil, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Fill up boats with meat mixture and arrange in glass baking dish. COver evenly with tomato sauce and top with cheese. Bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes, or until squash is tender. Makes 8 boats.

Review:
We left off the Worcestershire sauce and cheese, then used salsa instead of tomato sauce. The flavor of the meat mixture was good, but even after 90 minutes our squash was tender crisp. I liked it, but Ryan prefers his squash mushy so he wasn't a big fan. If I were to do it again I think I would cook the meat and the zucchini separately. The boats were a fun presentation idea, but didn't quite work out for our family.

The American Fork History and Heritage Pageant

We went to the History and Heritage Pageant at the cemetary last weekend. They have 6 areas where they do short skits about the lives of the people buried there, usually pioneers who settled the area. They also had a mountain man there with his skins and tee-pee, home made ice cream and honey candy from the DUP, sing alongs at the "opera house," pottery and crafts for the kids, and so much more. The picture is of us at the end of our free carriage ride. I find it so relaxing to hear the horse's hooves on the pavement. Caden found it confusing. Overall it was a good night and I look forward to going back again next year.

He's Taking Off

I can't believe how quickly kids advance! After two days of the inchworm and just over a week of the army crawl, Caden has figured out the joys of crawling on his knees. He is too cute!

The New Building

As most of you know, Ryan's work moved to a new building a few weeks ago. Poor Ryan (along with all the other Admins) was downgraded from a cozy office to a funky shaped cubicle. He's getting settled in and obtained the dubious distinction of being the first one to put a hole in the wall - to hang a clock. The official ribbon cutting and open house will be Wednesday, August 13 from 2-6 pm. If you feel like dropping by the new address is 8523 South Redwood Road. If not, just enjoy the picture of Ryan's new work space. At least he's by the window.

Cousins!

Ryan's cousins just moved to Heber after living in the Seattle area for most of their lives. I'd never met them and it had been years since Ryan had seen them, so we went for a Sunday visit. I, of course, forgot my camera so this blog post was saved by the sister. Caden had a blast playing with all the new people and we enjoyed getting to know the family better. I was so impressed with how well mannered and mature the kids are.

This Little Piggy and Shoe the Old Horse

This little piggy went to the market.
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.
This little piggy cried "Wee, wee, wee, wee!"All the way home.

Shoe the old horse.
Shoe the old mare.
Let the little colt
Go bare, bare, bare!

Kiddo loves to have his feet tickled, so I thought these two rhymes about feet would be fun.

Scherbel Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family photos

I guess this explains why everyone has such a hard time deciding if Caden looks more like his mom or his dad.

Be free, little fishies!

Ryan and Bill decided to have a little fun when setting free the fish Ryan caught the last night at Lake Powell.

Finally Done!!!

So Ryan has been working hard on getting the planter boxes done, and it appears that he finished today (well, minus paint and installation). They turned out very nice, and we are very proud of them. They will make a great addition to our home. He is very talented!!!

Another Day at the Allergist

Caden had another allergist appointment yesterday. The doctor went over his test results from last time and talked with me about what they mean and how to address everything. Its all pretty complicated - like he scored a 9 on eggs, but that represents a worse allergy than his 29 on wheat. He explained how to do a food trial and gave me a list of foods to challenge, starting with corn. I go back in 6 months (January 29) and we will retest for the egg, milk, wheat, soy, and beans (all the others are on the food challenge list). The doctor is optimistic that at that time we’ll be down to just milk and egg in that “severe allergy” group. Until Caden is 3 years old weren’t not even going to try peanut, tree nuts, fish, or shellfish.

The picture is from the day he got his blood drawn. I never got around to getting it posted, so I’ll post it here.