Memory Card

I'm emptying my memory card. Let's see whats on it.


I tried to replicate the table in this pic:


I sewed this cushion and skirt! What a fun project. Tara Janson came over and helped me with it. I have so much fun sewing with friends.

I baked Challah and made sandwiches with it for Tara, Jon and myself. Mmmmm

I cut Jon's hair yesterday and apparently I did not cut the back straight. So he had me take a picture and show me what to do.

I'm giving this rug away.

The end.

Would-Have-Been Oscar Party

Last year I went to my good friend Laura Nipper's Oscar Party. It was probably one of the funnest times I've had at a party. I made a homemade ice cream cake. But before I made this delicious cake I wanted to make Oscar shaped chocolate. I could not for the life of me find a mold so I asked Jon (the research expert) to locate one for me. But alas, after hours of searching he came upon an article about a company that was sued for making Oscar chocolate molds. Fast forward a year later and I came across Bakerella's awesome site with a spotlight on this years Oscars. She made Oscar shaped sugar cookies. So why am I going on and on about the Oscar's? Because I would love to throw an Oscar party at my house and make these cookies and serve caramelized popcorn and play an awesome Oscar Bingo game (cause you know Bingo is my FAVORITE game!) But I'm not. Last years guests have all moved (except for 1 but she just had a baby and I'm not sure I want to expose her to Brad Pitt's ugly beard).

Please check out these awesome sites for my would-have-been Oscar party!

Bakerella

Oscar BINGO game

What am I up to?

*Sigh*~deep breath~
I've been busy, and then I haven't been busy. I interviewed for a job back in December and 3 weeks later I landed the position. 4 weeks later I quit. I'll spare you the boring details. I will say that I have the best husband in the world. He defended my honor and was literally my knight in shining armor-except he was soaking wet. It didn't work out and I moved on. I've been working on several projects which I had saved up for last year. See, I had a job and was making money. I saved up to buy the materials for my projects but had no time. Now I have the time and have been busy working hard around the T-home while I look for another job.
In other news I got a new calling as the Young Women Laurel Advisor. I'm still teaching Family History to those who want to hear me :) I love being busy with church responsibilities. It makes me feel useful and needed. I like the feeling of being needed.
Soon I will post some fun pic's of the projects I've been dedicating myself to as well as the people who have helped me.

Valentine's Day

I got to spend a wonderful Valentine's Day with my prince charming. On Saturday night we went dancing at the Gold and Green ball. Sunday morning Jon made us a wonderful breakfast and then he gave me the sweetest present ever!


I am holding the box of chocolate my prince gave to me on Valentine's Day. It helps that a month ago I saw this box of chocolate at Target, took a picture of it with my phone, and sent it to Jon with the caption "Buy this for me on V-day. I love you!" Nough' said.

After reading my blog prince charming decided to make me this shirt with red glitter vinyl. I love him.

Words Worth 1,000 Pictures

While reading LDS Living Magazine I read a cute story about a mother's creativity in journaling her child's words. I have read plenty of blogs where mothers post the cute or sometimes "interesting" words their kiddos have said. After reading this article I realized why it is sometimes fun to document the words of a child. :)

Written by Carolyn Leduc

Whenever he spat out a new word, I went scrambling for a pen. Each of his precious first utterances became immortalized as “Sterling’s Quote of the Day.”
As my son grew into a babbling toddler, the novelty wore off- but I couldn’t stop writing. It occurred to me that the words were telling a story- his story. They showed his developing character. They revealed his feelings, his values, his sense of humor. They were painting a picture for me of what the world looked like to him, capturing his essence in a way no photograph could.
“These are the feathers of your eyes,” he said, pointing to my eyelashes.
Often giggling to myself, I’d take half a minute while the spaghetti boiled to jot his remark on a post-it note. Or half a minute while paused in traffic to write it on a grocery tab. Then at the end of the day, or at the end of the week, I’d collect my son’s quotes and put them in a journal.
It cost me next to no time at all. It yielded me an invaluable treasure.
In time, my quote-collecting efforts waned. Sterling was joined, after all, by three siblings, each rattling a chorus of darling lines daily, the like of which I could never have documented of I still hoped to, say, get dinner on the table.
But every now and then, when a poignant or telling phrase spilled from Sterling’s lips, I took a mental note and slipped it into my journal later.
Now fifteen and every bit an adolescent, his quotes document a distinctly maturing mindset.
“Four hamburgers, son? Can you really finish four hamburgers?” “Mom, I could finish five.”Or, in another occasion with my husband: “Sterling, you sure spend a lot of time in the gym…” “Three words, Dad: Basketball, football and chicks.”
I used to tell myself he was the one I was writing for. After all, without my help he would recall next to nothing of his early years. I set out wanting him to know a little something about the experiences that shaped how he thought, whom he trusted, what he valued. My goal was to help him know himself. And to be sure, the day may come when, deeply delving into the nature of his psyche, he will thoughtfully peruse his quote history, rub his chin, and exclaim, “Ahh! I see…”
But at the present, he’s not that hip to introspection. And I have come to concede that in the end, this journal may be more for my benefit than his. So on a day like today, when he throws me a line like, “Mom, could you give me some more space? I just want to be alone for a while,” I can look back and remember when his quote of the day was slightly more solicitous: “Mommy, see that quarter in my hand? It’s all my money. I’ll give you this while quarter if you play with me all day. Deal?”

A Star is Born

I love the movie "The Wizard of Oz". Judy Garland is absolutely beautiful and her voice is resounding. I've only ever seen 2 pictures that she has been in until today. You know those actors who have done such a great job in a movie that you can't imagine them in any other role? Take Scarlett O'Hare from "Gone with the Wind". I've yet to see her in any other role than Scarlett. I'm not ready for that yet. I'd heard great reviews for the movie" A Star is Born" so I loaded it up on my netflix and watched it. Although I skipped through some of the songs because musicals can bore me a bit, the plot and acting were phenomenal. I highly recommend this movie. You will gain a new respect for Judy Garland. Coincidentally it was announced yesterday that Beyonce and Russell Crowe will be in a remake with the same title. Hmmm, Judy Garland-Beyonce?? It could work!

Neat!

My older sister is expecting her first child in May and I can't wait to hold him and smell the top of his head! As I was scouring the internet I found this and thought I'd share it with all the new mommies in my ward.

How ingenious!




For more, click HERE

My favorite recipe

I am finally sharing my favorite home cooked meal with you. It's pretty simple to make and very finger lickin' good. General Tso's Chicken:



I thought I'd mention that some substitutions are okay. I prefer canola oil to peanut oil... it doesn't smell so bad when it's scorching hot. Also, I prefer lean chicken breast to chicken thighs. The key is really in the cornstarch coating and the sauce, anyway. Also, I sometimes substitute Mirin (found in the ethnic section) for regular rice wine. But really, any cooking wine will do to bring the sauce together. Also, pretty much any vinegar will work. So it's basically a very flexible recipe. I also sprinkle sesame seeds for that added touch.


General Tso's Chicken
By S. John Ross


It's not really a Chinese dish, but it's nevertheless one of the most popular dishes at Chinese restaurants here where I live, and elsewhere. General Tso's Chicken is very inexpensive to make, but some restaurants charge rather a lot for it, usually putting it with "Chef's Specialities" and the like on the menu, rather than with the ordinary chicken dishes. No fair! This is how to make it.

• 1 lb chicken thighs, boned and cubed
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup and 2 tsp cornstarch
• 5 dried pepper pods
• 1-1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce

In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat. If the mixture bonds too well, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces.

In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.

First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400^o). Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).

Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok. Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them. Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.

The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes). Serve immediately. Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli and rice.

Variations and Substitutions

Sherry substitutes well for the rice wine, but avoid "cooking sherry" if you can. Sugar in the sauce ranges from as little as a few teaspoons to a full half-cup in some recipes. Soy sauce, too, varies dramatically, rising as high as double that listed above. Nearly any sort of vinegar can be used. In some recipes, a tablespoon of soy sauce is added to the egg-and-cornstarch blend. In others, the chicken itself is marinated before being used, in either soy, wine, vinegar, or some combination of those.

Many recipes include a much lighter egg-and-cornstarch coating for the chicken (about 2 tbsp of starch and two eggs). I prefer the heavier coating; adjust to taste.

Optional Sauce Ingredients: A grind of fresh black pepper, a teaspoon of sesame oil, a teaspoon of MSG, a clove or two of garlic, a couple of fresh chopped scallions or green onions, 1-2 teaspoons of Chinese chili sauce, fresh ginger, a teaspoon of hoisin sauce, the minced rind of an orange, and many other items may be added to the sauce. Any vegetal additions should be added to the oil along with the chicken (the ginger can burn easily - add it last).

Light Tso Sauce: The traditional sauce for General Tso's is a heavy, spicy glaze, different from the lighter broth-based sauces found on most other Chinese dishes. Some prefer a lighter Tso sauce, too, and this can be achieved by tripling the cornstarch in the sauce and adding a half-cup of fluid. The "fluid" can be chicken broth, water, or even fruit juice (both orange and pineapple have been used). Cook the sauce only 'til it thickens, instead of waiting for a glaze. This version of the sauce is actually more common in the local restaurants; if you're a Tso fan, it might be what you're used to.