two princes.

Two perfect-as-they-are crowns made in preschool.

Worn all day, until bedtime (or Josh's accidental rippage.)

Must buy tape tomorrow.

A day of imaginary fun.
No batteries required.

king cake.

It's that time of year again.

The King Cakes are out for Marti Gras.

It must be because we are so close to New Orleans because I never saw these in Arizona.

I'd never had one before, so while Ben and I were at the grocery store today we loaded one up in the cart for kicks.

Sometimes, things like that just make life a bit more interesting.

Of course, we couldn't let it sit there on the counter and wait for the real Fat Tuesday to roll around.

It was good. And all the while the table was buzzing about who would find the gold baby tucked gently between the ooey-gooey layers of baked perfection.

SURPRISE!He was so excited, but then he asked

"What do I do with this gold baby?"

Lucky duck.

always room for stella.

I'm not quite sure, but I think that I may have been beneficial in bringing Stella Doro toasts to the fine people of Dallas.

After our trip home from the east coast this summer, we scoured the city for Stella Doro (Anisette) toasts to no avail. High and low, near and far. Speciality shop or not, we were there. I even begged my Father in Law in New York to send some out to us.

Finally, I settled on filling out a request form at one of our local grocery shops. Along with my own personal plea scribbled on the back. I begged them to call me the minute they came in (if they did in fact choose to carry this brand.)

.

Fast Forward 7 months.

.

Today, I decided to take a quick trip over to the Grocery Store to grab a few goods. Lo and behold, I turned the corner of the speciality cookie isle and was caught by the tell-tale Italian flag just waiving in my direction. I'm sure every other customer in that isle thought that I had gone nuts because I screamed (a small, squeaky one) and started talking to myself (in the third person, as I often do) about how wonderful it was that they were now carrying this fun loving brand, and shame on them for not calling me to spill the good news-- AND that they chose to carry the Almond toasts instead of the Anisette, but I took it back because I'll take what I can get. Thank you.

.

As I paraded down to the checkout, I couldn't help but smile. Now the good people of Dallas will be able to find out what they have been missing.

All the boys indulged in my spoils, I think I ended up with 2 toasts which equals another trip out to the grocery store tomorrow. How could I be so naive in thinking that one package would be enough for these well fed Italian men?
But, that's okay. I forgot to say thank you anyway.

we will miss you.

Put Your Trust In God

By: President Gordon B Hinckley

It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is.

It all works out. Don't worry.

I say that to myself every morning.

It will all work out.

Put your trust in God,

and move forward with faith

and confidence in the future.

The Lord will not forsake us.

He will not forsake us.

If we will put our trust in Him,

if we pray to Him,

if we live worthy of his blessings,

He will hear our prayers.

I found this poem in the Feb 2006 Ensign and was so touched I immediately ripped it out and hung it up in a spot where I see it every day.

We will miss you President Hinckley.

if hindsight were 20/20

Things I would have told myself, if I could have.

You will meet your soul mate.
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Never, ever get a perm. I really can’t stress this enough.
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You are much stronger than you think you are.
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Don't be mad at your parents for not letting you wear a mini skirt.
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Do not under any circumstances date anyone named “Matt”. You’ll have to trust me on that one.

Cherish your hometown. You won’t live there as an adult and you
will miss it often.

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You really can find your way around a big city!
.

You will live in Texas someday, and love every minute of it.
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You will be a mother of boys someday.
.

You will never be a size 4 no matter how much you exercise or starve yourself, and that's okay.
.

It’s okay to be different. Embrace it.
.

Stay far away from Las Vegas on New Years Eve.
.

Skip buying the “Banana Boat” tan in a can. This will save you weeks of embarrassment.

Learn how to do laundry. You’ll really need to know how.
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It's okay to ignore "free advice."
.

Don't worry, your future is blissfully happy and bright.

the night jeff never went to sleep.

So here we are, Jeff's last week of flight training on the Bombardier Challenger 300. It's been a long and wild ride, never once stopping for a true blue day off in the last 3 and a half weeks... and tonight, it gets more intense.

Jeff starts the flight simulator at 10:00 pm tonight, he continues through the night and will end day one (of 7) of flight simulator training at approximately 4 am tomorrow morning (Returning back home at about 5 am). It's stressful, it's gruesome, and it's intense. I sent him off with a kiss and change for exactly 4 carbonated, caffeine packed beverages to keep him going.

Here's to hoping that this next week flies.

sock pals.

Today, I found inspiration here. I received this book for Christmas from a friend and fell in love the instant I ripped the Christmas wrap from it's cover!

I have oodles of too-small toddler socks still taking up space in the kids underwear drawers. Today, I found a use for at least one of them.

This is for Ben. He has been pretending he is a baby kitty since he could talk. Some days, he goes most of the day meowing. I thought that this would tickle his fancy.

Do you think he likes it?

Mission accomplished!
Josh gets a bunny rabbit tomorrow.

breakfast for dinner.

It's cold. (and I'm PMS-ing.)

I am in hibernation mode.

What's better than breakfast for dinner.

Tonight, I whipped up some of:

I'm trying to introduce flax seed into our diet.

I've had great success.

Ben was eating it plain this afternoon.

But, he really made his (flax seed) oatmeal, honey, and berry sundae disappear.

That's a good Benny.

side tracked.

Jeff is staying in a hotel just off the airport for a couple of days to ease the training commute, but in the hustle bustle of the morning-- he forgot a few things. Today, we took a trip out to meet him between classes at the Bass Pro Shop parking lot (just outside the airport) to give him the goods. But, not without a detour first.

I wish we could come here daily.

And, while we're in the neighborhood, I decided to stop by Penzey's Spice shop. I've read the catalogue, visited the website, and now I had to check out the store! To visit Penzey's, click here.

I know what your thinking. Whoopie. A spice shop. But actually, it was a lot of fun. They have every single spice they sell in little jars so that you can smell them. The boys loved this concept. Every spice received a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

I scored a few great new spices I have never used, and was so inspired to try some new things. I was also impressed with the prices. Very reasonable.

Finally, we made it on over to Bass Pro Shops, we were a little early though so we decided to have fun:

The boys each scored a ring pop for good behavior-- but I had to pass on the hats. Josh loves this thing.

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It was chilly, but we had to rock a bit on the porch.

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Finally, Jeff made it to pick up his things. He was in and out with a flash, giving him just enough time to study. See ya Friday, hon.
I'm going to keep myself busy in the kitchen, and try out a few of my treasures.

The first on my list, "Cake Spice". It's a blend made for sweets. I think I will put a pinch in our french toast tomorrow morning.

what a sexy rooster.

I was out of the house on a grocery shopping trip, but I know Jeff was surprised when he received a box from my parents-- containing this little ditty a few weeks back.

Now, we are all up to date on the significance of this dandy rooster apron to my marriage right? If you need a refresher, click here.

It's not the exact apron, Jeff's was maroon, and had his name embroidered on the front, and as I remember it, the rooster was HUGE-- but it's the same idea.

I had to use my feminine wiles to get him to put it on and pose for this picture. I think he's heard my version of the story one too many times. (I thought the giant rooster plastered on his chest was a hoot! It's the whole reason we went up to chat-- I just had to get a closer look. It takes moxie to wear something like that in public!)

Anyway, to make the story short-- Poor ol' Cook N' Thyme had a going out of business sale a few months ago and my mom happened to snag this lil' diamond in the rough with a modest price tag. Thanks mom, we are probably the only two people on earth that will cherish this ratty old apron until the day we die (and pass it down to our posterity. I'm serious, this one is written into the will.)

to spice things up a bit.

After a trip back to the Pediatricians office this morning (2 times this week.) with yet another child who has come down with ear infections-- I started to get a little stir crazy! I needed something to do. I need a vacation!

And then I remembered-- I had a sweet tidbit of information hidden away from this summer spent in Lake Tahoe. Something I was saving for the perfect opportunity, something special, something for today.

For those of you who have never been to Lake Tahoe, there is a grocery store chain called Raley's that just happens to have a store right by the state line. I love this store. The produce is beyond amazing (I'm sure that has something to do with the fact of how close it is to Sacramento-- really, it's so high quality, the cream of the crop!) and every month they put out this free magazine called "Something Extra" that is packed full of wonderful recipes, meal ideas, and gorgeous photography. Every time we go to Tahoe, I make sure to grab my copy and take it home.

This year, after getting my issue, I decided to bring it on my carry on so I could read it on the flight home. I was so sad when I got home and realized that I left it tucked between the seat cushions, how could I do such a thing!

I decided to go online and ask for another copy. I e-mailed the magazine and pleated my case.(also asking if they would be kind enough to send me each issue monthly-- I was willing to pay shipping!) They replied with their condolences, and offered to send me my missing issue, along with the latest issue. They apologized for not being able to send others, but I was grateful just the same.

The reason I was so persistent on getting my missing copy- this popcorn ball recipe. I saw it, and I knew that I had to try it. Today seemed like the perfect day. As we indulged, we dreamed of Lake Tahoe. (one of our favorite places.) It made today a little less gloomy, but it made us really miss summer.

spicy popcorn balls

1/2 C honey

1/3 C brown sugar

2 T margarine

1 t pumpkin pie spice

1/2 C chopped nuts

10 C popped popcorn

Place honey, brown sugar, margarine, and pumpkin pie spice in a 2 quart safe microwave bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir in nuts, and then pour over popcorn. Using a wooden spoon, stir gently, until popcorn is fully coated. When cool enough to handle, shape your popcorn balls with buttered hands. Store in an airtight container to keep crisp. Makes 9.