Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mother.

Today she is 60.

She won't be embarrassed I told you, nor should she be!

Isn't she beautiful?

Everything I am I contribute to my loving Father in Heaven

and my Mom.

I'm so thankful for her!

Here we are together last year when she turned 59.

I'll be 40 this year. . . 

I remember when she was 40.

I hope I am as good and strong and beautiful

at 60 as she is today.

Love you Mom.  Looking forward to our celebration later!!!

Strawberry Fields Forever

By popular request!

This is another handout for my Beehives.

This lesson was on Righteous Traditions.

The lesson reminded me of one of my favorite

childhood memories - making Jam.

My mom LOVED fresh berries!

She tried to grow our own, 

but we only ever ended up with a handful.

Still she wanted to preserve the tastes of summer.

We would travel to the fruit stands and buy

OH SO EXPENSIVE flats of fresh fruit.

At home we would wash and prepare 

the sweet, red fruit.  (Raspberries too!)

This week I took Mikensee out

and we bought all the supplies.

Strawberries were only $1/lb!!!

We showed up at my Mom's and

announced our plans.  My 18

year old sister (18 tomorrow!)

had never made fresh jam.

We had a great day and while

preserving a taste of summer

we preserved a righteous family tradition!

TIP:  If you'd like to see this (or any image on my blog) larger, click on the image!

Stardom Hits!

I should have posted this BEFORE we were famous. . .

or almost. . .

Last night Jessica was on America's Funniest Home Videos.

The clip was about 30 seconds in the section titled Young Love.

This is the full video from which the clip was taken.

We were sharing a Thanksgiving with my surrogate sister Dawn

and my surrogate nephew Bennett.

You will see that Bennett just LOVES Jessica. . .

It was such a treat to be with them again last night

as our young loves made their debut on prime time tv. . .

Shortly after this aired we were offered a multi-million kiss contract. . .

we obviously had to turn them down. . .

Still At It

While it may appear that my creative gene has left the building

or that my blogging hat has been retired, I am still at it.

Wouldn't it be grand if we could truly spend each day as we desire

and not in the way that is sometimes pressed upon us.

I know we have choices and choices I do make,

but unfortunately for me, my choices these days have been limited to circumstances

that I can not control.

Control. . . there's a thought, an idea, a word I've long since had to let go of.

For those of us OCD types (yes, I am one), control is what we often seek, but never get

-- and rightfully so. Control is not what life is about -- choice is.

Which brings me right back to the beginning.

Choices.

Well, lets just say that I am making them, just not necessarily the ones I would like to.

Creativity is a necessity only second to choice in my world.

I live to create and thankfully, occasionally, I am blessed with the opportunity.

Thanks to my dedicated Scrap Gals

I once again eeked out some time and put together another class.

Loosely based on the Topstich CTMH Workshop on the Go,

I better get these posted so my gals can get their photos on them. Hope you enjoy.

Fun is Fundamental - We just love the zoo. Don't these show how much fun we have?

Determination Jessica - ;} Jessica's middle name should be Determination.

Behold Wonder - Walker was lost at the zoo for a time and when we found him this is where he was. Beholding Wonder. We spent a good 30 minutes just watching in wonder at this calf (only 2 days old) and her mother. I think they were just as curious as the boys were!

Remember you can click on each photo individually to see the image larger! Until next time!

Happy New Year, a thought and some Pancakes!

Happy New Year! I can't believe that it is 2010. 10 years since Y2K which some new we would never live through! I remember being a kid and thinking I'll never see the year 2000! I'd be 30!!! Well, I made it and this year I'll be 40!!! Holy Cow!

I don't know about for you, but for my family 2008 and 2009 were tough and because of that I know 2010 is going to be wonderful!!! We had a wonderful holiday. We moved and are hopefully in this new home to stay for awhile. My Walker man asked me this morning when we were going to move again (we've moved twice since August 31st!) and I told him I didn't plan on moving again for a long, long time and he said "good, because I like this house." Our last move was to our "rental-investment property" that we've owned since 2001, but never lived in. It was 1500 square feet and just a tad on the small side for us. Mostly it didn't afford any outside play and that was really hard for my very active kids to get used to. I was thankful for the place to land and wasn't that excited about moving (very hard, I don't recommend doing it any more than necessary and I'm a Realtor for heaven's sake!), but now that we are here and mostly settled I am thankful for the interim move because it has made this home much more enjoyable that I think it otherwise would have been. I'm very thankful indeed for this beautiful home.

I'll be updating my gratitude blog today and also posting my New Year's resolutions. . . I think I've finally figured out how to succeed at making (and keeping) them. . . we'll see!

Hopefully you have a New Year's Resolution or two. . . I think they are good for us. Even if we don't keep them it affords the opportunity to assess our lives and at least make a note on how we want to improve. We were, after all, created to become more than we are. Life is a process of growing and improving that should never stop. We can't be truly happy if we don't become more. It doesn't mean we have to strive for positions of supposed greatness or set goals to do feats worthy of world records, just to improve. How do you want to improve this year? I hope you'll share with me!

on to the PANCAKES! I have 2 small mama's boys that LOVE pancakes. I'm not a huge fan and don't find them to be entirely high on the health and nutrition scale. I have some whole wheat blender pancakes that score pretty well, but my kids don't LOVE them. I have a recipe from Rachel Ray called Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes that I do adore, but let's just say they qualify more for dessert than a healthy breakfast (or dinner!) My boys were good at church yesterday (if you don't count the belching contest at the drinking fountain as we were trying to leave *grin* *grit teeth* *grin*), so they wanted pancakes and pink chicken (left over ham) after church. I agreed to make it for them. I love to use sour cream in my pancakes (a tip from Rachel Ray), but I'm also on a much stricter budget than I used to be so I made sour milk for them and added oatmeal for the health factor. I have to say they turned out very well so here is my recipe for you. Budget friendly, food storage certified, and yummy to boot!

Rachele's Oatmeal Pancakes

(for a family of 6, cut in half to adjust accordingly!)

2 Cups Milk PLUS 2 T White Vinegar

2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Quick Oats

2 Eggs

3 T Oil

2 T Brown Sugar (white will work too!)

1 t Salt

1 t Baking Soda

1 t Baking Powder

1 t Vanilla (optional, but i put vanilla in everything!)

Add vinegar to milk and let sit. Mix all dry ingredients and then add soured milk, oil and eggs. Mix to combine well, but don't beat. Ladle onto medium hot griddle (I use non-stick so no extra fat, spray with Pam or use butter if your griddle is not non-stick.) Cook until bubbly in the middle and dry on the edges, then flip and cook for another minute or two. . . smear with butter and serve with syrup!

A little more "healthy" for a pancake and pretty yummy too!

Happy Halloween!

My little spooks would like to wish you a Happy Halloween!

Walker, the Warlock was very excited to have a green face.
Wyatt, the little devil was thrilled to have a "moose tash." He also gasped a huge loud breath outward and exclaimed "I can't really breathe fire, I'm just a kid!"
Ever since we studied about Julius Ceaser's love of Cleopatra, Jessica knew this is what she wanted to be for Halloween!

I couldn't convince Mikensee to wear a real costume. She's at that age. This is what she came up with. Walker calls her a Sweet, Sweet Petunia, so that's what we decided she was.
From our house to yours; Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat??!??!

If the video above does not play and you would like to see it, you may click here:

Wyatt's Halloween Video

Yum E - a really good 4 letter word!

Yum. That is pretty much all I can say to describe this recipe. My kids ate 4 helpings each. . . Yep, Yum E it is.

While I was cooking Mikensee was asking what I was making. . . I told her I didn't know yet, but that I promised it would be good. When, after all, is anything I cook not good? She pretty much agrees, but still presses me.

Mikensee says, "Have you ever made it before?"

"Nope." I say.

Mikensee again, "Well then, how do you know it's going to be good?"

"Just trust me." (me again.)

"I don't really like zucchini except in bread. Do you have a recipe for this?" she says.

"You'll love it" I say, " and I don't need a recipe."

Well, I have one now! This is what it looked like then:



This is what it looked like finished.


We are a big family (by today's standards) so I cook a lot. We also like left overs since we eat at home almost 3 meals a day, 7 days a week and cooking and cleaning seems to be all we ever do. . . You may want to adjust up or down, according to how much your family eats.

Recipe for YUM E

1 12 ounce Box Farfalle (Bow-Tie) Pasta - Cooked and Drained. (I boiled it while I cooked the "stuff")
Garlic - lots
Olive Oil - enough to coat the pan
Sea Salt and Coarse Ground Pepper - I like to grind my own
Grilled chicken breast (I used 2 pounds.)
3 large zucchini (the green prolific garden variety)
Grape Tomatoes - about 1 lb, sliced in halves
Leaf Spinach- Raw, fresh, 1 Salad Size Package
1/4 Cup Flour
2/3 - 1 Cup Half and Half
Parmesan Cheese - I like fresh, but only had Kraft. It worked fine!

Grill your chicken until close to done. Slice and place in large fry pan heated with olive oil. Add chopped zucchini, garlic, salt and pepper (generously) and add grape tomatoes. Toss until chicken is cooked through and zucchini is tender. Add spinach and wilt. Sprinkle with flour and stir in half and half. Pour drained pasta into the mix and enjoy! Sprinkle or douse in Parmesan cheese just before serving according to your personal preference!

P.S. Mike is still on his diet so I cooked a second pan and just stopped at the veggies. . . no noodles or cream for him, and he still loved it. I would call this YUM, not quite YUM E, but hey, it's all good! Go ahead and try it! You know you want too! Feel like sharing my recipe? Go ahead, but please link back or give credit here! Love ya!

Oh and the 10 or so recipe cards from my class will be posted in the next day or so, so don't forget to check back! (Art and Food! What a great combination!)

That Explains It!

Where have I been?

I've been right here, but my Hard Drive Crashed and Jessica dropped my camera on the same day. I'm finally back up and running (close anyway) so I have so many projects to update you on! My family blog and Moments in Time Blog are also slowly getting worked on. If you care to "SEE IT ALL" you may want to check in and look because I am going to back date some posts to keep an order to the whole ordeal!

Also, if you don't have MOZY, you want to sign up today. I would have lost 13000+ pictures and tons of files without it. I don't know if they have a referral program, but if they do, please put my name in the referral box. It's the best $4.95a month I'll ever spend! Why did I pick Mozy and not Carbonite? Mozy also backs up all EXTERNAL devices which is the HD I lost and Carbonite does not!

P.S. I signed up 2 months ago on a whim. . . That whim saved 5 years of photographs!

A Mother's Work

Thank you for wondering where I have been. Your emails and thoughts are appreciated and heard!

I have been taking care of Wyatt, dealing with a little personal illness and tooth ache issue, feeding, bathing, cleaning up after and teaching my 4 little darlings, finishing Dawn's baby shower ensemble (pictured below), doing a little yard work, washing piles of laundry, cleaning house (my never ending nemesis), caring for new baby bunnies (also pictured below), helping the girls prepare for their piano recital, getting further behind, looking forward to summer, taking care of church and my callings and responsibilities that go along with them, and handling my real estate business with one closing and another listing going into escrow this month along with keeping the other sellers happy in this market. (Mikensee who has been doing sentence diagramming for the past 2 years would kill me if she read the previous sentence and I told her to diagram it!) I've been living in a bit of a funk and trying to work out some personal life goals (not there yet, but still working!) I've decided that I don't bounce like I used to and that twins are still a lot of work, even if they are 4 and getting ready for kindergarten. I've also decided that motherhood, although filled with fleeting rewards, is hard and not all that fulfilling in the short term! I know motherhood is wonderful; a true gift and I love it! I wouldn't trade it for anything (not even the NYC single professional living in a pristine penthouse, childhood dream I once lived for) but I'm just being real. There is nothing rewarding or glamorous about 4 year old temper-tantrums or 6 year old stubbornness or preteen drama - and yes I'm living all of these realities! I gained some much needed perspective from my friend Tamara this week who is the mother of my other favorite set of twins. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily drudgery that sometimes it seems like mountains of laundry and fingerprint smudges on every touchable surface are all that I can see. So I did what I tell my kids to do when they are upset and I took a deep breath. Tonight I baked some cookies just because I wanted some and I'm taking a minute to blog a bit, because I want to. I might still take a bubble bath and paint my toenails! Tomorrow will still be tough, but school will be out soon and I'm going to try and just have some fun. I'm going to enjoy my kids and work on some projects I really want to do, but don't usually allow myself to. I'm going to try not to wait to have fun until after all the work is done, because lets face it, a mother's work is never done.

Here is the finished Baby Shower Ensemble:




Here are Pork Chop and Petunia (the calico):



They are already (in less than a week) 3 times this size and Petunia has outgrown Pork Chop. They have no ears (we'll call it natural causes, but they were eaten) so they look like guinea pigs more than bunnies, but they sure are cute. We had 4, but lost two due to other "natural" accidents in the night. Mooey was my favorite because he looked just like a little holstein cow.

Please say a little prayer for Copper. We haven't seen him since this morning and it just isn't like him to be separated from Penny for too long.

This is my two up and coming concert pianists (their performances will be featured in a day or two on The Funk Family Blog.)




I hope you aren't drowning in drudgery at your house. If you are, please take a moment and think about it. Life happens only once. I hope to live it and not just clean it!

Take Two!

That's what you get with identical twins! So here we are a month later and guess where I spent my day? You guessed it! Wyatt had his tonsils and adenoids taken out today.
So much for my plans to wait until after summer. At Walker's surgical check up last week, Dr. S looked in Wyatt's throat and made us the appointment for today. FORTUNATELY after my last experience things were much improved. Maybe they actually read my survey and took drastic improvement measures. Perhaps we just had better luck. Maybe I wasn't so nervous (nope, that isn't it!) Or, we just had a completely different team. In any case, things went much better. Wyatt was so stinking cute. His surgery was later in the day and he just kept asking, "Okay, can I have my french fry's now?" I promised he could have french fry's after the surgery if he still wanted them. The poor kid was starving! No stickers today either. . . Wyatt got dinosaurs! They even gave us some to take home to Walker.




He woke up quickly from anesthesia and freaked! The Anesthesiologist quickly gave him some pain med. . . unfortunately he then went to the nurses, still freaked and they gave him a second dose. We had to wait in recovery a while longer (which might have aided the more relaxed tone of today's events) to make sure he was okay from the double dose of pain killer, but after the intial sobbing he fell into a deep sleep and slept until we got through the pharmacy and almost done getting gas. . . he was ready for McDonald's! He didn't wolf it down and only ate a few bites, but bless his heart, he got his fry's!

We were once again warned that the worst is yet to come. . . been there done that! Bring it on!!!

Color Combo Challenge 1

If you are a paper crafter (or into paper craft blogs) at all, you are familiar with the proverbial color combo challenges. . . well have I got one for you! Today's color combo challenge is courtesy of my DD, Jessica. Jessica thinks if her shirt has something pink in it and she wears all pink; she matches (this theory is also displayed in the photo below.) She frequently asks me if her outfit choice coordinates because I have given her numerous lessons on how to pick outfits and that matching isn't the goal, coordinating is! If Jessica had her way today, this is what she would have worn and thus the color challenge. . .


Oh Jessica, this is one big Color Combo Challenge!

Taking a Trip . . .

Tonight I was looking at some stamps. . . Particularly this one:

Don't you just love her?

I was trying to explain to Mikensee why I like this stamp so much (and actually all the stamps by this artist) and it hit me. . . Vintage Holly Hobby! So I started to try and show her who Holly Hobby was and the paper piecing pop art of Holly Hobby I made for my room (oh these were the coolest!). I so desperately wanted a Holly Hobby Bedroom complete with bed canopy! While I was showing her Holly Hobby I somehow turned to telling her about Strawberry Shortcake! Remember her? This is what I was lucky enough to own:





I actually had the very first issue Strawberry Shortcake doll and Blueberry Muffin (with the hard plastic hat!) Telling her about this I could actually smell them. I can still feel the plastic smooth hair and how I felt making those little strawberry shortcakes in my very own Strawberry Bake Shop! There was so much that came later but as I told her, I was 9 in '79 and by 1984 when she hit her prime I was 14 and on to bigger and better things! (Probably Punky Brewster!) So funny actually how something so simple could bring back such a flood of memories! We went from Strawberry Shortcake to Care Bears and then on to Rainbow Brite. I gave her Rainbow Brite PJ's for Christmas and she adores them, but it was fun to hunt the story of Rainbow Brite down and read it with her! (Remember Twink and Starlite?) I'm probably actually really dating myself, but I was amazed to discover that I was the first generation to actually have these really cool icons and the flood of what has come since. So, I'm going to encourage you today to spend a little time on a trip down memory lane and dig up some of your childhood joys to share with someone special in you life. I am going to bed with a smile on my face and the smell of semi-yummy plastic strawberries and blueberries wafting in the air.

My Nose is Melting

And other "W" isms keep me laughing every day.

"My Nose is Melting" is the answer Mikensee received to her inquiry as to why Walker was snorting through the dinner prayer.

"No, No, NO! I don't want to get married!" is what he was shouting as I asked him why he was dressed like pink cotton candy! This face says it all:


But what do these faces mean?





Wyatt is famous for asking "Do you want to help me eat?" This he asks when he's hungry and wants someone to make him something.

"We just kissed ourselves." Made famous by Wyatt and Walker after giving each other a love.

"Mom, come see! We found a machine!" They both exclaimed in complete amazement when our carpet cleaner was found mysteriously located in the living room.

We frequently have these comments when one or the other has exclaimed anger or displeasure with my rules: "Mom, you are my best friend." "Mom, I love you, but Wyatt don't." or "Mom, I love you, but Walker didn't." "Mom, I just love your cheeks and elbows. Don't you want some tasty neck?"

"I slept 3 times!" This they say when they come to get in bed with us and it's still dark outside. . . this because I tell them they have to sleep in their own bed for 30 minutes before they can get up - Yes, I'll use this as long as possible! It still works on Jessica!

Like Fish To Water

Friday Night Funk Family Fun. . . the first time that Wyatt, Walker and Jessica have ever ice-skated and they looked like pros. I tried really hard to capture the joy they all felt stepping out onto the ice, but it is really hard to skate, take pictures and see in the dark! I had no idea that our skate would be in almost pitch black, but it was. Didn't matter to the boys or Jessica though. They stepped onto the ice and skated as if they were born to do it. It was so much fun to watch Wyatt as he built up confidence speed and just grinned from ear to ear. Our little joy boy just couldn't contain himself and he never quit grinning. He discovered the cones and had a blast going through and over them. Jessica made herself a big girl friend and they were both quite enamored with each other. Jessica liked Bailey because she was a real skater (wore a skate skirt) and Bailey Jessica because she can be just so stinking sweet!!! They kids skated for 2 solid hours with one small Zamboni break and the boys were mad, mad, mad when it was time to go. At one point after the boys had been separated for a while they met back up, hugged each other and never separated again for the entire night. We shared the rink with a high school group and it was so much fun to hear them ooh and aah over how cute they were and also talk about how great they skated. Mikensee has ice-skated once before, but she didn't remember at all and wasn't fond of the high school "group" or the dark, but she is ready to go again. Several of the "pros" told us we ought to sign the boys up for hockey. . . so much talent, so little time, (so little money. . . sigh).

You Are My SuNsHINnE

I have no idea why anyone would make a headband that looks like a sunshine or a flower (especially when it's the size of a basketball), but apparently someone, somewhere, thought there might be a market for these lovely items of apparel. . . I'd just like to say "THANK YOU" to whomever, wherever it was because they really brightened my shopping trip today!










Did you catch the price tag? $6.99 Yeah, Right!

A Tradition is a Tradition and don't your forget it!

If you are a long time blog reader or if you've perused back through some of my posts you've no doubt seen my Conference Cinnamon Rolls or at least the recipe. Conference was this weekend and due to many circumstances beyond my control I did not get cinnamon rolls made on Friday night. I instead (thinking ahead at my busy week) bought Costco Blueberry Muffins. Usually my kids BEG, if not WAIL for me to buy them and I usually don't. Can you imagine, then, my shock when instead of being pleased with their Conference breakfast they were mad? You should have seen the absolute look of disgust of blueberry muffins and fresh strawberries on their plates where conference cinnamon rolls should be! They pouted, they complained, they were really disappointed. Lesson learned. . . a tradition is a tradition and I dare not forget it! So, here they are on Sunday morning with Cinnamon Rolls and FRESH Smoothies (instead of just OJ). I did my best to make it up to them. . .I think they appreciate it. W & W each ate 3 and then Walker complained that his tummy hurt. . . imagine!



P.S. The Strawberries and Fresh Smoothies are my get out of guilt ticket for serving a cinnamon roll sugar fest to my kids 2 days in a row 2 times a year! Try it! It works for me.

9-1-1 Firemen in our Front Yard!

That got your attention, didn't it??!!?? I'm sure you haven't forgotten that the twins started their bedroom on fire with a pair of underwear (or did I blog about that??!!??) Today, we didn't call them, but who'd have thunk that I could get a field trip from the fire department delivered right to my own front yard. . .

Hard to believe, but this is our 3rd home and the 3rd home we've lived in with a fire hydrant in the front yard. Could be that we like corner lots, but it is a strange coincydink (coincidence), don't you think? Today our friendly neighborhood fire department paid our hydrant a visit. This isn't the first time, but it's the first time that we've gone outside to see them. Could be that we had fantabulous 80' weather today so my boys spent the entire day outside, or the fact that we happened to be in the school room with a window that we could see them from, but either way, my kids HAD to go outside to watch. 2 seconds after the boys got out there, they turned and ran back in the house. Now when I tell you that I had NO idea where they were off too as they hadn't said a word, you probably won't believe me. My husband asked me 3 times. But seriously, they just took off without a word and when they came back they had their Halloween costumes on. I tell you they have twin-twin telepathy. For the first time ever, Wyatt was a little disappointed he hadn't opted for the fireman costume. From there, the firemen just took the show. My kids got their own personal fire-truck tour and even got to light the lights, play the sirens and blow the horn. They were in heaven. What a great day to be a kid! Thank you BVFD. . . You guys rock!

To see the picture more clearly, just click anywhere on the collage:

Surviving

We are making it! Walker finally did not require Tylenol with Codeine to get out of bed. His breath (although horrid for a few days) is finally tolerable. He tried really hard and was a very brave boy, but it was a LOOOOONG week. A few things to remember if you ever have a child go through this:

1. Just keep them medicated.
2. Don't plan anything and don't try and go anywhere. Good luck on sleeping.
3. No Ketchup (2 hour melt-down)
4. No lemonade (even Crystal Light) - (You don't want to know what this was like!)
5. Beware of other selective "food" items. There is sometimes no rhyme nor reason.
6. The Doctor probably can't remember what it was like if he had his tonsils out and probably hasn't. . . don't listen to them, they have no idea.

Thanks for the well wishes. We really appreciate you!

His Tonsils and Adenoids were RiPpEd from His Head

And all they gave him was this lousy sticker:

Bravely and Innocently He Trustingly Goes; my little lamb to the slaughter:


Today was a tough day for me and in fact it's been a tough week. If you've never had the experience of having a child needing some type of surgery or advanced medical care, count yourself blessed. Our experience today was a lot like going to McDonald's. Talk about a "drive-through" surgery!

It would be nice if people who work in this type of position would treat their jobs as if they are treating people and not like a routine. Our Doctor, Admit Nurse and Anesthesiologist were all very nice, but outside of that, I felt like I was just another number in a fast food line. I realize that they do this job day in and day out, but this was my little boy and this was big for us. I'm not looking forward to doing this again when Wyatt goes in sometime in the coming months -- as soon as I feel ready to do it again.

My little Walker-man, so brave, so trusting. You can see he's nervous but being very brave. He comes out hysterical. He cried for over an hour. He was inconsolable. The discharge nurse just keeps frantically working to get us out as if her pay was going to be docked if she didn't beat the 90 second drive through timer. "You don't like the green pop-sickle? Hear have some apple juice." "I'm going to take out your IV." "I'll wrap it up so it doesn't bleed all over." "Okay, let's take that off, mom, you can change his clothes." "Do you want a Scooby-do band-aid?" "NO?" "Here, have a sticker."

When we get home and I'm tucking him in bed, he still has the sticker crumpled in his little fist. I'd forgotten all about it and yet there it was. . .a pathetic token of a trying day. . . battered and little old. Would you like a side of fry's with that?