thursday night bows

sometimes there's nothing better than taking hot choc to a girlfriend on thursday night.
from cafe gibson
made with extra love;-)
...
HOT CHOC:
whole milk
stephen's hot choc mix
handful of white choc chips
handful of semi sweet choc chips
1 tsp vanilla
a shake or 2 of cinnamon
*throw it all in the cocomotion and blend.

calling all dream experts!!!

i love going to costco in the afternoon.
the crowds are awful, and the parking stinks.
but the snacks make up for the chaos.
i make sure to stop at every sample station.
sometimes we take it, sometimes we leave it.
i'm not a huge fan of coleslaw.
we usually leave the coleslaw.
i'm ordinarily not a veggieburger type of gal.
i love me some OMAHA'S!
bring on the beef.
but a few weeks ago, i was sold on the garden burgers.
delish i tell you.
have you ever tried them???
so i bought a box, and last night we mixed & mingled the beef and what the beef used to eat.
i couldn't believe how tasty the garden burger was.
i'm not claiming that they tasted the same or better, but they had their own little flair.
and that little flair is something i'm not afraid to add to my weekly menu.
i feel healthier just thinking about it.
the scout master had one of each.
am i becoming a vegetarian?
most definitely NOT.
my dad is from iowa.
i love me some meat.
and rare.
but i am a fan of the garden burger.
and that is that.
...
in other news:
the pork loin's head has taken a beating this week.
three days in a row.
sunday he bonked it on the sport court.
monday he had a fight with the pavement, the pavement won (see nose below)
tuesday he fell off the motorcycle bike at the gateway discovery zone.

my food dreams last night brought even better escapades.

you should have tasted the movie popcorn i ate in one dream.

it was hot, with LOTS of butter and salt.

perfect buttery, salty bites EVERY time.

then came the waffles.

i was at some sort of a breakfast celebration.

i had eggs benedict too, but never ate them b/c i was so full from the popcorn.

to drink?
raspberry lemonade mixed with sprite.

can't WAIT to see what i'm going to eat in my dreams tonight:-)

you dream experts out there, does this mean i'm not eating enough satisfying foods while awake???

i really feel like i do.

just yesterday i treated myself to a bite sized baby ruth from my halloween cauldron.

dreaming of steaks, burgers, Cheetos, & so forth

i can always tell when i'm extra hungry in the morning b/c i have dreams about eating food all night long.
last night i dreamt about steaks, hamburgers, tacos, Cheetos, and lays classic potato chips.
i was extra hungry, and apparently wanted meat and fried chips.
let's just say i woke up needing a little more than oatmeal wit berries.
and fast!
i woke up needing frosted shredded wheat, raisins, honey, & brennan's whole milk.
it's a good source of fiber, so they say.
or a good source of fulfilling hunger.
whichever.
i now feel amazingly full.
which means i may be able to be a little more lovely when asked questions this morning.
i don't do well when i'm hungry.
i get snappy.
so just make sure i'm fed and watered.
we'll all be happier:-)

they're coming to get me!!!!

several times a week the pork loin and i go walking.
it's good for the heart, you know.
sometimes shady things happen in our neighborhood.
it's either our city or west valley city on the news for the scary stuff.
in fact, the scout master and i have a running joke about the entire thing.
there was even a gun hold up at the park we walk at when brennan was a few weeks old.
all of the news "copters" were hovering over the baseball fields, and the roads were closed off.
if i remember correctly, somebody kidnapped a girl in west valley city and led police on a high speed chase that ended in our town.
see, it's west valley city or us.
told you.
so this morning when sean saw a news article about a house burning down after an arrest just down the street, i was not surprised.
"that's our city!" i said.
we laughed about it for a minute, and then got all excited to go see the scene of the crime.
i know, we are sick people that get excited over things like this.
would you really not go see it though if it happened in your neighborhood???
if it was someone we knew and loved, trust me, we wouldn't have been excited.
we would have been much more sad.
it's much easier to make the whole thing into a "zoo" viewing experience when you don't know the people.

my less than awesome photos were taken on my camera phone as i forced sean to "drive slower" and duck down so the woman couldn't see me taking pictures of the burned down house. she was there cleaning out her things. i'm assuming the man was taken into custody as planned. i know, it's shameful, but really, have you ever seen a burned down house. it's crazy! sad, but creepy too.

i'm always scared when i walk by this house every morning.

there is a massive junk yard that looks like something off of a horror movie.
just keep your eyes forward and walk by quickly like you don't notice it. oh, is that my phone ringing?! it must be, i'd better pull it out and check to see if it was ringing...or if i have email...or a text! are we past it yet???
that's what i do when i walk by.
i know, i'm paranoid.
the paranoia gets far too out of hand during gestation time.
yikes.
i've been walking on the other side of the street during this gestation.
the story goes something like this:
police were coming to arrest the man in the house shown above early this morning.
6am or something that i haven't seen in a long while (bless you for sleeping pork loin, bless you).
ten minutes after the police arrived (or after they arrested him, something like that), the house caught on fire from the upper level.
this is where it gets shady.
the occupants of the house claim to have two separate apartments in the house.
one up, one down.
the man claims to live in the apartment upstairs, the woman downstairs.
the woman was home when the house caught fire, claiming to be in her own apartment on the bottom.
draw your own conclusion.
i'm just saying...
sounds a little fishy to me.
and if i mysteriously disappear tonight, you'll know why!
send the search parties!
the scary junk yard people came to get me!!!
see what i mean about the paranoia???
in other news:
did i mention the scout master is home this entire week??!! i think i did.
it's like saturday every day, but without all of the hustle and bustle of homework and getting ready for sunday.
the pork loin had a fight with the concrete with his face last night.
the concrete won.
it's really sad.
neosporin.
lots.
particularly on the nose.
there was another episode with a toy motorcycle bike at the discovery gateway today that cut his lip and chin.
they're currently calling cps.
i can hear them dialing.
we cleaned out the front closet.
the scout master is checking things off his list left and right!
a-MAZ-ing.
my house has officially been
"HALLOWEEN-ED"!!!!!!
thank goodness too.
just know there are lots of witches.
they are my favorites.
all decorations are proudly displayed above the reach of my toddler (which i am most proud of, the toddler and the out of reach decorations).
my favorite you ask?
too tough to say, but i'm really enjoying the witch's cratch-eh-ty broom i hung over my door.
is it too late to watch hocus pocus again tonight?
i'm enjoying the smell of my pumpkin & spice, jack-o-lantern shaped, salt city candle right this very minute!
it's wonderful and quite relaxing.
i found pig tails again today, and it has the scout master all excited!

LA PASTA

the story:
i have no idea what the name of this dish is.
my cousin, shannon, gave me the recipe when i was 16.
i can't keep my fingers off of the leftovers, let alone the day of cooking.
(don't worry, when i make it for others i duct tape my mouth shut to avoid germ sharing)
sean's mission president, now a general authority (church leadership), came with his wife for dinner at our house when brennan was 6 weeks old.
i made this.

after "president" (what sean still calls him) went back for seconds, hermana alonzo asked sean to ask me (she doesn't speak english, made for an interesting night) to get my recipe for "la pasta" b/c "president" never goes back for seconds.

i was beaming in my chair.

and from then on it has been called "LA PASTA" in our house.

from our kitchen to yours,

i give you

LA PASTA!!!

ingredients:

16 oz rigatoni

1 stick butter

1/2 c flour

1 c milk

1 can chicken broth

3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

1/2lb mushrooms, sliced

3/4 c half & half

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 c Parmesan

3/4 c sliced almonds

directions:

1. cook chicken {3-4 chicken breasts}

2. cook pasta, drain, set aside.

3. while pasta is cooking, melt butter in large sauce pan {keep on low medium heat entire time}

4. whisk milk {not half and half} and flour until smooth, stir into butter once melted, add chicken broth, stirring constantly {if lumpy, use whisk to stir until smooth}.

5. add half & half, stir until smooth and thickened.

6. add salt, nutmeg, chicken, mushrooms, and rigatoni.

7. put into baking greased baking dish.

8. bake COVERED at 350* for 35 minutes, then stir.

9. sprinkle Parmesan and almonds, bake 15 min. more UNCOVERED.

...

mark my words, 

your mouth will love you:)

THEM BONES

i tried to arch my back REALLY far for you this morning. i thought i would die waiting for the timer to go off on the camera from arching so far. doesn't look like i was arching very far though...

the creaking and cracking has begun.
along with heartburn from coke???
back to my bones.
when i turn in my sleep they crack and pop.
when i get up in the morning, what feels like the bottom three vertebrae pop for 10 steps, or something scientific like that.
i had forgotten about this from when i was pregnant with brennan.
funny how you forget.
did you know the curvature of a woman's spine changes during pregnancy?
it's true.
a pregnant woman's lower spine literally changes during pregnancy to shift her centre of gravity backwards so she doesn't topple over from the weight of her baby.
the spinal curvature becomes more pronounced (i just had a really funny image of pregnant woman all standing around together and toppling over, me included. it made me laugh.)
it reduces the stress the baby puts on the mother's spine by placing the baby directly over the pelvis.
you men, you don't have it.
sorry guys, one more magic trick in our hat;-)
guess what else i found?
"they" kept talking about the curvature extending across 3 vertebrae.
i'm a genius, don't you think;-)
or just in tune with my body and my 3 popping vertebrae.
whichever.
i've made the scout master proud.
he knew all of this of course, but it was news to me.
and maybe to you?
sheesh, THEM BONES are rockin';-)
alice in chains anyone?
can't say i've ever been a fan, but i couldn't get the title out of my head this morning.
i had a much more catchy tune playing in my head, "them bones, them bones, them spooky bones."
you know, something to do with halloween and mickey mouse club house?
is there a different song with "them bones" in it that i'm missing???

elevated crib

when brennan has a runny nose i have sean shove a blanket under the left side of his crib to elevate the mattress.
this has become second nature to us.
who knows if this actually does anything, but it is "supposed to" keep the drainage going with gravity.
"elevate the crib and use a humidifier."
i can't tell you how many times i have heard that line.
when he had rsv last winter i would call the nurse line at our pediatrician for advice on his wheezing and retraction saying, "the crib is elevated, there's a humidifier in the room, i've sucked his nose, and given him two breathing treatments."
it got to the point where i would just call the appointment desk, give brennan's name, and they would reply, "how does 3:10 work for you today?"
yes, we were really there that much.
let's just avoid the hospital this season:-)
so i still elevate the crib when he has a runny nose.
we're in a shortage for plugs, thus the humidifier has not been resurrected from the cold storage just yet.
so when the crib is elevated where does brennan end up sleeping?
with his head on the down slope.
figures.