Aren't These So Cute!

My friend Sarah is hosting a party to make these! I totally plan on going! Click HERE to check out her post about her Fall Craft Night. She lives in Riverside I think and I believe if you order from her she can also mail it to you. Love these crafts! The craft night is Nov 4th so hurry!

Yummy Cookies --- No Butter Required...

I needed to make cookies for some families that my husband will be visiting and I forgot to buy Butter!!! My friend Jen and I were brainstorming (she's so sweet---she offered to pick up butter for me :) but I decided to make Crinkle Cookies. Mmmmm. You only need 4 ingredients and NO butter! (I uploaded my picture to recipezaar.com and its awaiting approval - how exciting :D)

The author of the recipe wrote:

Fudge Crinkles

(A Great 4 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookie)
Recipe #32614 15 min 5 min prep

These are chewy, fudgy, SUPER EASY cookies that you can probably make right now! I have watched these disappear time and again and everyone is always asking for the recipe. It is almost embarrassing to give it out, it is that easy Enjoy! (12/14/06: I wanted to add that Betty Crocker has updated this recipe by adding 1 tsp. vanilla extract, but I don't want to change the original recipe.) *12/22/07: Please see my tips at the end of the recipe!
30 -48 cookies

Ingredients
1 (18 1/4 ounce) box devil's food cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist suggested)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs

confectioners' sugar

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°.
2 Stir (by hand) dry cake mix, oil and eggs in a large bowl until dough forms.
3 Dust hands with confectioners' sugar and shape dough into 1" balls.
4 Roll balls in confectioners' sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
5 Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is JUST SET.
6 Remove from pans after a minute or so and cool on wire racks.

To keep them nice and thick and to get the most "crinkled" or "crackled" look is to make them bigger. When I roll them at about 1.5 inches they look prettier.
Note from the writer of the recipe: The confectioners' sugar was consistently being absorbed by the dough. The last time I baked them, I rolled them into balls without rolling in the sugar and let them "dry" for a few minutes. Then I rolled them in sugar and baked. These came out with a nice coating of sugar that didn't disappear.

***

To make mine a little more festive I'll probably put them in a Halloween sac and add Halloween M&M's to the bag. (M&M's & sac free from Walgreens, cake mix .50 from Staters, oil & egg?---cheap but thoughtful gift right?)

Thankful Thursday

This is my ongoing post dedicated to Blogging My Blessings! My goal for this post is to help me focus on the GREAT things in my life. The things I love and the love I have to give. Not all my posts will be mushy...

4. Yummy smelling home. I love my Lysol Freshmatic! I love it and I have it right next to my front door. I think its the goal of every housewife to have her home smelling fantastic. I know that the smell of a home isn't always the first thing that you notice when you come to a home----but a yucky smell is definitely high on the list. I've made it a goal of mine to have a clean smelling home but its always so hard with 2 kids in diapers and a really small home to have it smelling great all the time...my Lysol totally helps! Love you Lysol!

5. Church Family. Last night we had our annual Trunk-or-Treat. There was a chili dinner, costume march, booths with games, and the trunk-or-treating. There were tons of people there! It was great to have such a fun gathering with people that I see and worship with on Sunday and other friends visiting too! I'm so thankful to have a religion that I love and people to share that love with. My beliefs bring me purpose in life and help me to focus on my eternal goals. Having a goal and working daily to achieve it helps me so much to prevent the mundane day-to-day troubles from bring me down.

6. Bean Bags. I just love bean bags. I think they have tons of uses and every use I can think of is FUN! I love to make them and it requires sewing----so I feel sorta domestic. : D Here's an idea I was thinking about doing to help Jacob learn to count. Make 20 beanbags each with a number on them (see picture below). He can practice throwing them in a bucket while we say each number. In the future we can practice addition and subtraction this way too. I have a feeling (cause my boy is sooooo crazy active) that he'll need lots of hands on learning. This bean bag set below is for sale on THIS website. Its 22.97 - yikes. I think with Joann's coupons I could probably make if for less than $10. I'll keep you updated. Oooo-----this would be a good Super Saturday craft. hmmmm.

Click HERE to view previous Thankful Thursday posts.

Daddy "Helping"

Sorry the picture is fuzzy - currently all i have is my cell phone camera. ugh.

So Lexi was crawling around on Sunday after church and I was thinking to myself...I really should change her out of her church clothes so its easier for her to crawl around.

I look up a few minutes later and Heath had tucked Lexi's dress over her collar so she could crawl better. What a man thing to do! She was just looking at me like, Mom can you fix this please?!

We're Moving!

Its official

We're moving to Arizona!

Heath will be starting a new pest control company along with the the owner of Moxie, Dave in Phoenix AZ next summer. (Dave with be the $ and Heath will the the operations) Yea! We're due to report to the new location around the beginning of February. These next few months Heath will be wrapping up things here in SoCal & preparing for the new office. Since, our lease here in Corona is up end of November...instead of going month to month ($1650.00 yikes) we'll be moving to Heath's parents in Morongo Valley (20 minutes north of Palm Springs) for about 2 months. Heath will probably spend most of his days in San Diego preparing with the operators for the other 2 branches opening up next summer too. We're so excited for this new adventure! I'm a little concerned about the weather - - - but I visit my mom there several times a year - - - and i really think that the climate isn't that bad. In the fall and spring the weather is absolutely beautiful. And the housing, affordable! Crazy.

There's a lot of work to be done these next 3 weeks preparing for the move (kill me). Our POD for storage will be arriving probably the 14th of Nov and we have 5 days to load it before Heath will be too busy with work stuff to do anymore moving. We plan on being out of our apt. before Thanksgiving (at my moms:). That's only 4.5 weeks. wow.

I'm trying not to think about how sad I am about leaving all my ties in SoCal...our callings, my friends, Jacob's little buddies, family, beautiful weather---DISNEYLAND! But this move is really for the best. On the upside - I really do have lots of family and Heath's parents here in SoCal so I'm hoping to visit often.

Wish me luck these next few weeks packing with my 2 little rascals! I've already packed 32 boxes. Yup---I've counted every one. Why? Cause I'm crazy. I keep telling myself that this will be the most organized move I've ever had. But----how on earth do you pack up everything you have BUT put aside the stuff you'll need for 2 months (maybe more) living at someone else's house? Goodness. At least I don't need cleaning stuff or kitchen supplies. That's a plus right? Do I bring lots of toys or just a couple cause Christmas is coming? Do I bring my scrapbook stuff cause I WILL be bored all day? Should I bring a couple Christmas decorations so I'm not too sad about not having Christmas at my own place? I feel so unorganized. I need boxes. Anyone have boxes?

Tripped at Walgreens! Using $5/20 coupon

I broke my stinkin Camera today while I was taking my Walgreen's picture! I'm so angry. Its 3 years old---time to retire anyway----but if it works!!!!??? I dropped my camera then tripped on my Walgreen's stuff and stepped on my camera. Can you freakin believe that?!! The viewing screen is broken. I thought maybe it would still take pictures...but no - the flash goes off - it clicks - but the memory card shows NO picture. Ugh. Halloween is NEXT week! I want to take a million pictures....what am I supposed to do? Buy a throw away? There's NO way I'm buying a new camera with Black Friday sales just around the corner! Arg!

But I did great at Walgreen's! Sorry - no fun without the picture! I had a couple Need Items which totally isn't my favorite thing. Here's the list of items I "purchased" and my total was a MONEY MAKER!

1 - Loreal Wrinkle Concentrate
1 – Loreal Anti-Age ProCalcium
2 - Loreal Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream
2 - Neutra Air Freshmatic Kits
2 - Almay Mascara
1 - Gillette Fusion Power Razor
3 - St. Ives Cleansers
2 - Large Bags M&M’s
2 - 4ct. AAA battery packs
Fillers/Splurges: 2 toy cars, 2 kids plates,

Halloween book, h.coloring book, eyebrow pencil

Total : 8.70 Profit! (+ a couple bucks -10%- for doing rebates)

It would have been more but I accidentally purchased 2 rebate items (limit 1) in the same transaction. Ooop. Oh well. The item was already an amazing deal of .99 ea.

Sweet. I now have $30 Register Rewards and more than I care to admit (or calculate) in Walgreen's Gift Cards $. Lovin this Walgreen's stuff.

Looks like I'm purchasing a little camera with my Walgreen's money. deeeeeep sigh.

Thankful Thursday

This is my first of many posts to say all the things I'm thankful for and that I love! I think I'm also tagging some of my buddies~not my original intention for this post~ but why not. (Cari, Jen---that means you do it too!)

1. Jacob's interest in Trains. I love that he has something he loves. I love to watch him make designs with his train tracks (geo trax) and watch the tracks morph (is that a real word?) into something different throughout the day as they slink from his bedroom, to the living room, then under the table, and in front of the T.V. His interest started when his Great Grandma Avery gave him a Thomas the Train blanket for his 1st birthday. He sleeps with that stinkin blanket every night.

2. I love blogging. I love to have an online journal for my thoughts. I like to think that someone is interested in something I have to say. Lets just face it - Nobody reads every word that I type (except for MAYBE my mom) but I love to have an outlet. This has kept me sane and kept me in touch with friends. ALSO, this Blog World gives me great ideas for how to save money!

3. My Heath. Last week we celebrated 4 years of married bliss. lol---That's so cheesy and I love it! Love you Heath! (dang, I wish I had a pet name for Heath...it sounds so impersonal when I type 'my heath') His card for our anniv. of course ended with, "You love me. -your pj" (princess julie;)

Ranting.

I don't have the strength today (that didn't stop me from taking Jacob to play on the toys and me going to play at Walgreens)....goodness. I feel so worn out. I think I'm getting sick and I NEVER get sick. I usually start feeling a little cruddy then it goes away. love Airborne and it totally works for me----its that time again. I don't have the time to be sick right now. I'm currently working on an order for Ribbons (my job aside from mommyhood), I'm trying to pack ----we start moving in 4 weeks----ugh, and the laundry I HATE IT.

Noteworthy: I just read an email from a woman named Leslie that was shopping at my neighborhood Vons and she was robbed in the parking lot! I go to that store all the time at night. My mom hates that I do it...but it feels like the only time I can shop. I guess I'll be trying to change that. My friend Cari and I try to go together if we need to go at night but the deals at the grocery store have been so crappy that I never really want to go and ~make a trip of it~.

Be Careful at the grocery store!!!

Put your purse and your kids in the car first! I usually have my kids right next to me and my diaper bag in my hands or attached to my stroller or cart. I'm just not careful enough---someday that could be me. And this woman Leslie was totally robbed by a 20 something year old GIRL!!! I just would never suspect. Be so so so careful out there ladies. Its 2008 - you never know!

Dessert Anyone?

Warm Caramel Apple Cake

HERE is the recipe. Doesn't it look yummy!?

I get emails from Betty Crocker and here's the latest yummy they sent me.

Jacob & Lexi

Thanks Cari!

My buddy Cari took pictures of my kiddos today. So cute.