The Panther Edition

Welcome to Georgia State University. I went back to school this spring at GSU and am now a Panther. I previously attended Ricks College (a long time previously) whose colors were also blue and white, so in that regard I feel right at home. In almost every other way, Georgia State and Ricks College are almost as opposite as you could imagine.

Ricks College (now known as BYU-Idaho) is privately owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most classes begin with a prayer. There is a strict dress code- no shorts allowed! There is also a strict honor code (the same one that is now famous because of the BYU basketball player who broke it.)

Contrast that with my current experience at Georgia State. There is definitely no prayer in class, except the one I say in my head before each test I take. The strict dress code consists of "Please cover your body somehow, someway before you walk on campus." And the strict honor code is totally nonexistent.

Despite these differences, however, I am grateful for the experiences of both. BYU-Idaho was a wonderful experience in which I met and made many true friends that I am still very close to today. It furthered my faith in God and I am grateful for the spiritual experiences I had there as well as the education that I got there. The experiences that I am having at Georgia State are teaching me to appreciate more fully those who are different from myself. And, to rely more on my faith in God to get my through all my commitments and accomplish all that is expected of me.

There are 4 weeks left of this semester. So far I have A's in all my classes. I have several papers, presentations, and, of course, finals coming up so we'll see if my A's come through all that unscathed on the other end! But, if not, I'll know I did my best and that's what counts!

If at first you don't succeed...

So I quit blogging for a while because it was taking up too much time and it was difficult for me to get my pictures to post in the order that I wanted them. So basically I gave up. However, I have decided to try again so here goes nothing...

This summer my sister Jennifer and her family and my sister Emily and her family came to visit. My parents came too. We had such a fun time and the cousins really enjoyed getting to see each other again!

This is Asher and Jonah (Jennifer's kids) dressed up in my kids' karate uniforms. They would put them on any chance they got!

Jeremiah and Asher. They had lots of fun playing in our dirt/mud. I asked them what they were doing and they said they were making a "home" for their frogs. I'm not quite sure the frogs survived the ordeal.

The adults had a great time playing games.

And the cousins all had a great time playing together. Don't you love this picture? This was before Emily got here. L to R: Timothy, Jeremiah, Jonah, Rebekah, Asher, & Alli.

And here is Sophie below (Jennifer's youngest.) Isn't she so cute!?!

A Perfect Soup Recipe for a Cold Winter Day

Here is a very YUMMY soup recipe. I made it this weekend when Timothy tested for his black belt (that is another post that I need to do soon!) I had several requests for the recipe so I thought I would post it here :) It's perfect for a cold winter day!

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup
(from the Taste of Home magazine)

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper (I left this out)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (16 ounces) Velveeta, cubed
crumble, cooked bacon

In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with bacon.

Yield: 14 servings (about 3 1/2 quarts)

Congratulations to Timothy!

In Georgia, we have a standardized test called the CRCT. Every student in grades 1-8 must take it. For first grade there are three subjects: reading, math, and English/language arts. At our elementary school the administration keeps all the scores a secret until the 4th quarter Honor's Day. After all the other awards are given out they reveal who the top performer in each subject is. That person wins a trophy.

Today was the Honor's Day ceremony for 4th quarter. Timothy was very excited to see if he would win any trophies. Last year he watched as one boy won a trophy in every category! I think Timothy was secretly hoping to do the same. We had several talks before today about how hard that would be and that winning just one trophy would be a great accomplishment!

The principal, Ms. Bates, began to read out the winners of the Reading Trophy. There were several students who had all tied for first. After hearing four other people's names called out you could tell Timothy was disappointed but still hopeful for one of the other categories. But, after a slight pause we heard "Timothy Mitchell" called out. He was so excited!! He hurried up to the stage for his trophy! I quickly hurried to the front to get a picture. I was on the way back to my seat and Timothy's teacher whispered to me, "Don't go very far." I thought to myself, "Did he really win another one?"

Next, Ms. Bates was announcing the winner of the Math Trophy. "This person," she said, "doesn't have to go very far: Timothy Mitchell!" Timothy was so excited! Two trophies! There was another winner for the Math Trophy as well. His name is Grant. Timothy and Grant are good friends so that was really fun for them to tie each other.

Next, Ms. Bates began announcing the winner of the English/Language Arts Trophy. "And the winners are Timothy Mitchell and Grant Tomlinson!" Timothy and Grant had tied again! I couldn't believe it! Timothy had actually won all three trophies!!! It was so exciting!

Then the Chick-fil-A cow showed up! Timothy won a gift certificate from Chick-fil-A too!

And he got to have his picture taken with the cow and the trophies!

I am so proud of Timothy and how hard he works in school. He loves to learn and loves to work hard in school! I am also thankful for such a wonderful elementary school that has an amazing group of administrators! They love each student and try so hard to make each student feel like they are the best they can be!

Happy Easter and Happy Birthdays!

We celebrated Easter at the lake with the Mitchell family. My mom and dad came for the weekend as well as April's grandparents. We also had a birthday party for Timothy and Jeremiah and their cousin Cade.

We had a wonderful time and are very grateful for all our wonderful family.

Rebekah dying Easter eggs.

Jeremiah dying Easter eggs. He was so tired from going golfing with my dad.
Timothy excited!

Cousin Ali! So beautiful! She loved dying the eggs.

The daddies: Ryan and Tyler.

The activity while all the eggs were being hidden.

The "grandpas" all watching the daddies hide the eggs.

The hunt is on!

Look at all those eggs! Way to go Jeremiah!

The boys went fishing after dinner. They caught two fish!

Then we did cake and presents. It was a fun-filled afternoon! Thanks everybody for so much fun!

Teaching Mom and Dad to blog

My parents are visiting this weekend. My sister created a blog for them 2 years ago. They posted pictures of themselves while they were vacationing in Disney World. My mom just corrected me. My FATHER posted pictures while they were on vacation. So...they've never posted anything since.

Since I'm the good daughter that I am, I am taking advantage of this opportunity to show them, again, how to post. Then my children can look at some new pictures of them. Rebekah thinks my mom must be best friends with Sleeping Beauty, since they are always in the pictures together. :)

This is Rebekah sitting on Timothy's back. Rebekah is probably only 9 or 10 months old.

Here is Rebekah playing peek-a-boo with my Dad.

Having fun

These are just some fun pictures from this past weekend and today. We were having Family Home Evening this afternoon instead of tonight since Timothy has softball practice tonight.

Jeremiah is too cute! Who would ever guess that such a happy boy was such a grumpy baby?

Timothy's assignment for FHE was treats. I made a cake while they were at school and he got to decorate it. He was trying to put a rabbit on it so it would be an Easter cake.

Timothy's first games of the season were scheduled for last Friday and Saturday. It rained cats and dogs all day on both days so he didn't get to play. He did enjoy putting on his pants and helmet and posing for the camera, even if he didnt' get to play.

We still haven't gotten their team t-shirts so he opted for a karate shirt instead.

And here is just a snapshot of the craziness that we have at our house. Pretty entertaining, in my opinion. :)