More snacks and a confession

First the confession. I have been threatened on multiple occasions by a certain person who shall remain nameless. OK, I will give you a clue. Her names starts with an L, ends with an E, and has YNN in the middle. What is the threat? She is going to "out me" about my recipes and recommendations to try them. So my confession is, I haven't personally tasted most of the recipes I share with you. I have kind of changed the way I eat and most of these snacks and goodies don't fit into that. So, I can't really vouch for how good they are. So, I have to go on the word of my kids.
Anyway, here are a few more snacks that we have enjoyed making together over the past couple of weeks.

Sweet and Crunchy Snack Mix
2 1/2 c. Rice Chex
2 1/2 c. Honey Nut Cheerios
1 box (10 oz) honey Teddy Grahams
2 c. mini pretzels
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
4 1/2 tsps. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together; pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat. Spread into two ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 275 for 10 minutes. Stir and bake 10 min. longer.
This is a fun snack for the kids to help make. My kids, Bryan, and several visitors really enjoyed this snack.

Extreme Rice Krispy TreatsI found the recipe for these on one of my favorite food blogs. Here is the actual link to the recipe. My pictures don't look as great as hers, but my family didn't complain. They were a total hit. I have found lots of other great recipes on her blog. I am sure you will too.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

My kids said these tasted like the Little Debbie Nutty Buddy snacks. They were gone within 2 days.

1 1/2 c. rice krispies

1 c. peanut butter

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream

1 1/2c. semi sweet chocolate chips

4 tsp. crisco

Combine rice krispies, peanut butter, and marshmallow cream into a bowl. Stir until completely mixed. Form into 1-inch balls. (I used and ice cream scoop.) Melt criscp and chocolate chips for 60-90 seconds in microwave and stir until chips are smooth. Dip balls in chocolate and place onto wax paper. Cool them in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.

According to Bryan and the girls, these are very good.

Birds NestsMy kids were not a fan of these, but the adults that tried them said they weren't too bad. And, I thought they were too cute, not to share.

3 c. mini marshmallows

3 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. peanut butter

1 can (5 oz.) chow mein noodles

peanut M&Ms

Combine first three indgredients in a saucepan over low heat until melted and stirring until blended. Remove from heat and stir in chow mein noodles. Place on wax paper in mounds. Press down in the middle and put M&Ms in the middle to resemble a bird's nest and eggs. You can also use jelly beans. Again, my kids didn't like these but the adults did. So try them at your own risk.

So, now everyone knows my dirty little secret. I have no idea if any of these recipes are good, so don't blame me if they aren't good. Sorry.

The birthday week has started

Hayden will be turning 5 on Thursday. In keeping with tradition she was given the option of a birthday party or a "mall day." This is the first year that she has decided against a birthday party. That didn't hurt my feelings at all, since I am trying to get ready for our trip. Out of necessity, caused by high gas prices, we started the mall day early at Build-a-bear, on Monday, since we were already in Spanish Fort visiting the in-laws. And so the weeklong celebration has begun. We went to Krispy Kreme this morning with the Kirbytons for birthday doughnuts (which were free, thanks to straight A's on Taylor and Payton's report cards.) Tomorrow, Hayden will be treated to lunch out with Mimi and Grandma Jeannie. They are taking Hayden to fill up on her favorite food--crab claws. On Thursday, Hayden will start the day with a breakfast date with daddy ( a family tradition) then complete the mall day experience. She was also lucky enough to have a mini-birthday party on Monday thanks to Aiti and Aunt Jill. She sure is spoiled.

Here are the pictures from Build-a-bear. She immediately decided on the wolf/Alaskan Huskey. She can't decide what exactly it is. Hayden knew right away that she wanted it because "it looks just like Boris." Boris is my brother, Dave's, dog that Hayden loves very much and talks about often. The girls refer to him as their dog cousin and are super excited to see him on our visit to Utah. Anyway, I had Hayden look at and feel every other animal, but she was sure that she wanted this one.

She wanted it stuffed full so that it would stand up. I have no idea what her wish was when she put the little heart in, but she was thinking very hard.
We went through the routine of brushing and picking out an outifit.

She knew right away that it was a girl so she picked out a very frilly dress for her and some hairbows, too. So meet the newest member of our family, Angelina.

Here are the pictures of her mini-birthday party.

She thanked everyone for the presents, without being prompted and was very generous with the hugs. I don't think she was expecting the party, so she was very excited.

It was nice to have most of the family there, including Granny and Paw-Paw. The only people missing from Bryan's side, were the Nowells. Hopefully we will be seeing them this summer when the come visit.

Thanks to Jill and Aiti, there was plenty of cake and ice cream and Addilyn was not going to miss out on that.

The best $1.99 I've ever spent

It is day three of my new job and I am not doing too bad of a job. We headed out for our daily trip to Target. The girls had scrounged up $2.00 between the three of them and wanted to buy a toy that they could share. We found rocket balloons in the little dollar bins in the toy section. For $1.99 you get a package of 20 balloons and a pump. We have been having the best time with them. I highly recommend them.

I have a new job

It is not a job that I actually applied for. It is one I was selected for by a panel of three important people. It is only a seasonal position. It will last from noon on Thursday May 22nd to 8:15 am August 8th. I was appointed as the new event coordinator for the Emmertson household. Apparently, the games, books, toys, backyard, TV, etc. that my children have, are not enough to keep them busy. They think in my position I am supposed to keep them entertained at all waking hours of the day. I am pretty sure they expect new and exciting activities planned for them at each half hour interval. School had only been out 2 days when I had heard "I'm bored" enough times to make me crazy. So I started my new job off with a bang. We had a rip-roarin' good time play Twister Moves.


Twister Moves is a little to difficult for Hayden so she did her best to annoy her sister by jumping on the mats. When that didn't work, she resorted to backbends to get attention.

We have many more hours and days of fun ahead of us this summer. And, yes, some of that time will be filled with TV watching. If the past couple of days is any indication, we will be watching The Sound of Music ALOT. I think we might need to get some more furniture. I don't know if the one beanbag chair will last with this kind of use.

I know its been a while...

I have so many things to blog about, but I figured I could take a minute and participate in this tag. Andrea tagged me, so here are my answers. By the way, if you haven't been tagged yet, look for your name under T.

A. Attached or Single- You mean like popsicles? I like them when the two stick ones are attached to each other. Kidding, I am super-attached (on paydays) to Bryan!
B. Best Friend(s)- My sisters
C. Cake or Pie- Yellow cake with chocolate frosting
D. Day of Choice- payday
E. Essential Item- dental floss
F. Flavor of Ice Cream- Cookies and cream
G. Gummy Bears or Worms- chocolate covered cinnamon bears --these go best with a game of Phase 10
H. Hometown- "My home's in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head. My home's in Alabama. Southern born and southern bread."
I. Indulgence - Sunday afternoon nap
J. January or July- January-- July (usually involves seeing the Benhams)
K. Kids- 3 dramatic, wonderful girls
L. Last movie I saw in a theater- Baby Mama. (That is pants-wettin' funny)
M. Musician: If you base it on what is in the car right now, it would be Hannah Montana or the kids from High School Musical. But I am really digging Ingrid Michelson and Jason Mraz right now. And I just rediscovered Dave Matthews.
N. Number of siblings- 5
O. Orange or Apples- Granny Smith apples
P. Phobias or Fears- bees, lightening, something happening to my children
Q. Quote- Hey, Lynne! You fat lard, come get your dinner. (That just popped in my head. I don't really have a quote that "speaks" to me.)
R. Reasons to smile- Leaving on Saturday for the great road trip to UTAH!!! Get to see Dianne on the way.
S. Season- the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas
T. Tag - Wendi, Melissa, Mom, Liberty, Dianne
U. Unknown fact about me- I am (hopefully) running my first 10K in July.
V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals- Oppressor!! Give me an O. Give me a P. etc. So, I eat meat. You got a problem with that? Cuz if you are a vegetarian, I'm pretty sure I could take you.
W. Worst Habit- Threatening violence? Really, my inability to take anything seriously. To me it is always open season for making jokes.
X. X-rays or Ultrasounds- That is a wierd question. I guess whichever keeps you waiting less time and has a smaller deductible.
Y. Your favorite Food- I would give my right arm for some pizza right now!
Z. Zodiac sign - Leo. Never paid much attention to that. However, I do know that "today work or school is likely to be slightly more taxing than you would normally prefer. Don’t worry too much though, because some positive changes are on the way; in the meantime plan for an evening out with friends. De-stress, chill, put the day behind you and enjoy yourself!"

That's all that's left?

I made another new recipe for Family Home Evening treat on Monday. I know the pictures don't look appetizing, but it must have been good because it went fast. Between Bryan, my mom, and the kids having some (and seconds) and my mom taking some to Grandma Jeannie's house there was just enough left for the girls to take for snack the next day. The recipe is supposed to be for snack bars but they seemed more cake like. Here it is:

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. butter or margerine, melted
1/2 c. each milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and vanilla or white chips
3 snickers candy bars cut into 1/4 inch pieces

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Combine the eggs and butter. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chips. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with candy bar pieces. Cool on a wire rack.

Another must try recipe. If you do, let me know how you like it.

I did it.

I have said before that I like to try new recipes. Well, I had never made jam before Monday, but I decided to take the plunge. This may not seem like a big deal to very many people, but it is to me. I usually stick to baked goods, casseroles, comfort food, etc. I have been having the urge to try canning somethings, so I figured strawberry jam would be safe. I had to kill some time while my oil was getting changed at Wal-mart the other day, so I picked up the supplies. I just used the recipe out of the sur-jell box, as Lynne and Ricky suggested. I was pretty impressed with the results and the kids were too. Hayden asked if she could just eat it with a spoon. After tasting it, Bryan said he was willing to just eat PB&J for dinner if I didn't want to cook. So, I am guessing it turned out OK.
I think I will have to do this again. Maybe blackberry next time. And when peaches are in season, I think I will be canning sliced peaches and making peach jam. I might be getting a little ahead of myself though. We'll see.

Another snack

The strawberries got eaten up pretty quick. So I had to make something else to fill my platter. I had been wanting to try this recipe for Rocky Road fudge and it was a big hit with my girls, the neighbor kids, and Bryan. It is super easy. Let me know if you try it.

Rocky Road Fudge
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter or margerine
3 cups salted cry roasted peanuts
1 pkg (10 1/2 oz.) miniature marshmallows

Combine chocolate chips, milk and butter in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in peanuts and marshmallows. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Try it. You won't be disappointed.

I love Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was awesome this year. Besides having the greatest kids in the whole world, I have the greatest husband in the whole world, that always makes sure Mother's Day is extra special for me. He took the kids out Friday night to shop for presents. I gave him a list to help him out. When they gave me my presents on Sunday morning, I had everything from the list: an apron, a can opener, measuring spoons, a Taste of Home magezine, and the new Creating Keepsakes. I was also presented with beautiful cards that the girls had made at school. I was also pleasantly surprised to get something that wasn't on my list. An mp3 player. I have been wanting one. But, that is one of those things that I think would be cool to have but would never buy for myself. The best part about it is that it connects to my new treadmill. I also got a Mother's Day surprise in the mail. It's a book called "Mothering with Spiritual Power." I totally love it and would highly recommend it.

I am the luckiest mom in the world! My kids were so obedient and kind on Sunday, at my request. They are generally pretty good kids, but they stepped it up a notch on Mother's Day. And of course, Bryan is really great too. He made the kids breakfast, ironed all the clothes, and got them dressed. We were actually EARLY to church for the first time since I can remember. After church, he made lunch for the girls and me, then insisted that I enjoy the rest of the afternoon by myself. So I went into our room with my new magazine and chilled. I got a little lonely though, so I went into the living room to be with the family. The girls went off to build a fort, so I took a little nap. I spent the rest of the afternoon with the girls, rearranging my scrapbook space to make room for the treadmill (which I l-o-v-e.) It was a great day, and I feel so blessed to be a mom. It is the best job in the whole world.

It is a monumental day!!

A couple of weeks ago, Taylor donated her hair to Locks of Love. I had to take her the next day to get the cut cleaned up a little. The other girls had been talking about wanting haircuts, too. So we took the plunge. Here they are before:
Here they are after:

What is so monumental about this, you ask? The second two pictures were actually taken the following Monday morning before school. For the first time in her whole life, Taylor was able to fix her own hair! Yeah! Then, she fixed Payton's and Hayden's hair. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is HUGE for us. I feel so liberated. The hair fixing used to take a big chunk of my time in the morning. I know at 8 years old, Taylor may be joining the "doing your own hair" club a little late. But, the longer her hair got, the harder it was to maintain. Even pulling it back in a ponytail was a job because of all the tangles. I refer to Payton's hair as a little "fluffy." She has some natural curl, so it is usually doing its own thing. So alot of brushing, whining, and hairspray was usually involved. One of my pet peeves when dropping the girls off at school, is seeing kids that looked like they just rolled out of bed. Can you not brush your child's hair in the morning? Especially boys. How hard can it be to comb a boy's hair? (I'm sorry if that is one of your children. If it is, you can borrow my brush. I keep two in the car.) So, I have always been a little neurotic about making sure their hair is fixed when they go to school. That is not as much of a hassle anymore, because Taylor is now our little beautician. So, besides their haircuts being totally adorable. We have the bonus of Taylor being able to fix her own hair.

C/T/S (That meant change the subject when I was passing notes in middle school so I think it works here.)
I have always told Bryan I should go to Dental Hygiene school so I could clean our kids teeth. Those cleanings don't come cheap. Now, I have decided that after that, I will go to Cosmotology school to learn to cut hair. Apparently, three haircuts for kids is a whole lot more expensive than I remember. Anyone want to join me?

Flat Taylor

Taylor has had a school project in the works for about a month. It is based on the book "Flat Stanley." We have enjoyed this series of books around our house for a couple of years now. Taylor was able to read it again this year with her class and then they were given the assignment to make a "flat" of themselves. Then they had to send their flat on a couple of adventures. So we sent Flat Taylor to Utah with the Benhams. They took her to St. George and Zion National Park for Sprink Break. We also sent her to the Vasses and they took her to Disneyworld. Flat Taylor was also sent to the Nowells in Hawaii, where she saw just about everything there is to see there. Flat Taylor made it home on an airplane with Mimi via Chicago and Atlanta. Thanks to everyone that helped. Taylor's project turned out great and she was so excited to get the packages and emails of pictures, brochures, postcards, etc. Part of this project for the class was to learn about different parts of the US. They were trying to see if they could have visits in all 50 states. Taylor was excited to share with her class that her flat had been to 6 states. She had to write about one of the adventures that her flat went on. It was only required to be 2 paragraphs (seven sentences each, with at least five words in each sentence) This counted as one of her writing grades. So, it had to have proper spacing, punctuation, indention, spelling, etc. She worked VERY hard on this part. I think it was the longest writing assignment she has ever had. She ended up with two full pages, single spaced. As you can tell from the picture, she is very proud of how her project turned out. It had to be the work of the student and not the parent. She picked out everything that went into it. All the stickers, the project board, the map, everything. I did help her with placement a little bit, but this was her project all the way. I am so proud of how hard she worked.

Anything you can do...

...I can do better, Lynne. So you think you are so awesome for making chocolate covered strawberries. Well, I'll see your strawberries and raise you some chocolate-covered pretzels. (Is that the correct poker lingo?)

Actually, thanks for the idea. Friday afternoon was strawberry dipping time at our house. We had chocolate left over, so we grabbed a bag of pretzels and dipped those, too. Taylor and Hayden had more fun eating the chocolate than actually dipping, I think. Payton wasn't there because she was out getting ice cream after school with her teacher and a couple of her classmates. We were sure to save her some though.

A side note about the platter that the strawberries are on: My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. I totally love it. I love keeping it stocked with goodies for my family.

Thanks Brant!

Payton was tagged by Brant, so here are her honest, unedited answers.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Thank you for making your bed without me asking.
2. What makes mom happy? Cleaning up our rooms
3. What makes mom sad? Us not following directions
4. How does mom make you laugh? Telling funny jokes
5. What was mom like as a child? a girl
6. How old is your mom? 30
7. How tall is your mom? More than 1 foot tall
8. What is her favorite thing to do? scrapbook
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? go visiting teaching
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? blowing bubblegum bubbles
11. What is your mom really good at? making us laugh
12. What is your mom not very good at? playing "In a Pickle"
13. What does your mom do for her job? throw papers
14. What is your mom's favorite food? healthy stuff
15. What makes you proud of your mom? You're my mom
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Cindy Vortex's mom
17. What do you and your mom do together? play games
18. How are you and your mom the same? we both are tender-hearted
19. How are you and your mom different? our age
20. How do you know your mom loves you? you tell it to us and you act like it

I think everyone we know with a blog has been tagged, so we can't think of anyone else to tag.
Wait, Trent and Lance Benham. Your turn

****I just wanted to add that Payton informed me that Cindy Vortex is mean so I would not be her. But I could be her mom. After hearing this conversation between Payton and I, Hayden apologized for saying I could be Cindy Vortex and that I actually would be Minnie Mouse.

Another Mother's Day tag

Taylor tagged Hayden so here are her answers.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Treat others how you want to be treated
2. What makes mom happy? Kisses
3. What makes mom sad? When I don't do what she says.
4. How does mom make you laugh? Say funny jokes
5. What was mom like as a child? Funny
6. How old is your mom? 30
7. How tall is your mom? 30 lbs.
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Snuggle
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Relax
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Being cool
11. What is your mom really good at? Connect 4
12. What is your mom not very good at? Checkers
13. What does your mom do for her job? Spank butts
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Crystal Light and salad
15. What makes you proud of your mom? For eating healthy
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Cindy Vortex
17. What do you and your mom do together? play starfall.com
18. How are you and your mom the same? We have the same color eyes
19. How are you and your mom different? We don't have the same height hair
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because she gives me a Valentine.

A Mother's Day tag

Taylor was tagged by Riley on Lynne's blog. Here are Taylor's answers to the questions. She has also tagged some of her friends who haven't been tagged yet. So play along. Cut and paste these questions to your/your mom's blog and fill in your answers. Include a picture of you and your mom if you have one. Then tag a few more people.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Smiles are contagious

2. What makes mom happy? When I treat my sisters kindly

3. What makes mom sad? When I don't obey

4. How does mom make you laugh? Acts silly when I am trying to be mad

5. What was mom like as a child? A girl

6. How old is your mom? 30

7. How tall is your mom? 3 ft. 8 in,

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Spend time with her children

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Go to the grocery store

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Being a movie star

11. What is your mom really good at? Acting like a clown

12. What is your mom not very good at? Keeping Hayden from sucking her thumb

13. What does your mom do for her job? Act like a mom

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Meat

15. What makes you proud of your mom? That she is going on a permanent diet

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? The mom on The Flintstones

17. What do you and your mom do together? scrapbook

18. How are you and your mom the same? We have the same eye color

19. How are you and your mom different? She has a lot of freckles and I only have a few.

20. How do you know your mom loves you? She gives me hugs and kisses and asks how my day was.

I am tagging Cecily Odom, Emily Kimball, Hayden Emmertson, Josiah Applegate, Dylan Parkes, and Dylan Newburn.

My sweet little girl

Taylor, for the second time, has decided to donate her hair to Locks of Love. She and Payton donated when Taylor was in Kindergarten and she decided to grow her hair out again so she could, once again donate. Well, a couple of months ago the Student Council announced that they would be doing a huge Locks of Love donation project. So Taylor decided this is when she wanted to do it.

They held the event on Friday, at school, before Family Movie Night. They had two stylists there to cut everyones hair. Taylor was so excited leading up to it, because she was ready for a hair cut. They decided to take a picture of everyone involved before the haircuts. Taylor is in the middle in the peach shirt. There were students, teachers, siblings, and friends involved. There were even several people that didn't wait to get their haircut but brought their ponytails in to donate.



When Taylor was sitting in the chair, she was a little nervous. Especially when they started cutting. It has been a really long time since she had short hair. So, I think it kind of shocked her when it was gone. But once she saw how cute her new haircut was, she was all smiles. And she especially loved all the compliments she kept getting. I am so proud of her. And she is already talking about growing her hair out so she can donate it again.

Oh the horror...

I am a little of a planner when it comes to menus and grocery shopping. I have always tried to plan my menu and shop for a couple of weeks at a time. But lately, to minimize trips to the grocery store, I have been planning our meals and doing the shopping for an entire month. It is a whole process for me. One day I sit down with my previous menus, new recipes, cookbooks, list of dishes I know, etc. and plan the menu. It looks something like this.

It is a process that takes a little time. But I enjoy it and it always seems to pay off on the evenings when I am too tired or too busy to think about what is for dinner. It is already decided and as you will see (if you continue reading) half way prepared. In case you are wondering, the highlighted items show what meals I am cooking in the crockpot. And this month is a little different because I will be gone the whole month of June (Woo-hoo!) so I am doubling a bunch of meals to put in the freezer so Bryan will have food while I am gone. (The little blue dots are actually D's to show me what I am doubling.) I know he can take care of himself, but it makes me feel like I am not totally abandoning him, if I have food for him. My next step is to make "the List." I used to have a pre-made list on the computer that I would print off and put little tick marks next to each thing to show how many I needed. I don't know what happen to that file, so now I just write it out. Again, it takes a little while, but it is worth it. It keeps me from buying things that I don't need because they aren't on the list. This may seem a little boring but all of this information is very important to my story. My next step is to hit the stores and shop the sales. First it was Brunos for ground beef, pork chops, roast, and cereal. Then home to unload and pick ur the freezer bag. Next on to Winn-Dixie for Chicken and cheese. All of that goes into the freezer bag as I head out to Wal-mart for the rest. I don't have anything else planned so that I can take the time I need to get everything on my list. I go to the health and beauty products first, then to kitchen storage stuff for a few more containers, then to automotive for motor oil, then on to groceries. And that is when it happened. . . I couldn't find my list. Of course, I am in a total panic. This isn't a list I jotted down on the back of an envelope. This is a whole sheet of notebook paper, front and back, that took me over an hour to make. So Hayden suggests we go look for it. It is a good thing I had a clear headed four year old with me because I was on the verge of sitting down in the middle of the aisle and crying. We both were pretty sure I had it when I came in the store so we start to retrace our steps. Back to automotive. I must have had a frantic look in my eye, because the guy working back there asked if I was okay. Did I need help finding something? Did I lose something? I am like yes, yes as we continue to walk up and down the aisles. "I lost my grocery list and I HAVE to find it." He stops dead in his tracks, turns around and looks at me like I have lost my mind. I'm like "I know it sounds retarded that I am even looking for it, but that list is my brain." Then he asked me what it looks like. I am totally describing it to him like it is going to help. "It is a piece of notebook paper and has groceries listed all over it." Well, we didn't find it, so we went back to the kitchen storage area. I must still have the frantic look, because someone else quickly asks if I need help. (Just as a side note, as anyone that has shopped at Schillinger Wal-mart knows, they aren't usually offering help around there.) I asked him what employees had been on that aisle on the last 20-30 minutes because I was wondering if they might have seen my grocery list. He kind of does this double-take thing as if to say "A grocery list?" By this time, Hayden and I are on our hands and knees looking under shelves so I think he took me seriously. Well long story made not quite as long - we didn't find the list. I even checked a few trash cans. So, I had to shop without it. Well, three hours after setting foot in the store, I left pulling two full carts of groceries and a holding a receipt as tall as Hayden. And guess what I found when we got to the car:
Of course I checked it to see what I had forgotten. Luckily it was only about 5 or 6 things. At the suggestion of Lynne, I will be making a duplicate copy next time. I think I might safety pin it to Hayden because (knock on wood) I have never forgotten her in the car or lost her at Walmart.

Well, the next day was cooking day. After cooking and dividing up all my meat and chicken, my freezer looks like this.

All my effort has paid off. Despite the work involved it is all worth it. And I even ended the night with a clean kitchen. I know it all seems a little neurotic, but it really keeps me sane.
And because I am a nice mommy, there was pie before bed.

My little helper

Hayden has been my little helper ever since she could walk. She loves to help unload the dishwasher, help put clothes in the dryer, sort socks, set the table, help cook, etc. But her most favorite job of all is bringing the garbage can in from the street. I have never quite understood why she likes it so much, because the can is bigger than she is and we have a steep driveway so it is no easy task. The garbage usually runs pretty early in the morning, so right after dropping the girls off at school on Thursdays, she runs down to see if the can is empty. And if it is, she starts the long journey up the driveway. I always offer to help, but she never wants it.
This is the funniest thing to watch when she is hauling it uphill. From this angle you can't see her, so it looks like it is going up the driveway by itself.
Since this whole garbage can experience occurs on a weekly basis, I decided to take pictures of it. So, Hayden also wanted a posed picture with the garbage can. I know, totally gross. But this is her holding an imaginary bouquet of flowers and pretending to marry the garbage can.
Hayden is doubly excited now about garbage, because last week our recycle can was delivered. So now she gets to haul two different cans up the driveway. I tell you she is one lucky girl.