The Broken Window

*** THE PICTURE SHOULD BE ON NOW, I HAVE PUT IT IN TWICE AND THEN THE NEXT DAY IT IS GONE. LET ME KNOW.***



I read this book a few months back and really enjoyed it. In one particular chapter, the author explained a theory called "The Broken Window Theory".

"...originally identified by New York City Police Department. This theory claims that any sign of social of physical neglect or breakdown in a neighborhood invites further neglect or breakdown because it indicated that no one cares, that no one is in charge. Therefore the first broken window or street sign. . . can lead to deterioration if not attended to promptly."

So, the example the author uses is a dining room table. It goes for awhile clean and fine and then in a hurry someone sets their keys down along with their purse. Then the next person sets their stack of papers down and by the end of the day the poor dining room table has become the family "catch-all."

I have a confession to make-- we have a "broken window" in our house.
Here it is:
*This is embarrassing, please don't tell anybody our dirty little secret.

This lovely little counter is in our kitchen, between the pantry and the frig. Here are some of the items one might find hiding on said counter: keys, bills, primary stuff, recent Old Navy purchases, cell phones (and lots of chargers), camera, family scripture chart, kids homework, receipts, etc. The list goes on and on. In my defense, this is the only area of our house that looks like this. Now, I hate clutter, I really do. So this counter is a constant struggle of mine. I clean it off regularly, distributing papers to file cabinets, putting away chargers, organizing receipts, etc. But for some reason, by the end of the day it's back to being "broken." It's so frustrating! I'm not implying that I'm blameless in this whole process, in fact, I'm just as guilty as the next guy (um, Aaron) or kid. We all do it- but how do I fix my "broken window?"

I have come up with one solution: it's going to take daily intervention. I know that sounds dramatic (and it kind of is.) I am going to try something new-- each evening after picking up and straightening up around the house, I will spend a couple minutes organizing this counter. I will set my kitchen timer for 3 minutes and put away all the things I can in that amount of time. Will it work? Seriously, no idea- but I'll give it a try and I'll let you know! Wish me luck!

Now off to the General Relief Society Dinner and Broadcast. I am so looking forward to this. I feel like it's very rare that I get to go sit and listen to a church meeting- let alone sit with my girlfriends and enjoy a nice dinner. It's going to be a good night, I can tell.

Not Just for Kids!

My sister called at about5:00 pm on Friday night and invited Aaron and I to Disneyland. I'm really not a spontaneous person, but by 7:45 we were in California Adventure on a ride! We met my sister and brother-in-law and my parents there. It was pretty crowded since it was the first day everything was decorated for Halloween, but we still had fun. We went on a couple rides, had a nice dinner and then headed home. I felt kinda guilty because when the kids asked us where we were going for our date, we said, "Um- just out to dinner." We totally lied- but how can you tell your kids you're going to D-land without them. That's just not right!

A Work Day

Saturday was the first cool weekend day we've had in awhile, so we decided to spend the day working outside and in the garage. I really wasn't that excited about it, but it turned out to be a good day. The kids had fun playing outside- in the rain. We ordered a dumpster and threw away tons of junk that has just accumulated over the last couple years. Then I went in to make lunch and decided it would be fun to have a picnic in our front yard. We put our blanket down on the driveway, since the grass was wet from the rain and then it started raining, again so we had a picnic in the garage. The kids were super confused at first and then they thought picnicing in the garage was fun. We ended the day with a trip to Costco, dinner at Joe's Crab Shack and some Tivo'd shows from ealier in the week.

The boys loved jumping on the trash to smash it down- it really worked!
We found our wagon- underneath all the junk in the sideyard, the kids were so excited to take it for a spin!


Our "white trash" picnic in the garage.

Fall is Coming, Finally

In response to my sister's most recent post (click to read), I had to post about my most favorite time of the year! FALL! I love it, love it, love it! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that summer is almost over and fall is movin' in! It's not exactly "cold" yet, but I can feel the change coming. Today is the first day I opened all my windows since May. It felt so good to have fresh air in my house! I love everything about fall: the smells, the colors, the clothes, pumpkin everything, jeans/sweaters/sweatshirts, the sun setting earlier, holidays, decorations, music, fall food, fires, bundling up and going for a walk, playing in the snow, BYU football, trees with no leaves and the list could go on and on.

In honor of the most wonderful time of the year, I thought I would post two of the most wonderful recipes. They're not exactly "fall" food, but when it starts to cool off I always feel like baking- so these 2 are yummy and easy and have been a hit with my husband and kids. Try them and let me know what you think.

Red Lobster Biscuits
(these really do taste like the biscuits from R.L.- yummy!)
2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. whole milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. butter
1/2 t. garlic powder

2 T. melted butter mixed with minced garlic (approx. 1-2 cloves depending on how garlicky you like it)

Mix first 5 ingredients with a fork. Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Brush with garlic butter. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden.

Grandma's Quick Chocolate Cookies
(I made these last night for FHE and they are delicious and easy- if you like soft, chewy cookies)

1 chocolate cake mix
2/3 c. oil
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. walnuts
2 eggs
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients and drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees. (don't overbake- should be soft)

Happy Baking!!

We Have Cooties!

Please meet, from left to right, Carla, Muka and Sammy-- the Cooties.
I was browsing the aisles of Target yesterday and I saw the "Cooties" game sitting high on a shelf. I've always got my eye out for inexpensive activities to keep the boys occupied, so at $5.99 this was a no-brainer. We got it out yesterday afternoon while Addie napped and the boys had a blast. I can't really say that we followed all the rules, but somehow everybody ended up with all the necessary body parts. We even named them, introduced them to each other and took them on a walk. Who knew Cooties are such fun?
Best Cootie Friends!

I heart A/C

I know I have been a bad, bad blogger. Please accept my apologies- but, I do have a good excuse. Here's the last week in a nutshell: I'm sure you've heard about the incredible heat wave we had in southern California. It really was crazy! It was over 110 degrees where we live. We tried to escape it by going to my parents (it's usually about 10 degrees cooler there) and it was just as hot. When we got back on Monday night, we walked into our house to find out that our A/C was out. Oh my gosh- it was SO hot in our house. Downstairs was 90 and upstairs was at least 100. So we hooked up the portable A/C and turned the TV on and Aaron went out in search of the part that we needed. About 15 minutes later, surprise- our electricity went out too. Are you kidding me? So there's me, pregnant and already super grouchy, with 3 hot kids, it's pitch black (9pm) and no lights. So I turned it into high gear and let me tell you, the kids and I were packed (interesting to do in the dark) and in a hotel within 15 minutes. We spent 1 night there, the next night at home (elec. was back on and portable A/C was working. still not A/C) and the next night at my parents. Thank goodness we found someone reliable and they had a new A/C unit installed and running by Wednesday night. Miracle! It cost us an arm and a leg, but you better believe we've had it running non-stop since they put it in. Even though it cooled off the day we got it, we still have it running because it's so fun to actually have an A/C that works!

So here are some random pictures to get caught up. The boys started preschool 2 weeks ago and it's going great. They are doing really well and I'm loving the few hours of freee time each week. We had our friends, the Lackey's, over tonight to hang out at the lake. For those of you who haven't been to our house, right out our backyard there is a big lake that the boys love to fish in. There is also a great trail for riding bikes/scooter and walking. Tonight was the perfect night to sit out there and enjoy the sunset. The kids had a blast riding back and forth, the boys had fun fishing and Keri and I just sat and talked. A perfect Sunday evening!

Poor fish, Aaron caught it and then kept throwing it back into the lake so all the kids could have a turn reeling it in.

Aaron and our friends little boy, Cameron, fishing.

Addie loves to ride the scooter like the big kids. She cried when it was time to stop!


First day of school- Jake was so excited, Tyler wasn't so sure.

Breakfast Anyone?

Here's a fun little quiz you can take to find out what kind of breakfast you are, try it! You Are Eggs

Traditional and totally grown up, you truly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You don't skimp on nutrition or quality. You're likely to take the time to make yourself a decent meal each morning. You're a great cook, even if you aren't a showy one. You can make a feast out of simple ingredients. The food you eat may be basic, but you prefer to think of it as classic.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?