TAG TEAM BACK AGAIN...

Wow! I feel so loved to be tagged 3 times in a week! I find these questionairres tough because sometimes I'm so busy taking care of everyone else that I forget all these "details" about me. So, here goes..... Maybe I'll learn something in the process:-)

8 TV shows I love:

• Fringe
  
• The Amazing Race
  
• Battlestar Galactica
  
• The Office
  
• So You Think You Can Dance
  
• Robin Hood: BBC
  
• Grey's Anatomy
  
• Heroes

8 Favorite Restaurants:

• Brio Tuscan Grille
  
• Pita Jungle
  
• Oregano's
  
• Noodles
  
• Elephant Bar & Grill
  
• King's Fish House
  
• Bajio's
  
• Pei Wei

8 Things that happened yesterday: 

• Made a necklace with Ashlyn
  
• Caught up on laundry & cleaning (for now!)
  
• Babysat for a friend and had Relief Society meeting at my house
  
• Made a yummy cranberry Bundt cake for dessert
  
• Read books to Claire & Corey
  
• Made "to do" list for Ashlyn's Fall class party on Friday
  
• Acquired 12 goldfish from Ali that were left over from Activity Days...   we'll see how long I can keep them alive:-)
• Watched "Heroes" with Dan

8 Things on my wishlist:

• More time to do it all!
• Perfect blood sugars all the time
• Improved economy & a positive future for our country
• Kids that listen the first time I ask
• That I could get to the gym more often
• Redecorating above my kitchen cabinets
• Painting my office, laundry room & the kids' bathroom
• Scuba diving with Dan, somewhere tropical

8 Things I Look Forward to:

• Weekends with my family
  
• Snuggling with Claire at nap and bedtime
  
• When Dan comes home from work
  
• That great feeling I have all day after a workout at the gym
  
• Holidays and decorating my home
  
• Unexpected e-mails or calls from friends
  
• A clean house and clean laundry
  
• Having an hour or more to make jewelry, blog or do something crafty
  

I'm not choosing any victims to tag, but if you do this on your blog, 

please let me know!  I'd love to read yours:-)

I've been tagged!

Thanks to Katie for tagging me on her blog! 

Here are 7 things about me that you may not know.

1. My real name is Allison, but I've been "Alli" since 4th grade.  There were 2 other Allisons in my class and I just had to be different!

2. Dan says I talk in my sleep almost every night. I could choose not to believe him, but I often wake up because I hear someone talking and realize it was ME!

3. I've moved 14 times and have lived in 6 different states: Utah, Michigan, Iowa, Nevada, California & Arizona. I also lived in England in the summer of 1995 when I studied abroad at Cambridge University.

4. I love sharks and have been fascinated ever since my family did a shark dive in the Bahamas when I was in high school!  It was amazing to swim with them and not feel afraid. I never miss "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel every August.  

5. I can touch my nose with my tongue.  Handy for kissing and unwrapping Starburst wrappers with no hands;-)

6. I am a grammar fiend!  I have to use correct grammar and spelling, even when I text message!  Mixing up homonymns (your/you're OR through/threw OR there/their/they're) and incorrect apostrophe placement really drives me crazy.  (Example: on a Christmas card: Love, The Elggren's)!  I have to laugh that my husband finds himself correcting people at work. When someone says "Me and Dan..." he'll say, "Is Dan mean?"  ***Now that I've announced this, you'll inevitably find spelling and gramatical errors in this blog.

7. I'm a notorious nightowl. I don't do mornings well, but I get my second wind when the sun goes down. 

I TAG: 

Ashlyn, Monica, Andrea, Stacy B., Stacy D., Jessica B. & Becky...You're it!

Back to the heat!

We woke up the morning of Sunday, Oct. 12th in Salt Lake to about 4" of fresh snow! My kids think it was just for them! It was the perfect ending to a memorable Fall Break. We flew home that afternoon and came home to mid-90 degree weather in Arizona.  Ugh! 

The only way the trip would've been better is if Dan could have come with us! As for the heat, I guess I can put up with this warm weather for just a little longer.....

What's all this white stuff?

Saturday afternoon, my Dad took Ashlyn & Corey with their cousins Jane & Tyler up in the mountains to Brighton ski resort because Ashlyn wanted to "see some snow."  My Dad took some incredible pictures that show both the colorful fall leaves and the wintery snow. I was sad I wasn't there, but grateful for these beautiful pictures!

(Left): Ashlyn & Corey peer out of the Defender at the snow!

(Above): Jane, Ashlyn, Corey & Tyler enjoy some early winter weather.

(Above): Yes, Corey.  That white stuff is called "SNOW."

Let's Dance!

This is what happens when you have a bunch of girl cousins that like to dance and you turn up the music!  We were very entertained watching my Ashlyn & her cousins shake it. Fun times!

Utah=cold!

Saturday morning my parents and my family went to my niece Jane's soccer game.  Andrea & Paul had a business trip/vacation in New York, so their kids stayed with my parents & us while they were gone. It was a house full, but it made it more fun to have my neices & nephew there!  

We FROZE at this soccer game, where the temperature was only in the 30's and there were flurries of snow! I'm not sure which is worse: playing soccer in the cold & snow or in 100+ temperatures in Arizona? Jane scored the first goal and we laughed when one of the moms brought hot chocolate for the half-time snack.  The week just got colder as it went along, and we LOVED it!

Happy birthday to... almost everyone:-)

It was a perfect week to spend with my family because we celebrated 3 birthdays that week! We began with my sister Andrea's birthday, then partied at my niece Jane's 7th and ended the week by having fun at my niece Ellie's 4th birthday party. My nephew Michael turned one 2 days after we went home!  We usually miss all the birthdays, so we enjoyed being there (even if we did eat entirely too much cake and ice cream)!

GNO with my baby sister!

  

My parents returned home on Tuesday night from Croatia and handled the jet lag and a home full of Elggrens very well!  Thursday night my Mom watched the kids and gave us their tickets to "The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands" Broadway show at Kingsbury Hall. I enjoyed a rare girls' night out with my youngest sister, Natalie! We were some of the youngest people there (or as Nats joked, "at least she was"). We ended the night with yummy frozen yogurt from Maverick. Thanks for a fun night, Nats and to Mom for the tickets and for watching my kids! 

Cousin chaos!

It's getting a little overwhelming to get pictures taken with 11 cousins on my side of the family, but we still try!  Here's our latest attempt at Kiddie Kandids in Salt Lake. Our photographer was so sweet and patient with the kids. This video below that Monica took is hilarious. Claire was screaming and didn't want her picture taken:-) It's amazing to me that we got a "decent" picture! 

  

(Above): My adorable niece, Meg!  The girl cousins (minus Claire & Meg) 

& Andrea's cute kiddos!

3 generations.....

My parents were still biking through Croatia for the first 3 days we were in Salt Lake. It was strange to be alone with my kids in their home without them! Thankfully, I had my cute sisters to keep me busy. On Tuesday morning we took my sweet Grammy to lunch at her favorite..The Olive Garden. It was quite a crowd! Girls outnumbered the guys 12 to 3!

  

(Above): Claire loves her cousin Ellie, who's always in the mood for a photo!

Ashlyn will likely be taller than my 5'1" Grammy in a few years!

Not a spa-and-pampering-type vacation!

  

Here's a great example of why I think my parents are amazing.....They just returned from a bike tour of Croatia! They say it's their favorite way to really see a new country. They even had 4 people on their trip with them that were over age 70.  So, no excuses, right?  I hope Dan & I will be enjoying life as much at my parents' age. Way to go, Mom & Dad!

Roar, slither, squak & coo..The Zoo!

One of our favorites in Salt Lake is the Hogle Zoo! I had to laugh when most of my sisters showed up that morning wearing gray. We enjoyed the Big Cat show with a beautiful Bengal tiger, awesome weather and watching the kids have fun with their cousins.

 

Piano girl...

An amazing thing happened while we were in Salt Lake.....Ashlyn learned how to play the piano! My Mom sat down with her and taught her the notes. The next day I heard someone playing "I Am a Child of God," and it was Ashlyn! She'd learned to read music and was playing some simple songs. She came home from playing at Emma's a few weeks ago and played "Fur Elise" for me on our keyboard and I couldn't believe it. She's always loved music and has been begging Dan & me to get a piano so she could take lessons. I guess we better jump on that before the desire is gone!

(Above:) Ashlyn at my parents' piano with my nephew, Michael & Claire.

Fall Break in Salt Lake!

I ❤

I really love my kids' school schedule:  Two months of summer and breaks spread throughout the school year. Last week was Fall Break, so the kids and I headed to Utah to visit my family! I have to say how much I love Southwest Airlines, especially after flying another airlines recently. They still allow 2 checked bags (free) for each passenger, while most other airlines charge you for one! You still get a drink and small snack on Southwest, while you pay $3 for a bottled water or cup of warm soda elsewhere. The staff is the friendliest, hands down and I adore flying with them.

Anyway, we had soccer games in 90 degree weather that morning, then flew to Salt Lake, where it was raining and COLD! It felt like heaven to me!

I loved listening to General Conference at Lisa's with all the kids running around and getting in some good family time!

 

Alli's famous gingersnap cookies

This is just for you, Stacy Blanck! These always remind me of Fall (which sounds nice about now, when it's still almost 100 degrees here. Thanks for the request for the recipe:-)

***This is a recipe that will change the way you think of hard, crunchy gingersnaps.  These are very soft, milder in flavor and I think, delicious!

*GINGERSNAP COOKIES*:

• Mix with electric beater for 1 minute:
  

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

• Add:

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

• Mix together, then add:
  

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ginger

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

2 c. flour

Roll dough into 1" balls, then roll in white sugar. Bake at 375

degrees for 8-9 minutes until puffed and slightly cracked.  Here's the trick: Pull them out and let sit on the cookie sheet for a minute, so they're still soft. They should be slightly "underdone."

Makes 2-3 dozen.  (Very easy to double)

MOM QUIZ...

I copied this from my friend Jessica's blog.  Claire fell asleep early and Dan was at a Scouts' Court of Honor tonight.  It was fun to hear my kids’ honest answers… no editing by me, I promise!

1. What is something Mom always says to you?

• Ashlyn: "I love you so much."
  
• Corey: "I love you."
  

2. What makes Mom happy?

• Ashlyn: "When I clean up the toys."
  
• Corey: "When I draw her pictures." 

3. What makes Mom sad?

• Ashlyn: "When I don't clean up toys."
  
• Corey: "When we fight."
  

4. How does your Mom make you laugh?

• Ashlyn: "When she tickles me."
  
• Corey: "When she does funny faces."
  

5. What was your Mom like as a child?

• Ashlyn: "Happy too."
  
• Corey: "She played with toys."

6. How old is your Mom?  (33)

• Ashlyn: "32?"
  
• Corey: "I don't know.  Old."

7. How tall is your Mom?  (5' 10")

• Ashlyn: "5"6'?"
  
• Corey: "8 feet tall." 
  

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

• Ashlyn: "Be with our family."
  
• Corey: "Play with me."

9. What does your Mom do when you're not around?

• Ashlyn: "Talk to friends."
  
• Corey: "Clean her dresses."
  

10. If your Mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

• Ashlyn: "Being a beauty queen."
  
• Corey: "For making really, really funny faces." 
  

11. What is your Mom good at?

• Ashlyn: "Caring for others.  She always likes to cook people dinners."
  
• Corey: "Sewing buttons on and stuff."

12. What is your Mom not very good at?

• Ashlyn: "Video games."
  
• Corey: "Taking slivers out of my hand."
  

13. What does your Mom do for her job? 

• Ashlyn: "Stay at home and clean up."
  
• Corey: "Cleaning clothes."
  

14. What is your Mom's favorite food?

• Ashlyn: "All my Grandma's cooking."
  
• Corey: "Um.....um....noodles?"
  

15. What makes you proud of your Mom?

• Ashlyn: "When she comes into my class.
  
• Corey: "That I make her happy."
  

16. If your Mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

• Ashlyn: "Super Woman."
  
• Corey: "A ghost."
  

17. What do you and your Mom do together?

• Ashlyn: "Shopping."
  
• Corey: "Play games on X Box."
  

18. How are you and your Mom the same?

• Ashlyn: "We're both tall."
  
• Corey: "We all have blond hair and the same faces."
  

19. How are you and your Mom different?

• Ashlyn: "We have a different voice."
  
• Corey: "I'm a boy" (laughing hysterically).
  

20. How do you know your Mom loves you?

• Ashlyn: "She says it all the time and hugs me lots."
  
• Corey: "'Cause she says it all the time to me."

21. What does your Mom like most about your Dad?

• Ashlyn: "He's cute and nice." 
  
• Corey: "She likes to talk to him and kiss him."

22. Where is your Mom’s favorite place to go?

• Ashlyn: "Shopping."
  
• Corey: "To Disneyand."