Out of the mouths of babes

A couple of Saturdays ago my mom, Hannah, my sister Pollyanna, my niece Kimber, and I went out to Valley View High school for a battle of the marching bands. My neice Kasey and my niece Kira are both part of the Blackfoot marching band. Hannah was so excited to be able to go and watch the bands and to get to spend time with her older cousins. Well, my brother Aaron and his family met us out there to watch also. Aaron brought along his son Tayson and his two daughters Macy and Mischa. Macy, who is 16, brought along her new boyfriend John. Hannah apparently took an immediate liking to John, whom she had never met before. As she was sitting next to Macy and John, she leaned over to Macy and said, very loudly for all to hear, "Macy, your husband is taking my breath away!" She said this with a huge smile on her face. Macy laughed, and John blushed! All in all we had a great unpredictable day with the family. Kasey did awesome with her flags and Kira did great with her flute!

I thought I would add some pics of the family members I spoke about above so here's a picture of my mom holding Elise.

This is a picture of my brother Aaron and his wife Shayna with their kids. Take note that this picture is two years old. The kids have changed quite a bit.

Here's Pollyanna playing with my brother Daniel's daughter Ella. Pollyanna's daughter Kimber is standing next to her.

Here is Kasey holding Elise (with Sam in the background).

And here is Macy, sorry I don't have a picture of her "dreamy" (as I suspect Hannah would say) boyfriend!

Tagged

I haven't done a tagging in a while so I thought that I would do this one. I would like to thank Alison for the "opportunity";o)!

8 Fun Things

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch


1 - LOST
2 - Dancing with the Stars
3 - The Office
4 - The Biggest Loser
5 - So You Think You Can Dance (but only after it gets to the top 20!)
6 - LOST
7 - Pushing Daisies
8 - LOST

8 Favorite Songs (or albums)

1 - Hairspray Soundtrack
2 - My Best Friends Wedding Soundtrack (Hannah's calls it my cleaning music 'cause whenever I listen to it I get the bug to clean, clean, clean!)
3 - Josh Groban songs
4 - Harry Connick Junior (Especially the When Harry Met Sally Soundtrack, He sings all of the songs on it!)
5 - HSM2 Soundtrack (I can speak in code so that those who know what that is will think I have AWESOME taste in music and those who don't won't know the difference!)
6 - The Best Opera Album in the World (Yes that's really what it is called and yes it really is!)
7 - Les Miserables
8 - Collin Raye's Greatest Hits (This reminds me of my college days. Remember Rebecca how we used to listen to this every morning while we were getting ready for class?)

8 Favorite Restaurants

1 - Epi's Basque Resteraunt (This is on Meridian Road in Meridian, ID and the food is oh, so good!)
2 - Cottonwood Grille (This one is in downtown Boise nestled up to the Boise river and it has the BEST calamari I have ever tasted!)
3 - Cheesecake Factory mmm...cheesecake!
4 - Cracker Barrel (I love going out for breakfast and this is where we always go. They have delicious pancakes and their sausage is just awesome! Oh and I love their potato casserole!)
5 - Moon's Cafe (This is a downtown "dive", where the politicians go for lunch, that has the best milkshakes in the Treasure Valley!)
6 - Brick 29 Bistro (Their Meatloaf sandwich is delectable! Comfort food to the max!)
7 - On the Border
8 - Macaroni Grill

8 Things that Happened Yesterday

1 - I made a breakfast for my daughters.
2 - I dropped off books at the library (some of which were overdue...oops!)
3 - I went to Walmart to buy some milk and ended up getting more than just milk!
4 - I did laundry.
5 - I made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner.
6 - I made an almond, apricot chocolate brittle for FHE treat but it wasn't done in time for FHE.
7 - Hannah wasn't feeling well so I cuddled with her and we canceled FHE until she's feeling better.
8 - I put Elise to bed and Sam put Hannah to bed because she wanted some cuddle time with daddy!

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to

1 - Halloween
2 - Twilight coming out (November 21st baby!)
3 - Thanksgiving
4 - Black Friday Shopping
5 - Christmas
6 - Going on another vacation with Sam!
7 - Spending time with my sweet girls (I look forward to this everyday!)
8 - Book Club, and girls nights

8 Things on my Wishlist

1 - That my girls grow up healthy, happy, strong, and with a strong testimony!
2 - pictures on my walls!
3 - A new car, (would anyone care to buy our Maxima?)
4 - being able to spend lots of time with my family, immediate and extended!
5 - Honest Politicians (Hey a gal can dream, right?)
6 - Go to Europe with Sam
7 - That people the world over could be more educated, (read the book "3 Cups of Tea" and you will agree with this one all the more)!
8 - And...for Health and happiness for all of my family and friends!

8 People I Tag

1 - Kristen
2 - Carolyn
3 - Kamber
4 - Celeste
5 - Rebecca
6 - Holly
7 - Heidi
8 - Melissa

New Lost Trailer

This is for all of my fellow Losties! I just found this trailer for the new season. I can't wait for the new season to start, although I'll have too since the new season doesn't start until February! Have fun watching the trailer and let me know what you think is going to happen. I think it looks like it is going to be another unbelievable season! Click HERE to see the trailer.

Free Tacos

Hey fellow readers, I thought you might be interested in this LINK.
Taco Bell is giving away free tacos tomorrow from 2 pm to 6 pm in honor of a stolen base in the World Series. I don't watch baseball but I do eat tacos and I thought you might too. Enjoy!

Halloweens Gone By

Hannah's first Halloween. She was share bear which is appropriate since she couldn't eat any of her candy she "shared" it with us!

Hannah, as Pegasus on her second Halloween with her friend from birth, Kallie.

Hannah snuck some m&m's while we weren't looking. Mmmmm they were tasty!

Here's Hannah as tinkerbell on her third Halloween.


Hannah taught Elise all about how Halloween worked. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Elise slept through almost the entire holiday. She was still pretty warn out from that whole being born experience!

Elise's sweet Aunt Marie brought her this cute little bear costume and it was incredibly soft and cuddly just like her!

Hannah was a chicken last year and Elise was Marie the Kitty. I also decided to get in on the action. I was a pioneer wearing my Jr. Miss talant dress that my mom made for me. It was an easy costume but it was fun to dress up.


Sam went as himself for Halloween last year, a costume he is likely to duplicate!

A cute decorating Blog

A friend of mine has just started a blog with some great decorating ideas. She is having a giveaway as a kick off for her new blog. Go check it out it is definitely worth your time. I have been following her blog for a while now and she has an excellent sense of what looks good and how to make it look good while still staying in your budget! Take a look at her creative gift giving idea here. Good luck with your blog Melissa. I will definitely keep lurking for new great ideas and inspirations for my home, may it someday be decorated half as well as yours!

Mmmmm Bread

This is a great Baking Book that Sam gave me for Christmas. We both have Scandinavian heritage. We wanted to learn more about that Heritage and we thought that food would be a great way to start. And boy has it ever! I absolutely love this recipe book. I think it should be in every baker's cupboard and no I do not receive any royalties if you purchase this book. Below is a picture of one of the kinds of bread that I have made using a fabulous recipe from this book. Here are a couple never fail bread recipes that I have found in this book. The first one is the one pictured below. The second one we always eat so fast that I've never gotten a picture of it!

Norwegian Whole Wheat Bread
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups very warm water
1/4 cup light molasses (I used dark and it tasted fine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted shortening or butter (I use butter)
1/1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups whole wheat or graham flour (I used whole wheat)
3 to 4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
butter to brush hot loaves

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the molasses, sugar, shortening, and salt. Stir in the whole wheat flour. Add bread flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is stiff. Let rest 15 minutes. Sprinkle breadboard with additional flour and turn dough out onto the flour. Knead 10 minutes until dough is smooth and springy. Wash bowl, grease lightly and add dough to the bowl. Turn over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down. Cover and let rise again until doubled. Punch down again and divide dough into 2 parts. Shape each into a round or oblong loaf. lightly grease two round cake pans or two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Place loaves in the pans. Let rise until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place loaves in the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped or a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Brush tops of loaves with melted butter.


Danish Oat Loaf

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup milk, heated to boiling
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1/1/4 cups very warm water
4 to 5 cups bread flour or all purpose flour.

Glaze and Topping
1 slightly beaten egg
2 tablespoons milk
rolled oats

in a small bowl, combine the rolled oats with the milk. Stir to mix. Add the butter, brown sugar, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand 5 minutes. When oat mixture is just warm to the touch, stir into the yeast mixture. Blend in 1 cup of the flour and mix until blended. Add the remaining flour a little at a time, beating to keep mixture smooth. When mixture is stiff, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes. Sprinkle board with flour, turn dough out onto floured board, and knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Divide into 2 parts, shape into round loaves, and place in 2 greased 9 inch round pans. Let rise again until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush with egg mixed with milk and sprinkle with rolled oats. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.

The second recipe, the oat loaf, I have made quite a few times. My latest attempt was when I had my mom, my Aunt, and my cousin Lisa over for dinner. I served the oat loaf with some homemade stew and the meal was a hit! Lisa asked me to give her the recipe so Lisa, this posts for you!

Here's one more tip that I've have learned through trial and error. I don't like to spend all day making bread. I usually make my bread in the afternoon so that we can have some nice warm bread with dinner. The trick to making it fast is that I preheat my oven to the lowest setting, which is 170 degrees and then I shut it off. I then pop my bread into the warm oven to rise and it works like a charm. I'm an impatient person so I'm all about speed. This is also a great way to raise frozen Rhodes rolls quickly. Happy Autumn, Happy Baking!

Art in the Park

A few weeks ago Hannah and I decided to go to a great festival that they have here in Boise. It is called Art in the Park. Year in and Year out it is named the best Festival in the Treasure Valley and now that I have been I can see why. It is at Julia Davis Park which is right on the green belt. It is nestled up to the Boise river and right across the river from Boise State University. The Idaho Art Museum, the Idaho History Museum, and the Boise Zoo are also located at this park. It is a great place to have a festival. When Hannah and I arrived, we decided to park at B.S.U. campus. I took Hannah across campus and told her that this was where I went to college. Hannah was completely fascinated. She said that when she got older I could drop her off here so that she could go to college like me! We then proceeded to walk across a footbridge that carried us right over the beautiful Boise river. Hannah was a little nervous about the footbridge but she said that as long as I held her hand then she knew that she would be safe. I love that she has that wonderful trust ingrained in her. When we got to the park I realized just how big this festival is. There were hundreds of Booths. Their were all different kinds of artists selling their wares. If Hannah saw something that she was interested in she would go right up to the artists and ask them how they made it. The artists were very kind in explaining various processes to her including but not limited too how a kiln works and how to press leaves under glass. Hannah was fascinated by the many different kinds of art that they had there. Along with the art booths there were also some fabulous food booths. Hannah and I went a little crazy at the food booths :O)! We had Nachos, cotton candy, candied almonds, and a snow cone! The highlight of our little adventure was most definitely the Children's Art Tent. This was a huge white tent set up with all kinds of art projects for kids to do. Hannah was in art project heaven! She has really been into art all summer. She loves all different kinds of projects from clay, to coloring, to painting. Well, at this tent they even had easels set up for the kids to create their own painting. Hannah painted her little heart out. I loved being able to spend the time with just Hannah. It felt like we had all the time in the world and we could do whatever we wanted. We even saw a one-man-band and a man on a tall unicycle playing the fiddle. We had a great time together. On the walk back to the park Hannah kept picking up cute little nature treasures to take home to show daddy. She got some acorns from B.S.U. campus along with a few "beautiful" leaves and some sticks and flower petals. All in all I would say the day was a success. If ever you are in Boise the weekend after Labor day I highly recommend Art in the Park. It is a great place for kids and grown ups alike!

Hannah in her art smock.




Hannah's Masterpiece!

Just me and my Hannah!

Hannah in front of someone else's metal art. My brother Jared can do similar stuff.

Getting your face painted is a very serious business!


Is it Super girl??

Yep it's a one-man-band, folks! He was as eccentric as they come and also very talanted. He made the band himself.