Camping in the rain at Goblin Valley

It's been years since my entire family have all been able to get together on a camping trip. My parents thought it was high time and we went somewhere that was a special spot for our family. We used to go there a lot when I was just a wee little girl. It was great to see the whole family playing nice!

We made plenty of marshmallows and I completely fell off the diet wagon on this trip.
Bella and my sis.

Bella and her amazing mommy!

Two love birds!

All the Grand kids!

We had so many tents that we had to take up some of the road.

See all the little Goblin's?

It rained EVERYDAY!! I was looking forward to doing some hiking but I was to cold and to afraid of the mud.

My beautiful family

More mud!

The best part was the kids crying all night because they were scared it was going to flood! That made it spectacular especially cuz all our tents were so close together!

All in all it turned out to be a really fun trip. on the last day it stopped raining long enough for us to do some hiking. I don't have pictures cuz I still don't have a camera these above are courtesy of my mother.

Dear Husband....

I LOVE that it is summer, but I hate the fact the little creepy crawlies think they can invade my house! I had to be brave enough to kill this spider who thought he could just make himself a home in my kitchen because James was out of the house. I however was not brave enough to clean up his remains, That is why I LOVE my hubby!

Team Schwartz update

I couldn't think of a clever title because this post will be a whole mess of different things. I don't have much time to blog these days so you get the updates all at once....Deal.

The Beauty Queen.

Bella decided she wanted to wear a dress and I told her no because it was to cold outside so she went in her room, took off her pants and put on another shirt and made a skirt out of two shirts. Clever girl! She then decided that two shirts are not enough and she would need to try on every shoe in the house. And for the final touch no she needed her jacket and princess crown.

Easter 2009
We did an Easter egg hunt at my friend, Tori's house and at my parents the next day. She got spoiled from the Easter bunny.


Children's Museum
She was afraid of the horse. She kept wanting to go up to it but when I put her on she would have a melt down.

The water was the best part for her and the doll house with the kitchen. When we got home she had to play in the kitchen sink.

My little news caster

Lego's

She only liked the helicopter after I told her Daddy would have liked to see it.

Little sailor

Bella had a great time at the children's museum. We will have to go back again soon.

I would have pictures of the Zoo from this Sunday but my camera magically got dropped while trying to take a picture by the giraffes. Darn, I hate when I have to buy new/nicer things!

April Fools Dinner

Last night was April fools day. I don't usually play any jokes on James but last night I decided I would have a little fun with his food. I made Dinner for desert and desert for dinner. I forgot to take a picture of the meatloaf so you will just have to take my word for it that it looked like a strawberry pie.
It was the last time I am going to make cupcakes because not only do I want to be skinny again but now money is involved. We are doing a biggest looser with my friends and the stakes are higher. Wish me luck! I think I am going to be the big looser!

Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 Yellow or White Cake Mix (**sale** Pillsbury $1.25)
4 Large eggs (**sale** Large AA 18 ct. $1.89)
Oil called for on cake mix box
1 cup buttermilk
1-2 Tubs White frosting (**sale** Pillsbury $1.39)
Yellow Food Coloring
15 oz. jar low-sugar strawberry jam (better color in low-sugar jam)
1 bar white chocolate (3 oz. or so)
12 - 24 pieces Ferrero Rocher candy
2 zip-lock bags (large, freezer-quality)
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water and buttermilk. Beat with a hand mixer 2 minutes. Prepare cupcake pan by lining with yellow or white cupcake paper liners. Pour batter into cupcake liners until 2/3 way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and completely cool. Tint white frosting a "pasta" color by adding 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring. Spoon frosting into freezer bags, seal and snip a VERY small corner off and push frosting through snipped hole. When cupcakes are cool, drizzle frosting in a random pattern to resemble pasta. Place 1 chocolate candy on each cupcake to look like a meat ball and spoon a little strawberry jam over the meatball to mimic spaghetti sauce. Keep cool until ready

to serve.

For the fauxberry pie, I just made meat loaf in a pie pan. Mixed mashed potatoes and beets together to make the color. then added the potatoes to the top of the meat loaf. It looked like a whipped strawberry pie.

Zion's National Park

Bella had to climb every big rock she saw. She was so brave and so adventurous. She didn't get that from me.

Bella taking a walk with my dad. She loved to sleep in the "bus" or known as a trailer to the rest of the world.

No trip with my family would be the same if we didn't have to stop and check out the wild life.

Bella liked looking at the fishies in the river

This tree was actually kinda high up for a photo shoot but looks like its right on the ground.

We did a small hike, It was about a mile round trip. We found a small cave with water running down it. Bella thought it was great. She got a little muddy, but whats a little mud going to do?

My wonderful parents

It was really a nice vacay. Thanks to my parents for making it all possible.

St. George

We needed a little R&R.
We decided to get away from the snow storm and head south where it is warm with my parents.
Here are some pictures of us playing in the sand in Snow Canyon. I hope that because I didnt get to go to the gym this week that doing some hiking during this trip will help for some of that, but most likely not from all the crap I have ate.

It's been so nice to get away from the snow and the inversion in SLC. And the best part is that my parents came with us and brought their trailor and it does not even feel like we are camping. I love it. Pictures of our trip of Zion's Canyon Another Day.

Rest Peacefully Grandpa

Arlo Ward 1922 ~ 2009 Arlo Ward, age 86, passed away February 24, 2009. He was married on February 7, 1942 to the love of his life, Emma Emelia Muir.

He and Emelia have been together for 67 years. Arlo was a general contractor, building homes all over the Salt Lake Valley. He loved the outdoors and taught his children and grandchildren that same love. He took his family on many camping, fishing, hunting and snowmobiling trips. He had 4 children, 21 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

I loved going to their house and steeling food out of their garden. Especially the peas, grapes and strawberries. I will always remember going on my first fishing trip with my grandpa and falling in the river. He just reached down and scooped me out of the river. After that I decided fishing was not for me and I just played with the plastic boats my grandma bought fo us. I loved going camping with him and my grandma. He loved to be a big kid and he was never to tired to play with us kids. He took us snow mobiling and taught us how to manage a garden. He was an amazing man. If anyone knew him, you would know he loved to tell stories about when he was younger.

You will be missed so much grandpa. Because you wrote all your stories down, They will forever continue on through your grand children and greats.

We will take care of your sweet heart, our grandma. Your memory will always be with us.
Even though I am so very sad that he is gone, I am so glad that he is our of his pain. I could truely feel that he was happy and pain free.