Oh a cluster of things!

I am proud to be an American and grateful that I have the freedom and ability to VOTE!  It was Adam's first time this year, so we made documentation.  See our "I voted!" stickers?

Man, I can't wait 'til my face isn't puffy anymore.  I want to take pictures of us to capture the fun we're having in this time of our lives but I'm hesitant because my face makes me look ridiculous.  Oh well, it could be worse.


Last week I made a little something Adam calls "Biscuit Baskets," or also known as "Barbecue Biscuits."

Mmmm...  Are you ready for this?  It's super easy!  (I love those words when we're talking about making dinner by the way!)

Biscuit Baskets

Ingredients:

• Regular sized cupcake pan
• 1 1/2 lb. hamburger
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
• Worchestershire sauce
• ketchup
• mustard
• 2 cans regular sized biscuits
• shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 400o.
• Brown hamburger and drain.  Lightly salt.  Add onion powder, barbecue sauce, and brown sugar.  Sprinkle Worchestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard - taste as you go to add the amount desired, not a lot.
• Grease cupcake pan.
• Open first biscuit can, take 2 biscuits out and flatten together.  Lay in cupcake pan and push in so it's secure.  Continue until you use all the biscuits in both cans.  Put in meat mixture.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake at 400o for 10-12 minutes.
• Enjoy!

The day of the 5K came and has gone (Nov 6).  I was reluctant, but I did it!  I ran (well actually jogged and sometimes walked) the 3 miles in about 40 or 45 minutes!  I think that was a pretty good accomplishment for me and my lack of running.  Now that I've done a 5K I don't ever have to do another one!  Haha.  Should've gotten a picture...  Oh well.



Things are coming along with my new business!  (Modestly Formal - http://www.modestrental.com/)  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you missed this post, check it out!  I haven't fully received any dresses yet, so if you want to be the first or second or third to help me out and donate a dress or two, please by all means feel free!  :)

I bought some car stickers for our windows for advertisement:

We shall see what fun this brings!  :)

Introducing!!

So a couple years ago I had an idea to gather together a bunch of modest prom dresses and rent them out to make the search for a modest formal dress in Tucson a little easier.

Well, the idea fizzled and withered, BUT it has come back to life!

I'm starting small but I have ambition to grow big!

Here's a little description:

(Sorry if you've already read this, I've posted it just about everywhere on Facebook!)

Modestly Formal is the name, and renting modest formal dresses is the game.

Some of you may remember a couple years ago me asking for your prom dresses for a rental service I wanted to start. Well, I've decided that I'm going to go ahead and really do it for reals! You can help by donating your old dresses that are wasting away in your closet, and/or by telling others about this great new service!

Check out the website: www.modestrental.com

Tell all your friends!

Thanks to all of you for your help and support with this new endeavor! :)

(Located in Tucson, AZ)

Update on the goals

I'm happy to report that I'm doing pretty well with my goals!

I've been getting to bed around 10, and most impressively (especially if you know me and how I like to sleep and NOT get out of bed :D) have been getting up around 6!  That's in the A.M.!  Last week it was more like 6:20 but this week it's more like 6.  And it feels good!

Also, I've been working out every day during the week.  And this week I started running in the mornings (yikes) to train for the 5K I decided to do which is in a month.  (Why?? I don't know.)  I switch off days running and working out on the Wii.  Gotta build those muscles!  So don't forget to let them rest.  :)

My current book of the month is House of Learning: Getting More from Your Temple Experience by M. Richard and Kathleen H. Walker.  It is such a wonderful book!  I'm really loving it.  I definitely recommend it, whether you've been "through" the temple or not.  It's a short little book and I'm getting through it pretty quick so I may be able to squeeze another into this month..  Or I may start reading one that is more lengthy and read it through November..  I haven't decided yet what the November Book of the Month will be but I'm thinking The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother by Lucy Mack Smith.  I'm not going to buy any more books for a while till I at least get through the ones I own, and I also want to utilize the great resource of the library more.  That means I'll need to get my hands on this Joseph Smith book by way of persuasion...  Either someone close to me or the library...  Dun dun dun!  I actually sent in a request on the Pima County Library website for them to get it.  We'll see if they do!  They have other LDS material.  We shall see what comes of it.

For the last four days I've written in my journal EVERY DAY!  Aren't you so proud??  (We're allowed to say that we're proud in this sense, it's not being prideful.  President Uchtdorf discussed this in his priesthood session talk this past General Conference.  Very good talk.  I recommend you take a gander.)  I'm trying this out, writing every day.  It definitely makes journal writing less stressful when you write a little each day instead of having to "catch up" and write tons of things you've been meaning and wanting to write about but hadn't found (or made) the time.  Thumbs up on this one.  It makes me feel good!

My craft of the month is a continuation of something I've been working on for, well, a long time.  I started crocheting a UofA colored blanket for Adam almost a year ago...  Wow, a year ago??!  ALMOST a year ago.  I think I started it last December.  I haven't touched it in most of that time since...  So there isn't much to show for it and I still have a long way to go!  To be honest I put off the making of it because I'm intimidated by it.  I want to try to put a big University of Arizona "A" in the middle of the blanket.  But I'm scared I'm going to screw up and that it's going to be BUTT UGLY since there are so many yarn changes and measuring and yikes!  But I finally decided that I'm just going to go ahead and DO IT.  I'm pressing forward, saints!  Hopefully it all works out okay.  He's going to love it no matter what I'm sure, so I guess it's not really that big of a deal.  But I want it to look good, especially since he's probably going to keep it around forever.  By the way, I'm thinking about giving it to him as a Christmas gift...  Which means I can only work on it when he's not around...  This may be tricky.  Or maybe it just won't be a surprise.  Hmm.

Speaking of crocheting, this makes me think of the time at good ol' EAC when my roomies and I all got out our crochet projects and had a crocheting party in our little living area.  Good times.  :)

Shout out to Becky (soon to be Brimhall), Cheyenne (now Shepherd), and Stormy (now Garner).

Yeah for craft parties!!!

I'm doing pretty good on the other things as well (remember we're talking about goals here, I almost forgot too).  Haven't started the memorizing stuff yet.  I'll get around to it.  Lol!

Family Home Evening

Last night for family home evening Adam and I read through The Family: A Proclamation to the World and memorized two lines from it.  Our stake president asked us to memorize these lines four months ago when we met with him prior to us getting married...  Oops.  Better late than never I suppose!

"Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

Amen to that!

Next week I want us to make a plan for putting together our 72-hour emergency kits and beginning our 3-month supply of food storage!  Hooray for preparedness!

Run run run!

So I learned in church today that our annual stake bbq will be held on Saturday, November 6th.  Along with this bbq (and games and entertainment and stuff...  It's going to be fun, you should come!) there will be a 5K run.  And for some cRaZy reason I've decided to join on this embarkation of running.  (Does that make sense?  Just go with it.)  I've never done a 5K.  I've had tiny slivers of wanting to do one, however.....  So here we go!  I'm a little nervous!  I have 4 weeks to train.  Yikes!  That means I'll be running every day (except Sundays of course) for a while starting tomorrow.  Ahhh.  Hello 6:00 AM.

Feel free to join me if you wish.

I think I want to make t-shirts.  I'm pretty sure I'll need the support!