Ask and Ye Shall Receive

You asked for it, here it is. You must see it to believe it...

SCUM and Ice Cream

We had some guests last night, my favorite aunt Jeanette and Uncle Frederick the Great! (That's how my kids refer to him.) We had a great time talking, laughing, eating sweets and playing SCUM. Here's King James and his lovely Queen:

Here's a fierce competitor with a unique strategy:

Frederick the Great with his favorite treat, Chocolate....

Cute Smiles!


Fred explaining the four reasons why he hates snow(David asked):





What a great night!

Just Call Me Mrs.Clause

I tend to get hyper focused on projects and go a little crazy. I decided I wanted to make these pillowcases for my Beehives for my Christmas lesson this week. It seemed like a reasonable task to make 6 of these. Then I got some last minute news that I'd be teaching all the young women and I couldn't figure out how to give the gift to only my Beehives, so I just went ahead and made 5 more. No problem! I think they turned out cute and it went along with my lesson on the Good Shepard.

 

 

I was able to make 11 pillowcases out of one queen flannel sheet set from Target (on sale for $13!). I loved doing this for my sweet girls!! They are the best!

Creative Moments

David inspired us (ok, really he nagged us relentlessly) to make a gingerbread house today. Mark was the general contractor overseeing the project.

 

David was the fearless architect.

 

He hired a subcontractor for some of the roofing.

 

Some of the other workers he hired were all play and no work. (so cute though..)

 

We Seriously Need to Talk!

We went to the Santa's Village in Poway last night for a pow wow with the Clauses. The kids had a lot they needed to talk to Mr. Claus about. Good thing we went, because he was more than willing to sit and listen! Here's the formula for a successful visit:

First, pose for a nice family shot

 

Second, get down to business:

 

(Abby even mustered the courage to speak three words to Santa, "Barbie Diamond Castle! ")

 

For the more brave of heart, next, deliver specific and detailed lists by memory.

 

Finally, end with some discussion about good behavior(profess angelic behavior while trying to keep a straight face) ...

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and exit quickly for your free parting gift.

 

Thanks Santa!!

An Angel Gets Her Wings

Abby's costume for the annual family Nativity arrived today.
She was thrilled!

Not to Be Forgotten

How could I leave this picture out? I knew something was missing...


This candy bar was so fun to put together. I definitely think candy is my favorite medium to work in. I still have lots of leftover candy, which is looking very festive in my kitchen windowsill! The kids think it's pretty fabulous too, even better than Halloween since everything is unwrapped and ready to consume. (That's Tuxedo Popcorn in the middle there, that's the best stuff ever!! Thanks for that recipe Wetzker!)

Come on Baby Light My Fire

My nephew, Andrew, got married last night. He and Nikki exchanged vows at sunset in the gazebo in my parent's back yard. It was a stunningly beautiful night. The weather was perfect and the backyard transformed very nicely ofr the night. Here's a cute picture of my dear sister, Chris and her sweetheart Bill. They both looked fabulous!I love this picture of them, she is so full of emotion! They both sparkled all night.

 

I got so few pictures, my camera and I are going through an adjustment phase, but this gives a good view of the bride's dress and the gazebo. Luckily the photographer got views from the front!

 

Here's a glimpse of the groom, just waiting to come out. I got zero hots of the reception setup or the food, but trust me, it turned out good too. Everyone seemed to enjoy the chikcen marsala, it worked great in the crockpots(all 9 of them, thanks if you are one of the ones who lent me yours!). The mashed potatoes reheated well and everything came together in a good time. My two partners in crime, Michelle and Elizabeth, were the best!! I could have never pulled it all off without their help. One funny thing was when the floating centerpiece in the middle of the pool ignited. That was a hoot! Everyone threw glasses and pitchers of water on the flames to put it out. Now that's a good memory for sure. I am so happy with how it all turned out, but don't get any ideas out there. There is no catering business in my future!!

 

Thanksgiving 2008

I'm just happy we're not having Chicken Marsala...


Why so sad? Apparently the fruit salad was "poisoning" his plate..

How about that?!

Week in Review

I'm a huge advocate of child labor. Ash was a huge help this week in the potato peeling department. We peeled 40 pounds of potatoes in preparation for the upcoming wedding of my nephew, Andrew. Thank goodness Michelle had the brilliant idea of using the apple peeler for peeling the potatoes or else I would still be stuck over the sink. David pitched in too so we had a good assembly line going. We'll see if they are much help with pounding out the chicken breasts when it comes time to prep for the Chicken Marsala.

 

I nurtured my inner teenager last night at the midnight viewing of Twilight. I can't remember the last time I was out and awake at 2 o'clock in the morning. Oh, yeah, it was the last time we went camping. Anyways, this was infinitely more enjoyable. A great big shout out to Heather for hooking us up. It was a blast!!

 

Now that we have no Friday night sports obligations, we are free to hang out leisurely as a family. We decided to practice good dining out skills by taking the kids to CPK. Then we walked around the plaza and stopped off at Sports Authority to buy some new basketball shoes for James. It was a really nice evening. You sure can't say we aren't doing our part to stimulate the economy!

 

 

Dessert truly is the best part!

Brrrrr!......(Catching the Blogging Bug)

We washed the car today and when we were done, David insisted that Mark dump a bucket of water on his head. We couldn't figure out why he wanted it, until he also made sure that I had the camera ready when it was about to take place. As soon as the deed was over, he ran over to inspect the picture then gleefully said, "Now go put that picture on your website Mom!"

 

Wish granted.

The Many Party Faces

Here's the stars of the day! Their brilliant Moms combined their party fun for a HSM themed jump-a-thon.


A birthday party at Pump It Up brings out many emotions. David is thrilled to celebrate his 6th birthday with good buddies like Dallin, et al.

 

Funny Johnny is always the life of the party.

 

Sunny can't contain her excitement. One party for two friends? Doesn't get much better!!

 

Can you say "knockout"? For all you skeptics out there, it's official, I took down the Chicken. (She can start her own blog if she wants to dispute my claim....) "Eyes on the prize Laura, Eyes on the Prize."

 

Never looking back?

The 2008 Pop Warner season came to an end tonight. We finished with a great win against Torrey Pines. As I stretched the jersey over the pads for the last time today, I felt a twinge of sadness. Will James ever don the football uniform for official play again? It's probably too early to say, but he doesn't seem to have any interest in playing again. He stuck it out for the whole season though, he didn't give up. That's all we asked of him.

 

He seems to only be looking forward to the next sport. But, then again, never say never....