Shout Out To The Hubby!

I always post about my books, my thoughts, or my kids.  I hardly ever post about Kyle.  So, here is a Kyle post.

As an engineer Kyle has learned how lots of things work and how lots of things break.   More importantly he has learned WHY they break and how to keep things from breaking.  This has come in handy more than once in the past.  This past month it has really come in handy.

For Christmas we rented a car to travel to Utah.  After I returned the rental car I went to get in our "Ol' Reliable" and the battery was dead.  Kyle had to come and jump the car.  To make a long story short we had to jump the car three times before the car would stay on.  One of the times we jumped it we didn't have the jumper cables placed correctly and fried a fuse in the radio.  The radio didn't work any more.

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal to not have a radio, but this was the nice stereo Kyle bought me for my birthday that could play iPods.  So we were bummed to lose this expensive stereo.  The real kicker though was the big snow storm we had and traffic was so horrible it took Kyle 85 minutes to drive 7 miles to work.  He apparently can't keep himself entertained for that long and went about trying to figure out how to fix the stereo.  Well, he did!

Our dishwasher has had a broken soap dispenser since we moved here.  Not a big deal, right? It just means we have to time our dishwasher for 7 minutes and 30 seconds before we put the soap in.   Most of the time it isn't a problem because it takes me at least that long to wash pans, clean up leftovers, and tidy the kitchen.  I have only missed the timer twice in the 10 months we have lived here.

My parents' had the same brand of dishwasher and so when their's died they took out the soap dispenser hoping it would work on ours.  It was really close, but we were not that lucky.  It did inspire Kyle to just fix it though.  It has taken some time at the machine shop and a few different trials before it works, but he has fixed it.

I am grateful for a husband who can and will fix things.  It saves us a lot of time and money!  Thanks Honey!

The End of Boys

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9756135-the-end-of-boys" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The End of Boys" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328753768m/9756135.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9756135-the-end-of-boys">The End of Boys</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4475869.Peter_Brown_Hoffmeister">Peter Brown Hoffmeister</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/820161263">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I really loved this book.  I found it very fascinating.  The author does a really good job capturing the reader in the first few pages.  I was totally hooked and couldn't put the book down.  <br><br>The style of writing is different from the norm.  The author writes the events of the story in a non sequential order which is somewhat confusing at first, but in the end the whole story comes together.<br><br>I really liked Peter's voice.  He has some very interesting inner dialogue.  I loved hearing how he knew things were bad and he shouldn't do them, but he didn't really care and does them any way.<br><br>I would have given this book 5 stars if it didn't have such extensive use of the "f" word.  I know it was part of the main characters' personality, but it doesn't mean I like it.<br><br>I loved the author's description at the end of the book.  I love it when authors are honest and blunt about how they feel about their books.  It made me like the book that much more.<br><br>Good read.  Lots of swearing.  No sex.  Reference to drug use.
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A Mini Photo Shoot

I sometimes feel like I don't take enough pictures of my sweet little girl.  I had my camera out and did a little mini photo shoot with this little cutie.  She gave me so many cute faces and I couldn't decide on a favorite so I decided to post a whole bunch.

Just Ella

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18333966-just-ella" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Just Ella" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1376671654m/18333966.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18333966-just-ella">Just Ella</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7222748.Annette_K_Larsen">Annette K. Larsen</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/808269087">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
My friend recommended this book and I am glad she did.  It was a wonderful read.  This book was a girl's princess story come true.  A little love, jealousy, and betrayal in just the right dose.  A wonderful read!<br><br>I loved the descriptions and the author's attention to detail.  It was powerful, but not too much or overbearing. <br><br>I made the mistake of starting this book in the middle of the holidays and so I didn't have as much time to get into the book.  It took me a little longer to get going, but once I did I couldn't put it down.<br><br>I hope for more books like this by Annette.  She is truly talented.<br><br>No sex and no swearing.
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8 Months

Celeste is 8 months!  She is pretty much sitting up by herself.  She still rolls everywhere.  She wants to crawl, but can only scoot backwards.  She loves dry cereal like Cheerios and Rice Krispies.  She also loves people food.  She loves to talk and says dada, mama, gaga, baba, and lots of other fun noises.  She is on the move and is very curious. 

Someone has found the camera!

Old Food, New Tastes

At our Christmas party with the Murray family we always have a great time and delicious food.  This year was no exception with one exception.  Irene is notorious for serving somewhat outrageous recipes.  For example, when she makes macaroni and cheese she sprinkles dehydrated onions on the top.  Now some might find it delicious, but Kyle did not.  Hence the reason when Kyle and I first got married he refused to let me use dehydrated onions.

This night was no exception for Irene's experimental recipes.  Irene made a coleslaw, but felt like it didn't have enough sauce.  She proceeded to dump a half a bottle of ranch and pineapple juice into the coleslaw.  Now I didn't dare taste this crazy concoction because coleslaw is not one of my favorite foods, but Aunt Lorna did.  Lorna nearly gagged!

Lorna and I then proceeded to have a conversation about how our tastes change over time.  We talked about how families have different recipes and different ways of cooking similar dishes.  There are also foods you don't ever try because of how you are raised.  Lorna then proceeded to tell me some of the things she has learned to like being in the Murray family.  I got to thinking about the different things I have learned to like being in the Maybury family and found the list quite long.  I decided to make a list just for fun.  So here we go!

I met Kyle almost 15 years ago and here are some foods I have learned to like because of his tastes.

• cornbread (I used to hate cornbread.  I thought is was so gross.)
• croutons (I just didn't like these either.)
• asparagus (My mom never cooked asparagus growing up.)
• steak  (I found out that steak is better when it is cooked to medium.  I don't like my steak well done.)
• roast beef (I used to hate roasts.  I thought the were so dry and gross.)
• garlic bread (I didn't like the taste of garlic on anything.  I have learned to like garlic and use real cloves on occasion.)
• potatoes and gravy (I hated potatoes and gravy until I was pregnant with Grant.  Then for some reason I craved potatoes and gravy.  I even had it for my birthday dinner.)
• Dutch oven food (I never like dutch oven food until Grant cooked it.  Then I found out Dutch oven food was delicious.)
• refried beans  (I didn't like refried beans at all until I craved them when I was pregnant with Grant.  I have no idea where this craving came from, but I craved them just the same.)
• coconut  (Irene puts coconut in EVERYTHING from Jell-O to brownies. It has taken a very long time, but I have finally learned to like coconut.  Ross makes macaroon cookies every year for Christmas.  Kyle has eaten them every year, but the last year or two I have eaten them all.  Kyle and I ate an entire coconut pie this year for our Christmas dinner.)  That brings me to my next item...
• pie (I used to hate all kinds of pie.  I now like pumpkin pie, lemon pie, coconut pie, and a quite a few others.)
• rhubarb  (I have acquired a taste for rhubarb and also like rhubarb pie.)
• nuts (Irene also cooks with nuts a lot.  I used to pick the nuts out, but now I love nuts in my brownies.  I will eat almonds, cashews, and walnuts willingly.  I still don't like nuts in cookies or bread)
• honey dew (No one in my family really like honey dew and so I had never really tried it until I married Kyle.)
• cantaloupe  (I still don't love cantaloupe, but if we get a really good fresh one I will eat a little bit.)
• peppers (I used to never cook or eat peppers.  I now really like cooked peppers.  I even grew some in my garden this summer.) 
• onions (I have always liked the flavor of onions, but didn't like to cook with them.  I thought they stunk to high heaven.  I now keep sweet onions in my fridge on a regular basis.)
• Dr. Pepper (If anyone knows Kyle it will not surprise you that he has influenced me to like Dr. Pepper.)

Wow!  Quite a list huh?  Now you may ask if there are any foods that Kyle didn't like and now he does.  Well, no not really.  He still hates eggs and hates dehydrated onions.

A Girl in Translation

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7362158-girl-in-translation" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Girl in Translation" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347022887m/7362158.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7362158-girl-in-translation">Girl in Translation</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3246397.Jean_Kwok">Jean Kwok</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/808260078">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I really liked this book!  It was different from any other book I have read.  It was so interesting to me and I just couldn't put this book down. <br><br>This book is an amazing story of a young girl who tries to be a woman.  It is an inspiring story!<br><br>Here come some spoilers…. <br><br>I love the dedication she had towards her mother.   I was so happy when Kimberly and her mother were finally able to break away from Aunt Paula.  I was cheering!  <br><br>I was so bummed for Kimberly when she conceives a child with Matt. I wanted her to become something more and not be stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty.  I wasn't expecting her to give up her love for Matt to become a doctor though.  That was a complete surprise.  I liked it, but still surprised.  <br><br>I would highly recommend this book.  There is no swearing and some short references to sex.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2251204-kelly">View all my reviews</a>

Girl Cousins

Erin made the two girls matching crochet hats.  Celeste had hers on for about 2 seconds before she figured out how to take the thing off.   She is a very curious girl.  I am missing having her wear a headband and bracelet every day.  She pulls them off so fast that it is hardly worth it.  I am also afraid she will choke on the beads.  Oh well, one day she will hopefully want to wear them again and leave them on.

When were kids we read the Babar books and I had totally forgotten about Queen Celeste.  My mom remembered and found this adorable Queen Celeste doll.  My mom also has found a few special Babar books.   Grant is a little sad that he doesn't have something with his name, but he knows his name is special because it is his Grandpa's name.  I know my kids don't have the most popular names, but at least people have heard their names, know how to spell them, and know how to say them correctly.

Princess Palace

My mom got Celeste the Fisher Price Disney Princess Castle for Christmas.  We got it all set up and everyone had a great time.  Evelyn especially loved the princess castle.  Preston drove his Thomas trains in and out of the princess castle.

I was really impressed at how well Celeste sat and played with the castle.  She had a great time.  She really liked it when the Princess would sing.  

Cousin Time

Grant and Evelyn love each other so much!  I feel so bad that they don't get to spend more time together.  These cousins have so much fun together.  They were able to have a sleep over together and spend hours playing together.  

I snapped this picture because they were sitting together and watching a movie on the Kindle Fire. I thought it was so sweet.

December 27: Part Two

Typically we have a Christmas Eve party with the Murray family on well…Christmas Eve.  This year because were didn't come down until the 26th and Derek and Cyndi can't come on the 24th we moved our Christmas Eve party to December 27th.

This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. In my mind it is not Christmas until we see Irene's Christmas tree and eat Aunt Lorna's delicious pies.

This year was no exception.  Lorna made a wonderful potato soup.  We had other yummy salads and food too.  More importantly we had a great visit with Ross, Lorna, Rachel, Derek, Cyndi, and Irene.  We definitely don't get to see these guys often enough.

We missed having Lee at the party, but here is a picture of Irene with all of the grandkids and great grandkids.

December 27: Part One

We spent the holiday weekend with Cindy and Chris.  It was so much fun to visit with Cindy and Chris.  We opened presents with them on the morning of the 27th.  Grant's favorite gift was Anakin's light saber.  He also got some Legos and a few clothes.

Celeste received a giggle baby doll, a See and Say, and a few clothes as well.

We gave Cindy a 72 hour kit.  She didn't have one yet and even though a 72 hour kit isn't the most exciting gifts, but a necessity.  

The 26th of December

We decided to rent a car to travel to Utah.  We picked up the car on the morning of the 26th and drove to Utah.  We got there about 3 PM.  We were able to celebrate the holiday with my family.  It was so wonderful to see them all!  We had a delicious lunch of roast beef and potatoes before we opened presents.  The grandkids opened all of their fun toys from Granny first.  Celeste and Evy got matching kitty pajamas.  Preston and Grant got matching truck pajamas.  

My mom made each of the big girls a table runner.  Each family also got a little bit of food storage.  

Evelyn had fun making zombie faces at me.  

Evelyn got this fox sweater shortly after school started.  She wore it to school and was so mad when her teacher didn't notice her new sweater.  A month or so later my mom and I were out shopping and found the same fox sweater in Celeste's size.  We just had to get it.  

Evelyn has recently lost one of her front teeth.  Grant is incredibly jealous!

Christmas Morning

We woke up on Christmas morning to Grant opening his presents.  I rolled over in bed and told Kyle I thought I heard paper tearing.  Next thing we know Grant is standing next to me holding up a shirt he had opened.  

When we told him he had to wait until everyone was up to open any more presents he was totally bummed!  Grant really wanted to wake up Celeste, but we wouldn't let him. 

I can't believe how much these two look alike!

Grant was excited to see that Santa had eaten his donut.  He was so proud of himself for writing the note for Santa all by himself.  He didn't even need us to spell the words.

Celeste got baby Stella from Santa.  She really loved her baby doll.  She smiles and laughs at it.

Grant asked for a Lego Chess Set from Santa.  He was so thrilled when he opened it.  He wanted to put the whole set together immediately.  We had to take about an hour break from opening presents to put the chess set together.  It was so nice to not be in a rush on Christmas morning and be able to take our time opening presents.

Grant thought it was hilarious when baby food went up Celeste's nose and it looked like a boogie in her nose.  Grant wanted me to take her picture.

We had a wonderful Christmas morning!  We spent most of the morning opening presents.  We were able to play with many of our new toys including Kyle's new Spirograph.  It was wonderful to spend the holiday with our little family.

Angry Bird Advent Calendar

My mom gave Grant this Angry Bird advent calendar.  He loved it!  Grant normal wakes up around 8:30 or 9.  There were a number of mornings in December when Grant would wake up at 7:30, open his surprise and go back to bed.  Grant was most excited about the Christmas tree he got on the 24th.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve couldn't come fast enough for Grant.  He was so excited all day.  I ended up going to the hospital for a few hours in the afternoon, but I got home by about 3 PM.  I had to run get a stupid tDap shot for work and then we started to our party!  I realized we didn't have any pictures of the kids with Santa and so we went to the mall to get pictures with Santa.  Of course they wouldn't let me take my own pictures, but because they were ready to close up shop we got a good deal on our pictures.  I will have to scan the picture.

We wanted to go out for dinner and ended up eating at Famous Dave's.  It was delicious!

When we got home we got ready for bed.  Grant and Celeste got new pajamas.  Grant was so excited to open a present he could hardly stand it.  

We had donuts with eggnog and chocolate milk.   Grant put out a donut for Santa.  We read some Christmas stories and went to bed.  Grant had a hard time getting settled down.  He wanted to stay up because we were up.  I finally had to go to bed in order for him to go to bed.  Kyle stayed up and arranged all of our Christmas presents for the kids under the tree.