Uh, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Well, now, we all slack off sometimes, don't we?
Rather than spend 20 pages trying to update recent events in our household, I thought I'd share with you our family Christmas letter. (If you've received it already at home, I apologize for the repeat.)

Sprout- This has been an eventful year! He has earned his Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class ranks in Boy Scouts, as well as 7 merit badges! He has started the Sixth grade, and has his favorite teacher again! Sprout has found a new passion in fishing, and wishes we lived near a fishing hole. He also loves hiking, camping, and backpacking. He has lots of friends and enjoys hanging out and playing video games with them. He also received the Aaronic Priesthood, which is a big step in a Mormon boy's life.

Panda- She advanced to Beginner II in Irish Dance. She worked really hard for this achievement. It means she gets to dance in "hard shoes" now!! She attended 3 feisanna (Irish Dance Competitions) this year, and earned a bunch of medals. She is now ready for a Team Dress, which is a really big step in our Irish Dance School. Panda is in the Fourth grade and adores her teacher. Our Panda loves to bake brownies, cakes cookies, etc. You name and she wants to bake it!! She hope sit be a pastry chef and Irish Dance Teacher when she grows up!


LuLu - Our little girl is all grown up! She is in the Second grade and is an amazing reader! She is even in the "hard" math class. Felicity has attended 2 feisanna this year, and earned some medals and even a TROPHT for her reel! She has just started "hard shoes" but hasn't danced in them yet (just some drills.) She also gets a Team Dress (At $500 a piece, we have some saving to do!) LuLu is adored by everyone she meets, and we are frequently told what a wonderful girl she is. She loves to play house, go to school, and her sister is her best friend. When she grows up she wants to be a mom, just like me!! We love our LuLu!

DH Mark - Kilts, Cabers and meat pies. This is our life now. The Scottish Highland games have taken over our summers. Mark loves to compete in this strong-man sport, and we love to be there to support him. He earned several medals this year, and placed 2nd in the Utah Caber Championship. We hope he will be able to spend more time at home with us soon.

Me- I volunteer frequently at the kid's school, shuttle the girls to Irish dance and Sprout to scouts! I love to read, and was so happy when Diana Gabaldon's newest installment in the Outlander series came out in September. (I was sorely disappointed with it though. ) I am the Southern Area Coordinator for our Irish Dance School and spend a lot of time with performances, competitions and helping new parents navigate the world of Irish Dance. It's an obsession, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Irish Dance and love to watch my girls do it! Mark calls me his Talladega Queen because I yell and holler and make a general nuisance of myself while cheering him on in the Scottish Highland games. It is so fun to cheer them all on in their endeavors.

Family Update, 2009!!
Hope you enjoyed it!

SLAINTE!

get a life, woman!

OMG!
I have a facebook friend with whom I was swapping funny tartan information with. I told him he was lucky to have a family tartan, because, well, we don't have one.
My sister-in-law, Erida, (My arch nemesis) happens to be friends with him as well.
She responds to MY correspondence with this guy with a comment: "I just love our family tartans, the MacNeils and the Campbell's, from my mother's side."
AS IF I DIDN'T FREAKIN' KNOW THAT BIATCH! It's painfully obvious she's trying to inform me of something, as she considers herself the keeper of the family information.
Mark chooses not to wear those family tartans for a few different reasons, not the least of which is that his family has told him he is no longer a part of them as long as he is married to me.
So, me being the gentle, polite, loving and kind soul that I am wrote a note and reminded her that we don't belong to her family, and therefore do not qualify to wear those tartans.
(yea, yea, yea, I know, anyone can wear any tartan they want, but we don't need her to really know that now, do we???)

Bring on Menopause

I don't (always) enjoy being a girl.
Especially when it involves being... womanly.
Let's just say that bloodclots the size of baseballs are my enemy, not my friend.
and in the midst of it all I get to discover there isn't a square inch of toilet paper left in my house. NO WHERE.
With a husband out of town, it is therefore left to me to remedy the situation, even though I'm in no shape to do so, and the fool has left me with $0, and I have to search the children's rooms for quarters and dimes to buy some.
My euphoria over the "toilet cleaning" scenario no longer exists. The man is back on my hit list.
I'm thinking I should throw a baseball at him.

Nothing says I love you like a clean toilet

My mantra for years has been: "Nothing says I love you like a clean toilet!" (thank you Flylady)
You'd think someone in my household would pick up on this after a few YEARS of saying this.
Well, finally a miracle has come to pass.
Before my husband left for Wyoming, he scrubbed my toilets, and left me a note that says: I love you so much I cleaned the toilets.
What a romantic guy.
I'd take pictures and show you, but I don't want you to be jealous.

Crockpot Enchiladas

1 lb. ground beef (I leave this out sometimes. I don't love to eat a lot of meat.)
1 med. onion sauteed
1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning (you can use garlic salt instead)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 flour tortillas
1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, a mexican blend, whatever you have on hand.)

In a bowl, combine ground beef, onion, adobo seasoning, salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix the Rotel and enchilada sauce. Place 2 tortillas in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place half of the following in layers over the tortillas: meat, sauce mixture, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.


A fun variation: use shredded chicken and green enchilada sauce instead of ground beef and red sauce. I'd actually cut out the tomatoes/green chiles and use 2 cans of green sauce.

I hope you enjoy!

cooler weather, cooler tempers

Heat really brings out the anger in me. I cannot be bothered with cheerfulness when I'm hot. I just don't have the energy nor the desire to do so. The last few days have been lovely in the weather department, and with that my temper has cooled off as well. I'd say my children are quite pleased. For me, however, I have quite enjoyed the cooler temps by getting something done that I have long put off. Sleep. That's right. The last few days I have slept through the night, at least 10 hours at a stretch and I have managed to put in a few naps that have been over 2 hours long. I feel like a new woman.
Now, if we can just convince mother nature to not go back to the heat...

birth of a caber bunny

It's official. The Caber Bunnies (me and Abby... still waiting for Lorri to follow suit) will make their first appearance at the Cache Valley Scottish Games.
I just hope I don't make a complete dork of myself when I'm there, because my muscles are regretting my choice already.