Michelangelos

Today in Alexander's class, I taught an art lesson about Michelangelo and his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The kids were totally surprised when I told them to get under their desks and draw their masterpieces on a paper taped underneath it. It was a hoot, and gave them a new appreciation for art!

Opening Day

It's the beginning of a new Little League season--its busy, but we love it!

Alexander is on the White Sox... #5
Their uniforms this year look so sharp. Alexander plays shortstop, and his nickname is "The Vacuum" since he scoops everything up.

Why are my pictures posting vertical? Beats me!

Bling the Heat!

Y'all know I have a little love affair going with my Silhouette, right? Well, if its possible, I adore it even more. Here is my first attempt at the Silhouette rhinestones and heat transfer material. It couldn't be easier!
This heat transfer is FUZZY--seriously yummy!!!
Karen & I couldn't keep our hands off it:)
All you need is the rhinestone kit, a roll of heat transfer material, your Silhouette & an iron.

Oh my gosh. She is the definition of SASSITUDE!

Happy St. Patty's!

Green! Kool-aid, jell-o, spinach tortilla wraps, veggies

And of course, mint chocolate chip ice cream in green cones for dessert.

I used the leftovers for a beauty treatment. Cute.

The Crafter, The Baker, The Barbie Clothes Maker

Courtney had a school diorama due, based on a non-fiction book. Her book was about Abraham Lincoln, and her favorite part was when he was born in a log cabin.She filled out her report and then she & Darren built this great cabin out of Lincoln logs.
Her Barbies were looking a little glam for the humble Lincoln family, so I made some clothes for them.
{A sparkly dress just didn't seem right on Mrs. Lincoln, and we had to ditch the gold embellished jacket and purple pants on Mr. Lincoln}

Queen of Crochet

Grandma Roos is SO amazing at crocheting. When the kids were babies, they always had the most gorgeous blankets, sweaters or dresses. Look what she made for Courtney! I got some yarn, a pattern, and Mom went to work. Aren't they gorgeous!?! Courtney loves them.

The other day at school, I got swarmed by first grade girls, begging for Courtney's Grandma to make them a flower headband.

She has some serious mad skills. Love them!

The Dodgers Are Back in Town!

...and so are the Rooses! Darren's parents came down to enjoy their Grandkids, the weather, and a little spring training.

Go Dodgers!

With these guys on your team, how could you possibly not win?

Chillin' in the shade

All three of these boys LOVE this sport! So happy to have them here.

Freezing Flagstaff

The kids were so looking forward to playing in the Flagstaff snow again. The verdict: It was TOO cold! The kids spent their time swimming in the indoor pool and being DS zombies.
The exciting trip also included a full day visit to Urgent Care--Courtney was sick:(

Brrrrr!

Spoiled!

When Alexander was little, he called the store Old Navy "Old Lady." I think I qualify for that title now.

Out for breakfast, out for lunch, out for dinner & reflexology massage. I feel a little spoiled (by my friends)!

My family spoiled me to...it was Fast Sunday, so we chilled and then Darren made dinner!

Should I Weight?

Xander Man's Science Fair project was chosen as one of the top 3 in his class. He did a great job on it and he & Darren had fun experimenting with weight placement on a Pinewood Derby car.I hope this new "I-don't-want-my-picture-taken-you're-embarrassing-me-Mom" phase gets over soon!

Scare @ School... Take 2

Every time the phone rings during the school day, I panic, considering the huge accident Alexander had at school two years ago.
Flashbacks. Horrifying.
When the school called this afternoon and told me to be there in 5 minutes, I panicked again.
When I got to the nurse's office, the smell of blood almost made me sick.
They told me Courtney had been running laps in P.E. and had fallen. Then a classmate had tripped over her and it caused her head to be knocked into the cement.
I noticed blood all over her little hand and sleeve.
She's bleeding?!
I picked her up and looked at the back of her head. Her hair was shades of pink & red, and the chair was covered in blood.
She wasn't very responsive, just whimpering.
On the way to the hospital, at a red light, I sent a text to my family, telling them Courtney had hit her head and to please remember her in their prayers.
Not long after, she started being responsive & by the time we got to the hospital, was talking and even smiling.
Her hair was stopping the bleeding for the moment, and we waited several hours before we were seen.
In the meantime, Courtney told me some distressing details.
The P.E. teacher was having them run backwards, in a line, on the cement. Call me crazy, but that just seems like an accident waiting to happen.
Also, she told me the P.E. teacher ran across campus to the Nurse's office to get help. When I asked which grown-up had stayed with her, she said, No one. I was alone.
Are you KIDDING me?
She could have blacked out, had a seizure, vomited... we don't know if she blacked out, because she was alone. {Unless you count a bunch of freaked out 6-year-olds as supervision?}
I want to discuss this with the school, but am not sure what exactly to say...


Daddy & Brother got her two little bears & some candy for being so brave!

Anyway, after hours of waiting, they cleaned the wound, and decided rather than stapling or stitches, to try to glue it back together.
She was a real trooper, not even a peep out of her. My brave little girl!
To see my baby's blood spilt like that-- to see her in pain-- I wanted to take it all away from her!
Bless her little heart! When we got home, to my dismay, it had started bleeding again.
I frantically called my brother {Dr. Smith} and he told me to gauze it and wrap it "army style."
During the night, it stopped bleeding.
The back of her shirt-- she was wearing dark colors, so the blood wasn't as obvious.Darren kept calling her "Axl Rose" since she looked like she had the rocker bandanna on.

Miss Courtney didn't think that was very funny.

2/22- We had a doctor visit today. No neurological delays, no sign of infection. She's on the mend. Thank heavens!

Back on the Scrapwagon

I think I'm back...we'll see.
I even joined a Silhouette group on Flickr as motivation to keep posting layouts.

President's Day

The kiddos had a President's Day program and celebration @ school today. I played "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" with Alexander's class, and Courtney's class did fun activities and crafts honoring President Lincoln.
I thought their hats were hilarious.
When I asked Courtney why she kept closing her eyes, she said, Because I'm Abraham Lincoln, that's why!

{Duh, I guess I was supposed to know that?}

Happy Valentine's Day!

Technically, this was a few days before, but here's the story:
I got home from a late night crop Friday, and I expected the house to be dark and quiet.
I heard Classical music coming from my scrapbook room... and had to go see what was up.
I opened the door to THIS, and a beautiful card.
I love it! It almost spans one entire wall of my scrapbook room.
My husband is so sweet. Totally gets me.
Paris at night

On to Valentine's Day... pink {almost} heart shaped pancakes
My three loves {Well, four if you count the chocolate:}

Dinner was supposed to be lasagna, but we overslept and improvised with spaghetti & meatballs. It's all Italian, right?

MmmmMMmmMmmm...

Miss America Lemon Squares

I know you're probably thinking I'm trying to single-handedly derail all your New Year's resolutions.
Sorry about that.
It's Super Bowl Sunday, I have a tree full of ripe lemons, what's a girl to do? This is my favorite lemon bar recipe, from the Miss America cookbook {a souvenir from my pageant days}
Crust
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
Filling
4 eggs
4 TBS lemon juice
2 cups sugar
4 TBS flour
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Crust: Combine the dry ingredients and cut in butter. Pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
Filling: Combine first 5 filling ingredients and pour into the crust. Bake for 20-30 minutes {it ALWAYS takes at least 40 for mine to set up-- maybe my oven is weird} Remove from oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares. Enjoy!

Something in the Water?

One more baby girl... One more tutu ensemble! Congratulations, Meagan & Patrick!

Blue & Gold

Scouting is so much fun! {words, believe me, I never thought I'd say}! Xander did a great job leading the flag ceremony.

Sister Avery called a few months ago and challenged him to get his Webelos badge for Blue & Gold. It was just the nudge he needed to get things done.

Alexander received his Webelos Badge, plus 12 Activity pins! Talk about motivation.

The food was awesome, the skits were cute, and there was an abundance of award giving:)
Even the Bishopric did a skit-- Priesthood On Patrol!

Sorry

My husband has convinced me {again} to keep up with our blog. Please excuse the poor thing in its naked state. It needs a new look. This pepto pink is not workin' for me.

New Favorite Chocolate Cake

I signed up for Bountiful Baskets for the first time last Saturday, and was AMAZED at all the wonderful local produce I received for $15!
I had to give some away, we had THAT much.
It was good to stretch my cooking repertoire & find new recipes for zucchini, asparagus, cucumbers, etc. The next time you find yourself with a few zucchini, try this recipe out. It is seriously moist & delish!
Alexander helped in the kitchen today, and couldn't believe that "vegetable cake" could taste so good. {recipe from allrecipes.com}

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk {I used sour cream}
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
4 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
{Alexander peeled the zucchini before he grated it, so you couldn't even tell it was there}
About 1 cup chocolate chips {I used semi-sweet}

• Cream together butter, oil and sugar.
• Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Blend well.
• In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture.
• Add grated zucchini, and mix well.
• Spread in greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• Bake in a preheated oven {325 degrees} for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Lake Roos

Once or twice a year, the wash behind our house will fill up with water.
All the WONDERFUL rain this week made us some pretty sweet lakefront property!One night after the kids were in bed, Darren opened our windows, pulled up two cozy chairs & blankets, and we just sat & listened to the rushing water.
Not the ocean, but I'll take it.
The moon looked so beautiful reflected on the water.