which would you rather

On the long drive home from Nebraska today Elle and Thomas were playing a game they made up a long time ago called Which Would You Rather. It goes like this....they ask each other questions about anything and everything and have to choose between two things. For instance, one question might be - Which would you rather eat? A bowl of chocolate icecream or a Twix candybar? Well, today the car ride was getting pretty long and boring and Elle came up with this question for Thomas - 'Which would you rather do? Spend the rest of your life in a car and never get out or DIE?' Scott and I got a kick out of that one!

Update: I forgot to say which one he chose! He said he would rather spend the rest of his life in a car. I guess he didn't have to go to the bathroom at the time the questioned was asked. Earlier in the drive when he was almost in tears from having to go so bad he probably would've answered differently!

merry christmas!

I don't know if I'll be blogging much in the next week so I just wanted to post quick and wish you all a very Merry Christmas! :)

' Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.' - Luke 2:11

cookie baking kind of day

This is what my afternoon looked like. Sheet after sheet of monster cookies. I didn't count how many dozen I made. Lots though...4 big containers full! Half of them are going to my neighbor for a cookie exchange, 1 will go to Nebraska to share with the fam, and 1 will go in the freezer to eat later.

This is what just the wet ingredients look like before you add the 18 cups of oatmeal! See that little hand? Ava is a dough snitcher! And a cookie theif! I also caught her eating a cookie that she had helped herself to on the cooling rack! I don't blame her, they are really yummy! Totally worth the work.

christmas crafting

This morning after we worked on schoolwork for awhile we took a break and did some Christmas crafting. The kids started working on these gumdrop trees yesterday. I think they are so adorable. Here is where I got the idea. Elle continued to work on hers this morning but we ran out of spicedrops so we'll have to pick up some more at the store later.

The other project we are working on are crystal snowflake ornaments. These are so fun and so easy! Here is how you make them -

Supplies you'll need:
- wide mouth jars
- white pipe cleaners
- string
- scissors
- pencils
- boiling water
- spoon
- Borax (20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster)
- food Coloring, optional

Make snowflakes with the white pipecleaners and string. Make sure that your snowflake will fit inside the wide-mouthed jar while it is still empty. Tie several inches of string to one of the pipe cleaners. Tie the other end of the string to a pencil so that the snowflake will hang from the pencil and dangle inside the jar without touching any of the sides.

Remove the snowflake from the jar and pour boiling water into the jar. Add about 3 tablespoons of Borax per cup of water. You can get dramatic with the pouring in of the Borax if you want to...like Thomas here.

Give it a stir and add more Borax if needed. The water should be supersaturated with Borax. You want to see undissolved Borax at the bottom of the jar. If you want colored snowflakes, add a few drops of food coloring to the water. Then hang the snowflake in the jar and let it sit for several hours.

Here are the six snowflakes the kids worked on this morning. It is fun to check on them every now and then to see the crystals forming.

This is what they look like when they are done and dry. I did a test run with one yesterday just to be sure it was going to work. I think they would be cute ornaments or gift toppers.

This would be a fun project even if it isn't Christmastime. Borrow the book, Snowflake Bentley, from your library and learn about snowflakes then make some!

where's ava?

christmas treat recipes

I have barely done any baking this year. The only thing I have made are these Holiday Poke Cupcakes and they were just for snacks not 'official' holiday baking. :) They are very tasty though and a nice change from the super sweet sugary stuff since cool whip is the frosting.

I am planning to make a few things this week and do a little cookie exchange with my neighbor. One thing I am making are No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars. They are so easy to throw together and they disappear quickly. Here's the recipe -

1 (24 oz) pkg vanilla bark coating
1 (8 oz) jar crunchy peanut butter
2 cups mini marshmallows
3 cups Rice Krispies
3 cups Cheerios

Microwave vanilla bark in a large glass bowl for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, stirring mixture every 30 seconds until melted. Stir in peanut butter until blended. Add remaining ingredients, and stir until well-coated. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and let stand for an hour or until firm. Store in an airtight container.

c'mon santa...smile!

Does this look like a happy Santa, full of Christmas cheer to you?!!

we're healthy again!

As of today we are all back to normal. By normal, I mean healthy. :) Everything is getting washed and disinfected today and hopefully we are done with sicknesses for the rest of the winter. One can hope right?! I am so glad that we had this before Christmas and not during like we have in previous years. I am sure Scott's Mom and Dad will never forget that Christmas we were sick at their house! The kids are very excited to still be able to be in our church's Christmas pageant this weekend. They have dresss rehearsal tonight, three performances tomorrow at various places around town and one performance at church on Sunday afternoon. This weekend I need to make a major dent in my Christmas shopping. I've got a lot to do yet! And we need to make a visit to Santa as well. Maybe this Sunday after the pageant.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

super cute hair accessories

Look what I got in the mail today! I was lucky enough to have my name drawn for the giveaway at Jessi's blog, Jump Up and Down, for these adorable hair accessories that she made. Elle and I love the fabrics she chose for them! Thank you Jessi!

back to reality

Ava was sick when we got home on Monday night. Yesterday she was done with the throwing up but was sleepy. She fell asleep on the stairstep she was so tired. :) Also, yesterday morning we had to have a tow truck come get our jeep and take it in to the repair shop to get the transmission repaired. We should get it back early next week. Then last night Thomas and Elle both woke up with the flu and have been sick all day. Welcome home! :)

we're back!

We are back from our weekend getaway to Vegas! We had such a great time! There were so many highlights to the trip. When we had first planned this vacation with our friends Todd and Angie, we had booked rooms to stay at the Embassy Suites because we could stay there for free with rewards points. The one perk to Scott traveling so much for work is that we have lots of airline miles and hotel rewards points so this vacation's airfare and lodging were free.

A couple of days before the trip, we found out that Todd had a connection and managed to get us a suite at The Venetian Hotel. Included with the suite was a limo to pick us up from the airport and tickets to see the Phantom of the Opera!

We didn't know what to expect with the suite and were shocked when we got there! It was a corner suite on the 35th floor (there are 36 floors in the hotel), there were 2 amazing bedrooms with a big living area between them...complete with a baby grand piano! You can see pictures of it here.

We did a lot of shopping and walking through the hotels, ate some really awesome meals, got dressed up and went to The Phantom of the Opera and played a little blackjack. It was a good time!



I put all of the pictures on Flickr since it's so much easier to label them there. If you want to see them click here.

winter wonderland

Snow is falling again today. Another 3 - 6 inches! I bundled up and went outside to get some pictures while the kids went sledding. They are smart children and knew to go to their Dad to ask if they could make sled runs down the boulder retaining walls instead of me. I do admit though that it looks pretty fun! :) Living on a hill comes in handy for sledding but noone wants to trade driveways with us during these winter months!







This next picture should be in a new post all to itself titled - 'All I Want For Christmas is a New Garage Door' but I'm going to hide it in with this one instead! Friday night Scott and I went out for dinner and when I got in the vehicle to go pick up the babysitter I neglected to put up my garage door first. I have many excuses for why this happened but I'll spare you all of that. :) I should've took a picture before Scott pounded it back into place...it actually doesn't look that bad now and we are hoping we can just replace a couple of panels.

When I called the babysitter to tell her that I would be running late and why she said her mom had done that before and that she could just drive her over. I felt better after that and also after my husband was sweet enough act like it wasn't that big of a deal. Actually one of his first comments when he saw it was that it was 'blogworthy'. I love that guy!

a quick update

We ended up with 11 inches of snow this weekend! Thomas and Elle have played and played in it. I don't have any pictures to share yet. I'm wimpy and stay inside when it's this cold unless I have to go out!

I didn't post my menu plan today because this week is so busy it's just sandwiches and leftovers from the freezer for lunches and dinners. Tomorrow night I am getting together with my good friend Steph to gab and knit, Wednesday night we have church, Thursday Thomas has Cub Scouts and Friday Scott and I are leaving for VEGAS! Scott's parents are coming up here Thursday and are going to stay with the kiddos while we get away for the weekend with some friends. I am so excited!

That is just a random picture of Ava. I took it a few days ago when I found her in the doll cradle.

silly, silly baby girl

Ava likes to go to the coat closet and play dress up. Here she is sporting Daddy's dress shoes, Elle's hat and well, that's pretty much it. :)

snow!

We are going to have a white Christmas this year! 10-15 inches predicted by tomorrow morning. The kids are so excited! There are people icefishing already. A few even have their 4 wheelers on the lakes and are putting their icehouses out there. I picked up some new skates for the kids this morning so Scott will get a rink cleared for them tomorrow. More pictures to come!

taylor swift - christmas must be something more

This is such a great song! Elle loves it and is trying to learn all of the words.

thanksgiving memories

This a big picture post but I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from Thanksgiving weekend. It was such a fun weekend with many great memories made!


The girls all went shopping together on Saturday afternoon. I took this picture as Elle was making her purchase. Look at that smile!

Making marshmallow guns with Grandma Sandy.

Elle putting her play makeup on Grandma Sandy.
Playing cards with Grandmary.

Me and my sweetie.
My youngest sister Hailee and Thomas.

My sister Nicole and I getting beautified. We stopped at the grocery store and picked up highlighting kits and went to work on our Cub Foods highlights!

This picture explains the next one. :)
My hubby is no Nick Arojjo! (Thankgoodness!!) After he globbed one chunk of hair in the back with way too much highlighting solution I came to my senses! We don't have a good after picture. We went pretty skimpy on the highlights not wanting to regret doing this! :)

chinese turkey pasta salad

I clipped this recipe out of a magazine a long time ago and happened to run across it shortly before Thanksgiving and thought it would be good to try with some of the leftover turkey meat. I didn't realize that we actually used up all of the turkey meat in the Turkey Stew and Dumplings that my Grandma made while she was here (Thanks Grandmary!) so I substituted shredded chicken instead. It was pretty good...nothing that made you keep saying 'mmm' over and over but a nice change of pace from the heavier comfort foods that I've been overindulging on lately! Thomas and Elle ate it without complaints too so I would call it a success! Julie at According to His Power was curious about the recipe so here it is.

2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
2 cups shredded cooked turkey
1 1/2 cups fresh snow peas
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 cup salted cashews

Put a pot of water on to boil. When boiling, blanch the snow peas for 1 - 2 minutes in the boiling water and then shock them in very cold water to help maintain their color. Return the pot of water back to boiling and cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the turkey and vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine mayonaisse, soy sauce, sugar and hot sauce. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle individual servings with cashews.

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

sweet, sweet words

I overheard Elle say this to Ava this morning -

"How cute do babies get? Because you keep getting cuter everyday!"

It really was precious!

talk about tuesday

Last week I posted that we were putting up our Christmas tree but never showed a picture after it was decorated. So, here it is. It really does make it especially cozy in here with the glow of the white lights. It is in the living room, tucked in a corner behind the chair and by the walkway to the front door. Our living room, dining room and kitchen are all one big open area so we can enjoy it from all of the rooms we are in most often.

Tomorrow we are going to put up the kids tree in the play area between their rooms. They've collected many ornaments as gifts over the years so last year I bought them a tree to decorate just the way they want. Laura happened to blog about this idea for her Talk About Tuesday post only her kids each have a small tree.

taco pizza

Tonight we will be having Taco Pizza for dinner. Andrea L. asked if I would share the recipe. Always happy to! :)

1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 prebaked, 12 inch, Italian bread shell crusts (like these)
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
3/4 cup salsa
2 cups coarsley crushed Doritos tortilla chips
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
tomatoes, chopped
shredded lettuce
black olives, sliced
sour cream

In a saucepan, cook the beef until no longer pink; drain if necessary. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes; set aside. Place crusts on ungreased pizza pans or baking sheets. Combine beans and salsa; spread over the crusts. Top with beef mixture and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with chips, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and dollops of sour cream.

Tonight I am going to try making it using my regular pizza crust recipe to see how it turns out. The prebought pizza crusts are convenient but they make this dish quite a bit more expensive so I'm going to see if I can cut that cost out.

Another idea is if you only want to make one pizza, use the remaining ground beef and refried beans mixtures to make burritos for a new meal.

Update: I thought I'd let you know that this recipe works just fine when you make your own pizza crust. It just takes a little longer to bake. Also, if you know that you are going to have leftovers I would just put the toppings on each individual piece of pizza rather than on the entire thing. The chips get soggy and it's not as good the next day if you do. This is good for the picky eaters in the family that don't like all of the toppings too. (That would be my Thomas.) :)

puppa love

Ava's Puppa has been cuddled so much that he was starting to leak little plastic pellets all over the house that are in his stuffing. Elle had bought a new little stuffed puppy with some of her birthday money that she was willing to share with Ava but Ava hasn't wanted anything to do with that puppy the last couple of days which meant I needed to get her Puppa fixed! I cut open a slit in his tummy, emptied out all of the pellets and then stuffed him with batting, sewed up the slit and he's as good as new and just as cuddly.

airing my dirty laundry

This post is for Lisa at Take 90 West since I can totally relate to her laundry woes! This is my laundry line up today. The washer and dryer are both running and there are still 10 more loads to go, not counting the sheets on the beds that also need washing. There was a homeschool swim party this afternoon that I was tempted to go to after I sorted all of these piles but I decided I needed to do the right thing and get my family some clean underwear to wear! That and it is only 8 degrees out right now.

menu plan monday

We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. The food turned out good, we had lots of fun with family and we managed to use up most of the food from the feast. I have a ham bone with lots of meat left on it. I love a good ham and bean soup and might make that at a later date. We need a break from it for awhile though for now. If you know of any other recipes to use a ham bone in please share, I'd love to hear them and get some new ideas to try!

Monday
Breakfast – Pumpkin Bread
Lunch – The last bit of the weekend leftovers
Dinner – Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Veggies

Tuesday
Breakfast – Scrambled Eggs
Lunch – Macaroni & Cheese
Dinner – Taco Pizza & Salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Toast
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Dinner at Church

Thursday
Breakfast – Pancakes
Lunch – Chinese Turkey Pasta Salad
Dinner – Chili

Friday
Breakfast – Pancakes
Lunch – Chinese Turkey Pasta Salad
Dinner – Chili & Cinnamon Rolls

Saturday
Breakfast – Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch – Southwestern Chicken Wraps & Chips
Dinner – Tater Tot Casserole

Sunday
Breakfast – Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch – Tater Tot Casserole
Dinner – More leftovers or Sandwiches

happy thanksgiving

We woke up to a frozen lake and snow. Big, fluffy flakes that glistened in the sunlight. It was like we were in a snowglobe all morning. It was really neat.

This is my sister Nicole and I cooking together.

Basting the ham. It turned out so yummy as usual. Ina's Baked Virginia Ham has become standard fare at all of our holiday dinners.

The best turkey I have ever made! I will always brine my turkey now. I used Martha's recipe because I forgot to order the Williams Sonoma seasoning jar in time. It was so moist and flavorful. The bones are cooking up into broth right now. Making use of all of that turkey!


My second helping. :) Not really. I don't have any pictures of the desserts. Forgot to take them. They were good though! My favorite new recipe that I tried this year besides the turkey was The Pioneer Woman's Butternut Squash Puree. Yum! It will be part of our Thanksgiving dinner for years to come.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I better go get the kids in bed and go there soon myself. Gotta get up early for those early bird specials tomorrow!