Saturday Excursion

Friday night we planned a Saturday complete with lanscaping, lawn mowing, and lawn tidying but what to do when you wake up and the forescast is rain? Well, we packed a lunch of hotdogs, chips and watermelon and headed for a trip north of Fort St. James. Russ will be working in the north all summer and we plan to camp a lot with him. We decided to go hunt for a good camping and fishing spot where the boys can ride bikes and play.

After 2hrs of driving we pulled over to change a flat tire caused by a sharp rock in the trail, it was then we realized that in our haste to get on the road we had forgotten mosquito dope, never a good thing in Canada in June. Back on the road for 1/2 hr we arrived at our first camping option, Kloch Lake Forestry Campground. We built a fire in the rain, the boys have talent, and quickly rigged fishing poles. As the boys headed to the lake I pulled out our lunch and fashioned us some roasting sticks.

We enjoyed lunch, a little soggy but fun. The boys headed back to the lake for a few more casts and low and behold Mckay caught a 4 lb. 24 inch lake trout. If we had our doubts whether to stay at Kloch lake for the summer or not, I think they were resolved with a few extra casts.

Then we packed up and headed to the block that Russell and his crew will be logging. The boys and I sat in the truck with a dead fish, mosquitos and that nice musty smell you get after your clothes are wet and redried by a smoky fire, while Russ walked a kilometer or two to check the area. Still no mosquito dope.

All in all it was a fun day and I was grateful when I climbed in bed about 10:00 that night for rainy days, stinky boys and wet fish. What a good life we have been blessed with.

La Petite Fleur

This weekend I did a cake for a young couple in our ward. The pictures should have been better but I forgot my camera at home and as you can see the R.S. kitchen had to serve as my backdrop. Nontheless, it's a charming little cake and was lots of fun to do.

Garyn, feel free to correct my French.

Fourteeen

Mckay turned 14 on June 7. I can't believe it, five years to a mission. This year Mckay's menu wish was Russian Chicken on sticky Rice, Bacon Carbonerra, Potatoe Salad and of course Birthday Cake (can you say carb overload). I baked the cakes, layered them and happened to have some purple and green frosting leftover from this weekends wedding cake. As I finished the meal Mckay volunteered to decorate his own cake and did a fine job. Hopefully next year the leftover frosting might be blue, red or even black. The other boys loved the idea of decorating your own birthda cake so we may have come up with a new tradition. Happy Birthday Mckay, I Love You.

SURPRISE!

23 weeks into our newest adventure.

Vancouver Temple - Our Temple

On April the 29th at 4:00 am Mckay and I boarded one of two buses with 110 other youth and leaders and headed for Langley, British Columbia to participate in a dance celebration that we would present to the Prophet, Pres.Thomas S.Monson.

Half way between Prince George and Quesnel the bus blew a tire, so we waited out in the cold wind for a little over and hour to have the tire fixed. Several road construction stops and 15 hours later we climbed off the bus and the youth were escorted through the temple to see what was for most their first experience of a temple open house. I loved to see the spirit working in the lives of the young people as they came out of the Temple and shared their feelings.

We arrived shortly after the temple tour to the Langley event center (4 hours late), the practise already in full swing. Our director Sister Shelley Murley stopped the practise to announce that Prince George stake had just arrived after a fifteen hour travel and the crowd of youth cheered our weary youth on. What a neat experience it was to have them so warmly respected for their sacrifice.

The weekend was full of events, dances, practise, practise and more practise. Good food, workshops and the highlight, the Prophet spoke to the youth about courage in doing what is right and his love for Canada. He even requested that the youth sing O Canada to him.

Then we put on a wonderful show. All 7 stakes in the temple district had been practising for several months but only had a day and a half as a whole and it was so spectacular. I was so proud of the Prince George Youth and thought their production was the best, of course.

I am glad to have had a part in the organization of this awesome event and so grateful to the youth of P.G. for their good attitudes and willingness to be obedient. We were all blessed for their efforts. In the end I was also proud of my own son who missed several events in order to take upon him some extra responsibilities. I was glad to see him ,when I caught a glimpse, holding doors for young women, letting leaders go first in a food line and making new friends. I think he is pretty terrific.

I am also grateful to a great bunch of little boys (4 to be exact) and a husband who cheerfully watch me carry out my responsibilities. I was so glad to see them attend and enjoy a fun celebration for our new temple.

The next day all of us, except Bridger, were able to attend the Temple for it's dedication. What a blessing this temple will be for the Jensen family. I look forward to many baptismal trips, endownments and maybe even some marriages to attend in this, our Temple. What a wonderful time we live in and what an awesome goal we have made to all return to this Temple together some day.

Garyn and Jill Gulbranson Cake

This has got to be the most fun cake I have ever done, mostly because the creation occured while working with my very talented, generous, and fun aunts and cousin. My aunt Lauri did all the work, baking the cake and making hundreds of flowers. I just got to help frost, stack and fondant the cake and of course place the pretty posies. Thank you so much for sharing this creative experience. I LOVE this cake, it is soooo beautiful. Oh and Congratulations to my little brother Garyn and his georgeous bride Jill.

Caitlin and Blake Cake

A very fun cake to create for my cousin Blake and his sweet new bride Caitlin. Thanks for asking me and for giving me a challenge to create something that I had not done yet, a western theme that tasted delightful.

No Time

I have been working so many hours on the upcoming Vancouver Temple Celebration that our stake youth are dancing in that I haven't had a minute to post for months. As a matter of fact, I still don't have time to post but I must, I need a break and a little time to myself to remember the creative side of me.

This is a little something I made some time ago and have wanted to post. I found a " Nasty, Rusty, Dirty old piece of junk." Quote Russell Jensen. An old bed spring with lots of potential is what I referred to it as. I washed it, it was a bit dirty, and hung it on the wall with some equally dirty, nasty old hooks I found at a yard sale and put some pictures of my favorite men on it.

I think it makes a very fun, unique wall fixture. And it makes me happy when I see it.

The Pictures were taken by my talented little sister Kara.

Hockey Day in Canada

The weather turned out perfect for our own personal ice rink. We had an unusual warm spell and thaw and then a cold freeze. As a result we had our own rink and the boys took advantage.

This is not a true picture of a Canadian boy plating hockey. Most children have real sticks. Our boys, keep in mind, are football fans and so had to scour the farm for anything that could whack a puck. They came up with an old stick, a goalie stick, something too long to handle and of course Bridger drew the short straw and got the old crusty broom.

It was still lots of fun, they had to forced to come in for dinner.

the next weekend the boys turned in their egg monies for some street hockey sticks and have been playing on the rink ever since.

Snow Fort 2010

The boys love to build snow forts. This is this years masterpiece. Shovels, picks, wet snow, and determination helped complete this one complete with a tunnel, and later a roof.

The men wanted me to highlight the tunnell.

And their Dad getting stuck in the tunnel. He was extricated when the boys pulled on his feet and I greased his hips with crisco, okay, only part of that is true.