GARDNERFAMILYLIFE.COM

In a funk!

2011-08-14T02:25:34Z

So, I am realizing it has been too long since my last post. I am just in a blogging funk. Last Ocotber we took a trip to Idaho and took a TON of pics. I am STILL only halfway through finishing it. I love reading everyone else's blogs. Recently Confessions of a Cookbook Queen has been my comic relief. I love her blog! Yet I just can not seem to get the desire to blog on my own blog. I think the heat is getting to my brain! Isn't it winter yet???

Anyways, so I just thought I'd post a pic of our handsome son in his new school uniform. We are so proud of him and since I am not feelin' the blog, here's a pic...

Year Supply... of perfume!

2010-09-10T06:31:00Z

At the very beginning of September (I think it was the 2nd) a package arrived. A few days previous Lowell had mentioned that he bought something that was "just too good of a deal to pass up". He also mentioned it was for me!! I love good deals and I love getting packages in the mail!!

Here's what was in it...

...40 bottles (these are the 1 or 2 oz size) of my favorite scent.

Okay... my husband wasn't hinting that I need to shower more often! LOL Well... I didn't ask, so at least I don't think he was! Anyways, I got a bottle of this body spray at my baby shower before Joshua was born and I have been wearing it ever since. (Joshua just turned 8... is there a rule about how often you are supposed to change your perfume scent??) I just love the smell of it! About 6 months ago, "The Healing Garden" (the company that makes it) went out of business. I was so bummed. I looked at a ba-zillion stores and finally went online and that's when I found out they had gone out of business.

For my birthday (in May), Lowell found this website that had bought up the leftover stock from "The Healing Garden" and bought some of the larger bottles. Then I guess the company put these on sale to clear out their warehouse. Cha-ching! And that is my long story on how I got a year supply of my favorite, hard-to-find, no-longer-made, perfume!

Almond Fudge Bars

2010-09-07T22:36:00Z

Gooey, delicious....YUM! These are what my family calls a do-over (meaning they want me to make'm again and again!)

Almond Fudge Bars

1 box (1lb, 2.3oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil, and eggs as called for in brownie mix
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 egg, slightly beaten
6-8 full size Mounds® candy bars, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

Make brownie mix as directed on brownie box using water oil and eggs. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk and egg with whisk. Set aside. Chop Mounds into pieces. Set aside.

Pour milk and egg mixture over partially baked brownie base. Sprinkle candy bar pieces evenly over base; top with sliced almonds, lightly pressing them onto brownie. Return to oven and bake 22-27 minutes longer or until center is set.

Cool completely (about 1 hr 30 minutes). For easier cutting you can refrigerate.

*Want more coconut? Stir 1/3-1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut into the sweetened condensed milk mixture before pouring onto brownie base.

Happy Birthday Joshua!

2010-09-05T19:06:00Z

In August, Joshua turned 8. Turning 8 is a big deal!! Lowell and I had a lot of fun planning and throwing a Scooby doo Party for Joshua and his friends. WOW! Eight year old boys have a lot of energy!

A few weeks before the party we hand delivered invitations.

This was an ALL BOY party and we were thrilled when 5 of 6 boys Joshua invited were able to be there.

okay... all boys and one super cute little girl who insisted on being in the picture!

Before the fun began we explained that we were going to give the boys some training to be SECRET AGENTS!! We started with an obstacle course that my very creative husband came up with. We joked that it took a half hour to set it all up and 30 seconds for each kid to run through it. They really were quick. We timed each of them and the competition was on to beat the best time. We took lots of pictures...

bounce the basketball around the cones... toss the basket ball, grab the big bouncy ball and bounce over to the boxes...

step through the boxes and run under the caution sign...

around the island in the kitchen, limbo under the streamers, and crawl under the table...

we missed pictures of them shooting a beach ball into the laundry basket and running to the finish line. Too much laughing and cheering! (Yes, the house was trashed when this party came to an end! )

Next we took a cheese doodle break and looked for clues to find what objects were missing in the pictures.

After that, came the Scooby-doo Mystery (as promised in the invite). Lowell was the creator of this as well. I made the super cute cards/envelopes with clues. We split the boys up into two teams; Team Scooby and Team Shaggy. They followed the clues (different clues that eventually led to the same place). It was fun to watch them wander around the house trying to go as fast as they could to get to the treasure first. This came to an end with one of the teams finding the GOLD COINS!! (They were chocolate coins which were quickly eaten!)

Time for a lunch break. On the menu... pizza, cheese doodles, corn chips, apple slices, and juice boxes (Joshua picked the whole menu!!)

Following lunch, we sang "Happy Birthday" and had birthday cup cakes. The cake didn't turn out as super cool as I would have liked (it's supposed to be a dog bone), but the boys didn't seem to notice as they dug in!

After lunch we opened presents..

Next, we diffused a bomb. We filled 30+ black and yellow balloons. One of them was full of confetti. We gave each of the boys paper clips, said "ready, set, go" and off they went popping all the balloons until one of them "diffused the bomb" and sent confetti flying all over the room...

Anyone thinking "Has Becky lost her marbles?" yet?

After that we did "chalk" (masking tape... I haven't completely lost my marbles) outlines of all the boys. I can't believe I forgot to snap a picture of the finished product. The boys really got into this. Some of them requested to have an arm or a leg be missing from their outline. Most of them stuck their tongue out pretending to be dead while they were being traced. It was funny to watch. All of them were so excited to stand up and see the finished outline.

A few hours of fun later, parents started showing up to pick up the boys. As party favors we sent them home with Secret Agent badges, book safes (made by Lowell), and goodie bags!

This was a great group of boys and we all (even Lowell and I... Tylee too obviously) had a great time!

We enjoyed the rest of the Joshua's birthday together with lots of other fun things. Later that evening Joshua opened the rest of his presents.

We all had a good laugh when Joshua opened the same gift from Mom & Dad and Grandma & Grandpa P. Luckily they were different sizes, so now Joshua will have the same (super cool) shirt for a while.

Joshua knew he was getting all his Cub Scout stuff for his birthday, but was still thrilled with it. He has seen me sewing patches on for a month before his birthday. Isn't he handsome!?

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!

Happy Birthday Tylee!

2010-09-02T22:42:00Z

In June Tylee turned 3. Before the party we had to make chocolate cup cakes, of course! Tylee helped... lick the bowl, that is!

We invited a few of Tylee's friends over for a little party. First, we made magic wands...

Next we decorated cupcakes.

And of course, after that we ate them!

Opening presents was fun. I love how excited they all got when they helped Tylee open her presents.

Next, the girls played dress up. Girls are so much fun!!

We played ring-around-the-rosy while we waited for Mom's to pick up our visitors. After they left Princess Tylee had fun playing in a balloon whirlwind!

Happy 3rd Birthday Princess Tylee!!

I LOVE MOM!

2010-09-02T18:54:00Z

Last night Tylee was jumping on our bed after she had gotten out of the bath. She had on pink pajamas that said I Love Mom. For a minute she stops jumping and points at her shirt and enunciates each word while she points to each one...

Tylee: "Does this say I -- LOVE -- MOM?"

Me: "Yep, it sure does."

Tylee: "And I do love you, Mama. And I love Joshua, and I love Daddy, and Grandma's too."

Than she keeps jumping.

A few minutes later she says, "And grandpa's are cute, huh?"

Lowell: "Yeah Tylee, Grandpa's are cute."

Tylee: (to herself) "Grandpa's are cute."

Almond Blondies

2010-08-31T23:46:00Z

These are good. And me saying that about baked goods without chocolate means something! Once you cook them the topping turns into this toffee like consistency. It's just a yummy combination. My family (all of'm) liked these. I was even daring enough to bring them to a friend I visit teach, the first time I made them. She asked for the recipe!

My cooking lesson for this recipe? Don't be scared to toast almonds. It's not hard, but it will change the flavor of the recipe (for the better!). Just use a small, teflon/non-stick pan and a medium-low heat setting. Once the pan heats up, gently move them around with a wooden spoon. Keep an eye (and nose) on them. When they are lightly browned and you can smell an almond scent they're done (2-3 minutes for the half cup called for in the this recipe). Remove from heat and let them cool slightly before adding them to the mixture.

Almond Blondies

1/3 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup flaked coconut
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Topping
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 egg
¼ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cream shortening with granulated sugar; beat in eggs and vanilla. Sprinkle flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt over creamed mixture; beat well. Mixture will be thick. Spread over bottom of a lightly GREASED 8"x8" or 9"x9" square baking dish.

Toast and coarsely chop almonds. In a separate bowl, combine almonds, with brown sugar and flour. Add egg and cream. Mix well.

Spoon almond topping mixture evenly over coconut mixture. Bake in preheat 350ºF oven for 40-50 minutes or until a light touch in the center leaves no impression.

It's GREAT to be EIGHT!

2010-08-25T01:50:00Z

At the beginning of August, Joshua turned eight! (I need to get birthday pictures for both kids off the camera and downsized, so consider birthdays a coming attraction!) On the 14th of August Joshua got baptized. It was such an amazing experience yet so different from my own baptism. We were so grateful for the love and support of our family, friends, and the wonderful Stake and Ward people. We are so proud of Joshua!

Not long before Joshua's baptism, he started cub scouts. (Am I really old enough to have a cub scout? Crazy!) I am the Den Leader for the Wolves so I get to be a big part of Joshua's cub scout experience. :o) Here's Joshua on his first night at Cub Scouts! He is good friends with all these boys. They are in his class at church.

Here's Joshua and I before we left for our first meeting together...

I know... that polyester uniform is so attractive! You're all going to run out and buy one right away, I just know it!!

Well, I have tons of updating to do, but here's a little piece of the craziness we have been experiencing...

Meatball Sandwich

2010-07-19T19:57:00Z

I had a craving for a meatball sandwich the other night so I made them for dinner. Amazingly, even our picky kids loved'm! They were a little messy, but very yummy, and much easier to make than I thought they would be.

Meatball Sandwiches

1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
water, if needed

Hoagie Rolls (or whatever kind of bread/rolls you like)
1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce, heated
Sliced provolone cheese

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, gently mix the ground beef by hand. Add bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, egg, and pepper, adding a few tbsp of water if you need to moisten to get the right consistency. Continue mixing until proper consistency is reached. Shape into 20-24, one-inch meatballs, and place on a cookie sheet. (Next time I make them, I will smush them down a bit before baking so they will fit in the hoagie roll better.)

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cooked through.

In a large bowl, warm the spaghetti sauce. When the meatballs are done, transfer them to the sauce.
Spoon meatballs and desired amount of sauce into the hoagie rolls, top with slices of provolone cheese, and enjoy.

Optional: Stick open sandwiches in a toaster oven or under a broiler for 1 - 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn!

Funny things that kids say...

2010-05-24T03:44:00Z

So, this morning we are sitting at the table having breakfast and Tylee leaned her head to the side and without meaning to, cracked her neck. Then she put her head upright and said, "There's nickels in my head." We all chuckled and said, "What?"... not sure that we had heard her right. So, she repeated herself... "There's nickels in my head." We asked her who told her that she had nickels in her head and she had no response for that. Apparently it's just a known fact!

I guess nickels are better than rocks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later this same day, everyone was washing hands to get ready for dinner. Daddy accidently dripped some water on Tylee's head and she said "Am I having a poor lady shower?"

Where do kids come up with this stuff?

Homestead Project

2010-04-13T03:54:00Z

I am slowly getting caught up. When I downloaded the pics off the camera I found out the camera date got messed up. So, now I really have to work hard to sort through pictures. Fun times!

Anyways, I think we did this in December of 2009. Joshua's teacher sent home instructions on creating a "Homestead Project". Joshua is currently in 2nd grade. They were learning about how people lived with no electricity... farming, cooking, etc. We had a good time creating together. For the most part, we had to use natural things... sticks, grass, dirt... No plastic. We found all sorts of fun things in the back yard. Here's the finished product.

We got so into it I totally spaced taking pictures while we were actually working on it. Joshua got an 'A'!!

Joshua's playing SOCCER!!

2010-03-29T20:13:00Z

So, am I a horrible blogger or what!? I could blame my lack of posts on being busy (because I really have been), but truly, I am just a slacker. I haven't taken the time to get pictures off the camera and post them for all to see. Just haven't been in the bloggin' mood so it's been easy to find something else to do (like folding laundry and scrubbing toilets!)

Anyways, Joshua just finished up his first season of soccer. He has an amazing drop kick and is a great goalie. We have really enjoyed watching him play. He's the tallest kid on the team. With practice twice a week and games every Saturday it has added a lot to our schedule, but we have all had a tons of fun! With all the added busyness he has managed to keep straight A's at school. We are very proud of him!!

The pic on the left was scanned in so it's a little blurry. The other pic is from one of his games. He is starting season two very soon.

Crunchy Whole Grain Bread

2009-08-26T17:09:00Z

This recipe makes two beautiful loaves of bread. I know the instructions look long, but this was actually a pretty simple recipe to make. It's on the heavy side as far as bread goes and it's really good toasted! I got the original recipe out of a Kitchen-Aid cookbook, but I have altered it a bit.

Crunchy Whole Grain Bread

5 tsp active dry yeast
1/2-cup warm water ( 105º-115º )
--------------------------------------------
1 1/2 cups water
1/3-cup honey
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
--------------------------------------------
2 to 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided
1-cup white flour
1-cup quick oats
3/4 cup assorted, unsalted grains and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, almonds, cashews, barley)
1/3 cup corn meal
--------------------------------------------
1 egg white
quick oats

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water in bowl of electric stand mixer., Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 ½ cups water, honey, salt, and oil in sauce pan until warm (115ºF-120ºF). Combine yeast and honey mixture.
Add 1-cup wheat flour and 1 cup white flour. Mix on low about 2 minutes. Gradually add oats, assorted grains + seeds, and cornmeal. Add remaining whole-wheat flour a ½ cup at a time, until dough begins to form a ball. Knead 7-10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. (Slowly add extra flour if dough is not forming a ball.)

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Generously grease two loaf pans. Punch down dough. Divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf; place in pans. Cover; let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Heat oven to 375ºF. Lightly beat egg white. Brush tops of loaves with egg white. Sprinkle with oats. Bake 35-45 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove loaf pans to wire rack to cool.

Happy Birthday Joshua!!

2009-08-25T20:01:00Z

I love that both of our kids were born during the summer months. We had such a great time celebrating birthdays this year!! With the move at the beginning of the year, and lots of changes at school and church, we opted to just do a family party for Joshua this year.

We had crepes for breakfast. Usually, if you ask Joshua what he wants for breakfast, he will tell you cereal. He will eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you let him. However, strawberry crepes have recently become one of his favorites.

(Why am I taking this picture? Let me just eat already!!)

After breakfast we had a scavenger hunt. Lowell and I worked on all the clues for a couple days before Joshua's birthday. It was fun to be sneaky and hide all the clues after Joshua was in bed!

The end of the scavenger hunt revealed a new desk and chair in Joshua's room! Lowell was really sneaky and got it in there while he was working on his first few clues! He loves going in there to work on homework where it is quiet. (When we work on homework at the kitchen table Tylee likes to "help" and gets frustrated when she isn't allowed to doodle all over Joshua's school papers.)

Grandma's and Grandpa's sent great gifts! Thanks for remembering Joshua's birthday!! He felt really special!

Next we went bowling!

We decided bowling shoes are only cute on little feet!

After a bite to eat, we went to Dave and Busters for lots of games and prizes!!

Than, tired and worn out from way too much fun, we headed home for dinner (Joshua picked mac & cheese!), presents and birthday cake!

Joshua picked a caramel, chocolate cake this year and he opted to decorate the entire thing! He picked out all the decorations for it.

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!

WE LOVE YOU!!

We had a great time celebrating Joshua's 7th birthday. He is excited for all the things this year will bring! He is doing great in 2nd grade and he is a joy to be around!! We sure love you lots Joshua!

The loss of a friend...

2009-08-22T22:57:00Z

A few days ago a friend of mine passed away, leaving behind a 2 1/2 year old son and young wife. Kameron was my age. I hung out with him in high school and we graduated the same year. He was a great guy and a friend to everyone!! As Jami and Kason are working to pay for funeral costs and all that comes with the preparations of a funeral, they are looking for a little help. A friend of Jami's has created a blog to tell their story and is asking for donations from anyone who is able to help.

Here's the website: http://www.habanfundraiser.blogspot.com

If you are able to help... great! If not, feel free to pass this info along to friends or family who might be able too. Such a terrible loss. Please keep Jami and Kason in your thoughts and prayers as they get through this difficult time!

Happy Birthday Tylee!!

2009-08-03T18:14:00Z

In June, Tylee turned 2. She had a fun day and I think we were all worn out from all the fun by the end. We started the day with opening a present. We think it's fun to spread out the presents so the birthday experience will last a while!!

After that we had breakfast and got dressed so we could go to a new splash playground over in Tempe. The kids were so excited.

This playground is a lot bigger than the little splash-pad we normally go to. It was crowded, but we had a great time and all of us were wet by the time we left! It was a great way to cool off in the heat.

While we grabbed a bite to eat, we drove by the airport to watch the planes come flying in. Tylee and Joshua are always in awe at how huge the planes are. Tylee barely missed the planes... she dozed off for a nap while we drove around.

When we got home the kids asked to ride bikes. It didn't last long in the simmering heat, but they had a good ten minutes of fun before we were all sweating and headed inside. (Don't you love the gardening gloves!?)

I don't know what these are called, but the kids love them. (Big yellow bouncy balls?!?! Ha Ha!) But the kids got bouncing as soon as we gave these to them. Joshua got the hang of it pretty quickly. Tylee can't quite reach the floor so she has to support herself on something while she bounces. Daddy helped here...

And then, while the kids were cooling off watching Elmo, Tylee decided to use the TV armoire to help her out. It was hilarious when she started bouncing to the beat singing "La, la, la, la...la, la, la, la Elmo's World..." She had all of us cracking a smile!

After Elmo, we opened a couple more presents. Grandma's and Grandpa's always send the best stuff!! Tylee is really into Elmo right now and they sent lots of fun Elmo stuff.

Gotta make sure you use your reading glasses when you read a story!!

We had pancakes for dinner. Tylee insisted on using her new Elmo plate and silverware.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TYLEE!!

WE LOVE YOU SWEET GIRL!!!

Time for the rest of the presents!!

What a GREAT day! I loved having a day to cherish the best things in life! Our kids are wonderful and a joy to spend time with! Looking forward to having another fun day soon to celebrate Joshua's birthday.

FHE Fun!

2009-07-30T16:50:00Z

The kids never let us forget to have family home evening. We decided to do a little more of a hands on kind of project during this particular evening. We had a good time and made quite a mess!

After we had lots of fun creating gooey, chocolately shapes, we decorated them with chocolate and sprinkles. Of course, this project also doubled as our Family Home Evening treat!!

Some of us got more chocolately than others!

What Kind of Food are You?

2009-06-16T16:06:00Z

I was on Allrecipes looking for a homemade ice cream recipe for Lowell's birthday and came across this silly survey. I am Italian Food and Lowell is Chinese Food! Thought it would be fun to post the survey and let all you blog lurkers take it too!

Just click here to have a little fun!

Sumertime Fun

2009-06-09T21:13:00Z

I love summertime with the kids home. I know we live in a place that's like an oven, but I still love the summer!

Before it got too toasty, we spent some time outside. The kids love bubbles and asked to do that one Sunday afternoon. It was fun.

We found some cool crafts for Joshua to do this summer. During spring break he started on this 3D perler bead projects. It's a jungle set-up and he has spent a lot of time on it.

While Tylee is napping, Joshua and I will work on these together. Joshua creates the actual projects, and I sift through the two, rather large, bags of various colored beads. I pick out the colors he needs and then put them in separate little bags for later and current use.

Joshua finished the tree and pond during spring break and has been working on the animals during the summer. So far he has completed an elephant, turtle, alligator, and a monkey. Can you find them all??

The kids love the water! So as soon as it started heating up outside, we headed out back with a fun sprinkler and swimsuits! Notice Tylee's Elmo underwear in the two bottom pictures. She was insistent that she wear those with her swimsuit.

A few months later when it was REALLY hot, we went to the splash pad. Joshua had a growth spurt in between March and May and suddenly his old swim trunks didn't fit anymore. (And neither did half his clothes!) The kids would go to the splash-pad everyday if we would let them!

Yee-haw!!

2009-06-08T21:39:00Z

Tylee has found a new way to get around the house!!

Crazy kids!!