KINDLE ME FANCY

I seriously LOVE my Kindle! 

Don't get me wrong...I love paper books too!

But I love reading on my Kindle so much more!!

Here are the books I have read in the past two months on my wonderful, lite E-book that I can cart anywhere and that holds thousands of books on it at a time while allowing me access to a dictionary and the internet and has a cute lime green case on it...

1 - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

2 - Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

3 - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

4 - The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

5 - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

6 - Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Also, my Sweets has been reading lately too and suggests reading: 

1 - Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer

2 - Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

If you haven't read these books yet, I highly suggest you read them! They all are really good and really profound. There truly is nothing better than reading. 

TRIPLE "F"

Food! Fun! Friends!
Last night was the farewell BBQ for our dear friends Mark and Sian. They accepted a new job that has them moving to New Jersey in 3 days(!) and we all wanted to throw them a temporary goodbye party.  We had a smorgasbord of food including: hamburger/cheeseburgers, potato/macaroni salad, BBQ smokies/bacon smokies, veggie kabobs, fruit bruschetta, chips and desserts.

We had quite the turnout from everyone...the Oborn's, Stone's, Packer's, Yates, Memmott's, Hedin's, us and of course the honorary guests, the Davidson's!  It was so great to chit chat it up all night in the somewhat warm(ish) weather and share some laughs. The kiddies ran all around the house scaring people, throwing snaps outside and watching them POP,  jumping on the trampoline and playing with each other. Although this was a last minute thing, it certainly could not have been any better!
We love you and will miss you Davidson' family! 

WHAT TIME IS IT IN THE WORLD?

SHOW TIME!

Sweets and I were so lucky to experience U2 : 360 tour last night!

OMG...it was absolutely amazing! 

Kimberly, Susan, Marie, Christian, Sweets and I arrived at the stadium at 6pm and ate dinner together amongst others on the 6th floor for the VIP party. It was so fun. We ate lots of yummy food and had the chance to relax before the party got started.  

Just before U2 came out on stage)
The Fray opened for U2 and they were great. I usually don't like their music but they did very well and I was definitely getting into their vibe. They rocked the house for the opener!

The rocket-ship stage
When U2 hit the stage...the whole stadium erupted! They had SO much energy and seriously put on the best show! Bono is simply incredible to be performing for as long as he has and still look like he is in the 'prime' of his life. It was one continuous karaoke party for us spectators!

The Gardner girls (minus Amy)
We danced the whole night long, clapping our hands to the beats and singing our hearts out. Our throats are so sore from all the fun! Oh, and our ears are still ringing...seriously...can't...hear...anything!

The man himself...Bono!
We lucked out sitting so close to the stage that we just swooned every time Bono or anyone else came to our side. They performed well into the 11 o'clock hour and we just loved it! It made for long sleepless night but totally worth it.

Cell phone lights only
This picture doesn't do justice, but this was an incredible view. Towards the end, U2 asked if all the lights could be turned off and he would sing just to the lights of everyones cell phones. We all dug out our phones and held them up on display! It was beautiful to see all the tiny white lights flooding the stadium.
I will certainly, always remember this fantastic concert and we are so appreciative that we had the opportunity to experience the great powerhouse legends of Music!

TIMING IS EVERYTHING...

AND THEN SOME! 

TIming is good, bad, slow, fast, long, short, tearful, happy, sad, joyful, frustrating, exciting, nerve-racking, thrilling, stressful, stress-free, patient and stupid!

This is where I am right now!

I am trying to have faith in His Timing but it is beginning to take a toll on me. This is something that I have been struggling with for quite sometime now. Although I have learned this rule of thumb since I was little and am reminded of it every Sunday at Church, I somehow think that there should be an exception to His Timing, and that I could be that exception. Sadly, as time goes on, I realize that I am not!

So, after many days, weeks and months I am left here in the same place as I was before all this started... 

broken, tired, emotional and stressed!

WHY?

I have no idea, but I sure hope that I find out soon. In the meantime, I will continue on practicing my faith that He knows what truly is best for me and that He will take care of my needs at His right Timing!

ICE CREAM SUNDAE 4 LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

I am in total love with this cake!
For Sweets birthday he asked me to make him a German Chocolate cake, but considering I don't like German Chocolate I opted to make another kind of Chocolate cake instead. One that I would like - Sorry babe! Then, as I was reading the ingredients for this particular chocolate cake, I saw that the ice cream wasn't in layers, but mixed in with the batter! I new right then I had to make it! Holy Cow...it is the  most scrumptious cake EVER! No lie... 

Cake
1 box Devils Food Cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix ( I used chocolate fudge)

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I used canola)

1 heaping cup of Ice Cream ( I used Mint Chocolate chip)

1/4 cup Hot fudge sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Place cake mix, pudding, eggs, water, oil, ice cream and hot fudge sauce into a mixer. Beat on low then medium until well combined and thick. Divide evenly into 4 (9 inch) cake pans ( I used 2 (9 inch) pans b/c I didn't have 4 of them) that have been sprayed generously with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or  until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cool completely, loosen sides and remove from pan. 

Place bottom layer on a cake stand, spread with your favorite chocolate frosting and repeat until top and sides are covered. 

Take a vegetable peeler and peel chocolate bloc to get curls and press onto sides of cake about 2 cups. (I used mini chocolate morsels instead)

 For my frosting I used:

16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
about 1 cup or so of powdered sugar

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium; add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt and stir until dissolved. Add melted chocolate, butter mixture and cream to a mixer bowl and stir until combined.
Place mixer bowl over ice bath and stir mixture constantly until frosting is thick. Place bowl on stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Ready to use or if it is still a little soft, chill in the fridge until desired thickness.  

AND THEN THERE WERE 4

Anyone else into The Biggest Loser this year like we are? 

I have to be honest, we are newbies to this amazing show and I am so bugged that I didn't get into it earlier. But, better late than never! As we started watching the show a few months ago, I was seriously squirming on the sofa with embarrassment for the contestants. I mean, who flaunts their weight willingly on National TV? That takes some serious confidence. The whole concept seems a little ridiculous but then if you think about it, America is so extremely overweight, that it is only fitting that we would have a TV show about losing weight, changing lives and having ordinary people be the stars! BRILLIANT! It is one of our favorite shows, even though Sweets watched it last night eating the last piece of his Chocolate Cake (shhh). We have formed bonds with all the contestants and we really don't know who we want to see take the big win from the final four. They all have transformed so beautifully and have inspired all of us at home in so many ways. Although I am in love with Hannah, the underdog to her sisters' shadow, I have to say that Olivia is just stunning! She looks absolutely amazing and she has always remained so positive. I kinda think that she will be taking the victory.      

I do intend on voting for Jay (ps) to be in the top three at the finale! He has shown so much progress and he never gives up. 

ORANGE - KISSED COOKIES

Although these scrumptious little things claim to be cookies...they certainly do not taste like cookies! They taste more like Heaven sprinkled with oranges and baked in goodness! SERIOUSLY!!! They are so light and fluffy and just the perfect dessert for summer. I am definitely planning on making these again!

Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar and shortening. Add the egg, then sour cream and vanilla and beat until mixture is well combined. Add the flour mixture. Add the orange juice concentrate and orange rind and mix well. 

Using a cookie scoop ( I used a plastic ziplock bag and swirled them instead b/c I don't have a cookie scooper) drop the batter/dough by the tablespoon-ful onto a lined un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

Frosting

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup thawed orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup butter

 3 cups powdered sugar

2-3 drops orange food coloring ( I combined red and yellow b/c I didn't have orange)

For the frosting, combine all the ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy. Spread over the cooled cookies and enjoy!

(OUR BEST BITES)

THINGS THAT MUST GO

Does anyone listen to X96 in the mornings on their way to work???

I DO! and I love it! 

On wednesdays' they have a game called "Things that must go". I seriously love listening to this segment because it is all about the pet-peeves that people have and how the feel about them. Hence the title, 'things that must go'. 

I have peeves too!   

Lots in fact.  

And they are quite legit!

But to save on time, and hate comments from you non-existent readers, I will only tell you a few:

1-Horrible Utah Drivers. 

(preferably this week with the weather. We get a few drops of sprinkled water on the ground and all the crappy drivers that have been hibernating emerge from their homes and start driving 50! or even 60! mph on the freeway, slamming on their brakes for no good or warranted reason with no other car close to them in crash distance and yet they all seem to think that the far left lane has their name personally written on it just for them to drive in! HELLO PEOPLE! 

the speed limit is like 90! (not really, but it should be) and its a couple drops of rain. Either start driving, move to another State, get off all the major roads, or drive cautiously in the right lane where you are supposed to be! I seriously don't like my commute to take longer than it has too with accidents up the the wazoo all because "you" can't seem to drive in the 'Utah' weather that we get EVERY YEAR at roughly the SAME TIME! Horrible Utah Drivers Must go!)

2-  Pushy Grocery Store Customers

(This is my warning to all of you! If you see me in line and crowd my personal space in the checkout line, breathing down my neck in hopes of getting the checker to move faster or touch my groceries or my grocery divider, most likely (but without fail because I have practically done this) I will juno-chop you in the jugular, drop kick you and go all crazy tomahawk on you! SO BACK OFF! I have proximity issues. Seriously, I do! I get all anxiety ridden when people stand close to me and if I can feel you in my zone, I get scared and go on the defensive. I just don't like it when people touch my space or my things. I do give the benefit though, and I will slightly 'adjust' and shift my weight forward to create more space, but if you move with me every time I move, you are not going to like what is about to come your way. Oh, and do not walk around me while I am at the counter putting away my wallet as fast as I can, even if the checker has started checking out your items, because more hell and fury will be upon you than previously described. Pushy Grocery Store Customers Must Go!)

3- Dog Farts

(they just stink in every way possible and there is no conceptualized way of thinking they are anything but BUTT! Seriously though, why must they singe your nose hairs off? I am positive I don't feed my dog acid! Yet they waft in the shroom cloud, sniffing it up, looking around the room to see what that Chernobyl Explosion was that just went off behind them as if humans could actually produce that stench! Sorry pup, it ain't human! IT'S YOU! Dog Farts Must Go!)

4-Phil

(I know, I know, but you really need to hear me out on this one. Phil from 'Modern Family' must go! He is a creeper! A bad man who looks and sounds like he hurts little children! Every time I see him or hear his voice, I honestly get the chills up and down my spine! Sure he is weird (and yes I can't think of anything else that he is that some-what resembles a positive attribute) and all, but so too are the candy/ice cream men who snatch up kids from the playground or walking home from school. Phil Must Go!) 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH POPS!

OK- so here is the recipe for the best treats ever! I am not one for cookies. In fact, I never eat cookies, but dough, on the other hand, is a staple of mine. Sweets gets so mad at me if I buy or make CCCD and just eat it plain. He says that it is unhealthy and that I will get sick with salmonella. Well, honey, I have news for you. These pops don't have eggs! Instead they are made with Greek Yogurt...so I can eat as many as I want! (not really, but its worth a try) 

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the yogurt along with the vanilla for an additional 2 minutes. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add all at once to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. 

Scoop spoonfuls, rounded into balls onto waxed paper lined cookie sheet and spear each one with a lollipop stick. Place in the freezer until frozen. Dip frozen balls in chocolate (I used the semi-sweet chocolate morsels) and place back in freezer until ready to eat.
The great thing about these is that you can freeze them forever. Almost. I intend on making more just to have on hand for a snack but I am going to wrap the dough balls in wax paper (think...taffy twists) and put them all inside a ziplock bag. Then I can just pop one out, unwrap it and enjoy it whenever I want...free of salmonella! Oh and if you still think they are unhealthy even without the eggs, try using squashed banana instead of butter. It works just the same!

(TAKEN FROM DAVE'S WIFE BLOG)

THIRTY - TWO

Sweets turned 32!!!

He kicked his birthday off a day early and went mountain biking with some friends in Moab on Friday. It was a quick trip (down and back), but nonetheless, it was exactly what he wanted. After rolling in sometime around midnight (ps i love that song!) he was up at 6:30 Saturday morning doing service work for our ward. What a trooper! After spending the day with me running 'fun birthday' errands we had his friends over for a little get together that evening. It was so good too see those who were able to make it and catch up with them but we missed the other peeps that couldn't make it. We had the Memmott Family, 1/2 of the Stone family, the Davidson family, the Packer Family and the Devere family.  

the birthday wreath in all its glory

the H.S. friends

the children jumping on the tramp in between the rainfall

We ate the infamous 'Bookclub Salad', Texas Cavier, Mexican-corn dip, veggies and 7 boxes of pizza! It was all super yummy. Plus, for dessert:

Add caption

we ate Nutter Fluffers, Angry Bird cupcakes and Chocolate chip cookie dough pops! Boy oh boy were they D-LISH! 

After hanging out, jumping on the tramp, popping snaps, playing with balloons and everything else that adults with 10 something kids do...it was time to call it a night. 

But, the Birthday bash wasn't over! Sunday afternoon we had Sweets' family over for Hawaiian Haystacks and dessert. (I didn't get a pic because I am horrible with the camera thing) but it was fun to celebrate his 32nd birthday with the family! We 'stacked' the hay with lots and lots of veggies and other fun toppings and then enjoyed  

these orange-kissed cookies and

this Ice Cream Sundae Layer Chocolate Cake! Seriously...you NEED to make this cake. It was fabulous! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETS! 

(stay tuned and i'll post the recipes for all these scrumptious foods!)

BALLOONS FOR HIM

materials needed

Sweets birthday is this weekend and we are having a few parties with friends and family, and I wanted to make something special to decorate our home with the 'birthday vibe'. I found this tutorial on best bites and I decided it was simple enough to throw together in no time. All you need in order to make a balloon wreath is some sort of a wreath ( i used syrofoam), balloons and floral pins!  It was so super easy and it turned out great! I completed mine in about 1 hour. 

the almost finished product...in which you will have to wait for until this weekend

 I am not posting the finished product quite yet as to not give away the surprise, but I will post more about this and the other birthday party festivities in a few days. It will be quite the Birthday Bash for the up-coming 32 year old! 

seriously I love the colors of the balloons

 Happy Pre-Pre-Birthday and Party Party Day Sweets!!!

THE SPECIAL DAY

tulip festival  

I am totally lame, I know, but I didn't take any pics of this year's Mother's Day! However, pictures or no pictures, it did not detract from the special day that we got to share with our wonderful mother's. 

First, my Mother decided to celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday, so we headed over to my bro Christians' house and we BBQ'd it up big time with steaks, bratwursts, cheeseburgers and salmon! Plus we had the additives of yumminess such as salads, veggies, fruit, chips and dip and you mustn't forget the amazing strawberry shortcake al a mode for dessert. So, while the adults ooh and ahhed over the cute little baby girl addition from my bro Andrew (and I mean the parentals), the children (rest of us) played dynamite on the basketball court, dodgeball and street hockey. It was so fun! 

Secondly, we spent Mother's Day evening at the I.L.'s celebrating Mother's Day with the fam. It was great to see some of the extended family there from 'that place down south' and the Gma/Gpa duo! We celebrated with scrumptious desserts consisting of ice cream, strawberries, brownies and cookies while playing Settlers of Catan! Unfortunately, yours truly didn't win, but I am glad that my SIL took the victory over the boys. 

We are so blessed to have such amazing Mother's and women in our lives. Each one of them (Aunts, Sisters, Grandmothers etc.) have touched our lives in so many special ways. We appreciate the love, sacrifice, selflessness and patience that our Mother's have expressed to us and feel very fortunate to call them Mother's! They exemplify the best relationship of friendship and we certainly are the luckiest kids. 

ODE TO MOM

Reasons why my mom is cooler than your mom:

1 -- She wears hip youthful outfits and looks better than anyone else her age!

2-- She worries about wearing hip youthful clothing at her age

3 -- People think she is my dad's daughter...instead of his wife

4 -- She can organize clutter better than anyone I have ever known. (She should write a book "How to Organize Stuff you don't need, but want to keep anyway")

5 -- She loves to do anything "active"

6 -- She believes cookies and ice cream are a staple for breakfast, lunch and dinner

7 -- She manages to help all of her 6 children and 22 grandchildren whenever asked

10 -- She loves to race other drivers on the freeway to see how fast they can go before she drops the hammer. (She actually raced some punk kids from SG to Vegas and beat them at 130 mph)

11 -- She has the most gorgeous, natural wrinkle-free photogenic face 

12 -- She almost never judges others, unless it is done wisely 

13 -- She is the most perfect mother and friend that a daughter could ask for

14 -- And she is my mom, which makes her cool by default.

FIVE - OF - FIVE

Last night Sweets and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo Day with some yummy food. 

Mexican style corn

Tres Leches cupcakes

the whole enchilada

 We ate corn on the cob smothered in a cream sauce and rolled in cojita cheese, creamy chicken taquitos topped with green salsa, black beans cooked in EVOO and spices, virgin lime-mint mojitos and then we ended our scrumptious meal with Tres Leches cupcakes! It was super tasty and a casual way to celebrate the 5th of May.

VITAMIN D

Sweets and I spent the last few days with some of my family soaking up the UV Rays in Laguna California. And boy was it DELIGHTFUL! 

Laguna California 

The weather was absolutely perfect! The highs were in the mid 80's with clear sunny skies.

walk path at the Montage

We sat out in the sun and read our books all day. We were so totally lazy but that's what make it a vacation, right? I don't feel guilty, I got tons of reading done and we even found the time to burn! YIKES!

reading our books

We had some great laughs together from exercising, reading, cheering about Osama, eating wonderful meals, movies, shopping, Trader Joes etc. and it couldn't have been better. 

christian and marie

the parentals

We spent one morning at Rogers Garden and I was seriously in heaven! It was beautiful and everything smelled so good. I might have done a little damage to the CC but I am not sure. I can't remember...

decor inside one of the buildings

a tiny section of flowers among the whole massive gardens 

this place was incredible

We visited the temple and it was gorgeous. I love how it blends right in with the area and is a pink(ish) color. My dad explained to me that pretty much 99% of all the temples have a water fountain on the grounds and told me to look for this one. After a few moments of searching I told him I couldn't see it said he was bluffing. Then he pulled out his spirit-doctrine speech that always leaves me in awe and said it was the Living Christ, and that it represents the spirit of Christ flowing out of the temple to all the people in the land. His version took a good 30 minutes but you get the point. I never knew that but I am glad he told me...

newport temple with the fountain

I can't wait for the next time that we are able to go back to Laguna. It was the most perfect trip and I can't thank my parents enough for such a fun time! It truly was paradise! 

bird of paradise