reflections...

how is it that time seems to escape us so quickly? today is the last day of 2009, and of the decade, and i have been thinking about what has happened this year and the incredible blessings that we have experienced.  i thought that maybe writing a list would help us to "keep tabs" for the future!  you can click on the link for the post on that topic.

-little miss mae turned eight!

-i gave my testimony in front of my MOPS group... 35 minutes, 80 women, and i wasn't nervous.  God met me right on that stage and carried me through!

-i went on my first girl's trip to vegas and enjoyed 6 hours in the spa and a day by the pool... so fun!

-nick and i celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary!

-nick turned 31!

-nick graduated with his MBA from ASU, there are three posts about that!
           maroon and gold
           congratulations class of 2009!
           saturday's graduation

-emily finished 2nd grade!

-emily got her first stacked haircut!

-ethan had his first buzz cut, or as he called it, his buzz lightyear cut!

-i turned 30 and my amazing family took me to disneyland, my favorite vacation spot (along with nyc)

-little miss mae loved her summer swim team and she did a great job!

-we went camping with friends and family on the fourth and later that month!

-emily started 3rd grade (her first male teacher)!

-i made the switch from discussion group leader to creative activities leader in our mom's group at church!

-we rented a cabin up north with great friends for labor day!

-ethan turned four!

-nick got a promotion at work!

-nick was discharged from the army!

-we went to the sand dunes for Thanksgiving with great friends and my dad!

-nick continues to enjoy his "new" job and the opportunities that it brings!
-i advanced my photography skills and fell more in love with the art!
-i saved our family a ton of money with coupon sense!
-we enjoyed a surprise visit from a great friend!  stop by anytime, acs, our door is always open to you!
-we have enjoyed countless visits with family and loved every one of them!

our year has been filled with wonderful moments and we have many great memories of 2009 to carry with us.
i have some new goals, which i will post later... we have a tradition of a family lunch to review our previous goals and to set our new ones together.  i can't give them away before that!

may your 2010 be filled with blessings and the ones that you love!

happy new year!
the kahler clan

Merry CHRISTmas!

wishing you and yours have a wonderful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  may His peace and love fill your homes and hearts.

peppermint fudge

i don't have a picture, but i probably will post one tonight, i plan on making it later today!  this fudge is super good and is so easy to make.  i always make a double batch, it disappears fast!

Peppermint Fudge

{fudge layer}


3 tsp. butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

{peppermint layer}

2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. milk
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 c. crushed peppermint candy (about 10-12 candies)


Line the bottom and sides of a square baking dish with foil. Grease foil with butter; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Spread into prepared pan. Chill for an hour until firm.
For peppermint layer, beat cream cheese in a small mixing bowl. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, milk and extract. Stir in peppermint candy. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Chill for an hour or until firm.
Using foil, lift fudge from pan. Gently peel off foil and cut into squares.


A double batch fits in a 9x13 pan.

Enjoy!
a

silly, happy people...

happy thursday!

a

thanksgiving

here are a few pictures from our thanksgiving trip to the sand dunes in california.  we went with great friends and my dad came with us.  we had such a great time and we are now trying to figure out how often we can get out there!  we all loved it!  i have been many times and nick has gone on a couple of quick guy trips, but the kids have never been.  they were amazed at the miles of endless sand and all of the toys!

i'm still being haunted by sand... every time i shut the door on my truck some sand comes flying out from the window at me!  it was well worth it though!

happy december!

a

em getting ready to go on a long ride in the buggy

alex and ethan riding around camp

dad and his rail.  they duned it and loved it (kids especially)

i drove it our last day there... so. much. fun!

a thanksgiving tradition... football

noteworthy...

i don't think i have ever posted twice in one day, but this day is definitely noteworthy.
nick received this in the mail today...

that's right ladies and gentlemen, my Captain, Field Artillery branch, US Army has been honorably discharged and can no longer be called for service.

i am so relieved i cried.  the possibility for him to be recalled was small, but every time we got something in the mail from the Department of Defense my heart would sink.  nobody really knows what it's like until you're there... the moment that your husband gets orders. not something i ever want to go through again.  every time we would get an envelope i would hold my breath, praying that it was only a form letter.  some thought it was silly and didn't understand why i would get so anxious, but until you've lived in that moment and are told that your husband is leaving, is going to be put in harm's way, you will never understand.  it was as if the emotions from the day he was given orders came back to me every time i saw that return address.  that is why today is noteworthy.  those envelopes no longer hold the threat of containing life changing information. they are just form letters.

having said that, there are two sides to this story.  the other is that this is the end of a chapter.  a chapter that nick put his heart and every bit of effort into for years.  it started much before his entering into West Point in late June of 1996, but that is when the real work began.  for four years he studied, marched and trained (and even painted some railings) at one of the best schools in the country.  then to active duty and the daily task of training and protecting this country.  waking in the very early hours to train alongside other men who, like him, had a selfless desire to defend our freedom.  he never had a 9-5 job or a regular work week.  he went where and when he was needed and he never once complained.  not even in the wee, dark hours of april 3, 2003 when emily, virgil and i left him in the parking lot of his office when it was time for him to deploy.  he was only worried about emily and i and his men.  never once did he second guess his decision to join the army.  when he came back as the rear-detachment commander he treated his soldiers families as if they were his own, listening to them and helping them in any way that they needed. 

i am so proud of nick for his service and i am thankful for the experiences and opportunities that the army brought our lives.

"Honest and Faithful".  i couldn't have said it better myself.

a

trade as one

our church is doing a series, subconscience.  our church has always been known for the out-of-the-box thinking and this series is no exception.
a couple of weeks ago our pastor asked if people would be willing to give generously and asked if they would give the shoes on their feet for others.  we weren't at church that weekend, unfortunately.  the response was amazing and over 4000 people walked out of the services barefoot.  bare. foot.  the count is rising as more shoes are coming in, literally by the truck load.  it's amazing what happens with a little bit of perspective.
this week we were challenged to eat only rice and beans for three days and to drink only water out of an aluminum cup.  the idea is that we will realize the endless choices that we, as Americans have and in the process also realize how much we can easily live without.  it's easy to say that you feel for people around the world, but it's another to gain a bit of insight into their real life.  rice and beans doesn't even scrape the surface of the conditions that people live in and with, but we have to start somewhere.  just like walking out of church barefoot.  some people have never owned a pair of shoes.
we were fortunate to have nathan george, the founder of Trade As One, at our church this weekend.  what an amazing story and an incredible heart.  i encourage you to check out the site, watch the message here and maybe order something you planned to buy anyway from trade as one.  the t-shirts are the softest you could imagine and the story behind them is amazing... 10,000 organic cotton farmers in india commit suicide a year.  these farmers have no way to compete with the industrial farms, who use harsh and dangerous chemicals to boost production.  the shirts are made from the organic cotton and are then sent to california.  there, the shirts are screen printed by men who were taken off the streets and out of gangs and given a new start with trade as one.  what an incredible way to help change the lives of people all over the world.
we had the opportunity to see the products up close and personal and the quality is not disappointing.  we are going to do some Christmas shopping from the site, we liked the things so much and found something for almost everybody on our list!
we are blessed beyond measure here in the USA.  the way that people live in parts of our country and around the world, and the trials that they face daily blows my mind.  i can't begin to grasp the struggles that others face.  i can only pray that one small change that i make will have a positive impact on someone else.

happy tuesday!
a

in the army now...

the kids have been really curious about nick's army gear, especially ethan.  he never knew "army nick", he was born six months after nick got out of the army and never saw nick in any of his uniforms.

this weekend nick broke out the bins holding some of his things and the kids went to town.

meet the newest Captain Kahlers...

happy monday!

a

not much

nothing too exciting going on here this weekend.  that's what we say when we have a couple of spare minutes!  i am in the crafty mood so i may be spending some time at the kitchen counter.  even though i have a scrapbook/ craft room, i still tend to stand at the counter while i make things... don't tell nick, he might think of something else to do with the room!  i have a couple of photo shoots tomorrow that i am really looking forward to and we are celebrating a friend's birthday.  nick is playing golf at tpc with his dad sunday-birthday outing (thanks barb!).  while they're out, the kids and i are going to shop for Christmas gifts for the tags that we pulled off of the tree at church.

did i really just say that we don't have much going on!?

and this girl... she is such a delight.  i am so thankful for her and her energy and excitement for everything.  she is a reading machine, right now she is reading an eighth grade level book.  she's in third grade.  crazy.  she goes for what she wants.  i pray she never loses that fire.
happy friday (the 13th... eek!)

a

Freedom

Today I am thankful for all of the men and women who have and are serving our country.  The dedication of those in the military and the sacrifice that they and their families make is something that we often take for granted.

Please pray for those serving now and their families.  It takes tremendous courage to step up and serve your country and they deserve more than one day honoring them. 

We are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave and I am so proud to be an American!

Nick, Drew, Matt, Steve OIF 2003

God Bless America!

a

sweet potatoes

i'm joining in on kelly's show us your life again and sharing my favorite thanksgiving recipe with you... sweet potatoes.  really. sweet. potatoes.

i don't have a picture, my mind has always been focused on eating them!  they are so easy, i make them in my crock pot, and yummy. only a handful of us in our families like them, so there is plenty for us to enjoy... perfect!

this particular recipe (which i am totally guessing on because i just throw things in) is for about 6 people.

5-6 large yams (not canned, please)

1-2 sticks butter (yes, real butter)

1 bag brown sugar

apple juice

cinnamon

nutmeg

1 bag mini marshmallows

peel yams and cut into large pieces and put in crock pot.

pour in about 1 cup of apple juice, or enough so that there is about 1/2 inch in bottom of crock.

put about 1/2 bag of brown sugar on the top of your yams.

slice butter and put on top of brown sugar.

sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg (about 1/2 teaspoon each).

cover and cook on high for about 4 hrs or until the yams are very tender.  make sure to taste test and add more brown sugar and spices as needed.

about 1/2 hour before serving, pour the marshmallows over top of the potatoes and put the lid back on.  the marshmallows melt in and add an extra sweetness that i just can't get enough of!  you can take the potatoes out and bake them with the marshmallows to brown them, but they end up tasting the same with less work my way!

enjoy!

happy friday!
a

ninja-eata

along with some of our friends, we are supporting a child through compassion international. the little boy's name is Busir, but he is called Bus... pretty cute. he's seven and a half years old and he lives with his aunt and uncle and three cousins. he doesn't attend school and he spends his days doing chores and playing ball games. it is incredible to know that we will make a difference in a child's life. a child that we may never meet, but will pray for daily. we will send him cards and letters. we will aid in providing an education for him and we are so thankful for the opportunity to help Bus.
i won't share a picture of him for security reasons, but i really wish that i could. he is a doll and the first time i saw his picture i was drawn to him. he looks happy, just like a normal seven and a half year old would, but he looks like he is about four, just about the same size as ethan.
the kids know that Bus does not live with his parents or siblings (if they are even living), that he doesn't go to school and that he likely does more chores in one day than they do in a week. one more important bit of information, if you ask ethan, is that Bus lives in ninja-eata (indonesia). how cute is that?

happy wednesday!
a

CHRISTmas is just around the corner...

last year our church participated in raising money for the clean water campaign, as well as AIDS in darfur. we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and it is amazing to be part of something that is making a difference.

the best part about it... i couldn't even tell you what it was that we "gave up" so that we could give to this cause. that definitely tells us how unimportant the things that we think that we need or want are.

the video takes a couple of minutes to watch (remember to pause the music at the bottom), please don't just skip past it, it is definitely worth it.

what can you live without?

happy monday!
a

fall decorations

kelly over at kelly's korner has a "show us your life friday" series. if you've never been over to her blog, you should check it out, she is adorable and her family is so cute! i've never jumped in on her series but i love fall and i have a couple of decorations that i love so i thought i would share!

i made this and it hangs in our downstairs bathroom


i have pumpkins everywhere for fall, but right now we have our

halloween decorations out so most of the pumpkins are still in the storage box.

these are my favorite pumpkins. more views of them here

i think i probably picked this up at hobby lobby.
if not it is from a local boutique that i love

this little gathering is on our coffee table in the living room.
nick's mom gave me that fabulous candle holder,
i change the decorations in it with each holiday.

i have a huge pot of mums on each side of our sidewalk as you get to our entryway.

this side has a little scarecrow peeking out from one of the pillars.

this is the other pot of mums. i made this wreath last year and put it by the pot to

take a picture because my door has a big cute "boo to you" sign on it.

i didn't take a picture of the whole entry way because it is decorated for halloween now!

happy friday!

a

money in my pocket...

i started using coupon sense a couple of months ago and i love it! c$ is an organization that tracks sale prices and coupons and tells you when to buy what with which coupon for the best price. i've been getting things at next to nothing, even free and i'm loving it! i don't love to spend money, i love to save money and coupon sense has definitely helped us save money!

here are some of my great deals (yes, i took pictures. my dad and my brother are teasing me about it constantly now!)...

trip 1... total $35trip 2 total $11

trip 1 (not everything is pictured):

8 boxes of cereal

6 cans of pringles

20 yoplait yogurts

3 bumble bee tuna packages

3# grapes

5# gala apples

2# pears

4 bunches cilantro

8# steaks

5# chicken tenderloins

14 dawn dish-soaps

4 gillette razors

3 power toothbrushes

2 regular toothbrushes

2 herbal essences shampoos

3 vaseline lotions

3 body washes

3 emergen-c shot 2 packs

robitussin

2 chapstick

3 dental floss

3 halls lozenges
1 snickers

trip 2:

3 rolls of paper towels

8 packages of crescent rolls

4 boxes of chicken broth (no msg in boxes)

6 laughing cow cheeses

3 fiber one yogurt 4 packs

3 boxes of gogurt

4 cans progresso high fiber soup

3 boxes pizza rolls

6 steamer vegetables

6 warm delights (5 of them have two desserts)

and i can't forget ethan's hot chocolate from starbucks :)

happy thursday!

a

back in the groove

i dig crafts. paint, paper, buttons, ribbons, fabric, wood, chipboard, you name it, i can pretty much find something to do with it. i like to take new-ish things and make them look not-so-new-ish. however, i haven't been "feeling it" lately. something about the heat and being cooped up in the house for four months takes my creative side and beats it over the head. now with fall here, finally, and my windows open and a good smelling candle going, i'm finally back in my groove.

my mom found an old wooden tray at goodwill. it was cream with a weird minty green edging and ivy leaves painted on it... i didn't get a picture, but you get the picture of how not so cute it was, right? well, we were over at her house the other day and i told her that i would take the ugly tray off of her hands for her... who wants an ugly tray, right? well, after a couple of days of "work", i am finally finished with the tray and it now sits on my dining room table...

these pumpkins are one of my favorite fall decorations.
i will leave them out until the weekend
after thanksgiving when the Christmas decorations go up.

flowers from my hubby and a candlestick that i bought at a garage sale for $2

yes, i am definitely back in the groove!

happy wednesday!
a

four... updated

four years ago today we welcomed sweet ethan to our family! he was born early in the morning, 5:49am on a wednesday to be exact; after my water broke and nick and i arrived at the hospital at 5pm the night before. we were so excited to have a son and emily was in love with him the second that she saw him. she was so excited to run out into the hallway and tell her grandparents that she had a brother (we didn't know boy/ girl and loved it that way!)!

our lives have been so blessed by ethan and we are so happy to celebrate him!

happy birthday sweet boy!
daddy, mommy & em

lots of pictures of our journey to FOUR....

just waiting, oct 18, 2005

walking the halls... so exciting!

he's here! oct 19, 2005

our family of four! em made that frog for him before he was born to give to him at birth :)

our handsome man!

this is one of the only pictures i could find of him from his 1st birthday (pirate theme)...

weird, we never take few pictures.

right after his 1st birthday, you can see his face (and his drool!)

2nd birthday (baseball theme)
not liking to be sang to and it was the windiest day ever :(

3rd birthday (spiderman/ marvel theme)

yes, em and i wore marvel shirts too, daddy is in his hulk green! our little space rangers!

obviously we had a buzz lightyear party...

ethan is obsessed with buzz, pretty much anything toy story... so cute!

prayers please...

what was it that i was just saying about seasons? i do love fall, but i don't love that along with it comes flu season. poor em has the flu and it hit her hard and fast. she was fine this morning and i got a call from school that she was coughing and sneezing. i picked her up and her eyes are so red and swollen and she is so sleepy, but no fever, thank goodness. well, after being home for 45 minutes that all changed and she has a fever and is super tired. the doctor said that she has a mild case of the flu and that we don't need to worry about the "swine" flu because she is healthy and will do just fine, even if she does get it. i am just worried about all of us getting sick now.

will you please pray for em? will you please pray for all of us? tomorrow is the busiest day of the year for me at my MOMs group and i am probably not going to be there, which i'm totally fine with since em is sick. we have "spa day" where the moms just get to relax and be pampered and i wanted to be a part of it, but i'm not going to be able to. i feel badly that the other ladies are going to have to take on a bigger job now, especially since three others are out with sick kids... yikes!

we are all filling up on vitamins and homeopathic anti-virals, so i am praying that this is mild and that it doesn't pass beyond em.

happy? wednesday!
a

seasons

i love fall. it is my favorite season. the cool breeze, having the doors and windows open; the scents of pumpkin, cider and spiced apple. it is the season of thanksgiving and we have much to be thankful for.

happy fall!
a

small surprises

i was taking pictures when we were at the cabin for labor day and later, while looking through them, found this little surprise. i didn't know that the house was there when i took this picture (wasn't looking through lens). love it when that happens.

happy thursday!
a

09.09.09

happy 09.09.09!

a

great music

tyrone wells was at our church this weekend and we went to his concert (in our worship center), and he was so good! he had just found out sunday that his song was going to be used on grey's anatomy and i heard it on the trailer the other day and got so excited! he's great and it's awesome that somebody that is a Christian and sings of faith is making it into the mainstream!

i've added him to my playlist. i'm so excited that i had the opportunity to hear him in person!




happy wednesday!
a

slacker

i'm not typically a slacker. in anything. ok, maybe my blog loses out on some love every now and then and i could paint my toe nails more often, but we'll just forget about that for now. i have been a blog slacker, and i really don't like blog slackers. i quit looking at blogs that are written (or not) by slackers. they are boring. this blog has been boring. my apologies to the 3.7 devoted readers that check in on us.

last week was crazy and fabulous! i am blessed to be a part of a new women's ministry at church. we started getting things together last spring and we have been working like crazy to get everything ready for the launch of the ministry, which was tuesday and thursday of last week. our church has two campuses so we launched at each campus on a different day. most of the things that i had to do were things that could only be done last minute and i was running around last week like a chicken with my head cut off. let me just make it known that i don't like that analogy... i don't think that i ever resemble a decapitated chicken.

this new women's minsitry, stepping stones, is part of our girlfriends group. girlfriends is an amazing ministry for women and it was started by two amazing women in our church, lisa and patty! girlfriends is now an international ministry, changing the lives of women!

we had over 600 women (and lots of kiddos) at our launch events last week and i am amazed at the work that God has been doing. i'm not surprised, He always does things bigger than we could have imagined, but i am amazed. i am excited to see what else He has in store for the women that come to stepping stones.

my moms group started again last week as well, as part of stepping stones, and i am so excited! i am the creative activities leader for MOMs, or moms on a mission, formerly MOPS, and i'm really looking forward to the year... i love this group!

my dear friend karla became a mommy last week! she and christian, her husband, welcomed sweet jaden into the world on tuesday! he is a doll and i am looking forward to spending tuesday afternoons getting to know him and helping karla out a little bit. really though, i'm just going to hold the baby and take picture of his small sweetness, she can do whatever she wants :).

emily has blowing all of her tests out of the water, as well as us... she's pretty special! ethan has been telling us "that's so nineties" and nick has no more five day, five city crazy trips planned!

happy monday!
a

can i just tell you...

that emily really loves this song. ok, ok, i really love this song too!

happy friday!
a

favorite recipe

this mini meatloaf recipe is one of my favorites, we even had it for dinner tonight, along with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots... it's a big hit!

mini turkey meatloaves

20 oz. ground jennie-o-turkey
1/4 cup yellow onion
1 large celery stalk
1 large carrot
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/4 cup quick oats
2 egg whites

topping:

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)

pulse onion, carrot and celery in food processor until diced. add chipotle and pulse until just combined.
put turkey, oats, egg whites and vegetables in large bowl and mix until combined well (i use my hands).
scoop mixture into lightly greased muffin tins.
bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

while the mini meatloaves are baking, combine topping ingredients in a bowl. after the meatloaves have baked for 20 minutes take them out and spoon topping evenly over them.
bake for 10 more minutes, or until the meatloaves reach an internal temperature of 170*.

enjoy!
angie

i believe that the recipe is from biggest loser

this is what saturdays are for...

does he look excited, or what!?
ready daddy!

and, he's off!

he's not too familiar with the brakes yet!

it definitely helps him to concentrate if daddy sticks out his tongue :)
i guess this is what i get for wanting to get a picture from in front of him...

he rode right to me, and like i said, he's not too familiar with the brakes yet.

i jumped out of the way just in time... he ran into the garbage can instead of me.

hey, a girls gotta protect her camera, right!?

happy saturday!
a

sidenote: please excuse the garbage cans in the background, i don't like visual clutter (or any clutter for that matter). i don't think my neighbors would have been to happy if i would have moved them and they didn't get emptied, but you know i thought about it.