Mike left this morning for Houston. He is there to help his Branch Manager in Training set up his office there and will be gone till Wednesday night. I was worried about boredom, but decided before hand that I was going to use the time to work on digital scrapbooking. I am soooo far behind and would like to catch up a bit. My goal is to have at least 16 more pages done by the time he gets home. Wish me luck!
I just wanted to mention that I admire my sisters (Kellie and Jessica) that have had their husbands gone so much and done it without complaining. Mike hasn't even been gone a full day yet and I miss him terribly. I am not envious of what you girls have had to do alone, but I have the greatest respect for both of you. I love you girls!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Random Bits
None of these are really individually post worthy, but as a group are kind of funny.
1. We have a woodpecker living in our attic. I know, not the funniest of things especially when he is sounding like a jackhammer above your head. However, every time I hear him I have to giggle because it reminds me of the woodpecker on Fox & The Hound. I can just imagine that silly woodpecker in our attic chasing after a very cute caterpillar and it makes me laugh. It is getting kind of old hearing the drilling though, so Mike is going to find where he got in and take care of it.
2. For about a month now we have noticed that every time our heat comes on it is really loud. We have been saying forever that we need to change the filter, but just never have gotten around to it. Well we finally did it, and I am kicking myself that we didn't get one earlier, because it is abolsutely silent now. I don't even notice when the heat comes on. I can't count the times it has woken me up in the last while...that's some sleep I wish I could get back. Not to mention that the filter was completely black...so I'm thinking maybe that is why our bill was higher last month, and we have been sick so much. At about $5 you'd think we would have just picked one up, but we are apparently either too lazy, or not very smart. Oh well, live and learn I guess...
3. Mike has been asking me to make hamburger pinwheels (a dinner his mom would make) basically since we got married. We finally did it, and are pretty sure that we got food poisoning from them (not because they were pinwheels, but because the meat was bad). So after all of these years I finally made them and it will probably be another 4 before we are willing to eat them again. :(
4. Because of the food poisoning, Mike was too sick to make it to the Priesthood CO2 car races. He was so excited and had spent a few hours on his car and didn't even get to see it race. I took the boys and was able to see his car in action for him. He took 3rd out of 12 cars. Not bad eh? Everyone was sad that he wasn't able to make it, especially when his card did so well. Maybe next year...
5. For the car race, we were asked to make a desert. I decided to make Kellie's Brownie Pie complete with ice cream and strawberry sauce. To say the least it was a hit. One man even called it "positively sinfull". So if you get around to making it, it really is excellent.
After reading over this I realize that most of the post isn't that funny. Maybe I just found it funny because the week is now over.
1. We have a woodpecker living in our attic. I know, not the funniest of things especially when he is sounding like a jackhammer above your head. However, every time I hear him I have to giggle because it reminds me of the woodpecker on Fox & The Hound. I can just imagine that silly woodpecker in our attic chasing after a very cute caterpillar and it makes me laugh. It is getting kind of old hearing the drilling though, so Mike is going to find where he got in and take care of it.
2. For about a month now we have noticed that every time our heat comes on it is really loud. We have been saying forever that we need to change the filter, but just never have gotten around to it. Well we finally did it, and I am kicking myself that we didn't get one earlier, because it is abolsutely silent now. I don't even notice when the heat comes on. I can't count the times it has woken me up in the last while...that's some sleep I wish I could get back. Not to mention that the filter was completely black...so I'm thinking maybe that is why our bill was higher last month, and we have been sick so much. At about $5 you'd think we would have just picked one up, but we are apparently either too lazy, or not very smart. Oh well, live and learn I guess...
3. Mike has been asking me to make hamburger pinwheels (a dinner his mom would make) basically since we got married. We finally did it, and are pretty sure that we got food poisoning from them (not because they were pinwheels, but because the meat was bad). So after all of these years I finally made them and it will probably be another 4 before we are willing to eat them again. :(
4. Because of the food poisoning, Mike was too sick to make it to the Priesthood CO2 car races. He was so excited and had spent a few hours on his car and didn't even get to see it race. I took the boys and was able to see his car in action for him. He took 3rd out of 12 cars. Not bad eh? Everyone was sad that he wasn't able to make it, especially when his card did so well. Maybe next year...
5. For the car race, we were asked to make a desert. I decided to make Kellie's Brownie Pie complete with ice cream and strawberry sauce. To say the least it was a hit. One man even called it "positively sinfull". So if you get around to making it, it really is excellent.
After reading over this I realize that most of the post isn't that funny. Maybe I just found it funny because the week is now over.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Pi Day
Some of our friends from the ward called and invited us to their Pi Party (he is a highschool math teacher). We had never heard of Pi Day before, but were excited at the prospect of eating many different kinds of pie, so didn't hesitate to attend. It was a fun night with a few young couples, and lots of young kids. :)
I decided to make a banana cream pie because it was easy. I'm not a huge fan of banana cream because it is so runny, but I found a recipe that looked promising so gave it a try. IT WAS FABULOUS! It isn't runny and tastes even better the second day. Here is the recipe if any of you are interested:
P.S. I learned something neat about the crusts. First poke them with a lot of holes to keep bubbles out. Then put a pie pan (or aluminum foil filled with rice or beans) inside the crust to keep it all nice and even. The crust turned out amazing without any bubbles and was cooked evenly all over.
I decided to make a banana cream pie because it was easy. I'm not a huge fan of banana cream because it is so runny, but I found a recipe that looked promising so gave it a try. IT WAS FABULOUS! It isn't runny and tastes even better the second day. Here is the recipe if any of you are interested:
BANANA CREAM PIE
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (3.4oz) package instant banana pudding mix
1 (3.4oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
Approx. 5 bananas
2 (9 inch) pie shells, baked
whipped cream
DIRECTIONS:
1. Using an electric mixer, whip 3 cups whipping cream on low speed until it starts to thicken. Increase speed and add vanilla and banana pudding mixes, whipping until pudding mixes are blended fully with the cream and the mixture thickens. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is stiff.
2. Line the bottom and half way up the sides of pie crust with banana slices. Cover banana slices with banana cream mixture and cover completely with (yes more) banana slices. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate one hour before serving. (I think the longer the better)
Here is the finished product...
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (3.4oz) package instant banana pudding mix
1 (3.4oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
Approx. 5 bananas
2 (9 inch) pie shells, baked
whipped cream
DIRECTIONS:
1. Using an electric mixer, whip 3 cups whipping cream on low speed until it starts to thicken. Increase speed and add vanilla and banana pudding mixes, whipping until pudding mixes are blended fully with the cream and the mixture thickens. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is stiff.
2. Line the bottom and half way up the sides of pie crust with banana slices. Cover banana slices with banana cream mixture and cover completely with (yes more) banana slices. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate one hour before serving. (I think the longer the better)
Here is the finished product...
P.S. I learned something neat about the crusts. First poke them with a lot of holes to keep bubbles out. Then put a pie pan (or aluminum foil filled with rice or beans) inside the crust to keep it all nice and even. The crust turned out amazing without any bubbles and was cooked evenly all over.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Yesterday was my 23rd Birthday. Mike took me out to lunch and then the rest of the day was pretty low-key. I wasn't dying to do anything major since we just went to a nice dinner for our anniversary and also just got back from the cruise. Instead we had Jake watch the boys for a few hours so that we could go shopping for new running shoes (my birthday gift) and a bedroom set. I made my favorite birthday dinner (ham and creamy potatoes) and we had Jake and Jess over for dinner and our Tuesday night ritual of watching Biggest Loser and Beauty and the Geek.
For my cake I decided to make the Costco cake that Kellie blogged about. I followed the cake recipe and then followed her advice and bought the icing. I added a can of the oranges to the icing for the orangy look, and then garnished it with another can. Instead of candles I put the number 23 in the center with oranges as well. It turned out cute (I think anyway) and was very yummy. Thanks Kells!
Mike and the boys gave me this really cute card...
Kathy and her boys stopped by with balloons and the biggest bag of swedish fish (my favorite) I have ever seen. Thanks guys!!
I also wanted to thank everyone that called me and wished me a Happy Birthday. I sure felt special and it was a great day!
For my cake I decided to make the Costco cake that Kellie blogged about. I followed the cake recipe and then followed her advice and bought the icing. I added a can of the oranges to the icing for the orangy look, and then garnished it with another can. Instead of candles I put the number 23 in the center with oranges as well. It turned out cute (I think anyway) and was very yummy. Thanks Kells!
Mike and the boys gave me this really cute card...
Kathy and her boys stopped by with balloons and the biggest bag of swedish fish (my favorite) I have ever seen. Thanks guys!!
I also wanted to thank everyone that called me and wished me a Happy Birthday. I sure felt special and it was a great day!
The Miracle Phone
A few weeks ago I accidentally washed my brand new (3 week) old phone in the washing machine. When I found it, it was making a horrible buzzing sound, the screen was completely filled with water, and it wouldn't turn on. I took all of the part and laid them out separately and then forgot about it because we were going on the cruise 2 days later. Fast forward to two days ago...
It was the night before my birthday and I was getting ready for bed when I noticed my phone sitting there. I decided to put it back together so that I could give it to Korben the next day for a play phone. I put it together and thought I would just try and see if it would come on. To my surprise, the phone turned on! What kind of miracle phone do I have?! I rushed down to Mike and we did all kinds of tests on it to see if it would still take calls and make calls etc. The phone looks perfect and and everything is working perfectly (including the camera!)
The only reason we can figure that this is the case is because we have a front loading washer. Therefore, the washer doesn't fill all the way up, but only puts in enough water to get the clothes wet. This probably means that the phone didn't get wet in all of the parts or something, or Samsung just happens to make crazy unbreakable phones...either way, I'm not complaining. Now I don't have to waste $150 dollars on a replacement phone. WOOT!
It was the night before my birthday and I was getting ready for bed when I noticed my phone sitting there. I decided to put it back together so that I could give it to Korben the next day for a play phone. I put it together and thought I would just try and see if it would come on. To my surprise, the phone turned on! What kind of miracle phone do I have?! I rushed down to Mike and we did all kinds of tests on it to see if it would still take calls and make calls etc. The phone looks perfect and and everything is working perfectly (including the camera!)
The only reason we can figure that this is the case is because we have a front loading washer. Therefore, the washer doesn't fill all the way up, but only puts in enough water to get the clothes wet. This probably means that the phone didn't get wet in all of the parts or something, or Samsung just happens to make crazy unbreakable phones...either way, I'm not complaining. Now I don't have to waste $150 dollars on a replacement phone. WOOT!
EOYB
I just wanted to brag about my Mikey real quick because he would never post about this himself. For those of you that don't know, Mike receives a yearly salary and then has indicators (debit balance, cancellations, etc.) that reward him with an end of year bonus. We have anxiously been waiting for this bonus all year to pay off a few things. While we were on the cruise we found out that Mike is the first Branch Manager in Pointe history to hit 100% on all of his indicators! This means that we received the biggest bonus that we could have possibly gotten.
I am really excited because last week I was able to pay off the television, washer and dryer, and all of the medical expenses from Logan's birth. With the leftover money we are planning on getting a camcorder, possibly a bedroom set, and hopefully air conditioning for our house. I am so proud of Mike for working so hard, but also feel very blessed by our Heavenly Father. It feels so good to be out of debt!
I am really excited because last week I was able to pay off the television, washer and dryer, and all of the medical expenses from Logan's birth. With the leftover money we are planning on getting a camcorder, possibly a bedroom set, and hopefully air conditioning for our house. I am so proud of Mike for working so hard, but also feel very blessed by our Heavenly Father. It feels so good to be out of debt!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Cruisin'
Ah, the cruise. So much to write about without boring anyone...that's a tall order. For anyone that will be bored with this long post I will sum up...IT WAS AMAZING! There, you can move on if you wish.
For the rest of you who care or are just bored enough to read the whole thing, here is how our cruise week played out:
S
aturday (23th): The moment of truth: The moment had finally come when I would have to leave the boys. Korben was puking and I was a wreck, but I succeeded in leaving without any tears. After flying or sitting in airports for nearly 8 hours, we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale shortly after midnight. After arriving at the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in we decided to try and find food. We were starving since we had only had airplane snacks, and according to our time zone it was only 9pm. We ordered some grub and decided to watch Enchanted. The movie was awesome! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Many laugh out loud moments, a feel good show, very clean, great music, and one both Mike and I enjoyed. We will be buying it as soon as it comes out.Sunday (24th): We slept in and checked out late so that we didn't have to wait in line for the ship. I anxiously waited till I knew that Mom would be up and called to see how her night had gone. Unfortunately hearing about her rough night didn't make me at ease, so I asked to talk to Korben. He didn't want to talk to me because he was having so much fun, and at that moment I decided to let all the worries go and just enjoy myself. We boarded the ship, found our rooms, and waited for our luggage to arrive so we could change into our swim suits. Once we were reading lazily by the pool and the ship had taken off, I felt that the cruise had officially started, and we were in for a fun week. That night the girls watched the Oscars Under The Stars on a huge outdoor screen that can be seen from most of the upper deck of the ship. The boys made themselves scarce doing who knows what, but we all had a fun night.
Monday (25th): Our first At Sea Day. We slept in until 1pm (which in our defense was only 10am our time). We found our group by the pool and enjoyed the afternoon in the sun (81 degrees). There isn't much to say about at sea days other than you eat a lot and sit in the sun a lot and wander the ship and do a whole lot of nothing, and it is WONDERFUL!
Tuesday (26th): At Sea Day 2. Pretty much the same as day one. We laze about all day and then get ready for dinner and shows at night. Our group of 20 had a reservation for the same table every night at 6pm. Most nights are dress casual and then two of the nights are formal nights. It was kind of fun to get dressed up every night and have all the time in the world to make myself look good (not an option with kids). It still amazes me that at dinner we would all have at least one appetizer, plus a full en tree, as well as at least 1 desert, but most nights 2. And then we would still all meet up a few hours later at 11pm when the chips and salsa were put out. Sick, I know, but once again, WONDERFUL...
After dinner there are shows and comedians, and games to play. We went to two of the Princess Dancer and Singer shows, saw the current U.S. Champion Juggler, a few comedians, a hypnotist, played the Price is Right, and won Jeapardy (which got us all a nice cheesy Princess Cruises Bag). Mike also got to be a star in the Princess Theatre by performing a 4 man chair (see pictures). Basically whether it is day or night, there are endless posibilities of things to do. Or if you prefer you don't have to do anything...it's the wonderful joy of having absolutely zero responsibility for an entire week.
Wednesday (27th): Our first port day at St Martin/Maarten. It is a tiny little island split between two countries (Dutch and French). If you click on the link it is actually very interesting to read about. We spent the day at the beach playing in the waves and ended up paying dearly for not putting on enough sunscreen. We were only out for about 4 hours and in that time applied sunscreen 3 times, but that still wasn't enough. When we went to the doctor a few days later she told us that the sunscreen wasn't enough because the water is so clear that it is just like glass reflecting off of your skin, and we were closer to the equator, blah blah blah...All I know is I got fried and ended up blistering and wished that I had put on 75 spf at least 10 times to avoid it all. :) Aside from burning to a crisp, the day was awesome. We had so much fun body surfing in the ocean. The water was so clear you could see all the way to the bottom. The shopping was fun and the island was enchanting...so I have to say the burn was worth it in the end.
Thursday (28th): Second Port, St. Thomas Virgin Islands. Because we were so sunburned we decided not to go in the water and to wear long sleeved shirts and long pants in order to see the island. We also ended up buying Mike a hat to cover his head (see picture). All of our group were laughing hysterically when they saw us and snapping pictures to capture the moment. We got some funny looks from people since it was 82 degrees and we were dressed like a storm was coming on. :) We had good intentions of staying out of the sun, but Aaron and Dave tempted Mike with jet skis and off he went... Unfortunately, while I was hiding from the sun I happened to start my period (OF COURSE). So after some very quick shopping (for tampons) we headed back to the boat.
Since the Virgin Islands are considered U.S. soil, we were able to call home on Mike's cell phone. It was nice to be able to check in and see how the week was going for Mom. Bless her heart she tells me that Korben is doing great and that she has Logan sleeping from 8pm to 8am. Hello, can we say miracle worker! I officially believe that Mom is the greatest Mother to ever be on earth. (Thanks Mom!)
Friday (29th): At Sea Day 3. As good as our intentions were with the long sleeves, it actually made things worse. We woke up to extreme pain and blisters on both shoulders. We had missed the medical morning office hours, so ended up having to wait until 4:30 to see the doctor. Since we were too pained to get dressed we hung out in our room. I could say that this was miserable, but that would be a lie. I decided to read a book and just relax. I ended up starting and finishing The Princess Academy (Thanks Kimber!). What a way to spend the afternoon! I got so involved in the book that I didn't notice the pain and just spent a very relaxing day engulfed in girl power.
We made it to the doctor and although we were cracking jokes she didn't think it was funny at all (She was British and reminded me quite a lot of Simon Cowell, hehe). She did give us some miracle medicine though, a good concoction of codeine, steroids, ibuprofen, and a moisturizing cream with anesthetic. We were so hopped up that the night ended up being quite fun. We saw another movie under the stars called Dan In Real Life. Very cute movie! Kind of a chick movie, but even the guys liked it since the cruise ship puts pillows and blankets on every chair and gives you unlimited amounts of popcorn :)
Saturday (1st): Last port day Princess Cays Bahamas. Princess Cays is an island owned by Princess Cruise Lines. They have the beach all set up exclusively for their cruisers. We had been ordered to stay out of the sun, so only tendered to the beach to get some souvenirs and headed right back to the ship. I was really okay with it because I'm not a huge beach person. The one good day we had was enough for me. I think Mike was sad because he didn't get to go snorkeling, but we made the most of it. A cruise is more about the ship and just relaxing than it is about the ports, so even with all of the stuff that came up it was still a blast.
Sunday (2nd): We had our final buffet breakfast and headed back to reality. The flights home took forever so we didn't get home till after 9 pm. Mom had said earlier that the boys would probably be in bed so we were pleasantly surprised to open the door and have both of them awake. Korben yelled YAY! when we walked in which was music to my ears. It is really nice to be missed. :) I can't believe how big Logan is! In one week he completely changed. He is "talking" more, and laughing more, and can kick his toys in his bouncer. IN ONE WEEK! He didn't remember me, but I expected that so it didn't hurt. We have plenty of time to become friends again...
I'm sorry if my narrative bored anyone. We had a blast and I am so glad that I didn't decide not to go because of my worries about the boys. We will definitely do it again (that is if we win again and Mom is willing to play house). I feel rejuvenated and ready to be a Mom again. I highly recommend a cruise to all of you!
Thursday (28th): Second Port, St. Thomas Virgin Islands. Because we were so sunburned we decided not to go in the water and to wear long sleeved shirts and long pants in order to see the island. We also ended up buying Mike a hat to cover his head (see picture). All of our group were laughing hysterically when they saw us and snapping pictures to capture the moment. We got some funny looks from people since it was 82 degrees and we were dressed like a storm was coming on. :) We had good intentions of staying out of the sun, but Aaron and Dave tempted Mike with jet skis and off he went... Unfortunately, while I was hiding from the sun I happened to start my period (OF COURSE). So after some very quick shopping (for tampons) we headed back to the boat.
Since the Virgin Islands are considered U.S. soil, we were able to call home on Mike's cell phone. It was nice to be able to check in and see how the week was going for Mom. Bless her heart she tells me that Korben is doing great and that she has Logan sleeping from 8pm to 8am. Hello, can we say miracle worker! I officially believe that Mom is the greatest Mother to ever be on earth. (Thanks Mom!)
Friday (29th): At Sea Day 3. As good as our intentions were with the long sleeves, it actually made things worse. We woke up to extreme pain and blisters on both shoulders. We had missed the medical morning office hours, so ended up having to wait until 4:30 to see the doctor. Since we were too pained to get dressed we hung out in our room. I could say that this was miserable, but that would be a lie. I decided to read a book and just relax. I ended up starting and finishing The Princess Academy (Thanks Kimber!). What a way to spend the afternoon! I got so involved in the book that I didn't notice the pain and just spent a very relaxing day engulfed in girl power.
We made it to the doctor and although we were cracking jokes she didn't think it was funny at all (She was British and reminded me quite a lot of Simon Cowell, hehe). She did give us some miracle medicine though, a good concoction of codeine, steroids, ibuprofen, and a moisturizing cream with anesthetic. We were so hopped up that the night ended up being quite fun. We saw another movie under the stars called Dan In Real Life. Very cute movie! Kind of a chick movie, but even the guys liked it since the cruise ship puts pillows and blankets on every chair and gives you unlimited amounts of popcorn :)
Saturday (1st): Last port day Princess Cays Bahamas. Princess Cays is an island owned by Princess Cruise Lines. They have the beach all set up exclusively for their cruisers. We had been ordered to stay out of the sun, so only tendered to the beach to get some souvenirs and headed right back to the ship. I was really okay with it because I'm not a huge beach person. The one good day we had was enough for me. I think Mike was sad because he didn't get to go snorkeling, but we made the most of it. A cruise is more about the ship and just relaxing than it is about the ports, so even with all of the stuff that came up it was still a blast.
Sunday (2nd): We had our final buffet breakfast and headed back to reality. The flights home took forever so we didn't get home till after 9 pm. Mom had said earlier that the boys would probably be in bed so we were pleasantly surprised to open the door and have both of them awake. Korben yelled YAY! when we walked in which was music to my ears. It is really nice to be missed. :) I can't believe how big Logan is! In one week he completely changed. He is "talking" more, and laughing more, and can kick his toys in his bouncer. IN ONE WEEK! He didn't remember me, but I expected that so it didn't hurt. We have plenty of time to become friends again...
I'm sorry if my narrative bored anyone. We had a blast and I am so glad that I didn't decide not to go because of my worries about the boys. We will definitely do it again (that is if we win again and Mom is willing to play house). I feel rejuvenated and ready to be a Mom again. I highly recommend a cruise to all of you!
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