Valentine's Scrooge..sort of

I know this is awful but I really despise Valentine's Day. Go ahead, I know what you are thinking but I promise I don't have this cold, hard heart. I love my hubby, I love my family, I love my Jesus, I love my friends, and I love love. I know there is more to Valentine's than romantic dinners, mush & gush and that we should focus on just loving others the way God loves us but it's what society makes this day out to be that I don't like. 

I really do think it's lame you take one day out of the year and put so much pressure on it. I wouldn't want Trav to spend so much money on roses or gifts just because it's Feb. 14. And, why wait in line for dinner for hours when you could go the next day and walk right in to be seated. I think it's a holiday that makes alot of people feel alone. So, I am embracing that I am  the Vday Scrooge :)

Thankfully my husband loves me despite all of that. He does like Valentine's Day and all day I receive texts such as, " How is my valentine? I love you valentine". But over the past 7 years he has seen that he gets away easy on this day because roses are not my favorite flower, diamonds are not my best friend, and I really don't like anything chocolate. The past few years we have been married we stayed in and cooked a nice dinner together than curled up and watched a red box. That is perfect to me. This year our situation is different and Trav thought we should go out.....much to my dismay. We went to Olive Garden our first Vday together so he thought we should relive our youthful days of dating. I tried my best to put my foot down but since I was not driving I had no say. We arrived at the OG to find 100 people in line. We made a deal: if the line was under an hour we would stay but over an hour we would leave. I knew it was over but Trav was optimistic it wasn't. The wait was: 1 hr 20 min. Whew! I was relieved because everyone was sitting in pairs of two outside snuggled up and smooching. Really?

We got in the car and I asked if we could go to Buffalo Wild Wings to stuff our faces with boneless wings and queso fries while watching the Clipper game. He stared at me like I was crazy. His reply was" That is so not Valentines, Em" Exactly. But to me, it sounded like the best evening. Trav was all for it but felt bad that he was taking me to BWW instead of some place night but I quickly assured him I would be more comfortable there than anywhere else. And it was perfect. We ordered honey BBQ and jammin jalepeno wings after we had devoured our queso fries. We sat and talked for a long time about what's next in life while watching the games.

I know when we have kids my view of this day will change. Already we celebrate it with our nieces and nephews because it's fun and kids love it. But I still think it's a silly, marked up, Hallmark holiday. In fact, while Trav and I were talking in the car lame old me started crying ( not bawling, just tears flowing) about how it's not fair how it makes people feel alone for a whole day. Sweet Trav just hugged me but inside I know he was thinking, " I have a crazy, emotional, basket case wife!" 

I'm glad this holiday is over and I am excited that we have Easter to look forward too! Easter is one of my favorite holidays as we celebrate our Savior's resurrection while enjoying time with family. And, you can't forget the egg hunt!

So long Valentine's Day. We will see you in a year!

Heart to Heart Bunco

Last week it was my turn to host Bunco and what do you know, it was the Valentine's Bunco!  While it took me a bit to get into the feel for all the hearts, there were some fun treats to do for the night.  Diet Coke cupcakes were soundly delicious and I couldn't pass up a chance to make oreo pops =) The best part of the night was playing with all my sister in laws! We had never done that before but since subs were needed it worked out. What a fun night! And full of winnings!

Favorite AZ Moments

( I wanted to post this awhile ago but never got around to finishing it with school. So, this is all it will be ;) )


The week I spent in AZ was one for the books. I want to be able to remember it all, even the little things, so I figured I should write them all down on here to help me out! It is very rare that my entire family is all together, every last one of us, so I really soaked up my time with them at Christmas. Here are some of my favorite moments =)

* The drive. I love adventures with Trav and this all night drive was added to our list. I would do it all again minus the Red Bull's affect on my GI system. But I want to remember the excitement I felt all throughout the drive and the way Trav looked when he slept, either curled up on the window or reclined back with his mouth hanging open. ;)


* Waking up on Christmas morning. having kids around on Christmas makes me feel like a kid again myself! Trav and I slept on a pull out couch downstairs and I woke up from my 30 min nap to hear 9 munchkins up stairs, talking excitedly. I ran up to give them all a hug to be greeted with shouts of "Aunt Emma! Aunt Emma is here!" and than I should have braced myself for the stampede headed towards me but I let myself be tackled by my lil ones who aren't so little anymore!


* Santa. My mom and how she still keeps Christmas magic alive, even when we are older. I was headed in to grab some coffee to jump start the long day ahead but I remembered that I had left the piece of bread to keep my dad's cooking moist in the tin by his stocking. As i was walking over there my mom stopped me to say, " Emma, you can't go in there yet. What if Santa came?" Oh mom, I love you for these little things and one day I will thank you for making Christmas magical for my kids.


* My dad's face opening his Lebkuchen. My grandma used to always make these German spiced cookies for him at Christmastime. My sisters all remember eating them but I never knew my Grandma Kahler so I thought I would bring back her Christmas tradition. It's a week long process to make these and you don't even know if they will work at the end. Making the dough was hard without a Kitchenaid but I found joy in taking the time to make them, thinking about the memories it would bring back to my dad and how it would feel as if my Grandma was there. I prayed all week that they would be soft by the time we went to AZ. Seems silly to pray for cookies, I know. I left them in a tin with a note by his stocking and patiently ( well not so much) waited for him to open them. He read the note and looked confused, unsure of what the tin held. When he opened the tin this smile lit up on his face and he took a big smell of the spices. I knew right than all of his past Christmases with his mom were flooding through his memory and it made me want to cry. He gave me a look I will never forget and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I'm excited to begin carrying on her tradition.


* Togetherness. I found myself stepping back during all the commotion to take in my family together. To watch the surprised faces and hear the squeals from the kids, to see my parents grinning from ear to ear, watching my sisters chat away while ooing and ahhing over the kid's gift, and seeing my patient husband go back and forth between all of the kids excitedly helping them out. Family is special and I hold moments like this one dear to my heart.


* Maddie and Lexi opening their gift. These sweet nine year olds are at a tough age. They aren't teens but they aren't kids. They are conservative, sweet, and gentle. They still play with toys but they are growing out of them. We were stumped on what to give them for Christmas.They both wanted American girl dolls. Maddie wanted Felicity and Lexi wanted a look-a-like. Lyndsay's friend went to an estate sale where they has a brand new, never played with Felicity doll for half price. How could we not? I didn't even have to complete my sentence when asking Trav before he said yes. We found Lexi her look-a-like doll and I was giddy with excitement and anticipation for them to open the dolls on Christmas morning. They noticed the not so hidden doll boxes right away but didn't say anything. We took breaks throughout the morning for the kids to get snacks and the adults to catch our breath, so the girls would creep over standing right next to them and stare. Poor Trav asked Maddie if she had opened our gift yet and after she said no, he said," Oh, well I really hope they fit!" and walked away. I think I was just as excited for them to open the dolls as I knew they would be. Ryan saved them till the end and I had to keep from laughing at their faces when the packages were put in front of them. Immediate squeals were heard and I will never forget the smiles that lit up their faces. Lexi squeezed me so tight I thought I would suffocate and she whispered in my ear, " I can't believe it. Thank you , thank you, thank you!" Have I mentioned what a joy it is to be an aunt?!? There is nothing better than doing things and making some wishes come true for our dozen!


* Sassy Savi! One night we were watching a movie and she made a funny face at me and than shrugged her shoulders tossing her hands up in the air. She looked away and when she looked back I returned the face and gesture to her. Her response? She gave me this look and rolled her eyes! What?! How has my 4 year old niece mastered the "Kahler roll"?!?


* My boyfriend. A few months back Parker had declared that I was his girlfriend. He still thinks this is true. Kristel tried to tell him that Aunt Emma was taken by Uncle Trav already but Park thinks he still stands a chance. We were talking about Hudson's girlfriends one day and Sam piped in, "Yea but Parker said last night that Emma was his!" Ok Parkdog.....I'll be your girlfriend because you will need to be 30 before I consider approving a girl to be good enough to date you! :-)


* Babysitting. I haven't babysat in a very long time and I will admit I miss it! I miss planning things to do, making things with kids, and doing the bedtime routines. When I heard that my siblings were headed out on a date night I of course asked what the kids were doing. When I heard two teenagers had been hired to watch them I put my foot down and decided to stay in Gilbert another night. How could I not spend a whole night with just all the kids?!? Sounded like the perfect evening to me...and it was! Maddie and Lexi were "too big" to play outside with the little ones so they sat in the barstools chatting away with me while I made dinner. They helped by setting the table and getting drinks together all while the smaller ones played outback on the play set. I stood there at the stove and thought, " This is heaven. This is my dream. A house filled with children running around, playing , laughing and loving life while I prepare their meal." And man, do I want that so bad one day! We ast down for dinner and Mr. Samdog thought he would test to see what he could get away with. Before I knew it I had a table filled with tooters, burpers, and potty mouthed kids. I do try to be the cool aunt but I do have to draw the line somewhere, right? So, I gave them a whole minute to say or do whatever potty related they wanted to and after that there would be none. For the next minute I joined one noisy group who were burping, tooting, and thinking of every thing to say that involved "poop". After, Sam questioned what he needed to do if he had to toot. I told him to go into the other room so no one heard or smelled it! He than challenged me further by asking what would happen if he did it at the table. My reply: "No ice cream sundaes." His reply: " But it's you Emma. You're too nice to do that" Darnet, Sammy you caught me. Thankfully no one did so I didn't have to go against what I said! After dinner they all lined up with their bowls in age order for their sundaes. Again, I took a mental picture of what life might be like in 8 years and I was loving the way it could look! We watched a movie and they were given glow sticks for their sleepovers. What a perfect, perfect night!


* Snuggling. I love to snuggle the kids. It's going to break my heart when they are too old and too cool to snuggle their aunt. While watching a movie one night Tessa and Hud snuggled up on my lap. I held on to them a little tighter because they are getting older too fast and I want to cherish moments like those!


*Sister time. We decided that for Christmas this year we would do a mini-vacation all together! A night was booked at the resort and we were all excited! Ryan had spoiled us by treating us to pedicures at the resort. I don't think the two ladies knew what was coming when they called us back. Chatty Kathies when you get the four of us together.....plus a glass of Riesling for each! It was the most wonderful pedicure ever...and the funnest. I was crying from laughing so hard with them. We also found out that the Iowa Hawk Eye football team was staying at the hotel for the bowl game. Since Kris was born there it just seemed fitting that she would need to meet the team. We chickened out when we had the chance though. After our pedis we ventured over to Last Chance and hit the bargains! What deals we all found! After that was dinner at a mexican restaurant down the street and than a night filled with Lifetime movies....our guilty pleasure when we are all together. We sure our suckers for those movies! The next morning we went to Arizona Mills for some more shopping deals at the Nike Outlet, VS Semiannual sale, and more. It was the best 24 hours and the best Christmas present to have the 4 of us together. There is just nothing like having sisters!


* Slumber party at my parents. We all headed to Anthem for a sleepover at Mimi and Papa's house. My mom cooked dinner, the kids played, and it was great. My dad took us to their favorite yogurt place for dessert and treated us to a delicious treat! He was sweet with each of the kids, walking them one by one to fill their cups and choose their toppings. You could just see the look of pure joy on his face and the proud grandpa/dad he was! Afterwards we put on a movie for the kiddos. Maddie and Lexi were going to be allowed to stayed up late to watch "Night at the Museum" with us after. They felt pretty special to watch their first "big kid" movie! They were so cute giggling and laughing. We checked in on the younger ones to find that the boys room ( which also included miss Tessa) was pretty stinkin cute. Tessa had moved in her sleep so she was snuggled right up next to her big cousin. My sisters and I pulled out the sofa bed for our own slumber party. My dad will always be the same caring guy with his nightly routine. After running the dish washer, checking the door locks, and making sure everyone was settled, he came over to say goodnight to us and turn off the lights. It made it feel like it was finally their home.


*Waffles. What else made it feel like their home was waking up to the smell of my dad's homemade waffles! We were all outraged when we heard he had tossed his 30 year old waffle iron that was an icon in our family. My mom had bought him a new one for Christmas and I am so glad he tested it out while we were there! Nothing beats his waffles....or the delicious smell that wakes you up from a deep sleep with a growling tummy! Thank you Dad.....and please teach Trav your secret recipe! :-)


*High School Musical. I have been begging....and I mean BEGGING...Lyns and Lea to let Lexi and Maddie watch this with me for years. I understand the wait and I would have done the same with my girls but now they are on the verge of 5th grade so I thought I would try again. This time they said yes and we scheduled a girl movie night. I love how naive, innocent, and sweet these two are. They just love life, love their Jesus, and are growing into these beautiful young women. They giggled when they saw the basketball player's armpit hair. They giggled when Sharpay wore silly clothes and said crazy things. And they giggled when Troy and Gabriella flirted. At one point Troy ( Zac Efron) was singing on Gabriella's balcony. Lexi goes, " Mom, is it ok that I feel a little awkward right now?" :) Than later on Zac was sitting shirtless in the locker room for a pep talk and we hear Lexi go, " Uh oh, another one of those awkward moments again!" haha I love it. Could they be any sweeter. Needless to say we left them in their room giggling about "Troy" with their new saying of, "It's a bird, it's a plane.....it's Super Trroooyyyyy!" Lyns and Lea probably want to bust me for giving them their first crush! :-)

*Role Models.  I've always looked up to my sisters. Having sisters who are 7/9/11 years older has been a blessing. Sometimes it's hard because they have always been in a different stage of life than me but I've learned to really appreciate that and be thankful for those years in between us. Having them all in the same place was wonderful. These ladies are my role models. They are strong, loving, passionate, caring, and Godly women who I strive to be like. I love watching them in "mom" mode and hope that I can be half as great of a mom as they are to their kids. ( I also try to make mental notes in my head of things they do as moms right now so when we have kids that age I can pull some of them out!). Hopefully we can get more sister trips going to the 4 of us can be together again!

Wonderful Christmas

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. Why does it seem to pass by quicker each year? I love Christmas. Everything about it makes me excited for it to come each year. I love knowing that the day after Thanksgiving radio stations turn to Christmas songs and watching lights go up outside of homes and the glimmer of trees shining through the windows. I love the traditions that come with Christmas, carrying on the ones we grew up with and now making some of our own as well. I love singing traditional Christmas hymns in church and watching each week as the advent candle adds a new flame, knowing we are that much closer to the celebration of our King's birth.

This year, we had a new challenge with Christmas. The past years we have been extremely spoiled having our families live 7 minutes apart. Even when we were dating, we would travel back and forth throughout the day to each others home. When we were married, it was easy as can be going from house to house and not missing a minute of either Christmases. My parents moved last spring so I knew that this Christmas would take some rearranging in our schedules to make it work. Trav always works Christmas Eve which puts a twist into the picture as well. All of my family was going to AZ. We haven't spend a Christmas with the Butterfields or Ermelings since before our wedding nor has my entire family all been together under the same roof since our wedding. Since Trav's mom was going to work this Christmas, Trav said of course we would head to AZ for Christmas morning. We didn't want to miss out on the Hardeman Christmas either though and thankfully it all worked out perfectly.

On Christmas Eve morning, we treated it as Christmas morning in the Hardeman house and it was lovely! We all wore our matching jams and it felt just as magical as if it was the actual day. It was fun seeing Van and Huddy so into Christmas this year. Kids really, truly add something special to Christmas morning. Heidi made a delicious egg dish and Cindy had apple cider ready when we woke up. That was always my favorite in the past years. Coming downstairs and grabbing a red mug full of cider than heading to curl up on the couch! We spent the day relaxing and than headed to church that night. It's hard not worshiping with Trav on Christmas but I know it's just temporary and his schedule will change eventually. I'm thankful to have the Hardemans around though so I did have family to worship with. Cindy made a delicious dinner and I stuffed myself silly again, starting off the Christmas feasts! It was a great day!

That night when Trav got off work we packed up and headed out to AZ....by car. I drove while Trav slept and as we were leaving my dad sent me a text saying, " Whether you get here at 4 or 30 minutes later, we will all still be here. Please drive SLOW! Oh man, if only he knew how quickly I got us to Palm Springs! At our pit stop there I had this bright idea to let Trav keep sleeping so I bought a Red Bull. It worked and I was singing along to music the whole way to Blythe, bright eyed and bushy tailed. ( However, I will NEVER even look at a Red Bull again. Christmas morning my stomach hated me. I felt like it was eating me from the inside out. What was I thinking?!?!) My sisters ( aka: other moms) were worry warts and kept calling/texting to make sure we were ok. Somehow we made it there. That last 2 hour stretch was brutal. I was nodding off while Trav was driving and I am pretty sure when I came too once, his eyes were closed. But we made it! It was an adventure and I would do it again if we had too! We unloaded all our stuff and Trav passed out! I was so excited I couldn't sleep ( even though I only had an hour before the kids woke up) and by the time I finally fell asleep, I heard excited voices upstairs.

The Kahler Christmas morning was wonderful as well. 9 excited grandkids led to a fun morning. It was absolutely wonderful having the whole family in one room and I found myself stepping back to take it all in, as if I was snapping mental pictures that I will carry with me forever. I've missed these moments of having us all together but I don't take them for granted anymore when we do have them. My sisters and mom had stayed up on Christmas Eve to make our traditional Christmas breakfast that we all wait for each year. We spent the day undoing toys, reading books, watching games on tv, and Trav golfed. A delicious dinner was made and than Trav headed to the airport to fly home. He was such a trooper for literally having an hour of sleep! 

I tried to soak as much of our Christmases up because I have no clue what next year holds. I know Trav will be working Christmas Eve again. I know that I will probably have to work Christmas day seeing that I will be the "rookie" in whatever job I find. I don't know where we will be located or who we will be with. But I am very thankful for fun times, the joy and laughter, and celebration of Christ's birth that we were able to share with all of our family this year.

Here is a video from the Hardeman Christmas that Heidi made. (I tried uploading a shutterfly album from the Kahler Christmas and I could not figure out how : ( )

Hardeman Christmas 2010

Mmmmm, Mmmmmmm, Mmmmmm

I don't know about you but I am a pumpkin fanatic! I look forward to fall so I can literally eat pumpkin anything for 2 months straight. I recently stumbled across a new recipe for pumpkin cookies that I will say, are to die for. I literally could eat a whole batch myself....as well as my in laws! In fact, I made them once the night before an event and within two hours the entire batch was gone! Oops...I just had to make more :-) 

Pumpkin season is almost over so I thought I would share the recipe so you as well could enjoy the deliciousness of these cookies! Really, they are heaven in a bite of pumpkin! :-) Enjoy!

** PUMPKIN COOKIES**

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups light br sugar
1/2 cup butter.marg. softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/3 c chopped pecans
1/2 c vanilla chips

Preheat to 350. Grease cookie sheet.

In a large bowl beat brown sugar, butter, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and spices. Stir in pecans and vanilla chips. Drop onto sheet.

Bake 10-14 min or until lightly browned. Cool for 30 min or so.

I than put vanilla chips in a bown with a tiny bit of cooking oil....just a few drops and microwave to melt. I spoon it into a plastic bag and cut off the corner to than drizzle over the cookies.

The Fourth

I love the 4th of July! I have such good memories of this holiday from growing up. At our old house on French street, the whole block would get together for a block party. Kids would ride ride their bikes, run back and forth between homes, and those were the days of using sparklers! Moving to the Rivertrail house brought even more memories. The day would be spent at the pool and playing outside. My sisters and I would help my mom in the kitchen making dessert and preparing dinner. We would sit on the back patio, shucking fresh green beans, chatting away while my dad was grilling on the bbq. The 4th of July truly is the " All American" family day with those wonderful summer nights. Every year, for as long as I can remember, my mom makes the same dessert and I anticipate it all year. After whipping up a delicious batch of brownies, the fun begins! She would set up a station on the counter and Trav soon learned what a treat it was. He quickly was the first to get in line. After putting the brownie in her holiday blue bowls, we would load up with ice cream, strawberries, blueberries, cool whip, nuts, chocolate sauce, and you can't forget her lil flag candy toppings to polish it off!

On top of the dessert, Trav and I soon started our own traditions when we were dating. We started going to Peralta Park for their firework show. We always went early because we loved the atmosphere and would talk about one day taking our kids. The park fills up with families. Kids are running around playing frisbee, tag, soccer, football, you name it. There are booths selling snow cones, hot dogs, and other typical 4th food. Than, everyone finds their spot on the field and waits for the show. It's actually really good....and not cheesy!

This year, the 4th started out a lil rocky. The day before I had to say goodbye to my dad. It was a total killer. And on Monday, I said goodbye to my Millie girl. Leaving AZ this time was harder than I could have imagined because this time, I was leaving so many people I hold close to my heart. I would be coming home to a place where I could no longer drive 10 minutes to see my parents or know that I have them nearby. My morning was bittersweet as I listened to my sister and her girls plan their 4th of July activities for my parents coming over. We did however eat 4th of July waffles which were wonderful! Trav surprised me at the airport...I thought he was working! He is pretty sweet and knows exactly when I'm sad and I don't even have to say it. Sometimes silence is best. I was pretty teary eyed on the way home and he just sat and held my hand which is just what I needed. I wanted to crawl into bed so I could wake up and have everything be fine, but of course that is not the way to cope with things. Trav's parents were having a bbq that afternoon. I'm very thankful they are close by.....and that we have nephews here too! It makes holidays that much better! The ache I felt inside was soon soothed when we walked in the door to see Huddy's smiling face saying, " Ehhhmmmmmaaahhh!" Have I mentioned it totally melts my heart to hear him say my name?! Van man soon showed us how brave he is now that he swims without a life jacket! What a stud! While the tears were still a breath away, it was great having the Hardeman clan together to celebrate. Katie brought dessert and it made me so happy because it was close to my mom's! It was delicious...angel food cake, berries, cool whip, and ice cream. Yum!!

You can't have 4th of July without fireworks and since Peralta had already done their show, we found that Fullerton High did one right by our house. Van man took a good nap so he would be able to go! Heidi and Dan came by and we walked on over. Ok, I should say trecked on over! After getting to the school we realized we had come in from the wrong side. Oops! So, we climbed though bushes, trees, and along side a hill to get to our spot! It was fun and the fireworks were awesome as usual. The best part was hearing Vans comments about each one and seeing his excitement!

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and enjoyed time with family!

                                                                     Yum! Flag Waffles!

                                                                   Tessa loved her waffle!!!!

                                                                 Waiting for fireworks!

                                                                         Funny face!