The Toy Story Family

We're playful and we're kooky,
Amusing, but not so spooky,
We're altogether ooky,
The Toy Story Family.

Their house is Andy's bedroom.
Where he can come and play with 'em
You've really got to see-um.
The Toy Story Family.

Woody

Jessie

Buzz & Rex-y

Mr. & Mrs. Potatie

So get some of Buzz's wings on.
A horse named Bullseye you can crawl on.
We're gonna pay a call on
The Toy Story Family. 

 Happy Halloween!!!

Ready or Not...Here it Comes!

Halloween is almost here...ready or not, here it comes! It seems to always sneak up on me pretty quickly! I think that I am almost ready...
The candy is bought (hopefully it lasts until Monday).
Our decorations are up (except for the fake spider webs that I bought and haven't put up...and I probably won't because I will just have to take it right back down).
Our pumpkins are picked (except for the three green pumpkins in our garden that I am hoping will be orange by Thanksgiving):

 

And...our costumes are ready!!! You know my obsession with having a family theme, so here is a sneak peak of what I made for Eric and I so that we could fit in with the kids...thanks to Oopsey Daisy for the great idea! I can't wait to see how we will all look together...it will be TOYrific!

 1...2...3...4....5...6...7...more days...ready or not, cause here I (Halloween) come!

Congratulations to Cathy for winning the My Memories giveaway!!! 

Last Day for the Giveaway!

This is your last day to win My Memories scrapbooking software!!! There aren't many comments so the chances of winning are very high...get your comments in and YOU could be the winner of the #1 digital scrapbook software out there..click here to enter!

My Memories Digital Scrapbook GIVEAWAY

Whenever I walk into a scrapbooking store, I am so overwhelmed with all of the papers, accessories, gadgets, prices, and stickers that I just walk out. I don't have the time and money to shop for all that stuff and then to figure out a layout, print out my pictures, and make it into a cute keepsake....it's too much for me! I have just been downloading and organized my pictures on my computer...and that was good enough for me!...until:
I just tried a digital scrapbooking software called My Memories. It takes all the guess work out of scrapbooking. There are tons of layouts, themes, designs, and accessories to help you triumph over your pictures. And it's not just for scrapbooking...I am going to use mine to make Christmas cards and calendars for Christmas. Here is what I was playing around with today:

So, on this Tuesday's Triumph, I want you to triumph over your pictures as well. My Memories is giving away this digital scrapbooking software ($39.97 value) to one of you lucky readers...here's how to enter:

1st entry: Visit My Memories and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout and leave me a comment on which one you like.

2nd entry: Follow PB & Joy publicly or join using Google Friend Connect (top right corner) and leave me a comment.

3rd entry: Leave me a comment telling me why you want this software.

I will choose a winner on next weeks Tuesday's Triumph...Tuesday, October 25th.


You can also purchase My Memories here and as a special for all of my readers, here is a promotional code - STMMMS90076 that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store ($20 value!)

Good luck!

Beef Macaroni Bake

This is one of those recipes that I wanted to try because I had all of the ingredients and it sounded easy. I made it thinking "I hope my family will eat this...if not, oh well, not a big loss". Well, I made it and my family LOVED it. I was so surprised...they kept asking for seconds, then thirds, and even fourths. Needless to say, it was a HUGE hit!

Beef Macaroni Bake

(adapted from Worldwide Ward Cookbook, pg 73)

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups macaroni, cooked and drained (doesn't need to be exact)
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 1 can corn
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook beef and onion, drain any fat. Mix beef, macaroni, soup, and corn. Place in a 9x13 pan and cover with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until casserole is bubbly and cheese is nice and brown.

Enjoy...Travis sure did:

Peanut Butter Smudges and Dirty Fingernails

I came across this quote from Marjorie Pay Hinckley today and LOVED IT!:

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Now to me, that is really living!
How would you like a sticky kiss from this kid? Pucker up!

Home-made Wart Remover

STOP! Before you buy expensive over-the-counter wart remover; try it for months only to find out that it doesn't work; go to a dermatologist who "freezes it off" and tells you to come back after a month because it doesn't work (speaking from experience)....save yourself the time and money and try this!!!

I have had a pesky wart on the knuckle of my pointer finger. I tried everything I could think of to get rid of it, but it just kept coming back. My cousin (thanks Kisha!) told me that I should try a home-made remedy that worked for her. I tried it, and I have been wart free for a month with no signs of it growing back :)

Here's what to do...it sounds a little weird...but it works!

• Cut a fresh garlic clove into slices that will cover the wart (I cut one clove at a time which would last me about a week, then do it again)
• Put the garlic slices in a little container and cover them with a few drops of Vitamin E oil (in the beauty section of the grocery store)
• Keep garlic in the fridge
• Every night take one slice of garlic, cover your wart with it, and cover with a bandage to keep it in place.
• Before I put the garlic on, I would use a nail file to rub the wart and get rid of the tough skin.
• It took about 7-8 weeks for the wart to be completely gone...but that's how long it would take with the over-the-counter crap anyway...and this REALLY WORKS!

Before:

After:

Trust me, it really works. And this is perfect for right before Halloween (unless you are planning on being a wart-infested witch)...get rid of your warts and the garlic will keep those pesky vampires away as well :)

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was an amazing read! It takes place in the middle of Nazi Germany and is about the importance of words. Hitler used words to destroy and brainwash people. In the midst of the ugliness, a young girl learns the opposite power of words. Through books she befriends those who are overlooked and judged by others, including a Jew. She learns that words can calm people down in bomb shelters and amid personal grief. And she uses words to write her own story to give people hope that there is goodness in the middle of Nazi Germany.

I loved this book, I loved the unforgettable characters, I loved the message, I loved Zusak's style of writing. I loved reading from the perspective of a German and seeing the other side of Germany where people were kind to Jews and didn't support Hitler (risking their lives). I loved that Death is the narrator of the story. However, I did not like all of the swearing.

Here is a little taste of the book, this is part of a fairy tale written by the girl's Jewish friend:

"There was once a strange, small man. He decided three important details about his life:
1.He would part his hair from the opposite side of everyone else.
2.He would make himself a small, strange mustache.
3.He would one day rule the world.
The young man wondered around for quite some time, thinking, planning, and figuring out exactly how to make the world his. Then one day, out of nowhere, it struck him-the perfect plan. He'd seen a mother walking with her child. At one point, she admonished the small boy, until finally, he began to cry. Within a few minutes, she spoke very softly to him, after which he was soothed and even smiled.
The young man rushed to the woman and embraced her. "Words!' He grinned. "What?" But there was no reply. He was already gone.
Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. "I will never fire a gun," he devised. "I will not have to." Still, he was not rash. Let's allow him at least that much. He was not a stupid man at all. His first plan of attack was to plant the words in as many areas of his homeland as possible. 
He planted them day and night, and cultivated them.
He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen throughout Germany...It was a nation of farmed thoughts."
It goes on to tell how a young girl plants a seed of a different kind which changed the thoughts of some people in the forest of hatred.

This was a great book! If you love to read about WWII like I do, I highly suggest The Book Thief! Just have some tissues nearby.

Dumping Strike

Aaron is a dumper...you know the type. He takes his clothes off and leaves them on his floor. He gets home from school and dumps his backpack on the floor. He is constantly loosing things because he can't remember where he dumped them. I am SICK of it! Eric and I are so tired of reminding him to put his clothes in the hamper every night. So for the last two weeks we have gone on strike. We no longer remind him, and here is what has happened:

His room is a disaster. His floor is covered with dirty clothes, blankets, and who knows what else. He is running out of clothes to wear. The other day he came upstairs in a shirt that had been crumpled on his floor for a week. I made him change, hoping that he would get the idea that "oh, maybe I should put my clothes in the hamper so that I can have something to wear tomorrow"...nope. I found the shirt laying on his floor. I don't know how long this can last. This morning he came upstairs wearing floods and a sweatshirt. He looks ridiculous, especially on a hot day in the 80's. Is my dumper ever going to realize that dumping doesn't pay; that his clothes won't magically get up and walk to the hamper; and that he is running out of options of what to wear?

So if you happen to see an 8 year old boy wearing pants that are 2 sizes too small, an old sweatshirt, and shoes with no socks, please don't call family services. Just realize that he is a dumper; that his mom still loves him.....but she is just on a dumping strike.