Owner: Chocolate on my Cranium URL:http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:00:22 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: As the mother of seven children there's always something exciting going on around here - crafts, sewing, photography, cooking, homeschooling, and eating lots and lots of chocolate. Site statistics:Click here
Joy in the Service 2008-07-08 04:20:00 Remember yesterday I had a big announcement to make? Well for the next 6-8 years I will be a bishop's widow. Mr. Ferrero Rocher was sustained and set apart to be the bishop of our ward on Sunday. For those not familiar with my LDS faith, a bishop is similar to a pastor or minister. He will be responsible for our congregation - leading, teaching, guiding, counseling. We believe in a lay ministry wh Read more:Service
Weekend Blowout Party 2008-07-07 13:59:00 Meet Mr. Ferrero Rocher's family. His wonderful parents are in the middle of the photo surrounded by nine of their ten children, five children in law, and 29 of their 34 grandchildren.Everyone migrated up here for a huge day of family fun. We started the day off with cousin J's baptism. She turned eight on July 4. We then gathered at my SIL's house for sub sandwiches. After about an hour's rest th Read more:Blowout
, Party
, Weekend
Independence Day 2008 2008-07-04 17:42:00 Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans! May your day be filled as John Adams envisioned in this letter to his wife, Abigail:"The *second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn a Read more:Independence
, Independence Day
Flag Chimes 2008-07-03 00:17:00 This is my Love Thursday entry for several reasons. The kiddos painted these on Monday when the beloved bookmobile came to our house. We LOVE when Ms. Ginny makes the trek out here. In the summer she has a new activity each time she comes as well as goodie bags for those participating in the Bookmobile Summer Reading Program. With six of these all painted up and hanging out on the deck they make t
This drink is da BOMB! 2008-06-30 11:55:00 Remember those bomb popsicles from your youth? My kids love the ones we get from Schwan's. Its just plain fun to eat a striped popsicle with different flavors for each layer. Several years ago I decided to take the same concept and turn those bomb popsicles into a drink.The results were one cool to look at, refreshing to sip on a sweltering summer day drink.Ingredients:Cranberry JuiceBlue Gatorade
Soulful Supplications 2008-06-29 00:59:00 Children sometimes say the darndest, cutest things. At our house lately it seems to happen at prayer time. We try to teach our children to think back on their day before praying to reflect on the blessings they received or maybe to recognize some mistakes they've made that they can work on and ask God for help with. Now children, in particular little children, are very honest about their feelings, Read more:Soulful
Hauling Hay 2008-06-27 05:44:00 Most big bale farmers around here use bale wagons to pick up their bales in the fields. We do it differently, more efficiently (at least in my opinion). I realized after I watched this that I mumbled a lot so you can't hear most of what I'm saying. You can hear the important parts though. :P The haze in the air is a result of the smoke from the wildfires in Northern California.
Mr. Ferrero Roche
Big Bad Balers 2008-06-26 05:06:00 The boys (I guess I should say men but I got into the habit of saying the boys) do the baling: Mr. Ferrero Rocher, his two brothers, and a brother-in-law. Baling is typically done 1 - 3 days after raking depending on the heat. For this first crop they'd start baling around 3am because of the dew, bale two pivots, and get done about 8 or 9 in the morning. They'd come home for breakfast, a quick 1/2 Read more:Big Bad
Mi Familia 2008-06-25 08:51:00 (photos taken by my brother Jon)
Raking Hay 2008-06-25 04:46:00 Alfalfa needs to dry properly in order to make good hay. If it's left in a swath then only the top layer can cure. Depending on how hot it is the hay is raked 1 - 4 days after it is swathed. Ideally it is raked when there is the right amount of dew. If there isn't any dew the hay is more brittle and the leaves fall off making the hay less nutritious for animals. ` We have four rakes working at a
Swathing Hay 2008-06-24 03:43:00 I think my children's favorite part of haying season is the swathing. They get to spend hours on end riding with dad in the mower just spending time talking to him. It's also fun to watch the hay get mowed. The smell is is even better than freshly mowed grass. This first clip is of Special Dark. It's also kind of dark because we were in the house with out lights on. SD could see and hear the swath
Farm Week Begins! 2008-06-23 12:33:00 I used to think farmers weren't very smart. I even admitted this to Mr. Ferrero Rocher the first year we were married. I also acknowledged I was very wrong and naive. I had no idea all the things one needed to know to raise a good crop. Most of the things Mr. Ferrero Rocher, his brothers, and other farmers have learned have come from experience. It is not something you can learn in a classroom or
Coming up for air 2008-06-19 23:28:00 I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only a couple more hectic days left for the first cutting of the season. The girls have one more day of raking while the men have a few more days of baling left. I've taken some video of the whole operation and hope I can figure out how to upload it so you can all see what our life is like working on the farm in the summertime. I think next week will b
Outdoor Hour #16 - Planting Sunflowers 2008-06-17 19:35:00 I've been lax in posting about our Outdoor Hour activities (formerly known as Green Hour, read here for why it changed). Our busy season for farming is now upon us and we are just trying to survive by getting enough sleep! We skipped #14 and #15 because we still don't have many flowers to press or draw so we are saving those challenges for later on in the summer. We can and did do #16 - Planting S Read more:Sunflowers
Must See Websites 2008-06-17 00:27:00 I've come across some really great sites that I want to share with you.My ubber cool brother, the film major, let me know about this fantastic movie rating site Kids-In-Mind. They don't rate films with a regular G, PG, PG-13 or R rating but instead rate films on a scale of 0 - 10 in three areas: sex/nudity, violence/gore, profanity in that order. They then explain in detail why a film received the Read more:Websites
You Are Special Days 2008-06-16 02:11:00 I just adore my children. I enjoy being around them, watching their interactions with one another, observing their attempts to try new things or develop their talents. I realize because I have so many kiddos that sometimes they can feel lost in the shuffle or overlooked. I try to take a different child with me when I go shopping in town so we can have that one on one time with each other. Since we Read more:Special
Happy Father's Day 2008-06-15 10:26:00 To all the wonderful fathers in our lives.Mr. Ferrero RocherGrandpa VGrandpa WGuelito (variation of abuelo)Avi (grandfather in Catalan)"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!"~Lydia M. Child, Philothea: A Romance, 1836We love you all!
Read more:Father
, Happy
Customizing Your Blog Part 6 - Adding a Signature and Personlizing Comments 2008-06-13 18:44:00 Before reading this post I recommend reading the previous posts in this series:Customizing Your Blog - Part 1 Gathering Patterns and ColorsCustomizing Your Blog - Part 2 HTML CodeCustomizing Your Blog - Part 3 FontsCustomizing Your Blog - Part 4 Creating a New HeaderCustomizing Your Blog - Part 5 Adjusting Columns and Margins*****************************************************I decided to tackle Read more:Comments
, Signature
Passage To Zarahemla 2008-06-10 23:51:00 Chris Heimerdinger (that last name is almost as funny as my first name!) is a staple at our house. Or, I should say, his books are. I grew up reading the first half of the Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites series (I'm only 30) and now have my older girls hooked on them. My oldest even has the books we don't own yet on her wish list at PaperbackSwap. So when the opportunity presented itself for us to
I made Pioneer Woman Laugh! 2008-06-09 00:45:00 Ree at Confessions of a Pioneer
Woman had a "name that photo" contest yesterday afternoon. I never can figure out a good entry for those things so I usually don't enter but I did yesterday and she said it made her laugh! Really! Go look here and scroll down to "Chuckie No Cheese". I decided to sign using my real name instead of my chocolate alias.That made my day. :D
Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime? 2008-06-08 19:04:00 Ahh...the good old summertime when school is out and carefree days are full of swimming, bike riding, street ball, reading. Then the second week of summer vacation starts and you begin to hear every once in a while the whiny sounds of "I'm bored". It gradually crescendos so by the third week your ready to pull your hair out wondering how to keep everyone happy, busy and mommy sane.May I introduce Read more:Summertime
A Purple Cow? 2008-06-05 21:09:00 I love books! Old books, used books, tattered books, new books. I love reading books to my children. And I'm pretty sure they love being read to. I have fond memories of my parents reading books to me. Now they read to their grandchildren.Growing up one of our family's favorite outing was going to the bookstore. My parents had to set a limit of only two books each. Do you know how excruciatingly p Read more:Purple
Love Thursday: Baby Boy Blue 2008-06-05 05:30:00 Was going through some old photos and came across these that Mr. Ferrero Rocher took when Special Dark was still a newborn. Obviously Mr. FR hadn't learned how to focus with the new camera yet, but I love it anyway.
Read more:Baby Boy
, Love Thursday
, Thursday
Ewww YUCK! Upchuck! 2008-07-22 17:00:00 I know that's not the kind of title you really want to read but that pretty much explains our situation at the moment. All plans for the day have been sidetracked by two little girls sick with the stomach flu. Poor Truffle and Fudge having been laying on the couch each with their own containers to catch all the mess in. I train them really early to throw-up in a bucket so I don't have to do any cl
Customizing Your Blog Part 7 - Everything Else 2008-07-20 19:31:00 Before reading this post I recommend reading the previous posts in this series:Customizing Your Blog - Part 1 Gathering Patterns and ColorsCustomizing Your Blog - Part 2 HTML CodeCustomizing Your Blog - Part 3 FontsCustomizing Your Blog - Part 4 Creating a New HeaderCustomizing Your Blog - Part 5 Adjusting Columns and MarginsCustomizing Your Blog - Part 6 Adding a Signature and Personalizing Comme Read more:Everything
PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR! 2008-07-19 13:32:00 I'm not one to beg or even really ask for help but this time there's something I really need your help on. Shutter Sisters is collaborating with Blurb to create two image laden photography books. One book will be called The Daily Click. It will feature photos from their Daily Click stream. And guess what? It's up to you and me and everybody to decide which photos will be a part of the book. Here'
10 in 10 Meme 2008-07-18 04:34:00 This last meme "10 in 10 minutes" comes from Zippy. The idea is you take ten pictures of the specified "items" below, write-up a post about them, and let all your friends and family get to know you a bit better. The trick is, you can't do any "clean-up" before you take the pictures...you just point and shoot. That can be very scary, especially at our house. So here are my uncleaned up, unrevised p
Recommend Site To A Friend
