MOre fOOd

 

Hello lovelies! Today I'm going to show you some of my cooking sucesses and my stumblings along the way!

 

First I will start off with a main course. This is cilantro pork. I don't cupon because our paper has really bad sunday supons for some reason... so I jsut shop whats on super sale and use my rewards card like for frys or bashas and get really good deals. Like this pork, buy one get on free! sweet! so as you can see there is a bit of a mess, this bag happens to have a whole in it, a very big whole, which I did not realize until it was too late. no matter, the food tasted good anyway.

 

I mixed in a bag-

4 pork chops

a bunch of cilantro, I picked the leaves off half the stems because I don't like stems

some steak seasoning from frys

garlic powder

onion powder

half and half- because I have some in my fridge and need to get rid of it

 

then I mised that up really good then put crushed saltines in( i don't have breadcrumbs) and shook it all about, probably doing some awesome dance moves around my kitchen to give it more of a rachel flair! and then I dumped it all out on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. Our brand new meat thermometer is broken, so I had no idea when the pork was fully cooked so I didn't take a final picture because we had to eat the side dishes of dinner and dessert before ken said it must be done since i had it in the oven so long. so there you have it, cilantro pork. I served it with appleauce and cooked squash.

 

 

and now for a bit of dessert.

I made this chocolate cake out of a box because i tried to make chocolate cupcakes from scratch and something went horribly wrong and they sunk all the way down in the middle with super hard crunchy edges. yes those went to the trash. so I decided to make a fool proof dessert and make a cake. super easy out of a boc. walmart or frys usually has them the cheapest.
Icing- 1 stick butter
1/2 package powdered sugar
dash of vanilla
maybe some half and half- still trying to use it all up

So there you have it, a delicious entre with fool proof dessert.

Easter Pageant

My handsome man and I went to the Easter pageant Thursday night. we got there around 5:30 which was prime for excellent seating. we were about the 10th row back and on the aisle, which happened to be a HUGE necessity as I was about to throw up and actually tried with no success. ( I had eaten one of those just-put-the-cup-in-the-machine-and-it-makes-a-shake-for-you shake. bad idea) so after that uncomfortable two hours of keeping it down the show was about to start.

 

 and then.... the characters came out! It was so AWESOME!! There was this super cute little family with their little kids all dressed up like shepherds, except very wealthy shepherds with really nice head dresses. And lots of the other actors had REALLY nice outfits. I always assumed that the Jew's during Christ's time were poor because the scriptures talk about him helping the poor and the sick, but the pageant definitely reminded me that not all of them were poor, and that's why some of them had pride issues, because they were wealthy and didn't want to listen to a lowly carpenter from an outskirt city. So I learned something very amazing!

 

And there were live baby lambs and they were sooooooo cute, and smaller than Ruby! Probably because the Rubster is a huge tank and i over feed her  because I just love to hear her crunch her kibbles. off topic I know but you really should hear here, its soooo cute.

 

 

 

Anyway back to the point, the baby lambs were awesome. And probably the best thing happened to me about 30 minutes before the pageant started. The little old lady who was sitting next to me finally got back from dairy queen and was asking one of the chaperons, hmmm that;s not hte right word..... USHERS! yes, she was asking him how many church buildings were in the valley. I of course said there were at least a 1000 and he said 2-3 hundred, and I later learned that all my estimates are off because I only thought there were 1,500 people there and ken repeatedly told me until i looked it up that there were actually 15,000 people there. yes my estimates are way off.

 

But this sweet lady I discovered was not a member! How great is that?! and she came because her friend recommended it to her. So then I got to explain why the temple is so important and how families get sealed for time and all eternity so basically you are married even after you die. and I talked to her about her life and where she was from and her dairy farm she and her husband kept and gardening and what we are going to plant and what her favorite thing to plant it. it was so special for me to talk with her. she had such great experiences and was so excited to see the pageant.

After the pageant it was so wonderful tpohear what she thought and she said she knew all her bible stories and it was so wonderful to see it all put together. Hopefully she is happy back in her home state of Iowa and will always remember the wonderful time she had at the Mormon Easter pageant and the wonderful spirit she felt there!

 

The costumes for the 10 virgins were amazing, and the dancing was just wonderful. My favorites were when Mary had just had the baby and she was dancing. Obviously the woman playing her had not just had a baby because no one after labor can even pop up and get to the bathroom at their normal pace, let alone dance. but it was soooo wonderful and I felt hte spirit so strongly. The other part that was my favorite was the song Mary Magdalene sang when she saw the risen Christ. it was so beautiful! and then the whole entire cast came out and sang for the finale. It was still so spiritually moving and amazing, that I think it was perfect.

The Easter Pageant still has another week, so if you would like to go, I highly recommend it!

I was too nervous to ask this roman soldier to turn and pose :)

RA

Today I found out I have RA which is Rheumatoid arthritis. I have bone spurs and nodules that are all over my spine. It's genetic. I have been in severe pain for 10 years and it has been getting worse with each day, now we know why. Now I know why I could never do my arabesques as high as the other ballerinas, or bend my back as far back, now I know why my back is always hurting, and why the normal treatments for endometriosis did not work for the pain.

on the bright side I don't need narcotics! yay! I am soooo happy about that. and I will get to go to physical therapy, hopefully starting in the next few days! They did a bunch of blood tests on me to see how bad my ra really is, and to make sure my other connective tissues are doing ok. We also get to have a baby, and since the lupron killed off the endometriosis that I did have, we are all set in that department! All I have to take is an antiinflammatory that is super safe and hopefully effective! I will begin seeing a rheumatologist this week or next. Apparently they can give me shots in my back to stop the growth of the nodules and spurs and to reduce the inflammation.

This is all amazing news because I get to be a mom and a foster mom! and I am so looking forward to helping those special needs children because I understand what it's like to have a body that is a bit grumpy at times, ok all the time but ken and I are so happy to be able to give back and help! and I can still tend children just fine, I can lift them and play and go on walks and cook and do all my normal stuff. in fact its better if I move around and keep all my range of motion so that my body doesn't allow the RA to spread. isn't that sooooo exciting? we are sooooooooooo thrilled and can't wait to get our little lovies with special needs.

I am a little bit scared, I have a dinosaur back so I'm not sure if thats wicked awesome or frightening. I will have this for forever, but my grandmother also has it and she is 70 so I don't have to worry about a short life span from it:) It is not in my hands or feet as far as I can feel so I'm going to make sure to do exercises to keep them feeling great! It's a blessing we caught it to keep it from spreading, its just unfortunate it took 10 years. I've just begun my research and I know I have a ton more to learn about it, but it is manageable, I will not only live but I will thrive which is such a blessing! Thank you to everyone for your prayers and fasting and love and support! We know what it is and can face it head on!!

our food storage/ emergency preparedness!!!

What I did and how I spend so little!!!

What I bought...... at WINCO!!! it's amazing!!

4 bags pasta
4 boxes baking soda
1 large can baking powder
1 large can cornstarch
1 large can oats
4 cans black beans
4 cans chick peas
12 cans peas
12 cans green beans
12 cans tuna
2 boxes cake
2 large 5 gallon food safe buckets with gasket lids
30 lbs rice
3 10 lb bags flour
oil- large
2 jars of chicken bullion
5 lbs sugar
and some cereal and bread and other things for food for right now
and I only spent.... $89.00

Then at the dollar store I got:
aspirin, tylenol, ibuprofen
bandaids
gauze pads
a thermometer
10 razors
2 deodorant
1 50ft poly rope
50 alchohol prep pads
hydrogen peroxide
rubbing alchohol
1 4 pkg toilet paper
creams for wounds
2 ace bandages

I am putting all of these plus some other supplies I already had in my backpack
We are storing everything under the bunk beds so there is easy access and not everything is in the kitchen- 2 reasons, there isn't enough space and what if there was a fire in the kitchen? or the room? that way we can have a back up system
we also have a first aid kit in each car

I had a dream a few nights ago that there was a major disaster and we had no food and no emergency supplies, it was awful! I woke up all afraid! so then I went and got prepared!

My goal is to spend $100 each month to add to our food storage/ emergency preparedness-
each trip to the store I buy 2 water jugs, and 4 more cans of food
next month I need to buy 2 tarps and 2 emergency blankets

when we have foster children my goal is to have enough food and supplies to tend to their needs in an event of an emergency! if you have any one you know who would like a service project, we an always use childrens blankets, books and clothes for them!

Now you know

It comes on slowly,

like falling asleep.

I sit and wait,

then it slowly creeps

in orange rolling heat, like a

red hot ocean wave,

spreading and lapping against the

deepest places and

slamming

against the bones.

 

Gnawing, biting, lashing, chasing any

hope of peace or relief

away.

Then slowly yet suddenly

it somehow gets worse.

All breath is gone,

all explanation or reason is

 lost

and there you face it,

dead on, but you never

conquer it.

 

The red hot flare freezes every fiber,

and engulfs you in ice,

where you remain frozen with a

despair so deep, it's

concrete.

and you know you will never escape its

scratching jaws.

The inside bleeding to relieve the

heat,

yet even then it comes, more waves of

icy heat

lapping against the soft places and slamming

into the bones.

 

Yelling, screaming, each cell

fights,

yet the best way for the whole to survive

is utter, deadly silence.

I face it head on and prepare myself for the

increase

and pray and scream out to the

Lord

to help me through.

 

I know He is with me,

holding me up,

calming my mind to

handle

the next one, and the next one

and the one after that.

And when I know He is

there

I begin to fold, and fear

I can't continue, but still the

rage comes, sharply, stinging

constantly

reminding me that I am 

here, now.

 

Yet threatening to end my utter

existence

with the severity of the

orange, red, blackness

eating away.

It laps at the soft places,

tears a hole to form a nasty

oozing tumor to join

 its hundred other brothers

planting their battle tents,

riding the wave to bite

and slice

and destroy more and eat away

whats left.

 

And still I can't breathe, and the

severity is so great the

orange has heated to a burning

black, fierce with rage. I keep praying for the

unconsciousness to come,

but somehow mt body is too

strong.

and so I suffer the blackness,

wide awake,

eyes bulging yet seeing

nothing.

 

The waves slap and thrash

coming, never ceasing,

never the promise of low tide.

The blackness takes over,

and I cling to

Him

and ride the waves with

blind fear, and stalwart

faith.

And somehow I'm still breathing and still

dying.

and the orange black lava keeps

melting, enveloping, pouring

over into my soul, and the

seed is nourished by the black

rot.

 

This is my pain.



food!!

I've been baking and cooking all kinds of tasty things lately!!!

apple pie about to get butter and ready for the oven! I used apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, a bit of flour.

Whole chicken in the crock pot!

butter, onions, chopped green onions, carrots, salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, onion powder

cookie pie! 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar,1/2 cup flour, 1 egg, 1 stick butter, half bag chocolate chip, bake 350 about 45 min

 

veg base for fried rice

green onion, white onion, carrot, garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, worchester sauce, can add peas, cashews, pineapple! toss with left over rice

never fail fluff fudge, found recipe online, you can just use abag of mini marshmallos instead of a can of fluff, because the fluff in arizona is not the same fluff as in maine

pumpkin cake cookies, 1 box yellow cake, 1 can pumpkin, mix and bake 350 about 18 min

mini zucchini pizzas, gluten free! just broil 3-5 min each slice each side, then add sauce and topings, broil tll cheese looks good

apple pie with the butter, ready to go

 

I'm going to be better about putting the full recipe with steps, I just wanted to update everything!

Things lately

Well hello!!!
How are you? I know it's been AGES since I wrote last. so many amazing things have happened. I did my challenge and learned a lot from reading the ensign and scriptures, and the Lord has sent way too many miracles to count!!!!

and the biggest one is..... KEN!!!
I met Ken in july when I started going to my new ward. He was super funny but I didn't think we were anything more than friends! then I kept talking about him and telling everyone how awesome he is! so my dad finally said to bring him over for dinner. so I did and that was that. I spoke to Ken's dear friend Bridgette who was quickly becoming my dear friend! and we all went to dinner at red robbin. Bridgette said that I should go for it and that ken was awesome. I was so worried about being hurt and abused again that I was ready to give up on all men, but she urged me not to and that he would be worth it!
So he asked if he could kiss me and I said yes. then he took me out to the desert and we had a date watching the stars and a movie in the truck with lots of blankets! it was so fun and romantic! and of course he was always such a gentleman and never did anything inappropriate, which I was so grateful for and amazed. he is quite the knight in shinning armor. and he asked me to be his girlfriend.
I was afraid to keep dating him because he was so nice and so gentle with me, never getting mad and always supporting me. so I would pray and pray and the Lord in his tender mercy would keep giving me the sweet answer that Ken  was truly amazing and I should not let him go!
then he told me he loved me and I cried because I knew I had found my true love.
then one day he took me to the desert and taught me to shoot better then asked me to marry him. we sent out paperwork to the first presidency and it didn't take long. we aren't sure why we have to wait a year, but we love and trust the prophet so we decided to get married then in a year be sealed.
Then I started to panic because I was so stressed about planning a ceremony and getting all the family together, which made me start to get sick.
So I asked ken if we could elope and w went to vegas. I didn't want anything cheesy so we went to a little white wedding chapel and the ceremony was beautiful! The words of the ceremony were stunning, and we were so happy to just be with one another and have our special moment. we were in our matching superman t shirts, and got married in a beautiful little chapel. then we had a honeymoon in the bellagio hotel and it was so nice! they upgraded us into a better suite when I told them it was our honeymoon! and we went shopping and went to a huge buffet that was super nice and delicious!
we are so happy and everything is working out amazingly well! I feel so good about our plans. I have been so blessed and happy. We are going to have an awesome reception on the 12th and hope you all can come! and in a year we can get sealed!!!!
we love you all! thank you for your support and encouragement!!!!