(Alright, I realize this picture is very old but when I saw it I couldn't say no to those eyes. They were just asking to be blogged!)

Ethan, my first born in the wilderness(that's what Preston calls him) picked up a HILARIOUS new phrase this week. He now calls me "Sweet Lover." Before you start letting your minds get all kinds of crazy ideas I think you should know that in all my life that phrase has never crossed my lips. (And as far as I know it's not part of Preston's vocabulary either) I have NO idea where he got it from or why he thinks it's what he should call me. Last night at Young Women Ethan came to the church with Preston and when he saw me he ran and screamed, "Hey there Sweet Lover(Luva.) Needless to say my Beehives thought that was pretty fantastic. Needless to say I didn't.

Monster Hunt

We had a fun Family Home Evening activity tonight. Ethan was in charge of activity and he announced that we would be going out and hunting monsters. So...after dark we were outside being chased by "bloodtoothed horses"(really the picnic table) protected by fairies( the street lamps) running to our shelter( the neighborhood mailbox) and avoiding all cracks (because everyone knows that if you step on a crack it will suck you in) We had to be extra quiet due to the sleeping horned monsters who would wake up and attack. We were finally safe when we touched the "Silver Castle"( the good old Dodge Minivan.) Seriously that boy has some imagination.

The Party of the Year

There is a party that I have been hearing about CONSTANTLY ...THE PARTY OF THE YEAR! No, I am not talking about George Clooney's Oscar Party - I am talking about Ethan T Golding's Big Bash. He has been planning this party for months and lately it's ALL he talks about.
This boy cracks me up. Whenever we see something cool at the store he insists that his party is tomorrow and he NEEDS it for his party. Every time we go to the store he needs to buy lots of snacks for the party. I have been asked at least 3 times this week if we can finally start making the cake for his party. On Friday when I informed him that we would be babysitting some of his friends Saturday night he said," That's good because my parties tomorrow night." Every picture he draws is a invitation for his friends or a decoration for this celebration. Lately every time I watch Food Network Ethan insists that every dish prepared is, "exactly what I want at my party." My most recent favorite is that when ever we are in the car Ethan regularly says, "Mom, let's talk about my party. He then talks about the games, food, costumes, cake, decorations, and friends that his party will have. You should know that this boy's Birthday isn't until June. He isn't talking about a birthday party...just some amazing party that changes it's theme and date daily. A party where there will be treasure chest paining, a soccer ball cake, a pool and clown, art projects upon art projects, rainbow cupcakes with, "all the colors you can imagine," with all the cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends this boy has every known. I do love a good party, he must have got his passion for parting from him mama. His imagination cracks me up!

Here is a picture of Ethan at a recent shower I threw. I post this picture to demonstrate how much he loves parties. He gave up a trip with Preston and Tyler to feed the ducks and get a TREAT all because he could not miss this party.

Favortie Thing Day 23

Alright folks, I am sorry I fell of the blogging bandwagon with the whole "favorite thing" idea for a few days. You know it's just that" sometimes you feel like a blog...sometimes you don't" (first one to name the comercial that comes from gets a prize) So today's favorite thing will be really special to make up for lost time. Are you ready for this? You may want to sit down....it's......HARRY POTTER!!!!
I love Harry. There was a time in my life where I would say I bordered on obsessed. I dream about Hogwarts( really, I actually do.) When I was pregnant with Tyler and suffering through all the nasty morning sickness the only thing that made me feel better was to lay with our flannel blanket wrapped around me in front of the air conditioner and listen to the Harry Potter audio CD's. I have so many other Harry Potter memories that I would love to share but...I don't want to creep you out too much so we'll just leave it here. Harry Potter is REAL!

Favorite Thing Day 20

It's late and I am BEAT so this will be a quick favorite thing. I love bubble baths. Nothing is better when your sick or when your back and feet hurt from chasing children all day than a long soak in the bathtub. I especially love them now because our house has a big tub. I would take a picture of mine but that would require movement which I don't think my tired sore feet could handle right now. So here is a few cool bathtubs I found that I would love. Maybe Someday!

Tyler is Pretty

Yesterday I was reading the boys a story and I read the word beautiful. Tyler said, "What beautiful mean?" I said," It means something pretty." Tyler then replied,"Oh, it mean pretty, like me? Beautiful mean me." So basically I now think his definition of beautiful is TYLER!

Favorite Thing Day 19

Favorite Thing Day 19

What does your 78 year old neighbor and I have in common? We both find ourselves sitting captivated every Monday at 8pm, watching Antiques Road Show.

I love old things, which probably explains my obsession with Antiques Road Show. It’s exciting to see how much someone’s old plant holder, that just so happens to be from the early CROMWELLIAN period and is extremely rare, is worth. But it’s more than that for me. I love the history and stories behind these objects. It’s not just Antiques Road Show’s priceless treasures that I love but old movies, old music(it drives poor Preston crazy), old books, old people, and old cheese. (I threw those last two in to make sure you were reading!)

The difference between me and your 78 year old neighbor is that he actually probably owns some of these old things of which I have been speaking…I just dream of them!

So…for those of you looking for some good entertainment next Monday night tune into Antiques Road Show…it changes lives!

Any Ideas?

Every ounce of my "mothering instinct" tells me that this is the best gift a mother could be given. Every second from my five years of parenthood tells me "go with it" and yet I am sitting here completely curious and baffled as to why Ethan is sleeping at 11:43 am. Why after a solid 12 hours of sleep last night he returned to bed at 9:30 this morning and has been sleeping ever since. I am curious why he turned down a bike ride recently because,"Mom, sometimes napping is fun too." I am wondering why he asked for bed at 6:30 last Thursday and insisted that I shut the blinds and turn the lamp off because, "it's really pretty hard to sleep with all this light."I feel puzzled with the fact that Ethan has fallen asleep for the entire Sacrament Meeting for the last 2 Sundays. I was astonished last week when after minutes of panicked searching, absolutely positive that Ethan had been abducted, I found him curled up sleeping with his blanket. I am grateful...don't get me wrong...just baffled!And so my question to all you mothers and fathers is...What is going on? Have any of you had slumbersome 4 year olds? Is this normal?

Ethan, the artist, has been on a painting kick lately. We painted last Friday and since then Ethan has painted at LEAST once a day! I am trying really hard to get over my aversion to messes and let his creativity flow but paint is such a mess sometimes. I may be a biased mom but I think his paintings are pretty fantastic. I didn't take any pictures to post but for those of you who know Ethan I am sure it won't be hard to guess what his paintings consist of. Yep that's right...
Houses with RAINBOWS
Children with RAINBOWS
Fish with RAINBOWS
Balloons with RAINBOWS
That boy loves his RAINBOWS!

Favorite Thing Day 17

As I was making Orange Juice this morning I realized what my favorite thing for today would be. I love my Pampered Chef Quick Stir Pitcher. I bought it over three years ago at a Pampered Chef Party in Rexburg and I have loved it everyday since. It has a built in stirring handle that is great for mixing juices and powdered drinks!

Favorite Thing Day 16

Sorry I am a slacker...I missed my favorite thing yesterday. So... to make it up I am going to do a long favorite thing post that can and will change your lives.

NOTE: I want to state that this next post results from two things...
1. Our family now having only one(1) car and me finding myself home for four weeks with NO transportation.
2. Due to our lack of car...me watching WAY TOO much food network. I find myself holding my own cooking shows in the kitchen with Ethan and Tyler as the audience. Don't judge me!

Favorite Thing Day 16

Do you want to know how to make friends and influence people? I have the answer and it's...

Asiago Cheese Bread

1. Let's get started! First, Mix 1 1/2 cup flour, the sugar and yeast in bowl. Add warm water, beat with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand 1 hour.

Here it is after an hour...in all it's yeasty glory!

2. Stir in oil, rosemary and salt. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, smooth dough forms. Let stand 15 minutes.













3. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.

Knead in 1 cup cheese.

Place dough in large bowl greased with shortening, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 minutes, or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched(see the indentation)

4. Lightly grease uninsulated cookie sheet with shortening.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Gently shape into football shaped loaf about 12 inches long by stretching sides of dough downward to make a smooth top. Place dough with smooth side up on cookie sheet.

Coat loaf gently with flour.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 minutes or until almost double.

5. Place square pan on bottom rack of oven, add water until 1/2 inch from top. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
6. Spray loaf with cool water, sprinkle with flour. Carefully cut 1/2 inch deep slash lengthwise down center of loaf with serrated knife. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese inside.

7. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 400 degrees. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool.

Didn't I say you would make friends and influence people...your feeling "influenced" right now aren't you?

So cheesy and divine...right about now your neighbor's mouths are watering and they are trying to find an excuse to come over.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp sugar
1 package yeast
1 1/4 cup very warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary or thyme
1 tsp salt
1 cup diced Asiago cheese(or Swiss)
1/4 cup diced Asiago cheese(or Swiss)

I made this in my new Kitchen aid Mixer for the first time -but I have made it for 51/2 years with my hands and a wooden spoon and it turned at just as delicious!

Tyler's New Job

The interview process is finally over, after long and strenuous months of interview on top of interview Tyler has finally gotten the job of his dreams. He is now the new Slim-Fast spokesperson!!Here he is after losing 80 lbs. and 3 feet!

They insisted on taking the"here's me in my old jeans" picture. I personally think it's tacky but what slim-fast wants SLIM-FAST gets. I was worried that the drool on his shirt would be problematic for them but they insisted that it shows his, " young carefree side." Hey, they are the professionals...right?

How to measure - Ethan style

A few RANDOM observations of Ethan's imagination lately...

Ethan told me, "Mom I jumped on the trampoline so long today at preschool. I jumped longer than a bird can fly."

A couple of days ago he told me that his stomach ache was bigger than" a giant standing on top of a school bus."

We saw a bunch of birds and he informed me that there were,"a hundred or maybe more like a million and they are all looking for gold...birds always love sparky stuff."

After preschool he said, " Mom all the kids always do what I do, they always copy me." he then let out a huge sigh and said, "It's so hard to be a leader."

Valentine's Day Ideas

Here's a cute Valentine's Treat. Only one day left

Look at these rose cupcakes.
Wanna make them? Check out recipe here!

Day 13

Favorite Thing Day 13

Nothing better to me than Jamba Juice. I am craving one so badly right now. In my dream world I would have a Jamba next door and they would only cost .25 cents....So today's favorite thing is definitely Jamba Juice!

PS. Next time your in Jamba ask about their secret menu... there's some really yummy ones on it!

Valentine's Package!

My kids have weird names for their grandmas
Preston's mom is: "Grandma that has Austin"
My Mom is: "Grandma One Eye" (I promise she does have both her eyes!)
Preston's Grandma is "Grandma GG"
My Grandma is : "Grandma Nori"(that's pretty normal) or "Grandma with the Goats"

Anyway, "Grandma that has Austin" (refer to key above) sent the boys a wonderful Valentine's package yesterday and they were ecstatic!! Now that Christmas is LONG over Ethan has been complaining that we don't get packages in the mail anymore. So yesterday's surprise was great.
Thanks Grandma!!!

Day 12

Favorite Thing Day 12

My friend Kelly introduced me to my next favorite thing and it's become a staple in our house. It's the LEARNING PAGE.
A free website with all kinds of cool educational tools for kids in preschool through 3rd grade. Ethan asks at least once a day if we can do homework( I should tape that...I'm sure the 15 year old Ethan won't feel the same) and Tyler loves the ocean animal and dinosaur fact sheets. Check it out, it's free to join and it's given us countless hours of fun!

Day 11

A few years ago my mom flew Preston and I out to visit her in England and while in Europe we took the Eurostar to Paris. It was there that I first fell in love with today's favorite thing. PASTRY!!! Oh my, I can not tell you how much I loved those sweet croissants. They changed my life forever. Preston and I walked from bakery to bakery trying every bread, tart, crepe, cake, croissant, éclair, macaroon, napoleon, canelé and truffle we could get our hands on. Since then I've dreamt of going to pastry school and learning to create those delicacies! Can you imagine how much fun that would be?

Day 10

Favorite Thing Day 10
Ginger Almond Hand soap and Lotion

I love, love, love this yummy kitchen hand soap and lotion duo from Williams-Sonoma! Given to us by Preston's parents, this is one of my favorite luxuries in my house. It smells divine, softens my hands, and looks great. I have to admit, I'm pretty selfish with it and if the kids need to wash their hands I make them use the DIAL soap in the bathroom. This stuff is too good to waste on those who don't appreciate it's loveliness!

BBQ

We had a family first today... after almost 6 years of marriage we had our 1st Barbecue! Thanks to our really cool neighbors, Dustin and Elise, who gave us their old, but very nice grill! It was soo tasty. I am looking forward to lots of grilling this summer.

Day 9

Favorite Thing Day 9

We have a funny little coincidence in our family. Both of my children were born on the 8th. Ethan in June and Tyler in March. And so, while I am sharing things I love this month, I knew that my favorite thing on the 8th would have to be my BOYS!!

Things I love about Ethan:

1. I love the little artist in him. He LOVES colors more than any human I have ever known in all of my life. When I tell him a bed time story it goes something like this-

Me: Once upon a time there was a little boy...

Ethan: What color was his hair, his shirt, his eyes, his shoes ,ect.

Me: And he went for a walk in the woods…

Ethan: Were there flowers in the woods? What color were they? Were there trees? What color were their leaves?

Me: While he was walking he saw a little bunny…

Ethan: Was he wearing any clothes? What color was his hat? Did he have a flower in his vest?

2. I love his prayers. They have become so sweet. I love that at EVERY prayer he is thankful for, “the rainbows and all the colors in the world.”
3. I love having him here in our family. I can’t believe it’s been almost 5 years. He is one my best friends.

Things I love about Tyler:

1. I love that no matter how often I clean his face 5min later there will be a dirt ring around his mouth
2. I love his chubby little feet that we have a hard time finding shoes for.
3. I love his small raspy voice(did I say small. I meant loud…especially at the grocery store)
4. I love that when he wants a fruit rollup he says, “I want frowup.”
5. I love that if I cry he comes over patting my back saying, “Is OK mamma” until I am smiling.
6. I love that although he’s almost three he’s still my little baby.
7. I love that most animals to him are camels or dogs.
8. And I love that little drooly smile!

A while back I posted a story about Tyler, who Preston very lovingly refers to as, "the world's most clueless kid," calling a dolphin a camel. Today while shopping I look over and see Tyler ridding a rocking horse in the middle of the store, yelling(loud enough for many shoppers to stop and look) "Look Mamma. I ride a camel." Seriously. We're gonna have to take this kid to the zoo more often!

Day 8

Today's favorite thing is my Taylor Swift CD. Preston bought this for me for Christmas and I now know every song and have my Beehives all asking their mom's for "the CD Sister Golding is always singing!" I love that she wrote EVERY song on her album. She's no Brittney!

Day 7

Favorite Thing Day 7

Have you ever had one of those days where you are STARVING but NOTHING sounds good. That's me today. I have felt so hungry all day today but nothing sounds good to me. Nothing that is except for the Cheesecake Factory! I LOVE the Cheesecake Factory and can't wait for our next big occasion(ie: birthday, anniversay, or maybe if I'm lucky Valentine's Day) to go there. Here are my reccomendations.
Appitizer: Fried Maccaroni and Cheese. Delicious! Crispy Crumb Coated Macaroni and Cheese Balls. Served over a Creamy Marinara Sauce

Main Course: CRISPY CHICKEN COSTOLETTA
Chicken Breasts, Lightly Breaded and Sauteed to a Crisp Golden Brown. Served with Lemon Sauce, Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Asparagus. Words can't do this justice. Seriously it is DIVINE! Sorry no pictures of this one but trust me...you'll love it!

Dessert: Cheesecake of course! My favorite is the Banana Cream Cheesecake.

OK... so now I am salivating and even more hungry. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

This morning before Preston left for work Tyler fell down on his bottom hitting his elbow pretty hard on the wall. He ran crying to Preston, "Daddy I got an ouchieeeeeee! Kiss it, pwease." Preston then kissed his elbow and said, "All better!" Tyler turned around, pointed to his bottom and said, "Kiss this one too, Daddy!" We laughed for a LONG time.

Day 6

Favorite Thing Day 6

They say," simple minds...simple pleasures" and after this blog post you may think this of me. But my favorite thing today is Gain's "Apple Mango Tango" scented laundry detergent. It smells so delicious you almost want to taste your towels when washing your face. I just washed our sheets and the whole house smells DIVINE!!! I can't wait to snuggle up in them tonight.