Another day, another Easter basket

I wonder what my nephew, baby Ben, will think of his new basket. I wonder if he'll love it so much that he'll sleep with it long after the last of the Easter candy has been eaten. I love it that much. I think I should have made Max's and Ben's first so that Natey and Sam wouldn't have gotten the practice baskets.


I wonder if Nathanael will be a janitor when he grows up. He sure loves to push the broom around. Today he and I were at Walmart. I had him strapped into his stroller to prevent him from getting loose and destroying the store. He kept saying "buckle it, buckle it", which is generally his request when getting into the stroller or car seat, he likes to do it himself. So, I unbuckled it thinking he wanted to buckle it. Instead, he started to climb out. I was not going to let that happen for two reasons. First of all, he would certainly take the opportunity to pull everything off the shelves or try to run off. And secondly, since he wanted to fit in at Walmart, he didn't have any shoes or socks on, and I didn't want his bare feet on the ground. So, I buckled him back in. He started crying "buckle it, buckle it. Push it, push it." I told him he could not get out and he was not going to push the stroller. To this he replied, "ahhhhhh! Team work. Team work." That kid.

Productivity

It has been a busy couple of days at our house. There have been lots of birthday celebrations. My grandmother (I tried to find a picture of us, but oddly couldn't find one..) turned 81 last week, so the boys and I had her (and my grandfather) over for lunch yesterday. I made chicken noodle toss with greens for lunch, and Mema brought my favorite sugar cookies with pink icing. She's quite a spry 81-year-old and we have been pretty tight over the years, enjoying many shopping trips to Pigeon Forge, long talks, and thousands of face-card games played. Except this one time... When I was in elementary school we took a family vacation to Colorado. One afternoon, we were visiting the giant sand dunes and my dad dared my siblings and me a certain sum of money to run down them (it is possible that part of the dare was that you could not fall down). Well, being the same lover of money then that I am now, I wasn't going to let the opportunity to cash in on the dare pass me by, so I took my turn. Well, I didn't make it; I ended up tumbling about half the way down, with a mouth full of sand. Apparently part of the dare must have been that no shoes were allowed, because I remember trying to climb back up the dunes barefoot, with the sand burning my feet and just crumbling underneath me so that I made no progress. I sat down in the sand, resigned to never make it out of the sand dune basin, and my grandmother just stood at the top yelling at me. I was not her biggest fan that day....

Today Sam got to attend his buddy Noah's birthday party at Giggle Bugs, a bouncy place. Natey cried as we left for the party, not understanding why he didn't get to go too. But, based on the looks of the house when I returned, he had his share of fun too. A duck costume was discarded in the "office", a chair had been pulled over to the medicine cabinet, bananas were smashed, wild crazy fun was had. Sam was so sweet to share the candy he got in his party favor bag with Natey. He is always good about sharing treats and snacks when he knows there isn't enough for both of them to have their own. It makes my heart happy.
After Noah's party, we moved our party-loving selves over to my parents' house, where we celebrated my dad's 61st birthday in true southern-style, with bbq. Sam ate a big bowl full of rice and pork barbecue (otherwise known as "chicken"). And Natey went home naked after getting choked up on a loogey and vomiting all over his clothes. Yes, a good time was had by all.

But the thing that kept me the busiest this weekend.....my Easter sewing project! To say that I'm proud of myself is a slight understatement. This is only my third sewing project since I got my sewing machine two Christmases ago, and my first solo attempt. That's right folks, I did these bad boys without any assistance, and I wiped out all three of them in about a day and a half. They are certainly not without flaw, and I broke 5 needles (one of them was even a denim needle!), but I'm now proficient at winding a bobbin, threading my machine, changing needles, and the basics of sewing. And, I'm quite pleased with the finished project: Easter baskets for my two boys plus one for my adorable nephew, Max.
Karen, I stole the idea of peeps and owls from you. Max's nursery is owls, so I knew I had to do that for him. And I love the way the owls look. I think his basket turned out the best.

Natey's basket is the peeps one; I still need to decide what to do for their eyes and noses. Sam chose the egg/bunnies basket. I hope they will enjoy these for many Easters to come.

A day in the life

I love bread. I'm not too discriminatory, either. Sweet bread, white bread, savory bread, wheat bread. I like them all. Those women over at Our Best Bites are just simply amazing. This morning I whipped up a batch of their Almond Poppy Seed Bread to enjoy with friends (I like friends about as much as I like bread; old friends, new friends..I like them all). Unfortunately, I had a few factors conspiring against me: I was rushing to get the bread in the oven before I needed to get Sam to school, Natey wanted breakfast, and Paul chose that moment to discuss life-changing decisions with me. Thus, I forgot to add one VERY important ingredient at the appropriate time. Once I had poured the batter into the pans and was placing them in the oven, I realized I had not added any sugar! So, I poured the batter back into the bowl, stirred in the sugar, and then poured the batter back into the pans. And this is what your bread will look like if you do as I did, and don't take the time to rinse and regrease the pans:
Oh well, they look like mice (or Natey) nibbled the edges and the texture was assuredly not quite right, but when something has 2+ cups of sugar in it, can you really mess it up? Some of them came out not too terrible looking, and I can't stop snacking on it. Thankfully I sent most of them home with others.

Almond Poppyseed Bread

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/8 c. canola oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
1 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

GLAZE

3/4 c. white granulated sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, and flavorings and beat for 2 minutes. Alternate adding in flour mixture and milk and then mix until just combined. Add poppyseeds and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pans (5 mini pans or 2 regular loaf pans) and bake (35-40 minutes for mini pans, 1 hour for large pans; keep an eye on them). When done, place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. While cooling, prepare glaze by combining all glaze ingredients. Drizzle over loaves and allow to harden.




Today's blog post is made possible by Hung Le, temporarily known as Henry. He's spending the afternoon with us, and thus the boys are playing without any need of me to entertain them.
Earlier in the week, I wouldn't have thought we would have been able to socialize this week. On Sunday, while headed to church, Sam vomited into the diaper bag. I was sure our whole family was headed for pukeville, but instead, after about 4 hours and 4 pukes, Sam recovered. Sam's main concern while being cleaned up from his first round of puking was that he was going to be late for class; he, indeed, did not make it to church at all. After puking some more he told Paul, "I don't think my body wants me to grow." Poor, sweet little guy.
On Saturday, the boys got to spend the entire day with Daddy, while I took a photography class downtown (complete waste of a day and $90, by the way). Paul thought it would be a good idea to do yard work while the boys played inside. I think he came to recognize the error in his judgement when he came back inside to find green rice covering the entire kitchen, a broken mug of which a piece was found in Natey's mouth, along with an orange button. Natey, upon hearing Paul coming, went to hide under the dining room table, leaving a trail of green rice in his wake. (I guess he could have left much worse in his wake....is this even for real?)
And while I'm on funny Nathanael stories, I have one more in closing. Every night we pray together as a family. Occasionally Nathanael will sit still long enough to take his turn. Of course this requires our assistance. When we tell him to say "thank you for...", he invariably says "thank you five..." I don't know what he has against for/four.

They make me happy

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. I've never really even given it too much thought of actually being a holiday. I don't recall having actually EVER done anything to celebrate it before, other than, of course, wearing green because someone said you're supposed to. But this year, "Henry's mommy" (my dear friend, Kim) and I hosted our boys' preschool class St. Patty's Day party. We started off the morning as chaperons on a field trip to see Charolotte's Web, which nearly put me to sleep. The performers were all children, and they really did a great job, but boy was it boring.:-) I just wanted that dang spider to go ahead and die already! Not to mention Charlotte's costume kinda made me want to vomit a little bit.
When we got back to school, the kids found that a leprechaun had wreaked havoc in the room, turning their chairs upside down and leaving green necklaces, bracelets, and glasses hanging from the legs. I wish I had taken my camera to school, but I knew I wouldn't be able to take pictures and assist with the party at the same time, so a picture of Sam modeling his treasures will have to do.

For snack the kiddies had shamrocks and green applesauce.
Then they got to make a fruit loop rainbow and dig for gold!
Considering that it was a thirty minute party, I'd say it was a success.

After Natey's nap yesterday, I decided that since he could climb out of his crib now, it was pretty much pointless to keep him in it. So, with help from the little disaster, I converted it into a big boy bed. He and Sam proceeded to use it as their personal launch pad all afternoon and evening. He went right to sleep in his "new" bed last night and going down for his nap today was also a breeze.

For reals?

My sister, Robin, refers to Nathanael as Dennis the Menace. Applicable nickname? You tell me.
Yesterday was an eventful day. Nathanael officially decided he can no longer be contained in a crib. This day never came with Sam, but with Natey, I'm actually shocked he waited this long. He's actually known how to climb out for a few weeks, but it wasn't until he was challenged that he decided to use his skill to further his menacing behavior. On Monday night, we were all having Family Home Evening in Nathanael's room when the boys started to get a little rowdy and were trying to climb into the crib. I told Paul that Natey could climb out now and he wanted to see. So into the crib went Natey. He was taking a while to work his way over the bar and Paul was losing interest. Paul challenged that he didn't think Nathanael could do it and turned his attention to something else. About that time, Nathanael hoisted his body over the rail to which I exclaimed "did you see that, Dad?", which was echoed by Natey with "see that, Dad?" Fast forward to nap time yesterday.... I think you probably can guess what happened. Nathanael would NOT stay in his crib. I put him in, he climbed out. I put him in, he climbed out. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Of course I locked him in, but he stood at the door crying....loudly.....for hours. Yeah, seriously, I left him in there that long. Ok...probably like an hour. Bedtime went similarly, but was much shorter. He only had to be returned to his crib twice.
This morning he was crying at the door, begging to be let out of his cell bright and early, shortly after 5:00. Actually it wasn't very bright, but it was certainly early. This is not unusual for the babe. He has always been an early riser. We typically send him to watch cartoons so we can get a little more rest. Inevitably he comes stumbling back into our room to bother us after a short time. Sometimes he climbs into our bed, like this morning. He handed me "bb" and "puppy", and I helped him up. I did not feel anything else on his person. We cuddled for a few minutes and seemingly out of nowhere, he pulls a pair of sharp scissors and starts trying to cut his hair!!! I couldn't make this stuff up. What will he do next?
I'm starting to think the days were easier when he only played in the toilet.

A whole lotta new

This must be the year of taking up new hobbies in the Rogers family. This weekend we've officially embarked on our quest to become a biking family. I mean, we're not going to be crazy 40-mile cuckoos or anything, but a nice jaunt down the Swamp Rabbit Trail on a beautiful Saturday sounds about right. Yesterday our bikes arrived and today we took our first spin....down the street to my sister's house. That was enough for our first outing. The little boys love riding in the trailer, although it can get a little close for comfort.


For dinner tonight, I took my first foray into Asian cooking. Well, I mean sure, I've made stir-frys and whatnot, but I'm talking about mung bean noodles and sesame oil. Those were new ingredients for my repertoire. And to be honest, it isn't often that I cook with red meat....well, aside from ground beef. Tonight we enjoyed Korean Cellophane Noodles with Beef and Vegetables, a recipe I came across in a Cooking Club magazine. And enjoy we truly did. I'll definitely be making it again in the future, with a few changes. The flavor was fantastic, but it had a textural issue. The cellophane noodles made me think of snot. And once again, I had to try 5 different stores (honestly) before I found them (at Whole Foods). I think I'm going to take the stance, from now on, that if it's hard to find, it must not be very good, and either sub it or skip the recipe. Next time I'll use either rice noodles or just a bed of jasmine rice. You can never go wrong with jasmine rice! The recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms, but since they were $4 for a tiny carton, I subbed baby bellas. I don't think I've ever had shiitakes before, so I don't know how significantly I may have altered the intended flavor. Who cares, a mushroom is a mushroom in my book, and it tasted great anyway.

Korean Cellophane Noodles with Beef and Vegetables

10 oz cellophane noodles
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
12 oz thinly sliced beef rib-eye, sirloin or hanger steak, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 large carrot, julienned
1 large garlic clove, minced
6 large green cabbage leaves, ribs removed, leaves cut into 1/2 inch strips (4 cups)
12 large shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 green onion, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1 Soak noodles in large bowl in enough water to cover 30 minutes; drain.
2 Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce and sugar in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whish in sesame oil. Place beef in medium bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce mixture.
3 Cook noodles in medium saucepan of boiling water 5 minutes or until al dente; drain.
4 Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large nonstick skiller or wok over high heat until hot. Stir-fry carrot and garlic 10 seconds. Add cabbage and mushrooms; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove vegetables.
5 Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in same skillet until hot. Stir-fry beef 1 minute or until browned. Remove beef.
6 Heat remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil in same skillet until hot. Stir-fry noodles and remaining soy sauce mixture 2 minutes, tossing to coat. Return vegetables, beef and any accumulated juices to skillet; toss to combine. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with pepper; garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

4 (2-cup) servings

Not the sharpest fork in the drawer

One of my favorite meals to order at any given restaurant (except Thai, of course) is a Southwestern chicken salad. Now I no longer have to wait to dine out in order to experience that deliciousness. Thanks again to Our Best Bites I have once more found a recipe that will be served in our home over and over. It was outstanding. I only wish I had made 2 or 3 pounds of chicken. The Taco Chicken is so good you'll want leftovers. I told Sam it was taquito chicken and he LOVED it. After dinner he said "Mom, thanks for making that taquito chicken. It was really good." I left out the cherry or grape tomatoes, mainly because one little clam shell of them was nearly $5! Holy moly! They ain't that great! I didn't miss them.


That's one messy plate. How embarrassing. I tossed my salad with the dressing right on my plate. Forgive me; I'm no food photographer. Maybe we'll see some improvements after my photography class next weekend....

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
SALAD:

4 c. chopped Romaine Lettuce
2 c. chopped grilled chicken (you could use Taco Chicken if you want)
1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, washed
1/3 c. vertically-sliced red onions
1 avocado, cubed
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 3/4 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained

DRESSING:
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. salt

OPTIONAL:

Tortilla Strips

Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been. Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands (which you have obviously and thoroughly washed, of course! :) ). Set aside.

Mix dressing ingredients. I say to start with 1 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. If you're serving this for a crowd, it's probably better to err on the side of not spicy enough rather than too spicy, but if you're just making it for your family and you have taste buds of steel, have at it. You could even chop up one of the chilies and toss it in there if you're feeling super-brave. Then taste the dressing and you'll know what heaven tastes like. Set dressing aside.

If you're making tortilla strips, fry those puppies up now. I didn't make them here because I'm trying my darndest not to be naughty nutritionally, but if I make this salad for some kind of festivity, I always make the tortilla strips. Allow them to cool.

When you're ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine with your hands and serve.

Taco Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs (I can tell you right now that I'm a breast girl and Sara prefers thighs.)
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

It's a good thing we only let Nathanael eat with dull plastic utensils.

Crafts and cooking

So, obviously I've been enjoying creating things lately. I think it's good to create things; it helps me to not feel like I'm stuck in a rut. My only problem is that I don't often feel like I have the time. For example, this wreath:

When I first came across this cute idea, it looked like something I could handle. And it wasn't difficult, but it was time consuming. Twice I ran out of felt and had to wait until I had some reason to be on Woodruff Rd to go buy more. That could have something to do with the fact that when I had about a quarter of it complete, Paul came home and told me it wasn't cute, so I ripped it all off and threw it away. Three weeks later (maybe not quite that long), it's finally hanging on my front door. I think Our Best Bites chose better colors than I did, but I was going more for spring, not Valentine's Day.
Today a couple fun girls came over and I tried a new banana bread recipe for the occasion. I'm really loving Our Best Bites. This recipe also came from there.
I enjoyed it, but it really wasn't SO different from banana bread recipes I've made in the past. I think I would have liked more of the glaze. It's definitely worth making again; maybe you'd like to try a loaf too.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
adapted by Our Best Bites from Cooking Light

2 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/4 C (4 Tbs) real butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
1/4 C sour cream or plain yogurt
3 Tbs apple juice or milk*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C coconut

Topping: 2 Tbs additional coconut
Glaze: 1/2 C powdered sugar whisked with 1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice

*as in: don’t go buy apple juice just for this recipe. If you don’t already have some, just use milk!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs and beat to combine. Add banana, sour cream or yogurt, apple juice (or milk), and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add flour mixture and beat at a low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 C coconut.

Pour batter into a 9×5″ loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle additional 2 Tbs coconut on top.

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a knife or skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Note: Check bread after about 40 minutes. If the top has browned and the coconut pieces are looking toasty, cover top of bread lightly with a piece of foil. Continue baking until done.

When done, remove pan from oven. Let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes and then carefully remove from pan. Whisk powdered sugar and lime juice together for the glaze and then drizzle over top. Cool for another 15 minutes before slicing.

This blog post made possible by Noah.
Today we got to bring Sam's buddy, Noah, home after preschool. These guys go way back.
I love when the boys have friends over. They entertain each other so well, and I can actually do something while they are busy.

You lose some

I'm sitting here sick to my stomach as I type this. With a terrible taste of onion in my mouth. Tonight, I lost.
The smells coming from my kitchen this afternoon were so deceiving. I loathe going through the process of making a meal only to be completely disappointed in the result. Way too many pearl onions. I should have taken it as a sign when I had a hard time finding them. I had to go to two stores. Paul ate his obligatory helping, complaining all the while, and then made himself a sandwich. Sad day.
Atleast I came across these gems whilst I was uploading my pictures to cheer me right up:

Move over, Martha

It's no secret that Sam is the most picky eater in the galaxy. The boy weighs only 7 pounds more than his 2 year old brother. Sam will be 5 in June. He will gag and vomit when forced to try new foods. He generally will not even lick or sniff them. But, I guess everyone is a sucker for Costco samples. Last Friday we stopped by for a few free snacks, and lo and behold, Sam ATE A TAQUITO! Yeah, so what, they aren't the healthiest thing in the world. I bought a box. He ate them. This is huge. He's now been eating them almost daily. So, I thought it would be good if I could get him to eat homemade ones that might be slightly better for him. So, if you're stumped about what to make for dinner tomorrow, let me suggest baked creamy chicken taquitos with creamy lime-cilantro ranch dressing for dipping.
I wasn't overly impressed with the dressing; I was expecting more flavor from the salsa and cilantro. But Paul thought it was good especially with the taquitos, which I thought were fantastic. It's a keeper. I think I would double the recipe if I intended to feed a family. Sam did eat one, even though he said they definitely weren't his favorite. He even spotted the "green stuff" (cilantro and green onions) and ate it anyway. This is major progress, folks. Then he asked for a taquito from the box and wouldn't eat any more of mine. Oh well.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com


1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray


Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
ignore directions on the packet
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

This is tough folks. Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

And since Martha does more than just cook, I've also been busy on several crafty projects as of late. Earlier in the week, I accidentally found myself at Goodwill. I had just dropped Sam off at school and wanted to run by Wilson's 5 and 10 (which really could be a blog post in and of itself), but was a few minutes early. Neither Goodwill nor Wilson's had opened, yet the parking lot was slammed with folks anticipating that special something that could only be found at Goodwill. It was like Black Friday! I found myself being beckoned inside and I had a brief thought that maybe I too could join the ranks of fashion blogger....;-);-) Actually, I had a plan for the wall of the book nook, and I thought that perhaps I might get lucky at Goodwill and score some cheap frames. Amazingly enough, I did! I almost passed them by. Actually, I did pass them by at first. I thought they weren't exactly what I was looking for, definitely not the color. So, I walked away, only to turn back after figuring I'd never get frames that large, including mats, for that cheap, in a set of 4. Just as I was approaching them again, another girl snatched one up! Thankfully, she must have had the same hesitation I originally had, and as soon as she put it down, I snatched them all up. I wish I had taken before and after pics, but I didn't. It was a set of 4 blue, beachy prints. Then I also found a childrens' book that was pretty close to what I was looking for. So, for $14, the wall of the book nook is complete.



And as for my trip inside Wilson's, well....I never saw the individual that I heard from across the store shout, in the most country accent imagineable, "leave Charlie Sheen, Mylie Cyrus, and Lindsay Lohan alone!"

A hair shy of a decade

Does it mean you are getting old when you start measuring the distance from a major life event in decades? Maybe, but since I can't yet quite do that, I guess I'm not old this year.
Today marks the ninth year since I married my best friend. Doesn't it make you want to puke a little bit when people say things like that? Yeah, me too. Nine years..seriously. When Paul reminded my dad of that fact last night, my dad found it hard to believe it's been that long. No one gave us more than 6 months to a year. Really. I was 19 and dumb; Paul was 21 and fresh off his mission. But, it's not like I was the first girl Paul saw when he got home...well, actually I might have been, but he saw me before his mission too. In fact, we saw an awful lot of each other almost from the time I was in diapers. Check out the little girl in the blue bathing suit. That would be me. And Paul is the cute little thing against the wall, licking the ice cream cone. I'm not sure how old I am in the picture, but I'm betting it was my brother Ben's 6th birthday, which would have made me two months shy of 4.
Wouldn't it be cute if we'd had a crush on each other ever since then? Well, we didn't. I'm much too insecure to post pictures of myself, for the whole blogosphere to see, from any of the years between that time and the year we got married, but suffice it to say that I wasn't very cute. Ha...I'm not sure if it was my chia-eyebrows or braces that attracted Paul, but he was clearly attracted, nonetheless.

And so, two weeks after the above photo was taken, we were married. And it's been pure bliss ever since then. Ok, maybe not. We've had our rough spots and our share of challenges (actually, really, very few), but they have added to the story and adventure. It's been a fun journey so far. We've experienced many great blessings, places, and events together.
In 9 years we have:
Moved cross-country 4 months after marriage, to a beautiful little place called Provo, UT. We lived in 2 different apartment complexes during our 3 year stay. I bet it's hard to believe we would ever have wanted to leave our first home:
Lived in 3 states and 6 different dwellings.
Graduated Paul from college, though it appears neither of us was too thrilled by that occasion.
Bought 2 houses.


Had 2 of the cutest babies this world has ever seen.
And much, much more.

It has definitely been an adventure and a journey well worth taking. I'm looking forward to whatever the next 9 years may bring and I know that whatever it is, I'll be experiencing it with my best friend. 9 years....I guess we've sure shown those doubters! I love you, Paul.