Merry Christmas

Clint has been saving his pennies for a camera and with a little extra help, he was able to make the purchase earlier this month. He loves it and has been doing his best to learn how to make it take great pictures.

(sorry no photo, I have nothing recent of myself)
Clint surprised me at the beginning of the month with a huge extravagent day for Christmas. He took me to Houston where we shopped here, ate at La Madeleine's (chicken friand and tomato basil soup), attended the Houston Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker, and then ate at Fogo de Chao's which we will probably never be able to afford again. Good thing I have figured out the house lemonade recipe. It's delicious, you should all try it!

Fogo de Chao House Lemonade
2 limes, cut in quarters (do not peel)
1 lemon, cut in quarters (do not peel)
1/4 c. sugar
3 c. water
1 large handful ice

Place in blender, and pulse 10 times. Strain through a fine strainer. Rinse blender, and add juice mixture in blender with 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk. Blend until smooth and serve over ice with a straw.



Emery learned a valuable lesson this week. On Monday we visited Santa at the mall. Santa and Emery visited about what gift Emery would like. Then Santa asked Emery if his room was clean. Emery said no, and Santa told him to go home and clean it and that Santa would see what he could do. Clint and I asked Emery all week to clean his room. When he went to bed Christmas eve, the room was still a mess. When we awoke on Christmas morning, there was no stocking for Emery. Sitting where it should have been, was a note. The note explained that Emery had not kept his part of the bargain and Emery needed to clean his room before he could open a single present. He was fast, and the job was pretty well done. When he returned, he opened all his family gifts, but still there was no stocking or Santa gift. Upon wrapping paper clean up, Emery found his stocking and gift hidden under the couch near the wall. "That Santa's a tricky one." he responded. He was thrilled with the additional train tracks for his train set and green-blue rocketship jammies. I think next year he will listen when we ask him to clean his room.


Chani loved opening presents and thinks that Emery's gift was her favorite. He picked out a little plastic doll bathtub and she's bathed her Ella baby multiple times since yesterday. She also received a handmade cradle from Santa. Emery insists it's called a rocking crib, not a cradle. She also loves the Topsy Turtle game that Grandma and Grandpa sent.

The kids loved picking and giving gifts to each other. What a fun tradition to start as siblings. We got a tent as a family and Grammy and Papa gave us sleeping bags. Grandma and Grandpa (and Kim) gave us a lantern, so we hope to do some camping before Clint's Christmas break ends.

Merry Christmas to you all!

What we've been up to (video edition)

The kids have been sick, twice. It's been raining, every day. I've been sewing lots of projects. So, here's our month in video.

Emery got to go to the Nursing Home with his preschool class to sing. They asked each student to come prepared to sing a solo. Emery learned this song last year in nursery, so we just polished it up. He did a great job. Then today he was assigned a talk for primary that slipped my mind (I was too busy worrying about Primary singing in Sacrament Meeting). So, he sang his song for his talk, and it was a hit. Since we've been practicing so much, Chani has been singing her own rendition. Also, one of Emery's favorite class songs she's also been singing....non-stop. We're hoping to get some caroling done this week as well.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thanksgiving (and other randomness)

We had a very busy week last week. My parents were able to come for the week and help finish the bathroom. We worked hard every day, and it is nearly finished. Due to some rain and humidity, the tub has not been painted yet. We hope we'll be able to get it done soon. Other than that and a little touch up paint, it is done. We are so happy with it.




Because we were so busy with the bathroom, my parents didn't get to see much of Orange. We also didn't take many pictures. There are a couple though, of my mom. The box that the vanity came in has been a hit for days. The kids decorated it and were trick or treating at it. My mom also climbed in and I got a shot of that.



Chani's Christmas dress is nearly finished. It turned out so cute. I love it! I need to finish the zipper, but it should be easy as soon as I get some half-inch tape.



We're so happy that Grammy and Papa could come visit. It was lots of fun, and we appreciate all their hard work!

John Jones Accident and Auction

Some of you may have already heard about John Jones and his accident in Nutty Putty cave. This particular story strikes a cord with me, as I lost a brother in a freak accident not so different from this one 18 years ago. A friend of my friend is doing an auction to help the widow of John. She has a 14 month old baby and is expecting their second child. My heart aches for them. Please check out her auction and see if there is a little something you can purchase to help their family out.

Check out Stephanie's auction site here.

The bathroom (a work in progress)

So, when we moved into this house, we knew there would be work to do. We've shared the master bath with the kids since we arrived in Texas. It's not Clint's favorite thing, and I could do without Chani in my make-up and lotion. We've been using the toilet in there, but not the tub. So, we finally decided to renovate the kids' bathroom.

Here are the before shots (except I forgot to take a before shot before I--yes me, by myself-- took out the toilet)



Once I got the toilet and vanity out (and gave them away on Freecycle), it was time to start taking the tile out of the tub. This was a job. The tile was on top of some sort of plaster/cement, and under that was a layer of wire mesh. That was attached to drywall, and to get the tile off, the entire wall had to come down. My body is exhausted and sore from using a sledgehammer for three days.



Notice the shower head is not attached to the wall or anything. Strange old plumbing!


After that, I had to scoop all the tile rubble into a bucket and carry it outside to the trash can to await a trip to the dump. The corner piece came off in one big chunk and Clint helped me haul that out on the way to work this morning. Then I had to wipe it out with lacquer thinner. It looks nice and shiny and we're waiting on our friend George to come paint the tub with special tub paint.
This is what it looks like now.

Emery's Birthday

We celebrated Emery's birthday this week. My first-born is now 4. Where does the time go? We had a Pirate Bash, and a fun time was had by all. My sister tells me the gauge for a good party is "If no one cries, consider it a success." No crying here. It was lots of fun, and everyone can now say "Aaarrrgggg!"

I'm so lame I didn't even get a picture of Emery with his cake, or blowing out candles. The cake was cute, and he got quite the stash of treasure (presents).

Sick, list, and syrup

We've been sick, Emery over the weekend and Chani yesterday and me today. I'll take the cough, runny nose, and sore throat and be glad I can pass on the throwing up.

I haven't posted in a while because I've been busy doing other things. Here's my list of things coming up. Clint's birthday is on Friday. He'll be 29, they put him in the 29-39 age bracket last weekend. It kind of bothered him. Emery's birthday is this weekend, so I'm party planning. I have a Relief Society Meeting on Thursday (please let me feel better by then), and we're doing some vinyl lettering on 12 inch tiles. I'm doing a syrup and sour dough waffle demo.

Here's the back story on the syrup demonstration. I went to a Tupperware party and they had these cute little bottles with different fruits on them. And the conversation went like this:
Me: Those would be perfect for syrup, you could put a different flavor in each container.
Other girls: What do you mean different flavors, and syrup comes in a bottle..... Me: But, it doesn't come in a bottle when you make your own.
Other girls: You can make syrup? How? Why would you make it homemade?
Me: Because it's delicious, and the stuff from the store is yucky. And, it's really inexpensive, and you can make tons of different flavors.

Since then, whenever we are talking about anything food, the girls give me a hassle about making my own syrup. So, I'm going to teach them all how. I've really been branching out in my syrup making this year, and I will only teach them a few recipes and give them a packet with several more. A few of our favorites are: maple, apple cinnamon, buttermilk, orange, and our newest favorite honey cinnamon.

My sister told me about this perfect little concoction yesterday, and I thought it would be delicious paired with cornmeal waffles. The waffles are easy, just follow the recipe on the box of Jiffy Mix. The syrup, just as easy and perfect with the waffles. It came from Taste Of Home

Honey Cinnamon Syrup

1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. butter cut into slices
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Place in microwavable dish. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until butter is melted and mix smooth. Serve over waffles.

Pirate birthday party pics will be coming after the weekend!

Halloween Costumes

I know, I'm late....story of my life. Better late than never, right?

On Wednesday last week, we went to the Library for story time, where we had stories, trick or treating (in the Library) and a little lunch party. It was a fun time. The kids looked like this:



Then, on Saturday, we visited a few neighbors (Miss Bea and Mr. Rocky) and then went to the church for dinner and trunk or treat. The rule was no masks at the church, so Emery went as a surfer dude instead of a super hero. He looked awesome in his swim suit, white surf top, white paint on his nose, and shades on his head. We had also made a surf board out of cardboard and he was quick to show his "rad moves" (also known as tricks) like the Triple Whip, The Twist, and The Pony. It was pretty cute. I'm a lame mom and forgot my camera. You'll just have to trust me, they looked awesome!

Hey, mom.....

All those times you had to beg, holler, threaten, coerce, bribe, etc. to get me to clean my room.....I'm sorry! It's a huge pain. Sorry for all your time I wasted not doing the job.

Love,
Jill

Car Apron

Jen, this one's for you!

A few weeks ago as I was sifting through all the junk in the back seat of my car, I was lamenting that the front seats don't have pockets on the back of them for all that stuff. You know, toys, extra panties and shorts, books, snacks, etc. All that stuff that piles up. (I'll spare you the picture of my car, it really is a pit)

So, the very next day, Brittany posted about this sweet little number and I thought, Oh, that wouldn't be too hard, and it would solve all my woes in the back seat. So, I pulled out some fabric I bought for $1.00 at yard, and got to sewing. I added a layer of plastic to the back. I think it will help the mat stay in place, and protect the car seat against spills. I looked for the netting, but I didn't really want to drive 25 miles to get it, and I am afraid my kids will pick at it until it has holes--big holes. I didn't add the straps because both of my car seats have cup holders. It turned out pretty cute, I think. This one is for Chani, and Emery will have one in opposite (mostly green with green bias tape).



Like I said, my car is a pit (and Clint took it to the running park). So, you don't get to see pictures of it installed today. What do you think?

Heap 'O' Trouble

Yesterday afternoon we took the kids for a drive.

E: Mom, next time let's play the Heap 'O' Trouble game again.
M: How do we play it Emery? (feeling lost, as I'd never heard this before)
E: Someone is Lighting McQueen and he crashes into the power lines an drags them and gets tied up in them, and then the Sheriff comes and says, "You're in a heap 'o' trouble, boy".
M: Oh, right.
E: I will be Lightning McQeen, Chani can be the Sheriff, myself will be Mader and Chani-self can be Sally. It will be lots of fun!

I love it!

Also, Clint ran a 5K on Saturday morning (which he won, but that's beside the point). We got there early to check in and Clint got his race number. Emery said, "I want to race too, dad." Clint told him he would have to train. So, this morning when we were done running (the kids walk with a friend while I run, and her kids walk with me while she runs) Emery said, I'm training so I can run like dad. What number will I get in the race, Mom?"

Dear NBC,

Could you please move Heroes back to 8:00 PM? See, we're busy on Monday, and while my goal is to have the kids in bed at 6:50 PM, it doesn't always happen, so I'm scrambling to be ready at 7. Besides, this show, really isn't that great. 5 nights a week, really?

Sincerely,

Me

Fire Safety

It's Fire Safety/Prevention Week and so for Library Story Time, the fire department brought a truck. Emery was thrilled, and Chani was pretty excited too. They learned to Stop, Drop, and Roll. It was so cute to watch them practicing, and when Dad got home they showed him how to do it. Here are the pictures I got!

Chani's Quilt

While we were in Idaho, I had a lot, (A LOT) of help with this quilt. My mom and Aunt Marion helped pick fabric, and cut and sew the blocks. When we got to Idaho, my niece, Ashley, did the lions share of the sewing blocks and strips together. She sat there patiently with her I-Pod and sewed her little heart out. My sisters were helpful in sewing, as well as nieces, nephews, and friends. I'm so grateful that I had so much help in making this special quilt for Chani. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Thanks to everyone who helped. We love it!!!

Our Indian Princess

Friday was not my best showing as a mom. We were celebrating our anniversary and I had a hair appointment in the morning. After getting my hair cut, I was getting ready for lunch, while on the phone, when I heard a tremendous crash and instant wailing from Chani’s room. I threw the phone down and ran to her room. She was pinned under the fallen dresser. I removed the dresser and when I picked her up, I noticed the blood. Lots of blood. Pouring from the back of her head. On the way down, she had either hit the bed post or a toy that was on the floor. She was shaken and crying, but mostly mad that she had blood on her hands and that I wouldn’t give her a bandaid right away. She had cracked her head pretty good, and there was a small gash. I called my friend who graciously came to my aid. After talking to my PA sister (thanks, Charlynn) and conferring with my friend, I decided it would be better to take Chani in than to chance it. Of course, on Friday afternoon, there are no doctors open in this part of the country. We had to go to the ER and it was sort of like that scene in the movie. You know, when the boy says, “Come on, I’ll show you where my dad keeps his gun.” He turns around and the whole audience gasps. I felt like that. People would smile at her all cute bow and happy go lucky. Then she’d turn away from them and they’d see the bloody mess on the back of her head. Sigh. We saw the doctor, he was very nice. Told us we didn’t need stitches or staples or anything else. So, they bandaged her up like an Indian Princess and off we went. Clint and I still went out for our anniversary, and my great friend kept the kids overnight. Chani did great. The next afternoon I showered her off (the doctor said I could). The Indian Princess dressing had to go back on, though, when she bonked the same spot playing on the floor with her brother. She really wanted the headdress to be purple, but I couldn't find any of that tape stuff in purple. Maybe next time....then again, I hope there's not a next time!

Better Pizza

So, we had a pretty poor experience with this pizza chain earlier this summer. We won't be going back, at least not while we live here. However, when we returned from vacation, we saw a glorious site just a few doors down from Domino's. It looked like this:



They opened on some random Tuesday, and we hadn't budgeted for pizza, so we've just been drooling as we drive by for the past 3 weeks. Well, last night we came into a few dollars (thanks Geico for saving us money) and we ordered some pizza. Because I ordered online, they also gave us a free pizza. So, we got three pizzas for a pretty great price. Can I just say that I could have just eaten crust with garlic sauce. Yummy! It was a delicious pizza picnic on our living room floor. The kids loved it and Emery at 3 slices of pizza. It really was the best family dinner we've had in a long time.

Better ingredients, better pizza! Papa Johns.....thanks for the great dinner, we're glad you've come to town.

Preschool

Emery started preschool last Tuesday (yes, I'm more than a week late posting this). We have a pretty sweet deal worked out. Emery's teachers (and my good friends) Miss Cathi and Sister Heidi are teaching Pitter-Patter Preschool at Miss Cathi's home. Miss Cathi and Sister Heidi both have little girls younger than Chani. So, Emery goes to school, and Chani and I play with Ella and Victoria. We have a great time and Emery learns a lot. It's a pretty good trade, I think.

BOB

While we were in Idaho, my brother, Jason, called Chani "Bob" whenever he saw her. "Hi, Bob." "What are you doing, Bob?" For the first few days she would just stare at him with her mouth open. Then, after she warmed up a bit, she started to respond, "No, I Chani." This continued the entire time we were visiting. After we had been home a day or two, Clint said, "Hey, Chani..." To which she responded with a straight face, "No, I Bob." I called Jason to let him know, and he was totally impressed. He's since told everyone in the family.

Dinner Conversation

This was the conversation at dinner.

Chani: Happy birthday, Chani!
Emery: Is it your birthday?
Chani: Uh-huh, happy birthday, Chani!
Emery: Oh, it's my birthday too. Can you believe it?
Chani: Uh, huh, happy birthday, Chani!
Emery: Oh, we have the same birthday. We are twins.

All the while, Chani is sneezing up a storm because she made a mess with sour cream, all over her face. And then it got up her nose.....and then she couldn't keep her fingers out of her nose. And so she's still sneezing.

Coming soon, Emery's first day of pre-school!

The cake (Emery calls it "Happy Cake"

The cake was a success. The lemon cake recipe came from Martha Stewart, as did the design. I did not use her frosting recipe, though, and the raspberry filling was my own idea as well.

Tender Lemon Cake
* 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
* 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 6x2 inch round cake pan. Line with parchment; butter; dust with flour. (I did this three times for three cakes, splitting the batter in thirds.)
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add sugar; beat well. Reduce speed to medium; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Stir in zest.
3. Pour batter into pan; bake, rotating halfway through, until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Remove; let cool completely right side up on rack.
The original website can be found here.

After cooling, I cut the cakes in half and filled them with raspberry filling. I piped frosting around the edge to keep the filling from coming out.

Raspberry filling

12 oz. frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. corn starch
1/4 c. sugar

Combine in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and filling is thick. (this filling is tart, I like it that way, if you don't add more sugar)

Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting


INGREDIENTS

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1/4 c. milk
* 1 envelope gelatin

DIRECTIONS

1. Dissolve gelatin in milk. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth and no longer grainy (about 4 minutes) Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and milk mixture in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. Whip cream. Fold into mixture and beat until thick and smooth.

This recipe came from all recipes, but I've changed it quite a bit. I was worried about it not holding up, so I added the milk and gelatin, and that helped a lot. It may be stiff enough without it, but I didn't want to chance it.

Original recipe can be found here


Keep in fridge until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers immediately.

Chani's 2!

We celebrated Chani's second birthday last night. We had a great time opening presents, singing, and eating some super yummy cake! I only wish we had a picture of Chani's face when I set that pile of presents in front of her. She was so happy and surprised, it was perfect.

The cake was supposed to look like a tutu. It may not have, but it sure was delicious. Chani got several baby blankets and she has been wrapping her baby Ella a lot since then. One of them is smaller, and she folds it up and puts it on her shoulder for a burp rag. She also got some dress up shoes that Emery is convinced are for church. Every present we placed in front of her was a hit, she grinned from ear to ear. I made her a cute play dress that has matching brown leggings. I'm pleased with the pattern (that I made up) and think we'll get a lot of use out of it this fall.


Tasting the frosting before dinner. Yum!


Every present we placed in front of her increased the size of her grin!


Blankets for her baby.


A new play outfit.


Delicious cake

While we were in Idaho, Grandma and Grandpa gave Chani a present. She had a fun time opening it at there house. There's a clip of that and a clip of her opening a present at our house.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Capes and quips

My mind is full of random things:

I'm elbow deep in some really cute capes. They need to be mailed tomorrow.

I'm so excited for my Pampered Chef Party, I think it will be really fun, and we're trying a delicious looking recipe. You can place an order until September 5, if you need something.

Clint started school on Monday (sorry no pics) and while he likes it, he sure is busy. We miss you, hon!

My baby turns two tomorrow. I'm not handling it really well. No gifts have been purchased, no cake has been made. I think I am in denial.

She is big and sassy, though. Yesterday she came over to me with her purse slung over her shoulder. She climbed into my lap and said, "Bye, mom." She gave me a big squeeze and when I asked where she was going, she said, "Outside. Big hug, bye mom!"

Chani has this new habit that is totally annoying to me as the mom, but her dad loves it. She sneaks into my bathroom and stands on the little potty staring at herself in the mirror. All the while saying, "Hi, big girl. Pretty big girl." She just grins as big as she can. After a few minutes of that, she will climb up on the counter and say it some more. Then she gets into my stuff, and smears chapstick all over the bathroom mirror. See, it's not really cute! (But I will still try to catch her unaware to take a video of it.....)

Emery starts preschool after Labor Day. He's thrilled. I am excited for him, but can my baby really be old enough?

Funny moments

A couple of funnies from today.

This morning Chani was whining loudly. She wasn't getting any sympathy from Clint or I. She went back to Emery's room crying.
C: Emmy I crying.
E: I don't want to hear any whining. Go out of this room. No whining here."

This afternoon Emery was kind enough to share a yellow skittle with Chani. She chewed it up and then opened her mouth to spit it out. Emery reached over and stuck it in his mouth. Then at the same moment, they both said, "Thanks."

Pampered Chef Party

I'm hosting a Pampered Chef Party on September 1. If you would like to browse the catalog or place an order, let me know and I will e-mail you the information. They have some cool new things and great stoneware and bakeware items on sale.

Our Vacation

Wow! We had a wonderful time in Idaho and we are happy to be home. Here is a glance at our vacation in photos.


Chani's quilt

Uncle Dean's funeral. So glad we didn't have to make an additional trip to Utah.

Cute kids ready for church!

Yay for Jared and Crystal and Anya and McKenna! Thanks for coming out of your way to visit us!

Daddy and Chani camping

Chani love-love-loved the trampoline. Grammy was faithful at jumping with her daily. Thanks, Mom!

Cousin Wyatt taking Emery for a ride on the horse. Wyatt was great with both of the kids.

Holding baby Madilynn. Emery and Chani could not get enough of their sweet baby cousin.

The creek where we were camping was COLD, but the kids had a blast.

Our friend Gabe. Thanks for coming to see the horses, Williams family!

Did I mention how much they loved Madilynn? My sister Cathrynn is having twins soon (she is a twin to Charlynn, Madilynn's mom) and Emery asked more than once if there was a baby in my tummy. The answer is no, which I told him. He was awfully dejected after that. Chani kept lifting her shirt and pointing at her tummy saying, "baby in there." She'd giggle for a bit and then say, "Get out baby." I think that comes from this book that we love!

Thanks for the dress Grandma. Chani slept with it.