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Our school is looking to raise funds for the Art Program!
If are so inclined, please click the link to check out our project.
All donations are tax-deductible and any amount is welcome!

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

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Easter Dinner with the Lopez & Ramos Families

Last year we hosted Easter Dinner in our rental home while we were waiting for this home to be built. At that time, my grandpa was dying, and though we knew the end was near, we gathered to celebrate this special day, Easter, and the resurrection of the Savior.

It was a great opportunity then, for the family to draw close together...

and it remains a great opportunity today as well.

My grandpa has since passed away, but his legacy lives on in his family.

This is just a handful of the grand kids and great-grand kids.
Each and every one, even the older ones who are trying to play it cool, are anxious for the egg hunt to start.

Happy Easter!

Dora for All!

Owen loves Dora.
If he sees her, he goes bananas and won't stop yelling her name. It's really embarassing at the store.

But when I cleaned out Iris' P.J. drawer, and found that her Dora P.J.'s were just too small, guess who was ready to step in-literally!

Dad's appalled.
Mom says at least their blue!

But no one can deny the smile on our son's face.
Priceless.

Sacramento Temple Photo Shoot

Is there a more a more beautiful spot to take pictures than on the grounds of the temple?

No matter the season, the temple is always a little piece of heaven on earth.

If you've never been but would like to go, let us know and we'd be happy to take you!

The Night before Easter

Our kids love to carefully lay out the Easter baskets the night before the Easter Bunny comes. Apparently, like Santa, the Bunny prefers close proximity to the fireplace.


In addition, someone always voices the hopeful wish that he will leave a trail of candy from their rooms to the their baskets.

He always does!

This candy trail is always greeted with loud squeals from the oldest children, who eagerly leap over the trail, anxious to find their baskets brimming with treats. While they are content to peruse their baskets, the youngest child, this year it's Owen, always meanders slowly along the trail, careful to pick-up each piece of candy so as to digest every single one.

Mom's absolute favorite:

Yellow Peeps

Dad's most disgusting:

Yellow Peeps

Guess who else loves them too?


Dad is always "present" at the festivities.
Alert? No.
But present, yes.

Easter Prep!

The kids love to decorate Easter eggs, and we always scrounge up the white crayons to make designs on the eggs before we dip them! This year we only broke three eggs, which considering we have four kids, is a minor miracle!

Not Good!

Owen learned how to climb up the bunk bed ladder.

Good?

No!
This is very, very bad!

Unfortunately, he is also very, very pleased with himself.

Sigh.

Workin' up a Sweat!

Yup, it's already that time of year!

I know it's not very environmentally-friendly to say, but I love hearing the lawn mower engines roaring to life outside. To me it means...

Good weather...
People outside...
Working hard...
Making homes tidy...
Spring!

Roseville Library Art Show!

If you haven't heard, the Downtown Roseville Library is playing host to our elementary school's Art Docent Art Show. All pieces will hang through the month of April. Please come check it out and support your city libraries!

Downtown Roseville Library Art Show
Month of April
225 Taylor Street
Roseville CA 95678

And no, when you visit the show, the art is not just laying on the floor as seen above! These photos are taken at my home when I was working out how to best mat them!

O' the Luck o' the Irish!

Yes, this is reflective of the life of a busy mom blogging:

St. Patrick's Day Photos in April!

Don't bother looking for the Easter photos until at least May!

Where a Kid can be a Kid!

Is that the tag line for Chuckie Cheese?

Either way, Chuckie Cheese is where we went for a school fundraiser. The kids had a blast, I had nightmarish flashbacks of when I worked at Discovery Zone (does anyone remember that place?), and Sam and I both realized that no matter how little tokens you give your kids-
THEY LAST FOREVER!

My Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've had a few requests for my chocolate chip cookie recipe,
but I feel guilty because I can't really claim it as my own.
I basically stole the Nestle' Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
and tweaked it to my liking!

Enjoy!

Olivia's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Give or take 4-dozen large cookies or
6-7 dozen small cookies

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. (2-sticks) un-salted butter, softened

1 c. (1-stick) Crisco Butter-flavored Shortening

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs

6 c. Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels (or more!)
2 1/2 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Using a medium bowl & a whisk:

Combine the flour, baking soda, & salt and set aside.

Stop:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Using a mixer and the paddle attachment (medium speed):

Cream the butter and shortening.

Add the granulated sugar, combine

Add the brown sugar, combine.

Add the vanilla and eggs, combine.

Scrape the bowl as needed.

At low speed:

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until incorporated.

Finally add the morsels & nuts.

Scoop golf-ball size mounds of cookie dough onto a large un-greased cookie sheet. Place cookie mounds 2-inches apart (I usually bake six cookies to one large baking sheet).

Bake one cookie sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Do not over bake! This is the secret for moist, chewy cookies. Remember, all ovens times vary, but look for cookies with only the slightest browning on top. They will not look done, but they are. Keep in mind that once out of the oven, they will continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet.

Let cookies rest for 3-minutes on the cookie sheet, allowing them to set. Then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack for 7-minutes. Handle the cookies gently, they will still be very soft.

Once firm, you can stack the cookies in an air-tight container and they will keep for 5-7 days-I think.

The reason I'm not sure is because they don't last that long at our house!

Notes:

If you're trying to keep things on the lighter side,
try my Chocolate Chip Cookies...Lightened Up!

You can cut this recipe in half, but I find that the cookies are not quite the same!

Also, if you prefer smaller cookies, just adjust the baking time to 5-6 minutes and keep a close eye on them.

A Legacy of Love

Our Homes Should Exemplify a Legacy of Love

“Do we exemplify [a] legacy of love?

Do our homes?

Bernadine Healy, in a commencement address, gave this counsel:

‘As a physician, who has been deeply privileged to share the most profound moments of people’s lives including their final moments, let me tell you a secret. People facing death don’t think about what degrees they have earned, what positions they have held, or how much wealth they have accumulated. At the end, what really matters is who you loved and who loved you. That circle of love is everything, and is a great measure of a past life. It is the gift of greatest worth’
(“On Light and Worth: Lessons from Medicine,” Commencement address, Vassar College, 29 May 1994, 10, Special Collections).”

Thomas S. Monson,
“Dedication Day,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 65

Easter Traditions: Sugar Cookies

Everyone knows I love making chocolate chip cookies. But the kids can't resist this holiday tradition, and so we lug out the sprinkles and frosting and go to town!

Our Own Fairytale

On a recent Sunday at Grandma Clista's House, Uncle Houston and Aunt Elizabeth worked to create a magical photo shoot with the grand babies. The kids were excited to be apart of this special homework assignment for his photography class, and the results were...enchanting!

Happy 80th!

We recently celebrated my Grandma Lopez' 80th Birthday with a BBQ and potluck feast! She is an avid gardener, walker, and reader, and she is about the best grandma you could ever ask for!

We love you Grandma!

Who loves General Conference?

We do!

It's only been recently that our family took the plunge and subscribed to cable. Prior to that, we listened to conference on-line, and before that, we'd just take the kids to the church and watch it there. Now, we are so grateful to be able to watch all the sessions of conference from the comfort of our home.

A favorite tradition is special Saturday and Sunday breakfasts, with simple picnic lunches for the break, giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs and enjoy the good weather outside.

When it was time for the afternoon session, Owen became a little testy at one point with his stuffed bear, who didn't seem to be behaving reverently at all, leaving Owen no choice but to put him on timeout!

Conference Highlights:

I really enjoyed the talk, "Come Unto Him", by our newly ordained apostle, Elder Neil L. Andersen. My favorite quote from this talk is:
"I know that I am not what I must become."
For me, this isn't a statement of discouragement, but one of inspiration.
I do know what I must become.
I know I'm not there yet.
I will never get there in this lifetime.
But I must always keep trying.

From the Priesthood session, Samuel could not stop talking about, "Man Down!", by President Henry B. Eyring.
"I testify that you were called of God and you are sent to serve His children. He wants that no one be left behind...God will give you inspiration and strength to meet your charge to help His children find their way to the happiness made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

We love hearing the words of the prophet, the apostles, and other leaders of the church. We know their messages to the world were inspired by God, and that the counsel they provide is what the Lord would share with us if he were on the earth today. How grateful I am to know that the heavens are not closed, and that we in the latter-days are blessed to have the true church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
on the earth today.

Neighborly Fun

One recent Saturday we were invited to our neighbors house for their son Otto's 2nd Birthday Party. We had a blast, loving the opportunity to get to know this family better, and the kids had fun with all the musical entertainment.

Cleavage Patrol

I love the Food Network!

And one of of my favorite shows, or I should say, used to be one of my favorite shows, was "Everday Italian" with Giada De Laurentiis. Unfortunately, Giada likes to wear low-cut blouses, and this does not go unnoticed by my Ava (a.k.a. Cleavage Patrol), who checks to make sure that Giada is modest, otherwise we change the channel.

It's been several months now, and we've given up watching that show (the Barefoot Contessa is our new favorite!). But I continue to be grateful for my sweet daughter who knows that our bodies are special and sacred.

Recently, she came out of her room with her favorite soccer shirt in tow, announcing that she was giving it to her little sister Iris because it was too small. I knew how difficult this was for her, because this shirt is so near and dear to her heart. She became attached to it as a baby, and insisted on wearing it even though it was huge.

She said, "Mom, it's just not modest anymore. You can see my belly."

Out of the mouths of babes.

The Art Docent Program

When Samuel and I enrolled the girls in our local elementary school, we learned about The Art Docent Program. It's a fantastic opportunity for parents to volunteer in the classroom by bringing the art museum to the kids, via monthly classroom presentations. We lead the kids in a discussion on various types of artwork (impressionism, cubism, etc.-), and study large reproductions of famous works of art. Afterwards, we lead the kids in a unique hands-on art lesson, using tons of cool art mediums including chalk pastels, oil pastels, and watercolors.

It's a sacrifice of time, but well worth it.
The kids always have a blast, and to tell you the truth, we do too!

If you ever hear of a call for art docents, check it out.
It's an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved.

Barnacles

I call my babies my "barnacles", because sometimes, no matter what you're doing, they're content to just follow you around wherever you go.

Luckily, Sam was home, and they left mom alone to tag around with Dad.