Merry, Merry!!!

To Know Him is to Love Him

The best decision I ever made was to marry Stephen. And the best day of my life was my wedding day. I can remember when I told my mom Stephen and I wanted to get married. She told me later that she went home and cried all night long. I remember her calling me and telling me how sad she was about our decision. See, she didn't know Stephen. She had only met him a few times before our announcement. It made me sad to think I was causing my mom distress. For a moment the thought crossed my mind, "Okay, I don't need to marry him, but I need to figure out a way to get him in my family." Then it occurred to me that to know Stephen is to love him. My mom just needed a chance to get to know him and she too would love him. Sure enough, he wooed her too. It wasn't long before she was hugging him good-night after family parties and just giving me a "see ya later" wave out the door. Stephen is a wonderful man full of kindness, humor, optimism, intelligence and integrity, just to name a few of his qualities. I love him and if you know him I bet you secretly have a little crush on him too.

Happy Birthday Stephen!

Happy Halloween

This year for Halloween Mally wanted to be the Swan Princess. I thought that was such a cute idea, so I was glad to try to create the costume. She made a beautiful swan. None of these pictures do her cuteness justice. Eva was our little princess. She insists upon wearing her Aurora dress year round, so it was an easy and fitting costume for her. She loves to wear what she calls her “blong” wig (that’s 2 year-old talk for long and blond).

We had a Halloween/birthday party for my sister-in-law and step father. I’m the bear, my mom’s the penguin, and Stephen is the “mild mannered reporter” Clark Kent. He is wearing his Superman suit under his disguise. Later in the week Stephen shaved his head and with a painted curl of hair on his forehead went to school as Charlie Brown. He was one of the few in holiday attire at the school.

Mally waddling around the school at the Halloween parade.

Check Out Our New Little Baby

Last Christmas our girls got a bunk bed. We had full intentions that they would now begin sharing a room. That lasted about two weeks and then Eva went crazy. Night after night began with good intentions, promises and bribes, but would turn into Eva bothering her sister, running out of the room, and playing with the lights. Which ended with mom and dad yelling, kids crying, and near child abuse. Truly, Stephen and I thought the whole situation was parental abuse. WE NEEDED OUR QUIET EVENINGS BACK! WE NEEDED OUR SLEEP! We needed a plan B.

We gave up the dream of the girls sharing a room and bunk bed and put Eva back in the crib. Which led to another problem. We wanted to have the girls share because the crib takes up too much space. Our baby crib had an attached changing table so it was really long and bulky. It’s my own fault I picked it out years ago not realizing how it would take up the whole room. We opted for this plan anyway because we were all finally getting sleep.

Then our friends told us how all dropdown side cribs had been recalled and you can take them back to the store you bought them from and get your money back. You don’t even need a receipt. We bought ours at Walmart. I checkout their website and sure enough I found that our crib had been recalled. I took it back and got a full refund.

Since we still needed a crib and I wanted a smaller one, I decided to buy a mini crib. They are kind of a new thing. They are the size of a pack n’ play portable crib but made of wood like a normal crib. I wasn’t sure if it would fit my crazy 2 year-old, but it looked so cute and I liked the idea of a smaller crib so I bought it anyway. I bought it from Baby Earth. I couldn’t be happier with it. It fits her just fine. It’s deep enough that she can’t climb out of it. It’s small and easy to move around even through door ways to put it in another room. And it’s so cute. So, if kids and cribs are driving you crazy maybe a mini crib is the answer.

¿Qué Pasa, Calabaza?

I LOVE pumpkins and I am happy to report that after 4 years of trying we have finally managed to grow pumpkins in our garden. When you come to our house and see our pumpkins lining the walkway you may think “Oh, what nice festive decorations,” but I see pumpkin muffins, pumpkin black bean soup, pumpkin harvest bars and pumpkin pies for the making. And I LOVE this time of year because I get to pull out all of my favorite pumpkin recipes and bake the day away.

Here are two of my favorites:

Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes

Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup canola oil

½ cup honey

1/3 cup water

1 cup chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Combine the eggs, pumpkin, oil, honey and water. Stir into dry ingredients just until combines; fold in chocolate chips.
2. Fill greased or foil-lined muffin cups there-fourth full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on rack before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. Eat and enjoy!

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin puree

½ cup red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

1. Place oil, red onions, garlic and seasonings into a large pot.
2. Cook on low-medium heat until red onions and garlic brown.
3. Puree the beans and tomatoes with half vegetable broth. Add puree ingredients, pumpkin and rest of broth to your pot.
4. Simmer uncovered until thick, about 40-45 minutes. Before serving garnish with sour cream and cilantro.
5. Eat and enjoy!

I share these two wonderful recipes in the hopes that you will share yours. I am searching for a good pumpkin curry recipe. Got one? Please share the goodness.

Cheap and Chic

Those who truly know me, know I am cheap. I love yard sales, red tags, clearance and my favorite four letter word is FREE. I have even had people call me a trash digger before. In that instance I was with my sister and while out on a walk we were rummaging through some old chairs someone had put out for spring clean-up. So, we were literally “trash diggers” and proud of it. I can honestly say I rarely buy anything unless I feel I am getting a deal.

One of my favorite stores is the D.I. That is the one place I feel comfortable paying full price. I always leave feeling like I just bought a treasure.

My last experience going there was no different. See, I love boots. I’m not obsessed with shoes like most women are. But it occurred to me that boots are my “shoes.” I love boots. I have a lot of pairs of boots. I think everyone looks better in boots. I wish I could wear boots all year round and not look like an idiot in the summer. I have been wanting to get a pair of low heel brown tall leather boots for about a year. Twice now I have found what I was looking for online, had them in my shopping cart ready to checkout and then in the checkout processes discovered they were no longer in stock. I figured it was a sign and the “shopping deal angels” we looking out for me and didn’t want me to spend that much for them anyways.

I realized a new pair of boots was a total want and not a need. Especially when money is tight while Stephen’s in school. So, I wished really hard that I would find a pair of boots at the D.I. And my wish came true! I found this pair of tall leather boots for $6.00. Beautiful boots at an awesome price. They were my size and in great condition. The “shopping deal angels” were smiling down on me that day.

Nerdiness

I can’t justly express Stephen’s feelings about his experience in grad school. But I know he is extremely busy with way more work, reading, programming, and studying than humanly possible. I know he feels overwhelmed and inadequate in some ways. But for you that know Stephen, you know he is extremely smart, hard working, dedicated and he would add good looking. Plus, he is one of the nerdiest nerds around. We all know he can totally handle grad school.

Here’s a video of his first computer graphics project. He hasn’t gotten his grade yet, but the professor chose to show his first, which I think is a good sign. Before the professor showed the class Stephen’s project he asked Stephen to raise his hand so he could see who Stephen was. Then the professor said, “I thought is video was especially…..” and then this voice trailed off and Stephen and those around him couldn’t hear how he ended the sentence. So, watch Stephen’s especially…..something video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjY9sfMwrkY

Scrap and Share

Mally was in our city’s children's production of Cinderella this past summer. These pages prove it.

Scrap and Share

 

I LOVE these girls! So sweet, so gorgeous, so precious.

Scrap and Share

  

Scrap and Share

See, give me a little time to scrapbook while Mally’s at school and Eva naps, and even I can stay up-to-date with my scrapbooking.

First Day of Kindergarten

  

I have mixed feelings about her going off to kindergarten. As I drove up to the school I was getting teary-eyed. But I know she is ready and excited to go. I can’t wait to have her tell me about her day. But until then I will REALLY enjoy my 2 hours of childless interruptions. Mally at school. Eva napping. Me HAPPY!!!

 

Back to School

Stephen started school last week. He is going to the University of Utah to get his Master’s in Computer Science with his emphasis in graphics.

This whole decision to have him go back to school has been a leap of faith for us. We always knew getting a higher degree was something we wanted and felt we should do. The timing finally seemed right and we left the comforts of  steady work hours and salary for long days of lectures, homework and very little money. But promptings from the Spirit, inspired blessings and many answered prayers are proving to us that we are making the right decision.

Through the process of applying for school I knelt and prayed one day specifically that he would get accepted to the U. I wanted it so that we could stay in our home, our ward and especially near our family. A few days before we found out he was accepted to the U, I was on the computer doing something when I had a very strong impression tell me that the Lord heard my prayer and will give me what I want.

Sure enough he got into Utah’s program, a highly ranked program, while he was turned down by many other lesser ranked schools. We couldn’t be happier to have him going there.

He was accepted to the U, but without funding. Many grad students get offered paid tuition and a stipend when they are accepted. We were not so lucky. We had financially prepared for school, and with the worst case scenario (we pay for everything) we knew we could do it. But, every night we would pray that some teaching assistant position or research assistantship would come our way. The answer I always got to these prayers was a peaceful reassurance that God would provide. Over and over again as I would read my scriptures the most random scriptures would reconfirm to me that if we were obedient and trusted in the Lord we would prosper.

Last month Stephen found an online application to be a teaching assistant and filled it out. The deadline for it was the month prior, but he still submitted it hoping it could lead to a position next semester. To our surprise, the next week he was contacted by a professor asking him to be a TA for her class. Tears of joy filled my eyes.

With this position, his tuition is waived 100%, and he receives a regular living stipend plus free health insurance for him. Which means, less financial stress on both of us.

God does provide. Prayers are answered and miracles do happen.

So far schooling has been busy, overwhelming at times and physically draining for him. But, we have already been so impressed with the cool projects he is doing and all the new information he is learning. Stephen is at the U, though I won’t go so far to say he is a “Ute” because we all know his blood runs BYU blue. But he is gaining new respect and appreciation for the U.

This coming Friday is “Show Your Colors Day” at school. He is threatening to wear a BYU t-shirt. I think that is a BAD idea. I was on campus last week and saw a bumper sticker that read, “I HATE BYU.” I don’t want Stephen to run into that guy while wearing a BYU shirt.

Jewel

In the past I have not been a total Jewel fan. In fact, my first real experience with her music was when I was 20 and got two of her CDs for Valentine’s Day from the boy I was dating and that same night (Valentine’s Day) I broke up with him. Such bad timing on my part. Now, I feel bad that I kept the CDs he gave me that night.

Anyway, I heard an interview with her on NPR with Scott Simon this past month and I was really impressed with what she said. I thought I would share her wisdom about having a happy and balanced life. I especially like what she said about being a good “parent to her music” and not selling out. I found her words to be very applicable to my life, because like her I too want my “whole like to be a great work of art.” Read the transcript and you’ll know what I mean. I even highlighted my favorite parts for your reading pleasure. Then click here to listen to her new album.

http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=128243945

…JEWEL: Mm-hmm, with "Pieces of You." But I also realized it was a great opportunity to take all the pressure off. Because if I was conservative with money and saved it - I had in one album earned more money than I would probably ever need in my entire life.

The worst thing you can do for your art is be broke and be in a position where you're compromised, where now you have a lifestyle you're trying to support and you have to sell yourself out to have a hit. And my goal was to try and avoid being in that position ever. So I've always been very conservative with my money, simply for the fact that I wanted to try and be a good parent to my music.

SIMON: Let's listen, if we could, to "Satisfy."

(Soundbite of song, "Satisfy")

JEWEL: (Singing) If you love somebody, you better let it out. Don't hold it back while you're trying to figure it out. Don't be timid. Don't be afraid to hurt. Run toward the flame. Run toward the fire and hold on for all your worth. 'Cause the only real pain a heart can ever know is the sorrow of regret when you don't let your feelings show...

SIMON: Would I be wrong to think that this is kind of your song?

JEWEL: Yeah, it's a pretty personal lyric. You know, it's funny. As a kid, I always knew what would make me happy and I always struggled to work toward it. And I realized in my early 30's that I didn’t actually even know what made me happy. It's a lot simpler, things, than I thought.

I don’t know. You know, a lot of heroes were artists and a lot of them did great work. But they often died unhappy or estranged from their family. But -Steinbeck had written "The Grapes of Wrath," but at what cost? And I started looking at that, especially - I got to do a movie with Ang Lee, and I looked at doing a full-time acting career and a music career.

But when I looked at the cost of that, and I had just met my husband at that point, I thought, you know, I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. And that means paying attention to my entire life and trying to make sure my whole life is balanced.

And so I really stepped away from acting. I turned down work. I quit touring a lot of the world, in Asia and Europe and Australia, because I wanted to make sure I had a balanced life and I wasn’t just going to become some drug-addled, unhappy person that had a great career but had a miserable home life.

And all those thoughts and everything that I put into that is sort of what I put into writing the lyrics for "Satisfied," that it really is the simplest things - making sure you're spending time with the people you love.

SIMON: Boy, you’ve really thought about this, haven't you?

(Soundbite of laughter)

JEWEL: I over-think everything, I guess.

SIMON: Well, Jewel, it's been wonderful talking to you. Thanks so much.

JEWEL: Thank you. I really appreciate it.

SIMON: Jewel's new CD, "Sweet and Wild." Its in stores now. She joined us from NPR West.

Thank you, Jewel.

JEWEL: Thank you. I really appreciate it.

SIMON: Oh, my pleasure.

JEWEL: I’m such a fan. Thanks for having me on the show.

SIMON: Well, our pleasure. You're welcome any time.

JEWEL: Thank you.

What was Old is New

I took and old white linen long sleeved dress shirt my neighbor gave me for free and sewed it into this super cute dress for my girls.

 

I got the idea and instructions here at the blog MADE. Check it out. You too may find a new use for a unused dress shirt in your closet.

Enjoy, Jeana

Homemade Yogurt

In the past there have been three items that would cause me to go grocery shopping: milk, diapers and yogurt. Most other things I could do without for a few days. I am glad to say that I have eliminated yogurt from my list now that I have learned to make it myself. My sister-in-law Sarah inspired me to give yogurt making a try and I am so glad she did. It’s not hard to do, though it does take time, but the time is well worth it. The result is a super cheap, super delicious, healthy food. Here are the instructions. I have also tried this version, but I like the first one better.

The yogurt is super cheap and low-fat because you can use your food storage non-fat powdered milk. I LOVE discovering new uses for my food storage. Not only do I eat it every morning for breakfast, but I’ve used the yogurt in a chocolate ice box cake, batches and batches of mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt, and my favorite, in chicken tikka masala.

Now, I need to work on eliminating diapers from my list and completely potty training Eva. If only that were as easy as making yogurt.

-Enjoy, Jeana

Bear Lake

Our good friends the Henries invited us to stay at their family cabin at Bear Lake for the weekend. We had a great time. We had never been there and were so surprised at how wonderful the lake is. The water is Caribbean blue with soft sandy beaches. It was like being at the ocean (minus the salt). We LOVED it!

Our girls love their boys and couldn’t be happier following them around. The kids very quickly paired off as couples.

Here’s Eva with Garrett and Tyler with Mally. The worst of it was demonstrated at bedtime when the sneaky kids made plans to sneak into each others bedrooms. I won’t share the details here, but it was funny.

We enjoyed good food (Stacy bakes incredible cookies) and gorgeous views.

The happy couple.

The happy girls.

Us from the cabin’s back porch. LOVE the view.

Thanks Henries for letting us play with you. We LOVED it.

Girls’ Camp

I’ll just share a few pictures with captions. I’m not going to write too much about girls’ camp because I’ve been home five days and I am still catching up on sleep, laundry, and dishes.

When we arrived there was animal poo EVERYWHERE! Here’s Pam scooping up poo.

And here’s Meredith showing off the poo that was flung on her.

We didn’t know what kind of animal poo it was until we saw this dead lamb on the side of the trail. That gave us a clue. Another ward named the dead lamb Sam and wrote and performed a whole song about him. It was quite funny.

Here are some of the cute girls. They were great and great to each other. We only had minimal drama between girls.

This photo totally needs explaining. Those are the leaders acting as tempters for a faith hike activity for the girls. They look like they are having a little too much fun with the “cigars and alcohol.”

Here’s a camp fire gone a bit out of control. The fire was burning nicely until Bro. S decided to burn all the cardboard he could find. Leave it to the priesthood to be pyros. Even adult boys have to show off in front of girls.

The fearless and sleepless leaders.

Here I am with Rachel. I bet you can tell our ward’s color was green. I’m glad I went and I’m glad I’m home.