New Project Idea...

So I was surfing some of the blogs I follow this morning and came across this link to Studio 5's website.  (this is a local NBC program out here in Utah)  They featured a sand/water table that you can make for your kids.

For those of you who've never seen a sand and water table, here are a few pics.

Both of these tables go for about $60 each.  Since I'd rather not spend an arm and a leg for a water table, this should be a great alternative.  I'm hoping to employ Kevin's or Andy's expertise and assistance since both of them would have the necessary knowledge and tools to cut the pvc, etc.  I think my kids would have a blast with this when it warms up outside!

Check it out:

Sand and Water Table Tutorial

Can't you see your little ones splashing around and playing in the sand at this table?

Another Chunko Bit By The "Bug"

Today was Andy's turn to go skiing with Kevin - lucky Kevin has gone two weekends in a row!  All of us are trying to prep for skiing company next week.  I got an email from Andy around lunchtime and all it said was "This is so much fun!" When he called to let me know that he and Kev were going for food and drinks at the Porcupine on the way home, he couldn't stop talking about how much fun skiing was!  I'm so glad that he got bit by the bug too!  I'm hoping now it won't be too difficult to try to get him interested in going ski & boot shopping at the end of the season!

Now as long as he remembers to bring home our Shamrock Shakes, everyone will have had a great day!  ;)

Sticky Sweet...

So Riley and I weren't the only ones who enjoyed this morning's treat of warm, sweet, sticky cinnamon rolls...

It was love at first bite!

Pure sugar heaven!

She couldn't shovel it in fast enough.  A few times I thought she was going to choke because she was pushing such big pieces into her mouth!

Look how much she's downed in just a few minutes!  Wow!  I guess I'll be making these again!  Too bad Andy missed out - hopefully there will be a few left for him when he gets home from skiing later today!

Another Yummy Recipe to Share

I made this last night for the fam and Andy has requested that I make it again (and soon).  This is from my dear friend Erin in Jax.  Erin and her husband Dave have a beautiful little red headed girl who was one of K's favorite girlfriends.  The girls would play together at MOPS, Toddler Gym, Sundays at church as well as the play dates Erin and I would schedule.  Erin is one of those friends who knows what needs to be done and takes care of it.  She never needs to be asked, she just acts.  She's also a great prayer buddy.  Numerous times during our transition to Utah, she would email a prayer to help me through.  That is the type of friend who's address gets written in INK in your address book!  Miss you Erin!

Here's her recipe for Hamburger Casserole:

1/12 lb. Ground beef

1 c. chopped onion

Salt & pepper

¼ t. garlic salt

¼ c. Worcestershire sauce

8 oz. elbow macaroni

2 cans Tomato soup

1 c. Grated Cheddar Cheese

½ can water (soup can)

~~Cook macaroni according to box directions. Brown beef and onion. Add salt, pepper and garlic salt. Drain meat. Add soup and noodles and ½ c. cheddar, water and Worcestershire sauce. Top with remaining ½ c. cheese.

Bake 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Warms My Heart

This is how I found my children this morning as I was headed up the stairs to go get myself dressed.  They were both sitting in their chairs in the "reading center" (which is what Riley has named it) reading books together.  This is exactly how I imagined this corner in the playroom.  It is so wonderful to see your children playing nicely together and truly enjoying each other's company.  I had to snap this shot from the stairs so neither would see me and be disrupted from what they were doing.  Maybe today will be better than I originally thought?

An Early Birthday Present

As many of you know, my grandpa passed away this fall.  It was a little difficult because he was my last living grandparent and it happened while I was here in Utah and couldn't get back for the funeral.  My mom is an only child so this was tough on her.  Over Christmas vacation, we spent some time there with my parents and were able to go through the remaining items of my grandparents.  I had picked out a few kitchen items, platters, cookbooks, etc. of my grandma's as well as the doll bed, high chair and chiffarobe that were my mom's and then mine as a kid.  (These are going to be K's birthday & Christmas presents.  I'm not sure I want to know how much the shipping will cost considering the bed and chiffarobe are both large and made of wood!)

I had originally asked my mom for my grandma's china, but my mom decided that she wanted to have it.  Thankfully we came across my great grandma's china packed up in a box!  My mom and dad decided to ship me my great grandma's china for my birthday present (a little early since I don't turn 29 until March 13th!)  They are beautiful and look fantastic in the corner cupboard in our dining room.  We are missing a few pieces - some must have been broken over the years and two did not survive the trip west, but I found a company online that makes replacement pieces for 1,000's of china patterns.  Andy said that he is willing to replace some of the broke pieces for me for my birthday.  What a sweetie.  He knows how important these dishes are to me and how much I love them.

I have decided that we are going to actually USE the dishes.  They aren't going to sit in my cupboard and never get touched.  I can't wait to have our first meal in our dining room and be able to eat off of these dishes!

The stemware on the top shelf is also my grandma's.  That was one thing my grandpa gave to me before I moved from Pa to Fl.  Doesn't it look pretty in there?  BTW - Andy and I ate off of them on Valentine's day!  We put the kids to bed early and then had a nice romantic candlelight dinner using my "new" china!

Thanks Mom and Dad! - I guess this means we'll have to have a meal in the dining room using my present when you get here next week!

My Little Valentine

This was Kendall on our way home from church today...our sleepy little valentine.  Poor girl was so tired.  We worked hard to keep her awake during the short ride home!

A Great "Powder" Day!

Skiing is the only sport where you spend an arm and a leg to break an arm and a leg.  ~Author Unknown

Well, yesterday I went skiing for the first time in about 10 years!  I haven't gone skiing since we moved from Albany.  While we lived there we went skiing fairly often, but once we moved back to Pa, skiing didn't have the same draw - who wants to ski the Poconos or Round Top after being in Vermont and NY?  Obviously not us.  

When we first moved out west, the first question everyone asked was "Do you ski?"  Seriously?  Is there NOTHING else to do out here?  Well, we've already answered the question.  There is a ton to do out here, but skiing was the one thing I was nervous about trying.  I wasn't sure it would be as easy as riding a bike.  

Kevin and I decided to go on a "friend date" to Brighton yesterday.  He is such a patient teacher and didn't mind my slow start to the day.  As the day wore on, my confidence grew and by the end, I was close to keeping up with him (well, closer than earlier in the day!)

We weren't sure what to expect out of the weather or from the crowds.  If you ask Kevin, he'll tell you it was way too crowded for his taste.  If you ask me, it was perfect (especially for a holiday weekend).  I'm so use to the overcrowded slopes of the northeast.  It snowed on us all day and a few times we thought the sun would peep out and break up the clouds, but no such luck.  The wind started blowing harder as the afternoon wore on, but not enough to stop us!  The worst of it was at the top of our favorite lift (aka "the wind tunnel"), but neither of us got cold so all was good.

We found one section that we both enjoyed so much that we spent most of our day there.  I was getting a little cocky by the end of the afternoon and told Kevin that karma would come back and bite me before the day was over - and sure enough it did. As I headed into the trees to try a new trail, I went in a little too fast and bit the dust!  Kevin's first reaction was to ask if I was alright, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't answer right away!  I waited until the last run of the day to wipe out!  Oh well, I was hoping to make it through the entire day without a crash, but then, that wouldn't have been my style!

What a different experience skiing out here!  NO ICE!  Wow!  I don't think I'll ever want to ski back east now!  My dad said that if you can ski in the northeast, you can ski ANYWHERE.  I guess it's good that I learned to ski in those conditions to appreciate real powder.  The skis I had were so much better than my old ones of years past...Makes it so much easier to turn!  I think I left all of my ski stuff in the attic of our house in Pa...Can't find my boots, poles or skis (not that I'd want my old skis, but then I'd just have to buy new skis instead of renting stuff all the time!)  Oh well.  

We had a great time and I can't wait to go again!

Lovin' Lunch

I was busy running errands this morning - and still didn't get everything accomplished, but I'm better off than I was before, so when I picked up Riley from school and still had a few things to do.  During our travels, I asked Riley what he wanted for lunch.  He stated that he would like to have pizza.  Now normally I have all the necessary ingredients on hand - it's a staple in our house & I usually grill the pizzas.  But today, pizza required a trip to the store.  I decided to make pizza in honor of Valentine's Day.  I got a Pillsbury pizza crust and put it in our heart shaped cookie pan...

Not the best tasting crust in the world, but my kids "LOVED" it!  

Riley's Valentines

I found this idea on skiptomylou's blog.  She offered a free download and I took advantage of it for Riley's classmates' Valentines.  Here's what they turned out like:

I made a bouquet of flowers for his teacher.  It uses the same idea with the lollipops and I plan to put them into a clay pot with flower foam.  

I've been on a crafting spree this week...More pics to come!

It's Time To Salsa!

Well, as my SIL can attest, I did actually try salsa dancing with her - took a lesson and even went to a salsa club in Philly, but I'd much rather swing dance than salsa dance and since Andy is terrible at both, I gave up.  But this kind of salsa ANYONE can do, yes, even YOU, Jenn!

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman's blog and oh my word, it's delicious!  I made it for our superbowl party this past Sunday and it's pretty much the only thing I ate all day!  (and yes, I paid for that on Monday).  Everyone at the party wanted the recipe because they enjoyed it as much as I did.  I don't think I can ever go back to salsa from a jar.

Here's her recipe:

Ingredients

       1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

       2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green  

             Chilies)

       ¼ cups Chopped Onion

       1 clove Garlic, Minced

       1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin

       ¼ teaspoons Sugar

       ¼ teaspoons Salt

       ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin

       ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)

       ½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.  Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

American Idol Influence

"Pants on the ground!  

Pants on the ground!  

Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground!"

Poor baby.  Almost all of her pants and especially skirts fit her this way...She's too tall and skinny for most brands.  That's why you will often see her in a dress or leggings!  My mom put some elastic in a few of her pants over Christmas, maybe I'll have to break out the sewing machine and do that in the rest of her stuff!

Finally, Pictures of Our New Crib!

Okay, after many of you have nagged, bugged, pleaded and begged...here they are, well, at least a view of some of the rooms in our new digs.  

This is our formal living room as seen from the landing on the stairs.  I love our huge mantel, but a little lost on how to decorate it.  The picture above it is great, but I think we may need to put it in a new frame with a bigger, bolder frame.  This room is more colonial in style.  Any thoughts or recommendations?

This is our formal dining room - yes, it's missing our beautiful dining room table that my Uncle Bob made for us.  It's out getting the top refinished because the movers scratched it.  Just don't tell Uncle Bob!

This is the entry way.  We have this big niche in the stairway that I have NO clue what to do with.  My friend Joi suggested some vases and a large framed picture.  I need to do some shopping for this one.  Any suggestions of what to do or where to even look for items to fill this void?

This is how you are greeted as you ascend the stairs.  The door to the right is my craft room, I mean guest room.  It's a complete and udder mess so there will be no viewing of this room until I get it unpacked and set up.  The bed frame is still in pieces, but I do know where my cricut is located!  ;)  Don't worry Mom and Dad, we'll have it organized before your arrival in two weeks!

This is our family room.  The mantel here is pretty bare too.  I think a trip to Pai Tan Trading may be in our near future to find some things to adorn this spot.  I couldn't take a better shot of this room because the space in front of the sofa was filled with the kids fort!  They love all the space in this room.  Our sofa table is keeping the dining room table company so eventually that will be on the near side of this sofa.

Here is one of our few eye sores...In our house in Jax, we had a desk in our kitchen so my computer had a home of it's own there.  Not the case in the new house.  I've found a computer table that I'd like to get for this space and FINALLY have gotten Andy to agree to it!  It may take up to 4 weeks to get once I order it, but at least we're moving in the right direction.  Thanks Dad, I think setting up the temp. table helped move this along!

This is our little man's room.  The plan is to paint the walls a light blue from his comforter and then cut vinyl with my cricut to spell out the names of railroads that Riley likes.  G&W, Conrail, CSX, BNSF, UP, Rail Link and Utah Railway have all made the list.  We have a bunch of framed rail road pics from Andy's old office we may use on the walls or we may just hang the street signs that we had in his room in Jax.  

The Princess' room.  She was a beach baby in Jax, so until we move her out of her crib and get her new bedding and furniture, we're going to stay with that theme.  She's maintaining the tan walls for now until we know what we're doing next, although a nice shade of pink would help everything pop off the walls, this is just easier.

We still have to hang her name letters over the crib area.  The awesome bedskirt I had made for her crib out of grass skirts didn't make it in the move.  It was a destroyed mess so we're going Plain Jane for now, but it works.

Hope you enjoyed your tour of Chez Chunko!  Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations on decorating, please feel free to share!  I don't pretend to know how to do this right, but am too cheap to pay for a decorator!  We move around too much for that!

K and her BFF

This is how I found Kendall and our dog Penton this afternoon - all snuggled up under the kitchen table.  Penton loves to lay in the afternoon sun under the table or near the back door and Kendall just can't resist her.  Thank goodness Penton is tolerant of Sissy because she doesn't let the poor dog rest.  Penton is our German Shepherd/Australian Cattle dog pound puppy who is over 10 years old.  I was afraid she'd be getting to the point where she'd want some peace from the kids (and most days I think that's what she'd like), but Penton seems to enjoy the attention.

Two of My Favorite Appetizers

At happy hour last night, one of my friends ask that I share the recipe of the corn dip that I had taken.  It's from one of our dear friends who we met while living in Jax.  The Meeks are some of the sweetest people in the world.  Matt is in the Navy, currently on deployment while Lori is home working and taking care of their three beautiful children.  We are selfishly hoping that their new orders will send them Cali so we can have a better chance of seeing them again, but we'll see what the Navy decides for them.

This is Lori's Corn Dip recipe...It's so simple, easy and delicious...just not very healthy.

1 large bag of frozen shoepeg corn

2 blocks of cream cheese - I choose to use the neufchatel because it's a tad healthier

1 stick of butter

1-2 tsp. cumin

1/2 jar of jalapeno juice plus 1/2 jar of chopped jalapenos

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a medium sized baking dish - I split mine into two dishes so I had one to take and could leave one home for Andy.  Allow corn to thaw or defrost in microwave.  Combine cream cheese and butter and cook for 30 sec. in microwave or until soft.  Mix well (I use my hand mixer) and then add cumin, jalapenos and juice.  Mix with corn and pour into baking dish.  Bake until bubbly on the outside edges and hot in the middle - unfortunately I can't remember how long this took and Lori's directions do not say.  You can also microwave this recipe.  Make sure not to over cook or the dip will not be creamy.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Another good appetizer that I enjoy taking to parties is one from my dear cousin Jon's wife.  Laura brought this to our house for a New Year's Eve party back when we lived in the 'Ville and she was kind enough to share it with me.  There is a similar one in the Taste of Home cookbook, but I like hers so much that I've never tried any others.  She calls it Texas Cavier.

6 roma tomatoes, chopped fine

1 green pepper, chopped fine

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped fine

1 can shoepeg corn

1 can black eyed peas

small can chopped black olives

8 oz. conatiner feta cheese, crumbled

1 bunch green onions, chopped fine

garlic salt (sprinkled once, lightly, over all ingredients)

8 oz. Italian dressing

Mix together and enjoy with Frito's Scoops.  

This is so delicious and has lots of veggies and color!

I love sharing recipes with friends and family.  That way when I make the dish, it helps me to stay connected with them.  With our lifestyle or should I say, Andy's job, we move around so much that it can become rather difficult to develop strong, lasting friendships.  As soon as you are starting to develop a relationship to that point, we up and move.  I am so thankful for all the friends I've made along this journey.  Some will remain close to my heart and others were great company for that chapter of our lives.  It does make sending out Christmas cards more expensive and overwhelming, but we are thankful for everyone we've met and the impact they've had on our lives.

If any of you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share with me, please feel free to email it to me.  Click here  to send me a recipe.  I love trying new things!  I'm planning on creating a family and friends recipe book (and idea I got from MOPS this year) and that way I can look through it and get some yummy ideas as well as take a walk down memory lane.

Enjoy!