Hope

I don't know if the title really fits with the blog, but here is my ray of hope:
At 6:00 p.m. tonight I looked to the west and saw light over the mountians. It reminded me that these dark days will eventually be replaced with the longer lasting ones of sunlight.

Scenes from Christmas Morning

Here are the kids and the tree. If you are wondering why laundry is drying next to it, they were my much desired presents from Jason - a nightgown and a laundry drying rack.

Here is Luke opening his much desired Martian Matter, a present from his sister. She was hoping he would love her since she got him what he really wanted.












Brooke with her much desired baby Ariel doll from Santa.

And Slugger with a doggie bone. Sadly, not much desired.

About A Big Kid...

After asking Luke to do something for me yesterday, he told me: "I'm a big kid! Big kids like rock-n-roll, playing Wii and DON'T obey mothers!"

Luke's Gingerbread House

While Brooke had Nanny day, Mom and Luke took time to decorate his Gingerbread house.

Brooke's Gingerbread House

Thank you Nanny for helping Brooke do her Gingerbread house. Mommy just wasn't getting her act together!

Santa's List

Here are the kids checking out Santa's List...

Brooke finds her name on the Nice List... Brooke was excited to find her name here. She was worried that Santa forgot her. When she found her name she yelled out to the sky "Santa, I love you!"

Luke found his name on "THE OTHER" (Naughty) list...Boy, oh, boy did this cause some major upset! He ran off crying and screaming "Santa I hate you!!"

Elves 2008

At noon last Friday the sun came out and I rushed the kids into the car for 2 hours of fun with the Elves at Gardner Village.

Where I've Been Lately...

I haven't been posting (or getting on the computer in general) much lately. Here is what I've been up to instead:

Mary Engelbreit aprons:

My Christmas apron:

Brooke's Strawberry Shortcake apron:

Fruity aprons:

Start Something!

I found this on a blog I ran across while looking for something else:

"My challenge to you is to try something new today! Pick anything, educate yourself about it or find someone to help you out, and give it a shot!"

Obsession

Shall I let you in on a little secret? I obsess about Christmas Stockings. And not just in December – almost all year round!

I have one that I LOVE. I have always wanted to have matching stockings hung at Christmas. Sadly, I don’t have the pattern for my stocking or the knowledge of how to knit. I don’t know anyone who can knit.

When we first got married we bought a red and green matching stocking, but didn’t get any that matched for kids. For the past few years they have been using them. I hate them. I want 4 matching stockings. I want knitted. I obsess about how I want the whole thing to look hanging on my not mantel.

Two years ago my beloved Aunt gave hers to me. Now I only need 2 more. Jason doesn’t love them, but I’m sure that’s because it’s red… I’m more than willing to have his be green or blue… I just need them to be matching!!!

I have found stockings that I like online and ones that I like in Christmas Stocking knitting books (http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Stockings-Holiday-Treasures-Knit/dp/1931499004) , but again the whole who’s gonna knit it thing comes up. Plus, I don’t want to spend a fortune on a stocking. $100 per stocking is too much for me. I don’t know how to afford 4 custom stockings.

There are lots of cute quilted ones that I might consider if I wasn’t so set on the whole matching thing. I can’t stop obsessing. I wake up in the night and think about this issue and how I’m going to solve it. It began before I was married (many years before) and now I can’t shut my brain off. I’m thinking I might need to seek out medication for this problem…

So, what are you obsessing about?

A Parent’s Thanksgiving List

A Parent’s Thanksgiving List
From Families Who Laugh . . . Last by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard.

I’m grateful my children demand I talk to them when I don’t feel like talking, feed them when I’m not hungry, and change their diapers even when I’m all dressed up and ready to go somewhere special. I don’t think I’d discover the world outside my own needs without them.
I’m grateful my children haven’t learned how to hold back their tears when they’re sad, laughter when they’re happy, or screams when they’re frightened. They constantly remind me that emotions are for sharing.
I’m grateful my children have broken nearly everything in my home and used a crayon or ink marker on the rest. They’ve taught me that things aren’t important, but people are.
I’m grateful my children start out small and helpless so they don’t become aware of my incompetence until they’re teenagers. By then, we’ve both grown so accustomed to each other, we somehow manage to make it through the rest of life together.
I’m grateful my children get their pants dirty, pick their noses, burp without saying “excuse me,” and quarrel in public so I’ll never be able to get too arrogant, proper, or judgmental of other people’s children.
I’m grateful my children sometimes call me names like “weird” because sometimes I am “weird,” and it helps keep a person humble to be told they’re “weird” when they’re acting weird.
I’m grateful my children occasionally miss the bus at the precise moment I’ve stepped out of the shower, contemplating the well-planned, organized day ahead of me. Experiences like jumping into the car after throwing on whatever’s handy and racing to school have a tendency to loosen rigid plans into something better known as spontaneity.
I’m grateful my children always need new shoes, piano books, prescriptions, haircuts, fieldtrip money, tuition, food, toothpaste, and underwear. That way, I don’t have to waste my time thinking about a new sofa. It’s difficult to get wealthy and think about luxuries when you have to buy toilet paper and milk by the truckload each week.
I’m grateful my children know how to play. My five-year-old asked me to come downstairs so he could “teach me how to play” with his plastic animals. While Jacob demonstrated the subtle techniques for sinking a rhinoceros into couch cushions while pretending it was quicksand, I realized my young son was right. I really do need someone to “teach me how to play.”
I’m grateful my children question my every command and giggle when I get angry. It’s difficult to feel too powerful or self-righteous with kids around to remind you of how funny you look when you’re pointing your finger.
I’m grateful my children insist I hug, kiss, rock, or put my arms around them often. Otherwise, I think I’d forget how the sense of touch is so healing.
I’m grateful each of my children is unique when the same strange, inexperienced mother raised them. Somehow they don’t seem to let me ruin them much.
And lastly, I’m grateful for the gift of children in my life. God willing, I’d like to fill the rest of my days with those interesting people who call me Mom (yes, and sometimes “weird”) but eventually “weird grandma.”

Tagged! (I Feel Loved)

I woke up to find this on our windows and porch:

I must admit that I felt like I was special since we were included in the tagging of the neighorhood "Y" fans. It's fun to be included!! Thanks to whomever did this...maybe we'll try it next year!

My Thankful List (by Jason)

1. Sports
2. tivo
3. family
4. weight lifting
5. chicken
6. television
7. satellite radio
8. mexican food
9. my car
10. my dog

And Now From #22

#22 (on my list) has her very own list:

1. My brother
2. My dolls
3. Slugger (the dog)
4. Yummy rolls
5. Nanny
6. Fat Boys (the ice cream sandwich)

Thankful List of #21 On My TL

#21 on my Thankfulness List made his own list:

1. Jesus
2. People (everyone in the whole world)
3. Skeletons
4. The Star Spangled Banner
5. The bathroom
6. Underwear

Thankful Challenge

Today one of the speakers in church gave us the challenge of coming up with a list of 10-50 things we are thankful for. There was more to the challenge, but I'm just gonna work on this first half. So in no particular order, my list of thankfulness:

1. My parents
2. My siblings
3. Indoor plumbing
4. Ice cream (especially peppermint...mmmm...)
5. My aunts & uncles
6. Monday night walks
7. Books
8. Friends who share my love of books
9. My new car
10. Prayers
11. Computers
12. Tuesday & Thursday afternoons
13. The opportunity to live and travel in Europe
14. The opportunity to live in America
15. Gas prices are going down!!!!
16. Sundays only come once a week
17. Music
18. That I can read
19. Sleep
20. Antibiotics

Pre/Elementary School Musical

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Pumpkin Pie

This...+ this...

= This...
(My little love "note" to Jason)

Thank You

Luke made this at school today. I was very proud of him. His first question to me was "Is Grandpa a Veteran?" I said "Yes, and so is Great-grandpa Harold." He was very worried that he hadn't made two. I told him I'd put it on here so everyone would be able to see his thanks.

New Tunes

It's a short list, but we really giggle over these songs (especially the Snowman one).

The Roll Saga, Part 3

It took about 2 hours for the rolls to rise the second time, but they looked nice and round!

Sadly the first batch got a litte extra brown. The receipe listed the oven temp at 375-400 degrees.

I put them in at 375. It was too hot!! The rolls are yummy but a litte bit crusty.
The kids are snarfing them down, so it's ok. I turned down the temp to 350 and got the nicer looking ones on the left. I did quality control on one and it was all soft and yummy.

I made lots of notes on my index card for the next time I make rolls (you know in case it's YEARS from now...). All in all, I think my vote is for Rhodes rolls unless I'm trying to impress someone or I want to feel all homemakery.

The Roll Saga, Part 2

Well friends, 1 1/2 hours was all it took for the dough to rise to the top (and almost out of) the bowl. I forgot to take a shot of it all nice and grown up...

I've rolled the dough into lovely little balls and gotten 48 rolls out of it (wow - 4 dozen from one batch!!) The ones on the jelly roll pan are my first ones, so they aren't quite as perfect looking as the ones in the muffin tins.

Now they are all set to rise again. From the looks of them, I think it's gonna take more than an hour to rise, but I could be wrong. Hopefully they taste as nice as they are looking.

The Roll Saga, Part 1

Today I’m trying out rolls. Making them that is. I’ve searched my cookbooks and my cousin Maylene’s cooking blog for one I want to try. Most of them have ingredients I don’t have on hand (and I’m NOT going back to Wal-Mart today!!!). So I pulled out the Potato Roll recipe I got back in college (circa 1994-95) from a Dorm neighbor.

I made it for the first (and only time) a couple of years ago. Back then I used homemade mashed potatoes. It didn’t work out as well as I hoped. They were rather lumpy (yes, I’m saying I make lumpy mashed potatoes!!) and I don’t think I let them raise right. I wanted to have them for dinner, but they were ready to cook too early. My solution? Punch down the dough and stick it in the fridge until dinner time. Maybe that would have worked, but I didn’t leave enough time for the rolls to rise again after I made them into balls.

Anywho, today I thought I’d try it out again, but this time with instant potatoes. So far things are looking good. As I don’t know how long to let the dough raise before I make it into balls, I’m panicking and looking for answers online and in cookbooks. So far I have found, according to Maylene’s only roll entry, after I roll them into balls I should give them about an hour.

I’m starting to think Rhodes Frozen Rolls should just always be in my freezer, and I should just stick to making desserts...

Scout Law - Belive It. Live It.

After I read the article in my Scouting Magazine on how the Scouts in Austin came up with the documentary "Believe It. Live It." I wanted to see it. The Scouts took the 12 points of the Scout Law and "defined and illustrated" them in video segments.

Whether you are a Scout or not, this is a really amazing project! Watch all 12 episodes at: http://www.scouttube.org/ Seriously - WATCH THIS!!!!


* My favs: Loyal, Obedient & Brave

VOTE!!

If you are wondering, like I was, when the polls open tomorrow, here is some info for you:

For Tuesday Nov. 4th balloting, you can find your polling place by calling your local county clerk, or you can go to the state's Election Office Web site at elections.utah.gov. Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Ladies, if you need someone to watch your kids so you can go vote, call me!!! I will watch them so you can VOTE!

Halloween 2008

I know he doesn't look happy, but really Luke is. He's just mad that Brooke keeps running into his "BY MYSELF" photos.

It was so warm, the kids didn't need coats, mittens and scarves this year! It didn't even rain on us in our neighborhood! It was the BEST Halloween EVER!!!

Halloweens Gone By

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2006

Halloween 2005

Halloween 2004