Yum Yum Yum!

So I found this Green Chile Tabasco Sauce and it's amazing (thanks Ginni)! Not too hot (not nearly as hot as regular Tabasco) and so I wanted to make Mexican food so I'd have an excuse to use it! I made some tasty "fresh" tacos. I didn't use an exact recipe - I'm more of a "dump and taste" kind of girl.

Taco base: 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 onion, chopped, 1 cup of brown rice, and one can of chili beans. I cooked the turkey and onion together and then added the rest. I added chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, a little oregano, and cumin. I like adding rice and beans to my meat so that it goes further and it sticks to your ribs a little more.

Toppings: queso fresco (white Mexican crumbly cheese - you can buy it at walmart), cilantro, tomatoes, avocados, lowfat sour cream, spinach (instead of lettuce - it was all I had), salsa, and my favorite - green pepper tabasco.

I put all of this in some pan fried (without any oil) corn tortillas. Oh my gosh was it tasty!!! Very fresh tasting and I love the queso fresco because it gives it a different flavor than normal. Try it! It' awesome!

I forgot...

I kind of forgot I had a blog...right....so I need to be better about blogging. Sometimes Facebook is just easier. But I'll try to make an effort. So here's a few thoughts from the last few weeks - perhaps a little randomesque, but who cares?

Fall is here and it's wonderful. I love seeing the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of the trees. It makes me sad to see the piles of leaves on the grass and streets. It's like saying goodbye to old friends...and grumpily greeting winter's bare trees.

I got the swine flu. It wasn't fun (but when is the flu ever fun?)... I had a fever for 2 days, but 0% energy for 2 weeks. I'm barely starting to come out of it. Blech. Darn kids, breathing on me all the time!

I'm going to see Imogen Heap tomorrow in concert. Should be pretty good...I hope. I spent the last concert being pushed around and standing behind some really tall people. Why can't they all stand in the back? I need some Spice Girl platform shoes.

Summer

Summer makes me so happy! I've been super busy so far with the winding down of school and trying to prepare for the next new year. I love teaching year-round, except during the months of June and July -- all the other teachers are off and living it up, but I still have school. I've got a week and a half of school left, and it's a whirlwind of testing, report cards, checkouts and moving classrooms. I'll be in a portable next year (blech) but there are a few advantages -- more privacy than my middle room, ability to come in when I want/stay as late as I need to ...and that is about all. Anyway, so last day of school is July 2. I have two blissful weeks and then meetings start and school begins the 27th of July.

Here are some things that I'm excited for about summer:

-freedom! (at least for two weeks)
-swimming (I bought a pool pass to all of the SL county pools, so if you wanna go, let me know!)
-Lagoon (season pass!!!)
-gardening
-getting tan
-two rafting trips in Moab
-Harry Potter 6 movie!
-sleeping in...at least until 8
-riding my bike

Makin' Cupcakes

Tonight for Enrichment we made cupcakes a la Bakerella (see her whole site here and look here for directions for this project). There were a ton of people who came and it was really fun. I saw lots of cute cupcakes.
So first, you bake a red velvet cake and then crumble it up. Mix frosting with the cake and make a ton of balls. Dip the balls in chocolate candy cups (melted chocolate poured in a mold) and freeze to harden. Dip into colored melted candy and then decorate!
After I finished that, I had to make some samples for school tomorrow. We are making Valentine's bags so I wanted them to see what they could do. I like how they turned out!

I love Valentine's day! It's one of my favorite holidays - not for the romantic aspects (I've never actually had a boyfriend during the holiday) but for the ability to express my love to my friends. So if you're reading this, you're probably my friend. Therefore, I LOVE YOU!!!

I love pink and red too! I always do something for my roommates - in the past I've made cinnamon rolls with pink frosting, but this year it's waffles with pink coconut syrup. Yummo!!!

Merry Christmas!

This picture is from my amazing trip to the Mediterranean I took in November. This is me on a wall outside the Parthenon, overlooking Athens.

Some things I am grateful for this year:

• The opportunity to travel. Because I teach year-round school, I go off track for a 3 week vacation every 2 months. I have been able to visit my parents several times in Washington - May, July, August, and December. I love to come to the Pacific Northwest - it's so beautiful and peaceful here. I also went on a 12-day cruise that was so cool!

• My family. We were able to go camping all together (at least the Utah bunch) in June, and then we all went to Oregon for a week in August. We went to the beach, then to Silver Falls Park, where we stayed in cabins for a few days. My grandma Esther died during this time, so my sister and I stayed for her funeral and then drove home together.

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love learning more and more about Jesus Christ by reading the scriptures. It is amazing to me that I can read the Book of Mormon and the Bible again and again and gain new insights and remember old ones. I am grateful for Christ's sacrifice for me and for the opportunity to repent and improve my life every day.

• My friends. In my single's ward, I've been able to meet some WONDERFUL people. They've enriched my life, and made it a lot more fun!

I'm looking forward to another great year!!!

Freakin' Tagged

The Rules:
Link the person(s) who tagged you.
Mention the rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.
Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Quirk #1:
I watch Saturday Morning cartoons.
Ok, actually I don't watch the cartoons anymore, but I do really enjoy waking up early and catching an episode of Hannah Montana, That's So Raven, or the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. These shows are not educational, sophisticated, or even discussion-worthy. But they are funny and they make me laugh. What can I say? I enjoy them!

Quirk #2:
I want to learn hip hop dancing.
Sans some of the scandalous moves, I think hip hop is the coolest form of dance. I love the strong beat of the music and want to be able to move like that. But when it comes to dance, I am so white and super uncoordinated.

Quirk #3:
The Last Unicorn still gives me the heebie jeebies.
It was my favorite movie as a kid, but it scared me big time. That red bull...oooh, that was trippy. I watched it about a year ago...yeah, still scary.

Quirk #4:
I love processed cheese slices.
I consider myself a pretty good judge when it comes to food. I feel like I can tell the difference between crap and good quality. I know my stuff. However, I can't shake this addiction. Those cheese slices were a four letter word in my household growing up. I bought my first package when I went to college, and it was all downhill from there. I LOVE THEM!!!!! I try to only buy them now once in a great while...and they are usually gone in a matter of days.

Quirk #5:
I hate showering.
BEFORE YOU FREAK OUT, LET ME JUST SAY THAT I DO IT ANYWAY ON A REGULAR BASIS! I hate the time that it takes to get ready and do all the stuff I have to do before I can leave the house. Some people really enjoy showering; it wakes them up, refreshes them, blah blah blah. I hate it. If I never had to shower (and I could always be clean) again in my life, I'd totally do it. However, to make it more bearable, I put on music really loud and practice my hip hop moves. ;)

Quirk #6:
I want to skydive. Desperately.
I don't know what it is about willingly jumping out of a perfectly good plane and free falling to earth in a few minutes that sounds appealing to me, but I can't wait to do it. I'm just looking for someone to do it with me and savin' up my money. Wanna go?

I tag: Mindy and Ben

Moving

I'm moving...somewhere. I'm trying to find a place to live. I'd like to find someplace still in my ward, that isn't too pricey. I'm looking at living with 2-3 other girls. So, I thought I'd get started on my packing. I have a deep secret - I LOVE TO PACK! As my roommates know, I start packing for trips at least a week before departure. I get some odd pleasure from trying to fit a heap of items into a small suitcase. Trying to arrange things so that I can fit small items into crevices, filling every last inch of a suitcase makes me a little giddy. Ok, enough of that. So I started packing, thinking that I'd be moving within a week or so. I got all of my stuff out of the living room, packed all of my books, and half of my closet. Plans have changed (a potential roommate changed her mind) and so I can't move for a little while. All of the sudden, I need all these things that I've packed. Today I really wanted to wear scarf that I haven't worn in 6 months and so naturally it is at the bottom of a big black trash bag, along with other random stuff from my closet. Yesterday, I had a crazy desire to look at my high school yearbook (you know why Mindy) and guess what? It's packed. Who knows what I'll need tomorrow?

Tribute to the Title

Stuff I Love

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Photography - especially black and white, cooking, reading, watching movies, drawing, ceramics, typewriters, playing with my nieces and nephews, clean sheets, new crayons, ice water, quality artwork, reading in bed, shiny quarters, birds chirping, freshly mown grass, flowers poking out of the ground, holding a sleeping child, kids in their pajamas, COLORS, bright paint, and deep gut laughs. Oh yeah, and hippies. Gotta love 'em!

Tag...Some Either Hate 'em or Like 'em

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Some random person my parents knew I think
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
yesterday when the trainer at the gym KICKED MY TRASH
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes, very much
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT?
Black Forest Ham
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No, someday!
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Pretty much I'm amazing, so of course!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Not a ton
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes and proud of it!
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No, but I desperately want to sky dive!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Frosted Mini Wheats: Maple and Brown Sugar
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I guess so
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Ben and Jerry's Phish Food - chocolate, caramel, marshmallow creme, and little chocolate fishies
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
shoes
15. RED OR PINK?
pink
16. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE LEAST ABOUT YOURSELF?
That my feet get all cracky in the summer - yuck!
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My cat Sprinkles from when I was 4. Just kidding, my parents, who live in WA.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
nah
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
denim and bare feet
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Never-ending shrimp at Red Lobster (it was heaven!!!)
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
David Bowie and Queen ("under pressure..."
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Macaroni and Cheese
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Lavender, gasoline, paint, clean laundry, rain on the sidewalk, Strawberries and Champagne from Victoria's Secret
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Sabrina Garbett
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
yep, my sister-in-law, Rachel
26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?
gymnastics (on tv), baseball (live)
27. HAIR COLOR?
bottle blonde (he he)
28. EYE COLOR?
blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
yep, I'm blind without them
30. FAVORITE FOOD?
ice cream!!! (It fills the cracks, right Mindy?)
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
What About Bob?
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
teal blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
ice cream with lots of chocolate and caramel
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
doesn't matter
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
doesn't matter
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD
Spongebob, he he
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
What Not To Wear
42. FAVORITE SOUND?
Food sizzling
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Venice, Italy
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Writing with my toes, being double jointed
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Enid, Oklahoma