Day 344--Raspberry Coconut Bars

Not a success.

Day 343--Christmas Tradition

Amazingly tacky Christmas lights and fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts makes for a great new Christmas tradition!

where's the beef

  had a sick child up in the middle of the night.

was up at the crack of dawn anyway.

did 139 loads of laundry and ran several errands.

dug adam's beloved bakugan toy out of the trash.

gave a whole new meaning to the phrase where's the beef when  randomly bought an entire freezer full of beef from a door-to-door salesman.

was a really good deal.

need beef recipes.   please help.

 am not as immune to onion breath as previously thought, although the french onion soup was well worth it.

wishing glen's blackberry would disappear.  forever.

so tired that personal pronouns, full sentences, and the shift key seem too taxing for my brain tonight.

Day 342--Where's the Beef?

Bought an entire freezer full of beef from a door-to-door salesman.  It really was quite a good deal on high quality beef, but I can't help but feel like I should have someone stamp "Gullible" on my forehead.

Day 341--Baking

This is the beginning of my very short-lived attempt to post a fun new Christmas recipe on the blog every day.

Lazy Dazy Saturday...

It was just a lazy rainy Saturday morning.  Everyone slept in late.  We ate a hearty warm breakfast of Cami's apple walnut pancakes ....

while the kids labored diligently cutting out snowflakes....

to replace the autumn leaves on our front window...

when all of the sudden the beautiful paper snowflake creations....

made way for a frosty flaky surprise falling from the sky.

With snow a rare and treasured treat in our neck of the words, the chores went on the back burner...

and made way for a day filled with snow angels....

 sledding and muddy snowmen...

a lucrative snow shoveling stint for Spencer and his friend....
(disclaimer: This photo was actually taken last year.  This year he worked with a different friend in another neighborhood [far away from my camera] and ended up with  105 bucks burning a hole in his pocket.)

 a whole host of sopping wet socks, gloves, hats, scarves, and snow pants cluttering up our entry way....

and smiles galore.

PS  You'll find the answer to the last post tacked on to the end of it.

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Day 340--Maple Oatmeal Bread

Yummy Maple Oatmeal Bread!  Homemade bread around our house never lasts long.

Day 339--SNOW!!!!

It only amounted to a couple of inches of the white stuff, but it was enough to get the kids outside sledding, making snow angels, and building muddy little snowmen!

Day 338--Craft Room

When a teacher got sick, I ended up being in charge of the craft room at the elementary school activity.  It was rescheduled in December after they'd had to cancel the first one in October due to the large number of sicknesses.  Most of the crafts were kits we'd ordered from Oriental Trading Company, but this particular craft of snowflakes made out of pipe cleaners and beads was my proud contribution.  The materials were super cheap and the kids loved them.  They were the first craft to run out, even though there were enough supplies to make several dozen.

Flashback Friday: Oklahoma Nightmare

A gazillion bucks to the first non-family member who can determine why my siblings and cousins all look so terrified in this picture (I'm the semi-calm one in the red dress)....

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Here's a hint....

If Ellie had been on my grandparents' steps that day she would have had a much different reaction than the rest of us.

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It was a dog that walked by that induced all that hysteria.  

Way to go Charlene!!!   I'll get working on that gazillion bucks to send you. 

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Day 337--Tiny Tots

It's a tradition each year that I take any preschoolers I have to the high school's Tiny Tots Christmas Concert.  This year we had over 50 kids from our ward preschool groups.  The band plays holiday songs and popular characters such as Dora, Bob the Builder, Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Rudolph, and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus come and awe the kids with their star presence.  Afterwards everyone gets a chance to meet the characters, giving them high fives or hugs.

Letterboxing 101

As a mother I feel like I'm always searching for fun activities for our family that everyone will enjoy.  It used to be as easy as going to a park or mini-golfing or something, but I've found the older the kids get the harder it is to find things that will capture everyone's interest.

A few years ago we read a magazine article and discovered Letterboxing.  You've probably never heard of it before, but I'm here today to tell you that when the Proclamation to the World talks about "wholesome, recreational activities"  for families that letterboxing  fits those criteria on every front!  

So what is letterboxing?

It's like a grand outdoor treasure hunt!  You don't need any special equipment and you get to explore new parks and trails, get some exercise, and find a little "treasure" along the way!  It's fun for kids and adults alike!

 Here's a little tutorial for you if you want to give it a try:

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First you log onto http://letterboxing.org.

Click on the book that says Letterboxing North America.

Click on your state.

Click on your region.

Then find a letterbox in a town near you and print off the clue.

 

Then get ready for your adventure by getting on your walking shoes and packing  a notebook, ink pad, pen, and stamp with you.

Follow the clues and find your letterbox.

When you find the letterbox remove the logbook from the box and stamp your family's stamp into the book and sign and date it (with a trail name).

Then replace the logbook and remove the box's stamp and stamp it into your own notebook (now your own logbook).  Write a quick note with the name of the box, the location, the date, and a quick note about the day.

Replace the stamp into the letterbox and replace the letterbox carefully into its hiding spot.

Have fun exploring!

   

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Day 336--Letterboxing Logbook

Today I was typing up a blogpost all about letterboxing, so I took the opportunity to take pictures of our logbook.  We discovered letterboxing in 2006 and were gung-ho about it for a year.  Now we only do it  occasionally, but we still love it whenever we do.  

Day 335--Nasty Treats

After reading the Glass Castle for our ward's book group, I thought I'd play a funny joke on everyone and cover the delicious pumpkin bread pudding with a layer of plastic wrap then threw a bunch of chopped hot dogs over the top to fit with the theme of the book.  People thought I was a little weird, but it worked for the laughs.