Saturday, December 19, 2009

It's Not ALL Bad

I'm not dead (although I walk with the living dead- working the nightshift). I am not sick (although I sometimes am sick to my stomach and constantly tired). I am really alive and kicking (sometimes kicking mad- but that is not for today's story).

So, since I haven't died I thought I would bring some holiday cheer to y'all! True story! (and I'll try REALLY hard to only add the important details since I am famous for too many details)

FiM lost his wallet today, while he was at an unnamed store (Ross Dress for Less- which to me is the equivilent of ghetto shopping- sorry for those of you who love the place, I'd rather shop at Wally World- never had a good experience at Ross). Anywho... He was at the counter, checking out and reached for his wallet, which he knew he had with him. Apparently he had to go back and look for it, people just stared, no one offered assistance. UGH! Where is the Christmas Spirit of kindness, love, charity, giving???? It was totally missing. No one offered to help look, so he ran home to cancel all the cards.

A little side note, which is uber-important to this story, FiM worked a side job this month to make some extra money for Christmas. He was paid in gift cards... which happened to be in his wallet.

Missing items : license, debit card, work debit card, temple recommend, library card, social security card (don't even get me started on this one) and 4 gift cards (non-replaceable). Other things too, but this just gives you an idea of the stress he had when he lost it, and the stress I had when I found out.

After confusion and annoyance on the phone with the credit union and such to cancel said cards and shaking from frustration with whoever thought it was okay to take it right before Christmas I just wanted to cry. Thankfully my wonderful friend/sister Sherry was here and she helped me through it.

THEN....

All of a sudden....

I kid you not....

a car pulled up to the house (like 2 or 3 hrs later).

Sherry and I looked at each other wondering who the heck was parking in front of my house. Didn't recognize the car, didn't recognize the lady...

But I did recognize what she had in her hand as she walked up the front steps. I ran to the front door and pulled it open before she even had a chance to knock. Think I probably scared her. I already had tears in my eyes. She said she found it at Ross (yup). She had called the library to get the number, they wouldn't give it but they tried to call us to let us know. They didn't know we disconnected our house line. Oops! Then the lady called blockbuster. Same problem. Oops, again! So she then decided to just drive over to the address on the driver's license. She apologized for looking through the wallet. Ummm, I don't care, she brought it back. I only wish I had something to give to her to tell her thank you. I hugged her and thanked her and told her she was so wonderful.

So for all of you out there.... no everyone is a selfish, rude, obnoxious, awful person this time of year. There are good people out there who will do the right thing. I doubt this lady will ever look at this blog, but I want to thank her and tell everyone I know that an angel touched my life today!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Lesson from the Bits

I was on my way to the instacare (Snake has Strep throat) when I got stuck behind a man riding a bike. Now, I don't mind sharing the road with bikers, but this guy was literally in the middle of the road. The road was wide enough for a bike lane (and to my understanding bikers should ride in the understood bike lane if possible). If I am wrong don't bother telling me. It isn't like I care. I only tell you this to set the stage for what happened.

Me: Oh, come on! Move over guy! (there were cars coming the other way so I couldn't just go around him)

Bits: (as we passed him FINALLY) MOM! Hims can't ride fast. He is an old man.

Me: (smiling) Oh, really?

Bits: Ya, we have to be nice, mom!

There you have it. Straight from the mouth of a 4 year old. Guess I needed my kindness lesson for today.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Halloween Prep

I am not a huge fan of Halloween. Never have been. Wanna know my reasons? No dissing on the list (yes, I am making another list cuz I'm all about the lists).

  • For 364 days a year we teach out children not to beg. Then magically on Oct. 31 we decide to make our kids go out, door to door (or however you do it in your family) and make people give them candy.
  • I am not an actress. I don't enjoy dressing up. I don't enjoy pretending to be someone else.
  • I don't like the competition of "who has the best costume."
  • People hand out the crappy candy. If I want candy I am not going to waste time or money on the crap like smarties. I want the chocolate. GIVE ME THE CHOCOLATE!
  • I am the biggest scaredy cat you will ever meet. I don't like horror films, I hate haunted houses, and don't like to have to crap scared out of me.
All of this aside, some of our friends host a Halloween party every year and it is a blast. I could do without the dressing up personally but I love to see what other people dress up as. But, since it was a Halloween party, couples party at that, we needed to get into the spirit. After consulting a number of out of town friends and the internet I had a few ideas. At first I was going to use some of the TOTALLY AWESOME 80's clothes I got when I was visiting my mom in California. But that didn't feel right. So then we thought about going as Father Time and Mother Nature. Pretty easy, right? Just get a whole slew of watches and a big clock on a chain for him and sew leaves and branches all over clothes for me. But, then we stopped at a Halloween Super Store to check out the merchandise. Guess what we found? You'll never guess, so I will tell you. Stuff for FiM to be a pimp. AWESOME! So, we got a hat, cane and nasty accessories for him. Fishnet stockings and a monster nasty wig for me. Put that together with a corsette, my 5 inch hooker heels and thick makeup and I was my pimp's hooker. Now, mind you, this was a party with a ton of friends from church, so if you are thinking that I am gonna look totally immodest, think again. I was a modest hooker. Just ask my bishop, he was there. We both even topped the outfits off with a few fake tattoos (cuz you all know I have a thing for tats).


I have to say, it was probably the most fun I have had in years... especially at a halloween party.

Our Fabulous Host and Hostess, the Grays.


Our Friends, Sick and Tired Lefler...

Bushman Zombies

Love this pair! The Joneses

No, he isn't Obama... he is too dark. He is Buckwheat of course! The Harrisons.

The Burger King with his Dairy Queen... the Macbeans.

So much silver! The Johnsons

The Barretts... my super hero and super star.

A pair of blue jeans (and genes)... The Belkas.

The Thurbers... I mean Cruella and her dalmation.



The kids had a little fun as we were getting ready.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

We are attempting...

I'm trying to manage my computer time better so as not to neglect my wifely/motherly/homemakerly duties. We'll see if I can hack it!

This isn't gonna be the most uplifting post ever because I thought that maybe I should tell y'all a little something about me that most of you don't know.

Almost 3 years ago I was pregnant with my little angel/devil MMIT. She is a gem. However, about 3 months into the pregnancy I noticed my heart was doing some really funky things. I would just be laying down and all of a sudden my heart rate would jump like I was running the 100meter dash. I had a lot of light-headedness and dizzy spells. I'd get winded really easily and such, so at one of my regular appointments I asked my midwife about it and she and I decided I needed to just have a check up with a cardiologist.

8 weeks later- the soonest I could get in to the appointment... I found out a list of things:

  1. I have a heart murmur
  2. my heartbeat was WAY too high
  3. my blood pressure was in the normal range
The blood pressure thing is what really threw them off. The EKG didn't really give any enlightenment to the situation so we schedule an echocardiogram. Another month of waiting. This was getting scary/ridiculous.

The echo enlightened us as to the problem, though... but maybe it would have been better for me not to know.
  1. Yes, I did have a heart murmur (duh!)
  2. I have an enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy)
  3. My left ventricle is weak (causing the left side to have to work almost twice as hard, causing the excelerated heart beat.)
So, I was given 2 options...
  1. terminate the pregnancy to stop the strain on my heart
  2. go forward with the pregnancy but be under a drs care the whole time.
There were a lot of stipulations if I went with #2, which I obviously did.

No more details. Suffice it to say, I survived the delivery, and since then I have had to have yearly checkups with a yearly echocardiogram. I did pretty good until 2 weeks ago. My ejection fraction is not good. I have a leaky valve and my heart is still enlarged (more so than when I was pregnant). So I have had to start on medicine which makes me even more tired. Ugh! Like I wasn't tired already with my heart not working right.

We are surviving... I am surviving. Another appointment to come in 2 more weeks and we'll see how the medicine is doing. We probably won't see a change in my heart for at least 3-6 months, but as long as my blood pressure doesn't dip too low we are hopefully on the right track.

Sorry for the depressing crap. Just thought I'd get it off my chest.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sometimes

Sometimes in life we are lucky to have a chance to be happy.

Sometimes in life we are lucky to have a family.

Sometimes in life we are blessed to find THE ONE!

Sometimes in life we are happy in our jobs.

Sometimes in life we feel good about ourselves.

Sometimes in life we have the best friends EVER.

Sometimes in life we feel content.

Sometimes in life we have everything we could ever dream of...

and yet we still screw everything up.

This is a fairwell... for the time being. I need to focus on being a wife, mom and friend. Hopefully I will get over to the library to check y'alls blogs, but I can't guarantee how often that will be since I currently have a late fee due there and I am boycotting the outrageous late fees! I'm really gonna miss ya! You probably have no idea how much I'm gonna miss ya. But at least for a little while I am gonna have to take a hiatus. Hopefully I will be forgiven for my absence by you later and you will want to come by and visit again. But for now... so long, farewell, (whatever the heck the next word in the song is), adeiu.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Funny to come home

Snake showed me one of the "creations" made by the Bits while I was gone. It is 2 blocks taped together.

He handed it to me and said, "try to break them apart."

I took it and tried- but the tape was layers thick and I couldn't do it.

Oldest Child looked at Snake and said, "it is too hard, no one can break it apart."

Snake said, "Uh huh, Dad can. He has a table muscle."

Heehee!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

the week continues

  • Finished shopping for the freezer meals
  • Mixed and bagged meatloaf for freezer
  • Cooking chicken (currently) for the rest of the freezer meals.
  • Checked my emails, FB and Twitter, but haven't been around the Blogosphere to do my daily visits...sorry! I need to catch up when I get back, but I won't be doing much in the way of visits this week. Don't judge me.
  • Laundry for my parents (which is SO much easier than doing laundry for 4 small children)
  • Still helping with the daycare
  • Have not caused any harm to any of the kids - I'm not really violent, I promise!
  • Took a few pics of places that mean something to me so that I can have a super-cool post after I get home.
  • Vacuumed the downstairs
  • Showered today... yes, this is a major accomplishment for me because I am not sleeping so well so to get up early enough to shower was a HUGE deal!
That's all folk...

Oh, and for the 3rd day in a row- UMM cried while we video called. She has yet to make it through talking to me without crying. It is breaking my heart. I miss my kids! (Never expected that, did ya?) If being gone for 9 days doesn't make me the winner of the Most Neglectful Parent Award this year, I really have no idea what will clinch it for me.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

I HAVE ARRIVED

Yes, I am in SoCal, enjoying myself. However, getting here was interesting. Pretty sure my plane neighbor was ready to HUCK the last half of the flight...I spilled water on him when the flight attendant decided that maybe he didn't want to take my trash from me...my plane neighbor thought he should have been allowed to have my seat too!... oh, did I tell you that my plane neighbor was annoying? Ya, but at least he didn't huck!

Quick update...

Mom is home from the hospital, doing good.

I haven't killed my brother yet... I'll keep you posted on this one.

Dad is much happier now that his "Wifee" is home.

Had a fun Denny's Run with my sister, Jen and brother, Dave. Learned that the guy sitting in the booth next to us was a professional name-dropper...heehee.

Defrosted the freezer and cleaned it out already.

Starting tomorrow- daycare... Can you feel the excitement OOZING out of me?

no theme song...I'm not on my computer. No complaining.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

M.I.A.

I was MIA for 2 days... lay off! I am a crazy girl, trying to get everything prepared for leaving.

That is right folks, I am taking a vacation.

Well, not really... I am going to SoCal to help out with my Mom's daycare while she recovers from hip-replacement surgery. FYI- she is doing much better, although her blood pressure was really low this morning.

So, I am going to be gone for 9 days. Yes, 9 days without my gorgeous FiM. 9 days without my kids. BUT- that is 9 days that I have to prepare for. And most of the time I fly by the seat of my pants. But how am I able to do that being 3 states away from my family? 9 days away means being prepared. 9 days of clean clothes. 9 days of meals. 9 days worth of clean dishes (actually I am thinking we are going to go the route of the paper products), 9 days of EVERYTHING.

K- so as I was thinking about getting my family all prepared for me to be gone I pondered on my friends. I have to tell y'all... I have the greatest friends E.V.E.R! I thought about the many things/blessings my friends bring to my life.

Each friend adds something unique, something special, and that includes my bloggy friends. I don't want to go into specifics because I am the dork that would totally forget to put someone on the list and feel uber bad for the rest of eternity. But, I thought that I would tell you all what my friends have added to my life. I am all about lists.

  • Happiness- just a phonecall or a text...
  • Service- I have friend who know... friends who do... and I love them for that.
  • Listening ears- I doubt I need to explain this one
  • Helpful advice- this one is self-explanatory, too
  • My sounding board- when I think I have had enough... I can let it go
  • Silliness- sometimes a girl just needs to be silly, and I have friends that are okay with my silliness- or at least they don't hate me for it.
  • X-Ray Vision- they see right through me, know when I am in need...
  • Strong- in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense.
  • FUNNY!- cuz I can ALWAYS use a good laugh
  • Thoughtful
These are just a few of things I was thinking about. Each friend adds to my life and I just wanted to give a BIG
THANK YOU!
to all of you. Love ya TONS and BUNCHES... and as my friend Michelle told me the other day- Love you Big Fat Piggy Bunches!

Song- I was looking up the friend song that I wanted and the one that kept popping up was Friends are of the Devil by the Grateful Dead. Not really what I was looking for! The one I finally found...the one that I wanted is by Michael W. Smith "Friends"

Monday, September 21, 2009

I'd like to thank...

I'd like to thank the academy, oh, I mean JennyMac for giving me a blogging award. She made me smile, which was much appreciated by my husband who is concerned by the thrust of hormones that hit me (and therefore hit him and the offspring) this weekend. So, thanks!


Wanna see what I got? Do ya?


Oh, ya! I give good blogs! SWEET! Aside from being a totally sexy award, I feel so privileged to be the recipient of any writing/blogging award. I was never a "writer" growing up and I love that now, when I don't have to get graded on my style and proper use of the English language, I am being recognized... (did that make any sense whatsoever? Well, it did in my messed-up mind).

So, the rule is that I need to pass it on to 4 other phenomenal bloggers. So, here it goes...

1. Sage @ Welcome to Sageville cuz could he be any greater? Love this country boy! And what makes it even better is it is Sage's birthday today. Just so you know- his blog is not G-rated or even PG-rated...

2. Missty @ Life Is Good! cuz she loves food...and she is funny...and I love this girl!

3. Betty @ My Life in a Multi-Level cuz I can always count on a good life. I totally relate to this girl, even with we aren't related (which is probably lucky for her since I have the curse).

4. Crash @ Crash Test Dummy Diaries cuz I have been following her for a long time and it never gets old. She is AWESOME! And what is even better is that she recently moved to my town... WOOHOO! (well, not for her since she moved here from Hawaii, but WOOHOO for me).

Well, there you go. Take your awards. Pass it on to 4 other bloggers, if you wish, or just put it up on your sidebar for you and others to admire. No need to pass it on if you don't wish. I am not the blogger-award-police.

Theme song- The Winner Is from the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack.

Friday, September 18, 2009

That's my boy!

My son came home from school today... he had a great smile on his face, as usual, cuz he is my son!


Anyway, while I was at the store earlier, picking up milk and some fruit I also picked up some suckers for the kids.

So, when he came home I hugged him and kissed him and whispered to him, "Mommy got a treat for you at the store."

His honest, open little handsome face lit up and said, "Cowboy boots?"


My little cowboy. Ya gotta love a boy who wants to be a cowboy...

Theme song? Mama, Don't Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys by my man Willie.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Note to my daughter

Dear UMM,

I am fully aware that your little body is growing. I know that your mind is growing. I know that right now you can't really read, which is okay since you are only 4. However, you should know enough by now to NOT do the following:

  • Put Bengay in your eyes. I know you thought it was lotion, but even lotion does not belong in your eyes.
  • Write on the outside of the house with a large permanent marker. I know your life-long dream is to be a gangsta-tagger, but let's wait until you can actually write words.
  • Play with your sister piggy bank. You know she is just gonna get mad and hit you and then I am going to have to intervene, which I really hate doing cuz that means I have to be the Mom.
  • Ask for a snack every 5 minutes. Again, I know your body is growing, but I don't have enough money to feed your every hunger pain. And really, it isn't hunger, it is boredom. Go play!
I'm sure that as each day goes by I am going to have to remind you of things. That is something moms do. But once more, let me tell you... Bengay will sting if you put it in your eyes. Yes, everytime. So don't do it again.

LOVE YA Sweet girl!

Your Patience-Challenged Mom!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

(Part VII) Well?

K- so remember I was over at FiM's apartment? We were having dinner? BBQ chicken and such.

FiM's roommates had helped him clean up the apartment. Made it look really nice. Candlelight dinner at the table. Lights are low. Soft music playing in the background. So romantic.

Okay, the dinner was fabulous. The conversation great. And then... FiM popped out of the room to "get ready". He came back in with a goofy cowboy hat (most cowboy hats are great- this was a goofy one, and he knew it!) and his guitar. At this point I am pretty embarrassed because he has gone to so much trouble to make this a special night. All his attention was on me and I wasn't used to that. It was so nice, though.

So, he sat down with his guitar and started playing and singing a song he wrote for me. Picture if you will (I love saying that, and if you can name what it is from you are my hero!) this sexy man, singing his heart out to me. It was a funny song, but serious too, because it was the actual proposal. Asking me to marry him. Kinda like the song from the Wedding Singer... the one that Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore on the plane. (Coincidentally, that is today's theme song.) I really wish I had a video of him singing the song, even the words, but that was before I blogged and I wasn't great at taking pics. The gist of the song was about making me happy, doing all the wonderful things for me that I deserve, and then ended about being a great dad to our future offspring. It was so fun.

I actually do have pics from that night, somewhere, but remember my utter hatred for all things HP? Ya, my 3 in 1 POS (s stands for stupid junk) isn't working at all now. It is having electronic seizures. So, even if I knew where the pics were I wouldn't be adding them today because I'd have to scan them in, which is a total no-no until I replace my POS.

Back to my story- YEAH! We are officially engaged. Or at least we will be when I answer him. Ya, that's right. The song ended and I just stared at him, probably with a goofy grin on my face to match the goofy cowboy hat. He just stared back. Finally saying, "Well?" Oh no, the yes in my head didn't make it to my mouth.

"Yes, of course I will." Whew, that was close. Some great hugging and kissing went on after that, but I won't bore you with details. Suffice it to say, he has a goatee (even did back then) and I looked like a woman with major whisker burn!

k- So now we are engaged. Time to pick the date.

Double Duty Tuesday

I will stop torturing you and will add the next part of my story later today. But I had to share this priceless moment I had with UMM just a few minutes ago.

While eating lunch the following conversation really happened...

Me: **sniff** Did you toot?

UMM: No, it just smells like it.

Me: I'm pretty sure you did. Can you not do that at the table?

UMM: I didn't. It just smells like it. It was you, Mommy.

Me: Um, nope. Sure wasn't.

UMM: Haahaa! It just smells like I tooted. (said with a BIG smile on her face)

Monday, September 14, 2009

Food, Friends and Fireside...

Last week we had the great chance to get together with some AWESOME friends for dinner and a fireside at church. What do friends do when they get together?

Act weird, of course....



But really, we had a lot of FUN!


ps- no, I'm not pregnant and neither is anyone else in this pic... Don't ask or I might have to do some smacking.

Theme song- Good People by Jack Johnson

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Can't take the credit...

Can't take credit for the idea, but I would like to. It is actually all thanks to my 2 best friends- Laina and Shanna. They have put together a fun group for the food exchange. We each have one meal that we make so many of, then we get together and exchange. Since I had a lot of requests for the recipe and the idea I am putting all the recipes below. These are the ones we did this time. I was in charge of the Chicken and Dumplings. Even if you don't want to get your own group together to do this (which I highly recommend you all do!) the recipes are really good. Even if you have your own recipes pretty much any of them will work because you use the meals within a month of being in the freezer. One thing- potatoes don't work so well so if you want to do a recipe with potatoes, just delete that when doing the cooking and then add them in when you are ready to warm the meal up for dinner. Just a thought. Oh, and the girls put together a list of "rules" too that was a BIG help this time...

THANKS Laina and Shanna for helping to make sure my family is fed. I'm sure Dalen would like to thank you too because this means less meals for him to have to fix when I don't get around to making dinner before I leave for work.

Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken (breasts, thighs or tenders)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can (11 oz) milk
1 onion, quartered
1 cup baby carrots
3 stalks celery, cut to desired size
1 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
pepper
2 cans biscuit dough

Place items in a crockpot. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or for 7-8 hours on low.

Cool, pour into bags and freeze. When thawed add biscuits and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chili Burgers

1 lb ground beef

1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained

1 can tomato soup

1 c chopped celery

½ c chopped onion

¼ c ketchup

1 T brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground mustard

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Brown hamburger. In saucepan, add beans, soup, celery, onion, ketchup, brown sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30-40 min until veggies are tender.

Freeze. To reheat, thaw and put in crock pot until hot. Serve on Kaiser Rolls or hamburger buns.

Sticky Chicken

1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken, in chunks

1 c. Russian dressing

1 c. apricot or pineapple jam

1 onion, cut in chunks

1 green pepper, cut in chunks

Combine all ingredients in frying pan. Bring to boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes depending on size of chicken pieces. Or (mixture can be baked at 350 degrees for about 30 min). Cool, pour into bags and freeze. When thawed simmer until warmed and serve over steamed rice.

Green Chile

1 lb pork roast or chops

14 oz Chicken Broth

1 med Onion Chopped

1 8 oz can green chilies diced

1 whole jalapeño chopped with seeds (for more kick!)

1 tsp Garlic salt with black pepper

2 Tbs flour dissolved in chicken broth

2 chopped up cloves of garlic

Toppings

Cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, sour cream, or anything else!

I crock-pot this recipe and use it for 2 meals. (Freezing one of course!)

Cook on low all day about an hour.

Put meat into taco or use for nachos.

Just pull out of freezer the night before and place in fridge. May reheat

on the stovetop or the crock-pot.

Ham and Swiss Quiche

1 1/3 cups bisquick 1 c. (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 c. finely chopped cooked ham
2 green onions, sliced
1 can evaporated milk
3 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions:

sprinkle 1/2 c. cheese, ham and green onions. - in a bowl, whisk together evap. milk, eggs, flour, salt and pepper - pour mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cool, pour into bags and freeze. When thawed, bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Meatballs

Prep time: 20 min.

Total time: 38 min.

Makes: 8 servings, 4 meatballs each

WHAT YOU NEED

2 lb ground beef

1 pkg (6 oz) stove top stuffing for chicken

1 1/4 cups water

2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400. Line 2 (15x10x1 inch) pans with foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients until blended; shape into 32 (1 1/2 inch) balls, using 1/4 cup for each.

2. Place 16 meatballs in each prepared pan. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done (160 F)

3. Combine half the meatballs with tomato-Basil cream sauce. Cool remaining meatballs; freeze for later use.

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes...I use diced tomatoes with green chili

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can green chilies, diced...if not using diced tomatoes with green chili

2 tsp red chili powder

1 1/2 cup water

salt and pepper

Cool, pour into bags and freeze. When thawed, warm in pot and serve.

Lasagna

10 to 12 lasagna noodles

Spaghetti Sauce

1 16 ounce cottage cheese

½ cup parmesan

2 slightly beaten eggs

½ teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups grated mozzarella

Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on the package; drain and set aside. Mix cottage cheese, parmesan, eggs, basil, parsley flakes and pepper. In pan layer 5 noodles, spaghetti sauce, ½ of the cottage cheese mixture. 5 noodles, spaghetti sauce and then the mozzarella. Label and freeze

Cook at 350 for 1 hr.

Ham Chowder

2 cups, cooked diced ham

1 cup onion chopped

1 cup celery chopped

1 cup grated carrots chopped

¾ cup butter

¾ cup flour

1 ½ tsp salt

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 cups half & half

2 cups milk

Boil ham & vegetables in water and ham drippings (enough water to cover the vegetables plus about 2 cups).

Melt butter, add flour and whisk until smooth. Add salt, vinegar, milk and half & half. Stir until smooth and it is thickening. Add to vegetable mixture and heat until thick and bubbly.

Pour into freezer bag. Label and freeze. When thawed, heat through on stovetop and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Chicken

2 ½ cups cooked, diced chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz sour cream

1 8 oz cream cheese

1 cup milk

1 packet good seasons Italian seasoning mix

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Heat and stir until smooth. Add chicken and heat through. Pour into freezer bag. Label and freeze. When thawed, heat through on stovetop and serve over rice or noodles.

Poppy seed Chicken

-6 chicken breasts

-1 large can cream of chicken soup (2 small)

-1 cup sour cream

-11/2 stacks of ritz crackers (crushed)

-11/2 cubes of butter

-11/2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

-Boil chicken and cut up into chunks

-place in the bottom of a greased casserole dish

-mix soup, sour cream on stove to warm, mix well then pour over the chicken

-melt the butter and stir into crushed crackers, add poppy seeds and mix together

-spread the cracker mixture over the chicken

-bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Creamy One-Pot Pasta

1 Tbsp. oil

2 large garlic clove

5 ¼ cups chicken broth

1 lb uncooked penne pasta

1 head broccoli (2 cups small florets)

2 medium carrots, peeled

8 oz. cream cheese

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Place garlic and oil into 8 qt. stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minute or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner; increase heat to high. Cover and bring to boil. Stir in pasta, cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm (stir occasionally).

Meanwhile cut broccoli . Cut carrots in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise.

Cut cream cheese into cubes.

Add vegetables to pasta and boil another 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, salt and pepper to pasta. Stir until cream cheese in melted and incorporated. Reduce heat and cover. Continue cooking 2-4 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Cool, pour into bags and freeze. When thawed, bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

Almost Ravioli

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

8 ounces bowtie pasta

4 c. spaghetti sauce

1 c. tomato sauce

1/4 t. pepper

2 T. sugar

1 (10 ounce) pkg. frozen chopped spinach

1 c. cottage cheese

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef with onion. Cook bowtie pasta in salted water for half the time recommended on package. Combine ground beef, pasta, and all remaining ingredients. Place in gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Place in greased baking dish. Stir. Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350. Top with more grated Parmesan cheese.

No theme song for today. It's all about the cooking!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Taking a break

I know you have all come here today, thinking you were going to read the next part in our ongoing saga. Not so. Don't hate me. I can only handle so much mushy in a week.

Actually, I just had to take a quick break to show you all what my kitchen looked like yesterday...



This is afterwards... dreading the cleanup...


Someone want to come do my dishes for me???




For those wonderful friends who let me borrow the crockpots- I swear, they will be clean!

I was up past 4am letting the food cool enough to put in ziplock bags to freeze. So in honor of my all-night cooking fest the theme song is "All Night Long" by Lionel Ritchie.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

(Part VI) Let's Get Married

It was a busy day... back off! Finally got the holy piece of crap (otherwise known as HP 3 in 1) to save my scans!

Now that we are back to our regularly scheduled program... are you ready for part 6?

Okay, so now that we have OFFICIALLY kissed, remember... he made me wait a whole month (and then I made him wait 3 days, but come on, it was only fair, right?).

So, we had a lot of fun over the next month. Lots of kissing. L.O.T.S! T.O.N.S! Couldn't help it. We loved kissing each other. We also loved talking. During this time we talked a lot too. And then kissed. And then talked some more. And then kissed some more.

For months (even before we started dating) we had been talking about going to California, a group of us, staying with my parents and heading to Disneyland. Over time that trip evolved.

A month after our first kiss we made our way down to SoCal for Disneyland, but also for a very special event. I know, you are thinking I'm crazy, and I'm not going to argue with you on that one. It was time for the classic- "asking future FIL for permission to marry his daughter." Ya, it was quick, but remember, we spent everyday (just about) together even before we dated. We saw each other sick. We saw each other with our respective (but not quite respectable) families. We saw each other through the highs and the lows, and even then we still wanted to date each other. That's saying something.

So, we went to Disneyland.


Me, FiM and my little Bro.

Back in the day I had a little more time, so I was a scrapbooking maniac. These are a couple of pages I made of the trip.


Disneyland was a blast. We really had a great time with each other, FiM's friend Toby (AKA What's his bucket) and my Bro, Dave.

We spent I think 3 days there. FiM (previously known as Cute Big Jerk Guy) waited until the very last night to ask my Dad for a private meeting. Mom and I were sitting in the livingroom. It wasn't until 2 hours later that Mom and I realized Dad and FiM were still in the kitchen have a little chat. Once I realized this, though, I was nervous. What is going on? About a half an hour later they made their way into the livingroom to rejoin us. FiM had the "Deer in the headlights" look mixed with a plastered "I need to smile because I am supposed to be happy" look. Dad was happy, slapped FiM on the back and the evening was over at that point.

It wasn't until later that I was told by FiM that the 2 1/2 hour conversation was basically one sided, with Dad telling him a lot about being married and what he expected of FiM. The one quote, though, that is forever engraved in his mind-

"A son is a son until he is wed. A daughter is a daughter until she is dead."

Now, I am pretty sure it was at that point that the fear of God entered into FiM, knowing that if he didn't do right by me he would be the one to wind up dead...or something like that. What it really came down to was the fact that FiM was granted permission, and given my Dad's blessing. One reason (aside from the fact that my Dad clicked with FiM right off the bat) was that although I was the 4th daughter to get married, my now fiancee was the first one to ask his permission. Such a suck-up. I do have to say that I told FiM he needed to do this, but I am almost positive he would have done it anyway. He is a gentleman like that.

I'm still shocked that he didn't run from the house screaming an hour into the "conversation."

The official asking for my hand in marriage came on April 17th. FiM made a nice dinner (BBQ chicken- yum!). Wanna know what comes next?

Stop by tomorrow. (Quit your whining.)

Theme song- in honor of part of my post being about Disneyland here is When You Wish Upon A Star.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

SO SORRY

I have my post for the next installment of our love story, BUT (and this is a big but) I have pics even! BUT, I have a RETARDED scanner. I have never told you my hatred for HP products. That is for another time. Needless to say, I am holding off on publishing my next installment until I can figure out WTFreak is going on with the dumb thing. For now- I'll leave you with this pic...


Ya, that's my butt, to go with the BIG BUT that I began the post with.

THE END! (Literally)

Theme song- I Like Big Butts by Sir Mix-a-lot

Monday, September 7, 2009

****NEWS ALERT****

I'm interrupting our regularly scheduled program to bring you this EMERGENCY NEWS FLASH.

Couple found in room, Have been there for years, Have NEVER left...

A Utah couple was discovered in their bedroom after years of being in there. When the couple was asked why they never left their room they stated, "All we needed was in here."

Apparently the couple was given a used, but nice fridge (for free I might add) and the only place they could fit it, because of the odd design of the house, was in the master bedroom.


A short time later the couple, who had previously been against a television in their bedroom, decided to add a wall-mounted flat screen. (who needs those pics of the kids anyway- we see their faces all the time)


The bed was already a permanent fixture in the room, useful for such things as sleeping and, you know, marital relations, so with all of these pleasures, who needed to leave?


The couple, who has 4 children, would make the kids do slave labor so they didn't have to leave. The local authorities are in a quandary as to whether or not they should file child-neglect charges. The D.A.'s only comment was, "Heck, if it was me, I'd have done the same thing. Good for them."

Well folks, there you have it.

Oh, and just before the time of this posting the author discovered that the mother was the president of the national "NPSA" group. Good for her!

Theme song- Love is All You Need by the Beatles... (love and a fridge and tv in your room)

Friday, September 4, 2009

(Part V) I kiss you not

I totally wasn't lying (or joking for that matter) when I told you Cute, Big Jerk Guy didn't kiss me that night. In fact the next day at the end of our "date" (which was a long walk and hanging out in the park) he went in for the hug again. Okay, this has to stop. I don't mind the hug, but if any of you know me you are fully aware that I.LOVE.TO.KISS!

So, I pulled back after the very nice hug and looked at him. I hadn't been too shy about things up to this point, so I figured why not-

Me "Are you gonna kiss me?"

Him "No."

Me "No, seriously, I want you to."

Him "I know. I want to, too."

Me "K, then kiss me."

Him "I can't."

Me "Sure you can. You have 2 lips, I have 2 lips. All we have to do is move closer until they touch."

Him "I know how it works. I just can't right now."

Me "That makes NO sense."

Him "I have always rushed into relationships and I want this to be right between us. I want to wait and make sure it really means something between you and me."

Me "Trust me, it will mean something."

Him "I just can't. Sorry." ***

So, over the next MONTH (yes I said month, one whole month. That is 1/12 of a year. 30 days. 288 hours. 17280 minutes. 1,036,800 seconds.) he didn't kiss me. Nope. Not even a peck.

I am sure some of you think he was noble. I just thought it was harsh. And I told him so. I even told him that when the time came when he really wanted to kiss me- he was going to have to ask me.

Finally after 28 days of waiting he walked me to my door and asked if he could kiss me. "Nope. You are tired. You have made me wait this long, I want it to be memorable for you."

The next night he asked me again. "Nope. I'm not really feeling it today."

So, on March 15 (which was the 3rd day) we were chillin' at his apartment. He was getting ready for our date. I was watching tv in the livingroom with his roommates. He called me back to his room to help me choose a shirt for our date. As I was walking back to the livingroom he grabbed my hand (I was in the hallway- not in his room people). He turned me around and asked if he could kiss me. Again I said No. How mean am I? Well, I thought he was pretty mean for making me wait this long. I needed to have a little control with the situation. As I sat there with his roommates I couldn't get my mind thinking about anything but kissing him. So I made my move. He was in the bathroom, just brushed his teeth. Perfect, he was minty fresh. This is how it went down.

Me "If we are going to do this we need to do it now." (Right here- in the bathroom.)

Him "Okay." (Smiling)

We both leaned in and it was a VERY nice kiss. Very nice until he started laughing. I.KID.YOU.NOT! He laughed. (In his words he "giggled" because he was so happy.) HE LAUGHED! The kiss was obviously over at that point so I walked back to the livingroom. I was humiliated. Totally embarrassed. How could he laugh?

Not 2 minutes later he came to the front room, ready to go, took my hand and we were out the door. I think the rest of the night was pretty much all kissing- no laughing this time. It was so nice. Especially since he didn't laugh.

Theme song- Then He Kissed Me by the Crystals. I LOVE THIS SONG!

Oh, and pictures will be coming. We just don't have documentation (photos) until we got en-gag-ed.

***This conversation is 90% fiction. I did ask him why he wouldn't kiss me and the reason was what he told me. The rest, ya, that's how it played out in my mind.***

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

(Part IV) First Date and all that jazz

Double date ended up being a group date.

Went to eat at Chili's**. Cute, Big Jerk Guy was such a gentleman. Held my chair for me, helped me take my coat off... the works. We sat across from each other so we could talk more easily. The conversation was great. It was a lot of fun. We both had the chicken caesar salad. Don't ask why. No, I wasn't trying to be dainty. I happen to really like a good salad. If you have ever seen me eating salad (essentially cow food) you would know that I am anything but dainty. Picture a cow chewing grass... there you go.

After dinner the group headed over to the local theater to see Life Is Beautiful. Fabulous movie, but uber depressing. Oh, and you have to have your reading glasses on because it is an Italian movie- all subtitles. Woohoo!

Feeling all tingly and good inside after such inspiration from the movie (I jest) we headed back to Cute, Big Jerk Guy's house (which he shared with a few other guys) and sat around talking. Everyone found a place to sit.

Everyone but me a Cute, Big Jerk Guy. So, we sat on the floor and visited with each other while the rest of the group talked and played games. I doubt they even realized we were not in on the conversation. Then again, they probably were aware, we just weren't really aware of them. At one point Cute, Big Jerk Guy reached over and put his hand on mine.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ya, that was my heart screaming for joy. Who knew that a simple gesture like taking my hand would send me into arrhythmia? I am getting all tingly just remembering the feeling. We held hands the rest of the night. I am pretty sure I had the biggest, cheesiest grin on my face too.

We actually did have to end the evening, so Cute, Big Jerk Guy took me home in his really cute, but very worn out red car. He opened the door for me. Walked me to the front door. Hugged me.

And...

Nothing. Said goodnight and walked back to his car. We had plans to see each other the next day. And I have EVERY intention of asking why I did not get a goodnight kiss.

Theme song- Kiss me by Harry Connick Jr. great song!
Just FYI- I have heard from a few of y'all that you aren't fans of having the music auto-play. So, since it really is for me, I turned it off. If you want to hear it (which I highly recommend) you are gonna have to push play.

** I later found out that Cute, Big Jerk Guy is NOT a fan of Chili's. Don't look at me- I didn't choose the joint. We could have gone anywhere.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

(Part III) And then we....Dated????

We were both in agreement... We were both Hot and totally interested in the other person. What now?

Well, we decided to date- exclusively. We both felt that if it was right then we would know fairly quickly. Why fool around with others when we are interested in a serious relationship? So we are going to date.

So, I waited...

And waited...

And waited some more.

For 4 days I waited for him to ACTUALLY ASK ME ON A DATE. Just because we were "dating" - that doesn't negate the actual need to ASK me on an actual date! Apparently there was a double date planned with his friend, Joe- remember him???? He had asked my friend Emily on a date and she said she would if I went along with a date. (see, she wasn't that into him and she thought a double date would be easier/more comfortable.) But, Cute, Big Jerk Guy hadn't asked me yet.

Thursday, I finally gave up on the quest for him to ask me on a date. The conversation went something like this---->

Me "What are you doing on Tomorrow night?"

Him "Going on a date with you."

Me "Too late, I already asked you."

Him "Ummm, ok."

Me "And when we get married and have kids I am going to tell them that I asked you on our first date."

Him "Ummm, ok."

Heehee!

Theme song- Short Skirts and Long Jacket by Cake- popular back then.

Monday, August 31, 2009

(Part II) This is just the beginning

Yes, you read right... he was visiting his girlfriend who lived up north. MAN! That totally put a damper on my ideas, because I had every intention of pursuing Cute, Big Jerk Guy

Back to the drawing board for me.

A few weeks later Sister and I went to another church activity. This time it was a dance. Totally fun. I am all about dancing. There were a few guys there that were phenomenal dancers, and I kind of gravitated toward them. The only reason I tell you this is because I hooked up with a guy at that activity, who my bishop later set me up with on a date. Good intentions, I thought I really liked him, but that was a flop. Ya, he told me he was interested in a serious relationship, but he happened to tell a few other girls at church the same thing. He was juggling 4 of us at once. Not my idea of a serious relationship.

I had a few other relationships over the next few months, but nothing really came of any of them.

Fast forward to December...

Sister and I got a call from the Cute, Big Jerk Guy. He needed us to help out at another church activity. ANYTHING for the Cute, Big Jerk Guy (who really was not much of a jerk). After said activity he came back to my apartment with a friend of his and Sister and I had fun visiting. That was the beginning of the every-day-come-over-to-see-me trend. Seriously, he was over everyday. I loved it. This totally hot guy was coming over to visit with me and my sister. Little did I know at this point that his friend has called "DIBS" on me. Cute, Big Jerk Guy agreed not to pursue, why would he? He still had a girlfriend (or so I thought).

After coming back from Christmas Break Cute, Big Jerk Guy came over with his friend to visit. His friend, Joe, asked me out. WHAT? Not him... I didn't want him to ask me out. I wanted Cute, Big Jerk Guy to ask me out, but I knew he was taken... That is when I found out that over Christmas Break Cute, Big Jerk Guy made the break. He dumped the girl. WOOHOO! But not so much since it was pretty obvious Joe liked me and it is kinda rude to jones on a friend.

After one date, though, Joe got the hint and realized how much I dug on Cute, Big Jerk Guy. Joe, being a genius at helping others with their relationship woes called up Cute, Big Jerk Guy and said something like, "You like her, she likes you. If you don't do something about it she is going to get tired of this and give up." BRILLIANCE! This phone call happened to be the night of my birthday party (Ya, I threw myself a big party- my way of trying to be happy when I was sad not to be getting the guy I was really interested in). The party was great. Cute, Big Jerk Guy showed up for a little bit, but then left. Sucky because I was left to dance with the 4-timing ex. who wouldn't leave the party. I did have a lot of fun, though. Getting that phone call was the BEST EVER, though. We agreed to meet up the next day at my place after he got off of work.

The next morning Sister and my roommate decided to go snowboarding. Usually I was up for this, especially since it was a holiday and no school. I hadn't told them about my scheduled meeting with Cute, Big Jerk Guy and thought maybe it wasn't the right time to tell them since I really didn't know what the outcome of said meeting was going to be. They tried to convince me to go with them. Great day for boarding. They were even going to spring for the cost. How is a girl supposed to turn that down? I'll tell you how- the thought of having a private meeting with Cute, Big Jerk Guy helped me stick to my guns. I was staying home.

Got all my homework done waiting for Cute, Big Jerk Guy to come over. When I finally heard the knock my heart skipped a beat. Actually, I think it just stopped. I had to give myself CPR just to get it started again. I opened the door and their stood my Adonis. Yummy! He came in and we kicked back in the living room. Started to chat about his day at work. Finally, he looked over at me and said, "Well, enough about me...What do you think of me?" I smiled and said, "I think you're HOT!" I actually said that. Can you believe it???

His reaction? While I was busy being beet red he looked at me and said, "I think you're hot too." At least we are in agreement.

To Be Continued...

Theme song- the song I played at my party that reminded me of Cute, Big Jerk Guy. Back to Good by Matchbox 20.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

(Part I) In the Beginning

I really wanted pictures for this post, but I didn't have a chance to scan some in. Ya, we met back in the day of real film cameras. *gasp*

You asked for it, so here is part one. If you know some of this story just bear with me.

I moved to Utah (Provo to be exact) 5 weeks after returning home from serving a Mormon mission in Idaho. (Can you believe I was called to go to such an exotic place?) I moved in with my fabulous sister, who was attending BYU. I wasn't starting school until the winter semester, but after having lived away from home for 4 years I wasn't about to live at home again. (Did that make sense?)

My first Monday in Provo my sister and I went to a church activity (FHE- for those who speak Mormon). As we pulled up to the house where the activity was being held (for young single adults) my sister noticed a guy walking up to the door. Since she had already been living there she knew the guy, at least a little. She pointed to him and told me something like, "That guy is so cute." I looked over and there really was a cute guy. It only made me that much more excited to get inside for the activity.

That night, after a quick religious message, we played games and mingled. Sister and I had a chance to mozy on over to the cute guy and introduce ourselves. That was about it, but man, I felt some sparkage going on.

About a month later, at a similar activity (FHE again) we were carving pumpkins. My sister and I sat down next to the cute guy we had met the month before and started working on our pumpkins. The cute guy was working on one himself, so we started conversing, just the 3 of us. It was a lot of fun. I learned he was a very talented artist. His pumpkin ROCKED!

After said activity the group all decided to head over to BYU's famous Creamery for some well-deserved ice-cream.

My sister and I both chose an ice cream sundae- yummy! (doesn't that sound good?) Standing behind us in line, waiting to pay was the cute guy. Sister and I looked back and smiled. Then the bomb dropped...

Cute guy smiled, looked at us, looked at our ice-cream and said, "You guys are eating that? Do you know how many calories are in that?"

Translation into woman language- "You are fat and really shouldn't be eating that." Since I am a woman, I heard the female translation and dropped my face. Did this jerk really insinuate I was fat???? I know I still have a few extra pounds from the mission, but seriously, what jerk says that to a girl????

Cute, now big jerk guy kept on munching on his ice-cream, smiling, so proud of himself. (I am supposed to tell you at this point that he was smiling because he was eating the same thing as we were and he thought he was being funny.)

After paying for out goods Sister and I had to leave because we worked together at a graveyard custodial job (very fashionable college job). As we were walking to our car Cute, Big Jerk Guy said goodbye and then said, "Don't forget to hit the treadmills."

That was IT! This was WAR! She and I divided and conquerred. He ran back in. I took one door, Sister took the other and we found him "hiding" at the counter eating away. We both took a slug at his arm and left to take our rotund bodies to work.

Early the next morning, after work, we returned to our apartment to a very sweet message from Cute, Big Jerk Guy apologizing to us. He really felt comfortable with us after the pumpkin carving so he thought he could joke with us but realized it probably came off totally rude. Isn't that sweet?

Sister and I devised a brilliant plan. We made brownies and took them over to his house the next afternoon, inviting him to "get fat" with us. That is when we found out that he was out of town visiting his girlfriend for the rest of the week.

WHAT? A girlfriend? Crap.

To Be Continued...

Oh, and the theme song for today- Eve 6's Inside Out, which was popular back when we first met. (suggested by FiM)

ps the FiM is going to have to be revealed later in the story because it fits. Keep coming up with ideas. I'm still curious as to what you think.