The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts

she made some tarts
all on a summer's day;

The Knave of Hearts
he stole the tarts
and took them clean away.

The King of Hearts called for the tarts
and beat the Knave full sore
The Knave of Hearts
brought back the tarts
and vowed he'd steal no more.

So after reading this rhyme one day, guess what we had to do.

Didn't taste great in the end, but she didn't care,
she just liked how they looked.

Delicious Sugar Cookies

My aunts kept making these yummy cookies at our reunions
and we finally got the recipes, which are easy! So, we wanted to share them with you!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter (softened) 2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla 5 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add eggs, then alternate adding sour cream and flour, then finish adding salt, soda, and baking powder. Dough will be slightly sticky, won't feel as stiff as regular sugar cookie dough. Roll out dough to 1/4" or 1/2" thickness (can use lots of flour on counter top, just don't mix too much into cookies. Slice with pizza cutter or cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Don't bake until brown or they'll go hard, the bottoms will be brown but nothing else. Within a couple minutes move cookies to cooling racks.

Strawberry Frosting (This is what really makes it great!)
1 cup butter
1 cup strawberries, diced (or chopped)
2 lb powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Blend well, at least 5 minutes. (I don't worry about chopping strawberries too tiny because they tend to get broken up a little more here). If too thick them add a few strawberries, too thin then add a little powdered sugar. Be careful not to over thicken or strawberry flavor won't come out as well. Pipe or spread onto cookies and enjoy! (I just used a gigantic piping tool and it was done in no time at all!)

Just a few pictures. . . .adios summer

Water Fights!

who says you can't mix horse shoes and kids

Abby's first hair trim, by her Aunt Julia at Cosmetology school!

Oh there are so many fun pictures, I just picked a few quick. . .
sorry they don't do the summer justice.

OOPS! Not such a good blogger. . .

So, WOW it's been just a little while since I've posted last. It's a good thing blogging isn't my job, or I'd be fired! Well, since I won't be able to ever catch up even though there are a lot of fun stories and pictures, I'd better just start keeping up instead. (ha ha everyone's thinking, I know).
Let's see if I can catch up on a few of the basics. Our summer was super busy and extra fun! We were able to go to a couple fun reunions, camping and boating included. The kids LOVED getting to be outside so much and Abby is already talking about next year at the "unions".
I'm loving my calling in the young womens, our ward is seriously the best, no offense to everyone else :) Spencer was called as the new Elder's Quorum President a couple months ago and was VERY busy with it at first but things are starting to settle down that way.
He's been gone a lot with work and fires, and we've really missed him, but when he is home he makes every moment count. I just can't tell you how much my love for him has grown as I realize his whole life is dedicated to taking care of our family and making us happy and comfortable. I just want to find every way possible to make his life as great as he makes ours.
Our little baby is growing fine, only about 7 more weeks and he will be with us! I am trying really hard not to count down yet, but it's hard when I'm CONSTANTLY reminded with kicks and punches. Holy cow, Abby was a very active baby in the womb, but she can't even hold a candle to this child! (I tell you I wouldn't be surprised if my belly is covered in bruises by the time we're done!)
We've also visited with my family and friends a lot, canned peaches, gone to the Zoo, and the Dino Museum at Thanksgiving Point and all kinds of fun things, including lazy days when we just stay home. Anyway, I'm embarrassed it's been so long since I've posted but if I keep waiting to "get caught up" you'll never hear from me again. So, here's the quick and dirty version and we'll see how well I do after this!