Tag, I'm it...

JOYS
1. Gub. What an amazing husband I have. I often wonder how I got so lucky!
2. My family. Gub and I are truly blessed to have such amazing families.
3. Food. What a terrible thing to admit, but I can't deny it.

FEARS
1. Drowning, fire, any freak accident.
2. Getting old. I know, I know, it happens to everyone, but it still doesn't mean that I have to like it. Gub just doesn't understand why it is so tramatic, I'm not really sure that I understand either. But all I know is that I would just prefer to stay 24.
3. Losing a loved one.

GOALS
1. Finish my Master's Degree (One more year; 2 more semesters, 4 more classes, 300 more internship hours, and a few comprehensive exams!!!).
2. Save more money.
3. Keep my house clean. I laugh when some of you call me Martha...if you could only see my house right now!
AND of course...
4. Have my own family. I had to cheat and add one more goal.

CURRENT OBSESSIONS
1. School. I feel like all I ever do is sit in class, read, or write papers.
2. Cooking. If you asked my husband about this one he would just laugh; I don't remember the last real dinner that I made. What I mean when I say "cooking" is that I like to try new and fun recipes. Meagan and I are putting together a family cookbook, so our new favorite thing to do is to make the recipe and then take a picture.
3. Random projects...burp clothes, baby slings, digital cookbook, binky holders, and an apron class next Wednesday :)

RANDOM/SURPRISING FACTS
1. I am a huge fan of DARK chocolate. It is so tasty...have you tried it (Ash & Nikell, that one was for you)?
2. I eat super, duper fast! It's a Wilson thing.
3. I am currently reading "Some Thoughts Concerning Education" by John Locke. Yes, it is for school. I wouldn't choose philosophy for enjoyment!

If you are interested...

We're (Meagan & I) selling these burp cloths in sets of four... $16 per set. We'll post pictures of the little boy patterns soon!

If you are interested, leave me a comment with your email information.

Burp Cloths

OK Tiffany here they are. Your burp cloths are finished with 3 days to spare (that's pretty good for a procrastinator like myself)! So now here is the hard part... do you want stack A or B? Both sets are pretty darn cute if I may say so myself.

I made a bunch of extras if anyone else is interested in burp cloths; it is much easier to produce them in large quantities rather than one at a time. I have both coordinating sets and also have some for a baby boy. They make great gifts...too bad I don't know anyone who is expecting in the near future.

Warning: I do NOT claim to be anything close to a professional seamstress, only a wanna-be who has nothing better to do in her spare time.

A

B
Sorry about the amateur photography.

Miley Cyrus, Anyone?

Is anyone interested in Stadium of Fire tickets? My family has some extra tickets that we are trying to get rid of. We will sell them for what we paid for them ($45 + $10 for taxes and shipping). Anyways, let me know if you or anyone else you know is interested.

June Club

Thanks to all who came to club last night (sorry I'm a slacker and don't have any pictures). I had so much fun and am already looking forward to August! Several people asked for recipes last night so here they are...

French Dip Sandwiches (recipe and pictures courtesy of www.the-daily-bite.blogspot.com.)

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. Oh, and it smells so good--just like Grandma's house on a Sunday afternoon.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onions soup mix. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart.

When meat is ready, shred with a fork and place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. And don't even think about walking away--things can go from lightly-toasted to on fire within a matter of seconds when you're using your broiler. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!


Cranberry, Pecan & Pear Salad

Dressing
• ½ sugar
• ½ cup raspberry vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. honey Dijon mustard (or honey mustard
• 2 tsp. raspberry jam
• Pinch or two of garlic salt

Stir sugar and raspberry vinegar together and then stir in remaining dressing ingredients.

Add pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and 1 diced pear to two-three heads of romaine lettuce. Toss salad with dressing immediately before serving.


Pineapple Sherbet Ice Cream Dessert

• ½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
• ½ gallon pineapple sherbet, softened
• 4 bananas, chopped
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 bag frozen raspberries or strawberries, thawed

Slightly mash bananas and raspberries in large bowl. Add softened ice cream and sherbet. Stir together, serve immediately.


Spinach Salad (from the last party that was at my house)

Salad:
• 1 head red lettuce
• 1 package spinach leaves
• ¼ cup red onion
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup grated jack cheese (mozzarella works well too)
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2-3 mushrooms, sliced

Dressing:
• 2/3 c red wine vinegar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ c sugar
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion

Add dressing immediately before serving.

Oh... congratulations to Nikki, the proud owner of a new, fabulously chic apron.

Aunt Wendi

I just have to say... I have the cutest niece in the world!!

My New Do...