Mess Maker

The mess may not be beautiful but the mess maker sure is.

Mess maker

Mess maker

Make me a mess

Spring!

Spring couldn't have come any sooner at our house. It was a loooong winter. Seriously, one of the worst of my life. I tried to love and embrace it like my friend Cherie told me to but I couldn't. It irritated me and was inconvenient. And this is Darcy's first spring that she gets to enjoy and she loves it. This girl can spend an hour a day at the window pointing and jabbering. It never gets old to her. You walk outside with her and she squeals and wiggles her body with joy and smiles from ear to ear.

Darcy is ready for spring but I don't know if spring is ready for Darcy.

Blog Makeover Giveaway

Do you need a fresh new blog design? How about something to get you back into the blogging grove? I know I do! That is why you should check this creative and cute lady out. She's giving away not 1 but 2 full blog makeovers!

Head over to http://www.blogsmadebeautiful.blogspot.com/ to check out her design gallery and see some of the blogs she has done.

Conference Summary

I loved the summaries of each conference talk found at Scripture Mom. What a great idea that I wish I had thought it. It is perfect because most of my conversations about conference start with, " I don't remember who but, someone said...."

Also, she has a great conference bingo sheet that you can request and I'm going to put into my children's conference binder.

Spiritual Feast

General Conference never fails to hit a whopping 10 on the spiritual scale. I'm sure many of you watched, I need to sit down and watch Saturday and Sunday afternoon again. I know I missed some great things due to the noise level in our house that can only be created by a 3 & 1 year old. If you didn't watch it you really should, it's for the whole world and they have some great ideas and advice to offer.

My overall favorite quote was from President Monson:

"Your future is as bright as your faith"

There is something so comforting about those words and the person they came from. What can I say, I love cute old men in suits who come prepared with spiritually packed talks; it puts a smile on my face everytime!

The Nadi Market

I don't have much time, so I'm just posting pictures for now and will tell about our trip afterwards. Bula!

Friends

Lately I've been so grateful for some dear friends that I've made. There have been so many times when I've leaned on them. Friends have rushed in and saved the day, gone shopping with me, chatted for hours, listened to my pity parties, shared recipes, been great role models, given advice, given compliments.

The list could go on... it has been a long time since I've had friends like that. I thank my lucky stars for them everyday. They've truly been an answer to many prayers. For the longest time I felt like I'd forgotten how to make friends. When I was younger it just came naturally. And then because I was lonely I tried to convince myself that I didn't want/need friends. Boy was I WRONG! I've felt a new sense importance, energy and love as I've filled my days with friends. So, to you ladies, thank you. No, seriously, THANK YOU. I appreciate your friendship.

Recipes

Lately I've tried a ton of new recipes. At church we've had a vegetarian cooking class and a food storage class that both had great recipes and I've found more online and in cooking magazines.

Here are the ones that I've kept and put into our recipe binder.

Granola Bars
From: Jenny

2 cups oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
Mix-ins like chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc. I used 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup coconut, 1/2 c. sunflower seeds, and 1/4 c. wheat germ.Mix all the ingredients and press into greased 11x13 pan. Dough will be very dry and crumbly, but press until dough forms with pan. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or until edges are browned. Take out and let cool entirely.

Verdict: These were good, like candy bar good. Jayden and I made them on Sunday morning and by Monday afternoon they were gone. Thanks Jenny for the recipe!


Lentil Tacos
From: Emily

1 c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. canola oil
1 c. dried lentils, rinsed
1 Tb. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
3 c. vegetable broth
1 c. salsa
Taco shells
Lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream--any toppings you wish.

Directions:In a large non stick skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.Uncover, cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 c. lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with toppings.
Yield 6 Servings

Verdict: We love these, we've already made them 3 times. I haven't made tacos in a year or two until these. We leave the salsa out and half the chili powder for Jayden and Darcy. Thank you Emily!

Tofu Parmigiana
From: Emily

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
5 Tb. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
1 (12 oz) package extra firm tofu
2 Tb. olive oil
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 eggs

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degreesIn a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 Tb. Parmesan, 1 tsp. oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.Slice tofu into 1/4" thick slices and dip into eggs and the coat in bread crumbs.Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu on both sides until crisp.Combine tomato sauce, basil, garlic, and remaining oregano. Place a thin layer of sauce in a 8" square baking pan. Arrange tofu inside and spoon sauce over tofu. Top with mozzarella and 3 Tb. Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Verdict: Everyone ate and enjoyed this. It was more work that I'd put into a weeknight meal so we have only made it once. Tim wasn't sure he would like the tofu but declared it good.

Tomatoes & Dumplings

1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. celery, chopped
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
1 bay leaf
28 oz. diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper

This is the original recipe however, I always add more vegetables than listed here carrots, zucchini, and squash are some of my favorite. I also usually add more than the listed amount because I like my soups thicker. Also, this is a great soup to add leftover chicken to.

Dumplings:
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. butter
2/3 c. milk
1 Tbs. parsley

Saute the veggies in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Combine dumpling ingredients and drop onto tomato mizture. Cover and cook approx. 15 min.

The last recipe is sooo not healthy. However, Tim loves it and so do I. It's the artichokes that we love.

Artichoke Chicken

1 can artichokes, drained (I usually use 2)
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1 pinch garlic pepper
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
3/4 chicken breasts (I use tenders)

Mix the 1st four ingredients in a bowl. Spray a 9 x 13 with cooking spray. Place uncooked chicken in and cover with the mixture.

Cook at 375 for 30-35 min.

It takes better than it looks. And does anyone have a healther option for the mayonnaise?

Weekend Visitors

Grandma & Grandpa Pope came to visit for birthday week, since they can fly for free now. They came up the weekend between the two birthdays and we had a grand time. We went to a local children's museum called Mobius Kids which I have to say I wasn't that impressed with. There was a lot of imaginative play which Jayden isn't that into right now. Also a few of the exhibits were too tall for him which is a bummer. However, we had a good time otherwise. After the museum we went to the park with the giant wagon and everyone took a turn slidding down. We also went to the toy store for the children and Jayden got to ride a Buzz Lightyear ride which was fun for him (Susan, e-mail me those pics!) We went out to eat and then played games that night. Overall it was a really enjoyable visit, when are you guys coming again? Here's a load of pictures:

P.S. wanna hear the best part? Ross said he would come back up and help around the house with man jobs that I need taken care of. He actually said the words "Make a list" I can't tell you how excited I am... and boy do I have a list. You can come anytime!

Jayden's Birthday

Today we celebrated Jayden's 3rd Birthday. We celebrated on Saturday because of work and school schedules but luckily for us that meant more time together. Dad and Jayden went to the balloon store together to pick out a birthday balloon, he chose a transformers balloon. Jayden requested a cake with lots of chocolate so that's what we did and then he didn't eat one bite that night. He helped make it though, he's always coming into the kitchen while I'm cooking and asking to help and dragging a chair or stool over so he can help. Darcy jumped right into the cake as usual. Here is some before and after pictures of Darcy. Jayden opened presents and played for the rest of the night and as I put him to bed he asked if it could be his birthday again tomorrow. He was definitely more into the presents this year and was begging all morning to open them all morning.

Dear Jayden,

Happy 3rd Birthday little man. You are such a fun guy, this past year has been a busy but enjoyable one. You've conquered big boy beds and potty training. You've learned how to ride a bike and do your chores. You love to help do whatever I'm doing and you are always watching out for Darcy. You've decided that dads are funner than moms and it breaks my heart a little each time you say it. I try, I really do.

You have such a spunk stubborn personality, you know what you want and when you want it and we cannot for the life of us change your mind. You're a sweet boy and try to do what is right. You've been on an airplane more that any two year old should, we've flown about 2 times a month for almost a year now. You know that you must wear your seat belt or the pilot WILL turn that plan around (I love that you believe me.) Last year you've been to Utah several times, University Place & Tacoma, Las Vegas, Oregon, Lake Chelan & Idaho.

You've turned into a picky eater, you like Transformers, Batman, Spiderman, Superman and Buzz Lightyear. You've become best friends with Jacob Knighton, he is just your age and is so similar in personality. You say your prayers daily and help with dinner prayer. You always pray for Uncle Greg who is on his mission and you still love fruit.

Jayden, you make us laugh everyday!

Love,

Mommy

Keeping Darcy Happy

Jayden saw that Darcy was crying and said, "Mom you have to feed Darcy to make her happy."