Alphabet Meme

My sister in law Aleyta tagged me, so here goes.

A - Available or Taken: taken
B - Best Friend: my mom
C -Cake or Pie: cake all the way.
D - Drink of Choice: water or coke zero
E - Essential item you use everyday: flour
F - Favorite Color: pink
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: chocolate please
H - Hometown: Hayward, Ca
I - Indulgence: really good lotion
J - January or February: no thanks, not a fan of winter, but Todd's birthday is in February.
K - Kids & ages: Brandon 3 1/2 & Adam 18 months
L - Life is incomplete without: family
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date (and why): marriage 11/08/03
N - Number of Siblings: 3 two brothers and 1 sisty
O - Oranges or Apples: clementines
P- Phobias or Fears: freaky laughing people. (don't ask)
Q - Fave Quote: "Whats right isn't always popular and whats popular isn't always right." My senior quote that they some how messed up really badly.
R - Reason to Smile: my crazy kids.
S - Season: Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: If you'd like to do this, go right ahead!
U - Unknown fact about me: I didn't believe in killing animals when I was younger. So I didn't eat meat.
V - Vegetable you don't like: I don't like squash, other than zucchini.
W - Worst Habit: I guess you'd have to ask Todd. lol, I can't think of anything.
X - X-rays: yep, I've had a few.
Y - Your Fave Food: La Pinata Mexican food, which I only have like once a year since it's out in CA. But, I really love homemade bread....mmm!
Z - Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Make This For Dinner NOW!!

So, you say your family doesn't like tuna casserole? Really.... Well, I challenge you to make this recipe and tell me that they don't love it! I used shell pasta and the bread topping. Go make it...NOW!!

The Food Game

My sister-in-law Aleyta tagged me with this fun little game. Things in bold are foods that I've tried in my life. Lots of them I haven't tried, including any of the alcohol, but this should be fun.


1.Venison - duh!!
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghan
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi1
5. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns - When I was a kid I had a Filipino friend that I would go to her house sometimes, and one time we had these! Yummy!
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans - of course!!
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - only fried though, I don't think i could handle raw!
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - when Todd and I were dating we went to a Giants baseball game and got some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl to share and Todd was eating some of it and not really paying any attention and ate the whole entire thing!! To this day if he eats everything of something I laugh and say "was that good clam chowder?"
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float - I am mormon!! hehe
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka + Jell-O - only the jello part of this one! :)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - ate this with Lita (my grandma) in an Indian restaurant when I was a kid.
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu - isn't that the fish that can kill you if not made right?! I would never eat that!
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - when the Krispy Kreme opened in Union City when I was a kid, we stood in line out in the cold for like an hour just to get some! We even got one hot off of the line!
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. ratatouille
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain - of course!!
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - This all depends on what you call roadkill.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict - My mommy makes the best!
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse....yuck!! I can't believe people would actually eat a horse!
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

A Handmade Christmas

If you didn't know yet, Christmas is just around the corner!! I'm trying to make a lot of my Christmas gifts this year. Nieces and nephews are all getting pillow cases that I've been busy making, most of which were made out of fabric that I already had! Here are some instructions, just in case you'd like to make some too.

I'm also going to be making a couple of hooded towels for Brandon and Adam. They can always use more towels for after bath time! I've been looking at a few patterns, here is one that looks pretty easy.

I might even make some casserole totes. We'll have to see on that one though. I might need to find a better pattern for those. Have any ideas?

Are you making any of your Christmas gifts this year?

New Blog Name & Recipes

So, I've decided to change up the name of my blog. Since my house is always crazy and my kids drive me nuts, I thought "The Mad House" is pretty much the right title for my life. Anyway, we just got back from our ward Harvest Party and everyone was raving over the cheesecake that I brought. So, I thought I'd share the recipe for that and the white chili I made.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

For The Crust:
4 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

For The Filling:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese , softened
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 bag bite sized Reese's Peanut Butter cups, cut in half

Preheat oven to 275° placing an oven proof dish with water in the bottom of your oven, this will help so the cheesecake doesn't crack.

To make the crust, crush the oreos, either in a zip loc bag (this is what I do) or in a food processor. Then add the butter to the cookie crumbs and mix well. Pat the crust mixture onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. **Mine is only 8 inches, so I also put some in a muffin tin lined with papers. With this recipe I can get one 8 inch cheesecake and 9 muffin size cheesecakes.**

For the filling, make sure the cream cheese is nice and soft before mixing. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth. Stir in vanilla, then fold in peanut butter cup pieces with a rubber spatula. Pour filling into prepared crust. Place the filled springform pan on a cookie sheet (mine always leaks and then butter gets all on the bottom of my oven while I'm cooking it.) Bake at 275°F 1 hour 35 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned. **The muffin tin cheesecakes take 35 minutes** Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Pinto Beans
1 can white hominy, drained (I use a big one, you can use a smaller one depending on how much you like hominy)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (you can find this in the mexican food isle by all of the little packets of spices)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, hominy, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is really good with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Yummy Soup

Here are a couple of really yummy soups that I made and brought to a church activity yesterday. Everyone was asking for the recipes. Enjoy!


Vegetable Ham Alfredo Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Sherelle Christensen

2 cans chicken broth
2 cans evaporated milk
1 Tbs. Dried parsley
pepper to taste
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen french cut green beans
1 ½ cups chopped ham
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
4 oz. Cream cheese
Add all ingredients except for the alfredo sauce and cream cheese to a big pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are soft, then add alfredo sauce and cream cheese. Heat through until cream cheese melts. Serve with hot rolls.


Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
10 corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 pound chicken meat, cooked and diced
1 cup milk
12 ounces shredded cheese
Put everything in a big pot and cook down until tortillas break apart and thicken the soup. Serve with broken tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

I'm getting excited!

My baby brother is getting married a week from Saturday! I can't believe he's old enough to get married all ready! It seems like we were just kids not that long ago! I'm so happy for him and his fiance Aleyta. She's a great gal and they are so lucky to have found each other. I know they'll be happy together!


They'll be getting married in San Juan Bautista, CA so we'll be flying out to my parent's house next Wednesday! I'm really excited to see everyone! They haven't seen Adam walk yet! And can you believe that they asked Brandon to be the ring bearer!? I think they're a little crazy, but I'm sure he'll be super cute and add some....um, excitement to the wedding. haha... Anyway, I can't wait to see everyone and see my Matty get married! I love you guys!

Got Apples?

Our apple tree is overflowing with apples! We just started picking them this week and today I made my first pie of the season! It sure does look yummy!! I made this one for a neighbor of ours that brought us over a strawberry pie a few days ago. So, to bring back her pie pan, I made her an apple pie! I'll be making another one tonight for us for dessert. I would be sure to hear it from my husband and kids if I didn't make one for us! Here is the yummy recipe!

Dutch Apple Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl. Combine 6 cups of peeled and sliced apples with ¾ cup sugar, 2 Tbl. Flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg. Mix well and pour into a pie shell (store bought or homemade).

Mix ½ cup flour and ½ cup brown sugar until it is a fine mix. Cut in 3 Tbl. Soft butter with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle mixture over pie and bake for 40 minutes. Check and if it needs to be covered with foil, do so and bake another 10-20 minutes.

Another Giveaway!

I'm doing another giveaway over at my other blog! Come enter for your chance to win one of two prizes! Yep, two winners! Each winner will get a set of soap and matching bath salts from Heathen's Hearth! You can enter to win, even if you know me, or the shop giving the prize away! Go enter today!

The Etsy Sixteen

Go check out The Etsy Sixteen at Sunny Day Happy Face. Alicia made an etsy quilt and I'm featured in it! Go see!!

I'm ready for Fall!

This summer hasn't been too bad, but for some reason I'm just ready for it to be fall! Not winter, I'm not ready for long snowy days, but I am ready for the cooler weather of fall and all of the yummy things that fall brings. Thankfully it has been cooling off a lot lately and this morning I decided to make it official that it's fall, at least in my house!

I made a huge breakfast today, at least huge for a weekday! I found a recipe for pumpkin patch pancakes with apple cider syrup over at Real Mom Kitchen. I made these along with bacon and eggs. If I didn't make the eggs I was sure to hear it from my kids, they think they need to eat eggs every morning. As long as they eat, I don't really care, so I made eggs too. Anyhow, the pancakes were really really good and the syrup was to die for! So yummy! I only made a half batch of the syrup and I'm glad I did, we still have lots leftover. Probably enough to make pancakes another five times! But we don't eat a lot of syrup with our pancakes so maybe normal people could go through it faster. I would highly recommend these recipes! Go try them!

Pumpkin Patch Pancakes

Mix up your favorite pancake mix according to package directions. For every cup of dry mix used, mix in the following:

¼ cup canned pumpkin

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand you can make your own. See recipe below.)

Cook pancakes as you normally would.

Apple Cider Syrup (this is the full recipe)

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4 cups apple juice or apple cider

In a sauce pan mix together, sugar, cornstarch, and pumpkin spice. Stir in apple juice or apple cider. Bring to a boil, remembering to stir occasionally. Boil until desired thickness. Remove from heat and serve over Pumpkin Patch Pancakes or give it a try over regular pancakes.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix and store.

Hey Ya'll

I just wanted to let you all know about my etsy shop feature and giveaway over at my other blog! Come enter to win a 5x7 print of your choice from photoamato! She has some great pictures!

The Prize Winner

As requested, here is my prize winning Red Raspberry Cheesecake Squares recipe! I hope you all love it! It is really really yummy!!


Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares

1 box fudge brownie mix plus ingredients to make
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 in baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare brownies as package states, pour into baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. While brownie layer bakes, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. When brownie comes out of oven, spoon cheesecake mixture over brownies, spread as evenly as possible. Dot with jam and swirl with knife. Top with chocolate chips and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake looks set but still a little wiggly. Cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from pan using aluminum foil, peel away and place brownie on cutting board. Cut into 24 squares, making sure to wipe knife between each cut. Place on serving tray and enjoy! Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers!

A Fun Day!

We had lots of fun yesterday! In the morning Todd took Brandon out Dove hunting. They came back with lots of dead birds.

I wasn't too thrilled with the fact that Todd let Brandon hold them, but he was having fun and had a bath right after these pictures were taken.


Then we went to the Eastern Idaho State Fair, where I had entered a few things into the baking section. I got a few honorable mentions and two first places!! Here are my flour tortillas! Which were hard as a rock at that point!

And here are my Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares. Not only did they win first place in their division which was cookie-other, they also got the Superintendent's Award for cookies! I was so excited!! This was a recipe that I created last year for the Pillsbury Million Dollar Bake-Off that didn't get chosen. So I was so happy to see them get recognized for how yummy they really are!! I kind of got teary eyed, I know, I'm a dork!

Among other things we did at the fair, Brandon rode the mechanical bull!! He had lots of fun!! He wasn't scared of that thing one bit!!

He is a true cowboy for sure! But you wouldn't be able to tell with this mohawk and vans. hehe.

Etsyversary Giveaway and Sale!!!

Today is my one year Etsyversary!! I'm so excited!! I'm having a huge sale!! Come check it out! Then head on over to my other blog mycozycreations.blogspot.com and enter my giveaway!!! And don't forget to go over to Love Etsy Feedback for the other giveaway!! You have two chances to win a crayon cozy this week!! Yay!

A Sale And A Feature!

Big sale going on at MyCozyCreations.etsy.com right now!

Buy any crayon cozy and get a headband half off.
Buy two lunch box napkins get the third half off.
Buy any trick or treat bag get the second half off.
Or buy any 4 or more items and recieve FREE shipping in the US or Canada!!

Not valid on custom orders. Either wait for a revised invoice through PayPal before paying, or go ahead and pay now and I'll refund you! Sale Ends Tuesday morning!

Keep an eye out over at Love Etsy Feedback for a feature on my etsy shop!! There will be a giveaway and a discount code!! Danelle has a great blog going on and everyone should be reading it!! Go enter all of the current giveaways and get some great stuff! Not to mention the discounts you can get at some great shops!

Also, check out Danelle's shops on etsy!! Got to TagsAndButtons for great promo items!!! And Damdesigns for great original art! Go check it out!

Catchin' Fish

Brandon loves to go fishing with his Daddy!! They go whenever they can, this was a fish that they caught one night.

They went up to a stream about 15 minutes away from our house one night at about 7 pm or so. When it was dark they came home with this big guy! He was 17.5" long! Pretty good for a three year old!

Brandon reeled him in all by himself! He's quite the fisherman!! He loves fishing and talks about it all of the time.

Look at Adam's first molar! Yay! That one was a pain in the butt to get in, but he's happy to have it now!

Peachy Cheap!

My friend Brooke just opened a new online shop!! It's called Peachy Cheap and I think it's a really cool concept! She offers one product a day at a really low price, all of her stuff has to do with scrapbooking, so if you really love to scrapbook, then go check it out!

Here’s how it works:

· Peachy Cheap sales one deal per day until it is gone.

· Everything is discounted up to 99% off retail price so they sell out fast.

· Act fast or you will miss out, once they are gone, they are gone.

· Shipping is always $4.99 and ships within 2-3 business days.

You can check it out at http://www.peachycheap.com/.

Defeated

Last Friday we went down to Okie's with determination to win! Todd thought he had it, he thought he for sure would win this contest. Here is his BEAST!!! It is a pretty huge burger!

He was pretty calm just sitting waiting for his food, the only worry was the guy way down at the other end of the line of guys getting ready to eat. He was a pretty big guy. But we thought for sure that he wouldn't be able to eat as fast as Todd.

Todd was getting ready! Crazy eyes and all!!! Then they called to start eating. Todd was doing pretty well. Holding his own. But for some reason, he couldn't quit get it down as fast as he was hoping for.

In the end, this guy, BIG CASEY, the 500 pound sumo wrestler out ate Todd. By like 4 minutes! This guy was amazing! He had the beast down within 5 minutes! If you go here to youtube, you can see him in action!! Todd was disappointed, but at least he lost to a huge sumo wrestler and not some girl! Todd did claim second place, but the prize was not nearly as good as first place! He got a $15 gift card to Okie's and a $10 gift card to Hot Diggety Dog, the place that holds the hot dog eating contest. The only hope for Todd next year is that Casey is probably going to be on Biggest Loser, so he won't be eating like that next year!! Good luck Casey!

Anne Made Art

Looking for some cute art to put in your little Pirate's room? Check no further then AnneMadeArt! Anne is a very talented artist from Canada, all of her pieces have a wonderful whimsy feel to them. I just love all of them!!

If you don't have any Pirates but might have a Princess then check out this piece! What little girl wouldn't love this?! I asked Anne what inspires her and here is what she had to say,

"Most of my prints are inspired by my kids - things they like to do or things that interest them. My favourite piece from my shop is the Little Princess Altered print. This one was inspired by my second daughter who loves to dress up - especially to dress up as a princess!"

Go check out all of her wonderful art today over at annemadeart.etsy.com.

The Beast!

**NOTE** Todd just told me that I was wrong about the time, he ate a quarter of everything in 36 seconds, not a minute and 26! sheesh!

If you don't have anything to do this Friday at 1:00 you should come on over to Okie's Burgers and Chili in Idaho Falls! Todd will be in "The Beast" competition. Whoever eats the beast (which is 20 oz. of meat plus the bread and all of the fixings and 1 lb. of fries) the fastest wins the loot! Every person had to pay $10 to do it, the max amount of people in it will be 10 and then Okie's will be doubling the money! So he could be winning $200! He did a test run the other day when he signed up and he ate a quarter of everything in a minute and 26 seconds! So, if goes that fast for the entire thing he'll be sure to win! Seeing as he's the current hot dog eating champ of Idaho Falls, I don't think he has much competition. It should be fun!!

New Blog and a Recipe!

Come and check out my other new blog!! My Cozy Creations! It will be all about my etsy shop!! I'll be having monthly giveaways too! Come check it out!

Here is a recipe for a super yummy summer treat!! I also have this recipe in my etsy shop!

The Yummiest Peach Cobbler

2 pounds ripe peaches
¾ cup sugar
1-tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Peel, halve, and pit the peaches. Slice each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Combine the peaches, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Let the fruit stand, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes.

Make the dough: Cream together the butter and remaining ½ cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined.
Transfer the peaches to an 8-inch square-baking pan. Drop the dough in rounded tablespoonfuls over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden, 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cobbler cool slightly and serve it warm. Best with vanilla ice cream!

You can use other fruits with this recipe as well. I like to add fresh blueberries along with the peaches. The color and flavor is amazing!!!

Piggy-Tails Stationary

Do you have a hard time finding really cute Birthday Party invitations? I know for Brandon's last party it took me forever to find some cowboy invitations. I don't know why I didn't just look on etsy. Live and learn. Next year I'll for sure be doing a search on Etsy! I came across these cute birthday party invitations the other day on etsy. I love star anything, you could probably tell that by looking in my etsy shop though. I think I pick out star fabric more often then any other kind. I've kind of always been like that though. When I was a teenager my entire room was a celestial theme. Okay, back to these dang cute cards!

They aren't only the invitations though! Look at what you get! 8 invitations with strawberry pink envelopes, 8 Thank-you cards with strawberry pink envelopes and 16 gift tags. Sara over at Piggy-Tails thought of everything! And with an option to buy more of any of the three, she's got you covered! And she personalizes them for free! How cool! I asked Sara why she started her business and here is what she had to say!

"Piggy-Tails came about after always having a hard time finding cute children birthday party invitations that weren't based on popular TV shows and characters, so I decided to create my own! Piggy-Tails specializes in coordinated birthday party packs, which include invitations, thank-you cards and gift tags and now also birthday banners and cupcake toppers! We also carry an assortment of cards and stationery. Customizations are always welcomed!"

If you wanted to continue with the star theme for your little girl's birthday, have a look at these! I just started making these party packs recently. I had a customer ask me if I could make crayon holders to hold 4 crayons each. She wanted to take them to a restaurant she works for to show them an option for the crayons they take to tables for kids. I haven't heard back from her, but since then I've have about 5 people contact me about doing birthday favor sized crayon cozys. So, now guess what I have in my shop!

I think this size is just too cute! And you would probably be the first out of all of your friends to have them as a party favor!! Pretty original and much better then just candy! I am currently working on a pirate party pack for a custom order!! It's been lots of fun!

Rodeo Cowboy

Last Friday night Brandon was in the Little Buckaroo Rodeo here in Firth. He had such a blast!


He competed in the stick horse race! It was a dream come true for him, because after all, he is a "real" cowboy.

He had so much fun going around the barrels that he wanted to do it again, so he did! Everyone was laughing and cheering him on! It was lots of fun and he was really cute!

He even won a buckle! Pretty good for only being three years old! Now he has bragging rights! He also did the chicken race they had. They let a bunch of chickens go and anyone under the age of five could go in and try to catch one! Guess what we have in our backyard now!? A "real" chicken! One of the rodeo clowns helped him catch one! He had so much fun! I'm sure this is only the beginning of all of the rodeos he'll want to be entered into.

Memory of Me

My neighbor Lori had this up on her blog so I decided to play along.

Here's how it works:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember, good or bad but be nice please!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Day at the Lake

Yesterday we went out to Rigby Lake and had lots of fun! When we first got to the lake Brandon had just woken up from his nap in the car and was really cranky. I had tried to get him in his swimsuit so he could go on the boat to fish with Todd, but he wasn't going for that. I finally lost the battle and got him changed back into his clothes. I was kind of sick of people staring at me because of my screaming child. So, we ate lunch first instead, which was probably the best choice. We had some peanut butter whoppers that Brandon really liked posing with.

Adam had some yummy oreo cookies. mmmm!! We also ate sandwiches, but the snacks were the favorite part of the kids!

Brandon started to warm up to the idea of possibly not wearing his clothes and changing into his swimsuit, but not before he ate a ton of whoppers.

Adam got extremely dirty, but was having a blast. I have no idea how that child gets so many dang scratches on his face. Must have something to do with having an older brother.


So, Adam got back at Brandon and grabbed him! Brandon didn't like that too much. But it was pretty funny.

Brandon finally got changed back into his swimsuit and had a blast swimming! Todd and his brother were in the boat fishing so I was on the beach with the kids. They also had their cousin Daniel to swim around with. But Daniel got distracted and stopped playing with Brandon, and Brandon went out a little too far. I looked over and he was kind of freaking out, going under every so often. So, without really thinking about it I went out to grab him about a second after I saw him. After all, I'm not about to let my kid drown! So, I saved my kid and got really wet in the process. I hadn't brought any extra clothes and all I was wearing were my jeans, so I had to change into Todd's shorts so that my jeans could dry out. Fun stuff! I would have been fine with that, but we also had to go to a birthday party later that night. I showed up in Todd's shorts. Pretty funny.

Adam didn't want to be left out of playing in the water, so he had some fun in the sun too.

All in all we had a pretty fun day and all day today Brandon has been talking about how he went swimming in the lake, but he didn't die. Kids are pretty funny. He really wants to go back again, hopefully we'll be able to go back before summer is over.

Superfly Lullabies

Superfly Lullabies is an awesome little etsy shop that has some amazing baby items! Check out this cute blankie! It has Amy Butler honeycomb fabric on one side and super soft minky on the other side! What little baby girl wouldn't love snuggling up with one of these!?


And wouldn't it be awesome if mom matched baby's blankie while out and about? Imagine all of the compliments they would get! This headband has Amy's honeycomb on one side and garden maze on the other side. It is perfect for the mom on the go!



This cute bib matches the blanket perfectly!! What little girl wouldn't love a bib that has minky on one side! Oh how this is making me wish I had a little girl! Those dang boys!

Your daughter would probably love her blankie so much that she would still be carrying it around once she is old enough to color, this crayon cozy with the same matching fabric would be perfect for carrying around all of her favorite crayons!

I asked Julie over at Superfly Lullabies a little about why she started making her cute creations, this is what she had to say.

"I started making my blankets & accessories for a few reasons: I was bursting with creative energy to the point I was about to explode, and seeing that I love fashion and to sew, it seemed very fitting that I make some fashionable accessories for Mums like myself, who wanted something other than pastels and bunnies to wrap their babes up in! The other major reason is that I'm the wife of a full-time student, trying to bring in some income for our little family of four while my husband completes his degree. It made more sense for me to find a way to stay at home & raise my kids than to work to pay a daycare to do it. "

I totally know what she means! Staying home with my kids is far better for them then staying at some daycare. So, when you get the chance, go check out Julie's shop, she has lots of cute blankies to choose from!