Ok! So there are the first 3 pics of Boston! Isn't she beautiful? Oh my goodness! I am missing her SO much!! Beth sends me pics of her almost every day on the phone so I'll have to search and upload a couple more. Apparently she has QUITE the personality. She laugh while certain songs are played on the radio. I should probably get Beth some primary songs and make sure she plays those. I'm sure she'd love them. She's 4 mos. old now. I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that she was born! Beth had to have a c-section. We found out at the last minute that Boston was breech. So when she went into labor they had to do a c-section. THEN, when they were in doing the surgery they found that her uterus was heart shaped. Not a round heart shape but an oblong heart shape. So Boston could only go on one side of it. She couldn't turn around even if she tried. The other side of the uterus was really small (since no baby went there). Beth did really well and recovered at our house. It was tight with the three of them on top of the rest of the kids, but I wouldn't give up that time with Boston for anything! I miss her unbelievably! And Beth too! We had gotten so close since she had moved to Vegas. And now she's across the country AGAIN! Ugh...

Here's a picture of Nana (Me) holding baby Boston just a few hours after she was born. Or it might be the day after...

And here's Grandpa holding her. He's a pro of course! 11 children, he should be! LOL!

There's Daddy (Chris) knowing that the sun will rise and set with this little girl! He absolutely adores her! (he adores her mommy too!) Everyone was in attendance.

The whole fam bam! Well, actually it looks like a few were missing in that pic...

Uncle Wade...

Aunt Becky...or GREAT Aunt Becky...HaHa!!

Brynleigh decided she was bored so she got into some supplies and tried them on. Lol!

Tanner

Chase

Laura

Mommy was completely enthralled (when she wasn't scratching her nose! She had a reaction to the epidural or the Morphine. I think it was the morphine...)

Here's the happy family! Poor Beth had scratched herself to death and her nose and lips were a little swollen. But she sure looks good for just having a baby! And here's the picture of the quilt I did start to finish for my beautiful grandbaby! I'm not going to lie, I was REALLY proud of myself for finishing it!! I've been SO intimidated with the quilting it. The piecing was a piece of cake. The quilting was a pain in the rear! I need a long arm quilting machine! LOL! I SO loved the colors of this quilt. The fabric is a fabric line called "Ruby" by Camille Roskelley and her mum. I met Camille when she first started her pattern designing. I worked at the bank that she banked at, and she would come in a show me her new quilts. She is so fun and cute! I loved it! And she totally inspired me to start quilting! Now if I could only finish up the other quilts that are already pieced...

I did some burp rags for Beth for her shower also. She loves zebra print so I tied that into them...

I'll post some more pics and try to catch up with the rest of the year later...(can't really beat a baby though, can you?)

Time...

I guess time has gotten away from me! It's been about 1 year and a couple of months since I posted! Crazy! So many things have happened. Good AND bad. But I'll share the good things for now. I have a new granddaughter! My oldest daughter had her first daughter on Feb. 16th, 2012. I still can't believe that I'm a grandmother! But I have to say it's one of the BEST feelings in the world! Oh my goodness, I am in LOVE with that little girl! Unfortunately, Beth and her hubby moved back to Ohio just a month and a half later. I've been mourning ever since. I guess I could tell you her name now right? LOL. It's "Boston Anne Marie Johnson". Christopher, loves the Boston Red Sox. Hence the name...lol. I actually love her name! Better than the "Charlie" that it WAS going to be! HeeHee! What else...Oh we've moved again. Little bit bigger home. One extra bedroom, loft upstairs and a pool. Man are we grateful for that pool right now. The kids are loving it. Especially when it's over 100 degrees outside. Brynleigh and Emma are little brown bunnies! And Joseph looks golden all over! Even his hair has turned golden. It's the coolest color. I'll get some pictures and get them up! I hate when I post without pics. I don't have any on my laptop and that's the one I like to post from. Brynleigh graduated from Kindergarten this year. I can't believe that I won't have any more kids to go into kindergarten. I'm going to miss having a child home with me while others are at school. What am I going to do when there are no kids at home? I need to get a hobby. Wait, I already have a hobby! I've been doing more and more sewing. Or maybe it's more and more collecting of fabric...LOL! I made Boston her very first quilt and it turned out beautiful!! I loved it SO much! I did everything on it. Pieced it, quilted it and then bound it. I was so proud of myself for finishing EVERYTHING on it. Quilting and binding it was really intimidating to me but I really wanted to make sure that I did everything on it. I wanted her to know that Grandma did the whole thing for her! Don't worry, I'll get a pic of that up too! I also did a bag a couple of weeks ago for my Mom. I've never done a real bag before and it took forever. Especially because I'm not very good at reading patterns. They bore me to tears. I had to read it word for word...ugh! Oh well, next time it'll be a lot easier right? I've already got the fabric picked out and I'm starting it tomorrow. Whoo hoo! I can't believe how much I've enjoyed the process of quilting and sewing. You'll probably see a LOT of it. Hope I don't bore you with it all. Let's see, what else? Churchwise, I'm in Primary teaching the 9 year olds. The BEST age to teach! I love it! I've been doing this for about 2 1/2 years now. I guess I'm doing something right since I'm still there right? LOL! How about something new? Tonight was the most wonderful fireside that I have EVER experienced. Sis Ardeth Kapp spoke in our stake and she is such a powerful, loving woman. You feel the truth from the moment she opens her mouth. Laura, McKenna and Emma were with me tonight and I was SO grateful to share that experience with them. Sis Kapp spoke of Obedience, and holding onto our standards. And she did it in a way that the kids could understand. With humor, love, and her amazing testimony. Sometimes there are people that you wish you could just hang out with forever. Her spirit RADIATED the spirit of Christ. Oh my goodness, I cried the whole meeting. The spirit was incredible. Sigh... Well, enough for now, I'm a little tired. :)

Secret ingredient...

I have a new recipe. It's a really good recipe and I've just learned how to make it better! At first, I thought it was a fluke. But after doing it twice...I know it wasn't! I made the Lion House Rolls recipe. And man, they are GOOD! I can even make them look just like on the cover of the Lion House Bakery book. Who knew?!
So, you want to know what the secret ingredient is? Well, I have to tell you the story first! Can't tell the secret ingredient without the story!
It all began on Thanksgiving Day...lots of baking, lots of cooking and lots of work. I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed but extremely proud of how well my rolls were rising. They were beautiful. But I needed to put them in a warm damp place to rise even more. And the "Lion House" head baker suggested running your dishwasher for 5 min. and then placing them in the dishwasher (after turning it off of course) to finish rising. Well the first time I did it, I asked McKenna (my daughter) to turn of the dishwasher and then I put them in. But all the water had drained when I put them in. So I was a little bit upset at her for draining it. I told her just to turn it off. She said sorry, and she DID just turn it off. Hmmm....ok. So the next time (when I had shaped the rolls) I told her to not turn it all the way off but to let the water stay in there. So she did. I put the rolls in there and shut the door. OH MY GOSH! It turned the dishwasher on!!!! My beautiful, pride-filled rolls were ruined!! They were soaked!! (I'm not gonna lie! I yelled at McKenna and had to apologize later.) But I digress, I had to quickly dump the water and put them on a dry cookie sheet. They came out beautifully.
And then comes 2 days ago. I now know how the dishwasher works. I now know how my rolls work. And I'm making a beautiful Thanksgiving Dinner for Kelvin and Laura's Birthday. I hadn't done anything for their birthday yet and it was on the 27th of Jan. Bad wife! Bad Mother! I worked ALL day. I was cooking Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, 3 homemade pies, jello salad and "Lion House" rolls! And these rolls were gonna be the best rolls that I had EVER done! I knew it they were! Cuz I was getting better and better at them! I made them in my lovely Bosch, put them in the dishwasher to rise. And man did they rise! They rose right out of the bowl and all over the dishwasher! That's ok! There was still a lot in the VERY large bowl! So I took the dough and did my thing to shape them. Of course they came out perfect! So I put them BACK in the dishwasher to do THEIR thing! And for the next hour told everyone NOT to push the door of the dishwasher in! My brother in law and my sister came in with the turkey which I cooked in their oven and I was helping him with the draining of the juices out of the oven bag. I had to lean over and do it. And my hips PUSHED THE DISHWASHER DOOR IN AND STARTED THE DISHWASHER AGAIN!!!!! (You have got to be kidding me!) I snatched them out of the dishwasher and tried to put them on a new cookie sheet like the last one. The only problem is, they had already risen and when you touch them they kind of let all the air out. Like a flat tire. But I persevered...and put them in the oven anyway. (Quietly went to another room and cried for about 2 min. because I can't be in the kitchen without some sort of kitchen fiasco happening) and came back in the kitchen to finish the mashed potatoes. (I have the best recipe for mashed potatoes if anyone should want it. Seriously...)
So, back to the rolls. They came out gorgeous and yummy! So the secret ingredient is dishwasher water! I know! I was just as surprised as you! But it's true! Dishwasher water makes the rolls the lightest, fluffiest, yummiest tasting rolls that you've ever had.
Who knew?! =D

I AM SO EXCITED!

Wow! This is the best day ever, and it started being good at about 8:00 pm! My daughter Laura was accepted into BYU-I!! I am so happy for her! She was so excited she was walking into walls! I feel like I'M going to college! I wanted to go to BYU so bad. But back then I didn't know about college loans. I didn't have the money to go so I didn't! So if anyone knows of any great dorms or apartments let me know!! Holla!

Seriously?!!! Since JULY!?????

Wow! I had NO idea that it was over 6 months ago that I posted on this blog! I can't believe it!
A lot has been happening though. Seriously, a whole lot.
Where do I start?

Well...number one on my list is that Kelvin does have lung cancer and the watched it for about 9 months or so before they conceded that it WAS cancer. It was really weird too. Kelvin had an appointment one day and they wanted to do surgery the next week. No warning. They just said, "Well, we think it's cancer and we want to do the surgery next week." Really? Ummm....we need a little more time to prepare here! My husband asked if it could wait till after Thanksgiving. (He works on Thanksgiving and the day after for overtime. It pays for Christmas. Huge deal with a family of 12!) They said ok. Since it was only about 3 weeks longer.
Kelvin had surgery on the 29th of Nov. and they removed 5 lumps or nodules! They thought there were only 3. SURPRISE!!! They tested them and each one was the cancer that they thought they had gotten out from his kidney. (Guess where your blood goes after it goes through your kidney?) Yup, your lungs...
He was home recovering for 4 weeks. It was nice to have him home after he recovered enough to do things. I look forward to retirement and having him around all the time! The other lung has 3 (maybe) more nodules and they are waiting because they are VERY small and might not be cancer.(Who knows?) So that was EXTREMELY stressful. And I don't know, but I get really weird when I'm super duper upset or depressed. I kind of shutdown with the talking. I don't know why. I'm fine if someone calls me. But I generally don't reach out when I should. I'm weird...I know.
Ok, that's not all that was happening at the same time. My sister who was pregnant with twins was put on bedrest due to her cervix being GONE! She had to be on COMPLETE bedrest. Not even able to take a shower. She could bathe but not shower. She couldn't even sit up in a sitting position. So.....I was helping her a lot since she had a little 1 year old turning 2 in Dec. When Kelvin went in for surgery, I had a break of about 3 weeks. Well, not really a break. I was taking care of Kelvin. Wow! It was really hard. I don't mind doing it at all, but it was hard. And taking care of Christmas for 10 kids at the same time was difficult too. It was just plain HARD! And I know that other people do SO much more. I really do know that. And I'm truly grateful to the Lord for the blessings that we've been given, I'm just sayin' that it was difficult. There. And right now...? Well, two days ago, my sister gave birth to her twin girls Bayley and Brooklyn. Weighing 4'1 and 4'3. Born at 32 weeks. They are doing amazing! One of them was on a ventilator for the first day but the next day they took her off of it. Wow! She's a champion! They just need to get their milestones in. You know, the breathing and eating at the same time stuff. And the gaining weight part. Kind of important...
So, I'm sure there is going to be some helping with the twins when they come home. And of course watching Aaron while they visit the hospital. I love Aaron. And Brynleigh loves having him around. So a bit more work and then I can concentrate on the house that has been neglected. By the time I get home all the kids are getting home and the chaos begins. Can't wait to get caught up on laundry!! My laundry room is a mess!
Ok. So here's the good news! I'm a couple lbs. shy of losing 70 lbs. I know! It's AMAZING!! I am SO exhilarated. I still have 50 to go. I would like to get to my prepregnancy period. We'll see. I'm hoping to do it in 6 months. I lost very little weight between August and January. A little blip in my progress.
Anyway, I really miss blogging and getting comments. It makes you feel good. Like you have a little support group all to yourself. So hopefully I'll be doing the blogging a little bit more. And I'll post pictures soon.
Oh! I forgot! I'm going out for some awesome adventures! I am now an advisor for "lia sophia" jewelry AND a demonstrator for "Stampin' Up" Nothing like doing to much right? HaHa! I love it!! Buttons on the sidebar coming soon!! lol

Check out these Beautiful Dolls!!!

 

Christine has opened up for business!  Here’s the link.

These dolls are the cutest dolls I have ever seen and she customizes them for you too!!  So go check them out!!

Worst Mom in the world!

 

Yesterday started out being a great day!  I went to lunch with my sister Becky at Cafe Rio at around noon.  And we had a great time, talking till I had to leave for my appt. at the Gym with my trainer.  The workout was good too.  I was pretty tired and ready for a  shower and then a nap!  On the way home though I  read a text from my husband who had written that Joseph and Emma’s kindergarten graduation was IN PROGRESS!!  That was a half an hour ago!!  I have NEVER missed a kindergarten graduation!  And I also didn’t have their costumes ready either!  I thought graduation was next week!!  Oh my gosh, seriously, I thought I was gonna have a nervous breakdown.  I was fighting tears the whole time when I got there.  I had missed the ENTIRE thing.  They were just leaving the stage area when I arrived.  If you could’ve seen Emma’s face when she saw me…it was just so sad. I tried to pretend that I’d been there the whole time, but I just couldn’t.  Joseph didn’t realize I’d been gone, but Emma knew.  So on the way to the car I ‘fessed up.  And, of course, I lost it.  I just started bawling!  They kept telling me, “It’s ok Mommy.”  But it wasn’t ok.  I missed something special.  Something REALLY special!  They were looking forward to it so much and they made me promise to be there.  They were the only ones there without their costumes!!  I’m not over it…I don’t think I will EVER get over missing that.  I’m still crying about it as we speak.  I cried, I sobbed and I mourned all day yesterday.

Today is a new day, so I decided to take pictures again and you can tell me if you see any improvements.  I don’t really see any, but I’m biased.  I’ve lost 50 lbs. now.  I’m really proud of myself.  I know we’re not supposed to proud, but I can’t help it.  I feel like I have done something HUGE.

I know the photo on the top looks a little weird but I was playing with it and I like how I look like that. Ha Ha!! It brings out my eyes...lol.
60lbs. to go...