Grandpa Gene

Our Thanksgiving festivities were dampened by the news that Grandpa Gene had passed away. He was Darren's Mom's Stepmother's Husband-- so an adopted Grandpa to us. Gene and Ruth married late in life, both widowers, but they had a grand adventure together. Gene was always a very kind, warm-hearted man to us. He had a large family and loved working and creating with his hands. He fought a long and difficult battle with lukemia & diabetes. We give Grandma Ruth all the credit for keeping him healthy as long as she could.Ruth and Gene had a woodworking shop and made the most beautiful chairs, cabinets, and cradles. They spent hours working together.

We were so surprised when they received a mission call to Nova Scotia. On their way to and from the mission field, they stopped by our home in Maine for a visit and dinner. What an enriching, priceless experience.

We were so blessed to have them visit us twice here in Arizona. On this visit, they brought an heirloom for Courtney-- this beautiful doll cradle. It will always be treasured.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness Gene, and treating us as your own family.

Fun Cousins

The kiddos played so well together. Nathan & Alyssa are really sweet, great kids and we're going to miss them terribly! The girls both love coloring, books, animals & princesses
The boys set up multiple shooting galleries-- this one with a bow & arrow aimed at an empty can, and another with army guys & rubber bands. They both love sports, Ds, and being outside. {I love Nathan's "aiming eye"}
More food! {This one involving less calories than Thanksgiving}. The girls prepared a feast for Grandma, using food from Courtney's play kitchen.

Sun/Rain Devils

The boys went to an ASU game & the weather was crazy! First off, it was hot and they all got sunburns-- the next half it rained and they were freezing! They couldn't believe all the tailgate parties.

Loved it.

Wiiiiii

We were naughty and opened a Christmas present early. Mom was a good sport and humored us by bowling & boxing:)
Dad's turn-- check out that form!
I think the funniest part of the night was making Miis on the Wii.
Cami & Scott just bought a new home in Utah. It sounds beautiful & we can't wait to see it!

Giving Thanks

We were so lucky and blessed to have Darren's Mom, Dad, sister Cami & her family with us over the weekend. We had the best time, and the kids LOVED having their cousins visit. I thought this was such a sweet {I mean manly} moment. Darren & his Dad went out on the back porch and gabbed while they peeled potatoes.
Mom & Dad Roos-- so thankful for you!
Lovely dinner--Mom, Dad, Alyssa, Courtney, Nathan, Alexander, Scott, Cami & Moi. Darren insisted on taking the picture.
We did our Gratitude Box again this year & it was a hit. Delicious food, great company & laughter-- what more could you ask for?
Note to self: Never attempt to make rolls without contacts in... you just might miss an ingredient or two. Rolls were promptly thrown in the garbage-- luckily I had time to make some new ones:)

Yes, I Am

I love this holiday, and am so excited to have family come this year!

{And yes, I have too many creative projects going on right now--finished this one just in the nick of time}

The Apron Addiction Continues...

I found the CUTEST book of apron patterns. This represents a few late nights, lots of unpicking & a fair amount of laughter {thanks, Steph!} Don't hold your breath for the opening of an Etsy shop featuring my handmade aprons:)

Cheesy Potato Soup

After yesterday's post, I'm sure you all want a recipe from me, right??? {Domestic Goddess that I am:} This is one of Darren's faves. The original recipe is from the Busy Family Cookbook, tweaked by Natalie. 6 potatoes, diced {skins on or off, it's good either way}

1 small onion, chopped

5 cups water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 cup diced ham
2 cups cheese, grated
1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. pepper
Chopped chives

In heavy saucepan, combine potatoes, onions & water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Do not drain.

In separate pan, melt butter. Add flour, cook and stir until mixture bubbles. Slowly add milk while stirring. Cook and stir until sauce thickens. Stir sauce slowly into the potatoes, onions & water. Keep stirring and cook until thick. Add ham, cheese, salt, pepper and paprika, stirring until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chives.

This is especially good on the 2nd day... if you make it the night before the flavors seem to blend even better. Enjoy!

The Perfect Dinner

Darren has been gone a lot lately, so I wanted to make dinner tonight really special. So... I got out the Rachel Ray cookbook and went to town.

My plans went up in flames {literally}! I had a few crazy setbacks {that involved a missing checkbook, a forgotten ingredient, and a carpool--long story}. Anyway, my toasted walnuts caught on fire, and the smoke smell mixed with the aroma of the balsamic vinegar cream sauce... nasty.

When Alexander got home, he said, "Mom, it smells like you're cooking feet for dinner tonight!"

It wasn't meant to be.

This Really Sucks!

I've killed 3 {yes, THREE} vacuums since we've moved here to AZ. Darren refurbished and fixed the last one multiple times {zip ties work wonders}, but it officially died this week. So... Happy Anniversary, Christmas & Birthday to me! We should have invested loooong ago in a Dyson. I love it. Stripes in my carpet make me happy:) Hope this one lasts.

We Love Our Veterans!

Today our school held a breakfast, program & parade to honor Veterans. I wish I would have known beforehand what an awesome experience it was going to be-- I would have brought my camera! {Sorry, my camera phone just doesn't cut it} The kids prepared last week by learning about this special day, preparing patriotic songs, writing letters to servicemen, and placing the names of relatives that served on yellow stars. Truly a beautiful way to spend this morning. My heart is full of gratitude!

I'm Opening a Scrapbook Store!

So I've been waiting years for someone to open a fabulous scrapbooking store in the 'Copa. After months of research, I found a company that will allow me to order & sell my favorite scrapbook brands as an independent consultant.

{Basic Grey, Bo Bunny Press, Doodlebug Design, Cosmo Cricket, Pink Paislee, Making Memories, Rusty Pickle, Fancy Pants Designs, 7 Gypsies, Petaloo, American Crafts, Tim Holtz, Prima-- the list goes on!} I'm SO excited to get this up and running. I have a catalog with the products and you're welcome to come to my home and take a look. I'll order the products, and the next week we can have a crop night with all your new goods! {Just like going to the scrapbook store, but without the drive:} Call me if you're interested.

Super Star Singers

Our Primary program was today, and seriously, the kids did great! They sang their little hearts out for me. So... they earned 96 Super Star cupcakes!

I Learned a Few Tricks in Vegas...

{And no, it doesn't have anything to do with the "traditional" forms of entertainment!} I was watching a lady making signs out of vinyl, {you're already disappointed, I can tell} and she had this big wire frame with a sticky film on it to transfer the vinyl. It worked amazingly well! I thought it looked a lot like Glad Press'n Seal. When I got home, I tried it.
It works! I haven't used it for anything major, but to use around the house or for labeling, it is a cheap, fast alternative to transfer tape.
Oh, she also used some pointy tweezers to peel the excess vinyl-- that works great, too!

Bird Brains

Oh my. Volunteering to be the "artsy room mom" for both kids' classrooms has been crazy. Lots of googly eyes, pompoms & tempera paint! The latest for Courtney's class... OK, people, I need some fresh ideas!

Retro Apron Giveaway!

I started this sassy lil' half-apron two weeks ago @ a class, but then was left to my own devices to figure out how to finish it. Here's the finished product. I think I'm addicted to this apron thang:) If you want it, leave me a comment!

And our winner is:

Ariane!

Congrats! I'll send it to you via snail mail. Email me @ roosaz@msn.com with your address.

New Motto

Man, I've been down lately! Time for a kick in the pants. When I was in high school, I'd make little signs to hang around my room or locker to remind me of what I needed to do, and who I wanted to become. Decided to give it another try:)

Flat 'n' Junk

This is the latest monologue around our house.

K-bai!