Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Pucker Up!
Jack has recently learned how to give kisses. We think it's fabulous and completely adorable. However, it does become a bit awkward when Jack is giving us kisses in church and then leans over to the person sitting next to us (whom we don't even know) and puckers up for them. Thankfully the guy in church just smiled and leaned his cheek down for Jack to smooch.
Friday, January 25, 2008
A Helping Hand
Not that the help Jack lends is ever really "helpful," but it's the thought that counts, right? Seriously, Jack loves to help with everything. I usually find it quite adorable and don't mind letting him "help" for a few minutes every time we're trying to get things done.
Hopefully he's always this anxious to help, but I'm not going to count on that. I think that would be setting myself up for some major disappointment
Hopefully he's always this anxious to help, but I'm not going to count on that. I think that would be setting myself up for some major disappointment
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
An Old Standby
Jack has had this chair since he was born. He use to sit in it all the time when he was a baby and I was managing apartments. Sometimes, I'd just have to put him in this chair and set him in front of Baby Einstein just so I could get things done.
Well, the chair has been sitting in Jack's room ever since we moved to Utah and not once has Jack cared that it was there. The chair has actually turned into a spot for all of the stuffed animals Jack has. (Note: I despise stuffed animals, but many of them were gifts and Jack actually likes to play with them every now and then so we keep them. Much to my dismay.)
Anyway, the other day Jack pulled every stuffed animal out of the chair and insisted on sitting in the chair. He literally sat there for a half hour just playing with the animals (the cow in the middle play "Old McDonald had a farm" when you pull the orange handle). Ever since, Jack spends at least a few moments a day sitting in the chair just minding his own business. It cracks me up to see him sitting there because he looks WAY too big for the chair, but he enjoys it none-the-less.
Also, note the yellow thingy on Jack's waist. This is the tool belt he got for Christmas that he must wear around all day everyday.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Old Spice
When Mike's Grandpa died back in November we spent Thanksgiving week up on Whidbey Island (just outside of Seattle). One day I was in the kitchen trying to find things to make dinner for everyone and I came across Grandma Maggie's (Mike's Grandma) spice drawer. Holy Cow! Talk about some serious spices. Any spice you can think of was in that drawer. I made a comment to Grandma Maggie about how cool it was that she had all these spices.
Well, Grandma Maggie was sweet enough to send all of her spices home with Mike's Mom (in Oregon) to pass along to me! Is that not the kindest gesture? The spices just barely made it into my hands because LaFawn had them sent back to Utah with Mike's sister, Anna, after her Christmas vacation in Oregon.
I proceeded to go through the spices yesterday morning and you wouldn't believe what I found. Please, see below... Oh, and excuse the poor quality of the pictures. I just couldn't get the darn flash to stop flashing!!
Do you see this "sell by" date? July 1983!!! Do you realize that Mike was 1 when this was still good? Yes, he's young but that still makes these sprinkles almost 25 years old!
Answer me this, do they sell anything in a brown and orange box anymore? Have they since the 70's?
I know this picture is bad, but this spice cost 19 cents. When was the last time you purchased anything from the grocery store for 19 cents?
I want to know how old the orange is that this "orange peel" came from? Isn't orange peel suppose to be orange?
I thought these sprinkles looked so classic. The jars on the ends are glass jars! You never seen sprinkles in a glass jar anymore. The red sprinkles in the middle are the ones that should have been sold by July 1983.
Well, Grandma Maggie was sweet enough to send all of her spices home with Mike's Mom (in Oregon) to pass along to me! Is that not the kindest gesture? The spices just barely made it into my hands because LaFawn had them sent back to Utah with Mike's sister, Anna, after her Christmas vacation in Oregon.
I proceeded to go through the spices yesterday morning and you wouldn't believe what I found. Please, see below... Oh, and excuse the poor quality of the pictures. I just couldn't get the darn flash to stop flashing!!
Do you see this "sell by" date? July 1983!!! Do you realize that Mike was 1 when this was still good? Yes, he's young but that still makes these sprinkles almost 25 years old!
Answer me this, do they sell anything in a brown and orange box anymore? Have they since the 70's?
I know this picture is bad, but this spice cost 19 cents. When was the last time you purchased anything from the grocery store for 19 cents?
I want to know how old the orange is that this "orange peel" came from? Isn't orange peel suppose to be orange?
I thought these sprinkles looked so classic. The jars on the ends are glass jars! You never seen sprinkles in a glass jar anymore. The red sprinkles in the middle are the ones that should have been sold by July 1983.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day
I'm one of those people that has a hard time serving things for breakfast that seem to be more like a dessert. You know what I'm talking about: waffles, doughnuts, pastries, coffee cake, etc.
However, I'm also one of those people that likes to try and make everything that's not all that healthy into something healthy. Welcome to my version of a waffle breakfast. My philosophy is that if yo start your kids on the healthy things, they'll never know the difference, and hopefully in the long run they'll prefer the healthy stuff over the bad stuff.
Anyway, we decided to make whole wheat, apple cinnamon waffles yesterday and let Jack enter the world of waffles. Yes, this was his first waffle experience and he quite enjoyed it! You can't really tell my the look on his face, but trust me, he gobbled those things right up!
However, I'm also one of those people that likes to try and make everything that's not all that healthy into something healthy. Welcome to my version of a waffle breakfast. My philosophy is that if yo start your kids on the healthy things, they'll never know the difference, and hopefully in the long run they'll prefer the healthy stuff over the bad stuff.
Anyway, we decided to make whole wheat, apple cinnamon waffles yesterday and let Jack enter the world of waffles. Yes, this was his first waffle experience and he quite enjoyed it! You can't really tell my the look on his face, but trust me, he gobbled those things right up!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Government Buildings
Okay, is it just me or do crazy people hang out at all government buildings? You know what I'm talking about, right? In the last week I've had to visit the Medicaid office, the DMV, and the post office...twice.
The DMV is always an adventure. Nothing new there, but the post office? Come on! Last week I had to go pick up some stamps and while I was waiting in line to purchase my stamps from the automated machine some lady comes from behind me and says, "you got fingernails?" "Excuse me," I responded. "I can't get the back off this stamp. Do it for me." She shoved the stamp at me and I quickly found that it was a stamp she had pulled off of an envelope. You know those envelopes that have stamps pre-printed on them? That's what she had and she was trying with all her might to pull the back off. I instantly noticed what was going on. I handed it back and said, "there is no backing on this stamp, it's just a piece of paper." In the cruelest voice imaginable she said, "IT'S NOT JUST A PIECE OF PAPER, IT'S A STAMP!" Needless to say I hurried to get my stamps and get out of there.
Well, today I had to go mail a couple of packages. It was around 10:00 a.m. and thankfully the post office was quite empty. Except for one man standing in line. I was filling in the addresses on my packages so I was standing in the back of the post office. All of the sudden this man yells like he's dying from pain, "Oooooh, Owwwwww, Ugh!" Shocked I looked to see what was going on. As did the postal working standing behind the desk. He quickly said, "oh, I'm okay...I'm fine." No more than 20 seconds later he's yelling again! At this point I was tempted to just get out of there. This dude was freaking me out. I decided to finish address my envelopes and when I looked up he was gone. Bizarre!!
Needless to say, I've had my fill of government buildings for the next year or so. Is it just me, or does anyone else get creeped out every time they go to a government building?
Disclaimer: Possibly these individuals have serious problems that are unknown to me, and I in no way am trying to disregard or disrespect them for that. I'm just sharing my adventure.
The DMV is always an adventure. Nothing new there, but the post office? Come on! Last week I had to go pick up some stamps and while I was waiting in line to purchase my stamps from the automated machine some lady comes from behind me and says, "you got fingernails?" "Excuse me," I responded. "I can't get the back off this stamp. Do it for me." She shoved the stamp at me and I quickly found that it was a stamp she had pulled off of an envelope. You know those envelopes that have stamps pre-printed on them? That's what she had and she was trying with all her might to pull the back off. I instantly noticed what was going on. I handed it back and said, "there is no backing on this stamp, it's just a piece of paper." In the cruelest voice imaginable she said, "IT'S NOT JUST A PIECE OF PAPER, IT'S A STAMP!" Needless to say I hurried to get my stamps and get out of there.
Well, today I had to go mail a couple of packages. It was around 10:00 a.m. and thankfully the post office was quite empty. Except for one man standing in line. I was filling in the addresses on my packages so I was standing in the back of the post office. All of the sudden this man yells like he's dying from pain, "Oooooh, Owwwwww, Ugh!" Shocked I looked to see what was going on. As did the postal working standing behind the desk. He quickly said, "oh, I'm okay...I'm fine." No more than 20 seconds later he's yelling again! At this point I was tempted to just get out of there. This dude was freaking me out. I decided to finish address my envelopes and when I looked up he was gone. Bizarre!!
Needless to say, I've had my fill of government buildings for the next year or so. Is it just me, or does anyone else get creeped out every time they go to a government building?
Disclaimer: Possibly these individuals have serious problems that are unknown to me, and I in no way am trying to disregard or disrespect them for that. I'm just sharing my adventure.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Boring Blogger
Do you ever feel like you don't have anything worth blogging about? Maybe you don't, possibly your life is always full of adventure and humor. I suppose mine is too, but sometimes I wonder, "is this really blog worthy?"
So, excuse my boring blog, but one thing on my mind lately is being a more adventurous cook. I often feel like I get stuck in a dinner rut. Does this happen to you? I make the same 5 or 6 dinners over and over, but just in a different order. BORING!
I enjoy turning on the Food Network and seeing what good ideas there are out there. Here is a recipe I got off of "Everyday Italian" that I made a few modifications to (omitting the wine, and adding chicken to make it more of a meal). What I like about this dish is that it has the same creamy texture of Fettuccine Alfredo without all of the fat and calories! You should try it, it's delish!
Mushroom & Artichoke Pasta
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound pasta (I like penne or bow tie)
1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (I've never been able to find frozen, so I use canned, marinated and it works just fine).
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (I cook mine on the George Foreman with a little salt and pepper).
Saute onions in a small amount of olive oil and cook for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and continue cooking until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushroom mixture. Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, parsley and pepper.
So, excuse my boring blog, but one thing on my mind lately is being a more adventurous cook. I often feel like I get stuck in a dinner rut. Does this happen to you? I make the same 5 or 6 dinners over and over, but just in a different order. BORING!
I enjoy turning on the Food Network and seeing what good ideas there are out there. Here is a recipe I got off of "Everyday Italian" that I made a few modifications to (omitting the wine, and adding chicken to make it more of a meal). What I like about this dish is that it has the same creamy texture of Fettuccine Alfredo without all of the fat and calories! You should try it, it's delish!
Mushroom & Artichoke Pasta
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound pasta (I like penne or bow tie)
1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (I've never been able to find frozen, so I use canned, marinated and it works just fine).
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (I cook mine on the George Foreman with a little salt and pepper).
Saute onions in a small amount of olive oil and cook for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and continue cooking until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushroom mixture. Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, parsley and pepper.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Fire Hydrant
I don't even know how Jack discovered this, but he did. I mean, it's snow...it must be edible, right?
The Ghetto Girls
From left: Tara, Melissa, Rochelle, Jaime, Erin and Katie.
It's kind of a long story, but back in my post-college single days I lived in a house in Salt Lake with a bunch of girls. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had living together. We lived in a old house that was pretty nice and updated upstairs, but downstairs (where Tara and I lived) it was a little ghetto: cement floors that had been painted gray, wood panel walls, and Tara had no bedroom door. We actually usually referred to Tara's room as "the workshop." She didn't have a closet either. Anyway, we called our house the Ghetto Palace because it was palace-esque upstairs and ghetto downstairs.
Melissa, Ange, Tara and I lived in the house, but we spent so much time with Erin, Jamie and Rochelle that we just call all of us the "Ghetto Girls." Actually, to be technical, Jaime was originally a "Barbie Girl" because she lived in a house on Barbey drive, but who cares about being technical.
Ever since we left the Ghetto Palace we have tried to have get-togethers whenever possible. Three years ago all of the girls came to Oregon for my wedding, two years ago we went to see Tara in Boston, last year it was Seattle to visit Ange. Of course, since we were all in Utah for Christmas this year (I guess it was last year now...oops) we had to get together. It was a necessity.
So, these are the Ghetto Girls. I can't even tell you how much I love these ladies, and how blessed I feel to call them my friends. Tahoe or BUST!
It's kind of a long story, but back in my post-college single days I lived in a house in Salt Lake with a bunch of girls. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had living together. We lived in a old house that was pretty nice and updated upstairs, but downstairs (where Tara and I lived) it was a little ghetto: cement floors that had been painted gray, wood panel walls, and Tara had no bedroom door. We actually usually referred to Tara's room as "the workshop." She didn't have a closet either. Anyway, we called our house the Ghetto Palace because it was palace-esque upstairs and ghetto downstairs.
Melissa, Ange, Tara and I lived in the house, but we spent so much time with Erin, Jamie and Rochelle that we just call all of us the "Ghetto Girls." Actually, to be technical, Jaime was originally a "Barbie Girl" because she lived in a house on Barbey drive, but who cares about being technical.
Ever since we left the Ghetto Palace we have tried to have get-togethers whenever possible. Three years ago all of the girls came to Oregon for my wedding, two years ago we went to see Tara in Boston, last year it was Seattle to visit Ange. Of course, since we were all in Utah for Christmas this year (I guess it was last year now...oops) we had to get together. It was a necessity.
So, these are the Ghetto Girls. I can't even tell you how much I love these ladies, and how blessed I feel to call them my friends. Tahoe or BUST!
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