Creamy-Cheesy Potato Soup

Gene and I love this soup. Most the time our kids do too. This time when I made it, luckily they liked it. Zoe said,"It's DE-LISH." I started making this soup the first year we were married. So it's a family recipe. It was from a vegetarian cookbook I borrowed from the teacher I did my student teaching with. I've altered and adapted the recipe, so now it's mine. This is what I use those parsnips for...

The Guess-ipe:

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, chopped

A few shakes of dill seasoning

1-2 parsnips, peeled and chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and chooped (danvers half long from the garden, you'll need more of the baby carrots)

7 potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 cups water

2 vegetable boullion cubes

1 1/2 cups milk

4 oz. cream cheese

1 cup grated cheese

1. Saute the onion in the butter. Add the parsnips and carrots. Cook for a few minutes.

2. Add the potatoes. Stir everything around.

3. Add the water and dill seasoning. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid. Turn down the heat so it simmers until all the vegetables are soft.

4. Add half the milk and half the cream cheese to a blender. Add half the vegetable mixture to the blender. Blend.

5. Switch and blend the other half of vegetable mixture, milk, and cream cheese.

6. Combine everything together back in the pot. Stir in the grated cheese until it melts completely.

7. Serve and enjoy.


It's kind of time consuming, but well worth it. We usually eat our soup with ZESTA soda crackers.

Chickens, Chickens

So. My grandma and grandpa are visiting family in Texas for Christmas.

Can you guess what we've been doing?



















Man. This makes me want to live on a farm. Small and easy to manage, of course. Oh, yes. And I did get that pitchfork for Christmas!

Merry Christmas

"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

This scripture is found at the end of the Nativity story. It expresses exactly what I feel...
These pictures were taken last year at Christmas time. I am amazed at how our little family has grown over the past year, particularly Ashy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you find peace this Holiday Season.

Holiday Memories

Hot Cocoa, anyone?
The other morning, I was cleaning up the kitchen, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? But, the Littlest sitting in a pile of freshly dumped out hot cocoa mix! MMMmmm that looks good.


On another holiday note:
The kids decided that they wanted to get presents for each other this year, even though they don't have any money.

Gene came up with the wonderful idea of letting them draw names. Then he'd take them down to the DI and let them pick out presents for one another.

Wonderful idea in theory. You see, he took all four of them by himself.

Just imagine... all five of them on ONE tiny aisle of toys, picking out presents for each other. (Without the others seeing, mind you.) Well, every time Isaac would pick something for Zoe, she would come up to him and say, "I saw that. And I don't want it." This happened three times.

Gene got it all figured out, and had a good laugh the rest of the night. He told me about it, and I had a good laugh too. What a good daddy these little angels have!

GIVEAWAY Closed

Okay. I know I said Saturday or Sunday, but I'm going to close the Giveaway now. I wanted to do it last night, but I got carried away with Primary things.

This is how it's going to work. I've numbered and named the comments on little slips of paper. Then I'll draw the winner out. Ready? Here goes...

Like the bucket?

And the winner is...

ORMSBYS said...

UMMMMMMM I HOPE IM NOT TO LATE FOR THE DRAWING.......THOSE ARE SO CUTE!!!!!

Congratulations! Now I need you to email me your address so I can get the LEGWARMIES off to you! (rayndrop75@hotmail.com)

Thanks to everyone that participated! I had a lot of fun and I hope you did too... Next time I think I'll shorten the amount of days. It was just too long a wait.

My cousin Keri has a giveaway going on over the weekend. Check it out here. She and Summer have me busy knitting for a bit.

Legwarmie GIVEAWAY

Remember when I knit those cyoot legwarmies? Well, I had so much fun that I have kept myself busy knitting. I figured out the pattern so now I don't have to do my adapted version.


I decided that since this was the season of giving, I'd do a LEGWARMIE GIVEAWAY! To enter all you have to do is comment on this post. I'll wait a few days and then do the drawing on Saturday or Sunday.

• The legwarmies measure 11.5 inches long, 4 inches wide.



• They're pink and green, 100% cotton.



• They're sized to fit Zoe. (Circumference-wise they fit her with room to grow!)



• Also, I've washed and dried hers a few times and they don't seem to have shrunk.

One more thing. Here's that pattern.

A Tale of Two Ballerinas

Aryn and Zoe had their dance recital last Tuesday evening. The dancers performed

The Nutcracker.

They have a new dance teacher, Tazia, so I was anxious to see how things would go. I have to say that this year was a pleasant surprise. In fact, both Gene and I were thrilled with the performance! Each group had the same amount of time to dance, the girls' dances showcased THEIR abilities, and the whole recital was less than one hour.
This is Aryn's fourth year dancing. I am so pleased with her progress. She has been dancing since she could stand and I think she is just a beautiful dancer.

This is Zoe's first year dancing. I didn't let Aryn start lessons until she was in school. Zoe has been watching her sister dance, and wanted so badly to take lessons this year. She was so cute in her pleading. I couldn't say No. She loves going every week!

Zoe's dance helper was a little girl from our ward. Sadly, Gene didn't get all of her dance.

We had a video of Aryn's dance, but I can't get it to upload. Maybe I'll try another time. She danced well.

P.S. Tomorrow, I'll be posting my first Giveaway!

Weekend Update

I came home to this Friday night. (Gene and the kids had family movie night, while I went to a craft party. It was nice to mingle with other adult ladies. A good break.) Anyway, when I came home look what I found underneath the Christmas tree...

This one is slightly blurry, but precious to me nonetheless.

Saturday we did a little tree trimming and pruning. My grandpa and Gene clipped the apricot tree.

While we were outside, Aryn spotted a furry friend hopping around. We all decided we wanted a bunny for Christmas. (Even though we are NOT ready to take care of one.)

I put some of the branches to good use by fashioning an arrangement for the porch.

The Littlest

I love this vintage Nativity that Gene's mom gets out for all the little grandchildren to play with starting at Thanksgiving.

The Littlest Blair making his puckered mouth face. He's been making this face lately when he's "telling" us something important.

He liked the donkey. "Hello, baby Jesus." That's Joseph looking too.

Still holding the donkey, while Mary looks at her baby.

The Littlest baby Jesus.

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies

On Tuesday I made these cookies for our preschool Thanksgiving Feast. Yum. YUMMY.

The other week ago, when my neighbor, Aleisha, made them for us, I ate all of them myself. I didn't share with anyone. That's why my kids call me the COOKIE MONSTER. (And I have the shirt to prove it!)

I found the recipe here. Eat up!

I have to admit that I messed up on the directions. I mixed the butter and sugar in with the flour mixture before I was supposed to. Happily, everything turned out. Also, I melted already made frosting for the drizzle instead of making it.

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts
VANILLA GLAZE (recipe below)

Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease baking sheets. COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle or spread with Vanilla Glaze. FOR VANILLA GLAZE: COMBINE 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well.

Great idea Kendra!

Analice can this count as my recipe?

ARYN'S THANKFUL HEART

We LOVE this girl.

1. My friends
2. Spring

3. My school teacher

4. My bedroom

5. That I am smart

6. Dance lessons

7. My paints

8. toys

9. I am happy

10. My family

Great-Grandpa Heaton

This is a story Isaac wrote about his Great-Grandpa Heaton. Enjoy.

I have a grandpa. He owns a farm. He has a cow and he has a chicken and he has a house and he has hay and he has a garden and he has corn and he has peaches and he has a Wife!

ISAAC'S THANKFUL HEART

We LOVE this boy.

Ten Things Isaac is Thankful For:

1. America

2. clothes

3. food

4. toys

5. Our House

6. beds

7. school

8. that we're alive

9. plants to make our world beautiful

10. friends