Oh Christmas Tree...oh Christmas Tree

We actually put our Christmas tree and decorations up the day after Thanksgiving, but I forgot to post the pictures. The girls both helped decorate the tree and Ashlyn was SO excited to put the star on the top. So of course, Leah had to do it too.

The results are in....

The poll is closed and it was a close vote. 60 percent in favor of a boy and 40 percent in favor of a girl. Well, I had my appointment today and the Doctor says it's a boy. So unless it was a funny shot of the umbilical cord, it looks like we'll be getting a little boy after all. I still have a hard time believing it, but we are really excited. Now to think of a name????

Paula Deen does it again

Okay, so she has a least one stick of butter in everything she makes, but boy oh boy is it good. I've been looking for a great homemade Lemon Bar recipe for a long time. So when I saw her show yesterday, I had to try hers out. They are delicious. SO SO SO much better than the nasty box kind (sorry if you like those. It's probably because you've never had a real good one.) Anyway, here is her recipe. It's super easy. I halved it and made it in an 8x8 glass pan and it worked perfectly.

Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
pinch of salt
2 stick of butter, at room temperature

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used the bottled stuff and they were still yummy)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make the crust by combining the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork to make a crumbly mixture. Form into a ball. Press the mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour and lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, when the bars are done baking.

I'm Grateful for....

X: Xerox Machines (A.K.A.-copy machines). They are such a handy thing to have in your house, especially if you are Mormon and work with kids in Primary. I use ours all the time.
Y: Ok, this one is a stretch for the letter, but Youthful looking skin products. You know...anti aging skin care. The older I get, the more grateful I am for them. Now let's hope they really work in the long run.
Z: Zoo. The girls love going and a membership there is the best deal in LA.

I'm Grateful for....

U:Ultrasounds (I should find out what this little baby is NEXT Monday. HOORAY!!!)
V: Violins (I played for one SHORT year when I was in 5th grade. I always admire people that can play an instrument.)
W: Water parks in the summer time, Wintertime, Winnie the Pooh (I loved him as a kid and my kids love him now), Wet wipes (they are life savers when you have little kids), weddings (particularly my own)

I'm Grateful for....

R: Rain (I miss it. We need it.) It makes everything green and clean and fresh feeling.
S: Seasons. Every season is great for a while. I'm glad they change. Right now I am loving Fall (wish it was a tad bit cooler here though, but hopefully it will be soon.) And See's Candies. Yum yum!!!
T: Thanksgiving Day/Time

I'm Grateful for...

O: Oreo cookies (yum yum), Open space (much desired here in Cali), and Osteen (town where I grew up)
P: Paul (for obvious reasons), Pumpkin patches (because they're a fun way to begin Fall time), Primary (it's my favorite place to be in church), and the piano (even though I can't play. I love listening to piano music)
Q: Quiet. If you have kids, you completely understand how wonderful quiet is. HA HA....

I'm Grateful for...

L: Leah (of course), Liberty and Freedom (even though Freedom doesn't start with L), Life, and Love
M: Music (good music that is). It's calming and helps me be in a good mood.
N: Nights out (girls nights, date nights, family nights).

I'm Grateful for...

I: Ipod's (especially video ipod's on long plane or car trips), ice cream because it's oh so yummy, and the internet because it's SO convenient and sometimes online shopping is the only shopping I get to do.
J: Jammies cuz they're very comfy and Jamba Juice
K: Kristen Bell because she played a perfect Veronica Mars (my favorite show, which I am still mourning the cancelation of)

Dresses from Aunt Rhonda

These dresses come as a gift from my Favorite Aunt Rhonda. She never had any girls (well, I guess she has 2 stepdaughters now, but they are older), but is the most girly person I know. So lucky me gets to benefit from her love of dresses and shopping. So thanks Aunt Rhonda. The girls loved wearing these to church. Ashlyn wouldn't take hers off all day.

I'm Grateful for...

H: My Highlander (SUV) and my Husband (who is the perfect man for me).

Super Leah

I think Grammy taught Leah this cuz I didn't. Anyway, she comes up to me with towel in hand and starts reaching for her back. It took me a minute to figure out what she was asking (since she doesn't use many words), but I finally figured she wanted me to make a cape for her. She ran around the house like this for a good 15 minutes. She was having so much fun. The photo is blurry because she wouldn't stop to take a photo, so I had to take her in motion.

I'm Grateful For...

F: Family (of course), fun and food.
G: Gym, to help keep me in shape (although I have been slacking since getting pregnant. I'll have to be better.)

I'm grateful for....

D: Ducks because they make Leah happy. It's one of the few animals she can say the NAME and the SOUND they make. She's a little slow in the talking department. But that's okay. We love her.
E: Email. It's a great way to keep in touch with people. I love it.

I am Grateful for....

Pay it Forward
What are you Grateful For?
This idea came from my friend Jamie, and I am paying it forward, too. This is what to do--each day of this month make a list of things you are thankful for that start with each letter of the alphabet. It's a great dinnertime activity with your kiddos. So these are mine so far:

A: Ashlyn and Autumntime
B: Beds to sleep in when I am tired
C: Candy (Hey it was just Halloween. It's on my mind.)

Here's the Pay It Forward Idea:I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. (so, you must have a blog to participate.) I can't wait to see who I will be giving to. To join, just cut and paste this on your blog and comment away. So get posting.

Couldn't resist

I couldn't resist posting this family photo because it isn't very often that we have one. Especially when we are dressed nicely for church. But thanks to Paul's mom visiting, we were able to have one taken. And what's even better is that Ashlyn is actually looking at the camera AND smiling.

Grammy's been in town

Paul's mom came for a visit, from Iowa, this past week. And despite a nasty cold and lots of traffic, we had a great time. Here are some pictures of what we did while Grammy was here. (Thanks for coming Grammy. We hope you had a fun time. We sure did!!!)

Here's the girls snuggling with Grammy.


We went to Noah's Ark at the Skirball. Ashlyn's FAVORITE place ever.


We went trick or treating and got LOTS of candy (from only a handful of homes. It pays to go to the rich homes.)


We built a tent. Well, Grammy did and Leah played in it.


We went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day there and the animals were quite active.



We went to Chuckie Cheese. Ashlyn's first time there. She loved it of course.


And last, but not least, we went to meet Daddy for lunch at his work.


We also ate out a ton and just plain ate a ton. Why does that always happen when people come to visit?

Oh....sorry...one more thing. I had another doctors appt. Everything is going well with the baby. I got to have another ultrasound, so that was fun. My wonderful doctor tried her hardest to be able to tell what it was, but the baby was in a bad position and it's legs were crossed. First she thought it was a girl, then she thought it was maybe a boy. So it still remains a mystery. Hopefully I'll have better news at my next appt. Here's a picture of the baby at 13 weeks and 4 days.