In the meantime, while I sort out and swim through the sea of Thanksgiving photos, just know that there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary going on around here.
November 29, 2009
It wasn't my fault! Honest it wasn't!
In the meantime, while I sort out and swim through the sea of Thanksgiving photos, just know that there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary going on around here.
November 21, 2009
Showing off... just a little.
November 20, 2009
Dreamless Nights
November 19, 2009
Mom, it's all your fault
Directions
1. Heat oven to 300°F. Beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add cocoa; blend well. Gradually add flour, stirring until smooth.2. Roll or pat dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface or between 2 pieces of wax paper; with cookie cutters, cut in holiday shapes. Reroll dough scraps, cutting cookies until dough is used. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or just until firm. Immediately place white chips, flat side down, in decorative design on warm cookies. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Store in airtight container. About 4-1/2 dozen (2-inch diameter) cookies.
November 18, 2009
Apparently Not
It would appear they have found a way to cheat the system. After all, its not her skin.
November 17, 2009
I feel the need to state...
I just was getting a feeling that some people were taking my posts the wrong way.
And now, I must go chase down some naked children before something bad happens.
A word from my kids to me
The problem with this blog is that you always write things from your perspective. But you don't understand what its like to be our age! I don't think you were ever a kid. So we're going to try and help you understand a few things from our point of view.
First, thanks for getting down that huge pile of blankets from way up high on that shelf that you have such a hard time reaching and that you dislike so much because after you take all that time to fold the blankets and try to get them back up onto that high shelf they fall down on your head and so you have to refold them all, several times. Your words of course.
But mom, all those blankets and Grandma's couch that we get to have in our house for a couple weeks makes the perfect throne. At least, until I decide its a magic bed.
(elevator music starts up)
Now mom, don't get mad. We know you spent all weekend cleaning but, being a super hero is messy business!
I mean, you have NO IDEA what its like to have people depend on you for everything! Especially when you're an Indian superhero!
November 16, 2009
Accomplishments
November 13, 2009
Homemade Crackers... really?
November 12, 2009
What is it about Walmart anyway?
Could you be any more random?
November 10, 2009
plans, plans, plans
November 9, 2009
A Few of my Favorite Things
The perfect day. What is a perfect day? A perfect day is when ALL the kids play together for hours without fighting.
And, well... what can I say? The floor is just so much more fun to eat on then the table. My broom is well used.
I would also like to add HOT WATER to my list of favorite things. Especially since we have been out of it for a week now and probably won't get it fixed for another day or two. We're waiting on parts.
November 5, 2009
Imagine me doing a Miss America wave
I was so terribly flattered! Truly I was and I meant to blog about it right away but with all the craziness surrounding the surgery and just the every day to day, I just... didn't. I still thought about it, but I found myself having a hard time deciding which 5 blogs to choose.
The REALLY funny thing is, I had FINALLY picked my five blogs when, one of the blogs I was going to award, awarded me another blog award! (sorry for using the word "award" a lot but I'm sure you'll all be rewarded for putting up with all these awards). I switched some of the blogs around and decided to spotlight some of the ladies from my "Mom-based businesses" section throughout these two blog awards so, here you go.
Okay okay, first things first. Heidi, I hope you forgive me for taking to long to post this.
The five bloggers I'm awarding this award to are:
Valerie over at Valerie's attempts at Pondering.
If she's not posting great recipes (reading her blog ALWAYS makes me hungry), she's posting great insights!
Holly (who happens to be married to my brother) over at the Smith Brigade.
You think you've got it tough? Read a few of her stories and suddenly you'll feel SO much better! (Have YOU tried raising five young kids, with twins in there, without your husband who is in Iraq for a year and has no family around?)
Michelle at Red Roof Designs
An amazing Graphic designer, her announcements are truly incredible. I check out her designs for inspiration although I certainly lack her awesome talent.
Lauren at SuperMom Central
She regularly has interesting tidbits, great craft ideas for kids, and cool giveaways.
Kandis at My Creative Treasury
Professional scrapbooker and cardmaker, this girl has the talent. She blog is fun and her stuff is amazing. She's in several magazines and has a work room I drool over. Oh, and she's my neighbor.
Valerie at Valerie's Attempts at Pondering, gave me this next blog award the other day. I feel so special! I was really surprised when she chose me, considering all the other blogs she had to choose from. Thanks Valerie!
*Thank the person who gave the award and link to their blog.
*Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.
*Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find encouraging, inspiring, or brilliant.
*Contact the bloggers and inform them they've been given this award.
Lili over at Liliblogs
A friend and a bookbinding Goddess, I had a chance to work with her for a while years ago at BYU. She's so fun and so is her blog. Be sure you check out her bookbinding blog too!
Special K and Minnie over at I Learned That In College
Nicole at QuickSnail
Fun recipes and awesome crafts! Definitely a site worth checking. I confess her blog makes me a little jealous. I miss being able to make things all the time.
My Mom over at Sisters of Zion
If you enjoy having gospel discussions with other women, this is the site for you. My mom set this up with the intent that women could go and strengthen each other through the gospel.
Kira at Holladay Home and Heart
A fellow mom of four young kids, she writes about her wonderful family. But she is also honest about the challenges of raising young kids.
Okay! If you are still with me and still awake, perhaps you'll be able to make it through these 10 honest things about me.
1. Oh dear, here we go. I... I... I HAVE to color and size coordinate the dishes when I put them into the dishwasher or I go CRAZY! Its true. The plates makes their way down from one side to the other starting with the largest down to the smallest. The blue plates are together, the red plates are together, etc. Same with the cups, same with the bowls. It all has to be done a certain way. I have even rearranged the dishwasher if someone put the dishes in the dishwasher wrong.
(At this rate, I'm not going to have any secrets left!)
2. Its a flaw, a weakness of mine that I am working hard to correct. But, it annoys something fierce when that mom of one or that mom of two who has their kids spaced 10 years apart looks at me and says "Oh, I know EXACTLY what you mean!"
I know kids can be challenging and a mom is a mom. But please, oh mom of one, please don't look at me and sympathize with the messy disaster of my house, or the long sleepless nights because I'm up with three different kids by telling me that you know "exactly how I feel."
3. I LONG to own a pair of delicious cherry red 5 inch heels. I want them, badly. The problem? I'm not sure I would ever have the courage to actually wear them if I did own them!
4. I've never been a particularly huge music buff. I mean, I enjoy music very much! I enjoy listening and singing along. A good song is a good song! But I'm not one to follow up on the latest music artists or latest awesome song. I don't think to just turn on music when I'm cleaning or cooking. Ironically, I tend to sing (not in a nice sweet voice, but in a loud and crazy voice) when my kids are around and I have a sudden burst of energy.
Then my kids tell me to stop singing because I'm driving them crazy.
5. Good looking people intimidate me. Smart people intimidate me. Funny people intimidate me. Although I have too much pride in me to ever let any of them ever know it.
6. My favorite flowers are daisies. One of my favorite movies ever is "The Slipper and the Rose". I have a mild case of road rage. I LOVE to swim, but I hate wearing swim suits. My favorite sandwich is cheese and cucumber with mustard.
7. After 8 years of living in a place with snow, I have yet to buy any snow boots. Last year, Luke bought me my first real winter coat. I just have such a hard time plunking down so much money for a single item of clothing. No matter how worth it it may be.
November 4, 2009
Say What?
November 3, 2009
What we were REALLY doing last week - Part 2
But by the end of the fourth hour on the first afternoon, I was ready to to hand in my two-weeks notice.
Four hours of JUST working on tomatoes?? Granted, I did double the recipe but still. Hang it all! I was going nuts. But not willing to let 5 quarts of tomatoes and four hours of gruelingly boring work go to waste, by the next afternoon, it was time to finish the job.
I pulled out my four pounds of chile peppers and started the long and arduous task of coring, seeding and dicing. After about an hour and a half, my hands weren't feeling so good. They were getting itchy and red. Rather raw looking.
Then I suddenly remembered! How could I have been so completely dense?! Everyone knows you're suppose to wear gloves when working with hot peppers as the juices are quite irritating to the skin.
But it was too late, the damage had been done. Have you ever had a pretty bad burn? Well, imagine that feeling completely encompassing your hands. It was awful! They felt like they were on fire!! And if I my hands touched any warm water it felt like I had just stuck them into a flame. The only relief was by plunging them into cold water. I scrubbed and scrubbed until I was sure I could see my bones but it wasn't helping.
So I finished chopping the peppers, onions and everything else the recipe called for, intermittently submersing my hands into cold water for relief, and got the salsa into the jars and started boiling them.
I just couldn't take the burning any more so I did what any sane person would do and consulted the one genius who would know how to help me, Google.
Turns out, milk did the trick. Yes, I ever so gracefully sat on the couch, watching a John Wayne flick while dipping my hands in milk.
You know, its rather sticky when it dries.
So this picture of my nine jars of homemade salsa does not bring a sense of satisfaction. No, it brings on a desire swear of homemaking for the rest of my life!
Moving on to "sweeter" topics, Halloween! (I know, geez, enough with the dumb puns already. Who writes this stuff anyway?)
The kids were pretty excited to head over to the trunk-or-treat that evening. They all picked out their costumes while I enlisted Savannah to help me find a costume.