Penn Cove & Oak Harbor 2nd 

“Souper Saturday”

For Relief Society & Young Women

1)  Sweater Pumpkin: A festive fall addition to your home. Step by step instruction will teach you how to make these stylish pumpkins from old sweaters. 

All supplies included.
Cost: $5 each
Time: Approx. 1 hour

2)  Wooden Growth Board: A 1”x6”x6’ board with painted acrylic letters. Fits perfectly against a wall to track your children’s height and capture the process of growing up! ANY paint color available. Specify paint selection on order form.
Cost: $10 each

Time: Approx. 2 hours (Includes drying time) 

What you need to bring: measuring tape, ruler

3)  Cookie Sheet Magnet Board & Magnets: An innovative way to display your Christmas cards this year or use as a memo board! Project consists of a cookie sheet decorated with craft paper and adorned with homemade magnets.
Cost: $10 each (Includes 3 magnets)
Time: Approx. 30 min.
What you need to bring: Paper (optional). 

Christmas paper and decorative scrap paper provided.

  

4)  Re-purposed Decorative Jar: These jars are a stylish way to display holiday goodies for the kids or grandkids. May be filled with marbles or shells for decoration. Also a great storage place for crafting supplies. Stand available in red or blue. All supplies included. Cost: First jar is FREE (stand included). Additional jars $1 each, jar and stand $2 each. Time: Approx. 30 min.

5)  Family or Temple Photo Block: Create lasting memories with your favorite photo mounted on wood. Feel free to bring any 8.5”x11” photo that you choose or use an 8”x12” photo of the Seattle or Salt Lake Temple. Hardware will be attached to the back to hang on the wall (included in price) or you may choose to leave it free-standing.

Cost: $5 if you bring your own photo, $7 if you use a provided temple photo Time: 10 min of work (40 min drying time), plan for an hour.

What you need to bring: 8.5 x11 photo of your own (optional). 8x12 Seattle or Salt Lake Temple photo provided. Paint (optional) a variety of paint colors will be provided).

6)  Beaded Snowflake Ornament: A striking addition to your Christmas tree or a seasonal adornment on gifts. Beads are strung on a pre-made wire form. A variety of bead styles and colors provided. Two different sizes available.
Cost: First ornament is FREE. Additional ornaments $1 each

Time: Approx. 20 min.
What you need to bring: Ruler or tape measure

7)  Ribbon Bracelet: These precious bracelets are perfect to make as Christmas gifts for friends or other special girls in your life. They are stretchable and fit comfortably. Available in red, green, black, and champagne. Two different pearl sizes available. All supplies included.

Cost: $2 each
Time: Approx 30 min.

   

8)  18” x 18” throw pillow with elegant felt flower adornment. A great way to dress up your couch, bench, or bed for the holidays. This is a “no sew” project! Pillow cover color options: linen, black, gold, silver, red, green, blue, aqua, & orange. Felt color option: White, red, or additional requests may be available.

Cost: $8 each (WITHOUT pillow form)

          $15 each (pillow form included)

Time: Approx. 2 hours

What your need to bring: Scissors, glue gun (some provided), pillow form (optional) (Pillow form not needed to complete project)

9)  Wooden Quote Block: Project consists of vinyl lettering on a painted 4”x6” block. Lettering available in TAN ONLY. A variety of paint colors available. Please make paint color suggestions on order form.
3 QUOTE OPTIONS AVAILABLE:
- “Give Thanks”
- “My Greatest Blessings Call Me Grandma”
- “Garden of Weedin’”
Cost: $5 each
Time: Approx. 1 hour (Includes drying time)
What you need to bring: Paint (optional). A variety of paint will be provided. 

Overdue, Again!

I thought for sure I would have this baby by the 21st at the latest, but as of right now he is still snug as a bug in the uterus!!! So, if you feel that I have forgotten to call or somehow let you know that our baby has arrived, I havn't - HE HASN'T!!!

We'll keep you posted!

It's a BOY!

Just found out yesterday we are having a boy! We are excited, although we will be very uneven on the boy/girl ratio!!!

Yay, we have renters!!!

Today we signed contracts with a family to rent our house! We are so excited that everything is falling into place - and so quickly. We will be moving July 22nd (as long as we get the place we are trying for). Now it is on to packing and cleaning and...

Thank you all for the prayers and good wishes!

We Are Moving!!!

So, my hubby was offered a job yesterday way up north and we decided to go for it! We Are Moving!!! We are excited, nervous, anxious and overwhelmed with everything we need to get done. But, we are ready for a new adventure.

I think our biggest challenge will be our house. We can't sell it for what we owe. So, we will have to rent it out for now.

So, if anybody is interested in renting our house, or if you know anybody who wants to move into this area, PLEASE let us know!!! The sooner the better.

Jakobi and Schon are excited, but they are really going to miss all their friends at church, school and our neighborhood. (We live in a very friendly neighborhood with lots of children!)

Well, off I go to start decluttering, cleaning and packing! Wish me luck!

A Great Inspiring Message

Okay, so a while ago I said I love inspiring messages. Well, that is still true. I love the Mormon Messages videos. If you have not seen "My New Life" you have to see it! I need reminders like this to really keep in mind the true meaning of life - Love, Family, Life!

You can watch it on her blog Here.

Or on Mormon Messages Here.

Here is a quick quote from Stephanie...

"I view my role now as more Divine, as something more, not just a mother who wakes up and makes her kids food. And it's a mother who enriches and teaches about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But it's a priveledge and I see it more as a priveledge than anything."

It is a priveledge to be a mother. It is challenging to be a mother. A mother of any kind. It is a Divine calling - Mother, Aunt, Grandma, Teacher. If I can remember this, day by day, it will make those mornings easier when I wake up just to make my kids food!

I hope that I will continually improve on enriching and teaching my children the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want them to have the sweet peace that the Spirit brings. We all need this Spirit in our lives - more and more each day. God does love each one of us. He will show us this love if we are open to it.

Is it ONE, TWO, or POSSIBLY....

At the first of the year I announced that I had two goals... One of them was to gain weight... By being pregnant. Well, I am definitely pregnant (hopefully I won't regret announcing this to the world, I am only about 7 weeks along!). I am working on the gaining weight part, but it is proving difficult since everything smells and makes me nauseous, i.e. morning sickness!

But, the biggest questions when one gets pregnant these days, at least in my family, is whether it is ONE, TWO, or POSSIBLY...... Okay, so our ultra-sound this morning showed only ONE fetus! (These are not actually my ultra sound pictures, but I thought that a few pictures here would be nice!)


We are very excited and it is nice to get that first question of ours answered. Our whole family crowded into the tiny exam room and we all got to see our growing baby and hear his/her heartbeat.

Now onto our next questions... Is it a boy or girl? What will we name her/him? I guess we will have to continue being patient while our baby grows!

Our due date is December 21st. Just in time for Christmas and taxes!!!

I Love Reminiscing!

So, my sister Di just posted an old memory of me just before I got married. Not sure if we both remember the details exactly the same, but the general story is GREAT. Check out her post here. Great Reminiscing! Wish I had a picture (hope you don't mind me taking yours Di!), but we figured that back then nobody had digital cameras or blogs!

Anyone want to try barefoot running?

I LOVE...

Food! I love Chocolate. I love Lasagna! I love waffles. I love ice cream. I love fruit - kiwi, strawberry, blueberry, cantaloupe.... Most of the time I love any food - especially if I do not have to make it myself! But, I also love cooking and especially baking! I am not the best, but I enjoy it - sometimes.

My favorite food is Lasagna. When I was growing up, I remember my mom asking us what we want for our Birthday Dinner. I always picked Lasagna. I love to make Lasagna from scratch and in the crock pot and I love it when my sister makes Lasagna (and I am with her for dinner!). I love Lasagna from The Lasagna House in Houston. I love Lasagna from Olive Garden.

I love sweets - brownies, cookies, hot chocolate, cupcakes, candy bars of all sorts, ice cream...

As the saying goes...'I run to eat.' Unfortunately I have not been running lately, but I still eat!

I Love Inspiring Messages!

I love an inspiring message! The three following links are from YouTube and are definitely INSPIRING! Enjoy watching them - even if you have already seen them...

Create Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Infinite Power of Hope Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Prayer Thomas S. Monson

I was reading in the 'Ensign' this morning and re-read Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk 'The Love of God' Ensign, Nov 2009, 21–24. Part of what he says is...

For what we love determines what we seek.
What we seek determines what we think and do.
What we think and do determines who we are

—and who we will become.

This started my thought process about what I love. What else do I love...?

Farmhouse Table

Okay, so I think I want to build this Farmhouse Table. Isn't it amazing!!! I saw this great blog about making your own furniture (http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com/). The plans for this table are here. I was just talking to my hubby about how fun it would be to have benches - just like when I was growing up. You can almost always squeeze in one more person!
So, the picture above is the West Elm version, but here is a picture of one that someone actually built themselves...

I will keep you posted as to my progress... It might take a while...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOTH OF YOU!

Okay, so my first 3 b-day letters this year are all late. But remember I did not promise on-timeness!!! This post will get to you on-time, if you read it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS (I can't seem to find any pic's of Kris, but check out The other Runner blog to the right on my blog list for more info - and pics of Kris!).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE!

You can both look forward to some letters early next week. We love you!

My New Year's Resolution

I really have not heard much about resolutions this year, besides the usual get in shape and weight loss. But I am not going there! (Although I do plan on walking a lot and I want to pick up on my Yoga sessions - at home, on video!). I actually plan on gaining weight - I want to have my 4th child this year!

But that is not my resolution either.

My New Year's Resolution is to write Birthday and Anniversary Letters to my family. This is a big one for me. I never do this! The most I ever wrote to my family was when I was serving a mission in South Africa. And I think the only time I wrote to them was if they wrote to me first!

Again, this is a big goal for me. I sat down yesterday and made sure I had everyone's birthday and anniversary on my calendar. On my side of the family that will be 32 birthdays and 6 anniversaries. My husband’s side is a bit more manageable with 14 birthdays and 3 anniversaries. I am going to do it!!! I am even having my sons help me write the letters so that they can learn more about their relatives - some of whom they don't know well at all.

This is just parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews. Sorry in advance to all my friends, aunts, uncles and cousins - maybe I will include you next year. No promises though. Let me see how this year goes!!!

So family, watch for those birthday and anniversary letters in the snail mail. I do not promise on-timeness or perfectness - just a letter. In fact, I am already late sending the first one - Mike's Birthday is tomorrow and I have his letter in my purse ready to mail - it just has not made it to the post box yet. So, Happy Birthday Mike, your letter will be there in a few days!

Happy New Year – I hope your 2010 is inspiring – it is a new decade!

If it is not ETERNAL
It is not WORTH IT!

Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God

This afternoon I was holding Amberlie in my arms. She was at that drowsy stage where she was trying to decide if fighting off sleep was worth it. I started singing “Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God” to her and started with the 2nd verse...

'Long before the time you can remember, our Father held you in His arms so tender. Those loving arms released you as He sent you down to earth. He said, my child, I love you, don't forget your great worth.'

As I sang this to her I knew that Heavenly Father indeed loves her, even more than I do. His loving arms released her to come to my family. I have a responsibility to help her to always remember her great worth.

Heavenly Father loves all His daughters. So, remember to “Walk Tall” because “you’re a daughter, a child of God… He’s closer than you know, reach up He’ll take your hand.”

I found a slide show of this song on YouTube (here). Enjoy, but be prepared to shed a few tears as you feel the sweet spirit of this song!

p.s. (if you can have a p.s. on a blog!) I actually sang this song one time at a baptism for Connie in South Africa with my missionary companion Ann. It was a wonderful experience (even though I don't sing, no matter what any of my missionary companions say!!!). Do you remember this Ann?

Shoes or Gloves?!?

Amberlie has a fetish for shoes. She loves to wear them and brings them to me to put on her feet all the time. Yesterday she found a friends shoe and decided that she needed it for her hand. She already had two different ones on her feet. So, the brown sandal became an accessory for her hand when crawling. She would get quite upset when her hand would slip out of it, but she was very determined to make it work!

Family Recipes

I have been trying to save money on my groceries lately and have tried to start making things from scratch. Instead of buying or ordering pizza I have been making it (except for sometimes we take advantage of Little Ceasars $5 hot and ready deal!). I can also add things like whole wheat flour and other healthy stuff if I have it on hand and I feal better about feeding it to my kiddos. Also, with the cookie recipe below you can use apple sauce for part of the oil and your cookies will be a bit healthier too!

Quick Rolls (These make great hamburger buns!!!)
4 cups flour
4tbsp. sugar
1tsp salt
2 pkg. Yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cube butter or margarine

Blend 3 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir well. Microwave water and butter to melt butter. Add milk to make liquid lukewarm. Add to flour mixture. Add the rest of flour. Let rise 15 min. Shape into rolls. Bake @ 425* for 10 to 12 min.

I have not actually made these yet, but Kris made them at my house not long ago and they were delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe Diana and Kris!

Quick and Easy Breadsticks
1 pkg yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
mix together and set aside to rise for 10 min. then add the following and knead well

1 tsp. salt
3-3 1/2 cups flour (I add till the dough slightly comes off the mixing bowl but is still sticky)

3 Tbsp. softened butter spread over the bottom of an 11"x16" jelly roll pan.
Roll or spread dough evenly over the bottom of pan. Cut once lengthwise down the center longwise, then make about 12-15 1" strips (a pizza cutter works well).
Melt 3 Tbsp. butter and brush over the tops. Sprinkle with Garlic powder and Parmesean cheese.
Let rise 1/2 hour or doubled in size.(You can use oven set at 100* F or breadproof button.) Then bake at 400* F for about 12-15 min.

I actually make this recipe and then use half of it for a pizza crust and the other half I use for breadsticks and put it in a 9x11 pan. We love it! Thanks for the recipe Sarah and Chris!!!

Cake Mix Cookies
1 cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

Mix all together and bake at 350* F for about 10 minutes (or longer if you make cookies bigger than teaspoonful size).
You can experiment with different flavors of cake mix, rolling the dough in powdered sugar and whatever other creative ideas you may have. Cake mixes are usually cheaper than cookie mixes, especially if you stalked up with them last week!!! Thank you Kathy for this recipe!!!

Drop Biscuits
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingrediants into a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives till it looks like course crumbs or parmesan cheese. Make a well in the center and pour milk in all at once. Stir quickly with a fork just till dough follows fork around bowl. Knead gently 10 strokes (I just do this in the bowl). Divide into 12 pieces and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 450*F for 10-12 minutes.
I make these all the time. They are so fast and easy and delicious. Thanks mom for the recipe!!!

Cheese Sauce
Makes 1 cup
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup greated cheese

Melt butter in a glass bowl in the microwave. Blend in flour, salt and dash of pepper. Slowly add milk while stirring constantly (to avoid clumpiness). Microwave for 1 minute. Take out and stir until smooth. Return to microwave and cook for another minute. Take out and stir until smooth and repeat this until desired thickness. Add cheese and stir until smooth.

You can also add tuna, canned chicken and/or peas. Serve on toast, biscuits or rice. You can leave out the cheese if you want just a white sauce ( I have done this to make chicken pizza with white sauce). You can even make mac and cheese from scratch this way! I usually add canned chicken and cheese and serve it on top of biscuits (from above). I also use just the cheese sauce for on top of boiled potatoes. Thanks again mom for this recipe!!!

If only my rolls were so cute!!!

Pictures by Janna Beecher (www.jannabeecher.com)

Here are all three of my toothless grinners. Okay, so one of them does not grin as much!!!

My soon to be 8 year old twins!!!

BLUE EYES!

She did it!!!

Too bad Duane was not able to be with us that day. He was busy working or something! I really have not seen much of him this year while he has been doing his internship, but his hard work will pay off soon!

Baptism

Jakobi and Jaschon are turning 8 this coming Sunday (April 26) and will be baptized on Saturday May 2nd at The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. We would love to share this day with all our family and friends, so please contact me if you would like to attend.

I love you Schon and Kobi! I can't believe you will be 8!!! I am so happy that you have chosen to follow Jesus Christ and to be baptized. This is a very important decision and will help us to be an Eternal Family!

Family and Memories

My brothers found a lot of old pictures to use in a slide show at my dad's funeral. Here are just a few of them. Also, some pictures from the funeral and one from Valentine's Day. Mom and Dad - you have such a wonderful family. We are all very lucky that you decided to have a large family. What would we do without even one of us? And thanks for teaching us about Heavenly Fathers plan and that we can be a 'Forever Family'. I love you all.

My mom and dad really did love each other. The simple things - kisses and flowers from the side of the road! And this BIG blue and white van brings back so many memories growing up! I learned how to drive in this big beast! Many memories of being on the side of the road in this van too - changing a tire, taking a potty break, helping some poor stranded soul...

Can we say 80's! Kathy, Barbi, Sarah, Diana, Eric, Randy and Brad on the floor. I remember always climbing on my dad for horsey rides! What great memories.

All SIX sisters! We were able to all get together at mom and dad's on Valentine's Day. I love you guys. We are so lucky to have each other!

Wow! Here is my whole family at my dad's funeral in Spokane - All my bro's, sis's, spouses, kids and mom. It is so fun having a big family. I told Duane the other day that I wanted 18 kids. He said, "do I have any say in this!"

Here are all 20 grandkids (and a few extra adults to keep fussy ones somewhat happy - and Randy!).

And I have to put a picture of my little thumb sucker!!!