Happy Birthday Tara, finally!

Well, I finally finished Tara's bike last week. Here are pics of the bike in its original condition, just scroll down the page. This became a much bigger project than i had originally anticipated, but i wanted to make it just the way she wanted it. I would have finished at least a month ago if i didn't mess up the first time i painted the fenders and chain guard. Tara has taken it on her first little voyage and then it snowed (pics coming soon). The bike was a lot of fun to build. It was a definite learning experience but i love to tinker. I'm already trying to plan my next build, but Tara says i need to wait a while.

The Bike turned out really well. We really like the color.

The fenders look good with the white stripe down the middle.

The 'Western Flyer' decal also turned out nice. All the little lines around it were a nightmare.

I recovered the saddle. I ripped the old cover off and got leather from some nice friends of ours from church that own a leather shop. It actually turned out way better that i expected!

Bean and Bacon Soup

Surprise! ANOTHER Food For Thought Friday! Well, I don't have the picture on the computer so I was going to wait and do this one until I did get the picture, but I decided that I will never do it if I wait, so the picture will have to come later.

My favorite soup from the can is Bean and Bacon soup. I LOVE it, and this recipe is very similar, but much better than the canned version.

This is an altered recipe of Paula Deen's. I think it works great for the season- I used leftover ham from Thanksgiving to make it, and a Christmas ham would work great for this too.

3/4 C dry navy beans

3/4 C dry red beans

1-2 C ham, or 6 slices of bacon

1 carrot

1 red bell pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 t paprika

2 1/2 c chicken broth, or more to desired thickness

1 16-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf

garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

To quick-soak the beans, place them in a pot and add 4 cups of water. Bring the water to boil, and boil it for 1 minute. Remove the pot from heat and let the beans sit for an hour. Meanwhile, fry the bacon (or ham) in a pan until crisp. Crumble the bacon, and return to pan with the carrot, and bell pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the onion, an d garlic and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the paprika. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes longer to develop the flavor of the paprika. Next, combine all of the ingredientsl in a crock pot and let it cook all day on low until the beans are as tender as you want them. About 6-8 hours. Or, simmer it on the stove in a pot for 2 hours. Thin the soup with the chicken broth. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Inner Ramblings

I actually have had a couple of hours to myself this afternoon, which means that I have had lots of time to think (plus clean, paint a project, read a little, and even blog).

Here are a few thoughts, and maybe this will give you insight into why I haven't been diligent at blogging lately.

+ Why is it a necessity for babies to get into EVERYTHING? Is it just my children, or is it normal? How do people keep their houses clean when everything is drug out 5 times a day? Does Emma have a "messy" gene, inherited by me?

+I think I'm addicted to food. I have even thought about joining an overeater's anonymous. I think about food all the time, what will I eat next? What treats should we make? That has too many calories, and Oh, lets forget about calories just this once.

+ What will it be like when Randy's done with school and has a job? I don't want to spend more just because we make more.

+Man, I need to finish a lot of projects. I should blog. I should clean the bathroom, I should call my mom, I should finish Christmas presents. Oh, Emma's awake.

+ Ooooohhh, I need to go to the post office! I don't want to go to the Post Office! It's gonna be crazy.

+ I like our Ward. I like all of the people in it.

+ I love Christmas. I love the fact that the girls took baby Jesus and Mary from our nativity set and that they are missing. I imagine them in some special spot where the girls play. (don't worry, it's just a foam set)

+ I hope that everything works out tomorrow night for the "Crafty Chicks". We have a project here at my house, and I'm in charge.

+ Kenadi told me today that she doesn't want to be like me when she's 4. She wants to be like McKenzie. She doesn't want to be like ME? Ok, don't take it personal.

+ I got a new camera! I am excited to learn how to use it to it's potential. When will I do that?

+ I need to practice the guitar. I want to play the piano- Christmas music.

+ What recipe should I post for Food for Thought Friday? Hmm, I can't decide so I don't post anything. Sorry, it's not that I don't think about it all the time.

+When people blog, who do they imagine they are writing/posting for? It is different for me every time.

+ I need a date, Randy. This weekend?

And on, and on... do you see the state I'm in lately? Definitely stressed or something.

A Few Family Pictures

We went to get Emma's 1-year picture taken, and some family pictures. Here they are... well, a few of them. I thought I'd post them for you all to enjoy.

What are YOU Thankful For? Watch this, it made me so happy!

Oh Yea,

I forgot to tell you all what we were for Halloween. I was the Octomom, (count the babies), Randy was Balloon Boy (Except his balloon kept falling off. He's not getting away with that again.), Kenadi was Tinkerbell, and Emma was a witch. Weren't they the cutest Tinkerbell and witch?

I also wanted to share a cute question that Kenadi asked me the other day. We were having chicken for dinner, and Kenadi wanted the leg. I gave it to her, she started eating, and then she asks, "Where's the chicken that's running around without any legs?" Funny girl. I love this age when they have so many funny questions and things to say. I wish I remembered them all better.

Before and After

Before= Crazy, messy hair, always in her face, and she would hardly let me comb it.

After= Cute, baby face is back again! I love it! Take special notice of how good it stacks in the back. I want you all to know that I did it. Yep, me. No training either! (see that nice cardboard steering wheel that I made her? )

She likes it too.

I love this face. I love to kiss those little cheeks, and the cute freckles on her nose. Kenadi and Emma sure get their fair share of kisses. At least we don't have to worry about that.
I thought I needed a hair makeover too. Sooooo, BEFORE: Flat and boring. See how sad I am?

After: Tall and? Now I could qualify for a reality TV show! I feel pretty good about this look, how about you? Ok, just kidding. I surprised Randy one day when he came home from school by wearing my new do. I tried to pretend like I was serious about it, but couldn't keep a straight face. Some people can pull off the really tall bangs, but I can't. All that aside, I would like some opinions. I have a hair dilemma all the time. Should I cut it short again? Or keep growing it out? Don't use any of these pictures as refrence on what I should do... I do my hair normal, I promise. IF I cut it short, should I do really short A-line again, or is there something else out there for me? HELP!

Randy, Before= Well, he always looks good.

After: HOT. Like his new glasses? I lOVE them. I can't quit looking at him.

And last, my great find at my new favorite thrift store: A silver bowl for my fruits and stuff. It was BLACK when I found it. Like this:

After: With a little TLC, it is beautiful! I only spent $3, and I have my first piece of silver! It still needs a little more work, but it'll do for now.

Well, I liked this before and after idea. I think I'm going to do this more often!

[I HOPE this isn't] The Last of the Season

I found Kenadi and Emma playing so good in their room the other day. It was so cute. Emma was "reading" the Hymn book and Kenadi was "reading" the atlas. She was telling Emma about all of the places we've been, where everybody lives, and where we were all born. They were all happy and content. I loved just listening and watching them, and I got the feeling of, "I just don't want this to end. PLEASE don't grow up so fast!" I've had a few of those moments this week. I wish I could capture them all.

On an entirely different note, HAMBURGERS! Obviously I'm not a food photographer, but this helps give you the gist. We've had our fair share of hamburgers this year. We like to get out the grill a LOT. Our weather has been beautiful, and today was 77 deg., perfect grilling weather. I've enjoyed a few different burgers. So today I recreated one of our favorites. I like this one because I like a few things on my burger like onions and peppers, but I like mine saute'd first. I would rather mine not be as potent or crunchy like they are when they are raw. This is much faster and easier. I don't have to get out an extra pan, and they have great flavor!

Hope you like it as much as we do!

Favorite Stuffed Hamburgers

1 lb of lean hamburger meat

3 T BBQ sauce

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T mustard

1 egg

1/2 C oatmeal

Salt/pepper to taste

Montreal steak seasoning- a few shakes

Well, all of these measurements are estimated, but it's close. I squish all of the above ingredients together. Divide mixture into 4 equal parts. Take one of the parts and half it, squish it into a very flat patty. Next, add what you like in the middle. I like mushrooms, onion, green or red pepper, basil, etc. Randy likes hot peppers, onion, cilantro, and green pepper. Slice all of these center ingredients VERY thin and add them to the middle of your flat patty. With the other half of your meat, squish it very flat and put on top of your fillings. Pinch edges together. Cook with grill on medium heat for 5 minutes, and flip them over for another 4 or 5 minutes. Check to see if they are done.

October- Halloween, and Birthdays!

I've been dreading this post because I keep postponing it, and so it gets longer and more involved. So, I must do it to get it off my chest, and then I can move on. Ok, well actually, I just really don't want to admit that October/my birthday/Emma's birthday/Halloween are already over. By the way, thank you honey for that wonderful birthday post! What a sweetie.

These pictures are in no particular order. I think you can figure it out. Here we are after Halloween, with candy and sugar coming out of their ears. That's all Kenadi thinks about anymore... as soon as she wakes up she asks if she can have a "little Treat" and then she asks all day long.

This last Saturday I canned pears with a friend of mine. It took ALL day! This picture is not even half of the pears that we canned. Just a side note: never can D'Anjou pears because A) they take 1-2 months to ripen and B) they aren't as good as Bartlett.

Kenadi, Grandpa Curtis, and Emma. Kenadi is_____ and Emma is______. Can you make a guess?

And who am I?

Our pumpkins. Mine is the BOO in the middle. I wanted to do it fast. Kenadi's is the one on the right, and Randy's on the left. Emma helped us all. I actually did Kenadi's.

Here we are: happy little family. Emma didn't really like to dig in and get messy like I thought she would. Oh well. I guess she'll stick to messing in her food.

We went to a pumpkin patch. I was proud of us for braving the weather. It was FREEZING! For Oklahoma anyways. It was cold, with bitter wind. The girls couldn't even move because they had so many layers on. As soon as I put Emma down to walk she fell down and rolled over like a little bug on her back who couldn't get up. I got a few laughs in.

See my cold nose and hands?

My lucky find! I got this off the curb on big garbage day. This day I made her "windows" because it was raining.

Action shot- my birthday! Randy made me the most delicious cake/treat. I meant to post it for last weeks FFTF, but I forgot. I will do that, I promise!

We went on a walk in the woods on another really cold day. I loved it.

So did Kenadi.

Emma climbs like crazy. She has taken to pushing the tricycle over to the piano, climbing on the trunk, up to the seat, onto the bench, onto the keys, and.... as high as she can go. Scary.

We celebrated Emma's birthday... she had lots of fun, maybe as much as Kenadi!

Last, I figured out that I can put Emma's hair into piggy tails. I guess I could have done it for a while-she has a lot of hair. Anyways, I LOVE little girls hair in piggy tails!

Well, 11 months to go until it's October again. Counting down already~ it's my favorite month!

Who knew one day could last two months?

Since marrying Tara I have been introduced to the concept of the birthday month (I know, it doesn't make sense to me either). However, it should be called the birthday couple months. She believes her birthday starts a month before her actual day of birth and ends about a month after. So for two months every year I hear things like: "what are you going to do for my birthday month", or "but it's my birthday month". I keep hoping that this will decrease over the years since a birthday just means she is getting older, this has not yet occurred. I barely remember my birthday, usually Tara is the one that reminds me that it is coming up.

So in tribute to Tara's birthday couple months I decided (actually, i was poked and jabbed in the side several times and missed out on precious sleep (the best way to get me to commit to something)) to write something nice about that wife of mine. Tara is a beautiful woman (even some creepy guy in the grocery store parking lot agrees with me). She is definitely my better half and has made me a much better person. You might just say that we are soul mates. It's hard to imagine my life without her. It seems like my life didn't begin until we were together (but she thinks I did way too many fun things before we were together, and that i should have waited to do them all with her). I will be forever grateful that she is my eternal companion. Happy Birthday Months Tara!

It's My Birthday Month!

It's my birthday month. I DID have a wonderful, and great birthday thrown by my dear husband and girls, and attended by them (and me, of course). I felt loved, 1 year older, wiser, and like the years are going by faster now that I'm closer to 30. Well, I am going to say THIS about my birthday: Thanks for the wonderful day little family of mine! Thanks for making me feel loved! Thanks to all of my parents and in-laws, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends, and aunts and uncles for remembering me. It was great. Now, the next post will be Randy's. Since it is my birthday month.

Now, moving on. On Emma's birthday Kenadi got some stamps. She decided on Sunday morning to smell them, or something, and came out with this blue nose. I tried for a while to get it off, and finally concluded that she was going to church like this-with a blue nose. A couple hours later I got it off, and luckily, because it was right before church, and Kenadi didn't want to go to church with a blue nose. I had a good laugh about it though.

Kenadi has been doing preschool lately. Well, it's Joy School. Some other moms and I are teaching it. It is so cute to see Kenadi in her little back pack. She does really well in preschool, and has amazed me with how fast she learns.

Emma is walking like crazy now. Well, she mostly runs. It doesn't mean that she gets into more things than she used to, but she just does it faster now. You should see my house. Or maybe you shouldn't.

Chicken Alfredo Veggie Pizza

I tried this recipe off of Taste of Home this week, and we loved it! We especially loved the crust... it's definitely worth a try!

Ingredients

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic-herb seasoning blend
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups 2% milk
• 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Dash white pepper
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, seasoning blend, whole wheat flour and 2-1/4 cups bread flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
• Punch dough down; roll into a 15-in. circle. Sprinkle cornmeal over a 14-in. pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Transfer dough to prepared pan; build up edges slightly. Bake at 425° for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add spinach; cover and boil for 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Drain and squeeze dry; set aside.
• In a large saucepan, combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, Parmesan cheese, remaining salt, pepper and reserved spinach. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted.
• Spread sauce over crust; top with remaining ingredients. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheeses are melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 317 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 40 mg cholesterol, 476 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 22 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1/2 fat.