I Looked Out the Window and What Did I See...

I've got you singin' in your head about now, right?  Well, you should be because I did see popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

This was taken last week.

This is the tree right now.

You may or may not remember my post about my apricot tree last summer.  It's bigger than our house and just as decorated!  I was begging people to take the golden orbs so I wouldn't have to feel guilty for tossing the excess.

Some people took me up on the offer but when they came to do some picking, they were sorry.  One lady lamented that she thought she'd only be picking for 15 minutes and just have to stand on the ground.  She brought her 14 year old son but he didn't want to climb the ladder because of high anxiety! 

google image

It doesn't bother me to get on that towering ladder to pick apricots for the partakers!  As long as the apricots are gone, I'll risk life and limb.
When the "pickers" leave with only 4 boxes filled with apricots, I beg them to take 4 more!  I fall on my knees to show my sincerity then realize i'm kneeling in 3 inches of apricot squash. 
My hubs has suggested spraying the tree to prevent the blossoms from turning into fruit.  That seems immoral.   If the fruit was curbed naturally, I'd feel better.  It's supposed to freeze tonight.  Maybe I won't have to worry about adding to my supply of apricot jam, apricot syrup, apricot nectar, dried apricots, apricot leather and apricot pictures! (I sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump!)
I'll let you know what happens.  If the frost doesn't rid the tree of its fruit, you better keep your doors locked, because I'll be doing a drop-and-run to those who live close to me!

Spring Break...where did you go?

I knew on Friday, the moment we put our 12 kiddos on the bus, laden with Easter eggs, that  our week-long Spring Break would go by way too fast and I wouldn't be ready to return to work.  I knew it, and yet, here I am, wishing I had either done more or done less during that time.

Here are some things I didn't do during spring break:

I didn't set my alarm.  I woke up when I wanted! (It was heavenly)

Because of that, I didn't get to the gym as often as I should have.

google image

I had great plans for organizing and cleaning my house.  It didn't happen!

Enough of the negative, here are some things I DID do:

Got my eyebrows waxed and tinted (this is how they looked after the cute little student was finished!)

Met up with blogging friends! (posted about this earlier)

Watched General Conference.

Did some reading.  It's a great book.  I recommend it.

Shared some love at Jeanette's birthday dinner.

Went to Clark Planetarium

where we went to the moon!

Enjoyed the company of....the Corbanator!

And Dan! 

Did some baking.

Had some good family time.

Last and definitely not least, got to hold baby Aly after her blessing...Ahhhh!

It really has been a good Spring Break and I should be ready to go back to work.  Only 6 more Mondays after today!  I'll take a deep breath, put on my shoes and go!

Did any of you get a spring break?  Hope your past week was good.

Bella Ragazza - Jeanette!

Or is it Ragazza Bella?  Either way, it's time to say "HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY!" to beautiful Jeanette! 

We had a GNO at Macaroni Grill to celebrate Jeanette's birthday!   She was serenaded in Italian, given a big piece of chocolate cake and a gladiola!  She kept the flower, we all ate the cake!

Jeanette is one of the favorite aunts! 

She goes to her niece's basketball game and really gets in to it. (Notice she's the only one) 

Jeanette returned from an LDS mission to Houston 7 months ago.  She's now going to school, majoring in art and minoring in Spanish.

She's planning on going to El Salvador to volunteer at an orphanage and teach art to the children.

. 

Girls like Jeanette are one in a million! 

We love you!  Happy Birthday!

Blog-abducting at its finest

Several weeks ago I posted about my blog being hi-jacked by my 30+ year old son. (I can't remember his real age at the moment so the + sign signifies he's a little older than 30) I do remember his name.  It's Dan, my 30+, highly intelligent, artistic genius son, who came from Albuquerque for a much appreciated visit to our home!  When I say appreciated I mean that we were all very excited to see that tall, handsome, lad! 

I was in the process of writing a post on my blog when he arrived and because of my excitement to see him and needing to attend to dinner preparations, I left my blog opened and vulnerable.  While I was busily mashing potatoes, carving the roast beast and putting out a spread to beat all spreads, Dan was busily changing my recently published posts! 

The next morning, while perusing through new comments, I noticed something that caught my eye.  Someone had mentioned duct tape!  Duct tape?  I quickly went to my post and to my surprise and confusion, read about my newborn baby being wrapped completely in duct tape before bringing her home from the hospital.  Duct tape was used as seat belts, soap was an ingredient in peach cobbler and I smeared peach cobbler on my face for an anti-aging cream! 

Dan had added his flair to my rather boring, but honest, posts!  I have since forgiven him and even offered to have him be a guest blogger.  He wants to take it one step further.  He suggests that blog hi-jacking or blog-napping should be the wave of the future.

Imagine for a moment, if you will, a window of time where our passwords are all the same.  Perhaps for 15 minutes, once a week, the password is "Punked."  In that length of time, someone can come to your blog or you could go to someone else's and switch up a post!  It's similar to inviting the tooth fairy by putting a tooth under your pillow.  You're not sure what that winged creature will leave.  There could be nothing and the tooth owner would be disappointed. (Believe me, I know.  I've seen it in the faces of many a child.  Darn, that forgetful tooth fairy!)  Maybe a measley quarter would take the place of the tooth.  But for the lucky one, a ten-dollar-bill and a bicycle could be under the pillow! Either way, it's a surprise and would make you want to get up early in the morning and check out your own blog! 

Can you see how this would work?  Kristina could confiscate a blog about mothering,  Wendy could add her flair to Pioneer Woman,  I could totally change up a craft tutorial on Blue Cricket Design.   The possibilities are endless!

If one of my future posts seem to be "off the wall" or a little out of the ordinary, never fear.  It means Dan has once again tapped into my blog, or I have finally developed a personality.

Let the Sun Shine

We got a solar oven for Christmas!  We were so excited to try it!  Every Saturday, when the sun was shining, we set it up in the back yard (Jacob was glad it was in the back, he didn't want the neighbors to think we're weird)  No sooner did we have it set up, the clouds would come and the sun would be hidden. We'd end up bringing it back in the house without being able to bake anything.  This picture was taken several different times throughout the winter! 

Two Saturdays ago, we set it up and the clouds stayed away!  Finally!  I quickly mixed up some cupcakes and baked them in our outdoor oven!

Voila!  They baked just as well as if they were in my kitchen oven!

I hope that if the time comes that we really need to use the sun for power, it will be in the spring and summer. We'll starve if it's winter!

Click here to go to the Sun Oven website.

Getting Ready for Kindergarten, Modesty, and Misunderstanding

Five-year-old Cy went to the doctor for his kindergarten check-up and immunizations.  He wasn't happy about the shots, especially when the nurse told him he had to pull his pants down to his knees.   He got 4 shots; one in each leg and in each arm!  That's cruel and unusual punishment! 

Later that night, Mom told Mr. Cy and seven-year-old Miss Em to put on their pajamas.  Cy reminded her that he needed to remove the band-aids covering his shots.  Mom, who was nursing the baby at the time, told him to come to her and she'd take the band-aids off for him. 
He looked at Em then back at his mother, "Mom," he said confidentially, "remember? I got the shots in my private area?"  
With wide eyes, Em said in horror, "He got shots in his nipple?" 

Weekend Activities

This has been a busy weekend but I'll keep it short and sweet with only a few pictures.  Easter weekend is my favorite when....the following week is spring break and General Conference is on Easter Sunday!

The weather held out for the egg hunt with the grandkids. 

K.J.'s "basket" was so heavy that Grandpa followed her around with the hand truck! (Some kids get all the breaks)

.....................................................................

Later that night, I joined some real live blogging buddies in real life!  Ann, from An Old Fashioned Girl; Heather, from Field of Heather; Sandra, from In This Small House; and Cherie, from Bakow Babble!  We visited for hours and it felt like we had known each other for years!

We're all checking to make sure the pictures turned out to our liking.  This one is especially flattering of me so why not post it?

.................................................................

We woke up to 6 inches of snow on Easter morning!  It's a good thing we had our outdoor activities the day before!

I made this yummy breakfast casserole to counteract the amount of chocolate I had eaten the past few days!  I don't think it worked.

Maple Sausage Casserole

1 package maple flavored sausage - browned

2 cups peeled and chopped golden delicious apples

6 cups cubed bread

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

10 eggs - slightly beaten

3 cups milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt 

Spray 9 x 13 pan

Place half of the bread crumbs in bottom of pan.   Add half the cooked sausage.  Mix apples with sugar and cinnamon.  Place half of the apples over sausage.  Sprinkle half of grated cheese over apples.  Repeat layers.   Mix eggs with milk, vanilla and salt. Pour over top of layers.  Bake 325 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until set.  It can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

This has a slightly sweet flavor with the apples.

....................................................................

Relaxing, while watching General Conference, was the perfect ending of this fabulous weekend! 

Take A Moment...

...to reflect on Christ - His life, His death, His resurrection, His example, His love.

Have a Blessed Easter!

A Moment of Fame

 Jill, will be on Studio 5 today!  She'll be modeling some clothes and accessories from Tai Pan!  Tune in at 11:00 a.m., if you're in the Salt Lake viewing area, and see my beautiful daughter!

There are some brave little soldiers outside my front door.

Welcome to Spring in Utah!

Hope you brave this winter weather and enjoy your Easter weekend!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole and WINNERS!!!

The worst part of having a giveaway is knowing that not everyone wins!

Thanks to all of you who entered.  Because it's April Fools Day, I'll post the names of the winners in a mixed-up fashion.  (That's the kind of fashion I'm in to) Just so you know, I haven't contacted these people yet to let them know they've won...so...it could be you!
Be sure to leave me a comment if it is you so I know that you know that I know...ya know!
Drum roll, please!

Cookbook

naemlee

Pedometer, athletic socks and band-aids

fenjiren gerros

Mary Kay make-up

eliju gink

Congratulations to the winners!

☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻

Here's something that isn't an April Fool's joke!  A delicious casserole that would be perfect for an Easter meal!  Even though there are just a few ingredients, it's still full of mouth-watering flavor!

 Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Place cubed, cooked chicken in bottom of a sprayed 9x13 pan.  (I used 3 chicken breasts and cooked in salted water until middle just turned white.)
Place ham slices then swiss cheese slices over chicken. (I got my ham slices from the deli, it doesn't take much. You can see that I was a little skimpy on the cheese but it still turned out great!)

Mix 1 can cream of chicken soup plus 2/3 cup milk and pour over chicken mixture.
Combine 1 box of stove top chicken stuffing with 1/3 cup softened butter in bowl and sprinkle over top of soup mixture. (I used turkey stove top)

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes if top is getting too brown. (I didn't have to cover mine)

Delicious!