Conference Owls and I need a good knife.

I'll explain the knife part first. The other day, Chloe and I were aimlessly walking around Sam's Club waiting for them to set out samples when over the loud speaker I heard "come and get a free paring knife on aisle 10". So we went and the immediately realized it was a trap. We had to listen to a knife infommercial for the "unbelievable ever-sharp knife". Well, long story short and shame aside I bought the set. (come on...he threw in all sorts of "freebies") So I got home and decided that sadly, i better take the knife set back. I found a set someone gave us for our wedding and decided they would due. Well, the next day I chopped a chunk out of my nail bed. Sounds wierd but it was like a chunk right in the center. I am okay but man it hurt like the dickens and it is just starting to heal. Ugly as can be. So now I am stuck with a set of subpar knives knowing what I could've had. I thought about going back to Sam's and asking if "Ron=the knife guy" would meet me out back for a private transaction but decided I've used crappy knives for this long what's another 5 years. 

If you hadn't noticed I am totally obsessed with sewing and people that can sew something from nothing. I love Project Runway. Here is what I created out of "nothing". 

I have seen the soft blocks before and I needed a quick baby gift for twin boys and this is what I made out of scraps and scrap batting. SOOOO Easy for anyone, like me, who wants to sew something easy. Just 6 squares. Sew them in cross (4 up and down then 2 to make the cross shape) Then stuff with batting, add the ribbons as you sew it up and tada!

I have also decided I am better than patterns. So here is my first dress minus pattern. I just held the material up to chloe and just sort of went for it. If fits sooo cute. This was also the first time for buttons. I was a little afraid but you can do anything with youtube and the world wide web. I did have a freak out moment when I had to seam rip the inside of the buttton hole and nearly took my hand off and I did rip a large part of the back of the dress. Thank goodness it was a patterned material. Fixed it up.
We went to a real life (or is it live) pumpkin patch.
We had fun playing around on all the free stuff. I lost my lens cap sometime at the beginning of the fun and thankfully someone found it and turned it in.Here we are picking. Chloe tripped several times on the thick vines. Sometimes Brad and I laugh when that happens. Is that wrong?
Me in the pregnancy glory. I also look a little like a doctor in my white get up.
Loved it. We ended up with 3 perfect pumpkins. We are actually going to carve them this year although I'd rather eat dirt than smell the guts of the pumpkin but I'm gonna do it because my friend let me try her delicious pumpkin seeds last year and i do like carving the faces.

Oh yes, Conference Owls. We loved conference. Elder Holland commands attention with his awesome spirit and dynamic testimony of the Book of Mormon. Loved the talk about Aiming High and so so so many others. Can't wait for the Ensign. For the past year or so B-rad and I have read one talk every sunday and we finish them all by the next conference. If you can make it work in your schedule it is very rewarding. We ate delicious treats. Here are some owl cookies we made. I thought you may appreciate the recipe because they are very fall festivey.

Makes 3 dozen (keep that in mind when you are slicing the brick. I sliced mine a little thick)

bake @350 for 12-15 minutes.

1 1/3 c. flour

1 tsp b. powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. brown sugar

2/3 c. soft shortening

1 c. crunchy p.b.

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 c. rolled oats

2 sq. unsweeted choc. melted

mix flour, b.p. and salt. set aside. cream sugar and shortening. stir in p.b., egg and vanilla. stir in flour. mix in oats. divide dough in half. shape one half into an 8 in. long roll. stir in melted choc to other half. Roll choc. dough on waxed paper to an 8 in. square. place 8 in. roll on choc. dough. wrap choc. around it. pinch seams. wrap in waxed paper. chill 1 1/2 hours. cut in 1/4 inch slices. Make face for owl pinching ears, use choc chips, and nut for the beak. So cute.

In other news: Chloe just figured out how to control the mouse so she can play simple computer games. That's quite impressive hand eye coordination. She finally had a super successful swim lesson (4th try). And we are having the baby on November 11th barring some difficulties on my part or on scheduling labor and delivery. Wahoo. 1 month left.

Meet me in St. Louis

Last weekend we planned a little vacation to St. Louis and we're SOOO glad we did.

Chloe skipped and jumped and squeeled as we ran around the arch. Our hotel was right across the street. Thank you very much priceline.

Brad took Chloe in to get her jammies on and she ran out like this and gave me a big hug and said "trick or treat" with Brad smiling behind her. These are her new jammies.

Mel=lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch, Chloe= honey nut cheerios, B-rad=cocoa puffs and Trix, one tall milk from Starbucks, one raspberry muffin...BREAKFAST IN BED.

The Magic House childrens/adult museum in St. Louis. Super fun. Although Chloe didn't think the electric ball was super fun.

I was a little worried that it might electrocute the growing child inside me. I remember these from Hansen Planetarium in Utah. 
A hot Chocolate Party in the play attic.
Chloe's little hero right now. I must say I love that little Curious George too.
We ate the best best best guacomole burger and butterfinger shake, had mexican, had car warmed pb and j's and chips, went to the temple...together thanks so some great friends, and just had a great time as the Chambers 3. Next stop...Chambers 4! (and a major league baseball game which I want to go to SOOOO badly-one day!)

The 22nd

The 22nd. My favorite day of every month.

September 22-Chloe has been loving life and we've been loving her for 2 1/2 years.

And today I am just over 30 weeks pregnant. Looking hot.

A nice nice visit.

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Chambers made the cross-country trip to come see and deliver a special surprise...an "extra" car they had. We are so blessed and grateful. We are glad that Brad won't have to drive the scooter to work in the cold Illinois winters. Right now we are proudly representing Utah on our street with two Utah licensed plated cars!!

Grandpa Chambers had to leave after a short day but Grandma stayed a played with us for a while.

Here we are at the local zoo. They had some fun animals to see and lots you could get right up to and touch if they let you. We also went to a police dog demo at the library. I think it was cooler for us adults. It was pretty impressive to watch the dogs do some tricks and learn about them. The police officers have special "go-go gadget" cars that keep the dogs cool and have automatic opening doors incase the officer gets into trouble. I know more but I may bore you so i'll stop.

We went to several fun restaurants we had wanted to go to since we moved here. This is us at a delicious mexican place. Chloe loved having Grandma to entertain!!
And saying goodbye at the airport. It's always sad to see family leave. Thanks Grandma for a great time.

Do you know what a tree lopper is?

A couple of things. We have had a week with Grandma Chambers visiting and it was such fun.  Pictures to come soon. We went on a Sunday walk to the horses (3 weeks later after the spider sighting) and...we saw the yellow fellow there, again, in the exact same spot. I touched him with a stick. He moved all about. Chloe has been talking about it ever since. She mentions that mom was scared and touched it with a stick and such and such. 

Also, she told me that i should use a tree lopper for something I was doing and I thought I mis-heard her so I asked "what did you say?" She said, "tree lopper" and then I asked her what that was. "it's the tree lopper that professor green been used on Curious George". Yep, just thought I didn't hear you right 2 year old. That was the episode we watched of Curious George earlier. Glad to know my toddler and the tv taught me what a tree lopper was. Chloe amazes me.

This pictures catches her every emotion. She is so fun and happy and my true JOY.

This is her first pair of real shoes. Somehow she made it through 2 1/2 years in crocs, flipflops, and slip on shoes. She felt SOOO big in these shoes. She told us she could run "really fast" in her pink shoes.
And a shout out to my super kind friend and to wonderfully giving people out there. The other day my friend came over with 2 huge tupper wares full of little boy clothes. I was getting a little worried that we didn't have anything for little Ezra B. and here she shows up with this surprise. She even gave us a brand new car seat to use as a 2nd of our other car and a baby swing which was my one desire after we had the garage sale. well, the garage sale money was spent and we still didn't buy a swing but now we have one...yay. I just was simply overwhelmed by her kindness. She isn't done having kids and she didn't need to be so generous but she was and I am am simply grateful and had to let the blogging world know.

Are you scared of spiders?

I am very scared of spiders. Just don't like 'em. And anyone who knows of my run in with the brown recluse, my thigh, and France knows why. Well, B-rad has fast joined my side of his dislike and fright of the arachnid. On our walk the other Sunday this is what greeted he and Chloe in their path to feed the horse. It was bigger than a quarter and bright bright yellow. 

Feeding the horses some carrots. We alternate between carrots and apples. This place is about 2 miles from our house so it's a long gorgeous Sunday walk.
Sometimes when I don't want to cook we go to the "restaurant"-a.k.a the hospital, a.k.a the front mini cafeteria. I am so grateful that B-rad gets his food paid for but still likes leftovers so we get to go indulge as a family every so often. The restaurant is right next to the escalators and Chloe LOVES the escalators.

If you are still reading you may find this amusing. I know my friend Jenny will atleast because she is a fearsome cook in the kitchen. The other day I came downstairs to find my delightful red serving spoon broken in half. Brad has used it to pry some of this candy cereal stuff he makes out of the pan. Apparantely the Karo harden a bit in the night and my favorite spoon was victim. I sortof made Brad feel bad for breaking it. Well flash forward to today when I am making homemade oreos for labor day tomorrow and i am stirring and stirring and I break my wooden spoon in half. What the? If you need any jars open you know where to come looking for muscles I guess.

What the mall is good for

I try to pay attention to all things free. Such was the case with this free activity at one of the local mall stores. Chloe got to experience several firsts. First face paint. After we waited in quite a long line it occured to me that she may not know this was going on her face. I asked her which color she wanted and encouraged a few simple shape idea and this is what she chose. So cute. I'm glad she didn't say a hippopotamus or an alligator. We would've had to wait way to long.

Getting her face painted.
They had a table set up with cookies to decorate and right behind it was popcorn and then free balloons. She finally gets that a balloon not held or tied to her wrist equals a balloon in the sky.
She loves her nails being painted so this was fun. This lady let her choose her color and then she completed it off with putting lipstick on her.
I think there was some type of sale going but we had fun just taking the free stuff!