This Cannot Be Good...

The other day, when John and I were heading home from some activity or store (I don't remember which), I noticed that his spare tire had a bulge. We talked about it for a couple minutes (that we needed to get a new spare, etc.) then moved onto other topics.

John called me from work the other day to tell me that his spare tire was coming apart. Sure enough, the steel belts in the treat are peeling away from the tire.

I guess it's really time for a new spare, huh?

Why Are There So Many Pieces?

A good friend of mine bought her daughter a play kitchen for Christmas. She asked if my boys could come over and put it together for her, because it was more difficult than she had anticipated, because it didn't come with the necessary screws.

David, Michael, A.J., and I went over one day to put it together. We thought it would take (at most) a couple of hours. When we arrived and saw all the pieces, I knew it would take a bit longer.

It took a couple of trips to the hardware store to get the right size screws, but after a little more than an hour, we got started.



While David and Michael were assembling the kitchen, AJ and his friend played chess.



After a couple of hours, everyone took a break.



Finally, it was finished (it still needed a couple more screws, but John finished the last couple screws the next time we went over, and it was done enough that it was safe to play with).





Thanks, David and Michael! (Aren't they great?)

Who Says Making Rice Crispie Treats Is Easy?

A few weeks ago, John really wanted Chex Crispie Treats (our version of Rice Crispie treats made with corn chex instead of rice crispies). I told him how to make them, but something went terribly wrong. I don't know what he did, but these were horrendous! I took pictures to commemorate the event.

Last Sunday, I made some to show John how easy it is, and I took more pictures, so you can compare John's attempt with mine.


John's marshmallows and butter melting in the pan...


My marshmallows and butter melting in the pan...




John's finished product (it hurt our teeth to eat these)...






My finished product (soft, chewy with a little crispness, and so yummy)...




Which would you rather eat?

Cheesy Blasters

Some time ago, we were watching Ace of Cakes and Duff made "Cheesy Blasters" (from 30 Rock). Since then, the kids have wanted to try them. Sunday night, David did. He liked them.






Here's a youtube video showing where they were featured on 30 Rock.

Snow in Southern California?

Yes, there was a significant snowfall here in Southern California on Sunday. We received a little over an inch (maybe 2 inches, I didn't measure it). Here are some photos.





AJ loved the snow so much, he went out while I was taking pictures to throw snowballs.



A couple of hours later, there was more snow on the car.







Here's a picture of our house on Monday morning. There was still a bit of snow, but it was gone by Monday evening.

Pro Basketball Game: Clippers vs. Jazz

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from Tippr (a group coupon site) advertising $10 tickets to a Clippers game. John and I thought it would be fun to take the boys, so we bought tickets for the family for Christmas. Here are some photos.

Los Angeles Temple Christmas Lights

For the past few years, we have visited the Los Angeles Temple grounds to see the Christmas lights. This year, the visitor center was open, and it looked like there were some new lights (LEDs rather than the traditional lights).

We had a great time!