32 hours later...

...we dined like kings!


fall apart tender, amazing flavor, kids cheered and called me queen, husband smothered me in kisses and best of all it will make a reappearance on the week's menu as a delish sandwich on a toasted crusty roll with creamy melted cheese over the top.
I can hardly wait for Friday!!

I have Vickie to thank for planting this brisket idea in my brain quite sometime ago.  As you might have guessed, I owe Vickie for many good things in my life : )

brisket baby!

I've never made it before but rumor has it that this recipe is not to be missed!

It's from my Pioneer Woman cookbook.
Yeah,  remember (or not) when I was going to cook something from her cookbook once a week.
Then I decided once a month.
Well never mind all that jibberish!

In 32 hours this is going to be heaven in my mouth.
Or so I hear.

Did I really just take a picture of the inside of my refrigerator and post for all to see??
What nut case does that?

between the scuffling and tussling and wrestling and tormenting...

...things like this happen.



It does a momma's heart good.

the benefits of having a scout in the house...

...merit badge requirements!!

For the Family Life merit badge one of the requirements is to
"decide on and carry out a project that you would do around the home that would benefit your family".
So washing the windows was the chosen project.
I can get use to this!

But the technique to really well washed, streak-free windows is not an easy thing.
It's not just a willy-nilly start at the top and pull the squeegee to the bottom of the window type of motion.

It's all in the S-shape motion without the squeegee leaving the surface of the window.

So Eagle Scout #1 taught our Eagle Scout hopeful just how it is done.

 

It's tricky and sometimes holding your tongue just right helps.

I've known this to be true since my childhood.

Because when my dad is focused and working, he holds his tongue just right too.

So I think the gene has been passed along.

 

And then there is our other Eagle Scout hopeful.

Well, he was busy doing some dance called the Sprinkler and found himself quite funny that he was actually holding a sprinkler.

Oh, the comedy never ends around here.

And I'm good with that : )

wanted to share...

I know I'll never forget where I was when the towers came down.
Brent and I were in Palm Springs at a work conference.
As we watched it all unfold on TV, more than anything I wanted to be home with my two babies in my arms.

Our ward choir will be singing a song in sacrament meeting tomorrow.
One thing about our ward choir director is she is gutsy.
I love that about her.
It will be beautiful and will give me goosebumps.
Music does that to me.

I brought Maddie home from practice and asked if she has ever heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing this particular song. 
Because no one performs it better.
She said "no" so I set to finding it.

And I did.  Along with this video which I thought was lovely.
Enjoy.
*please pause my playlist

learning to preserve

The crash was emotional for me.
A computer crash with no external hard drive backup.

The kindest of computer nerds I know tried to recover all he could.
Nearly everything gone. 

His wife, another sweet computer nerd and dear friend, said that it is like having a fire in a little corner of your home...
It consumes what is often the most meaningful.

Which was the case for me.
It is all I use the computer for...the pictures, the journaling, the endless documents I created as I served three years in primary music, another three years in young women's, ten years of sacrament meeting talks and lessons--all so I could retrieve them again.  And that doesn't include all the stuff from volunteering at our elementary school.

I found out the hard way that moments are fleeting and slip through your fingers if not preserved properly.  And it's a personal choice on how you care to do so.

For me, if I want this blog to be what it's meant to be, then I must be more diligent at preserving L I F E and securing it on paper.

This "paper" is my personal choice and I want to be better at it.

This online blog, thankfully, preserved for me some favorite moments in picture and word.

It also opened my eyes to the fact that what I missed posting...I missed.

Preserve.  Which by definition is explained as...
1: to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction : protect
2a : to keep alive, intact, or free from decay b : maintain
3a : to keep or save from decomposition b : to can, pickle, or similarly prepare for future use
4: to keep up and reserve for personal or special use

Such a great word; preserve.
It fits perfectly with what I'm feeling right now.

Only make this for your family if you love them...

...really.  You don't want to send mixed signals.
This is gonna send mega amounts of love to yours truly, whomever they may be.



I found the recipe some time ago but I'm not the baker in the family.
With the exception of regular ol' chocolate chip cookies
and my mom's delightful cherry chocolate torte cake, I don't bake much.
There is no need.
Brent does it best and I luv him for it.

But I needed chocolate and this fit the bill.

And I sent L O A D S of L O V E signals to my family
and I received LO A D S of it right back!

It was such a win-win thing!

And before the night was over (while sneaking a second piece) Brent said that I may have stolen the
"baker of the family" title right from under his nose.
Nawwwwww.  But it felt good to hear it : )

this is not for the diet conscious.  only the indulgent!

Super Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake
submitted by Melanie at The Sisters Cafe

1 devils food cake mix (Dry--don't make it according to directions on the box)
1 -4 serving instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup warm water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips, in a large mixing bowl.
Blend with electric mixer 1 minute.
Stir down sides. Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. (my note: after non stick spray, I dusted with cocoa powder)

Bake 45-50 minutes at 350. Cool 20 minutes. Invert onto serving platter.

Frosting:
8 Tbsp butter (not margarine)
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup evaporated milk
4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa and milk. Bring mixture just to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar with electric mixer until thickened and smooth. Use more of the evap. milk to thin if needed.  Pour warm frosting over warm cake. This recipe makes a lot of frosting.

Oh! and don't forget to pour yourself a glass of cold creamy milk.
Go ahead and thank me now or later - whichever : )