The Zucchini Bandits . . .

My husband and I went to our community's 24th of July Pioneer Day Parade. It has been YEARS since I have had that much fun at a parade. The big draw for me was getting to see the Stevens Family Band all dressed like pioneers, playing instruments and pulling handcarts. You guys ROCK!

We were very fortunate to get to stand with a bunch of friends from our neighborhood. As we watched the parade entries go by, we thought it would be fun to create an entry for next year's parade -- something where a bunch of women get together and throw zucchini to bystanders.

The idea didn't really go much further than that at the time, but this morning as I was out picking beans, I fleshed it out a bit more. See if you like it.

The Zucchini Bandits

We could each wear a green t-shirt with "Zucchini Bandits" on the front and one of the following phrases on the back:
-- Lock your doors! It's zucchini season.
-- Spreading the green without being seen.

In addition to wearing t-shirts, one of us could make green masks -- kind of like the green version of Zorro.

We could either push wheelbarrows filled with zucchini to give away, or we could operate out of the back of someone's pick-up truck. Whichever mode of transportation we opted for, we'd create banners with our identification and mottos.

You know how businesses enter local parades and pass out flyers? Well, we could recruit a few of our kids to pass out zucchini recipes! Really, really good zucchini recipes.

I can see this being a fun ward Relief Society entry. My mother even suggested that perhaps we could get our husbands to push us in wheelbarrows while the kids distribute the goods.

Becoming Zucchini Bandits would take a good deal of preparation. Those planning to participate would need to plant more zucchini than normal so that we'd have plenty to give away at the parade. They could either pull up the extra plants after the parade, or we could continue to let them grow in anticipation of a fun ward activity -- ZUCCHINI DAZE.

At Zucchini Daze everyone brings a potluck dish to share that includes zucchini as an ingredient. (It would also be a good idea to bring a copy of the recipe for someone to compile and distribute at a later date.) There would also be a fun variety of games and activities that incorporate zucchini. For instance:

•  The peeled zucchini toss: this is a lot like a water balloon toss only using a peeled zucchini instead
• The zucchini crochet relay: teams of 4 or 5 people each are given a medium-size zucchini and a crochet mallet. The object of the game is to use the mallet to hit the zucchini down the field to the next contestant who then hits it down the field in the opposite direction until all members of the team have taken their turn. The first team to cross the finish line with a zucchini that is still in one piece is the winner.
• Biggest zucchini contest: contestants bring the biggest zucchini from their garden to see who has grown the largest squash. (These will be saved to use in the next contest.)
• The zucchini hurling contest: Only those who entered a zucchini in the above activity are elligible for this event. Contestants take their giant squash and get one chance to hurl them down the field of play. The one who hurls theirs the farthest (or who has pieces break off and go the farthest) wins!
• Zucchini craft for kids: our scouts usually do a zucchini boat race for one of their summer pack meetings. This is a fun activity for zucchini daze if your event is near a stream or creek. If that's not the case, simply give each young child a zucchini, mini-marshmallows and toothpicks. Let their creativity take over. (A fun at-home activity would be to use your Mr./Mrs. Potato Head parts to make a Mr. or Mrs. Zucchini.)
• Zucchini sculptures / creative displays: Participants need advance notice of this event so that they can create either a sculpture or some other kind of artistic endeavor using zucchini. You can give judging criteria in advance or simply give a prize for participation.

As you can see, zucchini are a very useful and fun vegetable!

If you have any ideas to add, please leave details in the comments. Enjoy your zucchini!

I'd die without air conditioning!

I don't know about you, but I don't like the summer heat. I walk the dog in the morning (the earlier and cooler, the better) and then try to stay indoors the rest of the day. Most evenings, however, there is work to be done out in the yard or garden. Mostly Hubby does the outdoor stuff, but tonight I'll pick green beans for the first time this season.

Coming up in August I'll be creating a website to sell copies of Unle Ken Hansen's little book, "Don't let the stuff you leave behind destroy your family." It contains a great way to equitably divide the personal effects of an estate among siblings. Unle Ken has sold or given away over 1,000 books, and I'd like to see what the wonders of the internet can do to keep even more families happily together once their parents pass away. When I get the site up and running, I'll be sure to post an entry with a link. (BTW, does anyone in my neck of the woods have experience creating a website? The last time I created one was back in 2000. Help!)

Yesterday I took an hour or so and culled past posts from this blog for possible inclusion in a book manuscript. I told Hubby my title might be something like, "Thoughts of a Mormon Housewife." He said that he didn't think that would sell very many books. (Thanks, Honey.) So here are some alternate titles. Tell me which you think might entice someone to buy my book.

Love Handles: It's not how we look, but how we love that matters

Temporary Serenity: A Mormon Mother's Quest for Contentment

Lemonade: Making the Most of Life's Lemons

I'd Like to Die Laughing!


Actually, now that I've written those titles, I want to write each one of them. Hey, as long as I'm talking about rejected book titles, I have another one that's been shot down. I've been thinking about writing something along the lines of, "Patience Please! (Pretty please)." I have a friend, I'll call her Linda, who thinks that I should bag writing a book about patience. "No one wants to read a book on patience," she said. "They're either already patient, or they don't want to be patient." Which is probably good advice. Besides, I've yet to acquire a book's worth of patience. And who knows exactly when that will happen.

Enjoy your air-conditioning. (I will be!)

My Hubby is 40!

As I type, homemade carrot cake is baking in the oven. It's my hubby's favorite. I've tried different recipes, but keep coming back to this one:

Best Ever Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 360 degrees

1 c. oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. flour (or tad more)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 c. peeled, grated carrots
1, 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Beat together oil, sugar and eggs until well blended. In a bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Add to egg/sugar mixture and mix well.

Drain pineapple. Add carrots, pineapple and nuts to main mixture. Blend to mix well.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 360 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour -- until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. pkg reduced fat cream cheese at room temp.
1/2 c. (1 cube) butter at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar


In addition to his favorite cake, I also took Hubby a ballon bundle that included four black latex ballons and one mylar one. Attached were two of his favorite snacks: Ranch corn nuts and Flipz yogurt covered pretzels.

If, like my husband, you're getting on in years, here are a few things to do to reconnect with your inner child:

draw a picture with crayons

give it to your mother

get out the play dough and make something

play hopscotch

try to come in while two people are turning a jump rope. (Warning to women who have had more than one child -- incontinence is common when jump roping.)

buy some bubble solution and go to town filling your house/yard with bubbles! (Try not to acknowledge that you enjoyed the bubbles at the end of the Lawrence Welk Show.)

Choose a cloudless night to lie down on the grass and look up at the stars.

Next time you see really great fluffy clouds, lie down on the grass and try to identify recognizable shapes.

Sing the ABC song while washing your hands.

If it's raining, go for a walk and jump in the biggest puddles you can find!

Make mud pies.

Invite a few friends over and play school.

Climb a tree. A really sturdy tree.

Fablehaven Fever . . .

If you were to drop in at our house, you'd probably find a number of us with our noses in a book. A Fablehaven book, to be specific. It started when Beans bought the first book in the series at her school's book fair and had it autographed by the author (Brandon Mull). She loved it! And soon Hubby started reading it. Followed by Loula Belle, myself and then Bug.

When Beans was finished with the first book, she wanted to buy the second one. So I took her shopping and we got it! And the third one too. Ever since then it's been a bit hectic scheduling time with whichever book each of us is currently reading. (I'm ready to start the third one. But Beans took it to school. Probably a good thing, allowing me to actually get something done today.)

Today Loula Belle is ready for book number four. So I bought it! After redeeming my Deseret Book bonus points, I paid a grand total of $1.95. Whee!

If you've yet to read any of these, get started! Our whole family is devouring them.

Blogging is a guilty pleasure!

Here are the things I should be doing:

Writing up an entry from the Friends of the North Logan Library for May's North Logan Newsletter.

Typing up the Young Women acitivies for April to post on the bulletin board.

E-mailing those activities to Sis. Robinson for the ward newsletter and Sunday bulletin.

Distributing the new food items for our 72-hour kits. (We rotate them at General Conference in the spring.)

Taking a nice long walk with the dog.


But what am I doing instead? Blogging! And it feels great!

As you've probably noticed, I haven't been a very consistent blogger lately. But I'm getting the feeling that I'm about to make a comeback.

Earlier in the week while walking the dog I saw a young cat on a porch spying on a flock of house finches twittering in a nearby bush. I wanted to write a poem about it. I WANTED TO WRITE! It's been far too long since I've wanted to write. Just for fun. To stetch my flabby neurons and get them firing again.

Because, here's the thing, I love to write. Sometimes as I'm going about my day I find that I'm thinking my thoughts as a mental composition -- rearranging words, adding a little more description. The grocery list and weekly menu is no longer enough. I need to return to blogging.

It just feels good!

Hiking to Health . . .

Last last year I hit upon a fun way to stay motivated to get in shape. Go hiking! I also approached my local newspaper about the possibility of sharing my exploits with its readers. Well, I just heard back from the features editor. They'd like me to write a once-a-month hiking piece starting in February and going thru September. Watch out Herald Journal readers, HERE I COME!

I'll be combining the Green Canyon hike with this past Saturday's Cherry Creek hike for the first submission. Here are some shots I took on Saturday. For Tina's take on the excursion, visit her blog. (She has better photos.)


This is my sister Sherri and her friend Carl mugging for the camera before we head up the trail.


This is Tina carrying her snowshoes. We discovered that the packed trail didn't really require snowshoes. Speaking for myself, I discovered that the little wider walking stance required for snowshoeing bothered my hips. Curse these hips! Walking up the trail in hiking books was easier.


This is Carl bending down to take off his snowshoes. Notice that he's got my set strapped to his backpack. Thanks Carl! (I ditched mine sooner than everyone else.)

After we'd been hiking for over an hour, the packed trail ended at a cabin. Hmmmm. We'd long ago left our snowshoes under a tree. We trudged up the trail a bit sans snow gear, but decided to call it a hike and turn around.

All in all, I think it was a good idea to ditch the snowshoes. Not only did it save my hips, but it shortened our hike -- made it so that we didn't overdo. I came home feeling like I'd had a workout, but not left totally drained. Perfect!

Next week we'll be hiking Bunchgrass trail up Logan Canyon. E-mail me if you'd like to come along!

My First Robert Burns Dinner . . .

This is Eric, the bagpiper who was playing when we entered the door at our friends's home for our first Robert Burns Commemorative Dinner. If you'd like more information on Robert Burns, you have one of two options. Option 1: You can check out what Wikipedia has to say about him. Option 2: You can find some friends with Scottish ancestry that enjoy throwing elaborate parties and are kind enough to invite you. We went with option #2.















Meet Lez and DeSiree, our friends and ward members. After forgetting to bring my camera to their commorative dinner celebrating Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners, I made sure to get pictures this time. Lez and Des give dinners that would put the spreads you see in glossy magazines to shame. For their miner's dinner, Lez and his son constructed a simulated mine in their basement complete with timber beams, ventilation tubing, and all the fine touches. Knowing their dedication to their Scottish ancestry, I knew to expect an equally authentic environment at the Burns Dinner. I wasn't disappointed. We were treated to live music on the bagpipes. The room for the dinner was draped in swags of tartan with Scottish flags as accents. And the food was, well, Scottish. Posted below is a video of the Parade of the Haggis. And, yes, I sampled the haggis. It was fine. But I must say that I was a bit more appreciative of the other Scottish fare. Except, you've got to love an entree that has such loyal admirers. Tony gave a wonderful rendition of Burns' "Address to a Haggis" and then it was time to dine!









Thank you, Lez and Des for going above and beyond the ordinary to put on a wonderful feast!

A Cold, Clear Day of Skiing

Every direction I looked it was beautiful. Cold, but beautiful. Yesterday my friends Nancy, Leigh and I skied the Beav. When we pulled into the parking lot just before 10 AM Leigh's car said it was -10 degress outside. It was a little hard to belive that a landscape so glistening and picture-perfect could be so cold.

We donned all our gear and headed out for a day on the slopes. Nancy is in yellow (Big Bird), Leigh is in green (Oscar), and I'm in pink (Zoe). Right off we ran into my cousin Tiffany, in blue (Grover). Our Sesame Street gang spent the first half of the morning together before Tiffany had to check back in with the ski school -- she's an instructor with them.




Because of the cold temperatures, we'd ski down a ways, take a breather to let our faces defrost and the "ice cream" headaches wear off a bit before completeing the run. Usually when I go skiing I'm coldest on the lift going up, and skiing down the mountain warms me up, but not yesterday. Riding the lift was balmy compared to the wind factor temps we experienced while skiing down. Leigh said, "It's a good thing my kids aren't up here today. They'd be bawling, it's so cold!" On one of the afternoon runs when the wind kicked up a bit, I even tried skiing backwards to keep the wind from sending biting pieces of ice into my face. But skiing backwards involves snowplowing backwards, and parrallel skiing with legs close together actually proved warmer than skiing backwards.

Here's Leigh, Nancy, and Tiffany on Sunshine. Sunshine was a favorite run as it didn't entail going too fast and was always in the sun. (Shadowy runs were especially chilling.)









I have perfected the skill of taking self-photos! This is Big Bird, Oscar and me on Marge's Triple. This was one of the times that we provided comic relief to anyone who happened to be watching as we got off the chair lift. Nancy about turfed it, but we all managed to stay upright. On another run Leigh was in the middle and, again, we provided a laugh for a couple of watching ski patrollers. They also recognized us when they came into the lodge for lunch. When it came time to head home (a little early) we informed them that they could go home too, as the mountain was now safe with us gone.



All in all, it was an awesome day. A cold day skiing beats a cold day spent anywhere else!

Overweight Housewife Hiking to Health

I sent the following write-up to the features editor of my local paper. I'll let you know of they print it. (Keep your fingers crossed.)
---------------

Everyone has a claim to fame. Mine is that I’m Google’s number one overweight housewife. Meaning, if you type the terms “overweight housewife” in a Google search, my blog will be the first result listed. I should be embarrassed about that, but I’m not. Something in my personality makes me perfectly willing to look bad if it will help someone else feel better. For example, when I end up at the grocery store without my hair done or make-up on, I put a big smile on my face and tell myself that I’m making someone’s day. When other women see me, I just know they’re going to feel a whole lot better about themselves.

I’m bringing my strange sense of altruism to the pages of this newspaper. This year I’m planning to go on two showshoe/hiking outings each month in training to climb the Wellsville Mountains in early September. Basically I’ve subscribed to the idea that things which don’t kill you will make you stronger. Or at the very least, they’ll help you drop a few pounds.

My journey to the top of the Wellsville Mountain range started with a little hike up Green Canyon. I chose this hike first for two reasons. One, I’m familiar with it. I’ve done it before. And two, it’s fairly easy. I didn’t want to keel over from a heart attack on my first outing.

As I pulled into the parking lot at the mouth of Green Canyon, I could see three women just starting to snowshoe up the hillside trail. A couple cars up from my parking spot another woman seemed to be converting a bike trailer into a ski trailer. I’ve never seen anyone pull their child behind them up the canyon while they cross-country skied. Just the thought of it made me break out in a cold sweat.

While my sister and I waited for my friend Tina to arrive, I checked the contents of my fanny pack: two bottles of water, three plastic bags for collecting doggy doo, a hat, gloves, wallet and small emergency mirror to be used for flashing sunlight into the eyes of search pilots sent to rescue our party of hikers should we somehow lose our bearings and become lost. All appeared to be in order. Moments later Tina arrived, and before long our all-female group of three hikers and three dogs headed up the trail.

We left the snowshoes in the truck and trudged cheerfully up the packed, icy slope. The dogs alternated between racing ahead and charging straight back at us. Every time they ran at me I’d stop for a second and brace myself for impact. Four knee surgeries are enough for me, thank you very much. I wasn’t about to let an exuberant dog disable me at the beginning of my hiking career.

From time to time we’d stop for a breather and a little water. My dog, Annie, continued trying to get her new found friends to engage in a little dog-wrestling in the snow, but had no takers. Tina told us the story of how Senator Bob Bennett’s office came to her rescue when she kept getting the run around from the U.S. passport application people. Time flew by, and after almost an hour my knees spoke up and told us it was time to head back down the canyon. They continued to complain as we made our way back to our vehicles.

It was just one hike, but already I’m feeling stronger. Not physically, per se, but mentally. I’m proving to myself one hike at a time that being an overweight housewife with a bum knee can’t stop me from living a healthy life.

Overweight Housewife Hiking to Health

I sent the following write-up to the features editor of my local paper. I'll let you know of they print it. (Keep your fingers crossed.)
---------------

Everyone has a claim to fame. Mine is that I’m Google’s number one overweight housewife. Meaning, if you type the terms “overweight housewife” in a Google search, my blog will be the first result listed. I should be embarrassed about that, but I’m not. Something in my personality makes me perfectly willing to look bad if it will help someone else feel better. For example, when I end up at the grocery store without my hair done or make-up on, I put a big smile on my face and tell myself that I’m making someone’s day. When other women see me, I just know they’re going to feel a whole lot better about themselves.

I’m bringing my strange sense of altruism to the pages of this newspaper. This year I’m planning to go on two showshoe/hiking outings each month in training to climb the Wellsville Mountains in early September. Basically I’ve subscribed to the idea that things which don’t kill you will make you stronger. Or at the very least, they’ll help you drop a few pounds.

My journey to the top of the Wellsville Mountain range started with a little hike up Green Canyon. I chose this hike first for two reasons. One, I’m familiar with it. I’ve done it before. And two, it’s fairly easy. I didn’t want to keel over from a heart attack on my first outing.

As I pulled into the parking lot at the mouth of Green Canyon, I could see three women just starting to snowshoe up the hillside trail. A couple cars up from my parking spot another woman seemed to be converting a bike trailer into a ski trailer. I’ve never seen anyone pull their child behind them up the canyon while they cross-country skied. Just the thought of it made me break out in a cold sweat.

While my sister and I waited for my friend Tina to arrive, I checked the contents of my fanny pack: two bottles of water, three plastic bags for collecting doggy doo, a hat, gloves, wallet and small emergency mirror to be used for flashing sunlight into the eyes of search pilots sent to rescue our party of hikers should we somehow lose our bearings and become lost. All appeared to be in order. Moments later Tina arrived, and before long our all-female group of three hikers and three dogs headed up the trail.

We left the snowshoes in the truck and trudged cheerfully up the packed, icy slope. The dogs alternated between racing ahead and charging straight back at us. Every time they ran at me I’d stop for a second and brace myself for impact. Four knee surgeries are enough for me, thank you very much. I wasn’t about to let an exuberant dog disable me at the beginning of my hiking career.

From time to time we’d stop for a breather and a little water. My dog, Annie, continued trying to get her new found friends to engage in a little dog-wrestling in the snow, but had no takers. Tina told us the story of how Senator Bob Bennett’s office came to her rescue when she kept getting the run around from the U.S. passport application people. Time flew by, and after almost an hour my knees spoke up and told us it was time to head back down the canyon. They continued to complain as we made our way back to our vehicles.

It was just one hike, but already I’m feeling stronger. Not physically, per se, but mentally. I’m proving to myself one hike at a time that being an overweight housewife with a bum knee can’t stop me from living a healthy life.

Finding Joy in Raising Children

For today's entry I'd like to share the informational blurb (read, disclaimer) that I turned into our Stake Relief Soceity counselor for the talk Linda and I are giving on February 28th. (Come if you can!)

Finding Joy in Raising Young Children
If you’re a mom who last found Joy looking under the sink for the liquid dish detergent, then this class is for you! With eight kids between them, these two moms have made over 35,000 meals and changed over 27,000 diapers. They’ll share their best tips for enjoying the journey that is motherhood.

To make yourself feel good today calculate how many meals you've prepared. Or how many diapers you've changed in your lifetime (I used 6/day the first year and 5/day during a child's second year. Deduct 100 for hubby helping a bit.) If you have any other ideas on what might be fun to figure, let me know!

Happy Mothering!

Winter Wonderland

My Versions of Popular Christmas Carols

(All I Want for Christmas Is) To Lose Some Weight
All I want for Christmas is to lose some weight, to lose some weight,
Yes, to lose some weight.
Gee, if I could only seem to lose some weight,
I'd truly have a Merry Christmas.
It seems I always have to say, "No thanks, I'll just have vegetables for dinner."
Gosh, oh gee, how happy I'd be if I were only thinner!
All I want for Christmas is to lose some weight, to lose some weight,
Yes, to lose some weight.
Gee, if I could only seem to lose some weight,
I'd truly have a Merry Christmas.

Down in my Wallet (sung to "Up on the Housetop)
Down in my wallet I look and pause -- It is worth it to play Santa Claus?
Up and down the aisles buying lot of toys -- All for the little ones' Christmas joys.
Ho, ho, ho -- Where'd the money go?
Ho, ho, ho -- Where'd the money go?
After the register goes ching, ching, ching -- Down in my wallet I don't see a thing!

Ruby the Red-faced Parent (sung to "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer)
Ruby the red-faced parent had a very loud-mouthed son.
And everywhere she took him, he offended everyone.
All of the time she'd tell him, "It's impolite to speak so loud."
But still he kept on saying things heard even above a crowd.
Then one fateful shopping trip, Junior was heard to say:
"Mom, that lady sure looks fat. How do you think she got like that?"
Then how his mother wished that she could somehow disappear.
Under her breath she told him, "You are grounded for a year!"


Down the Hall (sung to "Deck the Halls") -- a tribute to mothers
Down the hall the kids come shrieking. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
I think the baby's diaper's leaking. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
My toddler's void of all apparel. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
I guess I'll sing this Christmas carol. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

A Few of Our Favorite Things . . .

It finally came . . . the annual neighborhood gift from the Tippetts. And again, they've outdone themselves. Yes, those are a plate of plain rice cakes wrapped in cellophane. And here's the note that came with them. (Once again, a classic!)



On December 26th of last year our Family Christmas committee met and began throwing out ideas for the gift we would give in the coming year. Our committee knew that if we were to be considered like the house that gives out full size candy bars at Halloween, we couldn't waste any time. This year the committee came to the conclusion because of the financial conditions of the world we would give a versatile gift -- homemade rice cakes.

We failed to find a recipe for homemade rice cakes. Quaker apparently doesn't want anybody to find out their secret formula. We decided that each member of the committee would taste a rice cake then discern by taste the ingredients in them. We unanimously came to the conclusion on the main ingredient. They are called rice cakes, but we determined it was probably to throw you off so you couldn't make your own. We figured the main ingredient was a small rice-shaped type of Styrofoam. We tested various types of Styrofoam until we found one similar in color and which had no taste. This had to be it! With tiny stencils we carved the little rice shaped Styrofoam pieces to add to the mix. It was hard to tell if the second most dominating taste was a heavy paper or cardboard. We decided to go with paper. We took common notebook paper and shredded it and re-shredded it until it turned into a powdery substance. (We hoped the ink wouldn't create any health problems, but would enchance the color of our cakes.) After identifying the two main indredients we knew there must be a binding material to hold these items together. We cheated a little by simply asking local physicians, "What type of glue has no taste and would not be harmful if eaten in small circular amounts?" Our family formula was created over months and months of mixing and testing. We then took the perfect mix and threw batch after batch into the dryer to ensure every ounce of moisture was removed. Once all the moisture was removed, we then placed the dried, tasteless material onto a flat pan and again with stencils we cut the cakes into a perfect circle. It should go without saying that we sang during each phase of this project our favorite family song, "Whistle while you work."

Oh, how we hope that the kids haven't already devoured them. They're much more than a treat. There's been more than one family night when our activity was kick ball or baseball and we didn't have any bases. We simply grabbed four homemade cakes from the pantry and then it was "play ball!" Brush them off and then set them back in the pantry or just enjoy them after the game. Playing indoor hocky and need a puck? Tired of scratching your hardwood floors while playing shuffleboard in the hall? Can't afford clay pigeons for shooting practice? No, they won't break! Just look for the hole to see if you hit your mark then shoot at them again and again. Take an ear swab with a little soap to clean the gun powder residue from the holes to make them safe enough for the grandkids to snack on.

Short on cash for decorations for the Holidays? No problem. Take three of these cakes, put one on top of the other. Place a small hat on the top cake and, voila, you have a snowman to hang on your front door to greet all your friends and neighbors. Hurry fast so you won't be thought of as a copycat. Do you have bald spots on the Christmas tree? Take a handful of cakes, paint them with bright colors, and hang them all over the tree. Oh, what a difference! (Remember take a 30 grit sand paper to remove the paint and get them back into the pantry for future use.)

They're not justs for recreation and decoration. They're a great food storage item. They have no shelf life. Nobody can identify a good one from an expired one. They beauty is that one cake could possibly feed a family of four for up to a month. Remember one tiny piece of cake will expand up to thirty time its size with a little water.

We could go on and on about this glorious circular delight, but the point really is -- we are happy to give the gift filled with a little Styrofoam, a little paper, a little glue and a lot of love.

Love, The Tippetts Family

And now, a little something to say, "Merry Christmas" fellow bloggers:

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Ooooh! I'm so excited! It's snowing. I mean SNOWING! At the moment I'm typing this at the computer with a steaming cup of herbal tea sitting nearby, it's a blizzard outside. The snow is blowing in maybe 15 degrees above horizontal. Every now and then a gust of wind sends the snow off the eaves in thick billowy waves.

I'm loving it! Yes, I do need to head out to our Relief Society Christmas breakfast in 50 minutes. But that will only make me more excited. I'll be thankful to have a front-wheel drive car to get me to the church safe and sound. But after it's stopped snowing, I'll be thankful for my truck. Yes, it has available four-wheel drive, but mostly it's rear-wheel drive. Which means it's great for doing fishtails and donuts.

(Note: Earlier this week I drove the truck to drop off Bug for basketball at the church. There was a snowy area of the parking lot that is on the north side of a line of lilac bushes. I decided to let it help me get turned around. Wheee! It was a bit more helpful than I had thought it would be. A group of cub scouts saw my free-wheeling turnabout method and watched with open mouths. I was grinning from ear to ear. Bug was a bit distrubed, but in the end thought it was fun too.)

Yes, I love snow!

A little lightness for Friday

Flashlight Girl forwarded me this video. I thought it was funny. I'll be looking forward to the kids' bedtimes. They can't sass me in their sleep. At least when they're sleeping I know they're not ignoring me. (I'm just sure that I was never a grumpy attitudinal teenager. Never. Not me.)


A few of mom's favorite things by Hillary Weeks

Rustic Christmas Tree -- inexpensive too!

I used my discretionary money that had been accumulating and bought my first artificial Christmas tree -- prelit! I love it! We put it up after Thanksgiving and decorated it the next day.

The only thing I needed to buy was the raffia for the garland. (It cost $1.58 at WalMart.) The red twigs came from our dogwood bushes. I trimmed them a couple weeks ago and saved the beautiful red branches.

The berry-looking sprigs are rose hips that I trimmed from a wild bush growing along a canal that I pass everyday when I walk my youngest to school. A few years ago I put fresh spruce cuttings, rose hips and some other berry-looking cuttings above my kitchen cabinets, along our mantle, and above the entertainment center. It was beautiful (and free!) but dried out and was a real pain to clean up. The rose hips, however, are pretty mess free. Ditto the dogwood.

About the cookies . . . Way back when I was in college and dated Dave Fenton, I saw his mother's tree hung with gingerbread cookies with white piping. I loved it! And got the recipe. I didn't marry Dave, but I've been using his mom's Swedish Rolled Ginger Cookie recipe to decorate our Christmas trees since 1995 (maybe even a couple years more). Here it is:

Swedish Rolled Ginger Cookies

1 c. shortening
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. molasses
1 egg
2 Tbsp. vinegar
3 3/4 c. flour
2 - 3 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in molasses, egg, and vinegar. Stir in flour w/ ginger, soda, cinnamon, clobes and salt; Mix well. Chill 3 hours.

Generously flour surface and roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Place 1" apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 min. (5 to 6 min. if you're not planning to hang them). If hanging, make hole in each cookie before removing from baking sheet. (I use a pair of clean needle-nose pliers.) Let cookies cool completely on wire rack.

For icing: I only use milk and powdered sugar. (This year I added vanilla so that my icing would be off-white to match the raffia.) It needs to be fairly thick so that it won't run when you work with it. Put a large spoonful into a ziplock sandwich bag. Cut a tiny corner off the bottom of bag and use as a pastry bag. Let your kids help! This year I mandated a lot of outlined cookies, but most years we go wild with icing and have a variety of designs on the tree.





This is what my tree will look like by the time Christmas rolls around. You see, part of our tradition is to let the kids eat the cookies off the tree up until Christmas -- one a day. Then on Christmas Eve we take the remaining cookies off and either eat them or leave them for Santa.

Note: I knew we'd miss the smell of pine after years of having real Christmas trees. So I've been looking for a plug-in pine scent to use with our new tree. (Safety Man insists that candles are too dangerous. Even candle warmers don't make the cut for him.) I found the perfect scent at Bath and Body Works. It's heavenly! (If you look closely at the top photo of the tree, you'll see the scentport plugged in at the bottom right.)

Best Ward Talent Number I've ever seen!

Muchas thank you! to Angie W. who forwarded the Mormon Syncronized Swim Team link to me. I about died laughing! It's perfect for a Fun Friday post. So enjoy! But don't forget to check out my tagged photo below too. Angie tagged me, and I'm tagging Nomad, Flashlight Girl, Allie and Heidi.



Tagged Photo I'm actually fairly fastidious about my digital photo files. I download photos and put them is one of three places: to develop, temporary, and keepers. Once the 'to develop' folder gets fairly full I burn the files to CD and print out the photos at Sam's Club. I don't store a lot of photos on my computer. It slows it down.



Now, about this photo. This past memorial day Hubby took along the camera when we went to visit graves. This is a photo of the headstone for my grandparents' graves. And there's a funny story to go with it.

When Loula Belle was four or five years old I said something about going to visit Grandma Austin. "Which one?" she asked. "The one with red hair or the one that's resurrected?" That's right. Lou thought that my Grandma Austin (her Great-grandma Austin) was resurrected. She'd read Grandma's name on this headstone when we'd gone to visit on memorial day. (It didn't have the death date then, but Lou didn't notice that.) She thought that meant that Grandma had died. But since she could hug and kiss Grandma, that must mean that . . . Grandma was resurrected! (Don't you love the faith and knowledge that kids naturally have?!)

Also, I fudged a bit on picking the fourth photo of the file. This wasn't the fourth photo. But I need to write about my Grandma Austin. Yesterday I went to the temple. I wear a temple apron that my dear grandma hand-stitched, so every visit to the temple reminds me of her and the humble, sweet, kind life she lived. I always come away from a visit to the temple more dedicated to live a Christ-like life, and I can't help but wonder if thinking about my Grandma Austin is part of the reason for my renewed dedication. She's as close to perfect as anyone I've ever known. And I miss her.

Kick Butt Workout Tunes

Starting this week I'm going to only blog three times a week. I also wanted to add some structure to my posts. You can plan on reading about

Motivation on Mondays

Wellness on Wednesdays

Food on Fridays

Today I'd like to write about what tunes get me motivated, really pump me up when I work out. I have a play list on my i-pod that I call "kick butt." That means that songs are over 110 beats per second and make me want to move.

Here's a list of some of my favorites:

All Fired Up, Pat Benatar
Call Me, Blondie
You Give Love a Bad Name, Bon Jovi
Holding Out for a Hero, Bonnie Tyler
The Cup of Life, Ricky Martin
Kids Wanna Rock, Bryan Adams
Pump up the Jam, Technotronic
Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
What I Want, Chris Daughtry
Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne
Women, Foreigner
Invincible, Pat Benatar
She is Beautiful, Andrew W.K.
Follow You Home, Nickelback
Another One Bites the Dust, Queen

You can hear the songs by clicking "play" on the link in the left column of this blog. It's under Healthy Housewife's Kick Butt Tracks.

What songs motivate you to move?

----- Menu: Sunday, Nov. 2nd -----

6:30 AM
2 Tbsp. cream cheese fruit dip (8)

7:40 AM
2 eggs fried in bacon fat (1)
1 c. frozen raspberries (6)
1/2 c. 2% milk (6)
packet Splenda

12:40 PM
chicken breast in a bit of Italian cream cheese sauce (3)
12 pistacios (1)
1 c. frozen raspberries (6)
20 almonds (1)
1 pkt. Swiss Miss no-sugar added hot cocoa (9)
green salad with tomatoes, ranch (8)
roast beef

5:00 PM
small gala apple (15)
2 tsp. cream cheese fruit dip (3)
chicken breast in a bit of Italian cream cheese sauce (5)
small serving of noodles with Italian cream cheese sauce (25)
=====

Total Net Carbs: 97

Pumpkin Walk Scenes . . .

No surprise, but I am a witch. At the community Pumpkin Walk every year. This fall I scared the little kiddies. Actually, I unintentionally did scare a few when I cackled for the Herald Journal reporter/photographer. And no, I don't think that the HJ is going to run the interview. I witched on Friday from 9 AM to 11 AM, and the paper hasn't featured anything yet. Most of the time when kids approach I smile and ask them what they're going to be for Halloween. If they look a bit scared, I ask them if they think I'm a real witch. That's when I lift my 1/2 mask (green make-up irritates my skin BAD!) and explain that I'm really just a mom. Then I ask them, "Is your mom a witch?" You'd be surprised how many little kids nod their heads up and down. (Tee-hee!)

But enough about me. Here are just a few shots I took before my witching duties began:


This is a rendition of local cyclist, Brent Carpenter. The theme at this year's pumpkin walk is "Calling all Heroes." I think Brent's energy, enthusiasm and miles biked each year are all pretty heroic.

















My friends Raquelle and Jeanette created this display. And they used nine of my wigs. (See Alison, I told you I've got tons of costume possibilities.)

















This Noah's Ark display is well done! Click on this photo and check out the mane on the lion. Amazing!

















I saved the best for last! I died laughing at the elephant's hind ends. Someone has amazing creative abilities! (Alison, the 'butt pumpkin' reminds me of the year that Ethan accidentally picked the 'butt squash' that I had growing in my garden.) You gotta love vegetables that resemble butts!