Getting Ready to Have My Butt Kicked

Dear Rock Climbing Wall,

I am ready to come tackle you again this afternoon!  Although I am a little bit nervous because I don't have an excuse to do the practice walls again, but how can I get better if I don't challenge myself?  I am looking forward to you kicking my butt.

New Climber

Dear Jamie,

Thank you so much for offering to babysit tonight!  I am thrilled to be able to go out to a movie with Brett.

Appreciative sister-in-law

Dear Kennedy,

I cannot believe how big you're getting!  Already starting to cruise around the house at not quite 9 months old is crazy.

Your mommy

Dear Cookbooks,

You are so yummy.  I appreciate the ideas and wonderful new things that you let me try.  I am so excited that I have so many new and awesome cookbooks to flip through and cook with!

Chef in the kitchen

Dear Shower,

Oh how I love you when you are warm and the house is quiet.  That is all.

Water mama

Dear Platinum Protection,

Thank you so much for giving Brett a Gap gift card for a Christmas bonus.  I love my new non-prego jeans.  I feel better about myself and no longer have a donut shaped bulge in my middle from all the extra fabric.

Thankful wife

Winning Holiday Recipes: Part 2

Here are the last 3 recipes from my holiday baking extravaganza.  I know that I only have 5 recipes over on the side, but I didn't include the recipe that is already a tradition.  I have eaten my Grandma Emigh's Coffee Cake every Christmas for breakfast since I can remember.  It is delicious and easy and just feels like Christmas.  So without further ado, here are the recipes.  I hope that you enjoy them!

Peppermint Snowballs

from Judith Scholovich via Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy

1 drop red food coloring (optional)

TOPPING:

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

6 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add vanilla.  Stir in flour; knead until mixed well.  reserve 1/2 cup of dough; shape remaining dough into 1-inch balls.  For filling, combine cream cheese and milk in a small bowl.  Stir in sugar, candy and food coloring, if using; mix well.  Make a deep well in the center of each ball; fill with 1/4 teaspoon filling.  Use reserved dough to cover filling.  Reshape if necessary into smooth balls.  Place on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.  Combine topping ingredients; roll cookies in mixture while still warm.  Cool on wire racks.

Potato Chip Crunchies

from Dorothy Buiter via Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

2 cups butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup crushed potato chips

1 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Gradually add flour and mix well.  Fold in the potato chips and pecans.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 1-1/2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Coffee Cake

from Glenda Emigh

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small package vanilla instant pudding

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

TOPPING:

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix all ingredients for cake well.  Pour half the batter into a well greased angel food cake pan.  Spread evenly.  Cover with a little bit more than half the topping mixture.  Pour the rest of the batter on top and spread evenly.  Cover with the rest of the topping mixture.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Dallas World Aquarium

As I said in an earlier post, while we were in Texas we made a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium.  It's an awesome aquarium with a lot more than just fish.  There are birds and monkeys running around, alligators, sharks, turtles, and all kinds of other creatures.  This waterfall is in the middle of it all and runs into the main aquarium tank on the bottom floor.

Kennedy got to meet a bunch of new animals including the otters that were in this tank.  She had the best view of us all since the water didn't go all the way up the glass.  She got to see them close up as they swam by her.

Yes, this is an aquarium, not a zoo - but they still had a jaguar!  She was beautiful.  She just slept while people came and gawked at her and took pictures.

And here she is with the flamingos.  They actually stink really badly, which I didn't remember from previous trips.  But thankfully smells don't seem to bother Kennedy just yet.

We couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute starfish!  That's Brett's thumb, just to give you an idea of how small it really was.

We had a great time at the aquarium and Kennedy loved meeting all of the new animals.  While we were in Texas we went to Gap to do some shopping because Brett's Christmas bonus was a gift card to Gap.  I was thrilled because I got to buy a new pair of jeans which means that I am finally out of maternity jeans!  Yay!  And Kennedy tried on a new pair of sunglasses.

We had a lot of fun!  Unfortunately the trip home was a little bit lengthy.  Our flight got delayed almost 2 hours, which meant that Carol had to wait at the airport for 3 hours before we arrived.  Then, due to the weather conditions here, the drive home took about 2 1/2 hours (and usually takes 45 minutes).  But we are safe and home, which we are all grateful for!

Texas Teaser

I thought that I would give you a small taste of what's been going on here in Texas. I have more pictures to share, but they will have to wait until we get back to Utah. In the meantime, here are some cute ones that my dad took. First, here's Wyatt. He's so cute and getting so big! He's almost 6 months old.

We opened some presents from Grandpa Pitt the first day we got here. Kennedy loves the musical bee that she got. She's played with it every morning.
A cute close up.

She loves to open presents. It was fun to open some more with her because she had to take a nap in the middle of opening presents on Christmas morning.

Here's Kennedy with Grandpa. They've been having lots of fun. Grandpa watched her while we went to see Benjamin Button (which I highly recommend to everyone) and they had a blast.

We've been having a great time here! We went to the aquarium (pictures will come later), got to see my aunt, uncle and cousins who live in Beijing, have had some yummy meals, played some fun games, and rang in the new year with some Martinelli's. It's been a great trip so far and we're happy that we get to spend a couple more days here!

New Year's Resolutions

I have been trying to come up with some resolutions that will actually be realistic for this next year. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I have tried to narrow it down to a few that I think that I will actually be able to meet. Brett is taking a few categories (spiritual, temporal, physical) and making a goal for each. I'm trying to follow his example.

1. Personal daily scripture study: I am generally much better about praying than reading my scriptures. Honestly, I just forget and then kick myself once I'm already in bed. I am going to make a serious effort to make sure and study every day.
2. More exercise: I am really bad when it comes to exercise in general. Especially now that I have to work around Kennedy's schedule, and in some cases need to get a babysitter. I am a little bit (although not much) more disciplined about what I eat, so I think the physical exercise will help to make me healthier. I don't really have a specific goal here except to do more.
3. Have a more organized apartment: I am not the best about throwing things away or keeping clothes off of the floor. Our pantry isn't always completely up to date either. My goal is to organize the apartment (with Brett's help of course), and I mean the whole thing, and keep it that way 95% of the time (I have to give myself some leeway).

I think those are worthy goals. And I think that I will be able to meet them. It may take some time, but I am going to work on it. Last night we stayed home and had a great meal with a HoneyBaked ham, cheddar and bacon mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, panna cotta with blackberries, and of course, sparkling cider. Four of us stayed up until midnight and then we all had biscuits and gravy this morning. So Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that it is better than 2008 for all of you!