Showered with love on my birthday!!

I was filled with JOY and showered with love today on my 44th birthday.

How can I possibly be 44?

I don't think I feel any older that 22--although now I have kids that age!
Everyone was home except Matthew, who is traveling home in a blizzard from Buffalo--he is almost home now though!
A birthday dinner of Pizza Pub pizza with everything!!

My very beautiful cake made by my very own baker-Becky, delivered by Luke.

The traditional candleglow photo.

The cake even came with jewelry

smooches of thanks

Beautiful, heartfelt cards!

A new Christmas tree from big kids, Pat and Becky

Thanks for the help, Amy.

Thank-you everyone for the "Happy Birthday" wishes and love---and of course, the chocolate!

Who's that sleeping in my bed??

Kimmy and Luke: ages 3 and 4

Simply Made Sunday--Betty Crocker Salty Sweet Peanutty Treat

Ohhhh, what a yummy, yummy treat!!

Thanks to Betty Crocker, I received ingredients to have a Betty Crocker cookie party, and we made

Salty Sweet Peanutty Treats.

The first activity associated with this recipe was unwrapping 24 caramels.

It take a lot of concentration for a 4 year old to get those little caramels unwrapped.
Look at our fun spoons that Betty Crocker sent us, along with a whole booklet of great recipes!

The botton layer of this treat is a package of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix.

Mix this according to the package directions.

Mark was the official cookie mix "mixer".

Spread this into the botton of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake this at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

While this cooks, chop 1 1/2 cups of peanuts---or have a 3 year old smash them with a spoon. Kimmy really enjoyed this part of the recipe.

In a saucepan on the stove, mix 2 tbls. butter, 1 can sweetened condensed milk and the caramels.
Cook on low heat until melted.

Get a bowl of pretzels ready--you need these in just a minute.

Get a nine year old to carefully stir the caramel mixture under low heat.

After ten minutes, remove the chocolate chip cookie layer.

Push pretzels into the semi-cooked cookie dough, overlapping slightly.

Top this layer with

all of the chopped peanuts.

When the caramels are completely melted

pour over the top of the cookie dough, pretzels and peanuts.

It looks good now, but

it looks even better after baking at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

When this is completely cool, (we waited until the next day), drizzle with 1 cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I wasn't too sure about this, it looked very "hard" to me, that is why you see the pieces missing. Daniel and I just had to "test" these. We didn't want to take something unchewable to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Sunday dessert.

It is NOT too hard--it is heavenly

A truly decadent delight!!
It tastes like a cross between chocolate chip cookies, snickers bars, and peanut brittle.

This is a keeper!!

Happy Saint Nicholas Day

God, we pray that through theintercessions of St. Nicholas

you will guide and protect our children

.Keep them safe from all harm

and help them grow to becomeloving disciples of Jesus in your sight.

Give them strength to always mature

into deeper faith in you,

and to keep alive joy in your creation.

Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
—by Father David R. Engbarth, St. Nicholas Church, Aurora, Illinois

Saint Nicholas has been here!!

Build and Grow--for free--at Lowes

Today was the first time we took Mark and Grace to the Lowes Build and Grow program. I am really sorry that I didn't know about it sooner, especailly since we have a Lowes minutes away from us and because it is totally FREE!
Each week Lowes offers a free wood project for kids from about the age of 5-12.
This week we made wooden gingerbread houses.

All supplies are free, and since it was our first time, the kids also got an apron and googles.

Pat and I both took the kids, so we were quick, since each child had a helper. It took us about 45 minutes to make these very cute gingerbread houses.

They even open up to hide goodies in!

We will definitely be doing this more often. Next week they are offering a Christmas ornaments workshop and the week after is a pet treat container.

At the end of the workshop, they received a certificate and patch (to sew on their aprons).

It is amazing what we find to enjoy for NO expense.

This is certainly a worthwhile activity to look for if you have a Lowes nearby. I believe Home Depot also has a similar progam.

Have fun building!!

What are they thinking?

This is how our two beloved pets spend a good deal of their day.....

Ok, now all we need is the snow!

A Polar Express Campout

All we need now are jingle bells.

Wordless Wednesday-Poker with Grandpa

Check out other Wordless Wednesday posts here.

December 1st--let the countdowns begin

December is here, and so we are now eagerly waking up in the morning anxious to mark another day off--waiting for the arrival of Christmas! OK--only the four youngest kids eagerly wake up, the rest of us struggle to open our eyes while the festivities take place.

There are 4 kids, wishing for "their" turn, and there just happens to be 4 morning activities and one evening book.

Unwrapping a Christmas book began this past Sunday, on the first day of Advent.
It is our time to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas.

I planned this activity as an evening activity, but it is apparent that we will be reading our daily book while we are still wearing our pj's until Christmas! For the evening read-aloud we are reading Destination: Bethlehem. This book has 24 chapters, making it ideal to read everyday until Christmas Eve.

"Two boys, Isaac and Jediah, travel through ancient Palestine. As their journey unfolds, the boys find themselves at the heart of the Nativity Story and gradually realize the birth of the Messiah is at hand." Amazon

Amy made the annual Santa Claus with a cotton ball beard countdown activity.

We have made this every year since my 22 year old was a baby, and the tradition continues.

Everyone morning just glue a cottonball onto the beard and when
the beard is full--it is Christmas!!

Someone tears a link off the Christmas countdown chain every morning.

The biggest excitement is the opening of the annual Lego Advent Calendar. (whatever you do--don't pay this Amazon price--mark it down for next year and in September you can get it for $14.99)

Each day you open a new Lego toy--including Santa Claus and a snowman.

Yep--we have busy mornings in December, with all the activities we have to get through (before schoolwork starts) luckily everyone has an activity to do,(this cuts down on the wailing and lamenting ) we just alternate jobs every morning so everyone is happy!