The BIG Snow

BBQ anyone?

Loking out the kitchen window to the N W

There is an ice dam on the patio roof just above this

Looking out from the garage

Looking out te kitchen window to the S W

Avalanche in the chicken run

We All Grow Up

I wanted to share my grands with you. This is Gordon at the beach just before the big storms in So Cal. He's 9 months, into everything and the happiest boy ever. Jillian told her mom, "I'm not a beach girl." She doesn't like the beach because the water is too big. Jilly turned 3 in November.
Evelyn on the other hand loves the beach and will run and splash in the surf all the time. Evelyn is 4 1/2
Christmas Eve 2007 all wearing the infamous penguin pj's. Check out the little girls then look at the next picture.
Same penguin pj's on Gordon & Jilly, my how they grow up!

Dips & Container Magic

The following ideas I have to credit Patricia with, she was a great help in the class. I have other pictures of some of my creative gift jars I made but they will have to wait until I get home as there was a glitch when I stored them on line.

Patricia made a whole bunch of dry dip mixes and packaged them pretty neat. I helped her make the labels for them which include directions on making a dip. She has these on a glass plate with a jar of her homemade salsa ready to give to someone lucky. If you are a dipper you will want the recipes for Mexican Fiesta, Parmesan Herb and the other 6 wonderful recipes for dips mixes. Again email me and I'll shoot them right out to you.

OK, this is to coolest idea of all for any age! Chocolate dipped marshmallows in white and milk chocolate. Do you recognize the container holding the white marshmallows? It's a plastic strawberry container washed, dried and lined with colored tissue paper then filled with yummy marshmallows. Then the next picture shows the marshmallows on a bamboo skewer, dipped and of course they are covered with candy sprinkles. How simple and fun this recipe is we didn't even include it! If you can melt chocolate you can make these!

Check out the red bucket they are standing in, it's another great yard sale find. I picked up four of these mini French Floral buckets for a $1! This on was spray painted red and brushed with acrylic paint. Again these gifts are both under $2.00 but look like you spent much more on them.

This shot is of some containers decorated from Patricia's sewing box. The snowman square container had mayonnaise in it and it's got felt and buttons glued on it. For the class it was filled with white chocolate popcorn, yummy!!!! Yes, that recipe is included in my hand out too. The other containers are decorated with stickers and sewing box scraps too. They can be filled with anything from you kitchen from snowman soup mix to Carmel and chocolate covered pretzel rods. Just be creative and have fun gifting.

I'll add the rest of the photos when I get home from vacation.

Fancy Up That Fudge

The following are photos of a few of the gift packages and plates I found for under a $1 to wrap my homemade food gifts in. The purpose of the class was to show how you can make and give expensive looking gifts from your kitchen on the cheap. I have pages of recipes I can email if anyone would like them simply ask.

I bought this star shaped box at a thrift store for 75 cents, washed it and filled it with microwave rocky road fudge. It's tied with a piece of re-used ribbon (ya gotta love wired ribbon it always looks good) and I made the label myself and printed it on card stock. The entire gift cost was about $2.25

What is better than a chocolate spoon?!?! These are so easy to make and you can tie them on a package of cocoa mix, or coffee for someone who loves warm drinks with a yummy add-in. I melted chocolate chips in a double boiler (you can use the microwave just don't get the chocolate too hot) then dip in a plastic spoon and top it with crushed candy cane, mini marshmallows or chili peppers! Yes, I said chili, have you seen the movie "Chocolate"? I added ground chili pepper and a touch of cinnamon to the last of my chocolate. To differentiate it on the spoon I sprinkled some crushed red pepper flakes. This is a yummy and different twist to chocolate.

The following two plate are little cut glass trays I picked up at a garage sale for $1 each. Another great find was a bag of copper cookie cutters I paid 25 cents for. The Scotty Dog cookie cutter was screaming for plaid ribbon. The gingersnap cookies below have a woodsy floral pick on them I picked up for under a $1 between both cookie plates I've got about $1.50 worth of ribbon, you've gotta watch those sales.

Happy Halloween & Happy Birthday Spooks!

Happy Halloween to All & Happy Birthday

to two of my favorite Spooks!

Beulah Hafen: Is my incredible #2 Mom and today is her birthday. She is probably spending the day in bed, not a fun way to be on a birthday, but she's not feeling well after a little fall the other day. But Happy Birthday to you anyway Mom Hafen. I love you and am so glad to have you a part of my life.

Brenna Ezparza: Is the other birthday celebrant. She is one of my favorite nieces. Her mom always decorated for the holidays and one memory I have is of Brenna always reminding her mom to decorate for Halloween real early. She knew it was her birthday and I believe for quite some time she believed everyone decorated and celebrated for her birthday. Brenna has 4 children of her own today and I believe Halloween is still a favorite holiday for her and her family.

I had fun this year with a few new projects inspired my Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine. I made the wreath below for under $15!!! Gotta love a bargain. The wreath I purchased at Michael's for $7 and the roses & skull came from the $1 Store. I painted the roses black and tipped them with purple glitter the glittered the skull. The ribbon was Christmas ribbon on sale, there is about 45 cents of ribbon and some hot glue to hold it all together.

I found a little bag of skulls, originally bought for the wreath, and put them in with my pumpkins in my canister on the tabel in the entry. Many visitors commented on them and enjoyed seeing them; a lot of fun for a $1. Visitors really liked them, so did Chuck and I.

Fancy Up That Fudge!

I'm teaching a class for Relief Society Super Saturday tomorrow called "Creative Gifts From Your Kitchen or Fancy Up That Fudge."
It's been a lot of fun gathering recipes, ideas and creative containers. I just wrapped up a star tin filled with microwave rocky road fudge, a two quart Santa container filled with instant potato soup mix, a rose bowl filled with fancy dipped pretzels and the list goes on.
When I get them all filled this evening I'll take photos and post them.
I'm also including handouts full of recipes, gift tags, ideas and web sites one can visit for even more ideas.

Fathers Day BBQ

My dad of 20+ years died just before fathers day weekend so we changed the plans for our Fathers Day BBQ. It worked out better because Taera and her family were here and so was Shaunie and the kids. It was a meat fest! Rick brought 3 racks of beef ribs, yumm!!!!!!!! Tom made his Terriyaki Flank Steak and Chuck BBQ'd yummy chicken. Then there were the salads and the games and the homemade ice cream and cherry brownies and the visiting, playing and all around fun time with family.

Evelyn wanted to play croquet with us, she carried her ball to a spot and then hit it with the mallet. Nollie is eating her rib bone.

Nate and Rick are playing Lawn Golf
Taera & Fernando visiting with Tom and Chuck.

The two honorees cooking for all of us.