2011 Reading Challenge

2011 Reading Challenge
Christi has

read 20 books toward her goal of 100 books.

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Christmas Menu

Breakfast: Slow Cooker Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Lunch:

Dinner:

Spiral Ham
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Sweet Potato Souffle
Macaroni and Cheese
Mashed Potatoes
Rolls

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pie

Elf Mischief 2011

I’ll have to detail these later… for now, just pics:

Our elves have had a LOT of fun this year and so have we!

Day of Crafts

The kids and I had some fun with crafts today!

Snowman handprint bulbs – this one is R3′s

then we made this cool “snowflake” for the tree.

We also made a bunch of snowflakes from coffee filters – R2 seems to have a knack!

Then the girls painted shiny pictures with condensed milk colored with food color. I’ll have to get some pics.

Advent Day 6

I’m doing this each morning with the kids. I had to record their answers to the last question. :)

R3: because if we die who will save us?

R1: because otherwise we wouldn’t be here

2011 Elf Ideas

I’m making a list so I can check them off instead of searching for another idea each night!

trapeze from fan
marshmallow fight behind lego walls
Lipstick on mirror message
take pictures of each other
Listen to child’s ipod
make superhero wingsfor all our shoes
Plant magic seeds with directions to water once a day. On 3rd day something will grow. Secretly plant lollipops on 3rd day.
Type /write an amazing letter of all the wonderful qualities your Elf has witnessed of your child!!!!!!!!
elves write Christmas lists
Create a scavenger hunt for the kids with clues leading to mischief
small gift left for each child
Fill room with lots of balloons or hang them from ceiling
ask child to finish Elf’s half written story making it as silly and creative as possible
sit on top of folded laundry
hide in snow boots or coat pockets
do interesting things with candy canes – hang everywhere
play tic-tac-toe on the bathroom mirror with lipstick or spray snow
hide in random places (lamp, picture on wall, pantry, microwave)

Done:

joyride in Barbie’s car
try to eat ice cream
marshmallow bath
sleep in the dollhouse
read books
one taking pics of the other with my keychain camera
red dot on nose, note to look in mirror
fish in the betta tank
playing a board game with other toys
Switch cars and elves with Seester!!!
TP or Mr. Fox’s undies on the tree

Elves

Frenzy and Poppy are having fun, and so are the kids.

Memorial Day Weekend in Mentone

My sweet, wonderful friend Catherine invited us to stay with her and her awesome family at their cabin in Mentone this past weekend and it was a BLAST! The kids all got along WONDERFULLY and we all had so much fun! There were quite a few firsts:

R1′s first time driving (a golf cart, but driving on his own, no less)
R2 and R3′s first time in a boat and in a lake
R1 and R2′s first time hillbilly skiing
All three had first time fishing experiences, golf cart rides and shooting BB guns!

I got to lay around and read (TWO books) on the SC BOE’s new Nook (shhh!), which I quickly fell in love with. And have wonderful conversations with Catherine and the other adults. I am enamored with Catherine’s amazing parents and thoroughly enjoyed having morning coffee on their back porch with them three mornings in a row – they are delightful to be around and an inspiration.

I, of course, took a ton of pics. Not as many as I normally would have but I was trying to BE in the moment and not just photograph it. It was hard! LOL

So, enough talk, here’s some pics (click to enlarge):

And a video of the Hillbilly Skiing:

Spring Break in ATL

We left for Atlanta on Tuesday and though we didn’t get to stay as long as we had planned or do everything we wanted, we had a great time.

Rough timeline of our trip:

Ikea
GA Mall
Dinner at Big Pie in the Sky
Hotel and bed
breakfast at Gladys Knight and Ron Winan’s Chicken and Waffles
GA Aquarium
Grand River Outlet Nike Store on the way home

GF Double Chocolate Treasures

Ingredients:
12 oz GF chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 TSP GF Vanilla
2 cups GF Oats
1 1/2 cups GF Flour Blend
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs

Preparation

In heavy saucepan melt 1 cup chocolate chips.
Stir until smooth, then cool slightly.
Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Blend in eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate.
Add combined dry ingredients except powdered sugar.
Stir in remaining chocolate chips.
Chill.
Form into 1″ balls, roll in powered sugar.
Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.
Allow to cool on baking sheet one minute before removing.

GF Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
1.5 cups sugar
.5 cup oil can sub applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Dry Ingredients
1.75 cups flour
.75 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
.5 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup milk
1.75 cups pumpkin
1 cup chopped nuts optional
1 cup chocolate chips optional

Preparation

Mix first 4 wet ingredients together until combined.

Sift together dry ingredients and then add the wet to the dry.

Add half the milk, mix. Add half the pumpkin, mix again. The rest of the milk, mix, the rest of the pumpkin, mix.

Fold in optionals.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.