Is Spring Here Yet??

Claire and I have been enjoying the last couple days of nice weather since it probably wont last long. Monday I needed to go to the store so we decided to walk there. The maybe 40 minute walk lasted over two hours...with me pushing an empty stroller most of the way and Claire pointing out every bird, garbage can, rock, and "imaginary" airplane up in the sky. Then yesterday morning Claire discovered my stash of sidewalk chalk and thought it was so cool so we headed outside again to color on the porch....and the cat.





It was Luke's birthday a few weeks ago. I think we are both in denial about him turning 30. He didn't want a party and I wouldn't even buy new candles for the cake. I guess he will be 29 for a couple more years. :) To be completely honest, I think Claire was the one that was totally excited about his birthday. All day long she would walk around the house yelling "Happy Birthday". I let her pick out some balloons for him at the store and she was so indecisive. At first she wanted a Dora balloon but then she spotted a pink octopus balloon. She has had a fascination with octopuses lately....strange, I know. Then she finally settled on an Elmo balloon. She carried those balloons around the house for days.

Feelin' Crafty, Anyone???

I have been in a really big crafty mood but I hate working on projects by myself. My normal craft project partners (you know who you are!!)have been cancelling on me alot lately. So is anyone out there interested in having a craft day every once in a while? Just let me know....

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Since Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday, I decided to make a nice dinner since we wouldn't be going out to eat. I decided to make Chicken Cordon Bleu which reminded me that I promised Sarah I would post the recipe. So here it goes....the only problem is that I don't actually have a recipe.
So first of all I get the chicken breasts, cut all the fat off, place one in a plastic grocery bag (so chicken juice doesn't go flying everywhere), use the smooth side of a wooden mallet and pound the chicken until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Do this with all the chicken breasts.
Then I get a slice of Swiss cheese and fold it in half and then fold it in half again. I do this so that when you wrap the ham around the cheese, the cheese is completely covered so it can't ooze out while cooking. So then of course you wrap the cheese with one or two pieces of ham, place it on one half of the chicken and fold the other side over. Try to get it so that you can't see any of the ham sticking out. Then you need to get some toothpicks to hold the chicken together so the ham and cheese doesn't fall out while cooking I usually need 2-4 toothpicks per chicken breast and they need to be placed at enough of a diagonal that the chicken will lay flat while cooking. Then dip the chicken breast into a beaten egg and then into some Italian breadcrumbs that you have seasoned with lots of salt and pepper. Then you fry it for about 10-15 minutes on each side. I learned yesterday that it works best if, after the oil gets hot, you turn the heat down to med-low so that the chicken cooks fully without drying out. And you have to have enough oil in the pan that half of the chicken breast is covered. I tried baking them once and it worked out great but it tasted much better being fried.

For the sauce I just get a can of cream of chicken, add a half can or water or milk, a scoop of sour cream, and some salt, pepper, and onion powder.

Let me know how it works out for you. Oh, and tell Matt that I want his Mac and Cheese recipe.



This isn't the best picture but I was more interested in eating dinner than taking a good picture of it.

A few more pics from Valentines Day

Normally we make sugar cookies for Valentines day. But since we are in the process of remodeling the back room and no longer have access to my kitchen table, I decided to do something a little bit easier. We make cake pops.

We Love Valentines Day!!

The other day Claire and I got to work making some valentines. I cut out the hearts and she colored them. She had so much fun, especially when we got her some stickers to use. Tomorrow we will finish up the treats that we started and then tomorrow night the real fun begins...leaving them at the front door, knocking, and running. We love this holiday!

Food Makes Everything Better, Right??

Here is our conversation the other day after Claire came in crying to show me her finger that she had just smashed.

Me: Do you want me to hold you?

Claire: No

Me: Do you want me to give you a hug?

Claire: No

Me: Do you want me to kiss it better:

Claire: Uh-HuH

So I kiss it better but she continues with her crying...a very fake cry at this point.

Me: Is there anything else I can do to help you feel better?

Claire: Uh-HuH, Pizza.

Me: Okay, anything else?

Claire: Uh-HuH, Chicken Nuggets.

Me: Okay, anything else?

Claire: Uh-Huh, Soup. (I promise we do feed the child)

Me: Okay, anything else?

Claire: Uh-Huh, Cheetos.

Me: Okay, anything else?

Claire: No.

Me: So you don't want me to hold you or give you a hug....but if I kiss your finger better, give you pizza, chicken nuggets, soup, and cheetos, you will feel better?

Claire: Uh-Huh.

Erich's and Alexandra's Wedding

My brother got married yesterday and we are so happy for him and Alexa. Here are a few pics.
The Happy Couple....I honestly dont think I have ever seen my brother so happy

Our little Claire Bear had so much fun outside on the temple grounds. At one point she wandered over to where another couple was getting their wedding pictures taken. She just watched and watched and kept getting closer and closer to the couple. The groom finally looked down at her and jokingly asked if she wanted to be in the pictures. Within seconds she was trying to climb the steps so she could really get her picture taken with them. She is so funny!!

Claire, Ben, and Jordan


We were trying to get a pic of our little family but Rilynn wanted to join us too.
My Two Cuties....well, one cutie and one hottie!!

Thursday's Thirteen - 13 things from today

1. Claire pooped in the bathtub just minutes after putting her in....lets just say it wasn't the kind that can be cleaned up easily.
2. She stood on the opposite end of the tub and screamed "eeewww" whenever she thought a piece of poop was coming near her.
3. I had to take the drain apart since some poop managed to go down the drain and clogged it...and I found several other things she has shoved down the drain in recent weeks.
4. Thirty minutes later I gave Claire another bath.
5. Being the slacker that I am, I waited until the last minute to find something to wear to my brother's wedding reception so I had to make a quick trip to Maurices.
6. Why are all the small sizes the first to go? Unless I get there right after a shipment has come in, all the smalls are gone. But I did finally find something.
7. We bought a new computer tonight
8. My brother's wedding reception was tonight and we are so glad that he has finally found someone that makes him incredibly happy.
9. Today is his birthday too.
10. We didn't have time to eat dinner so we went back multiple times to the food table.....so if you happened to get to the reception late and they ran out of food, you can blame us. hehe:)
11. We saw so many people that we hadn't seen since Luke and I got married
12. Luke taught Claire how to say "Mommy is Hot"
13. Luke has tomorrow off so our weekend has begun. How great is that!!!

My First "I" Post

I copied this idea from a great friend/neighbor since I can’t come up with any good ideas of my own
I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything since New Years
I am a slacker…I have no good excuse
I haven’t taken any pictures either
I have the best husband in the world
I appreciate how he takes such good care of our family
I believe that marrying him was the smartest thing I ever did
I have the most beautiful girl in the whole world
I love staying home with Claire each day
I used to put all the pictures she colors on the fridge…until she started coloring at least 10 pictures a day
I have come to accept the fact that no matter how hard I try to put all crayons, pens, and markers away, Claire seems to find the ones I missed.
I think she must have a secret stash
I have recently come to appreciate Mr. Clean Magic Erasers :)
I am laughing all day long because of the things she does
I have never really been into sewing but at the moment I really love it
I am currently making the bedspread for Claire’s new bed
I am ready for winter to be over…but not quite ready for spring to begin
I took a book from the ward book exchange table today without leaving a book in its place
I kinda felt guilty for taking the book so I read the entire thing today (346 pages) so I can return it ASAP.
I was only able to do it because Claire wasn’t feeling good and slept a lot today
I love my little girl with my whole heart and love how she copies everything I say
I am ready for another addition to our family
I am absolutely loving my calling in the YW’s program
I look forward to our activities each week
I have less than two weeks to find a dress for my brothers wedding
I need to go to bed instead of looking for a dress online
I enjoy reading other blogs so leave a comment so I can find yours…if I haven’t already
I hope you all have a great day!!!

New Years Eve

On New Years Eve we went bowling with my dad, Holly, and brothers and sister. It was alot of fun...even though we didn't do very well. Towards the end I let Claire bowl for me and she really liked it....but then decided she wanted the ball back and went running after it. Of course I took my camera, and of course I forgot the memory card. This is totally typical of me. Why is it that I can stay awake til midnight any other day...but on New Years Eve I am sound asleep around 10:00 every year. So these pics were taken while pigging out on pizza and cheesecake....long before the stroke of midnight.