Pampered Chef Discount!

As some of you know, I'm going to be a break from Pampered Chef for awhile as we get ready to move this summer. As a thank you to everyone, I'm offering 10% off EVERYTHING in the catalog through Jan 31st! This is a great time to get those items you've been waiting around to order. :)

(You must order through me and/or if you order online enter my name as the host for me to be able to subtract the discount.)

And, there's a FREE serving utensil (choice of large spatula, mini spatula or slice-n-serve) with an order of $60 or more!

I'm also selling what I have left in inventory at 50% off. I can send you the list by email if you're interested.

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! :)

Quote Time

Here's the latest from my bambinos:

B: Holding his orange striped shirt to his chest, "I want to wear this one, it's my best friend!"

N: "Did Mary and Joseph sleep in sleeping bags?"

N: (in the bath, on her birthday) "Can I try to wash myself? I think that's what 4-year-olds do."

B: "I not 'bud', I Blake!"

Toy Story related:
N: (going into Bed Bath & Beyond) "Hey, it's like Buzz Lightyear!"
B: "To Cindy and E-On!" (infinity and beyond)
B: "Mom, it's not Buzz. It's Buzz LIGHTYEAR!"


B: "This eight-meal (oatmeal) is not hot anymore Mom. It's warm and cozy!"

N: (having a conversation about pregnant ladies) "It's like the moms are always taking their babies on a walk in their tummy strollers."

B: (after getting honey on something) "I be like Pooh Bear!"

N&B: "Let me tell you something through your ear" (whisper)

B to N: (wearing her Christmas dress): "You're a pretty princess!"

B: "This what you talkin' bout?" (whenever you ask him for something)

N: "Phew, I need to sit a minute to get my power back" (while running around with Blake)


And saving the best for last, at bedtime on our anniversary:

Natatlie: "Dear Jesus, Mommy and Daddy are having a special dinner tonight. Please help Blake and Natalie stay in their beds. Amen."

New Year's Eve and Beyond

We spent New Year's Eve with our neighbors Jake and Cindy. We're so blessed that they moved in next door. The kids love playing together, we like hanging out with them too... and we get to trade babysitting for each other every now and then! :) We had dinner together and then played awhile.

I'm starting another new tradition... making a cake (or something) on New Years and taking a picture with the Year in number candles and the people we were with. It'll be fun to look back over the years and the memories (and I suppose see how the kids have grown except they weren't awake for this picture!)

We tried to get a picture with the timer on the table... not the greatest shot of us but at least we'll have the memory... by the way, the Caramel Cheesecake was yummy. :)

Our family dressed up before church one Sunday. (Trying to wear some Christmas outfits at least once this year! :)

Brian had another full week off before classes start again so we've been having lots of fun as a family-- relaxing and recovering from the holidays, watching lots of football, hanging out and getting some projects done around the house. It's been great!

We got some new shelves for the kid's rooms so they were helping Daddy put them together.

Evan really changed this past month...he's definitely moving out of being a baby and into a toddler. He can pull up on everything... get into things... laugh... and even dance!

We took Daddy to Fun Unleashed one day... we had a great time climbing through the tubes and going down the slides. We even carried Evan up with us and let him climb around too. It was a lot of fun!

Pizza lunch... Brian looks mad in this shot but we really did have a blast. Great place for the kids to run off some energy especially when it's so cold outside. We have Brian's deer heads hanging in the stair case and Natalie tried to throw a pacifier down the steps for Evan. Look where it landed! I don't think she could do that again if she tried! :)

Brian begins his last semester tomorrow. Can't believe our time here is already rapidly coming to an end. We've made lots of great friends and plan to make the most of the next months we have together before we move on again. Thanks for being involved in our lives. We're so blessed!

Christmas in PA

After NJ, we drove to Brian's parent's house in PA to spend a few days. Brian's brother Chris and family were there too. We had a great time as always! Painting Cousins

Chris injecting the chicken with seasoning...
... to cook in the deep fat fryer for dinner!!

Michelle and Bethany carving it up... it was really good!

We did an gift exchange among the kids plus some extras from Grandma and Poppa. There were a lot of presents... I guess we do have 5 kids between us now.

Special mug for these grandparents too. :)

Grandpa, Brian and Chris went squirrel hunting.

Allie and Natalie watching him gut and clean them... they absolutely love this!

Dinner time

Look at all that chub! Believe it or not, he's still smaller than Natalie or Blake were at this age! He is eating a lot more now, pulling up on everything and jabbering away. Hard to believe he'll be ONE next month!

Cowboy Adam

Playing Memory with Grandma and Bethany

Chris and Michelle (and the kids) got a new little puppy for Christmas. Lily was so cute... but all we hear now is "When can WE get a puppy?" :)

The send-off meal before we headed back home. Breakfast is always bountiful but this was a feast--sausage, bacon AND ham, hash browns, fried eggs, toast and cinnamon rolls!

We had a great time... thanks for everything! We love our families! :)

More Christmas

Sorry for the delay in getting these posted... I took over 500 pictures of our 10 days so it's been a big project to pick out the best so as not to overwhelm you all!
Christmas Morning: opening stockings

Brian and I did stockings too. This year, we actually had surprises for each other so it made opening gifts even more fun than usual.
(We went to Paris for our honeymoon and had an Eiffel Tower ornament to remember it but unfortunately it broke a few years ago. I was so excited when I found one exactly like it!)

Grandma's yummy breakfast spread... complete with Danish Kringle that we've had every Christmas I can remember. I love traditions! :)

Buzz Lightyear and Woody!

Word Whammer... you put 3 magnetic letters to make words. Let's just say our fridge is full of these letters now! :)

Veggie Tales! Thanks Mom and Dad.

Ev opening some gifts... Natalie had wrapped up this green bear for him (it's from when he had his PE tubes put in) and it was his favorite thing! :)

New Bible from his Great Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks!

We gave my parents a mug with pictures of our family.

(Cute quote: my mom said she was going to have to "fight" my Dad for who would get to use it in the morning. The next day when my mom was drinking coffee with it Natalie asked, "Did Grandma beat up Grandpa to get the mug?"

A couple years ago, my mom and Katherine gave Natalie a Build-a-Bear with a voice recording in it--you push the paw and you can hear their message. They made one for Blake this year. He loves it!

Katherine painted this awesome jewelry box for Natalie. Thanks so much, she plays with it everyday!

My Dad bought my mom new Pampered Chef cookware for Christmas. We put them to use right away on the Christmas dinner... they work great!

Grandpa carving the turkey.

The big meal... and of course, sparkling cider. :)

Dishes...

...and football/nap time!

My aunt and uncle and 4 cousins came to visit for a few days. We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving last year so it was great to catch up, even if only for a short time. We had a blast.. Love you guys so much!

We had my mom's famous homemade pizza the first night.

Ping Pong Tournament

Bath Time

Kath, Maggie and Alex preparing the toppings for curry.

Saying goodbye-- Thanks for a wonderful visit...Off to Brian's family now!