JANUARY FUN

"I love you too Emmi."

We have had a good January. I good start to the new year.
Life is really good at the 'Nut House' We are plugging away at life and doing the best to enjoy ourselves.

Some funny things this month....

Emmi is trying to learn to inline skate. Grandma and pa bought her these skates for Christmas and there has been WAY too much snow and ice and, well, cold, to want to attempt to learn.

Yesterday was a sunny day...not warm, just sunny... so we decided to try.

She did a great job.




A few weeks ago I was in bed and pulled back the covers to see THIS!



at first I freaked a little thinking they were bugs. But even though it looks nasty, these are a byproduct of my child crawling into MY bed at night while wearing these.



Hahaha, they left behind a LOT of fluffies.



It really was a great January. Emmi did 'climb the walls' a little (as did I, although not literally). Overall it was just one more fun and busy month at the nut house.

Emmi's Butt-Sliding Fun

This past September my family went camping to Tony Grove in Utah. Behind our camping spot was this really cool landscape that had a tree who's roots were showing. It was so very pretty I couldn't help but take a bazillion pictures.

Emmi, my adventurous 9 year old, decided she wanted to climb up and touch the exposed roots.

She did so with my enthusiastic approval. (I'm a bad influence)

So she climbed down across the gully and up a mud and rock slide to the roots. She then begged her 10 year old cousin to join her. His parents weren't so excited about the idea.

So there is my child, standing on a rock slide holding onto the roots of an 80 foot pine tree. LOL, geez I'm a brilliant parent.
They stayed up there for a bit, holding onto the roots and thinking they were pretty cool.

However, what goes up....must...well, you know.

So the debate ensued. "Mom? How do I get down?"

"Same way you got up, only backwards."

"Moooooom, it is slick, how do I get down?"

Me in my brilliance said. "Well, you just slide down on your butt."

Makes sense...right?

Right!

Her cousin went first, and I'm really sad I didn't get that on video because geez he slid down that hill fast.

His parents were less than happy with my bad influence on their son. And how that influence impacted their sons jeans.

Then it was Emmi's turn.

Here is the video...I still laugh every time I see it.

I may be a bad influence, but I'm a GREAT mom and no one can accuse me of being a boring mom either.

Manicotti: My Favorite Food

I love Manicotti....I mean I loooooooooooooooove Manicotti. It is my favorite food in the whole world. I have many, many, many recipes for the stuff, and while this is not my favorite, it is the favorite of my daughter.

Most people I know who don't like Manicotti don't like it because of the ricotta cheese. It is really a weird cheese with an odd taste that many people don't like.

This recipe doesn't have ricotta cheese.



EASY CHEESY MANICOTTI

• 8 ounces, fluid Chive And Onion Cream Cheese
• 4 ounces, fluid Regular Cream Cheese
• 3 cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
• ¼ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese (or 1/8 Cup Of The Grated Sprinkle Kind)
• 1 package Manicotti Shells (8 Oz Package)
• 1 bottle Marinara Sauce 24 Oz (or Spaghetti Sauce )
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees

* Cook Manicotti shells according to the package. Drain the water. I put mine on wax paper after draining so they don’t stick together.

* Soften (in the microwave) both kinds of cream cheese. You want it softened, not cooked, so be very careful.

* In a medium bowl combine 2 cups of Mozzarella Cheese, Chive and Onion Cream Cheese, Regular Cream Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, and parsley. Mix well.

* Pour a small amount of the marinara sauce into a glass casserole dish. Spread it around.

* Fill the pasta shells with the cheese mixture. I find the easiest way to do this is to put a glop into your hand and roll it out into the form of a snake then slide it inside of the shell.

* Place stuffed shells into the casserole dish

* Pour the remaining Marinara Sauce over the top.

* Sprinkle with 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese

* Cover with aluminum foil and Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Recipe makes about 10-12 stuffed shells.

HOLIDAY COOKING

Mint Surprise Cookies
1 C Butter
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
3 C Flour
1 package Andies Mint Squares

* Preheat oven to 375
* Unwrap Andies mints and cut mint rectangles in half, making squares.
* Soften butter, add sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt.
*Mix with electric mixer until smooth.
*Add flour and stir until mixed.
* Chill for an hour in fridge ( you don't have to do this but it makes it easier to form balls.)

*Spoon dough and roll around a mint square by using the palm of your hand. Cookie balls should be about 1 inch to 1.5 inch balls. The mint should not be showing.

* Bake 375 for 10-12 minutes.














English Toffee
1 C Butter
1/4 C Water
2 Tablespoons Karo Syrup (Corn Syrup)
1 1/4 C Sugar
1 Bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Smashed Walnuts
Candy Thermometer

*Melt butter in a medium size saucepan. You must use real butter for this.
* Add water, corn syrup, and sugar.
* Stir until boiling.
* Turn heat down a bit so that the sauce is still boiling but not extremely hard. (usually medium low)
* Put candy thermometer into the liquid. Make sure it is not touching the bottom of the pan.
* Cook to 285 degrees. This will take about 20 min or more.
* Pour onto lightly greased cookie sheet (must have four sides)
* The toffee will look bubbly for a minute or two but then will become smooth.
* Pour bag of chocolate chips on the top, wait for them to melt and then smooth them all over the toffee.
* Add crushed walnuts
* Allow the toffee to set, either by leaving it out for several hours or by placing it into the fridge. Once cooked and set you can cut it with a metal spatula or butter knife.

WINTER FUN AT THE NUT HOUSE

Have any of you tried to make a gingerbread house lately?
Welllll, ummm, all I can say is good luck and have fun.

Emmi and I started making these three years ago. The first one was a tree and was fairly easy. Last year we made a train and I struggled with it, but still, comparatively speaking it was easy. This year Emmi wanted this cute little house.

The box showed a uniform house, with cute gumdrops all in a row and a checkerboard roof that made me say... "awww, that will be fun."

Boxes can be deceiving!

Very deceiving!
















We started on the roof. I figured that if we started there and let it dry then it would be easier than trying to frost and decorate the roof when it was ON the house. This was a very good decision and I think the only good decision we made.

Next we put the house together. I used the decorator bag and piped frosting on the sides and then Emmi and I squished them together into a cute little box house. We held them for a few minutes and then let go. And it held. I was so happy.

We waited for a while for the house to dry and then decided to put the roof on. So once again I piped the edges with white goo and then carefully placed the roof on the house.

Only to find it didn't fit!

It freaking didn't fit!

I'm no architect, so I stood there for a few minutes, ticked off, trying to figure out what the crap we did wrong.

These things don't come with instructions you know.

Finally I realize that the side walls of the house should have gone inside the front and back parts of the house and we had done it wrong.

So I got a knife and cut the house apart and started over.

After letting it dry a second time we once again carefully placed the roof parts onto the house. I held them for a few minutes and then let go.

And the house fell apart!!!

It fell....It freaking fell down.

I guess it wasn't as dry as we thought.












So once again we took the house apart, put it back together and then I went to lye down and let it glue itself together.

For the third time we carefully place the roof on the house and the house held. But when I let go of the roof it started a slow downward crawl towards the floor.

I watched the sliding roof in horror, not quite knowing what to do. I really didn't want to stand there holding the roof forever until it dried, so we tried proping it up with jello boxes, cups and such. But it just kept sliding.

So we held the roof on.

And held...and held.

We let go and it seemed to stay. So Emmi finished decorating her roof with a row of gumdrops while I sat down and rested. LOL

When we finished with the house I stepped up to the counter for a look and wouldn't you know it, the freaking roof had continued to slide leaving a gumdrop gap at the top.

*bash head*

Emmi said next year she is getting out the hot glue gun and gluing it together. I think my daughter is brilliant.

However, even though our house is drafty and has a leaking roof and lopsided decorations...it is super cute.












On Friday we had our Great Grandma Christmas Party. My grandma does this every year and has since we were little.












Hi Grandma!

It is a tradition for the kids to put on a reenactment of Luke 2, the birth of our Savior. We did it every year that I can remember and now the torch has been passed to our children. The only difference is that when we were little we used sheets and robes. Last year my mom bought some costumes and I made like 10 costumes. It is so much cuter with the costumes. I wish I could be a sheepie.















Our star got stage fright at the last minute and the play must go on, so my cousin "took one for the team" (her words), and played the part of the star. What a bright and shinning star she is.












Last night we shoveled snow and my little one wanted to make a snowman. We tried to roll the balls of snow, only to have them fall apart. So we decided that we could pile the snow into a snowman instead.

Isn't it cute?














Look, she is an angel. *cough cough* *snort snort*

Meeting Ree Drummond

Emmi and I went to Salt Lake on Wednesday to meet Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman). Me in my stupidity thought we would only be an hour or two...hahahaha

We got home at midnight...on a school night. (oops)












Ree was so very cute, she even sang for us.

















We stood in the 40 degree weather for lots and lots of hours. (Ree, I know it wasn't your fault)













Once inside we met this beautiful woman. This is Ree's sister in law. She is cute and funny and kept laughing at my daughter, who was so tired she was loopy.













Then we met Ree.













I really didn't get to talk to Ree. Why you ask? Well, because my daughter talked, and talked and talked.

What did she say?
"Can you make your website more boring so that my mom won't spend as much time on the internet and I can have more time?"

Ree's response. "Well, you like me a little bit don't you?"

To which Emmi said "I like your food."

*bash head*

I happened to snap a picture of the animated conversation between the two of them.













We were exhausted the next day, but it was worth it.