Halloween

Am I the only one for whom the whole Halloween thing kind of went sour this year?  I don’t know what it was about this year but it seems that nothing went right.  Not that it was bad, it just didn’t go the way it was planned.

Every year we have a Halloween party with Anthony’s side of the family.  And usually we do a separate one on my side.  Usually, not always.  This year, both were planned…

NEITHER of them actually happened. 

Everyone on Anthony’s side got the memo about their party.  I assumed everyone on my side got the memo for ours. 

WRONG! 

The night that we were supposed to have the party, a couple of family members showed up… with 2 large pots of chili and meatballs! 

Um, yeah, not embarrassing at all!  I felt about this big.  Luckily, we (the kids and I) hadn’t eaten yet.  Anthony was gone with H at a Ute game.  (He has season tickets along with his dad and BIL.  His dad was unable to use his ticket this past Saturday so H got to go in his place.)

So, the rest of us ate chili and meatballs.  I still felt stupid. 

With all the stress and overwhelming feelings I’ve had recently, it’s no surprise that I would forget to call them and let them know of the change in plans.  We had decided to get together TODAY, just before the trunk-or-treat at the church.  That didn’t go as planned either. 

I had about a gazillion errands I had to run today.  With five kids in tow, that’s no easy feat!  I attempted it but really only got about half of what I needed done.  This meant that I did not have time to get to the store to buy the fixin’s for Frito Pie.  My dad was kind enough to buy KFC instead.  {By the way, did I mention that my parents have moved back from California?  My kids (and I) are so excited!!} 

So, yeah, we had KFC.  But even before we were able to get to my Grandpa’s house (where we were all meeting), the kids needed to get into their costumes.  We got home from running errands around 5:15.  Anthony is usually home by then but not today.  We were planning to dress in our old Incredibles costumes.  The girls got dressed in their witch costumes while I attempted to gather the boys’ costumes.  B was going to be a hobo.  H had heard us saying to someone that he was going to be a ‘bum’ so she leaned down to him at one point and excitedly said, “B, you’re going to be a butt!”

Made my day!  I laughed amidst the stress of not being able to find the girls’ witch hats we had bought a few weeks ago.  (Seriously, that girl has some of the best one-liners.)  After searching for a good 20 minutes, I didn’t have time to paint a scruffy beard on B… he went as Tigger instead!  And yes, I finally found the hats.  The girls would have been devastated otherwise.  I can’t say that I’d blame them.

Another Halloween stressor… we totally forgot to carve pumpkins…

FORGOT! 

How does a mother forget to carve pumpkins?!  Seriously, it’s one of my favorite traditions of Halloween and I forget?  It couldn’t be that I have a new calling as a Relief Society teacher at church that was completely stressing me out until I got my first lesson out of the way… yesterday (a calling that I feel completely unqualified for), or that I have 47 busy bags to make for THIS Wednesday’s Busy Bag Exchange.  I’m not even close to being done.  Guess what I’ll be doing tomorrow…  It’s one of those things that I’m excited about doing and I’m glad I signed up but wasn’t expecting so many participants.  Just a bit overwhelming! 

Oh anyway, the pumpkins… it wasn’t until K said, “MOM!  We didn’t carve our pumpkins yet!!”  (They’re sitting on our porch.)

My reaction… “**GASP** We haven’t!  CRAP!”  {yes, I really gasped ;)}

We did this instead. 

The kids were slightly disappointed but hey, it’s a good change of scenery, no?  I think they turned out pretty cute.  And clean up was a breeze!  ;)

And to keep you from falling asleep, I won’t go into much more detail.  I’ll just tell you that Anthony got home just before we left for my grandpa’s house.  We didn’t have time to get into our costumes.  This is as good as it gets for me this year.  Does a fishy face count as a costume?

As for Anthony, he went as his day job… construction worker.  Stink and all!  No time for showering when you’ve got a trunk-or-treat on the line.  I mean, seriously!

 

Oh, and this past Friday, we were able to take a break from the stresses of our lives and play a little game of Curses with some friends.  Have you ever played that game?  SO fun!  But we’ve decided that the only way to play is with costume pieces!  I don’t think I can ever go back to playing it by the rules.  We tweaked them somewhat.  If you’ve played this and want to know how we tweaked it to make it even more fun, let me know.  HILARIOUS!! 

{Watching Anthony try to get those glasses on with ‘one inch arms’ was sooo funny!}

{Our friend kept forgetting to say “Yes Sir” every time his name was said…. Anthony got to give away his shells.}

And if you haven’t played it… you need to.  We’re always ‘game’ if ya wanna!  I’m so PUNNY!!  I crack me up…

Not so much?  Oh, sorry. 

 

 

Overwhelmed!

I really do have something to say…

Really,

I do.

However, I’m feeling just a little bit like this woman at the moment.

{Source}

And for that reason, I will NOT be doing a Blog Prompt Blog Hop this week.

I will be back tomorrow with a REAL post!

Are you excited?

I knew it!

See you then…

**Actually, that picture up there… it could pass as my office at home right now.  Shh!  Don’t tell my mom.  She’d be upset.**

Patty Cake Cats = Best Video Out There!

I just want to share my favorite video with you.  My kids, Anthony, and I all end up rolling on the floor every time we watch it.

If you’ve never seen it before, watch it once, watch it again and then be sure to watch it a third time.  I am 98% sure that you will laugh harder each time.  You’ll pick up more of the lines and soon enough, you’ll be quoting from this video.  It happens to the best of us!

To see another one of my favorite videos,click here.  It’s a great one also!

Donut Falls–Our first hike

Have you ever sat and pondered how beautiful our world really is?  Oh man, it is truly amazing!  Sometimes I wonder how it is that I can be such a homebody.  I’m not exactly what you might call ‘outdoorsy’.  It’s kind of sad.  I’ve never truly learned to appreciate the wonderful creations of our Heavenly Father.



My kids are often the ones that help me to see the beauty in nature.  They have a nature study every week in which they take their nature journals and draw.  Nothing complex, they just find a few things that they think they might enjoy drawing and sit quietly to draw.  It can be anything from a rock or a leaf to something much bigger like a tree or a sunset.  The best part is, while I look at what they choose to draw and see a plain ol’ rock or a dead leaf (and sometimes even a bug… ew!), they see how ‘cool’ something is.  They see so much more than just an object.  They truly see beauty.  And they absolutely love to be outside.

And that is why I can’t believe it took us until just this past Friday to take the kids out on a hike – for the first time!!  Not just the first time this year… the first time EVER!

We drove up to Donut Falls (which truly is only a hop, skip and a jump from us) and set out.  The kids, especially C, had the time of their lives!  The hike up there is only about mile and pretty easy even for the little ones.  There are only a couple of parts that we had to maneuver ourselves up and over a pile of rocks.  No biggie.

It truly was beautiful!  I was able to see past the ‘stuff’ and actually see the beauty in this wonderful world God gave us.  What an amazing gift!  The pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice.



We had a lot of fun.

{Only real men wear pink!}

C only fell once…. he was having so much fun, I don’t think he even noticed.



We took a few group shots… along with a family one (shadows count, no?)



I am truly grateful to be living in this beautiful world.  And I am even more grateful to my kids for showing me how blessed I truly am!

What are you grateful for?

Homemade Caramel for Caramel Apples

I know, I know… I just barely did a post about how I was going to get all healthy again and stuff.  But seriously, ‘tis the season for caramel apples!  And the kids wanted to make them for Family Home Evening.  I caved.

Usually I do the whole Kraft caramel thing and unwrap every little piece.  Actually, I make the kids do that part while I do other important things like… supervise.  It’s a dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it ;)

But this year, I found a recipe for caramel that I really wanted to try.  It claimed to be the best for caramel apples (at least that’s what the pin said on Pinterest) so we gave a whirl. 

It was DELICIOUS!!  The recipe comes from The Tasty Kitchen.

 



Caramel Apples

Up to 12 apples, washed and dried (any variety you choose)

1/4 c. butter (do not use margarine)

1 c. white corn syrup

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Insert sticks into the apples where the stem is. 

Butter a cookie sheet to set apples on once they are coated in caramel.

Combine all ingredients (except vanilla and apples) in a saucepan.  Heat over medium/low heat.  Stir constantly!!!!!  (I recommend a whisk)

Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture reaches 235-240 degrees (soft ball stage).  This step could take a while.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Let cool for a few minutes.

Twirl apples in caramel gently tilting pan so it pools on one side allowing the entire apple to be covered.  Place apples on buttered cookie sheet.  You can also dip them in other toppings after they’ve cooled just a pinch, if desired.  M&M’s, graham cracker crumbs, chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc.

If you have any extra caramel left in the pan you can either add a little half and half to it to make it like a warm dip for apple wedges or butter a plate or small pan, pour it in and wait ‘til cool to cut it into pieces.

Enjoy!  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to the Kraft caramels again. 

 

 

 

It’s Food Day! Let’s celebrate!

Some of you may know that around March of this year, my family and I changed our way of eating pretty drastically.  Anthony and I decided (or came to the conclusion?) that we were no longer spring chickens.  Our metabolisms had slowed down, we weren’t nearly as active as we were in our youth, our eating habits were poor, at best, and we just plain didn’t feel good!  Plus, we had both packed on a few pounds. 

Anthony was tipping the scale at around 206 pounds and I… well, I just don’t really want to tell you what I weighed. 

Alright!  I guess it wouldn’t be fair for me to reveal Anthony’s heaviest weight and not divulge mine as well. 

My heaviest weight was about 132 (except when I’m pregnant, of course). 

I know what some of you must be thinking – 132 pounds isn’t exactly heavy.  I realize that but 132 isn’t where I personally am comfortable, it’s not my ‘normal’.  (By the way, Anthony’s ‘normal’ is around 180.)  

We decided at that point that our habits had to change.  We needed to eat better and start exercising regularly. 

Enter the world of Clean Eating and P90X! 

I started researching food and which foods were the best, how often we should be eating and what all those foreign ingredients are that are listed on some of my very favorite foods.  Guess what I found out… nothing new.  Nothing that should have surprised me, but it did.  How in the world had I gone all these years without realizing that a HUGE portion of what I was putting into my body was not only not good for me and my family but that it could possibly be slowly killing us?  I felt like I had been poisoning my kids! 

In truth, I believe that I kind of was poisoning them.  Not intentionally but what I learned made me sad, angry and ready to change.  I didn’t want to feed my kids, GMO’s and processed junk anymore. 

We started eating clean!  If you’re wondering what that is, it basically means eating only real, whole foods.  No processed foods, no refined sugars, no white flour, lots and lots of fruits and vegetables, lots and lots of water.  Basically, if God made it, you should eat it.  If man made it, stay away!  Do you know how hard that is?  We live in a world where eating is all about convenience.  Everything is made these days with convenience in mind.  Lunch and dinner to go, all prepackaged with all kinds of preservatives and who knows what else. 

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’ve posted lots of treats and goodies… with white flour, sugar and sometimes even processed foods.  You may be thinking, um hello Brooke, do you really eat clean at all?

The answer is yes.  We try to follow the 80/20 rule (80% whole, clean foods and 20% whatever else we feel like).  However, I do have a confession to make.  Oh how I hate confessions…  We finished our first round of P90X in June.  At that point, the exercising slowed down quite a bit because with the sun rising earlier and setting later, the kids were up and at ‘em earlier and went to bed much later.  They weren’t having the whole 'go-to-bed-while-the-sun’s-still-shinin’ thing.  We had a hard time fitting the exercise in.  We got it in a time or two here and there but not enough.  Definitely not enough.  But our eating habits were GREAT throughout the whole summer.  How could they not be with all the fresh produce?  Anthony was still able to run a few times a week also so he was able to stay on top of things. 

And then came September… and then October…  I don’t know what it is about cooler weather but it just makes me want to eat more.  My will to exercise was all but gone because I was no longer in the habit.  It was hard for me.  I struggled.  My 80/20 started to become more of a 70/30 and then a 60/40.  Yikes!  And yes, my weight has started to creep back up.  I got down to 119 (just 5-9 pounds off of my ‘normal’) and sadly, I’m now back up to about 124.  It’s a sad story!  On a happier note, Anthony has maintained his running and even snuck in a few P90X dvd’s and is now a mere 167 pounds.  He’s smaller than I’ve ever known him to be! 

But I’m ready to start fresh… again!  No more of this nonsense with yuckiness (spellcheck says yuckiness is not a word… I disagree ;))

I was so happy to learn that today is Food Day!  I didn’t even know there was such a thing but apparently, there is.  The goal is to get people eating real foods.  To get away from the processed junk out there. 

I did a Clean Eating Challenge on my old blog several months ago and I think it was a great way to learn about clean eating, how to implement it and stay on track.  I need the Clean Eating Challenge for ME!  Would anyone like to join me?  If so, I’ll post all 8 steps here on THIS blog one week at a time.  It’s a process rather than an all-out BAM!  Know what I mean, Vern?  Please let me know if you are interested. 

HAPPY FOOD DAY!!

P.S.  I will still post recipes… clean and not-so-clean.  After all, I still get to cheat 20% of the time, right?

 

Blog Prompt Link-Up #2 & Our Weekend Project

I think I said I was only going to do this once every other week but I changed my mind.  Let’s do it EVERY Sunday.  :)

Thank you to everyone that participated last week.  I really do appreciate it. 

There are just a couple of things I want to remind you of.  First of all, please link up your actual post URL, not your homepage.  Also, make sure you link to this hop at the end of your post (or anywhere else in your post) so others can come and link up if they would like. 

Here are this week’s prompts:

• Show or tell about some of your favorite Halloween costumes either that you’ve worn yourself or someone else that you know has worn. 


• For you sports enthusiasts, if you could own any professional sports team, what team would it be and why?


• Show us a project that you are currently working on. 

 

Feel free to answer just one, two or all three.  And they can be combined into one post or separate posts. 

I’m going to link up my favorite costumes later in the week but for now, I wanted to share a project that we are currently working on at our house.  You won’t get to see the finished project until later but I guess that’s why it’s called a current ‘project’. 

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When we first moved in to our house almost six years ago, we had only three kids.  H was the baby at that time.  Our home has three bedrooms on the main floor which was perfect!  Anthony and I took the master, obviously.  H was set up in the room directly across from ours while the two big girls set up camp in the room right next to H’s. 

As H got a little bigger, she really wanted to be with the other girls and would scream each night when we put her to bed.  Finally, we decided to let her try sleeping in the other girls’ room with them.  The rest is history. 

Then little C was born.  He started out in our room as each of our babies has but when the time came for him to move out, he was moved into H’s old room.  We never got around to repainting it so he’s had to deal with a lavender room for all of his three years… sad, I know.  Not only does he have to deal with lavender walls, he’s also had the pleasure of dealing with a multi-colored (pastel) ceiling fan with flowers.  We’ve heard no complaints yet but I’m sure they’re coming. 

Did I mention that we also have two bedrooms downstairs?  Well, in all the time that we’ve lived here, those two rooms kind of became the JUNK rooms.  Actually, one started as an office while the other served it’s purpose as what we affectionately call “The Black Hole”.  That room is where all of our crap went!  Anything that we weren’t using or didn’t need at the moment (aka stuff we were hoarding for who knows what…) lived in that room… along with a bunch of spiders. 

Basements and spiders, ew!

The Black Hole became so full at one point that it actually did start spilling into the office.  Not good and not fun! 

So one day, we decided we were going to move the girls downstairs.  It was a great thought!  Except that I had a bit of anxiety over the whole idea because the thought of my little girls being all alone down there kind of scares me.  Am I nuts?  I mean, any number of things could happen.  What if someone breaks in through a window down there and I don’t hear it?  What if there’s a fire down there and they don’t hear the alarms?  What if, what if, what if?  It was quite unnerving! 

Anthony finally convinced me that it was a necessary move and he did have a point.  We were pregnant with little B and the girls were beginning to get quite annoyed with each other at night. 

“Mom, please tell them to go to sleep!”

“Mom, she’s not staying on her side of the bed.”

“Mom, they won’t be quiet!  They just keep talking!”

And so, it was decided.

We moved the office upstairs to their room and moved them in with C.  Yes, all 4 of them in one room!  We even got them a bunk bed so they would all fit more comfortably.  Then, we attempted to clear out the rooms downstairs.

Anyway, long story short… it never happened!  The rooms continued to collect junk and little B is STILL in our room with us, sleeping in a Pack n’ Play.  He’s 19 months old. 

I know what you’re thinking – Mom of the year, right here! 

So finally, just this past week, we got the ball rolling!  Here it is before, in all it’s chocolate mint glory (cans of paint left from previous owner, we just wanted it not so HAPPY… see last two pics), and fresh mud to cover up the poor job done by whoever finished the basement in the first place.



But seriously, you should have seen it before we painted it the chocolate and mint colors.  It was this bright orange…



and this bright yellow.



Oh and the baseboards and ceiling were bright green but I have no evidence of that left.  Whoever chose those colors was a VERY happy person, I’m sure!  It gave me a headache.

So, that’s our current project.  It’s now been primed and repainted but you’ll see that later, when it’s all done.  The girls are so excited!  This is actually going to be H and A’s room but K will share it for now until the other room is finished. 

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Now it’s your turn to link up.  Remember to link up your actual post and link back to this post.

 

 

 

My Scriptures

It seems that in my religious culture (LDS) there is an unwritten rule that you receive your very own set of scriptures when you are baptized, usually at the age of eight.  Often it’s the parents of the child that give the scriptures and sometimes it’s the grandparents or someone else that is close to the child. 

In my family, the precious gift was given to each grandchild by my Grandma.  Yet, somehow, I was skipped.  Maybe Grandma didn’t have money at that time or maybe it just slipped her mind.  I’m not completely sure, to be honest.  I just know that I did not receive my own set of scriptures until I was 11 or 12.

 

It was Sister Kearney that bought them for me.  She was my Merrie Miss teacher and she told us at the beginning of the year that she would buy a set of scriptures for every child that brought a set with them to class each week.  They didn’t have to be our own, they could be borrowed.  And borrow I did!  I made sure that I had a set of scriptures with me every single week.  Whether I was in my home ward or visiting another ward, I had a set of scriptures with me.  I wanted those scriptures!

At the end of that year, if memory serves me correctly, I was the ONLY student to have earned the prize.  I don’t know how much it really mattered to the others because I believe they all owned their own sets already.  Probably given to them for their baptism. 

I was so excited when Sister Kearney called to confirm which color I would like.  I chose black.  Black is safe. 

They were beautiful!  My name was engraved on the front and I set to work!  They were well used, especially throughout my seminary years.  They were marked up, written in, scribbled on, and wrinkled.  I LOVED them.  In fact, I still DO love them.





Grandma actually ended up giving me another set of scriptures for my 16th birthday to make up for not giving me a set at baptism.  I was afraid of that set.  Sounds silly, I know.  I didn’t know what to do with them!  They were so NEW!  So crisp, so clean, so sacred.  I was afraid to DO anything to them.  And they meant almost nothing to me aside from the fact that Grandma had given them to me.  They didn’t make any sense. 

I tried marking a few verses and making them my own but they weren’t as readable and understandable as my hammered, well worn set of black scriptures from Sister Kearney.  The words were the same, of course but it just wasn’t the same.  After trying to make them work, they were finally set aside (and eventually given to my sister) and I turned back to my old set.

Fast forward several years to 2006.  Anthony bought me a brand new set of beautiful green scriptures for Christmas.  My ‘new’ married name engraved on them and everything!  I was giddy!  It’s just what I had asked for.  I wanted a new set with my name on it and there they were.

 

Fast forward again to today…. guess how many scriptures have been marked.

 

ZERO, ZILCH, NADA!

I am scared to death to mark in them.  I’ve had them for almost five years now and they are still waiting to be loved.  They go with me to church every Sunday and they are used for personal scripture time and family scriptures but they are still unloved.  I love the words, the meanings, the messages, the stories, the people… I just don’t love those green books… yet!  I just don’t fully ‘get’ them.

I ran across my old black ones the other day and took a peek at them.  It made me a little bit sad to see how loved they once were and how neglected they now are.  It made me sad to think of the new (five year old) ones sitting in their case, practically untouched.  It’s time for a change. 

My new goal is to LOVE those green scriptures like I’ve never loved before.  I’m going to mark them up with pen, pencil, scripture markers, stickers, tabs and everything in between. 

I can’t wait to love them!  I’ve found a fabulous resource for all of the above and I can’t wait to share that with you also.   

What do YOU want?

I’ve been giving some serious thought as to what it is that you, my readers, would like from my blog.  I realize that my blog is kind if here, there and everywhere.  I have plenty of random thoughts to go around and my real life is… well, it just happens, like every day… WEIRD.

I’m in the kitchen a lot because I have 5 kids and a husband.  I’m pretty sure they need to eat.  Am I right?  We try to follow a clean diet but you might not know it considering that much of what I post is junk food!  Would you like more healthy recipes?  More junk?  More recipes in general?  LESS recipes?

My desire to craft is much stronger than my ability either because of time or money.  Crafting can take up a lot of both, if you know what I’m sayin’.  However, I plan to pick up on that more. 

I homeschool my kids and that takes up much of my time.  I realize that many people may have questions about that.  Are you hoping to see more posts about that area of my life? 

Would you like to see more kid projects and ideas? 

Trust me, I’ve got plenty to say about all of the above and I realize you may get frustrated that I have so many random topics going on.  It’s just much easier for me to do it all in one place rather than having several different blogs to update.  But, in case you haven’t noticed, you DO have the option of subscribing to only the areas you are interested in.  Or, if you like hearing about all my random babblings, I would LOVE for you to subscribe to the main feed or follow via Google Friend Connect.  That way, you’ll stay updated on it all.

I also plan on adding a new category called ‘My Faith’ (look for it in the very near future) where I will talk about my feelings as I learn more about my Savior through scripture study (and my new church calling… YIKES!!). 

So, now it’s your turn.  What is it that you like (or not like… be nice!)?  What would you like to see more or less of?  Do you have any questions at all for me, about anything?

Please, feel free to email me at babblinbrooke 22 {at} gmail {dot} com (no spaces) or leave comments.  I love hearing from all of you.  It really does brighten my day!  I’ve ‘met’ a lot of great people through my blog and hope to continue meeting more.  I love making new friends!

I’m only one person and I know I can’t please everyone but I want to try and give you what it is that you started reading my blog for in the first place if possible.  Don’t be shy. 

And thanks so much for reading. 

Sincerely,

Brooke

P.S.  This blog will still reflect me and who I am.  It will remain pretty random at times.  I would just like to give you more of what you want in the process. 

And now, enjoy a random pic of C burying H and A in leaves.

My Finest Moment & a Little Advice

Oh how I wish I had a picture of this moment!  I know how it felt, but I have no idea what it looked like.  I’m pretty sure it was beyond hilarious which is why I’m glad that only A and H were there to witness it. 

So, I named this post ‘My Finest Moment’ but let me tell you, this was anything but! 

The other day, while sitting in my daughter’s tumbling class, I kept watching the teacher as she was teaching the kids how to correctly do a front handspring.  Every one of the kids (including A) would attempt it and end up leaving one hand on the ground in an attempt to save themselves from falling on their bums.  It worked but leaving the hand down causes you to twist out of a proper handspring.

The teacher then told the kids that it’s ok to land on their butts.  “Sometimes, you need to land on your butt a few times in order to get it right.  It’s much easier that way than to try and get out of the habit of leaving your hand on the ground.”  Something like that, anyway.

She was kind enough to show off her handspring a few more times and each time I thought, She makes it look so easy.  I wonder if I could do that.

Keep in mind, I have never ever, in my entire life, done a front handspring.  I used to do back walkovers like it was going out of style back in the day but that was the extent of my tumbling experience.  Not very impressive, I know.  And no, I can not do them now.  I can do the back bend but my core is too weak to help me get over. 

Well, the next day, A was practicing her tumbling sequence for her performance and I went downstairs to check on her.  I had to make sure that she was doing her handsprings properly. 

Darn that hand, it just kept wanting to stay right there on the ground, twisting her out of a handspring. 

That did it!  After a couple more attempts by A, I decided to demonstrate the ‘proper’ way to do a front handspring.  I knew ahead of time that I would not do an actual handspring and it wouldn’t look nearly as beautiful as her teacher’s handspring but I could at least show her how to properly land on her bum.  THAT is how I would land, not on my feet. 

I went to the very corner of the room, did my step, step, hurdle (just as the teacher taught) then handspring. 

As I placed my hands down and all my weight shifted to my arms, I realized something…

I’m heavy!  I better push hard to get myself up and over enough to land on my bum. 

THUD!

Before I knew it, I had landed………….

FLAT on my BACK!!

I couldn’t breathe. 

The wind was knocked out of me for a good couple of seconds (looooong seconds) and I had an instant pounding headache.

It’s ok, you can laugh.  I am laughing right now just typing this.  And yes, I really am that awesome.  This is a true story. 

I turned to A and said, “See?  Like that!  Except try to land on your bum, not on your back.”  I pretended to be just fine and even pasted a smile on my face.

She said, “Oh, ok.”

It didn’t even phase her, thank goodness.  I, however, may be scarred for life.

I immediately went upstairs rubbing my temples and hoping the headache wouldn’t last too long. 

My advice?  If you weren’t able to do a handspring in your prime, you probably shouldn’t be attempting it now as an old lady.  It could spell disaster. 

I really wish I had a video recording of it.  Next time I try something stupid, I’ll be sure to hand the camera to one of the kids. 

But I promise, the teacher just made it look so easy!  Looks can be deceiving, my friends….

 

K’s Birthday Post

It’s still so weird to me that I now have a 10 year old.  I swear it was just last week that my water broke in bed at 4:30 in the morning and like an idiot, I decided it would be a good idea to shower before heading to the hospital!  Once in, I had to yell for Anthony to come and hold me up through every contraction. 

Silly me.  A few kids later and I now know that you do not stop… do not pass go… just GET TO THE HOSPITAL! 

But my favorite part was when Anthony, in his first-time-father panicky state, got dressed all wrong.  He had his sweater on not only inside out but backwards as well.  Not even joking!  I was able to laugh through that contraction. 

Oh, and the second best part was when the water actually broke.  I sat straight up in bed and said (in a very firm and panicked tone), “ANTHONY!  My water just broke!”  He said, “Are you sure?!?”

Sigh… uummmm, yeah, considering that I’m sitting here in a puddle of wetness and I KNOW I didn’t just pee the bed. 

She was born four short hours later and thanks to the lovely handiwork of the incredible anesthesiologist and his handy dandy needle-o-wonders, I didn’t feel a thing! 

But anyway, my sweet K is now 10.  WEIRD!  Just weird… I know I’ve already said it but it’s weird enough for me to say it a few times. I’m not old enough to have a 10 year old.  And yet, here she is with her birthday breakfast of choice.

Isn’t she beautiful?  I don’t know what I’d do without her.  She truly is my biggest helper.

She had a couple of little parties this year.  I’m not very good about knowing how to do a friend/family party together so we always end up doing them separately. 

For her friends, she originally wanted to have an American Girl themed party but all the ideas I was finding online were a little bit young for her and her friends.  So, we decided to have a themeless party. 

As the guests arrived, they made themselves a french bread pizza (let me know if you need a recipe).  They could choose whatever toppings they liked.

 

After eating, K wanted to have her friends paint some rocks.  She and Anthony had gone on a daddy-daughter date earlier in the day.  They had driven up to Donut Falls and gathered some rocks there.  The girls had fun painting.

 

After the rocks, they all wanted to play the flour game.  None of them had ever played it before but they all had a blast.

 

Then it was time for cake pops and gifts.  We had planned on having ice cream, too, but we ran out of time.  Two hours goes by quickly!

 

She had one little friend there that Anthony and I didn’t know very well but let me tell you, she was an absolute HOOT!  I love her.  She was giving Anthony a bad time about the Utes all night long.  She’s a BYU fan.  Her snide remarks and witty comebacks had us both in stitches the whole time she was here.  She’s the one pulling all the faces in the pics. 

I interviewed K for her birthday just to find out what some of her favorite things are.  It’s an idea I pinned on Pinterest a while back.  {P.S.  If you’re NOT on Pinterest and would like to be, please leave me a comment or email me.  I’d be happy to send you an invite.}

Here’s how our interview went.

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Tell me three words that describe you.

What?  I don’t know.  Don’t write that!  What do YOU think?  Why do you keep writing everything I say?  **laughing and giggling**

Umm, friendly, indecisive, love to learn.

Name two vegetables you would love for me to never serve again.

You know one of them.  Peas and green beans.

If I gave you $100 right now, what would you spend it on?

I would put some in savings, obviously, pay my tithing and then buy and iPod if I had enough money.

Favorite Food

Pizza {a girl after my own heart}

What are you afraid of?

Bees and Wasps.  But not really because I play bee tag with them and poke them.  Then I run for my life!

What is your favorite kind of music?

I like country music and what’s that kind of music that Taylor Swift sings? 

What’s your favorite toy?

Froggy and my two tiger cubs.

What’s your favorite movie?

That’s a hard one.  My favorite movie is probably The Princess Bride.

What is your favorite school subject?

I have a lot – math, art, reading, science.  That’s what I like.

What’s the best thing our family has done together?

I don’t know.  Just Family Home Evening is my favorite thing to do with my family.

If you could choose any sport to play, what would it be?

I wanna try the ‘real’ soccer. {Not quite sure what she meant by ‘real’}

If you could have any kind of pet, what would you choose?

I would probably choose a rabbit.

What makes you laugh?

Zach… he makes me laugh.  (cousin)

Do you like going to church?

YES!  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

What would you do if you could be invisible for a day?

**in the background, H said, “Kill robbers!”** Scare my sisters to death (laughs) and I would climb the tree.  I would wiggle the branches so my sisters would be scared.  I love scaring them.  Is that bad?

Favorite Holidays

Halloween and Christmas

Favorite Book

The Magician’s Nephew

No Big Deal!!

I thought I should share a few things that we should all be grateful for.

--Our teeth!  I’m grateful that I have my own.  So what if you take your baby (19 month old) to the doctor, speak with him, laugh when he says something funny, then realize in the mirrored elevator that you have a nice little black speck (probably pepper) stuck in them in a very obvious spot.  No big deal.

--Clothes!  Even though I don’t have many, I’m glad that I have some… even if they are falling apart.  It shouldn’t matter that you notice a nice hole forming in the yoohoo area of your favorite jeans while sitting indian style in your daughter’s tumbling class.  No big deal.

--Refrigerators!  Seriously, what would we do without them?  It’s just a good thing I have two.  Not that it’s a big deal that the older one can serve either soft serve ice cream or a solid brick.  I like surprises!  Do you think it’s a problem that every once in a while it gets really hot on top?  Like, almost too hot to touch?  No big deal, right?  It’s just making soft serve…

--Cars!  Again, what would we do without them?  I can’t imagine having to pull a handcart or ride a horse and buggy around.  I am NOT Amish.  I assume you’re not either.  But anyway, it’s not a big deal at all if your Suburban has had an almost dead battery for months now.  And if you’re pretty sure that it won’t start tomorrow, no big deal.

--Dishwashers!  Only washing half the dishes each load is perfectly normal.  And when the kids break the handle so it no longer latches and it flaps open several times during each load, no big deal.  Simply shut the door again and wipe up the water with a towel.  NO BIG DEAL!

--Neighbors!  Sending you 11 giant zucchinis and six overgrown cucumbers is awesome!  No big deal that you don’t have any freezer bags yet.  Grab some tomorrow.  You’re going shopping anyway, right?

Cake Pops {Tutorial}

Have you ever made cake pops?  If not, I’m sure you’ve at least seen them around.  I’ve wanted to make them now for a couple of years but never had until K’s birthday party over the weekend.  She really wanted them as her ‘cake’ so I decided it was time I give it a go.

 

Let me just tell you… they’re a LOT of work!!  I looked up several different tips online to ensure that they turned out well, and they did, for the most part.  We had our occasional casualty here and there but I think the next time I make them I’ll give myself a whole day’s head start!  Doing it the day of was a little stressful and we didn’t have quite enough time to chill the pops before coating them in chocolate – which was the cause of said casualties. 

Are they worth the effort?  Absolutely, but they’re not the easiest things in the world.  Before making them I thought, I’ll make these for Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, and every other major holiday!  Now I’m thinking not so much. 

They’re fun and way cute. If you haven’t made them before, you should try it. 

The first thing you’ll need to do is make a cake.  Grab any flavor of cake mix you desire and make it according to package directions.  K wanted strawberry cake pops so we went with a strawberry cake mix. 



Let the cake cool completely before doing anything else.  This could take a few hours.  Once it’s cooled, place it in a large bowl in chunks.  I know it’s hard to see that beautiful cake dumped into such an ugly heap.



Now crumble it up with your hands.  Crumble, crumble, crumble.



Add about half of a container of frosting (choose one that complements your cake flavor- we used strawberry frosting) and mix it up with your cake crumbles.  You’ll probably have to get messy and use your hands.  I would have taken a pic to prove that I did so myself but do you know how hard it is to take a picture while covered in cake and frosting?  My camera would NOT have thanked me!



Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and shape the cake mixture into several small balls.  Roll them tight!  Depending on the size, you should get anywhere from 30-50 pops. 



Now you’ll need some sucker sticks (bigger ones) from the baking section of your craft store (or Wal-Mart).  I sent Anthony to the store for me and he came home with the BIGGEST ones.  I think I would use some that are slightly smaller next time. 

Melt some Candy Melts in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir.  If it’s not quite ready, microwave another 30 seconds and then in 10-15 second intervals after that, stirring each time until it’s melted.



Dip the sticks in the melted chocolate then push the sticks into the cake balls. 





Place either in a block of craft foam or a cake pop holder (that’s what I have but I recommend either having another one or using a couple of blocks of foam – the holes were too close together in the cake pop holder).  Another option is to just lay them on a cookie sheet or large plate and place in the fridge for SEVERAL hours!  You could do the freezer if you’re in a pinch for time. 



Once they’re chilled, melt a package of Candy Melts in a double boiler or your own makeshift double boiler {pan with shallow simmering water and heatproof bowl on top).  Candy Melts come in LOTS of different colors at craft stores.  If you can only find white (or are using regular white chocolate chips) you can color them with food coloring but Do NOT use the water-based food coloring.  Use gel.  Water will ruin your chocolate… even just a drop!!



The melted chocolate may be a little too thick for coating your pops so to thin it out a bit, you can use a tablespoon or two of shortening.  I used coconut oil because I don’t usually have shortening on hand. 

Coat your pops in the melted chocolate.  Some tips I read suggested spooning the chocolate on for a smoother finish but I found that to be harder and it made them look messier.  If the spoon method works for you, great!  I just kind of rolled my pops in the chocolate until it was evenly coated.  This is where we had a few mishaps.  Ours didn’t have enough time in the fridge.  But most of them turned out just fine. 



K had the privilege of decorating them.  She sat with her 6 dipping bowls full of different sugars and sprinkles, ready for each chocolate covered pop I handed her.  She loved doing that. 



And there you have it!  We refrigerated them again after finishing just to be sure that the chocolate hardened and no more would fall off. 



 

 

 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

And now you can sing my praises because I am finally following through! 

Thank you, thank you… you’re too kind.

But seriously, you’ve got to try this cake. 



It’s soooo good, for real!  It’s a recipe that I got from my Grandma Johnson… except that she’s not really my grandma.  She is the grandma of some of my cousins.  Ok, that kind of makes it sound like she should be my grandma, too but it’s their dad’s mom and he’s my uncle by marriage.  He married my aunt, by blood.  Make sense?

{I don’t know how appetizing it really is to have the word blood in a post about cake but it is October.  Think about it…}

Oh, and I didn’t really get it from Grandma Johnson herself.  I got it from a website her family set up after her passing.  They posted all her wonderful recipes.

Grandma Johnson passed away several years ago but growing up, I was practically part of her family.  I went with my cousins to her home on many occasions.  She preferred me to call her ‘Grandma’ and since I liked her, I was happy to do so.  And eventually I grew to LOVE her.

Plus, I really liked her food.  Oh man, that woman could cook! 

Actually, I don’t really remember much of her cooking, more so her baking. 

That woman could BAKE! 

I’m sure her cooking abilities were equally grand but at the time, I didn’t care about much if it didn’t have lots of sugar.  Come to think of it, I still prefer sugary goods to savory ones. 

I’m working on it, ok? 

What you’re about to bake (you are planning to bake this, no?) is a divine way to use up all that zucchini you’ve got stored in your freezer.  Or maybe you still have some from your harvest.  I sure hope so because if not, you’re missing out! 

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Make the cake batter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. 



Mix the topping and sprinkle on batter.





BAKE!  VOILA!!



 

 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1/2 c. oil

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

2 c. grated zucchini

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice

1/2 c. buttermilk

4 T. cocoa

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

 

Combine wet ingredients in large bowl.  Combine dry ingredients in med. bowl.  Mix until well incorporated.

For topping, mix 3/4 c. brown sugar, 3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used a bit more) and 3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional… I sprinkled some on half).  Sprinkle topping over cake batter.  Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.