Christmas Fun

Each year Bluff Elementary has a Christmas Auction. Last

year I made a Ginger Bread House for them - wanted to try something different - so I took the Taste of Home Cover Challenge - and it was just that - a challenge! Some things were easier - some things were way harder. But all together it was lots of fun.

These snowflakes were actually not so hard and I loved how they turned out, they were really fun.

The poinsettias were really fun - I don't know gum well and tried to find "blue" gun. Nobody could actually tell me what gum was blue - so this was the closest I could come.

Now kids - This is NOT a Charlie Brown tree! I may prefer "slim" but this does not qualify as Charlie Brown. We had lots of fun going up the mountain and getting it. It was a beautiful clear cold day, just a skiff of snow and lots of fun!

4th Pic 4th Folder Tag

So - what do you do when the 4th folder only has three pictures? Post the third picture I guess! This is our back yard last winter, taken from the back porch when I got up one morning. Its what we have to look forward to.

Comfort Food!

I love macaroni and cheese! If you do too - you just may love this recipe! If you like creamy, really cheesy mac 'n cheese, this will be a favorite for you. I cut the receipe in half, I don't need to cook for 12 any more! I used a sharp chedder cheese and a grated parmesean cheese mixture. Wow it was good. Even the "M" of the empty nest was impressed! If you are looking for a "lighter" version, just use good old fat free milk instead of all the thick stuff.

1 16 oz pack elbow macaroni

3 cups 4% cottage cheese

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

3 cups half and half

1 cup milk

4 cups shredded cheddar chees

Topping:

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter melted.

Cook macaroni according to directions. Meanwhile place cottage cheese in food prcoessor and process until smooth. In large saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, salt , pepper and garlic salt until smlooth. gradually add cream and mil. Cook until thickened. Drain macaroni; mix macaroni, white sauce, grated cheese. Transfer to greased 13 x 9 inch baking disch. Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20-25 minitues or until bubbly. Enjoy!!!!

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? Standing in my living room in Cedar City, Utah
2- Who was with you? Mark
3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? The doctor's office called to tell us the blood test had returned positive.
4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? Excited as we had been trying for 1 1/2 years - but we were both sick in bed with food poisoning at the time they called to confirm the pregnancy.
5- Who was the first person you told? Mark
6-Did you plan to get pregnant? Yes
7- Did you tell everyone else right away? Yes
8-Was everybody happy for you? Yes
9- Did you go out and celebrate? No, we were going to school and too poor to celebrate!
10- Did you want to find out the sex? It wasn't a possiblity back in the olden days!
11- What was the sex? Boy
12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Kind of - we were in a married student ward and 7 ladies were pregnant so we had a "ward baby shower for the 7 pregnant ladies."
13- If yes, who? SUU 2nd Married Ward
14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby? No
15- How much weight did you gain? 62 lbs! He was born in June and it was so hot I just porked on the pounds!
16- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? That time I did!
17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? OHHHHH YEAAAAA! I have stretch marks that are scary!
18- What did you crave the most? Pizza.
19- Did you crave anything crazy? Cheese
20- Who or what got on your nerves the most? Other pregnant women!
21- Were you married at the time? Yes
22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No
23- Where were you when you went into labor? IHome
24- Did your water break? Not on its own.
25- Who drove you to the hospital? Mark - twice. The first time they sent me home - how humiliating.
26- Did you go early or late? Three days late.
27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? Mark, the doctor and 110 year old nurse!
28- How long were you in labor for? Forever! Actually it was 19 1/2 hours.
29- Did you have any drugs for the pain? In my dreams - I wish.. I begged..no such luck.
30-Did you go Natural or have a c-section? I went "ah-natural" by default - I never lived any place that had epidurals - I begged for c-sections - no such luck!
31- Oh, yes, its over!
32- How big was the baby(s 8 lbs 3 1/2 oz ( I think, it was a LONG time ago)
33 - Did your Husband cry? No
34- What did you name the baby(s)? Jonathan Mark Christiansen
35- Does his name have any significant meaning? We both liked Jonathan - don't care for "John" and wanted to give him his daddy's name.
36- Did you have any visitors? Yes, grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles.
37- Did the baby(s) have any complications? No
38- How old is your baby today? 31 years old!.
39- When is the next one(s) coming? When *!##! freezes over!.
40-If you could, would you do it all over again? I had 7 and wouldn't trade a one - loved being a mom - but I would NEVER want to go through labor again - I would go through BIRTH again and again, it was a natural high - but NOT LABOR!!!!
41- Tag: TEENA, CINDY, SUMMER!!!

Fall Break - Monument Valley

8 Things Tag

So I'm pathetic, never been tagged. I read Jackie's blog and considered myself tagged. When you read my "things" you'll know how pathetic I am and why I don't get tagged!

8 Favorite TV Shows (Tough because I don't watch much TV)
1. Old British Comedies on PBS
2. Antique Roadshow also on PBS
3. Paula Deen's Home cooking
4. How It's Made
5. Hallmark Movies
6. On the Money (The ONLY program on at 3:00 am when I can't sleep which is not an INFOMERCIAL)
7. Private Practice (when it's nice)
8. 11th Hour (when it isn't gross)

8 Favorite Restaurants (Even Tougher because if all eat out places depended upon me - they would be out of business!) (So these are some of the best I have been to in my "travels.)
1. A little neighborhood pizza place in San Francisco - sun dried tomato pizza - absolutely the best pizza I have eaten in the world.
2. Irish Pub - Washington DC, BEST chowder and sour dough bread ever and ambiance is out of this world.
3. Muldoon's Pub - Washington DC - BEST peanut encrusted flounder I could imagine
4. Starbucks - sounds weird, but I love breakfast there - especially their Eggs Florentine on English Muffin.
5. Don't laugh, but the Campline, north of Monticello serves a mean steak!
Sorry, that's as far as I can go!

8 Things To Look Forward To (Something easy finally)
1. TWO new grand babies
2. Thanksgiving
3. Christmas
4. Retirement
5. Serving a Mission
6. Adding on to the house
7. Spring (that's terrible as winter hasn't even hit)
8. Losing my "baby" gut

8 Things I did Yesterday (Hard to narrow it down!)
1. Woke up at 3:00 a.m.
2. Baked a pumpkin/cream cheese cake roll
3. Typed medical dictations for 4 HOURS straight
4. Ripped molding off the bedroom wall
5. Talked to three of my children on the phone
6. I Voted
7. I was elected to the School Board
8. I attended Relief Society Visiting Teaching Workshop

You can be tagged too, especially if you are pathetic like me and have never been tagged.

Halloween - The Story Continues

So, some more thoughts on why I love Halloween. Reflecting back to my childhood Halloweens it wasn't the candy so much that I loved, don't get me wrong I did like candy as a child. I had the best neighbors in the world to go "trick or treating" to. It was an event. It was not just, knock on the door, get a piece of candy and run on to the next house. I had neighbors who had you come into their homes. There were neighbors who always fixed hot chocolate with marshmellows and we would go in and sit down and drink a steamy cup - Halloween was always miserable weather when I was a child. There were other neighbors who invited you in for home made donuts or apple cider. I had goofy neighbors who had a bowl of papers and you drew one out. The paper said what "trick" you had to perform before you got your treat. The best treats were always the homemade ones that they reserved for the "neighbor" kids. They had you parade your costumes for them and you never ever went trick or treating out of your "ward" boundaries, that was considered greedy. Several years I went trick or treating for charities and that was fun. I loved the costumes, dressing up, playing characters - I still do! So this morning we had "ghost toast for breakfast and Orange, cinamon and clove spiced cream of wheat! Who says you can't still be silly when there's only two of you? I love having trick or treaters come to my home. I love their happy voices. I love when they say thank you and Happy Halloween. Tonight there were two entire families who came all in costumes - they certainly got my vote! Their children will always remember Halloween. I got in the spirit of Halloween today and dressed up as a bag of "Jelly Bellies" I bought some jelly bellies and put them in small Halloween bags and then I went to each of the schools and took a bag to the principals and also to the district offices to the administration there - just to make them smile - and they did. Don't we all need to smile a little more and feel a little less stress some times? I wore it to the clinic and it was so fun to watch people's faces who came in - sick of course - but it made them feel just a little bit better. I think I love Halloween because it is about people being happy and helping people be happy.