sous chef: mae

Mae is always interested in what is going on, especially if it is happening in the kitchen. If Jayson or I are cooking, she comes right on over, steps on our feet, and whines until we pick her up and put her on a chair next to us. She loves it when we put on her apron and let her be a part of the action. I think we have another foodie in the family.

The other day she helped make peach dump cake. Come along for our culinary journey!

The first step: dump a box of cake mix into a dutch oven. Or beautiful red pot. Whatever you got.


See how expertly she dumps? Ok, so she is really holding an empty box and this picture is staged, but I believe she really did dump the cake mix in the beginning.

Add some canned peaches and some soda, and you have the perfect boy scout desert (served at all of Jayson's camp outs with his scouts).

Mae says, "It looks like we're ready to put it into a 350 degree oven. But wait!"


"First, we must make see how it tastes.... "

"And, ummm...."


"This cake is delicious! Perfect! I approve, Dad. And, its a good thing I put my whole hand in the pot to tie me over until its done baking!"


We can't believe how quickly Mae is growing up and how much she is able to contribute. I am really happy she loves to be a part of the action, because I feel like I might actually be teaching her things she needs and likes to learn. Lets hope that continues!

blog it.

Jayson refuses to contribute to our blog. Its ok too, because its my thing. I mean, I would love it if he would post every now and then, but I'm not hurt or offended that he doesn't want to blog.

But what cracks me up is he insists I take pictures of things, and instructs me to "blog it." I think most of the time he's making fun of me, but sometimes he is really serious...like in the case of the photo below.

We have no idea who these men are.

We saw them at Costco. They are napping while, presumably, their wives are shopping. Or maybe they found the furniture to be amazingly comfortable. Whatever happened, Jayson thought it was so funny that he had to take a picture of it. And he requested that I share it with you. It is pretty funny...two guys napping in Costco?!

But I'm sure Jayson's version of this story would have been much funnier. Do you all want to hear from Jayson?

iPod saavy

see you, mitt.

We're sad to see Mitt Romney drop out of the presidential race. We were hesitant to vote for him at first, on the basis that he was LDS like us. As it got closer to our day to vote (Super Tuesday), we felt more and more like he was the best candidate.

Now that he's gone, I just might vote for Obama. Or really start thinking seriously about Hillary...because I'm not sure I care for McCain at all. And, I'm not really a die hard republican anyway.

Canasta...spanish for basket.

Jayson and I play a lot of Canasta. When I say a lot, I really mean several games a night. We get in our p.j.'s, sit on our bed, and bring out the cards. It gets pretty tricky on the bed, so we often bring our full size mirror and it acts as our table. When I was pregnant with Mae, we would play rummie every night. Canasta is our new fav. These are the memories I'll cherish.

In case you were wondering, I win most of the time. But when Jayson wins, he wins by a lot.

tag, i'm it.

I've been avoiding this for awhile, but now I've been tagged BY NAME, so I'm pretty sure I can't avoid it. But its okay because I like this tag better than most the other ones I've seen.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog (confession, I'm not sure I'll do C).

10 years ago.... I was 16, a junior at Timpview, trying to find my place but not succeeding, working at the dry cleaners, and figuring out how to graduate early from High School. Lets just say those weren't the glory days.

Five things on my to do list today.... Only five? Today is busy.... Take Elda to her doctor's appointment (check), vote (check), take J Dawg's deposit to the bank, meet Eden Robert and congratulate John and Anne, exercise before I watch Biggest Loser so I don't feel guilty, clean out my fridge (check) and go grocery shopping, finish piecing my quilt, etc.

Snacks I enjoy... chocolate, peanut butter, ice cream, candy, chocolate/peanut butter candy, and chocolate/peanut butter candy ice cream.

If i suddenly became a billionaire.... Find a really old house with an incredibly large kitchen, dining area, and family area, then deck out the kitchen with every gadget imaginable. Pay off all of my families houses and donate a bucket load to suffering children and families all over the world.

5 bad habits..... Pop my zits, bite my nails, sleep in, continuous snacking/eating, and blog stalk.

5 jobs I have had... MOM (best job ever), J Dawgs employee of the decade, shopped for clothing to give to the foreign missionaries at the MTC, promotions manager at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures, river guide in Moab.

5 things most people don't know about me....1) I think I want to have a large family, 2) I L-o-o-o-o-o-o-ve to cook and eat and throw parties, 3) I dream constantly of what I would do if I had a career, but realize I am happiest when I am with Mae, 4) think my husband is way cuter than yours, and 5) uhhh...I only vacuum every six months or so (GASP) (we only have 2 rooms with carpet--one being the guest room, but still, its pretty nappy I know....).

I'm not calling anyone out by name (SANDRA), but if you have wanted (JOY) to do this and just felt (BECKY) like you needed the excuse to do it, here is your chance.

flickr experiments.

i'm trying to figure this new thing out...posting pictures through flickr and then posting them to my blog. i really have no idea what i'm doing, so hang in there while i experiment!

www.flickr.com