A Week in Brazil

 Sam and Audrey spent a week in Brazil. Sam's mom was here with the boys (and Evie). I grabbed a few cute pics from Instagram that Sam shared. They did all sorts of "touristy" things while there. They celebrated both Audrey's birthday and Valentines Day there. Here is what Sam shared about Audrey's birthday. 

"This amazing lady turns 40 today. For her birthday we are doing a fruit juice scavenger hunt. She has found a list of about a dozen fruit juices you can’t readily find in the US and we’re going on a bike ride throughout Rio to find them all. Can I tell you how amazing she is? She is amazing. But if you know her, you probably know that already. I just think I’m the luckiest guy in the world who gets to hang around her all the time. Happy Birthday Audrey! Love you past the moon!!"

Superbowl Sunday

 The Sunday dinner that I explained in my previous post was at the Petes and it was Superbowl Sunday 😎. I took salad and chips and dessert. Ashley had a menu planned, but at the last minute changed that. Jaden made a really neat "Food Stadium" for hotdogs, chips, and dip. Sam's mom made homemade dinner rolls... they were great plain or with hotdogs. I was disappointed in the Bundtinis... they were dry and not very good. Here are a few pics of what Jaden made. It was a fun evening. I wish I had gotten a picture of the Pete boys in their Kansas City Chiefs shirts 😏😞

Sunday Afternoon

Almost every Sunday afternoon, I am working on something for Sunday evening dinner. We have dinner with the Petes and the Andersons. We take turns "hosting". Usually the "host" plans the meal, and they do the main course and then there are assignments for the side dishes and dessert. Today, Sam and Audrey are on a vacation to RIO. Sam's mom is staying with the boys. She arrived last week and will be here until a week from tomorrow. So... the Pete's are hosting dinner today and I am doing next Sunday. (Sam and Audrey will get home on Sunday afternoon and won't have time to plan dinner. Plus, we need to have a couple of birthday cakes next Sunday for the two birthdays that happen this week.) 😉🍰Some Sunday afternoons, I am cooking, but today my dinner contributions were simple. I bought Nothing Bundt cake ... Bundtinis... Oreo cookie flavor. (That is my Valentine dessert contribution.) Also, Oreo cookie ice cream, two bags of salad, and a bag of chips. Almost every Sunday afternoon, I usually work on my blog. So here I am 😊, glad to be caught up. Almost every Sunday afternoon, I look at the "Come Follow Me" lesson for the week. There is a lesson each week, this year from the New Testament. There is a personal study lesson and a "primary" lesson that Ron I need to teach each Sunday. Our lesson today was from John 2-4, with a theme of "Ye Must Be Born Again". Instead of focusing our lesson on Nicodemus, we focused on the Samaritan woman at the well. The main scripture was John 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." I gave the kids each a small bottle of water with that scripture on it and a cup of blue jello jiglers. We watched a great video that describes and explains the details of the story of the Samaritan women at the well. We had kind of a crazy class with 13 kids in a small room 😕The lesson for next week is from Matthew 11-12 and Luke 11. The sermon on the mount. Each week the kids get a new page to put in their "New Testament Book". 

Now that I have done all of those Sunday afternoon things, I might go take a quick nap- lol. Only occasionally do I need that. But lately I have been more tired than normal. I have been struggling with allergies for the past couple of months. Luckily "cedar pollen" season is almost over. Or if I decide that I don't need a nap... I have new ribbon (taggie) blankets to work on. I haven't done much with my Brown Baby Bird business since early November. 

Caught up for January

 This is my final post for January. A great family pic of the Simms and few random Pete pics. Annie used the family pic for a new 2023 calendar. The first pic of the Petes was how they watched fireworks on New Years Eve. Other Pete pics are just photos that I grabbed from Instagram during the past couple of months. Hailey is still doing an awesome job with her rabbit treats Etsy shop. 

To the Temple with Eli

On January 14th, us, Daniel, Hailey, Sam, Audrey and Eli went to the temple. It was Eli's first time to go. Ron managed to come up with names for baptisms for Eli and Hailey to do. When we were done we went to a Torchy's Tacos for dinner. 

Here is how Audrey described the new year... Eli's confirmation as a Deacon... and a chocolate cake accident 😕😔

"First day of the year! It was both awesome and awful. The best part was celebrating Eli’s commitment to and covenant of the Aaronic priesthood. He’s been preparing his whole life up to this point for today! The worst part was me making Eli cry with my snarky tongue after he accidentally dropped our creamy dreamy chocolate gateau on the Pete’s lawn. I’m thankful for daily repentance, because I NEED it. Whatever resolutions I set this year, I will inevitably fall short and need God’s grace. ps We will try the cake again next week. It was a 4+ hour labor of love and we worked on it together all afternoon because he wanted to try out a dessert from his new Harry Potter cookbook. So here’s to better luck next time!

For the record, Eli forgave me and we tried again (the cake) and it was delicious."

Ryan Bday

 Ryan had a birthday in January. Here is what Carrie shared in a Facebook post.

"Happy 12th birthday Ryan!!  We spoiled him today with his favorites.  I took him Chick fil a at lunch (after half of the frosted lemonade spilled all over my car floor🤪).  I picked up a Nothing Bundt cake for his friend party tomorrow so I got him Crumble cookies for tonight.  We had his favorite Thai for dinner.  He got a phone and a new computer.  We love him to pieces…he keeps us laughing and is so smart and more responsible than most adults I know.  Thanks for being you Ryan…we love you!!!"

Only Snowmen are Inside the House

 As usual, my January decor is "snowmen". Pretty hard to keep in Texas- lol. We did have a couple of "ice days" and I got pics of the trees in back yard. And we have had some 30-degree nights, which means I have to keep the heater running. The problem with that is it stays cold downstairs and too hot upstairs 😕Ron has to stay bundled up, since he spends all day downstairs. Plus, we have been letting Kitty stay in the house instead of in the garage. She has spent a few nights on our bed. There was one night where both Kitty and Gracie were on the bed... but that is rare. I missed a few days of my morning walk because it was too cold outside. But generally, I can still go out. I know how much clothing to put on depending on what the temperature is. I have been doing pretty well with that. I normally walk about 2 miles. Good to get the "cobwebs" out of my brain, look at other houses and yards, and solve all of my problems- haha 😉I have several different routes around the neighborhood that I do. I am surprised that I haven't been able to lose any weight doing that. But I guess it at least keeps me even and not gaining. 

As you can see, I am slightly behind on my blogging. Getting caught up with January in February. I finished my book for 2022 on the 5th of February. I haven't actually ordered it yet... I am hoping for a discount coupon 😅 The last picture here is Gracie trying to share Kitty's blanket.