pet dragon

Watching the Barbie version of "Rapunzel" while driving home last night, this was a portion of our conversation.

Bryanna: If our car stops working mom, we can fly around on a dragon's back.
Me: Oh really?
Bryanna: Ya. And it could be our pet, and we'll feed it all the time, and play with it. It could take me to the park and to the pool.
Me: Sounds like fun!

I swear she wishes life were more imaginary and that cool things like flying dragons and magic existed. Then again, so do I! If you've seen this DVD, then you know exactly what our pet dragon would look like.

Cookies 'n Cream

The Perfect Summer Recipe:

Homemade Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream

{Photo from Target.com} I have a Rival Ice Cream Maker, and I LOVE IT!

Recipe for 4 Quart Container:

**Hint: For lower fat content, substitute 1 % milk for whole milk, whole milk for half and half; and evaporated skim milk for whipping cream. Higher fat dairy products, like whipping cream, create a smooth, rich and creamy texture. Lower fat dairy products create a lighter dessert with a slightly different texture. For this recipe I used all the fat!

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 cups whole milk
• 4 eggs beaten
• 4 cups whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract **make sure to use real vanilla extract, flavor is everything!
• 25 crushed Oreo/chocolate cookies

Combine sugar, flour, and salt in saucepan. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes, until thickened.

Then stir in 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs. Add egg mixture to remaining hot mixture, constantly stirring. Cook about 1 minute, then remove from heat. Refrigerate about 2 hours.

Combine whipping cream and vanilla extract in large bowl; add chilled mixture, stirring with whisk til smooth.

Place ice cream mixture into metal canister, put dasher in place and cover tightly. Then place canister into the bucket, and bucket into kitchen sink. Layer ice and rock salt every 2 inches til the top. Place the motor on, when ready, plug in. Ice cream should churn for 20-40 minutes. Should ice cream maker stop before churning is complete, check for large ice chunks that might be jammed against the rotating ice cream canister.

Clear ice and salt away from top of ice cream can, wiping carefully before you open. Lift out dasher and scrape off ice cream.

Add the crushed chocolate cookies when the ice cream is completely done churning, mixing well.

This is a photo of our ice cream, already half eaten. But it hardened nicely and we have been enjoying it for a few days now.

After the cookies and ice cream are well incorporated, leave in canister and put into freezer to harden, about 3-5 hours. It might help to fold a towel around the canister or wrap with newspaper for hardening process.

Any questions for how to, consult your Rival Electric Ice Cream Maker Owner's Guide, it is easy to understand and very basic. I always say; If you can read, you can make anything!

The kids and hubby LOVE, love, LoVe this recipe!

I think you will please the toughest ice cream critic, and do wOnDeRs for a get together!

Pie 'N Ear Party

Since being called (in May) to the Activities Chair in my ward, I have the privilege of planning all the activities with the committee! {It was a bit of a shock since it was right after our ward performed the Easter cantata, and I was really loving and enjoying being the choir director, but I am having lots of fun with the activities...the joys of serving in the church} In Utah, they celebrate Pioneer Day on July 24th, but seeing as how we don't live in Utah, we had "other" festivities...

...like a pie eating contest!
grown men stuffing their faces...always hilarious! They were a little too clean for a pie eating contest...no one really wanted to get down and dirty!

the winner receiving some candy!

and the kids stuffing their faces...

I think they enjoyed scarfing down the sweet pie, as much as we enjoyed watching it!

This little guy on the left was the winner in the kids competition...just look at those cheeks!

Corn eating contest (part of the Ear, in Pioneer!)

It was so entertaining watching the kids eat corn as fast as their jaws could possibly go. The daintiest of girls were some of the quickest corn eaters, seriously!

Any respectable ward party wouldn't be complete without a water balloon fight...

He looks harmless, so you think.

He actually soaked me twice in the behind.

It took at least a few hours filling all the balloons...

...and they were gone in minutes!

Thanks to those who brought all the yummy ice cream & pie, esp the homemade stuff. I made cookies 'n cream ice cream, recipe to follow the next post. It was an awesome turn out!

Next year, let's do it again!

Owatta...

....means finished in Japanese!!

I finally have my kitchen, family room, downstairs bathroom, dining room and living room back. I really missed them, but it was worth it all!! I love the finished product, I just keep asking myself, "Why didn't we do this sooner?"

half way

Last week, we floated the concrete with a thin layer of cement that smoothed it all out and covered all the rough spots and holes of nails from the carpet.

In the middle of the guys floating, I decided we should rip out the linoleum in the bathroom and stain the concrete in there as well. I told you its dangerous to paint the hall...

So that's exactly what we did!
Here's a shot just after we ripped up the linoleum:

With the sample color we chose, we had just enough to cover the bathroom floor with two coats (its a three coat process, in addition to the no-slip seal on top of it). I'm super excited to see it completely finished, its such a dramatic difference!!!

This is how it looks after its all dry. It dried in just a few hours actually. We didn't order the stain til Friday, so it's coming in Wednesday, and I can't hardly wait. All the furniture has been stuffed into the dining and living room, even the fridge. So it will be nice when its all put back together, then I'll feel like cooking dinner again.

messy face

I fixed crepes for dinner the other night, and, well, we got a little crazy with the whip cream! To get my crepe recipe click here.

We have all our couches and bar stools from the kitchen moved into our dining and living room. Needless to say, it is a little crowded in the dining room, where we now eat all our meals. We were able to float the top of the concrete with more cement, and now that its all dry we can stain it! There are pictures to come of the progress, soon!

funny girl

some of our conversation over breakfast this morning:

Bryanna (already in imaginary mode): Mom, Maddox is the dad, and I call him honey, and he likes to go shopping with me. He even babysits the kids.
Me: What a good dad.
Bryanna: Ya, the best!

I think that was the sweetest compliment a girl could give her daddy!

Whitney Ranch

We headed to Whitney Ranch on the east side of Vegas...a far drive, but loads of fun! Some gals from our ward made it into a play date, and I think we should do it more often.

Popsicles helped keep us even more cool!!

I tried taking a picture of my temperature gauge in my car when we were leaving. It read 119 degrees! Yes, it was a VERY hot day today, but also VERY fun!!

just do it

On Saturday, I was sweeping and mopping...the regular Saturday chores, and I got a crazy hair up my butt. I turned to Mark and asked if he wanted to rip up the linoleum right then. And what do ya know...its gone! Ever since we moved into our house (in May of 08) we have HATED the linoleum in the kitchen. I mean LOATHED it.

BEFORE

AFTER

We also ripped up the carpet in the family room to make both spaces feel more apart of each other. The separate flooring made for a choppiness, and now it will open both up. I like the idea of carpet, getting down on the ground, playing with the kids. Carpet makes rolling around on the floor friendly. So I'll have to be on the hunt for a very hip rug to fit the space and bring that comfort level back and soften up the stained concrete.

After the grinding

You have to grind the cement so when you go to put something on it like a stain, it will stick and not peel up. Grinding is very messy and leaves behind a nice layer of dust. But I'll take the dust alternative on our budget than the expense of wood floors (I wouldn't mind wood floors the day my budget wouldn't mind.) But I like the look of stained concrete, and with the finish Mark will put down, it will be really modern. We are very much the "do it yourself" kind of people. One day we will build our dream house and do most of it ourselves. I love watching HGTV, they have some awesome ideas, especially when it comes to "design on a dime"!

Mark will float the concrete tonight, then we can put the stain down next! I can't wait! I finally get a new kitchen floor! More pictures to come...

You know what they say...its dangerous to paint the hall!

the clubhouse

One of the reasons we moved into our neighborhood was all the amenities of the clubhouse, specifically, the pool. One cannot survive the Vegas summers without access to a pool! I don't want one in my backyard yet, fear of small kids drowning. Although it would be very convenient. So at least we can go play in a pool and not have that constant worry if the gate wasn't closed to the pool at home.

We spend at least three days a week, if not more, swimming at the clubhouse. And what's even better is we usually go with good friends from our ward!

Grace & Bryanna in the showers

One of my best friends, Lindsay, aka: my gym buddy, pool buddy, freezer group meals pal, double date couple, swapping babysitting so we can get to appointments, etc. It helps that two of our kids are the same age. What would we do without good friends in this world???

Lindsay and Gavin

two of a kind: Grace & Bryanna.
They are such good little friends.

We LOVE the clubhouse!

heart to heart talk

Bryanna (dressed as a doctor, with a stethoscope and apron on, listening to her doll's heart): "Mom, her heart stopped!!!!"
Me: gasp! "Uh oh! She died!"
B: "What?
Me: "Well, when your heart stops, that means you died."
B: "Ummmm, that's OK. It will turn on again." (completely serious!)

Most of this heart talk has been a result of many celebrities dying. (i.e. Michael Jackson, Billy Mays) I guess the moral of the story is, take care of your heart.

America, the beautiful

Happy 4th!!

We started off celebrating by making my famous and annual jello layer salad. I have to make each layer separately and wait four hours for it to set. It takes two days!

and to top it off with cool whip and some fruit!

(yes, I'm wearing my blue T again. I can't help it. As soon as I wash it, I want to wear it. I do have more shirts I like, but for some reason I'm gravitating towards this shirt right now.)

the two munchkins, playing over at Uncle Cal's!

What celebration wouldn't be complete without a dip in the pool?

you can't get more patriotic than Grandpa!

The two love birds...the almost engaged love birds!!

The neighbors across the street had the illegal kind, a great, free show for us though!

we had a blast!! until next year....let freedom ring!