Christmas is over…

I love Christmas and the month leading up to it.

I love spending time with family and friends.

I love all the decorations.

I love the music.

I love the Christmas movies on Hallmark & Lifetime channels.

I love all the treats.

I love hot cocoa with marshmallow crème and cinnamon and nutmeg.

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards.

I love all the lights on houses and the Mesa Temple.

I love when we find the “perfect” gift for each kid.

I love the big family dinner on Christmas Eve at our house.

I love the looks on the kids’ faces when they unwrap their gifts.

I love seeing the kids happily play with their new toys.

I loved the beautiful musical program at church on Christmas Day.

I love all sharing and giving.

I don’t love all the cleanup.

Christmas is OVER and now I want everything cleaned up. Who wants to come do it for me? Although, as much as I want someone else to do it, I’m a little OCD about how things are done, so ultimately, it’s up to me. UGH!! How soon do YOU put all the decorations away?

Also, I’ve completely derailed my diet and workout. I found 101 Healthy Things You Can Start TODAY! (<--click to see them)

I only skimmed thru the list but I’m pretty sure I need to do ALL of them! Starting TODAY!

What are you going to start doing in 2012? I also starting thinking about MY WORD for the new year. Have you?

A Little Post

HA! It's been almost a year since my last post! It's just so much easier to send short updates to facebook (from my phone) than post on my little blog.

Well, I'm most certain that my computer has crashed! I've been hijacking Ben's computer the last 2 weeks. Mine won't even boot up anymore. It keeps asking for a Windows boot disk, but since my CD Rom took a dump a couple years ago, I can't use a boot disk. So, now I'm ready to ditch my cute pink computer tower and clunky monitor that was around when dinosaurs were still here (ok maybe not that old, at least it's has a flat screen but still thick and clunky like the old TVs) and upgrade to a laptop! I'd say that's a pretty good Christmas and Birthday combo gift. I'm used to combos since my birthday is only a week and a half after Christmas.


If anyone has any tips or knows of a good deal on laptops or what NOT to buy, please let me know! THANKS!! Oh and I don't have a very big budget, so please don't send me links to amazing stuff I can't afford, it will just make me drool and cry. :(

Let the hunt begin...

My Word…

I had two different words on my mind when this word popped in my head:

CHOOSE “to select from a number of possibilities”

CHOOSE the Right

CHOOSE a positive attitude

CHOOSE to be productive

CHOOSE NOT to be offended

I was inspired a couple weeks ago, when we had a lesson at church during Relief Society that came from President Thomas S. Monson’s talk “The Three R’s of Choice” from the October 2010 General Conference (Priesthood Session). He talks about various aspects of choice and put them into three categories: the right of choice, the responsibility of choice, and the results of choice, hence the three R’s of choice. I really enjoyed his perspective. He ended his talk by saying “…may we be filled with gratitude for the right of choice, accept the responsibility of choice, and ever be conscious of the results of choice.”

I hope I can be more aware of the choices in front of me and do a better job this year with my attitude and being a good example to my family.

I’m also choosing to attempt Project 365 again this year {a picture each day for the year}. Hopefully I’ll get farther than I did 2 years ago. LOL! If you want to follow along, you can check out my Project365 blog HERE.

Did you choose a word to center your goals around this year?

If you want ideas for a word, go HERE.

I’m still here…

I’ve been mostly posting updates on facebook recently.

Seriously, I can’t believe it’s been over 2 months since I last posted here!

Here’s a few updates:

Ashley was baptized as a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! We’re so proud of her! I also found a beautiful white dress for her to wear so she would feel extra special!   

My Dad got married over spring break. He’s been going back ‘n forth between here and California and wherever his new wife needs to be. She just graduated with her Masters degree and is looking for a job in several states. So, we’re not sure where they will end up.

My Sister is moving to Colorado in a week. :( She needs some fresh new scenery and will be staying with one of her best friends, so I’m not too worried about her. Although I will miss her terribly.

We had a wonderful Easter and Ashley even learned to ride her bike (without training wheels)! That was a HUGE accomplishment for her. She has been terrified to get on her bike even though Ben was always holding on. We’re so proud of her! 

Ben has been in Taiwan for the past 3 weeks (for work). He’s coming home tonight! I’m so excited!!! We’ve been using skype for the first time to talk to each other. It was fun being able to see him while we talked. I think it kind of made it seem like he wasn’t so far away. He could also show me his hotel room and the view from his window. I took snapshots nearly every time we talked, which really wasn’t that much because of the 15 hour time difference. Sometimes he was being silly, so of course, I snapped those moments, usually without him knowing. haha Sorry babe, I just couldn’t resist sharing some of these pics. *Can you tell what was on the tv one night?

While he was gone, my friend from TX, Karyn, visited me for almost 2 weeks! We had so much fun together! We went to the gym nearly every day, visited the kids’ P.E. classes at school (it was parent P.E. week), shopped, went to bunko, rollerbladed, and swam lots!

We also had a relaxing Mother’s Day {considering Ben wasn’t here, Karyn’s kids were back in TX, and my Mom wasn’t here}! Here’s what we made for breakfast – Belgian waffles with strawberries & cool whip!

And the kids made some cute gifts at school for me!

M-Marvelous, O-Oh’ So Nice, T-Terrific, H-Heart, E-Extra, R-Reads to me (that last one took a minute to figure out) By Anson

“Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! I love you and thank you for helping me with my homework. Thank you for making all these yummy meals. I also wish that every day was no school so that I can spend time with you everyday. I love you very much. Love, Ashley”

M-My Special Hero!, O-Often makes me Happy!, T-The very best Mom!, H-Hugs from you makes me feel loved!, E-Everlasting love!, R-Really amazing mother! by Felicia

Awww they just melt my heart ♥

Karyn also introduced me to a new food – Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah). It’s really good and good for you! I got a small package in the health food section at Fry’s (a grocery store). I made just one cup of dry Quinoa, it pretty much doubles in size when you cook it. When it was done cooking, we mixed in sautee’d onions & green peppers, then added some frozen peas and corn – you let it sit covered for a minute or two and they get cooked from the heat of the Quinoa. I had some leftover grilled chicken, so I threw that in there too. That was our dinner the other night. Nathaniel & Felicia love it, so do I! Since I posted about it on facebook, here’s a pic:

With everything that has been going on, I decided to take a little break from digital scrapbook designing. Hopefully, I can get some mojo and get back into it soon. I really love it, but I’ve needed a little break.

I can’t believe that school is almost over for my kids! Less than 2 weeks are left!!! Next week, Nathaniel & Felicia have an orchestra concert, history fair (they’ve been working hard on a history report and presentation), and their hip hop dance recital. Felicia also has to write a short speech and make a poster because she’s running for student council President! Elections are Wednesday! Way to shoot for the stars! Yearbooks have arrived and I’ll be busy handing out preordered ones next week and selling the rest of them before and after school. Then the last week, the kids will all have their class parties! They are so excited!

Ok, so that’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to, of course there’s more but then this post would never end. haa haa A couple more busy weeks, then SUMMER VACATION!!!!! YAY!!!

Ok, this has taken way toooooo long to type this up plus add all the pics (my comp kept freezing and wouldn’t let me add the pics for a while). I need to help get the house cleaned before Ben gets home tonight! :)

News & Spring is almost here!

I’ll start with the shocking news…

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, my Dad met someone online, they met and immediately became engaged. They have recently set the date for May 20th to get married. It’s been kind of difficult dealing with this. My sister and I have been trying to be happy for our Dad but it’s still too fast for us. But it’s what he wants, so there’s no changing his mind. She will be visiting here March 18-26th, so that’s when we’ll get to meet her.

Good News…

I finally removed the hangers, bagged, and donated all of my Mom’s clothes. It was 2 huge trash bags plus a bag for her shoes.

Fun news…

I shopped for bunko prizes last week. Then I hosted bunko at my house on Friday. It was a blast! And I got a cute prize (I really wanted to keep all of them)!

On to sweeter news…

My darling Ashley had her 8th birthday over the weekend. I can’t believe how quickly she is growing and changing. She has been wanting secret journals, so she received a couple of those. You know the kind that has a mini key with it? She thinks they are so cool. She also got a Moxie doll (like a Barbie doll but with changeable heads) and an iCarly notebook, but I forgot to buy some batteries, so she hasn’t used it yet. I think you have to use a passcode to get it open, then you can write your notes in it. My sister also found a gift & card that my Mom had bought for Ashley before she died. So, Christy was able to give that to her. It’s a necklace with a charm and inside is a mustard seed with a quote attached that reads, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Ashley was so excited!!! I love the one I got just like it when I was 8 from my Aunt Wendy. I still have it.

Enjoying breakfast (homemade Belgian waffles) with her BFF that spent the night. Playing a little xbox.Eating lunch after the makeover her sister gave her. her bday cake (rainbow chip with rainbow chip frosting) The whole gang! blowing out 8 candles. her Moxie doll. some wall scrapbook kits Ashley with Grandma and Grandpa Stradling              Ashley & me Ashley & Ben

And because Ashley turned 8, she will be getting baptized this Saturday. She is thrilled!

Decluttering news…

Ben & I helped the kids go thru their closets & dressers to gather all the clothes that don’t fit them. We filled 7 trash bags!!! {well 2 or 3 were already filled with baby/toddler clothes just waiting to be donated}. Ben dropped off ALL the clothing for donations yesterday! It really feels good to get all that stuff OUT of the house that we weren’t using. Now, if I can just get the computer room organized. Hmmmm. That’s for another day. LOL

* NEW * March Challenges are posted.

Head on over to the DSO Challenge Blog for some inspiration, plus you earn freebies!

Here's what you get FREE if you play along:

{remember my posting bonuses are coordinating}

FONT Challenge

QUOTE Challenge

HAPPY SPRING and HAPPY SCRAPPING!

My Doppelganger and what’s for dinner?

On Facebook apparently it’s doppelganger week. {I don’t know who comes up with this stuff, but if I have nothing better to post, then yep, I copy and do it too. LOL}

What is a doppelganger? I’d heard that word before but didn’t know what it meant. It basically means someone who looks like YOU. So, you’re supposed to change your profile pic (on facebook) to someone famous that you’ve been told you look like.

In high school, my friends and I would sometimes watch Young and the Restless at a friends’ house while eating lunch. They told me that I looked like Heather Tom. Of course, I was thrilled because I think she’s really pretty. Well, that was back in high school though. hahaha

 

(I’m the one on the right, in case Heather Tom really is my twin and you couldn’t tell the difference. LOL) Who’s your doppelganger?

Ok so I was going to post this earlier in the week but just didn’t get around to it til now. My SIL Merrianne tagged me, so here goes.

We had Shepherd’s Pie for dinner on Sunday (and Monday) evening. Sorry Ben, yep, we had one of your faves while you were out of town. My Dad, Christy and the kids loved it!

Ok I know the pic looks a little messy but it’s the only one I got. We had green salad with it (I’m not including a pic – sorry. It was just lettuce, tomatoes, croutons and dressing). Here’s my recipe, you can cut it down a little if your family is smaller or you only want it to last one day.

Shepherd’s Pie

2lbs lean ground Beef

1 Onion, chopped

1-2 Garlic cloves, chopped or pressed

1 Green Pepper, chopped – optional

1 large can Tomato Soup

1 large bag Frozen Green Beans

5lbs or more Potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 stick Butter

1 cup Sour Cream

Milk, optional

Shredded Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground beef with onion, garlic and green pepper. Drain fat. Stir in tomato soup, let simmer for 5-10 min on MED LOW heat.

Cook green beans according to pkg directions. Drain.

Peel potatoes and boil (I cook them in the pressure cooker because it’s faster). Drain.

In a bowl combine butter, sour cream and cooked potatoes. Mash until all lumps are gone. If a little dry, add a little milk slowly.

In a baking dish, coat with non-stick cooking spray. Add meat mixture, green beans, then mashed potatoes. Top with shredded cheese. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

For dessert we had a coconut-banana cream pie. My Dad loves coconut cream pie and banana cream pie and has been saying that it would make a great combo pie. So, I tried it and it was delicious!!!

Here’s my recipe:

Coconut-Banana Cream Pie

1 1/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (I used store bought crumbs)

3 Tbsp. Sugar

1/3 cup Butter, melted

1 sm box Banana Cream Pudding

1 3/4 cup Milk

1 Banana, sliced then cut in half

1 sm box Coconut Cream Pudding

1 3/4 cup Milk

Cool Whip, optional

Shredded Coconut, optional

Combine crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Stir in melted butter until thoroughly blended. Pack mixture firmly into 9-inch pie pan and press firmly to bottom and sides. Chill one hour before filling or bake in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes, cool & chill. (I usually bake it so it stays together better.) Set aside until ready to fill.

In medium bowl, add 1 3/4 cup milk and box of Banana cream pudding mix. Use wire whisk to blend for 1 minute. Stir in banana slices. Set in fridge for 5 minutes.

In medium bowl, add 1 3/4 cup milk and box of Coconut cream pudding mix. Use wire whisk to blend for 1 minute. Set in fridge for 5 minutes.

Pour banana cream pudding into graham cracker crust. Then top with coconut cream pudding. Refrigerate until serving.

*I wasn’t sure both puddings were going to fit in my pie crust so I didn’t add all the banana pudding on the bottom layer, once I saw there was room, I topped it with the rest of the banana pudding – that’s why you may see banana chunks on the top layer in my pic. You can do it however you want.

Optional: Add a dollop of cool whip and sprinkle a little bit of shredded coconut to each slice when serving.

It’s delicious! Way better than I even thought it would be!

I’m not good at tagging, so if you post what you had for dinner and recipes, please let me know so I can come check it out!!

Have a super duper fun weekend! Ben’s been out of town since Saturday (in Austin, TX) so I’m excited he’s coming home tonight! YAY!!!

my word for 2010

ACHIEVE: to bring to a successful end; carry through; accomplish; to get or attain by effort; gain; obtain; to bring about an intended result; accomplish some purpose or effect; to attain with effort or despite difficulty.

Notice the last definition. It means I actually have to WORK on my goals and not just sit by and wait for them to get crossed off my list without any effort.

I have so many goals for this year {especially since I failed miserably with my word from last year} that I’m hoping I can ACHIEVE something this year. I will take one goal at a time and WORK on it until I ACHIEVE it.

Have you picked a word for the year? If you need ideas, like I did, you can go HERE. {I totally got this idea from Allie Edwards} I looked thru the list of words, for inspiration, then wrote down a few that stood out to me and narrowed it down again from there. Good Luck!