Happy Valentine's Day!

Last night, Ryan and I dressed up and went out for Valentine's Day.  Our stake has a Sweetheart's Ball every year and it's just fabulous every time!  I took my camera and didn't take a single picture.  I know, really smart. ;) 

We started the night going to dinner with our friends (unfortunately, her blog is private so that link isn't really going to do you any good unless you already know her) friends (Millie made a liar of me by going public again on her regular blog, so now you can see her even if you don't know her.  I tell you, it's hard to keep up with this girl! ... Love ya, Millie!) and had a ton of fun!  And then we all headed over to the dance. 

I remember when I was a teenager, dances would start at 8pm but no one showed up until at least 9pm.  Not so here.  If you don't show up right at 8pm, there are no tables left (this dance also always serves a delicious spread of appetizers and desserts).  But that's okay, we're at a dance, right?...  Except, I SO can't dance. lol  We had fun though.  We saw several friends and enjoyed the slow dances, at least.  One of these years I'll actually learn how to dance and then it'll be even more fun.  (Natalie tried to teach me how to booty dance but that just wasn't happening. lol) 

Ryan and I really had a nice night and decided that since we went out last night, today we'll spend Valentine's Day with the girls.  (Except, he needs to go in to work for a little bit during the day.)  :S  But that's okay, we know he's our Valentine... we told him so:




I hope that however you spend the day and whoever you spend it with, you have a good one! 

P.S.


She said so herself. ;)

Smart Aleck

Me: Rori it's time for your nap.
Rori: No, no nap!
Me: Well, it's already past your naptime and you really need to take it one of these days.
Cadi: Then maybe that means, not this day.

Stinker. Maybe it's time for TWO girls to take a nap! :P

The day "fraught with peril."

I'm not so superstitious. I think Friday the 13th is fun because it's a chance to pretend to be superstitious. Not that I really do anything to even pretend to be superstitious, either. lol

I remember one time my mom was in charge of planning a Friday the 13th party at church. Or rather, the night of the party fell on Friday the 13th, so they ran with it and made it their theme. Somehow related to that was a conversation about whether Halloween could ever fall on Friday the 13th. A couple of people, including my brilliant husband, argued that yes, it could! He was confused why I thought that was hilarious for him to think that.

Until I pointed out that Halloween (October 31st) could NEVER fall on Friday the 13th! lol Dork.

Well, this year appears to be unlucky for him, but lucky for me. He's taking a sick day (just a cold, nothing serious) so we get to have him home today and that means I can go out and do some errands without getting a sitter for the girls! :) (It's a school holiday - no, not for Friday the 13th. ;) It's a four day weekend for Presidents Day.)

Ryan's cold won't keep us from our early Valentine's Day plans tonight though. We've got a sitter all lined up and will be attending the annual Sweethearts Ball. :)

However you spend today, I hope you have a Happy Friday the 13th!

Life is like a box of chocolates...

TV Commercial: Do you dream in chocolate?

Spoken at the same time:

Cadi: Yes!
Ryan: Sometimes!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan commented on Iron Chef America's secret ingredient being Chocolate tonight and another food show being about boxed chocolates tonight. My response...

"Yes dear, that would probably be because Valentine's Day is this week. You know, some people like to give gifts to their loved one on Valentine's Day. Such as chocolates, flowers, ... jewelry."

We rarely exchange gifts on Valentine's Day, usually just go out on a nice, romantic date, but it doesn't hurt to try, does it? ;)

***Disclaimer, Ryan does usually send me flowers, but our favorite florist closed her doors last month; I'm not really expecting any this year.

Art from the Heart

Every year, Cadi's school has an event during the week of Valentine's Day called "Art from the Heart". The kids display art projects they've been working on. Last night we went to this year's event.

I forgot to take my camera. Oops.

Most of Cadi's classroom's projects were relating to the Coastal Indians. They made animals out of clay and painted them, painted and decorated boxes to look like totem poles, etc.

Next to the display, there was a map showing the Coast from Oregon up into Canada and indicating where different tribes are. I commented that I liked one of the kid's art pieces of a killerwhale pressed into tin and Acadia told me, "That's not a killer whale." I said, "It looks just like one..." She said, "It can't be, killer whales don't live there." ...

"Uh Cadi, WE went whale watching and saw killer whales in those very waters just a few years ago."

"...Oh yeah!"

lol

Anyhow, she did really well on her projects. One of they things they had worked on was writing a legend. When we get her's home, I'll have to post it; I thought it was really good. It explained why wolves howl at the moon. And I know you're all dying to find out the real reason! ;)

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons basalmic vinegar

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced 

2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins

Mix first 7 ingredients.  Place pork in sealable bag and add marinade.  Refrigerate for 6-12 hours.

Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade.  Bake pork at 350 degrees until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees (about 50 minutes).

The pork, as is, was so juicy, tender, and delicious, but if desired, make gravy by heating remaining marinade to a boil.  Meanwhile, blend 1 cup chicken broth and 1 tbsp flour, add to boiling marinade.  Reheat to a boil while stirring frequently.  Continue cooking for a couple of minutes, reduce heat to a simmer until thickened.
This was SO GOOD!   It's definitely a keeper! :) 

As you can see, we had it with a corn and rice dish, which was also a new recipe.  We liked it, too.  It wasn't super special though; just corn, green onions, and some seasonings cooked in a sauce pan and mixed with hot, cooked rice.

Look for the Diamonds

Today I saw diamonds. Lots and lots of diamonds. I had just finished up with a meeting and we looked out the window to watch buckets and buckets of small hail dropping from the sky. After awhile, it turned to snow, then to rain, and then all of a sudden, it stopped. The clouds cleared and the sun came out brilliantly! Everything sparkled and shined! It was beautiful!

(And I really wish I took a picture, but I was still visiting with my friends, so I didn't.)

Yesterday, our Stake Relief Society President spoke to us in RS. She talked about diamonds. She told us of a day that she spent at the beach; it was kind of an overcast day and she fell asleep while reading a book. When she woke up, the first thing she noticed was the warmth of the sun on her face. As she slowly opened her eyes, she peeked under her eyelids and saw "diamonds" covering the beach. The sun was shining on the beach and making everything sparkle and shine.

Diamonds are precious and rare, they last forever, and they are made under pressure. Before becoming diamonds, they are just carbon. She compared our testimonies to diamonds. One thing she pointed out was that you could have all the pressure in the world but if there isn't carbon there, you're not going to get a diamond. So, if you want your testimony to grow and become something beautiful, rare, and lasting, you have to have the seed there before the pressure comes.

She told us to "look for diamonds". Look for the things that The Son makes sparkle and shine. She talked about being grateful for what we have, too. "Who is rich? He who rejoices in what he has." Look for the diamonds, the little things, that remind us of what we have and what is important. :)