My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Just a post to say I've posted

So I just found this really great blog that gives you tutorials on how to change things around. I loved it. I was a little intimidated before, but as I walked through step by step it was really easy. I learned how to add post dividers and a custom signature, thus the new post. I wanted to see if it really worked.

The blog is:
http://shabbyblogsblog.blogspot.com/

So, this really is just a post about nothing, so scroll down to see the latest posts from us that really are posts worth reading...

Palm Springs Family Reunion 2009

What a week. It went by so fast. Too fast. We had a BLAST hangin' with my family for the week. We were a little nervous at first knowing how hot it gets in Palm Springs, but even with the extreme heat we LOVED it!
The week started with a kick off desert night. (Nothing like an overload of sugar to get the party started!) It then went on to have a night of games (the first of MANY). That's one of my favorite parts about getting together with my family. They are big gamers just like me. I even remembered how to play "Nerts" which I love. I have a feeling we'll be playing that a lot in the near future.



We had family picnics, dinners, swimming, golf, shopping, movies, games, and we can't forget the slip 'n slide tarp the kids had going down one of the golf course hills outside our rooms. (The course we were on was closed for maintainance. It worked out really well as the kids then had a place to run, a short-cut to the pool, and or course the slip 'n slide)


Sam LOVES Megan. They enjoyed a little relax time after swimming.

Buds Sam and Haley enjoying a kid movie while the big kids played games.




Sam got really into earphones on this trip. He always wanted to use them. We just need to work on keeping them in now.



We loved the swimming. Sam got really good and learned to jump and then swim to the edge by himself (with his new cool floaties from Aunt Jonie...thanks). Swimming was an everyday, and all day adventure. With a visit in the morning and then one late at night after James was down.
We had so many blow ups to have fun with. Sam was in heaven being surrounded by sharks, whales, dolphins, and alligators.



Krista and Sam. Sam eventually got his little, skinny leg stuck down that drain. It's amazing what they get into!






Tressa and James

Sam trying to give us a hint that he was done...

Believe it or not the hot tub felt nice at night.

They had big checkers and chess as well as fuseball, air hockey, pool....anything you wanted seemed to be there.

The pool was awesome at night. Not only was it then bareable to be outside, but you could walk on the ground without frying your feet. Our last night there I stayed late with the kids at the pool and we had great time playing water games. From biggest cannon-ball, to colors, to sharks, to crazy dives...it was a blast. I of course kept my title for biggest splash in the cannon-ball department. It was the first time I think my extra baby weight was actually good for something! :)


Jonie put together an awesome family cook book I am really excited to try out. It is super cute and came with a recipe box. She is always so crafty.


Some of the nieces made funny name tags for the family. Some were very random. Karen the Carrot...need I say more?!

Jon and Liz put together a great trip...but then, nothing less was expected. They had a great tennis tournament for us all with FABULOUS prizes (the kind you actually want!) :) and a great handicap system where even I felt like a winner.
Joy and I took on the Mr.'s and won 4-0. It was a great day for the sisters.
The Scavenger hunt Liz put together was awesome. I wasn't able to go on it, but the kid's pictures were hilarious. They had to go around with the camera and take picture in certain places, doing certain things. It was so clever. I am definatly going to have to copy that idea.

Here's one group doing the famous 10-E sign.

Some of the things the kids had to do on the scavenger hunt.

I will have to add more pictures when I get copies. These are all I have.



While in Palm Springs we of course did our shopping (for toys of course). They were finally clearancing the "Word World" toys I have had my eye on for the last year. We had to go hunt them down. I was so excited. The teacher in my jumped out and poor Sam got grilled on his letters. I am now pleased to say he has the letters O, T, G down pat and does pretty well with about 5 more.


During our shopping adventures we saw the coolest looking Mexican Restaurant. We just had to stop for lunch. It was one of the coolest ambiances I've been in in a while. The food was adverage, but WOW! The chips and salsa were to die for.


This was what brought us into the restaurant. It looked so fun on the outside and we loved it even more when we got in.

The food was okay. Or maybe it was just to hot to eat hot food.

The restaurant was so cool. We just wanted to sit there and take in our surroundings.




It was a peaceful lunch. Sam slept on the bench half the time. He was so tired.




We got to share a room with Nate and his family. It was fun to have more time with them and let Sam, James, and Lucy play together.


Sam actually really liked sleeping in his Harry Potter closet. It was quite cute.

James got the brunt of things and got to sleep in the bathroom. Hey it was hard on us too. We would have to go to someone elses room to go.

We had a great trip and were sorry to see it end. The trip home took so long. It was a long, sad drive we didn't want to make...a trip back to reality.


Sam learned how to use the ear phones in the car. I had to turn around and help put them on him time after time, but he loved it....and we did too. We got to listen to Harry Potter!





James finally got the idea of road trips. Candy, candy, candy!

Sam's First Movie

Last Saturday we decided that Sam was ready for his first movie so we took him to see Ice Age 3. We knew that anything with a "Sharp Tooth" would keep his attention.
It was one of the cutest things to watch. He was so taken by his surroundings that you couldn't get his attention. (I couldn't even get this attention to look at the camera. He was just trying to make sense of all the action around him!)


From getting the tickets,


to the treats,


to the big seat(which we had to help hold down because he was so light),


to the amazement that was on his face when the screen lit up.


James was a pretty good sport about it too. We just put out toys for him and he just played.
About half way through the movie James needed to crawl around so I took him down to the front. Sam soon followed (He made it about an hour). They were soon going laps around the seat down in front...Sam screaming and giggling. It was a good thing we weren't the only kids that were running around. Sam would always stop and watch when the Dinosaurs were in a scene.
Over all it was a great time.
I can't believe how quickly these kids are growing up!

"I'm Crazy!"

Sam's new thing is to hang out in the basement. He always wants us to go down there with him and play. When Seth gets home from work he grabs his hand and says, "downstairs, dad?" It is so cute.
We were just hanging out the other night and all the sudden he started adding this little twist to his jumping routine. Then he would get up and say, "I'm crazy!"
It was so funny. We just had to get a shot of it.
I love these kids so much. It's things like this that keep me so happy. I am so blessed to have them in my life!

My "Summer Salad Splash" Party

So, if you are anything like me you love a good tasty salad in the summer, but you get sick of the same old ones you always make. So to help me with this problem I invited a few neighborhood friends over for a salad party.
It was so fun. The kids just played (and did well I might add) while we women just talked, laughed, and ate our hearts out. Their were some AMAZING salads. I am so grateful to those who came and shared.
The idea was that you were to bring a normal sized salad with recipes to share. We each then got a big plate and tasted each and grabbed recipes. It worked out so well.
I only remembered to take pictures too late, so here are two of the many that were there.


At first I wasn't sure that people would be into the idea, but I was glad that they liked it as much as I did.
As usual I over planned, but that just made it less stressful as I was definately prepared for the party and was therefore able to just enjoy being with neighbors and friends.











Here are some pictures of the party favors I made. I got the "taffy stick" idea off my cousin's blog. Gotta love the blogging!



Here are the recipes we collected:
Summer Salad
Karen M.
2 lbs. Elbow Noodles
1 pkg. Diced Ham
½ lb. Cheddar Cheese
1 Cucumber
¼- ½ Head of Lettuce chopped
Dressing:
1-2 C Mayo
Salt, Pepper, & Onion Salt to taste


5 Cup Salad
Lisa G.
1 C Coconut
1 C Mini-Marshmellows
1 C Mandarin Oranges
1 C Drained Pineapple Chunks
1 C Sour Cream
Mix well, chill and ENJOY!!!


Harvest Salad
Laci S.
Spinach
Romaine Lettuce
½ C Toasted Walnuts chopped
½ C Dried Cranberries
½ C Crumbled Blue Cheese
2 Tomatoes chopped
1 Avocado Diced
½ Onion, thinly sliced
Dressing:
Raspberry or Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Tortellini Pasta Salad
Audrey S.
1 lg. pkg. of Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini
1 pkg. Cherry Tomatoes
1 Fresh Zuccini cut up
½ C Fresh Parmesan Cheese
1 can Sliced Olives
1 bottle of Bernsteins Cheese Fantastico Dressing
Boil pasta, add cut up veggies and cheese, add dressing to taste

Spinach, Chicken, and Bow Tie Pasta
Holly R.
1-10oz. pkg. Baby Spinach
2/3 C Dried Cranberries
3 sm. can mandarin Oranges
2 can Water Chestnuts
½ C Parsley, chopped
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
¼ C Toasted Sesame Seeds
6 oz. Honey Roasted Peanuts
2 C cooked, diced Chicken
Dressing:
1 C Vegetable Oil
2/3 C Bottled Teriyaki Sauce
2/3 C White Wine Vinegar
6 Tbls. Sugar
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
Salad
16 oz. cooked bow tie pasta al dente
Blend dressing in food processor. Add pasta 2 hours before serving. Combine remaining salad ingredients in large bowl, and add pasta with dressing just beforeserving. (Serves 8)


Broccoli Salad
Amanda F.
1 lg. bunch Broccoli cut in to small pieces
½ Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 C Cran-raisins
½ lb. Crispy Bacon crumbled (Cool before added)
2 C finely sliced Mozzarella Cheese
¼ oz. pkg. Sunflower seeds
Dressing:
1 C mayo
2 Tbls. Cider Vinegar
½ C Sugar
Best if served cold.


Mediterranean Pesto-Pasta Salad
Nikki S.
1 13.25 oz. box Whole Grain Penne Pasta
1 6 oz. bag Spinach Leaves
1 9.6 oz. jar Pesto Sauce
1 4 oz. container Feta Cheese
1 4 oz. pkg. Pine Nuts
1 can Blake Olives, cut in half length wise
½ sm purple onion, chopped small
1 12 oz. container Cherub Tomatoes, cut in half
2 6 oz. jars Artichoke Hearts, cut in strips
¾ C Juice from Artichoke Hearts
Cook pasta, rinse. Coat pasta with pesto sauce. Add olives, tomatoes, onions and artichoke hearts; stir together. Add spinach leaves; stir all together. Slowly stir in juice from artichoke hearts. Stir in pine nuts and feta cheese just before serving.

Anaika H. (my favorite of them all)
1 bunch baby leaf spinach
1 bunch Romaine lettuce
1 bunch Green leaf lettuce
2 fuji apples ( or others if preferred)
2 green onions
Grapes
cranraisians
parmesan cheese

Add as much or as little of the fruit as you want to the lettuce.

Carmelized almonds:
3/4 c. slivered almonds
3 T. sugar
2 T. brown sugar

Combine all 3 ingredients in a small non-stick frying pan and cook on medium-high heat stirring constantly. Stir until sugar melts and coats the nuts. (They are done just when you think they are burning) Spread onto a cookie sheet until they are cooled. Break apart and add to salad greens.

Dressing:
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cider vinegar
2 T. poppy seeds
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 c. salad oil
2 tsp. salt
2 T. onion flakes

Mix all ingredients together. Makes 1 quart of dressing. Only use about 1/4 to 1/3 of this amount for the salad. Add to salad just before serving.


And check the post later, as I am still waiting for 2 more recipes that were forgotten, one of which was the BEST!

American Idol Live 2009 Concert

After going golfing with Seth so many times, Dad M decided it was time for a Daddy(in-law)-daughter date.
We went to the American Idol Concert and boy was it fun. It was my first concert ever and I loved it. I of course had to get an "Adam Lambert" T-shirt.
Everyone (except for poor Micheal) sound better than they ever did on Idol. I suspect that had something to do with it being live and the whole ombiance.
Here's some pictures of the performances.



Megan (who I did not like during the season) was surprizingly good. They've spent a lot of time on her. Dad M loved her. It was the highlight of his night.

Scott was amazing. During his set he fired off some jokes, highlighting "The Handshake that was seen around the World."

Lil looked amazing and sang Beyonce's, "Single Ladies." It was very entertaining.

Anoop seemed to please the ladies in the row behind us, but I thought he was just okay.

Matt was amazing. Even better than his singing was his piano playing. He was up and down the keyboard like there was no tomorrow.

Alison was great. Just like she was on "Idol". She is a natural.

Alison cam out with a guitar. It was fun to see her cut loose on the stage and rock out.

Danny was okay, his highlight was a little inspirational speach and then singing "My Wish".

And then "he" came out (in more ways than one!) :) When Adam came on he took the whole show over. He had people on their feet scream, dancing, and some crying.

Adam's performance and special effects were by far the best...just to go along with
the singing. Definatly the reason I went and definatly the highlight of my night! He is SOOOO talented!

I wasn't sure how well Kris would do after something like Adam, but he did pretty well. Only a few people started leaving during his set.


Kris kept switching instruments. It was very impressive. He went from acustic guitar to electric to piano back to electic. He even did a little guitar battle with the lead guitarist.


Scott really impressed me. His songs were more up-beat and fun. He was surprisingly one of my favorites.



Scott and Matt did a little piano dueling during their duet. I wish I would have caught more of it, but here's a little tid-bit.



Adam's entrance was very exciting. Everyone was on their feet screaming. My camera ran out of memory so I only got a bit of it, but you get the idea. I had to quickly delete a bunch of pictures so I could take more. Who needed those family memories anyways?! :)



And of course, the highlight of the night: "Mad World". Here's a taste of how great Adam was.



The funniest part of the night was when we thought Danny was done with his set and so everyone got on their feet, stated screaming louder than ever and got their cameras ready. He brought the mic to his mouth and said, "um, I have one more song." It was so funny and sad at the same time. He knew all that excitement wasn't for him!
So over all it was an amazing night where I got to go out and do something just for me. It was a little foreign at first, but I let my hair down and felt the "old Karen" coming out to party and she had a blast....Thanks Dad M.

Today I had a little get together with some friends (My Summer Salad Splash) and it was fun to feel like the envy of the crowd when I told them where I got to be last night. I am usually so envious of others and their fun, exciting lives. It was fun to feel that, but the other way around for once! And yes, I sported my "Adam Lambert" T-shirt ALL day long.