Awkward

For my birthday, I will give you a gift.

A few photos of me.

Number one.
Sorry, sis, but this has to be shared.  Awkward family photo.  
Fairy princesses. 

We were at the Western Idaho County Fair...
Every girl wants to be a cute fairy princess, but we look a bit too old to be cute...
Cos-play here we go!
But seriously, this is just a bad photo.

 The rest of these are my senior photos.  When I saw them I was practically in tears because they were so bad and horribly embarrassing.  The worst part is that one of these photos landed itself into the yearbook.  I didn't care to get an actual photographer because the schools in the area did a uniform yearbook photo where girls have this 'shawl' thing pinned to you and the guys have this fake tux. But I wish I did get an actual photographer for my senior photos. You go into this thinking these guys will help you out a bit, but no.  No help at all.  You walk in like a lamb to the slaughter.  Okay not that dramatic, but for high school purposes, it feels that dramatic. 

I didn't really understand the pose here.  And the pink back light makes everything worse.
  Am I at a club?  

I hate my wispy hair so much!  Seriously! (I didn't realize what I did with my hair until after they took this photo.  No do overs.  

Wispy hair take two.
I almost have an emo look.
I'm pretty sure this is the one that made it to the yearbook. 

I am a chameleon! 

I had a few other photos from this photo shoot, but they got "lost."
 I am glad photography is becoming a fun hobby for so many to enjoy.  Next time I have an important event, I'll hire someone.

You are welcome.

Birthday Memories

Tomorrow I will be twenty four years old.  Hooray. 

My dad wanted to know which birthday was my favorite birthday thus far, but I always have a difficult time choosing. So, I thought instead I'd share a few of my favorite birthday memories.
  *My dad loves to be adventurous with cake decorating.  He would buy plastic dinosaurs or cowboys and Indians and stick them all over the cake.  
  *We never bought wrapping paper for birthday presents.  Instead my family would use the cartoons from the Sunday paper as wrapping paper.  Best wrapping paper ever.
  *Flowers.  I love getting flowers for my birthday (tip for next year).  My mom once got me this cute little yellow bowl with a bunch of red and white carnations for my birthday.
  *Birthday parties at school.  One of the best reasons to avoid schoolwork in school.
     
Okay last weird birthday favorite memory took place on my fifteenth birthday.  I didn't do much that day except for go to school and hang out with my family afterwards.  My step-sister, sister, and I hung out together that evening.  We ate chips and salsa and watched the movie "Two Weeks Notice".  But I think I liked it so much because of the sisterly bond strengthened that day.  Or perhaps it was Hugh Grant. ; )

No pictures were taken that day, but I thought you'd like to see a cute picture of me taken right before my Homecoming dance which took place a couple of weeks after my fifteenth birthday.

I did have a date for this Homecoming even though I wasn't 16.
Most awkward feeling was dancing with him in front of my bishop.
I may have been a rebel.
My date may have needed a mint.

 

What's Cooking?

      I love home cooked meals, and right now, I'm interested in making my meals from scratch as much as possible.  Recently, I've made a couple of attempts to make cooking from scratch a bit easier.  Not that I don't have time to cook--I just want to make life easier so I can do things like be on the computer doing...stuff.  So here are two tips I will share with you.
The first is to make a rotisserie chicken in your crock pot such as the recipe found here.  I do things a bit differently, however; I buy chicken breasts with the bones and skin attached because meat is really expensive (like $4.99/lb for boneless, skinless chicken breasts).  I cook the chicken in the same fashion as the Busy Mommy blogger, and usually end up using the chicken in curry or soups.  Or I even just leave the chicken as is, and serve it with roasted vegetables.  
My second tip is to use your crock pot to make a lot of broth.  I made broth earlier this week/last weekend, and I got perhaps 25 cups of broth doing multiple rounds of broth.  I found this recipe here that explains the routine/recipe.  However, sometimes I just cook the broth on low for twelve hours instead of an initial twenty -four hours, and then leave it on warm to cool down for a few hours.  When the broth has cooled, I'll strain it and then place it into two- or four- cup containers that'll then be placed into the freezer until I need it. I've loved doing this because now I always have broth on hand which has been especially helpful since Greg has been sick.
I hope these tips help especially now that we are moving into a busier time of year.  What do you do to make cooking from scratch easier?

Update on our House

It's still weird for me to say "house" instead of "apartment", but anyway, I promised I would give an update on what everything looks like.

No longer in boxes, this is our improved second bedroom:

We got this beautiful dresser from one of Greg's professors.  I love the blue front!

I love this little detail!  This is a little ring holder on the inside of the dresser.  Pretty nifty!

I wanted to make this room really bright and cheery!

Cool ledge on the way to the downstairs.  I thought it would be a great place for pictures.  I need more pictures of Greg's family...

We shifted the room around with the help of the missionaries. C:

I love that my kitchen table isn't against the wall!  

New, but used china hutch also from Greg's professor!  Finally I can display the china I got before I was married! 

We should just call this a party hutch.  Okay lame joke?  Come play games with us!

Journals

The members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sometimes reminded to keep a journal.  I've sometimes heard the joke that some people have tried to keep a journal just like Wilford Woodruff, but after a couple of days, they forget to do so after a week or so because it can be overwhelming.  I mean, to keep a daily history is an overwhelming task just like any habit you want to gain.

But why keep a journal in the first place?

Perhaps, one reason is that we can follow the order of the Church which has had a historian and record keeper since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized.  From the beginning, Joseph Smith was asked to keep a record of the Church.  Through revelation, Joseph Smith called John Whitmer to "keep a regular history, and assist...my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things...(D&C 47:1)"  John Whitmer was also asked to "keep the church record and history continually (47:3)."  So, certain men were called to keep a record of the Church and take turns transcribing for the Prophet Joseph.  And when we go back and look at further accounts of the dealings of Christ with His people, such as Nephi, we are told why he and other prophets kept a record as well (1 Nephi 9).  The records are for their posterity and for us.  Think of all that we have because these men fulfilled their callings!

Another reason, I often think that our journals can be like that of the accounts of Nephi and other prophets.  Sure we don't receive revelation for a large congregation of people, but we can have personal revelation touch our lives, and record that revelation as reminders  President Eyring gave a talk about his experience of keeping a journal.  When he was recalling the day, he said that he learned to recognize the hand of the Lord in his life, and he recognized that the Lord blessed him.  Essentially our journals can be reminders of ways the Lord loves us, and like scriptures of old.  Wouldn't that be something you would want on hand?  I mean, to recall how Our Heavenly Father can touch our lives. Our daily accounts may not always have revelation intermingled, but I think of how much you can gain from recalling and recounting your days in a journal.  What can you learn as you look back on your life and your experiences?  What can your children learn?

So, here is what I do: I have a day planner with small sections for each day for me to record the day's activities, and my thoughts.  I also like to write down my goals for the day or even the week.  Now, I don't always record everything right away-generally it's a once or twice a week recollection of my days and account.  But I highlight the most important events.  I also have an extra section to scribble in some thoughts as well.  And this is so easy!  I also have another journal that Greg gave me last Christmas.  I keep this one on my night stand for my scripture study and I try to take it to Church with me so that I can record other thoughts and ideas.  I also like to use this to make longer entries and expound on things in my life that I can't fit in my day planner.

So, my question is do you keep a journal?  If so, how often?  What insights have you gained from one?

Perspective on Work

Today, I started my first day at my new job.  I work at a local grocery store now.  Is this the job I've always dreamed of?  No.  But finding a job in this area is pretty hard.  Not just saying that, but honestly, everyone I talk to says the same thing.  I found it really frustrating to realize that even jobs like teacher's assistants in an elementary school require certain certifications!  I know that it is difficult to find full-time jobs elsewhere, but here I feel like I am having the hardest time finding a full-time job!  I hear wonderful things about benefits for full-time employees, and I've learned that employers have to shell out a lot of money for their full-time employees because they have to provide so many benefits!!  But I must say that I am grateful for this job for a few reasons.

1. Money.  Of course money is necessary for living.  And one thing that I learned today is that if you put a reasonable request for pay when you fill out your application, then that company will generally give it to you.  The minimum wage here is $10.50/hr, and I asked for $12.00/hr.  And I get $12.00/hr which I am truly grateful for because honestly, it's expensive to live here!  (So next time you fill out an application for a crappy job and they ask what you want for pay, don't necessarily ask for minimum wages!)

2. Location.  I knew that I wanted a job near by especially since I don't get paid much.  This job is a 10-minute walk from my house.   I don't have to take pay for the bus or drive (gas is $1.32/Liter here which means about $70 to fill the tank).

3. I have a different perspective as U.S. citizen working in Canada.  See, I don't think I would get paid vacation time as a part-time employee, but apparently I do get paid here. It probably doesn't add up to much, but heck, I'll take what I can get.

4.  The people are generally nice.  Funny story, however; when I went in for training, it seemed like everyone was saying, "Don't let the a__holes get you down!" or "I realize there are some real a__holes here, but just ignore them."

5. I also get to work with produce and make a bunch of healthy foods for people.  Of course, work still sucks, but it's work.  Not fun time.  See Red Foreman's speech on work here:

6. I can and I am looking for other jobs out there, but for now, this will do.  Honestly, lying about and doing nothing is horrible.  So yes, I am grateful for this wonderful, crappy job.

Recipe: Pizza

Since I've been in Canada, I've had the opportunity to cook from scratch more often.  A big part of this has been to see if I could make healthier and cheaper food items.  Plus, I've also had a lot of time on my hands to make meals from scratch.  I've pretty much enjoyed this.

Anyway, I thought it was about time for me to share one of my favorite pizza dough recipes with the world.  I first learned this recipe from another gal when we were volunteering at an after school activity.  This pizza dough recipe is really wonderful because it can be whipped up in 25 minutes or so, or you can take your time with it (15 hrs!).

Dough-
Ingredients:
1 packet yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar
3 cups of flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

In a bowl, combine yeast, water, and honey (sugar), and leave it to sit for five minutes to twelve hours.  Now, as this yeast mixture is sitting, I like to start preparing the toppings of the pizza.  For a while, I used lunch meat (I know this sounds weird, but it actually isn't too bad) such as ham, and I've been cutting it up into small pieces for the topping, but when I moved to Canada, I was inspired.  I tried bacon on my pizza.  You might be thinking, "Why didn't you use pepperoni?", but honestly I just don't like the pepperoni you buy from the store.  So, I fried up a few slices of bacon for this pizza, and I cut it up into small pieces for the pizza.  So, if you are going to try bacon on pizza, I recommend doing it after you've created your yeast mixture for the dough.  At this point, go back and add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture, and allow the dough to sit for 20 minutes to 3 hours.  I then work on the sauce. Really, your taste buds will determine the flavor you want, so add as little or as much seasoning you want.

Sauce-
Ingredients:
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
Italian seasoning
salt
8 oz can of tomato paste
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
oil or butter

So, remember that bacon?  Well, here is a good use for that bacon grease.  Now, you can wipe up some of the grease because there is a lot in the pan, but use it.  It adds flavor the sauce, and honestly, what's the point of wasting it all?  Add grated garlic to greased pan, and saute it for a few minutes.  Then stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes.  Add seasonings, and allow the tomato sauce to thicken.  Cook for five or so minutes on medium heat.  At this point, you can prepare the rest of your toppings for the pizza, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I like use mozzarella cheese, add bacon (of course),pineapple, onion, mushrooms, and green bell peppers to mine.  Roll out your dough onto a pizza stone, and add sauce, cheese and toppings.  Cook your pizza for 20 minutes or so (check the edges/bottom of the crust to see if it's lightly brown), and voila!  Delicious food made from scratch.

Side view. My favorite pizza now!

Aerial view. Delicious!