Have ants?

I love our new place except that we had ants in the kitchen from day one! I cleaned behind and underneath the refrigerator and stove (okay Michael cleaned them for me:))

Gross Refrigerator!!

Yucky stove!!

But the ants would not stop envading!!! It was really making me mad!!! I tried everything- bleach, lysol, ant traps, and everything that they say to do!!

Finally, I found the thing that works ... any guesses?

WD-40!!!!!!

 

 

 I know crazy!! But I swear I sprayed it down under my counters and the ants have been gone for over a week now!! I am planning to bug bomb our house if it ever stops raining to make sure that ALL the bugs are gone (the down side to apartment living). So if you ever need to get rid of your ants you now know what works:)

My Favorite Author releases a new classic!!!

When I lived in Logan, Ut I found a series of books based on the scriptual accout of Nephi and thier journey through the wilderness to the promised land and then the family seperation. I have been hooked by this author ever since- Heather B. Moore. Just as I finished the Out of Jeruselam series I found out she was releasing a new book -Abinidi. I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. Then came Alma. I just couldn't stop reading when ever I opened one of these books. Then finally this month along came Alma the Younger.

Now, I also have a secret fear that when an author that I love keeps coming out with new books that maybe the new books will be a dissapointment to the previous titles. I eagerly awaited for my copy of Alma the Younger to come in the mail and was equally curious to see how this story could unfold without seeming over-the-top with the character of Alma the Younger.

When I opened the first page, it was there- the horror, panic and terror that drew me into Abinidi- the climax of an awful event starting to happen and leaving me wondering "how did it come to this?" I was hooked and couln't put it down. The characters are real. The gradual decent of Alma the Younger completely believable (haven't we all felt a little wronged by someone in religious authority before). The conversion of Alma the Younger testifies to the truth of the account from the Book of Mormon. There is a pure spirit in those pages that complelty surrounds you. I was brought be to tears and testimony strengthend that God does hear and answer our prayers!


Once again I have devoured another great novel by Heather Moore and eagerly await the arrival of Ammon. Already, my copy is out and about to those that have fallen in love with her works like I have. Let me know if you want to be on my list :)

Money Saving Smoothie Tips

Okay so I LOVE shakes and smoothies but after a while the ingredients can sometimes really add up- especially if you are trying to make healthy ones with yogurt, fruit, etc. So here are some tips that I have discovered this week in my attempt to have smoothie ingredients available without breaking the bank!!

Tip #1

Buy fruit when its on sale in ANY form. Frozen, fresh or canned all make great smoothies. If you find fresh fruit on quick sale take it home and freeze it yourself. I have found that I can buy the overripe banana's at Smith's and put them strait in the freezer. When I want a smoothie I just take it out let it thaw for 5-10 mins and the peel comes right off (or you can use a knife if you don't want to wait:) These are also great for banana bread!

Tip #2

Buy yogurt on sale and freeze it. This is good just by itself but just as good in smoothies. For yogurts like Yoplait that have the funnel shape container just line a small toddler snack cup with plastic wrap, pour yogurt into cup, freeze and then remove from container and you can just stack them in your freezer. Just pop one in the blender when you make your next smoothie.

Tip #3

This pregnancy I have been really craving citrus and so I have also started freezing juices in ice cube trays. Orange juice expecially. Again you can fill up a freezer bag with all the ice cubes and store it in your freezer for when you need it. Works great when orange juice goes on sale becuase it is soo expensive!!! Also a great cold snack for younger kids (if you put sticks in them before they completely harden)

Tip #4

You can make any combination you want!! You don't have to have a specialized recipe. Be creative and just use your inner taste to make a smoothie that tastes good to you!!

Let me know if you have found any tips that make smoothies or shakes easier for you to make or your favorite combos :)

Family Scripture Reading Program

I thought I would just share the word about the summer scripture reading program Deseret Book is sponsering through http://www.scriptures4kids.com/. Each day a child 2-17 reads (or is read to) for 15 mins. counts towards a total of 30 or 60 days between now and August 31. If a child reads for 30 days Deseret Book is awarding them a $5 gift certficate. 60 days earns a total of $10!

I have been trying to figure out a scripture study program that our family could do that could involve Nathan and really get us going. Thanks to my wonderful friend Shayla Smith, she gave us a schedule that her young family uses for thier scripture study and we have really enjoyed it so far! It uses the scripture story manuals that you can purchase through Distribution and the DVD's that you can buy in a combo set. You study one story a week and that basically means you will complete a book a year:) Here is the schedule that we are going to follow. Now you can mix it up and adjust it to meet your needs however you want.

Both of these programs were just an answer to my prayers! I really needed a new study program and I needed something to help us get into the habit!! I will let you know when level we complete but if we can get this into a habit we should go the whole 60 plus!! Of course we will have a couple days of adjustment when the baby comes:)

Sweet and Sour Chicken (my fave!!)

I see many recipes and such for Sweet and Sour Chicken but it always includes the breaded chicken you buy from the store and its usually just a recipe for the sauce. When I was working at Wal-Mart a few years ago as a checker, I would browse through the cooking magazines (against the rules of course) and I copied a few down to try at home. This was one of them!! I had a Sweet and Sour Sauce I loved and now here is the chicken to go with it! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken Dippers

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/3 cups cold water

Oil for frying

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Cut up chicken breasts into 1-2 inch pieces. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and water in a bowl. Add cut up chicken pieces.

Heat oil over med. heat. Add battered chicken and fry about 5-10 mins.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.

Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Yummy!!!!

Tip: I halve this part of the recipe for our family of three and use three chicken breasts! Hope that gives you an estimate on how much it makes!!

Tip: If you have some time when you buy chicken breasts on sale. Pre cut the chicken before freezing and then all you have to do is thaw the chicken, make the batter and its that easy!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) can pinapple chunks (save juice!)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:

Drain and save pinapple juice. Combine sugar, cornstarch, pinapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce in saucepan over med. heat until sauce is think and bubbly. Remove from heat and add pinapple chunks (if desired) and serve over rice or Chicken Dippers.

Tip: I freeze my pinapple chunks to use in smoothies or shakes or as an ice cream topping, there are endless possiblities!

Awesomistic Brownies

Okay so these are the best ever brownies!! They taste like all the combos of the yummy desserts that are out there!! So here they are ... and I am sure they have the calories that make them so yummy:)

Awesomistic Brownies

1 box cake mix- German chocolate or yellow
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 bag caramels (I bet caramel dots would would work just as well)
1 bag chocolate chips
1/2 cups nuts (opt. of course)
1/4 cup milk (evaporated if you have it)

Mix cake mix, butter/marg., nuts and 2 tablespoons milk. Press 1/2 of mixture into a 9 X 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 6 mins. Meanwhile, unwrap caramels and melt in microwave with 2 tablespoons milk. 1 minute on high-stir, 30 sec.-stir, repeat until melted. Remove crust from oven and pour chocolate chips on top. Pour caramel on top of the chocolate. Crumble the remaining cake mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Cool and enjoy!! :)

Kingdom Keepers

Okay so I really like book series. More books to read and ones that I know I will like:) This series is about Disney World and being a Disney fan (okay I LOVE Disney) these books really grabbed my attention.

These are books about what happens after the park closes. With so much belief in the stories and tales of Disney, a magic of its own has come alive and its not good. Just as belief in a good thing brings it to life so does the evil and when evil comes alive it is never good. A group of 5 very different kids get placed in the postition to save not only the park but to keep the evil doers from expanding outside the park! It is lots of fun and a really good read. I have the third on that just came out and we are now going to Disneyland and I am excited! Check it out and tell me what you thought!!

The Best Pizza Crust!!

This recipe came throught the grapevine from two of my good friends from Logan, UT!! It is absolutly delicious and I can't wait to make it again!!!

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (110 to 130)
1-2 tablespoons dry active yeast*
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 -3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add yeast to warm water and stir until dissolved. Add sugar, salt and oil. Add flour in small amounts until dough forms a ball and can be handled. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 2-3 minutes. Let dough rest for 5-10 minutes to rise. Spread on oiled pan. Apply toppings of your choice and bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!!

Nathan helping top our pizza:)

* UPDATE: After making this every week for a while I was like - That is adding up to A LOT of yeast! I played with different amounts and I like just a little over 1 TBLS. 

You can do the whole 2 if you wish- if just seemed like too much for me:)

Thanks to http://www.thischiccancook.blogspot.com/ for posting this fantastic recipe!! Check it out for others:)

Fruit Salad Baby Hat

Okay so here is a link to an adorable BLUEBERRY BABY HAT! I am soo excited to try and make one! Super easy and super cute!! Click here for the instructions!

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

This is sooo yummy!! It is really easy to put together and makes a cake with its own hot fudge topping!! Try it! I know you'll love it!!

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped nuts (opt.)
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 1/2 cups very hot water

Directions:

In a 9 X 13 pan, mix flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, backing powder and salt. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork. Stir in nuts if desired. Mix brown sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa in seperate bowl. Sprinkle over batter in pan. Pour hot water over entire pan. Bake at 350 for 40 mins. Spoon warm cake into bowls top with ice cream or whip cream and pour hot fudge on top:) Yummy!!

You can halve this recipe for an 8X8 pan if you are serving a smaller family.

Let me know how it goes!!