who likes the snow... raise you hand?

We are loving the snow... especially since it caused us a whole day of doing practically nothing... nothing but reading stories... building forts....a little Andrew time and some unwanted shoveling....

WHO'S EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS.... MEEEEEE.... I CAN'T SLEEP!!!

unorganized gift giver....

Does it drive everyone that is around me crazy or just Jake that I am an "unorganized" gift giver. He and I had this converstaion last night about our kids Christmas's this year. The conversation became a demand for a detailed inventory and spreadsheet of what we have bought and who it is from and how much it costs... etc...etc...etc...

O.K. fine....

So, after checking the list twice...all of the unorganized and random gifts that I have bought (in his opinion) need to be taken back. I can't bring myself to do it. I really like my life random and unorganized. Call me crazy!

So, I am sharing my latest and greatest projects... also products of my "crazy unorganized gift giving spree..." I have just been creating a little here and a little there... whenever I get a minute or two (mostly during Andy's naps)... I am lOVING making fun and cute little christmas presents.... don't know who they are for... but they are filling my holiday season with loads of creative fun. I turn on the tunes.... sing along loudly and feel a little like an elf at moments. This is what makes MY holiday season meaningful and gives me a moment of repreive from the commercial crazyness. So, while I'm somewhat "unorganized" I don't need spreadsheets to help me determine who will get these gifts... just whoever I feel like~ HoPE YOuR SeaSOn IS GoINg MeRRiLy AlOnG......

POLKA DOTTED BABY FOOD FACE

mY BabY liKeS hIs cARRoTs!!

Sadie's snowball creation's

nothing better than a snowy saturday...and to celebrate Sadie fashioned herself some snow ball jewlrey...you should try it!

all you need is:

white pom poms

stretchy clear bracelet chord

clear beads

we dissasembled some old earrings and used the hooks for the earrings.
add a little pink make-up, a cute smile, and you're stylin'!!

all the WHO'S in WHO-VILLE!

it was Mason's idea... he said we had never made gingerbread houses before... well, that was not good... we cheated a little and made them out of graham crackers...
Nick got a little frusterated with the roof building and decided to just eat it... yummmmm....
My big girl Sadie who just does her thing... she had a great time and was very creative doing her cute little cottage...
now the frosting is over... bring out the candy caddy...
So, here's how it goes... Dad's, Sadie's, Mom's, Nick's, and Mason's

Primary Pleasure!

Just thought I would share the idea I found and copied from "sugardoodle" for our primary birthday gift idea this year. I found the template for the coupon and then jazzed it up a little.... we are giving each of them this coupon to redeem at the bishop's office for a treat.... now I need to decide what the treat will be. I like the idea of giving them the chance to shake the bishop's hand and involve him in the recognition of their special day. I'm thinking the treat will be a pack of gum or a candy bar or something... (just not an "air-head" candy... :)

Girls Night Out

The funnest thing in life for me is being with my family. Especially the girls.... Sadie and I got to go to our first girls night out at Linda's this year. Linda is my mom's cousin that lives in Bountiful. She has a fabulous house that is really more like a full out bed and breakfast. We enjoyed visiting and laughing and playing games and eating and more eating and treats and more treats. Seriously, I have the funnest family in the world. I didn't take near enough pictures, but I will tuck the images and feelings right in my mind forever.

One of the things that I loved about the night was watching Sadie and Taylor write lyrics>

to songs and preform them for us. They were so cute!!! I had to share the lyrics of a 6 year old and 7 year old (I was pretty impressed... and love the spelling...)




Darn, I wish you could have seen it live.

We played the funniest game.. can't remember the name but it was a good one. Who brought that anyway? And by the way, did we eat enough? YIKES! I didn't mind fasting sunday...

It is so fun to participate in things like that now that we live here. GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES!

Giving Thanks... and Decking the Halls

What an awesome weekend we had. It was great food, good memories...some old traditions and some new. lots of add checking out, and the greatest shopping day of the year! So thats it for thanksgiving now on to Christmas and decking the halls...


Mom is an awesome cook and the feast was grand. She also had the kids write on leaves all the things we were each thankful for and we decorated the thanksgiving tree that somewhat resembled Charlie Brown's.

The next morning Dad, Jake and I hit the town for some serious shopping... we did well and missed the rush for the most part. Nothing like getting you into the Christmas gift giving spirit like the rush of some extreme crazy early morning shopping. It was a lightening start to the time of year when I get all crazy about making sure the true meaning of Christmas doesn't get lost. Sunday's are good for that. Today at church was so nice... to feel inspired by music and just being in the right place to remember the savior. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year!!!

So... here is a glimps of my christmas decor....

Look what I found>>>

YUCK! Winter approaches and no more walks outside. This is a necessary evil in my life. I hate it, but have got to do it~ See the dust... obviously it hasn't been used in a long time! However, I found out, it works like a charm. All this because of that stupid show........ BIGGEST LOSER. it gets me feeling really crapy... oh well, whatever motivates you right?

TURKEY BOWL

MASON'S IDEA OF GOOD FUN PROVED MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN LAST YEARS MINI-TURKEY BOWL. 11 BOYS (AND 2 BIG BOYS) PLAYED ...
UNTIL IT WAS COLD AND DARK. THE INVITATION PROMISED TREATS AND FUN..SO THATS WHAT WE GAVE THEM, WE FOUND FOOTBALL SHAPED BROWNIES AND FILLED THE COOLER WITH GATORADE.



MASON IS A GOOD FRIEND AND PARTY PLANNER!

Busy Little Beaver

So, I've been a busy little beaver these days. Doing what you ask? well... some of it is hush hush... Christmas is coming you know? but sufice it to say, projects like sewing, stitching, baking, card making etc.etc.... I will show you a few of the things another day. I've also been helping a friend of mine get ready for a craft fair. She makes hair bows that are so very cute. The craft fair was last weekend and she did very well. I helped her for about 4 days straight. Currently I am focusing on making a stitchery pillow for a friend, sewing the hush hush things, making these yummy treats for enrichment... chocolate profeterioles... with ice cream and 2 kinds of hot fudge... I'm on the enrichment commitee and find doing things like these very enjoyable. We are having dinner and treats and playing games tomorrow night. I think it will be very fun! So, here is the recipe for chocolate cream puffs if you are interested. They are the easiest thing in the world to make and hopefully will be tasty for the ladies.... hot fudge recipe to follow:

Chocolate profiteroles

1 cube butter

1 1/4 c. water

1/4 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

pinch of salt

1 tsp sugar

bring to a boil and add:

1 c. flour

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

stir off the heat until combined. return to medium heat and stir until smooth and glossy.

transfer mixture to mixer and beat with paddle attachment 1 minute

Add:

5 eggs (one at a time until smooth)

put in pastry bag with no tip and form balls on ungreased cookie sheet

bake 425 for 15 minutes, decrease oven temp to 350 and cook 20 more minutes until firm and dry

HOT FUDGE

1 cube butter

1 cup chocolate chips

melt and add:

1 1/2 c. p. sugar

1 can evaporated milk

continue to cook until thick and bubbly...

*I like to mix milk and semi sweet.... and I tried it this time with white cholate chips...

Oh this blasted Bug...

This has been a rough couple of weeks... Nick and I have had a cold and flu bug... now poor Andrew has it. How cute are baby sneezes though? Lucky for me, even though he is sick, he's still a pretty happy little guy. And lucky for me the world has stopped spinning... yesterday I felt like I was on a merry go round all day. YUCK! Now Andy has cold and it doesn't sound good... how do you know when things turn to RSV? I'm so paranoid! Here's hoping the rest of the family will not get this "blasted bug!"

The Big Day!!!

If there is ever a time to feel patriotic, today is the day! I am happy to live in this country and grateful for those who have and still do risk their lives in order to bless our lives with peace and freedom. Voting is a privledge that I have taken for granted in the past but feel stronger about each time an election rolls around. This year I have felt a more serious obligation to vote for lots of reasons. One of those is purely due to the fact that I have 4 kids who deserve the rights and freedoms that I enjoy. I am only one voter... but realize that doing my duty to express my opinion is a drop in a bucket that can make a change for the better.

I'm proud to be an American!

(*and a borderline total cheeseball!!!!! ... )

Ever Tried an Aritchoke?

Artichokes were on sale at the grocery store the other day and I couldn't resist. Have you ever tried them fresh? And how were they named artichoke? And did you realize they had purple in the middle... not to mention the hairy "choke" in the center... Well, we have tried them several times... they are a pain in the hiney to prepare, but yummy to eat. And the name....???? the kids and I came up with several different stories... Mason: "A guy names Arti found one in the desert and figured out how to eat it... he choked!" And I am still digging in my pinkie finger to find the spine of one of the leaves that stabbed me. OUCH! It was worth it... layer after layer of yummy... right to the heart of ol' "Arti"

Steamed Artichokes
4 artichokes

water just to cover

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp. whole pepper corns

1 lemon sliced

steam prepared artichokes with all remaining ingredients for 25 to 30 minutes.

How to prepare an artichoke....

cut of top third of artichoke, squeeze lemon juice of cut section. slice stem end leaving only a small amount below base of artichoke. peel away outside layer of tough green leaves. using scissors snip tops of a few base leaves. using a melon baller scoop out center of heart (purple leaves and the choke... as much as possible) squeeze with lemon and let rest in ice water until the remaining artichokes are prepared. swear, break melon baller, turn fingers purple from yanking away at the center and get stabbed with small prickly spines.... :) oh what fun~

dip them in lemon juice, melted butter and mayonnaise

Oh what a beautiful morning!

I couldn't help but blog about this mornings beautiful sunrise. Thanks to our early morning start with Nick sick as a dog...we got to witness this. What a day to be sick... HALLOWEEN.... but I am so happy to have noticed the sky. Happy Haunting tonight!!!

My Curse

Why is it that I cannot do anything easy!? Sadie had a party for Dancing yesterday that she needed treats for, & we got SPOOKED by a neighbor... so we had to pass on the spooking to 2 others.... all these good holiday times! However, I have this curse that will not allow me to just go to the store and buy a bag of suckers or cookies.... oh no! I have to make them. So, feverishly at 4:30 (dancing starts at 5:30)... I am destroying my kitchen, stirring a brew of orange flavored, black suckers. They turned out fun and cute! and oh well... its all in love for the kids, to make memories of such fun times! Hopefully its good memories and not a curse.

Pumpkin "pudge"

OKAY! If you've never tried it...Pumpkin Fudge is probably the best treat of the season. (keeping in mind, my length of season generally lasts.... oh .... a week or so.) And so I thought I would share the recipe. It's a good weekend experiment for you. Don't eat too much like I have though or you will have yourself a pumpkin "pudge." It is a great visiting teaching treat... that way you don't eat it all.

Pumpkin Fudge
3/4 c. butter
3 c. sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts

in heavy saucepan heat butter, sugar, milk, pumpkin and spice to a boil over MEDIUM heat stirring constantly. Continue to boil until mixture reaches 234 degrees on candy thermometer. remove from heat stir in chips and marshmallow cream until smooth. stir in vanilla and nuts. pour into buttered 9x13 pan. Makes about 3 lbs.

*tip: it sets up fast so work quickly.

Witch Doctor

Poor Nick....

At his yearly checkup a few weeks ago the Dr. suggested that I go to "Shangrila" and buy an ear wax extraction device due to the fact that Nick had large amounts of hard black wax lodged down in there. OUCH! No wonder the boy gives us all the duh stare when you talk to him sometimes. He can't hear. Not to mention it is totally painful if you even touch it or he bumps it. So, we found the "ear candle". Is it the most bizarre thing you've ever seen? The smoke supposedly goes down through the tube and into his ear, forcing the wax back up and out into the tube. And it WORKS!!! Oh man.... seriously, we put Shrek to shame. Oh, and Nick is a new man. Only the kids woke him up at 6:30 am... he was sleeping right through the morning noise before.

If you have an ear wax problem... Jenny the Witch Doctor highly recommends the ear candle.

oh what fun it is to ride in a pumpkin ride with Hay!! HEY!

Over the freeway and through the woods...
to our families house we go...
the van knows the way, to carry the sleigh
to Lisa's new house we go - OH - (and what a cute new house it is...)

Over the freeway and through the woods,
from Lisa's house we go..
to the red barn
where we were warm
where pumpkins were found in a row.

It was UEA weekend (or Fall break) for the kids and so we decided to take a vacation. Can I just say...being with family is so rejuvinating for me. I love spending time with them and especially outdoors. The weather was just perfect. And so here we go on our journey:

Where the green grass grows!

It finally happened. After weeks and weeks of hard work, we finally got our back yard in. Can you say GRASS!!! Yikes! That is going to be a lot of mowing. Have fun Mason. :) Mom and Dad surprised us and showed up to help. We all enjoyed watching from the kitchen window the crew of sod layers do their magic. We have the hook ups here in this neighborhood. Not only is there a sod farm near by, our neighbor works there and cut us a great deal on "seconds" and an "install crew" to boot! 5 of them had it knocked out in 2 hours.... beats the heck out of Jake and Me doing the whole thing in a day or two! Jake is awesome! He did the sprinkler system and all the other hard prep work. The big dirt patch in the middle will be a giant sand box that the swing set will sit in. We'll see how soon the kids can convince Dad to put it up. There is a stinkin football field in my back yard.... TURKEY BOWL at our house!

alright it can snow now.... we are suppose to see snow this weekend!