Our Christmas Time

A Twilight Christmas

The Love Scene

You can see from Mally's face how she feels about Ethan.

CTR

Here's a video of Mally singing her version of "Jingle Bells." It was taken in May, so you will notice how cute and little she was, short hair and all. Listen for the gospel principle she is trying to teach you. You never knew "Jingle Bells" was a religious carol.

What's Good Around Here?

My husband and I love to find yummy non-chain restaurants to dine at. About a month ago we ate at the grand opening of La Carreta in AF. It's a toothsome Peruvian restaurant. The food is so fresh and delicious. We noted at what a shame it was that it was not more busy. As we drove home, tummies totally satisfied with our delicious meals and wallet pleased with the reasonable price, we past Applebee's and Chili's and noticed the long lines of people waiting to be seated. Seated to eat what? An over-priced, over-processed ordinary meal in a loud charmless atmosphere!

So, if you are like us and like to patron locally-owned restaurants a little out of the ordinary and sample cuisines from around the world, here are a few of our favorites:
Bombay House- Indian, we recommend the Lamb Vindaloo.
The Blue Iguana- Mexican, I recommend the Enchiladas Amarillas.
Thai Village- Thai, we recommend the Yellow Curry.
La Carreta- Peruvian, I don't remember the name of the dish, but I recommend the chicken in cilantro sauce.
Bandits Grill- American steak house, I recommend the Six Gun Salmon with green beans and the BEST prepared yams anywhere. Stephen recommends MEAT, STEAK, anything he can drizzle with A-1.

Those are a few of our favorites. Where do you like to go? Please share. We are always interested in finding a new place to enjoy.

Happy eating!!!

Happy 31st B-day Stephen

FYI to all you meat-loving cheapos out there, you can get a free meal at Tucanos Brazilian Grill during the month of your birthday. You have to register on their website on the "Club Tucanos" link. They then send you a gift card good for a buy 1 get the 2nd meal free. I think we will be going to Tucanos twice a year for now on, once in November and once in April.

The 9th

Here's Mally doing the 9th Article of Faith. She gets a little silly about it. I guess she now knows she is performing for an audience and wants to make it entertaining.

Halloween

double-click on the image to enlarge

We were all having a bad hair day

A Film Maker in the Making

One Saturday morning while Stephen was alone with the girls this is what he created. He wrote, directed, and did all the voice overs and special effects. Man, my husband is soooooooooo talented. Why is he wasting his time computer programming. We should move to Hollywood. California here we come..............................

This first film of his was inspired by the movie "Be Kind Rewind" which we watched the night before and totally recommend. Maybe you shouldn't tell his manly guy friends that he made this. He may get beat up.

The 8th

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The Seventh

Here's Mally doing the 7th Article of Faith. We tried 12 times to get her to say it perfectly, but that never happened and we all just gave up. She doesn't do it perfectly, but neither do I. I guess you can say we don't have the "gift of tongues."

Scary Mary

Got Zucchinis? Then I Got a Recipe for You

Zucchini Brownies

INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 egg
• handful of chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.Caution: the batter is so good it may cause toddlers to have the urge to lick every last speck of it. Then when you tell them to go straight upstairs to the bath and "don't touch ANYTHING." They will misinterpret what you say and touch EVERY stair on their way up. This will cause you to yell at them. This in turn will cause them to cry. Enjoy!

Playing with the Kids at Play Group

We have started a neighborhood play group with the kids Mally's age. I have enjoyed having the kids over and playing with them. They are such cute kids. And as you will see from the video, they are quite entertaining. In this video we were playing dress-ups. Milo (Superman) and Mally (Eeyore) are the stars of this show. My favorite part is at the end when Eeyore thanks Superman for saving her and he says "you're welcome." These kids crack me up.

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The 6th

My Superman

I am so proud of my superman. Lately Stephen has done some wonderful things and I would like to boast about him for a moment. Last week he fixed the car by replacing the battery. I didn't know that laypeople could do it. I thought you just had to take your car to the mechanic, leave it inconveniently there for two or three days, and then give them a few hundred dollars on your way out. Stephen saved us all the trouble of that and changed it himself.

Stephen then put his muscles to work and fixed our fence. He dug up the rotted old posted, which was not an easy task and required a sledgehammer and the help of a home teacher. He then poured cement around the new post. He just needs some free time (I don't know when he is going to find that) to finish the job by securing the panels to the new post.

Over the weekend Stephen also took the GRE to prepare himself to go to graduate school. For the past few months he has been diligently studying for it. His natural intelligence and hard studying paid off and he got a really good score on the test. I am so happy and proud of him for that.

Speaking of not having free time, Stephen won't have any for a while because he started school today. Though Stephen has not applied to the Computer Science program at BYU yet (he will do that in January), he is taking a class that will count toward his Master's if all goes according to plan (and it always does, right?) and he makes it into their program. He should have me write his letter of recommendation for their program. I could write a good letter boasting about all his "super" qualities.

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The 5th Article of Faith

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It's Just Food

I truly enjoy cooking and baking. I like to try new recipes, thought I can't follow a recipe to save my life; I am far to creative and practical for that. I am self-conscious about others eating my culinary creations, and I feel the need to preface every meal I serve with, "it's just food." I would hate for someone to smell my cooking and think it looks so delicious just to be disappointed that the taste didn't match up to the anticipation of it.

Here are a few recipes I would like to share. These are very good recipes, but remember, "it's just food," so if the recipe doesn't turn out perfectly you don't need to be too devastated.

Curried Chicken Salad (thanks Kirsten)

4 large chicken breasts, 1 inch cubes
2 scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
zest from 1 lemon
Saute on high till browned.

½ c. yogurt, drained in paper towels and strainer for at least 1 hour
2 T. mayonnaise
2 t. curry powder
1/8 t. hot paprika
1 t. salt
juice from one lemon
3-4 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Mix together, then add to chicken. Then add:
3-4 T. chopped toasted almonds. Serve with whole wheat bread, or pita, with spinach.

Crock Pot Yellow Curry

• 1-2 red chilies (or substitute green), depending on desired spice level (you can also leave out the chili for an extra mild curry)
• 2 shallots (or 1 small cooking onion)
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, grated
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg (or substitute cinnamon)
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. dried turmeric OR 1 thumb-size piece fresh turmeric, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves, snipped into small pieces with scissors (discard central stem)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (or juice from 1/2 lime)
• 1 Tbsp. ketchup OR 1 Tbsp. tomato paste + 1 tsp. sugar

First, make the curry sauce by placing all above ingredients together in your food processor or blender. Pour sauce into crock pot. Then add:

• ½ chicken chopped into pieces
• 1 stalk lemon grass, with bulb and tough outer leaves removed. Cut leftover stalk into 2 or 3 pieces and reserve
• 2 potatoes, peeled, chopped into small chunks
• 1 green or red bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced
• 1-2 additional kaffir lime leaves, left whole
• carrots, chopped into small chunks
• sliced green onions
• bamboo stalks
  

Cook in crock pot until vegetables and chicken are fully cooked and soft. Serve over rice and add 1 cup cherry tomatoes, and fresh coriander OR fresh basil to finish the dish.

Cinnamon Rolls (or Orange Rolls) (thanks mom)

2 Tbs. dry yeast
1 ¼ cups warm water
½ cup melted shortening (or vegetable oil)
3 eggs
2 tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
4 ½ cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. Mix the shortening, eggs, salt, and sugar together and add yeast mixture. Add flour. Mix together until smooth. (Dough will be very sticky). Let rise 1 hour. Punch down and refrigerate covered overnight. Four and one-half hours before serving cut dough into thirds. Each third makes 1 dozen. Roll out on lightly floured board; *spread a thin layer of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up and cut in 12’s and put into greased muffin pans or on cookie sheets. Let rise for four hours; then bake at 400◦ for 4-6 minutes.

* For orange roll option omit spreading butter and cinnamon for orange mixture

Orange Mixture
1 cube melted margarine
½ cup sugar
1 grated orange peel
add a bit of orange flavoring
Dough can be stored in refrigerator for 3-4 days

Oatmeal Fudge Bars (thanks Alicia)

1 cup margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 package chocolate chips (2 cups)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Grease a 9x13 pan; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar; add eggs and vanilla. In small bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Mix in oats. In heavy saucepan, mix sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and margarine; heat just till melted. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Spread two-thirds of dough into prepared baking pan. Spread with chocolate mixture. Drop remaining one-third of dough on top by spoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool, then cut into bars.

She Does the 4th in Only 4 Takes

Yes, she is mine and the picture will prove it

With Mallory all I ever hear is, "She looks just like Stephen." It's true. The only reason I know Mally is my daughter is because I saw her come out of me. Oh, and she's moody like me. At birth Eva looked a lot like Mallory, but as she grows I see a lot more of me in her. I still have people say Eva looks so much like Stephen. To those people I say, look at the picture below. She looks like me.

Happy, Happy Birthday Mally Dear!!!

The Birthday Fairy left her mark. The next day Mally looked in the mirror and expected to see a #4. Sorry Mally, you will have to wait a whole year for that.

You can see how quickly her excitement can die.

3 years-old and Saying (Yelling) the 3rd Article of Faith

She's done it again. She learned the 3rd Article of Faith. She doesn't do it perfectly, but I think I prefer her version of the words more than the correct pronunciation.

The Good, the Bad and the Poopy

I am learning that motherhood is about moments. Some moments are wonderful with some much joy, like today when Mally took a big breath of air and planted a raspberry right on my neck. She then finished the moment by telling me how funny she is. And yes, she is funny. Or there are the bad moments of her countless tantrums about NOTHING!!! She just cries, to cry. Which wouldn't be bad except for the fact that she cries so stinkin' loud that she wakes up her sister. I appreciated a conference talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard called Daughter of God. In it he said, "There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration." I experience those moments of frustration almost daily with my 2 year-old.

I had a great moment yesterday I must share. I was down stairs reading while Mally was supposed to be napping. She had spent all of nap time yelling, "Mommy. You who." I chose to ignore her hoping she would "you who" herself to sleep. Then I hear her say, "Mommy I have to poo." Great! I thought. We are potty training her and she never seems to know when she has to go. Finally, she was telling me she needs to go. So, I darted up the stairs ready to grab her and rush her to the toilet. But when I opened the door she was holding a pillow and she told me, "look mom a balloon." A balloon, not I have to poo. Somehow I misheard her. I guess I have potty training on the mind. I thought the moment was so funny I fell on her bed and said, "you are driving me nuts!" She laughingly said, "no, I am driving you crazy!" The two of us cuddled on her bed for a moment while she repeatedly told me, "I am driving you crazy." And yes, I have to agree with her. That was a moment I hope I never forget.

The 2nd Article of Faith

Mally saying the 2nd Article of Faith. As you will see, transgressions can be hard to deal with.

Get to Know Your Apostles

Sweetheart

Yoga for the Moody

I have been wanting to tell about this great find for some time. A while back I wanted to buy a good yoga DVD. I was reluctant to buy one and get it home to discover I don't like it because it is too advanced for my beginners body, or that the instructor was too much of a yogi for me. I checked out this DVD Yoga for Your Moods at the library and I loved it! After one session I went online and bought it.
These are the reasons why I like it and recommend it to others:

The title: Yoga for Your Moods speaks to me. I like yoga and I'm moody. It's a perfect fit.

12 different workouts! The way the DVD is set up lets you pick your level, beginner or advanced and then pick from 6 different workouts in each level. So, for the low price of $19.95 you get 12 different yoga workouts (I am sounding a bit like an infomercial)! ACT NOW WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!!! (more infomercial language).

Would you like waves or music with your workout? You can pick your audio set up and listen to classical music, guitar, no music, or my favorite waves as you sweat.

The instructor seems like a real person and not too yogi for me. It's a calm down-to-earth yoga DVD and I appreciate that.

You can check it out at the library, buy it, or barrow it from me. I give this yoga DVD 5 Upward Facing Dogs.

FHE

For Family Home Evening Stephen suggested we teach the 13 Articles of Faith to Mally. We decided to work on one a month. So far she is doing really well with learning #1. Hopefully in 10 months she will be ready to pronounce "paradisaical." Check her out:

Dancing with the Wards

I was FINALLY asked to prom!!! After whining and expressing how emotionally distraught I was for not being asked, my husband FINALLY asked me. I thought he did it in a clever way. He asked me through the computer (of course, he is a programmer after all). I received an email with a sound file attached. He recorded his voice and then altered it to disguise it. He asked me with a James Bond/Mission Impossible twist to it. I thought my computer would self destruct after listening.


I replied to him Napoleon Dynamite style by writing "Yes, I will go with you" in ketchup and mustard on his dinner plate. Also in Napoleon Dynamite style we had "dang quesadillas" for dinner.

I have been looking forward to prom for some time. Initially, our Ward's prom was going to be in February, just a week before my due date. I thought it would be funny to say that I went to prom pregnant. It's a good thing prom was postponed. I love to dance and my rockin' out may have put me into labor on the dance floor.

I got my dress, but because I just had a baby and I like eating sweets, I don't fit into my high school formals. Let's just say that my dress looks like I am old lady on a cruise ship. Oh well.

Unless You're Too Rich For It

All right all you "Jane Fonda's" out there, where were you on Wednesday? In case you are not aware, the R.S. has begun a new exercising group (thank you Amber G. for organizing it). And so far the "group" isn't much of a group (thank you Amber G. for coming). I hope EXPECT to see all you Bull River II "Sweatin' to the Oldies" sisters at the church EVERY Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 10 a.m. Get your "Buns of Steel" out of the house and to the church.

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Our Summer Trips

Stephen installed a new kitchen sink and faucet

Happy St. Patrick's Day


Eva's Blessing Day

Baby's in the Tub