You’re welcome.

year in photos...jan & feb

January came in with a bang...I think. Of course, it's been a year, so really, I can't remember.

Hanging with the girls happened all year, but had to share this cutest picture of Jenna from January.
She is so little in this picture!

Dialog in the Dark with Jessa & Susan, for Susan's birthday. It was amaz-ING!
I am still just wowed and so grateful for the gift of sight.

Thomas family photo shoot. Love those kiddies like they are my own.

And we can't forget Waffle House with my girls. It's always the last place we visit before they return to the west.
Alec came with us this night, but he is playing the role of our photographer in this shot. Miss you girls so much!

And last but not least, Kelly & Charley photo shoot. This was a surprise for Justin for Valentine’s Day (i think).
All the pictures turned out so cute, now she is getting so big.

So what else happened in January:

school (snore)

Anne had a birthday (yeah...celebrate!)

and February:

school (snore)

John had a birthday (still eating cookies?)

Valentine's Day (hate it)

um...and I guess that's all.

Check back soon for March & April.

This is Lauren (a.k.a. Lolo):

She has been back home (in GA) for something close to 5 or 6 months. She goes to school at BYU-ID, but took this past semester off to come home and work/save money. She is leaving for the long drive back to Idaho tomorrow, so tonight we made our inaugural crawl to Waffle House. It’s not great food, as most of you know, but it’s our WH, so that makes it OK. (We sure missed Lins at WF, she started her drive back to SLC yesterday. Hope you made it safe honey.)

Lolo is so amazing, she has listened to me complain about everything from men to money and just grins and offers up her advise. She’s a masterpiece! She will likely not be coming back to Georgia until next Christmas, and I’m not sure where I’ll be, so we have vowed to stalk each other appropriately with text messages and emails.

Have a kick’n time in Rexburg lady. I miss you already (and you literally just left my apartment). Love you to pieces.

I finished Charley’s little beanie cap the other day and look who came for a quick visit today:

Kelly said that Charley says my name ("Ka") when she drives into my apartment complex. She knows she's coming to her favorite aunts house! I'm sure it will confuse her completely when I move in with Liz & littles. And then again when I move for my fabulous new job, that I will find very soon.

Hope your Christmas was Merry.
This is prep week for a new me.
Like everyone else come January 1.
Ready for the 2010...
BRING IT ON!

Merry Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve Shores family tradition consists of pizza and new ornaments from mom. I’m sure years past has found us milling around in the kitchen and wrapping last minute gifts hidden in back bedrooms, but there are always a million things going on. This year everyone is sort of doing their own thing:

* Mom & Dad came to Georgia for Thanksgiving so traveled to Michigan to be with Anne & Scott and their littles.
* Jo & Wayne are hunkered down enjoying their time together and I'm sure trying to stay dry from all this rain.
* Nicki came for Thanksgiving, so she is nestled in her bed in Dallas while she gets a white Christmas outside.
* Sarah’s littles are in Oklahoma with their Dad, so she is with Eric’s family this year.
* John & Jamiee and their littles are unwrapping presents in their own living room this year
* Kelly & Justin and Charley are with Justin’s family here in Georgia
* And Levi & Andy are visiting Andy’s family in Ohio

I was lucky enough to be invited to J&J’s tonight for pizza and carol-a-long.

Miss Claire:

with Jenna:

with Abigail:

with all the girls (just before Claire went to bed):

(Um, no...I have no idea what's going on with my eyes. And all the girls are looking at John who is making funny faces above Jamiee, who is actually taking the picture. We might have to try again with another photo tomorrow.)

We did some singing, but for the most part it was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that had the show. We ended up watching the Choir’s Christmas concert on PBS. AMAZING. And then Mr. Kruger’s Christmas and then the original How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was fabulous!

Abbi watching The Grinch:

Jenna & John watching The Grinch:

And of course we enjoyed pizza and lots of goodies. Abbi's school gave her a book for Christmas and sent one home for Jenna too. How sweet is that! It was a great book all about the biggest, littlest, strongest, fastest...etc...animals. Jenna sat on John's lap:

and Abbi sat on Jamiee's:

...and they both read the books to the girls...at the same time...on different pages...it was too cute.

I'll be heading back over tomorrow to enjoy Christmas day with J&J and their littles as well as Jamiee's parents. If the rolls ever raise, I will take them with me. If not, I have a can of some sort of rolls in the fridge, those might just come instead. I think I'll go to bed and see if they raise over night. Pathetic.

Anyway, enough about those *^&%*@ rolls!

Merry Christmas everyone.
May you remember our Savior
and count your blessings
as you unwrap all those gifts under the tree.

And may your rolls rise to the occasion
and taste splendid as any roll has ever tasted.

Feliz Navidad!

Update on rolls:

Left to rise while I was at J&J’s for Christmas Eve (will post on this fabulous evening later) and upon arriving home found they had not risen near enough for my satisfaction.

Turned oven on to warm and placed rolls inside. Turned oven off, since I just wanted it warm. Still nothing. Finally decided to go ahead and bake them.

8 minutes later realized I had left some of the rolls on the bottom rack. Took them out just in time to set the smoke alarm off. Humiliating.

2 minutes later…started new batch. I have enough yeast in the house to have one more failed attempt, but this may be the moment I decide I was not meant to be in the kitchen.

How can I have such amazing cakes and then disaster after disaster after disaster after…oh bother.

No. There are no photos.
Did you really expect them?
What do you want me to do?
Take a picture of the trash.
Because yes, that is where the rolls ended up.

rolls | flats

The rolls are not turning out. I don't have rolls, I have flats. Having given up on rolling & tying, I have rolled up and am letting raise. I tasted the flats and they don't taste good.

Seriously. What is wrong with me!? I have no idea what I am doing in the kitchen. No. Idea.

Will get ready for the Carol-A-Long at J&J's and then when I get home will try a new recipe while the disaster flats finish baking. Crossing fingers that Angel's rolls do better than Jean's.

Hope I have enough yeast to get through this disaster.

You know...

if I were counting

I would say

this is too many

DISASTERS

in the kitchen.

The bread dough is rising quietly on the counter and I have an hour or so to blog about the past few days. And let me tell you, I have been a very busy elf. So much to share, I am super excited.

Lisa, Kelli, Lolo & I got together earlier this week for our second annual Peanut Party. This evening consists of eating food that is so not even close to good for you, exchanging questionable white elephant gifts and playing one of the best card games ever! We are a bit competitive and Kelli and Lolo pretty much rule the gold metal platform, but we have a good time just the same. It has been a full year since I’ve played…we really need to get back in the habit, it’s a good one.

If you will please notice the (gorgeous) beanie cap that Lolo is wearing.

I worked super hard on this little gem, especially for her. She goes to school in Idaho…freezing! I was even able to keep it a surprise until we exchanged gifts earlier this week. I have had it finished since the beginning of December, so let's give props to not giving it to her the moment I was finished. Doesn’t it look great on her?! She's so pretty! And the little flower…so stinking cute, right! Totally faked it…I tried to teach myself from the same tutorial that I learned how to crochet the beanie cap, but it was just too much and not a great video. Either that or I just don’t know what I’m doing.

And since I’m not good at admitting I don’t know what I’m doing, I just keep doing it. That is why I decided that the next person to receive one of my creations must be one of my littles. Miss Jacque (that’s pronounced Jack) is having a birthday soon, she’s turning 2-years-old, I just can’t believe it. Anyway, I have this super soft yarn that is multi-colored red, pink, orange and white. So I made her this:

It doesn’t look so great on the model…so I’m hoping it fits and I know she will make it look fabulous! (Anne, be sure to have a photo session in Michigan when she gets it, I'll need to post update photos on this ever so popular blog.)

I also decided I needed to make one for another little, Miss Charley. She kept saying "hat" when I took Jacque's to her house to work on it, she is so smart!

It’s purple; to match the coat Grandma bought her. I know it looks a little blue in the picture, but it’s purple. I still need to make/add little white flowers to this hat. I think I’ll make lots and put them all over. If it looks silly I can always take them off, right? We’ll see…but of course I’ll post photos.

And speaking of Charley, I spent the day with her and Kelly yesterday. I spend a lot of time with them, so this is not unusual but yesterday after we ran errands they came to MY house! My apartment is a little on the small side and once you get a few people inside with you, it can get a little crowded. Kelly made (more) PPC for me (I have made such a mess with this stuff…seriously!) and I decorated a few special treats (more on those later).

Kelly & Charley had to leave so Charley could have dinner at home and then I joined them an hour or so later at their house. I had to bring over Charley’s present from her favorite aunt.

Yes, that’s a mixer! When I saw it, I just knew she had to have it. She is always under Kelly’s feet in the kitchen, obviously she was meant to follow in her footsteps! The mixer is amazing, I wish I had a real one. It is cordless, has a stand/bowl and then comes off to be a handheld mixer! Hello…so smart! And it actually moves, the little mixer attachments turn around and around. So stinking cute! It came with a cookie sheet, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, measuring spoons, a spatula and a measuring cup. She was so cute, already “mixing” things up.

She got this totally cute (and scary) gorilla from her favorite aunt too. He growls, REALLY LOUDLY! And then stomps to you, Charley doesn’t like that part, but if he’s quiet, she loves him. She even says “Rilla”!

And since I’m talking about Charley, I ran over there this morning and snapped a few pictures of her in her new outfit from Grandma & Papa…such a cutie! (Her hair is so staticy because she also go a new jumpolene for Christmas and is in and out of it all the time. If you look close enough you may be able to see it in the background of some of the photos.

And look what Kelly surprised me with:

No, not the jumpolene in the background, but that gorgeous hair piece! It is so pretty and something I have decided I will make in all my spare time. It is grey (although you can't really tell in the photo) and has these beautiful black feathers lofting from the bottom, is is stunning. Kelly had to teach me how to put it in my hair, I am not used to teasing my hair and it was just sliding right out. And she has one just like it. We are both so excited! Matchy! Matchy!

And last but not least I made some yummy goodies for a friend and decorated them using this technique I learned in class a bazillion years ago and they turned out super cute....they look just like candy canes, don't you think?

Watch soon for a post regarding these little trinkits:

I hope you found someone to smooch under the you know what!

p.s. I received
a fabulous
Christmas present
delivered to my door
this morning
from Santa
I mean...
the FedEx man.
It’s little
and plastic
and I can’t wait
to find something
fabulous
to spend
it on.

I will not give up | fudge

p.s. I bought a candy thermometer and more chocolate. I will not let fudge beat me!

a moose...thank you | fudge fail | 3 days

I have this thing for moose.

They seem so fierce and yet oddly lovable. I like the idea of owning a bit of earth in the mountains and waking on a cold, snow covered morning to moose roaming my yard. (In this dream my strikingly handsome husband is downstairs fixing breakfast and I join him on the enclosed back porch – warmed by our wood burning stove – to finish our hot cocoa.)

And back to reality…today I received another moose to ad to my collection:

Isn’t he so handsome! I am IN LOVE, you ought to feel him! (Scratch that, don’t touch my moose!) He is so amazingly soft I might actually sleep with him tonight. No, I’m not kidding. Eat your heart out boys! Don't you love how his little foot says "2009"? That's me...I'm CLASS OF 2009!

Levi & Andy gave him to me as a graduation present. They are so thoughtful. Thank you so much guys! (Word on the street is that Axel (their dog) gave all the other pets in the family Christmas presents…they even remembered my turtle Rhett. I’m super excited to find out what he got them. Thoughtful is an understatement!)

OH, and that’s not even the best part. Levi gave me something else for graduation…a Web site. Technically I have one HERE, but it is so hard to manage/update (because I'm not a techy). He did an amazing amount of research and found a blog-like Web page builder (for lack of a better word, or the knowledge to use the correct word) and transferred all of my information over to the new page and is hosting it on his server (yeah, he's that smart...).

I still have a lot to learn, but he also hooked me up with a great resource for tutorials. I really wish I knew more, and I guess I will soon. I have to update my resume on the new site and then it will be working ready…still with some things to be added. But this way I can send the link to my site for job applications and my potential employers can have my portfolio as they look at my resume. I have to find a job, so this is huge! Now I just have to get it going. Levi & Andy are out of town at the moment, but my goal is to watch a few tutorials while they are gone and learn lots to impress my little bro. (When it's up & ready I'll share for all my blog stalkers viewing pleasure.) Thanks again Levi, you are fabulous and I was completely surprised!

And the moose...I love him, thank you both so much! You rock.

And for an update on the fudge. Fail. Don't get me wrong, it tastes delicious, but fudge it is not. Lolo described it as "a delicious chewy brownie". That would work if I were going for a brownie, however, I was not. I did wrap up some of the chocolate and sent it with Brian's package #2 as well as the PPC, but the bottom half of the white chocolate fudge just didn't set up enough to pretend it was something else. (I was particularly sad about this, since the white chocolate was for B, because he prefers white chocolate over milk.) Lolo said it was too rich, so I am sure I would have only died of embarrassment had I actually sent it to Brian. As it goes, death may still take me based on the regular fudge like pieces of failure I did send. What a mistake. Think the US Postal Service can find that package so I can take it out?

And lest you forget, only 3 more days to find someone for a little love'n under a little bit of this:

Good luck!

Wintersong | Sarah McLachlan

You're welcome. I love it too. Even though it is sad.

When I find time to catch up on my blog stalking it is a common occurrence to hear the apologies of neglected and forgotten blog authors. Well my friends, I’m not going to apologize, not this time. I’ve been living my life and sometimes, I just simply don’t have time to write it all down. However, now that school (until my Masters) is over I feel the urge, the itch, the tickle if you will…to keep my writing skills in check and keep up with the keep up’ns.

With all the life living I’ve been doing coming to a speedy halt post graduation, I should be hitting the streets in search of that perfect job. Sad thing, I am so not motivated. I mean, don’t get me wrong…my bank account is plenty motivating, but I think I have the job search blues and this soon…I’m in trouble. I do need something good to happen and fast, the electronic rejections are a lot to stomach after a while. But then last night I was in search of a pick me up for a different situation and ran across this quote:

"Keep courage. Whatever you do, do not feel sorry for yourself. You will win in a great age of opportunity." Richard L. Evans

Don’t you love it! I do. It’s a great reminder. I have a great opportunity, I just have to find it, and I will. Then tonight, I came home and saw by lovely Brucey The Sprucey glowing in the dark and saw last years ornament from Mom & Dad nestled among the rusty bells…

I picked "hope" last year on purpose. It was a hard time, I had just gotten laid off and still had a long year of school and I never thought I would make it. But here I am, (relatively) happy and healthy. Yes, there are times that I want to throw in the towel…for instance, sitting alone at church. It is particularly horrible every Sunday, but holiday Sundays are the worst. I was so grateful to be singing in the choir today so that I could feel included in that family for a moment. Maybe next Sunday I will visit J&J’s ward out in Dallas.

Friday night I made People Puppy Chow, mmm…tasty! I’m sending a big tin full in package number two headed up to Brian. And sure, I hope he enjoys it, but I really made it for his littles. Because whose littles don't l.o.v.e. some PPC!?!

I also made fudge. What a joke. I know fudge is not supposed to be funny, and technically this is more sad than funny…it didn’t turn out. I followed the recipe to a tee and I guess I should buy a candy thermometer because it just didn’t work. The white chocolate fudge is still sitting in the refrigerator, and the milk chocolate has since been placed back in the hot spot, brought to a boil…again, and put back in the pan at attempt number two to set up. I did the “soft ball test” and I think it was ready, but who knows. It’s not like having a baby, although I wouldn’t know much about that either. If it works, the re-boil, that is – then the white chocolate may go back on the hot spot too. It has to work tonight though…that fudge is scheduled to accompany the PPC up to Virginia via USPS tomorrow. Attempt number two is looking good so far. If this doesn't work I'm just going to put it in cute jars and call it hot fudge topping (with pecans)...

Earlier today I counted myself among the lucky few who get to substitute as Primary Chorister. I was super excited when Camille asked and decided on snow flakes scattered around the room with songs on the back to make things exciting. I just love having the Teacher Resources & Activity Center at KSU so close by. They have a ton of di-cuts, super inexpensive laminating and so much more!

Sis Jo let me borrow a black top hat (for the boys) and a super cute felt hat (for the girls) and scarves so the children that picked the snow flakes could dress up like snow girls & boys and help me lead the music. We really had a great time and although I mostly sang a lot of solos, when the children did sing, it was beautiful. I have never had that calling before (I know, right!?!), but I think it would be fun. I did wear my new (fabulous) graduation heels though and my feet are feeling it now. That was far too much standing for one day if you ask me. I think that’s why I decided to blog…the sitting helps the feet, but now my back is aching!

Speaking of my aching back…guess what my besties gave me for a graduation present? A gift certificate for a massage! Can you believe it? I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have no idea when I will use it, but I am simply elated that they thought of me…what a great group of girl friends. I would be lost without them. (love you girls!)

Speaking of great movies...OK, not really, but let's talk about something else now. I finally bought Julie & Julia and I can't wait to watch it again! It made me want to DO something. I mean, I know I just finished my degree so technically I deserve to take a break while I find that job I was talking about earlier, but I don't think I should. I think I need to jump right into something else...something BIG! But I need suggestions, what should I do? I need a goal. A challenge. Something to count down to. OK, leave your suggestions in the comments section.

Here are some of my current ideas:

* Start a reading project

I have been wanting to start on the Library of Congress Books To Read Before You Die list, but I can't seem to locate it again.

* Run a race

Yes, I said RUN. I know this will take training and a serious commitment, but it is something I technically already have on my list...I think everyone does this time of year. You know, after we eat twice our weight in baked goods for three straight months (yes, don't forget October was Halloween) we all want to attack the weight loss goal come new year, but this time I'm actually going to accomplish this goal...I will, just you wait Henry Higgins, just you wait!

* Learn to cook

Given the inspiration is coming from the cooking show, this seems appropriate. I could basically do what she did, but just not really. I actually have an American Cooking cookbook that sis Jo gave me (or did I steal it?) and I found a recipe for some sort of creamy chicken last night and I actually bought some ingredients to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes. Either way, after all the disasters in this kitchen I could certainly use a few cooking lessons, here's hoping I can teach myself. I'm hoping it has more to do with reading the recipe and following directions that my abilities.

So I only have three ideas...what did you expect? That's sort of why I need your suggestions. So, get on with it, think of something fun/challenging/goal oriented for me to do.

Check it out only 4 days left to find someone to kiss under some of this...

And only 11 days to find someone for that New Year's Eve smooch! Wow...I better get busy.