the blog post of many, many things (a.k.a. procrastinating writing my novel)

1. i am doing NaNoWriMo this month. i've added a word count progress bar on the right side of my blog. hoping to type 50,000 words by the end of the month. wish me luck.

2. how to host a spooky spa party for younger daughter's 8th birthday: when elder daughter asks if her friends can come over, say do they want to help with a party? also, invite your brother and his girlfriend. then have everyone else do ALL THE WORK.

3. daylight saving time unfolds a bit like the FORTUNATELY, UNFORTUNATELY children's book. fortunately, all my kids were in bed by 7pm the last two nights. unfortunately, they all woke up at 6am. fortunately, it's light outside when elder daughter walks to the bus stop. unfortunately, it's dark before dinner. fortunately, we got an extra hour of sleep on saturday night. unfortunately church still starts at 9am. i think the practice should be abolished along with the incorrect use of the apostrophe.

4. will someone please buy the man who runs at 5am at the american fork rec center track some new pants? he's worn the same ones everyday for the past five years—which wouldn't be so bad except they're about 4 sizes too small, and pulled up at least 4 inches too high, showing an unsightly chunk of hairy white ankle and not leaving anything to the imagination in his nether regions. maybe he wouldn't breathe so loudly if he had a pair that fit better. no one should have to deal with this at 5am.

5. younger daughter's baptism day was one of the happiest of my life for many, many reasons. i might have taken more pictures had i not been deathly ill. i think when my head cold clears, i'd like to blog more coherently and deeply about it.

gratitude day 19: siblings

readers: please meet all my siblings, from oldest to youngest, left to right [minus my older sister emily, who i left a space for next to me in this photo. i missed her a lot this past week.] me, ryan, anna, angela, steven, daniel, james, lilly

“To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.” ~Clara Ortega

“Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...” ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

the melzer family just wrapped up a family reunion. 10 days of a house full of noise, commotion, stuff, and people i love best in the world. [20 guests!] it seems so quiet around here—quiet enough for reflection.

and here's what i believe about families, about my family. we chose each other, in a pre-earth life. we were organized and placed in a unit where we could learn and grow best. we were put together because a loving heavenly father knew each of our strengths and weaknesses and knew that together we could do it. together, with each other's help we could become the people we were supposed to be.

to my brothers and sisters: remember summers in idaho picking wild huckleberries? remember trips to lake powell? remember collecting locust skins in jars? remember when we moved to san diego, the beach and having a sand volleyball court in our back yard? remember when we moved to snowflake on friday the 13th? remember when we found out mom was pregnant with lilly? when dad lost his job? when steven went to rehab? when he relapsed? remember when don and i were sealed in the temple? and ryan, and anna and angela? remember when you all drove to utah for a family reunion? i do. and i miss you all already.

since i've been small, i've started out my prayers by saying “i'm thankful for my mom and dad, and my brothers and sisters.” and it's never felt like a vain repetition. and there's a reason i always say it first.

i am so grateful for my family.

i feel like every good thing about me is because of them. every experience i've had with them has shaped me in almost immeasurable ways. when we are together, i feel closer to my true self than with anyone else. i am happy, joyful.

we have shared rooms, vacationed together, ate together, fought together, laughed together, grieved together, prayed together.

and i love them all.

my renters

we own the house next to ours and rent it out, currently to my brothers daniel and steven. aren't they cute

this picture is for all my family that will not get to see them this christmas because they {my brothers} are official adults now and cannot afford to take work off for long enough to make the drive down to az...yet. they're working hard and saving up for a vehicle.

thanksgiving day recap

cooked my first entire thanksgiving meal today. everyone helped. awesome.

temperature outside during a last-minute walmart run for evaporated milk: 9°

number of cubes of butter used: 10

results: near perfection. juicy turkey, smooth gravy {thank you mr. coleman, who always makes the gravy at our house}, fluffy mashed potatoes, tart apple pie.

after the feast we headed up the canyon for some sledding fun... i went down once. then took pictures until everyone had cried at least once and my fingers froze and we decided it was time to go.

snuggled on the couch with my family and watched SHORT CIRCUIT to round out a 80's movie marathon. {last night it was THE BOY WHO COULD FLY—totally radical 80's movie if i do say so myself}

naptime.

washed dishes.

mr. coleman heads out at 10pm with casey and micah for some black friday fun while i sit toasty warm inside the house blogging. {someone has to watch the babies.}

i am so grateful for the blessings in my life. two thoughts keep running through my head today.

first: this quote from george washington.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor...Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789... that we may all unite torender unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.

what a beautiful idea: a holiday set aside to remember the blessings the Almighty God has given us.

second: the lyrics to the song WORTHY TO STAND by jessie clark funk

When the war is done

and the battles of this life are through,
When the Savior comes

and the earth is full and new,
I will fall

on my knees

for the mercy He has shown to me.

when i think how much he has forgiven me of, my goodness. gratitude and humility in large enough measure to bring me to my knees. that is all i can say about that.

i hope you all had a wonderful, blessed day.

travelogue

best vacation of my life, so far. so many memories made, so many people i love, and so many miles driven. my van and i are on a break.

worst drivers: nevada. also, people become hard of hearing when you show up to the breakfast buffet with 1 adult and 4 children. ONE adult? yes. FOUR children? yes, people. i know.

to attract attention, i like to borrow my nephew as well and head to the beach.

then take them all to sea world, BY MYSELF.

it's okay, because a few days later we headed to one of the most beautiful places on earth: hawley lake, az.

where i sat and did nothing for about 4 days. surrounded by the people i love best in the world. best family reunion ever.

mr. coleman flew in for the event, where he had a narrow escape from dying of boredom, but i like to think it was worth it because it prevented him from missing us to death the 3 weeks we were gone.

the last week we spent in mesa, az at my parents' house, because really, can you think of a better time of year to spend a full week in arizona? actually it was pretty amazing: monsoon lightning storms, haboobs, bahama bucks, swimming, all-you-can-eat-crab (!), and qt.

i have to confess that the best part of my trip was when my brother ryan shared this double rainbow video with me. and then this song. it is still making me laugh everyday. go check it out. then come back. i'll still be here.

after sunday family dinner we were entertained by a magic show

and then glow sticks. never gets old.

the ride home was gorgeous. i love the little peek of the north rim of the grand canyon here. {photo by micah}. it is great to be back. i love my state and city and grocery store* and home more than i ever have. it doesn't hurt to have had incredible weather every day since we've been home.

utah summer: i just can't quit you. next year we're staying home.

*does your grocery store have men in dress shirts and ties that carry umbrellas and escort you to your car in a summer rainstorm? mine does. i love nice people.

See ya.

We are leaving tomorrow for our annual Summer Sabbatical. So I stole some pictures from my sisters' blogs to show you what I'm looking forward to, since I am busy washing every article of clothing we have and doing all the things I've procrastinated doing all summer and clearly don't have time to take my own pictures.

We are headed to:

1.) The Sin Capital of the World

2.) The Avocado Capital of the World

3.) The Kidnapping Capital of the United States (debatable)

4.) The Jewel of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation

I will offer a souvenir from my trip to the first person who guesses all 4 places correctly. It will be totally rad. You'll have to trust me on that. Family: you cannot vote. Which could be bad since I don't know if anyone else is reading this blog during the summer.

I can't wait to see everyone.

Fridge

Are you one of those people that has a spotlessly clean, gleaming fridge? I'm... not. Our fridge is Command Central at our house. It keeps the kids from asking Can I Play? or What's for dinner?. One glance and they know what they need to finish before they can have free time, what their responsibility is for family night, and what we're having for dinner tonight and tomorrow.

Those kids meal toys from Sonic have been the only fast food toys that have not found their way to the landfill or the thrift store. And, as I'm posting this, I'm noticing that someone has, again, erased the GOOD CLEAN under Friday. Those pesky kids!

Refuge

The kids and I took a trip to Zion National Park for Memorial Day weekend. We swam at the pool, ate pizza in our hotel, drove through the tunnels, hiked to waterfalls, and discovered a perfect picnic spot: hidden from the road, tucked in between two towering sandstone cliffs, a floor of fine, cool, white sand.

A refuge.

In this quiet spot I felt an overwhelming sense that this was a tender mercy from a loving Heavenly Father who knew about the burdens and heartache in my life. A time to refresh my spirit and reconnect with my Creator.

And then Micah threw a bloody stump of a lizard tail at me. I laughed more in those three days than I have the last three months.

If you are planning a trip, do stop at the Springdale Fruit Company. They offer sandwiches on focaccia bread, organic produce, and a porch swing.

Skip the Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theater.

Everyone should take a trip to a crowded public place with a three-year-old at least once. And they should ride public transportation. Announcements like: Mom, I just farted! take on another meaning when you are on a crowded shuttle bus with 50 strangers.

It was a great trip. I fell in love with my kids and being a mother all over again. A girl we met at the pool kept telling me how she admired me for "doing it alone with four kids." I smiled but thought to myself: you don't know my kids.

best bubbles recipe

so, according to our scientific data, the longest-lasting bubble recipe was this one:

1 cup water

1 tablespoon dawn dish detergent (not the antibacterial kind)

1 tablespoon glycerin

let it sit at least 24 hours for maximum strength.

our summer plan: make these in empty milk cartons and blow bubbles by the millions

Vacation Part 1: Ryan + a recipe

This is my brother Ryan. Things you should know about him:

When forced to choose between a ski trip to the Alps or a Canon 5D camera, he chose the camera. (Seriously).

When he was in 7th grade I tried to get him to smoke a cigarette with me. He told me no. I've looked up to him ever since.

At one point, he was the only brother in a family with 5 sisters.

My first born son's middle name is Ryan.

He is a gourmet chef and I get a new recipe or cooking tip from him every time I visit him.

The best thing about Ryan is his wife Kathryn. Period. (Ultra-organized, unfailingly kind, creative, attentive mother, industrious, former 1st grade teacher, and gorgeous). If she has a flaw I haven't seen it yet. We asked them to take over the care of our children if Don and I die. That's love, Ryan.

Oh, and they are the parents of multiples. Multiple multiples. Once again, it's Ryan and 5 girls. I like to think we trained him well.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us a calm place to stay on our vacation. While there we went on a photo shoot to the east benches of the Superstition Mountains. I loved watching the colors change as the sun set, looking across the entire valley of the Phoenix area, and spending some quiet moments with Ryan and Angela. And you may not know, but every evening in Arizona has a poster-perfect sunset.

And now a recipe for said brother. This recipe is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe to be easier and better. Enjoy while cranberries and oranges are in season.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
zest of one orange

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Add the cranberries to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Drop the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper with a large muffin-batter-scooper (or about 1/3 cup blobs).

Bake 17-20 minutes, or until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the powdered sugar orange juice, and zest. Drizzle over the scones. Makes about 14.

**ETA: photo of Ryan and Kathryn by Darby, and photo of double twins by Ryan

Vacation

Headed to Arizona after we open gifts tomorrow.

Any questions?

Pearly Girl

She chooses crepes for breakfast and homemade pizza for dinner. We have small family birthday party at the house with vanilla cupcakes and six tall candles. Then we take a short trip to Kangaroo Zoo where all the kids jump until they're covered in sweat and Mr. Coleman and I watch.

And bust out a few dance moves to the boy bands playing on the speakers. It may sound crazy but it ain't no lie. Baby, BYE BYE BYE. So You Think You Can Dance: eat your heart out.

My baby is three. Here is the recent transcript from an interview with said three-year-old:

Me: Lucas, did you have a birthday?

Lucas: Ya 

**singing "happy birthday to you"**

Me: What did you do for your birthday?

Lucas: I didn't do anything. Mom, look at these letters. Big huge circle.

**drawing on paper**

Me: Tell me what it's like to be three.

Lucas: I'm gonna color you, your face. I'm gonna kill you, mom. 

**takes a drink of root beer, then starts singing "happy birthday" again.**

Well, that about sums up Lucas. 

Also, if you make cupcakes and find that they have spread all over the pan and created a ginormous mess, just double the frosting and hope that no one notices. It worked for us.

we sang as we walked and walked and walked

On the 4th of July, we celebrated our traditional way by spending the day in the mountains. This year, we hiked to Stewart Falls. The hike is about 3.7 miles round trip and really easy—flat a lot of the way and a lot of shade. The falls are about 200 feet tall and more beautiful than I could capture in a picture.

What a fantastic way to spend the day, right?

Wrong.

I knew things were looking bad when we spotted the trail head in the parking lot and Micah started crying.

"This is really hard, Mom," he wailed. "How much longer?"

"Well, dear," I replied lovingly and patiently and kindly, "we haven't even started yet, so stop your whining and enjoy yourself. Hiking is fun. It's beautiful out here." Take a guess by looking at the picture of Micah if he took my advice.

Actually, take a look at these pictures too. It seemed we were destined for unhappiness. We had whiners and criers the whole way to the falls. [Yes, including Mr. Coleman, who I love, but who was also a big, fat, whining hiker that day.] I think we took about 30 or 40 minutes to hike there. So, crying the whole way. And also fighting. Fun stuff. A day to remember.

Once we reached the falls, everyone seemed to perk up. Mr. Coleman even took a picture of me. If you're wondering where you could get a rad Nathan Hale Elementary "Hale Heroes" shirt like mine I have some unfortunate news. I stole mine from my brother Daniel about 8 years ago. I don't think they are available anymore. 

Also, if you are looking at me and thinking wow, how does she stay so fit and young and hip with all those children and all those advancing years creeping up on her? I don't have an answer for you. But clearly, it's a gift, as I'm sure you can tell from this picture.

A rare smiling shot of the girls. Mr. Coleman and Steve [who is our next door neighbor, renter, Coleman Excavation employee, very tan, and looking very buff in his tank top. Sorry ladies, I cropped off most of his muscular bicep.]

Throwing rocks into the water made Lucas very happy, afterwhich he fell fast asleep and was carried the whole way back by Mr. Coleman [who was then quickly forgiven for being grumpy on the way there].

Overall, really beautiful scenery, easyish hike, great destination, but not quite the marvelous day I thought it would be. I like this picture though, because seriously, look how gorgeous it is. It looks like the back drop to a fairy tale, or a musical. Sadly, no one in our party was amused when I burst out into my own rendition of: "Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!"

Still chasing that dream.