Live List: Go Bowling

I realized that I had forgotten about an item on my list! Nate and I went bowling as a part of our V-day date (after searing every inch of our sinuses at the Mandarin with hot mustard haha).

I first realized how much I love bowling when I took a class while down at Snow. Yes, it was an easy-A blah blah blah, but I really did learn a lot! Not only did I learn correct technique and I actually got really good at bowling, I also learned how to score the game. We really had no choice on whether to learn or not, because the alley our class attended was so old that all we had was a projector to write our scores and shine up on the wall! I just wish I could go bowling more often than I do. I'd be able to keep my game up much better than I illustrated on our date. ;)

Before our date, we hadn't been bowling since I was pregnant with Aiden. Funny thing about it, now that I'm NOT pregnant with Aiden, it's almost like I've had to learn how to bowl all over again! I have a new center of gravity now that I don't have my own bowling ball sticking out of my stomach! Needless to say, two games weren't enough for me to get back into my groove. Fortunately, Katelyn has a field trip here in a couple weeks to the bowling alley. Maybe I'll be able to toss a few balls and re-master my mad skills a little more!

Here's to continuing to live life to the fullest!

Live List: Play a Board Game

If you didn't read my post on my "Live List" a few weeks ago, scroll down, read, and then this will make a bit more sense! ;)

So, continuing on my quest to complete my "Live List" before the end of the year, I checked another one off my list last night: Play a board game. Even better, I played with my husband! Sounds lame, but it was fun! It's something we've never done just the two of us, just like we'd never done the oh so traditional "dinner and a movie" date up until a few weeks ago after all the time we've been together haha! Anyway, last night we were sitting together on the couch with nothing to watch, even off the DVR. Pickings have been slim with the Olympics on and we were even caught up with those. I'm bored, so I look at Nate and said "Let's play a game!" He kind of gave me this funny look like "What on earth has gotten into you?", but being the good sport that he is agreed to play. As I'm looking at the games we have, I start to realize we don't have a ton that can be played with just two players. We were left with either playing Sorry or Life, and we decided on Life. As we got down to playing, we found ourselves having quite a good ol' time! We were laughing and having a ball, something that sure wouldn't be happening with watching something we didn't care to watch on TV. After we were done playing, Nate said that it was really fun playing a game together and it's something we should do more often. I agree! These are the moments we live for! Simple, sweet, and etched in our brains to remember forever! Although, I better get a better selection of 2-player games so we're not stuck each time deciding on whether to push our little plastic car through going to college or starting a career! ;)

Two Little Princess' Update

So many things have been going on with the girls lately, I felt they deserved their own post for their own updates!

Katelyn


Now this kid is getting so BIG! She's getting so tall! I'm proud to say she is no longer the shortest one in the bunch when she is around kids her age. She's still a skinny butt, but maybe someday she'll crack the 30-pound mark! She'll be turning 5 in 2 months, crazy! I'm still trying to get a hold of the fact that I have multiple kids, let alone having kids of grade school age! We've applied for Katelyn to go to a charter school a couple miles away. It's an academically rigorous school and I'm quite impressed with their methods. We find out in 2 weeks whether or not she gets in (it's a lottery based admit). If she doesn't make it in, she'll be going to the elementary school close by in the fall. Wow, it's not that far away at all! Katelyn loves being a big sister. In fact, this morning she climbed into Aiden's crib to keep her company until Mommy and Daddy decided to wake up, goofy girl!

Aiden

She's hit so many milestones! At her last well child check, she was 14 pounds, which is exactly what she was at the last appointment, but with her being on the move now, the doctor figured she's not gaining any because she's so active. He also discovered another ear infection (second since being born). Poor kid. We've had to go to a second round of antibiotics because the first one turned out not to be broad enough for whatever strand of bacteria she has. Fortunately this one seems to be working, so hopefully she'll start to sleep through the night again! Aiden is now eating solid food, crawling, sitting up without any help, and has 2 teeth! She's also starting talk. She started making the "da da da" noises a few weeks ago, so we started to teach her "Dada" as we pointed to Nate. She now knows and very purposefully calls out "Dada" to him! She didn't say it at all yesterday, but then Nate walked in the door from work and she says "Dada!" She's going to turn 1 here in June, which of course, as a mother, blows my mind that time has flown by so quickly!

The Promise Land Series

As a part of my "Live List", I wanted to be able to read more. So far, I've been doing pretty good with it! I'm still not able to sit for a long block of time and just read, but hey, I'm a mom! When do I get to do ANYTHING for a solid block of time without leaving the house? ;)

I just finished reading the last book in the Promise Land series. Most people haven't heard of this when I tell them I've been reading them, so I decided to share! This series of books is a fictitious back story to the Book of Mormon, leading up to the taking of the plates from Jerusalem. Although it is fictional, there is a lot of historical facts that help create the story. All the historical notes are listed at the end of each book, and they aren't few in number! So, I suppose you would call them historical novels. I HIGHLY recommend these books to anyone who loves to read or has a love for the BoM, or both! Even though I've finished the last book, the author has eluded to more books being published in this series. I hope so! I can't wait to see how the subplots to the story play out!

Live list

So, for a few weeks I've been thinking about all the goals I want to accomplish or things that I want to do before this year is through. I was wondering how I would compile a list of these things, without getting too overwhelmed. I didn't want to call them resolutions, because I knew it would feel like a burden as opposed to something fun. Then I was looking at Rachel and Nick's blog (BTW, they're looking to adopt, so if you know someone searching for a good couple, point them in their direction!) and I realized what I needed to do. I needed to make a "live list", a list of things to help me enjoy life, and LIVE it, instead of just going through the day-to-day motions. So this is my "live list" for 2010:

• Find a new “hole in the wall” (local restaurant, family café, etc.).
• Take a cake decorating class.
• Make a cake for every special occasion. No store bought cakes this year!
• Dedicate more time to reading. My list includes: Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, The Lovely Bones, and Arguing with Idiots.
• Go to a Jazz game.
• Go to a Stingers game.
• Learn to crochet.
• Take a day trip to Park City.
• Take a day trip to Ephraim.
• Make all of Aiden’s baby food.
• Do a puzzle.
• Take Katelyn to her first day of Kindergarten.
• Escape on an overnighter with my hubby ;)
• Go to the park with the kids.
• Go to a laser light show with Nate.
• Go to the beach.
• Go to Oregon and visit family and friends.
• Play a board game.
• Meet my new niece/nephew (aka Bubbles).
• Learn to make jewelry.
• Go on a double date.
• Paint the girls’ toenails.
• Learn to can a new food item this summer.
• Go to the zoo.
• Go bowling.
• Reach my goal weight.
• Get a pedicure.
• Take a picture with my husband on our anniversary.
• Ride FrontRunner to Ogden.
• Go to Frightmares.

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." ~Thomas S. Monson

This list is subject to change, but only if I have something to add to it! As they year goes on, I will try to post pictures of what I've done, so you all can follow my journey! :)

Chocolate Malt Cake

Because I'm a malt addict, I found myself wondering if a cake recipe existed out there that featured malt. Thank goodness for Google (oh Google, how I love thee), or else I might have never known! So, OF COURSE, I had to try this out and see how it really tasted! Here's the recipe, for those of you who were asking for it!

Batter:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup malted milk powder

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 cup unsweetened butter, room temperature

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup whipping (heavy) cream

½ cup malted milk powder

5 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 9-inch round layer cake pans, lightly grease.

Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to mix. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, vegetable oil, and eggs to flour mixture; use an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat just until mixture is combined. Spoon the batter into prepared pans. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Malt Frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder until creamy. In a small bowl, combine whipping cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, use an electric mixer and beat until combined. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar until smooth.

Verdict: YUM! The frosting tasted just like Whoppers, it was unreal! I was a little panicked Saturday night when I baked the cakes because they weren't very sweet at all. Once I made the frosting Sunday afternoon, I knew why! The cake isn't terribly sweet on purpose, the frosting completely makes up for it! I accidentally used a bit more whipping cream in the frosting than I was supposed to, so it made decorating the cake a bit difficult, but it still worked out okay. I took the cake over to my dad's for it's taste testing (since I consider my dad the utmost expert on all things malt related) and it was a hit! That cake was snarfed up in a hurry!

More to come

Hmmmmm...I've been quite the slacker, haven't I? I love keeping all of you updated on everything, but life has sure escaped me these past few months! It's a new year, a new month...so I'm going to re-commit myself to keeping my blog updated. It's a good way for me to reflect on the happenings in my life and also doubles as a way to keep you all updated on our life events!

There will be more to come in 2010... :)