Bosch vs. Kitchen Aide mixer

This one has:
~800 watts
~4 speeds
~and can hold up to 8 loaves of bread dough

This one has:
~325 watts
~holds up to 6 quarts
~3 speeds

I still don't have either of these in my collection. With all the baking and cooking I do, its on my wishlist to say the least (without being a tinge of green with envy).

But its a great debate of mine: "Which one to buy?" "Which one would I be happiest with?"

My answer: either one I'd be tickled pink with.

On to another question, maybe you could help me with. "Which one has a longer life?" I know it depends on how much use, I would probably use it 1-3 times a week.

I would really like to purchase one of these this year. Its a hefty price, but then again, I would use it frequently. Any tips on where to buy either of these (in the biggest size) for a great deal?

Best Dad

I just have to give a little shout out to Mark. He is such a wonderful father, and husband. I love him so much! I want to tell him thank you for being the sun, the moon and the stars in the kid's lives. They LOVE to play with him! He makes trampoline time, story time, hide-n-go-seek time...a truck load of fun!

Crepes

We enjoyed this treat this afternoon. I love breakfast for dinner.

My Favorite Crepe Recipe:
4 eggs
1 c. flour
2 Tbs. sugar
pinch of salt

Whisk til smooth

then add 1 c. milk

Set pan on medium heat and don't brown. Cook on both sides. Fill with your favorite topping (ie: nutella, strawberries, apples, bananas, powdered sugar...you get the idea!)

First Hair cut

"Hi. My name is Maddox, and this is how I smile for EVERY picture!"

Mark knows what he is doing when it comes to a boy's haircut. Thank goodness! I was really holding out on a haircut for Maddox, but after Mark has been telling me he needs one for over a month now, I succumbed. Our kids aren't born with much hair, so it takes almost two years before they even need one. Alas, I actually like the cut, and was pleasantly surprised with Mark's razor-sharp skills!

A little sunshine on a rainy day

As Mark and I were vaccuming out our cars yesterday in the garage, Bryanna busied herself. It was sprinkling and she thinks any moisture coming from the sky is a great excuse to pull out her umbrella. She is our sunshine, even on a cloudy day!

Favorite Holiday

Valentine's Day has got to be one of my favorite holidays. It's a reason to celebrate love and romance. I am a hopeless romantic, I love to be spoiled on Valentine's day, and Mark always has something up his sleeve for this holiday.

Last year Mark surprised me with the Beatles'LOVE cirque de sole, best seats in the house tickets! It was a fantastic time. The show was amazing, and he made me feel like a princess. We had a great dinner beforehand at Bootlegger, which set the mood for the night.

This year, I want to have the cutesie feeling around the house, and I have been trying to find a fun wreath to put on my front door, but Micheals doesn't have anything special. Any ideas would be great...keep in mind a budget though. I might have to settle for the Micheal's wreath if my creative juices aren't flowing soon.

On the fence

I didn't watch Obama get sworn into office. In fact, it didn't even interest me. History in the making, you would think, interest me.

I am sitting on the fence. I have no expectations for Barack Obama. Our country is in a pickle...a HUGE financial pickle. I think it would be a miracle if somehow the President of the United States could even make a dent in the country's debt. Could he really turn things around?

I would like to be pleasantly surprised, and do admit, that I hope to see Obama work some kind of magic. Of the slick words he used to get himself into office, I sure hope it can get the country just as far as he has come.

Although I didn't watch all the media on Tuesday, I can't help but feel victory for the democratic party. It's great to see so many people believe in him. As for me, I'm not 100% behind Obama. He hasn't done anything in office yet to win me over. It's too early to see how well he can keep his promises. I am on the fence, wondering what kind of shape the country will be in a year from now.

Dancing Queen

Bryanna enjoys dancing, but I think I enjoy getting her ready and watching her in class, almost more than she does!

She has grown so much just in the last couple of months. As if over night, she and Maddox really play together. And it has surprised me. Of course there are still those moments of swiping and running off with each other's toys, but on the whole, I am so pleased with how they play with each other. Bryanna makes Maddox call her mom when they are playing. I chuckle to myself everytime I hear him say "mom"! It's so hysterical.

I am so glad for that small level of maturity she has reached. I'm grateful for the growth I can witness in my children, somehow it helps me feel like I'm doing something right, even if it may have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the gifts the Lord has given them.

Popcorn...

The kids take after Mark on this one...

Handy man

I am soooooo glad Mark is handy. This is his 2nd garbage disposal he has had to replace. The first one was in our last house...and thankfully its still working, no complaints from our renters.

And then this one is quite a story. About two months ago I started getting ants on my island counter. GROSS. Well, I couldn't figure out where they were coming from other than the ground beneath the drain/water pipes, but where the place of entry, I had no clue. We'd bug spray, keep things really clean, but still, there were ants.
Apparently, the old garbage disposal had a leak, and I was oblivious to it. The water would leak out and had been rotting out the bottom of the cabinet in the very back corner. I didn't see a thing til I went to take everything out and clean underneath. And the filthy culprit...a big crack on the back side of the disposal, enticing ants to come and explore my kitchen island for food.

Well, the disposal is replaced with a stronger and quieter one. I love it. I can run the disposal with Mark on the phone even! :) Since the replacement, no ants. Let's hope it stays that way!

Books

Hello Everyone, Mark here. Just thought I would let everyone know that with the new business we started, The College Superstore, we can also get regular books as well. So, if you are having a book club event, or just want to get a knew book to read, we can get our hands on it. We can get it up to 45% off list price, so it should save you quite a bit of money!

For example, I went into Deseret Book the other day and was going to buy "Breaking Dawn" on C.D. to listen to in my car.(I know, I am ADMITTING that I have read all the books). Well, Deseret Book price was $60.00. I thought, "maybe one of the book companies I have an account with carries it!" So, later that day, I got onto my account and my cost on it was....$32! Almost 50% off! This company carries 2 million titles, which means the books are practically endless...

So, while we won't be advertising regular books on our website, we can get our hands on them. If you need something, just send me an email at mark.perry@thecollegesuperstore.com and I will get you a price on it!

Thank you for your support!

Blogging

Since we've been back from Hawaii, posting about everyday life now seems down right boring! I'd much rather have a sunset or a fun beach day to write about, but life at home, (all of Mark's hard work) makes those great vacations a reality.

So back to real life. At the moment, Mark and I are both reading a Stephenie Meyer book. Of all our married years together, we have only read the scriptures with each other. Although I love studying the scriptures together, its been super fun reading "just for fun", occasionally laughing outloud at the comical parts. I am almost finished with my book. You know how it is when you have a good read? You don't want it to end, but you do, just to find out what happens? But at the same time you wish there was more because you have enjoyed reading so much? That's me. I do have another book in mind to start next.

Queen of the Big Time. My mom read it, handed it over to me, and I have yet to pick it up and read. But while I'm on a reading kick, I think it will be a nice one to follow the romance Stephenie Meyer brings to life!

I'd like some more good recommendations from any of you who have read some great books lately!

One of "those" nights

Last night started off great. The kids went down around 8 pm or so, and that left Mark and I to get some things done. He worked on our website, and I cleaned (as usual). Around 10 pm, I headed up stairs, got ready for bed and picked up my book. I'm reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer, and I really like it, so far. I bought the book last May read the first two chapters, didn't like it, put down and now I'm finally getting around to reading it.

Surprisingly, I like the storyline. The first three to four chapters were pretty deceiving for me, thought the book was going to be a gruesome sci-fi, strictly alien talk kind of story...but Stephenie hasn't let me down!

So I read a part in the book about one of the characters dying from cancer last night, and it was all too real. I felt the pain and misery and the sting of death tasted too close. The last time I read something that made me feel this way was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch who died of pancreatic cancer last fall.

Those kind of nights make me stop, think about what I have to lose in my own life, and pray for protection and guidance from the Lord, forbid anything happen. Life is so darn precious here on earth. In these instances, I become so grateful for eternal families. I would become a train wreck if anything happened to my kids or my husband.

I went to sleep, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep. I was awakened by a screaming Bryanna. Poor kid had the stomach bug and had it coming out both ends. I think it always catches me by surprise, this stupid bug usually comes in the middle of the night. Why doesn't it happen during the day when I'm already awake and can handle it much better?

To say the least, today will be a down day. She is doing much better and is much happier this morning, although she tossed her breakfast (applesauce) up again. She didn't wake up til 11:30 this morning! Talk about knocking her out!

Island Fever

Isn't it terrible? I've been home only one day now, and I'm dying to go back to Hawaii! It was seriously, hands down, the best vacation we've been on! I'm in vacation mode, and Bryanna is too. She was fighting to get into her swimsuit this morning, and I almost let her wear it for hawaii's sake!

The trip helped me slow down and finally pick up a book. I love to read, but with the rush of the holidays and parties, I found it really difficult to just sit back and read. Well, there was no problem doing that on this trip! Mark read the first THREE books of the Twilight series while "chillaxin" on the beach! Honestly, it was so funny, because he NEVER reads, with the exception of church literature and the scriptures. My dad also picked up Twilight and is on the third book now...isn't it crazy what a vacation does to your attitude?

We are all planning the next trip, whether it be Hawaii or a cruise...I'm in!! Now only if it weren't so darn cold here!

Well, our last day has finally come. I keep telling everyone that the worst part about this trip, is ending it! The ocean was amazingly warm, the sky and sunsets have been breathtaking, and the company...super fun! We are already planning on coming back, soon!

We went to sacrament meeting yesterday and some who stood and bore their testimony were visitors from either canada or the mainland. It was packed and neat to see church run the same all over the world.

I hate to put on my warm clothes for the trip home...it just doesn't feel right, putting on long sleeves, socks on my feet and a jacket wrapped around my waist while in paradise!

I will miss this place, and have been so grateful to have traveled here! What a fabulous and most memorable trip this has been!

Maui swap meet

We headed over to the Maui Swap Meet this morning, and it was full of unique and 'exotic' fruit and vegis! You think you've seen it all...especially having served a mission in Japan, but no...there is some crazy stuff that grows in the tropics! the raw suger cane was pretty neat, along with all the other rough looking stuff!





Mom and dad working the booths! :)

Jamie eating raw coconut...her favorite!

all the cousins finding a toy!

There were some beautiful flower arrangements...wished I could take them home with me every other week to put on my kitchen island.

Tennis time

There is a pro shop and lots of tennis courts here at our resort, which makes even more fun in Maui! We ran into one of our friends from vegas who plays in the leagues back home and we all took a lesson together, it was fun...but humid! The hot tub was right by the courts, so we took a dip after some playing!

Beach Days

We have spent every day on the beach, and it has been a highlight of this trip. I love the beaches here even more than California's beaches. The sand is finer, the waves are small where we are, which is perfect for Bryanna, she gets in with Mark, me or her cousins and we sway with the tide, its is HEAVEN! We spend a few hours in the ocean at a time because the temperature and tide is just right.




Mark digging in the sand with Bryanna

The sky was a mixture of volcano ash and cloud coverage...is was amazing!








The Tuitama family came to the islands with us. They have been a long time family friend, and they are so FUN! Shawna and Foi actually met at BYU HI, so they love coming back time and again. This is the first time they came with their kids though, it just happened to work out that way!

Jamie and Tyler, have become great friends on this trip!

We have been loving it so much here, I have a feeling this might turn into a tradition! It has been an amazing vacation. We still have a few more days left to enjoy all the beauty here! Mark went golfing yesterday and it was ocean views 270 degrees!

Shopping at Whaler's Village

With the view as breathtaking as anything, shopping by volcanoes on one side and the ocean on the other...made for a great time! We had fun trying on and getting some new swim suits and some authentic hand made skirts. Bryanna was my little side kick through it all and she even got some fun new suits as well!