Long time, no blog

Sorry about the huge gaps in blogs lately. There just isn't much of anything to talk about. The kids had a pretty good Spring Break. Dalan has been working crazy hours, so the kids and I had Easter without him. Easter morning started with being woken up at 6:30 AM to find baskets. The kids had a set of clues that led them from room to room and then eventually to their baskets. After that, we went to Dalan's grandparents for Easter dinner. My mom was sick, so we stayed away from my parents house. Below are a few pictures from Easter. There's one of the clues and then one of Trent and one of Kaela. You should be able to click on the picture of the clues to make it larger so you can read them. Please excuse the boxes in the pictures. I'm going through all our crap and getting rid of a bunch of stuff.




















Let's see, I have also caught the exercise bug. I don't know what it is but I have this motivation from somewhere all of a sudden to get my butt in shape. It's odd that I'm sticking with it and have no explanation as to why I am. Well, yes I do. My abs, butt, arms and legs are all getting toned and firm. Results=Wanting more. I get on my elliptical just about everyday and will do Pilates. As soon as it gets nice outside, and it seems like it never will, I will start going on bike rides. Trent and I rode 3 miles on Monday! We had so much fun and we were both sore afterwards. Three miles probably isn't that far on a bike, but that's a start for me and awesome for him since he is only 10.

Well, that's about it. Nothing else really exciting is going on. It's pretty much the same old stuff as usual. I do have to say this, I do hope the damn wind stops blowing. I'm so sick of it!

Hasta peeps!

It's that time of year again.

Girl Scout registration is coming up again and that means that I am being approached again to get a troop going here in Delta. I was a Girl Scout when I was younger, so they really, really want me to step up and do this since I know the program and what it is all about. I've tried to get one going once and failed...miserably. I guess if I put forth more effort maybe I would've gotten more of a response. I pretty much just sent letters to school with Kaela to hand out to the girls in her class. I never put a set day or time for when we would do meetings and left it to be workable with the parents. I did not hear back from anyone who was interested in this program. It is sad really. We drive 30 minutes to Fillmore just so Kaela can be involved in a troop. Kaela loves Girl Scouts. I know she would love it even more if she were in a troop with friends she goes to school with. They do so many fun things. It's a shame that we can't get something going here in Delta when Fillmore has at least three troops and they are possibly adding one or two more. When it is cookie time, I am constantly hearing how people miss having Girl Scouts here in Delta. They are so excited to see us going door to door or sitting in front of Quality selling cookies at our little booth. All I need is five girls to get a troop going. I think I could get the five girls pretty easily. Kaela and my two nieces takes care of more than half of that number. What I am lacking and can't seem to get anyone to step up to do is be an assistant leader. I have to have that or there's no troop. Again, I have put forth little effort into looking or talking to anyone about it. I really wish my sister would do this with me. I think it would be so fun to do the activities and go to camp with her and our troop. She works and has a baby, so I understand why she can't. It is a really fun program for girls and they learn a lot from it. If you have a daughter, this is a program that they should be involved in if possible. We have gone to camp, we have made a float for the light parade, we sell cookies and Kaela gets credits from that and earns her way to camp, we've gone to the zoo and have made and learned so many other things. Kaela will be going to camp again this summer and her troop is currently trying to decide whether or not we want to go to the Zoo Snooze or to the Tuachan to see Annie. I'm going to try to get something sent to school with Kaela again to hand out and see if I can get a response this time around. If I can't, I'm going to have to get aggressive with this. This needs to be done. We need to get a troop here in Delta. That's it! I cannot fail at this. No, really, I can't because the Girl Services Director at Girl Scouts of Utah will not let me.

RECIPES!!!

Okay, here they are. These both turned out really good, so if you're bored, give them a try. They are both really easy to make.

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli
Rachael Ray

1 Bread Loaf (found in the frozen foods with the Rhodes Rolls)
3-4 Chicken Breasts or a Rotisserie Chicken or Leftover Chicken
1/2 Cup Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce or Hot Sauce (They both taste the same)
1 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese
1 Egg

Set out frozen bread loaf to unthaw and raise. Cook chicken in a skillet coated with cooking spray. When cooked, pull apart with a fork so it's shredded. Pour in a 1/2 cup of the Frank's sauce and stir til chicken is coated. Roll out bread dough into a rectangular shape. Put chicken on bread dough and top with cheese. Roll up starting with the long side and seal. Brush entire loaf with the egg. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Cut into slices.

**This originally calls for celery, carrot and bleu cheese and I took it out. I also served the sandwiches with ranch dressing. YUM! Here is the link to the original recipe.

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2652



Polynesian Chicken
Uncle Ben's Rice Box

1 Cup Uncle Ben's Converted Brand Rice cooked according to package directions
4 Skinless boneless Chicken Breasts
1 Can (8 oz) Pineapple Chunks and Juice
1 Cup Apricot Pineapple Marmalade or Jam
2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce (regular soy sauce works fine, too)

Apply coating spray to large non-stick skillet. (I put the skillet over medium heat.) Add chicken breast and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add juice from pineapple to chicken in skillet just before chicken has finished cooking.

Mix pineapple chunks, marmalade and soy sauce. After pineapple juice has evaporated from skillet, add marmalade mixture to chicken. Cook until sauce is a glaze. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

**I also made broccoli to serve as a veggie. Both of these recipes were really easy and pretty quick to make. Both of them were really good. Give them a try and ENJOY!

Life's been boring....

No wait! I shouldn't start out like that. I am going to try to start thinking positively from now on. Ya know, have a better attitude about life and all that great stuff. It all started with this quote that I found not even 1/2 an hour ago.



"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results." ~Anon



It hasn't even been 1/2 an hour since I came upon this new revelation (that word doesn't sound right) so I will let ya know how it goes later on.



Anyway, I really am just at a loss as to what to talk about here. It doesn't seem like much has been going on, but I've been busy. Dalan was out of town, again, for two weeks. While gone, a few furry, disease carrying friends found their way into the house. I was serious when I said the mice are trying to kill me. One morning while making breakfast, one ran right in front of my feet. Yeah, my reaction was awesome! I freaked, screamed, jumped up and down and couldn't move. Kaela is watching me from the other side of the counter wondering what in the world is going on. So, my dad comes over and sets some traps and I set out a glue trap. We ended up catching three mice. UGH! Me, being the paranoid person I am, would not sleep in our room while Dalan was gone. I chose to sleep on the couch downstairs with the lights on. When Dalan got back, he sealed up the problem area and we found a stash of plastic bags and socks under one of our drawers in the kitchen. Not from me and I'm assuming the mice couldn't have drug it there. No possible way. I'm thinking the previous owners must of done it and when we cleaned out this place, we somehow missed it. So, as of now I haven't seen any other signs of the stupid things and I'm hoping it stays that way. Dalan seems to think they will just find another way.



Hmm...Kaela had a dance competition on the 21st. All the girls from the dance company Kaela goes to did very well. It was so much fun watching her dance. It was a long day but a pretty exciting one. I, unfortunately, wore the wrong shoes. I really wasn't going for comfort when I wore them. I just thought they were cute. I paid for it every time I got up and walked somewhere.



Anyway, that's about it for now. I have made a couple really good things for dinner the last couple nights. I know I said I would try to post recipes and I've totally slacked. So, I will post them tomorrow.



Hopefully :o)

Girl Scout Cookies!

On Saturday, I will be so lucky to get to sit outside of the local grocery store and sell Girl Scout cookies. Is there really anything more fun than that? I think I can think of a few things. Last year was horrible. The wind blew (which isn't uncommon here) and it was freezing. I sold cookies while Kaela hid under a blanket. This year should be better as we won't have to deal with the third obstacle we encountered last year. Ten cent hot dogs! UGH! Everyone would walk by us to get those damn things. People here go crazy for them. I eat one and feel like throwing up. Unfortuately, my husband is one of those who has to buy 20 of the stupid things just like almost everyone else here. Anyway, back to cookies. So, if ya'll are in town and hungy, skip McDonalds and Leos and come by the store and buy some Girl Scout cookies. I promise they are delicious. It's for a good cause and the quicker I get rid of these things the quicker I get to go home.

Me...high maintenance? I don't think so.

A few days ago Dalan told me I was a high maintenance friend. There is nothing high maintenance about me. There were reasons for this comment but I won't go into them. I told him that is hardly the case. I just think I attract the crazies! I mean seriously! I'm the friend who if you don't e-mail, call or text for months or even a year or so I will still remember you and will be there if you need anything. As long as you have never wronged me, we're good. I'm not the type of friend who needs to have constant contact with someone to know our relationship is okay. I am just not needy like that. Hell, if I knew you or knew of you at one time, it is very rare for me to forget you. I never forget a good friend. I stated my case in the two instances he was speaking of and told him in no way was I in the wrong and he agreed. He most likely agreed only so I would be quiet though. But, whatever! Then again, he most likely knew he would get a reaction out of me by saying that and he did. Ugh!

If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done.

Trent was assigned this USA Scrapbook at the beginning of the school year that I had EVERY intention on working on with him over the Christmas break. Yeah, it didn't happen. There was family visiting and tons of running around and we just didn't get to it. That and I kept thinking, "Oh, we have 'til April." Trent is also not the type of kid to beg me to do homework, so the project got put on the back burner until about a couple weeks ago when a reminder was sent home saying it was due March 16th, not April like I orginally thought. Well, isn't that just nice. Totally my fault though. I'm always putting things off right up until the last minute. I always think I have all this time and then time mysteriously disappears. This is a big project. It consists of every letter of the alphabet and each letter has its own topic chosen by Trent. There are 5 additional people he needs to include in this so that makes 31 topics. The project also needs to have a Cover page (for the front), a Title page (for the inside), a Table of Contents and a Bibliography. WOW! I can't imagine any kid doing this on their own or even with the smallest bit of help. I couldn't even write more than two short paragraphs on panda bears when I was in 4th grade. The whole report was pathetic and needless to say, I got a big, fat, red F!! Thing is, I did my report totally on my own while I'm sure the other kids had their parents practically do theirs for them. So, am I proud of that F? At the time I wasn't but now sure! I probably could've done better but I did it on my own. I basically got an F for lack of parent involvement, which is kinda dumb. Back to Trent, this seems like mostly a parent report and it seems like this has been the case the last few years. I find myself doing most of the work. It feels that way anyway. However, I know I'm not doing all or even most because Trent walks away learning something. I try to show him how to look for information and what to pick out, take notes, put it all together and type it all out. THEN we have to print it, put it on colored cardstock and then also print out a picture to put with the info. Yeah, it's a pretty lengthy deal. It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to do one letter depending on the topic he has chosen. So, we are rushing to get this thing done. I think he has 19 topics left. It has actually turned out really nice so far I think. Hopefully we can get this done and he will get a good grade on it. It's going to be a lot of work to fit into 21 days but I think we can do it.