One less coyote in the world...

This morning Shawn left to go to work thinking today was going to be a good day. About 45 minutes after he left, he calls me. I am like GREAT! What happened now? If you remember, back in August he "hit" a tire that was in the road, and it tore up the front passenger bumper of his car. Today... it was a coyote. Maybe not this coyote, but a big one...

and it tore up the SAME front end again! Shawn was going close to 80 mph...

I bet the coyote said this after he was hit...

And after the first accident in August, I KNOW I told our insurance company to put on "rental", as we couldn't get a rental that time (couldn't afford it). Rental was put on the Suburban, but not the little car. So, now we are fighting our insurance... it's our word against their word. It's on now, but it's a little to late! Grrrrrrr!

Homemade

FRENCH BREAD!

I am such a sucker for carbs!

See why I can't lose weight?

Brigham House Chicken Salad

My friend Suzanne gave me this recipe many years ago, and I actually made it once, for the Relief Society Stake activity {thus, the reason why I was given the recipe}. After seeing it posted this week on one of Suzanne's blog, I started craving for it again. I went to the store and got the necessary ingredients to make it. Of course, my family will all moan and groan about it, but they can eat it or eat a PB&J! Thanks Suzanne for letting me "borrow" your picture! Oh, and if you want the recipe, click on the link above!

Kayley made this cake today. She wanted to make something, and since I had the ingredients for the German Chocolate Pound Cake, I told her she could make it. It turned out great, considering all the bad luck I've had this week with pound cakes, and I am sure it tastes just as good as it looks!
Thanks Kayley for making it!

German Chocolate Pound Cake
1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 tub coconut-pecan frosting
4 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1 c. water

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a bundt cake pan. Mix all ingredients together, including the frosting. Pour into pan, and bake 50-60 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto cake pan, and let it finish cooling. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

I'm in it!

A while back I was looking at the Worldwide Ward Cookbook, and saw that my friend had submitted a few recipes. I got on-line to find out if another cookbook was in the works, and sure enough, there was! I submitted a bunch of recipes...and 3 of them were published!
I got my cookbook today... so excited!

He does not starve!

I got a sweet letter from my cute elder son today. He told me that he was very grateful that I taught him to cook because he hasn't eaten any Raman since he has been on his mission!

He says he loves to cook, and that all the

missionaries love to eat his food.

Isn't he so cute?

Popcorn Popping...

on our wild pear tree...

Macy Dog...

Before even Ollie died, Lauren was getting a new dog from her "boy friend" Preston. Macy was born March 4th, and was the runt of the litter. Macy is 1/2 long-hair dachshund, 1/4 malties, 1/4 poodle. She is so tiny, and so cute... Kids were super excited when they saw her today because I kept it a secret. I made arrangements with Preston's mom to meet her in New Boston today. Lauren & I were planning on getting her Saturday, but today was better...

and I didn't have to drive far!

She is laying next to Joey's size 8 toddlers crocs.

(Yes, Joey does have a small foot!)

Awwwwwww... sleeping while Joey is watching Diego.

What have I gotten myself into?? I like dogs to be potty-trained, and at least a year old! YIKES!!

Phantom of the Opera

This past December we went to my parents house to visit during the kids Christmas break. Lauren & Kayley mostly stayed at my brother's house in Temple. Brandon & Rebekah are excellent piano players. I mean Rebekah was asked to be 1 of 12 piano players at the RNC in Dallas this summer! Lauren got a copy, 8 pages, of the Phantom of the Opera theme (?) song. Almost every day since, she has been practicing this song, and can play the first 4 pages really good. I want to say she told me that she is trying to memorize it. Her goal is to have it all ready to play in the Ward Talent Show in December. I must say, I am quite proud of her. She also has been practicing the 2010 Youth theme, Be Strong, as well. She is playing that in Sacrament Meeting on May 16th.

A new teenager!

Kayley turned the big 1-3 on April 1st. She is now the 3rd official teenager that I have, even though only 2 live in my house! I hope this girl lives to see her 14th birthday... such a pouter she is (as she is by me as I type this... but really, she is!)

I forgot to get a picture of her on her birthday, so here

she is from yesterday, with her cousin MaKayla.

Such a beautiful daughter!

Sweet MaKayla, almost 12. We haven't seen her in a while, so I decided to get a cute picture of her. We really enjoy seeing her, and wish she lived closer!

Krissy, Lindsey, Kayley & MaKayla ready for church. Couldn't wait on Lauren, as she is never ready on time these days, it seems!

Dying Easter Eggs

I will have to admit, dying Easter eggs is not a favorite activity of mine. I always make sure that one of the Grandmas will do it. This year, Mimi got lucky to be the Grandma to do it. But really she didn't have to do a thing except boil the eggs, because 2 of her older granddaughters, Lauren & Kayley, were there to help the small grandchildren...

Colby, Rachel & LaNiece

Lauren, Krissy & Kayley

Kayley, LaNaye, Jacob, Rachel, Colby

Rachel & Joey posing... he wanted to be in that pool instead! Unfortuately no swimming happened because the weather had not been warm to make the water warm. It was way cold, and I didn't need sick kids!

Gettin' a hairs cut!

I went to Killeen 2 weekends in a row in March/April. First time it was for Spring Break, and 2nd time it was for Easter, since Shawn had to work the whole weekend anyway. After Spring Break, I tried to get Jacob in for a hairs cut because he was startin' to have a mop up there, but Kelly had no time to cut it, and he didn't want me to buzz his head like I did Joey's a few weeks back. We headed back to Killeen with no hairs cut. The Saturday before Easter, Jacob and I had to go to Walmart, so between sessions of General Conference, we headed over. Just as I pulled back in to my parents drive-way, I decided right then that Jacob needed a hairs cut at a Korean Barber Shop. So over to Ft. Hood Street we went to find Ci-Ci's. We didn't have a wait. We said we wanted a flat-top. I think the lady was thinking I was crazy snappin' pictures but he had never been to a barber, especially a good Korean barber!

She was fast, and kept moving Jacob's head back to where she put it the first time!

Look at the hose on those clippers! Let me tell ya... that was the coolest thing! The kid hardly had a piece of hair on him when the cut was over.
She spent quite a while getting that top flat...

Watch out Maverick! I think this kid is way more good lookin' then you ever dreamed of bein'!

Ollie, 2001-2010

On April 14th, our dog, Ollie... our cute dog that we've had for 7 years, died. He was Josh's dog. We wrote him a letter to tell him that he had died, and today in his email, Josh said that he was expecting it, even though he didn't want it to happen. He wasn't upset or anything. I cried when Shawn told me he had died. He was getting up there in age, and for the past few months he wasn't as frisky as he once was. He stayed around the house more, even though there was always time to trap a possom, snag a chicken or 2, or even gnaw on a deer leg...

Ollie, November 2009
Ollie and the girls... Zoie (L) and Cali, August 2009

Blogging 101

I am at my parents for Easters, and of course I have my laptop. Since my blog hasn't been updated in a while, I thought I would change the template, and put another cute one on, and so I tried deleting everything, and did this and did that, and nothing happened! I so need some serious help in Blogging 101.

On April 7th, I am getting wireless! Ok, not wireless I don't think, but Hughes Net? It's satellite... right? Anyway, it's suppose to be like super fast, so I am getting super excited! Maybe then I can figure this all out!