C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me!

In case you haven't noticed, I got a new background. I was looking last night for something cool and new and stumbled upon an old friend. I feel Cookie Monster is appropriate for my blog template because I too am a cookie monster. Cookies are actually my favorite snack/dessert. I would pass up many other kinds of treats, even special, fancy ones for a good chocolate chip cookie and cold glass of milk. This notion baffles Mike. He isn't too crazy about cookies, especially chocolate chip ones! With such a vast difference in our likes, I still wonder sometimes how we ended up together. So, for future reference, if you happen to be coming to our house and want to bring a treat, please bring two kinds: cookies for me and a nice Creme Brule for Mike.

Mmmmmm...Broccoli Salad

I got a request to put this recipe on my blog. It's for Tangy Broccoli Salad and it's freakin' good! It takes plain, old broccoli and loads it with fat and cholesterol. So choice! Anyway, here it is!

3/4 cup Miracle Whip Light Dressing (I use Mayo instead. I don't like Miracle Whip and it still tastes great.)
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets (6 cups)-you might need more than one bunch to get 6 cups
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 small red onion, chopped- I use less than a half of one, but I'm not too crazy about onion

Mix dressing (or Mayo), sugar, and vinegar in large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients, mix lightly, cover.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

This is a great recipe. I got it from Kraft Kitchens. If you sign up at their website, you can get weekly emails about easy meals to make. They also send you a recipe magazine. It's all free and I get a lot of good ideas from it. Their stuff is simple and easy to alter in order to personalize a dish or make it a little more healthy. It's free because they advertise their products through the recipes. All of them call for some kind of Kraft product, but it's not like you HAVE to use that particular brand. I enjoy a good generic product every once in a while, especially if it's cheaper.

That's it for now. I hope you make this dish and eat it all up!

Get your money's worth

If any of you out there are in the market for a high quality, temporary tattoo that will last a while, look no further. I know where you can get such an item. Just stop by the Purple Turtle in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Deposit $.50 in the vending machine and voila! Now, you don't get to choose exactly the one you want, but you do get to pick the category. My son chose the "BAD A$$ Tats" category. (Please forgive the language, but that's what it was called) He's had his since Wednesday April 9, 2008 and he STILL has it. That's almost two weeks! And he's bathed several times since then. It's just now starting to fade. Crazy, I know! Leah chose a Winnie the Pooh tattoo and it didn't last as long. Actually, we couldn't get it on her. She didn't want to put it on. So, I put it on my forearm. It only lasted two days. I don't know what made his stay and mine not. Maybe it's because I didn't bathe....hmmmmmm............... :~D

Here are some pictures of Eli. He likes to show everyone his "Robot Snake" and scare them. He even showed people during Sharing Time at church two Sundays ago. By the way, doesn't he have a cute outie?

Getting to know me from A to Z

A-attached or single: attached eternally, and that's the way I like it!
B-best friends: Mike, Brittney, Shaina, Sarah, Holly, Rissa (does it count if you're related to them?)
C-cake or pie: cake, specifically yellow cake with chocolate icing and none of that homemade stuff either; give it to me from a mix
D-day of choice: any day that I have fun things to do
E-essential item(s): chap stick, gum, hair tie
F-favorite color: blue
G-gummy worms or bears: worms
H-hometown: Allentown, PA
I-indulgence: chocolate, duh!
J-January or July: July because that's when our baby's coming and it's easier to do things outside with the kids and I love swimming!
K-kids: 2.6
L-life is incomplete without: laughter, family, and fun!
M-marriage date: June 28, 2003
N- number of siblings: 3 older brothers
O-oranges or apples: I could go either way
P-phobias or fears: someone breaking into my house
Q-quotes: I have a great one from Angela's Ashes, but I can't remember it
R-reasons to smile: My kids, my husband, my friends, and good food
S-season: Fall and Spring, anytime I can go outside with jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops on
T-tag friends: Sarah and Shaina, if you don't want to, that's cool
U-unknown fact about me: I don't put milk on my cereal
V-very favorite store: Target
W-worst habit: Not putting things away, I'm sure there are more
X-x-ray, ultrasound, or mammogram: ultrasounds, isn't that the most obvious choice?
Y-your favorite food: chocolate and really good sandwiches followed by cookies
Z- Zodiac: Virgo

Photo Op.

This picture has been brought to you today by the letters E, L and I, which spell Eli, in case you didn't know. He was the one that held Leah like that and then told me to go get the camera so I could take a picture. None of it was my doing, except the actual taking of the picture. Surprisingly, Leah sat there happily while I ran downstairs to get the camera and then took a few pictures. I just wish they were this happy together all the time!

I hope that day never comes!!!

Yesterday, I was being silly with my hair and put a ponytail on the top of my head. Since my hair is short, it was pointing out all over the place. Eli thought it was pretty cool. He said to me, as he was playing with my ponytail, "Someday when I'm a girl and have long hair, I'm going to do that too!" I laughed on the outside, but shuddered on the inside. I seriously hope that day never comes!!!

I wasn't ready for this

On Sunday, Eli asked me how the baby is going to get out of my tummy. Wow, I was not expecting that question nor did I have any idea what I was going to say. I decided right then to tell him as best as I could, in a simple way, and to make sure it's truthful. I suppose it's easier and more fun to tell fluffy stories about how things in life work, but I don't want to do that to him. I think it's probably easier to just tell him as much as he needs to know now and then add more to it as he grows up. So, here's roughly the conversation that we had:

E: Mom, how does the baby come out of your tummy?
B: What?! Ummmm......ah.....what?
E: How does the baby come out of your tummy?
B: Well.........ummm, when the baby's big enough, I have a special hole in my bottom that the baby will come out of.
E: A hole in your bottom? Like your bumbies?
B: No, not my bumbies. My gina (what we call the vagina). When the baby's big enough it will come out my gina.
E: Oh

Then, he just casually left and went back to playing. It was rough for me, but he seemed to be just fine with the basic anatomy lesson I had just given him. As you can tell from the the conversation, I left out the proper terminology. I'm working on that one. Perhaps telling him little bits at a time is more for me then it is for him. Perhaps with time, I'll get more comfortable talking about it all and as I grow up, I'll be able to handle it all better! :~)

Cute pictures of my kids

Finally, I'm putting up some super cute Easter pics of my kids. Enjoy!

I HAVE FOUND A CURE!!!!

For not falling asleep during the second session of General Conference. Here's the formula:

2 Brownies + 1 Glass cold milk + 1 Four-year-old who doesn't nap = Watching the whole session

I think this can be applied to other sessions as well. I didn't sleep through the first session either, but Leah was also awake, so that adds another factor into the equation. I will be conducting another test tomorrow to see if my hypothesis holds true.

If anyone would like to borrow/have my brownies, milk, or 4 year-old, just give me a call! I'd be happy to help you test out the theory also.

Just some cute things

Eli said some cute things yesterday and today that I wanted to share.

Yesterday, while he was going poopy, I was sitting on the couch and heard him call to me. I went to see what he wanted and this is what he said:

E: Mom, I want you to keep me temperature while I go poop.

B: What do you want?

E: I want you to keep me temperature.

B: (pause for a few seconds to think about what he said) Oh, you mean you want me to keep you company while you go poop!

E: Yeah (Followed by a look that said "Duh Mom, that's what I said!"


This morning, I had Eli pick out what he wanted for breakfast. He wanted cereal and I said I wanted oatmeal. I asked him to get the cereal out while I went to the bathroom quickly. When I came out I saw the cereal AND the oatmeal out. This is what he said.:

E: Look Mom, I got out the cereal and the oatmeal for you. I choose the right!

B: Yes, you did choose the right. That was a very good choice! (Followed by me giving him a big hug)

It makes me feel good when he says churchy stuff!