Just in...

...Pictures of Conor Matthew Chambers. Isn't he adorable? Oh yes, and Mary looks cute too!

Cute picture

I just had to post (show off) this incredibly cute picture of Rachel. I'm no photographer, but this belongs in a magazine or something.

Good News! Mary had her baby!

Speaking of Mary, my daughter-in-law, Matt's wife. Connor Matthew was born last night and weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. Mother, baby, father and big brother are all doing fine.
More good news! Matthew has a job in St. George! He was supposed to start today but due to the baby being born, tomorrow will be his first day. So chances that I will get to see my new grand-baby in the near future are immensely increased. Yes!

Oatmeal HA!

Thanks for that post on oatmeal Luella. Yes, oatmeal was a mainstay in our household growing up. I remember Dad being the one who cooked it most of the time. Funny how we all tend to remember things differently! I have also found ways to make my oatmeal taste better (because it is really good for you, you know). Here are my two contributions to the recipe mashup.

Oatmeals, Apples, Cinnamon, Sweetener (sugar, agave, honey, or whatever suits your taste), and Walnuts - 1/2 cup oatmeal per person to be served, cook oatmeal in the microwave (it's quicker than waiting for water to boil), then add the remaining ingredients to meet your personal flavor requirements.

Oatmeal, Walnuts and Bananas - same as above except swap out apples, and cinnamon for bananas.

How to Eat Oatmeal

For as long as I can remember, Mom used to make all kinds of hot cereal for us to eat in the morning. I was so glad when she started buying cold cereal for us younger children(Grape Nuts, Mini-Wheats, etc.). I never enjoyed oatmeal very much. Then when I was pregnant with Michael, I was craving something, but I didn't know what it was. We went to a breakfast restaurant where they served Baked Oatmeal. It was delicious! and it was what I was craving. Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed most kinds of oatmeal. I am posting a recipe for Baked Oatmeal that I make for holiday breakfasts(I found it online). I hope you enjoy it!

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins(optional)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat together oil and sugar. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, oatmeal. Beat well then stir in raisins. Pour into a lightly greased pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake in preheated oven until firm, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

Fielding Family Update

Most of the interesting things happening with our family happened today, one of which was Joey's baptism. He was baptized by John. Here is a picture of them in their baptism whites.



John also confirmed Joey. It was a really special occasion.

Also today, John was called as 2nd counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency and I was called as Ward Music Director.

We are working steadily towards a temple sealing date. John has his recommend and has received his Patriarchal Blessing. He still needs to adopt the boys and then we can set the date. We plan to do it in the Salt Lake Temple and have a big extended family celebration. We will give you all fair warning as soon as the date is set. Noelle has requested next summer and I'm keeping that in mind.

John is dreaming of the start of ski season. We've been really lucky to have a ski instructor dad and be living in a town where skiing is relatively cheap for residents. John has turned us all into skiers and it has been a rewarding family activity for us. He is still hard at work building our house. We have radiant floor heating now which is so nice. Even the part of the house that is still uninsulated is kept warm. That whole system took months to install. It is a pretty amazing plumbing feat. He has also been our greenhouse guru. With Steamboat's short growing season, gardening outdoors is a challenge and keeping the right temperature in a greenhouse is a lot of work, most of which John has done. As a result, we've had tomatoes galore, lettuce, onions,cucumbers, squash, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, artichokes and some of John's favorite foods which are horseradish and Jerusalem artichokes. We've had a few strawberries as well. We are still working on how to grow them here. John has also built some beautiful garden sculptures on the city lot next door that look like small ski mountains. His work on our property attracts a lot of attention from the townsfolk. I often get comments about it wherever I go. John is the town commissioner for the Historical Society as well and is helping work on a highway bypass plan. We, too, have been hit by the economic meltdown. John's employer has had the funding cut by the bank for his building project, so John's job will be ending within 2 weeks. He is starting his own consulting business for now. He has a couple of job prospects as well, but they are not making any decisions this week. The stock market has been too scary.

Christie (John's daughter) is completing her Associates degree this year and working 2 jobs. She lives with college roommates still close enough to home to come over often. The boys adore her and she is so good to them. I took a kickboxing class with her a few months ago. It was a grueling class for me, although she seemed to do fine. She is trying to convince me to do it again. I want to spend time with her, but I'd also like to live through it. Christie and John are planning a trip to Connecticut at the end of the month to visit John's parents. We can't afford to all go right now and Christie is very generously paying John's way.

Joey is growing like a weed. He turned eight on September 30. He got three parties; a family party, a sleepover and today a potluck at the church. He is getting spoiled and loves it. He is doing very well in 2nd grade. He loves his teacher. He has some struggles with reading because of dyslexia but he loves books and works really hard at figuring out what they say. He was thrilled to get his own set of scriptures today and has already started reading the Book of Mormon on his own (his own idea). He told me he is stuck on page 1 but he doesn't want help.

Justin is in 1st grade this year and doing well. He also has a wonderful teacher who loves him. He is a natural charmer and has discovered the fun of telling jokes. He works on his comic routine constantly. He has a whole litany of jokes that he will tell anyone who will listen. He and Joey are naturals at horseback riding. They are also practicing violin regularly now. I have been trying to figure out what motivates them as they would resist even candy bribes. Finally they saw one of my students whom they are friends with play "Twinkle" and suddenly they wanted to practice. Joey can play the first variation of "Twinkle" on the violin with the piano and Justin can almost do it.

I am teaching at Colorado Mountain College (where Christie is attending) as an adjunct professor. This semester I just taught one course in Music Appreciation. It was condensed to 1/2 term. I'll be administering the final this Tuesday. It was a ton of work to do this class, as I've never taught it before. Thank goodness I can reuse my PowerPoint presentations again. Next term I'll be teaching that class as well as Music History, History of Jazz and a non-credit Learn to Play Violin class. The school is state run and trying to qualify for a music building, so they are pushing more music classes. In addition to teaching college, I have 17 violin students; well, 16 violin students and 1 viola student. I have become the family wage earner for the time being and I am grateful to have the ability to make enough to keep the bills paid. I am also working towards getting a non-profit foundation started that will provide scholarships for private music lessons to underserved students. The school district here is lacking in a string program so I am doing my part to make up the deficit in that area. Right now I am contemplating a doctorate as the college will pay double salary for a PhD. Boston University offers a Doctorate of Musical Arts that I can do almost completely online, but the cost is $30,000 per year. I'm looking for fellowships and scholarships to pay that amount.

Well, that's the scoop on our family. To get more detail and pictures, see our blog.

This day in history...

I came across this today after talking with Shanda and Rachelle about their picture project. This is an entry from Grandma's diary, when she is expecting Teddie. I think it is interesting that the Doctor "told me I was doing fine and I would probably have a dozen kids", when this is her second. Would any doctor say that still today? Little did he know that she would fulfill that prophesy. I am so glad that Grandma kept a diary. I'm working on transcribing her journal from 1978-1987. When I get it completed, I'm thinking of posting it with googledocs, so that all of us can have a copy of it. She was so focused on missionary work and her children and grandchildren. It is interesting to read what her first impressions of my aunts and uncles future spouses were. (Just a plug from your future generations to keep a journal!)

Oct. 10, 1951

Weight 129 Waist 29”
Bust 37 ½ ” Hips 38”

Well it looks like a couple months have skipped me by. We went to Salt Lake during September and painted the folks’ new home. I have never worked so hard in my life and I never hope to work so hard again but I didn’t seem to have any ill effects.

I felt life September 18^th – a determined little struggling within me that gave me once more the thrilling satisfaction of motherhood. Since then I have felt movement every day and some of them have been pretty violent.

Ted teases me a little about my tummy (it’s beginning to protrude) but I know he is proud. At night he lays his hand on my stomach and squeezes me sleepily when he feels it kick.

A few times I have waked up at night with terrific cramps in my legs. The muscles were simply tied in knots and hard as rocks. Once I yelled extra loud and Ted jumped like he had been shot. He rubbed my legs until the hardness went away. Then he put the heating pad against them. Heat seems to be the only thing to relieve that awful pain so I never go to sleep anymore unless my trusty pad is within easy reach.

I have backaches occasionally when I overwork, but when I told this to the doctor he merely laughed and gave me his definition of a woman – “A female bi-ped with a backache.” I see what he means.

My latest visit to the doctor was on Sept. 25. He told me I was doing fine and I would probably have a dozen kids. He gave me some vitamins to take. It is a small wonder modern children are such pills considering the quantities of said product that present-day mothers have to swallow!

It looks like I am really expanding. There has been a two inch gain around my waist and a 3 ½ inch gain in my bust – Eek!