A new year is beginning!

I've been absent for a while...but busy busy busy. 

Life is changing.

BIG things are happening or the operative word would be CHANGING....

ch-ch-ch-ch changes

not just the Calender
I do wish everyone a joyous new year, filled with health, friends, family and happiness and peace of mind.

I'm taking today to catch up on blogville - and my good friend and file cabinet: THE PC computer.
I've got an awful sore throat so I am laying low and catching up- you won't catch me up late tonight watching the ball drop.  (although rumor has it my little whirly gig Mallory is spending the night!!!)

2012, the year of goodness and change...for goodness' sake!

Again I'm thinking of my blog friends, for you are real!

Merry Christmas to All- in this busy season take time to breathe!

It has been an unusual, bad, weird week (and a crazy busy month).   Without all my family here Christmas is never 'the same'.    As I take a moment to reflect upon my feelings... it is only fitting that I bring myself back 'in tune' with this video.

 Christmas

What I want for Christmas

Wednesday Wisdom

It was a Christmasy weekend!!

This was a great Christmasy weekend!  I baked cookies with two of my favorite girls...just like I used to do with my little girls!

 all yummy goodness!

 Mallory and her mom Sam, such great cooks.

There was lots of love baked into our oven.

These were all action shots, and I really didn't get a great shot of either of them..sorry.

Let me just say that in the past year, Samantha has lost 113 pounds!!!  She is amazing!  She has written all about it on her facebook, as a great 'page'.  She is still loosing and can eat what she wants, she just chooses what she will eat carefully and prudently!

here is her link:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=2241917455123

Sally has verbalized what we were all thinking:

Food Fun Friday- peppermint oreo cookies

This week has been a wild and crazy one, stressful too for all the wrong not to do with Christmas reasons.

Our work party is tonight and I have to make a desert.  So I'm whipping this up before work to be ready to go after work.

This calls for something easy:

Oreo cookies

peppermint candy canes

almond bark

Melt the almond bark in a small bowl.

Once 'liquid', dip an oreo cookie in it. 

Place on wax paper to cool.  

Sprinkle with chopped up candy cane.

It looks good and tastes good.  I just couldn't go the "baked from scratch" recipe this week, maybe next week.
If you need something quick and looks good, these are your cookies.
And a shout out to everyone.... thanks for asking about my mom!  She is doing ok, just really sore, and everyday more and more bruises and red marks and aches and pains are showing up! 
It is true, getting old is not for sissies!

Wednesday Wisdom

My poor Mother

Well my mother had a very bad horrible night (Sunday).
she "fell and couldn't get up"

(my mom and Mary&Bill in AZ)

It was midnight, and when she called me (cell phone) I didn't hear it, (I am a pretty deep sleeper) so he crawled down the hall and pulled some blankets out of the closet and spent the night on the floor, still pretty cold...
When I got ready for work yesterday.. I saw that someone had called my phone...
what?  mother??? at midnight??????
as we ran out the door to drive over there we called and no one answered.  Longest 6 minute drive ever.
There she was in a heap on the floor. 
She is ok, weak, shaky and sore!  I felt her legs and hips and arms and neck, nothing broken.  Her leg just gave out on her and she fell and couldn't get up!!
I didn't see any black and blue marks but I'll be checking her again today.

It is settled.  We are going to sell both of our houses and move in together. 
The writing is on the wall.
and mother is on the floor! and I don't answer the phone at night!
So.... Anyone want to buy a house or two?????

chalkboard tags

This weekend was wonderful.  I am making headway on Christmas!  AND my husband actually to me to a move, not a redbox rental but a movie in an actual theater.  We drove to the theater and saw Breaking Dawn.. hey have I told you-all that we live an hour away from Forks!  haha  and let me tell you there are NO houses out there that look like the Cullins!  They are all more like Jacob's house with the moss on the roof....
but I digress!!

Here is a really fun and great looking tag or ornament or place card.. well you can be truly creative with how you use them. 

 

You'll need:  chalk board paint and some flat wood cut outs, or some left over counter samples from Home Depot.

Spray away (two or three coats)...and you will want them to dry at room temperature, not 29 degrees out in the garage, bring it in the house and be forewarned that the house will be spraypaint stinky.

After they have dried, you need to 'season' them.  Rub chalk over them and then wipe off. (rub the chalk, don't write the chalk)

You can spruce them up a little by painting an edge.

And there you have it, a fun little tag you can use these for anything... even for little place cards.

Food Fun Friday - Homemade Oreos

These are YUMMY
Lauren found the recipe and we made them for a family get together!

EASY, that's the name of the game

Homemade Oreos
1 Devils Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 C oil
Filling:
4oz cream cheese
1/4C butter
1 1/2 C powder sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix Devils food cake mix, eggs and oil together.  The dough will be very thick.  On a greased cookie sheet or on parchment paper, place dough balls about the size of gold balls.  You will need to make sure they are round and then pat them down with your fingers. 

Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Wait until just after they start to 'crack open on top.  Take them out to cool on a rack.

Mix the filling together until smooth and creamy.

When the cookies are cool, find two cookies that measure about the same.  Place about a tablespoon of filling on the flat side and stack the other cookie on top so it is a large fluffy 'oreo'.   

For an added holiday cheer... roll the center in holiday sprinkles.

as you can see everyone enjoyed these soft 'oreo' cookies!!
yum..yum

Something to Consider- to my bloggy friends

You can choose to live your life with the joy of the front row or solemness of the third row.

I sure enjoy reading all of your blogs... I feel like I'm missing out if I can't get to them... I am STILL catching up from being gone on vacation.. well that'll teach me.. just can't go on vacation....
ah, I'll have to come up with a suitable arrangement because it was one of the best vacations EVER.
Thank you for stopping by, hope I can brighten up your day!

Wednesday Wisdom

Give more than is expected.

Love more than seems wise.

Serve more than seems necessary and

Help more than is asked.

Cory Booker

Making a tree skirt

A get together with family ALWAYS entails making something. Lauren wanted to make this tree skirt she found on Pinterest, (from Miss Mustardseed)

Here are our directions:
For this 'natural' tree skirt you will need 6yards of muslin. one small painters cloth.
(I don't use burlap, it stinks)
Fold the painters cloth in half, and then half again.  Mine measured 24inches at the smallest edge ... using a yard stick measure from the center point 24inches making a half circle and cut off the bottom so when unfolded it is a full circle.  THEN cut out a small circle at the center.  You will then cut along one of the folded lines, just one (this is so you can place it around the tree, and the center circle you cut out goes around the trunk)

I cut 3inch strips... 6 yards long.  (the green you see is for the next tree skirt we are making).

I gathered them.  You don't have to gather them, but I find that it makes it more even.  I hand gathered (basically a large basting strip) each 6 yard long strip (while sitting in the Arizona sun!)  Again you don't have to gather it, you can just ruffle it by hand as you glue it on.  This are some gathered strips waiting to be glued:

You will then hot glue the slightly gathered strip along the bottom of the whole tree skirt.

(no problem if you need to piece more to fit the whole circle.) For the rest of the tree skirt, you will measure from the center hole down... every 2 1/2 inches or so. Marking it with a pen... THAT is where you will glue the next row.

Here's Lauren hard at work gluing the next row.

and two days later, I mean... a while later here are all the rows gathered and glued on!

The next tree skirt will be two rows of natural, and two rows of green!!
ALLLLL ready for the tree! or her MIL's tree... I wonder which one will she choose
(or the better question to ask... when will the green one be done!!)

Coming Home

Coming home after a wonderful vacation with family is THE hardest thing to do.
Not only do you miss the people, warm weather, stores, eating out all the time....
but now it's run run run to get groceries in the house, sprinkle a little Christmas cheer inside and lights outside... unpack, wash all the clothes, get settled...AND
get ready to go back to work.
Tonight I'm going to have to carve out a large block of time to catch up with my blog friends! 
I feel like I've missed so much...but it was worth it.

It's all about the family

This week in Arizona has been so much FUNCarson is a complete doll!!  always entertaining!

 and... we've gained two grand daughters

 Any my niece from Utah just happened to visit today!!  (Louisa's daughter Jessica)

All in all it will be extremely hard to leave tomorrow.

It was an Arizona Thanksgiving

warm warm warm

inside and out!

This thanksgiving has been wonderful.....  we still have two more days here and will try to make the most of it.(craming in everything that we can).
And what am I doing blogging when I could be enjoying the family?????... well it seems in all my excitement I wake up earlier and earlier~
Our Thanksgiving dinner was YuMmY

Thanks Lauren!

and we had a pretty big crowd too:

even the newlyweds drove over from San Diego

did you notice, Kieri got her hair cut!
(13inches for locks of love)

Carson loves his Aunt Kieri

We also saw the Temple lights in Mesa

Carson was in heaven with his two new cousins

alright...what's on the list for today? in Carson's language:  go go go go go go
and I haven't even mentioned the shopping OR the food... lets just say that I have gained back all the weight I lost for Kieri's wedding! 
 HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE