X-Mas 2011

I got a kick out of AJ's present to Kyle...haha

 







Their gifts to each other, paid with their own money. :)



This is what happens when both of your parents show up, separately announcing their engagements to other people while you're hosting X-Mas for the first time since your marriage and your parents' divorce. Thanks, guys. Thanks. 2 drinks and a cigar before noon, this is how I looked. :)



Kyle got AJ eye shadows for X-Mas. :)



Looking at herself in the camera. lol



He got a ton of Zombie books...this one from Santa. :)



Carving pumpkins!

We didn't have the kids for Trick-or-Treating this year, but we still carved pumpkins! 

 This is frightening...

She'll watch open-heart surgery, but she found gutting a pumpkin to be disgusting. Really? 

Mine...

Alyssa's...

Kyle's

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It's party time!

Every year, Jim's sister and brother-in-law have a costume party. People really get into it. This year, I was a football player (but I forgot my football at home. boo!) and Jim was a blind referee. :)

Things to do on a quiet day...

Target had these Halloween cookies on sale....it came with frosting and candy. Sadly, they were disgusting and could break a tooth, but it was something fun to do. :)

Here's mine. 

 Jim's cookie...

 Kyle's....

 and Alyssa's.

I'm no cake boss...

Okay, so I've been wanting to start making the birthday cakes for the kids' birthday parties for years, but in the interest of saving time and my sanity, we would end up buying a cake instead. However, the last few cakes that we have had have been extremely disappointing, especially since one of them came from Cake Gallery, which is supposed to be one of the best bakeries in Omaha. I decided I wanted to try to make a Michigan jersey cake for Kyle this year. I found a recipe for marshmallow fondant and made my own from scratch. To save time, since I was simply wanting to practice fondant, as I can make cakes from scratch without difficulty, I used a boxed cake. BIG MISTAKE! It fell apart as it cooled. So, needless to say, it showed once the fondant was on, despite my buttercream frosting I used to put it back together. You'll notice that the fondant is green and yellow. Well, I'd forgotten to save some for blue, so I ended up with green WHOOPS! Anyway, I'm not too crazy about making fondant...it's very time-consuming, EXTREMELY messy, and very temperamental. 

Jim asked me to try to do buttercream instead. I didn't want to, as it doesn't look as sleek as fondant...well...maybe it would look better than MY fondant, but you get my point. :) I made a buttercream frosting from scratch and attempted again. Here is what I did with the cake after it cooled. Nevermind one of the sleeves is backwards...this was just my trial cake. :) 

 Here is my buttercream frosting that I made. I split it up so that I wouldn't accidently color all of it the same color. :) 

 Once it was colored, I used one of my Wilton bags and a small tip to decorate. 

This was very hard to frost. I realized midway that a butterknife is very helpful with buttercream! I decided to make his jersey Number 11 since that's his birthday age. 

Jim liked the buttercream better, and I was surprised by the yummy taste, so we decided to go with that instead of fondant....this year. :) However, Michigan changed their jerseys this year, so he asked me to follow suit. I did not, however, make stripes on the sleeves. :) I'm still a newbie at this! Here is the actual birthday cake!

I realize the M has some issues, but I did this after working a 14 hr shift, I was also on-call at this time, and it was at least midnight. We finished around 2 am. I was a bit tired and stressed out. :) 

Ice Cream Social!

I love being involved with other blogs and their FB pages. If I weren't, I wouldn't have found out about the "World's Largest Ice Cream Social!" Cold Stone Creamery hosted and gave all donations to Make-A-Wish, which I thought was pretty awesome. We found out VERY last minute, and we almost didn't go (children were grounded), but I wanted to go since it targets children that I often care for. :) The free ice cream given to participants was their Sprinkled With Wishes Creation, which is sweet cream ice cream, brownie, rainbow sprinkles, and fudge! They also had a clown, live music outside, a bounce house, and face painting. I haven't heard what they made (this was on Tuesday), but I'm sure they will be helping many children have a little piece of their dreams come true!

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Sam graduated!

 Sam went through "doggie high school" and graduated last Sunday! I'm hoping to get him into the next advanced class in a few months, but with the holidays coming up, we will have to wait and see. : )

He wasn't too crazy about the graduation cap. 

Showing off the diploma. 

The graduates were given ice cream as a treat! NOMS! 

99 Things

I stole this from another blog. I thought it was cute. You're supposed to bold the things you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run 
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo 
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I've been bitten...

by the Pinterest bug! Actually, I'd tried using it a couple months back, and honestly got so frustrated that I didn't look at it for a while. I just didn't get it. Once I actually had the time (rather, made the time....wasted time...whatever), I started having a ball. Then one day I thought, why can't I "pin" stuff from other sites??? Ah, but you can! So...I have spent numerous hours, pinning house ideas for the future. It's kind of fun, and it keeps everything organized, rather than me having to bookmark things, hoping that we don't have another computer die on us, or print everything off and file it away, only to lose it later. Here's my Pinterest! Enjoy!

I have also added the button to my sidebar....------------>
<3

It's been a while...

I do apologize for not posting lately. Life is getting kind of crazy, and I honestly have not had the time to post. Let's see...Jim started his new job right after the wedding, and I just recently accepted a transfer offer, which I am VERY excited about! Also, the kids started school. K is now in 6th grade, and we are looking at middle schools for next year, and A is in 1st grade, going on 12th. :) She is wanting to switch schools, as well, so we've been looking into that.

In other news, Jim's foot has taken a turn for the worse, and he's been struggling with the pain and difficulty getting around, so I've been doing a bit more to give him a break. Also, I.need.glasses. Poo. Actually, my acuity level is perfect, but I have some other issues which can be corrected with vision therapy. Of course, insurance doesn't pay for that, so I am taking my sweet time setting it up. :) Glasses will help ease some of the strain on my eyes, and perhaps help with the headaches I often get. We will see. I have about 2 more weeks before they're supposed to arrive...just in time for me to start my new job.:)

Other than that, life is good. We are trying to figure out what to do about our leaky basement...I would like to get it taken care of before winter hits, but with this sudden weather change, I'm not sure that's going to happen! :S I guess we will see!
<3

First Day of School!

I can't believe she's a 1st grader! We got up really early to curl her hair, only to have it fall during the car ride. *sigh*

 6th grade and 1st grade....watch out! 

 Her WAY awesome backpack, and she has a matching lunch box. lol

 I have to admit, I really like his backpack, too. :)