Easter

I love celebrating holidays, and Easter is no different. I love the significance of each (the resurrection of our Savior) but also the festivities of them. Because I have younger siblings, holidays are always fun because we have always had a child who "still believes" {in the Easter bunny, Santa, etc.} so we take the extra effort to make things exciting for them. Now that Colby and I are on our own, we aren't with little ones who still struggle to fall asleep due to excitement of the Easter bunny's visit. Not ready to give up the traditions, the Easter bunny still came. ;) After setting up a small egg hunt, I found out Colby had never had an egg hunt growing up and it was fun to see his child side come out as he search for 12 candy filled eggs. You would have thought they had a hundred dollars each in them seeing the way he searched for them.





checking the light fixture for the last two. Nope. Not there. {try behind the closed blinds:) }

Saturday adventures

Colby and I have been wanting to go check out a lot of places around us, but once the weekend rolls around we either have TONS of errands to run or the weather is no bueno. Luckily, the sun came out of hiding for Saturday (and only Saturday) and we had a fabulous day trip down to Devil's Den, a national park just 45 minutes South of us. It was beautiful. Hiking, caves, crevices, waterfalls and creeks. Check out the pics.

cave entrance

look closely...all those little dots are bats!!

this was the part of the cave you had to walk through sideways and carry the backpack. Good things we aren't claustrophobic.

caterpillar cacoon...these were everywhere. I was relieved to figure out they didn't have anything to do with spiders.

Come visit and we will for sure take you to Devil's Den!!

Why Tony, Why?

I liked you. Then you betrayed us all. Why Tony, why?

But I'm sure Jack will come and save the day. Just a lucky guess...Isn't that what he does everytime?

Colby's new friend

We hang out with a lot of people out here who have kids and have quickly fallen in love with them! Last weekend we got to babysit Rachel for a few hours and had so much fun with her. Colby was so adorable with her. He played with her, fed her raisins, put on her necklace and even let her watch him on his laptop.

color

A few weeks ago we painted our guest bedroom bay window walls this color


and a few days after that painted it again this color


needless to say, I was not very happy with the bright green walls. I hate how the color never turns out like the little paint sample. Colby informed me that we could fix it all for only 10 more bucks, so I agreed to the repaint! (Actually, the second time around we got smart and bought our paint at Walmart and got 4 times as much paint for half the price we paid at home depot. You think we would have thought of Walmart the first time around. oh well...)

Chartres, France

In honor of Mitch being transferred to Chartres, I thought I would post a picture from when I was there last summer. I think it is so cool that he is right where I was a few months ago. Kinda wish I could be back there right now and see the countryside and MITCH!



Picture I took of the village behind the famous cathedral. Never thought Mitch would be walking those streets.

apron giveaway

My cousin makes THE CUTEST aprons and is having an apron giveaway. Check out her Epicurean Style aprons and enter to win!

Spring has sprung

. . . at least temporarily

Yesterday it was in the low 30s and snowing, so who knows how long the good weather will stay. We decided to take a Sunday drive and explore while the weather is fabulous. Sunny, 60 degrees and not yet humid.

Blossoming trees at our condo

One of the many old barns I am obsessed with. I made Colby drive me around to at least 4 today to take pictures.

Playing by the creek behind our place.


And the best part...


Fresh, hand-picked daffodils. They are in front of me as I type and they smell fabulous! Colby found them for me. :)

In Colby's words

Lucky Day!

As we were leaving our apartment yesterday to run errands, Colby turned on the radio. He didn't like the song, so changed it to a station we rarely listen to. The radio station was over at the grand opening of Famous Footwear where they were having a sale and giving away shopping sprees every hour. It was about 10 til, so we headed over. We showed up in time for the "grand prize" spree where the winner was given 2 minutes to run around the store and grab shoes. Sadly, we didn't win, but it was fun to watch the winner get some shoes for himself, his wife, and kids. He walked away with 12 pairs, over 800 bucks. Crazy.

Well we left and ran our errands (which included a stop the cable company because they hadn't included a discount on the bill like they should have. While there, we were given a year's "free trail" of DVR. About a $150 value. sweet!) We were getting paint at Wal-mart, but needed to run home to get a paint sample and decided to swing back by Famous Footwear for the 5:00 drawing that would happen in 10 minutes. Colby and I both entered then walked around to scope out what we would grab if we happened to win. Just as they were doing the drawing, I turned to Colby and said I thought he would win. Well, what do ya know...they called out "Colby Heiner."

SWEET! Colby won a 30 second shopping spree where he was given 30 seconds to grab as many shoes as he could. The rules were he had to grab a box, not a display shoe, and bring it to the counter, one at a time, then go grab another. He didn't have to grab the right size though, because after the time was up, they would go get the right sizes for us. It was fun to cheer him on and watch him run around the store. He grabbed me a pair and then 3 for himself. In total, we walked away with over $200 worth of shoes. I thought it was pretty nice that he grabbed the super cute heels that I had pointed out as his first selection. He then went on to get some church/work shoes, work-out/tennis shoes, then some casual pumas. So how is that for a lucky day. Not only did Colby win those shoes, we also got free DVR! Yeah-yuh!

Colby with his prize! He set these up himself for the picture. :)

(Sorry this was so long and detailed. I copied and pasted from Mitch's missionary email. Tried to give him lots of details so it's what you get as well.)

bullseye

Who ever would have thought that this store would open in WalMart world? Not I, but I sure am jumping for joy because one opened 2 minutes away from us! Hallelujah!!
I was already there twice last week...yes, that was once the first day and once the second. So what--I love TARGET.

recipes, as requested :)

For our little Valentine's dinner I came up with a menu that I wanted, then used good ol' google to do the rest (well...almost the rest). Here are the recipes I used:

Balsamic Bruschetta:
servings: 4

4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 loaf French bread, toasted and sliced

**In a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Mix in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Serve on toasted bread slices.

Tomato-Basil Soup
servings:4

1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. apple juice
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
4 c. chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 c. vegetable stock (I used chicken broth)
1/3 c. orzo pasta (Sadly, I couldn't find any at the walmarts around here...the only grocery stores...so went without)
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 c. butter

In soup pot, heat oil and apple juice over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and pepper 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is soft but not brown. Add small amounts of water if mixture becomes dry). Remove from heat. Add tomatoes and broth. Stir. Puree in blender and return to the pot. Add pasta; cook 10 minutes, stirring. Add butter and cream. Stir in. Simmer 15 min. do not boil. Add basil and serve immediately.

Tomato, olive and artichoke pasta
servings:4

1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped small
1 (2 1/4 ounce) can black olives, chopped small
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped small
1/4 cup capers (I left these out)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
8-16 oz. angel hair pasta

Mix all ingredients (except pasta) in a bowl. Set aside to let flavors mix while you cook the pasta. Cook 8-16 oz.of angel hair pasta. Drain and immediately toss into tomato mixture. Serve with grated parmesan.

Chocolate Dessert Bowls

I placed a glass mixing bowl that fit perfectly on the rim of my pot over about 1 inch of simmering water and filled the bowl with a small bag of nestle chocolate chips. Stir the chocolate chips constantly as they melt, until smooth. Once completely melted, dip blown up balloons into chocolate. I used 7 inch balloons, but would like to try it with smaller ones. (I found that if I didn't blow the balloon up completely, so I could have a smaller bowl, the balloon would pop while in the chocolate. Not fun to clean up.) Set the balloons on wax paper that has been sprayed well with pam. I let mine sit for a day. After set, loosen the edge of the chocolate from the balloon before deflating, otherwise the bowl may collapse in with the balloon. Cut a small hole in the balloon to slowly let the air out.

I filled my bowls with red velvet cake mixed with a package of vanilla pudding and topped it with strawberries and this delicious sauce:

White Chocolate Mousse Drizzle and White Chocolate and Almond Cream

3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 pound good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. Bring 1 cup cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour 1 1/2 cups white chocolate mixture into a small bowl; cover and freeze until cold, about 1 hour.
Let remaining white chocolate mixture in saucepan stand at room temperature until lukewarm, about 20 minutes.
2. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups cream and almond extract in large bowl until peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold in lukewarm white chocolate mixture. Refrigerate whipped cream just until medium peaks hold, folding occasionally, about 3 hours.

(I don't think I completely followed this recipe and I only made a third of it. I think if you even just melted the white chocolate and drizzled it over the cake it would be divine.)

Well, there you go. I would love to know if any of you try this! I hope you do.

ok, how funny is this?

The perfect sandwich bag to prevent the bullies from stealing your sandwich. I so wish I had these growing up--not that bullies ever stole my lunch. Ok, actually it probably would have grossed me out and I wouldn't have eaten my lunch, but still...these are pretty cool.

Look how creative/cute my husband is!

On Valentine's day I woke up to this cute breakfast...

(he came up with this idea on his own!!)

and was given this wonderful gift (which I have been sampling at banana republic for like 2 years...)

Valentine's Dinner

Since we don't know all the good restaurants in the area and because we didn't want to be surrounded by a 100 others people eating on valentine's day, I made a nice 4 course Italian dinner for us at home. It was SO much fun to prepare but took a lot of time--But, so worth it. If I may say so myself, it all turned out fabulously! {MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE WONDERFUL DESSERT AT THE BOTTOM!!}

family favorite, grape-lemonade, with a heart-shaped strawberry

Balsamic bruschetta over toasted french bread


Homemade tomato basil soup
(this took forever but was so rich and tasty!)


Tomato, Olive and Artichoke with Angel Hair

Chocolate covered Strawberries
(pre-dessert, dessert)

Chocolate bowls with moist cake,White Chocolate Mousse Drizzle and White Chocolate and Almond Cream
(mmm...)

ok, these little desserts were so fun to make! I dipped balloons in melted chocolate, let them sit for a day, then popped the balloon. The trick was figuring out just the right amount of air to put in the balloon. When I didn't have enough air in them, they popped while in the chocolate sending chocolate ALL OVER my kitchen.

still employed

We had quite a scare in our little area yesterday when Wal-Mart announced it is cutting 700-800 jobs from its headquarters. Luckily, Colby is still safe and has been told he shouldn't worry about being let go. Colby let me know that the Wal-Mart situation is unfortunate, because they planned these current cuts a year ago when they began reorganizing some of the depatments. It just happened to fall in a time when the whole business world is cutting jobs. Thankfully many of the jobs being cut from the home office are being transferred to work with the rest of the apparel office that was moved to New York a year ago.

Well, that's all. Colby is still employed (and so am I...at Gap) and I continue to look for a job I can use my degree in! Ha. I don't think folding jeans is using much of the marketing education I received.

Updating

So, I have tried to get caught up. I hate having things out of order, so I changed the date on all my new posts to match when they happened. Feel free to go back and see all about Vegas, Disneyland, our snowboarding mishap, bringing in the new year, Wyoming, and my parents visiting. Enjoy!

new blog header

♥ created by yours truly.

Ice storm pictures

Though the storm caused several problems, Colby and I loved driving around and seeing the beauty the storm left.

there was ice on everything. here each blade of grass in the field is iced over individually.

Of course, the storm wasn't all beauty. . .

Colby's car was encased in about a half inch of ice. luckily mine was in our garage.

6 of the 7 car ports collapsed. Management frantically ran around knocking on doors when the first one collapsed and most (including us) ignored the warning. After the 2nd (and 3rd, 4th...) we took it more seriously.

Trees were down all over the place and several knocked out electric lines.

but, its sunny now and all the ice is gone... :)

Amazing Husband

Look what Colby brought home 2 days ago. . .

12 roses, 12 days before our 6 month anniversary.

He said I could throw one out each day as a countdown, but of course I decided against that.