cake mix cinnamon rolls

I've been craving cinnamon rolls for awhile now. I've also been too lazy to make them. After a teasing week of warm weather, I couldn't help but make them on this snowy day. They were the perfect remedy. Nothing beats eating a cinnamon roll while snuggled in a blanket watching American Housewife. If you haven't watched that show you need to. You can thank me later.

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

(makes 24)

Ingredients

Cinnamon rolls:

1 box of white or yellow cake mix 

2 pkgs of active dry yeast 

2 1/2 cups of warm water 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp salt 

5 cups flour 

Filling:

2 cups of brown sugar 

Cinnamon 

1/2 cup of butter, softened 

Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese, softened 

1/4 cup of butter, softened 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/8 tsp salt (of using salted butter skip this)

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar 

Instructions 

Head to Six Sisters' Stuff for the baking directions. Once your rolls are out of the oven cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the vanilla and salt. Beat in powdered sugar until frosting is smooth. If you like your frosting to melt onto your cinnamon rolls spread on once the rolls have cooled for 15-20 minutes. If you want the frosting to be firm wait until the rolls are completely cooled. Enjoy!

cat litter solution - hidden cat litter box

When we adopted my brother-in-law's cat the first thing I wanted to do was come up with a solution for the litter box. She started out in the unfinished basement, but I hated having the door to the basement constantly open. At first we were thinking of cutting a home in either the basement or garage door for a cat door. I also hated the idea of such a permanent solution.

We then came up with the idea of having a cabinet for the litter box. We found the perfect furniture piece at Ikea for $100. I loved the look, and I LOVED  that I could lock the doors to keep Elle out. This particular cabinet was large enough for the litter box, a box of extra litter, and the scoop. The litter box was out of the way yet easy to access, didn't interfere with the decor of the room, and contained all of the litter sand. It was perfect!

To create our poop palace we cut a hole the same size at a cat door (a six inch square). We didn't want Kitty to get cut on the raw metal edges, so we wrapped the edges a couple of times with white duct tape. To train Kitty we left the doors open and put a treat on the ledge of the cabinet. When she got up into the cabinet I dropped a treat down the hole so she would go down and get it. Once she confidently used the hole I put one more treat inside and closed the doors. It was that simple for us. I have a nightlight plugged in behind the cabinet to help keep the area illuminated. 

The poop palace is a huge hit in our house. We were worried that it would get smelly, but we haven't had any issues. I usually put an scented oil diffuser on the side closest to the couch just to be safe. This cabinet is perfect for those with kiddos or are renting and can't cut holes for cat doors.

thoughts on faith

I have faith that spring will come, and the snow will melt. Is it hard to have this faith when it just keeps snowing? Sometimes. Inevitable, every April there is a snow storm that comes to test my faith, but I know that the sun will come. I’ve lived through many northern Utah winters, and I’ve seen the blossoms that come even after the bleakest of days.

Faith isn’t something you simply obtain and will never leave. Faith is like a muscle; it needs to be constantly tried. If you aren’t working on building your faith it is dwindling. Luckily we have some tips on how we can exercise our faith and help increase it.

Hearing and following the words of God

Faith comes by hearing the word of God. We hear the word of God from living prophets, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and from searching the word of God in the scriptures. We must ponder and meditate upon the scriptures. In studying and searching the word of God, we gain faith.The world has a hard time with the idea of a living prophet on the earth. They are like the people in the great and spacious building in Lehi’s dream. We need to make sure we aren’t the men and women that Lehi saw who partook of the fruit, then left because those mocking them made them feel ashamed.

In a worldwide leadership training meeting, President Hinckley said:“No one need tell you that we are living in a very difficult season in the history of the world. Standards are dropping everywhere. Nothing seems to be sacred anymore.“… I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah. … I think our Father must weep as He looks down upon His wayward sons and daughters.”“We must not give up. We must not become discouraged. We must never surrender to the forces of evil. … If it means standing alone, we must do it.“But we shall not be alone.”

President Harold B. Lee taught: “The only safety we have as members of this church is to … give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet. There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your [personal] views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; … and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory’ (D&C 21:6).

Through the last couple of years I have noticed that it is harder for members of the LDS church to sit on the fence. I have seen friends of mine who were fence sitters that have slipped to the other side either from the pressure of the world. We know the winning side. We need to gather the faith to stay on the right side of the fence no matter what others say. We need a strong testimony of the relationship of prophets and God. How we get that testimony and increase our faith is to immerse ourselves in the word of God through current prophets and those of the past.

Elder Robert D. Hales explained, “We know there was a war in heaven over the plan of salvation, so it is not surprising that the religious principles that have been taught in this, the last dispensation, are attacked with malignant ferocity.”

Fasting and prayer

A couple weeks ago my 14 year old sister-in-law went to receive her patriarchal blessing. She had prepared herself and knew the importance of this blessing. She fasted all day before her blessing in the evening to prepare herself spiritually. When she went to receive her blessing the Patriarch mentioned to her that he knew she was spiritually prepared because he felt the spirit so strongly hours before her appointment. She received a beautiful and very specific blessing.

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated, “If there is any one thing you and I need in this world is faith, that dynamic, powerful, marvelous element by which, as Paul declared, the very worlds were framed… Faith -- the kind of faith that moves one to get on his knees and plead with the Lord and then get on his feet and go to work -- is an asset beyond compare, even in the acquisition of secular knowledge”

Base decisions off of your testimony

As life progresses we are given decisions that need to be made. Some are simple, others are more complex. Some only affect us, other can affect many. Some you need to make alone, some you need to involve other in the decision at hand. Having a strong testimony and a deep faith in God can make even the most difficult decisions a little easier.

Elder Robert D. Hales shared the following story:

"When I was 15 years old, I realized the significance of a testimony of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the Savior and how it affects our choices.

My brother, Joe, was 20 years old. It was during the Korean conflict, and only one young man in each ward could go on a mission. The others had to be available to be drafted into the military. A young man in our ward had gone on a mission early in the year; my brother’s birthday was in September, so he didn’t think he would get the opportunity to serve a mission.

Our stake president called my brother in and told him that one of the wards had not used its allotment and he might be able to go. Missionaries were called at 20 years of age in those days, and my brother had just filled out his application to medical school. He was a good student. My father, who was not active in the Church, had made financial preparations to help him with medical school and was disappointed when he learned of the conversation with the stake president. My father counseled Joe not to go and suggested that he could do more good by going to medical school.

This was a big issue in our family. That night my brother and I talked about the choice. He was five years older, so it was mainly his thinking. As we reasoned it out, we concluded: If Jesus Christ was a great man but not divine, if Joseph Smith was a wonderful teacher but not a prophet, or if the Book of Mormon had wonderful counsel but was not the word of God, then Dad was right—it would be better to go to medical school. But if Jesus Christ is divine, if Joseph Smith is a prophet, and if the Book of Mormon is the word of God, then it would be more important to accept the call and proclaim the gospel.

That night, more than ever before, I wanted to know the answers to these questions. I had always believed in the divinity of Jesus Christ. I believed in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but I wanted confirmation from the Lord. That night, as I prayed, the Spirit bore witness to my soul of the Savior and the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. My brother received the same witness and made the choice to serve a mission. Incidentally, when my brother returned from his mission, he went to medical school. When I reached my 20th birthday, my father was happy to see me serve a mission."

Having a deep knowledge of the gospel and faith in the plan of salvation can help you decide what is most important in life. Decisions that once seemed important can seem trivial when put in an eternal perspective.

Humility

All spiritual growth begins with humility. Humility is having and understanding our relationship to God the Father and Jesus Christ and our dependence upon Them. They are the objects upon which our faith rests, the figures in whom our faith is centered.

Almost exactly one year ago I was down in St. George with Ellie visiting my family. Jeremy was working, and was planning on meeting up with us on the weekend. That Thursday evening, around midnight, I received a call from Jeremy. He explained to me that our 24 year old brother-in-law had suddenly passed away. He left behind Jeremy’s 25 year old sister. This was a really hard time for our family. We had a lot of unanswered questions. We had a lot of anger. We had a lot of despair. My faith never wavered, however. Even though I had no idea why Mitch had to leave Brittany and the rest of us, I never doubted for a second that it would be okay. I knew it wouldn’t be quick, and I knew it wouldn’t be painless, but I knew everything would sort itself out. My faith in God and in the plan of salvation has grown by leaps and bounds this last year. No one asks for trials, but you better believe that you can become a better person if you humble yourself and let God into your life. I read in a book recently, “If life is a bowl full of cherries, ask for a wolf to knock at your door.” I don’t think anyone can look back at their trials and say, “If I could pick the trial to go through, that definitely would have been it,” but I guarantee if you look back at your trials you will notice insight, strength, blessings that you wouldn’t trade for anything.

Pres. Ezra Taft Benson once stated: “Now let me describe to you what faith in Jesus Christ means. Faith in Him is more than mere acknowledgement that He lives. It is more than professing belief. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence, and love. There is no human problem beyond His capacity to solve. Because He descended below all things, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties.”

Russell M. Nelson exclaimed, “Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord “shall suffer persecution." That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.”

We are to a point in our lives that we need faith. We need strong testimonies. We need to constantly work on our heavenly relationships. Through the word of God, prayer and fasting, our testimonies, and humility we can increase our faith in God.

ham chowder

Mom's Ham Chowder

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup ham, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 qt half and half
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, cubed
small carrot, grated
3/4 cup flour
1 can creamed corn

Instructions

In a pot, boil vegetables until tender then drain. In a large pot melt butter, then add flour and stir together on low head to create a roux. Slowly add half and half while stirring making sure to smooth out all the clumps. Add in drained veggies, ham, and cream corn. Heat through and serve when soup reaches desired temperature.

what are you working towards that you could use help with?

As a kid I assumed I would go to school, get married, and have kids. It seemed as though that is what everyone did, so it must be an easy plan. It has not turned out to be so easy. I guess school wasn't too bad. You know what to expect, for the most part, when it comes to schooling. Getting married didn't work out how I thought, however. I didn't get married until I was twenty-six. That's on the later end for girls in the LDS community. It was hard for me. I wanted to be married. I wanted to start my family. My least favorite question: "Are you dating anyone?" and when I answered no the response was even better, "Why?" Why would you ask someone why they weren't dating anyone? What answer are you looking for?

Well, I finally got the marriage thing sorted out. I found a really good one. Then the next step was to have kids, right. That shouldn't be too hard. Wrong again. First, I went on birth control when we first got married. That turned me in a crazy person. My periods lasted for two weeks, and I was an emotional nightmare. Poor Mister was probably wondering what he got himself into. I stayed on birth control for about a month or two, and then we decided to let fate take over. Well, fate decided to give us a lesson in patience. It took about a year and a half to get pregnant with Elle. I won't even start on the questions people ask about having babies and growing your family. Let's just leave it at this, there is never a need to ask anyone when they are going to start having kids, when they are going to grow their family, or why they don't have kids.

I know, I should consider myself blessed. Many cannot have children, or have to go to great lengths to make it happen. That doesn't change the fact that it was hard. Every month I had a frustrating reminder come and tell me that I was, once again, not pregnant. Some months I was sure I was pregnant. I drove myself crazy. Well, you know the ending to this story. Two years after we started trying for a baby we were blessed with Elle.

Now, here we are again trying to add to our family, and the timing is not what I would like. It's been over a year, and still no baby. I learned not to drive myself crazy this time though. According to my doctor, out of 100 couples only 50 will be pregnant after trying for six month. By the end of twelve months ninety percent of the couples will be pregnant. Mister and I are in the lucky ten percent. To make things even more fun, out of that ten percent, forty percent have a hard time getting pregnant because of female reproductive issues, forty percent have issues because of the male. Twenty percent can't get pregnant because of unknown reasons. That's us. We are the twenty percent out of the ten percent. We really should try for more lotteries.

For now, we have discovered that my Progesterone levels are low. I'm at a 1.9. The doctor explained that the preferred level is at least a 10. For now I try Clomid. This medication should hopefully raise my Progesterone levels and increase our chances of getting pregnant. It has some awesome side effects: ovulatory pain, hot flashes, night sweats, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, visual changes, headaches, abnormal bleeding, and the possibility of twins or triplets. For those of you who know me know that the idea of having twins is a nightmare. Oh well, I am willing to take the chance. Elle needs a sibling, and we want to grow our family. Hopefully it won't grow too quickly... Wish us luck!

creamy tortellini

Creamy Tortellini

Ingredients

2 jars marinara sauce
1-8 oz cream cheese, softened
1- 25 oz bag frozen tortellini
Pepperonis
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the marinara sauce and the cream cheese. Stir in the frozen tortellini. Pour tortellini mixture in a glass 9x13 pan. Top with pepperoni, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

soft chocolate chip cookies

These are Mister's favorite cookies. Often times when these cookies are available it is because he made them. I am not ashamed to admit that my husband makes better cookies than I do. I love that these cookies stay soft longer than just the day they were made. Get creative with your mix-ins. We love to add Butterfinger, toffee, or caramel bits.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1 1/2- 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugars, and eggs. Add salt and baking soda. Slowly add flour and mix together in between each cup you add. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop 1" balls of dough onto a baking sheet (12 balls to a sheet). Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges begin to brown.

refugee aid

Photo credit

News and social media feeds are filled with articles about refugees. It's hard to separate the truth from farce. The truth: refugees need help. I would hate it if others assumed that I am a bad person because I come from a country where there are bad people.

"Imagine leaving behind your home and all of your belongings to seek safety and shelter for you and your surviving loved ones. Imagine running from somewhere to nowhere. Imagine surviving shootings, bombings, torture, and starvation for months or years. Millions of refugees do this every year. Less than half of one percent of refugees are granted refugee status which allows them an opportunity to begin a new life."

There are many ways we can help. You can help financially or just with your time. There are many who would like to help, but don't know where to start. Two resources you can look into are the app Serve Refugees and the website I Was a Stranger. Both resources will give you information on what refugees have been going through and what is happening with them now. They will also give suggestions on how you can help.

Serve Refugees is an app that gives you information on how to serve or employ refugees. The service opportunities range from educating yourself, serving refugees, or giving to them. Some opportunities only take fifteen minutes of your time. I love how this app is set up. If you want, you can even earn points to get entered to win prizes. Here are some of the ways you can make a difference using the Serve Refugees app:

1. Watch informative videos
2. Intern with Utah Refugee Connection
3. Attend a CCS family mentor meeting
4. Tutor refugee children
5. Sponsor or Volunteer with a Burmese Refugee Scout Troop
6. Teach basic sewing skills to refugees
7. Order items off of an Amazon registry list for refugees
8. Create bathroom or cleaning kits
9. Donate new bedding, car seats, washers and dryers, clothing, bus passes, and athletic equipment
10. Become a friend to a refugee family

I Was a Stranger is a website created by the LDS Church. It contains informative articles and videos, and also has ideas for helping refugees. The videos are well-made and very informative. In addition, there are examples of how others are helping.  You can post your own stories of refugee relief on social media with #iwasastranger for a chance to be featured.

I personally have gained a testimony of the importance of helping. I wanted to find a way to keep giving and helping, so I decided to donate 10% of all purchases in my Etsy shop. I use the money to complete projects for the refugees, or donate the money to organizations focused to help in refugee aid. I have loved the opportunity to help in even a small way.

slow cooker white chicken chili soup

Chicken Chili Soup

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
24 oz chicken broth
1-15 oz can great Northern beans, drained
1-15 oz can black beans, drained
2-4 oz cans of green chilies
1-15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained (I used a pkg of Trader Joe's frozen grilled corn)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup half and half

Instructions

Head over to The Chunky Chef for the baking directions.

mister's birthday

This weekend we celebrated Mister's birthday. On Saturday we went to the Jazz game. We lost, but it was a really fun game to watch. Before the game with ate at Crown Burger. It's our Jazz game tradition. Did you know that you can park at Crown Burger for events? All you need to do is buy $18 worth of food and ask for a parking pass. We figure if we are going to pay for parking we might as well get delicious food out of it.  Sunday night we had Mister's siblings over for some dinner and ice cream cake.

Lately we have been so over winter in our house, and been going through a huge salad phase. Cobb salad is one of our favorites. This time we couldn't get to the grill because of all of the snow. We ended up using our George Foreman grill, and it worked out perfectly. This salad it plenty filling with the grilled chicken, hard boiled egg, and bacon. For those of you who hate de-shelling hard boiled eggs check out this post. 

Cobb Salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes, diced
Hard boiled egg, sliced
Grilled chicken, sliced
Croutons
Bacon, crumbled
Lettuce
Ranch dressing (or dressing of your choice)

Instructions

Placed desired amount of lettuce (I use Romaine) on plate. Top with remaining ingredients and drizzle with ranch dressing. You can also add bleu cheese (we just aren't fans at our house). Enjoy!

creamy caramel apple dip

Creamy Caramel Apple Dip

Ingredients

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple butter
1/2 cup caramel sauce
1/2 -1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup toffee bits
sliced apples

Instructions

Head over to Six Sisters' Stuff for the directions. Enjoy!

slow cooker loaded potato soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients

5 lb russet potatoes (washed and diced - not peeled)
1 medium onion (diced)
10 cloves garlic (minced)
64 oz chicken stock or broth
16 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp salt
Garnishes: bacon, chives, cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

Head to Mama Loves Food for the cooking directions. This soup was very thick. I thinned it out using some milk and chicken broth until it was the desired thickness. Enjoy!

the secret to boiled eggs

It snowed more this weekend. We have mounds of snow in our front yard that are taller than four feet. It's insane. It doesn't help that we have a north-facing house, so the snow never melts. Elle loved coming out and helping Mister and me shovel the snow. I don't know for sure, but I feel like we got 6-8" of snow. It really was crazy! I am more than ready for winter to end. Spring could come today and I would cry tears of joy. Today's recipe isn't really a recipe, but it is the most successful way I have had with boiling eggs. I hate when it comes time to peel the shell off the egg, and by the time you are done your egg looks like it has been through the war. This method has proven to create easy to peel eggs time and time again.

Easy to Peel Boiled Eggs

Ingredients

Eggs
Water

Instructions

In a sauce pan, place the amount of eggs you would like boiled. Make sure there is enough room for the eggs to lay in a single layer. Cover the eggs with cold water. Place on a burner and turn it on. Once the eggs start boiling wait 1 minute then turn the burner off. Cover the pan with a lid, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. After the ten minutes, drain the water out of the pan and immediately run cold water over the eggs. I just fill up the pan with cold water then drain again, and repeat a couple of times. Fill the pan with cold water one last time, but don't drain it out. Take each of the eggs and crack them (but don't peel), then place them back in the pan of cold water and let them sit for about 5 minutes. After they have been in the water for a bit you can go ahead and peel them. The shells should come right off!

how are you making a difference in the world?

Before I had Elle I was an elementary school teacher. It was the most rewarding and challenging job I have ever had. I loved teaching and I loved the students. I hated the hoops and all the people I had to please. I had to please the parents, the principal, the district, the state, and the list went on and on. Let's focus on what I loved. I loved seeing students light up when they finally caught on to a math concept. I loved seeing the pride in a child when they moved up a reading level. I loved seeing the surprise on a girl's face when she received 100% on a spelling test for the first time.

I loved the challenge of building a relationship with students that have been down on their luck for years -- who were known as the "bad kid". I have story after story of challenging students, and the transformation they had throughout the school year. I can testify that the children that are the hardest to love truly are the ones that need it the most. I also can attest to the fact that once you have earned their trust they will stay by your side forever. There are some students that will always have a piece of my heart. I won't ever forget them. I can't possibly forget them. They have helped make me who I am today. I never thought I could say that about nine and ten-year-olds, but it is true.

Although I am no longer a teacher, my influence on children remains. I have an influence on my own child, and hopefully future children. I have the opportunity to teach them how to be good people. I can show them the importance of integrity. I can prove to them that nothing feels better than honest, hard work. I can help them see that fairness doesn't necessarily mean equality. I can be an example of sympathy and kind-heartedness. I'm not a perfect parent, not will I ever be, but you better believe that I will try my hardest. The world needs that.

what is your perfect day?

My life is good. I really can't complain. Of course there are things I wouldn't mind changing, but I am so blessed. Mister is amazing, and Elle is the sweetest little toddler. We live in a great area with neighbors that would do just about anything for each other. However, if I could pick a perfect day it would probably look like this:

It would begin with me waking up on my own. No cat pawing at my face, no toddler yelling, "Mommy!" I would go downstairs and find Elle eating her breakfast perfectly. I would eat my own magically appearing plate of French toast with a glass of orange juice. The dishes would clean themselves, of course.

The morning weather would be sunny and beautiful. Elle and I would go for a walk, and when we got home she would play perfectly so I could take a nice shower and have plenty of time to get ready for the day. My mom would show up and we would shop the rest of the morning away. We would go to lunch and chat forever because Elle is eating her lunch like a champ.

When Elle and I get home we have some quality coloring time together before her nap. During her three hour nap I will read a good book while taking a bubble bath. After my bath, I would watch American Housewife while making a wreath. Mister would get home early, and we would drop Elle off to a babysitter so we could have a date night.

To start out the date Mister would take me to the mall and help me pick out a new outfit. We would then eat a delicious dinner. After dinner we would make our way to a Jazz game, then spend the night at a nice hotel.

Oh, man. That is what dreams are made of.

mom's meatloaf

It keeps snowing. It never stops. I have needed to go to the grocery store for days, but refuse to go in the snow. Luckily I'm a hoarder and we have a overloaded freezer and pantry. Lately, I have refused to make dinner meals focused on what Elle will eat. We have a standing rule in our house that if she won't eat dinner then she just doesn't eat. She doesn't get a snack before bedtime either. Last night I asked her if she wanted to come eat dinner. She responded, "No thank you." At least she was polite, I guess.

Meatloaf sounded so good tonight. A nice comfort food meal for a snowy day. As I was looking at the recipe I realized I didn't have some of the ingredients - that was not going to stop me. The nice thing about meatloaf is that it is really hard to mess up. As long as you have beef, and you make sure it is the right consistency you are probably good to go. Here's how much I deviated: we didn't have sausage, so I left it out. We didn't have eggs, so I substituted 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. We didn't have bread crumbs, so I ground up saltine crackers. We didn't have tomato sauce, so I used ketchup. I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder because I'm obsessed with garlic powder. Guess what, it still turned out great! Elle even ate tonight!

Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sausage
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs (finely ground)
small can of tomato sauce (divided)
3 Tbsp dried onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl combined beef, sausage, egg, half of the can of tomato sauce, onion, and seasonings (I use my hands). The mixture should stick together like you are making a giant meatball. If the mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs. If the mixture is too dry, add more tomato sauce. Press the meat mixture into a 5x9 bread pan. Pour a thin layer of left over tomato sauce on top of meat. Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Half way through remove foil and finish baking. I like to broil my meatloaf at the end for a bit to make sure the tomato sauce isn't liquidy (nice English, I know). If you choose to broil, make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

pink & gold baby shower

This weekend I had the opportunity to go down to St. George all by myself. All.by.myself. Of course, the laws of nature decided that they wanted me to stay home. Even St. George was hit with snow, and the entire state's temperatures were below freezing. I made up my mind that I wouldn't chance it on icy roads and stay home.

Early Friday afternoon, a neighbor of mine mentioned on Facebook that they were on their way to St. George. After some conversation back and forth, I decided the roads were safe enough to be traveled. I'm so glad I went because the roads were just fine, and I had a blast hanging out with my sisters and mom.

My youngest sister, Rylee, is due with her first little baby at the beginning of February, so we wanted to shower her with some love and gifts. When planning her shower we decided to forgo a theme, and just go with the colors gold, pink, and peach. It turned out perfectly!

When the guests walked in they were asked to write their address on an envelope for Rylee to use for "thank you" cards. They also had the chance to name the baby. Rylee got a lot of really cute name suggestions. I might even steal a few...

The food table was the best! We made Caesar salad, artichoke dip, cream cheese raspberry chipotle dip, and ham & cheese sliders. The desserts were just as yummy. We had knock-off Swig sugar cookies, white chocolate dipped rice crispy treats, and popcorn. Many guests commented on how they liked Whitnee's sugar cookies better than Swig's. Sorry Swig!

The biggest hit of the party was the drink bar. We had vanilla, raspberry, peach, coconut, and pomegranate syrups; vanilla Coffee Mate cream; and Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, and Sprite sodas. I made a drink menu with some mix ideas, and we made sure to have an ice bucket full of pellet ice.

For the drink menu, I added the baby mama and dad's favorite drinks, and other family favorites. I assigned each drink a baby shower appropriate name, and categorized them according the the base soda in the drink. It was a fun to talk about the different drinks everyone chose to mix. (Free download at the bottom of the post.)

My mom and my sister Jessica were the brains behind the decor. This banner was made out of treat bags. It was such a cheap and easy way to decorate. Don't you worry, I won't leave you high a dry without a tutorial.

Materials you will need are enough treat bags for the size of banner you want to make, scissors, ruler, pencil, double sided tape or glue stick, and ribbon or string.

On the opening side of the treat bag, make a mark with a pencil in the middle of the bag.

Draw a straight line connecting the corner of the bottom of the bag to the pencil mark you made in the middle of the bag. Repeat for the other bottom corner.

Cut along you lines and you will be left with a triangle. The top of the triangle should be the sealed bottom part of the bag - perfect for draping over a ribbon or string.

Open your bag triangle, and insert the ribbon or string.

Glue or tape the top and bottom triangles together so they won't separate and fall off the ribbon. Repeat steps until you have the desired length of banner. You can add letters to spell something, or just leave the triangles.

Click the picture to download the drink menu.

what was your childhood dream?

First thing that came to mind when I saw this question was the game M.A.S.H. that I played all.the.time growing up. You know the one:

M.A.S.H.

Occupation
Dentist
Lawyer
Teacher
Plumber

Car
Infinity QX80
1950's Chevy Truck
Jeep Wrangler
School Bus

Husband
George Clooney
Harrison Ford
Jake Gyllenhaal
Mr. Bean

Number of Kids
2
3
4
25

City I Live In
Paris
New York
Los Angeles
Bunkerville

Pet
Dog
Cat
Fish
Porcupine

I had Google randomly pick a number between 1 and 10, here are my results: I live in a shack in Los Angeles with Jake Gyllenhaal. We have 4 kids and a pet fish. I drive my Infinity to my dental office everyday for work. Thank you lucky number seven!

Seriously though, as a kid I didn't have one huge dream that I held onto forever. I was pretty flippant. I guess the most stable wish I had for my future was that I would marry and have kids. I wanted to be like my mom. Heck, I still want to be like my mom. I know I did toss around the idea of being a dentist, lawyer, teacher, and orthodontist. None of them stuck for a long period of time though.

I would love to hear your childhood dreams, and your M.A.S.H. stories. Nothing is more realistic than M.A.S.H. results.

what challenge do you want to overcome?

I have learned that I have very little self-control. Do you want to watch another 4 hours of Netflix even though you shouldn't? Sure! Do you want to eat that brownie even though you ate half the brownie batter while it was cooking? Sure! Do you want to sleep an extra 10 minutes instead of showering? Absolutely! I've learned that being a stay-at-home mom makes it even worse. I don't really have anyone to answer to. I mean, I have Mister, but he is so understanding and kind that he wouldn't judge me even if he knew how.

It's really easy for me to watch an extra show or two, or double-tap a million more pictures on Instagram while Elle is playing nicely instead of cleaning up the kitchen or vacuuming. This challenge has been hard for me to overcome because I don't have anyone around during the day to cheer me on, or nudge me in the right direction. It is just me and my limited self-control. I know it isn't going to happen overnight, but I need to come up with some benchmarks to help me see improvement. If I don't see improvement I give up on most things pretty easily.

I'm opening myself up here. If any of you have any suggestions for me I would love to hear them!

what would you do if you were not afraid?

Immature, late bloomer, loud, obnoxious, impulsive, overweight... I grew up with these labels. As an adult I am scared of what others think of me. First impressions terrify me; they matter a lot to humans. I prefer sitting at home and being with my family, mostly because I love spending time with my family, also because social situations give me anxiety. I hate small talk. I fail at it every time. Unless I am talking to a person that is great at carrying conversation, the chatting dies fairly quickly.

A lot of my friends have told me that when they first met me they thought I was full of myself. I am very talkative and animated when I am in a familiar crowd, but stick in a stranger and my lips are sealed. Many perceive this as me thinking that I am too good for them, when in reality I am terrified of what they might think of me.

I am fully aware that this is something I need to work on. I am missing out on a lot of great relationships because of my self-consciousness. I am making progress though. Little by little, I am accepting myself for who I am. It helps that I have a great husband. Mister hates it when I put myself down. It has made me really think about what I say. My friends help me too. It helps to know that people like me for who I am. I like being surrounded by people who know my weaknesses and love me anyway - there is nothing my empowering.