Eleven

 

I can’t believe that in less then a month, there will be one lone candle on a cake.

We will be singing Happy Birthday Tess.

It has all gone much to fast.

I have a little secret…

 

…you are my favorite.  Shhh!! don’t tell anyone (wink, wink)

I am so completely mesmerized with you right now.

You are my sunshine.

 

I love watching you learn new things like:

point to the light

dance

say new words such as, “light, mama, and dada”

You are very smart.

You are also very spunky.  You have a hilarious personality.

Like today, when you stuck you tongue out at me and said…

“I’m cuter then you are.”

I couldn’t agree more.

You are very busy.  It is hard to get you to focus sometimes because you want to see what is going on.

You will climb anywhere, over anything to get what you want.

We can’t get enough of you.  All of us.  Every. Single. Person. that. lives. here.

Thank you for letting us love you.

P.S.

This weekend, you rode a horse.

You waited and waited for your turn.

You were a little nervous.

You finally convinced me to join you.

Any day Girl!!

Time to get my spooky on…

I just couldn’t stand it anymore.  It was time to bring out the spooky guests.

This is our dining room.

Table up close.

I made these adorable plate stands.  Plates were .50 cents at the goodwill, and candlesticks were from the $ tree.  I plan to re-use them for Tessa’s birthday.

All of my Halloween decorations came from the $ store, thrift store, or were bought after Halloween on a major clearance.

The mantel.

Up close and personal.

The entry way outside…

and inside…

I love this little Halloween lamp.  It was a special find at our local thrift store last year.

These little pumpkins were also a great thrift store find last year at .25 cents a piece.

I also wanted to do a little orange and black decorating in the playroom. 

I kept it simple this year.

It was also very cheap.

It put a smile on my kids face.

I am loving it.

Halloween is my favorite you know.

Don’t forget to check out 365.

A yummy thought…

I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes with you. 

 

Chicken Curry is one of my most favorite meals.

I put this little number together by combining my favorite parts from several different recipes.

I made this and took to a friend tonight.

It reminded me of one of my favorite gifts and an idea I came up with a few years ago.

Several Christmas’s ago, I made my parents a whole bunch of freezer meals.

For a month, I would make double of whatever we were having, and put it in freezer containers.

On Christmas morning, my parents opened a cooler full of my homemade love.

The meals were kept in their freezer for several months, and they were able to enjoy them when they didn’t feel like cooking.

It was one of my favorite gifts. 

My parents received a little piece of me, and I got to give from my heart.

I thought I would share this with you.  Now is the time to start thinking of Christmas gifts.

My goal this year is to make every gift that we give to others, and this is a great place to start.

What are your homemade gift ideas?

Chicken Curry

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

4 t. ginger

8 t. ground ginger

8 t. curry powder

2 t. cumin

1/4 t. turmeric

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. black pepper

3 t. salt

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 C. water

1 chicken bouillon cube

8-12 chicken tenders or 4 chicken breasts

3-4 potatoes

1 yellow squash

2 cans coconut milk

Heat oil, and chook chopped onion until brown.  Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.  Add the rest of the spices and cook 1 more minute.  Add water, bouillon, thin sliced potatoes, can of tomatoes, and sliced squash.  Cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes until potato softens.  Add cut up pieces of chicken and simmer 15 more minutes.  Add coconut milk, and simmer 15 more minutes until thickens and chicken is cooked.  Serve over hot BASMATI rice.

HINT:  I like to lay out all my spices before I get going.  Chop all my veggies, and chicken.  Then everything is ready to dump in once you turn your pan on.

I would love to know what you think!!

What I have learned…

I hate nagging.  It is my worst quality, and I absolutely hate it.  Sometimes nagging is the only way to get your kids to do things.

Our mornings have been known to have lots of nagging.  “Stella, hurry up and get your shoes on.”  “If you don’t eat your breakfast, I will leave you here.”

After several mornings like this, I needed to find a better way.

It is so important for me to have peace in our home, especially right before I send my kids off for 8 hours.  I want them to know that I love them, that I am proud of them.  I don’t want them leaving feeling unsuccessful.

I began thinking about how I could make them feel success with out a constant reminder from me of what needed to be done.

Basically, I needed something to do the nagging for me.

I came up with this little chart.

I made one for each of the older children.

It has a morning responsibility list on one side and an evening on the other.  They use the magnets back and forth to mark off what they have done.  Their last responsibility is tokens.  If all of their responsibilities have been done for the day then they can get their tokens.

I made sure to hang them at eye level, in a space that they could see.  They hang in the hallway to their rooms.

Want to make your own?

I used:

Metal Trays from the Dollar Tree.

Spray paint

Magnets, buttons, and felt flowers.

Sharpie marker

Hot Glue gun

Picture hanging bracket

Spray paint your trays, and while they dry add the buttons and flowers to your magnets using the glue gun. Then make a list of the responsibilities that you want your kids to have.  When the trays are dry use the sharpie to write them on there.  If you are not confident with your handwriting, you could print them out on fun paper and modge podge the paper to the tray.  Isaac can’t read, so I drew pictures depicting his responsibilities.  When you are done, add the magnets.  You only need enough for one column.  I needed seven.  Then glue the picture hanger on the back, and get them on the wall.

Our responsibilities:

Morning:

get dressed, put pajamas away, make bed, say prayers, breakfast, brush your teeth, and comb your hair.

Evening:

shower, put pajamas on, put your clothes away, station, brush teeth, say your prayers, and tokens.

Since we have started this there has been a lot less nagging, and a lot more smiles.

My kids feel a sense of accomplishment as they mark something off their list.  Much like the way I feel when I do the same.

More then anything, the peace in our home is so much better.  The kids leave our house feeling good about themselves.

What I have learned; if you want successful kids, you must create an environment that will allow them to succeed.

 

{HOME}

I was able to take a little trip home this last week. 

Home is such a relative term. 

I mean my home is where I live now with my hubby and my rugrats.

…but I went home, home.  You know to the old stompin grounds.

It felt even more like home because it was Labor day weekend, and the old stompin grounds produce quite a party over Labor Day weekend.

It’s Onion days you know, and that is one very special weekend in Payson City. This is a weekend to revisit some childhood memories.  Some of my best memories about home are centered around Labor day weekend, and The Golden Onion Days celebration.

I was able to leave the older kids home.  I took Tess because she is still attached if you know what I mean.(all you nursing mothers out there)

I got the kids off to school, and then Tess and I headed to the airport.

Our flight was delayed so…Tess decided to make a quick getaway.

(can’t even believe I am letting her crawl around on the floor of an airport; she’s my fourth child and I have been known to surprise myself with what I let her get away with)

Once I got to DFW, I had 10 minutes because of the delay to hope on a tram and make it to a new terminal to catch my flight.

Phew!  They were just getting ready to close the doors.  I made it.

Picture me running while pushing Tess in the stroller.  I think Tess thought it was a pretty good ride.  I thought it was a nightmare.

Got to SLC.  My lovely sister was picking me up.  I first had to figure out how I was going to get 2 suitcases, a car seat, and a baby in a stroller out to the curb to meet her.  I looked a little like a freak, but I did it.  BOO YAH!!  I like to think of myself as she-woman every now and then.  A freaky she-woman none the less.

What happens next is something that I would like to erase from memory.  I don’t want to ever relive the next five hours of my life.  Well with the exception of the little stop we made to the cutest swim suit store.  Where I purchased this little number at 1/2 off.

…and then the hell began.  This is when I began thinking that  stopping off to buy a swimsuit that I have been eyeing for months on-line was not a good idea.  Oh wait, yes it was… it was 1/2 off on Labor Day weekend, and I could try it on.  Instead of just hoping I picked the right size, and mailing it back because I guessed wrong. However, because of that little stop we ended up with:

4 hours in traffic

2 babies crying

2 hungry babies

2 crazy anxious mommies

2 pounding headaches

1 girl saying, “I can’t ever move back here.”

…and then we made it to my mom’s and all was forgotten.  She had made a delicious dinner, and I got to see my new niece London.  It was worth it.

Tess got reacquainted.

Luke showed Tess who was boss with G and G.

Luke followed Tess around.

Tess enjoyed playing with her cousin.

We enjoyed holding London.

I stayed at my sister Kristin’s house this trip.  Once we left mom and dad’s, I found a surprise waiting for me at my sisters.

YES! my new laptop.  I forgot to mention that I cried.  Did I already tell you that I have the best hubby in the whole wide world?  Well I do.  I am completely smitten. 

The next morning, the girls headed up to Swiss Days.  This is tradition, and I haven’t been in on it for about 6 years.

Man it is good to be home.

I got a few fun project ideas that I just might try and eventually share here.

Sunday was a day all about London.  She was blessed by her father in my parent’s ward.  Where my dad is bishop. 

The church was packed full of family.  It was then that I realized how great my family is.  All my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and their kids came.  It was so fun to see all of them.  This is such a nice part of HOME that I remember.  My extended has always remained close.  I appreciate that.

We had a nice dinner following where I took some nice photos of Baby London on her big day.  Read on to see.  I also snapped this one of my lovely playing in the grass.  Beautiful, soft, lush green grass; we don’t got that in the south, Ya’ll.

 

Later that evening, we went to the park.  This is my favorite part about Payson.  This is home to me.  Payson is where I grew up.  It is such a neat little town.  Every Sunday in the evening a band concert is held in the park.  Everyone goes.  We take our chairs, and camp out listening to the band, and catching up with old friends.

When I was a kid, you would walk around and talk to all your friends.  Now we sit and listen.  Take a treat.  Enjoy the cool breeze, and run in to people haven’t seen in years.

During Labor day weekend, there are craft booths, a carnival, and yummy fair food.

As a child, we were not allowed to play, ride rides or buy food on Sunday.  We still don’t.  I think that is what I love so much about it.  It is a nice Sunday activity.  We save all the other fun stuff for Monday.

Monday it is.

Parade time.

If I could count how many times I walked the very route of this parade as a; Hatu Valley Clogger, a Payson High Cheerleader, and rode the float as Miss Payson 1996.  It was fun to be a spectator.

It was nice to be there with my family.

Somethings have changed.  We sit in a new spot.  The route is different.  I am watching it now, and instead of watching it as a kid with my sisters.  I am watching it as an adult, with my sisters and our kids.

I think Tess liked it.

After the parade, we wandered around the park, bought some jewelry, and listened to the band play for there final time this summer.

When I was a kid instead of buying jewelry, I would be riding the zipper and then considering throwing up.

After the park, it’s lunch at my parents, always a boil. (go here to read more)

After the boil, we decided that we would walk over to the ball park that is just across the street from my childhood home.  They are giving helicopter rides over there.  My sweet dad pays for me and my mom to take a little ride.

I got a pretty sweet view of my HOME from up above.  The wind blowing in the door-less helicopter while I grip on to the seat just in case I might slip and fall out.  The chopper was yellow my favorite color, and the rush of being up in one of those was so worth any fears of loosing my lunch that I had previous.  I wish I thought to take my camera, but I really didn’t think that I would go up.

Tuesday, I wake up and I know that my vacation is coming to an end.  I am ready to see my kids, but I am enjoying my time with my memories.  On the way to the airport we stop at Ikea, and my favorite shopping spot; Gardner Village.  It is then that I realize that I like this place more because it reminds me of home, and less for what the shops actually sell.

Sometimes it is nice to just go home and revisit some memories.

 

Setting up shop…

I have been on a little vacation.

I went home to see the fam.

Just Tess and I.

While I was there, a little package arrived for me.

 It was a surprise.

My hubby sent me this:

A new laptop.

I was completely shocked.

I told him that I would love to have one for all my picture projects.

I explained it would be so nice to have while I am on vacation.

Low and behold there was one waiting for me on my sister’s table when I arrived.

He is the most amazing man. 

I am so thankful for him.

This little gesture made me realize just how much he loves me.

He even went out of his way to make sure that my photo shop disc was tucked away in my carry on.

… you know, so I could install it.

I must remember to tell him how much I love him.

Now, I am busy setting it all up.

I have to transfer everything.

Get photo shop up and running.

Make sure all my fonts and actions are installed.

It is hard work but well worth it.

Speaking of hard work, pictures and actions.

I have been busy snapping a few photos.

Enjoy.

I will be back in a few to tell you all about my trip.

This is my friends itty bitty… no literally; he weighed less then 6 pounds when I took these.   He sure was alert.

This is the reason I went to Utah.  To see this little itty bitty.

My new niece London.  She was blessed while I was there.

We had to quickly snap a few in her blessing gown because she decided to poop all over it.

Get me out of this poopy dress.

 

This dress has been worn by me and Lindsay, Stella and Tessa, and now London.

…and while I was there, a little photo shoot for my other sister Kristin.

Kristin had this great idea to take some photos by these windmills.  I think they are so cool.

…And we can’t forget Tessa’s playmate: Luke.  I call him my little Lukie.

Sleep tight.   No What I have learned this week.  Sorry.