Beans, Beans, and more Beans...

No, this is not going to be a bad attempt at a Boy Scout joke...it is a funny story, though.

While we were in Sacramento, a friend taught us how to make beans. You know, the bean burrito type beans. They're really delicious and super easy. However, I have never cooked with fresh beans before, so I greatly underestimated the great volume 10 cups of dry beans really could have once they had absorbed all of the liquid I put in with them, and then some. :)

I had to transfer the beans into the biggest pot I have and pray that they were not going to expand any further. We were lucky they didn't because I didn't know what I was going to do for the rest of the cooking process if they had. With Josh's help, they turned out really yummy.

Once we had sufficiently seasoned our beans and began making a few burritos for ourselves, we realized just how much we had made. What were we going to do with so many beans? Freeze them in containers...or make up a bunch of burritos and freeze them...or we could give them away! And that's what we did. We have, so far, given away 2 tupperware containers of beans and plan to give away at least 1 more. :)

Let's just say the recipient was pleasantly surprised. But very, very surprised. :)

Back to School

Josh has been safely home for about the last month. Haha...I'm going to say that's the main reason why this update has been a long time coming. :) I was so excited to have Josh home again! I love getting to spend time with him, even if it's just snuggling up and watching the Food Network. :)

We're both back in school and working hard. We'll make it through. Well, I have to! (So does Josh) but if I fail this semester I'll have to take another semester of school until I finish! Not fun. Failure has never been less of an option. :) Josh is busy with Economics, Physics, English, a Religion class, and Nutrition. He spends a lot of time studying, which is good! I do a lot of studying, too, so we cherish our weekend time together. :)

I'm taking Family Finance, English and Editing capstone classes, a class on the Family Proclamation, and a Religion class with Josh. That's fun to get to see Josh during a class...hopefully it won't have any impact on our grades in that class. Last time we took a class together we both got A's, so I think we'll be okay.

Well off to bed...10:30 is too late around here. :) Got to get up early for school tomorrow!

Until next time.

One More Month!

Well, we officially have reached the one month point! From here on out, it will be easy. We reached the top of the hill about two weeks ago and now we're just speeding down! Can't wait to have him home.

Until then I have lots of things to do to keep myself busy! I made a goal to get my quilt done by Monday, and as Monday is right around the corner I'm thinking I might not get it done! The tension on my machine isn't right, so it put a little bit of halt in my sewing project. I'm planning on taking it into Joann's this weekend and seeing if they can't fix it so I can get my blanket done by Monday! I don't like to miss a deadline.

Good NEWS!

My Dad got a job in Utah! My family will be joining us up here during the first week in August. I'm so excited! I spent a few hours last night looking at houses for them! He'll be working in Salt Lake City, so they're looking for something around there. I think they're going to come up to look at houses sometime in between now and then so I'll have some company! I'm really excited. I don't know how much of me they'll see since I'm at work/school from 8a.m.-7p.m. and they'll be looking at houses all day, but we shall see.

All the kids are excited to come up here and make a change. Corbin might stay in California for the Fall Semester though to finish up his AA, though. So, he's not too happy about that. But, in the long run, it will be best for him to just get it all done and transfer to BYU.

I think that's all the information I've got right now. Until next time!

Happy 4th!

For the fourth of July this year, I went to my friend, Camille's, house and had a delicious BBQ. It was so much fun to just talk and laugh and have fun (and eat BBQ! I've been craving it so much lately).



I brought some cookies...BUT they were supposed to be a cheesecake. Haha. Saturday morning I got up leisurely and then started making the cheesecake. I'm going to blame it on the altitude :) but it totally burnt on top. LAME! Especially since I talked up this cheesecake and how delicious it was to Camille. So,

Saturday afternoon I apologized to Camille and asked her if I could just bring some cookies. They were good, and a hit, as apetizers while we waited for the BBQ to be done.

Camille made a DELICIOUS apple pie, so it all evened out. We had a yummy cake/pie, so we probably didn't need to have two. :)

It was so beautiful outside that I came home and opened all the windows and turned the fans on! It's so nice to have some fresh air in the house.


Josh Update:
We have five weeks left! Then, Josh will be back! I'm so excited. We've reached the top of the mountain, and we're on the downhill for sure, now! I can count the weeks on one hand! Josh is having so much fun, and he's so looking forward to going back (with me next time). :)

To celebrate the 4th Josh went to The Hard Rock Cafe. We argued a bit about the 4th, though. Josh is about 10 hours ahead of me here in Provo. So, his Sunday/4th came faster than mine. :) He was telling me how he was going to go celebrate the 4th. I told him that the 4th of July is an American Holiday and he had to wait until it was the 4th in America before he could celebrate. Haha. He didn't listen ;) I think he enjoyed getting to go out to The Hard Rock Cafe, though.

Sorry, no pictures for today...I don't have any!
Until next time...

Food and HALF WAY!!!!

So, yesterday I had a friend, Lauren, from work come over and we had dinner. My photography wont be featured in any food magazines any time soon, but let me tell you, those meat balls were delicious! Saw them on the foodnetwork, and I knew that I had to make them.

Let's just say the garlic bread was absolutely sinful...not meant to be included in any diet...not even the see-food diet. Haha. They were delicious, but I knew what was in them so I felt guilty eating them! haha. So delicious though. YUM!

Anyway, Lauren thought it was so good! I got the go ahead to make it for Josh when he gets back. I think that he'll like them, they have bacon in them. You can't go wrong with bacon. :P

We've hit the halfway point today; Josh will be back in 6 weeks or a month and a half ;) Haha... for some reason 6 weeks sounds like it will go by faster.

Josh went to a circus over the weekend that he said was pretty awesome. He, of course, liked the animal half of the show. He said they had trained all kinds of animals like dogs, cats, sea lions and quite a few others that I can't remember. Sorry...you're getting this secondhand. He got back pretty late and he was super tired.

All is well! Until next time!

Grocery Shopping

Who ever thought grocery shopping could be an olymic sport? I'm at work from 8 to 5 and school from 5 to 7. The only time I have to go grocery shopping is during my 1 hour lunch break. So, I just got back and with my last 5 minutes of lunch hour I thought that I would just give an update. I'm all sweaty and out of breath from running around trying to get my groceries!

Then, I come back to the office having bought treats for the office and they all look at me like I'm crazy basically because I don't have time to run home and drop off my groceries like normal people. Not even my offering of sweets was enough to get them to stop telling me to hide my groceries. Oh brother! The people in the office will not be offended by my lack of time to go grocery shopping. They don't care.

Sigh. Yeah. Life is busy!

Well, that wasn't much of the update promised. I had to vent a bit. :) People think I'm crazy, but I couldn't very well leave groceries in the not car, could I? No. Definietly not.

Josh is doing well. He's tired though. I get to talk to him when it's about 7 or 8 in the morning for him, so he's not always super talkative. That's alright, though. He's having a really good time. He just got back from St. Petersburg a few days ago.

And, I'm being bothered to clock back in so! Until next time.

So Much to Update!

I guess I'll just work backwards since that seems to be the best way to do it. That way you hear what's most recent with us. Josh is in Russia on his study abroad. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I'm hanging in there. I'm really busy with school and work, so I keep my mind off of missing Josh. I do miss him though!

If I didn't have enough on my plate already, I've added a quilt to the mess. It's really cute I'll have to get a picture of it uploaded once I figure out how to do it (and after it's finished). It's going to be our next bedspread and hopefully it will be finished before I turn 20 because the name of the pattern is "Turning Twenty." I thought it was fitting :)

It's pink, green, purple, yellow, and brown. And it's going to look amazing when it's done! And it will be my first quilt! Woohoo!

I'm currently reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for my Romantic Lit class...Josh thinks that Frankenstein is a German Band because I told him that I was listening to it on tape one day. Yeah, WOW! Haha. You can't blame him though, he doesn't really do the literature thing. :)

I'm also taking a Bible as Literature class that's really exciting. So far, among other (more important) things, I've learned that the Bible is a gory and rather sexual book. There's times when I really wonder. :) Don't worry...It really is strengthening my testimony even if it doesn't really sound like it. The class has made me ask a lot of questions and then go out to find the answer to them; and, all of my questions have reasonable answers. :)

I am also taking a computer class where I'm learning Indesign and Photoshop. I'm currently working on a cookbook. I'm compiling all of the recipes that I use on a rather regular basis. So, if you have any good ones pass them along (that's really meant for you Gaby because I think you're the only one reading this haha). I will make a specific request for Grandma Chandler's Raspberry Cheesecake, though. :)

Josh is going to Red Square (I think that's what it's called) this weekend. I guess it's where the President lives, and it had a He said that they're probably going to get to go on a tour bus (he hopes it has air conditioning) haha. So, he gets to take a formal tour of Red Square! Hopefully it's a good one!

Well, I have about 30 more pages in Frankenstein to skim--I mean READ...Fat chance :) Not when it's bed time all ready! Until next time!

I hope that will hold you over, Gaby. That is if you get through it...It's kinda a long posting with no pictures or anything fun. Sorry!