Once A Month Cooking

Sometimes when it's to hot in the evening to go to the park, we like to go to Sam's club and wonder around looking at all the fun stuff we usually ignore when grocery shopping. We were looking through the book aisle and I came across this cookbook that's called "Once A Month Cooking." As I mentioned in early posts, I sometimes feel like I spend half my time in the kitchen so I instantly took to the idea. Aaron and I scanned the book and decided a lot of the recipes sounded good and so we bought it. I went through the book and started picking out recipes that sounded good. It's an awesome book that comes with shopping lists, order of preparation, order of cooking lists, recipes, and more information than you could possible want about this program.

The next morning I decided I wanted to try it, but only cook two weeks at a time. I made my food calendar, made my shopping list, and once I picked up Ashton from school, we headed to the store. Now in the book it tells you to clean your kitchen and do your shopping the day before you plan to cook. Well, I'm a wonderful listener and decided to do it all in the same day. We got all the shopping done and when I put the kids down for a nap, I cleaned my kitchen just enough to get started. Of course I wasn't as well organized as I should be and 7 hours later I finished my fourteen meals. Now to give others hope, I made a lot of mistakes and am confident I can cut the time in half. The hard part is that I had to create all my own lists because we don't eat beef and other meats which are in this book. It probably would have gone a lot smoother if I could have just followed the book.

We are on meal 3 of this new plan and so far everything is fantastic. It reduces the mess and stress at dinner time. I will keep you posted on how it all turns out, but I am confident it will be successful. The program was designed to help save money and reduce stress. I have already seen a difference in both. I would recommend the book to anyone, you can always add in your own recipes to replace the ones you don't like. I created my own cooking book that has just this months recipes in it. This way I can go from page to page, instead of flipping through several books. I am posting my calendar below, I am always happy to share recipes that sound good to you. The first fourteen days are highlighted because those are the ones that are already prepared. On the last day, I will prepare the next two weeks worth. Hopefully by then I will figure it all out :) Yes it's a lot of work that day, but there are lots of little tips and tricks to help lessen the work, but I feel it is totally worth it for the energy I save on a daily basis. Get a babysitter and recruit some help for the day and enjoy stress free dinners for the rest of the time! Hope you enjoy!

Preschool

This week, I realized how big my little Ashton really is getting. On Monday he went to his first day of preschool! We had been talking about school and how he was going to learn his numbers, letters, and colors and he was really excited. Then we got there and he didn't want me to leave. I made myself go knowing he was in good hands and that he would have fun eventually. He did pretty good for his first time in a classroom setting. He was a little hyper and only wanted to do half the activities. The next time we went to school, I decided we should walk since it's close and help burn off his excess energy. He did much better. Even though he still cried when I left (for like 30 seconds) he had a lot of fun and really likes his school. I am posting his first two art projects. Can't help myself, it's so much fun to see his creations. I am so proud of him, I know he is really going to enjoy going and learning. Not only did he start preschool, but he also stayed in Nursery at church for practically the first time since we moved to our new ward. Leaving is always a little rough, but he has so much fun after. Now I just have to figure out what to do with myself now that he has class. I believe Yoga is calling my name. I could use a relaxing workout in my life :).

Weekend Trip to Mesquite

This past weekend Aaron finally had some time off of work so we decided we should do something really fun to celebrate all his hard work. So I had heard about this small town that was suppose to be cute and found hotel were we could stay. I also found the Valley of Fire State Park and thought that it would be really fun to go hiking in the morning. So we drove out to the park only to realize that it was mostly camping grounds and some neat national landmarks to see. Nonetheless, we were able to see some amazing ancient Indian markings. We got out of the car and still walked around the rocks. It was all red rocks, much like St. George and just as hot. We realized that we love Mt. Charleston even more because it's thirty degrees cooler than the desert. It was a lot of fun and the scenery was breathtaking. We spent several hours in the park and decided to head over to the small town of Overton that we heard about. Well were we in for a surprise! It truly was a small town with tractors riding on the main road and not a mainstream restaurant in sight. We kept driving thinking somewhere there would be a cute old fashioned downtown, but we never found it. We found a park and stopped to eat and let Ashton play. There we found one of our church buildings burned to the ground. It had been a very recent fire and we stood in awe knowing that the fire had to be set on purpose. The church looked a lot older and they had already built a new one down the street. It still made us sad to see the ruins.

After lunch we were trying to decide what to do. I realized we were only twenty minutes from Mesquite so we decided to be adventurous and stay there for the night. We checked in at the Casa Blanca hotel and while waiting for our room went to the swimming pool to play. They had an awesome pool with waterfalls and a water slide. Ashton ran up to it and wanted to go down by himself. He is not afraid of anything and swam around that pool for hours. There was a DJ there playing music and we sipped on our nonalcoholic daiquiris enjoying the sun and spending time together. It was refreshing to be at a family friendly hotel pool. We swam till Ashton was about to fall asleep floating in the pool.

After naps we got dressed went to dinner and decided to drive through the Virgin River Gorge since it was only five minutes up the road. For anyone who has driven to St. George, you know this is a beautiful drive. Aaron has never driven that far north so I knew he would think it was fun. The sun was setting as we were driving back through to our hotel. Desserts sunsets are beautiful and it made the end of the drive perfect. We had so much in just one day and it's always fun to explore other areas of the state of Nevada.

Our First Dinner Guest

This past week was a very busy and fun week for us. It seemed like everyday, we had something fun planned. When Ashton and I first got back from California, I took him to my friend Becca's house. Aaron and I had a meeting at church and she was nice enough to watch him for us. Not only did she watch Ashton, but made us dinner as well. It was so nice after a long morning drive to not have to worry about anything. Her husband works on the same base as Aaron and they both work crazy schedules. Luckily this past week, their schedules were close enough that we could all get together. So we invited them over to our house for dinner. I made my signature lasagna and a pretty yummy chocolate pudding pie. It was so much fun to sit and chat and just let the kids run around and play. It also made us feel like Vegas is becoming our home and we are planting some wonderful roots. A few days later, we also had the missionaries over for dinner and in between dinner guests, I had park play dates. Needless to say, by Sunday I was pooped! I also felt like I spent half my week in the kitchen. As much as I love to cook, sometimes it can be a little time consuming. I am sure we will have many more dinner guests, but since it was our first one in our new home, I felt it was nice to share. A house always feels more like a home when it is filled with guests and laughter.

The Last Lake Trip

On the second day of my vacation, we went to Lake El Capitan. Trina and her family drove down to meet us as it would be the last lake trip of the summer. It had started to sprinkle as we loaded in the car in the early hours of the morning. As soon as I woke up Ashton and told him we were going on the boat, he marched straight to the car and buckled himself into his seat belt. He refused to get out of the car to eat breakfast because he wanted to make sure he was going. He probably sat there for a half an hour while we loaded the car. Once on the lake the clouds started to clear and it ended up being a beautiful day. I got to ski and take Ashton on the tube for the first time. He was a little afraid, but once we got going he loved it. He wanted to go faster and wanted to go in and out of the wake so it would bounce. He cried every time we took him off. I already know he's going to be a daredevil. It was a great day trip to the lake. That night we had a family dinner. Our little family of 7 has now grown to 14 once you add spouses and kids. It's fun to get together and to see everyone. Ashton loved seeing Jayne. He talks about her all the time and is always calling her on his pretend cell phone. It was so nice to come home, even though the trip was short. We can't wait for our next one.

Ashton and Taryn

Ashton fascinated with the water

Trenton with Jayne and Ashton

Trenton and Ashton (Ashton likes hanging out with his uncle)

Jason Wake boarding

Me, Ashton and Papa (my dad)

My Mom and Dad (the first time I have ever seen them on the tube together)

Ashton eventually got tired and crawled under the chair for a nap (I picked him up to make it a little more comfortable)

Trina, Jason, Jayne, and Ryan

Trina, Jayne, Ashton, and Me

Ashton and Me

Me Skiing

Ashton and Jayne holding hands

Ashton and Jayne sitting together

Trenton catching air on the wake board

A day at the beach

This last weekend Ashton and I went to California to visit my family. Aaron has been working weekends for a while, so I thought it would be fun if Ashton and I took off for a little trip. He has been asking for his grandma and papa for a while so I knew it was time for a visit. The first day I was there we went to beach. Ashton of course thought he could run right out to the water and swim in the ocean. We tried to show him that the waves would knock him over, but he thought it was hilarious and would keep running into them. After I got tired of holding him in the water, Ashton ran up to my mom and said "Grandma help." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out to the water. Then he wanted her to bury him in the sand. It was a lot of fun to go to the beach, but a lot of work with Ashton. He loved it! After the beach we got ice cream, which was another highlight to Ashton. We gave him his own bowl and he ate perfectly not spilling a drop. He was so excited to be around everyone, it's a miracle I ever got him down for a nap that day. We both miss being close to my family.



Later that evening, my mom and I decided we would try and sew after dinner. Ashton was hanging out with Trenton watching him play his video game and playing with his toys. I thought that would entertain him for a while, so I went out to the sewing room. I called Trenton after about 20 minutes to check on Ashton. He said he had just left and that he had asked Trenton to take his shirt off. I knew he was up to something because he wanted to be naked. I came into the house and asked my dad if he saw him. He said he just came down and handed him his shirt and went back up stairs. I thought that was kinda of interesting and as I headed up the stairs I could hear water running. I went into my parents bathroom and saw Ashton giving himself a bath in the big jacuzzi tub. He had turned the water on, added bubbles, and was sitting there with a huge smile on his face. Luckily the water was cold, but he didn't care, he was having fun. I had to put him in the shower to get the bubbles off. I couldn't help but laugh, all you could see was his head barely peaking out of the bubbles. It's amazing what they do in the two minutes no one is looking. I tell you, this blog will be full of crazy things my child thinks of to do.

Swim Day

Last week, my friend Pilar invited us to go swimming with them. It has been pretty hot and Ashton loves to swim, so of course I said yes. We went to her in laws house and they had a pool that made me feel like I was at a resort. The kids had a blast and it was fun to be able to sit and talk. One side of the pool was a toddler area and the other a deep swimming pool. We were there half the day and Ashton was very upset when we had to leave, even though he was about to fall asleep standing up because he was so tired! I think swimming is his favorite activity. Maybe if I'm lucky he will always love it and become the next Micheal Phelps. (No pressure he can do what ever he wants :)). It was a fun and relaxing day!

Kendra was also with us and she loved the water as much as Ashton. She didn't want to be left out. I had her in my lap most of time and she kicked and had her feet in the water almost the entire time. It was a miracle that neither of the kids got a sunburn. I coated them up with sunscreen, but you never know when your playing in the water in the hot desert sun. Ashton wouldn't stay in the toddler pool, so he has his life vest on so he could swim in the deeper water. He is so funny, he just acts much older than he is. He also loved that there were lots of rock formations to climb on and jump from. What will he think of next!

Trade Show

So my sister called me several weeks ago and told me that she was signing up to do a small trade show in her city. She asked me if I wanted to make some of my tote bags to see if I could sell them. I said I would think about it and didn't really do anything for a while. I decided to take a trip to California to see my family and thought if i was going to make any bags I better do it now so I didn't have to mail them. Needless to say once I started I couldn't stop myself. Here are pictures of the latest bags, I still have two more to make. I had so much fun, I literally sewed for three days straight till my machine stopped. I have been sewing so much I needed to take in it for a tune up. None the less, I got most of my projects done thank heavens!

I tried to make each bag a little different. I made them different sizes, different handles, different stitching. I love all them and it was almost a little hard to part with them last weekend. Some have two handles, some have one. Hope you enjoy!

A side from bags I also created these great little infant car seat attachments. Instead of draping a blanket over the car seat to keep your baby covered, I made a mini blanket that attaches to the handle of the car seat to cover your little one. I can't take credit for the idea, I saw it on my friends car seat and thought it was a fabulous idea. After writing this blog I realized I didn't take pictures of all the ones I made, but here is a look at my sample. I made mini rag blankets with ribbons to attach to the car seat. Each one was made with two different flannel pieces with bating in the middle. They were easy to make and serve a great purpose!