Happy Holidays

I can't believe it has almost been a year since I updated my blog. LOTS has changed since I last wrote. Our biggest changes include us moving in with Vicki (Steve's mom) and Steve going back to school. He is enrolled at LCC in a radiology technician assistant program. He finished his first quarter and did amazing. The program is about two years and then he plans on transferring to Clark College to get his Radiology Technician Degree (another 2 years.)

The kids are getting BIG! Presley started Pre-K in September and turned 5 in June. He also started Kung Fu. He is busy as ever but can be a real snuggle bug too. Zoe started the 1st grade and turned 7 in October. She is still enjoying soccer and Girl Scouts. She is doing awesome academically too. She is a smart cookie!

For me I am still working in Kalama. This is my 7th year there... hard to believe. I have a wonderful class and I love going to work each day. I am trying not to fill my plate so full this year and just enjoy my family. Sometimes we need a break from all the extra stuff that can pile up. I am still a Girl Scout leader and enjoy the time planning and being with my troop. Other then that being a working mommy keeps me busy enough.

So until the next time I get a free time to write... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Time to Rest

It seems as if I am always on the go, go, go! I have come down with a silly head-cold that has zapped my energy but also given me an excuse to reenergize. I did do some well needed house cleaning on this 3-day weekend but I have also done a lot of sitting, reading, and blowing of my nose.

Today has been the first day in a while that the kids have got to play outside. They played with chalk, found pet worms, and ran around for hours. Itwas good for them to get some energy out.

I am looking forward to more days that they can play outside and warmer weather! I love spring! I can't believe March is just a few weeks away. Here are a few pictures of some fun we have had lately!

Steve surprised me with flowers at work on Valentine's Day!

The kids playing at Great Wolf Lodge! We had a fun family get-away!

The kids with Violet after story time.

Bingo!

Winter is flying by...

It has been so long since I last wrote. The sun is shining today and it is finally in the mid-5o's. Now time to catch-up... we had Thanksgiving at our house. Steve made a yummy smoked turkey. We also celebrated Christmas at our house too. It is so nice making our own little family traditions. I did a crock-pot breakfast for Christmas morning and then we ate a yummy Prime Rib for dinner. The kids were spoiled as usual but we are trying to teach them about appreciating their many blessings. We rang in the new yearwith my bestest friend, Brittni and her great boyfriend Jason. Steve and I even tried Sushi. Steve loved it, me not so much! January was a long month but it sure came and went quickly

.

Zoe and I have been busy withDaisy Scouts. She had goal to sell 155 boxes of cookies and she ended up selling 250 boxes of cookies. The troop of 16 girls ended up selling 1403 boxes of cookies and we could still add more boxes to that number. I am so proud of our daisy scouts and families.

Fun in the Fall

Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of the fun activities you can do with your kids. I look forward to the pumpkin patch every year. I also enjoy making fun fall arts and crafts and baked goods. Here are a few fun fall Fortner Family activities we have been up to.

Pumpkin Patch @ Kruger's Farm

Painting Pumpkin Jars

Trying on our costumes for Trick-or Treating

Fire Safety and Fire Prevention @ the Kelso Fire Station

(We even practiced our fire escape plan and both kids know how to get out of the house and where to meet the family. They loved doing it!)

Making Yummy treats! We were bored so we made up our own yummy treat. We called them Minty Monster Cookies! (See the recipe below.)

Minty Monster Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening (I used butter flavored)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp peppermint extract

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

food coloring

Heat the oven to 375oF Mis together butter, shortening, sugar, egg and flavorings.

Blend in the flour and salt. Divide the dough in half. Add food coloring of choice. We used lime green and purple. Roll dough (a little from each bowl) into a tsp sized ball. Place on a cookie sheet and bake about 9 minutes.

With the last batch we rolled them in a mixture of sugar and sprinkles for an added touch.

Makes a little over 3 dozen. The kids loved them!

Summer to Fall

Summer is over and now for one of my favorite seasons fall! Zoe started Kindergarten and LOVES it. Presley started pre-school and is really enjoying it too. I celebrated my 30th birthday (again) with my family and wonderful friends. We had a yummy taco bar. My brother Jeremy got to be here this year from New York. We did the Race for the Cure for our 11th year. Team Myrtle's Turtles was the biggest it has been yet. We raised almost $1000 for the organization too! I am looking forward to Zoe's birthday and our annual trip to the pumpkin patch coming up soon! I love the fall colors and smells! It's such a beautiful season!

Summer is starting to move WAY too FAST!

The beginning of my break started out nice and slow doing fun activities with the kids at home but since the 4th it seems like we are on the go, go, GO! We haven't been doing our letter a day and I don't see us getting to it any time soon. Today Zoe started VBS at First Baptist and Presley started Busy Bee Pre-school Pirate Week. They will be busy with that the rest of the week. They were both a little scared at first but both were happy and smiling when I picked them up. I'm hoping summer will slow back down next week and we can chill out by the pool again! :)

Our little man's first time away at school by himself. So far so good! He is excited to start real pre-school in the fall!

Arrg! It's Pirate Week!

E is for Eggs and F is for the Fourth of July

With all the fun stuff we were doing for the long weekend with Daddy we didn't get to our letters. We did have eggs on Sunday morning for the letter "E"! We talked about "F" is for the Fourth of July. We did lots to celebrate the holiday! We also saw and heard lots of fireworks. We even got to play with pop-it's. (I don't think they are fireworks but close enough for us!) The kids also decorated their bikes with red, white, and blue streamers.

Four Days with Daddy!

Steve hung a flag on our house in honor of Independence Day!


We took a little break from our summer fun and enjoyed having Daddy at home with us for four whole days! On Saturday we went to the Cardboard Boat Races at the lake with Grandma Betsy and Grandpa Ray and Grandma Vicki too!There were some really cool boats this year.

Afterwards we went to a BBQ at Derek and Ann's house. We had a great day. The kids fell right to sleep the minute they hit the pillow.

On Sunday, Steve went golfing with my Dad and Chris. Then he went and picked up the metal parts to his motorcycle he was having painted. He is a very happy guy! I took the kids to Venna's birthday party (one of Zoe's Pre-school friends). Zoe got to go swimming again... she is loving it and getting really brave in the water too. She will be ready for swim lessons for sure. We also celebrated Grandma Vicki's birthday! Steve made yummy burgers. We toasted marshmallow and had s'mores too! The kids made grandma a card and we found some pretty carnations for her too (her favorite)!

On Monday, we started our day at the 4th of July Parade.It was awesome! The kids loved it because they got SO much goodies!

After the parade we walked through the flea market and all got Tie dyed shirts (I got a dress). We had dinner at home with my parents then went back to the lake to watch the fireworks! My favorite part was watching the kids face during the show. They were so amazed! I am really glad we decided to go to the lake this year.

On Tuesday, we ran some errands and went to Freddy's Just for the Halibut for lunch. Then we came home and played outside. We had our first water balloon fight! It was so nice having daddy home for four whole days!

D as in Donut and Doggie

Our day has been very busy. We started out by going to the library for story time. We heard the story Elmer about a colorful elephant. Then the kids did and elephant mask. They also enjoyed a snack of cookies and juice. The candy machines conveniently set outside the library made it hard to get to the car without another treat.

After the library we went grocery shopping because if we didn't we would be eating canned beans and corn for dinner. The kids were occupied by the car cart for about 2 minutes then I had to bribe them with a donut... since it was D day.

When we got home I made lunch and the kids went and got their doggie stuffed animals to have a doggie picnic (their own idea). Presley was too sugared out to focus on his lunch. (He looks at sugar and goes crazy! This was my own fault... I thought maybe he could handle it. I was wrong.)

After an attempt at rest time, the kids worked on their D page and 4 page. Then they went outside to enjoy the sun between rain showers. It's been awhile since they've been able to get out and ride their bikes.

Fresh Salsa... Summer's here!

One of my favorite summer traditions is to make my fresh salsa. I made some today and it was so yummy! Once you take a bite you can't stop. Here is my recipe nothing fancy and really easy.

2-3 large tomatoes (or 5-6 small or medium tomatoes)

1-2 jalapenos (1/4 of the seeds) unless you like it HOT

1/4 -1/2 onion depending on the size

1 clove of garlic

lemon juice (fresh if you have it)

lime juice (fresh if you have it)

salt to taste

I use a food processor to chop it all up. Mix it together. Add salt to taste. Keep in the fridge. It takes an hour or so for all the flavors to combine. Eat with chips! Yummy!

If you try it let me know how you like it. What are some of your favorite summer traditions?

Letter C for Cat

Today was another raining day! We had to spend most of the day inside. We did get to go to the library and see the Mime Workshop put on by the Missoula Children's Theatre. It was a little over their heads but they still got a few laughsin.

We went on our C hunt and found lots of cats, a cone, a car, a coat, candy and a picture of Clifford.

Letter and number pages for the day! We also cleaned our rooms... C is for clean!

Like how I through that one in. :)

Good but NOT Grandma's

I made Chicken and Dumplings for dinner... they were yummy but they were NOT Grandma Myrtle's! It makes me miss her so much! It was a yummy dinner for a gloomy summer day. I looked at a few recipes for ideas and then I did my own stuff. I hope to make it more often and perfect my own recipe.

Gloomy Tuesday

We woke up to gloomy wet weather but didn't let it ruin our day!

Letter of the Day B... for bear picnic, banana, book, bears (lots of them), bread! The kids got a Lunchable that they got to create their own sandwich. They had fun creating it, then eating it up!

Two is the number of the day! They are so proud of their work!

Art project: 4th of July Flower Centerpiece

I also made Chicken and Dumplings perfect for this gloomy summer day! It reminds me of my Grandma Myrtle!

A is for Apple

Today's letter of the day is A!

Today's number of the day is 1!

Zoe and Presley colored 1 sun (on this raining day) and wrote the number 1. They also circled things that started with A, had an A hunt around the house, and counted ants. On our A hunt we found an Ape, Apple book, automobile, and apple sauce. All the hunting made us hungry so we ate the apple sauce. Yummy! We read the Apple Pie Tree too! We will be putting together an alphabet and number book of our findings. So stop back and see our progress.

A weekend full of FUN!

This weekend was full of summer fun! We roasted marshmallows for s'mores, roasted hot dogs, and swam in the froggy pool. We also went to a birthday party which was a lot of fun! They had a pool (very COLD) which Zoe LOVED! She was shivering and shaking but kept wanting to go back for more. I am looking forward to upcoming swim lessons. I think they will love them. It was also so nice to have a weekend come and go and NOT have to go to work on a monday morning!

Zoe was a little fish!

Presley was ALL about the squirt gun!

It's been awhile!

101 goals in 1001 days update

It has been about 7 months since I last updated my challenge. I started this on July 6, 2010 and my end date is April 2, 2013. I do have a few things to update though.

Here is my list in no specific order:

1. Go for a road trip
2. Identify 100 things that make me happy
3. Go on a picnic We had several summer 2010 and foresee several more in 2011.
4. Find a personally inspiring quote and work it into a piece of art or home decor Live, Laugh, Love
5. Buy a lottery ticket I didn't win! :(
6. Have a candlelight dinner
7. Go to the Great Wolf Lodge again!
8. Do some volunteer work
9. Go to church
10. Go to Mt. St. Helens
11. Go to the beach (a warm one) We went to Long beach in September and it was warm out does that count?
12. Get Zoe in a class (gymnastics or dance). We decide to wait until she is in Kindergarten.
13. Buy Christmas presents in November I have started Christmas shopping. I actually started in October this year!
14. Go to Edgefield (booked for Nov. 20th) This weekend! I am sooo excited!! It was a really great trip... possibly a new tradition every year after conference week.
15. Sell our house
16. Pay off debt (working on it)... Still working on it! :(
17. Read 10 books all the way through (4/10)* I need a new book!
18. Bake cupcakes I made candy corn cupcakes for Zoe's birthday
19. Finish my quarter sleeve tattoo
20. Go to Disneyland (In February 2011!!) It was so much fun!
21. Celebrate my 30th birthday We had a party at our house it was a lot of fun! I still don't feel 30!
22. Raise $500 for the Race for the Cure (250/500)*
23. Get a gym membership and use it * I started taking Zumba classes 2 times a week and I LOVE it! I still want to get a membership though so I can run on the treadmill.
!)
24. Have Thanksgiving at our house (This coming Thursday! Steve is smoking a turkey!)
25. Write a love letter to my hubby
26. Write a haiku
27. Write 50 reasons why I like myself
28. Take a trip on a train
29. Make Mimosa So yummy!
30. Eliminate non-fitting clothing from my wardrobe
31. Put together an emergency food kit
32. Back up all digital photos Someone did it for me.
33. Spend an entire day at the beach Seal Beach!
34. Go fishing It was a lot of fun! WE caught 2 trout!
35. Take a Zumba class I love ZUMBA!!
36. Cook 25 new dishes (10/25) *
37. Make strawberry jam


39. Write to someone who inspired me
40. Go to 5 restaurants I've never been to before (4/5): Eco Park Restaurant, Blue Plate in Portland, LA CASA, Gustav's German Pub
41. Go to Seattle
42. Keep a prayer journal (started it Aug. 11th)
43. Make my own birthday cards
44. Bake all my families birthday cakes... so far so good! I made Zoe Candy corn cupcakes, Presley Cars cake/cupcakes, and Steve Peach Cobbler for their birthdays this year (2010-2011)
45. Find 10 dairy free recipes that are really yummy (1/10) ... Presley has outgrown his dairy allergy I think so this is not needed anymore.
46. Make a family recipe book*
47. Go to the zoo five times (3/5)

49. Go to Las Vegas
50. Throw Zoe a BIG 5th birthday bash She loved her Halloween themed costume party. She said she wants to do it again next year.
51. Start a new hobby... Is this a hobby?
52. Go to a garden (lilac or tulip) My mom took me to the Tulip Farm in Woodland but they were late to bloom this year. We drove by it later to see the farm in full bloom! Beautiful!
53. Complete my Master's Degree It's official!!
54. Sing karaoke (drinking may be involved)
55. Grow a garden (Do tomatoes count?) I planted tomatoes, onion, herbs, and sunflowers (summer 2011) but the slugs are eating them!
56. Do 10 random acts of kindness (1/10)
57. Donate to charity
58. No Starbucks for a week (I think this one may be impossible! My closest attempt was 3 days!)
59. Keep a food journal for Presley for a month
60. Add more fruits and veggies to our diet*
61. Paint Zoe's room
62. Move Presley upstairs
63. Lose 10lbs... 5 lbs so far*
64. Set a budget and stick to it!*
65. Get Presley in pre-school... He's signed up to start in the fall.
66. Go on Field Trips with Zoe's class
67. Play board games at least 20 times (9/20)
68. Read to Zoe and Presley (almost) every night)*
69. Watch 10 "classics" I haven't seen before (0/10)
70. Buy or make 10 new decorations for the holidays (3/10)
71. Go to the Pumpkin patch
72. Cut down our Christmas Tree
73. Take 26 pictures, 1 for each letter of the alphabet and make a book for my kids
74. Make a personalized photo book for Presley (like Zoe's)
75. Develop wedding photos that haven't been developed yet
76. Put pictures in albums... working on this
77. Move into a new house
78. Go out to breakfast at the fireside cafe
79. Have a big Easter Egg hunt with family and friends
80. Save for Hawaii $0
81. Write a list of things that each person in my life has taught me
82. Go to an aquarium
83. Buy bikes and use them (For the kids so far!)*
84. Get a manicure/pedicure
85. Make 5 new desserts (3/5)
86. Go on a motorcycle ride with Steve
87. Play golf
88. Try 10 new beverages (4/10)*
89. Paint the kitchen cabinets

90. Buy new frying pans
Got them for a gift!!
91. Eat breakfast everyday for a week (I'm not a breakfast eater!)Yet another impossible task... Does coffee count? I don't do breakfast!
92. Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
93. Go on a date once a month with my hubby* (7/33)
94. Plant some flowers
95. Make a list of 100 reasons why I love my husband
96. Attend a festival/ concert
97. Go camping with friends
98. Throw a dinner party
99. Don't say anything negative for a week
100. Pay for a person's Starbucks behind me
101. Tell my family I love them everyday!*

I am doing pretty well!

School's Out For Summer!

My last day with my class was June 21st. I had a hard time saying goodbye. I really had a great class this year. This year just flew by and I wanted more time with them. I can hardly believe that my first group of kiddos that I taught at Kalama will be 8th graders. They are all taller then me by now I am sure!

Zoe came with me to school on the last day. She loved it and is so excited to start school at Kalama next year! She will do awesome. She was adding math problems in her head for me today. She amazes me at how quickly she learns stuff.

First we have to enjoy our summer together. I am trying to plan our days out with fun activities and hands-on fun that will keep us all busy. Some of the things on our list so far include swimming lessons, VBS, play dates, trips to the park, museum, zoo, etc... It makes me excited that I get to plan out fun stuff for us to do. I will try and remember to blog our summer fun!

Happy summer to you!

Our Baby Girl Graduates!

Zoe graduated from Pre-Kindergarten! She is more then ready for Kindergarten. She has really loved her school the past two years. Her teacher Mrs. Sally has been amazing! Zoe has learned so much! She can count to 100, reads some words, writes some words, and more. At Zoe's graduation she was the dove in a Noah's Ark skit. She was awesome! She looked so grown-up. I didn't think I was going to get emotional that she was graduating because I am so excited to have her at my school next year but I did because I realized my baby girl is growing way too fast before my eyes!