Spontaneous Sleepover

Since Trent was painting once again, we decided to have a little sleepover. The kids have been asking to sleep anywhere besides their beds all week. So, we made some popcorn and watched some Harry Potter. It was fun even though I ended up watching the end all by myself as the kids fell asleep one by one.

I love that I actually got a picture of everyone one of us looking and smiling at the camera. That never happens.

Book Club

We have a neighborhood book club. I love it. Mostly because I love the ladies in that participate. We get together once a month, eat a lot of food, discuss the book of the month for a minute or two, and then just laugh the rest of the night. Its awesome.
This month we read Wild Swans by Jung Chang. I only got through half of it because I didn't get the book until a week earlier and I just don't have a lot of spare time these days. It is a real interesting book and opened my eyes to the world of the Chinese and Communism. Lets just say I am so glad I was born at this time and in this place. I don't how how these people survived.

So, for our treat Kristen, Kim, and I decided to make fortune cookies with specific fortunes for each person. We thought we were pretty funny when we were making them up and, lets be honest, they WERE pretty darn funny. And they were cute and delicious too. We added the chocolate and sprinkles which just added to the cuteness and deliciousness. Yummy.

Here is the recipe for anyone that has the inclination to make some good fortune cookies. We used a silicone mat on a cookie sheet and a TON of Pam so they wouldn't stick. Worked like a charm.

Makes 15 (we doubled the batch and actually got 45-50. We lost count because we ate so many while we made them...)

These delicious cookies don’t have to be confined to Chinese meals; they also make wonderful
party favors, place cards, or everyday desserts. The batter used to make these fortune cookies is traditional tuile batter. Tuiles are thin, crisp cookies that are easy to mold into curved shapes while still warm from the oven. Remember, the key to success with these oversize cookies is to shape them quickly.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 pinch of salt
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 400°. Spray a cookie sheet liberally with cooking spray. Melt butter in a small
saucepan over low heat; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar, and beat on medium speed,
about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, and beat until combined. Add butter, heavy cream, and
almond extract, and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter onto half of the baking sheet, and spread with the back of a spoon (spray spoon with pam) into a thin 5-inch circle (we did 3-4 inch to make them smaller); repeat on the other half of the sheet. Bake until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown, about 8 minutes.

4. Transfer baking sheet to a heat-resistant surface. Working as quickly as possible, slide a
spatula (an offset spatula, available at specialty kitchen shops, works best) under one of the
cookies. Lift it up, and place it on a clean kitchen towel. Using your fingers, fold the cookie in half, pinching the top together to form a loose semicircle. Hold the cookie with your index fingers
inserted at each open end, and slide your thumbs together along the bottom line. Press into the
center of the cookie while bending the two open ends together and down to form the shape of a
fortune cookie. This whole process should take about 10 seconds. Once the cookie hardens,
which begins to happen almost immediately, you cannot fold it. Place the fortune cookie on the
kitchen towel to cool, and shape the second cookie. Repeat until all the batter is used up. To
speed up the process, bake four cookies at a time, staggering two cookie sheets by 4 minutes to
give you time to shape. To avoid wasting batter, practice folding with a circle of paper first.

5. Write your message on a long strip of sturdy art paper, such as Japanese moriki. Thread the
fortune through the cookie when it has cooled.

Another Project

As if we need one around here. We are still in the middle of converting our "dog" room to an official mudroom, which has been torn up for a year now. We've made a lot of progress on that, but are waiting on some major parts like finishing the doors, the tile, the lockers, and, of course, the money to pay for all these things....

So, in the meantime, we thought we would put more on our plate. We have always loved our wooded, flowery theme we had going on downstairs. I mean who doesn't love old school paneling and wall paper? But really, I was sick of having an ugly TV room. And lets face it, thats where we spend most of our time. And if we ever have people over to hang out we usually end up in that room. And our friends did start complaining about the decor....

However, this remodel is different than those of our other ones. Since we don't have the time or money, we are doing a cheap fix. Which means just repainting the walls. No new sheet rock, lights, or carpet. Lets just say it is killing Trent to do a "mediocre" job. All the same, he has stayed up all through the nights trying to make sure it looks as good as possible. My man is a machine. Love him.

The first major task was removing the wallpaper. We did this all Friday evening and all. day. Saturday. Have I mentioned I absolutely HATE it? Luckily our friends got tickets to the Jazz game at the last minute and Trent allowed us to have a break. Thanks Blake and Kristen for giving us a reason to rest and have fun and thanks to Kim and Luke for watching The Hoard on such short notice.
Our kids actually did a fantastic job helping us. They would clean up some of the paper off the floor and they tore off all the glue they could reach. Although I think they just enjoyed the fact that they could ruin something without getting in trouble...

I will be posting pics of both our remodels when they are finished. Or if you'd like to see it in real life, come over for a movie in the freshly painted room with the still ugly shag carpet....which is the softest carpet I've ever set foot on by the way.

Wish We Were Here

I can't believe its been a year since this adventure.

Maybe its time for another.

But maybe just for me and Trent.
***

Watch Out For Lightning

We might be struck down for being sacrilegious here at the Hoard. The boys were playing Wii this morning and yelled, 'Look, I see Jesus." I guess last night they made a Mii for Him. They did some more editing today and I think its a pretty close resemblance.
They also made another important person. You can get a glimpse of Him in the bottom left corner. At least they are thinking of church things while they play the Wii right?

Deer, Oh Deer

We always have deer roaming through our yard. The kids love it. Our plants not so much. But seeing how it is winter I don't mind them roaming. And I love this picture of my girls watching a lone deer cross our yard eating whatever is left of our vegetation.

You gotta love bed head too.

Baby, its {Funny} Outside

The other day I got all the kids dressed up warm to play outside. And me being the new good mom didn't complain one bit the whole 20 minutes it took to get them dressed. AND I didn't even complain when Morgan was done playing after only 5 minutes. Lets just see if I can keep this up.

And the kids thought they were so funny pulling their weird faces. Oakley was having a hard time pulling her funny faces with mittens on. She usually stretches out her mouth with her fingers. And Paige was just more interested in eating snow.

I just love my Hoard.

Number 1 Goal

I have thought and thought about my New Year's Resolutions. Of course, I have the faves of weight loss, diet, career, budget, etc. But those are so common, and lets face it, those are not just my New Years Resolutions, but my New Months Resolutions seeing how by the end of each month I need to refocus and start all over.

So onto my REAL goal for this New Year. One that I think is above all others and the most important thing in my life. Being a good Mom. And by good mom, I actually mean the most fun, amazing, spiritual, happy, patient, loving, best-friend-forever type of mom. That's what I want. And that's what my kids deserve.

Here is to the new 'good mom' Amy. Its going to be a great year for our family. Cheers.

Jesus wants me for a...

...Sunbeam!
Oakley is now in Primary. She was so excited and couldn't wait to get to church, which made 9:00 church amazingly easy to get to on time. There are only two other girls in her class, but that's okay because the 3 of them are the best of buds.

My Oakley is growing up.

Goop Eye

Poor Paige has looked like she has been punched in the face this week. Luckily, we got some drops for her eyes. Poor thing.

The Monster Mash

My boys turned 5 the day after Christmas. Not a fun time to have a birthday. So this year we decided to wait a week and celebrate. Still pretty close to the Holidays. Next year we might wait even longer. The boys wanted a Monster Party, so that is what they got. We started the night off with more Pizza than anyone one person could ask for and moved right to presents. The boys were very excited.
The Grandparents gave the boys snow pants and snow boots. Both sets were worried that their gifts were boring, but the boys were out in the snow that night and the next morning. They love them! Thanks to all for the gifts!

Next up: The Pinata

This pinata was impossible to break. Even the big 'kids' couldn't get it open. Trent had to finally just throw it against the wall.

Cake Time

I did the trick candles this year. Not as tricky as I hoped. However, Aiden found the secret to putting them out. He just spit on them. Perfect.

It was a great night for the boys. Thanks to all who came and celebrated with us. Especially with having so much family time over the past 2 weeks!

Ringing in the New Year St. George Style

We had a great time down in St. George last week. Both sides of our families were down there, so it made it extra fun. We really didn't do a whole lot. Everyday was kind of the same, which started out with waking up too early after a restless sleep, going for runs, playing Wii or swimming, eating lunch, quiet time and shopping, dinner, more playing, and then back to bed. Sound fun? Well, it was perfect for us. Except for the no sleep part that is.

It was fun to finally have a running partner down there. Kimmy finally got some running shoes and we would run together every morning. Thanks Kim! Our friends Blake and Kristen were also celebrating the New Year in SG and decided to hang out on New Years Eve and play a little Rock Band. They both can rock that game.

The girls loved the slide and Brooke was nice enough to take them down again and again.

Always a must is Pirate Island. My kids won't let us go to St. George without visiting this pirate chucky cheese. The greatest thing was Aiden winning the jackpot on the ball dropping game. He was so excited and talking so fast you couldn't even understand him. Then just a minute later Andrew dropped his ball in the 100 ticket hole. I am so proud of my boys and how well they play the ball game. :)

Swimming is, of course, a favorite in St. George. Even in 30+ degree weather. And sitting in the hot tub after a run is heavenly.

Thanks to both sides of the family for making our New Years start out so nice. We appreciate the houses in St. George, the help, and all the fun we have together! Love you all!