"Grandma Mint" Green

Do you remember this room? I do. Although right now, I am trying to block it from my memory. When we moved into this house, our third (larger of the 2) spare bedroom was painted this horrific color of green. I called it "grandma mint" green because it looked like the green color of those multi color puffy mints that my grandma used to always have. People would walk in there and Josh would ask them, "Are you sick? Your face is green." No joke - the color on the walls would reflect off of anyone's face who walked into the room. Well, before my parents came to stay for Christmas, I decided to cover up the grandma mint green and go with something a little more conservative. Here it is:

However, I do want to do some thick 6 inch tan or glossy stripes on one of the walls. What do you think? Too much? Even so, it would still be better than what it was before. Oh and P.S., we made this bed too! And we got the new mattress for a steal of a deal! So if you ever want to come and stay with us, this is the room you get to stay in! Oh and P.P.S., I will paint that dresser black, eventually...I'm kind of over the whole painting idea at the moment. That room was a big project.

Leftover Turkey Dinner

This is a really delicious casserole if you are like me and have leftover turkey from Christmas.
You will need:
Leftover stuffing (dressing)
Leftover turkey, shredded
Leftover mashed potatoes
Peas
2 cans of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
1/2 c. Milk
Salt and pepper, to taste.

1st layer: Leftover stuffing
2nd layer: leftover turkey
3rd layer: peas
4th layer: 1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/4 c milk and salt and pepper
5th layer: Mashed Potatoes
6th layer: 1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/4 c milk and salt and pepper

Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Spoiled Rotten and Christmas Time

Well folks, the holiday season has come and gone, and I am kind of sad about it. I wish the Christmas season would have lasted a little bit longer. I still can't bring myself to take down the tree or put away the Christmas cards hanging on the door from friends and family.

This Christmas was extra special because I was able to spend Christmas with my parents and siblings. I haven't done that since 2006, so it was really nice. My family got here Wednesday night late. On Thursday we were able to go to Porters and shop. My mom really enjoyed that store. Friday, Josh had the day off, so he took my dad and brothers snowmobiling. Mark tipped my snowmobile, but all is well. They had fun. My dad really enjoyed the store, "Cal-Ranch." He said that they had a lot of stuff there that he could use for scouting. Friday night, Josh's mom was able to come down and spend the night. We played a lot of games. Here is Mark and his "mother in law" playing Mexican Train.

We read the story of Christ's birth in Luke and headed off to bed.

Christmas morning was fun. It was fun to see what everyone got. I was really spoiled this year. Josh got me a Kitchen aid. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember hearing about them. I was so excited when I opened it. I said "Did you just get someone's box and wrap something else in this??" He didn't, but that is something he would do.

My mom got Josh and me a sewing machine. Believe it or not, Josh knows how to sew. I am really excited to start some new fun projects with that thing!

Last, but definitely not least, Josh's mom bought me a silhouette. It's like a cricut craft cutting machine, except you don't have to buy cartridges (which is very, very nice). It cuts paper into any design you want. It's ideal for scrap bookers (which I am not one), making cards, cutting vinyl letters out for your walls, etc. It's awesome.

Even Max got Christmas gifts this year. :)

We had a nice Christmas dinner with the family, and then Josh's mom had to go back home. My family left on Sunday. Most of them went to go back to Washington. My mom and little sister Sara headed to Provo because she is starting at BYU this winter semester.

My first grown-up Thanksgiving

This year was my first "grown-up" thanksgiving, meaning, I had to cook the whole meal. Originally, we were scheduled to head down to Utah and spend the holiday with my family. Unfortunately, a day before we were supposed to leave, a huge blizzard hit. I was a little skeptical about going down, but I decided we were going to go down to Utah the next day anyway. As Wednesday afternoon arrived, I started to head to Idaho Falls to pick Josh up so we could head down straight from his work. The roads were TERRIBLE. And apparently, they were terrible from our home through Pocatello. So, I decided to stay in Rexburg. We were already in Idaho Falls, so we decided to get all the food to make for a Thanksgiving feast. Thursday morning, I got up at 8:30 and started cooking. The only thing that I was worried about was the turkey, I had never cooked one before. Pulling out all the giblets was really, really gross! But, I did it. And, it turned out fabulous! Here are the pics to prove it all! Happy Holidays everyone!

But I'm saving money!

Hi everyone. Sorry it's been a while since I posted last. Actually, we have just been really really busy. We moved this last June (beginning of July really, we signed on our house June 30th), I have had a lot of work projects to work on and now it is the start of hunting season. Because we bought this new house, it has started me into a new "hobby," - clipping coupons. Josh and I have a good sized budget for groceries, but I want that budget to stretch farther. A lady in my ward is a pro coupon clipper and was willing to sit down with me and show me how it's done. Most recently, she has purchased cereal (general mills brand) for 50 cents a box, name brand fruit snacks for 10 cents a box, canned vegetables for 9 cents, etc. You get the idea. She showed me how to save a lot and where to find the good deals. There is a website that you can go to. It's called www.athriftymom.com. That website shows you your price at the local grocery store, and then has coupon links that you can print off. Pretty cool, right?

The other money saving idea that I have not tried is www.bountifulbaskets.org. Apparently you can get a laundry basket full of produce for just 16.50. You can do this once a week. You have to order on a late Monday / early Tuesday and you have to go pick it up on a Saturday. The only catch to this that I have found is that you don't get to pick what goes in your basket. They have the general apples, oranges, etc. but they also throw some interesting items in there too. My neighbor most recently got baby bok choy in her basket and it ended up going to the compost pile. So, if you have a lot of recipes that include vegetables, that might be the website for you. Like I said, I have yet to try it.

Do you have any money saving ideas? What do you do in your home?

Long overdue...

I am long overdue for another post. I thought I would post some pics of our new house! We sure love it a lot and we hope you do too!

We're moving!

We're not moving far. Actually, not far at ALL. Less than a mile away from where we live now. But, we bought a house!!! I don't have all the pics inside yet, but here is a look from the outside.



Isn't it pretty? One of the orders of business is to get rid of that ugly bush tree in the front, I'll probably put another tree there, but something pretty. :)

I need a change...

with my hair!!! I think I want to color it. I know it's a pain to keep up, but I need something. What do you think? I would cut it, but Josh really likes it long.

What do you think of these colors?





or how about this one?



....just kidding.... ;)

Pure deliciousness

Okay. I don't share recipes all that often, but this one is too dang good not to share. My new favorite meal is homemade chicken and noodles. It's just comfort food, and always better the next day. It's a lot easier than it looks too.

Part One - The Noodles
2 eggs per one cup of flour, and salt to taste. I usually do 4 eggs and 2 cups of flour.
Put the flour in a bowl and make a little well in the middle. Once the well is made, put the eggs in the middle. With a fork, slowly swirl the eggs into the flour. Once it is really think, massage the dough with your hands. It might need a little flour added. Divide the dough into four equal parts. Roll each part out with flour on top and underneath on the table. With a rolling pin, roll the noodles out to the desired thickness. Set aside. ***Note - Roll them a lot thinner than you really want them, as they expand a lot in the water.

Part Two - Take a whole chicken (separated, bone in) and boil it in 4 quarts of water for about 30 minutes. While it is boiling, cut up as many carrots, celery and onion that you want and set those aside. After the 30 minutes are up, take the peices of chicken out, still allowing the broth to simmer on low. Take the meat off of the bones and shred. Put the bones back in to the broth and let simmer for at least another 20 minutes. Once simmered, add the vegetables, chicken, and all the spices that you want. I use sea salt, white pepper, garlic, and parsley. Once the vegetables are tender, add your noodles. You will not have to boil it very long before the noodles are ready. If you want a thicker soup, mix some corn starch and water together and then add to the soup.

It's YUM! Enjoy!

I guess opposites do attract!

Sometimes I wonder how Josh and I started dating. And sometimes I wonder how on earth we were attracted to each other, we are SO different. Almost everything I love, Josh hates, and vice versa. The few things I like to do outdoors, Josh doesn't like (like hiking). Here are some big differences between us:

Josh – Meat and potatoes lover
Annica – Anything ethnic, especially Mexican!

Josh- Outdoors
Annica – Indoors

Josh – Night owl
Annica – Early Bird

Josh – Country or Rap
Annica – Rock or Classical

Josh – Athletic
Annica – NOT Athletic

Josh – Watches sports and the history channel
Annica – Comedy

Josh – Loves budgeting / dealing with it
Annica – HATES it with every fiber of her being

Josh – Hates to travel
Annica – Loves to travel

Josh – “Nice” teacher in Primary
Annica – “Strict” teacher in Primary

Josh – Hates (A LOT) to shop
Annica – Loves to shop

Josh – Great multi tasker
Annica – Has to do one thing at a time

Josh – Lives for the future (as a result, is a great planner)
Annica – Lives in the now (as a result, is NOT a great planner)

I think that we both were attracted to people that were not like ourselves. And somehow, we make it work. We have a lot of fun together, and I don't really know why! Usually one of us is not liking the exact "thing" we are doing at the time, be it shopping, or shooting. I'm grateful for Josh, and even though we are so different, I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with him.

Robin Hood

Josh and I have been waiting to see Robin Hood ever since we saw a preview for it. We talked about it all the time, and were very excited for it to come out. We saw it on Saturday, and loved it! If you like action or romance, this movie is for you. I would have to say my favorite part about the movie was the acting. They did a really great job at making the audience HATE King John. Cate Blanchett (who isn't always my favorite actress) did a great job as Maid Marion. And, Russell Crowe was just amazing. They had the perfect amount of blood/war scenes, but not too much to make it boring for me. I like a few battle scenes, but I don't like the whole movie to be about that. Don't expect it to follow the other Robin Hood movies you have seen, because it won't. And, I think there will be a sequel. Let's hope. This movie was great!

The grass is always greener on the other side...

As I was driving home from the store today, I saw something funny. Well, funny to me. There are a lot of pastures that I pass by on my drive home with cattle, horses, you name it. As I looked off to the right, I saw a horse. It was leaning as far as it possibly could over the barbed wire fence and eating the grass on the other side. It made me chuckle because it appeared that in the pasture it was in, the grass was taller and greener. And then the old adage came to me, "the grass is always greener..."

I guess my post is just kind of a thought for the day. I always want more of everything, and sometimes my life appears to be a lot harder than other people's lives. A lot of people get things handed to them. A lot of people have really good luck. I don't seem to be one of these people. But, I wonder, if I were in their shoes, would I really be happy? Is THAT person even happy? Or do they look at my life and think the same thing? Anyways, something to think about. I am really grateful for what I have. I am truly blessed.

Primary Funnies

Josh and I teach the 6 turning 7 year olds. They are quite fun, and we have bonded a lot with them. I think we will both be very sad when we don't teach primary anymore. Here are some funny things we have heard so far.

Madison: “That girl up there is wearing WAY too many necklaces. I prefer to wear just one.”

Preface: Every week, we ask the kids what they did to choose the right. If they did something to choose the right, they get to put a sticker by their name. If all kids in attendance get 3 stickers 3 weeks in a row, we bring a treat.

Sister Smith: “Carson, what did you do to choose the right this week?”
Carson: “I cleaned the whole entire house and my whole entire backyard!”
Sister Smith: “Wow, that’s impressive. Should I ask your mom about that?”
Carson: “Um…no….”

Cassie: “This lesson is boring.”
Sister Smith: “Cassie, saying that isn’t nice and it isn’t choosing the right.”
Cassie: “Ok, but it is boring.”
Sister Smith: (sigh…)

Dyllan: “I never get picked for the game!”
Brother Smith: “You were just “it” two turns in a row!”
Dyllan: “I know.”

Sister Smith: “Cole, if you keep acting like this, I am going to take you to your mom.”
Cole: “Ok, but my mom really doesn’t punish me all that much. It’s my dad that I’m scared of.”
Brother Smith: “Ok, thanks for the information. We will take you to your dad then.”
Cole: “NOOOOOO! I’ll be good!”

Hyper Boy

Our dog Max can be really hyper. He can also be very dominant. He is very protective, and a great guard dog. However, he is also very food aggressive. Also, when someone walks by our house, he has to pee in his 5 spots in the yard to "mark his territory." This is when Josh and I decided to get him "fixed."

Before:




After:


Don't worry, I know this won't last forever. Hopefully it's just the aggressive behavior that goes away now that his testosterone levels will be WAYYYY down.

Emergency D&C

First of all, let me start by saying this isn't a post to make people feel bad for me, I just want to write my experience down so that I can remember it. Also, if you are prone to being faint by hearing about blood, this probably isn't the post you should read.
A few weeks ago, I felt like I could be pregnant. I still am not sure how I feel about the whole thing, as Josh and I were not trying at all. I was pretty sure I was because I had all the signs and symptoms. But, I didn't want to tell people until I was absolutely sure. So, I made an appointment with my doctor for May 4th. This past weekend I didn't have any more of those signs/symptoms, i.e. food aversion and nausea. It was a welcome change. However, I started to have some light spotting. At this point, I was really glad I didn't tell anyone about my suspicions and called my doctor's office first thing on Monday morning. They recommended that I come in that day to get an ultrasound. When I went in, I found out that I had something called a blighted ovum. I didn't really understand what that meant, but it means that a sac forms, but no baby. Dr. Meredith told me that it happens to about 30 percent of first pregnancies and the likelihood that it would happen to me again was less than one percent. They then scheduled me for a D&C the following morning. I had my labs drawn to get my blood type (which I already had, but I couldn't find my red cross blood donor card).
After work, I went a got some food, made dinner, and Josh and I went for a drive which calmed me down for what was going to happen the next day. (This is the part that gets gross....so sorry). Right after talking to my parents about what had happened and was going to happen, I started to cramp a lot and decided that a warm bath would really help me. As the bath water was done running, I decided to turn around and get some bath salts. When I looked back down, I realized that the bath water was blood red. At this point, I started to freak out. I drained the water and quickly rinsed off in the shower. I ran to the toilet and clots and blood were just coming out of me. After 3-4 flushes of dark red blood, I called the emergency number at my doctor's office. Dr. Lovell got on the phone and told me I needed to get to the emergency room as soon as possible. I called to Josh and told him to get me a pad at the store because I just don't own any and a tampon would work for about 30 seconds, IF that. Josh drove as fast as possible to the nearest gas station (we live farther out in the country and he just didn't have time to go to the store and back). He walked in, looked around for 2 seconds, and told the store clerk, "I'm just going to be blunt. Where are the pads?" LOL. The guy said, well, we don't have any of those, but we do have chocolate! (Josh laughs about this now). Josh drove back and told me the news. I said, well I need SOMETHING. Josh said, "How about a towel?" I said, "that will work." So Josh grabbed the kitchen towel that we both hate and gave it to me. It is now in a biohazard trash bag at the hospital and I do not miss it one bit. I felt like a real dork, but I didn't care. He asked me if we should call the ambulance and I said no. I didn't really want to pay hundreds of dollars just for a ride, which would probably take longer anyways because they would have to get to our house first. So, we jumped into the truck and sped off. At this point, I decided to call the ER and let them know I was coming. I told the nurse on the phone that there was no way that I would be able to sit there and wait unless they wanted blood all over their lobby. She agreed, and took my name and said she would give it to the admitting clerk and I would be let right in. Josh drove like crazy and made it to the emergency room in 9 minutes. That is a RECORD! I work at the hospital and it always takes me at least 15 minutes. Josh pulled around into the circle in front of the ER and dropped me off. Well, there was no one at the admitting desk. After waiting about 20 seconds, I found a bell that I could ring. 2 people came out there and I just jumped right in front of everyone. They were probably mad at me, but I didn't care. I told her my name and the urgency of the situation, but she was going so slow!!! Josh actually parked and came in before I even was let back there. The girl at the admitting desk slowly walked back to talk to the nurse and the nurse RAN up to get me (dumb girl). I gave Josh my insurance card and drivers license and made him check me in. Luckily, since I had called the emergency number at the doctor's office, Dr. Lovell was ready and got there really quickly. They had me change into a gown and he started getting ready. They started to try to do a D&C in the ER. They gave me a paracervical block (which HURTS by the way, it's a long needle that they inject 2 times into your cervix) and started to go in. It hurt a LOT and Dr. Lovell decided that they needed to take me to the OR because my cervix was only dilated to a 1 and he couldn't get in there without giving me pitocin. At this point, I started to cramp a lot. Luckily for me it was right before 11 o'clock and the night surgical team was still there (they go home at 11 and then they are on call). Anesthesia came in and talked to me about any past problems with anesthesia and explained to me that since I ate dinner at six o'clock, I was going to need to have a tube put down my throat in case any food went into my lungs. The nurse came in and gave me some stuff for my stomach, got an IV started with pitocin and also gave me some versed. If you have ever had versed, you know at this point I was doing just fine. The anesthetist called it the "I don't care" drug. I felt it working after about 10 seconds. At this point, I don't remember anything. Josh told me that I kept looking at the ceiling tiles and saying, wow those holes are really round! I said a lot of things apparently and then said, I'm going to shut up now. Apparently Dr. Lovell and Josh were just laughing at me at this point. They wheeled me to the OR and prepped me and put me on the OR table (I don't remember any of this) and then they realized that I still had my shirt on underneath my gown and needed me to remove that. I only remember this part I think because they had to sit me up to help me, but they were covering me with a blanket so that it was more private and I think I remember saying, you don't need to cover me up, they are going to see everything down there anyways, under my shirt is no big deal. LOL. Then I just remember waking up in PACU, talking to the nurse for a bit, and then falling asleep. I then remember waking up in my room and Josh being there. He had taken full advantage of the community fridge which was fully stocked with Pepsi. Josh went home and I stayed the night. My night nurse was awesome and at one point even brought me her own personal lotion because my hands were dry and she couldn't find any that she could give me. I didn't sleep very well because my blood pressure had to be checked every 15 minutes, and the IV in my other arm would beep every time I bent my arm because the fluids couldn't go in if I did that. That morning, I called the people in our office and told them (they already knew anyways since they work in records and saw that I was there). They brought me flowers which made me happy. Sue, a case manager that I talk to sometimes, came in and talked to me. She said that she read my H&P and it said that I was regularly passing lemon sized clots in the ER (I had no idea about that). Overall, the experience initially was really scary but once I got to the hospital, I felt fine. I was grateful that everything went smoothly, and I am home now with minimal pain. I'm just a little sore in my throat where they put the tube, but I haven't even taken any pain pills today. And overall, I am okay with the whole thing. I know that when the time is right, Josh and I will eventually have kids. I didn't feel like right now was the best time for us, and I am so grateful that I am at peace with everything. I know that my life has a plan and I am grateful for that plan. This experience has made Josh and I bond more and brought us closer together, and also closer to my Father in Heaven. I feel so blessed to be at peace with everything that has happened these past few days.

Hard times for our family...

Don't worry. Nothing major has happened. Josh got a new job (a better one, by the way) and ended school this week. But, the time that he has to spend at this new job seems to be a lot more than his last job. His new boss also decided yesterday that she was going to go into the computer and switch his schedule around. Now, Josh made sure that isn't going to happen again, but it's going to be hard these next couple of weeks. I really miss him. I am usually home alone at night, and the only time we really see each other is at midnight when he comes home and gives me a kiss goodnight, and when we teach Primary. Have you ever had a hard time like this? If so, what did you do to make it easier?



i am this happy with his boss right now...

Why?

Why do some men my age have to have huge holes in the butts of their pants? Do they want me to see their boxers with holes in them too? Just asking.

Josh's Birthday Cake

Holiday Update

Well, the holidays have come and gone this year! We had a blast this Christmas. Josh and I "invested" in some new snowmobiles! They are some of the funnest things in the whole world! So, if anyone wants to come and visit us in the wintertime, we can show you a good time with these babies! We were the first people on several trails. There is nothing like snowmobiling through fresh powder! So fun. We went down to Josh's mom's house for Christmas this year. I got some cool things, some of my favorites included a new set of scriptures (the big fatty ones, YES!), ALL of the Harry Potter books in hardback, and an emerald (my birthstone) ring. Josh was pretty spoiled this year. I got him Laker's tickets (when they are playing the JAZZ), a new LEGO castle (Vladek's castle if you want to look it up), and some other things. But one of his favorite gifts was from his mom, it's a money counting coin jar. If you know Josh, you know he is obsessed with money. He has been so excited to put change in that thing! Maybe that's where all my change went from my purse. Hmm....

For New Year's week we went and saw Sherlock Holmes. It was really good! I highly recommend it. Then New Year's Eve, Josh and I invited some friends over and we played Rock Band! I'm really bad at it but I love it.

I hope you all have a happy new year! May 2010 be even better than 2009!