We're back

My family had so much fun over the holiday. My parents rented a cabin for us to stay at for two days. It was loads of fun!

The large cabin...it fit all 15 of us very comfortably!

Blurry shot of the table.

Dad did the turkeys all by himself.

Does turkey make everyone sleepy?
My awesome college brother was home for the holiday, too!




We had time for crafts.

And there were plenty of games to play.


We made great memories. I'm so thankful for so many things!

Gobble Gobble

I hope your Thanksgiving is a special one. Enjoy the food and make memories with your family!

Happy Birthday!

Nine cool things about my birthday boy...

1. He loves to bake and help in the kitchen.

2. He is a great friend and always has lots of kids around him asking to play.

3. When he puts his mind to something, he is very focused and successful.

4. He forgives easily.

5. He is very good at memorizing things.

6. He loves babies so much!

7. He likes to tell me how much he loves my cooking.

8. He likes jokes and puns.

9. He had a rough birth and we wondered if he would make it to us without injury - we have been so blessed to have him as part of us!

Christmas getting to know you

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? usually wrapping paper - I have lots of gift bags but end up not using them because I love wrapping so much

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real! every.single.year.

3. When do you put up the tree? late - at least the 2nd week of Dec

4. When do you take the tree down? right after Christmas

5. Do you like eggnog? if it's from Winder Dairy

6. Favorite gift received as a child? easy bake oven

7. Hardest person to buy for? my mom or brother/brothers-in-law

8. Easiest person to buy for? hubby

9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, and I love it

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I'm not consistent, but this year I am ready to go!!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't think of any

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Santa Clause

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? after Halloween

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? probably, but can't think of an example

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? my mom's traditional breakfast pastry, the famous Brown fudge, and gingerbread men

16. Lights on the tree? Yes

16b. If you do lights, multicolored lights or white lights? white on the house, multi on the tree

17. Favorite Christmas song? I'll be home for Christmas by the Carpenters, O Holy Night by Michael Crawford

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? visit family in town

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixen Comet Cupid Donner Blitzen...Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? the clutter that comes with it and the way the tree forces us to be so cramped in the tiny living room

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I don't have a theme - our tree is full of various ornaments with their own individual meanings

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Not a big deal to me - turkey or ham or whatever

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? enough money to make it nice and enough restraint to keep it simple

Doesn't fit well, but it's worth it

A bit difficult to stretch over the baby, but we cougs will do what we need to during rivalry week :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Free music

Ok, so a lot of favorite sites lately...


But I had to share. I love getting free music downloads. Amazon is a great place to get music because they are frequently cheaper than iTunes, and they insert right into iTunes when they download. SO simple. Today they have a Christmas sampler for free.

Check it out here:

Amazon Holiday Sampler

And they have other free music here:

Free songs

Gotta love free, right?!

Hair sites

I promised my neighbors I'd have this posted a week ago. Sorry. Here are some of my favorite sites to get ideas/instructions on how to do hair clips.


http://adayinthelife-amy.blogspot.com/2008/08/wfmw-easy-hair-bow-instructions.html

http://laurieturk.blogspot.com/2007/06/flower-clips.html

http://alittlemoore.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/easy-peasy-tuxedo-hair-bow-tutorial/

http://bowdesigns.50webs.com/index.html

http://www.eleganceinbloom.com/hairbow.html

http://honey-mommy.blogspot.com/2008/08/easy-adorable-hairclips.html

http://www.ideas-for-homemade-gifts.com/make-hair-clips.html

http://blog.nerdfamily.com/2008/10/making-cute-clips-and-giveaway.html

http://poshnpretty.com/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=12

OK, I will play along!

How We Met


1. Where did you meet?
We were in the same ward, but I was fairly new and we hadn't ever talked to each other. We were at a priest/laurel dance instruction mutual activity and our bishop introduced us. We didn't switch partners the rest of the night.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
He was smart and skinny. And we were lousy dancers. And he made me feel like I was the best thing that ever happened to him.

3. Do you remember what he was wearing?
No, other than we were dressed up for the social dancing. (It was 1992, though, so I'm sure it wasn't pretty)

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?
He kissed me on the walkway in front of my house (finally!) after a school dance. I felt like it took him forever.

5. Where did you go for your first date?
We went to eat at Sizzler and then bowling with another couple.

6. How long did you know this person before you were a couple?
A couple weeks. We hit it off pretty quickly, but were quite young still.

7. How did he ask you out?
I asked him. I have always known what I wanted!!

8. Has this person ever proposed to you?
Yes. In the middle of Fashion Place Mall near a jewelry store. Romantic, I know.

9. Do you and this person have kids together?
Or rugrats. Yes, 4 1/2

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person?
Hmmmm, my parents may occasionally read this blog.

11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person?
About a week later when he came over to "study" at my house. We didn't get much done. I think we stared at each other a lot, though.

12. Do you get along with his family?
Yes.

13. Do you trust this person?
Enough to give him my whole heart and soul.

14. Do you see him as your partner in the future?
Absolutely.

15. What is the best gift he gave you?
The kiddos running all over this house.

16. What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves?
He has a REALLY hard time making decisions. Small ones, like what to eat at a restaurant! Big things like taking me to Jamaica? Instant. Whether to get a Beef 'n Cheddar or Arby's melt? It might take a while.

17. Where do you see each other 15 years from now?
We will have kids getting married and finishing missions...very strange to think about. I am excited for the future with him though. He is the love of my life.

18. What causes the most arguments?
We disagree on some issues but we very rarely argue. Our latest passions are politics and sports, so it's not like we can change each others' minds anyway! We love to talk things through, though. And we do try to have an open mind and see things from all perspectives. I love our deep discussions. Keeps my mind healthy!

19. How long have you been together?
Together for 16, married for 12. I swear we are not that old!

20. Are you married?
Forever and ever.

21. Who do you tag?
Anyone on the planet who has yet to join in!

Card swap - Christmas edition

What the heck?

From MSN.com...

Man's coffin kills wife on way to cemetery

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Police say a woman has died on the way to a cemetery when a traffic accident hurled her husband's coffin against the back of her neck.

Police said 67-year-old Marciana Silva Barcelos was in the front passenger seat of the hearse when the accident occurred Monday in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Barcelos died instantly.

Her 76-year-old husband, Josi Silveira Coimbra, died Sunday of a heart attack while dancing at a party.

The driver of the hearse and Barcelos' son suffered minor injuries.

Give Thanks

Ahhh, life is pretty okay.

We survived a lot this last week.




Every single part of the house that got wet last week with the water heater leak is now dry. And after Saturday's game where Penn State lost by one point as well as lost all hope of a shot at the national title game, my tears are dry now too. I think I have survived it.

And in one poll, at least, they're still ranked ahead of Utah. So that is a very comforting thing.

I do have lots of blessings to be thankful for, though. Strider pointed that out this week as I was grumbling about broken water pipes, flat tires, and on and on. He said that as much as we are tried and tested, we are even more blessed.

Which is true.

Farmhouse Pizza

I have had several requests for the recipe from our Election Dinner.

Farmhouse Pizza

pizza dough or frozen loaf of bread dough
hash brown potatoes (can use the pepper/onion blend if you want)
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 pound bacon
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup milk


A bunch of separate steps, combined later...

Press dough into pan and pre-bake 15-20 min at 375 degrees. I used a jelly roll pan but you could cut the recipe in half and use a pizza pan for a smaller family.

Dice bacon and cook with hashbrowns till tender.

Scramble and cook eggs with milk. Season w/ salt and pepper.

Assemble pizza...

Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over baked crust. Top with cooked eggs, then potato/bacon layer, then last cup of cheese. Put back in oven just 5-8 min to melt cheese.

We really liked the flavor of this, but without a lot of ketchup on it it was very dry. I almost think a layer of country (white) gravy on the crust might make it better. But it's up to you. Served with fruit it's a pretty filling meal, too.

Dinner was pretty good!

Family Ballots

Our election was fun. Each of us got a chance to voice our opinion.

It dawned on me that it could work out that none of a child's particular choices would make it. That might be awful! Luckily it didn't happen. No one had all their things chosen and everyone had at least one of their foods picked. Phew.

So tonight we are having:

Farmhouse Pizza (a breakfast food with eggs, ham, etc)

Applesauce (homemade)

Orange pop to drink

Chocolate cake for dessert

It should be fun! I let them stay up last night to watch the news coverage. They were pretty down after seeing the real election results, so during the dinner I will give them a chance to talk about things if they want to.

Kids with too little supervision

This is what happens on a Sunday afternoon while the kids have too much energy. And a sleeping mother. And access to the camera.