Hil's Blog

Universal WishList

2009-11-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

With Christmas just around the corner, I was excited to have discovered Amazon's Universal Wishlist. So excited in fact that I wanted to share it with you! The following is a short tutorial on how to use this awesome tool that allows you to add items to your Amazon Wish List from any website.

Before we begin, you must first have an account with Amazon.com. Once your account is all set up and official, go to the "Get the Universal Wish List Button" page. It looks like this:

As you can see here, it tells you to click on the button and drag it to your bookmarks bar in your browser. It will then ask you to name it. I named mine, Hil's Wish List.

Next, all you have to do is start shopping. Once you find something you think would be a great idea for your husband/mom/dad/brother/sister/friend etc. to get you for Christmas, just click on your brand new sparkly button like so:

After clicking on your "add to wish list" button, or in my case "Hil's Wish List" button, it will take you to the following page:

Amazon does a lot of the work for you by putting the name and link in for you, and only asks you to insert the price and whatever note you would like attached to the item. Once you have filled in the blanks, click on the yellow button that says "Add to List". It then takes you to this screen:

The final screen displays all of the items you have added to your wishlist. It provides the name, link and price for each item on the list. It also gives you the option to "print your list". Once you have created this list, you can tell your friends and family who will then be able to search for it under "Find Someone's List".

Pretty exciting stuff eh? This may seem like a completely and utterly selfish thing while you are doing it, however it is a wonderful answer to the old, "What would you like for Christmas?" question.

Your husband/mom/dad/brother/sister/dog/boyfriend etc. will thank you for making their shopping season that much easier.

Only Girl

2009-11-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm the only girl in our little family. With this comes its privileges, such as getting dibs on all things pink and getting to take extra long showers.

However, as I looked around our apartment today, I couldn't help but notice that it is being taken over by all things boy.

We have cars. Lots of cars. Sometimes we step on the cars. Sometimes we find cars in kitchen and bathroom drawers, or under our couches and inbetween cushions.

We also have a basketball hoop, that for a long while sat in our living room because we didn't have any other spot for it.

Our DVD collection is lacking in the princess department, and overflowing with monsters, cars, and fish.

There is also a lot of wrestling that goes on when the hubs is home from work.

I can't help but think that with our new little one on his way, we will just be adding to the already dominating testosterone in this house.

And you know what? I couldn't be more excited.

loving..

2009-11-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

:: these stockings. I think maybe we will get new stockings this year.

:: this blog post. There are oh so many things to be thankful for.

:: this bracelet. I have been relying heavily on hope and faith these past couple weeks and this bracelet is beautiful.

:: this double stroller. With little guy numero dos coming, I think this would be a great investment. If only it didn't cost so darn much!

:: my new maternity winter coat. It is bound to keep me warm even in the frozen tundra where I live.

:: this talk on having "An Attitude of Gratitude". How fitting for this time of year. "A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness."

:: this magazine and blog. Oh so many ideas. Must start making a list of crafting projects to do with family this holiday season.

:: my cute little sock monkey niece.

Taco Salad

2009-11-02T07:32:00.001-08:00

Halloween night I made Taco Salad for dinner. I wanted to make something that would warm us all up after being outside trick or treating, and figured the beans, corn and lettuce in the meal would help us through the insane amounts of sugar that would be consumed.

This is such a super simple meal, but one of my absolute favorites, probably because I grew up eating it. It is a great meal to hurry and whip up if you ever have company over or if you want to take a meal to someone who could use it. It's usually the one I resort to anyway.

Beware, it makes A TON. I halved this recipe, ate it for two nights in a row (with visitors yesterday) and we still have some leftover in the fridge. That's why it is so perfect for big crowds or several meals. It also makes for a great freezer meal!

Enjoy!

Taco Salad
(makes a lot!)

2 lb. ground beef
2 onions (chopped)
2 pkg. taco seasoning
2 cans whole corn (don't drain)
2 cans kidney beans (drain)
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (28 oz.) cans tomatoes crushed

Brown ground beef with onions. Then add all ingredients in large pot. Heat until bubbling. Serve on top of Fritos chips. Top with grated cheese, sour cream, avocados and salad.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

We started the festivities off early by taking our little monkey to his daddy's work today. They put on quite the trick or treat path, and Little Guy was in absolute heaven for the hour we were there. He is currently in his room holding his own personal dance party instead of taking a nap. Thank you candy.

Tomorrow we are going to keep it low key and just go around to friends and family. It's freezing here. We woke up to snow this morning and I'm not so sure how I feel about that*. So, we had better keep the trick or treating short so I er... Little Guy doesn't freeze.

Once we get back from trick or treating and our monkey is in bed, the plan is to pop some popcorn and watch some classic scary movies. Not any recent ones. They are either too creepy or gory for me. I found some great ones on Netflix instant queue that will work perfectly. We also may or may not sneak a few of Little Guy's goods seeing how he doesn't need all that candy... right?

Hope you all have a happy halloween!

*Maybe if it were Thanksgiving then the snow would be acceptable. Halloween seems a bit early to me. Guess I'd better find a new place to live. I'm pretty sure it has snowed on or before Halloween every single year that I've been here.

you're welcome!

2009-10-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

I am about to give you the best Halloween costume ever thought of for a male. You can thank me later. I thought of this costume about two or three years ago and have tried convincing the hubs to dress up, but with no success. I think my little guy will have to be my next victim, we will just have to wait until his head gets big enough to fit into the wig.

The ultimate male Halloween costume is:

BOB ROSS!

Why do I consider this the best Halloween costume ever? Let me list the reasons:

1. Because it's hilarious and no one else will think of it.

2. Because Bob Ross is awesome and paints happy trees.

3. Because it's super easy. Find a fro wig, goatie, seventies shirt and pants, and a paint palette.

4. Because Bob Ross is awesome and paints happy bushes.

5. Because almost everyone knows who Bob Ross is and will love to be reminded of the good ol' days when he was always on PBS.

6. Because Bob Ross is awesome and paints happy clouds, streams, mountains, waterfalls, etc. etc.

So, I think you see my point. Go forth and use my idea since I have not been successful for the past few years.

it's game time...

2009-10-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

or at least time to announce the winner of the Simply Custom Blog Design from Simply Yours Designs. Thank you to all who entered. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments and wish I could give each and every one of you a new design. It was too hard to decide on my own, so I used my little friend random.org. After running the randomizer, the winner is:

JDaniel4's Mom!

As for the rest of you, I did select a few of you who will get to choose between one of my premade templates or 20% off of my Simply Custom Design package. Those winners are:

Diane Jago

Visha

twifanheather

Thanks again to all who entered! If the winners could please contact me by clicking here, we can get started!

PB / chocolate heaven

2009-10-26T09:10:00.001-07:00

I am in love. Take a look:

No... look closer...

Yes, it really does say with real peanut butter cups.

Just add whipped cream for a cup of sweet heaven.

I think I know what I will be giving my friends this holiday season.

my sweet husband...

2009-10-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

brought home this beautiful bouquet of flowers last evening. He knew I needed something to brighten my day.

He also wanted to celebrate the fact that we are having another little boy. He is such a proud daddy. He was able to watch the entire ultrasound (I, however, only got to see about 30 seconds of it because the lady wouldn't turn the screen my way...) I watched and searched his face for little hints. He got teary eyed at one point and had a big old smile on his face. I knew at that point that it was another boy.

Thank you, to my sweet husband who even arranged the flowers all by yourself! I love you.

It's a...

2009-10-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

BOY! We are so excited to have another little guy join our family. I can't wait to dress my little boys alike, have bunk beds, and be best buds.

The fact that the baby is a little boy isn't the only thing we found out today. We also found out that baby boy has a heart condition. They couldn't tell us much about it, other than the fact that his heart is larger than it is supposed to be. We meet with a specialist next Tuesday or Wednesday where they will do another ultrasound and hopefully have more answers for us.

We also found out that I am only about 16 weeks, instead of 18 like we thought. This means that the enlarged heart could just be because the little guys body hasn't quite caught up with it's heart.

We are hopeful that things will straighten out on their own, but know that if they don't that our Heavenly Father is watching over our little family and will help us through it all!

In the mean time, we will celebrate the fact that we are bringing another little boy into our family.

Loving these cute little sibling shirts.

boy or girl??

2009-10-20T20:37:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the BIG day. We find out if this little one is another little guy or a little girl. We are excited either way and can't wait to find out!

Little Guy isn't allowed in the office (due to recent Swine Flu precautions disallowing any children under the age of 18 to enter the building). I was sad to hear that he wouldn't get to see the little baby, but he will be able to have lots of fun with great-grandma instead.

We just pray that everything is good and healthy with the little babe. Wish us luck!

A Giveaway

2009-10-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Why? Because I like you.

And because we totally missed celebrating the 1 year mark for Simply Yours Designs in September. That month was a bit crazy for my family, and I have been sick since then. Anyway, enough of the explaining and on to the giveaway!

Simply Yours Designs is giving away one Simply Custom Design Package, which is a $90 value! It includes:

Simply Custom Design Package:

- a complete design made using your own specifications

- 2 or 3 columns

- custom header

- custom background to match header

- coordinating sidebar heading images (up to 5)

- personalized signature to appear at the end of each post (if desired)

- includes installation

This giveaway will end Monday October 26th, 2009 at midnight. That means you have a week to enter and spread the word. Here are the rules:

- Go to Simply Yours Designs and check out some of the latest designs in the portfolio.

- Leave one comment on this post before midnight on the 26th, telling me why your blog needs a new-do. Make sure you leave a way for me to get in contact with you when you win!

- There are opportunities to enter more than once in this contest by doing the following:

:: Tweet about this giveaway and link back to this post.

:: Facebook about this giveaway and link back to this post.

:: Post about this giveaway, once again linking back to this post.

:: Add the giveaway button to your sidebar.

:: Add Simply Yours Designs button to your sidebar.

For each extra entry, leave a separate comment letting me know what you did to deserve it! I will announce the winner on Tuesday, October 27th. Good luck!

Jamba love

2009-10-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, my sweet husband came home for lunch and brought Little Guy and I both a Jamba juice. With sore throats, nasty coughs and no appetites this couldn't have come at a better time.

Little Guy loved the fact that he had his very own and so did I! They were very yummy and very needed. A fun little surprise of joy in the midst of being sick.

17 weeks

2009-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

So, here's the deal. I didn't document my first pregnancy ... AT ALL ... as far as belly pictures go. I wasn't a fan of them, and didn't have time. I am regretting that this time around because I would love to have something to compare to. Therefore, I am taking lots of pictures this time around, in hopes that I will have something to compare for my future pregnancies.

I am now 17 weeks and finally starting to feel better (as far as pregnancy sickness goes). I have been feeling the baby move for about a week now, which makes things very exciting. This baby seems to be a lot more subtle than Little Guy ever was. However, I think anything compared to Little Guy's kicks would be subtle. He was a wild one, that's for certain.

We get to find out what we are having in less than 7 days! My husband is 90% positive it is a girl. I am about 60% positive it is. I'm trying not to get too set on a guess seeing how I thought Little Guy was going to be a girl and we all know how great my mother's intuition on that was...

We'll just have to wait and see!

The Miley Flu

2009-10-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

I am writing this post on what seems to be my death bead (don't worry though, it's not. I'm just a big baby when it comes to being sick). Last night, I was getting ready for bed and telling my husband about how I was pretty sure I had the swine flu... er H1N1 (sorry ag secretary, I forgot you ordered to have the name changed..). Anyway, my husband was chuckling to himself a little and then interrupted me midsentence to tell me that I sounded like Miley Cyrus.

WHAT???

Miley Cyrus!? Seriously?! No offense to her, but is there a worse insult out there? I did have to laugh a little and responded by singing her latest "Party in the USA". I'm sure he regretted ever bringing her up.

It is true that as a result of coughing for 36 hours straight I not only have a huge headache but my voice has been lowered by about 2 or 3 octaves. Long story short, we finally concluded that instead of the swine flu... er H1N1... I must have the Miley Flu.

It's rumored to be just like the regular flu, just far more contagious.

Best Friends

2009-10-11T11:12:00.001-07:00

Meet my best friends for the weekend. That's right folks, we're sick round here parts. Praying it isn't H1N1 or the flu... but all symptoms point towards at least one of them. And to think, we were just 4 days away from getting the shot! Oh well, hopefully we'll be back and at em again real soon. Until then, I'm going to go hang with my besties.

**On a sidenote, how cute are those kleenex boxes anyway?

soundtrack for saturday

2009-10-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning today. Deep cleaning. Have I ever mentioned how I love Journey? Well I do. It may have something to do with the fact that I grew up with it playing in my home, mostly on Saturday cleaning day.

I decided to pull it out for old times sake today while we clean the apartment. Still love it.

must-make recipes

2009-10-10T09:05:00.001-07:00

(Pictures taken from sources below)

I love food. Now that I am pregnant I love food even more. Because of this love, I have a bunch of recipes bookmarked that I have drooled over while reading blogs. Hopefully by having pictures and recipes of them all in one place I can get started on making some of them!

1. Grilled Rib Eye Steak w/Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce (oh) - ThePioneerWoman.com

2. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (yes please) - rhrecipes.blogspot.com

3. Mac and Cheese (help me) - rhrecipes.blogspot.com

4. Simple Sesame Noodles (need more carbs...) - ThePioneerWoman.com

5. Caramel Apple Syrup w/Yeast Waffles (oh goodness.) - JetSetCarina.blogspot.com

6. Zuccini Fritters (use up the zuccini in my freezer!) - rhrecipes.blogspot.com

7. Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Pasta (yum) - sherbetblossom.blogspot.com

To Dad

2009-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

My dad is one of the greatest guys I know. I think this picture shows just how much fun he is. I was one of those really lucky kids who was blessed with a father who not only worked hard to provide for his family, but worked hard to be a part of the family.

He was always there, and always making sure we were having our family prayer and scripture study each morning growing up.

He was always there to make sure we were loading the dishwasher correctly (and yes, there is a right and wrong way to do this...).

He was always there to help me with my Student Council speeches, usually involving some quote or clip from Dumb and Dumber.

He was always there to make sure my dance date was scared to death to bring me home any later than curfew.

He was always there during our boating outings encouraging me to "get some air".

He was always there when I needed help on my math or english homework.

He was always there to make me laugh, no matter the situation.

He was always there loving my mom, and treating her with respect.

He was always there ready and willing to quote movies and comedians with, this also led to many inside jokes that are still active to this day.

He was always there during midnight snacks (bowl of cereal) to talk to and laugh with.

He was always there leading by example: reading his scriptures in the den every morning, honoring his priesthood, fulfilling his callings, and being a wonderful husband and father.

Most of all, he was always there as one of my best friends and loved me for who I was.

Thanks dad for all you have done, and continue to do! I hope you have a very happy birthday. I love you.

On my mind

2009-10-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hopefully cute Marta over at martawrites won't mind if I steal her idea of listing thoughts today. I just have too many things on my mind for a tuesday and need to get them all out on the table, so to speak.

: We had a wonderful weekend that was full of inspiring and uplifting messages given by our modern day prophet as well as his apostles. The hubs and I have been struggling with a few big decisions to be made in our lives and these men seemed to be talking directly to us when they spoke about personal revelation and answers to prayers. I always feel like a better person after watching conference. It is kind of like having New Years come early because I am always renewing and adding to my personal goals. Go here if you missed out.

: Little Guy and I went to Target yesterday and picked up a package of midgees (among other things). These aren't just any midgees, they are the best.mix.ever.made. Chocolate and vanilla midgees in one bag. Delightful. I have eaten half of the bag already.

: I bought maternity pants yesterday. I was pregnant during the summer with my last pregnancy, leaving me with zero winter maternity clothes. I seem to be carrying quite low this time around and am having a hard time getting my normal jeans to stretch out their use time a bit longer. I gave up fighting and bought these super comfy ones.

: My Little Guy is two. It seems like the day he turned two he started throwing tantrums. I can't help but laugh when he does. But, I hope I can help him figure out how to control his anger without having to throw his whole body to the floor, kicking and screaming. Two also means we get to start paying for him when we go places, including the air plane, which means things could get expensive!

: It's my dad's birthday today. I think I'll have to do a separate post for this thought. He is one of my best friends and I can't wait for him to have a special day that is all about him!

: October means frigid coldness here. It took us twice as long to head out the door yesterday. Instead of slipping on my flip flops and Little Guys' moc crocs we had to zip up my black boots and tie LG's tennis shoes. We also had to layer on the long sleeves and coats. Way too much work.

: We find out if there is a little boy or little girl growing in my belly on the 21st. I can honestly say that I am happy either way. A little boy would be wonderful because then we wouldn't have to buy anything. It would also mean that LG would have a little buddy to play with and dress alike with. However, who doesn't want a little girl? We also have a definite girl name picked out, so that would make things a little easier on that side of things. According to every gender predicting test I have taken, it's a girl. But that's what they all said when I was pregnant with Little Guy as well... so we'll see! I just hope it's happy and healthy whatever it is.

: I'm not in the dating scene anymore, nor have I been for the last 4 1/2 years (hallelujah), but my friend's blog has been very entertaining to read. I think it's a great project she has started, and even think there could be a movie made from it. However, maybe that is just due to the fact that I recently saw Julie and Julia.

: New goal is to be a better friend. Contact/renew old ones and make/keep new ones. Friends are so important in this life. They are what get us through the hard times and celebrate with us during the great times.

: My brother showed me this awesome site. I have been movin' and groovin' to some of my favorite tunes while I clean my house. It makes the time go by much faster and actually has me looking forward to cleaning time.

Speaking of cleaning... I better get back to it!

Just curious, what's on your mind today?

Cowboy Party - The Details

2009-10-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Little Guy's party was an absolute blast! It was supposed to be held at a nearby park that has a fire pit so that we could have an authentic cowboy experience... but it was just too darn cold! So, our apartment became our backup location.

We had over a couple of LG's good buddies as well as their parents. Grandma and Grandpa even came (they had to travel 2 hours to get here, and then turned around and drove back that same night!). Little Guy ended up having a great birthday and felt so special.

Here are the details:

1 & 7 : The Candy Bar. This was just our t.v. stand but we placed two bar stools up to a display of red vines (red and black), cherry popcorn, chocolate covered marshmallows and rice krispie treats.

2 : The take home treats for all the guests. For the chocolate covered marshmallows, 3 large marshmallows were shoved on a lollipop stick and covered in Milton's melting chocolate. They were then decorated with star shaped sprinkles.

For the sherif badge rice krispie treats, yellow food coloring in the marshmallow mixture was used to make them gold and a star shaped cookie cutter made them into the right shape. Both were covered in clear plastic candy bags.

3 : "WANTED" posters were made and hung for each of Little Guy's little friends that would be there.

4 : Cowboy hats and paisley kerchiefs were handed out to each of the little guests. The kerchiefs worked great as bibs later on for the food portion!

5 : The food. We had sloppy joes, hot dogs, baked beans and potato chips. To drink we had root beer and cream soda. Typical cowboy grub.

6 : The adorable little guests are what made the party! It was fun to see the little ones play with each other, and Little Guy's new toys.

It wasn't anything spectacular by any means, but we still had lots of fun celebrating the big #2 birthday for Little Guy!

A Fancy Breakfast

2009-10-04T12:18:00.001-07:00

We try to make something special for breakfast on conference sunday. One, because we actually have time to do it and are not being rushed out the door with mismatched socks and wet hair. And two because it is a special day!

Today we used up the remainder of our Utah peaches (I will be going through withdrawals for the next few weeks, I'm sure) and shared a can of Extra Creamy Reddi Whip.

Little Guy was in whipped cream heaven. So was I.

Conference

2009-10-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

The party has been had and more updates are to come, however right now it is time to cuddle up in my sweats and watch the 179th Semiannual General Conference that takes place today and tomorrow.

Conference weekend is my favorite weekend of the year (luckily it comes twice a year!). It's a time when we can be together as a family and have no other pressures to answer to. Conference is full of inspiring messages that help me refocus on the important things in life, which is needed at least twice a year!

Cowboy Birthday in October

2009-10-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's October! And I couldn't be more excited. Not because it's my favorite month of the year by any means, but it is one of them. However, it hasn't always been. I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to cold weather, and believe me when I say it gets cold here starting right about now. Ever since my son was born in October two years ago it has become one of my favorite months.

Speaking of the Little Guy, he turns the big two tomorrow and we have lots of fun planned for his birthday. We are having a cowboy hoe down of sorts complete with sloppy joes, baked beans, potato chips, apple cider, red vines... the works. We plan on having it at a nearby park where there is a fire pit. That is if the weather holds up (we had snow yesterday. yes, snow. in September.) otherwise it will be held in our snug apartment. I'll try to post all the details on Saturday.

In other news, my custom blog design shop is open once again. I will also be adding more designs to my premade templates section soon. I may even have a little giveaway in honor of it all, so stay tuned!

Baby Bump

2009-09-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

You requested belly shots, I delivered. I missed week 13/14, due to being pre-occupied with a baby and a wedding. It's crazy to me how fast my belly is growing this time around. I can't wait to see what it will look like 25 weeks from now!

I have already switched over to maternity pants for the comfort factor. I think I tried to wait until the very last possible moment with my last pregnancy, but just don't care with this one. It's all about being comfy folks!

I go tomorrow for my 15 week doctor check up. Can't wait to hear the flutter of the little heartbeat inside. I think we also get to schedule the big ultrasound where we find out if we get to buy lots of pink or hand down all our blue.