the great kitchen aid....

so after sitting on my counter for what seemed

ike an eternity, i finally broke my kitchen aid mixer in this afternoon!

it was such a treat! i was a nervous wreck though. you know, when you build up all this anticipation and then fear that you are going to break it or something...

but, it was amazing to work with. princess helped me make a batch of cookies to store for the holidays. i made this same batch in october and was so frustrated with the mixing process - this time - it was beautiful!

princess had one complaint though. while she found it quite entertaining to watch, she was very sad that it didn't have beaters to lick. in fact, she asked me if i would stick the old beaters in the batter so she could lick...umm no, those are going bye-bye!

so in honor of the kitchen aid, i though i'd share a favorite cookie recipe around here. more of a fall cookie than christmas, but i still take it to all holiday functions!

pumpkin chip cookies

1 1/2 c. butter

2 c. brown sugar

1 c. sugar

1 can (15 ounces)pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. wheat flour

2 c. white flour (or all 4 cups of white)

2 c. oats

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 cups cinnamon chips (or chocolate or white chocolate, but cinnamon is the best)

cream butter and sugars. beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. combine flours, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. gradually add to creamed mixture. stir in chips. drop onto ungreased cookie sheets. bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

this makes 10 dozen cookies!!!

when God smiles...

there are those moments when you feel like God is smiling down upon you. i have had several of those times. there was the time spent in the swiss alps, the day i married my hubby, the day my kids were born. recently, it seems like i've had a few more smiles from God. smiles that i believe are meant just for me. meant to touch my soul.

...the smile of dreams coming true. well, i'm still waiting for this to really happen, but we are watching it unfold in a way only God could do.

...the smile in simple celebrations.

...the smile in playing "guess which ornament" with our kiddos

...the smile of new beginnings

...the smile of new friendships - ones i believe i've been praying for

...the smile in old friends that get me, really get me - or atleast pretend to!

i feel so blessed. God really does enjoy us. i believe He enjoys watching us enjoy Him....and He really does have our best in His heart. and when God smiles down on you - say thanks and enjoy!

a single task

if you follow my blog, you will have noticed i have seasons where i get unsettled. i have a longing - one that is often hidden deep inside and rarely shared with anyone. i like it kept quietly tucked in my heart and mind. but lately this desire keeps rising to the surface. the desire to slow down, to be present, to be quiet.

last week hubby brought the nooma noise dvd for 20x class. we had not previewed it - but boy was it good. there was a bit of noise and talking and then silence. silence for about 7-8 minutes while we read words written in write text on a black screen. simple, pure, silent, penetrating...

the past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind around here. we went from being settled here at home to buying a farm outside of town. this is one of those times when i feel like God is totally smiling down on us...and in the midst of this whirl fell thanksgiving. i tried to reflect on this past year. boy has it been good...just a good year, it just seemed like the reflecting was done while baking, shopping, looking at lights and paint colors.

yesterday, i was flipping through magazines and found an article that caught my attention. it was written by a man that decided to live an experiment. for 1 month he didn't multi-task. the article contained samplings of his daily journal entries. it was quite difficult at first and i found myself laughing. when he said he ate his lunch - just ate his lunch, didn't check email, didn't read snail mail, didn't work on any other task than eating - i stopped. isn't that how we live? isn't that how i live?

in class last week we talked about being tied to our cell phones. they really do everything for us, surf the web, chat, text, call people, etc...crazy isn't it, that we are so controlled by that small thing? but we are, we really are. i don't even know my cell number, it doesn't have voicemail, and it doesn't surf the web.

as i've been processing this whole multi-tasking thing i'm left in a quandry....i hear so often how the ability to multi-task is a great gift to have. that is what every company looks for in employees right? as mom's, don't we have to multi-task ALL THE TIME!?!??

hmm...i'm starting to wonder if that really is a great gift to have. i guess it comes in handy, but what i'm starting to notice is that in our multi-tasking we are never fully present. could you honestly just sit and eat lunch? no music, no reading, no computer, no tv? could you work on a task without having your email popping up? could you stop folding the clothes to look at and listen to your child when they come to talk to you? i mean, don't we always ask them to stop and look at us when we are talking to them? why don't we?

i loved reading his entries....they were real and honest, it was hard for this guy. incredibly hard for him to sit and play blocks with his young boy while not watching the news over the boy's shoulder. it was hard to talk on the phone without also surfing the web.

i think in so many ways we multi-task in our relationship with Jesus. we go for a run with our ipod on while saying that we are spending time with God. okay, so that is a personal issue i'm currently having. am i really spending time with God? i seem to be focused on my watch, what song is playing, how far i've gone. sure, God has spoken to me and refreshed my soul while running, but am i giving Him the attention he deserves.

i made dinner the other night in a fury...it wasn't good for anyone. you know why? i was multi-tasking and it stressed me out. which in turned made for a stressful dinner. i needed to stop and breathe. i needed to single task.

this guy said that when his mind started to wander he would stop and say outloud what task he was doing. at first he said it was weird, but by the night he was playing blocks with his son, he said it outloud and smiled. it felt good to hear it.

stop right now and list out loud all that you are doing. for me, i'm listening to my playlist, typing, peeling an apple for one child, getting asked to make a smoothie for another, the tv is playing in the other room. i got up to go to the bathroom, get a bottle of water, and make a return phone call. i have done all of that while typing this entry!!

i think i need to single task!!!!! what would our day, our moods, our life look like if stopped multi-tasking? what would mine look like? just a thought. could you do it? could you stop multi-tasking for just one day? i'm not sure......

hallelujah!!!

guess what's coming???? i'm super duper excited....

yep...i ordered meself a mixer! a kitchen aid one to be exact!!

i'm not one for black friday shopping, but while at the in

-laws i noticed a good deal on the basic kitchen aid mixer at sears today. it was marked down to $149. good deal right? atleast, please tell me it is. so i decided i'd make the early morning treck. this sale only lasted until 11 am and ti would be alteast a 50 minute drive there.

but then i started looking through kohl's ads....they had the same mixer priced at $199. but this then had an additional 15% off, plus $30 back in kohl's cash. well the 15% alone dropped the price comparable to sears. plus we have $50 kohl's gift card i could use....and I could get all the deals on line today! now, the only bad part is i'm not coming home with it and have to wait on shipping - which was free today if i ordered over $100.

so for $100 i got my kitchen aid mixer.....can you hear me singing hallelujah!! my hubby even seems excited - probably because i told him i'd make more breads, cookies, and i think he is tired of listening to my antics when i'm using my blasted, stupid hand mixer!!

i do think it will be fitting for my new kitchen in my new to me old farmhouse on sycamore hill!!!

sadly, i could only get white - but atleast it will match my other appliances!!!!! oh i can't wait, i can't wait, i can't wait!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!!!!

if i had a million dollars...

last week i was driving home from somewhere when this song came on. i love this song. it just makes me happy. i start to smile and be-bop in no time! of course that isn't hard for me. music is what feeds my soul...

but i started thinking...what would i do if i had a million dollars? what would i buy? i'm actually a pretty simple girl. it doesn't take much to make me happy. a $5 vintage ring thrilled me for my 10 year anniversary! see? simple. sure, there are those mornings i wish i could just go buy new clothes, but for the most part, i'm content.

however, i did have a few thoughts i'd share with you.

... a kitchen-aid mixer would definitely make that list. especially after yet another insane moment recently shared with my friend the hand mixer. i told hubby this was going to be the year without christmas cookies. he said "okay" but i don't think he heard me right. he loves christmas cookies!
then there are these....i LOVE scarves. i have only 2, but would be happy to have one in every color and many fun patterns. scarves are just a fun accesory. i always look at them in stores, but just find it to pricey to buy a piece of fabric for $12. i could buy an entire yard for half of that, but what would i do with 5 of the same scarves???

ah...hats! i love hats too! i only have one of these too, but i'd love a whole collection of fun hats. like scarves, hats are a fun accesory, especially if you are running late! i actually look pretty good in hats, but again, just think they are too pricey so i don't indulge.

and finally, vintage jewelry...this is a recent fascination. it might be due to watching too many episodes of antiques roadshow, but it just seems fun. i'm particually drawn to silver rings, necklaces, and pins. again, i have very little jewelry, another indulgence i don't find a need.

so there you have it folks...if i had a million dollars, i'd buy me a kitchen-aid mixer to make people yummy cookies and breads. i'd buy a scarf in every color and pattern, a few hats, a few vintage pieces...then i'd give the rest away. maybe to friends in africa, maybe to friends next door, maybe to the woman on the street....i just know, i'd probably not keep much of my million dollars! what would you do...if you had a million dollars?

i have issues...

....just in case you didn't already know that about me!! this weekend we let our 20x's in on a little family tradition - the charlie brown thanksgiving. i believe i blogged about that last year...so look in my november 08 archives. wow, archives sounds so cool and official, yet it really isn't. hmm..

okay, so anyways, my issues. well, we had them over for dinner and the main course of popcorn, while although a hit, provided many leftover opportunities. i thought about popcorn soup, but that didn't sound too good. i couldn't think of the right kind of veggie to add. then there is popcorn casserole. tempting, yet, still not quite right. i fed some scraps to the dog and sent some in the kiddos lunch bags. but still, an entire roasting pan of popcorn left me puzzled. bag and freeze? pocorn pot pie? ah....caramel corn!! ooey gooey, warm homemade caramel popcorn....

so this afternoon, i made some caramel corn for after school....OH MY WORD!! i love this recipe but honestly, i like it best before it is baked to perfection. i have issues with ooey gooey goodness and eat it while warm and not baked. ahh!! even my kids stood begging for their share of ooey gooey goodness, and i, of course, obliged them. princess did point out i might have had a bit more in my bowl!! and to think, i'd eaten so well all day!!! oh well....i don't like it when it cools nearly as much!

and in case you want to make some ooey gooey goodness....here ya go...

5 or 6 quarts popped corn - place in roaster pan (or a couple shallow baking dishes)

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1/2 c. light caro syrup
mix above in a pan and bring to boil. let boil 5 minutes and remove from heat. then add

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

stir in and pour over popcorn. stir to coat.

bake at 250 for 40 minutes - or eat right away. stir occasionally!!

YUMMOO!!!!

a princess and a tooth....

monday evening i was loading the dishwasher (still a bittersweet thing, but i do love it!), hubby was upstairs, mapboy was on the computer and princess was reading. all of a sudden princess let out a very loud scream. i turned to see her perched on the back of our couch. now, i immedietly see myself 5 years old screaming from the back of our green couch because i had just seen a mouse. and since we have recently caught 3 ourselves, i was a bit freaked out.

but being the mommy now, i have to be a big girl. so i go in, fully expecting to see a mouse. instead, i am met with a handful of slobbery air head and "i just cracked my new tooth!!!!" oh she surely didn't do that....

i have her open up, new tooth is still intact, but the air heads have magically wiggled the sliver of baby tooth left behind the new tooth. now, this tooth has slowly been disappearing for about 2 years. yes, truly disappearing. much to my delight and her panic, it was finally coming out.

there were tears, big crocodile tears. there were sobs and words said between the sobs with a rag stuffed in her mouth. oh my!! i held her on my lap and offered to pull it out. now, i honestly don't know what i would have done had she said yes, but i offered. she declined and sobbed some more.

princess had planned on a tuesday afternoon playdate. i needed to call the mom to confirm. i was telling princess this and she said she didn't want the play date!!??! what?? she'd been begging for a good few months. she was "nervous" the tooth would fall out. i told her it would be just fine if it did - even when her friend was here. i sent her upstairs to get ready for bed. princess was determined to keep that tooth in tact!

i called dear friend to confirm play date. we made some small talk and then i hear "my tooth is out! my tooth is out!!!" those were shouts of joy, or freaking out. i hung up abrubtly and ran upstairs to find her spitting in the sink. there was this tiny - i mean tiny sliver of a tooth!!

we wrapped it and placed in our tooth fairy box....all was well, until we took friend home after playdate. can you believe while there she found that there was still part of the tooth in her mouth? it was nice quiet ride home. she just knew if she talked it would come out...

so sitting at the table, while i'm serving supper, princess reaches in, yanks the rest out, hands it to me, and promptly begins talking again...

we opted to not ask the fairy to come back for this piece!