a picture from the park

I took my daughter to the park today to meet up with some friends and I took my camera so I could practice. I think this is a fun picture and I have to say that this is my favorite picture of the day!

Happy Birthday!

Chantel, I hope you had a perfect day! I sure enjoyed taking you to the movies and out for lunch with your friends!

I am a very thankful mom right now! I got to spend time with Chantel and her friends and I am so Impressed with the friends she has chosen! What a blessing that is in our lives! I had lots of fun playing the limo driver and being a fly on the wall while she had her day! It was about time she had something special for her birthday since she has not had a birthday party from the time she was four!

Merry Christmas

Playtime pictures II

I am fun playing with my new toy and I have to say THANK YOU to my wonderful, and MOST PATIENT sister who took a couple hours out of her really busy day to help me learn something new! I still have a lot more to learn and and alot of practice ahead of me, but I am really looking forward to the challenge:)




It was fun to use my sisters kids as the subject of my pictures! They are so stinking CUTE!!!
I think I did pretty good on some of them and as you can see I still have a way to go.



I am going to have to learn how to take landscape pictures too so I can get all the beautiful pictures I can while I am in Colorado this winter and summer!

A Re-post of the Baked Potato Soup Recipe

4 to 5 Baking Potatoes

1/3 cup of butter

1/3 cup of all purpose flour

3 cups of milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup bacon bits, divided

2 green onions chopped

5 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 (8 ounce) container of sour cream

Directions:

1. Bake the potatoes in the oven or the microwave. (I prefer to bake them in the oven) After Potatoes are baked, peel and cut into cubes.

2. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly till thick. Stir in milk a little at a time and cook about a minute. Stir in potatoes, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup bacon bits, 2 Tablespoons green onions and most of the cheese.(I did not add the cheese to the soup, I just served it on top of the soup) Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Serve with remaining bacon, onion and cheese.
Makes 6 servings.

What have you Done?

I have highlited he things I have done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Been to the top of a lighthouse
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (People haven't?)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Eaten New England clam chowder in New England
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Tag your it:) Now highlite the the things you have done!

Exciting

Nothing to exciting going on around here unless getting kids out the door and somewhat on time to school and church activities is exciting, and I think it is! ( Whoohoo no one late this week, Yet!!) . Trying to get ready for Christmas with decorating and gift buying is exciting but, seems a little hard this year. Maybe it's hard because Kade is five and he remembers things now, so no time to go shopping without kids! Shopping for younger kids is sooo much easier!

Last nights GNO was nothing to exciting, Just four of us girls meeting at Cravings to have dinner and talk and then back home by ten! NO I am not a late night girl and having just a few hours away seems to help and keeps me going for another week! OK, so that is as exciting as it gets for me:)

Oh! I just have to spill the beans! I am getting a new camera for Christmas and I cant wait to get it! My dear Husband ordered me a camera for Christmas and it came and then he found a better deal so he returned the camera and ordered me a new one and it has not shipped yet and I am so anxious! I cant wait for it to get here. I was supposed to wait for Christmas to open it but I don't think I will be able to wait! I want to learn how to use it before Christmas morning so I can take pictures with it! Watch out everyone in the family, Jamie wont be the only one with a camera this year! Can I say That I AM So EXCITED!?! (well I am anyway)

Got a good Bread Recipe?

I am looking for a good Whole Wheat or White Bread recipe. I dont have a Bosch machine and my kitchenaid has a hard time with the dough so I have to make the bread by hand.

If you have a good recipe and or some good tips and would love to share it with me I would be so very Grateful!

Family Pictures

Yesterday, My very Talented sister Jamie took our family pictures! I just love them so I have to share them! ( or brag what ever you call it! lol) There are more pictures of us and others on her photo blog.






I just had to add this one in. Jamie took this one on our outing to the zoo!

I am Thanful for....

In preparation for Thanksgiving my Sister in Law Amber had us do something special. We drew names of those in our family and wrote a little paragraph of why we are thankful for that certain person. I loved it and thought it was a perfect start for our Thanksgiving and I hope it will remind us of all the reasons we are truly thankful for the family and friends in our lives.

Chantel wrote:

I am thankful for my Dad. He is amazing. He is always willing to help me with everything. I am thankful for him helping me with my homework when I need it. He can do anything, I LOVE my dad.

Kade wrote:

I am thankful for Brock because he plays PlayStation with me! He also helps me pick up my toys.


Brock wrote:


I am thankful for my Mom because she helps us with almost everything when I am not home. She cleans my room and dusts the front room and just about everything else. The words to tell her how thankful I am for her do not exist.

KayDee wrote:

I am thankful for Chantel for many reasons (to many to write down). I am thankful that she loves music and is always singing or playing the piano, and that helps the mood in the house. I am thankful that she has a strong testimony and a soft heart. Chantel is an example to everyone she meets. I am also very thankful for all she does in helping me when I need it.

Kirt wrote:


I am thankful for Kade because I got a chance to be part of his life as a baby and toddler that I did not get with Chantel and Brock. I missed a majority of each of theirs because I was busy working working and going to school and was gone all the time. Kade also loves to help me no matter what I am doing and it is very fun to teach him how to do stuff and spend time with him.

Our Veterans Day in Pictures! (and lots of them)

We started today out by going to the Veterans day Parade! It started out with all the good intentions! It was awesome we left a little early to try and get a good parking spot and it worked! NO troubles there! And we had no troubles finding a good spot to sit. It was somewhat it the shade so that Baby M wouldnt be in the sun and burn her Cute little bald head! Everything was going ok, Kade was calm and watching airplanes pass and balloons fly into the air! Baby M was kicking back in the stroller watching people and clapping as they went by!

Kade even made some friends with these really cute girls.(one happens to be a daughter of a Girl that I grew up with )

I knew things were going too good when Baby M fell asleep! I guess Kade had, had enough because he started being just a little heathen! He would not stop cyring and whining! To make matters worse, I have been sick and I have almost , but not completely, lost my voice! So kade took advantage of it and we ended up leaving the parade early! Maybe we should have taken hints from the baby and stayed home and slept!

After we were home for a little bit and everything had calmed down we were invited to go to the zoo with my sister Diaper Diva!



The kids had fun together!

They got to see the otters, which are never out when we go! We also got to see the elephants and play around!

The weather was perfect and the zoo was not crowded and it was a nice relaxing end to a somewhat stressful morning! Thanks for inviting us!

I love this picture!

My sister took pictures of all the kids on halloween and I just love this picture of Brock! Brock dressed up as a Nerf CIA/Secret Service agent! He somehow sweet talked his Auntie into taking a picture of him pointing the laser at the camera! Good thing he did , this picture is awesome! Thanks Jamie:)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Last Night we did our pumkin carving. We had fun going to the pumkin patch and picking out our pumkins. Brock of course had to find the biggest one there and I warned him that it might be a little hard to carve! He of course had his mind set and nothing (or no one) was going to change that. Chantel was having way to much fun playing in the seeds and goo; she said I feel like a zombie with all these strings on my fingers:)

Brock in the end was left all alone cleaning and carving his because his was so big! But He did a good job at not complaining and did and awesome job carving the pumkin!




Daddy got to help Kade with his! Kade was wanting to take out the seeds one at a time and that was driving Kirt a little crazy ! Kade had seen pictures of the Disney Mickey Mouse Pumkin and wanted his to be like that, so we found a picture of it and dad carved it on Kades Pumkin!

I hope everyone has a safe and FUN Halloween:)

Last Friday's Fun...

Last Friday I took Kade to the Fair! He had fun riding the carousel, I think the look on his face says it all! He also got to play in the sand and fly an airplane! The whole reason for going to the fair was so that we could see Chantel Perform in her schools choir and orchestra! They did really good and I was soo proud of how Chantel did!

It's a Give Away!!!

This Sweet Lady, OneHappyMama , is having a give-away! She is offering a free photo session! She took our family Pictures last year and we just loved her! She actually won my husband over and now he doesn't think that family pictures are so bad:) You can link to her site by clicking on OneHappyMaMa, and if you call her and have your pictrures taken say that I sent you and I will get $10 off of my pictures:)

courage

Graphics & Myspace layouts

4th pict on 4th File

This was fun to do! I saw on my Sister's blog that she looked up the 4th picture of her 4th file, and thought I would just see what was in mine! It brought back a flood of memories! So I had to post more than one picture. The pictures are from when Kade was three months old and learning how to grab for things, and Brock had just turned 8! We had family from Colorado and around AZ down for the Blessing of Kade, and Brock's Baptism. It doesnt seem that long ago ! It was fun to see just how everyone has changed!

Go ahead and try this! It would be fun to see what you all come up with:)

Today's fun:)

Today we spent the day with three of my sisters and their kids walking around Superstition Farms! It is always fun to see little kids around animals!

See DiaperDiva and CoolWhips for more pics and stories!

Tagged:)

My baby sister tagged me! So here it is:)

8 Things I am passionate about.
1. My Husband
2. My Kids
3.Church
4. Friends
5. Extended Family
6. A clean house
7. Family time
8. Being a Mom

8 Words or phrases I say often
1. NO!!! (not only no but *&*# NO)
2.What???
3. Clean your Room, NOW!
4. I LOVE YOU!!!!
5. Will you two just stop Fighting?!
6. Hello! (Because the phone wont stop ringing)
7. Did you even hear what I said?
8. Who are you? (and the answer better be I am a Child of God)

8 Things I wanna do before I die
1. Get out of debt
2. Have a house that is paid in full!
3. Go shopping without having to worry about money!
4. Learn that eating out ONCE A WEEK is OKAY!!!!!
5. Travel
6. Take my family to Disney Land (only 2 of us have been)
7. Take my family to the Beach
8. Decorate my house the way I want to for each holiday!

8 Things I have learned
1. I can find things to do on the computer that waste time so I don't have to do housework!
2. That it is OK for me to have some down time (aka: girls night out)
3. I love doing crafty things even though I am not the best at it!
4. Its hard for me to let go of certain household chores and let my kids do them so that they learn how.
5. Watching my parents get older is harder than I thought it would be!
6. Watching my children get older is also harder than I thought too!
7. I cant say goodbye in person or on the phone!
8. That I am surrounded by Spiritually strong women who are always setting an example for me to follow!

8 Places to I would love to go or see
1. Scotland
2. Sweden
3. Ireland
4. England
5. Hawaii
6. All of the other 49 states (Yes! even AZ ! I have never been to the Grand Canyon!)
7. Church History Tour sites
8. Australia

8 Things I need or want
1. A nap with no interruptions
2. A shower all to myself ! no visitors!
3. A new pair or two of Shoes
4. Plain Chocolate M&M's
5. Kids that do their chores!!!!
6. Someone to come and decorate my bedroom and bathroom!
7. My rental house fixed up and SOLD!
8. Years supply of food and money!

If you want to play consider yourself tagged:)

This is how ...

Our Watermelons are growing! Each day they get bigger! The kids are having fun seeing the watermelon grow and seeing what it takes to get something to grow. Hopefully we can get at least one one them to grow big enough to eat it!

I thought I would share ...

Did you know that you are supposed to "put on the brakes" when you see a red light, Go as" fast as a speed racer" through a Green Light and finally "Speed up and go faster" through the Yellow Light? I have a very serious back seat drive who tells me when to do all of these things! Kade was helping me drive the other day, and I must have done something right because he said I was a GENIUS because I figured out how to go and stop and when to speed up! So I had to share my knowledge with all of you (since I am such a smarty at driving) so you would know!

I may have to follow his suggestions when I drive because it was his Auntie who is a police officer who taught him how to drive like that!

Name game part 2

I needed a little help understanding the different personality types so I looked on line and found this:


Type A

Impatient
Has trouble relaxing
Aggressive
Has a short fuse
May get upset over small things
Competitive, achievement-oriented
Time urgency: Interrupts others, becomes frustrated
While waiting in line.

Type B

Patient
Relaxes easily
Easy going, mellow
May avoid confrontation
Not quick to anger

Meanwhile, it is possible to also have a mix of these characteristics, which is classified as Type AB personality.


I think I am a good mixture of both! My husband is constantly telling me to calm down or I am going to give myself a heart attack! There is a lot I do not allow others to see or I have learned to hide real well!

Name game

What Kaydee Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Fun for all ages!

Looking for something fun to do with the little kids! Check out the MooMoo Palooza that will be happening on October 10th and 11th at Superstition farms !

I took Kade and the kids last year and they had a blast! I hope we can make it again this year! It is fun showing the kids where milk comes from and telling them that I have lived on a dairy farm just like this one and and have milked cows just like they do there!

Sweet and Sour Meat Ball Recipe

Meat Balls
1 lb ground hamburger
1 egg lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons of chopped onion
1 Tablespoon of cooking oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce
3 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
3 Tablespoons of Cider Vinegar
1 8oz can of pineapple chunks
1/2 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 medium bell pepper cut into strips

In a bowl, combine meat, egg, cornstarch, salt, pepper and onion. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. In a large skillet brown meatballs in cooking oil. Cover and cook over low heat until the meatballs are done, about 10 minutes.

In a sauce pan stir vinegar and cornstarch until smooth. Drain pineapple reserving juice. Set pineapple aside. Add enough water to pineapple juice to equal 1 1/2 cups. Stir into vinegar mixture. Add sugar and soy sauce; cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Add the meatballs, pineapple and green peppers. Cook until heated through and green pepper is tender. (my kids like them on the side not cooked in)

Serve over noodles or rice. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

My family also likes the sweet and sour sauce over rice and popcorn chicken(from Costco), and carrot sticks.

I want my teef back!

Kade was beyond shock when he bit his first bite out of an apple and out came a tooth! He did not know what to think, he wasn't prepared for this! To tell the truth, I was not prepared either! I thought it would take him another couple of years befor we started in on the tooth fairy fun again! He is growing up way to fast! Kade would not let me look at his mouth for quite a while, all he would say was that he wanted his teef back! Well I hope his teeth grow back some what quickly and and I remember tonight that I need to play the tooth fairy again!

My Monday Miracles

Small little things that I am Very Thankful for today:

1. A husband that is home safely, though a little battered, after a four day trip to Colorado to help his parents get wood for winter.

2. An air conditioner (in the house) that works! Hopefully it gets working today after 3 days of not working!

3. Friends that let us stay overnight at their house, to escape the heat, while they are out of town!

4. Family that comes into town and stays awhile even with no air in the house!

5. For all the other little miracles that happened this weekend, there are to many to count and name!

this and that... part 2

We did not plant any seeds and we dont remember having anyone eat watermelon outside, but, somehow we have watermelon growing in our back yard! They are overtaking the place, covering kades toys and play area! We don't know if it will produce any fruit but we experimenting with it to see if it actually will! The kids love to check on it and see just how much it has grown everyday!

This and that... part 1

Here are a couple of crafty things I have done over the last couple of weeks!

A ribbon Halloween Candy Basket and a tin planter that I glued ribbon and flowers to! (to bad you cant see the rhinestone bling in the middle of the flowers!) Simple and easy are the best!

You Know ....

Your husband is a NERD... um I mean Engineer... when he builds a himself a Hydrogen Generator for his truck! He is going to install it this weekend, I guess we will see if it actually works! The only down side to having a husband who tinkers around with building stuff and tearing stuff apart is that I have to give up space on my counters and floors and cupboards for him! WE have lots of tools and gadgets laying around. I think it is kinda cute to watch him do things like this because he reminds me of a little boy with his toys! Good Luck Hon installing it and getting it to work!

p.s. I guess a hydrogen generator produces hydrogen that is put into or over the carburator(?) in a car instead of gasoline and reduces the amount of gasoline your car uses. In theory This thing is supposed to double the gas milage of a car or truck.