Soothing Sunday

Today after church Mckenna wanted to help do something. I told her she could use the swiffer on the floor. Our floor ALWAYS has hair on it, thank you very much Sam. When I told her to put the swiffer away when I went to check on her this is what I found......

She did it so well I think her name will be added to the chore chart...the other kids will be so happy!

Look siblings......she even does chores with a smile! 

AND she poses for the camera!!!!

After she finished the entire floor she said don't walk on the floor cause it's all clean now and it's still wet....wonder where she hears that from!!!

Please take note of the outfit...she has worn this for 3 days. As soon as we get home she goes straight to her "PJ's" as she calls them and changes out of her other clothes. I think I will have to hide them because it doesn't matter if they are in the dirty clothes hamper or not she goes and gets them.  She says they are her favorite....I am just happy that there is one child in our house that is happy to do chores....but she is only 3!!!

Twilight

The long awaited for day finally came. At our house, minus the younger boys and girls, we have been anticipating for THE movie. We have all read the books, yes even dad, Jessica and I have finished all 4 books, hurry and catch up dad and Jessika. Over the summer the girls begged us to please take them out of school to see the movie. We agreed as they never miss school. As the day approached I was invited to a "moms only" night out to see the movie at midnight. You would think that I would have gotten grief from the teenagers, no, I got grief from my husband who desperately wanted to go and see the movie at midnight with the rest of us! He even offered to wear a dress! He graciously got over it when I reminded him that we were going the next day with the girls.

My friend Amy hosted a party at her house. It was fabulous! We had a great time socializing and eating in the wee hours of the night. It was great to get out with the girls with no kids in tow! We headed off to the midnight movie most of us yawning wondering if we would stay awake through them movie. I will admit that I was the only one who did nod off for part of the movie! 

Don't we look great at 11 PM!!!!

Amy and Kristy with their goodie bags that they DON'T have to share with the kids!

On a mission to see the movie!!!!

We couldn't take the camera into the movie theater to further capture the moment. Apparently there is some federal law that you can't bring cameras into the theater, so the security guard kept the camera until after the movie. He wouldn't even come in and take a picture of us BEFORE the movie started. Anyway, who would have known I just thought you were supposed to turn your cell phone off and now the newly added advertisement...not to TEXT!!!  I could go on about the whole camera thing but I won't. 

On Thursday I had read one review of the movie and it wasn't that favorable. I refused to read another thing about the movie. I thought it better be good because I have to see it twice in 13 hours!!!! The movie was GREAT! It was the only movie that I have seen where it actually followed the book! I just feel like the movie is not over because there is 3 more books!!!!! I got home at 3 am....everyone was sleeping. YEA!! 

A couple of hours later, thank you honey for making sure the kids got to school on time,  I got up took and shower and we left at 10:30 off to pick up girls from school and be at the 12:50 showing. The girls were really excited about the Twilight shirts we had gotten for them, all their friends had them but they liked theirs so much better, thanks Amy. It was a different experience watching it with my teenage daughters than hours before. We kept hearing comments about how HOT Edward was and the awwee that's so sweet etc. etc. Jessika kept saying "Mommy he's soooo cuuutteee". They loved the movie and I was grateful that I was able to see the movie again to see the part that I slept through!!! I forgot the camera at home, in my sleepless stupor,  so we don't have any pictures of the event. Sorry girls. We can't wait for the next movie!!! 

Just a side note---the movie Twilight cost $37 million to make. Friday and Saturday alone the movie grossed $70.5 million!!!!  Hopefully that's enough incentive for them to get going on the next 3 movies!!!

Soothing Sunday

This afternoon I asked Dani if she wanted to make cookies. Of course, what eight year old wouldn't want to make cookies. So her and I made cookies with lots of input from dear old dad as to what kind of cookies we should make, chocolate chip. Dani made the cookies by herself reading the instructions with just a tad bit of help. I will say that she did and great job and even went and got the swiffer all by herself when the flour went flying out of the mixer! Dani and I started to play cards and left the actual baking part to Dad since he was in the kitchen so much. 

I kept hearing Mike say don't eat these cookies to each child as they passed through the kitchen. I looked over and noticed he got one of my "pretty" plates and he was piling the cookies on them. Then he got out the press and seal, if you haven't tried it you totally have to it's WAY better than saran wrap. I walk into the kitchen and he is writing on the cookies "Most Excellent Cookies". I am like why are you writing on them? He said don't we have to take these to church tonight? I'm like no, we made them for us. 

Tonight we had Young Women in Excellence at church so that's where the most excellent cookies came from. He was trying and he was really clever. 

So tonight as I was catching up on all my reading for the day I realized I hadn't posted our Soothing Sunday. I thought about the cookie thing but didn't get a picture because the batteries died, but I later found out my dear sweet husband took pictures of the cookies so that I could blog about it. 

So as we were sitting on the couch our dog, Sam, who is NOT allowed on the couch was trying to get some love and attention from Mike........

They are seriously having a deep conversation....so we all had a soothing Sunday I came home from our church meeting to Dani and Mckenna sleeping, thanks Mom,

(Mike) actually got to eat more chocolate chip cookies than they thought they could AND Sam got some serious attention and was allowed on our couch just long enough for me to grab the camera. 

Canning

I love to can. Why you might ask? Especially when there is a Publix 30 seconds from my house where everything is neatly arranged on the shelves or in the freezer? It's my own therapy, kind of like baking but the results last so much longer. 

My friend Tricia also loves to can, I think secretly she loves it more than I do.  I have canned mainly fruits and preserves but we decided that we wanted to do something different....let's try canning meat.  We got a really good deal on chicken so we thought why not let's try it! 

So at 1:00 yesterday me, Tricia and our moms started to can 80 lhs of chicken. Cutting and chopping chicken, garlic, herbs and onions......

After we started the first batch in the pressure cooker, around 3 pm, I decided that with only one pressure cooker, that fits only 7 cans, we would be here all night and all day Saturday. So I quickly started calling all my friends who I thought would have a pressure cooker. Thank you Becky for letting me borrow your and especially for bringing it to me! 

Tricia multitasking!!

Yummy chicken boiling...I wish there was a way to post scratch and sniff stickers on here so you could appreciate the aroma that was in my kitchen....so yummy....

My photographer left to go watch the new James Bond movie and my hands were much too greasy so there wasn't any pictures of the pressure cooking, but here's what chicken looks like after you can it....actually it looks kind of gross but I know it tastes so yummy! 

Of course we would have nothing left to waste so we made our own chicken broth. They all wanted to save other parts of "yuck" but I convinced them that we didn't need to save everything....

Tricia and her mom left around 9 pm. I took the last batch out of the pressure cooker at 11:30 pm. It was a LONG day, but I love looking at the jars filled with food lined up on my counter. Ok maybe I love to look at peaches or strawberry preserves in a jar, because they are so pretty, but honestly canned chicken looks like a science experiment gone bad or those jars that have dead animals in them in science class.  

Soothing Sunday

So there's no picture to capture this one but as I was attempting to take a nap this afternoon Mckenna came into my room, climbed up in the bed and said "Mom are you sad at dad?" I said "No" she said "are you happy with dad?" I said "Yes" she said "Then why are you sleeping?" I said "because I am tired"  she said "well then I need to read you a bedtime story" I told her really it was fine she could go and help dad with making cookies, yes he really does and was making homemade cookies. She picked up Mike's novel from his night stand flipped through a couple of pages and realized there were no pictures so she said "No I think I need to sing you a song".  She started singing "I am a child of God" for those of you who don't know the song the words go like this:

I am a child of God and He has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home with parents kind of dear (the real words are kind and dear). Lead me guide me walk beside me help me find the way teach me all that I must to do have them live with me someday (to live with Him someday).  

I had to laugh when she sang the "kind of dear" part since she had thought I was mad at dad because I was sleeping. Even though I was dead tired I didn't have the heart to fall asleep while she was singing because I needed to watch her while she was singing and clap and cheer when she was finished each time. Yes she is 3 so she had to sing more than once. Maybe I will get a nap next Sunday.....

Favorite job..well almost

Mckenna loves to collect firewood. Actually she loves to collect just about anything.

Check out those boots!!!

Soothing Sunday

Since we take Sunday's literally as a day of rest at our house we came up with Soothing Sunday's. This is what went on at our house today.....what a life!!!