Thanks

Thanks for all your encouraging replies to my last thread. You know how sometimes you just read other Blog's and all you can think of is how perfect they are compared to yourself? Well I was having one of those days...or weeks...well actually lives. But whatever.

Anyway, I will post my Bun recipe soon. I really will. My friend Emily gave it to me months and months ago...and I sort of didn't write it down very clearly. Trust me, it's a guessing game every time I make the buns. They turn out really good each time...but I'm not sure how to explain the thought process that went into my recipe. It's all in 'Meagan Shorthand' and it would take hours to explain to you on this BLOG. So, I'm going to go through the recipe again and find away to make it easier to explain. Or...maybe I'll just ask Emily for it again.

So until then I'll just share more stories from my life. First of all, I'm not sure if I made Ben out to be that great of a husband. Well I guess a good husband is one who lets you buy whatever you want for your Birthday...but a great one wouldn't make me go out two weeks late to pick up my own gift which was supposedly his idea. But really, he is great. And to prove it, he brought me home these flowers:

And then because things were even, and he wasn't comfortable NOT being in the Doghouse, Ben pulled out this fancy contraption.

I can just hear my Mother in Law laughing right now as she looks at this picture. It's the train set that Ben's dad had when Ben was growing up (and maybe even before that)...and even though it's cool and all, the kitchen table is not my idea of a good place to set it up - permanently. So I'm 100% sure Ben's mom is laughing right now because she finally got rid if it, and now knows that I have a life time of trying to keep it out of sight.

And then Finally, Hailey now belongs to the tu-tu club. Unfortunately (or fortunately - depending on how you look at it) she doesn't belong to the "my mom is crafty and made me this tu-tu" club. Oh well. Actually I was planning to make her one - but then my friend Laura posted pictures of her Girls in some really cute tu-tu's...so I asked he if she could help me make mine. And she so kindly informed me that she bought her tu-tu's. GASP!!! A stay at home mom bought tu-tu's for her daughter?? No. But it's true! I guess she did some calculating on what her time was worth, how much tulle is, and how long it would take to make a tu-tu. In the end, it made more sense to buy them off Etsy rather then make them herself. And she's super crafty, so if she decided it's not worth it making her own, then I will agree. And that's what I did. I bought mine off Etsy and I couldn't be happier. So here are a few shots of Hailey the other day...this was a bit of an impromptu photo session - so there are no real amazing shots...not that there would be even if I planned it. But they're cute still. Enjoy.

I'll post pictures one day...

But I'm really just to unorganized and lazy to do it. My house is a mess....as always. Hailey's napping...so I could clean it, but I decided to work out and play on the computer instead. Oh well. That's just the way I am. I'm sort of half thinking about making dinner, but we might just eat buns again. At least they're home made buns - my one redeeming stay at home mom quality right now. I'm not super crafty, I don't sew amazingly well, I don't cook all that often, I'm not a good organizer, I never do my hair or makeup anymore, and I don't think I'm very much fun with Hailey, BUT I do have a very yummy bun recipe that I make occasionally, which I'm pretty sure is exactly why Ben and Hailey keep me around.

It was my big 25th Birthday a few weeks ago. Which I thought was a pretty big deal - but actually turned out to be less then that. Oh well, that kind of thing happens when you get older. Anyway, Ben didn't get me a present....which was surprising because he made that mistake 5 years ago and has not lived it down. So I thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and assume a present was on it's way. So I did the normal patiently waiting type activities....like watching out the window for a UPS driver to deliver my present (who did come 5 times in the last few weeks but always to my neighbour's house); checking our bank and credit card statements daily for purchases (which was a waste of time and only had me stressing about fiances in general); and finally reminding Ben every day that it was my Birthday exactly __# of days ago and I still hadn't seen a gift. So you can tell I'm a pretty patient girl. Anyway, the other day I was at Costco and noticed the KitchenAid mixer was on sale again...and then I noticed that we'd got our Costco money in the mail...which made me think of the most wonderful....uh...Christmas present idea for me. So the next morning I decided to drop a few very subtle hints for Ben about said Mixer and my Birthday/or Christmas present. I said something along the lines of "so because you didn't get me a Birthday present I decided I want the KitchenAid mixer right now". Subtle. The funny thing though is Ben's face suddenly lost all it's colour....he looked up from his bowl of cereal (remember, I'm a good housewife), and asked if I was kidding. Um of course.....not. Why would that be a joke? Well as it turns out, the reason Ben didn't get me a Birthday present was because he was waiting for the Costco money to come in, and then was waiting for the Mixer to go on Sale. So he had good intentions and I managed to spoil them. Oh well, it worked to his advantage because he then decided he was too busy to buy it himself and sent me into Calgary to buy my own Birthday present...two weeks late of course. Ahhh, married life.

Anyway, that's my life right now. Really exciting (sense the sarcasm???). But I do have a shiny new KitchenAid on my counter and we're all eating some really delicious buns. Just don't get me started on the whole Bosch vs KitchenAid thing. I think a KitchenAid sale at Costco with free Costco money beats the $500(plus) I'd spend on the Bosch. And I really don't need to make 15 pounds of dough at one time....at least at this stage of my life. So cheap(er) KitchenAid it is.

My current Favourites

I've been eating lots and lots of yummy dinners lately (maybe that's why I can't lose those last 5 pounds). Anyway, I thought I'd just share my favourite three recipes right now. I have lots of favourites, but these are relatively new to my list - so I'm loving them so much. Ok here it goes:

Chicken Tetrazinni - this recipe comes to me courtesy of Ben's sister Rebecca; it's easy, delicious, and super kid friendly (i.e they don't even notice the veggies)

1 Box noodles (i.e. spaghetti, vermicelli, etc.)
*cook according to direction on box (i.e. boil)*

1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
3T butter
1 T minced garlic
*saute in frying pan for 3 minutes*

2 cooked and chopped chicken breasts
1 can cream chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk or cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
*add to veggies in frying pan...cook until warm throughout*

*Toss chicken/veggie sauce with drained pasta and serve*

Rustic Ratatouille with Chicken strips - this recipe is courtesy of my Sobey's magazine. Seriously, straight from the grocery store - and still super yummy - and pretty easy. It's less kid friendly - but in our home, Hailey will eat anything we give her. So it still works.

3T oil 1 onion chopped
*fry in large saucepan for 5 min*

1 cup Chopped eggplant
3 tsp dried 'garlic and roasted pepper' seasoning (you may not have this exact one where you live...but try something similar)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
*add to saucepan - cook for 3 min*

1 cup chopped zucchini
*add to saucepan and cook for 5 min*

1 796 ml can diced tomatoes
*add and bring to boil...simmer until juices are thickened*

3 cups baby spinach
*add and cook for 3 minutes *
*Serve over chicken breast, or strips or nuggets....whatever you have. A

Substitution: I don't always add fresh spinach when I make it, sometimes I throw in frozen stuff, it's just as tasty

Cranapple Chicken Curry - this one's also from the Grocery store magazine, but is sooooooo delicious. Try it.

1 TB oil 1 Onion chopped
1 TB curry paste
1/2 tsp each Salt and pepper
*Cover and cook for 5 min in a deep skillet*

1.5 pounds boneless chicken thighs chopped
*add to curry mix, saute until brown and bring mix to boil*

1 TB flour 1 medium apple chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 796 ml can diced tomotoes
1 cup Coconut milk
*Add to chicken mixture - stir well*
*reduce heat and simmer until sauce it thick (20 minutes)*
*Serve over rice*

Substitution: I used precooked chicken breast instead of chicken thighs (I always cook a TON of breasts and then freeze them in strips to use later...totally time saving idea!!). SO it was easier to just pull a pack of precooked chicken out of the freezer

Anyway, those are my current favourites. I like these recipes because they are pretty much just one pot dishes. Everything goes in the same pot - just at different times. It totally saves on cleaning and helps with the organization. I hate it when there are too many things going at once on the stove. Anyway, I highly highly recommend you try all of these. And then maybe next month I'll share a few more favourites.

Multi-tasking already??

So I caught this little video of Hailey the other day. Does it get any cuter than this? Seriosuly, girls these days are growing up way too fast! Before I know it she'll be texting on her cell while speeding down the highway. Anyway, enjoy - and please ignore my talking. I was trying so hard to be quiet so Hailey didn't notice me - instead I ended up sounding creepy. oh well.

Calgary Temple

So Big news here hey??? We're oh so excited to get a temple close to home....although it's making me think twice about leaving that part of Calgary - we could have been sooooo close to it. How awesome would it be to be a 5 minute drive from the temple? Well, at least I have free babysitting withing 5 minutes! Hi G-ma and G-pa:) Seriously, it doesn't get much better then that. I'm sure my parents will be grateful for the end of my campaign for getting them to move to Cardston....because now we don't need them there to babysit, we need them HERE!! Yippee!

Anyway, here are some pics of the site.

http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/calgary/construction/

Can you imagine how gorgeous this place will be?? I'm so excited!

Free Stuff!!

Does it get any better than this??

http://www.handbagplanet.com/

Just give your name, email address and refer a few friends. It's as easy as that! And I'm going to win...I just know it!