12.24.2014

No Cheeses For Us Meeces

We have been pretty well devoid of snow this winter, which frankly, I am more than fine with.  Except that I have come to enjoy having white Christmases over the recent years, and it was weird knowing that we wouldn't have snow this year.

Well, apparently Mother Nature got the memo, because it started snowing a couple hours ago, and we now have a delightful dusting of the white fluffy stuff all over everything.

So here I sit, watching "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (a Christmas Eve tradition) while my husband has to work (super annoying that Target is open til 10pm), and it continues to snow.

All the presents are wrapped, dishes are washed, floors swept, lights are hung in the windows and on the balcony.

We are undoubtedly prepared for Christmas around here!

Bring on the break from reality for a couple days!

12.22.2014

Christmas Eve

Bruce and I had a "mock Christmas Eve" yesterday since my poor hubby has to work late every day this week, Christmas Eve included.

He likes to be able to open one gift on Christmas Eve (which is a concept entirely new to me), so before we decorated our gingerbread house, we exchanged one gift with each other.

Bruce got me "Bedknobs & Broomsticks", which is a childhood favorite, which Bruce had never seen before.  And I got him a Minecraft T-shirt, that thankfully, he likes (I will admit it is a pretty clever shirt).

So now that we've had Christmas Eve already, I really just want Christmas to be here and to be able to relax with my husband for a couple days.

12.21.2014

Building a House

Bruce and I made our first gingerbread house together tonight.

And, while it won't be winning any awards, we sure had a fun time making and decorating it!  Our icing turned out to be a bit runnier than we anticipated, causing some problems, but it was an enjoyable time.














Our masterpiece!

12.19.2014

Merry-Go-Round

Bruce is on this month's campout with his scouts today and tomorrow.

I've only had to deal with being a scouting widow for 6 months so far (basically since we got married), but I'm already not a huge fan of being without my husband for one mandatory weekend out of the month.

Especially with both of our busy schedules up to this point.

Bruce just finished classes for the semester, so he'll be starting back up at work until the next term starts, so it is unlikely we will even see each other as much as we did during the past few months, since I work during the morning and afternoon, and he seems to be working the afternoon and evening.

Oh well, what can ya do?

Hopefully we'll be able to make gingerbread houses on Saturday when he gets home.

12.18.2014

Lather

We made it home!

Today was another long day.  But a long day of sitting in a movie theater, and then sitting in a car.  So much sitting...

The final Hobbit movie was good, but I would have to say that it is my least favorite of the three.  I feel like they just tried to drag a lot of elements out really far, and it lost my attention and sympathy a lot.  But it was still a good flick, and I am glad that we saw it, after all, I love Middle-earth.

So now, Bruce is trying out his new shaving kit that we pick up in SLC, and I get to reap the benefit of looking at my handsome husband being all manly...shaving old school.

12.17.2014

Bites of Bliss

Bruce, Jimmy, and I drove down to Salt Lake City today.

Our plan is to go see The Hobbit tomorrow in Centerville. So we came down early to see the Christmas lights and do some walking around town. Okay...a LOT of walking around.

We were able to go to Gourmandise, a delicious French bakery that I used to occasionally go to when I lived in the area, and Bruce was finally able to try macarons! I've spent a lot of time extolling the merits of macarons to him, and I was pleased that he enjoyed them.

Tomorrow should prove to be exciting as well, we are anxious to see the new movie!

12.16.2014

Doctor, Doctor...

Bruce brought the game "Operation" home from his parent's house on Sunday so we could play it.

I don't think I had ever played it according to the rules before, so this was a new experience for me.  Bruce however, is an avid Operation fan, and loves the game.  With one small exception...apparently he'd been playing the part with the rubber band wrong all these years.

In the game, you are supposed to attach the rubber band from end to end without making the buzzer sound.  Apparently he had been playing it that you simply remove the rubber band.

He wasn't quite jazzed about this revelation.




















But he still won the game anyway.

12.15.2014

All The Stockings Were Hung

Bruce's stocking is done!

I made him a new stocking this year, and it only took me three tries. But we are very happy with the final outcome.

What do you think?



12.14.2014

Merry Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from the Scholes Abode!

Yes, I realize that the card says my husband's name is Nathan and not Bruce...surprise!  Bruce's real name is Nathan.  But I will continue to refer to him as Bruce on here...because old habits die hard.


12.13.2014

Early Presents

Don't you love getting presents early?

I know I do!

The other day, Bruce let me have one of my Christmas presents early, and I LOVE it!







It's Gimli!








He lives on the top of my computer monitor for work, he's basically the best.

I also came home to a delivery from my mom as well!  She got me a tripod for my camera!

So excited to have that!


12.11.2014

Bland

We had this Christmas Cookie Cookbook growing up that always had our go-to Christmas Cookie recipes in it.  There were, however, many recipes that we never ever tried.

So I decided to try making one of the recipes that always looked really fun and super tasty to me.  They are Stuffed Stocking Cookies.  Basically it looked like a sugar cookie with chocolate chips and chopped nuts inside, while the cookie is formed into the shape of a stocking, then frosted to add the cuff, heel and toe of the stocking.

They looked so cute and fun in the old 80's book!

But man, were they ever disappointing...

They spread out too much on the pan, and unfortunately, they tasted awful.  Well, maybe not awful, but they didn't taste wonderful at all.  Quite bland.

Maybe that is the reason we never made them.

That or possibly the fact that they are more frustration to form than they are worth.

Boo for blandness...

12.09.2014

Upgraded

I finally have a new work computer!

My old laptop has some serious issues... for years... but since it was still under warranty, I didn't qualify to get a new one.

That is until now!

I've been using a resource laptop for a week or so, and was more than ready to get my own back.

It's newer model, and feels weird... And doesn't like to configure the screens the way I have had them for the last 5ish years, but I'm hoping to figure out how to make it succumb to my will...

I am most excited about the speed and response time I get from it. It's amazing! My old one took forever to do anything... And I mean for.e.ver.

Super stoked about the upgrade

Who we will become


As a young missionary I had just left my first area in January of 2009. I was ready for the move, it was time for me to leave the area. I had done what I needed to do there. My next area was Hamilton, OH which was right next to my previous area; in my own district even. My first two companions were elders who both said this was their favorite area. They were both goofballs and had become complacent for what the area was. Hamilton was considered a stuck in rut area by those who were closely familiar with it.

I was determined to leave it better than I arrived for however long it was. One night after meeting with our ward mission leader with my second companion there I pressed him and with my eagerness suggested ways of involving the members. He told us that members had expressed that we were waiting to help until they got different elders. The companion I was with was one his last transfer. He had been to Hamilton serving previous. Because the members didn’t see what they thought was pleasing progress or behavior they didn’t trust us and didn’t want us going anywhere near their friends. Or at least for the people who expressed concern to our ward mission leader.

I didn’t want any part of this accusation even by extension. So that night I went home and in one of the most fervent prayers of my life asked for heavens help. I explained the situation to the Lord, what I thought of our predicament, and asked for help. I explained that I accepted that I wouldn't know exactly what to do, but that I would go and do whatever we would have to do. I told him I’d knock on every door in the city if that is what it meant. I just didn't want my time wasted or miss the opportunity to help someone he sent me there to help. I made a promise that I never broke from there on out.

Sure enough, I made sure day in and out we were out on time and we were in on time. I was sincere and genuine in all that I did. I gave my very best and I wouldn't let up even if I was tired. I sent my companion off with a bang. Oddly enough, the next companion I got was the most energetic person I ever knew, his secret nickname I gave him was Mr. Friendly. As he became my companion I became the district leader of my old area.

Quickly we began to gain trust of the people we met. I was helping the two new elders in oxford understand the nature of that area and still letting them figure it out. I had us holding weekly instruction on better social conduct of tracting, which helped the Elders quite a bit.

Our area was really gaining traction and we were busy teaching and helping people. I was busy every day and we were doing miracles in that area. Then out of the blue our wards bishop passing away.
He was one to never give up on his family, his callings, his work, and certainly the Lord. The night before he died he called me up because he was concerned about a certain family that we would like us to see the next day that might need our help. I asked if he wanted to come, he said, “No, I will be busy. I’m excited to go give a family in the ward their recommends so they can be sealed.”

This man was always so eager to serve other people. He lived his life for others even as the savior did. I felt the same love for Hamilton as he did. His life to this day is a type and shadow of everything that area had taught me. Sometimes life becomes difficult. Sometimes it seems as though you might not be able to accomplish something. The choice of what happens next is still yours to make. We won’t know everything that we have to do, but there is One that can guide us. Seek Him in honest and sincere prayer. Be active in your prayers, explain your situation, what your understanding is, and ask for help for worthy goals and you will receive it. My one hope was to use my time to the best of my abilities to help people.

In many ways it always will be. I find that if all I did was live just for myself, my life would be a waste. It just wouldn't mean anything it would have just exist in a memory of what I did for myself. I am no longer a steward of 62,447 people. But I am of my family, my boy scouts, and those that I can associate or meet with in my busy life. The situations will always change as time passes on, but one

thing that won’t is that I want to live to help those I can.


President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said,

“For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become”


I love the Lord, with all whole soul and I am grateful for the opportunities he gives me to serve. I know if I give my best to worthy pursuits which would lead me to help others he will help me get there. The work we do for others and those we love will live on forever in the happiness for those that we help.

12.07.2014

All Growed Up

Ah... Economizing, isn't it a joy?

Really, it is something that Bruce and I should have been doing from the get-go, but it is something that now, as we embark on (and feel the effects of) the holiday season, we cannot avoid.  Which isn't a bad thing by any means, especially since we are both on the same page about it.

Getting creative with a budget and our planning can be a fun challenge, but we're up to the task, and hopefully we'll learn some good habits and be able to keep them as time goes on.

Now I just need to come to grips with the fact that my income doesn't go as far as it once did when I was single and living in a super low-rent apartment... *sigh*...yay for adulthood!

12.05.2014

Party Hearty

Well, our ward Christmas party was a success!

We started our set up at 11:00 this morning, and strung lights, fluffed trees, set tables, and turned the church gym into a veritable Christmas wonderland over the next 5 hours.

We raffled of some prizes and the centerpieces, and we even had a dessert contest.

Thankfully, we had a lot of help cleaning up, and I am happy that it will be another year before we have to do this again!

12.04.2014

The Countdown

So Bruce and I decided to make a new advent calendar for Christmas this year.

I have a countdown from before we were married, but it can often be frustrating since it involves constantly moving and removing, rotating and fiddling with the various numbers.  This new one would be considerably easier, and far cuter than our old one.




















We started thinking about this project back in early-November, but neither one of us really started making any headway on it until recently.

We purchased our little boxes first.  I knew Michael's had exactly what I wanted, and we had a coupon!  I already had a ton of Christmas-themed paper, so we were covered in that department.  Our frame came from Target.  I removed the back and the plastic face on it so that our boxes could sit inside the frame.

I found a big sheet of magnetic sheet metal at Lowe's, and had it cut to the size I wanted by a company here in Idaho Falls.  This was the most time consuming part of everything, just waiting for the metal to be cut (after finding someone to cut it, that is...that took a while too).

Bruce and I laid out a couple ideas for the background of our countdown, and settled on what you see in the pictures.  I mod-podged our paper choices onto our sheet metal and let it all dry for a couple hours.  Meanwhile, I cut out paper to fit on the inside of our tins and their lids.  I used a blue paper with little white snowflakes for the inside of the tins, and then alternated between red, green, and cream to put behind the numbers that show through the lids (I did do all the numbers by hand, but if anyone else does this, I would recommend printing them).














I bought some metal-bonding glue at Lowe's, and attached the sheet metal to the back of our picture frame and allowed it to sit overnight.  Then we attached a frame hanger, glued magnets to the back of our tins, and hung it up!

I am so happy with how it turned out!


12.03.2014

Crafty

Our ward Christmas party is on Friday, so some of us gals who are putting the shindig together rounded ourselves up and worked on the decorations tonight.

I wish I had taken pictures, because they were really cute, but alas, I am horrible at taking pictures.

One of the gals has a vinyl cutter, so we put vinyl cut-outs on some vases, wood blocks and red & gold charger plates, which we will place in the center of the tables with other various items.  Then they will be raffled off during the party.

Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures of the actual event, so you can see how cute and crafty we are.

12.02.2014

It Flies

Where does the time go?

I just looked at the clock and saw that it is after 10:00, which is about an hour and a half later than I thought it was...

Work was slow today, and so I did some crafting, cooking, laundry, errands, and trying to figure out my new phone.

I thought that I'd do some more work on my craft, but not now that it's so late.

There is always tomorrow!

11.29.2014

Cheese

Yay for cheesy holiday movies on Netflix!

They are one of my favorite parts about the holidays...even the terrible ones make me happy.

11.28.2014

Black Friday Madness!

Today was the ultimate lazy day.

Although Bruce and I woke up relatively early (7:30), we didn't get up and do much today.  We started the morning by watching "It's a Wonderful Life".  Then we went to breakfast with Kelly and Scott at Mitchell's (a restaurant/truck stop...super delish).

Then Bruce and I watched "Air Force One", which I had never seen before...I was not exactly blown away by the CGI, but it was a decent flick.

Then we just lounged for a bit before meeting up with Kelly, Scott, and Scott's sister Kristina for lunch/dinner at Puerta Vallarta.  Then we went home again and both Bruce and I took short naps.

Literally, one of the laziest days.  But so great!

11.27.2014

Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving pies.

















I tried to take pictures of our whole Thanksgiving dinner, but honestly, I was too busy stuffing my face with all the amazing food!

My sister-in-law made this incredible oyster stuffing, seriously delectable!  It was probably my favorite part out of everything.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

11.26.2014

Let it begin

Well, my pies have been made for tomorrow.

Laundry has been done.

Work is done until Monday.

I have guests coming in a few hours.

I should probably be cleaning...buuuuut I'm not.

I've already started being lazy for my Thanksgiving break.  And I plan to keep it that way

11.25.2014

Time Off

Kelly and her husband are coming to visit for Thanksgiving!

It'll be fun to have them around, and to spend the holiday together.  Thanksgiving is a pretty casual holiday, so it'll be really nice to just hang out with everyone.  So excited for a little paid vacation!

11.24.2014

Ornaments

I have a Christmas tradition of always giving a Christmas ornament to those who I put stockings together for.

Since we already put our Christmas tree up, Bruce felt that we should exchange our ornaments now, rather than on Christmas...that way they can go on the tree this year, instead of next.














Bruce got me R2-D2!  I love it!




















I made Bruce a Batman ornament, of course














And I put together "couples ornaments"
Bruce is Sully from Monster's Inc.














And I am Boo.
It's kind of an inside joke.

Super fun!

11.23.2014

So early

For the first time ever, we have decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving.

Yeah, it's true.

I can't believe it either.

We originally planned to decorate the day after Thanksgiving (which anyone who has lived with me can attest is WAY early for me...but Bruce was insistent, and who can resist that face?), but we ultimately decided that it'd be easier on both of our schedules to do it in our down-time today.














Our kitchen counter




















The tree!  We still need to get a topper, but I think it looks lovely!

11.21.2014

Little Shards of Glass

A funny thing happened on our way to a dessert party...

Bruce and I were invited to a dessert/game night tonight.  I made a fun new pie for it, a Cinnamon Chocolate Silk Pie to be precise.  Anyway, as we were literally walking out the door to head to this shindig, the door hit the pie in my hand, sending it flying out of my hand and onto the floor...or rather, onto the 3 large rocks that we have on the shoe station just behind our door, and it literally exploded!

Chocolate, cream, and glass went flying!  It was epic!  It was everywhere! One of Bruce's slippers was a casualty of whipped cream war.

I really wish we had taken a photo of the destruction, because I really cannot properly convey the image of the scene.

We got it all cleaned up and then headed to our party.  We had fun getting to know people a bit better outside of Sunday meetings, and hopefully we can continue to get to know them and make friends.

In other news, I had my first physical therapy appointment for my balance issues.  My PT was less than impressed with my overall balance, but my vision is top notch!  So I'm focusing on that...

11.20.2014

The Pies Have It

I am in charge of the pies for Thanksgiving dinner next week, and I believe that I have finally settled on what I am going to make.

I didn't think it would take as long as it has (I've known about this for almost 2 weeks), but I think I will be pleased with the results!

I might need to whittle the list down a bit, because we really don't need this many pies, so maybe family will chime in on the matter...or maybe not, but I digress.

Here are the pies I will/might make:

French Silk
Pumpkin
Apple
Pecan
Coconut Cream
Eggnog Cream

Half of these were special requests, and half of them are traditional...tough decisions!

11.18.2014

Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on?

Technology and I are not the biggest fans of each other all the time.

My work computer has exceeded its warranty, and I keep meaning to submit a request to our IT department to get it replaced, but I keep forgetting.  So for now, my computer is the equivalent of a dinosaur plowing through molasses in January...uphill.

It uninstalled Google Chrome on its own today, and won't let me reinstall it...which is annoying.  So I really need to submit that request...and figure out how to get Chrome back on it in the meantime.

11.16.2014

Big Things

Today was another fun one.

To start everything off, I was called to be the second counselor in our ward's Relief Society.  Meaning I only had a six month break from being in a Relief Society presidency, which is a break that I am grateful for, and hopefully I will be up to the tasks that await me.

We had a little more "excitement" after I was called into the presidency.

I am currently the ward chorister, and as I was leading the sacrament hymn, I had an episode of vertigo and collapsed.  Luckily, Bruce was sitting on the stand with me, and he was able to get me back into my seat, while a gal from the ward came up and relieved me of conducting for the rest of the meeting.  The major annoyance is basically how embarrassing it all was.

Now I get to deal with questions and concerns (which aren't innately bad, just frustrating and embarrassing to explain it all over and over again) and reassure everyone that I am in fact okay, all things considered.

The second doctor determined that I do not have BPPV, but that it is probably Labyrinthitis or Meniere's Disease.  Neither of which are particularly delightful.  If it had been BPPV, there is this technique known as the Epley Maneuver which moves the head in a manner that moves the crystals in the ear to an area that makes them not bring on the vertigo.  But alas...

I have another appointment on Friday, so hopefully we'll be able to get working on this soon!

11.14.2014

Hitchcock did it better

Yesterday was...interesting.

When I woke up, I found myself to be incredibly dizzy.  So dizzy that each time I tried to stand, I fell back down almost immediately.  Everything just kept spinning.  I would try to regain my composure, attempt to stand again, only to be greeted once again by the floor, bed, or ottoman.

Then came the waves of nausea.

Bruce grabbed me the trash can from the bathroom as I prepared to lose everything.  But it didn't fully come.  My head just continued to swim.

Bruce managed to help me to my feet, but my strength was gone and I had to fully rely on him to support me as we slowly made our way to the bathroom (our bathroom is attached to our bedroom and it still took us probably 5-7 minutes to get there).

Bruce said he would take off work and tried to convince me to go to the doctor, but I urged Bruce to go to work, and told him that I would be fine (I've had recurring dizziness for years, though never to this extent...I still believed it would pass).  He left for work, and I once again tried to regain my focus.  It took me about a minute after he left to realize that I did in fact need to go to the doctor, but now I was in another room, my phone sat by my bedside...I only had one option...since I could not stand, I had to crawl back to the bedroom and call my husband to come back and take me to the doctor.

By the time he came back (only about 5 minutes later), the vomiting had already started.  And I was terrified.

It took us a considerable amount of time to get me dressed and out the door, Bruce holding me up and essentially carrying me to the car as my head and stomach competed with one another for the "Gymnast of the Year" award.

We made it to the doctor, and were eventually told that I most likely have what is known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), which is the most common form of vertigo, but normally occurs in people over the age of 50, unless the person has suffered a severe blow to the head (which I haven't).

He gave me a prescription for medication to help with the dizziness, and we went home, where I hunkered down on the couch, and found the only comfortable position I could...on my side, with my head to the left.  I paid the price each and every time I moved even a fraction of an inch, by vomiting.

I sent Bruce back to work, and fielded phone calls, texts, and other messages from concerned friends and family before passing out.

When Bruce came home from work, he called a physical therapist here in town to see if  could get in for an appointment for a procedure that is supposed to help with BPPV, but the earliest opening they had was on Monday.  After Bruce explained a bit to the gal on the phone, she said she would see about getting us in earlier, since she was skeptical it was even BPPV due to my age and the fact that I have not experienced head trauma.  So we have an appointment in about an hour to figure it all out.

We have our fingers crossed that everything will go well and that things can go back to normal.  I feel slightly better today than yesterday (I can stand up for short periods of time, and haven't vomited once yet).

I can assure you that vertigo is absolutely no picnic.  I far prefer the movie to the real thing.

11.12.2014

Organizing, Cleaning & Heating

I have reorganized my kitchen yet again!

Instead of a complete overhaul, I just tackled a few small tasks; namely clearing off the top of our cupboards and organizing the baking shelves (we have 2 sets of shelves in our kitchen, one holds baking supplies and the other holds dishes and snacks).

I also swept, mopped, vacuumed, dusted, and wiped down the counters.  I used my new Norwex anti-bac cloth for the dusting and wiping of the counters.  Guys, that thing is amazing!  I cannot gush enough about the Norwex products that I have used thus far.  Bruce laughs at me when I get giddy about these silly cloths, but he's just happy that I love them so much.

In other news, it is super duper cold here right now.  16 degrees right now, and it's supposed to get down to about 2 degrees tonight.  2 degrees!  Ick!  Thank heavens we live somewhere with a good heating system this year!

11.11.2014

Put up yer dukes

I had a major fight with my sewing machine today.

Things got ugly.

I'm so glad that Bruce still loves me when I get frustrated and curse at inanimate objects.  I'm pretty sure that if I were a cartoon, smoke would have been trailing out of my ears due to my frustration with that ridiculous machine, and Bruce was as calm as ever, just telling me over and over that he loved me (possibly to reassure himself that he does in moments like that?).

So the machine and I are in a fight.

No longer speaking to each other.

It never really liked saying much anyway.

11.10.2014

Tag, you're it

Bruce and I came home from a quick trip to GameStop (a video game store in the mall) so he could finalize a payment for a game he ordered, and as we were walking up the stairs to our apartment, I noticed something attached to the back of his shirt...




















It's a clothespin that reads: "Oops!  Please remove before washing"

Yep.

Some kid clearly tagged my husband on our way through the mall.

Kids are weird.

11.09.2014

A laugh

Today was our ward's primary program.

I have been out of a family ward for so long that I probably haven't seen a primary program in over a decade. I had forgotten how funny they can be...

Kids waving to family, speaking too loudly, crying, fighting for a place in front, basically eating the microphone, reciting their lines a mile a minute, shouting the songs...always a good time!

11.08.2014

Passing

My grandmother passed away today.

She was 86 years old, and an amazing woman.  She lived through the turmoil and hardship of World War II, married my grandfather and raised 5 children on a farm, taught them love, hard work, faith, and kindness.

She was loved by everyone who met her.

She will be missed by many, but I know that she is out of pain.  Which makes me glad.  I do not feel sorry for the dead, but I pity the living, for they are the ones who struggle to live.

My prayers go to my grandfather who will mourn her loss.  And for others who keenly feel her loss.

She is reunited with her son Brent who passed away 10 years ago.  And she will be there to greet us all as we eventually make the journey home.

I love you, grandma.

11.07.2014

Crafting

I have a Christmas craft that I've been sloooowly thinking about and buying things for.  I've been getting Bruce's opinion on things, and he's actually very helpful with all of it.

So hopefully we'll be able to pick up some of the final pieces for it this weekend!

11.06.2014

I am fire...

Bruce bought a copy of the extended edition of The Desolation of Smaug this week, so we decided to watch it together last night.

We love The Hobbit movies and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Seriously, they are awesome!

I believe we're planning on watching the extended editions of LOTR again this month, which I am excited about.

AND we'll get to watch the new Hobbit movie in December too!

I love Middle-Earth.

11.04.2014

Milk Face

Do you know what happens when you make your husband laugh?

For most people, what happens is joviality and general happiness.

For Bruce, who happened to be drinking a glass of milk at the time, what happens is... Milk Face.















Which then results in more laughter!

I can't help but bust up when I see this picture!

11.02.2014

So...now what?

Gah... it's only 6:00pm!

But it feels like it should be at least 10:00pm...

Bruce is at work.  I've done the dishes, cleaned up around the house, caught up on blog reading, took my cold medicine, watched a movie, went over our finances, fixed some annoyances on this blog, and now I am twiddling my thumbs.

What's a gal to do?

11.01.2014

Day 3

I'm on day 3 of being sick.

Apparently there are a number of other people in our ward that are sick as well, so my guess is that we all caught it at church.  Yippee! At least we share.

Bruce has to work tomorrow, which marks the first time since we've been married that he has to work on a Sunday.  He typically works one or two Sundays a year, and this would be the first.  We're also getting into the crazy "holiday season", when he will be working more and more crazy hours.

Bring on the crazy!

10.31.2014

Oh, Mortimer...

Even though I am sick, Bruce and I maintained our tradition of watching "Arsenic & Old Lace" for Halloween.

If you have never seen it, you really should.  It is a classic!  And is super funny to boot!

10.30.2014

Dinosaurs

Well, the blog transition has been completed (clearly), so if you're reading this, welcome to our new home!

I am playing hooky from work, though can it really be hooky if I'm actually sick and lying on the couch slipping in and out of consciousness?  Either way, I'm not at work.  Bruce is though.  I wonder if I'll ever refer to Bruce by his actual name on here... it's such a habit to call him by his blog alias.

Anyway, in the spirit of being sick, I thought I'd share this funny take on the Nyquil slogan I came across a while ago...

For those of you who don't know what the original version is, it goes like this:

"Nyquil.  The night-time, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold, medicine."

the funny version goes something like this:

"Nyquil.  The night-time, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, holy crap there's a dinosaur in my kitchen, medicine."

Yay for being hopped up on medication!

Thanks for helping me sleep, Nyquil.

Dinosaurs and all.

10.27.2014

New Address

So, I've had this blog of mine for 6 years or so now.

And since I'm married now, and not the only person who writes on here, I've decided that I am going to change the web address that links to this blog, so that we can fully transition into a blog for two (one that isn't listed under my maiden name).

Hopefully we'll still see you guys over there, and we'll still have it linked to our Facebook profiles (or I will anyway).

The change will happen on Wednesday or so, and the current web address will no longer link here.

The new address will be nathanlisascholes.blogspot.com

See you then!

10.26.2014

Busy bees

This past week was a busy one, filled with work, school, birthdays, pumpkin carving with the youth in our ward, baby showers, church (we got a new bishopric today) baking, some cooking fails, super early morning grocery shopping trips (6:30 is a great time to go, it's empty), movies with friends, Norwex parties (they have amazing stuff!), video games, studying, a trip to Utah last Sunday, and so much more...

This is how I justify not blogging this week...

10.21.2014

What was that?

I do not have a good memory for certain things.

I can remember big events, general memories, song lyrics and movie quotes (because of course those are important and deserve space in my brain...), but I have a really hard time remembering specific details.

Things said in conversations, specific things I've read, tiny details of a situation, basically anything that makes a situation unique.

It's actually pretty frustrating.

There have been many, many times where I'm talking to someone and they mention a previous conversation or situation and I literally do not recall the instance at all.  Sometimes I will recall a snippet after they fully detail it all out for me, but that's actually pretty rare.

I really wish I could remember things better than I do, but it's only getting worse the older I get.

10.20.2014

Just keep swimming

Our fishy buddy Gus died last Friday.

Bruce bought Gus about a month before we started dating, and he's been a good little pal for him.

It was sad to see him go, and we aren't likely to replace him with another fishy friend any time soon.

So RIP Gus.

All drains lead to the ocean.

10.17.2014

Carving

Bruce and I are carving pumpkins with some of our friends tomorrow evening.

Carving pumpkins is probably the only good part about Halloween,  which is admittedly not my favorite of holidays.

Now I just need to decide what I'm going to carve...

10.16.2014

The Interwebs

I've been trying to increase traffic and followers of my other blog, so I've joined Pinterest and Instagram.

It's all very new and kinda weird to me, but it's fun to get it out there, though I am sure it will take a while for it to actually be effective.

Here goes nothin'!

10.14.2014

Seeing is Believing

I am such a lucky duck.

I get to see my husband quite a bit during the week.

With me working from home, and Bruce's school schedule putting him in classes on Monday and Wednesdays, it means that he is home on Tuesdays and Fridays (he works Thursdays).  So, unlike many couples who only see each other in the early morning hours and evening, I get to see him a lot on at least Tuesdays and Fridays.

It hit me today that many couples do not have that luxury, and it made me incredibly grateful that we get to see so much of each other.  Even if it's just a quick kiss, or a "hello" as one of us goes to get a glass of water.

I'm grateful for the time we have now before he starts a full-time job and is away most of the day.

10.12.2014

Thus it begins

Today had felt incredibly long.

And while I know that, realistically, there are 24 hours in today, just like every other day, but I'm convinced that somehow, today cheated and procured a few extra his and such them in somewhere.

In other news, Bruce made his first ever solo batch of cookies. Not just his first ever with me, his first EVER. The man had never made cookies from scratch by himself before...I was stunned. I've been doing it since I was about 8.

He did a great job though, and everyone at the court if honor tonight must've thought so too, because they disappeared right quick.

I have an exam for my final class of my term this week. Cross your fingers and wish me luck that I pass it on the first attempt! Hopefully all the reading and studying will pay off.

As the confetti settles

The weddings are done.

Kelly and Vlad (not his real name...just like Bruce isn't really Bruce's name) got married on Friday in the gorgeous sunshine in Memory Grove Park in Salt Lake City.  The weather was perfect, and many friends and some family were able to make the impromptu trip to see them get hitched.

The bride looked beautiful in her dress, and they both looked supremely happy to finally be married.

I'm glad I was able to make it down to be with them.

Ashley and Wilson were married yesterday in the Idaho Falls Temple.  They were actually married in the same sealing room that Bruce and I were, which is also the same sealing room where John & Annake were sealed...so thus far, that room has sealed us all to our spouses!  Which is kinda fun.

They had a nice luncheon following the ceremony, and then their reception was at The Rose Shop here in Idaho Falls.  Such a fun place!  Everything looked beautiful, and ran smoothly, though I am sure that my madre-in-law is thrilled to have everything done and to not be planning a wedding anymore.  Weddings can take a lot out of you.

The bride looked gorgeous, and they both couldn't stop smiling, I know they are going to be extremely happy together.

All in all, the weddings were fantastic, and both couples are doing great!  What more could you ask for?

10.08.2014

Mystery

Let me first and foremost say that this is Bruce writing and not Lisa. Of the few times I have wrote on here my mode of speech is different than Lisa's and I guess there has been some confusion.

I am writing today about a man who appears close to my age. I am going to name him Henry. Every Monday and Wednesday I basically live in pocatello for most of the day. I commute from Idaho Falls for an hour early in the morning to Pocatello. When I get off the bus it is my usual routine to goto the closest building which I frequent first to use the computer lab. Within the last two weeks or so Henry waits outside this building everytime I walk up to enter.

Henry is a very pleasant guy and he is always there holding the door open for people. Not just by passing, but waiting there for the early hours of the school day (7-8am). As far as I can tell he is a student here and possible has a mental handicap. But he is nonetheless a charming and well-behaved chap. I have on occasion in the last two weeks stopped before and asked how his day is. We talk briefly and pass.

Today he is sitting outside the door on a landscaping wall holding a single pink carnation.
Even as I am writing this in the computer lab on campus, I can look out my window now and see him waiting with the flower. I don't mean to seem strange in this manner of observation, but it is nonetheless interesting.

My mind has played out different scenarios. It is quite obvious that he could have been holding open the door for the last two weeks for a woman of his affection who happens to enter the building around the time I do. It could appear that finally Henry wants to perhaps ask his bonnie lass out on a date. Or perhaps they have been friends or more for awhile and this is the only time of the morning to see her.

Perhaps he has an unhealthy obsession and he is not as charming and well-behaved as I surmised. Of the very ritual and mundane parts of my morning, Henry is just quite simply a mystery. Whoever he is or whatever he is doing, I just hope its a good day for both him and his bonnie lass. I would be very upset if Henry was in fact a ill-willed or obsessive character.

10.05.2014

Epic Wedding Week

My bestie is getting married.

She and her fiance have been planning their wedding for mid-late January.

As of this morning, they decided that they were going to push the wedding date up.  To the end of this month!

Easy peasy, I started working on some of the things she needed from me, I had already ordered my dress, so that was going to be fine, though the colors had slightly changed, so I would likely be wearing something I already have.

Fast forward a few hours...

The wedding is now on FRIDAY!  This Friday!

So I'll be getting stuff together for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party on Wednesday, borrowing my grandmother's car, heading to Utah on Thursday, attending the wedding on Friday, driving back to Idaho, and attending my sister-in-law's wedding on Saturday.

This is going to be the epic week of weddingness!

10.03.2014

Tired of Tires

The Justy needs at least 2 new tires.

Harvey (Bruce's car) could do with some new ones too.

But at the moment, the Justy is in more dire straights.

So today, Bruce decided he was going to go suss out some new (used) tires for the guy.  He left the apartment around 8:30, but was back almost immediately.  Harvey had a flat tire.  Ironic, no?

He spent the next hour or so trying to convince the tire it really did want to be removed and replaced by a spare we have, ultimately, Bruce won, though it was a tough battle.

And off he went in search of the new (used) tires.

I got a call a little while later from him saying that he couldn't find the same size tire we had, but that the gal at the store said these other tires should work fine, but they were snow tires (2 of them studded), and we'd have to buy all 4, not just the 2 we needed.

Well, since the car really does need tires, we bought all 4.

On my lunch break from work, we too the Justy over to the tire center at Walmart for them to put the new tires on, however they informed us that because 2 of them were studded, they could only put the front ones on, which were the tires we needed replaced anyway..so whatever.

We went home, expecting it all to be done a few hours later.

Well, about an hour later, we got a call from Walmart saying they couldn't put the tires on because they were the wrong size.  And that they actually couldn't only put 2 of the 4 tires on because the tires all had to be the same size, and the tires we had on already were a different size than the ones we just bought.

Good grief.

We called another mechanic to verify the information, and received the same diagnosis.

We decided to take the tires back to where we got them, because not only had they been wrong about the tires being able to work, they had actually misled us with the size of the tires themselves.

Talk about frustrating.

I spoke with my supervisor at work, and he allowed me to leave work early so we could deal with the problem together.

We went back to the tire place (where they don't give refunds), and informed them of their sizing error, what we had been told by 2 different mechanics, and asked for...yep, a refund.  At this, the gal called the mechanic she had previously called (who told her the size would work), and was told yet again that it would work.

So we decided to go talk to the guy in person.

We explained the situation again, that 2 other mechanics said it couldn't work, and that we were becoming frustrated with the run-around.  We were reassured that the tires would work, that they could even put on the studded tires, and things would be peachy.

So we drove back to Walmart to pick up the Justy from where we had left it, returned to the mechanic, and dropped it off with the new tires.

An hour or so later, we got a call from this mechanic, explaining that the tires would not work because of the size (sound familiar??).

We were both beyond frustrated, tired, and cranky (well, I was cranky at least).  The guy however, was very helpful and explained the issue (it involved the factory specifications for the tires versus what we had on...I'll spare you the details), he even called the tire gal and she agreed to give us a refund.  On top of that, he didn't charge us for the labor used to put the tires on and off again.

So we drove back to the tire place, got our refund, and came home...with the car in much the same condition as before...after dealing with it all for about 8 hours for Bruce, and 5 hours for me.

The joys of older cars.

Older, smaller cars.

Yeah...

Cars.

10.02.2014

Slicing

I had a slice-n-dice incident with my index finger yesterday.

Apparently, it wanted in on the mandolin-slicing action that the apples were enjoying, and proceeded to get in the way.  Resulting in a very painful cut.

It has been a unique challenge trying to avoid using it when I do things like...oh, typing for example.  Not a barrel of laughs.

I did put super glue on it to keep it closed (after band-aids proved to be frustrating), although the glue tore off sometime during the night (ouch!), So I am back to just having the cut out there in the open, constantly making me think I have something smeared on my finger...

Nope, that's just my blood.

9.30.2014

Surprise and Spice

I got a surprise yesterday when the doorbell rang at around 5:45pm.

Bruce is gone on Mondays at school until about 9:00pm, so this was clearly either someone for me, or someone who doesn't know Bruce's schedule.

I hurried to the door, and upon opening it, I saw...Bruce!

His last class was cancelled due to a family emergency for the professor, and he came home early to surprise me.  At which he was successful.

It was nice to spend a rare Monday evening with my love, we made a quick stop at our sister-in-law's place, then picked up pizza from Papa Murphy's.  Turns out, we've never gotten PM's together. Ever.  Well, we remedied that.

I got a thin crust Thai Chicken pizza, it had zucchini, sweet chili sauce, chicken, tomatoes...mmm...pure delicious goodness!  I highly recommend if you are adventurous with your pizza.

9.26.2014

Stormin'

We had a pretty crazy rainstorm this evening.

We're talking total torrential downpour, thunder, lightning, flooding, wind.  It was nuts.  But totally amazing!

Bruce kept going outside onto the balcony to watch it all come down.  I love how excited he gets about small things like that, it makes me happy.

9.23.2014

Date-iversary

Today marks the anniversary of my first date with Bruce.

He asked me out for frozen yogurt at our local OrangeLeaf, and we met up at around 5:00pm.

I was nervous, and didn't know if I would immediately recognize him, but that all faded as soon as I walked in the door and saw him standing there (I had forgotten how tall he was).

We said our hellos, got our yogurt, and settled onto one of the large orange couches that were available.  Conversation was easy and smooth, I knew I liked him right then and there (if only I hadn't been so freaked out the first day we met!  Curses!), and he was bold enough to ask me out for later that very week (later I would find out he canceled a date with another girl so he could go out with me), and I was more than happy to see him again.

To commemorate this one-year milestone, Bruce and I went to OrangeLeaf, got frozen yogurt, and even sat on the same orange couch (which is usually occupied when we go).  We reminisced about that first date, the various things running through our minds, and confessing the moments we first knew we loved each other (yep, sometimes we're sappy).

It is so crazy to me that it has only been a year, because it feels so much longer.  I find myself having a hard time remembering times without him, or mentally inserting him into situations in my life long before he was there, because it truly feels like he has always been here, always a part of my life.

I am so beyond glad that one year ago today, he asked me out, and that I accepted.  We may not be perfect (far from it, in fact), but we are absolutely perfect for each other.


9.22.2014

Furseclur...

It was a busy day today.

I borrowed a ton of canning jars from my mother-in-law so that I can do some things with all of the apples that Bruce and I picked last week, so I washed those today, but first I had to do another load of dishes so that all of the jars would fit in the dishwasher.

I also did 3 loads of laundry (I swear I do the laundry every week, but somehow it seems like there is always a ton to be washed), folded them AND put them away (big achievement there, no, really...).

I also made Cream of Chicken Soup while on my lunch break, in preparation for making Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup once I got off of work to give to a sick friend.  Which resulted in more dishes to wash...

Then I started testing a batch of new truffles (more dishes).

Ran to the store.

Attempted to attend a webinar for school, but there were technical difficulties and the webinar was canceled.

So I was very excited when Bruce came home early from classes tonight.  He always makes me happy after a long day (or a short day...or any day...).  So happy he's my partner in crime.

9.21.2014

Day Care

Well, our house is officially baby-free.

After watching SC for 6 months, he is starting daycare as of tomorrow.  So we packed up all his gear; bouncy chair, stroller, diapers, wipes, bottles, etc... and gave them back to his parents and my in-laws.

It is weird to not have any baby stuff lying around, but I think the transition will be good for both of us.  He will get to interact with other kids, and I will have uninterrupted work days once more.

He is a super cute kid, and I'm glad I'll still get to see him on Sundays, but I know he's going to love playing with other kids, and not having to just put up with me all day.

9.20.2014

Ooples

Well, Bruce and I went apple picking yesterday.

We drove up to Rexburg, since they have apple orchards on campus where you can pick your own apples, and you only have to pay 50 cents per pound, on the honor system.  We figured we would get about 20 pounds of apples at the most, so we brought $10 with us to pay.
















Apple picking turned out to be a lot of fun.

Many of the trees had been picked over pretty good, some of them weren't ready yet, and a lot had been attacked by birds or bugs, but we were still able to find a lot of good ones.  We commandeered a ladder, and since Bruce is basically a giant, we were able to get some of the apples that others clearly couldn't reach.






















We spent maybe a little over an hour walking around, picking apples, and having a good time before we decided our bags were full enough, and we went back to the shed to weigh them and pay.

Turns out that we had exceeded our goal of 20 pounds, and wound up with 40!  Well, thankfully since it was the honor system, we were able to run to the bank and get more cash and come back to pay for the other half of the apples we had picked.
















All the way home, Bruce kept saying, "That is a LOT of apples..."

Luckily, I have plans for them all, and they will be delicious!

Here are some more pictures of our silly adventure.






9.18.2014

The Apple of My Eye

When we first moved into our apartment (and even until recently), we kept finding a ton of moths flapping merrily away around our windows and light fixtures.

Now, it seems that we are being overrun by large mosquitoes.

I seriously have no idea where these things are coming from!  We don't leave our windows or doors open, they just seem to be popping up all over the place.

On a happier note, Bruce and I are going apple picking tomorrow, and I am super duper excited!  I've never been apple picking before, and I already have a ton of ideas of things to do with them that will go on the other blog once they actually come to fruition (that's a fruit joke...).

GooOOOOooo APPLES!

9.16.2014

Just breathe...

I have been tired.

And I have been cranky.

And I have been emotional.

And I have been annoying.

And I don't want to be any of the above.  But mainly, I don't want to talk about it, because it makes me even more tired, and cranky, and emotional, which is...annoying.

I think I need a time-out for a bit.  I may take a day off of work sometime soon, and go for a drive, or just breathe... I need to not be in my house all the blasted time, but such is my life.

Basically I just need to get over it, and over myself.

9.15.2014

It's...Friday?

My days have been all sorts of kittywampus as of late.

Last Thursday for example, I thought it was Friday, ALL DAY LONG.  I kept reminding myself it was only Thursday, but that didn't stop me from thinking it was Friday over and over again.

Today, felt like Wednesday.  But my work computer was definitely on line with it being Monday, it did not want to cooperate today.

Here's to hoping I can get my days straight!

9.14.2014

Your face, I like it...

Bruce and I have been married for 3 months as of today.

It's kind of weird that it has only been 3 months, because it feels so much longer to both of us (in a good way, of course).

It's actually strange to think about the fact that, though we knew of one another this time last year, we hadn't even been on our first date yet, and a year later, it's hard to imagine my life without him in it.

He is the best part of me, and he constantly amazes me with his love and kindness and patience, even thigh I'm sure I don't always deserve it. He makes me want to be the best version of myself, and I am so incredibly happy that he chooses to be with me and to experience this crazy life together.

I definitely got far better than I deserved when I married that man, and I'm astonished that I only grow to love him more and more each day.

Love your guts, Bruce!

9.13.2014

Yep

I was doing so well with the blogging for a bit this year!

And now it seems like I am back in the realm of "NeverBlog".

Things have been busy lately, busy, but not overly exciting... Lot of school work, work work, housework, babysitting, church callings, cooking/baking, sleeping, reading, scout stuff for Bruce...just lots going on, but none of it really exciting to write or read about.

So we are still alive, we're both excited for fall, and hopefully I can be better about this whole blogging thing...

It's a work in progress.

9.10.2014

No capes

I swear that some days of the week have fewer hours in them than others.

Days like today, where I seem to be running ragged all day long... I'm uber productive, but at the same time, I feel like I've missed a step because I can't even get around to taking a shower until 5:00pm (TMI?  Oh well...).

On the upside, I did work a full day, kept a small child alive, did 3 loads of laundry, reorganized part of the closet, did the dishes, mended some trousers, made the bed, picked up the tornado that inevitably ensues from keeping aforementioned small child alive, swept the kitchen, made dinner, took a pre-assessment, made lemon zucchini bread, and even indulged in a mini at-home facial.

All I can say is, I don't know how those "super moms" do it all day, every day...

Pretty sure I'll be the parent running down the street in a bathrobe after my child who has inexplicably escaped the house without a diaper on, and who is squealing with glee that they have escaped my grasp yet again.

Yep.

You can keep the super mom cape...

Pretty sure my bathrobe billows just as well when I run.

9.07.2014

Superheroes in Spandex

Yesterday was rife with cooking.

I think 3 new recipes made it to the other blog, and I have another one that I should be doing later today during "baking time", which is typically the time after church and before family dinner.  There was a period of time shortly after our marriage where we would come home from church and Bruce would ask, "What are we baking today?", automatically knowing that that is just something that happens on Sunday afternoons.

Anyway, I digress...

After all the cooking, photographing, blogging, eating, cleaning, and a walk over to Target, Bruce and I decided to finally get around to seeing "The Amazing Spiderman 2".  It wasn't a movie that either one of us was rushing to see (obviously...), and while it wasn't horrible, it wasn't "amazing" either...but that's just my personal opinion.  Not one I'll buy, that's for sure.


9.04.2014

A new puddle

More than one person has noted that this blog has started to look like a food blog.

So, to fix that, and get back to the world of normal life in this space Bruce and I like to call ours, I have created an alternate blog strictly for my domestic fumblings.

If you would care to check it out, the link is http://quichethecook.blogspot.com/.

It currently only has recipes that you have already seen there, but I hope to add new ones to it soon.

Thanks to those of you who inspired me to take this jump!

9.01.2014

Snickerdoodle Truffles

Ah...Autumn is quickly approaching!

For me, Autumn means pumpkins, crunchy leaves, apple cider, pie, sweatshirts, cranberries, and truffles!

I'm not entirely sure why, but I start making truffles once fall rolls around, and I continue to make them through the holidays.  They are just so fun, cute, and bite-sized bliss.  Not to mention, there are SO many different routes you can take with them!

Last fall/winter, I made a ton of truffles, and I wish I had taken pictures of some of them...but I didn't take a single one...not ONE!

Looks like I'll just have to do it all again this year and properly document them.

So to spring us into truffle-land, I present to you Snickerdoodle Truffles!

If you like snickerdoodle cookies, you'll like these little bites of cinnamon and sugar heaven.















Snickerdoodle Truffles

Ingredients:

4 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 c. unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cream of tarter

Coating/Topping:

16 oz vanilla candy coating
1 tsp cinnamon
a small amount of cinnamon and sugar mixed together

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, butter and sugars until smooth.  Add flour, salt, cinnamon and cream of tarter and mix thoroughly.  Roll mixture into small balls (the size you want is really entirely up to you, I just used my Tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to form mine) and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper (waxed paper works too).  Freeze at least 2 hours.

Melt the candy coating according to the package directions (I use the double-boiler method).  Once it is completely melted, add the teaspoon of cinnamon and mix it in thoroughly.

Remove the dough from the freezer and using a toothpick, dip each ball into the candy coating, turning it to cover the entire surface.  Remove excess coating by lightly tapping along the side of the bowl and then place it back on the baking sheet to firm up.

Sprinkle a little of the cinnamon/sugar mixture on each truffle before it completely hardens.

You should store these in the refrigerator or freezer.

Enjoy!

8.31.2014

Bread & Butter

My madre bought me a bread machine a number of years ago at a garage sale.  It was a steal at $5, how could you resist the savings?!

I had grand visions of making homemade bread on a regular basis, but in truth, I think I've only used it about 4 times in the last 4 years, but I have dutifully transported it from apartment to apartment as I continue to move across city, county, and state lines.

So yesterday I decided to bust the sucker out and bake some whole wheat bread.

The contraption really is a marvel.

It does my mixing, kneading, rising, and baking for me.  All I have to do is add the ingredients then press a button, and a few hours later, I have freshly baked bread!

I was perusing some of the recipes, and I am determined to try some of them, and before another year has passed...because it's a shame to let such a lovely invention go to waste.

8.30.2014

Enchilada Sauce

Bruce is a fan of my Shredded Chicken Enchiladas, but he's a BIG fan of the enchiladas when they are made with my homemade enchilada sauce.

If you have only ever had enchilada sauce from a can, I implore you to try homemade...it is infinitely better!  Possibly even life changing.















Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. flour
2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp Chipotle chili powder (or more to taste)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbs packed brown sugar
1 c. water
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan.  Add flour and whisk to combine.  Add tomatoes, seasonings, sugar, and water.  Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 10 minutes).

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

8.29.2014

Super Simple Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding.

The only exposure I had to rice pudding as a child was in the children's book "The Poky Little Puppy", where he eats the entire dish of rice pudding and gets sent to bed.  That's it.  I knew it was pudding, and I knew it contained rice.

My first taste of rice pudding came when I went to Salt Lake with a couple of my girlfriends in December of 2007, and I was completely taken with the sweet, creamy dessert.  Where had it been all my life?!

I actually ended up working at the restaurant that served the rice pudding for the next 3 years, but since leaving that employment, I have had to find other ways to get my rice pudding fix.  At first, I would buy the Kozy Shack pudding from the store, but I soon learned that I could make it myself, and have it taste even better than the packaged pudding.

So, look no further for a delicious dessert!















Super Simple Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. rice (cooked)
2 c. milk (divided)
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine rice, sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Cook 15-20 minutes or until thick and creamy. Beat the egg in the measuring cup with the remaining 1/2 cup milk and add to the saucepan, cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

You can eat this hot (how Bruce likes it) or cold (how I like it), it is delectable either way.

You can add a sprinkle of cinnamon, add fruit, or raisins (though why you'd ruin it with raisins is beyond me...)

Enjoy!




8.24.2014

Chocolate Cherry Almond Tart

To thank my father-in-law for fixing The Justy, I decided to make him a cherry tart, since cherries are his favorite (mine too!).  I had a few ideas for it rolling around in my head for a while.

I knew I wanted cherries.

I knew I wanted chocolate ganache.

I knew I wanted a chocolate crust.

But I couldn't find a recipe that I was totally loving.

So I decided to make my own.  Behold!  Thus the Chocolate Cherry Almond Tart was born.















Chocolate Cherry Almond Tart

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c. toasted almonds, finely ground
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. + 1Tbs unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 egg

Ganache:

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or chips are fine)
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tbs butter

Topping:

Cherries (pitted)
chopped almonds

Directions:
Crust:

Combine flour, cocoa, powdered sugar, almonds, and salt in a food processor.  Add butter pieces and pulse until the mixture becomes course crumbs.  Add egg and pulse until the mixture comes together (about 12 pulses or so).  Form a ball with the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (I let mine sit overnight).

Remove dough from fridge and let sit for a couple minutes so it is not rock hard as you try to roll it out (about 10 minutes).  Place dough between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll into a circle about 1/4" thick.  Transfer dough to a 12" tart pan and press dough into the sides and remove any dough that sits above the edge.  Pierce the bottom with a fork several times.  Place pan into the freezer for 1/2 an hour.

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove pan from freezer and lightly butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil.  Place foil, butter side down on the unbaked crust.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling the crust.

Ganache:

Chop chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat cream, butter, and extract until boiling.  Immediately pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate and cover with a piece of aluminum foil.  After a few minutes (I think I waited between 5 and 10 minutes), remove foil and stir the mixture until velvety and smooth.  Pour into your cooled crust.

Topping:

Place pitted cherries into the ganache and sprinkle with almond bits.

Allow the ganache to set before serving.



8.22.2014

Sugar Cream Pie

Bruce is gone for the evening on a camping trip with his scouts, making this my first experience as a "Scouting Widow", as my mother-in-law and sister-in-law like to call it.

I decided to try my hand at making a sugar cream pie tonight since I obviously have some alone time on my hands.  My verdict is that it is quite delicious, but that I ultimately should have cooked it a little longer on the stove before pouring it in the pie shell so it would be thicker, and I'll be adding brown sugar to the top.  But I will definitely be making it again.

Enjoy!















Sugar Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell (baked)
3/4 c. sugar
4 Tbs. cornstarch
4 Tbs. butter (melted)
2 1/4 c. half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbs. butter (melted)
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Combine cornstarch and sugar.  Heat butter, half-and-half, and sugar/cornstarch mixture in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Heat broiler on high.

Pour custard mixture into prepared pie shell.  Mix cinnamon and brown sugar.  Drizzle butter over the custard mixture and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.  Place under broiler until butter begins to bubble (this will happen quickly, so watch it closely).

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting, longer, if you can resist it!

Still Truckin'

The Justy  lives again!

After almost a month, The Justy has returned home.

My amazing father-in-law was kind enough, and able enough to successfully resurrect the beast.  He is one awesome dude!

8.20.2014

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Well,  I finished my accounting class.

YAY!

To celebrate, I took another stab at my Mexican Chocolate Cookie recipe.  I decided to go the non caramel stuffed route this go-around (largely because I didn't have caramel in the house--funny how that works).  But I did have Cinnamon Baking Chips, courtesy of my madre-in-law, so their debut is in these spicy, chocolate goodies!

Enjoy!














Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
2/3 c. cinnamon baking chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheets with silpat mats (or parchment paper).

Beat butter and sugars together until fluffy.  Add corn syrup, egg, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and chili powder. Add to the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in baking chips.

Roll into tablespoon size balls and roll in white sugar.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Delicioso!

P.S. I will attempt my foray into Caramel Stuffed Mexican Chocolate Cookies at a later date...stay tuned!

P.P.S.  That plate is one of my favorites, it's a platter actually, and it was given to be by my bestie a number of years ago.  Love it!

8.17.2014

Be done already

Waiting for an assignment to be graded is agony.

Especially this assignment.

My final accounting assignment has been submitted, and I have watched it move slowly through the grading queue from 85th in line to 63rd in line, to 54th in line...and now it is 5th in line. Gah!  So close I can almost taste it!

8.14.2014

Blueberry Lemon Shortbread with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I am not a frosting person.

Never have been.

I can sometimes handle cream cheese frosting, but usually frosting and I just do not get along.

I am the type who will either scrape the frosting off of a piece of cake, spurring flabbergasted and incredulous expressions from those around me.  "How can you not like frosting?!", "It's the best part about eating cake!"

I vehemently disagree.

You might be surprised then, to see that I created a cookie that has frosting on it.  Not only that, but the frosting is my favorite part about this cookie.  I know!  I was aghast, myself!  You should give these babies a try, Bruce basically devoured them when he got home last night, so they are 100% husband approved.

Enjoy!













Blueberry Lemon Shortbread

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter (room temperature) *if you only have salted, that is fine, I just had unsalted on hand
1/4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. lemon peel
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c. flour
pinch of salt
1/2 c. blueberry chips (mine are from Prepared Pantry)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and place the oven racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together.  Add the lemon peel and vanilla and mix til smooth.  Add the flour and salt and mix til completely combined. Add chips.

Place dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and flatten into a large disc 1/4" thick.  Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Remove dough from refrigerator and cut out cookies into desired shape and place on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate 10 minutes before baking.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Do not over bake.

Let cool completely before frosting.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 c. butter (room temperature)
1/4-1/2 c pureed blueberries (mine were leftover from our wedding that have been in the freezer)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4-5 c powdered sugar (I completely eyeballed this, add til you get your desired consistency)

With a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter together.  Add blueberries and vanilla.  Mix in powdered sugar until you have reached your desired consistency.

Store frosting in a closed container in the refrigerator.