12.21.2008

Cleaning Tips...thanks to our budding 2 year old artist...

ok, so every once in a while Kate gets some little idea into her not-so-bald-anymore head, and just acts on it. i’m sure as parents we all understand this…or at least have experienced this with our children. but because of these little adventures i have learned a few tips that i will share and document here…for the sanity of future moments.

#1 to remove crayon from wall:
Spray with WD-40 and wipe clean with a white cloth. works on even the cheapest of paint. and on textured walls as well! yippee. we got our deposit back!

#2 to remove grease from clothes: (this is courtesy of Rachel’s genius)
spray with Dawn Power Disolver. (a little blue spray bottle) rach says it even works on old stains. i’ve tried it on new ones and it works magic!

#3 to remove Permanent marker: (kate colored all over our bathroom floor tonight with a blue permanent marker…sigh. after the intitial reaction i looked this up online and found the most magical tip. i share it with you now…)
Spray with “OFF” bug spray. it melts right before your eyes! no joke! i was scrubbing at those blasted stains and nothing… then i sprayed this on and it instantly turned to liquid and i just wiped it up with toilet paper! no stain! A MIRACLE!! some people also said that it works on clothes with perma marker on it too. now i don’t know if just any bug spray works or if it has to have deet, or be the OFF brand, but that’s what i had. it was the family kind with only a small amount of deet. i’d like to see if others work as well. maybe i’ll let kate at the markers more often and i can test my theories…hmmm maybe not. but it was miracle, like i’ve never seen!

good luck all with your cleaning endeavors…and if anyone has other hot tips…do share!

love to you all!
~Elizabeth

10.15.2008

A little slice of home, here in Texas

So my dad has this recipe for Pinto Bean Pie. That's right, that was not a typo. The pie is actually made of pinto Beans! Though it doesn't really taste like it. Some people call it Mock Pecan Pie. Anywho, our ward was having a big chilli cook-off and pie baking contest, so mark thought it would be a great idea to "combine the two" and enter a pinto bean pie! We didn't tell anyone what they were eating till after they ate it. But sadly we got gipped! The missionaries were the judges and they didn't think too highly of my pie! Mark peeked at the score sheet and i got a 2.8!!!! Were these missionaries offspring of the Russian Olympic judges??!! But all was not in vain. There were a few friends who were visibly impressed! So here are some pics of Sarah and i making my very first Pinto Bean Pie. It turned out pretty good if i do say so myself... :)

my first batch of beans!!!


Sarah was soooo excited!



cracking the egg...


and pouring it in...


are you ready for the finale? is the anticipation killing you?



Ta DA!!! isn't it beautiful? i was so very proud of it, but no one appreciated it as they should... sigh.

10.13.2008

i just might give in to the texan vocab...

I just filled up my tank for $2.81!!! that's right, $2.81!!!!!!!! that is a $1.50 savings from a month and a half ago in Washington. I saved 30 Dollars at the pump!!! that's enough for anyone to exclaim YEEHAW!!!

10.03.2008

here's a fast update (taken from my family's blog) :)

lame, i know to just re-use a blog, but life is still a little crazy getting things settled and i thought i'd better post something so you would know that we haven't melted or been carried away by cockroaches...


Well, as you all know we are in texas…and have yet to run across any fire ants, cockroaches or snakes dropping from trees!
we are loving it here. the weather is beautiful!! there is a reason we decided to come in September instead of August. so until next summer, we love it!
our apartment is small but serviceable. its amazing what a difference it makes living in a space that is designed for modern living. ie: more than one outlet in each room, outlets that work even when the light switch is turned on, useable storage, closets outside of the bathroom, and a floor that doesn’t tilt toward the front of the house. though i must say it is more boring. no more feet washing while i’m going to the bathroom, no more crazies walking and drug dealing in front of our house at 3 am. But there is the garden tub……which makes up for all we left behind in Bremerton! the pool is pretty good too!!!!!! the girls love it. i will post a video we took the other day, later.
our ward is awesome!! everyone is so friendly! i’m not kidding! tons of young families in our ward…and sarah is making friends fast. katelyn even told me about her new friend in nursery. his name is Seth. we’ve also got great neighbors, i must say though that i’ve never been called ma’am and honey so many times in my life!
we are also trying to learn the lingo. no, not y’all. but things like saying yes, instead of yeah, “everyone” instead of “you guys.” <---we refuse to say y'all! they are all about respect down here. it's kind of refreshing, especially coming from places like UW, where everyone is all about self expression than respect.
here's a funny little blessing for us. we've been concerned about how loud our girls are for our neighbors (we only have one apt that shares a wall with us, but it's the girls room wall...) . especially since the complex is so quiet. Mark met the couple the other day and they are both deaf! the sweetest people, (i've talked with them a few times) but now we don't have to worry about too much noise! who would've thought...
anyway, we are happy here so far, just missing family and friends. Especially since everyone is moving back to washington!!!!!! what the devil is that about! michelle, melissa, lesley.... i'm rather peeved. i was there for 3 YEARS!!! and no body came, now that i leave, everyone moves back. is there something i'm missing?
anywho, love to you all! or should i say y'all.....

5.06.2008

November 23rd

you put it together.... ;)