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warm spinach artichoke dip

December 22, 2010

it is so good.

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it’s the perfect appetizer for a party at christmas!

or new years.

or any party all year round!

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i left the mayonnaise (miracle whip) out last time and used more sour cream….and it was still yummy.
there are no rules that i am going to enforce on your dip.

you have my promise.

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drain the artichokes and then choke them up into small pieces.
(HA!  that was a typo but i had to leave it because it made me laugh….don’t choke…just chop…HA HA HA)

then toss that into a bowl with the parmesan cheese and thawed chopped spinach.

until i made this i did not know there was chopped spinach in the freezer section.
or anywhere actually.
i had never once in my life thought “where is spinach in this grocery store?”
until i was looking for it.
and sure enough….it is a real thing.

i think the only spinach i ever have had a thought about was popeye….and squeezing cans of it into his mouth?

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mix up those three ingredients until they are combined.
then add in the rest from the list….sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese and garlic….mmmmm.

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spread it into a 9×13 pan and bake it at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

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i serve it with chips.
it would be good with crackers too.

it’s YUMMY.

and easy.

you will be happy you made it.

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christmas craft #1

December 17, 2010

this idea came from crystal in an email to me.
thanks so much!

super easy but SUPER DUPER cute!

we started with these ornaments from target.
they are big.
i loved the colors so i picked these…..but any glass ball ornaments would work. 

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i did this one child at a time….you'll see why.
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first i painted their hand with regular craft paint.

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set the ornament in the middle of their flat palm….fingers out.

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slowly have them close their hand so an entire handprint is made.
make sure they don't move their fingers….just close their hand.

then they slowly take their fingers off the ornament.
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set it somewhere to dry.
then you can choose if you want to yell at your child ……
"DON"T TOUCH ANYTHING! GO WASH YOUR HAND AND DON"T USE MY GOOD TOWEL TO DRY IT!" 
or not.

let the white paint dry….we waited overnight….just to be safe.
then use a Sharpie to add faces.
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we used a glue gun and cut out tiny little scarves.
we didn't have black felt or we would've made hats too.

and they add snow falling also.

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i think they are about the cutest ornaments i have ever seen.

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then write their name and date on the palm and you created a keepsake!

have fun.

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i am a party animal.

November 3, 2010

the day after liza's party i got to be the decoy for Chicago Jenny's birthday party!

she picked me up from my lunch with my parents and sister before they flew home.
as we walked towards jenny's car her kids asked "Who is that with Megan?"
Jenny answered "that is her mom and her sister." 
and Jake said "but mom….i thought YOU were her sister."

🙂

that made me so happy.

she drove me to IKEA.
woo-hoo!
i purchased big cardboard light up stars for christmas….can't wait.

then we dropped off her kids with dave.
and went to dinner….just the girls.
i made jenny choose because it was her only birthday dinner she was going to get with me.

we ate very well at cheesecake factory.
and talked about everything.

oh how i miss her!

we were ready to go and i was secretly texting her husband "we are leaving now"
he writes back "which cheesecake factory?"
i write back "i have no clue."

when we got back to her house it was full of her friends and her mom had helped dave with lots of food.
it was FUN!
she was very surprised!
"WHAT? WHaT is going on?!"

dave had arranged for two manicurists to come and we got our nails done!
awesome.
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there were three kinds of cupcakes.
i discovered the lemon ones at breakfast the next morning….i had two.
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abby won first prize for their owl pumpkin!  isn't that an amazing owl?  jenny is a nicer mom than me….

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dave….he was the only man at the party….he is a wonderful party host…he's good people.

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i got to meet her new friends and see some old friends.
the last guest left after 1 AM.

it was so fun to be a part of it all.

BUT…i missed out on 4 hours of time with just jenny!!!

we need more time….all the time.

happy birthday chicago jen.
i can't imagine being as old as you are….wow.

HA!

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vitamins :)

September 24, 2010

it has been brought to my attention that i was misunderstood in the vitamin emails i sent out.

this is what i sent to every single one of the 400+ people who asked to help donate vitamins.
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🙂 vitamins…….
 
please send your package as soon as possible to:
Jody Landers
****************. 
*****************, CO ******
thank you for helping!!
 
OR…if you'd like to paypal money for jody to purchase the vitamins for you….she is at ******************* in paypal.
she is doing this for many people who did not want to pay for shipping.
it is completely up to you.  THANKS! 

Matthew 25:34-40 (The Message)

 34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: 

   I was hungry and you fed me, 
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, 
   I was homeless and you gave me a room, 
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes, 
   I was sick and you stopped to visit, 
   I was in prison and you came to me.'

 37-40"Then they are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

-meg

 

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every single email had the smiley face and the word vitamins at the top.
it was not meant to be rude about the mispelling of vitamins.
if you mispelled it….i didn't notice.

let's refocus and use our energies for GOOD.
let's take our knowledge that there are those who need unity and love and let's work towards that.
let's not tear each other down.

i am SO SORRY for the misunderstanding.
i promise you that YOU were not being made fun of in any way.
i put the smiley face there to say "i am happy you asked about vitamins"

thank you for being willing to help.
God is using us in a bigger way than we could have imagined.
i am very excited about it.

THANK YOU for sending the vitamins.
THANK YOU for helping the children i talked with and prayed with.
THANK YOU for answering YES when God prompted your heart. 

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things to do when your kids aren’t home….

September 6, 2010

besides the obvious….
Anncolage

leave the computer logged in 24/7.

wear a halter top.

leave a bowl of m&ms out on the counter for three days and still have m&ms in it.

stay up late watching "Outlaw Josey Wales"

leave my make-up bag UNlocked for three days straight 

wear heels for a date!

martinis and steak.

see a 2.5 hour movie and not have to drive a baby sitter home when you get home after midnight.

eat ice cream at 12:30 at night.

watch an entire U2 concert dvd in the morning…..REEEEAAAALLLY LOUD.

yard work that would take hours with kids….takes 1 hour total.

sonic happy hour…for only two.

eat salads as the main course of a meal. 

stay in pajamas until 1:30 in the afternoon. 

watch the simpsons. 

sleep in until 10 am.

watch a PG13 movie on the living room tv in the middle of the day. 

hang curtain rods in the dining room.

hit balls at the driving range on a sunday afternoon.

grocery shop together.

RELAX.

 

can you tell we had a great weekend?
we are refreshed and ready for the kids to come home.
yay!
thanks to the grandparents for watching all our of tribe.

when was your last weekend "getaway" with no children?

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california girls??

August 27, 2010

i am taking a little trip in a THREE weeks to visit miss julie.

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she is going to fill me with the knowledge of dave matthews.
i will kiss her baby.
sleep in a bedroom of chalkboard goodness.
spray paint something.
eat carmel bugles.
or peanut butter fudge.
and sneak as many awesome quilts into my suitcase as i can.
or at the least….look at her cute quilts.


so my question for you SoCA girls…..

anyone interested in a photo session while i am there?

south orange county.
september 17 or 18.

email me:  cdduerksen@yahoo.com and we can talk details.

THANKS!!

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I AM BOOKED!!! thanks ladies!

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summer’s over

August 18, 2010

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we invited some families over to celebrate back to school.
they brought the ice cream and we provided all the toppings.
my kids were so excited.
they helped prepare everything and clean up the yard and house.
 
earlier in the day annie shouted out to the gas station attendant "WE'RE HAVING AN ICE CREAM PARTY!"
he smiled and said "well….that sounds like fun"
 
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one kid (not shown) decided to just have a bowl of candy with whipped cream….no ice cream.  :)
 
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it was loud with kid craziness.
we had every age…1 month up to teenager.
chaos at it's best.
good old fashioned summer fun.
 
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everyone ate their ice cream, talked and played and the sun began to set.

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as soon as it got dark we watched a movie outside.         
we watched UP.
i really love that movie…i tear up every time.
even at my party in the dark on my lawn.
we laid blankets and pillows and kids piled everywhere…..pure lovely to see.

(after i took this shot i went inside and closed my blinds and dimmed the lights…fyi.)

our first try at an outside movie was a success.
i can't wait to try it again.
in the fall without mosquitos will be fun too.
 
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school starts tomorrow.
will i be able to do it without crying?  we shall see.

and by the way…the crying at school would be a huge first for me.
i see those moms every year & have always thought "what is your problem? you've got some free time – move it!" 
but this year with my baby going and leaving my arms empty….alone to figure out who i am.

i want her to go and i want her to grow and learn and love it.
but i am still on the fence about this whole Mother of Children role i have now.
instead of Mother of Babies role that i told myself i had.

yeah….i am aware i haven't had a baby for five years.
don't rub it in.
it just hadn't really set in so hard until this year.

we have a permanent solution to not producing babies in my womb…..so wishing for babies isn't going to help.
     
i may cry at kindergarten drop off.
and i may not.
i know that i am going running as soon as she goes in the door….maybe i should be crying about that.
i haven't run since june 24.
except once….but it was pathetic.

i have teased annie "how can you grow up and leave me her all alone?!"
and then i fake cry. 
she said "oh mom….YOU CAN SEW!" 
true true true.

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