Free Chicken!!!

Check this out!

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/01/free-swanson-chicken-coupons-giveaway.html

You know your a Mommy when...

you look in the bottom of the washer machine and instead of finding lost money you find Mr. Potato Head's tongue. :)

Cooking not Baking

For those who know me REALLY well, know that I LOVE to cook. I LOVE it...

Baking on the other hand is a whole other thing to me.

I cannot bake things right. I figured out several years ago that cooking is different from baking, in that you can use the recipe just as it is, or add things or take away things to your liking - creating your own tasty recipies. Baking on the other hand you cannot add or take away things or it won't turn out right. SO - since I am aware of this, I always add all the ingredients EXACTLY as the recipe says....and STILL I can't seem to get it right.

I usually try to avoid baking whenever possible. If it weren't for the fact I have kids and a husband who love dessert I probably wouldn't ever feel the need to bake. I am not a big "sweets" person, and am content to just buy the big fluffy frosted sugar cookies from the store.

I like Ice Cream too, which again, you can buy from the store.

So today, I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies as Ezra loves to "Make Cookies?"

He helped pour in the ingredients and was just SO excited. So excited in fact, he went into the other room (or so I thought) until I heard him say, "Baby! We MADE cookies!" in reply I hear, "Cookies?" - The catch was - Araya was upstairs in her room just laying down for a nap. =o)

So everyone is excited for cookies, and when it was said and done - this is what Ezra did with his cookie....

Yep - that's right - he didn't eat it! (Hopefully he will later since I have 3 dozen!)

And here is a picture of what my cookies look like - all the time, no matter the recipe or type of cookie - FLAT...And here's my "photography cookie shot"

So, anyone have some good "fool-proof" cookie recipes? =o)

Funny Things about the kids I want to remember...

My kids constantly crack me up!

I just wanted to write down some of the things I want to remember...

When Araya was just born, Ezra called her "DeeDee" - for Baby. He called her that until she was probably 18 months when he learned to say "Bebe" for baby. Now he still calls her "Bebe" but he also calls her "Heeya" - for "Araya" And sometimes calls her "Bebe Heeya". Just in the last week or so he actually will say Araya correctly.

Araya on the other hand is 22 months and does not say Araya either. She sometimes refers to herself as "Baby" which is not surprising since everyone calls her that. When I try to get her to say "Araya" she doesn't even try. When I try to get her to say "Ezra" she says "Brofer" EVERY TIME...I say, "Can you say Ezra?" She replies, "Brofer" =o) I have actually heard her say "Ezra" a handful of times, but she ALWAYS refers to him as "Brofer".

Ezra calls his Grandma (David's mom) "Heema" but can say "Grammy & Grandpa" for my parents... He calls Faith "Faiff" and for Kiel he used to say "Kokel" But if you really press him, he finally can say "Kiel" as of last week. When Araya says Kiel, it sounds like "taco".

Here's a photo of my brother Kiel and new sister - Faith.
Araya can say most words if you ask her too, though not all 100% clear. One thing she says that is really funny is when she wants you to hold her because she's scared, sick or for whatever reason she says "I get you" and if she is quite insistant or frantically wanting you to pick her up she says, "I get you, I get you, I get you" - Which we think came from when you play with the kids and you say, "I got you!"...just cracks us up!

Araya is also a "Milk-a-holic" Faith says she drinks like she's getting drunk...she loves her milk - ALWAYS has, and I think she'd be content ONLY drinking milk and never eating. =o) She even carries her milk around with her and hugs it giving it "loving" - She calls milk "nilk".
She also VERY much loves her blankie and always has to have it when she goes to bed especially. Just recently, when you put her down, she holds it up to you and says, "Blankie" and wants you to spread it all out over her.

Araya also makes really silly faces all the time. On Haloween, we took the kids around (as a Lion and a Lamb) and we ran across a "Darth Vater" Araya just stopped in her tracks, looked him up and down, then squinted her eyes at him and gave him a death glare....too funny!

That's it for now...will post more later!

2009

Happy New Year!

So I have to say, I do believe in resolutions/goals. Because we always should be striving to improve and become more like Christ right?

I like the fact you feel like the New Year is a fresh start....however I am going to think of each week as a fresh start...because the things I want to change and improve in my life I don't want to just quit because I failed that day or week etc....I want to keep trying and not give up.

Things I want to improve this year.
1. I really want to find time in my day to seek the Lord - It seems like He is continually reminding me to seek Him and follow after Him despite my busyness and laziness. I want to really try to Follow Him more in my heart and in my Actions.

2. I want to spend more time with my kids - which means I need to time - manage a bit more....
So I need to work on times for house stuff, personal stuff, business stuff so that my kids are not suffering because of my lack of time management.

3. I want to get in better shape AND learn to accept myself for how I am right now.
I know that sounds like an oxi-moron, but I do know I need to be in a bit better shape, but I also want to learn to love myself no matter what shape I am in.

(This morning Ezra was laying in our bed while I was getting ready - because he has 103.9 fever and is just plain sick) ANY ways, I had my back to him while I was changing my shirt and he says, "Pretty Momma" And I feel a little hand touching my back and my "love handles" - and he says again "Pretty" =o) Oh how I love him! =o)
Out of the mouths of Babes right? At what point are we "programed" to think "pretty = skinny" Thank you Lord for reminding me I am "pretty". =o)

4. This is probably my biggest goal this year.
My goal is to help us get out of debt in 2009 and be as financially responsible as I can with the Lord's help. Getting out of debt is a really tall order considering our debt load, but I really feel that the Lord has blessed us and I REALLY feel that it is our responsibility to take the consequences of past mistakes, pay for those consequences and MOVE on! I am an emotional spender and with the Lord's help I want become a RESPONSIBLE spender and become a great stewart of what the Lord has given us, so we can start using what He has given us for His work for His kingdom, instead of towards our debt...

May you all contiually work on your own goals of becoming more like Him this year!

Happy NEW YEAR!!!