We've been sick...

Sorry about my lack of blogging. Elanor got sick first on Friday and threw-up a ton. Then, on Saturday she seemed better, but she got worse again on Sunday. Then, I got sick Sunday night. It was horrible. I really despise throwing-up. We were supposed to leave on Monday to head to Oregon, but we did not end up go going since Elanor and I were quite sick. We are both feeling a lot better today and are flying out at 2pm.  I am so thankful Tyler did not have work yesterday so he could help out and take care of us. Elanor and I slept most of the day and when she was awake we watched Winnie-the-Pooh. She has not watched much or really any TV until now, but she loves Winnie-the-Pooh!

Elanor and I will be in Oregon all week. We are going back for the dress rehearsals of my mom's play Mulan and I need to be there since I did the choreography. I will watch the dress rehearsals and give any last minute corrections, and I get to see the play too! It should be a fun week!

Here are a few pictures of Elanor and Tyler playing on the hammock last Monday while I was teaching ballet.:

In the Kitchen: Crisp Chocolate Chip, Dried Cherry and Pistachio Cookies

Yes, these cookies do sound a little odd, fancy and all yuppie-ish, but they are tasty. I was quite a bit skeptical myself, mostly because I am not not all that into adding dried fruits and nuts to my cookies.

These cookies are delightfully crisp around the edges and soft on the inside. The combo of chocolate, pistachios and dried cherries, was unique but oddly satisfying and complementary. I got this recipe from Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham (so close to being Neville's relative). I got the book at my wedding shower from my very good friends, Caitlin and Mallory. I am so glad you two got me this cookbook---it has some delicious recipes.

Love your husband

So, I have been thinking lately about how there seems to be a lot of stuff out there about what husbands and fathers need to do, but not so much for women. For example there is this great video, which comes from Sis. Dalton's awesome conference talk.

While I completely agree and love this message, I think women need to remember that this message goes for them too. We need to love our husbands and show our daughters how a lady is supposed to act and show her the qualities she should value in a man. Likewise, we need to show our sons an example of what a wife should be, loving, equal, hard working, fun.  Women make just as many mistakes as the men (not always the same) such as nagging, spending more time with the children, being too busy, and then more serious stuff as well. I don't think women should take for granted the man they chose to marry and really, many women need this message more than the men. 

I found this great article called Wake-up Call for Wives. I think it is awesome and every woman should read it. It helped me to remember to always strive to be a better and more loving wife. 

In the Kitchen: My Mom's Caramel Corn

Happy Mother's Day! I know..... I normally do this post on Fridays, but since it is Mother's Day, I wanted to do one of my mom's recipes and post it on Mother's Day.

My mom is a great cook/baker. She taught me a lot and let me spend a lot of time in the kitchen from an early age. One of the most amazing things about my mom as a cook is that she can make a delicious dinner out of almost nothing. She is creative and her meals are always tasty. I have learned a lot from my mom and am so thankful to have been blessed with such a wonderful mom. She really is the best.

I chose to make my mom's caramel corn, partly because I was craving it, partly because it reminds me of her because often when watching a movie with my family or if friends came over she would make this delicious, soft, sweet caramel corn. I am sure you want the recipe. So here it is:

Bryce Canyon

We went to Bryce Canyon this past weekend with some good friends of ours, the Byrds (Evan, Mikaela & Malachi). We had a lot of fun on this short trip. For some reason, I had no idea Utah had so many National Parks. We are going to try to go to as many as we can while we live here. We camped for two nights in the park, spent all day Saturday hiking and came home on Sunday. Bryce Canyon was beautiful and so unreal. It was not anything like Zion, but it gave me that same sort of awe-inspiring,           Disneyland type feeling. Does Bryce Canyon look like the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride at Disneyland to anyone else?

Again---as I said before with Zion---words do not do this beautiful place justice. I took so many pictures and this is only few. Enjoy!

Malachi and Elanor all ready to go hiking, Elanor loves Malachi. She could not stop saying "Mali".

Tyler and Elanor at the top, ready to go down into the Canyon (love her funny lips!).

In the Kitchen: Pasta Primavera

I am a bit ashamed it has been so long since I have done one of these food posts.  However, I do have a delicious pasta dish to share with you! It is one of my favorites and is a a perfect spring/summer dish as it tastes so fresh and light. 

Here we go!

Pasta Primavera 

(adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

So, maybe i have not been the best blogger....

I have been back all week, so I don't really have a good excuse for not blogging (especially my In the Kitchen required post)---except I have been reading the Hunger Games books all week. They are hard books to put down. However, I have been good mom and have only read them at night and during Elanor's naps after I finished all my "chores". I mostly really enjoying them. The writing it s not the best, but is significantly better than Stephanie Meyer. They also have a lot more social commentary and depth than the Twilight books (which I am not a big fan of--the 1st was ok), but are not as good as the Harry Potter books. The last Hunger Games book left me feeling a little depressed and horrified. If you have read it, I am sure you know what I mean. The books point out how horrible war and violence is no matter what side you think is the "better" side. I am not a fan of war and if I ever had to name the one thing that terrifies me it is: people who kill other people. I don't understand it or how people can kill another person. I understand that sometimes it is necessary, but it just horrifies me so much. There are quite a few things I would have done differently in the third book if I was the author, but I do think her anti-war message is a good one. Oh, and Tyler and I went and saw the Hunger Games movie last night which was really well done. 

Sorry for The Hunger Games rant... It has kind of been on my mind all week. What are your opinions on the books?

Anyways.... While we were in Oregon, we had a little time one of the mornings to go to the Oregon Zoo (which is quite good, by the way). Elanor loved it! She especially liked the elephants, crocodiles, and polar bears. 

 Wearing Grandpa's hat

I'm Out.

I will be in Oregon this week to work on choreography for my mom's play, Mulan. I have been having a lot of fun studying traditional Chinese dances, tai chi, and kung fu. I really want to learn kung fu now and I am completely serious. It is awesome. I won't be back until Sunday, so don't expect an "In the Kitchen" post this week.

On a side note, just curious, how many people really read this blog? I have no idea, since I don't get that many comments. I don't want to just write this for nobody. Sorry, if I am am coming off needy and silly, but I want to write posts for people, so I want to know if anyone reads them. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make this blog better or how to advertise more effectively?

Do you read to see this? :

I don't blame you, she is pretty darn cute.