{in my shoes}

{Crossing to Safety}

2011-09-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

By Wallace Stegner

I thought this was the way lds missionaries around the world might feel... haha
"There is nothing like a doorbell to precipitate the potential into the kinetic. When you stand outside a door and push the buton, something has to happen. Someone must respond; whatever is inside must be revealed. Questions will be answered, uncertainties or mysteries dispelled. A situation will be started on its way through unknown complications to an unpredictable conclusion. The answer to your summons may be a rush of tearful welcome, a suspicious eye at the crack of the door, a shot through the hardwood, anything. Any pushing of any doorbell button is as rich in dramatic possibility as that scene in chekhov when just as the zemstvo doctor's only child dies of diphtheria and the doctor's wife drops to her knees beside the bed and the doctor smelling of carbolic, takes and uncertain step backward, the bell sounds sharply in the hall."

I often felt that people overrate big colleges. This speaks about the way I feel.
"Don't you feel the way we do, how young and promising it is, and how much there is to be done, and given, and taught, and learned? Sid and I feel so lucky. Back in Cambridge some people felt sorry for us, going away out to Wisconsin as if it were Sieria. They just don't know. They don't know how warm and friendly and open and eager it is. and bright too. Maybe the students aren't as well trained as Harard students, but a lot of them are just as bright. If there are Winesburgs int he Middle West it's because people don't give them a chance to become anything. They expect too much too soon. They won't stick it out and give what they ought to give. Instead they run away to Chicago or New York or Paris. Or else they stay home and just grumble and knock and talk about spiritual poverty. but Sid and I think a little city like this, ... is the real flowering of the American Dream." p39

I would prefer to use the term circumstance instead of luck. But I hate to say that I totally agree. I would say that God is in there somewhere too.

"Talent is at least half luck. It isn't as if our baby lips were touched with a live coal, and thereafter we lisp in numbers or talk in tongues. We are lucky in our parents, teachers, experience, circumstances, friends, times, physical and mental endowment, or we are not. Born tot he English language and American opportunity we are among the incredibly lucky ones. What if we had been born Bushmen in the Kalahari? What if our parents had been undernourished villagers in Uttar Pradesh, and we faced the problem of commanding the attention of the world on a diet of five hundred calories a day and in Urdu? What good is an ace if the other cads in your hand are dogs from every town?" p44

{Four-cheese Baked ziti}

2011-09-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

What's not to like? It's like gourmet mac and cheese. Instead of buying the alfredo I used our best bites guiltless alfredo sauce. It was yummy yummy.

Recipe and Image from tasteofhome.com

1 package (16 ounces) ziti or small tube pasta

2 cartons (10 ounces each) refrigerated Alfredo sauce

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1-3/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook ziti according to package directions; drain and return to the pan. Stir in Alfredo sauce and sour cream. Spoon half into a lightly greased 3-qt. baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and parsley; spread over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

{Nacho cheese beef bake}

2011-09-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Okay so this name is totally wrong for the dish. When I read this I think fatty, disgusting, Gonna have the runs when I'm done kind of meal. It's totally not that way. It was so yummy and healthier than it sounds.

Recipe and Image from Tasteofhome.com

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1 jar (5-3/4 ounces) sliced pimiento-stuffed olives, drained (I don't like these. I did not add them.)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1/3 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
Shredded lettuce, sour cream and/or salsa, optional

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, olives and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in noodles.
Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top with tortilla chips; drizzle with salad dressing. Serve with lettuce, sour cream and/or salsa if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

We always put a ton of lettuce and fresh tomatoes on top. We served it with fruit. Can totally serve 6.
Nacho Cheese Beef Bake Recip

{candy bar apple salad}

2011-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Candy Bar Apple Salad ReciRecipe and photo from Tasteofhome.com

We cut this recipe in half for our family and it was perfect. So delicious. Fresh and sweet. And can be even lower calorie if you use what we did.

1-1/2 cups cold 2% milk (we used skim)
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix (we used regular, but you could use sugar-free)
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed (we used light)
4 large apples, chopped (about 6 cups)
4 Snickers candy bars (2.07 ounces each), cut into 1/2-inch pieces (can't leave these out... :))

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping. Fold in apples and candy bars. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12 servings (3/4 cup each).

We ate this with spiral Stromboli

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 218 calories, 9 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 174 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

{Spiral Stromboli}

2011-09-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I am loving taste of home's weeknight solutions. They're quick and easy and have sides all ready to go with them. I loved both parts of this meal. we served it with Candy Bar Apple Salad.

These recipes kind of give you that homemade taste without the homemade work.

1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated crusty French loaf
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced hard salami (we left this out and subbed some pepperoni - cause that's what we had.)
1/4 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained (we used fresh diced tomatoes because pimientos are expensive.)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Unroll dough on a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 14-in. x 12-in. rectangle; sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheeses to within 1/2 in. of edges. Layer with salami, ham and pimientos.
Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting from a short side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut with a serrated knife. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6 servings.

Totally yummy.

{aria artwork}

2011-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Gather up all those old frames around the house

Step 2: Get any paint you like. I actually used some craft paint and some tempura paint that I already had around the house.

Step 3: Remove all glass and pictures from frames

Step 4: Paint frames. (Could be much faster if using spray paint, but hey, I'm cheap and I like that they're all in the same color family but not the same color. )

Step 5: Gather ribbon from saved ribbon boxes... I know you all have them. Now you should use them. I used gold and blue ribbon to go with my frames. Tie them in any which way or I nailed them to the back of my frame., or you could staple them. Whatever works, really. I also kind of like the idea of using wire, or chicken wire.

Step 6: Paint or glitter some basic clothespins from the craftstore and voila.

Step 7: Hang frames on wall in any configuration you choose. Inspiration for this project came from here.

Step 8: Hang artwork using clothespins attached to ribbon.

Step 9: Child now feels famous. and fridge is now declutterfied. And yes, that's a word.
These were all made at the MFAH. It is an unbelievable summer program. We LOVED it. But it can slowly be changed out during the school year as she creates more. Way to feel important right?

{Chicken Pot Pie}

2011-08-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is a family favorite. I make my pot pies with only a top crust--you still get that yummy texture and taste, but not so much fat. This crust is extra special because it has cheese in it. Nate thinks we should use it for all our pies.

Crust:

1 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 T cold butter, cubed

1-1 1/2 T cold water

Filling:

1 cup diced peeled potatoes

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 rib celery, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T butter

1 cup chicken broth

2 T flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried tarragon

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken

1/2 cup frozen peas

For crust, combine flour, salt, and cheese. Cut in shortening and butter. Add water until dough forms. Press into ball and cover. Refrigerate.

For filling, sauté potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in butter 5 minutes (if it starts to stick to the pan, I add a little water.) Add chicken broth and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine flour, milk, salt, tarragon, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add to vegetable mixture. Bring to boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add chicken and peas. Heat through.

Meanwhile, roll out pastry. Pour filling into 9-inch pie shell. Place pastry on top, crimping edges and sealing to the pan. Make slits in pastry.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Served with green salad, garden squash, and homemade bread.

{Boston Cream Pie }

2011-08-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite easy desserts. It's even better the second day.
Recipe courtesy of my sil Rachel, more of her recipes here. She's an excellent cook.

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups lite whipped topping
1 round yellow cake layer (8-9 inches)+
1 square unsweetened chocolate
1 TBSP butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk

Beat pudding mix with milk for two minutes. Stir in whipped topping. Let stand five minutes.

Meanwhile, cut cake layer horizontally into two thin equal layers (a long serrated knife works well for this). Spread pudding mixture on one layer and then top with the other layer (make a sandwich. . . the pudding is the filling, and the cake layers are the bread.)

Heat chocolate and butter in microwave for one minute. Stir until chocolate is melted completely. Add powdered sugar and milk. Beat until smooth and spreading consistency. Spread over top cake layer. Refrigerate at least one hour.

+Moist Yellow Cake Rounds
(I didn't add the pudding because mine was supposed to have it in it already and it still tasted super moist and wonderful. I worried about it getting to thick and heavy what with putting pudding in the middle and chocolate on top.)

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water

Heat oven to 350. Spray two round cake pans (8-9 inch) with PAM and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Beat altogether for 2 minutes. Pour into two round cake pans. Bake until toothpick comes out clean (28-32 minutes.) Cool 10 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely before using for Boston Cream pie. Use one for the recipe, wrap and freeze the other so you can make it again later! ... and believe me. You'll want to.

{banana cake}

2011-08-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

from Kris Feltwell
Seriously... the best cake evah!! Way better than banana bread... and Let me tell you... I LOVE banana bread. You'll seriously want to lick your plate when you're done.

Top with frosting of your choice. I think sweet cream, cream cheese or chocolate would all be delicious. But I prefer the sweet cream.

2/3 c. shortening

2 1/2 c. cake flour (I used all-purpose flour)

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 1/4 t. baking powder

1 t. soda

1 t. salt

1 1/4 c. mashed bananas

2/3 c. buttermilk ( to make go here I never buy because I'm cheap.)

2 eggs

nuts (optional)

Combine shortening, flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.

Add bananas and 1/3 c. buttermilk.

Beat for 2 minutes.

Add 1/3 c. buttermilk and 2 eggs.

Beat for 2 minutes

Fold in nuts (opt.)

Bake at 350 for 35 min. Cool for 10 min.

See I told you it was good enough to lick the plate.

{veggie salad pizza}

2011-08-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Veggie Salad Pizza
This is always a hit. It is so fresh tasting and delicious!

1 multigrain pizza crust (see below)

2/3 c favorite Italian dressing +1 tsp (divided)

1/2 c Parmesan or Italian blend cheeses

1 t lemon pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pkg reduced fat cream cheese (8 oz)

2 cups thinly sliced romaine

2 cups small broccoli florets

1 c diced peppers (red, yellow, orange, green, banana. . . etc.)

1 green onion, chopped

3 mushrooms, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

2/3 c halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1 half avocado, diced

sliced olives (1/2 a small can, or to taste)

Combine dressing, parmesan, lemon pepper and garlic.

Combine cream cheese with 1/2 of dressing mixture until smooth.

Spread cream cheese mixture on crust. Combine romaine, broccoli, peppers, onion, mushrooms and cucumber with remaining dressing. Toss until coated. Place veggies on top of cream cheese. Toss avocado in 1 tsp dressing to preserve color. Top pizza with avocado, tomatoes and olives. Chill until ready to serve. Yields: 16 appetizer servings

This can also be made as a Chicken Salad Pizza—Cook 1 lb chicken with lemon pepper. Follow directions above, using for the vegetables: 5 c romaine, 1 diced red pepper, 3 mushrooms, 1 green onion, 1/2 cucumber, 2/3 c tomatoes. Then top pizza with chicken slices rolled in residual dressing.

Multigrain Pizza Crust

Combine in bowl:

1 c white flour

1 c wheat flour

1/2 quick oats

1 t sugar

1 t salt

1 T instant yeast

Mix. Add 1 c water and 2 T olive oil. Combine thoroughly. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead 6 minutes, adding white flour as needed to form soft dough. Let rest for 10 minutes, covered. Roll out to desired size. Place on baking stone sprinkled with cornmeal. Allow to rise while oven pre-heats to 425. Pierce crust with fork. Bake in 425 oven for 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

{rice krispies treats.

2011-08-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

I used the same concept as raspberri cupcakes to make these adorable rice krispie treats. Wish I had a taller and thinner cake pan because than I could do another layer.... it was quick and easy. A super fun treat.

{grilled veggie tortillas}

2011-08-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

recipe and image from Taste of Home

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
1 small sweet red pepper, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
4 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Brush the zucchini, summer squash and red pepper with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt. Grill vegetables over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until tender. Cut into 1/2-in. cubes and place in a small bowl; stir in tomato.
Combine the mayonnaise, pesto, basil and oregano; set aside. Brush both sides of tortillas with remaining oil. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until puffed.
Remove from the grill. Spread grilled sides with sauce; top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.

{banana bread}

2011-08-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 ripe bananas
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. walnuts (optional)

Beat bananas until liquid. Combine with eggs, set aside.
Cream together sugar and shortening until well mixed.
Add banana mixture and blend.
Add dry ingredients. Stir until smooth.
Fold in nuts. (optional)
Pour into well greased loaf pan
Bake at 300 for 45-50 min.

I love this! It's so yummy. and a really great way to get rid of those bananas that are over-ripe.

{tortellini sausage soup}

2011-06-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

8 servings

360 cals., 9 g. fat, 5 g. fiber

WW points: 7

From Ourbestbites.com

3 links Italian sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider (don't leave this out! I did once and it wasn't the same...)
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)
If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing. And just so you know, both Sara and I have tried taking pictures of this method and there is no G-rated way of posting those pictures...

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic

and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini

and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
Add the tortellini

and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Note: If you're making breadsticks, start the dough first, then prepare the first "phase" of the soup while the dough is rising. While the soup is simmering, twist the breadsticks, let them rise, and they'll be done baking about the same time the soup is done.

{pasta salad}

2011-06-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

24 servings

208 cals., 9 g. fat, 1 g. fiber

WW points: 4

24 oz. curly pasta
3 c. broccoli
1 lb. cheese, cubed
1 cucumber, cubed
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 bottle Light Italian dressing

Mix together and refrigerate. Tastes better after sitting at least a couple of hours.

{lasagna casserole}

2011-06-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

8 servings

411 cal., 14 g. fat, 3 g. fiber

WW points: 9

12 oz. medium no yolk noodles
1 lb. ground beef
3 cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. cheddar cheese
4 green onions, diced

Cook noodles in boiling water until done. In the meantime brown meat. Rinse and drain noodles and meat. Into meat, stir in tomato sauce, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic salt. Simmer 5 minutes. Combine noodles, cottage cheese, sour cream and diced onions.

In 2 quart casserole dish, alternate layers of noodle mixture and meat mixture, starting and ending with noodles. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.

{potato casserole}

2011-06-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

12 servings

310 cal., 18 g. fat, 3 g. fiber

WW points : 7

7 medium potatoes
1/4 c. butter,, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk
2 c. grated cheese
1/2 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. cornflake crumbs
2 T margarine

Cook(boil) potatoes until firm. Grate into 9x13 pan (peel and all) Combine other ingredients and pour over potatoes. Mix well. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. Put cheese on top long enough to melt.

Variation: You can just mix all the cheese in the casserole and then top with crushed corn flakes (About 1 c. mixed with 2 T butter) Spread on top before baking.

{cajun chicken}

2011-06-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

233 calories, 6 g. fat

WW points: 5

2 or 3 chicken breasts
1/2 c. corn flake crumbs
1/4 c. bisquick
1 tsp. cajun or creole seasoning
1 T. margarine.

Combine Cornflakes, bisquick and cajun. Pound chicken reasts with a mallet until 1/4 inch thick (between plastic wrap or in plastic bag). Dip the chicken in water and then in crumb mixture. Melt 1 Tbsp. margarine in a skillet and fry chicken about 10 minutes turning once or until done.

{beef chimichangas}

2011-06-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

My Mom made these for us when we went to go visit her a couple of weeks ago! They were so so so so yummy that I decided to give them a try! A NEW recipe for my in-laws and they turned out great!!! Seriously... give them a try.

900 calories, 45 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber per serving

If you leave out the tortilla you can substitute out 200 calories and if you don't fry it, you can save yourself 200 calories.

It becomes

497 calories, 19 g fat, 1 g fiber

ww points: 11

for 10 servings

5 lb. beef roast
3 T shortening
1 Large Onion, diced
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
2 7 oz cans green chili salsa
2 cups juices
1 T lemon juice
1 t garlic
4 T flour
3 t salt
1 t cumin

Cook Roast in crockpot for several hours until well done and tender. (I cooked mine on low for 10 hrs, maybe a little too done on the edges.) Remove meat from crock pot, reserve juices, cool, then remove fat and bones. Shred meat and set aside. Melt shortening in large skillet, add onions and saute' until clear. Add flour and make roux. Add liquid, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat about 5 min. stirring to avoid sticking.

Freeze half at this point to use at a later time in burritos, chimichangas or tacos.

For chimichangas:
Have flour tortillas soft. Put about 3/4 cup meat @ about 1 1/2 inches from bottom of tortilla. Roll up bottom, fold in sides and roll. Secure with tooth picks. Fry in pan filled with 1/2 to 3/4 inch canola or vegetable oil. Test oil temperature with a piece of tortilla. Place chimichangas in oil. Cook for 20-30 seconds until golden brown. Turn, brown other side. Remove to thick paper towel before putting on serving dish.

Garnish: Sour Cream, Salsa, tomato, guacamole, olives, lettuce, etc....

I'll be sure to post a picture when I make them again. I'm not the best at rolling these up, but they still tasted FANTASTIC!!!

{pixar's up}

2011-04-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

PIN THE HOUSE ON PARADISE FALLS
I have to admit that my husbands an artist and hand drew it to be the correct size. Then he used his shading and coloring techniques to get this beautiful chart.

I printed 4 of these per sheet in black and white on yellow paper and I think they turned out perfectly.

I guess you could say that my husband and I were bored the night before because we thought it'd be fun to paint this on the table cloth. It turned out super cute though. My hand needed to be a little bit smaller. Again, my hubby's pretty good with the art.

The table.

I got these and the house from this website. They have a whole bunch of printables that you can print if you want. I thought these were so adorable. LOVED them. Aria liked playing with them too. That's why Russell's missing an arm. :)

ELLIE BADGE
Bought some old fashioned root beer. My hubby likes it so that's what we bought. Save the caps. Paint them white. Print out these babies in color and glue them onto the top. Bend the safety pin with pliers so that they reach into the bottle caps. Fill the bottle caps with hot glue. stick in safety pin. Allow to dry. This will take several minutes. Voila. These beauties. Aria wants to wear hers every day.

BADGES
These were the badges. I made the black and white ones so that they could earn them for all the games they played. Much beloved part of the party.

Here they are on an actual person. I used the yellow fabric from my scrap pile. The kids loved them.

other things we played include
MUSICAL BALLOONS - just like musical chairs, but instead of sitting down on a chair you pick up a balloon. Nearly impossible for 4 year olds by the way. The temptation is too strong to resist.
PAINTING PARADISE FALLS
PARTY BALLOON FAVORS - helium filled ballons attached to a chocolate bar with a big thanks from Kevin and the birthday girl. They also got to take home all their badges... including the ellie badge. Before we gave them out, I kept them in this play house we had and then they got to take them home when they left. Perfect kind of party decor. Cleans up itself. :)

We had a lot of fun!
Got this idea from a website for the cupcakes. They turned out way cute. Again. the printable is at the website listed above.

p.s. used this frosting It was delicious.

Ingredients

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup shortening
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons cake flour
1/4 cup low-fat milk
2 drops any color food coloring (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, shortening, egg whites, salt, vanilla, flour and milk. Beat with an electric mixer, gradually increasing to high speed, until light, fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in desired amount of food coloring.

and this cake recipe...
from our best bites

Colorburst Cupcakes
1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C yogurt (any smooth textured fruit flavor is fine!) or sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color, but each cake brand will be slightly different.
Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity.
To get a layered stripe like I used, you’ll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won’t spread on it’s own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you’re working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc.
Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.

I did not add food coloring for these ones, although I have before.

{pope joan and How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci}

2011-03-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

Very interesting read. I LOVED this book. So interesting, pierced my soul. Made me glad to live now.

A few interesting quotes:
" "How does it happen that man can reason?'
"Reason is the spark of the divine essence in man. 'so God created man in His own image; In the image of God created He him.'"
"You have a good command of Scripture. So you would agree, then, that reason is God-given?"
"Most Assuredly."
Joan crept closer, moving out from behind the shadow of the partition; she did not want to miss what Aesculapius said next.
"Then why fear to expose faith to reason? If God gave it to us, how then should it lead us from Him?"
The canon shifted in his seat. Joan had never seen him look so uncomfortable. He was a missionary, trained to lecture and to preach, unaccustomed to the give-and-take of logial debate. He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it.
"Indeed," Aeculapius went on, "is it not lack of faith that leads men to fear the scrutiny of reason? If the destination is doubtful, then the path must be fraught with fear. A robust faith need not fear, for if God exists, then reason cannot help but lead us to Him. 'I think, therefore God is.'"...
In her heart, she felt the truth of it."

How to Think like Leo...
by Micheal J. Gelb.

There were just a few quotes in here that I would like to share with you. "He who loses his sight loses his view of the universe, and is like one interred alive who can still move about and breathe in his grave.... It is the master of astronomy... It reigns over the various departments of mathematics and all its sciences are the most infallible. It has measured the distance and the size of stars; has discovered the elements and the nature thereof and from the courses of the constellations it has enabled us to predict things to come.?

And this would be insignificant. I didn't realize that daVinci was a musician. But apparently he was a very good one. He wrote, "Music may be called the sister of painting, for she is dependent upon hearing. Painting excels and ranks higher than music, because it does not fade away as soon as it is born...."

" the average human 'looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odour or fragrance, and talks without thinking.'" I have made this a personal invitation to pay attention and appreciate the world around me.

{pretzel time}

2011-02-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

12 servings

177 cals., 3 g. fat, 1 g. fiber

You might be able to get more fiber in there by using wheat flour or fiber fortified flour

WW points: 4

These were so yummy, soft and chewy. Just like pretzel time.

2 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C warm water
3 C all-purpose flour
1 C bread flour (I used all regular flour)
2 C warm water
2 Tbsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. butter (we used margarine), melted
2 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan.

After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.
Bake at 450 for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.
FOOTNOTES
When forming the ropes, roll each one to about half the length you want, then set it aside while you roll the rest. By the time you get back to the first rope, it will have rested enough to roll further.

{LOVE my new sewing machine}

2011-02-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

But not everything I've been doing has been made on that. I did something I haven't done in a long time that I'll show you on my next post. I broke my $5 iron and have to go get a new one so I can iron a few seams before I show you. But I'm pretty proud of my work. Stay tuned.

But before the disastrous smell started coming from my lovely iron.. I made two of these! I LOVE them. My sisters are having babies. One has decided not to find out the gender and the other is having a boy. I thought either way, it would be nice to have something with ruffles, but in a gender neutral color so everyone doesn't assume girl. I would want something with ruffles. Wouldn't you?

Nursing covers. I bought 3/4 yard of each and ended up cutting about 6 inches off of the long end to make it more square and using the leftovers for the neck strap, ruffles, monogram. I think the monogramming makes it so that either side can by showing. There's no wrong way to eat a reese's... I mean wear this nursing cover. I used a little of my own leftover flannel. Hopefully a little more comfortable on the neck too.

Due to my lovely sister having a boy - we're having a shower! I saw this darling banner over at dandee

And this lovely wreath I made because I only have fall wreaths. I needed something bright and springy. These tissue paper flowers are everywhere, but I thought this was so fun. and pretty much real cheap and real easy. Hope you enjoyed my crafting this month!!! Let me know if you'd like any tutorials.

{margherita pita pizzas}

2011-02-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

4 servings
383 cals. (This allots 165c. per pita), 15 g. fat, 2.5 g. fiber
WW Points: 8
From Taste of Home magazine

4 pita breads (6 in.)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used garlic powder)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Thinly sliced fresh basil, optional

Place pita breads on an ungreased baking sheet; brush with oil. Top with garlic, 1 cup cheese, tomatoes, garlic powder and remaining cheese; sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with basil if desired.

I LOVED LOVED these.

{BLT salad}

2011-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

6 servings

432 cals., 22 g. fat, 2 g. fiber

WW points: 10

from Taste of Home magazine.

I'm loving these dishes that they're doing that are easy and that only require a few ingredients. Nate LOVED this.

Cook 2 cups spiral pasta (I used the tri-color kind)
drain.
Cook and crumble 1/2 lb. bacon
Add 1 large chopped tomato
and 1/2 c. ranch salad dressing
Toss with pasta.
Combine with 3 cups torn romaine before serving

We added the ranch dressing last to help the salad hold up better, and to make sure we got how much we wanted. It was delicious!

I'm ALIVE

2011-01-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

and crafting just as much as ever. No time to blog. Nate hand made these awesome teeth for us for a Vampire Halloween party. Nate has a lot better mean face than I do. They fit our teeth perfectly.

I am in LOVE with these booties. They are PERFECT!!! Do they make them my size? Seriously. Cost me 74 cents for 4 pairs. Mostly because I used stuff I already had around the house. I used this tutorial. They keep my kid's feet warm, they NEVER fall off and they're pretty darn adorable to boot. No pun intended.

I don't think I've ever posted about these stockings. I made these. I LOVE them. Kind of whimsical. I got the ideas mostly from Hable stockings at Garnet Hill. If you read this do you think I should write Jeff or Jefferson on the last stocking. It's the ongoing debate in my head.

And I loved these silhouette pillows I made for my Mom so much that I made a 2nd set for myself. I love these two.

And finally. Yardsale: $5 + $1 can spray paint. Now she has a high chair to match her kitchen in my favorite color:.... red. :)

{lasagna!!!}

2010-12-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

12 servings
381 calories, 17 g. fat, 2 g. fiber
WW Points: 8

Peter's Gen-u-ine Italian Lasagna
click to print text only
1 recipe pasta and lasagna sauce you must use this, it's delicious!
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. shredded mozzarella, divided
4 oz. shredded fresh Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 16-oz. tub Ricotta
Béchamel Sauce

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) real butter, NO SUBSTITUTES
1/4. c. white flour
2 1/2 c. milk
Preheat oven to 350.
To prepare Béchamel sauce, melt butter over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, whisk in flour until combined. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Heat until bubbly and thickened to a medium consistency that that looks like this on a spoon:
Now...this is where I start tinkering with his recipe. And it was ONLY tinkering out of an attempt to make things easier and less messy, not that I thought I could make things better. Traditionally, when you make a lasagna with Béchamel sauce, you have a layer of red sauce and then a layer of Béchamel on top. But for me, I could never get the proportions of red sauce to white sauce right. So one day, I just mixed the two. Maybe I'm a blasphemer, but I do it all for the sake of lasagna-eaters everywhere who want to eat it more than once every five years. So if you feel like taking a walk on the wild side, mix the Béchamel in with the red sauce. What are you, chicken? Come on, you know you want to...

After you've made (and mixed) the Béchamel, combine 6 oz. mozzarella (about 1 3/4 c.), ricotta, Parmesan, and the beaten egg. At this point, I like to set up a little lasagna-making station:

Using a ladle that measures 1/2 c. (or a 1/2 c. measuring cup), spread 1 c. of sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add 3 noodles. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture. Spread 1 1/2 c. sauce and repeat so you have 4 layers of noodles. You should end with a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (and some extra Parmesan if you have some left over).

Cover tightly with foil and bake about 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove foil. It will probably look a little runny. Don't be scared--you still need to let it stand about 15-20 minutes. During that time, it will thicken up nicely and it won't even be that oozy when you cut it.

This serves 12. And wanna know what's awesome? If you use super lean ground beef, it has around 250 calories and 5 Weight Watcher points! Seriously, the TASTIEST, most filling 5 points you'll ever have in your life.

{chicken tortilla soup}

2010-12-05T14:25:00.001-08:00

6 servings

268 cals., 13 g. fat, 3 g. fiber (w/out tortilla chips)

WW Points: 6

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 recipe Taco Chicken
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cans chicken broth
1 15-oz. can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers (if you're scared, try serrano peppers; they're milder)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (3-4 limes). Don't even think of buying the stuff in a bottle.
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

TOPPINGS:

Store-bought tortilla strips, or 2-3 corn tortillas, plus oil for frying
Avocado
Grated cheese
1/4 c. cilantro

Early in the day, begin marinating the chicken. Right before you start preparing the soup, start grilling it.

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil (I can tell you right now that you'll never hear the words EVOO from my mouth. Or my fingers.) over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and minced jalapeno and cook a few minutes more until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings: grate the cheese, chop the cilantro, cut up the avocado, and fry the tortillas. Right before serving, add lime juice and chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into the bowls and add desired toppings.

{baked potato soup}

2010-12-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Comfort in a bowl

2 Tbs butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
4 1/2 C low-fat or skim milk
1 14oz can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked*
2 C grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 C light sour cream, divided
1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

*don't have time to bake potatoes in the oven? Just pierce them with a fork a few times and then pop them in the microwave. Cook in 5 minute intervals until a knife easily pierces through them. It usually takes 5-10 minutes. To bake in the oven, pierce each potato with a fork and place directly on oven rack. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps. Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

{tres leches cupcakes}

2010-12-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

Recipe and images by Our Best Bites

24 white cupcakes (try this or this recipe)

8 oz. evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 pint whipping cream, divided

3-4 Tbsp. Hershey's Caramel Syrup

Sliced fresh fruit (like strawberries, mangoes, and kiwis, optional)

Juice of 1 lime (optional)

Bake cupcakes according to recipe directions in FOIL LINERS. This is extremely important because it helps contain the milk mixture.

After cupcakes have cooled, use a bamboo skewer to poke several holes in each cupcake. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and 3/4 c. of whipping cream. Use a ladle to pour the milk mixture over each cupcake. There might be some runover. Such is life with tres leches cupcakes. Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, beat the remaining 1 1/4 c. of whipping cream until medium peaks form. Gently fold in the caramel syrup and pipe or dollop the whipped cream on each of the cupcakes. If desired, toss the sliced fruit with the lime juice and top the cupcakes with the sliced fruit. Serve on a small plate with a dessert spoon.

{chili-lime mango chicken skewers}

2010-12-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

Recipe and Images from ourbestbites.com
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Click to print recipe text only
6T olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1 t chili powder
¼ t cayenne pepper (double that if you like spicy things!)
½ t salt
1 T sugar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 ripe but firm mangoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
(click that link to see pictures of how to cut a mango)
Directions:
If you're using wooden/bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before you use them. Otherwise they'll fire right up on the grill!
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, chili powder, cayenne,
salt and sugar. Place in a zip-lock bag and add the chicken and mangoes, stirring gently to
coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Prepare grill (or indoor grill pan)

Remove the chicken and mangoes from the marinade and thread onto skewers, alternating
the pieces and dividing them evenly.

*When you're making any type of skewer, make sure not to smash everything together tightly. In order for the food to cook thoroughly and evenly, it needs room! The pieces threaded on should just barely touch each other, or not touch at all.

Arrange the skewers on the grill and cook, turning until the chicken is nicely charred and
cooked through, 6-10 minutes.

Serve immediately. This makes quite a few skewers, but remember that each one only has a few chunks of chicken on it. So to make a meal, you'll want to plan on 3-4 skewers per person, making this recipe serve 4. However, if you have a lot of other things served with it, you could easily get away with 2 skewers per person and serve 6.

We served with home canned pinto beans and tortilla chips.

{giving thanks decor}

2010-12-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

Around my house there are THOUSANDS of bushes with these little orange berry things. I don't think they're edible, they might even be poisonous, but we collected them. which might have been illegal, but no one stopped us and we enjoyed their organic-ness. They turned out adorable.

Wal-mart's really stepping up their game in their plate design and I got the acorns, pre-cut and glittered at Michael's for 90 cents. I thought it turned out pretty darn cute considering my budget. Best party we've had in a long time. It was so fun. For details see here.

{apple cranberry pie}

2010-12-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

4 c. sliced tart apples

2 c. fresh cranberrries

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

1/3 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients. Dot with 1-2 Tbsp. butter. Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes with foil around edges. and 30 more minutes without foil, or until browned and bubbling through crust.

This is seriously SO good! I've amazingly never messed up this pie.

{aubrey pettit piano studio}

2010-11-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

I'm supposed to post this somewhere publicly. This is my most basic forum so here you go! Please come. My students have worked really hard.

{casper}

2010-11-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

She was pretty friendly just like casper but also like to scare people... as you can see from the pictures.

Made this... all for $1. Yep! Love it. Turned out way better than I thought. I hoped to post it on a linky list over at my fabulous SIL's blog.

To make this costume basically cut a bunch of 3in. by 36 in. strips of tulle. The less perfectly straight the better. Gives it kind of a creepy feeling.

Tie it onto a ribbon or another piece of tulle like you would if you were making a tutu. Than randomly tie other strips of tulle onto the rest of the body ... drape some over the head... kinda hard to explain but try to recreate.... this.

Love this phrase from "How to Train your Dragon"! :) If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. :) Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween! Loves

{ellie}

2010-11-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted something about a very special boy in our life...he passed away about a year ago. But this little girl was also extremely special to us. I ran across an ensign article that I saved about her and her beautiful Mom. Read it to be inspired.

We taught this beautiful girl for 3 years in Provo. She taught us more than she will ever know.

{felt flowers}

2010-10-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

I used this tutorial from purlbee to create this lovely little flower

And this tutorial from A Hoot and a Holler to create this one.

Both were super easy and definitely manageable projects.... Now apply to clothing, shoes, hair clips and whatever appeases you. Both really fast and REALLY easy.

{candy pumpkins}

2010-10-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

This was an excellent activity for Toddlers. Similar to gingerbread houses at Christmas time. But with a fun new twist on it. We used this recipe for cement frosting:

2 egg whites
1/2 t. cream of tartar
2 c. powdered sugar

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff, then add powdered sugar and mix. If not using immediately, cover.

happy?

This one is mine...

guilty? I think so.

Worked like a charm.

{the history of love}

2010-10-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

by Nicole Krauss

Excellent characters. Didn't love the ending. She writes with a list style that is very intriguing. Just not really sure what the 'aha' moment was. Definitely worth a read though. 3.5 stars

2010-10-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

When we go to Grandma's house Aria loves to play with potato head. But the purpose of this photo is to show the 'before'.

We separated it, painted it and placed each piece in various places throughout the house.

Love the color.

Love that some things are hidden now.

Love it.

Thank you $5 oops paint from Lowe's. and thank you friends with AWESOME painting supplies. We never could have afforded this high quality paint.

{breadsticks and pizza dough}

2010-10-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Just an all around good bread dough. Very yummy and easy to make. Bread sticks only need to rise about 1.5 hours. Thanks again to Our Best Bites for the image and recipe.

Breadsticks
print recipe text only

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.
Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.
Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt.

Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

{tortellini sausage soup}

2010-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the blog (Our Best Bites) said it would be amazing and I was AMAZED that they did not disappoint. A mostly vegetable soup and it was to die for. So yummy.

Tortellini Sausage Soup
3 links Italian sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider (don't leave this out! I did once and it wasn't the same...)
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)
If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing. And just so you know, both Sara and I have tried taking pictures of this method and there is no G-rated way of posting those pictures...

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlicnd add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchiniand simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
Add the tortelliniand cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Note: If you're making breadsticks, start the dough first, then prepare the first "phase" of the soup while the dough is rising. While the soup is simmering, twist the breadsticks, let them rise, and they'll be done baking about the same time the soup is done.

{my machine broke}

2010-10-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

and I'm so sad. I wanted to so badly to participate. At least I've finished mine already. I can't figure out what I want to do for Nate but we'll see. I can't wait to see all the things she shows on her blog. I'm in definite need of some ideas for Halloween. LOVING this season. Take a peak at this awesome woman's blog! She's amazing!
Yay for Halloween Sewdown!

{pumpkin pancakes}

2010-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I wanted to try these purely because of the illiteration, but... I digress. These were VERY moist.... my kids loved them and I thought they were a pretty healthy substitute to our standby bisquick.... We feel like nothing tops bisquick but these were awesome!

(image courtesy of the way the cookie crumbles) (Mine looked similar)
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. packed brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1-1/3 c. milk

3/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. cheese.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar baking powder and salt. In another bowl whisk the eggs, milk, pumpkin and cheese. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle (if it's not non-stick... grease it first). turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until the second side is golden brown. These were delish... maybe try with some toasted pecans or browned butter. We weren't big fans of those, but we think they might be good.

p.s. These have about half the calories of a regular pancake, but double the moistness. So yummy. Makes 14 pancakes. prep: 10 min. cook: 10 min./batch

recipe courtesy tasteofhome.com

{mistborn}

2010-10-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

the trilogy....
by Brandon Sanderson

LOVED it! One of the most awesome stories and worlds that I've ever read about. I particularly like the battle between good and evil or ruin and preservation. The magical powers were very creative and sound and I am loving all these books with strong female characters. I LOVE the name Vin now.

Everytime I read this or write this it makes me cry. Don't ask me why. My husband thought I was crazy. But here goes... this is what I learned.

In the book there was this man who was a keeper of lost religions in his world. However when his girlfriend was killed in a war he began to analyze all the religions that he had collected feeling that there was no reason to document anything that isn't true or that can't answer all his questions. (on a side note: I feel that we have the only true religion so those feelings aren't valid, but that's not why I bring this up.) He says (in his head):

"What had made these people so willing to accept their religions? He read of their lives, and tried to persuade himself that the people were simpletons, that they hadn't ever truly questioned their beliefs. Surely they would have seen the flaws and inconsistencies if they'd just taken the time to be rational and discerning. However, as the time passed, ... The people did not seem like fools. [and] The faiths he had looked at could not be divorced from the people who adhered to them. ... Why did they believe? Because they saw miracles. Things one man took as chance, a man of faith took as a sign. A loved one recovering from disease, a fortunate business deal, a chance meeting with a long lost friend. It wasn't the grand doctrines or the sweeping ideals that seemed to make believers out of men. It was the simple magic in the world around them.

"Faith was about trust. Trusting that somebody was watching. That somebody would make it all right in the end, even though things looked terrible at the moment. To believe, it seemed, one had to want to believe."

I am grateful that I can make that choice. I want to believe and so I do... I have faith.... Because I choose to believe in something bigger than us all. God loves us and He is watching... And I know that He will make everything all right in the end.

I hope you all get a chance to read this.. it's worth every page of it's ~2,250 pages.

{tortillas of the flour variety}

2010-09-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

recipe and photo Courtesy taste of home

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10-12 times, adding a little flour or water if needed to achieve a smooth dough. Divide dough into eight portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. circle.
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Keep warm. Yield: 8 tortillas.

Easy and YUMMY!!! Never go back. Well I wish I could say I never went back. But these were seriously so good. The closest thing I've had to cafe rio.

{roasted asparagus}

2010-08-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Roasted Asparagus
from The Sister's Cafe

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch thin asparagus, ends trimmed*

1 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Spread out asparagus spears in a large shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shake roasting pan gently so asparagus is completely coated in oil.
4. Roast in oven until spears are just tender. Cooking time will depend on thickness of asparagus, about 10 minutes for medium-thick asparagus. You may need to shake pan halfway through cooking time to keep spears from sticking.

(*Trim ends of asparagus by snapping off the bottoms of the stalks. They will break off naturally right where the woody part starts.)

Best Asparagus I've ever had. I went to a meeting recently where they talked about eating right. The asian lady sitting next to me said that American's don't like vegetables because they don't know how to cook them. When you steam them you tend to overdo them and they don't taste near as good. Stir fry or roast... or grill... SO good and doesn't add that much fat. You can even use fat free options like I can't believe it's not butter spray, or light pam. SO yummy!

{steak bites}

2010-08-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

recipe and image from The Pioneer Woman
I got from Karrissa's kitchen

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Sirloin Steak (without Much Gristle) OR Pre-cut Beef Tips
Kosher Salt To Taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper To Taste
2 Tablespoons Butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Trim off the large obvious piece of fat that runs along the side of the meat. Next, cut strips less than 1-inch wide. Rotate the meat and cut into small bite-sized pieces. If you see any more large chunks of fat, gristle or long silvery membrane cut them off.
2. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss the meat around a bit to thoroughly coat with the seasonings.
3. Next, turn on your ventilation fan overhead. Heat the skillet over medium high to high heat. As the pan heats, add about 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Allow the butter to melt, then brown, before you add the meat.
4. Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan – if it doesn’t, the pan isn’t hot enough. Don’t stir or disrupt the meat for 30-45 seconds. You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over. Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional 30 to 45 seconds—just long enough to sear the outside of the meat but NOT cook the inside.
5. Remove the meat to a clean plate. Add a little more butter to the pan and repeat the cooking process with the next batch just as before. Lastly, when all the meat is nicely browned and removed to the plate, pour all that browned/blackened butter all over the meat. And enjoy!

Pretty simple and raw. Very yummy. We served the steak bites with baked potatoes and roasted asparagus.

{Garlic Chicken Spinach Pasta}

2010-08-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

from My Kitchen Cafe
from Karrissa's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
4. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot.
5. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

This pasta was so good! It was light and pretty healthy for a pasta dish.

{pineapple meatballs}

2010-08-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

recipe and image from My Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
Meatballs:
2 lbs ground beef
2 large eggs
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¾ cups pineapple juice (reserved from pineapple tidbits)
¼ cup white vinegar
1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (14 oz) can pineapple tidbits

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Make the meatballs by combining all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into about 1” meatballs.

2. Brown Meatballs in a non-stick frying pan and drain on paper towels (or if you want to save time brown in the oven on a cookie sheet while you’re making the sauce).

3. Make the sauce by combining cornstarch and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Then add 1 ¾ cup pineapple juice and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and stir. Simmer uncovered on medium low until thickened (about 8 minutes - mine only took about 4 minutes to thicken).

4. In a casserole dish pour sauce over meatballs and add pineapple tidbits. Lightly mix meatballs until they are coated with the sauce. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until fully cooked.

These were SO good. Definitely need some rice and vegetable to tone down the awesome flavor though. Nate couldn't get enough of these. He rarely comes home saying that he loved his leftover lunch. And he came home 3 times saying that with these.

{Roast Pork Tenderloin with Asian Glaze}

2010-08-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

from My Kitchen Cafe

and I got it from Karrissa's Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
2 pork tenderloins, trimmed of excess fat and any thin silver skin
1 scallion (green onion), white and green parts, thinly sliced for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a small roasting pan (or use a 9X13-inch baking dish) with foil and lightly oil the foil. This is important because the glaze has a high sugar content and will scorch during roasting.
2. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper in a self-sealing plastic bag and mix to dissolve the sugar. Add the pork tenderloins and close the bag. Toss the meat in the bag to coat it with the marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
3. Remove the pork tenderloins from the marinade and place in the roasting pan. Drizzle about half of the marinade over the pork. Discard the remaining marinade. Roast for 15 minutes. Baste the pork with the marinade in the roasting pan. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer reads 150-155, about 25 minutes more. The marinade will eventually thicken and scorch, but the foil will protect the pan, so don’t worry. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. While the pork is resting, bring the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 minced garlic clove and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan.
5. Cut the roast pork crosswise on a slight diagonal into thin slices and arrange the overlapping slices on a platter. Drizzle the hot marinade over the pork, sprinkle with the scallion, and serve immediately.

The marinade was yummy and this was a great pork tenderloin recipe. We served the pork tenderloin with fried rice and broccoli. SO GOOD!! Missionaries really liked it and it looks really gourmet.

{queen of camelot}

2010-07-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

by Nancy McKenzie

Sincerely enjoyed this read. One of love, adventure, respect and feminism. I LOVED it. Again, I truly value the love that my husband and I have for each other. This is the second time I read it and although I realized this time through that it was somewhat cheesy, I quite concurred in her feelings for her husband. She said: "Britain would miss him, certainly. But Britain would have other kings. It was I... who would miss him a thousand times an hour in unmeasurable ways. He was more than a king to me, he was my world: my sweet spring, my rich summer, my brilliant winter dawning; he was my sleep, my rest, my peace, my joy, my very life - how could I go on without him? I closed my eyes and prayed to God to join my soul with his." I especially enjoyed the words of comfort she received from one of her ladies. "Ah, but a man's days are as grass, he flourishes as a flower in the field; the wind passes over and he is gone. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting." I am grateful that I too, know this, and do NOT want to experience the death of my most beloved. I want to both be twinkled together. Is that so much to ask?

Also, I felt a deep connection to Guinevere. She is strong, but strong as a woman. She does not try to be something she's not. She's honest. She is loved because of this. I truly enjoyed her character and connected to it in strong ways. It also reminded me that sometimes the things that I do not value in myself are the very same things that other people value in me. For example for me: I find the fact that I am blunt and don't think about things before I say them... a curse. Something that I'm always working on. But Nate loves that about me. I don't beat about the bush and he knows that I say what I'm thinking. I am honest in his eyes.

Excellent romance novel. Clean. 4.5 stars

{follow the river}

2010-07-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

by James Alexander Thom

So, I have pretended to stand like the woman on this cover on multiple occasions. Talk about looking strong. Probably 3.5 stars for me. Too much.. starving, hardship etc. And weirdly there was a lot about teeth falling out etc.(my dentist husband) What kills me though is that it's a true story. I cannot even fathom being that hungry. This woman was especially brave. I'm not sure I would have the courage to leave my children including my brand new baby, to go back and find my husband. It reminded me how much I need to value this oh so precious relationship I have with my best friend and companion. My help meet and lover. People can be cruel to things that they think are animals. Why? Not one single person in this world is a savage. Why do we think that? behavior... or stigma?

{grilled pizza}

2010-06-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, for Christmas, Nate got a barbecue, and it has definitely been put to good to use. We LOVE to grill. and we can pretty much grill any old time we want, Thank you Las Vegas weather. This is THE best way to do pizza. Forget the oven. Yummy. We did this for Father's Day in his new camping chairs and had a wonderful time eating, and enjoying the wonderful evening. Then we made S'mores. Everything was perfect, minus the fact that Aria is NOT good at keeping secrets. We started calling her squealer. She was just too excited that she got a chair to match Daddy's. Silly Aria. We sure love him.

We've also been scrambling to get applications off for his residency program, so we had to take a 'passport picture'. We love you, babe! You're going to be awesome!

we got this from Karrissa We love nearly everything on her blog. She must be an excellent cook. Joe is a lucky man.
Grilled Pizza
from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
pizza dough
your toppings (cut, sliced, shredded, etc) including sauce (have all of this ready on one tray to make it easier.)
some olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill to a medium heat.
2. When your dough is ready, roll it out with a rolling pin. (Several small pizzas is easier to flip on the grill.)
3. Once your dough is flattened out, drizzle olive oil on one side and brush it around.
4. Place the oil side down on the grill and shut the lid. (You'll want the heat to stay inside so it acts like an oven. The timing all depends on the heat of the grill and the thickness of the dough. But it usually only take about five minutes or less. Have a spatula ready to lift up the dough and check it. You;ll want to see nice brown grill marks, but avoid burning it. If you can tell your dough is cooking too fast and too hot, you may want to use indirect heat.)
5. Ok, now you have to work fast on this next part. (I actually took my dough off of the grill and placed on a plate while I topped it with the toppings.) As soon as you flip it, grab the tray with your topping and put them on the cooked side right away. Shut the lid again and leave it shut. The second side cooks pretty fast. (If the crust is done but the cheese isn't melted, place on a upper rack if you have one.)

*Oh my gosh! These were absolutely delicious! Next time I will do sliced Mozzarella cheese like Our Best Bites did. The dough was awesome! It was so soft on the inside, yum! Definitely a new favorite pizza and a staple dough!

{fabric rosette bib necklace}

2010-05-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

So gave this a try and I love it. Wish I had made two. I gave this one to my darling mother-in-law. Takes less than 1/2 hour to make and you end up with this beauty.

I used this tutorial for the rosettes and then just hot glued them unto some felt. and glued the ribbon in between them. All made with leftover fabric.

{In full sun}

2010-05-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am loving it around here. Spring is so beautiful here! Maybe we don't get ALL the flowers like other people do, but we are sure enjoying what we have. Our little garden is growing like a weed. We took Jared out for his pre-mission photo shoot.

You can find most of his pictures here.
My new Photography website. It's still not perfect, but I am slowly tweaking it to my liking.Any suggestions would be helpful.

I have also been reading like crazy:

Missing May
Such a cute and creative perspective on life. One of the best 90 pages I've ever read. My favorite part was that the characters were so real, and that you could actually feel, smell, see and almost touch what was happening, without being bogged down by the usually lengthy descriptive words that come with this phenomenon. Love it.

{my sleeping beauty}

2010-04-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

I made this dress for my sleeping beauty for her birthday.

She loves it!

{catching fire}

2010-04-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, have you ever been really mad when a book just leaves you hanging and the next one in the series hasn't come out yet? ugh... so many unanswered questions... I love love love this book. So many redeeming qualities in the characters of this book and yet still real, people with imperfections. Makes you think about the never answered question. Would you die for someone you love? Or would that be worse for the person you love? Would you die for a cause? What would you be willing to do to stand up for something you believe in?

We've been dealing with something recently that isn't really a big deal but it really wears on our minds - whether we're supposed to stick up for ourselves or just take it and learn to be forgiving. Either way there seems to be a lot of negative feelings headed aimlessly. Sometimes things are given to us to help us work things out for ourselves. In this book, there was a statement made by one of the characters about another character, that I needed to remember. This was in regard to her Mother's mental state... "I needed to stop punishing her for something she couldn't help, specifically the crushing depression she fell into after my father's death. Because sometimes things happen to people and they're not equipped to deal with them." Although I am a firm believer that no one is dealt a card they can't overcome, initially it may take some time to 'become equipped' and we should not blame others for that.

Loved this book 5 stars...
I also decided that although people think this is a lot like cannibalism, to me it seems no different than war.

{officially has a name}

2010-04-03T19:20:00.001-07:00

This is kind of two posts in one...
I altered this little suit because it was built for an 18 month old.. seriously. Who blesses their baby when they're that old. It took a lot of altering.

I set up our bedroom for a photo shoot and voila.
I love them.

{he's here!}

2010-03-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

I decided to do an e-announcement for this little guy. Created these using summertimedesigns.blogspot.com - she has a TON of free papers and embellishments to use. I loved how they turned out.

If you'd like an actual copy let me know and I'll be happy to send one to you.

{tiny to me}

2010-03-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I've ever done newborn photos and they're of my own Jefferson. We just adore him around here. SUCH a good baby. He was born Feb. 17 He weighed 9 lbs. 13 oz. These were taken when he was 10 days old. Daddy wanted no naked photos so we mostly honored his request. :)

I realized that although I felt like I was moving around a lot and positioning him in different ways, a lot of them ended up being the same. I am VERY pleased with how these turned out. I haven't quite mastered the right skin tone on babies yet, but I think I made some solid improvement with this shoot. Although I caught him crying he doesn't do it relatively frequently. Just when he's hungry.

More at n8naubs.blogspot.com

{fried rice}

2010-03-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

Fried Rice
from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white rice, cooked
3 TBS butter
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 TBS green onions, chopped
1/2 TBS garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of coleslaw mix
3-4 generous TBS soy sauce
We like eggs so we added two eggs. :)

SEASONING:
1/2 TBS dried onion
1/2 TBS Kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt
3/4 tsp sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook rice.
2. Heat butter over medium heat and saute garlic, onions, carrots, and cabbage until carrots are tender.
3. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you may not need all of it.)

{Will you be mine?}

2010-02-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

Decided to celebrate my love for my family by taking pictures of them. :) I just couldn't handle how awesome and cute this dress was from my MIL. Love it!

Thanks for looking.

bedding

2010-02-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

I had a great time creating something for my little kiddos that coordinated but were different. They're sharing a room and I wanted Aria to have something special and new too. I bought a $25 dollar full size comforter set (2 shams, comforter and bed skirt). I had some white fabric lying around from previous projects. a $4 plain white bumper pad, and about $6 worth of fabric for the backing and 80 cents on the embroidery ties. It took a lot of planning and rearranging to turn it into something I love but I am PLEASED with the results.
Jefferson's quilt, pinning the binding:

Aria's quilting: (p.s. love these quilt frames. Small but AWESOME! Thanks Cami.)

bumper pad and bed skirt:

bumper pad:

I LOVE it.

{books!}

2010-02-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

So I've been reading a TON lately. That's what happens when you have to put your feet up for a majority of the day to maintain some circulation in your legs. :) I'm not going to talk about all the ones I read, but these are my most recent.

{the hunger games}
by Suzanne Collins

One of the most intriguing stories I've ever read. LOVED it. Couldn't put it down. A NEW concept. And not about cannibalism. :)

{A prisoner of birth}
by Jeffrey Archer

A fun change from my historical fiction or fantasy. I really enjoyed this. I thought it was well written, and a fun murder mystery. Relatively clean too. Not gruesome like others I've read.

{Taliesin}
by Stephen R. Lawhead

Same author as my favorite the Hood series. Definitely well written. This book was actually really hard to get into, but once I did, I LOVED it. I also loved many of the things that were alluded to in the Christian religion. Especially his description of what this earth was meant to be.

{The evolution of Calpurnia Tate}
by Jacqueline Kelly

About a 12 year old girl in the summer of 1899. She is learning about the process of science and how things are discovered. She has no desire to become a 'housewife' and feels that she is not talented, either out of preference of actual reality, in any of these things. She finds them boring and monotonous. :) It is fun watching her find her place in the world. It didn't really draw me in, but I found the concept invigorating. A short read. Not a favorite.

{baby wise}
I just thought this is a great read in helping you identify how best to feed, sleep and train your sweet baby when he/she gets here. I didn't agree with everything in it, but I felt it helped me identify some things I really want to do with my children. So for that I loved it. I will now be a sane mother of a newborn.
5 days left!!!!

{bruschetta pizza}

2010-02-09T17:39:00.001-08:00

prep. 25 min. / bake 10 min.

1/2 pound reduced-fat bulk pork sausage
1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust
1 package (6 ounces) sliced turkey pepperoni (we only used half a package)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (we used 2 tsp. dried)
1 tablespoon Crisco® Pure Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Additional fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions

In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Place crust on an ungreased baking sheet. Top with pepperoni, sausage and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, sliced basil, oil, garlic, thyme, vinegar, salt and pepper. Spoon over the pizza. Garnish with additional basil if desired. Yield: 8 slices.

If not using fresh basil, we would cook it with the tomatoes on it. either that or use a little bit of sauce, maybe just a tad dry. But the flavor was to die for. Not for those with heartburn though. :)

Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 346 calories, 17 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 62 mg cholesterol, 1,044 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 24 g protein.

{lettuce wraps}

2010-02-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnuts
2/3 cup mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce:

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB rice wine vinegar
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 TB hot mustard
2 tsp water
1-2 tsp garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 TB soy sauce
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl. Then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps. (I actually just leave the mustard and chili sauce separate because I don't like them mixed in with the special sauce.)
Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
Place water chestnuts, mushrooms, and chicken in the food processor and chop until all pieces are bite-size.
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
Chop green onions and garlic.
With the pan on high heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the pan.
Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
Top with Special Sauce.

Kind of labor intensive for just a side dish or appetizer, but I surprisingly loved these. Does anybody know where to get those little rice noodle things, though?

{creamy chicken noodle bake}

2010-02-07T15:15:00.001-08:00

This isn't my type of meal, but Nate LOVED it and I liked it pretty well. Just tastes like good 'ol home cooking.

4 cups uncooked egg noodles
6 T butter (can use less)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper (we used black)
3-1/2 c. milk
4 c. cubed cooked chicken
2 (12 oz.) jars chicken gravy
1 jar (2 oz.) diced pimientos, drained
1/2 c. cubed process cheese
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs (we wanted more of these on ours)
4 t. butter melted.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Cook chicken. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, melt 6 T butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken, gravy and pimientos.

Drain noodles; Stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover and bake @ 350 for 30-35 min. or until bubbly.

Combine the cheese and bread crumbs and 4 t. melted butter. Sprinkle around edges of casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 10 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

12 servings
prep: 25 minutes Bake 40 min.

Courtesy Taste of Home Magazine. (Shirley Unger, Bluffton, Ohio)

{mexican layered salad}

2010-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

4 cups torn romaine
1 large cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and sliced
2 large green peppers, chopped (I only used 1/2 green pepper - we're not big green pepper fans.)
1-1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. canned chopped green chilies
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. crushed tortilla chips (we used tostitos 'hint of lime' chips as well.)
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a 2-qt. trifle bowl or glas serving bowl, layer the first five ingredients. Combine the mayonnaise, chilies and seasonings; spread over the top. Sprinkle with chips and cheese. Serve immediately. (we added dressing to individual servings and then topped individually with chips and cheese)

Served with homemade bottled pinto beans. SO good! Just tastes refreshingly healthy too.

{puff quilt tutorial}

2010-02-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

from honeybearlane.com

This is a LONG time comin'...but it's finally here! A Puff Quilt Tutorial! Pictures and all. But here's the thing, I actually have to do this as a series because it's a long long process. So if you are interested in puffin' and quiltin', then please FOLLOW MY BLOG and you and I can make a puff quilt together, start to finish. You need to have a reasonable knowledge of sewing to do this, but don't feel scared. Puffin' is nothing like traditional quilting.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

1/2 yard each of 4 or 8 fabrics (We'll end up with 64 squares, so I usually just pick 4 colors and get two fabrics each of that color, complementing each other.)
OR
2 Charm Packs (Just google "Charm Packs" and you can pretty much find something adorable.)

***Charm packs are super convenient, but since they include a vast variety of fabrics, it can be hard to stick to a defined color scheme. You can also just get one charm pack and then add in some 5x5 squares of a couple of solid colors so as to tie it all together.

3 yards of a solid color for border, back, and binding (of course you can mix fabrics up, but for the sake of this tutorial, we will just follow this pattern.)

1 yard of white muslin
Poly fiber fill: The loose stuffing you buy to stuff stuffed animals and whatnot
1 yard Low loft batting (you can even buy a fleece fabric if you want, it won't be seen)
2 yards High loft batting
Coordinating thread

Whew! Okay! Got everything? You won't need the batting until a little later, so put that out of the way. First you will want to wash your fabric, dry it and immediately remove and fold it. You might want to iron the really wrinkled ones so you can cut the fabric easier.

I didn't do pictures of cutting because it's pretty self-explanatory. If any of you have questions, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will answer as best I can! Use a self-healing mat and a rotary cutter (otherwise this will take forever) and cut the colored half yards into 5 inch by 5 inch squares. You will end up with more than you need, but 1/4 yard isn't enough. (If you bought Charm packs, you can skip this, obviously!)

Cut the white muslin into 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch squares. You will need a lot of these, 64. But don't cut up all your white muslin, because you will need about 3/4 yard for a different step.

So this is what you should have to start with: A big pile of squares.

And this is what you will end up with: A big pile of pillows. It's kinda fun to make a big pile and have a mini-pillow fight with your two-year-old.

Step 1: Line up one colored square and one muslin square like so (Wrong sides together)

Step 2: Place the fabrics under the needle, the corner where the two fabrics meet. Line the edge of the fabrics up with the side of the presser foot, that's your seam allowance. Slowly start sewing, but fold the top fabic, so the end of it lines up with the muslin, making a little pucker. Do this to three sides.

Step 3: Once you have sewn three sides, leave the needle down and grab a small handful of the poly-fill stuffing. Only get a small handful and fluff it up. You don't want to stuff the pillow tightly or with a lot because it will make the quilt less cushy and MUCH harder to sew later on.

Step 4: Sew up the last side! There is your first puff! Now complete this process 63 more times...

Okay, so that should be enough work for y'all to do before we carry onto the next part next week (I'm hoping that some of you are actually doing this with me and I'm not just pretending here...)
Okay, so you have all your little puffy pillows sewn and they are stashed safely in a bag. Confused? You need to read Part 1 first. You should have 64 puffs if you are doing the 36x36 inch (with border) puff quilt. For the next part, you will need a walking foot. If you don't have one, get one! (Toy Story reference, anyone?) I sewed my first two puff quilts without one and, pardon my language, it SUCKED. My machine kept breaking over and over and I eventually had to get a new one. So yes...spend $30 and get a walking foot.

This is a walking foot for a Janome sewing machine. I'm not sure if they look the same for other brands. But they are usually big and they have the teeth on the top (working like a feed dog but on the top).

To put on the walking foot, you have to remove the entire standard foot by unscrewing the side screw. You attach the walking foot by putting the lever above the screw and lining up the two side 'thingys' (as it's officially called) with the screw hole.

And we're ready!

Step 1: Take all your little puffy pillows and organize them into your pattern. I usually do 8 squares by 8 squares, with 4 colors and 8 different types of fabric. I alternate the fabrics. But obviously you can do whatever you want! It is essential that you know your pattern fairly well because you will have to check back all the time to make sure you are staying on track.

Step 2: Take two puffs and lay them on top of each other, colored sides together (right sides together.) Pinch the side that you will sew. (You can pin it, but I think it's just easier to pinch.)

Step 3: Put the pinched side under your pressure foot, lining the needle up behind the existing seam. You need make sure your new seam will envelope the other seams. Sew and backstitch at both ends.

See how the green thread is behind the white? That ensures you won't be able to see the white seams.

View from the front. If you zoom in, you will notice that you CANT see the white seam.

Step 4: Do this with each pillow, just sewing each seam together to make one long strip. CHECK YOUR PATTERN! It is so easy to mess it up.

You will end up with a bunch of pillow strips

Step 5: Lay one strip on top of the other, making note of which side needs to be sewn together.

Step 6: Pin the strips together, lining up the intersections


Here's a zoomed-out view of the pinned strip.

Step 7: Sew the two strips together. You will have to go pretty slowly and stop before you reach each pin so you can remove the pin and smooth where you are about to sew. It is so much better to go slowly and do it carefully than to sew it wrong and have to unpick it. Make sure your new seam envelopes the other seams and as always CHECK YOUR PATTERN.


This is what the finished result should look like!

The next part will be putting on the border. If you don't want a border, you can skip this step and tune back into Part 4: Back and Binding. Questions? Comments? Don't be afraid to ask!

Okay, here comes the tricky part. The first time I did the border I just sewed on the fabric to the sides and tried to stuff it after. It was a nightmare. So in the end I just decided to make little "border pillows" and sew them on just like I'd done with each puff. You can skip this part if you are not up to it or don't want it, and just wait for Part 4, the back and binding.

Step 1: Lay the fabric, doubled up four times, next to your quilt top

Step 2: Measure 5 inches above and below, and 5 inches wide. Cut the fabric into 4 strips, approx 5"x35"

Step 3: Using a cutting guide, turn it on the diagonal and cut to the corner, leaving about an inch space between the top of the quilt top and the cut. Do the same thing to the bottom

This is what you will have on each side. The slanted ends will make for your awesome mitered corners.

Step 4: Repeat the same thing to muslin

Get out your high-loft batting, approximately this thickness (this picture has it double layered)

Step 5: Using your fabric as a guide, cut out four pieces of batting, the same shape as the fabric, but taking off about an inch on each side.

Step 6: Lay the muslin on top of the fabric and batting, making a little sandwich. Pin down the edges.

Step 7: Sew around all the border pieces. Don't make a huge deal if the seams aren't pretty or if the batting doesn't seam to fit perfectly, these mistakes will be covered up. Line up the edge of the fabrics to the presser foot for your seam allowance.

Step 8: Right sides together, line up one border piece with one side of your quilt top. Make sure each end overhangs the same amount.

Step 9: Pin in place.

Step 10: Sew the two pieces together, making sure to envelop the previous seams. Repeat this with all four sides. It is important to line up the new seams so they make a square, don't overlap the seams.

Your corners will line up, so now it's time to sew them.

Step 11: Fold your quilt into a triangle, like this

Step 12: Pin the seam of the mitered corner. Sew it. Make sure this seam meets up with the other seams (the ones you just sewed connecting the border with the quilt top.)

It should look like this when you're done.

And you can clip off this little corner.

Voila! Step 3 completed. Next step: Back and Binding!!

Step 1: Lay out your quilt backing material, right side down. I am using black minky dot for this.

Step 2: Lay your low-loft batting over it, matching up the sides. I like using that thin fusible batting, but (lesson learned the hard way) I found out that this does NOT fuse to minky. But you can still use it anyway.

Step 3: Lay your pretty quilt-top over the top, and cut the the bottom two layers to size, leaving about an inch beyond the the edge of the top.

Step 4: Pin everything in place.

Step 5: Sew the layers together, sewing on or close to the border seam.

Step 6: Trim off the excess, leaving about a quarter to half inch seam allowance.

Step 7: Put the needle at the top corner of where the border meets the puffs. MAKE SURE THE PRESSER FOOT IS DOWN!! Since the quilt is thick, it is not obvious that it's already down, so don't forget! Slowly 'stitch in the ditch' down the border/puffs seam, pivoting at the corners. I had to kind of pull the minky along since it was so thick.

Binding: To make continuous binding, see the Making Binding post first

This is what it should look like when you're done.

Step 8: Leaving a tail of about 5 or 6 inches, pin the binding to the edge of the quilt, lining up the rough edges.

Step 9: Start sewing, making sure that your new seam will be covering up the existing seams.

Step 10: When you get within a few inches of the corner, stop sewing with the needle down.

Step 11: Take your binding and fold it at an angle, like this.

Then fold it back, lining the bottom up with the edge of the quilt.

Now you will have a little fold of fabric like this.

Fold it down this way first

Sew a little bit, but not to the edge

Lift up the presser foot AND the needle, fold the pucker of fabric back. Sew straight and continue on your merry way, doing the corners the same as above.

Step 12: You have reached the part where you need to connect the binding. Leave several inches of space so you can connect the binding.

Open the binding up

Pin it where you are going to sew. Make sure when you sew the right sides are together.

Sew, and trim off the excess

This is what it should look like.

Now you will just have to flip the binding over and sew it down in the back! But first...

Check the binding next to the border for any seams you accidentally didn't cover.

Like this...whoops! Just fold the binding back over and sew in a little bit more.

Step 12: Fold the binding down in the back and pin it in place. Since you did the mitered corner, it will automatically form a pretty little corner in the front, so just tuck and fold until you get a nice corner in the back. SLOWLY sew the binding down, check it on the other side to make sure it's staying in place. And you can try sewing from the top, using your fingers to keep the binding in perfect place.

And you're done! Although...

If you want, you can sew in some ties at the corner intersections of the puffs if you want it to be more tacked together. I usually do.

Congratulations! You have finished your puff quilt! You should be very proud of yourself and take as many opportunities as you can to show everyone.

{self portraits... prego}

2010-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

I actually had a lot of fun with this shoot and learned a TON. First time using window light. Aria had fun posing with me.

When I was editing this photo I could not BELIEVE how big my belly is.

Just having fun...

If you can't tell I'm more than ready to have this baby.
Comments and tips are always welcome. :)

{my new baby}

2010-01-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

So we have a new camera!.... yeah, a nice one! yay! I'm so excited about it.
Nate took this and I swear I wasn't posing, but it kind of looks like I am.... This is the only picture of me pregnant that I actually think I look okay pregnant... :)

Do you ever catch the one you love unawares and they just look really good. Here he is just stacking some blocks for kubb, but the sun was just right and I just love him... that's all there is to it.
Finally, my bro is putting his papers in. I did my first 'real' photo shoot so that he could have a nice photo for his papers. Pretty handsome dude, eh? I was pretty proud that I shot this in manual.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

2010-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

I read about this great idea in the LDS Ensign on creating a 'scrapbook' about the Proclamation that the LDS church made regarding the family. I thought this was a great idea - a way to share pictures of your family (be proud grandparents) and also use it as a missionary tool to share the gospel with friends and neighbors. It was a big hit and I'm very proud of the amount of work I put into it. I loved the way it turned out. Here are the inside pages.

Created with flickr slideshow.

{baby boy's homemade love}

2009-12-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

I loved making this something special for my little something special. I'm excited to wrap him up in it and cuddle with him. I want him here already... I'm thinking it's probably a little early to be thinking that. Third trimester... I'm here! I love the little fishing print and I LOVE the alphabet print. The brown is a suede so it's also really soft... I think I want to cuddle in it myself.

{cilantro lime rice}

2009-12-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups hot cooked rice
2 small limes, juiced
1 lime, zest of
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Once rice is cooked, fluff with a fork.
2. Add lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, and salt to rice.
3. Stir well.

We often make this now to accompany our mexican dishes.

{baked creamy chicken taquitos}

2009-12-02T08:50:00.001-08:00

We had a hard time wrapping these but the filling is to die for!

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 TB fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
3 TB chopped cilantro
2 TB sliced green onions
2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
(You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.)
3. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it.
4. Place 2-3 TB of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.
5. Then roll them as tight as you can.
6. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other.
7. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
8. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

{southwest beef wraps}

2009-12-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

recipe and image from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2-ish pound beef roast, trimmed of fat but left whole
1 heaping tsp chili powder
1 heaping tsp garlic powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
1 heaping tsp Kosher salt
2 bell peppers (you can use 2 green bell peppers or mix it up a little with red, yellow, or orange; just make sure one is green), chopped
1 14 1/2 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes OR 1 can of Rotel tomatoes (regular or mild, depending on your preference)
Small flour tortillas
Desired toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Combine seasonings in a small bowl and then rub seasoning mixture all over the roast.
3. Place roast over onions, top with chopped peppers, and then pour the canned tomatoes on top of everything.
4. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours or start this in the morning, cook it on high until things start to boil and then cook on low until dinnertime.
5. Shred meat with two forks and serve in tortillas with desired toppings.

{chicken pot pie}

2009-12-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

2 frozen pie crusts (I did my own pie crust... because I LOVE my pie crust... and it's not that hard)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can campbell's Potato soup(I have also substituted celery soup and any cream based soup would probably do-Experiment)
1-2 chicken breasts boiled(I only do one because it saves money)
1 cup of mixed veggies (also found in the frozen section)
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Let the crusts thaw
Boil the chicken and cut into small pieces (depending on what you like)
Mix chicken, Cream of chicken soup, Potato soup, mixed veggies, and milk.
Pour mixture into one of the pie crusts, Top with the second pie crust. Smoosh the edges of both pie crusts together. Slice holes in the top
Bake 350* for 30min. ENJOY!!

{parmesan chicken strips}

2009-12-02T08:40:00.001-08:00

Best homemade chicken nuggets ever!

1c. Flour
1. Tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
Mix together in bowl

2 Eggs
1 TBSP water
Mix together in a different small bowl

1 c. seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
Mix and put in another bowl

2-3 pieces of Chicken cut up in long strips
-dip chicken in Flour mix
-Dip in Egg mix
-dip in Bread crumbs
In Frying pan melt
2 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP Oil

Cook 3-5 min. on each side.
Keep warm in 200*oven for 15 min.

*Serve with potatoes, rice etc...
YUM!

{turkey cupcakes}

2009-12-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

I also realize that it's after Thanksgiving, but Aria had a ton of fun making these cupcakes with Grandma! What a perfect treat to spend time with Grandma doing. Aria loved it! Instructions can be found here.

{halloween craft}

2009-12-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun making these. Toddlers are able to participate significantly. Instructions can be found here. Can also be done for other holidays... :)

{my first photo shoot}

2009-11-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

of someone that's not my family. I think they turned out pretty cute. It's amazing what you learn every time you try and shoot. Pretty awesome.Thanks for letting me take over one of your afternoons..

{butterfly costume}

2009-10-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

Used this Martha Stewart Tutorial... kind of.

I used sewed together pieces of tulle. Trimmed it with ribbon and then used lace that I had around the house to make the spots on the wings.

For the headband, I bought a dollar store headband that originally had little pumpkin heads on the ends. I took those off. Hooked Tulle poof balls... using this tutorial on the ends. Wrapped the wire in embroidery thread and wrapped the headband in ribbon. Love it. So does Aria. See this post for pictures of her.

{family}

2009-10-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

When you're really poor you spend a lot of time and not a lot of money... and this is what you get. We really wanted to make our family night a little more structured so this is where we started.

We had some extra pieces leftover from some store-bought furniture. This was originally a drawer bottom. It's sturdy, lightweight, and I didn't have to paint it black. I wanted it to be a magnet board... because I thought that would be easier... so I bought two tin shingles from the local hardware store. 88 cents each or something like that. Spent a lot of time trying to cut metal with the wrong tools. exacto knives... hammer, nails... turned out okay but I wouldn't recommend it... eek! Had some stickers lying around and put those on the shingles... Song, Lesson, Activity, Prayer and Yum.

Purchased the 3 little circles because I figured I could always get more circles... 25 cents each. Love the Spray Paint... bought red and black spray paint... 96 cents each. Use them for a lot of projects, but happened to have to replenish their supply for this one.

Made my own stencils with packaging tape and paper to make the family and then free-handed the pettit. Taped off the lines for the 'frame' spray painted. Drilled holes to hang it from and voila! Wow, Just typing that was a lot of work. I LOVE how it turned out. Hope you can at least get some inspiration from it.

{fly on in}

2009-10-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

So I made this last year, but I don't think I have a record of it... so here it is. Just the word parts came unpainted, so I painted them and ta..da... I'm pretty proud of the saying... made it up myself. I hung it on my door last year.

Happy Halloween... little butterfly

2009-10-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

Had a little photoshoot with my favorite subject.

She was observing that flower had smaller individual flowers in this picture.

Just an example that you SHOULD NEVER say cheese. She stood up there her self and volunteered the 'Cheese' herself and this is what I got...

After just laughing with her... I get a whole bunch like this. Notice the difference in the 'realness'? Don't say cheese... just be a tease...

There are few more images here.

{books....}

2009-09-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've been on a reading kick lately. and a crafting kick.. but I haven't taken any pictures, but let's be honest... I spend most of my time fingerpainting and doing puzzles. Thankfully it's cooling down enough now that we can make our way outside.... yay!

What I've read...
The Name of the Wind by Patrick RothfussI can't believe how much I LOVED this book. I can't wait for the next one it's making me insane!!!

The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Kind of felt like it was a repeat of the twilight series... same characters in a different setting... however the setting was really cool....

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
This is seriously one of my favorite series. The movie stunk. but the books are so much fun. LOVE! No good unless you've read the 1st two though.

{the poisonwood bible}

2009-07-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

by Barbara Kingsolver
I don't know if I could even rate this book. Very interesting. It didn't keep me intrigued like the books that I usually like to read, but it was definitely more intellectual and deep. It brought up a lot of topics that were interesting to talk about. Would be very good for a discussion with a book group.

It can bring up topics anywhere from racialism, freedom, feminism, characterization of girls, "inability to comprehend complex things" i.e. are they really stupid because every day they're worried about where they're going to get their next mail. Simple does not mean stupid. , modernization... etc.

There was one thing brought up by one of the daughters that made me very grateful for my religion and the things that I know about this life and the next. pg. 171 : "According to my Baptist Sunday-school teachers, a child is denied entrance to heaven merely for being born in the Congo rather than, say, north Georgia, where she could attend church regularly. This was the sticking point in my own little lame march to salvation: admission to heaven is gained by the luck fo the draw. At age five I raised my good left hand in Sunday school and used a month's ration of words to point out this problem to Miss Betty Nagy. Getting born within earshot of a preacher, I reasoned, is entirely up to chance. Would Our Lord be such a hit-or-miss kind of Saviour as that? Would he really condemn some children to eternal suffering just for the accident of a heathen birth, and rewad others for a privilege they did nothing to earn?...Miss Betty sent me to the corner for the rest of the hour to pray for my own soul while kneeling on grains of uncooked rice. When I finally got up wth sharp grains imbedded in my knees I found, to my surprise, that I no longer believed in God."

SPOILER: This discusses another topic... about why we make decisions in this world... it covers a myriad of topics all in one moment. pg. 383 This is the Mother speaking shortly after her youngest child was killed by a snake. "Motion became my whole purpose. When there was nothing left to move but myself, I walked to the end of our village and kept going.... I went on foot because I still had feet to carry me.
Plain and simple, that was the source of our exodus: I had to keep moving. I didn't set out to leave my husband. Anyone can see I should have, long before, but I never did know how. For women like me, it seems, it's not ours to take charge of beginnings and endings. Not the marriage proposal, the summit conquered, the first shot fired, nor the last one either - the treaty at Appomattox, the knife in the heart. Let men write those stories. I can't. I only know the middle ground where we live our lives. We whistle while Rome burns, or we scrub the floor, depending. Don't dare presume there's shame in the lot of a woman who carries on. On the day a committee of men decided to murder the fledgling Congo, what do you suppose Mama Mwanza was doing? Was it different, the day after? Of course not. Was she a fool, then, or the backbone of a history? When a government comes crashing down, it crushes those who were living under its roof. People like Mama Mwanza never knew the house was there at all. Independence is a complex word in a foreign tongue. To resist occupation, whether you're a nation or merely a woman, you must understand the language of your enemy. Conquest and liberation and democracy and divorce are the words that mean squat, basically, when you have hungry children and clothes to get out on the line and it looks like rain.......
I knew Rome was burning, but I had just enough water to scrub the floor, so I did what I could. My talents are different from those of the women who cleave and part from their husbands nowadays - and my virtues probably unrecognizable. But look at old women and bear in mind we are another country. We married with simple hopes: enough to eat and children to outlive us. My life was a buisiness of growing where planted and making good on the debts life gathered unto me.... A kiss of flesh-colored sunrise while I hung out the wash, a sigh of indigo birds exhaled from the grass. It didn't occur to me to leave Nathan on account of unhappiness, any more than Tata Mwanza would have left his disfigured wife[she had no legs... in africa], though a more able woman might have grown more manioc and kept more of his children alive. Nathan was something that happened to us, as devastating in its way as the burning roof that fell on the family Mwanza[which caused Mama Mwanza to lose her legs]; with our fate scarred by hell and brimstone we still had to track our course. And it happened finally by the grace of hell and brimstone that I had to keep moving. I moved, and he stood still.
But his kind will always lose in the end.... Whether it's wife or nation they occupy, their mistake is the same: they stand still, and their stake moves underneath them. The Pharaoh died, says Exodus, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage. Chains rattle, rivers roll, animals startle and bolt, forests inspire and expand, babies stretch open-mouthed from the womb, new seedlings arch their necks and creep forward into the light. A territory is only possessed for a moment in time. They stake everything on that moment, posing for photographs while planting the flag. They're desperate to hang on...But they can't.
To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals know. In perfect stillness, frankly, I've only found sorrow."

If this doesn't make you cry then you really do need to read the book. Then you will understand what every word means and nearly every word you read will move you to tears.

Read it, and stick with it. You'll be so glad you did.

{angels and demons}

2009-07-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

by Dan Brown
I think that one word to describe this is couldn'tputitdown. Such a fun read. I'm not sure that I liked it better than da vinci code, this seemed like it had a little more gore ... not a fan. Also there's a character who has a really dirty mind, but I definitely thought it was exciting and a quick read. Got a vacation to go on? You'll want to read instead of tour. Don't take it.

{lime chicken soft tacos}

2009-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

These were a HUGE hit at our house, especially when you get all the right toppings. Loved the change-up from our regular tacos!

This is courtesy of ashleesrecipebox.blogspot.com Love you Ash!!
"
I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It is really a nice change of pace from the usual tacos. Cilantro is a must and of course so it the lime. Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar (This may be wrong but I did a mixture of White vinegar,apple juice and balsamic vinegar and it worked out too.)
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (I omitted b/c too Italian tasting)
• 10 (6 inch) flour tortillas (I used Corn
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup salsa
Add cilantro to taste!

DIRECTIONS
1. Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and *oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.

2. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa and cilantro.
PREP TIME 20 Min COOK TIME 30 Min READY IN 50 Min

(These next comments are from the website-I hope that they help)
I really like the flavor the recipe give. I usually throw it all in the crock pot and let it go. I then take out the chicken and shred it. It is so yummy and reminds me of a great resturant in Arizona.
We thought these were awesome! A refreshing change from regular tacos. Things I did differently - used cilantro instead of oregano, 1 regular onion instead of 2 green, and used the juice of a whole lime instead of 1/2. I cut the chicken in strips instead of cubing it. Used Sargento's 4 Cheese Mexican blend for the cheese. I think you should definitely use fresh lime as opposed to the bottle stuff, if you really want the lime flavor to stand out. (And its not overpowering). Also, this recipe states that it serves 10, that would be 1 taco per person, and who can eat just 1? I think this recipe serves more like 4-5. I love this recipe, it is definitely a unique and cheap dish to make for a large group!
"

{oriental chicken salad}

2009-07-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 c. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1/2 lettuce, shredded
4-6 green onions, chopped
1 pkg chicken flavored Top Ramen
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 pkg slivered almonds

Instructions:
Toss chicken, cabbage, lettuce, onions, almonds, and sesame seeds in a large salad bowl. Crush the Top Ramen noodles and set aside.
Dressing: Mix Top Ramen flavor packet, 4 T. sugar, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 2 dashes of soy sauce, 3 T. oil, and 6 T. seasoned rice vinegar. Set dressing aside until you are ready to serve. Toss lightly and add the broken Top Ramen noodles just before serving.

SO Yummy, we added this sweet red chili chinese sauce to the chicken when we were cooking it... got it from Trader Joe's $1.29 One of our best purchases to date. Tastes good with anything chinese. Had to make it with Fried rice in order to make it substantial enough a meal for Nate, but Nate LOVED it.

We just stick cold rice in a fry pan with some oil, green onions and whatever else we want in it, pork, peas, carrots, chicken (all of these would be previously cooked - it's whatever's leftover in our fridge) and let it brown a little, add the egg last and then a little soy sauce to give it a little better color. Yummy... it turns out different every time, but yummy.

{pasta fagioli soup}

2009-07-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

1 lb cooked hamburger or sausage
1 28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce - then fill up the jar 3/4 of the way with water and dump it in
1 can beef broth
1 can small white beans (don't drain)
1 can kidney beans (don't drain)
1/4 c. dehydrated onion (I like 1/2 c. fresh onions)
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, shredded or chopped

Combine above ingredients and boil until vegetables are soft. Before serving, cook 3/4 c. macaroni noodles and add them. Serve in bowls and garnish with shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese.

Very yummy... got it from onourfamilymenu.blogspot.com via Emily Sharp

{retro rainbow outlook}

2009-06-27T11:57:00.001-07:00

In need of a change on the other blog too. Decided to give everything a retro look. This time I went with these retro rainbows:Altered their colors with the paint can in photoshop. Made it so that it could be tiled seamlessly

I used this tutorial to make this photo look retro. taken by becky earl
Note that I also dedicated our music to the 'retro' awesomeness of Michael Jackson.

Other notes: You can get rid of the blogger banner as demonstrated here
You can change your font as shown here

Hope you enjoy! I LOVe it!

{retro outlook}

2009-06-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time for a change! Again. I love flickr. Free images like the apples... I redid them so that they could be patterned. I like this tutorial for learning how to make your own patterned background. Had fun playing with contrasts and filters in photoshop for the header. Here is the original photo.

{a tree grows in brooklyn}

2009-06-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

by Betty Smith

Good as a classic. It took a while for me to get into it. For about the first half of the book I had to force myself to read it. Not initially intriguing. But, as I got farther into the book, I got attached to the characters and wanted to find out what happened. More descriptive than I might like, but this description may have aided the attachment I had to the characters. An interesting perspective on what it really means to do without. I am extremely grateful for the things that I have, the warm and safe home and more than one dress to wear.

cool refurbished photograph

2009-06-04T22:37:00.001-07:00

When my hubby was in Taiwan, he took this awesome shot of his apartment building which is in the background. I thought it was artistic so I 'refurbished' it. What do you think?

before:

after:

a mommy moment

2009-05-13T14:14:00.001-07:00

Today, about 2:00 I say
'Aria, are you about ready for your nap?'

She responds with her usual... '..no!...'
I usually have to warm her up to the idea of taking a nap, so I ask her the same question several times before I actually carry it out.

Not today... a few minutes later, I hear her yelling something from her bedroom.
I go in to check on her and she's closed the door to her bedroom, climbed into her crib, has her binky in her mouth and looks at me and says 'take a nap!'
This surprised me on two levels. She's never climbed into her crib before. and two, she doesn't willingly go down for a nap very often.
I love my baby!

Also a few weeks ago when we were getting ready for church, this is what she did with her dollies. I was determined that she not have an attached bear/doll or blanket.... So she compensated by being attached to all bears/dolls and blankets. She just loves to play and sleep with them.Isn't her dress beautiful? I love the colors, it reminds me of my Grandma Swallow. She got this dress from her Indian Friend Dhaya for her birthday. She loves it.

{book of a thousand days}

2009-05-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

by Shannon Hale

Wow, LOVED this book! I always think that her stories are so fun. This one is about a 'lady' (i.e. Lord and Lady) who gets locked up in a tower with now windows and no doors for seven years because she won't marry an abusive husband that her father desires her to marry. Her lady's maid joins her and this is told from the lady's maid's perspective... journal entries. Quick read. Loved it!

{burying our swords}

2009-05-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

by Kevin Hinckley

Our church group read this for book club and I really am not into church books, but I actually thought this one was okay. I was nervous because the whole plot is based around a parent that has a wayward child. Although this may happen to me... knock on wood... I'm not planning on it right now with my two year old. But it ended up being an intriguing story. It was a quick read and I'm glad that I read it.

{errin andrus photography giveaway}

2009-05-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend from high school who is giving away a free photo session. She's very talented and just got her new camera. Check out her work here. Maybe you'll win. :)