Missing in (Non) Action...

Either the hormones of my 4 pregnant friends or my own PMS or just the winter blues have hit...and hit hard. It started Sunday night after my whole family went home from a great weekend. My house was quiet and empty. It was -18 degrees. I was tired. I still haven't recovered.

I have plenty to do, but I'm bored.

I get plenty of sleep, but I'm exhausted to the point that my body hurts.

I have a treadmill calling my name, but I'm ignoring it. (It's even in front of a TV now...yeah!)

I have kids I can play with, but I'm just getting annoyed with their cooped up energy and ALL that noise they make while Anna is trying to sleep. I give up on that one. They do not understand what the word "Quiet" means.

What do I need to do to get going again? Help!

I don't even have any pictures to post, so I pulled these from Amanada just so you can see what us girls up here in the frozen tundra of Idaho do with our winter time...

What the heck?!! I know. It is scary. But it's all Michelle's fault.

Yes, this is Michelle with her lovely unibrow. It looks too real, Michelle.

Anyway, Michelle suggested we all go to a friend's party who loves to make fun of women's eyebrows--she happens to be our personal eyebrow waxing technician. (Is that what they are called Dawn?)

Kristin, blue is very becoming on you.

Shalece is the proud owner of the lovely blue eyeshadow

I think Amanda's are my favorite. She looks like a butterfly...

if butterflys had human faces.





Hope that brightened your dreary, cold, winter day.

Baker Creek, ID 1-24-09

It was a good day of riding. No one injured. No one stuck too bad. No one frozen and left in a snow drift....

Thanks to John, Dave, Curtis and Jake McEntire as well as all the McEntires for comming up for the weekend and thanks to Travis Stevens for making sure we didn't get lost out there. When is the next ride? Let's go!

PRAY FOR SNOW!

I've got a crawler

and sometimes a want-to-be walker

After almost 2 weeks of rocking on her hands and knees

Anna has finally figured it out

The wet wipes were her prize

They make such great noises

"Must get to the wipes..."

There is no stopping her now

RANTZ DEBUT

My husband finally has a forum in which to voice his opinions instead of our sweet, innocent family blog. Yeah! So, for all of those who love to listen to my hubby go off in a most intelligent and conservative way...which includes me...be sure and visit the newest Petzinger Blog:

http://petzrantz.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Becky!

So, last year, I did a birthday tribute for each of my brothers. This year, it is going to be their wives...my sisters-in-law.

Here is a picture of all of us from Christmas 2005

Heather, Shae, Me, Becky, Mandi

Well, today is Becky's Birthday. So she gets to be the first to

get the blog Birthday Tribute.

The first time I met Becky was just a couple days before my brother proposed. I had flown home for Christmas and we met for lunch at Crown Burger with my mom. During the course of our conversation, I didn't really think much about what was coming out of my mouth (what's new?) until I saw Becky's shocked face. She denies it, but I saw it. I was pretty certain that she didn't know what to think of me. It wasn't bad...what are you thinking? It was just me. :)


Since we lived across the country from one another, we didn't get to know eachother that well, unfortunately...until Oct 2003. I was moving from Chicago to Arizona by myself with a 4 month old baby. My husband was in some other state finishing a project, but I had to report to work. There was no way I could have done it without Becky. We hooked up in Salt Lake, flew to Phoenix, picked up a car, went to Sam's Club and loaded up with groceries, then drove the 4 1/2 hours to Window Rock, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation where a house was supposed to be ready and waiting. Well, it wasn't. We ended up in a hotel for 5 days, I think. We had all our food in coolers and kept having to add ice every day to keep it from getting ruined. I think we spent almost 2 weeks together (maybe more--my memory is lacking). It was during that time that I think she finally came to understand and appreciate me for me...and it was the same for me with her. We now knew eachother and had become the best of friends. I still remember one of the last nights she was there, we stayed up and talked almost the entire night. Its those "girl talk" moments that friendships are created and solidified.


She is amazing person, a wonderful mom (it helps that she has 3 practically perfect kids!), a beautiful wife to my brother, and a great sister-in-law. Happy Birthday, little FISH! I love you!

The Food Nanny

Meet Liz. One of the funnest, happiest people I have ever met... and she's a great cook... and she's a dear friend (I taught her now married youngest daughter in Primary when she was 5 yrs old)...and she has a new cookbook: The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner

This isn't just any cookbook, though. Most of you who know me, know that I always plan my meals at least a week in advance and then rotate that meal plan every 8-12 weeks or so. Then, I don't have to keep coming up with what to cook all the time. Those plans usually were created by having a beef night, a chicken night, a seafood night, etc...Well, Liz's book here introduces an even better idea for meal planning. I LOVE IT!

Mondays - Comfort Food Night (this includes all those cream of chicken/cream of mushroom/lots of sour cream foods, that you really should only make once a week)

Tuesdays - Italian Night

Wednesdays - Fish/Meatless Night

Thursdays - Mexican Night

Friday - Pizza Night

Saturday - Grill Night

Sundays - Traditions (crock pot, especially for us church goers)

So, I am re-doing all my 2-week meal plans and adding some of Liz's recipes. The ones I've tested so far are great! I would definitly recommend her book to anyone.

I love to cook, but I also don't like spending more than an hour on dinner, so most of my recipes are under 30 minutes--some I've created, others are from my mom, Liz, Southern Living's cookbook, BH&G, Kraft, and friends. My meal plans credit wherever the recipe comes from. If any of you are interested in getting my 2-week plans every two weeks, just let me know via email: jelinapetz@gmail.com.

Happy Cooking!

Pole Crick

Jay, Evan, Chris, Travis and I at Pole Crick in the Stanley Basin. We didn't quite make it up as high as we wanted to go - but we were being lead by a Skidoo...... Thanks Travis.

At the Smiley Crick parking lot when we got back from the ride - a small yellow plane from Caldwell had landed and couldn't take off again from the snow packed runway. We towed it to the highway by putting a sled under the back wheel and steadying the wings over the bridge and onto the highway. Some guys stopped traffic and they took off from the highway back to Caldwell. The best part is the pilot warning us to be careful when towing the plane "it's worth $180,000 you know..." Right! That's being careful in landing in Stanley and not being able to take off again. I love Idaho.

Super Mom

No, not me. My own mom is the super mom. All while running her own successful business, she still had time to do a custom watercolor for each of her children for Christmas. I didn't post this at Christmas, because I didn't want to ruin the surprise for Nate & Becky who hadn't received theirs, yet.

Painting #1

Jake & Heather

Daisy, their baby

Painting #2

Curt & Shae

John Stockton

Painting #3

Nate & Becky

Treed Mountain Lion (near their home)

Painting #4

Dave & Mandi

Lake Powell

Painting #5

Ben & Jelina

Silverton, CO Mining Cabin

Aren't they amazing? I am so impressed.

Thanks mom! We love you.

My Little Builder

Resolutions...

I make the same ones EVERY year!

1) Exercise more...some years it's 5 or 6x/week

some years it has been as ambitious as entering a race

2) Increase my spirituality by studying the scriptures every day

and praying morning and night

3) Be a happier mom, yell less, play more

4) Shave my legs more often

And EVERY year I fail.

(Let me give myself a little credit, though...

I think I have been improving my mothering year after year,

practice helps,

so I guess I'm not a complete failure.)

So why make them every year?

Because one of these years I'm actually going to accomplish them,

dang it!

I can't give up, yet.

I'm only 34.

I have a lot more years ahead of me to fail

...or succeed.

Is this the year to succeed?

I doubt it, since I'm off to a really bad start.

But who says you have to start your resolutions on January 1st?

So, I will make my resolutions for 2009

and do my best to acheive them

starting Monday.

This year, though, here on this blog, at least...I'm just not going to be so specific

Then maybe I can keep going all year without getting so discouraged.

So, I am going to make a resolution to

1) Be Healthier.

I know that means exercise and healthy eating...

then, if I do something healthy everyday, I won't feel like such a failure

2) Be More Spiritual.

I know that means I'd better still read and pray...

then, if I do something to increase my sprituality everyday, I won't feel like such a failure

3) Be a Better Mom.

There are so many things I can do to here...

I better not be a failure.

4) Shave my legs every other shower :)

So, best of luck to all of you with New Year's Resolutions.

And SWASS girls...I'll be back on the wagon starting Monday.

Are you with me?

Sunset pictures courtesy of my Brother-in-law James.

I had to get them in here somewhere.

An Island Park New Year

We headed to Island Park New Years Day to spend the weekend

snowmobiling with my brother Dave and his kids

I don't have any pictures of the adventure getting to our cabin.

Let's just say that my husband wasn't very happy with me.

(That is an understatement)

I didn't get directions...and went with MapQuest,

which led us the wrong way up the street

to a dead end while pulling a huge snowmobile trailer.

We got trapped. The snowmobile trailer had to be unhooked

and swung around by a tractor,

then the Nissan had to be pulled out with chains.

Not fun.

But, we made it fine and

the next day we took the kids out for a ride.

Bryson on Daddy's sled

(He fell asleep during the trip out on Dave's sled--

I will never understand how kids can do that)

Me and Anna...yes, I'm a crazy mom who took my 7 month old snowmobiling

She was bundled well...and slept almost the entire time.


Brooke with Ian. This was her first time driving on her own.
She did a great job.

Mandi & Ian

Dave & Lilly

More pictures of my little bundle

The next day was COLD. I don't think it made it out of the single digits.

Dave, Mandi & the girls agreed to watch the kids, though,

so Ben and I could take a ride.

Can't pass that up, even if it is only 9 degrees

We rode to Mesa Falls...absolutely INCREDIBLE

No, my husband isn't trying to push me off.

He just wasn't moving fast enough to beat the self-timer.

He did it here, though.

I have to admit, it was kind of unnerving standing on all that snow

and not really having a railing to protect you.

It only went to Ben's knee.

The trails follow Henry's Fork of the Snake River

The river was beautiful blue and full of white swans.

Saturday night got to be 24 below.

COLD, but fun.

Happy New Year!