PX2000

Aren't they beautiful? These are the latest and greatest PX2000 bread pans. They are the best bread pans that money can buy--great quality and should be around for the rest of my life. My children will be fighting over these when I am gone because they'll be connected with wonderful memories of eating warm wheat bread slathered with melted butter fresh out of the oven. Given our new economic status, I have been making (experimenting with) various wheat bread recipes in hopes of keeping my boys' stomachs full. Wheat bread is filling and cheap and yummy.

Some may be wondering what the heck a PX2000 bread pan is. The PX2000 is an old family joke that involves my Father. He has always been one to appreciate quality and the best. When he is purchasing a new tool or item for the home he tries to use his money wisely to buy the highest quality item--one that will be around for the long haul. At one time I know that he purchased something that was labeled the PX2000 model. I don't remember what it was--I just know that we (all the children, especially the boys) mocked and laughed at Dad because he was making such a big deal about having just purchased the PX2000 model. From then on whenever the best of something was purchased, we referred to it as the PX2000. It is rather exciting when you know you have the PX2000. A real thrill to know that you have the best!

I often reflect whether I am a PX2000 person. Am I doing my best? Am I a high quality individual who exemplifies excellence in all that I do? Am I a product worthy of the PX2000 label? Of course there are improvements to be made and because of that I will continue to strive for the PX2000 rating. I understand that excellence is a lifelong process that requires constant reflection, effort, and commitment. I keep trying to better myself. What a thrill it would be to have my Dad excitedly exclaim that he has a PX2000 daughter and to ultimately have my Heavenly Father validate that rating as well.

This Lion House wheat bread recipe was not a hit. It looks good but we weren't happy with the texture and flavor. I'm posting a recipe from a friend--this one is definitely the PX2000 wheat bread recipe!

Combine:

3 C warm water and 1 TBSP yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add:

1 tsp sugar, 1 TBSP salt, 1/3 C oil, 1/2 C honey, 1/2 C flax seed(ground), 6-7 C whole wheat flour, 1-2 C white flour. Knead according to bread machine instructions. Divide into three greased medium loaf pans. Let rise 1 1/2 hours. Cook 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Wrench

The "Wrench" was debuted today at the Suwanee Ward Pinewood Derby by Easton today. It's always a nail-biting experience for the whole family to participate in these things. The Carrolls have never had great success with the little blocks of wood cruising down the track. Oh, we have tried to build the perfect car. Research on the internet showed us the best designs and the proper placement of weights. We learned how to tap the plastic wheels in place and to lubricate them with special graphite. Our goal: Win one heat....we're not asking much, just win one little race. Well, we are happy to report that our goal was reached. The wrench came in first place on it's first time down the track. Phew!!!!!!!! No tears, yet. Second heat: no placement. Third heat: no place. Disappointment. Sad eyes. Complaints. Moaning, complaining. The event is over. A few more sad moments. The realities of the competition sinking in. We've all had a hard day at the track. Time to place the wrench on the shelf. Can't wait for next year.

Easton helped present the colors. He did awesome!

Little Miss Ashton

Our baby girl, Ashton turned 19 years old this week. That's pretty old. If she were a boy she would be getting ready to go on a mission. But, she's not a boy. Thank goodness. Every family needs an emotional girl. We have been blessed to enjoy our daughter for 19 years. It was a strange birthday celebration because she wasn't here. I thought about her all day and was hoping that her friends were helping her have a special day in Provo, Utah. We talked a few times on the phone and we sang the typical Happy Birthday song to her. But--I missed making her birthday dinner and lighting her candles and watching her make a wish and BLOW them out and watch her open presents. Having a 19 year old is a strange thing. Makes you feel old. We miss our baby girl but are so grateful that our Ashton is continuing to grow and do amazing things. She's strong and spunky and smart and courageous and fearless and funny and ambitious and a self-starter. You go girl!!!! Hope your 19th year is incredible.Ashton is one years old in this picture, living in Denver. A two year old Ashton living in Sandy, Utah.

Dallin crushes PR!

Dallin beat his own personal record in the 1600 (1 mile) Saturday! He fought hard and placed third with a time of 4:51. He looked awesome and just keeps improving with each race. He thought he was disqualified because he pushed a racer out of his lane that was cutting him off at the finish. It was an intense finish and fun to watch. We're proud of Dallin's accomplishments. His hard work is paying off.

Lizard Lovin'

The warm spring sun is heating up! And when that happens the lizards appear. We are very fortunate to have a variety of lizards that hang out in our yard. When the western afternoon sun sizzles on our front yard, lizards come out to bask in the warmth. A mad dash of excitement results as Easton and friends scramble to catch the speedy little critters. Easton and the next-door-neighbor friend, Jamie have mad lizard catching skills. They easily catch the brown and fluorescent green creatures--the blue-tailed skinks are the hardest to capture because they're FAST. They play with them for a while and hold them captive in the "bug-catcher". At the close of the adventuresome afternoon the dinner bells signal the end of the play day. Quick moving lizards are released and scurry off to enjoy their freedom. But alas, the boys will be BACK to catch and release once more.

Luck O' the Irish

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day takes on new meaning when you are actually Irish. I've been celebrating the green day for years and I'm not even Irish. But, my husband and children are Irish. Stephen is pretty much full on Irish from both sides of his family. There's an American Indian thrown in there somewhere but his basic roots come from Ireland so that makes my children green too. What better way to celebrate their Irish heritage than by having our traditional green dinner? A tasty meal was prepared this year using green, spinach fettuccine in a yummy creamy chicken casserole. Green beans, green jello and fruit were on the side. Dessert was a pistachio pudding pie (check out that alliteration!). I have to say it wasn't that great of a dessert and we definitely won't be having that again. We discussed dessert options for next year after our disappointing pistachio pudding choice. Key lime pie? Lime sherbet? Any other green dessert options we should consider?

Birthday Boy

March 14 Stephen we celebrated Stephen's 45th! Woohoo. It was a great celebration. Dinner was his favorite, Chicken Parmesean, salad, pasta and for dessert--Lemon Ribbon Icecream Pie. mmmmmmm. The dinner was fabulous and the dessert was more fabulous (Is that even correct English?). We love this guy and are so blessed to have him in our lives as husband and father. Hope your year is great. Check out the arrangement of candles. We were practicing counting by tens and ones. I've just got to invest in some new candles. They can't be that expensive.

Racing for Speed

Dallin ran the mile in 4:59 in his meet on Saturday. It was a personal best. His goal was to break 5 minutes and he did--in the rain, the cold, and wind. He looked awesome and we(Stephen and I) had a blast cheering him on. We are grateful to have a son that makes goals and works very hard to achieve them. Congratulations!

Celebrate!

A shout out to my Dad---Happy Birthday!!! Just wanted to send wonderful wishes to my Dad and my children's Grandpa.

Landon says, "Happy Birthday, Love you."

Easton says, " Happy birthday, I love you grandpa."

Dallin says, "Happy Birthday, I love you."

We all love you and hope you have a great year!

Best

In front of the high school there is a large marquis that posts information and announcements. Everyone in the town of Suwanee sees it when they drive by.

For the last couple of weeks it has read:

Congratulations

Star Student: Jeffrey Angel

Star Teacher: Mrs. Shumway

This is very cool because both of these people go to our church and they are very wonderful, talented individuals. Dallin said they announced their names over the intercom at school. The LDS students at North Gwinnett are very well known. I guess they just kind of stand out and it's pretty much general knowledge who all the Mormon kids are. They are high achievers and involved in everything from band, chorus, art club, athletics, computer club, drama, math club, and the list goes on. After the announcement Dallin's friend wanted to know why Mormons were all so talented. Then he said that he wants to have a half Mormon baby when he grows up so that it will be smart and talented. As I have thought about this comment over the past few days I've really wondered why Mormons are so talented and such high achievers. I found a great answer in the February Ensign. We have always been taught to "lengthen our stride" and to always be improving. It's just ingrained in us to achieve our full potential. We want to be successful and we have been encouraged to use our talents for good and to always work on improving. President Hinckley said, "Just do the best you can, but be sure it is your very best." That pretty much says it all. I'm very thankful that the LDS youth at North Gwinnett are letting their lights shine through their academic achievements and extracurricular activities and showing their best.

Dishes

As I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner Easton was helping by putting the soap in the dishwasher and turning it on. I was hand washing the pans by hand. We discussed how cool it was that someone invented the dishwasher. Here's a bit of our conversation--you'll love this Mom!

Me: You know, Grandma didn't have a dishwasher growing up.

Easton: She washed the dishes by hand?

Me: Yes

Easton: Did she have a sink?

Me: Yes

Easton: Oh, that's good.

Faster!

Dallin participated in another track meet this past Saturday. It was an all day event from 9-6 with quite a few schools participating--never did get the accurate number on that. Dallin ran two cool events this time, the 4 by 800(that means a relay with four guys running for those of you who don't know track terms) and the Distance Medley Relay which was a really long distance race with four different guys running. I love watching the relays! Dallin did very well. I cannot believe these guys come out running and seriously sprint for two whole times around the track. They really push themselves. Dallin's team took fifth place in the 4 by 800. The coach said Dallin did extremely well on his part and is seconds from getting his mile under 5 minutes. Maybe at the next meet.

There's a shot of my cute little Dallin. I love that he has blonde hair. I can find that golden little head of hair anywhere in the crowd.

Dallin's team placed fourth in the Distance medley. They were so close to getting third--it was ridiculous! He got ribbons in both events. You get a medal for 1,2, and 3rd places.
This video clip is of the DMR (Distance Medley Relay) on the last of Dallin's part. He is trying to maintain his third place lead. He has one more lap to go at this point. .

This is a shot as he is fighting to keep his lead before he hands off his baton to the next runner on his team. I love watching them pass off the batons. It's such a cool sport that requires so much physical and mental stamina. I am learning to appreciate and understand the hard work that these athletes put forth.

Ahhhh!!!!!!

Just thought I'd let you know....our renter backed out. So here we go again. I'll clean my house tomorrow in hopes that we have traffic coming through over the weekend. I did enjoy my stress-free week of no cleaning, but that's over.

Running Again

Dallin had his first track meet of the season yesterday. It was an away meet with one other school. He ran two events: 1600 meter (1 mile) with a time of 5:02 and the 800 (1/2 mile) with a time of 2:13, placing 4th. He looked great in both events and was very happy with his performance. Since this is the first time EVER that he has run track it was a great meet for him. We look forward to improvements throughout the short season. There is a huge meet with 20 schools on Saturday. Should be cool to watch the amazing athletes. Dallin getting pumped up with another teammate.

Standing and waiting for the start.On your mark......

Get set.......GO!!!!!!!!

Snow Day

It's official. We had our first snow day of the year in Georgia today. I was shocked to be watching the news this morning and hear that Gwinnett County schools were closed. Just thought I'd share some pictures from my yard of what a snow day looks like in Georgia. Pretty serious stuff, don't ya think?

This is right by the side of the house in the shade. Look at all that SNOW!

A little bit of snow in my flower pot. Wow! It's just incredible.

A view from the front porch looking out onto the street. Look at all that white stuff piled up. The backyard view. It's going to take days before it all melts.

Blue and Gold

Only two more to go! Two more blue and gold banquets to go to for Easton and then I don't have anymore for the rest of my life! What an exciting time of life for us. Friday was Easton's first blue and gold banquet as a Cub scout. Oh, the sloppy joes and chips were fabulous and the skits were unusually funny. The awards ceremony went on without a hitch. But, I have to say the highlight of the evening was Easton winning second place in the cake decorating contest. We always seem to do well in this event (history will show that Dallin and Landon both took awards in previous contests) and really let the creativity flow. The theme was "America" so we chose to make a baseball hat cake--you know, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. Easton was thrilled with the event and had fun "helping" me design a cake. And I'll have you know that I didn't have a cake mix in the pantry and wasn't in the mood to go to the store so we actually made the cake from a recipe. It was way better than a box cake. Who knew? We weren't cake people growing up so we never ventured into that part of cooking. Actually, I'm still not a cake person.Easton shows off his second place ribbon. First place was a cake with a mountain range made out of rice krispies and other cute stuff.