Fifteen Minutes of Delusion

Here are the girls in their Christmas dresses for their 2009 portraits.

I hope your Christmas was safe, warm, and full of only happy surprises. Ours was. My Christmas Eve started with a trip to the dentist - 7:00 am, to be precise. It's admittedly a strange way to start the season, and I hope to not make a habit of it. But there you go. They did a periodontal cleaning, so they numbed my whole mouth. Fortunately, yogurt in a tube can be eaten even with a numb mouth (as long as you have a good napkin). I still had a bit of shopping to do - some for Christmas presents, some for the regular weekly needs, and some for Christmas Eve dinner. My first stop wasn't too bad, since it was 8:00 am. However, by the time I finished my errands at around 1:00, parking lots and checkout lines were cram-packed with people. To top it off, Mother Nature decided to bless us with a white Christmas, and she was in full-force delivery mode. I drove home in some very heavy, blowing snow. Fortunately, the day before had been in the mid seventies, so there was no real danger

This is a post far too long in the making, but it's time I get it up here for you to see. As longtime readers of the blog will know, we here at the ranch are raising guinea pigs. It's a small operation, and with only little girl piggies it's destined to stay small. We started out last year with Lillie and Duchess. Then this summer, in a moment of tremendous weakness, I allowed Anna to get a third guinea pig named Mia (or Mina, as Alyssa calls her). All was fine in piggy land until around Halloween, when Duchess got sick. Her little lymph glands grew to the size of large marbles, and after a course of antibiotics they still weren't reduced. About this same time, Lillie's glands started to swell as well. So the vet lanced Duchess' glands and gave us a different antibiotic - enough for both Duchess and Lillie. The new antibiotic worked on the infection, but it also robbed the piggies of their appetites. Neither one would eat anything. Despite our best efforts to nu

It was an epic holiday project two and a half weeks in the making! Well, okay - maybe it wasn't really all that much. But it did manage to take two and a half weeks. However, the gingerbread house is now done, and bringing joy and laughter to all who see it. Here's how it went down. I mixed up our favorite gingerbread dough way back on November 29th, and then put it into the fridge to chill for two hours. Six days later, I took the dough out of the fridge, and rolled it out onto parchment paper. I then cut out the five pieces that make up this modernist masterpiece and backed them to perfection. After the pieces spent six days hardening, I put them together using nasty white frosting made from stale Crisco. The unconventional design is so the finished product can live under glass. Then the next day I attempted to move the house to its home on the cake plate, and it totally fell apart. So the next time I put it together, it was on the cake plate itself. Then last night - finall

This past Saturday, I convinced Alyssa to go shopping with me by promising to take her to the mall to visit Santa. I was not exactly looking forward to standing in a long line, only to have her hide when the big moment came. But I was willing to try. As Santa didn't get to the mall until 10:00, we made Wal-Mart our first stop, where we stocked up on groceries and pull-ups and children's Motrin - all the essentials. We also needed to return a video to the Redbox there in the store, but I realized that we'd forgotten it on the seat of the van. No problem- we just loaded the groceries in the van and took the video back into the store. By this time, it was getting pretty close to 10:00, and my hopes of making it to the mall a little early were not to be. However, as we walked back into the store, I noticed a sign that said Santa would be at Wal-Mart at 10:00 - and they were taking free pictures. Now, "free" is one of my favorite things, and I felt pretty certain the l

A couple of weekends ago, Anna spent nearly her entire Saturday with the rest of her band friends auditioning for a spot in one of the two All-Region Middle School Honor Bands. The region covers a pretty good chunk of the surrounding area, and includes probably a dozen middle and junior high schools. Now, bear in mind that auditioning is not Anna's favorite thing. Add to that the way she aggressively guards Saturday time, and it becomes clear that the only way Anna would agree to do this audition was if it counted towards her grade. Which it does. So she did. But despite not wanting to spend her Saturday auditioning, she made third chair in the second band, which was very exciting! It also meant that she would have to give up another Saturday for rehearsals and the concert. Said Saturday was yesterday. The combined bands practiced all day Friday - into the early evening - and then again Saturday morning, with the concert early Saturday afternoon. She did a great job, despite feelin

I'm sure my friends and family in Utah and other points north will be tempted to mock us and our pitiful little snowfall, but when such a thing only happens once or twice a season - and the weatherman predicted rain - even a little snow is a big deal. I decided to try and take a picture with the Christmas lights on - the lights I hung five days ago in short sleeves - but you'll have to click through to the larger image to see them. I was able to hang them from the ladder, without actually climbing on the roof. So, yay! The girls were excited for the snow, and I'm excited to be working from home and not have to commute in the white stuff.

Oh, my goodness. What. A. Weekend. In a good way, of course. Thanksgiving Weekend 2009 is winding to a close, and I am thoroughly exhausted. So much so that the thought of sitting on my bum all week writing computer code sounds like a bit of a vacation. Kara, the girls, and I had a nice dinner here at home. A few weeks ago, we'd talked about taking a trip down to SeaWorld, but decided that would be just a bit too much, and would probably throw us off for the rest of the weekend. Kara makes a wicked good turkey, and together we made our traditional honey pumpkin pie. (If there's enough interest, I'll have her post recipes.) I also made our famous eggnog ice cream (pour one quart eggnog into an ice cream freezer and say 'go.' That's it!) and baked a key lime pie recipe for my friend Josi (she writes culinary mysteries, and I'm lucky enough to be part of her test kitchen). The girls helped quite a bit with making the other side dishes, which made the day fun. I

There's a new Christmas story collection available, and I'm part of it! The book is called Stolen Christmas and it's a compilation of winning stories from the LDSPublisher blog annual Christmas story contest. These books are being sold for the very affordable amount of $7.99. You can't even buy a hardback bestseller from Wal-Mart for that price! To purchase your very own copy (or two or three), click here . By Lds Publisher, Roger Bonner, Don Carey, Laura Craner, Joyce DiPastena, Sarah M. Eden, L. T. Elliot, Gussie Fick, Melanie Goldmund, M. Gray, Taegyn Hutchinson, Angie Lofthouse, Lori Nawyn, Tristi Pinkston, Brian C. Ricks, Sandra Sorenson, Janice Sperry, Christine Thackeray What happens when you're so poor you have to steal your Christmas presents? Have you ever taken a punch in the face as your Christmas gift to the girl you love? Or saved Christmas while hunting were-weevils? These award-winning Christmas stories are the best of the best from the L

Recently, I received an email from my friend Tristi Pinkston, Senior Editor of the new Valor Publishing Group , asking if I would read and review Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story as part of its virtual book tour. The book was written by Utah Attorney General Mark L. Shurtleff, and is the first title to be published by Valor. I jumped at the chance to read and review this book, as I have heard a lot about it, and the story it tells marks a pivotal moment in the history of this great nation. Plus, I'm always happy to let someone send me a free book. The complete description of this book can be found below, but in a nutshell, Dred Scott was a slave who took his fight for freedom all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. The Court's decision in the case of Scott vs. Sanford galvanized both sides in the slavery debate, and was referenced heavily in the successful presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln. Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story is a very powerful book. It is a nove

So Saturday, after I got the mud washed off of me and my tools, it was time for the weekly grocery shopping trip. I like taking one (but not both!) of the girls with me, as it's fun to have someone to talk to as I go from store to store. Neither one really likes going, though. However, I still ask anyway. When I asked Alyssa if she wanted to go to Costco and get some samples, she said, "Park?" I agreed that if she came with me, we could stop at the park (or in this case, the playground at her school). While I pushed her on the swings, it occurred to me that I had forgotten the RedBox video, which needed to be returned. So we drove back home to get the movie. Once we were there, Alyssa insisted that I leave her at home. "Don't you want to go to Costco and get samples?" "No! Me home." There was no convincing her otherwise, and I ran my errands all alone. She'd gotten her trip to the park, and nothing else mattered. Used and abandoned by my own

We have at our house and aerobic septic system. This means that the water gets separated and processed and purified and pumped out through sprinklers in the back yard, while the yucky stuff stays behind in the tank. It's an efficient system, and works pretty well. Except when it doesn't. We've noticed that while one of the sprinklers has been spraying correctly, the other one has been sporadic, and recently stopped working all together. This triggered an alarm condition on the system, and we called the maintenance guy to come take a look. He fixed a problem with the pump, and then went to look at the second sprinkler. Nothing was coming out, even though the pump was working and the first sprinkler was going great guns. So he took the sprinkler head off. Nothing. Assuming this must mean a rock or something was plugging the connection, he dug up the end of the pipe and cut it off. Still nothing. Since this fix-it guy charges big money per hour, and the problem was obviously i

The girls and I had a great time at Sea World yesterday. I will attempt to share the fun of the day in Seen and Heard format, with a Texted thrown in for good measure. Seen: Anna watching cartoons on her computer instead of getting ready to go. Heard : Dad - Anna, come on and get in the car. It's time to go. Anna - But I haven't eaten breakfast yet! Seen: Some kind of butterfly migration taking place near San Antonio and making a mess of our windshield. Seen: Anna and Alyssa loving on each other while posing at the Trick or Treat Street props. (Sadly, Alyssa was too old to participate in the Trick or Treat Street.) Seen: This guy, standing ten feet tall, wearing a glittery blue fish on his head, and giving me a great idea for a character in a future novel. Seen: Alyssa absolutely refusing to pose with a mermaid. Heard: Alyssa insisting on posing with this couple, and Anna being the one to refuse. Seen and Heard: The Count, Elmo, and the gang. Alyssa loved this show even mo

It all started last month when I noticed October 31st fell on a Saturday. I asked the girls if they would like to spend Halloween at Sea World, and they both jumped at the chance. We know they decorate the park and have special shows during October, so we thought this would be a lot of fun. Plus, it would get us out of Trick-0r-Treats for the year. This is a good thing, because neither girl holds their sugar well. And besides, this still left the Trunk or Treat activity our church does every year for costumes and candy. The bombshell came a couple of weeks ago, when it was announced that Trunk or Treat would be held the same night as Anna's band concert. "I'm not going to the concert," she announced. "You're willing to fail band just to get a bunch of candy?" I asked. "Yes," she replied. "I don't think so." So this year, Halloween is going to be a little different around our house. We still brought down the old Imagewriter II box

Josi, Thank you for your kind words. You are an inspiration to us as well! I have some thoughts on who to tag. I'll pass on my suggestions to Don. 1. Where is your cell phone?....On the counter charging. 2. Your hair? ...... Thicker and curlier than ever. 3. Your mother? ...... Hopefully smiling. 4. Your father?..... cat lover. 5. Your favorite food? ...... Do I have to choose just one? cassava and yak, oh, and pumpkin pie! 6. Your dream last night?.... should've asked me when I woke up. 7. Your favorite drink?.... Since this is Texas, I have to answer Dr. Pepper. It's like the law or something. 8. Your dream/goal? .... For my family to be in perfect health and on our way to Italy. 9. What room are you in? ...... bedroom. 10. Your hobby? .... creating recipes for the family. 11. Your fear? ..... I will be stuck inside for the rest of my life! 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?... Financially secure and physically healthy. 13. Where were you last night?..... home, watc

Last week Kara and I were given this award by the lovely and talented Josi Kilpack , an amazing lady who has quickly become one of our favorite authors. I'm honored to consider Josi both a mentor and a friend, and I was tickled to get this award from her. This is Josi and I at the 2009 Whitney Awards Gala. Here's what she said about us: Don & Kara —They joint blog, so it goes to both of them, but together, and apart, they are such examples of what life really is. They have some trials, big ones that I can’t imagine, and yet if you ever read their blog they have such joy in their lives, in each other, and in their two daughters. AND, despite their family focus and optimism amid trial, they are generous and motivated toward the accomplishment of their own goals and dreams. That is a very rare gift indeed. Wow - that was great! Thank you, Josi. This award comes with a meme, which I have completed below. (I'm still thinking of who to pass this award on to - I'm not part

Things have been happening here. Rain and temperatures are both falling, animal populations are shifting and changing, and seasonal decorations are finding their way out of the attic. We also got a nice blog award from our friend, Josi, and we'll be posting about that soon. But first, a report on some of the fun things happening in the kitchen. We have an old recipe, a new recipe, a blue recipe, and they're all borrowed. (It kinda works, right?) Okay, here we go. First up, the old: Gingerbread. This is an old favorite. We've been making these cookies for years. With the cooler weather, it's now gingerbread season, although in my opinion it's always gingerbread season. In the interest of typing time, blog space, and giving proper credit, I'll go ahead and link to the recipe. We use the classic Betty Crocker recipe, which can be found here . Next is the blue: Almond Blueberry Cookies. These are some cookies Kara recently came up with. They have quickly become a f