{Christmas Eve}

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
All the creatures were stirring, except for the mouse.

The stockings were hung on the bookcase with care,
In hopes that St. Nick would find them there.

The children were too excited to think about bed,
So they played a game of Hide-n-Seek instead.

While I in my apron baked one last treat,
Dad watched the Pickers find deals no one could beat.

Then all of a sudden came a knock at the door,
Dear friends with a carol and cookies galore!

The night was dark and the air cold as ice,
A few flakes of snow sure would be nice.

How will Santa go without any snow?
Little Miss Morgan wanted to know.

Zane was redecorating the tree,
Is the star stuck on top? he just wanted to see.

The children were finally tucked into bed,
Or Santa isn't coming is what they did dread.

At last the presents came out of their stash,
In hopes of the Christmas morning dash.

It's about time!

So, we've been a little busy this month. I finished unpacking boxes and sorting stuff for storage to make room for Brittany & Levi to come for a visit. It was the highlight of the month to have them here!

We had Thanksgiving Dinner at our house and Scott invited the new guy from work to join us. (He has no family nearby.) We started off the day with no water but the problem was quickly resolved. I had to readjust my time-line a bit, but we had a fabulous dinner. (Best turkey I have ever cooked!) And having Brittany here made it feel like it was home. (Having water problems made it feel like home in Idaho.)

We showed Brittany & Levi all the sights of the town, including a shopping trip to Cabela's. And we made it to the theater to watch the new movie Tangled which all the kids LOVED. (The dog-horse cracked me up!) Now I am kicking myself because I took NO pictures while they were here. It's just too hard to do everything and take pictures too, I guess.

I REALLY wish I had my camera at the Chinese restaurant to capture the look on the Chinese lady's face. She asked Scott if Levi was his son. Scott told her no and pointed to Brittany and explained she was his daughter. The poor lady was so confused!

I did find time to get reacquainted with my sewing machine this month...

I made Zane clothes for the wedding. (Check out that faux welt pocket with kerchief.) The hardest part was remembering how to use my buttonhole attachment and tweaking the pants pattern to fit. (I was very thankful for all those hours I spent sewing with my mother when I was young!)

I finally made Zane a turkey shirt for the big day. We never did find the box of felt scraps to make the dangle thing for the turkey. But, Zane still loved his shirt

Since I had the machine warmed up, I whipped out a skirt for Morgan to wear this summer. It was a little longer than I wanted but we will wait until summer to adjust. (This girl might just surprise us and grow. I'm hoping!)

By now the machine was smokin' hot so I finished a project I started some time ago. I made a pillow (kinda ugly, I know) for my couch. I'm still browsing the second-hand stores to find just the right sweater to make the pillow I want. (This was more of a practice run.)

Then, I took a break from sewing to do a Super Saturday project. Morgan was surprised when I hung it on her wall. "For me?" she asked. (It wasn't even her birthday.)

The tornado continues to swirl as we head into the month of December. (Is the end of the year really here?) I have Christmas cards to write and a wedding to prepare for. (Thankfully the Christmas shopping is done - I love cyber shopping!) We are praying that winter will take a break in mid-December so we can travel to Utah and Idaho for the big event.

Happy Christmas Season!

Dinner Time

I used to make Cheese Manicotti often. Then my husband said, "Where's the meat?" That was the end of that. Until, the other day when I was browsing one of my favorite blogs and saw this recipe for Chicken Manicotti. I knew I had to try it!

Everyone liked it! My kids are not fans of stuffing so I was leery. (Scott and I have, more than once, eaten an entire meal of just stuffing.) But the kids really did like it.

So, if you want to try a super easy, super yummy, Chicken Manicotti click HERE. I can't wait to have some left-over turkey to try next time.

{First Snow}

The kids were so excited to see snow, finally! Getting ready for school this morning Morgan said, "It's a good thing you set out my boots for me to wear today. You're so smart!" I didn't tell her I watched the weather report last night.

All morning Zane begged me to help him build a snowman. We rounded up boots and hats and mittens and headed out into the wet, drizzle of falling snow. The snow is so wet and heavy so it packed together real well.

The little guy looks so handsome in Grandma's hat and scarf! Zane insisted on a carrot nose and a cookie mouth.

The hardest part about building sand castles in the snow is getting the bucket off with the mittens on.

"IT REALLY WORKED, MOM!"

And the day wouldn't be complete without a few snow angles.

It's just that kind of day!

{Trick-orTreat}

We had preschool at our house this week and the kids came dressed up on Wednesday. They all looked so cute but it was hard to get them to stand still long enough to snap a picture.

(Not sure what Strawberry Shortcake was saying.)

We learned about the letter "G" and made paper ghosts.


Saturday we went to a fabulous carnival / dinner / Trunk-or-Treat at the church.

There was fun with balloons.

The ever popular cupcake walk.

This is serious stuff. It takes concentration to land on the winning spot.

The costume parade and judging.

We LOVE Trunk-or-Treat!
(I tried to get Zane to wear different shoes but he insisted on the boots.)

I bought the cheerleader costume on clearance last year and Morgan has been eager to try it out. (She told me I am the best Mom ever. Love it when I can make my kids happy.)

Even Dad joined us in the festivities. (The cat face was made by Zane.)

And Zane HAD to take a picture too... beautiful cheerleader, creepy cat, and one scary looking mom.

Happy Halloween!

Road Trip

Morgan, Zane and I made a quick trip to Utah and back last weekend. We had hoped to stay for church in Idaho but just couldn't make it work.

Our favorite rest stop... we have to check on Abe.

My favorite kids!

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
The reason we went:

Dress A

Dress B

Dress C

Which dress will it be? She looked amazing in every dress she tried on! It was hard to pick a favorite.

It was a loooong trip but I am so glad we went. (And glad my car brought us back safely.) The kids did good - only had to threaten to make them walk home twice.

Morgan was good at keeping me on track and on schedule by asking "How much longer? Where are we going next? Are we there yet?"

And Zane was a big help, pointing out all the important signs along the way. Signs that warn about "deer jumping on the road" and signs that warn when "people are walking on the road" and most important were all those signs that warn about "people with arrows on the road". He kept us safe.
(Took me a while to figure out the arrow signs but I will never look at a merge sign the same again.)

It's always nice to go some where but soooo nice to come home. (We miss you already Brit!)

The Great Pumpkin Walk

While in Logan, Brit and Levi took us to the Great Pumpkin Walk. There were tons of people and it was a cold dark night but we loved it!

Why are we here?

Driving home from Utah last night, my heart was full of emotion. We had a wonderful time with Brit and it was hard to leave. The sky was black, the car was making weird noises, and Morgan couldn't stop crying.

My mind was full of questions: "Why did we leave Idaho? Why did we move so far away? Why NEBRASKA?!" I was murmuring.

Then, we were blessed to have a couple speak to us at church today. They recently returned from serving as mission presidents in England. As they shared experiences and testified that God knows us personally, I was overcome with emotion. It felt as if the speaker looked directly at me when he said, "You are here for a purpose. The Lord transferred you to Sidney, Nebraska because this is where he needs you."

So, the question becomes... "What does the Lord need me to do here?" I know I can still be a good mother and we will always be a family even though miles may separate us. I also know we will be blessed when we do what the Lord asks us to do.

Great things are happening in Nebraska! I am grateful the Lord trusts us enough to be a part of the miracles here.

{Merry-Go-Round}

This girl is insane! I had to stop the camera 'cause it was making me dizzy.

Playing at the {Park}

We have really enjoyed the parks here. The kids love the "fish" park the best. (It has a huge pond with ducks and fish.) This park is close to Morgan's school and has lots of grass and MERRY-GO-ROUNDS!

My Conference Project

I always need a project to do while watching conference... it's my ADD. I love using a menu to make grocery shopping and mealtimes more pleasant. I have been using a little paper calendar to write out menus for each week. But, sometimes I forget and so I just started saving and re-using them. Then I saw a great menu idea that a friend had posted on her kitchen wall.
Did I mention it was a GREAT idea?

Using scrapbook paper and my computer, I created a two-week menu planner. I printed 42 main dish cards that can be moved around to create the menus. (Extra cards are kept in a ziploc bag.) I also printed a list of possible side dishes and desserts (to keep me from serving green beans and pudding pie every night.) I was impressed that I came up with that many things to cook. One of my cards simply says, "New Recipe" for those times when I just want to try something different.

I thought it turned out pretty cute! Morgan loved it because now she can easily read what is planned for dinner. Scott still calls everyday to ask, "What's for dinner?"

Our New Favorite Holiday!

Oktoberfest is our new favorite holiday! This is a huge celebration here. While we did not participate in all of the festivities, we did enjoy the craft show and PARADE. They talked about the parade all week at school so there was no getting out of it. (I would have preferred to spend the 2 hours watching conference.)

We came home with a huge bucket of candy! No need for trick-or-treat this year.

I was thrilled to see the scouts lead off the parade.
(I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the scouting organization and the amazing leaders
who work with these boys.)

Fire trucks are always a thrill but they are too LOUD. Zane had a heard time chasing candy with his fingers in his ears.

This one is for Grandma and Grandpa. It's a group of cloggers from Colorado.

It wouldn't be Oktoberfest with out the pipes!

We found a car for Brit. (She likes orange.)

And a truck for Dad. Zane thought Tucker would like to ride in the back.

I had no idea... wiener dog races are such a big thing.

Anxious to go check out the nearby pumpkin patch.
(Maybe Brit would like this truck.)

Morgan's friend was in the dance group.

Maybe Brit would like this car. (She likes green too.)

Morgan's friend was driving the little John Deere.

It's where we are!

This car is for Dad.

And this one is for Grandpa.

There were no horses in the parade...

but there were lots of MOTORCYCLES!

The kids liked this group. On the far side is a train made out of wagons. Too cute!

My favorite part...

the marching BANDS! Not sure why.

The weather was crisp and cool but the sunshine warm. Perfect for a PARADE!