Pennies from Heaven

I am missing my brother today. It's been over 18 years since I have seen his face or felt his warm bear hugs.  There are days were I have a sweet reminders of him and other days, like today, where I miss him so much that I remember the moment I found out that he was ripped from our lives.

I was giving change back to someone today and realized that I didn't have any quarters left in my drawer, so I gave her .60 in dimes and .03 in pennies.  I apologized to her about my lack of quarters and she started to tear up.  I felt a little awkward until she said, "it is said that when you see dimes and pennies, it means that angels are near.  Thank you for giving me a handful of them." In those two sentences, I recalled a sweet memory of my angel brother.

When I was growing up, my brother threw pennies away.

He didn't like them.

He didn't want to have them.

When I found this out, I begged for him to give them to me instead.  And, being his favorite (and only) sister, he did.

This exchange of pennies went on for a couple years. 

Shortly after he died, I remember hearing what sounded like a handful of pennies fall on the concrete. I looked down and noticed, not a handful, but one penny lying on the sidewalk in front of me. Around the same time, on the same day, my mom sat down at her desk at work, looked up and saw a penny balancing on the edge of a binder that was sitting on a shelf above her desk.  These two experiences were a sweet reminder that while he is no longer with us, he was and still is aware of us.

So, next time you see a penny, or dime, lying on the ground or balancing on a shelf, it could be that someone you love is watching over you.  If you feel it's not for you, leave it for the person behind you because they may have been praying for peace and answers in that moment.

Guest blog post: Family Traditions

"When one thinks of family traditions, it usually is the ones geared around the holidays: family dinner, seeing the lights on Temple Square, baking cookies, visiting those without family.  But what about the everyday traditions?"

I am so thrilled to have been featured today on SALT.  Please go read it and, if you feel so inclined, come back here and share with me your daily/weekly/monthly traditions.

Foodie Friday-Camping Edition

A few weeks ago, we took our kids (and mom) on a week long camping trip.  We haven't been for a couple of years so we were uber excited about going.  Whenever we go, we have to have at least one Dutch Oven dinner.  Our most favorite?  That would be Barbecue Chicken Pizza (my mouth is watering just typing the words)

Pizza in a Dutch Oven?!?! Yep!  And, I will show you how yummy-and easy-it is.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza (Deep Dish)

Crust:                                                               Pizza:

1 Tbsp yeast (or 1 yeast pkt)                            1 recipe pizza crust
1 c warm water                                                 1 c bbq sauce
1 Tbsp sugar                                                     2-3 c mozzarella cheese
1/4 - 1/2 c olive oil                                           1/2 onion thinly sliced (I used red onion)
1 tsp salt                                                           1/2 green pepper thinly sliced
3 c flour                                                            1-2 c shredded cooked chicken

For the crust: Mix the yeast, water and sugar, then let sit for 5 min.  Stir in the oil and salt, then add flour and kneed until smooth, adding more flour if needed.  Let dough rest for 10-15 min. 

For the pizza:  Oil a preheated oven.  Roll out the pizza crust and place it in the oven, letting the dough curve up the sides to create a shallow bowl for toppings.  Pour bbq sauce over crust and spread it evenly.  Top with the chicken and veggies and cheese.  Cook at 375 degrees (16 coals on bottom, 10 on top) for 30-35 min.

I pre-grilled the chicken at home.  I also sauteed the the onions and mushrooms before putting them on the pizza (by pre-cooking the veggies, it draws out the extra moisture so you don't have a soggy crust).  We also put tomatoes on top.  Next time, I will add the tomatoes right before we serve it. 

We also made one with just chicken and cheese for my cheese-only-pizza-lovin son.  The crust on that one turned out even better than the loaded one (could be due to the tomatoes). I think I know what we are having for dinner tonight : )

I am linking up to these sites.

http://www.delicateconstruction.com/
http://simplydesigning.blogspot.com/
http://whipperberry.com

12 on the 12th

Here are my twelve photos of my day.  I hope you enjoy them!

Dropping J off at Orchestra//Headed off to my appointments (lab kits)//finding inspiration at Bed, Bath & Beyond//looking for storage options for my office (taking two days off this week to clean, organize!!)//walking to pick J up from school//taking a break at the park before J gets out of school// FLOWERS!!!//WEARING CAPRIS!!!//sending samples to lab//watching kids play kickball//Brittany asking J to play//A running to play with J and neighbor girls

Linking:

Dear Lizzy

The Simple Things

Ella Publishing

Crafty Scrappy Happy

Foodie Friday-BBQ edition

SUMMER = BBQ

I love when summer comes around because I get to spend my days outdoors; playing with the kids, digging in my garden, relaxing and eating food from the grill.  The weekend of the 4th, we had my family over for a BBQ and I tired a new recipe.  Instead of the tradition bbq sauce/marinade, I found a glaze made from watermelon.  It turned out so good that even my hubby liked it-he doesn't like meat and fruit together.

watermelon glazed chicken served with potato and fiesta salad (recipe to come)

Here' s the best part--the recipe. 

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Glaze

• 1 recipe Watermelon Glaze, recipe below
• 1 whole chicken or 3-1/2 lbs. meaty chicken pieces (I used 3lbs whole chicken pieces)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• Snipped fresh herbs (optional)

directions

1. Prepare Watermelon Glaze: Cut half of a small watermelon from the rind in chunks (about 4 cups of fruit). Cut remaining half of watermelon into wedges for serving; refrigerate until ready to serve. Place in a food mill or juicer and collect the juice. Or place watermelon chunks in blender. Cover; blend until nearly smooth. Pour mixture into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard solid bits. Reserve 1 cup of the juice and drink or freeze the rest. In small saucepan melt 1, 12-oz. jar apple jelly over low heat, stirring often so it doesn't burn. Stir in 1 cup watermelon juice, the juice and zest of one small lime. Add 2 tsp. red chile flakes, 1 tsp. jalapeño hot sauce, and a pinch of salt. Mix and taste. Adjust seasoning as desired; remove from heat. Use warm, or let cool and transfer to a clean jar. Glaze will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
2. Remove chicken from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. To butterfly, using poultry or kitchen shears cut along each side of backbone to remove it (see "butterflying chicken," below). Turn chicken breast-side up. Open the two sides of the chicken as if you were opening a book, and lay it flat. Break breastbone by firmly applying pressure and pressing down. Tuck wing tips under upper wings.
3. Prepare grill for indirect grilling (see below). Brush chicken with olive oil. Season chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper. Place skin-side down, on center of grill over indirect medium heat.
4. Grill 25 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush a little of the remaining 2/3 cup glaze on skin. Grill 25 to 30 minutes more, or until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F, brushing with glaze 2 more times.
5. Remove chicken from grill; brush with the reserved 1/3 cup glaze and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken into pieces. Serve with fresh watermelon wedges and sprinkle with herbs. Makes 6 servings.
Butterflying Chicken:Butterflying makes it easy to cook a whole chicken on the grill. Kitchen or poultry shears are the best tool for the job. Make a cut about 1-1/2 inches apart on both sides of the backbone, cutting all the way down, and remove backbone.
Indirect Grilling:This method positions the fire to one side or both ends of grill. Food sits over the unlit part, and the grill is covered so the food cooks from all sides. This is best for thicker cuts that need longer cooking like roasts and ribs.

ENJOY!

Foodie Friday-Pizza Edition

In addition to crafting, sewing (which is still crafting), and dancing (I'm really into zumba right now) I love to cook-and bake.  Hubby and I are addicted to food shows-MasterChef, The Next Food Network Star and Hell's Kitchen-just to name a few.  Back in June, my mom, sis-in-law and I went on a weekend Scrap Retreat (post coming soon) and while there, four wonderful ladies cooked every meal for us-I know, right?  One of the meals was homemade pizza. We just love making pizza around here because the kids get to choose what to put on it and that means they eat it all!!  The crust recipe that was used is so easy and very yummy-hubby said it tasted restraunt quality.  Here is the finished pie (well, what's left of it):

(this pic was actually taken at the retreat. I cook mine on a pizza stone which makes the bottom perfectly brown and crispy)

And, here's the recipe (your welcome)!

Crust:
1pkg highly active yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
1tsp sugar
1 cup very warm water
2 1/2cup bread flour ( or add one Tablespoon vital Wheat Gluten to reg flour)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Put yeast, sugar & water in bowl and let it sit for about 10 min until it's creamy. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients & mix until it's nice & smooth. Then form a ball & let it sit for about 5 min. Then roll it out onto pizza pan. Cover with sauce (recipe below), toppings & bake @ 450 for 15-20min.

Sauce:
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
Pinch of garlic salt
(I add Italian seasoning)

Mix all ingredients then top pizza, no need to heat or let it sit.

Linking:
                     

Hitting the books

I know that this isn't crap craft related, but please just humor me!!

I have made the decision to go back to school.  It has become apparent to me that this is the direction I need to take in order to continue helping my family.  I know that I will be a big adjustment, as I will be away from home 3 nights a week for four weeks.  I don't know how that will affect Alex, but I pray that he is mature enough to handle it.  Hopefully, playing tball on the 2 other nights a week will be enough of a distraction for him not to notice.  Jayci says that she is excited for me to do this even though I know that she will still miss me those nights.  I talked to my bro, Ty about all this, and he reminded me that you are never too old to learn something new.  He also said that it helps that I have been thinking about and wanting to do this for a long time, that it's not a fleeting thought, or something I am doing on a whim.  I also have 1000% support from Jason.  I know that I could not do this without him, as he will be a single dad for a few nights a week.

I am not going to tell you what I will be studying; you will need to guess.  I will give you a few hints.  And, if no one has guessed right, I will tell you once I finish my first class on Mon. May 2nd (yeah, I'm staring that soon!). 

1.  Like I said, I will be able to work for dozens of different companies.
2.  I will even be qualified to work in another state-it is a National certification.
3.  I have never worked in this field before.
4.  I have been interested in doing it since Jayci was born-in fact, I read about this opportunity the day after.
5.  It will allow me to work over the summer but still give me the time to do boutiques-my real passion.

Good luck on your guesses!

the fine print:  those of you who I have talked to about this-ie: Mom, Ty, & Dee (since I know that Ty has talked to you about this) are not eligible to guess.  You may, however, offer well wishes and words of encouragement.

My favorite layouts

I was looking through my photo albums and I have picked a few layouts that are my favorite. Every time I see them, I have to stop and admire them. They each have a different reason as to why they are my favorites. It could be the story, the pictures, the technique, color or subject matter. I hope you enjoy these layouts, as I have, while I share them with you.

I would like to start with the story. (sorry about the bad pictures- I am not a photographer and don't claim to be.)


This first one is about my brother. I had made this about five years after he had passed away. I actually sent in into a magazine for a contest. I didn't win anything, but I am glad that I made this.

This layout was done after an activity that I was part of due to my brother passing away. TCF (known as the compassionate friends) is a group of people who have lost loved ones due to death. In 2001, the annual conference was held at the Grand America Hotel in SLC and I was able to be a part of it. This particular event, was a picnic where we let balloons go after writing a note to our loved ones and tied them to the balloon.

This last one is pretty funny. Twice a year, my mom and I go to the Original Scrapbook USA Expo at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy. This particular time, Jason (the DJ, host, mic guy) posed a question to the attendees. He asked them how far they would go for several hundred dollars worth of Cropper Hopper product. Dozens of women ran to the stage, until the hair clippers came out. Then, all but two backed off. I had the chore of shaving one of the ladies heads whom I later found out is a good friend of one of my neighbors.