My Thoughts on 30

Once upon a time I had this ambitious idea. I knew I was struggling with the thought of turning 30. It not only sounds old to say I am out of my 20's, but some days I feel like I have nothing to show for it {i.e. no kids, no home, no career}. I figured if I thought of 30 things that I wanted to do and accomplish before I turned 30, then I'd be all right with my inevitable birthday. So I started with an enthusiastic banner for myself! 30 before 30 was my catchphrase!

Then the obvious happened. I was super excited, but the list became more of a chore than something I wanted to accomplish. Then I felt guilty, then I wanted to give up. I laid awake one night {annoyed at myself} when all of a sudden I had an "ah ha" moment! Why in the world do I have to do it before my 30th birthday?! I am going about this list like I am about to die. Instead I decided to CELEBRATE my 30th year by doing 30 things while I am 30 to prove to myself that 30 can be great. So I jumped out of bed at 2:27 am and fixed my inspirational banner to reflect my new catchphrase. 30 while 30!

I am happy to report that this does make me look forward to being 30! I know all you nosey people want to know what's on my list...but I won't be sharing it until my birthday because in an odd way, it is a gift to myself! So stay tuned because October 1st the list will be up! I will use my blog to journal items as they happen so you can see them get crossed off {plus it makes me accountable}!

Scrumptious Sundays

Cabbage Stew

2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small onion, diced

1 cup carrots, peeled and diced

3 beef bullion cubes

Cover with water and boil until vegetables are tender.

Add:

1 pkg smoked sausage link, sliced

1 head of cabbage, chopped

Continue to simmer until cabbage leaves soft.

*Serve with warm cornbread.

Friday Favorites

Painterly Paint Pots

by MAC

This stuff is rad! It creates a perfect base on your eyelid before applying eyeshadow.

Price:

$18 {but it lasts forever}

Where Can You Buy It:

Dillards, Macys maccosmetics.com

I'm Gettin' Sneaky!

I ran into the library today to get a book I had on hold and return a movie. I decided to quickly browse through the cookbook section in my efforts to eat better. I saw an intriguing book that I figured I understood the concept of, so I grabbed it. When I got home I started looking through the book and an hour later I am in LOVE! It was exactly what I thought it was about...and so much more!

I am totally trying these awesome recipes because making anything healthier, whether I am being "sneaky" or not, is better than what I'm {not} doing right now!

Scrumptious Sundays

Pretzel Hugs

1 bag square pretzels

1 bag Hershey Hugs

1 bag plain M&M's

Spread (unbroken) pretzels out onto a cookie sheet (do NOT line with foil). Unwrap Hugs and place one on top of each pretzel. Bake at 200 degrees for 8-10 minutes (or until Hugs are melted). Quickly place 2 M&M's on each Hug. Stick the pan into your freezer for about 30 minutes to harden. Keep refrigerated.

This was photographed in February, hence the Valentine colors. My favorite is at Christmas time when Hershey's has their peppermint kisses! They are so yummy, and topped with red and green M&M's it looks so festive. P.S. I've tried the mini M&M's and I think I like the regular ones better.

Friday Favorites

Spray Wax

by Lanza

This stuff rocks hard core because it adds texture to my hair and it smells super yummy too!

Price:

$15 - $20

Where Can You Buy It:

Amazon

Keepin' It Real

I'm not going to lie...today was a hard day.

I don't talk about my miscarriage from 2005 {like ever} on my blog {although I have opened up to people in conversation}. Take this with a grain of salt because really, it's just a {5 minute} pity party I'm throwing myself.

If I had have carried that baby to full term, that child would have started kindergarten today. It's bitter sweet of course. I had quite a few friends who had children around the time I was supposed to be due {June 10th}. It's fun to see their milestones and today was no exception with all the cute "first day of school" pictures.

I ended up going to lunch and shopping with my mom this afternoon because I just needed to be off the internet {you know Facebook and Blogger}. I am okay, really. No tears, I promise!

Someday I may have the courage to share my {short but sweet} story. For now, thanks for letting me throw my pity party.

Friday Favorites

Purity {Made Simple}

by Philosophy

I am in LOVE with this facial cleanser! It makes my skin feel soft and completely moisturized.

Price:

$20

Where Can You Buy It:

Ulta, Sephora, Amazon

Scrumptious Sundays

Fajitas

This meal originated because I was out of my usual Costco/Sams Club uncooked tortillas. We loved it so much, that now it is how we serve our fajitas!

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 green bell pepper, julienned

1/2 onion, sliced

2 tbls oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 bag fajita meet (see picture below)

1 can Original Rotel

angel hair pasta

Cook pasta according to directions. Saute bell peppers and onions in oil. Add meat for the last 5 minutes. Add Rotel. Drain water from pasta and add to fajitas. Mix well.

This meat can be found at your local grocery store but you get more bang for your buck at Costco/Sams Club.

Ruffled Clutch

I snagged this fabric a while back because it totally reminded me of my cousin Dakin and how much I miss her (she lives in England now). I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it. I followed THIS cool tutorial that I've been dying to try and although my first attempt isn't perfect (sorry Dakin), I am glad I made it!

(The inside has a divider and 2 card holders)

Spreading Hope

I've mentioned a few times how I LOVE getting involved with Craft Hope! Well for family night (FHE) a few weeks ago, I used one of their projects to teach a lesson about charity. We sang "Love One Another" and read the definition of charity in the bible dictionary. Then we found Russia on the map and we played a numbers guessing game about the statistics Craft Hope had on their website. Then we made these bracelets for the orphans. It was a simple activity, but a fun way to make a small difference.

Coolin' Off

50 Miles

My hubby and the girls went with the scouts on a {crazy} 50 mile hike! Here are a few pictures from the week, including ones from the terrible fire that forced them to come home a day early {but don't worry, they still got their miles in}.

Kindle Sleeve

Last time I was at my friend Molly's house, I noticed that she didn't have anything to protect her Kindle. Naturally I just HAD to whip her up this fun sleeve for her birthday! I made sure to use minkee fabric on the inside to protect the Kindle, but I was super excited when I found this fun fabric line for the outside! I didn't really know what I was doing, but she liked it haha! Happy Birthday Molly!

164 More Days...

The Bapron

A few weeks ago my sister in law asked me to make a bib for my nephew, who is an adorable, but messy eater! Ironically, THIS post came out about that time and I finally got around to making her two (because lets face it, these are adorable). I followed THIS tutorial for making my own bias tape and I was pleased with how quick these came together! Wouldn't these make such a fun baby shower gift?!

Couponing

Once upon a time I was an instructor for Coupon$ense. It was pretty cool to get all those crazy deals and I LOVED my stock pile (and so did many of our friends and the missionaries). I fizzled out when we moved to Colorado. Well, one night me and my hubby watched the new TLC show Extreme Couponing, and a seed was planted again. He teased that he would get all the coupons if I would do all the shopping. To my surprise, he came home from a 2 hour walk the other night, with all the neighbors coupons! I guess it was his subtle way of saying let's get started!

So, today I ran into Target real quick and saw an end cap with clearance twin packs of Old Spice body wash for $3.40. Well I just so happened to have a Target coupon for $1.00 off Old Spice body wash, and since Target is cool and will accept a manufacturers coupon on top of one of theirs, I used a buy 1 body wash get 1 free. That's right...4 body washes for $2.40...or 60 cents a piece! I grabbed 2 more to stock up. Then I found 2 clearance deodorants (which had a free body spray included) for $3.40 a piece, which I used $1.00 off Target coupon and a $1.00 off manufacturers coupon (I had to buy 2 Old Spice items to fulfill the coupon). That's $4.80. My grand total today was $9.60. That's pretty good considering I got 8 body washes, 2 deodorants, and 2 body sprays!

Scrumptious Sundays

Creamy Cheese Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 green onions, finely chopped
Dash of cayenne pepper
12 Ritz crackers, crushed
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, green onions and cayenne pepper. Transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish. Top mixture with cracker crumbs and bacon and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately with Ritz crackers or baguette bread.

Scrumptious Sundays

Gouda Burger

This was one of those throw it together type meals and it has become a favorite!

1 lb hamburger

1 lb bacon, cooked & crumbled (Bacon Made Easy)

1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded

1 egg

1 tsp montreal steak seasoning

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly (gloves are worth it). Form into 4 - 5 large (not thick) patties (remember they shrink). Grill.

Bacon Made Easy

Thank you to my dear friend Amy, who showed me the light when it comes to making bacon! I absolutely HATE the pop, sizzle, and mess that comes with making bacon. Wanna know a secret?! Bake it! You can still keep the grease too (for other recipes)! This is so easy friends! Preheat your oven to 400°, line a cookie sheet with foil, put a wire rack on top of the foil, place desired amount of bacon on rack (it can overlap), cook for 15 minutes, turn, then cook for another 10-15 minutes. Easy! Try it with tomorrows Scrumptious Sunday!

Scrumptious Sundays

Banana Bread

I'm not gonna lie, I think I have the best banana bread recipe ever! That is until about 3:54 pm on 4-26-11.

So I "blog stalk" a lot of websites. One of them being THIS fabulous .com! Well, she did THIS post about her banana bread recipe and I had some buttermilk that was about to be thrown out (and I was kinda inspired by her amazing oven). So, I decided I could just give her recipe a try...why not, right?! Umm...HELLO perfection! You guys don't know what you're missing! You need to get in your car, drive quickly (but safely) to the grocery store, and purchase the items to make this recipe. You won't regret it! I may have tweaked the recipe a little bit, but I needed a chocolate fix so I added 1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I also didn't have any of the tiny bread pans, so I used my regular bread pans to make 3 loafs and I cooked them for 35 minutes. What are you waiting for?! Hurry and click over to her blog and print off her cute recipe card!

ATTENTION!!!

Hey you!

Yeah you!

Do you take pictures with your cell phone?

Please watch THIS quick video.

You won't regret it.

It might just keep you safe!

Not The Best Helper

Sometimes it's hard to get work done around the house because Liberty isn't a fan of the vacuum...

Imagine My Surprise...

I had a coupon for these new Wheat Thin Sticks. Imagine my surprise when they were on sale and I purchased this box for a whoppin $.28! Now imagine my surprise when I tasted them, then realized something didn't taste quite right. I read over the ingredients and realized the "kick" at the end is jalapeno juice! So I read the front of the box again and the flavor is "Cinnamon Kick" not Cinnamon Stick! They are good still, but even better dipped in cream cheese!

Monster

I found a fun way to use my fabric scraps! A while back I saw someone post a monster baby toy that combined the idea of a ribbon rag and plush toy. I loved it and stole the idea for a baby boy gift. The mouth was super hard to do but I ended up doing a crazy stitch and zig zag stitch all the while telling myself that it made it look like a crazy monster mouth. The perfectionist in me had to just let go and say yeah, it kinda looks monsterish! For a made up pattern it eventually came out ok.

Easter Brunch

Saturday was our traditional Easter brunch at Grandma & Grandpa Harmon's house! It is the only time we are allowed to have ice cream on our waffles (what happens at Grandmas stays at Grandmas)! We had a huge spread of food (as always)!

Brunch was followed by the Easter egg hunt. I didn't get any pictures of Phil and I, but I followed my nephews around to take pictures for my brother and sister-in-law.

All the great grandkids had a blast searching for eggs in the backyard. In years past the grandkids knew that if we held out long enough, then Grandpa and Grandma would start offering money for the harder to find eggs. This year they surprised us by saying that the front yard was just for us...and they sure didn't disappoint. We were vicious trying to find those $20 eggs! It was so fun!

The Easter Bunny is always so creative! This year each child had to follow the color of string that was attached to their name. Eventually it led to their basket!

This video isn't the greatest quality, but it is hilarious nonetheless! This is my nephew Jaron who recently learned what "astonished" means from the scriptures!

Happy Easter!!!

Scrumptious Sundays

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg Oreos

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1 brick Bakers chocolate

Blend Oreos to a fine powder. In a mixer combine Oreo crumbs and cream cheese. Mix thoroughly. Form each truffle with a 1 inch cookie scoop. Place on a wax lined cookie sheet. Melt Bakers chocolate and dip each truffle. Add sprinkles if desired. Place in fridge or freezer to harden. Store in fridge.

Shelby vs Liberty

We had it so easy with Shelby! The few times she ever did something naughty we said no and she never did it again. Liberty, on the other hand, is a repeat offender and we've resorted to a little time out area for 1 minute, then we show her what is a "no no" again and tell her so firmly. Today she did something naughty and I stood there with my hands on my hips without saying a word and she put her head down and slowly walked to time out. I tried so hard not to laugh! When her minute was up I said "ok" and she went right over to what she knew she had done and sat and waited for me to talk to her. I think it's time to figure out a new discipline technique!

We LOVE Miss Liberty, don't get me wrong! She is super smart! We put a bell on the door for her to ring so we could know when she needed to go out to go potty and she just figured it out! Shelby on the other hand will sit quietly by the door for 30 minutes then finally ring the bell. The girls are night and day different, that's all. Shelby is very passive and listens incredibly well. Liberty rules the roost and has selective hearing. We love their unique personalities though and wouldn't have it any other way!

Scrumptious Sundays

Avocado Smoothie

Before you freak out on me and leave this page, just hear me out. The name of this recipe is enough to make me click the 'close window' button too. While we were in Vegas last weekend we stayed with Phil's sister Julie and she shared this awesome concoction that I have been dying to share with you.

I HATE FRUIT and therefore I HATE SMOOTHIES! That is until I gave this recipe a try. Guess what...I liked it......like a lot! I rushed home and made myself a batch. In fact this recipe makes about 3 days worth of smoothies for me (which I just keep in quart size jars in the fridge). The cool thing is you can't taste the avocado, but you are getting the healthy fat. I like to throw in a packet of Green On The Go with it too (but be warned it changes the flavor a little). It took me a few times to get used to the consistency (again I hate smoothies), but yeah for a healthy start to the day!

3 apples

1 avocado

1/2 can frozen juice concentrate

1/2 cup raw almonds

1 cup water

Blend for 1-2 minutes. Serve chilled. Store leftovers in fridge.

What Happens In Vegas...

...doesn't always stay in Vegas because I'm about to share with you what we've been up to lately. So, Phil applied to UNLV and got an interview (yeah), and ironically a job we stumbled upon (which was totally written for us) wanted to interview us that same weekend. Off we went in my aunts cute little car (thanks Sherlene)! We were laughing and I was quizzing him on what questions the school interviewers might ask when we both realized that the last sign to Vegas said 70ish miles and we were coming to an odd state check point. Long story short, we missed our little turn off and we made a slight detour through California, but we still got to Vegas about an hour or so later than planned. No biggie, but we laughed forever about it. Because we weren't paying attention, we put a few extra miles on my aunts car than planned and we helped her immaculate 2004 hit 20,000 miles! Ya, you read that right! Here's the proof (and sadly the only picture from the entire weekend)!

His interview went well, but we found out he was wait listed. Our job interview went awesome and it was pretty much what we had expected, but it wasn't until the drive home that we both had to have some pretty serious conversations about it. The job is a once in a life time opportunity, but it would mean pushing his schooling back for a minimum of a year, and sadly, we would need to find a home for Liberty. We did as they told us making lists of priorities and pros and cons. Well, as luck would have it, we were offered the position, which is what we decided was best for our family right now, and if all our background checks pass, we will be moving to Vegas around the middle of May! When we know more, we will share more about our plans and the job. Thanks for everyones sweet comments and support!

UPDATE: Vegas is a no go...but it is for the best!