Our Whirlwind Life

Whew! What a month. I can't believe December is just about over with already. It has flown by for the Mighty Murray clan. Not that December is crazy enough with work parties, and family parties, and church parties etc. We decided kind of last minute (in my book) to add moving into the equation!

Here's the scoop, we haven't sold our old house, but we didn't want to lose the new house either, so the builder wanted us to close by Dec. 20th. I figured, we would close on the 20th, get Christmas over with and then move at a nice leisurely pace. WRONG! Richard said we were having communication issues because he never thought that at all. So, interest rates were rising, the kids wanted to do Christmas at the new house etc. etc. etc. So we closed on the 14th, the builders gave us the keys that day, after Maddie's FINAL dance recital, the work horses (aka Lynn and Jerrie) came and emptied all 5 of our clothes closets, and the moving began. By about 5:00 pm on the 15th, we were in, mostly unpacked, furniture delivered, Directv hooked up (priorities) and we were eating take out Chili's with the Olsen's.

Sunday, Erin and her kids arrived, Tuesday, Jess and her family arrived, and Tuesday night the partying began. We had lots of sleep overs and play dates, and of course lots of eating. Richard began to panic because it was such an unproductive week. But the kids had so much fun playing with all of their cousins....especially ice skating!

We ventured to the new ward on Sunday, and after choosing the wrong building (there are only 12 within 2 blocks) we finally found our new ward and it seems really great! We're excited to meet some fun new people.

We are LOVING our new house. It was so nice to have Christmas come, and not be totally stressed out on all of the loot the kids acquired. We actually had closet space for all new toys! Hallelujah! Richard came home giddy on Friday, he left work at 5:00, and made it home in 20 minutes, which means he shaved about 40 minutes off his rush-hour commute.

We're having a bit of static issue. We brace ourselves anytime we touch anything, especially a light switch, or kiss someone. The couch is an instant bad hair moment, as you can see.

The kids had a nice Christmas, Maddie got her karaoke machine (and we are all about done with Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus). Sam got the Death Star that transforms into Darth Vader (after about 4 hours of Dad working furiously on it). Brinley got an aqua doodle, and a stocking filled with kisses and peanut butter cups. She's my girl, give her chocolate and she is happy for hours!

Sam looks thrilled here. Richard thought he was going to teach Sam how to transform this lovely toy. After hour 3 (or 15 minutes really) he realized this will have to be Dad's job. It's even above Mom's paygrade.

Sorry for the marathon post, but I did have a whole month to catch up on.

Oh I almost forgot, Santa brought a stocking full of baby supplies to our house this year, which as Sam puts it, "I guess Mom is having a baby or something." So yes, we are adding baby #4 (AHHHH) in July. Sam's pulling for a boy because he is tired of being girl trapped ALL of the time. We're excited and as crazy as it is, the timing has been nice, I have been so exhausted by 10:30 every night, I don't bother staying awake worrying about 2 house payments or anything like that.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and that Santa brought all that was wanted. I hope this New Year is full of great joy, love, and happiness. On my calander for December the quote was "To be content with what we posses is the greatest and most secure of riches." In 2008, my goal is to be content with all the many blessings we have....especially my wonderful family.

Richard in Rare Form

So, as you may all know, Richard is a little particular about his hair. VERY rarely does he leave the house without it being combed, even if he is wearing a hat. The kids know that they don't touch his hair until we are in for the night, so when he let Brin and Maddie "do" his hair so pretty, we had to document it.

Doesn't he look pretty with all the bows!

FINALLY Thanksgiving Pictures

The kids had a lot of fun painting by numbers and playing bingo. Thanks Mom and Dad for a great day. It was wonderful!

So I don't know what the deal is, but I can only download one picture at a time, so if you have hints, or if you know what I am doing wrong, let me know. Anyways, here are our fun pictures of the Wii boxing on Thanksgiving.

Nana doing what she does best...cleaning

Thanksgiving Festivities (finally)

The boys wanted to be a little rustic this year.

Let the games begin.

Something is goofy. I have so many cute pictures I want to post, but I'm having to do it one by one, and every other download, I get an error message, so, I'll try to get more on tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. We went to my Mom and Dad's house. Heidi and her family, my Grandpa Hurst, and Dianne and Dale (aunt and uncle) were all there for dinner. My mom brined the turkey this year and it was spectacular. It made delicious gravy! Everything was so good, Dianne's yams and jello (yum) and of course Heidi's rolls were to die for.

We had a great visit with everyone, and then we broke out the Wii! As for the Murray's, we really love the Wii because all of us are at different gaming abilities and we can play together. Maddie smokes us all in bowling. So if Santa is thinking of bringing one to your house---for sure do it!

Off the soap box, Olsen's brought their Dance Revolution and we all had a good dancing party, and then the boxing matches began. Everyone gave it a shot, and I think had fun (even if a few sholders and backs are dislocated now). We were glad Erin, Todd, and Bailey were able to join the festivites. We wish the rest of the family could have been there. I have some great pictures but it's not allowing me to download them at the moment. I'll try again later.

Buttermints Part 2

So, if you are considering trying the buttermints, you must! They really are delicious. Everyone loved them. All week long Brinley has been asking for them. She'll be playing and say "I need another mint." She'll stop playing and go to the kitchen and eat, oh I don't know, 9, 10, maybe 15 mints at a time. I think she has had just mints for breakfast at least 3 times this week. So give them a try and let me know what you think!

Buttermints

This time of year, my mom, sisters, and I all get the bug to start making candy. Sometime during the season we try to get together for a day and make some. For a few years, we tried to kid ourselves into thinking we were great chefs and could make anything, including buttermints. After SEVERAL failed attempts, and pounds and pounds of wasted sugar, we have given up on making buttermints, much to our disappointment.

Today I was looking through a magazine that I keep getting for some reason, "Wonder Time" (I know I didn't order the magazine), and they had a recipe for buttermints that seemed really easy. You didn't have to boil the sugar for the right amount of time, or worry about the sugar turning to crystals. You didn't have to try to pull the dough while it was boiling hot and get blisters on your hands (Erin). So I gave it a try, and it was really easy and they turned out really well. I made the whole batch in about 1/2 hour. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Here is the recipe.


Buttermints
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
1 tlb plus 2 tsp. ice water
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. peppermint oil or 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
Green, red blue and yellow food coloring

In a large bowl, cut butter into sugar with two knives or your fingers. Add 1 tlb ice water, salt, and peppermint oil, and toss with a fork. Press mixture into a ball; if it seems crumbly; add more ice water, 1 tsp. at a time, until dough presses together easily. Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead until it's smooth and satiny, 3-4 minutes. Quarter dough, tint each quarter a different color (use sparingly; paler colors are prettier). You also could leave a quarter white. Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls and flatten them slightly with your palm (keeping remaining dough covered with plastic wrap as you work so it doesn't dry out). They need to set for 2-3 hours, uncovered, at room temperature. Then move them to a covered container in a cool place (where they should ripen for 2 days to improve flavor and make them easier to handle) before being eaten. They will keep at room temperature for 2 weeks and in the fridge for a month.

Back on Track

Today was a great day. Maddie and Sam got to go back to school. I have decided I will be sad if we ever have to go back to the traditional school schedule. Every break we have is just long enough. Just when we are getting bored and lazy, it's time to start back up again, or just when we are tired of the schedule and the routine, it is time for a break! I love year round. I don't know how anyone can home school. As much as I love having my kids home, they need a break from me and each other as much as I need a break from them!

My cousin Natalie asked for an update on the house so here we go. Last Monday we listed with a new agent, and Monday night we had a scheduled showing (they rescheduled because it got too dark---derrr). We had a couple of other showings, and on Saturday a couple came out and liked the house, walked through on Sunday, and we got an offer today. YEA!! It was a low offer with a lot of concessions, so we countered, so now we are just waiting for their reply. We're keeping our fingers crossed! If everything works out we will be closing on or before Dec. 10! The thought of having room to set up Christmas is exciting! I'll keep you posted, and maybe one day I'll remember to take my camera when we go look at the new house so I can post it.

We Love Foam Peanuts

Today I got a package in the mail that had foam peanuts. Before I knew it, the kids had made it "snow" in the hallway. I told them to start picking them up. They soon discovered that the fastest way to pick them up was to roll down the hallway! I must admit it was pretty effective. I'm not sure what to do with them now that they are stuck to them!

I think it is time they go back on track! Hooray for Monday!

We Love To Read

Brinley loves to look at books. The other night she disappeared for awhile, and I couldn't figure out where she was. This is how I found her. She was so proud of herself for reading all of those books. I was so proud of her too

Raking the Leaves

Sam was a big help on Saturday. He raked all of the leaves in the front yard. Richard had the blower out and it would have been much easier for him, but Sam had a blast. I thought he looked so cute in his CRAZY outfit, I couldn't resist.

Happy Birthday Brinley--Part 2

One last party in the crowded family room!