Sweet Angelina

This is a recent picture of my sweet Angelina. What a blessing she has been to our family. She is such an easy baby & so full of love to give.

Get going

The other day my sweet three year old approached me with his scrapbook in hand and announced, "You need to get going on this Mom!" Apparently he noticed that he only had a few scant pictures in his scrapbook. Once Upon a time when I had three small children I was all caught up and just waiting for new picture moments to add to my scrapbook. Now, it is quite a different story. I am caught up to the year 2001 and I have a partial year finished of 2005 when Eli was born. He is right, I need to get going on this and that is why I have been blogging less. I have to choose my time carefully because there is so little to go around these days.

Just Three Things Daily

In the January 2009 New Era, an invitation was put out for the Young Women of the church to be an "Example of the believers". They were asked to do three things each day. I have decided that because I am a Mother of Young Women, I need to follow the example of my daughters. These are the three things that they have been asked to do.

First, pray every day.

Second, read the Book of Mormon every day for at least five minutes.

Third, smile every day.

Apple Blueberry Crisp

I recently found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website. I was asked to bring an apple crisp to my son's Blue & Gold dinner. Joe loves cooked apples. However, most canned apples that you buy in the store are full of High Fructose Corn Syrup which is something we avoid at our house. I went searching for a recipe so that I could make an apple crisp from scratch. I liked this recipe because it had blueberries. Did you know that blueberries reduce your risk for some cancers? Did you know that blueberries are also considered a brain food? It is believed that blueberries have a strong impact on reversing memory loss. Blueberries also improve your vision, clear your arteries & strengthen your blood vessels. In the 5 a Day The Color Way for Better Health Program we are encouraged to consume 5 a day of fruits and vegetables and eat our colors. Blueberries is on the top of the list in the blue/purple category. This recipe is definately a keeper.

Apple Blueberry Crisp

2 sticks cold butter

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup dark-brown sugar

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp mace

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

2 cups blueberries (I used frozen)

8 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, & sliced thin

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp flour

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place your oven rack in the lower third of your oven. Butter a 3 quart baking dish (I used my 9x13 pampered chef stoneware pan) and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, set aside. (My pan didn't overflow).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, mace, & 1/4 tsp salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until large clumps form. Mix in the oats & set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together blueberries, apples, lemon juice, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and reamaining 1/4 tsp salt to combine. Pour the blueberry apple mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the oatmeal mixture, covering the fruit evenly. Bake until juices are bubbling and the topping is evenly browned, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm with ice cream. YUM!

Snowflakes

(Photo courtesy of SnowCrystals.com)

I cherish the moments that I have driving my children in the car to & from school. We always have the radio off and we can just talk & I know they are listening. This past year I haven't wanted to carpool with anyone because I value that time with my children. After taking Heather to school. I drive over to Joe's school. We spend about 15 minutes sitting in the car while I read to him. We just finished reading, "What to do when you Grumble too much." It was a good book about dealing with negative thoughts & trying to be positive. There were some wonderful exercises you could do to help your brain think positive thoughts.

As we were sitting there reading, snowflakes were falling. Joe noticed they were landing on our car just outside the window on a piece of black moulding. It was the perfect place to view snowflakes up close before they melted. He commented about how he had always wanted to see a snowflake up close because no two are suppose to be alike. As I took the time to look at the snowflakes, I realized how truly beautiful & unique they really are. Each one a piece of art. Instead of looking at the snow and wishing for a warm, sunny day, I found myself truly appreciating the snow for all its beauty. I think that book was already helping us to think more positively. Such a simple moment in time, but a memory that will last forever.

Valentine's Day

Do you remember when you were young and handed out Valentine's & candy to all of your classmates? Today as I sent Joe off to school he contemplated about whether or not he wanted to even attend his class Valentine's party. I told him that he could call me if he decided not to stay and I would come & pick him up. Apparently he chose to stay because my phone never rang. My heart broke a little as I drove to the school & saw all of the children happily skipping home with their little bag of Valentine goodies. I knew that when I picked Joe up, he would have to hand over his bag of loot. Joe can't eat anything that has food dyes because it causes problems with his ADHD and Tourette's. We also recently discovered that he has an intolerance to corn & citric acid which is corn-based. When he eats it, his tics & his rages become worse and not only is it difficult to live with him, but he finds it difficult to be him. I braced myself for the battle that would ensue when I asked for his candy. However, he was very agreeable & gave it up to me without even a negative thought. He commented on how grateful he was that some of the kids in his class gave him non-food treats because they know that he couldn't eat most candies. Wow! Tomorrow we are going to take him to a play. We need to find an activity that we can enjoy with him outside the home that doesn't involve eating out because that isn't an option with him anymore. Somehow Valentine's day seems different. I feel like I had to cheat Joe out of some of the innocent fun of childhood. However, I am at peace because tonight Joe is happy & not full of anger.

Breadmaker Rolls

My friend Laura shared this recipe with me. This is a recipe that you want to keep to yourself because it is simple and the results are fabulous. It gives everyone the illusion that you are an awesome baker. I am not sure what the secret to this recipe is. Is it the breadmaker? I haven't tried it any other way, but these rolls turn out so soft and fluffy with minimal effort. Breadmaker Rolls

Bring to a boil:

1 cube butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

Let cool for 30 minutes and then add 2 eggs.

In the meantime, in another bowl mix:

1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast

Let sit until bubbly.

Put all the liquids into your breadmaker and add 4 1/2 cups flour. Use the dough setting. I set my timer and after 1 hour on the dough setting, my dough has risen to the top of my breadmaker and I quickly remove the dough before it makes a mess inside my breadmaker. Flour the counter and roll out your dough. Cut into circles. Fold in half and place on a greased cookie sheet. Spread a little melted butter on top of the rolls. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Makes 3 dozen.

Decisions I Make Everyday...

Play a game of No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed with Eli or Clean house? We played a lot of games at our house today. Don't mind the little split eyebrow. He is his Father's son after all.

Look Who I caught Standing Up...

My Sweet Baby Girl!

She is growing up so fast.

Special times with Grandma

When Kimball's Mom returned from her 18 month mission to Germany, she found out that she had Cancer. She had been feeling ill for several weeks and thought she had a flu or something. We are so lucky that unforseen circumstances arose so that she was sent home a few weeks early from her mission. If she had stayed longer, she might not have been able to endure the long flight home. Upon arriving home, she soon found out that the headaches and dizzinesss were caused by a fast growing cancer in her lungs that had spread to her brain, and to her bones. She has been receiving treatment in Arizona with an experimental drug while living with Kimball's sister and has responded well. When she came out for a visit at Christmas time, she came down with pancreatitis. She has spent the last month here in the hospital. Although she missed her flight to spend time in Hawaii with family, it has been a nice opportunity for the kids to spend some time with her while she has been recuperating. My older children have enjoyed playing phase 10 with her and her friend Janice. Angelina was born just after Grandma returned from her mission. This is one of the few pictures that we have of her with Grandma. She loves visiting with Grandma in her hospital bed.

My Love Of Cloth Napkins

My love of cloth napkins began a year ago. I showed you in an earlier post the zero-waste lunch box that my children use. In order for it to be zero-waste, I needed cloth napkins. I set about making fun napkins for my kids in order to make taking their lunch a little more fun.

I loved my cloth napkins so much that we decided to start using them for every meal. It took awhile, but eventually I made a drawer full of napkins for everyday use. We no longer use paper napkins at all. It feels good to be saving all those trees and other resources.

I am not very handy with a sewing machine. I can sew a straight line. This is a picture of my sewing machine. As you can see, it is nothing fancy. I love this machine. It was my Grandma Sarah's machine. She sewed many quilts on it. When I sit down and sew my cloth napkins, I think about her, sewing her quilts, and the labor of love that she put into them. My napkins are my little labor of love. It brings me closer to my Grandmother as I remember her.

Hi-Ho-Cherry-O

I bought this cute little handmade owl on ETSY. His name is Weston. He is made out of recycled scraps of material such as upholstery. I had to buy him because I love owls & I love recycling. To my surprise I found him down from his usual perch on the living room piano playing a game of Hi-Ho-Cherry-O with my three year old son Eli.

They were having so much fun. It made me stop from my usual busy tasks & remember once again how much I love my children & why I love being a Mom!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

My son Joe has to take his lunch to school everyday because he is sensitive to the many different additives that are present in the school lunch food.. It is a challenge to find different things that excite him. The other day he said that his friend came to school with "his favorite cookie that his Mom makes for him once a month." It turns out that the cookies were Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. So I began a search for a good recipe. I found this one on the King Arthur Flour web site. I tweaked the recipe slightly. I liked this recipe because it called for 1 can of pumpkin. Many recipes call for 1 cup & then you wonder what do do with the leftover pumpkin since it isn't enough to fill another cup, you can't just double the recipe, & then you end up wasting good pumpkin.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

add a little cinnamon to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray the baking sheets with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients & set aside. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter & sugars. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin, eggs, & vanilla, beating well to blend. Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating well to blend. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets using a tablespoon sized scoop. Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown. Let cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Stir together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle the cookies or dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze. Makes about 4 dozen.

Front of the Class

Last month CBS aired this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie entitled FRONT OF THE CLASS. It is a movie about a young man with Tourette Syndrome. While Brad was growing up, everyone, including his own family thought he was acting up. As a result he was hated at school. It wasn't until a principal learned that his "acting up" was a result of his TS & the principal held an all-school assembly to educate the faculty & students that Brad was finally understood & accepted.

This movie is wonderful & I will be buying two copies when it is released at the Hallmark store in February. One copy I will keep, the other copy I will donate to the public library so that hopefully others in my community can check it out & become informed.

As some of you know, my son Joe has TS. I have been surprised at the number of people that seem to think that we should brush it under the rug and not mention anything about it because people will look at him differently. Well, they will look at him anyway because of the sounds that he makes and I would rather have them look at him and know the truth. Knowledge is Power.

Here is a sampling from a conversation that my son had at school the other day with a classmate. Recently we made his class aware of his condition by giving a little presentation. Last week Joe's tics were quite loud because he was having a reaction to some citric acid he had ingested. He doesn't seem to tolerate it & after eating it, his tics will be out of control for about 5 days. Joe had a coughing tic that was quite loud & frequent.

Classmate, "Is that your new tic, Joe?"
Joe, "Yeah it is."
Classmate, "That one is pretty annoying."
Joe, "Yeah, I know, it is annoying for me too."

End of discussion.

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to make one last post in 2008. Today is a great day to reflect as the year comes to a close and to set some new goals for 2009. My goals are nothing new. I am hoping to lose 20 pounds so that I can get back to my weight before I had Eli 3 years ago. I want to eat healthy by eating more veggies & fruit. So far I have lost 3 pounds this month. I hope I can keep it up. I also want to get rid of the excess clutter in my home. I am realizing that simple is better & more peaceful. I just streamlined my Christmas decorations and freed myself of 2 boxes of stuff. Now I just need to tackle the rest of the house! I am also making some financial goals. I want to have money saved, especially in these times of uncertainty. What are your goals for 2009? Do you have any suggestions to help me accomplish mine? Here's hoping you have a great year ahead of you!

I'm Dreaming of a ...

White Christmas!

Eli enjoying his first real experience playing in the snow! He was so excited to have his own snow clothes!

Joe, in his usual style, getting ready to throw a snowball!

Young Woman's Medallion

Sarah recently earned her Young Woman's Medallion in church. Earning this necklace is comparable to a Young Man earning his Eagle Scout award. Sarah had to complete 42 goals in 7 different areas and 70 hours in projects. Some of her favorite projects were making an eye spy quilt, making a scrapbook for her journey to Black Belt, making a scrapbook that showed 1 year in her life, & also helping out every Monday to teach younger children Karate. Way to go Sarah!

My Little Artist...

This post is for my daughter Heather. I have noticed that each of my children are so different from each other & each one of them has different interests & talents. Heather loves art. It is her favorite class of the day. She actually mentioned that she would love to be an art teacher because her art teacher makes class so much fun. I just wanted to post a few of her drawings in honor of her & to let her know how proud I am of her & how much I Love her. She makes life so much more fun & interesting. One of Heather' favorite quotes..."If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail."
It is a picture of a boy going to school.

Heather loves cats & this is a drawing of a Snow Leopard.

My Little Girl is Going to her First Dance

The Back of Sarah's Dress.

Mom showing Sarah how to pin on the boutonniere.


Sarah's got the hang of it now.

Sarah & her Preference date. She was brave enough to ask a young man to her first dance!

Collecting Christmas Ornaments

When I was a little girl, my Dad came home one night with some Hallmark ornaments. He told us that our family was starting a new tradition & that every year, the day after Christmas, we would each pick out an ornament at the after Christmas sale. Each year when the excitement of Christmas was over, we looked forward to picking out our new ornament that reflected something that we liked or that we had experienced during the year. This was my ornament that my Dad gave to me in 1977 from Hallmark that started the whole tradition. When I got married & left home, my collection came with me so that I already had special decorations for my tree.

Now that I have a family of my own, we have continued this tradition. The only thing that has changed is that we buy our ornaments before Christmas because each of our children have ornaments that are part of a collection. I love this tradition because each Christmas my children love to decorate the tree and reminisce about their special memories. Leave a comment & share one of your family traditions.

Sarah's ornament for 2008! She loves dogs. She was born in 1992 and started collecting these when she was a little girl. The first ornament from the puppy love series dates back to 1991. One year for Christmas, we went on Ebay & bought the remainder of the set so that her collection would be complete.

Heather's ornament for 2008! She loves cats and she has been collecting Hallmark's mischievous kittens since they first came out.

Joe's ornament for 2008! He always chooses the ornament that has flashing lights & sounds. That is Joe's style. This one has light sabers that light up & it repeats actual phrases from the fight.

Eli's ornament for 2008 because he loves trains!

Angelina's ornament for 2008. It represents her 1st Christmas.

Christmas Traditions

When I was a little girl, my Mom made Christmas stockings for my 2 brothers & I. I loved my Christmas stocking. Not only did my Mom make it, but it was different from any others that I had seen. Also, the center block of the stocking was from the same material as my brothers. So even though each one was unique, they were connected by a common thread. When I married my husband, he decided that he wanted one to match mine. So my Mom made him one. Each time a new child was added to our family she would make another one. My brother's families also have carried on the stocking tradition and each of their children have one. We all have a center block that is from the same original material. Please comment below & share what your Christmas stockings are like & why they are special in your family...

Kimball, Rochelle, & Sarah's stockings

Heather, Joe, & Eli's stockings

Angelina's stocking for her 1st Christmas
Thanks Mom! We love you!

A Great Man has Left our Midst

I want to pay tribute to a great man. The oldest LDS apostle Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passed away in his sleep at the at the age of 91 Monday night. How many of us who witnessed his October 6, 2007 General Conference address will ever forget that moment of brotherhood and humanity at it's best? As he stood trembling uncontrollably at the pulpit trying to finish the remainder of his talk, his fellow apostle & dear friend Elder Russell M. Nelson came & stood at his side to steady him so that he could finish his address. Sarah, having just turned 16 & being able to date, fondly remembers his most recent address, "Come What May, & Love It". He talks about learning to laugh and he tells a story about one of his daughters going on a blind date. She was all dressed up & waiting for her date to arrive. A man came to the door that seemed rather old but she tried to be polite and introduced him to her family and grabbed her coat & headed out the door. Before the car pulled away she realized that the man was not her date, but that he had come to pick up her sister to babysit for him. Elder Wirthlin talks about how they all had such a good laugh over that story. Even his daughter who could have felt humiliated & embarrassed laughed with them. I just want to leave you with this bit of advice from his April 2005 address, "Who can tell what far-reaching impact we can have if we are only Kind?"

A Day of Thanks

We had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner here at home with our little family. Kimball cooked our turkey on the BBQ, which has been a long standing tradition in my family. It was nice having the turkey on the grill because then we had oven space for the pies & rolls that we made. Eli really wanted a pumpkin pie because he had seen one on an episode of Disney's Imagination Movers. So I made a pumpkin pie and Kimball made an apple pie. Eli is an extremely picky eater, so I was doubtful that he would like the pie. He was so excited all day to see the pumpkin pie. He kept asking if it was ready. However, one little taste and he decided that he didn't like pumpkin pie and that was the end of that conversation.

Our neighbor invited our family over to shoot some arrows. He had purchased this set up the year before at Cabela's. I was home making the mashed potatoes, so I missed the photo op. Here is Kimball & the kids having fun with some of their best friends, our neighbors across the street.

Kimball

Heather

Sarah

Joe

The intended target

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins & Blessings

I came across this recipe while Kimball was serving in Afghanistan for a year. It instantly became a favorite for my kids. I can't tell you how many times I made this little treat while Kimball was away. I still make them when I have bananas that are going bad and it brings back memories. It reminds me of all of the blessings & love that my family received while Kimball was gone. Many good people stepped up and took care of our family. I know my Savior was near and kept our family safe & healthy. Just like the poem about the footprints in the sand, I felt him carrying me often. Every Monday the Young Women of our ward came over to watch my children for 2 hours so that I could have a break. I shared this recipe with many of them because it became one of their favorites too.

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3)

1 egg

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 c sour cream or vanilla/plain yogurt

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat mini muffin pans with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients. Stir together. In a mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, sour cream/yogurt, vanilla, and milk. Mix together until well blended. Add the dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup with a tablespoon of batter. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 36 mini muffins.