Look at these treats...

I'm on a roll. I've had time to post a bunch and blog stalk all week long since I have been just cruising through this week without a care in the world, taking it easy and even being a tad bit {gasp} lazy! teehee. :) It's been so nice! You know how I love to share ideas, so lets get started! First I'll share with you some of my favorite Halloween/Fall projects that I've found. Number 1. These treats are adorable, and look yummy too!

Instructions found HERE. 2. I am a sucker for cheese balls, and these have got to be one of the cutest mini cheese balls I've ever seen. I want to make them for Thanksgiving and set by each plate!

Recipe & Instructions found HERE. She has another darling idea too! Go HEREto find out how to make this:

The next thing on the list are just some blog posts that have really made an impact on me lately. I got THIS link off of Kristyn'sblog. It's all about priorities and simplifying our lives. Being happy with what we have. One of my favorite quotes comes from a song of Cheryl Crow's "It's not getting what you want... It's wanting what you've got!"

{Photo courtesy of Flickr} Now Christal tipped me off to THIS BLOG. Thank you Christal! This blog has an amazing post about Mothers. {By the way, Christal and Kristyn are sis-in-laws... inspiration must run in the family!} Really it is a beautiful post.

A good friend of mine just started up her own etsy shop. She sales hand made cards that are beautiful and lots of fun crafts. So check her blog out here and her etsy shop out over here. She's also doing a great give-away to promote her shop opening!

I guess I'll be posting more later. It's time to get my visiting teaching done. Speaking of: LOVED this quote from the message: "The world has enough women who are coarse, we need women who are kind. We have enough women of fame and fortune, we need more women of faith." Margaret D. Naduald

Yeah, I'm late this month! Nothing like waiting until the last few days of the month. Right?! Hope you all have a Happy & Safe Halloween!!!

So darn cute...

Well my not wanting to blog didn't last long! ;) You'll want to head over to Leelou blogs. They have some awesome giveaways going on right now!! I also wanted to share THIS: with you. It's SO stinkin' cute for a Halloween party... wish I would have seen it last week for our party! I may still just make it for a little treat on Friday! Go HERE to see the recipe. She has some other fun fall recipes up too! Darling blog!

99 Balloons...

Oh my word. I sit here typing with tears in my eyes. I am a big Oprah fan, but this year I haven't had time to watch many episodes, maybe a handful is all. So it was a big treat today to just sit there and watch. It's been the perfect day. I slept in until 8, I'm still in my PJ's and I got a ton of scrapbooking done. So leading into this particular Oprah show, I've been reminiscing and looking at all the beautiful pictures of my children. So you can only imagine my reaction to this video that they showed. The whole show was beautiful. You will definitely want to take the time to watch this: (PS go grab a tissue while it is loading! ) Today I hugged Brooklyn & Braxton a little tighter. I vowed not to let that mess in the living room bother me. I want to cherish these moments. Every Moment is truly a miracle.

Carving Pumpkins and Zach's BIG fish...

I'm just not in the mood to blog... ever get that way? I need to make myself so I don't get behind and then feel overwhelmed by the need to catch up. I'm just a little burnt out. I spent so much energy preparing for our Halloween Party and then my lesson for Young Women's, so it's a good thing I don't have much at all scheduled for this week! :) Here's a few pictures from the party. We had alot of fun! Thanks for coming everyone!

{Blake & Chelsea}

{Linda & Aaron} { Brett & Melanie} {Amanda & Greg} {Trent & SueAnn}

{Heather & Jacey}

{Matt & Leslie}  
 

{Amber & Josh} {Sean & Jessi}

{Stacey & Andrew}

{Zach & Holly}

Zach went fishing and look what he caught! His fish was 11lbs 29 1/2 inches long, and here is the picture to prove it! He was pretty excited!

Tis the Season...

I think the most important part of my post will be this challenge that Mrs. R. has posted on her blog. We are approaching the Holiday Season and in the spirit of giving please go read THIS POST. and just see if there is anything you might be able to do to help. :) This is the PERFECT way to start your holiday season off right!! We had such a good time last night with the youth in our ward! Zach & I both love working with such wonderful kids! Here are a few pics from our FUN activity. We played the "Amazing Race". {We really have GREAT youth! I love that they are up for anything and always have a great time together!}

I also wanted to remember this, I just thought it was cute. Brooklyn & I were fixing lunch the other day. We were having grilled cheese sandwiches. I told Brooklyn to go get up to the table and I would bring over her plate. She kept saying something that I could not understand. It sounded like "do it like Grandma, mom, an "uhteri", I kept saying What?? "An uhteri mom." Finally I figured out that she had played at Grandma's a month or two ago, and that Grandma had made Brooklyn a grilled cheese sandwich that looked like this:

Brooklyn wanted her sandwich to look like a butterfly! I thought it was pretty sweet that she remembered that from such a long time ago! Hey and one more thing a few girls from my recipe exchange group introduced me to THIS blog...if you have some time to waste (yeah right?!) then check it out. It really is a FUN read. Cordy cracks me up. I can't decide if I think the guy is a big jerk or if she is really living in a dream world... or if I am pathetic for reading it. lol. Pretty funny stuff. Here is a little excerp from her blog...

"Hi there I'm Cordy. I'm horribly in love with my best friend and this blog is part of my very feeble, sad little attempt to get over him and get on with my life - at least that was the original plan. Create a blog! Take positive steps toward having a life! "

I'm still trying to figure out a costume to wear for our Halloween Party this Friday... any suggestions? :)

What Heaven Sees in You...

Oops! I totally forgot about my little drawing... Brooklyn chose the winner for us and it's CHRISTAL! E-mail me you address Christal and I'll get your bracelet in the mail! Last weekend it snowed. It was kind of fun to turn up the heat, and drink hot chocolate all cozied in! It was Braxton's first snow, so even though it was 10:30 at night, I decided to get him all bundled up and head outside so he could see the white stuff! He was fascinated. I didn't wake Brooklyn up, since she is a little harder to get back to sleep. :) But she had fun playing in what was left of the snow.{little stinker wouldn't even look at me once to get a good pic} :) haha. It seems like the weeks melt in to each other these days. We are preparing for some big events in Young Womens, and next week I am teaching the combined lesson for the girls. {I am so nervous} , but it is on loving ourselves and others, a perfect topic! I have some great quotes I am using and I thought I'd share them...

Elder Holland said: “I am troubled by the practice of extreme makeovers. Happiness comes from accepting the bodies we have been given as divine gifts and enhancing our natural attributes, not from remaking our bodies after the image of the world. The Lord wants us to be made over, but in His image, not in the image of the world- by receiving His image in our countanences. "

“People are like stained glass windows. They glow and sparkle when it is sunny. But when the sun goes down, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

and I absolutely LOVE this story:

One day at school as I ate lunch and studied for my next class, I noticed a group sitting near me, talking and laughing. One young woman particularly caught my attention. She was tall, with beautiful black hair, dark skin, and high cheekbones. Her appearance was as unlike my pale, freckled face and red hair as anything I could imagine. She was one fo the most beautiful people I had ever seen. After a few minutes, the group rose to leave. But the young woman I had been watching stopped. I was somewhat embarrassed; I thought she must have seen me staring at them. Then something extraordinary happened. “I’m sorry to disturb you.” She said,“ but I wanted to tell you how beautiful I think you are.” After a shocked pause, I started to laugh. “ I was thinking the same thing about you!” After she left, I continued to think about what had happened. We found our differences beautiful. At that moment I realized there is no single standard of beauty. I have since thought about how our Heavenly Father sees us. I think we must be beautiful to Him, because we are all his children. And that divine birthright is much more important that any physical beauty. Heavenly Father doesn’t care about the beauty of our hair or skin- but he does care about our hearts. When we strive to experience a “might change in our hearts” then we can be blessed to receive “his image in our countenance. This inner radiance makes us truly beautiful.

Isn't that wonderful! I could give several lessons on this topic... it's so universal and everyone needs the reminder. This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE song, this video is so neat, I'm going to try to make one like it, with pics of the girls in our ward...depending on how much time I have next week. :){SOrry You'll have to pause my music player at the bottom} Don't you LOVE it?!

Activity Days a Year planned out...

I just wanted to record this for my own future reference and be able to have it all in once place. But if it can help any of you out there too great! :) Activity Days A Year Planned Out Calendar January 6th * Getting to Know your girls activity This is the questionaire we did... Getting to Know You Survey A great way to get acquainted with your Activity Day girls is to do a get-acquainted survey together. This is a fun ice breaker and you can learn a lot about your girls. Your girls will enjoy learning about you, too. ************************************************************************************ PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

Your name __________________________________ Age _____ 1. What is your middle name? 2. When is your birthday? 3. What is your favorite song? 4. Who is your favorite singer or group? 5. What is your favorite color? 6. How many brothers and sisters do you have? 7. What are their names? 8. What is your favorite TV show? 9. If a genie granted you one wish, what would it be? 10. What is your favorite food? 11. Do you have any pets? What kinds? What are their names? 12. Who is your favorite movie star? 13. Do you write with your right hand or left hand? 14. What was your favorite subject in school? Why? 15. What was your least favorite subject in school? Why? 16. What subjects in school would you have liked to take? Why? 17. Do you have a nickname? What is it? 18. What is your favorite movie? 19. What is your favorite sport? 20. If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be and why? 21. Do you have a hobby? 22. Who is your favorite athlete? 23. What is your favorite book or magazine? 24. What do you want to be when you grow up? 25. What kind of activities would you like to do in Activity Days this year? ************************************************************************************* January 21st * Card Making I had the cards split into kits already and I let the girls choose 2 card kits to make. We just put all the supplies needed into ziplock bags for each kit. ************************************************************************************* Feb 8th *Mom & Me Activity Have each mother be at a station and have the girls rotate around in small groups. The stations could include, sewing on a button, ironing a small item, learn to make a bed, sweep or mop a floor, make an easy treat, fold clothes or towels, sorting laundry etc...make it fun and informative. ************************************************************************************* March 7th * Home made Lip gloss and lemon hand healer Spa treatments etc. You can find the recipe for Lip Gloss Here and lemon hand healer right here. ************************************************************************************* March 19th *Recipe Exchange Start your own recipe collection. Have each child bring a few easy and nutritious recipes that the children could learn to make at home. Let the children copy each recipe on an index card. Challenge them to keep them in a book or box (a small picture album works great, even the free ones you get when you get your pictures developed). Suggest that they try to continue to add to their recipe collection. Suggest that they cook dinner for their families using the recipes. or TASTERS NIGHT: have the girls pick out one of their favorite recipes, something simple so they can make it themselves, and bring a sample to a "tasters night". We really encouraged the girls to make the dish themselves so that they could be fully involved in this. We also made copies of all the recipes ahead of time and compiled it in a girl's achievement recipe book. ************************************************************************************ April 6th *Walk around river or lake etc. Take a hike. ************************************************************************************ April 20th * Baby sitting kits http://theideadoor.com/Youth/YW%20Activities/baby_sitting_kits.htm or check to see if your local hospital offers babysitting classes, I've heard of some of them being only $3 or $4 dollars per person. ************************************************************************************ May 9 6:00 pm *Modge Podge Mother’s Day Blocks w/pics Tutorail found Here ************************************************************************************* May 19th 4:00 pm * eating healthy, smoothie making We talked a little bit about eating healthy and how it can still taste great! We made 3 or 4 different smoothies and sampled each one.We picked 3 or 4 recipes find them

Here ************************************************************************************* June 2nd 10:30 am *Father’s day cards Make Father's day cards, have the girls write in them and then bring them to church and hand them out to your girls to give to their dad's on Fathers day. ************************************************************************************* June 23rd 8:30 am-2:10pm * Day Camp (In our area we have a specific day camp they like us to take the girls to each year.) ************************************************************************************* July 14th 10:30 am *Sewing headbands Pattern found Here. This may require help of mom's and is best for the older girls. ************************************************************************************* July 28th 10:30 am * splash park or water activity ************************************************************************************* August 11th 10:30 am * Made Banks/talked about saving money I saved up formula cans and they turned out really cute. Here is my example. ************************************************************************************* august 25th 4:00 pm * Daddy Daughter Date We fixed Spaghetti , breadsticks salad etc, and then had the dad's and girls sit down wherever they wanted. We gave them crazy silverware to eat with things like spatula's, tongs, wisks etc. We also took a picture of them with a simple backdrop on their way in to copy and give the girls later. ************************************************************************************* September 8th 4:00 pm * Marble Magnets Instuctions Here. ************************************************************************************* September 22nd 4:00 pm * FHe kits For an example look Right Here. ************************************************************************************* October 13th 4:00 pm * temple visitor center activity We planned to go to the Temple visitor Center in our area, you could also take the girls to the nearest Temple Grounds etc. We called ahead to let them know we were coming. ************************************************************************************* October 20th 4:00 pm

* Carve Pumpkins (You can turn this into service too, if you want to deliver your pumpkins to some Elderly in your neighborhood!) ************************************************************************************* November 3rd 4:00 pm * making apple dumplings You can find a super easy recipe Right Here. ************************************************************************************* November 17th 4:00 pm * gratitude journals

We bought the girls notebooks and had them decorate with scrapbooking supplies and then explain the importance of being grateful and how it blesses our lives. ************************************************************************************* December 8th 4:00 pm * making sugar cookies and delivering to the elderly

Try these, they are just as good as homemade... in fact I don't know if I'll ever make homemade again! :) But I do still like to use homemade frosting!

************************************************************************************* December 22nd …. No actitivity

Vote yes...

I don't live in California, but I'm so nervous about what is happening there. I think everyone needs to be informed about the issues of Proposition 8. First of all take a look at THIS. Did you know that Prop 8 affects the whole world of adoption? Did you know that Prop 8 affects your right as a parent? Did you know that Prop 8 affects our right for freedom of religion? Well it does. We feel very strongly on this issue, and decided it's time to take a stand. Zach has volunteered his time to make phone calls to the California Voters, just to inform them. If you are interested in helping make phone calls. or volunteering in other ways, you can get information RIGHT HERE. I have seen a bunch of great videos on the issue, but THIS ONE. is my favorite. So please, be informed. This is not "just" about gay marriage, this is about much much more! So Please take a stand. And just for the record, this isn't about being malicious to the gay population. We can still LOVE and respect someone, while still maintaing and advocating our own moral standards and beliefs.

On a good political note... do you remember this post? Well it passed, so thanks to all who sent a note to your senators. It just goes to show you that we CAN and DO make a difference in this world! :) This is the letter I recieved back from my senator, letting me know it passed.

Dear Holly, Thank you for contacting me about S.1738, the Combating Child Exploitation Act. I appreciated hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond. I share your concerns regarding child exploitation in the United States . This crime is unconscionable and devastating - not only to child victims and their families but to entire communities. Therefore, I have supported efforts in Congress to help law enforcement agencies root out, investigate, and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent possible. S.1738, the Combating Child Exploitation Act, contains provisions to further these goals by establishing a national strategy against child exploitation and increasing federal resources available to local law enforcement for combating this problem. The bill was made part of a comprehensive child protection legislative package in the Senate; it was combined with provisions of H.R.3791, the Securing Adolescents from Exploitation-Online (SAFE) Act, which would expand the requirements for electronic service providers to report on-line child pornography. In addition, the SAFE Act complements S. 1738 by closing loopholes that hinder efforts to identify and collect valuable information about suspected sex offenders. I joined a unanimous Senate in voting to pass this package on September 25. Two days later, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives, and it is now awaiting presidential approval. This legislation is expected to become law very soon. You may be interested to know that the support you and others expressed for S.1738 was a factor in overcoming the partisan gridlock that had threatened to stop its progress through the legislative process. I hope you will continue to share your views on pending issues and bills with the Idaho Congressional Delegation in the future.

AWESOME!!

What I LOVED about my week...

I guess you could say today was a BAD day. You know, we all have them {unfortunately}, I really am embarassed to say that, because I know it could be so much worse! So instead of dwelling on it I thought I'd lift myself up out from under my little dark cloud and focus on the positive. So I asked myself what did I LOVE about this week?? Well... first off it was my sister-in-law Linda's birthday on Monday! We got to eat Ice Cream Cake. Yum. {Happy Birthday Linda!}

{A few of the yummy dishes we had}

Third canned some of this yummy apple pie filling! Oh, and went grocery shopping {that's not the good part} and since Zach's out of town {that's not good either} we brought these little cuties home,... Yes, I know you are thinking didn't you just get a couple of kittens a while back, yes, but they had a short life span since we live on a busy road. Brooklyn was heart broken when we had to tell her that Cinderella had played in the road, and was gone. So I made Brooklyn tell Zach on the phone today about our little secret. It went much better than I had anticipated. :) So I guess they are here to stay! Oh and guess what she named them both...yep...CINDERELLA. Silly girl. It was chilly last night, and guess what I broke out... THE HOT CHOCOLATE! I absolutely LOVE hot cocoa and guess what, my sweet mom gave me two new kinds to try!! Sweet! I got this e-mail from Becky saying that SNAPFISH is doing this promotion for 50 4x6 prints for 1 CENT each! LOVE that! I needed to print some pictures too, so thank you Becky. The promotion ends Tuesday October 14th, so hurry over there, so you can get your cheap prints too!! Oh, use coupon code FALLPENNY08 at checkout. I also LOVE it when Brooklyn just out of the blue says "Mom, I luff you." She has said it a TON this week. I really hope she NEVER grows out of it... am I just being wishful? Also I thought this little class looked like fun, it's free, so why not give it a try?! I really love trying something new. Go to http://www.jessicasprague.com/ to sign up and take the class with me! Registration starts October 20th

I also got some cute pics of my little man in his Halloween costume... so here is a sneak peak...

So there was ALOT of good in my week! :) Leave me a comment with what was good in YOUR week, and we'll do a drawing for one of those cute saftey pin bracelets {it may or may not be this color} Have a GREAT weekend!!

Second of all we had Recipe Group this week, always a fun night! You can find all our recipes Right Here.

VOTE!!

We have less than 30 days before the BIG ELECTION! SO make sure you are registered to vote!! You can find all the info you need at http://www.declareyourself.com/

Blessed...

Wow. What an amazing weekend. Wasn't General Conference AMAZING? I have about five different talks that were my favorite! Some things that stood out to me personally:

L. Tom Perry, Simplify!

President Uchtorf, Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness!!

Elder Wirthlin, learn to laugh. He said "Come what may and love it!" The simple secret is this- do your best and trust in the Lord.

Elder Holland, wow, what a powerful talk, Angels are among us, Eyring, on Unity, speaking kindly and being peacemakers.

Sister Dalton, of course I took a whole page of notes on her talk for the Young Women! Calling for a return to Virtue, Awake and Arise, never underestimate your powerful influence!

President Monson's on Change was awesome too! Find Joy in the journey now! Never let a problem to be solved or become more important than a person. Oh I could go on and on!

Loved them all really!!! I always feel so rejuvenated after conference weekend! I am so grateful that we have a living prophet here on the earth that guides and directs us. What a blessing that truly is! I can't wait for the talks to come out in print so I can re-read them all!

Don't ask me why I am so random...

Want to win a free purse? Go check out http://www.handbagplanet.com/ They are giving away a free purse every hour! I know I don't need another purse... but I'm always looking for another cute little bag! Why is that?!

I've also had alot of questions about the HOw to Host a Murder Parties... I have never actually planned one, I've just been to a couple. One website that you can check out is: http://www.executivehomemaker.com/content.asp?pid=96&id=353

I also found a fun one you could use for a church activity and it's free, http://www.homeandholidays.com/files2/viewarticle.php?articleid=10228

I just saw on Kayla's blog that right here in good old IF town you can get Gelato in the mall, Hello!! The little shop is called Dolce Vita... I LOVE Gelato! I'll be heading that way soon!

Can you believe we have less than 80 days until Christmas? I started my Christmas shopping yesterday! FUN !!! Kind of crazy to have a Halloween post and Christmas post in one right?! Hmmm.

I'm also planning on starting the "Boo" up in our neighborhood... All you do is take some goodies{I like to put the goodies in one of those cute plastic pumpkins} to a friend or neighbor with this poem attached, and leave it annonomously on their door step...you should try it too.... here is the fun poem to put with it.

Since this is the time for goblins and bats Halloween spirits and ghosts and cats Happenings are weird and witches make brew The following are the things I wish for you. May the only spirit you chance to meet Be thee spirit of love and friends that are sweet. May the only goblin that comes your way Be the neighborhood phantom, the breeze takes away. So by tomorrow, pick a friend down the street And give to them a Halloween treat. Fill this pumpkin with goodies galore, Then hang it on their front door. You only have one day to do this, so hurry Leave treats on their door and run in a flurry As this cone moves along from friend to friend, All good wishes go on and never end HAPPY HALLOWEEN

It's time for me to start thinking about dinner, and I really wanted to get my windows washed today too, so we can head up for a fun day of camping with the family. Hope you have a wonderful experience watching General Conference this weekend, if you would like to learn more about General Conference, check this website out: http://www.lds.org/broadcast/gc/0,5161,8176,00.html