Thursday, December 20, 2012

A Feast of Carols Video

A Feast of Carols
 
If you are interested in seeing Sarah's Feast of Carols performance, here you go! Click the link...she is about an hour and five minutes into the performance, so fast forward a bit. She is the one in the red shirt...She is on the far right side on the very end of the row; one person down from the top (white skirt).
FYI African Noel is at about 43 min.
Enjoy!
 
 
 

Monday, December 10, 2012

A Swingin' Holiday

Here is one of the songs Sarah sang with her school choir last week at A Feast of Carols.


Monday, December 3, 2012

Christmas Time Music!

 
Sarah was in The Feast of Carols last night. The Feast of Carols is the big Christmas community event where the choirs, chamber singers and symphony come together so sing Christmas songs. Although this wasn't one that Sarah sang (it was sung by Walla Walla University I Cantori); it was a favorite of everyone in our family. I hope your family enjoys this African Noel as much as ours did!
 
 
 
 
 
 
*This is a YouTube video. This is not actual video from The Feast of Carols. 

Friday, November 30, 2012

November Foodie Pen Pal

   My real-life friend, Leila, has blog called Spinach and Skittles that I follow. She has been participating in something called Foodie Pen Pals and it looked like fun. She was posting about boxes of yummy food people were sending her through FPP. I decided to give it a try this month. I mean who wouldn't like getting a box of presents? And then when you open it, it is filled with food! Delicious food that someone has hand picked as a special treat just for you!
Yes please.

   So I signed up for it and gathered my foods from around Walla Walla and sent my package off to Debbie in California.

   But then came the day that I had been waiting for. I got my first box of food! All the way from Boston! And it was everything I had been dreaming of!


   Emily from Stay Happy Stay Healthy was my Foodie Pen Pal this month. She is so sweet! She looked up Walla Walla and when realizing we didn't have a Trader Joe's near by went and hooked be up with some of her Trader Joe favorites. She didn't realize I have never been inside a Trader Joe's before. It was so cool to get a taste of what everyone else has been talking about and it was even better because Emily was my personal shopper. I love how she attached a cute little note to everything to tell me a little about how she uses the food.
   The Pumpkin Pie Spice was the first thing I tried. I put some in with my coffee and had a homemade pumpkin spice latte. Here is the recipe, Emily. Now you have another recipe for your pumpkin pie spice that is oh-so-good. Emily gave me her Pumpkin Pie Granola recipe which uses pumpkin pie spice of course. AND she sent along a bag of her homemade Pumpkin Pie Granola! I am not exaggerating when I say this is the best granola that I have EVER tasted! I have not made granola before but I enjoy buying the bags of granola from the old ladies at the farmer's market. Not only did she give me the best granola recipe; she gave me suggested substitution that turns the recipe into Vanilla Cookie Granola. WHAT! I can't wait to get my granola baking on!
   The Trader Joe's Spicy Black Bean Dip is delicious and rather addicting. I had some with chips. I probably could have just dipped my finger in because it is so good though. Emily said she also eats it with eggs or tuna. Oh My! I think a tuna fish and black bean sandwich is in my near future. I would have never thought to put this combo in a sandwich but I am going to trust Emily. Obviously she has amazing taste buds!
   Like Emily said, "This dark chocolate is to die for!" I love chocolate, but not the kind that is over processed and tastes similar to probably eating plastic. This only has 5 ingredients and doesn't have the yucky processing after taste. Only chocolate. Because it's dark chocolate it must be good for me, right? I took a stash for at work. It's a good thing too. I've needed a happy place the last few days. But that's why I love teaching. Never a dull moment. Funny thing though...Emily puts the chocolate in yogurt but mine always disappears before I can get it into the yogurt.
    My little family and I spent the day before Thanksgiving at some close friends' house making cookies. The kids had so much fun with the cookie cutters. I especially though the brown gingerbread leaves were especially festive for Autumn.
   I am sitting here writing on this crisp fall morning while I warm up with the Prince of Peace Green Tea. I stirred in a bit of local honey for sweetness and I have a cup of warm bliss. What a wonderful way to start out my day. I am savoring the last sip of my tea and my peace because it is that time of day where school morning chaos begins.

Thank you Emily!

The Lean Green Bean



Lindsey from The Lean Green Bean and who runs FPP is doing something special next month's FPP
 
Instead of exchanging boxes; everyone gives what they would have spent on the box of food for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.


Come on, you know you want to join!



Monday, November 12, 2012

The Kids' Table

Because the adult table is waaaayyyyy over rated!
 
 
Looking forward to sitting with my cousins at The Kids' Table again this year!
 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Beautiful Eyes

Sarah decorated her glasses with rainbow hair ties.


 
Love her style!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Thankful

 
To get us in the Thankful Mood.
 
I read a quote that that really made me contemplate...
 
 
So...
What are you thankful for?

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

 
 
 
These are seriously the easiest muffins to bake.
EVER!


1 box Spice Cake Mix
15oz pumpkin (plain pumpkin)
1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven according to the cake mix.
Mix the cake mix and the pumpkin.
And then mix it some more.
Pour in the chocolate chips and mix some more.

Pour into greased muffin tin. I like to use the little cupcake wrappers.
Bake. For a long time. They are dense so they will tale longer to bake. The box said 18-20 minutes and I think I baked them at 30 minutes or longer. Just keep an eye on them.
They do not rise much. I ended up with 18 muffins instead of 24.

Great for a fall snack or for breakfast.

Also:
Sometimes I individually wrap them and then freeze. My Hubby likes to grab them out of the freezer frozen and take them to work. By the time he gets there and is in his morning meeting the muffins are thawed and he eats his breakfast during his meeting. Pumpkin muffins and coffee. :o)

Optional:
I bought some cream cheese frosting and turned a few into "cupcakes"

Monday, October 29, 2012

Where I Belong


I love this song by Building 429! Every time it comes on the radio I turn it up and the kids and I sing our little hearts out. Besides being all kinds of fun to sing it also delivers a powerful message.
When the going gets tough, keep your eyes focused on Jesus and remember that we're not home yet.
This isn't it.
 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Burlesque

Date night at the Power House Theatre

 
The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland
 
The Hubby and I had a great time.
I thought it would be Alice in Wonderland with a little burlesque...
It was more burlesque with a little Alice in Wonderland.
 
The costumes were amazing, the music was fun and the dancing was upbeat, energetic and oh so sexy! All the women were beautiful (the men weren't too bad either). There were some skinny-minnies. I thought it was so cool though to see "real" women dancing. They even had a few jiggles.
That. Is. So. COOL!
I have some jigglie places too.
The confidence those women have is so sexy!
I don't think I'll take up burlesque dancing but I would love to have that kind of naked confidence.
And a few of their rockin' costumes would be fun too!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Sloppy Joe-Lanterns

My friend, Tasha and I were talking after school and neither of us quite knew what we were having for dinner. Tasha mentioned Sloppy Joe's.
GREAT IDEA!
So off to the store I went.
I had to pick up Pumpkin Muffin ingredients to make with my classes. They had a great deal on all of the ingredients.
All 3 ingredients.
After I made the Sloppy Joe's I looked at my kids' plates and had a moment of brilliance. I know because Madison told me it was brilliant.

 
Sloppy Joe-Lanterns!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

 
 
Here is a website with information of domestic violence including phone numbers.
 
Domestic violence is so much more than just physical.
 
 
And happens to adults and children.
 
 
 
 

Friday, October 19, 2012

Beach Trip 2012 Part 2

 MJ: Livin' the Thug Life
 
Our view from our room










I posted these pictures because they show Benjamin being Benjamin. I have no idea what he was doing but he definitely had some games he was playing. All by himself. Running this way and that. Always with an air of seriousness.


Our view in the evening

You can see our hotel behind Sarah.

us girls

Very seriously building something


Peace Yo!

The kids' first Beach Trip!


One last look


Waving good-bye to the waves


Benjamin did not make it far before falling asleep exhausted!




The top of Multnomah Falls

The bottom of Multnomah Falls