The Many Me's of 2009

Here is a collage of all the different hairstyles I've had this year... just a little much, perhaps. But when you're recreating your image, sometimes it takes a while to find the right one!

In case you can't figure it out, the newest one of me is the one with short brown hair, taken yesterday. And I must say I like myself as a brunette!

Happy Birthday to My Sweetheart!

30 years ago today, my sweetheart was born! We're all so glad he came!

Love you, honey!

A thought on the state of the Union

A lot of good people may wonder why some politicians are allowed to come into office and destroy our country. People like Glenn Beck, and some others, do their best to show how what's happening is wrong and bad. People must first awaken to those realities. If Heavenly Father saved our country now, we wouldn't appreciate it, because we wouldn't see anything was wrong, and we would soon fall back into our old ways. Also, Heavenly Father can't just rescue us. We must be aware, and do all we can to fix things ourselves, or at least move in that direction. This shows Him that we really want it. And that is why we cannot just sit back, and hope that our leaders do the right thing. We must do our part, to let them know what the right thing is, and that we won't stand for anything less.

Recipes: Mediterranean Past Bake

I came up with this last week, when I realized that I'd forgotten (again) to make another dish that needed to marinate for a while (gazpacho... yum!). I looked in the pantry and freezer and this is what I came up with... hope you like it!

Mediterranean Pasta Bake

1 pound penne or rotini
1 jar spaghetti sauce (about 2-3 cups)
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
2/3 cup sliced black olives (Kalamata would work well too... but I didn't have any)
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 oz Feta cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to directions, only to al dente... no softer!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When pasta is done, drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, in case you need more moisture. Put pasta in lightly greased 13x9 baking pan. Add sauce, olives, and artichokes, and Feta cheese, if desired. Stir to combine. Top with Mozzarella. Tent with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is nice and melty, and noodles are heated through. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve hot with your favorite green vegetable and garlic bread, if you like.


Let me know if this recipe works for you! Make sure to comment, and give it an adjective. See below post.

My favorite pic

Our summer

Just some assorted pictures from this summer. The first covers June, the second July, and the third, our trip.

Haircuts!

So the boys' hair was getting too long... covering the tops of their ears, sticking up crazy in the morning, and little mullets forming at the backs of their necks. So it was time to cut their hair. And Elizabeth made me cut hers too (because she wanted to look like Mommy). I had been putting off cutting her hair. I was nervous to do it myself, having had no formal training, and not sure how it would turn out. But we did it, and I'm so glad we did! She's never been cuter, and she's so happy about her hair, she still gasps when she glimpses herself in the mirror, and says, "Mom, I LOVE my bangs! Thank you!!!"

And the boys are back to looking clean and handsome instead of... let's just say rustic! and handsome.