Food for thought Friday

This is a recipe I haven't actually tried, but I have been going through the Lion House Classics recipe book we got as a wedding gift. I haven't been ambitious enough to open it up, but now that I have I am wishing I would have sooner! I found a great roll recipe that I didn't screw up, it was so easy, and I stink at making rolls if they aren't Rhodes! I won't post that recipe unless someone requests it, I know most people have their own favorite that they use. These sound really good, I love carrot cake so I think I may like carrot cookies!

Iced Carrot Cookies

1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cooked, mashed carrots
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut
Orange Frosting (below)

In large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs; beat until fluffy. Add mashed carrots. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in coconut. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool, then ice with Orange frosting. Makes 4 dozen small cookies.

Orange Frosting
1 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp grated orange peel
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp soft margarine

In small bowl, combine all ingredients; stir until well mixed.

I would assume that you could use a cream cheese icing if you wanted to. Someday I will try it both ways.

What a good son

I think I am training Donovan well. He likes to wipe down everything in the house. I guess he watches me clean! He is cleaning one of his board books as I type this. Am I creating a clean freak?


For anyone who cares, I felt pretty good today. Once it hit about 5:00 I started to feel a little drained, but that's better than feeling tired and sick all day! Hopefully I will feel even better tomorrow so Donovan and I can get out and run around a little bit.

Now it's my turn!

Now that Donovan is starting to get better, it's my turn to be sick. I am feeling worse and worse by the second. I seem to get sick at the most convenient times. Brad has recruits coming tomorrow and they will be here until Saturday morning so he won't be home very much for the next few days. It's times like this that I want my mommy to live closer so she can take care of me.

Donovan is getting cabin fever and so am I so we attempted to go to the park this afternoon. It was almost 60 degrees today so Lenna and I thought we could meet and have the boys play at the park together. Donovan was ready to be outside so we went before Mason and Lenna. Lenna had a hard time convincing Mason to go and it was a little chilly so Donovan and I ended up going over to their house to play. Mason blew bubbles and Donovan tried to pop them on the deck. At least they had fun! They also did some dancing and jumping on Mason's bed. We didn't stay too long, Donovan wanted to eat and the cat was making my already stuffed sinuses even stuffier. Now Donovan is watching a movie and I am ready to go to bed! Or maybe I'm just ready for him to go to bed...

Here are some of the things we do while Donovan is sick...

We keep the apartment nice and cluttered, try to do some splits, try on shoes, and rock out on Rockband.

Good video

I watched this on a friend's Facebook and it was really good. It's quite long, I just listened to it while I played with Donovan.

http://vimeo.com/2120177

This is a comment she made to someone after he had commented on her remarks, saying she may have been mistaken on one of her points. I really hope you take the time to read this. She is a very intelligent girl and an example of how I would like to be! I have to say I agree with her wholeheartedly and being in the mission field has confirmed this belief for me as well. There are many good people in the world, LDS or not. I do believe that we have the fullness of the Gospel, but I don't believe that means every other religion is wrong. As I have been taught, every religion has pieces to the puzzle, they all teach good doctrine, but no other church has the keys that we have. No other church has all the pieces. I hope that doesn't offend anyone, but I won't apologize for what I believe.

"Thanks so much, Mark, for your compliments and especially for your suggestion. I just read D&C 1:30, and it definitely got me to thinking. There is a difficult balance between ecumenical outreach and assertion of truth, and I definitely have so much to learn before I can find that proper balance. So I appreciate your comment.


D&C 1:30 "And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually—"

I assume that you were referring to the phrase, "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased" in your comment.

While we are definitely entitled to interpret this differently as inspired by the Holy Ghost, my interpretation of the scripture is as follows:

First, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only True and Living Church on the face of the whole earth.
Second, the Lord is well pleased with this Church.

In other words, I don't interpret it to mean that this is the only Church with which the Lord is well pleased. I believe the phrase "with which I, the Lord, am well pleased" is an adjective phrase modifying "church" and not an adverbial phrase modifying "only."

I believe the word "only" applies to the Church's status as the "true and living church" - meaning the only church that is endowed with power and authority from God (see President Eyring's recent *awesome* talk, "The True and Living Church," Ensign, May 2008, 20–24). This is evident also from the context of the scripture, where the Lord talks about the restoration of priesthood keys and the authority of His priesthood servants.

I don't take D&C 1:30 to mean that the Lord is only pleased with our Church and displeased with every other church “upon the face of the whole earth.” That smacks a bit of the folly of the Zoramites, evident in their prayer in Alma 31:16-18 "Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children... for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee... And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen."

Rather, I believe that God is "well pleased" with "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy" (Article of Faith 13) - wherever it may be found, in whatever religion.


Thanks again for your encouraging and constructive remark, Mark. And thanks to everyone else as well, for your comments and especially for your additional testimonies."

What a week...

I will start off by telling you about our Emergency Room experience. Yes, we had our first trip to the ER last night at 9:30. Don't be alarmed, Donovan is just fine now, but he gave us a scare. He was starting to sound a little hoarse yesterday morning while we were at the zoo, we didn't think much of it because he was acting just fine. When we got home he ate a little bit of lunch and took a decent nap. He didn't want very much of his snack and he would only eat noodles for dinner so we knew he was getting sick but weren't worried, he seems to do alright when he is sick. He was sounding a little croupy so we put his humidifier in his room and put him to bed. An hour and a half later Brad heard him in his room crying so we went in and he was struggling pretty hard to breath, I immediately looked up croup on the internet because I thought that is what he had and I read the suggestions, but I also noticed that it said if they were breathing fast or struggling to breath to get medical attention. I was terrified because he really was struggling. His little chest was sinking in while he tried to breath. It didn't take long for us to decide on the Emergency Room. I was teary eyed trying to explain to the lady why we were there, of course. I am so good at composing myself, unless my emotional state has to do with my child! They ended up diagnosing him with croup and gave him steroids and motrin. He had to have a chest x-ray which was HORRIBLE! They have this strange contraption that looks like a torture device to keep babies and toddlers still when they take the x-rays. He had to have his arms up the whole time so they wouldn't get in the way, and the thing had two plastic half tube looking things to hold his body still and his arms up. He did not like that at all, he was screaming and shaking the whole time. I felt so bad, situations like that are horrible for parents, I felt so helpless. Anyway, there was no pnemonia so we were happy about that. We got our steroid prescription and were out of there around 11 pm. He was very happy when he was done, while we were waiting for the prescription he was playing with the bed in the exam room and being really weird. Apparently the steroids can make kids a little wired. He took his steroid today and has been a little weird and crazy...even more than usual! He sounds a million times better today. Brad and I took shifts for church, he went for Sacrament Meeting and I went to teach my YW.

I will start from the beginning, now that our big story is out of the way! That was the most exciting part of our week, but we did some fun things throughout the rest of the week.

Here are my boys, watching the deer. This picture was taken on Monday and the snow is already gone.
My naked little man. He still enjoys naked time, but we haven't given him quite as much after a couple of pee pee accidents. I guess as long as he isn't hiding and pooing somewhere I can't really complain.Donovan helped me make some sugar cookies this week. He got to wear his awesome apron again and he loved being around his mommy helping out. He helped me with the egg, sugar, vanilla, and flour. We had to fish out a few egg shells and add more flour since half of it didn't quite make it to the bowl, but it was fun and the mess was totally worth it. The only cutters I have right now are Halloween so we just used a cup.


Another trip to the zoo, this time Daddy came with us! Brad didn't have anything going on Saturday so even though it was cold we decided to get out and do something together.
This is one of the many faces Donovan pulls.

And of course he wanted to climb up the rock, but couldn't quite make it...

so Daddy helped! When Donovan got up there he tried to grab the lizard before he decided he was done.
He wanted to chase the ducks, but when he caught up to them he stared for a while and walked away.
This is what he was staring at in last weeks video. He stares the whole time as he walks through it, but doesn't ever stop to look at anything.
He loved going to the jungle with his daddy!
He especially loved the jungle floor because it was covered in mud.
He is such a little man. He absolutely loves steering wheels. If he sees one, he has to play with it.

I can't remember which night this is, but he was being a little crazy. I think Brad was managing a basketball game so Donovan and I were home watching a movie before bedtime. This is basically Donovan in a nutshell. He comes up with the silliest games. Falling is his new one.

His new favorite book is Go Away Big Green Monster. I will ask him if he wants to read it and he starts to flip out, he gets so excited! He is getting better at saying "Go Away" and it is so cute!

Oh Joy....

Two of my sisters in law and my cousins wife are doing this, so I guess I am in too. I am posting the one Heidi (cousin) is doing.

Homemade Fun:
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!
My choice.
For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! But you probably will...I'm just saying.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. That gives me a good 10 1/2 months to get it done!
4. It will be a surprise.The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so, and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Food for thought Friday

I'm pretty sure this is my Grandma Newville's recipe. She makes very good lasagna and I love everything she bakes! I need to get her Pound Cake recipe, I have never found another pound cake that I like. I could eat these for a week straight!

Cranberry Muffins
Desired amount of cranberries (usually about a cup I think, I use frozen cranberries and cut them into fourths)
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp vinegar mixed with milk equaling 3/4 c.)

Set aside 1/2 c. sugar mixed with cranberries. Mix other 1/2 c. sugar, egg, and buttermilk. Sift dry ingredients, add to wet mixture until wet and pour in cranberries, mix until flour is all mixed in. Bake in greased muffin tin for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Mine still haven't turned out perfect like my mom and grandma's, but I may try it again this weekend!

Snow Days

We really got hit hard with snow yesterday! I think it ended up being about 6 inches, but by our apartment I think it almost piled up to a foot. Donovan and I decided we had to get out when it stopped snowing hard and he had a blast. He had a difficult time walking in it, but he still wanted to be in it.
I tried to make paths for him to follow but it only worked for a little while.

It came up to his little knees!
This morning, for Valentine's Day, we decorated cookies with the Hiatt's. The boys wore their cute aprons their Granny made them. Donovan loves his Mickey apron!
Donovan preferred eating to decorating, although he did enjoy shaking the sprinkles.
Lenna made a "D" and an "M" for Donovan and Mason. Donovan started eating his before we could decorate it, but at least I got one picture!After cookies, the Hiatt's came over to our place to sled down our hill. It ended up being the perfect hill for them.


We only had one mishap all day, it was in the small Polar Bear sled. Donovan liked tipping over at the end, but ended up tipping over in the middle of the hill on one of his runs. It wasn't very fun, he was pretty scared. After that he only wanted to ride on the big round tube. At least he didn't quit all together! In this video you will see how much faster this one goes.

He finally figured out how to walk in the snow, without whining for me to help him!

He needed a short break.

He loves being outside! It wasn't too cold, which was nice. He lasted much longer than I thought he would. I actually had a lot of fun too, I usually HATE snow, but I enjoyed it. Maybe it's because I had snow pants and boots :). I was the wimp of the group.Donovan's Granny also sent him some treats and popcorn along with his apron, so we decided to make it tonight. This is how I got him out of the tub, I told him we would make popcorn. Once he got out of the tub he was running around saying "pop, pop, pop". He loves popcorn. At least it's semi-healthy!

Sorry about the boring comments, I figure the pictures speak for themselves and I am trying to get this done fast so we can watch a movie and eat our popcorn!

Recipe Friday

This is a recipe I had to do last minute on Wednesday. I had started something else and it wasn't working so I changed my mind. I didn't have a recipe so I made it up. It wasn't to die for, but it was pretty good.

Chicken Parmesan

2-3 cooked chicken breasts (you can try doing this without cooking them first but I had already cooked my chicken)
1 cup bread crumbs
3 tbsp parmesan cheese (I just used the Kraft stuff)
Cooked Spaghetti noodles (about 8 oz or so)
1 can Spaghetti sauce
Desired amount of mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Place cooked spaghetti and spaghetti sauce in a 9x13 pan. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together, dip chicken in mixture before placing on top of spaghetti. Sprinkle more parm before sprinkling mozzarella on top. Place in oven and cook for about 30 minutes or as long as you need to if using raw chicken.

For those of you who have been jealous of our warm weather, you will be happy to know that it is over for the time being. It started snowing about 2 hours ago and this is how it looks right now.

More warm weather

Bradley is home now, hooray! He got home Tuesday afternoon. I had to wake Donovan up from his nap so we could pick Brad and Jordan up from the airport but once I said we were going to pick daddy up he got very excited and didn't even make a fuss getting into his car seat (the car seat is becoming a struggle). He was so happy to see his daddy, he started crying when Brad was putting his bags in the trunk because he couldn't see him. The trip went well for both coaches, they found a lot of potential recruits. They did have some bad luck going to and from Southern Utah though. On the way down, Brad got a speeding ticket and on the way back up he managed to hit a coyote with the rental car. Thank goodness the school's insurance pays for rental car mishaps and he earned more than enough money from the tryouts to pay the ticket while they were down there. The day he got home, he had to help out with the basketball game in the evening, so I went to workout once we got home and Donovan and I went to the park after Brad left. It was in the mid 60's on Tuesday! It was so nice, I pulled out the stroller and Donovan and I walked to the park. Donovan had a blast.


This was when he was telling me to come with him so I could push him down the slide.
He loves wheels, anytime he sees one he has to play with it.

Today was another nice day. It was sunny and in the 40's so we decided to go to the zoo after Donovan's nap. That was easier said than done! I always let Donovan play with my keys (apt keys, not car keys), he likes to run around and pretend to unlock doors. We had gone to Hyvee and the mall this morning and he was really good so I let him play with them while I got his lunch ready. After he ate his afternoon snack I was ready to go and was packing up his bag when I noticed the keys weren't in the bag and they weren't hanging up. I forgot to put them away when I gave him his lunch. I spent the next almost 2 hours looking for those stupid keys and couldn't find them so rather than cry in frustration and get even more upset, we decided to go to the zoo and find the keys later. Brad sent me a text when he got home and told me he found the keys in 2 minutes. They were in Donovan's box of diapers...the one place I didn't look. We are going to have to get Donovan some keys that don't go to anything so I don't have to worry about them getting lost!!

Anyway, the zoo was a lot of fun. Donovan ran from one place to another. We spent most of our time in the Desert Dome and the Kingdom of the Sea. He went around the Kingdom of the Sea twice, it's his favorite, he loves fish.
He is such a handsome boy!I was trying to capture his "whoa" but he wasn't doing it the same as he was the other day. They are still cute videos though!

While Daddy's away...

Donovan and Mommy will play! Brad has been on a recruiting trip in Utah since Thursday and won't be back until Tuesday so Donovan and I have been trying to fill our days with fun to make the time go by faster. The weather has been awesome (almost 60 on Friday and Saturday) so we went to the zoo Friday morning. I didn't bother with the stroller, I hooked him up to his monkey leash and let him guide me through the zoo. He had a great time but wore himself out and was ready to go home when the time came. I didn't take my camera, but he was being HILARIOUS. He has been saying "wow" for a long time, but while we were at the zoo he kept saying "whoa". He almost sounded like a surfer saying "whooooa, dude". It made me laugh. He loved the fish as he always does, I think they are his favorite. I think that is the most fun we have ever had at the zoo. He even made some friends who taught him how to play with the chains by the aviary doors. The only downside was all of the melting dirty snow. I had an issue about him playing with it so he got upset and that is when we decided it was time to go.

Other than being outside and going to the zoo, we have done a lot of coloring. It's one of Donovan's favorite things now. I was noticing that when he would color in a coloring book, he would go for the blank side of the covers, so we got him a tablet of blank paper and he loves it. I actually heard in an art class that giving children blank paper and letting them create instead of coloring something that is already there helps them develop their creativity so I guess it's a good thing.We have also been playing "potatoes" (as Mason calls it). He is getting much better about putting the parts in the correct places.
We have watched A Goofy Movie three times since Brad left and will probably watch it a fourth time when he wakes up from his nap. He loves this movie. I give him the option of about four movies and he goes for Goofy every time!
His favorite part is the beginning concert. I have enjoyed watching him and seeing his facial expressions as he watches. He seems to find Goofy very humorous. He always has a big grin on his face when Goofy is on the screen. I don't blame him, who doesn't love Goofy?

I just threw this picture in because he looks so handsome when we go to church. I was having a hard time getting him to walk in the chapel this morning so I told him we were going to find Mason and he got a big grin on his face and ran straight to where Mason and Scott were sitting (Lenna was giving a talk today, she did a great job).
Last night, Donovan and I went to the mall to get some stuff for my lesson. I decided to let him play in the play area for a while and when he got sick of that we walked around until he found the bubble gum machines. He kept signing "candy", and then "eat". After he figured out I wasn't going to let him have any, he tried to grab it through the glass and then he would suck on his fingers. He is already good at playing pretend! I guess that is what you have to do when your mean mom won't let you chew gum at 18 months old. He has been cracking me up all weekend. He is learning things so fast, I just wish he would say more words. He talks all the time, but most of it is jibberish at this point. At least he can grab our hands and show us what he wants!

My first born

I got tagged with this on Facebook, but would rather fill it out here. Since it's about Donovan, I will do it!

Here you go mom's - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself


1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED?
No, Donovan was a very pleasant surprise.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
I was terrified. Brad and I weren't planning on kids until 2010...that's still a year away and Donovan is 18 months old.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Never

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
20 when we found out, 21 when he was born.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
I kind of knew. I could feel it, I just didn't feel right and knew that was the reason. The test confirmed it.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
My best friend Jessica, and then Bradley. Like I said, I was terrified.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
Of course, I have never liked surprises...unless I don't know about them before I get them.

9. DUE DATE?
August 22, 2007

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Not too bad, I did have to make some trips to the bathroom at work and after eating Cafe Rio, but I was pretty good for the most part.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Otter Pops, watermelon, and fried chicken (gross, I know).

12.WHAT IRRITATED YOU?
I don't like to be touched anyway, so anyone trying to touch my stomach irritated me.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Male

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No, I knew it was a boy the whole time. I wanted a boy first.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY
45 or more. Go ahead and judge me, but my baby was healthy.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
I had 2.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew about both of them.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
I had a couple of scares, but everything went smoothly.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, IA. It was actually really nice, we got a private room and I was able to give birth in the same room I was staying in. It's a nice hospital.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
We started the pitocin at 9 am or so and I started pushing around 8 pm. He was here about an hour after I started pushing. But I guess I was in labor for about 12 hours (definitely not hard labor though). Wow, that was a long answer.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Bradley

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Just Brad and the team of 3 nurses and Dr. Potter. Brad swore he wasn't going to watch but he ended up watching and thought it was really cool.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
I got the epidural. I made sure I was completely numb. When I started to feel my legs, I would push the button. I don't think I will be such a wuss the next time.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
8 lbs 3 oz

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN?
August 13, 2007

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Donovan Byron. Byron is my grandpa's middle name and Landon Donovan inspired his first name. We didn't name him after Landon Donovan, he was just the inspiration!
I love this picture because I think he looks like one of the porcelain dolls my Grandma Goodman makes.

Friday Recipe

This may sound gross to some people, but I had it in high school at a friends house. It was something we made up really quick because we were starving but had to leave in a hurry. Her mom was making chicken nuggets for her siblings and we were toasting some bagels.

Chicken bagel sandwich
1 toasted original bagel
desired amount of cream cheese
3 Tyson dino nuggets

I made Donovan some chicken nuggets one day and decided to have it again and it was still tasty. It's easy and fast and really delicious. Much better than any fast food chicken sandwich! I know this is a really lame recipe, but I couldn't think of anything else!

Nice weekend

Donovan was so happy on Saturday. It almost hit 50 degrees so we were able to go run around and play outside without freezing our bums off.
This picture explains it all.
He found a stick and in true boy style, had to find a mud puddle to dig at with his stick. I had to strip him down before letting him go inside. Even his face had mud on it.
This is all he did for the first 15 minutes.

We were playing with "potatoes" this morning and he was actually trying to put the glasses on his eyes. He usually just puts them on his neck.
He gave up on the eyes.

I have this fear that since this winter has been so mild, it is going to last a lot longer like it did last year. We have had our below zero and single digit degree days, but not too many of them. We don't even have snow on the ground right now. Usually after it snows here, it freezes and sticks around for weeks, but that hasn't happened.

Brad and I are doing really well. He is very happy with his job, minus a few silly issues that are starting to annoy him. He comes home so happy now and Donovan and I love it! Now that he has a more flexible schedule, I have been able to go to the gym on campus. I have always been able to go there for free (they have an awesome brand new cardio facility), but I have never had the ability to go on a schedule since Brad's was so sporadic and he worked such long days. Now when Brad gets home, I can have dinner ready for him and leave to workout. It is a great feeling getting in shape. I always get so lazy even though I feel so much better when I workout. Now I have no excuse not to and it feels great! Now if I can only regulate my eating habits :) I need to stop eating so much junk. Or maybe I can workout for an extra hour to get rid of those extra calories.