Ella in motion

Since going to the Nutcracker at Christmas Ella has been obsessed with ballet. It has been so much fun to watch her in her classes. She is such a determined little girl. They do several exercises across the length of the room to build up muscles -she takes it very seriously and works hard to do each exercise correctly so "she can become a ballerina."

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks:







And one from after class:

On my radar - Valentine's Edition

I've seen so many great Valentine ideas lately. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Check out these cute teacher gifts from Chris at Just a Girl. So cheap. So easy. So awesome! I think I'm going to make some for my bathrooms too.



2. I'm in love with the simplicity of this wreath Our Suburban Cottage. She has instructions over on her site.



3. How awesome are these Valentine's by vol25? I love her prints and stalk her Etsy store. I tried to talk Ella into the Valentine's but she had her heart set on cheapo Disney princess valentines. We picked them up the other day and she is so excited to hand them out.

4. I saw the cutest hair idea for Valentine's day on The Story of a Princess and her hair. Can't wait to try it on Ella.

5. Finally, a couple fun things to do with leftover candy canes from Christmas. This syrup looks so yummy! For the recipe head over to Story Book Woods


Candy Cane words - brilliant!



I just finished a marathon of real estate appraisals this week. I don't think I have ever worked so long or hard. I'm excited to have only a couple this coming week. We have some fun Valentine traditions that we do every year that I hope to have posted in the next few days. Can't go wrong with a holiday all about love!

WFMW - Cooking with YouTube

My awesome little brother Matt is visiting us right now and showed me my favorite cooking tip for the week.

This is so simple - it's genius. If you are ever stuck trying to come up with something to make for dinner (me - almost every night), head on over to YouTube. You can do a simple search for whatever main ingredient you have, i.e. beef recipes, chicken recipes, etc. You can take it a step further and add adjectives like "healthy," "easy," "gourmet," or whatever to the mix. YouTube is full of short cooking videos . I'm a visual person when it comes to food so this is better for me than searching through recipe books.

For more great tips and ideas head to Shannon's blog where she hosts Works for me Wednesday every week.

For more great tips and ideas head to Shannon's blog where she hosts Works for me Wednesday every week.

My previous WFMW posts:

Sweet Spinach Bread
Library Bags
Letterboxing
Curling Ribbon
Safe Plastics
5 Ingredients or Less
Laundry Tip
DIY Lip Gloss
Tips for Clothes Shopping with girls
How to teach a child to swallow pills
Removing old stickers, adhesive, etc.
Easy Hair Bow Instructions
Managing school papers
Fall Traditions
Coupon Binder
Toys Worth Buying - Board Games
Extending Battery Life

Fun Valentine Project

I saw this wreath on Little Birdie Secrets and thought it would be a fun one to try with Ella. So we headed to the fabric store and she picked out material that matches her Minnie Mouse costume.


It's super duper easy, all you need is fabric cut into two inch squares, Elmer's glue, styrofoam wreath, and a pencil (the remote is optional). The whole project cost less than $5.00 with coupons at Joann's. You can see step by step directions and pictures here. Basically you just put the tip of the pencil in the middle of each square of fabric, wrap the fabric around the tip, dip it in the glue, and stab it into the heart.

We worked on this here and there for a couple of days. She would put some squares on and then I would fill in around each square for her. We took turns putting the squares on and cutting the fabric.




(Sorry the pics are so dark, I'm too tired right now to go back and fix them in Photoshop)

I think it turned out really cute! We are going to hang it with a satin ribbon on her bedroom door. I think she has really liked watching the progress day to day. It is fun to see how proud she is of her finished wreath.

Need a Liahona?

Apologies in advance to my non-LDS readers, this post really won't make a lot of sense to you. Jump to the bottom of the post for a really brief explanation.

For New Beginnings last week, we needed a lot of Liahona's for our skit. We were trying to figure out how to make some that would look nice and still be cost effective. We thought of spray painting styrofoam balls, using christmas ornaments and attaching dowels, trying gold leaf on a round ball, etc. Nothing seemed just right. Our Young Women's president was in JoAnn's picking up supplies to try and make some when she found these decorative balls for 70% off (originally $6.99). It ended up being cheaper to buy these instead of making something ourselves.

I went to JoAnn's today and picked up one to have at home. For $2.00 it makes a great Liahona to have for lessons, family home evening, etc. If you want to go pick one up, they are in the world market section (I think that's what it is called). The whole section is clearanced.

The picture is not the best. If you can't tell, there are engravings around the top and bottom of it. Spencer points out that it is not technically accurate but I think it is fine for a visual. We were quite pleased with how they looked on stage.

Young Women's is the organization we have in our church for 12-18 year old girls. I am in the Young Women's presidency. We have 30+ girls in our group. Every year in January we have a program for the girls and their parents. The Liahona is an object that is talked about in the Book of Mormon.

WFMW - Extending Battery Life

Here's a quick tip I learned from my cousin when I became a real estate appraiser. The last thing you want to have happen on an appraisal is for your batteries to die. If that happens, you have to schedule another time to come out and take pictures and reinspect. So if your batteries ever die in your camera and you don't have replacements, here's what you do:

1. Take all batteries out.

2. Rub batteries between hands.

3. Put batteries back in camera.

4. Take 2-3 more pictures.

5. Repeat if needed.

This will give you a couple more pictures each time. I have done this four times back to back and was able to get 12 more pictures after my batteries died the first time. I wonder how long it would keep working, maybe I'll have to test that some time.

For more great tips and ideas head to Shannon's blog where she hosts Works for me Wednesday every week.

My previous WFMW posts:

Sweet Spinach Bread
Library Bags
Letterboxing
Curling Ribbon
Safe Plastics
5 Ingredients or Less
Laundry Tip
DIY Lip Gloss
Tips for Clothes Shopping with girls
How to teach a child to swallow pills
Removing old stickers, adhesive, etc.
Easy Hair Bow Instructions
Managing school papers
Fall Traditions
Coupon Binder
Toys Worth Buying - Board Games

DC minus 2.5 million

Here we are waiting for the inauguration to start.



Can you believe the awesome seats we got?

Nothing can beat sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the mall.









Notice anything missing? How about 2+ million people? Okay so we weren't actually there today, these pictures are from our last visit to the Lincoln memorial just over a month ago when my sister was visiting.

Living in northern VA means that we often get to visit the monuments whenever we have company. But no matter how many times I've been to the Lincoln memorial, it never fails to inspire me. I don't think it is possible to be there without feeling such a strong sense of reverence and awe for such a remarkable man and an enormous sense of hope and pride for our country.



Spencer read every word of this . . .



and this . . .



. . . much to Ella's chagrin.


I couldn't get over how beautiful the sky was that cold day. It is amazing how many things have happened on those very steps.

We visited other monuments but I'll save those pictures for another time maybe.




One last look at the Washington monument before heading home:

Target - Sale is on!

Quick update - Looks like the sale is on almost everywhere now. Most stores started the 75% off yesterday, including my local Target. I'm so sad I didn't get a chance to go yesterday. We had New Beginning's last night at church and I was doing last minute things all day for that. I'm now going to brave the bitter cold to see what's left. Hope everyone got some great deals!

Target 75% off Toys!

So if I have any readers left after my hiatus from blogging, I have a great tip for you. Sources say that the huge toy clearance is happening either tomorrow (Jan. 14th) or the following Weds. (Jan 21st). Everything I have read points to tomorrow being the day. Target typically does this twice a year and I LOVE this sale. I buy almost all my birthday gifts for the year here. I plan on being there tomorrow at opening. If the sale is tomorrow I will update my blog and let you know. Happy shopping!

ETA: Baby and toddler clothes are 75% off right now!

One Big Helping of Mommy Guilt

Just as I was getting over bronchitis a couple of weeks ago - Ella came down with a cold. Her symptoms seemed different from mine and she was still running around nonstop so I didn't think much of it. One night as I was getting her ready for bed, Ella looked up at me and said "Mama I so sick, why you not take me to my doctor." She looked so pathetically cute. You have to understand that Ella is our resident drama queen. She will sit and search her body for little spots that need immediate band-aid attention. She LOVES to announce what is ailing her. So I told her she just had a cold and would be better in a few days. A couple more days go by and Ella was still running a low fever and had developed a cough so I debated whether or not to take her in. My kids somehow usually make a miraculous recovery on the way to doctors appointments and I'm always told they have a virus and to let it run its course. Ella still seemed fine (she was playing as usual) but something in the back of my mind kept nagging me to make an appointment. So I called and got her an appointment fully expecting to be told the usual "it's a virus, etc."

We got to the office and went back to do her vitals. The crazy thing is her oxygen sats were low. We had to stay their for hours while they did three different breathing treatments. This isn't a new thing for us. Ella has needed breathing treatments/inhalers before (back when she was under 2). But in the past, I would hear the wheezing, labored breathing, or the tightness in her chest. This time - everything sounded completely clear to me. It kind of freaked me out that her sats were low without me noticing a change. I felt so bad that I hadn't taken her in sooner - especially after she kept asking me to call the doctor.

We were sent home with a nebulizer which Ella loved. The doctor told her it was just like breathing clouds. True to her dramatic self, Ella loved recanting the whole story to anyone who would listen. When it was time for her next treatment at home she announced to Lance and Spencer that they must come watch. She then very ceremoniously put the mask on and would dab at her eyes every couple of minutes with a tissue. She is such a ham.

After six days of using the nebulizer and a couple more doctor visits, we were finally able to return it. Hallelujah - no more steroids.

We spent this past week with lots of cuddling on the couch. We are all finally healthy again and BOTH kids will be in school tomorrow. Now I just need to get my house cleaned . . .

New Year's Eve Traditions

I'm still here - I just caught a horrible case of bronchitis. I hope to be able to update my blog more regularly again by next week but I wanted to quickly share some of our New Year's Eve traditions, it's one of my kids favorite nights of the year.

New Years Eve for us is a family night. We stay up until midnight playing all the different games the kids (and adults) got for Christmas. My parents did this when I was a kid and I remember loving that we had their complete attention for a good 5 hours. We start the night with pizza and soda - this year I making double stuffed crust pizza at the request of Spencer. I try to have pictures out at the table of the past year and we talk about our year and the year ahead. We try and make at least one family resolution for the new year. Then we break out the games!

Some other things we do to make the night more special -

- We set all the alarm clocks in the house to go off at midnight.

- We each eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight to bring 12 months of good luck.

- We watch the countdown together and then go bang pots and pans. I think this year we are going to have everyone leap off the couch and chairs (i.e. leaping into the New Year).

- I try to make (or buy) different fun snack food that the kids don't usually have.

There have been years where we have done nothing but play games and eat pizza, and years where I have gone all out with extra stuff - but what the kids remember most is the time spent with them.

This year if I feel up to it, we are heading down to Old Town in the evening to participate in some of the First Night Family Activities but we will be home in plenty of time for family game night.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We have so enjoyed the family time this past week (even with bronchitis and all). I would love to hear your New Year's Eve plans. What do you do to ring in the New Year?

My Favorite Nativity 2008

12 Days of Christmas - Nativity

I am so in love with this idea of counting down the 12 days of Christmas with the Nativity. Every day you add a piece to the Nativity and read the poem or story that goes along with it. We started tonight and will end on Christmas Eve but if you want to do it there is still time to start tomorrow and end on Christmas Day. It couldn't be easier - all you need is the nativity. And if you don't have that, I would find pictures on the internet, print them up, and add them that way.

My MIL gave us this nativity a couple of years ago and it is one of my favorite things to get out every year at Christmas time. The kids can play with it nonstop without fear of damaging it. Ella has been moving the pieces around for days as she tells the story of Jesus's birth in her own words. She also has been adding her own version of the story as she goes along, I think once I even heard mention of McDonald's somewhere in there.

Tonight we took all the pieces away except the trees and put them in a box. This really got her attention. We told both kids that we are celebrating Christ's birth in 12 days and we are going to learn each night a little more about the event. Tonight we started with Mary. Along with the poem found on the link above, I included a scripture and talked about the different things thatMary did as a mother. We then placed just Mary on the nativity. Ella loved hearing about Mary because she is playing her in her preschool's Christmas program.

This whole thing lasted approx. 5 minutes. We did it right after dinner while everyone was still in one spot. I'm hoping that by focusing on one character each night, it will give the kids a greater understanding of the significance of Christ's birth.

Thrift store to the rescue

I know we have all moved on to Christmas but indulge me with a Thanksgiving post - I never got a chance to get this up!


So I've mentioned that we hosted Thanksgiving this year at my house at last minute notice. Have I mentioned that I'm a perfectionist?? That once I have an idea in my head I can't let it go??? I really wish I could change this about myself - so does Lance :)

Well . . . upon finding out that we were having Thanksgiving here, I decided I had to have all white matching dishes, among a billion other things to make the day perfect. I knew I couldn't justify it to Lance though. Enter Goodwill. I was there gathering up some cheap frames to alter when I got the brilliant idea to check the dishes. I had to dig and dig but ended up walking away with 16 place settings for just over $30!!! Pretty spiffy, huh? They are such nice dishes that I ran through the dishwasher which made them look sparkly and new. I also was able to score some great Pottery Barn Thanksgiving dishes for the kids table . . . I will have to dig up a pic of that.



For the runner I got a piece of burlap from Walmart for $5. I like it so much both the pinecones and runner are staying up through Christmas. I think it goes well with my nativity and garland. It will be super easy to change the place settings to a more Christmasy feel by just changing out the napkins and wheat.

I got so many compliments on Thanksgiving. I usually feel the need to divulge all my good deals but kept my mouth shut for once - pretty impressive for me - although now all my secrets are out.

An oldie but a goodie - recipe

I got this recipe from my SIL Michelle when I was a young newlywed (11+) years ago when Lance and I were both in college. We loved it but hardly ever made it because in those days a dish that required both cream cheese and parmesan cheese was too expensive for our tastes. I forgot completely about it until yesterday afternoon when suddenly I had such a craving for it. Strange that I can remember something clearly from over a decade ago but ask me what we did yesterday and I'll have no idea. Anyway, I checked our family recipe book to see if the recipe was in there and it was!

When I made it, I used a bunch of chicken tenderloins (approx. 14) instead of the 8 chicken breasts. I grilled them instead of boiling, chopped them up, and set aside some for Spencer before adding to the broccoli and cheese sauce.

Dinner was so yummy last night. Perfect winter dish. Did you know that broccoli contains omega-3 EFAs? It is great to eat dark green veggies in the winter months because they contain omega-3s which helps boost our moods during the months when we are getting less sunshine. Pretty cool, eh? So while you're lamenting the fact that you are eating a calorie laden divine sauce of parmesan cheese and cream cheese, just remind yourself that you are getting LOTS of broccoli with it which your body needs (at least that is what I told myself - I'm the queen of rationalization).

Here's the recipe -

2 big heads of broccoli
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
8 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
2 cups milk
2 packages of 8 oz. cream cheese

Cut broccoli into mini trees and place on bottom of casserole dish. Boil chicken and cut it into thin slices. Put sliced chicken on top of broccoli.

Cheese sauce: On low heat, combine milk, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and garlic salt. Beat until smooth.

Pour cheese sauce over chicken and broccoli. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes, uncovered.