My Religious Entry

Today we went here

and it was great to be there. I received my endowments here almost 7 years ago and it was so nice to get to go there with my husband today. It was honestly the most at peace I have felt in a long time, I wish I could feel the peace I feel there every day. It is so nice to remember what life is really about sometimes, we get so caught up in the every day hustle and bustle its good to remember why we are here. I know, I know, I am getting all spiritual on you but this is just how I feel right now. I am so overwhelmed with feelings of thankfulness and I have been so blessed. I am so thankful for an amazing Husband, Family, and friends. I am thankful for all that I have been given. Sometimes I think it cant be fair because so many go with out. I feel like I really have had it pretty easy compared to some. When I was younger The teachings of the church seemed to me to feel restricting at times but as I have grown and made choices trying to follow those teachings I have realized it is those teachings that have set me free. I really have no drama in my life and have been free of a lot of hard ships. So there you go, this is my religious entry:) just felt like I needed to get it out.

Little Brothers

My little brothers came for a visit this week and we all had a nice time. It was hard for me to think of things for them to do, I am used to girls, we go to lunch and go shopping and we are satisfied:) Boys want activities so one of the things we did was go to Jack and Jill's in Lehi. They have bowling, arcade games, and we did unlimited laser tag. I'll have everyone know I won all the boys on the last round, it made me so happy! I lost at bowling but we wont talk about that.  Jamie won this one game twice, you only have a few chances to hit the 250 ticket mark and he did it twice. We gathered our tickets and got these awesome glasses

Then we were off to I Hop for a way too late dinner. We were in separate cars so on the way there we got some good pictures of the boys in the sexy red echo

when we got home we were still all hopped up on the I Hop and decided we needed another photo shoot with those amazing glasses

don't mind that large empty wall behind my kitchen table, I'm working on it.....well kinda. I just haven't found the right thing to go there:) I have found lots of things I would love to go there but I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars which is what all the things I find to go there cost. Wow that was a long tangent about my wall, sorry. Anyway last night we went out to eat and went to that movie Arthur with Russell Brand. It was a really cute movie and had lots of little funny things through out, we all really liked it. Over all we all had a good visit and are so happy they were able to come stay with us. Love you guys!

Easter Treats!

So I have been baking some Easter goodies to take over to James' Dads house tomorrow and thought I would share them with ya. The first one is called Monkey "Peep Peep" Bread the main ingredients

weird right? I am not all that fond of peeps, I had a severe overdose not to long ago....but we wont talk about that:) So I wasn't sure I could ever eat a peep again until this recipe, so if you hate peeps no worries, you cant even taste them. Here is what you need for the recipe
  INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans (16.3 ounces) reduced fat buttermilk biscuits (or homemade recipe)
• 3/4 cup pink granulated sugar*
• 16 pink marshmallow Peep bunnies 
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Lightly spray a 9″ circular pan, bread pan, bunt pan, or other pan of choice.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Open both cans of biscuits.  Cut each biscuit into fourths.  Set aside.

 With a pair of tweezers or scissors, gently remove Peep bunny's’ eyes and noses.*I just used my fingers and ripped them off*
In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave marshmallow Peeps, butter, and vanilla extract on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.  Whisk until smooth.

Lightly dip each biscuit fourth into marshmallow mixture, letting excess syrup drip off.  Roll lightly in pink sugar and place in prepared pan.

                                                 Repeat with all remaining biscuit fourths.

 Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

                                       Let cool for 10 minutes and turn out of pan on to a plate
  
* Note: To make pink sugar, combined 3/4 cup sugar and 1-3 drops red food coloring in a Ziploc bag.  Shake, occasionally squishing any red sugar clumps that form, until a light pink hue is reached. 

 Its so yummy, and it pulls apart in perfect eating pieces!
The Other thing I made is a vanilla pudding cake, why a vanilla pudding cake because I have a super picky Brother in law who wont eat any good stuff like chocolate, peanut butter, fruit ect. and normally I would just make what I want and he is S.O.L. but I was feeling nice this holiday and thought I would try to make stuff everyone would enjoy:)
Ingredients:

• 1 Large package of white oreo cookies
• 8 oz. package cream cheese
• 16 oz. cool whip
• 1 Large box or 2 small boxes of vanilla pudding
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 cups milk 
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• graham crackers

crush cookies and graham crackers

 mix butter, powder sugar, and cream cheese till creamy

in a seperate bowl mix pudding, milk and cool whip

Then combine both bowls and mix together

layer cookies and a layer of graham cracker on bottom of baking pan

spread creamy mixture over top

top with the rest of the crushed cookies and graham crackers

cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving, store in in the fridge.
It really is an EASY and yummy cake. In my family growing up we made it for our cats birthday, yes you heard me right our cats birthday! You put it in a brand new kitty litter pan and  put tootsie rolls on top and serve with a brand new cat pooper scooper, gross right, that was the point, kinda like those dirt cakes with gummy worms. I made a kitty litter cake for a Halloween party where every one had to bring dishes that looked gross and mine was the winner! But it tastes so good you can serve it this way in a glass dish and no one is the wiser haha. Yes Mom I am taking the kitty litter cake to Easter dinner :) Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!!

Spring has finally sprung

Well kinda, my first tulip bloomed!

There she is in all her glory! This is one of the first times my gardening attempts has been successful. Usually I get it all looking pretty and then kill everything slowly but not this year, this year I am committed! I shall post a better picture when the rest bloom:) On to the next thing, is this not the cutest baby you have ever seen!

He is so funny, after his bath he becomes a crack head who runs around the room crazy fast stopping to roll on the ground snorting uncontrollably but then he calms down and I say "Are you ready to be blow dried?" and he comes frolicking over and sits down so calm and lets me dry him. ( Don't judge me, I don't have human babies yet!)

What dog likes to be blow dried? This one does, and he is sporting his new spring haircut. This is what we did last Sunday as well as went to church and had a nap, gotta love a Sunday nap:) That night I made us a yummy dinner that is so easy and tastes even better when you eat the left overs the next day so I thought I would share it with ya. Its called  WHITE CHICKEN CHILI and I found it on this blog here, and it is definitely a keeper!
Ingredients:  
2 (14.5-ounce) cans white beans
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced *I like to use 2*
2 medium poblano peppers, chopped* I used one big green chili pepper *
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced * you can also use the pre chopped stuff from the jar*
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 limes, juiced, plus lime wedges, for serving
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Sour cream, for topping
Tortilla chips, coarsely crushed, for topping

Drain and rinse the canned white beans. In a medium bowl, mash half of the beans with a potato masher until chunky. Reserve the beans until needed.

Add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven* I used A large stock pot* and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt, and pepper, to taste.

Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder and continue to saute for 1 more minute to toast the spices. Stir in the chicken stock, and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the beans and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes.

After 20 minutes of simmering, taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and cilantro and simmer until heated through, about 5 more minutes.

Serve the chili in individual bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and lime wedges.* and cheese because lets face it everything is better with cheese!

 thats it! I am sure you could do your own chicken in a crock pot but I am all about the easy and buying one cooked is sooo easy. We ate it the next two nights as well and it just kept tasting better! The fact that I can get 3 dinners out of this recipe also make me love it even more because the less I have to cook the better! So go try it out I promise you wont be disappointed!

Family time!

My parents came for a visit a few weeks ago and we had a blast. I had planed on taking lots of pictures but that didn't happen. I need to work on being better at that. Mom and I mostly did a whole lot of this

and I mean a lot! I'm pretty sure that is only half the the bags of our purchases:) I had to snap a picture because it was kind of ridiculous! Then when we would get home we would do a whole lot of this

try on one pair of each shoe we bought and trot around the house admiring them:) Its really the simple things in life that make us happy and shoes just happens to be one of them! We both agree you can never have too many. We also went out to dinner and lunch a few times and I did get a picture of us at Texas Road House

We went with James Dad and Step Mom that night and as you can see none were too happy that I insisted on having the waiter take our picture:) I was so happy to have them here for a visit though and we had such a good time together. Thank you Mom and Dad for everything you guys do. You are such great parents and I love you guys so much. I missed you so much when you left it took me a week to go in the guest room and remake the bed because it made me too sad you were gone:( Oh and by the way is it weird that I'm almost 28 years old and my Mom still gives me an Easter basket?

Weird? or AWESOME!!! 

She still does them for all 5 of her children and now 2 son in laws. She is just amazing and I hope one day to be half as good a Mother as she is. So in closing, Mom and Dad I love and miss you and I'll see ya in July!

My Favorite Snack Right Now....

You take a little of this......

and a little of this......

and you get this.....

and it is delicious!

 I go through these phases where I eat the same thing over and over and i crave it all the time, this is my favorite food obsession right now. That is all! 

BIJOU MARKET POST

Me and my friend Amanda went and hit up the Bijou Market in Provo today. They had so much cute stuff there but I'm not gonna lie, I saw a lot of stuff I could make myself for less than half the price:) However there were somethings I could not make on my own like........

This Purse!

So cute right?

Also found a cute print to frame for my Laundry Room Redo

 Here is the thing though..... don't tell the husband I spent this......
 
much money on a piece of paper! hahaha but it will be so worth it when I frame it :)