R.I.P

I have sad news. We sold our trailer last week. I know, I know, I talked that thing up big time. We had so many plans of places it was going to go. It could have been a world traveler!
But....REALITY set in just a little bit and we realized that we could sell it and use that money for more important and responsible things. Ugh. You know, like school, rent and food?? I hate being an adult sometimes.
So out of respect for our little trailer, we spent one last night in it. We indulged in some tasty hot cocoa, cranked up our little portable heater as much as we could and tried our best to keep warm. Man was it cold that night! I think we made it until about 12:30 before we gave up and just went and slept inside in our nice warm bed. Obviously we didn't take the trailer anywhere fun and exciting for its last night. We camped right in our driveway. Luckily it was an easy escape to a much warmer place that way.
Our little trailer will be missed but we will always cherish that beauty and remember all of the fun camping memories that were made in it.
Okay, so we only camped in it two different times. One of those times being this particular night in our driveway. Regardless, we loved it and we were sad to see it go! Can't wait to see what our next camping machine will be!!

The quaint little inside. 

Sippin on some Cocoa

I hope the trailer's new owners love the trailer as much as we did! It will be missed but I am sure the new couple will love it even more than we did and take it on much bigger adventures. 

So Delectable.

If you haven't tried this place, you definitely should! So many times when I am driving down the road I pass some really cute places that I always want to stop at but never seem to have time.

Well....the other day I was out doing some errands and saw this lovely place all lit up and looking amazingly cute. So I stopped. And it did not disappoint! It brought me true happiness! When doesn't chocolate do that? 

They had the most beautiful desserts. I was particularly drawn to these lovely cupcakes. Don't they just make your mouth water looking at them??! I couldn't decide on just one so I took them up on their "special offer" of buying four that got me a cute little box and greeting card to take them home in. I had four different kinds but my favorite was definitely the German Chocolate. YUM! 

And don't think I pigged out on these all by myself. I'm not that selfish.I chose two flavors with my self in mind (of course) and two flavors with my hubby in mind! He loved them. And I really am not usually a huge cupcake fan but these babies were tasty. My favorite part is usually just the icing, but the cake part was even good on these. I was very pleased. 

And if I hadn't discovered this place all by myself, I would have hung out there for awhile. Isn't the setting so cute?? And those damask chairs, I LOVE THEM! Next time I will be returning with someone so I can relax and enjoy my cupcake. That way I won't feel so much like a loser. ha ha

So the next time you see a place that you think you should stop at, just do it! In my case, it definitely did not disappoint! And try this place out! You will experience a little bit of heaven too! 

Chili Cook off!

I feel like this was a new family tradition in the making. The idea started from Preston and I wanting to invite people over for dinner but not knowing what to make. We thought about a bunch of different options and then came up with the brilliant idea of a

CHILI COOK OFF! 

Neither of us had experienced one before and Preston has been DYING to develop a Chili recipe of his very own so we thought, what the heck! Let's do it! 

We invited some of our favorite people over with instructions to bring their best pot of chili they could come up with. Each couple brought their own pot except for my husband and I. I may have been just a little nervous and unsure of the thought of him making a chili COMPLETELY from scratch. I mean, we're talking no recipe, nothin'. And for the record, he had never even made chili before in his life. So naturally, I didn't have much confidence in him and didn't want to totally lose the cook-off so I dug out my favorite chili recipe: 

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

It is sooo good! Probably unlike any chili you have ever tasted. (haha just kidding. it might not be that good but it's up there) If you are lucky, I'll even post it at the end of this post so you can try and see for yourself. 

Well, the cook-off arrived and we had four different types of chili to determine which out of the four was the best.

Presenting the Chilis:

Okay, so my name might be slightly inappropriate, but....still funny. 

In all honesty, everybody's chili was incredibly tasty. Yes, everybody's. That includes Preston's! His was probably my favorite mostly because of how surprised I was at how good it was! He put the craziest of things in that chili (and if I told you what they were I'd be dead meat because I've been told a hundred times or more that it's a "secret"). But really, I loved everybody's chili. And I'm not just saying that to try and not hurt anybody's feelings. They really were all good! 

But FYI-if you are planning on doing a chili cook-off like this, I recommend you and your husband or significant other only make one pot. Otherwise you'll end up like Preston and I. Eating chili in any way, shape or form we can think of because we have TWO HUGE POTS to finish and then being miserably uncomfortable because of the toll the beans take on our poor tummies and bums. Let's face it, you won't want to be sleeping with each other anymore after a couple of days straight of eating this stuff. Not pleasant. 

Anyways, do a Chili Cook-Off! They really are a ton of fun! Let me know how it goes! 

Oh and here is my recipe for:

White Chicken Chili

2 1/2 cups of water

1 tsp. of lemon pepper

1 tsp. of cumin

*Combine and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. (I used a slowcooker and that worked too)

4 chicken breast halves, cubed

*Add chicken breast halves or chunks. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer approx. 28 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear. 

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup of chopped onions

*Spray medium skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook garlic and onions until tender and then add to chicken mixture in the pot. 

Add the following to the chicken mixture and cook until thoroughly heated: 

1 tsp ground cumin

2-3 Tbsp. Lime Juice

2 cans Green Giant Shoepeg White Corn

2 cans (4 oz.) diced green chilis

 2 cans Great Northern Beans

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with some crumbled tortilla chips, grated Monterey Jack Cheese, Salsa & Sour Cream. Enjoy!! 

I Know.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true and living church upon the earth today. I know that when we keep the commandments and follow the example set forth by our Savior, we can be sealed to our families in the Temple forever. I am so grateful to know I get to be with my hubby and my entire family forever.

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is true and is for our day.

If you feel so inclined, read this talk  by Jeffrey R. Holland. 

It gives me chills. 

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.

I don't know why I felt the need to share this with all of you but I did. Enjoy. :D

Christmas. Better late than never, right?

Christmas Break and New Year's were one of those weeks that you never wanted to end. We slept in everyday, had a home-cooked meal for every meal and had so much fun with all of our family! I love the Christmas season and was so sad to have it pass but at the same time am so grateful for all of the wonderful memories that were created.  

It has become a little Christmas Eve tradition at my parent's house to have Santa stop by after we have eaten Christmas Eve Dinner. The kids love it! And even the big kids do too....we haven't grown up yet I guess. :)

Grandpa John sitting on Santa's lap! I seriously have the cutest Grandpa! I just love him. 

Madeline, Corgan & London sitting on Santa's lap. Corgan was a little unsure of what to think of Santa but the girls loved it! 

Little Miss Claire's first time seeing Santa! Look at how happy she is! She wasn't afraid of him at all! 

Emily is always the main reason we have Santa come to visit. I just love her. She is the one that truly keeps the Spirit alive at our house. 

All four of the Grandkids! Maddy loves her little brother, can't you tell! 

Another Christmas Eve tradition of my family's is that every year my Mom buys everyone matching PJ's and we open them up on Christmas Eve. It is always a race to see who can change into them the fastest. All the boys, with the exception of Corgan, didn't want to participate with us. Hence the reason we have a family photo without any of them in their cute matching PJ's! Silly boys. 

I am from the most absolute beautiful place in the world. Moab has the most incredible sunsets!

The view right out my Mom & Dad's front door. AMAZING.

I love this boy oh so much! 

P.S. Doesn't he look so cute in his new fleece with the popped collar?? hehe

A couple of days after Christmas, some of my Dad's siblings came into town and we had another Christmas Dinner with them and did a gift exchange. I love it! I am so blessed to be so close with all of my extended family members. Here is my Uncle Dan reading to Miss Mads. She could read all day, every day if we let her! 

He finally got used to me being around! He is such a cute little guy! 

Crazy Emily. I just love her. 

My cute Grandmother and cousin Ally! Ally just got back from a study abroad in Spain. I am still so jealous of her.

London hanging out with the big girls as usual: Maggie & Kelley. I honestly have the cutest cousins ever. 

The room exploded during the gift exchange! SO FUN! 

Cute Maddy with her new backpack! 

A couple of days while we were there, I got to babysit Claire while Linz had some appointments. I was in heaven! She is like a little doll. I just love her to death! And check out her outfit-leggings and a mini skirt! SO CUTE! Linz always decks her out in the cutest things! 

Little Miss Cliare! I love her so much! 

Okay, so if you refer to the pictures of the sunsets above and then look at this picture, you would never believe that they were taken within days of each other. When we first got to Moab it looked like it was still fall and then one morning we woke up to this!!!! I LOVED IT! I think I am the only person that woke up with a smile on her face because of all the snow! Perfect for a little smooch! 

Probably the most awkward picture to try and take when you have snow blowing in your eyes. That husband of mine still looks pretty sassy though! 

Since we were limited on what we could do with all of the snow outside, we decided to go bowling! We went with Preston's mom and his siblings. It was a blast. Preston had some awesome form as you can see. he he 

Moab's transformation into a Winter Wonderland! 

Here's my cute momma in the sassy apron I gave her! I think she spent most of her time in the kitchen while we were there making us the most tasty food ever! I love my mom!

Preston whipped us up some tasty salsa! I love how domestic he is. 

Me and Emmy Loo! 

Emily and I's contribution to the New Year's Feast: Pigs in a Blanket! I love those things. 

Here is the quilt I made for Corgan for Christmas. It wasn't totally finished for Christmas, I will admit. But I did get it finished like a week later! What do you think??

For New Years Day we had plans of going to Durango for the day but the roads were too bad so we went to Grand Junction instead. We did a little shopping, ate at Famous Daves (pretty tasty), and then went to see Harry Potter. Even though it was Preston & I's second time seeing it, it was still good! 

Preston just chowin down on some ribs. 

We told Emily to stick her head in this and when she did she stood up and walked with it on. She is such a goof!

We had such an amazing time for our break! Even if it was -14 on our way home from Grand Junction. We cherish every moment we get to spend with those that we love and we can't wait to share many more Christmas' together! 

Everybody Needs an Apron.

I think everyone deserves to look pretty when they are cooking, don't you? (say yes!) 

Well, if you become a follower of my blog before the end of January and leave a comment on this post, you will be put into a drawing for your very own, one-of-a-kind, Apron! Hurry!!! Do it now before it's too late!!! And if you could specify your size, that would be great too (Small, Medium or Large). If you don't feel comfortable posting your size on a blog, still leave a comment and then shoot me an email to syd_squid@hotmail.com. I have an apron in every size so everybody is eligible to win! 

Adult Apron made for Adele Schopf. 

Adult Apron made for Olivia Sorrel

Adult Apron made for Molly Lorenzo

Child size Apron made for Joslyn Sanders. Even little girls need an apron! 

Adult Apron made for My Mommy! 

And the crazy Apron maker. I was cooped up for a week making all of these babies. Luckily I was somewhat snowed in so it made it twice as fun. Notice our lovely Christmas Tree in the background. It's got character. :)

The massive snowstorm! I loved having this much snow outside and having the excuse not to go anywhere and just stay inside and SEW! I LOVE THE SNOW! 

Our very own Winter Wonderland!