Weekend with Grandpa and Grandma Baxter

Samuel didn't have any school on Thursday and Friday, so mom and dad offered to let the kids stay at their house. We had parent teacher conferences on Thursday, so I brought the kids over Friday morning and Samuel, Jacque and Calista got to stay until Saturday afternoon. They had so much fun with grandpa and grandma, and Ellen just loved the one on one attention!

Dad was trying to teach Calista good manners at breakfast (not eating with her hands), but it seems that Calista couldn't get the fork to work, and she knew grandpa said not to use her hands, so very quietly, she bent down and starting eating right off of the plate! Poor Calista, thanks for trying to listen to grandpa.

Mom and dad woke up early in the morning and were lying in bed, with their door slightly cracked, listening to the girls giggle back and forth. Then they heard "Samuel...wake up...come on Samuel...Samuel..." Then their door started slowly creeping open, a little at a time, until the girls came in.

On the way to Ontario, grandpa and grandma played "I spy with my little eye." Someone finds something out of the car and everyone else has to guess what it is. When it was Calista's turn she said, "I spy with my ONE eye." The kids really enjoyed that game.

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Baxter! Samuel, Jacque and Calista had so much fun!!

Yummy Donuts

My mom sent me a cookbook by email that has a bunch of recipes from restaurants and one of them was a Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe. I decided to try it out, and they were awesome. I gave a few to some of my friends, and they actually thought they were Krispy Kreme! Here's the recipe. I hope they turn out well for you too! I just did the creamy glaze.



Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Raised doughnuts:
2 pkgs. or 4 1/2 tsp regular or rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105−115 degrees)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all−purpose flour
Vegetable oil
Creamy glaze or chocolate glaze


Dissolve yeast in warm water in 2 1/2−quart bowl. Add milk, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups flour. Beat on low speed scraping bowl constantly, 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed scraping bowl occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Dough will be sticky. Cover and let rise in warm place, until double, 50−60 minutes. (Dough is ready when indentation remains when touched.) Turn dough onto floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour. Gently roll dough 1/2−inch thick with floured rolling pin. Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Cover and let rise until double, 30−40 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Slide doughnuts into hot oil with wide spatula. Turn doughnuts as they rise to the surface. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side.

Remove carefully from oil (do not prick surface); drain. Dip the doughnuts into creamy glaze, set on rack, then when slightly cooled spread chocolate glaze on top. Can dip in sprinkles or other toppings after chocolate if desired.


Creamy glaze:


1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4−6 tbsp. hot water


Heat butter until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.


Chocolate glaze:


1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4−6 tbsp. hot water
4−oz milk chocolate or semi−sweet chips


Heat butter and chocolate over low heat until chocolate is melted; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.


Makes: 2−3 dozen doughnuts

Post-holiday Cheer

I had almost forgotten about a Christmas card that we had received from the University of North Dakota's Department of Medicine. Jacque had drawn a picture and then brought it to me to show me her artwork, and it happened to be on the card. This Christmas card was like no other one I had ever received, and it gave me a great idea. So I took their idea and created my own Christmas card:

Practice what you Preach

I remember giving Tonya advice on how to help Jackson learn to walk. I figured that I had it down since my first three were all walking before their first birthday. But now comes Ellen. She can balance very well, and she can even stand up on her own in the middle of the room, but she won't walk more than a few steps. I'm not sure what to do to help her see that walking is much better than crawling. I guess I'll just have to be patient.

Samuel the Big Brother

Ellen got sick yesterday. I was reading books to Samuel and Jacque when I smelled something. Jacque thought it was her lotion, but it smelled more like throw up. Sure enough, when I looked down at my feet, Ellen was sitting there with a mess in front of her. I stripped her down and gave her a bath. Then she went to sleep. When she woke up an hour later, she had thrown up again in her bed. She threw up a couple more times before bedtime too. Samuel was getting worried. He asked if there was any medicine that Ellen could take, or if we should take her to the doctor. I assured him that she just had to get it all out of her stomach. Then Samuel said the sweetest thing, "Mommy do you need any help? Since daddy isn't home, if you need help, just call me." He is such a good big brother. Aaron had to work until 9:30 last night, and Samuel was trying to help as much as he could. Ellen slept pretty good last night. She was hungry this morning, so I hope she's all over it now.

Code Anyone?

I know some of you like to decode messages, so here's one to try. We are planning on giving it to James. I don't think it is too tough, but you can tell me what you think. Aaron and his dad send codes back and forth, and they have to follow one rule: It has to start with Dear Dad, and end with Love Aaron. This should make it pretty easy. Tell me if you solve it!

gdg udhg

cwlui vghhq ghui gqd ghui vghhq cwlui
cwlui vghhi ghui gqd ghui vghhi cwlui
grri ghui bcwlu kwlz cwlui vghhi ghui
grri cwlui bcwlu kwlz ghui vghhi cwlui
gldv qhwir vdk ghi qhkz cwlui gqd
ghui ghi cwlui d p’ghui, cwlui ghi ghui d p’l

qrudd hyro

Ward Missionary Activities

I don't know if any of you are ward missionaries or the ward mission leader, but my friend is the best ward missionary that I know. She has a bunch of activities going that are a lot of fun and we get a pretty good turn out of inactives, non-members, or newly baptized.

Activity 1: Ward volleyball night for both moms and dads (of all ages - our bishop even comes) every Thursday night. We bring our kids and have them play on the stage with the nursery toys. We aren't strict on rules, as long as it goes over the net and doesn't hit the ceiling, it's good. You can touch/fall into the net, kick the ball, etc. You don't even have to serve back at the serving line, and you serve until you get it over. The less rules, the more fun. I guess the only rule is that you have to be able to laugh. Every now and then she substitutes volleyball for a potluck dinner and activity like baseball or water volleyball (in the summer). This has worked so well that they actually gave my friend a key to the church and a budget to work with.

Activity 2: Book of Mormon study group. They meet every Monday at 11am with the Missionaries and read a couple of chapters out of the Book of Mormon. They use the Sunday School manual and seminary manuals as study guides, and then read a few chapters and stop to discuss them. It starts and ends with a hymn and prayer.

Activity 3: Ensign Book club. The Relief Society is actually doing this idea. They read the monthly ensign and then the third Tuesday of the month, they get together and discuss what they have read.

Big Number 7!!

Today is our 7th Anniversary!! I love having our anniversary a couple days after Valentine's Day. All of the Valentine's stuff is still around and it is 75% off! You can't beat that. These last seven years have flown by, and they've been a lot of fun. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband who loves to spend time with me and the kids, who works hard to support our family, and who loves to serve the Lord. Thank you Aaron for all you do for us. I love you!!

Waffles with Chili anyone?

When we were at Nathan and Leslie's house, Nathan volunteered to make dinner. He said that he was going to make "his" waffles, and then you put chili on top. It sounded pretty strange, and we were going to have to hurry home for some forgotten appointment, but he said they were cornbread waffles, which sounded better. I've eaten cornbread and chili several times, so why not cornbread waffles and chili. It was really good, even all the kids ate it. Thanks Nathan for a very yummy dinner!

Our Little Valentine Is 1!

Ellen turned 1 year old yesterday!! To celebrate, Aaron and I went to the temple and then we had a party at Nathan and Leslie's house. Ellen really enjoyed everyone singing to her. I'm not sure that she knew what was going on, but she smiled a lot while everyone was looking at her. Thanks Leslie for letting us come over and for making the cake. We're going to miss you guys. Thanks for the pictures too.

Ellen learns to walk

Ellen is learning to walk, but only when she wants to. She's done up to 10 steps, but she has to be well fed, well rested, and she has to WANT to walk, or it doesn't work. She also has to hold something. If any one of these don't happen, her legs are turned into rubber. She will stand alone for a couple of minutes, unless you bring it to her attention, and then she quickly sits down. But someday I'm sure she will find the joy of walking.

Happy Birthday Calista!

Jacque, Samuel, Ellen, Mommy, Calista, Tristin, and David. Tristin and David are the boys that I babysit. Their mother just had a baby (girl!) so they got to spend a few days with us. They all loved the cake. Mom and Dad got to come, and Mom said that before she was done cutting the cake, they were all asking if they could have seconds! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Blowing out the candles

Calista (with a little help) got them all out! Yeah Calista!!

Jacque, Samuel, Calista, Tristin, and David. Look at those excited faces!

Kindergarten

Samuel is loving Kindergarten. Last month he was able to perform a skit about being nice at an assembly for the Kindergarten to Second graders. This is his reading group. They are the only Kindergarteners that can read out of the three classes. His part of the skit said, "Nice feels like a warm coat."

It's fun to have him reading. We read the scriptures before bedtime every night, and he gets out his Book of Mormon and reads along with us. He does a pretty good job. He usually chooses the smaller verses, but he can read most of the words all by himself.

Calista's First Haircut!

Calista got her first haircut!! I think this picture was taken around the New Year. Yes, she was almost 3 years old, but it took that long to get enough hair. We had to cut it to even up all of the different lengths. I was afraid that it was going to cut off all of her curls, but her hair is still curly! Yeah!!

It snowed Wednesday, and Aaron came inside after dropping Samuel off at school saying the snow was perfect for making a snowman. Jacque quickly got dressed and went outside. She made this snowman all by herself. The only time she asked for help was for Aaron to put one of the snowballs on top of the other. She found some wood in the shop and asked for a marker to make the teeth. She asked for a carrot for the nose, and found a washer, and a round piece of wood for eyes. She also found some pine needles for hair. I thought it was very cute. It was fun to see how creative she was. She was so proud of herself.

Another Bunkbed Update

We did it! We got the twin part of the bunkbed all put together! We were nervous that things wouldn't match up perfectly, but it worked!! now we have to add the extention on the bottom and the supporting 2x4s. It's coming along, and hopefully we'll have a functioning bunkbed in a few weeks.

She's a Singer!!

For those of you who don't know, our family loves to sing, especially Calista and Jacque. They love the movie "High School Musical." For Calista's birthday we got the "High School Musical" CD, and needless to say, we've been listening to it all the time. Today, while we were out working on the bunkbed, Calista was singing part of the song "What I've Been Looking For." For those of you who have seen the movie, this is the version that Sharpay and Ryan are singing, and at the end they do a jazz chorus - Do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, Whoa oh, oh, oh. I was holding Ellen out in the shop, and then came in to get her something to eat. As I was walking around, I started doing the do-do-do-do part, and then paused before the ohs. As I was thinking about something, I heard this little ah-ah-ah-ah from Ellen! I couldn't believe that she did it on purpose, so I tried it again, and paused. Sure enough she did it again. She even showed off for Aaron when I had him come in and listen. She did it 5 times perfectly!! So we have another singer in the family!! Yeah!

The Beautiful Bunkbed!

This is it! Isn't it beautiful!! We figure it takes about an hour to do each joint. Today we've done four more joints on the back side, which make the ends of the beds (top and bottom). We still need to do the four joints to connect it to the front and then another four joints to make the extended bottom ends. It's been a lot of fun, and there is still so much work to do, but here's our update.

Mommy's helpers

Ellen is my dishwasher helper. She will be playing in the living room, but as soon as she hears the clanking of dishes, she will crawl over and supervise. Sometimes I think she feels like she's in charge of unloading all the dirty dishes as fast as she can while I load them back in.

On Sunday afternoons, we all take naps. Samuel doesn't usually want to take naps now that he's in kindergarten, so we tell him he needs to rest. Ellen woke up before I did, so Samuel went and got her out of the playpen, and put her back to sleep, so "mommy could get some more sleep!" Isn't he a great helper!!

Valentine Ideas

For those who are needing ideas for your special someone(s), this is an idea that Tonya had given me a few years ago, and we redo it every year. Make a list of all the reasons you love your special someone(s) and type them up on the computer and print it out. Cut them into strips. Buy some chocolate candies (or other kind) and fill a quart jar with the candies and strips of paper. Put a lid on the jar and decorate the outside.

Last year I took each of the kids one at a time and had them tell me why they loved their daddy. Then I typed them up and filled the jar with their comments. It was fun for Aaron to see what the kids had to say.

Another idea: Do any of you remember the song by Alan Jackson, "Remember When?" We really liked the tune of it and it gave me another idea. I have about 30 pages of "remember whens." They are just little memories over the years and go something like this:

Remember when we built a fence to keep Samuel away from the fireplace? I remember. We were trying to find a way to keep Samuel safe, but that didn’t cost too much. We decided to build a fence that would block off the wood stove, computer desk, and hallway. And what was the cheapest material? PVC!

Each of the paragraphs start with "Remember when" and then I write what I remember about it. It's another fun way to keep a journal.

Our Latest Project!

I've been babysitting a couple of kids during the nighttimes, which means that Samuel gets kicked out of his bed and has to sleep on the couch. Samuel actually really likes the couch, but it would be nice for him to have a bed too. So Aaron and I have taken upon ourselves the job of making our own bunkbed (twin on top, double on bottom). We are making it using lodgepole logs and half/split logs. Aaron has done most of the work. I tried to help peel the logs, but I wasn't very fast. It took me at least an hour to peel one of the halves. Aaron went out in the shop the next day and started peeling about the time I started cooking dinner. When dinner was ready, he came in and I asked him if he'd finished the log he'd started. He looks at me for a minute and says, "I finished 4 of them." Oops! That shows how much better he is than me. Samuel went out and helped Aaron that same day, and he probably did better or at least as well as I did. The next day, Samuel went out and worked with me. This time he was my coach..."Mommy, you need to get that black stuff off. It is bark...Mommy you don't need to get the grey part. That's just where the log started rotting..." and other comments like that. I was impressed that he had paid such good attention to Aaron. It was fun to have him teach me.

Now that the peeling is done, my job is to hold the logs verticle while Aaron drills out the holes. So far we have put the back and front together. The next order of business will be to attach the sides. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but hopefully they will come soon.