Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Our Cruise Celebrating our 20 year Anniversary









We survived our first cruise, but barely! There were as many ups and downs as there were waves on the sea (and there were lots of those)! Apparently February is not the greatest time to do the Baja Mexico cruise because the weather can be a bit iffy.




In summary: the weather was rotten and cold, the food was amazing, the water was rough, we got to see a foreign country, we didn’t get to do the zipline, we got to tour La Boufadora for free, we met some nice people, I got really seasick, we saw one of our missionaries from VA with his wife, we took the stairs, I gained 11 pounds :( , I slept like a baby, we were so sleepy we slept through most of the activities, we lost our passports, did I mention that the food was really good?, I got bloated and heartburn, I had kankles when we got home, we got massages in Mexico, there are still price tags on my sundresses and new swimming suits, we got to spend lots of quality time together.



And boy, we are glad to be home!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Happy February


Mustache Valentines

I had a great time with the boys at their mustache Valentine photo shoot.  I cut out the mustaches with my Cricut and taped them to their upper lips.  The boys were so funny!  Somehow they knew exactly how to pose for the pictures! 

I created the cards in Photoshop and made each one 3x2 and put two on a sheet to make a 4x6 print.  I thought it was genuis :)

I used the same great Persnickety Prints free kit that I used for my Christmas card.   I just punched the paper with the cookie cutter into hearts.  Pretty slick!  I love the color combo!  I need to work on the pixely size.  I haven't quite figured out how to save it with the right pixels.  Still learning Photoshop, one project at a time.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

It's Recipe Time!

I know I haven't written in a long time, but now that January is almost here, hopefully I can get caught up :)

Here are some of my favorite recipes, if you are in the cooking mood.

Savory Breakfast Casserole
By Sunny Moore

1lb sausage, cooked
sliced bread
1pkg taco seasoning
6 eggs
2 c milk
salt to taste
½ tsp dry mustard
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In blender mix eggs, taco seasoning, milk, salt and mustard.
3. Lay bread in sprayed 9x13 casserole dish. Layer sausage, cheese, then egg mixture.
4. Bake 350 for 40 min.

This can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Bake the next morning.

Monkey Bread
We have this instead of Cinnimon rolls for Christmas morning.   They are delicious and EASY.  Although Cinnamon rolls are nice once in a while.  However, one year we made cinnamon rolls and as Santa was handing out the gifts, the cinnamon rolls began to burn in the oven causing the smoke alarm to go off  in the middle of the night!  Surprisingly no one woke up.

We have also done different versions of this due to needs at the time.  This year, we couldn't get our hands on butterscotch pudding, so we used vanilla.  We've also substituted instant and it turned out fine.  This can be made with or without nuts and I think raisins would be divine!  Use your imagination!

MONKEY BREAD - BEST EVER


24 Frozen Rhodes Rolls (dinner rolls)

1 cup brown sugar

1 box butterscotch cook & serve dry pudding mix not instant

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter, (not margarine)

pecans or walnuts, chopped, optional

Right before going to bed, or 10 pm, sprinkle pecans or walnuts into a greased Bunt pan, (I use Pam cooking spray), then put 24 frozen Rhodes Rolls into pan. Mix brown sugar and dry pudding mix together and sprinkle over frozen rolls. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of that.

Melt butter and slowly pour over rolls in Bunt pan, trying to cover all of the sugar. Leave on counter overnight and when you get up, the rolls should have risen nicely and you will put Bunt pan on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350̊F oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and pour rolls upside down onto a large platter. Serve warm.

These are extremely easy to make and very delicious. And your house will smell wonderful... These are a family favorite.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!




As you can see, it was a very eventful 2011 for our family!

These cards were made using Persnickity Print's Free Vintage Christmas Kit.  They do amazing work!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I Conquered the Candy Bar Game

Today in mutual my Beehives were in charge of the group activity. They chose to play the Candy Bar Game.




I was the designated candy purchaser. I had a lot of fun today in Winco's candy bin aisle. I scooped up mini Twix bars, and bubble gum, and chocolate eyeballs, and a great assortment of other delectible treats weighing in at SEVEN POUNDS! I bought two enormous toffee Symphony bars just to make the game more interesting (it worked ;)



At the church, I dumped the entire contents into the middle of the gym floor, and the game began. The kids were going crazy! They passed the candy back and forth and filled and dumped their bags and fought over those Symphony bars like they were the last morsels of chocolate on the planet.



I watched.



I played.



I did not partake.



I feel a little cranky.



I'm sure tomorrow I will feel elated that I conquered the game by conquering my desire to eat all of that candy!



The end.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Baked With LOVE

Baked With LOVE

The other day I was talking with the Buska's about cooking and baking. They love to bake. They love to eat. I love to bake. I love to eat--which is why I've been on a health kick (ie diet) for the past year.

Ken told me that he doesn't like Sarah's food when she cooks in anger. "When she doesn't put love into it," he says while looking sideways, smiling at her, "it tastes really bad."

Then he motions Sarah asking if they can have pizza for dinner and Ken tells her "No."

"FINE!" Ken mimics Sarah as he starts flinging his hands as though he is throwing random items into a bowl. "I'll cook dinner then!" He continues filling the bowl with imaginary fowl tasting items.

We all had a good chuckle about that.

I took a big risk and asked Ken how he liked my cooking.

"Oh, you're an excellent cook!" Gratefully, he tells me.

I'm not bad, but I have had my moments of "cooking without love."

Well, today was just one of those days.

At the end of my kid's soccer game, the coach's husband came up and asked a fellow soccer mom if I were her MOTHER!!!

I wanted to scream "I AM IF I GAVE BIRTH AT AGE SEVEN!!!"

The sad part is that I had just gone home at halftime and coiffed and sprayed and smoothed my hair. Wow. Must be time for a make over.

When I got home, I stood in front of my husband, who was watching a movie. I was waiting until he looked at my face and noticed the sad look on it. I was expecting him to open his arms and ask sweetly what was the matter. Instead, he looked at me, got a very guilty look on his face, and turned around and ran to the bedroom to change into some yard work clothes. I have no idea why he did this, but I had to chase him down and TELL HIM with WORDS that I was sad because someone said I looked like my friend's mother.

He felt bad for me, but not as bad as I felt for me.

"My ego can't take things like this." I moaned to him while scrutinizing my slumping shoulders and creased forehead in the bathroom mirror. He shook his head and hurried outside to take down the tent in the backyard that the kids have been killing the grass--uh, I mean, camping in all week long.

Later, James and the girls were watching Beastly. I couldn't bear to watch with them--the irony of it all!

So . . . I decided to bake.

In anger.

And in depression.

I thought of things I could do to that rude man and his manly parts with my serrated blade as I washed and dried it and put it away.

Then, I baked.

I baked Cherry Almond Bars and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (because they are my favorites), and a grand finale Cherry Pie with a homemade tender, flaky crust.

I thought about what Ken said earlier about baking with love and how extraordinary these items would be . . . if only I would bake them with love.

And as I cracked and measured and mixed and baked, I thought about things. I thought about who would enjoy some of these moist, chewy cookies. Who would be cheered by the cherry almond bars? Who needs a pick-me-up by a piece of pretty pie?

I thought of my good friend, Lisa and all the hardships she has endured lately; her son-in-law losing the battle with cancer and leaving her daughter and young grand baby all alone. Then last week, her sister died in childbirth. I thought of my other friend (who is old enough to be my mother), who loves to bake and wears herself out once a month teaching and feeding the women in church gourmet foods. I thought of my friends who traveled from VA to visit their daughters, leaving their business which isn't doing very well right now.

And I realized something.

I was no longer thinking of the man at the game and his hurtful words.

I wasn't baking with anger and depression any longer.

I was baking with love!

(By the way, that guy at the game, he could probably use something that was baked with love)

What have YOU baked with love lately?

Perfect Pie Crust
By Me (and Betty Crocker)

Two-Crust Pie
8-or 9- Inch

2/3 c plus 2 Tbsp shortening
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
4 to 5 Tbsp cold water (or 1/4 c)

Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas with a pastry blender. Sprinkle in water 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with fingers until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1-2 tsp of water can be added if necessary).
Gather Pastry into a ball: shape into flattened round on lightly floured board (for 2 crust pie, divide pastry in half).  Roll it thin.  Fold into fourths and unfold and ease into pie plate. Press firmly against bottom and sides.  Trim, fill, bake. For the Cheery Cherry Pie, I filled it with one can of pie filling and did a lattice work crust on top. Bake 425 for 15 min then turn it down and bake at 325 for 30-35 min. 

Don’t forget to add a whole lot of LOVE!

*A note about pie crusts. I have heard that you’ve either got it, or ya don’t. Well, all you can do is try, right? If you’ve ever watched Martha Stuart, her pie dough is perfectly round. Well to achieve this, I add the max amount of water and knead it between my hands 4 or 5 times. Then it makes a perfect round ball, but the crust still turns out flaky. If you knead it too much, it will be tough. I use lots of flour on my counter and as I’m rolling, I roll the dough, then roll into the flour, then the dough again and so forth. That way the rolling pin won’t stick to the pie crust.

Good Luck and feel free to message me if you have any questions.







Saturday, May 28, 2011

I Just Died of Embarrassment

It all happened at the end of a beautiful day.  The day my older brother got married.  Earlier Today.

When I was young, my brother had a best friend.  He was *the* hottest guy in the high school, and whenever he came over to my house, I would hide in my bedroom because I would get tongue tied just looking at his blond hair and beautiful blue eyes and I would get dreadfully, red facedly--embarrassed. 

That was over 25 years ago.

Apparently not much has changed.

I saw him first at the rehearsal dinner.  Yup, still pretty cute.  But I averted my eyes.  After all, I am married to one HOT guy myself.  I have no reason to look at him . . . and heaven forbid our eyes meet.  Blushing isn't very attractive when you're a 40ish, married young woman. 

I explained to my sisters how he was the cutest guy in the school and every girl drooled over him and that I would die if he knew that now.

The next day (today), there he was, not looking 5 minutes older than he did in high school, in a TUXEDO!  I went about my business, decorating the cake and managing my son, the ring bearer.  I avoided having to make conversation with him at all costs.

It was a beautiful ceremony and reception.  I admit that I got teary eyed seeing my big old brother up there swooning at this little girl he was marrying.  It was a thing of beauty seeing him so tender.

It was afterward during the clean-up when the event occurred.

Everyone was helping clean up the reception center.  We were untying sheer black sashes that were tied to silky white chair covers.  We would slip the chair covers up and off of the metal folding chairs.  Swoosh, swoosh.

I looked up and saw my sister that is a decade and a half younger than me.  She is beautiful even without makeup.  Everyone says we look like twins. 

I gave her a shining smile and a wink. 

She smiled back and gave me a little shimmy.

I sent her a BIG shimmy right back (and we are not twins in the shimmy department), but as my shoulder went back for that first shim, my head slightly turned and I noticed in slow mo, that Mr. Hot was swooshing a silky white chair cover off a chair at my same table.  He turned his head at that exact moment towards my "shimmy!"

His eyes (yes, still blue) got really big as he looked from me to my sister and asked, "What's this?"

I immediately apologized that he had to see that and felt every drop of blood in my body rush to my face.  "It's just a sister thing."  I lamely explained to him.

"It's no problem, no problem at all."  He replied with a big grin on his face.

Later that night, he confronted my little sis and asked when he was going to get to see her shimmy.

She gave him the tiniest shimmy and ducked her head and ran away--Red Faced and Embarrassed!