December Food Storage

This list is in the side bar! Enjoy and good luck!

Furniture Forts

Brings back memories, doesn't it?

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! We had a wonderful time with some of my family and lots of great food! Nothing like an 18 pound turkey for 6 adults and 5 kids!

The Stevenson's came over in the evening after all the family was gone. Shannon and Eric were in heaven as we watched Depeche Mode concert movies. I think that's the first time we've ever mixed Thanksgiving and Depeche Mode!

Family Night

I borrowed an idea from Megan for Family Home Evening last night. We had a thankful tree and shared all the things we are thankful for. The Jacksons, the Stones, and Kevin joined us. (Our Monday Night Football thing kind of died when we no longer had ESPN.) It was really nice to hear what everyone was thankful for, and it was even more fun to blindfold the kids and make them find the tree!

I am thankful for so many things in my life. I'm grateful for my family, especially my husband and the FABULOUS communication we have with each other. I'm grateful that both Eric and I have good jobs that provide for our family. I'm especially grateful for my Savior and for the gospel of Jesus Christ that is in my life, and the positive influence it has on me and my family. I hope we can all focus on the many things we are thankful for as we approach Thanksgiving! (and keep the gratitude going all year!)

Thanksgiving Break

Hailey and Rion were so excited last night to be able to sleep in this morning. So, what happens? Hailey was up by 6:15 and Rion was up at 7:00. What was the point of that?! They normally get up at 6:45. Something tells me that if they want to sleep in tomorrow, they will have to work just a little harder!

Winter

It snowed Saturday for the first time this season, and of course I didn't have my camera with me. They were HUGE flakes! Unfortunately, they didn't stick around too long, but when we woke up this morning, this was the scene. Very winter like! I sure hope we have a white Christmas this year.

It was so cold today, that we decided to hop in the hot tub. It was SO warm and felt so good, until we had to get out. Now if we can just figure out a way to go the 7 feet from the hot tub to the door without getting cold!

New Coat Rack

This is not exactly what I had in mind when I bought the bed off craigslist. Eric seems to think it's a perfect coat rack. *sigh*

More Banter

Rion: "Hailey, you can't go upstairs!"

Hailey: "Yes I can!"

Rion: "No you can't! I made up the game!"

I didn't hear the rest because I was too busy laughing.

Maintaining a Healthy Level of Insanity

These came from my sister today. In light of a very busy week ahead of me, I had to share.

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice!

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso. (Ok, this is only for those coffee drinkers out there. If you don't drink coffee...don't start!)

5. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Marijuana".

6. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

7. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

8. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

9. Sing Along At The Opera.

10. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

11. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

12. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

13. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity....This one if not for kids...

14. PICK UP A BOX OF CONDOMS AT THE PHARMACY, GO TO THE COUNTER AND ASK WERE THE FITTING ROOM IS.

Socks and Spoons

Ok, seriously...I know that everyone has issues losing socks...whether it be to appease the washer and dryer monster's fiber fetish, or they just randomly disappear. But does anyone else have problems losing spoons?

When we got our silverware set several years ago, we had enough for 16 people. We now have about 9 large spoons and only 5 small ones. Huh? This doesn't make sense to me. Did the washer and dryer monster move to the dishwasher and change his diet? I tend to wonder if the kids are throwing them away by accident, but the only time we have disposable dishes is when friends come over Monday nights for football and FHE. And then, we have disposable utensils. If anyone has an explanation for this, please let me know!!

Hanging Out

Yes, Chase is ALL boy! He was trying to get something off of Hailey's dresser.

Roasting Marshmallows

We were invited to the Stolworthy's last night for roasting marshmallows. The Durrant's were there too, and we had a lot of fun.

Hailey is not too experienced in roasting marshmallows. She had a practice round before she learned how NOT to burn it.

This was Chase's first time roasting marshmallows. He enjoyed the fire tremendously, and the gooey goodness was just okay to him. He's not much of a sweets/chocolate eater, so he just held the rest of his treat in his hand.

Thank goodness for soap and water!

It was pretty cold outside, so we didn't last too long. We ended with some hot chocolate and enjoyed each others company. Thanks Stolworthy's!

Angry Walmart Manager

Jody sent this to me. It was so funny that I thought I would share it. This sounds like something Eric would do!


This is why women should not take men shopping against their will.

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Walmart. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunately, my wife is like most women - - she loved to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Wal-Mart.

Dear Mrs. Samsel,

Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr.Samsel are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2 . July 2 : Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, "Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away."

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.

12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.

13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled "PICK ME! PICK ME!"

14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed "OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!"

And last, but not least.

15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, "Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!"

Regards,

Tom Richards, Walmart Manager

School Pictures

These aren't spectacular images, but until I get the energy to get out the scanner, this will have to do. My kids are growing so fast! Rion is already in 4th grade, and Hailey is in Kindergarten. Amazing how time flies!

Week 2 Food Storage List

In reference to this week's food storage list:

Week 2 - November 9th-15th

Treats for baking! Cocoa, nuts, coconut, butter, chocolate chips, etc... Watch for sales on sugar.


Check our your local Walmart for sugar sales! Right now the Walmart near me has 5 lb bags of sugar on sale for $1.38. I believe the normal price is $2.59ish. I'm not sure about other Walmarts, but it might be a good idea to check. This is a FABULOUS price! Stock up and find a dry pack canner to can the sugar.

Home Canned-Pie Filling

4 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
10 cups water
3 Tbsp Lemon juice

Any of the following fruits:

fresh cherries, pitted
sliced, peeled peaches
sliced, peeled apples
apricots, pitted

Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and water in saucepan. Cook until thickened and clear, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice. Fill 7-9 hot sterilized 1-quart jars 1/3 full with sauce. Place prepared fruit in jars; push fruit down with wooden spoon until jar is full to neck. Seal with 2-piece lids. Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

To use pie filling, pour into prepared pie crust, then cover with top crust or crumble. (See pie crust recipe here. It's the 3rd recipe in the post.) If using top crust, using a pastry brush, brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, remove foil, then bake 20 minutes longer. Place on cooling rack and sprinkle a little extra sugar on top. Let sit 1 1/2 to 2 hours before eating.

Homemade Christmas Gifts

My dear friends, Although it is somewhat embarrassing to admit, I am not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair. Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are: * Soft and Hygienic * Non-slip grip strips on the soles * Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh * No more bending over to mop up spills * Disposable and biodegradable * Environmentally safe *Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags. I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself....

Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you. Happy Holidays!

Love ya, Kim

Fall Leaves

We were in Eagle on Saturday for a little while at my parent's house. They were raking leaves with Kyra and Rylee, so we joined in the fun!

Caught Up!

Woo hoo! I'm caught up now! I have updated my posts all the way back to October 17th, and I have added November's Food Storage List. Happy browsing! I'm going to bed!

Speaking Clearly

In church today, Rion was trying to get Chase to say his name right. So Rion started the process.

Rion: "Ri"

Chase: "Wi"

Rion: "on"

Chase: "on"

Rion: "Ri"

Chase: "Wi"

Rion: "on"

Chase: "on"

Rion: "Rion"

Chase: "Ya ya"

Keep trying Rion! You'll get there someday!

Gas

Daddy: "Hailey, did you just fluff?"

Hailey: "Yes, I have a duck in my pants!"

Super Saturday

Yay! Super Saturday is over! Though, I do still have to have a make up day since the nativity sets showed up today, and we still needed the Living Christ and Proclamation papers. There was so much to do today that we wouldn't have been able to get everything done if it was all there anyway! I'm very pleased with how everything turned out.

If you'd like to see what we worked on, click here for the projects. This might give someone ideas for their Super Saturday...or for Christmas! For all of our vinyl, we used Treasured Thoughts. Ashlee was awesome and great to work with!

Educational Treats

Since Rion and Hailey are doing so well in school, we decided to take them out tonight for a little treat. Yay for frozen yogurt! They were very excited. I hope they continue to do well in school!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

We had P/T Conferences for Hailey and Rion this morning. First was Hailey. Her teacher is Mrs. Lords and she is so happy to have Hailey in her class. Hailey is doing very well, and exceeds the abilities of where she should be right now. She already counts passed 100, which is where she should be at the end of the year, she's naming and writing all of her letters, knows the sounds of most of the letters, rhyming, has begun reading basic beginner books, and writes her first and last name. She scored very high on the beginning of the year tests, so she is on her way! She'll be starting an excellerated program soon with several other students in her Kindergarten class, though she is already nearly passed the rhyming portion of the program. Mrs. Lords says she is a delight to have in the class and the only thing she has to remind Hailey of is to only worry about herself and not about what the other kids are doing. She's a little teacher herself!

Rion's teacher is Mrs. Mullanix. She says that Rion is such a delight, and gets enthusiastic about just about everything. He's a little bit of a class clown, so he brings a smile to everyone's face. On the occasion he does have concentrating issues, she has found that Rion will come up with solutions on his own as to how to correct the problem. She is very impressed with that! So far, he's decided to move his desk away from his friends and has given her his pencil box until he needs it so it doesn't distract him. How responsible of him! Rion is getting A's and B's, and is really enjoying school. His favorite is math, and he's really starting to take off there. Mrs. Mullanix especially likes his Napolean Dynamite costume! She didn't think anyone else in the school could pull that off quite like Rion!

Great job Hailey and Rion!

Voting

Today is voting day! Rion came home from school and asked me if I went out and voted. I told him yes. He then asked me if I voted for McCain. I told him I did (though I didn't really care for either candidate), at which time he says, "Yes! I did too. The class elected Obama, though, but I don't know who the 4th grade elected." Too cute. He's already being taught about voting!