NEW Website

Hi - I've been a member of Shutterfly for years. I love their quality of products. If you are not familiar your should check them out! They print the most amazing clear pictures. For the last several years, this is where I get my Christmas cards from. And I make my family a picture calendar for Christmas. And so far I have made 2 picture books and they turned out excellent.
Tonight a friend of mine sent me a link to her new photo site. It's via Shutterfly. I thought, shoot.. I should do this too It's impossible to post all the pictures I take to put them on the BLOG.. so I thought why not download them to Shutterfly for everyone to see. So, take a peek! I am hoping you can just click and see them. Let me know if it does or doesn't work!
ENJOY!
alaskanwhitmores.shutterfly.com
PS Thanks Stacy for the great idea.... if I keep up with this I will NEVER loose pictures again on my computer. I know Shutterfly will SAVE them and their system won't crash!

CONCERT WAS AWESOME!

SO EXCITED... the concert with Terry Fator was a huge hit! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! This man is so amazing. I am going to attempt to post some video. He was so cool, he said, "there are no rules... take lots of pictures and video, show them to ALL your friends and let them know what they missed" He was so NICE! I WISH these pictures were better.... but my zoom doesn't work very well. (to see larger click on image)And not to mention we had this lovely OLD couple sitting in these chairs that WOULD NOT MOVE. They looked like wheelchairs, but they weren't! They were push chair. Everyone was SO frustrated but by the time people asked them to move it was too late they were trapped! So, you will see A LOT them during the show! UGH!!!

SHOOT.. the video that I just spend forever downloading... did not work!
Who knows any tricks?
I have 3 more videos I want to post... but holy cow they take forever to download! So I will try again later, I am tired tonight... It's after 2am!
And by the way... that pictures ontop of TERRY & I... YEAH! So excited and I also got an autographed photo! Too cool!

OK, couldn't stand it... had to try YouTube! Still have no idea what I am doing! Let's hope it works!

Terry Fator concert tonight

SO EXCITED.... Tonight I am going to a concert at the Alaska State Fair!
Have you heard of Terry Fator?
He's a Ventriloquist - Celebrity Impressionist - Comedian - Singer. He won the first season of America's Got Talent.
This guy is AMAZING! Check out his website for a peek at what he does... he makes the hair on my arms stand up and I get chills and want to cry! He's so talented!!
Terry Fator
I am going to try and take some pictures! I'll post later!
AND the girls and I are going to a concert on FRI too, also at the State Fair!
Sean Kingston He's an 18 year old young man who sings Jamaican, rap, reggae, dancehall, pop crossover. Most of his songs are remakes. They play him on the radio all the time so the girls totally know who he is. They BEGGED to go this concert! They REALLY wanted to go to Terry Fator too, because the 3 of us watch that show together. Anyway - they can't go tonight because the show starts at 7:30pm and it's a school night! Bummer! Tonight it's me and my friends at the fair with NO KIDS. I don't think in 15 years have I been to the fair without kids. WOW!! See you tonight, Scottie, Michele & Marcie!

Continued post on Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven to the SAME temp at the cake mix.
325 or 350 depending on pan.
I'd go by the baking time as listed on the cake mix as well.
Since they don't list mini muffins - I put in for 10 mintues then I kept checking. They always needed atleast 2-3 more minutes!

Libby's
100% PURE
PUMPKIN
15oz can

Hope this helps!
Enjoy!
For more info click on Libby's to bring you to their website for MORE info and recipes!

DID YOU KNOW?
LIBBY'S is packed with nutritional benefits:
Low in Calories with 40 calories per 1/2 cup serving
Low in Fat and contains no Trans Fat, Saturated Fat or Cholesterol
One-half cup of 100% Pure Pumpkin equals 1 vegetable serving
Naturally Sodium Free
Excellent Source of Fiber
High in Vitamin A with 80% as Beta-Carotene (Antioxidants)
Naturally Gluten-Free

Just check the label: no salt, no sugar, no flavorings or preservatives.
It's just 100% Pure Pumpkin.

First day HOME

Since I uploaded pictures again... here are a few from the first day of school when they took the BUS home!
For the bus pictures I am standing in our yard... at the edge! We are pretty lucky that the bus stop is so close. After the girls greeted me I had them run and say HI to Dad in the backyard. He was spraying for ants. This is the first summer we've had issues with carpenter ants. You see one or two here and there but when Bill mowed the lawn and weed wacked a few weeks ago he found a whole bunch of ants near the girls window. Hopefully this will take care of the problem!

RECIPE: Pumpkin Muffins

Since school has started you have to get crafty with packing cold lunches. I know I don't like to eat the same thing everyday!
If you like pumpkin you will have to try this recipe. I've been making this recipe for years and the girls have always LOVED it. I just haven't made them in a long time so I am excited for them to be in their lunch tomorrow! I didn't bake them until they went to bed!
PUMPKIN MUFFINS

1 box of Yellow Cake Mix
1 can of Pure Pack Pumpkin (small can)
Mini chocolate chips (optional)
no liquid no eggs no oil

Combine yellow cake mix and pumpkin together until moist.
Add mini chocolate chips if you wish!

I usually make these in regular muffins or mini muffins.
The girls just LOVE them! And so do I!
I lost all my recipes when my computer crashed.. so if you have a good recipe send it my way! Or, post on your blog! If you have a blog!
PS Jenny, send me that Tator Tot Casserole!

Back to School 2008-2009

It's hard to believe that summer is over for the kids and school has started!! They did a great job getting up, eating breakfast and getting ready! If anyone had a hard time, it was me! I stayed up too late and I still had a hard time falling asleep! I guess even as an adult I still get first day of school jitters! Here are some pictures.

Book websites for BOOK SWAPPING

I found this article in an old magazine...
Good Housekeeping FEB 2007

Best Sites for Book Swapping

www.paperbackswap.com
How it Works:
For every book you ship to a member (on your dollar), a point is added to your account. You use your credits to get books (each title costs a point).

www.bookins.com
How it Works:
Enter your credit card info when you join and you'll be charged a flat-rate shipping fee($4.49) for each book or DVD you receive.

www.bookmooch.com
How it Works:
The same way as paperbackswap.com. You also get a bonus point for every 10 books you offer to swap.

I wish I was a faster reader to take advantage of this program.
The books I actually buy, I like to KEEP them. Why? I am not sure! Something to remind me that I did read and finished that book.
If I can I do get them from the library!

Anyway.. I know there are some BIG readers out there... just thought I would pass on the word!
Happy Reading!

Locks of Love

When the girls were younger I kept their hair pretty short. But when they got old enough to tell me they wanted it long I let them grow it out! Hailey has been growing out her bangs since the end of the school year. Thank goodness I talked Sydney out of it!
Since we started swimming the girls hair was getting harder and harder to brush tangling all up! I am not sure who brought it up but the girls decided they wanted to cut their hair. Then the suggestion of donating their hair to Locks Of Love was brought up. They were totally on board. So I called and made an appointment. Sarah Smith filled me all in, she was very knowledgeable about the whole thing. 10 inches was required. But if you have 9 inches or less up to 6 inches they will sell it to make wigs. I did measure their hair and thought they just had 10 inches if they wanted to go really short! I was hoping they would go for it once in the chair.
Sydney went first.
I must admit when Sydney went first and cut off the thick lock of hair I got choked up and shed a few tears. I was so proud of her for doing something so wonderful. She was cutting her hair so a child could have hair. I was so proud!
Hailey on the other hand, started getting cold feet. She didn't want to go as short as Sydney so we started looking through books. Hailey kept pointing to A line cuts. Short in the back, longer in the front. She was totally sure she loved it and she was next.
I just LOVE their NEW HAIRCUTS... oh my gosh! Sarah did a fabulous job!
They love it, I love it. I can't stop looking at them, how beautiful they are!
We made a few stops on the way home to show it off... everyone just loved it!
How could you not! Just kidding!
For weeks I have been scoping out stops to pull over and get pictures of the girls in the Fireweed. I did this last year too! Since they have fresh cute hair, I thought it would be fun to finally do it. The problem was it was after 9:30pm and it was getting dark so I had problems with the pictures. Flash, no flash, Sydney freaking out cause of spider webs. I did get a few but I will have to try again and get better lighting!

Totally Cranky!

Ugh, I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start!
I have been lucky enough since Hailey was born I have been able to stay at home with the girls. But the time has finally come where the kids are getting older and there really isn't any reason why I shouldn't work. Before kids I worked in the pharmacy at Fred Meyer and Walmart and I loved my job. It was fast paced, lots to do and I was really good at it! So, the opportunity has come to Alaska... a TARGET store. I thought perfect, who doesn't love Target this will be perfect to apply. So I did! They held a job fair 4 days... I was there on day 2. This gave me time to update my resume. I spent 2 hours at the Sports Complex on Friday. Filling out paperwork, application, drug forms, 70 question scan-tron sheet. After time there I was told they were scheduling interviews for next week and I needed to wait in that line. I was able to get one Wed @ 2:30pm.
I made it to the interview.... answered all the questions I was asked. The team member wrote down everything I said. She asked me to wait for an executive to ask me more questions. I wait!! A lady approaches me and sees that I am apply for the pharmacy and before she even sits down she lets me know ....
ALL THE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED!
What? Are you kidding me? How is this even possible? Wouldn't you think they would have to interview ALL applicants then make a dicission? Something didn't seem right. So, after asking more questions.. I got to the bottom of it.
There are only 4 positions avaiable unlike the 10 I thought. I even showed her the form that said 10 and she was shocked! She wasn't able to really release information but she slipped and said, "don't give up... maybe they won't like Alaska!"
So, that tells me right there... all these people are being relocated from within the company from the lower 48!
UGH!
How is this fair? The first day I applied, I should have been notified of this! I wasted their time and mine! I am not giving up though!
Bill wants me to look into Fred Meyer and Carrs. I am up for this but REALLY had my heart set on Target!
I'll keep you posted on what happens!
Wish me luck!

It's August already?

Hi everyone... I'm behind on blogging! I swear I look daily at everyone elses blog but I am not good about updating my own!
First I will start with explaining the group shot below the book review. I belong to a club that is for stay at home MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) MOMS Club. This picture was taken at a restaurant. It's our end of the year banquet. We acknowledge the executive board going out and install the new officers for the next term (1 year). Everyone had a really great time.
The soccer season ended on July 24th. I love that the girls love soccer and I don't mind bringing them... but 4 nights a week is crazy! It's just hard planning your day, knowing you have to be back home to get to the field.
When soccer was over we enrolled in swimming lessons. We started at level 1 since the girls really don't have any practice in pools. Classes are in the morning - 45 minutes and last 2 weeks. The girls completed level 1 - passed and moved on to level 2. They are in that now! Since school starts next week they shortened the class and are only are doing it for a week. This has been good practice for us to get up in the morning... classed started at 9:30am and now we go in at 10:15am.
It's going to kill us when school starts. Everyone is still getting to bed too LATE!
The kids need lunch... so I am going to take care of that then I will post some more... with pictures cause I have MORE to say!
Yah!

July book club

Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is our book selection to read in JULY.

I read this book in less 14 days. Which is not like me, if you know me! The book did go very fast. I liked how they would raise a question then answer it by telling the story but sometimes it was confusing who was telling the story! A few story lines they drug out too long and I wish they would have told more at the end. It is a good book but get it at the library or used. Not worth paying the hardcover price.


View all my reviews.

Look soon for a new post

Well, I finally uploaded some pictures... so be on the lookout for a post soon!

BUNCO

Bunco is something I look forward to every 4th Thursday or Friday of the month!
We play with a great bunch of women who know how to have FUN!
Here was our last Bunco with Lori.. she is moving to Las Vegas (next stop via the military)! Lori we are sure going to miss you! Bunco won't be the same without you!

Alaska Zoo on Tues the 24th

We went to the zoo which we usually try to do at least once a month in the summer. We have a zoo pass which means we can go as many times as we want throughout the year! It turned out to be such a nice day... I was over dressed! The zoo received a new moose calf on Friday, May 23. The calf was found abandoned by it's mother in a horse barn near North Pole, AK. They later received another moose calf who had been seen orphaned in the Anchorage area.
The zoo also received two new Amur tigers which arrived from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York. They are brothers, named Korol and Kunali both born on June 7, 2004 at the NY-area zoo. I wasn't able to get pictures of them as they were hiding in the brush!
Here is a picture of the gang that went with us to the zoo... we are missing 2 other familes but we didn't see them as we were ready to leave!

Tagged! The 6 Quirks Meme.....huh???

I have been tagged by my friend Jenny for The 6 Quirks Meme...What the heck does that mean anyway?

Well, here's the rules:

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

My Quirks:

1. The dishwasher has to be loaded a certain way, or I have to fix it! All plates and bowls facing the "correct" way... and all silverware MUST face UP except for knifes!

2. All money in my wallet (when I have it)... must all be organized! Highest bills being on the bottom and ALL the heads facing the same way!

3. I pee in the shower (I bet you didn't want to know that!)

4. I won't walk across the room in the dark. I will walk across the room to turn on a light to turn one off. This even includes walking to my bed. I turn on my night stand lamp before shutting off the light switch by the door.

5. If I am hungry and don't eat.. I can become psycho!!

6. School performances that the girls are in, I get choked up and want to cry!

Now I tag, Karen , Kate , Hallie , Michele , Gretchen , Nicole

What a crazy week

Well, we survived a crazy week!
The girls had soccer camp... This is a MLS Camp
Hailey played from 9am - noon and Sydney from 9am - 10:30am
I stayed at the field the whole time. There wasn't really a point to leave and come back an hour and half later. Not to mention I am just a parinoid mom and didn't want to leave them alone in case they got hurt.
Plus I didn't have anything else better to do! The kids LOVED the camp! This is their 3rd summer playing! They teach them so much but in a FUN way with games!

So, after being at the field for 3 hours in the morning we still had to come back at night for regular practice. And since the girls are in 2 different age groups they practice and have games on different nights. So that means, we are at the field in the evening 4 nights a week. Yikes! Let's just say it was a LONG week of soccer!

And if that wasn't enough my computer crashed on Friday, June 6th around midnight! I was not a happy camper! And if you know me... .I need my computer!
So, I am on my NEW computer now! Today is the day I got back online. I am also operating on Windows Vista and have no idea what I am doing! It's somewhat the same but different at the same time if that makes sense!
Since I use an Outlook Express for email I have lost tons of email addresses!
I am hoping they can be recovered but I have a feeling they can't be!
Good thing I have a Yahoo email account so I do have quite a few email addresses but I know not all of them were on there! So, if you are reading this send me an email so I can make sure I have your email address!

I do have some pictures to post but will hold off! I am still playing around with the computer and don't want to upload anything yet!

We own a POP-UP CAMPER!

Our family is very excited about this NEW purchase! And I will tell you why! Let's just say we bought it on Friday, May 23rd... offically paid for it at 3pm and drove it home from Eagle River. We left by 6pm and camped at Byers Lake with 4 other couples. We stayed there 3 nights. This was Memorial Weekend. We came home Monday evening and unpacked. Things went a lot more quickly with the pop-up compared to tent camping. Here are a few pictures... notice the SNOW! Yes, you are seeing that right! Byers Lake is about a 2 hour drive north of Wasilla.

The original plan was to camp at Montana Creek or Nancy Lake.... but the other couples ahead of us got to choose! Byers Lake was a lot of fun... we'd go back but not so early in the year. Since the camper was new to us and we basically loaded it and left. We had no propane and a dead battery so there was no HEAT. The kids were fine, but let me tell you after the first night I layered up a little bit more! It did rain which was nice...cause it did melt all the snow in camp and on the road. But there was quite a few campsites not occupied cause it was a foot deep!

So, Monday night we all slept in our own beds.... but Tuesday morning Bill popped up the camper to air it out! The girls and I decided to sleep in it in the driveway! Bill gave me an electric heater so we plugged that in from the house and were nice and toasty warm all night!
The next camping trip was already planned....
EKLUTNA LAKE
Thursday, May 29th for 2 nights!


This camping trip was only about 30 minutes away from home!
Checking in Thursday afternoon guarantees a good spot! We pretty much had the whole campground to choose from. But by Friday at 2pm the place was filling up FAST! We went with Bill's sister Suki and her kids. We had a really good time.

So, that is 6 nights sleeping in the NEW CAMPER!
In a 9 day period of May when we owned the camper... we slept in it 6 times.
That is pretty good! Considering we are the 4th owners. It's a 2003 and it's BRAND NEW. Each owner took VERY good care of it. But from what we hear it was only used a handful of times. I think we will soon break the record. Bill does leave for work on Wednesday so the next 2 weeks we will just keep it in the driveway. I still need my "driving" lesson before I take it out by myself.

HAPPY CAMPING...

Wii Fit

YES.... we GOT ONE!

So EXCITED! Today was the release date... and I knew I wanted one!

I am so excited to get downstairs and test it out!

Categories:
Wii Fit features four main categories to choose from: Strength Training, Aerobics, Yoga and Balance Games. As you spend time exercising, you'll earn Fit Credits that unlock additional exercises and activities within these categories. Wii Fit also tracks the activities you do the most and puts them into the Favorites category.
Strength Training: Put your strength to the test with muscle-toning exercises like Single Leg Extension, Sideways Leg Lift, Arm and Leg Lift, Single-Arm Stand, Torso Twists, Rowing Squat, Single Leg Twist, Lunge, Push-Up and Side Plank, Jackknife, Plank and Tricep Extension. Challenges include Push-Up Challenge, Plank Challenge and Jackknife Challenge.
Aerobics: Get your heart pumping with fun, interactive Aerobic exercises like Hula Hoop®, Basic Step, Basic Run, Super Hula Hoop, Advanced Step, 2-P Run, Rhythm Boxing, Free Step and Free Run.
Yoga: Work on your balance and flexibility with Yoga poses and activities like Deep Breathing, Half-Moon, Dance, Cobra, Bridge, Spinal Twist, Shoulder Stand, Warrior, Tree, Sun Salutation, Standing Knee, Palm Tree, Chair, Triangle and Downward-Facing Dog.
Balance Games: Get into the action with fun, balanced-based games like Soccer Heading, Ski Slalom, Ski Jump, Table Tilt, Tightrope Walk, Balance Bubble, Penguin Slide, Snowboard Slalom and Lotus Focus.

37 years old

Well, I survived another year! It's hard to believe that I am 37 now!
I'd like to think of myself as a fun, cool mom at 37
But, looking back... when my parents were 37 I was 17.
That could be me... can you imagine if my oldest was 17? NO WAY! Bill and I have been together since October of 1990 so it's very possible. WOW!
I'd be all grey instead of just half. HA HA!
Anyway, back to my birthday!
We had to leave the house early that morning Sat the 26th of April because the girls had indoor soccer games. We were home by 11:20am I think we just layed around most of the day and then we went to a nice dinner later that evening. Since there was so much snow from the record snowfall the day before we opted to stay in the valley and not deal with all the crazy people on the highway!
We ate at Evangelo's in Wasilla. I hadn't been there in years. I had pizza (sun dried tomatoes & feta with spinach), Hailey had ravioli, Sydney spaghetti, Bill I am not sure what it was called, but it had noodles, red sauce and I think maybe seafood. We ordered a few appetizers first. Salad came with the meal... we left SO FULLLL!!! And $100 later... My birthday dinner!
Yikes, I know! The food was good, but very expensive. The pizza was priced normal but everything else was high! I am sure it will be another few years before we go back!!
We did come home and have cake.... Bill got me a Blizzard Cake from DQ. It was very tasty! Cookies & Cream... YUM!
My present request was a set of wind chimes. You know since we have so much wind here in Palmer, what would be more perfect? I must say, Bill and the girls did a GREAT job picking out a set. I LOVE THEM! They are so ME! There is a really pretty glass green leaf on the top. And the weight that helps them "kong" is another glass leaf. It's hard to see in the picture. Bill did hang it before he left for work.... I will have to take another picure outside to capture the sunlight!
Sunday the 27th I got to celebrate with some friends. We met for lunch at Moose's Tooth. The original plan was Sushi at Dami but they didn't open until noon and we had plans to see a movie at 12:45pm The food was so good... I wish that place wasn't always so packed or we would eat there more often. We made it to the movie on time. Kim and Rachael couldn't see the movie with us, but Scottie and Brinda and I went. We saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Oh my hell, was that movie funny! I knew the story line but had no idea there would be a MAN nudity shots. And oh my hell, the WHOLE SHOT more than once. Brinda was disgusted and Scottie and I couldn't stop laughing. The movie was way better than I thought it would be. I saw the trailer online so I was afraid to see it since sometimes they show all the funny parts on the trailer.
After the movie Scottie and I went to the 5th Ave mall. I needed bras. No luck! I did find a few things at JCPenny though. It was a really fun day! I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends in my life!
Happy Birthday to ME!