It's arrived!!

Our new blog is ready!! GIANTS IN THE MAKING Please change our address on your blog lists. We don't want to lose friends!

Crazy Girl

This is my crazy girl...amazingly no longer a baby. She is becoming more fun all the time.

If she notices the closet open, she'll often ask for her hat and coat using sign language.  She'll run around with her hat on, sometimes sideways so the ear flap is in the front. It's hilarious. She has also taken up climbing chairs. It is her favorite thing and it drives me absolutely crazy.

She found this sticker on a poster we made for Victory for Valentines. I looked over at her and she had placed it on her forehead, and left it there for several minutes.Really? I'll try putting a bow or a bracelet on and before I know it she has it off and in her mouth but she'll keep a sticker on her forehead?

I'm working on setting up a new blog....are you excited? I am. It's not like it will really be anything different that what I'm already posting but I'm ready for change.  I just hope I don't loose any of my friends by changing....so keep following me please!!! :)

Until next time friends.

What's Up... or down

I really haven't been good about blogging.  As many of you know from experience, it's hard to "play" on the computer with a little helper.  She loves to come and push the buttons. grrr.. She crazy but she lots of fun.

 

(On our first flight..thus the happy demeanor)

A little over a week ago, Miss B and I took a trip to Idaho to visit my sister while her husband was out of town.  It was fun to get out but I will not fly with just Miss B and myself again. I was so anxious for the flights to be over. Thankfully, there were many supportive people around me.  After one of the flights where Miss B was fighting sleep, an older gentleman said he said a prayer for me and about 15 seconds later she quieted down. Thank you kind sir! There is something wonderful when you find out someone else, especially someone you don't expect, is praying for you.

(She loved putting on her cousins boots.)

Victory had a birthday this last week. Another year older. I think he's feeling old with this one- its getting a little closer to 30 than he wants to be. It's funny because I feel like we are just 21 and just barely starting to figure out this grown up life.  Maybe that means we'll be eternally young. No growing up for us! :)

(Victory's crazily decorated ice cream cake...you've got to make do with what you've got right, that meant swirling around a few drops of food coloring on the coolwhip)

(Can you believe it, Victory has not owned a football since I have known him, thought it was time for him to have one to throw around. He also got Ticket to Ride, so if there are any fans out there come on over and play!!)

(She may not have enjoyed her own birthday cake but she totally downed this one!)

Miss B is sick. This is the most sick she has been. She'll just sit and cuddle with me. That is not normal. She is usually such the busy body. This morning she feel asleep watching baby signing time. Poor thing. But I won't lie, I love holding her.

Last night, I brought B into our room to sleep in the pack n' play because I was a little worried about her. About 6:00 I awoke to her breathing really fast. She had been doing something similar before we went to bed but this was so fast.  Worried, I tried to re-position her and try to feel her heartbeat. And when I did that she said in her sleep, "Ball". Haha. I wonder if she was playing/chasing a ball in her dream.  Funny.  Anyway, I guess when you have a fever your heartbeat increases with the fever.

Even though I don't post as often as I would like, and don't comment on your blogs as much as I want, I do read your blogs and love the quick moment of escape into your lives.

Take care friends.

Google, you are amazing!

The other night someone showed me something awesome. I had no idea that this was possible! So cool. For those of us without the internet on the phone, did you know that you can still get local listings of addresses and phone numbers through Google?!!

So cool. As long as you can text for free its free. All you do is text GOOGLE (on your keypad) so the numbers would be 466-453. And then included the information you want to search.

For instance, the other night I wanted phone numbers and locations for laser tag. So I texted Google and said, "Laser Tag *specified my city and state*" and it sent me a text a few seconds later with the locations and numbers for the results based off of my inquiry.

Pretty cool, huh? How come I didn't know about that before??

feeling the love...

 In the spirit of Valentines day I thought I'd share a few things that I love, and in no particular order:

1) Miss Boo's cheeser smile, I wonder where she learned it from.  ;)  (Shandy, you'd be proud.)
2) Maids of Honor-a little pastry that my family makes at Valentines. Yummy.  
3) Our family's "I Love You" party. One of my favorite traditions.

4) According to my sister, and I'll have to admit that I agree, Desserts with cream cheese.
5) Dancing with my hubby. Although we are not very good at it, its fun to try. :) Which brings me to...
6) Our Stake Valentines Dance. I love it. Year after year they have it and I always seem to enjoy it. I thought this year might be kinda tacky since it was Hawiian theme but it turned out really great! They did great work! (Thanks to our babysitters who stayed home so we could go!)
7) I'm totally loving this nice weather...will you please stay????
8) The Today Show. Every morning, Monday through Friday, I join them for at least a few minutes to see whats going on in the world. -My favorite person, Ann Curry. Someday Victory is going to take me to New York and we're going to stand outside in Rockefeller Plaza and try and get on TV.

8) Baby Signing Time. Bekah LOVES it!! She'll randomly come up to me and start signing baby (rocking back and forth like you are holding a baby) Sometimes she'll add please to it- telling me she wants to watch it. I think she's addicted but I don't mind baby signing time. It's fun and helpful.  If she can tell me she wants to eat by signing it in the store instead of throwing a tantrum then I'm all for it.

9) I love my life.  I remember when I was a dramatic teenager and things would go wrong I would say "I hate my life". And my dad rightly scolded me saying that someone payed a price for your life. And I'm thankful for my life here and for the eternal life I hope to have. I look around and think of all the blessings I have. I am so thankful for Victory and Rebekah. I'm happy.

I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day!

January...is it over?

Does anyone else feel this way? I feel like this has been a very boring month. Its probably a combination between the snow and freezing temperatures and being sick that have made us home-bodies. I want to see people and do things but at the same time I have a tough time contriving a good enough reason to get myself showered and out the door.

This is what Miss B does to keep herself busy

Through my attempts this week for healthy recipes I haven't found a delicious comforting dinner yet but I found two tasty desserts.

Chocolate Cheesecakes

This one is from the Taste of Home Healthy Cooking. This one if made as directed would only have 5 grams of carbs-Perfect for Diabetics. Of course I didn't use the sugar substitute and it only made 18 cakes instead of 24. So it came out to more like 18 grams of carbs which is still pretty good for a dessert. And they were pretty tasty.

-24 miniature vanilla wafers or gingersnap cookies (I used regular sized vanilla wafers)
-1 pkg 8oz reduced fat cream cheese
-Sugar substitute equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar ( I loved that they didn't just say 1/2 sugar substitute that way I could just use sugar)
-1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
-1 tsp Vanilla extract
-1 egg lightly beaten
-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
-4 tsp confectioner's sugar ( I used more than that and added some vanilla to my cream)
Chocolate curls, optional (I didn't do this, it never works out for me anyway)

1. Place wafers flat side down in paper lined miniature muffin cups; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar substitute until smooth.
Add chocolate chips and vanilla; mix well. Add egg; beat on low speed just until combined. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. into each cup. Bake  at 350 for 10-12 minutes or just until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioner's sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Top cheesecakes with whipped cream mixture ; garnish with chocolate curls if desired.

1 cheesecake: 65 calories, 5 grams fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein

Whole Wheat & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies

This recipe is from a friend. She gave the recipe to me over a year ago and I just barely made it last night. The one thing that was standing between me and this yummy pretty healthy cookie recipe was the wheat flour. I had never bought wheat flour before. I think there's a reason for that. It's expensive! These didn't turn out as good as hers but I'll figure it out, I hope.

1/2 c Applesauce

1/2 C Butter

3/4 C sugar

3/4 C Brown Sugar
2 eggs
2tsp Vanilla

2 C Whole Wheat Flour

2 1/2 C oatmeal

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 c walnuts (optional)

1- 1 1/2 C chocolate chips or raisins

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then together. (next time I make them I would probably cream the sugars and butter first, then add wet ingredients and then the dry ingredients). Add nuts and chocolate chips or raisins. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool on pan for a couple of minutes.

Being healthy is blghh

Yes, that is the title of my blog post, being healthy, so far, is BLGHH. I am trying new recipes that are healthy and so far not so good.

 I made a Teriyaki Burger which used both ground turkey and hamburger. It looks good but it was only alright. It doesn't help that I kinda burnt them. :) If I'm going to make hamburgers with a yummy sauce I'm  going to make these. They may not necessarily be labeled healthy but they are gooood!

 I also made a beans and rice dish. Blgh.  (Sorry it's apparently a "members only" recipe so the picture isn't great and I can' t link you to the recipe.)Victory didn't mind it too much. 

But I'm not deterred yet. I have plans for a couple more recipes this next week.  I figure I'll try at least one new healthy dish a week in hopes that I'll find some that I like that I can incorporate into our regular menu. I guess I just love the unhealthy stuff.

Here's another thought for you, who deems something healthy? In my healthy Taste of Home magazine it has a recipe for Candy Bar Cupcakes that sound scumptious. And as I look at the ingredients I wonder how the heck did this get into the Healthy Taste of Home. Seriously, is it just because it uses fat cream cheese?? It still has 9 grams of fat and 40 grams of carbs in ONE little cupcake. I guess I really don't want to know how many grams of fat are in normal yummy cupcakes...especially since I can't usually stop myself at just one.

Anyway, that's all I've got for today.

Take care!