September

We had a busy September. We stayed plenty busy with school and work, but managed to have a ton of fun too! Here are some of our adventures.

Here's a little fact about me that not many people know. I never learned how to ride a bike! I know, hard to believe, right? Most people think I'm joking when I share that little known fact about myself. But, it's true. I've never been able to relate to the phrase, "It's as easy as riding a bike." :) Well, my friends Chelsey and Kaleena have both been wanting to teach me how to ride a bike for several summers now, and we finally made it happen. We decided to make a night of it and enjoyed some bike riding and bread making.

As you can see from the pictures, they both did a wonderful job of teaching, because now I can no longer say that I don't know how to ride a bike! Thanks again girls! You're the best! :)

Over Labor Day, we got to spend the weekend with all of these cuties! Thanks again for the fun trip Mark and Halli! We had a blast, as always!

The weekend after Labor Day was Time Out for Women! All of the wonderful Stone ladies were able to come, and we had so much fun together!! This was the second year we went and I think there's a good chance it will become a yearly tradition! I stole this picture from my sister-in-law's blog because I didn't take any pictures with my camera.

I also got to go up to my mom's house for a fun girl's day during the week! I wish I had taken some pictures, but we were having too much fun to remember the camera. Thanks again Mom! I always love our trips to see each other!

The week after that, while Patrick was busy studying, I headed down to Spanish Fork to spend some much needed time with my brother's cute family! I made it down in time to eat lunch with Kristine and little Russell. Then we went to pick up both of my nieces from school. Katelynne is in kindergarten now and Alexa is in pre-school! I can hardly believe they are old enough to be in school! It was so much fun seeing their classrooms and hearing about all of the things they are learning. After we picked them up, we got to play and cook dinner before heading to one of Katelynne's last soccer games. Can I just say that there is nothing cuter than a bunch of six-year-olds playing soccer! So much fun!! Thanks for the fun day you guys!

Here's a lovely picture of Patrick and I with some friends at a football game.

Every once in a while Patrick takes pictures on my camera and leaves them for me to find when I import my pictures onto my computer. I found this one the other day. In case you can't see what it is, it's a little note in his binder that says, "Holy crap, I love Janet." :) He's cute and I love him a lot!!

Well, there's a glimpse at our September! Have a good day!!

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Crafting? Who? Me?

So most people who know me would tell you that I'm not crafty. I've never really had the desire or talent when it comes to making crafts. Well, as of the last couple of months, I've really enjoyed looking at different craft blogs and seeing all of the fun things people are making. There are so many cute crafts and talented people out there! It kind of inspired me, and I've been on this crafty kick lately! Weird, I know. Who knows how long it will last, but it's fun for now! Here are some of the things I've made. Sorry the pictures aren't the best.

I made these cute "Boo" letters with the help of my friend Chelsey. It took way longer than we both thought, but I think they turned out quite well! Thanks for being my partner in crime Chels!

This ribbon wreath has been my latest project. I love how this turned out! This picture really doesn't do it justice. It was pretty easy to make, but it just took forever! All you do is cut a TON of ribbon and hot glue the ends together to make a loop. Then you hot glue all of the ribbon loops onto a wreath form. If you want to make one, let me know and I'll send you the link of the tutorial I followed.

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In Addition

I wanted to also post a link for the LDS Church's official statement that came out yesterday for those of you who haven't read it. Please read it. These are my beliefs and I know they are true. Click here to read.

P.S. My next post will be more lighthearted. Promise.

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I'm not one to join heated discussions or initiate conversations about controversial topics. I don't consider myself to be an eloquent speaker, and I don't enjoy debates. I try to keep this blog lighthearted and fun. For these reasons, I'm hesitant to write this post. However, I came across this article about President Packer's talk that someone posted on their blog, and I feel like I need to share this. I hope I don't offend anyone, for that is not my intent. I only post this because I have been saddened by all of the controversy surrounding this talk, and I feel like I'm supposed to pass this on. Read it if you're interested, or don't. It doesn't matter to me.

http://gaymormonguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/president-packers-talk-from-gay-mormon.html?spref=fb

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In the Summertime When the Weather is Hot

So I thought I should probably update the blog since it's been a little while. This post was meant to happen back in the summer, but it's happening now, so enjoy the summer fun! :)

We had a fabulous summer full of family reunions. I'll try not to go on and on about our reunions since I tend to get bored when looking at posts of other people's family reunions. The annual Stone family reunion was a blast this year full of relaxing, camping, swimming in the river, catching hummingbirds and snakes (even a rattlesnake!), yummy food, games, and great company! The Mabey/Martin (my mom's family) family reunion was also a blast! We had fun swimming, kayaking, boating, jet skiing, talking around the camp fire, relaxing, spotting foxes and deer, and catching up with family we haven't seen for years. Thanks to those who helped to make these reunions happen! Here are some pictures!

Patrick and I did a lot of fun things this summer. Here is a little collage of some of our adventures.

Well folks, I think that this is just about all the energy I have for blogging for tonight! Until next time!

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Recipes! Yum!

So I've noticed that a lot of people tend to post recipes on their blogs, and I have yet to do that since I started this thing. I thought it was time to post a few recipes that we love. I also don't know what else to blog about since I'm too lazy to upload pictures tonight, so you get recipes! :)

I'm sitting on the couch right now wishing we hadn't just devoured a pan of these, because I really want another piece... If you like easy recipes and delicious food, then this is the desert for you!

Brown Bettys

1 c. coconut

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. nuts (I usually use pecans)

1 can sweet and condensed milk

14 double graham crackers

1 stick of butter

• Melt butter in 9"x 13" pan (I usually just put the butter in the pan and stick it in the oven while it's preheating. Make sure to keep an eye on the butter to avoid scorching)
• Add 14 double graham crackers rolled fine
• Mix with butter and press on bottom of pan
• Over that, sprinkle coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts
• Pour can of sweet and condensed milk over the whole pan
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
• Let sit for a few minutes before cutting it into squares
• Put in fridge before serving so chocolate chips won't be sticky.
• Eat and enjoy! :)

My wonderful sister-in-law Maria made a fabulous family recipe book that I cook from all the time. I just tried this salsa recipe for the first time a few weeks ago, and I will definitely be making it again!

Roasted Corn Salsa

1 bag frozen corn

2-3 lg. tomatoes, diced

1 sm. red onion, chopped

15 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed

3 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 avocados, diced

juice of 2-3 limes

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 c. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Spread corn in single layer on a cookie sheet. Allow corn to thaw, then place sheet under boiler and broil kernels until they begin to brown. Cool and place in mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Allow mixture to sit in refrigerator for several hours or overnight for flavors to mix. Serve with tortilla chips.

This next recipe is also from Maria's cookbook. We LOVE this stuff!

Peanut Butter Chicken

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or tenderloin)

1 c. chicken broth

3 T. margarine or olive oil

1/2 c. white wine (optional...I've never used it and it's still fabulous without)

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. of each: garlic powder, onion powder, basil, poultry seasoning, seasoning salt, grated or ground ginger

1/2 c. peanut butter

Cut up chicken in bite size cubes or slices. Saute in margarine or oil with garlic, onion, basil, poultry seasoning, ginger, and salt. When chicken is cooked, add wine. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes (that cooks the alcohol out). Add soy sauce and chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for a few minutes. A minute before serving, stir in the peanut butter.

If you like it thinner, add more broth or just water. If you want it more "Thai"-like.. add a teaspoon of chili peppers (or more!). If you want to add vegetables, cut them in bite size pieces and add with the wine. Carrots, pea pods, and water chestnuts are great! Serve over rice or rice and steamed broccoli.

Let me know if you try any of these and what you think! Enjoy!

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Yellowstone Pictures...It's about time...

I can't believe summer is almost over! Summer is my favorite time of the year, and I'm always so sad to see it come to an end. Patrick goes back to school in a week! Crazy! We've had such a fun summer! Hence the lack of blog posts. I'll try to catch up and post about our fun summer adventures sometime soon!

Here are pictures from our Stone Family Yellowstone trip that we took back at the end of June. We had so much fun on this trip! We fished, hiked, saw the sights, enjoyed the scenery, and made plenty of great memories! Thanks again Mark and Halli! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Cute Kids-

Silly Faces-

Fishing Time-

Family Fun-

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Yellowstone Here We Come!

Patrick's family loves Yellowstone!! His grandparents started a tradition of taking their family to Yellowstone every summer for opening fishing day. Mark and Halli went to Yellowstone for their honeymoon, and have continued on the tradition of taking everyone to Yellowstone each summer. For the Stones, Yellowstone is more than a National Park - it's a place to spend time with family and make some great memories! I went to Yellowstone several times growing up, but I was able to experience this great place the Stone way for the first time last summer. Let me tell you, it was a blast! Ever since, I've been so excited for our trip this summer! We leave this weekend and we couldn't be more excited!

Isn't it so pretty?! And here are the cute people we get to spend our time with while we're there!

We can't wait!

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Buddha, Dance Recitals, and Great Memories

I love summer! Patrick and I love taking Sunday drives and exploring the canyons that are all over Cache Valley. A few weeks ago we went up Smithfield Canyon and took our friend Buddha with us. Here are some pictures of Buddha enjoying the wilderness. :)

A few weeks ago Patrick and I went down to Layton to see our niece Audrey dance in her dance recital. It was so much fun and Audrey did such a great job!! Here are a few cute pictures of her.

Last week, Patrick got to go to Yellowstone with his dad for opening fishing day on Yellowstone Lake. They had so much fun fishing and seeing the sights! While he was gone, my mom came down for a few days. We had a blast! We went shopping, out to eat, bought delicious pastries, and spent hours on end talking and talking. She is one of my best friends, and I loved having her here with me while Patrick was gone!

To end this post, I'll leave you with some pictures Patrick has taken with his new camera.

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Update!

Hey everyone! I feel like I've been a real blog slacker as of late. I just haven't had much to say i guess. Anyway, here's a little update about what we've been up to the last couple of weeks.

I GRADUATED!!! I can't believe I'm done with college! It's so exciting! Graduation was great. We spent the morning relaxing and getting ready. We had a fun pizza lunch and then headed off to the ceremony. I did my thing, received my diploma cover, and took some pictures. After, we all met up at Cafe Sabor for some delicious dinner! Thanks to all of our wonderful friends and family that came to support me!! I couldn't have done it without you!

Summer has been good to us so far. It's been full of relaxing, spending time together, hanging out with friends and family, and working. Patrick has been busy studying for the DAT (June 19 is the big day) and I have picked up a new hobby! I've decided to start crocheting!! I only started a week ago, but I LOVE it!! It's so much fun! I've already made one dishcloth and I'm in the process of making another. My ultimate goal is to make something like this:

or this:

Aren't they pretty?? Only problem is that I don't know how to change colors yet... Does anyone want to teach me how?? Or have any tips?? Let's hear from you crocheters out there!

And to end, here's a pretty picture I took a few days ago when I was down at temple square for a wedding:

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The Fish and the Bear

My brother Brent and his wife Melissa are currently living in Island Park, ID, building cabins. For those of you that don't know where Island Park is, it's in the mountains right outside of Yellowstone. Brent is huge into the outdoors and spends all of his free time hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. Well, probably about a month ago, I got a text message from Brent telling me about how he had just caught this fish that was one of the biggest rainbow trout ever caught in Idaho. He said that the fish was 20 pounds, 32 inches long, with a girth of 16 1/2 inches! He gutted the fish before he found out that the Idaho state record is 19 pounds set back in 1947. He just sent us pictures of the fish a few days ago. Look at how huge that thing is!

About a week ago I got another text message from Brent about how he had just purchased a bear license, and the next day he killed a huge black bear not too far away from their cabin. I had a hard time believing him at the time because for April Fool's, Brent told everyone that Melissa had been swatted by a black bear and had to go to the hospital. So of course, when I got the text saying that he had just killed a bear, I wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. Well, a few days later Brent sent out an email with pictures of the bear and the story of how he killed him. The bear was about 400 pounds and the taxidermist Brent talked to told him that it would probably make the record book list for Idaho! Here's the story from the email:

We first noticed the tracks on the north hill at the cabin. We decided to grab the gun and follow them just to see if we could find something. Melissa and I were just getting over the flu so we wanted to get out anyway, but didn't have all our energy back. About a mile into tracking it I heard a branch crack ahead. There it was 30 yards in front of us. We were in very thick forest so I knew my window to take a shot was small before he vanished through the pine trees. The first shot hit him good, but he still ran off. Melissa was right behind me, but didn't know what I had shot at because she never saw it. We ran after it following the tracks and blood trail in the snow. I finally caught up to it after a half mile. I then followed him for another quarter mile keeping a 10 to 15 foot distance from him. It was pretty exciting to be that close to a bear like that! I just watched him walk slowly in front of me until he eventually sat down. He was about to die but I shot him in the heart just in case. I then yelled for Melissa and quickly found her. She was very relieved to know the bear was dead.

Crazy huh?! I would have been freaking out! He also said that when they went back later with some help to carry it back to the cabin, they heard some wolves in the woods nearby. Here are the pictures he sent in the email:

Thought some of you would find that pretty interesting! Also, I wanted to brag a bit about my brother. :) Hope everyone is doing well!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!!!

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Funny Husband

I have a funny husband. Patrick's xbox died yesterday. He spent all day trying to figure out how to fix it with no luck. There's just no getting rid of the "red ring of death" as they call it. We were talking about it tonight and he was saying how he wished a new xbox didn't cost so much. Then he told me that maybe he would take glamour pet photos to earn some extra money. I laughed so hard!! I sure do love that kid! So, if any of you are wanting some glamour photos of that great pet in your life, you know who to call!

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The Many Faces of Audrey and Janet

This is my niece Audrey. Isn't she cute?! (Click on it to make it bigger)

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It's Almost Here!

After 4 years of hard work and limited sleep, I am proud to say that I graduate in exactly ONE MONTH from today!!! I can't wait!! May 8th can't come fast enough! HOORAY!!

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SPRING BREAK!

**I fixed the links on the picture collages so that you can click on them to see them bigger. Let me know if it's not working.

Hello fellow bloggers and blog stalkers! Well, it's been a while since we've updated this thing. I know you've all been dying to hear about our spring break! Okay, so maybe you haven't been, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway because it's my blog and I can do that. :) As you know, we headed down to St. George, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park for our fun vaca! We ended up staying in Cedar City because it was a lot cheaper and in the middle of all of the places we wanted to go. Here are some pictures and some of the main highlights. Enjoy!

We headed to St. George on our first day there. We couldn't have asked for a better day! The weather was perfect! Our day was filled with lots of shopping, checking out Kolob Canyon, going to the Temple, hiking around on the Dixie rocks, seeing Tuacahn Amphitheater (no shows were playing, which was sad), and eating yummy food (In-and-Out and Tai food! Yum!)! On our way back to the hotel in Cedar City, we drove through a blizzard! That was an unexpected little surprise. It continued to snow all night in Cedar City, and we woke up to several inches of snow on our car! (See pictures below)

On Friday, we made our way to Zion National Park! It was a blast! We did some short hikes, which included Weeping Rock and a fun hike we found using our GPS that took us up to a slot canyon! We were both too chicken to try Angel's Landing. Have you seen pictures of that one?! Insane! We spent most of the day driving around and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. We were even lucky enough to spot several big horn sheep off the side of the road! (See picture below)

On Saturday, we woke up, checked out of our hotel, and headed to Bryce Canyon! And I am so glad we did! What a beautiful and amazing place! If you haven't been to Bryce Canyon before, GO! We LOVED it! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I went there as a kid, but I had forgotten just how cool Bryce is! There is seriously no where else like it in the world. It's breathtaking!! We spent most of the day driving to different view points and taking some awesome pictures. Patrick and his camera were very happy that day! :) We were a little disappointed that most of the hiking trails were closed due to snow, but it sure made for some pretty pictures!

So you might be wondering why there's a picture of an old man in the collage below. Funny story. Patrick was snapping some photos of the canyon and was messing around with the zoom on his camera. He was quite a ways away from this guy, so he thought he'd zoom in and take his picture just for kicks. Patrick thought nothing of it at the time, but when we got back to the hotel room and were looking through the pictures, we realized that the guy was looking straight at the camera! So he totally knew Patrick was taking his picture! We had a good laugh about that one.

And here's a little somethin somethin to end this post. This is why Patrick married me. Lol, or at least that's what I tell myself. :)

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A Whole Lot of Random

Dear Spring Break,

We can't wait for you to come! Please come quickly!

Love,

Patrick and Janet

For Spring Break this year, Patrick and I are going here:

ST. GEORGE!! We cannot wait!! Patrick has never been to St. George, so it should be really fun! He's never been to any part of Southern Utah or seen red rock in real life! I can't wait to take him down there and show him around. It will be so nice to get away from the cold and go somewhere that's nice and warm! While we are down there, we are also going here:

ZION NATIONAL PARK!! I love this place! It is so beautiful and breathtaking! We're excited to get to go on some fun hikes in such a gorgeous place. I've been to Zion several times, and it still takes my breath away anytime I go there! I just know Patrick will love it too! And last but not least, we are also going here:

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK!! I love this place too! One year, when I was a kid, my dad took me on a trip to Southern Utah. We went to 7 National Parks/State Parks in 6 days! It was so much fun! It was a lot of driving, but definitely one of my most memorable trips as a kid. One of our stops was Bryce Canyon. It is seriously one of my favorite places in Southern Utah! The rock formations are so unique and different. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. If you haven't been there, you should go! It's totally worth it!

In other news, we have been busy decorating our house with cute new stuff. Here are some of the fun things we bought!

We found this guy at Hobby Lobby and fell in love with him! He doesn't really match our other decor at all, but we thought he was cool and had to buy him!

We found these at Ross. They match our bedroom perfectly!

Last night, I went to Spoon Me with a dear friend of mine!

Heather and I have been friends for several years now. We are both studying Social Work, so we've had all of the same classes together. Well, this year, since life has been so crazy, we haven't seen much of each other, which is very sad if you ask me. It was so much fun to get together and catch up! I just love this girl!

Last but not least, have any of you seen this show?!

Patrick and I just finished watching the first season of Pushing Daisies, and let me tell you, it was delightful! It's different from most shows out there. It has a really unique plot and very likable characters. We have thoroughly enjoyed it and think you will too! Thanks Margaret for letting us borrow it!

So this turned out to be a lot longer than I had planned. Thanks to all those who are still reading. I'll try not to be so random next time! To close this post, I want to leave you with a quote from my husband. Patrick was studying at the table last night and our upstairs neighbors were being quite noisy. To quote (said in a very matter-of-fact tone), "Shut up upstairs. I'm trying to get brilliant." :) I love him.

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Adventures with Bambi

Hello everyone! It's story time!! So this morning started out pretty normal. I woke up, got ready, ate breakfast, said goodbye to Patrick, and headed to school. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I always park in the parking lot that is at the bottom of Old Main Hill. It's on the other side of 400 N from campus, so you have to walk through a tunnel that goes under the street and up some stairs before you get to the path on Old Main Hill. I had parked my car, walked through the tunnel, and was getting to the top of the stairs when this kid in front of me stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. He had this look of confusion and bewilderment on his face. I was so confused at why he looked like that, so I stopped walking too. And it's a good thing I did! All of a sudden, out of no where, a deer comes bounding down the hill at full speed, running just two feet in front of me!! If I had kept walking, the thing would have hit me and run right over me! I was in total shock! The guy in front of me asked me if I was okay and we both had a good laugh about it! I can now say that I have almost been hit by a deer!! How many of you can claim that? :)

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Insight from a 16 year old

I heard this from a 16 year old today and thought it was pretty cool:

"I see people's wounds, not their flaws."

Pretty insightful if you ask me.

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Insert Creative Title Here

Patrick has been telling me for months that we need to get a blog. All of my friends and family have blogs of their own and keep giving me a hard time for not having one. For a long time I didn’t really understand the purpose of a blog, and I still don’t really get it, but apparently it’s the cool thing to do! And anyone who knows me knows I’m all about being cool! :) So I finally broke down and decided to get a blog of my very own! I have never been very good at keeping a journal, and I don’t have a cute kid to brag about, so who knows how often I’ll actually update this thing, but here goes nothing! Any tips and advice from you blogging experts out there would be much appreciated! :)

So for my first post, I thought I’d take some time to brag about my cute husband. I love that Patrick kid! He’s pretty great! I haven’t been feeling the greatest this week. I started coming down with something on Sunday night, and each day it’s gotten progressively worse. When I’ve been home, I haven’t had the energy to do much other than lie down on the couch and curl up in a blanket. Well that cute husband of mine has been AMAZING!! He’s waited on me hand and foot! Take today for example:

Patrick came home from a long day of classes and work and immediately started cleaning the house. He did the dishes, took out the trash, cleaned the living room and the kitchen! He even did all of our laundry!! He made sure I was comfortable and brought me anything and everything that I needed. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve got the best husband in the world! I’m so lucky to have him!

Well, that’s all for now! Until next time!

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Test Run

Just so that the stupid page doesn't say, "No results match your query."  I'll show you query.

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