Family Pictures

Thanks Jennifer Ritchie for these amazing family pics!! I love the way they turned out! Especially the rich fall colors. I can't believe how much my children have grown this year!!

Fabric Baby Shoes

I made these today! Aren't they cute! I am excited to alter the pattern to make some for Brinna. As for these...I am just waiting for one of my friends to have a little guy!

Sugar Free Pie?

YES!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie

• 1/4 cup cold margarine
• 1 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
•  3 tablespoons heat-stable granular sugar substitute (Xylitol)
• 1 (8 ounce) container reduced-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 1/2 cups cold skim milk
• 1 (1.4 ounce) package instant sugar-free chocolate pudding mix

Directions

1. In a bowl, cut margarine into flour until crumbly. Press into an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sweetener until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Carefully spread over the crust. In a mixing bowl, combine milk and pudding mix. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2-3 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese. Top with the remaining whipped topping.                

The best kept secret

Depression.
It is real.
A lot of people suffer from it.
I suffer from it.
I just want to sleep.
When I wake up I want it to be gone.
I feel dark.
Achy.
Tired.
Guilty.
Scared.

Tomorrow I will wake up and be ok. Tomorrow I will be back. Tomorrow I will smile. Tomorrow I will have nothing to hide.

Today I will hide. Today I will cry. Today I will wait for tomorrow.



If you know someone with depression...love them. They are hurting.

It's been a month...

I have not blogged in a month. I think it's mostly because I have been so busy. Busy with what? I will tell you...

 I decided to put Phoenix into ballet and tap dance. Atticus got to dance for the first class but now I take him to the library during dance.

I also opened an etsy shop called TinkiepanDesigns to sell my hats and flowers.

We also got our family pictures for Christmas. They turned out so cute but I still have to get them from my friend.

The biggest thing that has been going on is that we did the HCG diet. Everything went well. In 2 weeks I lost 13 lbs and Brandon lost 18 in 3 weeks. It is a really hard diet and it's really hard to keep the weight off. I am having a struggle now as to what to do next. Tomorrow I will start an exercise program (the elliptical and pilates). Here is a pizza with a carb free crust.

I have been spending a lot of time with my wonderful friend Jennie and took her family pictures. I love how the pics turned out.

We got back yesterday from spending the Thanksgiving break with Brandon's family. It was such a nice time that I hated coming home. I decided to perk up and put up the Christmas tree with the kids. We played Christmas music.

I love how the tree turned out. Especially the bottom. I can't wait for homemade ornaments!!

So that is what we've been up to!

Poor Baby!

Today I went over to a friend's house to visit. As soon as we got there Nix asked for a blanket. I covered her and soon she began to cry that she was freezing. She had a fever. She soon started screaming that her head hurt. I decided to take her to the Dr.

Now, 3 hours later...she has swollen tonsils, earaches, asthma, and something wrong with the tendons of her right foot. We are still waiting for chest Xray results to find out if she has pneumonia too. Poor Baby!!

It's who I am...

Last night I was us till midnight with Phoenix until she finally stopped coughing and fell asleep. Then Brandon was awake with a migraine till 1am so I rubbed his neck till the medicine kicked in and he fell asleep. It wasn't long after he fell asleep that Brinna woke up with a fever and was up 3am. As I rocked Brinna I thought about the night and those moments. I thought about my blessings. I thought about my babies.

Righteous women can work miracles.

My thoughts were filled with memories of my mother. I remember her holding me all night when I was sick. I remember her kissing my cheeks and whispering that she loves me in my ear. I remember her smell. I remember the feel of her silk nightgown. I remember.

What will My children remember?

As I ponder these things I realize who I want to be. I realize what is real. I realize what is eternal.

Phoenix Michelle

 Atticus Brandon

 Brinna Kate

Superman

I love this man.

My new job.

Do you have a job?

No.

Oh, You're just a mom?

Yes.

Just a mom.

NO! I'm not just a mom.

I am a beautiful daughter of my Heavenly Father who loves me and I love him.

I have been chosen and blessed to care for his babies.

He loves me enough to comfort and support me.

He blessed me with a Savior because he wants to see me again some day.

He blesses me with guidance along the way.

He knows me.

I am not JUST a mom.

My job is

to increase faith and personal righteousness,

strengthen families and homes,

and seek out and help those in need.

A righteous woman can work miracles.

This and That...in pictures

 Here are a few pictures that I've taken in the last few days that I have to share...because they're SO cute!

 Brinna is growing up SO quickly...too quickly. Next week she'll be 6 months old. She is rolling (mostly getting stuck on her stomach) and babbling a lot. She love to laugh and get tickled. Her new favorite thing is FOOD! She wants food over a bottle all the time. Her favorite toy is a bag of wipes. Silly Girl.

 Atti is Atti. I decided to take him out of his 24 month clothes (he's almost 3) and put him in 2yr clothes. (Thanks to Jenn and Jennifer for all the hand-me-downs!!) They are HUGE but he looks so cute. We have been trying to potty train him but it's not ready. He is so scared to go poo that he holds it and it hurts his tummy. We will try again in a month or so.

 Phoenix is a princess. Really. She is so sweet. A helper. She recently got this dress from Cousin Trinity and she wears it almost every day. We are going to make a matching necklace and bracelet to go with it.

 The other night we decided to lay on the trampoline and stargaze. It was fun for 30 seconds until they started fighting over the flashlight and complaining about being cold. Then when we tried to go in the house they cried.

 YUM!! Tilapia salad with mango peach salsa!!

 Finally, I got a new haircut and a few new shirts. cute huh? Much Better...

Doctrines of the Gospel and Politics

We started the study guide for Doctrines of the Gospel tonight. If you want an AMAZING study guide for the scriptures this is the one!!

As we read about truth I began thinking about politics. We are promised that our Heavenly Father, Leader will never waver. This brings me peace.

Divine truth is absolute reality.




1. Truth is knowledge of things as they really are, were, and are to come (see D&C 93:24 ; Jacob 4:13 ).



2. Truth is eternal (see Psalm 117:2 ; D&C 1:37–39 ; 88:66 ).



3. Divine truth is absolute (see Alma 7:20 ; Helaman 8:24 ; Moroni 8:18 ; D&C 3:2 ).

Tired Mama + Scrap fabric + French Braid =

Perfect.

Recipes

 Pumpkin Pie (Vegan Tofu)

Ok so I'm not a huge fan of soy mainly because it's so genetically altered and we really don't need to spend that much money on "fake" hotdogs, hamburgers etc to get our protien. BUT with Thanksgiving coming up I think it's fun to try new things. I made this 2 yrs ago and it was a HIT!

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 t salt

2 t cinnamon

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t ground cloves

1/4 t allspice

1 10 oz soft tofu

mix all in food processer and pour in unbaked pie shell

bake @ 425' 15 min

lower oven to 350' and bake 40 more min

serve chilled

Hippy Freaky Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (I made this recipe up!!)

3/4c non-dairy butter (or coconut oil)

1/2 c adams peanut butter

1 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

3 T blackstrap molasses (optional)

3/4 t baking soda

2 eggs
1 t vanilla

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c (or more) unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 c rolled oats (NOT QUICK OATS!)
1/2 c millet (or 1/2 cup more oats)
3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips

bake 10 min at 375'

MY KIDS LOVE THEM!!!!

Here is another one that we just ried tonight...

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

I didn't really follow the directions I have to admit. I used carrots instead of peppers, kidney beans and pinto beans instead of black beans, no hot sauce, and tortilla chips instead of bread crumbs. They turned out great!!! (They were a little spicy for the kids) I topped them with honey mustard, lettuce and tomato! YUMYUM!

Ingredients


1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1.If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2.In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

3.In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

4.In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

5.Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

6.If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Where we are sealed together...

 I love to see the temple. We went there Wednesday. I have longed to go for weeks but time, money and a babysitter was holding me back.

 I realized that going to the temple is more then just sitting by myself and learning...It is also teaching my children to love the Temple the way I do.

 With the fussing all the way there and the traffic from a car accident I wavered. I questioned going.

 Then I saw it. The Temple. As if it was shouting out to me. Come to the temple.

 We got to go inside and use the bathroom. Phoenix said that she loved it so much that she never wanted to leave. When she saw the youth enter she cried because we couldn't go any further then the bathroom.

 I promised the kids that when they turn 12 we will take them to the temple. They will be able to go inside this wonderful place that we have been singing about for years.

 This wonderful place that makes it possible to be together forever.

 The place of peace and love.

 I know that the Temple is the house of God. I know that families can be together forever.

And that is why we're here.

Madison Eve

 My little neice was blessed Saturday and I was able to be there for  it. I couldn't wait to get pictures of this sweet baby. I am so excited about how amazing they turned out. She is Michael and Jennifer's 8th and so lucky to be so. What an amazing family.