2010 October

Festive Dinner

October 25, 2010 4 Comments

There are not enough meal times on Halloween to celebrate all the yummy food for the occasion. What’s a mommy to do? Celebrate the weekend before too, of course. 🙂

Especially when you have such cute place cards, napkin rings and and candy wrappers to try out.

These all come from the Costumed Posie Dolls Halloween Printables by Kitschy Digitals. They were originally designed as treat toppers and candy wrappers, but are oh-so-versatile. They are found at Jessica Sprague’s digital scrapbooking site, new in the store today. Fun! They came ready to add photos to and print. Easy to use and oh-so-adorable. I also used the Washi Tape Frames for typing the names on the cards. I love Danielle’s designs. They have a fun, retro feel that I just adore. Which leads to an exciting announcement. This is my first project being on the creative team for Jessica Sprague’s site. Sweet! There are many talented designers, lots of yummy designs, wonderful classes to take, and lots to learn. I am with a wonderful group of ladies and feeling so blessed.

The dinner was fun to make too. The smashed boo-tatoes idea came from Martha Stewart’s site. We used the potatoes from our garden (about half of our harvest) and made a big pot. The recipe is all mine and so easy. Boil the potatoes with the skins on for 35-40 minutes. Drain the water. Splush in half&half, whole milk, 2% – whatever you have on hand. Cream cheese or sour cream is also yummy. I like adding Real Salt, butter and fresh garlic to the pot. Then I take the hand mixer and whip it all up, right in the pot. I add milk and continue whipping until it’s the right consistency. Done. Well – except this time I put it into a Ziploc bag, snipped the edge and squeezed out ghost-like potatoes. Which is kinda-sorta similar to the pastry bag directions on Martha’s site. 😉

I didn’t want to color sesame seeds black though so I just used cilantro for the eyes. The sweet potato pumpkins were yummy too! There was no recipe, so I peeled and then boiled them. I also used half-n-half and butter, but this time I sweetened it up. A little brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. They tasted just like pumpkin pie. Yum! Cilantro leaves and stems and the pumpkins were complete. I added green beans from our garden and hot-n-spicy chicken from the store. It was a hit at my house.

And a big thank you to JB for holding the leaves nearby for just the right photo.

Filed Under: {digital happiness}, {holidays and celebrations}, {Jessica Sprague}

To the moon and back

October 24, 2010 4 Comments

The first annual (don’t you love those 😉 ) Ward chili cook-off was this past Friday evening. There were many delicious varieties of chili – 12 to be exact. I’m always amazed at how each pot of chili tastes and looks so different – love that! I tried three kinds – my favorite was a white chicken chili – yum! There was a really yummy spicy one made by our newly-wed neighbors that was also delicious. JB tried all 12 – can you believe it? He did 3-4 in his bowl at a time, but that is still a bunch of chili. There were also breadsticks, corn bread, salads,etc. And the best carmel trifle cake with tons of whipped cream and broken candy bar on top. So yummy – all of it! Good company and entertainment too. The bishopric showed us how they get ready on Sunday mornings – the classic other person “helping” routine. They also sang/performed a song, “Cow Patti“. What a riot.

Then came the awards for the chili. There were five awards. Each came with a coordinating candy bar prize. The categories were: Most loved (Hershey kisses), 5 alarm chili (cinnamon bears), Most treasured (Treasure candy nuggets), Most mysterious (not sure the candy on that one – maybe watchamacallits??) and Out of this World (Milky Way). Funny, but the way it turned out – 4 out of the 5 awards were given to people at our table. Here’s our award:

A fairly basic chili – but I added salsa and seasoned the meat with Weber Gourmet Burger seasoning. It has a smoky, mesquite flavor that makes it taste like you’re eating chili outdoors, cooked over a campfire, while on a cattle drive. (Or maybe it’s just the Pace commercial stuck in my head.) Either way – yum.

We were also able to help tie two quilts. That was Jim Bob’s first time and he did a mighty fine job. A fun, festive fall date.

Here’s looking forward to next year (you know, the 2nd annual chili cook-off).

Filed Under: {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

love from a 2-year-old

October 24, 2010 4 Comments

Today Katey told me that my hair smelled like “watermelon bugglebum”. I’m taking it as a compliment. 😉

p.s. She also told me tonight that she loved me “more than ice creams”. Yeah, I’m feeling the love.

Filed Under: {tickles and smiles}

Another lesson in nursery today.

October 24, 2010 3 Comments

I’m not talking about the lesson on “Sunday is a Day to Remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ”. Although that is a very important and wonderful lesson as well. I learned today that my nursery children sometimes get more out of the lesson while we’re coloring than during the sit down time. I guess “sit down” time is not always a good description. At one point today more than half were running around in ovals giggling. Makes it hard to talk or listen. So when they are sitting down with a bunch of colorful crayons and a paper that is all about the lesson, that’s a good thing. I read the different sections and we talked about the wonderful ways we can worship on the sabbath:

On Sunday I can go to church.

On Sunday I can show special love to my family.

On Sunday I can read the scriptures.

Sunday is a day to remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

I love being reminded of the basics. If I just focused on those things above – what a wonderful day of worship and rest it would be.

Important and wonderful. The other lesson in nursery was also applicable and I felt aimed right at me. A few of the boys in nursery are excellent hoarders. They have their favorite tractors, cars, dishes, bouncy balls and even books. One today piled all the goodness in his arms and then just walked around watching the other children playing. He had so many good toys. His favorites. But he had so many that his arms were full and he could not enjoy any of them. Oh how often do I fill my life with so many good things that it is simply too many? Too many things to enjoy and my schedule is just bursting. I need to remind myself that it is okay to leave a few of those things at different times. Leave them for others to enjoy. And for me to enjoy at a later time.

p.s. He did end up leaving the toys in a pile and sending most of them flying down a tube. We learned cars with bigger wheels travel farther (thanks to the sweet sister helping out today for pointing that out) and balls of all sizes will roll until they hit the wall. 😉 Quite enjoyable and educational.

Filed Under: {reflections and deep thoughts}

Meals for a crazy fall day

October 19, 2010 2 Comments

Lunch today:

Taco popcorn and Hot Chocolate with whipped cream

Because it’s one of those crazy running around kind of fall days.

On the menu for dinner? Broccoli Cheddar Soup in bread bowls. I wish it was this recipe for the soup – yummy! and not too hard, just takes time. But it is one of those crazy running around kind of days. I wish the bread bowls were made with the recipe from the lady that owns this store in town. Amazing! I still need to get that recipe. They are delicious. Instead, we have this:

But I tell you – those rolls are yummy and are the perfect size for little ones eating “bread bowls”.

Happy Fall! and Happy crazy days!

Filed Under: {holidays and celebrations}

Spotlight: {Daddy}

October 18, 2010 2 Comments

Jacob: I love him because he goes to work and gets what we need for us and he is CUTE.

{laughter ensues from all the children}

Daddy: heh heh heh, Okay?!??

Katey: I love Daddy Cakes. Birthday cakes for my birthday. Cakes for my party. You get me milk?

Joshua: I like that daddy takes out the mouses. {We have caught 15 in the last 2 weeks. Yikes! Daddy is the softy that bought a dozen live traps and releases them in the back field. After much experimentation the mice seem to prefer croutons although we even caught one in an empty trap that had been washed and left out on the counter.}

Andrew: I love daddy because he took us fishing on Saturday. I want to get a big one.

Autumn: I love Dad because he gives me hugs at night and tells me he loves me and I like that he gives me hold yous. And I like that he gives me kisses. I love him forever.

Mommy: Our daddy is obviously a silly one. He’s also a loving, caring, sweetheart-of-a-man. Listening to the comments just proves he knows how to take care of all of us. Not an easy feat with a large family. Tickles for some, reading a book to another, high-tolerance for silly jokes, hand-held walking and shoulder rides for a little one, drawing request after request, snuggles for our cuddly tiny one, late night discussions over a concern at school, a bottle of Simply Lemonade showing up in the fridge, a listening ear and a whole lot of love. I love that he’s always willing to make our lives a little happier. And he does.

{This is my 100th post. Jim Bob said I should celebrate. I am – this post is dedicated to him. For the man he was, the man he is and the man he wants to become – I love them all. He also said I should give away homemade cookies for my 100th post. They’re all yours hunny – pick the kind. 🙂 }

Filed Under: {*spotlights*}

You know you have a big family when…

October 18, 2010 2 Comments

Every night I pray for “our little family”. I always mean the family that lives under our roof. Every night Jim Bob snickers. I just haven’t considered six children a large family. I grew up 4th of eleven. 11 is getting there. 6, not so much. Our days are full of crazy fun and sometimes just crazy – that’s a given.

This summer we started getting the obvious big family jokes. We were walking away from our county fair and someone said to their daughter, “Don’t walk with the Pipes. You might get lost in there.” I was a little taken back, not because I thought it was cruel or unwarranted. I just didn’t consider our family to be big. I responded, “We’d probably just take her right home”. Classy, I know. Still not sure what I would say if/when it happens again.

Tonight I’m starting to think we might be getting there. The reason? We opened a brand new container of yummy berry cheesecake ice cream, scooped cones for everyone and it was gone. Crazy. They were on the bigger side, but still. Wow.

My prayers might be worded a little differently tonight. 😉

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Normal number 1 and Cherry-o!

October 18, 2010 Leave a Comment

We took a trip this summer. It was wondrous. We visited family, ate lots of yummy food, played hard, slept on the trampoline, celebrated a birthday, helped a brother and sister move, set up or went to a lego exhibit, visited a wildlife refuge, went to a 3D movie (How to Train Your Dragon), played with a couple sets of grandparents and just had a grand time.

We don’t usually eat out much, but this trip was a little different. We ate at Jack-in-the-Box on the way up (breakfast at dawn), once at Sonic while we were there (with those yummy little ices on a hot, hot day), and at Wendy’s on the drive home. I didn’t think anything of it until a few days later when Andrew was playing with some different cousins. He was thirsty and nonchalantly placed an order:

“Mom, I want to order two milkshake drinks of water. A milkshake normal number 1”

One for him and one for his sweet cousin. They then proceeded to play “cherry”, which is known in some worlds as cheers.

His cousins taught him and I think it’s downright adorable.

Cherry!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Overheard in nursery today…

October 17, 2010 1 Comment

One of the little cuties was counting backward. He started at 10. “10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… ” (really? 3 years old, I was impressed. Each number had a little leading sound to the next. Adorable. So I listened to what I thought was sure to be a “blastoff”) “4… 3… 2… 1… Okay… fine… Time out.”

Filed Under: {tickles and smiles}