Moving....

I would love to post some festive ChrismaHanuKwanza photos here but it's not going to happen. We are moving to Queen Creek, AZ this week and the urge to gouge my eyes out is overwhelming. Sean's new job is in Gilbert and he has been staying with a friend (WE LOVE YOU MONTE) while we looked for a house/found renters for our Tucson house. Because of this, we have decided that we kind of like each other and would rather live under the same roof. My family has been AMAZING through this hectic time and I am thankful for all the help we have received already. Everything just fell into place all of the sudden, allowing us to move sooner than we had originally planned to. Heavenly Father truly blessed us! We are sad to be moving further away from family again but at least we are in the same state and only a few hours away.

So goodbye and farewell to Tucson, we hardly knew ya. We'll be back to visit often!

Big, Bad Five-Year-Old

Yesterday was Ben's fifth birthday and we celebrated with an "army guy" themed cake although the more I look at it, the more it looks like a "Happy Vietnam" cake. He requested pizza and salad for his birthday meal ( nice and easy righ? ). He had a small party last Saturday at Peter Piper Pizza. Grandma and Grandpa J were going to be out of town for his actual b-day and wanted to celebrate with him before they left. His friend Drew was there along with cousins Corynne and Allison. Last night was just the three of us and it was really fun. He is into the whole GI Joe thing right now but has not abandoned his love for Batman. Sorry the pics are so wierd but our lighting isn't the snazziest. I think we are going to enjoy having a five-year-old in the house but I sure will miss that four-year-old!

Beware of the Doghouse!

Don't let this happen to you.

Team Edward

Yep, I finally saw Twilight. I've heard many a critique and have read many reviews, both good and bad, and will put my two cents in. I can't help myself.

I.LOVED.IT.

Many people told me it was corny. Many people told me it was cheesy.

More corn and cheese please! I will definitely own this movie when the DVD is released and I will now have to endure the agonizing wait for the movie, "New Moon". Oh Stephenie Meyers, what have you done to me? They have likened you unto J.K. Rowling. J.K. who? (Ok, just kidding, I love the Harry Potter series and cannot wait to see "The Half-blood Prince") I was really happy to see that the movie followed the book fairly closely. In terms of the cast, I was happy with all but two. Carlisle and Rosalie. I just felt that these characters shoulde have looked different.


So there you have it. I will most likely see this again before it leaves theatres. I hope Santa brings me the soundtrack!

How will you thaw your turkey?

I don't know how I could have missed this! Amy Poehler is my hero! I mean, seriously, she got all up in the business and she's pregnant! Actually she just had her baby boy, but I gotta hand it to her. I've watched this six times and I still love it!

The next phase....

For those of you who know us, you know Sean has been job-hunting since leaving his previous employer. Well....he was offered a great job today and has accepted. This is such great news as jobs are somewhat scarce these days. He will be implementing and then managing a call center for an internet company that is the seventh fastest growing internet-based business in the U.S. We are so happy and so grateful to our Heavenly Father! We are also grateful for all the prayers and support from friends and family. This has been a stressful yet rewarding exercise in faith. It is somewhat bittersweet, however, as we will be moving to Gilbert, AZ. Now begins the challenge of selling our home and buying a new one, yikes. This is just the next phase of our family's journey and we are excited! Thanks again for everyone's support and prayers.

Top Ten things......

...overheard at Monday's meeting with President Bush and President Elect Obama. Number one is an absolute gem.

I opened up......

a big ol' can of Ben!

Omnivore's 100

I am not a picky eater and have tried lots of different foods. Many more than most of my friends and family. I was surprised, however, about how many of these foods I have not tried. I can't remember the name of the blog I found this on so I'll just send a thank you out into the atmosphere. The foods in bold are the foods I have tried. 44 out of 100 isn't bad I suppose. How many have YOU tried?

The Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile ( I have had Alligator though!)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects - fried mealworms in a biology class
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - um, eww.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (Escargo)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

A little pre-Halloween face-painting...

Sean bought a face-painting kit at the grocery store last night and decided to paint Ben's face just for fun. Ben is going to go trick-or-treating as Batman but wanted a little ghoulishness for kicks and grins. I must warn you. The after photo is somewhat disturbing. Thanks Sean.

My sweet angel boy.

The little ghoul in my life...

Yikes!

Tee Hee...

Early Bird

Early ballot voting rocks! I'll never drive to the polls again!

A little support

I have been following the story of Stephanie and Christian Nielson for some time. I am so impressed with their strength and that of their families in the face of tragedy.

Mindy Gledhill will be performing a benefit concert in support of Stephanie and Christian.
























You can hear a sample of her sweet voice here:

Tortilla Soup

Yes, it is time once again to bring out the soup recipes and enjoy simmering-on-the-stove goodness. Chicken Tortilla Soup is fast becoming a family favorite and I made a pot to share with Grandma and Grandpa Judd the other night. Grandma Judd has just undergone major surgery and is getting better and stronger every day. We love her and Grandpa so much and are so glad she is going to enjoy a better quality of life.

So we filled our bowls with tortilla soup and had some yummy cornbread on the side. We also got to watch "On The Lord's Errand" again. It is such a wonderful tribute to President Monson. He is such a great man and I know he is always on the Lord's errand as he leads our Church. We had taped it during General Conference and we wanted to share it with Grandma and Grandpa. I get pretty choked up when I watch it!

Ok, so I guess I'll share the recipe since Kelly reeeeaaaaaalllly wants it! It's pretty easy and you can certainly add your own touch. I made it Ben-friendly and he digs it! This makes a pretty good sized pot of soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 Cups of water

1 1/2 to 2 Cans tomato sauce

1 can red enchilada sauce

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 Lg onion, chopped

3/4 Cup Masa Harina (ground corn flour)

2 TBS chicken boullion

1 Can of corn, drained

1 tsp Garlic powder

Pepper to taste

sour cream

chopped green onions

cilantro

grated cheese

2 TBS vegetable or canola oil

Corn chips or totilla strips (I made my own tortilla strips by slicing corn tortillas into strips and deep frying them, oh my heavens they are good!)

Place chicken breasts in pot with water. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Turn heat off and let sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Save water for stock. Remove chicken to cutting board to cool. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred or chop to the consistency you desire. Meanwhile, bring chicken stock back to a boil and add boullion, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce and garlic powder. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Saute celery and onion in oil until just tender, then sprinkle Masa over vegetables and stir. This will get rid of the "raw" flavor of the corn flour. Add vegetables and Masa to pot and stir. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add canned corn and shredded chicken.

Assembly is very important! :)

Place some tortilla strips your bowl.....

Ladle soup over the heavenly tortilla strips....

Then pile on the toppings. I am all about toppings! Hope you like it!

He can compute.

Ben has become obsessed with the laptop. He loves playing the Curious George games on PBS.Org. I suppose it is better than being obsessed with the Playstation 2.

Here's the thing, he's starting to give me a bit of attitude about it. I remember a time when I was pretty cool and fun to him. I'm sure I'll be cool and fun again when he is asking for money and to borrow the car...

What's For Lunch?

This and that....

It's definitely been a while since I posted an update about our "goings on". I am now working from home as a Medical Transcriptionist. I've been training with my sister, Janelle, for the past few months and now I'm at home. I know she misses me terribly but I am NOT missing the long freakin' drive back and forth!

Benjamin is in preschool and loves it. He has the cutest little friends in his class! My friend, Michelle, is his teacher and she is a sweetheart.

Sean is in the midst of changing jobs and has been fortunate enough to have some time to spend at home with me and Ben.















He has been working really hard on our backyard and it is shaping up quite nicely! He has also been doing a lot of cooking and cleaning. Thanks Honey. I'm a little upset by the fact that when he cleans the house, it looks cleaner than when I do it. Must be an optical illusion or something.

We're excited for fall and the upcoming holiday season. We're hoping to get away for a quick vacay sometime soon as well.

I guess that's it for now. If anything exciting happens we'll be sure and let you know!

Photo Fun

This site is really fun! It allows you to browse your photos and morph them into coolness.

Check it out! That's my little dude on a train station display....or is it?

Forever In Our Hearts

In the huge mass of evil as it rolls and swells, there is ever some good working toward deliverance and triumph. ~ Carlyle

What Children Learn

I really like this!

Children Learn What They Live
By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live

How many countries?

My good friend Carrie sent me this link. I'm quite disappointed in myself. Only 59 countries in five minutes? I thought I'd do much better, especially having just watched the Olympics. Oh, and who knew that Vatican City is a country? Sheesh.




59

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

Happy Birthday Handsome.

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday Dear Seeeeaaaaaannnn. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! And Many Mooooooorrrrrre.

We love you Birthday Boy!

Tagged by Carrie

In honor of the Olympic opening ceremonies held on 8-8-08. Here are my 8's.

8 tv shows I love to watch: The Office, Burn Notice, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, Mad Men, No Reservations - Anthony Bourdain, Dateline, The Tudors

8 restaurants I love: Sushi Garden, La Parilla Suiza, Olive Garden, Taco Bell (I know, right?), Ziggy's, Beyond Bread, Chipotle, Flemings.

8 things that happened today: A nap with heating pad for my neck and shoulder, Homemade chocolate mikshakes, BBQ beef skewers for dinner, Actually sat down at my Scrapbook table and worked on some projects, Snuggling with Ben, Watched more Olympics, Almost finished my book.

8 things I am looking forward to: My transcription training to be over, finally getting to work from MY home instead of Janelle's (no offense Sis), Sean's birthday, taking a vacation, a haircut and color, Winter, the delivery of my latest Stampin' Up order, getting together with my girls and chatting.

8 things I love about summer: Flip flops (who am I kidding? I wear them year-round), watching Ben run through the sprinklers, 4th of July, icy Diet Coke, Sean's farmer tan, going to the movies, family BBQs.

8 Olympic events I want to see:Gymnastics, Volleyball, Swimming, Diving, Figure Skating, Skiing, Bobsledding, Softball

8 things on my wish list: A happy, healthy family, just enough money, a puppy, a family reunion where EVERYONE is able to attend, a new computer, to be able to take better photos, my dream kitchen, to see my Mom finally retire.

Ok, if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Yessssss!

Three weeks earlier sounds good to me!

If you want to live a long & happy life.....

Olympic Opening Ceremony on 08/08/08

What a fabulous Olympic Opening Ceremony! I was absolutely awestruck. I heard earlier today that scalped tickets for the Ceremony were going for $50,000.00 and up. After seeing it on TV, I'm thinking it would have been worth every penny.

The dancers on this "planet" spent EIGHT MONTHS training to perfect their routine. I, for one, am grateful for their dedication as it was one of my favorite moments.

Hulk out

This is why I never worry about intruders.*
























*Yes, I lock my doors and have established safety rules for my boybarian. I'm just sayin' doesn't he look tough?

Memories, like the corners of my mind.....

Misty water color mem... oh, sorry.

I saw this game on my girl Kellie's blog and I've decided to play along...

Rules:

1. Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together (it doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, just anything that you remember).

2. Re-post these instructions on your blog. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Nothing too embarassing, mkay?

The Perfect Sandwich

Lovely and divine.

A man by the name of Thomas Keller made up this recipe and I will now praise him. Amen.

Ingredients:
4 thick slices of bacon
2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese
2 thick slices of rustic white bread, toasted and hot
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
4 tomato slices
2 leaves of butter lettuce
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 large egg

Directions:

In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Set the Monterey Jack slices on 1 piece of toast. Spread the mayonnaise on the other slice of toast, then top with the bacon, tomato and lettuce.
In a small, nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Add the egg and fry over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp around the edge, about 4 minutes; the yolk should still be runny. Slide the egg onto the lettuce; close the sandwich and eat right away.

Faint from the scrumptiousness.

Is it December yet?

Oh. my. hizzle. I cannot wait.

My sweet Niece!

My niece, Corynn, started Kindergarten today! She has been so eager and excited to start. I know she will have such a great time being a big girl at school! Her Mom and sisters, on the other hand, will miss her greatly I'm sure. I totally stole these pics from my Sis's blog.

Corynn and Alli














Sweet hug

Big girl at school!

A pretty dress...

There is a particular scene in one of the Harry Potter movies which features Hermione Granger donning a beautiful ball gown and looking quite ethereal. She then dances with her handsome escort.
The other night we were watching said scene and my darling son uttered some of the sweetest words I've ever heard.

Ben: "I will buy you a beautiful dress and you will look pretty, Mom".

Me: "Thank you! I would love that".

Ben: "And then I will dance with you".


Yep, my eyes teared up immediately. He just looked at me sheepishly while I peppered him with a million kisses.

"That's what she said"....

I would have to say that this is fairly accurate. I'm not sure about the impishness though. No Janelle, the impishness part does not refer to my height.

I was sorta hoping I might be a little Dwight-ish.

Which Office Character Are You?
	You are part Jim. You are personable, easy-going, and always socially aware. Your great sense of humor and impishness soften the blow of what might otherwise be a dark, cutting cynicism.
	You are part Ryan. You are extremely smart and perceptive, and it irritates you to no end when inferior people try to tell you what to do. Sometimes, though, your critical eye makes you come off as aloof and bitter to others, and it may take awhile for people to get to know you.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Sprinkler Stunt Man

Who needs a swim-suit when you have pirate undies?

This and that

Ok, so I found my second gray hair last Saturday. Last Saturday was my 37th birthday. Is it too early to go shopping for my orthopedic shoes?

Note to telemarketer from Wells Fargo: I am not, nor will I ever be, interested in your "unique opportunity". Furthermore, you are now skipping the speal and going right to the hang up. Why call at all? I will be purchasing an air horn and hopefully damaging one or more of your eardrums next time you decide to give me a jingle.


Things I am growing tired of hearing:

"Mom! You can wipe me now"!

"I can't find my Lego guy's hair"!

"You have been selected to receive this limitedtimeonlyspecialofferblahblahblah....."


Events I am looking forward to:

The 4th of July (also my Mom's birthday)

My Sister, niece, and nephew visiting the last week of July.

Sean using some of the 250 hours of vacation he has accrued.

Taking a trip to Northern AZ to get away from this face-melting heat.


Ok, so what are you looking forward to?

Lawn Jockey

This man is my hero!

We now have grass in our back yard thanks to my hard-workin' man. He even built a sprinkler system from scratch! Admittedly, we made some mistakes which made this job MUCH HARDER than it had to be but he got it done. My Dad helped too and pretty much saved the job! Thanks Dad! You're alright for an old guy.

Before:

After:

I'll post the final result soon. There will be much Slip-N-Sliding. Oh yes, there will be.

Bedtime conversation....

Mom: "It's bedtime Ben, time to pick up your Legos and get pajamas on".

Ben: "This just isn't right for me".

Mom (with a glance at Dad): "Why not"?

Ben: "Because you guys are making my tears come out".

Here's my question, when did Sean & I become "you guys"?

Daddy-O

Happy Father's Day to all the great Dad's out there!


Sean & Ben

My Dad (Senior Portrait)

Totally not surprised

36 As a 1930s wife, I am Poor Take the test!

3-day weekend

Ben got invited to Drew's Pirate Birthday Party on Saturday morning and it was great fun watching all these little "bearded" Swashbuckler's digging for treasure and knocking the crud out of the piniata. Benjamin is quite serious about his pirate-ness.




On Memorial Day, we went to a BBQ in the wash by my parent's home and it was really awesome. Great food, quad-riding, marshmallow gun shooting, s'mores making and lovely weather. I was really sad to see it end. Sorry, no pictures. Sometimes I just want to relax and not worry about getting the "perfect shot". Hope you all had a great holiday!

Road Trip

Ben and I are getting ready to take off to Colorado. Sean has to stay home due to work obligations so that sucks. My nephew, Nick is graduating from High School and we're really excited to see him! He loves to go Snow-boarding and is pretty good from what I hear. I was a little sad to hear that he recently cut his BIG hair but I'm sure he's still just as hot.
P.S. No, you may not have his phone number!

We'll be driving with my parents and my sister, Janelle. We're breaking the travelling time over two days so it should be fairly relaxing. Especially since I don't plan to do any of the driving. Because of this, we should all arrive safely.

My sister, Ronda, is Nick's mom and is planning a wonderful BBQ for all of the family and friends who will be attending the graduation. She's a great cook so we're in for a great meal!

I'll post more pictures when we get back. See ya!

Boom De Yada

We like the Discovery Channel and this song is stuck in my head today!

Pima County Fair 2008

So we took Ben to the Pima County Fair on Thursday evening. Luckily, Sean scored free tickets at work. Just parking and walking through the entrance can be quite an investment. It was such a breezy, mild evening and the sites and smells were really enjoyable. Ben had a blast on the kiddie rides and fed all the animals at the free petting zoo. After watching an Elvis impersonator belt out "Suspicious Minds", purchasing a blue "light-saver" and eating some astronomically expensive fair food, we called it a night.

P.S. I regret to announce that, yes, we forgot the camera.

They're Back.....

Tonight. Sweet.

Baby Audra is here!

My sweet sister, Cindy, gave birth to a darling baby girl on April 1st. Her name is Audra Jeannine Cottrell and she is wonderful! Such a sweet natured little gal with beautiful eyes and dark hair. She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and measured 19 inches long. Audra's big sisters, Allison & Corynn, just adore her and are taking very good care of their new sister.

Grandma's girls:

Proud Daddy:

Going home:

Sweet baby girl!