cuppy cake

Please tell me I am not the only mother who has neglected to bake a birthday cake while in labor for her infant still in the womb. For the soul purpose of presenting it to that infant as she makes her way into the world on her "birth" day.  Ellie and I had a conversation the other day and it went a little like this. 

Ellie- Does my Birthday always have to be on May 1st.

Mom- Yes it does

Ellie- Why can't I have a birthday on May 1st and then change it to a day in July.

Mom- Why would you want to change it to July?

Ellie- So I can have presents and a cake again. {she is pretty clever}

Mom- You can't just change your birthday. Your birthday is the day you were born.

Ellie- Ohhh.... I see! So the day I came out of your belly in the hospital is my birthday.

Mom- Yep you were born on May 1st so that is your birthday.

Ellie- So was there a cake waiting for me with candles to blow out? {with excitement}

Mom- Well...not really. {feeling kind of bad...she was so excited}

Ellie- Was there at least a little cuppy cake with a candle? {with desperation}

Mom- Sorry... no cuppy cake. Babies can't blow and you were a month early and....{Interuption}

Ellie- Mom, but it was my birthday {with frustration}

Mom- I'm really sorry but your first birthday really isn't until you turn one. Mom's don't think about those things when they are getting ready to have a baby. Sorry :( {at least this mom doesn't}

Ellie- Fine...whatever.. But I really do think babies would like cake not just milk when they are born. {with disappointment}

I guess life is full of disappointments. Apparently discovering that as you made your grand entrance into the world and there was not even a glimmer of a cuppy cake for you to lay your newly born eyes upon is a very big one. Who would have thought?

yummy goodness

When it looks this wintery outside make this recipe for dinner and warm up with it's yummy goodness. 

White Chicken Chili 

1- 16 oz of sour cream

1- large can of Swansons chicken stock

3- cans of white beans

2-can diced chopped chili's 

1- glass jar of La Victoria salsa verda

1- tablespoon of white cooking wine

Cook chicken breasts with cooking wine and garlic salt.

Chop chicken breasts into cubes and add to mixture above.

Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese, Avocado and Tortilla chips to your liking.

{add these rolls to make it extra yummy}

Rolls

2-cups of warm water

1/2 cup of sugar

1-package of dry active yeast

put warm water sugar and yeast in bowl mix together let it sit for 10 minutes

add to mixture

2-eggs well beaten

1/2 cup of melted shortening {not oil}

5 1/2 cups of flour

{Stir in flour a few cups at a time if your doing it by hand it makes it easier.} 

Let dough rise in bowl for about an hour.

Melt a cube of butter

grab a small hand full of dough pat flat like a pancake

Fold it in half and dip into butter

put the rolls so they are touching into 9x13 dish.

Let them rise for another hour or a little longer.

Cook for 20 minutes at 375.

These rolls really are easy and they are so yummy.

{don't let them rise for long or they will turn out doughy....believe me I have done it}

This is one of my favorite winter meals. To all those who wanted the chili recipe sorry it took me so long to post it. And thanks to Ali who gave me the recipe and the tasty little cafe that was so kind to give it to her. 

wow! there is no way!

It was fun to watch the watch the X-games a little here and there over the weekend. I found my self saying "wow...there is no way" quite a bit. I mean... come on a double back flip on a snowmobile...really that's possible? I guess it is. ...pretty insane. And how big they go these days snowboarding/skiing really is pretty amazing also. Canyon loved watching the Flying Tomato= Shaun White take double golds in the half pipe and slope style. (When an event such as the half pipe comes on times tables homework comes to a screeching halt. Maybe that's where part of his excitement was stemming from. :)
Thank you X-games for the weekends entertainment.

blue skies

I don't mean to brag. I don't mean to boast (I'm pretty sure I just quoted the beastie boys?) but today when I look outside all I see are blue skies. Beautiful blue skies just right for an afternoon stroll. One of the top 5 reasons I love living where I do.... absolutely no Inversion! Sorry to all you Wasatch front rangers down there who have to breath in ample amounts of soot and smog every time you step a foot outside. I feel bad for you...really I do.  Head up to the mountains it will make you feel better :)

Yep I did.... ha ha... it just came back to me.  

"I don't mean to brag I don't mean to boast but I'm intercontinental when I eat french toast".  

Beastie Boys

browsing and beaches

Browsing Anthropologies new getaway collection has me wishing. 

Wishing I were wearing this whimsical little number or any of the other lovely items on an exotic beach somewhere like....umm... Fiji. (oh! and I would be all golden and toned)

Wishing I could lay reading  a book cover to cover on that exotic beach.

Wishing I could justify spending 38.00 dollars on this headband.

I will keep wishing because in 2.5 hours I will be snuggled up in my warm winter wear. Snowshoeing with 2 good friends, 7 energetic children and a baby lucy in tote. So it's not exactly relaxing on a beach in Fiji. It is pretty much the exact opposite but it will still be great right? I will be spending the next 2.5 hours wishing that it will be. (not Fiji great but great)

lucy + dad

I was looking through some old pictures the other day and found this one. I LOVE it so much!  I don't know why I didn't notice it much before. Lucy is such a daddy's girl. Anyone who has seen how excited she gets to see him can testify to this. It looks like a year ago he was still her favorite. I love how she is nuzzled up against him on a sunday afternoon. Some things never change.

her gifts in life

I have mentioned before  that Lucy has a gift for fake laughing. Well her fake cry is also pretty extraordinary. She is probably better at these two things than anything else in life. Ok...ok... maybe she is a little incy bit  better at raising her eyebrows on demand but that is it.... I promise. 

(pictures taken one sunny november day)

reality check

(goodbye holiday house)

The holidays have come to an end. That means no more Fa La La La La, surprise goodies on my porch, stockings hung with care, or the glow of the Christmas tree. It means saying goodbye to staying up really late, sleeping in every day and eating more jelly bellies, christmas deserts, and other scrumptious foods than I thought was humanly possible.  It means I am missing the excitement and wonder that filled the house, my holiday honey being home on a 2 week break, lucy whispering santa...santa....santa, snowboarding any day I felt like it, and spending more time with family and friends. Now I have January to look forward to and January is not my favorite. What happens in January anyway? Something should to take away the hum drum. I need some things to spice up this month that starts the new year. Any ideas?

Ellie wished for a wowii robotic panda. (random I know)

Canyon wished for a new snowboard.

Lucy loved opening and peeking into her presents. She was so fun this Christmas!

the holiday escape

It is hard to find a nice hill for sledding where we live, but we were determined. So we headed on a drive to find ourselves in a new development. We only had to move a couple orange cones to get in so it was a GO. The snow was very deep and there was some shrubs to overcome but instead of walking the top you  could drive so that was a huge bonus. I was waiting at the bottom for the pick-up when i noticed a development security vehicle at the top of the hill slowing down to take a gander at us. I shouted out the warning that we were going to get busted and when my partners in crime reached the bottom they were thrown in the back of the get-a-way car along with the sledding paraphernalia in no time flat.  We sped out of there never to look back. That gandering, holiday sled busting guard never had a chance. I was pretty proud of our little families ability at escaping. We were so smooth. 

holiday houses

Ellie = The house of many paths 

Canyon = Modern masterpiece
Mine= quaint cottage

Shane = Condo /Hotel.  

He is always trying to show all of us up. :)

Christmas Cards 2008

I had good intentions of mailing off Christmas cards like in years past I really did....but it never quite got it checked off my Christmas to-do list.  I don't know if it was because I blew it off to spend days boarding with my holiday honey and kids, make gingerbread houses, or going sleigh riding. Maybe it was because I spent to much holiday time visiting friends and family, seeing movies, baking and napping. I would like to put full blame on my 12 year old address book containing all the mailing addresses to most of my loved ones. It is in hiding at to this day can still not be found (that's what I get for not having a digital address back up I guess). For whatever reason it was, or a combination of many, Christmas cards were a bust this year.  We already had these done so I decided I would throw out a belated Christmas message to all of our wonderful friends and family.  We hope you all had yourselves a Merry Little Christmas This Year!  Next year I will rule at sending out Christmas cards and it will be checked off my to-do list early...just wait and see.

**if any of you would please e-mail me their home address to monniecox@gmail.com I would love it! I need to start a new address collection**