Started a Book (17:365)

I started making my first book in like 5 years today. I'm really excited about it...I hope it turns out well because it is intended to be a gift for a friend. I will not yet name names.

Doc Honors Seminar (16:365)

Mr. Sparty Pants Scott got himself into his first Doctoral Honors Seminar that was coincidentally held at U of U (boo...Go BYU!).
He checked in today.

First Grave Visit and First Basque Festival (15:365)

We stopped in Yakima for a few minutes on our way from Washington to Utah today. It was the first time I've brought my girls to visit the graves of my favorite great grandparents. I miss them so much, Earl and Melba. Aren't their names the cutest?! I cried a little.
I miss them.


We are sleeping in Boise tonight and saw that a Basque Festival was going on downtown while we were watching the news. I almost tried my first paella, but they ran out before I could buy some. I did try my first Spanish pop (it was good!) and some authentic flan (not my first).
Jane had a crazy good time in the city fountain.
And we forgot to take our car top carrier off before we went downtown and were EXTREMELY happy to see that no Boisean's wanted to rob us of our clothes.
Thank you Boise.

Icelandic Yogurt and Tandy Leather (14:365)

Scott and I tried Icelandic yogurt for the first time. Um...not our favorite. Kind of goaty for me (even though it was not goat's milk). It was thick and bland, except for the goaty flavor.


Also, I bought my first leather remnant to make my own journal with.
The store had so much stuff. Luckily there is a Tandy Leather in Omaha too so if this goes well I can go buy some more!
I'm feeling excited about doing it.
I think Scott is even more excited. He's a book nerd. I mean N-E-R-D. Gotta love it.

Lucy's First Time Picking Blueberries (13:365)

Jane, Lucy, my mom and I went to pick blueberries. It was little Lucy's first time and she loved trying to grab all the little berries.
Jane kept asking all summer long to go picking with "just grandma and me", so she was pumped. Ten minutes into it she was done. See her running off? Silly kid.
Didn't help that most of the blueberries were still green.

At least we got some cute pictures, right?

Scott Fishing and Vegan Cupcakes (12:365)

First time Scott caught a fish. He caught his first fish on the same lake I caught mine...only 27 years later.

Ain't she a beauty?


I tried my first vegan cupcakes today.
Won't be doing that again.

First time Lucy Sat up ALONE! (11:365)

Even though there were occasional spills, she was SO proud of herself!

Firsts for the Girlies (10:365)

First time Lucy goose dipped her toes in my grandma's lake
(Phantom Lake~SPOOKY!)

First time Jane fed some ducks, went in a canoe and fished.


Lucy's first Pioneer Day Celebration. She was really into it.

Lucy meets my Dad (9:365)

Lucy met my dad for the first time today.
She put her cutest foot forward.

Iron Chef Houston (8:365)

My brother and sister and I all enjoy cooking and "friendly competition" so we decided to battle our hearts out Iron Chef-style.


Appetizer Secret Ingredient: Tomato

Main Course Secret Ingredient: Potato

Dessert Secret Ingredient: Brown Sugar

Scoring was based on Taste, Presentation, Use of Secret Ingredient, Originality


Here are my brother James' entries:

Appetizer~Warm Tomato Bisque with Crispy Potato Slices and Pepper Jack Cheese
Main Dish~Parsley Boiled Potatoes with Pan Seared Chicken
Dessert~Pancake Wedges with Mango and Banana Brown Sugar Topping and Whipped Cream


Here are my sister Sarah's entries:

Appetizer~Tomato and Garlic Bruschetta
Main Course~Baked Potato Wedges, Oven Steamed Chicken and Potato, Potato Egg Frittata all with a Chimichurri Sauce
Dessert~Brown Sugar and Apple Individul Pie with Apple Compote and a Brown Sugar Drizzle


Here are my entries:

Appetizer~Tomato Guacamole, Mango Tomato Salsa, Warm Tomato and Lime Tortilla Chips
Main Course~White Potato Galette, Red Potato and Scallion Cheddar Gratin, Red Potato and Chicken Hash
Dessert~Brown Sugar Rice Pudding with Brown Sugar Caramel Drizzle and a Trio of Diced Fruit (Mango, Papaya, Strawberry)


My husband Scott and our mom were the judges and they did a great job!



Grandma was a guest judge.


And the winner is...

The Lady with the Knife!


We were all a bit exhausted after it was all over with but already talking about next years competition!

Mountain Biking and "It's-It" (7:365)

Today my sister and I tried mountain biking for the first time ever. Our friend Cindi (whom I've know since we were both 8 years old) took us to some trails in Sammamish, Washington. She is an experienced biker and let us borrow her gear and showed us some basic skills so we wouldn't immediately crash. We had a lot of fun and survived without injury. Being in a Northwest forest reminded me how beautiful it is here and how much I miss trees! It was fun and a beautiful environment that made it a great and memorable experience. Thanks Cindi!

Then later tonight Sarah, Scott and I went to Target in Redmond. There we happened upon this little gem.

I noticed it's new and unique packaging as I walked by the freezer section, browsing the ice cream selection, but was immediately turned off by it's combination of Mint Chocolate Ice Cream and Oatmeal Cookie exterior. YUCK!

Boy, was I in for a scrumptious surprise! I like mint ice cream, but usually only the Blue Bunny brand, finding most others to be too sweet. And I don't like oatmeal cookies, especially with the dreaded raisin in it. But the combination of mint ice cream, a cinnamony oatmeal cookie covered in dark chocolate was simply divine!

If you happen upon this delectable delight in your freezer isle, please do not hesitate to grab and devour.
YOU WILL THANK ME!

Lucy's First Family Reunion (6:365)

Lucy met my great aunt Kathy, Kristen and great uncle Eric and their families for the first time in her life today. It was a cute moment and a good first.

Heard Someone Speak Xhosa (5:365)

My cousin Rachelle's husband served his LDS mission in South Africa and learned a local dialect called Xhosa, which I've never heard before (which is not the same as the language spoken in the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy"). This is a language with 3 different clicking noises in it. He read this phrase in Xhosa for me and let me record it for you. In the recording he says,
"The interpretation thereof by the gift of God."
Hope you think it's as cool as I do!



(The audio is synched to a picture of a Xhosa Book of Mormon.)

(Also, it took Scott and I FOREVER to figure out how to get this audio on here, so that is one more new thing I/we learned today.)

Photoshop Experiments (4:365)

Pioneer Woman is the best. Her blog has TONS of Photoshop and photography tutorials to help newbies like me
make our poor pictures pop!Today I learned how to brighten up a picture with a FREE action from her blog. I also worked on how to make my sister's eyes a little more sparkly,
just how they should be.


Before

After
(Free) Actions are my new best friend.

Side note: My poor sister Sarah's car broke down on her way home from Utah today. Unfortunately we were a couple of hours behind her and couldn't help. She did get a super nice tow truck man to take her to a shop and is doing okay. I wanted to brighten up this cute picture of her to help brighten up her crappy day.
Everyone needs a cute picture of themselves.
Love you, Sarah.

Ms. Senior Utah Pageant (3:365)

(Thanks Krisi for this beautiful picture!)

Today I experienced something new.
I attended a beauty pageant for the first time ever.

My mother-in-law, Barbara, competed in the Ms. Senior Utah Pageant tonight. It was such a fun experience to see her tap dance, walk around the stage in her formal gown, and give a speech on her personal philosophy of life. We are so proud of how well she did! Good job mom! We love you!

PB, Honey & Banana Muffins or Success! (2:365)

Today I was enjoying my new favorite addiction: Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and a banana. Oh man, I just can't get enough of that stuff (despite how annoying and gross it is to stir that oily separated stuff back into the goodness). I concurrently noticed a pile of spotty bananas sitting on the counter and remembered that I wanted to make some banana bread. Then, eureka!, an idea hit me. Why don't I take this opportunity to CREATE something new?
I've never tried to make up a baking recipe before because that whole concept really scares me. I know that baking, unlike cooking, is a science that can get as crazy intense as involving scales to make exact measurements. The fact that everything has to be just right to turn out has totally turned me off from being an adventurous baker. But not anymore!I must admit, I did do a little bit of research to make sure I would get correct ratios of flour, salt, baking powder, etc. Then the adventure began.

Scott came down to see what I was up to. I said, "I'm making up a recipe with honey, peanut butter and bananas." He said, "Do you know what you are doing? That sounds weird." Lucky for him those words did not discourage me.

Here is the newly created recipe for your palatable enjoyment.

PB, Honey and Banana Muffins

Wisk together:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Make a well in the dry ingredients.

Mash up enough bananas to make 2 cups.
Add to the banana mush:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
Mix up the wet ingredients and pour into the well in the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Pour into well greased muffin tins or cupcake papers (if you are feeling lazy about cleanup and are trying to trick your toddler into thinking the muffins are cupcakes...which was mildly successful...)

Optional:
Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans (adds a nice texture)

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

Voilà! Success! Enjoy!

Rosette Ring (1:365)

A couple of weeks ago I started making rosettes of different sizes after my friend Jessicah showed me how flippin' easy it was. I'm totally addicted to it now and just love how cute and dainty they look. Today I decided to make a ring out of one of my tiny rosettes. Isn't it cute?! I feel proud.

My Motivation

Lately I have been thinking about my desire to create, craft, cook, bake, try new things; and have recently worked at not being afraid to try my hand at something new. Often, I get excited about a new project, go buy the supplies, and then allow fear of failure to paralyze any attempt I make on a project. I'm tired of being afraid to fail. Now I am going to do and not look back. I'm excited for this year of new beginnings and new challenges. I hope that you will join me on my personal adventure of discovery.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,gave an uplifting and compelling speech on the human need and desire to create. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from that speech that have inspired me to begin this new journey. "...The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children...

...You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it...

...As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you..."