toofless

my baby is growing up...

shake it, don't break it!

i have so much to share but i'll start with a lil bootie shake. we have all had so much fun with the just dance wii game...the kids opened it christmas eve. elliott has been wanting me to teach him how to dance and when i dance around the house he just laughs, i don't know why he doesn't take me seriously...HA! i'll tell ya a little secret...he is wanting to get ready for the valentine dance that the jr. high has each year...**WINK WINK** 



below are a couple more....from christmas day. it was really loud and crazy at our house but we had a ball..if britney and michael could have been here, it would have been perfect! i have to share or hayden might kill me, the reason he is wearing the oversized tank top is because he was washing all his laundry so he went in to paul's closet and got one of his yard shirts.....now that that is all cleared up....enjoy the show!!!

school christmas parties

we were so glad that max and vivi's parties were at different times that way we didn't have to miss any of them.  they had a ball!  vivi was so excited because she got to drink her FIRST coke/soda.  of course i had to video it. :-).  thank you,  mrs. whitaker and mrs. christenberry for a wonderful party and first semester.  you ladies are the BEST!

max wants to learn to play the piano, we may start  lessons after the first of the year but until then big brother can teach him a thing or two :-)

candy-cane marshmallows

this year we gave homemade candy-cane marshmallows for teacher/facility gifts. it was a lot of fun but i warn you it makes a huge mess.  we doubled the recipe two different times....by the second night, we were pros.  it was a family effort....max and viv went to bed before they were finished, tate watched the candy thermometer,  and elliott was the official taste tester. as messy as it was, we will do it again, no doubt, but maybe not until next christmas....LOL. 

***important notice***

be sure and wrap something around the mixer while mixing or else you will be cleaning marshmallows off everything for days!  we know this from experience....last christmas!  we used one of paul's old (but clean..hehehe) dress shirts.

CANDY-CANE MARSHMALLOWS

Ingredients

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring

Directions

1. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray, and set pan aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high; cook until mixture registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in extract; set aside.
3. Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Whisk gelatin mixture into sugar mixture; with mixer running, gradually add to egg whites. Mix on high speed until very thick, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Pour mixture into lined pan. Working quickly, drop dots of red food coloring across surface of marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl food coloring into marshmallow to create a marbleized effect. Let marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into squares.

adoption : a former orphan's perspective

my friend tish sent me this video this morning, it touched my heart in such a great way that i wanted to share it with you......thank you tish!

xiaoyun was adopted in april, just days before she would have turned 14 and would be no longer been eligible for adoption.   she speaks out for orphans and their need for a family.

if you are considering adoption, please don't let older child adoption scare you. yes, you will experience challenges but there are challenges with any adoption at any age, and it's not just adopted children, there are challenges with biological children, raising a child is full of challenges, life is full of challenges...but God is bigger than any challenge that might come our way.  i can not and do not want to imagine my life without our older adopted children, viv was about to turn 5 and tate and elliott were 13 when we adopted them and they are a PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD...all 7 of our children are a PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD! they make our lives rich and they make it full....i give God the honor, the glory and the praise for my life and for His children that He has entrusted us with.   there are so many kids that will soon be aging out....the need is SO GREAT! if you feel God is calling you to adopt, PLEASE, open your heart and consider adopting an older child. it is amazing to see how God transforms their lives and turns their heart toward His. get ready to be BLESSED!!!!

(please scroll down to the bottom of the page and turn off my music)

our christmas belle and beau

 i wish i has taken a before picture....before vivi's dress was vivi's dress, it was a vintage maxi skirt that i bought for 50 cents at a thrift store. the materal is a wonderful 70's double knit. when it's not real cold she wears knee socks with it because she is NOT a fan of tights. she is me made, over when i was seven.

OH, and today i was fixing her hair for school and i put it in a very cute loose ponytail....she was NOT happy with it at all....she said, i can't wear this....it looks like a princess.  LOL!!! for goodness sakes, we can't look like a princess HA HA HA!  i re-fixed her hair in a non-princess do.

and here is our little beau in his little bow.

frosty the refrigerator and our four little elves.

no i didn't!

every december the kindergarten classes at our school go to the north pole of texas.  a permission slip was sent home to sign and send back.  i signed it and sent it back....that afternoon when i picked max up, his teacher let me know how excited she was that HAYDEN (our 23 year old son) was going.  i was so confused until she told me what i did.  OH MY GOSH!!!  i call my kids by the wrong name all the time but i'm happy to say that this is a first.....but i can't guarantee it will be the last....LOL. 

max wrote dad where the parent signs before paul even knew about the field trip....no pressure...LOL...paul worked his day around so he could be there. it was a COLD but fun day.

max and santa

viv's christmas project

where oh where do i begin....i am so far behind on my blog, i'll just jump in and begin to post, i have a lot coming and some from a while back.

in viv's class her teacher gave them an optional project, it was to make a christmas mobile to decorate their classroom.  well, optional was out of the question, if you know vivi at all then you know PROJECT is her middle name...she was all over it!  

(click on photos to enlarge)