More pictures here.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Antique Quilts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Giveaway!

I'm not quilting right now. I had big plans, mind you... I wasn't going to do any cleaning or laundry this week, I was just going to spend time quilting, but last night I realized that would be gross. My house is a disaster and for some reason the laundry is once again piled up! :-)
But who wants a depressing post??? Not me!!

If you haven't been to Mary's blog, I would definitely add her to your google reader... her blog is beautiful and she has lots of lovely inspirations.
My motto has always been one good turn deserves another, so I am hosting my own giveaway!

It won't be hard to win, as there are only about 5 of you out there reading my blog! All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment on this post with your email address before Friday night. On Saturday, one of my kids will pick a name out of a hat.
Happy Crafting!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Nauvoo
It is super windy outside as I type this post. We are getting a pretty exciting storm, in fact, there are snow showers in the forecast for tomorrow evening!
We are completely bored now that my parents have gone back home! While they were here we took a trip to Nauvoo and had a wonderful experience. The testimonies of the missionaries serving in Old Nauvoo were so strong, and I once again felt the spirit confirming my testimony of Jesus as the Christ and the truthfulness of the restored gospel. I am so grateful for the knowledge that through the blessings of the temple, my family can be together for eternity. (For those of you who have no clue as to what I am talking about, click here.)
I am posting a few pics here, but Blogger is such a dinosaur when it comes to posting any number of pictures that I have posted my favorites over at Facebook. Maybe Elliott or Dad will post more on one of their blogs...
Anyway, we all had a great time and were happy we got to share the fun with Grandma and Grandpa!
We are completely bored now that my parents have gone back home! While they were here we took a trip to Nauvoo and had a wonderful experience. The testimonies of the missionaries serving in Old Nauvoo were so strong, and I once again felt the spirit confirming my testimony of Jesus as the Christ and the truthfulness of the restored gospel. I am so grateful for the knowledge that through the blessings of the temple, my family can be together for eternity. (For those of you who have no clue as to what I am talking about, click here.)
I am posting a few pics here, but Blogger is such a dinosaur when it comes to posting any number of pictures that I have posted my favorites over at Facebook. Maybe Elliott or Dad will post more on one of their blogs...
Anyway, we all had a great time and were happy we got to share the fun with Grandma and Grandpa!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Noblesville
Yesterday the girls and I took Grandma and Grampa to Noblesville, a quaint little town not too far from our home.

oH my gOSH, like totally, GaG mE with a SPOON!
Yeah, so in case you didn't know, we went to an eighties party on Friday...
Elliott was pretty dang hot as Magnum PI, if I do say so.
Andrew was an 80's rapper... remember RUN DMC??? How about those glasses!!!
The saddest part of the whole thing was that I got my outfit from Target, and so did one of my friends. They are selling all these awful clothes as real fashion of the day. No wonder so many stores are having hard times. It probably has less to do with the economy, and more to do with the current trends. Yuck!
Want to see more fabulous 80's styles? Click here.

Andrew was an 80's rapper... remember RUN DMC??? How about those glasses!!!
The saddest part of the whole thing was that I got my outfit from Target, and so did one of my friends. They are selling all these awful clothes as real fashion of the day. No wonder so many stores are having hard times. It probably has less to do with the economy, and more to do with the current trends. Yuck!
Want to see more fabulous 80's styles? Click here.
My baby turns 2!
Friday, October 17, 2008
What's cooking in my kitchen
With Fall in full swing, I have been digging through some of my long forgotten recipes to come up with a new repertoire that matches the cooler weather. Looking back on all these recipes, I realized that when we were vegetarian, we ate much more exciting food. Or maybe that was before my kids had such strong opinions. Either way, I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you... hope you like them.
Tuscan Chickpea Soup (main dish)
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Serves 6
2 Tbl. olive oil
2 c. finely chopped onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. water
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
2 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water, rosemary, salt, pepper, chickpeas, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for approx. 20 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it is well blended and mostly smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can stick 2 cups of the soup at a time into your blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the vinegar, and bring soup back to a boil. Remove from heat and serve with a bit of Parmesan grated on top of each serving.
Couscous with Tomato-Mushroom Sauce (main dish)
Serves 4
(Sophie LOVES this!)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. sliced onion
3 c. thin sliced white mushrooms
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 1/4c. water
1 c. whole wheat couscous
1 tsp. butter
Parmesan Cheese
Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions, saute about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, saute about 3 minutes more (until mushrooms are tender). Stir in basil, oregano, garlic, sugar, and tomatoes. Cook about 5-6 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce a little bit. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, while the sauce is cooking, boil water and butter in a medium saucepan. As soon as water begins to boil, add couscous and put a tight fitting lid on the saucepan. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serve sauce over couscous with a bit of Parmesan grated on top.
Mandarin and Romain Salad
serves 6
This salad goes really well with both of the above dishes.
3 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinager
1 tsp. honey
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1 head Romain lettuce
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed
3 super thin slices of red onion, rings separated and cut in half.
1/8 c. slivered roasted almonds
6 Tbl. crumbled feta cheese
Combine lemon juice, olive oil, vinager, honey, garlic in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Rinse and dry thoroughly the Romain leaves, and tear into bite size pieces. Place in a large bowl with the mandarin sections, onion, and almonds, and drizzle with olive oil dressing. Plate and serve immediately, sprinkling 1 Tbl. feta on each serving of salad.
I need to make a confession. Although I do on occasion enjoy making my own dressing, for everyday dinners, I really like to use Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinagrette as my salad dressing. It is SO good. So if you don't want to make your own dressing, just drizzle some of his stuff on your salad. Enjoy!
Tuscan Chickpea Soup (main dish)
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Serves 6
2 Tbl. olive oil
2 c. finely chopped onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. water
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
2 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water, rosemary, salt, pepper, chickpeas, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for approx. 20 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it is well blended and mostly smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can stick 2 cups of the soup at a time into your blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the vinegar, and bring soup back to a boil. Remove from heat and serve with a bit of Parmesan grated on top of each serving.
Couscous with Tomato-Mushroom Sauce (main dish)
Serves 4
(Sophie LOVES this!)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. sliced onion
3 c. thin sliced white mushrooms
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 1/4c. water
1 c. whole wheat couscous
1 tsp. butter
Parmesan Cheese
Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions, saute about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, saute about 3 minutes more (until mushrooms are tender). Stir in basil, oregano, garlic, sugar, and tomatoes. Cook about 5-6 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce a little bit. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, while the sauce is cooking, boil water and butter in a medium saucepan. As soon as water begins to boil, add couscous and put a tight fitting lid on the saucepan. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serve sauce over couscous with a bit of Parmesan grated on top.
Mandarin and Romain Salad
serves 6
This salad goes really well with both of the above dishes.
3 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinager
1 tsp. honey
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1 head Romain lettuce
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed
3 super thin slices of red onion, rings separated and cut in half.
1/8 c. slivered roasted almonds
6 Tbl. crumbled feta cheese
Combine lemon juice, olive oil, vinager, honey, garlic in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Rinse and dry thoroughly the Romain leaves, and tear into bite size pieces. Place in a large bowl with the mandarin sections, onion, and almonds, and drizzle with olive oil dressing. Plate and serve immediately, sprinkling 1 Tbl. feta on each serving of salad.
I need to make a confession. Although I do on occasion enjoy making my own dressing, for everyday dinners, I really like to use Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinagrette as my salad dressing. It is SO good. So if you don't want to make your own dressing, just drizzle some of his stuff on your salad. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Generous Giveaway
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Football
For family night on Monday we went to a local park and played football. It was so beautiful out. The leaves are really putting on a show this week. I hope there is some color left when my parents come out here this weekend.
Basically, you wanted to be on Elliott's team, not mine.

Sophie had her own opinions on how to play football...
The best part was going to Handle's afterwards for ice cream. Emma's favorite flavor: Blue Raspberry. Yum!


Sophie had her own opinions on how to play football...
The best part was going to Handle's afterwards for ice cream. Emma's favorite flavor: Blue Raspberry. Yum!
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