J & J

Merry Christmas Family {and Friends}

2011-12-24T10:07:00.002-07:00

Here's our personage in your homes. We'd LOVE to be there with each of you, but this is the next best thing, right? LOVES!

Happy 4th!

2011-12-22T15:25:00.008-07:00

Anniversary to US, that is. 4 years ago today, I married my sweetheart. We were sealed in the Seattle Temple. And we're still in love...!!!

So we are in the middle of moving (same town, just cheaper rent) and we are going simple

with our anniversary this year. Joey surprised me with flowers last night:

and here's what he looked like this morning. ***Sorry, Joey, you were way too cute***

Anyway, he's at work right now. I've been cleaning and packing today, so his surprise is what I haven't packed yet (if you can't tell, it's a bunch of stuff in the shape of a heart}:

ha ha, we're nerds. Anyway, happy anniversary my sweet Joey!

It's been couple years now...

2011-12-19T11:38:00.004-07:00

I can't believe I haven't shared this with you yet.

Can I just say that I love Feist? If you haven't heard her, you should. Yeah it's old school (2007) :) but it's been good cleaning music. Gets your foot tapping while scrubbing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pYMZKVZ9Ws "1234"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-1Gb2rxzlk "I Feel it All"

just a couple of my faves to get you started.

Worth it

2011-12-14T07:40:00.002-07:00

Hel-lo, what a semester! I've been going back to school full-time to get a bachelor's in health care administration. We have serious bills to pay :) and can't have kids for a while (if ever...another post, another time), so what the heck, I'll get a degree...finally.

I have had a HUGE fear of being able to succeed in school because my grades have been so erratic over the past years. I've always had the desire to do well and then I'd somehow just let things go wrong.

Anyway, enough of the pity party, I started in April and took a full load of classes, but the minimum full load. I did okay, I did my best.

This semester I decided to up the bar and I took enough classes to keep me busy for 65+ hours a week and I'm finishing up this week. And I'm happy to say my lowest grade is an A- , and that's even if I get C's on my last two finals. YAY!

So celebrate with me, I've been blessed with capabilities beyond my own!

Love you all :)

Funny little dreams

2011-09-26T06:38:00.004-06:00

This morning I woke up giggling...this may not be funny to anyone else but me, but that's okay. I'm cool with it.

I was intensely searching a bus for a shoe.

Let me back up: I was a school teacher who slept on a bunk bed in the middle of the classroom and all the walls were windows. Yay! Doesn't that sound fun? First funny detail.

In my class there was a super cute little black boy who wore a gray suit and tie with matching gray sneakers. I have no idea what age he was, just that he was in elementary school. But still: who is that adorable and wears a suit to school? Second funny detail.

So back to THE shoe that was missing...this cute little boy was crying because he lost his shoe and was going to be late for class and the bus driver wouldn't let me on the bus to find the shoe but I went on anyway and the bus was as wide as a mobile home so I could easily walk down the middle and look behind the seats and there were no kids on the bus and the bus driver was now yelling at me to get off the bus...and then I remembered I forgot to put wonton wrappers on our grocery list. And woke up.

I told Joey this, and he thinks his wife is a nut. He's right.

I am a nut.

2011-09-23T09:59:00.003-06:00

Just so you know, there's a really cool website called "Pinterest". It's where you can share your interests with others. I've been looking for Christmas stuff/recipes, etc. and found a TON ideas on this site. It's pretty cool.

Admittedly, I created an account and didn't figure out/take the time to start using it for about a month. Just try it, you'll get the hang of it :}

Happy sharing!

DNA assignment

2011-09-22T15:03:00.002-06:00

Sugar molecules: red gummy worms

Phosphate molecules: green gummy worms

Adenine: cherry starburst

Thymine: orange starburst

Guanine: yellow gumdrop

Cytosine: rolo

play doh and chromosomes

2011-09-20T18:14:00.002-06:00

so I couldn't get my pic files to a zip drive, so I'm using my blog to submit my project proof :) If you are one of my regular readers, you can ignore this :)

Pumpkin Waffles and Spiced Whipped Cream

2011-09-16T10:12:00.006-06:00

So, as most of you know, we've started eating bread and sugar in the past few months. And it's wonderful...I don't have dreams about eating bread anymore :)

Here's one of my hands-down favorite recipes that includes bread-ish stuff and of course sugar...a MUST for your fam sometime this fall/winter.

PS they are amazing with raspberry jam if you don't want to make the whipped cream. I'm just sayin'.

Spiced Whipped Cream:
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

Electric beaters work best: Whip cream in large bowl on highest setting until firm. Add Sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Whip on high for 1 minute, set aside in refrigerator.

Waffles:
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron

Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.
Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended, then whisk in milk, buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp.

Isn't He A Hottie?

2011-07-09T13:53:00.002-06:00

Here are the latest of Joey...that adorable man. He's so different, and we were worried that we wouldn't be able to see the "real Joey" when he lost weight. But to me, he's just as hot as before...only now I can put my arms around him! :)

I made it!!!

2011-03-31T10:27:00.004-06:00

Today is the day I reached 135 lbs. My goal weight...I almost can't even beLIEVE it!

THREE years ago, when the obgyn told me casually to "lose 100 lbs, and then you might be able to have kids", I felt overwhelmed, and determined to figure this all out!

TWO years ago, when I joined a special women's only weight loss fitness center. It was a significant sacrifice of time, energy, money, emotion, willpower, etc. I felt that since we were sacrificing so much, SOMETHING good was going to happen! That summer cost us an arm and leg, where I drove to the gym 4 times a week for 30 minutes each way, I exercised 3 hours a day, ate whole foods (nothing prepared), logged all of my meals, ate less than 1100 calories a day, reported what I ate to someone who really didn't care about ME :) (bad experience, maybe?) :) and ONLY lost 8 pounds after almost an entire summer of doing that...I felt defeated, more overwhelmed and even a little desperate! I felt alone, Joey wasn't worried about weight loss like I was, and I didn't think I could do it on my own. So, being the super sweet husband that he is, Joey started to pray and fast with me about what we could both do to be healthy parents, whether we would be able to have them ourselves, or adopt. We found Dr. Marchesini in Curitiba, Brasil and did all we could to prepare for this huge event!

ONE year ago, we started to pack our bags and get ready for a trip to Brasil. Again, we were going to be sacrificing a lot...I was nervous but felt certain that this was going to be the springboard to our new life! We came home and ate much smaller portions, almost no sugar or white flour, ate every two or three hours, exercised at least 3 times a week, etc. And the weight started to fly. Joey's weight loss was just as consistent as mine...we both lost overall pound % weekly at the same pace. In October I was down 10 sizes to a size 16. By December I was a 12. At the end of January I was a size 8 and could squeeze into a size 6 pair of jeans, and now those 6s are loose! Joey's now a 34 when he was a 52! Joey's still got a little more to lose, but he's looking and feeling SUPER amazing!

TODAY, I know I can have the energy and strength to be a mother. Joey is going to be an incredible father! We won't be able to try to have kids for another 1.5 years (about 5 years into our marriage). And we still don't know if we will be able to have them ourselves. But we are assured that we BOTH will have energy, willpower, strength of body and mind to overcome any obstacles that may come in our journey!

This post is entitled "I made it"...but it's more accurate to say WE made it!

2010-12-06T10:36:00.004-07:00

So you've asked for it....more pictures and a few more stories mixed up in the older posts. Just click on "brazil" to the right and you'll be able to browse through the related stories and pics. Thanks for your love and support! We sure love you right back!

2010-11-27T14:04:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!

Below are some little tidbits of things that happened in Brazil this year. It was one heck of a ride, but as of today (November 27th, 2010) Joey's lost 135 lbs! And Jena has lost 108 lbs...we've both got TONS of energy and are feeling so much better!

You've been asking what we eat: Here's a link to our favorite recipes. We are ALWAYS looking for more low-carb/high protein recipes...feel free to share! http://hagenfamilyrocks.blogspot.com/

Jena is applying to go back to school full time which means as soon as she's accepted, she'll be getting rid of the dorm mom job. It's been a great opportunity, but change and progress trump it any day!

Joey is doing really well on his off-track this semester at school. He's looking forward to full-time school January-July, and part time school again from September through next December. He'll be doing his internship January-April of 2012 and should graduate July 2012. There is a small light at the end of the tunnel :)

About a year and a half after the complication of Jena's fistula heals, we'll finally be able to look into having kids...which would be so wonderful! Both of us are baby hungry! If that doesn't work out, we are totally open and excited for the option to foster kids and adopt!

We hope this finds you well and happy!

Loves!

Joey & Jena :)

Brazil: Miracle of Going Home

2010-11-27T13:52:00.006-07:00

To the left is a picture of the bed Jena slept in for 28 days. Day by day crept by slowly, and soon Jena realized she hadn't been outside for just under a month! Here's what Joey did while Jena was in the hospital:

Missionariesand Blessings

When we got back to Curitiba we Googled Curitiba LDS Mission and it brought up the address and phone listing to the mission home in Curitiba. We called and were able to get the number for the missionaries who covered the area where the hospital was. We called them an asked if they would come by and help me administer a blessing to Jena. Also asked if they would give me a blessing of comfort. We had a nice chat with them, on another day we called and asked if they would come and give a blessing to another american patient who was there who had the same surgery we did but she was having more complicated problems they Jena was.

CURITIBA TEMPLE:

Joey was able to go to the temple to get some garments and other things he needed. He called Anna, "our" cab driver. She lived in Boston for 3 years and is such an amazing person. We sold her our camera, so we don't have a picture of her, but she treated us like family. Here are some pictures she took for us of the temple, and a view from her cab.

Other american patients
During the time we were there there were other Americans who came for the same

surgery we did and there was a guy from the Bahamas who came as a care taker for some so they could have the surgery.

Neil was/is one of the most caring and loving people we met in Brazil. He made sure we had what WE needed, even though he was there to take care of Linda. We'll never forget you Neil!

Linda is one of our choice friends. Her dad stayed with her and we enjoyed all the time we had with them! We laughed about our silly predicament, not knowing when we could go home to USA...Linda and I couldn't eat, so we'd beg Ralph and Joey to describe how things tasted. I know, we were total dorks :) Ralph would always find something funny to talk about, and play tricks on the nurses like hanging bananas, beer cans, etc. on Linda's IV pole. The nurses loved him! Linda and Ralph were a huge part of our experience in the hospital, and I don't think it's coincidence we met. They're just that cool! :)

Eating and sleeping in hospital

During that time when i we were back in the hospital Jena didn't eat or drink anything for a month but i had to try and find foods that were soft that i could eat. The foods i remember eating are cottage cheese, nuts, lunch meat, tuna fish, regular cheese, rotisserie chicken and drink able yogurt. The cottage cheese was dry and bitter, definitely not like her in the U.S. and i remember the tuna fish didn't taste the same either.

The one hospital room we had the longest had this couch that folded out flat to make a bed. The picture from May 7th, the couch shows what the bed looked like when it wasn't unfolded out. I layered it we bed sheets and blankets to add some padding. We called it the Lasagna Bed cause with the layers it kind of looked like lasagna. Because i am really tall i had to sleep diagonal on it and had my feet hang off the end.

Other details i remember

On TV there were only two channels that played stuff in English one channel was CNN or some other international new channel and on the other they played re-runs of House and Law and Order SVU.

Also during the time we were there the World Cup began and on the days that Brazil played most everyone was at home or a bar somewhere watching the game. There was lots of fireworks going off too.

I remember many nights in the hospital waking up at 2 and 3 in the morning from the noise of someone's party that was going on right next to our hospital room window. Also remember waking up at midnight cause the nurse would turn on all the lights in the room when the came in to do there rounds.

About June 14th, after being there almost a full month after they were supposed to be home, we were given the okay to start making plans to go home. Throughout this whole time Jena prayed hard to find out what she needed to learn from all of this, and she came across some really great friends across the hall from the USA. Ralph and Linda were down and out as well, but it distracted her from not knowing when she'd get to go home.

Jena also turned to the scriptures and Apostles today for comfort and advice in this situation. She was able to receive it in abundance. Several talks gave her comfort. A couple of her favorites:

"[W]e should even give thanks for our afflictions because they turn our hearts to God and give us opportunities to prepare for what God would have us become." Elder Dallin H. Oaks (full article: click here)

"Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith." Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (full article: click here)

Finally, the day came when she was told she would be able to go home. She hadn't leaked anything for a full day, had a barium contrast test and the fistula was closed...she was able to make arrangements to go home!

The next day she started to leak again. She was absolutely devastated. Her faith had been tried each day for over 8 weeks, what was she to think now? The surgeon assured her she was well enough to go home. Just to be patient and this would heal on its own.

Here is a link to the last day in the hospital, dancing with Linda, her new buddy, and the nurses: {click here}

Brazil: Miracle of the Central IV

2010-10-17T08:44:00.005-06:00

Jena finally had the central IV put in. She was told that after she had this going and her body would get nutrition, she would be able to leave in about a week. It had already been a whole week of trying to get her nutrition, so she was anxious to get started. When they had the central line put in, she had one port for the nutrition, and one port for her fluid and medications. The port for her fluid and medications had a crimp in the line, so she had to get those by IV in the arm again. It seemed that when she would take one step forward in one thing, she would take one step backward in another. Her arms were so bruised at this point, she dreaded having anyone come in to take blood samples, change her IV, etc.

A few days later, she begged the surgeon to adjust the central line so they could un-kink the second port. He was reluctant because any adjustments would increase the risk of infection. A day or so after that, they were able to successfully adjust the central line so she wouldn't have to deal with IVs in her arms anymore.

Brazil: Miracle of the Feeding Tube

2010-10-17T08:43:00.004-06:00

Also during this time the did numerous leak test to check the progress of the Fistula. They also had the great idea of inserting a feeding tube up Jena's nose and all the way down in to the bottom of her stomach so they could feed her and bypass the hole. That was probably the most aggravated and miserable i have ever seen my wife. I felt bad because there wasn't much i could do to help her. That night after they put in the feeding tube i stayed a wake with her and we talked all night. Jena was so uncomfortable. She couldn't lay down or sleep because the tube kept scratching the back of there throat.

Like I said, the feeding tube was a horrible idea. It made her so sick that she was constantly gagging on it, making her throw up (and other stuff)...and it moved the feeding tube around. It cut parts of the inside of her nose and she was dripping blood and mucus pretty constantly.

The only thing she could do to keep from vomiting and gagging was to walk up and down the halls wit her IV tower, head down. She looked so sad...she was pretty miserable. She prayed that whole night that there would be some other way for her to get the nutrition.

Jena became more and more dehydrated because her veins in her arms and fingers and hands were collapsing. The nurses felt bad, but they'd have to poke sometimes 12 times to get a vein to cooperate.

The next afternoon, the surgeon said they would have to re-do the whole endoscopy to try again. Her feeding tube had moved around so much that she wasn't getting any of the nutrition she needed to heal. And she wouldn't start healing until she got that nutrition. Her eyes filled up with tears and bravely said, "If that's what we have to do." She was heartbroken, she truly thought there would be another way. The surgeon saw her eyes and said, "You know, Angel...I was woken up in the middle of the night thinking that your body wouldn't tolerate this treatment for much longer. Let's put in a central line IV." We knew Jena's prayers were answered: she wouldn't have to be poked in her arms AND she wouldn't feel sick all the time!

Brazil: Back to Curitiba

2010-10-17T08:41:00.009-06:00

Joey remembers: After arriving in Curitiba the doctor had someone pick us up at the airport and take us back to the Hospital. The surgeon met us at the hospital and got us admitted and up to a room. Once up in the room he put a catheder in Jena's side and a bag to catch what was draining out of her. That first night was horrible. I slept on a chair kind of a thing that folded out in to a bed and it was hard as a rock. Also on the first day back i caught a taxi from the hospital and went to a store to try and get some groceries and a clothing store to get some clothes. During our second stay at the hospital they moved us to different rooms three times. When we were at the hospital we could use the Internet but the system was kind of fickle in that every day we would have to go to the front desk and get a new username and password to be able to log on to the internet there.

Jena remembers: that night, we flew from Sao Paulo back to Curitiba. We arrived at the hospital again about 10 PM. Our surgeon was there to meet us and poor Joey had to sleep on the hospital sofas. We were told it would only take a couple days to let this heal, so we'd be on our way soon.

The surgeon first attached a cholostomy (sp?) bag to my abdomen around the area that was leaking. He inserted a catheter in the opening and stitched it in place. No anesthesia...Jena was pretty dang tough. She was very dehydrated because a lot of the liquids she'd been drinking over the past several days hadn't gotten past her stomach, so it was hard to find a vein to get her some IV fluids. But she was still pretty calm. The surgeon wanted to start measuring how much fluid would leak when I wasn't drinking anything. So nothing by mouth until he could figure out exactly what was going on. Jena was super bummed, she was so thirsty!

Over the next couple days, she had a contrast leak test. She didn't get nausea and throw up the barium liquid even though she said it tasted like the smell of gasoline...and she had to drink it 4 times.

The surgeon found out that when he put in the catheter in her abdomen, it went STRAIGHT to the leak site (we assumed he did that on purpose...we didn't realize that he had no way of planning that).

He told us the leak site was only about 2 mm.

Where everything leaked inside her abdomen, it stayed all in one place. Even with all of her pushing of her gut and moving things around, it didn't go anywhere harmful to her body.

She hadn't eaten food yet, which would have caused more problems if she had.

Her pain tolerance for vein pressure/burning had increased so even though she had to get a new IV each day, she was able to get her antibiotics and fluids more quickly.

She only cried twice through the whole thing...

Joey had the opportunity to go to church in Curitiba: During the whole time we were there i went to church three times. The church members in Curitiba were very friendly. I was introduced to some members who were originally from Argentina and was able to speak with them in Spanish. They told me the chapel where the ward met was the first chapel built in Curitiba, the said it was built in 1956 or there abouts. It had a beautiful baptismal font area. In the font area the font and walls around it was decorated with a mosaic of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry baptizing each other. I understood alot of what was being said because of knowing spanish. In the relam of gospel words it was interesting to me to hear the similarities between spanish and Portuguese. Being in church there reminded me of going to spanish wards on my mission, there was lots of little kids running around and being noisy. One thing i thought was kind of cool is that on the church benches they had a little plaque posted that said something like "Children please be reverant at church".

Meanwhile, Jena was losing nutrition so she had three options to get it:

1. Feeding tube. Up through the nose and down past her stomach...directly into her intestines. This was the cheapest and seemingly most effective way to get her nutrition, since she couldn't take anything by mouth.

2. Surgically bypass the stomach and put a feeding tube directly into her intestines through an incision. Neither of us wanted that.

3. A central IV line that curled toward her main arteries. This would be very expensive, and the surgeon made it sound like it was a last resort.

So we went with the feeding tube. BAD IDEA!

Brazil: Sao Paulo

2010-10-17T08:41:00.007-06:00

After we got off the plane in Sao Paulo, they had a wheel chair waiting for Jena and we rushed around from the gate to baggage claim to get our luggage. Because when we got off in a hurry the plane was ready to leave they didn't get all of our luggage off. We got Jena's back but not mine. We waited a long time trying to get things sorted our with the airlines and get a hotel.

The airline put us up in a hotel near the airport for the night. It was a crazy ride in a shuttle van from the airport to the hotel, the shuttle was crammed full of people and the driver was going very fast. We finally got to the hotel and contacted our surgeon. He got us an appointment we another doctor in Sao Paulo for the next day. It was May 19 or 20 when we tried coming home the first time. The next day after getting off the plane suddenly we caught a taxi from the hotel to the doctors office. The taxi ride was wild, the traffic in Sao Paulo was horrible and people were speeding around and changing lanes haphazardly. I remember we stopped at a Pharmacy to get some stuff for Jena. We ended up getting some adult diapers and tape to help soak up the fluid that was coming out of her side. We finally got to the doctors appointment and after meeting with him we determined we needed to go back to Curitiba back to where our surgeon was. After the meeting with the doctor we had another insane taxi ride to the airport and barely made it in time for the flight back to Curitiba.

The airline put us up in a hotel for the night and our surgeon contacted one of his colleagues in Sao Paulo to have him examine my abdomen the next day. We used adult diapers to soak up the liquid that kept pouring out of Jena, and we soon realized that when she took a drink of water, there was a gurgling sound and then the adult diaper would fill up with the liquid she just drank.

She felt somehow that she was going to have to stay in Brazil for a while, which came in handy later when the doctor confirmed that she had a leak in her stomach and needed to stay. She kept her composure pretty well until the doctor left and then she wept. She wanted to go home so badly!

At this point, Joey's mom needed to go back to work at home, so she flew home from there. We, however, still needed to get a plane ticket back to Curitiba and stat! We had help from a lovely person called Fabiola...she had worked with our surgeon and was so helpful and comforting!

Brazil: Recovery (Cycle I)

2010-10-17T08:40:00.008-06:00

Recovery at the hospital -- Coming out of the anesthesia after surgery was crazy...i remember slowly opening my eyes and seeing the doctor and nurses around the hospital bed trying to help me sit up. It took a minute for my eyes to focus and for me to hear what they were saying. They wanted me to get from the gurney back to the hospital bed. I remember trying to pull my self up using my arms with not much luck. I didn't realize how weak i was just after surgery and thought it was weird they wanted my two change hospital beds on my own. After i got situated back in the hospital bed in my room everything was a blur for awhile. I remember the nurses coming in on there rounds at midnight and turning on all the lights in the room to give more IV medicine. For the next 24 hrs after surgery i would periodically throw-up blood that was coming out of my stomach. The next two days were filled with doing exercises with a physical therapist, walking up and down the halls of the hospital and playing games. I remember i had to wear two hospital gowns because the biggest one they had wasn't big enough so i used two and when Jena and i were out walking in the halls some of the nurses called me Superman

(the hospital gowns were blue and i guess it looked like i had a cape on).

Recovery at the hotel -- So we had the surgery on a Saturday May 8 and left the hospital to go back to the hotel the next Tuesday May 11. At the hotel, i remember taking lots of walks on the top floor, Jena and i walked to a little park called the Japanese Gardens that was close. On Sunday we went to church at a local ward in Curitiba and after church we went to a street market that they haveevery Sunday. Everyone we talked to there said we should check it out, everything there that people were selling was hand made. We also looked in some shops around the same area that had lots of pretty stones. During this time we also had a couple of appointments with the doctor so he could check on our progress. Since our surgery Jena and i had pretty much been on a straight liquid diet.

We could only drink 1 oz. of liquid at a time. Here are a couple pics of the little cups
we drank out of.

At a grocery store we bought some Crystal Light mix and thats about all we drank. I remember the tap water smelled funny but using it to mix for juice or jello wasn't too bad. A couple of times i tried eating some scrambled eggs from the breakfast at the hotel.

Jena had a blessing from Joey because she wasn't able to sleep, she was in so much pain. In the blessing, Jena was counseled to "never doubt her instincts" twice. This was particularly helpful when she felt like she should stay on clear liquids until she originally planned to be home (2 weeks after the surgery). She was told by others that by her 8th or 9th day she should at least be trying to eat soft foods, but she felt strongly she should stick to liquids. She was firm about this, and realized later it was part of the counsel she had in her blessing because we later found out that her stomach had a tiny hole called a fistula that was leaking into her abdomen cavity.

Jena was prescribed the "date rape" drug for sleep aid...Brazilians have a different philosophy of pain control. We thought if she couldn't sleep because she was in pain, we would treat the pain and she would sleep. The surgeon said that it was better to get her to sleep and she wouldn't feel the pain when she slept.

Jena had weird dreams during this time. She was dreaming about family and friends doing things together, but that she wasn't involved. The funny part was that she dreamed that she and her family's dog, Max, were on the sidelines eating potatoes together. Ha ha!

She woke up thinking, what should I be learning from all of this madness of dreams, pain, and healing?

Throughout her recovery, the following thoughts would come to her mind:

1. She would be able to testify of Jesus Christ, the God's delivering hand from things that are addictive or that are unhealthy (habits like avoiding people, finding comfort in food, etc.)

2. She is learning true empathy. She now will have the capacity to understand those who are in both physical and emotional pain.

3. She feels like she is being prepared for something. We don't know what, but it's come to her mind over and over.

4. She's learned to value people and giving interest to them, over finding comfort in food.

Brazil: Our First Attempt Back to America

2010-10-17T08:40:00.006-06:00

During our first attempt on coming home Joey remembers a lot of waiting in the airport and trying to drink as much water as we could.

So Jena was in a lot of pain the last few days before we boarded the first plane from Curitiba to Sao Paulo. She couldn't walk very well, she was in so much pain...and she was terribly thirsty. Everything made her feel like she was going to throw up. She would smell something on someone's breath from 5 feet away and it would make her hunch over in fits of nausea. It got to the point that others around her thought she was being rude and unnecessarily difficult. They didn't realize what she was going through, though. Everyone chalked it up to gas pains (surgeries done laproscopically need to have air/gasses inflating the abdomen to help give room for the instruments to work), and that she needed to just work it out.

She slept on the short plane ride to Sao Paulo and asked for a wheelchair when they arrived at the SP airport. This was a good thing, because it got everyone through the lines quickly and they boarded before a lot of the passengers. Jena felt like junk. It was funny because she'd promised her sister that she'd pick up some flip flops for her she was zoomed right past the little airport shop...she said, "We can't stop and get Jami's flip flops?" She was super bummed that we missed that chance.

Joey was relieved when we finally got to our plane and sat down. Jena was trying to push into the pain in her abdomen by bending over and pressing into her belly at the same time and it seemed to help for a few seconds. We met the pilot and he asked if she was okay. We told him we wer e. A couple minutes later when Jena was leaning over into the pain, she felt one of her incisions (that had healed over) popped open and she became extremely nervous as hot liquid poured out of her body. She leaned over to Joey and said, "I just busted an incision." It kept coming and coming...probably 2-3 liters of liquid. She used one of the blankets to keep it close and contained, but people around her were starting to freak out a little. She went into the tiny bathroom and someone notified the pilot. Luckily, we hadn't taken off yet. The pilot gave orders that Jena needed to see a doctor about this before we could fly home to the USA.

Jena remained calm, kept her abdomen covered with the blanket. Joey had to carry a ton of luggage when he wasn't supposed to be lifting anything. We don't know exactly how he had the strength 10 days after surgery to run around an airport for an hour while the airline figured out what to do with us...because our doctor was 3 hours away, and we didn't know anyone in Sao Paulo.

Brazil: Surgery!

2010-10-17T08:39:00.004-06:00

Surgery

Jena went first...she was super nervous! The surgeon told her he'd give her a anti-anxiety pill before she went down so she wasn't so nervous. He forgot, so she waited for what seemed hours on the gurney. She doesn't remember much more than that...it was funny because when she was in the recovery room, Joey went to visit her. She was obviously still out of it, but she was trying to comfort Joey. "Don't worry, they'll do a good job. I'm in a lot of pain, but don't worry." It must have been the last thing on her mind, the worry :)

Joey remembers laying on the gurney and waiting in the Operating Room for about 20 min before the doctors came in and started. The Anesthesiologist asked him in very little English which arm was better to start the IV in. Told him he understood a little Portuguese. He remembered the needle going in to his arm and then slowly drifting in to sleep.

Brazil: Money & Postponing

2010-10-17T08:21:00.003-06:00

I don't have any exciting pictures of this part...because it really wasn't exciting at all :)

In Curitiba (& I've been told all of Brazil is this way?...I don't have proof, but natives told us) they have to have the physical credit card to make any sort of payments. You have to do some figuring with the exchange rate to decide when you want to buy things/make payments, etc. if you have the luxury of time.

We took out a loan to do this procedure, and Kathy had the credit card that would provide the access to that loan. But she was still in Seattle, trying to get things worked out with her visa. We didn't know if she would be able to get to Brazil in time to have the physical card here. We found this out Saturday, when we arrived in Curitiba. We were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday to be operated on.

We brought enough cash in Dollars to convert to Reals to have all of our preliminary medical tests done for Monday...but we were given wrong information about each test...some wanted American Dollars, some wanted Brazilian Reals, some wanted a credit card payment. We had already converted all of our Dollars to Reals...and still didn't have a card yet.

Needless to say, with all of this confusion we were really frustrated. Our surgeries were cancelled until we could wait to hear if Kathy would even be able to make it to Brazil. Our tests cost us much more than we expected with all of the exchanging and bartering with different currencies. We were also being led by a "concierge" of our surgeon who was really annoyed with us for not having all this extra money to do all of these appointments with different currencies...and that we didn't have the physical card. We had the credit card number, but they didn't have a way to process it without the physical card, I guess? I still don't understand that, but oh well.

By Wednesday, I was ready to cry. I was so focused on having this life-changing experience and I still didn't know if we'd be able to do it, even though we came all this way, we had planned for over 6 months, we fasted and prayed about even coming!

So finally, Wednesday evening...we received word that Kathy would be able to come on Friday. We felt so blessed that she was able to get an emergency visa and that she would be there in a reasonable time frame.

Our surgeon scheduled us for surgery on Saturday, his day off, which was wonderful! We were so grateful for his time...we know his schedule was packed and he and his medical team really didn't have to come operate on us, but they were willing to do so.

Even though we were prepared, and were doing what was right, and had done everything we were supposed to do...it was a stressful first week in Brazil. Little did we know that was just the beginning of things unexpected :)

I do have to say though, I know that we were being blessed by the Lord. Everything we had done to prepare was supposed to have helped us be in control of our situation...but the Lord has His way of showing us that He will take care of us and that He really is the one in control.

Brazil: Our arrival

2010-10-17T07:51:00.006-06:00

You can click on any of the images to enlarge :)

Joey & I had a great weekend before we flew out to Brazil...we were able to see Brooklin (our niece) celebrate her 1st birthday! She was super adorable! It was good to see family one last time before we took our big adventure in the reigns and jump over to Brazil.

We were supposed to meet up with Kathy (Joe's Mom) in Chicago but there was a problem with her visa. We knew she was super stressed, but we felt a calm, reassuring feeling and we knew we'd be fine. We boarded the plane and 36 hours from the time we left Idaho Falls airport, we were in Curitiba!

We were greeted by an elderly man named Daniel (pronounced Danny-yell) and he wasn't much of a talker. Oh, wait...he couldn't speak English :) Joey made small talk with him in Spanish and understood about 80% of the Portuguese he received in return. I was enthralled with the green trees everywhere! Plants I'd never seen that looked like they came out of a Dr. Seuss book were everywhere...

Mainly I was focused on my weight loss surgery and my mind raced through all of the changes we'd been praying for and anticipating:

- we were going to have a different outlook on food: food is fuel, not only for comfort/pleasure/relaxation/etc.

- we were going to have a different body: we would be able to bend over and tie our shoes comfortably, we could run up the stairs without difficulty, we could work out without getting "looks". Yes, btw, "looks" do happen, they are real...it's not something we imagined...we don't get "looks" anymore. We would have so much more freedom physically and it would give us more confidence to interact with others, we would feel closer to others because we wouldn't be as worried about our health, about them worrying about our health, about all of the things people talk about and think when they aren't obese and don't understand, etc.

- we would be able (hopefully) to one day start our own family: our bodies would be healthy enough to take care of children whether they end up being our own or becoming our own through adoption.

- we would have the satisfaction of taking a seemingly impossible situation and seeing the Lord work miracles to change our lives: we knew it would be hard, but were ready to put in the work!

Needless to say, I probably should have been more excited about being in Brazil, but I was more focused on the things I just mentioned :)

I broke from my thoughts just enough to notice how dangerous the drivers seemed to be: motorcyclists (no helmets, mind you) zipped in between lanes going twice as fast as the cars (which were going very fast). Pedestrians really had to run out of the way of traffic. I know I'm accustomed to different laws, etc. but we were happy that we at least didn't crash before we got to the hotel :)

We were greeted by our surgeon at our hotel and he showed us that his office was right next door to the hotel...we wouldn't really need a cab for anything (or so we thought).

We survived the front desk with Joey's Spanish and got up to our room which was more like a little apartment. We had a tiny kitchen about the size of a large couch (floor space). We had a living room that just fit a hide a bed...a balcony with a gorgeous view (we were on the 9th of 12 floors)...and everything was made with marble and gorgeous tile:

Oh yeah, we had been traveling for 36 hours with little or no sleep...we were exhausted. So we slept.

And we wait some more :)

2010-10-17T07:47:00.002-06:00

So the U of U GI guru said basically that he didn't want to operate on my stomach until it becomes an emergency situation...but at least he did an endoscopy so he "knows" my stomach if there ever is an emergency :)

Joey has lost 120 lbs total and I'm down 95. We've been able to work out in the mornings for an hour including cardio, lifting weights, etc. It's seeming to help with my energy and I'm not in as much pain. Yay! We also are like super old people, who get sleepy at 7:30 pm and make ourselves stay up until 9 or 9:30. I AM turning 30 soon, though...so it's true that I am getting old. :)

Back to Normality? Really?

2010-09-27T09:10:00.005-06:00

So there have been a few changes around the J&J Hagen home in the past few months...we got rid of the following:

- TV

- flour

- sugar

- bags of clothes that are too big

- as of yesterday, 85 lbs for Jena and 106 lbs for Joey!

And a few additions:

- gauze

- surgical grade tape

- vinegar water

- syringe

- smaller clothes

- lots and lots of vitamins :)

We've had quite the wild ride over the past four months. It will take a while to record all of the events and blessings we've experienced so you may not get the story chronologically. But by Christmas, it will all be here :)

Tomorrow I go in for a surgery that will hopefully alleviate a lot of pain and nuisance. We will visit with Dr. John C. Fang (U of U hospital) and he's going to perform an endoscopy surgery (correct termage? idk) to close a little hole in my stomach. It's called a fistula. When I eat or drink, the hole in my stomach allows food or liquid to burrow its way through my abdomen and it comes out of my belly at about mid-ribs. We have been waiting patiently since May 19th for it to heal on it's own...and now we need to be more aggressive.

We will provide more details tomorrow after we've consulted with Dr. Fang. Thanks to all for your prayers and support! Hopefully this will be the last operation to get this all settled!

Too funny!

2010-03-24T10:41:00.000-06:00

Sorry if you're offended...but I thought this was really funny! :D

Oil Painting for Anna

2010-03-10T09:09:00.004-07:00

I got a really exciting phone call last summer from one of my best friends, Anna. She asked me to make a painting for her home, and I was honored!

We looked through some sketches to decide what she'd want in her home and she picked one with a tree and blossoms. I remember her telling me that her almost 2 year old daughter wanted the tree with "feathers" :) {Click here} for the painting and progress.

I really loved this painting, and have really been bit by the painting bug (sorry Joey...our office is a mess now :)

I have a wonderful friend...

2009-12-03T11:28:00.003-07:00

Well, I have many wonderful friends, I am so blessed! But one of them sent me this story today:

Perspective

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah, “said the son.
"So, tell me, what you learned from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

I loved it! :) I was reminded of my crazy week. Read about it {here}.

Love you all! Have a wonderful day!

I had a dirty necklace...

2009-11-09T10:39:00.002-07:00

So I thought I would share this with those of you who are interested in silver cleaning solution...I should have taken a before and after picture because I don't have any way to convince you that this works, but I wouldn't waste my time to write about it (especially when I should be doing homework wink, wink) if it didn't work easy peasy.

My mother-in-law is a really amazing person...she has really good taste in beautiful jewelry and from time to time sends some my way. While Joey and I were moving rooms around, I found a piece of the jewelry that I totally thought I'd lost [irresponsible, I know]. It was tarnished and looked like well, crap.

Side note: If you've known me for any length of time, you may wonder if I even own jewelry because it's not often that I wear it. It's not that I don't love it, but my skin is funny and tarnishes everything all. the. time. Maybe because I'm a sweaty kid. Now that you have more than enough information....here is the remedy to clean silver jewelry:) {click here}

I did this while I cleaned house and got ready for the day...about 90 minutes. I wiped it clean with a soft cloth, and it's beautiful!!!

So good luck!

Thursdays and Thanksgiving (which is also always on a Thursday...hmmm)

2009-11-06T10:49:00.003-07:00

Random Hagen Life fact: Hilary and Russ and their little nugget Owen are some really great friends. They generally come over on Thursdays and we catch up on all of our favorite shows. Or I should say, Hilary and I catch up on all of our favorite shows (online...saves commercial time) while our husbands have baby duty and watch Blazing Saddles {btw: I HATE that movie} and/or take a nap in our living room. When we are satisfied with our fashion for the week, we notice that it's gotten quiet in the living room: they are often cute and look like little baby boys, snoring away on the couches. But that's not really what this post is about. :)

So one of the funny facts about our friends is that Russ hates it when Thanksgiving is brushed by (Halloween and Christmas usually take over and leave this holiday in the shadows). So Russ, these are for you:

The SAVE ALL for any Thanksgiving Meal:

The Classic:

And the "If you care about what your turkey looks like on your plate":

It actually looks good. Good one.

So there you go Russ, we haven't forgotten Thanksgiving. :)

PS: Obviously, I'm supposed to be doing homework...don't tell Joey. :) Love you, Darling! ;)

So This Looks Tasty...

2009-11-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

I highly recommend this recipe, we are going to try it this week:

2009-11-01T10:48:00.002-07:00

So it's already time to take the decorations down, but here are a couple snapshots of our Halloween!

The little shrunken heads were fun...they were apples at one time, and the teeth are rice. They turned out cute!

It was our first Halloween together, because we've always had work. But we spent time moving and deep cleaning our bedroom and den! We switched them because we didn't want to share a wall with our tenants anymore :) It will be nice to have a fresh start, and maybe we'll post some more pics of the switch. Although, I have to say, if you've been here, it really won't look like we did anything different because they really are dorm rooms...not much you can do to make cinder blocks homey :)

So we hope you had a happy Halloween!

Halloween is ALMOST here!

2009-10-12T14:20:00.002-06:00

So Joey and I have never celebrated Halloween together (thanks to our new jobs that don't require us to have crazy month-ed schedules...we are so blessed!) we have been thinking about Halloween for a long time, trying to come up with costume ideas. Don't worry, we're not getting them...but we thought they'd be fun to share:
This one was funny but others would probably take this way too far:

or we wouldn't want to start drinking rumors:

and this one is just plain silly:

So then we thought we'd make our own costumes...and got some previous Shrek pioneer inspiration...

And then decided that we probably won't dress up :) We'll post pics of our decorations when they are done, though...stay tuned :)

Uncle Jerr's New Gal

2009-10-07T10:44:00.002-06:00

So my Uncle Jerry has a girlfriend...her name is Helen and she's from the UK...A-dorable, that one is!
They giggled and smiled at each other all day when we went to see them Saturday. THey talked about the big M word, even...Marriage! It was one of the first things Jerr mentioned when we saw them.

Jerr's whole experience [{click here} if you don't know what I'm talking about.] has been one of great testimony to me that no matter what we face in life, we always have a choice. I know it's easy to sometimes think that we don't...it sure makes it easier not to change! :)

Anyway...I know I mention my uncle a lot...but I love him, and am so grateful he's a part of my family. Maybe I can be as cool as him someday :)

it's been forever...like 2 whole months!

2009-09-29T12:54:00.002-06:00

So, preface...I've been up since 3:00 this morning doing homework...and I need a little break. I've totally neglected my friends and family as far as keeping up on their lives, and letting them know about how we've been doing. As many of you may have found out, I've started to repent already :)

Here's how our end of the story goes:

July: Joey got really sick in the leg. Was at the hospital and/or doctor's office daily for almost 3 weeks to get an IV. He's better now.
Needless to say he's been jobless, and been looking for a job. He just got one last week! Hooray! Thanks Colleen and John!
I lost 8 lbs, and have kept it off! I don't care if you can tell or not, it's still true, and don't nag me about losing more. I'm aware of the obesity epidemic in our country, and I'm not thrilled about contributing :)
We almost got "fired" from the temple. :) Our baptistry coordinator didn't think we wanted to be volunteers anymore because none of the people who said would fill in for us showed up. So they thought we were stiffing them on help :) But it's all good now.

August: We lost a considerable amount of money to a company that are swindlers. It was partly our fault, but our unsolicited advice is to never ever sign up for a "women only" gym that makes you pay a whole year in advance, and insists that you starve yourself and report it each week with no flexibility or true care for your well-being.
Happy note: we went on a cruise!!! Joey's parents took us to Alaska and we had the time of our lives!!! We really think we would love to live there someday. The people are so chill and the weather is beautiful...and believe it or not, I love to be outside and can't think of a place that is just a beautiful as Seattle and way less expensive to live there. :) But most likely we will end up in the Northwest.

September: we both started school and are doing really well in our classes!
In May of this year, Joey was told that because he had so many credits he needed to become a non-traditional student in order to graduate. This month, he applied to be a full-time student again and was accepted! Which means more help with grants, we'll have health insurance, and other benefits. Joey will graduate July 2011. Hooray! The hard part is that we're enjoying the temple within walking distance and our ward so much that we may want to stay in Rexburg (gasp -- I know...who knew?) for longer. We'll see.
One of my greatest friends has asked me to make a painting for her, and I'm super excited! The sketches are on my other blog http://dangjena.blogspot.com

Anyway, I apologize for the short update, albeit long post. We've had a rough time over the past few months, however... we feel like we've become closer in a lot of ways, and we've totally seen the Lord's hand in our lives! We are so blessed!

Waffles & The Bretheren

2009-09-29T12:21:00.003-06:00

Tradition at it's finest: Church and food. For General Conference weekends (yes, sometimes even in the Spring) we bust out this recipe. It really should be a dessert :) It's pumpkin, though...so if you don't like pumpkin, so sad!

Spiced Whipped Cream:

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

Electric beaters work best: Whip cream in large bowl on highest setting until firm. Add Sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Whip on high for 1 minute, set aside in refridgerator.

Waffles:

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron

Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.
Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended, then whisk in milk, buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp.

He's Okay!

2009-07-21T12:06:00.001-06:00

So Joey just finally finished his last set of IV antibiotics...whew! He's doing well, just looking for a job now (FedEx fired him 4 days into this whole fiasco).

Thanks so much for your prayers and support! We're exhausted by the whole ordeal, but are so grateful that Joey is finally doing better!

We love you!

In hiding...

2009-07-05T15:55:00.003-06:00

So Joey's body is at it again...he's been ill :( But we know things will be okay. Here are a couple of pictures of his leg infections (they are gross, but if you like that kind of stuff, you can click on the pictures to enlarge)

He's been in and out of the hospital to get ultrasounds (ruling out bloodclots) and goes to get an IV of antibiotics every day. Needless to say, I'm excited to catch up with everyone after all the chaos has calmed :) We love you!

What the heck is Twitter?

2009-06-22T08:18:00.004-06:00

If you've wondered WHO WHAT WHY HOW Twitter, {click here} It's Twitter simplified :)

So our lives are more complicated than we need, right? SO why add another social network to our already "on stage" lives?

Well I for one, need to try it to see if it would help communicate with my tweeting tenants in real time (ie: the parking lot is going to be cleared of snow, please move your cars ASAP)

And I'm also trying to better network my cards...get instant feedback from a larger demographic so I can fully launch when I'm not on campus anymore (thanks for all of you faithful friends who give me good feedback!). As you can see {click here} I've been working on a variety of cards, and it's nice to know what people would buy.

Plus it doesn't hurt to be a little more savvy, right? We'll see :)

PS: If you're already Tweeting and want more "followers"...you can try with me the following advice {click here}

It's all G rated...

2009-06-20T01:55:00.002-06:00

For all of you curious readers :Joey's birthday surprise was banana pancakes...in case any of you were disturbed by the last post :)

Happy Birthday, My Love!

2009-06-19T03:24:00.003-06:00

Dear Hottie Pants,

Just over two years ago you got your first kiss for your 23rd birthday...{giggle} I can't believe that much time has passed! What's really surreal is how much more and more I love to be with you, and we've been inseparable for a long time now!

I vaguely remember my life before you, I love my life with you and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful companion, friend & example.

Happy Birthday, Babes!
Jena bena

P.S. If I'm not already awake, come get me...I have a surprise for you!

Joey is the CUTEST!

2009-06-10T08:45:00.004-06:00

Here is a note I found on the mirror this morning:
I love my Husband. The End.

Joey's First Sewing Projects

2009-06-09T18:29:00.004-06:00

This is proof that I have a really cute husband!
We have to go to bed early (before the sun goes down) in order to get up at 4:30AM. So we decided to make eye masks, which are amazing! Here is the one Joey sewed by hand:

We also needed to hem his Temple pants, and so I taught him how to do a basic straight stitch on the sewing machine...and now he's a PRO!

We Heart Craigslist

2009-06-08T07:51:00.004-06:00

We were fortunate enough to find a super steal on craigslist, and we now have "grown up" furniture to sit on in our living room! Yay! (I never thought I would have loved to get rid of my old DI curvy couch)

And I'm hoping to make some grown up curtains as well, because I've had these since I first came home from my mission (all put together with glue gun and paper fasteners...inventive, but time to change :)

View from the side door...you almost can't tell we live in a dorm (yeah right :)

view from the couchish area... surprisingly, it doesn't feel super crammed, and everything is SO much more comfortable than our old furniture. So, if anyone needs a place to stay while traveling through Rexburg -- these couches are fabulous, and really roomy! (although if you prefer the air mattresses, we'll still have those for you)

I loved the curvy nail button detail on the bottom of the pieces:

Eddie, Bekka & Lucy: THanks so much for your help moving these mamabojamas! You rock!

2009-05-21T23:13:00.002-06:00

So Joey and I have been watching "John Adams" which has been pretty much 'by the book' history. A little slow in some parts, but well worth it.

The show is based on the book by David McCullough
I'm going to get it...is anyone else out there interested in reading it with me?

A geeky chic blog I came across when looking into some of the events depicted in the film:
http://boston1775.blogspot.com/

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2009-05-12T10:24:00.005-06:00

***T=Tablespoon, t=teaspoon, C=Cup

1 1/2 pounds chicken, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 t grated fresh ginger
1/4 t red-pepper flakes
3 T soy sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1 T cornstarch, mixed with 1 T water
Depending on the lettuce you choose, anywhere from 4 (large)-16 (small) broad lettuce leaves

Garnishes:
1/4 cup crushed peanuts (optional)
Large bean sprouts
Cucumber sticks, julienne {click here for a video tutorial}

And, if you have time, you can add this really tangy sauce for more flavor:
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C water
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T ketchup
1 t lemon juice
1/8 t sesame oil
1 T hot mustard
2 t water
1-2 t garlic and red chile paste

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large pan, heat 1 T oil over high heat; cook chicken.
Add remaining T oil to pan, onion & bell pepper. Cook until tender. Reduce to med. heat: add garlic, ginger, and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch mixture; remove from heat. Add chicken, toss to coat.
Place sprouts on plate, with cucumber and top with chicken mixture. Drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with crushed peanuts (optional), and serve in lettuce cups/rolled in lettuce leaf.

harvest muffins

2009-05-12T08:18:00.007-06:00

These have been really great: they taste good, they're moist & flavorful!

***T=Tablespoon, t=teaspoon, C=Cup

Whisk together:
2 C white flour
2 C wheat flour
1 C sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
4 t baking soda
1/2 t cloves
4 t cinnamon
1 t salt (optional)

Then stir in:
1 C shredded carrots

1 C shredded zucchini

4 C shredded apples

1 C shredded coconut

1 C raisins

1/2 C dried cranberries

1 C chopped almonds, unsalted

In separate bowl, mix:
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C non-fat milk (or whatever you have on hand)
2 T vanilla
2 eggs + 2 egg whites (or 3 eggs)

Add the oil mixture to the produce and flour mixture, just until wet. Do not over mix.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line medium muffin tins and drop by spoonful (3/4 full) into liners. Makes 48 muffins. They freeze well, and are incredibly moist. If you don't like the extra moisture, you can toast them before eating.

Nutritional Information (per muffin -- I put this recipe in a recipe calculator {click here to submit your own recipes} ***If you don't think this particular recipe is a good choice for you, you can make modifications and calculate how much healthier you can make these muffins for you :)
Calories 131.7
Total Fat 4.3 g
Saturated Fat 1.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 8.5 mg
Sodium 157.6 mg
Potassium 103.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.0 g
Dietary Fiber 1.8 g
Sugars 5.5 g
Protein 2.3 g

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes...and Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-05-12T06:57:00.009-06:00

I'd never had nor tried making red velvet cake before...but often wondered if it would be worth it...They weren't my FAVorite, but they were fun and they were really pretty!

This recipe is really beautiful and make a great little luxury at a party...Just beware, it uses a half-ton of red food coloring!

Makes 40 Mini cupcakes (it's a half recipe...for full recipe, {click here})

Preparation:
read through the recipe and make sure you have everything on the list, I was surprised at some of the ingredients!
***The 11 Tablespoons of butter (divided), one egg and 1/2 C buttermilk all need to be at room temperature before you start. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make some with regular milk and lemon juice or vinegar {click here to learn how}

***T=Tablespoon, t=teaspoon, C=Cup

I make the frosting first, and refrigerate while the cupcakes bake.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Beat together:
5 T softened butter (just over 1/2 stick)
8 oz of cold (straight from the refrigerator) cream cheese --

Normally I would vouch for neufatchel which is 1/3 less fat, but it's softer than regular cream cheese and makes for runny-ish and sticky frosting, even after adding more powdered sugar. My advice is to stick to cream cheese on this one. Also, I made the frosting depicted in the pictures with neufatchel cheese and you can see how runny it is.

Gradually add in 2 C powdered sugar.

It seems like a lot, but this will be perfect for the 40 mini cupcakes! I put it into 2 quart sized freezer (thicker) ziplock bags and put them in the fridge for later. We'll cut off the tip to decorate. For now, let it set up.

RED VELVET mini cupcake batter
List of ingredients:
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T cocoa powder
1 oz. (whole bottle) red food coloring
1/4 C softened butter
3/4 C sugar
1 egg (at room temperature)
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 t white vinegar
1/2 t baking soda

Whisk together in a 2 C bowl and set aside:
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 t (that's teaspoon) baking powder
1/2 t salt

Make into a thin paste (no lumps) and set aside:
1 T (that's Tablespoon) cocoa powder
1 oz (one whole bottle) red food coloring

In a large bowl, beat 3 minutes until light and fluffy:
1/4 C butter, softened (1/2 stick)
3/4 C sugar

Beat into sugar/butter mixture:
1 egg (at room temperature)
1/2 t vanilla

Then beat in red cocoa paste
Preheat the oven to 350 F (you could do this before you start, but it saves energy to do it now-ish)

Make sure to scrape the sides down after each next step:

Stir in 1/3 of flour mixture
Stir in 1/4 C of the buttermilk (at room temperature)
Stir in 1/3 of flour mixture
Stir in remaining 1/4 C of the buttermilk
Stir in remaining 1/3 of flour mixture

In a small custard dish (or small bowl), stir together:
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t vinegar
(yes it will foam...{click here} if you're puzzled as to why to add this last tiny step to the batter) Stir into the batter.

Line your mini muffin tins with liners, add about 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of batter (yes, it doesn't seem like much, but they won't work if they are too full!)

Bake for 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake. Insert toothpick in largest cupcake -- it should come out clean when done.

Let completely cool. They are so pretty! :)
Cut a hole in one corner of the ziplock bag of frosting. Load up the cupcakes! They really don't taste complete without a ton of frosting :)

Gyoza! {Super tasty!}

2009-05-09T17:50:00.003-06:00

6-8 servings
Ingredients:
***T=Tablespoon, t=teaspoon

1/2 cabbage, chopped and boiled until tender, drained
2 T chopped green onion
2 T sesame oil
3 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 T freshly grated ginger
1/2 t garlic salt
1 lb ground turkey (raw)
40 gyoza wrappers (usually found in the produce isle next to the bagged salads, they are round)
2 t canola oil, divided

Combine cabbage, green onion, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, ginger & garlic salt in large bowl and mix until cabbage is evenly coated. Add raw ground turkey and combine with hands. Place a teaspoon of the mixture per wrapper. Get half of the edge wet. Fold the gyoza edges together, the water and flour will seal the edges. Pour 1 tsp on hot pan and coat. Place the goyza dumplings in the pan. Keep the heat on high until the bottoms are browned, reduce to medium high. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover until the water is gone from steaming the gyoza. Dip in sweet & sour sauce, or sweet chili sauce, or soy sauce. For pictures step by step, go to this address: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempuraappetizer/ss/howtomakegyoza_2.htm

Joey Has a J-O-B!

2009-05-09T15:23:00.004-06:00

This is Joey's "I'M EXCITED TO FINALLY HAVE A JOB" face. :) Cute, eh?

Joey will start working for FedEx on Monday...we're excited that he won't be bored at home forever. The working environment, management and schedule seem to have been hand-picked for Joey's needs. We feel so blessed! If anyone else is looking for a job, we feel your pain...don't give up, if you let us know, you be in our prayers!!!

Oh, and school update...we'll both be taking classes in the Fall (FedEx is part time, and will continue to work with his schedule -- no worries). Joey is going to be finished in July 2011 with his BA in Accounting, with minors (clusters) in Spanish and Finance. I'm coming up on finishing my AA in general studies (FINALLY). We appreciate everyone's advice and support. We're grateful for the power of prayer, fasting and regular temple worship that allows us the great blessings of personal revelation and guidance in these big life decisions and progress :) We love you!

Pain in the teeth

2009-05-09T14:20:00.005-06:00

Remember when your orthodontist told you to wear your retainers at night for the rest of your life? Well...you should do it. :) I haven't worn my retainers since I got home from my mission and luckily I still have them because my teeth have shifted. But MAN I forgot how painful it is to move your teeth around...First off...my retainers wouldn't even fit my teeth. When I was putting them on, it felt like I was squeezing into a pair of jeans that were too small...on my TEETH! Weird sensation.

Anyway, I'm back on track to following my orthodontists advice from well over 10 years ago, and I THINK it's paying off :)

Blessings Immediate

2009-05-01T21:10:00.003-06:00

So Joey's been out of work for 7 weeks and we have been prepared, but it's kind of been rough :) We've LOVED having more time together, I appreciate and love him more and more each day! We've been able to attend the temple more, go on more (low cost) dates, work on the apartment together, make more cards, etc. It's really been a great time as well!

We've been praying earnestly that he'd find a job. He has applied and sent resumes to over 50 places in Southeast Idaho and received no call backs. We decided that we'd take this time to devote more time to service, since we can't really control how much longer he'll be without a job. We prayed about the kind of service and felt really good about a decision that required a strong commitment. We both felt that even if he didn't get a job soon, we'd be alright...things would be fine.

A few hours later we got a call about a job Joey looked at over 2 months ago, and he goes in on Monday to get all the details...it would be perfect for him! We're not counting our eggs quite yet, but we feel really blessed!

This whole situation reminds me of a friend back in high school who was having a rough patch in her life. She showed up to school one day and brought a bunch of fresh cut flowers to her friends and acquaintances. I asked her why she would do this, it was so nice (especially for a someone in high school...there aren't many thoughtful kids that age, or weren't many when I was there). Julie told me that she was having a hard day and so she thought she'd cheer someone else up to make her feel better. I'll never forget the love I had for her, knowing that she'd been having a rough time and she thought to think of others instead. What a great example to me!

It totally reminds me of this scripture: Matt. 16: 25

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it"

I know we were blessed because we thought to do the Lord's work (serving others) instead of wallowing in our own troubles. If anyone else is in a hard situation, my unsolicited advice is to look outward...you'll be taken care of! :)

Happy May Day!

Day Three!

2009-04-18T23:01:00.003-06:00

This one is my favorite, she's so CUTE!!!!

Brooklin Naomi Little

2009-04-18T16:06:00.004-06:00

Day Two, and She keeps getting cuter! :)

Grandma Smith LOVES to snuggle her grandbabies...Brooklin is no exception!

Daddy and his little (Little) girl...

More Grandma Smith snuggles

After her first bath:
Brooklin Naomi Little was born on April 16th 2009 at 8:34pm. She weighed 5 lbs 12 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Jami and little miss Brooklin are both healthy and doing well.

I'm An Aunt!!!!

2009-04-17T08:18:00.003-06:00

Jami and Trenton have welcomed their new little girl to their family. They will have to give us the exact time, but she was born April 16th at 8:34 pm (Grandpa Smith's birthday) and is 5 lbs 12 oz and 20.5 inches long. Trenton reports that she is an absolute cutie. Jami is doing well and recovering from her C-section. We will talk to her tomorrow.

Here are the first pictures from Trenton.

Grandpa is very happy to share his birthday! We love you all. More tomorrow!

Grandpa /

P.S. Less than an hour old, and the baby is already nursing!

More Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2009-04-05T12:24:00.010-06:00

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Light & Tasty

SERVINGS: 6
CATEGORY: Lower Fat
METHOD:
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup julienned green onions
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes; drain. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil. Stir in the carrots, onions and chicken mixture. Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with almonds. If desired, fold sides of lettuce over filling and roll up. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts
One serving:2 wraps
Calories: 230
Fat:9 g
Saturated Fat:2 g
Cholesterol:63 mg
Sodium:278 mg
Carbohydrate:12 g
Fiber:3 g
Protein:26 g

Sesame Chicken Bites

2009-04-05T12:24:00.009-06:00

So tender and tasty, these chicken appetizers are enhanced by a honey-mustard dipping sauce. I used to spend several days creating hors d'oeuvres for our holiday open house, and these bites were among the favorites. -Kathy Green, Layton, New Jersey
SERVINGS: 8-10
CATEGORY: Appetizer
METHOD:
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
HONEY-MUSTARD SAUCE:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4-1/2 teaspoons honey
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Directions:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, sesame seeds and parsley; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, onion powder, mustard and pepper. Coat chicken in mayonnaise mixture, then add to crumb mixture, a few pieces at a time; shake to coat.
In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil in batches until no longer pink, adding additional oil as needed. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Serve with chicken. Yield: 8-10 servings.
One serving:(3 each)
Calories: 323
Fat:28 g
Saturated Fat:4 g
Cholesterol:35 mg
Sodium:239 mg
Carbohydrate:8 g
Fiber:0 g
Protein:11 g

What's your opinion?

2009-04-03T09:28:00.003-06:00

So I read this article (click on the image to enlarge) this morning as I was preparing to take my final [a girl needs a break from studying sometimes, yeah?]

and it brought up some things I hadn't thought of before. I originally thought that computerizing our known medicinal world as we know it would be a great leap forward. But I'm not someone who knows all the ins and outs of medicine, nor have I had to be in and out of the doctor's office very much at all. So basically I had an opinion where I had little/no experience using OR administering. Does anyone else have opinions about computerizing our health care? Educate me!

Cards again...

2009-04-02T05:16:00.002-06:00

So I woke up this morning (by morning I mean 3:30 AM) thinking about new card ideas. It got my attention (I'm not in the regular habit of suddenly waking up that early...it must have been really important to me) -- I know, laugh it up...just wait till I have kids, right? :)
I realize it's been a MONTH since I've been able to set aside some good creative Jena time to play with paper.
As SOON as my finals are done and I kick all of my tenants out for the semester :) (J/K, they've been really good this semester...) then I'll be able to make some more papery things.

I hope you are all getting the personal time you need! It's rough when you don't have it, yeah?

We do NOT heart Albertson's

2009-03-31T18:48:00.003-06:00

So we've been trying to cut costs on groceries, and decided we should try local stores instead of Sam's Club once a month. We took the list that is similar to Albertson's and wound up spending 60$ more. We thought, maybe we didn't pay attention to what we got...checked the receipt. It was $20 for a large pack of toilet paper, and ended up being just over a dollar per roll. Cah-razy. We'll try Broulim's next month and see how well it does.

Mela-free

2009-03-31T10:28:00.003-06:00

After years of selling our soul to Melaleuca, we are now completely free of them. Joey quit last Friday after a long endurance period of a bad situation. And we're so happy! We've been really good about saving so even if Joey didn't find another job for almost a year, we'll still be able to make just fine.

Joey hasn't been this happy in a long time, so we're grateful for this little surprise.

Blog Layouts

2009-03-17T08:16:00.003-06:00

I've been interested in learning how to design my own blog layouts with my papery designs. I still haven't taken the time to learn, but for now...here are some great sites I've learned about:
http://hipposcrapsbloglayouts.blogspot.com/
http://dottydotdotdesign2.blogspot.com/
http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/
http://www.pyzam.com/bloggertemplates
http://delightfuldots.blogspot.com/
http://alliebrownslayouts.blogspot.com/
http://insertself.com/ {not free, but really fun design...I'd recommend this for websites, or if you're serious about your blog! :)}

Oh, and Happy St. Patty's Day :) Loves!

Update: Joey's surgery

2009-03-07T18:32:00.005-07:00

The doctor told us that it was a really good thing that we got his gall bladder taken out! It was really really inflamed and infected. I won't go into any more details, but the surgeon told us that he must have been in a lot of pain because the organ was so diseased.

The good news: Joey's doing really well! He's following all of the doctor's orders and is able to keep control of the pain. He's still pretty limited in his movement and activity, but we've been able to go on really short walks to keep his body active enough to heal. I know it's not every one's cup of tea, but he would really like me to post the pictures of the surgery. If it grosses you out, don't look :) If you do want to look, you can click on the image to enlarge it.

Pic of his surgery (the doctor didn't explain what the images are, but I'm guessing that the dark red is where they took the gall bladder out and cauterized the incisions)

Pic of some of the junk that was in the gall bladder. Gall bladder stones, this is only about 1/4 of them... We're selling them on E-Bay. JUST kidding! We threw them away, nasty buggers :)

Thanks so much for your prayers and support and love!

Joey's Surgery

2009-03-02T15:54:00.002-07:00

We just talked with the surgeon, and Joey goes into surgery on Wednesday morning. We think he'll be out that evening (it's only a one hour surgery starting just before noon). The surgeon said he'll need to lay with lots and lots of rest for at least a week...he's funny he said, "I'll get to class on Monday no matter what". Stubborn! :) We'll see how he feels then.

We feel so blessed because we were able to find out the source of the pain quickly and able to get him into surgery quickly as well.

We hope you are all enjoying your health! :) LOVES!

Where Do We Stand?

2009-03-02T09:11:00.005-07:00

Hey my Friends! My sweet Uncle Jerry sent me this message and movie. It really touched my heart. I love him so much! He's battled through so much in the last several years (with homosexuality) and came out triumphant {click here for update}! I don't normally post my political opinion. However, I feel I need to be clear with my testimony and how politics can possibly intrude upon my beliefs. Please watch this when you have some time! {click here to view movie}

UPDATE: I've watched this video, and thought that some things may be a little overstated. But if the government is trying to enforce a wicked propaganda, I'm truly against it. Here is a scripture I found that really says exactly what I believe. Doctrine & Covenants 134:2-4,7

Here are Uncle Jerry's words concerning this movie:
I realize you may be aware of the threat which plauges this great Country. This video however, really puts it all into perspective as to how monumental this threat really is. It's something that stares us in the face, of which we mustn't ignore any longer. I feel confident you to will feel the need to share it with those having the same morals and values as we do.
Please view, Love you, Jerr
P.S: PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG, I have many gay friends whom I love and share my same views. They too feel this shouldn't be a battle between Church and State...I know we may all not share my views and ideals, though I needed you to know how I have always felt my entire life. I will always love you! Thanks.

Recipes for fatties :)

2009-02-28T15:03:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone! Doctor's orders for super low fat recipes is now in effect for Joey (and myself, of course!) If you have any really low fat recipes, do you mind sending me some? You can post them here or email them to me: hagenj@byui.edu. Much appreciated!

Good Day Sunshine!

2009-02-28T14:43:00.004-07:00

Yes, that is real sunlight behind me...no joke! It's starting to be so springy outside, I LOVE it! Happy Day everyone! Joey and I were able to sleep in (until 8 AM! over 2 hours later than usual!) and have enjoyed a really nice day here in windy Rexburg. We hope all is well for you wherever you are! :)

Date!

2009-02-27T17:39:00.002-07:00

This afternoon Joey surprised me with a date! YEAH! We really don't ever make time to go on dates because he's so darn dedicated to school work (Yay for good grades though!).
I haven't been sleeping at all this week, so I'm a little on the emotional side (ha - that is an understatement). So he took me to get a tiny treat and we snuggled and watched Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightly. {sigh} I love my husband!

My Wise Friends & Family

2009-02-27T08:09:00.004-07:00

I loved reading your comments on the {previous post}! It's always a risk to publish opinion, and I love that you did!

I have several follow-up thoughts to share (and as I warned earlier, I think about this topic a lot, so I'm sure I'll post more in the future): I think the booger theory is a really good one, in fact, it's one that I share with my dorm girls at the beginning of each semester (Tiff, you little smarty! Great minds...). It's an attempt to teach them to be tactful and show genuine concern for each other (which implies that they build relationships of love and trust with each other: Trish and Stephanie nailed that one for me!). I have a few examples that (to me) illustrate the need to be candid, the need to allow others to stumble upon their own consequences, and the marriage of both ideas.

Example 1

In the second part of the booger theory I let my dorm girls know how silly it would be if I had a booger on my face (they were too nervous to tell me), and the next day they approach my husband and let him know that I had a booger on my face the previous day, and he should talk to me about it. Ha ha! Worthless, yeah? Often my girls don't want to "hurt each other's feelings" by candidly speaking face to face...so they come tell me and ask me to do it, when
a. I wasn't there, and didn't know about it except for their side of the story...
b. The moment has passed, and is pretty much time to move on...

Example 2

I grew up appearing to be "mature for my age" in many areas. I was really good at doling out practical advice to my friends, but excruciatingly unsure of my own decisions. I battled with myself what would be the best thing for me to do. I was very cautious to appear "perfect" but knew on the inside I wasn't. I didn't want to trouble anyone with my problems, or let anyone know I had them. Instead, I think I threw myself into other's lives as a "mothering" or protective role and ignored my own life. I was more useful for others, I had no clue about what to do myself. Looking back, I felt this way because I didn't have someone telling me what to do. And I was tired of hearing my parents tell me what to do, so I ignored them (my parents did the best they could and I love them for it. Please don't misunderstand!)...and sought for a different "dictator" all the while seeking to help others with their choices. I don't doubt that I had a good impact on others (Jaimie, I totally forgot about the creepy New York Burrito interview), but I both craved and rejected those who could tell me what to do! I had been told what to do my whole life, why would I have the confidence to make decisions completely on my own? If I had been allowed to explore natural consequences on my own, would I have developed this internal confidence earlier?

Example 3

In Elder Bednar's 1998 opening address to Rick's College he stated: "Enforcement is control that comes from 'outside' of us and can never be effective. Obedience is submission to the will of God that comes from 'within' us and brings the blessings of heaven...Men and women are to act and not be acted upon. Obedience as submission from 'within' is acting for ourselves. Enforcement as control from 'outside' is being acted upon."

Pretty succinct, don't you think? Clearly people need to be taught so they aren't ignorant. Clearly people need knowledge to choose. Clearly, even with knowledge and wisdom under their belts...everyone makes mistakes. Clearly, we need to rely on help greater than our own. This is how we learn.

This is a really long post. Just a little more. You're going to laugh (or I hope you will): the reason this whole topic came to my mind (this time) was because I was making greeting cards and had the TV on. I saw a TV reality show where a group of women were publicly critical of another woman. They accused her of something that was morally wrong, of which they had no proof, but probable cause. They were smug and certain that "punishing" her by telling the world how bad this woman was, would bring them justice (the incident didn't have anything to do with them, but they delighted in the fact that this other woman was allegedly corrupt). I stopped making cards and just stared at the TV. Who did these women think they were? If the woman was indeed corrupt, then let her fall off the face of the earth in her own misery -- for it would catch up to her later if what she was accused of was true. (Candace: you echoed my thoughts completely. What is the motive behind being candid? Would it make the situation truly improve or would it just satisfy my own selfishness?)

I have do have to say: I thank each of you who has been there to help me make decisions. Or who have helped me to build confidence by loving me, imperfections and all! I think that Anna, of all people, has seen me at my very lowest and has still been extremely patient me. Whether all of you've known it or not, your example and influence have helped me push myself harder, filled my heart with confidence, and helped me overcome some of the greatest things I've been dealt in the "cards of life". I love you each of you.
I have been truly blessed to be surrounded by good family and friends!

So back to the picture of the post below: Do I feel that I have the key to the universe of interactive learning? No. Certainly not, but I'll keep reaching, trying to find out what is/are the best way(s) to learn from and teach with others.

Natural Consequences

2009-02-25T01:16:00.002-07:00

I've been thinking a LOT about ways we learn in life...and how we help each other learn. Brief history to explain my vantage point: I feel that I grew up in a home where if there was something you could do better, you were made aware. I've noticed that I believed that if there was something that could be improved in others, I would adopt this behavior. It's amazing to me that I even had friends growing up! ;)

I have also seen some great examples of "how to" and "how not to" assist with other's behavioral learning curve...and I've decided that I theoretically believe that warning of natural consequences are good, letting natural consequences teach others is fabulous. However, I think there could be a balance between the two "teaching" styles which would bring optimum satisfaction to everyone involved.

YOUR OPINION: What do you think? Is it better to point things out candidly, or let others figure it out on their own? It's a tricky question that I've mulled over for years. There is cause to believe that both have excellent pros and substantial cons.

I'm sure this will be a post of many to explore these ideas. I'm not obsessed, but this topic often fills my mind.

dumb-dumb gall bladder

2009-02-23T20:03:00.003-07:00

Joey has been sick the last few days so we went to the doctor today. He had to have his blood drawn, he had to pee in a cup, he had to have a couple x-rays, and he had to have a shot in his butt. Yep. It's been a fun day for him :(

Tomorrow he goes in to get a gallbladder ultrasound...and hopefully it's behaving well enough that he doesn't have to have surgery. Poor thing!

I love it!

2009-02-20T16:19:00.003-07:00

I got this from thumbtackpress.com
I don't LOVE pollution, per se, but I LOVE this print!

You know what game I love?

2009-02-20T16:12:00.003-07:00

Ha, Ha...I'm pretty sure I'd BEG my sibs to play this game with me all the time. Random post, I know.

I need more patience...

2009-02-19T22:38:00.001-07:00

As I saw this movie , it really touched me. Enjoy!

Valentine Love Cube

2009-02-17T16:28:00.002-07:00

If you want to see the Valentine I made Joey, {click here}.

Play Dough V-Day Cookies

2009-02-17T10:37:00.003-07:00

So we thought it would be fun to make some cookies...and color frosting in the traditional colors. We discovered our red dye dried out, so we thought that pink and green would be okay...here is what they looked like:
The colors were so neon that it looked like play dough to us...sad :)

Silly Pants

2009-02-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

What a hoot! It's tough because so many of my buddies are doing this... pick and choose!

This is a crazy-fun tag, that I hope you'll get as a big a kick out of as I did....

Here's how it works: The first five people to leave me a comment get something made by me just for them. It can be anything I want, I get to choose. It can be silly or serious, edible or not, but don't plan on anything alive. There are a few rules involved (aren't there always?):

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It will be done sometime this year (Don't expect grand things if it takes a long time. I'm just lazy!).
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. (The choice is mine! --insert evil laugh here--)
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange and/or silly.

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've posted on their blog win a hand made, super creative, possibly lovely whatever in the heck I decide! Be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Faced my fears

2009-02-13T12:15:00.008-07:00

I have a fairly irrational fear of stepping on sidewalk vents. Now, I've grown up in the Seattle area and I didn't have any kinds of problem walking on Pioneet Square sidewalks with a whole Underground Tour The tiles you see are the same ones people walk on all the livelong day(click here for other pictures/or here)...but the ones here on campus aren't as solid to me. Or something. I just makes me shudder, I walk a good five feet away from them and don't look in their direction. :) I think the thing that freaks me out the most is that the holes go down about 6-10 feet (I don't know, all I know is I can't see the bottom).
Especially in the morning when it's still really dark outside.

Joey always giggles at me and stands right on top of them and jumps, and it makes me cringe...what if he fell in the hole? What if....blah blah blah. Irrational. I know.

So this morning while walking to the gym, I decided that I was going to walk on them. No big, right? I held Joey's hand tight, and walked as fast as I could. Not so bad. Here comes the next one...I didn't fall in, but there was no WAY I was going to look down while walking on them... Safe at last. I was still shaking...man I'm dramatic!

But I did it!

All About Joey

2009-02-11T10:48:00.006-07:00

This is Joey eating Thai food. The drinks are just fancied-up glasses of limeade...no alcohol! :)

"My Husband is the CUTEST" Tag

5 Favorite things that he loves:
1. He doesn't have favorites. Just ask him. He will answer "that's a hard one"...on ANY questions regarding favorites of ANYTHING. :P Indecisive...cute.
2. Besides me. I'm his favorite...well it's true!

To Do list (for the rest of the day):
1. Finish class
2. Study group to discuss nerdy accounting spreadsheets :)
3. Come eat some homemade mac-n-chz
4. Go tell people that they owe his company money
5. Come home and snuggle me

5 Snacks he loves:
1. Beef Jerky
2. Cider-tea (peachy herbal tea with hot cider)
3. Peanuts
4. Pineapple & cottage cheese
5. Celery & carrots chilled in the fridge

5 Facts you may not know:
1. If Joey wants to get something done, he'll do it yesterday. If a task is left up to me, I tell him to remind me, I write it down and flag reminders in my Outlook calendar and then eventually find out (a week later) that he already did it a week ago.
2. Joey never introduced himself to me, his given name is Joel, his friends called him Joe OR Joel, and family called him Joey. I was really confused at what to call him. When we decided to get married, we also decided that we'd only introduce him as Joey because I have a sister-in-law named Jo. We didn't want to confuse my family with Uncle Joe or Aunt Jo.
3. He used to get headaches that made him throw up in the mornings. He's okay now.
4. Joey gave me his first kiss & married his first love.
5. He giggles more than anyone I know. Even more than my Granny did.

5 Places he has lived:
1. Colorado
2. Washington
3. Idaho
4. Georgia
5. I should have named cities, because now I'm out of ideas...

5 Quirky things about him:
1. Joey yells in his sleep. It makes me have giggle fits.
2. Joey never cries. Ever. (good balance for emotional me!)
3. Joey's eyebrows tell me everything he's thinking, especially when he doesn't mean to.
4. Joey never fights with anyone. Not his siblings when they were growing up, not his parents, not his mission companions, not even me!
5. Joey has no butt.

My Papery Craftiness

2009-02-10T14:30:00.007-07:00

Hey all! I've been asked to post my paper creations, and I have to admit that I'm not good at scanning them before I send them. So here is my blog that will commit me to scan them and show them off. We missed the valentines I made, but I'm sure I'll make more soon
{click here to go to JCARDS}

Killer Waffle Recipe

2009-02-07T14:43:00.003-07:00

So here's one of my favorite recipes for special occaison breakfasts...It really should be a dessert :) It's pumpkin, though...so if you don't like pumpkin, so sad!

Spiced Whipped Cream:

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

Electric beaters work best: Whip cream in large bowl on highest setting until firm. Add Sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Whip on high for 1 minute, set aside in refridgerator.

Waffles:

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron

Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.
Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended, then whisk in milk, buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp.

Picture Me, Picture You

2009-02-06T16:54:00.005-07:00

This is a tag you have to answer with pictures {I cheated with some captions}

{CURRENT} FAVORITE COLOR

FAVORITE ANIMAL

HOBBY

BAD HABIT
{busy BUSY brain}

FAVORITE DESSERT

SOMETHING I LOVE

ME
{yulia brodskaya created this one, thanks Anna!}

TAG

{anyone cute enough to be a cupcake model; or just cute enough to eat a cupcake, really...}

Good "Distractions"

2009-02-06T13:18:00.010-07:00

(A pic of my Uncle Jerry and myself, at my wedding a year ago)

I have to say: I'm so grateful for good distractions! I just got off the phone with my Uncle Jerry. He is one of my favorite people of all time! He's had a really rough hand to deal with in the past several years...but he's prevailed and gotten everything in order to go back to the temple! I'm so happy for him! He gets to go tomorrow. I'm so thrilled! (picture of Las Vegas Temple [where he gets to go tomorrow] below) Did I mention I was so happy?

I'm so happy for the blessings in my life! I know that I can be with my sweetheart, Joey, forever...I can't tell you what a huge comfort that is! (picture of where Joey and I got married, in the Seattle Temple, below)

And the one in Rexburg, that we get to visit often:

If you are looking at this article and have no idea what I'm talking about (temples) but are curious, please ask me! They are one of the sweet blessings we have because our Heavenly Father wants us to have joy not only in this life, but forever.

Anyway, my Uncle Jerry's news totally distracted me from my earlier frustration (post below). And I'm so grateful for that as well.

Fer Rude...

2009-02-06T09:06:00.004-07:00

BAHGH!

So I'm learning again :) Which often means that there are growing pains...which, don't get me wrong, it's good for me...but it's not fun for sure!

Things I am learning in my job:
1. I am WAY too *obsessed* with people liking me, or thinking favorably of me...it's kind of selfish, now that I've "typed it out loud"...
B. People aren't always willing to make up for what they've done. Jena: seriously: let it go!
3. Others are learning just like me, and deal with it in different ways than I do. Not everyone needs closure, and not everyone likes to talk things out until everything's okay.

So, now that I've typed those out, it seems that I learn those things a few times a year. Maybe adding to my New Year's Resolutions, I want to learn to "live and let live" more fully.

25 random things about me...

2009-02-04T17:03:00.006-07:00

This was a fun thing on Facebook, that I really didn't plan to do. But I did...and it was fun-ish! I'm not going to tag anyone, but I like to know random things about you, too...

25. I like cheese but my eye doctor tells me that it clogs my eye pores...and I've had surgery in my eye to prove it. (pic is week after surgery...)

24. I am a really light sleeper, and need my atmosphere to be really quiet (however white noise is wonderful). But it makes me giggle when Joey yells Spanish or some other jibberish in his sleep. Yeah, I'm giggling now because I remember how funny it is to me...(sorry Joey).

23. I love my husband even more than anything/anyone else I've ever loved (and I imagine, ever will).

22. On the top side of my left forearm, I have three moles. I used to be excruciatingly embarrassed by them and would only wear long sleeves so no one would see them (now I wish that were my only "imperfection"). :)

21. I have a hard time not putting a smile at the end of almost every sentence. I've shown a great deal of restraint in this note.

20. When someone gives me a document at work, I immediately want to re-format it. I don't like the font they used, or how they spaced the paragraphs...it's a little out of control.

19. When I was a teenager, I used to paint each fingernail with orange or lime green nail polish, and then paint a little daisy on each ring fingernail. I also wore about 9 rings. Now my fingers are really plain.

18. I enjoy using ellipses...and use them incorrectly...and too often...but I still like to use them...

17. I get goosebumps when I sneeze. I hate sneezing right after I've shaved my legs.

16. I'm obsessive about keeping my ears clean. I know this is bad (but I can't stop), I use Q-tips twice a day or more (not any other brand of swab, the sticks aren't as strong).

15. When I was a baby, I rolled potato bugs in my mouth. I don't remember it, I was just told that I did it.

14. The first CD I've ever owned was Amy Grant, Heart in Motion. Not many weeks later, the first CD I bought was Weezer, The Blue Album. It all went downhill from there. :)

13. I don't always hear what people say. I don't like asking them to repeat it, so I nod and smile or even laugh. It gets awkward when they ask a question, and I don't answer properly.

12. I can't have a favorite color. I love color.

11. I do, however, love to wear black.

10. I think Asian babies are the cutest of all babies in the entire world, and have thought that way for most of my life. Obviously I don't have one of my own yet.

9. I once laughed so hard it made me cough really hard -- which made me throw up. Then the smell of it made someone else throw up. It was really bizarre. I don't remember what was so funny in the first place.

8. I rode my bike from Auburn to Tukwila a couple times when I was bored. I just looked it up on Google Maps, and the distance is just about 22 miles one-way.

7. I had four different kindergarten teachers at four different schools because we moved a lot. When I went to first grade, I thought I had been in kindergarten for four years. I was laughed at pretty hard for "flunking" kindergarten three times.

6. I think I have really pretty teeth, which I whiten once a month with Crest Strips.

5. It took me four months to change my sleep pattern from going to bed by 1-2:00 AM to going to bed by 9:00 PM (so I could get up at 6 AM). But I did it! And I do almost every day now.

4. When I use public restrooms, I get kind of shy. So to pass time I count tiles on the floor and walls. Or recite the ABC's over and over.

3. I like the smell of Kinkos. And libraries.

2. My flip flops make my feet stink. Even when it's 17 degrees outside. I should get a new pair.

1. Nothing excites me more than being surprised: about new discoveries, or random gifts, or creating something unexpected and new.

anyway, I know it was long...but I'd like to learn more about YOU!

something pretty

2009-01-31T11:28:00.006-07:00

Do you ever have days where you just want to look at something pretty? Today is one of those days, so I found a couple things that made my little artsy fartsy heart soar...

I Heart Joey

2009-01-29T11:05:00.001-07:00

I'm just going to say it: I love my sweetie pie punkin head pants: Joey!!!!

Can't Sleep...

2009-01-29T00:42:00.003-07:00

So Anyone who's been my roommate knows that my sleep habits have always been out of wack...but I've really been sleeping pretty well the last week so I've been spoiled. Joey and I go to bed anywhere from 8:30-10:00 PM depending on how tired we are (I know, 8:30??? I haven't done that since I was 12) so we can get up fully rested for our morning jogs.
So I laid in bed, and you know how you can't turn your mind off? My mind is out of control:
- I ran through my class schedule and mentally prepared for studying tomorrow.
- My mind ran through our pantry and added things in my memory for our grocery list.
- I calculated the best time to do our laundry without disturbing 120 girl's laundry "schedules". How many machines will it take to do our bedding? Do we have enough dryer sheets? etc.
Then Joey, sweet thing, rolls over and starts talking his nightly jibberish, which makes me giggle (which sometimes wakes him up...sorry Joey!)
- I played solitare/tetris for an hour on my I pod(which usually makes me fall asleep after about 10 minutes...lame! And then, my I pod ran out of power. So I'm charging my I pod.
Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying your rest...you lucky things! :P

Sparkly Snow

2009-01-28T07:58:00.004-07:00

So Joey and I have made it through our second week (3rd for me) of Week One Couch to 5K. {click here} if you are interested in the schedule we follow. Because we need more exercise, we go M-F. ALso, because we are so out of shape, we do the week's schedule for two weeks and then move on. It's been really good to us so far.

Anyway, we go at 6:00 AM when everything is quiet (and really pretty) on campus. For the past week it has been snowing. It's SO pretty. Our walk there is all sparkly because of the freshly fallen snow. Joey reminded me that it was cold, and we needed to keep walking :) He's good at keeping me in check with reality.

BTW: the pics aren't of this morning...they're from the internet...but look pretty similar to what we have here.

Chicken Pillows (with pics)

2009-01-25T21:08:00.014-07:00

Chicken Pillows
8 servings (2 pillows per serving)
2 canisters of refrigerator croissant dough (reduced fat works just fine!)
16 chicken tenders, grilled
1 block of neufachtel cheese, softened (reduced fat cream cheese)
1 small can of green chopped chiles
1 T onion flakes
Lowry's seasoning salt to taste
(optional: 1/4 cup real bacon bits)

In big mixing bowl, put the hot chicken tenders (whole), cheese, chiles, onion flakes, seasoning salt.

With electric mixer, mix on medium until chicken is shredded and cheese is well integrated with chicken. set aside.

Unroll the croissant dough. It will be in four rectangles (two triangles for each rectangle).

Pinch the long side seam of the triangles to create one complete rectangle.

Cut rectangle in half to make two squares.

Place squares on large piece of wax paper. Fold wax paper over the squares (wax paper, dough, wax paper) and roll out slightly to strengthen the pinched seam. Repeat for all dough. You should have 16 square-ish pieces of dough.

Put 1/4 cup mixture (or the equivalent of 1 chicken tender) in the middle of each dough square.

Bring the pointed corners together over the chicken and pinch together.

Push pinch edges into the center of the chicken firmly. You should now have a smaller square, with four peek-a-boo slits filled with chicken.

Bake on 375 F for 15 minutes - or until GOLDEN brown.

If it looks like you might have over cooked them a little, then it's perfect. If it still looks like they are pale, they may be a little under-done. Here is what the bottom side looks like. You can see that the croissant dough is really golden, and the middle where you pinched the dough is much lighter. If the dough in the middle looks like it's the same light color as the rest, put them back in the oven for a little longer.

Surprisingly, these make really tasty leftovers and taste good straight from the refrigerator, even. amazing, we know! We eat these with rice or cous-cous and steamed broccoli.
Whew that was a mouthful!

Receipt Nazi & First Quicken Record

2009-01-24T14:16:00.007-07:00

Look out! I'm about to be financially savvy. Joey has been using Quicken since he was 16 to keep track of his finances...very on top of things! Slowly but surely he is recruiting me to the nerd world of finance, and I must say that I really like it! Today was my first experience with recording a purchase in Quicken all by myself.

Kudos, honney!

Just so you know, Quicken is not a branch of new wave witchery...but if you don't know what Quicken is (I didn't know until I met Joey)...you can find it here {click here}. It's pretty handy, and it's free online.

Also, a funny thing happened the other day. I saw a receipt crumpled on the ground on our way to the bank. I breifly scolded the mystery person in my head, "Tsk, tsk. Who doesn't keep their reciepts?"

It made me laugh. I explained my random laughter to Joey and he laughed even harder. I'm not a complete financial dummy, but when he met me I NEVER saved reciepts. I've grown accustomed to Joey's training (and my job requires me to be watchful of every penny as well), that I've joined the ranks of Responsible Receipt Savers.

The Paper Cat is gone!

2009-01-23T10:32:00.004-07:00

My favorite paper store of all time is no longer in business.

Here are a couple pics to enjoy while I have a little moment of silence.

It was located at Pioneer Sqare in Seattle.
I'd go there on lunch breaks when I worked
in Downtown Seattle (I know, right? I was
so cool).

Maybe I'll start my own Paper Cat? (yeah, even though I don't like cats)...

I LOVED this!

2009-01-23T09:37:00.006-07:00

So, I normally don't do this, but I'm posting a news story that really caught my attention.

I have to first say that I'm not always fabulous about being a "graceful loser". I'm very blessed, and I love my life! But I've had my share of disappointments...and I can't say that I've always endured them well. This story raised my personal bar for times of defeat. I hope you enjoy it as well! {click here}

Have a great day!

Week 2 of couch-to-5K

2009-01-21T08:39:00.004-07:00

I recruited Joey! So we now get up at 5:55 and are at the gym by 6:10. Joey has class starting at 7:45, so we need that extra earlier 35 minutes to get him to class on time...We are starting over, doing week one again...and it's remarkably do-able!

Joey's got longer legs than I do, so it's a challenge to keep up...and it makes him feel better that he can run a mile two minutes faster than me :P I feel good about that, too :P

So, no more spinning pains, AND I have my best friend with me each morning! Love it!

You've been asking...

2009-01-20T09:40:00.007-07:00

...about dinner lists/recipies.
People get sick of the same stuff all the time...if you all will post your dinner lists (i'll post some more in the near future), that will be great, so we can all get some new ideas~ :)

This list will feed two people for about 1 month (leftovers every other night....)

Shepherd's Pie
8-10 servings
1 lb of browned (crumbled) turkey burger
4 cups of heated veggies (corn/peas/carrots mix works really well)
4 cups mashed taters
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
ground black pepper to taste

Layer the ingredients on the list in order in a 9x13 pan. Put in the oven on 375 F until cheese melts. Makes really good leftovers! Super cheap meal (we probably have it 1-2 times a month)

Phad Thai
3-4 big servings
2 eggs, scrambled
1 lb. boneless chicken, grilled and cut into strips (breast meat tastes better, thigh meat is cheaper) tofu is also a good substitute for meat: cut into cubes and cook with scrambled eggs...it gives a light coat of egg and is good for tofu novices
1/2 pkg flat rice noodles, use directions on box to cook
1 bag green beans, steamed
1/2 bag of carrots, chopped julienne and steamed
Stir fry all above ingredients in your favorite oil...about 2-4 Tablespoons will do it. Remove from heat
1 jar of phad thai sauce (4-6 oz.), add to noodle mixture. Make sure the noodles are well covered...if the noodles are super dry, the rice starch will be tasteless and make your mouth sticky. And then you won't want to try the recipe again. :)

On plates:
1 bag of sprouts (the big fat crisp kind, not the sandwich kind)

Pile on a heap of noodle mixture, 1 cup of sprouts to 1 cup of noodle mixture.

toppings for table (everyone adds as wanted):
1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
1/3 bunch of chopped cilantro
2 limes, wedged (to squeeze on top of noodles)
1/3 - 1/2 cup crushed peanuts

This one is really tasty, but it can take 1 person about 45-60 minutes to make. It really is worth the wait.

Lasagne
8-10 servings
man, everyone does their own lasagne! We've tried every pizza topping in our lasagne and it seems to work. (except pineapple, which I hear is okay...Jetta's Dad puts honey on top of his lasagne before he eats it...I've never tried it :)
Here's the basics:
1 large jar of sauce (we like whatever's on sale)
9 cooked lasagne noodles
1 egg mixed in with 2 cups cottage cheese
1 Tbl italian seasoning, mixed in with cottage cheese
Shredded mozzerella

Layer everything (and add olives, turkey burger, chopped pepperoni, green/red peppers, grilled onion, spinach, mushrooms, etc. [in any combination] with the sauce layers) and bake at 375 F for 30-40 min.

Really, though: Does anyone have a good veggie lasagne recipe?

One Dish Tacos
6-8 servings
2 cans fat free refried black beans
1 lb. crumbled browned turkey burger
2/3 c fresh salsa (or picante works fine)
1 can of sliced olives
1 can diced green chiles
1 cup shredded cheddar

Layer ingredients in 8x8 pan; bake at 350 F for 20-30 min or until beans are heated through.

serve with chopped green leaf lettuce and whole grain tortillas.

Chicken Stir Fry
3-4 servings
3 Cups prepared jasmine rice
8 oz boneless chicken (2 servings), grilled
1 bag of veggies (your choice), heated through
1/2 C Yoshida's sauce (either teryaki or sweet n sour)
1/4 C cold water
2 T cornstarch
2 T stir fry oil (peanut/canola/vegetable/etc...whatever you like)

Combine cornstarch with cold water, mix with Yoshida's sauce, set aside.
stir fry oil in the large frying pan; add veggies until coated with oil and fried for 3-5 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and sauce mixture. Cook on med-high heat until sauce is clear.

Shake N Bake
Re-discovered this one. Love it! Makes 4-6 servings from one bag. Our favorite is the BBQ glaze.
follow instructions on back of box (it's really the only box dinner we like -- so picky!) :)
Steamed green beans and rice is amazing with this dish

Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup
I wish I could grow out the the grilled cheese phase, but it just hasn't happened yet :) We add a sprig of chopped fresh parsely to our soup, very tasty!

Chicken Pillows
8 servings (2 pillows per serving)
2 canisters of refridgerator croissant dough (reduced fat works just fine!)
16 chicken tenders, grilled
1 block of neufachtel cheese, softened (reduced fat cream cheese)
1 small can of green chopped chiles
1 T onion flakes
Lowry's seasoning salt to taste

in big mixing bowl, put the hot chicken tenders (whole), cheese, chiles, onion flakes, seasoning salt. With electric mixer, mix on medium until chicken is shredded and cheese is well integrated with chicken. set aside.

This part sounds complicated, but I'll add pictures when I make it. Unroll the croissant dough. It will be in four rectangles (two triangles for each rectangle). Pinch the long side seam of the triangles to create one complete rectangle. Cut rectangle in half to make two sqaures. Place squares on large piece of wax paper. Fold wax paper over the squares (wax paper, dough, wax paper) and roll out slightly to strenthen the pinched seam. Repeat for all dough. You should have 16 square-ish pieces of dough. put 1/4 cup mixture (or the equivalent of 1 chicken tender) in the middle of each dough square. bring the pointed corners together over the chicken and pinch together. Push pinch edges into the center of the chicken firmly. You should now have a smaller square, with four peek-a-boo slits filled with chicken. SOrry, it does sound confusing, but I'll post pictures.

Bake on 375 F for 15 minutes - or until GOLDEN brown. If it looks like you might have over cooked them a little, then it's perfect. If it still looks like they are pale, they may be a little under-done. Surprisingly, these make really tasty leftovers and taste good cold, even. amazing, we know! We eat these with rice or cous-cous and steamed broccoli.
Whew that was a mouthful!

Sloppy Joes
we love turkey burger in this recipe...Joey loves Manwich sauce, I love KC Masterpiece and ketchup. We both love grilled peppers and onions mixed in. We eat them with steamed green beans.

Omelettes
I used to be really big on egg whites and chopped fresh spinach, but really...in moderation - yolks are good for you too.
Man, these are great! We learned a trick from our brother-in-law, Trenton. Cook the eggs until a little bit firm on the bottom (still clearly juicy on top). Add ingredients and cheese. place under oven broiler until cheese is melted or top of egg is almost firm. Take out of oven and flip half over. they taste really yummy and look perfect, too!

Steak (luxury dinner -- only about 4 times a year :)
We LOVE this marinade:
4 servings (3-4 oz steaks are perfect size for us!)
1 lb of steak meat (forked both sides and placed in ziplock bag)
1/2 C soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 sweet onion, minced
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground black pepper

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, sugar, lemon, oil, garlic, onion, ginger, pepper.

If you have the time, place steak and marinade in ziplock bag overnight and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Otherwise, microwave the marinade sauce in its bowl (not the ziplock bag) for 20-30 seconds on high, then place in the ziplock bag with the steak and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Pre-heat grill/oven on high broil. For indoor cooking, lightly spray a pan (or cover in foil) and place steak (without excess marinade) into the pan. For outdoor cooking, lightly oil grill and place steak on grill.

Grill/broil steak for 7-8 mintues per side, or to desired doneness.

So there you have it! We'll post another dinner list the next time we make one (next month). I'll have some pictures for you too, if I can remember to post them.

spinning is lame

2009-01-16T23:54:00.003-07:00

If you want to hear a funny story about people who get a little too serious about their spinning classes [click here]

So I went to a spinning class today and after about 40 minutes of butt pain I decided that I would try something that didn't involve any contact in that region. So hooray for elliptical!

I think I enjoyed the elliptical more than I normally would have (I actually don't mind them at all) if I hadn't tried something so uncomfortable. But at least I tried! :)

Good luck to all you who are working on your new year's resolutions as well!

The Bane of my Existence...

2009-01-12T10:13:00.007-07:00

......staying in shape.
So here's a couple things I have going on for me and they are working really well so far (today was my first day)

I have a good friend who wants to do a spinning class in the mornings. That will start on Thursday. From what I hear, I'm going to die, but love the results :)

Next I have a friend who's been running for years. Before my mission, I was running at least 4 miles a day. I wasn't a size 0, but I felt great and could see my toes without leaning forward :) Since I'm so out of shape right now, I am going to take advice other than my own. My friend advised me of "couch to 5K" plans...very good stuff out there. I've looked through several websites about this topic, and found three that seem the most encouraging and practical for my situation. If you're interested in this topic, here are the sites I am using (really if you google 'couch to....[whatever your starting goal is]' then you'll be able to find a program that is suitable for you) :

The Couch-to-5K Running Plan
Running 101
How Not to Train for a Marathon

So, cheers to all of you who are working toward goals...fitness, habitual, etc. Good luck!

New Year & Resolutions

2008-12-30T18:14:00.006-07:00

Hooray! I love do-overs. 2009 here I come!

I resolve to:

discover new bands
work less
exercise more
train for and run in a marathon by the time I'm 30
have better posture

But if I don't? Well, shoot for the moon and reach the stars...right?
Happy New Year!

Caroling

2008-12-14T20:53:00.004-07:00

Joey and I went caroling today, it was SO much fun! We have such good friends here, and they've all been through a lot in the last couple weeks. It was so good to see them smile and giggle. We were in shorts and tennis shoes, matching BYU-I workout T-shirts and we looked hideous, but it was still fun.
Joey was a little hesitant to sing at first, but we built up his confidence and he ended up having fun.

It's snowing still! we have almost a foot of snow, and it's not the wet soppy kind. It's so pretty. We'll have to post some pics. Until then, have a great evening!

Week of Hell-o!

2008-12-10T23:03:00.003-07:00

Meetings...blah blah blah
Clean checks...blah blah blah
Screaming girls all night long...blah blah blah
I'm not preg - again...blah blah blah
Joey's work: same problems, different whiners...blah blah blah (BTW: answers to the same problems are still the same)

But for the fun part: WE GET TO GO TO WASHINGTON next week!!!!
AND IT SNOWED HERE!!!
AND MY HUSBAND THINKS I'M CUTE!!!

AND I THINK HE'S DEAD SEXY!!!

And life is good, yeah?

Random pic of the week:
Our tree in front of the lounge:

Isn't it so pretty?

Oh, I have to go turn off my kitchen disposal, I think it I turned it on like 20 minutes ago...embarrassing.