Christmas for Kids

I am doing a daily feature over on Unforgettable Childhood: Christmas for Kids.

Each day you can find a new recipe, craft, or family tradition to celebrate the Christmas Season.

Subscribe to Unforgettable Childhood so that you don't miss a single post.

Today's feature is a Christmas Countdown Book Basket.

Unforgettable Childhood

Have you had a chance to check out Unforgettable Childhood yet? I am busy doing some updating. I have to post about Pumpkin Carving and a Project Runway Birthday Party. . .that should come tonight when I have a few moments. My new blog doesn't have Google Followers so you have to actually subscribe to my reader to get my updates.

I hope that it will be a place of fun for your family. I have a lot of holiday posts that I can't wait to share with you! I hope to see you over at Unforgettable Childhood.

NEW Site is Up and Running!

The new blog site is up and ready to go! I can't for you to come and explore our new home.

Unforgettable Childhood is our new domain. The site is still under construction and new exciting changes are still in the works.

Please stop by and let me know what you think.

Change is in the Air

I keep talking about change with this blog and it is right around the corner. I decided that with the change from Summer to Fall, I would do some major changes with this blog.

I purchased a domain name and I am moving my blog to a new home. As soon as I have it running I will give you the address.

I can't wait to reveal the new site and I hope all of you enjoy it!

Amy vs Daisy

As part of my getting away time, I have started a new part-time job as a legal assistant. Yesterday was my first day. I am working out of this lawyer's home office. When I sat down at the computer to start working I couldn't find the wireless mouse. I knew they had one because I had used it the day before.

I heard commotion of the dog and cat behind me so I swiveled my chair around. Standing by the table was their big golden lab staring back at me with the computer mouse in her mouth. As soon as I stood up the dog ran around the kitchen table. I would head in one direction and Daisy would head in the other direction. No matter what I said or did, I could not get her to drop the mouse.

I finally got really frustrated and went back to the computer. A few minutes later I found the dog underneath a bed with the mouse. She let me take it from her and I finally got to work.

So that was my entertaining first day. Did I mention they have a kitten, too. He sits on the desk and watches my fingers fly across the keyboard. I thought that she was going to pounce on them. But, she just laid on top of the papers I was trying to type from.

I can't wait to see how the day goes tomorrow. Here is a picture of Daisy from the Fourth of July.

Disco 'til Dawn

Well, they were not up until dawn, but the did stay up very late.

The party was a success. The girls had so much fun and now I can relax another month until the next fall birthday.



Here are a few pictures from the evening.

The decorations:


They danced. . .

They posed. . .


They played Dance Craze Charades. . .(Even Daddy participated in dressing up and in the games)

They finally slept, after a lot of giggling.

Getting Ready to Disco

The day is here. Six little girls (plus don't forget I already have three of my own) will ascend upon the house at 7pm for a Solid Gold Disco Party. And. . .they are all staying over night.

I will be busy today decorating the house and getting the last minute details pulled together.

I wanted to give you a preview of the cakes for the party. My friend Misti came over yesterday and helped me tackle the cakes. Thanks Misti!

Building A Better Blog

You may have noticed that I have been playing with this blog a lot lately, changing the background, changing the pictures, etc. Well I am trying to use some of the tips from other bloggers that I have received to make this blog a fun place to come and see what I have to say.

There is a lot to be learned and I have a long ways to go, but every new tip I receive has been great.

Today I am hosting a snazL party on this topic, "Building a Better Blog". There are some videos from Susan at 5minutesformom.com and Heather from thedomesticdiva.org.

Join the fun at 3pm EST/2pm CST! Share your tips and learn a few new ones. You can come back here to my blog to join the fun or go to snazL.com.

Hope to see you there!

Mom's Time Out

I decided that every Tuesday I am going to take a time out from focusing on parenting and have a Mom's Time Out. One of my favorite things to do when I have some free time is read. So today I decided to post a new book review.

Today is the publication date for a new book from a brand new author. The Art of Disappearing by Ivy Pochoda debuts today!



This book was a perfect book for Mom's Time Out. It is a magical story of love and romance with a touch of mystery.

Toby Warring, a young magician and Mel Snow, a traveling textile designer find each other and two days later a Las Vegas Wedding is underway. Through the book the magic keeps the story interesting. When a magic trick goes horribly wrong the couple flees together to learn more about the art of Toby's magic and things that took place in their past. It is a story that asks the questions, what will win Toby's affection, his magic or his love for Mel?

If you are looking for a good book to take a time out from life, this is a great new read.

You can read more about this book at Ivy Pochoda's website. For purchasing info you can go here.

St. Martin's Press; Hardcover
US $24.99
Publication Date: Sept. 15, 2009
ISBN-10: 0312385854
ISBN-13: 978-0312385859

I hope you join me next week for Mom's Time Out.

Kids in the Kitchen - Masterpiece Pizza

We love our Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook. The girls love to flip through it and decide what they want to make next. Last night we decided to make a bedtime snack. I would love to be able to tell you that we eat all things healthy in this house. But that would be a lie. . .we love our sweets. And I think they are okay in moderation.

So the younger girls put on their aprons and helped me with this snack, Masterpiece Pizza.

Here is the recipe:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
3/4 cup tiny marshmallows
2/3 cup peanut (we left these out)
1/2 cup miniature candy-coated semisweet chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and peanut butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until combined. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add flour, beat on low speed until combined.
Take about 1/2 cup dough and place near one corner off the cookie sheet. Use the table knife to spread dough into a 5 inch circle. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 4 circles. Bake pizzas for 15 minutes or until the edges are light brown.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the center of each cookie with semisweet chocolate pieces. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes until you can spread with a knife. Sprinkle each cookie with marshmallows, peanuts and mini m&ms.
Return cookie sheet to oven for 5 more minutes. Enjoy!


This recipe got two thumbs up.

Mom's Balance

I finally figured out how to add a little vlog to my post. Looking for a little balance in our house. . .

Golden Day

Today is Taylor's Golden Birthday. I can't believe that she is 9. . .wow! She has decided that since it is 9/9/09 it is not just her Golden Birthday. It is her Super Duper Golden Birthday.

Birthdays are always a big deal in our house. I love to be spoiled on my birthday so I make sure their day is extra special, too.

She wanted Chocolate Dipped Waffles with sprinkles on them for breakfast.

She couldn't wait until tonight to open her presents, either.

We were rebels and sent non-healthy birthday snacks to school. My end result are not nearly as cute as Bakerella, but they sure do taste good. (Check out her site for all kinds of Cupcake Pops for every occasion)

We are in the process of planning her birthday party. Every year each girl gets a Theme Party that they help me plan. This year in honor of her Golden Birthday she is having a Solid Gold Disco Slumber Party.

Nature & Nails

We had an awesome Labor Day Weekend filled with making memories.

We spent the majority of the weekend camping near our home. The kids ran wild with their friends and we were able to spend a lot of fun time with our friends.

It was really windy, but the sun was out so the girls insisted that they spend a little time at the river.



Nadia took advantage of the wind and decided to fly her kite.

Yesterday we decided to finish off our weekend with a little shopping trip. It is Taylor's Ninth Birthday tomorrow so we took her out of town for eating and shopping. At the end of the shopping trip daddy decided that the girls could get their nails done. I have never even had my nails done. . .but he wanted to treat the girls. I wish I would have had my camera to take pictures of the girls. They looked so cute sitting with their nails under the dryers.

Now back to the grind today. What kind of memories will we make this week?

I Love Packages

A few weeks ago I participated in a Birthday Swap over at Seriously Shawn.

Yesterday I received my package in the mail from Bea. She sent the perfect gift. One of the most important things to me is to create an unforgettable childhood for my girls. I love to focus on the experiences we can have together. So she sent me this. . .

Three beautiful aprons for my girls created by Studio Eight. My girls absolutely loved them. In fact, they loved them so much that when I got home from the gym at 8:30 last night they surrounded me as I collapsed on the porch and begged to bake something.

Well they should have been getting ready for bed, but they were so excited about their new aprons that I knew that I couldn't make them go to bed. Luckily I had a box of Pound Cake mix, so we whipped it up quick (and then had to wait 50 minutes for it to bake). They didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but oh well. They created an awesome memory thanks to the beautiful aprons from Bea.



Thanks Shawn for the swap and thanks Bea for the perfect gift. Now I can't wait for Kristen to receive her gift from me. . .

If you are a parent that is interested in reading one of the best books I have read as a mom. Click over to my other blog and enter to win a signed copy of the book Not So Fast by Ann Kroeker. It is a book I think every parent should read!

How I have survived 9 1/2 years of Marriage

We are celebrating marriage today at a new snazL party on snazL.com.

Today at 3pm EST/2pm Central we will be chatting on marriage, sharing videos and pictures and giving each other advice on marriage survival.

All you have to do to join the fun is go to snazL.com and register. Then go to the top of the page to the "Quick Links" button. Click on upload. Browse your photos on your computer and then upload them to your profile.

During the party click on the (+) button to add your photos, videos, etc to the party. Or do you have a favorite song that is out on Youtube? Upload that to the party. I found the song I sang to my hubby at our wedding, so I added that to the party.

I interviewed my hubby on how he has survived being married to me for 9 1/2 years. I will be adding that video to the party.

It is easy to join in the fun. I would love to chat live with you today at 3pm EST/2pm Central. Hope to chat with you there!