Halloween Trunk-R-Treat

Our Branch at church had a Halloween Trunk-r-treat party. It was great! There was soup and bread for all to enjoy and even a little fireplace to help keep everyone warm since we are having a freakishly cold few days (like in the40's and 50's) Which we have heard NEVER happens here until about January. "A freak cold spell" is what I heard it called last night. It should be warming up again soon, but for last night I was glad because it actually made it feel like fall and Halloween with bundling up and eating soup. I loved it. A family in the branch had quite a lot of open property so all the cars could park in a circle with their trunks facing the middle. Some trunks were very ornately decorated while others just sat at their trunk and handed out candy.

There were also 3 golf carts that would escort people out to the "Haunted Walk". Now, as I have gotten older I have come to realize that I HATE things that jump out at me. And I don't HAVE to put myself through it anymore - not that I ever HAD to before, but I guess I thought I HAD to try everything...or something. So, I wasn't going to go, but somehow I felt like I HAD to see all the work some of the youth and other adults put into it so we went. As soon as we got dropped off by the golf cart I knew I had made a mistake. It really wasn't scary, but for me even just walking through the dark WAITING to be scared made me scared enough. There was one time when Dan said someone was standing nearby. I didn't see it. I squinted and squinted, but still didn't see it so I didn't believe him, but sure enough as we started walking again it came to life and boo'd at me and I screamed...of course. That was when I knew I was done and we caught the next golf cart out of there.

The trunk-r-treating was fun. The kids were all cute. Dan and I had fun planning our costumes and trunk. We went the economical route. Black duct tape is AWESOME! I went as the Queen Bee and Dan was my worker bee. You could tell we were one of the only people there without kids because we were one of the only adults there that were both dressed up, matching, AND had a decorated trunk. People kept saying Dan was a good sport...as if I threatened him if he didn't participate in my scheming to dress him like a bee or something...nothing wrong with creativity (on both parts) and dressing up now and then. :O)

The "QUEEN BEE"My "WORKER BEE" - note the tool belt & hammer

Our Beehive

Building the hair

Taking the hair down (Dan got a kick out of it)

I Made It Monday: Butternut Squash Sauté

This is a side dish that was pretty new for me. I saw it in one of Mookie’s recipe books and I have enjoyed squash in dishes other people have prepared and it feels like an autumn dish so I copied it and thought I’d give it a try. When it came time to cut and peel the butternut squash, I knew it was not going to be pretty and I could very possibly hurt myself, so instead of just plowing into it I checked online for tips on cutting & peeling butternut squash and found this video.

WARNING: she is a bit chatty…

Pretty interesting, huh? Well, prepared with an idea of what I was supposed to do I set to it. It took me forever and I certainly wasn’t graceful but all 10 fingers were in tact by the end so I call that good! The rest was pretty simple – but I barely fit it all into my pan. I’ll have to use a bigger one next time.

Butternut Squash Sauté

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 med onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (6 cups) (OR one really big one)
½ tsp chopped fresh or 1/8 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups firmly packed baby spinach leaves (I usually wait till the packages go on sale)

-In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. -Stir in onion. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender.
-Stir in squash, thyme and pepper. Cover; cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender. Stir in spinach just until wilted.

About 8 servings and takes about 40 minutes from start to finish (unless you are new to cutting and peeling squash which then might require about 15-20 extra minutes :O)

Bathtub Speech

Dan and I get a kick out of this every time we see it. We had to watch it twice the first time. Enjoy!

Ginger-Honey Chicken & Vanilla Rice

Ginger-Honey Chicken (fast and easy and delicious and the best part about this recipe is that besides the ginger I always have these ingredients in my home!)

1/4 cup ginger spice paste (I didn't want to pay 5 bucks for the little tube so I made my own with ginger, olive oil, salt, pepper, and I guess whatever else you want in it - spices I mean)

1/4 cup flour (or however much it takes to coat the chicken the way you like)
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs canola oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 cup honey ( I used as much as I wanted)

Combine ginger past, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Place flour on plate; dip chicken in flour until coated and shake off excess. Dip chicken in ginger mixture, coting both sides. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes.
Place oil in pan; sweirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3-4 min on each side or until golden.
Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 5-7 min or until temp reaches 165 degrees F. (meat thermometer if you have one)
Slice chicken and drizzle with honey.

Vanilla Rice (the taste of the rice isn't incredibly altered, but the smell is the best part.

The recipe called for Basmati rice (a type of white long-grain rice) I didn't have any, but I would like to try the recipe with it if it tastes any different. I used jasmine rice.

Also, I don't like to cook rice on the stove because I have a handy dandy rice cooker so I adapted the recipe. I started the rice cooker as usual with the amount of water and rice I needed then after it had started heating up I stirred in (for each 1 cup of rice) about 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Then I stirred the rice every few minutes. It took the rice a little bit longer to cook that way, but not much.

NOW, here is the actual recipe.

Preheat medium saucepan on medium-high 2-3 min. Place 1 tsp oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add 1 cup rice and cook 1-2 min or until rice is coated and thoroughly heated.
Stir in 1 3/4 cups water, 2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Bring to a boil; cover and cook 1 min, stirring often. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook 22 min. (Do not stir or remove cover during cooking) Fluff rice with fork and serve.

I Made it Monday

Inspired by Rachel's Monday updates on crafts and things she has been doing I thought I would share some of the things I have been doing. I like to do crafts. I'm not that great at it and don't have the money so I haven't been doing much of that lately...BUT, with STILL not having a job and the extra time I have I have been getting much more into cooking as of late. If you've ever been in the kitchen with me you will know that ANYTHING I do in the kitchen does NOT come naturally. Growing up I could have cared less about things my Mom cooked or any tips she had, and she tried to prep me for the day I would leave home - but I didn't want anything to do with it. I hated the kitchen and CLEANING it was my LEAST favorite chore. I used to say that I would clean a toilet everyday if I didn't have to clean the kitchen or wash dishes. I don't know where my abhorrence for the kitchen came from, but it wasn't long after I left for college that I knew I had made a mistake. I had all the skills to clean, do my laundry and whatever else I needed to survive...but cooking was not one of them. I don't remember this, but my Mom said I called home one day to ask how to boil water...should I be embarrassed about that? Also, one of my roommates wouldn't let me cut anything because she was afraid I would hurt myself or someone else. ANYWAY, slowly my ways have changed and I have slowly come to enjoy the kitchen and cooking and if you ask Dan I am actually becoming pretty good at it (Thanks to a few books, examples, and FINALLY listening to my mother!)

So...I thought I'd share once in a while some of the things I have been doing or making. I have a personal goal to try something new every week. I am a big fan of recipes that don't require half the grocery store of ingredients. I like recipes that use ingredients I will use again in something else. The closer a meal is to the original food, the more of a fan I am...of course there are always exceptions I guess...Now, I'm sure to all my friends who are cooking connoisseurs these may seem lame and SO beginner...BUT I am having fun discovering cooking!

I recently made Ginger Honey Chicken with Vanilla Rice. It was SOOOOO good (If I do say so myself). Try to ignore my lame attempt at creative plate presentation. Anyway, it was great and SO easy! Let me know if you want the recipe. I had never worked with ginger before so it was something new for me.

A Bad Baby Hungry Week

So, this week has been just insane. It seems like so many people around me are having babies or are pregnant or whatever. It seems like babies have come out of the woodwork this week and are EVERYWHERE. Then Dan and I made the mistake of watching "Baby Mama" which was cute and funny and a little weird, but I could totally relate to the main character at the beginning of the movie where she sees babies everywhere. AND we watched "Waitress" which I liked, but is also a little weird and I cried when she held her baby the first time. So, here I am baby hungry and then yesterday I get put in Nursery at church to substitute for the girl who had her baby this weekend. Nursery is where the 18 month to 3 year olds go during the last 2 hours of church (they play, have snack time, have a VERY short lesson, sing, and play some more). The first 5-10 minutes were nothing but screaming and crying babies and trying to keep them from getting their fingers caught in the door as parents drop their kids off and all the others are clawing at the door, screaming bloody murder (as if I had personally ripped them out of their mother's arms). I tell you, there is nothing like 2 hours of toddlers to make you doubt any possibility of future mothering skills.

Introducing Our Life in Destin

So, I though I would put some videos and pictures of our apartment, the beach, church, etc. to give you all an idea of where we are living. I know mothers especially love to be able to picture where their children are. So here we go...

This video is a tour of our apartment - hope you can hear me.



This is our church building. I think it is so cute! It is quite small - only our branch meets there right now.

We grocery Shop At Wal-mart, Winn-Dixie, and Publix (I don't know why, but this grocery store name just sounds dirty to me...)


















And of course, the beaches...

(Just a little Factoid: The white sand beaches of Destin are made of fine quartz. Quartz does not hold the heat it reflects it and the sun. Result: not dancing around in the sand crying, "hot, hot, hot" (in fact it always feels cool) AND increased chances of a sunburn from the sand reflecting the sun and heat.)

Time for some Campaignin'

This is a link to a video my Dad sent me. I am in no way, shape, or form making a political statement by posting this link I merely thought it to be funny and as my Dad put it so well, "The amazing thing about this one is to think what it took to put it together and ask yourself, 'Who has time for that?'"

http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

10-Year Time Capsule

Unpacking has unearthed some forgotten treasures. Pictures, letters, etc. One treasure I came across was a time capsule I had put together when I was 14 in 8th grade (Gotta love middle school...). I opened it shortly after Dan and I were married (age 24) and we laughed at all the things I had written and put in. Finding and looking through it again has made me laugh all over and think about my life and where I'm at. It was funny to look at some of my predictions at what I would be doing at age 24 or had already done such as having a bachelors degree (not quite by 24, just 2+ years), being an ultrasound technician (not too far off I guess - still a health care position), being married (check), have served a mission (check), have a baby on the way (27 years old and still working on that one), traveled to Scotland (I really wanted to go to Scotland then...will Hong Kong do?), and have a dog (not currently - it's funny what is important when you are in 8th grade)

My favorite part of the capsule was the letter I had written to myself...

Dear Tina,

I can't wait to open the box. I know you're on the road to success. Wherever and whatever you are right now I'm sure you're happy and content. It's kind of awkward righting (yes, that is how I spelled it) to myself, but I'm positive that I will thoroughly enjoy it. Always have self confidence. Like in the Sound of Music, the movie, when she sings, "...I have confidence in me".

I love our family so much. I am also so grateful for the gospel. I know that the Church is true.

You know that list of things I like in here? Well, I bet your interests and favorite things have tremendously changed. Tori is so cute now. I'm sure she doesn't look like a baby at all anymore, huh? Are you still in touch with some of our old friends? I'm anxious to see how everything is when I open this box. I love you, and I know that you love me. HeeHee.

Love,
Tina Bulson

P.S. Keep in touch! Ha! Ha! Ha!


I sure cracked myself up I guess. But really...I very much enjoyed reading that letter to myself and even the advice. :O) Looking at my life now, I am so very happy and content. And although some things in my life have not worked out as I had originally hoped or planned I wouldn't change a thing. Life is good!




Some pics from the capsule: They aren't very clear, but you can click to enlarge

Top left: Girls Camp - Top row: Cari, Melissa, Emily, Mackenzie, Elisa
bottom row: Kirsten, Megan
Top right: The Family
Bottom left: Elisa and Melissa
Bottom middle: Tori
Bottom right: Me

TAGGED

10 years ago I:
I was in my junior year of high school and had recently moved to my parents current home.
5 things on today's "to do" list:
Call my mothers', Vacuum, Go swimming, Unpack a few more random things and hang pictures, Have FHE
5 snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate Milk, Popcorn, Almonds, Smoothies, Whatever I'm in the mood for
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
Buy a home, Travel to see family at least once a month - or move them all to us, Travel the world, Create Scholarships, Donate to charities
5 places I have lived:
WA, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Macau, Florida
Five jobs I have had:
Gap Outlet, Auntie Annes Pretzles, Brooks Sports - salesperson and key holder (fancy title for store opener or closer - it means I had a key and counted/delivered the money), Caregiver for babies born to mothers who used drugs (P.I.C.C.), Nurse Assistant/Nurse Technition
I tag: Anyone who wants to share a little about themselves!