Just too busy! To post anything

Funny!

This SO did not surprise me....

Soccer Season '09

Morgan is playing soccer again this Spring (she's SO excited!) so I'm posting her game schedule here for anyone that might want to come watch her!
(By the way, her team is called the "Bumblebees")

Wednesday, April 8th at 5:30pm (gray jersey)

Friday, April 10th at 5:30 pm (gray jersey)

Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:15pm (red jersey)

Friday, April 24th at 6:15pm (gray jersey)

Wednesday, April 29th at 6:15pm (red jersey)

Friday, May 1st at 6:15pm (red jersey)

Wednesday, May 6th at 6:15pm (gray jersey)

Friday, May 8th at 6:15pm (gray jersey)

Addendum to waffle recipe

Just thought you might like to know, talked to a few friends and they said that it was just as easy to make oat flour in a blender, so I did it. Made a bunch of it and put in 1/2 cup of white flour, 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 cup oat flour. I also omitted the cinnamon. Made the waffles even better! Might even add some blueberries next time! (love to make them the day before and freeze a whole bunch of them....)

"The Hunger Games"

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.

Just finished this book and LOVED it! You might think I'm a little crazy (and morbid) when you read what the book is about, but it is a VERY addicting story. Besides, I've read about vampires, werewolves and the "Host", so what can i say? :)

Yay!

I don't know about you, but I have had the hardest time finding a nutritious breakfast that our girls LOVE, (and that's easy and fast, too!) but I think I've found it! Make sure and note the changes I made at the end of the recipe, they're subtle but still keep the integrity of the recipe.

1 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup oat flour

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heat waffle iron. In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, oat flour, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine beaten eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and fold together with a rubber scraper, being sure to not overmix.Lightly spray hot waffle iron with non-stick spray. Add about 1/2 cup waffle batter. Cook until crisp on the edges. Serve with pure maple syrup, powdered sugar and butter. Makes about 6 waffles.

Rookie's Notes: If you don't keep oat flour in your pantry, you can make your own. Just add rolled oats (quick cooking or regular) to the bowl of a food processor and give it a whirl. If you don't have a food processor, my condolences. You REALLY should look into getting one. The possibilities are endless. Click here to see the one I have and love.When freezing the waffles, let them cool before you put them in a plastic bag.

Heather's Notes: I do not keep oat flour in my pantry, nor do I have a food processor, so I just used white flour. Not to say that I don't think it would be good, just didn't have the tools to get it done, but want to try them that way, too! Also, a friend of mine taught me this trick when it comes to buttermilk~you can make your own! Just take regular milk and add a tbsp. of white vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes. Done!

"Redhill aWard Winning Chili"

"Redhill aWard"-Winning Chili

{Makes 8 servings}

1½ lbs. ground beef

2 large onions,diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, diced

½ lb. chorizo sausage, casings removed and meat separated

1Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

Green onions and cilantro for garnish

Cook the ground beef, onions, garlic and bell pepper in a 5 qt. Saucepan over medium heat, until beef is browned. Drain and set aside. Brown chorizo sausage and then add the drained meat mixture. Stir in remainder of ingredients, except green onions and cilantro. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered until desired consistency. We served the chili with chips and sour cream.

**Ok, I did make some changes with this recipe, here they are: First of all, I have no idea what chorizo sausage, so I just used regular 'ole sausage. And the other thing was, after all the ingredients are combined, I added 2 cups of water.

You know you're a redneck when.....

your daughter gets a darling pink polka dot apron (from her mom) and a 22 rifle (from her dad) for her birthday. And she LOVED them both! ;) The gun was one that Brett bought a couple of months ago and she's shot it before, she just didn't know it was hers until we wrapped it up and gave it to her yesterday. And my sweet, talented friend Amy made the apron and when she asked me what I wanted, I told her to surprise me and it was perfect! (thank you Amy!) Our oldest is 10 and I just cannot believe it! I've had a harder time with this birthday and finally figured out why it was freaking me out sooo much....DOUBLE DIGITS! Hard to believe that 10 years ago she was delivered on a rainy Sunday morning in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sydney is such a blessing in our lives and I am so grateful to have her as our daughter. She is growing up so fast and is such a smart, sensitive, patient big sister and a loving, kind daughter. We love you Syd!

Dogeared Necklaces

I've come across this website and have fallen in love with the necklaces...especially this one!


Oh, and this one too.... ;)

Sisterly Love

hAppY vaLEnTinEs DaY!

French Dip Sandwich

These were delicious and the sandwich was sooo good dipped in the au jus! (and easy cuz it was crockpot!)

1 beef chuch roast, trimmed
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns
8 french rolls, split
sauted' veggies ~ onions, green peppers, red peppers, mushrooms
mozerella cheese
mixture of cream cheese and mayo (used maybe 1/2 bar cream cheese and 2 tbsp. of mayo)

Place roast in crockpot. Add all ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 5 hours. Turn oven on to broil. Remove meat from broth; shred with a fork and keep warm. Strain broth and pour into dipping cups. Saute' veggies until soft. Combine mixture of cream cheese and mayo with the meat and put on each roll, then sprinkle with cheese. Put under broiler just until melted. After they come out of the oven, add veggies. Serves 8.

5 little monkeys....

Starting with Kendra in September 2006, the Harris side of the family had 5 granddaughters within 6 months. Here are the little rugrats at a "playdate" at Aunt Channy's. Sammy is the youngest and she'll be 2 at the end of February. From Left to Right- Samantha (Bruce and Suzi's), Kynslee (Kory and Channy's), Karlie (Joel and Shelley's), Mylee (Layne and Julie's) and Kendra.

"Lil Stinker"

Brett bought these little pj's for Kendra and they fit her personality perfectly! You know there are some parents who have at least one kid who is more laid back, doesn't get into everything, etc? Well, we didn't get even ONE like that! And I don't know if I've just blocked it from my memory or if she really is our worst one, but by the end of each day, I am literally counting the minutes until bedtime so that I can have a break! And this is what our life has become...child proof locks on almost everything! (yes, we did have the alarm before, but now I have to set it so that any time a door is opened, a beep will sound so that I know she's trying to get out!) Welcome to my crazy life!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Crepes

Okay, made this one tonite, but with my own variations, so I thought I'd share. I made mine with flour tortillas (cuz it just didn't sound that good with crepes? or maybe because I'm a horrible crepe maker? I'll admit, it was a little bit of both!) Also, I used canadian bacon instead of ham and mozerella cheese instead of swiss. Also, I doubled the sauce recipe and am glad I did that. Oh! I poured seasoned bread crumbs on top, too. AND since my family will not eat a whole 9x13 pan at one sitting, I put half of them in a disposable container, covered in tin foil, marked what it was and when it was made and put it in my freezer to use at a later date.
Hope you like!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Crepes

7-10 store bought, prepared crepes (or you can make your own)
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup chopped (cooked) ham
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 chicken bouillon cube, mashed into powder
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Assemble crepes: On each crepe, pile some chicken, some ham and Swiss cheese. Roll up and place in a greased casserole dish (9x13).

Make sauce: In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add in flour and mashed bouillon cube. Stir and let cook for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring this to a boil, but watch so it doesn't burn. Continue to stir and cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat and add in 1/3 cup Swiss cheese. Stir until it melts. Pour 3/4 cup of sauce on top of the crepes. Bake 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Heat remaining sauce and serve with crepes.

**note: These are delicious, and even my son devoured them. The cheese sauce was so good I was scraping the pan with a spoon as if it were cookie dough! I made the crepes the day before and kept them in the fridge between sheets of wax paper.

Crock Pot Mexi Pork

Made this last night (well, technically, let it cook all day in the crock pot) and then made burritos. (flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream) Made so much that we'll eat it again tonight on chips as nachos. Super easy and yummy!

(sorry, no pics this time!)

Mexi Pork

1~ 2 or 3 lb. pork tenderloin
1~ pint of salsa
1 medium bottle of A1 steak sauce
juice from one lime

Mix all ingredients and pour over tenderloin. Cook on low for 8 hours.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

I miss funny tv. Haven't seen a sitcom that makes me laugh out loud since "Friends" went off the air. There just aren't enough things in life that make you laugh.

Fun activity with the girls

They got these stepping stones for christmas, but we haven't had a chance to do them. (or rather, i was putting it off for a day that daddy could help!) So, we finally did them last Sunday and they turned out great! Now, lets have some warm weather so that we can actually put them outside and enjoy them!

Vegetable Frittata

Here's another one we (meaning, Brett and I, the girls-not so much!)really liked!!
Vegetable Frittata

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium red potatoes, cooked and cubed
1 small zucchini, cubed
6 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper

In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, saute onion, peppers and garlic in 2 Tbsp oil until the veggies are tender. Remove veggies with a slotted spoon; set aside. In the same skillet over medium heat, lightly brown potatoes in remaining oil. Add vegetable mixture and zucchini; simmer for 4 minutes. in a bowl, beat eggs, salt and pepper; pour over vegetables. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until eggs are nearly set. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 2 minutes or until eggs are set on top. Cut into wedges. Makes 4-6 servings.

**note: There is a variation on this recipe - omit zucchini and add 1/2 cup salsa. I also tossed some grated cheddar cheese on top at the end and it was great. We loved this recipe, so it will be added to my "regulars" recipe folder.

Kendra has hit the nasty "terrible two's" and as a result is spending a LOT of time in "time out". The rule according to "SuperNanny" is that after putting said child into time out for 1 minute per year that they are old, you then must get to the child's level, see eye-to-eye and the child must say they are sorry. She wouldn't do it! This is where we found her, exhausted and asleep on the bathroom floor after 30 minutes of trying to get her to say she was sorry. Never happened. We are doomed.

Tried this one.....loved it!

Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken


This is a wonderfully creamy pasta casserole with a buttery bread crumb topping. I will give recipes for a small family (4 servings in an 8-in square dish) and a large family (6-8 servings in a 9x13 dish). I find this recipe to be very forgiving, meaning that you can adjust the amount of chicken, cheese, and onion according to your taste - or according to what you have available in your kitchen!


To cook the chicken required, I tossed it in my crockpot with a few tablespoons of Italian salad dressing. 3 hours later (on high) it was done - I chopped it up and assembled the casserole.



Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken (small family)
(Andy Knowlton)
serves 4

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cooked and diced**
1/2 lb penne pasta
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 of a medium onion, diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

** To cook my chicken, I tossed it in my crockpot with a few tablespoons of Italian salad dressing. 3 hours later it was done - I chopped it up and assembled the casserole.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook penne for about 5-7 minutes. Don't cook it completely - the pasta will continue to soften as it bakes in the oven. Drain pasta and return pasta to large pot.

To the pasta add: shredded cheese, diced onion, rosemary, salt, pepper, milk & soup. Stir to thoroughly combine. Spray an 8-in square dish, and pour in pasta mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and dry bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. If bread crumbs start to brown, cover with foil.

Recipe Website

WWW.DINNERSONME.BLOGSPOT.COM Here's a blog address to a website that looks pretty amazing. (thanks Nancy!) I have yet to try out any recipes, but she not only shares recipes and pics, but sample menu's for what she feeds her family. Bon appetite!

The following is a plug for my sister in law, Jen. She really does amazing work (this is from a photograph of my mom's parents) and my mom cried when she gave it to her. (suck up!) :) Love you Jen!

Cross-stitched Photographs

The following is a picture of Cameron's grandparents that I cross-stitched for my mother-in-law. I loved doing this project and am interested in taking on many more. If you or anyone you know is interested in having a special photograph turned into something that can be framed and displayed, I would love to do it for you. Email me at jennyhousley@yahoo.com, if you want information on pricing and other details.

"Annie"

We're going to go see this next time we're in St. George...anyone want to join us?

Mom, can I have a "late night"??

When Sydney had been invited to spend the night with her Grandma, Morgan wondered if she could have a "late night". (our solution to no sleepovers with friends) She didn't even want a friend over, just wanted to stay up later than usual. Here's a picture of her not even 5 minutes after we turned a movie on for her.....

I stole (and love!) this recipe from Jana, who stole (and loved!) it from Allrecipes.com. Enjoy!


Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 oz) can chili beans
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese
sour cream
guacamole
crushed tortilla chips


DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.


2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and crushed tortilla chips.

L.O.S.T

Watched it from the beginning...Loved it then, Love it still!
(and I still say Evangeline Lily is THE most beautiful woman on TV)

Tell me how you really feel....

So, I came across this blog and found one of her post's about being "a mormon" and it just hit home. Never met the girl (which is oh so common in the world of blogging) but it was so well written, that I just had to share. I asked the author if she would mind if I linked to this post because what she says is put quite simply, exactly the way I would want to say it, if asked. Tell me what you think!

YES I AM

You're a Mormon? No way!

Uh-oh, you and every other Mormon reading this just thought (or mumbled). Your shiny little Jesus star is tarnished, and no one out there can tell that you're one of His. (And darn it, our good buddy D. just clinked a beer in triumph.)

Most people would feel so ashamed if their declaration that they are LDS (which always has to be clarified with, "LDS means 'Mormon'") was met with skepticism. I feel differently.

It's certainly not that I'm ashamed to be a Mormon; 'cause tell you what, if I were bummed about being a Mormon, I'd drop the scriptures, stop the prayers, boycott Gospel Doctrine, give booze a try (but only a little; Hello! Liquid calories!), and handle every single one of my errands on the Sabbath. I got my agency, yo.

Rather, I'm quite pleased when people don't classify me as Mormon right off the proverbial bat because when they do find out what I am, it changes their perception of Latter Day Saints. In a good way.

"But you're not boring!"

Aha! Mormons aren't (don't have to be) boring. We can laugh. We can joke. We can be freaking awesome. Sweet, eh?

"But you dress so cool." (Why, thank you!)

Nope. We Mormon folk don't have shuffle around clad long sleeves and drab dresses dragging on the floor. Sweet leather boots? Right on. A cap-sleeved sweater? Duh. A sequined skirt? (Which sadly, I do not own.) You betcha! We can be regular [modest] fashion mavens!

"But you don't have any kids!"

Not as yet, mister. Who knows about the future? But I'm pretty darned sure that I'm not going to Hell for being a 26-year-old Mormon chiquita sans offspring. Later.

When my associates (I say that and sound so important, don't I?) out here in the State of Sin discover I'm one 'a them Marmens and are a bit surprised, I'm glad, not shamefaced. The conversation that ensues always leaves my compadre with an altered [positive] perception of LDSers.

See, so very often our many siblings of Planet Earth are turned off by the mere mention of "Mormons" because of the rampant misconceptions. (This is the part where I totally ignore the polygamy debacles.) Folks are under the impression that being Mormon means you're doomed to a boring, restricted life. But when they encounter someone who most certainly doesn't fit the blase image in their narrow little minds, they generally reconsider their earlier ideas of this Peculiar People.

They reconsider and clamp a hand over their mouths,

Ohmygosh! Have I ever said anything offensive around you?

New Years at the cabin

Happy Birthday Mom!

Well, we had a belated birthday celebration for Mom because Cam and Jen were out of town at the Utes game in New Orleans...So, we got together for pizza at mom's and Kim made her a beautiful and delicious Black Forest cake. For those of you that know, Mom had a little schitzu called "Chewy" that recently passed away. She's quite the dog lover and has been looking into getting a new dog, but just worries about having and training a puppy while being away at work 8 hours a day. Well, being the thougtful children that we are, we decided to get her a puppy for her birthday. :) "Happy Birthday, Mom, here's a puppy...good luck with that!" The hardest part was having all 6 of us agree on what to get her, but we finally did and she was SHOCKED to say the least! We ended up getting her a blonde, male cocker spaniel, wrapped him up in a box and she could not believe it! He's pretty cute and she fell in love instantly, but the jury's still out on whether or not she'll keep him. She's trying to weigh the pros and cons and make the right decision for herself and the dog. Cute little bugger, if I do say so myself!

Christmas Day '08

Well, looks like I need to catch up...Christmas was a wonderful time at the Harris home. Christmas Eve we went up to my mom's house and spent the evening with Mom, Claton, Cam and Jen and their kids. It was a nice evening, had yummy fajitas for dinner and opened gifts. Then, Christmas morning the girls actually let us sleep in until 8am and then I had them wait another 20 minutes so that I could get the breakfast casserole into the oven. They were SO patient! I was so proud of them! They didn't get everythng that they asked for, but were really good sports and happy for what they did get. Although this picture might look like it was taken Christmas day after the flurry of the kids opening gifts, it was not. It was after about 5 minutes when I turned my back and Kendra (with her cohort, Karlee) got into the gifts under the Christmas tree. See Kim, this is why I insisted on putting the tree up in the office so that we could have it behind closed doors.


Here is another endearing picture of our 2 year old and her fascination with the pretty lights and shiny ornaments...found her taking one of her less frequent naps one day under the tree. Must've lulled her right to sleep....


So, here are some pictures from the actual Christmas Day...the morning was spent opening presents and having breakfast with my Dad and his wife, Lana. The afternoon was very lowkey, I was even able to take a nap and then we spent the evening with the Harris family. Hope everyones holidays were everything that they had hoped they would be.

This is for Val...

Wanted to show you the finished product of my "wall of pictures" that I finished in our office. You like???
Still waiting to see yours.......

New Year Baby!

Welcome to the world, little one! Layne and Julie Harris had their little boy on New Years Day....the first one in Utah County for 2009! We are so excited and happy for them!


Friday, 02 January 2009
A tale of two babies: County's first 2009 birth wins by minutes
Ace Stryker - Daily Herald


At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, when most Utah County residents were sipping nonalcoholic bubbly or kissing loved ones, strangers Julie Harris and Christy Nielson were in the midst of the same ordeal.

Twenty miles apart, each woman was deep in the throes of childbirth. Their experiences were not identical -- Christy delivered by C-section, while Julie pushed -- but before the clock had struck 1 o'clock, each had introduced a new life to the world. Derek Harris was Utah County's first baby of the year, born at 12:31 a.m. at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.

"We got lucky, because he was two weeks early," Julie said of her 6-pound-12-ounce, 18.5-inch son as she cradled him.

But not too lucky, husband Layne joked -- had Derek been born just an hour earlier, he would have helped his parents earn a child tax credit worth up to $1,000 on this year's returns. Now they'll have to wait until they file their 2009 taxes in 2010.

"At least he's got a story now," he said. "He'll remember that more than our 1,000 bucks."

Julie said labor was easy -- she "pushed like twice" and there was her son. Layne said that may have been the easy part, but the couple had been concerned whether Derek would be on his way at all. They tried for five years before having their first child, Derek's older sister, 2-year-old Mylee. The two kids will share a room in the family's Spanish Fork home when Derek and mom go home tonight.

"We had to paint the pink walls brown to match both of them, Layne said.

The county's second birth came a mere four minutes later, when Jared Nielson was born at 12:35 a.m. at Mountain View Hospital in Payson. Coming in at 20 inches and weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces, mother Christy said he's "healthy and just perfect." She said she, too, had thought about the benefits of having the child earlier, but for a different reason.

"I was ready to be done," she said.

Because of the C-section, Christy will stay at the hospital for a couple days to recover before going home, also to Spanish Fork, to rejoin her husband and two other children, ages 5 and 20 months. In the meantime, Jared is proving to be a snuggler and a "singing baby," she said.

"He lays and hums and sings," she said.

That's a contrast to little Derek, who was "pretty wild inside me," his mom said. But since he's been out, he's been calmer, she said.

"We'll see," Julie said.

Layne said the birth has special significance because Derek carries the middle name of his paternal grandfather, Houston. Houston died in February, just a month or so before Derek was conceived, he said.

"We think he picked him for us," he said.

Both sets of parents say they plan to have more children. How many?

"As many as we need," Christy said.

Derek and Jared weren't the only Utah County births in the first hour of the new year. Shelby, a 3-year-old chocolate labrador belonging to Matt and Christie Gammell of Springville, has eight new puppies to care for. They include four males and four females, born about 12:30 a.m.