BFF's!!!!

Thanks to all my best buds, friends, peeps, and family....so far..... for subscribing to my blog and being a follower!! I am so excited!! I have many more out there I look forward to signing up. You don't even have to have a blog just a free account. It doesn't even hurt to do it! Any questions just let me know!! XOXOXO

FIRE & ICE

So we had a cold front blow in Monday night! You could hear it and feel it! Going from 80 degree weather to 21 degrees is not fun! What added to this so called fun was the ice!! Places closed and schools closed! Solid ice everywhere! Now that bummed me out because I love to dance! So my 4 hours of dance were cancelled! But the nice side to all this was that we stayed home as a family and lounged around our fireplace reading books and roasting marshmallows! The kids enjoyed making S'mores!! It was relaxing and it was nice to be together as a family! Monday night we slept out by the fire! Last night we had marshmallows (not chestnuts) roasting by an open fire.....LOL so for two days fire and ice did mix in an unexpected way! Although I ended up loving it let's not have that weather come back! I'm more a tropical island girl!

23rd ANNIVERSARY!

So today is Brandt's and my 23rd anniversary! It is so hard to believe we have been married that long! Brandt assures me that is a good thing! LOL
Our first two years were quite blissful doing the whole newlywed thing and adjusting to military life and separations and all! The next 11 years were great but those years were spent wondering if we would ever have kids. Marriage changes quite a bit when children come along and after 13 years it was a big step! It was the right step and a wonderful one at that! So the last 10 years have been even better sharing our hearts with two precious, precocious boys who are such a blessing in our lives!
I am grateful our marriage and our family is forever! It would be my hell to live eternity without them! I am grateful for the gospel, the knowledge that my Savior loves me despite my weaknesses and that gives me the strength to keep going when times are tough! I am also grateful for not only my parents but brandts who raised us to be independent and strong and courageous in life and in the gospel!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Dale's song-BEAUTIFUL MOM

First click on this picture to get the full effect before reading on!!
So Dale goes around telling everyone how beautiful they are!!  It is so precious.  It started with him telling me how beautiful I am countlessly throughout each and everyday!  Whether he was in trouble or not.

We did have to explain to him that we call men and boys handsome and women and girls beautiful as he progressed to including Brandt and Lorenzo.  He didn't like it at first but has now come to accept it.  So guess what?    Yup, he tells them countlessly how handsome they are too!

So a few days ago he started singing a song to me with the two words that never changed- "beautiful mom".   And even pulled out his guitar and serenaded me with it several times.

Then yesterday he actually sat down and was writing on his paper and singing the same song quietly and happily to himself until he was done.  Then he came over to me and showed me his 'music'.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  He had even taken the time to draw me at the bottom of the page.  Now hysterically I looked like an alien blob with all the works, like attacking a village...I kid you not!!! But he swears its me and our home and that it is a beautiful day. LOL!  But to him it was a masterpiece and so now it proudly sits on the fridge as the newest addition of art.

I will have to get a picture taken of it and include it with this post.  Just to make sure you can share in my moment right along with me!!!

DISNEY CHRISTMAS 2008

LEILANI'S DANCE COSTUMES FOR CHRISTMAS 08

PICTURES OF DALE

Lorenzo as Fritz for the Nutcracker!!

LOL--THE 12 STEP CHOCOHOLICS PROGRAM!!! AND RECIPES!!

Never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate!!

Stay tuned for more wonderful thoughts on chocolate!!

A chocolate in the mouth is worth two on the plate.

"Liquidum non frangit jejunum." ([chocolate] liquids, amongst them, do not constitute a break in fasting.)  Cardinal Francis Maria Brancaccio of the Vatican, 1662

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE!  Linda Grayson from the Pickwick papers

Chocolate: Here today.....Gone today!!

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands- and then eat just one of the pieces!"  Judith Viorst

If it ain't chocolate, it ain't breakfast!

This guy found a bottle on the ocean, and he opened it and out popped a genie, and he gave him three wishes.  The guy wished for a million dollars, and... Poof!  ...there was a million dollars.  Then he wished for a convertible, and ...Poof!  ...there was a convertible. Then he wished he could be irresistible to all women..Poof!  He turned into a box of chocolates!

It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love.  Love is a substitute for chocolate.  Chocolate is, let' face it, far more reliable than a man.  Miranda Ingram

Seen recently on a tee shirt ~ EMERGENCY ALERT: If wearer of this shirt is found vacant, listless, or depressed, ADMINISTER CHOCOLATE IMMEDIATELY!

LEILANI'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1C butter

1/2C sugar

1 1/2C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 C flour

2 1/2 quick oatmeal

1tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. Baking soda

12 oz. chocolate chips

8 oz. frozen Hershey bar grated or processed to crumbs

1 C nuts opt.

Cream sugars and butter.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Mix all dry ingredients together and if time permitting sift in the process.  Add dry mix to the butter mix.  Add chocolate and nuts.  I use an ice cream scooper for my cookies and place them on a buttered pan to bake for  8-10 minutes at 375 degrees preheated oven.  You can also make the balls and store them in the freezer for future cravings!

CHOCOLATE BLISS COOKIES (thanks Thora)

1 pkg. semi sweet baking chocolate microwaved to melt on 50 % power.

3/4 C Brown sugar

1/4 C softened butter ( half a stick)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C flour

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

2 C chocolate chips

Mix the sugars and butter til fluffy and then add the melted chocolate.  Blend in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix the flour and B.P. together before slowly adding to butter mix.  Stir in the chips.  Bake as desired for cookies on a sprayed pan at 350 degrees preheated for 13-14 minutes.

OUTRAGEOUS TO KILL FOR BROWNIES!!

1 huge cookie pan with sides

6 eggs

3T postum/coffee grains

2T vanilla

2 1/4 C sugar

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 whole pound of butter

1 whole pound of chocolate chips

1 C flour

1T baking powder

1 tsp. salt

12 oz bag of chocolate chips

3 C walnuts/pecans chopped fine.

Combine the eggs, postum, vanilla, and sugar.  Melt the baking chocolate the butter and the whole pound of chocolate chips together over low heat or a double boiler.  Mix all the dry ingredients together and if time permitting sift in the process.  

Then add the melted ingredients to the  egg mix.  Fold in the dry flour mix before stirring in the nuts and bag of chips.  Pour into buttered cookie pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees preheated oven.  Half way thru rap pan on rack to rid brownies of any bubbles.  Then die sinfully and blissfully happy when you bite into these decadent brownies.

LEILANI'S SINFUL CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 cake mix or from scratch baked in two 9 in. rounds with wax paper on inside bottom.  Let cool completely.  Turn cake out and peel off wax paper and carefully slice each cake in half horizontally.  So now you have 4 thin cakes. Place one on cake server and you will frost tops and sides of each cake as each layer is placed on so that you end up with a four layer cake.

2 chocolate blue jiffy box of chocolate icing powder mix

1 pint whip cream fresh

2T corn syrup

1-3 T cold water

Use one and half boxes to mix not whip in a pre-chilled bowl with the whip cream and chill for 1-2 hours.  Take leftover icing and mix with corn syrup and water and chill also.  

After the 2 hours beat the whip cream mix until fluffy.  Use to frost the whole cake except the top.  Whip the corn syrup mix and pour over top of cake.  It should be slightly runny and will leak down sides some just watch the water intake carefully. 

Let chill.

HOMEMADE HOT COCA

10--2/3C instant nonfat dry milk

1--6oz. jar powdered non-dairy creamer

2C powdered sugar

1--16 oz. can instant chocolate drink mix your choice.

Combine all ingredients in large bowl  Mix well.  Store in large air tight container and label.  Store in a  cool, dry place for up to 6 months.  Awesome as a gift placed in decorated jars.  I think it's about 3 T per 6 oz. of water.

DOUBLE DECKER FUDGE

2 C (12 oz. pkg.) chocolate chips divided

1/2 C butter, divided

1/2 C Hershey's baking cocoa

1t. vanilla

4 1/2 C sugar

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme

1 1/2 C (12 oz.) evaporated milk

Line a 13" x 9" x 2" pan with foil.  Place 1 cup of the chips in medium bowl and set aside.  This will be bowl #1

Melt 1/4 C butter and cool slightly.  In a second bowl (bowl # 2)blend the melted butter with the cocoa and vanilla until smooth and shiny.  Then add the other 1 C chips still in bag.

Combine sugar, marshmallow creme, milk and other 1/4 C butter in a heavy 4 quart saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly over med. heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil.  Allow it to boil gently and stir the whole time for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and immediately add about half (3C) of the hot mixture to the bowl with the chips (#1).  Pour remainder into the cocoa mixture (#2)and stir to blend.  Beat chips mixture (#1)until chips are completely melted.  Immediately spread evenly in prepared pan.  Beat cocoa mixture (#2)until chips are melted and it begins to thicken.  Spread evenly over top of chips layer and cool..  Remove from pan and remove foil. Cut into 1" squares.  Store in airtight container in a cool, dry place.

NO BAKE COOKIES

2C sugar

1/2 C milk

1/4 lb. butter

1/2C baking cocoa

2t. vanilla

3/4 C peanut butter

2 1/2 C oats

1/2 C nuts (opt.)

1/4 C to a 1/2 C coconut flakes (opt)

Cook milk, sugar, butter and cocoa for 1 1/2 minutes after reaching a boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla, peanut butter, oats, nuts.  Beat well by hand and then spoon on to wax paper to cool and then store in an airtight container.

FLOUR-LESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 lb. semisweet chocolate baking or chips

2 sticks of butter

8 eggs

Melt chocolate and butter together

beat eggs for 5 minutes.

Fold half of the eggs into the chocolate mix.  Then fold in the rest.  Pour into a parchment paper lined spring-form pan and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.  At 325 degrees.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE! HEALTH TIPS OF THE DAY!!

Metabolism refers to all the physical and chemical processes inthe body that create and use energy, such as:

*Digesting food and nutrients

*Eliminating waste

*Circulating the blood

*Controlling body temperature

*Contracting muscles

*Functioning of the brain and nerves

WEIGHT GAIN

You gain weight when the fat cells in your body either expand (because they are storing extra calories), or when they increase in number.  Each of us is born with a certain number of fat cells.  This impacts your weight for the rest of your life.  However, if you overeat and do not get enough physical activity-particularly during childhood and teens-you can actually develop more fat cells.

When you lose weight, your fat cells contract-but unfortunately you don't lose any!  This is one reason why it is easy to gain weight back.  This is also why it is important to keep children from becoming overweight in the first place.

The most common cause of weight gain is fairly simple: your energy input (the calories you eat) is greater than your energy output (the calories your burn).  Also the type of calories....too many high-calorie, high-fat foods contributes to weight gain and loss of tone no matter how much you exercise!

Here is your DESIRABLE WEIGHT (naked no clothes on)for a small framed woman.  If you are of medium frame than add about 5 lbs. to the low end and about 10 to the high end or just let me know your build and height and I will add that in!

4ft-10in. 92-100lbs.

4ft.-11in. 95-103lbs.

5 feet- 98-106 lbs.

5 ft. 1in. 101-109 lbs.

5 ft. 2 in. 104-112lbs.

5 ft. 3 in. 108-116 lbs.

5 ft. 4 in. 111-119 lbs.

5 ft. 5 in. 115-123 lbs.

5 ft. 6 in. 119-127 lbs.

5 ft. 7 in. 122-130 lbs.

5 ft. 8 in. 126-134 lbs.

5 ft. 9 in. 130-138 lbs.

5 ft. 10 in. 135-143 lbs.

BIG JOE AND GRANDPA!

My 'big' brother and my Grandpa Van (my dad's dad)

 I miss my dad terribly... every day.... my grandpa here is 

 wearing a bolo tie which I think he has worn every day of 

 his life!! LOL  It is sweet tho'.  We had the opportunity to

 visit him in the past year and it was such a blessing!!!

THANKS BUNCHES!

Thanks bunches! 

Muchas Gracias!!

So my sister-in-law, Shantel, has been great helping me with putting this blog together.  Putting up with all my questions and my confusion!!  Lots of laugh.  I know I will get the hang of this eventually since I did so with other websites!  

So thanks bunches Shantel for being such a great 'sister'!! Love ya!

Doing the blog thang!

So I have friends and family who keep sending me emails about going to look at their blog site. Can't fathom why when there is face book and myspace to use.  So I decided to give it a try so that at the least I am not complaining about something I have no personal experience or knowledge about.  So here is my attempt.