Christmas break

We were lucky enough to have five days off so that we could go home for the holidays. It was a very busy week but we all had a great time.

Here is a run down of some of the things we did:

A birthday party

We all went out to dinner to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday after picking up Mindy at the airport & attempting to locate her missing luggage (don't worry...it did arrive later that night. We had a great time stuffing our faces & making up stories about the people sitting around us. Doesn't everyone do that?

A baptism

My nephew was baptised in the morning & provided a great opportunity to get all of the family together & yet again stuff our faces & also have a good time together. We always have a great time with my nephew & his family.

These girls love their uncle Richie SO much!

A temple session

We were able to fit in a temple session in the late evening. It was so special to be able to go through with Mindy & Laurel and to have Val & Duane officiate. What a great feeling it was to see family where every I looked.

A Sunday relaxation day

This was a much needed day to not have the whole day planned out. We attended church (when did the shoreline ward get so old?), took naps, baked, had a family meeting (which I thought was turning into grip night...boy was I wrong! I will never be able to live that one down...), relaxed, & visited with my family. Over all a nice day with only a few totally annoying moments.

A first time seeing the temple

My daughter had never seen the temple, so I took her out to see it & the nativity that they had set up. It was so beautiful...especially at night...wish I would have had my camera with me when I came for the session a couple days ago. Unfortunately the gates were locked but we could still see it for the most part.

A bowling adventure

Posing just like the big kids do...I think that she is having a good time?
Super Fun!!!! Is it bad that I am still sore...? How can you be out of shape for bowling?

Aren't these the coolest shoes ever?!


I have a ton of pictures but I will stop here...

A Christmas celebration with my family

My not so little sister & brother...

my cute mom...
Our photographer enjoying not having to get dressed
Having a great time with sister's car while she was not looking...my awesome Dad...

A Christmas celebration with Randy's family

I am sure that I have more pictures but I haven't downloaded them, so this will have to do.

An attempt to do our own nativity

Our adorable Shepard that was so upset that she did not have any animals.

We did not have enough kids to fill all of the parts, so Richie was volunteered. He was such a good sport. Doesn't he look Thrilled to be a part of it?
Crazy is the only word I can think of when I think of our attempt to bring the spirit to our holiday celebration. We have video of it that will forever let this live on. Unfortunately we did not get a great picture because they would not stand still or be cute all at the same time. We may rethink it next year???

A hair cut

I am totally loving my new haircut thanks to Megan!

Now if I could only style it the way she does : )

A Christmas celebration at our house

Once we made back to our house we had yet again another Christmas. What a great way to extend the holiday.

My son got a excersaucer that we assumed was already assembled after all it is the foldable type...not so much. I didn't know that something like this could have so many parts.

Randy starts the adventure of assembling...
Still working on it...

30 minutes later it is finally together & my son loves it...he had better!

My daughter wanted to buy presents for her family...Here she is helping my son open his. She did a great job picking out her gifts all by herself & was so excited to give them to everyone. As she would hand the gift she would tell them what it was. She still has a bit to learn but I am so proud of her wanted to give to others!

Wow...we did so much yet we still had so much we wanted to do, now we will have to come back for New Years...we will have to see... : )

Finally...

I have finally figured out how to change my blog layout! Who knew it was so easy? Hope you like it...if not don't worry...it will probably change often. : )

P.S. I am downloading my pictures of the past week so I will post them soon. I will not promise a time because as many have noticed I have been super busy lately.

The treats

This are the yummy goodies that we gave out this year to our friends & neighbors. My daughter & I spent a whole day baking. We had a lot of fun together but are both glad to be done.

Cranberry-Walnut Cookies

3/4 C butter, softened
1-1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel (never measure this, just shredded until you are tired!)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
2 t vanilla (I always use vanilla extract, it is much better)
2-1/3 C whole wheat flour
1-1/2 C chopped toasted walnuts*
1-1/2 C dried orange flavored cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, lemon peel, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in walnuts and cranberries.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool on cookie sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

*Note: To toast nuts, spread them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until nuts are slightly golden brown, stirring once or twice.

Pretzel Turtles

Pretzel snaps (the square ones)

Rolo chocolate Candies

Halved Pecans

Spread pretzels on a rimed baking sheet. Unwrap & place Rolos on top of pretzels. Place baking sheet in oven set on the lowest setting (mine is 150 Degrees) & bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven & press a pecan into each Rolo. Let cool & serve.

Becky's Peppermint Fudge

[ fudge layer ]

3 tsp. butter, softened (yes tsp. ... not Tbsp.)

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

6 Tbsp. baking cocoa

1 tsp. milk1 tsp. vanilla extract

[ peppermint layer ]

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. milk

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1/4 c. crushed peppermint candy (about 10-12 candies)

Line the bottom and sides of a square baking dish with foil. Grease foil with butter; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Spread into prepared pan. Chill for an hour until firm. For peppermint layer, beat cream cheese in a small mixing bowl. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, milk and extract. Stir in peppermint candy. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Chill for an hour or until firm. Using foil, lift fudge from pan. Gently peel off foil and cut into squares. Store in frig for best flavor.

Gingerbread house fun...

We have had another busy day filled with the normal errands, appointments, & getting things ready for Christmas. To give the kids (& adults) a break from all of the craziness, my friend Randi & I got together to decorate gingerbread houses together. We cheated a bit & used graham crackers, after all, the kids don't carry if the are actually gingerbread...they don't even know what gingerbread is! While the kids thought it was more fun to eat all the goodies (I am sure that Randi' son is going to have a horrible stomach ache tonight...He ate SO much frosting...yuck!), we had a blast. We have been so blessed to make such great friends & will be very sad when they move this may (But I am super excited that for them & there new adventures).

I promise her kids are very adorable but I didn't want to put their faces on here since they are not mine and all. : )

Grow Baby Grow...

My son had his six month appointment yesterday and we discovered that he has still not gained ANY weight (well, I may be exaggerating a bit...after all he has gained 2 ounces!). He weights the same as he did when he was at a sick baby check-up 3months ago! I always say that I would love him to stay little forever but no mom wants there baby not to grow at all. : (

First thing we have to do is switch him over to Formula and see if he gains anything. This is a job in its self as he has never liked taking a bottle even when he is starving. We have had two successful feedings today...hurray! If has not gained weight in four weeks he will have to go in for more tests. Lets hope that it is just a minor thing.



And lastly, a cute picture of two siblings that truly enjoy being together...most of the time :)

My favorite lunch...

This is what I have almost every day for lunch...doesn't it just look yummy? It is super easy & everyone at my house likes it too...double bonus!

Here is what is in it:

Romaine lettuce

Broccoli coleslaw mix

Asian noodles

Almonds

Chicken (I really like crispy chicken strips but to save points, I some times use grilled chicken)

Sesame Ginger dressing (Randy likes it with Honey Mustard dressing but I don't think it is worth the points)



P.S. For those of you who are waiting for me to post my Christmas treat recipes...I promise I will get it done tomorrow... : )

Another weekend behind us...

This weekend has felt MEGA stressful but as I review the weekend I am not sure what exactly has made it that way. We have each taken our turn not feeling well with various issues so maybe we have just not been on are best behavior? Isn't crazy how one cranky person effects the whole family?
However, we did survive church without any breakdowns, accidents, or crankiness. This is what I am so thankful for today! We all need a successful church outing every once in a while so that we can remember why we go! : ) Am I right?

I thought since we were all dressed up in our festive colors that I would take a picture really quick. Needless to say, my family did not like the idea and while it may look like they are fine, in between each picture they were all complaining in one form or another. GOOD TIMES! All I wanted was a family picture in front of our twinkling tree. Is that so much to ask for?



Here was the best one:






We also met Val, Duane, & Richie for dinner at the famous Colfax Taco Time. It's along story, so I will spare you the details but it was a nice (& quick) visit. Oh, how I will miss the looks we receive every time we order 10 cherry empanada (I have no idea how to spell that) & a diet coke on our way to TC (Randy's families favorite treat found only there now). More good times : )

One more thing done...

It feels so good to have one more thing crossed off my to do list. I love making my christmas cards every year. I lovehaving a good excuse to try out new ideas/products until I find the prefect card (or two or three...) These are this year's winners...

This year my daughter wanted to make cards too with the "big kids stamps". We had a blast working on them together. These are her one of a kind creations... If you are really lucky you might just find one in your mail box! : )