Jolyn Renee

A family favorite

2010-09-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to find great recipes is the Campbell's Soup website. It's has great, simple and fast recipes. Plus, they taste great, too. A HUGE plus! Here's one of my favorites, Beef with Broccoli. I have to say Byron really liked it, too.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak or beef top round steak, 3/4-inch thick, cut into thin strips

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets

4 cups hot cooked rice

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until well browned.
Stir the soup, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic powder and pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in the broccoli and cook until it's tender-crisp. Serve the beef mixture over the rice.

Note: I used flat iron steak from Fred Meyer. I cooked up great and was super tender. There were no leftovers. Such a bummer!

Enjoy!

Shrimp (or chicken) Enchilada Soup

2010-09-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from a good friend at church. She called it Shrimp Enchilada Soup. I think Shrimp Tortilla soup would be more fitting. Meh, whatever. After high demand, here it is!

1 lb. Shrimp, cleaned (I got a lb. from the deli at the grocery store. I wouldn't use the small cocktail shrimp, though. Also, after making this I decided I wanted more shrimp than just the one pound because I love shrimp.)
5 c. chicken broth
4 oz. tortilla chips (roughly 3 cups)
2 Tbl. butter
1 10 oz can Rotel (I found this at Safeway in the canned tomatoes area.)
1 can small green chiles
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro (fresh is best!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped

In a big pot bring the broth to a boil. Add chips, remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Blend well in blender then add Rotel and green chiles. In a frying pan on medium high heat melt butter. Then add the shrimp, onion and garlic. Cook until shrimp is pink (3-4 mins.). Add to the broth mixture. Add sour cream and cilantro and heat til warm but don't boil.

Notes: I didn't have any broth but a bunch of boulion cubes so I used those. Worked great also. While the soup is sitting for the ten minutes it's a perfect time to do the shrimp. And I found that another yummy touch was sliced/cubed avocado in it was soooo good. Just an extra touch that went so well. And don't forget, this can be made with chicken as well.

Enjoy!

Child found wandering in Beaverton neighborhood

2010-05-20T13:47:00.001-07:00

Child found wandering in Beaverton neighborhood

Posted using ShareThis

I'd like you to meet Davie Crocket

2010-04-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

My dad has become quite the crafty man. He has started doing some leather work and since they do these rendezvous he makes all his period clothes by hand and he even has some homemade moccasins. It's really cool. He's pretty smart about stuff like that. And of course my dad is really into guns so here is everyone taking turns with his musket and the headwear he made out of dead animal or something. LOL

Brandon with the musket and Kelli modeling the Davie Crocket do.

Don't mess with this guy!

Isn't there supposed to be a dead animal on your head? I don't think Byron tried it on.

And, of course, my dad. With his lovely get up. Ya gotta love 'em.

Day after Christmas at Diamond Lake

2010-04-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

The day after Christmas my brother, Brandon, and his wife and all of us Iboys drove up to Diamond Lake for a little tubing in the snow at the Hilltop Shop. It was a beautiful day. Perfect really. We were so warm that we had to shed some clothes.

I bought Roxy a snow bib and it fit her perfectly. She looked so darn cute in it but I couldn't get a great picture showing just how flippin' sweet it was.

Rox-star

I don't know where I was for these pictures with the great view but dang it, I shoulda been there!

The snowman. The snow was perfect for making a snowman.

Josie, Roxy and Frosty.

Josie and me.

Byron, Brandon and Kelli

Josie. She was really cute in her bib, too. I got her bib from Goodwill for a slammin' deal of only $10. I got Roxy's brand new at Target for only three bucks more. I didn't have ski pants either but I borrowed some from my friend Kelly. They sure kept me warm.

Teeter.

Lunch out with my Posse

2010-04-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

It's becoming a tradition of sorts to get together once a month for lunch. And this is my crew.

Carol Ann and I.

Craig and Kelly

Craig and Kelly again. I really like this picture.

Dinnertime

2010-04-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

The girls love to help make dinner.

Don't worry, it's a plastic lettuce knife. Totally harmless.

My sous chef.

The salad was great!

2010 Tulip Festival

2010-04-26T18:47:00.001-07:00

This year we took advantage of the great weather outside and went to the Tulip Festival for the first time. It was nice drive east of Woodburn. I love driving in the country and seeing all the huge houses. Anyways, we invited Byron's parents to go with us. Turns out they had never been either.

I got to hold a rescued bird. The lady said they brought six out of the eleven they have at home. I asked her if she was crazy and she said yes. I believe it too. The bird were beautiful. I tried to get Roxy to hold one but she was a little scared so I held it and she pet it.

Josie is never afraid to hold a bird. This is actually the second picture of her that I have with her holding a bird.

There was a cute little cow train that the girls got to ride on.

Byron went with Roxy and I just watched. She really loved it.

The tulips were beautiful. Forty acres of nothing but tulips. It was absolutely gorgeous. Everyone was armed with their cameras and were taking pictures with the great background they had at their disposal.

We were no different. Roxy was hard to take a picture of. She loved all the flowers and she loved walking in between the rows.

You think she's camera shy? She poses like this all the time now. Pretty girl.

A Decade in Review

2010-01-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

2000: Moved out of my parent's house to Eugene. Then a couple months later moved to Beaverton to work for Jack In The Box. After working/living in Beaverton for a month, I went home for a visit and on the same visit my uncle was hit on his Harley and killed by a drunk driver. I worked for JIB for two years.

2001: Turned 21. Byron and I moved in together. Was still working for JIB.

2002: My nephew and my parent's first grandchild, David, was born. Went to Guatemala for a week and got the worst sunburn of my life. I was in excruciating pain which made me miserable the whole time. Accepted a crappy job offer from Old Country Buffet just to get out of JIB. In November my mom died unexpectedly in her sleep. She was 55 years old. At least she was able to meet her first grand baby, travel to Germany and go on an Alaskan cruise that year.

2003: Got married in March and had my first beautiful baby girl, Waleska, in September. I also quit OCB. That job was hell and my boss was a complete *&%$#!! I never gave notice. Unless you call coming in with a note saying "I quit" notice. In November I was hired as a cook in the Meadow Park cafeteria.

2004: I was hired as the school district mail clerk in the print shop. We moved into the Bethany Ward. My niece, Isabella, was born. My dad met and married Joyce who we have welcomed into our family with huge open arms.

2005: Got divorced. Dated a little.

2006: Reconciled with Byron and remarried in July.

2007: Went to the Yankees vs. Mariners game in Seattle for the first time. My second beautiful baby girl, Roxanna, was born in November.

2008: Went to the Yankees vs. Mariners game in Seattle for the last time. Will probably go again just don't know when yet. Enrolled in a debt management program that has really changed our lives.

2009: My nephew, Christian, was born. My brother, Brandon, married a beautiful and awesome gal, Kelli. My oldest brother and his family moved back east to Virginia so he can work as a Congressional Fellow under Sen. Harry Reid and get his Master's in Legislative Affairs. (Go Josh!)

2010: We shall see....

Generations

2009-11-10T07:59:00.001-08:00

We went down to my dad's a few weeks ago and got to visit with my uncle, aunt and grandma from California. I was lucky enough to have both of my grandmas together and get a few snapshots.

Grandma Bettie and Grandma Delma

Grandma Bettie and Roxy playing dominoes.
Grandma Bettie, Waleska and Roxy
Grandma Delma, Grandma Bettie, the two great granddaughters and me.
Grandma Delma, Grandma Bettie, the two great granddaughters and me.

Happy 2nd Birthday My Princess Roxy!!

2009-11-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

On this day two years ago, November 10th, 2007, at 12:59pm Roxanna Jolyn Iboy was born. She has been such a blessing. She is such a sweetheart and she is such a joker. Roxy loves to play with her dolls and she loves animals. Her favorite foods include watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers. She loves her big sister and Dora the Explorer. Happy birthday Teeter!

Vampire Baseball

2009-07-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

I got to go to Vampire Baseball at PGE Park this 4th of July and get an autograph and watch some of the cast and crew participate in a baseball game. It was a lot of fun. The actors were so great. Very nice and genuine. They definitely care about their fans and love to show off for them.

This is Solomon Trimble. He plays Sam Uley. He is very good looking. He has great facial features and his hair is so gorgeous. He didn't seem to care much for the spot light. He was way too serious and didn't really give a crap about the fans.
On the left is Sean McGrath and the right is Gavin Bristol. They are better known as Frat Boy #3 and Frat Boy #4 but you know them as the guys harassing Bella in Port Angeles. These guys loved the fans, they were very goofy and took a billion pictures with whoever wanted one. They were very accommodating and just had a great time. I believe Gavin is actually from Corvallis.
And I would never dare leave without a picture of our dear Dr. Cullen. Peter Facinelli aka Carlisle was so nice. He threw a couple balls into the crowd and waved a lot and stood for pictures. His wife, Jennie Garth, was there with their kids and one of their daughters, Luca, actually played in the game. Peter's nephew, Ryan, also played. He came into the stands at one time and a couple girls go to take pictures with him. That's when I snapped this one. They practically mauled him. He was a great sport, though. Very hot!!
Rachelle Lefevre is my new fave. She was so nice to everyone. She signed a baseball for me. She asked everyone where they were from, thanked them for coming and told them to take care. She was so nice. I got to take this photo right after she signed my baseball. She was so nice. And as you can tell she has that fire red hair. It's just beautiful. It's the most beautiful red hair I've ever seen. And the picture doesn't do her justice because she is so beautiful.

Everyone from Twilight was so nice. You can tell they love their fans. Michael Welch was there and he was just relishing in the starlight. Edi Gathegi was really quiet and didn't play to the fans too much. Edward's double, Logan Welch, was there and he was kinda reserved. All in all though it was great. It was just nice to see that they are really nice people.

The girls' new pool

2009-06-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Waleska

Roxy

My mermaids.

Silly girls

Playing in the rocks at Grandpa and Grandma's

2009-06-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Roxy loved to play in the rocks at my dad's. She is such a tomboy.

Strawberry picking with Grandma Delma

2009-06-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Waleska

Isabella

Bowling with Grandma Delma

2009-06-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Christian Aiden Campbell

2009-06-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

Waleska and her newest cousin Christian Aiden Campbell.

At the farmer's market

2009-06-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

We went to the farmer's market one Saturday with Kelly. The girls had a blast in the water. Waleska couldn't wait for it. She was bugging me about it from the moment we arrived.

Waleska is giving a lesson

2009-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

Waleska is teaching Roxy how to brush her teeth. Waleska is an amazing big sister. She lets Roxy abuse her and they are so loving to each other. Especially in the morning. I guess by the end of the day you could say they've had enough of each other.

Roxy and Buddy

2009-06-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Roxy is a huge animal lover. She loves dogs and cats especially. This is her grandma's dog Buddy. He's a lot more tolerant of her than he was with Waleska at that age.

Crepes A La Me

2009-06-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I made crepes. I'd never had one in my life until I made my own. They were ok. I wasn't particularly thrilled with them. And I was sick to my stomach the day after so I was thinking maybe they had something to do with it.

Peach Cobbler Supreme

2009-04-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of our family favorites. Recently my dad's wife made it and it was sooooo good. VERY easy to make. I was just telling my friend about it and now I think I'm going to have to make some. I feel cravings coming on.

Peach Cobbler Supreme

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 can peaches (a big can)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel

Melt butter in a 11x7 baking dish (My mom always used a 9x13). Sift dry ingredients (which I never saw her do). Add milk and stir well. Pour this mixture into baking dish. Do not stir. Top with peaches including juice. Sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon peel (optional) over peaches but do not stir. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

If you try it, let me know if you like it.

After bath fun

2009-04-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Sister Mary Waleska and Sister Mary Roxanna

My arteest

2009-04-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

Waleska loves to color. For a five year old, she pays great attention to the details and stays in the lines extremely well.

My blankets

2009-04-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend when we had the seventy degree weather the girls and I were outside most of the days. It was great on Saturday. We played outside and walked around. When we finally decided to settle in the front yard and play on the porch, I was watching Roxy sit and play in the dirt. I was kinda bored and decided to work on the tie blankets I was making for my nephew, Byron's friend's new baby boy and one for Waleska. When I went to get the fabric I only had the two boys in mind but then Waleska saw a pretty pink that she wanted and of course, I couldn't say no.

So I pulled out the fabric and started working on the blankets. The boy blankets were a lot easier than Waleska's. They had a pattern on them that was, to my luck, 2x2, 2x4 and 2x6. It was really easy to cut. Waleska's on the other hand wasn't so easy. But, seriously, you probably could never tell if there were any flaws (and I'm sure there are).

So I got all three done. It was fun, easy and I was like, "I can do this."

Crockpot madness

2009-04-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Check this out:

www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

I discovered this website today. I am totally going to have to try her recipes. She has soooo many (over 365, duh!).

Hope you like it, too!

Waleska pumping some serious iron!

2009-03-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Finally!

2009-03-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

She can use a spoon!!

My high school reunion

2009-03-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Jolyn and Casey (aka Sweets)

From far right: Nina, Casey, Mande, Linda and me.

Nina's family: Ariana, Eron, Nina and Haley

Linda (with her mouth full), Mande and Casey

Instead of paying $100+ to sit in a room full of people that I don't like, I organized a little get together of sorts with the people I did like and hang out with from high school. One of my very best friends, Casey, was visiting from Arkansas for vacation so we all met for pizza. It was fun. We had a lot of memories to share and talk about and laugh about. Isn't that the way it always goes? It was fun, though. We're all in different parts of our life and we are all doing different things.

The pioneers

2009-03-29T10:05:00.001-07:00

My dad the musket man.

The prairie couple.

I went down to my parents for a couple days and my dad and his wife dressed up for a photo-op in their period clothes or whatever. Everything was homemade right down to the leather moccasins.

Water vs. Cola

2009-03-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've been trying my hardest to cut the habit of drinking my beloved Pepsi. Let me tell you, it's been hard. As much as I love it, I know it doesn't love me. Here are some interesting facts:

Water

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half of the world population.)

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

4. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus, it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79% and you are 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Cola*

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Cola in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in the cola removes stains from vitreous china.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynold's Wrap aluminum foil dipped in cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of cola into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent and run through a regular cycle.

8. As cola will help loosen grease stains, it will also clean road haze from your windshield.

9. The active ingredient in cola is phosphoric acid. It's pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days.

10. To carry a cola syrup (in concentrate) the commercial trucks must use the "Hazardous Material" place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

11. The distributors of cola have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for over 20 years!

Now I ask you, would you like a glass of water or a cola?

(All of this info is from "Rust Out" by Dr. Royce Bailey)

The Redistribution Arguement

2009-03-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

My dad sent this to me in an email. I thought it was kind of cute. If you have any difficulty understanding Obama's redistribution of wealth theory, this short video will definitely help clarify it. It appears that we need to get ready for it.

Normal Mormon Family Awards

2009-03-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

Check out Normal Mormon Husband's blog Tuesday evening for a special acceptance speech from EVE from the movie WALL-E. She won the Normal Mormal Family Academy Award for Best Actress and since I opened my big mouth (what's new?), I get to write the speech for her, the actress/robot who doesn't say anything except for WALL-E and Directive. I'm actually kinda honored to be writing it. If you don't already read the NMH blog, you should definitely subscribe.

Brandon and Kelli's wedding.

2009-02-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

My brother Brandon got married last month. We were so lucky to get the time off to go to the Tri-cities area and be a part of everything. Here's a couple pics.

Brandon and Kelli outside the Columbia River Gorge Temple in Richland, Wa.
Kelli and Brandon.

Kelli and all the flower girls including the babies. This was a hard picture.

Kelli and the flower girls.

Kelli and Brandon and our family.

The beautiful couple. She is so beautiful and isn't he so handsome?

Doesn't get much cuter

2009-02-20T10:18:00.001-08:00

I recently downloaded Pokerface by Lady Gaga on my iPod. When I was listening to it in the van with the girls the other day Waleska asks me, "Is she saying boogerface?" I had a little laugh and explained that, no, she isn't saying boogerface, she's saying pokerface. It was cute.

Circa 1995 (or 96)

2009-02-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Who the heck is this?

Celebrate and Give Thanks

2009-02-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

Today and tomorrow (February 5th & 6th) Nelson and Terry on 105.1 the Buzz are doing their annual Valentine's Day for the CCA (The Children's Cancer Association). They spend 28 straight hours on the radio to raise money for the CCA. They have some awesome prizes to auction off and you can even enter a raffle to win a Honda Fit with Nav from Parker Johnstone's Wilsonville Honda.
If you're not familiar with the CCA, they help families with children that are going through cancer. We all know the rough reality that some of these youngsters don't always make it through but during their fight, the CCA is right there with them. The CCA provides places for the families to stay and they have volunteers to pal up with the kids going through chemo (Chemopals). And that's only a few things that the CCA does.
Celebrate the healthy children in your life and tune in. If you feel so inspired like Byron and I, make a donation. Every dollar helps. There are such great touching stories that will definitely get you to your knees to thank Heavenly Father that you're kids are healthy. Or even if you know someone that has gone through this, make a donation on their behalf. The CCA does not get any state or federal money and it runs strictly from donations and sponsors in the Portland area so they definitely need your help.

To celebrate/donate:
Call 1-877.656.KIDS
Or to bid call 1-888.733.5105
Or click here: http://www.joyrx.org/
To learn more: http://www.childrenscancerassociation.org/

My snowbabies

2009-01-27T19:23:00.001-08:00

You should be able to click on the picture to see it bigger.

How comfortable is this?

2009-01-27T19:21:00.001-08:00

This is Roxy actually sleeping draped over Waleska's chest. I was in the shower when she moved and when I came out this is what I saw. I don't know how Waleska is sleeping with that 20+lb baby on her chest.

My Christmas gift from Byron

2009-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

How did he know? I swear just a week before he bought the perfume for me I was in Hot Topic asking them about it and they looked at me like I was crazy. The perfume is a combination of lavender and freesia. I don't really care for either scent but together it smells pretty good.

Easy dinner ALERT!!

2009-01-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

We tried this recipe on one of our snowdays. I was going to make dinner and I wanted something simple so I was just going to do shells and cheese until I saw the recipe on the back and thought, "Hey, I have all of that." So I followed the recipe and everyone liked it really well. We had it again last night and there wasn't much left. Try it and let me know what you think.

Velveeta Shells & Cheese Nacho Bake
1 pkg. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
3/4 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

HEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.
STIR sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon 1/2 of Dinner mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; top with layers of meat mixture, 1/2 of Cheddar and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover.
BAKE 15 min.; top with salsa, remaining Cheddar and crushed chips. Bake, uncovered, 5 min.

Miss Evel

2009-01-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

I got a great idea. We shot this video of Roxy tonight and I thought it was so cute and funny that I uploaded it to America's Funniest Home Videos. Who knows what will come of it. I just thought it was cute. Byron was squirting Roxy with a water bottle and she would just laugh every time. It was so cute! Then she would just wait for him to squirt her. She's so fearless. Last night we were just talking about how she's going to be our little Evel Knievel. Not that water to the face means she's going to jump the Grand Canyon but she is just fearless. Take a look:

The Triple Threat

2008-12-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

From left to right: Linda, me, Mande

On Monday I was able to go down to Roseburg for a visit. First on the agenda was meeting up with my high school friends, Mande and Linda, that I hadn't seen in almost 6 years. I've been friends with Linda since elementary school and Mande since seventh grade. We met at my favorite Chinese restaurant, had lunch and reminisced and caught up on what we'd missed. It was so good to visit with them and remember old times. Man, we got into a lot of trouble and mischief together. But you know what? Those are the best memories of my high school years. We were sitting in a booth and I made the comment that we should've asked for a private room because I knew we were going to be loud. And we were. What is even cooler is that Mande burned Cd's for Linda and me of music that we used to listen to when we were cruising in Linda's Tempo. Ahhh, those were the days.

No more snow days

2008-12-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

We've all been home together since Saturday the 13th and while I've enjoyed staying in our 1100 square foot apartment with my kids and husband, it's time for some 'me' time. Like work. Which is exactly where I am today. That's right. I'm at work. We have chains on the van and so Byron brought me to work or else I would have to use my sick or emergency time. Now why don't I use that time you ask? Well, I am saving that time for when my kids are sick or if I am sick. I'll need all the time I can get for them because they catch every bug imaginable.

While we were off work together we did get a lot done. Like the laundry and the picture frames. Byron asked me one day, "So now that we are home together, is there something you want me to do?" You never ask that question!! But, since you did....And I learned a few things while being home with them for this last week. Like a learned that my kids don't have enough hangers for all their clothes. Sheesh, they have a lot of clothes. And I learned how to make freezer jam. I domestic now!! I was nervous making it for the first time because I was told by everyone you have to be so exact for it to set right. I was practically trembling holding the measuring cup but it was fun to crush the berries. I only did strawberry jam this time but next time I'll be doing strawberry/blueberry. Yum! That will help put a dent in the 44 pounds of berries I bought this last summer.

Our little project

2008-12-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

This was our snowday project. Byron and I aren't home together a lot so we took the opportunity to get something done. I mean, c'mon, we've only had this picture frame set for over four years!

It's a Christmas miracle!

2008-12-15T19:38:00.001-08:00

My laundry is caught up!! It is a miracle!!

I had to take a picture to capture the moment because this will probably never happen again in the next 18 years.

Snow day

2008-12-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

Another snowday!!! And another tomorrow!!! Today was so nice to stay home and just relax and not have anything pressing to do. We did risk a drive to Safeway and got some yummy whip cream for our hot chocolate. We picked up a couple other things, too, of course.

Snow day

2008-12-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

So it was a snow day and I took a few minutes to catch up on some posts that I've missed.

Roxy's first birthday

2008-12-14T16:05:00.001-08:00

These pictures are in reverse order but this was the end result: a very messy baby. And a very grateful mom that it was only a large cupcake.

Messy girl!

She's thinking, "Let me just try this."

Wow! For me?

The cake. Well, the cupcake.

Roxy's first steps

2008-12-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

This is one of the first steps Roxy took (on video). It's always hard to get the real first steps on video because, c'mon, they are so spontaneous! So we definitely set this up.

Sweet Roxy

2008-12-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

Roxy is so cute when it comes to stuffed animals. She has a favorite bear (it's actually a Dollar Tree bear, too) that she absolutely loves. The bear is pink and has long legs and arms and you can tell that poor bear's been through the ringer.

Oh Pooh!

We bought Waleska a new booster seat for the car and Roxy took quite a liking to it.

I want a princess chair, too, Mom!

This is a really late post

2008-12-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from our trip out to Lakeview Farms before Halloween. We'd never been out there before and we had a good time but it was a bit chilly.

My cute little Roxy. I love this hat on her. It's one of two that we have that actually kinda hug her head and stay on.

Byron and the girls on the train.

Beautiful Waleska on the boat. I can always count on her for a gorgeous smile.

Can you see these two scarecrows? Scary, aren't they?

Our snow dance worked

2008-12-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of snow today. I got sent home from work today not only fifteen minutes after I got there. It's good thing, too, because I'd be stuck there now. I stayed inside while Byron and Waleska attempted to make snowman. The snow was so powdery though and that made it really hard to form a snowball. Byron ended up taking a bucket on our patio and scooping up snow with it. So I guess you can say they made a bucketman.

I was grateful for the extra day off and time to be home with my family and I just hope I get another day tomorrow!

Midnight Sun

2008-12-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Of course, I loved it. It took me longer to read because my eyes were getting red and would start to burn every time I blinked if I didn't take frequent breaks. You can only find Midnight Sun online and you can't print the file so if you decide to read it, take your time. It was so good, though. There are only 264 pages. It's unedited and a very rough draft. Thanks to the moron who put it online illegally we may never get to read the rest. Bummer!
Oh, if you haven't done this yet, check out mormonhusbands.blogspot.com. This guy is so funny and he has some really great takes on Twilight. The movie and the book.

Cool stocking stuffers

2008-11-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

My mom always had a nack for gifts. She would get us the awesomest stocking stuffers ever and on top of that she always thought of some cool gadget that we could use. First one is the 180s Earmuffs. These are by far the best earmuffs on the planet no doubt about it. Spendy little suckers but they work wonders. I wore mine to Mount Hood before and my ears were the warmest part on my body. If you know someone who likes to ski or snowboard these are an awesome stocking stuffer. And I think you can even put your headphones or earbuds through them. You can find them on the internet at www.arctic180s.com. Sweet!

Second is the Emergency AutoHammer. The one my mom got us kids was similar to this one. You're supposed to put it somewhere in the car so if you get in a car accident, it's still accessible and you can reach it. The hammer comes with a tool to cut your seatbelt, break the window and pop your air bag. There is even a little light on it. How genius!

Thank you Apple!

2008-11-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

A few years ago Byron bought me an iPod Nano for Christmas. It actually sat on our desk for at least six months before I even took it out of the package. Since then it has proved to be the best gift I've received in a long time. This iPod has been put to the ultimate test. I listen to it daily in the car, at work and at home. I have a Transpod so I can listen to it over the radio in the car, a dock at home on our stereo and I can even plug it into the speakers on my computer at work. It's awesome. Today I enjoyed it even more because when I had to go out and post flyers on doors (all 106 of them) I listened to my music. It made the time fly. I hate climbing three flights but my hot pink nano makes it a fraction easier.

Our Twilight night!

2008-11-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Our Girl's Night Out pics:

The poster my awesome and talented friend made me.

My newest Twilight shirt I bought especially for this event.

Some of the girls and me.

Our group (minus two that joined us for the movie).

Ah, spinning

2008-11-26T07:29:00.001-08:00

Last night I got back on the saddle again and burned an awesome 1,000 calories (approx.). I hadn't been to the gym in a while and finally talked myself into going. I really needed it. About 10 minutes in my stomach started growling and after another 10 minutes I was begging for mercy. But I stuck it out. I think I was checking the clock every 10 minutes. I'm really lucky to have a great instructor who talks and makes us laugh during the hour. Last night she was playing songs that could relate to the holidays. One song was Highway to Hell and another was I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles). Yeah, I felt like I was riding the bike 500 miles on the highway to hell alright. Anyways, my dream (again, my dream) is to show up at Christmas and hear my grandma say, "Jolyn, go eat a burger or something." That's less than a month away and I'm really not getting anywhere fast. I guess that's what resolutions are for.

Girl's night out

2008-11-22T11:11:00.001-08:00

Last night was our girl's night out to see Twilight. There was 15 of us for dinner and two more joined us for the movie. It was so much fun!! First we met at Costa Vida for dinner. Mel had already arranged for us to have the back semi-private area of the restaurant reserved for our group. She was totally thinking ahead. The owner surprised us with Chips and Queso (so yummy!) and sweet Teresa Bryner bought us Tres Leches for dessert even though she was just there eating with her husband. Always prepared Amy Downing took some really great pictures of us and one of the employees took a couple awesome group pictures. It was so fun just to sit, eat and visit with friends. And of course talk about Twilight!!!

My Twilight Review
Ok, so the book is way better but I think that is expected. Of course, how can you pack 500+ pages of pure, clean love and sparks into two hours? It was adapted pretty well. There were a few things that should have been changed in my opinion. Like when Jacob was talking to Bella, in the movie he should have just told her the legends about the "cold ones" like in the book. Also, Billy Black and Chief Swan pretending to throw punches at each other? Gimme a break! Taylor Lautner did a good job playing Jacob but I absolutely hated his hair and yes, I do realize that he is Indian and that his hair is supposed to be long but it just looks weird! At first I was really on the fence about Kristen Stewart playing Bella then I accepted it. Now I'm still not sure if I like the her. She did well in some areas but in others (like the hospital scene at the end where she refuses to move to Jacksonville) she just made me think, "Oh please!"
Rob Pattison did really well. Sometimes I had the impression that he was having a hard time disguising his accent. But he really is a stunningly beautiful Edward. I don't think anyone could fill those shoes so well. But I'm biased....he's hot!
I'll still buy the movie when it comes out. Just because I'm a huge fan and Edward/Rob is really foxy. Plus, I love to have something to visualize when I read it again and again. I was really surprised at how many quotes from the book where in the movie. I love that!
And loved the cameo of Stephenie Meyer. She was in the diner scene right before the waitress approaches Cheif Swan to ask about the slaying at the dock.
Also, I think Elizabeth Reaser was a great Esme. Of course, her part was very small but she was really cute as Esme.
My favorite scene? Besides the kiss (of course!), my favorite scene had to be the fight. This may make you cringe but I loved it when Alice jumped on James and snapped his head off. And I've always loved the part where James is yelling, "Tell him to avenge you! Tell him!" Oh, Cam!!! Also, at the end when they're dancing in the gazebo, I love it when Edward kisses Bella's neck.
Maybe I liked it more than I thought. I'm definitely going to watch it over and over again.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY MY PRECIOUS ROXY!!!!

2008-11-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

One year ago today at 12:59pm Roxanna Jolyn Iboy was born weighing eight pounds eleven ounces with lots of dark brown hair and big cheeks. We've been so blessed with Roxy in our home. She is such a sweet spirit. She absolutely loves dogs and cats. It's really funny to watch her get excited about them. Roxy absolutely adores her big sister and she loves to take baths. Happy birthday my sweet baby girl. Mommy loves you oodles and gobs and scads!

New duds

2008-11-06T11:58:00.001-08:00

I bought the most adorable shoes ev-er. I read that curvy women, like myself, should wear wider heels so that their legs don't look so big so these shoes are exactly what I needed.

I bought these through JCPenney online and I got them last night. I absolutely love them. They'll go perfectly with all my dress pants for work on the weekends and they'll also go with my church clothes, too.

There's nothing like a good pair of shoes to make you feel great!

Too good to only post once--

2008-11-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

"The 8 O'Clock News" is celebrating the upcoming release of the "Twilight" movie. From Nov. 3-7, look for the secret set location announced each night on PDX TV's "The 8 O'Clock News." Then listen to the Nelson and Terry show on 105.1 The Buzz between 5 to 10 a.m. When they give you the cue, call in to win a "Twilight" 3-day ultimate fan experience.

Holy crap! You best be watching TV. Best thing about this is Byron listens to Nelson and Terry just like me so I'm going to enlist his help in this. Good luck!

Never use Manwich again!

2008-10-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

I love sloppy joes and since I got this s.j. sauce recipe I've haven't used Manwich. Waleska loves sloppy joes and she has never had it any other way than with this recipe for the sauce. I think I put this recipe in the Relief Society cook book but in case I didn't here it is:

Sloppy Joe Sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
onion (optional)

Use as much onion as you want. You could even add green pepper and I bet that would be yummy, too. I usually make a double batch. It all depends on how much hamburger you use as well. I thought this recipe was so great (so darn simple!) and it's made with stuff you probably already have in your cupboard. Enjoy!

Picture this-

2008-10-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

I was at the intersection of Cedar Hills Blvd and Canyon Rd. (ya know, right in front of Firestone). Anyways, I was in the right hand lane and some guy wanted over. We were really close to Canyon and that was where he wanted to turn. No one would let him in....except me. So the dude got in my lane and made the turn. So what's my problem? THE OL' GEEZ DIDN'T FREAKIN' EVEN WAVE TO SAY THANK YOU. Seriously, I loathe ungracious drivers. I would consider myself a pretty courteous driver. I don't flip people off (never have, never will), I don't yell out the window and I don't cut people off either. I always check my blind spot and if you do make me mad on the road, you might catch me in your rearview mirror talking to myself, flailing my arms or clinching my jaw. But that's all. I always wave to say thank you especially if you let me in your lane at the last minute. And I may even wave at you even if there's a chance I thought you did something to make my traveling easier. I am so tired of people getting there stupid hoopdee in front of me without waving a thank you. I'm on the road to get from A to B. Just because I'm not some road raging fool doesn't mean I can let every Tom, Dick and Harry in. Seriously, wave a thank you. I don't see casts on your arms.

Getting your house in order

2008-10-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

We've been instructed to get our houses in order and I think a great way to do that is to get your affairs in order before your time is up. I mentioned this in my last blog. I have one more thing to add: BUY LIFE INSURANCE. I don't care if you're single, married or whatever, you need it and so does your family. Even if it's only enough to barry you. My mom didn't have any life insurance when she died. None. Nada. It put my dad in a hard spot. Then there was a credit card he didn't know about. Great, huh?
I will be so grateful for the rest of my life for getting life insurance. Then I can have that peace that when I do die, my kids and Byron will be taken care of. That the bills will be paid and that my kids can go to college even when there is only one income coming in. That will all be taken care of.
Another thing to think about is what might happen to your kids if you and your spouse go at the same time. I know, what a gruesome subject, but these are things that have to be considered when you have kids. Who will get your kids? Your estate? Definitely something to sit down and have a serious conversation about with your spouse.
Just a little something to ponder. And wonderful Carlene posted a comment on my last blog that if you don't have a will and you want to get one, check out legalzoom.com. You can save a lot of moolah and who doesn't want to do that these days? You're so awesome Carlene!!!

Called to serve....

2008-10-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Jury duty. It was the first time I had to go but the second time I'd been called. The first time I was in college and so I was excused because I was a full time student. Everyone called that day was used. Though a lot of us were excused after the attorneys asked us questions. I pretty much sat in the back and didn't say anything. My case was a civil case. One lady was suing her brother and ex-sister-in-law over her mother's estate. I didn't have any strong bias one way or another so I just sat there. There wasn't anything that they asked that pertained to me or what has happened in my life so I just kept quiet. It was interesting though to see how the system works. I'm actually glad I got to do it. I've fulfilled my civic duty for two years.
Oh yeah, make sure you have your affairs in order. That will save your kids a lot of grief when you aren't here anymore. It will show them that you cared enough to think about their future even though you're not there to be with them. Just a thought.

My poor banged up Roxy

2008-10-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I was at work yesterday I got a call from Byron. He said, "Don't be mad, ok?" Well, you never start a conversation with that! Then he said, "Roxy had an accident." Ok, at that point my heart started beating about a thousand miles an hour. I said, teeth clenched, "What happened?" He began to tell me that dispite his better judgement, he put Roxy in Waleska's princess jeep and they went up to the office at the apartments. Then when they were leaving, Roxy fell out of the jeep. I guess on the ride up there she did fine but he was walking beside her (so if she fell he could catch her??). However, on the way back home he totally forgot and was walking next to Waleska when Roxy took a head first dive into the pavement. She got a bloody nose, a scraped nose, a cut inside her upper lip, and a few bumps and scratches on her forehead. My poor baby! I told Byron to call the ER and talk to the advice nurse to be safe. Last thing we need is a concussion. Of course, she's going to be just fine.
Instantly Waleska started crying when I walked in the house last night. I was like, "Why is she crying?" Byron said it was because she felt bad. Then I told Waleska about one time when she was just learning how to walk and she took a dive down her grandma's outside stairs. She was all banged up and scraped, too. That story didn't help. She still felt really bad but the tears only lasted a minute.
So if you see Roxy, you know what happened. Poor thing!
On a happier note, Waleska's costume will be here in time for Halloween. I'm pretty sure I'm more excited than her. :)

Holiday hors d'oeuvres

2008-10-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

The holiday season is rapidly approaching so I thought I would post a few of our favorite family goodies that you might like to include in your celebrations.

My Mom's Famous Cheeseball
2-8oz blocks of cream cheese softened to room temp
1 cup mayonaise
one bunch green onions
one bag sliced almonds

Combine all ingredients, shape in a ball and chill over night. You can use as much green onions and almonds as you want. I usually make this as a dip rather than a cheeseball just because I hate to touch food with my hands.

Harry and David Pepper and Onion Relish Dip
half a jar of Harry and David Pepper and Onion Relish
one 8oz block of cream cheese (or whipped cream cheese)

You can easily double this recipe. You can either serve this right away or you can prepare it and serve it later. Using whipped cream cheese will obviously make it easier to mix the relish into it and it tastes just as great. The relish is really versatile. You can buy the relish on line at harryanddavid.com or you can buy it next time you take a trip to Woodburn or Lincoln City at the company store (it's way cheaper at the store).

I always serve these alongside Ritz crackers, Wheat Thins, Chicken in a Biscuits and Triscuits. Everyone in my family likes a different cracker the most so it's a great variety to offer your guests.

Enjoy!

Bummer!

2008-10-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm so bummed. I don't think Waleska's Halloween costume will be here in time for Trunk or Treating. It was the best ballerina costume I've ever seen. I'll have to search for something else. Urgh.
You can see it here:
http://www.abcdistributing.com/home/catalog/cat_spread_pg3.asp?G=573&P=197&Rec=1&Ntt=recital+dress&N=35&Nao=0&R=444258-8D4RSML2

Isn't it adorable? The best ballerina outfit ever! Plus I ordered the want and the tiara.

Trick or Treat

2008-10-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

I got the awesome job of decorating the office for Halloween. I'm actually getting into it. I normally do but I feel the spirit of it more now. I'm going to go home and make a run out to the garage to pick up our Halloween decorations and get things started. We have never carved pumpkins with Waleska (I know, I'm bad) so this will be the first year for that. I've heard a lot about Plumper Pumpkin Patch so I think I'll grab the girls and head out there this week or next. I love to get those tiny little pumpkins and decorate the house with them. And the best part is that they'll last until the day after Thanksgiving. Also, I'm on the hunt for a bale of hay to put in our front entry. It think it'll look great. We already have real spider webs there. Ha! Speaking of spider webs, those artificial ones get on everything. Probably not as bad as flocking but they are sticking to my clothes, my jewelry, everything. It really creeped me out to open the package that it came in and see three or four artificial spiders. I almost couldn't do that. It was just really eerie. My boss and I suffer from arachnophobia so we'll see how she feels about it. I think I did a pretty good job. The office looks great.
This year Waleska is going to be a ballerina. I already bought her costume. Hopefully it will get here before Halloween. I suppose if it isn't I'll bust it down to Target. Roxy is going to be a flower. I was originally going to borrow a chicken costume but I saw this flower one and it's too adorable. It was so funny to put the head piece on her. She absolutely hated it. If I distract her, she probably won't care. It looks too darn cute.
And, believe it or not, I'm going to dress up myself. Ok, not really. But I am going to do something. Here's a hint: I'm doing something "devilish". Something that will go great with my next to white skin. It's going to be fun.

A couple to laugh at

2008-10-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

So my crummy mood is on it's way out. After thinking about all the blessings I have and how much I have to be grateful for, what I'm worried about and getting angry about just isn't worth it. Isn't that the way it always happens? You sweat the petty stuff (as my mom would say) and I just got stressed and irked way more than I should have.
Today I saw a great bumper sticker:

Jesus loves you even if you're no darn good.

Loved that one. Plus I saw this one a while ago and laughed:

One to sixty in 11 minutes.

That one was on a Volvo. Not a beater Volvo but not the newest. I thought it was cute. It made me smile anyways.

Humility

2008-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

I've been having a rough couple of days. I think I know why but until it passes I've just been in kind of a sour mood. Here's my newest quote. Hopefully some who read it will take it to heart and quit annoying me to insanity.

Humility is an attribute of godliness possessed by true saints. It is easy to understand why a proud man fails. He is content to rely upon himself only. This is evident in those who seek social position in fields of business, government, education, sports, or other endeavors. Our genuine concern should be the for the success of others. The proud man shuts himself off from God, and when he does he no longer lives in the light.
- Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, May 1984, pp. 65-66

Waleska's birthday party

2008-09-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

<---Nice booty Tio Walter.

Here is Waleska's birthday party. We had two pinatas, cake and ice cream. It was not the best weather but it turned out well. One pinata was a pink princess crown (of course) and the other was a shark that a friend gave us so we decided to use it. I packed that shark so full they couldn't break it.

Say hi

2008-09-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

My little Roxy. Her nickname is Titi (pronounced Tee Tee). Don't ask where the name came from. It's really lame. Anyways, here she is all covered in pizza sauce. It's in her hair, her ears, her eyebrows. Everywhere. She's ten months and sixteen days. My little Titi.

Feel good quote

2008-09-24T14:53:00.001-07:00

Alfred Painter:
Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign September 2001
Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character.

Quick fix recipes

2008-09-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

I know Melanie has mentioned that the Kraft Foods website is a great place to find some really good recipes so I thought I would mention a different one. That one being the Campbell Soup website. Campbell's has some really great, easy recipes like Beef Taco Skillet. I make this every now and then. Waleska loves it and so do I. And it's perfect even when there's leftovers. Not to mention it's affordable and quick to make.

Campbell's® Beef Taco Skillet
From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
6 flour tortillas (6"), cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat.
Stir soup, salsa, water, and tortillas in skillet. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 min. Stir. Top with cheese.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a mixed green salad with Italian salad dressing and corn-on-the cob. For dessert serve with a store bought flan.
Cost per recipe: $7.59
Cost per recipe serving: $1.89
Total cost of meal (including serving suggestion): $14.80

Also, if you're searching their website, try the Chicken and Bean Burritos. Those are quick to prepare and taste great, too.

Happy Birthday Waleska!

2008-09-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful sunny afternoon five years ago today on Saturday September 20th, 2003 at 12:59pm, Josie Waleska Iboy was born. She was eight pounds seven ounces and had a head full of hair. She was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. We never knew what we were having. We'd wanted to know but the ultrasound was taken about two weeks too soon for us to tell. Or so the lady said. I was fuming when I couldn't find out what I was having. I guess I'd always known I was having a girl. One time when I was walking through Fred Meyer with my mom she saw a couple really cute baby girl outfits. So cute she bought them. We'd already known that my brother's wife was having a boy so there was no one at the time to give the outfits to. When I was getting ready to leave Roseburg to come back home she gave them to me and said that they were for me when I have my baby girl. My mom actually died two months before I found out I was pregnant. She never got to meet my kids in this lifetime but I'd argue that she really knew them before I did. I'd like to think that she personally picked out my girls for me. That would explain their attitude and temper. Haha.

I can look at Waleska today and just see how beautiful she is. She is the most loving sister and wonderful helper. She loves to decorate cupcakes and color. She has a lot of friends in the neighborhood and she is easy to get along with. Roxy absolutely adores her and Waleska just loves being a wonderful big sister. Waleska is the ultimate girly girl but she is never afraid to get her hands dirty.

Happy fifth birthday Waleska!

Love me some Yankees

2008-09-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of September we went to Seattle to watch the Yankees play the Mariners. We had a good time. Ate lots of stadium food and found another hotel that we won't ever stay at again. On our last trip to Seattle we stayed at the Marriot. I absolutely loved it. The room was really clean, it was big and the people were so nice and helpful. Not to mention the huge breakfast we ate. It was well worth it. We all slept really good. This last time we stayed at Executive Pacific Hotel. Not good. It is an older hotel. Not handicap accessible which I thought was kind of odd. I dunno. I guess that's just something I randomly noticed. The bathroom was really small, too. I didn't book this reservation. If it was up to me, we would've stayed at the Marriot again. But Byron booked this without my knowing. I checked the reviews and one reviewer commented that if you were in a time crunch you could soak your feet while using the throne. Well, they were right. The bathroom was small and I'm really particular about bathroom cleanliness and this bathroom just wasn't up to my standards. Next year, it's gonna be the Marriott or the Silver Cloud right across the street from the stadium. This is our annual trip so it needs to be a good one. Hotel blunder aside, we had a good time. We went to the game on Saturday and the one on Sunday. The girls did really well. Roxy slept for almost half of each game. On Sunday we were seated in the Terrace Club. We had seats there last year and it's really nice. The people will serve you at your seat if you want, they have better food and the bathrooms are nicer. We were really lucky that it was great weather. However on Sunday we were seated in the shade so it was a little chilly. Roxy wasn't the youngest baby at the game either. I was in the mother's room feeding her and there was a lady in there with a nine week old baby. Then I didn't feel so crazy.

The girls enjoying the game together.

This is the view from our seats on Sunday. In the shade and chilly.

This is the view from our seats on Saturday. We were right behind home plate. Really nice seats. Btw, the Yankees played three games with the Mariners. We didn't go to the Friday game. Anyways, the Yanks only won once and that was on Saturday. Same as last year. Bummer.

This is Mariano Rivera on the mound. I know, it's not a very good picture but I had to try. He is one of my favorite players. He's from Panama and he is a very humble person. He has a good relationship with God and he sends money back home to his church. Every Yankee fan loves Mariano. He came out to close the game. He's like pulling out the big guns. Close the deal and keep the win, bring out Mariano.

Love me some Yankees.

Also, Byron got two autographs. One from pitcher Carl Pavano and one from pitcher Brian Bruney. Last year he got a ball signed by Derek Jeter and Joe Torre. Lucky!

VA-CA-TION

2008-09-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow I'm on VACATION! Yea! I haven't had a vacation since maternity leave. And I don't call that any kind of vacation. Tomorrow I'll be heading down to Roseburg to visit my dad. I haven't been to Roseburg since Christmas. And believe it or not, I miss it. We usually sit around and visit, play games, watch movies and eat lots of yummy foods. I love it at my dad's. I'll only be staying the day though I'd love to stay the whole week. Then the rest of the week I'll be back here. I have to get ready for Waleska's fifth birthday party. This will be the biggest one we've thrown for her. We're doing pinatas and cake and ice cream. Keeping it simple but we're doing it at a local park that we've reserved. If everyone shows that we've invited there will be around 50 people!! Mostly adults just because their kids will be there and Byron's family alone is probably half that. I still have to buy decorations and order the cake. Not to mention getting the birthday girl a gift. I swear everywhere we go she finds something else she wants for her birthday. I guess that's how it works five months before your birthday, right? Then I have to make a trip to one of the schools to drop off leftover stuff from our garage sale for their rummage sale. It's benefitting a good cause. That's all I have planned really. I'll be sleeping in and hittin' the gym at my leisure (both of which I never do). Finally, I'll be updating my blog. I haven't posted any of our pictures of when we went to the Yankees game so I'll put those up this week, too. And anything else I need to catch you up on. I know, you're exstatic.
But it's back to work on Sunday. And this Sunday, I think I'll drop in for Sacrament. YES!

Carmelitas

2008-09-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness. I was at Costco the other day and saw that they are selling a Carmelitas-type mix by none other than Betty Crocker. You can find them by the brownie mixes. They are actually calling them Carmelitas and they look pretty similar to the recipe that I got from Clara Hayden. If you haven't ever had a carmelita, you are totally missing out. It's like a piece of heaven. Seriously. This treat is not for those on a diet and if you make them at home, be prepared to have them disappear because you'll try one and they'll be gone before you know it. The recipes differ but they are pretty similar when you finish. I'm actually going to try the BC mix and see how it is. But if you're interested, here's the homemade version and I'll let you know how the BC mix compares:

Carmelitas
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x9 inch square pan. Combine the 1 cup flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix to combine, mixture will be very crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly then sprinkle over the crust the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Mix the caramel ice cream topping with the 3 tablespoons of flour and drizzle over the chocolate chips. Top with the remaining oatmeal mixture. You will need to break it into small pieces to cover. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Let bars cool before cutting.

This particular recipe is from allrecipes.com. It's almost the exact recipe I have. I don't use nuts and instead of the ice cream topping I have actually sat and unwrapped about two dozen caramels. One hint: don't let the caramel touch the sides of the pan. Try to avoid that if you can otherwise it will be hard to clean off and it will be really really chewy. I was surprised that one of the guys in my department here at work brought these during Christmas time. He said it was his grandma's recipe. Well, guess what? Cat's out of the bag. Enjoy!

Quote numero tres

2008-09-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Your faith will perform miracles especially when you get your hands and feet involved.
-Prophet Gordon B. Hinkley

(In case you couldn't tell, I love a lot of what Prophet Hinkley has had to say.)

He threw out his lunch box

2008-09-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

The hardest working man I know retired on Friday. Lucky bum! My dad is probably still sleeping right now and it's 11:30am. Well, probably not but I would be. I called him Friday morning to say happy last day at work and then called him later when I knew he would be home. He was throwing out the contents of his lunch bucket and then he was going to toss the lunch bucket. My dad has worked so hard over the years for his family. He's worked days, swing and graveyard. I remember when I was younger my mom and I would drive out to the mill to take him dinner. And I also remember when he worked graveyard he'd wake up during the day to some noisy kids. We were busted!
Whenever I see a train go by with wood stacked on it, I think of my dad. Way to go dad! Way to hang in there. What an awesome accomplishment. Now you get to sit back, relax and sleep in. Lucky!
This is my dad reading to Waleska and Isabella when we went camping a couple years ago.

This is my dad and Waleska blowing bubbles another time when we went camping. Look at the sun beaming off his bald head. Almost blinding. I'm so glad my dad has a great sense of humor.
This is my dad and his wife Joyce.

Beautiful Bubu

2008-09-04T17:31:00.001-07:00

Don't freak out. She didn't pick any roses. We found this little tiny one on one of the walls. I was kinda embarrassed that she had it because I didn't want anyone to think she picked it. Not to mention the $500 fine you can get for picking the roses.

Labor Day weekend

2008-09-04T17:20:00.001-07:00

This last weekend we went to the zoo, the Rose Garden (the one with the actual flowers) and Washington Park. At the Rose Garden I found my mom's favorite rose: Double Delight. She had a whole slew of bushes at our house in Roseburg. My dad was really good at trimming them and making them beautiful for her. And they were absolutely gorgeous. I loved to pick them and put them in bud vases in my room.

I love the Double Delight as well but I also found another favorite or two. The first two are called Broadway Hybrid Tea and the last two are called Black Baracas. Beautiful.

Amy, Tiffany and Jolyn's Garage Sale

2008-09-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Weekend before last Amy, her friend Tiffany and I set up my garage for our apartment community's annual garage sale. My garage was open from 8-4:pm and we did fairly well. We had this garage sale last year and I was really looking forward to unloading some of my crap onto bargain hunters again. I made off with $75. All the leftover stuff is going to be hauled to Goodwill. I can't take the tax deduction (because I don't itemize) so I'm happy with the $75.

Amy and Tiffany garage salin' it. I think Tiffany broke even. I'm not sure. I know she was spending money faster than she was making it. It was a lot of fun hanging out with friends and getting rid of our rummage.

I.AM.SO.SORE

2008-09-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

My buns are aching. I took a spinning class with Amy on Tuesday and my buns are sore. I enjoyed the class though. I was dripping sweat from every pore of my body. The only bad thing was the seat. Big buns and little seat doesn't work. If you ever take a spinning class, here are some pointers:

1. Invest in a gel seat or bike shorts. It'll help with the soreness. Also when you're climbing the "mountains" and standing, that up will help give your derriere a break.

2. Take a BIG water bottle that doesn't have a twist off top. You'll need something you can grab and just squeeze the water in your mouth or suck it out. The twist top is too much of a hassle. And if you don't have a big water bottle, take two small ones. I breezed through all my water in half the class. Remember all that sweat I told you about?

3. Take a towel. I am sure I'll forget this one. My glasses kept slipping off so I finally took them off. Plus my hands were so sweaty they were slipping on the handlebars. Not only that but I was just dripping. Luckily none of it got in my eyes.

4. Remember how your bike is set up. That way you don't have to hassle with it everytime you go to class.

5. Thank your instructor. When our instructor asked how we were doing I told her her class was hell...but I liked that and needed it. Later I made sure I didn't offend her and clarified that I needed that kind of class (the hellish one) to bust my booty into shape. She wasn't offended at all. One of her previous students had told her that they were seeing the light. Yeah, I could almost see it.

I'm definitely going back to spinning. They have it three times a week and hopefully I'll be able to make it to all three. What a great way to sweat off some poundage.

Quote #2

2008-08-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

"All religion western and eastern is founded upon miracle. It makes little sense to present such arguments against Joseph Smith and early Mormonism. That would extend equal well to what we are told about the origins of what will eventually be Judaism, the origins of Christianity, the origins of Islam. All religion depends upon revelation. All revelation is supernatural. If you wish to be a hard rock empiricist then you should not entertain any religious doctrine whatsoever."

-Harold Bloom, American professor and prominent literary and cultural critic

Cool quote

2008-08-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd start kinda like a quote of the week. I know I emailed this to some of my friends and family but I thought I'd post it as a kick-off to posting some others in the future.

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time journey... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

My Newest Goal

2008-08-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ok. I'm going public. My newest goal is to reach my BMI. Which I am so not going to tell you but this is going to be a very tough goal. My toughest yet. I'm joining Bally Total Fitness today and then Amy Downing and I are going to work our booties off. Literally. Hopefully we can motivate each other and keep each other on track.
In 2002, my mom died in her sleep and it royally sucked. She didn't get to see any of my kids (though I totally believe that she met them before I did) and she didn't get to see me get married....either time. She was very obese. Weighing in at almost 400lbs and just shy of 5'2". She loved the McDonald's drive through and she loved to eat out. I don't know what caused her death but I would say a massive heart attack wouldn't be unlikely. If I keep going I can only see myself getting closer to her. When I was a teenager she sat me down and told me that she and my dad were worried that I'd grow up and become just like her--way way way overweight. When I was 16 I actually joined a small club in Roseburg and was doing step aerobics every weeknight. I loved it. Then I took cardio kickboxing and loved that, too. I used to run in the mornings before I would go to school when I was in college and do some weight training but the visits to the gym got less frequent real fast. I was quite successful and lost a bunch of weight but after two kids and a lot of crap, the weight (and then some) found me. This time I'm hoping that I'll stay motivated enough to just keep going. I got a discount at Bally's because I work for the district and so I at least I have my foot in the door.
I don't have any reward for reaching my goal. I guess just the fact that I'll need some new clothes in the end is reward enough. Not to mention that I'll be setting a good example for my girls and that this will hopefully prolong my time with them. I want to see them get married and have kids. I know the feeling of not having my mom there so I'll just carry that with me.

He jumped!

2008-08-24T15:29:00.001-07:00

On Friday morning we drove to Molalla so Byron could go skydiving. We showed up about 45 minutes early and decided that we should go look for some place to eat breakfast. We drove about a block up the road and stopped at good ol' McD's to eat breakfast. There was a guy sitting in the table behind me and his motorcycle helmet had a sticker on it that said "Don't hit me." I thought that was kinda cute. He left before us and when we showed up at Skydive Oregon he was there waiting for his jump. His name was Joe and his birthday was that day. Turns out that there were a couple of birthday boys and girls there. Quite the popular thing to do on your birthday. Not mine. Anyways, he was turning 30 so he was going to skydive on Friday and then Saturday he was going bungee jumping. Better him than me. Too many unneccessary risks. Anyways, after Byron checked in and signed the 20 page (not really) waiver that said that they weren't liable in the event of his death and we couldn't sue them, we just sat and waited. This waiver was a bit scary. I was the one who read it and actually just showed him where to sign. I swear in every paragraph it was like, "You can not sue us if you die and by the way, we're not responsible." (In a nutshell.) Kinda freaky. While we were waiting we got to see some experienced divers take off and then land. It was really cool. I got a little nervous for some of them because just as they were landing a plane was taking off. These guys were good, too. They could manouver their shute so they landed on either side of the runway. It was so cool. They would come bombing in to land and then slow down so fast to land so smoothly. It was really neat to watch. My neck got kinda tired from looking up so much. It was hard to see them actually jump out of the plane. You would just see a little silver spot. Like a headlight in the sky. And if you didn't follow the plane on its path up, good luck finding it again. Thirteen thousand feet (over two miles) is kinda far. When we left that morning Byron saw one of the news helicopters flying over head and made some comment about how he thought that was about how high he'd be jumping. I said, "Uh, I don't think so Tim." Seriously, if he jumped from that height, he'd hit the ground before his shute would deploy. And if it did deploy any sooner, he'd be caught in the propellers. He didn't believe me...until he saw exactly how high they really did go. We had a DVD made and he'll get that in the mail soon. The camera guys were so fast to land. He had a really nice camera guy and tandem instructor. The camera guy was really psyched and energetic. Those guys had to land before anyone else so they could finish recording the whole experience. It was fun to watch. Of course when I was recording with the Handycam it started to die. Byron's instructor told him that he had a red shute. Ok, I'll find the red shute. And I did...the wrong one, though. I was taping a camera man the whole time and you really can't tell that it's only one person until they hit the ground so that makes it extra confusing. Ugh! So my taping was going in and out. Oh well. His video will be in the mail soon.

Tomorrow is jump day

2008-08-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

Not hump day. I'm taking tomorrow off work so that Byron can go skydiving. Yep, that's right, skydiving. It's his birthday gift from me. He's actually wanted it for a long time and I've been planning on getting it for him, too. Of course he couldn't do a jump without the proof so it'll be video taped as well. He has to go tandem. At least he knows it's not up to him to make the jump. Ha! I'll be safe on the ground with the girls video taping from my end. We're heading out to Molallah (?) tomorrow and around 11am or so he'll be in the sky. Good luck and happy birthday honey! (Better you than me.)

One more lesson learned about customer service

2008-08-18T20:24:00.001-07:00

Quite a few of my friends know that if they get crappy service or are just not completely satisfied they can turn to me to make the complaint for them. In restaurant situations, I will complain, however, I won't ask them to make me new food or do it over. I'll just have them take the food away. Who knows what they'd do to my food while "fixing" it (loogy sandwich anyone?). Now I don't know if this is a good thing to be known for but my friend Kelly will tell anyone that I'm a serial complainer when I get bad service and I don't just let it go when someone erks me. Here's one more valuable lesson in customer service:

This last weekend I went through the McD drive thru in Tanasbourne and got a hefty order (+$17). I ordered two strawberry sundaes and one fudge and instead got two fudge and one strawberry. I had to change it because there was no way Byron would eat anything chocolate (I know, he's ill) and Waleska would have been heart broken if she didn't get her strawberry sundae. With Roxy in tow, carseat and all, I took the fudge sundae and receipt (which clearly showed I was right) and headed inside to get my strawberry sundae. The guy that helped me was lightning fast. He never questioned what I said and he fixed it pronto. That was great. And he took the fudge sundae I didn't order. Which was NOT great. That is a huge no no. Seriously, I probably would've eaten it at a later time but what did I get for my trouble? NADA. It was funny because when I got home I told Byron that I should do seminars or whatever on customer service. Then he said that I should go back to working fast food because I made more money doing that. Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Anyways, just one more small thing to do when you screw up in customer service: make restitution. Seriously, you gotta do something to say sorry for what you did and show that you value your customer and you want them to come back. It's not that hard. Just something small. Really, what was he going to do with that fudge sundae? Probably throw it away, right? Would it have been so bad if he just let it go and counted it as an apology? I only took the sundae in to show I wasn't blowing smoke up their booty. For all my trouble, I should've walked out with an extra sundae. Errrr!

This weekend

2008-07-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty nice. I had to work but it was still good. On Saturday I went to work at 9am like usual only I got to leave at 11:30 to participate in the CTL company picnic at Gabriel Park. It was really nice. Waleska asked the night before if she could stay the night with Byron's parents so I was really bummed that she couldn't go. I remembered the picnic about a half hour after she left. Figures. Anyways, it was really quite nice. The company provided the hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks and the employees were all assigned to bring some thing based on what their last name beginned with. So we took cookies. There was a bouncy house and one of those big slides that's filled with air. Then on top of that there was a booth for face painting, tatoos and crafts. Plus there was the playground. They held a raffle for prizes and then they did employee only drawings so everyone got a gift. I got a laser pointer pen. It's actually kinda cool. Don't know what I'll use it for but it's more than I've ever gotten from the district. And I got a couple other things, too. Roxy had a good time, too. She was entertained by one of the girls there and she took her around in her stroller.
After the picnic I didn't have to go back to work so I went home and did some laundry and cleaned up a bit. Then Byron, Roxy and I went and walked on the waterfront in Portland. That was really nice. We walked from the fountain all the way across the Steel Bridge and back. It was a nice workout. It was a great day for it, too. Couldn't ask for better weather.
When we got home we decided to watch a movie, Michael Clayton. Yes, it's rated R, I know, shame on me but it was so dang good. No violence or nudity. Just a little foul language here and there. Gotta love George Clooney.
Tomorrow at about 11:30am I'll be with two less teeth. I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Eek! I only have two, they are on the top and they are both in. Well, one is all the way in and the other only half way. I don't have to be asleep and I guess it will only take about 5 minutes. Thank goodness. My dr. is really cute, too. That always helps!
I know, I think everyone is cute, right? Not so much really. I think I just have luck finding the cute guys. My chiropractor is kinda cute. For his age anyways. What's the saying? You can look at the merchandise but you just can't touch it. I love to browse. Hahaha.

My NEW Twilight Blog

2008-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my new blog is up and running with a few errors but nonetheless, it's there. You can read my Twilight blog at www.ochereyes.blogspot.com. Ocher eyes of course being Edward. Check it often and I'll keep you updated on things I find on the net and such.

The Second Trailer

2008-07-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the second trailer yet you can check it out in the Movies section of Yahoo. It's better than the first and it is sooooo good. You get a lot better up close shots of Rob Pattison (mmmm) and after watching it about 20 times, I can really see that Cam Gigandet (James) may become my favorite from this movie. And you can imdb him and see other pictures. The long hair in the movie doesn't help portray even a tiny bit of how great he looks clean cut. And I should mention that in the book James has short hair (and so does Laurent for that matter). In the trailer when James throws Bella across the floor and then tells her to tell Edward to avenge her....it sends chills down my spine how much I love that scene. I can just tell that the ballet studio fight is going to be one of my favorites. I'm going to admit I was kind of on the fence about Bella being portrayed by Kristen Stewart but the more I watch the trailer, I can see that she's is going to be great. I am so bummed we have to wait until December. UGH!
And twilightteez.com has come out with Bella's engagement ring. It is beautiful. You can buy the real thing, too. For over $2000. Or get the cheap-o for around $59. That isn't really cheap to me but compared to the other it is. Anyways, there are three options and I don't think I'll be buying any of them. No promises. I love jewelry and I love Twilight.
I have been thinking about setting up another blog just for Twilight. To tell you the truth, I'm still on the fence about it. I'll see how I feel about it after reading Breaking Dawn and then I'll decide. Plus I know the chances are pretty good that three more movies will be coming out so I'll be insane about this for a while. If I do a Twilight blog, I'll let you know after I get it set up.

Do you realize...

2008-07-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

It's only two weeks from tomorrow until Breaking Dawn is released? I am so stoked! TWO WEEKS!! Also, I've gone to great lengths to get two new screen printed tees that no one else will have. Ok, not many people will have. Special thanks to Mel for forwarding the email and a humongus thank you to Tanya Hancock and her sister, Tirsa Allen. I will be getting two very special Twilight tees. I picked out the shirts on the net and they're being mailed to her sister to be screen printed. See, they had shirts made already and available but because I'm a bigger girl and quite busty, the ones that Tanya had didn't exactly fit very well. I mean, I could wear them but I'd have to give up breathing. Anyways, I am so slacking because I have two new shirts and I still haven't posted the pictures of them yet. I have the pictures in my camera even! I know, I need to get with the program. The one shirt with the rhinestones is totally my fave. I looks sooooo good. Most things don't look good on me but this shirt is awesome. The picture of it isn't that good but just know in the back of your head that it looks way better in person. Also, now that Tanya has my email address, she is so good at forwarding me Twilight stuff. Normally I hate forwards but this is totally ok. I love it that people know I love Twilight.
I need help and this is why I know I need help: I was actually driving to lunch today trying to think of what kind of tribute Twilight TATOO(!) would be cool when I turn 80. Like what would be a timeless tribute to Twilight permanently painted on my body? I wouldn't go through with it of course but I was playing around with the idea. Before anything durastic I'd have to read the last book. If you read on Steph Meyer's website and go through the interviews you'll come across one where she was at a book signing. Let me paraphrase: A young girl about 11 years old came to get her book signed and asked something along the lines of, "Will we feel complete after reading Breaking Dawn?" To which Steph replied, "I can't really tell you right now but I felt closure." Again, I'm only paraphrasing. You'd have to search for the interview to read it word for word. Ok, closure is good. But I really want the comfort of knowing I'll be complete. And the Quote of the Day on Steph's website is driving me totally nuts. Did you read the quote from Tanya? Ugh! And then last night Amy Downing and I were driving home from a Cookie Lee focus group and she was playing Muse. Guess what the song was called??? Unintended!!!! Can you believe that??? Read the lyrics here: http://www.lyricsdownload.com/muse-unintended-lyrics.html. OMGosh! So if you don't know why I'm freaking out, it's because Steph was inspired by Muse's music in a lot of her writing. Check out http://www.twilighthesaga.com/ and you'll find three playlists. One for each book...with a lot of Muse's songs. I'm not sure if there's one on there for Breaking Dawn yet but read those lyrics!!! I need closure. I need the complete-ness. I'm so glad I have my TwilightMOMs. It's like a huge support group. No one understands me like they do.

Isn't he pretty?

2008-07-14T13:37:00.001-07:00

Of course, this is cutie Rob Pattison who plays Edward Cullen in Twilight. Such a hottie. And just so you know, those arms around his neck in the upper left picture, yeah, those are mine. Ha!

Twilight

2008-07-06T15:35:00.001-07:00

Check out the additional Breaking Dawn widget at the bottom of my blog. Dang thing wouldn't fit on the side bar. Oh well, this'll do.

Our Project

2008-07-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

About a month ago we bought a bunk bed for Waleska at Ikea. She absolutely loves it. And we do, too. It took us two and a half hours to put this monster together so she was threatened with homelessness if she didn't sleep in it. Just kidding, of course. I got a great deal on some Tommy Hilfiger bedding at Macy's so I bought two sets. Of course in the picture I hadn't made the bottom bunk up yet. I absolutely love this bedding, too. It's so soft and comfy that next time I get some new bedding, it'll be Tommy all the way.

For Uncle Joshy

2008-07-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

If I've counted right, today would make 24 days. Of course, correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's my Roxy with a message for you:

Roughly translated, "Can't wait until you get home."