Pampered Chef Website!

Hey! I finally set up my Pampered Chef website! Yay! If you so desire you can go to http://www.pamperedchef.biz/kimbyskitchen . You can order from there or contact me if you are interested in having a show or anything your heart desires! Just wanted to let you guys know!

Disneyland, I love you!

Oh yeah, and my husband too! 3 years! This year for our Anniversary JD and I took a trip to DISNEYLAND! Just the two of us. Emma stayed with her grandma and we drove out to California! I can't even tell you home much fun it was! We stayed just down the street, and I am almost ashamed to admit I didn't sleep well the night before we went to the park. I honestly don't know if it was because of Disneyland or just the first night in a different bed. We spent a whole day going all over the park! We were so beat by the time the day was over, but I would not let us go to our hotel because I was afraid we wouldn't make it back to the park. I can't wait to go back!


This is the best picture of JD and I, we are just about to ride our first ride- Matterhorn Mtn!


Waiting in line to sit down in the ac...oh yeah, and see Honey I Shrunk the Audience


Waiting in the never ending line for Space Mtn, my new favorite ride!

Just a little posing.




This was on the Buz Lightyear ride. Like an interactive video game. More enjoyable than I first expected.


He just needed some ice cream!


I was so sad to go. And I don't know if you can tell, but so blasted tired too!

Family Reunions

We had the chance in May to get together will all sorts of family for a reunion. It was so much fun! Mom and Dad brought along their new toy and generously shared it with us all so we could explore everything around the house we were staying in in Parks.
The first half of our vacation was in Parks, AZ so we could be close to the Grand Canyon and visit.
For the second half, it was just my parent's children and we went to Sedona, AZ for a relaxing time. We enjoyed the view, went to Out of Africa, and each took a turn showing our cooking skills! Thanks Mom and Dad for all the work you put in to making this family reunion a fun and relaxing one!

Things I am proud of...

I have been working on my cooking skills lately, and I have to admit, I have made some yummy stuff. It may not look the beautiful in the picture (and JD thinks I am a nut for taking pictures of food)but this stuff really was tasty!


I got the idea for broccoli cheese soup from eating at Jason's Deli one too many times.


Stuffed Pork Tenderloin..Mmmm


JD and I have also been working hard at our garden...here are some of the fruits of our labor...

My herb garden! Yay! The cilantro, parsley, and a little bit of sage came up (I have way too much if anyone wants some) but I am going to have to re-plant the basil and oregano.


Yes, we grew carrots! This is just a preview of what they will be. I have had to pick a few to thin the crop and make room for them to grow really big, and this is what I picked! How fun is this?!?


This is what our garden looked like a week or two ago. Things are much taller now. Emma is sitting by the tomatoes and strawberries helping herself to the strawberry patch. The carrots in the front are a lot taller, and our lettuce just keeps coming back!


STRAWBERRIES! My favorite! I go out and pick a handful of strawberries almost everyday!

AND OF COURSE....

My baby girl sitting in a bucket!

EASTER

We went down to Thatcher for the Easter weekend and had so much fun! My oldest brother, his wife and two kids also made it down for the family fun. We spent the weekend relaxing, feeding ducks, playing games (and wii), going to church, having an easter egg hunt, and eating some yummy food. Thanks to Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you and taking care of all of us. We took a few family photos on Sunday, but the rest I will have to get from my mom.

Family Photo=Bleh


We had to feed Emma and her cousin Benjamin chocolate to try and get them to pose...didn't work to well


Here is Emma practicing for the easter egg hunt

The PC and me!

Okay guys, I am really going to do it. Starting April 1st I will be selling Pampered Chef. They have gadgets and gizmo's of plenty. Whosits and whatsits galore. Anyway...they sucked me in. I love the stuff. So, this is my official announcement. If anyone would like to have a show (for a kitchen show i would actually go in to your home or do it at my home and the other option is a catalouge show where you just give your friends the info and most of it is done by phone) or if you need just a random thing or two, I'm your gal! Just let me know if anyone is interested and in what.

Valentine's Day

This year JD and I had a pretty low key Valentine's Day. We weren't doing gifts and so it was mostly about spending time with eachother. JD Surprised me with a boquet of beautiful flowers the Thursday before Valentine's Day and I was so excited about getting to enjoy them open on Valentine's Day. I had been watching the food network a ton before this and JD and I had both started drooling when we saw someone make asian dumplings. Mmmm. I decided I would try my hand at it for the big day and just see how it worked out. I actuall went to an asian market for some of the ingredients. It was a really neat store. All kinds of things you aren't used to seeing in a store like Frys or Bashas. We ate dumplings and Emma ate pizza. It was a really good day! We did a Friday-Saturday celebration, so Friday was the dinner and Saturday we went and saw a movie. I love that there is a day set aside for pink and hearts and I guess to show love :) JD thinks it all is a bit silly, but I still like it.

My attempt at making a romantic looking dinner


Some of these were crispy, but I actually liked the crunch (not saying that just because I messed up)


My pretty flowers openening up


E-monster sharing with Belle

Aunt Cindy

I waited and waited to post anything about this because I just didn't know what to say. My cousins have all said it best in their blogs, but I still have felt like I would like to say something about my mom's youngest sister. Last Tuesday around 6 am I got a phone call from my mom telling me that my Aunt Cindy had died that morning. She had battled with a rare blood disorder for somewhere close to nine years, and this past year she had a bone marrow transplant that doctor's were hoping would take care of her condition. There were so many complications after her transplant, but she never lost hope and always seemed to fight over each medical mountain that was placed in front of her. I saw her after her transplant, when she had no hair and was swollen because her kidneys weren't working right, but she was so happy and making jokes. It was hard to believe she was as sick as she was.
When my mom called me that Tuesday it hit me so hard. It hit the whole family hard. I had always expected a miracle, the one that would take away her pain and leave her healthy and strong and without disease. One of my cousins reminded me that she had so many little miracles throughout this disease. Her life was prolonged for who knows how much extra time, and that was a blessing and a miracle for her whole family.
My Aunt Cindy had the sweetest voice, once you heard it, you would never forget it. I have a million memories of things she has said to me or to others, and I am so glad I can remember that voice of hers! She was so kind and always cared about others before herself. She was a great example of being faithful and enduring to the end. I am so grateful to her and to my mother and all of my Aunt's for being the kind of women I can aspire to be. I just want her to know I love her and I am so glad has no more pain ans is healthy, strong, and without disease. I love you with all my heart Aunt Cindy!

Flowers and Spice and everything Nice

A few weeks ago JD and I decided to get things ready to plant our vegetable and flower garden this year. We also added a spice garden! I can never choose what flowers to get because I love them all. I made a second trip a week later and picked up some snap dragons and another narcissus. Am I a complete dork? Our herbs and spices haven't come up yet, maybe it's still too cold, but we have lettuce and strawberries and some baby carrot sprouts so far.
This is from the day I planted the garden...

This is what it looks like now. A little messy because of the wind and rain!

Little Miss Mischief

Emma has decided lately to get in to EVERYTHING. A few of her favorite things to do are pull all the books off the bookshelf and get in to the pantry to pull things off the shelves in there. I can usually keep her out of the places I don't want her to go by shutting the door, but now she can open the doors by herself! I thought we had the house baby proofed, but she managed to get in to one of our cupboards and drop my crock-pot top and it shattered! I have dropped that thing a million times and nothing has happened. Leave it up to a baby to figure out how to break things! Besides making messes she now opens the door to the laundry room and gets handfuls of the dog food to feed to Belle. So cute, but so dirty! Oh, what is a mom to do? I guess taking pictures is my only option.

I can't believe she is big enough to open doors!


This is a whole box of corn starch! Thanks for the help cooking, Emma!

Christmas

Christmas, as always, was a blast! This year we spent Christmas with the Tate's in Phoenix. We had a great Christmas Eve with the whole family. We read The Nativity and the kids (and some adults-including JD the donkey) acted it out. It was so cute to see Emma dressed up as Mary. Grandma Tate also did a fishing game and the kids had fun going fishing for toys. Emma wasn't quite as interested in it as I was.

Having Christmas in Phoenix means we get to spend Christmas morning with just our little family. We had a few little mishaps (like Emma throwing up) before we could get going with all the festivities. Emma was really excited this year. She started with her stocking and needed a little coaxing to figure out what she was supposed to do, but she did much better with the presents. She helped open the presents and gave each one a hug, including the clothes. She even sat on her Noah's Ark (not a riding toy) and was having so much fun!





We went back over to the Tate's for some good food and some time with the family. It was a great Christmas!

Ben's Graduation..

Congrats to my brother Ben. The whole family had the chance to go to Texas for Ben's graduation. After getting his bachelors in industrial engineering he went back to school for an MBA. We all flew down and spent a long weekend crashing in Ben and Cindy's house. Thanks for the hospitality! The kids had a blast and so did the adults. We were able to play Wii (so much fun) and have a mini Christmas since we were all together. We were even able to share a little Christmas with others and take them some baskets with food and games and other wonderful things.
Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert did a great job with the gift for the kids. Kid laptops and tents were a hit all around. There was even a visit from Santa who brought EVERYONE something special. Emma wasn't too sure about him. I have to admit one of my FAVORITE parts of the trip was a night at Chuck E Cheese (where a kid can be a kid). I don't have any pictures of this right now, but I will add some when I get some.

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving all of my side of the family met down in Thatcher to hang out and eat some yummy food. It was so nice to be all there together. I miss having all of my siblings close. The nieces (yes there are finally two girls) and nephews all had fun playing together and getting to know each other again. We were able to shoot off rockets and just hang out and have a good time. Thanks Mom and Dad for hosting us!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY EMMA REESE!

Oh my baby is already one! She is getting sooooooo big! We had a birthday party for her on November 1st at a park by our house and the family showed up to help celebrate. I kind of did a panda theme with her invites and cupcakes....an experiment, but I had fun...

Some of them did not travel very well and their heads fell off.
Emma was dressed in all pink and had so much fun playing and eating her cupcakes and pizza. I love this little girl so much! Happy Birthday Emma!

Trick or Treat...Emma's sick

Okay. Here I go making up for lost time. get ready for a bunch of posts. Emma's Halloween was bitter sweet. At the trunk or treat she got her first taste of a lollipop and she loved it! She would not give it up and made it all the way to the tootsie roll center of the tootsie pop!



When Halloween rolled around she had an infection in her throat that moved to the area of gums where one of her teeth was coming in. Needless to say her mouth was sore and she was not a happy girl! I did get a few pictures of us handing out candy though.