Happy day

Fun in Washington!

We had so much fun with my family in Washington! Liam and my Dad worked like crazy, but still managed to fit in lots of family time! We went to a fun corn maze and pumpkin patch, at which Darek won a giant prize pumpkin. It was an awesome place for the kids, with farm animals, an activity barn, and a free corn maze with slides and fun stuff.

We also celebrated Jaque's birthday and took the kids trick or treating. We went to the Jackson's family Halloween party too, which was lots of fun. Liam was Prince Charming, and I was the Princess, and Baby was a little prince...we made fun t-shirts. We also had Glinda (Morgan) Dorothy (Adrienne) Scarecrow (James) The Wicked Witch of the West (Jenn) Harry Potter (Mason), a lovely Ghost (Jaque), and the Phantom and Christine (my parents). It was a blast.

Before we left we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas too! It was a great trip! We can't wait to spend more family time this Holiday Season!

Smile

:)










































:)

Jim and Dawn

Rehearsal

Getting Ready

Formal Photographs

Ceremony

Reception

Baby's First Cloth Diaper!

Here are some pics of our sons first cloth diaper! Liam was kind enough to make me a replica of our son (by stuffing one of his outfits, and adding kitchen towels for legs) so that I could try it on him. Liam also helped by wiggling the legs while I proceded to change the baby. I hope real baby legs are more durable, because the towels kept falling off!
Isn't it so cute! This one is his swim diaper, because it is covered in a little ocean scene of sea turtles, searhorses, and fishies! Liam can't wait to take him swimming at the pool and start teaching him how to surf...Haha.
I can't wait to put it on the real baby! (Until he poops in it that is, my excitment my wane a little at that point). I could not have done this without the help and supplies of my friend Dawn who has helped me so much to get started in my cloth diapering adventure! Thanks so much!
I also had some other sewing fun yesterday. I patched a pair of stained maternity shorts that were attacked by black ink (devastating story, glad that this is the happy ending), shortened the sleeves on one maternity shirt, and took two in. I love altering clothes. It feels so great to buy something for a buck and make it look like 20 bucks!

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas Tree is up! Liam and I had so much fun decorating our Christmas Tree! I love Christmas and have been know for being a bit ahead of the game when it comes to decorating, and Christmas music, and gift making...and pretty much anything else that goes with Christmas fun. So this little beauty went up the day after we got back from Washington (Nov. 6th) and we have really been enjoying it! Its just the right size for our little house.

Fully Customizable Christmas Cards for Order!

Please see my fully customizable Christmas Card examples below. I can use any photos, any wording, and any colors. Also, if you don't see a design here you like, I can create one just for you. The cards are only $12.50 for 10 and they come with envelopes! They will ship straight to your home, ready for addressing and sending out! How easy is that! Its a great way to simplify your holiday season, and show your loved ones you care. To order, just e-mail me at jessica@shoeboxofphotographs.com
with the card number, your photo choices, and anything you would like customized. Thanks so much and Happy Holidays!
View Cards in Post Below

Fully Customizable Christmas Cards for Order!

Congratulations Katie and Thomas!

Hangin Out

We hung out with Katie and Thomas on Friday and opened an exciting Fall Package from Mom! It had so many fun things! Candles, a pumpkin ice tray, cute fall hot pads and towels which now adorn my kitchen, October Rachel Ray, and my favorite, a pumpkin bib for the baby! We love fall entertaining. Thanks so much Mom!

Katie also took lots of random and flattering pictures of us while we all sat around chatting. And, also on this post is my most recent pregnancy pose.

Some Tasty Fall Recipes

My favorite recipes are the ones that take only a short amount of time, but make you look like an amazing chef! Here are a few favorites of late.

Yummy Pumpkin Dip: This is great with apples and cookies, on brownies and cakes, and my favorite...blend a little with vanilla ice cream and milk and you've got yourself one killer pumpkin milkshake!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice until smooth and well blended. Chill until serving.

The Creamiest Coco: I don't even know if you can call this a recipe, but, its good! Make a packet of coco as directed using whole milk and a little cream instead of water. Add some cinnamon or other flavoring. Yum! Warning, this preparation method makes this more of a dessert than a drink.

Apple Cider Pork Chops (My Fav!): It is a now a mystery to me where on earth I got this recipe from (a pregnancy side effect no doubt). So Here is bassically what I remember doing.
Sear Pork chops in olive oil and salt and pepper until outsides are browned(this is an important step if you want juicy pork chops). Remove from pan. Saute 1/2 an onion and 3 ish stalks of celery in 2 T butter until tender. Add 2 T flour to make a roux and cook 1 min. Add some apple cider (3/4 cup?) and a cap full of vineagar. Return chops to pan and cook until to 175 degrees (15 min?). Salt and pepper to taste. We had it with mashed potatoes. Yum!

Apple Chedar Turkey Burgers From Rachel Ray. Combine Ground Turkey and Seasonings (green onion, parsley, grill seasoning, poultry seasoning,). Cook in skillet with a little olive oil. Add sliced apple and sharp cheddar to top and cook a little longer. Serve with condiments and sauce. Sauce: Combine 1/4 cranberry sauce with 2 T mustard. Yum!


Ratatoullie Wraps: This ones from Rachel Ray. Slice and Grill the following veggies in olive oil until tender: 2 eggplants, 1 large zucchini, 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 2 or 3 tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Wrap in grilled tortillas adding your favorite cheese. Yum!

Faster Than Delivery Pizza: This is so easy and so good! It really is faster than ordering a pizza. You can top it with anything! We used ragu pasta sauce, mozzerella cheese, fresh basil, and tomatoes. Ours was made and baked within 30 min!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.
Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Corn and Potato Chowder

I made this recipe up! Well sort of...I basically watered down your normal potato chowder(adding thickener) and added corn. Not my typical style, but when milk is $6 a gallon, style gets thrown out the window! And, the result? Delicious!

4 T Butter

4 T flour

1c Milk

1c Heavy Cream

2 c Water

2 chicken or veg. bullion cubes

5 ish large potatoes

16 oz frozen corn

salt and pepper to taste

Opt. Toppings

crumbled bacon

sliced green onion

sour cream

cheese!

Slice and boil potatoes until soft. Meanwhile In large pot melt butter. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Add cream and milk. Stir. Drain potatoes, mash slightly, and add to soup pot. Add 2 c water and 2 bullion cubes. Add frozen corn. Heat until hot. Salt and pepper to taste (it will need a lot!). Note: if your soup is thin, simply mix a Tablespoon or two of flour, with a little water, and whisk into soup to thicken it.

Top with goodies and enjoy with bread.

Good Times with the Fam!

Here are a few videos from before we left Washington of playing with the family.

The Doomed Tale of my Fall Decorations

Yep. Thats right. We ate our fall decorations...and you can too! This festive dish is a favorite that Liam remembers his Mom making during fall harvest time. You can make it in one medium sized sugar pumpkin or individual sized pie pumpkins. We enjoyed it both with the missionaries in our ward, and with Nathan and Tegan. Our Elder from Samoa thought it was...interesting...he had never eaten a pumpkin before. Then again, neither had Tegan. Perhaps eating your fall decorations isn't normal. We do know one thing, the pumpkins still decorating that shelf are shaking in their boots!

Thanks for the festive inspiration Mom! Here is the recipe:

2 cups cooked rice

2 bullion cubes

1 lb hamburger

160z package of country sausage

1 package frozen corn or green beans

2 cans cream of (insert your fav.) soup

1 cup cheese (whatever kind you like)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the rice as directed adding bullion cubes. Meanwhile, brown hamburger and sausage in a pot and drain. Add rice and remaining ingredients and heat through. Meanwhile, microwave prepared pumpkin (remove goo) for 5 minutes. Place stuffing into pumpkin(s) and bake with top on till soft (about 30 min for little pumpkins and an hour for 1 big one).

This recipe has lots of creative freedom. Feel free to use any of your favorite veggies, cheeses, and seasonings for the stuffing. And, if you like, you can give your pumpkin a face by carving just the first layer. Hope you enjoy!

Disappearing Bed!

In this video you'll notice our newly painted blue wall- I don't know if you've heard, but it's a boy! So of course we had to paint the nursery! But the paint drying is not all of the excitement awaiting you in the below video...

Be prepared for a spectacle to stun all your senses! Before your very eyes we'll now perform our final act presented without smoke, lights, or mirrors - no this is coming to you in one single unbroken shot. We won't cut away, you'll see what our live audience sees and their amazement will be your amazement. So click the video already!

General Relief Society Broadcast

I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of a worldwide womens organization through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This organization provides meaningful service not only to its members, but to people throughout the world. On Saturday, we had a meeting where every member has the opportunity to listen to inspired talks given by the leaders called to direct the organization. I just wanted to share some of my favorite things that were said.

About Women in Jesus Christ's Time:
"Just as the Savior invited Mary and Martha of New Testament times3 to participate in His work, women of this dispensation have an official commission to participate in the Lord’s work."

On Examples of Faith :
"Early pioneer women were driven from homes and persecuted because of their faith. Others survived fires and floods. They crossed oceans and walked thousands of miles, tolerating dirt, illness, and near starvation to help build the Lord’s kingdom on the earth. Many of them buried husbands, children, parents, and siblings along the way. Why did they do this? They did it because the fire of their faith burned in their souls."

About The History of Temples:
The Lord has always asked His people to build temples. The Lord commanded Moses: “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”1 The portable tabernacle they built served as the central place of Israel’s worship during their pilgrimage to the promised land. Its pattern and structure were revealed by the Lord to Moses. It was to be the Lord’s holy house.
Later, King Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem using the finest building materials available.2
During His earthly ministry, the Lord regarded the temple as a sacred place and taught reverence for it. The Nephites also built temples to the Lord in the Americas. They were gathered around the temple when Christ appeared to them after His Resurrection.3
Soon after the Church was restored in this dispensation, the Lord commanded the Saints to build a temple... in response, the Saints built the Kirtland Temple at considerable sacrifice.

About the Greatest Happiness:
Let me first pose a question: What do you suppose is the greatest kind of happiness possible? For me, the answer to this question is, God’s happiness.
This leads to another question: What is our Heavenly Father’s happiness?
This may be impossible to answer because His ways are not our ways. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are [God’s] ways higher than [our] ways, and [His] thoughts [higher] than [our] thoughts.”1
Though we cannot understand “the meaning of all things,” we do “know that [God] loveth his children”2 because He has said, “Behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”3
Heavenly Father is able to accomplish these two great goals—the immortality and eternal life of man—because He is a God of creation and compassion. Creating and being compassionate are two objectives that contribute to our Heavenly Father’s perfect happiness. Creating and being compassionate are two activities that we as His spirit children can and should emulate...

We are Children of God:
...remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.
But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy.4 Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness.

On Compassion:
“When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.”10

I was so uplifted and strengthened by this meeting. It added to my testimony that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that this gospel is the same one that was established by Him before the world began.

It also made me decide (the last quote particullarly) that the next time I am feeling bad for myself, and think I need a pedicure, that I will find someone more worthy of feeling bad for, and use that pedicure money to make their life a little better! Haha. My life is so blessed. I pray that yours may be also and leave you this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

You are all invited to watch this up-lifting meeting, and the General Conference meetings of the Church (This weekend Sat. and Sun. 10-12 and 12-2 Mountain Standard time) and can do so by following this link http://www.lds.org/move/index.html?type=conference&event=178&lang=english

It's a......

Its official! We are having a little baby and we are absolutely thrilled! Baby is so excited to meet all of his extended family members and friends! Here is a little sneek preview of baby...click on either the slide show or the movie to find out baby's gender!

I'm so sorry that this is the first many of you are hearing about our bundle of joy! We have been a little behind on getting the word out. We love you all, and our baby is so excited to meet everyone! Due March 6th!