“Celebrate your success and stand strong when adversity hits, for when the storm clouds come in, the eagles soar while the small birds take cover”

I have never been bothered by moving and I have always wanted to live in a variety of places. I love changes in weather, people, cultures. I have always wanted to live my the ocean.

But given all that, can I just say...we live in the best area ever! I am not going to tell you where it is because I don't want all of you moving here but it is really great. I do not live in the country but not completely in the city either. It is countryish but I still am in a neighborhood. I would rather live more in the country but this was the best we could afford. It is an area where you are comfortable letting your children play out front. It is an area where you can relax. It is and area that is especially great for raising children....

And apparently baby bald eagles.

Yep! Amazing huh! Not even four blocks away from my house live two bald eagles with their gigantic nest. It has been absolutely amazing. They are glorious to watch.

These pictures do not do justice, and I am going to try to get better ones, but for now...

Soaring over the neighborhood school

Found this info on the Internet, thought it was interesting- The American bald eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) was adopted as the official emblem of the United States of America in 1782. The bald eagle was chosen because of it's majestic beauty, great strength, long life, and because it's native to North America. In the wild, an eagle will live 30-35 years (up to 50 years in captivity). A full-grown Bald Eagle has a wingspan of up to 7 foot. They fly up to 30 miles an hour and can dive at 100 miles an hour! Eagles feed primarily on fish, supplemented by small mammals, waterfowl, and carrion.

Eagles mate for life, and an established pair will use the same nest for many years. Over the years some nests become enormous - they can reach a diameter of 9 feet and weigh as much as 2 tons! The female lays 2 or 3 eggs and both parents share incubation and guard them diligently against predators such as squirrels, gulls and ravens. While the chicks are small, the parents move about the nest with their talons balled up into fists to avoid harming them.

Hopefully these guys will be around for a while!

I LIED, ALRIGHT?!!!!! Give me a break!

Did I really tell you all I was quitting sugar? Darn, I thought maybe that was a dream. What would posses me to announce such a thing? When will I learn to be quiet. What planet was I on anyways I wonder? Hhhhmmm.... Oh well.

Justine and Kassidy have, and had, the best young women's leaders. One of them (maybe more, I don't know) is a GREAT cook. Here are her cooking blogs...

http://collectionofrecipes.blogspot.com/

and

http://thecookinmamas.blogspot.com/ .

So a few months ago, SueAnn (the leader) made these "to die" for, beautiful treats for "New Beginnings". Because I wasn't eating sugar, I resisted. Can you even believe it? What alien invaded my body!

So when Justine wanted to make these for her entire class for her birthday,

I agreed because she is my "Super Nanny" and I can't refuse her wishes no matter how much work they put me through. Justine took them to school (by the way, SueAnn's were much more gorgeously presented, with perfectly laid strawberries) and afterwards brought home some leftovers. Sadly,I ate like 5 the second I saw them and thus ended my no sugar days. Just like that! Darn you, SueAnn!


But they are so, over the top, yummy I wanted to share the recipe: (I also have a brand new mini muffin tin and a brownie squisher downer in perfect shape thingy ma bob tool, if anyone needs to borrow them.



Tuxedo Brownie Cups
from Delicious Recipes
by SueAnn

1 package (19-21 oz) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make mix)
2 squares (1 oz each) white chocolate for baking
2 tablespoons milk
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping
1 pint small strawberries
melted milk chocolate chips to drizzle over the top

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray cups of deluxe mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare brownie mix according to directions for cake-like brownies. Using small scoop, fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake 14 minutes or until edges are set (do not over bake).
2. Remove pan to cooling rack. Immediately press tops of brownie with tart shaper to make indentations. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Loosen edges and gentle remove the brownies from pan. Cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Microwave white chocolate and milk, uncovered on high 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Pipe mixture into cooled brownie cups using the Easy Accent Decorator (or other piping tool). Arrange strawberry slices on top. Garnish as desired. Place in airtight container and refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.
Tip: to get even strawberry slices, slice them using your egg slicer.

I have it in my head that...

...crocheted is a dying art. I love crocheting! I can't do it myself personally, despite my mothers best efforts to teach me. I could never get it when you have to add the extra stitch. But I have great, sweet memories of my mom crocheting tons of afghans when I was a kid, usually with our cat, Pepper-Tiger, on her lap. Later in life, I ALWAYS loved afghans best to cover up my babies, because they lay so nice.

Anyways, because I have it in my head that crocheting is a dying art, of course I want to force it upon my girls. So I took them to my moms house and she taught them. Justine actually has learned before. She made me this great scarf as a surprise for Christmas one year when she was 10. I was surprised!

The flap was to keep my face warm-(smile)! Isn't it darling? I treasure it for sure!

It almost could work as a loin cloth if it was turned the other way. Ha Ha.

Anyway, this was Kassidy's first experience with it and she took right off crocheting. It really surprised me. She is not much of a "crafter" but she went bonkers! One night I couldn't even get her to go to bed she was so obsessed with working on it it. She wasn't watching TV or anything as she worked. She was just crocheting away at 11:00 at night with only a lamp to light her way. It was funny.

She decided the afghan was going to be my Christmas present. However, we learned our lesson on choosing wacky colors. But I love it! I am so proud of her efforts and learning a new skill!

I love this spot here. She messed up a little and it wasn't the same length so she just added some more to the edges. Funny.

She inscripted it.

I think the words are all so cute. On one side it says, "my mom rox!"

I think it is cool she found a way to write on the afghan herself!

Cool afghan, don't cha think?

Appreciation for husband Sunday the 8th.

Corey likes to go to the grocery store. I don't know why really. He harasses me to hurry the whole time yet he ALWAYS wants to go with. I really like it because he bags the groceries, loads the car, and carries in the groceries. It is super helpful!



Thanks, Corey! I appreciate it!

Absent blogger!

WOW! Sorry I have been such a bad blogger this week! I have been super busy!

With what you ask? I shall tell you.

I have been busy trying to configure in my mind how I can make one of these!

Don't you love that bed?!!! A few years ago, my oldest daughter was paid 50 bucks (who is the parent around here? Charles Ingles would never have had to make such an arrangement!) to move out of her bigger room, into a tiny room in the basement, so her chicken sister could be safe and sound up stairs. Since she is struggling for space, I was very excited when I came across this bed, however, I wont pay 400.00 dollars for it. So I have been spending my time trying to think if I can make one. I like wood work a lot, but I have never really made anything nice. But I like a good challenge so I'll keep you posted how it goes. Dad, I might be stopping by!

I did hang this shelf in her room the other day to add space and it went smoothly and I am super proud of it!

Cute, huh?

I have been busy this week being visited by my out of town, super successful, pattened brother, the Jason Chamberlain, from Specialized Bike Company, and his super HILARIOUS, baby bunny lover, wife, and their two cutie pie children.

We have roller skated,

Wendy

Grandpa and Bo


We spent time at various, play land, eating establishments,


Cousins

Part of the gang


We spent time loving on all our animals, (Wendy said she was on "cute" overload seeing all our little pets)


See all my food storage from couponing hiding behind my couch?

This is in the basement, thankfully!

Adorable Niece with Greyson


We spent time sledding, in which I actually participated, and almost peed my pants, I was screaming so much...I kept ending up going down the hill backwards!

Nathan

Stylin' Nephew

Corey is standing on a hill. My brother and his wife are BOTH 6'2" tall!

We spent time eating lunch with my daughter at her high school. Yes, she invited us! Astounding, huh? She has the coolest friends in the whole world. THE nicest kids! I am thrilled. I am going to write thank you notes to their parents!

Aside from my brother's visit, I have spent time watching my kid make snow angels on the basement cement floor...

Getting super good deals, with my semi super good new couponing skills.

Free Shampoo!

and awesome deals on Valentines items...

If you invite my kid to a birthday part this year, your child will likely be receiving one of these...

Sorry, but thrifty is in! The paid off home mortgage is the new BMW, right Dave? Besides, they are super cute! My 8 year old son has been invited to like 4 girl's birthday parties in the past two months! What little girl isn't going to want one of these?!

I have been busy listening to this goof ball friend of Kassidy's who recorded the greatest song. We have listened to it maybe 100 times or more! I am just amazed by it. What talent hiding in this goof ball. Great job Adam! (and I spent MUCH time figuring out how to post this video on my blog! Yea me! I did it!)



The other things that have kept me from blogging this week were still having sick children. We have had a variety of illnesses which took much advantage of my super strong stomach!

It has been my dream for some time now to pull my 2ND daughter out of school so she can stay home with me and be my nanny. She is that great! This week my dream was fulfilled as she stayed home sick for the whole week! It was GREAT. oh yeah...minus the her being sick part.



I also spent time this week being sick myself for just a half a day. I layed in a coma for a while and then read this great and disturbing book for a while. Sometimes it is nice to have a excuse to lay in bed and read.


And last but not least I spent time staring at these adorable little things!


So hopefully I will get more blogging done next week now that I got all of the rest of this stuff out of the way!

By the way, I DID NOT spend time getting my ward historian book done that was due on the 15th! Ugh!

Happy Valentines Day!

Sometimes it is a lonely world. I am glad Heavenly Father gave us each other for support. Kassidy brought this home from church for me. Thanks to my "Secret Valentine. I love you too.

Hope you all had a happy Valentines Day! Here is how I spent mine! I know it looks peaceful but almost EVERYONE had the flu and I spent a lot of time cleaning up. YUCK!

ACK! I am starting to feel sub par myself now! Gotta go try to mentally over come it!

Appreciation for husband Sunday the 7th

This week Corey had to go out of town for a week. I really appreciated when he did this:

He left me a basement and wood box full of enough firewood to last the time he was gone! And it did. Down to the last log. Sometimes making a fire all the time is a burden but it feels so good to know we wouldn't get cold even if the power went out. I appreciate Corey making it easier for me!

He had to be gone during the Superbowl as well. I could definitely care less but he did because we usually wait on him hand and foot with food. It is fun and I have Superbowl plates and cups and salt and pepper shakers. Here is his pathetic little party in the hotel.

The cutting words of a four year old!

In case you cared, Bo was misbehaving today. I told him to "knock it off" and without hesitation he replied with a "you knock it off!"

Uh, yeah... let me thing about that for a nano second....I don't think so.

So that landed him in time out. He was definitely over the top unhappy about that!

During this time he pulled out his big guns with a,

"YOU NOT MY MOMMY!"

Ugh. Heart breaker! Good thing I have proof,... and a sense of humor!

Good buddy Linda, and me in labor.

I just love these "just born" pictures. Am I weird? Anyway, Bo arrives!

After all these kids I've got Corey trained. He always takes the best pictures for me of the new baby.

Big brother Rhett was so bright and twinkly when he came to visit his new brother. It was heart warming in a huge way. Shortly after he turned into an alien with crazy behavior due to jealousy but we survived.
Corey's mom, Carolyn

Grandpa Roger

My mom and dad

Visit from friends, Camy and Linda

Bo. I love his wrinkly forehead. Like a Sharpei.

Oh yeah, I spoke with Bo's new preschool teacher and she said he is doing awesome! She couldn't even understand why he has his own Aid because he is so good. Phew!