The Elf on Our Shelf!

A few weeks ago a package arrived for us all the way from the North Pole! (Really Aunt Meg and Uncle Jeff but don't tell the kids! ha ha.) It was a special box that had a little elf in a red suit and a book called "Elf on the Shelf." In a nutshell he is a special elf that reports to Santa whether the kids in the house are naughty or nice! He reports to Santa each night and returns the next morning to a different spot in the house. So when kiddos wake up in the morning, they are excited to try and find where he is.

Ok, so I could share a novel of the funniest stories that this little Elf has created in our home but I will just keep it short and say it is a lot of fun and the kids have had such a fun time with this little Elf! Mia was a little freaked out at first- you can see how worried she was while reading the book and literally just sat on the couch staring at him for a while! Later that night she was complaining about something and Ger said, "Oh, Mia! Wait- I just saw the Elf moving! Like he was listening and recording what you just said." She looked at the Elf and with big eyes said, "I love you Elf. I love you Daddy. I love you Mommy." So yes, he has helped with some behavioral issues at our home the last few weeks and the kids are trying hard to be on their best behavior for him! And Ger has had a good old time with him- hiding him in the funniest places and reminding the kiddos that he is listening! You can check more out about him here if you want!
http://www.elfontheshelf.com/

100th POST! AND an Even BIGGER Reason to Celebrate!

WAHOO!! It is totally official and I can blab it to everyone :-)... CHRIS AND ABBY ARE ENGAGED! This is the pic they texted out- so it's from my phone and a little blurry- but ta da! The ring is gorgeous and we are SOOO excited for them. We couldn't love Abby anymore. She is the most down to earth, sweet, fun, sassy, talented, smart, perfect-for-my-brother-girl there is. Chris came back from his mish with a pretty impressive list of things his future wife had to have- wakeboarding was a must- and luckily Abby does that (amazingly well!) and also every other thing on his list. AND we love the fact that she is from here- we would be ecstatic if they ended up living here. Chris actually loves AZ a lot since he was here for about 5 months this year- and didn't mind the 115 degree days in the least.

They will be married at the Mesa Temple on May 9th! Congrats again! We love you guys!

Christmas Books

Like I told my Primary kids today, one of my favorite things about Christmas is pulling out ALL our Christmas books and snuggling up and reading them throughout the whole holiday season- any time of day. I posted about A Christmas Dress for Ellen below, but here are a few more that I just LOVE. (I always stock up on Christmas books at Deseret book or Barnes and Noble when they go half price and even 75% off after Christmas! You never can have enough.)

I read this book to the Primary Children and we intermixed Christmas songs throughout- it is about the birth of Christ and his role on earth. The pictures are BEAUTIFUL, as you can see just from the cover. Amazing really. And it has scriptures throughout to tell the story- if you are going to read the nativity on Christmas Eve or for a FHE this is a great book to use! (You can use songs throughout it too and it keeps the kiddos involved and participating as well.)

We were given "Christmas Day in the Morning" by some friends and it is the cutest story of a little boys sacrifice for his dad on Christmas morning! The kids LOVE it and the pictures are beautiful in this book as well. A great lesson about giving of ourselves at Christmas!

Snowmen and Night and Snowmen at Christmas are two books that are SOO cute and fun to read. The titles say it all- just hypothetical silly books about what Snowmen do at night! Also there are items to find on EVERY single page of the book- a little mouse, santa clause, a dinosaur, etc- so the kids love trying to find the hidden pictures on each page.

If you don't have these, pick them up... snuggle up... and Happy Reading!

And please pass along any of your favorites too!

FAST and yummy Meal

Gotta love sample days at Costco. We tried this ravioli and Colby insisted we buy it- he loved it and so did I. It's called Pasta Prima Spinach and Mozzerella Ravioli and it's in the freezer section by like the frozen chicken. It is about $10 for 16 servings. It is the easiest thing to make- you just need to know how to boil water. ;-) After it boils you just pour off the water, add a little olive oil, stir on a seasoning packet, and serve! When I made it for dinner the other night, it was a hit! The kids ALL had seconds and Ger and I definitely enjoyed it too. The kiddos loved it plain or dipped in marinara sauce and Ger and I loved it with this super easy Alfredo Sauce. It is the creamiest Alfredo sauce I have made and I used reduced fat cream cheese and 1 % milk so I didn't feel as guilty about eating it. (Even though it does have 1/2 cup butter- bah! I tried to offset it with Brussel Sprouts AND butternut squash for our veggies. The kids definitely weren't sprouts fans!) So anyways, it is super easy and super quick... Here's the recipe!

Restaurant Alfredo Sauce
(Adapted from Allrecipes)

1/2 C butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. cream cheese (Can use reduced fat)
3/4 C 1% Milk
1/2 C parmesan cheese

Melt the butter and add garlic- stir for 1-2 minutes. Add cream cheese and half and half in a saucepan and wire whisk until melted and smooth. Add 1/2 C parmesan cheese, or more if you desire. Bring to a low boil over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened slightly. Serve over ravioli, fettucine, or even as a dip for breadsticks. YUM!

Extend Yourselves!

Ger is the mission leader in our ward and he really wanted to challenge the members in our ward to be better neighbors and friends to those in our ward boundaries... especially at this time of year when we should be giving of our selves and reflecting on Jesus Christ who gave of his love and time and talents to everyone! He and the Bishop had talked a lot about the early days of the church and based off their conversation Ger came up with this poem to distribute. It has a very beautiful message. Some people have asked that I post it, so here it is! It's something we all can do!

A Meadows Ward
Christmas Invitation

It was Christmas 1837, a tough one for the Saints,
The Kirtland Bank had failed, to some the Prophet was to blame.
It was an economic crisis, a term not unused today,
A wide financial panic, to Kirtland found its way.

The Prophet said against the church, the powers of hell combined,
An event perhaps, not far removed, from our current time.
We’ve seen this year, what can happen, when a vocal few,
Unite to fight against the right, to cloud what’s clearly true.

With apostates in his midst, and enemies abroad,
Joseph felt first hand their anger, as if he were the cause. 1
“In this state of things,” The prophet wrote, “God revealed to me,”
“For the salvation” of this people, “Something new must be.”2

Mortal reason tells a General, when threatened by the sword,
To rally near his faithful troops, but not the Prophet of the Lord.
Instead he told the faithful, the ones with purest hearts,
That the Lord had found them worthy, upon a mission to embark.

Heber, Orson, Willard, and Joseph F. to name a few,
Traveled far to England, and the church they did renew.
For in Kirtland a few hundred, left the faithful ranks, 3
But in just one year, across the sea, two thousand joined the saints. 4

Here in there lies lesson, an example for our day,
A powerful reminder when things don’t go our way.
It’s tempting to turn inward, when life’s not neat and tight,
But the solution may lie outward when things aren’t going right.

It worked in Kirtland years ago, and it still may be the fix,
As you finish wrapping presents, and get ready for St. Nick.
If you’re tired, stressed, and busy – or even if you’re not,
Don’t let this season pass you by, without giving it a shot.

You’ll forget most gifts you give this year; they’ll grow dusty on a shelf,
The one gift that remains through time is the one you’ll give of self.
So as you pray for opportunities, and as you’re counting down the days,
We invite you to pick one or more, of these three Christmas ways.

**Invite a friend, who would not otherwise attend, to come with
you to a special Christmas Sacrament Meeting on December 21st.
**Invite a friend, who would not otherwise go, to visit the temple
grounds and celebrate the life of Christ through light and music.
**Extend a visit and share a gift with a neighbor or colleague
with whom you do not currently have a meaningful friendship.

We promise you the blessings of the Lord and the joy of the
Season as you look for opportunities to extend yourself, create
new friendships, and share the gospel with those around you
this Christmas Holiday.

With Love,

The Meadows Ward Council

1) Teachings of the President, Joseph Smith, Page 317
2)Teachings of the President, Joseph Smith, Page 327
3) Teachings of the President, Joseph Smith, Page 315
4) Teachings of the President, Joseph Smith, Page 327

Christmas Traditions!

We have a tradition of getting new PJ's for Christmas like many of you do... We have always given them on Christmas Eve- sometimes they are Christmas PJ's and sometimes they are not. Well this year I REALLY wanted them to be able to wear their Christmas PJ's ALL through the Christmas season! I had read on Becky Higgins blog that they have a tradition of giving their Christmas PJ's on Thanksgiving night! What a great idea! I read this the first week of December ... the night we were making our gingerbread houses... and we decided to just give the kiddos a surprise and let them have them before we decorated our houses. They were SOOO excited and LOVED them. They have gotten a lot of wear out of them already and so next year I will make sure to have them wrapped and ready for Thanksgiving night!

WILTON HAS PREMADE GINGERBREAD HOUSES! Wow- this saved us from a lot of drama and extra work! They came all set up and ready to go. I just picked them up from Walmart for only $7.48 each and they came with TONS of candy and the frosting mix and bag. As you can see, the frosting was actually yummy! The kiddos couldn't stop eating it. Everytime I turned around Colby was sucking more from his frosting bag or licking it off his house. It was SOO much fun and the kids loved it- they love creating and making messes and all that good stuff.

Then a few nights later, our cute friends the Petersens brought a gingerbread man kit they had put together themselves! What a fabulous idea! They had everything packaged nicely in a styrofoam take out container with the different compartments (you can buy them at Costco) and they included homemade men, candy, and frosting in a bag. So we just cut the corner off the frosting bag and went to work. The kids were so excited to have men to stand by their houses!

The Yummiest Minestrone Soup

I LOVE this recipe. I have had it for years- so long I don't even remember where I got it. But it is a recipe that turns out AMAZING every time. We just had it for dinner last weekend and it is just a healthy soul-food! Perfect for a cold day! The kids even love it, if I pick out their tomatoes.

Also the great thing about it is you can throw whatever veggies you happen to have in your fridge or even frozen corn from the freezer! If I need to use a lot of veggies, this is the dish I make so they don't go to waste. I never have actually used cabbage- I just substitute or add whatever I do have- cauliflower, zucchini, corn, squash, and even spinach. And I don't usually measure out the veggies either- just throw in whatever looks good or whatever you have. If you like a thicker soup, like I do, you can stir a few tablespoons of flour into a cup of the broth before adding it. If you don't have a lot of veggies, only add 1 quart chicken broth...

Minestrone Soup
4 T margarine (I use lowfat)
3/4 C chopped onion
1/4 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped carrots
1 (19 oz.) can of Cannelli beans
1/2 c shredded cabbage
1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 T tomato paste (I just dump in spaghetti sauce!)
1/2 c cubed potatoes
2 qts. chicken broth (8 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 c elbow macaroni
1/2 c parmesan cheese
2 T basil

Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots; saute for a few minutes. Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potato, chicken stock, garlic, parsley, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1 hour until vegetables are barely tender. Add pasta and basil and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve hot with grated cheese.

Note: We ate it all so fast I didn't get a pic! This is some random one off the net!

Crazy Weekend Wrap-up!

NOTE: This is a little long!

Last weekend the kids were soaking up the last of the "summer" sun! It was December 6th and almost 80 degrees! They laid out while they ate a picnic lunch and then even jumped in the pool- even after I had begged them not to. The water temp was about 65! But they didn't seem to get too chilly... BUT! This weekend was different- it was all about Christmas! (Even though our leaves are changing colors and it finally looks like it's just Fall.)

Friday night we had our ward party and got dressed up all festive... The Primary kids sang 3 songs for the ward and I thought it was the hit of the night! Obviously I'm a little biased but they sang so loud and knew all the words and it was super cute. ;-)Saturday morning we were off to Mia and Sydney's Holiday Gymnastics Show!

They did SOOO good and it was fun to see all they have learned. It is the "real deal" gymnastics place and very disciplined but the girls LOVE it. They did a floor exercise, beam routine, bar routine, springboard, bars, and a little jumping routine thing.Sydney is especially doing well! Here is a pic of her jumping off the springboard into the splits and then below that is a video clip of her floor routine. Very simple but so cute!

YAY Syd and Mia! We are so pleased with them working so hard! After that we went to Walmart and did our Sub for Santa shopping. The girls loved it but Colby kept asking why he wasn't getting anything!?! We got home and got them wrapped while Daddy and Colby ran errands! (The girlies were playing dress up when I asked them to help wrap!)THEN! We were in charge of the sugar cookie frosting booth at the Neighborhood Christmas Party. They have 500-600 people attend every year so this is no small feat! We made about 6 dozen sugar cookies that afternoon and we had 10-12 other people bring dozens of cookies, frosting, and sprinkles, etc. We set up the booth and the YW from our ward helped staff it throughout the night! So here are some pics from the party... it was a LOT of fun. They had mens group preform that was amazing, a bounce house (Colby's favorite!), popcorn, hot cocoa, navajo tacos and hot dogs for dinner, etc!

The kids LOVED going through the gingerbread house door, down the sidewalk in a tunnel of lights, and getting to see Santa!
Quick funny story: Santa asked Colby what he wanted and he said, "A batman watch." Then of course he got a Candy Cane and was sent on his way, but was very dissapointed. He kept saying, This is not what I wanted. This is not what I wanted." We hadn't prepped him enough... Santa asks you what you want but you don't get it right then! He will hopefully bring it to your house on Christmas! Whoopsie. So anyways, then his cousin JJ got to the party and Colby went through to see Santa again with him. When Santa said, "what do you want for Christmas?" Colby said, "A candy can." And that's exactly what he got. No more dissapointment. So there you have it. He had figured out the game. Ha ha! He is so funny. Next year we will prep him better! ;-)

Then! Even though we got back late from the party, the kiddos were still wide eyed so we let them snuggle up in Sydney's bed and watch Max and Ruby's Christmas DVD on the laptop! They were giggling and laughing- it really is a cute movie. I get a lot of my movies at TJ Maxx these days becuase they are like $4 to $6 for the classics- Bernstein Bears, Franklin, Max and Ruby- and for so cheap.

Sunday was a nice and super relaxing day. We fully enjoyed hanging out as a fam and ended it all snuggled up in our bed with The Nativity and Mr. Kruegers Christmas projected up on our bedroom wall. So fun.

A Christmas Dress for Ellen

Every single year I read this I get so emotional- it is such a beautiful and touching book about what Christmas is really about. It's based on a true story and I LOVE the pictures. We read it for FHE on Monday night and the kids really got it this year. We talked a lot about it afterwards and it made for a very special family night. So if you haven't read it this year, pull it out and read it to your kids. If you've never read it, shame on you! ;-) It's by President Thomas S. Monson and I know you can get it at Amazon or Deseret Book.

My Little Elf and Shepherd!

I put all the pics from our camera onto our computer last night and I was cracking up again looking at these pics! We were busily setting up our Christmas tree and pulling out all the ornaments and decorations and lights and we turned around to see what Colby was doing and he had put all the stockings on his feet and hands! "Look I'm an Elf!" He is so funny- he was so pleased with himself- as you can see from his cheeser from the picture!

Then Mia put on the tree skirt (like we all did growing up- me and my sisters would fight over who got to wear it every year!) and then asked me to tie this ribbon on her head. I was like, "What? Why do you want a ribbon on your head?" And she said, "Because I want to dress up like a shepherd mom!" So we had an Elf and a Shepherd while we decorated for Christmas! What would we do without them?!? They always are keeping us laughing!

Elf Yourself!

We got SOOO many laughs out of this last year we had to try it out again this year... it is still just as funny. Go to http://www.elfyourself.com/ and plug your faces in and it puts them on dancing elves or whatever you choose. They have a bunch more options this year than last but you do have to log in after you create something if you want to save it. But you can email it out to whoever or just email it to yourself and forward it with the link to whoever- that's the easiest way to do it really. They also are sponsored by Office Max so they want you to put your elf faces on mugs or what not which is annoying, but hey, it's still free and funny so go check it out. Our kids LOVE it and laugh sooo hard. It's funny to surprise people and send it to them with their own faces on it. Ger did it for his office last year- George was Scrooge- and we laughed silly about it for a good while. Happy Elfing!
(Oh you can click here if you want to see us dance disco! http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/7x0BUD213QLpuxFzBXn0)

Chocolate Dipped Oreos- Another Easy Holiday Treat!

Yum. We made these last year and they are quick and easy- and the kiddos can help! They loved helping dip the oreos in chocolate. And love eating them too of course. ;-) The oreos with crushed candy cane are DIVINE. Wow. I need to make some of these again because I am drooling just remembering how good they are. You can drizzle them with all sorts of different colored candy melts- red and green if you want to be really festive. You could add sprinkles... So many options, but any way you do them up they are always a hit!

Yummy and Easy Crockpot Meals

BAH! No matter how much I prepare for the holidays, they always seem busy with so much going on and so much to do. So hallelujah for Crockpot meals! Here is one that is as easy as it comes... maybe it's so easy you all already do it!

Crockpot Chicken, Potatoes and Carrots
4-5 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb. mini carrots
1 package Lipton Onion Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Water

Throw carrots, potatoes, and chicken in crockpot. Mix Cream of Chicken soup with Lipton Onion Soup and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water. (This will depend on how hot/fast your crockpot cooks. Usually 1 cup works!) Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

My kiddos love this with a little butter on top and Ger just loves it smothered with the gravy at the bottom. Stick out some Rhodes rolls and you have an amazingly yummy but fast and easy meal put together! (Sam's Club has some rolls that you don't even have to raise- they are Mrs. Schumbaucher or something like that! I don't have a Sam's card but have tasted the rolls and they are really good- and it's nice that they are even easier since you don't have to stick them out to raise!)
Have you tried these slow cooker liners? They are great because instead of scrubbing your crockpot after, you just scoop the liner out and you're done! How nice is that?!? Crockpots can get pretty messy so this is another great time saver.

Also another great crockpot meal is to do the Cafe Rio Pork I put on my blog and serve it up on fresh rolls or buns. Even my kids love it. You can keep it simple and just add cheese or make it a full pork sandwich with whatever toppings you like.

The Mesa Temple Lights- a MUST SEE!

The Mesa Temple lights are gorgeous! We had a great time- the weather was beautiful (just sweaters!), there was an amazing choir singing, and the nativity scenes are so neat. The kiddos loved it so we will definitely go back before the month ends!

Part III of Thanksgiving.

Seriously, so sorry to drag this all out... but it's more for me than for you! Journaling and writing down memories before I forget them! ;-)

When we were at Hungtington Beach all the surfers wear these neoprene hats in the winter to keep their ears warm! So we picked one up at a local surf shop before we left. The water temp was 64 and air temp was just above 70, so it was BEAUTIFUL, but Ger gave it a try anyways... with the dry suit of course... and was plenty warm!
Chris opted for just a wetsuit- since he has skiied his whole life in cold Utah lakes he thought 64 was great for almost December! He had no problem warming up and pulling out his back rolls- the kids love it and are always cheering. When Ger was suiting up to get out Chris announced to them, "Kids, your father is 30 years old. You better cheer loudly and let him hear you and hope he doesn't hurt anything." Something to that effect anyways! Brescia came along with us and the girlies were singing, dancing, giving each other facials with the cold water, snacking and like I said, just cheering everyone on.
Abby got the biggest air we have ever seen her get! She didn't find the dry suit too confining and luckily didn't freeze out there and did awesome. I've got some tough competiton to come back to when my ankle heals. The stakes are high to see which one of us can clear the wake first with big air! ha ha!
We stopped at the beach for lunch and it was SOO fun. The day was GORGEOUS!!! I'm taking beautifully perfect. We played in the sand and water, threw around the frisbees and just chatted and relaxed. So nice.
Once we got back though... mom and I ran around like crazy for 45 minutes pulling together our turkey dinner! Really it wasn't too bad at all. AND my cute friend Ashlee knew we were going to have a crazy day and INSISTED on making the yams. (I'll post the recipe soon!) They are FABULOUS! And if you know me, I'm not usually a yam girl. AND she also brought us creamed corn that is amazing and cranberry sauce that was super yummy. (Wow! So much better than the canned stuff! ;-) So anyways, thanks again Ashlee- it made our meal!
The turkey turned out delicious (thanks Costco!) and so did everything else. It was such a fun dinner and I loved hearing what everyone was thankful for. Then... we got dinner all cleaned up- thanks Chris and Abby- and headed out the door for lights at the Mesa Temple and frozen yogurt. I'll post the pics from the temple because they are beautiful- you've got to go!!! It was a very memorable Thanksgiving dinner- we'll never forget the year we had it on a Saturday!

Fab Thanksgiving Adventures Part II

Sedona has got to be one of the most gorgeous places on earth. We LOVED the rain while we were there... and I think this was the most gorgeous rainbow I've ever seen in my life! And the picture doesn't even do it justice but we could distinctly see each of the colors in the rainbow... it was a full one... with the fall leaves and red cliffs in the background it doesn't get any better than that. In Sedona there is a trail called Broken Arrow that has got to be the most gorgeous ride in the whole state of Arizona. Maybe even the country. Seriously. There just a lot of red rocks and cliffs and it is absolutely breathtaking. We got there just before the sun set so the rocks were lit up and glowing- wow. We were literally the only ones there and it was amazing.We hiked around- the kiddos loved playing on the rocks, took some pics, enjoyed the view, and then headed out before it got too dark. Just as we got back to our hotel it literally started pouring buckets! We were so glad that we had made it out just in time to see the rainbow and got back just before the storm started- talk about perfect timing. Broken Arrow was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.
My Mom and Dad! They are so much fun to be around and the best parents and grandparents around. We feel so blessed to have been able to spend this time with them!

Day 3-

Palatki Indian Ruins- Petroglyphs, pictographs, and cliff dwellings!

The kids were sooo excited to go to Palatki- Sydney has been studying Native Americans at school so she couldn't wait to see everything and be able to tell her class that she had been! It was really cool! We were glad that we went! Unfortunately the 1st tour guide took FOREVER explaining every little scratch at the first petroglyph site and Chris and Colby got a little ancy ;-) but once we moved on and got to check out things at a faster pace it was great.
The cliff dwellings were the kiddos favorite part- they loved peeking through the windows and talking about how Indians didn't have toilets or electricity... it made them much more grateful for our house and running water and food etc!

We drove home after that- just in time for a dinner date night at Cheesecake Factory! YUM! Part 4- Lake Saguaro, Thanksgiving Dinner, Mesa Temple Lights... coming soon!