Getting Out

It was so nice to have a nice day today and get out and let my son play at the playground. I love that about living here. It can be the middle of December and you can get a small break from the cold.

Not missing Utah again this winter.

Hard Week

This has been a hard week. I feel so tired and worn out that I feel I will never get my normal life back. My son has been sick all week and it just isn't fun. He is starting to feel more himself but is so so ornery and whiny. Here's hoping the weekend will get better:)

Christmas Mission: Project Chairs

Instead of buying each other presents Levi and I are doing some in home projects. Our first one was to recover the chairs in the dining room since they needed it. I finally convinced Levi that we needed plastic on them if we wanted any chance of them holding up against our two year old. I would have never thought of this if it hadn't been for a couple other friends who have done this.

Preschool

I do a preschool co-op for Clark and I am the organizer so this is what I came up with so that it is easier to rotate every week from house to house. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out and was able to use my friend's cricket to make the sign...now I just need a lamination machine.

Cooking

It is that time of the month again to replenish my freezer with meals. Today I have made four meals of fajita's, three of split pea soup, two of white chili, 2 of chicken tacos, and 2 of chicken burritos. It is tiring but really I have only been in the Kitchen for about 5 hours and I am just about done. Tomorrow I will do Tortilla soup and then just a few crock-pot meals for the month makes about 22.

Here is a great recipe I found and Love it! It is from a lady in my ward. Try it, it is so good!

Hi,

I'm glad that you liked the chili, it is one of my family's favorites! Here's the recipe:

Creamy White Chili

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes*
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chopped green chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and heavy cream. Serve immediately.

I have used chicken tenders that I cut up and cook with the onions, but I have also bought a rotisserie chicken and just used some of the meat from that, and I have also just put two cans of Swanson chicken in. If you use chicken that is already cooked, just brown the onions and garlic a while before adding the chicken.

Enjoy!

Jane

Baby Shower Fun

One of the many things I love doing is hosting baby showers. This shower I co-hosted with two other friends and it turned out really good. We did a diaper cake and diaper garland and had lots of fruits, veggies, and bread! It was really fun to do and I hope I can do more baby showers in the future.

Book Finished

Well, it took me only a month and I finished reading the 1,077 pages of The Count of Monte Cristo! It was a page turner that got started very quickly and has a wonderful story line filled with love, mystery, and revenge. It was really good and I don't totally hate the ending it was just a little sad that's all. I can't believe I enjoyed it as much as I did. I went to the book club about a week before I finished it and I almost lost my motivation to finish since a lot of the ladies there didn't really love the ending. Now that I read it I get what they were saying but the way the writer tells the story you kind of expect the ending before reading it.

Now I am on to my next read. "I Am a Mother" This book is a short fun read so far and every time I put it down it makes me feel good about being a Mom. I can't wait to finish it and return it since I am borrowing this one from a friend who loves it.

Hair Cut

I got another great hair cut from Bubbles Salon. I really like it and it is nice to get rid of that last cut that wasn't so great!

Tablecloth

I have had pretty good luck with my sewing projects lately but this next one I am about to share was not so successful. I finished it but I didn't do a very good job. I was under some stress and I just didn't care much plus the type of material I used you can't just unpick and try again you have to cut off the part you messed up and try again. Don't get me wrong I may end up doing just that some day to fix it. For now it is used for a blanket for 3 year old's and luckily that audience doesn't require perfection.

I present to you the Picnic tablecloth:





As you can see from the second photo it is for the preschool co-op I am doing. The kids like to sit on it.

Burp Cloths

I found a great new baby shower gift idea I totally love. Making burp cloths. It is such a fun and easy project and I had to share my good find. I love this Blog she has a lot of cute ideas and things I will try and do over and over again. I used a thin fleece inside instead of quilting batting, it saved me a few pennies and I think it is softer and matches so I don't have to worry about cutting it out perfectly.

The Count of Monte Cristo

I am taking on the book challenge for my ward's book club and am reading the very long but very beautiful(or so I hear) book of The Count of Monte Cristo! Wow, before this year I have hardly read anything and now I am reading this and get this...I'm enjoying it!

I had to blog about such a thing as this and tell you of my experience in the library yesterday. So I had the book on hold so I could go pick it up easier and when I went to pick it up I saw an older copy of the same book for sale for only 50 cents. I had to buy it since I figured it would take me a little longer than 3 weeks to finish. Can you believe that? It was fate and now I am reading a classic I actually like. Now the hard part is to finish it by the end of October in time for book club. Wish me luck:)

Freezer Family

I guess I am officially a Once a Month Cooking Mom(OAMCM) making us a freezer friendly family. I checked out a few books at the local library about the subject and I have a friend who is just starting to do it too. We cook a lot of meals one day and eat them almost every day making dinner is a snap. I have to admit a lot of mine are freezer to crock pot meals. So far so good and I hope to get better at it.

Also, I am so excited for my new crock pot coming in the mail soon. Check it out: My New Crock pot

Here is my freezer all with 21 easy meals and some lunches for the next two weeks for Levi. Can you imagine what I could do if we could buy an extra freezer for our apt?


P.S. The frozen banana's were put in a bag and I think I am missing a few stew bags.

Flashback: 11th Ward RS Camp Out 2006

This is a great memory I have in my first ward as a married women. We were in the 11th ward in SLC and it was an awesome ward! The bishop was so fun and so the ward managed to have activities that every one could come to including dances, bake off's, ice cream socials, and movie nights at the church. Now that I think of it this probably really helped our marriage to go to all of those fun activities together. The Relief society camp out was so fun! It was overnight at some one's vacation home and we all slept every where in the house including the heated tile. The people that owned the house were construction worker family so they built it with odds and ends they had left over. It was pretty cool. This was also my first experience with Cherry Chocolate Cobbler.

Some of the 11th Ward Sisters

View from the hike we did

Group Picture
This was me after I lost 20 lbs with weight watchers the first time and little did I know it was also Clark's first camp out;)

The Twilight Series

I just finished the twilight series a few weeks ago and I loved it! Yes, there were parts that I didn't really like or had a hard time reading but overall I liked the series and I am already getting the itch to read them again. I am not sure what book is my favorite since I liked so much from each book. I liked the over concept of the series from book one and since that is when I fell in love with Edward.(Go team Edward) New Moon was good because I could really see how much Bella was devoted to Edward but it was hard to feel her pain. Book three was good even though I can't exactly tell you why. Book four was great because I loved the wedding and the new Bella. Now I need to read Midnight Sun so I can get even more perspective out of the series. Too bad Stephanie Meyer isn't finishing it. I know this fan would read it:)

It's Official

Most of you know this but I thought I must confess it. I am official baby hungry. Some of you may be surprised, I know I am. We are trying to figure out how to get some good maternitiy insurance and then we are going to have baby number two:)
How could I not want another one when Clark was such a cute baby!

A Lesson in Posing

I got a really cute skirt at the Eastern Market so I have to show it off. The first picture shows off the skirt well but the second one I look so much better. It's amazing what an angle will do for you:)Kind of blurry, I know:(

Can't Wait!

This is what I have been up to!

I know it has been way too long since I last posted but I have been so busy. Here are some pictures of what I have been up to. I have taken up a little sewing, I am baking as usually, I have been taking way too many naps trying to make up for the loss of sleep of having a 2 year transition to a toddler bed, and I have just been taking it easy.

I finished New Moon and loved it but am trying to finish my other book before I continue the Twilight Saga. Thankfully I have a friend who owns the books so I can borrow them from her instead of waiting on the wait list at every single library. I do miss that escape but I am trying to finish books that I start, a new thing for me that Levi has encouraged me to try.

Me sewing:)


The cribsheet

Here is the diaper envelope I learned to make.
French Bread, a little crooked.

Cupcakes

Of course my month wouldn't be completely busy if I didn't do a little card making:)

Baby Shower

I just helped throw a baby shower for my dear friend Annalise. It turned out so cute! We did a ladybug picnic theme and chose picnic foods and had lot's of red instead of pink. She got a lot of cute little girl stuff and it was just so fun being with friends and mingling. Here are some pictures. I made the cupcakes, mud cups, the ants on a log, and the diaper cake for her.

Diaper Cakes and Baby Showers

I just learned how to make diaper cakes and they are now my new favorite thing to make and give away. I also learned how to make bows for little girls so the two together work great! I love it! Also, I co-hosted a baby shower for the first time and it turned out wonderful! It was way fun, a lot of work, and very rewarding. The other host did the food and invites and I helped out with the cupcakes and decorations:)

Steppin' with Cathe Frederick

I recently bought a step to do some in home work outs with and I have really enjoyed it. I have a friend who is way into it and she inspired me. I am starting out with Cathe Frederick's basic step workout which is about 30 minutes and it is going great! I have been doing it about 2-3 times a week for the past few weeks and I am still sweating like crazy with every workout. She is really good and her dvd comes with the step when you buy it. I look forward to mastering this dvd and then trying out some others she has. Here is a cool website where you can see a clip of the video before buying it. Cathe DVDs

Life Time and More

I finally made lifetime with weight watchers. It feels great to finally be here but it is a lot of work to stay here. I am reworking my schedule so I will have a more set time to exercise and then more time for my other hobbies. I also started working for WW yesterday as a receptionist in training. So far it is overwhelming but good to be on the other side of the desk. I hope all will go well and that I can continue to maintain and enjoy working as a WW team member. I also got a much needed haircut and finally found a salon and stylist I think I like enough to use again. I love my short hair!

This Will Be Interesting

Something just for you! Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same prize to the first 5 people who post on your blog. The first 5 people to repost and leave a comment telling me they did win an AWESOME homemade gift by yours truly! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! (And I'll post them all here as well so everyone can see!) Good luck!

BP2

I discovered this great thing from a weight watchers meeting. It is called BP2. It is basically dried peanut butter that doesn't have any of the peanut oils. It is a powder so you can put it in smoothies, hot cocoa, oatmeal, stir fry and many other things. I have tried a few things but my recent favorite is oatmeal.

1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon PB2
1 cup lowfat milk
1 teaspoon canola oil

I mix all the dry ingredients then add the milk and oil and cook it on high in the microwave about 2-3 minutes or until done. It is really good and tastes like a treat instead of like yucky oatmeal.

I Sewed!

That is right, I sewed. Those who really know me know my Mother is an excellent seamstress and that I really am not. Sure I took as many sewing classes as you could take in High School but I just never truly picked it up. I don't necessarily enjoy it but I do know how to do a little bit.

It all started when I went shopping and found a great pair of pants on sale for less than $10! I had to have them but the only problem was that their were way too long. I quickly told Levi that I could hem them so we should get them. He kind of looked and me funny and said but will you hem them? I told him I would and a few weeks later and a quick trip to Wal-mart for supplies this is what I did. I know it isn't perfect but it really doesn't have to be for what I need them for.

It's My Birthday!

Levi totally surprised me for my birthday and gave me a beautiful bouquet of purple tulips. They are so pretty and since I don't get flowers all that often I had to take a picture. It was a nice surprise. Levi double surprised me with a big birthday card as well. Earlier this month I went on a small shopping spree so that was most of my gift.

Rock Climbing

Levi took me out on my birthday date today since my birthday is on Tuesday and we had a blast! I wanted to go rock climbing and because of a great friend we were able to arrange babysitting in Rockville, MD near Earth Trek. Thanks Luz! We went during open climb where you didn't need to know anything to just go try it out. We did three climbs each and loved every one of them even though I got a little stuck on one of the harder ones. I totally loved it and maybe once we are done with law school we can take a class to become certified so we can do it as a more regular date night. We ended the date at Potbelly's. Mmm...good:)