Pumpkin Bars w/ Cream Cheese Frosting~

September 28, 2012
Try, them you'll like them...so will your neighbors, it makes a huge batch! (A large cookie sheet)  My sister Tracey's recipe to share with all, I'd been looking forward to Fall so I'd be able to justify making these scrumptious moist yummies.  You can also make the recipe as a cake as well in a bundt pan.

PUMPKIN TREATS

2 Cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 &1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients above in a bowl and set aside

4 eggs (room temperature)
2 Cups of sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1- 15 oz. can pumpkin or (1 & 1/2 generous cup)

Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy; gradually add oil and beat on high until really light and fluffy.  Stir in pumpkin on low speed and mix in other ingredients (in bowl set aside) just until blended.  Pour into lightly sprayed large cookie sheet for bar cookies or bundt pan for cake.  Bake bar cookies at 350 for 20-25 min or cake at 350 for 45-50 min until done.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 oz. Cream Cheese (soften)
1/3 Cup butter (soften)
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla

This batch of frosting makes a lot!  1/2 batch is enough for the cake.  Enjoy!

Isn't Ellie's Halloween Witch the cutest?  An Activity Day Girls Special.
I framed these fun Halloween subway arts that I had printed up (found them on the web as freebies during the summer) then getting crafty at Super Saturday with the "Boo" wooden letters.  Yep, Halloween is amongst us...

The Parking Garage

Friday Sept 28, 2012
When I was away from home the other night Josh called me on my phone asking if he could use my "sticky glue thing."  After I figured out he was describing the hot glue gun, I asked him to please wait until I got home then I'd show him where it was so he could use it.  He's used it before but a bit of mommy supervision is always a smart idea in case of any hot glue burns. About an hour later when I arrived home he was waiting for me at the door with two flat boxes (used for bottled water) in his hands.  I got him the glue gun and he went to town on his vision.  He was excited to build a PARKING GARAGE.  We had just been to the doctor's which is adjoining the hospital the day before that has the big stacked parking garage tower, I'm assuming that's where his inspiration came from, such a creative kid he is!  Always building and creating something...
You've got to appreciate the use of the plastic cutlery and straws as ramps and parking stalls.  He went through quite a few glue sticks but he was very pleased with his end result.  As Matt was straightening up the downstairs last night, he grabbed the parking garage with one hand and was handing it over to Josh to take up stairs to his bedroom and Josh quickly instructed dad to "hey hold it with two hands!"  Yes, all that hard work, we wouldn't want to break it dad!

To our trials, adversity and to what life hands us...

Thursday September 27, 2012
 Life in general is full of trials and adversity, that's how we are stretched right?  Without barriers put in front of us or stumbling blocks to conquer over how would we ever grow...I've found that life goes in spurts of everything "fine and dandy somewhat calmness" (well as calm as life can be with a house full of kids) then the storms usually hit to mix things all up again.  The sailing through the waves become much more challenging.  My blogging is a simple glimpse into our lives, the times I want our family to look back on to hold onto the memories of life as we knew it through our journey. Our posts are our reality but very surfaced in publishing.  I don't tend to blog too deep or in depth of the negative aspects of life or the tough or trying times, focusing on the positive happy times are far more fun to blog about. So in other words, I don't want anyone getting any crazy ideas that we have this picture perfect smooth sailing family, home, school, health, work and everyday life. 
 Through our marriage, we have certainly learned that Satan really knows how to dish it out! Sometimes more than not and during these trying times the simple truth of the matter is that life generally get more challenging before it gets any easier.  We all know when it rains it pour. The test is how we will deal with it all and the important questions are: where will our faith be, where will our hearts be, will our foundations stand firm? In our family scripture reading we are reading from Helaman, such a great prophet of wisdom! In our readings a few nights ago, we read the council we gave his sons:
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil will send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwinds, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock which upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men are built they cannot fall."  
Another seminary scripture mastery if I'm recalling correctly :) 
So we can't predict what our future holds or what life will be ready to hand us next but what a great promise we have, OUR ROCK OUR SAVIOR and sure FOUNDATION!  One of our primary songs this year is the "Wise Man and The Foolish Man" that has always been a kid favorite, with the hand movements "the rains came down and the floods came up."  As a child, I only remember picturing the literal meaning of building a home on the sand next to a beach and then a home built upon a big rock on a hill. Nobody wants to be like the foolish man who build his house upon the sand and has his house come tumbling down when the rains and floods come in.  That's exactly what Satan wants though...he will deceive you into building your home upon the sand but will be no where in sight when the rains and floods come crashing in and your castle comes crumbling down.  Quite the opposite for our Savior as the hymn "How Firm a foundation" so eloquently states:
2. In ev'ry condition - in sickness in health,
In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

3. “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed!
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

4. “When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

5. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design,
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Mr Daredevil

September 21, 2012
After Jarom's track meet yesterday I actually looked forward to a nice relaxing evening with no obligations or places where any of our family members had to be at (our Thursday late evenings are our only evenings right now that are free of commitments and activities.)  Dinner was simmering in the crock pot all day, it was just a matter of Matt getting home so we could all sit down to a nice dinner together.  Surprise, surprise...it didn't exactly end up the way I was anticipating.  Our little Daredevil got a little carried away going off a jump/ramp on his bike and we ended up in the ER instead.  After his crash, so typical of Josh- he jumps up and says, "I'm okay."  Well not exactly Josh...
Josh waiting in the waiting room to be called to a room, (with a bit of numbing medicine doing it's job on his chin.)  Ellie, Josh and I drove to Auburn Reg Med Ctr around 6:00pm and Matt showed up to join us around 7:00pm when he was able to make his way over after work.
 Then it was time to access the damage.
 This is one tough kid, didn't make a peep or move an inch during his operation, he was so brave and held so still for the doctors!  A Popsicle for his reward.
And there we have it, FIVE stitches for our FIVE year old, just in time for family pictures this weekend- so typical right?  Well it could have been a lot worse, at least we're all back together for now.
This one has given us more battle wounds, bumps and bruises than all of them combine, not too much stops him- he really needs to take it easy though...

THE FAIR 2012

September 15, 2012



We had a fun entire day at the fair last Saturday.  We left the house around 9:30 am and packed up to head back around home in the evening around 8:00pm, that was a lot of walking!  We were all SO TIRED with sore feet but we had a lot of fun enjoying the fair to the fullest! Bre danced at the fair this year which was a new experience so she had to be there early, we typically don't go on Saturdays due to the crowds or head out to the fair until afternoon time because we like to be there in the evening with all of the lights to get the full effect and experience. It was all good though, after Bre's dance performances we hit every bit and enjoyed the fair to the fullest.  We enjoyed the fair food, rides, exhibits, games, fall harvest, animals, activities and then some. The weather has been so beautiful, we've been blessed with an extended summer which has made the fair so far a dry year as far as the rain goes which has made a lot of people happy I'm sure.  The sun, dry weather and lack of rain hasn't been so good for all of the wild fires we've been hearing about around the states, they've been really bad this year.  Actually just last night there was a fire in the brush and dry grass off the side going up 410 in Bonney Lake.  I was glad to be going down 410 after Jarom's track meet and not up the hill since the traffic was so backed up because of it.  Anyways, I think we realized that we hadn't been to the fair since Brooke was a tiny baby so it'd been two years since we had done the Puyallup with the kids, possibly due to the rain that we didn't want to venture the past years.  I suppose there is adversity and pros and cons in any form of weather.  Speaking of adversity, I just ran across a good quote in my planner the other day.  I remember writing it down, not sure when though- if it was at church or conference or from reading.  It was sure to come from one of our prophets- okay here it is I found it again...it says "Adversity is nothing more than brilliant opportunity in disguise."  Isn't that TRUE?  A good one to remember as we go thru life that is full of it's ups and downs...