More of the trip

Okay, maybe I'll never get it all up. But here's me, trying, at least.

Most of our three weeks out in Delaware we spent with Rob's family. We did a lot of hanging out, some cooking, and lots of playing with Rob's new birthday present from his family - Rock Band. It's fun - I like it more than I thought I would. And it should come in the mail today (hopefully), so we'll be playing much more of that again soon.

Aside from that family time, we took a little time to visit some of my friends. One weekend we went to DC and Wilmington/Newark and gracious friends of mine from college (thanks again Cindy & Bryan) put us up on Friday night, and Saturday we spent the evening with some friends from our old ward in DE. It was a great time catching up with people, introducing them all to Guy, and just visiting.

While we were in DC, after meeting other friends for breakfast on Saturday morning, we went to the Smithsonian for a few hours before heading North again.


Saturday morning at IHOP - Guy thinks he's so ready for "real" food that he tried to eat pictures of it.


Bryan & Cindy and their cute boys - they actually introduced us to teething tablets -- I actually just got some for Guy yesterday, and they are seeming to work pretty well - yea!

Guy's first time playing in the rain (with his cousin, Kori)- when it wasn't hot and muggy, it seemed to be raining. It was fun to watch Guy's reactions to the thunder and lightning


He had a great time, that is until he was down on the ground - I think that scared him a little

Some of our visit out East

Friday, August 7th, Rob, Guy, and I flew out to Philly, coming to visit Rob's family. We were there for about 3 weeks. Here are a few photos of our visit to start out my record keeping. Guy did really well on the airplane - both ways. He slept for the first 2.5 hours on the way, and on the way back, the best treat ever was that there were extra seats around, so the flight attendant invited the lady in our row to move and give us all more room. What a treat that was! Guy slept well on the way home, too.

One morning I borrowed my father-in-law's awesome camera and snapped some fun photos of Guy. Recently he's started sitting up on his own, and he's already got pretty good balance.

Calzone Recipe

Here's our recipe for calzones (or as much of one as we've got)

Pizza Dough (for 2-3 pizzas)

1 T yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (proof with a little bit of sugar, too)

Combine in your mixer:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 T sugar
1 c. very warm water

Add one cup of flour to above and mix.

Add the bubbling yeast and mix.

Add 3 cups of flour to make a good STIFF dough.

Knead well. If by hand - for about 10 min; by machine - about 8 (and really, it does take that long to mix it well).

Let dough rise in a warm spot in a greased bowl for an hour to 1.5 hours (or until the dough is doubled).

For the calzones . . . this dough recipe makes four very good sized calzones. A tip about rolling out the dough - make sure it's pretty thin. We tried it thick the first time, and thin the second time - we both thought it tasted better the second time.

For calzone stuffing . . . Rob and I like doing them so much because we like very different stuff. It's kind of fun to build your own, and everyone can put whatever then want in it.

We put in:
Ricotta cheese
Mozarella cheese
pepperoni
sausage
green peppers
onions
mushrooms
minced garlic
salt and pepper

In a small bowl (on the side), beat 1 egg and 1 T water together

There are two ways of putting it all together - Rob layered his like a pizza, I mixed mine in a bowl (wanted to make sure the garlic was spread evenly).

After you put the toppings on - use the egg and water mix around the edges of the calzone. Then fold the dough over and pinch the edges together (to keep the moisture inside). If you want to mark them on top (to identify who they go to), do so now.

Brush the entire top of the calzone with the egg/water mixture, too.

Bake at 425 for 10-15 min (until golden brown)

After baking - We topped ours with spaghetti sauce from a bottle (yeah, we cheated), and some parmesan cheese)

A tip - while putting them together - we rolled the dough, then put it 1/2 on the pan it was cooked on (with the other 1/2 flowing off the side) - this was so we didn't have to transfer it to the pan after it was made. And you can use a pizza pan or a cookie sheet for baking.

Enjoy!!!

. . . so it seems many of my recipes come from my sister, Bethany (the pizza dough on this one comes from her, too). Thanks!

Cake Tips

I'm not a huge cake fan, but I like decorating them. Rob loves, them - so I am experimenting more with them and finding stuff we both like (as if I need the help finding good treats).

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If you like baking, hopefully these help. Oh, and soon I'll post my favorite chocolate cake recipe - it's kind of my catch all - and I don't think it's failed me yet.

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I'm a big fan of using dry cake mix, from a box, then I just add to it. There's actually a book called The Cake Doctor, and what it does is "doctor" cake mixes. That's where my favorite chocolate cake recipe comes from (via my sister, Bethany-thanks!), and it's where my quest to bake good cakes began.

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So, back to the tips:

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Every cake can use a little extra pudding - for a chocolate cake, add chocolate pudding - for every other cake, I add vanilla (unless you can find an box of instant pudding that matches your cake flavor). I just add a small box of pudding, and no changes need to be made to the mixing or baking instructions.

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Also - I add milk instead of water (to any mix)- makes things a little creamier. It's good.

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A baking tip (making decorating easier) - to make even cake tops

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When you bake with round cake pans . . . you know how they always round out on top, too? Well . . . if you get an old towel and tear off two strips (the long way), making them as wide as the cake pan is tall - - - wet the towels, then secure them around the cake pan with either a safety pin or even a push pin (won't melt in the oven at 350 - I tested it, personally). That helps distribute the heat more evenly, and the cake will rise, but stay flat on top. I'll try and post photos soon, just to explain. This beats cutting off cake tops (making them flat), especially because it minimizes crumbs that can potentially spread through the icing.

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Last tip - instead of using icing or frosting in the middle layer of cakes - spread some pudding - again, makes things more moist. You can make some instant pudding and spread about a cup, or just buy a pack of pudding snacks and use one - I've done both.

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Random things - hopefully something is useful to you. :)

Baking Frenzy. . . and a little cooking, too

This past few weeks I've had a lot of opportunities to bake - and remember some of my cake decorating skills (I took a class in grad school but haven't used it much since then). Here's what I've been making:

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For Faith's birthday (during our fam reunion), Amanda, Naomi, and I made these little cupcake bites (recipe/idea courtesy of Bakerella). I think they look pretty cute, but I don't know if I'll ever make them again - they are REALLY REALLY sweet, and lots and lots of work. And just not that wonderful. Disclaimer - I did make some recipe changes - Faith had a chocolate cake, too, so these were a side, made of strawberry cake - maybe the chocolate would have turned out better tasting.

Two days after Faith's birthday, it was my niece Abby's birthday. When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she said, pink cake with pink frosting, so strawberry cake it was.

Next - it was the end of the month, and after calling my visiting teachees a few times, I never reached them, so on the 31st, I decided to drop something off. Really, I mostly just wanted an excuse to try making these:

The best part of these?

Yum! They turned out SO well that I'll definitely be making these again.

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Yesterday, was Rob's birthday - he requested that we make homemade calzones for lunch/dinner. I think it was a success. They looked great, and tasted wonderful, too. So good that we might just do a repeat for dinner tonight.
Also for Rob's birthday . . . I won't go into my failed attempt at a Spiderman cake - I'm just glad that out of the 2 cake mixes I made, there was an extra layer, not used for what became a little messy. Not as fun as a Spiderman cake, but pretty good, still--I cut the 9x9 cake into 4 pieces, stacked, and decorated it just for Rob.
I think he likes it.

Why Guy will never be a pilot

How cruel is that?

This Month

We've spent a lot of time with family . . . this week has been a family reunion with just my immediate family - that's now 31 of us (15 adults and 16 children). The week before that 2 of our nieces spent the week with us on their own (that means Guy, Amand, Naomi, and I did a lot of stuff together). I borrowed a lot of cameras to take photos at different times, but here are some photos from our camera.

Amanda, Naomi, and Guy outside the Provo Temple A couple of shots from Guy's first time in a swimming pool
He was really good at kicking and seemed to have a pretty good time the whole time. He cried just a little right when he got in, but warmed up to it pretty quickly - spending more than half an hour in there.
We hiked Ensign Peak. Rob carried Guy in a Baby Bjorn the whole time (thanks again, Bethany)and he was great--even though we woke him up from a nap to go.

14 of the 16 cousins at the top of Ensign Peak - with Papa.

Yep, they are related! Guy with his cousin Jack (I love those blue eyes!)

We have a dream . . .

Rob loves cars. He's really into them - enjoys looking, and learning about them. The cars he's bought have pretty much been what I call "old man cars" - Lincolns and Cadillacs (I think).

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One day Rob and I are going to restore a classic car together. Since it will probably end up being a pretty big investment, we want to make sure that we both like it. Because our tastes vary so much we have to start “shopping” now (the last time we went shopping for clothes for Guy and me it wasn’t long before Rob said, “Do you sometimes wonder how we ever got married?”. . . sometimes, kind of).

Last Friday we drove up to Logan for a car show – it was the first one Rob and I have been to together, and of course we took Guy on our outing. It was a bit of a drive, but worth it, I think, because while it was a holiday weekend and we had a lot going on (putting over 200 miles on cars and the motorcycle combined), it was Rob’s favorite thing all weekend, and I enjoyed it too.

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We saw: the "Back to the Future" car in all it's winged glory (okay, not the actual one, but one like it), a very pink Cadillac, lots of Bel Airs (I kept finding that my eyes were continually drawn to them), a 1923 Model T, a few Chevelles (and I'm liking them more and more), plenty of Camaros and Mustangs, a couple Shelby GT 500s, and much much more.

The Camaro

One of the many Bel Airs (there was one with a matching trailer, too) -- I love them!
And a mustang (apparently the token car that wasn't red - didn't realize that 'til later)
This is what Guy could be driving in just a few years . . . if it wasn't $1800! Kind of crazy, right?
And lastly, a pretty neat looking motorcycleRight now I'm thinking maybe we should restore a Mustang . . . those are always fun.

Happy Fourth!

I've read some great blog entries and emails the past few days that have expressed so much gratitude and appreciation for our wonderful country. It really makes me grateful for what my mom and dad taught my siblings and me as kids--I think we all learned to love our country at a young age. I feel a bit sad when others I know don't have a great appreciation for our country, especially because I think that is mostly due to a lack of knowledge and understanding. So thanks, mom and dad, for teaching us..

Some things I found myself thinking this past weekend:

I know that the founding and establishment of our country was inspired on this dedicated and consecrated land. It is because of our establishment of government and religious freedoms that so much of the world is free to practice their faith of choice. I know that there are good things about other countries, but there's nothing like the good ol' U S of A anywhere. I'm grateful for the inspiration of the founding fathers and the sacrifices they made to give us the rights we have. It makes me sad to think of what politics have now become (mostly I consider my votes to be a vote for the LEAST harmful/corrupt - morally, ethically, and every other way), but I still recognize that our democratic freedoms are a blessing. Though I don't love some of what our system has become and even some of what it now stands for, I know I'm blessed to be born in this country.

I'm grateful for the 4th - while I know we should recognize and remember the privileges we have continually, it's a day/weekend that makes it easy to do so.

And here's one photo from the weekend - a classmate of Rob's took it. She's sending a few more our way later this week - I can't wait to get them all. :)

Laughing Guy

I filmed this the other night right before Guy went to bed, so the lights are low and it's kind of difficult to see, but it was pretty funny to hear Guy laughing so much--which started in response to Rob's hiccups.

Childbirth v. Kidney Stone

In terms of pain, I'm pretty dang sure that the kidney stone wins. Funny that I was talking about that with my parents one day not too long ago. Since I had experienced both but was remembering the pain of the kidney stone of December '00 more than the pain of childbirth I'd say the stone is worse (of course, that could just be because there's no overwhelming joy and celebration overshadowing all else when you pass a stone). And although I got an epidural, I'll choose to remind you now that the needle was in for over an hour before it was hooked up to the juice that numbs you. That wasn't fun at all as I felt labor pains and the needle in my back with almost every move.

However . . . I did get an epidural, and it did end up working. Right now I don't even have the option for an epidural, and I really wish I could sign up for one. After my first encounter with the stones I started drinking water like it's going out of style because dehydration is one of the known causes of kidney stones--actually it may be the only known cause.

Looks like all my water drinking didn't help.

I learned a new word today--Idiopathic. The Dr. told me it's a fancy word for unknown. Used in a sentence: Most causes of kidney stones are idiopathic. Lovely, isn't it? For some reason I already find myself disliking that word in tremendous ways.

The suggested remedy after this kidney stone diagnosis: Come back in two days for xrays . . . if it still hurts.

I love that I had to pay for that.
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. . . An extra big thanks to Eden and Dad today - Eden came and got Guy today so that I could do the drs visit and lab work without dragging Guy everywhere. Thanks Eden! And thanks Dad, for waiting for her.