This just made me laugh......

Only in Utah. :)

Not much going on right now. Just wanted to update my blog background. Life has been crazy. Several people I knew(either by working with, neighbors, family members of people I know) have died in the last 3 months. Several of them suicide.
How can someone's life be so depressing and horrible that they can do that to themselves. As someone who has experienced depression and anxiety, I still can't even fathom doing something like that! I just hope these people's families have the help to get through a loss like that.
Then Jack being in the hospital, the stress and worrying over that, crazy. Luckily he's home and doing good. And Jamesons home and getting better. Annie is going to have her baby soon.
Work has been SUPER busy getting stuff ready to send to the stores for black friday. Luckily for me I have a nice long thanksgiving weekend. Now I need ideas on what to do. :)

Sterling Trip

So a really close friend of mine was diagnosed with bone cancer over the summer, they are like other parents to me, so I went up to visit them in Sterling(up by Manti), they are trying to sell their house so they can move to SLC and be closer for treatments. Before they move I know I am going to go visit again. I love it up there! Because when they move I will have no reason to go up.
I wish I had gotten more pictures, but I can't find my camera and all I had was my phone.
I drove up to my grandma's after work friday- got there around 3:30-4 am, found a dead mouse on the kitchen floor. Slept for a little while, drove up to Richfield, did a little shopping. Drove up to Gunnison, called Barbara, told her I was so busy running errands and going crazy so she wouldn't know I was coming(her husband knew). It was so fun! We hung out that night, visited. Good to catch up.
Sunday, we were so tired, that we didn't get up in time for church, but I did run over to the church to make sure Barbara's husband made it home ok(across the street). Talked to some of the bishopric. One of them knew my uncle Dave.
While Barbara's husband(there are 2 Jim's involved in this story) did his chemo treatment, went to hang out with the other Jim and his horses.

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Jim(and his dog- she is the sweetest dog ever).


Barbara says this is a hens and chicks plant, but it doesn't look like it. But it was really pretty. She had a ton of them.


one of Jim's horses

So after annoying the heck out of Jim for a couple of hours(he is so funny, and really nice to talk to). Went back to my friends, then packed to head back to my grandmas. Stopped in Richfield again to see my aunt Viola, who is the sweetest old lady ever. Got some chinese food, went back to Junction, changed the shower curtain, watched Fast Five, went to bed.
Got up, did a little weeding, picked some apples. Found another dead mouse(whatever they are doing is apparently working to kill them). By then I was like no way am I staying another night. I was planning to stay till tuesday but I just wanted to come home.
So I stopped and visited Bree and Travis for a little while, which was fun!
Stopped in Cedar at Starbucks. And came home!
While I was at my grandma's I went into her bedroom to make sure everything was good, I just had this urge to sit down and cry, I miss her so much. She was such an amazing person. I love that old house.
Anyways, this is such a journal entry. I am totally printing this, since I don't write in my journal! lol!

Sterling, utah

Just quick little post. Its 3:30 am. I'm in Sterling Utah. I fell asleep around 11, which is miracle for me.
Then I woke and now I am wide awake. This trip has been so good for me. I will post more after I get back
Home. Right now I am just on my phone. Now my next feat will be getting up for 9 am church. Lol

My new favorite picture. Taken up on the Northwest Coast. Makes me miss it up there. As soon as I get my jeep paid off I am going to start saving for a trip up there. I already know where I want to go, what I want to do. $2,000 left on the jeep. Better get crackin'. :)

lately...

Not much going on! Super awesome storm today. Back to work. And working a ton of hours, love it.

9/11. Flag during the storm we had today. Loved it.


Family reunion, Melanie and her daughter.


Newly weds!


reading the paper while camping, Ipson thing! lol!


During the storm, we were all out on the front porch.

recent pics

Here are some pictures taken over the last few weeks.

I think this looks like someone got a paintbrush and swiped it across the sky.


The fire from last week. Scary. Bad picture. This was during the backfire. At like 3 am. It was cool! :)


I made a potted herb garden on our front porch, I sprayed water proof stuff on the insides and outside, but apparently for some reason the green one(rosemary) started bubbling up. Looks really cool. It reminds me of a frog. Lol!
Anyways, thats whats been going on lately!!!

New Recipe

Here's a recipe that I make every so often. I LOVE it. I love the lemony flavor, I always add more lemon juice than called for. But it depends on your own likes and dislikes. I always use fresh lemons(I can't stand lemon juice in a bottle).
I got these recipes out of Taste of Homes Quick Cooking 2002(page 216)

Read my tips in the end to see how easy it is to make it.

CHICKEN IN CREAMY GRAVY
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cans(10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken(or cream of chicken with broccoli)
1/2 c. milk
4 tsp lemon juice
1/3 tsp pepper
4 lemon slices

In a nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes; drain. In a bowl combine soup, milk, lemon juice and pepper. Pour over chicken. Top each chicken breast with a lemon slice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until chicken juices run clear, about 5 minutes.
4 servings


LEMON LINGUINE

8 oz uncooked linguine
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil(I wasn't a fan of it with basil in it, so I don't put it in at all)
1/2 tsp garlic powder(Again, I love fresh stuff so I use a garlic clove)
1/2 tsp salt free lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, cook pasta in boiling water until tender(8-10 minutes). Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine butter, lemon juice, basil, garlic and lemon pepper; cook and stir till butter is melted.
Drain pasta; add butter mixture and toss to coat. Add Parmesan and toss.
4 servings

So here's what I do.
1- put pasta on to cook, since it cooks the longest, but as soon as I get it in the boiling water, I put the chicken to cook, so they get done about the same time.
2 while pasta and chicken are cooking get sauce gravy ready for chicken, juice and slice the lemons.
3 pour gravy over done chicken, cover and let simmer/light boil while preparing everything else.
4 drain pasta in a colander, using the same pot- make the pasta sauce(making sure the garlic is cooked, if using fresh garlic). Once that is done I add pasta and cheese.
Then your done....
We like putting the gravy from the chicken on the noodles, it's SOOOOO yummy.
I should have taken a picture of it. So easy.

Happy Fathers Day

MY DAD

Random Pictures from the last little while----

Here are some random pictures I've taken in the last 6 months. Just an update. :)

The eagle/owl. Long funny story.


Travis and Kevin with their daughters at D.J.'s wedding a couple of weeks ago.


Tanner, helping me make dinner for work.


My grandma, she's so funny. I personally can't believe she let me take this picture.


My lamp, my phone was on the negative setting. I just thought it was kinda cool.

just an update

I'm still alive. I will put pictures from Easter and a picture of my aunts beautiful casket on here soon.
Just been busy lately.
So I just started reading the book Dracula by Bram Stoker. We'll see how that goes. I decided that I want to start reading stuff that is more classic and timeless than the junk I've been reading. I have Pride and Prejudice. But I am having a hard time getting into it. As soon as I finish Dracula I am going to read Anna Karina by Tolstoy.
Wish me luck. If there are some good books y'all have read, let me know and I'll add it to the list.

I just thought this was interestingly good....

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' I'm four and a half!' you're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ... You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony ... YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed.
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50.
And your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would.
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday.
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90's, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again.' I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I'm alive. I promise. :)

Frog Eye Salad Recipe

I know that I just posted the other day, but my cousin wanted my mom's frog eye salad recipe, and I decided why not just put it on my blog. So everyone can have it AND it's somewhere that I can just copy and paste it if I need it again, without having to search for it! :)

Frog Eye Salad
1 c. sugar
2 1/2 c pineapple juice
1 c. crushed pineapple
2 beaten eggs
2 tbsp flour
Cook ingredients until thick. Stirring constantly. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice

3 qts. water
2 tsp salt
1 package frog eyes(I can't think of what they are called)
1 tbsp oil
Cook until soft, about 12 minutes. drain, combine egg mix and frog eyes. Refrigerate over night in tight container.

Add-
3 cans mandarin oranges- drained
2 20 oz. cans crushed pineapple- drained
2 9 oz. pkg cool whip
mini marshmallows
assorted fruit- apples, bananas, pomegranates, etc.

Fudgy Buttons- so easy

I have this obsession over cookbooks, as most of you know! I LOVE the Taste of Home cookbooks the most! But the Quick Cooking ones are the best. So several years ago I started getting one in the mail each year, then a friend of mines grandma died and she gave me a bunch of hers(ones from previous years, that I didn't have). So since I love them so much I got online(amazon.com) and ordered the only one that I didn't have(1999).
I got it in the mail today, that was so exciting! :) Totally made my day!! :) And eating at Bajios!
So here is a new recipe, SO easy. maybe it had a little too much peanut butter in it, I didn't really measure very well because I had doubled the recipe and our measuring spoon is really flimsy so I had a hard time scrapping it out of the jar.

Fudgy Buttons
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1- 1/2 tsp baking cocoa
1/2 confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp milk
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

In a small sauce pan, melt butter: remove from heat. Add cocoa and mix well. Stir in sugar. Add milk and stir till smooth. Add peanut butter and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper: flatten tops and shape into 1-inch patties. Makes about 1-1/2 dozen.

I had it made and done in less than 15 minutes. When I got the peanut butter mixed in enough to handle I kneaded it to blend it better. It was a little warm, but not too much! It melted in my mouth. SO YUMMY! Rich, but yummy! I wish I had a picture of them.

So life has been crazy! Yes, Edwin and I did break up. Work got so busy. but then it slowed down a little, but there is another area that is really busy, so they take all of our people that are cross trained and that leaves a few people to stay in my area. So they hired temps to be trained so when we supposedly get "really busy" we won't fall behind. I'm hoping that we get so busy that we are getting our hours for a couple of months. I need to get some bills paid for. I have plans that I really want to follow through with, but I need to get my jeep paid for soon. Oh-well! And I need new back tires. Being an adult sucks! :p

Valentines Bouquet

Here are pictures of my valentines bouquet! This was an interesting one, I had so many ideas, like putting candy hearts in the bottom(which I wish I would have thought of in the beginning).

This first version is the white trash version, I was just having fun with it, I really didn't care for the pink plastic thingies and for some odd reason I added calla lilies(which are are my favorite, but they are a spring flower, so I took them out). This version was NOT a winner!


These next two pictures are what I ended up doing. I wanted to keep it a valentines bouquet, not spring, not Christmas. I still can't take very good pictures, so they didn't turn out very good! But it was still fun to do!

Super Yummy Breakfast recipe

So with all this time on my hands, I've been trying new recipes. I got this one from Kraft recipes. It's SO good. It's a breakfast dish. but I made it after dinner tonight and I made a double recipe in a glass baking dish and Emily helped me, we(everyone else in our 2 houses) ate it all, it was so good. I am definitely making it again!!! :)
Not sold yet, it is SO extremely easy. crush the wafers, mix the eggs and milk. Then while that's baking, slice the fruit with an egg slicer. And your done! Cooks for 15 minutes! :)




Puffed Dutch NILLA Pancake
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
20 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed
8 strawberries, sliced
1 medium banana, sliced
1 tsp. powdered sugar
PREHEAT oven to 450°F. Beat eggs and milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in crushed wafers.

WRAP handle of large ovenproof skillet with several layers of foil. Heat on high heat 2 min. Spray with cooking spray. Add egg mixture; place in oven.

BAKE 14 to 16 min. or until egg mixture is puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven; top with the fruit. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into four wedges. Serve immediately. Store any leftover pancake in refrigerator.

Make it Easy
Use an egg slicer to evenly slice the strawberries and banana.

I just noticed that I haven't updated for a few weeks, and I am on my laptop and have no pictures on here, except one of Edwin and I. Boring! He's not boring, it's just a boring picture.
I'm all better, but I have 2 huge canker sores, they keep getting stuck on my braces, making them tear bigger and not heal very fast. I got a Magic Mouthwash for a really bad sore throat back in October(I think) and it has Lidocaine in it, which numbs anything it touches. It's so funny, my tongue, my lips, everything. But it lets me deal with the pain a little easier. Rinse with salt water every once in awhile and use wax. I think it's either pecans or almonds. But if I eat pecans in certain things it doesn't bother me at all, but if I eat them in ice cream(ben and jerry's butter pecan and tin roof sundae) I'll get them. Or Costco's chocolate cover almonds, which are the best, I get canker sores like none other, but if I eat them in salads or an Almond Joy, doesn't bother me at all. I hate it. But I've also eatten a lot of fruit lately like fresh pineapple and strawberries, and lots of fresh veggies, like tomatoes. Oh-well!
Things are ok right now. They are upgrading some stuff at work in PFL(my area) so everyone on my shift in my group had the option of going to day shift or do TLO(temp. lay off) for 3 weeks. It's really hard to go from night shift to day shift and back again(unless you've tried it, don't tell me I'm just being a pansy). So I decided to do TLO, I didn't want to, I want all the hours I can get, even thought we really aren't busy, I really can't afford to take TLO, I had the option of staying out till March 22, but I can't do it, so I will go back to work in 3 weeks. It will be nice to have a vacation to get somethings I've been putting off, like sewing the edges of my quilt together- that I started last summer. Clean my room really good, I plan on doing a lot of cooking. I only like to cook in the winter for some reason, but it's hard because I have no one to eat it. My mom is always on some random diet and my dad can't eat certain foods. Then people get mad if I take what I make to Shellies kids, because they don't need junk food(I personally like to make dessert stuff). Oh-well. I want to learn how to make homemade tortilla chips, pineapple upside down cake, there are a few others I want to try, I just can't remember right this second, it is 3:30 am. My brain is tired.

Dating Edwin is a lot of fun. We are learning more about each other, just random things. But it's fun. He is so kind and sweet. He's a really good person. That's what I love so much about him.

We got snow and it still hasn't melted. It's been so cold that it will melt during the day, then freeze at night, so whatever is facing north still has snow/ice. That's another bonus about TLO, I don't have to freeze at night when I'm coming home. yeah!
I just made some oatmeal, for some reason it sounded really good and now I can barely keep my eyes open. Wow! I guess I will go to sleep! :) Hopfully this isn't a false tired, because thats what happened last night, I was so tired, but when I went to bed, I was too wired to sleep. I hate that, then I get restless legs, it's horrible. So I go upstairs and lay on the couch till I fall asleep. It helps for some reason. Maybe because I read too much in my bed and when I actually do go to bed, my body doesn't think it's time to sleep. And when I lay on the couch, I always fall asleep, so I need to stop doing that. Oh-well! Night! :)