Thursday, April 29, 2010

Summer Plans

Yes, it's snowing here and so beautiful outside!!! 
But in just 30 days we'll be heading out for a few days at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado (Snow Mountain Ranch) ~ and then Moab, Utah (Moag Springs Ranch) in July!  No plane trips this year ~ just driving adventures!!!  Honestly, we've all hit the end-of-school-year dip ~ it's getting harder and harder to get things done, and that means for us parents, too :-)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Cheesecake Cookie Cups

I made these little morsels of heaven for the Spring Ball ~ they were so yummy!!!  Chocolate chip cookie dough + cheesecake = total heaven!!!  ENJOY! 

1 package Nestle refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 325° F. Paper-line 24 muffin cups. Place one piece of cookie dough in each muffin cup. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookie has spread to edge of cup.

Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla extract in medium bowl until smooth. Pour about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture over each cookie in cup.

Bake for additional an 15 to 18 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Top each (or just a few) with a little pie filling. Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Peel off wrapper and enjoy!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Secret Garden Ball

As part of their PE grade, our 5th and 8th graders spend one class a week during this quarter learning ballroom dance ~ waltz, swing, foxtrot, cha cha, and tango!  The Secret Garden Ball is held on Friday night with parents, grandparents and other important people invited to join in the fun!  What an awesome time for families to be together!!!  Each of the kids had a dance card with all 25 dances listed and who their partners would be - what a blast!  A DJ provided the music ranging from Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole to Santana and Taylor Swift!  I was able to dance the waltz and tango with Joshua, and Grammy Darls danced two waltzes with him!  I even got in a father/daughter waltz with Dad! 
...Joshua and his friend, Marisa...
...handsome son...
...Joshua with Grammy Darls and Boppa Tom...
...Joshua and his buds ~
Dillon, Davey, and Robert...
...Joshua and his friend, Emma ~
entrance and 1st dance partner!
...Joshua and Shayla...
...Joshua and Riley...
...Joshua and Julia...
...Joshua and Marisa...
...Joshua and Kendall...
...Joshua and Grammy Darls waltzing the night away!!!
...all of the 5th graders after a great night of dancing!!!
...we saw a lot of these by the end of the night ~
cute, lonely shoes set aside :-)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Spring is Definitely Here!!!

...baseball is underway...
...cars are getting washed
(really, any reason to play in the water!)...
...and our family tennis adventures have begun...
wheeeeeeee!!!
Welcome Spring! 
Summer is right around the corner!!!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Brownies for Brownies

The 5th grade Girl Scouts invited our Brownies and their families to a picnic last night. The older girls prepared all of the food and served, and also had fun games planned. They made the most awesome chocolate brownies for our Brownies! Fun times!!!
...wonderful hosts...
...happy guests...

Friday, April 16, 2010

Earthquake Cake

This is a super yummy cake that Kathy used to make for family birthdays - I made it for the Scouts' Arrow of Light Ceremony and it was a hit!
•  1 cup chopped pecans
•  2 cups coconut
•  1 box German chocolate cake mix – made according to package directions
•  1 stick butter, softened
•  1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
•  3½ cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray and flour 9x13 pan. Spread chopped pecans on the bottom of pan and then top with coconut. Prepare German chocolate cake mix and pour gently over the pecans and coconut. Mix butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Drop spoonfuls all over the cake (I only used about 2/3 of the mixture). Bake for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Denver Lutheran Band Festival

...the day continues...
Joshua and the rest of the BLS band students headed over to Lutheran High School after lunch to participate in Band Fest.  It was awesome!  There were over 130 students from all over the metro Denver area and they put on a great performance tonight!  Very cool!!!
...22 clarinet players ~ wow!!!
...with Aunt Gailie, Boppa Tom, Dad, and Hannah...

Colorado's State Capitol

What a fun day!  I took the morning off from work to spend it with Hannah and her classmates at the State Capitol (home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado).  It really is an amazing building!  It was built in the 1890's and in 1908 they used 24 karat gold to plate the dome (to commemorate Colorado's Gold Rush days, and the early pioneers and miners who helped build our great state!).  The dome towers 180 feet above, and contains stained glass dedicated to the 16 initial founders of the city of Denver.  The interior of the capitol was built with the rare and priceless Colorado Rose Onyx or what is commonly called Beulah Red Marble, named after the city in which it was found. The rose marble was quarried at Yule Creek in Gunnison County at the foothills of the Greenhorn Mountains. The mauve marble is so rare that its known supply was completely used up in the process of beautifying the capitol (any replacement has to be found in Italy). The Cutting, polishing, and installing of the marble took six years, from 1894 to 1900.  There are three main rooms where the actual legislating takes place ~ the House Gallery, the Senate Gallery, and the House of Representatives. There is also a Gallery of Presidents that has hand painted portraits of all of our Presidents (President Obama's is currently being completed). 
On the way back to school, Hannah said to her friend :“...you know, I've recently decided not to run for President; it's just so much responsibility..." ~ do you think the tea party protesters on the west steps had anything to do with this change of heart?!?!  (I never actually realized that was her lifelong career aspiration!) hehe!
...both classes...
...beautiful flags and the view to the west over Invesco Field (home of the Broncos)...
...posing outside of the senate chambers...
...Hannah and her friend, Daniel...
...Hannah's class...
Beautiful!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Arrow of Light Dinner and Ceremony

A big night for our Webelos Scouts! 
Joshua, Karl, Dillon, Brandon, and Robert earned their Arrow of Light awards and we had a huge celebration!  The Arrow of Light is the highest award that Cub Scouts can earn before officially crossing over to Boy Scouts.  During the past two years as Webelos, they completed various requirements from the following areas:
PHYSICAL: Aquanaut, Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman
MENTAL: Artist, Scholar, Showman, Traveler
COMMUNITY: Citizen, Communicator, Family Member, Readyman
TECHNOLOGY: Craftsman, Engineer, Handyman, Scientist
OUTDOOR: Forester, Geologist, Naturalist, Outdoorsman
During 5th grade, the boys themselves were assigned two requirements each and had to plan for the group how they would complete them. During this time they traveled to Mount Falcon Park to hike and study Forester and Geologist; visited a lab and performed tests as a part of Scientist; met with a lifeguard at Wheat Ridge Rec Center to pass their Aquanaut test; gathered information to plan a trip and read maps as a part of Traveler; built a catapult and drew floorplans of their homes for Engineer; exercised at Carmody Middle School as a part of Athlete (with follow-up tests 30 days later); and much more! In the past two weeks they have all taken and passed their actual Webelos and Arrow of Light tests, which included reciting from memory the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, and explaining each of them in their own words. In addition to school and homework, our Webelos Scouts have been involved in band, basketball, baseball, chess, choir, football, guitar, piano, soccer, tae kwon do, and selling popcorn (thanks for buying!). Each of them has maintained First Honors and/or Honorable Mention during the school year. They have also committed to providing dessert and serving at the table once a month! Achieving their Arrow of Light has been NO SMALL FEAT!!!
Congratulations to our young men!!!
...Hannah provided the drum beat... :-)
...very proud parents and sister...
...very cool to have all of Joshua's and Hannah's grandparents with us, and Mike and Gail, too...
...with their teachers ~ awesome!
...and with their families ~ we have amazing parents that have stepped up and helped throughout the years...
The Arrow of Light plaque displays an American Indian sign for the sun and an arrow.  The seven rays of the sun stand for each day of the week.  They remind the boys to do their best every day as they follow the arrow that leads to Boy Scouting.
...Joshua with his Godparents....

Saturday, April 10, 2010

...our backyard beauties...

Spring is here!!!

Pizzelles 101

We got a pizzelle maker for Christmas ~ FINALLY we got around to using it!!!  Joshua flavored them "just right" with lots of vanilla ~ so yummy! 
DELICIOUS!!!