Etc. Archives | Page 157 of 254

how often do you have a gno?

September 27, 2011~ Etc.

pictures from the women’s expo with my friend rachel

i just got back from a weekend trip with my girlfriends.

this was my second girls’ trip i took since we’ve been married.

the first was an overnight trip to vegas to celebrate weaning off my second child

(where you can be gone for more than 2 hours at a time, whoop whoop!)

and this time an another overnight trip.

but everytime i go on a girl’s night while my husband watches the kids,

i feel a little guilty. probably because my husband never goes and hangs out with his friends

(which i tell him all the time how he should every week, but he never does!)

and i usually go every 3 weeks or less. on average, maybe once every 3-4 weeks.

(i’m talking about going out to dinner for a few hours, not a trip, just to clarify)

but is that too much, you think?

i make sure the house is extra clean and make an extra yummy dinner before i leave,

if that helps the situation at all. 😉

but i’m grateful to have a husband who i completely trust

so once i leave the door and leave him alone with our kids,

i don’t worry an ounce while i’m gone.

because to be honest, he makes a better parent than i do

and he’d make a way better “stay at home mom” than i would.

so thanks hun, for letting me have my girls’ time. you are wonderful.

LITTLE CRITTERS.

September 23, 2011~ Etc.

while i was making dinner the other night,

daddy was reading to our two girls, trick or treat, little critter

and he decided to turn the girls into little critters themselves.

and instead of just poking two random holes for the eyes

(that’s what i would’ve done anyway)

he put the bag over their head and measured precisely where the eyes

were located, marked it, then cut the holes for the eyes.

so you know it was really made with tender, love, and care.

in the last picture i told the girls, “be scary!”

and they tried to be as scary as they could be.

but i think they looked frighteningly too cute, if you ask me.

yogurtland.

September 22, 2011~ Etc.

so i might’ve or might not have gone to yogurtland two days in a row this week.

one on a family night with our friends ethan, rachel and their cute bebe,

and maybe the next day on a daddy-daughter date with my dad.

and i could easily go again today, tomorrow, and the next day. i’m just saying. 😉

i used to go on daddy-daughter dates regularly with my dad when i was a little girl.

we’d usually bike together to the byu creamery and get our favorite ice-cream,

raspberry cheesecake, while i told him about my goals and dreams in life.

so just a few weeks ago, a thought occured to me that even though

i am older now and living my goals and dreams right now,

i can still go on daddy-daughter dates with my dad!

i’m the youngest of five children, so my parents had me pretty late,

and i don’t want to take any time i have with them for granted.

so here’s to many more dates to come, daddy! i LOVE you.

szechwan chicken stir fry pasta

September 22, 2011~ Etc.

upon request:

szechwan chicken stir fry pasta

szechwan marinade

1/4 c. hoisin sauce

3 t. sesame oil

4 T. oyster sauce

2 t. chili sauce

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 t. ginger, grated

2 t. garlic, minced

2 t. sugar

3 green onions, chopped

combine all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. remove from heat and cool.

10 oz. chicken breast, lightly salted and peppered

2 oz. peanuts, chopped (for garnish)

6 oz. fettuccine pasta, cooked al dente

roasted sesame seeds (for garnish

marinate the chicken breast for 12 minutes in a small amount of the cooled sauce. broil for 7 minutes turning once. let stand for 5 minutes and slice thinly. put aside.

stir fry vegetables

2 T. sesame oil

1/2 t. garlic, grated

1/2 t. ginger, grated

1/2 c. multicolored bell peppers, julienned

10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

6 green onions, chopped

5 oz. diced firm tofu

10 chinese peas

10 sugar snap peas

1/2 c. bok choy, thinly sliced

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

heat a saute pan with sesame oil until almost smoking. add ginger, garlic and green onions. stir quickly and add vegetables in the order listed above. add them one at a time in 30-second intervals, tossing until shiny and almost cooked. add chicken and 1/4 c. szechwan sauce. toss together. serve chicken stir fry over pasta and garnish with fresh cilantro, sesame seeds and peanuts.

enjoy!

lagoon in pictures.

September 21, 2011~ Etc.

we had a lot of fun at lagoon this year, especially since it’s such a fun age for my little girls,

where they’re old enough to enjoy all the rides together.(last year little “a” was still too small)
and i don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but none of the employees cared
about the height requirement for any of the rides, when most of the rides they went on
they were about 2 feet too short. but the girls sure loved it!

we invited uncle bobby and auntie jasmine along for the ride(quiet literally 😉

and i thought it was so cute how on one of the rollercoaster rides we went on,

auntie was way more scared to go on it than our two girls,

who in fact said to us, “again!” right after the ride was over. 🙂