movin' and shakin'

Jon caught this awesome video last night and I thought some would enjoy. So, ENJOY! :)

My kind of worm...a very cute Inchworm!

thanks

Thanks, debbi. I didn't know you could change all the colors. I thought that you had to stick with the basic scheme. No wonder I couldn't figure out how to upload something, eh? One of these days, one of these days....

(K, I'm still interested in your skillz!! :) ).

skillz

Strange, I know. But I'm a little proud of myself today. Brooklyn did build-a-bear in CO and named her bear Belle. Thus, she is a girl bear. So, today we went to the store (looking for something else) and picked up some elastic and ribbon. For $2.29 I made two headbands and one ear/wrist band. with yards and yards of ribbon leftover!

Too bad I wasn't so crafty when Brooklyn was a baby. Oh well...I guess I'll just keep playing with her dolls :).

CHANGE

ok people, I can't stand the dots anymore!! Today (or tomorrow) I'm going to attempt to change it and make it look all festive just like everyone else! If anyone has great ideas or can walk me through it I'm up for ALL assistance. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I found a scrapbook download I like. I have no idea what to do with my header though. PLEASE HELP!! thanks!

forgotten

During my recent recipe swap I had full intentions of including this recipe for my girls. Unfortunately, I forgot. I realized my error yesterday when I made it for dinner. So, to correct my terrible mistake, I'm going to post it here and some pictures from last night. I hope you all like it!

Classic Chicken Pot Pie (courtesy of Pillsbury.com)
Prep time: 25 min; Start to finish: 1 hr 5 min

Crust: 1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box.

Filling: 1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (i use two bullion cubes prepared)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey (this is the easiest part :) yay for crockpots!)
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I use the "california blend": brocolli, cauliflower, carrots)

Preparation Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for two-crust pie using 9 in glass pan.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
3. Stir in chicken and mixed veggies. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places on top crust.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings.

I love love love this recipe! Last night I was feeling particularly festive so I added the little tree. It worked out ok, but underneath the tree didn't quite cook through. So, next time, I'll either restrain myself, or make it thinner. hee hee. ENJOY!

Promised Pictures

To Colorado and back....

On the way to Sara's we went across Nebraska. This was early in the day and as you can see we had some happy travellers. Needless to say.... 12 1/2 hours later, there were significantly fewer smiles. It was all worth it though... worth it plus some!

Thanksgiving day.... all I have to say is: Y-U-M! Good food, good friends...great fun!
Day after? We braved the mall. We really didn't shop. Brooklyn got her first Build-a-bear, and loved every minute (sorry a couple pics are sideways...). She named her bear Belle and has her dressed in a princess shirt and pink shorts. Man Aunt Sara, S-P-O-I-L-E-D!
Jon is Missing Mountains...can you tell?
Other assorted fun activities. Aunt Sara was in charge of entertaining kids while I helped clean up dinner one night. Man, books are great. Then, on Saturday night, we hit the bowling alley. What a blast!! Too bad I had a crappy score!
Finally, home. This time we drove across Kansas. As you can see, Jon was in charge of the camera and was fascinated with the Flatness of it all (hello 33 mpg! WooHOO!) and the abundance of oil drills. Who knew we had oil in Kansas? (Gas needs to be $3 + a gallon???).

It was a fantastic trip. We had a ball and felt very much loved. Thanks guys, for a great time, and hopefully we can return the favor sometime!

Last but not least: The car crossed over 5000 miles. (sigh, it seems not long ago it was at 100). Just outside of Des Moines. Hoorah for dependable cars! Oh and notice that it was 33 degrees outside. Welcome to winter!

home again

Hello all and a Happy Belated Thanksgiving! We have been to Colorado and back and I do have some pictures to share. However, my kids are both sleeping so I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity to shower and get started on my chores (yipee :( for after vacation laundry). I just wanted you all to know that we are still alive and that I will post some pics at a later time. Hopefully today, but I'm not promising anything! Especially since Mason has mastered the inchworm crawl and is stationary no more! So, now that Thanksgiving is complete (and very tastey, I might add...), ON TO CHRISTMAS and other assorted December holidays! Happy Holidays everyone!

the bachelor

HOLY COW!!! What an ending! Actually, I don't think that qualifies as an "ending". I feel very much left hanging! I can't wait until tomorrow to see what they have in store! I feel bad for the girls and I feel for them, but at the same time and, maybe a little more so, I feel for Brad. Poor guy! I think that was a decision he made right then and was wrestling with it for the last 15-20 minutes of the show! Kudos to him for staying true to his heart and not "leading them on" as he said. WHEW!! My mind is still reeling! This is why we get sucked into these shows! HOLY COW!

recipes

I LOOOOOOVE swaps! My most recent adventure was a recipe swap. I know what you're thinking...."Why in the world does she need to swap recipes? She's got an overflowing recipe box, a shelf PLUS of books and other sorted collections....What is she gonna do with more????". I know you all were really thinking that, but I NEEDED this swap for a little inspiration. And, let me tell you: Courtney and Natalie did NOT let me down! I love new recipes and they seem to be so much more exciting when someone actually gives it to you and says, "hey, this is a good one, try it!!". I had SUCH a hard time deciding what to send, too. Even then, after I'd mailed mine I thought of more and more I should've passed along. Not to mention the pain in the butt it was to find actual recipe cards. Who knew that NO ONE carries those anymore. It would've been wonderful if I'd been like Natalie and had stamps (or amazing drawing skills) for the occasion, but no such luck. Oh well...It all turned out alright. Hopefully my recipients are satisfied. (If not, ladies: drop me a line, I'm willing to try again!) I've been lucky enough to add these recipes to my collection (I cannot wait to try them out!!):

• Oven Pancakes
• Homemade Oreos
• Peanut Butter Temptations
• Sugar Cookies
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Potato Soup
• Sloppy Joes
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs (this one calls for PEPSI!! can there be a better recipe??)
• Easy Chicken Burrito
• Drunk Chicken
• Broccoli Potato Casserole (tonight's menu)
• Mexican Salad
• Polynesian Pork Chops
• Sticky Chicken
• Skillet Herb Roasted Chicken

Don't they all sound divine??? Thanks guys! You're the best!

On to other things: I debated posting these, but i'm so proud of myself (tsk, tsk, I know), that I just have to share. SOme of you may receive these babies, but since I have some leftover from last year, those are going out as well. So, it may still be a surprise. Without further ado, I give you: My Christmas Cards:

I've got them all put together with the exception of the greeting stamped on the inside. They turned out pretty well, I think. I love making them, they are SOOO fun! Well, it's dinner time and I need to get cracking on my **New** recipe :D. Happy blogging all!

WOW!!

I know, I know...two in one day? Yeah.
I was just browsing the blogging world (surprise, surprise) and I realized how very LOOOONG my "Everybody Else" list has gotten! When I began this particular adventure I think I only had 5 or so, I've just broken the 30 barrier! I love, love, love it! Friends are the GREATEST and whoever invented Blogging to keep in touch was a Genius!!!! Yay for everyone and that we can read about each others' lives, vent, inspire and encourage! Keep it up everyone! I LOVE it!

pictures

I've been slacking a little lately on this old blog. Consequently, I've also been feeling the vibes from some grandmas that there has been a serious lack of pictures. So, I've logged in to rectify the situation.

And, just for fun, I'll attempt another video. The last one I attempted didn't work out so well, so Keep your Fingers Crossed!

We are currently looking forward to a little Vacate next week and we can't wait! We're off to Colorado and it's going to be OOOOODLES of fun! It's the first time during this law school fun that we've gone anywhere 2 weeks before finals. Can you tell how Jon is feeling about school these days? Needless to say, May cannot come fast enough for those 3L's. Then another little vacate around Christmas time. Aren't the holidays great?? Travel, good food, travel, fun, travel, gifts, travel, family,...oh and travel. :) It's all in good fun, though. We {heart} it!

tagged...again

So, I've been tagged again. Since this dear friend tagged me after my original tag post, I will indulge her :) ... (in all reality I LOVE reading these things, so I'll play along again... Don't read it if you don't want to. I won't be offended) So, in the danger of sounding lame...This one's for you, Katie!
6 Things about me:
1. In the spirit of odd coincidences: I am the Youngest, Jon is the Oldest. Both of our mothers are named Carole. He is one of 3 boys and 4 girls, I am one of 4 girls and 3 boys. The third child in each family is named Sara (albeit spelled differently {Sarah}). The order of gender in both families is: boy, boy, girl, boy, girl, girl, girl. And, last but not least: we both have red hair (I have one bro with red hair but that is all, Jon is the one and only in his fam).
2. I grocery shop like my Mother. If there isn't a can or two of a staple (i.e. cream of mushroom soup) on my shelf: I'm out and must buy more. Even, if I have no near-future plans to use said product. Thus, the Macey's Caselot Sale was my friend and Jon had to work VERY hard to restrain me. (I just recently threw out some soup we bought shortly after our marriage, YUCK, I KNOW!)
3. I complain constantly how I dislike that Christmas in stores begins before Halloween is over. I also blogged bragging about how my Christmas shopping is basically done. Contradiction? Perhaps.
4. I love to sing. I often talk myself out of it however and unfortunately am losing my range. I am currently trying to rectify the situation, however. Wish me luck with that.
5. I Hate to clean the bathrooms. Lucky for me, Jon doesn't mind and does a much better job. (Good work Dave!).
6. I LOVE BLOGGING!!! I have run into, too many old friends to count in the last 6 months or so. WOOOHOOO for the Internet and Keeping in TOUCH!!

Since, I've done this once before, I'm not going to tag anyone. You all will just have to enjoy mine :)
BTW this is Post #101! How cool is that??

100 Thankful Hearts

I have a newly acquired good friend who has a HUGE heart. In honor of Thanksgiving, she has located a soldier who is helping her coordinate some support. She has 100 soldiers who she would like to each have a package sent to showing our thanks. It's an incredible idea and I love how she is tackling it. Check it out HERE. If you can help her out, that would be great! What better way to bring the Spirit into our lives than by helping others??!! Especially those who are safeguarding our freedom! Check it out! It's a very cool idea!

On a side and totally unrelated note.... this is my 100th post!! Woohoo!

no pics :(

Sorry all, I don't have any new pictures to post, but I felt like babbling, so here we go!
Last night we had a sort of a family date and it was way fun. I think I need to watch the movie again, though, because of Mason. If he wasn't yelling, babbling, or just trying to get our attention, he was falling over, puking, or getting stuck. Needless to say, even with Jon pausing for me, I still think I missed quite a bit. We ordered pizza and breadsticks, broke out our Dora plates and had soda in front of the t.v. Brooklyn loved it. I loved it. It was super fun. We watched "Meet the Robinsons" and it was totally cute! We may have to add that one to the old Christmas wish list (along with Transformers, I think). By the end of the show, we were very ready for bath and bed time. See, Mason struggles to make to 8:00 and it's all we can do to keep him up and content until then. Why not just let him go to sleep, you are wondering?? Because 7 a.m. is plenty early for me. I DO NOT want him getting up earlier. Pathetic, I know...but to each his own, right? So, we made it, and enjoyed each other's compnay. It was fun. After the movie nothing else fun happened, but that was good relaxation.
Yesterday was also fun because I started my Christmas cards. I made one, tweaked it a little and made another. Now I just have to decide which I'm gonna go with. They're mainly the same, just with Minor changes, but I still have to decide. When I get more made, I'll take a pic and let you all see...although Maybe I shouldn't because then it won't be so fun to get one :). We'll see. I'll let that one be a surprise. Now I just need to get all my projects done. We'll be going to Colorado for Turkey day (woohoo!! we can't wait) so that's a week of time I won't be working. Whew! I'd better get cracking!! November's already almost half over! Holy cow!! I'm proud to say, however, that I have Christmas gift giving all figured out! If I haven't purchased it already, I have a plan, or I am making it. I'm pretty proud of myself. yipee! Now if I could just think of a good gift for my dear hubby....
I hope everyone has a great weekend, and just for laughs, I'm including my favorite veggie tales silly song. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuiWinyCW0

yes, I am still alive

For those of you who have been wondering....I am still alive. In fact, I was just thinking this morning (or was it yesterday morning???) that I should blog since I had 3 comments on my last blog for a few days. Then I logged in to find I had 8 comments on that blog! I guess, it's ok that I hadn't blogged, because not everyone had seen the last one!! :) I also realized today that I took a bunch of pics of Brooklyn's loot to share with you all and didn't, so...here you go:

Yes, I am still wondering how I do NOT weigh a thousand pounds.

I am also continually amazed at Brooklyn's talent. She LOVES to color and is pretty amazing at it (if I do say so myself :)). She got this from some restaurant (Taco Time, I think) and the other day I found some old coloring pencils I have had forever. She adores coloring with them and I am forever sharpening the pencils for her. However, it is well worth it when I see amazing work like this:

She loves to clor and I love to see it. I wish I had room to save everything that she's done, but unfortunately, I do not. I love it, love it, love it, though.

This is just a recent pic of Mason. Isn't he cute?

Further, tonight we had dinner with some dear friends that we don't get to hang out with as much as we would like. After the girls had run around crazy, they indulged in some of the afore-mentioned candy. This is the result:

Blue tongues and happy faces. What more could we want? Sorry for the red-eye. I just uploaded and posted. Some Grandmas were feeling withdrawls (wink wink). Nothing else is new or blog-worthy that I can think of at the moment. So, Happy Wednesday everyone and may the force be with you!

water babies and interesting things

As some of you know, Jon is taking an exam right now that is linked to the bar. Because this test was this morning (Saturday) he has been studying non-stop all week. ALL week! Last night was no different. However, last night Mason decided he needed to fuss all night. Acting like he wanted to be held, then bending over to be put down as soon as I did. Needless to say, by bedtime, I WAS READY!! So I put on his Jammies, gave him his meds, made a bottle (that he didn't want), gave Daddy a kiss and down he went. Or, so I thought. Nope....didn't want that. So, I got him up again (all the while trying to get Brooklyn focused on getting her jammies on to get to bed), gave him the same bottle only holding him this time, and he ate most of it. Great. "Good Night" again and back to bed. Nope. Screaming. Finally, I went in and took him back to my bed. Sometimes he has this wierd attitude that he doesn't want to go to sleep in his own bed, but he is perfectly fine to go to sleep on mine...whatever, kid. So, we lay him down on my bed. We finally get Brooklyn settled and in bed, but Mason is still screaming. At long last, he cries himself to sleep and I take a sigh of relief. However, now I have a new problem. I'm so wound up from a night of fussing that I want to take a bubble bath. Mason is asleep on my bed, and having cried himself that way, I'm certain that my going in there will wake him up. What to do? What to do? Well, I give him a few minutes to get really to sleep, hold my breath and tiptoe to to the bathroom. Luckily he stays asleep and I start my bath and start to get settled. Another Sigh of relief. Before my tub is 1/2 way full, he starts to scream. Not just cry. Scream. Pretty much starting where he left off. GRRR! I try laying with him to help him sleep. This calms him but he just lays there looking around. We try having Jon sit with him while he studying, but this causes Mason to scream as soon as I am out of Mason's line of vision (can anyone say, "Mama's boy"??). Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated. I had a half-full tub calling my name and a screaming kid. What was I do to? Well I stripped Mason down and put him in the tub. The minute he figured out what I was doing, he was happy as a clam. He sat there, "Mamamamamamam" (his fav jibberish) "gopagopagopa" and splashing away as if it had been an excellent evening and this was just icing on the cake. AFter a while I took him out, got him dressed, kissed Daddy good night again and laid him down. This time, he fussed a little, rolled over and went to sleep. SIGH finally. He is the pickiest kid!!! That kid knows what he wants and knows how to get it!!! If he wasn't so darn cute when he was content and so Sad when we was sad, he wouldn't be so spoiled!!! SO, finally, I got my bath and he got to sleep. Thank Goodness! I don't know how much more I could've taken!!
Anyway---the reason I got on to blog today was to let you all know....If you want to see some pictures of us by this **awesome** photographer I know (wink wink), you should go here. You can see her amazing talent and learn a little more about moi :). Have a great weekend!