Merry Christmas!

I really can't believe that it has been over 4 months since I last posted on my blog. I almost couldn't remember how to get to my blog, it had been so long. I know this is not a very good excuse but, I have been so very busy!

I just wanted to take a minute and wish my family and friends a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! May you find joy in the simple things in life this Christmas season. Reflect on the blessings in your life because God loved us and sent His Son. Last year I heard Faith's Hill song, A Baby Changes Everything,and fell in love with it. If you have not heard it you can listen to her sing it on this youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D-DH9aT3bs&feature=related.

Since, it is 5 days prior to Christmas and I haven't had time to send out Christmas cards, I thought I would fill you in on my life here on my blog. As you know, I had a career change back in April of this year. I was hired to be the event manager for a new company called ASEA. So much has happened since April that it is hard to believe I have only been there for 8 months. I am so thankful to have been able to be blessed with this job. The people I work with are great and it is a great opportunity for me.

I have planned several events now for them and each one has been a success. Hooray! We had our event in July which had a couple hundred people attending the Leadership Summit. In November we took the top 21 leaders, they had to qualify for the trip, to Las Vegas and Southern Utah. We had some training and had some fun activities and ate a lot of great food! On a weekly basis we have meetings where we fly top leaders from other companies into Salt Lake City to our company. These people's names are given to us from our own distributors or they have heard about us and want to come and check our company out. So, I get to schedule their trips, hotel, food etc. This takes a lot of my time. I have worked many late nights and even Saturdays to make these meetings happen. As a result of these meetings we are growing and our sales continue to increase every week.

About two months ago I was pulled into the CEO's office. They told me they appreciated all my hard work and efforts and have decided that I should be given an office. So, I no longer sit in a little cubicle and I have a great view of the Salt Lake Valley from my office window.

I am currently planning a cruise for February. This is an incentive trip that the associates can qualify for, through their sales. We will draw 8 names and they get to bring a guest on this 5 day cruise. We will be leaving Miami and going on a Western Caribbean Cruise with stops in Belize and Cozumel. I am really excited about the cruise, as I have never been on one. They are also letting me take my sister!

In April we will have our Pre-launch convention. We are expecting at least 500 people attending this event. So, I am starting to plan this event. April will be here before I know it.

Once again, I am so thankful that you are a part of my life. I have been blessed with great friends and family! You are examples to me in the way that you live your lives. I am thankful for the knowledge that I have that Jesus Christ lives. That he came to the earth and taught us how to live our life. That he sacrificed and atoned for you and I, so that we can return to our Father in Heaven again someday. I am thankful for the many blessings I have in my life.

May you be blessed with good health, joy and happiness this week and in the coming year.

In case you are wondering....

So, I am planning my next event for work. This one will be in November and it is an incentive trip for people to earn if they hit a certain level in the company. They will win an all expense paid trip to Las Vegas and St. George, Utah. We will likely be staying at the Bellagio, having dinner, a dessert reception in a Penthouse Suite, seeing "O", going to St. George for some training and going to Zions National Park.

In the process of planning this trip I have learned some very interesting tidbits of information.
1. If you want to charter a private jet to fly from SLC to Las Vegas it costs about $60,000.
2. You can rent a Penthouse Suite in Las Vegas for $1,200 a night and with that you will have limo service anywhere in Vegas, preferred seating at any restaurant or show, and private elevators to your room.
3.There are some Suites that you can rent only if invited by the Casino to come and stay...these cost $3,000-$6,000 a night. But, they are over 4,000 square feet...so I am sure that makes it worth it!
4. In the middle of Zions park there is a narrow tunnel, if you are on a bus you have to have the traffic in both directions stopped so that you can go through the tunnel. Apparently the bus is too wide to stay in one lane.
5. There is a great little restaurant in a ghost town outside of St. George in a town called Leeds that is called the Cosmopolitan. It looks like a building right out of a western movie or a ghost town. You go inside and it is a fine dining experience with great food...something that you would eat in a Metropolitan restaurant. The owner is from Europe, I think.
6. You can rent limo buses...that are all tricked out on the inside just like a limo.

And the acadamy award goes too....

After months of planning the first ASEA event has come and gone. I can't believe that it is all over, already. Overall it was a success and everyone felt that it was a great first event. Surprisingly, I wasn't as stressed as I thought I would be throughout the event. People said that I didn't seem stressed at all.

I don't think you can do an event this large without a few problems. So here are some of the fun things that I got to handle.
1. AV problems like the microphones not working when the CEO takes the stage, the sound for the movie not working, continual AV problems.
2. A very LOUD Mariachi band marching into the adjacent room and making it difficult for the attendees to hear the speaker.
3. One of the employees choking on their food and having to have the hiemlick twice!

We had some really great entertainment. I hired a fantastic band called Party Train, they were so great! We also hired a man named Rick Lewis, www.funniestwaiter.com. He was so funny, he had everyone laughing and having a great time! I had to be part of his act and pretend that I had no idea that he wasn't one of the servers. There were about 8 people who went to the management through dinner and complained about his server. One lady even threatened the manager that she would get him fired if he didn't fire the server. I would periodically go and talk to the manager to make it look like I was upset. Finally, I went in the back with the server and the manager. I then took the stage and asked for everyone's attention. In order to continue the act I had to be serious. Well, I was so physically and emotionally tired that I really only had two emotions....laugh or cry. So, I stood on the stage and cried saying, "I really wanted this to be a special event. I understand that many people have been upset about the server. I spoke with him and the manager and found out that this was his first night. He wants to apologize and make it right." After my explanation he took the stage and started his comedy/variety act.

It was great...those who thought they knew that the crazy server had to be part of the entertainment were totally thrown when I was up there crying. I really started my acting career with a very convincing performance! It was great to hear people's stories after dinner about Rick Lewis and my crying. The good thing is EVERYONE was laughing even those who had been besides themselves with outrage. It was really great.

Now that I have all that under my belt...bring on the next one!

The Release

Well, it happened...I had thought that this day was coming for a while now. I have to admit I was bit surprised though with the outcome. The RS president has been in for 3 years now, which in my ward is pretty historic. She just had her fifth child and her husband was just called into the high priest group leadership. So, I figured that she would be released thus resulting in our release as well.

Friday I received a call from one of the bishopric counselors asking me to come in for a few minutes on Sunday before church. Surprise, surprise I was being released. Well, the surprise was that I was the only one being released. But, I really couldn't feel too badly like I had done something wrong and I was being released because I didn't do my calling. The RS president has had many different counselors in this 3 year period. In fact I think she has had about 3 people in each position since she started. So, I am just a member of the ex-counselors club.

I do have mixed emotions about being released. I really did enjoy planning enrichments for the most part. I did enjoy getting to know people better and serving them. But, it was a lot of meetings and time invested in that calling...and it will be nice to have some additional time. Hey, maybe I can keep my blog up better! It will be nice to be able to go to enrichment meetings and enjoy the whole meeting because I am not working in the kitchen or making sure things are getting taken care of.

I have had some amazing experiences and have learned what it is like to be inspired and to be an answer to someone's prayer. I have learned the joy in serving others. I have seen the struggles that people go through and how they are blessed by living the gospel and being valiant in their testimonies. I have given of my time to try and bless the lives of others and instead reaped the blessings in my life. In a nutshell I have learned how amazing our Heavenly Father is and how mindful he is of each of us.

So I guess I will no longer have an excuse for not having 100% visiting teaching every month. I will have plenty of time to do that and keep finding ways to serve others.

BBQ Potato Wedges

Well, I can't believe that we are already in July! I decided to try a new recipe in celebration of our country's birthday. I made BBQ Potato Wedges using some of the Shirley J BBQ seasoning and they were a big hit. The best part of it was how easy it was to make these tasty spears and a much healthier alternative to fries.

BBQ Potato Wedges
2 T Oil
4 medium potatoes, washed, dried and cut lengthwise into eights.
3 T shirley J Dutch oven & slow cooker BBQ Sasoning

In a bowl place potatoes, seasoning and oil. Mix together and place skin side down on a foil covered sheet pan. Bake on the middle rack, at 370 degrees for 55 minutes.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. If you want some of this Fantastic seasoning let me know...I sell it!

Undercover Agent

As you all know my new job is that of an event planner. We have our first event coming up in July, we are calling it a Leadership Summit. Now, I have not ever planned a convention and I really don't know everything that goes on at a convention. Yes, I have been to several and worked a few...but never participated in every aspect.

So this weekend one of our vendors was able to provide me with a staff badge to get into the Zrii's convention at the Salt Palace. They are another MLM company that sells a juice product. He took me around and showed me their store, meeting rooms, behind the big stage etc. I attended part of their general sessions and was able to take away a few ideas. I did however feel like I was being a spy and didn't want to draw attention to myself.

Saturday morning they had the motivational speaker Anthony Robbins speak. I listened to his 3 hour presentation. It was really quite interesting. He obviously was speaking from the perspective of how to build a successful business in a down economy. But, he did speak on topics that you can apply to your everyday life. I will give you a little summary.

3 mandates of Leadership
1. See it as it is, not worse than it is. (He used the economy and how the media just makes it all gloom and doom. Yes, it is times like these that people make the most money if you take advantage it)
2. See it better than it is. (Leadership is being willing to take risks when no one else is)
3. Make it the way you see it. (Motive does matter...if you hunger after something then you will do anything to see that it does happen)

3 decisions we make every moment of our life
1. What should I FOCUS on? (your focus is what you feel)
2. What does this MEAN?
3. What should you DO?
All of these things will determine the direction of your life and you are making these decisions every minute, usually unconsciously. So if you consciously are aware of these decisions you can turn your life into the direction you want. What we focus on determines our state of being. If we are focused on how hard the economy is and how depressing it is. We will be discouraged, depressed etc. If we instead focus on your family because you have less money to spend on trips or more time to be at home with them. You are going to be happier, which will create more drive at work.

If we find that we are in a state of mind that we do not like. We can change that state by being more positive by changing our focus and that in turn will change our behavior.

My new friend- Snail Bait

I have discovered that snail bait does work. Hooray! I now feel like my property is beachfront property, minus the view, palm trees, ocean etc. But, I do have shells throughout my yard without the snail to eat my little garden. I almost feel bad when I think that I killed all of them...but then visions of half eaten strawberries flash into my head and I feel justified. Sorry, Mr Snail...but if you mess with my garden then there is no co-habitation with you!

I did harvest a bowl and a half of delicious strawberries this week. I put miracle grow on my veggies and I am hoping to see some improvement from them.

Do snails eat gardens?

Okay, I was so thrilled to plant my square foot garden and reap the bountiful harvest that was sure to be mine. I have plans to be canning like crazy as I am sure to have produce coming out of my ears.

I planted my garden and was so excited to see the seeds sprouting and the little plants poke through the soil. But, now I am just perplexed and saddened as I look at my garden. It seems that in the 3 weeks since the plants have poked through the soil that very little growth has taken place. I am also seeing that leaves are disappearing off my plants. Some of my beans are now just stems the leaves are gone.

Something is eating my garden and the only thing that I have seen out there are snails. I am not talking one or two but, I am seeing lots of snails. I am thinking like 40. There are big ones and little ones. They are on the fence, in the weeds (maybe I should pull those), in the plants, and on the stairs. I guess I better find out how to get rid of snails if I want to have a garden.

Michelle, I am completely jealous of your garden...if I remember right you planted after me and I have yet to have anything to harvest. The tomato plants you gave me are still the same size. I just don't get what is going on.

Do snails eat gardens?

Happy Mother's Day!

First of all thank you to each of you who provided me with ideas and answered my question of, How you find joy in womanhood. I thought I would share my lesson with you so that you can see the outcome of your amazing input!

The Relief Society Declaration states: We are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who: Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages, families, and homes. Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood.

I believe that it is Satan’s goal to make us forget who we are and our divine nature. If we look at Moses Chapter one, Moses is visited by God the Father and he calls him “Moses, my son.” This taught Moses exactly who he is and his divinity. Shortly after this vision Satan doesn’t waste any time and he visits Moses and tries to make him forget the lesson he just learned. Satan says, “Moses, son of Man.” If Satan can make us forget our divinity not only will he bring sadness into our lives but it will affect our ability to strengthen our families. There are very few places in the Bible that speak of our divine nature. Psalm 82:6 is one of the few it reads, “Ye are Gods; and all of you are Children of the Most High.”

Sheri Dew writes in her new book, “Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are and who you have always been. And understanding it can change your life, because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way.”

How does understanding who we are bring joy and confidence into your life?

Elder Faust said, "I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the “highest place of honor” in the Church and in the world. One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty.”

As women we have qualities and traits that allow us to be more sensitive and nurturing. We are able to feel the spirit and act upon these promptings. We are able to be instruments in the Lord’s hands in a way that is different from the priesthood.

Elder Faust continues, “One of your particular gifts is your feminine intuition. Do not limit yourselves. As you seek to know the will of our Heavenly Father in your life and become more spiritual, you will be far more attractive, even irresistible. You can use your smiling loveliness to bless those you love and all you meet, and spread great joy. Femininity is part of the God-given divinity within each of you. It is your incomparable power and influence to do good. You can, through your supernal gifts, bless the lives of children, women, and men. Be proud of your womanhood. Enhance it. Use it to serve others."

How do your gifts help you to be a better mother and woman? I love how he said you can use your smiling loveliness to bless others and spread joy. As Elder Uchtdorf reminded us in the last general RS meeting “Happiness is your heritage.”

Sister Sheri Dew also said, “While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “The mother of all living,” and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Motherhood is more than bearing children, Though it certainly is that. It is the essence of who we are as women.

I used to feel awkward on Mother’s Day because I was not a mother. The Young Men would be passing out the flowers and would pause when they got to me…did they give one to me? Now I look at Mother’s Day as a day to celebrate womanhood. A day to remember that even though I am not a mother today, I will be one someday even if it is in the next life.

Elder Faust spoke in the general RS meeting in Nov. 2005 and said, “Some of you sisters may feel inadequate because you can’t seem to do all you want to do. Motherhood and parenting are most challenging roles. You also have Church callings that you fulfill so capably and conscientiously. IN addition, many of you, besides all this, have to work as well as care for your family. My heart goes out to the widows and the single-parent sisters who bear so much of the responsibility of parenting. In general you noble sisters are doing a much better job of holding it all together and making it work than you realize. May I suggest that you take your challenges one day at a time. Do the best you can. Look at everything through the lens of eternity. If you will do this, life will take on a different perspective.”

Hilary Weeks wrote a song entitled “Who you are.” I love the lyrics to this song. I know you wonder if you’ll ever have a day when the kids stay calm, the laundry’s done, and the dishes are put away. Sometimes you feel like your days are spent and gone and the question running through your mid is what have I gotten done? When you finally have a moment to slow down at the end of your day, I know Father would say “Believe in what you’re doing. Believe in who you are. Hold tight to the truth that you’re a daughter of God. Believe in who you’re becoming. Believe in who you are.”

It may seem simple all the little things you do. But, the lives you touch matter so much and there’s noone else like you. And Father needs you to stand tall and faithful to be all you can be. Oh, if you could see what He sees, you’d believe in what you’re doing. Believe in who you are. Hold tight to the truth that you’re a daughter of God. Believe in who you’re becoming. Believe in who you are.

When it’s hard to believe in yourself and you feel like you’re beginning to doubt remember… He believes in what you’re doing. He believes in who you are. Don’t lose sight of the truth that you’re a daughter of God. He believes in who you’re becoming. He believes in who you are.

Elder Faust continues, “We want you single sisters to know of our great love for you. You can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to help bring about this great work. You are valued and needed. Other women, even though married, may not be mothers. For those in either of these circumstances, pleas be assured that the Lord loves you and has not forgotten you. You can do something for another person that no one else ever born can do. You may be able to do something for another woman’s child that she may not be able to do herself. I believe some compensatory blessings will come in this life and in the hereafter to sisters in those circumstances.”

Because we are in mortality we will not always experience joy. There will be hard times, sadness, discouragement, heartache and pain. Because we are daughters of God and He loves us, He allowed our brother to come to earth and give the ultimate sacrifice. The atonement is not just for our sins, it helps to remove our heartache, discouragement and pain. The atonement makes up for our shortcomings and makes it possible for us to become like our Heavenly Mother.

In closing I would like to play Hilary Week’s song “You Give.”

You give me sight, when I can’t see. You give me breath when I can’t breathe. And you give me love, and you give me peace, and you always seem to give just what I need.

You take my doubt and replace it with truth. You take my fear so all I see is You. You take me as I am and you take me by the hand. You see to my soul and you take just what I need.

You give and take away. And refine me day by day. As you lead me through the bitter and sweet, I am trusting You to make me complete. Though you see the heartache you’re sending your sweet grace. As you give and you take.

You give me strength and you give me life. You give me hope and you give me light. You take my pain and you take my shame. You bless me to see the give and take is just what I need.

You give and take away. And refine me day by day. As you lead me through the bitter and sweet, I am trusting You to make me complete. Though you see the heartache you’re sending your sweet grace. As you give and you take.

Please send Your perfect grace. As You give and You take.

Heavenly Father Cares

This evening I was able to be an instrument in Heavenly Father's hands. It was a great experience and I am thankful to have been a part of it. This is what I love about being a woman...being able to be touched by the spirit and act upon the promptings and feel the joy of knowing that I was able to ease someones burdens for a moment.

As a member of the RS presidency there are times when I need to fill in for the President and take food orders. I have to admit that this sometimes is a hard thing for me to do. I have to remind myself that it isn't up to me to determine their needs, that it is the bishop's responsibility.

Tonight was a new experience for me. As I visited with this sister I could tell that it was awkward for her to have me there. She was not very familiar with the process of how it all worked. As we were going through the order forms, her little boy went to the refrigerator and opened it up. I happened to look up when he did this and I could see in her refrigerator. It was so empty...just ketchup, bread and a pitcher of water. I could not believe that a family of 5 had such an empty fridge. I don't even know if my fridge has ever looked like that. I wondered if her cupboards were just as empty.

Once we were finished with the order, I asked how she was doing. She started to say that they were hanging in there. I said are you really okay? She started to cry and said her husband had lost his job a couple of weeks ago. So, it has been really hard. Well, I being one who seems to be able to mourn with those that are mourning, almost started to cry too. I wondered how long they had been going without much to eat. I tried to give a few encouraging words...and said if I heard of anyone needing HVAC work done, I would let them know.

I went home and looked in my full fridge and thought what shall I make for dinner. I found myself thinking I would finish off some left overs, AGAIN. Then all of a sudden an image flashed in my head of the little boy opening his fridge. The thought came to me, I should make some pizza and take over to them. I called her to see if they had already had dinner and if they would like some pizza. She did not answer so I left a message letting her know that I needed to make some bread and would have some extra dough to make a pizza, if they had not already eaten. Please call me back if they were interested. She did call me, just as my dough was ready to be rolled out and she said a pizza would be great!

This time when I went to her house she had a smile on her face. This time when I left her house I gave her a hug. This time when I left she seemed to have a little relief in her eyes from the heavy burden. This time when I drove away it was me who was crying and hoping that she realized it was simply Heavenly Father's way of telling her that he is aware of them and he cares.

Question?

I have the privilege of teaching Relief Society on Sunday, Mother's Day. The priesthood is taking over primary so that all the sisters can attend RS and that means the YW will also be in there. The lesson subject that I am to teach about comes from the RS declaration. Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood.

I have a millions thoughts going on in my head trying to decide how to approach teaching this lesson. So, I am going to pose a question to you my dear readers and ask that you respond.

How have you found nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood?

April is over, already?

Wow, I can not believe how quickly this month has passed. It seems like it has only been a week since I last posted. I guess that just goes to show that time flies when you are having fun. I am thankful for the changes that I have had in my life that has made the time fly.

I was able to go to Washington for Easter and spend time with my family. It was great to see almost everyone that lives there. Thanks to everyone for dropping what you were doing to come over to Moses Lake. Even though my mother didn't know who I was it was good to be with her.

After spending a few days in Moses Lake I went to Seattle to see James and Kailey. I played with Reilyn and Kedrick...oh and the magots too (some imaginary friends).
It was fun to see their new house. It pretty much rained the whole time I was there. We were shopping at the store and came out to hail...it kind of hurt to be pelted by it. I started my job and have been super busy. The first week there I had to get everything ready for the move into the new building. There was a lot of coordination that still needed to take place. I had to buy furniture, art, plants etc. After working all day Saturday the place looked pretty good for the big meeting that was taking place Monday morning at 8:00 in our new space. I hope they don't keep expecting me to perform miracles like that.

I am now working on the convention which is coming up July. They had decided on the location already so now I need to plan everything else. There is a lot of work to go into this!! I hope I think of everything and can make it all work within the budget. I am used to the big productions that Tahitian Noni had at their conventions...but their budget was likely 10 times what mine is. So, it will be interesting to figure all that out. I am sure that it will be July before I know it!

I have enjoyed working here, everyone has been nice and positive about my abilities. I have REALLY enjoyed being busy and twiddling my fingers trying to find ways to sell furniture. I feel that this is a much better use of my talents then where I was. I am grateful to Heavenly Father for the way he continues to guide my life.

The winds of change

You never know with the wind when it will start or stop or how hard it will blow. So it is with change, you never really can predict when it will begin and how it will long it will take to adjust. It has always been interesting to see how change effects your life. Change always brings reflection, which always makes you stop and recognize God's hand directing your life. This has been the story for me this last week. I am so grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me.

I am once again changing employment. When I started my last job I was grateful for having a job but felt that it would be temporary. As you all know the economy has been in the dump and well it has made it quite difficult to sell furniture. I have been trying to find people who need furniture, but I was not having much luck.

Back in December I was approached by a friend from my Noni days and asked if I would ever want to do events planning. I said well, never really thought about it, but that could be a lot of fun. He said maybe in the future we will need that at my new place of employment and I will let them know you would be interested. So, in the back of my mind I kept hoping that may happen.

Last Thursday they extended an offer to me, I told them that I would get back with them. The following day I couldn't reach them to accept the position. That afternoon before I left work I was told that my salary was being cut in half due to the economic times. Wow, talk about timing...pretty unbelievable.

Today was my last day of work and I will begin my new job on the 20th. My first responsibility at my new job is moving to the new building. I will be overseeing the installation of furniture, move and the decorative elements. I will also be planning the product launch in June. I will help out with over flow customer service and compliance.

So, on to a new chapter of my life.

Shirley J seasonings

Last June I blogged about the wonderful Pantry Secret enrichment that I attended and learned how to make the yummy bread. Many of you are also making the incredible bread and pizza. I know that I have raved about the pizza and the pizza seasoning that they used from Shirley J. This seasoning truly is the secret to making the pizza taste amazing!

I was so impressed with the seasoning that I tried to find out more about this Shirley J company. What I found out was it basically was a wholesale only company for the food industry. I was a little disappointed that I would not be able to try any of their other products.

The other day I discovered that Mike Olson, who was the director of the Tahitian Noni Cafe, is now affiliated with the Shirley J company. They are taking the amazing products and making them available to the public! Hooray!!!! They have opened a location in Orem and are having an open house, right now. Not only can you buy the products but you can watch some demonstrations on how to use the product and there will be some sampling. The open house runs through the 11th of April and I don't believe it will be open during general conference.

For those of you who don't live in Utah and would like to try their products check out their blog page http://shirleyjsoupbasesandseasonings.wordpress.com/ or go to their web site where you can place orders. www.shirleyj.com

I can't wait to try out the soup base and the other seasonings. This will be a great addition to your food storage. I am thinking the soup base will be similar to the "magic mix" but is already made for you.

If you have not ever tried the pizza seasoning, it is so easy to use. You mix one Tablespoon of the seasoning with one can of tomato sauce and you have your pizza sauce. No longer will your pizzas taste homemade but they taste just as good if not better then your local pizza place. I have gotten my sisters and a sister-in-law using it now. The can of seasoning will last you a long time as you only use a tablespoon. Pizza anyone?

Food Dehydration

I was so happy when my Aunt let me have grandma's dehydrator. I have finally put it use and tried my hand at dehydrating food. I watched some very informative videos on Youtube that taught me how to dehydrate various foods. It really truly inspired me to dehydrate more then I would have. If you would like to check them out follow this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVpIHre2ao

There is a great store in Provo that has produce for really cheap on Wednesdays called Buy Low Market. It is by Cafe Rio in Provo, for anyone who lives here and is unfamiliar with the store. So, last week I got 16 lemons for $2, 3 lbs of zuccini for $1, 3 lbs of tomatoes for $1, Broccoli for .50 and 3 lbs of oranges for a $1. I thought this was the perfect price to try out various items and see how I like them. This shows my lemons, broccoli, zuccini and strawberries.

So far they have turned out pretty well. I don't know that I will ever dehydrate oranges...they didn't taste very well after they were rehydrated. But, the rest I think I will enjoy. I think the jars are kind of cute with the different colors and textures...they make my pantry cute. Like that is important.

Book Binding Class

Last month when I received my utilities bill I decided to read the enclosed newsletter for upcoming city events. I saw that the Lehi City Arts Counsel was going to have a beginning bookbinding class. That sounded like a lot of fun so I signed up for the class.

I really enjoyed the class and learning the book binding techniques. We learned how to make 5 different styles of books. I have completed 3 of the 5 books. When I finish the other two I will post those.

The first book has handmade paper and is bound to a dowel.

The second book has a fabric spine.

The third book is a fabric envelope book with a ribbon closure. The center portion of papers can be removed and you can refill the envelope with more paper.
The other two books that we learned how to make is a Japanese Stab book and a photo album. I am excited to complete these. It was a fun class to take and I can't wait to practice and make more books.

35 years

As another year has come and gone, I have to say I am a little in awe at how quickly time flies! I can't believe that I have been alive for 35 years...it really does not seem like I can possibly be that age. I definately do not feel like I am 35, I would have to say I only feel about 28.

So, in honor of my 35 years of life I decided to make a list of 35 things that I have discovered that I love. I don't know if I can document these items in the order that I learned them...they are definately not in any order.
1. I love to sleep. As a baby,I slept the whole night through the first night I was home from the hospital.
2. I love my parents and all that they have taught me and all the sacrifices that they have made for me.
3. I love my family, I love to spend time with them and talk with them. I think they are pretty funny, I love to laugh with them.
4. I love chocolate, pretty much in any form.
5. I love spring time, I love to see the flowers blooming and bringing color back into the world after winter.
6. I love good food, I always have a hard time choosing my favorite food...because I just love food. I will never have an eating disorder because I like to eat.
7. I Christmas, I love the way people are around christmas and I love that we think of Christ more.
8. I love playing volleyball and softball.
9. I love to laugh, I would have to say that there is rarely a day that goes by that I haven't laughed at something. Usually, it is at myself...becuase I do some silly things. Okay, that image just made me laugh. Not everyone can crack themselves up. :)
10. I love interior design, I love to play with color and textures.
11. I love to travel and see new places, new cultures, new sceneries, try new foods.
12. I love that I live in a time where it is easy to keep in touch with people: cell phones, email, messenger, facebook, blogs, airplanes, cars etc.
13. I love the friends that I have made throughout my life and remembering the fun times and memories that I have had through the years.
14. I love the way my dad loves and cares for my mom.
15. I love cream cheese...it just makes so many things taste so good.
16. I love how beautiful this world is.
17. I love the mountains and how when you are up in the mountains you tend to feel a little closer to God.
18. I love that I am able to make friends realitively easily.
19. I love that I have been able to go to Europe twice and spend time there with friends and family.
20. I love Switzerland and European chocolate...it just is better over there.
21. I love shoes...I just can't help it...I don't think you can ever have too many.
22. I love to cook and bake and try new recipes.
23. I love finding the perfect gift for someone and seeing their expression when they open the gift.
24. I love to watch or read a good love story.
25. I love my town house, I do... it just makes me happy.
26. I love to learn and just wish that I could retain and recall everything that I learn.
27. I love cranraspberry juice.
28. I love to be creative.
29. I love that Heavenly Father loves us inspite of ourselves.
30. I love to scrapbook and do crafty things.
31. I love to watch lighting storms.
32. I love waterfalls.
33. I love the smell of air after it rains.
34. I love winning a hard fought ball game.
35. I love that I live in this free country.

If my computer was working better I would have posted some photos of me through the years... but since it is not you are missing out. Maybe if you are lucky I will do that later on.

Heart Attack

This evening I went to my neighbors house to watch American Idol. As I was walking back to my house I saw one of the Young Women run up to my door. I thought, I am going to sneak up on her and scare her. As I got closer to my door it ends up that one of the leaders were with her so I decided that I couldn't really scare them.

So, I started to say hello and they began to scream...and they wanted to know where I came from. Then I saw that they were decorating my door and had brownies for me. I am a victim of a heart attack for Valentines Day.

Domestic Diva

Go ahead and call me Domestic Diva, Molly Mormon, Queen of the Kitchen, Food Storage Freak or whatever you would like. But, I just have to tell you about my productive weekend! I am quite pleased with the success I had with trying new things and being thrifty.

Friday evening I went to the grand opening of a grocery store in Provo, called Buy Low Market. They had skinless, boneless chicken breast for 99 cents a pound. The only thing was you had to buy 40 lbs of it. I decided that I would try my hand at canning with a pressure cooker and bottle the chicken. I found a recipe on the internet and it looked super easy, well it is super easy! All you do is cut up your chicken into 1" cubes. Place 1/2 tsp of salt in the bottom of a Quart bottle (I added some additional seasonings) and fill it up with chicken. Put a lid and ring on the bottle and place it in the pressure cooker. Cook it for 90 minutes and let it sit in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Then remove it...and the chicken has cooked and made its on broth in the bottle. I opened one up and the meat was really tender and really good, it tastes like the chicken in the can but I think mine I had better flavor.I also used my dehydrator for the first time. I picked up some mushrooms that were on sale and dried those. It kind of stunk up the house for a while....next time I do mushrooms I will have to put it in the basement. I also used some of my bread that I made and turned it into breadcrumbs in the dehydrator.
I also went shopping at Smith's Grocery store...in order to get my 10 cents of my gas fill up. I stopped by the service desk and picked up my beer rebate and found out that I would get $10 if I buy salty snacks or condiments. I bought items that were on sale and with my coupons it came to $20...so when I get my rebate back I spent $10 for all this stuff! Pretty good deal if I don't say so myself.This morning I made whole wheat pancakes from my wheat in my food storage. I followed the recipe that I got of the recipe from my new favorite food storage site. It was absolutely delicious and super easy! I ate my pancakes with the apricot jam that I made this fall...that didn't really set so it is more like syrup. I highly recommend this recipe for anyone that wants to try using up some of their wheat in their food storage.
http://everydayfoodstorage.net/2008/02/20/better-than-a-popular-roller-mills-pancakes/food-storage-recipes