Snapshots of Christmas 2011!

Jake and his friend Derrick with Mr. Taylor and Mr. Taylor's wife after the school play!

My brother Ryan, me,  and my sister Stacy.  I am the oldest and shortest.  Think I got the short gene?

Christmas Eve Morning breakfast at Jared's Sister Cheryl's house.  Her husband  made these cutting boards for each of us and  cranberry orange bread!  

My Mom with the boys on Christmas morning.  They made her personalized stationary.

Our close friends Kenny and his wife Lisa.  Funny that two best friends married Lisas.

My Sister in-law (she married Jared's brother and introduced Jared to me) So, from best friends to  forever family!

Jared and his amazing Dad

Jared's priceless Mom

play dough!

Christmas night at Jared's Parent's! Always so fun!

Beautiful sky on the drive back to Kingman from Salt Lake.

This has been a year of major change!  What matters most is we have each other and our health!  Here is to 2012!

Have a fun night!

A Few Pinterest Pins!

enchantedendings.tumblr.com

moneysavingmom.com

weheartit.com

Something to remember!

This picture is over a year old.  I love it. The boys were headed to school.  Notice Jonah having a hardy Oreo breakfast.  I must have been picking my battles that morning? 

I think as a Mom I learn so many things each day!  I look back at how I "thought" a year ago and am thankful for things I know now.  I know that another year from now, I will be thankful to have gained more wisdom from life's lessons.

I am grateful for these three happy boys! They are amazing. 

We are putting this statement up in our house.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

                   - Jimmy Johnson

      

Including last minute 5Th grade reports! ;)

Ice Cream

Jared and I LOVE ice cream. So do two of our three boys. I actually would consider us ice cream connoisseurs!

  We have given a lot of ice creams a try.  We look forward to weekends. We consume ice cream while watching a movie. I am willing to carry extra weight if it means the weight is from eating ice cream. ;) Some things are worth the calories, others not so much.

A couple of weeks ago I got a message on my phone from my older sister.  She is a school teacher.  Her Principal heard that her Dad was going to Arizona for Thanksgiving.  I guess that her Principal has a love for ice cream too!  He actually has a love for a specific brand of ice cream that only our state and some mid western states carry!  Her Principal asked her to find out if her Dad would be willing to pick up this certain brand and transport the stuff back to him?  She called me to see if my little town carried dry ice.  Her Principal had down to a science how many half gallons you could fit into his cooler, and that to keep the ice cream from melting, it would require ten to twelve pounds of dry ice.

My Dad drove through my town on his way to Phoenix.  He dropped of the cooler and the note that her Principal had written.  In the note he listed the four half gallons that were his first choice.  Then made a back up list.  A BACK UP LIST!  I love it.  This guy is our kind of guy.  Two of his four first choices were for Mint Chocolate Chip.  Jared and I know a good mint chocolate chip. I decided that we needed to try this brand out for ourselves.   I have to say it is pretty good.  We like a creamier ice cream.  However, I am NOT complaining. Hopefully her Principal has been enjoying himself with his favorite ice cream during the holidays!  I was even able to get him all his first choices!

One more note:  I read somewhere that eating ice cream with a fork somehow makes it a more enjoyable experience!?  I have given it a shot... and I think this is true!

The brand is Blue Bell!

*Dear Blue Bell,

Please contact me for further advertising.  This one was a freebie.

Fun Weekend!

We went up to the Wualipia Mountains about 30 minutes from our house.  There was about 3 inches of snow.  We waited outside in line for about an hour and a half to see Santa. It got pretty cold the last 30 min of the wait.  Once you get to the front of the line you get to go inside a log cabin where hot chocolate, cookies, a fire to roast marshmallows in and of course Santa awaited us!  Jared and I waited in the line while the boys played in the snow and built a snowman. 

  

Frenemies

This clip is from Emily Henderson's blog www.stylebyemilyhenderson.com  She wanted people to share this (one of them is her husband).  Too funny to not share!

Christmas frolic!

www.thebottomoftheironingbasket.com

I love Christmas music. I think that driving in the snow with Christmas music playing is divine.  My sister Stacy and I LOVE to drive in the snow.  We use to live two blocks from each other when I lived in Salt Lake.  One night, when it was snowing really heavily, Stacy picked me up to go snow driving. (just through the neighborhood streets)  Harmless right? It was much like a suicide drive!  I am surprised that we didn't end up in someones front room with her car!  There were several close calls as her mini van slid all over.  We laughed ourselves sick all the way home slipping and sliding.  I was happy to crawl into my safe warm bed that night!

I picked these two Cd's up at The Dollar Store(Dollar Tree)here in Kingman.  I love piano music.  I questioned how great they would be, but took a two dollar chance.  I scored!  They are awesome. We go to sleep every night with the piano CD.  The piano and strings is in our car. The boys request it every morning on their way to school.   If your dollar store has them, your in luck!
You could go snow driving and listen to these Cd's. ;)

Jonah had his preschool program last night.  I vote preschoolers the funniest kids around! Jonah had a line. He got down from his spot and walked up to the microphone to say "along came a bunny and what do you suppose?"  In his cutest lisp!

Jonah is in the back row second from the left.

Santa came while the kids where all up singing.  Some of the kids were excited, some very nervous.  Jonah was one of the nervous ones.  He still kept singing, trying to hold it together, but boy was he nervous! We were so proud that he sat on Santa's lap!  (huge milestone...HUGE)

Christmas time really is such a great time of year.  Jake is an elf in his school play.  Can't wait for that! 

Something I am learning

Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you but on what happens inside of you. It is measured by the spirit with which you meet the problems of life.

---Harold B. Lee

It's the thought that counts continued...

www.jcrew.com

Love love this!  One for me...one for Mindy 

www.nordstrom.com

One for me...one for Jamie ( Jamie, I had to find you the perfect tights to go with  the Lacey shoes!) * Jared, Please pick up one more pair of the yellow shoes for Jamie.

www.nordstrom.com
Miz Mooz "Tillman" pump

Oh Please!!! ! One for me...one for Julie.  You know how she loves shoes

www.topshop.com

One for me...one for Ashley and Marianne

www.nordstrom.com

Michael Kors beaded stretch bracelet!
One for me... one for Maisy, Chandelle and Brenda.

www.target.com

I dream of a romantic dinner using this silverware.  I'll make you anything you want!
one for me...one for Stacy and Coco

www.desertbook.com

Wow!  This picture is called Men of Galilee.  This is honestly at the top of my list Jared.  If you get anything at all, this is it.

One for me...one for Jamie H. and my Mom

It's the thought that counts...

I bought this record player a few years ago.  There is nothing to me more Christmas like than Christmas music playing on a record player!  Nat King Cole is playing throughout my house.  The boys think it is funny to turn the speed up on the player so he sounds like Mickey Mouse.  So we have Mickey too.

My Husband and I were talking about gift giving.  He said "you know people say it's really the thought that counts."  He suggested I make a list and he will look it over and choose what he "thought" about getting me. Funny huh?  Kinda...

Here are a few things I am wishing for:

www.madewell.com

If I had the money, I would want one for me and one for Ali.  (Ali, it's the thought that counts)

One for me... one for Krystal!

www.jcrew.com

One for me... one for Lacey

www.fossil.com

One for me... one for Ellie, Michelle and Erin too!

Don't worry if you don't see your name here...you don't think this is my whole list?  Lots more to come ;) 

Welcome Christmas Season!

 Talmage made this hat at school.  I had them pose for me when he got home from school.

 We went to Phoenix (Chandler/Gilbert) for Thanksgiving.  I made sure to go to Trader Joe's while we were there for my favorite Peppermint Joe Joe's.  Last Christmas they sold out of them!  I also discovered my new favorite treat. The MINTY MELTS.  Amazingly good!  Grab a box if your lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's!

This is what they look like. 

My two favorite recipes as of late!

www.keepingupcookbook.com

This cookbook is awesome!  It is put together by Grace Ivory Rock and her friend Amy Henriksen Foulger.  The Ivory girls are amazing cooks.  So really, any recipe in this book has to be good.  However,  these two recipes have been a hit at our house lately!  Hope you get a chance to try them.  

Chicken in tomato basil cream

1 1/2 pounds (about 18) chicken tenders

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

dash red pepper flakes(or more to taste)

2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 teasoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skilllet over medium-high heat.  In batches, brown chicken tenders on both sides, cooking until no longer pink.  Remove from skillet and place in a 9"x13" baking dish.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the same skillet and cook onion,garlic and red pepper flakes until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in  cream and cook until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat.  Add basil, salt and pepper.


Pour tomato sauce over chicken in baking dish. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until bubbly.


Serve this delicious dish over your favorite hot pasta.  (I like angel hair)

www.crateandbarrel.com  Hint hint Mom!

I saw this in the crate and barrel catalog. This is on the top of my Christmas list;)
There is nothing better than homemade cookies! Here is our families favorite cookie lately from the same cook book. It is such a moist monster cookie(some monster cookies can be quite dry)


Monster Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats,ground to flour in blender
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups M&M's or chocolate chips


Cream together butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs, peanut butter and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.  Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
This recipe contains no flour, just ground rolled oats, which makes these cookies exceptionally moist and delicious.

Heart Rocks and Cake Pops

Collecting heart rocks has become one of my favorite things when we go on hikes with the boys.  Actually,  if I/we see a heart rock anywhere we pick it up.  I have a fun collection that I need to put into a fun apothecary.  

Yesterday morning as I was quickly making the boy's lunches for school, Talmage was sitting on the kitchen floor by me putting on his shoes (sometimes we have to dump pebbles out of his shoes from the school play ground).  Talmage said "Hey Mom... there is a heart rock in my shoe for you!"  I was hurrying so much that it took me a second to realize how sweet it was that he noticed and how excited he was.  It dawned on my that I needed to stop my rushing around and look at it.  Low and behold...the perfect little heart rock.  One day I will look at that little rock and remember my little first grader right by my side putting on his little shoes.  I think that that heart rock will have to go in my jewelry box or somewhere special.

Caught in the act of eating one of my favorite little snacks (at least it is blurry)

One of my favorite treats are the cake pops from Starbucks.  I also LOVE Starbucks hot caramel apple cider.  The boys love cake pops too! Try them, I hope you will like them.