Norwex

This post is really random, but I can't help but think some of you might be interested. 
A few months ago my neighbor, Tai, told me about a home party she went to. She went just to be kind and didn't plan on buying anything. Until she saw what they were selling {cleaning products} and ended up buying quite a bit. She has raved about this stuff ever since. Tai decided to host her own party and I wasn't able to go, but she brought some samples by for me to try. 


The brand is Norwex and their goal is to reduce the use of chemicals in cleaning and personal care. Silver particles are woven into the microfiber clothes and on the website it states: 

• Single-celled micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses cannot survive or adapt in silver exposure
• Surface-to-surface cross-contamination is eliminated
• Rapidly drying cloths prevent bacteria growth in the cloth itself

These clothes require water only! Tai let me use a couple clothes to try out, I cleaned all my bathrooms (mirrors, counters and tubs -- not the toilets although they can prove that there is no cross-contamination) then boiled the rags (you boil them for 10 minutes to clean them) and then the next morning I did all the dusting. It was fantastic because without using any products I saved tons of time!! 


I'm making an order tomorrow (under Tai's party) if anyone is interested. I'm probably going to get: 

• Kitchen Set - couple rags and some scrubbers that I guess work wonders on the stove
• Floor rag  - I think it will fit on the mop that I have already
• Starter set - A couple rags and a polisher (which I used in all the bathrooms Friday)
• Dryer balls - eliminates the need for dryer sheets and softener. Also, I guess the clothes dry faster.
• Duster mit - I heard this is great for dusting shutters.  

Do you think I'm sold? Yep. 

It's all kind of expensive but seems worth it if you aren't buying as many cleaning products. They do also sell cleaning products for specific things like bed bugs and hard water stains:-). If you want anything call me by tomorrow and I can order it for you! 

Christmas Music

I took down my Halloween decorations early this year and I'm already thinking about Christmas! Would any of you like to swap Christmas music? I was thinking we could each burn 8 copies (one for each of us and parents) of our favorite Christmas music (album or mixed) and we could share at Thanksgiving time. Let me know what you all think! FYI... Kelsey calked Josh Groban and Lacey will be sharing with us all Justin Beiber Christmas!

While I was on the phone with Meagan the other day - we both mentioned that life felt a little hectic lately. We weren't exactly sure why. I haven't spent my time doing anything noteworthy, but life just feels busy. I prefer busy to bored, so I guess it's a good thing.

I've been filling in at work a little, we are involved with playgroup every week, ward and neighborhood activities, and a few house projects - a few of which I thought I'd share quickly. I'm just headed out the door to work.


Project #1: DIY Painted Curtains

This obviously isn't the finished product - it's only half of the product! I put a tutorial for this super easy and inexpensive project on my Mostly a Mommy blog. I can't wait to get Baby Boy's nursery completed! Once I get it done, I'll post pictures.

Project #2: Paint Chip Art

Another sneak peak, sorry that's all it is. I haven't made it down to take a picture of it in it's completed form. This is another super easy, super inexpensive project - and it turned out cute. It was easy. I punched out circles using a 1.5" inch punch. Glued them to paper, and stuck it in an Ikea frame. I made it for a little nook downstairs where we have a desk. It looks darling. I'll get it hung and take pictures soon.

Wish this was a little more exciting of a post. Hopefully I'll be posting about some other projects soon. I need to get motivated!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Here's a fun recipe I'm going to try for dinner on Monday night...I think it will be so fun for Halloween... you can find the recipe here:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/teris-dinner-in-a-pumpkin/detail.aspx

Mom Michelle's recommendations:

go easy on the spices.

buy a short/fat pumpkin so it will fit easily in your oven.

Hope your kids love it!

Craft Book

The woman who runs this website full of kids craft ideas is coming out with a new book all about crafts for kids.  I know it's due at Barnes and Noble and Walmart by November 2nd and of course in several places online. If you decide you don't need the book you can always check out their website, it's full of fun ideas! There is a chance that Spencer is going to be on some of the pages in the book, but I don't know for sure. My kids and their friends love to do crafts, so I'm excited to pick it up!

The play is coming up and it feels like our lives are consumed with Cameron and Les Mis! It is a lot of work...but we are loving it! Grandpa Rod picks Cam up most days from school and I don't know what I would do without him! Jay has spent endless hours helping build sets and even volunteered to bring dinner for the whole cast this Friday. Cameron seems to fits right in with the high school students and has loved being a part of the cast. Michael knows all the words to most of the songs, and sings and acts out Cameron's part daily. In Wal-Mart the other day, Savannah sang loudly a Gavroche song, including the "hell" part without hesitating! Here are a couple videos for your enjoyment...I wish I had one of Michael doing the dying scene...it is quite entertaining!

Boston

Hey everyone! Sorry I'm posting on Saturday, I got my days mixed up. One of those weeks I guess. Well Michael and I were able to head back east and visit my sister Linzi and her cute family as well as Derek and Mary. That's why I didn't post last week :). My parents and little sis Kennedi were able to meet us out there too. It was such a blast to have most of the family together and to be able to spend some quality time together. I've been itching to go to Boston for as long as I can remember. It is such a beautiful city with so much personality and history. I highly recommend going, especially in the Fall time when the leaves are changing. There is so much to do and so much to see! I don't want to bore you guys with the day by day itinerary of what we did so I'll just let our pictures tell the story.

Boston Public Library... it's gorgeous inside

Arriving in Salem MA

We went on a small tour and learned about the Salem Witch Trials... pretty interesting

We traveled up through New Hampshire and Maine this day

Great shot of the city

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Pretend it is still Thursday for my post!

I know this is a day late and shy of pictures, (I am not trying to steal your day nikki) but.... We have moved into our new house! We do not have the Internet (or tv) so I am not able to post pictures but I will next week.

We slept our first night here on Saturday and have been moving stuff in and around since. I unpacked my last box days ago and now I am starting to organize and hang decorations! It is so nice to have more space, but now that we are in I can't imagine how we fit all of our stuff into our tiny apartment. It is unreal. I am focusing on organizing my laundry room today and thanks to Courtney it will be pretty simple with the see through shoe box bins from Costco.

Life is good and Will has transitioned fine. We will be out and about and a few times william has said "mom let's go home"...( a few seconds later he adds) "to our new home".

Well that is it for us this week, other than Lexie is getting chunkier by the second! Next week I will include pictures of her and the house.

Paint Chips

I'm loving paint chip projects. See my post here for all the details!

Christmas gift exchange...

Meagan and I seem to be in charge of the Christmas gift exchange list every year. This year we thought it would be fun to mix it up and go by couples. We are doing it in order just in case next year we want to do couples again, and just rotate the list once...we'll see if everyone enjoys it this year! We also thought it would be fun to do the cousins this way to so here you go...

Kelsey & Lex buy for Michael & Nikki
Michael & Nikki- Darin & Courtney
Darin & Courtney- Kenny & Lacey
Kenny & Lacey- Meagan & Scott
Meagan & Scott- Krista & Jay
Krista & Jay- Michelle & Devin
Michelle & Devin- Kelsey & Lex

Lexi-Annabel
Annabel-Gracie
Gracie-Linley
Linley-Will
Will-Eliza
Eliza-Sadie
Sadie-Savannah
Savannah-Spencer
Spencer-Breckon
Breckon-Michael
Michael-Ashley
Ashley-Cameron
Cameron-Allison
Allison-new baby Orton
new baby Orton-Merrick
Merrick-Lexi

Please let me know if I missed someone, and please don't be offended, it's late- I'm tired & sick- and this was tough to organize! Hope this looks good to everyone...love you all!
Lacey

Smoothies

We love a good smoothie around here and when I learned I can put spinach in the mix without anyone caring I really started liking them. We've been having about one a day lately and I'm always trying to get creative with the mix. However, I think this combo is our favorite:

Strawberries (I always have a large bag of frozen strawberries from Sam's or Costco on hand)
Blueberries (also a big frozen bag)
Banana
Sandwich size bag of spinach
Plain Greek Yogurt (although having any type of yogurt helps a lot!)
Flax Seed (just started using a couple tablespoons of this for added nutrition)
Milk

I often buy the organic spinach from Costco or Sam's, wash, then divide it into 6 or 7 ziplock bags. I freeze them and then just pull out a bag each time I make a smoothie. Also, if  I don't have time to let the fruit thaw for a few minutes in the blender before I mix, then I warm up the milk in the microwave before I pour it on. If you have a fancy blender then you probably don't have to worry about warming the milk, it just makes it easier to blend everything. Almost any kind of fruit will work. I think the only thing we didn't like was grapes, strange after taste.

You'll have to start experimenting and let us in on some good combinations.

On another note, I've been loving driving around and seeing all the leaves changing. I took some pictures to share --- one of them is at the cemetery in Logan and the others are the view from our back porch today (I just have to pretend like the wires aren't there:-). Happy day!

Every year we have a pumpkin carving party with our friends and neighbors. It has been such a fun tradition! My one complaint is that our kids don't really seem to get involved much with the carving. Last year I found a more kid friendly idea and the kids loved making the pumpkin bats! Here is that idea along with some other ideas I have found. What are some of your Halloween traditions?

An easy Halloween Treat ...

We got "Booed" this week. Do any of your neighborhoods do that? Someone leaves a treat and a note on your door, and you pass along a treat and the note to another neighbor within 24 hours. We'd been out of town, so I knew my time was ticking - I was taking dinner to a neighbor already - and I needed to come up with something quick.

I bought a few bags of candy ...

Candy Corns

Candy Pumpkins

Orange and Black Sugar Drops

Peanuts

Sour Bats

Reese's Pieces

... mixed it all together. Put the mix into an inexpensive jar from Ikea. Printed off this free download onto sticker paper, added some ribbon, and voila!

The mix is actually quite yummy. I love the salt with the sweet. Fun to even just have in a bowl for the holidays.

Halloween

We are in full Halloween mode at our house right now! Lacey got me started with the wreath and the BOO sign and then I got so excited when I saw the ghosts and Halloween banner at Courtney's that I had to make my own. I borrowed some hay from a neighbor and we have more pumpkins on our porch now than we did in this picture. I'm feeling pretty festive:-).

It seems like we've been running around non-stop for weeks now. Scott's grandpa passed away last week and the funeral was last Thursday. Just after that we headed to Idaho for a baptism. Sunday we got to relax a little until of course we went to church, which is not exactly relaxing. Nursery takes it all out of me, but I love it!

Today I spent most of the day canning (yes, seriously!) applesauce. I've never done or seen anything like that operation --- I did it with three friends and we did 8 boxes of apples. It was interesting and fun but I'm not sure I'm going out to buy all the equipment just yet.

The weather was cold and rainy last week but it looks like its going to be much better this week. I'm especially excited because 1.) The kids won't be stuck inside all day, 2.) We are inheriting a swing set for the backyard that should be coming over the next few days and 3.) I got my bike fixed up and I've got to get riding!

I am in the middle of a few invite/announcements/birthday invites. I'm having fun but I'm pretty sure I should take a professional Photoshop class. Maybe one day?! Speaking of, if anyone is already thinking about Christmas cards I found some darling cards here. If you have Photoshop on your computer you can purchase, download, and then add the picture and edit the text. Or, if you don't have Photoshop I could help you. It's inexpensive and easy!

Have a great week! I'm off, I have a 6 a.m. bike ride I've got to gear up for.

It was such a treat to receive Nikki's package in the mail & I have loved hearing about all of your favorite things...such a fun idea!

Nikki's Favorite Things

-People Style Watch: I have to admit, I enjoy gossip magazines but this one is my favorite because it keeps me updated on new styles and fashion trends. (Hope this helps me out a little...because I feel clueless in this area lately!)

-Baby Mama: I love movies! This one is one of my absolute favorites!

-Adele: I'm loving her new album. She has an amazing voice! (Another area I feel completely removed from is music...love her voice as well and it has been great to have new music to replace scripture scouts in my car!)

-Farkle: Norton Family Favorite.

-Starburst: I'm normally a chocolate lover but didn't want it to melt so your stuck with my second favorite.

-Trident: Michael got me hooked on this gum. We don't chew anything else.

-Mascara: I've been using this kind for so long, it's the best!

-Wet Ones: I always have some sort of wipe or napkin in my car.

-Peachy-Peach car freshener: Yummy!

Thank you Nikki...I have loved all of your favorites!

Michelle's Favorite Things

I was so excited to come home from work tonight and have a fun package of Michelle's favorite things waiting for me. I can't wait to use everything! 

Lavender: Use a few drops in the bathtub. So relaxing!

Eucalyptus: Michelle's favorite thing about Avanyu Spa was their eucalyptus steam room. Just put a few drops of the oil in the corner of your shower...it's amazing!

Apricot Oil: Great to use after a shower on dry hair to condition. Also around the eyes.

Emergen-C: Michelle said it tastes awful but it works great if you need a quick "pick me up".

Burt's Bees Lip Balm: Michelle can't go to sleep without it.

Thanks so much Michelle...so excited to try everything! The lavender is going on our pillows tonight :)

Krista's Favorite Things

I got spoiled from Krista's favorite things. She said it was hard to come up with her favorite things that I didn't know about already but I think she did a really good job! I loved it all!

A few of my (Krista's) favorite things...

Highlights High Five magazine... always look forward to reading with my kids and doing the fun activities.

V8 Fusion... Peach Mango is our families favorite... and it's made with fruit and vegetable juice.

Arm & Hammer natural deoderant... call me crazy, but it's my very favorite. And made with all natural ingredients.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies... one of our favorites, and so easy to make (the recipe is on the blog).

Werther's original candy... reminds me of Judd's store in 6th grade.

Favorite kids music... a compilation of some of our favorites... I'm sure you'll recognize and be able to sing a long to most of them!

Les Miserable soundtrack...it's the music in my head constantly lately, I have always loved the story, meaning and especially the music but now it means even more to me!

Breadsticks and cheese... not the healthiest food choice... but delicious!

Small baby doll... great size for a purse or diaper bag!

Clothes, blankets, and toy for Lexie... if she ever arrives, I know she will be on the top of my favorites list!

And finally, my sisters! So grateful for you, my sisters will forever be my very favorite!

Thank you Krista so much for all of these fun things! I am glad to report I love and have used every single thing!

Recipes

Nikki's post the other week about cooking got me thinking about meals. I'm probably the worst person to talk to on this subject, because at our house we end up eating out more than we eat at home - but with that said - I do enjoy cooking. It's not the cooking part that gets me down - it's the grocery shopping and deciding what to make that makes me want to scream sometimes.

I end up making the same few meals over and over. One because I know they're good, and two because I usually can't think of anything else. I've been trying to expand a little. Chicken is kind of a touch and go thing with me, so I've been using rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken on my own. I add it to things, and we eat it on it's own. Pick up a caesar salad from Costco while you're there, and voila an easy dinner. I know this is nothing new, I'm guessing you probably already do this. Click here for a Rotisserie Chicken ideas.

One thing I did this week when I put this dinner together was make homemade breadsticks. I tried a recipe that requires no rise time. They were so yummy fresh out of the oven.

Homemade Breadsticks

1 Tablespoon yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water


Add 2 cups flour.


Mix in your bosch it will be pasty/sticky. Then add 1 1/2 cup more flour and mix/knead in mixer. Take out sit for 10 minutes. Melt 1/2 cube butter on cookie sheet in oven @375 degrees. Roll out and strip dip in butter twist and put on cookie sheet sprinkle parmesean cheese, garlic. Bake for 15 minutes.

I also thought I'd include some of my favorite meals, in the hope you'll share some of yours. It's always nice to have tried and tested recipes on the front of the brain.

Crouton Chicken with Honey Mustard Dip
I'm not usually a fan of honey mustard, but these are so easy and so good. I love serving them with a baked potato and a vegetable.

Crouton Chicken 

Chicken breasts cut into strips/pieces

Croutons

1 - 2 eggs

Cut chicken breast in like 3 or 4 pieces, and then pound out with a meat tenderizer. Put about 1/2 box of croutons (our favorite kind is Ms. Cubbison's Restaurant Style) into a bag and smash to be crumbs. (You can use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin). And then put the crumbs in a bowl. Beat the egg in a bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg first, and then the crouton crumbs. Grease a cookie sheet and lay chicken on it. Bake at 350. Serve with honey mustard dip and cheesy mashed potatoes.

Honey Mustard Dip

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

Big squirt of Mustard

Big squirt of Honey

Stir up to be smooth.

French Onion Pork Chops
My mom made this for me right after Linley was born, and it's tasted good ever since. I don't have the exact recipe. I usually just throw everything in, so here goes.


4 pork chops
1 cup milk
1 cup rice
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup


Season pork chops with salt and pepper, brown in a skillet. Combine milk and Cream of Chicken Soup and pour over rice in casserole dish. Place pork chops in pan. Sprinkle Lipton Onion Soup mix over top. Bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven.


Spaghetti Bake
I'm sure there is an actual recipe somewhere, but I just throw everything in and it turns out.


1 package of spaghetti (can substitute other noodles)
1 package of cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese. Cook noodles and put in pan, pour cheese mixture over noodles. Pour spaghetti sauce over noodles and cheese mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Quantity Measure Item

Sweet and Sour Chicken
I made this for the first time on Sunday, and it was really good. My mom got the recipe from a friend and it's been a hit.


4-8 chicken tenders
1 egg beaten


Dip in egg, and roll in cornstarch. Brown in a skillet with a little oil.


Make sauce and pour over chicken.


3/4 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons Ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt


Bake @325 for an hour.