Halloween!!!

Miss Hermoine Granger

And, of course, Mr Harry Potter!!!

Halloween party at school

Lauren & her buddies at the school Halloween party!! Where else can you see Cleopatra, a snow princess & Hermoine Granger together in one room???

snakes??

Lauren's school Halloween party is tomorrow, so we put her hair in braids to make her hair kinky like Hermoine's. Ethan, however, thought they looked more like snakes. In TRUE Harry Potter fashion, he proceeded to talk to Lauren's hair in Parcel tongue, the language of snakes...

Painted faces

Today, the kids were feeling good, so I got out my halloween face paints & we went to town!!

"The Kate"

Today, I was hard at work creating my halloween costume. Wig haircuts are not the easiest or most enjoyable thing I have ever done, but this one had a purpose. Brad & I are going to my cousin Heather's Annual Halloween bash as "Jon & Kate". This is a picture of a similar wig to the one I purchased, so you can see that I had my work cut out for me... The rest of the pics are pretty funny...
This is what was in my trash can after the initial cut.
(what didn't end up on my carpet of course...)

in progress... I started out by cutting it on Brad's bowling ball. It worked out ok! After a while I had to do it on my own head though. I only cut my own hair once (I think).

Like mother, like daughter...

Lists like this one are a very common sight in my house. I am a list person. I make a list for things that I need to do, need to pack, need to remember... But I never thought I'd find this in Lauren's room...

Burfy's halloween costume

Burfy may look like an ordinary bear to you, but he is a big part of our family. He has been around longer than Ethan!! Lauren was 18 months old when she got Burfy. As is tradition in our house, Burfy always gets to dress up for Halloween. In the past, he has been a Carebear, Superman, a cowboy and a doctor.

This year, the kids are going as Harry Potter & Hermoine Granger from the Harry Potter films, so naturally, Burfy is going as... Ron Weasley!!

Andy's Party

Yesterday was the big surprise 21st birthday party for my awesome little brother in law, Andy!! Unfortunately, the kids are still really sick, so I stayed home with them & Brad took off to the cities to celebrate with him!!! Here he is with Gma & Gpa... He looks so weird with a beer in his hand!!! Put it this way, When Brad & I started dating, Andy was only like 9 years old. I love you Andy!! Happy Birthday!!!

What's for breakfast?

Pumpkin pancakes!!

doppelganger.

by definition, a Doppelganger is a "ghostly double" or "look alike" of a person.

Here is the coolest one that I have ever seen.

Here is a little girl dressed up for Halloween in the movie "Monster House"

Here is my cousin Heather (I've spoken of her blog, view it here) dressed up for halloween in the 80's.

What's for dinner?

Pork stir fry
Ingredients:
1lb boneless pork ribs, cubed
1 head cauliflower
1 stalk broccoli
1 onion
rice
Mr Yoshida's sauce
chow mein noodles

If using long cook rice, start it before you begin the stir fry, or else you end up waiting on rice. Chop onion & pork. Heat 1 Tbsp oil and add in skillet when hot. Cook meat through. Chop veggies. When meat is all cooked, dilute yoshita sauce 2/3 sauce 1/3 water and pour into skillet. Add veggies and cover. Bring to a boil & turn heat to med or med/low. Cook veggies to taste. Enjoy with hot rice & chow mein noodles!! Mmmmm...

Free stuff at Walmart!

Today, with the sick kids still quarantined at home, I needed to get out of the house!!!
I made a trip to Walmart, and scooped up some free loot!!!
Airwick I-motions (3) on sale for $6 used $6/1 coupons = FREE
Glade candle on sale for $2 used $2/1 coupon = FREE
Friskies Natural sensations cat treats (2) (for Mom & Stacy's cats)
used 2 "try me free" coupons = FREE
Kashi go lean cereal (2) on sale for $3 used $3/1 coupons = FREE!!!!

knitting project FAIL

For some reason, I thought that I could knit Gryffendor scarves for the kids' halloween costumes. I have not knitted since I was like 10. There is what I got done during naptime today. Crap. I am never going to get this done in time. I need a plan B. Stay tuned.

Piggy flu 2

Piggy-gate has a new victim...

Piggy Flu

Nuff said...

"the sickness" has invaded our house

Not a good day here, Lauren has been sick with a fever for 2 days, and not feeling well at all. Let's see what tomorrow brings...

Apple dessert FAIL

Today, I tried to make a cool dessert with our apples from our neighbors... FAIL.
I would give you the recipe, but it did not turn out at all. It was supposed to be a raspberry/apple crumble dessert, but ended up tasting ok, but had a consistency of a raspberry rubber band. Eew.

Tip of the day

Tip of the day:
Softening your cookies!!

Coming up on Christmas cookie time soon, so today's tip of the day has to do with cookies!! Sometimes, no matter how perfectly you follow the recipe, your cookies are not as soft as you would like them. There are 2 sure fire ways to fix the problem.

Trick #1 Put cookies in a ziplock baggie with a piece of bread (I always use the end piece because it never gets eaten anyways). Within hours, your cookies will start to soften up!!

Trick #2 If you can't wait that long... All you need to do is set desired number of cookies on a plate, and cover with a damp paper towel. Nuk 15 seconds at a time until desired warmth & softness are reached. (be careful not to microwave too long, scorched cookies don't taste any better than crispy ones!!)

Flashback one year ago...

My little man one year ago today!! He is soooo little!

Apple day!!

Today, after picking Lauren up from school, my neighbors called us over to their garage, and handed us a HUGE bag of apples!! They had just taken everything off their tree & had a ton leftover. I gladly accepted this awesome gift!! After peeling & coring, I put them in the crockpot with a little water & some cinnamon and a little pumpkin pie spice too!!

My kids think this stuff is dessert. (and don't tell them otherwise!!)

SNOWBALLS!!!

House hunting with mom

I took a little trip to the cities today (the kiddo's stayed home with daddy) to look at houses with my mom. I had a great day (my stomach hurt from all the yummy food she fed me) and my mom actually ended up putting an offer in on a house. Unfortunately, the house was no longer available (sounds like they had a buyer lined up already... kinda dumb to get others interested in it in my opinion...) Had a nice day catching up anyways, and there is something better out there in the near future!!!

Only in Minnesota...

...do you mow the grass in a heavy coat, winter hat and thermal gloves.

*what a trooper, I love you honey!!*

Ethan being Ethan...

I just don't know how he could be any cuter. He is writing Sissy a book while she is in swim lessons.

The house on the market

Today, we officially put the house on the market. We are not sure how the housing market is going to treat us, but we are hoping that there is some interest. Link here to our mls listing!!

Yay Twins!!!

Kiddos putting on their Twins gear before school because the twins just won the division in a winner take all game against the Tigers at the Dome!! Nice job, boys!!

Vikes Gear Day!

My kids gearing up for Vikings day at Lauren's school!

Twins Game

Me and my Hubby Brad, my little brother in law Andy, and my brother in law Brian & his awesome fiancee Jenna at the last regular season Twins game ever played in the Dome!!

Pardon the Interruption...

Now back to regularly scheduled LIFE!!!

new addition to the blogs that I follow...

I would like to introduce you to a blog that makes me laugh harder than I have ever laughed before. I mean like tears roll down my face and I can't catch my breath.

Literally.

Cake Wrecks

I have never seen anything more hilarious in my life. My little cousin Heather follows cake wrecks, and now to say the least, I am hooked...(she has a great blog too click here to go see it!)

Enjoy.

Joke of the Day!!

Caught on the Job

The new army recruit was given guard duty at 2 a.m. He did his best for a while, but at about 4 a.m. he went to sleep. He awakened to find the officer of the day standing before him.

Remembering the heavy penalty for being asleep on guard duty, this smart young man kept his head bowed for another moment and looked upward and reverently said, “A-a-a-men!”

Ethan's little owie!

Look at my little man's little owie... poor little guy!

I think it is time for new sheets...

so... we got these awesome flannel sheets from Grandma Miller 2 years ago, and my hubbie LOVED THEM!! In fact, he preferred that they stay on all year round. Well, this is how they look now. Aaaahhhh!! We need new sheets!! I will have to find a good deal on sheets now!!

Book Fair time!!

Today was Harrison Elementary school's Annual fall Book Fair Bingo Night!! We had a great time and the book fair was a great success!! Here are Lauren & her buddies reading their new books outside the school after the book fair ended!!

Ethan's funny of the day

Today, I brought Ethan to Walmart and we saw a huge barrel of pumpkins.

Ethan: Mommy!! Look at the baby pumpkin!

Mommy: (gets Ethan the cutest little pumpkin)

Ethan: (spins the pumpkin around and around. Face gets very serious)

Mommy: What's wrong Ethan?

Ethan: Mommy, Where his face go??

Mommy: (trying to contain my laughter)
They are not born with faces, buddy!! You have to do that part yourself!

Lauren's reaction!!!

Here is the reaction that Lauren had today during a visit to her Gpa Tom's house...
I guess that answers the question: Is Lauren allergic to Tom's cat??

This is the worst cat reaction that she has ever had. Usually it ends up being a snuffy nose with sneezing and itchy eyes. This reaction was nothing like that at all!!

Happy 50th Anniversary Gma & Gpa Moosh!

Darlene & Merle on their wedding day

Here they are on their 50th Wedding Anniversary!!
We Love You!!

MN Author visit: Agate

Today, MN author Joy Morgan Day & Illustrator Nikki Johnson spent the day at Lauren's elementary school. We purchased a copy of their book "Agate".

This book is sooooo cute!! The illustrations are absolutely stunning. It is all about a brown moose with low self esteem to put it lightly... He wonders "what good is a moose??" He thinks that his friends, with their bright vibrant colors and neat tricks are all better than him. He finds out that we are all gems in a different way. Fantastic book, you should check it out!!

On this day in history

Ok, I know... this is a stretch. I have nothing for today. Here are the historical events that I could find for this day in history, September 24th.

1869 – "Black Friday": Gold prices plummet after Ulysses S. Grant orders the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plot to control the market.

1906 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument.

1948 – The Honda Motor Company is founded.

1957 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation.

1990 – Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn

2005 – Hurricane Rita makes landfall in the United States, devastating Beaumont, Texas and portions of southwestern Louisiana.

Births: 1936 – Jim Henson, American puppeteer (d. 1990)

Deaths: 1991 – Dr. Seuss, American children's writer (b. 1904)

Hope that makes you feel smarter... or something.

Cute Halloween Costumes for kids

Halloween is just around the corner, here is a cute costume that youcould make yourself for your kids!! (you could adapt it for an adult too!!)

YOU’LL NEED:

• Butterfly kite All you magazine suggests the kite below-
  
• Monarch butterfly kite ($23; kiteandwind.com)
• Scissors
• Yellow sweatshirt
• Safety pins
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Two large, round orange beads
• Two black pipe cleaners
• Glue
• Black headband
• Black leggings

1. Cut kite in half down center. Lay sweatshirt flat, face up. Arrange both halves of kite along side seams of shirt body and sleeves; pin in place. Stitch wings to sweatshirt.

2. Place one bead onto each pipe cleaner. Secure with glue. Twist pipe cleaners around headband and glue.

Honey Baked Pears

Here is a new recipe that I would like to try. I will share it with you!

Prep: 12 min.; Bake: 25 min.

Cost per serving: $1.05

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple-pie spice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 pears (about 2 lb.), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir lemon juice with honey and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl until blended. In a separate bowl, blend graham cracker crumbs with sugar and apple-pie spice, then stir in melted butter.

2. Layer pears in an 11-by-7-inch baking dish and sprinkle with half of crumb mixture. Pour honey mixture over pears and sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake about 25 minutes, until pears are tender when pierced with a knife, topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, or let cool, cover and refrigerate to serve cold.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

269

Fat:

9g (sat 5g)

Protein:

1g

Carbohydrate:

50g

Fiber:

4g

Cholesterol:

20mg

Sodium:

127mg

All You, OCTOBER 2009

dessert anyone?

Are my kids good or what?? I offer them dessert, and they pick applesauce.
I had to put sprinkles on it because I was so proud of their choice!!

who is calling at 3:30 AM???

So... Generally if I would get a text message at 3:30 AM, I would not be very happy, right?? Well, yesterday was a very big exception!! I received a text message from my brother in law's girlfriend (they were on vacation in Las Vegas at the time) with this awesome picture of her
BRAND NEW ENGAGEMENT RING!!

Congratulations Brian & Jenna!! I could not ask for a better sister in law!! I love you guys so much & am looking forward to your upcoming wedding!!!

Lauren & her buddies at Sam's Bday party

Lauren, Shaylynn and Sam at Sam's 7th Bday party!!
The 3 musketeers!!

Ethan's funny of the day...

Today, I went in to the bedroom to wake Ethan from his nap. This is what I encountered...

Mom: Ethan, honey, it is time to get up!

Ethan: (rolls the other direction)

Mom: Ethan, let's get up and go get Sissy from school!

Ethan: (points at the door) Go out mom, I sleeping.

He thought that he had me fooled... He is so cute!

Product Review Skintimate Moisturizing Cream Shave

My mom was recently here, and she had found a great deal on shaving cream so she brought me a few to try... Awesome!!

I am going to give this shave cream a great big YES! You smooth it on your legs (it is not foam, not gel but more like a lotion) in the shower and shave. Simple-yes, but the treat is how you feel after you shave. I usually have to put on lotion after I shave, but not when I use this!! You come out of the shower feeling like you have just applied lotion, but you don't feel greasy like some lotions can feel! Even in the summer, (when I can't stand to put on lotion) you just feel moisturized to perfection!!

Nature pic

Here is a cool flower pic I took in our front yard.