Happy Halloween!

I am still trying to catch up on posts since I took last week off!! Here are some cute pictures of the kids in their halloween costumes. Matt took them over to the local elementary school for a "Monster Math Night" put on by our beloved sister in law Karen (she is the PTO president). The kids loved it. Sims got to play a couple of games and they came home with some candy! Lily only kept her costume on for a short time because she got a little hot. But she is still a cute little cow. That was the perfect costume for her because right now she is obsessed with cows. She will walk around the house mooing. It is the cutest thing ever. Sims of course was a big hit in his Thomas costume. I am so glad that I did it, it was worth it!

SHADE Sell

...Maybe you like this....

...or this...

...or maybe even this....
...hmmm this looks nice...
....always can use one of these....

...well what are you waiting for...I have all of these at my HOUSE right now, hundreds of them in all shapes and sizes. and guess what...EVERYTHING IS ONLY 5 DOLLARS. yep you heard me right. I am here to hook you up. So give your friend Jen a call, or come by...

Sugar and Spice

So I am a trying to catch up with what has been happening! Life is getting busy again. My sister-in-law Karen and I helped throw a baby shower for our dear friend Tiffany Harker. She is pregnant with her 4th baby, but it has been 6 years since her last baby. She was in great need of some cute girly things...it was so fun to get ready for. I was in charge of the decorations. Here is what I came up with. Our theme was "sugar and spice". Her colors for the baby room is black and pink.

This banner is made out of pink and black scrapbook paper. It says Sugar -n- spice.

This cradle and the rocking chair are Lily's. I have had them since the move and have been meaning to paint them. This shower gave me the motivation I needed. I painted them a nice pink and added some black fabric for accents. It turned out way cute. Remember the rocking chair because I have plans for how to decorate it for Lily's room. I will post the finished product!

I have always wanted to do a diaper cake. I really wanted to do one for this shower, but was not willing to spend the money on diapers (sorry Tiffany, I am cheap!), but I solved that problem by having a lovely friend of mine, Kati, who was also going to the shower and didn't have a gift, get the diapers for me. It turned out perfect. I will definitely do this again. It was so easy and turned out super cute!

Here is the finished result of the gift table. I think it turned out wonderful. I was super excited!

To go along with all the cute decorations Karen and our lovely friends had made the most delicious food ever. There were cupcakes, salsa, spinach dip, feta dip, chicken salad, all kinds of yummy breads, apples and Carmel and a yummy punch. I was supposed to be on a diet, but this shower was my downfall. I did have to eat, it was just too tempting!

And this was my gift to Tiffany. I saw this idea on this website: http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/. I always wanted to make this and finally had my opportunity. I spray painted this frame and hot glued fabric and ribbon to some cardboard for the back! It was so fun to do and easy.

All in all the shower was fantastic. There were about 30 women who came to celebrate. Tiffany got some awesome things and we just had a good time celebrating as friends. I had a great time doing the decorations and look forward to the next party!

Happy Birthday Tiff!

My dear sweet sister in law is having her birthday today! We had a fabulous weekend in Boise and were able to hang out and do projects together!

Tiff is amazing in so many ways...she is funny, just like her brothers. She is very crafty. She inspired me to start to tap into my crafting side. I never scrap booked or crafted before I moved to Boise, but now I am a seasoned pro under her tutelage. She is always there for you, if you need help, she is by your side.

I was deeply impressed with this quality when Courtney was born. We found out that Courtney was gone and called Tiff and she was there right away. She was one of the few blessed people to be able to hold our sweet baby and be there at that very spiritual moment when she was born. I am glad she was there to share that with me. I am glad that she was there in the years after to help me remember Courtney and all that she taught us.

It was so hard for her to let us move to Pasco, but she put herself aside and saw how important that was to Matt and I and our family. She has been a great support since and I have been blessed with phone calls and emails from her. Our friendship continues to grow.

This is for you, I know I promised you these pictures a long time ago...I hope they make you laugh! Happy Birthday.

Love,

Jen

Pumpkin Patch Again....

For FHE Monday night we went to decided to go to the pumpkin patch as a family. The night started out at Brad and Karen's for some yummy chili and cornbread. We were all filled up with yummy goodness (except me of course, blast this diet!) and we headed out to this great pumpkin patch out in the middle of nowhere. The kids were so excited! There was a carousel ride, a haystack pyramid, farm animals, and a corn maze. The real Halloween miracle was that we arrived a little late...it got a little dark, we picked the pumpkins in the dark, but we got our pumpkins for free! It was great. Then we went back to Brad and Karen's for a yummy treat. The best part about it was that Matt was there to capture our trip with his wonderful photography...enjoy!

What have you been doing lately??

We have been working furiously lately on finishing Sims Halloween costume. And this weekend we got it done! It is entirely made out of cardboard. Sims helped me paint and came up with the whole idea all by himself. He is so excited to be Thomas and puts on the costume almost every day! It makes me so happy to see him so excited. Halloween here we come.

Just Chilling

Last night was bath night. Lily for some reason only likes to stay in the water for 10 minutes. Then she gets out and gets in her jammies. But the challenge is once she is in her jammies to keep her out of the water while Sims finishes his bath...she is a very busy girl. So my solution is, put her in the sink. She is still so small that she fits right in the sink! She loved it and had a fun time just chilling.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

On Tuesday for preschool they headed to the pumpkin patch! Sims had so much fun and loved every minute of it even though it was FREEZING cold!

He is growing up so fast! He just went through a big growth spurt and now is in 4T clothes. He looks like a little kid now instead of a toddler. He is very sweet and has a great attitude. He loves to have fun.

Picture of his whole class.

Mr. Kristin and Ms. Julie (Sims calls Ms. Kristin, Mr. Kristin, he can't quite grasp the ms.) He loves his teachers!

On the hay wagon ready to go get pumpkins!

He found one that he loves!

Totally random: This pumpkin patch had a zebra and a kangaroo! The kids loved to look at them, but to be honest Sims most favorite animal was the plain old pig.

And we can't forget the tower of hay. I am still amazed at how brave Sims is. He climbed all the way to the top, multiple times. He didn't get his bravery from his mom, that's for sure. He had a blast with his friends.

The End.

A little Yummy Treat

So I have been trying to find the perfect recipe for granola bars to use some of this food storage that I have an ample amount of! I used to buy the Fiber One granola bars at Costco. They are super delicious, but had this horrible side effect....GAS! When I ate those, I would have the worst gas of my life and Matt did too, so I set out on a mission to find a granola bar recipe. Here is what I came up with. Both of these recipes are from my favorite recipe site: allrecipes.com Enjoy!

Playgroup Granola Bars
INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

And this one is a little sweeter(actually I do not know that, I have never tasted either of these b/c I have been on a diet since I found them, but I have tried these on my family, neighbors and sold a ton of them at a garage sale.):

Easy Granola Bars:
INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips and cranberries with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

And the verdict from my family is: Matt loves the playgroup granola bars the best. I found to only cook them for 25 minutes because they are more chewy! Have fun with these recipes. I have loved them!

A little bit about ME.

This is me and my beautiful family. Matt and I have been married for 8 wonderful, blissful years. These are our two cute kids. I am an overly happy stay at home mom. My favorite things to do are to craft and create, play with my kids, love my husband and spend ample time in the kitchen (cooking, not cleaning up).

I was born of goodly parents. My mom and dad continually teach me and inspire me to be the best me that I can be. I love them and hope to become more and more like them.

This is my family. I am the youngest of 7 children. I was adored, and sometimes picked on by my many wonderful siblings. Some of the best moments of my life are when we have all been together.

This is my brother Brian and his family. Brian is 12 or 13 years older than me...sorry I can't quite remember. He is a great brother and is so generous. Our relationship continues to grow. He has a wonderful family. They live all the way over in Iowa, so our family reunions mean a lot to me, because this is one of the only times I get to see them.

This is my sister Teresa and her family. She is one of those big sisters that every girl needs. She was my second mom and continues to be so today. She is dependable and lovely. Her family lives in Utah. Her strength and courage continues to inspire me.

This is my brother Mike and his family. He is a fun loving guy, but also knows how to be serious and we have had many good conversations. I love his family and their energy. His sacrifice and dedication to his family is a great example to me.

This is my brother Pete and his family. He is amazing. He works so hard and always has a great attitude and smile on his face. I know that he often faces challenges, but he has faith. He teaches me to continue to have faith.

This is my sister Debbie. I can't say enough about her. I am constantly reminded of her awesomeness. She has such a lively and busy family, but continues to tap into her creative side with sewing and crafting. We talk often, we laugh often and sometimes we cry often. Her relationship strengthens me.

And lastly, not pictured is my truly wonderful sister Kari. She was delivering her first baby about the time we took these pictures. I am so grateful for her and her excitement for motherhood. She reminds me what it is all about. She has a wonderful little family that has joy and happiness in their home. I love her spirit, she is so caring.

All these people are what make me who I am, they have all inspired and sculpted me in some way. I love my family very much. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for putting me where he did in this family. It has been a blessing and will continue to be one. I love you all!

He really is just that wonderful

I have an amazing husband. He is patient, he is funny and he is the best dad on the planet. He just has a love for life and helps keep me going. There are days when I feel lost in despair that he just takes my hand and puts me back on my path.

We laugh.

I cry. (Matt doesn't cry, but he gets teared up every once in a while)

We play.

We love.

It is perfect.

What takes my breath away still is how amazingly talented he is as a photographer.

He is so creative.

I love to have a chance to share with you my pride in his ability. Here, as promised, is a slide show from the wedding we went to in San Fransisco.

Enjoy.

Erik and Nicole - Wedding from Matt Johnson on Vimeo.

Current Craftiness

First off: The pajama pants. Are they not the cutest thing in the world. I guess it helps that the cutest model in the world is wearing them...hmmm

Lily loves her new pajama bottoms and looks like such a "big girl" in them. It makes me a little sad to see her growing up so fast!

Second: Wall art. I brought some mount board with us from the studio. It is just little 8x10 and 4x6 mount board, but I got this ingenious idea to mount scrapbook paper on it and do a little distressing to make this:

My nephew Spencer was over and was so nice to pose in the pictures for me! He was enjoying some coloring.

My craft area is now complete and I have been in it almost every day doing something creative. I love it. The wall art just adds to the creativity of the room. My favorite part is that Sims has his craft drawers in the same room, so you can find him in there coloring and doing playdough. I love to see him explore his creative side too!