The Simple and Beautiful

The other day Ben had the car and I asked him to pick some things up from the grocery store (being the typical wife that I am) before he came home. He came home with a rose in his hand :) Needless to say, it made me very happy! I am telling you, Ben found the perfect rose! From day one to even today (about a week later) it has been gorgeous. I just wanted to share the beauty of this single wonderful rose. It reminded me that the simple things in life are beautiful and meant to be enjoyed. I guess I could be biased with this rose because, one, I love flowers, and two, Ben got it for me :) Anyway, just thought I would share something pretty; what can I say, I'm a girl! I love you Ben and thanks you for the simple thoughtful things that you do. Props to all of you hubbies out there that are amazing! If you don't feel like you are included in this category (which I am sure you really are)... pick up a rose this afternoon :)

The World Needs More of This

I know, I know, two posts in one day! Goodness, do I have a life?! Yes, yes I really do, but I couldn't wait to share this once the idea occurred to me. I received a link for this video a while ago from my aunt. This might be repetitive to those of you who received that same email. Anyway, I absolutely loved this video and was very touched by it. The images and music are beautiful.
Just a few more thoughts. Ben and I were watching t.v. tonight and listening about the economic and energy crisis in the U.S. right now. I have been trying to keep up with everything about the upcoming election and I often get so tired of all of the slander and backbiting from the candidates that I have to take a break from reading and watching things about it for a while. There are so many issues in the world and in the country that need to be fixed and a lot of fingers being pointed for those problems.
I also look around me and see friends and family struggling with so many trials. It seems I learn of someone dear to me every day that is facing great difficulty. I am so grateful to be able to find peace elsewhere, away from all of the turmoil. This video is a wonderful reminder of where to turn for that peace. I can't tell all of you enough how grateful I am for the source of which the peace comes, the subject of this video, Jesus Christ. I really hope you can enjoy it as much as I did and I hope all of you know that I sincerely hope and pray for your well-being and happiness. May you all find strength in the trials that you face, and whether you are near to us or far away, we are there for you in your trials and your joys.

Reflections of Christ

Sharing the Goodness of Food-Continued!

Last night I went to a ladies get together for my ward. It is kind of a tradition here for the second year med student wives to put together a night where we can get to know each other and the new wives better. Since we are all in the same situation and in the same ward, it makes for a great support group during the craziness of med school. Anyway, I made something called Tomato Basil Squares to take(yet another delicious recipe that I acquired from my mom-I love you Mom!) and they were a big hit. Most people like them, that is why I chose to bring them! So I thought, since this dish is awesome(I must say so myself), I enjoy sharing recipes with others, and I want to post recipes on my blog that I love, I'm posting this one for you all. Really, if you like Italian food, especially the mixed flavors of tomato and basil, you don't want to miss out on this!


Tomato Basil Squares

1 package refrigerated pizza crust (or homemade pizza crust)
8 oz or 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 oz or ¼ c fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fresh basil or 2 tsp dried basil
2/3 c mayonnaise
1 pressed garlic clove
4 tomatoes sliced (I use between 6-8 Roma tomatoes)
Preheat oven 375. Roll out pizza dough on rectangle cookie pan or circle pan. Sprinkle crust with 1 c mozzarella. Mix parmesan, basil, rest of mozzarella, mayo, and garlic. Layer sliced tomatoes over mozzarella. Then scoop cheese mixture on top of tomatoes and spread evenly. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Here is the recipe that I use for the crust, but I bake according to the tomato basil squares recipe, not the crust baking instructions. This crust is great for homemade pizza too!


Pizza Crust

2 ½ to 3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package yeast or 2 ¼ tsp
3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 cup very warm water
Mix one cup of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add 3 tbsp oil and very warm water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of the bowl. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5-8 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Cover loosely and let rise 30 minutes. Divide dough in half and roll out. Bake at 425 for 7-8 min til partially browned, then add toppings and bake until browned and bubbly for thin crust. For thick crust roll entire dough out and bake at 375 for 15 minutes on bottom rack, then add toppings and finish.

Running in the Rain

Ben and I had a little adventure today. It has been raining in Kirksville for the past three days or so and I have been dying to get out and go run. So I decided that I wasn't going to let the possibility of rain stop me! Ben decided he would come with me and we set out to get a little exercise. About ten minutes into the run it started to pour, but it felt so good! It was around 75 degrees outside and the rain was nice. So we kept running and finished our regular run. But by the time we got home, we were both drenched! It felt like we had both just jumped in a pool of water. We stopped dodging puddles after the first five minutes :) I haven't done that in so long and I had a great time! That was one of the best runs I have had in a while, and I didn't care one bit about the strange looks people were giving me! It's nice to just do something out of the ordinary and crazy sometimes to change things up!

Sharing the Goodness of Food!

I thought that every now and again when I make something that both Ben and I love, I would share that recipe with any of you who like to expand your cookbooks. I am always looking for new recipes and thought I might share some of the things that are yummy to my tummy. Anyway, this is one that both Ben and I love, but that I frequently forget to make! It is really simple and it goes great with rice and broccoli. Easy side dishes right?

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 beaten egg
cornstarch
oil
sauce (recipe to follow)

1. Dip the chicken breasts into the egg then roll them in the cornstarch.
2. In a small amount of oil, fry the chicken until just browned.
3. Place the chicken in a shallow baking pan, pour the sauce over it, and bake uncovered at 325 for one hour, turning every 15 minutes.

Sauce

3/4 c sugar (I like between 1/4c-1/2c)
4 tbsp catsup
1/2 c vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together

My mom got this recipe from The Friend magazine years ago and I love it! It is great with homemade fried rice and chow mein too. One more note. On time I cut up pineapple and green pepper and put it in with the chicken to cook to make it more like Chinese food and it was delicious. Just another variation to a good recipe! Hope you all enjoy!

One of Those Mornings

No pictures from me this morning, just me using this blog as a chance to vent a little. This morning was one of those mornings when I woke up and had to take Ben to school so he could be there before his first class at 8:00 and he will probably be there until 6:00. He gets a free lunch from a meeting on campus today so I won't see him for lunch. I miss my Ben and today is actually not one of the bad days! When tests come around, he is gone to school from 8-6 then comes home for a little break for dinner and hits the books again around 8pm til' around midnight. Then its up around 4 or 5 am for more studying for his test at 8 am. Craziness! Medical school feels like it will last forever sometimes, but I sure am happy that it really doesn't! Oh one of these days it will be over and when it is I think I am going to scream and shout for joy!

Osteostach

There is this silly tradition among the second year medical students at Ben's med school, ATSU - A.T. Still University or KCOM - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. The second year students grow mustaches around the time that all the first year students begin to move to Kirksville, probably as an odd welcome. They call it the Osteostache! We took these pictures just after Ben and I went running so if he looks super tired that is why, even though his lack of sleep from studying for tests should probably get the credit.


Goofball!

More Improvements On Our House

We finally got around to working on the kitchen. We have been re-texturing all the walls in the house before re-painting them. We did this to the kitchen too and also re-painted the cabinets and got new hardware for them. It was a lot of work, but we like how it turned out!


Just having a little fun before I textured and painted! Love you Ben!






We got these barrels at the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store in Nauvoo. We don't have very much storage in the house so we bought them and store things like potatoes, bags of flour, and towels in them. And they match the kitchen! Actually, they are one of the first things that we got and matched a lot of stuff to them. All of the antique stuff on the shelf is either from garage sales or visiting the historic sites in Nauvoo.

Girls Camp for the Nauvoo Stake

Our Girls Camp cake that we made with the girls at the cake decorating class!

Jenna Featherston, Me, and JoHanna Featherston

Plllllbbb!

The girls performing their skit. The theme was "Stand Like A Hero" and each ward had a female hero from the scriptures. Ours was Mary Elizabeth and Caroline Rollins, the girls who protected the Doctrine and Covenants from the mobs. They had a fun "mafia mob" skit, it was great!

I completely forgot to post about Girls Camp. I was asked to be the Girls Camp Director for our ward this year. Girls Camp was way back in June, but I thought I would put a few pics up anyway. It was a ton of work because we had to do all the certification on our own at a ward level. It took so much planning, I can't even imagine being the Director at the Stake level! It was definitely worth it though. The girls are so awesome and we had a good time.

Nauvoo Pageant

Ben and I went to the Nauvoo pageant in the middle of July. We feel so blessed to be close to the Nauvoo temple and all the church history that is around us in Missouri and in Illinois. It was a wonderful performance and we had a wonderful day doing all of the pre-performance activities. It was a little hot and humid though!


There were bagpipes at the beginning of the performance. They were spectacular!




Pulling each other in handcarts.

Can you tell it is humid by my crazy hair?

Walking on stilts.


The temple was right in the middle of the stage backdrop. At the very end of the performance, in the last hurrah, they lit up the temple in the background. It was beautiful. It kinda took our breath away when it was lit up and the voice of President Gordon B. Hinckley speaking about the temple was playing through the speakers.

Summer Vacation 2008

Jess wakeboarding.


I don't think I got one picture of Matt(My sister Jessica's husband) that wasn't fuzzy. This was the best I could do. Sorry Matt!

Rachel and Sarah(Mysister-in-law and my niece). We were able to be there for Sarah's blessing.
Lexi (Jared's girlfriend) kneeboarding
Mom Skiing
Me skiing
Love the hair Ben. Fun in the sun on Topaz Lake!
Ryan and Ben on the tube. The goggles are awesome.
Little Adam(Jason and Leslie's little boy)..Sooo cute
Brianna (Jason and Leslie's second daughter)I love the attitude
Granny and Brianna at Topaz Lake
Go Dad! Check out that cut. Look how nice and smooth that water is. We loved having the lake practically to ourselves!
Ben wakeboarding.



Ryan (My brother) and A.J. (Rachel and Ryan's little boy) canoeing. We were pulling them with the ski rope from the boat back to the shore.
Ben, his brother Mike, and his nephew Sam at Lagoon.
Jared and his team at Junior Olympics.
A.J. drinkin' a Jones! I love this picture!
Brianna and A.J. on our vacation at Topaz Lake.


Isn't the stained glass amazing!?
We stopped at Winter Quarters on our way out west and visited the Omaha, Nebraska temple. When we were almost there, the tornado sirens went off and the sky got very very dark. We took refuge in the basement of the visitors center and watched as the rain poured and the winds howled against the black sky. A tornado did touch down just west of us. It was crazy!! This is what the sky looked like.
On our drive out to Utah with Ben's parents we barely made it through some of the flooding in Missouri. This one of the places that half the road was closed and we had to drive through on the side that had higher ground.

Ben's parents came out to visit us in July and we drove back with them to meet my Mom, Dad, Jared, and Lexi in Utah. We spent a couple of days with Ben's family in Morgan before my parents came to pick us up. Jared was playing in Junior Olympics for Volleyball and we watched him for the rest of the week. His team did great and it was a blast to watch him! We then went and met up with the rest of the fam for a week of fun on Topaz Lake in Nevada. We had a great campsite and we had the lake to ourselves most of the week. We got to spend a couple more days at home in Cameron Park before we headed back to Missouri to real life again. All in all it was a wonderful trip and we had a great time! We miss everyone!
Here are some pictures to document our trip.