Songs That Make Me Smile

1: Put your music player on shuffle. (I shuffled my running playlist.)

2: Post the first line or two (unless the first line reveals the song title) from the first 25 songs that play.

3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both artist and song title correctly.

Ready, let's play!

1. Just 3 miles from the rest stop and she slams on the breaks. . .
2. Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine. . .
3. One day I will build a fountain, drink and never grow old. . . (Some Fantastic, BNL, Danette)
4. Step one you say we need to talk; he walks you say sit down it's just a talk. . . (How To Save a Life, The Fray, Amber)
5. A scrub is a guy that thinks he's fly and is also known as a buster. . . (No Scrub, TLC, Danette)
6. This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us. . .
7. Question: Tell me what you think about me. . . (Independent Woman, Destiny's Child, Summer)
8. Hey, man, I'm a live. I'm takin' each day and night at a time. . . (Someday I'll Be Saturday Night, Bon Jovi, Danette)
9. On the street where you live girls talk about their social lives. . .
10. State the obvious, I didn't get my perfect fantasy. . . (Picture To Burn, Taylor Swift, Danette)
11. You're on the phone with your girlfriend; she's upset. . .
12. Jan lays down and wrestles in her sleep moonlight spills on comic books and superstars in magazines. . .
13. Kind of always knew I'd end up your ex-girlfriend. . . (Ex Girlfriend, No Doubt, Katie)
14. I'm over your lies and I'm over your games. . .
15. I've got a blue and red adidas bag and a humongous binder. . . (If I Had $1,000,000, BNL, Danette)
16. This Romeo is bleeding, but you can't see his blood. . . (Always, Bon Jovi, Danette)
17. She said I don't know if I've ever been good enough. . . (Push, Matchbox 20, Nicole)
18. Shot through the heart and you're to blame. . . (You Give Love a Bad Name, Bon Jovi, Danette)
19. The waves keep on crashing on me for some reason. . . (Hella Good, No Doubt, Katie)
20. The good guys dress in black, remember that. . . (Men In Black, Will Smith, Danette)
21. He is sensible and so incredible and all my single friends are jealous. . .
22. And even though the moment passed me by, I still can't turn away. . .
23. I feel a hunger it's a hunger that tries to keep a man awake at night. . .
24. We'll do it all, everything, on our own. . .
25. Chill out, whatcha yelling' for. . . (Complicated, Avril Lavigne, Danette)

Baked Fondue

This recipe is for Robin if she checks my blog before Christmas Eve. Her family dinner assignment is appetizers and this recipe can make a great appetizer or side dish. I got this recipe from my friend Jamie's recipe blog, Dinner's Ready. (click on Dinner's Ready and it will take you to the blog!) I used to be a contributor but I've gotten so busy that I just post my recipes on my own blog. (Sorry, Jamie. I'm really not trying to be un-supportive. Feel free to copy and paste any of my recipes to your blog for the rest of your readers!)

I made this a few times this summer and it was fantastic. To be honest I might use a little less butter--it seemed to get soggy on me. I just stumbled upon the recipe again a few days ago and now I am looking for time and an excuse to make it before I leave town on Wednesday at noon--probably not going to happen but I can hope. Maybe I'll surprise myself by getting my to do list done in time to make Marc and I a great steak, loaded sweet potato and baked fondue dinner tomorrow night. Hmmm, we'll see. Anyway, without further rambling, here you go Robin--if it strikes your fancy.

(pictures courtesy of Jamie)

8 oz sliced swiss or mozzarella cheese (not the fake, individually wrapped sandwich kind)
round loaf sourdough bread
1 C butter, melted
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs dijon mustard

Score the sourdough loaf in criss-cross cuts, making sure you do not cut all the way to the bottom of the loaf. Combine butter, lemon juice and mustard. Stuff scores with slices of swiss cheese, then pour butter mixture into all of the cracks. Wrap the loaf in aluminum foil, making sure to reinforce the edges so that the butter doesn't leak out. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, and let cool before serving. It's easiest to serve family style in the middle of the table where everybody just pulls off chunks. It's a bonding moment.

Quote of the Day

Here I am sitting at the computer checking blogs. Carter's in the bathroom a few feet away. All of a sudden I remember my dip that is in the oven--it's way past the time--like double the actual baking time--I was supposed to take it out so I whisper/yell (funny how you can whisper and yell at the same time!) Crap! as I run to the oven. Carter asks from the bathroom--What's the matter, did you pee your pants?

Luckily, the dip isn't actually burned. I'm hoping the taste isn't effected. I guess I'll find out tonight at the party we're going to.

**English teacher in me: I've edited this post like 3 times and can't figure out if my verb tenses are correct. I know I switch at least once in here. I'm sorry if it bugs you. It's certainly bugging me but I'll stop being a perfectionist now.

**click on the word dip in the third sentence and it will take you to the recipe--I posted it back in July.

shout out!

Have I mentioned how much I love this man?

He's practically perfect in every way!

Ben & Jerry's--Make Your Own!

Yesterday I received a treat that is very dear to my heart because of the givers--chocolate covered pretzels. This afternoon, when looking for a mood satisfying treat, I looked in the freezer, saw the vanilla ice cream, looked on the counter, saw the chocolate covered pretzels and a light bulb went off. Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby (my high school BFF's fav). I scooped a small dish of ice cream, crushed a few pretzels on top and swirled in a small spoonful of peanut butter. Yum!

Anderson's Handy Work

That's some pretty good matching for a two year old, wouldn't you agree?

A Plea

Dear family & friends,

Take pity on a housewife with two small children. When buying gifts for my kiddos, please, please, please do not even consider any marker that is unwashable! My two year old has attempted three times to ruin his clothing with them. Luckily, I am a very smart housewife with a bottle of shout, a bottle of oxi-clean and a bottle of murphy's oil soap on hand. But, I wouldn't have to use them as much if I could just keep these unwashable markers out of my house. Thank you!

Love,
Diana

Quote of the Day

John Zimmerman was my neighbor from the time I was four until we moved to a different house when I was nine. He was a year younger than me, a tow-head and could run really fast. During the spring, summer and fall we'd spend hours running around his huge un-fenced yard playing super heroes, climbing the big tree in the back, raking leaves in the fall. There are lots of good memories trampled into that lawn. I can almost hear his voice taunting my much slower paced sister and me, Nanny nanny boo boo! You can't catch me! Oh how true that was. He was super fast! I think of this only because someone, I don't know who, has taught my boys to taunt. It's so funny to hear my barely-talking two year old walk around the house saying, "heh heh boo boo" in a very correct sing song way. (Don't be fooled by his sweet sleeping face.)

The story of the Oreos

It all started a few weeks ago when I spotted the Limited Edition Peppermint Oreos at Walmart. I bet those taste go-od, I thought to myself. But I withstood the temptation to buy them and try them. Afterall, I don't have much will power when it comes to sweets and if they were in the house, I'd probably eat them all, leaving Marc shocked and dismayed when he returned home from work late. The next week at Walmart, they were sitting there tempting me again. It was all I could do to just walk on by. It proved all too much for me on my Walmart trip the third week because even after withstanding them in the food department, they were sitting right there by the register when I went to check out. I threw a package into the cart. When I got home, I was appalled when I saw that instead of the Peppermint kind I had picked up the Winter Oreos with the red creme filling. There's nothing special about regular oreos with red filling besides the fact that Oreos really are quite tasty. This was last Friday, the day Oreos became my current vice. So, last Saturday when we went to pick up a few Christmas items at Walmart I picked up the Peppermint Oreos I had originally planned on buying the day before. It's a wonder either of the packages really lasted the four days they did. Really. So then this last Tuesday, when I asked Marc to stop at the store on his way home from work to grab a few things, he did a really sweet and kind thing-- he picked up yet another package of the Peppermint kind thinking those were what I really wanted. So very thoughtful, but by then I had discovered I preferred the original Oreo, not the Peppermint kind.

A friend of mine wrote a blog post yesterday called, You are what you eat. While she made a lot of great points of how true this is, if it really were, it's a wonder I'm not an Oreo right now.

Shrimp Limone

1/2 lb-1 lb of angel hair pasta (depends on the pasta to veggies ratio you want and how saucy you'd like the dish, too!)
3 T. butter
juice of two lemons
1 t. lemon zest, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 cans artichoke hearts, cut into pieces
1 carton sliced mushrooms
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. cooked shrimp

Cook pasta. Sauté veggies in olive oil. Put butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a skillet over a medium-high heat. After the butter has melted, let the mixture bubble for 30 seconds. Do not let the butter brown. Pour in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced by half. Remove from the heat. After the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into the skillet. Return the skillet to a medium heat and toss the pasta with the sauce. Add the veggies, shrimp and grated cheese and toss. Serve immediately.

Cream of Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

I worked at the BYU Bookstore for my last year and a half in college. Every once in a while I'd need a quick lunch or dinner during my shift so I'd go to the Twilight Zone and pick up a bite to eat. One night, I found Campbell's wild rice and chicken soup and wow did that hit the spot. (It must have if I can remember it six or seven years later!) I never found them serving that soup again so when my sister found this recipe a few years ago I was ecstatic. This soup is pure comfort food! Unfortunately, the first two times I made it the essence of onion was overpowering--I swore it off. But now I've made it twice successfully and really, if it's snowing outside or if you've simply had a gloomy day, this pot of soup is a perfect pick me up!

1/2 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 small celery stalk, chopped
2 TBS butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups fat-free chicken broth
3 cups cooked wild rice (I use Uncle Ben's fast cooking wild rice)
6 oz. (or a little more) cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 c. fat-free evaporated milk

In a large saucepan, saute onion, carrot and celery in butter until tender. Spoon in flour and stir until blended. Gradually add broth. Stir in rice, chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in milk. Cook for 3-5 minutes more, until heated through. Serves 10 1 & 1/4 cup servings

Quote of the Day

Anderson has been in speech therapy for about 3 months. When he started he was hardly saying 20 words. Now he says 2 to 3 word phrases all the time. My favorites are:

Bop it now! (Stop it now!)

Momon, Mommy. (C'mon, Mommy-- said while tugging on my leg or arm or pushing my body in the direction he wants me to go.)

Quote of the Day

Anderson has been getting up in the middle of the night quite a bit lately. He'll show up at the side of our bed at oh let's say 3:30 and say, "juice, please." Last night, before bed, I asked Marc if I could have one undisturbed nights sleep. Translation: tonight's your night, babe! So at some early hour, I heard some little footsteps and the boys' bedroom door open and then I heard Carter yelling, "No! No! No!" Marc jumped out of bed and stayed with the boys until about 6 this morning when his phone went off in my ear and I had to get up and tell him he'd gotten a text from a co-worker about road conditions. I asked him what Carter was doing yelling last night. Apparently, Carter had heard Anderson getting up last night and went scrambling down the bunk bed ladder trying to tell him to go back to bed. I chuckle when the image comes to mind--Carter can be such a good big brother when he wants to be!

Side story: as I left the boys' room after getting Marc up at 6, I heard Carter laughing in his sleep. . .twice. :)

puppy love

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are not complete without Anderson's kiss from Ayana, Miss Amy's Great Pyrenees. I know it seems as if I coddle Anderson by getting him out of the car EVERY MORNING we drop Carter off at school, but there are certain simple things I have to do to keep my baby happy and this is one of them. According to Miss Amy, Ayana does not kiss anyone except Anderson which makes me wonder if in her doggy brain, Ayana looks forward to seeing him as much as he does her. This morning, I wouldn't let Anderson out of the car because he had refused to get his socks, shoes and coat on before leaving the house for school. It's one battle I'll pick in 16 degree weather. (The radio indeed said it was 16 degrees when we were leaving for school.) Needless to say he was quite disappointed but I told him if he behaved during the 2 1/2 hours we were together this morning he could see Ayana when we picked Carter up. They had a dear reunion later this morning. When I got Anderson out of his seat, I turned around to see Ayana running down the the driveway to see him. They had a brief face to face moment before we headed home. And my boy was happy.

Hello, My Name is Trouble

Tonight during our 10 minutes of FHE Anderson did everything but sing or listen. He:

• tried to take my sock off
• brought me our copy of The Lion King 2
• played with the phone
• tried to take Marc's sock off
• got in a hitting match with Carter

We decided to stop there.