Friday, November 21, 2008

Proof

of #2.

I suppose this one is more for Missy Laura than anyone. But honestly, can you actually look at this lovely sight and not say, "Ohhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

Hmm? I didn't think so.

Hayley and I are going to the high school production of "Class Action" tonight, after having dinner with our buds Kathy and Karen (Hi Girls!!) It should be a great evening!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

It's That Time of Year Again...

Time to make the GINGERBREAD HOUSES! The tradition in my family goes wayyyy back to my Grandpa who was a German baker by trade. We use the exact same recipe as he did back then. Every year, we start the three-step process of making the houses by first making the dough. And I do apologize, but the recipe cannot be shared. It just can't. Don't ask. =)

We start by heating some of the ingredients to blend them well.

Then, we add the warmed mixture to the dry mixture. This is when it starts to smell all yummy and gingerbread-y, when all the spices interact with the liquid.

Now comes the messy part. There is no other way to knead the dough but to plunge a hand in and work that dough. This calls for a strong arm.

Those with sticky food issues need not apply to mix the dough.
My hand hurts.

Sometimes, I ask for help. Yesterday, I recruited Hayley to help mix. Wait a minute...that wasn't yesterday! That was four years ago! Silly me. Teehee. (And obviously my camera was having issues because we generally don't make gingerbread dough in March.)

Mixing the dough is a good way to bond with your children. See what happened yesterday? Silly me...that was eight years ago! Just look at my little babies!

I digress.

When the dough is all incorported (or it is just too hard to mix anymore!) it is ready to be put into Ziplock bags to rest for a week. Thank God for Ziplock bags. How did we function before Ziplock bags? I'm just sayin'. (And on a side note, apparently there is no "K" in Ziploc! But this is my blog, so the "K" stays.)
Mmmmmmm! So, stay tuned. Next week, we will have Step Two: The Baking of the Gingerbread.

Have a great day!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

A Blast from the Past

I got tagged again! This time from the lovely, pregnant with a Liebel baby boy, Julie! Julie is married to our nephew Chris and is already a wonderful Mommy to two adorable little girls, Athena and Zoe. Hi Julie! Hi Chris! Hi Athena! Hi Zoe! Hi Baby Boy Lump!

Anyway, here are the rules of the Tag:

  1. Go to your Picture File.
  2. Upload the 4th picture of the 4th folder.
  3. Post it.
  4. Tag four friends.

I love this! Behold, the 4th photo in my 4th file:

Now, normally this photo would never see the vast expanse of the internet. (Honestly, why would anyone ever post a photo of the mess in that closet??) But this photo has always cracked me up. Here's why: This is a photo of Brian's First Holy Communion outfit that he hung up, all by himself, during the little shindig at the house after church. Now, I hadn't even had the chance to take any photos of Brian with anyone at the party while he was all gussied up. He just went and changed all by himself because he was ready to play! BUT, my little man remembered what I'd always told him: Hang up your clothes! And so he did. On the little pegs on the wall. I guess the pants didn't stay hung up for long.

I think this is the effect he was going for:

I will always love that memory of him showing me how he had hung up his good church clothes!

And just how dapper was Little Liebs in his First Communion ensemble? (Dan does not allow me to call boy clothes "outfits"...they are "ensembles!" )

I digress.

The dapper dude, pointing to his artwork on the altar banner. That, my friends, is a handsome little man.

So now, I will tag:

  1. Missy Laura
  2. Heidi
  3. Jenny
  4. Any takers?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Dorm Room

Let me start by saying that if you are one of those people that believes pets should sleep outside, you might want to move right along and skip this post. Trust me...I don't want anyone breaking out in hives over what they are going to read here.

Disclaimer: Check.

So, our house has four bedrooms. And a dorm room.

Behold: Our dorm room (aka: the Master bedroom closet) has two beds for its roommates Abby and Molly. Missy Laura, what was it you said about animals living together in harmony? Ahhhhh.

You'll notice that during my highly professional photoshoot, my subjects (or I should say my feline subject) did not cooperate according to the contract.

The photographer was not amused. At all.

It was much like trying to photograph a toddler.

See what I mean? What could possibly be so interesting that she can't just lie still so I could get the money shot???

Of course, the heating vent needed her attention. Whatever.

Being the professional photographer that I am...(heh)...I decided to regroup and try to capture the true essence of Molly. This is her divine profile. And her twinkle toes.

This is her backside.
She is booty-licious, no?

Any good photographer knows when the photoshoot needs to end. In my case, it was when the feline subject escaped from the closet.

But I am sneaky. I continued the photoshoot late that night when the subjects were fast asleep in their Dorm Room.

Uh huh. Proof positive. (On a side note, I'm not sure that I'll ever get that Pottery Barn endorsement deal...I don't think this is how they would feature their lovely pillowcases in their catalogue.)

The Money Shot.

Animals living together in harmony.

It's a good thing.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I'm Baaaaaack!

Once again I shirked my blogging duties. Sorry about that! We were pretty busy around here with visitors, volleyball, bowling and everyday life in general. Here is a little recap of late October.

First of all, we had to say goodbye to my dear friend Susan and her awesome little guy, Steven. We had such a good time catching up, crafting, shopping and eating. Dan took Steven fishing (no fish, though!) and on a hayride (I don't know who enjoyed that one more!) and all the kids had a good time playing video games and goofing off in general. I miss my buddy, but I guess that is what the phone and email is for!

I decided that if I ever got a big front porch, I was going to decorate it up for Halloween. Danny and I made these cute trick-or-treating ghosts and Rosie had to be out there with them, of course! Rosie is in the Tiger costume that Brian wore wayyyyyyy back in the day. My boss Caren back in SoCal let me adopt Rosie (actually she is a Patty Playpal, but we named her Rosie due to her very rosey cheeks.) Caren and I both like to dress our dolls up in holiday clothes and costumes. (DON'T JUDGE!) Now, Rosie tends to freak people out because she looks so real, so of course she had to go hang out on the porch with the other trick-or-treaters. One year, I had several dads trying to engage Rosie in conversation...serious laughs for us. Anyway, this was our front porch this year, complete with flying bats!

Edited: Click on the photo for a closer look at our Rosie!

This year, Hayley was a cat for Halloween.

Oops...that was ten years ago in Kindergarten! Sorry...but honestly, can you stand it?

This is Hayley dressed as a cat for Halloween. Hmmm, still standing next to a little devil. Ha!

We debated long and hard over whether to let Hayley drive to a Halloween Party at Karen's house. Alone. In the dark. Did I mention it was Halloween? You know, when kids are all hopped up on sugar and run in the street? We decided to have faith (plus it was still light out when she left) and let her drive. Doesn't she look happy that I document every time she drives away from the house? Ahhh, teenagers.

Brian had three buddies over for pizza and video games. And yes, they trick-or-treated. Twice. (After changing costumes so as not to be easily identified.) I'm guessing this is the last year for them to rock the costumes and have fun like this, so...CARRY ON DUDES!

And there you have it. The decorations are put away. But Christmas is right around the corner!