Meal of the Month - February

Cooking is one of my happiest things to do.  I love trying new recipes as well as making some of our old favorites.  I think it's easy for me to love cooking since I have a husband who will eat anything (and I mean ANYTHING) and enjoy it.  I'm so lucky.  I love planning out meals, grocery shopping, preparing the food - you name it!  (Am I crazy?)  Oh, and of course I love eating it!  About the only thing I don't love about cooking is cleaning up the mess afterwards.

To go along with my love of cooking and baking, I am going to do a monthly Meal of the Month post near the end of each month.  I will post the recipe of the best thing we ate that month, whether it was a new recipe or an old one I've been making for years.  I'll try to include a main dish, side dish ideas, and a dessert recipe.  But don't believe that I necessarily made all of those things at one meal - it's not true.  I usually throw a little canned corn and a muffin next to my main dish at dinnertime, and call it good.

Also, because of the current economic situation, we are learning to be very frugal with our grocery budget.  I've recently cut my grocery budget down by almost $200 a month, and I'm very proud of that fact!  So, I'll make sure to post recipes that won't break the bank.

So, without further ado, The Meal of the Month for February is... 

Sauteed Pasta Bar

I got this recipe from my mom, and it has become a regular at our house.  I love that it is so versatile and so easy.  Just a simple extra step changes this meal from boring, home cooked pasta noodles and sauce to something worthy of the Olive Garden.  It's so delicious!  It's also great because it can feed our small family of three or a huge crowd with very little extra effort. Also, if you have any picky eaters, this meal makes it so everyone can have exactly what they want (or DON'T want), and so everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

• pasta noodles of your choice (my favorite is penne)
• garlic, minced
• pesto
• pasta sauce of your choice
• olive oil
• any meat you want:  Our favorite is Italian sausage rolled into one inch balls and cooked.  You could also do chicken or hamburger...  And of course, meat is optional.
• any vegetables you want:  mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, olives, etc.
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook any meat you plan to use thoroughly.  Cook the pasta noodles al dente according to the directions on the package.  Then, have each person take a bowl and assemble the following in their bowl:  cooked noodles, a scoop of minced garlic to taste, a scoop of pesto to taste (in my opinion you can NOT skip the pesto - trust me), and any meat and vegetables they want.  Do not add any sauce yet. Meanwhile,  heat about 2 T. of olive oil in a skillet.  Dump the contents of one person's bowl onto the heated skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until warmed through and mixed well.  (If you are serving a bigger group, you can have several skillets going at once.)  Remove from the pan and return to the bowl or the person's plate. Top with the sauce of your choice and parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!  

Here is a picture of my pasta this month before I put my sauce on the top, but after it had been sauteed.  

Side Dishes:  This is yummy with a fresh green salad and a piece of Tuscan Flat Bread (recipe below).

Tuscan Flat Bread

I can't remember if this recipe originally came from my sister Melissa or from my mom, but I like this recipe because not only is it delicious, but it's pretty fast for a homemade bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 c. warm water
• 4 c. flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. crushed rosemary
• 1/2 c. melted butter
• parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add flour and salt.  Knead 2 - 3 minutes (optional).  Spread dough to the edges of a greased, lipped, jelly roll pan (12 x 16).  Pour butter on dough and spread to cover all the dough. Sprinkle rosemary and Parmesan over surface of dough.  Let rise for 30 minutes.  Bake 20 minutes.  Serve warm.  

Dessert: Easy, Creamy Cheesecake

This is one of Gerald's favorite desserts, and he requested this for his family birthday dinner.  It is really delicious, and lighter than a 'real' cheesecake, which I like.

Ingredients:  

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. Cool Whip
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• topping of your choice (we like raspberry pie filling)
• Graham cracker crust

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature.  Using a food mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add in the cool whip, sour cream, sugar and vanilla and beat until mixed well.  Pour the mixture into a 9-inch graham cracker crust.  Top with your favorite topping and refrigerate or serve.

So, will you let me know if you try any of these recipes?  Post your opinions here, that way others can know if they are worth trying or not.  (I'm not offended if you don't like them, by the way!  They're not my recipes, only ones we enjoy.)  And, if you come up with any variations, I would love to hear those, too!   By the way, I'm ALWAYS looking for new recipes, so feel free to share your favorites with me, also!  =)

Flashback Friday

  
  
  
  

Can you believe that this little baby is going to be three-years-old before next Friday?

It breaks my heart to think of it.  

Where has the time gone?

It's one of the greatest ironies of motherhood that the same thing that gives me such joy is also what makes me so sad - watching Katelee grow up.

I love that Katelee is growing into such a wonderful little girl.  It's so much fun to see her discover new things and gain her independence.

But I am so sad to know that her baby days are gone for good.  She'll never be that dependent on me again.  I think the things that I miss the most are cuddling with her (she is definitely NOT a cuddler now - too busy!), feeding her, rocking her to sleep.  I miss pinching her chubby baby legs and cheeks.   I miss that all I had to do to make her belly laugh was hold her close to my face and say, "boo!"  I love that she looked at me and Gerald as if we were the whole world.

It makes me want to not take one second of her life for granted and it makes me want to slow down and enjoy the journey more. 

So I'm going to stop typing this post and go play "pretend" with Katelee.  Because someday I'll look back and miss the days when she was almost three.

Some Sweet Experiences

I didn't go to my book club meeting Tuesday night.  *GASP!*  Did you hear what I just said?! I NEVER skip book club. I think Gerald experienced some minor shock when I told him I wasn't going.  I love my book club. It's my favorite outlet.  The women in this group have become some of my very best friends, and I really look forward to the conversations we have at book club. (By the way, YES, we really do discuss the books! Amongst other things...) And we only get together (for book club) once a month. So, I usually do everything I can to not miss book club.  

I was still feeling sick with a head cold, but usually something like that still wouldn't prevent me from showing up.  But this past week Gerald had been gone from Saturday morning until late Monday night; then he got up and went to work on Tuesday. So, when book club came around on Tuesday night, I decided to stay home.  At bedtime, Gerald and Katelee and I all cuddled up in our bed to read bedtime stories, as is our nightly routine (though usually Gerald does this more than I do).  Gerald read the stories aloud, and Katelee held my hand as she lay on her side snuggled next to me.  It was heavenly.  Somewhere between "The Paperbag Princess" and "The Little Engine that Could" I decided that staying home had definitely been the right decision.  I am grateful for little moments like this that help remind me of what my greatest treasures are.  Don't worry, though, book club friends.  I'll definitely be there next month! 

Another tender moment I had with Katelee recently was our 'girl's date night!'  As I've mentioned, Gerald was out of town over the weekend, and we didn't go along because we were feeling sick.  All I wanted to do was lie (lay?) around and read my book all weekend, but I knew that Katelee wouldn't be thrilled with that idea.  So, I thought of a way to better get my rest AND make it fun!  I told Katelee that we were going on a date, which made her SO excited. (Have you ever noticed that with kids you only have to CALL it something different and more exciting for it to actually BE different and exciting.  Brilliant!)  We went to Wal-Mart and bought a treat. Then we stopped at Hollywood Video and Katelee chose a few movies to rent. (I don't think she's ever been inside a video rental place before - it was a little overwhelming for her! She wanted every movie in the place; and was upset when I made her settle for only three.) Then we went through the Wendy's drive-up window and ordered dinner. Ah, what a date! I really had fun picking out movies and treats with Katelee, despite my head cold.  Katelee was thrilled with her chicken nuggets, M&M's, and "Little Mermaid" movie. And I didn't have to make dinner. Or get off the couch for the rest of the evening. Very nice.   

Here is Katelee getting ready to leave on our 'date night!'

Also, on Sunday we were too sick to go to church.  So, throughout the day when Katelee was getting stir-crazy and bored we played some board games. We played Candy Land twice, Memory (sort-of), Mancala (which with Katelee basically means count the beads over and over again), and Hungry, Hungry Hippos about 300 million times. And yes, it was fun! There were occasional times when my head was pounding and I was thinking, "Please! I cannot handle the noise of hungry hippos anymore! Just let me go lie down!" But I didn't say that. Well, at least not EVERY time I thought it. Instead, we usually played 'one more time.' (Which, by the way, I've discovered does NOT mean in pre-school language what it means in adult language. 'One more time' means 'indefinitely' or 'until Katelee is ready to quit.' Who knew?)

Then this morning Katelee's head cold was really bothering her.  So when she first woke up she let me hold her for about 10 minutes.  If you know anything about Katelee, you know that that must be some sort of life-time record for her.  She hardly ever lets me just hold her; she always wants to get down and run or jump or play with something.  Usually she gives me a nice good-morning hug and then starts the day running.  This morning, however, as I stood next to her bed and gave her her morning hug, she didn't ask to get down and so I held her tight and enjoyed it with all my heart.  After awhile my back started to hurt from holding that great big girl while standing for so long, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by adjusting her weight, so I just stayed still until she was finally ready to go downstairs.  Little moments like these make motherhood so worth it.

2 completely unrelated items

First of all, have any of you ever prepared artichokes before?  I have three lovely artichokes that I got through the local food co-op that I participate in (I TOTALLY recommend that you look at this link if you are not part of the co-op or haven't heard of it before.  We've been participating for almost a year now, and we LOVE IT!)  Sorry, back to my original topic.  So, I have these three artichokes and need to figure out how to best prepare and eat them.  I have found some ideas online, but thought I would turn to my friends whom I trust more first.  Let me know if you know the best way to cook artichokes!

Secondly, just so you are all aware, my name has been changed sometime during the last two weeks.  I didn't know it was going to happen, either, so sorry about springing this on you, but for the past few days I have been exclusively called "buttmom."  I don't even know if I remember my previous name, with Gerald out of town it hasn't been used for three days now.  And I swear that the ONE AND ONLY thing Katelee has called me is "buttmom."  

"Katelee, I'm going upstairs for a minute."

"But, mom!"

"Can you hand me your bowl, please?"

"But, mom!"

Even when I'm agreeing with her or doing something she asked me to do!  For example, here is a conversation that happened last night:

Katelee:  I want an orange.

Me:  Okay.  (I prepare an orange for her and hand it to her.)  Here, Katelee.  Eat your oranges.

Katelee:  But, mom!

She has even been starting sentences like this when we haven't been talking.  She walks into the room and says, "But, mom, ...."

I don't get it.  But I kinda want my old name back.  Plain old 'mommy' works for me.  Do any of you have any experience with getting rid of the ol' buttmom?

Katelee's Got Skills

Katelee was playing in the kitchen, when she suddenly yelled out, "Mommy, I can jumprope!!"  She was so excited about it!  When she showed me her jump roping skills, I couldn't help but laugh, and then grab the camera.  I hope you enjoy watching her jump rope as much as I did!

Gerald's Home!

Hooray!  Daddy is home!  

Gerald's cousin, Chad Thornton, who was Gerald's same age, passed away last week.  The funeral was yesterday in Las Vegas.  The timing wasn't good for Katelee and Jennifer, who were both really sick on Friday and throughout the weekend.  So, in the end we decided it was best if Gerald jumped in with his parents who were going down to the funeral.  They left Saturday morning and got home late Monday night, so he was only gone a couple of days, but we sure missed him!  We're glad he's home safe and sound.  Our thoughts and prayers have been with the Thornton family; Gerald reported that the funeral was really beautiful.  

The Incredible, Edible Stage

So, here is the cake I was decorating while Katelee was creating her special cake.  A woman in my neighborhood and ward asked me to make a cake for her daughter's 19th birthday.  She told me her daughter liked strawberry cake and that she loved theatre and "all things Broadway." So, this is what I came up with.  If you can't tell, it's supposed to be a stage.  The big yellow thing is a spotlight, and the dots at the front of the stage are supposed to be the small eyeball lights that usually line a stage front.  I think it turned out cute, but I'm still always disappointed with my cakes when they don't turn out perfectly the way I imagined them in my head.  And they never do.  The spotlight needs to be more angled, coming from the top center and slanting over.  And there are places where the fondant doesn't match up perfectly.  But I'm getting a little better each time.

This is a strawberry cake with vanilla frosting, covered in marshmallow fondant.  It smelled yummy, and I hope they enjoy it!  Happy Birthday, Mallory!

These curtains are my favorite part!

Katelee's Cake Creation

Often when I am working on a cake, I invite Katelee to "help" me.  Usually this means that she gets to play with a little fondant as if it were play-doh or stack up my food coloring bottles in towers.  The other night, however, I actually had some extra cake that didn't fit in my cake, and so I asked Katelee if she wanted to decorate it.  She was SO excited!  She went to town, scurrying around my VERY messy kitchen (I create disasters when I decorate cakes, as you will see in the following pictures) and picking up random items to use in her decorating.  She was so funny; she would pick something up and ask, "Mom, how 'bout this?"  If I told her she could use it, she would carefully find a place for it to go on her cake.  Then she would look at it and say, "Hmmmm...just one more thing."  I think she said that about 50 times!  =)   She was even creative enough to go find her own decorations, such as the piece of licorice she got out of the pantry on her own.  Oh, and she insisted that her cake needed about 4 cups of water poured over it.  It definitely looks moist!  Here are some pictures of her finished creation.  Keep in mind she did this 100% by herself! 

I really love the flagpole/spear effect she accomplished with the wooden dowel topped with an icing tip.  

The toothpick with the coupler sitting on top is another favorite part of mine.

Hard at work.  Cake decorating really takes concentration!

The proud finish!

Way to go, Katelee!  I'm so proud of you and your creativity!

Things I'm Grateful for Today

• A husband who will cheerfully stop and pick up the mushrooms for dinner on his way home from work when I forgot to buy them at the store this morning.
• You Tube - I TOTALLY figured out my fondant dilemma by watching about an hour's worth of demonstrations on You Tube.  I even found answers to questions I didn't know I had.  If you are interested in learning how to use fondant, I recommend You Tube as a tutor.
• Vick's Vapor Rub - Katelee has a cold, and I swear the stuff works miracles.
• Wheaties and orange juice for breakfast this morning.  Ah, that's my comfort food.
• The sunshine we've been having for the past few days.  It LOOKS like spring outside, even if it doesn't quite feel like it.  It makes me happy.
• Spring Piano Recitals - My students have been choosing their music for our upcoming piano recital this week, and that is always so much fun!  It's good to have an event to work towards and plan for; we're having a 'costume recital' where each student will wear or bring one thing to represent their song (yes, I completely stole that idea from the Children's Friend), and they seem really excited about the idea.
• Good news - hooray for my friend who told me she is expecting her first baby!

Flashback Friday

Thinking back to high school, I feel really blessed to have had some outstanding friends.  They were really the kind of people who were always good examples to me and always there for me.  I was very lucky to have each one of them in my life.  I have kept in touch with many of them, but have also lost some of them during the past ten years.  I would love to track them down again.  Anyway, if you are one of the friends I'm talking about (you know who you are!) I just want to say thank you so much for your friendship during those years.  You really helped make me a better person and I hope we remain friends for years to come.

Enjoy the pictures!  =)

Above, left to right:  Tammy Allen, Shanae Wursten and me on Show Choir Tour in Disneyland, 1999.

Above, left to right:  Teresa Easton, me and Shanae Wursten at Disneyland.

Above: My friend (and 2nd cousin) Lindsey Frehner.  This was on a bus trip to a state basketball game in 1997.  

The picture above was taken in 1997 at my Junior Prom.  (We did take pictures with our dates, too, but we were just being silly!)  I'm down below.  Standing from left to right is Anna Carpenter, Teresa Easton, and Tammy Allen.

Above: Robin Montgomery.  Robin and I both worked at the local library together in high school, and we were even roommates for a year at BYU.  She is great!

This picture was taken in 1999 in my house.  I had just been asked to a dance with all these balloons, and some of my friends were there to help me pop them all.  From left to right:  Ashlie Abbott, Tammy Allen, me, Leah Havens.

The above picture was taken at a homecoming dance in 1997.  The girls standing from right to left are: Tammy Allen, Jessica Forbes, Kim Carter, Anna Carpenter, and Amy Leavitt.  Sitting on the ground is Teresa Easton and me.

This picture was taken in 1999: Annette Hughes, me, Michelle Chism, and Ashlie Abbott.  

We were on Temple Square in Salt Lake for general conference.

I also wanted to post a picture of Esther and Christine Bushman, who were great friends, too, but my scanner suddenly stopped working...  I'll add their picture to this post as soon as I get it working.

Do any of you out there know how to get a hold of Annette, Robin, Shanae, Teresa, or Anna?

Thank you!

I know these are a little overdue, but here are some pictures of Katelee opening her Valentine's packages from her grandparents.  Her reaction was so cute; the gifts really made her day!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds and Grandma and Grandpa Thurston for the stuffed bear, the stuffed puppy, and the treats!

Does this look like the face of someone who is 30?

So, it's official!  Gerald is now in his thirties.  Doesn't that sound strange?  Of course, he's as handsome and as fun as ever.  I have to admit I kinda like having a husband who is thirty.  It sounds so mature.  

We had a great day.  Gerald was able to take work off and we spent the morning at the temple (it also happens to be our stake temple week, so the timing was nice).  We even had lunch at the temple; I always love eating in the temple cafeteria.  In the evening, we had a bunch of friends and neighbors over to eat cake and visit.  We had a great turnout, and even though we forgot to take any pictures during the event, the following pictures show the aftermath of a successful party.  Thank you to all those who came!

We have a babysitter tonight, and Gerald and I are going to go out for a quiet dinner.  We are looking forward to it.  Happy Birthday, Gerald!  I love you so much!

 

The Cake

So, here is a picture of the practice wedding cake (a.k.a. Gerald's birthday party cake) I promised to post.  Yikes!  Making my sister's dream wedding cake is going to be so much more difficult that I anticipated!  If you could see it up-close, you would find so many imperfections that I cannot live with for the actual wedding cake, so I will be practicing some of this again before the wedding.  I did learn a lot on this cake, however, such as do not leave the cake where Katelee can reach it (she totally took a bite out of it when I wasn't looking!) and three ways NOT to try to put the fondant on that HUGE bottom layer.  (I am still looking for a way that actually works without leaving a huge hole in the back - any ideas?)  

Again, we hope that anyone who wants a piece of this cake will stop by tonight around 7:30 or later to visit and eat a piece of cake (or two...or five...).  I promise that even though it doesn't look perfect, it will still taste great!  

Katelee and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This morning Katelee woke up in a very bad mood.

It all started when she called for her mom to come get her out of bed.  When her mom entered the room, Katelee hadn't had time yet to hide under her pillow, like she does EVERY morning.  It's one of her favorite things to hide under her pillow before her mom comes into the room.  Then her mom has to look everywhere:  under the bed, in the closet, behind the baby cradle... before she can find Katelee.  This morning, however, the pillow wouldn't cooperate, and when mommy came into the room, Katelee began sobbing.  "The pillow won't work!  The pillow won't work!"  It was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

When it was time to get dressed, Katelee learned that her mommy wouldn't let her stay in her pajamas.  Katelee laid on the floor and cried out her new favorite expression:  "MY HEART IS BROKEN!"

When Katelee wanted to watch a movie, mommy couldn't get the show she had chosen to work, because the disk was scratched.  Katelee cried some more.  "MY HEART IS BROKEN!"

Later, mommy and Katelee were playing catch with a ball. When Katelee missed the ball, she began to cry. "I can't DO it!"

When it was lunchtime, mommy asked Katelee what she wanted to eat today.  Katelee knew exactly what she wanted to eat: MARSHMALLOWS!  But mommy said no, marshmallows are not a lunchtime food.  This time Katelee had the worst tantrum yet.  She ran in the other room, and sobbed that "MY HEART IS BROKEN" for about five minutes.

When Katelee came back to the kitchen, mommy was cutting up an apple with a knife.  "I want to use the knife," said Katelee.  When mommy said no, that knives were only for big people to use, but Katelee could use a spoon or fork instead, Katelee's heart broke all over again.  Loudly.

Mommy was beginning to get frustrated and grumpy, too.  Katelee must have sensed that because she eventually stopped crying, came over to mommy and hugged her leg.  Then in her sweet, quavering little girl voice she asked, "Mommy, will you forgive me?"

Much hugging and cuddling followed.

Katelee is sleeping now.  Hopefully she will wake up feeling much better.  But tonight when it is time to read bedtime stories with her mommy and daddy, they will probably read one of the best books for days like today:  "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."  And Katelee will know exactly how he feels.

give oh give

My wonderful friend, Juli, posted this on her blog the other day and I decided to participate -- (and yes, I did copy this word for word, so if that is any indication of my extreme level of laziness, you won't be getting this homemade gift within the next fortnight!)

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!  My choice.  For you.  This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:  

1.  I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!  

2.  What I create will be just for you.  

3.  It'll be done this year.  

4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a song. It may be a self portrait or maybe even some creation I haven't yet dreamed up. I may sew. I may bake you something and mail it to you. It may not be big or impressive. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! But let's be honest here. This is me and I will likely do something amazing. =) So come on, sign up!

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Maybe, maybe not...

Life is always full of uncertainties and change.  Even when you think your life is predictable, things can change in an instant.  Gerald and I were talking the other day about how the year 2009 is one that is going to bring a lot of interesting events, and we are excited to see where we will be and who we will be at the end of this year.  Being someone who is all about advanced planning of every detail, all the unknowns can stress me out.  But I am actually pretty excited to see what this year brings and for the chance to increase my faith a little more and rely on my Heavenly Father a little more.  I know that He is watching out for us, and that all things will work out as He knows is best.  Here are a just a few questions we have about our immediate future:

1.  Will we get into a graduate school?  Maybe, maybe not...

2.  Will we move out of the state?  Maybe, maybe not...

3.  Will we be able to sell our house?  Maybe, maybe not...

4.  Will we get pregnant this year?  Maybe, maybe not...

5.  Will we decide to take that final step to begin the adoption process?  Maybe, maybe not...

6.  Will Gerald's construction job be in jeopardy with the current economy?  Maybe, maybe not...

These are the biggest questions, but there are a million other little ones we have.  It will be interesting to see.  When 2010 comes around, the three of us might be living right here in our same, sweet little neighborhood enjoying life in pretty much the same way we are living now. Or we could be in Kansas going to school and adopting triplets!  

Maybe, maybe not...

Happy Valentines Day to My Little Lovebug

            
Dear Katelee,

I love you so much!  Every day you bring such sunshine and happiness into my life.  Here is a small list of things I love about you:

• I love your giggle and how quick you are to laugh.  I can't resist tickling you a million times a day just to hear that cute laugh and squeal.  Thanks for laughing through each day and making me laugh, too. 
• I love how much you love to learn new things.  You are getting so grown-up and independent, and I love watching you learn new things constantly.  You have such a bright mind and capacity to learn, and I am so proud of all the things  you have already mastered and look forward to all the other things you still have to learn.
• I love your constant energy; go, go, go!  
• I love your enthusiasm!  Whenever we enter a room, you shout hello to all of your friends there.  You are always excited about what we are doing or what we are going to do next.  You anticipate events with such excitement.  You are so much fun!
• I love your goodness.  You have such a big heart and always want to be a helper to mommy and others.  You want those around you to be happy.  You have such a loving and giving personality that I love so much.

There are many more things I love about you!  Thanks for being my daughter; I love you so much and will love you forever!

xoxox,

Mommy

Happy Valentines Day to My Valentine

Dear Gerald,

Happy Valentines Day!  I just want you to know that I love you so much and am so thankful for all you do for me and our family.  Here are just a few things that I appreciate about you:

• You have a strong and steady testimony of the gospel that never wavers; you are such a strength to me.
• You always let me put my cold feet on your legs to warm them up in bed, even though I don't let you put your cold feet on me.  Thanks!
• You are very thoughtful and  unselfish, always thinking about me and Katelee and putting our needs first. 
• You are so good at taking the trash out.  :)  Thanks for all you do to help out around the house.
• You are a great daddy!  I love that as soon as you get home from work you drop everything for a few minutes to run in circles with Katelee.  You are always so tender and patient with her.  She loves you so much!
• You are such a hard worker.  Thanks for working hard for our family and for always being an honest and dependable employee.
• You are great at reading picture books.
• You are always willing to serve, no matter who needs your help or what they need from you, you are there.
• You are a great son, son-in-law, brother, uncle and cousin - no wonder everyone loves you so much!
• You are a great listener and conversationalist.  I love talking to you.  Even though we should go to bed earlier some nights, it's great to talk to you for hours at a time.

Thanks for being someone I can ALWAYS depend on to be there for me and to love me and to do what is right.  I love you so much, honey!  Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Jennifer

Flashback Friday!

Last Friday's post about Gerald and his family group "Reynolds Rascals" attracted so much attention that I decided to do a "Flashback Friday" on my blog every now and then.  My friend Shelly started doing a "Flashback Friday" on her blog, and I think it's a great idea!  I'm not really sure what a flashback Friday is supposed to be, but I am going to post a picture or some pictures from my past and tell you a little about it.

When I was growing up, these were my very, very best friends!  We had a lot of fun together, fought a lot together, and truly became best friends.  I still love these girls so much!

Above, left to right:  My sister Melissa, me, my cousin Tara and laying across our laps is my cousin Jaime.  (Tara and Jaime are sisters.)

Here we are again:

  Melissa, Jaime, Tara and me

I'm thinking these pictures were taken in or around 1999. 

I can't believe that was TEN  YEARS AGO!

Some of my favorite memories with these guys:  playing truth or dare, running around their cul de sac playing Mission: Impossible, making up dances to Mariah Carey songs, watching Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, scaring ourselves silly over a creepy cat, baking cookies, playing night games . . . GREAT memories!

Above:  Here is a picture of us with lots of our other cousins in 1997.  This picture was taken at Ashlie Roger's baby blessing.

Behind the couch:  me and Jessica Thurston

On the couch:  Brittany Thurston holding Alexandria Rogers, Tanya Thurston holding Ashlie Rogers, Tara, and Melissa holding Brandon St. Clair

Front: Hunter Thurston, Makayla Thurson, McKenzie St. Clair, Michael St. Clair, and Alex Thurston

I love all my cousins so much!

P.S. Hey, high school friends, if you read my blog, look for next week's Flashback Friday!  I've got some great pictures to share!