OREO TRUFFLES

This is a recipe I found on www.allrecipes.com and it is so yummy and good. I would have a picture but they are all gone.

1 8 oz. bar cream cheese softened
36 oreos finely crushed in a blender or food processor (do not use double stuff because they will be too gooey.

Mix these ingredients together and form into 40 or so 1-inch balls. Freeze for a few hours.

Then you need
9 oreos finely crushed in a blender or food processor
2 2/3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips melted in the microwave or on the stove

Dip the cookie balls into the chocolate using 2 forks to allow the excess chocolate to drip down. Cool on wax paper. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the balls with the 9 crushed oreos.

Wii did it again!

In addition to all of the Lego Santa brought, we gave the kids a few more Wii games this year: Mario Kart, Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics and Sports Resort. Aunt Evelyn and Uncle David got us Guitar Hero World Tour and Lego Rock Band and Grandpa and Grandma Williams got us some new accessories.

You might think we would be tired of all of this by now, but NOOO! We are having a blast. We limit Wii time to about an hour a day (if at all) and this has made it a valuable reward. It is so fun and the kids work together on a lot of games. I am not good at all, but I like to play when I am home by myself.

We did not just play Wii last week though. We also had a Melvin L. Huber family reunion that I was in charge of. It was not a big deal, but we had a potluck and picnic at a nice park/preserve out in Gilbert. It was fun to see everyone, especially my cousin Heidi whom I have not seen in 10 years and all of my newest nieces and nephews.

This week I am working my usual 3 days and then we are off to Sierra Vista on Thursday for New Years with the Williams clan. Should be fun!

Hallelujah (Chorus that is...)

Matthew happened to mention the other day that his teacher knows the Hallelujah Chorus. When I asked him how he knew that he said "because when I start singing it, she sings with me." How great is it that Matthew feels comfortable singing in class and that his teacher feels comfortable singing with him.

On the singing note, we are halfway through the Boys Choir Christmas season and have completed 4 of 8 concerts. They sound beautiful and Matthew is having a great time. They sing some of my old favorites as well as a couple of new ones. It is really fun to travel around the valley and see other churches. Marissa and Andrew had their school concerts early in the month and they were enjoyable as well. Andrew earned a new moniker from his chorus teacher which Marissa has adopted - he is a "Funky Bass Brother."

My Cub Scouts did it again and made me proud. I got the idea to send my brother-in-law Brady a care package. He is serving in the Army in Afghanistan and will hopefully be coming home soon, but not before Christmas. In a little over a week's time they made over a dozen Christmas cards and snowflakes, and gathered over 30 pounds of snacks and treats for him and his unit.

I am feeling extremely grateful for my job and the children and families I serve. It is a privilege to work with them and I feel blessed by it daily. A new, sweet, 2 1/2 month old baby girl is my latest addition and I could not be more excited.

Life is good, the weather is cool and my heart is ready for Christmas.

Seventy-six trombones, 20,000 walkers, 3 cans of frosting and sprinkles

We have had a really busy month with Andrew in "The Music Man" for his high school in addition to Cub Scouts, stake musical rehearsal, Boys Choir, the JDRF Walk, school, work, and so on, but it has been good.

Andrew did really well as the bass in the barbershop quartet for the musical although it still throws me off to hear him sing so low after being a first soprano for so long. He finished off the Halloween weekend by going Christmas caroling with a couple of friends for Halloween.

The JDRF walk was fun. Susie and Emily, my sisters came as well as my nephew Jordan and our friends, Lynne and Taylor Turschmann. The kids got tons of free stuff and we raised some money for a good cause.

The stake musical is next week and Lee, Marissa and Matthew are all participating. I am excited to see it after hearing about it for a couple of months.

Marissa is going to spend a night at Outdoor Ed at Lake Pleasant this week. She is also busy revising her book which has been edited by two of my very good friends.

I went to Seth's class for a Fall Party on Friday and got sent to the cookie table. The kids definitely had more sprinkles and frosting than cookie. It was really fun.

Matthew is busily getting ready for Choir Christmas season. He is excited for their number "Twas the Night Before Christmas."

Lee and I are busy working and taxiing kids around to activities.

Life is still good.

Same old, same old

We are well into the school year and I am getting back into the routine of car pools, rehearsals, more rehearsals, scouts, Mutual, Activity Days, etc. It is good to be busy sometimes, but sometimes I just want to get off this merry go round for a few days. I look forward to Sundays because after we get home from church at noon, we have some time to just be together, read, play games, etc. No homework or TV on Sunday so that simplifies things even more.

I should not complain too much. I am truly blessed. Lately, it has been so fun to see my children learning new things and sharing their talents. It is amazing to me to see what they are able to accomplish. They are growing up to be fun, talented, happy, pleasant, mostly polite and good kids. Lee and I are not always sure where they came from.

I am really looking forward to General Conference this weekend (and it is not just because I get a break from Nursery.) It is so nice to just sit and listen to those inspired messages and get charged up for the next six months. I went to the Relief Society meeting last night and it was good.

I know that none of this may be profound or life-changing, but life is good and I am glad for it.

The Soprano Who Now Sings Bass

Well, Andrew tried out for "The Music Man" this week for the coveted role of the barbershop quartet (the School Board). I was on pins and needles all week and I can't imagine how Andrew was feeling. I knew he wanted the part badly, but I also know that he is a Freshman and that sometimes these parts go to deserving upperclassmen who have put in the time and effort into the drama department. We told him that any part would be fun and that we wanted him to do whatever they cast him for.
He tried out on Tuesday, and callbacks were on Thursday which he went to after school. He said that at the last callback there were eight guys trying out. I talked to the choir director and she said that Andrew had done "very, very well." The cast list was posted early Friday morning, so I had Andrew call me from school. He was so thrilled to tell me that he got the bass part. Even our other kids were excited.
Now, I hear from the older sister of one of the high school boys that everyone is talking about that "Andrew Reay kid who got the part in the musical." At least it is good gossip!
Okay, enough bragging! I am just really happy for him.

Back to School!

Although I know that I should be totally happy to have my children back in school - and part of me is, since I worked all summer and did not get to stay home and play with them - it is with a little bit of sadness that I sent my children back to school last Monday.

Andrew is now a Freshman at Sunrise Mountain High School. He missed the bus his first day to come home (not bad considering he has never ridden a bus to or from school in his life.) But, since then, it has been pretty smooth sailing. He likes his classes, which are Algebra 1, Intro to Engineering and English/World Humanities and Chorus. He tried out for the show choir singing both bass and soprano just to show off. Only 9 boys tried out so he thinks he has a good chance of getting in. He will be trying out for the school musical this week which is "The Music Man." I am so glad he is jumping right in.

Marissa is in 6th grade this year and her teacher is someone that Grandpa Huber hired for the district when he was principal at Peoria High School. Small world. She is also taking Algebra 1 at school (although she says she doesn't like math), and she is excited because her teacher is going to put a lot of focus on writing. She is in the school chorus and we are going to try and find a new piano teacher for her, since hers is going to college in a couple of weeks.

Matthew has a teacher who is new to the school this year but he says she is really nice. They are going to be making a flashlight at some point in the year and he is really excited about that. Boys choir will not start until September when their first gig will be singing the National Anthem at a Diamondbacks game. Too bad it is on Sunday so he can't stay to watch.

Seth has moved over to Copperwood with Matthew and Marissa this year since he tested in, but also because I did not want to leave him at Apache since Andrew is gone. He seems to like school, but by Friday he fell asleep sitting in our rocking chair after he got home from school. It makes for long days for some of these little ones. He is in second grade and is excited because there is another boy named Seth in his class.

Lee is still teaching in the gifted program at 3 schools for 6-8th graders. He is busy as ever, but seems to enjoy it. He is learning a new math curriculum which is taking a lot of time though.

I am busy with work and other projects like Cub Scouts. I still love my job. However, one thing I hate about this time of year is that I have nothing to look forward to in big holidays or vacations. This summer our older kids had some fun trips, but our wonderful week at the cabin and a weekend at a resort were all we had. I know it is more than some, but it is sad to be back to routine.