tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69726437963479844382024-02-06T20:31:40.995-07:00A Journey through the Hills!Living one day at a time, and loving every minute of it!Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-14058323345008171382013-03-07T16:14:00.000-07:002013-03-07T16:14:03.030-07:00Familys PicturesYou would think that now I cut back to part time I would have tons of time to keep up with blogging all about being a mom etc, but not so much. I just havent been able to figure everything out yet. Maybe its because this little ones seems to always want my undivided attention and to always be held or what, but I am hoping that one day soon I will be able to figure it out.
Back in December I really wanted to have some pictures taken of Olivia and get some professional family photos done. My good friend is an AMAZING photographer and she came over one Sunday and we spent the afternoon taking a ton of pictures,. I love how they all turned out and wish that Olivia would have been cooperative for just a bit longer so we could have done more, but I am not complaining. Looking back at these pictures makes me a bit sad, she is growing so fast!! Andrew tells me all the time that she looks exactly the same and is not growing, but I see it. She is becoming more independant each day and her little personality is coming out! I love my little Livey Loo Loo!!!
Here are some of the pics
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Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-72627954219470617142012-11-24T11:37:00.001-07:002012-11-24T11:37:29.591-07:00Baby OliviaBaby Olivia Hill finally made her arrival into the world on Oct 18, 2012 at 6:49 pm. She could not be more cute and precious. We are loving every minute with her and getting used to the idea of being parents. And man is that an adjustment! I will post about her birth etc later, but for now, its time for some pics! I may be a bit biased but I think she is pretty stinkin cute!
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Only an hour old and she is already bright eyed!
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She has already mastered holding her pacifier at 2 hours old. Smart girl. :D
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Sporting a hat that her Aunt Toriann made her.
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Chillin on mom and dad's bed while they get ready.
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Oh hey, you talkin to me??
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Meeting Great Grandpa for the first time.
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Talking a nap in the car seat.
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My first Halloween costume, nothing too fancy
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Napping on Grandpa's chest
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Already 4 weeks old! Where has the time gone?!
Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-46296778711402330622012-08-27T14:37:00.001-06:002012-08-27T14:37:38.594-06:00Still here......My mom keeps telling me that the only way she knows what is going on in my life is through my blog. I informed her that our life is pretty boring at the moment and with not having the internet at our house I cant really blog a whole lot.
I am still pregnant, 32 weeks and counting. For the most part pregnancy has not been horrible. I was lucky and never had morning sickness, I have only thrown up once the whole time and I think that was due to some bad food. I have been lucky enough to experience the joys of heartburn, oh man I hate that! Especially when it wakes me up at 2 am. But compared to some of my friends who have been sick the entire 9 months I consider myself lucky. The heat has NOT been my friend and I can not wait until it finally starts to cool off. I havent spent much time outside this summer, just going from place to place that is air conditioned. I have started to get the swelling in my hands and feet and putting on regular shoes has become a bit of a challenge some days. If only we were allowed to go bare foot everywhere. :D
Andrew is still working hard and counting down the days till we get to meet our princess. Some days I am not sure who is more excited for her, me or him. I can not wait to see the look on his face when he gets to hold her for the first time. It is something that I have been waiting for since we first got married. He is going to be a great daddy!
Other than that our life is the same, slowly starting to acquire all of the things that the little one will need and enjoying these last few months as just the two of us. Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-1191488623668425222012-04-22T23:05:00.000-06:002012-04-22T23:05:34.134-06:00ChangesWell life at the Hill Home has changed a bit these past couple months. If you haven't noticed the side bar pic, we are adding to our little family!!! Baby hill is due mid October. The Doctor is still unsure of my final due date, I have heard 3 different ones so far, all within a week of eachother, so hopefully one day soon we will have a real date.
We could not be more thrilled. We have been trying for a baby for almost a year and a half so we consider this to be a true blessing. When people ask if we want a boy or girl, I of course want a sweet little girl so I can dress her up and spoil her rotten. Andrew wants a boy to play with and teach him all about sports. Really when it comes down to it we want a healthy baby and would be happy for either.
So for awhile now I have debated about going back to school to get a Master's in Social Work. My husband talked me into to applying to a few schools. That took some time, but I was able to complete them all and then played the waiting game. My hope was to get into a school in Utah, but the only one that I was able to apply to didnt want me, so that was a no go. I applied to two other schools outside of Utah, one fairly close, the other on the East Coast.
Well last week I got a letter from the school on the East Coast. It was a thin envelope and when I took it out of the mailbox I knew exactly what it was going to say and I had no intention of openining it. I didnt want to face getting a rejection letter at the moment. Andrew came home from work, say the envelope and immediatly ripped it open. I told him I knew what it said and I didnt want to see it.
He started reading the letter and I was TOTALLY SHOCKED!!! I got ACCEPTED! To the University of South Carolina!!! Oh my! I was totally taken back but so happy at the same time. Andrew was thrilled because that ment we would be able to leave Utah, something he has talked about since I met him.
Because of being pregnant and my due date I dont know for sure what we are going to do. That is far away from any family and familiarity and I dont know if I can start school and have a baby in the first semester and get used to a completely new environment.
I am still waiting to hear back from the other school, UNLV, before we make a final decision. I am hoping to be able to defer for a semester and then start in January, but who knows if that is even a possiblity.
So that is our life as of late, we went from boring to multiple things happening but we could not be more excited for these new changes to occur.
* I have tried to upload a pic of the baby that we had done at 11 weeks, but I am having some issues.... for now, I will just post a link to facebook. :D
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.570926942701.2063254.203002979&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=609863373781&set=a.570926942701.2063254.203002979&type=3&theaterBrooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-85510289387341639062012-02-28T16:18:00.003-07:002012-02-28T16:27:18.331-07:00Still hereSo for those of you who check my blog, I promise that we are still alive, I just havent been able to post in a while. We moved at the end of September and decided to save money and not get internet. It was both a good and bad decision. <br />Nothing much has been going on at the Hill house, lots of work, a few small trips, and some play thrown in when we have some time and energy. I have at least a good 400 plus pictures to upload, maybe one day soon I will be able to do that.<br />For now we are waiting for spring and cant wait to enjoy the sun! <br />Until next time......<br />A picture to look forward to courtesy of Google. Oh how I love google!<br /><br /><a href="http://desktopia.net/wp-content/uploads/walls/thumbs/Spring-Blossoms1-575x460.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 575px; height: 460px;" src="http://desktopia.net/wp-content/uploads/walls/thumbs/Spring-Blossoms1-575x460.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-6629156714081296912011-11-27T02:07:00.002-07:002011-11-27T02:13:37.434-07:00Just saying<a href="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID26405/images/venting(1).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 547px; height: 367px;" src="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID26405/images/venting(1).jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I found this picture on the web and it is totally how I feel, and I am sure there are a few people in my life that feel like the other guy when I have to let of steam... Sorry friends!<br /><br />So I just have to vent for a minute. There are some nights that I really just dont care for my job or the people that I work with. Granted this is very far and few between, but tonight is one of those nights. I am sick of some people doing whatever the heck they want when they want and not thinking of their coworkers when they are doing such things. <br />All I ask is that you Please Please Please be considerate of others that you work with. The rest of us have jobs to do and needs that need to be met. You are not the King of the Castle around here. So stop acting like it!<br />It doesnt help that I am super PMSing at the moment but I am just fed up with this night and am counting down the mins till its over. No if only I would be able to get a lunch...... if the talking ever stops!Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-75624048975367239352011-08-02T13:00:00.002-06:002011-08-02T14:28:10.326-06:00Vacation Time!So anyone that know us knows that we like to go on vacation, a lot. It doesn't have to be far, or sometimes not even that long. As long as we are away from home for a few days we are satisfied. Every summer since have been together we take a bigger trip, somewhere a little farther from home and more exciting. This year, I wanted to go to a beach. One where I could put my feet in the sand and play in the waves of the ocean. After a lot of looking and planning and researching the best deals, we planned it out. A week and a half of fun in the sun, just the two of us. So off we went to see the sunny sands in California, visit the heat and flashing lights of Vegas, and the sun and small town feel of St George.<br /><br /> Andrew has never been to California so I wanted to make it fun. We were going to go to Disneyland, but we decided to wait until we can take our kids so it would be twice as fun. We stayed in Oceanside, and our hotel was five mins from the beach. It was amazing! On our first night there we went and walked on the pier and then down the beach, dipping our toes in the cold water. We also walked around the shops in downtown Oceanside and found ourselves surrounded by Marines. I guess that happens when we were two miles from Camp Pendelton!! We spent a day in Huntington Beach shopping and playing in the amazing blue water of the beach in Huntington. <br /><br /> On our last day in CA we drove down to San Diego and were able to do a session in the San Diego Temple. It was stunning! Smaller than I expected but it was so pretty. We then went to downtown San Diego and visited the famous Seaport Village. <br />Seaport village is located in the Bay and is filled with tons of small shops and restaurants bursting with yummy food. I think my favorite part of the village was the $60 that we spent to take a tour around the Sand Diego Bay. The first part of the tour was on the streets of downtown, and then our tour bus turned into a boat and we were out on the water. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen! We were able to see a ton of great things. We were sad to leave the sunny skies of Southern California and warm water of the ocean. We both decided that given the opportunity, we would move to a place near the beach in a heartbeat! <br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='http://localhost:53248/47a49fab1cf7d5c8bffd461c68d134ff/image/adf32bfec78e7aa4.jpg'><img src='http://localhost:53248/47a49fab1cf7d5c8bffd461c68d134ff/image/adf32bfec78e7aa4.jpg?size=400' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br /> We stopped in Vegas to experience The Freemont street spectacular and to visit with some of our good friends. We stayed at the Golden Nugget. It was a decent hotel, and I loved the swimming pool, probably on the best pools in Vegas. In the middle of the swimming pool was a huge fish tank full of giant fish and even sharks! They also had a slide that went right down the middle of the tank with glass so you could see the fish all around you. There was three different pool decks, and the top level was for adults only. we never made it up there but I am sure it would have been great to be at the pool with no little kids running around! We weren't there very long but enough time to see the lights and the glam, get in some swimming time, and some retail therapy as well. <br /> The last four days of our vacation were spent in St George. We were able to get tickets to see the Little Mermaid at Tuachan. The play was supposed to be the highlight of St George but compared to ones in years past, it was mediocore.<br />Andrew's Grandparents lived in Enterprise, so we decided that one of the days to take a drive up there and see their old house and drive through the town. We also went to the infamous Veyo pool, where Andrew spent many a summers swimming away. We also did yet more shopping and spent almost an entire day at the pool, and yes we did get burned. Needless to say, we decided it would be best to stay out of the sun the rest of the time. As our vacation came to a close, we were having a hard time wanting to go back to reality. As we were driving back from St George we started talking about where we were going to go on our next vacation and how soon we could go! I know we are crazy!<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='http://localhost:53248/51a306783512da3538e8c895fdf3b130/image/d12db251e6229bfc.jpg'><img src='http://localhost:53248/51a306783512da3538e8c895fdf3b130/image/d12db251e6229bfc.jpg?size=400' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br /><br />We took a TON of pics on the trip and blogger takes way to long to post them all individually. I found a site where you can make collages of your photos and post them to your blog. I put them together but when I post them they seem so small! I will leave them up for now, but I am going to keep researching how to make it better so you can actually see all the pics. For now, if you want to see them, go to facebook, and leave a comment. :D Thanks!Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-44613796403702994532011-07-08T08:27:00.006-06:002011-07-08T09:02:17.079-06:00i am now a grown-up of sorts...So a while back I won a giveaway to get a year subscription to Woman's Day Magazine. I have never been a magazine fan, but lately I have found that I like reading about how to make a better home etc. One day I hope to use the many good ideas on a home of my own. So as I was reading I came across a couple of pages full of quotes that I totally love, and want to put all over my walls when I have the space. So I thought I would put a few up here so I can remember them down the road.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Knowledge is learning something new everyday, Wisdom is letting go of something everyday.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. today is the only cash you have. So spend it wisely. </span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A woman is like a Tea Bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is 14 days!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Health is like money. We never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Good Lord gave you a Body that can stand most anything. It's your Mind you have to Convince.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Laughter is brightest in the place where food is.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.</span><br /><br />Kind of random I know, but I am a sucker for good quotes.<br />Our life is good, we are keeping busy, working alot, and counting down until we get to go on vacation. Only one more week, and we will be on our way here,<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www1.hilton.com/ts/en_US/hotels/content/HUBWHHF/media/images/photo_gallery/HUBWHHF_Hilton_Waterfront_Beach_Resort_home_right.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 218px;" src="http://www1.hilton.com/ts/en_US/hotels/content/HUBWHHF/media/images/photo_gallery/HUBWHHF_Hilton_Waterfront_Beach_Resort_home_right.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Will be eating lots of this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood.com/media/2007/09/icecreamconepic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 252px;" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood.com/media/2007/09/icecreamconepic.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Seeing a show with this funny guy:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/marianne-paskowski/2008/12/09/JayLeno.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 401px;" src="http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/marianne-paskowski/2008/12/09/JayLeno.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Hopefully getting to see this face:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigE6bFXG9BoM7lpUYvO9UTQm5LYe_bm-MEsl603b47IAqlavbXKHeWYWXCMW-S_pHYcDxbcXarEougX0V4ImU0BAMiVmu894CPQMygQGwrD54LMO7LrDIKzTKg_Gbj7VcMkfVr6LKzvEU/s1600/Christmas+and+wedding+reception+069.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigE6bFXG9BoM7lpUYvO9UTQm5LYe_bm-MEsl603b47IAqlavbXKHeWYWXCMW-S_pHYcDxbcXarEougX0V4ImU0BAMiVmu894CPQMygQGwrD54LMO7LrDIKzTKg_Gbj7VcMkfVr6LKzvEU/s320/Christmas+and+wedding+reception+069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626994940290829618" /></a><br /><br />And getting to spend 11 glorious days with this great man!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAFmR7PhONRi6V4M4l31XoadhSNzzPtPsuxSWce_FCpbOTutkoGsWnkpJGX4f0I8SkRmZCF7Qwj47pR5QDvNSXt7GYzjS9isq0iu_16xZnxRTtGT18AXRicYcN_NZkD32erBYL84TaSA/s1600/039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAFmR7PhONRi6V4M4l31XoadhSNzzPtPsuxSWce_FCpbOTutkoGsWnkpJGX4f0I8SkRmZCF7Qwj47pR5QDvNSXt7GYzjS9isq0iu_16xZnxRTtGT18AXRicYcN_NZkD32erBYL84TaSA/s320/039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626995542069391122" /></a><br /><br />I promise to blog about our many adventures soon!<br /><br />* Pics courtesy of Goggle*Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-31879724364135528522011-06-22T18:38:00.002-06:002011-06-22T18:41:19.441-06:00Some people bring out the worst!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2180535.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 489px; height: 368px;" src="http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2180535.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a> <span style="font-style:italic;">I like to say that I dont hate anyone that I know. Hate is a very strong word. But there are a few people that I really really really can not stand, and they bug me so much, that I am almost tempted to use the word Hate towards them. You know that you dont really care for someone when you see them somewhere and you feel an instant feeling of dread come over you and you want to crawl in a hole and not come out until they leave. I have been having this feeling lately with a person that I come in contact with at least once a week, sometimes more. I dread having to deal with them and pray that the time we do have to be in contact will pass oh so quickly so that I will not have this attitude, as I find it makes me mean and not a very nice person to be around. I have talked about these feelings that I have with several people and am surprised that I am not the only one that has these feelings. Its sad that someone can have such strong feelings of dislike for another person that when you see them you want to run and hide or throw something at them and hope they go away. <br />A good friend gave me some advice, that I have been trying hard to put into practice. She told me that even though it may not be pleasant to be around a person that you really cant stand, since there is nothing I can really do about it, to do my best to ignore them, and not let it effect my work. I am happy to report that I am doing pretty good with this, but there are some days, today being one of them that I just dont have the energy or desire to make it work and to be nice and tolerate this person. If only the next six hours will pass by in a blink of an eye and I can stop being an angry bear to everyone I come in contact with.</span>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-2378905113176317632011-05-18T21:11:00.003-06:002011-05-18T21:21:14.488-06:00Some respect please?!I love my job, I really do, I promise. But sometimes I really really dont care for some of the people that I work with. I work at a hospital where we see all types of patients and work with all types of people. Most of those people I can handle, but there are some that I would rather jump off a cliff then work with. And then there are those people who dont come to our unit very often, usually only for a short time, a month or two and think they know everything about anything that comes their way. It drives me BONKERS!!!! I want to tell them to get off their high horse and listen to those around them as we know our stuff as well, maybe not as good, but still we know what we are talking about. I was talking to my husband the other day after a bad night at work and told him something that I believe to be so true. When you are a visiting staff memeber on our unit, it would be in ones best interest to not be rude or offend the techs and nurses that you are working with. If you do so, you will regert it for as long as you are on that unit. This is so true. The nurses and techs are the heart of the unit, we do so much and yet at times we are treated like dirt. Eventhough we are the lowest on the food chain, does not mean we are dumb. Have some respect will ya, we are trying just as hard as you to make those that come see us to feel better. It is all about RESPECT people!<br /><br />*Three posts in one day, its all for you Nat! ;) lolBrooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-3102093303213104802011-05-18T13:27:00.002-06:002011-05-18T15:44:35.610-06:00Cellulite and Tan LinesSo I quite enjoy the season of summer, for alot of reasons. One no longer has to wear pants, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, or shoes that conceal pretty painted toes. But at the same time, summer brings out some crazy attire and a lot of skin that should be kept hidden. <br /><br />My least fav part of summer, is wanting to enjoy a nice afternoon by the pool, but then you have to stare at this all day:<br /><a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-infashion/cellulite%20butt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 314px;" src="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-infashion/cellulite%20butt.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />(Pic found courtesy of Google images)<br />I tell you what, I am NOT a FAN!<br /><br />Case in point. We were in Vegas this last weekend enjoying the warm sun and some time to relax. Now I am a people watcher, and Vegas is the perfect place to do just that. We stayed at a hotel to the south of the strip that is a pretty decent hotel for the price we paid in Vegas. As soon as we got there, we checked in and decided to hit the pool. It was busy, but not too bad for a weekend.<br /> As we were getting settled on our chairs at the pool I took an interst in the lady across the way from me. She looked to be in her late 50s possibly eary 60s. Her hair was dyed a dark brown color and she was constantly applying lipstick and checking to make sure her makeup looked ok. As I looked more closely I saw that she had the straps of her swimsuit pulled off her shoulders and tucked under her arms to avoid getting any lines. Now dont get me wrong, I dont like lines either, but from the looks of it, this was not this woman's first trip to the pool this season. Her skin was a dark brown and looked as if it would feel like leather. Between that and the fact that she had a swimsuit on that was two sizes two small made me want to loose my lunch. And she was not the only one, it just kept getting better.<br /><br />Now I am not saying that I have the perfect body but I am one that is pretty self conscious about that I look like in a bathing suit. But to each their own I guess. <br />Oh summer, you bring so many intersting thingsBrooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-39105986700687222342011-05-18T10:07:00.009-06:002011-05-18T13:26:24.496-06:00Springtime is Here!!So I was talking to an old friend the other day and asking how she was etc and what was new in her life. After we discussed our various things going on she told me that the only way she feels like she can keep up with people is through their blogs, and then she told me that I was slacking in that area. I tried to tell her that nothing really exciting ever happens in my life, but she didnt take that answer very well. So here you are Nat, our life as of late.<br /><br />In the last month of April and beinning of May we had three birthdays, my dad, my brother, and my hubby. I talked my mom into having an all in one celebration to get it all done at one time. My mom made a great dinner and I was in charge of the cake. I made the cake that I posted about a few months ago but I used strawberry jam and fresh strawberries between the cake layers. It was a HIT. I sure do love spending time with my family. Too bad they all dont live close, I miss my bro in CA. :(<br />I took a bunch of pics that night but most of them turned out weird, but here a few of my favorites.<br /><br />The three birthday boys. Of course none of them would be serious for the pic.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUOu9nh5iXaYfggA_j0nzZJbupNLs73iWxkcAOeCZQT7XT9k16BA5ia_a4JgzwdNm1RRmI9QwwL3G9HYK04NQwul6e0QyRpGm6sDYn5JBoj4Dqn9hOI40e2pV5qJrbKUP4NH5815yv3Q/s1600/060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUOu9nh5iXaYfggA_j0nzZJbupNLs73iWxkcAOeCZQT7XT9k16BA5ia_a4JgzwdNm1RRmI9QwwL3G9HYK04NQwul6e0QyRpGm6sDYn5JBoj4Dqn9hOI40e2pV5qJrbKUP4NH5815yv3Q/s320/060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608091484030716978" /></a><br />All the Arbon girls. Love them to death!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALT1M-2WZBMjWU_v0eXjYJ8Afsjzc_1IeyY7RMfIxmYUljFKIvDBSEGSU-3-CZEcReRlQ-B4obSw3Ykc0z9FU2yJCvQCjV970gJ2ErI5WCbHCNTLTX0MuUbt5EC2bEAI-DWMgoWpWGPI/s1600/057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALT1M-2WZBMjWU_v0eXjYJ8Afsjzc_1IeyY7RMfIxmYUljFKIvDBSEGSU-3-CZEcReRlQ-B4obSw3Ykc0z9FU2yJCvQCjV970gJ2ErI5WCbHCNTLTX0MuUbt5EC2bEAI-DWMgoWpWGPI/s320/057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608089336951958802" /></a><br />My cute brother and his wife. I sure love these two!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0dQfU_5IRFUHmJ1WaA0KjK8blJWDm0b6lwYfRROdmdP6_ZbNQH0SgaCkP7l5yXshuzGI6g8mD4l9M3PkKJBpR3nWuEEpklOCTV9fssFwEBFuyR3oH0LNagKqR3HiGa4L8HAMbHFg7qo/s1600/062.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0dQfU_5IRFUHmJ1WaA0KjK8blJWDm0b6lwYfRROdmdP6_ZbNQH0SgaCkP7l5yXshuzGI6g8mD4l9M3PkKJBpR3nWuEEpklOCTV9fssFwEBFuyR3oH0LNagKqR3HiGa4L8HAMbHFg7qo/s320/062.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608103657871682642" /></a><br />My parents are the best in the world! So surprised that my mom let me take her pic. Doesnt happen very often. I love that they are matching too, makes them look so cute.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_myPkyz97GCDbvSCVSG69OpQIvj7ykkS4tbdRv2dfAw0XxMhtqUiCcXjahVDhIKul5sDbwTH0i3xCY0zzWaGrgEtW1YctIXAr6xUje40HSUWNMeTYI6abCt-7SBzXtC4itSvq7xXq1E0/s1600/065.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_myPkyz97GCDbvSCVSG69OpQIvj7ykkS4tbdRv2dfAw0XxMhtqUiCcXjahVDhIKul5sDbwTH0i3xCY0zzWaGrgEtW1YctIXAr6xUje40HSUWNMeTYI6abCt-7SBzXtC4itSvq7xXq1E0/s320/065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608091492056010114" /></a><br /><br />May 2nd was Andrew's birthday and we both took the day off to relax and have some fun. There is a new restaurant that opened not far from our apartment so we thought it would be great to try for a birthday breakfast. It is a small little place that is made to look like you are eating inside of a cabin. The service was good and the food even better. When we left we felt like we didnt need to eat again for a week!<br /><br />We decided to try a new place for Andrew's birthday breakfast and it was a good choice!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1QeByL8_F2l0auBdaWvb9rxPVdhMjN6SLOu_Qguv8ywJCEQIa3yPDn3el9BYxbXsbMRmm-LXdnsqmwJ8w8f6MDNnVsbGFWZDVqqg2sl5qCnRspLBbsJRfb44wyKvH9RlM0Iv0cNlWKI/s1600/068.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1QeByL8_F2l0auBdaWvb9rxPVdhMjN6SLOu_Qguv8ywJCEQIa3yPDn3el9BYxbXsbMRmm-LXdnsqmwJ8w8f6MDNnVsbGFWZDVqqg2sl5qCnRspLBbsJRfb44wyKvH9RlM0Iv0cNlWKI/s320/068.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608091501206034242" /></a><br />We got our food and suddenly realized we had ALOT of food to eat.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwGn_iEG1L3jfRxgMXh8WOLQhWMYMWGGciwrL3vxUQYcW_sVeGra45m8XCeHq6XXbZ6ZDQ_P5lsyEnO1OTtHPfskJJkryjFnNI-PxUJrn900QBIHJbNtprD3BKqPq1J_QQZWvG49hBc0/s1600/072.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwGn_iEG1L3jfRxgMXh8WOLQhWMYMWGGciwrL3vxUQYcW_sVeGra45m8XCeHq6XXbZ6ZDQ_P5lsyEnO1OTtHPfskJJkryjFnNI-PxUJrn900QBIHJbNtprD3BKqPq1J_QQZWvG49hBc0/s320/072.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608092595360147058" /></a><br />Both of our plates were full of tons of food!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnBPhEYvCEyvspXYtsTPA3E1cVnFvCHRFIrCAxjuu5I0PQhEmkHLL220ysv9r9pJVc5q0V8SfICEPE50Q9gMyXRPxgnbUCR-DulzjHFvLLoTMMkTPFXTsNDgHliOchZAGpomWpOymCkg/s1600/071.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnBPhEYvCEyvspXYtsTPA3E1cVnFvCHRFIrCAxjuu5I0PQhEmkHLL220ysv9r9pJVc5q0V8SfICEPE50Q9gMyXRPxgnbUCR-DulzjHFvLLoTMMkTPFXTsNDgHliOchZAGpomWpOymCkg/s320/071.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608091502757295954" /></a><br />He finished the massive plate of food, and boy was it good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G6ylsu0lx8WyXE3ohaLesM6auDLVE1aKqsMWr7mY5hw09km_N9dD50RV32A4HZX_cjWCRx7uQ_Ph_8lU6pC-tD0x9S4ath6UBCW8W-UX5sCGzJJaCLYfFS-785LFk32pFTS59VwEz2s/s1600/075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G6ylsu0lx8WyXE3ohaLesM6auDLVE1aKqsMWr7mY5hw09km_N9dD50RV32A4HZX_cjWCRx7uQ_Ph_8lU6pC-tD0x9S4ath6UBCW8W-UX5sCGzJJaCLYfFS-785LFk32pFTS59VwEz2s/s320/075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608092600081497618" /></a><br /><br />After out HUGE meal we decided to enjoy the nice weather and go to the Tulip Festival. It never disappoints. I could spend all day there every day just enjoying all of the color. We have went the past couple of years and always take a ton of pics. So I only posted a few of them. <br /><br />I love flowers. I cant wait to have a house of my own so I can have a huge flower garden!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUooVNkPekxGsb6cYUS3tdH6nf5IkvBHgt3WyAlhDZP7V6F8liI2uBextAkYwLpUnAmAMB4eNVI_eNnei_Tpi2d75NAihBSJj7N3CN4YBpvTSLqJOFQMq6twsAh_fVEmtZ-M_fDiEee48/s1600/139.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUooVNkPekxGsb6cYUS3tdH6nf5IkvBHgt3WyAlhDZP7V6F8liI2uBextAkYwLpUnAmAMB4eNVI_eNnei_Tpi2d75NAihBSJj7N3CN4YBpvTSLqJOFQMq6twsAh_fVEmtZ-M_fDiEee48/s320/139.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608092618568237554" /></a><br />More flowers<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6Ejzsla18lkNkic0gsRuj4kxRQMiVPAeweS7TaS9TE3yGJQw_fiPrH0l3OiWQ6HYvYKLZH9CEXtc2tbEhN-90RBjYZaW4Jf3e4tJ-8vpVTpLAsObtYJvty-AMkZ99uiMKBBsjxRU3hU/s1600/115.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6Ejzsla18lkNkic0gsRuj4kxRQMiVPAeweS7TaS9TE3yGJQw_fiPrH0l3OiWQ6HYvYKLZH9CEXtc2tbEhN-90RBjYZaW4Jf3e4tJ-8vpVTpLAsObtYJvty-AMkZ99uiMKBBsjxRU3hU/s320/115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608092610622851666" /></a><br />So I really like the pics that photographers take of a couple's rings when they get married. I figured I would try my hand at it since I had the perfect setting, flowers! What do you think?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVxvMpmxfouHJsqv5eZd-bpNlutCNBo0cNQjQBZ-dUGSlJcstgkd4OXgxicdpzAFCqZasOzRfjW7P1lIzI3Gbl4fTLuuauqBKsxeKuoqHJLQoQTn2Y0ebyg5AJ-NwX0DRM1tO_iXcDqk/s1600/171.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVxvMpmxfouHJsqv5eZd-bpNlutCNBo0cNQjQBZ-dUGSlJcstgkd4OXgxicdpzAFCqZasOzRfjW7P1lIzI3Gbl4fTLuuauqBKsxeKuoqHJLQoQTn2Y0ebyg5AJ-NwX0DRM1tO_iXcDqk/s320/171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608093359248803010" /></a><br />Here is another ring pic. I think we took about fifty in all with our rings, too bad only about a fourth of them worked out. :(<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2DjdrJDTUFJwgUEW4VFCj12mhnnY5AGeU04tJQXbC63hWVFfdjywFmvNQyk_hQpLsBjTNXIqCcZ1vBxAJP9NKhCauhYvSTbCTwmVfS1QSJeXb1PM-FmeH5hz_L5Wy0JYNTwKssNsh7k/s1600/144.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2DjdrJDTUFJwgUEW4VFCj12mhnnY5AGeU04tJQXbC63hWVFfdjywFmvNQyk_hQpLsBjTNXIqCcZ1vBxAJP9NKhCauhYvSTbCTwmVfS1QSJeXb1PM-FmeH5hz_L5Wy0JYNTwKssNsh7k/s320/144.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608093354610993218" /></a><br />I found this in one of the shops at the Tulip Festival. It has nothing to do with flowers but I really do LOVE marshmallows. I tried to talk my husband into letting my buy it, but since I could not persuade him, I took a pic instead. One day I will make one of my own.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK71177P-rnXiOBhMS6pwI3uFjjkCtq0bsoDCJgOKQXb_I7IdUhHaniMRw2zmh1i8wjDwaVj7fUZjzFiUTs_4E3_WmGaQO2-NnoN0RgBzFWPvbOxIDNTEaLrxWCBuKqK7-WuqyvfRFsSw/s1600/084.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK71177P-rnXiOBhMS6pwI3uFjjkCtq0bsoDCJgOKQXb_I7IdUhHaniMRw2zmh1i8wjDwaVj7fUZjzFiUTs_4E3_WmGaQO2-NnoN0RgBzFWPvbOxIDNTEaLrxWCBuKqK7-WuqyvfRFsSw/s320/084.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608092606035642178" /></a><br /><br />So my husband really, really, really, really, REALLY loves to eat out. And at times, so do I. I have a friend who lives in downtown and is always trying new places out. So I tend to follow if she gives good reviews. We have not been disappointed. We went to an italian shop/store near Pioneer Park the other day and the sandwiches were massive! As we were leaving we could smell something amazingly good. And then we found this place. We have already been twice.<br />It is sooo good and we cant wait to go again!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLemMg-DwSbSSeeJDKLlAyamOteFb1daTu6NmWZBZFLF3zMQ7M3pZSCBIrpX78QpQ5myhq2ZDRbADeHkLiDI2mcTQxDVVQEkrGbBTgSEC2S182v_RNapFsq7TJHThRj4SXTgEdYbDPVoo/s1600/049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLemMg-DwSbSSeeJDKLlAyamOteFb1daTu6NmWZBZFLF3zMQ7M3pZSCBIrpX78QpQ5myhq2ZDRbADeHkLiDI2mcTQxDVVQEkrGbBTgSEC2S182v_RNapFsq7TJHThRj4SXTgEdYbDPVoo/s320/049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608089329265008514" /></a><br /><br />This is what Andrew ordered. It's called the Machine Gun. It is two sausage dogs buried in a bun under a heap of fries and sauce. He devoured it up!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTFpdV_uyf3vVo14fLfhOOz8zva8_JDzId2coiovbpw9GXgLfptXJjnAqi4RSg-guHYd99lJ_QwcORddNruf9W1iRWXX2JRTf2D30irfavqZhd2lWBFQ9AjXH3eHImxw-jEE1aaEC7CU/s1600/046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTFpdV_uyf3vVo14fLfhOOz8zva8_JDzId2coiovbpw9GXgLfptXJjnAqi4RSg-guHYd99lJ_QwcORddNruf9W1iRWXX2JRTf2D30irfavqZhd2lWBFQ9AjXH3eHImxw-jEE1aaEC7CU/s320/046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608089326919510530" /></a><br /><br />This is my favorite, a crispy belgin waffle covered in chocolate and sugar crystals. Oh it was sooooo good! Even better is the plate with two crispy waffles with chocolate melted in the middle and then drizzled on top. HEAVEN!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUurfzj0AAPwd7ppA8SNkoQJ0H0Q_HwzDWZGGv4-6VcNKACIzjunAKFW-ibXu2NCNaiaJKvBin7QGjHE_0tcw_bEnl8KdeBYUA2L7swf6WF8cxISn2ZwsOlHCU7P4E9XBgyAVqGIEK-0/s1600/042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUurfzj0AAPwd7ppA8SNkoQJ0H0Q_HwzDWZGGv4-6VcNKACIzjunAKFW-ibXu2NCNaiaJKvBin7QGjHE_0tcw_bEnl8KdeBYUA2L7swf6WF8cxISn2ZwsOlHCU7P4E9XBgyAVqGIEK-0/s320/042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608089315614720466" /></a><br /><br />For Conference weekend we went down to St Geroge to get out of the cold and just relax. And we just got back yesterday from a weekend there.<br />We pretty much LOVE going to St George for weekend getaways. On this trip we took a drive out to the new airport that is in the middle of no where. We even found that the highway ended. Crazy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP4_1Hnk5geWVjQZEt6tMOaXsoaYzyZwKfSM4iZEAe2qNUKk22cdoP0oGD1egiR454d_AZ7CUp2vY7CQqth8EdiOdVdm2CwWbVN9MbqsMCbxUvB4ywW9kXweIerz9CUzf6cVA7kL1UcI/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP4_1Hnk5geWVjQZEt6tMOaXsoaYzyZwKfSM4iZEAe2qNUKk22cdoP0oGD1egiR454d_AZ7CUp2vY7CQqth8EdiOdVdm2CwWbVN9MbqsMCbxUvB4ywW9kXweIerz9CUzf6cVA7kL1UcI/s320/021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608089315504290450" /></a><br /><br />So that is our life. Nothing too extreme, we like food, flowers, and being in the sun. We both got a decent sunburn this weekend and cant wait to get even more as the summer gets closer. We have a long vacation planned for later this summer and I cant wait! Unitl then, the Hills are signing out!Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-37877922205166799032011-03-11T19:34:00.007-07:002011-03-11T20:39:38.236-07:00Thoughts on Grown UpsSometimes I wish that I didn't have to do grown up things like go to work every day, pay bills, do laundry, clean, and be responsible. It was so nice when I had parents that did that for me everyday and all I had to worry about was making sure I got my homework done. I was having lunch with a good friend today and we were talking about all of the hard things that we are going through in our lives and the difficult decisions that we have to face everyday. We both decided that we wanted to color in coloring books all day while watching TV and eating good food made by our mom. Oh how I miss it so much! Being a grown up is hard and is frustrating at times too. There are days that I am ready to give up.<br /><br />But then I think of all of the good things that come with being a grown up and I don't feel so bad. I LOVE being married to the man of my dreams. I like my job (most days...) and helping the sweet little kids and their parents. I like leaving in my own place and doing whatever I want whenever I want. <br />And most of all, I love to cook in my own kitchen what I want to! It is fabulous. I love collecting recipes and ideas for things to make for me and my husband and one day our kids. Whenever I tell Andrew that I found a new recipe he rolls his eyes and tells me that I have too many recipes already that I don't and do I really need anymore? I stock a TON of food blogs and am always looking for new ways to make so many things. I just bought a new cookbook today and am thrilled to make everything from it. So with that said I want to share tow new recipes today. One sweet and one savory.<br /><br /><br />The first is one that I found while watching the Food Network during Valentine's weekend. I immediatly knew I needed to make it and searched the web to get the full directions. It is so sweet and so good and Andrew and I devoured it all! A perfect mix of peanut butter and caramel. YUM!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Peanut Butter-Caramel Pound Cake<br /></span> <span style="font-style:italic;">by Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network</span><br /><br /><br />Vegetable oil cooking spray<br />1 (9.5-ounce) bag soft caramel candies, unwrapped (recommended: Kraft Classic Caramels)<br />1/2 cup heavy cream<br />1 cup flour<br />1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt<br />3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />1 1/4 cups sugar<br />3 eggs, at room temperature<br />1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />1/2 cup creamy peanut butter<br />Directions<br />Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-5-by-3-inch nonstick, metal loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a 14-by-3 1/2-inch piece of parchment paper. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the sides of the pan with a 14-by-7-inch piece of parchment paper. Set aside.<br /><br />In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the caramel candies and heavy cream over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the candies have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.<br /><br />In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the eggs and vanilla. With the machine running, gradually add the flour mixture in batches to form a thick batter. Beat in the peanut butter. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of the caramel lengthwise along the center of the batter. Using the tip of a knife, swirl the caramel sauce into the batter. Place the remaining batter on top and pour another 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce lengthwise along the center of the batter. Swirl the caramel sauce into the batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and peel away the parchment paper. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour (center of cake will fall during cooling). Slice the pound cake and place on a serving platter. Warm the remaining caramel sauce over low heat. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the pound cake slices or serve alongside.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKE6pEWLY-a9oL5sQBrmEpF33QA6yx68ywKCkisk-aeJHor_7A6yKFjEqoJ7tCS_n7628B5IihwvXJiX3cwqFPHZS3BtoF8BJENcbwXob1b4cdIlXjB-WM_5-M1njVuQz9b_ui64xqGY/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKE6pEWLY-a9oL5sQBrmEpF33QA6yx68ywKCkisk-aeJHor_7A6yKFjEqoJ7tCS_n7628B5IihwvXJiX3cwqFPHZS3BtoF8BJENcbwXob1b4cdIlXjB-WM_5-M1njVuQz9b_ui64xqGY/s320/013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583027574894874370" /></a><br /><br />Next a super good super easy way to have pizza. I made this one night when my husband was at work and I was tempted to eat them all before he got home, they were that good! Andrew liked these as well and requested that next time we add some more meat to the mix. I think this is going to be one of my go to recipes! <br />This recipe came from one of my favorite blogs, I actually just bought their book. You can take a look for yourself right here, www.ourbestbites.com<br /> <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/"></a> One look and you will love them! Our Best Bites rocks!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Vgi35epuw4AJXfQkcOeYSdKAnHC0T-y5PcdQiZ1UFfel0nR311tMFjE2dWZOR79mgElmFfsjfx9XMkN0Fu34TCEb9YMJtMg0GkQEEyFHHcCp-TNWvI-0AV3AqIgF3xuKP9SIaOJRaws/s1600/040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Vgi35epuw4AJXfQkcOeYSdKAnHC0T-y5PcdQiZ1UFfel0nR311tMFjE2dWZOR79mgElmFfsjfx9XMkN0Fu34TCEb9YMJtMg0GkQEEyFHHcCp-TNWvI-0AV3AqIgF3xuKP9SIaOJRaws/s320/040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583029854698830626" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stuffed Pizza Rolls<br /></span><span style="font-style:italic;">Recipe from OurBestBites<br /></span><br />1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)<br />marinara/pizza sauce (or make your own)<br />2T grated Parmesan cheese <br />1 T olive oil or melted butter<br />1/2 t garlic powder<br />1 t dried Italian seasoning<br />mozzerella cheese, diced or grated<br />Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.<br /><br />*You can use regular pizza dough, or thin crust. <br /><br />Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees. If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.<br /><br />Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.<br />Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. <br />When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). <br />Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese. <br />Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.<br />Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping. <br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />So one other random thing, a couple of weeks ago Andrew and I went to the Ice Castles up in Midway. The price seemed a bit much but it was still fun and we got some good pics and made a day out of it. Here are just a few from the day. <br /><a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqj0j79lUDRLr32zrQXUckHUHHgJObvo1vJxj7Q9KR6I85XuLn0j4h3D8uBaN5-CB0mLUX1OqOMJwy36eO-ut1_VZhRsi3k3wt50wx6ZVSxdJakiV5uWjom258XZV8aDmquXio8SKH1k/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqj0j79lUDRLr32zrQXUckHUHHgJObvo1vJxj7Q9KR6I85XuLn0j4h3D8uBaN5-CB0mLUX1OqOMJwy36eO-ut1_VZhRsi3k3wt50wx6ZVSxdJakiV5uWjom258XZV8aDmquXio8SKH1k/s320/021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583031441414993330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyVaPu_ri1Cb4iDq_p5j673lRgO21Hay5h8HZayqOtfvQ0UNoNBQFZG-pLG5W_vwma7mr0YQfSgIKym3PSv9_mHqUhLIsvJpC3fnklOjh9e7qa_o7zMRUZisYdIBKIehXtENI-oddpuQ/s1600/031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyVaPu_ri1Cb4iDq_p5j673lRgO21Hay5h8HZayqOtfvQ0UNoNBQFZG-pLG5W_vwma7mr0YQfSgIKym3PSv9_mHqUhLIsvJpC3fnklOjh9e7qa_o7zMRUZisYdIBKIehXtENI-oddpuQ/s320/031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583031434905191314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkflRIdPKrMKU7u78cfXHNF9DVy9DKoPNk3KjgeH_SFSAuBRUP_z5B25THYYmgcc0-XBmLNWWKBc6JMsCJtyitz98KrhaKs95AGaFkmyLJ2qGsCHul6bBBFKKWkKXh2AAHHSkemFpMF60/s1600/025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkflRIdPKrMKU7u78cfXHNF9DVy9DKoPNk3KjgeH_SFSAuBRUP_z5B25THYYmgcc0-XBmLNWWKBc6JMsCJtyitz98KrhaKs95AGaFkmyLJ2qGsCHul6bBBFKKWkKXh2AAHHSkemFpMF60/s320/025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583031430841058338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYX_kpPmRMKm0IY3s7OUeA1XE6npT5Rf-Mq_hG1AS7KiOsEd9ADnWjSqS9fVBRwwDcMRZW-sj87wd1X19e2mcdf4_dMDOhiSrDOB9DJJLt0OxhjC9Gvfxpqr8hdVckEkhwBOeOTpACuI/s1600/018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYX_kpPmRMKm0IY3s7OUeA1XE6npT5Rf-Mq_hG1AS7KiOsEd9ADnWjSqS9fVBRwwDcMRZW-sj87wd1X19e2mcdf4_dMDOhiSrDOB9DJJLt0OxhjC9Gvfxpqr8hdVckEkhwBOeOTpACuI/s320/018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583031424984792242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKDZWREoQA_RCcJrWtNEKLqj7WsvTdd1TDI8f2IZWSP0eThRl6gt3UdMBegO6MPnYs25A0kgIdoEdYm_SN1WZOHJpvQCsCIGr6MguzEnmm4EsCoQy6riR-64fjEEt7kMLJlJFkLnuFw0/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKDZWREoQA_RCcJrWtNEKLqj7WsvTdd1TDI8f2IZWSP0eThRl6gt3UdMBegO6MPnYs25A0kgIdoEdYm_SN1WZOHJpvQCsCIGr6MguzEnmm4EsCoQy6riR-64fjEEt7kMLJlJFkLnuFw0/s320/015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583031420947693442" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-38054154028486957402011-02-13T17:42:00.006-07:002011-02-13T17:58:19.643-07:00A year and then someJanuary 22, 2010. The BEST day of my life!!!!<br />I got to marry this guy:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWV9jC88mxVSlZOjsjmt0lMmvUVvhTAM6AGj29w35maePo1qEozFTEsKDwK0F2bbRE8R1feRlvgCKY9yc4Mi3guq7KC7683GJV5DjcykxVsOeSIYZuiFDg7bjw-kZB3nD3oGP81N2_4ao/s1600/042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWV9jC88mxVSlZOjsjmt0lMmvUVvhTAM6AGj29w35maePo1qEozFTEsKDwK0F2bbRE8R1feRlvgCKY9yc4Mi3guq7KC7683GJV5DjcykxVsOeSIYZuiFDg7bjw-kZB3nD3oGP81N2_4ao/s320/042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573339653092002258" /></a><br /><br />Here:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltfj99AO9A8SiNbiJcww8dpyW8q2FQYLzMkMDibSHk6Xxj_EChOI-Nlzpa_wJr2KE-C2N1fOBCBqJopksw1wf1W7S-sRXCQfnl0LHfXQKNaF2bFCrgw7opynKgMbCrhmhIalaKTUIe8s/s1600/AB+%25281524%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltfj99AO9A8SiNbiJcww8dpyW8q2FQYLzMkMDibSHk6Xxj_EChOI-Nlzpa_wJr2KE-C2N1fOBCBqJopksw1wf1W7S-sRXCQfnl0LHfXQKNaF2bFCrgw7opynKgMbCrhmhIalaKTUIe8s/s320/AB+%25281524%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573340014239243570" /></a><br /><br />Surround by these people:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9QAC8HCZxdIFeIPtO1ShtAJ_ROp_6fDb49ImuahZlh4QDZtggNSa8gosN66dBdRymWSYQWexB2o3o82YFuoZI24p0bJiCd1Gn5t8y3k2PzKmbFT3Cw8QQgGdf_mP6YJKSTnvXgu-Nxk/s1600/AB+%25281662%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9QAC8HCZxdIFeIPtO1ShtAJ_ROp_6fDb49ImuahZlh4QDZtggNSa8gosN66dBdRymWSYQWexB2o3o82YFuoZI24p0bJiCd1Gn5t8y3k2PzKmbFT3Cw8QQgGdf_mP6YJKSTnvXgu-Nxk/s320/AB+%25281662%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573340592839060002" /></a><br /><br />And got to party the night away in this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2S4kMQuT0Q8wiWXIAIWml7K-qrkcGIn7U26yJ6wS0Kc_HHm-iMDMTZ30USwJXQKATP9gknyp3tCHJmUBImkoXgPAX7ZbfLG_FawwatV57TcbQjvD5YhtkENOEfKdK00-FGLiAIwyG0L8/s1600/AB+%25281537%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2S4kMQuT0Q8wiWXIAIWml7K-qrkcGIn7U26yJ6wS0Kc_HHm-iMDMTZ30USwJXQKATP9gknyp3tCHJmUBImkoXgPAX7ZbfLG_FawwatV57TcbQjvD5YhtkENOEfKdK00-FGLiAIwyG0L8/s320/AB+%25281537%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573341231378290450" /></a><br /><br />Life could not get much better, or so I thought. It has been a year and life keeps going and is full of surprises. We have had our ups and downs and been mad and happy, but we still love eachother. We took a week off and just spent time with us. We went to Sundance, Vegas, and St George. We had way too much fun, got little sleep, spent time with friends and probably spent a little too much money. But it was well worth it. I love being married and cant believe that it has already been a year. Cant wait for a million more!!!<br />* I have tons of pics from the trip but I am too lazy to post them all, hopefully one day soon I will get the motivation to do it and write about it. But until then they are all on facebook.<br /><br />I love this man!!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHb-00cu3MzIb6MlOF3kfBH3eAH8veKrbIxgyhBwmJTohlE28rh4gDNwfCwgkV6eKIaBJ2eOvJ_Esr1qP6Q2l4KU0VBro5G2HlIHNw9znUuVyM9cD5oRkod_qiaASVo8EJdbCloZIAEI/s1600/1+yr+Anniversary+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHb-00cu3MzIb6MlOF3kfBH3eAH8veKrbIxgyhBwmJTohlE28rh4gDNwfCwgkV6eKIaBJ2eOvJ_Esr1qP6Q2l4KU0VBro5G2HlIHNw9znUuVyM9cD5oRkod_qiaASVo8EJdbCloZIAEI/s320/1+yr+Anniversary+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573342851028719826" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-21750138817088560102011-02-13T17:35:00.003-07:002011-02-13T17:58:45.776-07:00Lovers dayEven though I dont really care a whole ton for Valentines day, I do want to put out there that I do have the BEST Valentine in the WHOLE WORLD!!! He is my everything, I dont know what I would do without him. He makes life so much better and helps me feel as if I can do anything that I want.<br />Here is to you Lover Boy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcYlKu-IX5Hug2St14zGaQokNoLvH2UPVcMc8UA5onBNgas87L4XI87l8PdWaDdvZFLD5HiaY-65wXwkjCxFTV6JxwIdtfs3B2bmp4OdYa7DaC_js022SclB0yMcmNttf7Pk-ghpGmtk/s1600/1+yr+Anniversary+025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcYlKu-IX5Hug2St14zGaQokNoLvH2UPVcMc8UA5onBNgas87L4XI87l8PdWaDdvZFLD5HiaY-65wXwkjCxFTV6JxwIdtfs3B2bmp4OdYa7DaC_js022SclB0yMcmNttf7Pk-ghpGmtk/s320/1+yr+Anniversary+025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573338712472180130" /></a><br /><br />Who would not want this in their life?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58jIKmriLE1HbrXbcf2Rn2v15FEsWNaajFlg0qTR15jgKmVTNTOjzcQUe17iYycZ896wy0kgxAYbantC16EAdzstoSwJG6cHJqYbhCgUBTPJ4KX0bsBJcX9U2zzuVzRMIHXy2v5Ojhys/s1600/1+yr+Anniversary+093.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58jIKmriLE1HbrXbcf2Rn2v15FEsWNaajFlg0qTR15jgKmVTNTOjzcQUe17iYycZ896wy0kgxAYbantC16EAdzstoSwJG6cHJqYbhCgUBTPJ4KX0bsBJcX9U2zzuVzRMIHXy2v5Ojhys/s320/1+yr+Anniversary+093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573338714433420450" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-52929148018297893882011-01-31T04:02:00.002-07:002011-01-31T04:13:09.463-07:00Oh please!!<a href="http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/common/Frustrated-Mom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/common/Frustrated-Mom.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I am not one to vent on the internet, I prefer to keep it in, tell a person or two, be told its all good and move on. But tonight, it just aint happen. I am ready to punch something!<br />I really do love my job, I promise, but sometimes, I just want to take some parents and knock some sense into them. I know that being a parent can be stressful, and when you have a sick little one it can be even worse, but that does not give you the right to take out your crabbyness out on the staff that are trying to help your child get better. Granted at 3 AM we are all not in top shape and feeling as chipper as when we started 10 hours ago, but we are still helping you and your family. All we ask is for a bit of appreciation for the work that we are doing to help you get home quicker. I don't appreciate being told that I need to have an attitude adjustment when I am not the one throwing a fit over every little thing and yelling at everyone that comes into the room. I am sorry your child is sick and we cant give you the answers that you want to hear this second. I am sorry that you are sick of having a sick child and you are probably tired and just want a break. I am trying to do all I can within my power to make your stay pleasant. If you dont want help, then why the heck did you come at one in the morning if you know we wont do anything?!??! I mean really! <br /><br />Some people really need to take a step back and see what is really causing the problem before they go yelling and pointing fingers at others. Totally not cool in my book and I do not appreciate it at all! If you dont like the service, go somewhere else!!<br /><br />*Photo courtesy of goggle*Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-37077178268333481182011-01-18T20:15:00.002-07:002011-01-18T20:29:49.881-07:00Soup anyone?The last day or two I have loved the weather, highs in the 40's and only a light jacket required. But unfortunatly, winter is not over yet. Today it is getting a bit cooler and snow is on the way. What better way to warm up then by having some soup? I will be honest, I am not a big fan of soup, I dont really know why, but I just dont really care for it. I will eat soup out of a bread bowl on occasion but that is about it. I know I know, I am weird, but oh well.<br />One other food that I dont really care for is steak. Yes you read right, I dont really like steak. My family has been trying to convince me for years to like it, but it just wont happen. When my mom would make steak for dinner she would make either a piece of chicken or a hamburger for me bc I would not eat it. My husband is a lover of steak and I feel bad that I dont cook it for him. Every once in awhile he will buy a steak and eat it when I am not home. Poor guy, depriving him of some good meat apparently. :)<br />So with not being a fan of soup or steak, one would think I am nuts for trying this soup, but lets be honest, I am 25 and need to start expanding my palate, or so my husband tells me I need too..... Well I decided to take a chance of liking it and made the soup, and it was actually not too bad.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Slow Cooker Steak and Pasta Soup</span><br /><br />1 lb boneless beef round steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes<br />1 jar (26 to 28 oz) marinara sauce<br />2 1/2 cups water<br />1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli<br />1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese<br /><br />In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix beef, marinara sauce and water.<br />Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.<br />Stir in ravioli. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes until ravioli are tender. Sprinkle individual servings with cheese.<br />Makes 5 servings<br /><br />**** So I didnt use the marinara sauce like it calls for, I just did a can of spaghetti sauce that had some basil seasonings added to it. I did the full amount of what it called for, and we will have leftovers but not too much that we wont eat.**<br />I<br />I am not going to lie, I liked the soup. I added probably more cheese than I should have to my bowl but I do love me some cheese! I think when I eat it again I will have a nice piece of garlic bread to go with it. What do you think?<br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/77f2e25a-5bfa-4db5-8dd6-f5859209719b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/77f2e25a-5bfa-4db5-8dd6-f5859209719b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I didnt take a picture of mine, it didnt look very pretty so I borrowed a picture again from Betty Crocker.Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-36199794437374787672011-01-17T18:15:00.004-07:002011-01-17T19:45:27.173-07:00Dinner and Dessert!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwu0nTgqeJlmRqOfFpXpe-juS-0Ny3uxGrKGNsBkeT0NMyhEOHE540XygdcHbjuXte7kc0D2ud0fjVGkVqSHS1eT5lVEVmy-eEOC_vCT1Cry2ao6nd0tW0ifR1X2n9LBzW83xv1SJkspQ/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwu0nTgqeJlmRqOfFpXpe-juS-0Ny3uxGrKGNsBkeT0NMyhEOHE540XygdcHbjuXte7kc0D2ud0fjVGkVqSHS1eT5lVEVmy-eEOC_vCT1Cry2ao6nd0tW0ifR1X2n9LBzW83xv1SJkspQ/s320/002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563349464213633090" /></a><br />Does this not look AMAZING and make you want to eat it all right now?!?!?!?!<br /><br />So trying to eat healthy can be hard sometimes. One thing that I totally love is fresh hot gooey chocolate chip cookies. The best part is the cookie dough!! So as I am trying to be good I was bound and determined to find a recipe for cookies that were somewhat more healthy than my favorite recipe. I searched the web for a recipe and they were all the same, use sour cream and applesauce. I have used applesauce before and they were not too bad. So after some convincing from my husband, I made them late one night a few days ago. And really, they are not all that bad. They are lacking a little bit of the sweet taste of the cookies that I love, but they do the job. I must say I think that next time I will not use so much of the sour cream, but they totally work and curb my craving for the sweet cookie.<br />Here is the recipe I used, try it and let me know what you think<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Better for you Chocolate Chip Cookies<br /></span><br />3 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce<br />1/2 cup fat-free sour cream<br />3/4 cup sugar<br />1 cup packed brown sugar<br />2 teaspoons vanilla<br />2 egg whites<br />12 oz chocolate chips<br /><br />Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine applesauce, sour cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg whites. Then add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.<br /><br />Place teaspoon sized cookies on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.<br /><br />** These cookies worked for my needs. I cooked mine just about 10 minutes and the edges were crunchy and the centers nice and soft. The recipe suggest adding walnuts and pecans but neither I nor my husband are fans, so I left them out. Not bad for being called low fat!<br /><br />Here is one more picture to tempt you.........<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYshgZReBDYVUdEiOuQ4bcglwxpv04PCZOIXRoQznziTeRkb7ENa9sOPoMZ21rBM9pHMnNFwGX-_YeSXo47wO-2aiYWAN_gQ_qKJyfsaCth_PEd5kg1rKk2lHXSQEwlVBZmtnWYeiVmk/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYshgZReBDYVUdEiOuQ4bcglwxpv04PCZOIXRoQznziTeRkb7ENa9sOPoMZ21rBM9pHMnNFwGX-_YeSXo47wO-2aiYWAN_gQ_qKJyfsaCth_PEd5kg1rKk2lHXSQEwlVBZmtnWYeiVmk/s320/003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563349468699074002" /></a><br /><br /><br />So for dinner tonight I made another Crock-Pot meal. I tell ya, I am loving it!<br />This recipe combines some of my favorite things, meat, bread, cheese, and pasta sauce! Perfect for a day when I want something warm and gooey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Slow Cooker Open-Face Turkey Parmigiana Sandwiches</span><br /><br />4 turkey thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds), skin removed<br />1 can (6 ounces) Italian-style tomato paste<br />1 can (15 ounces) Italian-style tomato sauce<br />14 slices frozen Parmesan-flavor Texas toast from two 11.25-ounce packages<br />2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese blend (8 ounces)<br /><br />Place turkey in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Top with tomato paste and tomato sauce.<br />Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.<br />Remove turkey from cooker; place on cutting board. Remove bones using 2 forks; discard. Pull turkey into large chunks; gently stir into sauce in cooker.<br />Set oven control to broil. Place Texas toast on broiler pan rack. Broil with tops 4 to 6 inches from heat 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup turkey mixture over each toast slice and top with about 2 tablespoons cheese.<br /><br />Makes 14 sandwiches<br /><br />**** So a few things that I did a bit differently. I could not find turkey thighs anywhere. When I asked around it seems like I had to buy a whole turkey. So I spent a bit more money and bought some lean turkey breasts. I also didn't use all that they called for since I am only cooking for 2 people. I used just regular spaghetti sauce in place of the marinara. <br />Even though I only used 4 small turkey breasts and half the marinara sauce called for we still have a TON left over. Good thing it is so delicious!<br />The recipe also suggests that instead of putting it on bread use it over noodles. I am sure that would be amazing as well, might have to try it with leftovers.****<br /><br />Here is a pic I took before I totally devoured it! SOOO good!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4T4aRuK0mlUvo_XDQv1-XNRWSAP-dE5JsuYlqUGwz9WMe4ZmTj_d0LM7L_HutBjyts0Ys84_5HngoIAF-kBswr1gLM5cfkTZaTjj9S76knDm3lq298yKqfIre_VjMyfd9gIZbew4z20/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4T4aRuK0mlUvo_XDQv1-XNRWSAP-dE5JsuYlqUGwz9WMe4ZmTj_d0LM7L_HutBjyts0Ys84_5HngoIAF-kBswr1gLM5cfkTZaTjj9S76knDm3lq298yKqfIre_VjMyfd9gIZbew4z20/s320/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563349472276734738" /></a><br /><br />Dinner recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker<br /><br />What are you having for dinner tonight?Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-73648080819282096642011-01-12T11:53:00.004-07:002011-01-12T12:20:31.907-07:00Meals 3 and 4So I have made two more new things for dinner but have not found the time or the motivation to post either of them. I would rather go to the gym and work out of spend time with my husband than blog. But I am going to be better, I promise! I have at least 4 more recipes that I want to try in the next week or so and I cant wait to share them!<br />So last night I had an unexpected day off so I decided to try this pasta recipe. I LOVE any kind of pasta. Growing up the favorite thing to eat for Sunday lunch at my house was noodles with butter and a little bit of grated cheese. I still eat this now, sometimes a few times a week. My husband things I am totally weird, but who cares! The top shelf in one of my cupboards is all pasta...... what can I say, I cant live without it! So with that, here is what I made last night.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Penne with Mushroom-Tomato-Cream Sauce<br /></span><br /><br />2 2/3 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)<br />3 oz pancetta or 4 strips bacon, chopped*<br />1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil<br />2 cloves garlic, finely chopped<br />8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced<br />1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen® organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained<br />1/2 cup whipping cream<br />2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves<br /><br />Cook and drain pasta as directed on box. Return to saucepan; keep warm.<br />Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove pancetta to paper towels to drain. In same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and mushrooms in oil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender. Stir in tomatoes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in whipping cream; heat just until hot. Stir in pasta.<br />Add spinach; toss until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle individual servings with pancetta.<br />Makes 5 servings of 1 1/3 cups each<br /><br />*** So I did not use mushrooms, not a huge fan of them or the texture, but if you love them, I am sure it would taste great! I used bacon because it is cheaper and instead of putting it on top I mixed it in with the pasta and sauce. If you want more of the bacon taste, I would use a few more strips of it. I also didnt have any spinach which I was sad about, but it still tasted good. I really like this recipe, it didnt take much time at all to make and we have tons left over for leftovers! Hooray!****<br /><br />I took a picture of this meal. I know it doesnt look amazing, but I promise, it tastes amazing!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9gEkuOxdc77Xd8g4uGoozZvA6A4HCSSrgyMm92lRHH4tYJsTDrHIZVaIODJIO9bIi5bFCx7zcUFoVV2HQq9iAF8Jof2Fd3txQE1vQAjaXN9JTImYrPn5vN0HBdOe7Xl6dTdzJJDfti4/s1600/new+camera+028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9gEkuOxdc77Xd8g4uGoozZvA6A4HCSSrgyMm92lRHH4tYJsTDrHIZVaIODJIO9bIi5bFCx7zcUFoVV2HQq9iAF8Jof2Fd3txQE1vQAjaXN9JTImYrPn5vN0HBdOe7Xl6dTdzJJDfti4/s320/new+camera+028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561380539823113986" /></a><br /><br /><br />Growing up my mom loved her crock pot, at least once a week we had a meal from it. It is so easy and I am starting to try more recipes that involve the use of the crockpot. <br />This recipe was super easy and only took 5 ingredients, a double hooray<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Slow Cooker Meatball and Gravy Sandwiches<br /></span><br />2 medium onions, sliced<br />2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen cooked Swedish-style meatballs<br />2 jars (12 ounces each) beef gravy<br />1 teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />8 hoagie buns (about 7 inches long)<br /><br />Place onions in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Add frozen meatballs and gravy.<br />Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.<br />Stir nutmeg into meatball mixture. Cut hoagie buns horizontally almost in half. Place 6 meatballs in each bun. Top with gravy.<br />Makes 8 sandwiches<br /><br />** With only having to cook for 2 people I only used one bag of meatballs and I and one and a half jars of the gravy. Make sure to mix all of the ingredients together before you start cooking or your onions will all end up on the bottom and you wont taste them. We found that toasting the buns made the sandwiches a bit easier to eat, and adding a little cheese makes is great! Even though I used half of the meat we still had a ton of left over. We have used the meat and sauce over rice and noodles and it is super yummy.**<br /><br />I didnt take a pic of this one, so I borrowed the picture that is one the Betty Crocker website.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/8ad14459-3155-496e-82dc-1b453dfb97f1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/8ad14459-3155-496e-82dc-1b453dfb97f1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-23882883315955771322011-01-06T22:54:00.003-07:002011-01-06T23:02:33.302-07:00Cooking day twoSo dinner number two turned out pretty well. I invited my friend and her two girls for dinner for this meal and the girls ate it up! I made a huge pan and by the time we were done eating there was only a small portion left over. No leftovers for us! This recipe is easy and so good!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Creamy Chicken and Ham bake<br /></span><br /><br />1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup<br />1/2 cup light sour cream<br />1 lb chicken breast tenders (not breaded)<br />1 package (2.5 oz) thinly sliced smoked ham, coarsely chopped<br />1 teaspoon parsley flakes<br /><br />Heat oven to 325°F. Spray 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix soup and sour cream. Arrange chicken in single layer in baking dish. Top with ham. Spoon soup mixture evenly over the top.<br />Bake uncovered about 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Sprinkle with parsley<br /><br />***So the recipe said it serves four, but I think it could feed at least 6 people maybe 7. I used frozen chicken tenders and used a 9x13 pan. I am a cheese lover so after the ham I put some shredded cheese on. I also used deli style ham and just cut it up. On the top of mine I also used some bread crumbs to soak up some of the moisture. It turned out well, I think next time I will use a little bit less sour cream, I found that mine had too much liquid.***<br /><br />Again I did not take a pic of mine as I was pulling it out of the oven as my guests came to the door so here is a picture for the Betty Crocker website. Try it tonight, you wont be sorry!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/cf6bdb10-0d8e-4263-9798-250b14adc093.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/cf6bdb10-0d8e-4263-9798-250b14adc093.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-68765821823994002342011-01-02T10:37:00.005-07:002011-01-12T12:24:26.514-07:00Food and the New YearSo we have been married for almost a year now, and man time sure does fly. I was thinking back to our wedding day and I cant believe how many details are still so clear. I wish I could relive that day over and over again. It truely was the best day of my life to date. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8ROCR_G71aYKlis7IzVyx4PfF-ZVRSkEMo9Tah9OwMVwf0Dozgsa6s7cFgPCnvx2vY_WsTWXF9ftvf2rLgT6dvo4bONMRCXbY5-n8lrrVuisk5U5ovMDlCOmVL99HvP7VvpdK0XCPZg/s1600/AB+%25281222%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8ROCR_G71aYKlis7IzVyx4PfF-ZVRSkEMo9Tah9OwMVwf0Dozgsa6s7cFgPCnvx2vY_WsTWXF9ftvf2rLgT6dvo4bONMRCXbY5-n8lrrVuisk5U5ovMDlCOmVL99HvP7VvpdK0XCPZg/s320/AB+%25281222%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557653721932528898" /></a><br /><br />I have recently taken a step back in my life and looked at how I have performed as a wife and the head woman in our household. Sure I do the cleaning and the laundry and the grocery shopping, but the area that I seem to lack in is cooking. When we first got married I was excited to be able to cook for more that just one person and to be able to use the many recipes that I have collected over the years. I did good for the first few months, and then it died. I got a job that didn't end at 5 at night Monday through Friday and worked crazy hours. Needless to say my husband ended up eating a lot of whatever he could find on nights when I was working or even when I was home and was too tired to put something together. He has been good to prepare some meals, he makes some killer good fried chicken and pork chops. I am thankful that he is ok with not having a meal on the table when he gets home from work, that he is ok with eating sandwiches and leftovers etc. But beginning a new year I decided that this all needed to change, for the better!<br />I still work nights and odd hours, but only three days a week. My goal is to have leftovers for those nights when we cant eat together and other good things on hand that we can throw together if necessary. I have spent hours upon hours pouring over blogs and recipe books trying to find recipes that will work for our crazy schedules and my picky palate. The other day I made a massive shopping list, scoured the ads and planned a menu for two weeks of new recipes. We went grocery shopping yesterday and made our first new meal last night. It turned out well and my husband told me it was a keeper recipe. Score one for me!!!<br />I have had a few requests to post those recipes and to start a food blog. It sounds like a good idea, but lets be honest, I dont know if I can handle two blogs at the moment. So for now I will post the recipes here and see how it goes. My goal is to post the recipe and thoughts the next day for those to see. Hopefully I can stick to that goal. And readers, let me know what you think too! I would love to know who is reading my blog.<br />Thanks!!!<br /><br />For dinner last night I made a something that I found of the Betty Crocker website called Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti. I didnt take a picture of my finished product so I found a picture of it on their website. It looks soo good!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/417002d2-d4b8-43b2-81c0-f7dde6c6cdcc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/417002d2-d4b8-43b2-81c0-f7dde6c6cdcc.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti</span><br /><br />1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen organic pasta sauce (any variety)<br />3/4 cup water<br />1 teaspoon garlic salt<br />1 1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)<br />14 uncooked manicotti shells (8 oz)<br />2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)<br />Chopped fresh basil leaves, if desired<br /><br />Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Spread about 1/3 of the pasta sauce mixture in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.<br />Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing from each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Cover with foil.<br />Bake about 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink in center and shells are tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with basil.<br />Makes 7 servings<br /><br />*** So a few side notes, I only made half this recipe since it me and my husband wont eat it all. <br /> I did not use the pasta sauce that they used, I just used a simple Hunt's Spaghetti sauce with Garlic, and it turned out great! <br />I started out with my chicken frozen and by the time I made the dish it was mostly thawed, but I had a hard time fitting it in those little shells. I ended up cutting the chicken into pieces and putting them in that way, and it still turns out just fine. Make sure to really coat the chicken as well as it will give it more flavoring. <br />Overall I give this dish a 8 out of 10. It could use some more flavor, but that is something I plan to do next time. A good weekday meal for busy people!<br /><br />Now onto dessert! My favorite all time thing to make! I can not tell you how many blogs I follow on baking and how much time is spent drooling over the things that are posted and then bookmarked to make one day. The one that I made last night was super easy, and incorporated two of my husband's favorite things, brownies and Oreos. So I decided to give it a try. *** Even if you dont think you can bake, you can totally do this one!**<br /><br />I found this recipe on a blog called Picky Palate. A perfect site for me, since I am super picky sometimes! The actual link is this: http://picky-palate.com/ You should totally check it out!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Brownie Covered Oreos</span><br /><br />1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)<br />1 package Oreos<br />White chocolate, melted for drizzle, or Wilton White frosting pen works great<br />White nonpariels Sprinkles<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. <br />2. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. 3. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. <br />4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long). <br />5. As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan <br />6. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove drizzle with melted white chocolate or the Wilton White icing pen, sprinkle with nonpariels and EAT! Enjoy <br /><br />Makes entire package of Oreos<br /><br />*** On the original blog she posted what pan she used and hers look more like little cookies, mine they turned out like flat muffins, but I am not complaining. I just used a regular sized muffin tin. Make sure to WELL grease the pan each time, they do stick. I also was cheap and did not buy the sprinkles of the white chocolate to drizzle. We had some cream cheese frosting that we just spread on top to add some more flavor. I am also too cheap to buy the name brand Oreos, so I made mine with the off brand, Duos, and they worked just as well.<br /><br />I give this recipe and 10 out of 10. It does take some time as you can only cook 12 at a time, but it is totally worth it. When I make them again I want to try another flavor of Oreos. one with mint or something. <br /><br />Again I didnt not take a picture of mine, but I think her's look better anyway, so I borrowed a picture from her blog.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://picky-palate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Brownie-Covered-Oreos-4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 575px; height: 648px;" src="http://picky-palate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Brownie-Covered-Oreos-4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Try these and let me know what you think<br />From our family to yours,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdAdchM76L0uaF6BgJs9ilE6ksGlZNzkV1XrlDpqi9qG7mtMi9"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdAdchM76L0uaF6BgJs9ilE6ksGlZNzkV1XrlDpqi9qG7mtMi9" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />** Image found on GoogleBrooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-39938830854714463192010-12-21T21:37:00.003-07:002010-12-21T21:38:35.144-07:00Ummm Yummy?!?!?Made this for dessert tonight..... I think it is looking pretty freakin amazing... Just sayin' :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHjY9jlkjDyIopiSCIa-Aa8RPy6d1jxnVJD8KF1QFV1vbhxylcEqdvArJTbBlFwwaNJ4LZIbV6O0oG5Xxd2NGkQBpaW5CrCO-4IXD4b58CdZvyaMjSgpRtNdjKtdEI1fDLN20efWppl4/s1600/IMGP2415.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHjY9jlkjDyIopiSCIa-Aa8RPy6d1jxnVJD8KF1QFV1vbhxylcEqdvArJTbBlFwwaNJ4LZIbV6O0oG5Xxd2NGkQBpaW5CrCO-4IXD4b58CdZvyaMjSgpRtNdjKtdEI1fDLN20efWppl4/s320/IMGP2415.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553361359960729138" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-57478576416622089462010-12-21T18:49:00.006-07:002010-12-21T19:18:02.102-07:00The Holidays at the Hill homeSo much for posting my thankful things every week. I swear every year November and December pass by so quick it is crazy! I cant believe that Christmas is this week. We have had fun spending time with family and doing the traditional thins that happen around the holidays.<br /> This being our first holiday season as married couple, we have had fun doing things together and starting our own holiday traditions. A tradition that we have in my family is to put the Christmas decorations up the day after Christmas so you can enjoy them for as long as possible. Well since the busiest time of the year happens to be that week for Andrew at work we had to put it up a bit earlier, but I was not complaining at all! We bought a few more decorations this year and went to town. This is a pic of our cute little tree and the lights that we hung in the kitchen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5hAz42dhz-Yo1JfFJxDAu0Fjm85LH9dcHSdHVsQzPiEQKIwcZ7q-8fk5RZlNoPzFLz-6LrhxRCO8-dRTPi4bFPuz_XqMVluGaZRp6SaMff0oISUV_veD6L1eXcg4fXg7M5_HyWesh_Y/s1600/189.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5hAz42dhz-Yo1JfFJxDAu0Fjm85LH9dcHSdHVsQzPiEQKIwcZ7q-8fk5RZlNoPzFLz-6LrhxRCO8-dRTPi4bFPuz_XqMVluGaZRp6SaMff0oISUV_veD6L1eXcg4fXg7M5_HyWesh_Y/s200/189.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553321234174513906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiQQqNQMVeGHpRKID52IiOd-GgdnUT6lw0ITKHJk4rwCP0a3UHlcXyQYTJP9VHGrZei9BVsLLVp-lPFiZOppBpgqHi8EkVi588YPuUI_W48IwecYfQ2T9Tj2IVtF4kwe4wSfuajl0QdQ/s1600/190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiQQqNQMVeGHpRKID52IiOd-GgdnUT6lw0ITKHJk4rwCP0a3UHlcXyQYTJP9VHGrZei9BVsLLVp-lPFiZOppBpgqHi8EkVi588YPuUI_W48IwecYfQ2T9Tj2IVtF4kwe4wSfuajl0QdQ/s200/190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553321232185958098" /></a><br /><br />Andrew LOVES all sports. Thank goodness that we had ESPN so he can watch college football, basketball, and keep track of how his Cowboys and Mavericks are doing in their games. He has hinted for a long time that he would really like to go to Jazz game, even though they are not his favorite team, he would still like to go. So I scoured the web for the best deal and found some great lower bowl tickets to the Jazz/Maverick game. I told him to make sure he had the day off and we were going to have a day of fun. He tried for weeks to get me to tell him what we were doing but I would not budge. The day of the game we slept in, cuddled and watched some TV and then went out to lunch. We spent some time at the gateway and went shopping and then, on to the game! He guessed what it was a few days before but didnt tell me he knew until that night. But hey, at least he was guessing for most of the time. :) Here are some picks from the game. Sadly the Jazz lost, but dont worry, he was not sad as his team won.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04Zt0XhAZVlBSo5-mQmpO4oJOPrjr6-bbt_PqFGqkphlhC2BRzV0pnNX4Qf5RnZKP223ZI9l-fD68JoYVTq2Cm_QgvKEV7s3w3Eg6o1CTgqmyOqTqd98c8J8RrZp5Lga67akjI7AjcgQ/s1600/199.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04Zt0XhAZVlBSo5-mQmpO4oJOPrjr6-bbt_PqFGqkphlhC2BRzV0pnNX4Qf5RnZKP223ZI9l-fD68JoYVTq2Cm_QgvKEV7s3w3Eg6o1CTgqmyOqTqd98c8J8RrZp5Lga67akjI7AjcgQ/s200/199.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553322682818876130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShrd8kX3H3WoHl4szSfIotK0HdNBSGqF3KryNU2l51dPH3ClAOjnK3LdlCZYLUpPACOTGSZ3Hr46iQUFsNaKKu2J7cqI1yZJnI1ezIKMWbi0AmUNbSg3mU3eZh3mRJ7k2HsZGYoobSzo/s1600/197.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShrd8kX3H3WoHl4szSfIotK0HdNBSGqF3KryNU2l51dPH3ClAOjnK3LdlCZYLUpPACOTGSZ3Hr46iQUFsNaKKu2J7cqI1yZJnI1ezIKMWbi0AmUNbSg3mU3eZh3mRJ7k2HsZGYoobSzo/s200/197.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553322679329009730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZrYTrV3Cpt8RDfLf_HBLlkcQ2OlSfGb7JCVdd2XSGzus4iA_OvwxL-9y_P_UiY-L1-3MBM2QDl8vPoOGpd9gI6MydEQK6BWYpQQu4RiAqwT9v1PVSHmSE2y8MpcWGx-7-2lzYgCgb1w/s1600/196.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZrYTrV3Cpt8RDfLf_HBLlkcQ2OlSfGb7JCVdd2XSGzus4iA_OvwxL-9y_P_UiY-L1-3MBM2QDl8vPoOGpd9gI6MydEQK6BWYpQQu4RiAqwT9v1PVSHmSE2y8MpcWGx-7-2lzYgCgb1w/s200/196.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553322673262819058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgrbjDWimL8k-GRd_MtUyGrdIrLCOamXZtx0nM7dnLabUfNWSA0XsyuNt7cPhu_duNbfx0YmXTyKnIhzIhEpP1hS0EzZjCW2RohS-tyL6ZEZ3SgRaK_YN5uaRB6-oORIIxEhvh8KG690/s1600/195.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgrbjDWimL8k-GRd_MtUyGrdIrLCOamXZtx0nM7dnLabUfNWSA0XsyuNt7cPhu_duNbfx0YmXTyKnIhzIhEpP1hS0EzZjCW2RohS-tyL6ZEZ3SgRaK_YN5uaRB6-oORIIxEhvh8KG690/s200/195.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553322663641333266" /></a><br /><br />We also went to see the lights downtown. It is something that I have done every year since I was a little girl and I have loved going the last three years with Andrew creating our own tradition. My favorite is going to the top of the Joseph Smith building and looking at all of the lights. We tried to get into one of the restaurants up there for dinner, but the wait was 3 hours! Yikes! Andrew promised we could some other time when it was not so dang busy! Again, some more pics of fun times!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWnZqp6u09hbOzLqGlY6TF03usi-7dw_P9R4OR0laMXCCDkUn6uz6UQwXAI5uJL5pZufLurE5AT0TkKgrDBGVbPi000aa1RfgW2WEk3k_nKyHICD-0aB9E_NLQ3FoxVSjGMCyg1nFOc8/s1600/211.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWnZqp6u09hbOzLqGlY6TF03usi-7dw_P9R4OR0laMXCCDkUn6uz6UQwXAI5uJL5pZufLurE5AT0TkKgrDBGVbPi000aa1RfgW2WEk3k_nKyHICD-0aB9E_NLQ3FoxVSjGMCyg1nFOc8/s200/211.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553323754186607298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLDhU2-TTzKsJMazgsLiq95b7Rm-BjU5QTYaKSpSLWrpHBEc8gXS-QkdztxRkKnHW9j9KKtPUGG4q5MHT5AUJZuRM9IyYhfqZ2i-K7o_y0heVILGzeFvOuqYE2TVZE_TZqoAxYjd0Ggw/s1600/208.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLDhU2-TTzKsJMazgsLiq95b7Rm-BjU5QTYaKSpSLWrpHBEc8gXS-QkdztxRkKnHW9j9KKtPUGG4q5MHT5AUJZuRM9IyYhfqZ2i-K7o_y0heVILGzeFvOuqYE2TVZE_TZqoAxYjd0Ggw/s200/208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553323746627635218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadh-tupjbgCN2C7-P-qKh2VxShoaOs36v7iy8cZ9gD2j_GpgG9uLs-UQFt-job81nyL1GiZ-aE9IkW60CyqESCHfF0A2kQQkcF0im4FSRymKzCfIroxh_RBvbNca8G0KLKBE6IaUGmAA/s1600/204.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadh-tupjbgCN2C7-P-qKh2VxShoaOs36v7iy8cZ9gD2j_GpgG9uLs-UQFt-job81nyL1GiZ-aE9IkW60CyqESCHfF0A2kQQkcF0im4FSRymKzCfIroxh_RBvbNca8G0KLKBE6IaUGmAA/s200/204.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553323742289881986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoUseGeYgmNXZIJMnrR1cep_NI6zEegwIYb0DSnVYdvghi7hDCl5pfEdthoKJYnOjnOq4j0lVg6Od08Da7pYNsBKt39b1LgEP4qvNiFnoqGLDAoKHNI594TdDGgDS7UPjRYnXiP8Lm6U/s1600/203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoUseGeYgmNXZIJMnrR1cep_NI6zEegwIYb0DSnVYdvghi7hDCl5pfEdthoKJYnOjnOq4j0lVg6Od08Da7pYNsBKt39b1LgEP4qvNiFnoqGLDAoKHNI594TdDGgDS7UPjRYnXiP8Lm6U/s200/203.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553323734329749298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1k5mMEch79dN2N2ypCjYZopgcC092X9pvJiYqC_Sp2oHwrMjI9qVbpEXvxzGdJTdk_odkg3MN1nuGCKV1wChJv_HOlRlBBt2hIi2yvxywpMFmP-zqXZlciuu7MEB5mkncj2f-MGRbSs/s1600/200.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1k5mMEch79dN2N2ypCjYZopgcC092X9pvJiYqC_Sp2oHwrMjI9qVbpEXvxzGdJTdk_odkg3MN1nuGCKV1wChJv_HOlRlBBt2hIi2yvxywpMFmP-zqXZlciuu7MEB5mkncj2f-MGRbSs/s200/200.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553323729066353250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc2Tlb_CEoSgNael6U9RcVBX5Q5JD-pIKcTZi4gqP8yc3-9YarqxNiPrytL_HM24Te7C0NAt2iBlgcas_JjAIsZ6Klexkhs4a46Ls3DW7589ruZlxolEWrDXp73equt1TYii_kBuOuqg/s1600/219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc2Tlb_CEoSgNael6U9RcVBX5Q5JD-pIKcTZi4gqP8yc3-9YarqxNiPrytL_HM24Te7C0NAt2iBlgcas_JjAIsZ6Klexkhs4a46Ls3DW7589ruZlxolEWrDXp73equt1TYii_kBuOuqg/s200/219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553324475972999186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJIBNNBFUh1RobbEwrlr6P-k6hBEKoPWYuc9lErcVEuFA8xIpwpFdLPJ5grXmU85B_2sl5-MT7V2_BplaYLDoq6DS_pSWuq01B9bylnkaRdOp6ie5BTzbgCbm1waPeiWi_-4KTTvvUS8/s1600/216.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJIBNNBFUh1RobbEwrlr6P-k6hBEKoPWYuc9lErcVEuFA8xIpwpFdLPJ5grXmU85B_2sl5-MT7V2_BplaYLDoq6DS_pSWuq01B9bylnkaRdOp6ie5BTzbgCbm1waPeiWi_-4KTTvvUS8/s200/216.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553324473575966818" /></a><br />Well thats all for now, we are both still working full time, loving being married and trying hard to save for a house. Maybe one day........<br />Oh and I finally decided I was sick of growing my hair out and chopped it off.... please excuse the scary look, it was late at night, I was tired and in a silly mood.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAyI2sj9UrdFQUcFnTVfxaDfjMuMy-pF_LLh07P-9Dkw-0YaMEkBMvPOFoaaJWtaePWg6BNKeCzNLoMxSp94iHlbz9LEA52mOKV-s34BIEpg94veIRvPNkApNKhOj_o4MKv-KDbuflM4/s1600/194.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAyI2sj9UrdFQUcFnTVfxaDfjMuMy-pF_LLh07P-9Dkw-0YaMEkBMvPOFoaaJWtaePWg6BNKeCzNLoMxSp94iHlbz9LEA52mOKV-s34BIEpg94veIRvPNkApNKhOj_o4MKv-KDbuflM4/s200/194.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553324481450707282" /></a>Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-12488249081920782532010-11-18T10:02:00.002-07:002010-11-18T10:06:36.060-07:00Chocolate, heaters, and loveSo I have been falling a bit behind, working too many hours and not getting enough sleep. This past week I am thankful for a heater to sit next to when it is freezing outside!!! We bought a new couch last week and it is so nice to come home from a long day of taking care of sick kids and sit on a nice comfortable couch with a warm blanket and a cute cuddle buddy. <br />I am thankful for hot showers, lots of holiday chocolates, and plungers.(Another story for another day.....) As we are nearing thanksgiving I find myself being more thankful for the little things in life. I love it!!Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972643796347984438.post-70936086948537329262010-11-05T05:12:00.002-06:002010-11-05T05:22:36.654-06:00Hard TimesWorking at a Children's hospital, I feel like I see it all. We see the little cuts and colds that come in and then we see the super sick kids that are barely hanging on to life. Whenever I help care for one of those super sick kids it always makes me stop and think about how greatful I am for my life and my health. Tonight on my shift we happen to have one of those really sick kiddos come in. This little patient was hit by a car and hanging on for dear life. Watching them roll in the doors with mom and grandma following in tears, it made my heart break. I didnt even know these people and my heart went out to them and I wanted to sit with them and give them hugs and mourn with them. Sadly, this sweet litle child did not end up making it through the night. I happen to pass one of the family members in the ICU and could see the sadness on their face. Oh how I wanted to just sit down and cry!<br /><br />I am SO thankful for my health, to have the knowledge about how to treat others who are hurt and to make their day better. To be able to work with so many great and caring nurses and doctors who do everything in their power to make out sweet little kiddos better. I love my job, but I really, really dread those days when things like this happen. It makes it hard to come back.<br /><br />I am thankful to be alive, and to be where I am at in my life.<br />My challenge to all who read this, take a minute in your life, stop what you are doing, and just take a moment to enjoy what you have in your life and all you have been blessed with. It will make you appreciate life more, I promise!Brooke Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266918543963817071noreply@blogger.com1