Another Eye Spy

I was trying to make dinner a few nights ago and Summer was keeping Cole occupied. They got all of the build-a-bears and piled them in a chair with Cole in the middle. He sat quietly and posed for several minutes while Summer played around with the camera. I was sure he was making a monster mess because he was quiet for so long, but this was what they were doing the entire time. Maybe I should consider taking the build-a-bears to church...

More Aprons waiting to be born

It really better just stop snowing and start getting warm around here. The only way I can keep Cole occupied is if I go down to the basement and start a little project. He is pretty good to get out his trucks or his trains and run circles around me while I sew.











It's crazy that I keep making aprons since I don't particulary like to cook, but I suppose if I am wearing something cute while I'm in the kitchen it will make the whole idea of preparing a meal a little bit more appealing.










I can't decide which one of these fabrics to cut into next and I haven't decided which pattern to use. It's quite pathetic that these are my biggest worries right now. Mostly it just goes to show that I need more sun. That Groundhog better make me happy on Saturday!

Eye Spy

This is Cole in his bed last night. I opened the door to check on him and I panicked. I couldn't see him. I did a huge double take and spotted him down at the far end of the crib. I love the crib. It's the only place I can put Cole and know that he's safe enough for me to take a shower. He has only fallen/jumped out twice and I think he's still afraid of the fall. This is all good because I was beginning to worry that he's getting too big to stay in the crib much longer, but after seeing this sleeping position I'm assured that there is still PLENTY of room to sleep in the crib for many, many more months. I can now rest assured that I will still be able to shower and not stink out the neighborhood with my lack of showering for at least a few more months and maybe until Cole starts Kindergarten. Cross your fingers on that one!

FHE

On Monday evening Rick was at work. Cole was in charge of our FHE lesson so we made homemade playdough.




Cole loves to play with the dough when I make a pie or rolls so I thought he might like this activity.





Summer helped with the cooking part and the food coloring part. She is wearing my new apron made from the pattern I got on ebay.



Cole was funny because he tried eating the dough. I wish I'd taken a picture of that face. Blue dough is not as tasty as it looks.



He likes to line things up (books, pillows, trucks, blocks) and then play choochoo tracks. That is what he's doing with the rolls of dough.

Locks of Love

Here is Summer after her haircut.
She is holding her braid that we will now send to Locks of Love. It has been exactly 4 years since her last major haircut that was also donated. I guess we'll do this again in another 4 years.

Summer makes a donation

Next, it was Summer's turn in the chair. Summer has been so stressed over the last few months about what to do with her hair. I knew in the end she'd go for the big cut--she thrives on the drama and what's more dramatic than cutting off 12 inches of hair. Her friends had cookies in their lunches yesterday and they passed them out to all of their friends and had a little good bye party for Summer's hair. And then they all ran their fingers through her hair--GROSS. (Isn't that sooo 5th grade?)
I love Summer's new short hair do. It looks like she has twice as much hair.
Oh, I got a hair cut, too. Mine was more of a trim compared to the girls. My drama was a couple of months ago when I cute off 8 inches. Short Hair rocks.

Sierra's new do

It was a girly make-over day at our house. First Sierra got a cut. The first photo is with Cole to show how long her hair was. My friend Sadie did the cutting. Sierra cut off 5 inches of hair. She was so excited. She's been begging for a hair cut for at least a month. Doesn't she look cute with her short hair? Her hair is sort of fine, but this cut is perfect for her and makes her look like she has a ton of hair. LOVE IT!

“Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley

1910-2008 Gordon B. Hinckley

We were at our back yard neighbor's house last night when we found out that our beloved Prophet, President Hinckley had passed away. At first we were shocked and then I felt happiness because now he is with Marjorie again and having a glorious reunion with his Savior. President Hinckley has been our Prophet since just before Rick and I were married (which seems like forever). He is certainly the only Prophet that my children know. I grew up with President Kimball, then it was President Benson when I was in high school/college. President Hunter was the Prophet when Rick and I were dating and it was he who admonished all members of the Church to be worthy of a temple recommend. I was preparing to be married in the temple as my mom and dad were also preparing to go to the temple to be sealed as a family. And then President Hinckley was the Prophet. I remember when we lived in Kirksville and we had the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Nauvoo Temple. Even on serious occasions President Hinckley can have a sense of humor. I'm glad that my girls have such a wonderful man to look up to and remember as "their" Prophet when they were young. As we talked to the girls last night as we drove home, they were sad at first. I told them that it was okay because President Hinckley was getting old and he was looking forward to being with his wife again. And I told them not to worry that because of the organization of the Church, everything will be taken care of. President Hinckley will be honored this week and then after his funeral, the other leaders of the Church will meet together at which time they will most likely will name Thomas S. Monson as the 16th Prophet of the Church. He is the senior member and according to tradition will take over the role as Prophet. As we explained this to the girls, I got teary. This is the only time I have cried over the last couple of days, but not tears of sadness, tears of joy. Because I know without a doubt that President Hinckely is a Prophet of God and that he had led this Church for the past 13 years and the Lord has a plan for us and that another equally prepared and worthy Priesthood holder will lead and direct us.

Chicken Pasanda (from Southern Living Magazine)

Ingredients

1/2 cup roasted cashews
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt, divided
6 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thirds
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup cubed fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped cashews, roasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-inch) pitas, each cut into 6 wedges

Preparation

Place 1/2 cup cashews in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once. Add yogurt; process until well blended. Remove from processor; set aside.

Combine onion, juice, ginger, and jalapeño in a blender or food processor; process until finely chopped.

Combine coriander and next 4 ingredients (coriander through cloves) in a large zip-top plastic bag; add 1/2 teaspoon salt and chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken pieces. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Add onion mixture to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and yogurt mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until heated, stirring frequently.

Spoon 1/2 cup yogurt mixture onto each of 6 plates. Top each serving with 3 chicken pieces. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons pineapple, 1 teaspoon chopped cashews, and 1 teaspoon cilantro. Arrange 4 pita wedges on each plate.

The kids loved this one. It's a keeper.

Cute Polka Dot Bowl

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my SIL Kristine is the proud new owner of this bowl. I'm jealous.

Sesame Dressing for Pasta Salad

This recipe came from my BFF's at Good Things Utah:

1/4 c. veg. oil
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. sugar
1 T. Hot Chili Oil
2 T. Roasted Sesame Seeds

Put in a jar with a lid and shake like crazy. Pour over Pasta. I also added some leftover chicken and Rick thought it was a meal. I didn't have hot chili oil--whatever that is--so I used sesame oil and added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to turn up the heat. YUM. Cole didn't like it, though.

Maple Syrup

Today's mess is syrup. I turned my attention away from Cole and his breakfast just long enough to answer a phone call from Rick. The next thing I know I'm cleaning up syrup art off the counter and floor. That's all I have to say.

snippets of wisdom

This past Sunday was ward conference in our ward. The theme for the meeting had something to do with families. (Remember that Cole has a major influence on what I get out of these meetings and he was having a rather difficult time on this particular Sunday--OK every Sunday.) The Stake President was speaking when Cole was taken out of the meeting by Rick so I got about 3 minutes of inspiration...
"There is no Plan "B" if we fail with our families."
"The Church exists to exalt the family." Russell M. Nielsen
We are to stand in holy places. They are 1. Our Homes 2. Our Stake 3. The Temple
(see Isaiah 4:5-6)

"Do you want a spirit of love to grow in the world? Then begin within the walls of your own home. Behold your little ones, and see within them the wonders of God, from whose presence they have recently come." Gordon B. Hinckley

And then Cole returned. Imagine the inspiration I could have received had Cole sat quietly like the other 2 year olds in the room (not really).

ebay treasure

I have been looking for this Butterick Apron pattern since I lived in MS. I think it's so cute. I even heard of someone framing the pattern because the little polka dot picture is so cute. I saw it on ebay last week and I bid on it. I've bid on this same pattern several times before, but this time I won. Yahoo! It arrived in the mail a few days ago. I have started sewing an apron from this pattern already. It's perfect.

Another 2008 treasure

Isn't my little chicky cute? I found her last week at my favorite thrift store. $1.00 I think it's a bargain. I can't wait for Easter to display her.

The Wedding Singer

Last weekend Summer sang at a wedding. It was Rick's cousin's son who got married. A grandma was supposed to sing, but she got sick and lost her voice so 3 days before the wedding, they called me and asked if Summer would be willing to sing. Knowing how much Summer loves to perform, I quickly answered, "Of course." I hung up and then went into panic mode. She doesn't know anything to sing at a wedding, what was I thinking?? I immediately got on the internet and found the music for Someone Like You from the musical Jekel and Hyde. So, between singing Coach Rick and nervous mama Kelli, we prepped Summer for her big wedding singing debut. We arrived approximately 39 seconds before the wedding was to begin so a quick run through was out of the question. We just crossed our fingers and hoped that the power chords, ipod, and Bose speaker thing (Rick's area of expertise) was compatible with the set-up they had. We were in luck and after only singing about 3 words I knew Summer would nail it. She did a beautiful job. We were so proud of her. Next time we will have to prepare something that both girls can sing.

I feel Terrible...

No wonder Cole has been soooo naughty lately. I've posted so many terrible things that he has done over the last couple of weeks and I feel so bad about it. There really was a reason for his naughtiness: He has a new tooth. I'm sure that he why he has misbehaved so badly. See, he really is an angel he was just uncomfortable. He's probably been uncomfortable for exactly 3 weeks because that is how many weeks in a row that he has been so naughty that he has had to go home from church early and not go to Nursery. I'm sure he misses his new teacher and is so sad when we carry him kicking and screaming from the chapel. And if you read this and think any of it is one bit serious...it's not--except the part about Cole having a new tooth.

Why does it always happen on a holiday weekend?

I came from the gym on Saturday morning and I heard Rick yell, "Kel, come down stairs!" As I was walking down the stairs I could smell the smell of when you run over the end of a rug or something and it get stuck in the vacuum and it starts to smell like burning rubber before you can hurry and get the vacuum turned off. Well... I was...pretty...sure ...Rick wasn't using the vacuum. He was sitting on the couch playing the XBOX. But, he assured me he was being productive. He was waiting for the next cycle on the furnace just to make sure the terrible smell and funny rubbing noise was indeed coming from the furnace. Sure enough. With a predicted high of about 7 on Saturday, our furnace is on the fritz. We called the # on the side of the furnace and the guy who answered lived across the street from the in-laws. He said he'd be happy (mind you, he's never happy), he'd be happy to run down and confirm that something was wrong with the furnace, but really nobody could be out to fix it until about April sometime. So, if you are coming to our house any time soon, wear a big coat and 2 pairs of socks. And the forecast is for more cold and a big snowstorm tomorrow. xoxo

Ahaaaa

It all makes perfect sense now. I caught Cole climging up on the computer counter snooping around for the glue. Hahaha Cole, the joke is no you--I moved the glue. This was one of those grab the camera moments and discipline later. We have a lot of those. (Remind me to pick up MORE cabinet locks next time I go to Target)

Fusion Chicken for dinner tonight...

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup mild green tomatillo salsa

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken strips in the skillet, and sprinkle with the red wine vinegar. Season with 1/2 the pepper, 1/2 the oregano, 1/2 the garlic powder, and 1/2 the nutmeg. Cook 5 minutes, turn, and season with remaining pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and nutmeg.

1. Place the cilantro, onion, and apples over the chicken in the skillet. Cover, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until chicken juices run clear and apples are slightly tender.
2. Place the tomatillo salsa in a bowl, and cook in the microwave 2 minutes on High, or until heated through. Serve over the cooked chicken and apples.

All in the Family

This photo was taken during the (in)famous Death-day Party last week. BK (L) and Melinda (R) were testing out the memory foam pillows which I CANNOT rave about enough. I love them almost as much as I love my memory foam mattress. I cannot sleep anywhere else but my own bed. Anyway, it didn't take long for the kiddies to join in on the fun. We have from left to right: Brandi, Hunter, Halle, Sierra, Fisher, and Melinda. I wonder if the memory foam mattress has a weight limit. The guys were downstairs discussing guns and cars/trucks. Granmda Nan was in some closet somewhere trying to find some peace and quiet. I don't know if she ever found it.

Hummmm

This is my darling little trouble maker wearing his cute pink and red striped girly hat around the house. This is the same kid who WOULD NOT wear the red girly hat out in the snow last week. Yet, for some reason I cannot get him to take the even more girly striped hat and pink glove off in the house. I really hope that nobody important knocks on the door right now. I fully intend to use pictures like these to my advantage during his teenage years.

The Price to pay...

For a shower. I placed Cole in front of the TV with Bob the Builder. I made him pinky swear that he would sit on the couch and watch Bob and NOT move for 2 whole minutes while I had a shower. He crossed his heart and promised that he would sit still and allow me a shower by myself. Well, just as I got out of the shower, Cole came running into the bathroom with his hands glued together. I didn't even care that his hards were glued together. I went to evaluate the damage. This is what I found. The bag of animal crackers open and several animals glued up and down the counter, the stapler glued to the calculater, the mouse glued to the counter and the up and down arrows covered in glue. Whatever. I don't care. It was nice to have a shower all by myself. Tomorrow, however, I will be locking up the glue along with the apricot facial scub that I found smeared all over the floor when I went back up stairs to find Cole after I cleaned up the glue mess. (BTW, the glue is located on the top shelf above the computer that I can barely reach without a stool, I still have no idea how he ever climbed high enough to get the glue. I prefer not to think about that one.) Happy to you.

baby Kent

We had a little get together tonight. It was 4 years ago today that my Dad died. I know it's kind of weird, but we had a Happy Death-day Party (that's what Rick called it). It gave us all a little something to look forward to rather than just dreading this day. My mom said that she had the most bizarre experience last night. She said that she wasn't dreaming, but she saw my dad. He came towards her and said, "it's been a long time" And then he put his arms around her and gave her a hug and then a kiss. And then he was gone. She said that it was a clear as day to her. Then she woke up. I don't really know what to think about it, but since it didn't freek her out and she was calm about the little experience, it's all good.

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."-Carl Reiner

first treasure of 2008

I got up at 5 yesterday morning and went to the gym. As I was leaving (it was still pitch dark) something caught my eye. Because of the light traffic at 6:45 am I was able to quickly turn around and drive back past a cute little brick home with a for sale sign in the front yard. It was the thing in the front yard that had caught my eye. This cute little desk/vanity thing with the "free" tag taped to the mirror. Was it my lucky day or what? It was covered in about 8 inches of snow. I had to empty out the back of the Honda and rearrange a few things (like the stroller). I loaded this thing in the back of the Honda and headed for home. (Good thing Rick was at work). I am so excited for warmer weather so that I can sand and paint my new treasure. It's in great shape. Rick's comment was (eye roll) "Oh no, not another project." Summer said, "Oh, it's so cute, can I have it?"

The best snow shoveler in the world!

We're in the middle of another big storm. At about noon I finally gave in and asked Cole is he was ready to go out and play in the snow. He ran around the house like a madman yelling, "Tractors, Tractors, Tractors!". I think he did that because he loves to play outside with his trucks and tractors. I don't think that he realized that there was 3 feet of snow and playing with tractors is not the same as it is when it's dry outside. We have 2 shovels so Cole and I each had our own shovel. He was so serious about getting that snow shoveled. After about 45 minutes I decided that we ought to go inside and warm up with hot chocolate--mostly because I love hot chocolate but more importantly becuase Cole refused to wear boots, gloves, a scarf or the girlie red hat. I was afraid he would have frostbite. He is wearing crocs for pete's sake. what kind of mother am I? When I put my shovel in the garage and went back to get Cole, I yelled, "Cole, let's go inside and get warm" he dropped his shoveled, turned around and ran down the icy sidewalk. He was slipping and sliding and he even fell a few times. It took me about 200 yards before I could reach--I was laughing at him. When I reached him, I picked him up and started carrying him back home. He was crying and yelling, "No home, snow, snow, snow". He cried when we got in the house because his fingers were so cold, but his toes were not so cold (amazing!). The shoveling must have worn him out, he's sleeping like a log.