Candy?

Tonight we had an enrichment activity and we made these:

They look like mushrooms, but they're really meringue. Tricky, huh? They're pretty good, but I actually like the stale ones better (they were brought as an example of what they're supposed to look like) because they're chewy. Any how, I just thought they were funny.

Happy Birthday to Me! (And probably Christmas)

I'd like to start by thanking all the little people who made this day possible. The Federal government for giving me back the taxes I paid to them this past year, the people who decided I should get an economic stimulus check, my mother for teaching me how to sew (And ditto to JoAnn P.), my sister Tami for suggesting that I start an embroidery business, and my husband Ty for giving up all the many things he could have gotten with the above mentioned money from the government.

You guessed it folks, I am now the proud owner of a Baby Lock Ellegante II. (That's an embroidery/sewing machine in case you didn't know.)

Isn't it beautiful? I am absolutely in love with this machine. I didn't even know they had things that were capable of what this one can do, and I certainly never thought I would own one. Happy surprises for me.
Oh, and it came with a flat screen TV. It's only 19 inches, but it's way better than what we had before. Plus, who doesn't get excited about a free TV?

Home At Last

Well, we finally came back to Utah. It actually snowed on us in Flagstaff! We were so unprepared for that. We stopped for gas and slipped through icy slush in our shorts and sandals. It was crazy. Once we got through there it was really nice though. Very sunny and around 55 degrees. Definitely a change from what we were seeing in AZ. It was nice.

We got home and found our garden looking amazing. (Don't be too impressed. It's mostly weeds!)

We did pull up all our radishes. Not bad for our first time growing them. And they're really yummy! Now all we have to do is get the rest of the stuff to grow.

Happy Mother's Day!

Have you ever come up with the perfect gift idea only to realize that the thing you thought would be super easy to find is in fact nearly non-existent? That happened to us this week. We decided to get Ty's mom a picture frame that said "grandma" on it since Leo will be her first grandchild. We couldn't find one anywhere! We found #1 Grandpa, #1 Coach, I love my grandkids . . . everything but what we were looking for. We even looked online. We were able to find one frame that worked, but they wanted to charge twice as much for the shipping as we were paying for the frame and it wasn't even going to get here in time. Finally, in a last-ditch final effort, we went to Mervyn's and found one. We even put a picture of my pregnant tummy in it since we don't have any of Leo yet. It turned out really cute and was definitely worth the effort in the end.

Any how, we had a pretty good day. We mostly just hung out with family, which I love. And we ate a lot of really good food, which I also love! We're heading back to Utah on Tuesday so this will probably be my last post from AZ, but things should definitely get more regular after that. 

Update

I've been seriously slacking on the blog here. I know. There are just way too many things going on here in the valley of the sun. Don't worry though. We're headed back up to Utah on Tuesday and I should be bored enough to update regularly. :) Be prepared to hear all about my garden. I'm super excited to see what it's been up to while we were away. My sister-in-law said that we have little radish heads poking through the soil. YAY!

Any how, back to business here. We've been keeping pretty busy these past few weeks. I'm not sure what with, but it really seems like we've been running from place to place. We have gotten to go swimming several times, which is always exciting. Especially when I keep hearing that Utah is still pretty darn cold. In all honesty, it hasn't been all that warm down here either. At least in the water. You have to be really brave and get in as fast as you can. Then once you get your breath back and swim around for five minutes or so it actually feels pretty nice. Of course, I tend to feel a little warmer than everyone else since I have my own personal heating unit installed in my tummy. No one else has complained though, so I guess it can't be too cold. 

We also had a baby shower for me and Leo. It was so much fun. One of those times when you're really, really sad that there's a kid squashing the life out of your stomach because you just can't fit in all the yummy things that you want to eat. (Don't worry. I just made an extra plate and ate it once everyone was gone.) We got a ton of really cute things and things we really needed, like a stroller and car seat. Now I just have to sit around and wait impatiently for Leo to come out so I can use them. Just two more months! (and a week. But we're rounding because it makes me feel better.) 

Speaking of feeling better, I'm not. I had no idea that feet and hands could get this swollen. It makes for an interesting experience. If I didn't have a pair of black sandals that doesn't really touch my feet I would probably have to go to church bare footed. (Not that I don't just take my shoes off as soon as I get there any way.) And I can't even use it as an excuse to buy new ones because I don't want to spend money on shoes that I'm only going to wear for a few months. Woe is me. :) 

Any how, this is getting kind of long. And we've really just been hanging out, eating lots of good things and watching movies. So, hopefully I'll come up with something exciting before we leave. If not, I'll see you on Wednesday!

More Yumminess

This one is actually really good and really easy, so it's making the blog too. I think they're called Buckeyes. 

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

1/2 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Mix butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until creamy.

2. Roll into 1 inch balls and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.

3. Melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Insert a toothpick into each peanut butter ball and dip it 3/4 of the way into the chocolate. If the undipped balls become too soft, stick them back in the freezer for 10 minutes.

5. Once all the balls are dipped, refrigerate for 45 minutes or until they set up. 

Super Yummy Recipe

So, I'm not actually putting this on my blog because it's somehow special to me. I just ate it last night and really liked it. I figured this was the easiest way to get it back to Utah without misplacing it!

Quick Meat Sauce and Shells

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large sweet red pepper, cored seeded and diced

1 large green bell pepper, cored seeded and diced

1 medium onion peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped

2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound large pasta shells

1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella

1. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat and add crumbled ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta following package directions. Drain.

4. Spoon sauce over pasta. Top with shredded cheese and serve.

*Makes 6 servings. Each serving contains 486 calories, 9 grams fat (4 grams saturated fat), 33 grams protein, 68 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 697 mg sodium, 57 mg cholesterol.