Just Happy To Be Here

Oh Sunshine, Where Art Thou?

2011-04-09T10:38:00.033-06:00

I've seen it snow in April, but not for TWO DAYS! I love living in Utah for the great change of seasons. I just don't like it when they don't change. So here is my ode to summer and good weather (a long over due post of our summer 2010).

We started our summer a little early and took a trip to Southern California. Disneyland was our first destination. We walked and rode rides till we couldn't ride anymore. Molly was being chicken and didn't want to ride the roller coasters. So she stayed off with Lyndie since she was too short to ride. Grace and Olivia were game for every single ride.

A REAL man can wear princess ears and have their picture taken with a princess.

I LOVE this picture on Splash Mountain! It still makes me laugh to this day.

After 3 days in Disneyland we headed south to San Diego to spend some warm days on the beach. My kids ended up wanting to swim in the hotel pool more than anything :)

Went to Sea World for a few days and got drenched by Shamu. When they say "drench zone" they mean it. Tony didn't believe me. He had never been to Southern California.

Stopped on our way home to see the temple. It is SO beautiful!

For their birthday's, Molly and Grace wanted acrylic nails. A good friend of mine dropped by and indulged them.

For a family reunion we went to Lava Hot Springs. We stayed at a place that somewhere in the back of my mind was familiar. Nina said the same. We figured out that we had stayed there when we were little (I was 5 years old, amazing that I have memories from then). I remember going aross the street to get candy from the gas station. But there was no gas station across the street. So to be sure we weren't crazy, we asked the hotel desk if there was once a gas station across the street. She looked surprised and said yes it blew up a while back from a meth lab. I love reliving memories, especially ones from so long ago.

The 4th of July in a small town is the BEST for kids. They make sure to have their grocery sacks good and ready for all that candy being thrown.

Lyndie was prepared in advance for the fire trucks and the military guns to come by.

The girls in our traditional spot in right field to watch the fireworks.

We spent the evening of the 24th of July at the small town rodeo. It reminds me of the one we used to have when I was a kid. They have the cash cow, mutton busting, hyde races, and all of the traditional rodeo events. The only event missing is the animal chase where everyone brings their unwanted pets and animals for the kids to catch and take home. Parent's aren't a big fan of this event.

Tony and I had the opportunity to be a Ma and Pa for youth conference last year at Martin's Cove. This is at the top of Independence Rock.

Four buses to haul the kids and adults from our stake.

We spent two days pulling and pusing handcarts. I had been to Martin's Cove for a family reunion previous. But everytime has been a different experience and I have really grown to love the pioneers and all they went through, really for us.

After some silent respectful crossings of the Sweetwater River, we were allowed to have a water fight at the 3rd crossing. I thought I was safe from dunking since I was taking pictures. But this picture is Tony taking my camera so that a group of crazy girls could attack.

I haven't had that much fun in a LONG time. EVERYONE was soaked.

This definitely wasn't a relaxing vacation but it was definitely one of my most favorite trips with my man.

The day after we got home from Martin's Cove (hence my sunburn and cold sore) we drove to Elk Ridge to help celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Aren't they adorable!

They were married in the Idaho Falls Temple.

Tables were set up with centerpieces and pictures of my parents through the years.

You may recognize the quilt from an earlier post found here.

This was my first attempt (and hopefully my last) to make a wedding cake. I made to look as much like my parent's wedding cake as I could. With the help of friends and Molly's talent with making fondant roses, I think it turned out great.

It is rare that all of our family is ALL together. We live in 5 different states. So we took the opportunity to take a famiy picture before the big party.

Each of us kids took a turn on the program to tell a story, a joke, or just something we love about our parents. Some of the grandkids shared a talent and then we all showed how we can SHAKE IT. We cleared the floor and danced the night away. It was such a fun night and a great tribute to two amazing parents!

Before the summer got away from us we made sure to go camping one last time.

And then to end the summer we celebrated Lyndie's 4th birthday.

I started the summer thinking it was going to be calm and boring (a good boring). Boy was I wrong. But I am glad it was jam packed. We made SO many memories and became closer as a family. Looking forward to what this summer might bring. Can't wait to try out our new toy for the summer. (Notice the snow STILL coming down today).

Here's to hoping for good weather and good times!

Are You Ready For Halloween?

2010-10-27T09:16:00.002-06:00

We finalized the costumes for the girls yesterday. Molly had a party last night and went as an 80's aerobics instructor, leg warmers and all (I forgot to take a picture :( ). Here is a Halloween link to brush up on your knowledge of the spooky holiday. Hope everyone stays safe and warm on Halloween. It is my FAVORITE holiday!! Muahahahaha!

Photo Shoot

2010-10-18T18:00:00.012-06:00

I was a total slacker taking first day of school pictures of the girls this year. So on school picture day I took the girls out for a photo shoot (besides the class picture I haven't bought school pictures in years). They had a blast getting all the attention and I ended up with these beauties. Enjoy!

Coming Soon: What We Did This Summer

Friend's Awesome Giveaway

2010-06-15T16:55:00.004-06:00

Super Fun Giveaway!!

Here's what you could win: online code (gift code) for $60.00 to CSNstores!
CSNstores have 200+ sites that offer the largest categories of items such as: cookware, ultra modern furniture, office, fitness equipment, gaming chairs, grills, greenhouses, toys and MORE!

How to Enter:
Go to www.preschoolsnacks.blogspot.com
Good Luck!

Molly Gets Braces

2010-04-11T00:22:00.002-06:00

Our family is entering some new territory. Molly happily (and a little nervously) went to the orthodontist to fix her smile. She was born without two of her front teeth and is ready to get some.

Molly has never been a big fan of the dentist and she got a little ill spending that much time in the chair. I thought they were putting braces on my daughter not turning her into an elephant. Very flattering picture ;)

She passed the time away surfing channels on the T.V.

I think she looks so CUTE!! She will get the bottom braces on a little later.

A Prehistoric President's Day

2010-03-10T08:40:00.007-07:00

Lately I have been hearing from the girls a lot of "We never do anything when we don't have school." Most of the time I just say "Oh Waaah you poor picked on children." But I have to keep them guessing and took them on a surprise outing "UP NORTH" to the dinosaur museum.

This is what my family would have looked like if we stayed

home on President's Day:

But since I am the greatest mom ever ;) this is what

they DID look like:

We did a bunch of goofing off,

And then became part of an underwater adventure

with our 3D glasses.

We ended our adventure filling our bellies with the most

delicious ice cream.

Have a GREAT day!!

Piggies at LAST!

2010-02-23T22:51:00.004-07:00

Lyndie is three and a half years old and finally got her first PIGGY TAILS!! She is so proud. "Hair like Olivias". The poor girl inherited her mom's lack of hair and natural curl.

Notice we still can't pull it "ALL" up yet.

But Lyndie sure is happy to have "GIRL" hair and not "BOY" hair.

True Spirit of Christmas

2009-12-10T10:19:00.002-07:00

Blogger Anniversary

2009-10-19T11:04:00.009-06:00

This is kind of a belated one year Anniversary of my blog. My very first blog was the first day of school 2008 and now before I know it, it is the first day of school 2009! The girls are growing so fast I feel like I can't keep up. Shouldn't they all stay three forever so they will cuddle, be so innocent and not roll their eyes at me.

Molly is in 7th grade this year and it is her first year of 7 classes in the day. She seems to be doing great (she isn't one to tell all). She is taking dance again this year and is hoping her mom will get around to help her choreograph a jazz solo with her. Molly is playing the flute for her
second year and is fabulous at it. I hope she doesn't ever quit playing.

Grace is in the 5th grade this year and she gets to experience middle school in this town a little early. She is loving school and her teacher (who hasn't taught elementary in 20 years and seems to be LOVING it.) Grace is trying clogging this year. She is liking the clogging part but doesn't like that she is in a beginning class with younger kids. She is in her first year of playing the viola and can't wait to use the bow.

Olivia is in the 1st grade and LOVES it! She came home the first week of school and told be that I should call her "doll" because her teacher told her she was a "little doll". She is very social and loves to play with friends. She has put dance aside and is taking power tumbling. I had no idea of the things that girl can do. She is a natural.

Where did my babies go?

Aren't they so cute waiting for the bus in stair step?

Summer Vacations 2009

2009-09-02T09:50:00.000-06:00

We have had the best summer!! It was jam packed with vacations. In July our neighbor invited us to go river rafting on the Colorado. It was a blast!!

The views were amazing!

The company wasn't bad either.

Tony trying his hand at rowing. It wasn't as easy as it looked.

Molly had so much fun and we wished we would
have taken Grace with us. Maybe next year.

The first day down the river we had 17 boats in our group.

The first week of August we went to my sister's house in Roseville, California. The kids would have been happy if we would have just stayed at her house to swim in her pool. But we had some adventures.

Panning for gold at Sutters Mill. I liked the blackberry bushes there. Yum!

Grace cooling off in the river.

Molly hoping to find gold.

Coloma, California

What a fun day. I love vacations!

My sister and her husband own TRICKS gymnastics.
My girls got to take advantage of free classes at the gym.
We couldn't hold Lyndie back from going to class. She did GREAT!

You can't go to N. California and not go to the Jelly Belly Factory.
Notice all of our loot in the bags.

The smell inside is amazing! They were
making lemon jelly bellies the day we were there.

We went to the beach at Santa Cruz beach boardwalk.
The water was cold but it was too fun not to play in.

The sand was SO warm.

Olivia loved playing in the sand and collecting sea shells.

Molly raiding the cooler. It was a little breezy that day.

I LOVE this picture. It was Grace's first time on a

ferris wheel. She insisted on riding it alone.

She wasn't quite sure of her decision when she got to the top.

The girls loved riding the ferris wheel. Especially when it "tickled" their bellies.

Look how gorgeous!! The view wasn't bad either. (:

Lyndie insisted on riding the airplanes. She was so excited

that while on the airplanes she wet her pants. Poor kid.

Molly wasn't sure about riding this but after she

was ready to ride again and again.

We stayed an entire week but could have stayed another to do everything we wanted to. Oh darn, I guess we'll have to go back later.

Wow What A Fun Four Months

2009-07-20T15:14:00.000-06:00

Life has been so fun and busy that I just haven't wanted to keep up with the blog. But I think it is time to document and share our happenings. It is kind of a novel so beware. You may want to sit back and get comfortable if you care to look at all this.

Easter

We stayed home for Easter this year. The girls can never get enough of dying eggs. I really don't like to waste food, but that is just too many deviled eggs for me.

I went back to my childhood and showed my kids the art of paper mache. The eggs turned out so cute, but didn't dry in time to use as baskets this year.

Here is the booty that the Easter Bunny left. I LOVE Easter candy!

Olivia's 6th Birthday

Olivia wanted a party at the pool with her friends. I was happy to oblige. What an easy party and everyone had a good time.

I keep doing this flower cake with variations because it is so easy and you get cake and cupcakes so everyone is happy.

I keep telling Olivia she is not allowed to grow up. So how in the world is she six already?

I think she liked her make-up, but I'm not sure (;Her sisters were a little envious. Olivia has been playing with her sisters remnants of play make-up and finally got her very own.

We were so excited to welcome Olivia into our family. It had been four years since we had a baby in the house. She is such a good girl, a great student, a big help with her little sister, and a huge tease to her big sisters. We love you Olivia!

Spring Flowers

I absolutely love this PINK flowered tree in front of our GIRLS windows.

I finally took the time to take a picture of the blossoms.

Molly's Dance Competition

This was their Military dance. They did an awesome job!! I was so pleased.

This was their lyrical dance. I loved this costume!

We got very silly on the way home. We all had the "I'm so tired" giggles.

I thought that this was a great look for Olivia (;

The girls were laughing so hard when their dad asked, "How can get some of those crowns?" at Burger King. We all wore them all the way home, cracking ourselves up the whole way. I love family getaways!!

Youth Conference

So I had these really great pictures of youth conference but my awesome husband accidentally erased them from my camera, so you will just have to use your imagination.We got to go to Salt Lake and stay in the Olympic Village. It was like college all over again. Lots of junk food, and staying up all night chatting. The next day we went to the This is the Place State Park. We went on a tour learning about pioneer life and pioneer etiquette. They could "text" each other from across the room with a handkerchief. We had a blast trying the signals out on each other. For example, a brush of the lips means you would like to get acquainted. A brush of the right cheek means I love you. A handkerchief thrown to the floor means that this conversation is over. The dabbing of the forehead means someone is watching us.

That night we had so much fun at a good old barn dance. We dance a bunch of the old and some of the new. Line dances, limbo, hokey pokey, GOOD TIMES! We spent the next day at Temple Square. We saw the Joseph Smith movie where a lot of testimonies were strengthened. Then we took a tour of the Conference Center while it poured rain outside. Then we had the opportunity of hearing from one of the Young Women General Board members. There was a lot of sleeping after a long day, but the talk was far from a snoozer. Our ward ended youth conference by going to a Bees baseball game. We did some cheering, some dancing and the fireworks were fabulous! Then I went home and crashed after having very little sleep.

Girls Camp

We worked so hard to get ready for girls camp. The Stake Leaders had some awesome activities planned. But the rains decided to come and come and come. We survived the first night by leaving camp and squishing 150 people into the town hall. We did get to do our skits which were hilarious. Then we played some games and talked till late. The rest of camp was canceled so our ward stayed at camp as long as we could playing games but our fatigue won over and we went home. There is always next year.

All of us crammed into town hall watching the skits.

This was our little tent city trying to keep out of the rain.

Our gateway to our "Kingdom" of princesses.

Molly looks so happy to be there. She did have fun whether she wants to admit it or not but was disappointed that camp had to end early. Camp was her very first young women's activity.

Aren't we all so cute in our pink shirts?

This is how we act most of the time. What a fun group of girls and leaders. The Sunday after camp I was called into the Primary Presidency. I will miss these times with the girls.

Molly's 12th Birthday

This birthday was such a relief to have come to pass. Molly wants to grow up RIGHT NOW. And being a good head taller than all the kids in primary and even taller than some of the leaders, she fits in a bit better in Young Women's. She wanted to spend her birthday with me without all of her sisters. I hope she always wants to hang with me. We call these days M&M days (Mom and Molly). We cruised the mall and stocked up at Bath and Body then had a tasty lunch. It was a fun day for both of us. I love you Molly!

Family Reunions
We had Tony's family reunion at Cherry Hill. It rained the entire time but we still went to the water park and had a great time not having to deal with crowds. And we had fun at the yearly raffle and came away with lots of fun treasures.

Our tent was pretty cozy in the rain.

Plenty of room to play around in.

My family reunion was at a cabin at Otter Creek. We have these reunions every other year. We tie dyed shirts, played games, made crafts, and had a 70's/80's party that was a riot.

My entire family minus my oldest brother.

We have always been a family who likes to play games together.

An age old tradition of playing hearts and the loser has to do the dishes.

Let's get physical, physical.

Grace and her cousin sporting the 80's look.

Remember this look? The crazy thing is all of these clothes I got in the store recently.

This is just like a dress I wore when I was about Lyndie's age.

70's frock meets 80's jock

All who attended Ekins Reunion 2009

Grace's 10th Birthday

Grace got to spend part her birthday at the family reunion at Cherry Hill.

She and I got to go try out the new Mexican restaurant in town. Yummmyy!

Life Lessons

2009-03-25T12:07:00.000-06:00

My kids got a very difficult life lesson yesterday. We had to say goodbye to one of our dogs. No he didn't die. We got our Jack Russell "Shorty" about three years ago as a friend for our Red Healer "Copper" to try to keep him from roaming. That plan failed but we fell in love with Shorty. We tried our best to keep him warm in the garage in the winter. But his fur was just not long enough and thick enough and would beg to come in both our house and the neighbors. Well last year the neighbors gave in and let him in when he would scratch. So we let him come in this year and it just didn't work out. Too many allergies at our house. We found a family with kids to take him. I made the mistake of letting the girls come when I sent Shorty away. Grace cried the whole way there and beyond. Lyndie just was confused as to why that strange man was taking her dog (aka little brother). She just kept saying, "Shorty go. Take Shorty. My Shorty.", in a really confused voice. Then we all began to bawl. Did I do the right thing? I wasn't sure last night but I am ok with my decision today but I think I may have let the best dog in the whole world go. If only he could have been a long haired dog. We miss you Shorty and hope you love your new home.

My Love of Music

2009-03-24T14:29:00.000-06:00

I think I learned to love music before I was even born. My mom was always humming a tune no matter the time of day. When music is playing I can't help but want to jam to it. If I am in a place where I can't dance it takes everything I have to hold still and will tap my toe to the beat. I always love a feel good song that lifts my spirit. Well, I think I have passed on this love for music and a good beat. On Sunday in Sacrament Meeting there was a musical number consisting of a flute and a violin. It had all my girls at full attention. When it was over Lyndie had to show her true appreciation for the job well done and clapped very enthusiastically. It was great. I felt the same way. I hope she always enjoys good music.

Our Staycation

2009-03-11T13:01:00.000-06:00

Whenever we go to the city we are so busy shopping we hardly ever stop to play. So last weekend we decided we were just going to play in the "BIG" city (; We first visited the Draper temple open house. I think Olivia's jaw hit the floor when I told her she got to go INSIDE the temple. The entire tour Lyndie kept saying that everything was "HUGE" in a not so quiet voice and she loved the "moo tows" at the baptismal font. We made sure to stay at a motel that had a pool but when we got there they had it closed for the weekend to make repairs. So the girls found other ways to entertain themselves.

I think I gave birth to aliens. We laughed so hard! Olivia figured out how to do this while we were trying to find somewhere else to swim with no luck.

I was a little picture happy. Our drive to the temple and then after a bite to eat at IKEA. Grace said that IKEA is now officially her favorite store.

A little photo op on our way to get some yummy chocolate.

This is the look of a happy mom that had a great weekend just relaxing.

We also went to the BYU vs. Airforce basketball game. The girls had a blast and came away a bit hoarse after all the cheering. We ended up getting to see my brother Brian and his wife all the way from Portland. I also got to meet Tony's Aunt and cousins for the first time. Family is the greatest!! The more the merrier. Now back to reality after a fun weekend.

Girls Gone Crazy

2009-02-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

We sent the girls out to unload the truck after cutting wood. I guess I left my camera in the truck because this is what I found........

They call this one "HAMMY" (from over the hedge).

QUILTS

2009-01-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

I have the most amazing sister-in-laws! The three of them got together and put a "life" quilt together for my parents for Christmas. It is SO BEAUTIFUL! Not only pieced and quilted beautifully but the personal story behind each block is so awesome. You can't buy that kind of gift from a store. I am so thankful for the love that all of my in-laws (both sister and brother) have for my parents and we love them all too. Great job sisters-in-laws!!
(For the inside scoop on each quilt block see my mom's blog.)

I also did a little quilting myself. When I was in high school I would go to my older sister's house and nanny her boys for the summer. We started making quilts out of old t-shirts that meant something to us but we no longer wore. I think the first one we made was a concert t-shirt quilt. Last year her oldest son graduated from high school and went to BYU. So she secretly has been gathering his school, work, and play shirts and sent them my way. This was my first "boy quilt" and I think it turned out pretty good. It is always scary to put so much work into something and then hope that the recipient is pleased. By the look on Jordan's face I think I was successful.

Digital Scrapbooking

2009-01-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

I want to digital scrapbook but it just seems so much harder than I want it to be. I just want to be able to grab and place. Anyone have any favorite programs. I've heard Memory Mixer is good, and of course Adobe Photo Shop but it just seems too complicated for what I want to do
(if I'm wrong let me know and then come give me a tutorial (; ). This page I did on Picasa but it wouldn't let me pull up files of fonts that I have downloaded. Am I just not catching on or is digital scrapbooking really time consuming and difficult to learn? HELP!

THE RULES!!

2009-01-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

This sign just cracked me up! My favorite part is "If you walk in without knocking, you get to go see mom & dad." What a threat. It seems like yesterday my sisters and I were at war with each other. Oh the days when you had a room to yourself and you could threaten everyone who stepped foot in it.
I am amazed at how fast kids change when they hit middle school. Now Molly knows everything there is to know about life (or is happy with what knowledge she has) and I am now officially inept (you know on things like hair, makeup, friends, school, etc.) All my years of experience mean very little to her. But I do still love this age. No matter how crazy she says I am I know deep down she loves my weirdness. She does still give me hugs in public and wants me to be with her at school, church, activities, so somehow I am still cool. I hope that never changes. Molly is dying to be in Young Women's RIGHT now. She has such a late birthday but her first activity is girls camp. YIPPEEE! I love you Molly!

It's Christmas Time

2008-12-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again; parties, food, friends, family, more food. I love the spirit of the season and the happiness it brings to my children. But I have to say that it is a bit stressful for me. Trying to find that perfect gift, trying to not spend a ton of money on stuff we don't really need, and hoping everyone will like what I slaved over picking out. But now that all the shopping is done and all of the packages sent I can relax and just enjoy.

On Saturday we got to go see the Tabernacle Choir in their Christmas program. It was beautiful. There is nothing like a trip to Temple Square to feel the Christmas Spirit. And as a bonus we ran into Michael McLean and chatted for a moment.

Our ward Christmas party was this week also and I think Lyndie entertained the whole ward when she screamed hysterically when Santa came bursting into the room and she couldn't find me. I figured that ruined any chance of her sitting on his lap. But a friend of mine tricked her and we did the 1,2,3 take a picture quick routine. The problem is that Lyndie holds a grudge and may never sit on Santa's lap again. But it does make for a great picture, screaming and all.

This was just after the big bearded man crashed the party.

I was the proud owner of a lamb and two angels.

Grace always loves a good party.

Why do we like to do this to our children?

My Favorite Holiday

2008-11-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Halloween! I have always liked to dress up for Halloween (although this was the first year I have dressed up since I've been married thanks to a persistent friend). Even though things get crazy busy on Halloween I just love being out with the rest of the town enjoying a walk or drive around the neighborhood. We have been wanting to go trick or treating to G&G E's neighborhood for a long time. This was the year! It was a nice change of pace. Elk Ridge trick-or-treating is a great workout (all those hills). Me and my sister-in-law Kristen took 10 kids ages 2-12 (Our husbands were busy hunting). The kids were done and worn out by 8:00pm. I don't think we have ever quit that early, but it was kind of nice. Not too much candy (not a big fan of wrappers all over).

Grace the Vampire's Wife, Olivia "ANNIE", and

Molly the 80's Cheerleader. Her Pom Poms

were each the size of a large beach ball.

Olivia's Kindergarten Halloween Party

My shirt and shoes were my friends D.I. find.

Oh the things you can find at the D.I. I had about

ten minutes to come up with the rest of my costume.

My skirt is one of Tony's t-shirts cinched at the

bottom. And thank goodness I hung onto my old

Disneyland ears. I'm only creative in a crunch.

Yes all ten kids are crammed in front of that door.

We had been trying for weeks to get Lyndie to try

on her lady bug costume with no luck. So just before

leaving to Trick-or-Treat, I forced it on her while she

kicked and screamed. As soon as I let her down and

she saw herself in the mirror she totally struck a pose.

I guess our theme for the night was RED.

Not on purpose. I didn't notice the theme

until we were done trick-or-treating.

Fall is Fabulous

2008-10-25T23:28:00.000-06:00

Every fall as gardening starts to wind down and the weather cools, we leave the valley and venture to the mountains for fire wood. This is an activity I never did as a child. We didn't have a wood burning stove because my dad had not so fun childhood memories of having to haul wood and ashes. I am with him with the ashes but I LOVE going to cut wood. The mountains this time of year are so majestic. It is so peaceful (aside from the crazy loud chain saw). I love how slow paced life seems in the mountains. Sometimes I think I would have liked to be a pioneer; slow pace of life and hard work. I think we have so many unnecessary distractions these days. Until the last five years or so I was such a city girl wanna be. I always wanted to live close to shopping and my neighbors. But now living rural again I have come to appreciate the quiet, no traffic, "everybody knows your name" kind of life. It is great for my kids too!

How cute is that!

Tony loves his chainsaw! He cut

enough wood this day to fill our

truck and long bed trailer.

With all of her sisters in school, Lyndie gets to

join us. She has the best time puttering finding

bugs, spiders, sticks, rocks, etc.

(Who says we need a son?)

Buurrrrrr! It's cold outside.

2008-10-10T17:46:00.000-06:00

Olivia didn't have school today so I decided to take her to the park and snap some pictures. It was maybe not such a great idea. She had on short sleeves and it was only 42 degrees outside. She was a REALLY good sport right up until I asked her to lay down on a cold concrete bridge. WARNING: The following picture is not for the weak of stomach. But I just had to catch the moment. So funny!!

Dolls Anyone?

2008-09-25T09:17:00.000-06:00

Now that it is getting close to Christmas I just have to give a plug for the cutest doll company. If you have girls you have to take a look. They are so cute!! There are even dolls for little boys. They are so life like and have great texture and weight. The distributor is out of Spanish Fork. So check it out and get some of your Christmas shopping done early. I promise your girls will love them! http://sugarnspicebabydolls.blogspot.com/

What do you do with all that Zucchini?

2008-09-15T19:05:00.000-06:00

I found the greatest recipe ever for all of that abundant zucchini that you either grow in your garden or that magically appears on your front porch each fall. I made this recipe and shared it with many people and everyone was fooled. It is an apple crisp type recipe but instead of apples you use zucchini. Tony's cop buddies horked it down and then when Tony told them it was zucchini they asked what apple product I added to it (maybe apple juice or apple sauce). Try it. I guarantee everyone will like it and will have no idea that it is made of zucchini unless you tell them.

Zucchini "Apple" Crisp

8 cups of zucchini, core and slice in apple-like chunks

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine

Place zucchini and lemon juice in large sauce pan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tender, about 15 min. Add 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

To prepare crust:

Combine flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, brown sugar, and margarine. Pat 3/4's of the mixture into 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Pour zucchini mix over baked crust. It will be runny. Top with remaining crust mixture. Bake 30-35 minutes more.

Recipe from www.lanierbb.com/recipes

My First Tag

2008-09-13T09:47:00.000-06:00

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you, Rachael
2. Post the rules on your website.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.

Here are my 6 random things:

1. I LOVE Jazzercise!! And if you think it is for old ladies you haven't been. It's hot, it's happenin, and you get in shape while having fun and making friends. I love being active, it makes me feel alive. Now if only I liked to run.

2. Some day I would like to build my own house with my own two hands. It is so satisfying to accomplish a diy project and look at it thinking "Wow I did that." Tiling and drywall are my favorites. It is all especially fun when I work along side my hubby. We did our roof together this spring and it was a blast. Good times.

3. I used to really dislike winter. But now that I have 2 acres to weed, I really look forward to the cold taking care of the weeds for a few months while I keep warm next to my wood burning stove.

4. Music moves me. I love to sing. I love to dance. My spirit is lifted by music. It brings joy into our home.

5. I really love a good sale or clearance rack. The better the deal on an item the more I like that item. It isn't as easy to find deals now that I live rural so now I have moved to the internet to shop. Free shipping is the best. It's just sad how much I look forward to a new week of sales at the grocery store.

6. My daughter Molly informed me the other day that I am a machine with a broken on/off switch; I never take a break. This is good and bad. I hope to teach my children a good work ethic and that you can do anything with hard work. But I really have to work at not neglecting my children when I am cleaning, weeding, gardening, organizing, or doing any other of my wifely, motherly duties.

I tag Leanne and Lyndsay

Two Already?

2008-09-11T09:51:00.000-06:00

Why is it that as you get older time doesn't last as long as it used to? I am in complete shock that my baby is two. I wish there were a pill to slow down their growing older. At this rate I will be sending them all off to college next year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNDIE!!

Back to School

2008-08-20T16:27:00.001-06:00

Excitement Is In The Air

Molly- age 11

Grace- age 9

Olivia- age 5

Olivia and Grace had to get all of their crazies out before school.

The day started with the good old school bus.

*BIG Middle Schooler*

Olivia was way excited to be at school.

Mom and Dad were thinking, "Already?"

Olivia was thinking, "Finally!"