Why I Love Rock Band

The other night we got to party with the kids. We got Rock Band for Christmas and it's made us very popular in the aunt and uncle department. We were looking forward to doing something fun, but all they wanted to do was this:



Amy and Chris don't have cable. They don't have MTV or Cartoon Network... so I want to know how they know how to do this:



...or this...



...or this...



...or this...



...or this...



...or this...



I have to say I was pleased and a little proud that these kids are somehow just gleaning "rock" from the universe... through osmosis.



Shine on you crazy diamonds.

What I Learned in Church Yesterday...

I learned what compassion looks like.

I learned that if you listen, you will be prepared ahead of time.

I learned that other people can help you make up for your own deficiencies.

I learned that we are not meant to be or do things alone.

I learned that people will keep their commitments.

I learned that service is a pure demonstration of love.

I learned that families are MEANT to be together forever.

I learned a little more how much my husband loves me.

I learned that my Heavenly Father will give me what I need, when I need it.

How do you like your eggs?

Have you ever seen a soft shelled egg?



The other day I went out to collect eggs, and I saw that sitting on the floor of the coop and had no idea what it was until I picked it up.



The membrane just inside the shell was intact, but the shell was crumbly and not yet formed. It felt weird. A lot of people have asked me if I ate it. Would you?



This is Melon, the chicken. I love our chickens. They have been a delight to raise, and it is so fun to see them pecking around the yard and garden.



This is Dandelion. He's not so charming, and you can see I have caught him mid-crow. "But it is not morning," you say. Guess what? Roosters crow all day long. And if you happen to have about 50 roosters crowing two houses down, then they crow even more trying to establish themselves as the "head rooster." Who knew? He's up for grabs. We expect that he will be tasty.

Closing Out 2008 and Celebrating 100

This is my 100th post. My first post was on November 21, 2004, so it seems fitting that I would close out 2008 with a nice round number.

This has been a very busy month to close a very busy year. For those of you who wonder why I don't write, call, or blog... here's why. This is SOME of what I did in December...

I wrapped up a GREAT semester at LDS Business College where I teach a 4 credit Space Planning class (so much fun, but it's a beast of a class for the students... and me).

I had AWESOME students this semester and I am proud of each of them. Here are their final projects:







Aren't they talented? Those are models of "green" modular housing completely designed from ground up and built by the students.

Next, I helped plan and execute the ward party for over 300 people...



Then, I made Christmas presents for some nieces and nephews and sister-in-laws...


Calvin's sweatshirt.


Ethan's sweatshirt.


Jenni's scarf.


Bunnies for everyone.


Abby posted instructions on how to make the bunnies here.

Decorated the house for Christmas...


Todd's stocking...

My stocking... the Santa dolls are courtesy of Darcy who made them for us last year. We thought they were voodoo dolls, but she assured us they were not. Mine looks like a nun in a Santa suit.

The jewelry Christmas tree and the nativity...

Spices and orange peels simmering on the stove...

Our beautiful Christmas tree... the skinnier the better. You can never be too rich and your Christmas tree can never be too thin... Isn't that what they say?

Hosted a cousin Christmas party...

We invited all of the Oscarson and Carr kids over so their parents could do some shopping or just have a date.

The kids were so great. We made a gingerbread house all together...

And then they got to eat it right up. They were thrilled.
I had this whole idea of serving spinach for dinner (along with chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes) and having them watch the movie "Popeye". I loved that movie when I was a kid, and I was sure that none of them had seen it. So all during dinner we made them try and guess the movie, and it became apparent that NONE of them even knew who Popeye was! They had never even seen a cartoon! "Oh well," we thought, "we'll stick the movie in and have some fun." But after all that build up, and the forced feeding of canned spinach (just a bite!) the DVD was cracked and we couldn't watch it anyway! Thank goodness I was a prepared aunt and had Prince Caspian on hand!

We made the family room into a pillow and blanket covered cozy den and watched the movie in our PJ's with plenty of buttery popcorn.

Next, I organized a 39th anniversary dinner for Mo & Poppa. We are so grateful for them. They have been such great parents and have been such good examples to us. They are a team. It was fun to celebrate with dinner and a little program. Our friend, Stuart Truscott, from Massachusetts was in town and came by for dessert. It fun to see him and fun to get caught up.

Then came Christmas Eve at our house. We had Grandma & Grandpa Green, Mo & Poppa, the Carrs, and the Oscarsons, so people total. We had yummy food and good company, and thankfully, we all fit!


You can see the roaring fire playing on our TV...

Then we had a nice little pagent complete with vintage angel BLING while Grandpa Green read the story of the Nativity from Luke 2.




This was the portion of the evening when we all sang Silent Night until someone hit the "Dance Beat" button on my electric piano and the evening disintegrated into discoing angels and shepherds. Amy tried to keep her composure and we just kept singing. Why fight it? It was a wonderful night of family and fun.

We opened a few presents, and the family had a surprise for me and Todd. Together, they had decided that instead of giving gifts to each other this year, they would take that money and give it to the "Baby Rhodesbud" fund. Siblings had written letters and nieces and nephews had drawn pictures. Todd and I were so overwhelmed there was nothing to do but cry. I still want to weep thinking of their sacrifice, and of the kids being willing to give up getting presents in order to bless us. We love you all so much!

Pretty soon the kids became seriously concerned about not being home when Santa came. Just as everyone was leaving we spotted a strange sight... a multi-colored flashing lighted vehicle of some sorts was descending in the night sky (we DO live close to the Provo airport...). The kids went nuts and quickly got into the cars.

Todd and I had a nice and quiet Christmas morning complete with hot chocolate and sausage rolls. We are so blessed, Todd is thoughtful, and our family is loving and generous. We used some Christmas cash and bought "RockBand 2". I came home one night after Christmas and found Todd thus...

His explanation: "I got hot." (Don't worry, he has pants on...)

Todd had the whole next week off, so we decided to finally finish our wood floor that was purchased (and has been sitting in our garage) and started last spring!

Our house went from Christmas coziness to utter chaos...

Fiona has been seriously confused. She's been confined to the upstairs, and may remain there for the rest of her natural life. She has put some awesome scratches in the floor we already laid prompting me to make her some special grippy baby socks with elastics to hold them on.. which she hates.

But is has been well worth it!

The new floor has made all the difference in the world! We are still finishing the kitchen and the mud room and then it will be over... I mean done.

We enjoyed a FUN New Year's Eve celebrating Ethan's birthday at the Oscarson home. Chip and Marie- Laure know how to throw a PAR-TAY! We had hors d'oeuvres and desserts all night as well as present opening, birthday cakes, and RockBand until 1:30am. Everyone got into the act and we all took turns singing, playing the guitars, and wailing on the drums (adults only... the kids watched a movie... miraculously!) It was a great way to ring in the new year.

What else can I say? I've been busy... What will 2009 bring for the Rhodes? We are grateful for friends and family and we hope to spend some quality time with you soon. I would like to beat my 2005 record for 56 blogs and become a regular once more, but if this year was anything like last year... we'll see.