Heart Healthy

A couple of weeks ago I was watching PBS.  That's right I become more like my father with each passing minute.  When I take over for him next year some of the patients may not even notice the change with my increasing gray hair (though for the near future I am slower and for the far future much less knowledgeable about medicine).

Anyway back to PBS.  The show I was watching was about breakfast diners across the US.  I love breakfast.  If I go to a restaurant that serves it's breakfast menu all day I can't bring myself to order anything that is not on that menu.  Melissa looks at salads and burgers and chicken, whereas I'm all for the pancakes, sausage, eggs, and of course biscuits and gravy.

On this particular show there was a diner that served a very unique dish.  I can't remember the name of the diner or where it was located but the dish was a hard boiled egg surrounded in a layer of bratwurst sausage which was then covered with breadcrumbs and deep fried.  Could there be a better food for your heart than this masterpiece.  I had to try this concoction so today I set myself to do it.

First I boiled an egg then I covered it in a pancake of sausage (pork because that stuff out of Germany is nasty) and I rolled the product around in a bowl of crushed Club Crackers.

Next into the vat of oil and voila, sheer goodness.  

Heart Healthy indeed.

In the future I will make the sausage layer somewhat thinner so that I won't have to fry it quite so long.  There is a little pink near the bottom of the side on the right that I had to cut and refry, but still good nonetheless.  

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

If you haven't seen this yet it's 8 minutes, but well worth the time.

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

The Joy of Youth

We had a good evening of scripture study with Spencer last night and when he went to bed he said he was going to think about some of his burdens and how he could get stronger to handle them.  After about 15 minutes Spencer came into our bedroom and asked:  "Dad what if Heavenly Father isn't real?"

We spent the next 5 minutes discussing how Spencer could know if Heavenly Father was real. Spencer then went happily back to bed.

Another 10 minutes passed and Spencer came back in with the following question: "What if Satan is too strong for me?"  Another 5 minute discussion involving Joseph Smith's experience directly preceding the first vision and Spencer was satisfied that Satan wasn't too strong.

Spencer then waited another 10 minutes before coming back into our room.  This time he prefaced his question by saying that it was the last time he would be coming in, promise.

"Will I get Leprosy?"

"No Spencer, you won't get Leprosy.  Now go to bed."

The Lebracle

No question who's posting here.  After ousting Melissa's hobby to another blog I thought it prudent to lay low for a few days so as to avoid the hate postings that are sure to follow.  I do appreciate Doug's support by commenting on the farewell post Melissa made.  Sure it had nothing to do with what she was writing but I read between the lines and saw the jubilation.

A lot has been said about Lebron and his now infamous decision to dump Cleveland on national TV.  Who does that anyway?  After having nearly a week to digest all those stories I have found that some people are pretty creative.  I have enjoyed the many opinions of Clevelanders.  The guy who compared Lebron, Bosh and Wade to the Nasgul was pretty funny.  The numerous people who have likened what Lebron did to proposing to you mistress while sitting next to your wife on the jumbotron at the Superbowl may be a little over the top, but entertaining nonetheless.  The price of Lebron Fatheads at $17.41 is hilarious*.  My favorite comment came from a fan who pointed out that Wade graduated from Marquette, Bosh spent one year in college and Lebron only finished high school so in the end the smart guy convinced his two dumber friends to forsake their fans and come play in Florida.

For me I can almost say that I don't care about where Lebron plays except for one little thing.  I own stock in a somewhat conspicuous company that has invested a lot of money into Lebron's image and his little press conference took him from being the most popular athlete in the country to being the most hated athlete in the country.  I don't see people in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Hawaii buying Lebron James apparel the way they have the last 7 years now that he has joined the evil empire of the NBA.  How could Phil Knight allow this to happen?

Over the past few years a lot of athletes have done some pretty stupid things.  Kobe has rehabbed his image to the point that many people rarely comment on his fiasco in Colorado.  Tiger is well on his way to receiving forgiveness from the masses.  Terrell Owens never did anything inherently wrong but people hate the guy.  The difference is image.  If Lebron does somehow recover from this he will have to change himself or the people he is listening to.

"But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:"**  - If only Lebron had paid a little more attention to his Bible study he would have known what happens when you listen to your idiot posse.




*1741 is the year that Benedict Arnold was born.
**1 Kings 12:8

Jen's Wedding

Okay, so I don't think my sister is ever going to post pictures of her wedding. You would think that having 3 photographers would equal plenty of pictures to share but apparently their Nauvoo responsibilities are keeping them from having any time to post their pictures. I guess we can forgive you as you are on the Lord's Errand :)

Luckily, One of Paul's sisters posted a few of her snapshots on facebook and I have copied them here. So, as promised, a few pictures of my sisters wedding. More to follow :)

The Bride and Groom! Don't they look amazing!! I love the way my mom looks in this picture. Isn't she just beaming happiness for the newly married couple!

The kids were having such a hard time waiting their turn to see Aunt Jen and Uncle Paul. They wanted to mob them the second they came out the door.

My mom and sister found this dress and shoes for me. I didn't even have to go to the store. That is my kind of shopping!

Farewell to Quilting!

So Jacob has been getting on my case for the last month or so about how the blog is being taken over by quilting. And I guess I have to admit that it has been the majority of my posting lately. I have also realized that I want to continue to join more quilt-along's, have give-away's, and generally get more involved in the virtual quilting world. So to save my husband from quilting comment emails and my brother-in-laws from having to read about my quilts, I have decided to start my own quilting blog. You can find it here at http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/ if you are interested. So Farewell to Quilting here and hello to an all exclusive quilting blog here.

Emilee's Quilt :)

So my dear, sweet, friend Emilee is expecting her fourth little girl August 30th. As this is her fourth little girl I asked here a while back if there was anything special in mind that she would like in a quilt, since she already has lots of little girl blankets. After telling me that she would love anything I would make her, and me telling her again that she can really pick something out, she told me that she had fallen in love with Anna Marie Horner's, Sixth Times a Charm Quilt, from the cover of her new book and would love one to hang over her crib.

And then the piecing began. I didn't really follow her instructions. I just made a 60 degree right triangle using some card stock and my mat and used that as a template while piecing my scraps. Then I added 1/2 of the right triangles sewed in the opposite direction to make it into a rectangle. (I know that makes no sense, but it is pretty easy when you can see it :)

The quilting is something brand new for me. There is a wonderful tutorial here from Elizabeth at Oh Fransson! for these amazing loopy flowers. It was really easy to follow and I can't say how happy I am with the results. I think the flowers are just precious! I really feel like my free motion skills are really improving lately and that makes me smile. (On a side note, I tried a loopy stitch with stars yesterday as well and it turned out super cute :)

So Emilee received her quilt today and loved it! She was so excited!! And I tell you, each time I give a quilt, I think I get just as giddy as the recipient, It just makes me tickled pink that my little hobby can bring such joy to others!

Happy Birthday Jessi!

Yesterday was Jessica's birthday! She is now 5 years old. She wanted to go to the beach for her birthday so on Monday we loaded everything up (it sure takes a lot for a simple beach trip) and headed to Silver Beach. Our good friends the Larsen's joined us and we spent hours in the sun and water. (Our faces and backs show it too). The kids had a blast with their friends and the babies slept, which means I had some fun as well. Unfortunately, I forgot tot take the camera, ah well. Just imagine a bunch of kids running out in the water with huge grins on their faces.

After the beach, the Larsen's joined us for a birthday dinner. Jessi picked hamburgers but barely ate because she was so excited about her birthday cake. Becca made an amazing Barbie cake and Jessi got to help decorate it. She was very particular about how she wanted it decorated and what colors to use. She was so happy with how it turned out. Thanks again Becca! It really made her day.

We opened presents the next day as it was officially her birthday. She was so excited. She gott a check from Grandma and Grandpa, which she has already decided how she plans on spending. She got a Barbie from her brother (who asked if he could use his own money to buy it for her, so sweet) two Barbie movies from her siblings and a box of Princess Polly Pockets from mom and dad. She has been in girly seventh heaven ever since :)

Happy Birthday Jessi! We love you!

Week 3 - Quilt Along

Well it's been another fun day of Christmas blocks. I just can't help but smile when I am working with these fabrics. Today I listened to some Josh Groban Noel while I worked as well. It just finished the Christmas mood. Here are the blocks for this week.

Block 5

Block 6

The 6 blocks to this point.

And I have a bit more quilting news that I am so excited about! I won the month end giveaway at Stash Manicure! Check them out, it is a wonderful quilting blog! Here's what I won!

Can you believe it, a quilt kit in Moda Blush! I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail. I look at the picture every 20 minutes and just smile and giggle. Yippee Skippe!! Thanks again Rae Ann!

Happy Independence Day!

We are celebrating this Holiday to the extreme! We slept out in the tent last night to start the weekend off, good times! We have a BBQ and fireworks tonight at a good friends, and then on Monday it's off to the beach for a day of fun in the sun. (technically, the beach on Monday is for Jessi's birthday, but Jacob has it off because of the 4th so I figure it counts :) Happy 4th everyone!

3rd Year

So as Jacob was getting ready to leave this morning I asked what time to expect him. His reply, "same time as always, now, I'm a third year".

Wow, Yippee Skippee!! We have made it to the third year of residency. No more sleeping at the hospital, no more crazy weird hours, no more stress! Okay, so maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch, but I am excited for this transition. Basic 9 -5 hours Monday thru Friday. On call (home-call, I might add) once every 7 weekdays and once every 7 weekends. That is 6 weekends in a row that we get Daddy!! Way to go Jacob, 2 years down, one to go!