American Idol

This is a post for all of you American Idol fans. I was so grossed out by Adam's performance tonight! Ugh! He reminds me of a drag queen. The black nail polish and the make-up has got to go. He broke all of the rules by changing up "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. I really hope that this is not the person America picks this year.

I do really like Danny, Kris, Matt G, Megan, Alexis, and Allison. I especially loved Kris's performance of "To Make You Feel My Love." That song is so beautiful. I first heard from a singer named Adele. Megan's quirkiness is great! I loved her performance tonight. I'd like to know what some of you think. Most of all, I want to know who your favorites are. I won't hold it against you if you like Adam. It seems like he has a lot of fans.

Talent Show!

Yesterday was our annual talent show at the church. All of the kids were so cute and performed very well. Matthew played two songs on the recorder. He is so excited to be able to play an instrument.He loves to practice. I enjoy it when he goes into the sunroom and closes the door to practice. Just joking! I'm really proud of him!

Benjamin danced.I was so surprised that Ben would ham it up and dance for a crowd.I thought it was so cute! Thanks to Brock who helped him. Brock was in the back holding up cue cards for Ben.This is my first time posting a video. I hope it works! Enjoy!

Short Hair Again!

I debated about posting a picture of myself with my new haircut. I feel like a dork. It's really hard to take your own picture. Here is a side view of my new haircut. I feel so much better! It's so liberating! I was so sick of my long hair. Straightening it all of the time was really bringing me down. Jessica begged me to grow it out, and I did. Now I'm back to what is easiest for me to manage. Yay!

Pay it forward!

Spreading Sunshine (from Ashley)

The first three people to respond to this post will get something made by me! Made with tons of love just for you! It might be a fun sewing project, a sweet letter to you from me, or some yummy goodies, you might be surprised what you get! Give it a try! The catch? You must re -post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment, win a lovely little treat for themselves! Have Fun! Ready........Set............Go!

Love Poems

My kids asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told them that I would love for each of them to write me a poem or a song. Benjamin went right to work. He presented me with this poem:

Roses are red.
You are The best MOM ever.
You smell like roses.
And I love you

How sweet is that! I'm so glad to still have one child young enough to write such a cute little poem.

Matthew also wrote me a poem not long ago. It wasn't for my birthday. I think he wrote it to apologize to me. Here it is:

MOM
by Matthew Stoner

Mom is the best
When she stays home and rests
When I'm in trouble
She is there by the double.
I am happy I have a mom like this!
Because I wouldn't want one that would go amiss

Funnel Cakes Anyone?

The kids recently had 2 snow days. They were so happy that school was cancelled. Rather than just make pancakes to celebrate the occasion, I made funnel cakes. They were sinfully delicious and pretty easy to make. I was pretty proud of myself, as I had never made them before. I actually washed out a nearly empty ketchup bottle, and filled it with the batter. It was so fun to squeeze the squiggly drizzle into the hot oil and let it fry. All of you reading this blog should try it sometime. Don't forget to sift powdered sugar on top!

Sugar Cookies

The other night I was running around with Lauren. She wanted to get some Valentine candy for her friends. While I took her to the store, Jessica was going to make some sugar cookie dough. She wanted to make heart shaped cookies for her friends. I really didn't want her to make cookies. Why couldn't she just do the easy thing and get some candy. Ugh! So off I went with Lauren, while Jessica made the dough.

When I got home I asked Jessica how the sugar cookie dough turned out. She said, "it's really sugary!" I looked at the dough and immediately thought that she must have used brown sugar. Ugh! Then, I noticed the whole wheat flour on the counter. OH NO! Oh yes...she used whole wheat flour in sugar cookies. Yuck! Upon further questioning, she also used granulated sugar. The recipe very clearly said "p. sugar."(I guess it really wasn't that clear.)

I was not happy at all. What else could I do? I baked the very brown sugar cookies. My family ate them and they really weren't too bad. As for Jessica's friends, they got a new batch of cookies made with white flour and powdered sugar. Yeah, this is what happens when I am trying to please all of my children. It just causes me more work sometimes. Poor Jess, I really over-reacted and hurt her feelings. She is learning from her mistakes. I know that she will never use whole wheat flour in cookies again!