What have I been up to?

About 5'2"!  Hee hee.  Seriously, I can't believe how long it has been since I have blogged.  Since this is supposed to be my journal, I feel doubly guilty.  So.  Here are some of my recent projects:

This is a cute flower arrangement we used for a prize at a RS meeting this summer.  We had an ice cream social.  I just used carnations tucked into florist foam and topped them with a red hard candy ball.

 Here is another decor item for the same event--this one is my favorite kind---EDIBLE!  It is made of whoppers, mini marshmallows, and the same round red candy.

Here is another view.  Yum.

This one I am especially proud of.  Why?  Because instead of stalking other people's blogs and stealing, I mean borrowing their ideas,  I came up with this one all on my own!  Maybe there is a little creativity in my tired old brain, after all!  I made a snack mix out of goldfish, white cheddar popcorn, teddy grahams, pretzels, raisins, m&ms, and honey roasted peanuts.  Then I put it in this cute galvanized pail.  Here is the cute factor--this was for a back to school party, so I used alphabet magnets to spell out "snack mix" on the side!  Centerpiece, snack, and food label all in one!

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spring treats

So, since it is spring break, I thought it would be fun to make some spring treats with the girls. Here is my attempt at white chocolatedipped oreos. I tried to say T hearts V, but I don't have a very steady hand. They still turned out cute, though! And Vaughn ate them all. :) Here are some other variations we tried, pink with white pearls, white with pink pearls, chocolate with sprinkles.

Then we did rice krispy balls--and dipped them in chocolate and/or sprinkles. My favorite was the Ghirardelli chocolate melted with peanut butter. Mmmm.

Then we had to try this cute cute idea I saw on a party blog: bacon and eggs! Made with 2 pretzels, a dab of white chocolate, and a yellow m&m. I think I need to have some people over for brunch just so I can make these for favors!

Here is partner in crime #1, Bekahroo!

And partner in crime #2, Ellie!

If you need something sweet, just let us know! We will send you some!

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Monday morning musings

So, did you know that you can have tennis elbow even if you don't play tennis? Or that you can throw up several times a week for almost a month without being pregnant? Or that within one week your husband, son , and daughter can all injure themselves?

Actually, I do not play tennis, but I do have tendonitis. In my left elbow. I am right-handed. Apparently, all the work I do around the house has me doing the heavy lifting ( literally) with my left hand-washing dishes, moving laundry in and out of the dryer, lifting stuff. I think I use my right hand for the fine motor and my left for all the brute force work.

I am not pregnant. But I did throw up and feel nauseated for a long time. After 3 pregnancy tests (and seriously, vaughn had a little surgery right after Bekah was born!) and a couple visits to the doctor, we came up with sinusitis and severe seasonal allergies. Who knows? But I am feeling better and vomit-free for almost a week now!

On to the injuries: Andy dislocated his left elbow at soccer practice (again). After a week in a splint, the doctor pronounced him fit for normal activity and ready to play as soon as his special bionic elbow brace comes in. Vaughn hurt his back shoveling snow for about two days straight. He is much better, but he is no fun on muscle relaxants. Mostly because they knock him right out. Rachel rolled her ankle right before a soccer game, went on and played in the game, and then a couple of nights later in another game, was on a break, streaking down the field, when an opponent slide-tackled her right into the injured ankle.

May I just point out here that I did not go to nursing school? If I have to see another ice pack or administer one more dose of motrin I just might go on strike. Not really, but SERIOUSLY! These people are killing me, what with their needing to be fed and taken care of and their incessant breathing! Did I just say that out loud? Okay, enough ranting.

It's not like a tsunami just swept our whole lives away. (But really, could we all just be healthy for one day, at the same time?)

In other news, Andy has been accepted to BYU! And BYU-Idaho! But not BYU-Hawaii. He is surprised by that. I tried to tell him that BYU-Hawaii is for people who don't live on the mainland, but I think he is disappointed to not spend the next year surfing, I mean studying, in Laie.

Today is the first day of spring break. Check in with me later this week to see if I have lost the rest of my mind!

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Sweet Sixteen Surprise!

We Got Her! Rachel's birthday isn't for a couple of weeks, and since I knew she would be on the lookout for birthday surprises, we had her party on Wednesday night.
She thought she was just going to a regular youth activity--Iron Chef at the community center on base.

Here she is with some of her cute friends!And here are some of the yummy treats we had!

Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

Chocolate dipped strawberry marshmallows.

Chocolate cake pops. Yum. And homemade oreos.
Here is Rachel's Sweet Shoppe.

Here are the cute water bottle labels I ordered from Chickabug.com
It was a fun time! I am glad Ellie is only nine! :)

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What to do on a snow day

I love comfort food. And hibernating. And cooking with my kids. (Okay, maybe not so much the last one, but it is getting better now that they don't throw the flour all over the kitchen.) So I love it when we have a snow day like we did last week. We made homemade chicken and noodles. Yum. Here is my noodle apprentice Bekah, rolling out those morsels of goodness.

Here are the noodles drying on the counter. Andy actually made half of them. Impressive, huh?

Tender noodles and broth.

The finished product--chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes with peas. Mmmm.

Here is the recipe for your next snow day:

Homemade Chicken and Noodles

Place one whole chicken in a large pot with an onion, some large carrots, and half a bunch of celery. Toss in a generous pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat to medium low. Simmer until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Take all the chicken off the bones and set it aside. Discard veggies. Meanwhile make the noodles.

I make a large batch:

5 eggs

4 cups of flour

4 teaspoons kosher salt

4 Tablespoons milk

Mix well with fork, and then with hands until it forms a ball. Roll out about 1/4th of the dough at a time. Roll as thin as you can get it, frequently dusting with flour. Cut into several widths and stack them on top of each other. Start at one end and slice the noodles as thinly as possible. Repeat with remaining dough. Let dry on the counter while soup is cooking.

When broth is ready, bring to a boil and put all noodles in the pot. Bring to boil again and then turn heat down to medium. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add chicken and chicken bouillion or chicken base, to taste. Also, salt and pepper if desired.

Make some mashed potatoes and then put the whole thing together. Put your pjs on before eating because you will go into a carbohydrate coma. This is fabulous with petite peas right in the bowl and with homemade rolls.

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Question answered

So I was wondering why my purse weighs so darn much...






Here's the answer! Yes I filled half a jar with change. I am going to the bank tomorrow to see how much was in there!

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YUMMY!

So lately, I have been avidly following my new favorite blog,http://www.bakerella.com/ . I saw these awesome cheesecake pops and just had to try them! First you start with a cheesecake. I baked mine, but I think it would be just as good with Sara Lee! Then after the cheesecake was refrigerate for a while, I used a small Pampered Chef scoop to make little balls. See! Here they are. I put them in the freezer for about an hour until they were nice and firm.

While those were chilling, I unwrapped some chocolate. The recipe called for almond bark, but I just couldn't do that to my yummy cheesecake. So Dove chocolate it was. I wasn't sure how well it would work.

Here are some naked Doves. I melted them in the microwave for about 90 seconds, stirring in between.

Then, I stuck a lollipop stick into a cheesecake ball and dipped it into the melted chocolate. Try not to "sample" too many. Really. I dare you.

I put them on waxed paper and put them back in the refrigerator for a few more minutes.

Here is the finished product! I was very happy they weren't a disaster, and my tummy was happy, too!

If you need a cheesecake recipe, this one is fabulous! I just didn't make a crust, since I was going to scoop it all into cheesecake balls.

Cheesecake (from http://www.bakerella.com/)

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

3 eggs

8 oz. sour cream

1 Tablespoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream the sugar, cream cheese, and flour with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.
Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined.
Pour in 9x13 pan and bake for about 45 minutes.
Remove and cool.

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