Been on Vacation

This summer it seems like we have been out of town more than in town. We have had a great summer and hate for it to come to end! We have had the privelage of spending a lot of time with Grandma up north. I love Flagstaff...It is beautiful during the summer!

Grandma even lets them bring the gator up!

Our favorite hang out! Laying out in 85 degree weather under pine trees isn't so bad!

Clay had become such a great swimmer...I love this picture of him!

(Can't get this picture turned the right way) Only in Flagstaff you would be wearing a sweatshirt with a swimsuit. We had to get out of the pool a cpuple times because it started hailing on us.

My kids enjoying poolside service!

Looking for fish...can't get enough of the beautiful days!

Playing at the castle park!

Waitin for our pizza at Jackson's Grill. Yum!

Lauren wanting to get in the spa...

and poor Clay, running away from me...he is sick of all the picture taking!

End of Year & Beginning of Summer

Clay ended his preschool year having done an amazing job! We are so proud of him and love him so much! He amazes me everyday with the new things he is learning! I am so grateful for his wonderful teacher who has done a great job! Kind of a bittersweet moment to think my first child will be starting school! I know he is looking forward to it and I am sure by the end of the summer I will too! Here is him with his teacher, friends, & Lauren at his Graduation.







I have to say after Clay was out of school, I was a little nervous about having him home everyday and entertaining him. I have to be honest, I really wasn't looking forward to it!
But now that it is summer we are having a blast! We started the summer off with a Family Reunion in Williams (pics soon to come), since then we have been swimming, splash park, summer reading program, having fun with friends, and anything else that is free! We have been swimming so much that Clay has now learned to swim by himself! This is great for him and me! So far this has been a great summer!





Remember Sheila who got married in September? The Wedding in La Jolla that Clay & I were in. Well, now she is preggo with her first! She came down for her baby shower and I just thought I would through in a couple picks of her and us! Isn't she one of the cutest preggo mamas you've ever seen?

Mimi's Wedding

This post is a little late..but again it seems we have been more busy than ever! My Sis-in-law Melanie, (my kids call her Mimi) got married last month. It is always nice to have a new member of the family! Both kids were in the Wedding and I wanted to share some cute pics of them!

She loves her brother!

I love this one..


He always takes care of her..

She loves her pretty white dress and all the attention she got from it!

We were a little afraid that he wouldn't want to praticipate. I have never really believed in bribing your kids but this was an acception!

Shower Salads

These are the two salads I have brought to the last few showers I have helped with. There are a few of you that were wanting the recipes! The Pasta Salad is something I sort of threw toghether so they are not a lot of exact measurements. I hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Tiffany Higgins Dressing:

1 bag of Spinach
1 carton of Strawberries
1/2 Purple Onion

chop up the strawberries and purple onion and toss with spinach. This dressing makes the salad.

Tiffany Higgins Dressing:

1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil (if you don't have Grapeseed Oil you can substitute Olive Oil)
1/4 cup Agave Nectar (if you don't Agave you can substitute for 1/8 cup of sugar)
1/2 tsp Dried Mustard
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 cup Dellalo Rasberry Vinegar (I buy this at Sprouts)
1 tblsp Poppy Seeds

This is the key to the dressing: Blend all ingredients together in a blender then drizzle through the top of the blender spout the Grapeseed Oil. This will make a real thick dressing!


Mediterranean Pasta Salad:

1 box Penne Pasta
1 jar of Marinated Artichokes (from Costco)
1 carton of Grape Tomato's
1 16 oz can of Black Olives
1 carton of Feta Cheese (from Costco)

Cook the pasta and let cool add some Olive Oil so your noodles don't stick. Then chop the Artichokes, Tomato's, & Black Olive's and toss with the pasta. Then add the Feta Cheese. The rest of the ingredients is to your taste. I have never quite measured it out. For the dressing add Olive Oil and little Balsalmic Vinegar & Lemon Juice. Lots of Sea Salt, Pepper, a little Garlic Powder and Oregano! Remember it is to your taste!

OVERALL HEALTH & ESSENTIAL OIL CLASS

Just wanted everyone to know that next Thursday the 18th we will be having a Overall Health & Essential Oil Class by Tiffany Higgins. The Class will be at @ 6:30 PM. Please read about Tiffany on her webpage Health Origins. Please let me know if you are interested in attending. This will be a great class and you won't want to miss out!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

We have been busy...

busy with friends.

This is Lauren's Best Friend Sydney. They are pretty cute...

and their glasses too.



They love to play purses, babies, barbies, makeup, hair and did I mention dress up!



The tutu Sydney was wearing was mine when I was little. My cousin had a matching one that was white and we did this too.

My friend Bridgette (Sydney's & Ty's mom) & I trade kids sometimes... she usually takes the boys (Ty & Clay) and I take the girls! We are all very happy with this arrangment!

These girls are always so good for me! All they like to do is have fun!

A Quick Tip

I read on someone else's blog the other day about boiling your clothes with Biz. It is supposed to get out hard core stains and make your whites even whiter. So after doing a load of whites the other morning I decided to give this a try on Dallas's white t-shirts and socks. This is the amazing Stuff!

You will need to use a big pot so you can do a big batch. I fill the pot with water leaving a little room at the top , then I put one scoop of Biz per batch and let it boil for a few hours.

This is what is NOT coming out in your washing machine. Yikes! I had no idea! Remember I had JUST washed these before. I hope this doesn't gross you out. Just thought I would share. My whites are whiter and the stains are removed! I think I will do some dishtowels next, they could use a little sprucing!

The kids New Ride

My Grandma loves the kids to come out the farm and since she always wanting to see them more...she had plan that worked!

They are pretty pumped about their New Ride!

Now they can enjoy driving around the farm instyle...I just hope they don't run over any of the Workers!

I am thinking we will be going to the farm everyday.

Vitameata Vita-Mix Giveaway!

Chocolate-Covered Katie is giving away a free Vitamix! I have been wanting one of these for a long time! I hope I win!! Here is her link Vitameata Vita-Mix Giveaway .

The Duggars 20 & Counting

I just got done reading "The Duggars 20 & Counting". First I want to give kuddos to this mom for having 18 kids. I have NO idea how someone is able to do this and still be able to keep her sanity..because not only do you have 18 kids but those kids are going to have kids and pretty soon your gonna have 100 grandkids! Jim Bob & Michelle (the parents) do have some great advice on raising kids ( I would think so after having soo many). I loved reading about how they were able to run such an orderly home with such a big family! What an interesting book with great tips!!

A New Year

Now that it is 2010...of coarse I would love to tell you about all of the New Years Resolutions I made...but I am never able to keep New Year Resolutions. Instead I will tell you of things that I would like to see happen for my family & I in 2010!

1. The first thing would be to draw closer to our Savior Jesus Christ...I get so caught up in day to day things that sometimes I forgot our whole purpose of being here...wanting to add more of him into my family & I's life. Hoping to do better with FHE, prayers, scripture study and of coarse for once would love to make it to church on time!

2. The second most important thing to me is our Health. I am hoping to make my families food intake a little healthier...considering starting a new blog with some yummy Healthy Recipes...and of coarse like every year...hoping to exersice more!

3. Wanting to save more money and become debt free...which probably won't happen tommarow...but take more steps to help us do this sooner then later. Simplify a little more!

4. Hope to be a better mom, wife, friend and everything else...hoping to spend more quality time with my loved ones, be of service to those who are in need, teach my kids the important things in life, and be more PATIENT! I really have to work on my patientce.

A better wife...

a better mommy...

and a better friend!

5. Last but not least...Being more ORGANIZED...it would be nice to have our lives run real smooth but in order to do that you have to be organized! If you are feeling the same... Lara Gallagher over at The Lazy Organizer really inspires me to do so. You will have to read her blog...such great advice!

I know there are other things but to me these are the most important! Like I said I am sure all of these won't happen but I will try and do my best! To live a Healthy, Happy, Organized, Gospel-Fed Life!

In case you didn't get a Christmas Card....

In case I didn't get a Christmas Card to you...here are some pictures that my friend took (thanks Bridgette) out at my Grandparents Farm. They really made our Christmas Card this year!

Sitting inside of a Tractor Tire...

Lauren loves her pink cowgirl boots...


she loves to pose for the camera ( I think she takes after me)...

Aren't they cute?

And Handsome....

Clay loves horses and can ride this one bareback, with my dads help!

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

This is for those who were wanting my Cinnamon Roll Recipe! First, I have to make a confession the picture that I posted of them were not actually mine. I posted that picture because they looked exactly like mine! Remember my camera is broke so I couldn't take very good pictures of them! Also this actually not my recipe, the recipe came from my mother-n-law. But I like to pretend it is mine. Here is the recipe: I put all of the ingredients in my Bread Machine and set to the dough cycle. I just let it do the dough. I layer it in the bread machine in this order:

2 cups water
2 pkgs of yeast (about 4 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
6 1/2-7 cups flour

After the dough cycle is done. I roll out the dough, I pour 1 cube of melted butter on the dough and sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mixture over the melted butter. Then roll the dough and cut.

I think my frosting makes them and here is that recipe:

4 cups powdered sugar ( I always end up adding more)
1 cube melted butter
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup HOT water
1/2 tsp vanilla

I always add more powdered sugar and a little bit a milk. Do it to your taste!

Our Busy Weekend

I am going to start with Friday...which I spent all day making my homemade cinnamon rolls...to hand out to some friends...which were soo very good...and now after eating more than I should of... you could say I have got bigger "BUNS"!

Saturday was an all day event and we started with a Christmas Party with Dallas's Family... we didn't get to stay very long... and was sad we had to miss the part when his sweet Grandma sings "Poor Jack". Then off to the Suns Game to meet my family. My Grandma gets boxed seats once a year so this year the "married grandkids" had the privelage of going. It was so nice to sit in our own little area and be able to mingle, watch the game, and OMG EAT! We had soo much food and a dessert cart with so many choices...again with the "BUNS". By the time we left the game, picked up the kids and watched a little bit of a movie we didn't get to bed till after one!

This was my favorite part of the game...watching "The Golden Grannies" they were a crack up and could really dance... I think my Grandma wants to try out next year!

Sunday had to be up to make it to eight o'clock church...didn't get there until 9:00...just in time to teach my class...had another Christmas Party with Dallas's other side of the family...finally we are home...my house is a wreck...this is what happens when you have busy weekend and no time to clean up... we have had so much hussle and bussle this weekend I look forward to having a break for a few days before everything starts again! So much to do still but am so looking forward to Christmas! Even though busy weekends are soo hard... I love that we get to be with our family and friends!
I showed Mr. Krueger's Christmas today in class. I think my little class enjoyed it. It has a great Christmas Message! To order a free copy of one click here