The bags are packed, the car is weighed down and yet, I still dont feel ready for this vacation!

A little bit of YUM

The other night it had been a long day at work and the last thing that I wanted to do was make dinner. I had remembered watching a foodnetwork special the night before on the Red Iguana in Salt Lake City where they featured their Mole. We had been there before but always ended up ordering the same old boring thing. This time we decided to branch out and try a Mole. Holy Mole am I glad that we did! If you are ever in Salt Lake and want really super yummy Mexican food you NEED to try the Red Pipian Mole. I still dont know how they got such a great flavor in such a simple sauce! It is a Pumpkin sauce that they spice up with peppers, onions and tomatoes and wow is it good! Thought I would pass it on if you love Mexican food like we do!
It is simply the best thing I think I have ever eaten.

The other day I was on my way to work. It was my night at work to close and be the manager in charge so I didnt have to be there until 1:00. I decided to leave a little early so that I could grab some lunch. I decided to stop at the Subway in American Fork.
I got in line and ordered my sandwich and found a seat. About 5 minutes later the entire place was packed full of students from a nearby Highschool. There must have been 30 or more students packed into that little tiny building. I noticed that at the very end of the line there was a short, cute little gal who was standing alone looking very uncomfortable. Not one person tried to include her or involve her in anyway. For some reason it was just killing me seeing her so lonely and uncomfortable. On my way out I mentioned to her that she had a cute backpack and the cute little smile on her face just made my day... I just couldnt quit thinkin about the situation.
I dont think that we ever know what someone is going through, life if full of challenges that are big and small. Lately there are times where it seems easier to feel sorry for yourself rather than getting up and trying to make a difference to somebody.
I hope we can all try to make a difference in some ones day.

Its coming....

Only 499 hours..... but who's counting!?!

Meredith and Abbey

(This was a email that I received and I thought it had a precious message)

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:


***********************************************************
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

She kicked some bootie!

Here is Audrey getting ready to cross the finish line! I was down the road a little ways looking for Audge. I had runners passing me when I realized that about a 1/4 of the runners were asking me the time. So being a runner idiot, I kept looking at my watch and telling them at actual time. Later I found out that they wanted to know their time (running) not what time it actually was... oops! SORRY RUNNERS, I had no clue what their time was
The Canyon that you see in the background is where the runners were bused up to and then dropped off.
All the runners looked the same! We kept looking for Audrey hoping that we hadnt missed her. I told my mom that they would have a problem finding me because I didnt see one fat person there running... Not one!

Beyond Glazed

Have you tried Beyond Glazed?
I have driven by this place about a thousand times and never knew what I was missing out on. In Draper there is the best little doughnut shop! They make gourmet doughnuts.
Today I was craving a treat and decided to stop in and grab a little treat. I ended up getting the German Chocolate doughnut. Wow, is all I can say. They toast their coconut and swirl on Chocolate and some other swirl that I cant tell what it is yet but I dont care! It is YUM-O!
They guy at the counter said that they make a new batch every few hours so they are always fresh. If you are ever in Draper, you NEED to try this place! I took this picture from my friend Val's blog. She is the one who got us all turned on to these awesome treats!
At nearly $2 a doughnut they arent cheap but a fun little treat!

Go Audge Podge!

This is my sister Audrey. I am so proud of her! Tomorrow she has decided to run a half marathon in Utah County. She has been training for this for quite sometime and she is doing it completely alone. The only way I would run a half marathon is if a Alligator was chasing me and even then I am not sure that I could do it. Audrey is such a awesome woman. She is a independent, strong, smart lady and when she puts her mind to something, there is no going back! I am proud of you Audrey and I cant wait to see ya at the finish line! Love ya girl!

A fun party for Irene and Andrew

Maddie and Linda were playing this really cute game. I was in the other room when I heard my mom laughing and giggling. When we went in the front room, Maddie kept pushing her nose into Linda's over and over. It was darling

This is the happy couple (engaged at the time, now married!)

Me and Mitch

The group of boys that took Andrew out for his bachelor party. I think Robbie and Karl had way too much fun getting all the things ready for Andrew's party

Mitch and Robbie

This picture makes me laugh every single time. I walked out on the balcony and saw Mitch looking at me with these crazy eyes..

The Baird gals

Meliss and Michelle

The Clegg fam. Irene is looking super hot! We all helped make her outfit!

My cute sister and mama

The future bride. Doesnt she look fashionable! I love the hand made roses that Audrey and Liz created

Ally and Audge

Irene's vera wang dress... oh wait.. not quite!

What a fun night we had! Thanks guys for letting us help celebrate with you!

Family, Fires and Fun!

I have been looking forward to this upcoming weekend for quite sometime. After nearly a month of putting in extra long hours and some sleepless nights, the time has nearly come to go spend time with my family up in the mountains camping!!! I honestly cannot wait!

We purchased our first sleeping bags and a air mattress to make our stay a little more comfortable

One of my favorite things to do is to sit around the smelly fire and laugh and spend time with my family. We usually end up sharing memories that we have had and toasting our gooey marshmallows that usually end up charred and sootie . While growing up I remember my dad always having his copper pipes that he would bring camping. Sound unusual, that is because it is!! He has learned how to make the entire campfire glow with shades of purple, green and blues. It is quite mesmerizing.

I cant wait to see our family and spend some much needed time together

TODAYS HGTV FINDS!

New Color trends in the market are different shades of Earth Tones. I love drapes that elongate the room. My mom has some of those in her house and they are so beautiful! It really makes the room look bigger.

I thought that this was a really cute way to decorate with different shades of Green as well.

Cutest Boutique

I was helping a customer a few weeks ago that I hadnt helped since I worked downtown. I asked her why on earth she was all the way down in Orem Utah and she mentioned that she has to come and check out this cute boutique called Dear Lizzie. I hadnt heard of it so after work that night I stopped in to check it out. This is such a girlie girl store. I absolutely loved it. In one area they have a Bistro where you can order cakes, cookies and lots of other yummy treats. In the main area they have a clothing boutique section as well as many other rooms filled with Perfume and house decor. It was just darling.

HGTV's Before and After room

BEFORE

One of my favorite things to do everyday is go to HGTV and check out their daily Before and After section. Look how boring and simple this room is. It is very ordinary and blah..

After

This is the after room!!! It looks like a completely different house. I love how they have incorporated one of the biggest trends right now, Animal print! I love what they have done!

Tyrant Collection

The other night Mitch and I were invited to a awesome Launch party for our Friends new company. Brandon and Ty have put so much time and energy into this new company and you could not help but get so excited for these two. They make these super trendy new Necklaces and Bracelets that can have different words written on them. It was exciting to see all of their new product and how passionate they are. Its very cool! Check them out on Tyrantcollection.com

Terra Mia aka BEST PIZZA EVER!!!

It's official.. I am obsessed. The other day Gena and I decided to try somewhere new for lunch since we haven't really been able to take a "real" break at work lately, we decided it was time to take a real lunch break. We left Nordies and wandered over to a little complex by the new Movie theaters. We found this place called Terra Mia Restaurante. When we walked in we were immediately tempted by this awesome bar of Gelato ice cream but we decided to eat some real food first. The menu has a variety of authenic Italian dishes, not American favorites. The one I decided to order was the Margherita Pizza. It was heaven, that is all I can say. It had Sauce, Mozarella and Basil and dang it was so yum! The guy told us that everything is ordered directly from Italy and the Pizza chef that day was rated in the top ten in Italy for Pizza makers. Anyway, if you are in the area ever you should really check this place out. It was awesome!!
We havent tried any of the Pasta's or Salads yet but the Pizza is worth the drive alone!!
I was talking with the owner and he even came and sat at the table and started chatting, it was funny but he did mention that they are thinking of expanding to either the Lehi area by JCW's or up in Sandy by the new rack! I know that I am going on and on but it really was awesome!

Yum!

Chocolate Coconut squares
Okay okay, so maybe I like posting about food right now because most of this is forbidden for a bit longer!! I found this really cool site where this guy shows you step by step how to make fun recipes. So these are compliments of Pete Bakes!

chocolate coconut squares
from Gourmet Magazines favorite cookies of the 1990s. makes 36 squares.

13 small (2-inch) wheatmeal biscuits such as Carr’s or ten 5- by 2 1/2-inch graham crackers
3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (about 5 oz)
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
2 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. preheat oven to 350° F. in a food processor pulse biscuits or crackers until finely ground. melt butter and in large bowl stir together with crumbs, coconut, and salt until combined. firmly press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and bake in middle of oven until golden, about 15 minutes. cool crust completely in pan on a rack.

2. chop chocolate. in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and cool chocolate 15 minutes.

3. in a small bowl lightly beat yolks. in a saucepan heat cream over moderate heat until it just boils and whisk 1/2 cup into yolks, whisking constantly. add mixture to remaining cream and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until an instant-read thermometer registers 160F. whisk custard into chocolate until just smooth and pour evenly over crust, smoothing top with a small metal offset spatula or rubber spatula.

4. chill confection, covered, at least 4 hours, or until firm. with a sharp thin knife cut confection into 36 squares. squares keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container and chilled, 1 week.
using star shapes cut out of parchment paper as a stencil, dust squares with confectioners’ sugar.

Gougere

gougère
from Great Bar Food at Home. makes 15 1 1/2″ puffs.

1/2 cup water
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 oz gruyère cheese, finely grated

1. preheat the oven to 375F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it.

2. heat the water, butter and whie pepper in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. when the butter is melted and mixture simmers, dump in the flour all at once and stir. reduce the heat to medium and stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly, for a few seconds.

3. add the eggs one at a time, beating well, one at a time. beat in the mustard and all but 2-3 Tbsp of the cheese. drop by teaspoons or pipe through a pastry bag. i poured the batter into a baggie and cut one of the corners so i could pipe it. sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

4. bake for about 25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. serve warm. these will keep for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed airtight container, or frozen for up to 2 weeks. reheat at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

spinach artichoke dip

2 cups parmesan cheese
10oz box frozen spinach, thawed
14oz can artichoke hearts, drained
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp garlic, minced

1. Thaw the spinach in the microwave and mix with the drained artichoke hearts in a casserole dish. mix in the cheese.

2. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave and combine with the sour cream, mayo and garlic. stir the cream mixture into the spinach and artichokes until everything is coated.

3. bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes.

Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Brownies

Today on foodnetwork I saw Giada make this yummy yummy brownies. So I decided that we had to try them for Fathers Day!

Here is what you will need

Ingredients
2/3 cup raspberry jam
1 (21-ounce) box brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge)

(we didnt have any so we just used Grandma Baird's recipe)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup chopped salted almonds
Directions
Position a baking rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
In a small saucepan, stir the jam constantly over low heat until pourable, about 1 minute. Set aside.
In a large bowl, blend together the brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Using an electric hand mixer beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the jam over the top of the brownie batter. Using a small spatula, swirl jam into the brownie batter. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted about 1-inch from the edge of the pan comes out clean. Spread with the melted chocolate and sprinkle with salted almonds. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.
Cut into 16 bars and store airtight in a plastic container for up to 1 week.

Bar J Ranch, Jackson Hole and Shooting

Our family decided to take a quick trip and head up to Jackson. We were able to see the cutest show. A family decided years ago that they would turn their family ranch into a entertaining ranch. We had 20 different people that decided to head up to Bar-J ranch for the evening.
These are the 4 men that put on the entertainment portion of the show.
They feed you a traditional chuck wagon style dinner.

While we were waiting for Bar-J to start we decided to walk around downtown Jackson. The weather was not that great, it rained a few times but we ended up having a great time.
My family

Palisades Reservoir



The day before, we went over to go see Sam and Karalee's new house. They are extremely talented! I had to take a few pictures of their home to get ideas.
My awesome parents
All the kids with Aunt Sally

Mom with Viv. She was such a doll.



Later we were all taught how to shoot guns with Chris, Ben and Brett. I thought we were going to go deaf for sure but it was fun!