Stromboli

This is a favorite growing up and still a favorite today. You can pretty much make this anyway you want but the secret, to me anyway, is the bread recipe. You could probably even just make it into some rolls or bread if you wanted to.

Ingredients:

• 3 c flour
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 T yeast
• 1 1/4 c warm water
• 2 T butter
• 1 package of Italian sausage (We like Bob Evans Italian Sausage the best)

Combine sugar, yeast, and water for about 5 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. Add in melted, but cooled, butter and combined dry ingredients. Knead dough in mixer until it is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. You may have to add a little more flour as you go.

Roll out dough in a rectangular form and spread out the sausage in the middle. Add your favorite type of ham and Swiss cheese. This time we used Farmer's Cheese, which was just as good. You could also add pickles, mushrooms, whatever you'd like.

Once you are done arranging your ingredients, cut 2 inch pieces down each horizontal side of your dough then bring them together in a twist, for decoration. Make sure you fold in the other ends as well.

Cook at 350-375 for about 20-25 minutes.

Apple Pancakes

Yes, I'm still trying to find ways to diminish the apple supply that I have. I am planning on making an apple pie for Thanksgiving, but I still will have some left. I was craving these yesterday morning, no there's nothing I else I need to share, but I was craving these and they were delicious.

You will need:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c milk
2 c flour
Canola oil, for cooking them in
4 medium apples, peeled and chopped. (I like bigger chunks of apple in my pancakes so I cut them into bigger pieces. It just depends on how big you want your apples chunks in your pancake.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c sugar (This also too depends on how sweet your apples are or may you like them more tart so you won't need as much sugar.)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (you could also try nutmeg)
1 tsp baking powder

Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl combine your dry ingredients then mix with your egg & milk mixture.

From there, cook your pancakes to your desire. Andy suggested that next time I cook them at a lower heat so that the apples were more soft and mushy. It's all about how you want them cooked. Just make sure they're done all the way. This made about 16 or so pancakes.

Apple Cake

I had a really tough time with cooking this recipe. I'm not, what do you say, you're professional baker, however, I still think this is hard to bake. If you test it with a toothpick, it can come out clean, but you could be testing an apple or a part closer to the top that is done. I am open to ideas on how to test this kind of a cake without cooking it too long and becoming dry, which is like a sin in this house. My cake ended up falling a part because it just wasn't cooked all the way. Of course, I didn't discover this until it was entirely too late and I couldn't throw it back in the oven. Oh well, live and learn. It was still tasty, the cooked part anyway.

Ingredients (Apple Mixture):

• 7-8 medium size apples, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces but big enough to have a chunk.
• 1 T cinnamon
• 5 T sugar

Ingredients (Cake):

• 2 3/4 c flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 c canola oil
• 2 c sugar
• 1/4 c orange juice
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 c walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan. Peel and cut apples into chunks then toss into cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Stir together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil, oj, sugar, and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients, then add one egg at a time.



Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of the apple mixture over it then pour remaining batter on top of that and finish with the rest of the apple mixture. I baked it for about an hour and 15 minutes but that wasn't long enough. Let me know if you try this and what happened with yours!

Apple Bread

So many apples and I just don't know what to do with them all! Yesterday, I was determined to make at least a few things and I still have a huge bag of them!

I made Apple Bread two different ways. I am just going to put down what I liked. I am discovering a little bit on adding this helps that and taking away this may make it less fluffy and substituting this may help and it may not. I've been so scared to "experiment" but I'm becoming more and more daring as I keep practicing. Practice makes perfect, right?

Ingredients:

• 3 c flour
• 1 3/4 c sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 c canola oil
• 5 apples of different kinds, sliced or chopped and peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 c nuts, chopped (optional of course)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix eggs and sugar until combined. Add vanilla and oil and mix again.
• In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients then add to egg & sugar mixture.
• Add apples to mixture.
• Pour into greased bread pans. ( I used little loaf pans so I could give away to more people.)
• Bake for 30-35 minutes for small loaf pans. Batch will make 4 small loaves.

So excited for this game to come out!

Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2

There is going to be so many cool features on this game that it blows my mind. The graphics alone are incredible. It's amazing the difference even a year makes. Take a look at Call of Duty 4 and compare it with this game? The graphics are incomparable. They're still good on COD4, however, but even the smallest details, if you pay that much attention, is amazing.

With the exception of last night and maybe the week before, I haven't played much on my Xbox 360. I guess it's because I played so much COD, World at War, that it became boring. There hasn't been too many games that have been out that have interested me for one, the other is because they're at least $60 to buy! Good thing I am involved in a lot of research panels where I can take countless of useless surveys to earn gift certificates to places. I have saved up my Game Stop gift cards in order to pay for this game. Oh, and because my husband has been dying to get his hands on this game for months now.

The group I play with and I have been practicing up on COD4 lately because it's more modern just like this new game is.

For the record, I know there is some controversy about the video game being based in the Middle East. Yeah, I know it probably could hit close to home for some of us. This is just my opinion, but it's a game. It's meant to be a fun thing. There have been plenty of other games out there that have been made of past wars we've faced.

What better way than to sit on your couch and play some video games this winter? Okay, maybe reading a good book, but I'm sure I'll do that too.

Crockpot Lasagna

I can already hear some of my in-laws cringing. Why? Because they didn't grow up around making things in the crockpot like I did. I have changed a lot of my eating habits since I've been married and have moved away from casseroles and crockpots. Still, sometimes it's fun and easy to try something new. I have this in right now and it smells delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 -2 pounds ground beef
• 2/3 c ricotta cheese
• 2/3 c cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1-2 tsp of parsley flakes
• 3-4 c tomato sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• lasagna noodles

Directions:

• First, saute the onions in 1 T of olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook on medium-high heat until browned. Add tomato sauce and simmer for a few minutes. (I added our homemade tomato sauce we made from canning tomatoes this summer.)
• In another pan, add your other 1 T of olive oil and saute the fresh spinach. (I'm sure you could use frozen spinach instead, which is already cooked)
• While this is cooking, mix together ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and parsley and set aside. You can use low-fat cheeses to cut the calorie intake down. Add the cooked spinach to mixture.
• Layer 3 times in crockpot these layers: Pasta, meat mixture, cheese & spinach mixture, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cook on high for about 4 hours or until pasta is cooked all the way through. Serve with garlic bread. Yum yum!
• Try adding mushrooms or even leaving the meat out if you want to go that direction. You could also add garlic (I didn't because it was already in the homemade sauce) and try play with some seasonings to your liking.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I made these this morning for the first time and they were pretty tasty. I had smaller muffin tins, so you don't have to eat as much if you're worried about the calories. I got this recipe from a friend of mine and I thought it'd be good to try!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cup of sour cream
• 2 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 T of cinnamon for rolling.

Directions

• Cream butter and sugar until soft.
• Add vanilla then eggs one at a time until combined
• In separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients then add to butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, starting and ending with flour mixture.
• Use ice cream scoop to portion and drop the batter into the sugar/cinnamon and roll around until covered. Place into muffin pans.
• Bake at 350 for approximately 20-23 minutes.

I stole the picture that my friend had for these, but this is what sold me on to try the recipe!

Apple Crisp

I absolutely love this time of year, fall. The hayrides, bonfires, pumpkin carving, Halloween, oh and apples. It's my favorite time of year.

I have this in my oven baking right now and I can't wait to taste it later at the get-together at my inlaws. I combined 2 different recipes so I'll share what I did and let you know how it turned out.

Filling:

• 8-9 cups of apples, peeled and sliced thin. ( I suggest using a few different varieties for a lot of different flavors melded together.) I also suggest using a mandolin to slice the apples if you have one. It's faster and easier.
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 T butter

Topping:

• 8 T butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix filling and place into a buttered 9x13 pan. You could probably even use a bigger pan if you wanted to thin it out a little. Mix topping until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top of apples and bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes. Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

This was so incredibly tasty and very easy to make. I only had a bag of cheap chocolate chips in my cupboard and didn't have really good chocolate, but it was still very good.

First, I weighed my chocolate on my kitchen scale. I use this all the time. They're great to have around.
Anyway, here are the ingredients that I used.

Batter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter.
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling (which is good enough to eat itself)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.

Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly. . Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well mixed.

Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan; spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Drop dollops of peanut butter filling (about 1 tablespoon each) on top of batter, spacing about 1 inch apart. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Drop dollops of remaining filling on top. Gently swirl peanut butter filling into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers.

Bake until your toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Making Home-made Vanilla Extract

I started this in the middle of May. It takes a couple of months, but you can't beat it really. You just need a bottle of regular-flavored vodka (I chose Smirnoff) 80% proof, and vanilla beans.

There are all kinds of different vanilla beans so you just have to find what you like. I bought a package of 50 a while back off eBay for $10 or so. I cut open 6 and put in 14 more inside the bottle of vodka. You shake it up every day or so and voila! A couple of months later, you have your own vanilla!

This picture was taken today, so this is 4 months later. I know it has been ready before this, but it will get stronger with time too, so it just depends on how strong of a flavor you want.

First Day of Kindergarten!

So, last Thursday was Ethan's first day of Kindergarten. Now, I did put him in a Summer Camp at the beginning of summer. It was a 4-week course that was at his elementary school. They ate breakfast and lunch in the lunchroom, played games on the computers, read in the library, and did arts and crafts in the Kindergarten rooms. I thought it was a great idea to help him get used to a new school and learn where things are, plus hopefully make some new friends.

This year they decided to switch Kindergarten to all-day as well. At first, I wasn't too keen about it. However, I think for Ethan, he enjoys it. He's the type that has to be busy a lot. He likes doing all kinds of things. Plus, it gives me an extra few hours to myself! No mother ever complained about that!

So far, he knows 6 kids' names. There is 24 kids in his class. I am aware that there are 2 girls from his preschool class, so that's awesome too. Not too bad for my little man. :)

I am excited to see all that he learns this year and how much he grows. My little baby is growing up!

Our day of canning salsa and freezing tomato soup!

We went through about 3 bowls of tomatoes like this one making a batch of salsa and two batches of tomato soup. These came from our own garden this year. We were very excited. Well, Andy more than me of course. I don't like canning much. It's hard work and it takes a lot of time. However, the end result makes it all worth it. I don't remember all the brands of tomatoes that we used. I believe there were some Big Boy's, as well as Early Girl's. I'm sure there were a couple others, but I'll have to ask Andy later.

We started with making salsa first. We would blanch a few tomatoes at a time, about 8-10, and then placed them in a sink of cooler water. After peeling, cutting, and chopping them up in the food processor, We filled up a pot. Now it all depends on what size of pot that you want to fill, but fill it up to near the top, at least that's what we did. You'll want to bring it to a boil and cook it down. This takes a long time. Our pot took about 2-2 1/2 hours to cook down to about half way. Cook down until the watery ring is gone around the outside edge of the pot. This does blend all the juices together. Make SURE that you stir often or else the tomatoes will stick to the bottom. It will also be thicker. Then, you just add in your spices and things. We added in about 3 Vidalia onions, 2 heads or so of garlic, a lot of fresh cilantro and fresh basil, a mixture of jalapeno, habanero, serrano, and other peppers chopped up. We cooked those for a little while, 45 minutes or so to mend the flavors together. You have to decide what you like and dislike about your salsa. This is how we like it.

At the same time, we wanted to make tomato soup as well. We melted about a half a stick of butter in a pan and sauteed 2 vidalia onions and about 3 cloves of garlic. Cook until softened and sweetened, about 15 minutes or so. Keep an eye on this too because it can burn and you can't take out the burnt flavoring. You'll have to start over. We had to do this, twice. While we were cooking that, we blanched more tomatoes, peeled them, and juiced them with a food mill.

This takes away most of the seeds. Once we got enough to fill the pot, we brought it to a boil. Then turning it down to about a low-to-medium heat, we cooked it about 15 minutes or so. I also highly suggest to add fresh basil towards the end. After that, we blended the soup a little at a time to puree it. You don't have to do this, but we decided to. We let the soup cool a bit and then ladeled them into bags to freeze.

Next, we washed the jars in hot soapy water and set them to dry. We were ready to can our salsa. We put lids into water and boiled them for a bit. Next, we filled up the jars and wiped the top and sides off with a hot, clean washcloth and screwed the rings on. I was told that you don't want to put the lids on the jars unless you are ready for them to be put into the canner. Place the jars into the canner so that they're not touching each other, like so. You can buy a canner like this old one on amazon for about $25 or so. This one belongs to my mother-in-law. We brought the water to a boil then turned down the heat to a simmer. We set a timer for 20 minutes. After that, we took the jars out and set them on a flat surface. They will seal. You will hear a little "pop" sound when this happens.

This was our finished product! We got about 12 quart-sized jars of salsa and a few bags of tomato soup. I can hardly wait to eat the warm soup on a cold winter day.

Zucchini Bread

Ahhh the smell of it makes my stomach growl even. Here is a picture of our biggest zucchini that grew in our garden. When they get this big, they're better off used in a baking recipe. What a good excuse, huh?I sort of followed 2 recipes but I will put down what I ended up doing. I thought it turned out great, Andy thought it was a little dry, however, he likes his zucchini breads to be really wet and moist. You'll have to decide what you like about the recipe if you decide to use it and I'll put in a few suggestions as I go along.

Ingredients:

• 3 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (It called for 3, but I thought that was way too much. You'll have to decide how much of a cinnamon taste that you want and go from there.)
• 2/3 C canola oil (It called for 1 C, but I didn't want to put the whole cup in. You could also split up 1/2 C oil and 1/2 applesauce.)
• 1 C sugar (It called for 2 1/4 C sugar, but I split it up between 1 C white and 1 C brown. It was plenty sweet for me doing this.)
• 1 C brown sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 C zucchini, shredded (It called for 2, but I added another cup in because I cut down on the oil. I wanted a little more moisture added in and it's a vegetable, who cares how much you add in!)
• 1 C walnuts, chopped (I had to split up my batter because I have to please everyone who doesn't like nuts)

Directions:

• Grease and flour two 8 x4 pans. ( I used even smaller loaves. not sure the size, but they were smaller. I got 4 loaves out of this batter.)
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon into a bowl.
• Beat eggs, oil, (applesauce if you're using it,) vanilla, and sugars in a large bowl.
• Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well.
• Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• It called to bake it for 40-60 minutes. I used the smaller loaves and it took about 35 for mine to be cooked all the way through enough. My oven is also a little hotter than it claims, so it'll depend on how hot your oven is.

Voila! Here was the ended result. I thought it was extremely tasty!

Love Dare, day #40

I cannot believe it, but I forgot to post about the very last day of the Love Dare. I guess I must pay more attention.

Day # 40 is Write out a renewal of your vows and place them in your home.

Now being married in an LDS Temple, We don't write out our own vows. However, I don't think it would hurt to write them for each other and hang them up in your house somewhere. It would remind you about what you mean to each other.

I still haven't done this even though I did the last of the Love Dares a while back. Feel free to see the rest of the challenges I did here. I admit that it was really nice doing all of those nice things and it really seemed to help strengthen our relationship. I have slacked off on some things already that I need to catch back up on. Overall though, it was a great experience and I suggest it for anyone and everyone to try. It is quite amazing, the results you'll have.

Giving away an award!

I received an award a week or so ago and have finally posted it to my blog. :) What a fun idea! I wonder who sits around and thinks of these ideas.

Here is the award:

Here are the blogs that I am passing along this award to:

Joanna @ joannataylorphotography

Rachel @ kitchenaddiction

Kasey @ kjpcreativedesigns

Kiana @ mommyofmanyfaces

Whitney @ Whitters

Melissa @ The Story of Us

Raquel @ TheLandonFamily

All you're supposed to do is save the picture of the award to your computer. Go to "Add a Gadget" and pick the picture gadget. Upload your picture and title it "My Awards" or something to your liking. Then pick up to 15 people to pass it on to. Also post a comment on their blog letting them know you have an award for them on your site.

My First 10K Race

I woke up at 6:15 this morning, got my running gear on, ate a banana, then drove to sign up. I wasn't really nervous as in thinking I couldn't do it, just where I would place, how many people were there, etc. Yeah, um over 100 people ran this race! I got the paper that showed our route and looked at it very closely, marking down where my mile markers would be.

We started at 7:00 a.m. The first mile took me 14 minutes and 47 seconds or so that's what the lady told me at the 1st mile marker. She was very nice telling me that I was doing a good job. I was in last place. The ambulance who had been following behind me even left to catch up to everyone else that was faster. Oh well, I thought. I'm going to finish, even if I'm last.

The first 3 miles had a lot of hills, more than when I had practiced. That slowed me down a lot. At mile 3, there was a water station and I even had an Amish lady ask me if I was alright because if I wasn't, there would be someone to pick me up. I laughed and told her that I was fine, just slow. I kept going. Each mile there was someone there telling me my time and telling me that I was doing a good job. On the way to my 4th mile, I felt warmed up finally and had that burning in my gut knowing that I could do this. I was on my 5th mile now. I finally had made it to somewhat flat roads, and I was coming up on passing my house. I had to look good running then because I knew Ethan and Andy would be waiting for me. I saw them! I was so excited that they were out there routing for me! Andy took pictures as I went by, requests from my mother, but I'm not so eager to post those. Maybe I'll be brave and do it later. Anyway, a few moments later I hear someone yelling, "GO CHARITY!" I turned around and Michele and Sharon were in my driveway. I was so excited that they got up early enough to see me go by! (Trust me, it's an achievement to get my sister-in-law out of bed that early. lol)

I was on the home stretch now and I saw two guys in front of me that I so wanted to catch up to. They were walking and I had a good chance! Michele and Sharon drove by to meet me at the finish line then Andy drove by and yelled out, "Can you catch them?" I shook my head because I wasn't sure. I tried speeding up but they had turned around and saw that I was catching up to them so they started back up running.

All in all, I finished in last place at 1 hour 38 minutes. Not the greatest time, but I did finish in under two hours and I had some major hills to climb, so in my book, I did awesome. Now, I have plenty of time to work up towards finishing in under an hour! Well, at least not finishing last. :)

Running Outside

This week I've been trying to prepare myself for my first race this Saturday. Originally, I had thought that it was going to be a 5k (3 miles), then I found out that it was a 10k (6.2) miles. I kind of played with the idea of doing it, probably longer than I should have. Well after having an argument with Andy and having him tell it like it is, I decided to show him how determined I really can be.

I had a couple of days where I ran/walked almost 5 miles outside. It is so incredibly different running outside. I mean, I knew it would be, but I didn't know it would be so different. You don't go near as fast as you do on a treadmill. You have weather to worry about, hills, the condition of the roads, people that try and hit you with their cars, etc. Well after a few days and a good suggestion, I decided to go for the entire 6.2 miles. I needed to see if I could actually do this in the allotted 2 hour time that they allow you for the race. I'm not in it to win it. I just want to accomplish finishing it.

Yesterday morning, I pushed myself. I pushed myself harder than I've probably EVER pushed myself. I mapped out where each mile marker was the night before so I could time myself. I was doing well after the first 2 miles then on my way to the 3rd mile I had a tough time. I had a few hills to climb. It took me almost twice as long to run the 3rd mile as it did the first two. I knew though that after I finished my 3rd mile, I was pretty much halfway done and if I could do it in under an hour, I'd be good. I was at 47 minutes after my 3rd mile. That made my whole day. I knew after that, that I could do this. I ran the entire rest of the way, with the exception of walking only once for a couple of minutes. It was like I had a second burst of energy and I wanted to complete it! I finished in 1 hour and 32 minutes total. This, to me, is a major accomplishment that I will never forget and it helped me realize that I can do it. I will update more after my race on Saturday.

Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Pasta

Oh wow I made this tonight and it was scrumdidiliumpcious. (not a word, I know) We use it though when there's something that's made that is so incredibly good.

I thought I'd share the recipe I followed. I did change a couple of things and we did have most of the ingredients come from our garden which surely helps.

Serves 4

For the tomato sauce and zucchini/squash
2 T olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can of tomatoes with juice or we used 1 quart-sized jar of our canned tomatoes from last years garden
4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
4 zucchini or you can split it up in half with yellow squash. This is what we did and it was just fine. (also from our garden)
salt
pepper

For the chicken
1/4 C Parmesan cheese, plus 2 T extra for topping
1/4 C bread crumbs
2 large egg yolks, beaten
4 medium-sized boneless chicken breasts, pounded out (It's much easier and faster for cooking)
salt
pepper
4 tsp olive oil

For the sauce: Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Cover and reduce heat to very low and cook until veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, basil, and another 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to simmer, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then simmer, partially covered, until thickened. It took about 30 minutes for this to happen to my sauce. Season with 1/8 tsp pepper.

Meanwhile, using a mandolin (which I highly recommend), or you can use a veggie peeler, slice zucchini/squash into thin long paper-like strips. Discard the centers. In another pan, heat the remaining 1 T of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and cook until wilted, tossing often with tongs for even cooking. It takes about 8-10 minutes. Add tomato sauce to the pan, add 1 T of the parsley and season with 1/8 tsp pepper. Cover and set aside.

In separate bowls or plates, combine the breadcrumbs, 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, and remaining parsley. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl or plate. Sprinkle the pounded chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and dip the chicken in the egg whites then breading mixture. Add the chicken to heated 2 T of olive oil in a skillet. Cook the chicken until browned about 3-4 minutes on one side and 2-3 minutes on the other, depending on how big your breasts are. (That's why I flatten mine out, it cooks much faster and is more even) I also warmed up my oven on the lowest setting and set the chicken that was done first on the rack in the oven to keep warm.

To Serve, place zucchini and tomato mixture on plate, then put chicken breast on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and can add parsley as a final touch.

You get your veggies with this meal and it is fantastic. My 5-year-old will even eat it. Well, until he finds out that the "pasta" is actually squash.

Our camping trip!

I know I haven't written in a long time. I'm not sure whether I just haven't had a desire to or maybe nothing really interesting has come my way.

We took Ethan camping this last weekend. It was also his first official time fishing and he caught 2 fish! He was so proud. The first one was obviously a pretty good-sized fish. The second one could've been eaten in one gulp, but hey he was proud. We only stayed there for 2 nights and believe me, it was enough. Too many inconsiderate people around these days and I'm used to Utah camping where the next camp site is up the road a ways, not 100 feet from each other. And of course with the exception of my body being eaten by mosquitos, I had a great time. We all had a great time. It was nice to just get away from normal life for a few days and just chill.

Black Raspberry Jam

Here is how many black raspberries that we got from our backyard bushes. This is the first year we have gotten so many, so we thought we would attempt to make jam.

We smashed all the berries using a strainer. Andy decided on going seedless, well mostly. In the long run, it's so much better, even if it takes more work. We also figured out not to use too fine of a strainer as it will take you FOREVER to get all the juice. This still took us a good 1 1/2 hours or so. We ended up with 6 cups and about 2T once they were all done, but we could only use 5 cups with the amount of Pectin that we were going to use and learning as I'm going here, you can't add more than the recipe calls for or your jam will not turn out right.

Once you have 5 cups of juice, add one package of Pectin and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom. Once it is at a full boil, you stir in 7 cups of sugar in, gradually. DO NOT reduce the sugar. You can also add lemon juice if you want, but we skipped on that. Keep stirring constantly until it cannot be stirred down.

Start a timer for 2 minutes and continue boiling and stirring. Remove pan from heat and quickly skim and remove foam. (we got a LOT of foam). You can save this for jelly if you want. It's still very yummy.

Immediately fill hot jars to about 1/4 inch from the top and screw lids on tightly. Invert jars for about 10 minutes, then return them upright and let jam cool, undisturbed for about 24 hours.

Another milestone beaten!

Woo hoo I did it! I have made it to 30 minutes of running without stopping. Regardless that it was only a little over 2 miles that I ran, I am so giddy that it's ridiculous, and so proud of myself that it's silly.

So this week is my 8th week in working towards my marathon goal. I have come really far from when I have started and was unable to do even 3 minutes of running. Frustrating as it is, I haven't lost a ton of weight, which is kind of what I was hoping to do, BUT that's me binging a little here and there and not eating as good as I should have every day. I have done better though, trying not to watch the portions and not necessarily giving up on things, but limiting myself.

Andy, bless his heart, is trying to help me keep myself in check. I hate being criticized though so he approaches me with caution. lol

Anyway, I was so excited that I knew I had to write (type) this moment down so when I get discouraged, I can come back and read this to help me stay focused!

Love Dare, day #39

Write a letter of commitment and resolve to your spouse. Leave it in a place where you mate will find it.

I saved this one to do on Father's Day since he wrote me such a nice letter on Mother's Day. I know sappy, but whatever. I tried not to make it too long as I can get pretty winded and say things repeatedly. I basically shared with him how much he means to me and how lucky I am to have him in my life and to be able to share my life with him. Overall, this journey called life isn't easy and it definitely isn't easy if you do it alone. Even if I get frustrated with him, I love him. I hope he never forgets it.

Love Dare, day #38

Ask yourself what your spouse would want if it was obtainable, then map out a plan for meeting some (if not all) of their desires. Well I've waited a week for Andy to decide on something that he wants. ;) He still hasn't given me an idea. I could've come up with one immediately. lol He's like that though. He doesn't care if he gets presents on a holiday and he always says he doesn't "need" anything. *sigh* So, honey I'm still waiting to finish this one. When you get around to reading this dare and remember that I asked you, let me know what you want to work towards!

My newest goal

Well okay, so I've been working on it for 6 weeks now. I want to run a marathon. Yep, I am that crazy. I have run off and on the last two years, but not faithfully. I recently watched the lastest season of The Biggest Loser. I've never watched it before, but what inspirations these people are! One of the last episodes was the remaining 4 contestants run a full marathon. I don't know, it inspired me I suppose. I've never really been on who has accomplished all the much. I wasn't in the top 100 of my classmates in high school. I have never won 1st place in anything. I have never done anything really big. THIS, is big. This would be amazing and something I would have to work very very hard in doing.

My sis-in-law and her husband did it. I've talked to her and gotten some good tips from her. I've also gotten good tips from CS. I will pretty much take any kind of information that I can get to help me along. I did finally fork out some money to buy a good pair of shoes. I bought some Asics gel running shoes, which make a whole lot of difference. I was running in old Nike hiking shoes that are not made for running at all.

Every where that I have read up on has told me to concentrate more on running for a set amount of time rather than how far I go. After 6 weeks, I can now do 20 minutes without stopping and the speed I am at now is only at about 1.5 miles. I also walk another 1.5 miles after I run. I am only going to concentrate on running the 20 minutes, not the mileage. I am very happy with myself for making it this far. I've been doing it at least 5 days a week. I should probably do it every day, but I have been having a little trouble with my right ankle. I get a sharp pain on the front part whenever I stop running. I may have a tiny patch of pain when I run, but it's nothing like when I start walking. If it gets too bad, I ice it up, as I have read about injuries to runners, and I try and stay off it the next day. This week hasn't been too bad, only 1 day that I had a really hard time and had to stop walking even. I went out and bought an ankle brace to help and last night was the first night I ran on it with the brace. It has seemed to help so far. We will see how much my ankle has strengthened over the next couple of weeks.

So this is my goal and I figure the more people I tell it to, the better chance of me keeping this goal. I will keep my progress updated! There is even a 5K that I might run this August during Harlan Days.

Schlep Bags

My first (well second) bag I made! It was really quite simple after I screwed up on making a rough draft. It only took me a few hours to cut, iron, and sew this second bag. You can also make the squares as big or as small as you want. Great gift idea too. It can be used as a grocery bag, diaper bag, beach bag, etc. You only need 1/4 yd of 8 different styles of fabric if you want to do 8 inch squares and two different sides, and 1/8 yd of low-lofted batting. I might come back and post exact instructions, but not tonight. I just wanted to post some quick pictures. This one I am sending to my mom for her birthday.

Love Dare, day #37

Ask your spouse if you can begin praying together.

Kind of a simple request really. We haven't prayed together for a very long time. I got up the nerve to ask Andy if this was possible, thinking he might laugh or make fun, not on purpose of course, he just comes from a sarcastic-speaking family. He didn't though. He even prayed first. It wasn't a bad experience at all, not that I thought it would be, but still when you haven't done it in a long time, it might seem silly even.

We are going to try and do this more often and we'll see what happens.

Mini meatloaves with roasted veggies

I'm not sure if anyone has ever watched the Cook Yourself Thin show, but it's wonderful. The cookbook is wonderful. They give you great ideas on how to cut calories and help you to eat healthier. I changed a couple of things, but nothing drastic.

Serves 8

For the meatloaf:

2 slices of whole-wheat bread

1 C skim milk

2 T, plus 2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

10-oz bag of baby spinach leaves

2 1/2 pounds ground turkey (I used a meatloaf mix that I bought at the store which has lean ground beef, ground veal, and ground turkey)

2 large eggs

4 T Parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg (I did not add this in)

3 cloves of garlic, minced (This was something that I added into the recipe)

For the glaze:

3 T ketchup

2 tsp Worchestire sauce

1 tsp hot sauce

For the roasted veggies:

3 large carrots, cut on the bias

2 potatoes, cut on the bias

1/4 C asparagus

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped chives

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange oven racks to accommodate two dishes being cooked simultaneously.

2. Grind the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl, and pour milk over crumbs.

3. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and golden, stirrying occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with soaked crumbs. Add the meat, cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if so desired). Combine the mixture with your hands until well blended. It will be quite wet.

4. Pack 1 C of the mixture into a 1-cup dry measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking the cup to release the mixture. Gently pat the mound to smooth its shape. Repeat with remaining mixture. (It should make about 8 cups). Bake miniloaves until cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes.

5. While your miniloaves are cooking, make the glaze. In a small bowl combine the 3 ingredients and brush over miniloaves when they are finished cooking.

6. To make the roasted veggies, toss all the vegetables in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven along with the meatloaves and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring midway through baking. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Love Dare, day #35 & #36

So I haven't been able to finish technically yet because my beloved went on vacation for a week, fishing trip in Canada.

I have never been so glad to see him in my entire life. I dont' know what it was, but I missed him like I have never missed him before. How cool is it that I felt like I did when we were first dating and I had the butterflies, checked my makeup, waited for him to call feeling, the day he came home? What an amazing and incredible feeling. I am a definite believer in abscence making the heart grow fonder. I probably have driven him nuts the since he's come home on Saturday. I keep telling him how much I love him and how much I had missed him.

Well the dare for day #35 was to find a Christian-mentor or counselor to help you in your relationship. Um, I passed on this one. We don't need one. We have worked out our past problems. We have continued to grow with each other and we have moved on. It's a done deal for us.

Day #36 dare is to commit to reading the Bible every day and to read aloud to your spouse. Okay, I think what I'm going to do instead is find an article about something we both would be itnerested and read that aloud, since I don't think he's ever read a book in his life. I will have to find something tonight so we can do this together. That's the point, right? Spending time together and mentally being connected.

Love Dare, day #34

Verbally commend your spouse about a recent time when they demonstrated Christian character in a noticeable way.

Andy's most Christian-like character would be to help anyone out, anytime. I admire that quality. I don't have it all the time. I will gripe and moan sometimes if someone asks for my help. I remember one time we had gone out to eat and he decided to buy an older couple's dinner. We didn't know them, but he felt impressed to do that. Who does that? If his friend's need help, he goes and helps them, no questions asked. I sometimes have even gotten upset at Andy for helping out so many people, which obviously is not the right attitude to have. I told him that I appreciate everything he does and that I admire him for helping out others all the time. Again, he just smiles and moves forward. He still doesn't know that I'm doing this and I only have a few days left!

Love Dare, day #33

Tell your spouse that you desire to include them in your upcoming decisions, and that you need their perspective and counsel.

I realize sometimes I feel like I have to make all the important decisions. Most of the time, it's because Andy doesn't really care about certain things so I just take care of it. I think though that sometimes I get caught up in making all the decisions that he feels lost and not included. He's a very smart man. If he doesn't know how to do something, he'll read up on it to figure it out. He utterly amazes me at how smart he is. I have been asking his opinion more and what he thinks about things. I'm not sure if he's caught on to what I've been doing, but he has helped me out more than I knew or than he knows.

Love Dare, day #32

If at all possible, try to initiate sex with your spouse today (in a way that honors them).

Well I'm not going to sit here and write about my sex life. HA! I will say though that I was lucky enough finishing this challenge without even knowing what the challenge was that day! How cool is that? It's the most precious and the closest way to become connected to someone you love. Plain and simple.

Love Dare, day #31

Commit to God and your spouse to make your marriage the top priority over every other human relationship.

Well I can say that I am definitely committed to my spouse and committed to my marriage. It should be the most important physical relationship that I ever have. If you don't put your all into it, why have one? I am one of those that would not survive alone. I depend on my husband. I depend on our relationship and our family. Yes it's not perfect and it's not easy at times. What is life though without finding your true love and holding on to that love for as long as you can?

Love Dare, day #30

Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your own heart that is threatening oneness with your spouse and, if appropriate, discuss it openly and seek God for unity.

Already done. I have nothing to hide from Andy. We've discussed our differences and things that have come between us in the past. There is nothing that threatening our marriage and keeping us a part.

Love Dare, day #29

Before you see your spouse again today, pray for them by name and for their needs.

Ahhh another praying challenge! Okay, so I did say a little prayer at first that maybe wasn't that heartfelt because I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't going to see much of him today because it was Ethan's last day of school, we were going to the zoo plus running around. I wasn't going to see him until later in the day. So I went on my merry way thinking I did my challenge and all.

We had a great time at the zoo. I took pictures that I will post in a different post, but Ethan had a blast. I called Andy on my way home and he had had an awful time with his pump truck. He had a pipe that got plugged up and eventually blew out. My heart just sank. That truck is not a cheap truck nor are the parts that take to keep it going. We've been slow as molasses and now that his truck is out of order, we get calls for jobs. Ok, what is going on here?

A thought came to me that I hadn't really put my heart into the challenge. I needed to say a prayer for Andy no matter what my views were on, talking to God. I did. I pulled over (Ethan was asleep by this time) I said a little prayer, with feeling this time, that Andy would be able to fix the truck, not be stressed out that it had broken, and that he wouldn't get hurt in the process. The man has accident prone written on his forehead.

Well when I got home, he told me that he had almost fell off the top of the truck, and the part had to be specially ordered. *Sigh* Well, at least he didn't get hurt and that we will be able to fix it eventually. I guess my prayer did somewhat of a good thing.

Love Dare, day #28

Do what you can to meet the greatest need in your spouse's life right now.

There's not much that I can do for Andy, or so he says. I figured if I helped him out in areas that I usually don't volunteer for that that would be good. So I helped with little things that I don't volunteer for usually. I helped him with the garden for one thing. We have it planted officially! I'm actually kind of excited this year because we made it bigger than last year and it's not going to be just a salsa garden!

So it may not have been a great need in someone else's eyes but I know he was surprised that I was outside (because he says I hate the outdoors) and helped out.

Love Dare, day #27

"Think of one area where your spouse has told you you're expecting too much, and tell them you're sorry for being so hard on them about it. "

Done. I know I can be pretty demanding sometimes. Yes this is one of my many faults and yet I have a husband that would give me whatever I wanted if he could. I talked with him about how I was sorry I was so hard on him for going on his yearly trip. Sometimes I hold it against him for going when we don't have a lot of money or because he doesn't seem to plan trips with me.

I grew up with parents who did everything together. I thought that was normal. I've learned that a lot of things that I grew up learning, aren't normal. This being one of them. I know he deserves to have a break. He works hard and as I've said before, he always finds a way to work things out for us. We will get to go camping this year a couple of times and he's promising me he will take Ethan out fishing, as my boy wants nothing more than to do cool stuff with his daddy.

Love Dare, day #26

"Ask for God's forgiveness for your areas of wrongdoing, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse. "

There is a lot of soul searching while doing this Love Dare. This one was hard for me, only because I'm harder on myself than my husband is on me. Learning to talk to your spouse and have that close relationship with them is the greatest gift in the world. We talk now, truly talk to each other without holding anything back. It's such a relief to feel comfortable enough with someone to do that.

I haven't asked for forgiveness from God for a long time either. I've felt too ashamed and too unworthy. You have to realize that everyone makes mistakes, we're human. I've admitted my mistakes to my husband and it's taken time, but he's forgiven me. I feel that God knows that I'm sorry and he has forgiven me also.

I am so incredibly blessed to be able to have the relationship that I have and the life that I live.

Love Dare, day #25

"If there is anything you haven't forgiven in your spouse, forgive it today. "

Well let me start off by saying I have a great husband and he does a lot for me and my family. I sometimes hold things against him and I know I shouldn't. By the time I have the courage to bring it up, I feel even more stupid for saying something because it never comes out right.

If you would've asked me a few years ago what I had a hard time with, I'd probably list a few things. The problem was though that I wouldn't ever tell him what bothered me. I would just bottle it up and hold it against him. What kind of healthy relationship is that? Now, I have learned to talk to him about things that may bother me. I may not do it right away, but I don't wait and wait until it's been bottled up for so long that it causes more drama than needed. I am learning to think before I speak. That way it doesn't sound like I'm just nagging and griping.

Today, I have let everything go. I'm sure he'll frustrate me in the future. I'm sure I'll be upset about something he's done, but I'm choosing to love him anyway and to not bring up things in the past. Let it go. It's a great feeling.

Rhubarb Crunch

This is NOT a low-fat recipe. It's not entirely loaded with calories, but it isn't light either. It was very tasty.

Mix until crumbly:
1 C flour, sifted
3/4 C uncooked oatmeal
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the following:
1 C sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 C water
1 tsp vanilla
2 T strawberry jello

Press half of crumbs on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan. Add 4 C diced rhubarb on top.

Combine second mixture and cook until thick.

Pour over rhubarb. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Love Dare, day #24

Identify every object of lust in your life and remove it.

I am a fliratious person. I always have been. I used to never think anything of it though, until Andy said something to me about a year or so ago. It bothered him and I had to really think to myself if it would bother me if we switched shoes. Of course it would! I do have a tendency to not think about the consequences before I act, and a year ago, that was one of those times. I can say though that I really watch myself now and I just keep in mind that it may have been harmless to me, but it wasn't to the one person that I should care about more than anything. I think about that now. I really try to put his feelings first before mine.

Love dare, day #23

Love always protects.

Remove anything that is hindering your relationship, any addiction or influence that’s stealing your affections and turning your heart away from your spouse.

You know, I can honestly say that I really don't have anything that is turning my heart away from my husband. I may spend too much time on the computer though and for this night, I gave it up to be with him & Ethan. If you put some effort into showing your family you love them and LIKE spending time with them, they feel loved. Period. We had a good night just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.

Love Dare, day #22

Love is faithful.

Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated reaction, not a knee-jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed even if your spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it. Say to them today in words similar to these, "I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don't love me in return."

I want to cry every time I read these words. How lucky am I? How luck am I that I have a good enough relationship where I tell my husband every day that I love him and that he loves me back. I said when I first started this journey, that yes I wanted to strengthen my relationship with my husband, but that we weren't on the verge of breaking up. I am so incredibly lucky. I have looked at other blogs and have read other people's responses to the love dares that they are doing. My heart just breaks for them.

This evening, my son graduated preschool. (I'll post pictures later) On the way, Andy and I got into a little tiff, nothing big, just a disagreement. I have a tendency to snap before I think. I've been trying so hard these last couple of weeks not to do this. Tonight, I did. I felt so bad afterwards as you see, Andy doesn't snap back at me. He will just quietly shut me out and I have to give me time and space to let it go. So today I didn't do so well, but I will try harder tomorrow because it's worth it for me to keep trying to be a better wife.

Love dare, days 19, 20, & 21 challenges

Day 19 - Look back over the dares of previous days. Were there some that seemed impossible to you? Have you realized your need for GOD to change your heart and give you the ability to love? Ask HIM to show you where you stand with HIM, and ask for the strength & grace to settle your eternal destination.

Day 20 - Dare to take GOD at HIS Word. Dare to trust JESUS CHRIST for salvation.

Day 21 - Be intentional today about making a time to pray & read your Bible.


I put these dares together because frankly, I didn't do them in the ways that was suggested.

I knew this subject would come up sooner or later when I first thought of doing The Love Dare. It's a Christian-based movie. Of course they are going to mention Jesus and having him "improve" your life.

Okay, I grew up a Mormon. I was raised that way my entire life. Over the last couple of years, I have fallen away, due to some personal reasons and questions that I'm just not ready to get into. The past few months, I have actually gone to church a few times, participated in some activities, which are great, but I still don't know.... I don't know what to know.

I have never read the Bible, and if you're Mormon, you are encouraged to read The Book of Mormon. I haven't read either of them. I've read parts of both when I took seminary back in Highschool. Frankly, they are hard to read and even harder to understand.

I do know that I believe in God & Jesus. I do believe they exsist. I guess that's a start. However, I think that I need to find out for myself whether or not I want to live what has been taught to me ever since I was a little girl.

Anyway, on day 19 it was Mother's Day. I received a very touching letter from Andy. Now if you know him well, he's not a romantic type. He just isn't, so getting a sweet letter from him was pretty surprising. ;) It made me feel like something I was doing, was right. He had noticed that my whole attitude was changing, that I had been more patient with Ethan, and basically how much he appreciated me. Isn't it great when someone appreicates you? I made it my mission that day to smile and not to let anything upset me. It worked pretty well, I think.

Instead of reading my Bible, I found one of my favorite quotes that always uplifts me. I will share it.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

Love Dare, day #18

Prepare a special dinner at home, just for the two of you. Focus this time on getting to know your spouse better, perhaps in areas you've rarely talked about. Determine to make it an enjoyable evening for you and your spouse.

Since funds are a little tight right now, we made dinner together at home. I used to hate making dinner with Andy. He's a perfectionist and he comes from a family that cooks more, let's say gourmet, than my family ever did. For example, I didn't even know what asparagus was until I was married into his family. Yup, asparagus.

We enjoyed it together and it was very relaxing. Noone was in a hurry to go somewhere or get something finished. I think that you can really show someone you care when you show you are interested in what they're saying. Pay attention. Look at them when they speak. I find that you don't drift off thinking about some other thing in the process.

Love Dare, days #16 & #17

Day #16 - "Pray for three specific areas where you desire for God to work in your spouse's life and in your marriage."

Ok, so this was actually a tough challenge for me. I haven't prayed in...I don't even remember the last time that I prayed. I've only been to church off an on throughout the year. Frankly, I've had quite a difficult time with the whole religion thing. That's another post though. I did decide to pray for my husband, just to see what happened.

I prayed that he would have strength to overcome these tough and stressful times, financially. It's been very tough. In fact, it's always been tough. Ever since we've been married. I keep thinking it will get better. Maybe if I wish long enough, it will.

The second thing I prayed for was that he would be able to realize that he deserves the best. He's probably the most unselfish person that I know. There have been times that I've wondered about whether I am at the top of his "list" or not. We joke about it sometimes. He takes care of me though. I KNOW that things will be alright, because Andy always finds a way. He just does, and it's amazing, I think, to say that I know he will find a way.

The third thing I prayed for was for him to be happy. Just happy. There are days that I worry. His brain works nonstop. However, when he's happy, he's the absolute best man to be around. I want him to know that we love him and appreciate all he does.


Day #17 -"Love promotes intimacy." My marriage is and should be intimate. Not only physical, but emotional. I was married to Andy for at least 5 years before we discovered truly, who each other was. It took some heartaches, some fights, and some choices, for me to realize how lucky I was. I don't hide anything from Andy. He knows my secrets and my faults. He still loves me and that's what is amazing. I don't feel like I'm walking on eggshells, to be perfect.

Love Dare, days #14 & #15

Day #14 - "Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse."

So I was kind of excited about this day. I thought that since I hadn't seen my husband really all weekend, he'd want to spend some "quality" time together. My biggest thing to give up is the computer. I work using it, I play games, and I also chat with some good friends. I decided to let go of that for a night. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

Andy wanted to grill his fresh salmon that he had caught last weekend. Oh by golly, he brought home a LOT of fish. Yummy that it was too. It was incredibly tasty. I even invited his parents over, which we don't do nearly enough. I helped him prepare most everything and we had a great supper.

After cleaning up, helping Ethan take a shower and putting him to bed, I bounce down the stairs excitedly and find Andy playing the xbox. *sigh* Now, I can't complain about him playing. I play for crying out loud. I never tell him to get off so we can do something, but tonight I wanted to. He told me that he'd rather play for a while. Okay, that hurt. I was bitter for a while and then decided that I'd come and blog about my "love dares". HA! I definitely wasn't in the mood to do that, but felt that it might make me feel better. After a little while, he got off and told me and we talked. He asked why I got so upset when usually he does his thing at night and I do mine. Why should I get upset if it's not normal for me to want to really "spend quality time together." That made me think. He's right. It's nice to do your own thing when the children are asleep peacefully in their beds. It's also nice though to remember to spend that time with your spouse, to remember why you're together, and to enjoy each other's company.


Day # 15 - Ahhhh today's dare was, "Choose a way to show honor and respect to your spouse that is above your normal routine." What to do, what to do. Oh, I've got it! I could actually try extremely hard and pay attention when my husband speaks. Yes, I'm a female and I tune him out sometimes. What female doesn't do the same thing? I really tried hard to listen to everything he said today. I looked at him when he was speaking, I paid attention. I doubt he noticed any difference, he's Andy. I know that I tried and I felt that I succeeded.