Spider's On My Cookie?

I had been searching for something fun to make for a little Halloween treat and was searching some of my favorite sites and I came across these adorable little cookies from Bakerella. I just love Bakerella, she does things that any ordinary person can do and gives step by step instructions which make the recipes pretty much fool proof. When I saw these cookies I knew I had to do them sometime this week and I knew Parker would love to help me make them. Well I had the chance to make them yesterday and can I just say they were a huge hit!! We had a little birthday party out at Matt's dad's house to celebrate Parker's upcoming birthday as well as his little cousins Macee and Avery. We had a great time as usual, good food, good company, and lots of sugar!! The kids were running around like crazy from all the sugar and treats they had eaten. We had such a fun time and Parker really got spoiled from all the gifts he received. Thank you so much everyone for being so good to our family. And thank you Chris and Kerry for hosting. We love you all!!! I am going to post the recipe on our family's recipe sharing blog. It is on the right side of my blog, titled Family Recipes go there to check it out!


Bakerella's Cookies

My Cookies

They aren't as perfect as Bakerella's, nor are the pictures as clear, but you get the point and I am sure they were equally delicious if not more, I made the cookies from scratch and she used a mix. Nothing wrong with a mix, but scratch is definitely better!!

Pumpkin Carving

I hesitated to carve pumpkins at all this year because the squirrels on our block are such a nuisance. I felt like we planted a garden just to feed the squirrels since we didn't get any corn, any pumpkins of the 5 we grew, and no butternut squash. So I was pretty upset that the squirrels benefited from our hard work and we didn't get to reap the rewards, so I was hesitant to carve pumpkins with the kids because I didn't want to spend all the time and money just to have them out one day before the squirrels destroy them. But I decided that I just had to do a pumpkin carving night, it has become a tradition in out little family and Parker was really excited about it. So Parker went to the store with Matt and picked out 4 pumpkins for out family. I called my parents to see if they wanted to participate, they said they would come over and just watch. (we were bored on a Friday night, and so were they) So when Matt returned with a daddy, a mommy, a kid size, and a baby pumpkin we were all set and ready to go. My dad ended up helping Parker and my mom helped Paige, who could care less what was going on. Matt and I were able to carve our own and before we knew it we had a family of pumpkins. I decided to go off the normal and I carved out a pumpkin that said "BOO" it turned out rather cute and I think I got the award for most detailed and longest time taken. I finished way after everyone else. Parker was anxious for me to finish so we could light them all and see them together. Finally I finished and we had 4 very cute Jack-o-Lanterns. Now we are hoping the squirrels don't devour them before we can really enjoy them. Anyone got any ideas how to keep the squirrels away??

Fall Leaves

Parker had been bugging me for a few days to go outside with him and rake the leaves into a BIG pile so he could jump in them. Well I had been putting it off, and kept forgetting about it until it was usually dark or too cold outside, (convenient huh!) Well the other day I remembered and took him outside to rake the few leaves that had fallen in our back yard. I was surprised at how much help he really was this year. He can actually rake the leaves into a pile and he did help quite a bit! After we had gotten them in a pile I told him he could jump in them, but first he had to go find his daddy to show him the BIG PILE! He can't do anything without his daddy! So Matt and Paige came out and Parker dove right into the pile of leaves laughing as he went. He had a great time playing in the leaves, we even burried him a few times. Paige on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the leaves, she hated the feel of them on her and started crying when we tried to bury her in the leaves. I love the fall colors and the cool crisp mornings. I love going outside with the kids and seeing them have so much fun with nature. Most of all I love taking pictures with all of the fall colors and the 2 cutest kids in the world!! (I'm the mother, I can say that about my kids, right!)

Scrapbooking

I just got back yesterday from a weekend filled with paper, brads, ribbon, stamps, eyelets, ink, staples and pictures and it was so fun. I went with my mom, my sister and a close family friend of ours to a place in Lava where we stayed the entire weekend indoors scrappin til our hearts content. We arrived on Thursday night and unloaded all our stuff, it was a miracle we got it all into one vehicle. Our overnight bags were so small compared to all the stuff we took along "just in case" we needed it for scrapbooking. We stayed up until about midnight getting things organized and ready to go before heading to bed. When we woke up we went straight to the table to start on out projects. I completed an 8x8 album with 20 pages from our Cruise to Baja and also did 23 12x12 pages mostly of the kids. I stayed up until 3 in the morning Saturday and got quite a bit done. Towards the ends of the weekend I hit a creative wall and couldn't' seem to get anything done. Everything I started didn't end up working or I didn't like it so I pretty much looked through magazines and watched everyone else there work. I was still pleased with all I got done. My goal was to get the 8x8 book done, so everything else I accomplished was just a bonus. We had a great time with lots of great food and made some new friends. There were about 25 women there scrabooking and sewing. It was a great getaway and a great birthday present! Thanks for letting me go Matt while you watched the kids!!

When I got home Matt asked if he could go golfing in Buhl with a friend...how can I possibly say no after he watched the kids all weekend so I could go. Nice timing Matt, you knew I couldn't say no!!

Today I have been busy getting the house back to normal after a weekend with just Matt and the kids. No matter how hard he tries he can't seem to keep the house out of shambles while I am away. So today I am working on 10 loads of laundry and picking up many toys and garbage that was left lying around. It will sure feel good to have a clean house once again!

OCTOBER

I can hardly believe that it is October already. As I have already said I love this time of year, maybe because it is the start of the holiday season and there is always so much to do. I know that from now until the end of the year we will be busy getting ready for the holiday and I am excited about that. Some of the things we will be doing are:
1. Matt's graduations from school with a BS in Business Management. YAY!!!!
2. Enrichment night/ making watches!!
3. Scrapbook retreat with my mom and sister, no kids and no husband. I am just a little excited about that!!! Matt will be watching the kids for 3 days and 3 nights and I am excited/nervous about how that goes, maybe a little appreciation for me will come of it!
4. My Birthday
5. Parker's preschool Halloween Party
6. Halloween
7. Parker's 4th Birthday
8. Wedding of a close family friend
9. Craft fair
10. Thanksgiving
11. Christmas shopping/parties
12. Wedding of my cousin
13. Christmas

I am sure there will be some more things that happen in the midst of all that and I am okay with that. I am realizing that I need to get busy and start working on some projects and get some gifts in the work because I know it will sneak up on me and be here before I know it!! What are your plans for the Holiday season??

Jewelry Giveaway

My cousin has started her own jewelry business and is doing her first giveaway this week. She specializes in unique and one of a kind pieces, they are so beautiful!! If you want to check out some of her pieces and enter for a chance to win a pair of earrings check it out! www.ruthparkerjewelry.blogspot.com (I have a link toward the bottom of my page under My Blog List)

It's Autumn Time

Yay!! I think this is my favorite time of the year. The weather is just about perfect, Parker is in preschool, the leaves are beginning to change and the harvest is here with it's bounty! The only thing that I do not like about Autumn is... it's not long enough!!! Just when I am beginning to enjoy the change of seasons, it starts to snow!! I am just not ready for that yet, can't we enjoy fall for just a little longer!

We have been keeping busy here at our house. Parker is really enjoying preschool and learns something new every day. He is beginning to speak more clearly and increasing his vocabulary, some words we want to eliminate from his vocabulary already. He participated in his first Primary Sacrament Meeting program and did very well. I think most people were even able to understand his lines. He is growing up so quickly and will soon be 4 years old. It is hard to believe he was my baby that long ago. Sometimes I still tell him he is my baby and he says to me "No I'm a big boy!" it is true!! He loves his little sister and loves to torment her even more. For some reason he gets a kick out of making her scream. I am constantly telling him to leave her alone. I didn't think they would pester each other this soon, but at least they love each other and love to play together.

Paige is also growing way too quickly, she will be 18 months old next month and I can't believe that much time had flown by since we brought her home from the hospital. She is the sweetest little girl, she loves to be with her momma and doing exactly what I am doing. She loves to wear lip gloss and put on lotion. On the other hand, she does not like her hair done, but I love to do it. She is getting better at holding still while I put the elastics in. Paige is a complete copycat of Parker. Whatever he is doing she has to do as well. If he has something, she has to have it to. I keep telling Parker he needs to be a good example to his little sister, but he doesn't think that is fun. Sometimes I catch him saying "do it Paige do it" encouraging her to do something he knows she shouldn't be doing. She is also the monkey of our house. She climbs on everything and gets into everything. She is very smart and will find a way to get what she wants. She has learned how to scream very loudly within the last couple of weeks and loves to see exactly how loud she can scream. Sometimes I hear it and rush to see what is going on and she is laughing then screaming and laughing because she is screaming. She is one silly little girl.

I am truly lucky to be a mother to these two great kids, I really do love them even though at times they do test me. Matt and I are staying busy and counting down the days until he is done with school. 14 more to be exact!! We are hoping that a great job will come along and make us both very happy!! Our October is looking to be a pretty busy month, which means more to write about. We can hardly wait!