A Day Salvaged!

What do you do when you think you are on the verge of killing (or at the very least caging) your screaming , fighting kids? You head to Walmart.(without them of course)
I am a firm believer of retail therapy! I think it could cure just about anything. I am going to have to test that theory a little more though to be sure!
Anyhow, as I wondered aimlessly down the aisles, I found myself quite pleased with myself as I watched other mothers trying to tame their hysterical children. Wow! I felt better already! See I was clever enough to have left them at home! I had avoided the Walmart meltdown and I got to escape for a few hours!
Another added bonus?? I found these cute little hats. A Dora one (grace's fav) and a Mermaid one (Bailey's Fav). They were on clearance for only $1.00!
I brought them home and gave them to the girls and told them they had to be nice~ No more fighting ( I was on the verge of doing something that might have merited a CPS call~ Sheesh!)
Worked like a charm. They played for over an hour with not one fight. In fact they were downright loving to one another! They hopped in the car ( a one seater car and SHARED the seat~Impressive!) They kept saying things like "sweetie where would you like to go shopping today?" "Sweetie should we drive to have some lunch?" It was enough to bring tears to a mother on the edge's eyes! First~ $2.00 hat purchases has brought Harmony into the home again, and second~My girls are already learning the benefits of retail therapy! I guess I am doing something right after all!
Ahhh...I love Walmart!

Wordless Wednsday

Chili Cookoff Texas Style

My friend Corrine had emailed me this story, and my mom had it too. It had me in tears the first time I read it. Its so funny!

Note: If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas , you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the San Antonio City Park ...Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting from Springfield , IL .'

Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table, asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy; and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted and became Judge 3. Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick. Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild. Judge # 3 -- Holy crap, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

CHILI # 2 - AUSTIN 'S AFTERBURNER CHILI Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeño tang! Judge # 2 -- Great BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.

Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

CHILI # 3 - FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick. Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers. Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA... I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Bar maid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting smashed from all of the beer.

CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing. Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili. Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. This 300 lb. woman is starting to look HOT just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

CHILI # 5 - LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive. Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.

Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted, and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really ticks me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. What do they know?

CHILI # 6 - VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers. Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, garlic. Superb. Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I crapped on myself when I farted, and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snow cone.

CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers. Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment.**I should take note that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably** Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CHILI # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence. Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor feller, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili? Judge # 3 -- No Report

Things that make me Tick

Lauri and I went to the mountains the other day and it was great to get into the fresh air. When we lived in Colorado and Utah we would just go and drive to explore a new area. Here is a picture of what we love.

52 Blessings Project ~ Week 29

This Week I am Grateful For~ My Husband!

Saturday Tony and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary! It seems crazy to think it's been 11 years that we've been married and yet at times it seems we've been together forever.

He is by far my favorite person! He is my best friend! I have always felt as if he was a little gift from God just for me. I felt as if he was sent to me! I still feel that way.

I knew within less than a week that I would marry him. Our first date was on May 31 (his birthday) We were married on July 19! Less than two months of dating.We just knew.

Here are ten things that I love about my husband~

1.) He sings all the time. (and sometimes on key!)He would sing to me when we were dating and sometimes I would get irritated and just want him to shut up so I could just enjoy the song! There is a song by Trisha Yearwood that melts my heart today. He sung it to me and it was perfect for how I was feeling and I didn't even mind him singing it!

2.) He can tell you tell you the botanical name of any plant even if he doesn't know it! It seems as if he has a complete understanding of the Latin language (plantus coloramus~ It's not like I'm going to look it up!) But~ He really does know a freakishly large amount about plants

3.)Instead of looking at hot chicks on the computer(Porn) he is looking at fish. I think it is porn the way he gets excited! Yep, my husband is into fish porn and that is OK with me!

4.) He keeps showing me pictures of him with hair. He thinks he looks hot with hair. He doesn't realize I PREFER him bald! You're hot cue ball!

5.)He cries during sad parts of movies ~ You know like when Indie lost his whip

6.) Although he is large in stature he is soft at heart

7.)When I am down he is up. He is the Ying to my Yang (don't read too much into that...this is a clean blog suitable for children of all ages or maybe at least pg13)

8.)Unlike most men he is teachable. You know the old saying you can't teach a old dog new tricks? WRONG!!! I broke this puppy in from day 1! Bringing me my favorite bagel with cream cheese with a super big gulp. He is my house bitch OK, that's not nice but he is totally trained not to mention the fact that he does these things because he loves me so much. He makes me feel special!

9.)He loves our children. One of my favorite things about him is that he can make up a story about anything and entertain the kids. They beg him for stories. He has done this for 11 years now! He has loved my kids like his own. He has been their dad in every sense of the word even when their own dad wasn't. I am teary eyed thinking about this as I am typing it.

10.)He loves me for who I am . He loves me on big hair days and on good hair days. He loves me in fat years or in thin years. I am just as appealing either way. He loves me when we are poor or when we have a abundance. He loves me when I am happy or when I am medicated and trying to be. He loves me for who I am and tells me. That is why I love him!

All right for all you blogophiles who love looking into the deep dark corners of people's lives....this will distinguish my husband from yours.. He can fold his tongue into a four leaf clover! Very intriguing eh?

Ladies...Need I say more??? He's a great Kisser

*****Clarification*******

We knew someone who called her husband their house bitch and we were shocked and yet we laughed our butts off in private! I like to tease Tony in private he is my house bitch...I think he might be horrified when he reads I wrote that. Ease up honey... just a little giggle between the two of us Ü

Every lucky wife needs one!

Love This Video

This is so funny. How come I never go to weddings that are this cool? And why didn't I think of it? I SO could have done just as good of a job! Shoot!!

Latest And Greatest!

I have been thinking about a few thoughts and new finds I have found that I am delighted over and thought I'd share a few!!

1.) A sick 4 year old is MUCH better than a sick 2 year old! They can make it to the toilet to puke and if they feel to weak to make it to the toilet then they ask for a bucket. Delightful!

2.) Wal Mart Fresh and Easy store carries refrigerated pizza dough that is really tasty and only costs $1.18!It's just like homemade dough! It makes a 12" pizza or a Stromboli! I was so excited when I had nothing planned for dinner and was walking aimlessly through the store when I spotted it! Plus, I already had pizza sauce at home and all the toppings! (weird that I actually had that!) Dinner was ready in 20 minutes and only cost me $2.36 (for two pizzas) AWESOME!!!

3.) I wanted to buy a new patio set but hadn't gotten around to it. One Saturday morning I went to a garage sale late in the day. The people were closing down shop for the day. The lady told me she forgot to put out a patio set and she doesn't want it anymore! She asked if I wanted it for FREE! It isn't super cute, but with some new cushions and a cute umbrella it is great...Plus it was FREE!

4.)I know I have mentioned this before, but it is still a awesome new find for me! Imagine my surprise and delight when my high school best friend who I had not seen in 20 years emailed me! She had found my blog on the Internet and was able to find where I live. She lives just around the corner from me! Cool!

5.) Brownie Mallow Bars~I found this recipe and it is sickly rich and yet delish! The top layer reminds me of a bar my girlfriend Corrine made years ago that I loved. It is a brownie layer, next a marshmallow layer, then a peanut butter chocolate crisp layer. I think it just might be the ultimate PMS dessert of choice! MMM. I think maybe my mouth is watering here...

6.) Catching up with long lost relatives! OK, maybe it isn't so long ago but we kind of lost touch with my cousins that live here in Arizona. I kind of felt that one of them really didn't like me so I just wasn't going to contact any of them. I found my cousin Sherry's blog through Julie's blog and began reading it! I found I really like the person she has become! We have since gotten together and we now have our weekly dates at McDonald's! The kids play and have a good time and Sherry and I have fun visiting! It has been great and made the adjustment living here easier! I am going to get together with another one of my cousins soon and hope it goes as smooth as getting to know Sherry has been!

7.) Discovering Arizona has a Krispy Kreme store and a Great Harvest store!

I am not a real big doughnut person, but once in a blue moon I love a hot doughnut from Krispy Kreme. It has probably been about 3 years since I had one, but we discovered a Krispy Kreme not too far away and had to go get one! The girls think it is the coolest place ever! I love a fresh hot doughnut!

We used to get our bread from Great Harvest bakery in Utah. I loved it and so did the kids! They would throw a fit just to be able to go with me to the bakery. The bakery gives you a huge slice of bread while you are in line to buy the bread. I think it was Zach's favorite errand to help me run. They have the best honey whole wheat, white, and sunflower bread. Tony has just located one here so I am planning a trip with the kids next week! Cool a field trip!

8.) Blogging! I am not that new to it, but it still feels new and delightful. I have recently gotten (with the help of other nagging family members) all of my family started in blogging! Yep, all 8 of us have taken the plunge and I am lovin reading about everyone's day to day happenings and seeing pictures of my sweet nieces and nephews that I don't get to see as much as I'd like to. I think through blogging I have heard more from mom in a month than maybe I did all last year!Awesome! She is a funny lady and reading her posts reminds me of just how funny she is!

Also through blogging I have made some friends! I am a little freakish when I am around people I don't know very well. I say the most inappropriate things and am just socially inept! Once I get to know someone I relax and can be myself but it is a painful process getting there. I like blogging because I can just be me and not worry about being weird.I am who I am. And ~so far~you like me !!you really, really like me!! ( My Oscar moment there!) OK, maybe you don't like me a THAT much, but you have made me feel welcome and somewhat comfortable! I have had fun getting to know new people and I have had fun! The lunch we had last week with some bloggin buddies was fun! I like that these women are just as fun in person as they are on their blogs!

9.) El Ranchito sells masa already made for tamales! I have been wanting to try to make homemade tamales for years now! I have seen them made on the Food Network before but have felt uneasy trying to make the masa! Well the little Mexican food store Tony and I found for the 4th had Masa already made in the refrigerator section! I am now totally going to try to make homemade tamales. I have a great Mexican meat mix that is in a green chili sauce that I think is good and so I am going to make that for the filling!I love homemade tamales! I remember vacations in Ensenada Mexico when I was growing up and the ladies would bring around fresh tortillas and tamales. I always thought they were amazing. Now I will be amazing too (hopefully)

10.) A new web site that I got from someone commenting on my blog. She and her sister started this blog when they were trying to get their food storage together and they have documented their finds. I like it and it had some good tips to help me with getting my food storage started!http://www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net/

11.) Zumba~ I was going to the gym 4-5 times a week working my BUTT OFF! with my trainer. I was the only fat chick (or fat person) there. it was humilating and horribly uncomfortable but I did it. I never missed a training session with Amy. By the end she was saying I really surprised her with how hard I was working! I was Motivated! Well, Amy was moving to the bay area and so we were cramming in the last of my sessions so I could finish off with her. On my very last day, I was working so hard I thought I was going to puke. I figured go big or go home right? Well, this man stood behind me over by the weights where all of the body builders were and started mocking me! He thought he was so funny. I heard him laughing then I finally caught what he was saying. I was MORTIFIED!! I of course made the situation even more unbearable by starting to cry. In front of all these ripped perfect bodies. Who were watching the fat chick fall apart!

I felt destroyed! I have been a wimp and not gone back since! I am such a baby. I want to but am afraid to go. Oh look the fat chick who had a nervous breakdown has finally come back! Well, I have been depressed and have struggled with getting my butt to the gym. I saw on the class schedule that they were now offering Zumba classes. I didn't know what it was until I saw this on Youtube! I love it! I think this might be the thing that helps me just do it! Get back in the gym! And~ I think I am going to have to just embrace the humiliation! It's a given right? can you picture me in this class? I think my butt and arm fat are going to be moving more than the rest of me, but hey~ I'm having fun right? Maybe I ought to go balls out and buy a outrageous exercise outfit for the class too! As long as I am making a spectacle of myself~ Fat chick at the Gym, Fat chick's fat moving in ways she can't control, What? fat chick on the floor unable to get a breathe... I might as well embrace and go crazy right? Maybe I'll even go for a sexy belly shirt! Hehehe! Anyhow, love Zumba and SERIOUSLY thinking of doing it!!!! YIKES!

So do you have any new finds that you love?

How To Dance In The Rain~

I found this on my mom's blog and I decided to pull a Sherry and hork it! ( Love Sherry!)

For some reason this story really resonates with me. It is of course about the balance I have been struggling to find in my life. Don'tcha worry sometimes that if you don't slow down to be IN the moment you are going to miss out? I want to let go of the daily stresses. I want my peace! I keep thinking lately how much my kids have grown. Sometimes I feel freaked out wondering Whoa~ Where did the time go? Can you tell it has been bothering me? I post about this an awful lot. It's a kind of therapy for me. Working it out in my head and my heart. But I really feel as if I had been living in a dream like state for the past year. Waiting for life to happen to me instead of making it happen.Isn't it funny how when we start focusing on something, we start to hear the message and find it was all around us? We just weren't ready to hear it? Well, I am ready to hear it and AM doing everything I can to live it!

How To Dance In The Rain~
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,

'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic.

True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one that comes along that has an important message. This one I thought I could share with you.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain

Hot Dog Puke and Addictions~ What a Day!

Last night I went to bed at almost 3! Jennifer brought over some books last night. I had intentions of starting the Twilight book she brought over, but I just couldn't resist the Sophia Kinsella book instead! Why mess with a good thing you know? I already know I am going to love that book, but the twilight book is a crap shoot!
So.. couldn't put the book down. Finally forced myself to stop at 3 am. Figured I would sleep in a little and have the kids take the baby!
Whoops~I was totally wrong on that one! I woke up at 6:30 am to the pungent sickly familiar smell of puke laced with hot dogs! You know the smell...It is the worst possible kind of puke situation! Ughhh. Grace is sick as a pig! Dragged my sorry butt out of bed got her cleaned up, cleaned the pillow and laid back down. 15 minutes later, I was wearing chunks of hot dogs. HELP ME, PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!! I swear, anything but hot dog puke! Well, I got grace and I bathed, and It was OK. For about half and hour! Now instead of hot dog puke I am getting to clean up hot dog poop! OK, maybe the smell wasn't so much hot dog, but it WAS just as offensive. Maybe I shouldn't have prayed for anything but hot dog puke! sighhhh. Back to the bath!
So this has how our day has been. I think I still smell. Nice! I don't think there are any chunks in my hair though. Grace~ That could be another story!
Grace has been beside herself today so I haven't been able to put her down. We fell asleep for about a hour. I woke up with a wicked headache!
Got Rachelle to take Grace and at about 3:30 I realized why I feel so crappy...Holy freakin addiction folks! No diet coke! Gotta feed the beast here. Made my way to circle K to get my fix. Have you ever noticed when you are dying for a soda cause you are so freakishly addicted that the first sip is heavenly? It burns going down (Heaven) and you begin to wonder if 52 ounces of love in a cup is going to be enough to pull you through the next few hours of vomit and crap!
I am counting down the hours here until Tony gets home and I can hand off the kidlets, grab my book and go hide for a few hours! Maybe in even in the bath! Get rid of the smell and escape! Novel idea! Jennifer~ you just might be the one who in the end saved my sanity today! Way to go! Thanks for the books ~oh~ my family probably thanks you too! At least I know there is a good end to a bad day!
What a Day!

Funny Or Not?

Zachary found this T shirt and wants me to buy it for school. My husband thinks it's sacrilegious.I'm not sure. It's funny. Good Message right? Ok, I know it's kind of a joke, but I love the Jesus is my homie Tshirts too!

So what do you think? Appropriate or not? Do you think he'd get in trouble at school?

Oh and when I was posting this he wanted to know if I wanted to take a picture of him crapping and post it too since I was so obsessed with blogging! Nice eh?

52 Blessings Project ~Week 28

This Week I Am Grateful For~ Sunday Suppers

I don't know about you, but around here getting 8 people bathed, dressed, and out the door in time for church is exhausting and stressful! Every Saturday I am on everyone yelling~Find your shoes, put them by the door, Wash your church clothes, Bathe tonight, etc, etc. I am always thinking ok, if we prepare today then tomorrow will be less chaotic! Wishful thinking so far, but hey~ I am a optimist and know eventually know we will get there!
Well, one thing I like to do on Saturday is to prepare as much of Sunday's dinner as I can! Last night the girls helped me make the Jello salad, we par boiled the ribs to be BBQ , we made the dough for the rolls and Hannah even made some cupcakes!
I love to come home from church and have very little to do. We use disposable containers for the food and paper plates for the table.It feels so good. Like a reward for actually going to church! We come home, and just have to pop everything in the oven or on the grill and dinner is ready in 10-15 min.
I love sitting around the table. It is loud, and funny, and peaceful all at once for me. Since everything was done the night before it is a stress free time to sit down and just enjoy time with my family! We hear such crazy stories from the kids and we connect! It is my favorite part of the entire week! Believe it or not, it actually motivates me to go to church! Weird eh?
Family time with the kids, around the table. Their undivided attention! For that I am very grateful!

Do Ya Think?

Tony and I had to go pick up Zach today then we ran to the store. When we got home I got a good look at Ethan and asked Hey~ How come no one changed Ethan's diaper??

Hannah said, why mom do ya think it needs to be changed? It's not bad. He isn't poopy!

So I ask ya..Do ya think he needs to be changed? Hmmm. Maybe it's just me. Crazy!

And~ Hasn't anyone taught her yet? Crack Kills!

If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear

Last night at church we had classes on emergency preparedness. It was a good kick in the butt for Tony and I to refocus on getting our 72 hour emergency kits together and to start working on our food storage! One of the speakers kept asking questions like~ Who has their 72 hour kits now? Who has a one week food supply? Who has a one months, two, three month supply ready? I told Tony Crap I feel like I'm being called out here!
It was interesting. They played a interview by Ted Koppel talking about the dire situation our country is in because of our failure to be prepared for a emergency. There were people there who lived in San Fransisco during the earthquake of 89 and they gave examples of what a blessing it was to have the supplies they needed until the electricity was up and running again and things were back on track again.
What kind of difference did it make for the people who lived through hurricane Katrina to have a personal supply of food and water? How about the folks in the Midwest going through the flooding right now?
This was a good reminder "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"
We are recommitting ourselves to become more self reliant and ready for any kind of disaster that comes our way.
So my dear family and friends~ Are you prepared? Are you able to sustain your family for a few days in case of a emergency? If not I would like to challenge you to go to the American Red Cross web site and read about building a 72 hour kit. Start small ~but start. What a blessing it would be to be able to know you can take care of your family if the unimaginable happened!


The following is a recipe I brought last night. It is one of our favorites for using food storage because it uses no eggs or dairy~ Just items you can store long term. My kids are sweet junkies. I like to know if something happened I would be able to cook something occasionally that would be comforting to them! I had lots of requests for the recipe so I am going to post it here for you! Try it~ it's good and easy! Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Cake
3 1/3 C. flour plus
2 C. brown sugar
1/2C. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
2C. water
2/3 C oil
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C Chocolate chips
1 tbsp flour

Combine first 5 ingredients (dry)
Stir in liquids
Stir 1 c. chocolate chips and 1 tbsp flour together
Fold into cake batter
Sprinkle top of cake with remaining chocolate chips
Pour into a ungreased 9 X 13 pan
Bake 350 for 35 to 40 min or until cake springs back slightly when touched
Dust with pwdr sugar

Variations of cake recipe~
Chocolate Chip cake~leave out the cocoa and vanilla
you can add 1c. nuts and you can change the chips to vanilla

Apple Spice~omit cocoa and vanilla. Stir in 2 tsp ground allspice to flour mixture.Reduce water to 1 C. and add 1 C. applesauce.
You can also add raisins or dehydrated apples chunks to this!

Who Loves A Good Bargain??

Calling all shoppers......I was just at Deseret Book today and WOW! They are having such a fabulous sale right now! They said it is the biggest sale they have ever had in Deseret's history!

There are hundreds of items on sale for 50-90% off! I got a really cute recipe box for $1.90, a Ctr ring that was normally $32. for $8, and some great books for the kids for under $1.00! I even got some fun CD's for $1.99!

Anywhoo~ Check it out at your local store. So much to buy...not enough money!!!

Weird, Wild Weather!

The Monsoon's are here! Woohoo!
Tonight the skies started to darken and the wind started to blow! The skies started to light up with lightening! When Tony and I got out of church the rain had begun! It was such a wild, fun storm tonight! Here are some pictures of the storm I took! We were watching TV after it had been raining for about a hour and you could hear the rain just pouring. It got so loud Rachelle and Hannah ran outside to look at it! Rachelle came back inside soaking wet and told me Hannah was still outside~ Here she is! Soaked to the bone! Within a minute or less she was absolutely soaked! Can you see how hard it was raining?
The news tonight said the wind was clocked blowing 80 miles a hour~the same as a category 1 hurricane. The rain had already fallen almost 2 inches in under a hour and flights at the airport were grounded until the weather mellowed out!
FINALLY!!!! Weather in Arizona I actually LOVE! Yep, I'm a happy girl Ü


I had to take about 30 pictures just to get one of the lightining! Guess I need a camera that is faster!

Absence Makes My Heart Grow Fonder

Many years ago We took one of our children to the pediatrician. We were afraid they had ADHD.After a lengthy exam the Dr had a diagnosis for us. He sat us down and said I'm afraid I have some bad news. I know what the problem is and it's not good! We were so worried. What could it be?? Something worse than what we thought? Was is some grave illness? Well the doctor explained that although the condition is awful, it is not rare. He then leaned in and said your child suffers from...teenage buttholeitis!!!
Oh my gosh! We laughed our butts off!
Dr Lofgren told us there was nothing wrong with this child they were just being a bratty teenager!
Well over time that has been how we describe our teenagers...suffering from teenage buttholeitis!
I find myself feeling overwhelmed sometimes and I get frustrated with my kids easily. I think I fail to recognize the good in them sometimes and I focus on what is frustrating me at the moment!
About two weeks ago we had some people from church come over and extend a invitation to Zachary to attend scout camp. Zachary has refused to go to scouts for years now. He hated it! Brother Allen promised Zach if he agreed to go they could get him caught up and on track to receive his eagle scout. Cool huh? Zach was hesitant to go but eventually gave in and decided to go.
He has been gone since Monday and I find myself missing that little bugger since he has been gone! I want to make sure when he returns I let him know I appreciate who he is!
I have been thinking what a good boy he truly is! When I assign the kids their weekly jobs he may complain and give me a hard time at first but then wham~ he busts it out! He does a amazing job too! He had the kitchen before he left and I would wake up to find my kitchen sparkling! He knows I love to have my kitchen clean and so when I am having a hard day he has this little twinkle in his eye and the cutest smile after he does a amazing job and then comes to me to see how I like the job he did!
He has a compassionate side to him but he doesn't like you to point it out! He has NEVER liked attention drawn to him that way!
I have observed some of my friends kids who are a similar age and I can't help but think how lucky I am! Zachary has his teenage butthole moments, however he is a amazing kid. I think Heavenly Father has given me the kids he has as a blessing to me ! They are so good! I expect so much out of my kids and for the most part they arise to the occasion!
Anyhow, I have been thinking about my boy, wondering if he is having a good time, and have been thinking how much I love that kid! I hope he is having a good time and I am so glad he made the decision to go!
When I think about these things it encourages me to be a more patient mom. To express my love to them more, and to make sure they know how grateful we are as parents for all they do to contribute to our family!
Oh~ If he sees this post he is going to be pissed! He HATES it when I talk about him ESPECIALLY on THE BLOG!!
How do you think he is gonna like that I posted that pic of him being weird?? I just had to...It is so Zachary! He is always goofing around!