Not So Crafty Me

not so crafty me loves mod podge!!! i had used it once before and fell in love. it's a shiny (or not shiny) glue, sealer and finish all-in-one! well, i saw this item at the deseret bookstore but it just didn't match with the decor in the girls rooms....so i decided to try and re-create it myself.

materials needed:
1. wooden boards
2. scrapbook paper in the desired design
3. an awesome friend with a cricut
4. paint
5. mod podge!!!

*paint edges and some of the front
*cut paper to desired size
*glue with mod podge
*cut accent paper and glue
*cut desired phrase and glue

*personalize (for my newest niece)

*wrap it up and wha la!!!

Monday Make-Up

monday 7/5/10

we were out of town and so making a new recipe was out of the question. i decided that it would count if we tried a new restaurant (new to me any way). mac's steak in the rough. i had heard it was a lot like a fav of mine down in tucson, lucky wishbone and i am here to report: it was super yummy!

steak fingers, fries, cole slaw, side onion. just what i was craving! the next time you're in the albuquerque, nm area, give it a try!

sunday 7/11/10 (monday we had plans)

we went to the dback game with a good friend and the guy next to us sat down with a pulled pork sandwich topped with onion rings. needless to say i wanted one but had just finished my chicken tenders. after that, i craved pulled pork and onion rings....so i was just going to have to make it myself. and i did! so good!

and for dessert we had s'mores in the oven!

monday 7/19/10

brown butter tortellini with spinach and ham

another pampered chef recipe is now a new fav. not only did it take under 30min but it was very good!

tuesday 7/27/10 (monday was a pizza day if you now what i mean)

ever been to cheba hut? as much as i dislike the atmosphere, their sandwiches are tasty! last time jay and i went there, one of us ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich. spicy! as i was running errands i drove by said restaurant and instantly craved buffalo chicken....and just like before i made it myself!

24 July

the first company of mormon pioneers, led by brigham young, officially entered the valley of the great salt lake on 24 july 1847. for latter-day saints, this event has come to signal the founding of a new homeland for the purpose of establishing our earthly zion.

on 24 july 1978, my handsome husband was born.

before i knew it, he had changed my whole life. he loves with his entire being. i love the way he has jumped into raising our 3 lovely daughters. we are all better with him in our lives.

happy birthday honey!

on 24 july 2010, ellie louise smith was born! she is the first daughter to spencer and corissa smith. beautiful ellie blessed this world at 2:00 am measuring in at 7.7lbs and 20 1/2in and is just as cute as can be!

congrats to my big sis and her growing family!
birthday buddies...ahhhh!

so many reasons to celebrate this day, 24 july!

Down and Dirty

in order to get nice and dirty we headed to

peppersauce cave.

for father's day weekend, jay planned this fun little trip...camping and spelunking...total guy activities. but i wasn't about to leave my man high and dry so off we went.

a map of the cave shows that it goes on for a good few miles.

enjoying breakfast burritos to start our day.

i should have known this was bad news when the entrance looked like this! i believe this opening is called the 'birth canal'.
at first, i was a little concerned about navigating through the darkness and not getting lost, but i got over it. every turn lead to somewhere new and if we got lost it was easy to back track.
the narrow passage ways would lead to wide open caverns.
this is the ladder just above the main lake. it was bolted down to insure it's sturdiness.
right near the lake the mud was very clay-like. people had even made little sculptures.
jay in front of the very big lake. the water was so clear but so cold. i was not tempted to swim at all!
water line

another smaller lake...good for washing my hands off!

another lake

after exploring for close to 2 hours i was nice and dirty and wanted to see the sun again.

jay got his fair share of mud too...some from mud fights.

it was a fun adventure.

and getting dirty is ok when the circumstances permit.

Happy 4th of July...a little late

for the first time in 4 years, i was able to see my girls on the 4th of july. i miss them so much when they are gone for the summers so any chance to see my ladies i'll take! jay and i weren't able to have them for more than 3 hours but we knew that church was were we all needed to be...all together! their faces were all bright and smiley. summer has been good to them but they, as well as jay and i, are eager for them to come home.

i love my silly girls!

Mexican Pinwheels

these aren't the prettiest things but they sure were yummy. before heading out to see the midnight showing of eclipse with my gal pals, we had a little party at my house. the party consisted of: friends, food and watching twilight and new moon! lol it was fun to get in the vampire vs werewolf...edward vs jacob mood!

ingredients:

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

green chile, to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt, to taste

flour tortillas, thinner ones

directions:

blend together cream cheese, chile, garlic and salt. smooth over the tortillas. roll up the tortillas and cut into spirals. refrigerate. serve cold.

p.s. go team edward!

Better Than Grandma's MEAT LOAF

i must admit, when jay chose a meat loaf recipe i wasn't exactly thrilled. as a kid i distinctly remember not liking meat loaf. but it was his turn so i went with it. he looked through several cookbooks (that i don't use) until he found the most appealing recipe...it called for sausage need i say more. at the end of the night, jay and my brother liked it and i am sure i still don't like meat loaf but trying new things is what mondays are for!

ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup milk

1 cup soft fresh white bread crumbs

3/4 cup ketchup

4 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1 pound ground beef

8 ounces ground breakfast sausage

1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 teaspoons mrs. dash

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

directions:

preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.

heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. transfer to a large bowl.

combine the milk and break crumbs in a small bowl and set aside. combine 1/4 cup of the ketchup and 2 teaspoons of the worcestershire sauce in another small bowl and set aside.

add the ground beef, sausage, the remaining ketchup and worcestershire sauce, the egg, mrs. dash, garlic powder, and bread crumbs to the bowl of onions. mix until just incorporated.

mound the meat loaf mixture in a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. bake for 45 min. remove from the oven and pour off some of the fat. spread the ketchup mixture over the top. bake another 30 minutes. let stand for 15 minutes before serving.