Pinterest Project #2...

I've been wanting to make a wreath to go above the TV since we moved in...that was almost 2 years ago. There's a hook there and after the Christmas wreath comes down it just sits vacant for the next 11 months. So why not start with a 8 for {B}'s big 4th birthday! The theme this year is *surprise* Cars...shocking, I know! The pin I took this from used a 14inch wreath and I didn't pay attention when I went to Michael's and bought an 18in wreath. It was SUPER easy and went really quick once you got it going.

18inch straw wreath with plastic still on

about 225 balloons (I used three different colors)

about 225 florist greening pins

Pinterest Project #1...

Like everyone else I'm in {love} with Pinterest. How can you not be? So many fantastic ideas I never would have thought of myself. Not to mention a great place to store everything else I find online. It can also be a HUGE time waster ;) Luckily, I have a lot of down time right now at work so I've got a big chunk of my 8 hour shift to use checking out Pinterest!

I tried my first project on January 10th. I pinned this what seems like a LONG time ago and never got around to ordering the frame. Justin, being the wise man he is, ordered me two for Christmas. They both came broken. One had broken glass, the other had the easel broken off the back. Good news was I didn't need the easel so we kept that one.

The frame came from Wal-mart.

I used some paper from the DCWV Cafe Mediterranean matstack

For "Our Week" I used the Mickey Font Cricut Cartridge

For the days of the week I used the Designers Calendar Cricut Cartridge

I used black vinyl for the words so I didn't have to mess with gluing them down.

Now I just write on with a dry-erase marker what's going on during the week and erase and start again the next week! Will be even more helpful when we've got a foster with their own schedule of visits and appointments as well!

My 2011 Reading List...

2011 was MUCH busier than 2010. Having two kids for most of the year (instead of just 4 months) made a big difference on my reading time! That and Netflix ;)

1. Sliding into Home by Kendra Wilkinson
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
3. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
4. A Loving Heart by Anita Stansfield
5. Disney, The Mouse Betrayed by Peter and Rochelle Schweizer
6. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
7. Maximum Ride: School’s Out Forever by James Patterson
8. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
9. Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson
10. Maximum Ride: Max by James Patterson
11. Maximum Ride: Fang by James Patterson
12. Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack
13. Maximum Ride: Angel by James Patterson
14. Awakened by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
15. Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack
16. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
17. Tranquil Light by Anita Stansfield
18. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
19. Every Grateful Fancy by Anita Stansfield
20. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
21. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
22. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
23. The First Grave on The Right by Darynda Jones
24. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
25. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
26. Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Dinner...

We needed a new idea for dinner tonight. So I scrolled through my Mmm... board on pinterest to see what I'd pinned that would be relatively easy and quick to feed the kids before we had to take them to Grandma's house at 6. I repinned this beauty from Karen {love her blog too ;) }. Added a little melted butter and Parmesan to the end result and they liked it! {B} helped Justin make it so there was no "wow" from him when his bowl hit the table, but {A} thought it was pretty cool that the noodles were inside the hot dog. In hindsight we would break the noodles in half next time instead of using a whole noodle through the hot dog. {B} ended up asking for his noodles to be cut off.

It's a Done Deal...

We are now a family of three!!! Want the whole story? Leave your email. Or email me at temporaryhome4kids (at) gmail (dot) com for an invite to our private blog.

It's {almost} Official...

We got the call today! Adoption day is one week away! Tuesday, July 26th!!!

Check This Out...

A friend of mine, whom I admire so much, just started this amazing website. If you do or ever have struggled with being healthy you need to check it out..you'll thank me for it later! Click on the picture above, or the badge on the side bar. She posts most often under "confessions."

Sally the Bunny Meets Stella the Bulldog...

Our 3-year-old got a bunny. For the first few days he insisted on naming her Mater. We compromised and named her Sally instead. He loves to watch her eat and talk to her. For now, she's an inside bunny, but we'll see if it lasts. Last weekend we introduced her to Stella. Stella seemed very interested but thankfully not aggressive. Since then Justin's taken Sally outside to hop around in the grass with Stella, so far so good!

Bountiful Baskets...

Look what I got for $15! 25lbs of fruits and vegetables. :) That's $50 worth of produce for $15! Can you believe it! Here's what we got:

6 apples

1 pineapple

9 lemons

4 grapefruit

8 pears

8 bananas

1 bunch of asparagus

2 bunches of broccoli

1 green bell pepper

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 mystery lettuce

4 tomatoes

Check out bountifulbaskets.org for more information.

My 2010 Reading List...

I set out at the beginning of 2010 to see just how many books I could read in 1 year. Lots of slow nights at work, and nights without Justin while he worked helped a lot to accomplish some serious reading! So here it is...my complete 2010 reading list!

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
3. Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast
4. Betrayed by P.C. & Kristin Cast
5. Chosen by P.C. & Kristin Cast
6. Untamed by P.C. & Kristin Cast
7. Hunted by P.C. & Kristin Cast
8. Tempted by P.C. & Kristin Cast
9. The Sound of Rain by Anita Stansfield
10. The Best of Times by Anita Stansfield
11. A Distant Thunder by Anita Stansfield
12. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
13. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
14. Winds of Hope by Anita Stansfield
15. The Magician by Michael Scott
16. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
17. Shelter from the Storm by Anita Stansfield
18. The Silence of Snow by Anita Stansfield
19. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
20. The Scorceress by Michael Scott
21. Agent Bishop by Mike McPheters
22. Burned by P.C. & Kristin Cast
23. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
24. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
25. Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me by Howie Mandel
26. The One-Week Job Project by Sean Aiken
27. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
28. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
29. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
30. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
31. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
32. Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack
33. I Didn't Plan to be a Witch by Linda Eyre
34. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
35. Heroes Among Us by John Quinones
36. English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
37. A Far, Far Better Place by Anita Stanfield
38. Devil's Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack
39. Spy Mom by Val Agosta

Stella Loves Patty...

And Patty loves Stella too!

Open for Business...

Alright, we took a month off after our last two kids got to go back home in October and we are now officially open for new kids. Just waiting around for the call that could come anytime, night or day. So far with all three placements we've been open for about a month before getting a call. Should we take bets this time?? Maybe a little lottery? Haha!

Just Us...

It's just us again! Michael moved out in November, and while he didn't spend a lot of time here lately, it's still nice to have our house be just our house again. And now we've got more room for kids! ;)

The Bigger Picture...

It's a slow day at work...So I thought I'd try to figure out how to upload bigger pictures to blogger...

The Hunger Games...

Earlier this year, I read The Hunger Games. I loved it. Justin always gives me crap when I get into a book and do nothing but read for 2 days...but then he read it...it 2 days! Then I spent a few months telling my mom she needed to go to the library and get on the waiting list. FINALLY she did. My mom read The Hunger Games, then she gave it to Jen. Sunday, Jen was bringing it back to my mom --after finishing it in 2 days--when Tim started to read it in the car. Now Tim, just like Justin, gives Jen crap for doing nothing but read for 2 days too. That night he read until dinner was ready, and had to be told several times to come to dinner. He picked the book right back up after dinner, while Jen and I got the kids dressed in their costumes. I assume he also read all the way to New Plymouth and back too. When we got back to their house after trick-or-treating, he went right to the couch and started reading again. By Tuesday evening he was finished, and told Jen he wished they had the rest of the books!
You know it's a good book when Justin and Tim can't put it down!

Birthday Shoes...

Grandma Geri gave me some cold, hard cash to buy new shoes for my birthday, because, lets face it...Girls need LOTS of shoes! So yesterday on my way home from Boise I stopped at Fred Meyer in Meridian to see if their Converse were on sale...THEY WERE! but they didn't have my size in the color I wanted...So on his way to Young Artists, Justin stopped at the Fred Meyer in Nampa...no luck. After a fantastic dinner with great friends (thanks again Barclays!) we stopped at the Fred Meyer on Overland and Jacque and I both scored a pair of converse! (Mine are the black ones!!) A birthday is only better with new shoes!!

Oxnam Salsa...

I have been dreaming of this salsa for *so* long! There is nothing like Oxnam Salsa and I finally have the recipe!!! mmm...It's everything I dreamed of, everything I remember, and so easy to make! mmm...Chips and Salsa--here I come!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies...

These cookies are AMAZING! I'm not sure if Justin shares my opinion, but since I'm the one who makes the cookies, I guess I get to decide what recipe we use! My friend Jacque told me about this recipe she found at America's Test Kitchen (love that show!) She even brought me a few cookies that she made...I'm hooked. And, no, that is not a picture of my cookies...the fish tanks create too much humidity in my house in the summer, so my cookies don't raise and look pretty...but they sure do taste good!

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl, set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, and using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips, giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

SPDT--Graduation...

Stella graduated tonight! I must admit I had my reservations...I wasn't sure if she'd make it to be honest. I haven't had the time to work her like I should have, but she still passed!! And how can you not love that sweet Stella face and awesome graduation cap!

Winner, Winner...

Stella Hawk - First Place

Vancouver, BC - First Place
So 2 out of 6 wasn't bad! Along with those Mom got 1 first place. Jen got 2 first, 1 second and 1 third. Michael got 2 first place. Kaden got 1 first place and Mason got 1 third place. So all in all, I think we did pretty well!