Missing North Carolina

Apparentlythis is what people here in AZ call monsoon season and it rains everyday. But it rains for about 5 minutes, and it is so dry, 5 minutes later you can't even tell it has rained. What has happened to a good long thunderstorm like Texas or North Carolina! I am missing North Carolina today! I loved it there and I love that part of the country. Although I know now we have to move onto other things, someday we are going to live there again!! So I went online and was just looking at some photos. I wanted to share a few. It is such a beautiful place. My favorite season there is fall when all the leaves turn, it is awesome! There are beaches, mountains, forests, it is the best!

Mac and Cheese/Chicken tenders

I made some delicious dinner today! I saw it on Rachael Ray and wanted to try it. I made a few changes, but it was so good. Here are the recipes:


Mac and Cheese
Salt
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound turkey bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyere
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Heat water for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

While pasta water comes to boil, heat extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add bacon and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Heat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter, melt and whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute then whisk in stock and milk and bring to a bubble. Thicken a few minutes then season with salt and pepper. Melt in cheese stirring it in a figure-8 motion with a wooden spoon. Add nutmeg and mustard and adjust salt and pepper.

Drain pasta, and stir in cheese sauce to coat. Top with crispy bacon and serve.

Chicken Tenders

2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds
4 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon parsley
2 packages, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix the salt, seeds, onion and herbs on shallow plate then coat the chicken tenders in mixture and bake on nonstick baking sheet 18 to 20 minutes until golden and firm. Turn halfway through the cooking.

Serve with Ketchup, or any dip of your choice! Tip, measure the sea salt. I didn't and it was way too salty. I didn't realize how much of a kick sea salt has. Anyway I loved it!

Twilight

Yesturday I began reading twilight and I love it!! I am almost halfway done. Honestly, it is not the kind of book I would usually read, but I am really enjoying it. If you want to see what else I am reading, I am on goodreads.com!!

Yummy Cookies

Today I made some very good cookies! I found a recipe and tweaked it a little to make them all my own! Here is is!

Whole wheat Chocolate chip cookies

1 c butter
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 pkg instant butterscotch pudding(or you can use vanilla)
2 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
2 and 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
about 1/2 bag chocolate chips(or really however much you want)

Cream butter, sugars, and pudding mix. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add flour a little at a time and then baking soda and mix. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for about ten minutes. They are yummy!

Father's Day!

I know I am a day late, but I was pretty sick yesturday. I am still not feeling great, but I had to get up and get going. I have a great Dad. I thought of him a lot yesturday. He is awesome, he has a strong testimony and he is a very hard worker. He works too hard if you ask me! I have a lot of memories about him when I was younger. I remember we would go on family trips and my other two sisters and my mom would want to sleep in. But my Dad and I would always go out and get breakfast together, and then go around and take pictures! It was always so much fun. I also remember my Dad was very organized when we would go on trips. He had the trip mapped out, how many miles we would go each day and where we would stay, and fun things to do in each place. He would always take his family to the funnest places. I could write tons more about my Dad because he is so awesome! I love him!

Joe is a great Dad. Everyday he comes home from work he takes time to get down on the floor with the kids and wrestle and tickle them. They love it so much! He crawls to thier bed with them on his back. He is a great Dad. He even let me rest when I was sick yesturday and spent so much time with the boys. I love him!
(Unfortunately I do not have a picture of my Dad, seeing is how all our things are in storage, but heres one of Joe and the kids!

200 Have and Have Nots

The things I've done are in red: )

1. Touched an iceberg

2. Slept under the stars

3. Been part of a hockey fight

4. Changed a baby's diaper

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Swam with wild dolphins

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a tarantula

10. Said "I love you" and meant it

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern Lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables(nothing tastes as good as homegrown)

9. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Bet on a winning horse

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Taken an ice cold bath
20. Had a meaningful talk with a beggar

29. Seen a total eclipse(of the heart...yeah, that song came into my head)

30. Ridden a roller coaster

31. Hit a home run

32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

33. Adopted an accent for fun

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment

36. Loved your job 90% of the time

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Watched wild whales

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach

41. Gone sky diving

42. Visited Ireland

43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited India

45. Bench-pressed your own weight

46. Milked a cow

47. Alphabetized your personal files

48. Ever worn a superhero costume

49. Sung karaoke

50. Lounged around in bed all day

51. Gone scuba diving

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Done something you should regret, but don't

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Been in a movie

60. Gone without food for 3 days

61. Made cookies from scratch

62. Won first prize in a costume contest

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Been in a combat zone

65. Spoken more than one language fluently

66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

67. Bounced a check

68. Read - and understood - your credit report

69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy

70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did

71. Called or written your Congress person

72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over - with the military

73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

74. Helped an animal give birth

75. Been fired or laid off from a job

76. Won money

77. Broken a bone

78. Ridden a motorcycle

79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph

80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

83. Eaten sushi

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read The Bible cover to cover

86. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about

87. Gotten someone fired for their actions

88. Gone back to school

89. Changed your name

90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands

91. Eaten fried green tomatoes

92. Read The Iliad (does Ethan's child's version count?)

93. Taught yourself an art from scratch

94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

97. Been elected to public office

98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

101. Had a booth at a street fair

102. Dyed your hair

103. Been a DJ

104. Rocked a baby to sleep

105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four

106. Raked your carpet

107. Brought out the best in people

108. Brought out the worst in people

109. Worn a mood ring

110. Ridden a horse

111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap

112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe

113. Buried a child

114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play

115. Been inside the pyramids

116. Shot a basketball into a basket

117. Danced at a disco

118. Played in a band

119. Shot a bird

120. Gone to an arboretum

121. Tutored someone

122. Ridden a train

123. Brought an old fad back into style (I attempted, does that count? Boo yah, baby!)

124. Eaten caviar

125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need(well he talked my husband into it)

126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant

127. Published a book

128. Pieced a quilt

129. Lived in an historic place

130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage

131. Asked for a raise

132. Made a hole-in-one(does put put count?)

133. Gone deep sea fishing

134. Gone roller skating

135. Run a marathon

136. Learned to surf

137. Invented something

138. Flown first class

139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite

140. Flown in a helicopter

141. Visited Africa

142. Sang a solo

143. Gone spelunking

144. Learned how to take a compliment

145. Written a love-story

146. Seen Michelangelo’s David

147. Had your portrait painted

148. Written a fan letter

149. Spent the night in something haunted

150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane

151. Ran away

152. Learned to juggle

153. Been a boss

154. Sat on a jury

155. Lied about your weight

156. Gone on a diet

157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget

158. Written a poem

159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox (A metal Pac-Man lunchbox. So cool!)

160. Gotten food poisoning

161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission

162. Hiked the Grand Canyon

163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks

164. Gone to the opera

165. Gotten a letter from someone famous

166. Worn knickers

167. Ridden in a limousine

168. Attended the Olympics (Fencing in Atlanta 1996)

169. Can hula or waltz

170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books

171. Been stuck in an elevator

172. Had a revelatory dream

173. Thought you might crash in an airplane

174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert

175. Saved someone’s life

176. Eaten raw whale

177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint

178. Laughed till your side hurt

179. Straddled the equator

180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing

181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival

182. Sent a message in a bottle

183. Spent the night in a hotel

184. Been a cashier

185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (Does the replica at Disney's Wilderness Lodge count?)

186. Joined a union

187. Donated blood or plasma

188. Built a campfire

189. Kept a blog

190. Had hives

191. Worn custom made shoes or boots

192. Made a PowerPoint presentation

193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course

194. Served at a soup kitchen

195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube

196. Know CPR

197. Ridden in or owned a convertible

198. Found a long lost friend

199. Helped solve a crime

200. Gone on a road trip with out a destination in mind

Family pitures!

Here are some recent pictures of our family! Top is the four of us at Joe's OCS graduation in January. The next one is Jonathan at our apartment in AZ. Bottom two are Jacob, one at home and one at the Mesa, AZ temple.

ABC'S GETTING TO KNOW YOU

A. Attached or Single - Attached. Joe and I just celebrated our 4 year anniversary!! I love him!

B. Best Friend - Joe is my BFF. I also have a few others, but I never see them living in different states.

C. Cake or Pie -Either one, as long as it involves chocolate!

D. Day -Saturday - family fun!

E. Essential Item - hmmm. Right now my jogging stroller, it makes exercising so much easier!

F. Favorite Color - Pink and red!!

G. Gummy bear or Worms - I guess bears.

H. Hometown - San Antonio, Texas, although I sometimes feel like it was Fayetteville, NC.

I. Indulgences - chocolate, shopping for clothes.

J. January or July -Oh I love both! January is winter, which I love. You are putting away Christmas decor, and starting a new year, full of new beginnings and new goals. July is hot and great beach weather! Time for late nights outside, swimming and bbq!

L. Life is incomplete without - Family - my big family I came from and my family I am making!

M. Marriage Date - May 8, 2004

N. Number of siblings - 1 brother and 7 sisters!

O. Oranges or Apples - Apples, not really in to citrusy fruit.
P. Phobias or Fears - Losing my husband or children!

Q. Quote -Live, laugh, love!

R. Reason to Smile - Life and love

S. Season - Fall and spring. Fall is when family is together baking fresh apple pie and sharing love. Spring is when everything is new again!

T. Tag - ?

U. Unknown fact about me - I want to have another baby soon!

V. Favorite vegetable- broccoli

W. Worst Habit -Shopping!
X. X-rays or Ultrasounds - ultrasounds - that is usually for something good, like a baby, x-rays are usually for when something is wrong.

Y. Your favorite food - Taco Cabana, oh I miss it!.

Z. Zodiac Sign -Sagittarius

I feel great today! Joe and I went and saw the new Indiana Jones this weekend and it was awesome! I felt pretty bad over the weekend, but today I am refreshed and ready for my week. I started eating a healthy low-fat diet last week, and excersizing everyday. It has been great so far! I have been feeling pretty good(minus the bug I had this weekend). I have more energy and I am happy and healthy! Today I have a check up. I am going to have the doctor check my cholesterol and blood sugar and all that good stuff. So I can get on track and see what kind of things I need to work on . Any who, I know this blog may be boring, but I don't care, I like it, I think it is very fascinating! The boys are good, my oldest has moved into a toddler bed, and we are working on potty-training. Time just seems to fly by when you are having fun!