Stopping for Gas at DIXIE

About half way between St. Louis and Chicago is a truck stop called Dixie. We stop there every time we go back and forth between the Uncles house. This time, we went to the McDonalds at the gas station. The kids all picked Ice Cream (except Tom, who wanted a burger). They had fun, and got to go to the bathroom and stretch their legs! Then, it was back in the car and on the road.Here's Tom, he finished his burger before I could get a pic of him and his food.

Here's us. Notice I didn't get a snack. Stupid diet!

Joe Joe and his ice cream. I don't think these are really my kids. They like PLAIN ice cream. What's up with that. Where's the hot fudge, or the caramel, or at least strawberries. They really can't be my kids!

Here's Jacob, making short order of his ice cream. This particular McDonalds had a video game console in the front. He was eating fast so he could play the game. Video game junky!

Eme is so cute, even when she's eating :)

Elizabeth's Band Concert

This is my niece, Elizabeth. She's a 7th grader, and plays the clarinet in Band! Go girl! Click here to listen to her concert. The 2 that she is in is "Pop N Chips 2007" and "District Organization". Check them out. There pretty good!

After Cub Scouts

Cub Scouts is great, but it sure takes a lot out of us! We have to leave here a little after 6pm, and are gone until near 8pm. Then, the boys still have to do their homework. Goodness!

Here's Jacob at the kitchen table, working away!

Here's Tom, in his room, reading his AR book.

And here's a picture of me, just because. I had better hair before the chef hat!

Cub Scout Chefs

Check us out! We made chef hats, then made "magic cookies". The boys had fun. We also played "Name that Smell", "Hot Potato", and planted a seed of something we eat (radishes) (ok, so we don't eat them often!).

Tom, Jared, Bethany, Emeline, Joseph, Jacob, Enrique, Cataline, Jim

Magic Cookies

1 box cake mix, any flavor
1 egg
4 Tbsp melted butter

Mix together to make a workable dough. Form into balls, place on greased cookie sheet. Press. Top with M&M's. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

My TV Woes

Last year, we moved the big TV upstairs. It had "connection" issues. We couldn't get the AV connections to stay in place. We'd lose picture or sound. We got a new TV from Grandma Lyn (smaller) and put it in downstairs. The big, but bad, TV went upstairs. Still has issues, but I found that with the right "tweaking", it still works.

So tonight, it was buzzing. I am trying to watch a movie, "The Return". Anyone know if it's good? Anway, there is already a deck of cards under the connections to "engage" them. Look at the clever solution I found for getting the "buzz" gone! The girls should know what they are :)

The Eye's Have It!

Grandma Ida's Easter Dollar Trip

Grandma Ida sent us an Easter card this year, with a dollar for each kid in it. We decided to go to the Dollar Tree tonight, and let the kids spend their "loot"! I let them each choose whatever they wanted. They were so excited.

Jacob chose a stuffed animal, a puppy.

Sorry about the blurry picture, but if you know Jim, you'll know why. He wouldn't stand still, and it was an hour after bedtime. He got a tube of M&M's, with an easter bunny on the top. That's whats in his mouth, the lid to the tube.

Tom had $2.00. He had an extra dollar from the tooth fairy. He'd lost his tooth quite a long time ago, and never got his dollar. Then, the tooth got thrown away, and still no dollar. On the way to the Dollar Tree, I told Tom that the Tooth Fairy had left his dollar upstairs, and I'd just forgot to tell him. Quick thinking, eh?!

Eme got fruit snacks. She was excited to have a big bag of candy all to herself!

Joe Joe also got fruit snacks. He and Eme are like peas in a pod! He was being goofy and wouldn't be serious. At least he held still for the picture!

Easter Cookies

Here are a few of the Easter Cookies that we made. They are a peanut butter sugar cookie recipe, with frosting. I made up 5 frosting bags, and let the kids each decorate 2 cookies. Most just licked the frosting off, but a couple of the kids put their cookies together and ate them as a sandwich! Silly kids.These are the cookies that we're giving to the boys' teachers tomorrow. Mrs LeGrand, Mrs. McReynolds, Mrs. Kump, and Tom's other teacher. Aren't they pretty cookies!

Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 cup margarine
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

1. Mix together powdered sugar, egg, margarine, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
2. Slowly add flour and baking soda while mixing.
3. Dough will be thick but only slightly sticky. Put in refrigerator to chill for 90 minutes (don't skip this step)
4. Prehead oven to 375 degrees
5. Roll out dough onto lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies in desired shapes
6. Place cookies on lightly greased baking sheet
7. Cook for 7-8 minutes (mine took 11 minutes) until edges are only lightly browned. Cookie will remain light in color.
8. Cool on rack for 5-10 minutes. Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Mulching The Yard

Check out the nice mulch that Brent spread on the yard today. Doesn't it look nice!

Capri Sun!

Tom didn't finish his lunch yesterday, and brought home the extras. There were grapes and a capri sun. Joe Joe was more than happy enough to help Tom with his "problem"!

Jacob's Bluetooth

Doesn't it look like Jacob is wearing a Bluetooth! I thought it was so funny. It's a light that we got out of the cereal box. He got his this morning. See, I bought 4 boxes of cereal, and there was 1 light in each box. Eme got the 1st boxes prize, and Joe got the 2nd boxes prize. Jacob finally got his prize today. That just leaves Tom. He'll get his when we finish off this current box of cereal. Anyway, I just thought it was funny that Jake was wearing it around.

Trains

What a precious picture! It's Jimmy's hand and Joe Joe's foot. They sure had fun playing with their train set!

When Animals Attack!

Hmmmm, what is this? Looks goood.
I think I'll taste it!

Grrrrrrr.

Mmmmmm. Tasty!

If only I could rip this chunk out!

Cinderella III, A Twist in Time

This was a rare occurence. All of the chores were done. All of the homework was done. So, we watched a movie. We'd just gotten Cinderella III in the mail, so we decided to watch it. And, it got over 45 minutes BEFORE bedtime. Good job kids!

Tom lounging on the floor, watching the movie!

Eme, Joe, and Jake sharing the couch.

Jimmy, well, not watching the movie, but looking mighty cute!

Mr. Bucket

Check out this new game that we got for the kids at the Thrift Store today. They sure liked it! It just needed new batteries, and it was good to go.

I went online to find some clipart for Mr. Bucket, and boy did I find a lot. Apparently some people thought that the jingle for Mr. Bucket was "funny". I must say, that it is quiet different! They probably should have thought a little bit more about "interpretation" before they went with their lyrics.

Oh, You Mean I'm Supposed to Eat It?

No Jim, put it in your mouth, not on your head!

Ballerina Girl

Isn't she cute! After looking at my mom and my sister's websites, I had to get Eme a ballerina outfit too! So it was off to the Unique Thrift Shop on Monday morning, finding a gymnist suit for 1.50, then some toole and ribbon and flowers for the tutu part. It was under 8.00. Not bad, eh? What a cutie!

This one is my favorite!

What TV Shows Do You Watch?

Brent works a lot of evenings. Over the years, I've found things to do to occupy myself. TV is easy, especially after a day full of little kids. It's my escape from reality. I must say, that I really enjoy the option of watching my shows online. Used to be, I relied on the VCR, and would freak out if I forgot to set it. Or would call my mom and dad out on the West Coast to tape it for me. Thanks guys, for being so supportive! Anyway, here are my favorites!

MONDAY: Heroes on NBC
I like this show for all the twists and turns, and you never know what's gonna happen. It has just the right amount of science fiction/supernatural to keep me interested, and a cast that I like.

TUESDAY: Nothing
I just can't seem to find anything that I like. Don't care for American Idol. Law and Order is good every once in a while, but is kind of raunchy now-a-days.

WEDNESDAY: Jericho on CBS
I really like this one! My sister told me to watch it, 'cause she thought it was good. It started in the fall, and I decided to start watching after the Christmas break. I caught up on the internet over a few days, and was hooked. I love natural disaster shows! I have to watch it on Thursday morning though, because we have Cub Scouts during the time that it's on.


and Lost on ABC
I was a much bigger fan last year, but I still enjoy it. I think that they need to give us a little more story line. Sometimes you can go several episodes without learning anything new. I get confused sometimes because there are so many many different story lines. But, overall, I still enjoy Lost.


THURSDAY: Survivor - Fiji on CBS
Survivor used to be my all time favorite show, but has slipped a few slots in recent years. It's still fun to watch, and now with it being online, I don't mind missing an episode now and then, 'cause I can easily catch up.


FRIDAY: Nothing
There are a few shows that I like, but I'm usually busy on Friday night. Only occasionally do I watch things.

SATURDAY: Nothing
Again, Saturdays are busy for us. We're spending family time together, and not watching TV.

SUNDAY: The Apprentice on NBC
Usually, I watch the Apprentice online on Monday. Sundays are busy days with church and family and all. I just like Trump. It's kinda fun.

Cheetah Family

Eme, Jim, Jacob, and I watched Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom tonight. It was about this family of cheetahs. Eme really liked it. She was sad though, that 4 of the 7 cubs died. I really was surprised at how much she liked it. We may have to make a "date" to watch again next week. It's about a giant river otter.

177th General Conference

We spent Saturday and Sunday watching (well, listening) to conference. Here's the link, in case you missed it! http://www.lds.org/broadcast/gc/0,5161,7536,00.html