A Picture Of Love

Sometimes, it's not until after you taken the picture that you realize exactly what you've captured.

Let me explain.  I have a trigger finger.  When my camera is out, I can click faster and at more things than an ADHD octopus using a typewriter.  I want to capture it all.

Most pictures are o.k., but once in a while you get a one-second snapshot that can give you a glimps into the hearts and minds of others.  

It was a basket ball game.  It was also a time that we were spending together with a few cousins and Grandpa and Grandma (which doesn't happen enough).  As a young child who hasn't been to many big events like this, Avery is clearly enjoying the music and clapping.  On her right is Grandpa, who is clearly loving watching her enjoy the game as only a Grandparent can.  On his right is his wife, who anyone can see, is completely in love and is truly reaping the joy of watching her husband having a good time with his grand children.

This picture depicts so much love.

What's fun about it is, Avery doesn't know Grandpa is watching her.  Grandpa doesn't know Grandma is watching him, and no one knows I am watching them!!

I am so happy to see this love.

Monsanto+Obama- Can someone please help?

I know that my brothers  and dad and probably sister in laws, and probably just about everyone except the littlest nieces and nephews are smarter then me on many things.  And you guys are super on top of the political hot buttons, so maybe you can help me out.   I have been reading and reading- looking for unbiased info (probably none out there, but these are two fairly straight forward).  Can someone please tell me why our government is protecting Monsanto, and why this is a good thing.  Of all the things out there right now, I think this is the most scary to me.

 

Russia blasts Obama for protecting Monstano and their Bee's.

http://topinfopost.com/2013/05/28/russia-warns-obama-Monsanto

Most perplexing in all of this, the MRNE says, and which led to Putin’s anger at the US, has been the Obama regimes efforts to protect pesticide-producer profits over the catastrophic damaging being done to the environment, and as the Guardian News Service detailed in their 2 May article titled “US rejects EU claim of insecticide as prime reason for bee colony collapse” and which, in part, says:
“The European Union voted this week for a two-year ban on a class of pesticides, known as neonicotinoids, that has been associated with the bees’ collapse. The US government report, in contrast, found multiple causes for the collapse of the honeybees.”
To the “truer” reason for the Obama regimes protection of these bio-tech giants destroying our world, the MRNE says, can be viewed in the report titled “How did Barack Obama become Monsanto’s man in Washington?” and which, in part, says:
“After his victory in the 2008 election, Obama filled key posts with Monsanto people, in federal agencies that wield tremendous force in food issues, the USDA and the FDA: At the USDA, as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto Danforth Center. As deputy commissioner of the FDA, the new food-safety-issues czar, the infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.”
Even worse, after Russia suspended the import and use of an Monsanto genetically modified corn following a study suggesting a link to breast cancer and organ damage this past September, the Russia Today News Service reported on the Obama regimes response:
“The US House of Representatives quietly passed a last-minute addition to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill for 2013 last week – including a provision protecting genetically modified seeds from litigation in the face of health risks.
The rider, which is officially known as the Farmer Assurance Provision, has been derided by opponents of biotech lobbying as the “Monsanto Protection Act,” as it would strip federal courts of the authority to immediately halt the planting and sale of genetically modified (GMO) seed crop regardless of any consumer health concerns.
The provision, also decried as a “biotech rider,” should have gone through the Agricultural or Judiciary Committees for review. Instead, no hearings were held, and the piece was evidently unknown to most Democrats (who hold the majority in the Senate) prior to its approval as part of HR 993, the short-term funding bill that was approved to avoid a federal government shutdown.”
On 26 March, Obama quietly signed this “Monsanto Protection Act” into law thus ensuring the American people have no recourse against this bio-tech giant as they fall ill by the tens of millions, and many millions will surely end up dying in what this MRNE report calls the greatest agricultural apocalypse in human history as over 90% of feral (wild) bee population in the US has already died out, and up to 80% of domestic bees have died out too.

Monsanto Illegally seize's and destroy's bees.

http://www.southmilwaukeenow.com/blogs/communityblogs/209038121.html

My (late as always) Review.

Okay- I have thought long and hard about what to review.  Maybe some of you can sympathize, but there isn't much in life that is full of excitement.  I don't get out into the world a lot, and since Mike already took the toilet paper review, I was left with few choices.  I do have to say that the toilet paper review maybe needed a bit more detail though, like which kind of toilet paper is least likely to clog up a toilet, or how much of a roll can go in before the water backs up to over flowing.  THEN he could have reviewed paper towels ability to clean up dirty toilet.

So instead I am reviewing my favorite cooking magazine.

Yes, I can hear the shocked silence.

I can cook.  I just don't enjoy fixing LONG drawn out meals where someone has to slave away in the kitchen for 6 hours, only to be rewarded with the meal being eaten in 6 minutes (or bites depending on the person). 

Simple and Delicious is the BEST magazine for quick dinner recipes (think 20-30 minutes from start to on the table) and they are made of ingredients that not only can I SPELL, but I will often have around the house.  No more recipes where you have to buy a jar of spices that you'll use ONCE for that particular recipe and then never use it again. 

I also hate trying to decide WHAT to cook, and this magazine has helped solve that problem.  At the first of the month I grab two of my magazines.  I thumb through while taking notes- one side of the paper I write down the page number and recipe title.  *** if it has fresh veggies so I know that it needs to be one of the first recipe's used.   On the back side of the paper I keep a running list of what groceries I need to buy that month.  I divide my shopping list into category columns to make shopping faster.  I can usually come up with 25-30 meals, plus a few side dishes and desserts.  These live on my counter behind the flour/sugar canisters for easy dinner access.  This has helped make it so I go "big" grocery shopping only once a month, with a quick in and out once a week for milk and bread or other small staples.  Our food bill has stayed lower, I am happier because I know what to cook, and my kids/hubby are eating a great variety of meals.

The End

Family Reunion Schedule of Events

Since we know things can get a little chaotic at the family reunion, we decided to put together this schedule, to give people an idea of what will be happening when during the campout. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this!

Friday, August 16th
1pm - 2pm: Check in at Heise Campground - The campsites are reserved under Mike's name, and our Group Name is "Bean Family Reunion." Mention this when you check in and you will be given a vehicle pass and your site assignment. This is also where you will pay for the site. (Don't feel obligated to be here at this time - anytime you arrive will be just fine, but check-in starts at 1pm.)

2pm - 3pm: Set up tents, etc.

3pm - 5pm: Free time

5pm - 6pm: Dinner (Jeff and Cailey)

6pm - 6:30pm: Get ready for family photo

6:30pm - 7:30pm: Family photos - Please wear lime green, orange, blue, or white. If you have questions about this, talk to Jen.

7:30pm - 10:30pm: Dessert (Mike and Liz), campfire, games, etc. (Obviously you are free to do whatever you want during this time, but we'll have a table set up near our campsites to hang out together, play games, etc. Please note: Quiet hours at Heise start at 10:30pm, so we will probably need to wrap up our day around then.)


Saturday, August 17th
8am - 9am: Breakfast (Hill family) (Note: Quiet hours last through 7:30am, so please keep this in mind as you are waking up, getting ready for breakfast, etc.)

9am - 10:30am: Grandpa's Bingo

10:30am - 12:30pm: Free time

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch (Brian and Juliana)

1:30pm - 5pm: Free time

5pm - 6pm: Dinner (Piippo Family)

6pm - 7:30pm: Candy jars - Please bring one jar of candy per member of your family.

7:30pm - 10:30pm: Dessert (Mike and Liz), campfire, games, etc. (Again, quiet hours begin at 10:30).


Sunday, August 18th
8am - 9am: Breakfast (Mattson family)

9am - 11:30am: Clean up and take down of tents, etc.

11:30 - Noon: Check-out (must be checked out no later than noon)

Family Reunion - Price List

Hello again, family!

Here is the price list for some activities that are available at or around Heise Campground. We will be posting a schedule for the family reunion soon, but there will be plenty of free time, so feel free to get out and do some of these things.

Campsites
$21.60 per family per night (this is the only money we will be required to pay)

Pool
Adult (12+) = $9
Child = $5

All day pool pass (including pool and hot pools)
Adult = $10
Child = $6

Value Pass (includes pool, hot pools, and water slide)
Adult = $15
Child = $12

Individual Water Slide Rides (this would be with the purchase of a pool pass, not a value pass)
Unlimited rides = $8
7pm to 10pm = $5
3 rides = $1
10 rides = $3

Golf
9 holes = $10
18 holes = $19
Clubs + 2 balls = $6

Zip Line
Between $30 and $75, depending on number of lines/riders


Obviously these aren't the only activities options. There will be plenty of free choices as well, including fishing, hiking, playing in the river, etc. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!

Family Reunion Meal Assignments

Hello Family!

By now we have contacted all of you for your meal assignment preferences for the family reunion, and we appreciate your willingness to help out! Below is the list of assignments for that weekend. We know that outdoor cooking is a little different than cooking in a kitchen, so things may be a little complicated. We want to try to coordinate supplies (so that we don't bring five dutch ovens, five griddles, five bottles of Pam, etc.), so we've created a spreadsheet in Google Drive to help us communicate with each other. We will be emailing the link to this spreadsheet soon. In the first column you will find your family's name. In the second column, please briefly describe what you'll be making for your meal. In the third column, please list supplies and/or ingredients you can and will bring for your meal that can ALSO be shared with others to help in their meal preparation. In the fourth column you can list any supplies and/or ingredients that you need, that someone else may be able to bring. (Sorry if that was confusing - hopefully it'll make more sense when you see the email.) If you have any questions or concerns about these assignments, please don't hesitate to call, text, or email Mike or me.


Bean Family Reunion Meal Assignments
Piippo Family - Dinner Friday night
Hill Family - Breakfast Saturday morning
Brian Bean Family - Lunch Saturday afternoon
Jeff Bean Family - Dinner Saturday night
Mattson Family - Breakfast Sunday morning
Lee Bean Family - Snacks for everyone for whole weekend
Mike Bean Family - Dessert Friday and Saturday night

Happy Mother's day everyone!!! I know, its been a while since I've been on the family blog, and even longer since I've made any posts. Now that I am done with school, I have more time to focus on what I want. I know that I've missed my turn but I figured I should put a review on up here. I honestly dont know what to post - nothing really new in our lives and nothing exciting going on (other than me passing my Statistics final -wahoo!) .... and at the moment dont have any good recommendations ... So I thought, what is something I could talk about? I recently have decided that I need to make the temple more part of my life since I have the wonderful opportunity of being a current temple recommend holder.

I am so grateful for the gospel in my life, and I am grateful for this church and everyone who has a testimony, and their love and support. Through my experiences, I know that our Heavenly Father loves us so very much. I am thankful for the members of our ward, who has shown us so much love and support. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to have a temple recommend and being able to go to the temple, and especially having so many temples to be able to visit! Since I live by so many temples, my new goal is to go to a different temple every week. I love feeling the peace that I find at the temples. What comfort and joy it brings to me. I know for a fact that prayers are so essential and that they are always answered, it may not be immediate, but we always have them answered. I still am a bit unsure of how the prayer roll works exactly though, are you to write your prayer or just the names? Only reason I asked is I noticed another lady writing from what looked like a prayer instead of just names. 

I am so grateful for technology, more so that there are so many amazing gospel tools for us all at our fingertips! Elder Richard G Scott said, "who could have imagined not very many years ago that the full standard works and years of general conference messages would fit into your pocket?" I have loved having several different access to many gospel apps on my phone. While I am at work I'll listen to the general conferences, scriptures, lds music, OR some firesides! Its so amazing and such a blessing to have access to all of the talks, especially when you are unable to make it to these special events. I love the Gospel Library app, LDS Podcasts (this app has SO MANY different talks, I was so amazed at how much there is in this app!), Mormon Channel (a lot of other topics and access to different things) and LDS Temples (pretty cool app, you can locate the temples, track your attendance history, get directions to the temple and how far away they are from you!, call the temples... I think its pretty cool feature that I've recently found). How blessed we are to have so much access to so many different things?!

Anyways... not sure what I'm trying to share here... but my goal is to visit as many temples as I can, especially if I visit other cities/states/countries, and I am grateful for how blessed of a generation that we are in, to have so many wonderful opportunities available to us. Well... I now need to get ready for church... Have a wonderful sunday!

Netflix

 Some on you were asking for a review of Netflix, and since I LOOOOVVVVEEEE T.V. (and all things that go with it), I thought I would give you my opinion.
 Netflix, I believe, cost $8.00/month.  To me, it is the best $8 dollars spent in a month (except maybe the $8 spent at McDonalds).  Greg and I have very basic cable, because we don't feel the need to spend $50 a month on programming that is mostly garbage.  Instead we spend $16 a month for netflix and Hulu Plus, and between the two, it satisfies my television viewing needs.  Let me give you a run down of the pros of Netflix, and then you can see if it is right for you.

Netflix:

1. I think Netflix streams great shows.  I am a fan of all types of shows: Comedy, drama, thriller. etc.  I love to watch shows that I have watched when I was a kid, without having to buy the DVDs.  For example:  I loved Saved by the Bell (mock me all you want, but you know you watched it, too).  Netflix has the entire series (commercial and ad free).  Do I want to watch the episode where Zack catches Kelly's boyfriend, Jeff, cheating on her at The Attic?  Yes I do.  And with one click of my remote I get to watch Kelly find out that Jeff is a cheating scum bag (I knew it!).
    Not a Saved by the Bell fan?  There are countless shows, including ones that have seasons currently showing on Network television.  Do you like the show Parenthood (if you have not seen it, you should), Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Bones, Downton Abbey, SNL, AFV, etc.?  Catch up on the series with all the previous seasons.  Do have a hankering to have a 24 marathon?  Watch any season of Jack Bauer get out alive, even though it was a 200 to 1 shoot out.  I have heard that the show Friday Night Lights is Amazing.  All 5 seasons are on Netflix.    Prison Break, is an amazingly addictive show, and all 4 seasons are on it.  You will never get bored with Netflix.

2.  It has tons of shows for kids.  Annabelle only likes one show: Curious George.  Unfortunately, PBS only plays it once a day.  I need Annabelle to leave me alone more than once a day.  What do I do?  Start up Netflix, and put Curious George on.  I have been told that it has been scientifically proven that Super Why and Dora help your child's brain development.  Every season of both shows are on Netflix. On Sundays we put on Veggies Tales, and Larry the cucumber teaches my kids bible stories while Greg and I nap.

3.  It has reasonably good movies.

4.  Documentaries.  Do you like Shark Week?  Ever wonder how the secret service works or how are country can possibly support solitary confinement?  Do you like Myth Busters?  There is a documentary for everyone.

Anyways, I hope this helps.  I have found that current television programming is getting worse and worse, and I feel with Netflix that I can watch shows that are clean and highly entertaining.  For $96/year (I couldn't even buy three seasons of The Office for that much) I get a wide range of programming anytime I want it.  But then again, I would pay $8/month for Curious George.  Hope this helps!