The Wall of Separation

I am pretty sure I qualify to be a card-carrying member of the "religious right," but truth be told, they scare me. I have been trying to figure out why there exists such a chasm between me and "them." I mean, I go to church AT LEAST twice a week and read scriptures everyday. I love Jesus and I try to follow him, I am a registered Republican, fiscally conservative and mostly socially conservative ( I know they'd have my hide on the sujects of abortion, public education, and stem cell research, to name a few "departures"). I think I should feel more in common with these folks than I do.

But mostly the whole catgory makes me shudder. This year's crusade is to put CHRISTMAS back into the "Holidays." "They" are boycotting stores that advertise "Holiday Sales" instead of Christmas Sales and stuff like that. Thing is, I am all for separation of church and advertising, just as much as church and state. I mean, if it's a Christmas sale, does that mean you can't get the discount for Hannukah, Ramamdan, Kwanzaa, or just cuz you WANT it? Let's just call it holiday. You dont' step on my toes and I won't step on yours.

For the record, I believe that public things should be ethical and religiously neuutral, and private things should be deeply spiritual, religious, commited, and meaningful--to each his own. And pleeeeease crazy religious right people, stop speaking for Christians as if we all agree onthis stuff.

End of rant. Your thoughts?

Decking the Halls

Yesterday we decorated little trees for the side windows. The girls hung most of the ornaments themselves and I tried to just be the creative director. We will get our big tree for the Living room this weekend. Also in this room, we put up the cute Rudolph Village that my mom sent because there was no other high, flat space in the house...we love it! Heidi's Teddy Bear Tree (these pix were taken at 8am--it's so dark out!)
Bed-Head Addie and her Nutcracker Tree

Addie's tree close up...merry, merry!

The Rudolph Village from Nana
The guest room/ Christmas staging room

The Tree Tops Glisten

Weather.com's local page says it's MINUS 14 and feels like MINUS 36. What can I say? Nothing. I can say nothing except "Brrrrr." Although I just got out of the hot tub and I am sweating a little bit and drinking an ice water. Heh, heh.

I guess mother nature was easing me into Montana winters the past three years. My fourth winter (which technically hasn't even begun yet) is cookin' up to be a doozie. [Aside--you'll forgive my whining about the weather--it comes with the territory when you're reading a blog written by an AZ girl transplanted to MT--I do it every winter and will probably double it up this year!]

My poor house bound kids! I let them jump on my bed today cuz they had to let of some steam. We decorated mini-trees today--Addie's is ballerinas and nutcrackers and Heidi's is teddy bears. They are in the guest room windows, and when I am not afraid that the weather will break the camera, I will take a picture. It's really quite magical.

Well, much love to all--I wish you down comforters, hot cocoas and sweet dreams!

Belated Post

Last week we had a really nice (and really cold) flag ceremony in our neighborhood to celebrate the completion of our building project (the flags really are SO nice and big!). I was interviewed by the Bozeman Chronicle, but they only used a few of the wacky things I said in this article .

It's weird to reflect on the building process. Again, like childbirth, the brain mercifully blocks it out. But unlike childbirth, the memory hasn't faded enough to make me want to build again. Never, no, never will we build again. Customize or remodel, MAYBE. Ugh...I'm getting nauseated just thinking about it!

Anyway, enjoy the article. I'm enjoying the fact that my house is 68 degress while outside, though sunny and bright and magically white, it's "0 degrees, feels like -19." --Oy veh.

PS: That guy they quote in the article, Josh Keller (first they call him Josh Ryan)---well, we always called him Ross Gellar because he's very Ross-ish. I think he's our same age, too.

Shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather

snuggle bugs...14 months ago!

I'll give you a dime if you can tell me where the title of this post comes from...seriously, you should stop lurking around my blog and start commenting, folks.

But back to the shiver in my bones. Let me quote weather.com right this minute: 6 degreesF, feels like -9 (that's MINUS!), with light snow, winds from ENE at 12 mph (which is like NO wind here in Livingston where it averages 40mph any given day), and the humidity is 85%.

All I can say is I am glad to be IN the house, not BUILDING it this winter! The ranchers say it's gonna be a hard one.

While we were all pent up today, I did 2 loads of laundry, made crock pot beef stew and wheat bread for dinner, and a delicious Aroz con Leche (rice pudding). It's one of my favorite recipes and I love you so much, I'm going to share it with you.

Arroz con Leche
From Dora the Explorer
7c milk
1 ½ c sugar
1T cinnamon
1t nutmeg
1c converted rice
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1T vanilla
½ t salt
½ c raisins (optional—or mixed dried fruit)

§ Boil milk over high heat; stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Reduce heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Add rice and salt, cover pot, and simmer 45 min.
§ In a mixing bowl, whisk egg, yolks, and vanilla. Remove rice from heat and add egg mixture slowly; return to heat and stir for 3 minutes.
§ Remove from heat; add raisins or fruit; pour into bowl (s) and cool in the refrigerator.


...a cheap, yummy, comfort food to share with a loved one while you snuggle out the storm.

Arizona Dreamin' on such a winter's day...

This is the view from our front window. Addie chose these Snowman window clings at the thrift store last week (they were 25 cents)--they say "Let it snow," and boy, did it! The forecast is the same for 10 days, so we are hunkering down and I am trying to keep my kids occupied! Even though I hate being in the snow, I will take them out to play if it's around 40 degrees. But when it's in the 20's, sorry kids! Your AZ mommy is keeping us all inside!

To distract Addie today, I gave her some Pop Rocks I bought at Michael's with Audrey last Friday. She put them on her tongue and her eyes lit up. "Hey," she exclaimed, "What's goin' on in my mouth?" She cracks us up!

And there's more good news for this dreary winter day: they are building an IKEA in Draper, Utah! Only a few miles from my sister's house and at the very same exit as the first aparment where Rich & I lived when we got married. YAY! That's one less reason to go to California.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Uncle Sam was born!

My mom's brother Sam was born 11/28/52. Here he is in 1953...
...and at Christmas 1971 (holding chubby little me). He was about to leave for his mission in Central America in this photo. He has always been a fabulous uncle and the most entertaining chiropractor/police officer/teacher EVER! Happy Birthday, Uncle Sam!

Basement Hot Springs

On Saturday night, we had planned to have a Cousin Pizza Party for Addie's birthday at Grandma's and then take the kids swimming at Chico. BUT--all of us were exhausted by Sat. night (building log beds and wrangling kids), so the other Melins went to Chico and we talked our kids into "Swimming" in the jacuzzi tub downstairs. Although our master basement bathroom is still unfinished (needs tile and a crapper), the tub works and the kids had fun. Heidi, Liam, Melanie, & Addie enjoy their dip inthe 'cuzzi.
Happy Liam
Silly Addie
Bubble kids

Cutie Pies

Spencer & Heidi

Melanie, Liam, & Addie rolled, cut, baked, and decorated 4 dozen cookies for Addie's cousin party on Saturday night. Here they are busily rolling out sugar cookie dough.
having fun...
Decorationg the cookies...

Liam rolled his last bit of gingerbread dough into a "snake" and when it cooked, it looked a little bit like a poo--Audrey wanted to write "To Willy From Rincon (their dog)" on it, but Liam wanted to put pink frosting and blue sprinkles on it.