Cookie Turkeys

     We made these fun lil turkeys at a playdate at our house last week. They were a perfect activity for our kids at their young age.
     We used icing to stick everything together. Grab a Nutter-Butter & white Oreo cookie (use the double-stuffed ones) and "glue" them together with icing, then stick 7 candy corns in the oreo filling as the feathers. Pipe some icing on the top then stick M&M's as eyes, a half candy corn standing up as the nose, and a Nibs red licorice as the waddle. We also added two mini chocolate chips on top of the eyes.
     And there you have it!! Adorable edible kid friendly turkeys! Gobble gobble. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Rag burp cloths

     I made these rag burp cloths for my niece that will be born this week (sorry if you see this early Lori, it won't be much of a surprise!!) I love big burp cloths that are nice & thick. Because let's face it, moms, when that baby spits up it, it usually misses the burp cloth. So, full-coverage is a plus!! And the thicker, the better! So there's a nice absorbing layer between the flannel. My friend, Anna, gave me a set of burp clothes similar to these for our last baby, and I just LOVED them! So I made a few to give to my sis-in-law. It's surprising how happy a nice burp cloth can make you as a sleep-deprived mom of a new little bundle of joy!! ;)

They make my heart happy

     Derek & I are blessed with the cutest kids! How can you feel sad or down when you look over and see Dylan wearing his famous goggles? Or how nerve-wracking can that shopping trip really be when you see Ashley picking out the pinkest high heel shoes to try on and model? Or is bedtime really that hard when you see the 3 most important men in your life giving you their biggest brightest smiles? And you can't help but see Carson's twinkle in his eye as he imagines riding that snowmobile by himself in the powder.
     We are so blessed to have each of these special spirits in our lives. We love their uniqueness and individuality and are so greatful for the part each one adds to our little family!!
    

Seasonal Wood Blocks

     I have been wanting to do these blocks for a long time......a couple of years, in fact! But you know how crazy life gets! And even after I did get these done, the kids got a hold of them and wrecked some of my letters. Aw, but why get upset now? These have been in progress for a few years now, what's another couple MONTHS? ;)
     The idea for these came from Kierste over at my favorite blog, "Brown Paper Packages." She did hers in red and they look fabulous! That truly is the hardest part of the whole project -- deciding what color to paint them. I FINALLY decided on a distressed black so I can add splashes of different colored ribbons and doo-daws for the different seasons.
     And with 7 blocks I can make all these words:
Dream
Harvest
Blessed
Welcome
Friends
Faith
Family
Spooky
Monster
Winter
Freedom
Snow
Home
Hope
Mother
Easter
Be Mine

New Jeans

     I'm in the stage between. I've lost weight and am down a size. But I'm a size away from my goal (and all the jeans in my drawer.) I've been putting it off for awhile now--- I just didn't want to buy new jeans for the "in-between" stage. But I'm tired of feeling frumpy and wearing pants that are too baggy. I want to feel good and celebrate what I've accomplished! So, I broke down and did it! I bought two shnazzy new pairs of jeans tonight! And I LOVE them!!! Isn't it amazing how a new pair of jeans that fit oh-so-good can make you feel?! Just wearing them motivates me to keep going on my journey. I can do it!! And why not feel good WHILE I'm doing it! :)

Halloween 2011

     Our ward Halloween party was a few weeks ago, & as you can see, Carson's costume changed from a dinosaur to an army guy by then. He said he couldn't be an army guy without his gun (I wouldn't let him take his gun to the church.) So he had fun whapping everyone with his big dinosaur tail instead.
     Ashley wanted to be a princess again this year & thankfully her Sleeping Beauty dress still fit. We sprayed gold sparkles in her hair and she was the cutest princess ever!
     Dylan was a little stud pirate. He loves wearing hats lately, so he had no trouble keeping that hat on. What a little tough guy!
     Halloween evening we first stopped by Grandma Cox's place where she gave the kids some yummy snickerdoodles & candy, not to mention her sweet hugs & kisses. Then we flew on our broomsticks over to Grandma & Grandpa Anglin's house where we enjoyed a sloppy Joe dinner & time with the Anglin cousins while we trick-or-treated down G & G's street. It was a cold windy night but we all bundled up and had witchingly good time!!
    

Pumpkin Carving & Painting

     Thanks to our friend's advice, we bought a little pumpkin carving kit from Walmart this year. So we have COOL pumpkins!! Derek's is V from V for Vendetta, Carson's is a scary pumpkin (which he carved by himself this year!), Ashley's is a spooky cat, & mine is a haunted house (hard to see in our pics.) They all turned out awesome!
     We also grew a couple pumpkins this year, but they didn't turn orange. Didn't matter to Carson & Ashley who were so excited to paint them. This is such a fun time of year with fun activities for the kids!!

The Leaves are Falling Down!

     The kids got to play in some great autumn leaves at Aunt Tiffany's house while mommy ran some errands in town. We just love the action photos that Aunt Tiffy caught!!

50 Marathons --- Derek's Mom

     This year my mother-in-law Debbie completed her 50th Marathon!! Wow! How amazing is that?! Coincidentally her 50th marathon was at the Logan, Top of Utah ---- where she also completed her first Marathon (in '97 or '98 when Derek & I were first dating.) I am so inspired by her determination & dedication. The training and persistence that goes in to something like this is phenomenonal!
     In celebration of this awesome milestone, I asked my friend, Cori, to make one of her beautiful cakes. Didn't it turn out AMAZING?!! The inside is chocolate with a raspberry filling. She designed the outside to reflect Debbie's runs in the city (the bottom) and her runs in the mountains (the top.)
     We each have goals we are striving to achieve. And we CAN ACHIEVE them----

Persistence.
     Determination.
            One step at a time.
                  Iron will.
                       Consistency.
        Faith in ourselves & God.

               And picking ourselvesback up when we fall!

Finish your race, whatever it is, & never give up. Just keep going.........Just keep going!!!