Looking Forward to the Sweetheart Dance!

The Sweetheart Dance hosted by the Turlock 3rd Ward is this Saturday at 7.  I hope to see you there.  Here is a sweet Valentine's Day Picture of Anthony when we were dating at our single's ward dance.

Love my man so so so very much!  Have a lovely Valentine's Day tomorrow and make sure those you love get a little extra lovin'!

5K Race

(playing catch-up)

Awhile back Anthony and I trained to run a 5k.  I don't even remember what time we got... I know it was under 40 minutes.  That sounds really lame but considering I am not a runner at all I was happy to just finish.  We ran a course by Crane Park.  We had a lot of fun.  I loved that Anthony was willing to be my running partner and help keep me going even though he could have ran it twice as fast.

I love the country side.  Here are some pictures I took a while back that illustrate that love.

Homemade Playdough

For our primary lesson yesterday I made some playdough.  The best part about homemade playdough is that you most likely have all the ingredients on hand.  I know we did after being out of town for quite a while and short on food supplies.  I just made this simple recipe.  The same (if not very similar) to the recipe my mom and I used to make it growing up.  But then I remembered that you can make playdough using koolaid to dye the dough.  This recipe makes the playdough smell yummy.  At church the kiddos were telling us about peanut butter playdough that you can eat.  At first I was skeptical but after looking up the recipe I might just have to make my husband and I some.

Cinnamon Rolls

Here is a recipe that was passed down to me from my mama.  Not only are this way yummy they have a special place in my heart.  My brother Mark loves these cinnamon rolls and I remember my Mom making them when he came home from bootcamp and his tour in Iraq.  She also loved feeding the missionaries breakfast because she figured they ate a lot of cold breakfasts. She would make scrambled eggs, bacon, and orange juice to go with it.  They were a special treat on Christmas Morning.  My favorite memories of cinnamon rolls however, are of General Conference.  My mom would mix them up before the first session and let them rise while we all listened to the speakers and then we would eat them for a late breakfast before the next session started.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cube butter
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbl. sugar
2 Tbl. yeast
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbl. cinnamon
 1 cube butter

powdered sugar
milk

 I like to start these the night before so the dough can sit in the fridge overnight and all I have to do is roll them out and bake them in the morning.

Directions:
Put 2 cups of milk and 1 cube butter in a glass measuring cup and scald by microwaving for 2 minutes.  Meanwhile combine warm water, 1 Tbl. sugar, and 2 Tbl. yeast in a separate measuring cup.  Put your scalded milk in your mixer and make sure it has cooled down enough.  Add the 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, and tsp. salt, and yeast mixture.  Whisk it together.  Put your dough hook attachment on and add the flour a cup at a time until it is all combined.  At this point you can put a damp towel over you bowl and stick it in the fridge to use the next morning or you can leave it in a warm place (the counter works just fine) and let it rise.  Once the dough is to the top of the bowl punch it down and let it rise once more.  Now it is time for the fun part.

 Roll out the dough on a floured surface.

Morning Jogs With Husb

I have had the goal to go running in the mornings for a while now but I just couldn't do it without a buddy.  Last Monday, Anthony just decided that we were going to do it together.  He sets the alarm for 6 in the morning and wakes me up every morning.  We get all bundled up and go jog around the block.  Last week we only ran 3 out of the 5 days and did a total of 4.2 miles for the week.  When we started I could not even run one lap (0.7 miles) without stopping.  

This week we have run every morning and did a total of 10.5 miles.  On Wednesday I ran 2.5 miles which is the farthest I have ever run without stopping.  The next day we ran a 5k!! That's 3.2 miles without stopping. I was determined to do it in under 40 min. so we picked up the pace for the last 3 min. or so.  We sprinted the ending stretch and it felt great!  I am so proud of myself and am so thankful for such a wonderful partner in life who helps me to accomplish my goals.  Plus we get in really good conversation before our day even starts.  I love our morning runs!

 A big thumbs up after my first 5k with Hubby by my side every step of the way.  Notice the huge grin and red face.

3.2 miles in 39 minutes and 48 seconds.  I have until the 14th of April to improve that time because we will be competing in a 5k race.

Dream House

A while back when I started nannying we went on a walk through the little guys neighborhood and I discovered my dream house.  There a tons of beautiful homes in his neighborhood but this one is my favorite.  I hope Anthony and I can save up enough money so we can aford a home like this someday.

 Such a cool tower thing.  I don't really know what to call it.

 I love the paint colors and the brick chimney.

 Look at this house! It is so perfect.   I love the chimneys, all the windows, the layout, the front porch, the list goes on and on

 They even have a front porch swing!  swoon.

 I love the American flag and the pair of rocking chairs.  Such the classic American Dream House.

I super dooper love this house and so does Anthony.  Can't wait to own our own home someday.