"MUST-HAVE" MONDAY

Fabulous Fall!

Here are five reasons why I love the fall and consider it a "must have:"

 

1. The autumn leaves are exquisite and don't forget how lovely the crisp, cool air is. I love going for drives up the canyon to take in the beauty of the leaves changing colors, what a remarkable thing!

2. Who doesn't love going to the pumpkin patch? Pumpkins make me happy. Most of my harvest decor consists of different shaped and textured pumpkins.

3. This is reason enough to love the fall, cute little trick-or-treaters!

4. Thanksgiving! A time for togetherness and good food. I have so much to be thankful for.

5. Fall decorations. I love fall decorations.

WHY DO YOU LOVE THE FALL?

TAG PART 2

I decided that I always do the tags about myself and I thought that I should do the last tag again, except about my hubby. Here goes!

3 Joys:

1. His kids and wife:)
2. BYU Football
3. Utah Jazz

3 Fears:

1. Cats. We're not just talking a small fear here, I mean he is literally terrified of the little feline kind. I know that a lot of people don't like cats or find them annoying, but Tim is horrified of them. It's not like he's had this horrible nightmarish experience, he cannot recall one anyways. He won't go near them or touch them..... he runs from them!! He has had quite a few of them jump at him, he thinks that they most know that he is afraid of them and so they just do it to scare him even more. Our kids will never be getting a kitty.
2. Tim has a huge fear of public speaking. Yes, I know most people don't like it and very few would willingly want to do it, but he physically cannot do it. He hasn't spoken in church since his missionary homecoming almost 10 years ago. Since then no one has ever had any luck trying to get him to speak in church. We finally found a bishop that actually understands this and told him that he would never ask him to speak as long as he was the bishop. Tim said that we would definitely be staying in this ward while Bishop Bennett is the bishop. It's nice to find someone that actually understands this and doesn't make you feel like a bad member of the church for not wanting to speak.
3. He is afraid of anything considered a rodent.

3 Obsessions/Collections:

1. Tim collects golf balls. He gets a golf ball at each of the new courses he golfs and displays them.
2. He is obsessed with watching sports. Football and basketball are the main ones.
3. Tim used to play black jacks A LOT before we met and got married. Him and his friends would go to Mesquite every weekend, let's just say that he lost as much as he won :)

3 Surprising Facts:

1. Tim has been arrested twice. Don't get scared now. The first time he got arrested in high school for smashing pumpkins and the second time he got arrested right in front of me when we were dating. The cop pulled us over for having a break light out and then arrested him. He had a "dog at large" ticket that he never paid, therefore issuing a warrant. His dog got out and was picked up by animal control and he never paid the fees he was supposed to after getting his dog out. I'll never let him live that one down. You can find his mug shot on-line:)
2. Tim has had diabetes since he was six years old.
3. Tim is a very active person. He enjoys snow skiing, wake boarding, backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, playing softball, golf and racquetball. The list goes on and on, he likes to try everything.

Well, there's some facts about Tim from my point of view. I hope he doesn't get too mad for telling you all of this.

TAG

3 Joys:

1. My children.
2. The temple.
3. Going on vacation.

3 Fears:

1. Something bad happening to a loved one.
2. Failure.
3. Potatoes, click here to find out why.

3 Obsessions/Collections:

1. Twilight books (I didn't want to admit this, but it's the first thing that came to my mind.)
2. I watch too much television: The Hills, The Office, Deadliest Catch, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, Friday Night Light, just to name a few;)
3. Celebrity gossip. (Grimace)

3 Surprising Facts:

1. I have never met my biological father, but I am really close with his mom and brothers.
2. If I could have any talent I would: a) be an amazing singer (I can't carry a tune) b) be a super fast runner. When I would watch the Olympics and see how fast some of the people could run, I was just amazed, it must feel so exhilarating to run that fast.
3. I wore braces for eight years, had major jaw surgery on both upper and lower jaws, had over 15 oral surgeries and had more than three sets of teeth, including 8 wisdom teeth (don't worry, they didn't all come in at once, they were just up in my gums). It's a long, long story. Ask me about it sometime.
4. I have to add a number four, sorry. I am a devoted Utah Jazz fan. My husband isn't the only one, he can't take all of the "biggest fan" credit. I answer the daily trivia questions too. I'm no "fare weather" fan, I am a fan through and through. In good times and bad. I hoop and holler when they do good and I throw things at the T.V. when they do bad. The season starts in October and although our wallets will be a bit lighter due to all the games Tim will finagle his way into, I am super excited! Go Jazz!

3 People I Tag:

1. Desi Mauerman
2. Kelly Stubbs
3. Sarah Sutherland

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Garlic Alfredo Pizza

• 2 boxes Jiffy Pizza Crust
• 1/2 jar Bertolli's Garlic Alfredo Sauce (or whatever alfredo sauce you can find)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces, seasoned with McCormick Montreal Seasoning
• 1 large onion, sliced and sauteed with the chicken and seasoning
• 2 c. or more mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 large tomato, sliced (I didn't have fresh in this picture so I used 3/4 c. petite diced canned tomatoes)

~To make the dough, follow the directions on the Jiffy Crust box. (Oven temp., baking time and pre-bake.) Press dough onto a circular pizza pan. After done pre-baking, spread with alfredo sauce, not too much, leaving about a 1/2" around the edge. Next sprinkle with chicken and onions. Then sprinkle with cheese, make sure the pizza is nice and covered. Top with the tomatoes. Bake according to the directions on the Jiffy Crust box. (Do not overcook.)

*This is a fast, easy and delicious recipe. If you want something a little more homemade, use this dough recipe, it's also great as a pizza crust.

CRAZY LIFE

I am sorry about the limited posting lately. I started a new job which allows me to work from my home, but still keeps me busy, thus leaving me less time to blog. I am doing medical surveys and it's great. I just call from my house while my kids are napping. Thanks for letting me know about this awesome stay at home job, Shari! You're the best. The plan was to start this job and stop doing daycare. Well, that didn't work as well as I had planned. Instead of narrowing my daycare down, I just ended up with more kids! It's just too hard to say "goodbye" to these kids that I have been watching forever. On top of that, I started Addi in a rotating pre-school which means that I will have to teach every six weeks. Then I thought she needed to be in a dance class too, plus I am trying to put together a "Bunko" group and a whole slew of other things are going on that I don't even want to get into right now!!! Today at church I couldn't focus while playing the organ. I was right in the middle of playing a song that had two flats when all of the sudden my mind changed on me and I started playing the song with two sharps instead. I couldn't believe it! It was horribly embarrassing! I am going crazy I tell you! My biggest problem is figuring out how to get Addi to all of these places while watching so many kids. I guess I'll have to walk because my car only has room for 2 1/2 kids in the backseat. It's going to be interesting trying to walk to preschool and dance with six kids. Tim was gone on a hunting trip this whole weekend and guess what I did..... absolutely nothing! I just sat on the couch and watched chick flicks all weekend while my house went to pot. I think I needed it, just a little calm before the storm if you know what I mean. ;) Oh well, I bit off more than I can chew and now I will just have to deal with it.

5 YEARS

Saturday, August 23rd was our 5 year anniversary. I can't believe we've been married for 5 years! We went to the cutest bed & breakfast called Johnson Mill in Midway, Utah. I was completely impressed with this quaint little place. They have many amenities that large hotels don't have, for example: they had fresh baked cookies just sitting on a plate in the foyer for everyone to enjoy, free movies, popcorn, hot chocolate, etc. Our room was beautiful and plenty spacious for being the cheapest room they offered. After we checked in, we went out to eat at a restaurant in Midway called Mountain House Grill which was delicious. Then when we got back to our room, the bed was covered in rose petals and on the table there was chocolate dipped strawberries and sparkling apple cider. So romantic! In the morning they fed us a delicious huge breakfast and then we went for a ride in the canoe on their 3 acre pond. Check out was at 11 AM and then we headed to see a movie, "The Dark Night" which was amazing!

The beautiful view from our room!

I took this picture right out the window of our room.

I am so lucky to be married to the love of my life. He's the sweetest husband and dad! He loves me and the kids more than anything. I love you so much Tim. Happy Anniversary!

OUR NEW HOUSE!

He he, just kidding! ;) We drove up to see the new Draper Temple, which is still being built, and holy cow you should see the houses surrounding it! It's hard not to have worldly thoughts while being by that temple when it's surrounded by massive mansions! Then again, it seems that most temples are generally in pretty nice neighborhoods.