Life's Changes

Sometimes Heavenly Father has a different plan for you than you had anticipated.

Growing up I had such high goals and aspirations. At first, I was going to graduate high school, attend The Juilliard School in New York and major in piano performance, then marry my husband in the Mesa, AZ temple. To top it all off, I would perform in Carnegie Hall with my family and husband sitting in the front row. Life couldn't get better.

Once reality hit and some health issues got in the way, things shifted. I then focused my time on photography. I first got into it when I decided to take a photography class in high school because nothing else seemed like fun. I learned how to use a film camera and how to develop my own film. To this day, I WILL have a dark room once we buy a house. No questions. Anywho, I digress. Once I felt like I mastered film, which I know I was far from mastering, I stole...I mean borrowed my grandpa's digital camera. What a beauty that was. After all, he's an electronic junkie, so he had PLENTY to go around. I was sure this is what I was going to do with my life. Heck, I even got one step closer to this goal of being a professional photographer and having my own business, titled Shooting Star Photography. I had been accepted into Hallmark Institute of Photography in MA.  Then reality sunk in again, when I had to come up with $70k. So then I settled for MCC.

Life then took yet another turn. I moved up to Utah. A year and a half later, I met the man of my dreams. My husband is the complete opposite of what I wanted to marry when I was 8. But do you know what? What did I know when I was 8. Apparently I knew all the wrong things, aside from getting baptized. My husband is everything I didn't want when I was younger. But he is everything I need now. My wedding ring isn't anything I had imagined wanting. I grew up knowing I would have a princess cute diamond. But when I saw my ring, a cushion cut green amethyst, no other ring I looked at would surpass it.

Sometimes things don't go as planned. They might not be what you want, or see yourself wanting. But a lot of the time it's for the better.

“So take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you got, remember what you had, always forgive but never forget, learn from your mistakes but never regret. People change, things go wrong, but just remember life goes on." -Unknown

Domesticated

Well hello there, world wide web. It's been a while. And I apologize.

But you see, in this wonderful town of Spanish Fork that my husband and I reside in, there is jack squat that goes on, and even less to do. So there really isn't much to blog about.

We go to work.

We come home.

We have dinner, maybe watch a movie or an episode of Brothers and Sisters or Revenge.

We go to bed.

Yes, there is an occasional dinner at the sibling's house, date night, or random drive somewhere pretty. But we live a pretty boring married life.

One thing that I do love, however, about not doing anything all the time, is it gives me a chance to cook! Yes, I get burnt out on cooking every once in a while, but I enjoy it 6 days out of the week. I'm not extravagant or 5 star quality with lamb and filet mignon, and I make a lot of less-than-desirable meals, but I do try my darndest.

I guess one reason why I love cooking so much is because I watched my grandma cook everything that tastes like a piece of heaven, and I grew up with my eyes glued to my dad while he was in the kitchen, trying to pick up on everything I could. They are both the best cooks I know. (If you haven't tried my dad's bbq sauce that he makes from scratch and not to mention won first place in a Tucson competition, then you haven't lived. Seriously. Go get some!!)

I have noticed that you don't always have to buy boxed foods for meals. Take for instance macaroni and cheese. I HATE the Kraft kind. Yuck. And it doesn't help that we would need to make two boxes because for some reason, it seems as though they keep putting less and less in those little rectangle boxes. So. I make it from scratch. Now, I have tried countless recipes and of course, the one go 'round that my husband loved, I didn't have a recipe and instead just threw things together. I have yet to replicate it. Such is life. Making mac and cheese wasn't as easy as I thought. I had read things on Pinterest (of course) that you could make it by adding milk and cheese to pasta and the cheese would melt into gooey goodness and wrap those macaroni noodles with creamy delight. Oh boy was that wrong. I turns into a disgusting, clumpy, milky-watery mess. NASTAY. I learned the hard way that you have to make a roux.

A what??

Roux [roo] - noun

A cooked mixture of butter or other fat and flour used to thicken sauces, soups, etc.

Who knew that a cheese sauce would need flour? And one thing I learned, is you should ALWAYS cook flour and NEVER add it to something in it's raw form. (To some mothers, especially my grandmother, I must sound so dumb because I'm just learning all of this.) I had seen that tip on Master Chef a while ago and had no clue what it meant, until it happened to me. I was making a roux for mac and cheese and the sauce wasn't thick enough [it will always be thick enough, just be patient and let it cook!!] so I decided to add more flour at the end, after I had put in the milk and cheese. Then it was TOO thick...and tasted like flour. I didn't cook the flour with the butter. It literally was like I just threw a bunch of flour in my mouth and then took a bite of mac and cheese. Needless to say, I learned my lesson.

Melt butter and add equal parts flour and cook for five minutes, or until a nice golden brown.

Slowly add in milk, cooking for an additional five minutes. It WILL thicken up.

Add grated cheese.

Add pasta.

Badda bing, badda boom.

You've got macaroni and cheese.

Another thing that we love in the Memmott household, is mashed potatoes. We do have the box of instant potatoes, but after a huge failure in the taste bud department, as well as the check book, we opted out for regular, straight-from-the-potato mashed potatoes. Heck, I just bought a 15 pound bag of potatoes for $2. Score? I think YES. The only thing that sucks about making them from scratch, is we do not yet have a potato masher. Yay for forks and whisks!! Haha. But seriously though. All you do is wash a few potatoes, chop them up, boil them, mash them, then add butter and milk. If you're going for a five minute dinner, this isn't for you. But if you want more bang for your buck, or a better alternative to those grainy, mushy, disgusting "instant" potatoes, then give it a try!

Lastly, I will never buy frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. What a waste of money! Instead, I buy bone in, skin on chicken from the meat section. Not only is it a whole dollar cheaper per pound than the skinless, boneless chicken in the meat section, it's $1.50 if not more cheaper than the frozen kind. So, I come home with skin on, bone in chicken, take the skin off, and freeze it myself. Why should I pay someone to freeze my food for me when I can do a perfectly good job myself? Exactly. Not to mention that the bone gives the chicken so much more flavor! And it doesn't dry out as fast during the cooking process. Sure, you have to eat around it. But in my opinion, it's totally worth it.

I know I've still got so much to learn, but I sure do love where I am! And I think my husband doesn't hate it ;)

Do you like to cook? If so, what? If not, how do you eat??

And just in case you wanted it, here is my favorite recipe for mac and cheese. Feel free to add or subtract anything from it! But one thing I've found from testing a lot of these recipes, is you can't go without the ground mustard. It is essential. (Our favorite cheese to use is Colby-Jack, however you can experiment or use your favorite cheese.)

4 cups dried macaroni

1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 4 T.) butter

1/4 cup All-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry/Ground mustard. More if desired.

1 pound cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cook macaroni. Drain.

2. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn.

3. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

4. Add in cheese and stir to melt.

5. Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt as needed. DO NOT UNDERSALT!

6. Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

7 Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end

With Obama's re-election, and things coming to light about things I should have read a loooong time ago in regards to new laws and things that Obama supports, I can't help but feel hopeless.

Helpless.

Like John and I won't be able to start our family in these conditions.

It doesn't help that it's that time of the month where I cry my eyes out when I'm reminded that Jef and Emily broke up. Or when I hear my niece say "Hi" to me over and over again and wave her little hand at me, even though she has no clue who I am.

Given the circumstances, I could just sit and cry all day if I didn't have to work or act like a normal human being. It is SOO easy to just fall into that funk of "Nothing is ever going to be okay again." And this past election sure got me a good head start into that funk. Yuck.

I have always been one who will think the worst of things, plan for the worst to happen, and just can't really look to the bright side. I'm not pessimistic. I'm just an overcautious optimistic. I hope for the best, plan for the worst. And lately, I've been planning on the United States turning into a socialistic sister of Greece.

(Here is where the fact that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints comes into play)

One thing that I keep forgetting, is that this is all part of my Father in Heaven's plan. I wish I could write down some scriptures that I found on my own. That way I could be all prophetic, knowledgeable, and insightful. Instead, I searched the all-knowing internet. And luckily, I found a scripture that made me cry even more and has since become one of my top 3 favorite scriptures. To preface this, I have included the previous few scriptures.

“Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—

“Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof

“Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.

“And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory."

[And here is where it gets so wonderful.]

“Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full” D&C 101:32-36 (emphasis added)

If we but just trust in the Lord, and have faith, we will be alright. Yes, things might SUCK, and they might be really, really hard, but it will never be too much.

A very beloved prophet once said, "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed.  The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old time rail journey…. delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed.  The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." -Gordon B. Hinckley

This song is so humbling and is my favorite song, hymn, or piece of music.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake

To guide the future, as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know

His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on

When we shall be forever with the Lord.

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I love my Heavenly Father so much and am so grateful for the opportunity he has given me to strengthen my weaknesses and to grow my faith.

And with this, I bid you adieu.

Is it really November??

I can't believe that the year is almost over! When I look back at the past 10 months, there are SOO many things that I am so grateful for. And it boggles my mind that I met the love of my life almost a year ago. Time flies by so incredibly fast.

October is the month of HALLOWEEN! Now, I'm not such a huge fan of Halloween. I don't think I have ever been a great supporter of dressing up and scaring people. I think it all stems from when I was a little girl and we went trick or treating......

Picture this. An adorable little (something). Mid 90's. It was a beautiful, crisp October night. Laughter and screams could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Street lamps periodically brightened the sidewalk and showcased various costumes. Shyly, I walked up to a door with my mom's hand on my back, gently pushing me closer to the door to politely say "Trick or treat." Sitting next to the door on a chair was what looked like a stuffed pair of jeans and shirt to mimic a dead man. Just before my little finger was able to push the door bell, a very loud and frightening "RAWWRRRRR!!!!" came from that was-supposed-to-be-a-dead-man man. Screaming out of terror, I ran to my mom and hid my head in her hands. I don't remember much after that, but as you can see, scaring has scarred me from enjoying such a fun holiday.

Fast forward 15 years. Working for such a fun and laid back company comes with many perks. One of them, which is my favorite, is we decorate HARDCORE for holidays and special occasions. My department pitched in and we all got decorations to contribute. October 1, the decorations went up, with one twist. My manager LOVES Christmas. I'm pretty sure love doesn't even cover how much he loves Christmas. So instead of decorating the entire department for Halloween, we decorated the majority of our office with skulls and pumpkins and spider webs. Then directly over our manager's desk, we decorated for Christmas. Who knew that the dollar store had Christmas decorations?

He absolutely LOVED it. And after our Halloween decorations came down, his will still stay up for another two months.

Another thing I have the privilege of participating in at my company, is the costume contest. We had a very great turnout and some very...interesting costumes. Take a look! (I apologize for the green screen)

 (Richard Simmons)

 (Snooki)

 (Evil queen from Snow White. 1st Place)

 (Comic book character)

 ("Fat Brad" This was Brad [my manager] about a year ago. He has lost over 80 pounds!! So he decided to dress up as his old self)

 (Wayne from Wayne's World)

(Self explanatory...Also 1st place)

 (Oddly enough, we had two Psy's! And they didn't even plan it...)

One thing that I do love about Halloween, is seeing all the cute costumes for little kids. John and I had a family party on Sunday and all the nieces and nephews dressed up to show off their awesome costumes. (Photo cred: Emalee and Cory)

(My personal favorite. I wonder why....)

[Photo cred: Dawna]

All in all, I am glad October is over with. Why? One month closer to Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, and the day after the world "ends".

Also, since it is soup season, I thought I would leave you with my favorite soup recipe :) Not to mention it is probably the easiest soup you will ever make.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2 cans (4 cups) chicken broth

1 8oz. creme cheese

1 large can mild enchilada sauce (Any brand will do, however, Hatch is the best brand. A little more expensive, but definitely worth it. 2 cans of their mild enchilada sauce.)

1 small can chopped green chiles

1 pint half and half

1 can corn, drained

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 1/2 cups instant rice

Heat up and whisk creme cheese and chicken broth until melted completely.

Add all other ingredients.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Serve with sour creme or cheese.

What is your favorite soup during the winter? Do share :)