Richard Michelle & Grace

Wedding Planning Continues

2010-06-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Things are coming along nicely. Got the invitations ordered a couple days ago, got our Target registry started....that was sooooo much fun, getting cute little extra touches for things....fun, fun stuff. :) I can't believe how fast time is sneaking past. It seems like just yesterday that Richard proposed. I'm having a blast planning stuff. Not too much stress yet, but I'm sure it's coming. :)

Wedding Stuff

2010-05-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

Well, I've found my dress! And I only had to go to one bridal shop. It was the 6th dress I tried on. It's gorgeous. I'd post pictures, but I don't want Richard to see it yet. :) I've also gotten a few little accessories for the wedding, like stickers for the reception favors and things like that. We've got our first consultation with our wedding coordinator later this month. Should be fun! I've also already gotten one of my showers planned and my bachelorette party planned for me. :) I love this wedding planning stuff!

More wedding stuff!

2010-04-09T14:33:00.001-07:00

Still haven't done a whole lot of wedding planning, but I've been searching the web and found lots of blogs that have given me great ideas. After changing my mind about a million times, I think I've decided to do Jewel Tones as my colors. Some Teal, Purple and Brown. I'm doing my first round of dress shopping this weekend, that will be so much fun. :) More planning details to come....stay tuned!

Wedding Update

2010-03-11T12:10:00.001-08:00

Still in the early planning stages of the wedding, but making progress. We've settled on a date. October 9th, 2010. We've also booked our reception & ceremony venue. We'll be having the wedding at The Woods on Ninth in Midvale. Now I need to go out and do some dress shopping. I'm going to really enjoy planning....fun, fun, fun! :)

Richard & I are engaged! :)

2010-02-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2009-11-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm really behind on blogging again. Here's a cute picture of Grace in her Halloween costume this year. She chose the costume herself...wanted to be a doctor. She just loves playing with her doctor toys, loves to pretend. We've got some great milestones happening with her right now. She just celebrated her 3rd birthday at the beginning of November, right before that we had finally got her all the way potty trained, which was so awesome, and most recently, she has started going to pre-school and is loving it. Now we're gearing up for Christmas and all the fun that goes along with it!

Witches at Gardner Village

2009-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took Grace to Gardner Village to see the halloween witches they've got put up right now and of course to see the ducks. I forgot how busy that place gets around this time of year. I had to park out on the street it was so crowded. It was fun though. I made my usual trip to Sweet Aftons for fudge and got Grace a cute stuffed dragon. It was a nice cool fall day so I'm glad we got out & enjoyed it. We're so excited for all of the upcoming Halloween parties and events. Good times! :)

Stuff

2009-10-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Geez it's been a while since I've posted much. Lots of stuff going on lately. Two great friends...who I happened to introduce....just got married last weekend and I had such a blast at their reception. I got misty eyed several times during the night, between lots of food, drinks and dancing. Now if I could just have my own wedding I would be the happiest girl ever! :) Maybe next year....fingers crossed. The reception was great but it was a little sad too because I had to go by myself. Richard had to go to Kingston, Jamaica for work. He was gone for almost a full week. I'm so glad to have him home! Grace and I missed him while he was away...but we did have fun girl bonding time together. I can't believe how fast these three years have gone, it amazes me that Grace will be 3 in less than a month. Richard & Grace & I were looking at some videos last night from when Grace was a baby...now I'm baby hungry. :) She's grown so much....and is sooo not a baby anymore. Can't wait for her birthday party. I love planning parties! :)

Happy Fall!

2009-09-25T09:06:00.001-07:00

Yay! It's finally fall. My favorite time of year. Time for crisp weather, hot drinks, football, halloween and beautiful fall colors. It also means that Grace's birthday is coming up. I've finally got her birthday party booked and I'm excited for it. I think she'll have a blast!

Mother's Day Pictures

2009-05-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the many adorable pictures of Grace from our Mother's Day sitting at Kiddie Kandids! I love how they turned out. Mother's Day was great. Went to breakfast and did some shopping, then went to visit Richard's mom's grave, and then went to dinner with my family at Sugarhouse BBQ...which was very yummy!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

So excited for Easter! We're driving up to Idaho Falls on Friday to see Richard's mom's family and we'll have a fun Easter egg hunt on Saturday and then head home so we're back in time for Easter at my mom's on Sunday. It'll be fun to see Grace running around looking for eggs. She's excited for CANDY! It will be nice if the weather stays fairly decent for us. I hope everyone has a great Easter!

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

It's finally spring. I LOVE spring. I'm so happy to be able to start wearing sandals and looking forward to weekend BBQ's. Too bad I have to work instead of going out to enjoy the weather!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

2009-03-17T11:51:00.001-07:00

Vegas Girl's Trip

2009-03-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a fabulous and much needed girls trip to Vegas. I had such a great time...but realized how OLD I'm getting. I'm definitely not 21 anymore. :) How's this for cool though, we went to ESPN Zone at New York, New York and were seated in the private "Executive Suite". It looked like a board room with a big desk and executive chairs and it had four big screen tvs and a stereo. It was so cool. We felt like such VIP's. :)

Bologna Face

2009-02-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

Just had to post this funny picture of Grace. She thought it would be fun to but bologna on her head. Dang, she's so cute I can't stand it! :)

GNO

2009-02-27T07:37:00.001-08:00

Last night my girlfriends took me out for dinner at Cheesecake Factory as a late birthday get together and we also went to see He's Just Not That Into You. It was such a delicious meal and the movie is awesome. It was like 5 chick flicks in one with all the stories going on. I'll definitely buy it when it comes out. Man, I love Girl's Night Out! And next weekend will be Girl's Weekend Away....we're headed to Vegas. I cannot wait. I'm set for shopping, drinking and eating the whole weekend long!

Happy Mardi Gras

2009-02-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a yummy recipe for Authentic Louisiana Red Beans & Rice. YUM!
1 pound dry kidney beans
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cups water
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
4 cups water
2 cups long grain white rice
DIRECTIONS
Rinse beans, and then soak in a large pot of water overnight.
In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes.
Rinse beans, and transfer to a large pot with 6 cups water. Stir cooked vegetables into beans. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, thyme, sage, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
Stir sausage into beans, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the rice. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve beans over steamed white rice.

Avenged Sevenfold Show

2009-02-02T18:55:00.001-08:00

We went to the Avenged Sevenfold show last week and had a blast! I already want to see them again!

Prom 2009

2009-02-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

Richard & I went with our friends to a Breast Cancer benefit called Forever Pink on Saturday. It was a prom themed evening with dinner at Biaggi's and a bus that took us to the prom at Memorial House, where there was an awesome open bar and dessert buffet and to die for cheeses to snack on. Afterwards, the bus took us to Lumpy's where we were "VIP" and got in before a line full of people. It was a great night. They even had a photographer there taking "Prom" pictures that we could purchase. How fun. I know I had way more fun at this prom than I ever did in High School!

Our new furniture

2009-01-24T07:52:00.001-08:00

We got our new furniture delivered yesterday. Very comfy!

Super Yummy Superbowl Dip

2009-01-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

I Loooooove dips. It's almost always what I bring to parties, especially Superbowl. Here's a yummy one. Kind of sweet, but spread on a townhouse cracker it's the perfect combo of sweet & salty.
Cranberry Orange Spread
1 pk (8 oz.) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 T sugar
1 T grated orange peel
1⁄8 t ground cinnamon
1⁄2 c cranberries, dried
2 T chopped toasted pecans
2 T Tropicana® Light ‘n Healthy Orange Juice Beverage
Combine cream cheese, orange juice beverage, sugar, peel and cinnamon in medium bowl; beat with electric mixer until smooth. Gently stir in all but 2 teaspoons cranberries.
Transfer to serving dish. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Sprinkle with pecans and remaining cranberries.

Catch Up

2009-01-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. I figured it was time to get rid of my Christmas background on the blog and catch everyone up on what's been going on with me. Well, Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's been great. I'm excited for this year. I think it's going to be great. Anything is better than the year I had last year. So far 2009 has been awesome. I've gotten out of debt with the exception of my mortgage payment, the Utes won the Sugar Bowl, everyone is healthy so far this year and I have finally got a vacation planned and hope to go on at least one more this year. Yay for vacation!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

If there were more days like Christmas, our world would be filled with the joy of song . . . the spirit of goodness, the colors of happiness, and the hope of believers everywhere. May it always be Christmas in your heart.

Holiday Cookies

2008-12-04T22:10:00.001-08:00

Peppermint Snowball Cookies
These are some of my favorite cookies to make at Christmas time!

1/4 cup crushed peppermint hard candies
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup crushed peppermint hard candies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal ® all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 325 . Mix 1/4 cup crushed candies and 1/4 cup powdered sugar; reserve. Mix butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup crushed candies and the vanilla in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt.
Shape dough by level measuring tablespoonfuls into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; roll in reserved candy mixture. Cool completely on wire rack. Roll in candy mixture again.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!

May your stuffing be tastyMay your turkey plump,May your potatoes and gravyHave nary a lump.May your yams be deliciousAnd your pies take the prize,And may your Thanksgiving dinnerStay off your thighs!

www.angelfire.com/super2/lilbitcountry

2008-11-06T08:20:00.001-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our little ladybug Grace! She is two today! I can't believe how fast these two years have gone by. Our big birthday plans for today include Chik fil a for dinner and a birthday ice cream at Baskin Robbins!

Our Little Pirate!!!

2008-11-06T08:02:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of Grace from Halloween. She did so good with keeping up with the kids trick or treating. We were out there for at least an hour. I of course ate most of her candy! :) She had a great time at the party we went to and wore herself out!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Everyone! Just wanted to share one of my favorite recipes that I make every year for Halloween. Sounds a little odd but it is soooooo good!

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
1 pkg. (16 oz.) penne pasta, uncooked

1 lb. of maple flavored sausage
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
ground nutmeg to taste

COOK pasta as directed on package and brown the sausage in a skillet.
MEANWHILE, place cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter and milk in large saucepan; cook on low heat until cream cheese is melted, stirring frequently. Add pumpkin and spices; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
ADD pasta and sausage; toss lightly. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Heartbroken!

2008-10-08T20:16:00.001-07:00

I'm incredibly sad to announce that Richard's mom passed away sometime Monday night. We are devastated. It's such a shock because she was fairly young and healthy. Richard found her at her home. She appeared to go very peacefully in her sleep, which is a comfort. She will be horribly missed and we love her very much. I'm so sad that she won't be here to watch Grace grow up. I know she'll be watching from above though!

Happy Birthday Tina

2008-10-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my very great friend Tina's birthday. The big 30. We had so much fun hanging out with her at the U of U tailgate lot to celebrate her big day! Tina is an absolutely AWESOME friend!

2008-10-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! It's October!!! My favorite month. I love everything about October! The weather, the football, Halloween! I'm planning on taking Grace to Gardner Village this month to look at all the fun Halloween stuff. They've got a thing going on later in the month called Wee Witches Weekend with some really fun activities for kids. I think Grace will love Halloween this year. She points out pumpkins, "ghosties" & witches everytime we pass a decorated yard or store. So much fun!

A day at the Zoo!!!

2008-09-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

We took Grace to the zoo yesterday and she had a blast. She had a great time seeing all of the animals and riding on their little train there. It was fun to watch her reaction to all the different animals. :)

Ute Game

2008-09-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Utes won the first game of the season. Here's a pic of Richard, Scott & Brian hanging out after the game!

2008-08-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! It's almost Football season. The first Ute game is this Saturday and then Sunday Richard & his friends have their annual fantasy football draft. GOOOOOOOO Utes!!!!! I admit I'm not a HUGE football fanatic but I love the start of football season because it means Fall is coming and I adore the Fall. It it hands down my favorite time of year. The weather, the food, the holidays and even the clothes are awesome. Yay for Fall!

Yummy New Recipe

2008-08-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Felt like sharing this recipe from the new Pampered Chef season! SOOOOO delicious!

The Pampered Chef ®Lemony Moroccan Chicken PitasRecipe
1 lemon, divided
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
6 (6-in.) flat pita bread rounds (without pockets)
1 large red bell pepper (about 1 cup finely diced)
2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp Moroccan Rub
1/4 cup water
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut lemon in half crosswise using (5-in.) Santoku Knife; set half aside for later use. Slice remaining lemon half using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with v-shaped blade. Sprinkle lemon slices with salt and place in Prep Bowl; drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil. Microwave on HIGH 1-2 minutes or until slices are softened. Set aside to cool.
Trim pitas to form 6-in. squares using Bread Knife; discard trimmings. Cut pitas in half diagonally to create triangles. Arrange pitas close together on Large Bar Pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until pitas begin to brown.
Meanwhile, finely dice bell pepper and chicken. Pat lemon slices dry with paper towels. Finely chop lemon slices and cilantro using Chef's Knife.
Heat rub and remaining 2 tbsp oil in (10-in.) Skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add bell pepper; sauté 1-2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add chicken, chopped lemon, cilantro and water. Juice reserved lemon half into Skillet using Citrus Press; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add mozzarella cheese to Skillet; stir until cheese is melted and fully incorporated.
Remove bar pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack. Spread chicken mixture over pitas. Sprinkle with feta cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings

Feelin' good...sort of....finally!

2008-08-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Yay, I'm finally starting to feel like a normal person. For those who I haven't been in touch with lately, after about 4 months of weird pain that nobody could explain, and after 2 surgeries, I had a third and hopefully final surgery on June 24th to have my right kidney removed, which I believe was causing my pain all along. Back in March, I started having some pain in my lower back and abdomen on my left side, had a ct scan done and found out I had a narrowing of my ureter, which was causing some swelling in my right kidney. The narrowing was caused by a blockage, what was blocking it is unknown, they think it was scar tissue. SO I had that done and then my pain on my left side came back, thinking it was possibly endometriosis or something, I went to my OBGYN and ended up going in for exploratory surgery. Didn't have endometriosis, but I did have a huge cyst on my right ovary that was about to burst. After a couple of weeks the pain in my left side was back so I had another ct scan thinking it may be kidney stones, it wasn't, but they saw that my right kidney had gotten worse and was pretty much not functioning anymore. So surgery was scheduled. They did it laporoscopically so I only had to stay overnight in the hospital, and I only missed a week & a half of work and just have four small incision sites. Whhheeewww, long story huh. Just wanted to catch people up because I know that there are lots of friends that haven't heard about the surgery yet. Anyway, I'm feeling much better and believe that even though the bad kidney was on the opposite side as the pain I was having that the bad kidney was somehow causing the pain....because the pain hasn't returned. For those of you who had already heard about the surgery, thanks for all your prayers & thoughts! :)

2008-08-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Four random things I like about my boyfriend:
1. He makes me laugh.
2. He's smart.
3. He's a great daddy.
4. He's cute.
Four jobs I have had:
1. Sweeper at my old elementary school.
2. Invoice clerk for a trucking company.
3. Admin Assistant at Axiom Financial.
4. Admin Secretary at IHC.
4 Movies I have watched more than once:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
2. Steel Magnolias
3. Sweet Home Alabama
4. Anchorman
Four TV shows I watch:
1. House
2. Heroes
3. My Boys
4. Family Guy
Four places I have been:
1. Las Vegas
2. Denver
3. Los Angeles
4. Jamaica
Four people who email me regularly:
1. Tina
2. Michele
3. Di
4. Chris
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Rice
2. Pasta
3. Artichoke Dip
4. Thai food
Four places I would like to visit:
1. Greece
2. Ireland
3. England
4. Portland Oregon
Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Watching Grace grow
2. Halloween/Fall
3. Hopefully taking a vacation
4. Christmas

Happy Birthday Richard

2008-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Richard's birthday! The big 33. I'm taking him out for some yummy BBQ tonight!

Our date

2008-07-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Richard and I went on a date today. We had dinner at The Mayan (so much better since they restyled the restaurant and the menu) and we went to see Will Ferrell's new movie, StepBrothers. So funny. I highly recommend it. It's silly humor but it kept me laughing the whole way through.

Dancing Queen!

2008-07-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

Weeee....I'm having a fun day at home with Grace. Right now we're dancing to music from my playlist. Rock on!!!

First Post

2008-07-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Wooo, it's my first blog post. Nothing much going on at the moment. Just learning how to do this blog stuff. More posts to come!