Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Pokeman and 6 kids
My friend at Color Me Red posted about this ebay auction. You have to read it here. It is hilarious.
And can I just say, for 3 solid months while my kids were out of school, I only went grocery shopping maybe twice! (at least with all four of them). I go after 10:00 pm or have my sweet husband pick up yet another gallon of milk and bag of apples on the way home! One of the many blessings of public education.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Make-a-list Monday, New things I'm trying
1. 3 kids in soccer, 3 games each Saturday
2. stretch pants and long shirts
3. pandora.com
4. emergency homework projects on Sunday night
5. no kids in kindergarten :)
6. new emoticons like :V:-| Person who cannot figure out why nobody wants to talk to him or her, little suspecting that there is an alligator on his or her head (Dave Barry)
7. living with only xy's for the majority of the day
8. new chore schedule with a 3-year-old in the mix
9. not reading any Stephenie Meyer books for at least a few weeks, I've got to get back to War and Peace
What are you trying?
2. stretch pants and long shirts
3. pandora.com
4. emergency homework projects on Sunday night
5. no kids in kindergarten :)
6. new emoticons like :V:-| Person who cannot figure out why nobody wants to talk to him or her, little suspecting that there is an alligator on his or her head (Dave Barry)
7. living with only xy's for the majority of the day
8. new chore schedule with a 3-year-old in the mix
9. not reading any Stephenie Meyer books for at least a few weeks, I've got to get back to War and Peace
What are you trying?
Pretty plates and other inspiring things
I think this collection of plates is so pretty. I love the collage effect.
And don't you wish you were invited to this party?
I really want this blue ship for my boys room or nursery. Too bad they are sold out.
And don't you wish you were invited to this party?
I really want this blue ship for my boys room or nursery. Too bad they are sold out.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins, yummy!
I just saw this recipe at My Life as Kalli I think that I NEED to make it!
Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
2 eggs, lightly beaten (I didn't lightly beat them before and it turned out fine)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
6 oz cream cheese (the low fat kind works fine)
1 egg
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Topping:
3/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and coriander in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil and vanilla extract. Mix well. Mix in dry ingredients, stirring until moist.
Filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add egg and sugar. Beat until well mixed.
Topping: Combine all topping ingredients together.
Spoon 1/2 batter into muffin cups (cups should be filled half full). Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling on top. Fill with remaining batter. Spread to edges. Sprinkle generously with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out soon.
Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
2 eggs, lightly beaten (I didn't lightly beat them before and it turned out fine)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
6 oz cream cheese (the low fat kind works fine)
1 egg
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Topping:
3/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and coriander in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil and vanilla extract. Mix well. Mix in dry ingredients, stirring until moist.
Filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add egg and sugar. Beat until well mixed.
Topping: Combine all topping ingredients together.
Spoon 1/2 batter into muffin cups (cups should be filled half full). Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling on top. Fill with remaining batter. Spread to edges. Sprinkle generously with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out soon.
When a penny was worth something
There once lived a girl with her 5 brothers and sisters. She had a sweet and happy growing up. She lived in a small town with barely 5 stop signs, two churches, two gas stations, one elementary school, three other girls her age, lots of sheep, cows, horses, fields, lots of happy relatives, and one small pharmacy.
The pharmacy shared its space with a cute little soda shop with an old fashioned counter and stools. And to the side there was a counter full of jars of penny candy, Swedish fish, sour patch kids, sour fruits, red and purple berries, and 5 cent suckers.
Sometimes the girl's mother would give her and her siblings a quarter each. They would walk up to the store, two whole hot blocks away. They would labor over the precise spending of those 25 pennies. Maybe 3 sour grapes, 5 Swedish fish, 2 sour apples, 5 red berries, one sucker, 3 sour patch kids and 2 pink sour candies, were they grapefruit? And after each pink mouth would voice its own choices, each would leave with a little brown bag full of happiness.
They'd generally cross the street to the tabernacle and sit in the shade of the towering pioneer pines and cottonwoods. And they'd eat those little morsels one by one, the order--a carefully studied routine, the last candy of great importance.
Many years later that girl saw a bag of sour patch kids in the big city store. She bought them and shared them with her sons. And she remembered.
The pharmacy shared its space with a cute little soda shop with an old fashioned counter and stools. And to the side there was a counter full of jars of penny candy, Swedish fish, sour patch kids, sour fruits, red and purple berries, and 5 cent suckers.
Sometimes the girl's mother would give her and her siblings a quarter each. They would walk up to the store, two whole hot blocks away. They would labor over the precise spending of those 25 pennies. Maybe 3 sour grapes, 5 Swedish fish, 2 sour apples, 5 red berries, one sucker, 3 sour patch kids and 2 pink sour candies, were they grapefruit? And after each pink mouth would voice its own choices, each would leave with a little brown bag full of happiness.
They'd generally cross the street to the tabernacle and sit in the shade of the towering pioneer pines and cottonwoods. And they'd eat those little morsels one by one, the order--a carefully studied routine, the last candy of great importance.
Many years later that girl saw a bag of sour patch kids in the big city store. She bought them and shared them with her sons. And she remembered.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
1+1=2 and such
Today my girls were off for the first day of school! What cuties, smarties, sweeties! Here's to a great year of new books, exciting learning, more friends, and shopping trips with only two kids. Happy back to school!
**Gasp...My camera/pc won't download my pictures! We may have to settle for second day of school pictures. Bummer.
Scratch that, Matt raised it from the dead. So. . .
**Gasp...My camera/pc won't download my pictures! We may have to settle for second day of school pictures. Bummer.
Scratch that, Matt raised it from the dead. So. . .
Monday, August 20, 2007
Make a list Monday, Things I loved about Eclipse
Spoiler alert, of course.
1. Edward is moral, worried about his soul and Bella's
2. Bella is so in love, she is blinded to problems and obstacles (in a good way)
3. Jacob never stops loving Bella
4. Bella loves two people who both love her
5. Bella realizes that she will be happiest if those she loves are happy
6. Bella's mom knows
7. Bella's engaged, even though she knows the dreads the stigma of a young bride
8. Bella has some girl time
9. lots of kissing! ha ha
10. the gangs work it out, kind of
11. Jacob and Edwards' little truce, united over love, a love that forever divides them
12. Edward's note to Jacob
13. Edward willing to do anything to be human for Bella (could it happen)
14. Edward's anxiety over killing the ferocious vampire longing for Bella's life in front of Bella
15. Bella's happiness, Edward's devotion, Love sweet love!
1. Edward is moral, worried about his soul and Bella's
2. Bella is so in love, she is blinded to problems and obstacles (in a good way)
3. Jacob never stops loving Bella
4. Bella loves two people who both love her
5. Bella realizes that she will be happiest if those she loves are happy
6. Bella's mom knows
7. Bella's engaged, even though she knows the dreads the stigma of a young bride
8. Bella has some girl time
9. lots of kissing! ha ha
10. the gangs work it out, kind of
11. Jacob and Edwards' little truce, united over love, a love that forever divides them
12. Edward's note to Jacob
13. Edward willing to do anything to be human for Bella (could it happen)
14. Edward's anxiety over killing the ferocious vampire longing for Bella's life in front of Bella
15. Bella's happiness, Edward's devotion, Love sweet love!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Eclipse
Have you found a copy yet?
My dear sweet husband brought me home a surprise, Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer. Wahoo! The deary has been checking at the Borders by his work everyday. And today they were the only store in Utah who had them. So I have my copy to read on the beach in Newport for the next week. I'm also reading some Harriet Meyer and War and Peace. Hmmm. Maybe I won't finish.
But you can bet I'll finish that new vampire book thanks to my sweetie!
My dear sweet husband brought me home a surprise, Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer. Wahoo! The deary has been checking at the Borders by his work everyday. And today they were the only store in Utah who had them. So I have my copy to read on the beach in Newport for the next week. I'm also reading some Harriet Meyer and War and Peace. Hmmm. Maybe I won't finish.
But you can bet I'll finish that new vampire book thanks to my sweetie!
An early Autumn
Yesterday my kiddies and I drove to Logan. We spent some time saying goodbye to my two oldest brothers, one older and one just younger than me, who are leaving to Michigan for school. We also got to see our new niece and cousin, Gabby. If only I'd remembered my camera. Dang. Hopefully we'll get a few pictures emailed to us from the proud mom and dad! It was a lovely day, even if it did include just a tad too much driving.
As I was driving north of Salt Lake I started getting a distinct, yet elusive feeling. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. I was driving "home" to (ward) Paris, there was a cool nip in the air, and the view out my car was all golden brown and yellow. It was fall! I love fall. But the feeling wasn't just an autumn longing. It was tinged with sadness. I just wasn't sure what feeling or remembrance was stirring my heart. Suddenly it hit me.
Before Matt joined the Tabernacle choir we would frequently visit Paris in the early fall during General Conference or Labor Day. Fall comes early in Paris, or maybe it comes late here in Utah County. The leaves would be changing, the air cool and we'd spend lots of time together. We'd go to a high school football game to see someone play or dance. We'd play lots of games and just bask in the thankfulness of fall and family.
But I wasn't all joy and rejoicing now. And I understood. It wasn't cool, the air conditioner was just up too high. The leaves weren't changing, it was just the dead brown of a too-dry summer. And most of all, I wasn't going home. No one was there. There were no games, no football, no little siblings squealing when we arrived. No Mom to engulf her grandchildren in her arms, and most of all, no Dad to hug and welcome and smile. And my happiness faded. I felt sad. I missed my Dad. I wanted a hug from him more than anything right then. But he is gone. This November will be three years since he last hugged me. And I miss him.
It was a good day. I felt joy and happiness. I saw a sweet brand new baby, full of life. I bid farewell to brothers at a special family restaurant that has seen all sorts of happy occasions from weddings to birthdays and anniversaries. It was a wonderfully happy day, all but the cool time I spent in a lonely autumn, just north of Salt Lake City.
As I was driving north of Salt Lake I started getting a distinct, yet elusive feeling. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. I was driving "home" to (ward) Paris, there was a cool nip in the air, and the view out my car was all golden brown and yellow. It was fall! I love fall. But the feeling wasn't just an autumn longing. It was tinged with sadness. I just wasn't sure what feeling or remembrance was stirring my heart. Suddenly it hit me.
Before Matt joined the Tabernacle choir we would frequently visit Paris in the early fall during General Conference or Labor Day. Fall comes early in Paris, or maybe it comes late here in Utah County. The leaves would be changing, the air cool and we'd spend lots of time together. We'd go to a high school football game to see someone play or dance. We'd play lots of games and just bask in the thankfulness of fall and family.
But I wasn't all joy and rejoicing now. And I understood. It wasn't cool, the air conditioner was just up too high. The leaves weren't changing, it was just the dead brown of a too-dry summer. And most of all, I wasn't going home. No one was there. There were no games, no football, no little siblings squealing when we arrived. No Mom to engulf her grandchildren in her arms, and most of all, no Dad to hug and welcome and smile. And my happiness faded. I felt sad. I missed my Dad. I wanted a hug from him more than anything right then. But he is gone. This November will be three years since he last hugged me. And I miss him.
It was a good day. I felt joy and happiness. I saw a sweet brand new baby, full of life. I bid farewell to brothers at a special family restaurant that has seen all sorts of happy occasions from weddings to birthdays and anniversaries. It was a wonderfully happy day, all but the cool time I spent in a lonely autumn, just north of Salt Lake City.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Just want my kids to go to church
If I were to send my cute little boy to church in pants that were a little too short and a polo shirt with a large stain down the front and shoes that were really just brown everyday shoes, what would you think? Would you point and whisper? Or just laugh? And what if I did it for weeks on end, like 4?
Well, wonder no more. I have found church pants, shoes and still no shirt. Finally at Gap I found kacki's and shoes at Target. Where in the world do you find little boy church clothes? The only time I can find them is at Christmas time when all the country pledges to warm a pew at least once before the year ends. (That sounded negative didn't it. I didn't mean it.) Please share your wisdom. My little boy's love and piety is not at all at risk, but mine may be.
Well, wonder no more. I have found church pants, shoes and still no shirt. Finally at Gap I found kacki's and shoes at Target. Where in the world do you find little boy church clothes? The only time I can find them is at Christmas time when all the country pledges to warm a pew at least once before the year ends. (That sounded negative didn't it. I didn't mean it.) Please share your wisdom. My little boy's love and piety is not at all at risk, but mine may be.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Make a list Monday, Countdown to CA
Picture via www.colorfulutah.com
5 days until leaving for the sunny, beachy, happy state of California
1. Monday, do laundry, perk up the garden, FHE
2. Tuesday, go shopping for clothes and stuff, mow lawn
3. Wednesday, reserve a room, St. George or Mesquite, go do a little work for the dead, and maybe if I'm really crazy, take a little trip to Logan to see the big surprise and say goodbye to the sibs there.
4. Thursday, pack it all up
5. Friday, load the car, get someone to water plants, tie up all the loose ends and head out!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
In the name of human progress
My smart mother enlightened me a few weeks back. Remember when I was off playing in the salty water and soft sands of Hawaii? Well, she was back home bringing me into the 21st century. She bought me a new mop.
Yes, a new mop. I am a liberated house cleaner. You have no idea what new ideas, great innovations that the mopping world has developed in the last 9 years. I had a very trusty mop. You could change out the spongy part, although I sheepishly admit that I never have. It had a little blue scrubber strip on one side that was really ineffective and useless. To squeeze the water out of the sponge you merely folded down the little lever and squoze all the dirty water out of the sponge, onto your hand. Whenever I used the thing I would think to myself that some smart floor cleaner ought to come up with something better than this piece of hooey.
And they did! My new mop is space age! The sponge is rounded, a feature that I still don't understand the genius of yet. To squeeze it out, you just pull a handy lever that is no where near the dirty water. And it has a bonafide, handy-dandy real scrubber thing that really works! I love it. I'm still not going to mop a lot, but I love it!
Well, after my brilliant mother made such a difference with my mop, she suggested that my broom also needed to be brought into this decade. What could I do but believe her? I tell you, I believed her. So I bought a new broom, a cute Michael Graves one from Target. I like it. It wasn't quite the quantum leap the mop was, but still an improvement.
So thank you Mom. You have made the world a little better, the floor a little cleaner, and the Swiffer a little more rested! We all love you, the floor, the Swiffer and me.
Out with the old, in with the new!
Yes, a new mop. I am a liberated house cleaner. You have no idea what new ideas, great innovations that the mopping world has developed in the last 9 years. I had a very trusty mop. You could change out the spongy part, although I sheepishly admit that I never have. It had a little blue scrubber strip on one side that was really ineffective and useless. To squeeze the water out of the sponge you merely folded down the little lever and squoze all the dirty water out of the sponge, onto your hand. Whenever I used the thing I would think to myself that some smart floor cleaner ought to come up with something better than this piece of hooey.
And they did! My new mop is space age! The sponge is rounded, a feature that I still don't understand the genius of yet. To squeeze it out, you just pull a handy lever that is no where near the dirty water. And it has a bonafide, handy-dandy real scrubber thing that really works! I love it. I'm still not going to mop a lot, but I love it!
Well, after my brilliant mother made such a difference with my mop, she suggested that my broom also needed to be brought into this decade. What could I do but believe her? I tell you, I believed her. So I bought a new broom, a cute Michael Graves one from Target. I like it. It wasn't quite the quantum leap the mop was, but still an improvement.
So thank you Mom. You have made the world a little better, the floor a little cleaner, and the Swiffer a little more rested! We all love you, the floor, the Swiffer and me.
Out with the old, in with the new!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
What are you?
I am an ISTJ, I am also ssattly (somewhat sceptical about tests that limit you). I actually find a lot to learn and consider when I look at tests like this, but I'm always somewhat disappionted. Maybe I am disappointed in the divide between what I am and what I want to be.
Now read away, go ahead, judge me. What do you think?
Now read away, go ahead, judge me. What do you think?
You Are An ISTJ |
 The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. In love, you are loyal and honest. If you commit yourself to someone, then you're fully committed. For you, love is something that happens naturally. And you don't need romantic gestures to feel loved. At work, you remember details well and are happy to take on any responsibility. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer. How you see yourself: Decisive, stable, and dependable When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, conservative, and egotistical |
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