Donuts2Crumpets

One Spoiled Puppy...

2011-11-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

Our little puppy Miles is almost 2. I can't believe it! However, the great thing about this particular kind of dog is that they look like puppies forever. And she still does. But this little puppy is spoiled to the point where I think she thinks she is a human. She has no regard for personal space and will sleep just about anywhere... and someone is always tucking her in or holding her like a baby... Take a look...

Wouldn't you spoil her too looking at THAT face???

Lion House Roll Yumminess...

2011-11-21T16:00:00.010-07:00

I had never attempted to make bread from scratch before I moved to Utah. To be honest, making bread seemed a little scary to me and way time consuming and my thought was "why on earth would I make bread or rolls when I can just run over to the store and bring some home from there?!?!" Well after going to several homes for dinner where the rolls were MADE instead of BOUGHT, I began to see why someone would put extra effort in to making them. There is probably nothing better than a homemade roll fresh out of the oven with butter and jam.

So I decided, what the heck... I will give it a try. I quickly found that not only did the final product make it worth it, but the actual making of the rolls was extremely therapeutic for me! There is something about being in the kitchen rolling and cutting and inhaling the heavenly sent of the dough or the rolls in the oven that just makes me happy. Now I have tried a few recipes now, but my favorite ones to make are the Lion House Rolls... I think it may have something to do with the way you cut and flip them. Take a look at this fantastic video of the Lion House Head Baker showing you how to do it just like they do...

Before watching this video, cutting and shaping was the most frustrating part of the process to me... but I LOVE how you can just roll one big rectangle and then cut it up in to little rectangles and not have any waste or have to re-roll or anything. And the whole flipping thing??? Well it's just plain fun!!! I even got Miss Dee to do it with me the other day and we had a grand time.

These rolls are seriously famous here in Utah. You can buy them at some Deseret Book stores and The Lion House Pantry itself, but Lion House has also generously shared this recipe so anyone can make them at home! Here it is:

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk

2 Tb. dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup shortening, butter or margarine (I put mine in the microwave for 15-20 secs to soften it)

1 egg

5-5 1/2 cups all purpose flour

(Note: I use my Kitchen Aid mixer for this recipe and it works perfectly.)

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the water and the milk powder and stir so the milk dissolves. Add the yeast to this mixture then the sugar, salt, shortening, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are wet, (I use my paddle/flat beater for this part), then turn to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes.

Stop the mixer, (I switch to my dough hook attachment at this point), and add 2 more cups of flour then mix on low speed until the ingredients are wet, then turn mixer on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes. The dough will be getting stiff and you may need to remove the bowl from the mixer and mix in the remaining flour by hand. Add approximately 1/2 cup of flour and mix again. (This can be done by hand or mixer). The dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour). (I use closer to 5 cups.)

Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and pour approximately one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it is covered with the oil. (This helps prevent the dough from drying out.) Cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size. (About 1 hour.)

Sprinkle a cutting board or counter with flour and put the dough on the flour. It is now ready to roll out and cut into desired shape and size of rolls.

(In the video they rolled in to the big rectangle and then brushed the whole rectangle with butter before cutting and flipping. She said to make sure the butter was on the inside, so this is how I did it.)

Place on greased (or parchment lined) baking pans. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls are double in size (approx. 1-1 1/2 hours).

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are browned to your satisfaction. Brush with melted butter while hot. Yields 2 to 2 1/2 dozen rolls. (I actually got 42, but I had a much bigger rectangle so I must have rolled them out thinner than they do... but they were the PERFECT size for us for dinner and we had plenty to share.)

Yes, those are MY rolls... me, who has never been a bread maker, so if I can do it, YOU can do it!

Helpful Roll Tips from the Lion House Pantry:

Always add the flour gradually and keep the dough as soft as you can handle.

Don't feel you have to use the entire amount of flour listed in the recipe -- add only enough flour to make a manageable dough.

A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.

Brush the top of the rolls with butter when they are first taken from the oven.

Oh My, Chocolate Chip Pie...

2011-11-18T16:10:00.006-07:00

The only way I can describe this recipe is "A little slice of Heaven". Think almost a pecan pie texture, but with chocolate chips and walnuts. It is so deliciously rich, but sooooooooooo easy to make. I ran across this recipe on Pinterest, (my new favorite hobby), from A Little Bit Crunchy A Little Bit Rock n' Roll, who adapted it from Nestle, and when I saw the picture I KNEW it was something I had to make IMMEDIATELY!

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie shell (I used a Pillsbury pie crust from the refrigerated section of the grocery store and just gently pressed it in to my pie pan.)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but pecans would be yummy too!)

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

Beat the 2 eggs in your mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in your flour. Beat in the sugar and brown sugar. Beat in your softened butter. Once it is all combined well, stir in the chocolate chips and the chopped up nuts, then spoon the mixture in to your pie shell! Um, yes... that is it!!!!

Throw it in your preheated oven and bake it for 50 to 60 minutes. (I took mine out at 50.) The top will be crispy, but the inside of the pie will oozing with ooey gooey deliciousness. Try to cool on a wire rack. (I think mine got about 10 minutes before the fam dived in to it.)

I topped my piece with cool whip... but I imagine any cream, ice-cream, or whipped topping would be good with this. It helps cut the richness a little in my opinion. This pie is definitely as good as you think it's going to be...

(BTW, If the only ingredient you are missing is a pie crust, go on over here and try out Jennifer's "No Roll Pie Crust".)

Quest For The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie...

2011-10-14T05:00:00.002-06:00

I have found it! Well, actually it was brought to me... but as soon as I sunk my teeth in to these cookies I knew this would be the recipe I would use forever more. I have been looking for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that "works" since I arrived in Utah. (Darn altitude.) I will be looking no further. This recipe uses shortening instead of butter... that means the cookies don't go flat and overly crispy around the edges. They are soft and moist but with a perfect crunch on the outside. My dear, sweet, new Relief Society President brought some over to me and was sweet enough to share the recipe. (Thank you Shelly!) I am calling them simply:

"The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie"

1 cup shortening (I used butter flavored.)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
*1 pkg chocolate chips (I used 12 oz)

Cream the shortening and sugars. Add eggs, hot water and vanilla and beat well. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together and mix in to cookie dough. Add the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls on your cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 11 mins.

*The possibilities are pretty much endless with these... We threw in mini Reese's Pieces in one batch, peanut butter chips in another. You could do white chocolate macadamia nut, chocolate pecan, all you would need to do is change the add in!

Some helpful tips:

Invest in a cookie scoop. They are about $3 and look like mini ice cream scoops. They make sure all your cookies are the same size so they cook evenly.
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This ensures no cookies stick to the pan and the bottoms of the cookies don't get too brown! (Parchment paper can be re-used a few times... I just flip it over each time I use it and discard it at the end of my baking session.)
Let your cookies sit a minute or so before removing them from the baking sheets. This lets them firm up just a little so they don't break. (On the other hand, don't leave them on too long because they keep cooking.)

Happy Birthday Mike & Mike..

2011-10-11T23:00:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago hot hubby turned 40. His cell phone was lit up for days with "old" jokes from friends and family. It was very entertaining... well at least for me. ;) For an old fart he sure does take good care of himself. Personally, I find him more handsome today than I did the day I married him. He has already completed P90X and Insanity so for his birthday he asked for Insanity Asylum. (Who does that?) But hey... whatever makes him happy. I just hope he doesn't expect me to do it with him. One of the things I love best about Mike Sr is the way he interacts with people. He is so good at talking to people and he takes special care and concern, especially with the elderly, which is probably why he is so good at his job. He genuinely loves and cares for people. It's an endearing quality. Happy Birthday Sweetie. :)

Last week Jr turned 15. The little snot waited till the night before to study for his learners permit so I was sure we were safe... there was no way he was going to pass. Sr told me it took him all of 7 minutes to complete the test and he passed with flying colors. My stomach is still in my throat from the first time I drove with him. He only ate the curb once and that was because a car was coming towards him and he tried to get as far right as possible. Luckily he can't drive alone for a year. That will give him lots of practice. :) This boy is already 6 feet tall. The doctor who saw his growth plates said he still has a lot of growing to do... I think he is already the tallest person in our entire family as no-one that I know of has ever grown over 6 feet on either of our sides. The thing I love best about Mike though is his sense of humor. This boy will make you laugh with his comments and impressions. Below is a little clip of his Bear Grylls impression that he sent to me from school one day when I needed cheering up... maybe it's just because he is my son, but this totally makes me snort. Happy Birthday Mikey :)

Homecoming...

2011-10-05T15:06:00.000-06:00

Dee had homecoming last week. Here are a couple of pics... Is this girl gorgeous or what????

Scone Success!!!

2011-07-06T05:00:00.002-06:00

I found it! A delicious recipe for scones that Dee LOVES. (And that is no exaggeration.) I have to admit... I was a little sneaky, because I played to her weakness by choosing blueberries. I also picked this particular recipe because it uses sour cream which I knew would make them moist and not dry like some scones. After they had come out of the oven, I had the perfect scone picked out for the picture... it was bursting with blueberries and looked absolutely perfect. But of course, by the time I had run upstairs to get my camera Dee had already found and eaten half of it... so this one will have to do!

Here is the recipe I used that I found in the Worldwide Ward Cookbook Secret Recipes Cookbook (compiled by Deanna Buxton)

Giant Blueberry Sour Cream Scones

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (It says you can just increase the vanilla to 1 teaspoon if you don't have this on hand, but the almond added lovely flavor!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour (I had to add about 1/4-1/2 cup extra flour to the dough because it was way too sticky to make a round... Just add by teaspoons till you can get it to come together... you don't want it to be dry.)
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup very cold butter cut into small cubes (I cut mine at the beginning and put the bowl in the freezer to keep them cold till I needed them... )
1 cup fresh blueberries

Vanilla glaze (The recipe says it's optional, but in my opinion, this is definitely not optional!)

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
¼ cup heavy cream (I had none, so I just used milk and it worked great, but I'm sure the cream would make this even more divine.)
1 ½ tsp vanilla or almond extract (We LOVED the almond)

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
In a small bowl blend the sour cream with the egg, vanilla and baking soda; set aside while making the rest of the recipe.
In a large bowl mix together the flour with sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and cinnamon.
Using a pastry blender cut in cold butter cubes.
Add in the sour cream mixture; mix JUST until moistened.
Gently mix in the fresh blueberries.
Roll or pat the dough into about a 1 to 1-1/2-inch thick round. (Next time I will divide the dough into two circles and make smaller ones... these really were GIANT!)
Cut dough into 12 even wedges. (Next time I will do 24)
Place the wedges onto the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the the bottoms are browned.
~~Soak~~ Drizzle the top of each warm scone with glaze

These scones were soft, moist and melt in your mouth delicious. Plus they were pretty darn easy! (If I can make them, anyone can.) The only thing that would have made these better is if I had had clotted cream and jam to put on them... seriously... they are really good!

Dee ate TWO of them one right after the other... actually made herself sick. Her friend Kyle said "This is seriously the best thing I have ever eaten." That is pretty high marks folks! Give them a try and see what you think. :)

Dee...

2011-06-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a very long time, but she sang for a 50th anniversary party this weekend...

The Scone Experience...

2011-06-24T05:00:00.005-06:00

I have learned only only in the last year or two that there are two different kinds of scones. In England, a scone is more of a cakey or American biscuit texture... it could be plain, it could have fruit mixed in to the batter, it's not overly sweet but it's melt in your mouth delicious and in my opinion, it is absolutely best when served with clotted cream and jam. It might look something like this...

or now-a-days they can be cut into triangle shapes like this...

But here in Utah, they also have "scones" that look like this...

I'm not sure if this is a Utah thing or if they call them this around the country, but I've only heard of these being referred to as scones since living here... I have always known this more as "fry bread" and they are served with butter and honey or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Now don't get me wrong... both are extremely yummy. You just crave different things at different times you know? And a couple of nights ago, I was seriously craving the more traditional English scones and I did NOT want to try and make any. So I was telling Dee what I wanted, and she got to wanting something fruity too, so she popped over to Walmart to get something to try and satisfy our cravings, (like a turnover, maybe). However, while she was there in the bakery department, she called me to tell me that she found a little box of mini cranberry & orange scones. Yay! I was so excited!

So she brought them home and I bit in and it was pretty good... not home-baked yummy of course, or made-in-England yummy, but it was good enough to satisfy my craving and I was happy.

Dee says she wants to try one. She has never had a scone before. (I know, what a horrible English mother I am to have never made them for my kids.) So she grabs one and bites in to it but then hands it back to me immediately with a horrid look on her face.

"Ew... that tastes like paint!" she says.

Um... PAINT??? What the heck? Who even knows what paint tastes like??? And if you did, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't taste like SCONES!

So now I'm totally bothered that this was her first scone experience and she thinks they are gross and taste like paint. Consequently, I'm on a mission. This weekend I am going to try and make something like THESE from scratch...

And she IS going to try them... and I will continue to make them until we find one that she likes... don't worry, I'll keep you posted! :)

My New Favorite...

2011-06-17T05:00:00.004-06:00

I am in loooooooooove... with my new piece of furniture! Cari from Homemaker Is Not A Dirty Word did a giveaway, and what an incredible giveaway it was! If you won you got to pick from three beautiful pieces of furniture and she finished it for you how you wanted it. I know right???? I didn't really think I had a chance, but I had to enter and try and I was soooooooooooo ecstatic to hear that I won!

I wasn't sure how I wanted my piece finished... all I knew was that I wanted it black or antique white so that it would match anywhere I put it, so I left it up to Cari and her creative genius. Well Cari brought it over Saturday night and can I tell you... it is the most amazing piece of furniture in my house. I am absolutely 100% in love with this hutch. It feels like Cari looked in to my head and created this perfect little piece of heaven for my home.

I am not the only person in my house that loves it either. I didn't even have to think about where to put this piece because my 14 year old son loved it so much that he threw my entryway table up the stairs and replaced it with the hutch himself.

I'll be changing the stuff he put in and on it, but just so you can see how stinkin' cute it is... here is a pic.

If you want to see more, better pics... you can go over and check out the ones Cari took on her blog. And be sure to follow her. She has the coolest ideas and is VERY talented. THANK YOU CARI!!!!!!! :)

We Like-a The Greek...

2011-06-15T15:36:00.001-06:00

I have been to Greece twice in my life and it is my absolute favorite country that I have ever visited (other than England of course). I have clear memories of visiting the Acropolis in Athens where we walked around the ruins of the Parthenon and down the many steps of the Theatre of Dionysus. I remember my little sister Jenna and I racing on the track where the first Olympics were held in Olympia and getting on boats and buses to visit other amazing parts of the Greek islands with my Mum and Dad.

It may not surprise you to hear though, that my most vivid memories are of the food! I remember seeing spits of lamb being roasted vertically and eating meat that was freshly carved off of it... and eating Greek Salad with lettuce, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese at the Greek Tavern with grapes hanging down all around from the garden arches. Oh, the flavors... dolmathes, spanakopita, moussaka, gyros, souvlaki, baklava... my mouth waters just thinking about it all... was it any wonder that one of the first things I made for my hubby when we got married was authentic Greek moussaka? I thought he would just HAVE to love it. It took me two hours to make that dinner... and he wouldn't even try it!!!!

Ah well, he has broadened his culinary horizons since then quite a lot and he likes Greek food too thanks to our two favorite Greek restaurants from back east... Chef Theo's and Greek Village. These restaurants were owned and run by Greeks so they served served authentic Greek cuisine. No Americanized chain restaurant food served here! One of our favorites has always been the gyro's or souvlaki served on Mediterranean flat bread.

So this week we decided to try and re-create the Greek flavors I crave and attempt our own Souvlaki here at home. I looked at many different recipes for a Greek marinade and tzatziki but ultimately I decided to try the ones from Our Best Bites, because I always love their recipes AND I absolutely adore the photographs... the food always looks so perfectly good. So I whipped up a batch of their Greek Dressing/Marinade. I knew this was going to be a good choice because it had freshly squeezed lemon juice, oil, parmesan cheese, cracked black pepper and minced garlic... all the key flavors for me. Once the marinade was together, I cubed up boneless pork loin, poured half the marinade over it, (reserve the other half for drizzling later), and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

While that was marinating, I threw together the tzatziki. You can't have souvlaki without tzatziki. I'm pretty sure it is illegal. ;) I prefer the English cucumbers over the regular ones for this recipe, because they aren't covered in wax, so you don't have to peel them if you don't want to, and there are a LOT less seeds... so you don't have to seed them if you don't want to... but that's my preference...

Once the meat is good and marinated, throw it on the skewers and grill it about 3-4 minutes on each side... till it looks kind of like this...

Now make sure you picked up some gooooooooooood flat bread... Regular pita pockets just don't cut it. I personally like these...

...but any flat bread will do. Brush the bread lightly with olive oil and grill them for just 30 seconds or so on each side... till they are warm and just starting to crisp. Now place a flat bread on a plate and drizzle it with a little of the left over dressing/marinade. Top it with the pork off of one of the skewers then add shredded romaine lettuce, chopped onion, halved grape tomatoes, kalamata or black olives and tzatziki. Then drizzle a little more dressing and sprinkle feta cheese over the top.

I'm not gonna lie... this is pretty heavenly... It's gonna make you want to smash your plate on the floor and shout "OPA!!!!" when you are done. :)

The Black Thumb Of Death...

2011-06-06T14:31:00.001-06:00

I am a TERRIBLE gardener. I have never been able to get anything to grow nicely. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I can't even keep plants in my house alive. I have the black thumb of death. :( Last year I thought I might succeed when I bought just three simple bushes and some marigolds to plant outside the front of the house, however, around the same time one of our neighbors dug up their yard and we got voles. Those little nasties ate every stinkin' bush and plant right down to the roots leaving only the tags that I had left on the bushes!

Well, we got rid of the vole problem and this year I decided to try one more time... I decided that I would plant rose bushes and daisies... because I love them both and they looked to be pretty low maintenance and should continue to bloom year after year.

I wasn't expecting to see any actual roses on the bushes this year, so when I counted 8 buds between the three bushes the other day, I was pretty dang excited. Then this morning I found this...

And in between the rose bushes, we have these...

Now I just have to hope and pray that the kids in the neighborhood who did this to my tulips a month ago...

...will leave my Roses and Daisies alone! :(

Oooo La La Mac & Cheese...

2011-06-03T14:33:00.000-06:00

Actually, I don't know if you can technically call this "MAC & Cheese". I have always preferred penne or rigatoni noodles to macaroni noodles because they are bigger... so the cheese melts all around and inside of them... and when you bite in to it, the cheese squirts out in your mouth and for that moment you think you have died and gone to heaven... So NO little macaroni noodles in this house!

Warning, this recipe is not really Weight Watchers friendly, (this big pan I put at 12 servings and each serving is 13 points), but I have to indulge my fam every now and then and this is my kids absolute favorite meal that I have been making since they were little. I'm not a fabulous cook in any measure of the word, but when I make this for dinner you would think that I had served them a gourmet four course meal. Hearing them "oooooh" and "mmmmm" for the 15 minutes we are eating makes me one happy mama. :)

So here is the catch... I have been making this for SOOOOOOOOOOO long and I don't use a recipe and I don't measure anything. So here are the ingredients and my best guesstimation for the amounts... (And by the way, this makes a TON!)

24 oz rigatoni or penne pasta (or one 12oz box of each)
1/2 stick butter or marg (4 Tbsp)
2-3 Tbsp cornstarch
4 cups milk
16oz SHARP cheddar cheese (I just use the bags of pre-shredded)
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard (IMHO, this is the key to any good mac & cheese, so don't leave it out)
Dash of salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
8-12oz shredded three cheese blend

Cook your pasta in lightly salted boiling water for aprox 8-10 minutes... you don't want it all the way cooked because it is going to continue to cook in the oven.

While your pasta is cooking you start by making a basic white bechamel sauce... (If you have never heard of this, it is a french white sauce that can be used as is or as the base for many sauces depending on what you add to it... I use it as the base for cheese sauce, alfredo sauce, sausage gravy... you name it!)

Make a roux, (pronounced "roo"), by melting the butter in a large saucepan till frothy and then stirring in the corn starch. (It will look like a thick yellow paste.) Let it cook for a couple of minutes then whisk in the milk, (four cups or enough to fill the saucepan 1/3 to 1/2 the way full), salt and pepper. Keep whisking until the sauce starts to thicken. (For basic bechamel you would just add a pinch of nutmeg here, but for this cheese sauce I leave that out.)

When you feel the sauce start to thicken, add the 16oz of shredded sharp cheddar and the mustard and whisk until it's all melted and smooth. By now your pasta should be cooked. Drain it and return it to the big pot and pour the heavenly melted cheesiness all over it. Try not to just eat the noodles out of the pan at this point because it smells soooooooooooo good and you will practically be drooling.

I like to use one of the disposable lasagna pans for this dish, because it is slightly bigger than a 13x9 and this fits in there perfectly. (Plus they are 2/$1 at the dollar store and you can just toss it when you are done.) Spray it with pam and pour HALF the pasta mixture into the pan. Now here is the secret... sprinkle that half of the pasta mixture with half of the three cheese blend, then pour the remaining pasta mixture over the top and repeat with the other half of the three cheese blend.

Voilà! Now how easy was that??? Your dinner will look like this before you bake it...

My kids are usually begging to steal noodles out of it by this point, but tell them no! Now throw it in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 mins. You want it bubbly and golden on the top and just starting to crisp on the edges... like this...

Hmmm... I couldn't decide which pic I liked better... they both make my mouth drool... so you get another one...

Now dish it up and be the hero. You deserve it! :)

Spontaneity...

2011-06-01T15:25:00.002-06:00

We spent Sunday night out and about visiting family and friends so by the time we got home at 10:45pm we were absolutely starving! You should have seen the initial looks I got when I suggested that we grill some burgers, but since we didn't have school or work on Monday the fam quickly agreed that it might be fun. By the time we got to bed it was way past midnight but we had a blast sneaking outside and trying to be quiet as mice so we wouldn't wake our neighbors. We then pulled out anything out of the fridge that might be considered a burger topping and munched down while watching Everybody Loves Raymond. It really is the little things that beautiful memories are made of. :)

The Crafty Side Of Me...

2011-05-20T15:13:00.002-06:00

Ha ha, I don't have a crafty side! But I have been spending some time doing scrapbooking layouts and cards over the past month... Thank heavens for Brandie and her Close To My Heart nights once a month, because otherwise I would have never had the ability or the patience to make beautiful homemade cards like these...

If you live close, you should come join us! It's way fun. :)

Happy Mothers Day...

2011-05-17T18:47:00.001-06:00

Ya, ya... I know I'm late... But I love my Mum very much and we had a brilliant Mothers Day at her house... even got a couple of pictures this time since they have a killer view from their deck...

I can't even remember the last time we got a pic of all of us together... and yes, my son is taller than me. (And that is saying something since I am 5'10"). Hope you had a lovely Mothers Day too! :)

Wingers Chicken Recipe...

2011-05-16T15:56:00.004-06:00

Last week we went to a work picnic so that Mike Sr could put some faces to names of some of the people he talks to in his part time Home Health job. While there I got to talking to one of the office ladies about recipes, and she told me this simple way to make imitation Wingers sauce. I absolutely adore Wingers, but have been trying to eat healthier and so I thought grilling boneless skinless chicken breast and then using some of the sauce over it might be a better option for me than actually going to the restaurant.

To make the sauce you just simply put 1/3 cup franks hot sauce, 2 Tbsp water and 1 & 1/2 cups of brown sugar in a saucepan, and bring to a boil for a couple of mins till the sugar is completely dissolved. (The sauce will thicken slightly as it sits after you remove it from the heat).

To grill our chicken, I put about half the sauce aside in a separate bowl to keep it uncontaminated from raw chicken and poured the rest over the chicken to marinate for about 30 minutes. Hubby threw the chicken on the grill and cooked it to perfection, then we served the chicken with the reserved sauce from the separate bowl on the side for dipping/drenching. Can I tell you that my family could just not get enough of this??? It will be a family regular for sure this summer!

I used the franks buffalo sauce this first time and it was on the spicy side, (which we LOVE). I think the plain hot sauce is not quite as spicy, so give them both a try and see which one you prefer. :)

Sigh...

2011-05-05T23:46:00.020-06:00

Ugh. Sometimes life is just hard! Now I really am not complaining here because trust me, I know there are others who have it so much tougher, but today was positively one of the crappiest days I have had in forever! It was one of those days that I kept thinking... "It can't possibly get any worse", but then... "Really? Are you FREAKIN' KIDDING ME????". It did. Over and over and over again. I literally wanted to crawl in to bed and just go to sleep. I even asked someone to please shoot me in the @$$, because really that is only a flesh wound but it would at least get me home for the day!
I won't bore you with the details, but I will tell you that I felt tried and tested and am still feeling pretty bitter about some things. However, there is a story I try to remember when I am situations such as these...

One day, a man went to the Lord and said, “Help me, Lord….I can’t take this suffering anymore. Please give me a different cross to bare.” So, our gentle Lord said, “Come with me.” All of a sudden, the man and the Lord were standing in a huge room with every kind of cross imaginable. Some were small, some large, others beautiful, some ugly, etc…..The Lord said to the man, “Now you look around and pick out whichever cross you’d like to carry.” Happily, the man searched and searched and finally found the smallest, lightest, most beautiful one. He said to the Lord, “Lord, Lord, I will take this one.” The Lord just smiled and said, “My dear child, that is the same cross you came in with.”

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference...

Slow And Steady Wins...

2011-04-20T15:30:00.001-06:00

I had my first follow up appointment with my Dr and can I tell you I literally wanted to jump for joy!

First, my beginning numbers from February:

Triglycerides: 1399. Yes, that is NOT an typo. They are supposed to be under 200, but mine were 1399.
Total Cholesterol: 231 (It should be under 199)

I had my blood work re-done after 6 weeks of being off that horrible medication and doing Weight Watchers. Bear in mind I barely did any exercise during this time at all. (Mike Jr had surgery and my life has been a bit crazy.) Additionally, I completely forgot about my blood work needing drawn till 8pm the night before when the fasting alert went off on my phone, so I did not get to be extra careful for the couple of days before. Ha ha.

My new results: (Drum roll please...)

Triglycerides: 330 (that is a difference of 1069 people... still gotta get them lower, but hey, it's working!)
Total Cholesterol: 172 (59 points down)
Weight Loss: 17 pounds. (And actually, as of today I am now down 21 pounds.)

My doctor said she never would have believed it if she had not seen it for herself. That medication has officially been put on my list of things I am allergic to and they have put me on a different medication, though I am staying at the lowest dose possible.

So I now have three months to get my tri's below 200 so I don't have to go on any cholesterol medication. I think I can do it. It says that it can take up to 6 months for this particular medication to get completely out of your system, so that is continuing to purge. Plus I am now adding exercise in to my routine to help speed up the weight loss and firm up.

I can't tell you how good I feel. Also, I absolutely adore Weight Watchers and can see me being on this for the rest of my life. My good friend Brooke put it best when she said that honestly, it is just living the Word Of Wisdom to its fullest! It's all about moderation and making good choices and limiting treats and I don't feel deprived at ALL. If anyone is struggling, I really recommend it.

Today I started "Insanity". (Hubby bought it since he completed P90X and wanted a change up.) I figured what the heck. I'll give it a go. I did the fit test today which is where you have to do a series of exercises for a minute each and write down how many you were able to do. I can tell you this... I am not fit. I seriously thought I was going to die. But I got through it. Now you re-take this test every two weeks to see how you improve. Honestly, I don't care how many suicide jumps or push up jacks I can do... I just need to do some cardio and get my heart pumping, but it will be good to have something to measure I guess.

A quick update on Dee... she looks amazing. She has made so many changes in her life and has lost a LOT of weight too. I am so glad to have her supporting me by doing this WW thing with me. She is genuinely a good person and I love her.

Thanks everyone for the ongoing support, the recipes and the trips to yogurtland, which I would die without. :) Till next time!

Earning The Man Card...

2011-03-25T14:20:00.000-06:00

On Sunday Mike Jr was running on wet grass and his knee went out from under him... he thought he had "popped it out" which happens quite frequently to him, but this time was different. He couldn't pop it back in and he could not put any weight on it or stretch it all the way out. Hubby called the knee specialist that we went to during football season first thing Monday morning and they got him an appointment on Tuesday morning. (Dee's bday.) I was thinking they would throw him on crutches for a few days like last time and he would be fine. WRONG!

Mike called me from the doctors office to tell me they were going to be taking him in for surgery the next morning. He had a torn meniscus and possibly a torn ACL. They would know better when they scoped it before the surgery. My heart literally went in to the pit of my stomach. Surgery? My little boy? Under anesthesia? I have to admit I was more than a little panicked.

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. I was on the phone a lot with hospital staff and insurance etc getting him pre-registered and getting instructions. All the paperwork and phone interviews which included stuff on living wills and DNR's and such was not helping to calm my nerves at all. I felt sick to my stomach. Thank heavens for priesthood blessings. Once Hubby and my Dad had given Mike Jr a blessing, I started to feel a little bit better.

I felt awful that this was all happening on Dee's bday, and hope that we can give her a bit of a do-over on some aspects of the day. (When I told her that, she asked me if that included a do-over on the check we gave her... no Dee, it does not!) We did get out to eat dinner and Dee got to spend some money at the mall. But the celebration will definitely have to be continued this weekend a bit.

Wednesday morning we had to be at the Eccles Outpatient Center at Murray Hospital at 10:15am. It was a long night and none of us got much sleep, however, Mike was very, very calm and in good spirits. If any of you know him, you know he and his best friend Tristan frequently make what we call "Herbert" sounds. Well, he kept doing this around all the staff and the nurses and I was so embarrassed and just hoped they weren't paying him much mind. They all absolutely loved him though and he had everyone cracking up.

It was a long wait in pre-op, (thus the camera phone pics by dad), but we had a private room to wait in with Mike so that was nice. We met the anesthesiologist and he was a pretty funny/quirky guy. (Mike told us after the surgery that the guy gave him the anesthesia while singing "I feel good" to him while he fell asleep.) The doctor came in and went over everything with us again and calmed our nerves. They finally took him back to the operating room about 12:15.

Meanwhile, we were put in another private waiting room with a T.V., phone, desk area and comfy chairs. They also had all kinds of drinks and sodas and crackers for us during our wait. I was so impressed with how we were treated at this facility. While Mike was in surgery they even called in to our room from the operating room to let us know his ACL was fine and they would just be repairing the meniscus. Really, we could not have asked for better staff and I was so thankful.

They came and got us just before he woke up and put us in a post-op area so we were waiting for him when he came out. I cannot adequately put in to words my relief when I saw them wheel him in. I will just say that I am a big baby. (Sniff, sniff.) He looked totally out of it, but he was awake and he was sipping on water and eating crackers which shocked me because they said he would not have an appetite at all and had even given us a prescription for anti-nausea medication. However, apparently the first thing he said when he woke up was "I am STARVING! Can I get something to eat?" Several of the nurses told me how adorable and cute he was. I dread to think what he was saying and doing back there. I'll just say that he is not shy... that is for sure!

(It's tradition that they have to have a "bean-dip" pic EVERYWHERE!)

I was surprised to see him in a full leg brace from thigh to ankle and his knee looked HUGE under all the bandages. Everyone who had talked to me about the surgery had told me that it was not a big deal and that he would be up and around within a week or two and it was a pretty quick recovery. However, they told me that Michael will be in the full leg brace and on crutches (non-weight bearing), for a month and then he will have physical therapy after that.

The doctor explained to me that the most common meniscus tear is fixed by trimming the meniscus at the tear and those kinds of tears tend to heal quicker and you can weight bear very quickly after the surgery. However, Mike's meniscus had torn and flipped which is why he had no range of motion at all. They did a complete repair on it and stitched it up so while this means the recovery is longer and possibly harder, in the long run, he still has his entire meniscus and this will be a very good thing for him.

The past two days have been very rough for the guy, but he is doing so much better today. (He has totally earned his man card with the way he has dealt with the pain.) We had a follow up visit this morning and of course Mike Jr had to take lots of pics when they took the dressing off... boys are so gross that way. So for those of you who did not receive this pic via text... here ya go... didn't want you to feel left out. :)

I just wanted to thank everyone who has come by and visited or dropped off treats. And thanks to the lovely lady, (who knows who she is), who brought by a fabulous dinner even though we told her not too... I really appreciated it. ♥

Happy Birthday Dee!!!

2011-03-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

March 22, 1994 seems like an eternity ago. I was only 21 years old at the time and I was on the way to Shady Grove Hospital in Gaithersburg to give birth to my first baby. I was two weeks late, (what is it about my kids and being late?), and so I had been brought in to be induced.

Would it be a boy or a girl? We didn't know. The baby had been way modest through both sonograms keeping it's legs crossed, so it was going to be a surprise. We had a list of six girls names and six boys names but as soon as she came out we both knew she was our "DeAnna".

There are so many things I love/make me laugh about DeAnna. Here are a few of them:

She is in EVERY way a drama queen. I love to watch her perform on stage. She has no fear whatsoever... but she "performs" quite frequently at home too. Give it up girl... I know every trick in the book. ;)
She always says "I love you" at least three times on the phone before she hangs up with you.
She is a total girly girl. I don't know how she can be my daughter. She has purses, shoes and nail polish for every outfit.
Even though she is a girly girl, she LOVES sports. Especially football. In fact, I would say she is the biggest football fan in the house... and anyone who knows her Dad knows that is saying something!
She works hard to act like nothing bothers her... no matter how hard we to try to get under her skin.
She cooks dinner for me quite frequently... and lots of treats too. What mother wouldn't love that?
She is a hard worker and gets amazing grades... even if she hands in ten assignments just before the end of the quarter to bring her grade up.
If you kiss her on one cheek or touch one arm she insists you do it the other side too. How quirky... it makes me laugh.
She hates lotion... to the point where I have to go in late at night and rub it on her hands while she is sleeping to help heal her dry skin.
She has it down to a fine science how to work her brother up and she excels at it on a daily basis!
She has amazing musical talent... she plays the piano and sings every day. (She also plays the flute although to my chagrin she never practices anymore.)
She is for the most part pretty responsible and she has never done anything to break my trust... that I know of!!!

I cannot believe my little baby girl is 17 years old. It seems just like yesterday that she...

...was born

...got sunburned at the pool

...started posing

...began walking

...puddle jumped with Nana in the rain

...hated Santa

...started kindergarten

...had her first piano recital

...made her first loaf of bread

...got baptized

...got her ears pierced

...was bridesmaid for her Auntie Jenna

...sang in her first professional choir

...I just thought this was funny

...went to girls camp... finally!

...started making dinner for us

...still posing!

... went to the Cowboys training camp

...grew up way too fast. :(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEANNA!

You have turned into a beautiful

young woman and we love you :)

Small Successes Make All The Difference...

2011-03-18T11:30:00.001-06:00

I have been struggling the past couple of years trying to lose weight. After over a year of the weight creeping on no matter what I did, I signed up for my works weight loss challenge. Nothing budged. I cut back to three meals a day, no snacks at all... nothing budged. I spent the entire summer getting up at 4:30 in the morning to do Zumba and ate salad, whole grains and lean meat, even when we were on vacation... still nothing budged.

Frustrated and depressed about the lack of progress I was seeing, I prayed for help to know what I was doing wrong and made an appointment with my Doctor. She ordered full blood work including thyroid, cholesterol, all that good stuff. A few days later I got a call to come in. I had become famous, but not in a good way. My triglycerides were the highest anyone in the office had EVER seen. (The number was so high they thought there had been a mistake and an extra digit had been added.) But other than high cholesterol, which I have never had in my entire life, everything was normal.

I felt more frustrated and felt like everyone thought I was crazy. However, I had this nagging feeling that I needed to do some research on the different medications that I had been put on a couple of years back. Bingo. I found information on the Mayo Clinic website about one of my medications having a possible side effect of weight gain and high cholesterol. It turns out this particular medication can slow down the production of leptin which controls appetite and fat storage and regulates metabolism.

When I went to the Dr to discuss my results, I took in the research I had found and had them switch me off the medication. (This was about four weeks ago.) The first week of the transition from the old meds to the new meds was absolutely horrible as the old medication has very strong withdrawal effects including dizziness, nausea, severe sensitivity to light and sound and what I can only explain as "head zaps". (It feels like electric shocks going through my head.) However, I got through that first couple of weeks ok and even lost three pounds. A small success! :)

The mere fact that the scale had moved even just three pounds motivated me to get back on track to try and drop some serious weight. I joined Weight Watchers Online two weeks ago and have already lost a total of 11 pounds. I go back to get my blood re-tested for Cholesterol this next week and I am anxious to see if things are changing. I expect changes will be slow, as it can take up to 6 months to get the old medication completely out of my system, but I am so excited to be starting this journey to "finding me" again. "Me" would like to stop feeling like I'm always the largest person in the room. "Me" wants to walk, swim and play basketball. "Me" wants to enjoy shopping for clothes. "Me" wants to be able to look in the mirror and not fall to pieces because I cannot find ONE thing about my body that I like.

Dee also decided to do WW with me. I have been so grateful to have a friend to do it with because it makes it so much easier. She has lost 15 pounds already and together we are LOVING it. It is based on a point system and the point values for foods are calculated by entering fat, carbs, protein and fiber. It has been absolutely eye opening for us to track every thing we eat and see what foods process in our bodies easier. WW is also really good in the way that you can eat any fruit and most vegetables for no points, so that is a great snack any time you feel hungry. Also, they give you 49 splurge points weekly on top of your daily points allowance, so you can have a splurge day and eat out with friends and not feel guilty and still lose weight. Basically you choose what you eat every day... you can have that slice of pizza or that burger... but when you are out of points you are out of points, so you learn to eat more wisely and spend your points on things that are more filling and healthy. I feel like this is something I can stick to because nothing is off limits and I never feel deprived.

If any of you out there are on Weight Watchers Online, let me know your screen name, I would love to buddy up! Mine is PetraCollins. (I know, super original.) Here's to small successes! :)

Teach Them Tolerance & Love...

2011-02-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking a LOT lately about teenagers. (Maybe it is because I have two of them myself and quite often have extras over at my house.)  I am the first one to admit that kids at that age can be loud, obnoxious, unaware of their surroundings, etc., but sometimes I have to sit back and take a minute to remember what I was like as a teenager and thank heaven that there were adults around me that were tolerant and loving.

We live in a very young area. By that I mean that most of the couples are in their twenties/early thirties and have very young children. Mike and I are actually probably among the top ten oldest couples in our congregation! I love the people in our area dearly. We have made some very close friends and enjoy where we live very much. However, sometimes it is really hard being one of the VERY few parents of teenagers around here. There are not many people that we can commiserate with who understand what life with teenagers is like and quite frankly, the handful of couples that have had teenagers seem to have already forgotten how their kids were.

Although the majority of people in our area are very young, and not that many years from being a teenager themselves, it surprises me how quickly they forget what they were like at that age. As a parent, I frequently have to remind myself of some of the things I did as a teenager... sneaking out, breaking curfew, toilet papering people's houses, partying, flirting, just to name a few. I don't think there is one of us out there who didn't do at least one, more than likely several things as teenagers that we regretted! So how is it that as adults we all of a sudden expect that the teenagers around us should be perfectly behaved and become intolerant of them if they aren't?

What bugs me the most is that we have a very good group of boys in our area who pretty much stay out of major trouble. As of now there has been no sneaking out, breaking curfew, toilet papering, etc... Still, I have a son who just a couple of nights ago informed me that he is tired of people giving them crap and thinking that they are up to no good all the time even if they are just playing ball or hide and go seek.   He is insistent that he would rather just hang with his friends at home instead of attending activities where he doesn't feel welcome. This is so sad to me. Mostly because the men that actually work with these boys are absolutely awesome and ironically, NOT the ones that give them a hard time at all.

There have been a few experiences the past few weeks with different individuals that have made me ponder on these things. Here is one example: There was an incident a couple of weeks ago where the boys were reprimanded as a group for something silly that a couple of them did. When I first heard of what they had done I sat them down myself and said... "Really? What the heck were you thinking?" I then listened to them explain about what had gone down that night that resulted in them making this decision...

The short version of the story is that a man who they didn't know at all, (whom they affectionately call "suit man"... remember, these are 14 year old boys), made it his business to be in their face throughout the evening.  In their eyes, this man who insisted on following them around had preconceived notions that they were up to no good at the church, even though they were simply playing basketball and hide and go seek with their leaders. Because he continued to make unsolicited comments to them, they retaliated by knocking on the outside window of the room they saw him walk in to, (which happend to be another wards Bishop's office), and then they ran away laughing.

As a parent of a teenager, was I surprised when I heard this was the outcome? Ummm... not really. They are teenagers. Do I think that it made it ok that they did it? Of course not! And I told them that they made a bad decision and not to do that again. But honestly, I do understand their thought process, and the immature teenage version of myself would have probably done something similar if not worse.

Unfortunately, their retaliation to this man gave this man the fuel he needed/wanted to form his complaint against these boys, making them feel like they are now branded trouble-making teens. Do not get me wrong... I absolutely believe that teenagers need discipline and they need to be told when they are doing something wrong... but in this case, I am just not sure that their actions were not unduly shaped by the way they were treated initially by "suit man". And sadly, in their very sensitive eyes, this experience has possibly changed attitudes of people they love and respect towards them.

Now just so that you know I am not simply being a protective parent, I will tell you that my son was NOT one of the kids that knocked on the window, but he was there to witness it. Of course, I am in no way an expert on Teenagers... (I am definitely learning just like anyone else), but I have a special place in my heart for them. Maybe it is because I have served as the Young Women's President for an accumulated 5-6 years in the past decade or so. Maybe it is because my kids are now that age and I know how real and sensitive their feelings are. Maybe it is because I had a Young Women's leader who was anything but kind and tolerant of me and I never want another teenager to feel the way I did. Whatever the reason, I just implore people to get to know the youth of their area and teach them tolerance and love and respect through EXAMPLE. They are going to make mistakes as they find themselves and learn how to deal with situations and problems. Just love them anyway.

A few years from now the 200+ little kids in my neighborhood will be teenagers and I hope and pray for their sakes that by that time their parents and the other people around them will be reminded of how they acted when they were that age. Maybe then they will remember to be a little more patient and a little kinder. On the lighter side of things, Hubby and I will definitely be having a good giggle at their expense when that time comes. ;)

Mike Jr's Debut...

2011-02-18T04:30:00.002-07:00

Dee is always the one that gets the musical spotlight in our fam. Today tho, I am giving some props to my "little man," (who is definitely not so little anymore!) Mike is 14 yrs old and has a natural knack for rhythm. He had about four months of once a week lessons on a single snare drum when he was in 4th grade. That's it! He listens to songs on his ipod, picks out the rhythm and just goes for it. This is the first time he has recorded himself playing and it was for a seminary talent show.

A Wee Bit Of Me...

2011-02-16T19:00:00.008-07:00

{one} what is your favorite breakfast food?

Right now it is honey nut cheerios or a light multi-grain muffin with light spread

If I could eat anything... scones with clotted cream and jam???

{two} how many pairs of shoes do you currently own?

probably like 12 actual pairs of shoes... three or which I wear regularly...
but I also own about 30 pairs of flip flops!

{three} city or country?

I love the country...

but I need a grocery store and a target within short driving distance :)

{four} what is your favorite part of your job?

when I can work at home! :)
But I also LOVE the people in the office I work with.

{five} what is your favorite junk food to snack on?

A good British chocolate bar.

{six} have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper?

Not specifically, but my pic was in there when I played varsity basketball for my high school.

{seven} do you use post-it notes?

Yes, but mostly just for work.

{eight} do you have freckles?

Yup, WAY too many!

{nine} is it okay for men to wear pink?

It takes a REAL man to wear pink!

{ten} when was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

I still make and write thank you, birthday and other celebration cards by hand... does that count?

Mongolian Beef...

2011-02-08T15:22:00.001-07:00

I have searched for a good recipe for P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef for a long time. The other day I happened across an excellent copy cat on Food.com. This is absolutely DELICIOUS! A little fiddly with the beef and cornstarch, but totally worth it. As a side note, I did not fill my pan with a cup of oil so the beef was covered. I just coated the bottom and cooked it both sides, then blotted off as much of the oil as I could before returning it to the skillet to finish.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
Enjoy! :)

The "Safe" Cake...

2011-02-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

I went to Smiths to buy one of their colossal birthday cupcakes for a co-worker of mine this week. I was so proud of myself for thinking about it the day before so I wouldn't have to stop on the way to work at 6am the next morning.

The lady checking me out put it carefully in to a bag and said, "Oh, let's keep this safe shall we?" Next thing I know she puts the bag ON IT'S SIDE and puts it in the child seat part of the cart.

I just don't dare look at it until I am out of her view because I am frightened of what I will actually say to her. I get to the car and take a peek. The beautiful cupcake now looks like this:

I wonder what it would have looked like if she WASN'T trying to keep it safe? Oh well, the fam ate this one and I ended up stopping on my way to work at 6am to get another one... thanks lady!

We're On To You Dee...

2011-02-04T15:29:00.002-07:00

Hot Hubby & I are starting to see a pattern with Dee when it comes to spending her money on crap for her...

Here are some phrases she is famous for:

"Mom, I want you to come with me to the store!"
Translation: I want you to pay for my stuff

"Mom, I need your (debit) card?"
Translation: I want you to pay for my stuff

"Mom, I don't want to break a twenty. Can't you just add it with your stuff?"
Translation: I want you to pay for my stuff

"Mom, I forgot my wallet"
Translation: You are going to have to pay for my stuff

"Mom, I'll pay you back as soon as we get home."
Translation: You are paying for my stuff

"Mom, but you bought Mike _______"
Translation: You owe me to pay for my stuff

Dee, your Dad and I are on to you... You are going to be breaking those twenties and paying for your miscellaneous crap! Just sayin'!

Dear Grocery Store Managers,

2011-02-02T04:39:00.000-07:00

I don't now, nor have I ever gotten the concept of express lanes in grocery stores. For one thing, you are giving the faster checkout times to the people who are buying the LEAST amount of items in your store. Second, I have actually seen people put items BACK and NOT purchase them so that they can go through this line. Third, as a consumer it really ticks me off that though I am spending a good chunk of money in your store, I am standing in line much longer than the people who are choosing to spend just a few.

Here's the thing... my time is just as valuable as the person who buys fewer items. Just because I am buying a lot, it does not mean that I don't want to get out of the store quickly. And if I get to the check out before someone who is buying two items, I should be checked out before them... not stuck in the line to the left watching them getting checked out immediately while there are two more people ahead of me.

With the invention of self check out, express lanes should just be obliterated! If they are in that much of a rush then let them check themselves out and leave your employees to help your most profitable customers, or at least the ones who are ok waiting for someone to check them out. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Tired Of Watching Them Leave Before Me

The Avo"carb"o Burger...

2011-02-01T15:54:00.001-07:00

I frequently tell my husband that talking to him is like talking to a brick wall. I have to repeat things ten times because he just doesn't listen to me the first time. Good thing I love him so much. Case in point.

He recently went to pick up food for us at Carl's Jr. He asked me what I wanted and I told him "a guacamole bacon burger please". I had been craving it for two weeks as we have been trying to be good and eat healthier meals at home. It is my absolute favorite burger anywhere. I made sure I repeated it at least twice more before he went, knowing that... well, talking to him is sometimes like talking to a brick wall. I even asked if he wanted me to write it down for him! "No, no... I got it", was his reply... just like usual ;)

About 25 mins later he comes home and I hear him mutter "oh my gosh" under his breath as he puts our burgers on plates so we can watch a movie together. He then says... "They got your burger wrong!"

"Oh, it's fine... what is it?" I answer, trying not to sound disappointed. "It says "low carb" on it", he informs me as he hands me a burger with ketchup, cheese and what looks like a WHOLE head of lettuce on a wheat bun. To say it looks pretty gross is an understatement. But I smile and take it and say "don't worry about it... I can eat it."

Crap, it tastes even worse than it looks. All I can think of is that I would rather they hadn't given me a bun that put that burger on this yucky wheat one. I take off most of the lettuce, smother the burger in honey mustard hoping that it will help give it some flavor and swallow. Eww. Thank heavens there are fries with this.

As I continue to force the burger down my throat he tells me that the burger actually didn't come with a bun. It was just wrapped in lettuce. (Ha, that explains the WHOLE head of the stuff.) Turns out he gave me his bun. Bless his heart. I almost die laughing and tell him what I was just thinking about the bun and we have a good giggle over it together.

"So what exactly did you order me?" I asked, sensing that there may be more to this than meets the eye. "The avocado burger just like you told me" he replies. "Uh, they don't do an avocado burger sweetie. It's called a guacamole bacon burger."

At this point my guess is the lady at the drive through heard avoCARBo burger and gave me the low carb one instead. Ah, my sweet, funny husband. Needless to say I got a surprise guacamole bacon burger brought home this week from my honey. :) I don't think he will EVER get that order wrong again. :)

A Ladies Night Out For My Neighborhood Friends???

2011-01-28T18:08:00.001-07:00

So I was blog hopping today and found the cutest idea! A Relief Society in England made these cute little "Date Jars" and I thought... I would like to make one of these for those nights me and hot hubby can't figure out what we want to do together! They even had a master list of ideas. Some of them included writing a poem for each other, doing yoga, go to a store with a budget of $5 each for each other and see what you can come up with, go swimming, draw a caricature of each other, have a carpet picnic, go to the nearest park and swing on the swings, make a cake together, make cookies for neighbors, do a "pay it forward" to someone, watch an old movie... there are TONS of fun ideas.

So here's what I want to do. If anyone else wants to come over and make one with me, I'm going to make it Tuesday night (February 1st) at 7:30pm. If you want to join me, all you need to do is bring a jar and a pair of scissors... it can be any jar that you like, any size that you like. I will print out the ideas that they gave in their master list for us, plus we can brainstorm some other ideas and add them. I'll even make a treat. Then we can just cut our strips and put them in the jars. Any neighborhood buddies interested? It could be a fun ladies night out and a fun thing to have for February since it is Valentines month. :) Just let me know ahead of time so I make enough copies!

Thanks Suzie for the cute idea! :)

Petra...

2011-01-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't appreciate my name nearly as much as a child as I do now. I grew up Petra Leona Hildayna Joyce. I got ALL the family names. My Mum played around with my Dad's name, Peter and came up with Petra. She then came up with Leona after Leonard, my granddad, and Hildayna after Hilda, my granny.

When I was younger I would hold my breath every time I got a new teacher, hoping that they would pronounce it right PET-ra, not PEE-tra. I took the plays on my name in stride... petri dish, petrafied, and when I was sunburned they called me petrafried...

Now that I am older, I love that I have a name that isn't shared by very many people. Petra means literally "The Rock". I am OK sharing a name with this guy:

Can you believe Mike & I actually went and saw him live in WWE Wrestling when we were first dating. I know, I know...

I also love that there is a beautiful city in Jordan named Petra. In the fall my Mum & Dad took a trip to Jordan to see this beautiful city of rock. They brought me back a piece of rock from there, so I own a piece of Petra now. :) Here is a picture of the treasury... see how it is literally carved in to the rock?

Petra was not discovered until 1812 and BBC chose it as one of the 40 places you should see before you die. I would like to visit Petra one day and see the city. I find it absolutely fascinating and very beautiful.

How did you get your name?

Pork Paillards With Compound Butter...

2011-01-20T19:02:00.002-07:00

Continuing with my Food Network obsession... another show hubby and I really like is Worst Cooks In America. Chef Robert Irvine is one of my favorite chefs, (you might know him from Dinner: Impossible if you are a FN junkie such as myself), and we were excited to see him on this season with Chef Anne Burrell. Why do I like him? He cooks amazing, gourmet food that makes me drool... and, well... it probably doesn't hurt that he is British. This season on episode 2 he made this scrumptious looking pork recipe that made our mouths water, so we went on FN to see if we could find the recipe and what do you know? They have all the recipes they make on that show right on line! I figured, if the worst cooks in America can make it, well I should be able to cook it too right?

So yesterday we pounded out pork and made compound herb butter and what we ended up with was beyond delicious. To quote my husband, "this is the best dinner you have ever made!" (That's 19 years of meals people.) My boys even ate asparagus for the first time after I learned to cook it properly, (only three minutes in salted boiling water), and I added a small serving of Barilla Plus Multi-grain pasta to their plates to help fill them up. The pic isn't very good because it was already dark and the lighting was bad, but you get the point... it was soooooooooo yummy. :) Want to have a go? You can find the recipe HERE!

Iron Chef Collins...

2011-01-18T22:50:00.001-07:00

Our family loves the show Iron Chef America and we often watch it together. Now and then my teenagers (sometimes with friends), like to play Iron Chef in our own kitchen. Mike and I are the judges and even though they know that we will always score a tie, they always put a HUGE amount of effort in to their dishes and they have a TON of fun.

Sunday they decided to play again and we had six different dishes to sample. I wish I had thought to take pics of all the delicious things they made, but I did remember to snap a camera phone pic of the desserts. On the left we have a nutella and fresh cream dessert pizza and on the right we have chocolate caramel cream pancakes... don't you wish you could be a judge at my house???

Happy New Year Part 2???

2011-01-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day this year I have felt in a good mood. If you know me, you will know it is pretty unlike me to be chronically grumpy, but this year so far has been a bit of a struggle. Our family has already filled 11 prescriptions and made 6 trips to the Dr. It has not been good times. The worst has been the steroids they put me on for a pinched nerve in my shoulder/neck. They have made me an absolute beast for the past week and a half and I have tried my best to stay away from as many people as I can so that I don't lose any friends. Today though, today I feel happy and in a good mood. Maybe it's because I am down to just one steroid pill a day, maybe it is because I got a good night sleep, maybe it is because I am off work till Tuesday, (thank you Dr. Martin Luther King), but whatever it is, it feels good to smile and think positively about life... So today I am proclaiming it my official New Year. :) Let's make it a good one!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-11T18:26:00.001-07:00

I HATE resolutions... why? Because I never keep to them. I do really well for the first few weeks, and then POOF... I forget about them/give up on them/ignore them. That being said, each year I feel it is my duty to at least take a look at my life and assess what things should be most important in my life.

This year I have evaluated my life once again and instead of setting goals, here are the areas that I want to improve on in 2011...

Immersing myself in the Gospel... serving more, being focused on the little things... FHE, prayer, scripture study, going to the temple frequently and being more charitable.
My Family... taking more time to be with them and do things with them, making sure they are taken care of and know that they are loved. Be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister.
My Home... making it feel more like a peace of Heaven. Finishing up projects we have going on.
Friends... cultivating the relationships I already have with people and making new friends too.
Myself... improving my physical health with better eating habits and exercise, using/expanding talents.

What about you... done any soul searching the start of this new year?

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-30T09:31:00.001-07:00

This year we went on lots of outings with friends and family to see various lights so we could just have fun and get in the Christmas spirit. Here's a few of the things we did:

Went to Gardner Village to see the elves... took Dee's friend Kyle along...

Made our annual trip to Winder Dairy with the Hottons... (epically, this was the first year that no-one spilled hot chocolate on Dee!) We also walked around Christmas Street in Taylorsville and ended up playing domino's at the Hottons where a cupcake war broke out between a certain husband and wife...

A new tradition which we will certainly go back every year for... Hogle Zoo Lights! We went on 1/2 price night so the line to get in was a little longer than usual, but it was so worth it. Once you actually got in, it didn't seem crowded at all! Nana & Pops treated us to hot chocolate, hot dogs/corn dogs & fries. That was the BEST corn dog I have ever had in my life... no joke! I could have stayed here all night...

Christmas eve was spent delivering gifts, eating yummy food and watching movies. Christmas Day started at our house for our present exchange, then we went over to Nana & Pops' for the day. The food was as usual, amazing... roast beef. ham, turkey, roast potatoes, parsnips, stuffing, cheesy potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, horseradish carrots, brussel sprouts, corn, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls, mincemeat pies, jam tarts, & all kinds of cookies and bars...

We did our family toast where we all toasted the things we love with non-alcoholic bubbly and Nana had several HUGE boxes of wrapped up presents that everyone could open any time the timer went off... a huge hit with the kids. The boys did their annual hike up the mountain with Pops in the snow, but amidst all the excitement, I forgot to take ANY pics at Nana & Pops' house. :(

I hope each of you also had a very merry Christmas filled with family, friends and fun.

Flashback Friday...

2010-12-17T05:00:00.001-07:00

This video makes me smile every time I watch it. It was taken on our way to California this summer. :)

Tis The Season...

2010-12-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

A new tradition we started last year was to meet at Temple Square on one of the Mondays before Christmas. My two lame sisters totally bugged out this year, (excuses, excuses...), but we had a great time with Nana & Pops. :) Nana brought bags of M&M's for us to munch on while we were walking around... what a fabulous idea! She and Dee also decided at one point that it would be funny to walk around arm in arm singing carols at the top of their lungs... that is when I decided I would walk a little bit ahead of them! We did manage to get some fun pics of the lights...

Deck The Halls... Part 2 & 3

2010-12-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

The halls have been completely decked for over a week now, but of course I am just getting around to posting about it! It's a tradition for the grandchildren who live near to go over to Nana & Pops' to help decorate their tree. The kids are older now, but they still enjoy it. It's also tradition to hang ornaments from ears instead of branches. Dee actually threaded hers through her pierced holes... and I was banned from posting the one of my Dad with them stuck in his nose.

Doing Mum's tree got my kids in the decorating spirit. I have found that the trick to getting them to help more is to just flat out refuse to decorate. This way they drag all the stuff up from the basement, move the furniture, vacuum and put the tree together. :) Much less work for moi! We now put up two trees... Our regular green tree which has no reason or rhyme to it at all... in fact it is a covered in mismatched ornaments that we have made or received from friends... (we LOVE it because every ornament on there has a story), and a smaller Dallas Cowboys tree that goes in the front hallway. It's amusing to note that Mike Jr is banned by his sister and his father from putting any Colts ornaments on the Dallas tree even though they are blue too. :) This year after the sales I will definitely be shopping for a big pre-lit green tree. I love how easy the white one is to put up!

Now if I could just get the shopping and baking done...

Deck The Halls... Part 1

2010-12-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

The week before Thanksgiving we found out a big snow storm was coming in, so we quickly put up lights outside the house. This is the first year we have ever attempted to decorate outside, and it was good fun even though we almost froze to death. (The snow literally started within an hour of us finishing.) My hubby, (who is a big scaredy cat when it comes to heights), got Kyle, one of Dee's friends, to climb on top of the roof and secure the highest lights. (We only did the first level for this year.) And all it cost us was a bag of fast food... A steal! Ya gotta love teenagers and their willingness to work for cheap. :)

I was so nervous while Kyle was up there that I didn't get a pic of him on the roof... I was too busy situating the rest of us around the roof in case he lost his footing. The only pic I got was of these two goofballs getting the ones they could reach via ladder.

I lost the battle on the colors... I wanted red & green, but I was outvoted 3-1, so red & white it is. I have to admit, they do look festive though. :) Our porch is still looking quite dark since I need to use all the decor from there for our Relief Society Christmas Program on Saturday, so no completed lit-up picture yet...

How about you? Have you done any decorating?

Miami Heat Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers...

2010-12-03T10:00:00.009-07:00

I like basketball. You wouldn't know it to look at me now, but I actually played varsity for my High School. One of the great things about now being in Utah is that the NBA games come on two hours earlier, so I get to watch a lot more than I used to when I lived on the East Coast. It's definitely good times. :)

Tonight hubby and I were watching the Heat/Cavaliers game, and I have to admit I have not been a huge Heat fan. I pretty much root against them just because there has been so much hype about how great they are going to be this year with their big three... LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

However, tonight I found myself actually rooting for this team! Why you may ask? Well to be completely honest, I was pretty irritated and disgusted by the Cavalier fans and their treatment of LeBron James. I get it... they are mad at him for leaving when he became a free agent, and fine, boo him when he comes out. But to chant "a-hole" over and over was pretty crass. Add to that the fact that there were posters and tee-shirts all over the place that disparaged, belittled and made fun of him and I actually felt really bad for the dude. I just wanted to tell those fans... Really? GET OVER IT! I understand that you feel you have gotten a bad wrap in the sports world, but LeBron gave you 7 good years and put your team on the map as far as I am concerned. Be thankful and move on. I have never seen such a bunch of haters in my life. Sad times. :(

Consequently, I have never been so happy to see a team get dominated than I was tonight. I frequently root for the underdogs unless it is my fav team playing, but tonight I was happy to see LeBron score 38 points, (even sitting out the whole fourth quarter), and his team crushed the Cav's 118-90. Miami literally played their best game of their season, finally pulling it together after looking pretty mediocre this year.

Of course, I am not a Miami Heat fan now, and I will still root against them in the future I am sure, but I was impressed that despite the fans treating him like crap, LeBron took the higher road in his post-game interview and when given the opportunity to give a message to the fans, he just simply said "7 great years. Loved every part, loved every moment. From the growth when I was an 18 year old kid to a 25 year old man... and we tried our best... as a team we tried our best to bring a championship to the city and, you know, just tried to play hard every night... I have the utmost respect for this franchise and the utmost respect for these fans..."

Of course, his game tonight spoke for itself. You go LeBron. :)

Why I Married Him...

2010-12-02T05:00:00.001-07:00

When we lived in our apartment back East, Mike was one of the engineers which meant every time it snowed, he and three other guys had to completely clear all the sidewalks in the neighborhood. We lived in a neighborhood with many elderly people, so once he was finished with shoveling the walks, he would go and dig out the cars of some of his favorite neighbors who he knew would struggle. It used to warm my heart to know that he cared about people that way.

Now that we live in our own house here in Utah, he doesn't have to clear every sidewalk in the neighborhood, but he always looks for a couple of people he can lend a hand to. Over the course of this weekend my good hubby shoveled 6-7 driveways at 1-2 feet of snow a piece. Sometimes it does a soul good to remember the reasons we fell in love with a person in the first place. :)

Michael Lingo...

2010-12-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Two years in to our marriage, my cute hubby made the grave mistake of buying me a blender for Christmas. His intentions were noble... "look sweetie, now you can make your own baby food just like you've wanted"... but it was a blender none-the-less. Every person who asked me what I got for Christmas cringed or giggled when I told them, and innocent hubby (who got a lot of crap from people), swore he would never buy me an appliance as a gift again. It has been an ongoing joke every time that a birthday or Christmas comes along. This year a few months before my birthday was not any different, except for my reply... I added "well, unless it's a kitchen aid mixer, haha." After all, what gal doesn't want one of those? Or maybe it's just me with my Food Network Obsession. I have seriously drooled over those things for years. But the price tag? Yikes!

Well, I didn't think much of it at the time, but can you imagine my giddy surprise the day before Thanksgiving when this was delivered to me in bed the morning of my birthday?

Yes ladies... that is a beautiful, professional Black KitchenAid mixer. And to sweeten the gift, he paid HALF PRICE! I did mentally question his choice in getting me the professional model... after all, I am not a professional cook in any stretch of the imagination... (except maybe in mine when I am doing my own cooking show when no-one is around...), but I figure he took the Johnny Lingo approach to it...

Do you know the movie? It is AWESOME! Johnny Lingo, one of the most desired bachelors and a trader in the south pacific islands decides to bargain for a wife. He goes after one of the homeliest girls on the island, (Mahana), and offers a record price of eight cows for her. Of course, this causes quite a sensation on the island as people joked about him paying only 1/2 a cow, or her father having to pay out cows for anyone to take her. A year after the marriage, Johnny and his wife return for the first time and all the islanders find that Mahana is extremely beautiful and very confident. Johnny explains that by paying eight cows he proved that she was worth more to him than any other woman on the island. He gave her a great gift, that of self-worth.

So I figure hubby's thought process is similar to Johnny's... "if I buy her the professional model, she WILL BE a professional cook." (Just like Mahana became the 8-cow wife.) Whatever the reason for him indulging me, I am in heaven and look for any excuse to use it... so if you get cookies or other goods delivered to your door, now you know why. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day with all our Family who live in Utah and it was absolutely lovely. We had Herb Stuffed Turkey, Spiral Ham, Roast Potatoes, Cheesy Funeral Potatoes, Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes, Apple/Cranberry/Walnut Stuffing, Parsnips, Green Bean Casserole, Corn, Brussel Sprouts, Orange/Cranberry Sauce, Bread Sauce, Pink Salad, Rolls, Gravy, Pies, Cookies, and Trifle. What a spread!

My favorite part, (other than the fab food of course), was when we all went down in my parents basement and danced to the oldies. YMCA, Dancing Queen, Hot Stuff, I Will Survive and many, many more! The kids absolutely loved it. It will most likely be a new Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition for many years to come. :)

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday. Mostly because there really isn't any commercialism. It's just time to enjoy family and think of all our blessings. Here are a few of the things I am most thankful for this year...

Family: There is nothing on this earth that is more important or more beautiful than family. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for my hubby, my kids, my parents, my siblings and all my extended family. Nothing brings me more joy than to spend time with them.
The Gospel: How could I get through the tests and trials of life without the Gospel? How could I be with my family forever? How could I be forgiven for the many things that I do wrong? I am thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and I am thankful for a loving Father in Heaven.
Miley (Miles): That little puppy has brought so much love and joy in to our lives since we got her in January. I can't imagine our life without her.
Home: I am so grateful that after 18 years of marriage, Mike and I were finally able to buy our own home. It is not the biggest or grandest in the neighborhood, but it is our castle, and we love it. :)
Friends: When life throws you lemons, we are told to make lemonade, but I firmly believe that friends are the ones who help by adding much of the sugar that makes the lemonade so sweet.
Utah: I never knew I could love living somewhere so much. I love the landscape, the air, the people. It is an amazing place to live and raise a family and I have never regretted the decision we made to come here.
Good Jobs: In this economy, who could not be grateful for good jobs with good benefits.
Music: My parents knew what they were doing when they bought Mike & I a piano for our wedding present. My mum told Mike that it would be as much a gift for him as for me since I take all my frustrations out of that thing. :) Singing, Piano, Organ, Flute, Guitar, Drums, CD's, I-Tunes/I-Pods... they are all big parts of our family that we are grateful for.
Football: I know, I must be crazy to put this on the list right? But this sport really brings the fam together... cheering, crying, friendly competition... whatever it is for the week, it gets my hubby and my kids excited and talking to each other. Not to mention it brings friends and extended families together too.
Electronics: I'm a techjunkie... Computers, Cell Phones, Camera's, anything tech related... I love it all. Especially because it can bring family that live far away in to our living room at the touch of a button. Texting, blogs, facebook, email. They help keep us all connected.

Those are just a few things... there are so many more, but I love to count my blessings this time of the year. What are you most thankful for?

Incredible Fun...

2010-11-11T23:55:00.001-07:00

Michael had his football "banquet" this week. Really it is just an end of the year party, but this year was the best one ever! No three hour speeches, no football politics... just the boys having fun at a place I never even knew existed!

They had it at Incredible Pizza and seriously, this place is a good time for all... especially if you are 12 and older. It just opened over in the old crappy Draper Outlets building and they have go-carts, bumper cars, bowling, laser tag and an all you can eat buffet with salad, soup, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, desserts and lots of other foods. Because we had a group of 10 or more, we got all that unlimited fun and food for four hours for $12.99/person. The only thing it didn't include was the arcade games. Not bad! I'm definitely thinking we need to see how much it would be to get a group of couples together for a fun night out. Anyone interested? :)

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-11-03T14:30:00.022-06:00

Happy Halloween :)

We had lots of spooky fun this weekend walking around Gardner Village

and joining in the trick or treating fun in the neighborhood...

Dee & I sat out on the porch all night dressed as a fortune teller and a witch.

We had the fog machine, strobe light, Halloween music and lots of creepy decorations going on...

Mwahaha!!!

Here are just a few of the cute trick or treaters that came by...

Hope you had a BOOtiful Halloween too! :)

You Know You Are In Wyoming When...

2010-10-29T09:35:00.002-06:00

Do you remember that I told you about Mike Sr & Jr going to the Utah/Wyoming game on the day I was taking those cute pics of Dee at Gardner Village? Well they took my other camera and here is one of the pics I found when I was unloading the card...

Apparently this guy goes to every game and wears nothing but this barrel... Oh well, to each his own I guess!

Spooky Eyeball Tacos...

2010-10-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

Oh how I wish my kids were little again and I had awesome ideas on what to do to make things out of the ordinary for them! Last year I posted about THIS easy idea from Kraft Foods. This year Kraft has not disappointed! Just look how cool these Spooky Eyeball Taco's are...

Click HERE for the recipe! :)

Merry Christmas...

2010-10-27T15:12:00.001-06:00

True to Utah form, we got our first snow this week. I'm debating whether to put up Christmas decorations or Halloween decorations for the trick or treater's this weekend... What do you think???

Did YOU Know???

2010-10-26T23:40:00.000-06:00

Dee loves gummy bears, however, she only eats the red ones (strawberry, raspberry, cherry, watermelon), and then gives the rest away. I don't remember how it came up today but we were talking about this at work and the guy in the cubicle next to me says "well, you know the Haribo Gummy Bears secret right? The green ones are strawberry."

I thought he was pulling my leg. Dee buys those gummy bears all the time, (the gold bag), but she never eats the green ones. Turns out he was right. Haribo makes their green gummy bears strawberry flavored. The red ones are raspberry. I almost peed myself laughing thinking of all the strawberry gummy bears Dee has given away. When I told her she was almost cussing... almost, which made me laugh more.

Did YOU know the Haribo Gummy Bears secret???

Girls Day/Night Out...

2010-10-20T05:00:00.002-06:00

Saturday my hubby and son drove up to Wyoming for the Utah/Wyoming football game. This left me and Dee with a whole day and night together to have some fun. We met friends at Yogurtland, shopped, had dinner at Olive Garden and walked around Gardner Village. Dee looked so beautiful that I decided I would take the opportunity to grab a few updated pics of her while we were out together. I think they turned out so wonderfully... I can't wait to get them printed!

No Ordinary Family...

2010-10-15T05:00:00.001-06:00

Have you seen this new show on ABC? It is about a family who survive a plane crash and end up with super powers. The mom is super fast, the dad is super strong, the daughter can read minds and the son becomes super smart.

If I could choose a super power, I would LOVE to be able to fly, but I have to say... the super speed that this mom gets wouldn't be a bad thing either. My house would certainly be a lot cleaner. :)

What about you? What super power would you like to have?

Right Now I Wish For...

2010-10-06T15:50:00.000-06:00

Peanut Butter M&M's or Reese's Pieces

My carpets to be cleaned

A weed free front yard

I am a very simple woman. :)

What do you wish for right now?... Just for you...

Happy Birthday Mike Jr!

2010-10-04T18:59:00.003-06:00

Where were you on October 1st, 1996?

I can tell you exactly where I was! I was in Holy Cross Hospital giving birth to my second (and last) adorable child, Michael Paul Collins Jr. (He didn't actually get that name till a couple of days later, since his Dad and I couldn't agree on it. Dad won... as usual.)

Michael was TWO weeks late. What made it even worse is that he was born in a completely different month from when he was due. (Talk about killing a pregnant woman's morale!) We tried everything to get him to come. Some are unmentionable, but the ones I can talk about include my husband driving me over pot holes all the way to Washington DC, and my husband making me walk around Brookside Gardens several times. DeAnna even joined in the effort by taking off down the sidewalk EVERY time we walked outside so that I had to run (or waddle) after her! Nothing worked. He came out in his own due time, and he has been doing the same thing ever since! (The boy moves slower than molasses.)

There are so many things I love/make me laugh about Mike. Here are a few of them:

He always has something funny to say and he does the funniest impressions of people...
He isn't afraid to give me hugs and kisses... even if his friends are around! He even announces quite loudly that he loves me when he leaves the house or car.
He'll squeal on anything or anybody for a quarter.
He completely rearranges his room every week
If he knows I will say no, he will skip me and go straight to Dad.
He takes just enough time to eat his dinner so that the dishes are already done by the time he is finished.
He has never done anything to have me called into school by teachers or principals. (Knock on wood.)
He'll volunteer to say family prayer if Dad assigns me or himself. (Apparently ours are too long.)
He always apologizes for anything he has said/done during the day that he doesn't feel right about just before he gets a goodnight kiss.
To him, everything that happens in his life is DeAnna's fault. :)

I cannot believe that my youngest child... my little baby... has just turned 14. He becomes a teacher, (Phew!) And I cannot imagine him and his friends at church dances. I apologize now to all the YW.

It seems like just yesterday that he was;

Making his grand entrance into the world

Showing us his first smile

Starting to crawl

Chewing on his pacifier

Taking his first steps

Going to kindergarten

Making happy trees with the snow

I just like this one :)

Losing his teeth

Getting baptized

Learning to swim daddy's way

Learning to play drums

Becoming a boy scout

Joining the football team

Meeting his best bud Tristan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!

You've changed so much over the years,

but one thing always remains the same!

We love you :)

An Interesting Sundae...

2010-09-30T21:51:00.005-06:00

My kids went to McDonald's tonight to get an ice cream sundae after the high school football game... here is what they gave my son... This might possibly be the worst ice cream sundae I have EVER seen! It makes me laugh every time I look at it. :)

Happy Birthday To My Hot Hubby!!!

2010-09-27T14:00:00.002-06:00

I figured I would dedicate today’s post to my BFF. I never really had many BFF’s. I had one or two “best friends” in Elementary school, but I quickly figured out that it was much better to just have a group of friends than to dedicate yourself completely to one good friend. Once I got in to high school I was more friends with boys than with girls... mostly because I only ever trusted a handful of girls.

Now the problem with having mostly boys as friends is that at some point, you either have to marry them, or they marry someone else and you pretty much have to stop being friends. No way I was gonna let that happen to me, so I went ahead and married mine. This year we will have been BFF’s for about 20 years… and married for just over 18. Now just because we have been BFF’s for all those years does not mean we haven’t had our share of struggles… but being BFF’s is about working through things, and letting the friendship prevail in the end.

So what makes a good BFF? Yes, there are the standard answers… always be there for each other, put each other’s needs first, blah blah blah. Here are the top ten real-life reasons my hubby is my BFF.

He will let me vent to him… even if it is in bed… at 12:30am… and he won’t go to sleep until he is satisfied I have said everything I need to say.
He will hold the trash can for me if I’m puking…
He does more than his fair share of the cleaning.
He’ll miss a football game to take me to see my mom and dad.
He always backs me up in front of the kids… even if he doesn’t agree with me.
He will go out at Midnight to pick me up any newly released book he knows I want to read even though he knows he may be standing in line for an hour with a thousand obnoxious, screaming women.
He will massage out any kink in my back, no problem, any time.
He isn’t afraid to buy me "women products"… (and doesn’t even care if they price check).
He will be completely honest with me if I ask him how something looks.
He takes me out at LEAST once a week… just us.

Today is my BFF's birthday, so...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!!!!

Yes, it is true you are an old fart, and you are now TWO years older than me (at least for the next two months), but I love you and hope to celebrate MANY more birthday's with you... now and forever more!

Sept 27, 1971

What a cutie!

Always a Dallas Cowboys fan.

Outdoor Ed

R.O.T.C

Dating... what a lucky guy!! ;)

Baptism Day

Wedding Day

Becoming a daddy

Forcing the kids to be Cowboys fans.

Becoming a daddy... again!

Disney World 2000... with his FAVORITE Disney princess

Universal studios 2002

Daytona Beach 2006

Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 2010...
and just as handsome as the day I met him :)

Crafty Me!!!

2010-09-23T19:22:00.000-06:00

I never thought I would like scrapbooking. I am not crafty at all... generally I like everything technology related and do everything on a computer. I completely resisted for two years after moving here to Utah, but in January I went to a scrapbooking club because I really liked the lady who did it and one of her club members and wanted to hang with them. Well, I am completely hooked! If you live in my area and you like socializing and creating, you need to go to one of Brandie's club nights and see how fun and easy it can be when you buy a kit each month that has instructions.

This week I have made a 2-page layout as well as 12 cards in some of my spare time. (I may have way too much extra time on my hands right now, but whatever.) The kit comes with enough extra stuff that you can make 12 cards, 2 layouts, (2 pages each layout), and still have lots of leftover stuff to do extra with! I am looking forward to finally having some pretty albums that can be shared and then passed down to my kids.

Here are six of the cards I made this week with my favorite paper to date...

If you have been looking for a Close To My Heart Rep or just want to start scrapbooking, I highly recommend Brandie! :) She teaches new techniques all the time and you get to actually scrap at her house on club night. And believe me, if I can do it, ANYONE CAN!!!! :)

One Charming Party...

2010-09-21T21:58:00.008-06:00

Tonight as I was surfing the web I came across this amazing blog that has the cutest ideas for parties! It is called One Charming Party. I wish my kids were little all over again so I could do some of the things they have on here.

Right now they are doing an Art Gallery Party and they give you step by steps and pictures to follow. You can use a few of the ideas or the whole lot. Be sure to check out the amazing cake they make for the Art party and all the cool stations they are putting together. :) They add more every day for about 2 weeks for the same theme. There are other themes in the right hand column. Trust me, you don't want to skip this blog! Enjoy. :)

Flashback Friday...

2010-09-17T08:00:00.003-06:00

Seems just like yesterday that they were this small...

Beautiful Blogger Award...

2010-09-14T16:04:00.000-06:00

I was so tickled to hear that a new blogging friend, Tammy at Mommy Life With 5, gave me the "One Lovely Blog" Award. :) Thank you so much Tammy! If you haven't visited Tammy before, please stop by and say hello.

Here are the rules for accepting this award...

Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
Pay it forward to (up to) 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.
Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.

I picked six great blogs that I would like to pass this award on to (in no particular order):

Jane at See Jane Cook She inspires me to cook

Brandie at Rudy Family Rukus She inspires me to take pics and scrapbook

Ruthy at Live, Laugh, Love She inspires me to be a better friend

Kym at Temporary Insanity She inspires me to be happy... intentionally

Kazzy at Kazzy's Ponderings She inspires me to think

Marybeth at My Very Own Lifetime Movie She inspires me to keep going

Take a peek at their blogs... who knows... maybe they will inspire you too! :)

We Will Never Forget...

2010-09-11T08:21:00.004-06:00

For the year 2001 I had decided to try something new and keep an electronic journal. I was a stay at home mom living in Silver Spring Maryland, just 20 minutes from downtown Washington DC. Here is my journal entry for September 11th, 2001:

Today is a day that will be forever remembered in World History, and I thought I definitely should write about my feelings of today. I dropped the kids off at school as I would any other day, and went to Giant to do some shopping. I came home, and immediately got a phone call from Carole, who sounded quite panicked. She asked if I had been watching TV, to which I answered no, and she told me to turn it on. Thus started a chain of events that I just can’t believe is happening in this Country. There was news on every channel. It turns out that a plane had crashed right into one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. As the news was showing the coverage of this “accident”, all of a sudden, out of the sky another plane came smashing into the world trade center as the entire world watched it. Terrorists were attacking America. Very soon after that, a plane crashed into the pentagon in Washington DC. I was terrified at this point as I thought about what was happening. We were being attacked here near our home.

The FAA for the first time in History grounded all planes in the United States. Other countries did the same thing. Another plane crashed in a rural area of Pennsylvania. This was a plane that we later found out was also taken over by terrorists, and was heading back to Washington DC to perhaps take out the White House. The whole world came to a stand still as all federal buildings were closed. All museums, all sports cancelled, all the schools in our area closed. Less than an hour after the twin towers were hit, the first one came tumbling to the ground. It was a horrific sight.

I felt sick as the news reported that the fire and rescue workers that had gotten to the scene, and were desperately trying to help people out of the building were buried under thousands of pounds of rubble, adding to the already large amount of dead and injured people. I came to a horrible realization, that many people who were trying to get out of the building suffered a horrible death. One of the most heart wrenching scenes, was that of people jumping from the top of the Twin Towers. These were people who were trapped by fire. There were shots of people jumping holding hands, and I cried and cried thinking of the horror they were living through, and the awful death that they had no choice of. Then about 20 minutes later, the second tower collapsed. It was like watching a really horrible movie, but the thing was that it was really happening. And we were watching it happen live on TV. I have never felt so sick inside as I felt the awful truth that life in America, life on the earth, life will never ever be the same.

I was relieved as I got to the school to get the kids. I just wanted to have them close to me. I felt like the world was coming to an end. I called mom and dad who were in England. I found it hard to keep myself from panic, but for the good of my children, I restrained myself from crying as much as possible. I wanted them to feel safe, not terrified like the rest of us. When I picked them up from school, I explained to them that some “very bad men had crashed planes into some buildings, and that in order for everyone to be safe, they wanted the kids to go home with their parents.” I tried to keep it as brief as possible, yet let them know what was happening, as I was sure that they would see or hear it at some point, and I didn’t want someone else to be the ones to tell them. I just kept praying in my heart that we would all be safe, and that they would feel safe with us.

All activities were cancelled for this evening nationwide. They said that there were thousands of people working in the World Trade Center Twin Towers. They are hopeful that many people were able to escape, and it will be weeks before a death count will be available. Meanwhile, we are making sure that our kids do not watch TV, because the coverage of this event is on every channel, and it is graphic, and sickening. They have already cancelled school for tomorrow. They don’t know when flights will resume, and so we have no idea how long mom and dad are going to be out of the country.

Today is a dark day for the United States of America, and all countries of the world that are affected by terrorism. It is an evil thing. It is a nightmare for our children. Life will never be the same again. :(

Today, September 11, 2010, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the terrorist attacks and the families who lost their loved ones. I also am thankful for those who continue to fight for our freedom and give their lives for us. My prayers are also for them and their families.

Word Of The Week...

2010-09-09T18:37:00.001-06:00

The English/American word of the week is:

BISCUIT

An English Biscuit...

An American Biscuit...

Any questions?

**Update: So you all think the American biscuits look divine... I'll admit it, they really do and they really are... however, in the interest of fairness, here are some other of my fav English Biscuits...

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-09-08T05:30:00.002-06:00

Someone has been digging under the trampoline again...

Bad Puppy!!!

Swiss Chicken...

2010-09-07T23:01:00.001-06:00

Another dinner from my meal planning... Swiss Chicken. I LOVE this recipe. It just doesn't get any easier than this! Can I tell you, having all my meals planned out for a couple of weeks has really lessened my stress levels. I know what I'm cooking, the fam is so happy that there is a delicious dinner on the table every night and we have been saving all kinds of money from not eating out!

Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
Swiss cheese (can can substitute other sliced cheese if you don't like Swiss)
1 can cream chicken soup
Milk
Stuffing Mix
Butter

Place chicken in a 9x13 pan. Put one slice of cheese on each chicken breast. Mix a little milk with the soup and pour over the chicken. Cover with dressing. Drizzle with butter. Bake 1 hour 15 min. at 350 uncovered. Delicious!

I Love...

2010-09-03T11:00:00.001-06:00

...the color of this tree in my front yard! Hello Fall... please stay awhile!

Boneless Pork Ribs in Orange Butter Sauce...

2010-09-02T22:58:00.000-06:00

Day Three... This is my hubby's hands down FAVORITE dinner. Any time I want to "butter him up", I just have to cook him chicken or pork in this sauce I came up with... it works every time. ;)

Tonight I chose boneless pork ribs, (slicing them thinly to speed up the cooking process), but this works really well with pork chops, chicken breast and even salmon. Throw some rice in the rice cooker while you cook the meat, and you will be eating before you know it!

Ingredients:
About 2lbs of your choice of meat
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (add to taste)
2 tablespoons of butter

Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning generously on both sides of your meat and brown for a few minutes on each side in a large skillet on top of your stove. (I often dice chicken or pork to bite size pieces.) Throw the half can of frozen concentrate right into the skillet along with the sugar and mix until melted and bubbling. Cover and cook till the meat is cooked to perfection, then stir the butter through right before serving. The combination of the lemon pepper with the orange juice, sugar and butter is divine.

Serve with rice and your favorite vegetables. I personally like to sprinkle a little coconut on the top... yum! Sometimes I serve canned mandarin oranges and pineapple on the side as a fruit serving for the day.

Yummy Chicken Enchiladas...

2010-09-01T16:00:00.009-06:00

Day 2 of meal planning and it's smelling amazing in here. Tuesday we had chicken enchiladas served with sweet corn bread. Another of my own recipes that we have enjoyed for years, however, somehow this one hasn't made it to our table for a few months now. At hubby's request, it was added to this weeks menu.

Ingredients:
12 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
6 chicken breasts, small diced and sauteed until cooked through
1 large onion, finely diced
1 10oz can Old El Paso GREEN Chili Enchilada Sauce to the onions.
Light Sour Cream
8oz bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8oz bag shredded Mexican variety cheese

Now, I have a family that is half-fussy, so I do six enchiladas as follows, then six plain. I know what you are thinking... 12 tortillas? But you have to realize that these are even better second day, so you have to make extra! You will thank me at lunch time. :)

Saute the onion until translucent and brown, then stir in the green enchilada sauce. Set up an assembly station with all your ingredients within reach.

Take the tortilla and put two large spoons of the cooked chicken down the middle. Drizzle two large spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce/onion mixture over the top of the chicken and sprinkle a handful of sharp cheese over the top. Dab with three teaspoons of sour cream. Roll the tortilla tightly and place in a glass 13x9 baking dish. Repeat with 5 more of the tortillas. Drench the remaining sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas and generously sprinkle about 1/3 of the bag of Mexican cheese over the top of the sauce.

With your remaining tortillas, chicken and cheese for the fussy members of the family: Just put the chicken, cheese and if desired some re-fried beans down the center. Hit with a few dashes of mild GREEN Tabasco sauce (if you like), roll up and place in a DIFFERENT 13x9 glass baking dish. Smother with mexican cheese. I know, aren't I accommodating???

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 mins or until bubbling and golden brown on the top. :)

You could of course make the entire lot with the sauce, but you would probably need double the onion and enchilada sauce since you use it all for the first 6. However, if you have fussy children, I thought you might appreciate knowing that you can have deliciousness and still keep the fussy ones happy with a slight adjustment. :)

Quick & Easy Hungarian Goulash...

2010-08-31T23:00:00.001-06:00

I did two weeks of Meal planning on Sunday. Mostly for these next two weeks I have pulled out old fav's that we haven't had in a while, but there are a couple of new recipes coming up too which I am excited to try. Monday, I threw one of those Birdseye steamfresh vegetable packets in the microwave and made cheese and garlic biscuits from bisquick, (only take 15 mins start to finish), to go with the main dish... Hungarian Goulash.

My mom used to make this while I was growing up and I LOVED it. What gives this dish it's wonderful, rich flavor is the paprika! Of course, being the "take whatever shortcuts you can" type person I am, I came up with my own very quick and easy crock pot recipe that tastes just like I remember.

Ingredients:
2 cans Hunts Garlic & Herb Spaghetti Sauce (has many of the seasonings you need in it already!)
3-4 tablespoons onion powder
2-3 tablespoons good paprika
1/3 cup sugar
1 Knorr chipotle cube (*see below for info)
2 pounds stewing beef cut into 1 inch cubes
8oz sour cream
Egg Noodles, or fresh pasta cooked and drained according to directions

Stir together spaghetti sauce, onion powder, paprika, sugar and crumbled chipotle cube in your crock pot. Brown the beef and pour the beef and the drippings right into the crock pot. I like to cook it for 2-3 hours on high and then put it on low for 3-4 hours, but you could do 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Stir in the sour cream about 30 minutes before serving, (I temper it with a ladle of sauce first), and serve over the egg noodles. This meat will melt in your mouth!

If you don't want to do noodles, you can chop up a couple of pounds of potatoes and throw them in the crockpot with everything else! Just sayin'. :)

*Knorr mini chipotle cubes and mini cilantro cubes are one of my new favorite seasonings to cook with! I just recently found them down the Asian/Hispanic food isle at Walmart and they are AWESOME! You get 20 in a box for about $1 and they are packed with flavor. I add one cube of the cilantro seasoning in my rice steamer when I cook rice and it gives it a lovely subtle cilantro flavor. :) I'm only beginning to discover what I can do with these seasonings, but I love them already. Here's what they look like:

Doggie Doga???

2010-08-30T14:00:00.001-06:00

While we were in California, I saw a sign in an outside mall for a Doga Studio. My curiosity got the best of me... I had to find out what it was. Am I the only one who didn't know this existed?

Really? Yoga for dogs and their owners? Does anyone else find this at all amusing or is it just me? I mean, I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE our puppy... I just can't imagine...

Ah well, to each her own I guess! :)

Some Great Reads...

2010-08-27T10:00:00.001-06:00

While I was on vacation, I had some time to catch up on some reading. Here are three books that I have really enjoyed...

Catching Fire is book 2 in the Hunger Games. I have had it since Christmas, but didn't want to read it until book three was coming out. I read it over vacation knowing that book three came out this week. I was NOT disappointed. This whole trilogy is a fabulous read. An amazing story written in a very emotional way.

What can I say? I loved it... I had no idea how it was going to end until I read the last pages and I was captivated by the story and the characters. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it... just read and enjoy.

I picked up this book to read while waiting for "Mockingjay" to come out. I got caught up in it quickly. It is sort of old time magic meets modern day New York City. It is book one of a trilogy, and the other books are out, (although there is now a trilogy of prequels coming out, so there will be more to read in the future). Now that I have finished Mockingjay I will be reading the other two of this series.

How about you? Any good book recommendations out there?

Vacation 2010...

2010-08-25T11:00:00.003-06:00

We had a lovely week in California. The drive is harsh, (12 hours of nothing but desert), but once you get to the beach it is worth every second! The main reason we drove out was for Mike Sr & Miss Dee who were both dying to go to the Dallas Cowboys Training Camp. However, that was only for a few hours each day and then we got some well needed R&R on the California beaches.

They had a fantastic time at the Training Camp. To see their favorite ball players in person took their love of the Cowboys to a new level. Even Mike Jr, (who is a Colts fan much to his fathers displeasure), sported Cowboys gear and had a fabulous time proclaiming that the Cowboys were his new 2nd favorite team. Ha Ha. A friend sent us these pics that were on the Dallas Cowboys Website. Jason Witten fell in to the crowd right where my fam was standing. You can't see my hubby in the first pic because he is underneath Witten holding him up, but the look of pure joy on Dee's face makes this my favorite pic of the entire vacation.

I'm so glad they took this next pic once Jason Witten had gotten up out of the crowd. (BTW, the crowd was trying to pull Witten in... my hubby was the one that helped get him out!) Ok, my hubby is 6' tall, but he looks tiny next to 6' 6" Jason Witten! And doesn't he look star struck?

I only went to the camp one day and it was fun, but seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the puppy at the hotel, reading books and getting a tan. A true vacation I tell you! :) We had planned to go to San Fransisco on the Tuesday, but they were having such a great time at the camp, that I suggested we stay in Oxnard the whole week. There were no complaints. :)

We had a super time on the beach each day. That is one thing I really miss about living on the East Coast, being closer to beaches. Here are a few pics I snapped...

We also decided to drive to LA one day, since we have never been there. Let me tell ya... It was not what I expected! We enjoyed seeing the Hollywood sign...

...but then we went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and I was expecting this glamorous street with all the stars. No, it was pretty gross. The stores were tacky, the streets were filthy and they were even shooting what looked like a very low budget porn movie on one side of the street. Seriously, I was very disappointed with LA. I did get this great pic of Miles on the Lassie star though. Maybe I have a warped sense of humour, but it really cracks me up. :)

All in all, it was a wonderful week but I am glad to be home. :)

The Little Things...

2010-08-11T13:30:00.003-06:00

These two boys crack me up. Mike Jr won the "Clash Of The Titans" DVD/Blu-Ray Pack off of U92. We had to go across town to get it, but they had me laughing the whole way. They took turns wearing this crazy mask with the window down and their head sticking just out of the window as we drove.

It was funny to see people double take as they passed our car. When we pulled up to stop lights they had adults and children pointing and giggling but the best was the tiny dog that wouldn't stop barking at them at a particularly long light... Ah, the little things that make our day! :)

Flashback Friday...

2010-08-06T10:00:00.001-06:00

July 1st, 2002 was our 20 year anniversary of moving to the United States from England and my mum had everyone over for a celebration. I had found this octopus sprinkler on clearance for under $5 and my mum bought water balloons and balls that you soak in water and just toss at people. Just about every celebration at my Mum & Dad's house turned in to a full blown water fight... this one was no different. Looking at these pics just makes me smile! :)

Serious Pet Peeve...

2010-08-04T16:30:00.000-06:00

My biggest pet peeve is when you are driving and there is a lane to the right of you that every one KNOWS is going to end... and you are driving in the lane that you know continues on, but then here comes Mr or Mrs Joe Shmoe who are in a rush, or just thinking they don't need to wait behind the other ten cars waiting to go through the light, or whatever the reason it is... here they come RACING down the ending lane just to cut you or one of the cars in front of you off as they swerve over!

Seriously, it takes EVERY fiber of my being not to flip them the bird and chase them down. We live in an area where in order to get home, that ending lane thing occurs twice within half a mile... and I am SOOOOOOOOO sick of these obnoxious drivers day after day after day.

Did you know that speeding only gets you to your destination an average of 2 minutes faster? OK, so WHY oh WHY do people insist on driving like lunatics??? To get there 2 minutes earlier? You are obviously already late, so get over it and drive safely. Put on some music, relax and wait your turn buddy! You are not getting to your destination any quicker by driving like a butt-head. (Did I really just use that 80's word?) I am going to catch up with you at the next light, so really... get a grip!

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest!

And The Little One Said...

2010-08-03T19:03:00.000-06:00

...DON'T ROLL OVER!!!!!

This little puppy seriously knows NO boundaries and likes to sleep in the funniest positions right up next to you. She will sometimes sneak in to our room in the middle of the night and plant herself right between Mike and I. We are all terrified of moving during our sleep in case we crush her. :)

Can't quite see her? Check out some close-ups!

Can you say spoiled?

What The Heck Are Voles???

2010-07-28T13:00:00.000-06:00

I am giving up gardening! My garden is under attack!!! It was bad enough that we had rocks go missing from around it... but now, we have voles. Yup, I did not misspell that. Is it just my East Coast City self that did not know what these things were? They are like little field mice.

Ewwww! Our next door neighbor very recently dug up their back yard and put in a basketball court. We think that they must have disturbed them since they almost immediately after that showed up in our front garden patch. They have eaten every marigold, all my hosta and the three baby bushes that I planted. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT!!!!! Dang things. They have also made a complete mess of the yard pushing dirt out through all the remaining rocks. I hear you can get some pellets to put down the holes... so I'm off to exterminate me some voles!

Food For Thought...

2010-07-26T13:57:00.001-06:00

Found an awesome quote on Sparkpeople today that has really got me thinking:

"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before." -Steve Young

I don't know about you, but I am a chronic compare-myself-to-OTHER-people person...

"So-and-so is a much better mother than me..."

"So-and-so is a much better cook than me..."

"So-and-so is much more fashionable than me..."

"So-and-so is much more fit than me..."

Am I the only one that has this problem??? The thing is, when I constantly compare myself to OTHER people, I always seem to come up short, which makes me miserable! Then comes the thought that that I need to work harder to be as good as "so-and-so" and it's not really like I am trying to compete against them, but subconsciously I kind of am because I want to be a better person!

This quote kind of gave me an A-HA moment... I need to stop comparing myself to other people. I just need to be a little bit better today than I was yesterday. I think I can do that! That is not to say that I will not continue to be INSPIRED by the people around me. It is not to say that I won't ADMIRE the people around me for their many talents... but I guess what I am saying is my journey... my goals... my life have to be about being the best me.

The End!

Flashback Friday...

2010-07-23T10:00:00.001-06:00

We first came to visit Utah 9 years ago this month to visit my sister and some very close friends. Who would have ever imagined at the time that we would end up making this our home?

Here are a couple of pics from our trip in 2001:

Eat That Frog...

2010-07-20T16:30:00.000-06:00

No, not this kind of frog...

...though some people do like to eat those, I'm definitely NOTone of them!

I have been learning about eating frogs from Brian Tracy:

This is a book on organizing, prioritizing and accomplishing! Your biggest, most challenging tasks of the day are your frogs. (Things you don't want to eat.) They are the things you procrastinate doing, but they are also the things that would probably have the biggest impact on your life if you completed them...

Personal Example: I hate exercise with a passion. Hate it... Hate it... Hate it!

It is a task I do NOT want to do. However, I think about it all day... it puts me in a foul mood... I am overweight because I don't do it... I am miserable every time I look in the mirror because I know I should be doing it. So, it is pretty safe to say it is one of my frogs!

So what is my plan for eating this frog? Well, I have started getting up at 4:40am to exercise every morning except Sunday. I have now been doing this since June 26th and I haven't missed a day. I get it out of the way first thing in the morning because that works best for me. As a result of eating this frog I am slowly dropping weight, I feel better because I'm doing something about it, and I am happier since I don't have it hanging over me the whole day! THAT is how I am eating that frog. And it is working. :)

Interestingly enough I am really good at prioritizing and getting the big, ugly frogs eaten first at work. It is more my personal life that I need to apply this to. I have made a list of my frogs, (and I am sure I will be adding to it). I am prioritizing and I am tackling.

What about you? What are your frogs and how are you gonna eat them??? :)

Fragile...

2010-07-19T14:00:00.006-06:00

My Mom & Dad are returning early from their trip to California to take care of the music at a funeral tomorrow. A 29 year old mother of 2 young children in their ward was hit by a pickup truck while cycling along Highland drive. She was training for a triathlon with several other women. Her youngest daughter is only 4 months old. (You can read the full story HERE.)

This story has haunted me since I heard about it last week. Such a young woman with a very young family. She did nothing reckless. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when a driver wasn't paying attention and ended up dying. Her life over, just like that. I'm sure her husband never dreamed that he would never get to talk to her again. I'm sure she had no idea that it would be the last time she kissed her children goodbye in this earthly life.

It is times that I hear about things like this that I am especially grateful for the Gospel. It may not be able to immediately remove all the pain for the many people who will be affected by this tragedy, but the one thing it does offer is hope. Hope that this family can be reunited again in the future. Hope that those children will one day know the mother who was taken away from them way too early.

It also reminds me that life is fragile. Sometimes I go about day to day getting upset at stupid things or not paying enough attention to the people I love the most. Sometimes I live way too much for the future instead of the right now. Sometimes I'm so caught up with what I DON'T have, that I forget all the things I DO have.

Finally, it reminds me that I need to take every opportunity to "dance in the rain", figuratively and literally speaking... living my life right... not leaving "choosing the right" for some future time when it is more convenient.

A Little Piece of Heaven...

2010-07-17T12:28:00.000-06:00

Last night I experienced a little piece of heaven at the Conference Center in Downtown Salt Lake. Mum and Dad were out of town and couldn't use the four tickets they had to The Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square, so Mike and I decided to make it a family night and take the kids. We had dinner at Cafe Rio, then headed over to the Conference Center, arriving early enough to sit on the front row of the balcony which was PERFECT.

We were surprised and excited to learn that the Prophet was also attending this concert and would make a few remarks. I just can't explain what a completely spiritual experience it is to hear the conference center go COMPLETELY quiet and how everyone stands when the prophet walks in. Time literally seems to stand still and you can hear a pin drop. The spirit there is unexplainable.

For those of you who don't know, this year marks the 100 year anniversary of The Mormon Tabernacle Choirs recording excellence! In 1910 the Mo-Tab made its first commercial recording in the Salt Lake Tabernacle with Columbia Records. This concert followed the Choir through 100 years of recording... it had the most interesting, amazing history lesson intertwined with fabulous performances. I was completely engrossed for 90 minutes. I get goosebumps and teary eyed just thinking about it. :)

Some amazing highlights for me included songs that I have accompanied or sang back east at the Washington Temple Visitors Center with the Washington Family Singers as well as other favorites.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic arranged by Wilhousky
The Hallelujah Chorus
Come, Come Ye Saints
Amazing Grace, complete with 4 bagpipers... absolutely breathtaking
Climb Every Mountain, from The Sound Of Music
Unfold Ye Portals
Let The Mountains Shout for Joy
Seventy-Six Trombones from The Music Man

Additionally, I had the pleasure of hearing Clay Christiansen perform Festival Toccata on "St. Anne" on the tabernacle organ which was incredible. He reminds me of my Dad... I only hope I can play like that when I get older. :)

Seriously, it was a concert you just need to see. And if you want to, YOU CAN! They are broadcasting the concert tonight on the Internet as well as BYU-TV and other stations at 7pm MST. Just check HERE for details.

I really believe that I experienced a little piece of what heaven is like last night. Not just the concert, but spending an evening with my fam whom I love so very, very much. Now that the kids are teenagers we don't do as much together as we used to, but after last night I am going to make a better effort to "schedule" these kinds of evenings at least once a month.

We finished up the night at Yogurt Land in Jordan Landing. If you haven't been here, you need to visit! We are trying to be healthier at our house, so to have a place that serves low fat or fat free but DELICIOUS yogurt (seriously, you would not believe this was yogurt), with fun toppings at a good price is a great treat now and then. The best part is that they will give you sample cups so you can try the flavors before you decide. It's completely self serve, so you can choose the perfect amount of yogurt and toppings. (The kids like to put multiple flavors in their cups.)

Last night I indulged in lemonade-passion fruit yogurt with fresh raspberries on top. It was divine.

My pics are terrible because all I had on me was my camera phone and it was dark! But you get the point right? Take a look at how full the fams cups were... but despite that, all of ours together was only $12! That's pretty reasonable, so get over there and have a pretty guiltless treat! :) Your fam will love you for it. ♥

I Love Him...

2010-07-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

So I did a combination of the ideas from last Friday for my anniversary... I did a scroll on parchment paper that included "Ten Reasons I Married You" AND "Why I Love You Today" and rolled it up with red curly ribbon, (which matched the red heart balloons I printed for the border).

Yes, I know you can't read it... it's personal! ;) Hubby on the other hand absolutely LOVED it. He has put it away safe till he gets a frame... just sayin'! The best gifts don't have to cost a lot of money. :) And guess what, I got flowers this week for no reason. Maybe this romantic stuff rubs off?

So what should I do next to show him I love him? Open book, point to page...

Watch the sunset together. Find a hill. Bring a picnic. It's better than TV!

This shouldn't be too hard since we live on a mountain and the sun just happens to set over our side of the valley! Sounds super fun. Anyone else gonna give it a go?

For The Love Of Friday...

2010-07-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

It's Friday and I'm feeling the need to be romantic again. (Love this book of ideas.) Here is the assignment I randomly picked... (You know, open book... point to page.)

Choose one of these assignments. Complete it in the next week.
"Why I love you." Make it into a scroll. Give it to him with a red ribbon tied around it.
"I remember when we first met..." Write it in the style of a romance novel or in another literary style that you prefer.
"Ten reasons why I married you." Have it rendered in calligraphy and have it framed.

It's my 18th wedding anniversary on Sunday. (How old am I!!!) I think one of these will make the perfect gift. What about you? You don't need a reason to do something romantic! Pick one and do it this week! :)

The Case Of The Missing Rock...

2010-07-06T14:56:00.001-06:00

There is a (semi-alive) flower bed that has large natural rocks piled around it in front of our house. Imagine our surprise when we went out Sunday morning to find that one of those rather large rocks had been removed and dirt was spilling down on to our grass. What the heck???

My thoughts have strayed to the movie "Fun With Dick & Jane" where Dick has no lawn and so he goes around at night cutting out one square from each of his neighbors lawns until his is covered.

I cannot help but wonder if this is what has happened here? I definitely believe in innocent until proven guilty, but that being said, I have to just state that on that EXACT day, we saw some pretty new neighbors on our street landscaping their yard with the same types of rocks. If the whole thing wasn't so darn funny I might be a little perturbed, but for now I guess I will just have to have a good laugh and trump it up to the old "they must have needed it more than us" excuse...

I Did It...

2010-07-02T13:52:00.000-06:00

I called my husband and sang him an impromptu song that I made up as I went a long. I decided on a humorous, dramatic, hokey song... like something you would hear on stage at a funny play. I was kinda hoping it would go to voice mail, but he did actually pick up. The song went like this:

Because I love you, I’ll sit and rub your feet

Because I love you, I’ll give you all the sheet

Because I love you, I’ll let you drive my car

Because I love you, I won’t yell when you fart

Because I love you, I’ll let you watch TV

Because I love you, I’ll make you warm cookies

Because I love you, I’ll buy your favorite treat

Because I love you, I’ll save you the best seat

Because I love you, I’ll do just anything

Because I love you, you make my heart sing

Because I love you, I wrote this song for you

Because I love you, Because I love you!

We were both cracking up by the end of it and although I felt pretty stupid, it was a TON of fun. Needless to say he LOVED it. He then asked me for a copy so I wrote it down real quick. About 15 minutes later he called me and played me "High Enough" by the Damn Yankees off the radio through the phone. It used to be one of our songs we loved while we were dating. Ah, love. :)

Come on, it is easier than you think... don't be proud, just do it!

Library Fun...

2010-07-02T12:30:00.002-06:00

Ok, I admit it. I LOVE the library. I could go every day and just browse the books for an hour. You can learn so much at the library. I have checked out books on everything from music to photography to scrapbooking to cooking to parenting to improving self-esteem to marriage relationships and much much more. I also love a good novel. This past week I have read three novels by Anita Stansfield... if you have never heard of her, she is one of those cheesy romantic LDS novel writers but everything is clean and I just find her books to be a good, easy read.

Anyhow, I was browsing the library again yesterday, (looking for new books), and came across a book called "1001 Ways To Be Romantic". I thought to myself, how fun would it be to randomly pick a way to be romantic and surprise hubby. So I opened the book this morning to a random page and pointed. Here is what it says I have to do:

"Call your lover on the phone. Make up a lovesong on the spot and sing it to him. Make up a tune, make up the words---and just keep singing! You'll generate laughter, if not appreciation."

Ha ha. OK, I'm in. Anyone else care to join me?

Sleeping Under The Stars...

2010-06-28T14:16:00.000-06:00

Mike Jr had a couple of friends stay over Friday Night...

Good Morning Boys!

A Super Read...

2010-06-24T17:13:00.000-06:00

Have you read the The Hourglass Door yet? Well book two, The Golden Spiral, has been out for a few weeks now. I finally got my hands on a library copy and was not able to put it down. It captivated me just as much as the first book! If you liked Twilight, you will love this series too. Personally, I need to read both of them over again ASAP. :)

Who Provides Your Internet?

2010-06-23T07:30:00.002-06:00

We have been contemplating switching over to Qwest Internet (DSL) from Comcast. It is a substantial savings, however, they only have 1.5mbps available in my neighborhood till the end of the summer. I'm worried about the speeds. I am pretty impatient when it comes to waiting for pages to load etc.

Who do you have your Internet service through? Are you happy with it?

Happy Fathers Day...

2010-06-20T22:30:00.001-06:00

“Any man can be a father,

but it takes a special person to be a dad”

-Anonymous

My two favorite Dads...

I love you guys. :)

Happy Fathers Day!

Why Is It...

2010-06-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

... you can list hundreds of things you DON'T like about yourself

but then struggle to come up with things you DO?

Do you ever wonder if

there are actually people out there

who look in the mirror

and are completely HAPPY with what they see?

Do you ever wonder if

there are actually people out there

who are REALLY overjoyed

with who they are and what they do?

Some days it is overwhelming

thinking about all the things

I want to CHANGE about myself...

...whether it be

body

soul

heart

mind

all of the above...

Do ya know what I mean?

The Breakfast Of Champions...

2010-06-17T07:30:00.000-06:00

Heaven!

I finally found where I can get crumpets in Utah...

The fam luuuuuuuurves them.

...some of them ate FOUR!

I feel like watching Sense & Sensibility or

Young Victoria and eating more crumpets...

Who wants to come and join me for a crumpet party???

Lagoon... Check!

2010-06-16T14:00:00.000-06:00

Finally, after almost three years of living in Utah, our family went to Lagoon for our first time last week thanks to Dee's friend K who got us some $10 passes. The kids brought some friends along so Mike and I got to spend some quality time together. The park is pretty small compared to the other theme parks we have visited, but I kind of liked that aspect, plus there were not really any lines since it was a Monday.

The "Wicked" was my favorite ride... it seriously made me laugh so Mike & I rode that a few times. The "Rocket" was also fun but Mr-I-Don't-Like-Heights wouldn't ride it with me so I rode with the kids. One of the park employees thought it would be funny to go into the back of the Terroride and jump out at me and Mike which almost made me pee my pants since I had already gone through once and wasn't expecting that. I think they just like to pick on the old people!

The kids all swore up and down that I wouldn't get wet on the Log Flume... LIARS!!!! I got absolutely drenched. The Spider, tilt-a-whirl and scrambler were more of my favs.

The food prices in there were not as bad as some of the other parks we have visited (although we did take lunch in the cooler... just bought snacks). I ♥ the Snowies over by the Wicked ride... Tigers Blood is yummilicious... they were big enough to share and only $4! And the brownies and cinnamon rolls were HUGE for just a couple of dollars each! My favorite thing they do is give you huge cups of iced water for 25 cents (refills are free). It means you don't have to carry a water bottle around or pay tons of money for bottled water!

I felt like a kid again as we walked around, ate food, went on the rides and laughed. I didn't remember to take a lot of pics and one of the kids friends, Kyle, had already left when I remembered to take them at the end of the day but here is what I had from my camera phone...

Flashback Friday...

2010-06-04T15:49:00.001-06:00

This week I visited England using Google Earth...

This is a current pic of the house I grew up in

on Tilehurst Rd in Reading, England.

It was built in the late 1930's, early 1940's!

And here is the hospital I was born in...

Royal Berkshire Hospital, which was opened in 1839.

It's very first patron was Queen Victoria.

Last year when I went back to England

for the first time in about 18 years,

for my Granddad's funeral,

I visited both of these places.

I also visited my primary (elementary) school

and saw parks and streets that I remembered.

My Granddad's funeral was held in

the same church I attended until I moved here.

I saw people I hadn't seen since I was 12.

I love the architecture.

I love the streets and the shops.

I love the road signs.

I love the double decker buses.

I love the taxi's.

I love the countryside.

I love the castles.

I love the people... especially my family that are still there.

I love all the treats that I still crave...

Sticky Toffee Pudding, English Chocolate, Skips,

Marmite, Golden Syrup, Salad Cream, Caramel Wafers,

Jammie Dodgers, Jaffa Cakes, Sausage Rolls,

Meat Pies, Cornish Pasties, Fish & Chips...

As Americanized as I may have become,

and as much as I love America,

I still have an incredibly great love for my home country,

and sometimes, I yearn to be there.

National Donut Day...

2010-06-04T08:15:00.004-06:00

How can I have the word "Donut" in my blog title and not celebrate the fact that TODAY is NATIONAL DONUT DAY!!! :) Do you know how this day came about? The event was created by the Salvation Army in 1938 as a fundraiser to help the needy during the Great Depression and to honor the women who served donuts to the soldiers during WWI. It is always the first Friday in June.

Today Krispy Kreme is giving away a free donut to their customers at many locations. Dunkin Donuts offers a free donut with a beverage purchase. Check their websites to see which locations are participating, or just visit your favorite donut hot spot and pick up a box of donuts to share with your family! They will be happy you did. :)

What's Different?

2010-06-03T08:00:00.002-06:00

Can you tell the difference?

Before...

After...

I'll give you a hint...

It's gonna cost us a few thousand dollars. :(

Look Who Got A Haircut...

2010-06-02T08:00:00.002-06:00

We had to get it cut short... she was so matted :(

But she looks so tiny and cute...

You can't help but cuddle and love her! :)

From The Mountains To The Valley's...

2010-06-01T18:26:00.004-06:00

We had a lovely family gathering at Mum & Dad's for Memorial Day. My favorite part of the day was when we went for a hike up the mountain. Well, to be fair... the boys hiked UP the mountain. The girls drove up and then hiked ALONG the mountain. The view was absolutely breathtaking!

Looking over to the West...

Dee, all windblown but still smiling...

Carole, Mum & Jessika...

Mike Jr taking a sec...

Some of the boys hiked all the way to the Draper Temple!

(That is quite a hike.)

I met them there with the car to drive them

home and get this pic as a reminder...

Many thanks and prayers for all the soldiers, (and their families),

that have fought to protect this beautiful land as well as other lands too. ♥

Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One By One...

2010-05-27T20:39:00.001-06:00

I am grateful for cell phones.

I am grateful for 911 dispatch.

I am grateful for a neighbor who dropped everything to give me a ride.

Most of all, I am so very grateful that both of my kids were safe

after this happened while my poor daughter was out driving with my son:

Material things just don't matter at all.

Family is what matters. ♥

Donuts2Crumpets

One Spoiled Puppy...

Lion House Roll Yumminess...

Oh My, Chocolate Chip Pie...

Quest For The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie...

Happy Birthday Mike & Mike..

Homecoming...

Scone Success!!!

Dee...

The Scone Experience...

My New Favorite...

We Like-a The Greek...

The Black Thumb Of Death...

Oooo La La Mac & Cheese...

Spontaneity...

The Crafty Side Of Me...

Happy Mothers Day...

Wingers Chicken Recipe...

*Sigh*...

Slow And Steady Wins...

Earning The Man Card...

Happy Birthday Dee!!!

Small Successes Make All The Difference...

Teach Them Tolerance & Love...

Mike Jr's Debut...

A Wee Bit Of Me...

Mongolian Beef...

The "Safe" Cake...

We're On To You Dee...

Dear Grocery Store Managers,

The Avo"carb"o Burger...

A Ladies Night Out For My Neighborhood Friends???

Petra...

Pork Paillards With Compound Butter...

Iron Chef Collins...

Happy New Year Part 2???

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas...

Flashback Friday...

Tis The Season...

Deck The Halls... Part 2 & 3

Deck The Halls... Part 1

Miami Heat Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers...

Why I Married Him...

Michael Lingo...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Incredible Fun...

Happy Halloween!!!

You Know You Are In Wyoming When...

Spooky Eyeball Tacos...

Merry Christmas...

Did YOU Know???

Girls Day/Night Out...

No Ordinary Family...

Right Now I Wish For...

Happy Birthday Mike Jr!

An Interesting Sundae...

Happy Birthday To My Hot Hubby!!!

Crafty Me!!!

One Charming Party...

Flashback Friday...

Beautiful Blogger Award...

We Will Never Forget...

Word Of The Week...

Wordless Wednesday...

Swiss Chicken...

I Love...

Boneless Pork Ribs in Orange Butter Sauce...

Yummy Chicken Enchiladas...

Quick & Easy Hungarian Goulash...

Doggie Doga???

Some Great Reads...

Vacation 2010...

The Little Things...

Flashback Friday...

Serious Pet Peeve...

And The Little One Said...

What The Heck Are Voles???

Food For Thought...

Flashback Friday...

Sigh...