Just Another Day

Nikholi didn't have school today so it's been like a typical Saturday, but with nothing important to do (which was great for once). I dropped Kesi off at the groomers and came home to the kids playing; while snuggled in the blankets.

After Kesi was finished, we took a family trip to PetCo, to pick her up from the beauty shop. They were so happy to see each other.

Nikholi and I had a few competitions on the Wii. This is him playing the Carnival Game.

Kami has been crawling every where, discovering new things, including my camera.

And I've been trying to keep up with homework.

But all in all, it's been a pretty relaxing day.

It's a Rather Blustery Day Today

This is our first snow this winter. Everyone knew it was coming, but I guess they weren't expecting the worse; they didn't even treat the roads in some counties (including mine). I live in a neighborhood full of hills and we actually had a school bus slide out of control, ending in a ditch. They didn't close schools yesterday, so I also attempted to take Nikholi to school.
*If your concerned: nobody was hurt in 'my family', but it was madness.*

On my way to his school we saw 3 cars skid out of control and 5 accidents. A thirty minute drive later, I sat at the top of the hill to his school, only to call the school to tell him he wasn't going to be attending; all while watching two cars and a truck slide backwards down a hill (one ending in a ditch, one sliding sideways, and the other at the bottom of the hill).

On the way home we saw a van do a 180 in the opposite direction, then he was driving down the road in the opposite direction only to slide into the center ditch.

When attempted to return home, that's how I found out about the school bus, because access to our house was blocked from the main entrance. So we wondered five miles in the opposite direction attempting to find a back entrance on untreated roads.Once we finally returned home, I got the kids dressed in warmer clothes so they could play in the snow, only resulting in me locking us out of the house.

Luckily, Roger was home and we were all stuck outside. Laughing out loud! He grabed the ladder out back and started checking possible entrances into the house. Only to slip and fall while I'm sitting in the car with Kami chatting to my mom on my cell. But he was eventually able to get through a window.
My Hero!

I must say that it definitely was an interesting day. I was laughing about it yesterday being in the situations I was in because it all just seemed so ironic. I'm still laughing today as I blog about this. Thank goodness, today is a snow day because I don't want to be attempting to go anywhere!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today after Roger left for work today Nikholi and I made some chocolate chip cookies another one of my specialties. So I thought I would share another reciepe for delicious chewy chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups of real semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda in medium bowl. Set aside.
- Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks.
- Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 2 inches apart, onto cookie sheets (lined with parchment paper). Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. (DO NOT OVERBACK.) Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets.

My only caution would be to pay close attention to your mixer because I've had one burn out because of the thick consistancy of the dough. And I typically add in the chocolate chips, rotating the batter, mixing with my hands.

Final Product


And Best of All, my little helper.

You can tell he had a couple cookies from the residue of chocolate around his mouth. The job of baking is never done until the baker tastes the final product.

My Crazy Kids

Nikholi swears he's saying Hokie Pokie...
but the words and the tune get stuck in your head.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Do The Stupid Movie!

Little Miss Kami was flippin out while I was doing laundry.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

If these videos didn't make you laugh, I don't know what will.

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

I was never really inspired to cook or bake when I was younger. My dad taught me how to make pot pies and rice or fish sticks with a can of carrots and instant mashed potatoes. When I was pregnant with Nikholi and we were living in our first studio apartment together I bought frozen dinners and we ate out A LOT! My inspiration came from Roger. He was determined to make speggetti at least once a week, we would switch off making dinners for each other. I envied him for knowing how to open a package of noodles, a jar of Prego, and fry some beef as well as baking the most delicous carrot cake (out of the box). I've always wanted to be better than him, maybe it's just the sense of joy I get from competition; but when I finally made a couple dinners that weren't out-of-the-box I convinced myself I AM THE EXPERT COOK!

Sharing With You
My Very Own Cranberry Banana Nut Bread reciepe:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 can of whole berry cranberries (unless you can pick one pound of cranberries)
1 cup mashed ripe banana's
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and add to creamed mixture; stir until mixed well. Add 1/4 can of whole cranberries; mix well. Mash banana's seperately and add 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts; then fold evenly into mixure.

Lightly grease pan evenly with shortening, the add a little bit of flour; tap excess out. I always use parchment paper at the bottom of my dishes, in addition to the greased dish so that after my products are finished backing they transfer smoothly to a presentable tray for display.

Pour 3/4 of the cranberry banana mixture into the well greased dish. Evenly spread the remaining cranberries smoothly over the mixture.

Use the remaing batter for a top layer.

Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 50 minutes.

or until golden brown.

Then EnJoY

Created By ME for YOU

January Visiting Teaching

If you haven't heard of the Pursuit of Excellence I would suggest anyone one in Relief Society look into it. Janath R. Cannon, Education Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency said, "We want to encourage the sisters to pursue excellence in their schooling, in homemaking, in Relief Society, in every worthy endeavor in its proper season. But remember always to set your priorities by inspiration and by hearkening to the living prophets of the Lord." With this in mind, I have chosen and personalized a goal in Service to be a 100% visiting teacher. Not only is my goal to hold tightly to my calling as a visiting teacher but to also reach out to the sister's in the ward that are inactive by personalizing the visiting teaching message to generally fit their needs. I plan to be an inspiration, a good teacher, and a good friend.

This is a picture of the visiting teaching kit I put together this month for the sister's my companion and I visit. The kit includes a personal journal, a 2009 planner, and a laminated visiting teaching message that can fit neatly in their journal or Scriptures.

Cold Day in January

Roger took the kids out front to play because Nikholi has been beggin' him all week. It's just been so cold. So we bundled the kids up and headed out for about 10 minutes. Here are a couple pictures.

Check out all the trees in our front yard! Daddy and Kami, in her little snow suit.

For those of you that didn't know, Saturday I chopped my long hair off! I was needing something a little bit more manageable and less time consuming.

Here's the back..

I'm a little disappointed that I can't fit it into a pony tail any more, but Roger 'really' likes it, so it makes it all worth it!
I have some more pictures to post of the kids; which I'll do in the next couple days. I hope everyone is starting their new years off on the right foot, I know I am. :)

Happy New Year

My New Years Resolution(s)

Every year people are under the impression that the beginning of a new year is a start to turning over a new leaf or starting with a clean slate. Well in my religion I believe I'm given this opportunity every Sunday when I partake of the Sacrament. This allows me to renew the covenants I made with my Heavenly Father and start anew. Though for the sake of the new year I'm throwing some things out there that I would like to improve on this year:
- To be a better mother: I would like to implement more learning tools at home to help with the kids' developmental and cognitive skills.
- To be a better wife: I will try not to complain so much about my hectic day(s) and show more appriciation for my husband by verbally thanking him for the things he does when he is home.
- To be a better student: Lately, I've been slacking in teamwork and the quality of individual assignments; which I believe is due to a burn-out. Therefore, I intend to channel my feelings appropriately so I don't become burnt out as easily.
- To be a better sister, friend, aunt, daughter, grandaughter, (etc.): I'm going to try to remember more birthday's and if I can't send a card, to call to make sure they know I'm think of them on their special day.
- And for ME: I would like to be healthy. I don't neccisarily want to lose 20 lbs., like Roger, but to exercise more and attempt to eat less fast food and more homemade meals.
- Lastly, I would like to learn more about homemaking. This year I plan to plant a garden, make my own bread, make a quilt out of old clothes, sew clothes for the family, and become more self-suffient.

Enough about me... On New Years Eve, we didn't stay up all night, but we did do some arts and crafts, while I explained to Nikholi the significance of a New Year.
These are our Y2K bugs...Just in case the power went out, we could blame it on them.

Then we made these for our Grandma Judi as a New Years gift (Grandma: you'll be getting these soon).

Special hand prints that issure to last. As our precious hands are growing so fast. A sweet memory of us while we are small. As one day we will grow to be tall.
I hope every one hs a great year!