5 Day Spring

Well I did some Mindy stalking and found some better pictures from her concert taken by her photographer. I love her hair cut and her cute preggers look. 

For mothers day I made pink rice crispy treats for the primary kids to eat and share with their moms. Only two of our primary kids ended up being there and they got major stage fright leaving it to the two leaders and I to sing for our moms that were not there. oh well. The two girls looked to cute up there.

 Zach brought home some tomato plants for the girls in the singles ward and I got two!

Chambray shirt: Gift, Pearls: Gift, Belt: Thrifted $1, High waisted wool skirt: Thrifted $5, Tights: Wal-Mart $5, Shoes: $20

 Monday was a bit of a rainy day. I made the mistake of riding my bike and was totally soaked when I got home. So I treated my self to some of Zach's delicious (basicly like the girradelli box kind) brownies and a mug of herbal tea.

 Tuesday and Wednesday were our last days of spring. The rain ended and the sun started to shine.

 



Now that the sun has brought temps in the mid 70's I have brought all my lovely plants out side to soak up that vitamin D. And the quick bike rides to school and back have been wonderful! 

Wednesday night I tried my hand at some burger making. The buns were good but the burgers were pretty dry and round instead of flat. haha. That is what you get married for right? 

Thursday night Brock and his roommate came over for meat loaf, french fries and Eskimo cookies. We watched the office and then Zach cut off Brocky's hair.

Now we are just so excited for this warm weekend along with a visit from Paige!

Happy Mothers Day

I love you mom!

 

Happy Mothers day. 

Mindy Gledhill Concert

While we were in California, my sister Holly introduced us to Mindy Gledhill. She let us listen to the whole album on the way to Disneyland. Her songs are so catchy, I had them in my head only after the first listening. So when I saw a billboard with her name on it I had to see if I could get some tickets.

 It was an awesome concert. She performed most of her album 'Anchor'. I loved it! She had cut her hair short and she was about 6 months preggers with her third boy! Having some of her songs dedicated to and inspired by her boys made some of the songs more meaningful to me. She also  mentioned a friend, Nienie, that inspired one of her songs. [Nienie's Blog here] I had heard of her and her story before this but YOU should check it out, truly inspirational.

 The Orchestra that played with her did an amazing job. I just love orchestral music as a back up to any musician. 

Mindy wore butterfly wings the entire show just  like her music video for Anchor.

And she sounded just as good if not better live. I am seriously in love with her voice right now and will probably waste away my day listening to her music and watching her You Tube channel. I am sorry that I could not have stolen you away, Holly, to share this sweet experience with you. If she has another concert I think we should meet up where ever it is!

 Afterward we treated ourselves to some Golden Arches, dollar menu style. I love me some hot fudge sunday with my Zachary!

 So yesterday I had an amazing thrifting experience! I found some amazing treasures that looked like they hade never been worn before.

Scored these sandles and perfect teacher/mom shoes for $4 a pair. By the way they both fit perfectly!

 This sweet summery belt for $1.

And this coat (just like this one) for $8.

Have a great weekend! I am off to finish projects, do some spring cleaning and stalk Mindy. XOXO

54 Degrees

Hallelujah! It is finally warming up here in Rexburg. I am keeping my fingers crossed that spring is here to stay. I finally pulled the bikes our from storage today and am very anxious to start riding again.

  Monday I made some Sour Cream Banana Bread, and Krystina I am kicking your butt!

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

 I really enjoyed it and the cinnamon sugar on the crust made it one of my favorite parts instead of the part I sometimes throw away. Really good stuff.

For dinner I used up my spinach on this lovely pasta dinner. 

You cook a few chopped gloves of garlic in some oil for about a min then add cut up spinach and cooked pasta. I also added some garlic and onion seasoning as well as a little basil. It was really good! Not over powering flavor but an excellent pasta dish. 

 I tried crimping the short hair. It came out kind of crazy but I had fun with it.

Primary Colors

Dress: Down East Basics, Cardigan: Urban Outfitters, Necklace: Spool No.72

 At church on Sunday, due to my incredible conducting skills, I was asked to lead the music in Primary. That's right, I got to dance and sing with 4 little kids, 2 of which refused to participate and 1 that was too young to do more than mimic. I taught them two whole lines of a song to sing for mothers day next Sunday. They are going to be so cute!

Sunday night we had some friends over for dessert and games. We learned a really fun game called hand and foot. Since we we hosted I made a Banana Cream Pie.

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 bananas, sliced

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
2. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
3. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for an hour.

I made a different type of crust using flour salt and vegetable oil. 

 It was different but really good with the banana cream. It was more like a cracker crust and I didn't have to roll it out.

 

Walking home on this warm spring day I was inspired to bake healthier. Okay I just wanted to try making Granola Bars. Its still like 160 calories or so per bar but it looks healthier. 

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. 

Weekend in Review

 Thursday night we went over to Brock's to watch the Blazers game. They lost but I was entertained by Zach balancing the wheel chair. After the game we decided to get some Taco Bell.

This is what it looked like out side. Everything was covered in snow including us by the time we got to the car.

And to my dismay it was still sticking strong on that 28 degree Friday morning.

 Friday night Zach and I headed to Idaho Falls for our date night. We had heard some pretty great stuff about Five Guys Burgers and we had to see for ourselves.

Five Guys was delicious! Zach and I even went so far as to say, it was better than In-N-Out. Yes it was a little more expensive than In-N-Out but there burgers were all double patties, they had way way way  more toppings, and their fries were better and filled our whole bag. 

On a more thrifty and decorative note; for a Relief Society activity we learned how to make curtains to beautify our homes.

So for about $4.15 a panel I made my home feel that much more cozy. I love it!
Oh, and I found the perfect curtain rod at Ross for $7.

Tuesdays Creations

So here is to you Kristyna!

Anxious to be a good little wifey I hurried home from school to get dinner on the table before Zach got home on Tuesday, With no idea of what to make I turned to the contents of the fridge for inspiration. I happened upon some delicious mashed potatoes Zach made for Sunday dinner. I decided right then and there I would make Shepherd's Pie.

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

(or pre-made mashed potatoes)

• 5 carrots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 

(I did not mash. That sounded like baby food)

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

(I added a layer of spinach because its a sneaky tasty way to get some dark green goodness in there. Plus you can't really taste it. )

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

By the way, it was delicious.

For dessert. I decided I needed some chocolate. So, Brownies were a must.

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Melt the butter or margarine and mix all ingredients in the order given.

 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.

Last night it snowed a couple of inches. It was sunny this morning so I was hoping some 80 degree weather would melt it in seconds. Sadly my computer said it was 25 when I left. I really don't mind winter but it is almost May. 

This is what spring should look like.