A Little Mundane

Finger updates

2012-02-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

I had a couple of finger appointments yesterday. My finger, in my mind, looks absolutely disgusting, but the doctor was glad to see it looked exactly how he expected it to look. Even though it's gross looking, it's not infected and it's not looking worse than it should at this point. There's still a high chance of the skin not healing, though. We won't know for sure what the final outcome of my finger will be (either it will heal just fine or it will need to be cut down to right below the first knuckle) for another two weeks. I go in for that appointment on Feb. 15. I also went to the physical therapist who fitted me for a splint. YAY! I can use so much more of my hand now. I don't have a ginormous amount of gauze and tape on my finger and hand. I've also been cleared to work again. :) If you want to see updated gross finger pictures, you can check them out HERE (<--- click on it...I dare you!).

Do you want to read something eerie and crazy? Check out this post my mom did on her blog... As she was getting ready to post this particular recipe and the story that accompanied about almost losing her pinky when she was 3, she got the call from Tim informing them about my accident. Just go read it. Go HERE.

Hurr are pics of my new, hot, and functional splint:

Accident

2012-01-30T09:31:00.001-07:00

First off, Mist has been AMAZING! It has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I know it will be worth it. The first week I worked 18 hour days and got a total of about 10 hours of sleep for the entire week. Last Thursday Mist officially sold out! People who came on one of the first days immediately bought tickets to come again the following week. It's been so neat to see everything come together
Now...on to my accident. This happend last Monday, right after service as we were cleaning up. As I was walking through a heavy metal door, 2 servers were walking by, so I was trying to move out of their way. Somehow in the process of doing that, the door slammed on my pinky finger and took the top 1/2" right off. The finger was not able to be reattached because the bone had been completely smashed. I saw a plastic surgeon on Tuesday. He gave me two options. Option one, use the skin I have and with a few snips, reconstruct a new finger tip and reattach the nail that I was sent home with in a baggy. The downsides: loss of feeling in the fingertip, a slightly shorter finger, at least 6 weeks of healing time, a misshaped nail, and a slightly misshaped finger. OR Option two, cut the finger down to right below the first joint. Downsides: no fingernail, short finger/stump, BUT it only takes about 3 weeks to heal. I chose option 1. As the doc was working on it, he saw that the damage was a lot worse than he first thought. The bone was pulverized and the skin was completely mangled. Tim said it looked like some had chewed off my finger. Gross.
The doc then informed me that there is a good chance that my finger may not heal with this procedure because of the extent of the damage. He said in 10 days we will know if the procedure is going to work or not. If it doesn't work, then I'll have to go with option 2. I go in this coming Wednesday (Feb. 1) to find out how it's healing. I am asking for any prayers or positive thoughts to be sent my way. I don't want to lose more of my finger and have to go through all that pain again. If you would like to see pictures from the emergency room and during the procedure (I was awake during it all), then click HERE. WARNING, they are pretty gruesome, so proceed with caution.

Mist: Meet the Team!!

2011-12-07T14:59:00.001-07:00

Picture Source: Salt Lake Magazine

Hey everyone! Salt Lake Magazine posted their latest article on Mist today (as they will every Wednesday for 6 more weeks). This week, they share a little bit of behind-the-scenes information. Head on over and check out the article and your's truly! You can also stay up to date on all things Mist by becoming a fan on the Facebook page (look over to the right and you'll see the link!). Article found HERE! (<--- click on it!)

I'm lame... sorry.

2011-11-30T13:57:00.001-07:00

So, I've kinda figured out how to do a Mist Project badge for my blog. For some reason, it's not showing the Mist logo, but at least it says the name! Just look slightly to your right and there you will see my lame badge. Just go ahead and "like" The Mist Project page and follow our journey! Here's an article that Salt Lake Magazine did on us today. They will be posting a new article on us every Wednesday for the next 7 weeks! Super cool. (Article found HERE). And here are some pictures for you all to enjoy.

Me.

Gavin has a model motorcycle that Kade tried to ride on.

Kade turned 2 on Nov. 9!!

Gavin turned 5 on Nov. 20!!

... and for his party we had an animal guy come. He brought a 10 ft, 80 lbs. albino Bermese python.

And here are the two boys showing me how much they love each other. Aaawwwww...

Help...

2011-11-09T09:54:00.003-07:00

I want to post a link or a button or something on the side of my blog so that people can like themistproject.org Facebook page. How do I go about doing that? While I get that figured out, you all can just go to this link and like the page: https://www.facebook.com/themistproject

Thanks!

Last Week

2011-11-08T14:35:00.001-07:00

Here's what I did this past week:

I made 2 dragon costumes,

11 halloween treats for Gavin's class,

and 3 monkey hats, one for me and the boys. I'm working on Tim's right now.

...and I cooked a bunch in-between.

Announcement!!

2011-10-23T13:53:00.004-06:00

Check out this exciting project I'm involved with!

http://themistproject.org/

2011-10-18T13:23:00.001-06:00

Exciting announcement coming soon... maybe today, maybe tomorrow. So, keep checking back! YAY!!

Baker's Grease

2011-10-05T19:54:00.001-06:00

I'm a little upset that one of the best things I learned at culinary school happened during my last quarter. I wish my baking and pastry teachers told me about baker's grease when I was in those classes. It's not really a culinary secret, and many of you have probably already heard of it or use it, but it was new to me and made me really excited, so don't mock me. Have you ever greased and floured the heck out of your pans just have things still stick? Yeah, it sucks and is super annoying. The only thing that I had found to work perfectly was Wilton's Cake Release, but the price was a little ridiculous. Then I found out about baker's grease. It is pretty much what the Cake Release is, but you can make it yourself! Yay! The recipe?...

equal parts shortening, vegetable oil, and flour

That's it. Mix it up until it's creamy, spread on dish with a pastry brush, paper towel, hand, or whatever else you want. It will store in the fridge indefinitely.

I got a hat!!

2011-09-30T10:27:00.003-06:00

Last night was the very last thing I had to go to complete my graduation requirements. Graduates had to decorate their own table, showcasing themselves. Employers came around and we had to basically just sell ourselves (in a very non-sexual way, might I add). Since I am not really looking for a job right now because of FREAKIN' AWESOME opportunity that I have received (more on that later), it was pretty lame for me. I had to keep turning down employers. :/ At the beginning of the "portfolio show", we received our new chef coats that have our names on it (fancy stuff...) and then at the end there was a hat ceremony where we received our chef hats. We were informed as the ceremony began that we had to say a few words about how awesome culinary school (most particularly, the Art Institute of Salt Lake City) is. Lame. Anyways. Here's some pictures of it:

My sweet-a table

Here are the pictures of my food that I printed up and showcased:

rhubarb sauce, savory bread pudding, roasted wild mushrooms, scallions, rhubarb chip

deconstructed BLT: sourdough bread froth, roasted tomatoes (red & yellow), pork belly, roasted wild mushrooms tossed in aioli, kale chip

sous vide cauliflower puree, scallops, green apple, cumin veloute froth, caramel chip w/ ras el hanout spice, microgreens

scallops & shrimp in spicy mixture stuff, wild rice mixture (I really don't remember much about this one, but it was goood)

a quenelle of lemon-basil sorbet and tomato sorbet,, honey-roasted tomatoes, blackberries, streusel

red & golden beets, sliced artichoke heart, date puree, cranberry puree, jalapeno vinaigrette

beet ravioli - ricotta cheese filling

Oh, hi!! It's me, Tricia!

2011-09-26T10:11:00.002-06:00

It has been FOREVER!! Life has been INSANE and blogging was the last thing on my list. Obviously I never got to the bottom of my list for the past bopbillion months (bopbillion was my sister's favorite, made-up number when she was little and has since become mine too). I have some exciting news. As of this past Friday, I am a graduate! I am DONE with culinary school, and not only that, I graduated summa cum laude. That's a 4.0!! It feels a little surreal to be done. To celebrate that grand occasion, I went to physical therapy to get two dislocated ribs put back into place and taped up for additional support, then Tim and I tried to go mountain biking, only to have to stop 20 minutes in because I could feel my ribs slipping back out, after that I went home and some friends came over to help me make and decorate 30 cupcakes for a baby shower I was throwing the next day. Tim was SO EXCITED for me that, he flew to Vermont this morning for a 12 days and forgot to take me with him. :/ Oh well.

Here's pics from the baby shower:

(The ceiling was vaulted, so I could only reach a little portion of the ceiling to hang the pom-poms on. ha)

(I used THIS tutorial for the onesies)

The onesies were the first thing I have sewn in 3 or 4 months! Crazy! I've been slacking!

Pine Mouth Syndrome

2011-05-14T08:39:00.002-06:00

...It's a real thing...and I have it. Tuesday night (at 11:00 pm to be exact), I was eating a cherry laffy taffy (you know...a pre-midnight snack, no biggie) and it tasted SO bitter. So, I tried six or so more laffy taffys in different flavors JUST to make sure they weren't all bitter, but they were. I figured my taste buds were off, so I went to sleep. Breakfast the next morning was just as bitter. BLAH! Everything tasted as if I was chewing on the pith from a citrus peel. Tim figured it had something to do with a nutrient deficiency, so I googled away. The first thing that popped up after typing in "bitter taste in mouth after eating" was something about pine nuts. DING DING DING DING DIIIIINNNNGG!! There is a specific type of pine nut from China, 1-3 days after consumption, causes a sever bitter taste in the mouth that lasts for about 2 weeks. :( It doesn't effect (affect?? I dunno) everyone...only a really small percentage and your's truly is one of them. And so is my mom. Dang Settebello's pizza! You've ruined my appetite! Maybe I'll finally lose the last 10 pounds of pregnancy weight!!

So before you go thinking that you might have diabetes or your liver or kidney's are failing because you have a bitter taste in your mouth that will only go away if you don't consume food, ask your self, "Have I consumed pine nuts in the last 1-3 days?" The End.

Oh, here's a very recent article on it (just so you know I'm not full of it!): CLICK HERE!

Restaurant Info

2011-04-04T14:20:00.001-06:00

Hey all! This quarter I'm taking the restaurant class. The Art Institute has a student-run restaurant. We serve a 3 course lunch on Tuesdays from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm and a 6 course dinner on Wednesdays from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Lunch is $12.95 and dinner is $17.95. This is a great opportunity to try some amazing food for an amazing price. Reservations are preferred, but we do take walk-ins. If you're interested, here are the details:

The Savory Palate
121 W. Election Road
Draper, Utah
801-601-4769

Quarter 3 in pictures

2011-03-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

This quarter kicked my butt more emotionally than physically. I have one week to get geared up for the next quarter. But here is what I have been up to for the past 11 weeks:

For one of my finals, I had to do a grand buffet for 12 guests. My group chose an Asian theme. I personally thought everything was quite tasty.

Next quarter I am in the restaurant class. You should come by and eat!

Country Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe & Tutorial

2011-03-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

I did a tutorial on some AWESOME biscuits over HERE! So head on over!

(Photos by Terri Spencer)

Lame Boyfriend

2011-02-28T05:00:00.001-07:00

I once dated a boy who kept telling me that a woman's job is to entertain their man, have babies, and work in the kitchen. He also told me that I better not let myself get fat after I have babies. What a loser. For years I've been trying to prove him wrong about a woman's role, and so what do I do? I choose a career path that would put me in the kitchen, I have two kids, and I love to make my husband happy, especially through food. But through these years of trying to be more than what he said I was going to be, I've become more independent, confident, and fulfilled. I've pursued things that I probably never would have; I've accomplished more than I could have wished; and I made sure I married a man that was all for me reaching my full potential and not expecting me to wait around on him every second of the day waiting for an opportunity to please and entertain him. I married a real man. (I love you, Tim!!) So, take THAT loser ex-boyfriend!

My full time job is mommy...

2011-02-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

People at school never hesitate to inform me how easy I have it because I don't have to work full time while going to school like they do; I get to stay at home all day and just relax, work on homework during my loads of free time, and just do whatever I want to do. Obviously these people have never been a mom and a wife. All I can do is just smile and say, "yep, I have it soooo easy. Thanks for pointing it out." Maybe if I slept in until noon, then went snowboarding for a few hours before class started and then went to school, I could have something to complain about...life would be waaaay too hard and busy to get anything important done. I'm glad I have my classmates to keep me in check.

Baptisms #2 and #3

2011-02-25T07:41:00.001-07:00

We had two more kids get baptized a couple of weeks ago and have another one in a week. I better get my butt into gear now and finish that one soon so I'm not up until 2:00 AM on the morning of the baptism trying to finish it. I don't know why procrastination insists on being my best friend and why I allow it. I need to grow a pair and end that relationship, but not today. I don't feel like it.

Sous Chefs

2011-02-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am such a lucky mom. I not only have one amazing sous chef, but TWO!

Some of you are already aware of Gavin's knife skills. This kid sure makes a mean salad.

*Sleeping on the job is not a good idea. I may need to fire him. Just sayin'...*

(Pictures from my mom's site)

Kade has started to take an interest in cooking. If anyone is at the stove, he feels it necessary to be there with us. He is amazing at holding a wooden spoon perfectly still in a pot or pan.

I think there's something about mom-mom's house where these kids feel the dire urge to help cook. Kade likes to help at my house, but you couldn't catch Gavin dead or alive helping me out...only at mom-mom's house.

Orange Chicken Recipe

2011-02-21T10:26:00.001-07:00

This is Chef Wan Ho (American name is Jerry) Kou's original Orange Chicken recipe. Jerry is my Asian cuisine teacher. This past Wednesday he treated us to his version of Orange Chicken, and it was delicious. It isn't like Panda's orange chicken, so don't go into it thinking it is, but it is just as delicious. This recipe makes a lot, so adjust as needed.

Cut 4 lbs. of dark chicken meat into about 1 1/2 inch chunks. Squeeze juice from 2 lemons on top of chicken. Add 1 T salt, 5 T sugar, 1 t sesame oil, 1 T vegetable oil and some cornstarch to the chicken. Mix together and marinate at least 1 hour.

Batter:

2 c all-purpose flour

2 T yeast bloomed in 1 c warm water (add a pinch of sugar to help the blooming)

1/2 t salt

about 2-3 c of water

Combine flour, yeast/water mixture, and salt. Add enough water to make a smooth batter. Dip chicken pieces into batter and deep fry until a deep golden brown.

Sauce:

3 pints pineapple juice

2 pints fresh orange juice

5 lemons, juiced

1 c sugar

2t salt

cayenne pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Saute fried chicken and sauce together. You probably won't need all the sauce, so add as much or as little as you'd like.

There ya go. I hope you enjoy!

Sushi!

2011-02-15T17:29:00.003-07:00

Busy, busy, busy. I can't believe that each quarter gets even busier than the last. This is nuts. I need my snuggie, James McAvoy, a jar of frosting or three, and a nap. Maybe one day. This has been a pretty exciting quarter. I'm taking some really fun classes: Asian cuisine, Intro to Pastry, and Garde Manger (Garde Manger is cold prep like salads, sandwiches, hors d' ouvres, appetizers, even sausages!, curing, smoking, ice carving (yeah, I get to take an ice carving class!!), fruit sculpturing, etc...pretty sweet!).

The other week, we had a guest chef come and teach us about sushi! mmmm.... It was awesome! I probably ate my weight in sushi, or at least it felt like it. I took lots of pictures and videos. The video below is kinda long, but is full of neat tips and tricks. I can't remember exactly what is in each video and I don't have the time re-watch them to find out, but I DO remember that there's some good stuff in them. :) I wish I could remember the chef's name because he was fantastic and deserves credit. If I remember it, I will post his name. If you have any sushi questions, please feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Enjoy the pictures and videos!

(We learned the ins and outs of making awesome tempura, hand rolls, inside-out rolls, regular sushi rolls, how to fillet and cook eel and an amazing sauce to go with it, and of course all about sushi rice)

Craft Blog

2011-02-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

My friend has started up a craft blog that will be full of tutorials. She has asked me to help contribute to it. So, I'm going to ask you guys, is there any craft I've done that you would like a step-by-step picture tutorial for? Is there something super cute you have seen that you would like me to figure out and do a tutorial for? Anything at all? I'll be doing a tutorial for my scripture case, but what else would you like to see? Let me know!! When I get things posted on the site, I'll let you know. :)

Genius!

2011-01-27T10:14:00.001-07:00

Anthropologie is coming out with a line of wedding gowns. The unveiling is on Feb. 14. You can take a sneak peak HERE. Their stuff is gorgeous!! I would have been all over that for my wedding. I think I'll take one of each just so I can wear them around my house. Who's with me (besides Courtney)?

Chef Gavin!!

2011-01-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Name: Chef Gavin

Nickname: Gavisaurus-rex

Favorite activity: playing with Mya and Dax

Favorite Food: chicken nuggets

Famous for: making a mean tortilla

Dear Taryn,

2011-01-10T08:23:00.001-07:00

Now first off, please don't judge me on the fact that I still haven't sent you and Grant your highly anticipated Christmas present. It will come...eventually, and when it does, it will rock your world.

I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it is for me to remember to take pictures of the things I do, but I really tried...just for you, so that I could update you. Hurr you go.

I have a pet dinosaur at home. It's true. A real, live dinosaur. Just check out this dinosaur hair:

Luckily Jen just gave him a haircut last night so I don't have to deal with dinosaur hair at church anymore.

Gavin has taught Kade the art of growling, so the two of them will growl and chase each other, just like dinosaurs.

When my boys aren't acting like dinosaurs, they're digging for dinosaurs:

or they're tearing up the place and acting like goofs:

(Check out the wake of destruction behind Gavin. How he does it, I have no idea.)

Tim works...all day, every day, and he just loves to do it.

I usually just sit around on my butt, eating things I shouldn't, ignoring kids when I shouldn't, refusing to clean and gaining copious amounts of weight. You need no picture of that. It's pretty sick.

BUT! I did have Mat, Jen, Scott, and Trisha over for dinner last night!! I may have forgotten to take pictures of them, but I did get pictures of the food. Well, most of the food. Again, I'm just not good at this picture taking stuff.

Jen's salad seriously rocked. I'm a total salad lover and her's was awesome. Look at now beautiful it was!

mmmmmm.

There's seems to be a child crying for me. I suppose I should go look into that.

Love,
Tricia

Dear Ashlee,

2011-01-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

As I was doing my hair today, I started thinking about bangs and I became curious, did you ever have bangs that looked like the either of the following?:

I remember that the philosophy was, the bigger the better. In 6th and 7th grade I attempted to have bangs like the first girl. Imagine the biggest hoop earrings you've ever seen, my bangs didn't look like that, BUT my best friend's bangs did and I was mesmerized by their huge roundness. Mine were more like the picture that gymnasts bangs. I'm wondering if you will do your bangs like that and take a picture of it for me? I think it would be quite amusing to see you with bangs like either of these fine women.

Ashlee, you need to know that I am totally smitten by your Wesley and I fear I may steal him from you and call him my own. You've been warned.

I've been watching some Veronica Mars lately (and by some, I really mean all 3 seasons), and I about jumped out of my untainted-by-Kim panties when all of a sudden I heard...

Louis XIV!! Veronica Mars is SO cool that they played not only one but TWO Louis XIV songs. Every time they said "lover" I thought of you.

Love,

Tricia

Dear Courtney,

2011-01-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

I still can't understand why you felt it necessary to ditch me here in lame Utard for even lamer Bel Air, MD, but whatev. I don't have the time or energy to ponder it anymore, so I'm over it...almost. Did you know that in April there's a movie coming out with...

mmmmm....

Too bad you're not here with me so we could watch it together and dream about our imaginary McAvoy spawns. I'm over it...sorta.

Update on the kiddos...

We both new that I have a one-year-old Gavin in my house, but for more proof, check it out:

First up, Gavin:

Next up, Gavin #2 (aka, the Kade):

hm...

Oh, and speaking of Kade, HE WALKS! He started right after you left. Too bad Cody felt it necessary to tear you from wonderful Utah, or you would have been here to see it. Cody sucks.

Love,

Tricia

Baptism Gifts

2011-01-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Tim and I are CRT 7 primary teachers. The kids in our class get baptized this year. The first gets baptized this week. For a baptism gift, I'm making them scripture cases. Here's the first of the bunch:

Yay for baptism!

Macarons (as opposed to Macaroons)

2011-01-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

After doing a research paper on French macarons, I've become obsessed. Supposedly they're the new cupcake. They are the cutest (and most delicious) little things.

I kept reading about how hard they are to make even though they're made of just 4 ingredients. The other week, I finally tried to make them. They looked perfect on the outside, but they came out completely hollow. Dang. I wanted to try to make them again for New Year's Eve, so I did some research and found out that the hollowness is due to overmixing (one too many folds of the batter will ruin it. One site said it should take no more than 50 folds). I tried to make them again yesterday. The first batch was still a little hollow but not as bad as the first time I made them. I then attempted a second batch and counted how many times I folded the batter. At about 37 folds, I stopped. The second batch was pretty much perfect except that I guess the tip of my piping bag wasn't completely perpendicular to the baking sheet when piping the batter, so some of them came out slanted. The inside, though, was exactly how it should be. YAY! I made macarons!! Seriously guys, these things take more pampering than a new born, so I find this quite the feat.

(please excuse my dry, old lady looking hands. That industrial strength degreaser from school will do that to ya.)

I filled these with a scrumptious peppermint buttercream icing. mmmm... I made some other ones with a white chocolate peppermint ganache. The ganache ones melted in my mouth...so dang good!

If you feel like taking on the task of making macarons (again, not macarOOns, they're completely different), then check out this article/recipe HERE!

The Longest Christmas Post EVER

2011-01-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Oh, man. I took SO many pictures this Christmas. It's out of control. So, grab a snack, a blanket, and curl up by a nice, warm fire and check out this novel of a post (oh, and praise me for my awesomeness at documenting Christmas 2010).

First up, the classic Christmas morning picture on the stairs:

Next up, me finishing up Christmas gifts for my ma and sister. I'm sewing them snuggies while I'm wearing a snuggie...I'm so funny.

And now on to...nothing. That's it. Those are the ONLY pictures that were taken on Christmas. Awesome. BUT I did take lots of video. Go me.

Hope your Christmas was fabulous!

Hello, Kitty!

2010-12-18T00:52:00.002-07:00

What better way to celebrate being done with school than to design and make a Hello, Kitty pillow for Gavin's friend, Mya.

Happy Birthday, Mya-girl!

Oh, and check out this psycho kid...

Smashing food on his head...it's what all the cool kids are doing.

Quick! I need some help...again

2010-12-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Naturally, I'm a huge procrastinator. I have a report to give tomorrow afternoon and I need your thoughts, opinions, input, and poll taking skills...so click away!

Thank you! You rock and are hot.

Quarter #2 in pictures

2010-12-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been up to for the past 10 weeks...

...5 more days and then Tim and I get to sleep for 3 weeks.

The ice cube method part 2

2010-12-07T13:47:00.001-07:00

So...I guess I forgot to mention that the ice cube method makes crunchy crust on breads that usually have a crunchy crust. Sorry for any confusion! Here's the recipe I used in school and it's delicious (it's the recipe I used for my rolls and bread in the other post).

French/Italian Bread

yields approx 4 loaves or lots and lots of rolls

39 fl oz water

1 oz yeast

3 lb 12 oz bread flour

1.25 oz salt

1. Combine water and yeast in bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed until all flour is incorporated.

2. Increase to medium speed and knead dough until smooth and elastic (if you grab a piece of dough and slowly stretch a "window" into it, the dough should be able to stretch and be almost see-thru and without any strands of gluten. This is called the windowpane test. Click on the link for some pictures)

3. Let dough rise until doubled, approx 1-3 hours. Punch down and let rest for a couple of minutes to help relax the gluten, divide, shape and score as desired. Proof (aka let rise a second time) until doubled.

4. Bake at 400 F, throw a handful (about 10 or so) of ice cubes into the bottom of your stove when you put the dough in. Bake until crust is well developed and golden brown and the bread is baked through. The bread should temp out at at least 185 F and no more than 210 F. Always temp your bread to know that it has baked all the way through. Baking should take approx 12 min for rolls and 20 min for small loaves. When done, let cool on a cooling rack.

OR...

you can try THIS method. It's called "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". You can buy the book at Barnes and Noble or HERE. I just tried it for the first time today and here is what my bread looked like: (again I used ice cubes in the bottom of my oven instead of a tray of water)

It came out nice and crunchy on the outside and super soft in the middle. Super yummy.

It took me 3 years, but I did it!

2010-11-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is by far the longest time it has taken me to finish (and start) a project. I bought the pattern for these Christmas stockings three years ago and have been meaning to make them ever since. I finally just buckled down and did it this year. I owe part of my motivation to my neighbor, Mandy. Thank you, Mandy!

Secret #2

2010-11-11T13:25:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I learned how to get a nice, crispy, golden brown crust on breads...you invest in a $40,000 oven that injects steam OR you throw a handful of ice cubes into the bottom of the oven right when you put the dough in. Pretty cool. Oh, and that dark brown on breads isn't the product burning, it's call the Maillard reaction...it's the browning/"caramelizing" of proteins. It only happens at very high temperatures (higher than what sugar caramelizes at - 330 degrees). It adds extra flavor to the product, so it's a good thing! Don't be scared of it!

2010-10-29T11:08:00.000-06:00

Oh geez, I'm having a hard time finding the time to do anything other than school, homework and being a mom. I'm lucky if I get to eat or sleep. This quarter is kicking my butt (but unfortunately my kinda large butt has not been getting smaller), BUT I love it (the school thing, not the inability to lose some of my excess junk in the trunk). The IKEA thing was awesome. I'm glad I got to have an opportunity to spend time with those amazing chefs and bounce ideas off of them. This past Tuesday, in between my 8am-11am class and my 6pm-11pm class, I got to go to Park City and help out the top Chefs in the state with a fine dining event held at the Waldorf-Astoria. It was amazing. The food was incredible and by the end of the day I was unbelievably exhausted and woke up sick the next day. Fun.

At the Waldorf event, I was preparing a dish with finger limes. These little, tiny limes (about 1 1/2" long and 1/2" wide) are from Australia. Their citrus pocket thingys look like caviar and are used as garnish. A little tiny container of them (the container is about the size of those plastic containers that blackberries and raspberries come in - the small square ones that are only an inch or so deep) costs $50!!! Crazy! Their taste is a little bit milder than a regular lime and has a little bit of a salty taste to them. Also, wine ice cream is all the rage right now and we were serving a bunch of that. It's got a 5% alcohol content and can be quite easy to get a little drunk off of since it's in a dessert form. I didn't try any of it, but everyone who did was in love with it.

So, my wonderful cousin, Stacy, has shared her Monte Cristo Souffle recipe with me/us. I haven't had the time to make it yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it within the next week and I'll take some pictures of it, but until then, I will share with you her recipe.

Monte Cristo Souffle

1 loaf white bread

butter

3 oz thinly sliced ham

6 oz thinly sliced Swiss cheese

3 oz turkey breast, thinly sliced

8 eggs

2 C half & half

1 C milk

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of cinnamon

Garnish:

Strawberry jam, powdered sugar

Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass pan. Remove crusts from bread and butter each slice. Place a layer of bread in pan, buttered side up, tucking and trimming to fill in gaps. Cover with all the ham and half the cheese. Repeat bread layer. Top with all the turkey and remaining cheese. End with final bread layer. In mixing bowl, combine eggs, half and half, milk and seasonings. Beat well and pour over layers in pan. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Bake at 325 for 1-1.5 hours until puffed and golden brown. Warm the jam and brush over baked soufflé and dust with sugar.

I can't believe that in just a few weeks I'll have a one year old and a 4 year old. What happened to my babies?? My boys are so awesome. I can't believe how happy they make me. It's indescribable. I'm constantly overcome with love and happiness when I watch them and think about them. I sure do love these little guys. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, they were taken on my phone.

For some reason, Kade LOVES to fill his mouth full of food and then just chill like that. He'll crawl around and play with food hanging out of his mouth. He's weird.

I totally think Gavin looks like Kade in the picture with the funny glasses on.

Gavin's back pack was lame and boring, so I fixed it up for him. I made sure to add his favorite things to it: dinosaurs, scary bones, cars, bugs (mostly centipedes), and the color green (his name is in green).

I will try and be better at updating and sharing some of the DELICIOUS food I've been making in school.

Something a little exciting!

2010-10-13T10:10:00.000-06:00

Two celebrity chefs are coming and are going to do a FREE food demonstration at IKEA this Saturday from 2-4. They needed two people to help out with prep work and the presentation itself and asked the head Chef at my school if he would get them two students. I was one of the ones Chef Krause chose! YAY! It's going to be a broadcasted event and one of the directors works for the Food Network or something like that. Sweet! I'll be there from 10:00-4:30, but the actual event starts at 2. Come on over and check it out!

Odds and ends and a secret...

2010-10-06T10:17:00.001-06:00

Yay! Keep the breakfast suggestions coming! I love it! If you have more than one suggestion, give it to me! I have to fill up an entire menu for my "future" restaurant. I haven't figured out the type of restaurant I want to do yet, but hopefully by the time I have to do the lunch menu I've got it figured out. One of the objectives of my school is to have us prepared to open our own restaurant upon graduation, so many of our classes are about how to design and set-up our own restaurant, and then for the capstone we make a portfolio of all of our restaurant plans. We have to do everything from designing the layout and figuring out the color palette we want, right down to the menu and pricing and our mission statement...kinda exciting.

So, I learned a little secret to making perfect cookies from one of my teachers, Master Pastry Chef Sam Major. If you add about 1 T. of corn syrup to your cookie dough recipe, it gives the cookies a soft interior and a slightly crunchy exterior...mmmmmmm.

Want to know one of the best feelings? Making something the chef can't stop complimenting or eating. Yeah, it definitely feels good.

I'm getting into more exciting cooking classes, so hopefully I'll have lots of yummy recipes to share with you. I'm taking an intro to baking and pastry class and an American Regional Cuisine coarse. I have these classes from 6-11pm Mon-Wed. It kinda makes my stomach hurt from eating so late, but it's still lots of fun. Right now we're focusing on New England cuisine so tonight we're making clam chowder and peach and blueberry cobbler. I've never liked clam chowder, but maybe this time I will (I doubt it, but I'll still give it a small try)? Anyways, sorry I've only been talking about food. Maybe something different in my life will pop up and I can chat about that, or maybe not...

**Stacy, could, do you mind sharing that Monte Cristo recipe? If you're ok with sharing it, you email it to me?**

Want to help me make a menu or three?

2010-10-05T13:50:00.000-06:00

In one of my classes this quarter, I have to come up with a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I thought it might be fun to get some ideas and contributions from you guys! Would you be willing to help me?? First up I have to make a breakfast menu. What are your favorite things to order/eat for breakfast? Give me the name of the food and a brief description of it. You can be as detailed as you want in the description. Describe it in a way that would make you want to buy it! In a few weeks, the final draft of my menu will be done and I will share it with you.

A Family That Eats Together, Stays Together

2010-09-26T11:25:00.001-06:00

I am passionate about food, family and psychology...like borderline-freaky-obsessed-passionate with all three. I'm so excited to continue my education so that I can put my plans into action. Some of you know what I want to do after I graduate, but most of you don't. I'm kind of hesitant to put this out there so that anyone can come across it and take my idea, but I'm hoping that by putting this out there, I might be able to network and find others that are passionate about it too and want to help me make this possible. Here are my thoughts, plans, and ideas...

Families are falling apart, the divorce rate is outrageous, and the delinquency rate of children is growing higher and higher. I feel it is our duty to our community, our families and to the world to try our hardest to change these things. I want to start this change by teaching families (and even just couples) how to eat together. There are numerous studies that have been done that show a high correlation between family dinner and childhood delinquency and divorce rates. Parents that have family dinner (or maybe even a family breakfast if dinner isn't really plausible) tend to have children with a lower delinquency rate. Couples that don't have children but still make it a priority to eat together at least once a day tend to have an easier time staying together. Having a meal together provides an intimate but yet non-intimidating opportunity to talk and find out what's going on in each other's lives. Children are more likely to open up when they don't feel threatened. It's a good bonding time for not only parent's and their children but for couples. Food has a way of bring people together and I want to help families discover that. Since I only have a bachelors in psychology, I am going to have to team up with a licensed therapist to make this work. I want to do family/couples therapy in the kitchen. I want to teach families and couples how to eat together, and not just eat together but to create the meal together. I feel it is important to get your children involved in the cooking and cleaning process too. It not only teaches them important skills, it allows you, as a parent, more one-on-one time with your child. My plans are to have lesson/treatment plans set up so that I can have my family in the kitchen setting with me to help other families see the different tasks that different aged children can do. I want my family involved in this too. I'm hoping to be able to offer classes to the community through schools and other programs. I also want to work with At-Risk youth in a kitchen setting. I want to teach them social skills, cooperation, communication, following directions and all those other necessary social skills through cooking.

Those are my plans...any thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Anything?? Talk to me! If you know of anyone that could help me further this idea, please let me know.

The End.

And...Mandi's bags

2010-09-20T14:21:00.000-06:00

Her sewing machine is broken, so I sewed them together for her. She still needs to do the blanket stitch around the edges...but isn't that cat cute?? I love it!

Trick-or-Treat bags

2010-09-20T11:35:00.001-06:00

My next door neighbor, Mandi, saw a picture of some Trick-or-Treat bags in Pottery Barn Kids and suggested we make some... so we did.

Pottery Barn Kids...

Mine...

Something yummy

2010-09-14T14:25:00.002-06:00

One of the weeks in school we were focusing on eggs and breakfast foods and got to make some French Toast on fresh Brioche! Yummmmmm. A lady in my group, Julia (who also happens to be Gavin's primary teacher!), made an amazing cinnamon cream syrup to go with the French Toast. It was so good, I told Julia I would lick it off her body. She's been divorced for 2 years and is in desperate need of some action, so she almost obliged. :) Anyways, here's this delicious syrup...please do your body a favor, make some, drink it, and then maybe go lick it off your husband.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

1 c sugar

1/2 c corn syrup (you can also use agave!)

1/2 c water

1/2 c cream

1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, cinnamon and 2 T cream. Bring to a boil and cook stirring constantly for 8 minutes. Lower heat. Stir in remaining cream and vanilla and stir until incorporated. Indulge.

Most embarrassing moment...

2010-09-13T09:41:00.001-06:00

I have been cursed with the most terrible periods ever...seriously. Having a period isn't fun to begin with, but mine are at least 50 times worse than any of my friends and it's always been that way from day 1. Yes, my embarrassing moment is a period story. I'm sure us ladies all have one, and if you don't, then you suck.

At the very beginning of January in 1998, so half way through the school year of 7th grade, my family moved from South Jordan, UT to Houston, TX (holla!). On the VERY FIRST DAY of school, naturally I was on my period (it was like my second period ever). I go to my first 4 classes, then to lunch and then off to gym class (so my fifth class of the day). As I'm waiting outside the coaches office to talk to her about getting a uniform, a girl comes up to me and says, "You have a HUGE red spot on your butt." (large emphasis on HUGE) Uh...seriously? So, I take a look, and sure enough, there's a HUGE red spot, like the size of a large orange. I flush and say something really stupid like, "No way! I think I sat in some ketchup at lunch!" (yes, I really said that). I go in to the coaches office, pretty much in tears, tell her my predicament, and she kindly offers to wash my pants while I'm in class. She washes them, but they didn't have any stain treatment, so my red stain then turns to a green stain. She offered her jacket to me so I could tie it around my waste for the rest of the day and let me return it the next day. Who knows how long I walked around school with that red spot before gym class. Oh well...it builds character, right?

I might have another story that happened in the 10th grade that has to do with falling down the school steps leading to the lunch room in between classes while wearing a short dress...people may or may not have seen my panties...at least they were cute.

Craziness and such...

2010-09-07T11:31:00.002-06:00

This has been my life for the past 8 weeks...

I'm nearing the end of the quarter (3 weeks left) and I couldn't be more thrilled. Safety and Sanitation has been the most boring thing of my life. So lame. I've loved my actual cooking class, but I'm ready to get away from the basics and do more exciting things...like BAKING! and American Regional Cuisine! YAY! I can't believe how much harder school is with 2 kids instead of one! It was a breeze with one kid...two, though? AH!! I've never been so busy and overwhelmed in my life! I'm slowly figuring out how to balance it all, though, so things are getting better. Gavin keeps asking me when his teacher is going to start teaching him how to cook (oh, yeah...Gavin started pre-school 3 weeks ago!).

I've been filling up free time with some crafts. I made me a snuggie (almost the first love of my life), 2 snuggies for the neighbor kids so Gavin and them could watch movies together in them, a couple of quiet books for gifts, neck pillows for Timmy and me, 40 bags for a biking team, all those baby shower gifts for Ashlee, and right now I'm working on some Halloween bags for the kids (I'm almost done and will share with you the awesomeness). Hurr's the two quiet books:

My Aunt Leslie had a friend that had a baby and she wanted to give a quiet book as a gift. The baby's name is Berkley Rose. I love my bedding so much that I used it as inspiration for the cover.

My Aunt Donna saw Berkley's book and loved it so she asked me to make one for her that she can let her future grandchildren play with. She wants to be called "Mimi Donna" so I used those letters for the book. Aunt Donna had been eyeing the same bedding that I got from Anthropologie, so when she saw Berkley's cover, she knew she had to have on just like it.

Aunt Donna wanted a zipper pocket that was lined so she could put treats in it. I bought a shower curtain from WalMart for a buck and used that to line it.

Oh, and just check out these cute kids:

I heart them.

I need a nap.

I've found a cure...

2010-08-21T09:34:00.002-06:00

...for constipation AND it's all natural AND it's FUN! It's true! You'll never guess what it is so I won't make you. Are you ready for this? ...it's shopping! Seriously! Without fail, EVERY time I go shopping (whether it's a quick trip to get milk or a nice long clothes shopping adventure) I always have an urgent need to go right before I get to the checkout line. I could go 10 days between bowel movements and shopping or even have 2 days in a row of having to run to the grocery store and sure enough, when I'm about to grab my last item my body decides I need to go poop right away. Don't try to tell me it's probably because I'm up walking and moving more than I usually do because it's not true. I'm up and running around constantly in my 5 hour cooking classes and never have the need to go to the bathroom. I think my body is telling me I need to shop more. All you women out there with irregular bowels...just go shopping.

(hahaha, I said "poop" "constipation" and "bowel movements" on a public blog)

A Snuggie for Gavin!

2010-08-18T13:44:00.001-06:00

Ever since I made the snuggie for Ashlee, Gavin has been asking for one of his own. He told me he wanted a blue, green and purple one. This fabric (as awful as it is), is the only fleece I could find with those three colors on it. He LOVES it. I had to figure out sizing for a 4 year old using the original pattern (found HERE). It seems to be perfect. He made me carry him everywhere in it so his feet could stay covered. Here's a crude drawing for the adjustments for a little guy:

If you can't really read it, I will write it out for you:

-You'll need 2 yards of fleece

-first cut off 17.5 inches of fabric from the bottom, THEN cut the fleece so that it's 44" wide (the original 60" is WAY too big). Cut the strip of 17.5" fleece into 2 20" lengths and then sew a tube for the sleeves.

-The armholes start 9" from the top of the fleece and they are 16" apart

-The armhole oval measures 6 5/8" top to bottom and 4 1/8" across

Other than that, you can follow the directions on the original site. It's pretty basic and you can probably just wing it. I didn't finish the edges on either snuggie and it looks totally fine. I'm really lazy and short on time. So far, Walmart has the cheapest fleece (plain colored fleece is $4.44/yd) unless you have a 1/2 off coupon for JoAnn's or something.

Some questions answered...

2010-08-09T10:55:00.001-06:00

1. Where do I get my fabric?

Material Girl's located in South Jordan, right off of Redwood Road and 10400. It's by Cafe Rio. It's pretty much the best fabric store EVER! If you're wanting the soft minky fabric, The Fabric Center on Redwood Road in West Jordan by Winger's and that cheap theater has the BIGGEST selection of it...they easily have over 100 different kinds. Love it!

2. Do I have a tutorial for the onesies?

Well, I know I've seen tutorials out there, but I can't remember where. I just winged it. Here's my process:

-On oneprettything.com, in their search engine, I typed in "applique" and I found cute applique patterns/shapes. I printed them off and then Courtney traced inside of them to make them smaller so that they fit the onesies.

-I then traced them onto Wonder Under (or an equivalent of something that's fusible on both sides), ironed it onto the back of the fabric, cut out the shape out of the fabric, took off the paper backing, ironed it onto the onesie and then did a straight stitch along the edge of the shape (make sure to use a ballpoint needle or you'll ruin the onesie).

-If you are doing a shape that is directional (as in, you want it to face a certain way and it would matter if it was a mirror image like a letter or number), then make sure you trace it onto the Wonder Under backwards.

3. How did I attach the letters on the quilt?

I used the above process BUT since the letters were so difficult to sew around and make the stitching look nice and even (I seriously tried 5 different ways of sewing them on), I finally decided to use clear thread for the first time and it's AMAZING! You totally can't even see it. I tried using a zig-zag stitch around the letters and I didn't like it so much, so I then did a straight stitch. If you're not very good at doing applique and your stitches are coming out sloppy like mine, then clear thread is totally the way to go...no one can even see your sloppiness. :)

P.S. School rocks!

12 Days of BABY!!

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

One of my old roommates is having a baby in October. She lives in Houston now. Courtney (another roommate) and I were super bummed that we were too poor to be able to go out to Houston and throw her a baby shower. We wanted to do something special for her, so we thought of what we call "12 Days of BABY!". We were going to send her a gift every day for 12 days and have the last gift land on the day that she would be having her baby shower here in Utah. Well, again, Courtney and I realized we were too poor to be able to pay for all the shipping, soooooo...we decided to just give her 11of her gifts at once and still give her the last one on her shower day. She just arrived to Utah on Wednesday, so Courtney and I ambushed her that evening. Here's what we made for her:

***Please excuse the crappy pictures...they were taken on my phone in poor lighting. Sorry!***

Appliqued Onesies sizes 6-9 months

and 9-12 months

A SNUGGIE! (I'm totally addicted now. Naturally I had to try it out first, and I did so on a car ride to Nevada, and it was AWESOME!) Tutorial found HERE

Binki Leashes Tutorial HERE We got her some binkies to go with them too.

A personlized Quiet Book Pattern HERE

A rice warming pack that is scented with clove and cinnamon Tutorial HERE

Burp cloths. There's terry cloth on the other side of them. Tutorial HERE

The sweetest neck pillow EVER! I'm in love with this too! I need to make me one now. Tutorial HERE

Yummy hospital/late night treats

Some body care stuff for the hospital stay and for baby

Something for the brain and eyes for the hospital and late nights

Some more hospital care stuff

And here is what we're giving her at her shower (tomorrow). I added some felt circles and stars for the baby to grab/feel/play with. Tutorial HERE

My prize!

2010-07-30T14:04:00.000-06:00

Here is my prize for being married to Tim for 5 years! Yay!

We got it in Mexico on our anniversary cruise we took back in April... haha Don't worry, we got it appraised and inspected here in the USA and everything is gen-u-ine. It's worth over double what we paid. Everyone, go to Mexico for jewelry! You'll get a steal! I'm totally in love with it. I got the sapphire band last year and decided to wear them together. mmmmm...love.

The 5 Mother Sauces

2010-07-28T13:34:00.001-06:00

Here are the 5 mother sauces:

1. Bechamel
2. Veloute
3. Espagnole (brown sauce)
4. Tomato Sauce
5. Hollandaise

Hollandaise is pretty much the only mother sauce that we use by itself. Tomato sauce can be used plain, but we usually add other ingredients to it. When other ingredients are add to a mother sauce, it is then called a small sauce. Bechamel, Veloute and Espangnole are pretty bland by themselves. Hollandaise and Tomato definitely have enough flavor to stand alone. There you have it!

Veggie Tales

2010-07-27T16:32:00.000-06:00

Here's some interesting tidbits about some veggies:

It's best to salt your eggplant before cooking it. Eggplants are filled with cells that contain water and are surrounded by tiny air pockets. Heat will squeeze out the air and if the eggplant has not been salted, oil will then seep into the collapsed air pockets and the eggplant becomes soggy. BUT, if you salt the eggplant beforehand, it draws the water out of the cells. The cells then collapse causing the air pockets to collapse also which then in turn makes it so that oil can't seep into the tiny pockets.

Did you know that the hotness of a pepper doesn't come mainly from the seeds? The seeds do carry some heat but the majority of the heat comes from the "ribs" of the pepper (the white internal veins). So you can greatly reduce the heat of a pepper by cutting out the ribs and seeds.

I was asked for the Cream of Carrot Soup I made in class, so I figured I'd share it with everyone! Yay!

Yield 1 gallon

6 oz butter. (preferably unsalted and clarified)

6 oz onion, peeled small dice

1 lb 10oz carrots, peeled small dice

4 oz flour

1 gallon and 3 cups (158 fl oz) Vegetable stock, hot

6 oz Rice

4 egg yolks

4 fl oz Heavy Cream

salt and white pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in stockpot. Add the onions, and sweat until translucent. Add the carrots and sweat for 5 minutes.

2. Dust the carrots and onions with flour, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

3. Add the rice, reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the carrots and rice are very tender.

4. Puree the soup with a blender; strain through a chinois and return to the stove

6. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, and then add the cream to the egg. Temper this mixture into the soup, and heat to 165 F. Remove immediately from the stove or the soup will break. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

7. Serve in preheated cup or hold at 141 F.

Nutmeg and clove would be yummy additions. Sorry that everything is by weight. That's how we do everything at school. It makes for more consistent results and a better product. If you'd like/need the recipe for vegetable stock, let me know. It takes about an hour to make.

If there are any other recipes or knowledge you'd like me to share, please let me know. Lata!

Lysdexic

2010-07-26T22:26:00.000-06:00

Are you dyslexic? No? Yes?? Maybe??? Well, my sister is. Check it out... HERE

School

2010-07-25T14:18:00.001-06:00

So this is me...in my amazing cooking attire. Really, there's nothing better. Let me draw your attention to the 'one-size-fits-all" black and white checkered pants. Quite stunning, right? I love the fact that I get to wear this to EVERY class that deals with cooking, whether it's a lecture class or a lab class. Sure, in the lecture classes I don't have to wear the hat, apron and neckerchief (yes...I do have to wear one those), but still...I have to wear the checkered pants, coat and the most stylish non-slip shoes. Why can't they make non-slip shoes more cute? Why do they have to be the most tacky shoes in the store? I have never felt so less feminine than I do when I wear this uniform, BUT I do get to go to school and talk about food ALL. DAY. LONG. How cool is that? I'm totally loving it, except for the math class that I have to take. You see, BYU said I didn't have to take a math class because my ACT scores were high enough, but nooooo, The Art Institute said that the only thing my ACT scores are getting me out of are all the "pre-college" classes. Lame. So, here I am, stuck taking college algebra. Sitting in that class is the only time that I actually feel like I'm in school. I love how I get to eat, sleep and breath food and cooking. It's my favorite.

The first week of class, we learned everything you could imagine and then some about stocks...white stocks, brown stocks, vegetable stocks. This past week was focused on soups...mmmmmm. We made a mean Minestrone and Cream of Carrot soup. Soooooo, good. The other 4 soups that I made, I wasn't too fond of. Next week, we're learning about the 5 Mother Sauces. Yep, that's what they're called. All other sauces derive from one of the 5 Mother Sauces. Who can name me all 5? Anyone?

Check it out!

2010-07-20T13:28:00.001-06:00

I know, I know...it's been like 15 years since I last posted. Sorry. Life has been SUPER crazy with starting culinary school and the bajillion other things I've been doing. I'll post about the school stuff really soon...promise.

I just wanted to inform you all of a new blog my ma just started. It's a cooking blog, and her food is delish. It's probably in your best interest to check it out (HERE).

Lets discuss...

2010-06-29T11:27:00.000-06:00

I want to know what your thoughts are on holidays...mostly gift giving holidays. Do you like to celebrate birthdays, anniversary's, Christmas, valentines, mother's and father's day? Do you like to give gifts to your spouse on those days? Do you appreciate it if your spouse reciprocates it? Would you be bummed if your spouse felt it unnecessary to do anything for you on your birthday, anniversary or mother's/father's day? Do you think it's ridiculous to have designated days to celebrate life, each other, being parents, etc or do you feel it's important to celebrate those days? If you're not much for celebrating, but your spouse is, do you respect the fact that celebrations mean something to them and try to do that for them, or have you let them know that you don't really feel like doing that kind of stuff and therefore aren't really going to do anything special for them on those days? Now add kids into the equation...if you're not really into gift giving, do you feel it's important to teach your kids to give gifts and celebrate others and special occasions? Let me know ALL your thoughts on this topic.

Just some rocks and dirt

2010-06-28T10:25:00.000-06:00

We went on a little trip to Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley this past Saturday. We woke up at 4 am, met Mat, Jen, Trisha and her little sister, Brittney, in Provo at 5 am. 12 hours later, we were back at home. The kids were AMAZING! Gavin hiked pretty much the whole thing by himself except for the few minutes he was freaking out about a blister and insisted he be carried. I quickly remedied that with a couple of band aids. Thanks, Trisha, Brittney, and Mat for taking turns carrying the Gavin-monster.

Kade smiled and laughed the whole way. When we had to walk through narrow parts, he LOVED sticking his hands out to the side to feel the rock. Towards the end of the hike and at the end of Goblin Valley he took a couple of little naps.

Pictures of the troop minus Mat...because that's how he likes it. Lame.

The amazingness that is Little Wild Horse Canyon

We ate lunch at Goblin Valley and walked down around the "goblins" for about 15 minutes and then headed on home.

Little Guy's Day

2010-06-22T17:21:00.000-06:00

Today, Gavin said the following:

"Hey mom! On Little Guy's Day, can you make me cookies and let me eat them with my breakfast in my bed?"

Apparently, if there's a Father's Day, there MUST be a Little Guy's Day.

Cute babies

2010-06-17T13:29:00.006-06:00

Here's Kade at 7 months and Gavin at 6ish months. Aren't they so stinkin cute!?

Etched Glasses for Father's Day Gift Tutorial

2010-06-16T13:08:00.000-06:00

I've been wracking my brain, trying to figure out what to do for mine and Tim's dad. I decided to combine glass etching and my kids' drawings

Materials needed:

Vinyl

Transfer paper/contact paper

exacto knife

marker

glasses

cute kids

sponge brush

I got the glasses from Target (4 for $9) and all other supplies from Hobby Lobby.

Step 1: Have your kid make some drawings on the vinyl. I chose which scribbles I liked best and then went over them in permanent marker. I also helped Gavin and Kade write their own names and I wrote some other stuff that I wanted on the glass ('Papa' 'Bub' '2010'). If you have a vinyl cutter, you could use it to write what ever you wanted to. It would definitely make for cleaner lines than by doing it all by hand. :)

Step 2: With an exacto knife, cut around the permanent marker lines.

Step 3: Place the transfer paper on top. Remove the backing from the vinyl.

Step 4: Place the vinyl and transfer paper on the glass, remove the transfer paper and make sure to press out any air bubbles in the vinyl that are close to the openings.

Step 5: Apply the etching cream according to directions. I let mine sit for about 10 minutes.

Step 6: Rinse, clean, and enjoy! I can't figure out how to take pictures of the glasses and not get a major reflection and glare. Sorry. You might be able to tell how they turned out in the following pictures.

For Kade's, I wrapped the vinyl around the glass (before I had taken off the backing), put his hands around the glass, traced them and then cut it out so it looks like he's holding the glass.

I've been wanting to etch my last name onto my pyrex dishes and was finally able to do that too! YAY!!

Camera Bag

2010-06-09T14:54:00.000-06:00

My mom got a new camera for Mother's Day, so I made her a camera bag and strap.

Tutorial HERE

Scrap Ribbon can be bought HERE

All pictures courtesy of my Ma.

**I still need to go pickup a camera from my parents' house so I can take pictures of everything in my life (because we all know my life is SO beyond amazing and needs to be documented with pictures every 10 minutes)**

Scripture Case Pattern #2!! (For large and regular sized scriptures)

2010-06-07T10:06:00.003-06:00

I've redone my scripture case pattern (HERE and HERE). It's bigger and better! And by bigger, I mean that I've made a pattern for the large scripture size too and I've made my original pattern better. It's a nicer fit and a little more aesthetically pleasing.

**While I was remaking it, I experimented with some things. The pattern doesn't call for bias tape and in the pattern, the handle is covered.**

I was just taught how to make it so you can download the tutorial with just a click of your mouse! Amazing! ;) So, you don't have to give me your email address anymore, just click HERE and the pattern is all yours! YAY!!

The tutorial has both the large and regular size pattern. I'll be working on a step-by-step picture tutorial sooner or later, but for right now, I only have the lame, written instructions that I only know how to send by email. Sorry.

FYI! When you print the template, there will be a small margin that cuts off some of the lines. Just continue the lines to edge of the paper.

Sorry, Dad.

2010-05-21T10:31:00.000-06:00

Photo courtesy Mom

M-day Gifts

2010-05-10T19:22:00.000-06:00

Hurr's what I made the moms.

For Tamara:

For my ma:

Hey, Mom!

2010-05-09T12:42:00.001-06:00

Remember that time a bee flew down your shirt while riding a bike and dad had to stop you from falling off the cliff? Oh, and remember that time you put your foot through the wall because a mouse ran over your foot? And remember that time you cracked an egg or two on my head? Or remember that time you were arm wrestling Matt and peed your pants a little? How about that time when you trapped me in a lie about looking at my Christmas presents early so you punished me by making me do the dishes 8 (give or take) times a day for a month? Or that time when I was changing Gavin's diaper when he was a few weeks old and he started peeing and it shot all the way up and over and landed in your Cafe Rio salad? Remember all those times that you hid our Christmas presents in such awesome places that you weren't able to find them until somewhere around April or May? Remember how you pretty much rock? Well, you do. I love you! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

So Happy

2010-05-03T16:53:00.000-06:00

This little guy is probably one of the happiest babies ever. He pretty much rocks.

Strange things are happening to me Part Deux

2010-05-03T11:11:00.003-06:00

So, I guess my crazy skin reaction to rings isn't all I react to. Apparently I now react to SPF and Butternut squash. The higher the SPF I used on the cruise, the more I burned (at one point I tried SPF 85 and I crisped right up. Can we just say, "hott".). When I was at the Dr. the other day, I asked him about it and he let me know I was reacting to it. Awesome. A couple of days ago, I peeled some butternut squash and cut it up. Afterwards, my hand looked like this:

I looked it up online and all my reactions are called "Contact Dermatitis" (nothing cool or worth bragging rights. Just obnoxious). Butternut and Acorn squash are known to cause it. Thank you pregnancy for making me even more weird.

I'm done

2010-04-30T21:17:00.000-06:00

Can I go on a two week hiatus from parenting? Geez...if this is how it's going to be after vacations, I'll never go on one again. This sucks.

Up and coming

2010-04-27T09:15:00.000-06:00

Toesie-Shoesies are sure to be all the rave...Tim is sure of it. Gavin gave them the name "toesie-shoesies". If you are interested, you can find them HERE.

We're Home!!

2010-04-25T21:46:00.002-06:00

We've been cruising for the past 8 days. We hit up Cabo, Mazatlan (so trashy and lame), and Puerto Vallarta (by far the best. It was GORGEOUS!). LOVED being with Tim, but we're loving being back with the kids too.

Peace Out

2010-04-17T20:08:00.000-06:00

See you in a week. We're off to soak up some rays.

They're home!

2010-04-15T11:38:00.000-06:00

...and they couldn't be happier.

Meet the birds...

This is Willard. He's trying to figure out the meaning of life. Kinda lame. That's why he's alone on his branch.

This is Damon, Stefan, and Elena. Damon and Stefan are brothers. Stefan and Elena are together and Damon is just so ornery and negative all the time (but quite hilarious) that nobody wants to be around him. He needs to figure out his issues.

This is Dwight and Angela. I can't even get into their issues. They run too deep.

And here we have Temperance and Seeley. These two are secretly in love, but have a hard time admitting it. They're coworkers, so their love is forbidden.

Here is an interesting specimen. I don't know what's wrong with him, so please don't ask.

And this one? Well, we all know this kid is just weird.

Kade's mobile

2010-04-13T10:48:00.005-06:00

bird pattern found HERE
Hopefully today it will be hung in his room. Better pictures to come once it's in its proper resting place.

I'm going to make some Christmas birds for our family Christmas ornaments this year. Yay!

This is getting ridiculous

2010-04-10T10:41:00.000-06:00

Seriously.

I figured, I'd rather just let my house go to trash for a week and get all the projects done that I've wanted to for a while now, instead of dragging out the messy house problem over a few months. It sucks not having a place designated for sewing. I have no living room or dining table right now. I almost took a picture of the mess, but got too embarrassed.

Gavin got invited to a birthday party for a girl down the street. Here's the gift:

Tutorial HERE

Next up is a quilt for Kade my mom and I started right after he was born.

And then something to help keep things a little cleaner while sewing:

Tutorial HERE

Gavin asked me today to make him a toy giraffe. Great. The sewing will never end.

Conference/Easter Weekend Projects

2010-04-05T12:48:00.000-06:00

I procrastinated getting Easter baskets made this year, so on Saturday, I ended up having to whip out 4 baskets. And since I trashed my house with sewing stuff, I decided it was a good time to make my mom a rice pack and make me some dinner napkins.

Tutorial found HERE

I used up a bunch of my scrap fabric. Every side is a different fabric since I didn't have enough of one kind for the entire basket. I like it better, anyways. I had some extra birds, so I stuck them on the kids' baskets. Tim, of course, chose difficult upholstery fabric for his.

Tutorial found HERE

I made myself one a couple of years ago. My mom is always cold, so I made her one, put some cloves in it so it wouldn't smell so strongly of rice, loved it so much, I remade myself one and put cloves and cinnamon in it. Yum.

I've been wanting to make a set of linen dinner napkins (the napkins are 20" big) for a while now and finally got around to doing it. I'm trying to figure out if I want to hand-embroider something in the corner. I sure love mitered corners. They're so crisp and clean looking.

Obsessed or something

2010-04-02T09:50:00.001-06:00

First off, I'm really LOVING our new bedding from Anthropologie.

And why does Martha rock at everything?

I love these two books. The Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts was just release a couple of days ago, and it's awesome. It is mostly filled with projects (includes a CD with all necessary patterns...awesome) like stuffed animals, bed and table linens, aprons, book covers, bags, pin cushions, curtains, shades, pillows, flowers, and the list goes on and on.

The Homekeeping Handbook is filled with so much information. It teaches how to seal your counter tops, clean pretty much anything you can think of, how to care for anything and everything from bed linens to knives. This book is HUGE...like 744 pages of hugeness. I love it. You should probably get it. Seriously.

Check this out:

Yeah, I rock.

Oh, and those birds? Still trying to find the perfect stuff to finish my project. This snowy weather is holding me back. Lame.

Exciting Changes

2010-03-30T10:54:00.000-06:00

Remember THIS post? Well, I'm finally following through. July 12 I will officially be a student again and I couldn't be more excited. After going through a two year long mid-twenties crisis, trying to figure out if there's more to me than being a baby-maker, a has-been runner and dancer, a graduate with a degree that's worthless, and someone that has absolutely nothing to bring to the table in regards to talents and hobbies, I'm absolutely certain that cooking is a passion of mine that I would like to pursue and make into a life-long career. In 2 years I will have another Bachelor of Science, but this time in something that brings me more joy and fulfillment than Psychology ever did. HOLLA!

The Birds

2010-03-19T17:31:00.001-06:00

These little guys have one of two fates. Five lucky birds are going to Gavin's primary class. This weeks lesson is on being thankful for birds. The other 15? Well, that's something you'll just have to wait and see. I'm super excited for this project!

Babies EVERYWHERE!

2010-03-15T12:14:00.001-06:00

I finally found a reason to break out the sewing machine. Felt good.

idea from This Mama Makes Stuff

It's about time!

2010-03-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

The fabulous Mrs. Courtney Buell told me about an almost as equally fabulous website called eShakti. It's a clothing site that lets you get any of their pieces of clothing customized. You can add sleeves, take sleeves off, change the neckline, the skirt/dress length, or even give them your measurements and they'll customize it to your body. The charge for the alterations? Just $15. And they ship all clothing in 3 days. It's pretty awesome and definitely worth checking out. Especially if you have boobs the size of a 10 year old and the hips of a lady who's given birth twice.

A Little Bit of Bub

2010-03-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

Strange things are happening to me

2010-03-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

That 3 month postpartum mark is weird on the body. Why after 3 months does the body start to do these weird things? Why 3 months? What's with 3 months? It baffles me. My hair comes out in fist-fulls, and by the end of this shedding cycle, my hair tends to be 1/2 as thick as it was during pregnancy. And then once it starts growing back in, I have all these silly, curly, little wispy hairs framing my face for months! Bah! Totally annoying. I know the hair thing is pretty much normal for every woman who has just had a baby, but what about my allergy to my wedding ring? It's happened both times now, right at that 3 month mark. My finger gets blisters underneath my ring, then gets super inflamed, and then after the blisters have popped it gets really swollen, dry and starts to crack, bleed and flake. Gross.

I've had my wedding ring off for a week now and there hasn't been a bit of improvement. I tried putting it on the other day, and after a couple of minutes my finger started burning. When it happened after I had Gavin, I had to keep my ring off for 2 or 3 months. I've googled it and happens to a bunch of women. Some said that with their first pregnancy or so, it would clear up in a couple months and then with the last pregnancy, they never stopped reacting to their wedding ring and had to end up getting a platinum one. So, just in case my allergy doesn't go away, I have a ring picked out.

I'd have the 2 side diamonds replaced with sapphires with a .75-1 ct center diamond. Hopefully I stay allergic to my wedding ring so I can get a new one. Wish me luck.

Little Improvements

2010-03-02T09:54:00.003-07:00

Space in our kitchen is limited...very limited. We have awkward sized drawers and cupboards and barely any counter space. We finally did something about it...

Spice racks for the walls with aesthetically pleasing spice jars

Racks from IKEA
Jars from Crate and Barrel

I wrote the name of the spice in permanent marker on the jar. It washes off with soap and water. Ever heard of the grocery store, WinCo? It's pretty amazing. You can buy spices in bulk. To fill one of the jars with a spice costs about $1 or less. It's alteast 1/3 of the price of McCormick spices. Pretty cool.

Paper towel holder from Bed, Bath & Beyond

LOVE this paper towel holder. You only need one hand to tear the paper towel off.

All together now...

We've had a chandelier in our basement for a couple of years now. It needed some welding done and most importantly it needed a light fixture, chain and canopy to be installed. Tim finally was able to find a place that would do all of the above. It's got beautiful brass detailing and shell inlay. Love it.

Chandelier by Oly

Epidural woes

2010-02-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've had bone pain in my back pretty much since I delivered. I finally decided to go to my physical therapist to see what she thought. Turns out the anesthesiologist must have hit a tiny blood vessel when putting in the epidural which caused me to bleed a little which then caused scar tissue to build up. Over 7 inches of my vertebrae is covered in scar tissue, which makes me feel bone pain. :( After an hour and half of my PT working me over trying to break up some of the scar tissue, this is what my back looked like....15 hours later and it still looks the same. It's extremely swollen and even more sore than before. This treatment better work.

Socially Awkward

2010-02-22T10:26:00.004-07:00

Have any of you seen Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais? Pretty hilarious. Ricky Gervais' character, Dr. Pincus, is pretty much the most socially awkward person ever. I thought I was, but he definitely trumps me. I was watching it the other night, thinking that I could be a lot worse, which was somewhat comforting.

You see, I have a problem. It didn't use to be a problem of mine, but since I've gotten married, I've forgotten how to act in social situations, how to make friends or how to even carry on a conversation. Family members, neighbors, church acquaintances, ect. are constantly falling victim to my extreme awkwardness, and to those of you who have had to suffer through it, I am terribly sorry.

It used to be so easy for me to make friends. I knew how to carry on a conversation and make people feel comfortable and occasionally laugh. Flash forward 5 years, and now I can clear a room in 2 minutes, or at least have people wishing they could leave. :( Seriously. It's pretty pathetic. For some reason, I can't stand voids in a conversation, so against my better judgment, I say something to fill that void, and 9 times out of 10, it's with something extremely awkward/boring or with something that comes out completely wrong and I end up crying and fretting about it once I'm out of that person's presence. No joke. Ask Tim. He'll vouch for me (it happens about twice a week). I'll get home, be lying in the bed next to him, replaying what I said. He'll laugh at me. I'll laugh a little too, asking "why did I say that!?" or "why couldn't I have made that come out right?" And then I'll cry because I feel completely embarrassed and awful for embarrassing, hurting, or just making someone feel uncomfortable (and usually someone that I adore and love and I just want to like me too) when my intentions were completely opposite or it was just because I have a problem with word vomit. Yes, word vomit, like on Mean Girls (only one of the best movies ever). In almost every conversation I have with people, I have a constant internal struggle over whether I should say something or not, and for some reason, when I really don't want to say anything, the words come tumbling out. It sucks. Luckily the friends I made before this annoying problem cropped up laugh at me when I get a little awkward, which then allows me to laugh at myself and then the awkward situation fizzles out and I'm over it.

I wish things were different. It's been a goal of mine for a while now to fix this problem of mine...to learn how to socialize again, but unfortunately, the problem is getting worse. I'll start talking to someone (anyone) or they'll start talking to me and the anxiety starts. I start worrying about making a fool out of myself by saying something wrong/stupid/lame. The anxiety builds up and starts to manifest itself with me becoming awkward which then makes the other person feel awkward and uncomfortable which then makes me even more anxious and it just continues until they have enough guts to finally end the conversation and walk away.

Help me, people! How do I stop being so lame!? How do I make friends again?? If you happen to become victim to my awkwardness, PLEASE laugh at me or call me out so I can then laugh at myself and get over my anxiety. I promise it will be a win-win situation. And I also promise I'm not a complete idiot or totally boring. I can be quite fun occasionally. Just give me a try...or five.

The geek in me can't help it

2010-02-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

August 24, 2010!!

YAY!!

Love Affair

2010-02-19T11:22:00.001-07:00

When I was at Sephora over Christmas break, a sales clerk walks up to me to see if I needed help. I got a whiff of something deliciously juicy. I couldn't help it. I asked the clerk if I could lick her because she smelled so delicious. She told me to go check out Juicy Couture's Viva La Juicy. I've been obsessed ever since. Last Friday, Tim surprised me with my very own bottle. My life will never be the same.

Tim started to get a little jealous of Juicy's and my relationship, so to help even things out, I got Tim his own equivalent to Ms. Juicy. In comes Dolce & Gabbana the one...mmmmmm. Tim smells incredibly hot and now has his own smelly obsession. Cute.

Who knew...

2010-02-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

that a catheter could also be used as makeshift tusks?

SUCCESS!...and other news

2010-02-16T10:33:00.004-07:00

Every couple of weeks, I try on my old pants to see where I'm at. A week ago, I squeezed my fat butt into a pair and didn't care I was muffin-topping it, because just two weeks prior to that, I couldn't even get my thighs in them. SUCCESS #1! I wore them the whole week and by the end of the week, they were stretched out enough to fit me comfortably...bliss. Today I tried on the rest of my size 6 jeans and have found that they're on the verge of being too big! SUCCESS #2!! A few+ more pounds and I will be back into my favorite size 4 jeans!...and will have reached my goal weight for Weight Watchers and be 6 weeks away from becoming a life time member so that I don't have to shell out the money again if I have another baby.

I ended up getting that Vera Wang dress because they only had a few left. I got it on Friday, tried it on, and it almost fits me perfectly! Just a little weird through the hips, but I knew I had to be down to a certain weight before the dress would fit. I'm determined to have it fit by Easter. It WILL happen!

Getting back to a healthy, hot weight sucks...

OTHER news...

This little guy got blessed on Sunday. I sure love this boy. He seriously is the sweetest baby. If he wants your attention, he'll smile and coo until you look at him and then he'll get the biggest smile and start kicking his legs. He LOVES to snuggle, and when he snuggles...he actually snuggles. None of this, "let me be on you in some way or other and wiggle and jump." Oh man, do I love him!

Valentines

2010-02-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Do yo know how hard it is to have an over exuberant 3 year old hold still and lift his arm up and hold it in place? Well, it's pretty much impossible, hence his hand being down at the bottom of the picture. Because of that, I wasn't able to make another slit at the bottom of his hand to put the sucker through, so it's taped in place.

Praise Me!!

2010-02-10T11:51:00.001-07:00

I weighed in at WW this morning and had lost a big whopping 5.2 lbs since last week!! WOOT! Apparently, I wasn't eating enough to lose the weight I desired. I was working out too hard and eating too little. Hm... At least I'm losing now! Just 5 lbs closer to getting my dress and hotness back. Marvel in my amazingness.

On another note, I've been asked why I am so obsessed with boobs. Well, it's very simple. It's because I lack any. I've always wondered what it would be like to look like a woman as opposed to a tween, especially while wearing swim suits and sweaters. If I went by stores' measurements to figure out the size of dress I would need, I would need a size 1 or 2 for my chest and a 6 for my lower body. How do you find a dress to fit that?...You don't, you just go get a boob job.

Me likey

2010-02-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

found at nordstrom.com

I wish my boobs were that nice and big. Maybe one day after I convince Tim to let me get a boob job. I'm sick of the 12 year olds at church having bigger boobs than me. :(

Getting my life back

2010-02-08T11:25:00.004-07:00

For the past year couple years I stopped making evening dinners. It was pretty much due to the fact that we were completely broke and just couldn't afford to have a nice dinner every night, so we either ate a sandwich, cereal, or went to my parents' house (thank you SO much, mom and dad!). I've missed cooking. I LOVE to cook. Since I've had Kade and Tim started bringing in enough money so that we could buy groceries, I've wanted to get back into cooking. I always get so stressed out every evening trying to figure out what to make. Most of the time, I would just give up and resort back to sandwiches, cereal, or my parents. Lame. After seeing my sister-in-law's (Taryn) blog post about her weekly dinner menus, I decided that would be an excellent way to start getting more organized with my meals. So, I made my own weekly meal chart (not as cute and fun as hers, but it gets the job done).

Under the "Ingredients Needed" column, Taryn writes down all the ingredients she needs to get for that recipe, so because I'm a copier, I do that too. Under the "Meal" column, I write down the recipe name, the book that it's found in and the page number. I've been doing this for the past 3 weeks and it's been WONDERFUL! I've filled out meal charts for the next 5 weeks too and I go grocery shopping on either Friday or Saturday. Since I've never done meal planning before, my grocery shopping trips have consisted of me throwing in the cart whatever looks like it could have potential for a good meal, which then always results in me either not using it for months or having to go out right as I'm beginning to make a meal and gather ingredients I didn't have. I hate that. SO...I made a grocery list template too.

In the little boxes to the left, I write a letter for whatever store I need to get that from. For example: C= Costco, H= Harmons, W= Walmart, etc. I write down all the ingredients from the "Ingredients Needed" column onto my grocery list. I love having my grocery list broken down into sections, so that when I go to the grocery store, I'm not running back and forth to different aisles and sections because I forgot to grab something from there. My grocery shopping trips are averaging 30 minutes now (including the 10 minutes it takes to go through the checkout line) as opposed to an hour or so. It's been WONDERFUL! Thank you, Taryn, for indirectly helping me get my life back in order, or more like getting it in order for the first time ever. I appreciate it.

How DARE you waste my powdered gold!

2010-02-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

Tim spilled a little bit (like 1/8 of a teaspoon worth) of the powder formula on the counter this evening. I hurried and swept it into my hand put back in the can. He looked at me like I was crazy. I informed him that this stuff is practically gold...at least that's what I feel like I'm buying since it's so expensive ($26 per can that lasts us 4 days...pretty much the price of gold). That got Tim wondering what that formula would cost if it really were gold. Well, it would be a little over $15,000. So, I guess it could be worse.

Dear Tim,

2010-02-05T19:46:00.003-07:00

When I lose my desired amount of weight, will you please buy me this little Vera Wang number?

at bluefly

Thank you. I love you. You're the best.

Love,

Your Soon To Be Hot and ~~Skinny~~ Healthy Wife

I caved...

2010-02-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

I did it...I joined Weight Watchers again. I did it after I had Gavin and lost 34 pounds. I got below my pre-pregancy weight and got back to my pre-birth control weight. My body likes to find any reason to gain weight while my mind is trying to find every way to lose it. :( I got on birth control a few months before I got married and almost instantly put on 20 pounds...before the wedding...after I got fitted for my wedding dress...awesome. So, I've been able to lose 10 pounds on my own with just diet and exercise and have kinda plateaued so I tried doing Weight Watchers on my own at home, but kept failing. I kept coming up with lame excuses for eating things I shouldn't or not eating enough of anything because I'm too scared to consume any calories for fear it will make me gain (when I don't eat enough, my body also holds onto anything I do eat and therefore gains weight...see! Told you...my body finds ANY reason to gain weight. I lose.), so I decided I needed to throw a bunch of money into it so that I'll be more accountable for my weight gain/loss. Do you know how hard it is to eat that much food? On the scale, I can see that eating more is helping me lose weight, but it is a mental struggle for me to consume all that food. Obviously not consuming enough wasn't helping. But still...food scares me and has led to some not so healthy/good lifestyles that I'm still fighting. I need to get over that. So far, so good, though. I only have a little bit to lose anyways...nothing compared to the 34 pounds I had to lose after Gavin. So hopefully by my birthday, (crossing my fingers for sooner than that, though), I'll be back to my normal size and be able to go buy a lot of hot clothes for my new hot body and have a super hot birthday. It's all about being hot...oh, and healthy.

Let me reiterate...

2010-02-04T11:04:00.003-07:00

Pioneer Woman is A.MAZ.ING. Seriously. And her cookbook? Don't even get me started. It's full of perfection. Her cinnamon rolls are probably the closest to heaven you'll ever get. They literally melt in your mouth. I didn't know cinnamon rolls had the ability to do that, but her's do. Her peach cobbler with maple sauce...well...I could just eat the maple sauce and be completely satisfied. I've made probably half of the recipes so far in the book and have yet to be disappointed. Everything is so simple and so delicious and it's pretty much fail proof since she has step-by-step pictures. Her website is loaded with even more deliciousness. Please, people, I beg you...buy her book. You will become a believer of what we call The Pioneer Woman aka Ree Drummond, and you probably will never turn back. It's pretty much a given, that if you make anything of her's, it will be incredible.

Mmmmmm...medicine...

2010-02-03T11:57:00.001-07:00

This is one happy baby now! After having a scary night at the hospital (at one point, his oxygen levels dropped to 80% and his lips started turning blue), the doctor got him on some medicine! YAY! His RSV turned into pneumonia and he ended up with an ear and eye infection also. Soon after starting the antibiotics, he was like a whole new baby. He started interacting with us again, eating, sleeping, breathing...EVERYTHING! Never again will I have a winter baby. These sicknesses are just too much. Oh, and I guess this is what we get for thinking that we'll have semi healthy children and changing our insurance plan over to the high deductible plan. Ha. We reached our deductible in one visit. At least Kade is free for the rest of the year and we've basically reached the family deductible.

P.S. I love Lost :)

:(

2010-02-01T09:07:00.001-07:00

So cute, but so sad... This little guy has RSV. 3 of the 4 doctors at Primary Children's Hospital that looked at his x-rays thought he had pneumonia, but luckily the Radiologist was positive it wasn't. His boogers were tested and came back positive for RSV, though. At least he doesn't have to be hospitalized like he would have been if it was pneumonia. We do have to go in 4+ times a day to the Respiratory Outpatient Clinic to get his vitals taken and nasal cavities cleared so he doesn't end up getting pneumonia. If it's not one thing, it's another with this little guy. My poor baby.