Merry Christmas!!!! Talk to you next year!

Shepherd's Pie

This is for you Darci, because I think you asked me for this recipe like 2 months ago.

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. hamburger browned w/onion
1 can of corn
1 can of green beans
1 can of tomato sauce (tomato soup works too)
seasoning to taste
Mix together and place in bottom of casserole dish. Add mashed potatoes to top, then cover with cheese. I also put bacon crunched up on top. This is great on Monday when you have leftover mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This is one of my favorite dishes and the bonus is that it is so easy.

The Christmas Spirit

So I haven't exactly been in the Christmas Spirit. For one, I don't feel good. My sinuses are causing me grief. Secondly, I had 2 parties at my house back-to-back and I was feeling the crunch...getting my house in order, have the food prepared, and put up the (damn) Christmas decor. Thirdly, I tried to go shopping and get it done Monday...I had my list and I went all over town looking for Santa Barbie...it's the only thing Indee wants. We couldn't find it anywhere and I came home with about half the things on my list crossed off. So I was grumbling...

Last night our ward had a "Night in Bethlehem" activity. I know this has been done in other wards, but this is our first experience. When they were doing the program and having the primary children act out the nativity and we were all singing the songs...I felt the Christmas Spirit touch my heart. I felt guilty for having been in such a foul mood and not really getting it.

Haircuts by Mia

Don't let this picture fool you...she is 2 and she is dangerous!

I'm sitting at my computer, paying bills. Mia is playfully brushing my hair. I'm glad to be getting something done and she's happy and not destroying anything...well at least that's what I thought...she's destroying my HAIR! I hear a big snip...and start freaking out. She's got scissors and she's at the back of my head. WHERE DID THE SCISSORS COME FROM????? I run to the bathroom...my hair looks normal. Ok, maybe she just snipped away from my head. So I run my hands through my hair (thinking, I'm ok, no harm done). And then....AHHHHHHH (scream, freak out, scream some more!!) Don't toddlers usually try to cut their OWN hair?

It's your party...

Chad called his mom and said "Mom, we're coming for Halloween, why don't you have a party?" She said "ok, I guess I could do that." So then she asks Chad "so what should we do for the party?" And Chad replies "I don't know Mom, it's your party." :~)

So we stopped in Rexburg and Trick or Treated. It was such a nice evening.

For Halloween, all Indee wanted to be was "something with wings". Haddi was a Vampiress and Sis was Lola (Hannah Montana's friend). Chad was "scarry man" and I went as a clown. Apparently the rest of the Williams clan missed the memo that it was Halloween and we were having a party and they should have dressed up...

Grandma had some fun games...pop the balloon by sitting on it.

Pass the orange between necks....This is Lex passing me the orange...wow, I had to take a breather after this game...hubba hubba.

Jan passing to Chad...we got Jan laughing so hard, she was crying.

The next day the party resumed on the hill side. We all went riding up Indian Creek where Chad grew up trailing cows on horses. It was a little chilly but still fun. I really enjoy 4-wheeling.

Halloween....all week

When I was little, Halloween was only one day. Now between church functions and school activities, Halloween is a week long party. We went to a pumpkin patch in Nampa while we were in Boise for state soccer last weekend. Our college friends, the Hills, took us to a patch near their home. We took a hay ride out to the patch and the kids got to pick their own pumpkin.

Carving...for family home evening.

Mia's not sure about all that slime...

Sis's had to dress up all week for school. The first day was nerd day (she fit right in...just kidding sis.) The second day was super hero day, she was violet from the Incredibles. The third day was pajama day and the last day was your halloween costume. Sis went as Lola from Hannah Montana. I was proud of her. She had a lot of responsibility that week. Because she is the 6th grade rep, she was in charge of all the activities for the week, ending with a carnival that she and the other rep put on themselves. She did a good job.

Thursday was the annual Tetonia Elementary School Halloween Carnival. I was in charge of getting all the volunteers for 28 games. It was a job and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the whole night. But it turned out ok. The girls got their faces painted. Sis worked in the spook alley. All this and it's not even Halloween yet...

Yum Yum

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter softened (use butter)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt (I leave this out)

2 t. vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 cups flour (start w/2 cups and work up)

Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. roll out 1/4 " thick (or a little thinner). Bake @ 375 for 8 min, no longer than that. Makes about 3 dozen.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 pkg. cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup butter (softened)

1 t. vanilla

Add a small amount of milk (2 Tablespoons or so) and enough powdered sugar to make the right consistancy.

The finished product. . . so good! I scored some major points with Chad yesterday. These are his favorite!

I'm ADDICTED!!!

I can't get enough. I hear about a book and I look it up on GoodReads. Then I'm stuck. I start reading reviews and they lead to another book. Then that leads to more reviews.
That leads to me going on half.com and ordering the book. I've ordered 5 books in the last week for .75 cents each. I was waiting patiently by the mailbox...going crazy because I had nothing to read. I didn't know what to do with myself. I had to read the Ensign cover to cover (not such a bad thing).
But I've realized how addicted I am to reading. I can't sit without having a book, i.e. waiting for my kids at piano lessons, sitting at high school soccer games, shoeing horses with Chad, etc.

So yesterday, it came! One of my five books. I was so excited to open the package and see which one it was! It was Frankenstein. Just in time for Halloween. It's interesting so far, written by a 19 yr. old girl in 1816. It is said to be the first book to spark the sci-fi craze. Not really my first choice of genre but Pen's reading for her book club, so we'll see...

I would love to see what you're reading/read and read your reviews. Goodreads.com

The Glass Castle

I think this could be my favorite book of all time. I found myself smiling, grinning from ear-to-ear as I read the first half of this book. I don't think you could make up a character as cooky as her dad. (or her mom for that matter) Their relationship was so disfunctional, it couldn't have been more disfunctional. I loved the things her dad would say and how he explained things. I was cracking up the whole first half. Then I would have to remind myself that this was a true story and these experiences really happened to this poor girl. I don't think you could make these things up if you tried. The second half of the book infuriated me at times!!! What were those parents thinking? The situations that they put their daughter in...were sickening as a parent of 4 girls. I wanted to ring their necks and call the child protective service. It's amazing to me that they survived at all, let alone went on to be productive citizens, making their own way in the world. It's a testament that if those kids could make it, then anyone can.

I also covet the author's memory. And to be able to put those instances into words and make the reader feel like she was there witnessing it all is a talent. I loved this book!

She won!

Sis ran for a 6th grade representative and won. She had to compete with 17 other candidates. She had to give a speech and she was so nervous. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Williams for coming up with her winning phrase "You don't have to go to Italy to vote for Sicilee". And thanks to Aunt Megan and Grandma Myrn for helping us make magnents to go on everyone's locker at school.

Ensenada, Mexico

We rented a golf cart in Mexico. It was the craziest thing I've done in a long time. It was like driving a golf cart down 17th street in Idaho Falls. The traffic was crazy and here we are in this little cart. I thought..."I'm not in America anymore!" The fumes were making Penny sick, Chad's driving was making me sick, it would back fire every time we stopped. Chad almost hit a poor man on a bicycle. He tried taking us to the slums of the city and we got on some back roads where I didn't feel comfortable...(imagine that). So me and Pen hit the shops and the guys did their own little tour of Ensenada via golf cart.

This is us in the middle of cars and intersections...in a golf cart.

This was another one of those moments when I thought "we're not in America anymore". We're in an open golf cart...these tigers, lions, panthers, etc. are in this caged truck right, I mean RIGHT next to us driving down the road. Pen was having a little anxiety over this.
We found a great beach. It was warm and the water was great. We had a great time playing in the surf. I am still digging sand out of my ears. This little creature climbed into the seat of my swimsuit...this was right before I felt it bite me and I had to get in the water and dig it out. It was a little transparent bug. We saw some black fins poking out of the water...turns out they were not sharks but dolphins.

Happy Anniversary

We never do anything for our anniversary...it's Dec. 16th. I remember my aunt Karen telling me not to get married this close to Christmas. But when you're young and in love, you don't care. But now...it stinks. We are always feeling poor because it's so close to Christmas. The weather is crappy. When Chad used to coach, he always had a ball game that night...Happy Anniversary...come watch me coach. We'll have a slice of warmed up pizza and celebrate, except you'll be in the bleachers with 3 screaming kids, cleaning up spilled sunkist pop and I'll be down on the bench, mad and frustrated because I can't win a game.
So last year, we decided to do something big for our up coming anniversary and we decided we'd celebrate it at a better time. So we took a cruise and Penny and Eric came with us. It was a great vacation...spent with my two favorite people (and Eric, no offense).
We docked in San Diego. We took to trolley around and spent a very relaxing day seeing the sights there. Penny kept getting in trouble with the trolley driver...apparently she 'missed the memo' about not talking while the tour guide was talking.
We anchored up in Avalon on Catalina Island. This was my favorite stop. I would love to go back there and live for a summer. It was beautiful. I loved the little streets, everyone drove golf carts, it was clean. Loved it!

We snorkled in Catalina...I was terrified of sharks. I stuck to our guide. Chad loved snorkling and kept getting left and the instructor would yell "keep up in back, swim, catch up!" We were suppose to stick with a buddy, use the buddy system, but my buddy liked to go out deep and into the kelp where you couldn't see what was down there...(like sharks) so I made a new buddy...the instructor. I figured he would save me when I got drug out to sea by a blood-thirsty shark. Chad wouldn't even know I was gone until it was too late.

Packsaddle

We rode from our house up to the "Big Holes" just west of Tetonia. The trails were nice and easy and the fall colors were beautiful. I wish I would have gotten some better pics of the scenery.

Lex's family (-minus a few) came also. It was fun, seems like we don't seem them enough. My girls have a great time with those cousins. This pic is at the top of the Big Holes. I think on a clear day, you can see the Rexburg side.

We survived the first thunderstorm by hunkering down under some trees and waiting it out. I was a little nervous and so was Indee. We huddled around grandma Jan. The lighting was flashing and the thunder was clapping right over our heads. It hailed a little and poured rain for about 20 minutes. We went the rest of the way down the trail to Packsaddle Lake. This is one of my favorite places around here. It's really pretty and the kids love to swing on this rope swing.

Indee and Alivia.

Pandora (like the box...well, not really)

So Val turned me onto this awesome radio station site online. It's called Pandora Radio.

The link is pandora.com.

You type in a song or an artist you like and it plays that artist plus others that are similar in genre. So you get a variety of songs.

Here are my fav's. My ALL-TIME favorite is Jason Mraz. I love this guy and could listen to him all day long!

Natasha Beddingfield...love her. Did you see her on the Bachelorette last season singing "Soulmate"...love it!
Jack Johnson...another fav...isn't he a hottie?
Gwen Stefani...She just gets better and better. Love her station.

Music just gets me going...hard for me to clean without it on. So this site is a great find. I usually log onto it and up pops Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, or Selena Gomez (I don't even know who this is) ..it seems that the girls have learned how to get there radio stations on also.

Mammoth

Chad and I went on a little date to Mammoth, inside the Park. I went a long time ago and saw the elk buggling and battling. We actually had to hide behind our car in the parking lot because two elk were locking horns right there. It was awesome and I've always wanted to go back.

This elk that the rangers called "Six" was the big man on campus. He was buggling and rounding up all his females. I was wondering what would happen if one of them just decided to say "no..I'm not coming with you. I have this other young bull that I like better."