Books Read in July 2010

27. Jaws by Peter Benchley 7/2/10


28. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon 7/7/10


29. Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold 7/16/10


30. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 7/28/10

Yard Sale!

What better way to pass the summer days (and get ready to move) than a huge yard sale? It was a lot of work but fun.

We especially enjoyed David's stunt with the kitties:)

Princess Fashion

As I was browsing around I found these awesome articles on Disney princess inspired outfits. The outfits would need a little bit of tweaking, but isn't this the cutest ever?

From this...

...to this!

(so cute!)

Check out all the articles here:

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

Little Mermaid

Toy Story 3

We went and saw this on a date. It was very good, quite funny, and surprisingly poignant and intense. Good ol' Pixar does it again.

Books Read in June 2010

25. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 6/3/10



26. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith 6/8/10

How To Train Your Dragon

We saw this with Maddie when she was in town. Even though we arrived late and had to sit in the very first row (argh) we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so good! Thanks Maddie for coming to hang out with us!

A Dream Come True!

When I saw this on Kelly's blog I thought this was something straight out of Willy Wonka. This great chocolatier is opening up in our very own Orem, UT. Amano Artisan Chocolate has won several national and international awards for their chocolate and I am so excited to go and check it out (Kelly, we will have to make a trip out of it).

However, the most exciting part is that with their opening, they are giving a chance for someone to win a year's supply of chocolate! That is 10 chocolate bars a month! All you have to do is go to their place and guess from which country their beans come from. Check it out here:

Amano's "Guess the Origin Contest"

Books Read in May 2010

22. The 5 Love Languages of Children by

Gary Chapman, Ph.D & Ross Campbell, M.D.

23. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan 5/28/2010


24. The Lady of Palenque by Anna Kirwan 5/31/2010

Scandinavian Festival

We enjoyed going down to Manti for the Scandinavian Festival. I enjoyed seeing cousin Sarah at her booth, selling the most awesome crocheted viking hats! We also got some delicious food and met a real viking! Then we walked around the temple and saw the sites.

(Lamoni, David, Gabo, Moises)

200th Post!

Bring out the cake and party hats! It is my 200th blog post...well, more or less. It has only taken me 3 years to do it but 200 posts should get some sort of commemoration. To highlight the event I have gone through all the previous posts and chosen some of my favorites throughout the years.

• 2007
  
• Aug 24, 2007 "The Beach"
• 2008
  
• July 5, 2008 "Independence Day"
• July 17, 2008 "Funny Faces"
  
• July 27, 2008 "Pioneer Day Weekend"
• 2009
• February 23, 2009 "A Very Moo-ey Road Trip"
  
• November 3, 2009 "Some Old Pictures From May 2009"
• November 12, 2009 "Hee-Haws"
• November 12, 2009 "Sailing with Uncle Dave!"
• December 11, 2009 "Sydney's Birthday"
• 2010
• April 2, 2010 "Home For Easter"
  
• March 28, 2010 "Holi Festival of Colors"
• January 14, 2010 "A Much Belated Christmas Letter"
  

In conclusion I have decided that I need to take a lot more pictures. I have also noticed that I have turned someone boring and cynical these last few years. Time to make a turn around and get this blog kicked into gear!

Photoshoot with Jesús Rosas

Jesús Rosas is a friend I met while living in the Spanish house. He is from Mexico, received a degree at BYU in Middle Eastern Studies (or Arabic, I can't remember), speaks excellent English and Arabic, and spent a lot of time in the Middle East. He is also a great photographer. Please check out his photography here. I love to look at his photos and I think he has a natural talent and good eye for photography. That is why I agreed when he asked me to help him out with a project. He needed to take pictures of students reading and studying and he gave me all of the pictures as payment. So, on May 3rd we headed over to the Hinkley Alumni Center and started clicking. I haven't had a real photoshoot in years and he did a great job of making it fun and relaxing. Thanks, Jesús!

The Great Mexican Adventure

Food eaten:

• Flautas - a huge tortilla rolled and filled with shredded meat, crema (Mexican sour cream), lettuce and other stuff I don't even remember. It was seriously one of the best things ever.
• Grilled Elote - grilled corn on the cob smothered in mayonnaise, crumbled cheese, and chili powder. It was pretty tasty. (Lindy eating elote)

• Eskimo - possibly the best drink ever. It was milk blended with crushed ice and whatever flavor you wanted. The special way they blended it made it super creamy and delicious. They had mango, chocolate, papaya, strawberry, other fruits, vanilla, tres leches, and others. We got the tres leches and Lamoni got strawberry. (Lindy drinking eskimo)

• Gorditas - these were hand-made corn tortillas with chicharron (pork skin) in the masa then fried in oil, opened up like a pita, then stuffed with onion, cilantro and a special salsa. It was so messy but I think I ate like 5.

(A deliciously messy, half-eaten gordita)

• Torta de milanesa, DF style - A torta is a sandwich. We know that right? And milanesa is a thin fried steak. However, this torta was special; it was seriously as big as my head. So this guy sets down the bottom of a regular sized sandwich bun, then piles on milanesa until it's about a foot high (no joke), then puts the top on. It was delicious but I couldn't finish the whole thing. Luckily, Lamoni was there to eat the rest. PS - the DF is Mexico City.
  
• Cemitas - a sandwich with pork, lettuce, chiles, avocado, tomato, and some kind of sauce. Delicious.

(Lindy, Angelica, Don Celerino, & myself enjoying our "Mexican hamburgers")

• Cecina - this was a type of thinly sliced beef that was grilled with a special sauce and served on blue corn tortillas and with a mixture of onion, cilantro, and nopal. They were one of my favorite foods this trip!

(sister-in-law Lulu, Angelica, Lindy, me, & Lamoni eating cecina. Brother Luis was taking the picture)

• Pipian - a type of mole that is made with pumpkin or squash seeds. We ate this in a market and it was one of my favorite dishes. We talked to the woman who made it. She was an older woman from a small town that still speaks Nahuatl as a first language.
  
• Mole Poblano - one of the most famous dishes in the state of Puebla. I LOVE mole. It was so delicious. I tried 3 different kinds of mole poblano and I loved them all. After all...they do have chocolate in them.
  
• Mole Verde - This dish was made by a mother-in-law of the family and it was very good and very spicy. Lindy was there to help make it and she said it was simple to make. The main ingredients were chile verde, a kind of large bean called aba, and chicken. It was tasty but I would rather have dark rich mole poblano.
  
• Tortas de Camaron - Lindy and I were taught how to make this by a mother-in-law of the family. They were shrimp cakes and boiled nopal (cactus) in a dark chile/mole sauce served with Mexican-style white rice. It was pretty good and I took notes so I will definitely be making that rice and the sauce again. I don't think we have all the ingredients for the shrimp cakes.
  
• Tamales - I had 2 different types of tamales and I am kicking myself for not eating more. The first ones we had were bought in Veracruz. We were swimming in the Rio Bobos and a little girl came with a bucket full of chicken tamales and we each ate two. These tamales were unique because they were wrapped in what looked like banana leaves instead of corn husks. And they were delicious. The second tamale I ate was a mole tamale on a torta. Basically it was an unwrapped tamale with mole poblano in the center and placed on a sandwich bun. It was so tasty but I think next time I just stick with the tamale and get maybe two or three:)
• Chapulines - to be honest I only tried one of these. Here is a picture and you might get an idea as to why.
  
• Aguas - water was a scarcity so when someone asks if you if you would like agua, what they really mean is agua de something. What we call juice, they call agua. And jugo (juice) is just a more concentrated version of the agua. I tried agua de mango, melon (cantaloupe), and watermelon. They were all very delicious and the most common was mango.
  
• Tacos Arabes - This a special dish only found in the small area around the Limon ranch. It is some kind of meat, either lamb or pork, that is roasted on a spit and served on a flour "tortilla." I tried to explain to the Mexicans that it was more like a pita than a tortilla but they would hear none of it. But this dish was obviously influenced by Middle Eastern cuisine.
  

Mexico City!

I may or may not be posting for a few weeks, but that should not be out of the norm for a blog-slacker like me. This is because by this time tomorrow I will be landing in the Juarez International Airport of Mexico City! I have been pining for a Mexico trip for a few years now and it is finally happening. Look forward to lots of pictures in a few weeks!

Books Read in April 2010

13. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien 4/1/10

14. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis 4/4/10



15. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 4/6/10


16. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis 4/8/10


17. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson 4/13/10


18. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis 4/15/10



19. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 4/22/10



20. Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis 4/26/10


21. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis 4/29/10

April Cookery

Sorry about the lack of pictures. I've been taking pictures of the food but I lost my camera cord. Next time I suppose.

April 9 - Made crepes with Abby. Strawberries have been on sale like crazy so we cut some up for the crepes. We also had other delectable toppings such as whip cream, coconut, micro-grated chocolate, honey, and powdered sugar. I could probably eat crepes all the time.

April 12 - I made strawberry-spinach salad with homemade poppyseed dressing (without the poppyseeds...does that count?). I also made a pitcher of homemade gingerade! I got this idea from Manda because she was talking about how Allyson's friend Becky's mom used to make it. I thought it sounded worth a try to I made some. And let me tell you - it is pretty good. At least I like it. But I had Lamoni try some and he said it would kill a small animal. It does kind have quite a kick to it. What do you all think? Does ginger taste good, or does it just make things taste like cleaner?

April 18 - I made black beans for the first time. I had the realization that with my food budget, meat is often a rarity. So I tried to think of some cheaper protein alternatives. Beans were the first to come to mind, since they are cheap, store well, and I love 'em. With Lamoni's help I learned that it is a relatively easy, if not long, process that I will definitely be doing again. I also made some rice and tortillas to go with them.

April 19 - Made Chili Potato Fries. Quick, easy, and delicious. There was also a jalapeño dip that went with them but I didn't have all the ingredients for that.

April 22 - I made Brazilian black bean soup. It was really good! I got the recipe from this site. Everyone should check it out. I'm hooked. Thank you April Kim for introducing me to the site:)

April 23 - Made turkey burgers and sweet potato fries. They turned out alright.

April 26 & 28 - I made an abundant supply of gnocchi and froze them in individual serving bags in the freezer. Gnocchi forever. Now, I must experiment with more. I think I'm going to make some spinach gnocchi and see how it turns out.

Quality Conversation

These are some old videos from last spring sometime. I was watching Tyler and Aubrey and doing something in the kitchen when Tyler ran in from outside to tell me a story. As soon as he started, I knew I needed to film it because his facial expression were hilarious! He reminds me so much of Brian in these videos.

The premise was that he was a hunter that had a pet T-Rex. This T-Rex helped him with his hunting but the problem was that she (she was a mother T-Rex) was sick and all her babies were sick too. He needed medicine for them but didn't know how to get it. Here is what happened (please excuse my obnoxious voice):

1o minutes later he ran in to tell me this....

The Great Easter Egg Hunt

In between sessions of conference we enjoyed a picnic at the park and an Easter egg hunt. All the children 14 and under participated.

Cousin Maddie playing on the slide.

Sydney and Aubrey are good friends.

A silly picture before the hunt.

Sydney found a surprise with the eggs.

Aubrey was excited to hunt for some goodies.

Home For Easter!

Last night I arrived at home for a long Easter/Conference weekend. It has been quite an eventful day with lots of family. Here are some of the day's activities:

Tyler and I enjoyed a quick game of Twister.

Maddie, Tyler, and I also played a game of Mexican train dominoes. Tyler won.

Then we went to Brian and Susan's to see their newly painted/decorated house and the new dog, Skippity Pete.

And the devil chicken in their backyard.

We enjoyed making a temporary wig for Aubrey with Maddie's hair.

We dyed Easter eggs.

Then Allyson told us the story of Easter with help from the kids.

Aubrey and I took some silly pictures.


We went on a walk before it got dark.

Then we played with the dress-up clothes. Sydney was a princess (as usual) and she was asleep. Tyler was going in to kiss her so she could wake up.

The Southern Belle...sort of.

The cutest cupid ever.

Day one of Easter vacation has been great. Now time for a nap....

March Cookery

3/5 - Made some delicious Mexican style rice with Lamoni's help.

3/7 - Tried a very simple and tasty chicken recipe. Cover the chicken with zesty Italian salad dressing and bake in the oven.

3/12 - To celebrate Aunt Joy's birthday we had a chocolate party (she is the chocolate queen, after all). I decided to make chocolate fruit cups but "painting" cupcake wrappers with melted chocolate, refrigerating, then peeling away the wrapper to reveal, a beautiful chocolate cup! I filled some with pistachio pudding and the rest with cut fruit. For a garnish I made chocolate leaves. Can you tell that I love working with chocolate?

3/14 - made egg tacos for breakfast. A simple yet classic breakfast.

3/15 - Made disgusting soda bread. It was only disgusting because I had a moment of insanity where I wrote down the wrong measurements for 3 key ingredients: salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Let me tell you - salty soda bread w/ too much soda is not so good. The funny thing is that Manda, Sarah, and I were just discussing how we are not very good bakers because we do not follow measurements exactly. In my case, it may just be incompetence. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the 1 1/2 loaves that are left. I am a disgrace to the Irish....oh well, I'll make some more in time for St. Patty's Day!

3/16 - Don't worry. I made two good loaves of soda bread.

3/17 - I went to Abby's and we had a nice St. Patrick's Day meal: soda bread, potatoes, and corned beef. This was pretty much the first time I had corn beef. It was better than I expected. I also brought cabbage but I was warned NOT to leave the cabbage at their house otherwise we may have had problems....

3/21 - Manda called me in the morning and said she was in a predicament. They were going to have fajitas for dinner but she realized they had no tortillas. So, since she knew I love to make tortillas I brought my supplies over to her house and we had a tortillas fest and ate some super good fajitas. I think Isabel & Asher had a good time rolling out the masa for the tortillas too:)

3/26 - I tried to make Marc Anderson's amazing chocolate chip cookies. Apparently there is some type of curse on this recipe because Marc is the only person that can make them as well as he can. Mine were good but I realized that I accidentally substituted baking powder for baking soda (a seemingly favorite mishap of mine). They tasted good but had a different texture. Oh well. Next time.

TAG...I'M IT

I was looking over old posts on my blog and I came across this beauty from August 2007. I think I've changed a bit since then so here is the updated list (see the old one here). If you read this I encourage you to do your own on your blog. It's a lot of fun if you have a few minutes to spare and we can learn a little more about you. Enjoy:)


Jobs I've held:
1. personal assistant for Jetco Co. (haha)
2. Great Harvest Bakery
3. secretary at SNWS
4. shirt press & frond desk at BYU Laundry
5. receptionist at Novus Call Centers in Orem, UT

Movies I can watch again and again:
1. The Prestige
2. Dan in Real Life
3. Kung Fu Panda
4. Master and Commander

Guilty Pleasures:
1. watching shows about paranormal subjects, such as Ghost Hunters, Monster Quest, & Destination Truth
2. chocolate - I have a gallon bag filled with various types of chocolates
3. going out to eat at expensive restaurants

Places I've lived:
1. Utah
2. Nevada
3. Disneyland?

Shows I enjoy:
1. Ugly Betty
2. Myth Busters
3. Destination Truth
4. Community
5. Modern Family

What were likely the first things you thought when you saw your significant other (or best friend) for the first time?
I met my best friends when I was quite young and if you count the guy I'm currently dating, the first thing I thought when I met him was, "This guy is super friendly. And kind of old. Why is he talking to me?"

Places I've been on vacation:
1. Seoul, South Korea
2. Greece & Turkey
3. Washington DC
4. Florida & The Bahamas
5. Baja California

Favorite foods:
1. artichokes
2. Thai curry, or Sam's curry
3. Caprese

Websites I visit daily:
1. gmail.com
2. Hulu.com
3. blogs
4. Your Shot - National Geographic

Body parts I have injured:
1. nothing really. I sprained an ankle once.
2. various cuts and bruises

Nicknames I've had:
1. Bumsty
2. Sweet Potato
3. Amparo
4. Spelunker
5. Amos

Your turn. I tag:
1. everyone that reads this.

Who tagged me:
1. Allyson...long ago back in 2007