At which point we decide to take a break from Kansas and continue a long standing tradition.

The first weekend in April my family has a little get together (I don't really know if little is the right word-it is all of my mom's side, there are 7 children plus spouses and offspring and offspring of those offsprings). It's fun, not very relaxing, and you get to eat to your hearts content. It's called the Bull Sale. Except there isn't a Bull Sale anymore, so now it is the Bull-less Sale.

We are leaving tomorrow and won't be back until Monday. I am ecstatic to see family. Paul wants to stare at the mountains. We both want a vacation from Kansas.

I just want to get it out there

I am growing my hair out. There, I said it and it is now official. Here's the deal. I have always wanted to donate my hair to locks of love. Who wouldn't want a beautiful brunett wig of my lovely locks that has never been colored?

So what's the problem? I cut off my hair (majorly) about every three months.

Solution: give myself a start and finish date. The start date happened already. March 2nd. It was somewhat impulsive on my part, but a good starting point because that is when my sister, Sara, went to the MTC to begin her 18 month mission to Argentina. Can you see where I'm going with this? Now I have an 18 month goal to grow out my hair and donate it to locks of love. Hooray! I will get trims to keep my hair healthy and bang cutting is acceptable. I look better with a sweep of bangs anyway. So now that it's official and the blog world knows, don't let me cut my hair! No matter how bad I want to.

(I will soon post pictures of the growing process, but alas! no computer yet. It will be arriving any day though!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I walked outside this morning and the first thing I saw was this lovely bunch of four leaf clovers. What a lucky day!

What do you do to celebrate St. Patty's Day?

While we are not Irish or claim to know any leprechauns, I like to celebrate the day anyways. Last year I went to the Twin Falls St. Patty's Day Parade and had corned beef and cabbage at my grandma's house. I guess there just aren't as many Irish people here-no parade and due to lack of motivation, I didn't get my brisket and let it soak for two weeks to make a perfect corned beef and I didn't even get any cabbage. Instead, for dinner tonight, we had a green meal. Green plates, green goblets, green peas, green olives, green salad with green toppings like green onions and celery, pickles, pistachio pudding and jalapeno lime chicken. Oh yeah, and green kool-aid. I honestly just looked in the cupboards and fridge this morning and pulled out all the stuff that's supposed to be green. Here's to a day of luck!

ABC's of Me

I saw this fun idea on this blog as I was randomly looking in the blog world. Enjoy!


A. Age: 24
B. Bed size: It's fit for a Queen and her husband (hahaha)
C. Chore you dislike: Dishes! The problem is, I like to use all of my dishes. I need to find balance.
D. Dogs: Not particularly, sometimes I think I might want a small one, but then realize I'd have to take care of it.
E. Essential start to your day: Bathroom
F. Favorite color: Pink, purple, and green
G. Gold or silver: Gold
H. Height: 5'2" thanks for asking, I know I'm short
I. Instruments you play(ed): Trumpet-from 5th grade to 9th grade and the piano for a while
J. Job title: Wife, Homemaker, UMC Secretary, Sales Associate
K. Kids: Goats? none
L. Live: Syracuse, Kansas (six months to go!) but I'm from Idaho
M. Mom’s name: Mother
N. Nicknames: Em normally, but at one point my brother started calling me Emingly something to do with a cooking show on PBS.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Never
P. Pet peeves: Driving the wrong way down parking lot aisles!
Q. Quote from a movie: I caught you a delicious bass.
R. Righty or lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: Sister, brother, brother, sister, sister and their spouses except for the last sister
T. Time you wake up: 5:45 is when the alarm goes off, I don't get out of bed until 6:20 though
U. Underwear: All the time.
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Mushrooms and tomatoes-is a tomato a fruit or vegetable?
W.What makes you run late: Who knows? Probably starting the washer or dryer or dishwasher before leaving.
X. X-rays you’ve had: Wrist
Y. Yummy food you make: Taco soup and pizza
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Elephants and giraffes and turtles

Scratch n'Sniff- African Beef Curry

Here's one that will make the house smell for days, but it is so tasty you won't mind. I have been in a bit of a slump when it comes to cooking lately. It's been a lot of the same thing- mostly sandwiches. To get out of the cooking blahs I decided to check out a cooking book from the library. Who doesn't love Taste of Home for two weeks? This recipe is from the 2009 Taste of Home Annual Recipes. It is super easy and really tasty. I'm excited to make it for company this weekend. Enjoy!

African Beef Curry

Prep: 15 Minutes Cook: 1-1.5 hours

1 lb. lean beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 small onion, chopped

1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Hot cook rice

Raisins, chopped salted peanuts and flaked coconut (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Serve with rice. Garnish with raisins, chopped salted peanuts and coconut if desired. Yield: 4 servings

The Big Texan

Remember President's Day when I was going to be super lazy? That didn't happen. Paul and I decided we couldn't just sit in Syracuse for another day. So what to do? Ever heard of the Big Texan in Amarillo, (you guessed it) Texas? We heard about it and so we went. I'm not sure how far is too far to drive for a good time and steak, but I think this might have been the limit. We went, we ate, we conquered.

I couldn't fit the cow hide sofa in my car though, so I let them keep that.