Spring Game at BYU

 We haven't been to the BYU spring game for a few years and so we were looking forward to a fun family activity. As Cougar Club members we got to sit up in a box for the game where we were provided water and pop.

 After drinking a soda Lucas went down by the field and followed Cody Hoffman around. It was fun to watch him from above. Towards the end of the game we went down to find Lucas. All of a sudden Lucas runs by us and says, 'Cody Hoffman said he would give me his gloves!' We follow him and find out that at one point he had asked for Hoffman's gloves and he replied with, 'After.' So after the game Bryan put Lucas over the railing and Lucas ran and found him.

 He came running back to us with a glove (Hoffman said he could only give him one). We went back down on the field and asked him to sign it.

 We also found Bret Thompson who served in the Louisville mission and knows Ben. Bryan told him we were Jeppsens and that he was Ben's brother. He was great and even let Lucas put on his helmet for the picture.

We all had such a great time and now we can't wait until the fall when the football season starts!

Home Alone

Bryan had the opportunity to do some software training in Orlando Florida for a week and a half. It was a great thing for him but I have always hated being home alone. However, I have to say that although I missed Bryan it wasn't too bad. I still stayed up past 1 AM every night but not because of strange noises or because I freaked myself out thinking about all the bad things that could happen. I still checked the doors and windows plenty of times but I no longer felt the need to jam a chair under the door that leads to the basement. So what was the difference between this time and previous times? One--Lucas and I fasted that Bryan would be okay on his trip and that we would be okay here at home. Two--I have two kids who keep me busy. Three--I think I finally decided I needed to grow up and deal with being alone sometimes. Four--I decided that if someone was going to get into our home it did no good for me to worry about it. The most I can do is lock us in and go to sleep. In fact I enjoyed the late nights where I read and read and read with the light on until 1 or 2 AM.

Bryan came home last Wednesday and brought us all back a gift from Orlando. Lucas got a Harry Potter jersey, Ty a Spiderman shirt, Lynne a Harry Potter scarf, and Bryan picked out a Spiderman stocking hat for himself. We're so happy to have him home with us again!

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

This is a long recipe. I looked at what I had written down and it wasn't as detailed--I think is better. My mom wrote this out a few years ago when she made recipe books for all the women in my family for Christmas. I've added a few of my thoughts in as well. If you have questions let me know.

Pie Crust for two pies (I have a great recipe for fail proof pie crust if you need it.)
2 or 3 chicken breasts with bones and skin (I usually use one per pie)
Parsley
Six to eight potatoes
Six to eight carrots
1/4 to 1/2 bag frozen peas (This is something I add that my mom doesn't have in her recipe. I like them for color and additional flavor.)

The first thing you do in making pot pies is the crust. Refrigerate the doe. I usually do this the day before.

Put the chicken breasts, with skin side down, in about a 3 quart stock pot. It is very important to get breasts with the skin and bone or a whole chicken. This will create your broth or stock. Cover with 1 1/2 quarts of water, add bouillon, and some parsley. Boil one hour or until chicken is tender.

When chicken is done, take it out of the chicken stock and put it onto a plate to cool. Add peeled and cut potatoes and carrots to the stock bringing it to a boil. Boil until tender (about 15 to 20 minutes)

While the potatoes and carrots are boiling, roll lout two bottom pie crusts and set them aside without crimping the edges.

When chicken is cool enough to handle take the skin off and debone. Cube the chicken and set aside. Make sure you cube and don't shred or you won't have chunks of chicken in the pie.

The potatoes and carrots should be done about now and you can add a thickening to it. I like using flour and water. I use the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing shaker bottle. You can find them in most grocery stores. I use about 1 1/2 cups of water and a cup of flour. Shake until smooth without and lumps. Add this slowly to your boiling veggies, stirring all the while. Add just enough to thicken it to your liking. I never use the entire bottle. Take it off the burner. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chicken back to the pot. It will fall apart if you add it earlier.

Make the top to one pie making sure to cut vents into the crust and set aside. Scoop the chicken/veggie mix into the bottom pie crust. Put the top crust on the pie and crimp the edges. Do the same for the second pie. Bake at 425 in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sometimes I have to cover the edges of the crust so they don't burn while the top continues to brown.

Dystopian

The Dysotpian novel seems to be the new 'it' thing in YA literature. I've read three in the last few months. I have another one waiting for me in my bedroom, however I need a break and so I'll read something else first. Overall though I tend to like this type of novel. They make me think about human nature and our ability as individuals to overcome obstacles and heartache. Plus, I have to admit there is always a little romance involved and anything with a love story draws me in. So if you liked The Hunger Games here are some more genre related books to read. None of these are as violent, although, the last on the list does have more violence than the first two.
Legend by Marie Lu
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Proud of Myself

 If you know me then you know that Monday morning I don't go ANYWHERE. I stay home and clean my house. I am very proud of myself that this Monday morning I went with Bryan and Lucas and Ty to have a little fun riding down the hill. I even went a few times myself.

Lucas could have stayed all day! He loves it and we haven't had much snow this year so we knew we had to go. What a fun morning (and I still came home and got my cleaning done).

Indulgence

Last year for my birthday Bryan got me a Kindle. I was a little nervous about it because I worried about using it enough to make it worth the investment. I knew I didn't have the budget to buy all the books I would want to read, and at the time you couldn't get books from the library. I have found, to my great reading pleasure, that although I still use a lot of 'real books', I also use my Kindle a great deal. Not only can you now get books from the library on it (I don't always because sometimes I get the book faster than the e-book) but I have scriptures and LOTS of my favorites classics on it as well. However, I do search Amazon for cheap books sometimes, and they are there. Sometimes they're even free. What I've found is that on the whole they are kind of silly books that aren't very well written. Many I've bought or gotten for free are YA novels and many are only available in e-book format. (Hmmm, I wonder why?) I have decided that these types of books are kind of addictive. To most people I'm sure they wouldn't be but I blame my obsessive personality, the same one that as a teenager watched soap operas. Somehow this week I've managed to read four of them. So...if you see a bunch of silly names on the list of books I've read this year and they only have two stars...that is why. They are often SOOOO poorly written, so simple, so over the top, and yet, when I start one I can't put it down. For me it's like books on crack. I don't necessarily recommend them to anyone and yet, with some chocolate and a blanket what an indulgence they are!

(As a side note--I wouldn't really want anyone to look at my book list and just read from it without talking to me. Depending on the person I would or wouldn't recommend certain books for them.)

Dangerous Nap

Ty has stopped taking naps but sometimes will get so tired he falls asleep in odd places. I quickly moved him from this spot! I could just see him bouncing down the stairs as he turned over in his sleep!!