A few pages

I thought I would add more scrapbook pages to my blog. Again, they are older layouts I did over the last year and I still don't know how to scan and stitch my layouts so you'll have to put up with these really bad photos for now. I'm going to a real scrapbook store on Saturday with some friends so I thought I better show everyone some of my favorite older pages before I bury them with all the new ones I'm going to make after I stock up at the Daisy Bucket (wishful thinking!). If you're ever passing through Hermiston stop by that store, it's great!

Funny Felt

I don't like to post twice in one day but this is totally blog worthy. I just found it a minute ago and thought it was so funny. Why????? Why would you spend that much time on a felt nintendo?? I found it on Craftster and I'm sorry I can't remember who created it but you have to give the person credit, he/she even made a duck hunt game screen that looks convincing. That takes some serious talent and time.

Have a tasty Tuesday

A person I visit teach had surgery this morning so I thought I would take her some dinner and dessert and see how she's doing. I've spent all morning as Betty Crocker and Mrs. Cleaver baking koloches, chicken enchiladas, and salad complete with croutons among other things. I would've done more but it's getting hot outside and it's turning into an inferno in here. That's plenty of food anyway (I'm really craving some chocolate though). I thought I would share the recipe for the koloches. They are really yummy and pretty easy but they are time consuming. A good recipe for when you're spending all day folding laundry and doing dishes and feel like cooking a tasty treat for later.

Kolaches-

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 1/4 c. warm milk

3/4 c. sugar

6 Tbsp. softened butter

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

5 to 5 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 - 21 oz. can pie filling (we like cherry)

Topping:

1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a very soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and rise until double, about an hour.

Turn out on a well floured surface and roll into 1 1/2" balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets and cover and rise until doubled, about 40 min.

In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, and egg yolk until smooth. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Fill the centers with 1 tsp pie filling, add 1/2 tsp cream cheese topping. Bake at 400* for 10-15 min. Refrigerate leftovers.

This recipe makes over 5 bakers dozens so if you would like to halve it go ahead. The measurements just get tricky so I just make the entire batch and use every cookie sheet I own and gain an extra 12 lbs. I think they look prettier before they are baked because I can't seem to keep the topping from slipping off in the oven though. Enjoy!

A little sad today

It's been a tough week and the more it gets into summer it's going to get even harder. Cody is coaching Ashlyn's soccer team this year. It's not a big deal but Jeremy is in soccer to so I will have to take Jeremy to his games while Cody takes Ashy to hers. I had to teach the R.S. Lesson yesterday so I have to miss out on a weeks worth of fun stuff to stay home and study. Cody is the scout master so that means he's gone every Wednesday night and has scout camp-outs every other weekend. He's also been working from 6 in the morning until 6 at night. When you add that all together it looks really bleak and I'm a single parent a lot. The kicker yesterday though was my sewing machine broke. Talk about the straw that depressed the camel!

I thought today I would start my week out happy and remember how much we really have to be thankful for. I'm so glad I have a husband who works so hard and does so much for our family. I'm so happy to be where we are physically and emotionally. It's been almost 8 years and we are starting to think alike, talk alike, and I think we're starting to look alike (Cody just gets prettier and prettier). Here's a list of some of my ten favorite things so I can look back at it this coming week that should prove pretty hectic and remember how great everything really is.

1. Fresh clean babies and their little newborn wrinkly feet.
2. Week old yellow bunny marshmallow peeps.
3. Baby bird hair.
4. The smell of clean laundry.
5. Crisp new bedsheets.
6. Anything dark chocolate.
7. A living room full of my own kids.
8. Flip flops and self-tanning cream.
9. Long layering tanks.
10. Really good meatloaf with baked ketchup on top and "old rotten" potatoes :0) .

I do scrapbook, really...

After a little prodding, I've been told I should post some of my scrapbook pages. I've been waiting to scan my pages for two reasons. The first being that I actually only have one page that is totally finished. The rest lay in a pile waiting for journaling and most have been waiting there for at least a year. The second reason is that I don't know how to scan my pages and I didn't want to take a picture of them because I take really bad page pictures. If I wait for either of those things I'll never have any pages to show off so without further ado I present my unfinished, unjournaled, really bad photographs of this years scrapbook pages. I actually like the pages but I feel I'm not doing them any favors with the bad pictures. If anyone has any tips for scanning let me know!

And...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SISTER DIRECTLY UNDER ME BUT NOT MY ONLY SISTER!!! She's a happy and healthy 2??? -one year younger than me :0) .

Breakfast of Champions

Here's my Jim, a rare gimpse.

Jeremy cracks me up in more ways than one. We are so much alike, he and I, that sometimes I just want to kiss him and hug him and say that's my boy. Other days he makes me want to pull my hair out and curse my parents for wishing the old "I hope you have one just like you some day" phrase. Today is one of those hair pulling days because I'm trying to enforce the chore charts. We got a little lax because of the move but it's time to start the chores again. Jeremy is like I was growing up and figures as long as he can still find it, it must be put in the right spot.

One thing that cracks me up is his idea of a nutritious breakfast. During summer break Jeremy has been a huge help to me. He gets Kaci out of her crib and takes her downstairs to play then he gets himself and the girls cereal until I get up. He does this all without me asking him to, in fact I wish he wouldn't so I would get up in the morning a little earlier. He takes my Kaci alarm clock! The other day when I got up it was 7:30 and Jeremy informed me everyone already ate. I thought that was fine and started about my usual day. As I was cleaning the living room I found a paper plate with a nibbled on pop tart and chocolate cookies. I asked Jeremy who's plate that was. He told me it was Mary's. I asked him if that was breakfast. He said in the most sincere voice "No, we had rice crispy treats too". At least he knows that you should have a little variety and the girls were loving it. Needless to say I've been doing nice healthy breakfasts to make up for it so they've been trying to eat before I wake up. Sneaky kids!

Calling all hanger-uppers!

This message is regarding the last few phone calls I have received from anonymous cell phone users. Telemarketers I can understand, they have a job to do and as annoying to me as it may be I can choose not to answer it and I assume they understand that I'm not going to answer it. The random reminder calls I keep getting - a tad annoying seeing that I am schedule minded and have never forgotten an appointment, ever. The people who call asking for Cody during the day when they know he's not at home and they know his cell phone number so they proceed to tell me "oh, I'll just try his phone then". Okay, fine. I can deal with this.

Now I'm going to speak harshly about a certain group of people (you know who you are) that are known as the hanger-uppers. I keep answering the phone knowing full well that I don't know you. I answer knowing that I'm going to have to tell you that you have the wrong number but that's alright. I answer knowing I'm going to have to give you a courtesy laugh so you don't feel so awkward. The point is I walk the couple dozen steps to my phone as a courtesy to you. The least you can do is say "I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number." but do I hear that, NO!

I've heard "Who is this". Who is this??? It's my phone you're calling, who are you! Then you hang up. Next I hear "Ted pass me the, oh crap" Click. Really, is that an acceptable salutation these days?

I just want you to know I'm on to you. Never again will you trick me with your alluring unknown number. Never again will you hear my sweet voice saying "hello". Never again. You have abused me for the last time and now you will have to hear "Baxter's, leave a message". What is this world coming to! For those of you who've finished reading this long rant you deserve a cookie and some sort of medal. As you can see, it's been a long day!

A little famous

Our little baby is just a little famous. If you blinked you would miss it but I'm still saving this one for her baby book. It was in Tuesday's paper so I had Cody go to his parents house to look and sure enough, Kaci's little scrunchy face is right there in the left hand corner on page 2. It shows up so much better in person, my scanner doesn't like newsprint.

We have people taking pictures of our house constantly and I know I'm in some one's photo album in my p.j.'s. I turned around one morning in front of our window and saw the flash. I feel like a celebrity, but not the red carpet pretty pictures. More like the ones you see in the inquirer and the star about how they've let themselves go. I'm just glad they didn't get me for the paper, I was still sick and I looked really bad! I'm sure if Kaci were old enough she would be embarrassed because she's making a scrunchy face so I'm going to save it for her to see when she's older. I think it's cute!

In tears I tell you

I've been searching the Internet all day, mostly to get out of doing the dishes, for a clear scrapbook album technique. I keep finding the cutest albums but not very clear instructions on how to make them. I'm fairly crafty minded but it seems to me that most people are just going about it the hard way and spending way too much so I was hoping to find some one that's as cheap as I am with clearly easy instructions. No such luck so I'm going to make my own and furnish the world with my easy instructions when I do. In the mean time I came across an old link while cleaning out my favorites folder and decided to refresh my memory and gave her a click. I'm so glad I did and by the time I finished reading this I was in tears laughing. Maybe it's the drugs I'm on for my tooth or maybe it's that I'm picturing a blond Cody when I read this but holy cow. It's clean and worth a read, I think!

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/openletters/11eyebrows.html


I'm off to the dentist tomorrow, HOORAAYY!! It's just a check to see if I need a root canal but maybe he'll feel pity on me and give me the good stuff until it's fixed. Wish me luck and an easy root canal!

Another blog title worthy phrase or two

As I was laying in bed this morning with my tooth doing the throbbing thing and wishing I could lay there all day I couldn't keep from reflecting on my kids. Jeremy and Ashlyn were rehearsing what sounded almost like a Spanish soap opera with a mom, a dad, and a "kid". Mary kept running up the stairs telling me "Moommm, it's time to get up. It's morning time". She came every 5 min. or so, so there was no possible way for me to go back to sleep but I stayed there anyway thinking about how boring my life sounds when I do a play by play for anyone that asks. I also kept thinking about how funny my kids are and even the day to day boring things are made funnier by the everyday Baxter moments we have.

Here are my top five this week in no particular order-

1. "Maarrry!!! Get your head out of the piano right now and don't stick it in there again!"

2. "No matter what Dad told you, there isn't a big crocodile in the creek and it didn't steal Ashlyn's slip-slop off her foot. It just came off all by itself and floated down, but don't litter and never go by the creek without mom or dad"

3. "You can have ice cream or jello, you choose, but not both. Ice cream or jello?".

1 hr later driving back from Cove- "Mom, you have jello. You have ice cream, where's my ice cream."

"Mary, you ate fishy jello remember?? Mom doesn't feel good and the ice cream makes her feel better. You can't have ice cream but that was good jello wasn't it with the fish and the sprinkles in it?" I was thinking "dang it, I thought she was asleep back there and it's too late to turn around and go get her a cone. I'll just distract her with what the jello looked like and eat it really quick"

"I don't want my jello anymore, where's my ice cream?"


4. "Mom, I'm making compost! Come smell it, you can use it for your garden if you want!"


5. "Jeremy, did you use your markers to write numbers on the shelf?"

"I was just trying to measure myself, I'm ten high!"


Random number 6 and 7 for the day- "Mom- I know I have to put the laundry down the shoot. Kaci wants to help so she's in the bathroom. I'm going to go get all the laundry."

"I'm going to try to put my finger through this- Cooollll, I put my finger through it!!"


I'm off to a normal boring Baxter day of laundry, dishes, and writing some of this "boring" stuff down. Have a great Tuesday!

The running of the boys... or bulls

Friday was the parade for our annual stock show in town and every year the church has a float. This year Cody was asked to participate and (being a stock show) it was a western theme. I didn't feel good at all but Jeremy and Ashlyn were going to walk with Cody behind the float so I had to take pictures and I didn't want Mary, little miss horse lover, to miss out on all the horse action. Living on main street has it's perks and the best one was that I didn't have sit out there an hour before the parade to save my spot so I just grabbed a quick shower, looking ever so lovely without make-up, and plopped myself down sniffling and coughing with camera in hand. IT WAS WORTH IT just to have these great pictures of Cody and Jeremy dressed like cows. They didn't tell them they were going to look like that (or no one would have shown up) so it was such a treat to see them. Ashlyn got wrangled and branded and thrown in the float before they passed our house so I didn't get a good picture of her but she said she had a lot of fun. Mary was the only little girl in a 12 ft radius and she looked so cute that every float threw her a handful of candy. She came out with more candy from the parade than all 3 of the kids got at Halloween. She was one happy little chica!

Today I have a pretty good toothache and I'm still feeling sick on top of it so I haven't done anything creative, the p.j.'s will have to wait. I'm on the waiting list for the dentist but I'm number 12 on the cancelation list until August so I might be in pain for a while. That's what I get for having the motto "rot on" instead of going to the dentist. I thought I would include the latest picture of all the kids for my little something random today.

Have a great Monday!

Green around the gills

I've been feeling a little under the weather lately, especially today, so I don't have anything flaming fantastic report but I'm feeling like a bad blogger by not posting something. I was going to make Ashlyn a couple night gowns with some knit I've had laying around for a few years but I always feel worse in the evening and that's when I have time to sew so it might have to wait until next week. I've been itching to sew something though. I really want to make a couple outfits and I've joined a fabric co-op so I can get the cute designer fabric for pretty cheap but I'm lacking on the time and energy and dinero side of things so I'm just going to have to make due with what I've got. It's about time I use my fabric stash anyway. Hopefully I'll be able to post some cute pictures of some summer jammies next week (crossing my fingers). It's stock show week with a parade tomorrow so I'll have some pictures to post I'm sure, if I can drag my sick self out of bed by 2:00.

On a side note- Congratulations mom!! Her doll kit sales were over the end of May and a little bird told me she did an awesome job and her dolls sold very well, YEAHHH! On to the next head LOL.

Lights, Camera Action......Cut!

Our little Ashlyn turned 5 on Friday. Her birthday party went off without a hitch and almost everyone that came had a blast (we had one crier that didn't make it through). I don't know what I would have done without mom though, when she came at about 3 I was still in my superman p.j.'s and needed a shower desperately!! She watched the kids so I could hose down, she decorated the cupcakes for me and helped me get the party going and decorated. I wish I had a clone of her in the closet for these types of situations, thanks mom. Ashlyn told me this was the best birthday ever. I don't think she remembers her other birthdays but I'm still taking that as a "well done mom". We had personal pizzas followed by birthday jello and of course littlest pet shop cupcakes then the girls donned their paint shirts and painted statues. That was their favorite part and it was so cute to see the pride in each face when they were all finished. I wanted to add a picture of Ashlyn as a newborn but I haven't unpacked those yet so here is an old scrapbook page I did when she was 2 weeks old. I miss those days!

And now for the cut...

Ashlyn got her hair cut today. Cody and I were talking about getting our hair cut - to be honest he told me he felt like shaving his head so I retorted with a "I'm getting a bob then" when he told me that he would let me cut Mary's hair into a long bob. Long story short I decided Mary's hair is finally getting fixable and that we should trim Ashlyn and Cody grabbed a pair of shears and gave her a nice whack in the back. Sooooo we had to cut it. I love it though and I think she looks so grown-up and cute. She says it's bouncy hair so she's been bounding throughout the house. Maybe it will keep the whining to a minimum when I need to fix her hair in the morning.