Happiness

Just sharing a few things that made me very happy this week.


1. If you know me, you know nothing makes me happier than a bargain. I got this sweet deal from Kohl's. Perfect Comfort Memory Foam king size pad for $37 delivered to my door. Regular price $179.99. It was such perfect comfort that we slept right through the start of Stake Conference. I did feel bad about missing church and being a bad example to the kids so I listened to Soft Sunday Sounds on FM100 to try and ease my guilt. :)

2. This just made me smile. My dad sent some cash in the mail for the kids, strategically hidden in a folded note. He must think I'm still a blond! Look at the very detailed instructions as you open the paper. (I know it looks like it's from "Frank", but it really says "Gramp".

3. Have you tried this stuff? It's hair happiness in a bottle. It helps your hair dry faster, makes it super soft and gives it a shine, but doesn't weigh it down or make it greasy. We've gotta have the big hair.

4. More bargains. More happiness. Two shirts at Old Navy for $2.80 each. And SCORE at Robert's! $150 worth of scrap booking stuff for $15. Rub-ons, stickers, and chipboard, oh my!

5. No explanation needed here. These cookies are simple to make and so yummy. I'll share the recipe below. (oops, picture is gone...refer to cookie in the banner.)

1 8oz. cream cheese, room temp. 1 stick butter, room temp.

1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 box moist chocolate cake mix Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl w/an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Beat in the vanilla. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (or you can stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes) to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool and sprinkle more powdered sugar on top if you'd like.

It's easy to eat 12 and not even realize it so make sure you share...or not.

Especially for Ash

Ashley (we'll keep your last name a secret to protect your privacy) - here is the answer to your prayers. If you only would have had this thing 9 years ago. Think of all you could have accomplished while pumping away. All those lost hours sitting in a bedroom or hiding behind a chalkboard in a scrapbook store. What a shame.

Straighten Up!

I'm not just posting these pictures because they totally crack me up. I actually want to document Michaela's teeth getting straightened out. I didn't have braces and my brother and sisters didn't have braces (although we all could have used them). Amy, my little sis, did have some weird contraptions in her mouth, but I don't think she ever had braces.  Mike helped pull her mouth to try and expose some of the teeth hiding in there in the first two pics.  

Monday she had this cool little bridge put in. Every other day, we take a little key and turn in so that it slowly widens her mouth. After eight weeks, she will get the regular braces. She is responsible for making sure we don't forget to do this. She marks a little smiley face on the calendar on the fridge every time we do it. It does make her have a little bit of a lisp and she got part of a hotdog caught in it today from lunch, but she hasn't complained about it at all.  

Are you kidding me?

Did anyone watch The Bachelor?  All three hours of it? I got totally sucked in and watched the whole season really hoping Jason wouldn't be "hurt" again, but after last night, I was just thinking, poor Ty.  Melissa's going to be your new mommy...no wait, Molly might be your new mommy. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to have to watch again tonight to see what possibly could happen next. 

Also, is anyone watching Biggest Loser?  I love this season! Oh, and Amazing Race is great so far. Am I pathetic or what?

Don't let your kids learn to bake.

I'm just giving you some advise from personal experience. It's not because of the mess, although that alone should be enough. The eggshells in the wrong side of the sink, the flour blown all over the stove top, the sticky spoons stuck to the counter top, 12 dirty mixing bowls...well maybe that is reason enough.  

But the reason I was thinking of was that when I'm craving something sweet, 90% of the time, I am too lazy to get in the car and drive down to the store and 50% of the time I can't sweet talk Mike into driving down to the store.  99% of the time, I am too lazy to actually get up and make something.  There's a pretty good chance that if it's up to me to come up with a treat, I won't be getting one.

However, now Dal and Kayla have decided they like to experiment in the kitchen and when they want a treat, they aren't so lazy. They make chocolate chip cookies ALL THE TIME!  If that wasn't bad enough, Dallon figured out that he can make cheesecake. Dang his CSE class (what us old timers knew as Home Economics) for helping him get in touch with his feminine side and for teaching him to cook.)  I am totally screwed here. I can no longer rely on my laziness as a weight loss program.

He made this yummy brownie cheesecake for Mike's birthday last week.  I am in big trouble.

UNO

The game of choice when me and her are home alone.  She's surprisingly good. When she wins she chants, "Winner, winner, I want cheese for dinner."  When she loses she glares at me.  She's a little intimidating with the whole dilated pupils and the pursed lips look.

This beats the alternative of her other favorite passtime when we are alone. It's called mom tossing a stuffed animal high in the air over the couch with perfect timing as she runs across the front room and dives through the air to catch it and then slams head first into the couch, over and over a bazillion times.  I'll take 20 games of UNO over that any day.