Well…I can’t say Twilight was not entertaining!!!  Leah and I had a great “Mommy date” (without the kids) and we had an interesting time trying to not look at each other as we laughed during a serious part of the movie.

I had to cover my face with my coat so I would not disturb the women sitting in front of us while Leah took deep breaths and looked around until she could keep a straight face.  I am not sure if they realized how ridiculous the whole “sucking the venom out” part looked or if they thought it was exactly what the book promised; either way…I almost wet myself.

There are not a lot of movies that make you want to be undead and grateful to be human all at the same time. It was hard to tell what was a pleasing touch and a bad touch and NO…it was not in that “we should not do this cause were not married way”…it was more of a “that just looks wrong” kinda’ way.  Like when McDonalds tries to make the Mac Rib look more appetizing by covering it in sauce and lettuce.  No matter how you dress it up or how great it looks between two warm buns…it is still nasty.   Through out most of the movie, at least two of the vamps looked constipated while one other looked like she had smelled something real bad.  They all had on a ton of make-up, but in the end…they looked a little more natural than a street walker, but they still had they eerie mortician feel.  

All in all…it was a good movie. I actually recommend it! Take a friend…and if you read the book…a brown paper bag!

Now…onto other matters………….

This is great for a quick dessert…

Grab some cookie dough and preheat the oven, cause’ this can make your eyes roll back people.

Form the cookies into medium sized balls and insert a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle.

Bake until cookies are almost done, but still gooey.

Place one or two cookies on a plate and top with Vanilla ice cream, then drizzle chocolate over the top in a decorative manner!

Make sure you have a napkin ready….drool and enjoy! 

Last night our ward held a cottage meeting.  In this meeting we listened to the first discussion from the missionaries.  We are all encouraged as Latter-day Saints to proclaim the gospel.  I have often felt pretty shy about mentioning the church at all to my non-member friends.  I had used the excuse of not knowing many non-LDS people to even worry about it!  Then last night as I listened I realized that I do have opportunities.. every single day to teach others about the Savior and about our beliefs. 

For example, a few weeks ago I had a woman knock on my door asking if she could leave me a little booklet about the Bible.  I didn’t mind.  Well, that same woman came today with another lady and her son.  I actually remembered this time to give her a Pass Along card!  I know that might not seem like much, but to me it was HUGE to be able to remember to actually do it!

It doesn’t always take big things to make things happen.. we should remember that by small means, great things can come to pass.

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 onion, chopped

1 small pkg. hash brown potatoes, thawed

salt

pepper

cornflakes, crushed

4 tbsp. butter

Mix together soup, sour cream, hash browns, onion, and cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste. Spread in casserole dish. Cover with corn flakes and pour melted butter over top.  Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees!!  Delicious comfort food!

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pt. (2 cups) whipping cream, whipped

1 pkg. (9 oz.) chocolate wafers

Add Vanilla to whipped cream; stir gently until well blended

Spread 1-1/2 tsp. of the whipped cream mixture onto each wafer. Stack wafers together , then stand on edge on serving platter to make a log. Frost with the remaining whipped cream mixture and be sure to wash your hands after you lick the goodness off.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut dessert diagonally for 14 slices to serve your guest or family or gently pick up with waxed paper and carefully insert the whole log into your piehole, being careful not to smear it on your face…not sharing=not nice and people will notice and call you out on it!

As a Mormon mom and wife, I find it important to make wonderful desserts and goodies and hand them out to the other sisters at church for Visiting Teaching suprises and such. In order to feel better about myself, I will make them all fatter. It works for me…it may work for you and if you are my visiting teacher…I like chocolate chip cookies…NOT oatmeal.  I hope you enjoy !

Yea…Congrats to me! I finally put on my big girl panties and acted like an adult for once in my life.  Yesterday was wonderful…it marked the fifth year of my marriage to the man I love with all my heart…the man who is my eternal companion.

He puts up with my crazy ways and doesn’t complain when I am a complete psycho. That being said, I must admit that we have not been on a date since our first child was born…Bella is now 4. 

It is completely my fault. He has wanted to go out several times, but my wild mother instincts always started acting up and my claws came out along with the instinct to grab my babies and scream, “MINE, MINE, MINE!!!”

I didn’t carry my kids for nine months, loose 30 pounds from hacking up everything I ate or let my feet swell to the point of wearing flip flops just to push them off on someone else so we could go on a date. But…I crossed my fingers, said a prayer and decided that I needed to show my husband some personal attention and act like other married couples.  Obviously I have shown him some affection and quality time…hello, we have two kids!, but this was different.

Leah watched Bella and Jack and I took a few deep breaths, breathed into a small brown, paper bag and finally gave myself a pep talk….

“Gina”, I said to myself, “You need to get a grip!”

“Why”, I asked.

To my surprise my brain had shook off the cobwebs and had a decent reply, “Cause you have heard the prophets say that dating between a husband and wife is an important act that strengthens the bonds of marriage and allows you to reconnect and relax without distractions.”

“Dang it…You know, I have always had a soft spot for the Methodist church. Is it to late to convert?”

At which point my mind growled and made me go stupid  (more than usual) for a few seconds and I got the hint.

So, we dropped the kids off and headed to the movies. It was weird, cause when we got to the theater, I held my husbands hand and then reached out to grab a kids hand. I also had a free hip, but I decided to let that go, cause I am sure if my husband jumped up and wrapped his legs around me, I would have felt more like myself, but it probably wouldn’t have looked very appropriate and being Mormon and all, we have to avoid the appearance of evil.

So, that being said…we went to see FireProof.  It was a great movie with a lot of bad acting and a bedroom suit just like mine. Apparently their budget allowed them to shop at “Big Lots” too!

I do encourage everyone to see it. The plot is about a husband and wife who have been married for seven years and they have fallen out of love. Facing divorce, one of them toys with the idea of an affair while the other turns to God and tries to save their marriage.

Of course, I am watching the movie and saying to my self, “They have been married that long and they don’t have kids…that sucks.”

I was also frustrated by the lack of communication between the two. It will drive you nuts. I found myself talking to the screen and frowning…then I looked over at my husband and watched as he wiped the tears from his face, so I guess the appropriate response would be to have a heart and loose myself in the film, not ask my husband if he needs to go to the bathroom and then fight the urge to follow him to make sure he makes it there and back safely.

Anyway…it is a good movie…go see it.  

This cake is a family favorite.  It’s really amazing.  I think people would literally harm each other for the last piece of this cake.  You think I’m kidding, but I’m totally not!  Now your family can fight over it too!  Honestly though, this cake is absolutely yummy!  Moist.  Chocolaty. Dense (the good kind). 

• 2 C. Flour
• 2 C Sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 c Crisco
• 4 heaping Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
• 1 C Water
• 1/2 c. Buttermilk
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp.. salt

Mix flour and sugar in mixing bowl.  In sauce pan, put butter, crisco, cocoa and water.  Bring to boil, then pour over flour and sugar mixture.  Put soda in the buttermilk and add with other ingredients.  Mix and pour in greased/floured pan 11×16.  Back at 350-400 (we usually do 375 for 30 mins.  Make icing 5 mins before cake is done. VERY IMPORTANT

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 box of confectioners sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 2 Tbsp of cocoa
• 1/4 c Milk

Bring to boil in saucepan butter, cocoa and milk.  Take off heat and add other ingredients.  Spread on hot cake.

And there you have it. It is taste tested and approved not only by my family but also by every person who has come in contact with this cake.  Note.. there is really no way to mess up this cake.  If it doesn’t rise because you forgot the salt.. it will just be like a fudge brownie!

We started having Family Devotional when school started.  We gather around the kitchen table at 6:40am (after we dress and before we eat.)  We sing a song (a new one each week), recite an Article of Faith (a new each week) and then we each read a verse from The Book of Mormon.  One verse works well for us since we have small children.  Then we have family prayer on our big prayer rug in the living room.  It has been wonderful!!  We have had very few grumpy mornings.  We have felt the promises from President Hinckley and President Benson as they have begun to be fufilled in our home. 

Brothers and sisters, without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God (Gordon B. Hinckley from Ensign, June 1988, 6).

“There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life’ (see D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance. These promises—increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness—these are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 54).

As this promised desire to do better has increased, we also added Family Fun.  At 7:00pm, we a have 5 minute Roundup.  We meet at the rug, put our hands in the circle and yell “Team Work.”  Then we set the timer for 5 minutes and put things in their proper place.  It’s amazing how much cleaning you can get done in just five minutes.  Then we have 5 minutes of FUN.  One person gets to choose what game they would like to play.  Tonight we did Ring-around-the-Rosie’s twice, Hide and Seek twice and wrestled a couple of minutes.  Then we move on to Story Time.  This last usually 5 to 10 minutes.  I felt an increased love for my family.  We are all laughing and having a good time.  It has really helped on the grumpiness in our house. I hope maybe this inspires you to start Family Devotional or Family Fun in your house!!!

So, let me be the first to admit that I have never lived a period of my life where I read the scriptures daily.  It wasn’t something my parents pressed me to do and thus never became one of those good habits to pass along to my children.  I’ve been wondering what plans I could make in order to insure myself some daily scripture study.  I’ve gotten the prayer thing down.  I am sure to pray before I go to bed and as I wake up each morning.  After I hop out of bed I busy myself with getting my daughter dressed and ready for school.  It’s at that point that the day begins with the little small instances of things to do or other ways I find to busy myself, and yet reading my scriptures has never been on my list.  I figure all it takes is for me to set aside a small amount of time to start!  While my daughter is eating breakfast I’m sitting here blogging.. I’d say this would be a great time to get some minutes in of scripture study.  Perhaps when my husband drops my daughter off at school I could continue.  The best way to start a new habit is to start small.  I can easily devote 10 minutes a day to scripture study.  A helpful format I found was to not only read my scriptures, but to write down what I read was about and how it could impact my life.  This “journal” doesn’t have to be intense, just a little something to help me be sure that I am doing more than just reading words, but actually understanding what I am reading over.   Oh, I also found another neat tool.  It’s a Scripture Study Calculator.  You can say “Hey, I’m going to read at least 3 pages a day” You put in the calculator how many pages you are going to read and it will tell you how long it will take you to reach your goal of reading that book.  So, in a little under 170 days I should be finished reading the Book of Mormon!  Hey.. it may seem like nothing but…

And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things. - 1 Nephi 16:29

 1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 - 8 oz. pack of cream cheese

1/2 pound of powdered sugar

pumpkin spice to taste

apples

nilla waffers

1- Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar untill creamy!

2- Add pumpkin and spices. Mix untill well blended.

3- Place dip in bowl. Cut apples into spices.

4- Sprinkle lemon juice on the apples to prevent brown spots

5- on a serving platter, place apples and Nilla Waffers around the dip.

6- serve.

I saw this dip served in a small pumpkin that had been cleaned. It was really cute and when they finished with the dip, the family cleaned the pumpkin and carved it. Hope you enjoy!

Ok, maybe I am a total and complete newbie or something but Widgets are freaking awesome!  What is a widget?  Let’s go to the all knowing Wikipedia for our answer (because Wikipedia obviously knows all, duh!)

A web widget is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation.

Yeah, that probably meant as much to you as it did to me, didn’t it?  Widgets obviously have a broad range of uses.  There are Widgets that let you shoot your screen (um.. stress relief anyone?) or you can be a good Molly Mormon and download the BYU Radio Widget.  I am in love with it.  It has two settings.  One is BYU Radio and one is BYU Instrumental.  There are several other radio like widgets you can choose form but this is the one I thought was pretty spiffy.  I also really like the Flickr Widget which lets you view your pictures, upload, organize, etc without visiting the website.  I will also maybe admit that I have the Ladybug Widget that is darn cute. (Little ones might get a kick out of it too) Anyway, check out some Widget’s today!  I don’t think you’ll regret it.