Cooking Class

Bon Apetite!!!

Ok I will not lie, it has been a really long winter with lots of trials and heartache. One thing that has really lifted my spirits and kept me going is my love and new found confidence in the kitchen. My sisters and I have been attending a cooking/baking class and it has been so much fun. I am learning all the basics but with the added challenge of cooking from scratch. I am obsessed with kitchen stores and about died when I went to our new Crate and Barrel over Christmas. For so many years, it just felt like a chore to grocery shop, cook and bake and clean up all the dishes afterward. Over the past year or so, I have discovered the joy that comes from creating something healthy and yummy and serving it to my family. Anyways I am addicted and trying to get my kids addicted too (halle and I watch Rachael Ray together) Ok, so this is not a bragging post but mearly a motivational post because if I can do it, so can you. All these things I have made were SO intimidating but ended up being so easy! And yes I will admit, a few times I had my instructor on the phone:/

Here is my first batch of wheat bread!!! Kids ate and ate it, husband was OK with it but still missing his Grandma Sycamores white bread and I stopped buying 8 years ago. I was just thrilled it was eatable

Orange Rolls...these kideof exploded in the oven with orange goo but were still yummy to eat. This picture is not my finest, but I was up Sunday morning baking for my family so I should get points right?


Shrimp...nope I don't eat shrimp or anything that swims in the ocean but I was brave and determined to learn it. Halle and Chad were in charge of taking the shells off...Pretty huh? and SO easy

Cinnamon Rolls (before baking) These turned out amazing, and Chad LOVES Cinnabon so I had some serious pressure on me.
Kids helping with sugar cookies on Valentines Day. Nothing to note here...my sisters have a sugar cookie company:)

Home made biscuits. Now this was fun, and they were so yummy. Just a little tricky to kneed. No reason to keep around the Bisquick:)

Halle is 7 and pierced!!!

Has another year really gone by? This firecracker of a girl the the love of our lives.

She is so fun, determined, happy, energized, loving and strives hard to always do the right thing. This year she had 2 requests for her birthday (which she planned 5 months ago),

Chucky cheese & pierced ears.

Here we are at Claires Boutique for the ear piercing. This was such a fun moment for a mom! Nona was here to assist too. Halle was really nervous but also excited, and the video I took was priceless! She did not shed a tear:)

And here she is...

Off we went to Chucky Cheese which hasn't changed in 25 years. We brought along Halle's cute cousins Annalie and Ellie

Hitting the Slopes!

For Christmas I gave Chad and the kids a ski day up at the Canyons. I wish I could have been there. It sounded so amazing and was one of those moments as a parent where your heart is filled with SO much joy to watch your kids enjoy something new in life. Chad had some camera issues so we only have a few pictures of Halle, but Cohen was right there being tough and skiing his heart out all day. When Chad picked him up from ski school he had fallen asleep in the snow...lol

Such a ski bunny I'd say...

Halle's Winter Recital

Halle is meant to be on stage. She lights up and you can't take your eyes off of her when she is there. She had a darling recital back in December and danced her heart out. We love her teacher and all her friends that dance with her. Dancing to a little "Jingle Bell Rock"

We are proud of you Halle and hope you make it all the way to Broadway...

ok I will settle for the Nutcracker;)

{flashback}

Yes we have been married 10 years and it was time to travel and celebrate!!!.... we went to Hawaii on the island of Kauai (back in November) and had ourselves a lovely time. On day 2 Chad took our camera into the water to snorkel with it and hence we lost some pictures... these ones here were taken with my cheap and barley functioning cell phone but at least we have a few to share.

Here we are eating at the famous "Hamuras" which is a local dive and so yummy! If you like Top Ramen then you would die over this place. Kauai is so layed back and peaceful and it is so fun to hang out where the locals are and pretend this is your stress-free life. We loved going to open markets and cruising around the little shops in town.

Here we rented bikes and cruised along the coast. It was breathtaking and so much fun. We stopped and bought some fresh coconut ice cream at a little farmers market and Chad relaxed on a hammock. I love how slow time moves in Hawaii. There is so much life to enjoy.

Yes we cruised around in style...kindof a tradition which started on our honeymoon and much insisted upon by Chad


Snorkeling at Pompei. One turtle sighting and plenty on "Nemos" and "Dories" I just loved sitting on the beach here and watching the waves crash on the black rocks. I also missed my kids a ton because there were so many little kids swimming in the bay and running around with sand buckets. Chad and I decided here that next time we go to Hawaii, they get to come:)

Happy 10 years! It was amazing to reconnect with my hubby and a much needed vacation for us

{Christmas Snapshots}

Going Natural

After some major difficulties with our artificial, perfectly lit Costco tree, we decided to go natural this year. Chad was determined to cut down one down from a tree farm and so we made the trek up to Ogden, only to determine it was FREEZING and the trees were yellow, long needled, sparse, over priced and did not smell like Christmas Trees...so we headed back to good old fashion Lowes and found a great Nobel Fir. my goobers...

James was apparently pooped after biting all the tips off my new candy cane ornamnets:)