"Aussie" Burger goodness!!

We have a great set of missionaries currently serving in the Lloydminster Branch.  They are fun guys and we enjoy having them over for dinner.  I usually try and ask the Elders what they would like for dinner ahead of time so that I can cook something they would enjoy.  Well Elder Acheson is from Australia and had a challenge for me. 

He wanted "Aussie" burgers.  They sounded pretty good to me until he started listing the toppings.  All the regular things like ketchup, mustard, mayo, cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes.  Then he threw in the curve ball... grilled pineapple slices, sliced beets and a fried egg.

 We had never had burgers with these toppings before...

I was a wimp and only added the pineapple to mine 

but the Elders and Brandi and Jason (friends of mine from the branch) 

went all in and piled their burgers high!

 Elder Atwood (on left) and Elder Acheson trying to figure out how they were 

going to fit this monster burger into their mouths!

 Elder Acheson taking the plunge...too bad he can't unhinge his jaw... open wide!!

 Brandi made the mistake of trying to squish her burger down to make it slimmer and 

broke her egg yoke all over! hahaha  Look at the size of that burger!

 Elder Atwood trying all the fixings on his as well.  

We were all mostly scared of the beets.  

Apparently they were good.  I'll have to take their word for it...

 Elder Acheson had to double fist his burger!  He was so excited for the burgers!  

Glad we could make them for him.  It was an easy dinner and tasted great!  

I would make it again in a heart beat.

Since Elder Acheson got to choose the main meal we had Elder Atwood 

choose something for dessert.  He didn't disappoint either! 

He said he wanted something chocolate and I suggested a trifle of sorts.

That made Elder Atwood happy because apparently his mom usually 

makes this same type of dessert for birthdays at his house.  

It was divine!  

We almost didn't have room for it after those burgers but we made it work.

 For the trifle I made my chocolate cake (best recipe ever!!!) 

and baked it in a cookie sheet so that it was thin and easy to cut for the layers.  

Then I made chocolate pudding and layered that on top of the cake.  

Next came a layer of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of skor bits.  

Repeat layers until dish was full and serve!

 Who wouldn't want to eat that?!  

So good.  

I'm glad it was mostly gone last night because now 

I don't have the temptation to finish it off myself.

Anyways...if you want to recipe for the burgers Matt and I 

made here is the link for that:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blue-cheese-burgers-recipe/index.html

I just made the burger mix and we grilled them on a George Forman.  

It was awesome and easy!  Doesn't get better than that!

Here's the cake recipe that I use too.  I got it from the lady that made our wedding cake.

It's glorious!!

Cake Recipe

1 pkg Cake Mix (any brand will do.  I use Betty Crocker usually)

1 pkg (4 serving size) instant pudding

1 cup Sour Cream

½ cup Oil

½ cup Water

4 Eggs

1 tsp Extract

Choose a flavor of cake mix and a complimenting flavor of instant pudding.  I often use the vanilla cake and then use lemon pudding and lemon extract flavoring (it’s divine!), you can use any combination that you would like.

Add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Mix on high for 4 minutes.  Pour into floured baking pan.  Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan for ½ hour.  Turn cooled cake out onto wire rack to finish cooling.  

Hope you enjoy! Because I know we sure did last night.  In fact I think I'm still full! lol

Homesick...

Today I am feeling a little homesick (if that's what you want to call it...) it's more like friendsick.  It has been a very long and boring day.  I feel like I am waiting for a shoe to drop or something! lol  What I am missing the most right now are these people...

 These are two of my best friends.  Kate Ablaka and Amanda Francis!  So much has changed in 2 and a half years and yet I still wish I could see your faces every day!!  

Ora and Travis!  Why did we move so far away from each other!  I could use some face time.  Chatting on the phone is great and I love every minute but I would just love to curl up on the couch and just visit with you.

Whit and Trev Thomas!  I miss you so much and wish I was cooking dinner for all of us and getting ready to watch the bachelor or kick Trev's butt in some serious game playing!!  Matt and I talk about how much we miss you guys and wish we never had to leave.  There is a serious void in our lives now that we don't live near you anymore.

My best friend from high school Tonya and her husband Blaine.  We didn't get to see them very often but whenever we were in the same place there were always laughs!  Now it's even harder to get together because when I am home there are so many people on the list to see.  We will get together again!!  I promise!!

I am so missing the days where we were able to hang out together and to come over and have pity parties with each other and just have fun whenever the mood struck.  I want you all to know that I value your friendship so much.  There are some great people up here in Lloyd as well but it's just not the same as my friends back home.

p.s. I totally stole all of these pictures off of your facebook profiles! lol If you want me to remove them I will and no hard feelings! : )

Family Motto

I have been thinking lately about all the "things" I could and maybe should be doing to make my life and the life of my family better this year.  I was reading some random blogs the other day and came across one that had to do with a family motto.  I think I might try this and just see where it goes.  It can't hurt to have a constant reminder to behave more inline with words such as love, respect, joy, serve, and happiness.  I actually did a search on pinterest for "family motto" and there are some amazing options!  Here are some of my favorites!

I love this one.  If I had a house of my own and knew I wouldn't have to rip the vinyl off the wall I would get this for sure.  It's all the things that a family should be.

These are all things that I want my kids to learn.  I really hope that as a parent I can teach my kids to be champions for each other and support and lift each other up instead of trying to out do one another... 

wish me luck! 

I also love this saying because it speaks to embracing your individuality and how our own choices will shape who we become but no matter where we end up we will always have family to come home to.

This is a personal motto that I am trying to embody.  Trying to be satisfied with where I am in life and focus on the present instead of always trying to look ahead see what I'm missing.

When I read this one I immediately thought of Elizabeth from my ward.  She is the sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful teenager I have ever known.  I have the opportunity to spend time with her in YW's and I am always amazed at this sweet young woman.  She truly does live this way and it shows.  I don;t think people would immediately associate myself with this saying...perhaps I should work on changing that.

This goes right along with my motto "Fake it til you make it".  I have often wanted to do something amazing and realize halfway through that I either have no idea what I'm doing or am missing a very important part of the project.  Just go with it!  It might not turn out amazing in the end...but at least I tried right?!?!

Now that's a motto!!  This one I think I can actually do...at least the playing part!

I like this one to remind us to serve others and not be so focused only on ourselves.

So you see...there are so many options and I am having a hard time deciding which one to use as our family motto for 2012.  I want to get "crafty" and make a large wall hanging for the dining room so that I will be reminded everyday of what I am aiming for.  

 

Which one do you think is the best?

Giggle

I have to say that Maitland might have the cutest little giggle I have ever heard.  

I posted a video a few weeks ago of him in the tub but this is even better.

I got a set of those "Singing Magnets" which do this...

For some reason Maitland thinks this is the funniest thing in the world when I toss the magnets up in the air.  

We actually sent this video to Ellen today and hope that she shows it sometime on her show! :)

Seriously...is he not the cutest little boy!! I think we'll keep him.

Baby Owl Quilt that is super late!!

So...this is a much over due post.  When Matt and I first moved up to Lloyd I found this cute quilt shop with adorable samples hung everywhere! As soon as I laid my eyes on the cute owl applique on the wall I knew I had to have the kit and make the quilt for my cousin Mandy who was expecting a baby boy in October.  I saved up my pennies for the kit and made my big purchase.  I didn't take any pictures of putting the actual quilt top together...sorry!  But seeing as it was my first ever attempt at an applique I decided to document it.  Please be gentle in your comments and don't look to closely because I really was going off of instinct on most of it and had no idea what I was doing most of the time too! :)

This is the beginnings of the applique.  I used the heat n' bond iron-on adhesive (light) to secure each piece of the owl and the branch.  This was such a glorious invention!  Someone deserves an award or something for coming up with such an amazing product.  All you have to do is cut the adhesive out in the same shape as the applique piece and then iron it on to the wrong side of the fabric.  Once it has cooled you remove the paper backing and iron the piece onto the quilt top where you want it.  It works amazingly well and I was so glad I did it that way and not with pins!

This is not the best picture but this is the top once I had the applique all added and sewed on.  I was ready t send it for quilting finally!!  Baby Stratten was already a few weeks old at this point! But better late than never right?  I sent the quilt away about 5 weeks before Christmas and finally got it back from the lady last week...almost 2 full months later! Grrrrrr.  I was so frustrated that it took that long.  The lady had her machine break down and had to wait for replacement parts to be shipped...not really her fault but I was sure glad when I finally got it back.

I decided to cheat and just turn the backing under and over onto the top to make the binding...not my best idea with the backing being that soft fuzzy velour ( i am having a brain fart and can't think of the real name of the fabric...annoying!)  Anyways so I trimmed off the excess batting and trimmed the backing to 1" all around.  And then the craziness began.  Maitland decided it would be fun to crawl under the table and push his hand on top of my foot and make the machine go as fast as it could when Mommy wasn't prepared for it... I was so surprised!  What a little stinker!  I finally had Matt put him in his jolly jumper thing so that I could be sure to stay in control of the machine.

 Here is the finished product.  I love how it turned out minus the binding.  I think next time I will not use the minky (hahaha thought of the name!) fabric for binding...it just has too much give and stretch to it.  It will be super soft to cuddle though.

Here is a close up of the finished Owl.  I LOVE it!!  I am actually kind of sad that I am giving it away.  I guess I will just have to make another one for Maitland...don't tell Matt! ; )

 I also wanted to show you the back of the quilt because I think it is just as amazing as the front!  She did a beautiful job on the quilting and outlined the owl completely so that all of the applique was also visible on the back.  She also did a really cute dragonfly meander pattern all over which I think is perfect for a little boy!

Here is a close up of the back with the Owl.  Seriously gorgeous!!

Well...I think Stratten is almost 4 months old now...quilt might be almost too small for him to use...maybe hang it on the wall?!?!  I just hope he loves it as much as I do!!  Love you buddy and can't wait to finally meet you!!!

What am I doing?

So I haven't posted anything in a bit.  Not because I have nothing going on but because I feel like I have nothing INTERESTING going on! lol  I mean it's been a fun filled week of doing laundry

and going grocery shopping and all. 

But nothing really blog worthy.  I am going to have to start looking for inspiration so that I can write about something worth reading.  

There is one small thing that I am going to post to make myself more accountable.

Our YW's has started a Book Of Mormon reading challenge which actually has me pretty excited.  

This is one area that I have struggled in forever and am glad for the motivation and challenge to read the entire book before the end of June.  It's not that hard...less than 2 chapters a day will get me finished early in June.  I just need to devote the time to actually doing the reading and hopefully more studying than just reading.  I need the boost.  I think Maitland will have a better Mom because of it too!  Wish me luck!

On the road again...

So we are on our way back to Kitscoty. Literally.  I am sitting in the back seat and typing this post as Matt drives us ever closer to home.  I am starting to hate the drive back and forth to Lethbridge more and more every time we make the trip.  I thought maybe it would get better the more we drove it but I think now that I am aware of exactly where we are and how far it is to our destination it makes it feel even longer. 

There are a few positive notes about going home. 

1. Maitland got in to see Dr. Stewart on Wednesday and was sent for a chest x-ray and a full blood work up.  All of the tests and the x-ray came back normal.  Which is such a relief and gives me some peace of mind.  So glad that my little boy finally has an action plan to get him back on his feet and hopefully banish this crazy cough/wheeze that he's had for months.  So grateful to Dr. Stewart for squeezing us in on short notice and taking all the steps necessary to make sure Maitland is okay.  We are very lucky to have a Dr. that will do all of these things for us even though we do not live in Lethbridge anymore.  Definitely a tender mercy of the Lord.
2. We got to visit family.  I had a really hard time this year with Christmas.  Even more so than normal. I am not a fan of Christmas in general and it made it even less enjoyable to be away from my family and have to miss out on all of the get togethers and traditions that we have.  I honestly was sad that I missed the Fort Macleod Santa Claus parade.  That is the first year in my life I haven't been there.  Even though the parade is nothing to write home about (hahaha) I missed it anyways.  I also missed getting together with my crazy loud out of control family and playing games and eating until my pants don't fit anymore.  We had a nice time in Kitscoty with Matt's sister's family and his parents but it's just not the same as being home with my own family.
3. Getting to see friends.  I have such a hard time with this one.  There are so many people that I love and would love to see each and every time we come home but there just never seems to be enough time.  We were able to go out for lunch with my friend Kate and her husband Johnny on Wednesday and it was so fun!  I love getting caught up and spending time with the people I love.  I just wish there was the opportunity for more of it when we are around.  Sorry to all those that we missed!  If you want dibs on the "friend" slot of my trip next time feel free to comment on this post and we'll make a date! :)

There were a few negative notes as well! lol No trip is complete without a mishap or two right?

1. Matt and I have been looking at selling one or both of our vehicles and getting something newer and bigger to haul all of our junk around when we go anywhere.  Matt has been a kijiji junky the last few months and when we decided to head south he looked to see if there was anything interesting.  We found what sounded like the perfect vehicle on the National carlot and thought we should go and take a look.  We got to the lot and asked to see the equinox they had.  As soon as they opened the back door I knew it was not the car for me.  It was dirty and smelled like smoke.  It was horrible.  Matt decided to take it for a test drive anyways to see if it was still worth buying.  We had only been out on the drive for maybe 10 minutes when the engine light came on and then the heat gauge went all the way to hot.  The car was not responding at all and we barely chugged out way back to the dealership to return the car.  Not a good showing.  we were really disappointed.  So needless to say we are still on the hunt for the "Perfect" new (used) car.  
2. The only other negative and it's a small one is that we went to Old Navy to get Maitland a winter coat for next year because they were having a 75% off sale on their outer wear.  Sweet deal we thought.   So we went and picked out the coat and snow pants that we wanted and went up to the till,.  Of course we chose the only set that was not included in the sale.  Boo on Old Navy.  So we didn't get him a coat.  Oh well. 

Moving on.  Well we are still driving and I am hating this even more.  Grrrrrr.  I love you all back home so much though that I will sacrifice and make the trip as often as Matt, time and money will allow!!