Cookie Salad

So Book Club was a huge success today. We had 6 women and 10 kids at my house! Whew! It was super loud but we overcame and had a great discussion. I love the girls in book club and even though we have been banned from Relief Society, it's still so fun to meet every month with these women. We have created a great friendship and for that I am grateful. It was a bittersweet book club because one of the girls is moving out of our ward on Friday...too sad. We will all miss her.
I had ever intention of catching a picture of all of us together but we could barely hear ourselves think...it was madness with all the kids! It's so funny because I always think how nice it would be to have a playroom. Well, Elodie's room is basically a playroom with the exception of her bed....and it never fails.....the kids always end up in the living room! So what good would a playroom be for me down the road? Or even now! Elodie does a great job of keeping all of her toys in her bedroom and I hate a ton of toys so maybe we won't even need a toy room..who knows.

Since we had book club at 11am, we had lunch...I bought croussaint (sp?) sandwiches from Costco along with that perisian salad (yumo) and all the other girls brought a side to share. We had a great lunch. My friend Melissa made this fabulous fruit salad...holy cow! It was awesome! And even though no one is sharing recipes with me, I thought I would pass this one on for the summer. It's great and super quick to make!

P.S- Shrek 3 was great....if you haven't seen it...GO!

Cookie Salad:

2 cups sliced strawberries
1 can pineapple tidbits (drained)
1 (3oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups grapes
2 bananas, sliced
1 (12oz) container cool whip
1 package fudge striped shortbread cookies, crumbled

Combine all fruit. Mix cool whip, buttermilk, and dry vanilla pudding together. Fold into fruit. Just before serving, fold in cookie crumbles. Serve as a salad. Any fruit in season can be substituted.

Telling you..this stuff rocks! It was a huge hit at book club and EVERYONE wanted the recipe! ENJOY!

A Baby Tomorrow

Picture this....Elodie is napping, I'm ironing and watching a baby story. Elodie wakes up, comes into the living room and plops down on the couch to finish waking up and watch tv with me. She is intrigued by the babies and little kids that she sees that are her age. After a few minutes of watching intently she looks over at me and sais "mommy, I'm going to get a baby tomorrow!"

Uh.....does she know something I don't? She is too cute. If I could I would give her a baby tomorrow just to make her happy!

Long Weekend Update

So I don't know what happened after Wednesday....the week just flew by and now here we are almost 7 days later! I had to blow the dust off of the old blog!

Thursday-lets see if I can remember that far back...oh yes, Wal-Mart...our plan as of Thursday was to go up to Snowflake on Saturday and Sunday....so we needed to get the back tires replaced-it felt like one of the tires was warped. Since they were under warrenty Christopher told me I could do it and it would be no problem. Normally, like any woman, I hate going to a "guy place" and pretending I know what I'm talking about....I have to take Chris' explanation word for word and recite it to myself so I know exactly what to say when the mechanic ask what the problem is. So anyway, drop the car off, start my grocery shopping and the mechanic calls......"um, Mrs. Yarn, your tires are balding because of the struts so they aren't under warrenty anymore!" UGH!! Kidding right? WRONG! So I lug my cart full of groceries back over to the tire and lube and the confusion begins. The last time we got the tires looked at at Wal-Mart they told us our struts needed to be replaced...so a month or so later we did just that...well, it was more like 5 or 6 months later but that's not the issue...since we did get them replaced the tires should still be under warrenty. But Walmart needed to see the reciept for the struts and of course it wasn't in the glove box....it was at home filed safely in our filing cabinet. They say, you need to go get it so we can finish..and of course my car is up in the air, I've got a cart full of groceries and I'm lugging around my 2 year old who insist on walking (she always sais when we go to Wal-Mart or Target "We don't need a cart Mommy"). THANKFULLY, Christopher is just up the street, I call him and he goes home, gets the reciept, and meets me at Wal-Mart....immediately I'm ready to turn this little project over to him. Oh, and of course they don't have our tires in stock so we had to upgrade and pay the difference. It was crazy (I spent a total of like 3 hours at Wal-Mart) but done and that's all that matters....Thursday night I worked....
Friday made up for Thursday's craziness....Christopher worked until 11am and we met up at the movie theater to see "Pirates of the Carribean" We swaped babysitting with our friends Mace and Melissa...the movie was awesome but we felt like it left you really hanging..and the rumor is there won't be a 4th movie...who knows....it was still super good so go see it if you haven't. Heads up..it's a LONG movie! 3 hours long! We also found out Friday morning that we weren't going to Snowflake...Chris dad and Heath were playing in a band so they weren't even going to be home to watch the UFC fight....
Friday afternoon we had Mace and Melissa's 2 boys while they went to see Pirates..Elodie loves company and they all played really well together.
When Mace and Melissa came to get the boys we were all standing outside talking. The kids were just hanging out and we had no problems. Then Elodie went inside, turned around and shut the door....which meant we were locked out of our house! Thankfully, because we are just renting, it only took a phone call and about 20 minutes to get the spare key to us.....Elodie was flipping out the whole time while we were trying to get her to open the door for us...she just kept sayin "let me out Mommy!" When we finally got back inside, Elodie had given up. She was sitting at our dining room table with her arms folded on the table and her head down. It was a sad site and she was happy to see us. Hopefully she learned her lesson on not shutting doors...or maybe we need to learn to unlock doors when we are outside! We were thankful that Mace and Melissa were still at our house when we got locked out because we were able to use their phone..otherwise we would have been stuck. After Mace and Melissa left we went to dinner at Barro's.....
Saturday morning I worked. I wasn't suppose to work because technically we were going out of town but I was accidentally scheduled so I went in for 3 hours to help out. When I got out of work Chris called to tell me he and Elodie were up the street without a vehicle..my heart immediately sank! My first thought..car trouble! But thankfully that wasn't the case. Apparently, Christopher had a spur of the moment urge to get a new cd player put in his truck so he could attach some new speakers. He had dropped his truck off at Circuit City and he and Elodie were hanging out at all the little shops connected to Circuit City. I met them at Wendy's for lunch, we hung out at WalMart, went to Old Navy...the truck still wasn't done so we decided to head home and go back to pick up the truck after Elodie's nap. We picked up the truck at 5pm, made a quick trip to Costco for some last minute things for our Monday Barbeque and then came home....so exciting I know! Saturday night Christopher bought the UFC fight over the computer and we watched it together...I actually really like watching them....judge me if you like..
Sunday was church, did home teaching with Christopher since his companion just moved out of the ward. Chris only has one family right now because his other 2 families moved out this month too...and his one family happens to be Mace and Melissa.....we enjoy hanging out with them so it wasn't really home teaching...with a short spiritual thought.
Monday was so fun! We decided a while ago that we wanted to have a barbeque and invite a few families over for dinner. Everybody we invited came (with the exception of one couple who were out of town) and we all had a great time! We provided all the meat-alittle overboard with hamburgers,hotdogs, ribs, and sausage- and everyone brought a different side. It was fun...and the weather was so nice in the evening that we were able to keep the whole thing outside. We set up a sprinkler and pool for the kids and they all had a blast! In all we had 12 adults-including 3 pregnant ladies, and 9 kids! It was nuts but fun! I love playing hostess but find that you are the last one to eat and constantly worrying about something. I do love hanging out with friends and we did just that! We should really do it more often!
Happy Memorial Day! Hope everyone else had a great one too!
And now here we are on Tuesday, Chris is back to work, I'm regrouping from all the company..I have little feet prints all through my house from the kids swimming....we are taking Elodie to see Shrek 3 tonight...the ASU campus was offering tickets for $3 a person and Elodie was free! Can't beat that! Tomorrow is Book Club here at my house, Thursday starts Summer Movies, and this weekend is Sarah's shower...somewhere in there I need to contact the sisters under my visiting teaching route (I'm a VT Supervisor), get the food for Book Club, make a cake for Sarah's shower,make pasta salad and buy stuff for a chocolate fountain also for Sarah's shower,work, and get a gift card for our friend Jen who's birthday was on Sunday....crazy week! I guess if it were any other way it wouldn't be as fun!

Before and After

Since I never post enough about Ginger..and this is something I've never taken a picture of and something I want to remember..here ya go.
Ginger just had her spa day and we absolutely love the way she looks when she is shaved. It's crazy how much hair she grows in a short time of 3 months! What else is funny is that when Ginger was a baby I wanted her hair to grow....and when she was a puppy she didn't have any hair. I can even remember calling the breader because I was scared he hadn't sold us a true pom. He reassured me that all pom puppies have little or no hair when they are small but develop their adult coat as the get older. Now that Ginger has developed that adult coat I try to keep her hair as short as possible! I'm never happy! With the summertime fast approaching I know Ginger sure appreciates the short do. And she is so fun to sunggle and love on when she has short hair!

Here are Ginger's before and after pictures...so cute! We love you Ginger!

Top 10

10. Made our weekly trip to Costco...saved $12.50 in coupons! Woo Hoo! We ventured out and bought these chicken toquitos that were in the coupon book and me and Elodie had them for lunch....super good! Definitely recommended if your an avid Costco shopper like myself. (Tania)

9. Christopher rented "Cinderella" for Elodie last night while I was at work....sadly, she had never seen it before but pretty much has the book memorized! She even calls her heels her glass slippers. Needless to say she is IN LOVE and has asked to watch it a million times today...It's been a good bargaining tool..maybe we will have to try it out for pottying. I'm sad that Disney closed the vault on Cinderella..I should have known Elodie would love it..we just didn't get it when it was out because Elodie was still pretty young...Now I'm sad we don't have a copy.

8. We are going to the DiamondBacks game tonight..Audrey and Derek and their little family are coming with us..should be fun times. Elodie loves the ballgames and is seriously SO GOOD the entire time! It's a fun atmosphere and this time I WILL bring my camera..I didn't a couple of weeks ago because I thought "we have a ton of pictures at the ball game". Then when we got to the ball game, I was sad I hadn't brought it....I'd rather have my camera and not use it then not have it and want to use it.

7. Elodie scored at Costco...Shrek gogurts AND Shrek fruit snacks. We are taking her to see the movie on Tuesday next week. ASU was offering the tickets for $3 for each adult and Elodie was free...we are going for $6...SCORE! Especially with movie prices these days..and you know how we feel about that!

6. Season finale of American Idol tonight.thank heavens for Tivo since we will be at the ball game...it went by fast this year...I love Blake more than Jordan even though Jordan is from Arizona.....Blake I think is more today....I love when he sings Maroon 5.....I still think Jordan will win..she knew what she was doing when she cried last night after singing that last song....totally looking for the sympathy votes! I thought it was annoying because she hadn't won and she was acting like she had! PLUS who else thought that Randy is totally bias to Jordan! I thought Blake rocked and Randy was like..um, you did okay! WHAT!?! It just stunk that that last song was not Blake's style.....they shouldn't have to sing that American Idol song until they have won..it's unfair...enough.

5.Speaking of Maroon 5..their new album came out yesterday..me and Elodie went out early in the morning and bought it at Target for Christopher. We put a bow on it and brought it to his work....he knew I was going to buy it for him but he still acted surprised...It's a great cd....go get it if you haven't already. Love Maroon 5.

4. Me and Chris are going to see Pirates of the Caribbean on Friday afternoon. We are swapping with our friends Mace and Melissa. They are going to watch Elodie while we go and then we are going to watch their 2 boys so they can go..So excited.....we are already planning our swaps for Harry Potter...

3. Went back to Old Navy after my last post and spent 8 more dollars...bought 3 long-sleeved shirts for $1.97 and a JACKET for $3.97....holy bargain! Elodie is so hooked up for winter....

2. Ginger gets her day at the spa tomorrow. I'm going to take a before and after picture so I can scrap how much hair she gets and how cute she looks all short....she seriously looks 10 years younger! ;)

1. Ugh....NO exicting #1...if I think of anything I'll update....Happy Hump day.

Love this....

What's in a name?


This is pretty fun..there is no one with my same name and 483 people with the last name YARN in the United States. Statistically the 53211th most popular last name.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. how/'>http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

Monday's Happenings...

So far this has been a great Monday...this morning Elodie and I woke up, busied around for a bit and headed out for dance class at 11am.

This week being her second week of dance, Elodie is really loving it! She is following directions really well, is always in the front of the class, and does most of the moves pretty well. When we pulled in to the parking lot Elodie spotted one of the girls in her class and immediately said "mom, there's my friend Britian!" Kids have the best memory...This week they got little butterfly wings and all the girls thought that was so cool! They were all checking themselves out in the mirror and playing with each others wings..it was super cute. I was able to get a few snapshots of Elodie. I found out if I open the door very quietly and only keep the door open enough to get my camera in then I can catch some shots without any of the girls noticing that I'm there....and the teachers don't mind since I'm not interupting the class...atleast I hope they don't mind. The shots aren't the greatest but considering my position in the doorway I figure I'll take what I can get..besides it will make for some funny journaling when I scrapbook it!It was so cute, Elodie kept looking in the mirror at
her wings....all the girls really thought they had something special! They all looked so cute prancing around the dance floor,flapping their arms, pretending they are butterflies.

Uh-O..she finally spotted me! This is where I slowly but quickly close the door and pray she doesn't come knocking..she didn't so that was a good sign!

After dance class we met up with Christopher at Subway for lunch and the stopped by Old Navy to check out the sale rack. Last week I had stopped in and saw they had a bunch of winter clothes (pants, long sleeves, jackets) marked down super low...I thought I would wait a while before grabbing some in hopes that some of it would go down any further. Well, today we stopped in and even though I thought it hadn't been marked down any more I decided to go ahead and grab a few things for this winter. Seeing as we are never prepared for winter time and end up running and grabbing things last minute. Especially for Snowflake, it's always about 20 degrees cooler up there than it is here. So this year I wanted to prepare..and why not it was on sale!!
So I get to the register with like 3 things and everything rings up $1.97 to $6.99..and it was all marked $9.99 to $14.99...holy deal! So I asked the girl at the register to hold my things while I went back to the clearance rack and picked up some more stuff for Elodie. I walked out spending $60 and I got 12 things for Elodie for this winter!
I totally got hooked up! All the long sleeve shirts (4) were $1.97..the jeans (3 pairs) were $6.99 and the hooded zip-ups (2) were $5.99 and the matching sweatpants (2) were $3.87!! I even got Elodie a little dress (you can't really see it) for $6.99..one of those hooded sweatshirt dresses..SO CUTE! And I figure even if she just wears some of it to our Big Dirty Family Reunion....for $1.97 I can afford to let it get super dirty! I totally scored! I called all my friends and told them they must go to Old Navy to load up!! It's crazy here in Az. because it gets so freakin' hot that nobody is even thinking about the winter time..there was so much to choose from! I might even make a trip back! ;) Well, I have to make a trip back..the cashier forgot to put one the shirts in my bag...and I totally paid for it..it's so cute! It sais "my mom is a rock star!" I may not be a rock star but I sure can find a good deal!

Yes, it's been a good monday...laundry is done, Elodie is sleeping, and I'm enjoying the peace and quiet! Nothing like a good bargain to add to the day! Happy Monday Everyone!

Weekend Update....

I don't even know where this past weekend went!! It seriously flew by so fast!! Which seems to be the trend for this entire year!!

Friday Christopher worked until noon and we met up with Audrey and Derek at Barro's for pizza. We love hanging out with them and can talk forever! Friday night, Christopher and Elodie were home together and I worked.

Saturday morning I got up and went back to work for a couple of hours while Christopher stood in line to sign Elodie up for swim lessons. Yeah, I owe him pretty big...he stood in line for 2 hours with a bunch of women! He said he was the only guy there! Sign up started at 11am and he said there were a few women there at 8am to get in the front. It wasn't all for the tiny tot classes...I guess the actually swim team is pretty competitive so that's what most of the women were in line for. Next year they need a seperate line for the little kid swim lessons...it was silly that he stood in line for so long. He was a trooper and I made it up to him Saturday evening by taking him to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. I wanted to treat him for his good grades this semester....we had a great dinnner and tried this lemon torte thing..it was SO good! If you have never been to the Cheesecake Factory and you have one in your town or close by definitely check it out! It's AWESOME! The Cheesecake Factory is in the mall so we walked around after dinner to let everything settle ;)...I wanted everything in the BabyGAP..have you been in there lately? It rocks..the entire line for boys and girls is AWESOME! Love it..if only my budget could afford it! Seriously, $35 for a little sundress for Elodie..huh...no thanks! I'll go to Target!

Sunday we went to church, Chris stayed after to do his calling, me and Elodie came home and had lunch. Sunday evening Derek and Audrey and their little family came over for dinner. They brought steaks and I made all the stuff to go with....twice stuffed potatoes, peas, salad...we had a great dinner and they stayed for almost 3 hours! They are such great friends....

That pretty much sums up our weekend...next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and we are headed up to Snowflake to visit Chris' family for a few days. Just 2 days actually. We will leave Saturday morning and come back Sunday night..quick trip but just enough time to get in a good visit.

P.S-I also FINALLY finished "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" it was a hard one to get into so it took me FOREVER...doesn't come close to Twilight or New Moon but it's pretty good...different style of writing and you have to appreciate that. I'm now reading "Vanishing Act" by Jodi Picoult so if you need a good read it's really good so far.

My brain won't shut off!!!

So here I am at a little past 1am and my brain isn't ready to go to bed...mind you I have to work at 9am in the morning! Ugh....so I thought I would get up and blog about what my brain has churning, hoping that will calm it down and allow me to go to sleep!

1. Elodie signs up for swim lessons in the morning..I have to work so Chris is doing it. He is also signing Audrey and Melissa's families up for them...hoping all goes okay with that.

2. Hosting the cooking group for June...pizzas...I want to put together a little pizza cook book using chipboard as my covers, cardstock with the recipes printed on them then lamented to keep them safe, and it all hooked together with a key ring..wouldn't that be cute? Jazz up the cover and voila! Everyone's got a pizza cookbook.....I've already got the cover thought out in my head....late nights are when my creative juices are flowing.....will probably have to charge like a dollar for each book just to cover cost.....hmmm.....

3. If I'm going to do a recipe book then maybe the sisters in the ward have some recipes they want to contribute......

4.Need to call Kimbalee (our 2nd counselor) and get her to post that announcement in the midweek email and sunday's half page handout.....

5. Taking Chris to dinner tomorrow night (tonight really) for his awesome grades this past semester....wondering what to wear...what will Elodie wear? Do I have bows to match?

6. Audrey and Derek's family are coming over for steaks on Sunday.....well, they are bringing the steaks and we are making all the trimmings..thought I would stop by Costco tomorrow and pick up a parisian salad....twice baked potatoes, peas, bread....Audrey is bringing desert...

7. On that note...I want to get Elodie a little picnic table so when we have company the kids have a place to eat NOT at the adult table..maybe we will stop by Target tomorrow and price them.....

8. That made me think about Memorial Day Weekend....we are wanting to do a barbeque here at the house....maybe set the pool up for the kids....will need a small picnic table for that too.....maybe I'll make that really good strawberry pretzel salad..I bet you want the recipe for that..not till I get one from you! ;)

9. Memorial Day weekend made me think we are going up to Snowflake for a quick weekend visit.....

10. Thinking about Elodie's cousin Brenner (same age as Elodie) and how he recently broke his leg..poor guy....

11. I'm starting to get sleepy.....this really worked..don't you just hate when your mind won't turn off...now that I've written it all down hopefully my mind can relax and get some sleep!...good night!

Ready for Summer!!

Elodie's swimsuit finally came in the mail today! Something about Old Navy online..they always take forever to get to me! I can never find any of the stuff they carry online in the stores so I had no choice but to order it online...It was well worth the wait! I got her this cute swimsuit and matching flip flops...not pictured is this super cute terry cloth cover up...SO CUTE! And of course I couldn't resist a little photo shoot with my unwilling model...something about the camera...Elodie will never look at it when I want to take her picture....there's definitely alot of bribbing behind the scenes! ;) We are ready for swim lessons and ready for summer....well, Elodie is ready for summer!

Happy Summer everyone!

Sickie...

Elodie woke up this morning with a runny nose...ugh! I'm sure it's what I had last week but I thought maybe she wouldn't catch it....hopefully it doesn't get too bad in the next couple of days. For now she is content laying on the couch watching strawberry shortcake....

Tortilla Soup....

For this Thursdays Enrichment we are talking recipes....basic, complicated, RS Recipe book, the works. We have a lot of newlywed couples in our ward so the RS Presidency came up with the idea of having a cooking night. Everyone is SUPPOSE to contribute a recipe and it will be made into our little recipe books. I love church recipe books because you know that they are good recipes that everyone uses. I mean, who submits a recipe, with their name on it, that doesn't taste all that great!?! Not me!
So since I was in the process of email some recipes out to my enrichment leader..I thought I would take a minute and post a recipe I absolutely love! I use it quite a bit in entertaining and especially during the cold winter months..it's perfect for me and Chris (with lots of leftovers) and serves enough to feed a large family! It's the perfect crockpot meal!

Here it is...and this is officially the last recipe I am going to share until someone I know post a recipe on their blog!! No more! ;)

Tortilla Soup:

4 chicken breast
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
2 14 1/2 oz. cans chicken broth
2 14 1/2 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans corn
1 large can kidney beans
1 cup salsa (more if you like)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon ground cumin (more if you like- I love it I usually add 2 or 3 tablespoons!)

Toppings:
shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

1. Cook and cut up chicken (bite size pieces)
2. add minced garlic and butter to crock pot- simmer until butter is melted.
3. Add all other ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours
5. When serving, pour soup into a bowl and cover with cheese and sour cream. Add crushed up tortilla chips on top and serve with chips on the side for dipping.

YUMO! If it wasn't 100 degrees outside I would probably make it for dinner tonight!

Naptime= Scraptime!

Proud Mama....

The stress is over..Christopher can finally stop checking the computer every 5 seconds...the last of his grades have finally posted and guess what!?! Straight A's again this semester! 3 A's and and 1 A plus! He would die if he knew I was sharing this but I am too proud not to shout it out! He of course thinks it's no big deal but HELLO! The boy has got a 3.79 overall GPA...he rocks! This will also be his 4 semester on the deans list....I am in awe at how smart he is...I tell him all the time and he just shrugs his shoulders and sais it's about how much time you put into it..that may be true but there is a difference between doing well in school and setting the curve in each one of your classes!

The only bummer (and it's really not that big)....graduation status is determined off this semester, not the semester he graduates (next semester)....Magna Cum Laude (sp?) is 3.8 and higher...Magna is anything below to like 3.5....Christopher has a 3.79!! We are hoping because it's SO close to 3.8 that "they" will round it up for him and let him graduate in the higher honers class....we will see....Christopher of course blames it on that one A- a couple of semesters ago....LOL....he's funny.

I am so proud of him...Saturday night I'm taking him to dinner to celebrate! Oh happy day for my Christopher!!

Shake your booty!

Elodie had her first day of dance class this morning. She was really excited the whole way and kept saying "Are we at dance class yet Mommy?" The class consisted of 8 little 2 and 1/2 year olds running around. It was super fun to watch! Elodie had no problems going in and enjoyed the first 15 minutes of class...then the teacher told all the girls to turn around and wave to their mommies (we weren't in the room but we were watching in one of those one way mirrors-we can see them but they can't see us)....BIG MISTAKE! It was as if Elodie realized that I wasn't there and she immediately started crying and wanting to be held. I mean this was the FIRST time she had ever seen her dance teacher and she was clinging to her for dear life! It was kinda sad to watch but Elodie wasn't really freaking out too bad....after being distracted by a new song and some props and a few hugs from her new friends (they did this cute little thing to a huggy song where all the girls went around and hugged each other-it definitely came at the perfect time for Elodie), Elodie was back in the swing of things and loving every minute of it! I think the teacher did a great job of keeping the girls attention and not giving in to a few tears. It was to be expected since it was the first day. Overall, Elodie had a great time and I think she will really enjoy the next couple of weeks.

The dance class isn't too fancy...they do alot of "do as I'm doing" type moves and use a lot of really cute props. Today they all got a sparkly hat and got to dance around with beany babies. I think they dress up in costumes but not today...I'm sure it's different every week.

I wasn't able to get some really great shots..their pretty good about keeping the parents out of the room...that's my only problem so I don't know how well my little scrapbook will turn out if I can't get in the room to take pictures.....pictures behind a glass mirror won't be that great! Hopefully they do a little recital at the end of the summer....for now, these pictures are when the class was getting started. All the girls were instructed to sit on a sticker. Elodie took instructions really well, sat in the front the whole time, and other than the 10 second meltdown she looked like she was having alot of fun. Oh, and the smelly stickers at the end of class were a huge hit! ;)

We met Chris for lunch (the class isn't too far from the Schneider's and lets out right at noon-looks like Monday will be our lunch date with dad!).....and now we are home with laundry on our "to do" list!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!



Just wanted to send a shout out to my mom and Chris' mom..even though neither read my blog....so grateful that we have their example and love in our lives....that Elodie has super grandma's....and that they are supportive in the decisions our family makes.



I'm grateful to be a mom and though it's super hard at times, I'm grateful Heavenly Father has given me the opportunity. Elodie is healthy, strong, beautiful, smart, and the list goes on and on....I only hope I can teach and love her so she can grow up and continue to be all the wonderful things she is now!



Happy Mother's Day to all my friends and family..thank you for being such great mom's and setting such a wonderful example for me!!



On a non serious note...Christopher and Elodie got my 6 weeks to a tanning bed..may sound like an awkward gift for mother's day but it was what I wanted......Elodie starts swim lessons in a couple of weeks and this body refuses to get in the water ghost white...I don't mind being white because that's what I am but I don't want to scare everyone!! I've never been an addicted tanner going every single day but I definitely need a base tan! And it's impossible to layout in 115 degree weather for more than 15 minutes a day...believe me I tried last year and it just was NOT worth it! I gave up after a couple of days..heat stroke was starting to set in!
Anyway, I made it easy on him and told him exactly what to get me...the card said "Hope you have a Tantastic Mother's Day" What a goof...my goof! ;)

Our little princess...

Costco Find!!!


Just came from my weekly trip to Costco and look at what I found! I consider this my gift to myself for Mother's Day....Chris couldn't steal it...and it was nice because even when I felt kinda guilty and offered to take it as my only Mother's Day gift, he turned it down....What a guy! Seriously, I love Costco more and more each day! If you have a Costco near you...go check it out....great deal for under $30....you couldn't buy both albums for that much! I'm super excited to play with it all and with summer here I'm going to have so much fun!












I {heart} Costco! And Chris! ;) Sigh.....Happy Friday everyone!

Mother's Day Cards

Here are 2 cards I made for my mom and Chris mom for mother's day...the intention was that they match the explosion boxes I made them..I gave Barbara her's last week...that's why her explosion box isn't in the picture.

Easy Chicken Bistro....


Got this off of the Kraft website..they send me recipes and this one looked like a winner! Turned out super good and pretty easy to make..Hope you enjoy it! I love new recipes so if you've got one post it on your blog so I can venture out!

2 tsp oil
3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15oz.) stewed tomatoes, not drained
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
3 tbsp. tomato paste
4 boneless chicken breast
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 or more slices of cooked bacon crumbled

HEAT oil in a large nonstick pan on medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions, cook 5 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, dressing, and tomato paste. I crushed up my tomatoes to make a runnier saucy...especially since it's going over noodles.

ADD chicken; cover. Reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

SPRINKLE with cheese and bacon; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve over penne pasta. I made a side salad and breadsticks to go with it.

Officially....

- We are OFFICIALLY done with school for this semester! Woo Hoo! I can OFFICIALLY say that Chris only has one more semester in school and then we can move on! Christopher finished finals last week but had one group project looming that was due yesterday. He is all done and ready to start his summer. So am I! It's going to be so nice having him around a little more! We at home are very excited! I am trying to talk Chris into taking us to the beach this summer..maybe California for a long weekend. He keeps saying "But we are going to Disneyland at the end of the year"...and I say "BUT Disneyland is SO far away...we should really do something fun now!" We will see! ;)

- Christopher OFFICIALLY put in his resignation as an intern at C & B......this is what happened. A couple of weeks ago (and by a couple I mean first of April) When Christopher was preparing for the EIT exam he took the whole week off of work. C & B was totally fine with this...on Friday (the day before the big EIT exam) he gets an email saying that all the interns at C & B have been given a leave of absence until further notice...apparently the work load slowed down and they didn't want their interns coming in to do nothing..fair enough but until further notice? Uhhh...did anyone know we had a family? SO Christopher immediately called the Schneiders and asked them if he could come work for them until the work load picked back up at C & B and he could go back to work. Of course, being who they are, the Schneiders welcomed Chris back with open arms. Well, "until further notice" has turned into 3 weeks with no news from C & B.....so the Schneiders took Chris to lunch, made him an offer better than what we were getting at C & B, and asked him if they could have him for the summer on a trial bases. See the whole reason we left Schneider to begin with is Christopher felt like he needed more hands on training from a bigger firm....We aren't making any commitments. For the summer we agreed that working for the Schneiders was for the best..for one the commute is about 10 minutes up the street....AND the Schneiders want to see Chris succeed so when Chris laid it all out on the table they were made aware of some of his reasons for leaving in the first place...we shall see. I never wanted Chris to leave the Schneiders in the first place so my opinion doesnt count..then again, we have spent way too much money on school....this is a decision that Christopher needs to be happy with. And then I just have to suck it up if he decides to go somewhere else! Whew! Sorry for being so long winded....oh, so when Chris called his boss at C & B, his boss said he could come back anytime! Well, atleast once the work load picked up..he said he predicted another few weeks before that happened! What's up with these big companies not having work??? Weird!?!

- It is OFFICIALLY starting to feel like summer....getting up into the 90's..ugh! Comes with the territory of living in Az. I guess......

-Our neighbors dog is OFFICIALLY bugging! Initially we didn't mind all the barking..they had just moved in, new house, new yard, etc...but NOW like 4 months later COME ON! 6:45am this morning that dog is out there barking his heart out...totally woke Elodie up!! And it's a lab so it's this huge, deep bark! UGH! We have to feel bad for him though...he his chained up outside ALL day...it's pretty depressing to see him out there while Ginger is prancing around running after her little green ball!

-Speaking of Ginger..she OFFICIALLY needs a spa day..she's looking pretty dingy herself....just long and scraggely (sp?)......time to call PetSmart!!!

A Cake Weekend...




I did 2 cakes over the weekend..one was for a baby shower- a girl who had seen my 4 tiered Dora cake wanted a baby shower cake from me. The other cake was for a lady in my ward who's son had just earned his Duty To God Award. It was also his birthday so she wanted to celebrate with a cake. A while back I donated a cake to a friend who was hosting a silent auction. They were in the process of adopting and the silent auction was held to raise money for the adoption. It was a good cause and I was happy to help out. The lady in my ward who I did the "Duty To God" cake dof was the one who won the auction. Whew.....with that being said, here are the pictures from my cake weekend!


This one was really fun to make...they both were but this one being a girly cake I always have alot of fun...you can't over girl a cake! I used paint to cover the cake..it's my new thing. I love the look it gives and sometimes you can't get that color just by dying the fondant. It came out great and the girl loved it!

The scout one wasn't all that difficult to come up with, it just is what it is..nothing too fancy or frilly...the idea behind this one was the design of the coin that was presented when he earned his "Duty to God" Award.....the family really liked and although I didn't want to take it, I was given a nice tip....so sweet! The bottom tier has Duty to God written around the cake..you can't really see it in the picture. Thank you for all your nice comments on my cakes...it's so fun and I love it!

Girls Night Out Recap....

{Disclaimer: Sorry the pictures are so small..I don't know why you can't click on them to make them bigger- any idea why?}


So we had a GREAT girls night out..I hate myself for never wanting to leave Chris and Elodie..but once I'm gone, I have no curfew. As mothers, we should all do it more often! I am so grateful for the friendships I have in my ward! These girls totally rock and I love them all so much! It's so great to be able to relate to someone your age, in a similar circumstance (husbands in school, small children), and who can totally understand where your coming from! I'm just blessed!

So I followed through with my challenge to take more pictures of me and my friends!

We started our girls night out at AppleBee's (where else right?). There is a AppleBee's seriously up the street from our subdivision...everyone loves it, it's cheap, and the food is pretty good! It's been a favorite of mine since High School and since my taste in food doesn't waver I was all for the suggestion of AppleBee's.

This is a picture of the four of us. Audrey was at some Law Picnic with her family so since the Book Reading was on campus, she decided to meet us there...

I always feel so awkward wanting someone to take a picture or even wanting someone else to be in a picture....some people aren't as nazi about pictures as I am so I never want to bug anyone..but for posterity purposes everyone was up for the picture night..and our waitress was a girl so she was totally up for taking the picture!

After dinner we headed up to ASU where the reading and "Prom" was taking place. We figured that the reading wouldn't happen first off so we thought we would show up around 6:30-7pm....we were wrong..apparently Stephenie did the reading within the first 15 minutes of the prom so around 6:15pm....we barely missed it. The funny thing is we stood around forever waiting for her to do the reading..she just kept signing books....finally someone announced that the prom was going to be over in like 15 minutes. That's when we got the smarts to ask someone and that's when they told us we had missed it! We didn't miss much though, apparently Stephenie only read a paragraph and the sound system wasn't that great so hardly anyone could hear her. It created this big stink on one of her fan message boards but no bother for me and Melissa seeing as we spoiled it at the beginning of last week! ;) We were bummed we stood around forever but we spent that time standing in line..once to get our book signed, and they were so anal about the whole thing...you couldn't take a picture with Stephenie and you had to have your name written on a post it so she didn't have to ask you how to spell your name..it was totally like a prison line (Step forward, slide to the right..."NO SOUP FOR YOU!") Stephenie had body guards and the only way you could take a picture of her (not with her) was a bunch of steps backs! Good thing my camera had good zoom!


Stephenie was really sweet and she did say a few sentences to me and Melissa when we went through the line.



Then we stood in another line to get our "Prom Pictures" taken with Edward and Jacob...the 2 main male characters in the book.....they were pretty hot...atleast Jacob was...Edward not so much. I'd much rather keep my imaginary Edward alive than picture that guy. The bummer was we could only have 2 people in a picture and you couldn't go twice. Me and Melissa got ours done together, Audrey and Tina went together with their 2 babies, but Jen had to do one alone..she didn't seem to mind! We thought it was so funny and even Chris got a kick out of our pictures!



And then we took a picture in front of the poster of the cover of "Eclipse"



Overall, we had a great time! Nothing like spending your Saturday night in a gym with a bunch of high school girls....;) We showed them a thing or 2 on the dance floor! We had a great time and I love hanging out with these girls! We definitely need nights like these more often!

Elodie...

3 quick things about Elodie today....

1. Took her to the library today...wasn't planning on it but had to renew a book anyway so it worked out. She wants only princess books and managed to find the HUGEST one of all..she can't even carry it.

2. When I laid her down for her afternoon nap today I told her I loved her very much...she told me "I don't want to love you very much right now!" LOL- and so it begins!

3. Enrolled her in her first dance class today...more like I squeezed her in...I got the last spot! And it's just a little beginners class! All the ballet, jazz, pom, hip-hop classes start at age 3...next year then. This class I enrolled her in is called "Little Starz" she learns some moves but I think it's mostly introducing her to music and dance..which is fine....I don't think she is ready for recitals just yet! They also get to dress up in costumes and I think that will be the real winner in Elodie's eyes! I'm super excited, Christopher is like whatever about it, and Elodie I think is going to freak she will be so excited to play..hopefully! ;) Classes start a week from Today...only once a week for 45 minutes! Next enrollment is swim lessons on May 19th...classes start June something....it's a mommy and me class so I need to get my butt in gear!

Next post...girls night out update! WOO HOO!

Sunday Happenings...

So we had a great church day....Christopher was sustained as the Assistant Ward Clerk. I guess because it deals with the financial end of the church, the church decided it was a calling that needed to be issued by the Stake. I will say we were REALLY nervous walking into the Stake Presidents office on Wednesday. We knew our Bishopric was changing counselors and because we are a student ward the Bishopric is made up of a Bishop that lives in the area and his counselors who are in the ward. Thankfully, Christopher was not asked to fufill that calling. Right now he has to put schooling first and it just isn't the right time for him to be dedicating so much of his free time to the church...cringe...hopefully that doesn't sound bad. I just know Heavenly Father knows where we need to focus most of our attention. Unfortunately for us right now, that is in school.
Anyway, I'm really excited for Christopher to hold a higher calling in our ward. For so long he was supporting me in the Relief Society Presidency.....now I get to support him more heavily than before. I know he is excited too to learn something new about the church. It started right after church collecting and counting tithing and fast offerings. He was at the church until 3pm..ug...welcome to that club huh?
The setting apart was really nice. I always love when a member of the Stake or Bishopric can give a blessing. It's such a reassuring thing. Very nice to feel the spirit and know Heavenly Father is proud of our family.
So that was the big surprise.....I think Chris will do a great job and I know he will enjoy the process.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!

Last year I celebrated with my friend Sarah by going to a 12 to 12 crop...we had a blast and got a lot done. This year I chose to celebrate by NOT watching QVC...simply because I have WAY too many boxes of unopened QVC stuff and to watch it today would make me want to buy more.....and I'm celebrating by NOT scrapbooking! Hee Hee!

Only because I've decided to surround myself with cakes instead...one down, one to go! I'll post pictures tomorrow.

So Happy Scrapbooking Day...however you decide to celebrate.

Oh, and tonight is our big girls night out for Stephenie Meyer's book reading. So excited...

In my free time...HA!HA!



When I'm not blogging...I love making bows! Elodie, of course, is my number one model since she was born and I've got her convinced that an outfit isn't complete until she has bows in her hair. She even ask before we are done fixing her hair "Mommy, I'm gonna where bows today?" Need I answer that question.

Sadly, at "The Bow Store" (that's not the real name but it's our name for that store) they know Elodie by name.....I should own stock there and I've even been known to buy ribbon and then find an outfit to match the ribbon! Christopher doesn't set foot in the bow store and if I'm rushed when picking out ribbon I'm a grump!



I'm happy to make bows for my friends, get giddy when I find out that a friend is having a girl and I can "hook her up" with lots and lots of bows!


It's a fun hobby of mine, never to be made into a formal business, and I love the way my little Elodie looks complete with bows in her hair.


On that note, my friend Brooke called me yesterday and asked if I would make her an ASU bow for her little girl (who is like 2 months old). Brooke's husband Mike is graduating this semester and she wanted to dress both Isaac (who is 6 months younger than Elodie) and Ainsley in ASU outfits. So everyone would know that Ainsley was a girl, she asked for a bow.


Here it is in all it's glory. I've got cakes in the oven, Elodie is taking a nap, errands are done, and I'm making bows. It's a perfect day!

Lump in my throat, pit in my stomach...

You know it's not every day that during dinner our phone rings and it's the rep. for the stake presidency on the phone asking if we could come visit with our Stake President around 7:30pm. Yikes!! That's exactly what happened to us last night at dinner. Mind you dinner at our house last night was at 6pm...we had a whole hour and one half to wait! Needless to say we both lost our appetites and Elodie was the only one really enjoying her tacos.

Christopher was convinced it was for me, I was convinced it was for him...we both were secretly hoping we weren't being asked to speak in stake conference (which that fear went out the window since we just had stake conference last weekend)......and the whole time we are both trying to convince ourselves it was nothing...well it was something but I'll leave you in suspense until after Sunday when the call has been officially announced! ;)

Did she really say this?!?

This seriously happened like 10 seconds ago...Elodie and I ran errands this morning then came home and ate some lunch. It's about an hour before nap time so I asked her to go play in her bedroom quietly for a few minutes while I checked me email. I'm checking my email and I hear Elodie in our dining room playing with her little babies. Once I was done with my emails I came into the dining room and asked Elodie what she was doing....do you know what she said? "I'm just pooping Mommy!" My response was of course...."Did you really just say that? Do you need to go sit on the potty?" And in response to my questions Elodie simply closes her eyes sways her head back in forth like her head is dancing and gives me a cheesy grin. I'm sure at this point she was done!

Sigh.....

Top 10

10. Still feeling really sick...mind over matter didn't work this time. My sore throat is gone but in it's place is a severe head cold and stuffy nose.

9. Thank heavens for Nyquil.....it does the trick and knocks me out cold! Dayquil not so much....it doesn't work as well or I don't notice the difference.

8. To my surprise, Christopher's last day of school was YESTERDAY! He has a final tomorrow and one on Friday and he is done! Woo Hoo! One semester left! Holy Cow..never thought I would be able to say that!

7. Our little playgroup met up at Barro's for pizza this afternoon. They have a great little kids area and it was so fun to let the kids play and eat pizza. Plus us girls got to gab and all in the comfort of air conditioning!

6. 2 cakes due this weekend....haven't started either one..with the way I'm feeling it's for the best that I post pone it..hoping I feel better tomorrow so I can get cracking. One cake is for a boy in our ward who is getting his Duty To God award...never done a church cake before so this should be interesting! The other cake is for a baby shower! Love those ones!

5. Gave myself a papercut on a box of cake mix at Wal-Mart today...didn't know I could do that but leave it to me to find a way!

4. Taco's for dinner....

3. Going to the DiamondBacks Baseball game Friday night...The Schneider's got season passes again and since Chris has been working for them this week they told us we could have any night we wanted....Hoping our friends the Hamblin's can go with us..it's always funner with another couple!

2. It's warming up here in Az...already running the ac and talking about going to the campus pool!

1. Elodie is still saying she is going to "peepee in the potty tomorrow!" I try to explain to her that tomorrow is today since she said it yesterday and she doesn't get it! {Sigh} People say that kids won't go to school in diapers but I'm beginning to wonder!.....

Scraplift from my friend Heidi....she did a 2 page layout using the same pictures for her little boy. I didn't have as many so I condensed it down to 1 page...I love the way it turned out and even more that I used stuff I already had!! Woo Hoo! And this is even one of Heidi's old PMM kits so even better! All Dream Street Papers & Bazzill Chipboard letters. These pictures were taken exactly one year ago..man how fast our babies grow up! I can still see Elodie now in these pictures but she is definitely more grown up..which is to be expected..just sad that I don't notice it until I look at old pictures! She's definitely a keeper! Her new thing now is to say "mommy, I'm going to use the potty TOMORROW, okay?" Okay Elodie..I'm not going to hold my breath for you! ;) She is so stubborn! But we love her anyways...even if she sais "Mommy, I'm a big girl but I still wear diapers....I don't wear big girl panties yet huh?" {Sigh!}

May Already?

This year is going by so fast. I can't believe it's already May. Summer is around the corner here in Az., that would be only part of this month I'm not looking forward to. Christopher's last day of school is Wednesday and his last final is Friday. I will be so happy when this semesters is over. Summer's are always so nice when Christopher is just working and nothing else. No homework till midnight, after class study groups, or skipping work to cram for a test. Yes, summers are fabulous!

Went to bed with a soar throat last night...couldn't sleep well and gave in to some Nyquil at about 3am! My throat's still pretty soar this morning and I'm feeling a little achy...just hoping it doesn't turn into something worse. So far this morning I've taken a multi vitamin, 2 vitamin c's, gargled with salt water, and drank an airborne. Hopefully I can knock this out of my system before it goes any farther.

Nothing too exciting on our agenda today. I think Elodie and I are both in need of a cherry "limolade" from Sonic....it will definitely help my throat! ;)

Happy May everyone....