AMAZING! One Man Plays Two Grand Pianos At Once - La Campanella - Josh W...

I think I might just have to buy this album April 5th.

{The Black & White Cookie}

It's sad that most of the facts and interesting things I know about NY is because of movies or Television shows. I would of never heard about the "Black &White Cookie" if it wasn't for Seinfeld.

The key to eating a black and white cookie, according to Jerry Seinfeld, is to get some black and some white in each bite. “Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate,” says Jerry

Actually it's funny I learned a lot about NY watching that show. Anyway I always wanted to try one. I would see them in the stores everywhere you go, but since I'm not the biggest cookie fan they seemed a bit overpriced in my opinion.


It wasn't until Nancy Jones in our branch stopped buy (she is our kids Grandma figure here in NY), she brought over a box of clementines cause she knows Emberlynn loves them, animal crackers for the girls and for Jon and me a box of "Black & White cookies" I was really excited about the box and was anxious to try them.


To my surprise or I am really getting used to cookies . . .  I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM!!!!  The best kind are the ones laid with fondant then dipped in dark chocolate. Nancy got us the fondant kind and they were to die for.  I however see the white glaze everywhere too those I believe have another name for them like Full moons, but a true Black and White cookies with use fondant for the white side.  So next time your in NY you will have to try the BLACK & WHITE cookie. I just may have to attempt to make these for my visitors who come visit us here in NY! or maybe I'll just leave it to the professionals!

{3 SUGAR BABIES & A SWEET HUBBY}

This year for Valentines Day we decided make sugar cookies to a bunch of families to tell them we love them. Instead of decorating the ones for our next door neighbors we decided to have them come over and decorate their own and join in on all the fun! I have always thought those moms who would invited kids over to decorate cookies with sprinkles were crazy and after this I still think that. with only 5 kids we had SPRINKLES EVERYWHERE. I would sweep them up AGAIN & AGAIN & AGAIN.  I was finding sprinkles all over the house days later. So yes it was fun NEXT TIME though I will do the decorating cookie party OUTSIDE. I think that's the only way to do it. I guess I'm complaining and maybe it's okay for me to complain since I'm getting towards the end of my pregnancy and getting tired, but even though all the clean we still all had fun decorating it just requires a little bit more maintenance!

Here's Alix with FROSTING ON HER CHEEK!

ADDISON'S YUMMY COOKIE

{MB}'S COOKIE DECORATING SKILLS! We had to wake this little one up from her nap and her mother (i guess that's me) didn't think about re-combing her hair.

This was the first year I actually made sugar cookies from scratch. I never really was a fan until my friend  Stacia brought me some one year and loved her so much I asked for the recipe. Before I attempted the recipe I didn't want to fail. I decided to look up all the secrets in making these precious cookies since I don't claim to be a baker by nature. I rarely ever make sweets but I do go CRAZY FOR THE HOLIDAY'S- Christmas especially. Anyway after reading about the secrets I attempted it. My first batch I didn't roll out thin enough and they seriously fluffed up to a biscuit. I freaked out a bit and rolled the next batch much much thinner. The thinnest you should roll them out. So I guess I did a good job follow the secrets and the recipes cause boy these were fluffy and yummy!!!

Thanks Stacia for the recipe!

Since Valentines Day landed on a Monday night this year we thought it would be fun to deliver our cookies for FHE. It took a lot longer time then expected where it started to feel very inconvenient with dinner time coming and going, but we finished. Jon later reminded me that . . .

"IF IT'S ALWAYS CONVENIENT THEN YOU ARE NOT SERVING ENOUGH"

Jon said that to me one day years back probably when I was complaining about helping or serving someone. The moment he said that too me immediately my attitude towards that service changed. Service is not about me it's about the individual or group of people you are serving. You do it out of love and yes many times I thought about not having the missionaries come over cause my house was not  sparkling in every corner or I didn't feel like signing up to feed another family cause I just did it last week, or a service project was taking too long.  EVERY TIME NOW Jon has blessed me with words that I ALWAYS REMEMBER WHEN I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE and I immediately stop thinking of myself and my thoughts turn to the individual who is in need. It is then when I truly can feel the Love of the Savior and for that individual.

Here's are the Beautiful Flowers Jon bought me for Valentines Day! 

{A Fun Baby Shower Gift}

I attended a fun baby shower a while back and just wanted to add this to my blog. My sister Danell gave the idea to me years back and since then I have been giving them to all the new moms I met. Anyway just wanted to share!

{Alix's 7th Birthday}

Alix is seven!

I can't believe it has been 7 years since we first met at the hospital. The moment we met I knew she was special. She is such a happy little girl who is always trying her very best to make those around her happy too. She is great big sister he really takes care of her sisters and it always asking me how she can help me. She knows my belly is getting big with this baby and is always trying to pick things up for me off the floor so I don't have to bend over as much.  I love Alix and happy that she is in our family! I couldn't be more proud to be her mother.

Here is the hat her teacher Mrs. Patton gave her at school. She had to wear it all day. 

We loved it.

This year we decided to have no Birthday parties with friends that is except for our next door neighbors cause they are the best and help us eat all the food, cause I have a problem with always making too much food. But let's be honest what's a family of 5 supposed to do with a cake recipe that makes 24 cupcakes? We can't eat them all. 

Roller Blades!

One of the older neighbor girls have roller blades who Alix adores and once she saw her roller blades her kid 3-step roller skates just weren't cutting it anymore. So I made her wait till her birthday to get some. Since her birthday she has been wearing them inside like crazy cause I told her once she skates outside she no longer can skate inside.

"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"

This year for Alix's Birthday we saw the play, "Beauty and the Beast." It was a community play that cost $5.00 to attend per adult and kids 5 and under were free. It was a cute little play we all enjoyed. The cast did a really cute job too.

Happy Birthday Alix

{Some Yummy Goodness From England}

Jon's sister Kristen is serving a full-time mission for our church across seas in the lovely land of England. It has been really fun to see pictures of her there and her testimony grow tremendously strong. She is such an amazing girl and have always and more now to say I am proud to call her my sister.

We received a wonderful surprise package from her that we were so not expecting but very excited to receive it. It was the most delicious candy from England and YUMMM it was soooooo good! I think the girls were way too excited about it and I think ate all their candy that day. Me I had to savor it for ONLY A few days then it was gone. The Hot Chocolate was to die for. It was fun to have bubbles in your hot chocolates the whole time drinking it and it tasted so good.

Sorry we had to take pictures of of a few wrappers, well a lot of wrappers! Kristen gave each girl their own bag of candy and and Jon our own too. I think my favorite one is called BOOST-- very yummy.