Why I am not a fan of Michigan...

Michigan is not my favorite place because every now and again it steals my husband a way from me, and Leah too...it is the pits!!  It stole him today for the week...boo!

Michael and I were talking today and we've realized that in June we'll have been married for 3 years, and together for 5!!  Holy Moly, that is ridiculous!  I still feel like we just met and that we just got married this past summer...but no, it's been longer and we're no longer newlyweds.  It is no fun that Michael goes away and Leah goes to her mom's.  I am left all alone...with the dogs...who bark way too much! 

Anyway, let's hope this week goes by quickly! 

I love you, Michael.  Thanks for working so hard for us!! 

Bible Cake



I am having the biggest sweet tooth lately, and was looking on my favorite recipe website for a delicious cake to try.  The website is Tasty Kitchen (http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/), which is an off shoot of my favorite blog EVER.  It is the Pioneer Woman...a lady named Ree Drumond who blogs about life on a Cattle Ranch in Oklahoma.  She does great photography, home schools her 4 children and has some awesome cooking skills. 

Anyway, the recipe is Bible Cake, and Leah and I made it!!

Here is the recipe and a way to make sure you get your daily dose of the Word and make a delicious cake in the process:

Ingredients

•¼ cups Of Psalm 55:21
•1 cup Of Jeremiah 6:20
•1 cup Of Jeremiah 17:11
•2 cups Of I Kings 4:22
•¼ teaspoons Of Leviticus 2:13
•¾ cups Of Lamentations 4:7
•2-½ teaspoons Galatians 5:9 (use Baking Powder)
•1 teaspoon Of Numbers 17:8 (liquid For Flavoring)

Preparation Instructions

Look up the Bible passages to discover what ingredients to use.
If more than one food item is mentioned in the passage, use the first one that is mentioned.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.
Enjoy!

Plus, here is a video that literally had me in tears...how powerful is God you ask?  What does He do for us?  Let this 11yr old boy tell you!!

Christmas, by Leah

***The following is Leah's own blog post about her Christmas.

I love my dsi.  I have lots of games.  Im on world 2 on  new super  mario bros.

On my dsi  i can make my voice high or low. I can draw pictures toooo.  I also got webkinz  you can go online with them.Other games  on dsi i have are littlest pet shop. 

Bike Riding + Leah = A New Favoritie Activity

Our fearless 7 year old has always been hesitant to try new things.  She is usually a little tentative, and cautious when there is something she is unsure of or new.  As outgoing and boisterous as she is, it is sort of charming to see that innocence and cautiousness that sometimes emerges.  When we signed her up for swim lessons, she wouldn't jump into the pool.  We told her that by the end of the lessons she'd be begging for us to throw her off the dock at the cabin...still she wasn't convinced.  So with a little bribery (McDonald's for lunch) she did jump and by the end of the summer Michael was throwing her in to the lake!!  The same story goes with learning to snow ski, and today, she can't wait for February when we hit the slopes!!  

As you can imagine, it has been a process to get her to ride a 2 wheeler.  She's been cautious since the beginning, and with more bribery (which seems to be the best secret weapon in a parent's arsenal!!) we got her to ride a 2 wheeler!!  Yay!!  It has been a long time coming, but now she can't wait to get on the bike.  So last week, we headed to a bike path in the area where we could all ride together, however, getting 3 people and 3 bikes there was a little bit nuts in our SUV even, so we decided a bike rack was in order.  Today we headed to good ol' Wal-Mart and picked up a rack we can strap onto the back of either car...so great!!  And off we went onto a new adventure!! 

Here's the rack...see bottom of post for my opinion of the product!!

The car, with the bikes!!

From the back...we're ready to go!!

On the road...see the bottom again for my opinion of this bike riding spot!!

The Bike Rack--It is a Bell Bike Rack...no problems with Bell, but it is a 2 person job to set up and get on the car...you could do it alone, but it is much easier with 2.  As you can see we also went a little off-roading (nothing too extreme...something the Acura can handle) and the bike rack didn't hold up as well as we would have liked.  With the hopes of taking bikes to the cabin, it made us question if it would hold up to a 250 mile car ride.  The outside straps, furthest from the car, were probably bounced a little too much, and the rubber broke, therefore making it unusable.  It seems to Michael and I that a 3 bike rack, seems to be better suited for 2 bikes.  So to avoid having the bikes in the car, it defeats the purpose.  We will return the broken rack, and get a 2 bike rack, to see if that works better.  Finger's crossed!!

The Biking Location--We decided to go to a place that is very near our house, where we have gone hiking a few times.  Michael and I have mountain bikes, and in our heads it seemed like a good place to go.  It is relatively flat and not too difficult, but it retrospect it proved to be a little too "dippy" and "hilly" for a beginner.  We then headed to a flat, paved road and will hit the trail when we have no problem bouncing!!

Christmastime with the Koontz's.....FINALLY!!

You should know that I started writing this on January 8th, and it is getting posted on January 21st...Holy Moly...major blogging slacker...sorry!!

Is Koontz's right, or should it just be Koontz'??  I always wonder that.  Anyway, here is a Christmas post...better late than never, right??

We spent Christmas Eve with the McAllister clan in Huntington Beach.  Instead of the normal gift exchange, and dinner we decided to do a little wine tasting and play a few games.  It took the pressure off to find the perfect gift for everyone, and helped the cash flow situation for many of us also.  It was a great new tradition, that I think we should carry on into the future.  We were each to bring a bottle of wine that was less than $15.  We tasted and cast our vote for the best red wine and white wine, and the winners got a prize.  Then we did a little carol singing...and ate and ate and ate.  It was a super fun time with family, and friends.  Here are some pictures of the evening...the wine, the spread of appetizers and the gang!!



Christmas Day is always the same...we get Leah, and open presents to and from the 3 of us, and Santa.  Then we chill...we stay in PJ's play with our toys and hang out.  It is the best!  We don't go anywhere and we don't have to rush around from place to place!  This year, Leah really wanted a DS, and not just a DS, but a DS-I.  The I is very important, because that one has a camera, and can do other things that the regular DS can't do...can you tell I am not too up on fancy Game Boy type gadgets.  Anyway, she got the DSi, some games and the best part of all, a Nerf cover for the DS that adds about a 1/2 inch of padding.  She has already mastered some of her games and is ready to get a few more.  Michael got a bunch of new parts for his mountain bike and I got a Kindle and new shades.  It was a nice simple, Christmas at home. 

The day after Christmas, we headed to Mountain Center...above Palm Desert to our cousin Amanda's house for all-McAllister family Christmas.  We were all there minus Trevor :(.  It was an awesome time of good food, and good times with a White Elephant Gift Exchange and S'more around the fire pit. 

Leah enjoying her S'more!!

The reason we are all family...Uncle Mike, Aunt Diana, Uncle Jim and Dad (L-R)

The Dan McAllister Family

Me, Dad and Mom

The Cousin, minus Linds and Trevor :(



The Holidays were a great time...and we had a wonderful time relaxing and spending time with our family...we are so blessed!!