A month ago I started taking a bootcamp class...a very intense bootcamp class. I wanted to do something for me, and to make myself feel better and have more energy. I decided to take this class to help me jumpstart my body into wanting to workout again. That is exactly what it did. I am going on my second month and have signed up to keep going. I love it! The first week I was so sore I couldn't even walk up and down stairs without crying (well not really crying but I wanted to). Every morning taking a shower was hard because I couldn't even raise my arms to wash my hair. Some people may say that being that sore isn't good for you, but I thought it was wonderful. It showed me that I worked my butt off and that being this sore means my muscles are actually being worked and getting bigger. I never thought I would ever enjoy working out this much...but I actually get excited for class.
The gym where bootcamp is held is a few blocks from my house so I walk there Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 5:30am. (I thought waking up that early would stop me from going every day but it hasn't...I acutally like it because I can get home, take a shower and be ready for the day before Gretal wakes up). We do a mix of cardio and weight training circuits. It is intense. It is usually non-stop, the only time we stop between circuits is to take a drink or to get ready for the next circuit. I actually drip sweat (sorry you had to read that), the whole class...everyone does. When I first started a month ago, I was usually the last one done with each set, but after only a month I am usually done when everyone else is done, I am rarely last anymore. I've actually lost a an inch around my waist, an inch around my thighs, 3/4 of an inch around my arms and gained an inch around my butt (that's because it lifted:). I love this class!
If you are wondering what kind of stuff we do see their website: www.fitclubutah.com/boot-camp/ .
Monday, November 8, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Deutschland and Austria and Oktoberfest
I will let the pictures explain a lot of what we did here in Germany and Austria. We went to Megan's house for a few days to recover :) One day Megan and I went shopping in Trier while the guys took the babies and went to a few tourist areas (I had already been there last time I was in Germany). Of course we saw Oktoberfest, well Megan and I did the guys just saw the inside of the beer tents :) It's like a big fair, there are rides and food vendors, and souvenirs and a ton of people wearing lederhosen. The guys decided to go to the BMW museum before we drove down to Austria so Megan, the babies and I drove down to Austria...but half way there we smelt something funny coming from the back seat. Gretal had pooped and then played in it. There was poop on her, her clothes, the car seat, the car door, a balloon she was playing with, it was everywhere. We stopped at a gas station to clean it up but there was so much poop we had to pretty much hose everything off including Gretal.
In Austria it rained most of the time but we did get to see Hitler's Eagle's Nest and a few castles.
Overall we had a great time! I would never do it again with kids but we got to see a ton of stuff and we had some pretty cool experiences. I can't wait to go back and see more. I am thinking Italy next :)
We all went down to Amsterdam
Amsterdam was fun, we were only there for 2 1/2 days so we didn't get to do a whole lot, but if you're not there to party, then there isn't really a lot to do. I had the best pancake I have had in my life (they are known for their pancakes, btw). This pancake was amazing. It was filled with bacon, sausage, cheese, mushrooms and then grilled (there is a picture above), yummy!!
We saw the Red Light District which was actually quite funny and interesting, and I think we all saw a few things that we really didn't want to see or hear :) We went to the Anne Frank House. By far (well besides the pancake) this was my favorite place to see in Amsterdam, I can't believe the things the family had to go through and it wasn't that long ago. We saw the Heineken factory and went to a wax museum as well. We got our pictures taken with quite a few celebrities that were visiting too!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
I see London
London! I love London!!! It was by far my favorite place we went on this vacation. The people are friendly and courteous, they speak Englishwith the coolest accent, they drive and walk on the left side of the road, the city is beautiful and clean, it is just an amazing place. Megan, the babies and I spent more time together without the guys here than other place, which was perfect :) The guys went to Stonehenge, and a soccer game while Megan and I went shopping at Piccadilli Circus and ate at the yummiest Italian restaurant I have ever eaten at. All together we saw the inside of Buckingham Palace (they only tour the inside for 2 months at the end of summer), the Changing of the Guard, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Tower of London and we went on a Jack the Ripper tour. I will definitely visit London again. (I don't care what John says!)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Paris
Paris, the city of Romance, or something like that :)
We spent 4 days in Paris and we saw the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Arc De Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Catacombs, we took a bus tour around the city and saw parts of Paris that most tourists don't get to see, and we took the train out of town to the Palace of Versailles. We got lost, almost forgot a baby, watched baby fights and celebrated Gretal's first birthday! The first 4 days in Europe wore us out and we had just started :)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Yum Yum in my Tum Tum
I have been on a cooking kick lately, and I am starting to really enjoy it, mostly because for one I am getting better at it and two I don't have a choice :)
A few weeks ago we had a family reunion in Great Falls Montana, and to raise money for the reunion we do an auction. Everyone is supposed to bring something to auction off. I brought two pies, one peach and one strawberry rhubarb (this is my fave, so I really didn't want to auction it off) :) I also made a few little pies for us to eat as well with the leftovers. So of course John, my dad and I dug into the small peach pie...it was gross! The peaches were still hard, and the crust was frozen (I put it in a mini fridge but it must have been too cold for pie). I was so sad, plus I had already put the big pie out for auction. Oops :) One of my great aunts bought it so hopefully she doesn't really remember who made it and hopefully she likes hard peach pie :)
My grandma bought the strawberry rhubarb. She shared it with some family that stayed after the reunion...they said it tasted great so I hope they weren't lying. My grandma is my biggest fan with the things I make, whether it be pie, bread or scrapboooking. She always tells me that I do a great job and she loves whatever it is I made (I think this may just be a part of being a grandma, but I don't care!). A few months ago my grandparents were in town visiting and my grandma taught me how to make her homemade bread (see all recipes below)...it is so yummy and if you do it right it tastes like heaven!
I have also made a very yummy banana bread,it's super moist yet crispy on the edges, just how I like it! I've made White Chili, I got this recipe from my cousin Emily. She made it for us once and we have been in love ever since. I also made pizza for us one night too. Personal Pan pizza's. They tasted just like Pizza Hut Pizza's.
Another really yummy recipe I made not too long ago is pulled pork sandwiches. I got the recipe out of a cookbook my mom gave me for Christmas (Refreshments Provided By 22nd Ward) and it's for Rio Pulled Pork. You know what the Rio is if you've visited me or have had Cafe Rio before. It's the best pork you have ever tasted! At the Rio they put it in tacos, burritos, salads, ect... but I put ours on a roll and it tasted amazing, especially with some provolone cheese, mmmmm!
Recipes:
Pie:
I got thisrecipe on the back of Bob's Red Mill Pastry Flour package for my crust, it's the best I've found.
2 cups of Bob's Red Mill Stoneground whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup chilled butter
5-8 tbl cold water
Mix flour, and salt into large mixing bowl. Cut butter into 12 pieces and rub into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a course meal with pea size pieces. Sprinkle water over mixture, 1 tbl at a time just until dough forms. Form dough into a ball. Cut in half and press into a thin disc shape. Wrap each disc in wax paper and put in fridge for 30 minutes before rolling. Makes 2 9" pie crusts.
Filling: Just use your favorite filling recipe!
Grandma Vance's Super Yummy Homemade Bread (that's my title for it anyway)
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup powdered milk or 1 cup regular milk minus water (I always use powdered milk)
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water (minus this if you used regular milk)
2 tbl honey or 2 tbl sugar (I've used both, honey is way better)
1 egg
4 tsp shortening
Mix all ingredients together in a bread maker. Put shortening in each corner of breadmaker (so 1 tsp in each corner). Let rise in maker. Take out doughand put in a greased loaf pan. Let rise again until 1/2 inch from top of pan (about 1/2 hour). Put in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
For Scones: Let rise in maker, take out and make flat pieces about fist size, thicker around edges. Drop in a deep fat fryer or pan with 2 inches of oil.
For Rolls: Let rise in maker. Make rolls. Use thumb to make good rolls (put the dough on your thumb and pull down around your thumb). Put in greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Moist Banana Bread
I got this recipe from allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/bread/banana-bread-V/detail.aspx
White Chili from Emily
(This recipe takes about 2 1/2- 3 hours to make)
2 lbs or white beans (2 cans of white beans)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp chicken boullion
2 white onions (I don't like onions so I don't use this ingredient)
6-8 cloves of minced garlic
7 oz diced green chilis
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups cooked and diced chicken (I used canned)
1 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded monterey cheese (I usually use 4 or so cups)
Combine beans, broth, and boullion in a large pan. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Saute onion and garlic.
Add everything else except sour cream and cheese. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add sour cream and cheese. Cook until cheese melts.
Rio Pulled Pork
3 lbs Pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbl dried minced onion (I don't usually have this so I didn't use it)
1 cup dark brown sugar (I use regular brown sugar)
1 can enchilada sauce
Cook all ingredients, except brown sugar and enchilada sauce, in a crock pot on day on low. Once hour before serving, remove pork roast and shred it. Dump out cooking juices. Put shredded pork back into crock pot and add brown sugar and enchilada sauce.
Personal Pan Pizza Dough
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/4 dry milk
2-3 tsp garlic salt
3-4 cup flour
1 tbl sugar
1 pkg. dry yeast
3 tbl olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning (I didn't use this)
Olive oil
Pam
Stir yeast, sugar, salt and dry milk in a large bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stil until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into 3 balls. In three 9"cake pans put oil in each to make sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle. Place in cake pans. Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours. For each 9" pizza: Preheat oven to 475. Spoon pizza sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge. Put cheese and other toppings on top. Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.
Note: If you have a pizza stone, place the 9" pans on top of that while cooking, it will help the crust brown on the bottom. Also dough can be made ahead of time just put saran wrap around it and put in fridge.
Alright I hope you all enjoy some new recipes!!!
A few weeks ago we had a family reunion in Great Falls Montana, and to raise money for the reunion we do an auction. Everyone is supposed to bring something to auction off. I brought two pies, one peach and one strawberry rhubarb (this is my fave, so I really didn't want to auction it off) :) I also made a few little pies for us to eat as well with the leftovers. So of course John, my dad and I dug into the small peach pie...it was gross! The peaches were still hard, and the crust was frozen (I put it in a mini fridge but it must have been too cold for pie). I was so sad, plus I had already put the big pie out for auction. Oops :) One of my great aunts bought it so hopefully she doesn't really remember who made it and hopefully she likes hard peach pie :)
My grandma bought the strawberry rhubarb. She shared it with some family that stayed after the reunion...they said it tasted great so I hope they weren't lying. My grandma is my biggest fan with the things I make, whether it be pie, bread or scrapboooking. She always tells me that I do a great job and she loves whatever it is I made (I think this may just be a part of being a grandma, but I don't care!). A few months ago my grandparents were in town visiting and my grandma taught me how to make her homemade bread (see all recipes below)...it is so yummy and if you do it right it tastes like heaven!
I have also made a very yummy banana bread,it's super moist yet crispy on the edges, just how I like it! I've made White Chili, I got this recipe from my cousin Emily. She made it for us once and we have been in love ever since. I also made pizza for us one night too. Personal Pan pizza's. They tasted just like Pizza Hut Pizza's.
Another really yummy recipe I made not too long ago is pulled pork sandwiches. I got the recipe out of a cookbook my mom gave me for Christmas (Refreshments Provided By 22nd Ward) and it's for Rio Pulled Pork. You know what the Rio is if you've visited me or have had Cafe Rio before. It's the best pork you have ever tasted! At the Rio they put it in tacos, burritos, salads, ect... but I put ours on a roll and it tasted amazing, especially with some provolone cheese, mmmmm!
Recipes:
Pie:
I got thisrecipe on the back of Bob's Red Mill Pastry Flour package for my crust, it's the best I've found.
2 cups of Bob's Red Mill Stoneground whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup chilled butter
5-8 tbl cold water
Mix flour, and salt into large mixing bowl. Cut butter into 12 pieces and rub into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a course meal with pea size pieces. Sprinkle water over mixture, 1 tbl at a time just until dough forms. Form dough into a ball. Cut in half and press into a thin disc shape. Wrap each disc in wax paper and put in fridge for 30 minutes before rolling. Makes 2 9" pie crusts.
Filling: Just use your favorite filling recipe!
Grandma Vance's Super Yummy Homemade Bread (that's my title for it anyway)
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup powdered milk or 1 cup regular milk minus water (I always use powdered milk)
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water (minus this if you used regular milk)
2 tbl honey or 2 tbl sugar (I've used both, honey is way better)
1 egg
4 tsp shortening
Mix all ingredients together in a bread maker. Put shortening in each corner of breadmaker (so 1 tsp in each corner). Let rise in maker. Take out doughand put in a greased loaf pan. Let rise again until 1/2 inch from top of pan (about 1/2 hour). Put in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
For Scones: Let rise in maker, take out and make flat pieces about fist size, thicker around edges. Drop in a deep fat fryer or pan with 2 inches of oil.
For Rolls: Let rise in maker. Make rolls. Use thumb to make good rolls (put the dough on your thumb and pull down around your thumb). Put in greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Moist Banana Bread
I got this recipe from allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/bread/banana-bread-V/detail.aspx
White Chili from Emily
(This recipe takes about 2 1/2- 3 hours to make)
2 lbs or white beans (2 cans of white beans)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp chicken boullion
2 white onions (I don't like onions so I don't use this ingredient)
6-8 cloves of minced garlic
7 oz diced green chilis
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups cooked and diced chicken (I used canned)
1 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded monterey cheese (I usually use 4 or so cups)
Combine beans, broth, and boullion in a large pan. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Saute onion and garlic.
Add everything else except sour cream and cheese. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add sour cream and cheese. Cook until cheese melts.
Rio Pulled Pork
3 lbs Pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbl dried minced onion (I don't usually have this so I didn't use it)
1 cup dark brown sugar (I use regular brown sugar)
1 can enchilada sauce
Cook all ingredients, except brown sugar and enchilada sauce, in a crock pot on day on low. Once hour before serving, remove pork roast and shred it. Dump out cooking juices. Put shredded pork back into crock pot and add brown sugar and enchilada sauce.
Personal Pan Pizza Dough
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/4 dry milk
2-3 tsp garlic salt
3-4 cup flour
1 tbl sugar
1 pkg. dry yeast
3 tbl olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning (I didn't use this)
Olive oil
Pam
Stir yeast, sugar, salt and dry milk in a large bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stil until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into 3 balls. In three 9"cake pans put oil in each to make sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle. Place in cake pans. Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours. For each 9" pizza: Preheat oven to 475. Spoon pizza sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge. Put cheese and other toppings on top. Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.
Note: If you have a pizza stone, place the 9" pans on top of that while cooking, it will help the crust brown on the bottom. Also dough can be made ahead of time just put saran wrap around it and put in fridge.
Alright I hope you all enjoy some new recipes!!!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Long time no see
I realize it's been awhile since my last post, sorry about that.
Here are some pictures (of Gretal mostly) to make it all better.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
RAGNAR
Ragnar is a running relay race with 12 people, 2 vans, 188 miles in two days. Each person runs 3 times and each van has 6 people so the first van of people run their legs and then they have a few hours rest while the next van of people run their legs. John ran it this last weekend and he did amazing, he ran all 3 of his legs (about 18 miles ) in 2 hours and 12 minutes (or so) He was the fastest on his team for sure :) The first one he started running at 4pm and was 6.9 miles, labeled as Very Hard. He ran downhill the whole way. His second leg was 8.1 miles and he started running at 2am, also labeled Very Hard. It was uphill most of the 8 miles. His last leg was 3.1 miles and he started running at noon it was labeled Easy, and it was flat the whole way.
John's team finished in 28 hours and got 73rd place out of over 500 teams. They did awesome! My aunt Janene, cousin Jody and cousin Ben were all on the team plus my mom's cousin Craig.
John's team finished in 28 hours and got 73rd place out of over 500 teams. They did awesome! My aunt Janene, cousin Jody and cousin Ben were all on the team plus my mom's cousin Craig.
Way to go you guys you did amazing.
Weeks 2 and 3 of our budget crunch
Ok so we have been very busy the last few weeks, so I forgot to post how we have been doing...
Week 2:
We spent $10 less than our budget this week so we are now $60 ahead of schedule. We went to Winco for grocery shopping...what do you guys think of Winco? I like the prices, but I feel like I'm in Walmart and I HATE Walmart. I read some reviews on Winco and most of them were bad reviews by employees. We bought some produce and it went bad pretty fast too. John likes it because it's cheap and they have everything. So I'm not sure if we will go back...John wants to and I don't so we'll see (I do the grocery shopping most of the time so it's really up to me I guess :)
Week 3: = Bad week
We blew past our budget this week...
I had to buy a few pairs of short and I couldn't find any that I really liked and that looked good on me at the thrift stores (I actually found a pair at Uptown Cheapskate a few weeks ago for 5 bucks and they are awesome). So I went to Old Navy (bad idea) and found a pair of capris, a tank top, shorts and a shirt for Gretal (they were on clearance) and a pair of shorts for me which I a going to return because I don't like them as much as I thought I did.
John also ran in Ragnar, which is a relay race this weekend so we ate out a lot and I drove a ton (I was the baby van...because I had Gretal and Jerome who's mommy needed to nurse him every few hours). So needless to say we spent an extra $40 this week.
This week we are going to be in Spokane and probably will blow past our budget again because we still have to get TJ a wedding present, a shower present for Bailey and food at Hoopfest. Oh well we did for the first two weeks which is a hard thing for us :)
Week 2:
We spent $10 less than our budget this week so we are now $60 ahead of schedule. We went to Winco for grocery shopping...what do you guys think of Winco? I like the prices, but I feel like I'm in Walmart and I HATE Walmart. I read some reviews on Winco and most of them were bad reviews by employees. We bought some produce and it went bad pretty fast too. John likes it because it's cheap and they have everything. So I'm not sure if we will go back...John wants to and I don't so we'll see (I do the grocery shopping most of the time so it's really up to me I guess :)
Week 3: = Bad week
We blew past our budget this week...
I had to buy a few pairs of short and I couldn't find any that I really liked and that looked good on me at the thrift stores (I actually found a pair at Uptown Cheapskate a few weeks ago for 5 bucks and they are awesome). So I went to Old Navy (bad idea) and found a pair of capris, a tank top, shorts and a shirt for Gretal (they were on clearance) and a pair of shorts for me which I a going to return because I don't like them as much as I thought I did.
John also ran in Ragnar, which is a relay race this weekend so we ate out a lot and I drove a ton (I was the baby van...because I had Gretal and Jerome who's mommy needed to nurse him every few hours). So needless to say we spent an extra $40 this week.
This week we are going to be in Spokane and probably will blow past our budget again because we still have to get TJ a wedding present, a shower present for Bailey and food at Hoopfest. Oh well we did for the first two weeks which is a hard thing for us :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Week One of Budget Crunch
It went well and we were even under our budget by $50!
We decided to "shop from our pantry" this week because we weren't going to eat at home much. My aunt Janene had us over for dinner a few times because of things we were doing so we ate at their house a lot. Is that cheating??? Oh well I don't care we made our budget and that's all that matters.
I had to get gas in my Jeep and that always sucks because it's usually 50 bucks :( Which brings me to my next idea...public transportation...
Here in Utah we have the trax which is like a subway but above ground. There is a stop here in Sandy that is about 5 miles from my house. Since I drive downtown probably twice a week I decided that I would try to take the trax at least one of those times to save some gasoline. This Friday John and I are going to take it downtown just to see how it works and all that. I am actually kind of excited. I was going to do it tomorrow when I go to my momm and me class but John said he wanted to do it too so I will wait until Friday. I will probably drive to the station in Sandy since Gretal doesn't like the bike trailer (silly baby), and then take it downtown. Plus I will have to take the stroller because we will need to walk about a mile from the stop to mommy and me.
This week we have to buy Gretal's passport and John and I both have to get gas so we are going to be cutting it close so we'll see.
We decided to "shop from our pantry" this week because we weren't going to eat at home much. My aunt Janene had us over for dinner a few times because of things we were doing so we ate at their house a lot. Is that cheating??? Oh well I don't care we made our budget and that's all that matters.
I had to get gas in my Jeep and that always sucks because it's usually 50 bucks :( Which brings me to my next idea...public transportation...
Here in Utah we have the trax which is like a subway but above ground. There is a stop here in Sandy that is about 5 miles from my house. Since I drive downtown probably twice a week I decided that I would try to take the trax at least one of those times to save some gasoline. This Friday John and I are going to take it downtown just to see how it works and all that. I am actually kind of excited. I was going to do it tomorrow when I go to my momm and me class but John said he wanted to do it too so I will wait until Friday. I will probably drive to the station in Sandy since Gretal doesn't like the bike trailer (silly baby), and then take it downtown. Plus I will have to take the stroller because we will need to walk about a mile from the stop to mommy and me.
This week we have to buy Gretal's passport and John and I both have to get gas so we are going to be cutting it close so we'll see.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Budget, Budget, Budget
I hate budgets. As do most people I guess but they really suck. John and I have been spending money like crazy since we moved here. There is just so many new things to do and new food places to try. We decided that if we want to pay off the Jeep, have money to spend in Germany, and keep trying new things that we need to stick to our budget :) So starting today we have a strict budget and by helping us to keep to this budget we have decided that we are going to:
Eat out less, go grocery shopping once a week, buy used, get a freezer (used of course) and buy in bulk when things are on sale, only buy things we need not what we want, and find free things to do, because there are a ton of free things to do here, plus we need to be working out more so taking walks and bike rides will help too.
To help us do all of this I decided to keep a "journal". I am going to keep track of all of our spending, activities to do that are free, keep a list of things we buy all the time so when it goes on sale I can get it in bulk, pretty much write down everything. I dont' know if this will help but we'll see.
Don't get me wrong we are not in debt, besides our house, cars and John's student loans but we would like to pay things off faster and have a bigger savings. I know we can do it we just have to really pay attention to what we are spending.
Eat out less, go grocery shopping once a week, buy used, get a freezer (used of course) and buy in bulk when things are on sale, only buy things we need not what we want, and find free things to do, because there are a ton of free things to do here, plus we need to be working out more so taking walks and bike rides will help too.
To help us do all of this I decided to keep a "journal". I am going to keep track of all of our spending, activities to do that are free, keep a list of things we buy all the time so when it goes on sale I can get it in bulk, pretty much write down everything. I dont' know if this will help but we'll see.
Don't get me wrong we are not in debt, besides our house, cars and John's student loans but we would like to pay things off faster and have a bigger savings. I know we can do it we just have to really pay attention to what we are spending.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
TJ is getting Married
My brother is getting married...my little brother who is still 12 in my eyes is getting married. I can't believe it but it's true. He is getting married to Bailey, a girl I actually like. She has a little boy name William and he is 3 but looks like he's 5. They are getting married Friday June 25th, yes that's the Friday before Hoopfest, and yes it will be crazy, but so is TJ :)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Megan came to visit the states for a month. She spent 2 weeks in Spokane and then she came here for 2 weeks. We had a blast...really we did :) We went swimming, to the Zoo (yes I went to the zoo again, and this time I bought a year membership), the Aquarium (I bought a membership there too), shopping for bridesmaid dresses (see next post), shopping in general, and watching the babies play together. Anton actually is kind of mean to Gretal but it's ok she will get back at him soon :)
Heinz minus one
My friend Lacey came to visit a few weeks ago. We had an amazing time. Her kids are so much fun and very well behaved! Arabelle was full of energy from the minute she got off the plane. She was showing us somersaults and doing the "dishwasher dance", plus she kept throwing the ball for the puggles so they were tired at the end of the day too. .jpg)
We went to the Zoo and the Aquarium, which the kids loved...James and Arabelle rode on the carousel at the Zoo and loved it. We also went thrift shopping, and found some great deals. Lacey got a few outfits for the kids and I got a few outfits for Gretal plus a nice fleece zip up that I wear all the time :) .jpg)
James was crawling everywhere, but he really liked the puggles water bowl :) And for some reason her like the slate (which scared me because I didn't want him to get hurt on it). He is such a happy little boy, and he eats like no ones business :)
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We had a great time having them come visit! I hope they will come see us again...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Arches National Park
P.S. Sorry there is not a lot of writing to go a long with the post, I typed up a long post but then when I added the pictures it all got deleted...grrrr.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hogle Zoo
On Saturday my Uncle Kirk and his family were driving through and invited us to the Zoo. We had a great time and Gretal loved the animals! The sad thing is, that was the 3rd time I've been to the zoo and I haven't even lived here a year yet :)
Uptown Cheapskate
My friend Lacey is doing The Compact, it's where you only buy used all year long, except for a few things like underwear :) She sent me a few links on some places she would like to check out while she's here visiting me in April, so I figured I would check them out before hand, just in case. One of the links was for a place called Uptown Cheapskate...it is now my new favorite store. They only take gently used or new clothes that are name brands. I found 4 shirts (1 is brand new, and at the time I didn't even realize it) for under $25! I am super stoked. Thanks Lacey.
If anyone would like the puggle in the picture please let me know, she is very cheap :)
Lacey: The other store, Thrift Town is just like Value Village or Goodwill, except with a lot more stuff. I bought a juicer and a vegetable tray for under $4.
If anyone would like the puggle in the picture please let me know, she is very cheap :)Thursday, March 11, 2010
St. George Utah
I just realized I forgot to post our St. George pictures. 
Yep it was that warm...we had to roll up jeans and put on shorts.
Over a long weekend we went to St. George (land of the sun as we like to call it) with some family. It was amazing! It was in the mid 60's the whole time we were there. We hiked on some red rock, went swimming, played pool, and a whole lot of shuffle board. We had a great time, plus I got a little tan!
Gretal - 6 months old
MY BIG GIRL!!I really can't believe Gretal is 6 months old already. People always say that it goes by fast so enjoy each milestone...to be honest though, I enjoy the most recent one of sitting up all by herself the most. She can play by herself, pick up toys and put them in her mouth of course, play with the puggles (they even play back), and sit up in a highchair! Don't get me wrong I've loved watching her grow, when she first started smiling I thought I was going to cry everyday with joy. After awhile she started watching me walk around the room, then she rolled over for the first time by herself and I was so happy. She finally giggled at me about a month ago(she still mostly still does it at the puggles but every once in awhile I can get her to giggle at me)and I started jumping up and down and clapping my hands (I think it scared her). But now that she can sit up we can do so many more things, for example today we went to the library and watched a puppet show. She sat in front of me all by herself, she smiled and laughed at all the kids.
Gretal is also starting to scream. Fun stuff! Out of nowhere she will just scream while she is playing and then stop like nothing happened. Silly baby. She is also grunting a lot. I guess she found her voice :)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The most amazing Gretal pictures ever!!!
Remeber my Seattle post where I said that my friend Bethany took some amazing pictures of Gretal...well her husband Jeramie edited them and posted them on his blog...take a look and while your at it become a fan of his on facebook :)
www.blog.shodaphotography.com
www.blog.shodaphotography.com
Monday, March 8, 2010
"The Dans"
Uncle Dan
Lunch at Snowbird on Sunday
Irish playing RockBand with John's leg
Irish holding Gretal while wearing his new "killer deal" ski outfit
Please excuse the Puggle butt...
"The Dans"
This last weekend John's brother Dan and our friend Dan (Irish) came to visit us. Well mostly they came to ski but whatever :)
On Friday they went up to Park City and it ended up being a really nice day for them. When they got home we (by we I mean Irish) wanted to go to Sushi, but it had to be all you can eat, John and I haven't had sushi here yet, so we googled it and found Sushi Yah. They had this silly rule that if you don't eat your sushi rolls that you order then you have to pay the all you can eat price plus the price of the roll you didn't finish...Of course we all ordered more than we could actually eat so we made ourselves sick and forced down part of the rolls. We ended up not finishing some but when the waiter brought our bill, they didn't charge us. We made ourselves sick for nothing...it was actually quite funny :)
On Saturday we did some shopping at Gateway and the Park City Outlets. Dan, John's brother ended up finding a great deal on Lucky Jeans, Irish got a killer deal on snow pants and coat, and John finally found a coat that he liked that was on clearance. Then we ended up going to dinner at Tucanos Brazilian Restaurant...another all you can eat place. A little side note, the last time John and I ate here was with my parents and we did not feel very good afterwards, we ended up having to stop at a gas station to go the bathroom...don't get me wrong the food is amazing, but we ate way too much. Ok so knowing this we still went and we enjoyed the food, and yet again ate way too much. Plus since Irish ordered dessert, I had to order dessert too. By this time it's 11 at night we are all way to full...again, and I had to get Gretal home. I drove myself so the guys could stay downtown. I got home and about 20 minutes later so did John and The Dans...:) I think our whole house stunk all night :) We all got a good laugh from it.
Overall we had a great weekend. We hope they come back soon...maybe this summer for hiking season:)
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