Holy Cow!

I’ve been the biggest blog slacker.  It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for us.  The silly thing is, I can’t really put my finger on what we’ve done that’s made it so crazy.  I guess it just feels like it because I’m trying to balance everything and figure out what changes we need to make in our lives.  Changes are definitely needed right now!

We’re in the middle of trying to revamp our homeschool schedule for K.  She’s been in a slump and in need of a major change.  Our ‘method’ (if you want to call it that) has been pretty relaxed.  I’ve wanted my kids to kind of guide me in the direction they want to go rather than me telling them what they need to know and when they need to know it.  I admit that the public schooler in me had a hard time giving my kids that much freedom but I kept hearing and reading from various sources that you just have to ‘trust the process’. 

I definitely wouldn’t call us unschoolers but I do give the kids quite a lot of freedom when it comes to their education…

Guess what!  It’s working! 

K is ready for more.  She’s getting restless and is practically begging for more structure, more work, more direction, more everything!  I can’t tell you how excited I am to see this happening.  However, I’m finding it rather complicated to find which direction I need to guide her. 

Time to get on my knees and pray…

Another thing I’ve been on my knees about a lot lately is the whole family harmony thing.  What is it about girls and drama?  Seriously, I don’t know what to do or how to deal with it. 

The girls are always, always, always, ALWAYS fighting lately.  And K’s temper is flying off the handle.  She is yelling and even growling sometimes.  I know, anyone reading this that actually knows K is thinking that can’t be right.  K is so polite and sweet most of the time, she really is but lately, it’s a whole different story.  And then just the other night she came and told Anthony and I (after a fight at bedtime with her sisters – in which she snarled, yelled and growled at them) that she has felt the influence of the adversary prompting her to ‘say bad words and think bad thoughts’. 

Ok, this was news to us. 

Are we doing something wrong?  It broke my heart to hear her say that.  She was extremely upset and crying.

Thank goodness for the Priesthood!  Anthony gave her a blessing and all seemed to be well after that.  She woke up the next morning thanking her daddy for the blessing and told us that it worked.  We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives!

And now, speaking of another child…. I love my little A. but WOW! she can be so selfish.  She never wants to share anything with anyone.  And if they are playing a game (such as ‘house’ or barbies… anything really) if she can’t have it her way, she gets really mean and bratty.  She quits the game and storms off, yelling the whole way to wherever it is she’s headed and blaming everyone else for not making the game fun. 

The other day at Liberty Girls they had a spelling bee.  H won!  A was mad.  She couldn’t congratulate H and be happy for her.  Instead she complained that she ‘never wins anything’.  I mean, it was dramatic!  There were tears and there was yelling (I hadn’t helped her learn to spell better… she missed all the easy ones, according to her).  I admit that after a couple minutes, I may have snapped back at her because I was a little upset that she was ruining the moment for H.  H should have been happy and excited.  Instead she felt bad for winning because it made A feel bad.  Middle child syndrome???

UGH!  Help me out here, what do I do?

And then there’s little H herself.  She’s a perfect angel and she never does anything wrong! 

Oh wait, that’s what H thinks of herself.  She’s very good at manipulating certain situations to make them look more innocent than they really are or making it look like someone else’s mess.  She’s never involved.  Even when I catch her sometimes!  Somehow it’s always Nobody. 

That Nobody sure does cause a lot of problems around here.  Does he/she hang out at your house, too? 

Open to suggestions, folks!  I just don’t know what to do.  Love them all to death but I’m struggling to find answers! 

 

Voice Lessons–Take Three

After three whole weeks off for various reasons, A and I were finally able to get back to singing.  And let me tell you, A was NOT happy about missing her lesson.  She cried because “I’ve worked so hard on my songs and now I can’t even go!”

It was dramatic!  That girl is nothing if not dramatic.  But don’t call her a drama queen.  You will get the wrath of A if you do… you do not want the wrath.  It can get ugly. 

Anyway, this most recent lesson was fun for me.  I was able to watch as A performed her two songs and was very impressed with her!  I almost cried.  Chuck was impressed as well.  When it came time for me to sing all I could do was giggle.  For some reason I was completely embarrassed to be singing.  There was A singing beautifully and then me… singing like a duck.  Ducks don’t sing and I imagine that if they did, they would sound like me. 

Or maybe a goose. 

Something like that anyway.

Well, I wanted to put some videos on here of A singing but after uploading them to youtube I got a notice via email warning me that they had ‘possible copyright infringement’.  WHOOPS! 

I guess I hadn’t thought of that before uploading the other videos.  So, I deleted them and you can’t hear her sing.  :(  Just know that she sounds awesome! 

We are having a lot of fun with our voice lessons.  If you think you might be interested in taking some yourself, check out this website and give Chuck a call!  You could be the next SUPERSTAR!!

 

 

And so it begins… again

So, my cousin was in town for a whole whopping day.  She lives in Nebraska but was in town for her doctor husband (surgeon) to interview the hospital here for the job that they already hired him for.  HE is interviewing them… is that strange to anyone else?  Maybe if my husband were a doctor I’d understand.  I mean, I guess I understand.  He wants to make sure it’s a hospital he’d be happy working for.  Makes sense.

Anyway, I got to see her Monday night and holy cow!  She looks awesome!  Not that she didn’t look awesome before.  That came out wrong…

She has always looked awesome but apparently she’s been working out and stuff and has lost some poundage and inches in the process.  I’ve never been a big person and my ‘chubby’ is not what most people would call chubby but when you’re used to being one size and you’re not anymore, it’s sad.  It’s chubby for me and I have to say that when I saw Kymber (that’s my cousin… she really does have a name) I kind of felt like a cow! 

It got even worse when she had me lie on the floor. 

I don’t know.  Something about teaching me to sing from my diaphragm. 

Something about a bowl.

It’s sitting upside down at the base of my ribs.

Moving your chest or shoulders while breathing is a no no.

I don’t know… something like that.

What I do know is that she had me feeling my stomach and she was feeling it too.  Suddenly, it was so easy to remember that my tummy no longer caves in when I lie down.  Oh no… it kind of pokes up a wee bit. 

**GASP**

Darn those pregnancies (not really, I love my kids!) and getting older!!  Grrr!

Once upon a time (about a year ago) I did an entire round of P90X.  I started out not much different than I am right now. During the 90 days that I tortured myself with Tony Horton’s insane workouts, I lost 12 pounds.  I wasn’t quite back to my high school weight but I wasn’t far off.  And then I stopped almost completely.  To date I have put back all but a couple of pounds.

CRAP!! 

And so Monday night I tortured myself… then again Tuesday night and I even plan on doing it again tonight.  For a whole 90 days!  UGH!  I already know that it works but can I just tell you how sick I am of Tony Horton’s voice?  And just those workouts in general.  On and off for an entire year… totally works but I’m so bored with it!  Wish I could afford Insanity.  Maybe someday.

Whatever. 

Ya do what you have to do, right?  I’ll keep you updated.  

 

 

Caramel Popcorn

You have to try this recipe!  It is the best caramel popcorn in the whole wide world… borderline addictive.  I can’t stay away from it if it’s in the same house… let alone the same room as me.

I got the recipe from my friend, Lara.  She made it once when we went over to play games.  I’m so glad she was willing to share the recipe.  It saved me from searching high and low for possibly ever trying to find a recipe that even comes close. 

It’s gooey and sticky… just the way I LOVE it!  It would make perfect popcorn balls.

Caramel Popcorn

2 large mixing bowls full of popcorn (remove kernels)

2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

1 c. light corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk (15 oz)

1 tsp. vanilla

Bring brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil in saucepan, stirring constantly.  Add condensed milk… keep stirring and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour over popcorn, stir and ENJOY!  (or quickly form into balls if desired)

Seriously, it’s addicting.  Be careful!  ;)

 

GFC and Linky Followers

Have you been hearing the rumors, too?  Is Google Friend Connect really going away? 

First I hear that it’s going away for good… for EVERYONE, then I hear that it’s going away only for non Blogger blogs (which would include me), and now I’m just all kinds of confused and just don’t know what to believe. 

Either way, whether it’s gone for good or just for blogs that aren’t with Blogger, it’s going away for me… SAD :(

But there is an alternative…

See that Linky Followers widget over there on the right?  Click on the ‘follow me’ button and they will guide you through the rest.  It’s actually a pretty cool way to follow all your favorite blogs.  I think you can even follow blogs that don’t have the widget on their site.  I’m new to this… I need to research it a bit more but from what I can tell, it’s pretty cool so far.

Please excuse my lack of real posts recently.  I’ve been a bit bothered by some recent events in the news and I was afraid of writing something I might regret later.  I’m not his judge and it’s not for me to say what will happen to him… the fact that he took two innocent lives with him (and the way that he did it) have really weighed on my mind.  There have been many tears shed on my end and I’ve had a hard time.  The silly thing is, I don’t even know these people!  And I know those two boys are happy and at peace now but… I’m still human and I’m still here on this side of the veil where I am unable to comprehend certain things. 

I guess it’s just really made me think about my own children and how precious they really are.  And I’ve wondered if I really love them enough.  There’s so much more I can do and say to show them how much I love them and to be perfectly honest, I could love them more!  I need to love them more.  They are gifts and blessings to me from my Father in Heaven and I don’t always treat them as such.  Sometimes they get on my nerves, sometimes I want to be left alone, sometimes I am selfish. 

LOVE THEM MORE!  (My message to myself.) 

And now, my apologies for my rant above.  Sorry!

Check out Linky Followers…. to the right.

 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Hey guys, I’m over at Latter-Day Homeschooling today and I am sharing a recipe for Taco Seasoning that I guarantee will knock your socks off!  Please stop by and say hi.

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

Has pumpkin season come and gone already?  Am I too late to post a pumpkin recipe?  I sure hope not because you absolutely, positively want to try this recipe!  I promise, it is insanely yummy. 

I first tried this at my family Christmas party this past December.  My cousin had brought it and I was in LOVE at first bite!  Seriously, it is ridiculous.  I’ve had pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, and even pumpkin cinnamon rolls… all of which I LOVE.  Pumpkin is my friend.  But never had I ever heard of a Pumpkin Pudding Cake.  And guess what, I think it’s my favorite pumpkin treat of all time!   

It took a couple months but I finally… finally!… got the recipe from her.  I practically begged her for it.  Thank you, Kara!

She got this recipe from a friend of hers and boy oh boy am I glad they are friends!  ;)

Now, let’s make some deliciousness!

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

Preheat oven to 350*

Crust:

• 1 yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Mix together the cake mix (minus 1 cup which you should set aside for the topping), egg and butter.  Pat into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.

Filling:

• 2 c. canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix with electric hand mixer.  Pour over crust.

Topping:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into smaller chunks
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 c. reserved cake mix

Blend all ingredients with pastry blender or fork.  Blend until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over top of filling.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour… THEN, turn oven OFF after one hour and leave cake in for 10 minutes longer. 

Serve warm or cold (I actually prefer cold) with whipped cream or ice cream. 

If you are a pumpkin fan, you will love this! 

BabyCakes Cake Pop Maker

Maybe you remember that the last time I made cake pops it worked like a charm… kind of. 

They were a lot more work than I had anticipated and vowed that I would definitely try them again (in a year or two ;)).

But then my mom bought us a cake pop maker by BabyCakes. 

She bought it at the beginning of December and it took until now for me to try it.  Can you blame me?  I was nervous!  Plus, the whole idea of a cake pop holding together is the fact that it has frosting as the ‘glue’.  That’s how it works.  These were going to be pure cake… how in the world were they going to hold together and stay on the stick?  There was just no way!

Needless to say, I was skeptical.

And so it sat and sat forever and ever (two months counts as forever and ever, right?) until I finally mustered up enough courage to give it a go.

I used a recipe from the owner’s manual for chocolate cake pops.  The recipe called for a bit of freshly brewed coffee.  We don’t drink coffee at our house so what do you do when you have no coffee to freshly brew?  You brew up hot chocolate of course!  Worked like a charm!

I followed the directions to a T regarding how early to plug in the unit, how much batter to put in each section and how long to let them cook. 

And I learned a thing or two about how quickly I needed to fill each section… umm, yeah.

That’s what happens when you put a whole tablespoon in (as directed… it fills it to the top) and go too slowly filling the rest.  I recommend filling it just slightly lower than the top and then move quickly!  I also recommend spraying with non-stick spray between each batch.

But even that slight mishap didn’t ruin the cake pops.  The thin layer between them chipped away easily.  No worries.

To remove them from the unit, I used the handy dandy fork tool that came in the box.  Honestly I thought that would be a silly way to do it because it would break them.  Surprisingly, it worked wonders and I don’t know how I would have done it without that wonder of a fork-ish thing.  What would you call that thing?  I just don’t know.

Look how cute they are! 

Perfect little balls of happiness.  Yes, they made me happy.

Once they were cooled they went into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.  Then I left and my mom took over the process with her little helpers also known as my kids. 

After pulling the pops out of the fridge, she stuck them on the sticks.

She melted the chocolate in the microwave, added a few teaspoons of shortening to thin it a bit (you can also use coconut oil) and stirred until it was a good consistency for coating and then rolled the pops in it to coat. 

How cute are they? And they tasted good too.  Like, REALLY good!  It’s a good thing I have so many kids to help me out with eating naughty treats because I could have a major issue!

Do I recommend this product?  Heck yes!  Will I use it again… SOON?  Heck yes!  Do I think you need one?  Heck yes! 

**I was NOT compensated in any way, shape or form for this review.  The BabyCakes ‘people’ don’t even know I exist and have no idea I am doing a blog post about their product.  It’s just a product that I tried and really loved and thought you might love it as well.  All opinions herein are my own and were not influenced in any way.  The link to the cake pop maker on Amazon is an affiliate link.  Should you choose to purchase from that link, I will earn an itty bitty percentage that would be much appreciated!  Thanks so much.**

I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus

My all time favorite Primary song has always been I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.  It’s just a song that has really touched me ever since I was very small.  Just recently I discovered this video of David Archuletta singing it and I am totally in love! 

Any other David fans out there?  I love his voice!  (And I’m super ecstatic that he is going on a mission!)

But this post really isn’t about David.  It’s really about this song that I love and how beautifully it can be portrayed.  There’s a little bit of talking in the beginning so if you want to skip that, skip ahead to about 1:05. 

Homemade Moon Sand Recipe

Remember when I talked about all the busy bags I got at the exchange I went to?  (Click here and here)  Well, among all those bags o’ busy-ness there was a bag of sand.  It was supposed to be Moon Sand but given the cost that it would have taken to make 20 plus bags for the exchange, the girl who did it opted to provide the bag of sand along with the recipe for Moon Sand.  That way we could all make it at our leisure and she didn’t have put in a ton of money. 

Please note that it does NOT cost a lot to make one batch (or even more).  It just would have been a lot for that many batches all at once.  Actually it was pretty inexpensive. 

Here’s what you do:

Mix 1 1/2 cups of cold water with 3 cups of cornstarch.  This is the hardest part.  It turns into this weird, goopy stuff that can’t decide if it wants to be liquid or solid.  It’s pretty fun to play in.  The kids liked it. 

Once you’re done playing in the slime, add 6 cups (I liked the consistency at about 5) of regular play sand, one cup at a time.  You’ll probably have to use your hands to get it all mixed in.   

When you’re all done, it looks and feels like damp sand.  The best kind of castle building sand!!  Now it’s ready to play with. (Next time you get it out you may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to revive it back to the right consistency.)  H and A were so excited to find that they could make miniature castles INSIDE the house.  All the kids had a blast.  I have never played with or even seen the ‘real’ Moon Sand so I can’t give a comparison as far as texture goes.  All I know is that the kids are loving it.

 

 

 

 

Beauty and the Scab

**Disclaimer:  Scary pictures of me with no make-up on… and sometimes the hair isn’t done either.  You’ve been warned!**

Ever since I can remember I have been told that I have a ‘beauty mark’.  Looking back at pictures of myself as a child, it seems that my ‘beauty’ started to appear around age four or five.  I HATED IT! 

While others looked and saw ‘beauty’ all I could see was a hideous dark spot on my face that couldn’t be hidden.  Believe me I tried.  I remember whenever I would meet someone new I would pull my lips in and tuck them between my top and bottom teeth.  It didn’t hide anything but it made me feel like people noticed it less.  I think it made the mark more noticeable, if anything. 

I would watch my mom put her make-up on and asked her why people wore it.  She explained that it’s to help even out the skin tone and make blemishes less noticeable.  I couldn’t WAIT until I was old enough to wear make-up!  My ‘blemish’ would disappear! 

Guess what… it didn’t work.

But then people started comparing my ‘beauty’ to that of Cindy Crawford’s.  Ok, she is gorgeous and who wouldn’t want to be compared to her?  Not that they were saying I really looked like her.  I can only wish, but they always said, “You have a beauty mark like Cindy Crawford!” 

And then it was ok.  I loved my mole.  It became ‘me’.  It pretty much defined me.  I was Brooke, the one with the ‘beauty mark’. 

Do you see it? 

Well, I’m going to let you in on a secret.  That picture is deceiving because that’s not my ‘beauty mark’ at all. 

Let’s take a closer look…

IT’S A CRATER!! 

I went to a dermatologist a few months ago and had it checked because it has changed over the past couple of years.  It used to be dark and flat… still raised slightly but flat.  It had become more of a bubble and it was much lighter.  It didn’t look suspicious so he sent me home, but…

I didn’t want a witchy mole!! 

So, I thought it over for the past several weeks decided to have it removed, much to the detriment of my family.  Anthony was sad when I told him that I wanted it removed, “But that’s my Brookie!”  And little H said, “But you won’t be Mom anymore.” 

That broke my heart just a little but guess what… I’m still Mom and I’m still Brookie!

The doctor himself even tried to talk me out of it.  Something about any mole that accents the lips or the eyes is a BEAUTY MARK while anything that accents the ears or the nose is NOT!

Oh, I had cyst removed from my right temple and another mole from the back of my neck/shoulder area.  I looked pretty awesome after the procedure! ;)

**If you were “lucky” enough to see the pic that was here, go you!  I’m too embarrassed about it now to let it stay.  Just trust me when I say that I was lifting ONE eyebrow… it’s true!**

BUT LOOK AT THAT PIC AGAIN!!  See what I’m doing?  It’s the one and only time I was able to live out my lifelong dream of lifting only one eyebrow at a time.  Granted, I didn’t have a choice in which eyebrow it was.  By default the left one had to raise because the whole right side of my face was asleep.  But still, I was excited about being able to lift one.  Ignore the fact that I look constipated… I’m just concentrating.  Even with half my face dead asleep I had to concentrate for this.  That’s how badly I have wanted to lift one eyebrow.  I even texted the pic to Anthony right away just so he could bask in my victory with me.  It was a proud moment for him, I’m sure. 

Yikes!  I sure hope he didn’t show the picture to anyone at work.  That would be embarrassing!

And now, a pic of my battle wound bandages.  Because I’m sure that you care… and because I don’t want that last pic to be last one you see… UGH! 

In conclusion, I just want to say that my ‘beauty mark’ no longer defines me… my crater SCAB does!  (At least until the scar replaces it.)

 

It’s not too late for a Resolution post, right?

So here we are… February 2nd and I still haven’t posted my New Year’s resolutions. 

What a loser!!

Well, better late than never.  A month late and a dollar short.  What can I say?  I still want a fresh start. 

1. Say yes more often to the kids.
2. Stop making promises you don’t know if you can keep… to my kids.
3. Try not to please everyone around me.  It can’t be done!
4. Be happy with what I’ve got right now. 
5. Go to the temple with Anthony at least once per month.  (I know, January is gone and we didn’t make it.  11 times in one year will still be a heck of an improvement over last year!)
6. Finish the Book of Mormon.  If K can do it, so can I!
7. SCRAPBOOK!!  Hello!!  I’ve got a TON of supplies that have never been touched because I bought it all years and years ago and never did anything with it.  Does anyone scrapbook anymore?  Is it all digital and stuff now?  I’m way behind the times!
8. Smile more often.
9. Read more REAL books.
10. Eat better & Exercise at least 4 or 5 times per week.  At least! 
11. Stop finding so many ‘Pinteresting’ things and actually DO some of them!  Utilize the pinboards, Brooke.  On second thought… keep finding all the fun stuff, pin away, but make sure you MAKE some of them.  Is it weird that sometimes I feel creative just pinning it?  Go me!
12. Plan school a week ahead of time.  That’s a tough one for some reason.
13. Strengthen my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Figure out the ‘WHY’ of the Gospel.  (Love that talk! – Forget Me Not)
14. Is it bad luck to have 13 goals?  I’ll throw this line in just to look like an extra.  Totally works!
15. Just kidding.  I just thought of my other one.  Learn to sew, knit and crochet.  That’s right, folks!  I plan to be the jack of all trades.  Someday…

 

Speaking of fresh starts, Anthony has a new job!  Hooray for jobs that are consistently 40+ hours per week!!  The job with the construction crew (which he loved) wasn’t working out.  It was 40 hours per week for the first few weeks and then they started having a day off here and a day off there.  Then it became 2 or 3 days off per week.  Out of nowhere, they give everyone A WHOLE WEEK OFF! 

Um, hi!  We have five kids, lots of bills and no money as it is… a week off is not good, my friends!

And so I went behind Anthony’s back one night and posted on my facebook that we were in search of a new job.  Hey, a wife’s gotta do what a wife’s gotta do!  I really didn’t expect much to come of it but the next morning, as luck would have it, a guy in our ward called.  The company his family owns was hiring.  Anthony got an interview and was hired on the spot.  The pay is not much (actually he’s making less per hour) but the checks will be bigger because he’s working full time.  Hooray for that!  And did I mention that he’s having a lot of fun?  He’s loving it there and can’t wait for the spring and summer… their busy time. 

 

Coconut Almond Brownies

As I was perusing my overflowing bookshelf of cookbooks the other day, my Pampered Chef Celebrate! book jumped out at me and I decided to take peek inside.  This particular recipe sounded so good that I just had to give it a try.  It was Monday and that means we have to have dessert.  Family Home Evening just isn’t complete without it.

I had all the ingredients on hand which made it even more appealing.  We all loved it!  We will definitely be making this one again.

Coconut Almond Brownies

• 1 pkg brownie mix (13x9 size) plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies (usually you just add an extra egg)
• 10 oz. sweetened flaked coconut (I had a 14 oz. pkg so I just used most, but not all of it)
• 2 c. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350*. 

Prepare brownies according to mix directions for cake-like brownies.  Spread into 13x9 pan and bake for 18-22 minutes or until brownie is set but not completely done. 

Sprinkle coconut on top of brownie and layer chocolate chips on top of that.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over coconut and chocolate.  Sprinkle almonds on top to taste.  You could omit the almonds but I recommend keeping them!

Bake 20-23 minutes or until coconut is browned around edges.  Let cool before cutting.

We decided that we might try butterscotch chips next time or maybe caramel sauce instead of the sweetened condensed milk.  These were delicious as is we just want to experiment!