As I was sewing yesterday, I fell into a period of quiet reflection and thought to myself, "Whatever happened to Certs?"

Do you all remember this candy/mint that seemed to be all over the checkout aisle of the grocery and now, it seems to me, have suddenly disappeared. Maybe because we were in Europe for a while I missed the big announcement, but what the heck?! They were little lifesaver sized candy/mints that had no hole in the middle until you sucked on them for a while. Then you had to be careful because the newly created hole would get a little sharp. Do you remember the winter fresh flavor, that when you crunched into it, made those dynamic sparks in your mouth or the delicious orange flavor, my personal favorite?

Seriously, do you guys know?

I've got the Fever

I am SO looking forward to the few outdoor projects we have planned! Hopefully we'll get to at least one this spring, but even if we don't, it's been so fun getting ideas from my BFF Martha.

One of the things I want to do, is put on a pergola. Our backyard is bit of a wind tunnel, so umbrellas or awnings are a bad idea. Plus, I think pergolas with some kind of flowering vine growing up it for shade is not only practical, but pretty.

Now let's take it a step further! I thought about stringing some pretty icicle light underneath, but I like these ideas better. You can get really nice decorative outdoor lighting at Target for your umbrella or deck cover-(above), (below)-Martha actually used jelly jars as hanging votives. So cozy and beautiful!!! Also, you could use the bug repellent candles to keep from getting bit or crawled on. This really is a craft ANYONE could do.

Here's the link to learn how: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=4301608f8532f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true

Another idea from my Martha archives is using fake flowers and Christmas lights. Take a standard string of green Christmas lights and string them under your umbrella, pergola, porch cover, or whatever you have... you could also use this as a table decoration. Then brake off one of the fake flowers you picked up at the Dollar store (so cheap) and pull out the plastic stamen. Push the center of the flower through the small bulb and repeat until they're all done. It's really pretty, like a vine from heaven. -OR a luau.

Holy Toaster Strudel!

My children fought for almost 12 hours straight yesterday about who stole the "Toaster Strudel" breakfast pastry. There were accusations and alliances made... crying and gnashing of teeth, resulting in an early bedtime and possibly a broken toe (mine). Unbelievable!

I should have recorded it and sent the highlights to Pillsbury. They would have been very impressed and maybe even hooked me up with some coupons or a commercial contract. Yeah, that would have made it worth it. Not.

Sunday, March 22, 09

I taught Relief Society today, (The ladies meeting at church) and my lesson was based on President Monson's talk, "Finding Joy in the Journey". One of my favorites! Here are a couple of quotes I wanted to share and record for my own benefit!

"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings. 'Both abundance and lack of abundance exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing, but are grateful for the abundance that's present- love, health, family, friends, work, nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.'"

"We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us. Send a note to the friend you've been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say 'I love you' more; always express your thanks."

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved!"

That last one really got me!!! I am so grateful for this talk and for the opportunity I have to teach. This was a gentle reminder to keep a proper perspective by having gratitude for all that I have. Tonight, as I look at my children sleeping, I fall in love again for the 10000000th time, and am amazed that I would be blessed to be their mother! It's also a reminder that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows my needs/wants. Finding joy in the journey, I believe, has everything to do with gratitude to our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I don't know what I would do or where I would be without faith in the Gospel plan.

Eating Light...er

I love salads and am so excited that spring is here and the weather is right for eating light! One of my favorite things to do is test recipes and either keep them, dump them, or more often than not, tweak them. Here is a really good one that I found in a cookbook Julie P gave me. I changed a few things, and included a delicious honey mustard dressing.

Renee's Salad is a Meal:

1 bag mixed salad greens

crumbled blue cheese or feta

2 handfuls of craisins (Ocean Spray is the best)

3-4 chopped green onions

sweet and spicy walnuts

honey mustard dressing

-Layer and enjoy.

Sugared walnuts:

-Make a simple syrup (water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat) and add a pinch of dried red pepper. Stir in walnuts and stir until the liquid is gone and the walnuts are coated with white sugar. Then put them on a cookie sheet and bake for just a few minutes at 350. Cool.

Honey Mustard Dressing:

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP of coarse ground Dijon mustard

5 TBSP of honey

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

1 green onion minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 C extra virgin olive oil

-Shake it up really well or put it in a food processor. Chill and pour over your salad. This is really good served with crispy chicken strips too! I hope you all try it and like it.

Happy Spring Everyone!

An Irish Shout Out

What's your favorite St Patty's Day memory?

I only have one. It's my favorite because it's funny, but it's also my favorite because I don't think I have any other memories of this holiday. I take that back, I do have vague memories of being pinched hard all over and coming home really peeved at my Korean mom for not remembering the green! But- I hear they have banned the pinching ritual in school along with "Red Rover" and "Jarts" and most of those metal slides that would burn the thighs so badly when it got over 75 degrees. I actually think it's a shame because we are a much tougher generation for it. We were not about "safety".

Anyway, many St Patrick's Days ago, when my Oliver was in Kindergarten, they celebrated everything Irish with an all out green party. They all wore green (even the Korean kids, Mom) and had cookies and made fun little crafts. All the kids got to make these cute little leprechaun hats and the teacher wrote their new Irish names on the front. You know, like Smith=McSmith, or Davis=McDavis. Very cute.

Well, when Oliver came out, I busted out laughing, because written on his hat was "McFitzgerald". What? Isn't Fitzgerald the quintessential Irish name? I guess they didn't want him to feel left out or something. Goofy.

You know, this isn't really much of a story now that I've written it down. It was much funnier in my head.

Happy St Patrick's Day anyway guys!

Mormon Messages: Why Mormons Build Temples

Here's a beautiful and brief explanation to the question "Why do Mormons build Temples". I saw this on Alice's blog this morning and on the www.lds.org site. -AND, If you want to know more, there's a link on the first page, "About the Church" that offers more information.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for a girls' night out and chocolate cake.

I am thankful for healthy children that allow for a girls' night out and chocolate cake.

I am thankful for great friends who aren't embarrassed when I say/do weird things... at least they pretend they aren't.

I am thankful for a fat tax return.

I am thankful for the dry Swiffer. The Swiffer and I took a long break, but are happily back together and my floors never looked better. -And FYI, you can take out the middle section of the Swiffer handle and it's the perfect size for small children to "play clean" with.

Top of the Mornin' to ya

I got this idea off Lori's http://bedifferentactnormal.blogspot.com/ blog and think it's perfect for a VT gift or St Patty's Day party or kid craft. All you need is a small terra cotta pot, black acrylic paint, candy wrapped in gold foil (Werthers Original hard candies are my favorites), shredded paper and pipe cleaners.

Paint your pot black and let dry. Then attach the pipe cleaners with hot glue to form a pretty rainbow. Fill with shredded paper and candy. Super cute, right?!

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today...

I was reading the news this morning and came across this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_re_us/states_of_happiness

Want to know the happiest state in the country? It's Puketah, ..er, I mean Utah;)

I'm just kidding, geez! I'm not from Utah, but having been a few times, I think it's a beautiful state with lots of fun stuff to do and it seems, a much healthier lifestyle than a lot of other places in US. -It's clean, the landscape is lovely and the people are too. Very nice! But, we should give credit where it's due and thank the good Lord for Gospel standards and the Word of Wisdom, right? It's hard to be happy when your body feels bad! This of course is not to say the W.O.W. guarantees perfect health, or that we Mormons actually live it perfectly (hello meat sparingly), but overall I believe it is a healthier lifestyle and I am grateful for it.

I'm also grateful for Ocean Spray craisins. I love those things!

5 Senses

Mia tagged me on her 5 Senses TagList this morning. I typically shy away from tags because, in my case, they're redundant. I'm notorious for giving everyone TOO much information from the start, so there are never any surprises. I'm working on my filter.

BUT, I've never done a 5 senses tag! You list 4 things you love, and one thing you hate, for each category. Then tag 5 people; leave them a note on their blog so they know. Also, let the person who tagged you know when you post yours.

Smell: 1. Baby Magic lotion 2. Korean food 3. Old Spice deodorant 4. Roses 5. Hate: As stated on my sidebar, morning diaper... it has to be worse than anything in the universe.

Touch: 1. A good quality fabric 2. Warm water 3. Baby hair 4. My kid's cheeks 5. Hate: Dirty floors on bare feet.

Sound: 1. My kids' singing and Oliver's drumming 2. Great music 3. Martha's voice, it's calms me 4. The garage door opening, woo hoo, Scott's home!!! 5. Hate: Backtalk, and not just from my kids. I hate hearing other kids do it too and I hate hearing their parents take it.

Taste: 1. Cupcakes 2. Korean food 3. Water 4. Pancakes 5. Hate: Food that was clearly prepared, frozen and reheated in the microwave... then passed off as restaurant food. Hello, Applebees, Shoneys, Oh Charley's, etc...

Sight: 1. OK, the obvious, I love to look at my children! 2. Well kept farms or gardens... cutting, ornamental, fruit, etc... 3. Old pictures. 4. The temple. No matter where I'm at, when I see an LDS temple, it feels good. 5. Hate: The Racheal Ray show(s). I know it's so mean, but there's something about that girl that makes me cringe and change the channel faster than you can see my hand move.

OK, so here's my list of 5 lucky tags: Janine's Crazy World, The Magonigal Family, A Wynn Wynn Situation, The Dangerous 5, Martha and really anyone else who wants to. If you choose to participate, please leave a comment here. Thanks!

Eureka

The movie rental store is about as depressing as it gets for semi-young Mormon couples, trying in vain, to find some non rated-R entertainment. Scott and I are almost always too tired to go anywhere on Friday nights, so inevitably at around 9:00 or so, we look at each other and say, "Wanna get a movie?" " Then one of us (always Scott) runs to the movie rental place. This is a hang your head in defeat type of activity that ends up with a phone call from him, rattling off three or less appropriate new releases and me being painfully indecisive.

BUT, every once in a while we land a good one.

Here's a movie for all you non rated-R watchers... or all you rated-R watchers... or even porn freaks to enjoy. It's the new Ricky Gervais film, "Ghost Town", also starring the fabulous Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. Here's a quick synopsis...

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Tea Leoni). That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result. Written by Studio Approved Synopsis


OK, so this synopsis isn't so great, but the movie itself is super funny. Funny with a little cussing. I guess this doubles as my Thankful Thursday list too. I am thankful for Ricky Gervais.

Hey Spencer!

Tonight was our Cub Scout's Blue and Gold banquet and I have to say, we have the best scouting leaders EVER!!! Really.

We started off with a pot luck and then the scouts sang the songs they made up with the "A,B,C's of America" as the theme. The boys were so cute and my Spencer earned quite a few pins and a belt loop. He's such a great kid!

Our fearless leader, Trish Bell, always does a beautiful job and is full of enthusiasm and love for the boys. I think every cub scout (and there had to be more than like 25) earned something tonight and were so confident and happy. I don't know how she keeps it all organized plus fun.

So, why am I using a one year old picture of Spencer? Because, once again, my camera was at home, on my desk, out of batteries, useless. Why don't I ever plan ahead?????! Ugh.

That's Amore!

This is another new pasta recipe I tried last night and I love it. I hope you do too!

Ingredients:

1 bag Orecchiette pasta

1/2 lbs Italian sausage

2 green onions cut in long diagonal slices

1/2 white onion diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

2 tbsp butter

fresh minced garlic

salt for the water

frozen peas

a pinch of dry red pepper flakes

fresh Reggiano

-Boil salted water in a large pot and add pasta. In a large pan, brown crumbled sausage and then add minced onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook til translucent. Add the pasta to the pan, cooked til al dente, butter, a ladle of the starchy pasta water and a splash of white cooking wine(this is of course optional). Cook on high heat til it's creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the green onion and a 3/4 cup of frozen peas, red pepper flakes and stir. When it's bubbling again, add some freshly grated hard cheese and cook til it's creamy and well incorporated, for a minute. When your peas are warm and bright green, you're done. I didn't have to add any salt or pepper because the sausage was so flavorful, but taste it and see. This was particularly yummy served with some natural apple sauce, soft Italian bread and a little more fresh cheese on top. The spicy/saltiness of the pasta was so delicious with the sweet, tangy, cold apple sauce. Very comforting and very easy. Mmmmm