Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Unto Us A Son is Born

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.


And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you agood tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is aborn this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.


Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.


Wise Men Still Seek Him! Merry Christmas Everyone!

TidBit Tuesday - Good Holiday Eats

Wassail: My Grandma Jeanne always has this at her Christmas Eve party, and it is the best hot cider drink, and will make your house really smell like the holidays!

1 gal apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
6 sticks cinnamon
1-12 oz frozen lemonade
1-12 oz frozen orange juice
1 orange, piereced with whole cloves

Mix amount of water called for in lemonade and orange juice. Add cider. Stick whole cloves in an orange and float it in the cider. Allow to heat for a few hours, serve hot!

Shawn's Breakfast Casserole: Shawn LOVES this for Christmas morning, it's not my favorite dish (I'm not a sausage lover) but it is really good and easy to make.

8 slices bread trimmed and cubed to line a 9 x 13 pan
1 lb. sausage
4 eggs
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk

Line pan with bread cubes, top with cheese. Brown sausage and place on cheese. Mix milk eggs and dry mustard. Beat and spread over sausage. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning mix 1/2 cup milk with soup and spread over casserole. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until set.

Summers' Family Fudge: Simply TO DIE FOR! Really it is the best and Healthy for you:)
3 pkgs. milk chocolate chips
1 pint marshmallow whip
1/2 lb. butter
1 can evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2 cup sugar

Place chocolate chips, butter, marshmallow whip and vanilla in a large bowl. DO NOT COOK. Boil milk and sugar stirring constantly for 9 minutes exactly. Pour over mixture in the bowl and beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Will firm quickly in fridge.


Spinach Artichoke Dip: Our family has an annual New Year's Eve Bash, and this is always a star at the party!

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayo
1 pkg. Mrs. Grass vegetable soup and dip mix
1-10 oz. pkg. frozen choppe spinach, thawed and drained
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup shredded romano
Mix cream cheese mayo and dip mix. Stir in spinach, artichokes, and mozzarella. Spread in a 2 quart dish. Top with romano. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy 7th Anniversary

Love you! And I always will:)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Saturday Soup

This past week we celebrated Shawn's 29th B-day with a Cookie Monster! It was homemade and I have to say pretty darn GOOD! In fact we made two. We got Shawn tickets to the Jazz game on Monday and had a great time enjoying a great game. The boys thought it was pretty fun too . . .
Sam thought the free stickers, noise makers, etc. were super cool, and Jack was happy to eat the entire bucket of popcorn from the 1st quarter to the 4 quarter!Jack has also made two new discoveries this week! #1: His "feminine" side#2: Milk's Favortie Cookies: Jack had his first dunkin' Oreo session and completely submerged his hand in the milk, and would dunk any crumb he could find. Needless to say his love for sweets continues.

Have a great Saturday!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

TidBit Tuesday - Gift Ideas

Ho...Ho..Ho... Here are some ideas that we used this year. Most of them came as a prior gift, but I thought they were so spectacular that I wanted to share them with you.

BUT first... We made our gingerbread house a few weeks ago and I've been wanting to post our icing recipe. It is actually called Gingerbread House Mortar. This icing rocks your socks. Seriously it is great to work with because it drys like cement and drys quickly. Here's the recipe:

2 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (Beat egg whites and tartar until it peaks)
1/8 tsp vanilla
3 cups (or more) powdered sugar
Mix well, and add more sugar to make the icing thicker.

#1: Personalized Children's Books: Sam recieved a football book with HIMSELF as the main character last year from the Crapo Family, and it is still one of his favorites to read. There are several websites where you can purchase these kind of books, and a lot of variety for girls, boys, or either. The one that I went to http://www.dhchildrensbooks.com/. You can do sports, super heros, balerinas, princesses, etc. It's a great and cheap way to give something with a little extra meaning.
#2: Homemade Stories - Now to preface this, not everyone has a Shawn in their home, but the idea could still work. This year for Christmas the boys are recieving The Amazing Adventures of Sam the Dwarf and Jack the Munchkin. Shawn started to tell the boys silly bedtime stories earlier this year, and it was a hit. So I thought why not put some of the stories in a book and have Shawn (my WONDERFUL artist) illustrate some pictures. It turned out AWESOME!!! He drew the pictures, I colored, we scanned them into the computer uploaded them to Shutterfly.com and wha-laa.... A hard bound book for both boys. No matter if you making a story about your kids or one that might be an old family tale, I really like shutterfly.com, they almost always have a sale or discount running, and what child doesn't like to see himself in a book?

#3: Cousin Match Card Game: My mom made the adorable cards for the grandkids this year. There are two cards/grandchild and each card has a little tidbit of info about that child on it. The kids play memory with the cards or another favorite in our family is Slap Jack! She took pictures to her favorite copy shop and they were able to put them on playing cards. A great idea especially if you live far away from family, its a good way for your kids to get familiar with their cousins.

#4: The Last Lecture: I just finished reading this book and I loved it! It is a great, entertaining reminder about priorities and little things we can do everyday to be better. I think it is especially pertinent as the author was facing terminal cancer with only a few months to live, making his recommendations much more meaningful and less superficial! I loved, its a short read, and would make a good stocking stuffer. If you haven't heard of the book or the man behind it check out www.thelastlecture.com it is a great story!


#5: No Sew Tutu: My friend Jenni (hope you don't mind me sharing this) started to make these in Iowa. I know the idea isn't new, but it is so cute, and now that there will be a little girl arriving in our house, my mind is making the shift to all things girly. I asked Jenni how to make these, and she sent me this link to a video tutuorial. I think these are adorable, CHEAP!, and easy to make. I made this one to put in Baby Girl Summers stocking, and its a miniature of what you would make. Check it out if you want to give a little girl out there a fun dress-up or dance accessory. I also had a friend make her daughter a peacock for Halloween using blue and green hues - it was so cute! Thanks Jennilyn. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7aSPMEn7S0

NEXT week.... TidBit Tuesday will feature some of our Favorite Holiday Treats! Hopefully in time for you to use at a party, a neighbor gift, or I guess if worse comes to worse...to eat all by yourself!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Happy Birthday and Saturday Soup

Tomorrow is Shawn's 29th Birthday!! Woo-hoo! His last year as a strapping young lad. We are going to be celebrating (in other words eating) our way through the day tomorrow, so I'm doing a Happy Birthday post and our Saturday Soup tonight. Shawn is an incredible guy and ANYONE who knows him, LOVES him. You just can't help it really! I feel so incredible lucky, blessed, and grateful to have him be MINE. Here are some fun facts about Shawnee-poo:


He's lived in: Idaho, Venezuela, Utah, & Iowa. Idaho weather is his favorite.
He loves to: Golf, play/talk about/watch football, camp, watch movies, and listen to music
He is an expert in: FEET, Aerosmith, Movie Trivia, Drawing/Art, and Tai-Kwan-Do (not really)
He has: hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim twice, white water rafted, and simulated ski-diving, oh, and he's been on the world's scariest ride on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas!
He is the best father, husband, son, brother, friend and anything he sets his mind to he excels at!
Giving Bull Rides to the kids


What lucky boys!

My Demon of Screamin'!! I love you, Shawn.

On to Saturday Soup: This week after getting home from Idaho with the great news that a sister is on her way, we finally got serious about decorating for Christmas. AND, since we don't have ANY of our decorations with us, we have been making our own. Behold..... the Summers' family Christmas trees, complete with shape ornaments courtesy of Sam.



The other day while I was doing something else I heard Jack making noises from what I thought was the boys' room. I went in to investigate and didn't find him. I thought oh, no... he's in our bathroom tearing apart the drawers under the cabinet. No... I found him like this:

He thought he was pretty darn hilarious and I win the mother of the year award by instead of pulling him out and putting him on safe sturdy ground, I ran and grabbed my camera. He got into the sink all by himself, and how he didn't fall off the tiny counter and knock his head is beyond me. This boy is going to give me a run for my money!

Happy Saturday to all - I have a Christmas TidBit Tuesday on the works for this Tuesday, and have some really good gift ideas, for really any holiday or birthday.

m

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Its a .....

We aren't 100% sure! Uh.... the tech thought she was pretty sure, but the baby was sitting indian style at a wierd downward angle, which made it virtually impossible to get a clear 100% shot! So her guess, which she felt was pretty good - is a oh, my can I even type it:
GIRL!!

Ahhh.... bring on the ribbons and bows. BUT this is subject to change, we'll be doing a follow up ultrasound next month to make sure. Until then we'll enjoy the thought that we'll be having a bundle of curls, pink, and giggles coming our way. We are super excited that the baby is a girl, that she was healthy, and that she is already showing her stubborness/modesty by not allowing us to know for sure.
I loved this shot - it was hard to get any clear shots because of the angle she was sitting, but here is a view of her nose and lips.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Saturday Soup - Ho! Ho! Ho! and Days of OUR Lives

We took the boys to see Santa at the mall today and I was very pleased with the look of the Santa, very traditional, nice natural beard, etc. Sam was super excited to AGAIN ask for a white tiger, Jack wasn't as excited about this Santa though. Whether it was the beard, the hat, or the big belly - we can't be sure but Jack was NOT going to sit on his lap!
From Bad to Worse.. Fast!
Lately I've been finding myself wanting to record the boys at this stage in their everyday hum-drum activities, just so I can remember them. They are at such fun and frustrating ages so here's my debut of the Days of OUR Lives with Sam (4.5 years & Jack 15 months). One day they will thank me for cleaning up after them......Sam starting the day with a nutritious breakfast of Cookie Crisp WITHOUT milk!
What happens while I'm showering and getting ready - mind you it usually only takes me 5 minutes to shower, and a total of 30 minutes to get ready...The boys playing farm with the tractors - they play really well together in their room.Fireman Sam - one of the many costumes he goes through each dayJack has had enough of lunch - what its not going to be candy and fruitsnacks!!
Playing Candy Land with Sam - skating over Lord Licorice

Tiger/Dog/Wolf/ Who Knows What the animal Sam is pretending to be....
Playing the Wii Fit & Playing Peek-a-boo in the Shark Tent
(just before the tackling and crying starts)Jack is such a smart boy - blows his nose, climbs on the folding chairs (safe!), table, toilet seat, anything that he might fall off of and require stitches afterSwimming Lessons - Sam is rocking it at the pool and is becoming quite the little fish

Jack can also now raid the fridge and get himself his favorite treat: Go-Gurt

A little bit of Golf before bed - and a fistful of JUNK. Jack has to sleep with something in at least one hand, he prefers wadded up scotch tape, wrappers or small plastic animals.


Happy Saturday to all - we are headed up to the Ultrasound tomorrow and will be posting as soon as possible.