Moving

So I know I have been doing so well on keeping up on the ol' blog lately but have started slacking again and I apologize. But thats only because I have been ULTRA busy. We will be packing/moving for the next week so my posts will be somewhat delayed. But don't give up on me! I will be back soon! Thanks to all of you that are consistent readers/commenters! Be back soon! Love you all!

And the winner is.......

Drum roll please.......

Rachel & Jake Squire!!!

Email me with your mailing address to: sydneybishoff@gmail.com

Congrats!!!!!!!

And sorry for lack of a better post today. I've been having some technical difficulties with the Internet today. I'll be back tomorrow! Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and for being such great followers! Another giveaway coming soon! :)

last day to enter!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! All you need to do is leave a comment on THIS POST, become a follower of my blog by clicking the little blue "join this site" button over there on the right side of this page, and you have the chance to win! Super easy!! The winner will be announced tomorrow!!! Good luck everyone! 

.........................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read An Ensign to the Nations by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Alma 52, 53, 54

...............................

Physical Exercise:

RUN RUN RUN! 

Tone the tummy. :)

Try it, you'll like it!

I have been meaning to try this recipe for a while now and I am so glad I finally did! I was a little apprehensive about what it would taste like because I had never had quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) before. It was awesome!!! And Preston was a huge fan, which is always a bonus! :) Quinoa is a "super grain" and is really good for you. It's a complete protein,  an excellent source of fiber and contains lots of magnesium which is great for your blood pressure. And very tasty. Don't forget that. :) As my Mom used to tell me, "try it, you'll like it!".

Chicken & Avocado Quinoa Summer Salad

from Picky-Palate

2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed & drained

2 cups broccoli floretes

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast

1/2 cup diced red or yellow bell peppers

1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, diced

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Transfer to a large bowl, stirring every 5 minutes to break up. Let cool for 15 minutes.

2. Place broccoli, chicken, peppers, and parmesan cheese into a large bowl. Add quinoa and stir to combine.

3. To prepare dressing, place olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper into a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Pour over quinoa, stirring then gently stir in cubed avocado. 

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings. 

........................................

You have today and tomorrow until midnight to enter the GIVEAWAY!! Hurry hurry hurry! 

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read The Miracle of the Atonement by Elder C. Scott Grow

Alma 49, 50, 51

...............................

Physical Exercise:

Run 1 mile, that's all I have in me today I think. :)

Duke

I remember starting college at BYU and just being in awe of the whole campus. Everything was so big, so spread out and there were people everywhere! It was a little overwhelming when I had come from a town with about 8,000 people, a high school with roughly 400 students and a graduating class somewhere around 90. I knew most all of those students and had been going to school with most of my graduating class since preschool.

 Oh Preston, always ready to snap a picture of me. haha

So going to a school with about 30,000ish students was a little different than what I was used to. But I loved it! I loved going to a big school and the experience that I gained there. I wouldn't trade my days at BYU for anything.

I was positive of that up until yesterday. Preston and I took a little outing to Duke University. I had heard that it was a beautiful campus, that it looked a little like Hogwarts, but that was about it. But as soon as we drove up, we saw the Duke University Chapel. I was blown away with how beautiful everything was. That Chapel itself was overly impressive but I absolutely loved everything about that campus! I took a class at BYU on the history of architecture & Interior Design and it was probably my most favorite class. And everything I learned in that class I saw on the buildings at Duke. I loved it! I can't imagine what it would have felt like to have gone to a school like that. It was just absolutely beautiful. 

It made me wonder why I never even considered going anywhere but BYU. I honestly only applied to BYU, nowhere else. Luckily I got in otherwise who knows what I would have done! But as much as I loved visiting Duke, I know BYU was where I was supposed to go and I gained such an amazing education there. That being said, I still can't help but imagine what it would be like or what kind of student I would have had to be to go to such a prestigious university.

..................

Hey & don't forget to enter the giveaway HERE! 

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:
Read Called to Be Saints by Elder Benjamin De Hoyos
Alma 46, 47, & 48
..................................
Physical Exercise:
-Run
-Crunches
-Pushups
Finish it off with a swim! :)

Saturday is a special day!

..box of fabric = HAPPINESS..

It's the day we get ready for SUNDAY! Or in other words, the day I spend my time sewing, sewing SEWING!! And not getting ready for the day.....uh sorry Preston. You get a trashy wife for the day. lol.

I've started making those little wallets like crazy. I have dreams of creating my own Etsy shop. The  problem is I just have no idea how to get it started, I don't have a name, and the list goes on and on. But I have started making things for the shop so that is a start I guess! It gives me a nice little excuse to sew. :) And to destroy the front room and abandon all of my "wife" type chores, like laundry, dishes, etc. Oops.

 But I'm hoping that these big dreams of mine will pay off eventually! We'll just have to wait and see I guess! So fun and so cute!

Oh and I still wish I had a little doggy of my own. Isn't Wallace just the cutest?? He has been with us since Tuesday and is a serious champ! We love him! 

...................

And Happy 7 Year Anniversary to my sister Amber & bro-in-law Mat! I can't believe it has already been 7 years! Our family has grown a lot since that day! We've added London, Madeline, Stephen, Corgan, Claire, & Preston! Can't wait to see who will be added next! And no, Dan the photographer is not part of our family but he is close! haha

Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY! 
.....................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Alma 43, 44, & 45

Read What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be? by Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy

..................................

Physical Exercise:

Run 2 miles!

Swim with the hubby! :D

Just one of those days....

..3 years ago having to say goodbye to Preston for his mission for the second time. Read more about that HERE..

It has just been one of those days. It feels like everything that could go wrong has and I just need to plop down on the couch and do nothing for the rest of the night. So that's what I'll do. Preston and I have a pizza coming from Dominoes right now as we speak, the ice cream is in the freezer literally calling my name and one whole package of Oreos are ready to be dunked in milk. Yes, I will be eating my feelings tonight. And that's okay. In my opinion, everyone needs a cheat day where they can eat whatever they feel like. And that cheat day is today, my friends.

Enjoy your Friday night and don't forget to enter my little giveaway HERE. :)

.........................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read The Lord's Richest Blessings by Elder Carl B. Pratt 

Alma 40, 41, & 42

...............................

Physical Exercise:

Taking the day off. I'll be back at it again tomorrow. :)

Give oh give away!!

I have been wanting to do a giveaway for months and I am FINALLY getting around to it! I have one of these wallets in my purse and it is seriously the best thing! It holds credit cards, punch cards to my favorite places (cafe rio, farr's fresh, gracie lou's, etc), ID - you name it! I absolutely love mine and thought you guys would love them too! So if you wanna win one, here's what ya gotta do:

1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post. 

(For those of you who have been having trouble commenting, it is right below the post where it says "0 comments or 1 comment". Click on that link, type your little comment and then click post comment.) 

2. Become a follower of this blog. Let me know that you are a now a follower by leaving an additional comment. This will get you two entries into the giveaway! 

3. Tell your friends! :D

The giveaway will end next Wednesday, August 17th so hurry up and enter! 

Good luck friends!!

..................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Alma 37, 38 & 39

...............................

Physical Exercise:

Run 1.5 miles

50 crunches

Stretch

Dog Sitting.

For the next couple of days Preston and I will be dog sitting Wallace. He is seriously the cutest dog there has ever been. He makes me want a puppy of my own SO BAD! I guess we'll see how we feel after spending a couple of days with this little guy! But I'm convinced he'd make anyone want a dog. He is fun, cute and easy to take care of. So far, I am still a huge fan of getting a dog one day. :)

I think he misses Casey & Haley. He's been sleeping and just laying around ever since he's been with me! lol Seriously, so cute! 

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read The Eternal Blessings of Marriage by Elder Richard G. Scott

Alma 34, 35, & 36

..................................

Physical Exercise:

Run two miles

100 crunches

50 jumping jacks

25 squats

Stretch & Swim!

Chicken Tacos

Sorry for two recipe posts in one week but I couldn't help myself. These are seriously THE BEST chicken tacos I have ever had. Hands down. I can't take credit for coming up with this recipe but I can say I have eaten these multiple times and every time they have been a HIT! They are delicious. If you haven't already made plans for dinner tonight, you should probably just plan on making these. They are AMAZING! Here is what you'll need:

> 5-8 Chicken Breasts. (Depends on how many people you are making them for. I like to make a lot of this stuff because it is GREAT for leftovers.

> Mild or Medium Pace Picante Sauce

> Taco Seasoning

> Corn Tortillas

> Shredded Cheddar Cheese

> 1-2 Avocados

> Black Beans

> Sour Cream

> Cholula

> Lettuce

1. Start by placing your frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot with the pace picante sauce and taco seasoning and allow to cook all day. 

2. At the end of the day when the chicken has been thoroughly cooked, shred the chicken. Now you are ready to start assembling your tacos!

3. Start by heating the corn tortillas over medium heat. Something really yummy that one of my friends started doing with these was melting the cheese onto the tortilla before placing the other ingredients on them. Kind of like cafe rio and is super tasty! After the tortillas are heated you are reading to add the rest of your ingredients. We like sliced avocado, black beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream and a bit of cholula sauce. Seriously, you will die when you try these! So easy and SOOOO tasty! Thanks Haley & Meg for this awesome recipe! 

..Favorite summer meal..

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read The Spirit of Revelation by Elder David A. Bednar

Alma 31, 32, & 33

.............................

Physical Exercise:

Run 2 miles

Crunches

Go for a swim :)

Over the weekend

Remember in elementary school when your teacher would ask what you did for fun over the weekend? No? Well, mine always asked and I was always soooo excited when I could raise my hand and actually have something fun to share with the class. And I was quite the shy kid so it had to be pretty darn exciting in order for me to want to raise my hand. So let's pretend we're in elementary school again and all of you are my classmates and our teacher just asked us what we did over the weekend. This is what I'd say:

First, we had a surprise birthday celebration for our good friend, Haley. We celebrated the day before her actual birthday so she never even saw it coming! We had a blast and are so glad we could celebrate her special day with her.

Here's Jordan letting us know that everything is set for the surprise! 

Love this picture. Haley is genuinely surprised and Lauren in the background is so excited to be yelling surprise! haha

Birthday girl!

Oh man, we love this cake.

Banana ice cream with raspberries. DELICIOUS!

..Gianno & Lauren..

..Lauren, Haley, & Me..

(Thanks cousin Nicole for the braid inspiration with my fedora hat!)

 ..Wallace. We sure are going to miss this little doggy when the summer ends..

Cute little family! :D

..................

The other fun thing we did this weekend was play a little game of wiffle ball. For those of you who know me well know that I am like the LEAST athletic person there is. I just struggle when it comes to sports. But that's okay, over the years I have come to accept it! haha. But I had an absolute BLAST playing wiffle ball. I managed to hit the ball a few times, throw a couple good pitches, and I can truly say I had a great time. I swear, we always manage to have a good time with these people. They are so much fun! 

 ..Rebels..

 Andrew

 Jordan

 Tanner

 Haley

 Wallace

 Casey

Jordan

Me

Preston

Meg

Mr. Sass

Tough guy

I look asian.

Sure are going to miss these summer nights! 

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Spiritual Exercise:

Read The Essence of Discipleship by Silvia H. Allred

Alma 28, 29, & 30

FAMILY HOME EVENING! :D

....................................

Physical Exercise:

Run 2 miles

Crunches

Leg toning.