Instant Pot Cooking

So much has happened since my last post.  But as of this week I have found a new love for cooking.  I have never liked to cook.  Last week I bought a Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.  I have used it nearly every day.  I made Navy Beans with Ham and put them in the freezer.  I wasn't sure what to have for dinner one evening so I pulled that brick of beans out of the freezer, put it in the Instant Pot and in 30 minutes there were done.  From block to on the table in 30 minutes is my kind of cooking.  All leftovers get frozen now (not that we have many leftovers now).  Today I made my own 100% Pure Vanilla.  Even though the Vanilla Beans are expensive, its still worth the cost and it will make for some great homemade gifts whenever I may need one.

Another One!

Surprise!  I was doing some research on the bio father's line and a little family tree kept coming up. Why is this person looking for him??? I found this person on Facebook and sent her a private message.  She replied that she has been waiting for this moment all her life!  She knew who her father was but he left her and her mother before she was a year old.  So just like that I have found another half sister. She is a year younger than I am.  And she lives in Texas. This makes me a middle child and I never knew it. 😊

DNA on Ancestry

I have gotten into this DNA stuff on Ancestry. I never knew who my bio father was but I thought maybe I could find something. Of course there was several distant cousins. I was able to link a few people to my family tree. But nothing rock solid had appeared.  And today I get a message from Ginger who said we were a close match. I open my ancestry page to see that we share almost 2000cm's. Ginger just found a half sister!  She is missing a full blood sister named Patty. Patty was 2 or 3 years old when she was put up for adoption. Ginger was hoping I was Patty but I was 100% sure I wasn't. My family tree connects to my mom's line perfectly.  Ginger and I share the same father. Ginger is the oldest.  Patty is a year older than am. We will keep looking and maybe she will find us.

Impact Awards

Theme for this year is: Western

Every year we celebrate our teams at church

We have a themed party and we just have a whole lot of fun!

Dressing up makes everything much more fun.
I made mine and Sydney's skirts.  

                                      

  Me, Kelsey, Annie and Kendall                                                  Sydney and I 

                                                      

                 Kelsey and I

                                        YPC Staff

The Wedding

Tashauna and Kevin 

got married on New Year's Eve.  John finally got to walk his daughter down the isle... or the sidewalk in this case.  

 

Happy Birth Day to Kassidy Grace

Welcome to the World 

Kassidy Grace

She is Beautiful!!!

We're in Labor

We're in Labor!  Tashauna went through this labor without an epidural.  Did she scream... yup!  But she managed to get through this without all those drugs. It was a family affair, Sydney, Jenny and Myself got to be there for the birth of baby Kassidy.  

The Baby Shower

At the Baby Shower, Tashauna and Kevin had put together a photography slideshow of her pregnancy, I knew ALL of the photos because I had taken all of them.  And this one showed up in black and white, I said "I didn't take that photo" and the next photo was this one in color with the pink ribbon. 

  IT'S A GIRL!!!

Maternity Shoot #1

One of Tashauna's Maternity Shoots.

And she still won't tell me what the gender of this baby is....

Hip Replacement

After all these years of waiting, John finally gets that hip replacement.  I have never seen him stand so straight or sit up straight.  And no more pain!!

Christmas Day

Christmas was so much fun this year.  No one was in a hurry to go somewhere.  I cooked a turkey with several fixins and we chowed down before opening presents.  

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was really warm so I had the kids bundle up in their coats and I got some fake snow so we just pretended it was snowing!  We really wanted a white Christmas but we didn't get it. 

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving Family Photos with some Fun Hats!

California

Sometimes you just want to get away. I flew to Vegas, my mom drove there from Utah and picked me up and we drove on to San Diego.  This is where I have my other family that I have known all my life.  Lori and I have been the best of friends since we were in the first grade, living in Long Beach.  We were bridesmaids in each others weddings as well.  Those marriages didn't work out but we remained friends through everything!

The Lunur Moon

Sometimes you just get that perfect photo of the Moon!  

Webster's Park

This is my favorite place to stay on our way to Stockton, Kansas.  It is so beautiful and peaceful at this State Park.

Kindergarten Graduation

Cody graduates from Kindergarten with some of his friends.

Sydney's 14th Birthday

She's 14 and Sassy!!

These Girls have been friends since grade school.

Daytona

We decided to drive the car to Daytona this year since John wasn't racing, I got sick on our way there, we got a room in Volusia and then John was sick about the time I started to feel better.  So I decided if we were going to be sick then I was getting us a nice hotel on the beach!  We both started feeling better and it made for a super nice vacation.

Snow Days in Oklahoma

SnowDay 

It seems like we just don't get enough snow these days, but when we do the roads get icy and people are crazy.  It sure is pretty though. My dogs seem to love this stuff too!!