homegirl happenings

Where in the World is Allie?

2011-03-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

She is gone...gone from the blogging world and perhaps may never return! My life has become so crazy that I just can't seem to keep up on the blog, obliviously! I'm sorry I have failed the family by not posting about the girls and what they are up to. I just feel that I need to be a better mom and blogging is just one more thing for me to feel guilty about. SO... here is a look at what has happened over the course of a few months! :)

WOW! Now I have something else to feel guilty about. This is the only picture I could find with my kids. This was taken over the holidays with the cousins at Rollerama. Well, as you can see I am a serious slacker! I shouldn't even post this but this is my life after all!

The Death of Betsy: the Great...

2010-11-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

        As some of you may or may not know, we have a 10 year old car sitting in the garage. Betsy was a really good car, but sadly her days were almost done...

        It was a hot summer day, the Beckstrand women were at Taco Bell (where else!?) for some lunch. They had to go down town to get some meat for girl's camp, when something tragic happened. While they were crossing over the little plaza by Dewar's, poor old Betsy stopped working! As much as old Betsy tried to turn over she couldn't. So that sent Mrs. Beckstrand on the phone calling their cousin Jake to come pick them up, since Mr. Beckstrand was out of town working. Oh, how hot it was sitting out in Betsy! How long the children sat in the car without a radio or air conditioning! But finally Jake came to save them and take them to the dealership!

       Hope you liked my flashback but our little Betsy broke the day before that too! So my mom had to,emphasis on the had:), to get a new car...
A white Honda pilot!!! Isn't she a beauty? : ) Poor old Betsy, the Great, has seen her last days cruising around Bako. : (
-Mo

Halloween at the Beckstrand's

2010-11-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

             Hello, hello everyone, it's Mo here! As everyone knows Halloween was about 2 weeks ago... and if you read my last blog entry you know we haven't really said much of anything lately. No matter though! So this Halloween was a bit interesting at the Beckstrand house. This year my mom came down hard and said, "You can't have a Halloween costume unless you pay for it yourself!" But as me being the oldest that really wasn't a problem, since I wasn't really allowed to have a store bought costume. But my sisters were a little disappointed... (teardrop: ( so we got a little creative and decided to have homemade costumes!

            I know what you're probably thinking. Homemade costumes? They actually sewed pieces of fabric together? And all I can say to you is no. No we didn't. Instead we got a little creative. You'd be surprised at what some tape could do!

              Madison was a smarty pant, so she pasted smarties all over her pants and did her hair up in cute little side buns!

              Makelle got off easy and just resewed her purple witch costume(a piece was coming off)

              I actually got to go to two different trunk or treats, one with the my ward and the other with my friend Taylor so naturally, I was two different things. My first costume was at my ward and I was a quarter back. I just taped quarter on my back and smudged eyeliner underneath my eyes. For my friends I was a babysitter so I just taped a baby doll to my.... well you get the idea. Let's just say few people asked me what I was... :]

So I wanted to ask everyone if they had any clever Halloween costume ideas (appropriate for church please :)
I only had one other idea and that was a buccaneer. You put a buck on each ear. If you have any other ideas please leave a comment! Never too late to have an idea for Halloween!

Blog Slacker

2010-11-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

Hello people of the blogging nation. It's me Morgan taking over. As many of you know, my mother isn't quite up to date on her blogging, so I decided to follow Sister Wagner's advice and take control! : D My mom has forgotten to blog about a very few important things, such as:
~ I got my braces off about a month ago!!!
~ We went to Utah with a few of our good friends up in Idaho
~ We went to Disneyland
~ Madison and Makelle's birthday passed in July
~ We went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
~ My mother and I went to Girl's Camp
~ We went on a Temple trip
~ We got a new CAR!!!
As you can see, we needed an intervention in our house hold. Hopefully I can do my best with the help of my sisters to keep this blog up to date!
Thank you everyone!
Morgan

At the BYU Creamery with our friends!!!

Maddie by the Air Force One sign

Makelle by the Air Force One sign

The twins with their good friend Becky : ]

And me with my braces off! Thank goodness!!!

P.S. My mother approved this message.

Highlight Of Our Summer....

2010-08-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

I must say this was so much fun watching the girls get
so excited over the whole surprise!

Miss London or should I say Brenda Song. She was so nice.
She came right up to us and asked us if we wanted a picture...
uh yeah!

This is Brenda's newest puppy.
It's name is Panda, one of her six dogs!

The lady is the director and the man is charge of editing. They
were so nice and offered to show us everything their job entails.

Matt showed us his sons dressing rooms. The boys love art.
I thought this was a cool picture in Dylan's room.
My sister in law and I thought it was funny to
see a pair of ROSS DRESS for LESS shoes in Cole's room!
I guess even the rich shop there too!

The girls got a chance to tour the set and here they are
on the staircase of the Suite Life on Deck

The girls were sad that this was fake and not real!

Dylan finally came in towards the end of the tour so we
were able to get a quick picture with him.

As you can see he is much like his personality on camera!
The boys just graduated from high school with straight A's and
are getting ready to go to college. Matt was so generous with his
time. Super nice guy and is doing a fabulous job in raising good kids.

A Little Bit Of San Fran...

2010-08-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Bay Bridge

Lombard Street

AT&T Baseball Field

Jake & Madison at the AT&T ballpark

Jake & Makelle

Garlic fries is a MUST!

Golden Gate Bridge

Morgan and the Skeleton

Makelle & Madison with the crazy skeleton

These street performers were AMAZING!

brother and sister

We even got something for FREE in San Fran!

What would life be like without a little bit of chocolate?!

Want To Know What I've Been Up To......

2010-05-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

A ticket one day.....

and an accident the next!

Knott's Berry Farm......

2010-04-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

was a berry blast! We had so much fun going somewhere new with the girls. It was their first experience at Knott's and they has a great time!

All I Ever Hear Is....

2010-03-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

"I want my own room! Makelle is so messy! She leaves her clothes on my bed and makes such a mess! I'm sick of it! I want my own room so I can sleep at night with darkness and with the door shut!"
As you can tell I have been hearing this far too long. Then one fine day Makelle gets sick and so I have her sleep in my room for the night. Funny how things go because all I heard at bedtime was.... "I want someone to come to my room to talk to me. Mom will you lay down with me?"
In reply all I could say was, "NOPE you wanted your own room!"
Then after awhile I go to check in on this young lady and who do I find sleeping in bed with her? Yep, the DOG!

Want To Know What Bugs....

2010-03-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

when girl scout cookies change their stuff! What happened to my Samoa's? What is up with the new name like Carmel delights? I know its been changed for awhile but this was the first year I bought a Carmel delight. They are still good but come on you don't go changing a good thing when you got it! I don't care about 5 calories or a gram of fat when I'm eating a Samoa! Ohhh Pleeease!

Another Year Older....

2010-03-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

How could that be??? I really don't feel another year older but I guess its happening right before my very eyes. It just so happened that I tagged along for the ride with these fun girls this past weekend to enjoy a little trip to watch this HOT and AWESOME singer preform!

Who you ask?

Bon Jovi of course!!
He played his new stuff mixed with his old stuff and let me tell you he performed up to his name! I love his tone of voice and he sounds just like his albums. He played for about 31/2 hours!
I love to people watch and this was a concert to people watch! Crazy middle aged women and not so hot guys trying to pick up on them!

I also branched out of my comfort zone this birthday. Jake has been begging me to try sushi for quite sometime. The old Allie would say HECK NO! Of course being a year older and wanting to be daring, I decided to give it a try. The results are in......and.......Allie likes it! Who knew! I guess it shows you to give things a try because you never know, you just might like it!

Something Unexpected....

2010-02-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

turned out to be something really appreciated. Jake and I always enjoy the Valentine holiday with a little lunch just the two of us. It's what I prefer and enjoy doing with him. This year for the first time ever, he surprised me with this pretty corsage! It has never been my thing to wear flowers but I must say time changes you because I actually loved it! Maybe it's because it came from him! :)

I HOPE I GET AN....

2010-01-31T16:00:00.000-08:00

A cuz I worked REALLY hard!

Happy 13th Birthday....

2010-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

to my Morgan! I'm so glad I can call this girl mine! She is such a wonderful example to me. She brings so much love and laughter into our home. She is definitely a teenager now and she couldn't be happier about it! I think she is growing into such a beautiful young lady.... inside and out!

So I Got A Wild Hair...

2010-01-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

and decided to paint my shutters from a green to a

black! I like it so much better! I haven't gotten rid of that wild hair yet! Maybe it will leave once I paint the coach lights black too!

New Years Eve...

2010-01-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

Bunco Style! Enjoying friends and games to bring in the New Year.

Guys even like it more when they can watch a game!

Enjoying the company and food during the break.

Kay lovin on Sammy. She is getting his half brother at the end of January!

More friends enjoying the break between rounds.

Ricky thinks "Hey this is the best party ever!"

Merry Belated Christmas!

2010-01-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas. I was rather bad at taking pictures but this is what I got!

Christmas Eve with Granny and family.

The girls absolutely loved these aprons from their Uncle Tom and Aunt Shannon. They have been put to good use already! Also the cupcake and cookie cutters too! :)

So He FINALLY Has A Name....

2010-01-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

it's Sammy! This poor little pup has had about 10 different names! We have finally decided on Sammy. He has brought so fun into our home and we are in love with him! He is now 11 weeks old and weighs a whopping 2 lbs!

Meet...

2009-12-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

our teeny, tiny little puppy! As much as Jake and I have been telling the girls no every time they asked for a puppy, we knew it was now or never. Jake called about him in the paper Friday morning, so we drove to Taft to take a look. I just fell for him and he is the cutest, sweetest little thing! The girls FLIPPED out when they came home from the ward Christmas party to find him! Now, its just a matter of the girls sharing!

His name however, is still undecided. We are down to Zeus and Scamp, unless someone has a better idea!

I'm Sure I Have...

2009-12-09T22:30:00.001-08:00

no more BLOG friends by now! What is her problem you say? Kids school, my school, husband gone, Disneyland, x-rays, pukes, late nights, friend's visit, Thanksgiving, and everything else under the cold wet sky! For now, I'm back and I hope I can post something that's worth reading! Until then my friends... I must go to bed!

I Had No Idea......

2009-10-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

that I had a classical pianist until I saw this!! How does that happen?

Disneyland.....

2009-10-18T17:38:00.001-07:00

the happiest place on earth! Thanks to Pfizer we were able to enjoy a day at Disneyland. We even brought our "other" daughter with us!

The day started a little rough as we stood in line at Space Mountain. As you can see it quickly changed into a great day.

These two girls would only take THESE kind of pictures for me!

Waiting for my favorite ride. . . . . Space Mountain of course!

I even caught these two taking pictures of themselves making some funny faces!

See how it rubs off onto these girls!

Our other favorite ride....Thunder Mountain!

We had such a great time and can't wait to go back....SOON!

Dad Has Been....

2009-09-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

SUMMONED! Apparently to get together with dad these days we have to officially post it around here! I thought this was so cute that one of the girls had to post a date with dad on the refrigerator door. I'm sure the "Russel" match in the pool will not be one to miss!

Preparedness Pro

2009-09-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

You have to check out this blog byPreparedness Pro. She is absolutely amazing. She is in the "know" about being prepared for the future and doing so in a healthy manner. Check it out... she is awesome!

Preparedness Pro

Hello Ladies...

2009-09-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share this darling little craft with you. My friend and I are selling these cute nativities and wanted to give you guys a chance to purchase them. I love them and I think they are the perfect little gift for someone! Here's what we are doing.

The nativity blocks are sold as a finished product or in a kit. These are the options we are offering.

Finished block $5
Unfinished wood, vinyl and ribbon $3
Vinyl and ribbon $2

Each block is approximately 2x4 square and shipping will vary on your order. Let me know what you think!

First Day of School....

2009-08-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I'm on the late side of posting! Here is my oh so grown up daughter who has hit the junior high stage. This was my attempt to get a quick picture before she walked to the bus stop. She was in a hurry (like her mother) and didn't want to be late... and of course she wasn't!

Here are the other two cutie pies! They were soooo excited to see all their friends again and couldn't wait to get to school. They were happy to pose for me and begged me to take some more. I always find random pictures on my camera from these two! They are in the same class and they love it!

Happy Birthday. . .

2009-08-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

to our main guy! How this guy does everything is amazing to me. He never gets a moments rest unless its late into the night. He is so willing to help others and serve that he hardly gets a chance to rest, even on his birthday!

His main girls pretty much love him and spoil him with his favorite dessert....cheesecake!

Happy Birthday Jake...we love you!

Let Your Kids Know You Love Them...

2009-08-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

I found this cute website that offers printable notes to send to your kids in their lunches. My kids love it when I do this and I thought this was just darling! Take a look!

http://alphamom.com/

Happy 15th Anniversary

2009-08-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever ago that I married this guy! I have been very blessed in my life and he is one of my favorites!

I'm grateful for this MAN of mine. He truly is a man in the sense that he protects, provides and goes without for us. I will never have to worry about food, shelter or a worthy priesthood holder because he is that MAN. How grateful I am for you Jake....I love you!

Girls Camp Is Like No Other. . .

2009-07-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

even when they can put up a tent better than their LEADERS!
They can start a real fire!

They are Queens of the Latrines. The girls had to stir the "pot" three times up at girls camp. They were REAL troopers!
They went on hikes. This is the first year girls who did a day hike. Nicholle, Emily, Morgan, Andrea, and Ashlie.

This is the second year girls who went on a 9 mile hike with their leaders. Nadia, Bro and Sis Wagner, Brecca, Kylie, Emily, and Melanie.

Third year girls went on a over nighter. Courtnie, Sam and Alex.

Take a look at those feet! Is that sick or what!

We were offered archery during the day. This was a first for me and I loved it!

The first year girls getting into it too!

Sometimes we needed a little fun. One night we decided to have a pudding eating contest without using our fingers.

I agree with Sam those girls are crazy!

When those girls are naughty to their leaders. . . we get them back!!!

When a leader is naughty to the girls we get HIM back!!!

Don't forget we will get you NOW and LATER captain!

Fourth year girls coming home from their two night hike!

Madi Memmott, Jordyn Perry, Whitney White, Lyndsie Garner, and Jennifer McArthur.

Here are these crazy girls having a sleepover the last night. There are eight of them in one tent. Where is Kylie? Oh, the one with the little green head smashed between the blue and yellow sleeping bag!
These girls wanted to sleep under the stars!

I was just happy to see this cute face on Friday night!

I had such a great time up at girls camp with these awesome girls. When I say awesome I truly mean awesome. They inspire me and make me want to be a better example for them. They truly love the Lord and have AMAZING testimonies of the gospel. Just like our theme I believe... I believe in them.

PAZOOKIE FROM BJ'S?

2009-06-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Nope! Just my own recreation! Now that I'm going to Big Meadow for girls camp, I wanted to find a yummy campfire treat for the girls. Well. . . I think I did. This is sooooooo divine! Okay, maybe not for everyone but if your like me and you love, love, love chocolate chip cookies with a little ice-cream on top your gonna dig this! Here's Makelle helping be make the dough and press it into the dutch oven.

This is what it looks like after baking for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Must I say PERFECT! Only for those who love a soft middle.

What happened to this picture I have no clue. I didn't even take the picture this way but I'm too lazy to fix it. . . sorry! Here is my delicious PAZOOKIE!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 and 1/2 cubes butter

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 1/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbs. vanilla

Mix well. Add in dry ingredients.

3 1/3 c. flour

3/4 Tbs. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

I used about 1/2 the dough for my 4 quart dutch oven.

Now go take on the pazookie! I know you can do it!

Quick Trip To Twin Lakes

2009-06-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend a few days up at Twin Lakes with Grandma Grandpa Beck.

Even though it was chilly we were all smiles!

The girls had a great time feeding the blue jays peanuts.

So excited that I got a close up of this doe!

I love this picture! The family always teases Jake's dad for the way he hugs, he's so proper that he never gives us ladies bear hugs. I guess a beautiful granddaughter can wear any old man down!

I just think he looks HOT!

Here we are getting ready to go fishing! This was a first for the girls. They loved every minute of it.

Daddy's proud to see his daughter not only enjoying the boat ride but doing so in a Steelers hat!

How do you sleep on a boat?

Morgan loved fishing. She actually caught a fish but it was too heavy for her pole. If you look close enough you can see a doe in the background.
Makelle is still all smiles!

Maddy was all smiles when she caught her fish. Once she realized the fish was dying, she was all tears. Needless to say we needed fish counseling.
It didn't help that the girls watched their dad clean his fish! We had such a nice relaxing time.

Thanks for the wonderful time Grandma and Grandpa. We already miss you!

Memorial Day Triathlon

2009-05-26T22:05:00.001-07:00

I've always wanted to do a triathlon and I was able to check this off the list this past weekend. This was one of the hardest things mentally and physically I've had to do in a long time. Looking back on it now, it was fun and I MIGHT possibly do it again. It was so much fun to do with great friends and family! Way to go guys, you rock!

Awesome Finish Ladies

2009-05-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

The girls did awesome yesterday! Their relay team was seeded 5th and they took 2nd! Madison also ran her 800 meters and came out with a medal in 5th place. She told me she really wanted that medal! Way to go girls, we are so proud of you!

Endeavour Rocks!

2009-05-09T22:32:00.001-07:00

This has been such a fun track season! Well, actually its our first! This is the girls 400 X 100 relay team. All four of them are awesome runners, equally fast! They have taken first at every track meet which has now lead them to Valley Championships this upcoming Saturday in Fresno. Madison will also be running the 800 meters. It's so exciting to watch these little girls do so well! Wish us luck! :)

My Painting Buddy has Arrived!

2009-04-07T22:31:00.001-07:00

This is my crazy friend who loves a good project! We always have a blast when we paint and we always end up learning a new thing or TWO! :) Thanks for all your amazing help!

The first day we finished painting my room. It's hard to see my stripes but I do love them! We found this new laser level at Home Depot for $20 and it served it purpose 10 fold! New lamps are in the works and I hope to get a beautiful rustic picture of the LA Temple to put above my bed. Anyone know where I can get one?
The next day we painted the main area. We took the color throughout most of the house. Here is our finished projects. This is the entry way.

Followed by the front room.

Of course the kitchen.

And last of all the dining area. This was our new learning experience. So I thought Emily and I are pretty handy and we could totally install this new light fixture. Well. . . . we did do it mostly right. It was not our fault the builders wired the wires together to a different switch than the one the instructions told us to do. That was our main problem. After a few hours of not getting it right a friend of my came over and saved the night! Another new tip. . . don't follow all the instructions. Put your fixture together first and then take the whole thing and attach it to the ceiling. Much easier this way and you won't run the risk of winding up the cords and copper wires! As my friend told me, you only learn from your mistakes! :)
We also painted the girls bathroom. This was my $30 mistake! I was going for a soft turquoise but it turned out to be Robin egg blue! Yuck! Saved myself the trouble and just painted it the same color as the rest of my house! We were handy when it came to replacing the bathroom light fixtures! Don't they look so much better? Plug for Costco- bathroom fixtures were only $19. I say that was a great deal!
Emily talked me into painting
my piano room the color of my old house. This was in memory for my girls. They still miss our old home. Hopefully they will love this memory as they sit and pout about practing the piano! Maybe someday I will show you Jake's office but its not finished. Morgan will have to earn the right for me to put up a picture of her room, with a room like hers it may be NEVER!

Remember This Deal. . .

2009-04-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. . . my new table! One must love the Steelers for providing me with the ability to sweet talk a man into getting me a brand new table! :)

Did I Say Real Butter?

2009-03-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Why yes I did! My friend and I spent a few hours turning real butter into food storage butter! I promise its really easy, so easy its silly not to have some real butta in your store house!
Buy any butter on sale. Cheaper butter requires more shaking but the results are the same.
Heat jars in 250 degree oven for 20 minutes without seals or lids. One pound of butter will fill one pint jar with a little leftover. 11 lbs = 12 jars.

While jars are heating, start on your butter.
Melt all butter until it comes to a slow boil. Use a spatula to stir bottom so the butter will not burn. Once it comes to a boil reduce heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
When jars and butter are done, you will then pour the butter into the jars. Leave 3/4 of head space in the jar so you have room to shake the butter.

Once butter is in the jars, carefully wipe off the top of the jars. Get a hot lid from your simmering water and place on top of the jar. Then seal tightly with the ring. Wait for your butter jar to "ping". When the jars are still warm being shaking them. Do this every so often until the jars have cooled off.
It's time to place the jars in the fridge.

You will then set your timer for 5 minutes. Once the timer goes off you will shake each jar. You will continue to do this until the butter becomes a solid. This process takes about 30 minutes.

Look how pretty it looks! The wonderful thing about the butter. . . it will not melt! It will last for up to 5 years, maybe longer we just don't know yet!

Prepardness Drill

2009-03-24T12:41:00.001-07:00

On Sunday a few families were asked to go 1 week on the food in their homes. I thought okay, I can do this BUT, then we were asked to act out one day as if we were hit with a disaster. We are to use our 72 hour kits for food and we are not to use our electricity. Ouch! I knew this would be a little bit tough but how wrong I was. It sucks! We all had oatmeal for breakfast along with our lotion tasting hot chocolate! BARF! For lunch I TRIED to eat a Campbell's drink soup? GROSS! I couldn't even finish it. I then moved on to a cup of noodles. . . . gross, it tastes like lotion! I'm going to suffer with dry skin on our next emergency! Here is the plus to this. . . my Ritz crackers taste wonderful! My winter green breath mints taste awesome but I just want to chew them all up because I'm so hungry! I'll need a bag per day next time. My bad cuz my 72 hour kit is 1 year old. I now know the importance of changing it out every 6 months. For now. . . . I'm hungry! :(

Here are the girls getting ready for the night with flashlights in hand!

Husband had to get a picture! I will say that my headlight is awesome! I love having my hands free, it made reading a breeze!

It's my lucky day! My guardian angels arrived with a plate of yummy treats! I'm NOT cheating friends because in a real disaster if someone brought me treats I would eat them! I'm only cheating due to the fact that I am blogging this! :)

Our Little Star

2009-03-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

This was Morgan's first year in drama and she had a great time! She landed the role of a court jester and she did an awesome job! These are Morgan's friends Andrea and Hannah.

Grandma and Grandpa cheering Morgan on!

Dad, Mom and Makelle

Makelle, Morgan, Todd and Jamie.

Morgan and her two biggest fans! :)
Thanks for coming everyone!

That's My Man!

2009-03-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Yep, we went to the Temple today only to find my MAN wearing two different colored shoes! :) That is. . . after we left the session! We apparently go together because I didn't even notice! :)

Of Course She's Excited. . .

2009-03-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

but I'm not! :( This means she's growing up and its happening way to fast!

My baby will never look the same! Of course, I think she'll only get more beautiful! :)

Chocolate Gravy Anyone?

2009-03-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun family home evening! Marsha Barnhart came over to teach us how to make chocolate gravy. The thought of chocolate gravy sounded quite gross! This was part of the morning meal if you lived in the Midwest. . . back in the day.

Marsha taught us how to make biscuits from scratch too!

She was great with the girls and they were diggin it!

This is my cute friend Grandma Shafer stirrin' the pot! We go visiting teaching together! :)

Here it is . . . biscuits and chocolate gravy! It looks weird but oh so tasty! Want to give it a try? Well here you go. . . .

Chocolate Gravy

2 T coco

4 T sugar

2 T flour

Mix. Add in 2 T. flour and 1 c. milk. Stir continually on low heat until it bubbles. Then add in 1 t. butter and 1/4 t. vanilla. The trick is to keep adding flour and milk to make the gravy thickness the way you like it. *Just like making white gravy. When making gravy for the 7 of us we tripled the recipe! Good luck and let me know what you think!

Kathy's Here!

2009-02-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

Every year my friend Kathy and I trade off visiting each other. This year she was able to come see me an dwe had a blast! Since she has sold her soul to Utah she has missed out on some of our favorite places here in Bakersfield! Our first stop was Dewars! Have you ever had a chocolate malt with almonds? It is one of our favorite treats!

Kathy still has not found a great Mexican restaurant in Utah, I wonder why? For some reason we love Mauricio's. We love to fill up on chips, salsa and some good fajitas! We had a great time visiting with the Hubble's. We had such a great time shopping, eating and watching movies. Thanks for spending the weekend with me Kathy. . .you know I love your guts!!

Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go!

2009-02-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, my man is happy! He's favorite team of all time has taken another Super Bowl! This makes number six, the most wins by any NFL team. So, I think now is a good time to ask for that new kitchen table I've been wanting! :)

We spent the day at my brothers Super Bowl party. There was way to much food but tons of good company! Here are a few pictures!
Madison & cousin Shannon

Morgan & her buddy Andrea

Mindy & Drew Bandoli

Judy & Jim Wagner

Uncle Aaron & cousin Jamie

Amiee & her son Kyle

Dad & Vickie

Makelle & cousin Reagan

My sister Keri & Aunt Cindy

Thanks Josh & Kendra for the

great party!

Wheat And I Are Becoming Friends!

2009-01-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, its true, wheat and I have become friends. I've been meaning to use my wheat grinder for sometime now but as usual I procrastinate! I'm trying a new idea from Just Organize Yourself. Joy does a Food Storage Friday and I decided to give it a try! I used my wheat grinder and food storage wheat to make flour. I then made these pretty good blueberry muffins. They tasted a little bland but if you add the topping of cinnamon and brown sugar. . . well then, what can I say except. . . good!

I then use my flour to make homemade bread. I was amazed at this new tricked I learned from my friend Shawnel. Once your bread rises, roll out your dough with a roller. Then roll your bread up like you would a cinnamon roll. Once it bakes you get perfect looking bread! Umm. . .good!

http://www.justorganizeyourself.blogspot.com/

Happy 12th Birthday Morgan

2009-01-17T10:29:00.001-08:00

Morgan had such a fun birthday party last night!
Morgan celebrated her birthday with a murder mystery party. It was called "The Love Letter" which was set in the 1800's. These ladies were all suspects of killing Lord Mazzing. They had to find out who the love letter was intended for and who killed Lord Mazzing.

All the girls came dressed up playing their part so well. Even their friend Kaleb came ready to play the dead Lord Mazzing. Even though Kaleb was a little unsure about this "girl birthday party" he did a great job and I think he had fun doing it!

This was such a special treat for me to do for Morgan. I love this girl so much and I love to see her happy! Happy Birthday Morgie, I love you so much!

Rockin Out. . .

2009-01-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

to a little Mississippi Queen! This song is fast and you really rock out at the end of the song. It's pretty fun.

We are starting to get better! Look out fellow rockers were on to you!

Bringing In The New Year. . .

2009-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

polar bear style! These girls are crazy!

Happy New Year Everyone!

A Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

What happens when Santa brings boxing gloves to little girls? Well these girls wasted no time putting them on and heading straight for daddy!

They got him good too!

It was so nice to find a little Grant Beckstrand in my husband this morning! Jake made us a yummy breakfast and it was good! He looks cute making breakfast, I think he should do it more often!

This was my SPECIAL project this year. I made the girls blankets. My friend Laurel did a great job embroidering the girls names on them. I'm so glad they were a huge hit because it was truly a labor of love!

Thank You. . .

2008-12-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa Beck! We LOVE our new guitar and wii games! We will be putting them to good use soon! Jake loves his football game too!

Thank You Uncle Tom and Aunt Shannon for the AWESOME coin purses and jewelry case. We love them! We thought we hit the jackpot when we discovered $5 inside!

Thank you Tom and Shannon for the game! From what you guys tell me it should be a fun game. I hope I can talk my family into playing it today!

After Years of Owning. .

2008-12-21T20:31:00.000-08:00

a food saver, I finally used it! My blog fairy friend would be sooo proud of me! We bought these sealers about 3 years ago and I just now used it! I was prompted by the latest food storage purchase. I bought 25 pounds of chocolate chips! We all need a little chocolate in our lives when life gets tough, right? So here it is ladies, come and trade with me when you need a little chocolate in your life!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2008-12-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

We love and miss you! We are excited to see you tomorrow! :)

See, I Can Be Fun. . .

2008-12-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

SOMETIMES! The girls ALWAYS beg me to buy them one of these gingerbread houses. I usually say "maybe" and pretend like I forget!! I know, I know, I'm such a bad mom! I decided to brake down and buy them one this year. They had a great time making it after fighting about who gets to make what part! Of course, you don't see the after picture of the frosting slash candy fight. See that's why I forget!

*No, that's not our dog and yes that's their cute cousin Sydney!

Yummy Gift Idea

2008-12-14T20:57:00.001-08:00

Sure to win over any cream cheese lover. This is a great way to keep your gift giving simple and very tasty. Here's the recipe for all you cream cheese FROSTING lovers.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 8oz. package cream cheese
1 stick butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Mix well. Add in
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 c. powder sugar
Mix well. Add in 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips. After you mix in chips, just roll into a ball and refrigerator for one hour. Serve with either chocolate or honey graham crackers.

Need a little pixie dust?

2008-12-13T23:27:00.000-08:00

Well I sure did and look what that cute little fairy brought me! A darling new look! Now I have a reason to blog again! :)

Our First Carrie Underwood Concert

2008-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

The girls and I had such a fantastic time last night! It was great to have a little mom and daughter time with my favorite girls in the world. It was the girls first concert and they worked really hard to pay for half of their tickets. Thanks to our friend Lisa we had great seats. We also enjoyed dinner before the concert with some of our Wagner friends. Carrie Underwood is just as beautiful and sweet as she seems. Her voice is amazing! We had such a great time and we were NOT disappointed!

Classic Allie Move

2008-11-10T14:14:00.001-08:00

You can laugh if you want to because I know its funny. . . NOW! I have taken few bad accidents to the nose in my life, that's why I have the nose bump! I was getting ready to go run a few errands this morning and thought I would check the girls bathroom before leaving. After leaving the bathroom, I took the corner just a little too tight and BAM hit the nose! Oh my gosh, that hurt sooo bad! I even left a mark on the wall! After the initial pain left, I went to go take a peek. Yikes! I actually gave myself a bloody nose and a little cut prove it! Why do I always hurt myself? The good hubby that I have came home and checked on me. Then we had a good laugh! I guess Allie = klutz!

Here's For You Anna

2008-11-07T14:24:00.001-08:00

Need a cute idea for your teacher? Here's a darling way to do just that. Here is the website to help you make plain jane pretzels into something adorable! http://gourmetmomonthego.blogspot.com/

If you would like the more traditional crayon look go here (under recipes) to print labels.
http://jenniferhardie.blogspot.com/

What a great way for the kids to make their teacher a gift! Good luck and have fun!

One Last Tag. . .Just For You Claudia

2008-11-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Living in Bakersfield
2. Taking care of Morgan
3. Being VERY poor
4. So poor I paid for groceries with my credit card
5. Wanting to get pregnant again (what was I thinking)

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Go visiting teaching
2. Make dinner for a family
3. Never ending laundry
4. Fix a few blogs
5. Make cookies (yes, that's a must)

Five snacks that I enjoy:
1. Chocolate chip cookies (of course)
2. Chips and salsa
3. Sonic Diet Dr. Pepper with vanilla
4. Twix
5. Almond M&M's

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off our debt
2. Savings for kids
3. Buy a NEW car (my car squeaks when I drive it) :)
4. Help others
5. Travel with the family

Not five just two places I have lived:
1. Bakersfield
2. Utah

Five jobs I have had:
1. Swim teacher
2. Lifeguard
3. Dishwasher for Kara's Chocolates (free chocolate)
4. Secretary
5. Osborn Video

I tag. . . . Shannon Beckstrand

Super Thursday Idea

2008-11-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

I can't really call it Super Saturday because its held on a Thursday in our ward. This was a craft that I was in charge of. I thought it would be fun to share with you. These are flower magnets and they are super easy!

Your local Michael's will have the flowers, wire, discs, magnets, scrapbook flowers and metal. If you are doing a lot, I think its best to spray paint the flowers. Once painted you can then decorate. I did a red scrapbook flower on one. This was easy, all I did was glue a magnet on back and a flower on the front. The daisy flower I painted polka dots in a tan color. I also painted the disc a tan color to match. Then I took the wire and twisted it to look like another flower. All you do now is attach the pieces. Metal word to the disc, disc to the metal wire, wire to the wood flower and the wood flower to the magnet. Now you'll have two cute magnets to keep or give away!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

I am the worst when it comes to Halloween costumes! Really, I'm just cheap! After going to the Halloween store, the girls couldn't decide on what to be. So what does cheap mom do, that's right. . . go to the clearance section. This is what we found. . . angels costumes for $5 each. I say that's a bargain! They were so excited when we found two. They insisted on being the same!

Here is our rocker girl, or should I say 80's girl. This so reminds me of being in elementary school! She even has a little sass to match the look! :) After going Trunk or Treating on Wednesday, the girls decided they were done. How lucky am I? I say very lucky and that's why I shop the clearance section!

I Love This Picture Tag. . .

2008-10-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is so much fun! I love having a reason to look at some of my old photos. Here is another tag, this one is from Emily White. Pick your 4th picture from your 6th folder.

This picture is from our special family trip. We took the girls on a Disney Cruise! Yes, I must say it was magical! We loved everything about it, especially the food! :) This was by far the best money ever spent. Here is Morgan and I on the airplane flying to Florida! Boy, I wish I could do that all over again! Come on, join the fun so I can see what's in your folders!

Tag, I'm It?

2008-10-24T23:15:00.001-07:00

I've never done this tag thing, but Wendy's being persistent in tagging me, so I'll give it a try. I'm supposed to post a picture (#6) from my desktop and explain the story behind it.

Here's picture number 6. Madison and Makelle's 7th birthday party, or should I say Fourth of July birthday party. They love having their party on the 4th of July because they get fireworks. My family just calls me cheap! :)

The girls were constantly wanting to play with Morgan's DS, so we broke down and bought them. Best investment ever!
I tag. . . . everyone!

If You Have Tweens. . .

2008-10-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

you might consider getting these books! I love these little American Girl books. I started with The Care and Keeping of You when Morgan was around 8 or 9. This book talks about how to take care of your hair, face, nails, and more. It's a great little book that helps girls understand what to expect in the upcoming years. Then, I saw The Feelings Book today while working at the school book fair. I think this book is great too! It talks about different emotions such as anger, stresses, moods and thinking smart. It gives positive advice on how to handle these feelings with friends and different situations. I think these are great easy to read books that give me a little extra help in the girl department! :)

Classroom Party Idea

2008-10-18T07:46:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but ever year I get suckered into being a room mom. Now that the holidays are coming, I am trying to be a little more prepared for the classroom parties. I found this darling idea and wanted to share it with you. Our class will be watching the "Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". I thought it would be fun to put the kids popcorn in these cute little bags. I'll go a little crazy and in a little chocolate. Gotta have chocolate with your popcorn, right?

Pumpkin Treat Bags -Fill orange mini craft bags with candy. Twist the top of the bag up into a stem. Pull floral tape off roll and stretch it so it becomes sticky. Wrap floral tape around stem, starting at the top and moving downward. Rip off take, leaving 3 to 4 extra inches hanging on the bottom. Twist extra tape into tendril, wrapping it around finger until it curls.

Gettin Down and Dirty

2008-10-12T21:05:00.001-07:00

Didn't know helping Toys for Tots would be so much fun! The annual Mud Run was this past Saturday and it was a blast! The McCaa's and I did the mixed team 10k run. A total of 8 people and we all stayed together to help each other over the obstacles. Here's Jamie, John and I running after doing a few water obstacles.

I couldn't understand why my girls wouldn't give me a kiss, I thought they loved me!

Here's Jake and I going over a big plastic tube.

Here's Tawine and I coming off a hill that drops into muddy water.

Jordan was on the Musick team but hubby got a picture of him!

This was a killer! I was proud of myself for going all the way across but I have paid a big price, bruised legs! My hubby took pictures but my camera gave out, so I don't have a group picture. If I get one soon I'll post it. It was so much fun gettin down and dirty. I'm definitely doing this again next year!

Camp Keeper Comes Home!

2008-10-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here's Morgan with her friend McKenzie as they prepare for the trip to Camp Keep. They enjoyed great food, lots of hikes and fun campfires.

We all missed Morgan while she was gone, especially her two little sisters! We're glad she had such a great time and she's home where she belongs!

Don't Forget To. . .

2008-10-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

check your credit card statements each month! Jake and I were wondering why our credit card had jumped so high in the matter of a few weeks. After checking our statements online we found over $500 worth of charges to our account. Luckily, we were able to close our account and have the fees waived. I really don't know how they got our account but the purchases were all online at some buy.com store. Kinda crazy so I thought I would give you all a heads up!

Endeavour's New Sports Commissioner

2008-09-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

We now have a famous daughter! Morgan decided to run for office this year as Sports Commissioner. She did such an awesome job! Her friend Mckenzie was her campaign manager and they passed out tons of stickers. Morgan came up with her own speech and it was pretty cute. She talked about how she would be a great sports commissioner and help make P.E. more fun because her initials were MLB. Major League Baseball. This turned out to be a hit especially with the boys! :) Way to go Morgan!

A New Home. . .

2008-09-22T13:38:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of our new home! We are very excited and are looking forward to moving in. The girls are thrilled that we now officially have our own swimming pool! We are looking to move in around November. Just in time for the holidays!

I Know It's Gross. . .

2008-09-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

BUT don't knock until you try it! I've been really sick this past week with all kinds of different stuff. It took me until Firday to realize the ear infection was the kicker and I needed to see a doctor. On Friday morning a friend of mine was telling me about this NeilMeds. Its a sinus rinse. I thought how weird and gross. After going to the doctor, I asked him about this rinse. He told me how he uses it all the time when he gets sick. I had no idea about this undiscovered wonder. He told me he recommends that I use it twice a day until I'm well. He even gave me a free sample. This stuff must really work and now I'm hearing more and more people talk about how great it is.I think this is just hilarious! Well I was to the point were I was so sick I was willing to give anything a try. So when I came home I did just that! All you do is simply fill the bottle with water and add a pH solution to it so it doesn't give you the burn! Then the fun part! You put it up to one nostril and squeeze! The water goes up on one side and and flushes all the junk out on the other nostril! I didn't get a good enough look but I all I could hear were the girls saying, "Oh mom that's gross" so it must of been bad! It worked and it worked rather well! So all of you out there who are battling the cold go ahead and give it a try, you just might like it!
ps. gotta love the add. . . it's as essential as brushing your teeth!

How Cute Are These!

2008-09-10T10:57:00.001-07:00

I think any kid would love this! Especially if you turned it into a cookie sucker! I found this on a girls blog who loves to share. I thought I would share it with all of you too!

Pinwheel Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon saltassorted colors of paste food coloring
24 lollipop sticks

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. Divide dough into fourths. Tint each with a different food color. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Working with half of each color, shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and for each cookie place 1 pink, 1 green, 1 blue and 1 orange ball together to make 1 large ball. Shape into a 12 inch long roll (like a snake), starting at one end, coil roll to make a 2 3/4 inch round cookie. Place cookies 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Carefully insert lollipop sticks into bottoms of cookies.
Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container

Here It Is. . . .

2008-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Our new home! Yes, I know your all sooooo jealous! Things have been rather crazy around here and I just can't seem to get myself to blog these days. Anyways, this is our LITTLE lovely home! It's small and its actually rather nice. Chores are a breeze and I don't have much to keep up on. That is one nice perk of living in an apartment! We still don't know about the home we put an offer on. Word from the wise, don't waste your time with a short sale, its ridiculous! We are still looking for that Beckstrand home and hope to find something soon. Wish us luck! (cause we really need it)

Happy 14th Anniversary

2008-08-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday but yet forever ago that we were just newlyweds! I am so grateful for you in my life. I love and appreciate you for all your hard work to provide for our family so that I can stay at home. You have never failed me but always been there for me. You are just the man I needed and how grateful I am for you. Thank you for always believing in me. You are one in a million and your mine!

First Day Of School

2008-08-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

The girls were so excited for their big day! So excited that breakfast was a piece of cake because no one was hungry! :) The girls came home in a great mood telling me how wonderful their teachers are! So for now. . . life is great!

These Girls Fight?

2008-08-17T16:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am so done with the fighting around here! I'm mostly tired of yelling just so I can be heard. I decided to talk to the girls and get some feed back from them on what they would do if they were me. How would they handle the whole "consequences for my actions"deal. I was pretty excited with their answers. We shall see how long this will last and if it really works. If you have any other good options for me, let me know! Here's what they came up with. . . .
1. Whoever is fighting must go to the bathroom together. *The bathroom represents being too close together and being uncomfortable. 2. They must talk it out and say I'm sorry. 3. They can come out of the bathroom and play a game together. 4. They must give each other a nice compliment.

Grandpa's Treat To Pismo Beach!

2008-08-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

We love going to the beach with all our family. Our trips usually consist of a eating, shopping and the ocean. Here we were eating at Garlands. It's good and greasy! I personally love their fried zucchini and onion rings!

Here we went to the beach to catch a few good waves! Morgan and Sydney were so much fun to catch waves with. They made me laugh quite a bit!

Madison did awesome at learning how to ride the waves. It was a blast to teach her.

Makelle picked up on it just as fast! It was so much fun watching them!

Even my daddy got in the ocean with me! We had a great time and we hope to do it again soon! Thanks dad!

We're Official!

2008-08-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

We are finally official members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! We have been so excited about this special day!

We were baptized by our daddy. We think he's pretty special!

He confirmed us too with lots of help from family and friends!

We were so happy to have grandma and grandpa Beck come and share our special day with us!

We are so grateful for the support from all our friends and ward family. Where did that Aunai family go?

Here's our great big family and we love them so much! We are so thankful for all of them. Thank you all for making our special day the best day ever!

Going Once, Going Twice,

2008-07-18T08:07:00.001-07:00

SOLD to the next door neighbor! How funny is that? We have a few bachelors renting next door and one just bought our home. If all goes well, we will be homeless at the end of August. Now, if we could just find that home . . .

Happy Birthday To My Girls

2008-07-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my busy little girls! Has time gone by so fast? I remember these early days when I would catch you all over the house sneaking into things. One was getting into the chocolate powder milk!

Another time I found you girls naked in the sink helping each other brush your teeth! How could I get mad at you for that?

One time when we meet grandma and grandpa in Bishop, we caught you two holding hands watching the ducks. It was so sweet!

Once again I find it sweet to see you girls holding hands after all these years. You love each other so much and it has truly been a wonderful experience watching you grow.

I feel so fortunate to have you cute girls in my life. You brighten my life in so many ways. I will always treasure the hugs, kisses, little love notes and pictures. I know this will surely be gone soon enough. For now, know this my darling little girls. . . Mommy loves you!

It's Official

2008-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yep, its official! Our home is now on the market! We're a little sad and a little glad. Sad to leave our "first" home which we have grown to love. Glad because we would love to have a little more space where the kids will want to "hang" when they're older. Keep an eye out for us if you find something great! Here in Bakersfield of course, with a pool and in the northwest. . . is that too much to ask?

FHE

2008-06-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

I always do enjoy those easy FHE nights! Ours consisted of yummy yogurt at Daddy O's (thanks to some of my darling swim kids) and then off to my friends house to swim (where I do swim lessons in exchange for watching their house). As you can see we brought one of Morgan's cute friends with us. I think this was a hit tonight and relaxing for me!

Daddy

2008-06-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day
to the one we look up to!

Summer Bargain

2008-06-09T07:06:00.001-07:00

The girls found this fabric at Joann's and they were begging me to make them these dresses. I'm not so good at sewing but I knew I could at least sew some straight lines. So we gave it a try and here's our finished project! What's the bargain? I say this is. . . two dresses = $10 and 1 hour of my time!

Who Wants To Guess?

2008-06-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

Do I even need to say? If you know my husband at all, then you will know it came from a church basketball game! He partially tore his achilles tendon. He must stay off of it for 2 weeks with crutches. Needless to say he will be spending more quality time at home with his girls! This might sound mean but I think it will be fun to see him wobble up on stage this Sunday!!

Twilight?

2008-05-30T14:42:00.001-07:00

So here it is. . . I have been hearing about this crazy book from lots of people saying how good it is. I thought vampires? How lame until. . . . well the book kinda fell into my hands from a friend so I decided to at least give it a try. Well forget that! I read all three books in three days! Just a little obsessed! Now that I'm done I wanted to ask all you fans out there a question. Who do you think Bella should be with. Edward or Jacob? Who would you choose to be with if it was you? I'm just a little curious. . .

Bread For The Future

2008-05-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

Not knowing what I was doing I decided to give it a try! The process was right except I put to much dough in to begin with. Next time I'll do less. I think I'll put enough dough in to reach the bottom of the jar name, like Kerr or Mason. Once you have let the dough rise again you put it in the oven and bake. If you get a mountain top like mine you can just trim off the top. Then you just put on your lids and the heat will cause them to seal and pop! It's so easy! I have been dying to do this and I finally found a great bread recipe so I gave it a try. This is in half pint jars, I would prefer to do it in quart size jars so I would have enough for the whole family. Very tasty!

Cheap Date?

2008-05-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

You probably wouldn't think this would be a cheap date until you hear about this! If you happen to go here between 4-6pm and sit either in the bar or the outside eating area. . . you can get any appetizer for $1.99! Is that crazy or what? You can't even go to Mickey D's for that cheap! So, my friends I have given you a great idea for a fantastic cheap date night!
*Offer valid Monday-Friday

For The Love Of Strawberries

2008-05-17T18:07:00.001-07:00

I guess this is turning into a "Blog Anonymous" for me. I have a new addiction, yep, you got it strawberries! It's like I am trying to make as much strawberry jam as I can before my favorite stand closes. I only have a few more weeks before of the extreme heat kills off my berries! I think I have made about 7 batches of freezer jam. Each batch makes at least 5-8oz. containers. Yes, I know, I'm crazy! Sad thing is I'll probably make another batch or two before the season is done!

Open House

2008-05-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

As you can see, my daughter Morgan thinks getting her picture taken in front of her friends at school is no longer "cool". I had to beg just to take one! Morgan has had a great year in school and she excels at reading. The girl has read more books in her 11 years of life than I have in my some 30. I wish I was more like her!

This is a picture and poem that Madison drew and wrote about herself. I love it!

This is Makelle's version of herself. I love to save this stuff. It's so fun to pull it out and look at it in the future.

The second graders put on a program about being a zoo keeper. They had to memorize a script they wrote. They drew pictures of their animals. Madison did hers on Panda's.

Makelle did hers on Elephants. They also had to make dioramas. They did such a fantastic job and I think they are such talented girls. I guess I'm just a proud mom!

It's A Glorious Day

2008-05-13T12:43:00.001-07:00

Why do you ask? Just look at my picture and it will say it all. . . Psychology! Gross! This was a long class and its finally over! I did however enjoy the last two chapters on disorders and treatments. Since I am now an accomplished Psychologist I can diagnosis my own family and all of our craziness! It's great to have one more class down and now I can enjoy a nice long summer break.

Happy Mother's Day to All My Friends

2008-05-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

How grateful I am for all of my many friends through out the years who have inspired me to become a better mother. Through watching women of the past and friends of the present, how grateful I am to be apart of your life and to watch you teach me. I see so many things I can do differently through your example. I admire the many women who have help shape me into the person that I am. Through the love of so many people, I hope I have become a more loving and caring mother and I hope to continue to do so in the years to come.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our bishopric excels at many things except for when it comes to the creative craft side. I decided to jump in and help when it came to the Mother's Day gift for the sister's. So here's what I came up with. A king size Hershey's candy bar wrapped in scrapbook paper and tied with tulle. I guess I really never thought about all the time and money that goes into this gift each year. I will now appreciate it a little more.

Fresno Zoo

2008-05-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

Madison and Makelle had their field trip to the Fresno Zoo. It was a beautiful day and very enjoyable.

The zoo did an awesome job with the bird show. This boy was very brave as he let the bird fly to his arm to take a dollar bill.

These two wise guys just sat around posing for photographs.

Just a cute picture of the girls enjoying the smelly cage of goats.

The zoo also had a great stingray exhibit. You could feed and pet the stingrays. Mom and Makelle were able to touch one. They felt soft and sandy.

It was cute to watch the zoo keeper feed this giraffe leaves. Like the tongue? It's actually longer than that, gross!

Thanks Pfizer

2008-05-04T00:28:00.001-07:00

We love Pfizer each year around this time! They treat our family to a free trip to Disneyland! We had such a great time Saturday as we took advantage of the entire day from about 6:ooam until midnight! Here is dad and daughters getting ready to ride Space Mountain. It's my favorite ride and we always ride it at least twice whenever we go!

Kel Kel enjoying her frozen pink lemonade.

Maddy and Morg on Big Thunder. It's one of the girls favorite rides. We had such a great time together as a family and we are looking forward to next year!

I Tried Again!

2008-05-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

So yesterday just wasn't enough for me, I had to try something new. . . AGAIN! This time I tried this yummy cupcake recipe. Let's just say. . . I'm so much a fan of cake but these my friends are so good! It's a must try! I made the little cupcake bites and the suckers. I used cherry chip cake mix and 1 can of cream cheese frosting. Then you roll them in balls and place them in the fridge for awhile. Then melt your chocolate chips and dip. Add a little touch of pink to finish them off.

*These are not mine. My pictures came out blurry. Take a look just click on the title.

I Tried

2008-05-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

As you can see my Maddy loves to help when flour is involved! My friend Megan made these yummy rolls a few weeks ago and I had to have the recipe! Well, Megan my rolls don't look nearly as lovely as yours, and what happened?

They are Gigantic! Help! Tell me how thick I need to roll them out and do I place the tip on bottom? Well, as you can see they are HUGE!

Mother's Day Cards

2008-04-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

I thought these cards were adorable! I am having my activity day girls make these for their moms for Mother's Day. They are really cute and really easy! Hopefully they will love doing it! There are more cute cards on this link!

How About Orange: cards

What's So Ridiculous?

2008-04-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sonic has gotten out of control around this town or maybe I have. So I do enjoy a nice diet dr. pepper every once in awhile, especially at half price time. Today was just ridiculous as I went (during half price time) to get my favorite drink. It was 2:08pm and Sonic was so busy it took me almost 15 minutes to get my drink. Of course I stayed! Why wouldn't I? I wanted my half price drink like everyone else in Bakersfield! Well, I guess I am little bit ridiculous too!