The aftermath...

Jaxon has so many fun new toys to play with.

His favorite new toys are his Bakugan Dragonoid and his stomping dinosaurs.

Kyah has a new chest filled with princess dress up clothes.

She also loves to carry around her new Littlest Pet Shop animals.

Both kids received hand made quilts from their Grandma Kristi and lots of clothes (they just keep growing). Harley and I were just grateful to get to watch their excitement. We were also grateful for Harley's new video games and my digital picture frame and camera.

What a Christmas!! It was fun to

stay up late and play games, hang out with the families and eat lots of good food.

I am thankful for this time of year and for the giving spirit. I am thankful to celebrate the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, not only for his birth, but for his life, his perfect example and the greatest gift of love - the atonement.

T'was the night before Christmas....

So we made and decorated sugar cookies. We hung our stockings from the fireplace with care and we spent the night at Harley's parents and stayed up causing chaos until all hours of the morning.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Kids say ....

I work downtown and it tears me apart to see people sitting in the very cold weather and begging. Everyone in my family is very sensitive to this situation. It has always been a concern to help those in need. We are always wanting to do "something."

This Christmas my family and I put together "gift bags" for the homeless. It was a bag with an array of food/snacks, socks, mats and mittens. It's not a lot, but we hoped that it would be something "nice." In preparation of the deliver and in explanation of what we were doing I tried talking to Jaxon what being "homeless" was, based on our conversation I thought he understood and he was happy to help.

Last night we set about delivering these gift bags. Because it was later in the evening and because my kids are both sick, my Mom thought that we should not take them out in the cold. While we were driving around a few questionable blocks of downtown, we came upon a man who my Mom thought might appreciate a bag. She rolled down her window and asked if he needed some food and Jaxon yelled "And a house?" He thought that in addition to giving them the gift bags we should have brought wood, nails and paint and then he could have built them a house so they wouldn't be homeless.

I love my sweet boy. He is always wanting to build something to make life better. He constantly tells me he wants to build a house big enough for our family and both sets of grandparents and all of the siblings to live together. I hope that he holds onto the desire to make the world better and the belief that he can do something about it.

Give away...

The Vintage Pearl is having a give away. Check out her blog and her super cute jewelry. I want to give a necklace to everyone on my Christmas list. Really as a mom, I think necklaces with our children's names on them are sweet.

Grandpa Z

As promised here... During Thanksgiving we went up to my Great-Grandpa Z's house and spent time with him. He is 97 and is very ill and I am afraid will not be with us much longer. We had a lot of fun visiting with him and hearing old stories. I love to take my kids up there - they are the 5th generation and my Grandpa always gets a kick out of that.


My Grandpa loves to collect cars and tractors. Here are a few pictures from Grandpa Z's "Museum". Enjoy! This is a Studebaker. I can't remember the year (I will have to ask), but this is the only Studebaker of this model and year currently rebuilt and running in the country. My Grandpa is pretty proud of that.

This is a 1915 Jeffery with all original 14,000 miles. This is one of my favorites.

This truck was gorgeous! It has inlayed wood in the bed. This is the exact same truck my Grandpa used to have on the farm, so he found one and had it fixed up.

The kids LOVED playing in the cars. They both fought over who got to drive. Jaxon was amazed and how many different cars there were.

Model T

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang anyone?? That's all I can think of when I see this car.

Some of Grandpa's tractors. He had a row of John Deeres, a row of McCormicks and a row of the Allis Chalmers.

"I can take you for a ride on my big, green tractor... as long as I'm with you, it really don't matter..."

Jaxon and his Great-Great Grandpa. Kyah loves to say "Grandpa Z" it sounds more like Granpa Zeeee. I love it!

Give away...

Half Baked is giving away a $100 gift certificate to Crate & Barrel. To enter click here.

Christmas shopping anyone?

Rubbermaid Puddle

While Black Friday shopping I purchase a Rubbermaid tupperware set similar to the one above. It's totally nerdy but I was excited about all of the matchy - matchy that was going to be going on in my fridge. The set I bought had a very large piece that all the smaller pieces fit inside (awesome). Last night the entire thing melted into a puddle at the bottom of my oven (not so awesome).

So, the other day in my hurry to pick up my house before someone came to look at it I threw my brand new set of tupperware in the oven to get it off my countertop. In the hurry of trying to put my kids to bed and make a killer cheesecake to hopefully win the church dessert contest - I preheat the oven to 350 degrees before tucking my kids into bed.

Guess what MORON forgot to take the tupperware out of the oven?!?!?!?!?!? As I walked into the kitchen to refill Jaxon's water glass I was assaulted by the stench of burning plastic. ___________________!!!!!! (This represents all of the happy thoughts that went through my brain at that moment.) After wishing I could kick myself 27 times I came to my sense and started the clean up. This is what came out of my oven (after it had cooled).

This is what was left of my lovely 26 piece set, well this and the giant piece of plastic that my dad had to sand off of my oven rack. Note to self - DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN AS STORAGE!!!!!

So... Behind...

I have things to post about, just not the pictures to back it up. I will try and get the pictures uploaded and some updating done this weekend.

But, until then ... a few things that we've been running around doing.

Thanksgiving baking - Yum, Yum, Yum! Pies galore all homemade of course (pumpkin, razzleberry, pecan). I made from scratch stuffing for the first time in my life.

Thanksgiving - Food Coma!! A day that celebrates Thanks and food - that's my kind of day.

Great Grandpa Z - he is sick, terminal pneumonia type sick, we spent a lot of time with him.

Super Awesome Cars and Tractors - Thanks to Great Grandpa Z's museum in the backyard.

My Aunt and Uncle visiting and staying over at my house - That's right 4 munchkins between the ages of 2 and 4. So much craziness and fun.

Renting and Unrenting my house in 24 hours - What an emotional roller coaster!

Nice v. Not

Can anyone tell me why I have to turn into her... (the Witch not Margaret Hamilton)

... to get anything done??

I would like to think that I try to do things nice the first time, and hopefully the second time, but keep ignoring me and see what happens...

You want to know what happens? What I wanted to have happen when I asked nicely.

Old Friends

This past weekend I met up with some old college friends. My how the time flies. It seems like a life time ago I was running around Snow College with these cute girls. The stories I could tell you about these 3 .... wait they have stories about me too. Maybe somethings are left in the past.

This is Maghann isn't she sassy! I look like an old prude in comparison, but I am kind of the old mother of the group - what do you do? Anyway, I haven't seen Maghann since her wedding 2 years ago - PATHETIC. Maghann and I once drove down to St. George to watch our boys basketball team play. Maghann was driving and we were in this MASSIVE white out, we're talking visibility of a few inches. For whatever reason (I don't remember her wipers having this issue any other time) her wipers had issues. They would start together in time, but one had a lag so eventually they would be going the opposite direction of each other and get stuck together. To try and solve the problem we would either pull off the road and pray not to get stuck or I would stick my head out the passenger window and try and scrape the snow and pull them apart (while Maghann continued to drive.) We had a lot of fun and I would probably hurt my children if they did/do stuff like we use to. Maghann is very fit (I want her body! Not in a gross way, just the put my head on her body kind of way - NEVERMIND!), super smart (she got much better grades than me) and acts like a toughy but has the sweetest heart.

This is Kori - technically KoriAnn - but, I can't call her anything but Kori. She was my roommate. Kori was always there for me - she would listen to my wild, crazy stories and laugh and she would listen when I needed a shoulder too. She dated and hung out with "Polys" with me - which is an adventure all on it's own. In fact, Kori was dating a boy who now plays for the NFL, impressive right? Kori's a local, so we were always running back and forth to Manti, riding her parents 4-wheelers and cruising around in her car. Kori is conservative, happy and genuine. She laughs all of the time, I can hear it just thinking about it.

This is Debbie - she is also a local (she knew everyone). I've been friends with her the longest. Yes, I really am that much taller than her. Debbie is a true red head, she can get so feisty! I love it - she cracks me up. I feel like I have been all over the place with this girl. She considers my sisters her own, which is great - we are always open to more. Debbie is fearless. She is younger than me and I always felt like she was the older one. Debbie was/is an avid football fan, we had so much fun...at the games... with the team... We love football! Debbie is loyal, passionate and a cheese!

Gosh - all the memories that are swimming around my brain. I going to have to go home and pull out the photo album. Thanks for bearing with me while I indulged in a stroll down memory lane.

Diddity Diddity

Christmas is coming
The Goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat...

I have little kids Christmas songs stuck in my head! Help, send help now!

... If you havn't got a penny
a hay penny will do,
If you haven't got a hay penny
God Bless You!!

To Grandpa...

This is my Grandpa. I love him dearly. He is one of those grandpas who plays tough, but is really a softy. Having a family of 6 girls, he would call us all a bunch of boys and threaten to cut off our pony tails/give us hair cuts. I have always been soft on my Grandpa, my Grandma died when I was 8 and I always felt he needed a little bit more love because of it.My Grandpa is a Veteran. He was a gunner in WWII. Look at that baby face, can you believe they sent these guys to war? He told me once he was the only boy in their neighborhood that returned from the War. The heart ache that must have been.

This isn't a great picture, because it's a picture of a picture, but this is my Grandpa in front of one of their planes. He has quite a few stories and a lot of great pictures. I am proud of my Grandpa and grateful for the sacrifice that he and so many other young men just like him made for my freedoms. To my Grandpa and all Veterans everywhere - THANK YOU! May God be with you and bring you peace. I love you Grandpa.

Hazy Maze

Is it just me or is life on fast forward?

Do you ever sit back and say "Where did this week go?" I find myself thinking this more and more lately. I feel like I am continually in that movie moment where the main character is standing still and they do a sped up time lapse around them. And it seems to me that the more people I talk to about it, the more it appears to be the general consensus. Is that true? Do you feel the same way?

Is it because we overcrowd our lives? Is it censory overload? Is it that time truly is speeding up? Or is it that we are constantly packing so much into our brains?

When you are 4 Christmas takes forever to get here, yet when you are 34 it's here before you know it. I think there is some truth in adding memories and being distracted. I think it takes a long time when we are 4 partially because in your WHOLE LIFE you have only had 3-4 Christmases. There is not much to compare them to, your memories are not yet litered with fragments of Christmases past. Each year is fresh on your young mind - nothing is bigger than Christmas as a child. It's bright and special and remembered! It could also seem that way because we have less distractions. Now I understand that children are easily distracted, but not lastingly distracted (if that makes any sense.) I believe as adults we are also easily distracted, but it is on more lasting things - job, bills, family, extra curriculars, etc.

I keep trying to focus myself - point myself and my life in the "right" direction. I find that I do great for a week or two and then do a giant belly flop. I fear that for all my good intentions I am not focused where I should be. Life just keeps zipping past me. I believe that Satan uses distraction as a tool. "If I can keep your focus here (hobbies, toys, promotions, etc.) ... you will not focus over here (gospel, getting prepared, home, testimony, etc.). I found this talk by Elder Uchtdorf and I really think it is worth reading if you have a minute.

I will do better, because it matters. I will grab a hold of the time I have and wisely choose how to use it. I will try harder to not let time fly by without my brain engaging.

Me and the Pioneer Woman

This is the Pioneer Woman aka Ree Drummond. She wrote a cookbook. I think she is pretty cool!

This is Me, Melissa and LiseAnne, we bought her cookbook. They think she is pretty cool too. Then we waited in a long line for hours for...


THIS!!!!!

That's right ladies and gents - grown women went and geeked out over having a cookbook signed. She's the kind of gal who will do an Ethel Merman impression in front of a room full of people she has never met - she's my kind of gal.

Christmas is coming...

These are SUPER cute hats and would make great Christmas gifts - I'm just sayin'. The gal that makes these hats recently found out she has cancer and is making them to try and supplement her income while she goes through treatment. A worth cause and a great gift.

Perfect!

Pioneer Woman hits Utah

I just have to say I'm excited and a huge nerd!

Halloween Party at My Work

Kyah was Cinderella

And Jaxon was Wolverine

Their Grandma's office had a Halloween party and trick-or-treating and then they came and did the same at my office after. These kids got some serious amounts of candy in a short amount of time. It's good to work for attorneys.

LIfting Burdens

When we are racked, or harrowed up, or tormented by guilt, or burdened with grief - He can heal us. ALthough we do not fully understand how the Atonement of Christ was made, we can experience the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding."

- Elder Wirthlin

Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ our natures can be changed, then our power to carry burdens can be increased more than enough.

- Elder Eyring

This is part of an audio that can currently be found here. I hope that your day is filled with peace and happiness.

Sick, sick, sick!

Harley is sick, people at work have sick kids and all around me I hear people coughing and sneezing. Am I the only one who wants to bath in disinfectant???

Between the weather changing and washing my hands so much, my skin feels like the Salt Flats look.

I love Utah!

(I am currently accepting airline tickets or cruises to anywhere warm.)

Thank you.

Pumpkin Roll

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet (I line it with parchment paper).

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and turn the cake onto the towel. Carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes. (It is important to do this as soon as the cake comes out of the oven, if you wait too long it will cool and crack when you try to roll it.)

Make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.

When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it (Be careful, you do not need to roll it tightly - you do not want to squeeze out all of the filing as you roll). Immediately re-roll (not in the towel this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze it for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.

This is a family favorite! It stores great in the fridge.

You can find my other recipes here.

Stress Baking

This is my kitchen.

(No, it is not usually this clean - this was taken for the house flyer)

This is the room I spend a good portion (at least 75%) of my waking hours in. This also happens to be the room where I take out my anxiety and frustrations. I call it Stress Baking.

Last night as luck would have it I was running late at the office (which is midly frustrating on its own), but beyond that the elevator I got in to take me down 21 floors almost killed me. Truly - I am not making this up, it was shaking violently and making awful sounds. It turns out this morning that the motor had caught on fire and the building had to be evacuated. Then to add to the anxiety ball that was my stomach a Grandma tried to side swap me while turning a corner.

Needless to say by the time I got home last night I was wound up pretty tight!

So, I stress baked. I made a delicous apple cake with a carmel sauce and 6 dozen sugar cookies. Baking is therapy!

We're having a Football Party!

Monday Night Football - Packers v. Vikings

(Don't mind Kyah's jersey - she just wanted to wear a football shirt too.)

Jaxon was so excited to have a Football Party he hooped and hollered all over the place. He hasn't fully grasped the concept that Brett Farve no longer plays for the Packers - he was cheering for them both.


Kids are so much fun!

Cherry Bars

These are pretty and oh so yummy!

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling (I use 1 can)
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the extracts. Combine flour and salt; add to the creamed mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 3 cups batter into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan (I use two 8x8 pans). Spread with pie filling. Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over filling. (Be careful, this is a sticky dough.)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over bars.

P.S. My Mom doesn't like Cherry Pie or cherry pie filling and she really likes these, so give the cherry a try, but you can always swap out other canned pie filling if you so choose.

You can find my other recipes here.

Time for the Diet

I spent more time at my Parent's house this week than I have since possibly high school. Tuesday I went over to teach my Mom how to make a new pasta dish, which everyone was instantly a fan of. Thursday I went over just to hang out and let my Mom feed us, I was not making dinner! Friday I found out that my Grandpa Koerner and Aunt Val were coming up for dinner, so I went over to help my Mom, I threw together dinner and made Cherry Bars (which are awesome - recipe to follow in another post). Then I spent almost all of Saturday and Sunday there watching conference and cooking/eating. Saturday I made steak with blue cheese sauce (I don't even like blue cheese and I think it's yummy) and Sunday I made a pumpkin roll and pumpkin roll cake pops.

Do you notice a running theme?

Where there is my family there is food. It is ridiculous how much we like to eat and some of us like to cook/bake. Boy was I ready to go back to work on Monday (just kidding) I really needed the break from being home.

Hmmm...

Question: Since when does For Sale By Owner mean, I really really want a Realtor and every single licensed one should call and try to get me to sign?

Case Lot Sales

It is that time of year again. It's as good as Christmas (almost) for my mom and I. We tend to get a little nutty about food storage, so I just thought I give a shout out and let you know locally where some really great deals are.

Overall I thought that Maceys/Winegars had the best deals on the majority of items. I have gone through the adds and picked out some of the most common items and done a price comparison (I know totally nerdy!) for those items, with the price and what store. Please go shopping. Even if you just spend $20, do something - anything - PLEASE!!

Flour (25 lb bag) -- $6.49 (Winegars)
Sugar (25 lb bag) -- $9.77 (Winegars)
Vegetables (Canned) -- $0.44 (Smiths)
Beans (Canned) -- $0.57 (Maceys/Winegars)
Water Barrels (55 gallon)*** -- $35.99 (Maceys/Kents)
Soup (Tomato/Chicken Noodle) -- $0.33 (Maceys)
Soup (Cream of Chicken/Mushroom) -- $0.50 (Maceys/Kents)
Chili -- $0.88 (Reams
Apple Juice -- $0.99 (Maceys)
Brown Sugar/Powdered Sugar -- $0.99 (Winegars/Maceys)
Oil (128 oz bottle) -- $4.99 (Maceys)
Pancake Syrup (128 oz bottle) -- $3.99 (Maceys)
Spaghetti O's -- $0.48 (Macyes)
Spaghetti Sauce (Jar) -- $0.88 (Reams)
Salt -- $0.39 (Reams)
Sweetened Cond. Milk -- $0.99 (Maceys)
Evaporated Milk -- $0.67 (Winegars/Maceys)
Tuna -- Tuna (Maceys/Smiths)
Pasta -- $0.88 (Reams)
Ramen (case) -- $3.00 (Smiths)

***If you do not have water, you will die and none of that food will matter - just sayin'.

Also, Maceys, Kents, Winegars - generally all the associated foods stores around these parts carry a wide selection of food/items in #10 cans. Anything from Powdered Milk, Cheese, Eggs, etc. to Freeze dried fruits, vegetables and meats.

Family Reunion 2009

After church on Sunday we did family pictures. Kyah's hair is unruly - which is normal and Jaxon didn't want to sit and have his picture taken - which is normal. All in all we had a great 4 days. It was so nice just to spend time with the kids. My Grandpa made marshmellow guns for everyone adults and kids and we had a war. I wish I had good pictures of this because it was so funny. Jaxon and Kyah have some at home so they were one step ahead of everyone else. It was all fun and games until somebody got hurt. Sorry Tracy! St. George is Jaxon's most favorite place in the whole world - I'm not kidding. Days before we leave everytime you put him in his carseat he asks if we are going to St. George yet. The kids cracks me up. It is his own personal paradise. The day we left he pouted and wouldn't say good-bye to anyone because he was so sad. Poor guy - I will take you back soon, I promise.