Ok, so it has been a while....

Ok, I know that it has been awhile since I last updated my blog so Iwill try to sum up what has gone on in the last few months...

• October 31, 2008 -- Halloween

** Going from left to right in the photo:
Levi, Michael, Jesse, Sariah, Ta (Riah's best friend), and Jonah in the fireman suit.

Thanksgiving at Mom's -We usually have Thanksgiving dinner in the evening, but 'Big' Michael got drawn to go deer hunting. So dinner because lunch and I forgot my camera so no pictures. Jesse went hunting with Bumpa, Dillon, and Uncle Michael. They went hunting in Nogalas, AZ. They came home on Sunday with success, Michael got a deer!

November 30 was a very interesting day. I got a phone call at 12:15 am that my Grandfather -Walter Rogers had passed away. He was 92 years old. He had fallen outside at his home a couple weeks prior to his death. He spent the evening outside because he was unable to get up, it is because of that he caught pneumonia.

Tim's wife Brittny, kept trying to have a baby, but he just wasn't ready. We told her that he is probably waiting to see Papa. The interesting part was she went into active labor that morning and had baby Walter Aksel Rogers that afternoon.

On December 6, 2008 was the funeral. It was a beautiful event. I loved my Papa and will miss him terribly. He and Grandma where very special to me. I have very fond memories of both that Ihave been able to share with my children. They both lived a very full and useful life, they were wonderful examples, and very service oriented. It was fun to see all my cousins and family and friends that we haven't seen in quite sometime. It was sad because knowing this was the last time will be together as a complete family. Grandma and Papa were like the glue and the reason we were able to see each other, they loved to gather as family whenever or whatever a reason. Now that they both have passed, the resonsiblity is shifted to his children. I do hope that we will be able to have a reunion in this life and hopefully before we have to gather for a funeral.

Needless to say there was an overall feeling among all our my siblings of sadness over the holidays. The Rogers' loved the holiday season. This year is the first year we didn't have either one here with us, but I am sure though they were there in spirit. We actually didn't even get the christmas tree out until the middle of December. We didn't decorate much this year.

Seeing the Christmas lights the Mesa Temple.

The kids decorating gingerbread houses and they were actually getting along!

Christmas morning!

New Year's Eve we went to my parents again, and just hung out for the evening. It was pleasant, we visited, played the WII, and watched movies. My two older boys, Michael and Jesse, went to a dance. Michael wasn't sure if he wanted to go because he didn't know how to dance (and those that have been around him music was on, you would disagree with his statement.) Basically, he hesitated because he would have to dance with "girks" (girls - family joke). When we picked them up from the dance Michael was very please with himself because he dance with 6 "pretty girls". They both reported they had a lot of fun and looking forward to going to another dance.

New Year's Day we had to mourn for the loss of Sariah's tortoise "Spike". It is feared that Jonah knocked over his cage and Spike spent too much time on his back. It was such a cute tortoise. Now we are on the hunt for a new one. :)

That wasn't the best start to a new year, but to add to it, Eric lost his job. We have put up and out several applications, but with the way the job market has been we have had no success. So until something that Eric can do comes along he is able to work at DI. We are so glad for the opportunity and pray that we will be blessed to find him a job.

Speaking of jobs, mine is going well. We got a new principal that has helped our school and staff tremendously! I feel more confident in teaching and enjoying so much. I am respected as a teacher and person. I really enjoy teaching first grade, they are so sweet and so loving. I went back to work knowing that I was getting one new student, but I actually got 4! They are sweet and wonderful kids and glad that I have them in my class. One of the little girls came up to me and said, "Mrs. Kellogg, you haven't given me my hug today." It just make me feel so special to be surrounded by such tender spirits.

Sariah is so excited because she got her passport. Her and I are planning a trip to Japan with my mom and Jenny. Sariah's best friend spends the summers in Japan with her Grandma and we have been invited to visit this summer. So hopefully all will work out and we will be able to go. We are hoping it will be the week school gets out. We have plans to go to California and hope to spend a lot of time in the mountains the "Ranch". Eric and I are celebrating 15 years and hope to go to Hawaii or on a cruise to celebrate this summer. Everything is depended upon the economy. Wish us luck!

A New Way to Shop

My mom and I decided to check this out after a family friend mentioned there were some families in our ward participating in a co-op. We looked into it and decided to get a try to see if it was what it claimed to be. I am glad to say it was. The first time that you do it, it costs $17, but the next time it is $15. My mom only ordered one basket, that is what we took a picture of, I got two baskets.

They only do it twice a month and on Saturdays at several locations around Arizona and the valley. They also have other things available to buy at a discount price. For instance, I purchased bread that was made by Alpine Bakery. They also had fresh honey. Supposely they have different things at different times.

It was interesting because when I went on Saturday I took Jesse with me and our laundry baskets. There was a line and you wait patiently (quiety) in line. When you get to the front of the line you give your name and then they volunteer pulls your baskets aside and you go and empty it into your basket and leave. It reminds me of the Soup Nazi from Sienfield. It all happened within about 20 minutes of time and all the baskets were gone.

When we got home we washed the fruits and vegetables and cut them up and sealed them in my handy sealer. It all looks very yummy and my kids couldn't wait to eat it up. We will definately be doing this again it is well worth the price which wasn't a bad price to begin with! If you would like to try it out check out their website here it is . . . . www.bountifulbaskets.org

A Yummy Recipe

With times getting tough and we decided as a family to start trying recipes that will use things that we have in our pantry. We figured we might try them out while we are able eat something different if it doesn't turn out good. To our surprize it was quick, easy and DELICIOUS! It comes from Campbell's 1-2-3 Dinner Cookbook.

FIESTA CHICKEN AND RICE BAKE

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Pace Salsa
1/2 cup water
1 can whole kernel corn
3/4 cup regular white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Mix soup, salsa, water, corn, and rice in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Place chicken on top, cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. When complete sprinkle with cheese.

** I made a few modifications. I used tenders and next time I will cut them into chunks and mix it in with the soup mixture. Also, I doubled the recipe and baked it in a glass 9x13 pan and covered it with foil. I am please to say we didn't have any left overs and the kids said this was great!

I just love creating something beautiful!

As some of you may not know I love shopping at Goodwill. If you can get past the smell that hits you as you enter the store, you will be just fine! I got this armour for $50. It looks rather ordinary, but with a little imagination it turned into something beautiful. I added wood emblishments and stained it with an ebony stain then added new hardware. It fits perfectly into my room AND it fits all Eric's clothes and everything else that I was tired of looking at!

A New Favorite!

I just love musicals! I have to say they are my favorite! Unfortunately, I am married to someone who doesn't share the same feelings as I do about musicals or performing arts. BUT, my children have finally gotten old enough too and apparently I have exposed them enough that they enjoy musicals and the performing arts. So now I don't need to go with my husband, I will just go with my children! I bought season tickets to gammage because they have some wonderful shows playing. Each one of the kids, except for Jonah will get to choose a musical to go to with me. Well, Michael didn't want to go to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so we compromised and I bought tickets to Blackbeard, which is playing at the Herberger now through the end of September. We had been listening to the music and were very excited about going. The night finally arrived, and it was better than we thought! We enjoyed it so much we are going again and I will be taking Sariah and Levi as well as Michael. Check out the site! www.blackbeardthemusical.com

Can you believe this was a laundry room?

I wanted to make my own space in my house so that I could have a place to do my work and a place to retreat to so that I wouldn't wake anyone in the early morning hours. So I turned my old laundry room into an office space. I love it because the colors are very peaceful and calming. Also, I can display my degrees that I worked so hard on to earn.

On the wall that had the fixtures for the washer and dryer we had to wall paper because it had too many repairs that I would need to re-texture the wall. Obviously, that wouldn't fit into my budget. I used the paintable wall paper that I had left over from another room. After painting the room it needed to have a little contrast, so my mom suggested that we white wash the wall with the wall paper. It turned out PERFECT! It was just what the room needed.


The cabinets were a honey oak color and very plain. I added wood emblishments and stained them with ebony stain. The ceiling was showing it's age, I wanted to put tin on the ceiling, but it also didn't fit into my budget. So I used left over wall paper and painted it silver and then stained it with the same ebony stain. I trimmed it out with small decorative wood.

Some of my furniture came from one of my favorite places, Goodwill. The bookcase was white and old looking. I added wood trim all over it and then spray painted it black. It now looks brand new. My desk is an antique coffee
table. I got it for $20 bucks! It was in pretty good shape. It has a leathery feeling top trimmed out in gold and black. It has a little drawer that is perfect for the small things. Eric added taller legs and stained them and I have a nice desk. I found the chair at a cool new antique shop in Pinetop called The Log Cabin.

Under The California Sun

We just got back from Oceanside, California. We had a wonderful opportunity to spend a week on the beach with my family. The weather was cool in the 70's during the day and in the 60's in the morning and night. The kids loved playing in the water, building sand castles, and digging in the sand with Uncle Tim and Rocky, even Bumpa got into the action! Jonah was very excited about the opportunity to go "fimming" until he got knocked over by a wave. I attempted the water once, but it was too cold so I decide to enjoy the cool breeve and watch the kids and read. The kids got to go fishing off the pier with Bumpa, Uncle Rocky and their Dad. They also enjoyed walks down the beach and to the pier with Aunt Lael.

We were excited about being there for the 4th of July but were sadly disappointed when the fog came rolling in. We were able to hear the fireworks a maybe a colorful light here and there, but that was it. We are looking forward to next summer, maybe it can be two weeks! Thank you Mom and Dad for sharing this trip with us! We surely enjoyed it! For more photos of our vacation click on the link below. http://picasaweb.google.com/queenkmk/UnderTheCaliforniaSun02