The Best Ever

I thought I would start off the week with my all time favorite "Fruit Salad" recipe. I laugh when I say fruit salad, because this is like dessert.

The next time you have people over, or have to bring a "salad" promise me you will try this!

Fruit & Cookie Salad

2 small packages instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups buttermilk
16 oz. coolwhip
3 cans Mandarin oranges (chilled)
2 regular cans pineapple tidbits (chilled)
1 pkg Fudge Stripe cookies crushed in your hands (this is the key ingredient)
Strawberries (optional)

In a bowl, mix buttermilk and pudding together. Add Coolwhip, fruit, and crushed cookies. Garnish with Strawberries. I put this in a trifle dish and put a layer of strawberries in the middle and on top - very yummy looking. Also, I drain the fruit before I add it, but I leave a little in the can.

Mad Science Fun!

Today Nathan is having a "Mad Scientist" birthday party. So I am off to make a volcano cake and practice my "scientific"experiments. I will borrow Sammi's camera so I can blog the pictures on Monday!

Have a great weekend!!

Wacky Hair Day

Yesterday my kids had "wacky hair day" at school. My two oldest, being on student counsel, get really into it and go crazy. Sammi pinned Barbie clothes all over her head with a sign that said "Barbie was here". Allison had a major Fro going on and we sprayed her hair all different colors.

Nathan, my 6 year old today (happy birthday), doesn't have much to work with so he said he just wanted orange hair and that was good.

So we hosed his head down with a nice fluorescent orange. His little friend across the street came over to walk with Nathan to the bus stop. He saw Nathan's hair and wanted his head sprayed just the same.

After a phone call to his mom, we hosed his head down too. They were so happy as they walked to the bus.

Funny thing is, last night when we washed his hair, we discovered that orange didn't want to come out. YIKES! Yes he has a pumpkin head this morning. And even better - so does his friend across the street.

So, if you are planning on orange hair this Halloween, and want the color to stick around, I highly recommend the product in the picture! It colors great - and then some. Hee Hee!

This is how I feel right now. We had a fun birthday dinner at a restaurant with friends for Jeff's birthday. And yes, I did -that is LEAVE MY CAMERA ON THE TABLE!!!!!!

Unfortunately the waitress or bus boy or whoever, is not honest because it is not in the lost and found.

I hope they enjoy my camera while the batteries last because funny thing - I have the charger. And - oh yeah - I hope they get some good pictures developed - but oh, funny thing, I have all the cords for that too!

So whoever you are - enjoy my camera!! In the meantime, I am dying because I can't take pictures of anything. Bear with me until I purchase a new camera. Dang it!

Book of the Week

One of my favorite books of all time is A Tale of Two Cities. I don't know why I picked it up - maybe it was because I kept hearing it quoted in conference.

It is a beautiful story of true sacrifice. I remember being so touched by this book. The very end is the pay off, so if you read it, stick it out.
You can get it here for $ .75.

Oh So Good!

I finally made this cake recipe my cousin Alice blogged about. It was Oh So Good!
I thought I would pass it on.

Applesauce Spice Cake

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. butter, soft
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and applesauce. Stir in dry ingredients. Bake in greased 9 x 13" cake pan for about 45 minutes. (I've never done so, but I'm sure you could bake this in 2 rounds, though you would need to adjust the baking time.) Frost with "Grandma Frosting." (see recipe below)

Grandma Frosting
2 c. powdered sugar
6 T. butter, soft
1 (scant) T. flour
1 egg white
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Beat until fluffy. Adjust milk and sugar to reach the desired consistently. (It shouldn't be too stiff.)

I Found It!

Every Christmas, Jeff and I always give our kids some sort of non-practical fun gift. (At least we try to.)
Years back when we first started this tradition, we gave our kids a Jump-o-lene. It was great fun! We set it up right in the middle of the family room and left it there until they popped it weeks later! It was totally in the way, but nothing was more fun than watching them dive bomb, superman style, every time they came in the family room! Another Christmas we gave them a Yerf Dog Go-cart! We still have so much fun zipping around the desert on this thing. The best part is the seat slides up so the kids can drive it!
So much fun!
Now that the kids are getting a bit older, last year we bought a little motorcycle to join the Yerf Dog zipping around the desert.
But our toys are starting to get more and more expensive as we go.

So I was so thrilled when I found these fun carpet skates!! It's a totally fun, non-practical, silly gift that I know my kids will love. Especially since we have a front room full of carpet and no furniture!

These are inexpensive and look like so much fun!

I might have to get me a pair.
Vacuuming could be a whole new experience!
Christmas is still months away, but I am so excited to have found the "fun" gift!