7 Random Facts About Me

I was tagged by Tammy to list 7 random facts about myself and then tag others to do the same. Here are my 7 facts/quirks:

1. My kitchen has to be clean. 24/7. Mainly my sink area. I cannot go to bed if there are spots on the faucet, the towels are messed up, counters dirty, and floor not swept. If you were a fly on the wall you would find me multiple times a day keeping my sink clean and spot free.

2. Two bad habits of mine are cracking my knuckles and biting my nails.

3. I took ballet for about 7 years. I even could do pointe but stopped after I sprained my ankle a couple of times.

4. When I was about 3 years old, I fell out of a 2-story window and walked away with only a bruise.

5. If I could go back to school for anything, I would go to culinary school. I enjoy cooking and can follow recipes pretty well, but I would love to learn the insides-out of it and know how to make my own things and what seasonings go with what.

6. When I am around the house I love wearing loungy-sweats-comfy clothes. Almost everyday for at least part of it, you will find me in some sort of lounge clothes.

7. I hate spiders. When I see one my heart speeds up a bit and I get freaked out. I have a really hard time killing them because I don't want to get too close. I use to put a glass over it and would wait until Christopher got home but now I can't do that with Dawson. I have to talk myself into it before I kill one.

I tag Laurel, Andrea, Bridget, Liz, Sarah F., Bri, and Kim.

Tasty Tuesday

This one is a favorite of mine, and seems to be one of those recipes that everyone loves and wants. I made it at my last book club and everyone really liked it. My friend Brandy gave it to me, she got it from Paper Crafts Gourmet Magazine. I was talking to a gal at the grocery store checkout who was asking what I use the vanilla almond bark for, and she said her mom makes the same thing but instead of chocolate chips uses M&M's.

Vanilla Chex Mix
Heather D. White

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
3 C. Corn Chex cereal
3 C. Rice Chex cereal
3 C. Wheat Chex cereal
2 C. salted dry-roasted nuts (peanuts, cashews or almonds)
2 C. small pretzel twists
2 C. miniature marshmallows
1 pkg. (20 oz.) vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark/ambrosia)

Place chocolate chips in freezer to chill. Mix cereals (you can buy a Chex
assortment box of all three at Costco for pretty inexpensive), peanuts,
pretzels and marshmallows in a large bowl; set aside. Microwave candy
coating in a large microwavable bowl uncovered on High for 1 minute 30
seconds; stir, breaking up large chunks. Microwave about 30 seconds longer
or until coating can be stirred smooth. Gently and quickly pour coating
onto cereal mixture and fold in until evenly coated. Stir in chilled
chocolate chips. Spread on waxed paper; cool completely. Break into
chunks. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. You won't be able to
keep your hands off this stuff!!

Happy Birthday, Christopher!!

Today is Christopher's Birthday, and to commemorate this fabulous event I thought I would blog about 28 things that Dawson and I love about our Dad and Husband since he turned 28. Here is our list:

(First 14 are mine)
1. Spiritual- he is so good at having us read family scriptures and prayers.
2. Always can make me laugh.
3. Not afraid to be silly or goofy- he's really a big kid at heart.
4. His baby blues!
5. Hardworking for our family so I can stay at home.
6. People enjoy being around him.
7. Loves helping and serving others (that's why he is a great nurse!)
8. He is a bottomless pit and will always finish what I don't eat (yet I don't know where it goes.)
9. Great Dad!!! I love watching him play with Dawson.
10. Takes the garbage out for me and is always willing to lend a helping hand.
11. Nice to everyone and not judgmental.
12. Always buys me flowers still, even for the heck of it.
13. He will try anything once and is pretty daring.
14. He always puts me and Dawson and everyone before himself.
(Next 14 are Dawson)
15. Wrestles with me.
16. Plays cars and makes all the cool sound effects.
17. Gives me baths and reads me bedtime stories.
18. Loves candy and sweets just like me...and usually shares his goods!!
19. Loves football and takes me to see the Cougars play.
20. Pulls me in the wagon.
21. Let's me stay up late and cuddle in bed with him.
22. Helps me say my bedtime prayers.
23. Teaches me about Jesus.
24. Tickles me and makes me laugh.
25. Always makes sure he has time to spend with me and give me attention.
26. Tries to have "guy time" every once in awhile with me.
27. Works really hard so I can be provided for.
28. Let's me help him do manly things like work with his tools or help with yard work.

Party Party!!

Sorry I have been slacking, but here finally are some pictures from Dawson's Birthday party. Thanks for everyone coming! We had a great time eating food, watching Dawson open presents, and having him blow out the candles with all you guys. He loves all his new toys and playing with his new cars.
And here is what the kids did for majority of the time:

Tasty Tuesday

This is always a crowd pleaser when I make it, and I usually don't have much left over. It has all the good stuff in it that you would put on top of a baked potato. A white veggie puree would be ideal to mix in to it, and with the bacon and cheese no one will notice the extra veggies!

Baked Potato Soup

2/3 c butter
2/3 c flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled, and cubed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10-12 strips of bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
3/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper

In a large pot over low heat, melt butter. Stir in flour; stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until soup begins to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir until cheese is melted. Serves 8-10 people.

Dawson at 2!

The other day we had Dawson's 2 year doctor check-up so I thought I would do a post with some "stats" about Dawson at 2. *Note* The picture is from the other day when I was on the computer blogging. I think it describes a typical climbing, mischievous, problem solver 2 year old. The candy is on the table and Mom said no, so how can I get it? I know! Climb up myself when she is not around and unwrap and eat as many pieces at I can!! *Second Note* Dawson just walked in the room looked at the picture and said "candy!!" Oi. My child is a sugar addict and I don't even let him have a piece every day.

Weight: 22 1/2 pounds (He has pretty much coasted in the 2nd percentile since he was born.)

Height: 34 inches (45th percentile)

Favorite Foods: Yogurt, String Cheese, Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches, Macaroni and Cheese, Grapes, Peaches, Corn, Crackers, and Goldfish.

Dislikes: Pretty much any green vegetable. He pokes them and says "ewwww." He is not a big meat eater either.

Favorite Activities: Going outside (so sad it's cold now!), playing with his toy cars, watching the movie Cars, coloring, rough housing with Dad, cuddling with Mom, and helping with whatever chore we are doing.

Other Random Facts: His best friend is Addy...they are so cute together and anytime he sees her he shouts "ADDY!!" and runs to her. He will now pretty much say any word you say. He is starting to use short phrases like "Mom, milk please!" or "all done." He can identify stars, circles, the colors blue and yellow and sometimes orange. He counts to 3 and when he sees a letter he calls it "A." He is a typical boy who loves making sound effects, knocking things down, crashing things, and anything rough. Dawson is a little comedian who feeds off of people laughing at him. He will make silly faces or put something on his head or do something funny and if he sees you laughing he will keep doing it. He is starting to pretend more and I love watching it. He will get a bowl or something and put it on his head and say "hat!" He will line his cars up and drive a couple out and have them crash then park them back by the others. Physically, he can almost jump with both feet, can take his pants and socks off, run away from you quickly, and put shape blocks in their matching holes. He is always very sweet and will give you kisses and hugs and say "Love you!!" He likes being like Dad and every Sunday morning when Dad is getting ready for church Dawson has to put on deoderant, shave, spray cologne, and put on a tie just like Dad (pretend to that is!)

Sorry if the post all about Dawson and his little accomplishments was boring. Like most people, this is partially a journal for me so I can remember all the little things and have them documented, even milestones that Dawson has hit.

Happy Birthday, Dawson!

Dawson turned 2 today, and I honestly do not know where these last 2 years went (just like any mother would say, right?) We are having a party for him this weekend, but had to do something to celebrate the actual day!! This morning when he woke up he got to open a few presents...one from us, one from his Grandma and Grandpa Springer, and one from my Uncle. He loves the little table we bought him, he keeps sitting at it and saying chair! with a big smile on his face. The Cars themed cars from my uncle was also a big hit of course, as well as the Spin and Crash Raceway from my parents. He has played with nothing else all day! This afternoon after his nap, we decided to make it a tradition and go to Build a Bear and out to lunch like we did with him last year on his birthday. He was super excited when we got to Build a Bear and picked out a dog this time, and he loved stepping on the push peddle to stuff his puppy. After that he got to brush him, "bathe" him, and name him...Benji was the keeper. After that we headed over to Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch/early dinner (aka cheaper lunch prices!) We had a yummy lunch, Dawson loved his Mac n Cheese and they even brought out a mini sundae and sang Happy Birthday after which he got to blow out the candle. Overall Birthday? Success! Stay tuned for an update all about Dawson, and a post from his party! PS When you tell him to smile and say cheese...this is what you get...

The Birthday boy at his new table!
His present from grandma and grandpa
Stuffing his dog at Build a Bear
D's new bud Benji
After a delicious lunch! He was too into the sundae to look at the camera.
PSS....Last night was Young Women in Excellence, so Tasty Tuesday was neglected. Watch for next week though...Baked Potato Soup!

Four by Four

I was tagged by Brandy so here goes! I am suppose to go to the pictures area on my computer, pick the 4th picture in the 4th file and post it. Then I explain the photo and tag 4 friends.
This is a picture from Easter of 2007. We were actually in Illinois, visiting my family. Here are me and Dawson (4 months) coloring Easter eggs in my parents kitchen. It was D's first Easter. My mom had put the sticker on Dawson's forehead and I remember Dawson was mad at me when I took it off and it left a red spot. We had a great Easter that year, sticking to the traditions of the Easter bunny hiding our baskets and eating a big yummy dinner.

I tag Jen A., Holly H., Laurel H., and Carrie P.

Tasty Tuesday

First off, I would like to start by saying Happy 100th Post to my blog!! Whoo hoo! I can't believe I have reached that in just a little over a year and I hope to soon get in put into a cool little book so it can be a family journal.

Moving on, tis the season for warm, yummy, comforting foods like soups, casseroles, and crockpot dinners so for the next while I will devote Tasty Tuesday to those recipes with maybe a sweet treat thrown in here and there. I will also make mention of what veggie purees would be good to mix in with the various recipes to give it that healthy boost. Missed the veggie purees? Scroll back through my Tasty Tuesdays to get them! Here is one of my favorites....Enchilada Casserole. I cannot even remember where I got it from, probably allrecipes.com. I have made it enough now though that I can just thrown it together and it's delicious! I like to mix in the orange veggie puree since it blends well with the red enchilada sauce.

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 can refried beans
1 can red enchilada sauce (your preference on the heat!)
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 tortillas

Brown ground beef and drain off fat (I even rinse my ground beef to get off more of the fat.) Mix in 1 can refried beans and 1/2 can enchilada sauce. Cook until warmed through. Spray a 9x9 baking dish. Pour a little bit of enchilada sauce on bottom of pan, spread. Place a tortilla down and pour and spread a little more sauce. Top with 1/2 the meat mixture, then layer of cheese. Put down another tortilla, sauce, other half meat, cheese. Top with one more tortilla, the rest of the sauce, and a good layer of cheese on very top. Cover with foil, bake 20-25 mins until bubbly. Remove foil and bake 5 more mins to slightly brown cheese.

A Halloween Treat!

We had a very fun Halloween with plenty of treats and luckily no tricks! All day long all I heard from Dawson was "Candy!" We went to our wards Trunk or Treat, which turned out to be a pretty good event with lots of candy, hot chocolate, and cute little trunk or treaters dressed in their finest. Afterwards, we headed to the Olsen's for Tammy's annual Halloween Bash. If you don't dress up, you are not allowed in the door! And yet again, she out did herself with a fabulous party. We had a donut eating contests, played a candy bar game, a lifesaver game, and tried to figure out what the body parts in the mystery bags really were. Not only that, but we had a very yummy dinner with the most scariest table decor! Overall we ate good food, laughed a lot, and had a good time....a would give this Halloween a gruesome+!!

Chris and I...or should I say Shaggy and Velma.
My sister Missy and neighbor Sheri...the punk rockers.
Me, Missy, Dawson, Jen, and Jeremy at the Ward Trunk or Treat.
The gang at Tammy's party...Blue Men Group (Tammy and Rob), Hippie and Redneck (Brandy and Dave), Waldo and Wenda (Jared and Cass), Punk Rocker (Missy), Orange Witch (Carole), TuTu Fall Witch (Shannon), Velma and Shaggy (Me and Chris), Bat (Dawson), and Knight in Shining Armor and Princess (Ben and Des.)
P.S. Couldn't you imagine me having a cute little girl one day...just pretend the red hair was blonde like Dawsons!
Yes, he hated that I put my wig on him and he had a big fat tear roll down his face...he still tried to smile and say cheese though when I took the picture!