Abby's 1!

the snowman birthday cake i made for Abby

Abby share's a birthday with her cousin, Seth (to name atleast 1 person), so we got to celebrate here and in Utah!  I'm pretty sure Abby is very fond of cake and ice cream.  especially ice cream...
Happy birthday to Abby!

our quick trip to utah was...

silly-ness!

birthday celebratin'

 playing games

making gingerbread houses

playing with cousins

 christmas carolin'

lookin' at the lights at Temple Square

goin' to church

and traveling...lots of traveling

what we did over Thanksgiving break...

cinnamon applesauce ornaments

pinecone ornaments

thankful hands turkeys

pilgrim napkin rings

framed hand turkey art

yummy fall snack mix

my brother-in-law celebrated a birthday, and we made him this cake

Indian headband and macaroni necklaces

We did a lot of crafty stuff over Thanksgiving break trying to keep the kids busy and distracted from fighting with eachother. It worked, too!

Link

Richie is so good about making his own costumes every year for Halloween. Infact, i think there might have been maybe only 1 year when richie didn't wear a costume since we've been married. This year i failed to post a picture of his costume! He worked on this one for months. He came up with his own pattern, and sewed it all himself. he's so talented. if only i had the patience to teach myself to do the things he does....

He dressed up as Link from the Zelda video games, and his costumes turned out awesomely (that's a word, right?!)! Everybody knew who he was supposed to be, which is a definate pro. He also made my costume, but didn't devote quite as much time to mine before he just ran out of time to work on it, so it wasn't quite finished. I was supposed to be Princess Zelda, but i didn't get any looks of recognition, just a bunch of looks that said "what are you supposed to be?"...

"Nourish and Strengthen" and "Called to Serve Again"

So, this really awesome LDS novelist lady i know, Maria Hoagland, has written and gotten published a book titled Nourish and Strengthen that i am really excited about reading! Here is the synopsis:

Chloe Taylor has the perfect life: a model's figure, a husband who adores her, three healthy children. So why does she feel so much less than perfect?
After losing forty pounds, Chloe Taylor is finally happy with her body. What she doesn't realize is that she's not the one in control. When Chloe is called as the Primary president, she discovers that managing the highs and lows of a chronic illness may be easier than the ups and downs associated with family, friends, and church callings. Consumed by her own challenges, Chloe fails to recognize the issues her friends are facing and is in danger of losing their friendship. As Chloe strives to develop Christ-like love for herself and those around her, she learns that outer appearances are far less important than inner peace and spiritual strength. But is she strong enough to face her most difficult trial yet?


Now, here's what i need you to do:
1. Read the first review for her book here.
2. Order her book here, or her ebook here.
3. Check out her blog to find out more about the author here.

Check it out! I know i'm gonna!

P.S. You should also check out Jeffrey Olsen's blog here. He's also written a book titled Called to Serve Again.

halloween/ birthday party

*disclaimer: these are not pictures that were taken by me. i got them from the websites (familyfun, better homes and garden, allrecipes.com, pillsbury) that i got the recipes from. i was so distracted throwing a party, that i forgot to take pictures! the food did look almost exactly like these pictures (if not cuter!).

the food that was made:

apple bites

crescent mummy dogs

mini witch's brooms

pumpkin cupcakes

they colored halloween pictures

played "pin the mouth on the ghost"

wrap the mummy

the kids had a lot of fun at the halloween bday party we threw for molly this past weekend! i can't believe she'll be 3 on Nov. 1st. that's tomorrow, people!!

play dough

Since the girls' play doh was drying up, and i really didn't want to spend the money on some new ones, molly and i made some. I love this stuff! we got 7 different colors from one batch of play dough. it was super easy, and i got the recipe on the internet. i can't find the specific website where i found it, but here is a similar recipe:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup water

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

food coloring

Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the playdough with your hands until of proper consistency. Divide into balls and add food coloring to each one; knead until color is even. Store in resealable plastic bags or in air tight containers.

Family Pictures

My bestest friend ever, Brittany, took these awesome pictures for us. she's taken our pictures for the past 3 years, and i'm not sure what we'll do when she moves away in a couple of months. we might actually have to start paying for someone to take them...