Attempting - Little Miss Homemaker

Will and I are attempting a challenge - we are going to eat dinner at home the entire month of September (and take-out does NOT count)! We usually do very good about it - but August was kinda a bad month. Granted we still averaged 3-4 times a week making dinner - but we spent WAY more than we should've going out to eat, just because I was being lazy... it was also a vacation month and we weren't in the normal swing of things but September will be a challenge for sure!

Lately though - I have accomplished some pretty good things in the kitchen! I'm trying new recipes and so far none have flopped!

First up was magic bars: Layered graham cracker crust, chocolate chips,

butterscotch chips and coconut!! YUMMMM!

I got the recipe from a gal in our ward whom I serve with

in the Relief Society. Thanks, Pam!

Next up: I have finally accomplished yeast rising bread!

After MANY failed attempts since we've been married -

and MANY phone calls to my mom later - IT WORKED!

I made wiener wraps for dinner last night. Will and I are still

arguing over whether they are called "wiener wraps" or "pigs in a blanket"

I made them - so they are called wiener wraps.

I had enough leftover dough to make a loaf of bread.

My very first bread success : )

I've got our dinner menu planned for about two weeks out - and I'll finish up the menu for the entire month in the next couple days. We are also going to start working harder on our 30 days of food storage - although I think if there was power we'd be just fine with our beef! We are going to try to buy more items we use in cans instead of barrels of wheat we have no clue what to do with! I'm thinking lots of baked beans. : )

Also, I start my online classes at CCD tomorrow (Community College of Denver). Chemistry online - wish me luck!

Colorado Springs & Cheyenne

Last weekend - right after visiting my family in Washington - I was able to visit with both my sisters (but not at the same time). My sister Demi had won a trip from her company in Seattle to stay at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The Broadmoor is this really ritzy hotel in the Springs and I didn't really realize how BIG it actually was until I went Friday after work to hang poolside with her and her boyfriend Ryan. It was such an awesome day! I get out at work at 11AM on Fridays so it was perfect timing to catch Demi and Ryan before they flew back to Seattle Saturday night.

The weather was perfect!

My sister and I even went down the water slides (picture not shown)

This is Demi and Ryan by the lake - which is right next to the pool.

The BIG news is that Ryan proposed to Demi while there!

Good job, buddy!

Demi & Me

Demi & Ryan in front of the entrance to the Broadmoor:

And driving home from the Springs was actually pretty nice!

I couldn't help but snap a photo while driving (not safe, but worth it)

Fun day - and Congratulations Demi & Ryan!

Sunday my oldest sister Janelle and her family were driving to Nebraska - hopefully the site of their future home! They were nice enough to bring us our 1/4 beef we bought from Utah, and we met up in Cheyenne, WY to make the beef exchange and to have dinner at the Outback Steakhouse (my very first time there). That was fun too! We are so excited to have so much beef! We even bought a 5.5 cubic foot freezer to store in our living room!

Yeah, so it's literally in the corner of our living room

but we live in a tiny apartment!

We're just happy to have somewhere to put it.

Abby has enjoyed the freezer even more than we have!

It's cold on the top - and it has really helped her cool down

in the recent heat we've been having.

Who knew our freezer would have two uses?!

:-)

It was nice to get out of Denver and explore a bit. It was interesting to head in two opposite directions to see both sisters. South to the Springs one day - and North to Cheyenne the other. Lots of traveling for the weekend right after coming home from vacation! But we enjoyed it.

: 0 )

Sorry we didn't get any photos of the excursion to Cheyenne and Janelle's family!

Vacation Events

Caution: Long Blog Post

We were lucky enough to spend last week visiting my family in Vancouver, WA. Not only were we lucky enough to visit - but Will had the opportunity to photograph Becca and Duncan's wedding. I know Becca from the family ward that I grew up in back home. We flew in late Thursday night - and the wedding was Friday! It was a fun start to the trip. I was lucky enough to be Will's assistant for the day.

Will and I in the car in the temple's parking lot before the wedding.

(I can't believe how long my hair is!!!)

I took this (blurry) photo of Will capturing Becca & Duncan

coming out of the temple.

More shots of Will shooting the wedding

(Thats me holding the reflector)

A low-quality version of one of Will's photos from the day:

Saturday we were able to go to the Farmer's Market in Esther Short Park. I always love going to the Farmer's Market when we visit. I get to drool over other people's dogs! I also love LOVE love the fresh produce that I don't get enough of here (raspberries, peaches, strawberries, huckleberries!! NW Produce!!). We bought tons of raspberries ... that I forgot to eat!! Bummer. My mom was nice enough to buy me a cute apron from one of the vendors. Thanks Mom!

Later Saturday my friend Seana and her family came to visit me and Will. Seana and I went to beauty school in Seattle - then she and her husband moved to Olympia and had their baby Kiely. During last year's visit we drove up to visit them, and this time they drove down to Vancouver to see us. It was nice to see them and catch up - and Will got to snap some photos of their little one! She will be a year old in just a few weeks!

Sunday and Monday was spent at the Coast with my parents. It was a lot of fun, and it was nice to spend time with them. We were lucky enough to stay in my brother's beach house near Long Beach, WA. It just happened to be the first day of the week long kite festival while we were there!! I love festivals - esp. ones at the beach!

My parents - after dinner in Astoria, OR

Save the Pool!

Ahhh - I love the beach.

The water was actually warm enough to play in!

My brother's beach house is uber nice, which is good since he built it

and he was nice enough to let us stay there...

which reminds me I need to mail the key back!

These are all photos of his house when I stayed there back in June:

Will had the opportunity to try to make a fire....

and it took a while ; )

but with the help of some gasoline .... he got it going pretty good!!

I really really love campfires! Its my favorite part of summer,

and something I don't get to partake of often enough.

And sure enough my clothes smelled like smoke the next day!

One of the best parts about the Pacific Coast is all the eccentric stores! One of our favorites is Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach. It's been a family tradition to go there forever - to see the famous Jake the Alligator Man! It's full of crazy junk that you can buy.

One of my favorite quarter machines at Marsh's is the "Test Your Passion Factor" machine. It vibrates and is really embarrassing - but it makes a great picture!!

Will got "LOUSY".

The guy walking by us laughed at him : )

I on the other hand go "Uncontrollable"

: )

Me and my dad in another odd store. I think this was Stormin' Normans.

Will and Peggy mugs. No, we didn't buy them.

Here is the famous entrance to the beach from town

and the start of the kite festival!

Lots of kites! It was really neat!

And my favorite - SHAVED ICE - not Snow Cones (BIG difference).

Will picked pina colada - and my Cherry/Kiwi mixture. Yum!

We had such a great time! Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us to the beach (and Mike and Lori for letting us stay at your house).

Our last night at home Will got to take some photos of Mike, Lori and Jessica - my brother, sister in-law and niece. It was fun to watch!

I also need to give a plug to my parent's for their garden. My mom and dad have worked very hard this year on their garden - and wow was it great! It sure makes me miss fresh produce from the yard. In their yard they harvest pretty much everything - tomatoes, corn, cabbage, carrots, beans, peppers, pumpkins (by accident sometimes!), cucumbers, squash, blueberries and several others - in addition to all their fruit trees. We even found a plum tree they didn't even know produced fruit! It was only supposed to be a flowering tree. WoW! Good job mom and dad on your hard work!

This picture doesn't capture it all - but the garden is big!

My mom checking out her garden

The fruit producing "flower" tree

Peppers!

Cabbage!

My dad loves his new John Deer lawn mower.

Mowing the lawn is hardly a "chore" for him.

This is obviously an "after" photo from the grass in the above photos!

: )

As usual we had a really really great time with everyone and very much enjoyed our trip.

Check out Will's blog: www.brawnphotography.com for more of his stuff.

Goodbye My Precious...

We are getting rid of CABLE!

After thinking about it for a while I've made the decision (more like commitment) that I would downgrade our Comcast to only high-speed internet. Currently we have expanded cable - and admittedly, I watch it too much. Will on the other hand, never watches cable. He plays video games or streams tv shows on the Xbox. I have found that I have a select few shows I like to watch (Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, Little Couple, Cake Boss, Real Housewives of (enter place) County, 18 Kids and Counting, etc.) If you didn't catch it, I tend to watch mass amounts of TLC and ABC Family. But the best part is most of my shows I can find whole episodes of ONLINE ... for FREE!

The more important part of downgrading is more time to do other (more fulfilling) things. I start my online classes for Community College of Denver at the end of August (Chemistry & Sociology) and I really don't need the distraction. I'm also going to focus on playing with digital scrapbooking more - and I've been toying with the idea of starting piano lessons again, which that extra fifty bucks would be beneficial for. Anyone know any good piano teachers in the Denver Metro area??

All in all, it will be better for me not to have cable (Will is not going to notice a difference at all since he doesn't even use it). I've already called the cable company - now I just have to take the leap and drop the box off at the service center. We shall see when that happens.

.... so a while ago I FINALLY registered my car in Colorado. I mean I've only lived here about 2 years now - but I finally made it official. We had to document it - and now I'm finally sharing it!

Will was nice enough to swap out my plates!

He also thought it was important to "blur" the plates

for security reasons on the internet. LOL - so goofy!

Kinda lame how you cant even see the plate! But nice try Will : )

Oh, and can't forget....

We are headed to Washington this Thursday night - and we are jazzed!!!

P.S. - I found out today that I'm getting promoted at work. Yay! From Office Services Coordinator to SENIOR Office Services Coordinator. LOL.