Gingerbread Houses

We had decided to have a competition with gingerbread houses.... girls versus boys, who could make the better house.

Josh and Donovan, putting the walls up...

Audri working the icing bag...

As we started decorating...

...something awful happened. Neither of our houses would stay upright! The walls kept caving in on the "girls" house, and the roof kept slipping off the "boys" house.

We admitted defeat, and decided to just eat the gingerbread instead!

Donovan enjoying the roof of his house...

Audri eating the wall of her house.

It was a great idea, but our execution left a little to be desired. We had fun, though, and are continuing to enjoy our project! :)

Decorating for Christmas

We had planned to decorate for Christmas the first weekend of December, but spent so much time celebrating Josh's birthday that we didn't have a chance! So, tonight we were able to decorate the tree, hang the stockings, and prepare the house for the week's festivities!

Donovan and Audri hanging the ornaments...



Josh, Donovan and Audri setting the presents around the tree... with plenty of shaking and guessing as each package made it's way from the table to the tree skirt!


The kids and I in front of the tree... you can't really see the tree behind us, but it's there!

We hung lights and garland around the patio doors, wrapped lights and garland around the post in the entryway, hung the stockings and set up the nativity set... all while drinking sparkling cider. It's been a wonderful evening!

Banana Bread

I purchased bananas a couple of weeks ago with the intent of letting them get brown so I could make banana bread. I happened to mention that earlier this week to a co-worker, who brought me her bananas as well. SO - this afternoon I baked! I had enough bananas to make 14 loaves of banana bread... a few were plain, a few had nuts, a few had chocolate chips, and a few had nuts and chocolate chips. While I'll be taking most of them to work tomorrow to share, Josh and I had to share one of the loaves after dinner. Obviously, we chose a yummy loaf with all of the goodies, heated up our slices, added a little butter, and then needed a fork to enjoy our "dessert". :)

Josh's Birthday

Josh's birthday was Friday, and we spent the entire weekend honoring him! Luckily, the kids were with us, so all of us got to spoil him! Friday night (once we picked up the kids) we did some shopping and Josh was able to use his gift cards to buy some new clothes that he wanted... he'll be quite handsome in his new slacks, dress shirts and ties!

Saturday we spent wandering around town, checking some of his favorite stores (The Army/Navy Store, Cabella's, Best Buy, etc...) and picked up a few small things along the way. We had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack and completed the evening by playing our new Monopoly game for the XBox... yes, Josh won. :)

Today, we had a big country breakfast (blueberry pancakes, eggs, fried potatoes and sausage gravy) and spent the morning relaxing, playing games, and enjoying our time together. We were all able to share reasons that we love him, and tell him how much we are grateful for him.

All in all, Josh certainly felt appreciated! He's a wonderful man, and I am blessed that he is my husband.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a time for fellowship, friendship, family, food, and gratitude. It also doesn't include the stress of gifts and the expectations that can come with giving and receiving something tangible. Thanksgiving affords me the opportunity to refocus on what is truly important.

Of course, the food is an important part of the day! :) Josh and I don't have the kids this year for Thanksgiving, so we decided to spend a quiet day together. I still wanted to cook a big meal, so we're having some friends over Saturday and I'll prepare the full meal... today is a smaller version of our favorite fall foods; cornish game hens, stuffed squash, and pumpkin pie. :)

The wonderful part of it all is that there is no schedule, and no rush, so we get to eat whenever we want; I made us breakfast around 11, and have some yummy snack and appetizers for us when we're hungry again in a few hours. Dinner will be whenever we are ready to eat it; I'll probably get everything in the over around 5, but don't feel the pressure of watching the clock and timing everything just right. Today is shaping up to be a perfect day!

Olive Garden

Yesterday was a pretty busy day for me; work, a baby shower (that I provided the food for), a housewarming party, homework, housework, and family time. I had planned for us to make pizza's for dinner, but decided that a dinner out sounded like a better idea.

We debated ideas, from fast-food burgers followed by bowling or the $2 theater, but decided a nicer meal would be perfect; we rarely eat out, and the kids are not used to going anywhere with cloth napkins. :) SO - to Olive Garden we went.

It was a wonderful meal; Josh and Donovan had the seafood alfredo while Audri had the chicken alfredo. I branched into the rosemary crusted steak toscano... all preceded by the wonderful salad (refilled for us once) and the breadsticks. The kids practiced their manners, and we all left feeling happy and full.

I think nice family dinners may have to happen more often! We didn't end up eating until 7, which was a bit later for us, but we enjoyed the ambiance, food, and company so much we didn't leave until 9! We had a wonderful server (who was well tipped!) who was generous with his time and his beverage refills. It's nice to enjoy an evening with one's family...

Pumpkin Pancakes

A friend of mine mentioned that she made pumpkin pancakes last weekend, and all week I have been wanting to make them! We ended up swapping weekends with the kids, so they won't be here until next week, but I didn't want to wait that long to make and eat pumpkin pancakes. So, I made them this morning anyway! I'm sharing the recipe because they are so scrumptious!

Whisk:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side and serve with butter and syrup.

SO - since I didn't use all of my canned pumpkin for these delicious pancakes, I think I'll make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this afternoon!

Kuspuk

When I lived in Barrow, a wonderful friend made me a kuspuk. I don't often have the opportunity to wear it, but today it seemed perfect!

I figured I should share... when I wear it, I seem to find myself smiling extra wide and dancing around, just because it reminds me of home. :) I love being an Alaskan!

Jewelry

I went to a jewelry party this afternoon... I have never been a jewelry girl, but there were some really pretty items that made me think about becoming one! Of course, it's a bit on the spendy side, so nothing was purchased today, but I did bring home a catalog. My first step may have to be piercing my ears... again. Unfortunately, the last time I pierced my ears was unsuccessful due to some sort of allergic reaction, but it's worth reconsidering using a higher-quality product.

My mom will be so proud that I want to wear jewelry. For the record, I still don't want to wear make-up, though!

Success?

I was just asked if I would put together a presentation for our next training at work on how to be successful. While I'm honored, it does leave me with a few questions... what is success? As defined by work, is it simply starting the most students? Or is it more specifically starting the most students while working effectively, managing time and resources? I do reach my goals, but I also work more hours than anyone else on the team, and certainly more than the 40 or so I'm paid for each week... does that really mean I'm successful? Or simply a workaholic? Or so driven by goals and numbers that I forget to take time for me? It's hard to separate the two, honestly... but I think I'll have to do so before I can really present at training what it takes to be successful! It's a good thing I have a month or so to prepare... :)

Chess

We are a chess family. I was taught to play as a little girl, and have always enjoyed the game. I taught Josh to play earlier this year, who in turn taught Donovan to play, who in turn taught Audri to play. :) Donovan has discovered a real talent for the strategy and thoughtfulness of the game, playing at school during breaks with some of his friends. He beats Josh more times than not in their matches! We have also realized that we enjoy watching one another play, figuring out our individual strategies and thought processes as we move our pieces around the board.

We spent a couple of hours this afternoon in chess matches, refilling our hot cocoa and sitting back around the table to watch whoever was currently playing. :) I love that we all are interested in playing such a wonderful game!

Cooler Weather

Now that it is almost October, I am SO GLAD that we finally have cooler weather! Today finally felt like fall, and I got to wear a sweater. :) Of course, I then decided that I really want lots more sweaters!!! Do I need them? Probably not, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to find some great sweater deals before too long. :)

Melinda's Baby Shower

Yesterday was Melinda's baby shower... it was successful!

The shower was well-attended (22 ladies!)...

There was lots of food - the goodies I mentioned in my previous post, plus a pan of lasagna and a loaf of garlic bread...




And Melinda got lots of good presents!!!

I am so glad for a friend like Melinda, and honored that I was able to help throw her a baby shower. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm grateful that it went so well. :)

Baby Shower Preparations

Tomorrow is my friend Melinda's baby shower, which I'm co-hosting. In preparation, I took today off of work and have made cookies and dips... I think I might have gone a bit overboard! I have Scottish Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Crinkles, Coconut Washboard Cookies, Chocolate Pinwheels, and Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. I've also prepared an Artichoke Parmesan Dip and a Three-Cheese Jalapeno Dip. I cheated a little and bought the bread... but I don't feel too badly about it. :)

I'll post pictures tomorrow after the shower. I'm so excited!

Being Prepared

This week I have to be out of town for a couple of days for a college fair; I also have a couple of other late nights due to financial aid presentations for parents at some of the schools... so I'm trying to be extra prepared for the week with meals and such for Josh. It's exhausting! I'm usually mostly prepared, but I don't always do all the preparation work on the weekend... today I made today's meal, prepped for both Monday and Tuesday's crockpot meals (before I leave), and made Wednesday's meal (so Josh can eat while I'm gone). Of course, it's also laundry day... I feel like I've been on my feet all day! Whatever happened to Sunday being a day of rest? I think I need a nap... no time - time to hit the road to take Donovan home...

Goals...

As many of you know, I have been gathering and creating recipes for a cookbook... for over a year. It has been my goal to actually put them together and print a cookbook for some time. When I finished my classes for my Bachelor's degree, I took two months off before starting my Master's so I could get actually get somewhere with this project. I've had a month, and have yet to get close to completing my project. In all honesty, I've barely spent any time on it at all in the last four weeks!

So, I'm posting this because if I write it down (and through doing so, tell someone else) then maybe I'll have a bit more incentive to complete it. My goal is simple:
1 - narrow down my recipes; choose a theme (easy meals, etc...), select my categories, and select recipes for each category.
2 - choose the format (perhaps a website?) to compile them.
3 - complete the data entry.
4 - print the cookbook.

I'm not certain I can actually complete this all within the next four weeks before I start my classes again, but I can certainly complete steps 1 and 2 and start step 3... I will have this complete by the end of this year. Wish me luck!

Country Breakfast

When I woke up this morning, I was starving! So, I decided to make a nice breakfast for the family. I got a little ambitious... when I got it on the table, I had prepared biscuits and sausage gravy, pancakes, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, and scrambled eggs. I was only feeding Josh, Donovan, and myself! I tried to keep the portions of things smaller; for example, there were only 8 pancakes, 8 biscuits, etc..., but it was still too much food. We have leftovers for another great country breakfast tomorrow morning before church!

Chinese Buffet

I officially do not like buffets. Especially Chinese buffets. I had planned to make chicken with asparagus for dinner, but apparently my husband did not want chicken tonight. So, we decided to try this Chinese buffet that is just up the street (3 blocks away). Granted, we didn't go until 7:30, but for a Saturday night, that shouldn't have mattered. The food was cold, the meat was tough, and the desserts were non-existent. Not a fried banana in sight! Only soft-serve ice cream... seriously disappointing.

I enjoyed the idea of a dinner out with my husband, but the food was not any good at all! At least I still had the time with my husband. :) We have found that we can enjoy one another's company and have a nice evening, even if the circumstances (and/or the food) are not up to par. :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Last time I went grocery shopping, I bought an extra bunch of bananas so I could plan to make banana bread and/or muffins... we didn't end up eating the first bunch, so I had LOTS of bananas to make muffins with! Today I decided to get busy and use them up... I'm getting close to the end of the batter, and have made 7-dozen muffins! Obviously, Josh and I do NOT need to eat 84+ muffins. I think my co-workers will appreciate me tomorrow!

Brazilian Steak House

In celebration of both my graduation and the new record I set at work, we went to the Brazilian Steak House, Tucano's, for dinner tonight. I was slow to make our reservation, and so we had to choose to eat at either 4:30 or 8:30... we went for 4:30 - it was early, but I hadn't eaten lunch, so I was okay with that.

I've only been to a Brazilian Steak House once before, so I didn't have a lot of experience... the salad bar was fabulous, the meat was scrumptious, and the amount of food was amazing! We were both so incredibly full, it hurt to walk for a while. :)

Happy celebrations! We had a wonderful date night, and are now settling in to snuggle while watching a movie. The date night continues...

I'm a College Graduate!

So today I finished my last assignment and my last discussion board... and now I'm a college graduate! My grades won't actually post until Monday, but I don't have any additional work to do, so I'm celebrating this weekend!

I feel amazing!

Banana Boats

Last night we made banana boats! It brings back many happy memories of nights around the campfire as a kid, but I'd never done it with the kids. It was raining most of yesterday, so we actually prepared them in the oven, but it was fun anyway!

I prepared the bananas, then set out chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, and marshmallows... everyone got to make their own and then wrap them in foil. Ten minutes later, voila! Josh didn't care for his as much, but the kids and I enjoyed our very much. It was a fun, fast, easy and yummy dessert!

Dinner, and Lessons Learned

I had planned for dinner to be a simple affair - burritos. But, I was home a little earlier than planned and decided to be ambitious. So, I made taquitos! I mixed the stuffing (ground beef, refried beans, cheese, and salsa), and then fried the corn tortillas for 15 seconds or so per side. Once fried, I put the stuffing in the middle and rolled them tightly, putting them in a 9x13 pan. Once the pan was filled, I topped them all with a little cheese and baked on 350 for 15 minutes.

While my taquitos were baking, I decided I would make my own chips. :) I cut my corn tortillas in triangles and dropped them in my hot oil already on the stove. I turned them after a few seconds, then took them out - lesson learned (or remembered)... things cooked in oil continue to cook after they are out of the oil! Some of my chips were too done to enjoy (aka, burned!), but most were pretty tasty.

All in all, a really great dinner. And, I'm feeling pretty great about my first attemp with taquitos and chips! Especially for a Wednesday meal. :)

Sister Weekend in Portland

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a wonderful weekend in Portland with my sister, Jenna... I "crashed" her husband's family reunion so I could see my sister and her family! First of all, she is a great mom. It was so fun to see her with Chase! Second of all, Chase is cute. :) And, SO BIG! I couldn't believe how much he had grown in the five weeks since I'd last seen him. What a cute little guy, who took a couple of days to warm up to me, but finally smiled at me on Sunday. :)

We did take a couple of pictures, but they are on my phone. I am not sure how to get them off of my phone and on to my computer. Jenna has some on her camera though, so I'll let her get some posted on her blog. :)

Thanks, Jen, for letting me come and visit you at Wayne's family reunion. It was a wonderful weekend!

Beef and Sausage Foldovers

These "foldovers" taste similar to tacos, but are a fun alternative. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound pork sausage
Taco seasoning packet
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced green chilies, undrained
4.5 cups Bisquick
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cheese
Sour cream
Salsa

Directions:
1. Cook beef and sausage until no longer pink. Drain.
2. Stir taco mix, diced tomatoes, and diced green chilies into meat mixture. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Mix Bisquick and boiling water. Knead at least twenty times.
4. Divide Bisquick mix into 6 balls.
5. Roll balls into approximately 7" circles.
6. Stir cheese into meat mixture.
7. Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture onto the Bisquick rounds.
8. Fold the round over the meat mixture and seal the edges by pressing a fork along the entire edge.
9. Cut 3 small slits in the top of the foldover.
10. Bake on 400 for 20 minutes.
11. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Enjoy!

New Car!

We found my new car! It's a 2002 Mazda Tribute, and I love it!

White exterior, beige leather interior, AWD, AC, and a sun roof!

It's beautiful. :) And, it drives as nicely as it looks.

I'm very happy!

Treats and Fruit

Sunday is usually treat day... because I bake a treat for us! Today was simply too hot. So, we decided it was a great day to head to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and enjoy some caramel apples...

Audri with her "Double Dip" - caramel, white chocolate, and milk chocolate, and white chocolate drizzle.


Donovan with his nut free "Gold Rush" - caramel, peanut butter, white chocolate, and milk chocolate drizzle.

Josh ordered a "Gold Rush" with nuts. I ordered the "Apple Pie" - caramel, white chocolate, and cinnamon. :)

Of course, I then felt the need to do something healthy with our fruit... hence, a tropical fruit salad with pineapple, strawberries, and mandarin oranges. :) I'm pretty sure it'll balance out our fruit treats, right?

Hot Day!

Today was 104 degrees in Boise. HOT! So, we decided to float down the Boise River... we spent two hours out on the water (after lathering on the 50 SPF sunscreen) and had a great time. The river is running a little high right now, so it seemed like a quicker ride than usual... we just keep floating along!

Nothing goes better with a day on the river like BBQ... we enjoyed kabobs and grilled artichokes for dinner. Yum, yum! Now on to our family movie night... we just finished dinner, so no snacks or dessert yet... but I'm thinking hot cookies topped with ice cream just might be in our future. :)

Our hot day ended up being a good day after all!

Potato, Ham and Cheese Bake

Ingredients:
4 red potatoes, sliced
8-oz cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
8-oz cooked ham, cut in bite-size slices
1 pound fresh asparagus spears
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In medium saucepan, cook potatoes, covered, in lightly salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes, just until tender. Drain.
3. For sauce, in same pan, combine cream cheese, milk, 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, 4 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper. Heat and whisk until smooth and cheese is melted.
4. Layer potatoes, ham, asparagus, and sauce in 9x13 pan.
5. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.
6. Uncover, top with remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Bake 10-12 minutes more.
7. Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I don't generally care for ham, but even I liked this dish! Enjoy!

Family Night

Tonight was family night in the Davis household, and since our favorite past-time is to eat, that's what we did! Homemade hamburgers (which were literally an inch-and-a-half thick!), bratwursts, french fries, grilled pineapple, and milkshakes to top it all off. We were all more than full, to say the least. Actually, dinner was three hours ago and I'm still feeling stuffed!

Of course, everything reminds me of something / someone... while making and drinking our milkshakes, I was happily thinking of my Grandpa Engebretson (yes, I did make peanut butter milkshakes!) and realized that I didn't get one from him this summer. Bummer! Mine are good, but not as good as grandpa's. I still have a few things to learn, I guess. :)

Family night was a success!

Grilled Potato Skins

We tried these the other night with our grilled chicken, and I thought they were fabulous! :)

Ingredients:
2 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped,
Sour cream

Directions:
1. Cut each potato into quarters, lengthwise.
2. Cut away the white portion, leaving 1/4" or so on the skin.
3. Place skins on a microwave safe plate, and microwave for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
4. Combine the butter, salt and pepper. Brush over both sides of the potato skin.
5. Grill potatoes, skin side up, over direct medium-heat for 2-3 minutes.
6. Turn potatoes and position over indirect heat for 2-3 minutes.
7. Top with cheese, grill 2-3 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Top with bacon and onions.
9. Serve with sour cream.

Fair Food

Yesterday we went to a small-town fair before the fireworks... we love fair food! We couldn't decide what we wanted, so we decided to share. I love corndogs, Josh loves turkey legs, and we both love french fries, so we figured we'd share a little of each.

My corndog was a hand-dipped "monster corndog"... 14" long! It was amazing... we passed the stick back and forth more than a half-a-dozen times!

The turkey leg was also huge - we had to wait for 20 minutes for it to cook, and we couldn't even finish it. :) I have issues eating meat off of the bone, so we sat down and Josh peeled strips of meat off of the leg for me. What a guy!

We watched them prepare our french fries; they put a potato in a machine that looked like a drill hooked to a slicer. They ran the drill and the potato was cut into the curls... each batch had three potatoes, so the plate was HUGE! We couldn't finish them, either.

We had plans for chocolate dipped mini-donuts, but couldn't even order them. We were too full! Luckily for us, there are two more fairs this summer that we're planning to go to, which gives us plenty more opportunities to enjoy fair food. :)

Wonderful Day

Today was a wonderful day. When we started the day, we had a few errands to run and then expected to spend the day at home. That's not what happened! :) We had an appointment at 9am to get the air conditioning fixed in the Jeep. After waiting for an hour, we were told that there is a small leak somewhere in the system, and it would need more diagnostic time to determine where the leak was, and then more money to repair the leak before recharging the freon. Ugh. So, still no AC. (That's not the good part of the day).

Once we left the mechanic, we were hungry, so we went to breakfast. From there, we went to pick up a couple of boxes of ammunition from the gun store (tomorrow Josh gets to go shooting for a while), and walked in on a celebration day! We won prizes, got free t-shirts, had some cake, and entered three different drawings for guns. Josh was on cloud nine!

After leaving the gun store, we figured we'd run to Costco for a few things and head home... on the way there, I decided I wanted a haircut. Josh thought it'd be fun to have his head shaved by a barber (like in the old West movies), so off we went. I love my haircut (which I'll post pictures of tomorrow), but Josh's barber experience was not nearly as fabulous; he decided once was enough for the straight-edge in the barber's chair.

Again, we thought we'd head to Costco for a few things and head home... then realized we were starting to get hungry and probably shouldn't go into Costco on empty stomachs. So, we shared a sandwich, and then decided to run into our favorite bookstore ... after we spent a bit of time perusing the bookshelves, we finally made our way to Costco... which was PACKED, as usual. :)

After our Costco trip, we had to head home because we had perishables in the car. We realized it was 5pm, and we have a full day scheduled for tomorrow, so we needed to finish all of our homework for the week tonight. My sweet husband read through a week's worth of chapters in my statistics textbook to help me finish my statistics homework. Once I finished the assignment, and took quizzes in both of my classes, I glanced at the clock only to realize that it was 9:45pm!

So, Josh has our dinner on the grill, and we'll eat soon... but, we had a wonderful day together doing nothing in particular but enjoying one another's company. :)

Tomorrow we're headed to Melba for the fireworks, and will post some pictures of our adventures, and our new haircuts, before the weekend is over.

Sesame Steak Marinade

Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 sirloin steaks

Directions:
1. In a large resealable plastic bag or container, mix the first 9 ingredients.
2. Add steaks and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
3. Drain and discard marinade.
4. Grill steaks to desired doneness.

We enjoyed very tender, flavorful steaks for dinner tonight!

BTW - for my sister who wants "personal" stuff... life is the same. Work, school, work, school, and more of the same. :) What I cook for dinner is the only thing that changes! :)

Chicken-Broccoli Mac & Cheese

This felt decadent for a mid-week meal. :)

Ingredients:
8-oz small shelled pasta
2 cups broccoli florets
1 pound chicken breasts
6-oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
Salt
Pepper
Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
2. While pasta is cooking, thinly slice the chicken breasts. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic & herb seasoning. Cook until juices run clear.
3. Drain pasta and broccoli. Toss with olive oil. Set aside.
4. In pasta saucepan, combine cream cheese, milk, 1 tablespoon garlic & herb seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir often. As cream cheese begins to melt, add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Once cheese sauce is melted, add pasta, broccoli and chicken. Heat through.
6. Serve hot, adding additional shredded cheese to each bowl for serving.

Stuffed Steak

Weekends are really the best time for me to try new recipes. :) Tonight was Stuffed Steak and Twice Baked Potatoes.

Ingredients:
2 pound sirloin roast
Salt
Pepper
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Make 4 cuts in top of roast, approximately 1" deep.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over roast.
4. Mix cream cheese, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
5. Spread cream cheese into slices in roast.
6. Drizzle olive oil over top of roast.
7. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.
8. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

By request, I will try to post recipes every so often... we had Bacon Wrapped Chicken tonight, and it was fabulous!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Herb Seasoning

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400.
2. Pat chicken breasts dry. Sprinke salt, pepper, and garlic herb seasoning on top side.
3. Wrap 2 bacon slices around each chicken breast.
4. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
5. Add bacon wrapped chicken to skillet, cook for 2 minutes on each side.
6. Transfer bacon wrapped chicken to pan.
7. Bake bacon wrapped chicken for 20-25 minutes, or until juices run clear.
8. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! :)

Family Pictures

While in Alaska, I was able to get a few family photos... I think most of the "good" ones were taken with someone else's camera; I know there were pictures of me with all of my nieces and nephews. So, maybe my siblings will share. :)

All together...

Jacob, a ray of sunshine to the soul!

Me, with Kaiya - who has the most beautiful blue eyes!

Chase, the newest addition... he's a GREAT snuggler!

My beautiful sisters with their babies... being an aunt is FABULOUS! :)

Donovan's Birthday

Donovan is 12! His requests included homemade beef pot pie...

Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake (thank you Baskin Robbins!)...

And all things GI Joe.

I think he got his wish. :)

New Bikes

Today was such a beautiful day, we decided to use our new bikes. :)

The weather is perfect... 70 degrees, sunshine, light breeze. This is our view!

We bought cruisers. We decided that style of bike riding is more our speed. Plus, it doesn't cause us to lean over the way a mountain bike does in order to ride. Much more comfortable.

After completing an 8-mile ride (roughly)... we rode to lunch! :)

New Haircut

So, I've had this new haircut for two weeks... I love it! I can fix it in just about 2 minutes. :)

I finally had Josh take pictures to post, after more than a few "friendly" reminders...

It is the end of the day, so not quite as "fresh"... I promise to take more soon. :) I'm almost due for a trim!

Home

I was walking on the greenbelt this past weekend with my husband, and I realized that I finally feel like Boise is home. I miss Alaska, but mostly I miss my family. I love my Alaska visits each year, but am always glad to come home. I enjoy this time of year the most in Boise... the sun is shining and it's warm, but not too hot... it's the perfect weather to be outside in, and we're trying to soak up every minute of it! We've been walking, bike-riding, and even just sitting outside watching the geese in the pond behind our complex.

It's nice to feel this way. I spent the last few years just wishing I could be somewhere else, and now that my heart and mind have refocused, I can enjoy being here, living in the moment, and sharing it all with my husband.

Decorating Easter Eggs

Our prize Easter eggs... these were our favorites of the eggs we decorated today!

Donovan and Audri, showing off their eggs.

So serious!

We decorated two-dozen eggs... we tried different colors, stickers, and the white crayon to make our Easter eggs unique. In the end, while our eggs may not have been spectacular, we had fun. :)

Audri's Birthday

Audri's birthday is actually next week, but she is with us this weekend and we wanted to celebrate!

Audri's oreo ice cream cake, courtesy of Baskin Robbins.

So yummy!

Audri received a new bike for her birthday. Although not pictured, she was also given a "Hannah Montana" bike helmet. Safety first, right?

Audri was so excited to open her own CD player... now she can listen to her own CD's in her room! She got a Hannah Montana CD (thanks to Uncle Taylor) and a Taylor Swift CD to start her collection. :)

Trying our root beer...

We attempted to drink our first batch of homemade rootbeer... our plan was to make root beer floats! So, the kids and I opened the bottles and took our first drink. Unfortunately, they weren't as great as we had hoped!

Getting ready...

The flavor was fine, although it did have a bit of an aftertaste... however, there was no carbonation! It was flat. Bummer! It worked fine for our floats, but we didn't drink the rest.

We'll try again next weekend!

Trying to keep up...

There are days when I just can't seem to keep up with life... since my trip to Denver was cancelled (or should I say postponed) I am home this weekend. That part is nice, but since I'm home I figured I should try and use my time productively. I'm in the middle of laundry and cleaning the house, and I realized that I need to do a bit of grocery shopping for the week. As I start the grocery list on the back of an envelope, I realize it's yesterday's mail that I haven't even opened yet. So, I start to open yesterday's mail and begin to file the bills when I realize that I need to write some checks... then I realize that I am out of checks and need to re-order them. AGH! So, I'm back to my grocery list, after another round of laundry, and I'm looking around the house and realizing I should organize the closet. Honestly though, at this point, I am strongly considering a nap.

Making Root Beer

Our first venture into making root beer... we're excited to drink it when the kids are back in two weeks! From there, we'll be able to start tweaking the recipe. Our goal is to make a Davis Family Root Beer!

Josh, pouring the root beer into the bottle.

Audri, trying very hard not to spill any!

Donovan... the bottle capper was hard to push down!

It was a fun family adventure! :)

Wii Bowling!

A friend of Josh's loaned us his Wii this weekend to try with the kids. We were bowling! It was a blast, and I think a Wii may be in our future. :)

Josh bowling a strike

Donovan, using his whole body to beat us!

Audri, holding the pose, waiting for the score!

Pamper Day!

Audri and I had some "girls time" today! We went out and got our hair and nails done... then, when the boys picked us up, they had crowns for us as the queen and princess of their lives. :)

With my crown!

My new hair cut... a bit shorter, and with bangs. I'm sure it'll look a little different once I can fix it for myself. You know how it goes when someone else fixes it for you...

I have my first ever set of gel nails. You can't really see, but Audri has a flower painted on her thumbs, too. They were very good to us!

It's been a fun day! Audri wouldn't cooperate for a picture with her crown, so we'll try that one again tomorrow.