Monday, April 30, 2012

Peace, Love, Volleyball.







We spent the weekend in Boise 
watching Mckell dominate in her last 
Volleyball tournament. 
She's been sick for almost a week and still 
played like a champ. 

Maizey came along for the ride and she was 
such a good pup. We hardly knew she was there! 
Their team took third over all and it was a lot of fun to watch.
Hope you all had a good weekend! 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

I'll meet you in Utah.



My trip home has been lovely so far. 
Jake was able to fly into Utah Saturday for his first cross country flight.
We were incredibly lucky to have been there at the same time.
I was able to shop at the new City Creek with my bestie and 
attend Alexa's wedding at Red Butte Gardens.
We spent some time with the Kearns playing games 
and eating sweet pork burritos.
It was a short, jam-packed visit, but so much fun!
I miss our days in Utah very much...   sigh.

Midwest Chowder


This was my all time favorite meal growing up.
Christmas, birthdays... this was the request. 
It's warm, cheesy and hearty to boot.


 Chop up the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery.
Put in the pot of seasoned boiling water. 
Cover and Simmer until vegetables are cooked through.


While the veggies are cooking, start your rue with melted butter and flour over low heat.

Whisk until it is thick, smooth, and bubbly.

Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Add in cheese slowly, whisk until melted.


You should have a thick, cheesy sauce when your done. 


Drain some water from your vegetables, if you want your chowder reeeally thick, drain most of it.  Pour in cheese sauce and stir. 

Add deli ham and corn to your liking and stir! 

Enjoy and eat in bowlfuls. 
My momma always serves it with corn bread 
and I like to add some homemade honey butter.

4 cups boiling water
4 cups chopped potatoes
1 cup carrot slices
1 cup celery slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
4-6 cups shredded 
sharp cheddar cheese

1 can of corn
diced deli ham

Thursday, April 19, 2012

he's like Santa in the sky



1. Flaxseed in my smoothie. I'ma healthy ya'll. Sometimes. Hardly ever.
2. An Oklahoma sunset. It's the one thing we've got going on.
3. New thrift shoes. They're like Berry Skittles on my feet.
4. Sherbet and Peaches. A lovely combination.
5. Maizey's loves to sleep on top of the couch, and in her kennel. Which is weird.
6. New Enid diner. Not my favorite... but it has a cute set up!
7. The one time I've ever beat Jake at anything. It was epic and I'm obsessed.
8. Jake's wifeless meal plan. Every item can be made in ten minutes or less.

Tomorrow I'm leavin on a jet plane.
I'm nervous. I'm excited. I hate airports.
But it's happening! 
Ohhhhhhhh boy.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

my new prescription


Well the cold that was on the up and up has now made a triumphant comeback with a throat itching cough.

So here I am, confined to my couch, (lets be honest, that's usually where I end up anyway) desperately trying to suck on Ricola instead of the leftover Easter candy. At least I managed to make dinner at 11:30 this morning because I knew I wouldn't want to later.

On a lighter note, The Neon Trees were on Ellen yesterday and they were fantastic! I had no idea they were Provo Mormons. Yes I know I'm probably way behind on that fact, but there it is.



Hope your day is filled with sunshine and laughter and not tissues and cough drops :)

Monday, April 16, 2012

storms and sneezing, sneezing and storms


How was your weekend?
Ours was full of storms and a lot of sniffing.
I have yet another cold. But I'm on the up and up.
I'm determined to get better before I fly home.
We almost got hit by a tornado or two but instead
got continuous lightning and crazy wind.


We also found out that our friend's Isaac and Jenn got
 their orders to move here May 10th! 
We are so excited for them to come be our neighbors.
I can't believe the 2012 graduating class is arriving already.
Has it really been a year since we graduated?
What the...


Sunday, April 15, 2012

A Day With The Dogs

  
Maize had lots of play time with pup pups today.
Our neighbors got an adorable Westipoo named Hazel
and when they first brought her home I thought Maizey escaped
 because they look so much a like!

Later on we had dinner with the Cruzans who have a 
feisty Yorkie named Belle. Belle is not a fan of Maizey.
Whenever they're around each other Belle makes the
 most terrifying noises I've ever heard any creature make. 
Today they turned a corner! 
Frenemies for life.
 

Friday, April 13, 2012

Wish I didn't


... wrap my hair up in tiny buns to try out a curly new look right before Jacob calls for me to pick him up for work. He usually comes out alone but instead comes out with three of his classmates who glance at me through the window and say, "nice hair." Before I could explain they walk off and I sulk the whole way home.

...run some treats over to our friends, and see a fire next door blazing out of control, I tell Jake to run and help, he sprints over there and finds them siting nearby calmly enjoying their large bonfire looking at him like he's a mad man. Oh sorry... I just thought your house was burning to the ground.

...take my baby friend Kaiden on a walk in his stroller only to run it into the curb six times. Seriously woman, you can drive a car but a strollers got you trippin? At least the baby thought it was pretty funny.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

simple.


Hello readers.
I hope you had a lovely weekend. 
Spring is here and our early Summer has subsided.
We've had some rain and even a tornado warning, eeek!
I think the clouds have left me a bit foggy.
I feel the need to declutter my life.
My house, my body, my brain, all of it.
I just want to simplify everything
and make it clean and bright. 
The problem is that I never have the motivation. 
I need some inspiration.

Wish me luck.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Music Monday



Alright, Jake and I might be a tad obsessed with The Civil Wars.
This is the latest song we are learning.
Such a great, haunting twist on a classic. 

I'm loving my new Pioneer Woman cookbook. 
Tonight I tried her Bean and Beef Burrito.
It was deliciously easy.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Hoppy Easter


From Maizey and Me
(and Jake the Photographer)

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Amy's Magic Salad


My sister-in-law Amy is an amazing cook. 
Last year she made this salad and it was gone in five minutes. 
It's incredible. 
It is everything you'd want in a salad. 
Pasta... Craisins... Chicken... 
The perfect summer salad. 

Your mouth is watering, I know.
First, you'll need to boil a pound of Penne or Bowtie pasta and soak it in the oil, vinegar,
 and Teriyaki dressing overnight, turning it over once.
Grill and shred about four or five chicken tenderloins in butter or oil. Season them with salt and pepper.
Chop up some peppers and green onions
Throw it all together with some spinach, Craisins, slivered almonds, and Parmesan cheese. Yum!
Dish yourself up some deliciousness.
 This recipe makes a lot of salad. I tend to mix a little at a time so that we can non-soggy leftovers :)
Get some. 


Salad:

1 bag of baby spinach
4-6 chicken tenderloins
1/2 red pepper
1/2 orange or yellow pepper
2-4 green onions
1 bag of Craisins
1 pound cooked pasta
slivered almonds

Dressing:

1 cup Olive Oil
3/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 Teriyaki sauce
6 Tbsp sugar
salt and pepper

Mix until the sugar dissolves.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Frames and Flowers


Yesterday my friend Haley suggested we have a little photo shoot 

to practice her photography skills and to give me some blogging material!

(I can tell this is going to be a beautiful friendship)

We had a lot of fun making taza-esque photos with flower crowns, glasses, and maiden braids. 

Haley has some amazing talent, go to her studio website to view more pictures from our shoot!
dress: Target, tights: Target, boots: deliahs.com, glasses: Warby Parker, shirt: thrifted, pants: Forever21,
shoes: wantedshoes.com

Monday, April 2, 2012

Just Stop It.


We had a lovely weekend filled with friends, inspirational talks, and of course, lots of food. 

Here are some quotes from my favorite General Conference talks:

 “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely envy is one of the most universal of those."
"Coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image." Jeffrey R Holland

I was happy to see the apostles talk about how we need to treat each other. I have seen criticism alter too many loved ones in drastic ways. I think we, as imperfect humans, tend to fear people and things that we do not know, and in turn make ignorant judgements because we don't understand their way of life. It's a hurtful cycle. We each have different backgrounds and obstacles that impact the way we choose to live. I wish we could all accept one another and
be kind and tolerant like Christ is to all of us. 

Sunday, April 1, 2012

See Ya Stache


It's April 1st.
Which means one thing...


Mustache March is over.
I think I'll go make out with my clean shaven husband now.