"Monson, Party of Four"

My First Winter Craft!

2011-11-06T13:37:00.005-07:00

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Frosty Monson

Didn't I tell you after that button-up shirt fiasco that I would craft something cute out of some of hubby's old socks? I did! Aren't they adorable? Want to make your own? Then head on over here! But, a couple of things I did differently that may give you some ideas for if you want to make your own:

* The eyes are sewing pins since all my buttons seemed too large and crazy-looking to be eyes (brown for me and blue for hubby).
* The clothing on mine is a leftover long-sleeve from a nightgown I once modified into a short-sleeved nightgown (one good reason to keep random fabric scraps in your arsenal - for random Saturday night crafts). The bow scarf is also leftover ribbon. I used some small silver pins (the kind you get in nice men's dress shirts...yup, I keep those, too!) to make the lovely shape of the bows on both the neck and the head since I can't tie bows worth a darn!
* Hubby's clothing consists of an old black sock and a scarf from...wait for it...a pair of hubby's old pj pants! The hat is just the toe of the black sock, pinned in the back to give it shape and to stay in place.

So yup, these little "snowpeople" were made completely from leftover socks and scraps! I'm already decorating for Winter even though it's a crispy Fall weekend here in the Mid-West. So, what's next? :)

Some things on Pinterest...

2011-11-05T14:59:00.006-06:00

For a good laugh, you've come to the right place today!

Here, we have a no-sew tutorial for a women's shirt/dress/call-it-what-you-will-but-I-call-it-slutty that was recently floating around on Pinterest:
And, here's what it looks on your average housewife who's a little ADHD when it comes to doing housework on a Saturday (See shirt on floor. Rather than putting in laundry hamper and continuing on with cleaning, think of Pinterest pin.):

Moral of the story? Some things on Pinterest should just be left alone.

And now I will go finish crafting some other old clothing item of my husband's into something more worthy of the weekly pin-did challenges over on the awesome Modern Marigold blog. Oh, and putting the shirt in the laundry hamper. One thing at a time, Ma, one thing at a time.

Smart shopping

2011-10-06T13:14:00.006-06:00

I am the wife of an MD/PhD student who earns a small stipend and a stay-at-home-mother of two small children. According to the US government standards, we are considered to be below the poverty line but I think we live quite comfortably, eat very well, and the only current debt we have is our home mortgage. Yes, I'll willingly admit we currently qualify and use WIC (women infant children food assistance program). But we also shop quite frugally and manage to stretch our dollars quite far!

If it’s alright, I’d like to pass some of my frugal grocery shopping tips on to you. You can also learn more by just Googling for more frugal shopping and even frugal cooking tips. Lots of people write blogs and websites devoted to shopping on tight budgets. Heck! I’m still learning and I'd love to hear from others what sort of money-saving techniques you use when grocery shopping as well as favorite blogs on the subject!

Price per ounce – shop with a calculator to figure out which package of vegetables will give you the most for your money. Sometimes, beggars can’t be choosers and one must buy the store-brand if it’s the cheapest. Some store-brands are even better than the name-brand!

Shop for sales and keep track of prices with a small notebook in your purse so you can record what a good price is when you come across it. Look at the store ads, clip coupons. Stock up on things to keep in your pantry you know you use often rather than waiting till you run out. Peanut butter on sale? Stock up if you eat it often. Mayonnaise? Pickles? Cereal? We're also in the market for a chest freezer so we can stock up on awesome priced frozen vegetables and meat.

Buy some items in bulk – dried beans, brown rice, sugar, flour, oatmeal, etc. It’s intimidating but a big bag of brown rice is a smarter choice than little boxes of minute rice and stores well in five-gallon buckets in my food storage room. Brown rice is also healthier and fills you up more than white rice. And you don’t have to be a family of four or more just to buy in bulk. Even my husband did it when he was a bachelor!

Food storage – Yes, I’m LDS. I grew up learning about food storage. It’s not just about being prepared for a natural disaster or job loss but stocking up on things you eat when on sale to easily have on hand. I stock up on canned food, boxed cereal, etc. Anything that has a good shelf life and that we eat often, I’ll buy when I can. I’ve also learned from my mother’s mistake of buying red wheat that she never could really use. Don't buy in bulk what you just won't eat!

My laundry/food storage room

Make dinners from scratch – I must confess that Stouffers lasagna is quite tasty but it’s expensive and actually not all that healthy (too much cheese also gives my nursing infant painful gas, anyway). I can also make a bigger pan of healthier lasagna for less than those frozen meals cost. Left overs are also just fine in our house. My husband made a huge batch of chili this weekend in our stockpot. He doesn’t mind eating it for lunch almost every day this week. And no, he’s not that gassy because his body is used to eating beans and able to digest them. (Besides, if you know anything about my sense of humor, I think farts are funny!)

Gardening – I can’t talk about this one but someday, I’ll find my green thumbs and figure out how to cultivate a garden of fresh fruits and veggies and learn how to preserve them for the winter months.

The list can go on and perhaps I'll write again in the future about smart shopping but this is what I've come up with in just one morning while my daughter watches some Cailou.

He's here!

2011-06-14T21:11:00.003-06:00

Announcing the arrival of Wesley Eric Monson
Born June 11th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
8 pounds 9 ounces and 21.5 inches long

May...the "almost there" for many things...month

2011-05-11T20:43:00.001-06:00

"Daffodils"
(NOT Dandelions...stupid preggo brain)

Yes, we're all still here, alive and well.

* Lizzy is growing tall, like the pretty dandelions in our lawn (yes, I think they're kinda pretty), that I can only buy clothes for her if she is right there with me in the store so I can hold them up to her and say "nope, next size". She has quite a vast vocabulary of words and sentences like delicious, what doing mommy?, nuffin', sorry mommy, and so what?

"Happy!"

*Hubby is studying his brains out (and I'm sort of trying to keep up with the mess) and will be finished with his first year of med school on Friday. YAY! And then the peasants shall rejoice (I dare you to name that 90's sitcom reference).

"Some days, we act like we've lost our minds...and most days we truly have."

*As for me, I'm feeling like a large hippo, move as slow as a turtle, waddle like a duck, and my ankles are nonexistent possibly due to a sudden heatwave hitting Iowa. My lack of oomph has caused me to do very little other than to plop my tooshie on the couch in front of a fan with Lizzy and read books, toss a ball, or draw on her nearly dead magna-doodle (man, those things don't hold up like they said they would, losers). (And this is my blog, I'm allowed to complain, neener neener!)

"Happy Birthday to mommy"

* Bjorn/Thorin/Wesley/McKay is riding quite low and still practicing his ninja kicks daily. Next week, I'll be considered full term at 37 weeks, Auntie Michelle will come for a visit, and I can then go into labor anytime (the sooner, the better, I say).

Whole 'nother game of hide-and-seek going on here!

2011-04-01T17:10:00.007-06:00

Not that anyone reads this blog much but here is today's big news:

I had a check-up today and, when the doctor used the doppler-thingy to check Bjorn's heartbeat, we all thought we could hear a second overlapping one. So she ordered an ultrasound and, lo and behold, somebody's been hiding all these months! Well, I guess like they say, two hearts are better than one! Now we're wondering whether to celebrate or freak out!
...
...
...
...
...
dooo
...
...
...
...
...
beee
...
...
...
...
...
dooo
...
...
...
...
...
beee
...
...
...
...
...
APRIL FOOL'S!!!!! Yeah right, like you were fooled. There's still just one in there and he's currently pummeling my liver (pate anyone?). We'll see if the "pregnancy gods" are angry with me on Monday at my real appointment and there really is another baby hiding behind Bjorn. You know my luck with pregnancy pranks (see April 1st, 2008). Even though, back then, we were trying. This round, we're NOT trying for twins.

Nothing but the usual around here...

2011-03-28T10:27:00.002-06:00

To pregnant ladies, there are no see-saws, only catapults

2011-01-23T20:53:00.006-07:00

And then we need help off the see-saw/catapult as our butts are flat on the ground and we get stuck easily. Was it worth it? Depends on who was on the other end.

Yes, it's probably time for a quick update of the ol' blog. Most of you know from facebook what gender baby #2 is but just in case you missed it - he shall be known as Bjorn...and sorry, but it's just a temporary name until we both can agree on a more permanent name. Yes, it is a boy. Soon as that ultrasound wand touched my tummy, Bjorn was ready to show himself off, unlike his more modest older sister, in a "look at me, mommy!" sort of fashion. I hope he doesn't continue that sort of behavior outside the womb.

Second, Iowa is okay. It's frickin' cold! So we're "hibernating" inside the house, in a sense, and therefore going slightly bonkers being cooped up. I'll leave the going out every day to school to hubby. For you Utahns who complain about cold weather in your neck of the woods, you ain't felt nothing yet, seriously. But I know, there are even worse places than Iowa or northern Utah and frankly, I don't give a dang, Scarlett. (Sorry, hormones...)

Third, my reading list is a blank slate again this year. I'll aim to at least surpass my success of 30 books from last year. Suggestions are welcome (just no overly political or excessively philosophical books, preferably).

Fourth, I want more sleep. Lizzy teased me with taking afternoon naps for three days and then gave them up again. I'm hoping it's just because she has a cold, otherwise, I'm toast. So goodnight.

What is up with mommy?!

2010-11-05T07:47:00.019-06:00

Mommy seems to be having some "issues" lately. Let me explain:

#1 Our kitchen has been a total mess off and on for quite some time, the sink and counter hardly see the light of day below all the dirty dishes that come and go, being replaced by other dirty dishes, etc. Mommy has troubles finding clean sippy cups for my daily milk intake. I'd do it myself but mommy says I just play with the bubbles. I guess that's true.

[Picture NOT forthcoming, mommy wouldn't let me]

#2 She often lets me watch a lot of episodes of this show while she lays on the couch. I'm not complaining about this one, though. I love the show and ask for it often! She tries to limit it on her "good days" though, dang it!

#3 This is one of her new friends, a little stiff and cold if I say so myself. And she won't share her new friend with me. How mean!

(Exact model not available)

#4 As well as this...thing-a-mabob, whatever it is. Supposedly, she often has midnight rendezvous with this friend as well. I wonder how daddy feels about this.

(Exact model also not available)

#5 Mommy also craves odd things, and often late at night - Oreos, Twizzlers, chicken nuggets, fruit loops - and anytime of the day - a smothered carne asada burrito from a cheap hole in the wall Mexican joint, chicken nuggets, cheese sandwiches, milkshakes, etc. She also eats like every 2-3 hours and often complains to daddy that "she's hungry but there's nothing to eat in the fridge". She also keeps a box of mini wheats next to her bed. I like to snuggle with her in the mornings and snack on them with her.

#6 Mommy wears a lot of pj pants...even in public. She says her jeans don't fit her anymore. This is getting rather embarrassing for me as her daughter! Somebody please call an intervention!

[No pictures allowed, just too embarrassing]

#7 That's not the only embarrassing thing. Mommy also farts...a lot more than usual...and tries to blame it on the cat. Not working. (Although, the cat did fart once, really gross.)

So peoples. What is up with my mommy?! Do you think it's serious enough to see a doctor about?

(But I only PLAYED a doctor on Halloween, I can't really diagnose mommy.)

I'm hoping someone could tell me what all this could mean for me. Am in in trouble? Are my toys in jeopardy?

Update from mommy and daddy:

It's true. In June of 2010, we bought our very first home. In June of 2011, we'll be adding two feet to our home.

[picture forthcoming when everyone feels better]

Is there a doctor in the house?

2010-11-02T18:53:00.006-06:00

This year was Lizzy's first real time trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Last year she went around the mall and hubby's workplace but not the neighborhood. Here in Kalona, the residents trick-or-treat on Thursday because the Optimist Club also hosts a party for all the kids in town. So daddy handled the little goblins, princesses, and superheroes that came to the door at home while mommy and Doctor Lizzy went up and down the street (about 8-9 houses with their lights on) with Lizzy's faerie friend, Grael, and her mom and got some lovely loot. Her most favorite items were some fuzzy pipe cleaners and a pencil (go figure, she loves to pick up sticks when outside). Most candy shall be well-rationed as long as possible to her for when she is good (suckers, m&ms, and smarties) while any candy bars containing egg (Milky Way and 3 Musketeers) will most likely be consumed by mommy and daddy (if they have not already been).

Meanwhile, mommy now has daddy's cold as a punishment for being annoyed by his coughing fits in the middle of the night. Hopefully Lizzy does not get this one as she has already been sick twice and gotten her first taste of antibiotics for her first ear infection (hope to have few and far between of those). Lizzy was quite the champ when taking her medicine (which smelled strawberry-flavored, lucky gal). Oh how mommies love cold and flu season and all the sick children at church...NOT!

As for that forthcoming news I mentioned in the last post? I think I'll make you wait another couple of weeks or so since no one seemed interested anyways. Bwahahaha! (I know, Halloween is over but you know how evil I can often be year round.) Now I'm going to go ransack the cupboards for some Oreos and maybe some leftover Laffy Taffy from Halloween.

P.S. If you do know the news already because I've already told you...shhhhhh!!!!!

Just hold tight...

2010-10-04T20:27:00.004-06:00

We'll have some exciting news in a few weeks. We're just busy enjoying a crisp Iowa fall, daunting medical school, dirty dishes, and mountains of laundry as of right now! Meanwhile, here's a little cutie!

In Kalona, Iowa...

2010-07-28T20:43:00.008-06:00

One may see many horse-drawn buggies (buggy parking at a farm auction one fine Saturday).

One can visit the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk just several miles away in Riverside, Iowa.

One can watch cheese being made through a window at the Kalona Cheese Factory (a clever disguise for top secret Swiss spy operations since that is where one looses cell phone signal most often. And you thought the Swiss were neutral, hah!).

One is only an hour and a half drive from the Nauvoo Temple.

One can freely and comfortably air condition one's little tushy.

We call it home.

Jealous? I thought so.

P.S. Click on the photos to see them better.

Ode to teething

2010-07-06T20:29:00.000-06:00

Teething sucks...that is all for now...

Welcome to Iowa...

2010-06-06T21:54:00.001-06:00

...more on that later...

Moving day and privacy coming mid-June

2010-05-21T22:49:00.005-06:00

I'll still be going private, just not until after we're in Iowa. So you have until mid-June (most likely when we get internet hooked up in our new home) to join in on the fun! We've been packing like mad cows and are finally seeing a dim light at the end of the tunnel. The moving truck comes on Monday and we leave a week after our stuff leaves Utah. We'll be living out of a suitcase or two at the grand in-law hotel (much better accommodations on this end of the moving process). So if in a little while, you wonder if I've fallen off the face of the earth permanently, we haven't. But we won't be in Utah anymore, Toto!

Well, my back hurts and I could sure use a back rub right about now. Honey? G'night and see you across a border or two or more. :P Meanwhile, here's a squeaky clean Goober to make you smile.

Privacy please

2010-05-02T23:37:00.003-06:00

We're thinking of going private shortly so leave your email addresses in the comments if you'd like to be allowed to read our sparsely updated blog. Yup....

Ready or not, Iowa, here we come

2010-04-19T14:25:00.003-06:00

We got a house, yay! Isn't it adorable? So that means we're moving to Iowa for medical school! Three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a basement in case tornadoes try to scare the crap out of this mountain-loving-Utah-born gal, a quaint kitchen with white cupboards and the sink in front of the window, a dining room with hardwood flooring, a laundry room with a washer and dryer included, and it's ours as long as the inspection comes out clean and all else goes well!

Spring Break...the good, the bad, and the smelly butt ugly

2010-03-23T13:44:00.005-06:00

For Spring Break, we went on a road trip. Unfortunately, it wasn't to Disneyland. Instead, we drove to Iowa and Minnesota. You must be thinking, "why ever would you do that?" or "How lame!" Yeah, oh well. We went to scope things out, get a feel for Iowa City, Iowa and Rochester, Minnesota, look at houses, have weird car issues, sleep in a crappy hotel or two, etc. To keep this post short and so that I can go take a bath whilst the Goober naps (yes, I'm still in my pj's and it's 2pm, shush, I'm a ma, bwahaha!) I shall highlight a few exciting moments of our adventure (it's an adventure, Charlie!). I also nursed a nasty ear infection the whole way by pill-popping antibiotics. Who knew adults still could get ear infections?

First, we left Friday night in hopes of outdriving a rainstorm. We still left too late and only drove until Rock Springs, Wyoming. Goober decided to scream in her play pen for about an hour whilst mommy and daddy lay restless and already exhausted in bed. I nearly wanted to turn back and not bother with the trip. But we didn't and Goober finally zonked out for the rest of the night.

Second, we arrived in Iowa City at 4am (Sunday morning) not realizing it was 4am because of daylight savings (thank you, stupid invention) and because we were now in the Central Time Zone. We got a room at the Motel 6, something I refuse to ever ever EVER do again even if someone paid me! The room smelled like butt. The end.

Anybody still reading? You're thinking of quitting? Oh fine, I'll move on to something better. Third, we met with our lovely real estate agent on Monday. She's a keeper! She's very friendly and helpful and is also a mom so understands when I voice annoying motherly concerns about some of the places we saw (one was next to a busy road, another had an interesting stairwell that I can just imagine my nephew jumping through and breaking something).

Fourth, our car broke down in a driveway halfway through our touring of houses. Wanna know what was wrong with it? The ignition key hole thingamagig was stuck so we couldn't turn the key in it to start the car. Confused? So were we. Supposedly this happened to my sister-in-law's dodge stratus as well and now it was our turn... and in Iowa of all places! Long story short, our car had to be towed to a mechanic, our nice agent (who also called the tower/mechanic) let us put Goober's car seat in her car and she drove us around town to look at the rest of the places before dropping us off at the mechanic. She's such a good agent, I think we'll buy a house from her! Oh, and the house we happened to get stuck at, we also like. Perhaps it's a sign? We spent a few hours hanging out at the McDonald's down the street where I attempted to nurse Goober under the privacy of a blanket (that's not the only place I had to try and nurse a fussy Goober).

Fifth, we spent a night in Rochester, Minnesota, sent post cards to friends and family from the Mayo clinic hospital (we beat them home), ate at Fazoli's (miss that place), then visited Auntie Michelle in St. Peter, went Grocery shopping at Aldis (love that place), and spent a lovely night before driving all day Wednesday to get home to Utah at 3am (Thursday). We're never driving straight like that ever ever EVER again.

Sorry if that all seemed rather pessemistic and rather complaintive. It was a rather insane trip but nonetheless good to visit Iowa City and know that I could perhaps take up residence there for several years. It's a lovely city with nice people. We're still waiting to hear back from the Mayo Clinic on whether or not Eric will be accepted, otherwise, Iowa City, here we come!

The adventure continues!

2010-02-05T22:32:00.004-07:00

Well, I know that my updating of this blog has faded into mythical status again, so its about time I contribute! As Alison has alluded to, I have been very blessed in the arena of the endless process of MD/PhD application! (one and a half years spent on the application thus far and counting...) I had the recent opportunity of attending interviews at four institutions in two weeks, thereby missing the first two weeks of school for my last semester (not really a major problem as I have few classes at the moment).

To keep a long story short, I had a great time at the Mayo Clinic, then the University of Iowa, followed by the University of Alabama, and finally a stop at the Medical College of Wisconsin. This made five interviews in all (I really don't know how people can do more than this; it's a draining process even though the schools treat you really well during your stay). After all the excitement of the interviews, the dreaded wait has come...but it didn't last long!

I have been accepted into the MD/PhD programs of both University of Iowa and the Medical College of Wisconsin! I am also on the wait list of Penn State and the Mayo Clinic (accompanied by some hopeful words from the Mayo Clinic).

Certainly, exciting times lay ahead and I will update again in the future once decisions have been made and we know where we will be venturing to! It's gonna be a tough choice as all the programs I interviewed at had great pros with few disadvantages! Bye for now!

Feb 11th update from Alison: Eric was contacted by UAB (University that ate Birmingham/University of Alabama) and put on their hold list as well. So all the schools have replied with some sort of decision and we're still hoping on a certain school to bump him from the hold list to the acceptance list. Let's all play the waiting game, the waiting game, the waiting game. Let's all play the waiting game and wait with us! (Set to the tune of the 'rhyming game'.)

Goobers, mommies, and boogers

2010-02-05T22:07:00.005-07:00

I can't totally promise anything but we'll try and update after the icky boogers go away. We really must since Eric has much to update on about his travels to the lands of Md/PhD interviews. Let's just say for now that he has two acceptances and one promising hold. Meanwhile, send more orange juice and soft tissues (Goober may not like tissues but they're better than my pant leg or nightgown). Achoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tis a busy time of the year!

2009-12-20T13:32:00.006-07:00

Happy Birthday Goober Boo!

12-16-2009

Happy Anniversary Huneybunn!

12-20-2006

The wonderfulness of eBooks

2009-12-02T21:07:00.004-07:00

The school semester is done for me (yes, earlier than usual). I managed to survive online classes with a goofy growing and teething Goober and attempting to keep up with laundry and dishes. Will I do it again? I don't know. There are no classes I need that are being offered next semester so I guess I'll take a break again. I don't mind. That "spare time" I was filling up with school work will most likely be returned to housework time but I also hope to get in some "me time" with some sewing and other crafty things.

I've also discovered the wonderfulness of eBooks. I can read whilst nursing! And it's probably better than watching mindless daytime TV. It's much easier to push the mouse button than turning the page and holding a physical book one-handed. Booyah! One annoyance though...there are no free eLibraries. Wait...correction...they do exist but none that offer the latest best sellers like this book that I want to read - http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guernsey/. But that's probably one of the few that I want to read right now that I'll have to get from the local library. So for now, I'll look through the CD of eBooks that my sister-in-law, Michelle, shared with Eric and I a while back. Eric has been reading these on his cell phone for a long while but I could never quite get into it until now when I discovered the benefits of it during nursing time.

I've been trying my best to keep up with The Domestic Engineer blog but still getting the hang of posting regularly. As soon as chocolate chips go on sale for a good price, I will most likely be making Chocolate Chip Cookies so stay tuned for the recipe that I'm willing to share! Seriously, I should sell it but it's not really mine to sell. Oh well. I'll have to find another way to earn money to get our little family through Med school.

One more thing...guess who's Birthday is coming up?!

The Domestic Engineer

2009-11-12T21:39:00.005-07:00

Everybody and their dog may be doing it but so what! I created another blog purely to share my cooking, sewing, etc. exploits. I'll try my best to update it at least weekly with recipes that I've tried myself and worked as well as sewing projects I'm working on or finished. So check it out and leave me a comment on what you think - The Domestic Engineer. (It could use a picture, though, perhaps one of my sparkling clean kitchen...hahaha! Yeah right!)

Costume pictures at last

2009-11-10T21:38:00.006-07:00

Mommy takes forever to update this blog. I guess I'll have to do it myself if I want to show off how cute I was for Halloween before it's time to plan for next year's costume. Gee wiz ma! Well, I do have to give her some credit as she made my costume as well as hers. (She sure is one busy ma.) Mommy made a pretty sweet nurse's cap for herself (sorry, no pictures) and my piggy ears were the cutest of all that I wore them for a good while.

As you may recall from previous posts, it was decided by my nerdish parents that I should be the Swine Flu Microbe for Halloween. The things my parents do to me. They even exploited me for candy at daddy's work and at the mall! Oh the humanity! Well, I guess vicariously I still get some of the loot through mommy's milk so I guess I'm okay with that. Lots of ladies at the CPD swooned over my cuteness, man, am I good or what?

What will my crazy parents think of next year? One can only hope I get a little more say in it.

And the winner is...

2009-10-26T21:38:00.004-06:00

So the poll has been closed for quite some time now. Due to the nature of the poll ending in a tie, mommy broke the tie with her deciding vote - H1N1. A pattern has been found, fabric has been bought, now mommy just needs to measure me and begin the process of constructing the costume. Mommy also decided that she shall be an old-fashioned nurse. Her patterns have been found, fabric bought, blah blah blah. And since mommy's homework is done and submitted for the week, she can begin tomorrow! Yay! I can't wait for my first Halloween! She also has many other crafty things she wants to do in between housework. Mommy's mad at all my pants right now because most of them fit me like capris because I'm sprouting like a green bean. So to solve the problem, she's going to make me pants herself and hem them down as needed instead of buying so many brand new ones.

Nothing much else to report here. Mommy's toe could be broken/sprained, oh well. But she's not gonna pay a doctor ~$500 to examine it and wrap it with cheap tape in less than 5 minutes when she could do all that by herself for free. But she also wouldn't let me get near it at all today to inspect it myself. I was willing to examine it for free. No need to worry though as she's a tough woman. She's my ma!

Does Daddy ever actually blog?

2009-10-15T22:47:00.006-06:00

Yes, it is a rarely caught spectacle in nature; I, Eric Monson, am actually placing a blog entry on our family blog. I have truly been meaning to do this for some time (and had even made a promise to do so some time ago) but never seem to find the time. However, it doesn't seem fair nor appropriate to lay all the burden of updates about me on Alison (though she is quite talented at this blogging business; wouldn't you agree?).

At any rate, I thought I'd jump on and send out the exciting word that I have been given the invitation to be interviewed at an additional 2 schools other than Penn State (Which Alison already mentioned a while back). These are the University of Iowa (Carver College of Medicine) and the Mayo Clinic, both of which are excellent medical schools. I'm quite excited/nervous about all these interviews, but know that we'll make the best of wherever we end up, cause that's what best friends like Alison, Lizzy, and I do.

Well, I'll try to post from time to time when I get a moment, but so long for now (I now graciously return the pulpit to my talented and beautiful wife...and Lizzy, of course, who is spending entirely too much time blogging and sending emails...kids these days, sheesh).

Halloween Costume Poll

2009-10-11T22:06:00.003-06:00

Due to daddy's brilliant yet nerdish suggestion, mommy's wondering which microbe I, Lizzy Ellen, should be for Halloween so here's the latest poll. (Disclaimer: Mommy still is the deciding/overruling vote). To see what the microbes look like, go here - http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/orderform.php

A. Yersinia Pestis (Black Plague)
B. Neuron (Brain Cell)
C. Epstein-Barr (Kissing Disease)
D. H1N1 (Swine Flu)
E. Other (Please suggest)

P.S. Daddy's most likely going as a doctor since it's easy to find some scrubs at the DI. But mommy doesn't know what to be that's also medically related.

P.P.S. I was eating Prunes, which were actually quite delicious and regulating!

Today's poll

2009-09-28T11:46:00.003-06:00

Today's poll will be conducted by Lizzy Ellen!
What did I eat today? Was it:
A. Chocolate Syrup
B. Chocolate Pudding
C. Prunes
D. Poo from my diaper
E. Other
Please vote in the side bar or comments. They will be tallied when I learn to count.

Quick! Get me some bubble wrap!

2009-09-24T23:50:00.003-06:00

Gaaaaah!!!!! Lizzy Ellen is getting quite mobile lately! She's crawling AND pulling herself up onto her knees with the help of the couch, box barricades, etc. The only problem is getting back down gracefully without a little surprising bonk or two. For the next year or so, we'll now be buying clothing made of bubble wrap or other soft padded material as well as moving into a soft bouncy playhouse like you see at carnivals or ritzy birthday parties. Yes, you may come visit us...for a small entrance fee. Mommy's had a busy day kissing boo-boos so it's now time for bed. Yes, it really is that time. I'll post a picture later. So, beat me with a chocolate bar if I don't. Bwahahaha!

Mommy may be but...

2009-09-16T11:17:00.008-06:00

...We are not amused...

Lizzy Ellen's accomplishments at 9 months:
#1 Loves to say "dadadadada"!
#2 Officially crawling!
#3 Getting her first tooth!

Lizzy Ellen's accomplishment of the day:
* Currently laughing hysterically and farting whilst holding mommy's slipper. That's my girl!

Daddy's accomplishment of the day:
* Can't tell you yet but we'll let you know when he gives me permission!
Update: the big accomplishment is that he got invited for an interview at Penn State!

Mommy's accomplishment of the day:
* Um....I'm dressed for the day? Hehehe!

Quickie

2009-09-08T18:25:00.005-06:00

Quick post to notify to you all that we're still alive and well:
#1 School started...for both Eric and I! I'm taking classes online through USU to continue towards the what looks like a far off finish line to my degree.
#2 Lizzy Ellen is learning to crawl...oh dear!
#3 My house is a disorderly mess!
And for your viewing entertainment - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi8beYR1iBQ
Okeday! Laters for now!

Salmon in the crockpot?

2009-08-13T15:34:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm back. Crockpotting once a week actually has been a challenge for me lately. Things have been crazy what with babies, showers, baby showers, etc. This week, I found a recipe for cooking salmon. My dad goes up to Alaska almost every summer to fish for salmon and halibut with his brother, my uncle, Nolan. He leaves behind my mom and Sadie Mae for a whole week, poor lonely ma. But I'm getting off topic. So ma and pa, you need to try this recipe. Cooking fish in the crockpot is actually a great way to do it because it doesn't stink up the house like you'd think! So if you like Salmon, go on and try it out!

I changed around a few things since I didn't have dill seasoning or fresh lemons and, frankly, I don't cook with booze. I used the lemon juice stuff and some Mrs. Dash seasoning as well as a little water rather than wine. This is the link to where I got the recipe - http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/05/crockpot-lemon-and-dill-salmon-with.html. So rather than being lemon and dill salmon, it was just lemon salmon on a lovely green bed of spinach. Do not let it over-cook. It's a quicky recipe since it barely takes two hours and so easy to throw in the pot and plug in. I think it was ready sooner but I still had to prepare some baked potatoes and carrots to go on the side. This recipe is a keeper and we'll be sure to try it again since we still have another pack of salmon in the freezer. There are other recipes for cooking salmon in the crockpot on that website that I'll have to try out, too. Or if you try out any, lemme know how it goes!

Laters for now!

Week #3 Crock Pot repeat

2009-07-07T11:43:00.003-06:00

Sorry, I didn't try anything new in the crock pot yet. We craved the BBQ chicken again. But that's okay. It's good to replicate recipes multiple times. Note to self and fellow grocery shoppers: never buy Great Value BBQ sauce again unless you want bbq soup (cheap *** brand is full of water).

But have no fear, it's only Tuesday! I'm sure I'll find something new to try in the crock pot. It'll have to contain ground beef though as we're out of chicken this week. So stay tuned! (Disclaimer: if I don't manage this week, please don't hurt me!) I'm off to first check on the sleeping boo and then find a recipe for dinner.

Week 2 of the Crockpot: Steak, can it be done? And Esther gets some excersize.

2009-06-29T10:53:00.005-06:00

Yup. And it pretty much tastes like a tender and flaky pot roast. I don't really know much about beef and the many cuts available at the supermarket so I didn't know it would end up just like pot roast; but now I know what happens when you put steak in the crockpot. So if you want steak man style, well, grill it, dude. But if you want pot roast but only have steaks, then crock it. Not bad, but I'll save steaks for grillin' next time.

I'll be looking for more crockpot recipes to try out this week so my crockpot can feel even more loved. If you have any to share, lemme know!

On a kitchen-related note but not crockpot-related, I made homemade oreo cookies on Friday with Esther, my lovely green mixer I got for Christmas from the DI but only have used about three times. Poor gal needs a workout more often, but then that means I need to workout even more often! The cookies are all gone now, though. They were quite terrible so we disposed of them quickly...into our mouths!

So here's the recipe so you can make some yourself. Can't believe I'm sharing this recipe with you rather than keeping it under lock and key or even selling it to you for big bucks. They're that good but I'm very nice, remember that, will ya? They're just chocolate cake mix cookies (minus the chocolate chips cuz I was all out, bad mommy!) with a buttercream filling. Although, I'm tempted to try something like a yellow or even strawberry cake mix. Or maybe even carrot cake and make a cream cheese frosting filling. Do ya dare me to? Not quite yet though, mommy's hips and tummy needs a workout first.

Cookies:
1/4 cup flour
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 generous tsp. vanilla

Combine all that into your mixer, like usual, and mix up. Drop into cute little balls onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or to your desired done-ness.

Filling:
1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups confectioner/powdered sugar
1-2 tsp. vanilla

Mix in mixer till creamy smooth. Spoon into a quart size ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one corner to pipe out onto one side of cookie then sandwich another on top. Then quickly do the dishes, hide the cookies, and when your family gets home and asks why it smells like delicious cookies, say it's your new glade candle...oh fine, you can share if you really must!

Crockpot recipe of the week: BBQ chicken

2009-06-24T11:42:00.006-06:00

Goal: make use of my crockpot at least one night a week. The poor thing only gets used every couple of months and generally only for pot roast. (By this, I also hope to make my blog more popular, thereby granting me world domination, bwahahaha! J/K! Or am I?)
So without further ado...
Day #1 of week #1: BBQ Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
1 bottle of bbq sauce (although I didn't use the whole bottle; more like 1/2 or 2/3 depending on how much chicken to slather up, you decide)
1 can pineapple crushed or cubed (I actually used half a can of slices and cubed it myself and added a dash or two of the juice)

Put all that into a crockpot on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Serve chicken over rice with some of the sauce. Don't forget a side of veggies and some rolls for a complete dinner.

Start dinner by 1pm and you too can have a happy family by evening time!

We're alive...

2009-06-20T13:19:00.003-06:00

Not quite well yet but alive nonetheless. Our house has been stricken with the flu. Actually, two to be exact. Last week, Lizzy and I came down with a terrible cold; possibly influenza since we both had a fever along with the usual troublesome symptoms (I knew we shouldn't have been out kissing those pigs, j/k!). I took the brunt of it mostly since Lizzy is exclusively breastfed and got all the antibodies that my body was making that she was over the bug by the end of the week while my nose is still running like Niagra Falls and my head is still a tad foggy.

Eric then caught the stomach flu on Monday, most likely from church, and spent much of the evening in the bathroom. Lizzy caught it on Wednesday and lost much of her evening feedings before managing to sleep the whole night through and awake in a much better condition. And then yesterday was my turn, oh joy. It was inevitable as I had to hold Lizzy much of the time as she puked and many towels as well as my clothes were well soaked through.

The trouble with when Lizzy gets sick is that she is still such a well-mannered and happy baby. Aren't babies supposed to cry and fuss horribly when ill? That's how you know they don't feel well. Even though she had a nasty cough, she still managed to smile and laugh at mommy and daddy throughout both ordeals. She only pouted a little after each puking as long as I was holding and comforting her. We are blessed with such a wonderful little girl and thankful for her happy disposition.

Well you nasty bugs. Now you hear me loud and clear and pay heed. We've had enough of your kind and you're not welcome in our house for the rest of the summer (longer if possible)! So go away and leave us alone so we can have a proper summer to enjoy! Be gone you nasty bugs!

Are you nuts?!

2009-05-11T13:43:00.004-06:00

Yes, yes I am. Lizzy has now become a cloth-diapered baby during the day for the past couple of weeks. Why the heck would I do that after saying multiple times before Lizzy came along that I would never use such ancient and backwards practices? I didn't want to be a "pooper scooper of cloth diapers". Well, I was becoming a "pooper scooper of onsies and other baby items" anyways because of the force behind Lizzy's amazing bowels. She could blow out of any brand of disposables, including the expensive brands, and I was getting very frustrated and disgusted.

One evening, I was reading a post on the babycenter.com community board (great place for moms to congregate and connect) and other moms were just as frustrated with blow outs like me. Except for those moms who used cloth diapers. Really? Well I just had to see for myself. I was cleaning poo out of onsies, why not clean it out of cloth instead? So after some researching (cloth diapers have changed some since our parents used them) and looking for good deals, I settled on just some simple and inexpensive prefolds with PUL covers from a little website/store owned by a work-at-home-mom up in Olympia, WA. Julie, the owner, gave me a great beginning deal and some excellent advice on different ways to fold it to contain Lizzy's explosive poo. (http://www.howtofoldadiaper.com/Home_Page.html)

I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning when I got my new diapers in the mail! I instantly prepped them in the wash and tried them out. They did take some practice and just a couple little mishaps but after experimenting with different folds, the bikini/butterfly twist works wonders to withstand and contain Lizzy's wild explosions. YAY! "And the mother rejoiced!" Cloth diapers ain't so bad after all. They have many benefits: contains the messes better, makes for less garbage to take out, and saves us money. Eric also has said he is willing to change a cloth diaper but he's still in the observation and learning stage. I'll let you know how his first experience goes. And I'll post a picture of Lizzy's cute tushy in cloth later when I get one.

Bringing in the month of April

2009-04-02T12:17:00.006-06:00

Remember last year's April Fool's joke (link)? Yup, we're not pulling that one again anytime soon! We 'stuck' with something more harmless, like putting Lizzy in a Christmas onesie (which she promptly messed as her own joke on mommy), and sewing the bottoms shut on daddy's pajama shorts. Got him! Now where's that seam ripper?

Here's our little April Fool's sweet tart. She brings us smiles every hour of every day!

7th (eh, I like that # better than 6)

2009-03-24T13:22:00.006-06:00

7th folder, 7th picture...happens to be the preggo pics folder and Lizzy's first snapshot!
Yup, she's captured this blog as her own. The Empress Elizabeth, decider of all things, "Now change my diaper!" (Anyways, it's mom & dad's fault they chose such a queenly name.)

Tag: whomever is as bored as I am and procrastinating laundry. Go!!!

Here she is in her silver screen debute...Lizzy!

2009-03-14T11:37:00.003-06:00

What you people come here for...

2009-01-27T11:36:00.006-07:00

Me, Lizzy! Because I'm just so cute and cuddly, now change my diaper! Mommy doesn't update often enough. Her excuse is supposedly a dire need for sleep. Sleep is overrated and for looser wimps! So I'll update for her while she catches up on that precious thing she calls sleep. She was going to update you with a long and most likely boring post about the day I made my entrance into the world...lemme tell ya, it was grand and I was so excited after popping that water balloon at 3 in the morning that I blazed a trail right on out by dinnertime that ma's still recovering on pillows! sorry ma, but my cuteness makes up for it, right?...and maybe I'll let her finish that post if you tell her you really want to read it. So here are some pictures of me all cute and cuddly. Prepare to worship...er, I mean...adore me, my dear fans!

Oh, I guess I like sleep too, but generally snuggled on people, that is. Hi daddy!

Again with the sleeping. I don't really sleep this often, do I? What a casualty.

Oh, hey ma! Sleeping...again...I do recall that was a good Sunday nap.

So really, I do sometimes get dressed for the day...and then it's off to the daily grind...of sleeping.
Alright, I admit it, I like sleeping, too! But at night, now that's a whole 'nudder post! So I think I'll join mommy for that nap now. G'night/day!

:P

2008-12-21T09:03:00.002-07:00

Thanks everyone! This'll be short as I must sleep as much as possible when Lizzy is so we'll all have to be patient as pictures/stories/updates may take awhile. There'll be plenty of time for that when schedules are more settled and night and day is night and day.

She made it!

2008-12-17T16:52:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the world Elizabeth Ellen Monson!
Born on December 16th, 2008 at 6:13pm
8lbs 2 0z, 20 1/2 in

Yup...

2008-12-08T18:37:00.002-07:00

...baby is still bakin'...

So I must admit I am a little nervous about labor. (Baby is coming through there?! What the?! What was I thinking?!) But some of the nervousness is actually for the wrong reason. My biggest fear is, ahem, farting during labor. (TMI? Tough, it's my blog!) Baby thinks mommy is a whoopie cushion. Yes, Baby, mommy thinks farts are funny (yup, odd sense of humor) ... but only in certain places (home-sweet-home) around certain people (daddy and close family). Could you please not push on the whoopie cushion too much when you plan on coming out? I bet I'll be nicknamed Mrs. Fartsy when in L&D. And yes, I'm blaming it on Baby.

Why didn't I think of this earlier?!

2008-11-26T21:33:00.003-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PdZOAIM_0A

Nesting away

2008-11-26T12:34:00.006-07:00

Oih, that last post sure was a downer, but I feel better now. (Thanks for all the positive comments, too.) It's Thanksgiving break! Yay! Mine actually started yesterday and I also had a little nesting instinct manifest itself - I moved furniture in the bedroom, uh oh. I tried not to tear up too much of a mess just in case labor was close behind but as you most likely can tell, labor has not come yet and I'm still pregnant. The bedroom is mostly put back together and our sense of wah is almost complete. I'm now feeling the consequences of my actions from yesterday though.

Baby dear, we both are quite uncomfortable and cramped that the most logical way to solve this lack of space is for you to come on out where there's plenty of room to stretch and grow. We have your crib put together and made up with some soft sheets and all the soft and warm blankets have been washed up for you to snuggle into. I have the cutest purple outfit for you to come home in, all washed and ready for you to wear, although it might be a little big. The car seat is installed in the car. I have my L&D bag nearly packed, at least with the essentials right now. So you can come out anytime now. You don't have to wait until December 11th, you can come a little early. We're excited to meet you!

You did have us panicking there for a little bit on Sunday. You just weren't moving like you usually would after a granola bar and grape juice as a snack before church that we left right after the Sacrament was passed to head for L&D. Thank Heavenly Father you were just in a deep slumber most of the morning and decided to wake up just as they finally put the monitors on my belly. Must've been because I took away your bladder pillow when I went to the bathroom to put on a gown that you decided to wake up and stretch. We hope the next visit to L&D will involve gushing or trickling of water and contractions 3 to 5 minutes apart.

Oh and I don't mind if you come on Thanksgiving day, I'll be sure to ask both grandmas to save some leftovers for us. Gee, I could sure go for a leftover Turkey sandwich right now. Or some Chinese, where did that come from?

Boring...read if you're bored...otherwise w/e :P

2008-11-18T13:18:00.005-07:00

I feel like blogging today but don't know what about so we'll just see where this little post goes (might end up in the garbage). You really don't have to read it...unless your really all that desperate for something to read...then go ahead...knock yourself out (ouch, I didn't mean literally).

I added a poll because my main title is getting old and boring. It was kinda cool a year ago (A&E the TV channel) but now I think it needs retiring/recycling. Trouble is, someone (he knows who he is but has pulled the puppy dog eyes to get out of punishment, dang it!) infiltrated the system to surpass the one vote allowance (darn computer geeks) and therefore has skewed the results thus far. I wanted a title that implies there will be three of us now and something silly/cute. Either I'll start the poll over or just give up.

Sunday morning I awoke with the most excrusiating pain emanating from my bladder because I hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night to empty it. I nearly weighted the option of just wetting the bed because of the painful pressure making me unable to lift myself up without crying in deep agony (yup, it was that bad, ew). I didn't though because the aftermath of that would have most likely been worse than just rolling over and literallly falling to the floor in order to crawl to the potty whilst clutching my lower abdomen. Ever since, having to visit the bathroom every one to two hours is required and I strategically map out the nearest restroom(s) when on campus or anywhere else(I even have my favs - FL building, and least favs - Walmart).

I feel big, okay not too big, I just feel somewhat blimpish and waddly but I don't get all hormonal over it, I don't really seem to care. There are one or two people that do that annoying "tread softly on eggshells around pregnant women" sort of thing or else she might "go postal" that does drive me nuts though. If I say I feel big, it's okay, no need to comfort me or stumble over the words "you look proportionally correct for your stage". The key is, if I say it, it's generally okay to agree with me. (Just don't call me fat, everyone knows you shouldn't say that to ANY woman.) Many who discover I've got less than a month left think I still have two or three months to go. I just smile and nod, w/e.
Now my fellow sewing class gals, they're something else. At first these young gals were afraid of offending me until they saw I could laugh at/with them. I'm glad I can bring some entertainment in to the lab even if it sometimes ends up at my expense. (Just wish they'd want to talk to me about things other than pregnancy.) But hey, I can sometimes laugh at myself. I have other things to be hormonal about, like not having a changing table/dresser yet in which to put these piles of baby clothes and blankets that are floating around in the dining room and are most likely to grow more after my mother's shower (I'm swimming in pink, I dislike pink). And the fact that this house is a ginormous mess but it just hurts to move and bend. When is that stinkin' nesting phase gonna come?! Can I hire a housekeeper. I could also use a chauffer.

Oh, the stake gave me a calling to the Cub scouts. The stake dude said he would inform them that I was pregnant (seven months at the time) and so perhaps they'd just put me on a commitee, no biggy, okeday, I accepted. Couple of weeks pass, the Cub Scout leader calls and says she needs me as a Den Assistant to the Bears. Did the guy inform them? Nope, missed that one "minor" detail. Well, she's pregnant too (6 months or so, but not her first) and she said it probably wouldn't be hard, it's just assisting. How does one say no because of pregnancy to another pregnant leader? Well alright, I'll do it. (I'm always afraid to say no anyways.) Well, I'm lucky if I can survive my two MWF classes at this stage. Besides weekly activities with these hyper 8-9 yr old boys on Wednesdays at 4pm, there's bunchs of other meetings throughout the week, too. Pack meeting is tomorrow evening. I'm big, tired, sore, etc. and this little one could pop out anytime from now till around December 11th. I don't feel comfortable to drive myself (or even walk far) anywhere alone and hubby is swamped in school and work. I'm awful and pretty much feel ungrateful. Ain't I just pathetic? If i'm having issues with this at eight months along, how will it be with a newborn? I know callings are inspired of the Lord and all but I'm confused (and hormonal) right now. Am I so lazy right now that I need this calling even if it's stressing me out, or was this a test for me to build my confidence to say no, not right now but another time? I don't know. Either way, I think I failed.

I should go try and clean now. I cleaned the office a week ago...it needs cleaning again...nope, I'm picking another room. Did the dishes and laundry a week ago, the piles have grown again...should start using paper plates and disposable underwear (yes, it exists, but no I won't really resort to that). Oh dear, this was one large vent of some sort. Sigh, did you actually read the whole thing? Forgive me for torturing you like this. Go reward yourself with an Arctic Circle shake, I'll pay. I need a lime ricky anyways.

Pictures of Halloween...at last.

2008-11-10T21:47:00.004-07:00

Our haunted house all decked out with crazy skeletons, cheap cobwebs, and a "mildly disturbing" baby pumpkin in a diaper. (You don't want to see what the inside is/was like!)

Trogdor the burninator! (Last year was The Cheat!)

And my belly all dressed up as a pumpkin! Poor Eric didn't get a chance to really dress up this year.

Anudder tag

2008-10-23T22:19:00.003-06:00

I'm keeping Eric company/sane up on campus as he finishes working on a monstrous "take-home" exam (just an hour more hopefully, poor guy) and I have nothing left to do so why not?

Eight TV shows I like to watch:
(We lost our signal and are waiting for those stinkin' vouchers for a converter box because we're trying to live w/out cable or dish for some time but this is what I usually watch with our little bunny antenna)
1. NCIS (once again readdicted, and i want that one chick's farting stuffed puppy!)
2. Word Girl (PBS kids show, oh dear, can't believe I'm admitting I watch those edu shows)
3. Big Big World (PBS, again, but hey, I'm previewing these shows for my kid(s)!)
4. Simpsons (they put the 'fun' in dis'fun'ctional)
5. King of the Hill (Hubby got me onto this one)
6. Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? (Hubby seriously needs to go on this show! He so smart)
7. Biggest Looser (finally, a reality show with motivation and a healthy message!)
8. Deal or No Deal (can only stand it once in a while and only if desperate for some sort of entertainment)

Eight things that happened yesterday:
1. Pulled sore body out of bed for school (difficult task when 7 & 1/2 months along and suffering from pelvic pains).
2. Cut out skirt in sewing class and completed necessary staystitching whilst chatting with fellow classmates.
3. Sat and listened to family finance lecture and got very uncomfy in tiny chair.
4. Walked/waddled (slowly) to Industrial Science building to eat lunch with hubby and kept him company/sane during his TA shift.
5.Went home and completed task of "Phantom"-ing two neighbors with treats (a little later than 24 hours after being "Phantom"-ed victims, but households with pregnant women get late extentions, right?)
6. Went to Prepared Childbirth course and was shown large needles that made me queezy, learned stages of labor, and now a bit more nervous about labor. Then learned breathing exersizes, "he-ah, he-ah, who-ah, he-ah" yadda yadda blah blah blah. Hubby will have to keep those from flying out the window when the time comes.
7. Went to grocery store to saciate(sp?) frozen pizza craving and ate it whilst watching a little 'Lord of the Rings' while our TV channels are missing (not gonna watch 'Snow White in a Snow Storm").
8. Collapsed into bed. (Gee, my eight things ended up being my whole days' activities.)

Favorite Places to eat:
(This ought to make me hungry)
1. Jurillo's (in Hyrum, try the smothered carne asada burrito. And if you ask for hot, oh they'll make it hot, trust me)
2. Kamin Thai (taking Michelle there this weekend as she's flying all the way out for my baby shower. Man, i've been craving thier papaya salad!)
3. Arctic Circle (our first restaraunt date )
4.Formosa (mmm, tiny spicy chicken and eggrolls)
5. China Buffet (mmmm eggrolls)
6. Parents' homes (good free food, baby!)
7. 5 Buck Pizza (doesn't exist anymore, grrrrrr)
8. Good ol' Home (esp when hubby cooks)

Eight things I am looking forward to:
1. Holding my newborn (but not the 14 or some odd hours of labor, could I just skip that part and go straight to the holding part please?)
2. Thanksgiving and Christmas Breaks
3. Eric finishing this "take-home" exam (still at it, poor guy) and him finishing school
4. A vacation (when, I dunno, but we could use one, especially Eric, again, poor guy)
5. Sleep
6. Food (I'm hungry, durn it!)
7. Weekend/Baby shower(s)
8. Sleep (yup, i'm tired and want to go home and collapse into bed and not leave it's cozy warmth for a long while)

Eight people I have tagged:
(A plague be upon whomever does not complete this task! Kidding! I don't care who does it!)
1. Mary, Kristin, Beeka, etc. etc. etc.
2. Spongebob Squarepants
3. Captain Underpants
4. Bush/Obama/McCain
5. Marge Simpson (I'm sure she blogs)
6. Superman/Batman/Ironman/Dudeman
7. Fluffy Bunny Slippers
8. Pres. Thomas S. Monson (although, seriously and respectfully, wouldn't it be awesome to read if he really did do this tag? He'd be much more positive, spiritual, and uplifting than I've been tonight. I should shoot for that more often.)

The End...g'night

One word tagged

2008-10-18T22:30:00.004-06:00

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others.

The questions are as follows:
1. Where is your cell phone? Couch
2. Where is your significant other? Computer
3. Your hair color? Brunette
4. Your mother? Ellen
5. Your father? Clair
6. Your favorite thing? Sewingmachine
7. Your dream last night? Baby
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your hobby? Sewing
11. Your fear? Childbirth
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? Ogden
14. What you're not? Comfy
15. One of your wish-list items? Washer&Dryer
16. Where you grew up? Logan
17. The last thing you did? Bathroom
18. What are you wearing? Nightgown
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? Purring
21. Your computer? Lappy
22.Your mood? Sleepy
23.Missing someone? Sadie
24. Your car? Stratus
25. Something you're not wearing? Bra
26. Favorite store? JoAnn's
27. Your summer? Vomitous
28. Love someone? Eric!
29. Your favorite color? Lavender
30. When is the last time you laughed? Tonight
31. Last time you cried? Thursday

I tag whomever dares step up to the challenge...

Traitors!

2008-10-05T20:57:00.003-06:00

Eric wanted some ice cream yesterday evening and I was craving something vanilla-y with perhaps fudge swirls or caramel. So he went to Macey's whilst I finished the soup (which turned out delicious, might I add). When he returned, he said he got weird looks from the cashier and a somewhat sarcastic "enjoy your weekend". Why? Well, Eric bought Dreyer's special edition BYU sports ice cream which had pretty much exactly what I craved - vanilla ice cream with fudge swirls and little caramel-filled chocolate footballs. This also happened to be the weekend that BYU played against USU - 34 to 14. I guess that makes us traitors to our school (USU) as we deeply enjoyed the little caramel-filled chocolate footballs and swirls of fudgey goodness amidst sweet vanilla coolness. (Mmmm, I think I want some more.) But wait! Wouldn't that also make Macey's a traitor for carrying that ice cream in such a place as Cache Valley?

But frankly, I don't care much for sports all that much as I loyally cheer for a different sort of USU team - the College of Engineering - go research! (Completely nerdish, I know.)

P.S.

2008-10-04T17:35:00.003-06:00

The song "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon is dedicated to our kitty, Tink. That is all I need to say to describe her.

And the song "Under Pressure" by Queen AND David Bowie describes the constant state my bladder is in. (I nearly picked "Pressure" by Billy Joel but changed my mind.)

School...crib shopping...housecleaning...soup!

2008-10-04T17:07:00.005-06:00

All right, it's about time I updated this thing again as it's been a long while. A lot has happened to keep me busy and away from blogging (but not from reading up on others) but I won't bore you with too much.

School is in session and going well although all the walking sure tuckers me out! I think I need a belly belt or something, this belly is getting big and heavy! We should have been more proactive during the summer in shopping for a crib and a changing table/dresser combo, but oh well, hind sight 20/20. I'm such a picky and paranoid FTM that I don't know what to do. I sort of know what I want and yet don't know what I want. Eric would like to buy a used one and I've been on ksl.com and craigslist nearly every other day to check but seen nothing worth the travel time and effort to go see. Being in school makes it more difficult to travel outside of Cache Valley anyways. Honey, I think we'll just have to buy a new one. Besides, it'll be an investment as this isn't the only kid we're planning on having.

Any suggestions? (I am staying away from Simplicity brands with drop sides though because they've had recalls for three years in a row dealing with drop-down hardware.) Same with all the other stuff we need to get - car seat, stroller, high chair, etc? What brands are best/worst? Oih! All this shopping for baby things can drive a gal crazy (who then in turn drives the hubby crazy, although he won't admit that he's being driven crazy).

My house is a mess since school started. One would think that three classes (which I am enjoying) would be a lighter load but when I get home, I'm just too tired to clean and then it just gets made messier. Tink, we adopted you so you could be our housekeeping cat, you're slacking on your duties! Well, I did manage to get the kitchen cleaned up a bit so as to try something new.
Ah yes, I'm experimenting today with making bean and ham soup with some ham bones that have been in the freezer for a long time. I called my mother for advice and home that the soup wil turn out to be a somewhat delicious success. It's a rainy conference weekend so a perfect time to try and make soup. It's about time for me to go check on the bones and see if most of the meat has fallen off and then perhaps try and do some other household cleaning. I'll try and post later on how the soup turned out. (And hopefully that won't be in two more months!)

24 hours a day/7 days a week/9 months at a time

2008-08-22T12:52:00.010-06:00

Whenever I complain that I didn't seem to do anything productive for the day, dear sweet hubby of mine tells me that I am still doing something quite productive every day. Even if I didn't manage to attack the dreaded dishes (why so many and so quickly?!) or looming piles of laundry (never seem to stop growing) or even vacuum (stupid crappy vacuum makes me very raunchy, just like the washer), my darling hubby doesn't mind. I may care that I didn't manage any housework for the day but he reminds me that I'm still doing something important. I'm making something very special in my tummy (the only thing allowed to grow bigger in this household). So I guess it's alright if I take off a day here or there. Fellow pregnant chicas, we deserve it.

What have I been up to lately?

2008-08-20T16:19:00.003-06:00

Yup, I guess it's time for a new post. What have I been up to lately? Well, the growing baby inside me is making my tummy grow ever larger and I'm just dealing with the usual aches and pains as she grows larger and presses down more on my pelvis and muscles, etc. She seems to be doing quite well and has been taking after her father by practicing Aikido moves inside my abdomen. My appetite has returned to normal along with more snacking tendencies as morning sickness is hopefully gone for good. We think we've chosen a name but we ain't telling anybody so don't bother asking and don't go sending your small children after us to ask thinking we'll cave to them, nope! The fun parts of the doctor visits have supposedly begun - peeing in a cup every time, oh joy.

I used my new toy to make seven kid aprons for a friend who was doing Sharing Time and her lesson was 'gospel chemistry' so she wanted the kids in little lab coats and to borrow some beakers from Eric's lab. I nearly did make lab coats but so thankful I didn't and had the epiphany of aprons instead since she'd already bought tons of fabric anyways. The aprons did turn out cute but I don't think I'll ever do something like that again, oih! Next time dearie, KISS - keep it simple, silly.

I've been cleaning the office/spare bedroom in order to make it into a partial nursery, oih! Who would've thunk we could collect so much junk and pile most of it in here along with four computer desks and two computers?! I've been wanting it cleaned up and organized before school starts on Monday (along with the rest of the house).

Oh yeah, another semester is starting shortly. I plan on taking three classes and hope that the teachers are understanding and compromising as to the possibility that I could go into labor before I reach the end of finals week. Am I crazy for thinking I can go one more semester? I just don't think I want to sit around at home waiting whilst cleaning, knitting, or just putting my feet up and eating bon bons (as my mother would tease about stay at home motherhood). I might as well spend some of the time in school. Eric also has a full schedule this semester which has me a bit worried and I've tried to let him know of my worries but he seems to feel the opposite. He has 17 credits, a new TA position for Dynamics, and the usual work at the CPD lab. Add on a pregnant wife who could go into labor during finals week or possibly even before (and not knowing how long this first labor could last or if there might be complications) ... I just don't want him to miss any of the important things in life (like his very first daughter's birth) and/or get way stressed/burned out (due to his bursting schedule). I just hope he knows what he's doing and has his priorities straight. Or perhaps I don't have my priorities on target. Perhaps I'm just excessively hormonal and worry too much.

Eric will be home shortly from work so I should go start some dinner and get the laundry out of the dryer.

Impatiently awaiting my new toy!

2008-07-29T11:06:00.004-06:00

My new toy is on it's way! I've been feeling the need to upgrade to a newer sewing machine that does more than just straight stitch , lack a stitch plate with measurement lines, and have minor tension issues. And this one, the Bernina Activa 130 has 12 stitches, buttonhole capabilities, and is just so darn cute! I can't wait for it to come! But sorry to any who think I might get rid of my Singer baby, I can't seem to part with my first ever Singer baby and plan on keeping it (especially since it's an antique in good working condition).

If you are in the market for a sewing machine, might I suggest ebay if you are wise and not too impulsive as you must look carefully and make sure you are getting what you want/need for your money's worth. I had my eye on the Activa 210 and 220 which go for $649-749 at the local store. The Activa 130 is just a little older but just as good and we got it for under $400 on ebay. (And with the money saved, I can buy more fabric and maybe some accessories to go with it!) I'm partial to the Bernina brand (runs in the family). New Singers just aren't quality made like they used to be in the good old days. They're okay for some but likely not for the avid sewer who may work her machine to the bone. Those other brands? I just haven't sewn on them so I don't know as much. And I just know what I like. It took Eric a little convincing that I wanted a Bernina and nothing else. Am I a little crazy? Perhaps, but when a girl knows what she wants, she might as well get it! Now it just needs to get here soon before I go crazy!

Baby, baby, he or she?

2008-07-22T15:39:00.004-06:00

Daddy/Eric took the day off work today for a special occasion. We went to the doctor's office for the big ultrasound to check everything out - make sure baby has ten fingers and ten toes, a properly growing heart and brain and other organs, etc, etc, etc. Oh and, of course, to find out what Baby is! Baby didn't really want to cooperate and was too modestly shy, therefore crossing the legs and curling all up to rest a cute little head on the placenta pillow and saving the best part for last (almost not showing us at all). I knew I should've eaten that cookie this morning! The technician jiggled my tummy often, had me go to the bathroom to empty my bladder, rolled me on one side and then the other, but baby still wouldn't uncross the legs and uncurl! I kept waiting for something to suddenly poke right out and announce BOY BOY BOY all the way, but that never happened. At last, baby uncurled and uncrossed things and mooned us enough so the tech could tell us that mommy was getting just what she wished! Bring on the pink and purple balloons! We can now say SHE because it's a GIRL!

Memory lane...

2008-07-17T22:10:00.000-06:00

1. Leave one memory that you and I had together, as a comment on my blog. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Mystery soon to be resolved...dun dun DUH!

2008-07-15T16:37:00.006-06:00

Alright kiddies, one more week until the big day when little Baby Monson shows off it's stuff (it's okay to be an exibitionist for just one hour, baby) and then the wonderful Grandmas can stop gender-neutral shopping and us new-parents-to-be can start diggin' for names! Oih!

I'm rootin' for a girl and had a couple of vivid dreams that it is a girl but that might just be my wants/hopes interfering. If it's a boy, my worst nightmare is this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACDBrRVx6mY - I laugh now but still fear it and hope I can still laugh if/when it happens (and yes, it seems to happen with girls, too).

Morning sickness seems to have passed finally and now I'm getting just little more productive again. So somehow this spare room/office needs to turn into half a nursery and still have room for two computer desks whilst somehow a crib must fit into the bedroom. Another oih, please!

My needs...

2008-07-08T15:33:00.004-06:00

Everyone googles themselves (oih, that sounds gross!) Here's something to do to pass a little time, even if one doesn't have such time to pass but still most likely will. Go to google and type your name in the search box and then add 'needs'. Ex. Alison needs. Here are my results:

Alison needs to learn how to pose in pictures because her pictures on Bravo's website aren't cute. (I didn't know I was on Bravo, but yes, I do agree that I am not very photogenic.)
Alison needs to argue something like this: heat exchangers are not required, but when they do exist, then the Criteria require that one ... (wtf?! I'll argue what I want, when I want, and how I want!)
Alison needs to update major. (What do you think I'm doing right now, picking my nose? (Ahem, removes finger from nose).)
Alison needs a new job - take 2! (Yes, my new job starts in December even though I'm preparing for it already - eating for two, sleeping for two, picking out cute gender-neutral outfits until July 22nd, making baby name lists and keeping them top secret, etc.)
Alison needs a team of committed people to pray for her ... (ok...don't think I need THAT many rooting for me.)
Alison needs to let it loose here ... (alright, bring on the wild monkey dance!) and though it might be a bit mainstream, a duet approach where their voices interplay more might raise the blood pressure ... (wait, what?)
Alison needs nap badly (YES! Now we're talking my language!)
Alison needs to GO! (I just went an hour ago. What did I say about using my bladder as a water weenie? Or do you mean I need to get out of this house? Perhaps...)
Alison needs to have an idea of what buildings they like. (Yes people, I must know.)
Alison needs to get off her Chef's Pedestal. (What pedestal? I don't need no pedestal, I'm tall enough!)
Alison needs to finish the laundry, do some housecleaning & pack loads of stuff for our trip tomorrow. (Yes. Yes. I'm going on a trip?! Yahoo! Where are we going?)
Alison needs to be careful here and be tactful in the manner in which she presents her ... (I'm being careful! Watch where YOU'RE going!)
Alison Needs Males (No, not really, one is satisfactory enough for me.)
Alison needs him to read baby books (Eric? I don't really need him to, he'll do it on his own just fine without me asking!)
Alison needs to eat a good meal. (Yeah, probably so as she's eating for two, but it's hard! Come cook for me!)

Sounds winey and yet rather funny! Okay, enough of that!

Review: Authentic Mexican Restaraunt / support a local business

2008-06-30T12:42:00.003-06:00

This post comes from a note on my Facebook profile that I'd like to share even though I have a small audience (I know how few read my blog according to the current poll :P but if there are more, please feel free to let yourself be known by posting comments and saying hiya). And now to continue:

For any of you who live in Cache Valley or are visiting the area sometime, you must go out to Hyrum where there is a tasty little Mexican restaraunt that boasts authentic food. And I would have to say it is quite delicious!

I can't recall the name because it has changed a couple of times (used to be Varos Tacos) but it is where the Arctic Circle used to be in Hyrum (on that road that heads into Hyrum from Logan/Nibley, etc). Eric and I miss the Arctic Circle because we went there often for shakes when we were dating, but we can cope just fine because there is still one in Logan, and we like Mexican food (especially since I crave it so often lately).

If you like Beto's, this is even better! If you don't like Betos's, you still might like this place anyways. The food is made fresh (much more fresh than Beto's can) and isn't greasy like Beto's can be most of the time. Cafe Sabor may be great but this place has even bigger burritos at an even better price! And it's still a sit down/dine in restaraunt that brings you baskets of toasty chips and delicious salsa! Might I recommend the smothered carne asada burrito with either green/verde (mild) or red/roho (hot) sauce. It has rice, beans, cilantro and onions, and carne asada (which is steak) all rolled up in a large tortilla shell and covered with cheese and sauce, with lettuce and tomato on the side. It's BIG so if you're like me, you'll need a take-home box for the leftovers! For around $7, it's a great deal.

Knowing some Spanish may be a plus but don't let that intimidate you or scare you away because we also knew none! Our waitress was more fluent in Spanish than English and still learning but even with the language barrier, we still got just what we ordered and wanted and she even taught us some Spanish words!

We'd like to see this small business thrive and survive in Hyrum/Cache Valley but Eric and I can't do that all by ourselves. So those of you who like Mexican food must go there and try it! Please let us know if you do!

Just peachy sweet (Mmmm peaches)

2008-06-07T11:50:00.007-06:00

Michelle is coming to town! My sis-in-law should be here this evening and will be in Utah for about a month. Yahoo! Perhaps she can get me out of the house more often. I need some excersize and fresh air. And some shopping. Although, Eric does take me out sometimes and we also go out back to see our little garden and he waters it. I just don't feel all that motivated to go out in public if i'm just gonna toss cookies.

With how much morning sickness i've had, this baby has got to be a girl! Some say that's how it is - little or none, must be a boy, lots of it, must be a girl. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. It wasn't too terrible a few weeks ago so I said it could be a boy and then suddenly things got even worse so I changed my mind. (I wouldn't mind a girl first, please.) Perhaps I'll put up a little poll to see what everybody thinks - boy, girl, it.

Baby, sweetie, why do you make me toss my cookies so much? Why?! And I know you aren't quite big enough to be jumping on my bladder or using it as a squeezee toy just yet but why must I need to pee so often? I like to sleep at night, don't you? Lets make this next few months good, shall we? And I'll make the rest of your life just peachy sweet. Sound like a good deal? Ok, no more morning sickness, lay off the excessive bladder fillage (it's not a water weenie), oh and no pushing the heartburn button, please? I look forward to better conversations and sweet bonding time with you in the future.

Okay, that's enough for now. We're tired!

Hiya Baby!

2008-05-29T12:25:00.006-06:00

Here is the photo debut of Baby Monson. We don't have a scanner so Eric took a picture of the picture so I could share it on here. Here's our little peanut/gummy bear, according to the doc, at 9 weeks and 5 days on May 20th!

Back from MIA

2008-05-27T21:30:00.004-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things have been busy here -Tien and Tyler's wedding on the 17th, going to Yellowstone with them for a few days before they went off to Costa Rica for their Honeymoon, my first OBGYN appointment and ultrasound (I'll post the lil peanut pics soon), and morning sickness escalating as usual (hope it'll be over in the next couple of weeks).
I've also been tagged by Kristin so here's a little fun!

A-ATTACHED OR SINGLE? Attached to Eric Thayne Monson since December 20th, 2006.
B-BEST FRIEND? My honeybunn - Eric.
C-CAKE OR PIE? Cake, although I like pie, too.
D-DAY OF CHOICE? Saturday (is a special day :)
E-ESSENTIAL ITEMS? Currently, my little blue garbage can, little blue barf bag, and plastic grocery sacks. Oh and Wheat Thins and other little snacks.
F-FAVORITE COLOR? Green, purple, pastels.
G-GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS? Both, although worms are more fun. (Eric also got me a large bag of gummy bears for my birthday, anybody want some?).
H-HOMETOWN? Logan, Utah.
I-INDULGENCE? I dunno, sugar, french fries.
J-JANUARY OR JULY? I don't mind either, snow and summer.
K-KIDS? First one is in the oven!
L-LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT.....my honeybunn :P
M-MARRIAGE DATE? December 20th, 2006.
N-NUMBER OF SIBLINGS? 1 brother, 2 brother-in-laws, 4 sister-in-laws.
O-ORANGES OR APPLES? Apples then oranges then strawberries, peaches, pears.
P-PHOBIAS OR FEARS? Housefires, spiders and other bugs, misscarriages.
Q-QUOTE? "One by one, the penguins steal my sanity." "Like a duck - calm on the surface, paddling like mad underneath."
R-REASON TO SMILE? I'm prego!
S-SUPERMAN OR WONDER WOMAN? Dunno, don't really care.
T-TAG 5 PEOPLE? Beeka and Ronnie, Mary and Tyler, whoever else wants to.
U-UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME? Uh...I have no gallbladder.
V-VEGETABLES? Broccoli (currently craving that), cauliflower, beets, cucumbers, pickles (not with ice cream), olives (are they veggies?), carrots, the whole relish tray, etc. I'm hungry now!
W-WORST HABIT? I have been the most laziest bum lately but really need to get up and move about more even though I often feel like "tossing my cookies" and do about half the time.
X-X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND? I've had both - broken arm and toe x-rays, couple of non-prego ultrasounds of gallbladder, and then I just had my first prego ultrasound last Tuesday and it's a peanut!
Y-YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Most foods. Craving - french fries, broccoli... Current things I can't seem to stand since puking them up - lemonade, marshmallow maties, tootsie rolls, minty toothpaste...
Z-ZODIAC SIGN? Taurus.

What the...?

2008-05-01T20:07:00.004-06:00

(My first video post, hope it works!) This is what we woke up to this morning (May 1st, 2008 - spring in Logan, Utah). Later in the evening, Eric eventually went out and mowed the lawn after it was all gone and the sun had returned even though it is a tad bit nippy outside still. Crazy stupid weather.

The Baby made me eat it...

2008-04-29T22:29:00.003-06:00

I'm hungry, which is good, since I've been suffering from morning sickness the past week or so and therefore don't always have much of an appetite for eating. So this evening when I felt hungry, I thought I might as well eat since my tummy wants something. On top of that I looked in the cupboards for a light snack but instead craved some mac and cheese. So screw the ten o'clock no-food curfew. I'm sitting here blogging and eating some mac and cheese! The baby made me do it! And hey, the cheap Smith's brand ain't too shabby.

I also had some birfday (birthday) cake and icecream today! Yesterday was my birthday and one of my professors gave me a 7:30 am final as a lovely gift, how nice, eh? (Just being my sarcastic self.) I don't do mornings, especially now, but I survived and didn't toss any cookies! Yay me! Odd yet goofy tidbit, I carry in my jacket pocket a little blue plastic bag specially designed for if/when that "unwanted issue" comes about in public that I got way back when I had my gallbladder out. It's a one time use thing though so after it's used I'll just have to carry plasic grocery bags. Being the little packrat junkie that I am, somehow I thought that little thing might come in handy someday and decided to hold onto it.

I really shouldn't eat the whole mac and cheese but it feels so good to my tummy. Baby likes it, too! Eric is studying hard for his last final tomorrow, such a hard working lil dude! I've got my last one on Friday but slacking off for the time being since it's an easy one. So long for now!

Seeking relief from morning sickness

2008-04-23T12:54:00.005-06:00

So anybody have any good suggestions on how to deal with morning sickness? It has come at last and I feel like total blah in the mornings and again in the evenings. I haven't really tossed cookies yet, just dry heaving and awful nausea, which is just as unbearable. I skipped most of Monday classes and my only Tuesday class but I'm back for Wednesday and must make it through this last week of classes and next weeks' exams without puking in class or in public places, something I've feared since my elementary days. I can just see the scenario running through my head - sitting in class, suddenly feel that weird feeling right before it happens, try to get up and run out of class but just not making it and instead painting the carpet many colors, "Don't mind me, I'm just pregnant". Well least I wouldn't have to see those fellow students much longer anyways, but still embarassing nontheless. I've tried saltines, mint grasshopper cookies, lemon-lime sodas, mint gum, and sometimes boiling a little ginger root to make a tea but I need to be cautious of the ginger until I really know it's okay to have. Any other suggestions on what helps? Sorry to sound complaintive, I just don't feel well :(

Buns in the oven

2008-04-16T09:34:00.006-06:00

It's now been about a week since we found discovered the news and so far so good with only a few complaints. My pants still fit me but are getting snugg. Some say the morning sickness shouldn't really set in until the sixth or so week which is also finals week (oh joy) but I have felt somewhat nauseated nearly every day but only thrown up twice. In our dance class, I have to take it easy (or else I will toss cookies) and slow that I look like such a lazy bum (we warned the teacher). I have also been exausted and my body has been demanding a nap from me each afternoon. How am I supposed to make it through two more weeks of school if I'm so tired and not wanting to focus on that stuff anymore?! Oh well, somehow I'll make it.
I've also been reading up much on pregnancy stuff on the web (being careful of my sources) and in a book (thankyou to my sis-in-law Mary who got me the book as my early birthday present). It's all just so facinating but also intimidating!
I think I also need a baby names book, too. I'm worried about names but i'm keeping the candidates hushed until birth and then once the name is slapped on the certificate then nobody can complain or be offended because it's stuck. But either way, somebody's toes are going to be stepped on no matter what, it always seems to happen. But the only one who has rights to hate it is baby because every kid hates their own name for some time.
Now for a laugh - I've got to get this shirt for myself!
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/pregnancy/-/pv_design_prod/p_1597272.152171723/pNo_152171723/id_20989246/fpt_fXcq__DB__aCXDa_qz0X_VOD_eah__lS/opt_/c_10651/pg_1

Let's just say the joke's on us now! :P

2008-04-10T22:30:00.004-06:00

Morning of April 9, 2008 :P

You know that joke we played on April Fool's Day? Well, let's just say the joke's on us now! It's true and absolutely no joke now! We really are expecting a little blessed bundle of joy and so excited! I just had this feeling and since aunt flow had been MIA, I went and got a test (which was a small adventure at Smiths - where do you think they keep the pregnancy tests?). The instructions recommended taking it in the morning for best results but the not so good thing about taking such a test in the morning is that it'll change everything for the rest of the day besides the rest of our lives! A blood test at the Student Wellness Center confirmed the pregnancy, too. And we skipped the rest of our classes for the rest of the day because all this excitement had me tuckered and not feeling likeI could attempt to focus on lectures for while such a momentous ocassion has just happened (how will I make it through the rest of the semester?! Oh well, only two more weeks and then finals.). Most members of both families know now and so I guess it's on to letting others share in the excitement too. This will be the very first grandchild for my parents and the third for Eric's parents. Oh my! We are especially thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed us with this new adventure in life and pray that all may go well.

So far so good

2008-04-06T13:49:00.001-06:00

How's about's an update on how Eric and I have been doing since we established our challange to loose some weight, get in shape, and eat healthier : so far so good! We've kept a consistent weight since April 2 and watching what we eat even though I don't quite keep up with the calorie counting bit all too well. I haven't had much junk sugar which is quite good and amazing that I've been able to resist it so far. We've done evening exersizes and my tummy just might be showing an improvement and getting just a little slimmer with these crunch sit-ups, yay! After the morning session of confrence we went for a lovely walk in the neighborhood. I'm glad that spring has come at last and would love to get out more often now!

Biggest Looser - Couples edition - our own edition

2008-04-02T22:41:00.006-06:00

Before Picture (4-4-08)

Eric and I have set a goal - we are going to loose some weight and get more fit. We've gained a bit of extra weight and need to loose it. This shall be our own "Biggest Looser - Couples" edition. Anybody who would like to join us can conscript and follow a similarly tailored plan to fit your individual needs. Decide on how much to loose, how long it will take you, and how you will do it. Go and explore this msn website for tips on weight loss if you want to join us - http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/. We can support each other in getting more fit and healthy!
The plan:
Eric plans on loosing at least 15 pounds in 10 weeks and I plan on loosing 20 pounds in 14 weeks. We have set up a healthy amount of daily calorie intake - Eric will eat no more than 3000 calories a day and I will eat no more than 1500 calories a day. We will each record what we eat for the next week or so and decide where our trouble spots are. We will only eat out every two weeks or less rather than almost once a week.
We will both do exersize activites such as our ballroom dance class, Eric's aikido, walking everyday for at least 15 minutes of leisure outside (sun is especially good too), bike riding and swimming when it gets warmer, crunches and stretches each evening (to rid me of my unsightly tummy and poor back), etc. We also will be more consistent in taking our multivitamin supplements each day (it's hard for me because they're honkin' huge and don't taste well when they start dissolving in my mouth).
We will weigh in each evening at 10:00 and record our weight progress. I hope to get rid of my pudgy tummy and fit into a smaller pant size. Eric also hopes for a smaller tummy and fit into his pants. We'll keep you posted on how it's coming along. Putting this in writing here will especially help.

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!

2008-04-02T16:08:00.005-06:00

I hope nobody will be mad at me but somehow I was just itching for a prank to pull. I couldn't pull it off on just Thayne because he knows me all too well. No, Thayne and I are not currently expecting at the moment. I'm such a naughty girl! I apologize if any of you might be mad or disappointed, please forgive me :P because I love the first of April as much as I love all the other holidays. Hope you all had a great April Fools day yesterday. Have a great day and we love you all!

Oh boy!

2008-04-01T18:16:00.008-06:00

Interesting how my last post was about motherhood. So guess what everybody? I'm pregnant! I just don't know what else to say except oh boy...or oh girl! I do hope it's a girl but I won't mind if it ends up being a boy. The one thing I don't look forward to is the morning sickness which hasn't set in yet but most likely will soon, oih! I'm giddy with happiness! Eric and I are both giddy with happiness!

Motherhood: The greatest profession of all

2008-03-28T12:34:00.005-06:00

Okay, time for an update even though there's not much happening lately. It's Friday and one more class left for the day, yahoo! I love wasting ... no ... spending time reading blogs and should update mine more regularly but just don't seem to. I'll kick myself into gear and should try harder.

Lately, I've been doing what some would call "blog stalking" since I only have a few friends with blogs - Mary (who got me started on the whole blogging thing), her wonderfully creative Kid Kaboodle blog, Beeka, and Kristin. So after reading up on thier blogs, I have a tendancy to wander and read thier fellow friends and family blogs. I enjoy reading ones that write about how they love being a mother and love thier families. It's so great to hear that attitude rather than what much of the world tries to underscore and portray as pretty much a lame way for a woman to waste away her life and that women should liberate themselves and seek careers. Motherhood is a career and I think it's the best one of all! Without mothers, no one could exist. Period. Don't bother trying to debate the fact or weasel a way around it, you'd just be pathetic and show how stupid you are to not realize the importance of mothers in the world. The job that I want most in life is to be a mother. Everything else will come in second to my children. I praise the women out there that love being a mother, keep up the great work!

That's all the rambling for now.

To tag and tag again :P

2008-03-20T22:17:00.005-06:00

TAG #1
Here are the rules:
*Find the book closest to you with at least 123 pages.
*Turn to page 123.
*Find the fifth sentence.
*Post the next 3 sentences.
*Tag 5 people. (I tag Mary and Beeka and whoever else reads this blog!)

I've been working on a history paper on the Bayeux Tapestry and so that's what I have near by. But the first book I pulled out only had pictures of the Tapestry on that page. On to the next one. "More contemporary sources describe Tostig raiding around the English coast throughout the spring of 1066, before sailing up to Scotland to stay at the court of King Malcom. The outcome was the same. He forged an alliance with the fearsome Viking magnate and by September the Norwegian Harald was poised to unlease his own invasion of England." Sorry to bore you. Now on with the fun tag!

TAG #2
If you're tagged, here's what you do. Post the words in all caps below and fill in info about yourself. Then, at the end you tell who you are tagging & go and tag 5 friends on their blogs. It's just a way to get to know fun little things about people.

TEN YEARS AGO..... I was attending Mount Logan Middle School. There were the good, the bad, and the ugly times, too. I played the Violin in the Orchestra (and all the way up through High School). I enjoyed being a teachers' aid, and even though I wasn't popular, I still had many friends. There was also a stupid boy who terribly harrassed me and some of my gal friends and it really got on our nerves that I really wanted to just take a swing at him and punch him out (I still imagine doing that and feeling victorious afterwards). There was also this one time in Spring when I was running and it was very windy and my backpack bounced around so much that it came up over my head and toppled me over to wipe out on the sidewalk - man, that really hurt! I also had a crush on a nice boy, but who didn't at that time?!

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED.....
Kearns, UT (birth until 6 months)
Logan, UT (6 months until college)
Ephraim, UT (college)
Roy, UT (don't ask)
Baltimore, Maryland (three summer months)

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST......
1. Clean the house, again as usual, it's a never-ending process.
2. Sew a dress, and a blouse, and quilt.
3. Study for a Textile Science exam on Monday and catch up on homework.
4. Love my husband forever and ever.
5. Eat healthier and not so much and get in shape.

I ENJOY....
Eric, sewing, quilting (especially baby quilts since they'll come in handy sometime ;), knitting (I just learned), cooking and baking, reading (for fun), goofing off on facebook and keeping up with long lost friends, blogging (getting the hang of it), naps, the list could go on and on and on...

THREE BAD HABITS.....
1. I eat too much icecream and drink soda pop on a frequent occasion.
2. Getting stressed out when it's not really necessary.
3. Not putting the dishes in the dishwasher (if you've seen the layout of our kitchen, though, then you might understand why it's trying).

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME.....
1. My two front teeth are half fake because of a childhood accident involving a metal baseball bat.
2. My sister-in-law, Michelle, got me hooked on the music of David Bowie and I enjoy the movie Labyrinth (singing pants baby!). "We all know Major Tom's a junkie..."
3. I hate writing English papers, no, I loath them, so I changed my major. But I still like to read.
4. I own a 1950's Singer sewing machine that's pretty neat but it only does straight stitch so I'm thinking of upgrading but I still want to keep my vintage one anyways.
5. I collect fabric from many places - Joanne's, DI, Walmart, etc - and have a reasonable collection even though I don't always know quite what I plan to do with it (baby fabric, dress fabrics, quilting fabrics, etc).

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD.....
1. CAPSA cleaing fairy and Weekend Shelter Manager
2. Cleaning fairy at the BSA offices
3. Dillards associate in the Men's department
4. DI cashier
5. Baugh Motel maid (yup, I'm sick of cleaning jobs)
But my dream job(s)? To be a mother, work in a fabric shop, teach.

And I tag Mary and Beeka and whoever else reads this blog since the number of my blog friends is relatively low (I'm working on building it up). Eric thought I had come up with these tag questions as I was fillling them out. I explained to him the tagging process and that they aren't mine to take credit for. But I guess I could come up with my own sort of tag to pass around. Perhaps I'll do something like that next time :P

I love my honeybunn

2008-03-11T21:20:00.004-06:00

So far, I haven't done anything on my Spring Break to-do list except be a big poohead, which actually isn't on the list and never should be. Eric and I are being brats to each other (mostly me, though) so I need to remind myself why I love him by making a list and then stop being poopy:
#1 He makes up silly songs or witty sayings to make me laugh hysterically.
#2 He makes me delicious blueberry pancakes and other nummy stuff.
#3 He helps clean the house (and I should stop critiquing and just be grateful for such help).
#4 He tries to suprise me and show me lots of love.
#5 He farts to make me laugh (but I really shouldn't reinforce such bad behavior with laughter).
#6 He brings me flowers every once in a while.
#7 He is supportive and loves me for who I am.
I love my honeybunn :P

SPRING BREAK!!!!! ZzzZzzz

2008-03-08T15:24:00.007-07:00

Okay, it's been a little while and time for an update now that the site is back up. (Mary found me on Facebook and reminded me that I needed to update :P, yup, it's been a little while.)
IT'S SPRING BREAK!!!!! What am I going to do this week? I dunno. I do have an 8-10 page history paper on the Bayeux Tapestry to write, study for a test for the same class, usual reading in other classes, and I brought home my apron project to work on for sewing class. Which will I be most likely to do? Most likely none of it, except maybe the sewing.
I'd rather be sewing than writing school papers. And that is also why I officially changed my major last Friday. After meeting with Lu (she's a cool professor and advisor) and then a week of deliberation, I took the 'Change of Matriculation' form over the the Registrar's Office and changed from English to Family and Consumer Science Education with a minor in English Secondary Teaching. In other words, i'd be teaching Home Ec. in Middle/High School. I most likely still have three years of college in the works and so we'll see how it goes.
Ending up, this is what my mother got her degree in, it just had a different name, but she didn't go on to teach. She always said there was a lot of chemistry classes involved which is what turned me away from the major, but I decided to explore it for myself and it actually doesn't look too terrible. And besides, I married a very supportive Engineer who can help me out.
Eric has about two more years left and then he'll continue for a MBPhD after he finishes his BA. Most likely, we'll have to leave lovely little Cache Valley and possibly even Utah, to go to Baltimore for such a degree, but the hope is to come back to teach at USU. I don't know if I look forward to seven years back east (two months last summer was trying and boring enough). I'd be so far away from family, lonely most of the days, and wouldn't have that support system that I'll need when we also decide have kids. But I guess i'll deal with that step when it comes.
So I'm bored now. Eric is playing computer games with his friend now. I've made chocolate chip cookies and eaten a few of them. My blog is now updated. What's next? Maybe i'll take a little nap :P

Conversational candy messages and male flower-hunting instincts

2008-02-19T21:00:00.006-07:00

I forgot I was going to write about what I did for Eric on Valentine's Day since it was a pretty fun idea and perhaps somebody will want to copy it for future use which I gladly advocate!

First, the recipe of ingredients include: Snickers, Mounds, Almond Joy, Milky Way, Reisin (left over from a English teaching idea), Symphony, Sweethearts, Kit-Kat, Nerds, Butterfingers, Special Hersey's Dark Chocolate, Mr. Goodbar, Skor, 100 Grand, and a bag of Kisses (Cherry Cordials are his favorite and a fine subsitute since I couldn't find one of those 'Gi-hugh-ic' Kisses). Any candy bar that you can think up a creative message to go with works great besides all these, it just depends on what you choose. I wanted to get a Big Hunk but they weren't on sale and were a tad bit pricey so I chose the Mr. Goodbar.

Then I took colorful index cards and wrote little messages on them to correspond with the candy bars. "You're gonna 'Snicker' when I tell you how much I love you". "You bring me 'Mounds' of 'Joy'". "I'll follow you to the 'Milky Way' and back". "It's cheesy but you are my 'Reisin' for life, love, and happiness and I hear a 'Symphony' when around you". "You're such a 'Sweetheart'". "We need more 'breaks' together, my lil 'Kit Kat'". "We make such a silly yet great couple of 'Nerds'". "My heart melted like 'butter' when we first met and I'm glad I didn't let you slip through my 'fingers'". "You are my 'special' 'Mr. Goodbar". "I sure have 'Skored' finding you, you're worth more than a '100 Grand'. "And now I shower you with 'Kisses'".

I handed each candy bar and message to him one at a time out of a basket, the Snickers was first and the index card for the kisses was last, and after he put all the candy I'd handed him so far into the basket on his lap, I then showered him with the open bag of kisses into the basket which also had one final index card in the bag that said "I love you".

So what did Eric do for me on Valentine's Day? He brought home a dozen purple roses and a large bag of conversation hearts on that day. He said that almost every man he saw at the store checkout had flowers in thier hands and that it would have been odd if he hadn't had some himself. I saw it that way too when I went to buy the candy bars for my suprise. You could almost see in thier eyes, their male hunting instincts coming out, "see flowers, kill flowers, take flowers to woman back at cave, please woman".

We also like to celebrate the 16th since was the first day we met. He went out shopping early that morning for blueberries and clearanced candy (which is fine by me as long as I get some conversation hearts when they first hit the shelves for the season right after Christmas) and found two boxes of chocolates (one was bigger than the other and came from different stores since he though I deserved the bigger one) and two bags of conversation hearts (same issue as the chocolate boxes, one had bigger hearts) and then made me blueberry pancakes in the shape of an I, a heart, and a U and brought it to me in bed.

I think that's enough for now, yet another long post has ensued from my fingers this evening and it is time to go conquer a little homework before bed.

Valentine's tag! You're it!

2008-02-16T12:55:00.003-07:00

Yay, I've been tagged! This sounds fun.
1. How long have you been together?
Two years exactly today! It was a thursday night when we met in the USU Library on the 3rd floor bridge where I was wearing intentionally missmatched fuzzy socks and we sat talking and talking and talking and getting absolutely no homework done until the library was closing for the night and then I gave him a ride to his car in my mom's car (she said to not let any strang men in her car, sorry ma) since it was a very cold night and his car was parked far from the library and then we met the next day for a pb&j lunch in the same spot and the rest is history. Oh and our first restaurant was Artic Circle, hehehe!
2. How old is he? 25 (turning 26 in November)
3. How old are you? 23 (turning 24 in April)
4. Who eats more?
Um...depends on what it is and how ravenously hungry we can be after a long day at school. He generally eats more, and should since he's a man, but I eat more icecream but really shouldn't be!
5. Who said "I love you" first?
We think it was Eric. (Most likely since I'd once said the L word first to a previous guy and just ended up getting my heart smooshed that I was too afraid to be the first to say it ever again.)
6. Who is taller?
Eric, even if I have heeled shoes he's still taller, and I prefer that.
7. Who sings better?
No solos for either of us, thankyou, but we can both hold a decent tune if needs be.
8. Who is smarter?
Eric, he's the engineer with a fair few scholarships. I'm just a wayward student who doesn't know what she's doing in school and most likely will soon be ditching English for good and taking up Family and Consumer Science Education.
9. Who does the laundry?
The washing machine. Oh, but I guess I have to be the one to sort the clothes and put them in and turn it on with soap and then later pull out an eaten sock or two (stupid machine! I'd like to do what the woman does to her machine in the LG commercial to mine! Bwahahaha!). Eric helps too if white's need doing and he helps fold and hang up things.
10. Who does the dishes?
Equal job. Equal laziness and equal cleaning, especially because of the way the kitchen is arranged with the dishwasher on the other side of the counter (wierd, yes'm) that we take turns on each side.
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Depends on how you're looking at the bed. If you're at the foot of the bed facing it, then I am, but if you're laying on it, then it's Eric. It's the same way when we stay over at CAPSA (thank goodness for a double bed but not for the twin bunk on top (bonk!)) and when we were in Baltimore (that horrible futon, ugh).
12. Who pays the bills? Eric.
13. Who mows the lawn? Eric.
14. Who cooks dinner?
Equal doing. We both can cook well. And then there's those lazy days where we naughtily get fried chicken or go out for burgers or Chinese or Mexican food.
15. Who is more stubborn?
We are also quite equal when it comes to stubborness. Our first marrital spat was over the color of bedsheets my parents had given us for our wedding (they're dark green, not brown).
16. Who kissed whom first?
Hard to say. I think I kissed him on the cheek or forehead and then he kissed me on the lips. It was definetly both on our minds at the same time and we knew it. This was Eric's first kiss as he was saving it for someone special which turned out to be me. Sadly, I had my first kiss wasted when my brother's friend just planted one on me in front of my brother, holy crap!
17. Who asked whom out? Eric. (Chasing the proverbial carrot.)
18. Who proposed?
Eric. He did completely suprise me which I had wanted. But with no help from being on-call for work, the mosquitoes who thought I was quite tasty, and then too many people milling about on the Logan Temple grounds, oh well. So he took me back to his home to "visit" poor lonely little wizard, his neurotic black kitty, and popped the question there in the living room. The first ring didn't work out so when I finally picked out the right one, he suprised me again with having it ready earlier than I expected and popping the question again when we took a lovely little drive up into the mountains to a place I think was called Cherry Reservoir where the stars were numerous and bright.
19. Who is more sensitive?
Me, since i'm a woman. Eric can be sensitive at times too, though.
20. Who has more friends?
Kinda equal. Eric has more friends that he gets together and plays computer games with. I'm somewhat pathetically antisocial and need to do more things with girlfriends. I have more friends on facebook than he does but that just doesn't count.
21. Who has more siblings?
Eric, two brothers and two sisters and a sister-in-law. I only have one brother and a sister-in-law.
22. Who wears the pants in the relationship?
We both wear pants, it's not good to go naked in public!
23. Who are you tagging?
Everybody who reads this lil private blog. Except Mary because she tagged me, of course (and thankyou)! Michael, I know you read my blog sometimes so I tag you but I can't seem to see your blog so change that around! Michelle, Lanny, Beeka, etc.
Gee, feels like I wrote a lot, but that's all 23 questions answered for ya!

No-Bake Cookies Nom nom nom

2008-02-10T18:16:00.001-07:00

So I thought that perhaps I would post a recipe whenever there isn't much to blog about. (This week, I had two exams (ugg!) and then there was work which was luckly relatively peaceful.) One of my favorite and quick cookie recipes is No-Bake Cookies. They're a relatively healthy and filling cookie due to the quick oats and are easy to pack for a school day snack for Eric and I. I won't tell you the nickname we've given them until after you've made them for yourselves! This recipe comes from a ward compassionate recipe book.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy is just fine)
3 cups quick oats

Combine the sugar, cocoa, milk, and margarine into a saucepan. Put on medium heat, stir often and bring to a boil. Take off of heat and stir in peanut butter and then the oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets covered with wax paper. Cool in refrigerator. Eat up!

Questions

2008-02-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

What is your job? I work at CAPSA (Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency), a domestic violence shelter for women and children and sometimes men. I have several responsibilities at CAPSA - 1) clean the office building. 2) I am a Weekend Shelter Manager where I work back in the shelter office for a 24-hour shift and try my best to assist clients with any needs they might have and answer the crisis line. 3) I am a certified rape advocate and go to the hospital whenever there is a rape and I am signed up to be the one on-call.
Do you like it? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. There are stressful aspects of the job and then there are nice and sometimes lazy parts. Eric gets to come stay with me at the shelter because he went through training with me. And we get to watch tv (cable! which we don't get at home), do homework/study (when nothing catastrophic happens), and get free food from the shelter pantry (thanks to donations from the community).
What classes are you taking for school? I'm taking a sabatical from English classes this semester because I'm getting burnt out from writing papers. I don't know if I want to return and I'm tempted to change my major. to what though, I don't know. I have two history classes, a Textile Science class, a Sewing class, and Ballroom dancing with Eric.
Do you like them? Currently, I rather enjoy them. I'm loving my sewing class as it is a nice stress releiver. I just finished making two pillowcases out of a cute brown "raining cats and dogs" print. I'll have to take a picture of them when I get them back from grading. The machines at school are rather nice that I'd like to upgrade soon. The old singer (it's from 1955 or so) that I have is really neat but it only does straight stitch.
What do you guys do for fun? Ummm...we need to get out more. But we do play games and watch movies, etc.
Do you cook a lot or do you go out to eat (or does he cook)? We both equally cook most of the time but sometimes we're lazy and eat out maybe at least once a week or less. Thanks to Eric's cooking when we first met, I was able to gain some healthy weight since I was rather scrawny back then.
Since your house is clean, will you come clean my house??? I do charge $7.00+ an hour. But I'm lucky if I can keep my house clean often enough between balancing school and work, etc. It'll probably get worse as kids come along, oh dear!
There! Thanks for the questions Mary. I've now come up with an idea for when I don't have much to write on this blog that I'll start next time since this one is long enough for the current time being. You all can ask me questions about life anytime, though and I'll be happy to answer them for you! That was kinda fun, though I feel a little self-centered now. I'm gonna go eat a cookie now :P

Absolute nothingness :P

2008-01-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a little while because well, life is a tad bit boring lately - school, catnaps, work, school, little bit of facebook.com, more catnaps, more school, and more work, etc. No kids to talk about the cute and goofy things they've done lately in entertaining their parent's lives. No major decor changes (wait till summertime), house is clean though (yay!). Nothing funny happened the other day (no elephants jumping over the moon). Nothing much exciting happening here lately, yet, I guess. Any ideas on what to blog about? I don't know ... :P

:P

2008-01-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

Wait a minute! It seems to have not lost my first post but [ut it up just as I posted my second one. Goofy thing, well, I'll leave them both up anyways! :P

Bac 2 Skool

2008-01-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well poopy! I just typed up a nice entry and then went to submit it and it gave me an error message and lost my post! I don't feel like writing much anymore but here's a little post for now.

We have made it through the first week of the new school semester. Yay! Eric is progressing through his Biomedical Engineering major whilst I am taking a sabatical from English classes and exploring two history classes, a textile science class, and a sewing class. Oh and we're both in a Ballroom Dancing class on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Schedules are a little screwy and so we don't get to come home for any lunch. I take slimfasts since they're high in healthy nutrients and I could loose just a little of that holiday snacking/cheesecake weight I've been putting on. I've also put on almost forty pounds since meeting Eric in February of 2006 (almost two years ago) and getting married. It's been good and healthy weight gain but now I could loose just a little of that tummy pooch. Ballroom dancing should help that, too.

So, I'm pooped. The shift at CAPSA was a tad bit stressful and I'm glad it's over. Now for a little game playing time.

Bak 2 Skool

2008-01-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Christmas break was great but now it's back to school again. Well, we have both survived our first week of the new school semester here at USU. Eric is progressing well through his required classes for his Bioengineering major whilst I am taking a small sabatical from English classes and instead exploring two history classes, a textile science class, and a sewing class for the heck of it. Don't think it'll count towards anything but I don't care, it'll be a nice stress reliever class. Oh and there's Ballroom dancing that Eric and I are taking together; learning to dance with Eric's two left feet and my two right feet. I think we're the only married couple in the class which is quite a surprise. The first day, there were more girls than boys (not unusual) and so Eric thought he would invite Ben, his single friend, on Wednesday. Ending up, there were then more boys than girls on that day! Good thing Ben wasn't able to show up after all. Hopefully, it'll either be even or have more girls next Monday, and perhaps even Ben's future eternal companion might be there.
Well, I'm pretty pooped now. It was a somewhat stressful shift at CAPSA today and last night and so I could use a game break just like Eric is having right now.

Dinner and a movie

2008-01-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

So last night, Eric and I had a date night after a work meeting and we went to Cafe Sabor with a Christmas gift certificate we got from my parents and then to see the movie Enchanted. It was a very cute movie that even Eric enjoyed.
Tonight we went to see another movie since Eric and his dad wanted to see I Am Legend. I didn't really want to see it all that much but since his mother was going to come too, I thought okeday. Well, I should've stayed home instead. It just didn't turn out to be my kind of plot as it was rather scary. So I left halfway through it to sit outside in the lobby. Eric came out twenty or so minutes later, feeling bad and not wanting me to sit out there all alone. He thought perhaps the really scary parts were past and convinced me to come back in. If it still was too much, then we would just leave. Well, it was and we left and went over to Macey's for some grocery shopping. The movie isn't considered to be a horror genre but has zombie-like human creatures in intense scenes. So if you don't like those kind of movies, don't go watch it. If you do, then this is the movie for you and go ahead and enjoy it, just leave me home with a comedy or Transformers-like action flick.
The two of us don't get out often enough that we really do need to have more date nights (except going to see scary movies; save those for the guys). Especially since we don't even have any major obligations yet like children or heavy work/school schedules. We were doing well by going to the Temple each month on the 20th as a date until coming back from Baltimore at the end of the summer. It really shouldn't be so difficult to make it once a month but it seems to be that way for us. There's a New Year's Resolution for the two of us.

Lazy Farts

2007-12-28T17:22:00.001-07:00

Eric and I have been extra lazy this holiday break, oih! I'm sitting here listening to one of the David Bowie CD's that my sis-in-law, Michelle, gave me for Christmas. I was previously messing around on facebook but got bored with that. I'm just plain bored out of my mind! We did go for a walk earlier so that we don't feel so sedentary and becoming more fattening up. But we just aren't doing much today. There isn't much to put down here then, I just felt like it's been a little bit since the last post. Nathan went back to California and Michelle went back to Minnesota, Michael and Mary and the kids are gone to Orem, blah blah blah. So i'll quit boring you and find something productive or somewhat less boring to occupy the time with. Perhaps some occasional snuggles from my honeybunn :P .

Wednesday, December 20th, 2006

2007-12-20T22:32:00.001-07:00

Eric and I have made it through an entire year together as today is our first wedding anniversary! The two of us were joined together for all eternity on this day at 11:30 in the morning in the Logan Temple.
Although we didn't spend the entire day in each other's company, we still have spent most of the evening together. I went present shopping in the morning with my mother-in-law and Michelle and Mary, my sis-in-laws, whilst Eric spent many hours putting up the icicle lights on our house. (Eric does most of the driving as I don't operate stick shift and somewhat refuse to learn to drive his car.) At this time, I was able to find some gifts to suprise him with for Christmas, hehe! I still have a couple more tricks of my sleeve :P .
The two of us had a romantic dinner at the Bluebird restaraunt, complete with free dessert as it was our anniversary - delicious Carrot cake. We had our wedding luncheon at this restaraunt. And Heavenly Father gave us another wonderful anniversary gift - SNOW!!! Cache Valley hasn't gotten much snowfall so far for this season.
I am at times unable to find the best words to describe how much I love Eric. I am blessed with such a wonderful and caring husband and I am grateful that we found each other, even if that way was a little bit of an odd way. Let's just say we're grateful for this wonderful invention called the internet.
Now for some more of that cuddle time...

Brownie recipe

2007-12-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, here's the brownie recipe:

Outrageouse Brownies (original recipe can be found at www.foodnetwork.com)

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (or I suggest trying milk chocolate chips instead)
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (baking chocolate)
6 extra-large eggs (large will do fine, too)
3 Tablespoons instant coffee powder (I didn't put this in since i'm not a coffee fan)
2 Tablespoons real vanilla extract (imitation's just fine, and be liberal if you like)
2 & 1/4 cups sugar
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup for chips and nuts)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or regular)
3 cups diced walnut pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 13 x 18 x 1 & 1/2 inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler (or a large pan filled with about 1+ inch of water and a large metal bowl on top). Cool slightly. In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the 12 ounces of chocolate chips and/or walnuts with 1/4 cup flour to coat and then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester/toothpick just comes out clean. Halfway through baking (15 minutes or so), rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.
Makes 20 large brownies.

Brownies and babies

2007-12-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, the beginning of a new week and I don't know what to do with it. Eric is up at the lab and I'm just here at home wondering what I should do now. I'm caught up witht he laundry, kitchen dishes are clean, the floors could use a vacuuming, ad the tree needs a skirt sewn.
The Mackay family Christmas party was this weekend and it went well. the drive was lovely out to my Aunt Kathy's house in Honeyville. I got to see almost all of my cousins. Pretty much, all the children are grown and married and have children, lots of them. All my aunts and uncles are grandparents except for my mom and dad. Hmmmm...shall we change that? The brownies were good too, crumbly but melted in your mouth, mmm. I tried a new recipe that I saw when watching the food network channel at two in the morning while at work ( the great thing about my job - tv, eat, sleep, answer the phone, get tp for clients). Perhaps I'll put the brownie recipe up for anybody who wants to try it. The only thing I would change (besides not adding the instant coffee grounds, ick) is use milk chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet alongside the baking chocolate. I would also split the recipe in half since it makes a large batch unless it was for a party. I had left overs but didn't take any for our primary class since I thought they might not like the bittersweetness. I do owe them cookies, though. We have such a good class of six-seven year olds, though they can be crazy at times. One thing that about being primary teachers is that it has not deterred me from wanting children, it is not birth control for me. Confession time: during sacrament meeting, I went through the Bible dictionary looking for possible baby names :P . What will I do next? Start baby quilts and sewing baby clothes? Or even worse, put a bib and a bonnet on Tink and push her around in a stroller (I don't think she would like that? Uh oh! *Sigh* Well, perhaps I should go find some housework to do or go to the library before I start dwelling on baby things again.

Lazy Friday

2007-12-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well finals are over and so completes the Fall 2007 semester at USU for Eric and I. I have many plans for the Christmas break before I start my next semester and a temporary sabatical from English classes. We'll see how much I can get accomplished on my list of things to do: quilting, scrapbooking, baking, reading, housecleaning/laundry, a Christmas newsletter. So far, I have completed.....nothing but the creation this blog (I'm still in my pajamas :P ). Eric is currently playing a computer game and trying to relax himself after a not-so-great Dynamics final exam. I really do need to go grocery shopping and make brownies for the Mackay Family Christmas party tomorrow. So perhaps I should call it quits for the moment and blog a little later. Loves from Alison.

Newbie bloggin'

2007-12-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

After being invited to see the blog of my good ol' friend/roomate from Snow College, I too have decided to create blog for friends and family to see and keep in touch with me and my husband. Let's see how good I can be at keeping it up now. Loves from Alison :P