Veggie Derby

Kaylee and Eric went to a Daddy-Daughter activity that sounded so fun...a veggie derby. Like the pine-wood derby that the Scouts do only they made the cars out of veggies. They made the body of the car out of a squash, tires out of potatoes, and all kinds of veggie accessories. Then Kaylee raced her car down a long table slanted upwards against some of her friends. What a cute idea!

Check out some of the other cars...I love the Flintstone looking one:

The only problem...Kaylee loves to save EVERYTHING. Her car is on top of her bookshelf "hidden" from me so that I won't throw it away. The tires are now shriveled and black and the "man" on top is decomposing. 

Spooky Sam

I have an amazing Grandma...one who loves to create fun family traditions. One of those is a yearly Halloween party that she started for her grandkids when I was 3 and continues today with my kids. She goes ALL OUT with a spooky dinner, treasure hunt, fish pond, cake walk, and "Spooky Sam". Spooky Sam is a poem that she reads to us about Spooky Sam's body parts. While she reads, we close our eyes and hold out our hands to feel and even taste (if you are brave enough) the different parts correlating with the story. For the next Wednesday's Words, I want to share some of my favorite versions of Grandma's Spooky Sam.

Spooky Sam:

• Spooky Sam is our Halloween ghost, and today his body will be our host. Here comes pieces of his teeth. (candy corn)
• You don't suppose this was Sam's nose? (piece of string cheese)
• Please don't linger, here comes his finger. (carrot stick or whole green bean)
• Better beware, this was Sam's hair. (shredded coconut)
• I know this sounds a little grim, but this was once inside of him. (a small square of Jello)
• Hold on to your hat, here's a great big gob of his fat. (small ball of butter)
• And here it appears, are what's left of his ears. (piece of green pepper)
• He was really thin, but here's part of his skin. (thin, sliced deli meat)
• There were lots of songs that he once sung. Of course, he can't do it now, cause here's his tongue. (piece of thick sliced bologna)
• Tonight if you hear a long, low moan, it's poor old Sam looking for his bone. (marshmallow circus peanut)
• Or, you might just hear a scream of pain, cause Sam might come lookin' for his veins. (licorice lace)
• You'd think Sam would come out of the rain, but he can't think, cause here's his brain. (scrambled eggs)
• Now, don't be naughty and say this is his bummy, cause its really only a piece of his tummy. (marshmallow)
• Now don't be shy, in this dish you will feel his eyes. (bottles cherries)
• Now there's absolutely no ifs, ands, or buts. In this box has got to be part of his guts. (cooked spaghetti drizzled with oil)
• And this is the really scary part...in this box is Sam's very own heart! (a latex glove with the two middle fingers tied down. Poor Jello into the glove and tie shut. Put in the fridge to set up then pass around to feel)
• Sam's nose was so runny, he blew a big dish of buggers. Now isn't that funny? (egg whites)
• His blood was all clotted and full of cholesterol. No wonder his veins just wouldn't work at all. (unbeaten eggs floating in a dish with squares of Jello floating around)
• The last thing Sam did was barf in his sleep. See if you can tell what he just had to eat. (insides of a pumpkin, egg shells, and small pieces of canned fruit)

My Grandma wrote, "The more sane parts of this little story came from a little book called Parties Kids Will Love that I obtained from Current, Inc. The grosser and yucky parts, I hate to say, came from what's left of my brain."

This is SO FUN and GROSS at the same time. Thanks for the great tradition Grandma!!

GOOOOOAL!!!

Kaylee has just finished soccer for the fall and she made her goal. No, she never made an actual goal...but more importantly she accomplished what she had set out to do when she started soccer. She had fun. She ran fast. She learned new skills and positions. She was a GREAT defender and kept other people from making goals. And she was a great team player. Way to go Kaylee!

Nathan, Clean Your Room!

The other day I asked Nathan to clean his room and this is what he interpreted as clean:

He had cleaned out his bookcase, toy box, closet shelves...every shelf and storage bin was empty and "clean". I guess next time I need to be more specific. On the bright side...he obeyed.

Fear Not; I Will Help Thee

This year I have made a goal to read the Old Testament by following along with the Sunday School Study Guide. I have really learned a lot. The last few weeks I have been reading in Isaiah...which honestly I was dreading because it can be so hard to understand. But I have read some GREAT scriptures from Isaiah:

Isaiah 41:10 - "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Isaiah 41:13 - "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

There have been many times in my life when I have felt strengthened when I was afraid, held when I needed comfort, and helped when I had no where else to turn. I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are there for us, waiting to reach out and strengthen, comfort, and help us...all we have to do is ask.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Here is a cute little Halloween story that Aaron wrote and illustrated last year (1st grade):

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

By Aaron

There once lived an old lady who was not afraid of anything. She was very brave.

One day she was walking in the woods to get some berries.

But all of a sudden a pair of pants popped right in front of her.

It said "zip, zip." But she just walked past it.

But the noise she could hear behind her was "zip, zip".

But she still walked past it.

But then a shirt came and it said, "pop, pop".

But she just walked past it too.

She did not like this. So she just kept on walking.

But then a pair of shoes popped in front of her.

They said "snap, snap."

But then she noticed that they just wanted a job.

So she gave them a job.

The job was to scare away the crows.

Layered Mint Chocolate Brownies

As promised, here is the recipe for the mint brownies that we made to pass along to our neighbors. I was looking back on previous Friday's posts and realized that I have done lots of desserts so I promise that this will be the last goody for a while...this recipe is just too good not to share. These are SO GOOD!

Layered Mint Chocolate Brownies
--Worldwide Ward Cookbook, Susan Moser
Brownie:

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Mix butter, cocoa, and sugar; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in flour. Spread into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Mint Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1-3 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp mint extract
• green food coloring

Mix butter and powdered sugar. Add only enough milk to make a smooth consistency. Add mint extract and enough food coloring for a light green color. Frosting will be thick. Spread over browned layer. Refrigerate until firm.

Chocolate Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter

Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave for 1 minute. Stir and put back in for 30 second increments, stirring each time until melted and combined. Pour over frosted brownies, covering completely. Refrigerate until topping is set and hardened. Let brownies sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 24 small squares with sharp knife.

Enjoy!!