Feeling Creative

Today has been a great day! I was on time to all of my classes except one... (7:30 is so hard for me) Stayed awake in every class (it was difficult) and learned some fun things. I am really enjoying this semester. For those of you who don't know, I am studying Family and Consumer Science Education which will license me to teach middle school-high school home economics classes. Very fun degree! I am taking a food literacy class where I spend 3 hours every Friday evening in a lab learning how to cook! We learned what a roux is and how to make it, basic sauces and soups today. I am also in a Chemistry class (learning about the periodic table right now) a Marriage and Family Relationships class, an Interior design class and my very favorite..... Sewing! (it is actually called basic clothing construction) By far the best class I have every had. I love learning with my hands and that is what this class is all about. I learned how to thread and use a serger in class today which was difficult but I will keep practicing at it. 

This Last Christmas, Sage gave me a darling Bernina Sewing Machine (found at Deseret Industries and fixed by his dad). And today I was feeling rather creative and really wanting to sew something. So I dusted off Bernina, threaded her up, and looked through my patterns.

 I got this pattern on sale at Jo Anns this summer and decided to give it a try today. So far I have only cut out and pinned the fabric together but I will sew them up as soon as my honey wakes up from his nap. I shoes I am making will look similar to the blue and pink one in the picture (middle row, right column). I wish I had a camera and could take step by step pictures as I go along but maybe I can get someone to take a picture of the finished product for me so I can show everyone. I am using sage green and white stripped fleece for the main part of the shoe and some dark brown leather-look-a-like for the strap. I think I might sew a tiny R and L on the bottom of each shoe out of that same leather-look-a-like fabric. Maybe... we will see.

Well, back to my project I go. Have a great day!

My Love

This is me and my love outside the Logan Temple the day we were sealed. We met exactly one year ago to the date on the day this picture was taken. He is my very best friend and the person who makes me the happiest. I love being his wife. Here are  a few reasons why....

This picture is of Sage the day we got engaged. He is so cute to always give me flowers. Maybe a week or so after we started dating he picked a little white rose for me out of his moms flower bed and put it in my hair.  No one had ever done that for me before! So I saved it to better remember that day.

Sage can dance! I always hoped I would marry a man who could dance. We did a lot of dancing while we were dating. I am not a great dancer by my self but I quickly learned to follow his lead. One day after we were married I was having a bad day. As I was doing dishes, Sage turned on our favorite song (All the Pennies by Mindy Gledhill) and danced around the kitchen with me. I was instantly put into a better mood.

 
Sage is silly. A day has not got by where he has not made me laugh. I remember someone telling me that same thing about her own husband before we were married and how grateful she was for that. I share that feeling. It is so fun being married to someone you can laugh with.

Isn't that dimple cute? I absolutely adore this man. And I love that he loves me as well. I hope that after reading this you have thought about that special person you love (a spouse, roommate, friend, dog, etc.) and some of the reasons why they make you so happy. And I hope those happy thoughts help you have a great day.

Thanks for visiting!

Friday Favorites

One of my good friends (check out her cute blogs here and here) posted her Friday Favorites today and I thought I would quickly name a few of mine as well. (Thanks Randi for the great post idea!)

#1 Being married to Sage.
#2 Watching Sage zoom down the hall in the Engineering Building late at night on a chair with wheels. (I love seeing him so happy. And I love that he will come be with me on my late work nights at the computer lab.)
#3 Logan weather cooling down. (I love Autumn!)  
#4 Hanes Socks. They are so think and soft and keep my toes nice and toasty.
#5 And leftover pizza for lunch. 

Wish I could post more but I have LOADS of homework to do. Hope you had a great day enjoying your own Friday Favorites. :)

*Leave a message in the comment box sharing your number one favorite thing about this Friday.

Oh and one more favorite: We have a new and improved button!

Busy Days

Our days have been very busy lately. And on some of our busiest days, meals have been quite tricky to put together. We are both full time students and I work in between classes and sometimes late into the evening. There is always homework to be done as well as everyday chores around the house. But we still need to eat. So what have we been doing? Hello, Crock Pot!

This beautiful kitchen masterpiece has been a great help on those very busy days. Potato Chowder last week and Taco Soup today. Here is the VERY easy recipe:

Crock Pot Taco Soup
Servings: A lot. It fills our whole 6 quart crock pot almost completely and will feed us for several meals.
Cook Time: Depends on how soon you want to eat it!

Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can whole kernel corn
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 package taco  seasoning
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1-2 cans water (Depends on how thick you want it. I sometimes will not even put a whole can in)
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown ground beef over medium heat, drain excess fat. Add meat, diced onions, seasonings and everything in the cans (including water/juice) and how ever much extra water you want to your Crock Pot. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8. (Or however long you want it to cook! If you want it ready in less than 4 hours I would put it on high but for anything more than that, low would probably suffice. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream and eat with tortilla chips. Great meal for a busy day!

(I have also made this in a large stock pot on the stove. Directions are the same but cook time is lowered to about half an hour of low simmering over medium heat.)

PS. I only know a few crock pot recipes but am looking for more. If you have one that your family likes and would like to share I would LOVE to try it!

Have a great day!

Life on a Budget

As a newly married couple, Sage and I are living on a budget. Okay, we don't actually have anything written down on paper. Our budget is pretty much just to spend as little as we can right now. And we have been doing very well at that.

We buy the majority of our books used on amazon.com. Sometimes we don't even get the most current edition. (saving so much money!)

We try to drive as little as possible tying to save money on gas, and save the world of course. We are very luck to live close enough to all of the essentials: bank, grocery store, campus, church and the temple.

We always pay tithing first. (our secret to success)

And we are trying to cook with minimal/inexpensive (and healthy) ingredients. And we have enjoyed the blessing of having a garden full of fresh produce in our backyard. (We love gardens and will be planting one in the next home we live.) We do most of our shopping at Smiths but look for coupons anywhere. (Smiths has a great rewards program. Check it out!)

Last night I was not feeling super excited to cook because I had not planned anything in advance. (planning out meals is a great way to reduce stress at meal time, the amount of groceries you buy, and helps you get a variety of good foods into your families diet.) I had decided upon tomato soup and grilled cheese because they were all things we had on hand. But I tried to spice it up a bit to so that my honey would like it better (he is not the biggest fan of plain tomato soup). I added a little bit of sauted onions and some fresh, cut up cherry tomatoes (from the garden), a little bit of lemon juice, a small amount of whipping cream, and some dried basil. Mmm. Then I sauted some zucchini and carrots (from the garden) and half a can of corn. Made the grilled cheese and served it with some raspberries (garden) and a few slices of a peach. My lazy, not wanting to cook attitude was quickly replaced by a creative "how can I make this simple meal exciting" attitude which was very fun. I have been learning about garnishes in one of my classes in school and practiced on this meal with a little parsley in the soup and a cherry tomato in the middle of tiny triangle sandwiches arranged neatly on a plate. With little cost, a small amount of effort and garnishes we had a great meal together. I love being creative and thrifty at the same time.

Have a great day and go save some money :) 

Hawaiian Haystacks

A family favorite from my sweet mom. (these are the topping our family likes)

Ingredients:
- Chicken (3 breasts & 4 thighs)
- 1 large can (or 2 small cans) cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups white rice
- chinese fried noodles
- sliced tomatoes
- sliced green onions
- shredded cheddar cheese
- crushed pineapple, drained
- shredded coconut

Direcitons:
In a large stock pot boil chicken in water. SImmer about 1 hour. Remove chicken. Cool and remove meat from bones. Set aside. Cook rice in 4 cups chicken stock for 20 min. Heat soup and add chicken. Add milk until desired consistency. Serve over rice and top with topping!

Garden Pizza

If you choose to omit the garden vegetables when you make this yourself then just call it Pizza. (Or yummy pizza, or yeast-free pizza crust pizza, or Emma's Favorite Pizza recipe, etc.)

The Crust: Makes one medium-large pizza. (Fits on the standard pizza stone.)
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use 2 cups white and 1/2 cup wheat)
- 2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. oil
- 3/4 to 1 cup water

Directions: Mix dry ingredients, add 3/4 cup water and oil. Stir until in forms a ball. If dough is stiff add more water. If dough is too sticky, add more flour (but not too much because it will make it difficult to roll out). The dough will be soft, not sticky. Knead on a floured surface for 3-4 min. Place on preheated pizza stone*. (careful, HOT!) Top with sauce and favorite toppings. Bake @ 400 degrees F for 15-25 min.

*A pizza stone helps the dough to cook evenly but any other pizza making sheet will do, or make it a square pizza and bake it in a deep cookie sheet.

Sauce: Here is what I do but you can use any pizza sauce and it would be just fine. I just eyeball it and do a lot of taste testing. I use maybe 1 1/2 cup pasta sauce (I have never measured it out) and then add more seasoning. That is the main difference between pasta and pizza sauce, the flavor intensity. I add oregano, onion powder and garlic powder. Be creative and use the spices your family likes.

Assembly: I first spread around the sauce, then I top it with cheddar cheese (what we have on hand, but mozzarella would be just as great), peperoni, jalapenos, thinly sliced zucchini (if we have some), fresh tomatoes slices, pineapple (leftover from Hawaiian Haystacks, a great way to use up those toppings!), and sliced green onions (also Haystack leftovers). I have put sliced yellow onions on it before as well as sliced green pepper. Anything would taste delicious. I top it all off with a little bit of Parmesan cheese.