The Dreaded Week 13

So I'm not a superstitious person; never have been. I love black cats, Halloween, numbers don't bother me and I don't belive in ghosts. But I honestly belive with every fiber {FIBER is the foreshadowing word here} that week 13 was cursed.

For one, I didn't take my weekly pic. That should have thrown me a penalty flag {I referenced football, Eric!} and I experienced new symptoms that threw me upside down. Not only did the nausea kick in full swing (I actually USED the Zofran presribed to me), but I experienced this lovely 5 day of awful, head splitting, literally why don't you hit me with a baseball bat SINUS HEADACHE. I've had a few sinus headaches in my time, but from Friday to Tuesday of last week it was doing me in. I eventually went in to the doctor's that Tuesday and was just given Flonase. Little did I know what I would be experiencing later in the week, the sinus issue was a piece of cake.

The week went off without a hitch and I woke up in the middle of the night Saturday around 3AM and was so dizzy and nauseated that I immediately ran into the bathroom to throw up all the water I had drank that day. Dehydration is a big deal to me so I made sure I had some water before I went back to bed. I woke up that morning around 8AM and had some yogurt, read E! News and relaxed with my new Snoogle {Thank you MIL!}. That's when it hit me, what you say? Just insummountable pain...in uh, where the sun doesn't shine. What was going on? I had craved a cheeseburger and fries the night before. Thank you husband who came to my craving of Mickey D's. But I've experienced bad stomach aches before this and I could definitely tell the difference. REALLY, really long story short. After 8+ grueling hours of um certain pain I went into the ER, after some usage of my yoga skills, latex glove and lube I can happily say that ship has sailed.

WHY. Is all I have to say. Well the ER MD had an answer for that: Estrogen. My lovely friend, Estrogen - thank you for making my digestive system so slow and inadvertedly giving me the most horrific experience of my life {can't wait to child birth!}. All in all, FIBER is the word of the day. I eat pretty healthy overall I thought - yes, I know, Mickey D's isn't healthy, but...what can I say? That was my induldgence and I'll stick with ice cream from now on.

Baby is the size of a peach!

 

How far along? 13 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: -/+ lbs (thank you nausea)
Maternity clothes? mixing a few items, but the new ones I purchased a few weeks ago don't fit LOL
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: Knocked out still by 9ish.
Best moment this week: Having a BM this morning. TMI!
Miss Anything? Saturday it was the little things...LOL
Movement: none yet
Food cravings: Peanut butter frozen yogurt
Anything making you queasy or sick: smells, the visual aspect of a chicken breast YUCK
Gender: TBD...I think boy though!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: HELLO CONSTIPATION {O..M..G!}
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: after Saturday I am happy as a clam LOL
Looking forward to: Next Ultrasound appt.

 

Almost the End of First Trimester!

So! After tomorrow, I will officially be...wait for it...in my {SECOND} Trimester! Wowza!! So excited, this is the part of the term I hear is the most fun. I hope I can enjoy it as much as I can.

Baby is the size of a plum!

How far along? 12 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: -/+ lbs (thank you nausea)
Maternity clothes? mixing a few items, I bought that bband at Target and that's fun to wear :)
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: In bed no later than 9PM. I need my sleep considering I'm waking up 3-4 times at night to pee.
Best moment this week: Knowing things are going smoothly
Miss Anything? Turkey sandwich with brie {AGAIN}
Movement: none yet
Food cravings: BBQ chips, nacho cheese dip with pretzel and Vanilla ice cream.
Anything making you queasy or sick: smells, fast movement {LOL}
Gender: TBD...I think boy though!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Hello {HEADACHES, SINUS ISSUES & DIZZINESS} and welcome back {NAUSEA}
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: lately very agitated {sinuses} but happy to share.
Looking forward to: Next Ultrasound appt.

Baby's First Pictures

Going backwards on my posts (have to considering I haven't been updating anything). So we went to Bakersfield to announce the pregnancy to our family and friends. Let's just say both sides of parents were excited and friends have already been a great support.

Baby is the size of a raspberry!

How far along? 8 weeks
Total weight gain: -3 lbs (thank you nausea)
Maternity clothes? my regular clothes, no changes
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: In bed no later than 9PM. I need my sleep considering I'm waking up 3-4 times at night to pee.
Best moment this week: Announcing to both sets of parents!
Miss Anything? Mayo on anything
Movement: none yet
Food cravings: Mayo
Anything making you queasy or sick: ALL smells, chicken (bleh!!) and textured food.
Gender: TBD
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: N-A-U-S-E-A to the millionth degree
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: EXTREMELY fatigued
Looking forward to: Next Ultrasound appt.

Catching up

So I finally logged into Blogger (amidst me forgetting my password and resetting since it's been so long!); it was sure fun reading what I did last year! 1/4 of 2012 has already came and gone, can't believe it's already May. So what have the Bryants been up to for the past five months:
1. Eric started his 3rd semester at CSUF and received great grades.
2. Cory & Nika were sealed in the San Diego Temple <3
3. Celebrated my mom's 60th birthday! (she doesn't look over the age of 30).
4. Drove to Escondido in the middle of the night with the Jennings for donuts.
5. ::drum roll, please:: tried for a baby and....were SUCCESSFUL!Found out we were pregnant on Easter, April 8th :)

I Facebook a lot, but I really wanted to capture my pregnancy (all the good and bad of it) since I've been so nauseated, congested, hungry, sleep deprived, etc. that I wanted a memory of the good stuff at least. LOL.

11 weeks

  

Baby is the size of a lime!

How far along? 11 weeks
Total weight gain: -6 lbs (thank you nausea)
Maternity clothes? my regular clothes, however feel fat.
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: In bed no later than 9PM. I need my sleep considering I'm waking up 3-4 times at night to pee.
Best moment this week: Seeing baby's heartbeat
Miss Anything? Sushi and TURKEY SANDWICHES
Movement: none yet
Food cravings: Canteloupe and vanilla ice cream
Anything making you queasy or sick: ALL smells, chicken (bleh!!) and textured food.
Gender: TBD
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: N-A-U-S-E-A to the millionth degree
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, nervous and fatigued.
Looking forward to: Christmas

Happy Birthday to my Mom

I stayed home today because I was sick - what did I do? Coughed a lot, slept and blogged. I also purchased flowers to be delivered to my mom in Bakersfield. I was so sad to not have seen her on her birthday this year. We planned on going home but there was an awful storm headed our way and the 5 North through the grapevine was closed. I really wish there was a way I could bake a cake and send it to her and it not be damaged. Next year is the BIG 6-0 for her! I can't believe she's 59 years young. She looks amazing. I want to age just like her! So I remembered the website classmates.com - and I just subscribed to a 24 hour access and found her yearbook from Delano High. Talk about a blast from the past!

Now of course I had to put a more recent picture of her - she'd be mad at me if I didn't hehe. She just looks so great!


These are the flowers I sent her; she called me this afternoon and said she wasn't expecting such a surprise. I'm sure glad I bought them! Happy 59th Birthday, Mama!

Spring is almost here!

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've posted - I guess I've been wrapped a lot into Facebook. I guess it would be best to summarize 2010 like this:

How Eric and Kimi spent 2010...

1. Moved to Laguna Niguel *score since so close to the beach*
2. Working at the same company - Southern California Edison. (I will sure miss the days when we spent lunch together, it was a great hubby/wife bonding experience).
3. Showed Mayra & Jose Mission Viejo during 4th of July.
4. Kimi was in TWO weddings - Kim & Daniel's/Millie & Eddie's. Both very beautiful and very hot in weather LOL.
5. Eric received his Associate of Arts degree in Biology from Bakersfield College *WTG Eric!*
6. Quite possibly the best Christmas ever (family and friends were surely missed).
7. Eric officially transferred to Cal State Fullerton *Go Titans!*
8. Survived teaching the Valiant 10 Primary Class...who knew what else we had in stored in 2011.
9. Celebrated the first year as husband and wife; we went to Newport Beach and Balboa Park.
10. Disneyland annual passes... :)

So as we already are in February (last day actually), what have we done so far in 2011?

1. Kimi has managed to become sick at least twice so far. NOT FUN.
2. We have been called to Sunbeams 3...and it's taking every fiber of our being to survive LOL.
3. We are enjoying our 50" plasma TV by watching Greek, Glee and Modern Family.
4. Eric has surprised Kimi by a very romantic music concert at CSUF's Concert Hall for Valentine's.
5. Celebrated Elana's 1st Birthday in a VERY cold, outrageously windy, Bakersfield afternoon.
6. Kimi is in ANOTHER wedding...Amanda and Ron's in late September of this year. LAST ONE, I SWEAR.
7. We plan to take a big trip in May..if all plans go well!

Fall!

Yay! Fall is finally here...now if I can only figure out how to light our gas fireplace :) Scratch that, I've learned thanks to YouTube, however I am trying to find the faux logs for cheap since they are about $50 at Lowe's. Dislike.

I forgot to post that we went to Vegas this summer - it was BLAZING hot and the traffic was the most horrid thing I've ever experienced. I've learned a few things -

1. I will never live in Vegas, EVER.
2. Even if you're from Bakersfield, Vegas' air feels like a solar flare on your face.
3. I have more fun spending my money on food and shopping than gambling.
4. Even though I am biased, Vegas has some pretty awesome Elvis impersonators.
5. Don't drive to Vegas - or leave on Sunday since you'll be stuck in traffic for 8 hours. I'll fly next time.

One of our favorite places in NYC is found at Caesar's - Serendipity's III. My treat is the Frozen Hot Chocolate - VERY enjoyable in the heat. YUM. Also, Serendipity's has the best sweet potato fries! DOUBLE YUM.







So we went to Downtown Disney early October (eventually we'll get our annual passes). We were hankerin' for some Beignets from the Jazz Kitchen. Mmmm they were so good, I ended up saving my last one for Sunday morning :)


We celebrated our 2nd Halloween together as Mr. & Mrs. Bryant in Laguna Niguel (we surely missed our friends back home, but next year maybe!). We didn't dress up since it was so cold and rainy - but we splurged on a huge pumpkin from the pumpkin patch in Laguna Hills - to our dismay though we never even had a chance to carve it, it decomposed early in our living room. LOL.

Eric started work as a Steam Maintenance Helper at Southern California Edison. It's only temporary, but he's making good money. Unfortunately, he'll soon be on graves and :( Oh well, we're saving up for a new TV and possibly a new car next year. We most likely will spend Thanksgiving here in Laguna, sad since Thanksgiving is one of our most favorite holidays to spend with family. It'll just be this year and next year we'll make sure to make it up. Excited to bake Pumpkin pie and try out some new cookie recipes. I guess I can count my blessings that I won't have to plan to cook as much as I usually do! ;)

June Bloom

Ok, so everyone is talking about "June Bloom". This terminology is NEW to me lol. Wikipedia says it's a So Cal term for a weather pattern that results in overcast skies with cool temperatures. So indeed, it is June Bloom.

My birthday came and went in May - Eric surprised me with a lovely weekend getaway to
Cardiff by the sea. I did not know where we were going until we reached Encinitas - I got off of work late and then we headed south in the lovely Friday traffic. But oh, was it romantic! He reserved a lovely Bed & Breakfast - which was finely named, "Cardiff by the Sea". We were able to pick our themed room; one by one we were led to the available rooms. There was a French Country room, which was not my style lol. We saw the Santa Fe room which donned pieces like Navajo art and a huge jacuzzi in the living room. The room we picked however was the Tommy Bahamas room. We laughed at it because we went to the Bahamas on our Honeymoon and apparently that's what we like. It was a fabulous room with a rain shower and adorable flower sinks. There were mirrors near the bar area and on the ceiling LOL and a nice, big flat screen tv :)We dined at a local Italian restaurant and then adjourned to the hot tub on the roof terrace under the stars. It was honestly the most relaxing, romantic weekend ever! I heart my hubby.

Our laptop crashed and therefore resulting in Eric sulking for awhile - we just received our new computer, hence me having time to blog! We're loving it in South Orange County - many things to see and places to eat. The people here are quite friendly and wonderful; I've made a few friends from Visiting Teaching and glad to be in the Marina Hills Ward.

We're going to the Temple today, the Newport Temple for the first time, too! We originally had set the Newport Temple as our Temple to get sealed in but it was under maintenance. Hindsight I'm so happy that we chose the Los Angeles Temple, it's simply my favorite - even though Oakland comes in close second - has to, that's where he proposed! Anyway, I'm exciting to share these spiritual experiences with my husband and to serve in the church the best way I can.

Today will also consist of cleaning - I'm on a 'purge' attitude. I'm not nesting (even though a baby sounds so good right now) but I'm wanting to clear things in our apartment that aren't needed. Mainly it's my stuff from college and just random stuff from the wedding. Any ideas on how to start this huge project of mine?

Veggie Delights

So what have we been up to since the last post, honestly a whole lot lol. Primary has been going well, it's a bit overwhelming for me since I've never worked with this age group. I've had either 2-3 year olds or teenagers. Pre-teens are definitely a different breed. I have my work cut out for me. lol.

Kim and Daniel got married last week! It was such a beautiful ceremony and everything went well. I had a great time getting ready with the bridesmaids and all in all it was a wonderful weekend with friends and family.

We went to the San Diego Temple yesterday for a session and it we had a wonderful time. They are currently working on leaks throughout the temple so one of the towers were covered. It was a great time and I cannot wait to go back.

Eric received a Bakersfield College Alumni Association scholarship! I'm so proud of him; with great efforts he was a selected few to receive this award and we greatly appreciate it. He has a Honor Reception that we are invited to attend on Friday, but unfortunately we will not be in Bakersfield. He can use the scholarship either at Saddleback or wherever he transfers (UCI, hopefully?!). Anyway, he has earned this and I'm so proud of him.

So for the month of May (May is the greatest month btw since my birthday is in it), Eric and I have decided to try some new vegetarian dishes. No, do not fear fellow meat-lovers we are not going to the dark side, we just want to try some different dishes and eat a bit healthier since we are getting older *sigh*. Now don't get me wrong, I'll never turn down a good piece of tri-tip or Caribbean Jerk Chicken, but it wouldn't hurt to make some veggie dishes. Wish me luck!

New beginnings....in a different way!

Last Sunday Eric and I received our new callings! Not only did we receive a calling in Primary but a JOINT calling lol. I'm excited to start this new calling but I'm super nervous since I'll be in Primary! I've NEVER been in Primary lol. Lately I've been listening to the songs and memorizing them for the most part, but it'll be different from Young Women's that's for sure.

I'm excited to use my visual aids in teaching, since that's my style. It's the Valiant 10 class with about 5 girls and 1 boy, should be very interesting.

If anyone has any tips on this class or Primary in general, I'd greatly appreciate it. We're teaching in the Primary 6 book: The Old Testament. I always love those stories and better yet the kids won't know them as well as the Book of Mormon stories so that's going to be a relief lol.

April showers...

So we've moved! We're currently in the beautiful city of Laguna Niguel and enjoying the beach breeze. After many months of prayer, fasting and faith I was hired at Southern California Edison. We quickly jumped on the opportunity to live in a new area and for Eric to continue his education in Southern California.
We love our new apartment, even though it's a downsize from our town-home (we love you Panorama Pines!). We live at Pointe Niguel Apartment Homes now and it's so close to the beach, dining and shopping that we've had our hands full each day with new places to eat and see. Eric will start summer school at Saddleback College to finish up his A.A's in Biology and Spanish and will be soon applying to the universities nearby. He's been searching for laboratory jobs and anything at the hospitals nearby, so hopefully he will find something rewarding here as he did at KMC.

My new job has been keeping me quite busy; I'm in Talent Management with the Staffing Department at Edison and we're recruiting and hiring everyday. It's really rewarding to see someone who has trouble finding a job as I have, gain a great position at Edison. It's extremely fulfilling to know that there are good people around and they care about what they do.

I think our biggest transition, besides being away from my parents is going to a new ward for church. We've met the most amazing people in First Ward and will always love them for what great friends they were and are to us.
We are now in the Marina Hills Ward; which thanks to boundaries is not in the Capristrano Ward like previously thought (which is like 3 miles away). Oh no, Marina Hills Ward is about 10 miles away and is in the most beautiful church building I have ever seen! Two wards meet at the same time, there is Chapel A and Chapel B. It's a highly active ward, full of newly married couples (sweet) and lots...I mean lots of children lol. The people there have been nothing but nice and surprisingly I've been learning in classes hah.

We are celebrating Eric's 26th (eek) birthday this weekend since his birthday falls on a Monday. Going up to Bakersfield to see friends and family. We sure miss everyone. We're really glad to be in Laguna but alas, there's no place like home. Until next time...

Lil bugs

January brought the birth of baby Elana Lilly Quevedo. Amanda and I threw a baby shower for Mayra and were lucky to have it early since baby Elana came a few days in advance! She's such the sweetest little thing and we're so happy to have her in our lives. Such a bundle of joy and she's so funny with her facial expressions and personality. I can't wait until we have one of our own!

Happy New Year

Cheers to 2010! I hope this year will be a better year. 2009 was good as far as good goes: I mean, we got married, went to the beautiful islands of the Bahamas, snowboarded in Park City and celebrated our first Christmas as husband and wife.
This year hopefully we will be blessed with financial stability and more! What I can say is that I've accomplished many great dishes over the last few months. For Christmas Day dinner I made lobster tail, veggies and mashed potatoes. I thought the lobster tails were going to be so easy; I tried to remove them from their bag and to my surprise I became a bit squeamish! They weren't the beautiful red color as you always see in restaurants and their legs were loose and out there. Looked like a radioactive roach lol. I sucked it up and laid them in about 3/4 cup of boiling water and let them steam for 7-8 minutes. I didn't have metal skewers but I recommend them- that way for asthetic reasons (they curl up a bit if not used).





Anyway, the other new thing I learned was the clarified butter. You know, that yummy liquid butter mixture at the restaurant were you can dip anything into it and it just be delightful? Yeah that. The clarified butter was pretty easy to make; I used 3 sticks of butter (cut into slices) and some lemons, zested. I used my Paula Deen small, heavy saucepan (what other way to melt butter than to give homage to Ms. Deen?!) and let that set under med-low heat. After melted, let it stand and then using a spoon remove the foam on top. Pour butter over lemon zest in a small bowl and discard the milk solids. So what exactly is clarified butter? In simple terms it's the separation of milk solids and water from the butterfat. Which equals YUM.




So on to other lovely things I have made! :D Breakfast is big in the Bryant house, so what better way to kick off a good day with french toast? Well I like to kick things up a notch and found a delightful receipe for Bananas Foster French Toast.
Here's the link...thanks again Ms. Deen Bananas Foster French Toast For Thanksgiving (lol I know these aren't in order) I used the turkey leftovers and made an amazing Turkey Pot Pie. Seriously, Marie Callendar's needs to eat her heart out. Delicious. Craving it right now. Really easy to make, too!



Ingredients


1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line bottom of pie pan with crust. In a skillet saute the chopped onion until slightly soft and set aside.
2. Mix together the turkey or chicken, mixed vegetables, onion, soup and milk. Pour into pie crust, cover with top crust and crimp edges.
3. Poke holes in top crust and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

The other night I was craving kabobs; since we don't have a grill really thanks to our porch and the balcony right over it, I found a cool receipe that allowed kabobs to be used in the oven broiler. FYI make sure if you use wooden skewers like I did to soak them under water for at least 30 minutes, otherwise you can find metal skewers at a Bed, Bath and Beyond. Again, I wanted to challenge myself and put a twist to the normal kabob and add a Hoisin glaze (asian in me) with pineapple salsa. Yum! P.S. I used flank steak instead of pork and added some steamed rice!

Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes when slightly frozen
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon chile, minced
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
pepper, to taste
1 small firm fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes


Directions
1 Combine hoisin sauce, ketchup, chili,green onion, and ginger; set aside.
2 Season pork cubes with pepper. Thread pork and pineapple onto skewers; grill over direct heat for about 4 minutes, turn and glaze with hoisin mixture. Continue cooking on grill until pork browns, about 8-10 minutes total cooking time.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I cannot believe how fast time flies! It's the Christmas season. What a joyous occasion to celebrate the Savior's birth with family and friends. I sit here tonight typing while I have our littlest cat, Meiko in my lap. It's times like these that make me happy I'm such a cat person, they really are wonderful creatures.

I haven't posted my latest receipes lately and it's such a bummer! I'll definately have to upload the pics in the next post, quite busy tonight, we are going tree hunting with my parents and then celebrating Rick's 26th birthday. Going to be a fun night...even with the chilly weather!

What I can post are some pictures from the Phi Sigma Sigma Alum Ornament Exchange. It was my first year going (have been an alumna since 2007) and I was very happy I went. Everyone was to bring an ornament of their choice (I bought mine at Pier 1, naturally) and a dish that would be entered in the best food contest. Our exchange was quite fun and entertaining, much stealing ornaments, "oooohs" and "ahhhhs".

I stole my ornament from Kara and felt so bad...but I really wanted them and so glad I took them lol. As for the best food contest, I entered a pampered chef chicken wreath that I have made in the past and it was a sure-fire winner (had to compete with Ashley since she made nutella crepes with strawberries...yum-o!).

All in all it was a fun event and I'm glad I saw some old faces...there was an announcement of a recent engagement and pregnancy (different sisters :D). So much fun!

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November...err 8th :)

So I'm so happy it's November! My favorite time of the year: fall. Have been cooking/baking up a storm and preparing for Thanksgiving! I've been taking some classes at our local Williams Sonoma store and they're been very fun and helpful. I think I will do brining for the turkey this year; found a lovely apple cider one. Super excited!

I hung out with the girls on Thursday night at Amanda's new house and we ended up visiting a new place, Cafe Crepes. Ordered this delicious nutella w/ bananas crepe and I just had to re-create it. I made it the next morning for Eric. It's a surefire win! Changed the receipe with adding a whipped cream glaze...for added effect.


I have also been working on our second bedroom, the den, or as Eric likes to call it "The Man Cave". Trying my hardest to make sure it doesn't look that way. Things have been coming together nicely, however apprehensive to set everything up since we plan to move wherever/whenever I land a job. Hate moving lol. Trying my hardest not to think about it. Nothing is set in stone, but I have been applying not out of town. Hopefully our prayers will be answered shortly!

October so far...

I was meaning to write a blog earlier this weekend but life happened :) Saturday morning I made Eric his favorite, Baked Apple Pancakes. I found the receipe in my Bon Appetit cookbook and fell in love. It's so yummy and so fun to make!

We had a very busy Sunday; went to Church, had grandma and grandpa Bryant over for pie and Kim and Daniel for dinner. For dinner I made margherita pizza and it was delicious! Next time though I'm going to transfer the dough directly onto the oven rack rather my pampered chef pizza stone. It was crispy...but not crispy enough ;) We enjoyed such a wonderful day but it ended up being so late for Eric to start on his homework.

Thursday of that same week, Eric started his internship at Kern Medical Center as a Research Assistant. I was really proud that he went for the position and there was a high volume of applicants. He was of select few. His job consists of doing respiratory research on patients, elbow constraints and SIDS research. He works in the ER and seems to be enjoying it all...even with doctors to my surprise. Friday he worked until midnight and I had to take a picture of him; his silly labcoat was the hardest to find in town considering many guys has his size. Who would have thought? I was a bit upset that the labcoat I bought for him last Christmas was too long from the hospital's standards, oh well he uses it for lab at school anyway.

I've been researching more about the CBEST and substitute teaching; while I've had preschool experience it's nothing like I would be doing for BCSD. I received an impression today while visiting the temple that I should try to do that for now. It's been rough on us, especially since this is our first year of marriage me not working. While I love the duties of being a housewife/homemaker, I want it to be on my terms. I miss work! Can you believe it? I miss being productive and being socially active in the workplace. Luckily I've been keeping myself busy with my church calling, volunteering any chance I can get and hanging out with good friends. The Lord has greatly blessed us and he keeps our heads held high during these rough times. I keep on telling Eric we should start a family with all my time off :) hahah that won't be discussed until next year. Oh well!

Oh, I almost forgot! We were BOO-ED last night while spending FHE at the West's (AND celebrating J's 19th!). It was super fun and we played the most outrageous game, "Bite the Bag". Instaneously laughter. We enjoyed our phantom goodies as well and thank you to whoever you are!

All I Want For Christmas

I know it's a bit premature, however I tend to forget these things and when mom asks, "What do you want for Christmas?" I can now refer to this!

This summer I went to go see Julie & Julia with my mom; I really want to read the book now and I think I may just pick that up today since today is such a wonderful day to curl up next to a good book. I've always been a fan of Julia Child; my mom used to watch her on the tele *yes I am going to use that word!* and I foundly remember this stalky, tall woman bumbling around the kitchen and drinking lots of wine. lol. Wonderful childhood, right? I remember those memories of tv, shopping and cooking. What else is life about? :)

Anyway, the movie was quite spendid and I never understood why I didn't have Julia's cookbook. So that is all I want for Christmas, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Box Set if possible. Thanks, Santa.

P.S. Tonight for dinner: Artichoke Chicken and Rice

1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts halves
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups converted rice
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper or pimiento
4 green onions, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (use bouillon, canned, or base)
1 can cream of celery soup, low fat
1 can artichokes, quartered and drained

Preparation:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Combine flour, cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture then brown in the hot oil. Transfer chicken to the slow cooker. In the hot skillet, saute bell pepper, green onions, and mushrooms for about 2 minutes; add chicken broth and soup, stirring to combine thoroughly; pour over chicken. Stir in rice and artichokes; cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on low. Serves 6.

The Married Life

We are married!!! It's been awhile since I have blogged, and oh have I missed it! I hardly doubt anyone reads my thoughts, but it's nice for me to have this posted and it gives me something to do while taking a break from searching for a job. Alas, I am still unemployed. It's been a blessing in disguise however, I have been quite the Suzy Homemaker if I do say so myself :) I have been making meals ever since we got back from our Honeymoon and I can brag that I have not duplicated one yet!

Last night we had shrimp with fetticine alfredo....with pumpkin whoopie cookies and pumpkin pie. Yes, lots to eat for breaking our fast lol. I think I'll post as much as I can with what is for dinner. I have been on my facebook, but this is nice, too. Possibly an electronic cookbook. hah.

We're Getting Married!

So much has happened since the last post! Eric proposed when we went to The City (SF), well actually in Oakland at the Temple! Since then it's been a whirlwind of dates, meetings, online ideas, invitations, planning, preparing and craziness. 27 days to go and certaintly counting!!

The wedding is less than a month away (August 8th!) and we couldn't be happier. Yesterday was my bridal shower and a beautiful one I might add. I am so grateful for my wonderful friends and family; they really did "shower" me with gifts! My bridesmaids were amazing and made everything so beautiful. I especially loved my cake!

Lots of family and friends attended; we received so many gifts, it's such a blessing. Our first home may be little but it will be ours. I'm really excited in decorating! Mom and dad got us our front load washer and dryer! Super excited to have those in full swing. We are truly blessed.

We're almost done finalizing things...we got all the big things done, just now the zillion little ones. Hopefully things go according to plan and at the end of the day what matters most is that Eric and I will be sealed for time and all eternity! I cannot be happier than to marry this boy, I've already invested in waterproof makeup for the sealing. I practically bawled my eyes out when he proposed so I'm praying that I am sentimental come sealing time, but not a waterfall lol.

I started a website for our wedding, just some info for guests who have lost their invite, have forgotten to RSVP and needs reminding, etc. I hope everyone can come celebrate our love!

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/pwp2/view/MemberPage.aspx?coupleId=9492304883891093