IN MY SHOES

Random Pictures

2012-01-08T20:09:00.005-07:00

So Cute

Hangin out at Grandpa's

The tree hunt

The Depression Tree

A Real Reindeer

The Grinch's Christmas

We Found It!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-08T15:25:00.002-07:00

The New Year always brings reflection to my past year and to my life's goals. I achieved one of my goals last year-going back to school, but now I can't decide what I want to do from here on out. Is it a normal emotion to have a life full of purpose-mothering three children-but still feel like I am wandering aimlessly about. So I think this year is going to be all about enjoying my journey of discovering who I am and what I am suppose to be doing.

Highlights of Last Year:

I ran the Moab Half Marathon and the Bryce Canyon Half -with a personal record. I graduated with an Associates degree at SLCC. My dog-Tenzing- turned two and calmed down significantly. Mark and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary(crazy). Riley, Camden, and Cooper have been so fun to be around. Reuniting with my family on an Alaskan Cruise. Jared and Mark meeting for the first time-how did that happen. Hiking in the mountains. Tutoring 1st and 3rd graders in Reading. My family was here for Christmas. Watched my husband and kids run the Beat the New Year 5k.

The New and Improved Blog

2011-11-12T22:12:00.005-07:00

I'm back!!!! After a long hiatus I decided it was time to blog again. I've missed recording our everyday activities. So, today Mark woke up early this morning and started his first race the Butler Bolt. I heard it was a lot of fun and it was fun for him to organize. I see many more races in his future. I stayed home with the boys so Camden could rest up for his Championship football game and it was REALLY cold.

Riley helped Mark keep organized and helped call out times. Camden had his Championship game against Olympus. It ended up snowing and was miserably cold, but the game was so fun to watch. It was so fun to see them celebrating their win and very emotional for those boys. I am not sure there was a dry eye among them.

Here is us before the game.

This is how many people ended up coming out to watch Camden. Thanks for braving the cold weather.
His biggest fan!

I GOT MY BRACES OFF!!

2010-04-06T19:58:00.000-06:00

MOAB

2010-03-22T14:53:00.005-06:00

On our way home from Moab, this year, we decided to write a poem about our trip. We are definately only beginners at writing poems but thought it would be a lot of fun and a great journal entry. This is what we came up with (mingled with pictures-of course)!

Got out of work
Got out of school
Went to Moab
Cuz Moab is cool

Mom and Dad were running a race
They kept a good pace in this beautiful place

We stayed at the cabins at the K.O.A.
What a fun place to sleep and play
A quick shower and off to Arches we went
Kids full of energy, Mom and Dad spent
A hike up to Delicate in the sun so bright
Kids hold Dad’s hand, he’s afraid of the height

Watch your step, down the trail we came carving
Lets get back to town we are all starving

This place looked cool. The Slickrock Café!
Little did we know there was a two-hour delay

The horrible food made us cry
Twas so bad Luke wanted to give McDonald’s a try

A good nights sleep, back to town we went
Souvenirs to be bought, money to be spent
Sand Hill we came down, Somersault, Cartwheel, and Bang
When we got to the bottom we had sand in every-thang

Covered in sand from head to toe
We jumped in the car and off to Salt Lake we go
Sand in our nose and sand in our rear
We can’t wait to do it again next year.

Christmas Movie Marathon

2009-12-13T19:42:00.002-07:00

Today we watched The Grinch, Gremlins (yes, a wierd choice),and Santa Clause 2. After the kids go to bed we are watching Scrooged. It is so nice to take a day and just relax. The kids are getting so excited for Christmas and all the rest of our Christmas traditions. This week we will try to fit in Ice Skating, going to see the Temple lights, and the famous Robbins Family Christmas Party. Pictures to come.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-24T12:50:00.002-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Cleaning Today

2009-09-30T09:59:00.002-06:00

Today the house is a mess and I would rather sew. The kids gave me some major stress this morning and I think they should clean while I relax. As I was looking on the internet for some messy house pictures (I don't have the energy to take a picture of my messy house, upload it on the computer, and then on to blogger.) I found this picture. Well, it is giving me a panic attack, so I am going to be cleaning my little house today and hopefully I will have time to sew tomorrow. Oh wait, the kids are out of school. We will be thinking of something fun to do out of the house so it doesn't get messed up again.

Camden is a New Man!

2009-08-16T19:39:00.003-06:00

Yeah! Camden's surgery was successful and all the worry is behind us! I can't believe the difference having his tonsils and adenoids out has made. He looked sick all the time and the dark circles under his eyes ( that I thought would never go away) have disappeared. He feels so much better. Looking at this picture, I can't believe how grown up he is. He was so brave and was actually excited to go with the doc. Congrats Camden it's all over.

Pics

2009-08-06T14:52:00.003-06:00

Our Summer

2009-07-29T12:24:00.004-06:00

It has been awhile since my last update and everyone has been wondering what I have been up to. This summer has definately not have gone the way I would have chosen. The summer started out with my nephew Garrett leaving this life in a very confusing way. His death has caused a deep reflection in our families life and has turned our anticipated summer into something that is hard to explain. It has helped to have family in town and spend time with one another. The only thing I have been able to do is keep going, taking it day by day, and keeping myself and the kids involved in summer activities. We have been swimming a lot. The kids did really well in their swimming lessons and all learned to dive. Camden went to football camp and Riley tried swim team and has decided she does not like to swim. I think she just needs a break and hopefully next year she will enjoy swimming again. Cooper has been doing what he does best-Making us laugh hysterically. Mark has been working hard. Poor guy, I wish he could take some more time off work. A couple of weeks ago Mark found 2 road bikes for a really good deal, so he has been riding a lot. I went on my first ride a week ago and had a blast all except flying downhill. That scares me just a little bit :) I have been training for a Marathon since the end of April. I like to run but maybe not this much. I will be glad to have the marathon over, but am thankful for the training because it has kept me exercising which helps out with every facet of my life. My niece Grace came into town and while she was here we had a photo shoot with all the girl cousins. I will post pictures soon. I am so thankful for all our friends and family who have kept us in their prayers and supported us through this summer. I know I have been a little withdrawn so I wanted to update all of you who we have not seen for a little while. Now it is time to start getting ready for Back to School.

MOAB!!

2009-03-31T10:53:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago our family along with with Larsen family went to Moab to watch the boys run the Moab half. This trip was so unexpected. You usually put your name in the lottery for the half and hope you get in, but it usually doesn't happen for a few years or 5 years in Cathy's (mark's sister) case. Well Mark had some pretty good luck and got in his first try. This was a much needed vacation and couldn't have come at a better time. I needed the warm sunshine. We had a lot of fun hiking in the Arches National Park, watching Mark and Luke run in the finish line, and eating the best mac and cheese . OH, and the KOA kampground was the best. Thanks April for catching those. Here are a few pics I wanted to share.

2009-02-27T11:17:00.004-07:00

I can't say that I loved this book, but maybe by far one of the best I've read this year. It is about Jeannette Walls life being raised by parents who didn't want to live the normal life, and in doing so went in the very opposite direction. The kids would go days without eating food and they lived in homes without plumbing, heating, or anything else that we take for granted every day. This book has given me a new understanding of the homeless and a new strength. It was very interesting to see how she made it out of that life and the strength and courage she gave to her siblings. Definately a must read

New Site

2009-02-20T10:28:00.003-07:00

Check out my new favorite site. I have gotten some cute ideas for Riley's hair. She hates getting her hair done, but since we tried these hairstyles she has loved it.

My New Years Resolutions

2009-01-05T19:41:00.002-07:00

I very rarely write down my New Years resolutions. I think I don't want to in case I don't accomplish the goal. This year is a time of change so I am writing down my resolutions. This post is more for me than anything. I need a place to remind me daily of these goals or they would not happen.

1- To create a home of order and comfort

2- To live a healthy, active lifestyle

3- To read a book on the life of each President

4- To remember to read scriptures and pray daily

5- To be more involved in my children's schoolwork

There it is! There are a lot of things I need to work on, but these will work for this year. I hope since I wrote these down they will truly happen.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T13:22:00.004-07:00

Our Christmas was a nice ending to this year. Santa, as usual, brought balloons Christmas morning. A favorite family tradition.
Not the greatest picture, but we are sledding at midnight on the streets after the big snow storm.
Mark captured this great pic on our trip to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square
Here is another great picture of that evening. Temple Square was the last tradition we hadn't gotten to experience, so Dec.21 at about eight o'clock we bundled the kids up and headed down there.
The kids had a lot of fun in the snow
Our kids annual sing-a-long at their school
Cooper had a lot of fun bowling for his birthday on the ninth. Thanks to all his friends that came.

Well there is the recap. It was a lot of fun and now I have to decide on my New Year's Resolutions.

2008-11-04T09:28:00.002-07:00

Cooper made the perfect remark today after we voted. He said "We need a joke." He is so right! He handed me a laffy taffy and we had a fun time telling jokes. Here is the joke for the day off of the laffy taffy: What does a television have in common with a rabbit? or What did the crop say to the farmer? If anyone can guess the answer I will reward them with 5 minutes of uninterrupted eye contact!

The Best Vacation Ever

2008-10-02T09:00:00.003-06:00

Sorry for not posting for awhile. I feel like I have been running a million miles a minute. I thought having Cooper in Kindergarten would give me some extra time, but it has made things a little difficult. Kindergarten is still half day in Utah (come on, get with the times), so I have to drive to my kids school three times a day. I am always in my car these days. Oh-so back to the best vacation ever. We went to New York for our anniversary and we had so much fun. Thanks to Suzy, Quinton, Jacob, William, and Grace, Mark's sister's family, for showing us the sights. The picture above was taken on the ferry from New Jersey to the Statue of Liberty. I kindof look like Sherlock Holmes, but oh well. Lady Liberty was a lot bigger than I thought she would be. The best part of the vacation was experiencing it all with my hubby. Neither one of us had been to New York before, so it was fun to experience it together. We were giddy about everything and were total tourists. We had to go get our picture taken with Rupert by David Letterman's studio, stand in the long line to got to the top of the Empire State building, take a picture of anything that reminded us of Seinfeld episodes, go see Ground Zero and Wall Street, eat all the yummy food, and much more. We had a blast and we will definately be going back.
Here is something you don't see everyday. This was in front of the Rocky steps in Philadelphia.

The Last Time

2008-09-03T19:49:00.003-06:00

Cooper's first day of Kindergarten was Tuesday! This is the last time I will send a child off to Kindergarten. It is sooo sad :( What makes it even worse is he didn't even say goodbye, but its good he is so excited. I really can't believe the baby phase in my life is over. I am not really sure what I am supposed to be doing now. Hmmmm.... I think I will pamper myself! I got a chance to ask Cooper his faves. Here is what he said:

fave subject: Painting

fave food: corn dogs

fave sport: The Jazz

fave song: Soldier Boy

fave movie: Shark Tale

Best Book: Thomas the Train

awesome activity: play on the computer

his hero: Superman

Something you might not know about him is: "my name is Cooper James Robbins. I like to watch TV and play games. I love to play on the computer. I hate cats and I like to play Chutes and Ladders."

2008-08-25T11:24:00.002-06:00

Camden was so excited to go back to school!! He hard a hard time falling asleep last night. He woke up at 6:30 this morning ready to go :) With the little bit of extra time we had together this morning I asked him his fave questions:

Subject- Basketball

food - Corn Dogs

Sport- Basketball

Song- "I don't know, just pick one for me"

Movie- The Incredible Hulk

Best Book- "The Chronicles of Narnia, wait, no it's the book where the man made a perfect shape of Texas out of cheese. I can't remember what it is called" (First, Cam has never read the Chronicles of Narnia and Second, WHAT!!)

Awesome Activity: Sports ( I never would've guessed :)

His Hero: Dad (really? Why not Mom? Oh well, maybe Cooper will be my saving grace)

Something people might not know about me is that I like Baseball

Cam's autobiography- I love swimming. My middle name is Joseph. I like to play sports. I like Baseball and Football.

I have been so excited for him to go back to school, but I miss him already!

Oh! Camden was watching cartoons this morning and when I got back from my run he was so excited to tell me that "Michael Phelps got the Rosetta Stone so you should get it" I was so confused

Riley's Favorite Things

2008-08-23T22:27:00.004-06:00

Riley is all ready for school! She can't wait! I am in denial that I am old enough to have a third grader. I can't believe this summer has gone away so fast! Monday is the big day and Riley's teacher Mrs. Roberts asked her to fill out a poster "All About Riley." I thought it was so cute so I will share it with you!!

Her favorite subject is Art

Her favorite food is Ice Cream

Her favorite sport is Swimming ( she's loved watching Michael Phelps)

Her favorite song is "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers

Her favorite movie is "IronMan"-(she hasn't seen it yet, we were goin today but b/c of traffic we were late so we saw The Hulk, I guess she thought she would love it)

Her awesome activity is swimming

Her favorite book is Fudgeamania by Judy Blume

The one person who inspires her is her DAD (what am I- chopped liver)

Something people might not know about her is that she is a very good swimmer

In her mini-autobiography she wrote " I love to swim. I have lots of friends. One thing you probably don't know is my middle name is Faith."

So there you have it!! It was fun seeing what she wrote about herself. So I decided I would ask my boys these same questions to see what they would say. I will keep you posted!

Family Reunion Continued

2008-08-08T09:53:00.005-06:00

From left to right: Jace, Camden, Riley, Brooklyn, Jane, Cooper
Cooper riding Nelly
Riley riding Creed
from left to right: Me, my sister Kirsten, Bro Eric, and sister Virginia
my Dad, me, Kirsten, Eric, Virginia, my Mom
My niece Kelly, Tayla, Kenny, Kayden

The Family Reunion

2008-08-08T09:35:00.002-06:00

We had so much fun in Colorado this past week. My sister Virginia, my bro Eric, and I all went to my sister Kirsten's in Denver, Colorado (you should hear Cooper say Denver, Colorado--it is so cute) I counted it all up and I believe there were 18 cousins that all got to play together. A first in a long time. My family is so spread out that it is very rare to see each other. We were still missing my brothers Josh, Seth, and Jared. My kids had a great time!! Although we had a lot of fun we had quite the scare!! If you can see in the picture above of Camden he has a lump on his neck under his ear. We took him to an instacare and they have him antibiotics and said to see the dr when we get home right away. His doc didn't know what was going on and wanted to rule out all the bad things first. So-- we spent our whole day up at Primary Children's hospital testing Camden for cancer. Pretty scary but all tests were negative. The doc said he looks real healthy. He gave him a stronger antibiotic to get rid of the swollen lymph node. This whole thing made me do a lot of thinking. What would I do if I lost one of these little guys? I don't know what I would do. I am so thankful to have them in my life. It is amazing how these kids have taught me so much. I have become a better person b/c of them. I wouldn't change anything!! I love ya Cam and am so, so, so glad you are healthy!

Happy 24th

2008-07-25T12:07:00.012-06:00

We had so much fun this year at the parade. Here are a few of our pictures for those of you who weren't able to go. The main reason we go to the parade:
We love the motorcycles
My mom held up pretty well in the hot, hot heat. Thank goodness for umbrella'sRichard and Fara soaking up the sun!

Cooper had a mouth full of water in this picture
Camden had a blast
Riley cheesing it up for the camera
We didn't sleep over on the streets this year, so we got whatever had not been taken, yet. That always leaves you with no shade. Watch out for the train!

Riley's Fairy Garden

2008-07-15T15:39:00.003-06:00

Riley started her fun summer activity class this week. Yesterday they made vases and hats. Today they made this cute fairy garden and scrapbooks. This class is perfect for her because she loves crafts. I thought I would pass this idea along for all the girls out there.

I HATE SNAKES!!!!

2008-07-14T12:16:00.003-06:00

I have always been so deathly afraid of snakes and spiders. Since having kids, I have been able to handle my fears a little better. Riley has had me kill many a spider that she has found in our house. The more spiders I have killed the less scared I have been. I have always been thankful that I have never run into a snake because I don't know what I would do. So as Cooper was telling me there was a snake in the house I was very proud of myself. I acted very calm. "Oh, Cooper there is not a snake in our house." Cooper is always trying to say things that will scare me. Sure enough a garter snake was in our house. I kept telling myself "Sarah your kids are here-remain calm so you don't scare them." I just kept repeating over and over in my head "remain calm, breathe." Riley, Camden, and Cooper during all of this were on the kitchen table. Camden kept telling Cooper that it was a rattlesnake. Cooper kept telling Riley it was spitting poison out of its mouth. The conversation between the three of them was hillarious. I got the bright idea to get a bucket and a plate to try to get it out of the house. I sent Camden on the hunt for a bucket. He came back with it, but said the burner was on fire. I was making lunch and the burner caught on fire. I hurried and turned it off and had Camden go get a water bottle to get rid of the small flame. I was still trying to get the SNAKE out of the house! It really was not a big deal. There was some food on the burner that caught fire. The bucket and plate approach did not work, so I finally had the bright idea to open the door and keep nudging the snake out the door. Then it started to move and I have never screamed so loud. Meanwhile, Riley is still on the table telling me over and over how scared she is. The snake finally went out of the house--Yeah for me. I hurried and shut the door-and locked it, of course:) Now, the burner--the flame was out and everything was fine. I thanked Camden and he said just in case I pulled the 72 hour kit out from under the bed. Earlier when they asked me what the 72 hour kit was I told them it was in case our house burned down and we needed supplied to last us a few days. Sure enough I went in our room and our bags of food were pulled out from under the bed. I am so glad he knows where it is, but I thought it was hillarious that because the burner was on fire we needed to get our 72 hour kits out. We had an eventful morning and I can't believe how scared we were of a garter snake.

French Night

2008-06-27T12:03:00.002-06:00

It is time for Dinner Club again. The theme was French food. The food was sooooo good. We had quiche, souffle, cream puffs, chicken (yummy), panini's, pastries, bread, couscous salad, crepes, veggies, etc. There was so much food!! I made the crepes and the brioche. The crepes were a lot of fun to make, and they taste so yummy.

Crepes
2 C. all purpose flour
1 C milk
6 T butter, melted
3 eggs
4 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Add all ingredients except for the milk. Add milk a little at a time until the batter is a liquid consistency. Add 3 T to a pan set on medium low heat. Swirl around in pan till the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for 1 minute until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Gently flip and cook for 1 more minute. Serve with fruit, jelly, whipped cream, syrup, yogurt, etc.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crepes
1 C chocolate hazelnut spread
4 Crepes
4 bananas sliced(or any fruit)
Can of cool whip

Spread crepe with hazelnut spread. Put sliced bananas down the center of each one. Roll up, and warm in frying pan for about 90 seconds. Transfer to plate and top with cool whip.

French Brioche
1/3 C warm water
1/2 tsp dry active yeast
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 C butter, softened
3 1/3 C. all purpose flour
1/4 C white sugar

1 egg white
2 T water

Combine warm water and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes. Add eggs, butter, flour, and sugar. Knead 5-10 minutes. I found that I needed a little more flour. Divide into 3 Sections. Twist each section and braid together. Let rise in warm place ( I used my oven) for 30-45 minutes, until doubled in size. Mix the egg white and water. Spread on top of bread and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Wasatch Back Legs 2 & 3

2008-06-27T11:45:00.002-06:00

My second leg of the Wasatch Back was 8.5 miles long. I was so bummed when I found out they changed the route and made it longer. Originally the course was a small uphill with the rest downhill. After it changed I had about a mile of straight up hill, which killed me, before the downhill. I found out during that run that I needed new shoes. I did it--thank goodness. I didn't notice any of the scenery, but I bet it was gorgeous. My next leg was at 3:30 in the morning. It was 5.6 miles. The night runs are the best for me. It is so cold and I am able to run really well. I was pleased with that run. I ended on a good note, which was good. I really wish I would have trained a little better. I am definately not going to procrastinate so much next time.

Wasatch Back--Leg 1-- 5.1 Miles

2008-06-25T10:01:00.001-06:00

I am so glad we decided to run in the Wasatch Back again this year. I can't believe we beat the BYU runners. They finished the whole relay in 17 hours. And we , well, we finished in 30 hours. So we didn't beat them, but we had a lot of fun and gained a lot from this experience. My first leg of the race was 5.1 miles and leaves the city of Logan and winds its way through rural communities of River Heights, Providence, and Millville. I started off pretty good, but I didn't feel as strong as last year. I was in much better shape last time. I still managed to finish at 10 minute miles. So it was all good. The girls before the race began
Not the best picture, but here I was getting ready at the starting line.
Lookin Good
Our van--Rob, Cathy, Mark, Me, Jace, Brian, Britt. They were such a huge support to me, and made this time a lot of fun. Thanks guys!!

ITS TIME

2008-06-19T13:54:00.004-06:00

I can't believe the race is already here. I am so excited. It sounds like it is going to be bigger and better this year. For those of you who don't know much about the race, you have a team of 12 people who run 3-9 miles at a time from Logan to Park City. This year our team is Greg, Susan, Michael, Justin, Garrett, and Britney(their neighbor), Me, Mark, Cathy, Rob, Brian, and Brittny. It is going to be a blast. I will definately let you know how we all did.

Cooper's Day at the Park

2008-06-07T17:29:00.005-06:00

Last weekend I took the boys to go see Indiana Jones. Cooper absolutely fell in love! He scrounged around in the dress up box and this is what he came up with.

Cooper learned how to climb this tree a week ago and was begging me all day to take him back so he could climb it wearing his Indiana Jones hat. The rest of the time at the park he was tying his whip, aka belt, around the tree limbs and swinging from it. (I think you had to be 5 to enjoy that part of the movie.) All in all it was a fun time.

Finally, Warm Weather

2008-05-29T09:19:00.001-06:00

It didn't last long

Anyone know a dentist?

2008-05-16T07:14:00.002-06:00

It's A Race, It's A Race

2008-05-14T09:39:00.001-06:00

Well It came and went. The Race For The Cure!! Our group was a little smaller this year, but it was a lot of fun. Grandma Carla and Suzy came into town for the big event. We had a great time with them. I will never look at fruit the same way again-LOL!
The kiddos decided they were going to run the race this year. They did a great job and had a lot of fun.

Vote For Archuletta

2008-05-13T11:30:00.003-06:00

Tonight is American Idol and I am sure you all know we are huge fans of the show. I got really excited b/c this week is where the last three get to go home. I took the kids to Murray High School to see Archuletta sing. We were able to get right next to the fence to see his parade. I thought we would get to see him up close, but the security was pretty thick. We had a great time. I will definately be watching tonight!

First Ride on a Bus

2008-05-13T11:09:00.005-06:00

On May 1st Cooper had a field trip to Wheeler Farm. He was extremely excited. I was not very happy that it was snowing. It did turn out to be a lot of fun. We fed the ducks, played in the treehouse, looked at all the animals, and went on a tractor ride. I don't know what was more fun, riding on the bus or visiting the farm.

My little baby all grown up!

Congratulations

2008-04-22T21:25:00.003-06:00

Congratulations Babe
Mark ran his first Marathon Saturday. He has been training so hard, and all his hard work paid off. He is now among a small percentage of people to run a Marathon. I have been so motivated by him that Monday I ran 4 miles and today (Tuesday) I ran a little over 6. I am really feeling the effects today. Maybe I shouldn't run two days in a row. Who knows, maybe I will stay motivated long enough to run the next Marathon. Congrats Mark. I am so so so so proud of you. To get all the details of Mark's run check out his blog at bulldogsbunch.blogspot.com

Shame on Me

2008-04-21T13:27:00.005-06:00

Shame on Me! It has been a month since my last post. I cannot believe it has taken me a full month to get my life back together. We have been moving, and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Now that it is all over life can go on. I have failed to post two recipes from our dinner club that we have once a month. In March the theme was brunch and I made baked grits. That recipe will be posted later. I am still looking for it. April's theme was Asian food. It was sooo good. Thank you April for having us over. Everything was great. My sister in law is from Thailand and she has taught me a couple of the dishes she makes for her family. I made Pad Gra Pao. Thanks Seth for the helpful information. So whatcha gotta do.....

-Gra Pao leaves (cinniman basil, thai basil, queen siane basil-the ones with purple stems)
-8 cloves of garlic
-10-20 fresh thai chili's (10-mild, 15-medium, 20-spicy)
-1 can straw mushrooms
-1 lb. ground pork or seafood
-fish sauce, oyster sauce, & thin thai soy sauce
-bunch of bean thread or rice
You will need to find a great Asian store. My mom and I hunted and found one on 38th South and Redwood. Tay-Do!! They just moved to a bigger and better place. They had everything we needed, even the thai basil-which is very hard to find.

The first step is to grind your spices. The fresh thai chili's and the garlic. In Thailand they use a mortar and pestel ( it has a different name). You could definately use a food processor.

Grind them until they are very small. In a frying pan with 1 Tbs. canola oil sautee the chili's and garlic for a couple minutes. Add the pork and cook until done. Add the can of straw mushrooms. The sauces will be added next, but it is all according to taste. Add the soy sauce enough to coat the food. Next, add enough oyster sauce to coat the food. Then add only a little fish sauce to taste. The fish sauce is very salty, and the oyster sauce is sweet. You will have to play around with it a little until you like it. After I added the fish sauce it tasted too salty, but once I added the basil it was fine. The basil is the last to go in. Add as much or as little as you want. Cook for 1 minute. In Thailand they also sprinkle some of the basil on top when serving. This dish would also be really good with shrimp. You can serve it with rice or if you want to try something new, bean thread. Soak the bean thread in warm water while you are preparing your dish. When you are almost done, put the bean thread in boiling water and cook until soft. It was pretty good.
The finished product. Very tasty.

HELP!!!

2008-03-20T22:03:00.002-06:00

I have decided that my makeup just isn't working for me anymore!! I think my facial cleaner is too harsh for my skin and I am facing reality that I am not as young as I used to be. I have been using Clinique. Besides the fact that it does not even out my skin very well, I think it is the culprit to my Rosacea. I am asking any help from all you girls!! I am switching makeup and facewash but I have no idea where to start! Please help me. What makeup do you use that you like alot? I am researching MAC and Bare Escentuals, but I still do not know a lot. Help me!!

2008-03-19T09:43:00.002-06:00

I've beefed up my security. Some of you have noticed a difference on my blog when you comment. Don't worry, I am getting your comments. When you comment, I have to accept the comment before it posts on my blog. I was getting spam posted to my comments. That wasn't working out too well. Sorry for the confusion.

Did you know?

2008-03-11T14:36:00.004-06:00

Did you know that Salt Lake has an Aquarium. I had no idea!! It is on 106th South and 700 East. It is very small right now. They are trying to raise money to build a larger one here. How cool would that be! When my cousin moved here she worked at the aquarium and was able to get us some family passes. Last night we took the kids. Notice the picture below is not our children (in case you haven't seen them for a while.) We forgot the camera.
This exhibit was pretty cool. You could touch the sting rays. They had about 5 or 6 of them swimming around in this pool and they seemed to really like the attention.
It was so neat to see the jellyfish. I have never seen jellyfish that weren't in an animated movie. It was a very small place, but it was a fun place to take the kids.

Dr. Seuss Day

2008-03-07T21:43:00.003-07:00

Dr. Seuss Day today for Camden's class. Riley celebrated on Wednesday. They were participating in the Read Across America. They took all their Dr. Seuss books to school and had a readathon. Thing 1 visited Camden's class and gave them a Cat in the Hat Balloon, treat, and taught them how to make the Cat in the Hat face. I think he figured it out. It looks pretty good!

What we did while we rocked out to Hannah Montana

2008-03-07T12:26:00.008-07:00

Today Cooper decided he wanted to make cupcakes. We started at 9:30 this morning. There is nothing better than eating cake batter for breakfast. After the cupcakes were in the oven, it was time to make our yummy cream cheese frosting.
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 C butter
2-3 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 C powdered sugar
optional-add 2 oz melted unsweetened baking chocolate. (yummy)

Mm, mmm, good. Dillan came over to eat them with us and I absolutely love this picture of him.

I cut my hair!!!!!

2008-03-04T18:09:00.003-07:00

My weekend was pretty busy with my nephew Kevin getting home from his mission, my sister in town, sewing, and eating the monthly family dinner with the Robbins. Oh and how could I forget--Dinner Club. How did I manage to get a haircut with all that going on? Do I resemble anyone you know? Thanks Nickole for cutting my hair. I love it. - Mark's sister Cathy is in the picture with me-

Thank you Grandma Carla

2008-03-04T17:58:00.002-07:00

From Cooper to Grandma Carla: Thank you for the quilt just like this on the picture. Thank you for sending me my quilt. Thanking you for making Thomas the train on it, too. Chugga Chugga Choo Choo! I will sew you something, b/c you sewed me something. I love you--BYE--Sometimes can I go in Alaska with you?

Pillows, Pillows, Pillows

2008-03-04T17:37:00.006-07:00

I have been extra busy making pillows. It has taken up a lot of my time, so I thought it was high time I put it on my blog. This one I made for my mom
My sister has been decorating her mother-in-law's home, and thought it needed a little extra touch. She loves tassles, so this is what we came up with.
My sister also needed pillows for herself. She loves blue and this pillow would go perfectly in her eclectic, antique home.
It doesn't have an insert, yet, but you get the idea. I also made her a square pillow out of the same fabric and trim.

I have made a lot others, but for some reason I keep forgetting to take pictures. There will definately be more to come.

Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

2008-02-28T20:48:00.004-07:00

I went to dinner club tonight. The theme was comfort food and it was all so yummy. But, we all forgot our recipe's and decided our blog would be a great place to share. Thanks for the fun night out of the house. I made Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese. It was very good, but not something I would make everyday. It was extremely filling and really expensive. OH, and it is a lot of work. Here we go

Macaroni and Cheese

8 T. butter
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 to 1/2" pieces
5 1/2 C milk
1/2 C flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 1/2 C grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 C grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 C grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375. Butter a 3 qt. casserole dish and set aside. Place the bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 T butter. Pour the butter in the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the bread crumbs aside. Ina medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk. Melt remaining 6 T butter in a high sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Man, Martha Stewart is wordy. The rest will be a condensed version

2. Pour the milk into the saucepan while whisking. Cook until mixture becomes thick.

3. Remove from heat and stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. 3 C cheddar
cheese, and 1 1/2 C gruyere cheese. Set cheese sauce aside

4. Cook macaroni according to pkg. instructions 2-3 minutes less. Until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Rinse and drain well. Add to cheese mixture

5 Pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and gruyere cheese. Scatter bread crumbs over the top. Bake about 30 minutes.

You Gotta Love It !!

2008-02-28T15:10:00.004-07:00

Cooper always has something to say about everything, and he is never serious. Hey, that sounds just like Mark! Camden and Cooper decided that they were going to find a prize in the Cheerios box. They dumped out the cereal and found a coupon. Camden was bummed because it was a coupon. Cooper said " It's not a coupon--it's a ticket to Cheerio's Land where all your dreams come true!" If any of you know Cooper, it also ended with his crazy fake laugh. He definately is a character. Love ya Coop!

2008-02-20T17:22:00.004-07:00

Camden lost another tooth!! Yeah for Camden!! Not so great for the tooth fairy. Camden lost his tooth on Valentine's Day at school. He came home with his tooth in a tooth necklace. When we got home we couldn't find the tooth. OH NO!! We were so sad. We thought maybe the tooth fairy would still bring Camden some money. Nope. Oh well. We found the tooth the next day and all was well. Camden put it under his pillow, so we thought all was safe. He went to check his tooth later that day to make sure it was still under his pillow and it was gone. He had opened his tooth necklace for the TF because he thought she was so small she wouldn't be able to get it open. He is so thoughtful. The tooth fell out of his necklace and fell under the bed. We could never find it. That has happened before- why didn't the tooth fairy leave any money? Maybe she had a very long weekend, maybe she kept forgetting. We weren't really sure what was going on? Finally Monday morning came and the Tooth Fairy gave Camden a whole dollar. Thank goodness, we were starting to worry she had lost her mind.
We are so glad they finally went to bed on time so the Tooth Fairy could leave money without anyone finding her. We were a lot happier too after a good night's sleep. :)

To My Husband

2008-02-14T14:47:00.003-07:00

Mark I wanted you to know how much I admire you. I am so thankful that I have been able to spend my last ten years around you. I always tell you this, but I have to once again. Our family does not work without you. You keep us all together. Thank you for always making me laugh and for teaching me how to have real joy. I can't begin to explain how much more I love you today than the day we first met. I know that we have had some really difficult times, but we have managed to overcome everything. I can't wait for our next 10! Happy Valentine's Day

By the way-- you looked really good in your bow-tie!! I love you

2008-02-13T15:00:00.002-07:00

Is It Good With Chopsticks?

2008-02-08T19:34:00.001-07:00

Camden celebrated the Chinese New Year this past week at school. At snack time, they ate popcorn with chopsticks. Since then Camden has been eating everything with his chopsticks. He even ate a burrito with them after I cut them up in small pieces. Today he decided to eat grapes. I casually mentioned that we should eat some Chinese or Japanese food with them sometime soon. He thought that idea would be pretty cool, until I mentioned sushi. I asked him if he would try it for me. EWWW !! That was certainly expected, but his next response I will never forget. "Is it good with chopsticks?" You tell me-Do chopsticks make sushi taste better?

2008-02-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today Riley and I were so lucky to be able to go to President Hinckley's funeral with my Mom and Dad. I was able to learn a little bit more about him today that reaffirmed to me how great a man he really is. I can't even begin to imagine the reunion in Heaven. When his daughter talked about his sorrow and grief he has felt with his wife's passing and his strength he has had to put on his shoes and go to work, made my life seem so easy. Funeral's are so exhausting, yet they are a beautiful time of reflection. I know I have vowed to make my life better from today on. I am so thankful for his wonderful example, his humor, and his testimony.

2008-01-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Cathy has on her blog a section called Kids say the Darndest things where she writes the funny and interesting things her kids say. My mother was going through some drawers in her room and came across a list of things I said as a young girl. Some of them I have heard over and over because my mom likes to quote them, but others I have never heard before. One day I wanted to be picked up and I said "I am too little for the floor". When I was 3 I went shopping with my mom and wanted to buy something. She said No and I said "When a girl has to have something, she has to have it." I still live by that today. When going to bed one night I said "Can I stay up 15 years." I said cute phrases like "I appreciate you sharing with me," or "When I get big like you Mom, I am going to marry Dad." I wanted to use "conditioner so my hair will have bounce and hang." For a little while we had a foster child, David, living with us. One day he asked my mom what was 8+8. I said 14! He said "How did she know that." Another cute thing that he said when he was six was "I have Chinese hair." I had to add that one. I couldn't wait until I was older so one day I said "I can wear pantyhose and go out to lunch when I am big" I think that is really funny because I can't stand pantyhose. I sounded a lot like Cooper when I said "I want to go to turch."and "When I get married and go on a honeymoon I want you to go with me, and when I go to college, OK", "Course I want to be with you." I have to add one my brother said after giving a urine sample at age 9 "At least its better than a heart transplant." Definately! This same brother was taking a bath with me. He was 9 and I was 2. I went stinky in the tub. That's how he said it. He couldn't get anyone's attention so he screamed "She's dead, she's dead!" My sister Virginia immediately ran in and fixed the problem and asked my brother, Jared, why he said what he said. He said "It was the only way to get your attention. I didn't want to walk out of the room with manure on my feet!" So there you have it. A little piece of my childhood. If anybody remembers anything Mark said as a little one, let me know.

2008-01-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

My latest creation

2008-01-27T23:34:00.001-07:00

Questions

2008-01-25T22:48:00.001-07:00

Today I was remembering how curious kids can be. Today was Cooper's day off of school and he was full of questions. As a mom I will admit that I get distracted when my kids are talking to me. I will answer with uh-huh, sure, yes, just a minute, etc. Today I was trying very hard to listen to all of Cooper's questions. Here are a few of the questions I had to answer:

Mom, what are you when you be a student?
No, Mom, what is a student in Kindergarten?
Mom, Why am I not in Kindergarten?
Mom, who are you going to vote for?
Mom, are you going to vote for the guy who won the game and became President?
-my reply: who Mitt Romney
No, mom, the guy who won the game and became President
my reply: George Bush? He can't be the President again, he has been in a long time
No, not him the guy who won the game and became President?
--I have no clue--
Mom, lets play twenty questions
Mom, what is close to the ground, changes colors, and animals live on it?
Mom, what has a roof, moves, and doors open
Mom, what is ..........
Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom

I am pretty sure that is when I started tuning him out again, and went back to uh-huh, sure, yes, in a minute, etc. I really did try very hard.

My True Color, I guess?

2008-01-23T10:09:00.001-07:00

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

Take this test >

Holiday Weekend

2008-01-22T13:28:00.001-07:00

Our weekend was pretty laid back. Mark and I were able to go on a date-Yeah! Saturday Mark stayed home with our sick kids while I went to Dustin and Jamie's house for dinner. Thank you guys so much. The food was delicious and it was fun being with everyone. Jamie's brownie cheesecake is divine. Sunday was normal all up until Sunday dinner. Cooper was asked to set the table. Cooper being Cooper decided that every other night the dinner table was missing something. He decided to add a spatula and a straw to the place setting. Hmmmm?
After dinner we needed a little excitement so we played Mexican Train. One of the kids favorite games. Mark I am so sorry that I beat you--giggle, giggle.

Monday Riley decided that she needed a change. She wanted her hair cut like Hannah Montana! We really love Hannah Montana. We took her over to my cousins and Nickole cut her hair while we watched Hannah Montana. Thank you Nickole for cutting her hair. She is beautiful. While she was getting her hair cut, Cooper decided that his name is now Oliver(from Hannah Montana). Last week his name was Joe Nichols. Cooper is always coming up with something new.

Thirteen Miles

2008-01-19T13:11:00.001-07:00

Mark ran THIRTEEN MILES, today. He's finished three weeks of his training for the Marathon in April. I am so proud of him. He did a great job, and he never stopped running. I don't know if I could run that far. The most I've run at one time is about seven and a half miles. I am feeling pretty puny right now. This picture was taken on 45th south where I stopped to give him some water. He is amazing and I wanted to share it with all of you. Thank goodness there weren't any snow plows out today. Check out his blog, 10 miles, for that story.
The kids hanging out with their dadddy after his run.

2008-01-19T12:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took the kids to see this movie. We loved it. I hadn't heard a lot about it and didn't know if I wanted to see it. I thought this movie was very inspirational. It has a great cast--Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and best of all Jason Bateman. I suggest everyone go and see it.

2008-01-12T16:39:00.001-07:00

The day hasn't been all so bad. I am starting to figure out photoshop.

Saturday Is A Special Day - Usually

2008-01-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday's we usually try to go do something fun. Today we thought that maybe we should stay home and clean. After Mark got home from his 12 mile run (yeah), we sat the kids down and talked to them about taking care of themselves and their things. We then cleaned their rooms. It was a disaster.

Everything got cleaned up and drawers shut, and we will be grateful when we move and have a little more space.

I got Tagged

2008-01-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jamie Tagged me so here I go:

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
-I hadn't met my one and only, yet, so I was dating some pretty weird guys
- I was going to school and still had not declared a major
- I was staying up past midnight
- I was rooming with Lynette, Christy, and Teri in Sugarhouse
- I was probably just getting myself into trouble

5 things on my "To Do" list:
-Clean my car
-get things ready to move yet again
-take care of some sewing projects
-play with my kids
-learn how to use Photoshop-so I can start scrapbooking

5 snacks I enjoy
-Peanut m&m's
-chips and salsa
-raspberry cheesecake shake
-popcorn
-chocolate of any kind

5 things I would do if I was a Billionaire:
-Own a boutique selling pillows and decor
- live in San Diego on the beach
-I would have a chauffeur
-I would give back to those families suffering from Cancer
-I would take my kids somewhere fun every day(Mark can come along, too)

My bad habits
-I am not a morning person
-my feet hurt all the time so I pop my toes-I wonder why my feet hurt :)
-I am addicted to super mario bros
-I am not super clean

5 places I have lived
-Denton, Texas
-Murray, UT
-Salt Lake-Sugarhouse
-Eagle Mountain, UT
-Holladay, UT

5 jobs I've had
-Little Caesars
-Famous Footwear
-LDS Hospital registration
-LDS Hospital Billing office-then I transferred to Cottonwood Hospital
-the biggest job I've had is being a mom

TAG Mark, Suzy, Cathy, and Ashley B.

NO CAVITY CLUB

2008-01-08T20:16:00.001-07:00

Yeah Cooper!! We were nervous that the dentist would find a cavity today. He never wants to brush his teeth. Thankfully, I have been holding him down and brushing them for him. I don't really know if that is helping him at all, but at least he doesn't have a cavity. Marisol, his dental hygienist, found the very last Lightning McQueen toothbrush to match his shirt.

2008-01-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to think of a book to read to start off the new year. I think I am going to read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.
I know that seems like such a boring read, but I have been reading a lot of classics lately. I am going to try and finish reading all of Jane Austen's books just to say I did it. I've read Pride and Prejudice-I didn't really understand the book until I watched the movie, but I love it. I've read Sense and Sensibility and I liked the book, but not the movie. They are very hard reads, but I feel very accomplished when I am done. So far, all I know about Mansfield Park is that it is different from her other books. She wrote Mansfield Park when she was 36 and according to a critic she was already in her spinster years and had no romance left in her. I sure hope that when I turn 36 my life is still romantic. I don't know if I will enjoy this book since I am a hopeless romantic. I will probably try it anyway, and will let you know what I think.

2008-01-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

The first day back to school started off being the worst day of the new year and ended up being the best day(according to Riley). It was all my fault this morning. My alarm clock got turned off -I wonder how that happened-and I overslept. In the midst of all the confusion Cooper is laying on the floor crying not getting ready. There was no time to wait on him so I decided he was still sick and needed another day home with me. He was not happy about that at all, but we compromised. He could take his letter he wrote to his teacher and then come home. So-I race Riley and Camden to Oakridge getting them there ten minutes after the bell. I am so sorry kids. Then I drive Cooper down the street to his school, drop off the letter, run to the grocery store to get my prescription(a whole other story), and then home to a very uneventful day. When I went to pick up Riley and Camden they informed me that this was the best day ever. Thank goodness, because I felt really bad for sleeping in. I love how easily they forget. The day wasn't totally uneventful. Mark and I got into a small food fight. He ended up with pineapple cheeseball on his face and I ended up with it in my hair. Sorry I don't have any pics for you to see. I didn't think about taking pictures until just now, but I have a very cute one of Camden and Cooper.

2008-01-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

2007-12-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

The kids at the zoo this summer

This is a time of reflection, a time to get organized, and a time to set new goals. Mark made me a video for Christmas of the best of 2007. I absolutely loved it. Looking back we had a pretty good year thanks to all of you and your support. We are getting excited for the new year and the new beginning.

Christmas Morning

2007-12-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Christmas came and it came just the same. Santa,like always, left us a room full of balloons. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Spread

2007-12-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than Christmas Eve dinner. At our table we usually serve ham, gourmet potatoes, spinach balls, green bean casserole, and stuffing. We decided to skip the green bean casserole and stuffing. In its place we added a pineapple cheeseball, veggies, and a Honeybaked Ham (thanks to Marks work-yummy). Oh, and don't forget the spicy mustard sauce for the ham and spinach balls. The cheeseball was excellent and will be an addition to every Christmas Eve dinner. After dinner the kids open their pajamas and we read "Twas the night before Christmas." We end on a spiritual note with bearing our testimonies and reading Luke in the Bible. All went well!! Riley, Camden, and Cooper looked so cute in their pajamas, and were very excited this year. Sorry, Cooper decided he didn't want his picture taken in his pajamas. Maybe next year.