Snow-Bowl

Dear friends, 

no matter how we find them, 

are as essential to our lives 

as breathing-in and breathing-out.

Left to Right: 

Brandon, Brandon, Tyler, Matthew

Today the boys played football in the snow.  Duly named the Snow-Bowl, there couldn't have been a more happy team of players in the whole world.  It was as much fun for me to watch as it was for them to play!

Full Circle Quilts

The Noffze boys had a special summer project that came to fruition on Christmas morning. It took, ‘like forever’ in the words of Tyler, but I think it was all worth it!

Brandon and Tyler both picked out their own fabrics this summer and designed their own quilt. I dutifully cut out their pattern and sewed the tops together soon there after.

Next, I found a local quilt artisan that digitized their names and quilted their quilts with each boy’s special name. She also quilted a hidden surprise in each quilt signifying each boy’s personality. Can you guess what she quilted?
A pie, for Brandon of course, and an art-set for Tyler! How fun was that!




Well I finished binding them while the kids were at school just before Christmas and was able to finish them just in time!

They were beyond thrilled that their new quilts were done and that THEY designed them!


A heart warming full-circle gift that will keep them warm for years to come!

School Pictures

Thank you B Smith for the idea of putting the kiddo's pix on the net!

These are just for show and tell...

I ordered only the bare minimum of these this year to have for the scrapbook and we are planning on having professional pictures done of the boys in the near future. As you can tell, these turned out really well. (Hugh?)

Of course, EVERY official school picture has to go into the scrapbook or there wouldn't be anything to blackmail them with when they turn teenagers! :) Say Cheese!

Sunday School Program 2007

The kids were just darling this year in their Sunday School program.
Tyler and Brandon both had a speaking part in 'The A B C Nativity'.
It was SO cute and they did such a good job of rounding-up the parents attention and directing it to the manger! 

Thank you for warm FEET!

A HUGE  THANK YOU goes out to Great-Grandma Ivy in North Ft Meyers, FL for our new SLIPPERS!  It is terribly cold in Minnesota....mostly below ZERO this week and our new slippers are a GREAT-help!  It's been like...forever since we had slippers!  (did ya get the punny? .....great-grandma......great-help....ha ha! :)

Thank you Great-ly, LOVE Ty and Brandon

Best Ever Cookies

Ahhhh,  Abby YOU Caught IT! Go Abby, Go Abby!

Today I get an email from one of my dear friends and it reads:

Michelle, I got your Christmas card.  Thank you.  I’m making those Best Ever Cookies this weekend.  They sound delicious.   Is it supposed to be 1/3 tsp Baking Soda?    Abby

This is how the recipe is printed in the Christmas Card:

3/4 C Butter Flavor Crisco
1-1/4 C Brown Sugar
2 Tbs Milk
1 Tbs Vanilla
1 Egg
1-3/4 C Flour
1tsp Salt
3/3 tsp Baking Soda
1 C White Chocolate Chips
1 C Chopped Macadamia NutsMix wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients slowly. Bake @375 for 6-7 minutes remove from oven and leave on hot pan/stone for 2 more minutes. Remove from pan and Enjoy!

OK, this is a WAY BAD attempt at DRY humor.  the 3/3 tsp Baking Soda is supposed to be 1tsp.

Get it yet? 1tsp....... 3/3 tsp........reduce the fraction......ahhhhhhh ha ha....are you smarter than a 5th grader?

OK, it's BAD, SO BAD!

:) Merry Christmas Everyone~  Enjoy the Cookies, they really are the Best Ever!

Webkins

Our family now has two new virtual members...Webkins!
...I'm SO out of the loop!"


Tyler received two Webkins for his birthday and the boys have been fascinated with this virtual pet. They feed it, play games with it, take it to school, and have blast! Today we had a 'late-start' day at school and the boys were trying to figure out how to hook-up with other Webkin owners they know. Too Cute!

In HIS time...

4:30am
Crying and sniffles...
Brandon enters the room...

Brandon, "Tyler had a nightmare."
Mom, "Send him in."
Brandon, "Ok, goodnight."

Tyler enters crying...

Mom, "What was your dream about Tyler?"
Tyler sniffling, "I don't want to tell you, it's too embarrassing."
Mom, "I can't help unless I know what it is."
Tyler, "um.....Scary monster socks with giant teeth were chasing me."
Mom, "Socks?"
Tyler still sniffling, "I told you it was embarrassing!"
Mom, "What should we do about it?"
Tyler, "I don't know, it was SOCKS!"
Mom, "How about you pray to God to take away the fear in your heart and help you fall back asleep."
Tyler, "ok"

Tyler returns back into his bed and makes his brother get out of bed to shut off the light...

The next morning...

Mom, "Tyler, how did your night go?"
Tyler, "It was ok after I talked to God, but He didn't work right away."
Mom, "oh?"
Tyler, "Yeah, it took like a whole hour for Him to take away the socks."
Mom - stifling a belly laugh, "Maybe God just wanted to chat with you a while before He let you go back to sleep."
Tyler, "Yeah, that could be it, but I sure wish He would HURRY next time!"

Tyler turns 8!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Snowflake Fact:

an excerpt from my favorite winter book, The little book of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht:

Snowflakes form complex shapes because ice crystal growth is extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity.  Simply moving from place to place within a cloud is sufficient to produce a near-infinite variety of different snowflake patterns.

God's little Picasso's, no bigger than the head of an eraser.

Got Snow?

Got Snow?
We do!  We have had four snow falls, one car stuck, two snow blowing events and even an ice storm!  Way fun!

Both inside and out, snow abounds at our house in Rochester, MN.

The boys were inspired by the latest snowfalls...

...and decided to decorate with paper snowflakes INside.

It's absolutely breath taking when the light from the lamps shines through the snowflakes and makes a 'wall of wonder' to gaze at.  Winter is definitely my Favorite time of year!

GREAT TIPS:

GREAT TIPS:

1. Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set
heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No
soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

2. EASY DEVILED EGGS
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal , mash till they are all
broken up. Add remainder of ingredients , reseal , keep mashing it up
mixing thoroughly , cut the tip of the baggy , squeeze mixture into egg.
Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

3. EXPANDING FROSTING
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with
your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to
frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less
sugar and calories per serving.

4. REHEATING REFRIGERATED BREAD
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place
them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will
keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

5. NEWSPAPER WEEDS AWAY
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet
newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover
with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening
plastic they will not get through wet newspapers..

6. Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass
you can't see easily.

7. No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with
cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the
squirrels won't come near it.

9. Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an
empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can
be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

10. REDUCING STATIC CLING
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have
a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when
wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! --
static is gone.

11. MEASURING CUPS
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot
water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your
ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes
right out.

12. Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the
glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser!
Works better than a cloth!

13. REOPENING ENVELOPE
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include
something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for
an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily

14. CONDITIONER
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than
shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great
way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried
it in your hair...

15. GOODBYE FRUIT FLIES
To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2" with
Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix
well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

16. Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take
it "home", can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so,
especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about
pets or small children being harmed!

17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things
around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something
and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean.
(I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told
us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to
the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh
material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like.

WELL...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through
it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh
that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but
it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft
and static free - that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel
waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on
your clothes and on your lint screen This is also what causes dryer
units to catch fire and potentially burn your house down with it! He
said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time
(and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and
wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at
least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least
twice as long!
How about that !?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't
know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!

I've been Tagged!

I've been tagged by D. Schiefer
6 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME...HERE WE GO...



CLOROX bleach, is there a greater smell in all the world? When I walk in my house and smell Clorox lemon scent I just FEEL clean! It's like walking though an apple orchard on a spring day with the blossoms falling like white pettily rain all around you!


I dream and dream....someday I would LOVE to go on an Alaskan whale watching cruise! Ice, the largest mammals in the world, my family around me and the beauty of Alaska as the back drop.....wanna go with me? :)


Anne Mccafrey wrote the first books I ever LOVED. I've read each one at least once. Sci-fi twists and turns with fantasy and drama mixed in for a good plot. (not for children) LOVE IT!


I can twirl a rifle and I 'used ta could' flip it in the air and behind my back. (Indiana vernacular for those family members who know what 'used ta could' means :)
I still have a long baseball bat complete with twirling tape wrapped around it in our attic from Middle School. Hmmmm, perhaps I should get it out and show the young'ns a few tricks!

My niece asked me this past week why I love snowflakes SO much...I explained to her that each snowflake is unique and different from every other snowflake. To me it's like they are God's little Picasso's falling in mass number and blanketing the earth in art and beauty. If you ever take a look at one closely, or better yet under a microscope, you see just how complex and beautiful they really are..... inexplicably intricate works of Glorious art!

Lastly, I'm a hot tub convert. When we moved into our house and found that it came with a hot tub in the back yard, I was less than thrilled. I now, however, feel differently. Each night, after my little children are in bed, the dishes are done,  I sneak to the hot-tub to take a dip.  It has become my little moment of solitude and rejuvenation after VERY full days of hustle and bustle.

Noffze Family Favorites...

Note: Not ALL of these are appropriate for ALL age groups.

The Land of Elyon series is good for 'non-afraid' elementary age - middle school aged children. It has fantastical content.

The Thief lord is safe for all ages but has a certain level of understanding that might not be suitable for young children.

Use your own judgment on this one. The movie was a little creepy for me, and the books are definitely for older children due to some graphic content.

Again, use your own judgment. It has lots of fantastical content.
Kinda creepy for little ones, older elementary - to Middle school is a good age.

Hugo Cabret is good for young as well as older children and adults.Holes has some older-child humor, but is safe for all ages.
Hoot is a great family favorite and a really good find!
My kids LOVED the City of Ember but were less interested in the sequels. Very suitable for all ages.
Flush is a good conservation story and fun for families.
Eragon and Eldest are recommended for High School - Adults due to some graphic nature and fantastical content.

Middle School to High School. Brandon was interested in this series, but too much detail weighed him down. It has middle school references.

Suitable for toddler through 90 years. Way fun.

Things that make you go, hmmmm...

Tyler:  Isn't it time for the Season's to change?

Me:  Yes, it should be winter soon.

Tyler:  No not that kind of season, YOUR kind of season.

Me:  What do you mean?

Tyler:  You know, scrapbooking season, card making season, quilting season, cooking season and beading season.  It's been BEADING season for a VERY long time MOM!

Me:  Don't worry Tyler, it should change to quilting season very soon, and then I won't be in my studio so much.

Tyler:  Good!  I like quilting season!

:)  Hmmmmm....does my child know me or what!?

Scary!

This year was the first year the boys were allowed to wear "scary" costumes for Halloween.  Although they have never seen a scary movie the prospect was intriguing for them and we went all-out.  Brandon chose the scream costume and Tyler was a skeleton.  Brandon's best friend Matthew chose a scary costume too....a Grandma!  It was funny AND scary at the same time!

A day in the life....

I rarely clean the boys room anymore..at soon-to-be 11 and  8 they gratefully still share a room and it's responsibilities until we move.  I went in there the other day to bring out the winter clothes from the top of their closet and was amazed at what I saw!  The books were put away neatly on their shelves, the guitar was serenely propped up against a wall.  All of the boys traditionally messy 'treasures' were stored away in their Ikea 'treasure keeper'.  WOW, what a proud MOM I was!  Then I began to linger around the room and take note of how much has changed in the past 5 years living here in Rochester, MN. 

When we moved to Rochester, 'lil Ty was 3 and Brandon was just starting Kindergarden.  Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton were my boys favorite authors with books like, Very Hungry Caterpillar and Barn Yard Dance.  Now, my dear boys have grown up and as I look around the room I notice just how much has changed.  There are awards and prize-winning footballs on the shelves, sports illustrated stacks on the dresser, a grown-up daily 'to-do' list laying out and the selection of books has

 also progressed.  With titles like Hugo Cabret, Pearl Harbor, American History and The Dangerous Book for Boys, I 

 just sat in awe of how much they have grown up in this little house.  

Big changes are in the pipeline for us, both on the growing-up front and on the 'relocation' front.  This little house full of  memories will be in the past and new and challenging things are soon around the corner.  I just sat there, laid back on the floor and stared up at the boys bedroom celling.  With pirate ships whirling overhead and Peyton Manning posters looking down at me, I started to pray.  

Lord, bless my boys with Your Eternal presence.  Walk by their side, hold their hand when I can not.  Be, oh Gracious Lord, an ever-present constant in their lives, leading them on Your path for their life as you promised in Jeremiah 29-11.  Help them to be contributing members of society and of Eternity.  IJNIP Amen.

...Things are moving so fast.  Our world is an international jaunt between the past and the future. Hopping from place to place, here and there, meeting all kinds of new people and exploring new places, but as I lie there on my boys floor praying for them, I felt peace.  I was no longer the women flying from place to place every weekend, but I was grounded in my God and in my life, knowing that indeed God does have a plan for us, for our future and I had hope that at the end of the interviews and the journey we would end up exactly where we supposed to, following His lead.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29-11