MMMM . . . MMMM . . . . MMMM

I tried this syrup recipe over french toast for the breakfast after Abby's sleepover and it was SO good!  Not lowfat or healthy but very yummy!

We have had three days of birthday festivities for which I will post pics later today after I've had a nap.  

Camping

We ran up the canyon to go camping this past weekend. Here are all the kids:

The kids had fun climbing through the trees on the mountainside. 

Then as we were getting dinner together 5 deer wandered through the same spot the kids had been playing in! Here are a few shots of them peering down at us:  

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire.  

Its so nice to have a fun camping place 5 mins from home!!

Yummy!

I don't get a whole lot of time to eat for the straight week that I work so I spend it thinking of yummy things to make to eat for the week I am home.  This week I made this:  

German chocolate cake . . . from scratch. It was kinda a lot of effort but worth it.  It was all beautiful and perfect in the oven until Abby came up and jumped in front of the oven and it collapsed! Still yummy though.

Real Salt Lake

We got to go to another Real Salt Lake soccer game! It was against the LA Galaxy but Beckham wasn't there! :( We had a lot of fun. The game was good, we were up 1 until the last 7 mins of the game and ended up tying 2 to 2.

The Mascot

A picture Megan took

The action

And Abby's favorite: Beckerman
(she asked for this pic to be blown up poster sized for her bedroom!)

Show & Tell

Megan got to bring Yogi to show and tell to her class today. She has been waiting well over a month for my weekend off to coincide with her show and tell day. She had fun showing off her cute dog!  (I must have my camera dates wrong because it really was today!)

Egg Decorating

This year instead of the tradional dunk the egg in a cup of dye I found these little painters at WalMart that were basically Q-tips filled with dye, just break the seal and you're ready to paint. The kids were a bit disappointed at first and I was ready to make the dye in the cup if I needed to.  After they got started they had so much fun though, even Ben!  It was fun for them to actually make designs on the eggs and a couple of them they just kept coloring til they a solid color too.  

HAPPY EASTER!

I'm in TROUBLE!!!

With my new work schedule I work 6 straight which is completely grueling.  But the eight days off gives me a little time to catch up on homework and family time.  I have also started planning my week off's menu while dragging through my week on.  I've added a lot of the recipe sites to my blog sidebar.  It's been fun trying out new foods.  This recipe has got to be our favorite so far and it's really not hard to make (really it only takes about 20 mins to throw together and 20 mins to cook.)  as long as you have a really large bowl.  (One big enough to fit all the popcorn from 1 cup unpopped kernels or 24 total cups.)  The only things I do differently is mix it in the bowl before transferring to the pans and I only bake for 20 mins and stir it on the way out of the oven onto the counter.  I know it has a lot of sugar but if you used a casein free margarine it could be considered GCFC.  To make matters worse Macey's had their case lot sale last week and I just couldn't pass up the 12 lb bag of popcorn for $6 so now I HAVE to make it all the time!  

Bedtime Converstation

All the kids were piled in our bed reading their books before bed when Jordan started complaining that his toes were hurting.  When I looked at them I said, "No wonder they're hurting you need to stop biting your toe nails."  (Gross, I know!!)  To which Meg quickly chided, "Ya, I quit!"  So I said "Oh yeah, let me see them."  I pulled off one of her socks to see her poor little bitten off toe nails and said, "When did you quit this afternoon?"  Without even looking up for her book she proudly replied, "Yep!"

Alphabet Tag - You're It!

Here's how you play... My sister Beverly tagged me with the letter "G". So now I have to list 10 things I love that start with that letter. G, G!  It seems like such a hard letter but honestly, since I have absolutely 0 creativity genes any letter would be hard for me.  Let's see what I can come up with since family and scrapbooking are out . . . 

1. Glucose - yes sugar.  I love sugar.  If there happens to be some nice cocoa mixed in all the better!  

2. Gingersnaps - definitely one of my favorite cookies but sadly one I make the least.  That extra step of rolling them in the sugar is such a hindrance!

3. Gadgets - I love gadgets from computers to i pods to kitchen tools to scrapbooking gadgets.  (I had to sneak it in there somewhere!)  Ben thinks I have WAY too many gadgets.  His term of endearment for them all is "crap."  

4. Gatherings -  I am such a homebody and sometimes don't want to go anywhere but some of my favorite times are hanging out with good friends and family.  

5. Good Food - I have always loved to cook.  I love to eat out occasionally too but I love to find great recipes to make delicious food right at home with the ones I love.  

6. Gaining - I know I complain about it a lot but I love Gaining new knowledge.  There is so much interesting stuff I am learning and relearning right now, I just wish it didn't have to feel so much like a whirlwind!  

7. Germs - Well maybe I don't love germs but in reference to #6 I have enjoyed learning about germs and everything about them from the amazing ways your body deals with them to the amazing ways they can morph and proliferate themselves.  It is comforting and alarming at the same time!

8. Guitars - well, music in general but my appreciation for guitars has grown so much over the past year.  My kids (Abby especially) are so into guitars and the time I have spent trying to sit down with them to figure things out has shown me how fun they are!  I just wish I had time to learn to play for real.  

9. Gymnastics - My list of things I love that begin with "G" would not be complete without gymnastics.  It is one of the things that made me who I am today.  It taught me to strive for perfection but to expect to work very hard to get there.  

10.  God - He is central in my life.  Even though I don't understand everything and probably never will I can feel His love for me and His hand in my life.  He has given me my family and led me in the paths that I have taken and in the ones I have yet to take.  

I am tagging:

Candace (T)

Melanie (L)

Katy (R)

Erica (S)

Christine (B)

Stephanie (N)

Tiffany(M)

Need a driver?

I think someone might need to get a driver for their roomba:  

see here . . . and here.