╥ Day! 3.14.15

HaPpY PiE dAy!

Today we celebrated Pi Day (03.14.15) with some of our favorite people here in Virginia by gorging ourselves on Pie. Sometimes you just need to celebrate every holiday...even the little ones. Our friends hosted a Pie party at their house and asked everyone to bring a pie. There was a huge variety and it was so fun to sample bits and pieces from banana pudding pies, cherry-peach pies, coconut cream pies, raspberry chocolate pies and more! 

I'm typically not a huge pie fan, but when Justin and I went pie surfing across Pinterest we found a ton of delicious looking pies that we are dying to try. We ended up deciding to make this Chocolate Bottomed Peanut Butter Pie with an Oreo Crust (our little addition) from "I wash...You Dry". This cream pie blew my mind. It tastes and looks super decadent, but was one of the easiest desserts I've ever made and it got lots of compliments at the party. 

Check out how to make this delicious pie from "I Wash ... You Dry" below:

Chocolate Bottomed Peanut Butter Pie 

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust (such as Pillsbury), pre baked according to package instructions. We used an Oreo Crust.

For the Chocolate Layer:

• 1⅔ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp corn syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Peanut Butter Mousse:

• 1 small box INSTANT vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup cold milk
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed

Optional toppings:

• 8 - 10 Reese's mini cups (or 6 regular cups), chopped
• 2 tbsp melted chocolate for drizzling

Instructions:

1. Combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream, corn syrup and vanilla extract in a microwave safe bowl. Heat at 50% power for 1 minute, then stir with a whisk until the chocolate mixture is smooth and creamy. (If chocolates are not melting you can heat for an additional 15 seconds at 50% power). Pour the chocolate into the pre baked pie crust and smooth out into an even layer. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile prepare the peanut butter mousse by whisking together the instant vanilla pudding mix with 1 cup of cold milk until smooth. Heat the peanut butter in the microwave for just 10 seconds to loosen it up a bit, and then add it to the vanilla pudding. Whisk until smooth and thick. Gently fold in the thawed cool whip until fully incorporated. Pour on top of the chocolate layer.
3. If you'd like, decorate the top with chopped Reese's cups and a drizzle of chocolate. Keep stored in fridge until ready to enjoy.

Check out some of these other pies that we're hoping to try soon:

• Chocolate Strawberry Oasis Pie
• Sour Cream Apple Pie
• Easy Blueberry Pie
• Blueberry Custard Pie
• Sour Cream Lemon Pie

What's your favorite flavor of pie?

Second Breakfast - Raspberry & Cream Pancake Stacks

Last night Justin and I got invited to a Lord of the Rings, Return of the King movie night with some friends that go to UVa with Justin. We were each supposed to bring a "Kingly Dessert" since we were watching the extended version of "Return of the King" (4 hours!). People had signed up to bring sushi (when Smeagol eats the raw fish as he's changing into Gollum), others brought tomatoes (for when Denethor eats the tomatoes after the death of the army of Gondor), one even made Lembas bread (the bread the hobbits survive on). We had no idea what to bring that would be considered "Kingly" especially with such short notice. We decided--to make our own lives easier--that we were going to make Second Breakfast.

You know how sometimes you just need that tasty, delicious dessert? Well whether or not you're going to a Lord of the Rings movie night, this one will totally make you the talk of the table.

I found this amazing recipe for homemade whipped cream on PreparedPantry.com. I made it while Justin cooked up some quarter-sized mini pancakes...the whipped cream was done before his pancakes were. That's how quick and easy it was :)

All you need to make these cute "Second Breakfast" dishes is:
1 recipe of Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
72 mini, quarter-sized pancakes
24 raspberries, or other berry

Once you've made the whipped cream, and cooled down your pancakes, the assembly is pretty quick. We grouped our pancakes together in piles with similar sizes, putting the ones a little bit larger on bottom and then stacking the other two on top. In between each pancake, spread about 1/2 tsp of whipped cream, including on top of the third pancake and top with a raspberry. Gently insert a toothpick through the stack to hold them in place.

**Note: These do get a bit slippery so make sure to use the toothpicks. If you're having a hard time getting the toothpicks in without squishing (or making the tower slip) the whole thing, then insert the toothpick through the berry before you set it on the tower, pushing the majority of the toothpick through the berry, then gently slide it through the tower of pancakes. The berry will just sit on top.

This recipe makes 24 pancake towers, but you will have A TON of whipped cream leftover...but that isn't necessarily a bad thing :)

If you've tried this recipe and have any ideas of what else to use this delicious whipped cream on, share with us in the comments!

DIY Holiday Cards

Each year as the Christmas season grows nearer, one of my favorite things to do is make my own gift cards. I love to do it because it's inexpensive, you can make it look just the way you want and just the size you want, and personalize it to match whoever you're giving it to...plus it's a great way to use up any leftover scraps.

These ideas are very simple (which makes it better!), but I had a lot of fun making these cards for all of my family members this past Christmas and thought I'd share them with you!

 

Let It Snow

Super easy... all you need is paper, a white marker, and a picture or stencil of a snowflake (I just googled one :)). 

 Candy Canes

Draw and cut out one candy cane from computer paper. Trace the candy cane and repeat.

Christmas Lights

All you need is your base paper (dark green), paper the color of your Christmas lights (bright green), patterned paper for the backing of the Christmas lights (red and green striped) and a white and black marker.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 

This one was a bit trickier. I paper-pieced Rudolph together: his body, his antlers, his nose, his collar, his hooves, and his belly are all separate pieces.

Elves, elves, elves

This one was trickier too. It's paper-pieced with three pieces: the boots, the red cuffs, and the striped tights. I used Elmer's glue to attach the golden beads.

Christmas Gifts

This card wasn't difficult, but the beading made it a bit more time consuming.

Christmas Tree 

More beads!

Once There Was a Snowman 

This one is one of my favorite! Just a lot more paper piecing.

Ornaments

This is another one of my favorites! The textured paper of the ornaments give the card a unique touch but the crafting of it is still very simple...all you need is your paper and a white marker. 

I hope these ideas have inspired you to make your own fun, festive cards! Or use these fun ideas and add your own style to them. I'd love to hear from you--share any cool tips or ideas you have in the comments!

Member Missionaries: Instruments in God's hand

            “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”

            Justin and I had an amazing experience yesterday with missionary work. It was one of those moments that all of a sudden everything in your life lines up on its own as you suddenly remember what is most important in this life for you to be doing: sharing the gospel.

            This life is a test, a series of trials, challenges, and temptations to see if we, God’s children, will turn to Him, keep our faith strong, and endure to the end and receive the blessings which He has for us. This life is only a test and at times when I strongly feel the Spirit with me, I remember that having the cleanest apartment, doing fun things with friends, getting a great job, or Justin spending countless hours every day studying are not the most important things. Although those are not bad goals to have, in fact they are very good goals and can lead to greater opportunity in the future, I realize that Heavenly Father has a plan for me as He does for each one of His children and He needs us all to be spreading the beautiful gospel that we have been blessed with in our lives. I don’t know what I would do without the gospel. If I couldn’t look at this life with an eternal perspective, it would be a very bleak world. And so I want to share it and share this experience with you.

            As Justin and I prayed about coming out to Virginia three months ago, we prayed for increased opportunity to do missionary work. Personally, I found it kind of hard in Orem, UT to reach out to strangers to share the gospel because I felt like everybody there had already heard of the LDS church and knew about it…plus I felt like it was difficult to find those who weren’t members since most of the people I hung out with and worked with were. As we prepared to move to Charlottesville, we prayed that we’d be able to accomplish what Heavenly Father would have us do out here in addition to schooling, especially when it came to missionary work.

            We’ve had the missionaries come visit us three times since we moved here about three weeks ago, but last night was the first night they brought an investigator with them—Shay (changed for anonymity). The missionaries had met Shay on Sunday when her friend, another investigator, invited her to come to church. That was the first night the missionaries met with Tori. Yesterday was Monday and they already had their second appt with her at our house.

            The discussion was on the Restoration and the missionaries had brought the Restoration video to explain a little more clearly to Shay about the restoration of the gospel and Joseph Smith’s part in the organization of the church. The Restoration video always touches my heart and brings the Spirit into the room. After the movie ended, the missionaries asked Shay what she thought and felt. She described the Spirit—a peaceful, calm. She seemed really interested in the LDS church and had read the introduction to the Book of Mormon on Sunday. The missionaries then asked Justin and I to share our thoughts on the restoration and the Book of Mormon as the missionaries were testifying that the Book of Mormon was true and would guide and help Shay.

            Justin started explaining how the Book of Mormon has influenced him and then said, “Well Kim actually has a really cool experience with the Book of Mormon.” I’d thought about sharing this experience with her, but I’d given a talk on the Book of Mormon on Sunday and Shay had come to Sacrament meeting so I figured she’d already heard it. When Justin prodded me, however, I asked Shay if she remembered me talking about it. It turns out she hadn’t made it to Sacrament meeting until just after my talk. So I shared my experience personally with her:

 When I 14 years old, I had my first real trial that made me fall to my knees often in prayer. It sounds silly now but I struggled with feeling like I had any real friends and I struggled knowing who I was—I felt so completely, utterly alone. I prayed often to know what to do and soon found my answer.

In seminary, I often had teachers and peers share experiences where either they or someone they knew struggled with something and they would pray to Heavenly Father and then open their scriptures and point to a verse and that would miraculously be the one that helped them through their trial.

I’d always thought that maybe that was just a coincidence, but at this time in my life, I needed Heavenly Father’s help so I decided to go on faith and to try this. I knelt down and said a prayer to my Father in Heaven asking for His help and then I opened my scriptures and pointed to a verse—Alma 18:21

I’ll let you read it on your own, but I read it with Tori. I explained how this one little verse brought me such strength as I read how Heavenly Father would guard me with His armies and suddenly I didn’t feel so alone anymore. At this point in my life, I’d never read the BoM all the way through, cover to cover and so my knowledge of what happened in what books in the Book of Mormon was lacking.

Later, when I did finally read straight though the BoM I realized something interesting—Alma 18:21 is not Heavenly Father speaking, but King Lamoni speaking to Ammon. And I thought, How did I get this so wrong? And I had the thought, You didn’t. At that particular time in my life, I needed to know that Heavenly Father was with me, that He was guiding me, that He loved me, that He was protecting me and as I prayed about it, He answered me in a way I’d understand. That scripture still brings me strength because not only did I gain a testimony of the BoM, but the BoM helped me to gain a testimony of my Father in Heaven’s true, everlasting love for me as His daughter.

           I bore my testimony to Shay that I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it had been given to us to help us. I told her that I know Heavenly Father loves her so much because He is her father. I shared my testimony with her and I can’t even remember what I said, I just remember feeling such conviction behind my words and I felt the Spirit pouring out of me. Later Justin told me that the Spirit really was so strong when I bore my testimony.

            By the time I finished, Shay was tearing up, her face flushed, and she said, “You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.” She said a few times how much she needed to hear those things and she wrote down in her study journal, “Read the Book of Alma” and said that she wanted to go through and read that whole book because she thinks it could really help her.

The missionaries pointed out to us and to Shay what a blessing this was that she hadn’t heard my experience and my testimony of the Book of Mormon on Sunday so that I could share it with her personally today! I love it when the Lord’s hand in our lives becomes so clear!

It was such an amazing experience, getting to be a part of missionary work and to willingly be an instrument in the Lord’s hand to bring others unto Him. I love missionary work and am excited for the opportunity to do more!

Go Missionary Work! Woot! J

Quesadilla con Carne Macho

One of our goals this semester is to save $6,000 this semester to help us pay for grad school in upcoming semesters. One of the ways we're doing this is by cutting our grocery bill in half, meaning we plan to only go grocery shopping once a month. This is our first go at it so we'll see how it actually works out, but so far at least one good thing has come from Justin and I only grocery shopping once a month: we have to get creative sometimes. 

Last night, after deciding we were sick of Top Ramen and after looking at the random, leftover ingredients in our fridge from previous meals, we created this delicious beast--I'm not even kidding, it was SO good. So I thought I'd post it here for all you others who need to use leftover ingredients in your fridge. 

Check it out and enjoy!

Quesadilla con Carne Macho

Serves 2

1 Chicken Breast, cubed

2 TBS Grill Time Chicken Seasoning

4 Flour Tortillas (10-inch)

2 cups Shredded Colby Cheese

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

4 Slices Brown Sugar Deli Ham

1 Green Onion, chopped

1. Grease a small frying pan with Pam or other cooking spray. Place cubed chicken in pan and sprinkle with Grill Time Chicken Seasoning (or another seasoning of your choice). Cook until there's no pink left.

2. In a separate frying pan, heat one tortilla on medium to medium-high heat. Sprinkle with 1 cup of Shredded Colby Cheese and heat until it begins to melt. Divide chicken evenly and place half of the chicken pieces on the cheese. Sprinkle with half the chopped green onions. Place two slices of ham down center of tortilla and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Place second tortilla on top. 

3. Heat quesadilla for about a minute then flip using a pancake turner. **The melted cheese should hold everything in place. Briefly heat this side of the quesadilla before moving to a plate

4. Repeat steps for second quesadilla

**Great with Sour Cream, Salsa, and Guacamole.

What do you think?

Welcome to Our New Home!

Virginia is amazing. It really is so beautiful here, even on the rainy days...but then again, I love the rain.

Justin and I finished unpacking all of our stuff and sealing off our apartment (to keep cigarette smoke out) a day or two ago. We used a ton of weather stripping around the front door, we duct taped gaps around the washer and dryer hookups and around piping under the bathroom sink, and he even disconnected the dishwasher and pulled it out from the counter so he could fill in a 3' x 2" gap that really let the smell in from the apartment next door. We've put a lot of work into this place over the last week and I really do love it like home. It's set up cute and even our 2nd bedroom/office looks good even though it's part storage room, too.

Ready to see our home? Welcome to the Barracks West Apartments!

See the top left? That's us :) 

Check our new place...

The Kitchen:

Before

After (Cleaned and moved into)

The Living Room/Dining Room:

Before

After

After 

The Bathroom:

Before

After

The Bedroom:

Before

After
(We also built the best dresser ever that you can't see in the pic)

So that's our home for the next year or two...I think it'll work out quite nicely :) There's one more addition we made to our family this last week--her name's RJ (Rhonda Junior). Welcome to the family! 

We Made It! One Week Complete

Well we’re here! After over 33 hours of driving more than 2000 miles across 10 states of the country on just 15 hours of sleep, we made it to Charlottesville, VA. And it is beautiful here! You can’t see to the next street over (or really any distance for that matter) because lush green trees line the sides of every road. It is amazing. It feels like we get to drive through Provo Canyon when we’re just trying to get to the Post Office or somewhere simple…it’s like Provo Canyon but better.

The road trip across the United States was actually really fun, and really pretty. Yep, we even thought the flat, never-ending drive through Wyoming and Nebraska was pretty (it’s probably a good thing we saw those on the first day though). Kentucky was really pretty. St. Louis was fun with the bustle of the big city and we road the metro to the Gateway Arch. That thing is massive and way cool! We tried to get a ride to the top but by the time we made it (blame a crazy, scam artist taxi driver…I am ;)) we’d just missed the last tram by 10 minutes. That’s okay though. We got to walk along the Mississippi River and get out of the motel. Plus, now we have a reason to go back: The Gateway Arch and Buttercake.

Before we got to St. Louis, we did a Church History tour that second day. We saw Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Liberty Jail, Far West, and the RLDS Temple. The first three were absolutely amazing! We sat at Adam-Ondi-Ahman and read scriptures about this beautiful place that Christ will come to during the Second Coming. I thought Adam-Ondi-Ahman was going to just be like a hill, but it’s not. It’s like a valley—it’s huge! And so green! There were butterflies everywhere, too. As we sat and read scriptures about Adam blessing his posterity here, butterflies would come rest on our legs and sit and lick our fingers. (The licking kind of freaked me out).

Far West was absolutely amazing. There is no temple there, but there is dedicated ground for a temple. The saints got as far as dedicating the ground and laying the cornerstones before mobs forced them out. The temple at Far West will be built again for the Second Coming though. Even though there wasn’t a physical temple on that ground, it was a very spiritual experience. A quiet, peaceful hush filled the area. It was amazing, and really interesting because the big RLDS temple did not have that type of peaceful spirit despite the large, expensive structure. It was the quiet, peaceful spirit that filled up the ground at Far West.

Liberty Jail was awesome too. The missionaries there walked us through the history and then showed us the jail where the basement is still the exact same basement, except for a few wall boards, that Joseph Smith and others were locked in for so long. All three places we visited were places that the Prophet Joseph Smith once stood in. It was an awesome experience.

Despite the occasional smell of secondhand smoke drifting into our apartment from around the poorly sealed door, the baseboards, and possibly the pipes, our apartment here in Virginia is pretty nice. It didn’t used to be…when we arrived the white carpets were stained with black and yellow spots, the cupboards were left with food (I found a Chewy bar) and crumbs everywhere, even some sticky residue in the cupboards. Food and grease splattered the outside of the cupboards and we immediately thought, “What are we doing?”

Both Justin and I have known that us coming to Virginia wasn't just to study at UVA but that there was something else that we both need to learn and need to do by doing this. We've only been here three days and we've already learned a ton!

There wasn’t much else we could do so we got to work. We vacuumed the carpets as best we could, scrubbed every inch of the kitchen, even on top of the fridge and cupboards, washed the bathroom, and cleaned walls until it felt a little bit cleaner. Justin, and his handy toolbox, fixed a broken closet door, rogue screws poking through the cupboards, and rogue cables extending from what feels like every corner of the room. We then started the process of unpacking. Today is day 3…or maybe 4 and we still haven't unpacked all the way. This is a HUGE job, especially when there’s only one closet for clothes to go and the coat closet is too risky of a place to put things you don’t want to smell like smoke :/. Yesterday we assembled our bed, dresser, kitchen table, office desk, and set up our couch and TV. It’s really starting to look like home.

We bought a TV stand, contact paper for inside the kitchen cupboards, a 5-shelf storage unit to put all our big appliances on since the cupboards are too small for such things, a super cute area rug to hide some spots and to bring in color, and some more.

Although I didn’t like the place when we first moved in, I really like it now. All except that pesky smoke smell coming from the neighbors. When the smell came in the other night while we were trying to relax and watch TV, we were both super disheartened. We didn’t want to have to get rid of all of our stuff when we’re done here because it and us smell like smoke. We didn't know what to do. We’ve narrowed the smoke smell coming from the hallway (which always smells heavily of smoke) and then possibly through the baseboards.

The only thing we can think to do is to get to work. Today we’re going shopping and going to look into getting weather stripping to put around the door so that hallway smoke can’t come in. I’m hoping that with that and some Wallflower plug ins throughout our home, it’ll stop smelling like smoke and stop letting the smoke in.

Do you have any suggestion for what we should do??  We could use some ideas!

Three Days and Counting

It is so crazy! We only have three days until we head out to Virginia--three days! I told Justin earlier today that I don't know how I feel about it... well, I do actually. Excited, sad, nervous, antsy to get gone, pumped for the adventure, panicked, loved, and a whole lot of other stuff.

This last week has flown by what with work, hanging out with some of our absolute favorite people! (Mom & Dad, Kris & Trent, Kathy & Kirk, the Stockwells, Grandma Downs, Josh & Rache, the Blenders, the Biesingers, Jared & Heather, the Turners, and Jen and her kiddos!), packing, looking for jobs, and everything else. It has been crazy busy, which unfortunately always makes time feel like it's speeding up. The closer we get to actually leaving the harder it is to say goodbye.

Rebecca told me something cool though. It isn't goodbye...you never say "goodbye" to family, only "see you soon." I have to keep reminding myself that each time I hang out with these amazing people I am going to miss so much!

Kristy gave me this amazing goodbye gift to remember her by and to remember that we are sisters for eternity. I am so lucky to have such wonderful people to call my brothers, sisters, and mom and dad. I haven't been able to take the necklace off yet.

Today mom and Stephanie came over for about four hours to help me finish packing up everything in our house. Justin and I have been gradually packing over the past few months and so we didn't have a ton to do, but I still couldn't believe it took us four hours. Our house is practically bare now, including all of our bedding, our closets, and kitchen cupboards, and the boxes in the living room are practically touching the ceiling.

Tomorrow the plan is to finish boxing everything up, go to the temple, and then job hunt all day. Yep, we're still looking for jobs out in VA. I have a part time job with a company called River Runners, a company that does brand management for manufacturer's on Amazon. They are letting me work remotely from Virginia, but I'm looking for a full time job, too--maybe something in the restaurant business, childcare workplace, or at UVA will open up. Other than that, this is now the time to enjoy every moment we can with those we love most.

So far this week we have gone out to eat with the Stockwells; played with Caleb, Morgyn, and Jon at their house; visited with Rebecca and Tate and played at their house; went and visited with Grandma D; packed and cleaned with mom and Stephanie; karaoked all night with all our ward friends and youth; had a fondue night with Kris & Trent, not to mention played games; went shopping with Kris and Mom; went to an Owlz game with the whole fam; visited with Jared and Heather; hung out with Kathy & Kirk and sang at Grandma Benson's devotional. We're going to top it all off with a goodbye party Saturday night with the Lender family and a goodbye party Sunday night with the Benson family. Man, this weekend is going to be rough, but fantastic! It can never really be that bad when you have so many people to love. I feel so lucky and happy to have so many loved ones so close.

And we're just three days and counting.

Virginia Bound & Blessed

We've got one more week until we head out for Virginia and let me tell you it has been a roller coaster ride so far. In the last five days alone I've gone from super stoked to super nervous, fearful to faithful and back again, happy to sad, and everything in between.

Most of you know Justin and I are heading out to live in Charlottesville, VA--the Happiest City in America--for Justin to go to grad school for Speech Therapy. It's going to be an amazing, and hard, experience but we are both ready for it and are overall excited to dive right in. I plan on keeping this blog so that all of my favorite people in the world can keep tabs on us even though we'll be living on the other side of the country (Trust me, I never thought this was going to happen to me!).

As we've been preparing for Virginia, we have been so blessed to see such miracles and blessing emerge from the faithful decisions we've tried to make. Some of the blessings have been pretty simple such as saving an extra $60 on a new pair of glasses I needed because the eye care center receptionist gave me the "friends and family discount" because it saved me more money than my insurance. Others have been a bit larger...

I quit my job at Emergency Essentials last week, something that was actually really hard because I loved the work I was doing and I loved the people I worked with even more. On my last day there, my wonderful boss bought a big cake with lots and lots of frosting (my favorite!) to wish me luck and to say good bye. Everyone signed a card for me and my boss gave me a card because she "needed an entire card to herself" to say good bye.

As I left for the day, my boss (Sarah) called me into an office with her boss (Dean), the CEO (Kyle), and my other supervisor (Taylor) and they told me how much they appreciated all that I had done for the company and how hard I worked. They all told me how much they'd miss me and Kyle even told me to come work here again when I get back from Virginia because they'd take me. And then the biggest surprise of all! They gave me a Trekker II Emergency Kit (a $150 value!) as a good bye gift! This was an amazing blessing to me! Justin and I have been trying to pull together our food storage and 72 hour kits, but they were no where near complete. The Trekker II gave us everything we need for both of us to survive for 3 days after a disaster...and knowing Virginia, we may need to use this sooner rather than later. It was an amazing blessing to me to receive this gift because I was worried about not being prepared, but now I have peace of mind that we'll be okay if something happens. 

I felt such love from all of my coworkers and am really going to miss them all. I am so grateful for the things that I learned from working with this company and with my coworkers. Before I got the job at Emergency Essentials, I prayed a ton about what job I should take. When I got an offer from EE, I also was really confident that I had an offer from 2 other companies as well...one of which paid more than EE. I prayed about it and felt like I should take the part time job at EE. So I did. Nine months later I had learned so much about writing, marketing, and creating company emails. I'd learned more than I thought I could about social media and how to optimize it for a company. I'd made amazing friends and had been hired on full time. I know I was supposed to work at EE so I could learn the things I needed to in order to make me a more marketable candidate for future jobs...which ended up getting me a part time job at a company called River Runners. River Runners is letting me work remotely from Virginia so it is a great job to have to help us through the transition of this big move!

I've felt blessed as I've received this job, as we received loans, as we found the cutest housing only a 40 min bus ride from campus within our budget, as we had such support and love from friends and family donating items to our moving sale and allowing us to keep the money...all within this last week! I definitely feel Heavenly Father watching out for us. In fact, I have felt Him telling me, "I'm watching over you, do not fear. Doubt your doubt before you doubt your faith."

This is the biggest change I've ever made in my entire life (besides getting married) and I am overwhelmed with excitement to go and be with my amazing husband, and sorrow to leave behind my wonderful family and friends. This will definitely be one of the biggest adventures of our lives and it all starts in one week!

Roasted Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

I eat sandwiches practically every day. I really do like them, but when it comes to eating PB&J or even ham & cheese over and over again... it gets kind of old. I found a recipe for a Tomato Pesto and Chicken Sandwich from FavFamilyRecipes.com and adapted to fit my taste buds--and budget. Now, I don't just have to eat PB&Js every day, but I can have the sophisticated taste of chicken, cheese, and a whole lot of flavor. I guarantee you'll like this sandwich just as much as my husband and me :)

(PS. This is a great way to use some leftover grilled chicken)

Roasted Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Mezzetta Roasted Bell Pepper & Chipotle Sandwich Spread

2 TBS Mayonnaise

2-4 Medium Chicken Breasts

Sprinkle Grill Time Chicken Seasoning

1 TBS Olive Oil

4 Slices of Wheat Bread

1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1 large Tomato, sliced

1 Avocado, sliced

Lettuce

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet, sprinkling each side with Grill Time Chicken Seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. 
2. Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise and sandwich spread in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Remove chicken from skillet, and slice into even strips. Set on a plate to cool a bit. 
4. Toast bread until lightly browned. Slice tomato and avocado.
5. When toast is ready, evenly spread the mayonnaise/sandwich spread mixture onto one side of each piece of toast. Layer chicken slices over the spread (only covering one piece of toast per sandwich). Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over chicken.  
6. Place the two pieces of toast layered with the spread, chicken, and cheese onto a cookie sheet and broil on high for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 
7. Remove from broiler and top with tomato, avocado, and lettuce. Cover with the top half of the bread and eat up! 

 

A Writer's World

So before heading off to Virginia I really, really, REALLY want to get further on all of my books (and by further, we all know I mean finished). I have two in the process for those of you who don't know: "Forever & Always" and "The Harvest".

I'm a speculative fiction writer--I've always loved it and I always will. My goal, which I'm publicly posting so you can make sure to hold me accountable, is to write 1,000 words a day. It's not much, but I need to get myself out of my writer's block rut that has been holding me hostage for about 5 months now! Today was the first day (1,000 words is about 2 1/2 pages, double-spaced) and it was pretty easy. Once I get into the habit of writing 1,000 words a day, I'm going to bump it up to 1,500, then 2,000, and so on. If you're interested, check out the novels I've been working on:

Forever & Always:

I struggle to hear any footsteps or creaks; but it's silent, too silent. Edmund had at least made a little noise when he'd come into my room the other night. This isn't Edmund. I try to open my eyes, but I don't dare. I don't want this intruder to know that I know they are here.

Before I can decide what to do, rough hands grip around my neck. My eyes fly open as a scream erupts from my throat. The hands grip tighter, cutting off my scream and airway in an instant. Slowly my body is pulled from the bed. I claw at the hands wound around my neck, they are too tight, too welded on. I can't find a hold. I struggle to bring any amount of air as I kick and thrash around as much as possible. Within seconds my feet leave the floor, my back pinned against the wall, nothing but the hand grasped securely around my neck holding me dangling in the air. 

Forever & Always is a young adult/science fiction book that follows Chloe as she tries to escape the problems of her life, including the death of her father, by travelling into the past. Unfortunately, Chloe ends up in the wrong time and her journey turns from one of saving her father, to scrambling for her own life. She must learn to live in this new world in order to return to the old one. However, as fate would have it, this new world slowly becomes her life as she grows to be self-reliant, to face her problems head on, and as she falls in love with the one man she always thought she'd despise: Edmund.

The Harvest:

How do you control desire? How do you survive obsession? You don't.

Two young lovers must fight against life and death in this Paranormal Fantasy novel of unconventional and impossible love. Jace never thought what he once knew as myth would turn into reality. Let alone, he'd be the one to uncover the truth about the disappearances of males from Santa Cruz...

That is until he fell for Iris—a hauntingly beautiful girl that looked more stunning in the moonlight with the glow of the ocean on her skin than anywhere else on the planet. Sirens, after all, tend to captivate the male species the closer they are to their feeding grounds. Troubled by her own life, Iris doesn't mean to complicate it by letting Jace pull at her heart strings; but before she knows it, it's too late—she's in love with her prey.

It isn't until the only boy who Iris has ever fallen for hears her song (a pure, hypnotic melody of notes that lures men into the ocean, sealing their deaths with her words) that her world turns completely upside down. Suddenly Iris must choose who she stands with: her family or the humans?

Either way, many will die.  

Ham & Cheese Garden Vegetable Wrap

I love eating wraps. I'm not sure why, but they just taste healthier, more refreshing, and overall more delicious than sandwiches. This basic wrap recipe is simple, but I love it because it is so easy to add any of your favorite garden vegetables to create a blend of all your favorite crisp vegetables.

Go ahead and give it a try--you won't be disappointed.

Ham & Cheese Garden Vegetable Wrap

Serving: 1 Wrap

Ingredients:

1- 8 in. Flour Tortilla

1 TBS Mayonnaise

1/8 tsp Mustard

4 Slices Deli Honey Ham (Approx. 2 oz)

1/8-1/4 cup Colby Cheese, shredded or sliced

1 TBS Green Onions, sliced and separated

1 TBS Ranch Dressing

2 Leaves of  Iceberg Lettuce, washed

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Spread mayo and mustard across entire tortilla with butter knife.

2. Lay 4 slices (approx. 2 ounces) of ham down center of tortilla, topping with cheese, green onions, and other vegetables (*see "For a Variation"). 

3. Drizzle ranch dressing over vegetables and then lay lettuce leaves on top.

4. Tuck the top end of the tortilla (one of the ends closest to the meat of the wrap) in towards the center about an inch. Carefully fold one of the open ends over the toppings, tucking it tightly underneath them. Roll tortilla until the entire thing is folded into a wrap. 

5. Enjoy!

For a variation: Try adding some of your favorite garden vegetables to the wrap: juicy tomatoes, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, avocado, banana peppers, red/green peppers, pickles, olives, or whatever else you love!

What's your favorite kind of wrap? Let me know so I can try it out, too!

BananaRazzango Smoothie

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so obviously it's important to make your breakfast as good and as healthy for you as you can to start your morning off right. We love eating breakfast smoothies at our house and we're always trying new ones. I've found that I typically like to eat (or drink) sweeter smoothies over tart ones.

This tangy breakfast smoothie, however, combines the sweetness I love along with fruits that add just a spark of tartness. Enjoy the delicious flavor of vanilla, raspberries, bananas, and mangoes all in one heart-healthy breakfast.

BananaRazzango Smoothie
Yields: About 4 cups

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Vanilla Bean Yogurt
1 heaping cup Frozen Raspberries
1 whole Banana
1/4 cup Quick Oats
1 cup Frozen Mango Chunks

Directions
1. Combine the first three ingredients into blender and mix until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients; blend.
3. Serve immediately.

Easy Garlic Guacamole

Lately I've been getting quite a bit of practice mixing spices, herbs, berries, and more to create different blends of butters and dips, complete side dishes and entrees (not to mention desserts--my favorite!), and more! With all of this practice, I am definitely learning a lot!

The other night I made up this mouthwatering guacamole that I swear will have you coming back for more no matter the dish you plan to eat (not pancakes though... ;) ). And the best part about making this savory dip: it's super simple with only three ingredients!

Let's get started:

Ingredients:
3 Small Avocados
2 TBS Mayonnaise
1 tsp Garlic Salt

Directions:
1. Remove avocado from peel. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mash avocado pieces with a spoon or beaters until smooth, leaving as little avocado chunks left as possible.
2. Mix in Mayo and Garlic Salt
3. You're done! Use your delicious guacamole on practically any dish for an easy way to impress guests and family members alike.

I'm sorry I don't have a photo for this guy, but trust me...it looks just as amazing as it tastes! I'll try to upload one later.

What do you like to blend into your homemade guacamole?

The Dreary Job Hunt

In today's market, applying for the opportunity to be the next CEO, the next sales associate, the next anything proves to be more difficult than ever before.

      After having graduated Utah Valley University with a BA degree in Journalism, I thought finding a job that runs alongside my degree would be a snap, but the job market is far more competitive than I had originally thought. It seriously is a series of applying, interviewing, revising and repeating. 

     Over the course of the past three months, I have applied for over 15 different positions. Some have come back requesting phone interviews, personal interviews, writing/editing tests, but all of them have come back with a response that another candidate had been chosen. Why? 

     Although I am still currently looking for a career in writing and editing, I would like to offer up some advice to those who are in the same boat as me: Don't give up. There is always more you can do to create a stronger resume, to stand out in an interview, and to eventually get that dream job of yours. 

    Despite my four years of education at a university, employers are looking for experience over education to appear on your resume and in you. Experience is what will land you the job in the end over any high GPA or award so make sure you are taking advantage of the opportunities you have. 

1.  Do internships while you are in school to gain the experience that will directly correlate to your field of study. 
• Internships are a fantastic way to develop very specific skills tailored to what you are studying. Often times internships will even turn into a job of their own as they train you as an intern and then hire you when they discover what an asset you are to their company. 
2. Volunteer
• Gain experience in multiple fields. You don't have to just get experience in your one declared field of study. Many people never even use their degree after graduation. Developing different skills allows you to be marketable in any avenue you happen to pursue in the future. You can develop thousands of different skills in any given job/volunteer opportunity. Just make the decision to learn from every opportunity/experience that comes your way and  those skills will follow you into the workplace.  
3. Network
• A huge part of your success after graduation can be dependent on the networks you create during your educational years. Those in your same program will end up being your coworkers or even your boss. As you network with classmates, you develop a strong relationship with others who might be able to help you find a job or develop specific skills you need. 

     No matter what, the job hunt is difficult and the race is on for all those seeking employment in our society. Your experience and what you have achieved are more beneficial than what you plan to do. Remember, never give up. 

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”                                                                                                –Winston Churchill

How to STAND OUT in an Interview

When applicants seek new employment, countless hours go into preparation, research and interviews before finding out, once again, the job was offered to someone else.

Kimberlee Carlile, senior and a resident engagement coordinator at UVU, went through this same process when applying at the school. She understood what employers looked for and found a way to succeed, standing out from the crowd.

Carlile focused her interview on the skills and traits that she has and presented them in a way that would highlight how they could benefit the program she was applying for.

With the competitive market of employees seeking jobs, it is important to know how to stand out from the typical blur of applications and interviews that barely touch an employer’s desk.

“Most employers can afford to be selective,” said Lei Pakalani, the assistant director of the Career Development Center.

 “[They] are looking to see that students not only have the knowledge, skills and abilities, but that they also can demonstrate a good fit.”

Fitting the needs of the company is one of the most crucial elements when it comes to interviews.  Employers look for applicants who have a positive outlook, lots of energy, and endurance, according to Pakalani. They want someone who knows about the company and has a desire to be there.

Pakalani mentions that applicants should spend time extensively researching the company-- its culture, the salary ranges and work environment. They need to seek out information that is not on the job description.

 “Make sure you know what you are applying for and what the company does,” Carlile said. “It’s important so you can get across why they should hire you.”

One important area to note about a company is the standard of dress that the company holds. “In an interview you should dress a step up than the company you’re applying for,” said Terra Stanton, manager and recruiter of a local retail store.

If the open position is for a mechanic, wearing a business suit might be inappropriate; however, if the position is with a fashion designer, the clothes may be held in higher regard.

Interview attire shows the company the attitude aimed towards the position, the perception of how the interview will go and how important the applicant considers the job. “When you are dressed like you mean business, you typically come across that way. Dressing for the job does something to your demeanor, attitude, poise and confidence,” Pakalani said.

The interview is the applicant’s opportunity to prove to the company why they are different from the rest.  They should speak clearly and confidently, prepared for whatever questions are asked of them, according to Carlile.

“They really should be using every single minute, moment, second to showcase their relevant knowledge, skills, abilities and fit,” Pakalani said.

Typical mistakes are made when applicants are unprepared, lack professionalism and take the interview lightheartedly.

Carlile, Pakalani and Stanton all agree that in the end remember to be personable so the interviewer can get to know their future employee.

Carlile prepared for her interview by researching the position and talking with current employees, dressing in a suit and reviewing the information she wanted the company to know about herself. When it came down to it, her preparation paid off, putting her nerves far behind and helping her succeed in standing out in the interview.

Preparation, in every aspect, is the key to standing out.

 

Ideality

              So there are lots of ways to try and earn money these days that don't actually require you to have an employer, etc. They are tricky, but they are really unique and fun too! So if you are looking for some extra cash you can try some of these ideas :)

1- Jewelry Consultant
             We have all heard of Cookie Lee jewelry, Lia Sophia jewelry and the likes, and we all love them! Being a consultant is easy because you buy the product from the company and then resell it. Each company has their own set of rules and guidelines, but you really have a say in how well you do. If you want to earn more money than just advertise yourself and the product more, be friendly, and most of all have fun.
              Nowadays there are tons more "party" ideas than just jewelry and they are all jobs that need consultants. I recently hosted a Jamberry Nail party where you can seal sticker nails to your own and they look completely legit. I also just went to a skinny jean party which was really fun. THere are all sorts of ideas out there: shoe parties, modbe parties, home craft parties, kitchen parties. Find what you love and become a consultant to sell that product.

2- Fliers
             This idea may seem obvious and actually does require an employer but it is a quick, easy way to make money. I work as a Customer Service Representative at Lender Insurance Agency, but I also am part of the advertising team because I go and pass out fliers. My job is paid by the amount I pass out rather than the time I spend doing it. This makes it really easy because if I ever need some extra income I can just go pass out fliers at the local event going on at the Scera Shell or at other public parking lots.

3- Etsy.com
             Do you remember my post awhile ago about etsy.com? Well this is a nice and easy alternative to working "more hours" at a usual job. This site is awesome because you can go ahead and sell the wonderful things you can make whether it is hair accessories, clothes, tablecloths, vases, whatever. It's a good way to get your ideas out there and maybe make some money too. Check out my shop, Ideality, by clicking the link below.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ideality?ref=si_shop

Haunted Halloween Ideas

         So it is a little far away, roughly 2 months, but Halloween is something that if you are going to be legit, needs preparation early. Anyway, I want to give some ideas of awesome, creepy Halloween Costumes. Justin and I are getting married in December so we only have a few more chances to go all out in crazy, scary costumes before we have to dress cute so we don't scare our kids. There are some really good ideas out there, if you are willing to put out the time to make the look work.

#1- Zipper Face

Insane Asylum Victim

With the Zipper Face

This idea came from reddit.com and almost won me the "Scariest Costume" prize at the Halloween party I went to. I used a zipper, face wax and concealer that you can get at any Halloween/ Costume makeup store, and fake blood. It was a little tricky getting the zipper to stay stuck to the curves of my face, but the good thing about this costume is that even though it gets messy, that just makes it look more legit.

#2- Murderous Clown

        I couldn't find a picture of Justin by himself in this costume. This costume was way cheap because he just threw together clothes that he already had... a regular button up shirt and his jacket, patchwork pants that his mom had and a clown wig. Luckily, Just knows how to make balloon animals so he could make his bowtie. What really makes this costume, however, is the face. We painted his face with white concealer makeup found at any Costume makeup store. We also used black concealer face paint around his eyes before painting dark green triangles above and below his eyes. We added angry eyebrows, pink cheeks and bright red lipstick with a little blood trickling from his lips. 
        Justin won the best overall costume at our Halloween Party.

#3- VooDoo Doll

VooDoo Doll, carrying her own voodoo doll

VooDoo Doll under the hood

 

 

 

 

 

VooDoo Doll with her hood on.

        This costume was partially inspired by the horror movie "The Strangers" and Kristy's own creepy imagination. This costume won the "Scariest Costume" award. Kristy made her dress out of burlap fabric, a burlap sac would work well too, which she rubbed against cement to tear and then she burned the edges. She used twine to wind up a voodoo doll that dangled from her waist. She used lots of dark eyeshadow to create her bruises and eyeliner to "stitch" up her lips. Also, the black concealer face paint was used around her eyes.


#4- Gothic

Gothic Couple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headed for a night out on the Town

So this costume isn't necessarily scary, just a different style and a fun way to dress when it isn't your normal style. ** If this is your normal style, try dressing without black and makeup.  Jusitn was way hesitant to dress like this haha, mostly because he didn't want to wear eyeliner or have me do his hair... but look how awesome he looks!! Actually, since that day he has sworn to never let me do that to him again, but I like it haha. This was a way easy costume. Just wear thicker makeup, girls, and boys wear a little. Every piece of this costume can be found around your house. For instance, the collar that Justin is wearing is his dogs' collar.
          This costume was awesome because we went to El Mex Sal in Provo for dinner and then went to Harmons' to get a RedBox movie. As we waited in line to get the movie a lady came up to us and said, "I hope that is a costume! If not, I still love you, but I hope it is." haha. So obviously we looked legit!

#5-Serial Killer and Victim

         I don't have a picture for this yet because this is our plan for this Halloween. Justin is going to be a serial killer and I am his victim. We are going to dress him in ratty clothes; jeans with holes, stained T-shirt and a ratty hoody. We are going to put gel in his hair to make it greasy and give him dark circles under his eyes.
        I am going to be handcuffed to him, my hair dark and long. I will have black circles around my eyes and sunken in cheek bones. We will use fake blood to have drip from my mouth and then to be running from a "slit" in my neck. For a final touch we will stick a knife in my back.

I am way excited to try this one out... come on October!!! Leave me a comment and let me know if you try any of these or of other scary Halloween costumes you've done!