Just another Tuesday...

Well, not much to report on...besides the fact that Ethan is now pulling himself up in his crib!?!?! How is that possible! He only made it up to his knees...but I know he'll be on his feet before much longer. I guess I'll be lowering the crib tonight!!! And Garrett...well, he just came in the room and asked me if was almost night-time? Then, 30 seconds later, he comes running in wearing his pj's. Hmmm...I wonder if I could convince him it really is night-time and since he's all ready for it...he might as well go to bed! Here's to wishful thinking!

Great Treat for FHE...

Garrett and I made a yummy treat last night while we were waiting for Steve to get home. It is a yummy, gooey peanut butter popcorn! And it would be a great treat for FHE - tasty and quick to make - those are my qualifications for a Monday night treat!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

1/4 cup butter

1/2 - 2/3 cup brown sugar

20 large marshmallows

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 bag microwave popcorn - or 1/2 cup popcorn kernals popped in an air-popper (this was Garrett's favorite part!)

Cook butter, brown sugar and marshmallows over medium heat until marshmallows are melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Pour over popcorn and stir till all popcorn is covered. If you don't want it as gooey...bake it in a 200 degree oven for 15-30 minutes (stirring every 10 minutes or so) to crisp it up a bit!

I also think that next time, I'll stir in some m&m's or something to complete the whole flavor!

And just for clarification...for those of you who don't know what FHE stands for...it's for Family Home Evening. It is a tradition in our church...every monday night is devoted to families. We do things like study the gospel together and then we play games or just do something fun together! I have great memories of growing up and having these Monday nights with my family!!!

Family Time

Steve had training this week and managed to come home a bit early yesterday, so we took advantage of the daylight hours we had with him and took the boys on a quick bike ride - you've got to love February in Texas!!! It was Ethan's first time in the bike trailer and I think he enjoyed himself! You could tell that he loved sitting next to his big brother - that's really all it takes for him to be happy! The ride was really just a means to get to the tennis courts and where we broke in our new rackets! We figured it was time to introduce Garrett to the sport of tennis - minus a TV and a wii controller! Thanks Dana and Brian - we love them!!! Garrett tells everyone that he got a new racket for Christmas and that Brian picked it out especially for him! He's so proud of that!

We had so much fun playing around - Garrett loved it, even though I managed to hit him right, smack in the middle of his forehead - TWICE! No real tournament level of play yet, but we'll work up to it! Steve is a great teacher...being patient with both his little students - Garrett and me!!! Maybe one day I'll become more coordinated and athletic!!! Ethan was a great little trooper, just hanging out on a blanket on the sidelines keeping himself entertained with the empty ball canisters!

To pass the time...

This is what I did last few nights while Steve went to play basketball and had scouts and while the boys were (supposed to be) in bed.

They're for my friend's little girl's bathroom. She seriously has the cutest bathroom - yes, that's how decorationally challenged I am...I admire even bathrooms from afar! These boards will go on a limey-grassy green wall with cute little bug and flower decals, with lots of pinks, orange, purple, yellows to brighten it up...they'll look perfect!

Can't Live Without Them...

So, since my oven is STILL not working, I have been coming up with creative ways to actually cook and have re-realized how much I love the crock-pot. That got me thinking to how much I really rely on a few different things in my life and since all my posts are basically me, thinking aloud...here's another random post dedicated to my thoughts!

Things I can't live without...

1. (Probably the most important, sad to say!) My flat iron! Seriously, I cannot live without this - a fact that most of you should probably thank me for! My hair is HUGE unless otherwise tamed by this marvelous object! Completely worth a little investment in this category! And in case any of my college roommates are reading this...I'm only sorry that I didn't discover this until after college...You are true friends to love me in spite of my huge hair! :)

2. The crock-pot - as mentioned before! The yummiest meals come out of this wonderful machine - and the beauty of it is that most of these yummy masterpieces come with minimal prep and effort! Seriously a modern-day marvel!

3. My wheat grinder. I honestly can say that I LOVE my grinder and use it ALL the time! I love anything from hearty muffins to chocolate chip cookies with freshly ground whole wheat flour. Now, I just need to save up for a hand-grinder too...the options would be endless then!

4. My Combi stroller. I never realized the importance of a good stroller until my second child, I am very sad to admit! We suffered through the most inconvenient and hard to push stroller with Garrett...what were we thinking?!?!? Now, I just need to find a good jogging stroller - any advice???

5. The internet. It makes so many things possible - staying in touch, learning new things, the news (and weather) any time you want it, and on-line shopping (for those of us who really detest shopping, this little gem is worth it's weight in gold!!!) I also love the fact that you can learn about ANYTHING in just a few clicks! I scheduled our repairman to come out for our oven, since the GE customer service people said that was our only option in a case like ours...but in a 5 minute search online, I found people who had the same problem, listed their fix (with step-by-step details, I might add!), and found a great price on the part that I need to order. Yeah....the internet (and a VERY handy husband) just saved us $150! Wahoo!

Well, I could go on and on...but I'll stop now. I can't imagine this post is very interesting to anyone besides myself! Nevermind the fact that I should probably feed my kids lunch sometime today - that might be a little more important than me mulling over my list of favorites! Feel free to leave me a list of things you can't live without...it's kinda fun to think about!

Another Friday Fave!

This one comes from my intense love of Cafe Rio - a fresh-mex type of restaurant for those of you who are out of the Utah scene. (Thanks Megs for the excuse to go there while I was in town!!!) It also comes from my dire need of crock-pot recipes...my oven just quit working yesterday and I'm desperate! Seriously, how does an oven just quit...isn't that it's main purpose in being?!?!?! It's definitely not just something to sit in my kitchen and look pretty...I need heat!!!
So anyway, back to my favorites, in my search for the perfect recipe to match Cafe Rio's really tasty sweet pork, I've stumbled across this great recipe. And even better than the taste, is the fact that it is probably the easiest recipe on the face of the earth! Seriously, does it get better than that?!? I'm not saying it's the perfect match to Cafe Rio...but it is VERY good regardless!

Sweet Pork
1 (3-5 lb) pork roast – boneless pork loin recommended (I've also used chicken breasts or a beef roast - you really can't go wrong!)
1 cup salsa – use Pace or one similar, not the fresh salsas
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

Place ingredients in a greased 3 ½ -4 ½ qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours. (Or on HIGH if you forget about starting your crock-pot until it's too late for the slow method! Honestly, am I the only one who does that?!?) Shred pork with a fork or potato masher before serving. Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 minutes so juice will thicken. Use meat in burritos, tacos, or salads. If freezing, keep juice and freeze with meat.

Now you can really eat this any way you want...but I just have to add that it is to DIE for if you use the tortillas from Costco that you cook yourself (another HUGE FAVE in our family which I could devote a whole favorite blog to by themselves!) Add a little green taco sauce, lime juice and cilantro when serving - it really doesn't get better than that!!!

Too Cute!

Just a little sample of Garrett's doodles during Sacrament meeting. Maybe we should work on being a little more focused during church, but I thought this was sooo funny!