Sno Cone Tuesdays

One day as I was mowing the lawn, I had an idea for the perfect business for Dalanie.  Since she already owned a sno cone maker, we decided to utilize it.  And since the most consistent traffic during the summer happens on Tuesday night when kids are going to scouts, achievement days, and mutual, we decided to capitalize on it.  Thus, Sno Cone Tuesday were born.

It might sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of play, but by the end of the night on Tuesdays she was exhausted.    She often commented how tired her feet were from being on them for 4 hours straight.

She learned a thing or two about running a business.  Before the season started, we went to a store in Pocatello that sells the cups, straws, and flavors.  She took her wallet and stocked up on supplies.  It wasn't much fun spending $30 when she was supposed to be making money.  But it sure was nice to have the supplies free and clear when the money did start coming in.

It was almost comical the common questions that people would ask.  We practiced a response for a commonly asked question "How much money have you made?"
Her response "That's the first rule of business, you don't tell people how much money you make."

People also wanted to know "where do you get your supplies? "  It always bothered her, but we made most of them so it wasn't too big of a deal.  People also wanted to know "what are you earning money for?"  I guess since she is a kid, people figured it was fair game.

I can't remember the last time I paid for goods and services and asked the person what they were going to use the money for.  When you're 8 and have to start buying your own school clothes and want things your mom and dad won't buy for you, there is as legitimate a need for money as for an adult.

It was a bit of a task to set up shop.  I helped all along, but in the end she had it down to a science.  We had to pull the stand out in the front yard to set up shop @ 5:00 pm.  Signs had to go up by the road.  A cooler, extension cord, speaker, and table were taken out front.  There was ice, ice cream, and flavors to be toted out as well.  And then waiting. . . for customers.  A few times she would use my phone to send out texts to her friends and neighbors.

But they did come!  Dalanie had wonderful support.  Cousins, grandparents, friends, and neighbors all showed up.  Some nights were bigger business than others.  But consistency was key.  Some nights she didn't want to set things up, but if people can't count on you, they'll quit coming.

Her brother and sisters were by far her biggest consumers of sno cones.  Sometimes they worked it off, other times they paid for them, and more often than not Dalanie would just give them to them.  Especially if great big crocodile tears were concerned.

A few of her top selling flavors included peach/mango with icecream, cotton candy, and rootbeer.

It was rewarding to see her take ownership.  She had a bucket and rags to keep things wiped down.  She put out a tip jar and continually wanted to add to her lineup of flavors.  

But more than anything I was impressed by her generosity.  One of her favorite things to do was to give away a punch card for free sno cones or make them for the boys when Hudson got dropped off from scouts.  Tithing was always the first thing she took out.  And out of the money she did spend, most of it was for someone else.  A treat for the girls, popcorn for the family at the movie, or craft supplies for a playdate with her friends.  I'm grateful for her example.

There were a few times that we butted head over the sno cone stand and a few times that I threatened to shut it down.  But time has passed and those heated moments have faded away and I am left with a beautiful, quintessential summer memory of a little girl.  A little girl learning and growing, developing confidence, and filling our front yard with music and laughter and friends.

Waffle Luv Birthday

Since sleepovers are a thing of the past, (thank goodness!  I never enjoyed them as a kid.  I always got homesick.) Dalanie and I decided to have a mock slumber party.  Her guests came in their pajamas for a waffle breakfast.  There were all sorts of delectable toppings, chocolate and vanilla waffles, and icecream.  So truthfully, it was the easiest cake I have ever made.  The girls loved decking their waffles out.

Natalie got to come so that Ruby had a pal too.

After breakfast, we broke out the nail polish.  Dalanie wanted to do all the painting.

Thankfully I had arranged for Jenny to come and help me out.  All of the little girls love Jenny.  She is a great neighbor, babysitter, and friend to have!

Judging by their smiles, it was a huge success.  And we had all the girls home by 11:30 am!

Ruby, Natalie, Linlee, Megan, Rachel, Delsie, Dalanie, Jenny, Olivia, Evelyn

Which left the afternoon available for ear piercing.  When it comes to piercings, there are few options for those wishing to avoid tattoo parlors.  So we headed to Claires.  Dalanie faced it like a champ.  She might have squirmed, but that was about it.

She picked out some adorable round/sparkly little studs called fireballs.  She left with a few instructions to treat her ears with the special solution after every meal and not to wear dangling earrings for at least 6 (the girl said months) so I quickly made sure that Dalanie heard years.  I can't handle the thought of her wanting to wear some big dangling things.  So far, she's pretty sold on the 6 years thing and has already figure out that it will be when she is 14.

Somewhere I started a tradition of having a piñata on your 8th birthday.  I think my kids were obsessed with pinatas from the Spanish branch.  The kids thought it wasn't a celebration without a pinata, so I had to put my foot down and I said they could have one for their 8th birthday.  Thankfully, kids are really good at reminding you what you had said.  So we found a super cute cupcake one at Target.

Fall Creek Part II

After the excitement of the first days, some in our crew were a bit apprehensive.  Delsie clung to me and freaked out whenever she saw a puddle.  I tried to calm her fears as we went on a few more rides.  For some of the time, Dalanie chauffeured me around.  She does a great job considering how big the machines are to handle.

Lunch breaks are the best.  We like to take our little burner and roast up some hot dogs.  It gives the kids a nice break and Brent doesn't have to eat another sandwich.

Of course, the kids were pretty content gathering wood and building fires.  Most times it was more like a smoke signal than fire, but they are getting it figured out.

We drove over to Swan Valley for some square ice cream.  Tastes just like any other ice cream if you ask me.

There were a few trails in our camp that led to a stream.  The girls liked to lead the way and have me walk with them.  On one occasion, they decided to follow another path that wasn't too distinct in the name of 'exploring.'  I followed them although the brush kept getting thicker.  We meandered around the swampy areas in our shorts and flip flops.  The mosquitos were thick, but the girls were determined. . . until we got turned around and couldn't seem to find our trail to retrace.  We pushed our way through the overgrowth only to find one dead end after another.  We could hear Brent and Hudson in camp, but we couldn't find our way out.  

After several silent prayers, I think Ruby said a prayer for help.  I knew that instead of going around a swampy area, we needed to go through it.  Once we did, it was only a few yards until we recognized where we were.  The girls got scratched up and bit all over.  We learned several lessons:
1) It's probably not a good idea to follow a path that is not well-worn or marked.
2) Go prepared.  Flip flops and shorts didn't provide much protection.
3) Heavenly Father answers prayers.

One of our rides took us along 4th of July ridge.  It was breathtaking with a 360 view of mountains.  The wildflowers were our in full splendor.

There's no better way to spend a day than enjoying God's creations with those you love most.  On days like this I feel like my heart is just going to burst with all of the love I feel.  The kids are growing, becoming more capable, and more fun to be around.

Fall Creek Part I

The first camping trip of the season proved to be quite a memorable adventure.  For starters, the kids and I were waiting in the pickup for Brent.  I had the thought, why don't you just pull around front?  And as soon as I did I felt like it wasn't a good idea, but I figured there was no harm in it.  I jumped in and proceeded to pull out.  It was the first time taking our new camper out.  Brent got there just as I was doing so.  Well, there is much less clearance between the camper and the cab and I managed to crunch the back window when the camper jackknifed.  Brent immediately laid into me.  I was sick to my stomach.  There wasn't anything I could do to take it back.  I was ready to call the whole thing off.  He apologized, we said a prayer, and set out for Fall Creek.  

We got camp set up and decided to go for a little ride.  Before leaving, I suggested that we say another word of prayer.  By then, Brent was irritated, but bit his tongue.  We started up a trail that turned very steep and rocky in a hurry.  We decided against continuing.  On the way down, I stopped and collected some firewood that Dalanie and I had spotted on the way up.  Once again, Brent was waiting on me.  We found another trail.  It had fun banked turns and lots of puddles from the recent rain.  Even with the less dusty trail, I liked to hang back a little.  We had just met back up when Brent continued through a puddle, half in and half out.  I watched in disbelief as I saw it starting to tip over. I ran as fast as I could and held it from rolling over into the puddle.  We got the girls unbuckled and evacuated.  Delsie was especially shook up.  She was teetering over the water, trapped in her seat belt.  We used the winch from the 4-wheeler to pull it out.  

The puddle was waist deep and we didn't want anyone to experience the same misfortune.  We used the sticks that I had gathered for firewood to make a barricade around the puddle.

On the way back, it was pretty obvious that Delsie had some legitimate fears.  She would scream at the sight of any puddle and scream "no tip over!"  

That night as I lay in bed, I had all these what if questions haunting me.  What if I hadn't been right there?  What if Dalanie and I had been first of the 4-wheeler?  What if Delsie hadn't been buckled in? What it?  What if?  It wasn't until then that I really recognized as the small blessings that added up to our family being safe from harm.  We talked about it as a family, recognizing Heavenly Father's answer to prayer for our protection.

The following day, we sent Brent and Hudson off to scout day camp and the girls and I took it easy.  First we checked out the waterfall.  The whole time I thought how much more spectacular it would be kayaking up to it.  

Dalanie wanted to pose for some "baptism" pictures.

We spent the entire afternoon 'crafting.'  There was no shortage of rocks to pain and we worked on jellyfish bracelets.  I think the girls painted over 20 rocks.  Most days we rarely stay in camp so it was nice to have a relaxing day doing what the girls enjoy.

Gearing up for the 2015 Camping Season

We decided that it was time to upgrade campers (mostly because Brent was not fond of pulling doubles anytime we went.)  We weren't sure what we wanted, but after driving some motorhomes we quickly knew they weren't the ticket.  Since we like to recreate with lots of toys, we decided a toy hauler would be a nice fit.  It took a lot of looking and researching before we found the one we wanted.  It had just been traded in within hours of us looking at it.  When I walked in, I told Brent it was the one we had been looking for.  Big enough to fit our toys, but not so huge.  We actually took our RZR and 4 wheeler up to make sure they would fit before purchasing it. 

The kids and I got sentimental when we took our old one up to trade in.  We've had a lot of good memories in that camper.  I primarily remember the year we spent out to Monteview during harvest, cooking for the crew.  Mom and Dad came up so Dad could shoot an elk that Brent pushed out of the fields.  I guess it's a good thing when you are sad to replace something because it has been used to create memories.  

 We liked so many things about this camper.  The bunkbeds and ability to sleep 8.  I liked the access door near the rear bunks to load things and a bathtub for grimy little camp urchins.  It was nice enough without having to worry about using it.