Jake's Baptism Day

Happy Birthday and Happy Baptism Day Jacob! We love you and wish we could have been with you to celebrate your wonderful day. You have grown up so much and we are so proud of you!

Welcome to Katie's Kandy Korner!

It's time to deliver a few yummy treats to our new friends and neighbors here in Illinois. This year we made toffee, carmels, turtles, pb cups and fudge! I had lots of helpers so the work was fun. Wish I could send some to all of you----Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday x2

Two of my favorite people had birthdays on Friday--James and Amelia! They share December 21st as their Happy day. I hope Amelia had fun, fun, fun at her woof, woof party--wish we could have been there. We had fun here celebrating with James. We had dinner at home--lasagna, cheese bread and a BIG salad--then we sent him on a treasure hunt for his favorite things (swedish fish, Cracklin Oat Bran, Levis, movies, a new atlas) and ended the hunt with tickets to see National Treasure. It was the first time we have ever seen our little theatre here packed--they sold too many tickets--but we had a great evening and enjoyed being together!

A Happy Meg

I felt bad that all my pictures of Meggie were sad ones, so I thought I would post this gem from Thanksgiving day! I think that is one of Grandma Jane's famous orange rolls. They bring a smile to many a face! Such a cute little lady!

Look what we woke up to!

This morning we woke up to sunshine, blue skies and THIS! The sun has been MIA for several days and we were happy to welcome it back. All the added sparkle of the newly fallen snow was a bonus! We are loving the weather changes here. It is such a novelty to all of us--though Max is AFRAID of the snow!

Here's a few GOOD girls!

aren't they the cutest! Love these ladies and their friends--making life in Mount Vernon fun!

A wonderful Christmas Party

We had a touching and sweet Christmas party in our ward on Friday night. I'm a little partial to the primary kids and they performed BRILLIANTLY! We acted out the nativity to Dolly Parton singing (loved it! You know I adore Dolly!though I didn't choose the song this time) a nativity song (actually very reverent--I know hard to believe) It reminded me of the "No room in the inn w/ Wallace Purling"story or even the "Best Christmas Pageant Ever"--sometimes the most simple things are the best. Thought I'd share some pics from the night. Enjoy!

A few more Thanksgiving memories!

I wanted to share a few more Thanksgiving pictures--for those of you who don't know these adorable kids--they are my sister Kelly's children--Jacob, Nicholas, Meg and Mariah. Meg and Mariah celebrated their third birthdays this weekend along with my very cute nephew Ethan (he turned 6). We had a fun dinner and lots of dessert and presents at Aunt Julie and Uncle Tom's house.

The girls love all things princess and were dressed up a lot of the weekend. Grandpa John bought them fancy princess shoes and Grandma Jane gave the best gift of the birthday in pink tutu skirts. When Mariah opened hers, she said "It is so bootiful!" and they were. The funniest expression was that they called Sleeping Beauty--"Sipping Booty"--we all had a chuckle. So much fun to spend time with the cousins!

Coming back home we found the animals well taken care of , our house safe and that Illinois is COLD in December. We jumped right into Christmas preparations and put up our tree. We also attended the "official start to the Christmas season"---yes--you guessed it--the downtown Mount Vernon Christmas parade! An exciting and unique experience to one and all. James and Eliza kept cozy and warm while we watched and I took lots of pictures!

Has it really been 20 days since my last blog? YES!

Well for those of you who are regular

"blog-checkers"--I must apologize! I can not believe how long it has been since my last post. It seems like life just went from slow motion to fast forward for me. I will try to do a quick catch-up---(if you are interested ??!??)

Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was so nice to come back to Las Vegas for a few days and reconnect with friends and family. It was a good break for all of us and helped us to get ready to face going back to school and work for a few weeks before Christmas break. It was great to see so many cousins and friends--enjoy some of our cute pictures!

Counting the Days!

Just a few more days until our trip to Las Vegas! Yeah--we are looking forward to seeing many of those we love and miss so much while we are there. Here is the quote for the week in honor of the coming week----
"Favorite people,
favorite places,
favorite memories
of the past.
These are the
joys of a lifetime,
these are the
things that last."

-- Henry Van Dyke


Love to all, Katie

My little Mollser is 16!!

Our sweet Mollie is now officially 16! At 1:03 a.m. 16 years ago on a chilly November morning, (after 3 DAYS of labor and 11 weeks of bedrest!!!), this wonderful, talented, beautiful girl came into our life. We have been blessed since the very first day. She is an amazing young woman and we love her very much!!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you--to everyone who participated in Mollie's birthday album. She was so touched and surprised--I may have even seen a tear or two. I told her that every person in that book would be there for her if she ever needed help. That book represents a mountain of LOVE and support (I also told her you would all buy front row tickets to her Broadway debut--so start saving your pennies!) You helped make a great day even more special! (And to those of you who haven't quite got your page done, get busy!)

We celebrated with lunch and a little shopping (spending money from Grandma Burdett!Thanks Grandma!) on Saturday in St. Louis. Last night Mollie's new friends from church came over for Pizza, "Meet the Robinsons" and games. They had a lot of fun!

Thanks again (and NO ONE is allowed to count my gray hair now that I have 2 kids over 16!) Love, Katie

Organizing Day & Thursday's Thought!

I've been working on my studio /office today. I love having things organized, appealing and ready to go--I feel like making something! Thought you might like a picture...





and here's the quote for the week


A ship in the harbor is safe
but that is not what it was built for.

This week someone asked my "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" Hmmmm----thoughtprovoking---Happy Sailing!

Halloween

We still love Halloween around here! We had a great 80's girl and a pretty fairy, who wanted to trick or treat, eat yummy food with friends and watch a "little bit" scary movie--Monster House! Very fun! We missed trick or treating at Grandma's house, though---

Fall Fun!!

Can you guess what those things are on James' head? We had a great time at a local farmers market and pumpkin patch when Em was here visiting. Fall is beautiful in the midwest--you really should give it a try! (James' antlers are SQUASH!)

Cherish Them!

• Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them. -Richard L. Evans
A good thought to remember with the holidays just around the corner! Love to all!

Thoughts for Thursday

Purposely capturing
Happy Moments
Expands Your Soul

What a Weekend!

I had a great uplifting couple of days. Totally got me energized and lifted my spirits--I went to Kansas City for a few days for a CKU convention and took some great classes from some exciting teachers and got lots of new products. I loved it! I have lots of ideas for gifts and projects for the coming months. Made me so happy! I love to scrapbook and keep memories--I love to feel creative. It was so nice to have an outlet. I even won a prize for some photography I took!
On Saturday, James and the girls picked me up at the train station and we drove to Champaign, Illinois for the BIG MICHIGAN vs. ILLINOIS game. So Fun! It was a night game--always a fun time-fireworks, jets, cheerleaders, bands--Our seats were marked as obstructed view--but they were amazing--five rows from the field and right on the horseshoe. We couldn't take cameras in (darn it) but it was a great night and we had a fun time. We cheered for Illinois, we cheered for Michigan, we cheered for the band and the cheerleaders! Michigan won a great game and Illinois played well--so we were happy. It was a fun weekend for me! Thanks James--You know just how to make me smile!

A Daily Small Treat

I love to read--probably not a big surprise to anyone who knows me--this summer I found this great website (www.paperbackswap.com) and am totally hooked. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has books that they want to swap. Makes me so happy to get mail--especially for free!!! Try it you'll like it!

What dessert are you?

Eliza sent me this link http://blogthings.com/whatdessertareyoumostlikequiz/ and the quiz answer made my night! Thought you might like to try it too--report back!!!

You Are Cheesecake

Rich, sweet, and simply perfect. You're not boring - you're just the best!

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

Happy Birthday to Andy & Cari!

Happy Birthday Weekend to Cari #26 and Andy #24---
my little brother and sister are all grown up! Hope you have fun and enjoy yourself! I have been organizing some old high school photos and found this one in the mix--I thought you might enjoy a little blast from the past! Love you, Katie

Thoughts for Thursday (yep-it's saturday)

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles

It empties today of its strength.

For all those fellow worrywarts out there!

Welcome Home!

Look what I got! Today I got a present. Did you know I like presents? Especially surprises! My sweet sister, Kelly Anne, sent me a housewarming gift. So very kind of her--especially today! So since Emily is coming to visit this weekend and since we are trying hard to make our home "homey"--I think I will make a batch of these to celebrate! Thanks for making my day Kelly! I loved it!

An Austen Fan

Who are you? Log in and let me know! Thanks Jamie for the link!

Thoughts for Thursday

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."
Rosalyn Carter

I have a great respect for the first ladies of America. They have a difficult job and must represent themselves and the USA under great scrutiny and media coverage. I have always thought Mrs. Carter was a poised, elegant woman who stood up and worked hard for those who are struggling in this world. I may not agree with all of the their policies, but I do admire this woman and her excellent work.

Thanksgiving Dinner Siting!

Yesterday I was working in the storage room in the basement and heard Max growling. He was pretty worked up, so I went to see what was up. On our backporch were FIVE HUGE TURKEYS! I really mean HUGE--they freaked me out a bit, okay a lot. I was jumping around and yelling, but nobody else was home to respond. (It's okay you can chuckle and smile at that visual! I know I am a freak!) They were seriously close to five feet tall, had these nasty, big red heads and lots of fat black feathers. Not attractive birds! I ran to get my camera (once I realized they weren't getting inside the house) but they were startled by my movement and ran away. Maybe next time. Ugh! will there be a next time??!!?? I guess I can provide the turkey for Thanksgiving, but I am not plucking it! Illinois wildlife--another great BONUS!?! of country life.

One of my FAVORITE things about this house is.....

...the windows that are all over the back of our house. Every morning, they let in lots of lovely sunshine that brighten my day. We finally have all the rooms we live in unpacked and now we are working on the basement storage and the garages. Yeah!

PROGRESS!!!!

I think!
(I hope!)