Family Cookies

From an FHE lesson:
Families are like a cookie recipe. Each ingredient is, at most, ok on it's own, but put them all together and you have something scrumptious!
We made these cookies together the other night. They are DE-LISH! And they are henceforward to be known as "Family Cookies."


Here's the recipe, but be sure that each member of the family adds an ingredient and gets a chance to stir.

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix together the first five ingredients until creamy. Add remaining ingredients. Spoon onto cookie sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes. (Made 3 dozen for us.)

Oh, and this was our first big tomato from our garden. (And it's already September! Am I going to get anymore before the first frost?)

Saturday Night at My House

Saturday is a special day.

About a minute after I took this photo. Mr. Boy pooed in the tub. And not a nice neat self contained nugget either.

If The Princess has to get her hair combed, then so does Daddy.

PUBLIC ENEMY #1

Destroy on sight!

Here's Something I Can Do

Something I've decided to do to keep up with my family, is read all their blogs. I just spent about an hour virtually catching up with sisters and cousins. It was awesome! My family are (is?) so fun. And attractive, if I do say so myself. I'm changing some of my sidebar to include family members' blogs that haven't previously appeared. (This will also save me from returning to my baby sister's blog to find links to all of them. It seems she's way ahead of me in the whole keeping up witht the family idea.)

So, if you're reading this and you're related to me and you have a blog and it's not on the side bar, please leave a comment, and I'll add you, Cuz!

Oh, here's something bad that happened today (or last night). I'm growing watermelons and Charantais melons (a very classy French variety, because I am a snob and cannot just grow cantaloupe like everyone else) in my front side yard next to my fence. Nothing else is growing there and it's very sunny, so why not? I'll tell you why not: Little vandals will come and steal the only three watermelons that were likely to ripen before the frost BEFORE they were even ripe!Here's the biggest watermelon that was melon-napped.

I was really having a hard time with this. My garden has become my fourth child. I take all of its successes and failures to heart. Really. To heart.
But then I counted three more Charantais melons than I had noticed before and decided that was a Tender Mercy and my reward for going to the adult session of Stake Conference. Here are the Charantais:
So all's well that ends well!
(Except, I really wanted to try those little watermelons! Grrrrrr......)

Another Fresh Start?

Hello out there in Blog Readershipdom,

I really don't know how many of you out there there are, but one of my faithful readers has been my cousin. She posted a comment on the post entitled "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." The next day she was in a car accident and is now paralyzed from the chest down. After reading her comment I thought I'd buzz a note back to her, but decided to wait until later. (Gosh, this is sounding like a super sappy email. Sorry.) That she was faithful (for lack of a better word at the moment) to me and I was not to her has been a source of considerable guilt and one of the reasons I've not posted in a bit. A few weeks ago, as I mentioned in the previous post, the sister of some friends of mine were in a terrible airplane accident. I have witnessed, through the blogging world, their family rally around each other. Their devotion to one another is very evident. Without saying that my family doesn't share this same devotion, because I think we do, I will say that I want that for my family. I'm making a conscious decision to strive for that. Frankly, I'm finding that it's kind of a lot of work. But I want to be up on what my sisters and cousins and in-laws are doing and cheer them on. I want them to know that I am a fan. I want my children and The Rose to really know that I love them and create solidarity among us. I want to be faithful to my family.
I'm not really sure what this all means or how I'll put it into practice, but I just thought I'd put it out there.

Wanting to help out

Hello folks,

I have alot to talk about and explain, but for now, just let me direct your attention to the new sidebar "Donate to NieNie." A sister and brother-in-law of friends were in a plane crash and will be in the hospital for months. They have have four children who are staying with my friends right now and they will have mounting medical bills. For more information, visit www.nierecovery.com.

More to come!

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Today I had lunch with the Canadian Rose's Canadian cousin and wife and sister-in-law (and the Rose, of course). I don't get out much (three kids)so I put on make up and my new farmer's market jewelry and I even quickly painted my toenails (they look so naked in sandals without). The Rose caught sight of me while I was shepherding The Princess in to put a barrett in her hair.
I think I saw a double take.

The Rose: You look nice.
Me: *blush*smile* Thank you.

He loves me.

P.S. I Hate You

So, I don't get out much (three kids) and my Blockbuster Online account is my sole access to the real world. I rarely see movies in first run theatres which is a big change from a few years ago when we would go see at least one a week, but with the addition of two more children, no can do.
Last night Father and Oldest Son went to an Owlz game. It was important bonding time that I heartily encouraged. They couldn't possibly have known that (ohh, time for a tangent. Most of you know all our names, but I'm trying out monikers to protect my family from...well, "kooks that konk" (grandma's phrase) on the internet, I guess. So we will be known as The Canadian Rose, Cotton, Mr. Man, The Princess, and Mr. Boy.)
Back to the story. They couldn't have known Mr. Boy would go Exorcist at the dinner table. Well, he's 13 months old and I can't possibly keep track of everything that goes into his mouth. I'm guessing that's what did it, whatever it was. Boy did it do a doozy on him. I got him bathed and put down and then The Princess. Then it was time for me to sit down with a much deserved chick flick and attend to some wrinkly laundry. The movie of choice was P.S. I Love You. I didn't know anything about this movie (except that Gerard Butler was in it and my mother-in-law read the book and liked it)and there was no trailer on the DVD. So I didn't know that 10 minutes into the film, just after you are totally in love with Monsieur Butler because of this sexy (and by sexy, I mean funny sexy, which is WAY sexier than just plain sexy)dance that he does in shamrock boxers, suspenders, and socks--10 minutes into the film, you are at his funeral!?! Well, thank you very much. There may be a certain lunar tug on my hormones presently, that may have exacerbated the situation, but I had a headache at the end of the film from crying ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT! Stupid movie.
Also, I was interrupted part way through by Mr. Boy puking and the other end also. So, I'm bawling already and there's my baby with grey skin, purple lips, and black circles for eye sockets. And stiiiink-EE! He got his second bath, sheets were changed, The Canadian Rose was called. (I love the part of mothering where I get to actually comfort and nurture. I just don't like that the babies have to be sick or hurt for that. Also, someone else could be on clean up duty.)
But, I couldn't leave the movie where it was. I had to see it through! I'd invested too much emotion not to get my happy ending! I brought Mr. Boy, a towel, and the puke bucket back down to finish the movie. He watched a lot of it lethargically with his head on my lap and puked (mostly dry heaved) a couple more times, and I continued to sob. Stupid movie.
The Canadian Rose and Mr. Man made it home around midnight (13 innings)and The Rose says Mr. Boy "looks like the dead kid in Pet Semetary." Yeah, I know.
Well, I finished the movie, Mr. Boy puked one last time, then drank a cup of water, and returned to the land of the living before dozing off to a solid night's sleep.
And I dreamed of kissing an amalgam of The Canadian Rose and Gerard Butler.
All's well that ends well, no?

Your Civic Duty

This week we had the opportunity to vote. I cannot express strongly enough how important this step is for each and everyone of us in our daily lives. The privilege, the duty, nay, even the honor of this sacred act is a blessing we should not take lightly. In this small way every person, no matter his station can help shape the future. We vote to keep those who exemplify our ideals. Our vote rids us of those who are no longer keeping up.

So I just want to know...who did you vote for?

1. Twitch and Kheringon
2. Gev and Courtney
3. Christ and Comfort
4. Will and Jessica
5. Matt and Kourtni
6. Thayne and Chelsea
7. Mark and Chelsie
8. Joshua and Katee


If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here.

Goin' Steady

It's kind of like getting baptized or getting married. It's a public admission to a commitment. It makes it more significant. I'm committed to making changes for the better, even if those who know me may call me a hypocrite for all the ways I'm being unfaithful. All I have to say is, it's a process. But just so's you know I'm committed, I hereby
PUBLISH THE BANS