9 Minute Cake

9 minute cake. well 10 minutes which included mixing using my Pampered Chef Steam Rice Cooker. It is moist and yummy!! Mixed up a cake mix and put in the cooker and microwaved for 9 minutes. Just wanted to share. (I didn't have any frosting)

Harvest Hills 6th Ward Clothing Swap

Are there clothes and accessories that you have stacking up that you are planning to donate to the DI or is there something you need for yourselves or your kids? Well then you are in need of a……

Clothing Swap

When: January 12, 2010

Where: Relief Society Organization Activity

Time: 7pm following the organization classes.

Question: What do I bring? / What do I not bring?

Answer: Please bring items that you would want to take home.

CLEAN**, unused, or gently used Nothing with holes or stains please!

Items for:

Babies, Toddler, Kids - Onesies, socks, shoes, shirts, pants, dresses, etc

Women’s Clothing

Accessories – jewelry, bags, scarves, hats

Coats and Jackets

**Please WASH your items you’d like to donate to swap.

Question: How does it work?

Answer: Drop off your items to Marianne Schmalz or Jill Turner any time prior to January 12. The earlier the better!! If needed, you can bring in stuff that night, 20 minutes before 7pm.

When the door opens then come in and “shop”. Please bring a bag, if needed, to carry your stuff in.

Use your best judgment. If you bring 2 things don't take 8 bags of stuff home with you :) If your kid is 2 years old don't take size 4 stuff just because it's "cute" or a brand name you like. Don't hoard stuff. Take what you need. Bring it back when you are done.

All items that are Not “bought” then we will donate to the DI. Or if this is successful save for another swap.

A slice of heaven

This is my first home made bread from an oven, not a bread machine.

Thanks to my wonderful friend Sherian for the invite to her friends bread making class.

I recommend this site for all easy bread making.....

www.breadmadeeasy.com

Love it!!

Zach is 2!!

Our Zach is now 2!

I can't believe that the time he has been with our family has gone by sooooo fast. He is a giggly smiley little boy. Who has the best smile and awesome eyes out there.

He still has his own language, although he understand what you are saying his responses are of his own. You can usually get the jist or just smile because he is so dang cute!!

Here are some things we love about him.

Zach is a good boy and is not into everything quite yet.

He loves Spongebob and laughs histerically when the music comes on.

He is an awesome sleeper and not only sleeps through the night but still takes naps!

He loves to spins around and get real dizzy.

He has the cutest laugh and mischeivious smile.

He likes to read. He looks at the book and "reads" to himself.

He loves to be held (which wasn't always the case). I am so glad that it finally is the case.

He loves going to grandma's and grandp's house. Both of them.

He loves his sister and brother very much and they love him. He is not too young to play with him.

Zach is the best little Zach any parent could want.

We love you very much!!

Thankful For -

Here are some things I am thankful for (in no order)

My family - Ben, Sam, Jacob and Zach

My family - Mom, Dad, Bros and my sisters

My sister - Denise and Debby whom I love very, very much. It's great to be able to have sisters who are your best friends.

For our home that we have shelter from the elements of the world. I hate the cold and Ben and I check the thermostat every night. Mosty him to check on me to see if I have turned it up. Apparently we are supposed to suffer at 68* in our home. (Only when he is home, hehe)

For food on our table. May not be homemade but definately made/bought with love. We try to instill in our kids that we need to nourish our bodies even if we don't always like what we are eating. Seriously last night was like pulling teeth and took a couple of hours to finish the meal. Apparently funeral potatoes and ham bring on dry heaves and crying fits (Ben and I not included)

For the opportunity we have to live in a country where we can have our own thoughts and feeling and be able to live by them. Again, we try to let our kids know how lucky we are and that we shouldn't take this for granted. Without depressing them we let them know that there are other people in other country that are living off the land and in huts and shacks and have very little food.

For good friends that I appreciate and love! (Poke, poke)

For a job that allows me to work from home and be able to be with the kids. Believe me, I work an 8-5p work day, while doing laundry and watching my Zachy grow. I have fond memories of my mom being home with me and I hope my kids will have the same fond memories.

I am thankful that kids don't alway remember when we (Ben) are strick and they love us even after doing chores that are so unfair.

I love Ben for being able to work to support our family. He is so good to us!

I love his family for the support they have given us and that they think their son can do anything. (Literally....construction, electronics, cars, etc.. he is a working machine)

I love that Ben has a passion for biking and also for cars. I know he is trying to get me into biking and I already watch F1 racing with him.

I love the fact that we can just sit and be together. We are bestfriends and this will come in handy when the kids grow up and move out. We won't be bored! We love each other.

I love that we get to take mini vacation and that we have the support of family to watch the kids if necessary.

I am sure there is more and I will try to write them down.

So there is my post. Hopefully I won't go months and months again without posting.

Update on www.alice.com

Well I tried out www.alice.com and I have to say it was a great deal on your non food items. I bought some Tide laundry detergent and I checked it against Smith's and Walmart and it was atleast between $1-$3 difference plus you get $1 off at Alice. You do have to pay taxes which you would at either stores and you get free shipping. I am impressed with this website and encourage all to take a look at it.

www.alice.com

I was on vacation this weekend and saw a news story on CNN about www.alice.com. It is a website were you can buy household items on namebrand stuff for discounted pricing and the shipping is free. I guess with the economy people have been buying store brands, which is ok, but it looks like the name brands are wanting to help save you money and the shipping is free. I signed up but haven't bought anything yet but I thought all you coupon shoppers would like it. Again, shipping is free! See what you think and let us all know. I think that the prices look good but I am definately not a veterian in savy coupon shopping. Again, shipping is free!Thanks, Marianne

Fun Summer Activities for Kids

I am looking to see if anyone knows of local summer camps, art programs, etc for Jacob and Samantha. Even though I am home during the day, I am also working an 8 hour job. I want to keep the kids occupied with fun activities. Any suggestions?

Happy Mother's Day

"Someone has coined a statement that has great significance:

'God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.' . .

"From my experience, it would seem that faithful mothers have a special gift that we often refer to as a mother's intuition. Perhaps with the great blessing of motherhood, our Heavenly Father has endowed them with this quality, since fathers, busy in priesthood callings and with the work of earning a livelihood, never draw quite as close to heavenly beings in matters that relate to the more intimate details of bringing up children in the home. It might be described in this way: Father is the head, but Mother is the heart of the family home" (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p. 291).

Happy Mother's day!

Zion National Park Trip - May 2009

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I love my http://www.gatheringgrub.blogspot.com! Ok, so it is not mine but I can post, so that's cool, right? I love feeling energized to get my butt in gear for food storage. Not just long term but stuff I can use everyday. I love hearing of new sites to help you out.

Some I recently found, ok, so I didn't find but I saw on my friends sites are http://www.dealstomeals.com. Awesome and practical ideas and pictures!

Next site for food is http://www.foodco-op.net. Again, another awesome site. You can order monthly on items that you can buy from the grocery store but half the cost. You just needs to pick it up from your area pick-up site and to join you make a donation. There are locations all over the SL and Utah Valley. Check out the site!!!

I shopped the Smith's case lot sale and didn't get too much. 4 cases of Speghetti O's, 2 cases of water, 1 case of canned tomatoes, 1 case of flour. Slowly but surely!!

My next item I'd want, which has been for sometime now is a freezer, either deep or standing. I have posted to my http://www.lehifreecycle.com and see what happens. That is also a great website for free stuff.

Anywho, enough of my ramblings.........

Gathering Grub

I am happy to post about a new blog called Gathering Grub. http://www.gatheringgrub.blogspot.com.

Sherian put it together, with prompting from a few of us friends and I love it. It is new so not alot of info yet but it is about food storage with ideas of how to get it started, what to add, case lot sales, recipes, etc. I am an author on it so if you have ideas let me know and I will add to it.

I am no expert but a few of us are and I love being able to see ideas and share anything I can or if you have ideas, let me know so that I can add to it.

Marianne

Well, I am back. Sorta. I just have not been in the mood to blog but I love reading blogs. Where to begin....
The holidays were great. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year...they were great.

We had 2 dinners this years, as we do every year. Thank you mom and dad, who are thoughtful enough, that with 8 kids, they schedule our dinner on the Saturday before so that those with in-law, won't be rushed from house to house. Thanksgiving was held at my house again this year for my side of the family. I always feel inadequate about hosting anything so I am glad that my family helps out with food and decor. I made the potatoes both mashed and yummy sweet potatoes. Both yummy thanks to Good Eats (the best cooking show ever!) and Ruth's Steak House which provided the recipe for the sweet potatoes. They should really be declared a dessert. That's it, I am declaring it a dessert. Almost all the family was able to come. 6 of 8 kids plus parents and a boat load of grand kids and spouses. We missed 2 brothers and sister that was not able to make it. I am sure all will be together next year.

We had a great dinner at Ben's parents house with great food and family games and time spent was wonderful as every year it is. A big bonus was that Ben could be there as well.

Christmas was fun this year because Zach was 1 and had fun watching the 2 other kids open gifts. He still didn't get the opening of presents for himself but had fun none the less. My sister Debby and her son Thomas and my parents and my family went over to my brother David's house for a yummy dinner. Dawn always puts on a great spread.

New Year's was spent at home this year. Which hasn't been like that in a few years. We always go to my parent's during the day and then over to Ben's house for fondue and games.

This year Rebecca, Ben's sister, came over to our house for the night. We had crab legs, pasta and fondue or as Samantha called it donfue. That kept us laughing for awhile!! Then we pretty much played Rock Band all night and toasted in the New Year with sparkling something from Ikea. Which reminds me, we still have the bottle on the deck!

The year has been pretty fair so far. New President (Obama) in the white house. Expecting change and progress in our country. Hopefully! With all the down turn in the economy, I feel that Ben and I have been very fortunate with our careers and really haven't felt it nearly as much as some. I could say we were blessed but it doesn't feel right when there are others just like us who may have lost jobs. So all I can say is that we are very thankful!

I have a new calling at church. Not an every Sunday one but a calling just the same. I am on the Enrichment Board/Committee. It sounds fun but I hope that I am able to do a good job. Although I am home during the days I am working an 8-5 job so I just hope that I can help out where needed. With this, the kids and I went to church again. They are excited to go, well at least to primary, sacrament meeting is boring to them. Oh well at least they want to go. Anyways, our ward split awhile back and I am glad we did. It used to be that you couldn't really hear what the speaker was saying even if you were lucky enough to seat up in the pews. There are just so many kids, which is great, a few of them are mine but it was nice to go and be able to hear the speaker. Plus I feel like I will be able to know or get to know more people. We shall see :-)

Last but not least...my family, the Schmalz' have started a weight loss challenge with $25/person. Winner takes all. % loss, which is good and fair. No second place just first with a prize. We started on Sunday. I had to email my weight to my sister in law who is keeping them secret for everyone but it still was a hang the head down, red cheeks kind of moment. I am doing well so far. I decided to do The Biggest Loser workouts and diet. My quads are killing!!!! Every time I have to go up or down the stairs it is excruciating! But if it doesn't hurt or your don't sweat it isn't good enough. Today, I just rode the bike to rest my other parts. The bounty will be nice but the knowledge that I will lose and hopefully slim down is even better! I am just trying real hard not to revert to Atkins diet. Which I think is wonderful if you can stick to it. I did it after I had Jacob with great success but it seems to be harder and harder if you stop doing it and try again. But like a drug it is pulling me and I am really trying to just eat responsibly.
What are you doing to live healthy? Really, I don't cook and I don't have a lot of ideas on food. Good thing Ben cooks :)

Well I will leave it at that for now, until we meet again.