Crazy Week

This week school took a back seat because we just partnered in a business with some friends. It's an online clothing store called Impel Clothing. We've been working like crazy to get the new website designed and the copy written, along with ordering product, creating a marketing plan, learning how social media works, entering thousands of previous customer email addresses into the computer, etc, etc. We have a November 18 deadline! Ahhh! It's so fun though. Brian and I love this stuff! I'll let everyone know when the site goes up. It looks so great.

I did make homemade pizza for the first time and it turned out awesome! Brian says it tastes just like Round Table. I love watching his face when he eats something he likes. It's hillarious how he savors every bite.

Rivers and Waterfalls

This week we learned about the Nile River valley and we built a working model of it. We flooded our river to water the seeds we planted. Then the water receded, leaving behind rich soil. The first of our "crops" (sunflower seeds) are already sprouting.

Brian has been busy working some construction jobs while we are still searching for a design position. He's been gone a lot, and we are all in shock since we are so used to him being around all the time. He took me on a date last night to D.I. to hunt for books. We sat there for a long time, running our fingers down the spines, looking carefully for treasures and classics. We found some good ones. Brian was also pleased to find some stylish retro shirts so now he says he looks "cool like Rick." I was able to grab a "new" pair of jeans, a cute black skirt with white polka dots, and my prize of the day... a dark gray Ann Taylor dress for $6! Yea!

Friday night, we celebrated Dad coming home from work with a family camp out. We made popcorn, watched "The Burbs" and then told ghost stories. Then we all slept in the living room. Well, at least until Brian and I thought we would be more comfortable in our own bed (wink).

Saturday morning, we woke up and got ready for our Autumn color tour and family picnic. We drove to Provo canyon and took some family pictures. Then, we walked to Bridal Veil Falls and sketched the falls in our nature journals with our hot cocoa for company. Afterwards, we drove out of the canyon to find a park to have lunch. We ended up across from the Timpanogos Temple with warm autumn stew and rolls, and the best part...yummy Carmel Apple Bars! Everyone has to make them they are SOOOOOOOO good!

Rooftop Concert

Last night we took the kids to see the Rooftop Concert in Provo Town Square. It was so awesome! It was on the top deck of the parking terrace. We got seats in the third row, brought some yummy treats and enjoyed the music and the beautiful evening. We loved all of the singers, including Cherie Call, Mindy Gledhill, and Libbe Linton. They, and other LDS artists, got together to form a band called "The Lower Lights," to do a hymn revival project. You can listen to the songs here:
http://thelowerlights.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/libbielinton

My Hero

I attended this event with Brian on Thursday evening. I learned of Stephanie Nielson a few months ago when I saw her Mormon Message. I now follow her blog and reading it and getting to know her and the way she looks at her life, despite her trials, has changed the way I look at my own. She inspires me and I want to be like her in every way. The event was recorded and will be rebroadcast online. I will post a link here when it becomes available. Please visit Stephanie Nielson's blog. I know you will find a great treasure.
http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E

Puppet Mania!

The kids have been having fun learning how to make puppets and do puppet shows. They all helped build and paint their own puppet theater. It turned out great.

Surprise for Brian

A few weeks ago, I surprised Brian by taking him to meet his mentor and hero, Elder F. Enzio Busche. An emeritus general authority, Elder Busche was responsible for much of the growth of the Church in Germany. Brian listens to his words on a BYU devotional each morning as he began his day and also reads his book "Yearning for the Living God" often. I found out that Elder Busche lives in Bountiful, Utah, googled his address, and wrote him a letter requesting a meeting. He graciously allowed us to come to his home and spend an hour with him in counsel. It was a wonderful experience.

Nomads and the Titanic

This week in home school we learned about nomads and the kids made cave paintings on paper grocery bags. They turned out awesome.

Megan is also very interested in the Titanic right now. She checked out a bunch of books on it at the library and can't stop reading about it.

I got all of my books organized today. Now I know where to find everything. Yea. I also cleaned Riley's room and bathed the kids. They smell great!