A couple of Mommy Brags

Emma got her scores for the end of the year core testing. She did an amazing job. She got the highest score level possible in all three areas. On the details of the score it also showed that she got 100% on many things. We are very proud of her. Way to go baby girl!

Today was card group. We had a luncheon that was great! Yummy soups, salad, rolls, and dessert. The cards were all awesome. It almost feels like Christmas getting so many new pretty things. While I was there I found out that the kids were used in another project for the Close to my Heart catalog. Their picture is on page 70, bottom left. I took this picture a couple of years ago for our Christmas card. We feel like rock stars when we get to be in the catalog. Emma will be very excited.

I promise to post pictures of our trip to Portland soon. I need to get a few shots off of Paul's laptop and haven't had time.

A New Year is Upon Us

Isn't that scary? Can you believe it? A while back I mentioned that I will be glad to be done with my project 365. I still feel the same way. However, I have gotten a lot of pictures that document a lot of things I may otherwise not have taken pictures of. I need a happy medium though and I think I may have found it. This is what I want to try next year. Click Here. I like that some of these things aren't things we normally do. It will make us look for fun opportunities and experiences. Since I'm a giver, I wanted to share. ;)

There are certain days...

(of the month that is) when this just doesn't cut it.

Less than two hours after "lunch" I was ready to eat the drapes off the walls or chew the carpet off the floor. I was ravenous. Nothing short of luscious cheese and three meats on squishy white bread with jalapeño chips and Dr. Pepper would satisfy me. I think PMS should be considered a debilitating disease.

ThE PuMpKiN PaTcH

Tonight we decided to go to the Harward Farms pumpkin patch in Springville. They are building bridges over railroad tracks, roads were closed everywhere and we could barely get to the patch. We persevered and found our way. I had us all dressed in orange and black short sleeves because it felt pretty warm today at our house. Luckily we had coats in the car because it was chilly once we got there. It didn't take long for us to rush off to the patch and find our pumpkins. I think I found at least 20 that I would have loved to have.

Andrew actually brought this little one home!

Here is Emma struggling to carry hers.

I loved this little guy.

I actually got some pictures of me. I thought this was going to be my pumpkin but I ended up picking a different one later.

Smooches at the pumpkin patch

This is the one I got instead.

We got a nice lady to take a few family pictures for us. This one turned out the best.

There was a gorgeous sunset.

The goods.

I thought this stem was beautiful

Afterward we were cold and in serious need of hot chocolate. Paul took us to Cracker Barrel where we got warm and full of sugar.

Andrew would not let me take a picture of him without the hot chocolate ooz.

Emma and I got blackberry cobbler and it was wonderful.

Paul got a double chocolate Coca~Cola cake.

Andrew got fries LOL!

We headed home for some groceries and they had a monster pumpkin at our store. It weighed well over 700 pounds but only placed 3rd!

The kids declared this one of the best nights of their life. It was wonderful. I am so thankful for my family.

A Little Bit of This & A Lot of That

After almost three weeks (It was suppose to be done a week ago) I finally got to pick up my wall hanging today. Yay! I can't tell you how much I am loving the pumpkins.

This may not look like organization to you but to me it is! My necklaces could be found in tangled heaps on the desk, dresser and a drawer in our closet. It was horrible. I kept buying more because I couldn't find the ones I had. I saw this idea on a blog somewhere. It suggested using a tie rack for necklaces so I bought two off of Amazon. We couldn't figure out where to hang them though. Finally I decided behind the door would be perfect. No one would ever see them because let's face it, it still looks messy. So far it is working wonderfully.

You know it is time to do dishes when you catch your child eating his cereal with an ice cream scoop. (hanging head in shame)

It took over three days to put out all of my Halloween stuff. Since we got rid of the dresser/buffet in the dinning room there was less surface area for decorations. That coupled with the fact that I bought a lot of new stuff this year means we have a bit of a clusterfudge but the kids love it.

Must.Not.Buy.More.Halloween.Stuff.

This guys showed up on our front porch with his meal yesterday. It was quite the sight. Gross and oddly interesting. You could hardly look away.

I love the shadow in this one. The praying mantis looks so menacing.

Dessert Fondue for FHE

I knew that I wanted caramel apples. I had been craving them for days. I also knew that I didn't have the patience to help the kids make caramel apples. Genius struck and we had dessert fondue for Family Home Evening. It was a delight. We had apples, grapes, marshmallows, caramel, chocolate and pecans. Holy yum! I almost made myself stick because I ate so much. Who knew that grapes in caramel would be so heavenly?

Dipping apples in caramel, then chocolate, then pecans was absolutely fabulous!

Backened Chicken Alfredo

This recipe is so quick and easy. I make a big batch of the rub and keep it in a small tupperware in the cupboard. I use a Foreman Grill for the chicken and dinner is served in about 15 minutes.

RUB INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

ALFREDO INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream

You will also need:
1-2 chicken breasts
Penne or Corkscrew pasta

DIRECTIONS

Get a pot of water boiling for pasta. Cook pasta according to directions. Sprinkle the rub onto one uncooked chicken breast. I use a lot. Grill the chicken. While the chicken is cooking combine alfredo ingredients and stir over medium-low heat until sauce is formed. Toss with penne pasta that is cooked and drained. I use a little more than half a bag of pasta. Once chicken is cooked serve over pasta that has been tossed with the sauce. I cut it horizontally into about six strips. We like this with garlic bread and if it is a good night, a salad.

Not for the Faint of Heart

If teeth gross you out back away right now.

Emma had two baby teeth that were not coming out on their own. They were loose but hung up on the permanent teeth that had already started coming in. We found all of this out last Tuesday when we went to the dentist. He wanted to pull them out on Friday but I didn't know how she would feel after and we had a football game to go to. I have found that making her wait almost a week was a very bad idea. Poor thing has been so nervous. She has had bad dreams for days. She has never had a cavity so she had no idea what to expect.

Today was the big day. Andrew and I were not allowed to be in the room with her. She was in and out in under 20 minutes. She did great and all is well. She is such a brave little thing.