HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Here is my princess and the pea.

What you can't see in this photo is that baby Cakes has a black eye, long story.

It's getting better now but I could not help but laugh at my cute little black eyed pea!

For some reason I love Halloween.

I know, I know, everyone does, right?

I hafta say, I love it way more now than I did when I was a kid.

There is just something about being the mom and getting to play dress up with all my kids all day and then being able to go out in public looking so silly that just brings a smile to my face and a little laughter to my heart.

I love watching my kids' faces light up as they see their friends in their costumes.
I love putting curlers in Doodle's hair.
I love the smell of chili in the crock pot.
I love seeing Beano so excited about his knight costume that he kept track of all the pieces during our home school party, all by himself.
I love seeing them run down the side walk up to the next house, wondering what treat will be in store for them.
I love hearing the detailed report of exactly which type of candy that house gave them,
at every single house!
I love walking through the neighborhood and seeing all the other little monsters and chatting with my sister while the heathens gather the loot.
I love it that my 3 year old wants to be a boy lady bug and will not be talked out of it.
We'll see how that flies when he's 15!
I love watching my baby try to crawl in a pea outfit, too cute!

I love being the mom!


Dubs says in sheer astonishment, "They gave me CANDY!" after the first house.
I wonder what he was expecting.
At another house a little further down the road he says, "I got a big sucker that has GUM inside!"
A little further down the road my nephew who was going up to the doors with them told me that Dubs was saying, "More, please." at every house after they would give him a piece of candy.
Who can resist a cute little boy lady bug who says please?
We finally got him to stop saying that and to say, "Thank you" after they gave him candy.
Then a little further still the report was of Dubs saying "Can I have a Big sucker, please, the kind with gum in it!" At every house!
That sent the candy giver outers digging through their stash to pull out the last blow pop.
Then we had the conversation of
beggar can't be choosers.
As soon as we pulled out of my sister's drive way to head home Beano asks in the most serious tone, "Mom, when do we get to go trick or treating again?"



What a fun night he had! Now I just need to figure out what to so with all that junk food!

I certainly don't want to eat it and I don't want my kids to eat it all either!

Oh well, I guess just one piece can't hurt...

Just Do It

Our inspiration for a Thought for Thursday this beautiful week comes from Nike.

This was a Nike ad long ago.

"Too often we are scared.

Scared of what we might be able to do.

Scared of what people might think if we tried.

We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes.

We say no when we want to say yes.

We sit quietly when we want to scream.

And we shout with the others,

when we should keep our mouths shut.

Why?

After all,

we do only go around once.

There's really no time to be afraid.

So stop.

Try something you've never tried.

Risk it.

Enter a triathlon.

Write a letter to the editor.

Demand a raise.

Call the winners at the toughest court.

Throw away your television.

Bicycle across the United States.

Try bobsledding.

Try anything.

Speak out against the designated hitter.

Travel to a country where you don't speak the language.

Patent something.

Call her.

You have nothing to lose

and everything

everything

everything to gain.

JUST DO IT."

How to Eat a Caramel Apple

Look what I made.

I have been craving them for weeks. I finally broke down and made some.

Aren't they pretty?

Don't they just scream FALL!

I have not made caramel apples for so long.

The problem is I hate eating them and getting caramel all over my face.

My teeth scrape the caramel and like 1/2 inch of the apple.

Then I am left with most of an apple I don't want to finish, and tons of sticky gooey caramel in my teeth.

Not fun

Well, no more my friends!

I found a trick that will help you eat this treat with out getting you and half the house sticky.

It's called a knife.

Most of you probably know this trick and have been using it for years.

For me, this falls under the category of things my mother never taught me.

I had to learn a lot of things on my own and sadly some things have taken me over thirty years to figure out.
Don't worry, I'm not bitter.

My mom ignored all her children, not just me.

Some of us have been in counseling for years to deal with this.

Me, I just cook and play with knives.

You pretty much just cut a square around the core of the apple.

This way you can pull the slices apart and eat the whole apple with the caramel still attached.

The kids have an easier time eating them this way too.

Some people may like to just shove the whole thing in your face and become one with the caramel.

It may be part of the experience for you to chew and gnaw on that thing until it is nothing but a nubbin on a stick. To you I say,

EAT AWAY!

All I can say is, YUM!

I have really missed caramel apples. They are so pretty and fun to eat.

I am so glad they are back in my life!

99 Balloons

Check out this video I found about an amazing little boy, Eliot. I just hope you are not wearing makeup, if you are, I dare you not to cry.

TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!!!

When you are done go find your kids and cuddle them for a long, long time and kiss them a lot.

They are truly all little miracles and I love mine dearly!

One Last Fling

Have I mentioned I love food?

Oh good, I just wanted to be clear on that point.

So here is yet another one of my favorite seasonal recipes.

Although I don't really know if you can call it a recipe because I don't have exact measurements.

This is one of those things where you just dump a bunch of stuff in the bowl and it turns out fabulous. If it needs more salt, you add more. If it needs more garlic, you guessed it, grab that clove and start peeling.

It's all about how you like it!

I started by dicing very finely about 5 fresh garden tomatoes. I still had a few left on the counter that were from the garden. This is the last of them. I just had to make the last of those yummy tomatoes into something spectacular. Something I could remember and dream about all winter long and last me until next summer.
Oh lovely tomatoes, how I will miss you and long for your sweet juiciness while I gag down the bland store bough ones all winter long.
*Sigh*
I'm sure you will all agree with me, there is just something about fresh home grown tomatoes.
You could make salsa from the ones in the store, but they lack that zing.



So back to the salsa. Next dice up some peppers of your choice. Jalapeno are nice, you can really make it as hot or as mild as you want by your pepper choice.
I diced one smallish onion and a handful of cilantro.
I also squeezed the juice from one lime. Then I add all those bright veggies to the tomatoes. I also added a couple of cloves of fresh minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
Give it a good stir and you are good to go.
Some people like their salsa more pureed (is that a word?) but I like mine with big chunks. I like to bite into the tomatoes and onions. Feel free to make yours as chunky or as pureed as you like!

Oh, I can die a happy death now. How I love this fresh salsa. How I will dream about the time I can make it again. Along with tomato sandwiches and BLTs and hamburgers on the grill with the perfect slice of vine ripened tomato.
*Sigh*


See what else this fresh salsa is good for? Chicken and black bean burritos.
Oh, yum.
There are few things I love better than all this freshness.
Did I mention I love food?
Oh good, I'm glad we're clear on that!

I've Created a Monster

A few weeks ago we went on a field trip with our beloved home school group to a pumpkin patch/corn maze.

Bad idea.

Remember Doodle's obsession with pumpkins?

Well, it has been reborn, only bigger and stronger.

They took us on a hay ride into the huge green and orange speckled pumpkin patch so each child could pick their very own pumpkin to take home.

They had to stand next to the pumpkin they wanted and the farmers came and cut it

fresh off the vine for them.

The pumpkins were perfectly cute, just the right size for those little hands to cart around.



Since the kids got to pick out their very own pumpkin and watched as it was cut and placed ever so lovingly into their very own hands they have all developed a special bond with these bright orange squashes.

It's almost like watching a new life come into the world...ALMOST.

They held fast to those green stems all the way back from the hay ride.

They studied every inch of their pumpkin for originality and special marks so they would be sure to be able to identify their pumpkin from all the others.

Sort of like when a mother has a new born baby and she looks for birthmarks to be able to distinguish her baby from all the others.

They placed them ever so gently into the car so they would be safe as we played on the huge hay stack slides and got lost in the maze of corn.

On the way home they had great plans for those pumpkins.

"Pumpkin Pie", Doodle yelled form the back of the car.

"Pumpkin cookies!" Yelled Beano!

"Pumpkin muffins" I added.

Fall was hear and we could hardly wait to taste it!

Then Doodle spoke up with fervor and added, "But you can't cook my pumpkin!"

Oh no, I thought, here we go again!

And so far, it has survived all my baking...so far.

I suddenly have an inkling for pumpkin pancakes...

Let's Get Seussical!

Dr. Seuss is one of my heros.

Somehow he manages to think just like kids.

Enjoy this week's version of a thought for Thursday brought to you by the man, the legend,

Dr Seuss

"Today was great, today was fun, Tomorrow is another one!"

The Golden Locket

The clock in the dashboard of the shiny new Chevy Silverado glared 11:39 through the darkness of a chilly November night as a young man and his new bride drove through the darkness. The wedding cans still clunked behind them as they headed for their honeymoon spot. Even though it was cold, they looked forward to time alone. Time without wedding planners and photographers, time without parents and bride's maids, time without caterers and cranky great aunts. It was getting late and they were still hours away from the Grand Hotel in New York City. They were still in the middle of nowhere. The GPS unit hooked to the dashboard read 2 hours 15 minutes estimated arrival time. Stacy looked lovingly over at her new husband, his crisp white shirt with the two top buttons undone made him seem so dashing. He looked back at her, he could see the sleepy look in her eyes.
"Let's find a hotel in the nearest town and just stay the night and we can worry about getting to New York tomorrow, you look so tired." He said it so gently and with a gentle touch of his hand she could not say no. Besides, it might be fun to start their new life together with a little adventure. A little fidgeting with the GPS showed a Bed and Breakfast just 10 miles up the road in the little town of Altoona, NY.
" I wonder if the hosts are still up, I don't want to bother anyone." He said with a glimmer in his eye.
"Let's drive past and see if any lights are on." She said as she squeezed his hand three times. It was their unspoken signal of 'I love you.' He smiled and squeezed her hand in reply. Their eyes met for a moment and suddenly 10 miles seemed to be a million.
They drove in silence as the miles seemed to drag on. Before too long the freeway exit was in view. They pulled the truck off the high way and into a little town. The streets were lined with huge oak trees. They seemed to envelope the narrow road as it winded through the little city. There seemed to be no life in the little town. Every store on the little main road was locked up for the night. They pulled off onto a side street and wound down the road even further. Stacy grabbed Jordan's hand as the darkness seemed to deepen and the trees seemed to grow thicker. The small neighborhood seemed so still, so quiet. There was not a light to be seem for miles around. Suddenly as the road turned they could see a faint light glimmer through the darkness. As they approached the Bed and Breakfast they saw 2 porch lights shinning as if they were saying, "Welcome, come in and rest!" The lights drew the tired couple to the beautifully carved wooden double doors. Gingerly Jordan knocked.
The doors opened and there stood a beautiful woman, her long black hair hung loose around her shoulders, her huge blue eyes welcomed in the strangers. The wind caught the hem of her long skirt and blew it between her legs. She quickly ushered the weary couple into the warmth of the sitting room.
"Come in!" She said with a smile on the corners of her lips. "You look so tired. Are you looking for a room?"
"Yes, please. We were on our way to New York, but we seem to have gotten a late start."
" My name is Claire." The elegant woman looked out into the darkness for a brief moment. "You must be newly weds, look at the cans on your truck!"
"We are, we were just on our way to New York City for our honey moon." Stacy looked into Jordan's eyes as a smile passed between them.
"Oh, young love! Dale and I were married this day 30 years ago! It's funny that you have come here on your wedding day and on our anniversary!" The older woman took Stacy by the hand and led her to the sitting room, to a chair by the fire. The fireplace danced with golden streaks of warmth. Stacy held her hands close to feel the warmth licking her skin.
Just then Dale walked in and greeted the young couple with a warm smile. He was such a handsome man. His thick wavy brown hair swooped over his brow just above his deep blue eyes.
The two couples chatted for a few minutes about weddings, the one that just ended a few hours ago and the one that had happened a life time ago. they seemed to be drawn to one another. The older couple being renewed by the sparks of young love. The younger couple seeing how in love they could still be after 30 years, excited about their new life together.
Finally Claire showed the newly weds to their room. "Breakfast is at 8:00, I make the best apple turn overs you will ever eat!" With that she shut the door and was gone.
Stacy and Jordan had a wonderful night. They had slept so peacefully they almost forgot where they were and that they needed to be on their way. They quickly got dressed and gathered their things. They headed down stairs, looking forward to Claire's apple turn overs. They were greeted in the dinning room by Claire and Dale who looked just as radiant as they had the night before. Again, the two couples chatted over breakfast. Conversation seemed to come so easily to them. Stacy thought how odd that she could feel so at ease with these strangers, and ones so much older than herself at that. Before they knew it an hour had passed. The newly weds thanked their hosts and asked to pay the bill. The older couple looked at each other and smiled as Dale said, "It was such a pleasure to have you, we could not possibly charge you. Consider it our wedding gift to you."
Jordan tried to argue, but in the end he shook Dale's hand heartily and said, "Thank you, we will always remember your hospitality. Who knows, we may just have to come back here again next time we are passing through."
With that the two couples hugged good bye and Stacy and Jordan were off to their honey moon.
As they neared the Hotel in New York City Stacy's hand went up to her chest. She felt it for a moment then gasped in horror. "My locket! It's gone! The one my grandmother gave me! I must have left it on the night stand at the Bed and Breakfast!"
"Don't worry, we can stop on our way home, I'm sure Claire will find it and keep it safe for you." He looked at his bride and she looked into his eyes.
"You're right, it will be good to see them again, maybe we can even leave a little early and have time to visit some more."
The first week of their marriage passed too quickly. Before they knew it they were on the road headed for home, and their new life together. Soon the sign for Altoona, NY came into view. They took the familiar exit and drove down the little main street. It looked so different in day light. The shops were open for business and neighbors stood on their lawns chatting. As they turned the corner and wound around the little road they were horrified to see the place where the Bed and Breakfast had stood. In it's place was a huge pile of black wood. Ash covered the ground. The trees near by were even charred from what must have been a devastating fire. Horrified by what they were seeing Jordan and Stacy turned the truck around and sped into town. They stopped at the nearest shop and asked the shop keeper what had happened to the Bed and Breakfast.
"It was a fire." Said the grey haired man. "It was such a pity, it happened just over 5 years ago. The owners, a man named Dale and his wife Claire, were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. The fire department said they must have fallen asleep with the fire still going, the chimney caught fire some where around midnight and they slept right through it all. The whole town was so sad to lose such a great family." The old man almost teared up as he finished telling the bewildered young couple of the accident.
Jordan grabbed Stacy's hand and ran for the pick up. They sped back up the windy road and starred at the pile of ashes. How could that be? They were there, they were real. Neither of them dared speak as they slowly got out of the truck and walked around the heaps of charred wood. Suddenly a shrill scream escaped from Stacy's tiny frame and she collapsed. Jordan rushed over to her. He looked down and there he saw, on a charred night table, Stacy's beautiful golden locket.

This was written for entry in Scribbit's WriteAway contest!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Heaven, I'm in Heaven

I am officially addicted. I'm a goner, hook, line and sinker for sour dough.

I got a starter a while ago from my good friend Fru-Girl.

She gave me basic tips on feeding the thing and how to use it. She gave me instructions on how to use it in my recipes for fluffy waffles and yummy things.

Around the same time another friend of mine, The lazy Organizer made some home made bagels with her starter and when I tasted them I was hooked, it was love at first bite. I simply had to have that recipe. Later that week she posted her recipe for those yummy bagels on her blog.

I have to admit I was really intimidated to try to use it at first. I always thought baking with natural starters was really complicated and I had no clue where to start.

So I did what any good American would do, I searched the web.

I found way too much information out there.

Finally I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. My first attempt was pitiful. The only ones who would eat those rock hard hockey pucks were the chickens.

I waited longer and muled it over more and read more on the Internet and tried again.

Finally, Bagel success!

Guess what I found out? Baking with a natural starter really is not that complex, especially if you get a starter from some one who already has a good one that is nice and established. The older, the better. Thanks Fru-Girl!

Now the only problem is that I can't stop making them and my family can't stop eating them.

I have been having so much fun playing with my starter. Every day I experiment with a new use for the unsightly gassy stuff.

I have made pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels. Everyday it is like a new adventure waiting to happen. Next I want to try full fledged artisan bread.

I am still working up the courage and reading tons of recipes.

If my bread turns out half as good as these delightful bagels, oh help me, I may just gain

500 pounds.

More Rants

My family is killing me today. They are so funny. Today I just want to rant about funny things chez nous. As soon as the kids were awake they were all in our room asking Mr Bird if it was his day off. He said yes. Can I tell you about the celebrations they have been having every since. As soon as Mr Bird's feet hit the floor they were at it, and are at it still!

Doodle and Mr Bird have been tickling each other and wrestling most of the morning. At one point Mr Bird got Doodle in a lock and was tickling the snot out of her, literally. She was laughing so hard she could hardly speak. Through the laughter she managed to get out the words,

"I'll give you ALL my money if you stop!"

Needless to say that just fueled his fire and he went at it with new gusto.

Then he said,

"I don't want your money, I want your smiles!"

I thought, since when are we the sappy Saturday morning special cheese whiz family?

CHEESY!

So then later Mr Bird was checking his voice mail and Doodle kept play punching him and laughing and trying to get him to play some more. He fell for it and once again shrills of laughter were heard all through the house. Doodle says,

"Dad, close your eyes for a minute."

He does and she proceeds to punch him as hard as she can in the arm.

He acts shocked and I laughed that he was gullible enough to fall for that.

Then he tells Doodle to close her eyes for a minute. She says no way and goes to run away. He taunts her and she finally says,

"OK, I'll close my eyes. There I did!"

She had literally shut them no longer than a blink.

More fits of laughter.

My silly family, I sure do love them and all of their cookyness!

Leave me alone, I can make up words on my blog if I want to!

Photo Tag

I was tagged by my good freind Sharida!This is what you do.....You go to your pictures area on your computer and pick the 4th folder and 4th picture and then explain it!This one's a little different, I like it!This is Mr Bird and his BFF Billy Packard. Mr Bird and Billy lived a block away from each other growing up and were best friends. No matter what the Packard clan tried they just could not get rid of Mr Bird, he was at their home more than he was at his own, even if Billy was not there. He really was another son to their family. It is fitting I think that it was his beautiful wife that tagged me. This photo is just as Billy and Sharida were moving in a block away from us just after they were married which was about a year after Mr Bird and I were married.

Just look at those two tinkering with the innards of computers. I have to say not much has changed. This was just the beginning of a new friendship for Sharida and I. At first I think we were forced into being friends. How could we not be? Our hubbies were BFFs and we just happened to be along for the ride. Now I can honestly say Sharida is one of my dearest friends. She is such an amazing person. She is an amazing example to me. She has been through some pretty rough times in her life but has always come out on top, in large part due to her making good choices. I was pregnant with Doodle at this time. After Doodle was born we saw a lot more of the Packards. You see, Sharida was one of those people who LOVED babies, any baby. If there was a baby within 20 feet of her she would seize the poor helpless creature in a matter of seconds. And most of the time she'd have them fast asleep within minutes.

Since Sharida and Billy did not have any babies of their own yet Sharida would make up any excuse under the sun to come over and steel my first born after she and Billy came home from work. Most of the time the break was welcome. It soon came to the point where Billy and Sharida were at our house for dinner 6 nights a week. And we went to Packards house for dinner on Sunday. We were together EVERY DAY!

Those were some good times. Eventually We moved further away and we saw them less. Then Sharida had her own babies and we saw them even less. Then Billy and Sharida moved even further away and now we see them only occasionally. I know the tag said to share the 4th photo but I want to share the 5th one as well, and since it's my blog I can pretty much do whatever I want!

So here you go Sharida, this one's for you!
Look at that blond hair.

And you really do have a big mouth!

Our Only Chance

Wlecome to A Thought for Thursday.

This week my inspiration comes from one of my favorite LDS leaders of all times, Sheri L Dew. She gave this talk in general conference while I was on my mission nearly 10 years ago. Wow, it really has been that long ago.

I feel so old.

Anyway, I refer to this talk still today, it had such an impact on my life. It still has deep personal meaning to me, I feel this talk has a lot to do with the person I am today. In fact I shared this story in my Relief Society lesson this last Sunday.

So here is just a piece of that talk given so long ago, April 1999.

"As a young BYU student I learned a little something about staying on course when heading home. One Christmas Eve my brother and I left to drive home to Kansas. But early in our journey we learned that a huge snowstorm was heading our way, so we pulled out a map, identified a detour that would skirt the edge of the storm, and headed into parts unknown. Our creative navigating proved dangerous. Our new route was unfamiliar, and we still ran right into the blizzard. To make matters worse, late that night as we were creeping along in blinding snow on an obscure highway, our old Ford quit. We were stranded. And we had absolutely no idea where we were.
Eventually we caught a ride to the nearest town, where we found that we were still hours from home and marooned in Last Chance, Colorado. At that point there was only one thing to do. We called home for help. In the middle of the night our father left to come and rescue us. By the next afternoon we were all safely home.
I’ll never forget Christmas Eve in Last Chance, where we were immobilized by a problem largely of our own making and one we were unequipped to solve. That day our father did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Now, each one of us is on the path towards our eternal home. And for various reasons we all need rescue—rescue from loneliness and heartache, from despair and disillusionment, from the consequences of innocent mistakes and blatant sin.
Where do we turn for help? “In the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way” (Ether 12:11). The Savior isn’t our last chance;

He is our only chance.

Our only chance to overcome self-doubt and catch a vision of who we may become. Our only chance to repent and have our sins washed clean. Our only chance to purify our hearts, subdue our weaknesses, and avoid the adversary. Our only chance to obtain redemption and exaltation. Our only chance to find peace and happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come."

EEEEEKKKK!!!

I am about to divulge some very sensitive information about myself.

It's something I have been trying not to blog about. I feel like there may be some of you out there that may try to use this information against me.

I shudder at the thought.

So I am going out on a limb here and trusting that none of you will ever, EVER use this information to hurt me or my kids.

There have been certain individuals, who shall not be named, in my ever so rocky childhood who have exploited this information in very, VERY bad ways.

None of you would ever do that, right?

I can trust my fellow bloggers, right?

OK, here goes.

Are you ready for this?

I have an abnormal phobia to, dare I say the word, spiders.

*Shudder*

Do you think it's coincidence that all the creepy crawlies and, dare I say the word, spiders come out this time of year?

Every day I see at least one of these eight legged arachnids IN MY HOUSE!

*gasp*

Beano is my rescuer. He is always ready with a shoe or a book to hunt down the offending creature.

My phobia is paralyzing.

When one of these nasty crawlies zips across the floor at lightning speed it is my instinct to go straight into the fetal position and cry for my mommy.

Then I remember that I am the mommy and can make my little monsters do pretty much what ever I want them to and I have them kill the beast.

I am ruthless I tell you, ruthless.

No spider left behind, that's my policy.

And they are HUGE this time of year. Last week I found out why.

I always thought it was the cold weather driving them to warmer recesses for survival.

Well, that is sorta right. They are working at survival of their species. That's right, they are mating. The reason the are so blasted big this time of year is that they are with child, gestating, dare I say, pregnant.

*Gag*

Those little buggers are looking for somewhere cozy to lay lots of teeny tiny baby spider eggs.

*faints*

I have to end this post right now. I feel like they are crawling all over me.

I can't even type about those blasted things.

So do me a favor, next time you see an eight legged fat speck running across your floor, squish it!

Do it for me!

If we all work together maybe we can annihilate their species for good!

P.S. Notice the lack of photos in the post. I did that for your own good. I am saving your retinas. Who wants to look at a photo of that anyway?

*gross*

You're Welcome!

To see what every one else is chatting about this creepy crawly Tuesday, visit

The Lazy Organizer

Walkin in a Winter Wonderland...In October

"Happy Christmas!"

"Snow Angels!"

"Snow Men!"

Oh wait, It's only October.

These were the first words I heard this morning being shouted from the top of my children's voices as I was still wiping the goop from my sleepy eyes.

When I looked out the window this is what I saw.

My poor little apple trees with leaves still one their ever so fragile branches covered in at least 6 inches of snow.

I have never seen snow before the leaves fall from the walnut trees out front. They looked so awkward and clumsy with leaves and snow.

The swings looked like they had been sitting gathering snow for weeks now.
Just look at our neighbors sunflowers! Quick, someone bring them a blanket! They're supposed to be SUNflowers, not SNOWflowers.

Good grief!

The kids just had to go out in it first thing this morning before church. I had to let them because it is the first snow of the season (which season is it exactly? I thought it was still fall! Or did we fast forward that part and go straight to winter wonder land?).

I just had to let them because I felt sure that it would all be gone by the time the sun came out and I would be in big trouble if they did not get to play in it before it all melted away.

But no!

Surprisingly it snowed all morning long. It snowed as I made breakfast. It snowed as I finished preparing my lesson for church. It snowed as I showered. It snowed as I bathed and dressed the kids. It snowed as we drove to church. It snowed the entire time we were in church. It snowed long and hard. It snowed big fat snowflakes that land on your hair and melt into big shining beads of water. It snowed the perfect clump of huge snowflakes for catching on your tongue.

It snowed huge piles of snow on the car waiting to be brushed off before we could drive home.

Just as we were getting home from church about 2:30 it stopped. Beano dug out his bike that he had left on the grass. You know, the bike he was riding 2 days ago in the perfect 70 degree weather.

Then guess what happened at dinner time.

You guessed it, it snowed some more of those huge winter wonderland snow clumps!

There's only one thing left to say,

"HAPPY SNOW DAY!"

Wings

I know, I know, Thursday is almost over. I have been really busy this week and I almost forgot about A Thought for Thursday. Until I was sitting watching T.V. after I put the kids to bed. I heard this quote while watching House. I liked it enough to share with my devoted readers.

"I'd rather live close to the birds my whole life rather than waste it wishing I had wings."

Something for Fall

This week Lara over at The lazy Organizer is hosting a home tour for Talk About Tuesday. I have decided to give you all a tour of our fall decor. I have alterior motives. I really would like a peak into your fall homes. How do you decorate for the season? Is it all ghouls and goblins or fall foliage like me? Or do you mix it up and have some of each? Or do you just skip over fall decorations all together?

As you can see I like to use nature in my decor. I love fall squashes and leaves.
A nice candle is always charming.
Here are the place mats we made from the pressed leaves we gathered in the mountains last week.


This is what I did with the left over leaves. I had Mr Bird cut some blocks of wood from spare 2x4's we had laying around. Then I painted them and sanded them and modge podged the leaves on. I added glitter cuz I'm frilly and I like sparkly things.

These pumpkins have been hanging around for years. I made them when Doodle was just a wee sprout.
I am always looking for new fun ideas. I love cheep and easy things I can make myself in an afternoon. This is by far my cutest Halloween decoration.

So out with it! What is your favorite fall home decor?

Inspire me!

No Words

This is my nephew Josh and his cute Fiance, Tiffany. They are going to school in Cedar City but decided to make a trip home this week end just to see me and my kids.

Wasn't that nice?

Josh's parents live here too and I'm sure it was not sheer torture to see them, since they were here, but we all know he came to see my kids. After all, my kids are the

cutest and the funnest.

No offence Laura, Steve, Mike and Lisa. It's just one of those facts of life we have all accepted and we have moved on.

Let's take a closer look shall we?

Notice anything unusual about this photo?

Besides the fact that they are not her parents.

Besides the fact that Doodle looks exactly like a mini Mr Bird, complete with crooked smile and steel blue eyes.

I'll give you a hint, look at Doodle's teeth.

Got it?

Lots of little baby teeth that are getting too small for her ever growing mouth.

Now take a look at this picture that was taken less than 2 hours later.

That's right! Doodle lost her first top tooth!

Her tooth has been loose for a while, but just barely. The last couple of days it has gotten loser, but still not loose enough to pull out. This afternoon we were watching General Conference. Doodle was playing with her tooth as she sat next to me (more like on top of me) on the love sac.

She kept wanting me to wiggle it. Now mind you I have a weak stomach when it comes to things like this. I very gently wiggled it, making sure it would not go too far and, heaven forbid, come out in my fingers.

*gag*

Then she wanted me to try to pull it out. Again, very gingerly I gave it a weak tug. Then Beano who had come over to see the excitement piped up and said with a sparkle in his eye,

"Let me try!"

I thought surely he was not strong enough to do any damage.

Boy was I wrong.

He got a good grip on that tooth and yanked with all his might. Even as Doodle was screaming he held fast to that tooth.

The next thing I know Doodle is up like a flash and running in the bathroom for a tissue. She put it to her mouth and a strange look came over her face.

She moved the tissue away from her mouth and said with a thrill in her voice, "Beano pulled my tooth out!"

Then she said, "Thanks Beano! But I'm never letting you do that AGAIN!"

Sure enough, in that bloody (*gag*) tissue was a tiny baby tooth.

Suddenly her whole babyness flashed before my eyes. I felt so sad. My Doodle is growing up. I remember when she got that cute baby tooth. It was her third to come in and now her third to come out (she has lost her 2 bottom teeth as well, her grown up teeth have already come in down there).

She just will not listen to me when I tell her to stop growing.

Doesn't she know life only gets harder? She should want to be my little girl forever.

But alas, my baby girl, my only little princess is growing and changing.

I wish I could describe how that feels.

There are just no words.

Now for your viewing pleasure, enjoy this clip of Doodle trying to learn to talk with a gap in her teeth. (Don't forget to scroll all the way down to the bottom of my blog and turn off the music so you can hear the video)

Short and Sweet

Welcome to a Thought for Thursday. In light of recent economic news here's a quote from a very educated man, none other than

Thomas Jefferson.

"Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies."