O Christmas Tree

I have actually had my tree up since the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Hey, I did really well this year! In the past I've put it up the first bit of November - just because I feel like I don't get enough time to enjoy my tree as much as I'd like to. Note that new ornaments were added this year, a proper representation of our teams we love - LSU, UGA, and the New Orleans Saints. Also a BYU Idaho alumni ornament was added - Geaux Kevin! I am so proud for him completing his Bachelor's degree. He is doing so well in school and it makes me so happy to see him having such great success- he deserves it!
With Kevin wrapping up a degree and the uncertainty of a move in the near (or far) future because of a job we decided to stay home (in Idaho, just to clarify) for the holidays. It is sad and exciting all at the same time. Sad that we won't be with our families to share the day with them. It's my first Christmas away from my family. Ever. But exciting because we can start some of our own traditions and keep others going that our parents had always done for us. Plus we got a toy we had been eying for some time to keep us distracted. I've wrapped it under the tree and we are not allowed to open it until the Friday before Christmas or Christmas Eve.


We hope that all of you are enjoying the Holiday season. I know I am with the unusual circumstances here in Rexburg - no snow! Feels more like a Louisiana Christmas, which I do not mind. Merry Christmas everyone!

these are a few of my favorite things

These are just a few highlights from my weekend. Hope everyone had a great one!

SEC Championship

This is a pretty big deal. Well actually a huge deal. Surprisingly things have been very civilized and polite in the Bradley home. However that is subject to change tomorrow. But I promise everyone that there will be no fist throwing, threats, or sleeping on the couch tomorrow. I think.
GEAUX TIGERS!

Ezekiel 20:29 

Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go?

And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

 Coincidence? I think not.

GEAUX TIGERS!

only 24 hours

I want to learn so many different things right now- crocheting, cooking, knitting, sewing, canning, etc and I am surrounded by some of the most fabulous women, who can teach me all of these things. The only problem- I have so little time in my day. I am making a goal to use my time much more wisely and to be mindful of how much time I just waste when I could be doing something much more productive. Not only will I learn more, but I'll make great friends in the process - what a wonderful way to use my time! Another perk is you'll have things to do while hibernating during the winter months and have something to show for it.

I'd encourage all of you lovely ladies to do the same and take advantage of these amazing women in your neighborhood/ward.

fall food. yum.

Lately I have been doing as many freezer meals as my little freezer can hold, which isn't much. But they have been lifesavers for days when I just do not have time or the energy to create a meal. I have found a wonderful website- Once a month mom, where they plan a month's worth of recipes. I usually just pick and choose a few from their menu that sound appealing (they have a traditional menu and diet menu). I plan my grocery menu around these meals and a few quick ones I can do on days I have more time/energy- works great for keeping the grocery bill lower too since I'm not constantly going for this and that or grabbing random things I may not use. Here is one I recently tried that I did like...

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

• 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small chunks)
• finely chopped onion, celery, and carrot (maybe 2 cups total?)
• 1 cup uncooked long grain and wild rice blend
• 4 cups water
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• salt and pepper to taste
• additional herbs, if desired (such as rosemary, parsley)

In a stockpot, saute vegetables and chicken until almost done. Add water, soups, seasonings, and rice. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.

Adding the Rosemary and parsley really add a fall flavor and I thought tasted quite yummy.

If you plan on carving pumpkins this season, don't throw away those seeds! Here is a yummy treat that I have tried in the past and we really enjoy them. 

 
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Preheat over to 275 degrees. Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

fried onions

Yesterday, I was sauteing onions and managed to forget about them. Once I remembered, I ran to the stove... too late! After a few tears shed for ruining my AlClad pot and the beginnings of dinner (which we had company coming to) I began looking online for solutions. I found one on eHow and it worked fabulously-the pot looks good as new! I thought I would share it on here in case someone else has a forgetful moment like myself.

1. After scrapping as much gunk as I could out of the pot, fill it with water. Add 1 to 2 tsp. dishwashing liquid and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then cover the pot, turn off the heat and leave the pot to soak for 30 minutes

2. With a wooden spoon, scrape away as much of the burned food as possible. Rinse well.
3. If burned areas still remain, cover them completely with a generous amount of baking soda. Drizzle in just enough water to create a thick paste, smearing the paste up the sides of the pot if needed. Set aside for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
4. Without rinsing the pot, add 3 parts water to 1 part distilled vinegar to cover the burned food by at least 2 inches (5 cm). Boil for 10 minutes and then leave overnight.

I had to do all steps only once. When I rinsed and cleaned it the next morning, all those icky brown spots came right up and it's back to it's shiny self!

Conference Weekend

We traveled to Park City this weekend to visit with family. It was great to watch conference and football with the family and of course eat some yummy food.
Since we have moved out west, we have been fortunate to attend several conference sessions and this was one of those times. We were able to attend the Sunday AM session, which was wonderful. I am so grateful that our Father in Heaven allows us to know His will through prophets in the past and today.

Above: Kevin and I in front of the Conference Center.
Below: The Salt Lake Temple peaking above the trees.

Twinsies!

My little cousin, Kendall, and I matched today.

Isn't she a cute little tiger fan?

supersticious

"I'm not superstitious, but I might be a little stitious."
-Michael Scott, The Office

I got these shoes right before the LSU's amazing 2007-2008 season. They're special shoes. They went with me to every single game-including the SEC championship against Tennessee. The end result that year-a National Championship. Which is why I have and will continue to wear these shoes every single game day.
Geaux Tigers!

pick 'ems

I'm so scared.
4 of my picked teams this week don't match Kevin's....
Lets hope my teams prove him wrong!!

i love football.

College Football Week 2

We're back into our normal routine, celebrating game day each fabulous weekend. This week we invited the Standers over to watch the UGA vs S.Carolina game, which was such a heartbreaker. But we grilled up some veggie and chicken kabobs and had a yummy dinner while watching the games. Just got to say I absolutely loved the Michigan game (needed that win for my ESPN pick'ems) and even more so happy about my Tigers!
GEAUX LSU!

Why Geogria. Why.

This past week we were able to take a trip to Georgia (thank you Delta). We had the best time while there and absolutely loved our vacation time. We did so many fun things and got to see our friends and family who we hadn't seen in a while. Here are a few pictures from our visit down south!

Our first evening there we went to the Braves vs Nationals game, which they did win. We really enjoyed the whole experience. I have a new love for baseball, particularly the Braves. We ate turner field burgers and got to see Chipper Jones and Derek Lowe hit home runs and Kimbrel broke the rookie record for saves in a season! Great game!
The following day we attended the Atlanta Temple. They recently reopened it after completely renovating for the last 2 years. It is absolutely gorgeous and was wonderful to be able to visit.
Saturday they had the 5th annual 5K Run to Remember for Josh Reeves and Kevin, Kyle, and Kim ran. I knew there was no way I could keep up with any of them and I haven't been running lately and probably wouldn't be able to run the whole thing. So sad, I know. You can find the overall results here. Kyle ran a 20:40 (6th place overall), Kevin a 20:50 (7th) and Kim came in with 31:18 (59th). Kyle actually placed 1st in his age division and got a medal!The rest of the day we enjoyed a wonderful weekend of football! We are so excited that Fall has finally begun. It is the best time of the year- football, Halloween and other fall festivities, Thanksgiving, food, and did I mention football? Doyle went above and beyond and scored us tickets to the Georgia vs Boise State Chickfila Kickoff game in Atlanta. DISCLAIMER: I am wearing red to this game for one reason only and I will tell you why... there is no way in heck I would ever allow Kevin to wear a Georgia shirt to MY LSU game and I thought they need all the help that they can get and decided to "spread the red" as Coach Richt requested.What could possibly make this any better? Free Chickfila being handed out!Kevin, Doyle and Big Dawg Woods! This guy has his wife paint a bulldog on his head every game day. In the dome! And might I remind you this is my second time here ;) Geaux Tigers!Sunday evening Chelsea was able to take our family pictures, which will probably be on our Christmas cards this year. We needed a few new ones. Seems like all the pictures in our apartment are from the wedding. You can look more photos HERE. She always does such a fabulous job and I would recommend her to anybody!
We got to hang out and play games with Steven and Shiree, who we hadn't seen them since our wedding! Liz also came in for the weekend and we haven't seen her since we got engaged!! So we were definitely overdue for a visit. Our adorable niece, Sandy, is a completely different person. She is a little lady now. We missed the whole toddler phase. It was so fun talking with her and watching her run circles around all of us.We LOVE Georgia and the people there. We are so glad we got to visit with everyone and do so many fun things. Thanks to everyone for making our visit so great-especially to mom and dad (the Bradley bed and breakfast). You always take such good care of us. Hopefully we won't wait 2 years to go back and visit!

Word to the Wise

And remember kids always, always, always...
check your hubby's pockets prior to doing the laundry. Because if there is gum in those pockets, you'll be scrapping melted gum off the insides of the dryer for half an hour or longer. And that my friends is not a fun way to spend your Saturday afternoon.

Teton Vu

One thing Kevin and I love about the summer is the drive in theater. We are regulars and have gone a handful of times since we've lived here. We hadn't gone this whole summer until we noticed that Harry Potter would be playing this past Saturday. We were thrilled! In fact, we were the first people at the drive in. We played skip bo and blokus while waiting and finally the magic started. Everything was going just fine and we were loving the movie. About an hour into it, the sound and picture go out. It started up again so we were thinking "ok, moving on. no problem." Then 30 minutes later it happened again. It seemed to happen at the most intense and inconvenient times which drove us (as well as everyone else) crazy. There had to have been 15-30 minutes left when it cut out for the third time (of course right when things seems to be coming to an end). "I am so sorry ladies an gentlemen but it seems like we are having some technical difficulties and we will not be able to conclude the remaining portion of the movie. Please come in to receive a refund." the employee apologized.

SERIOUSLY?!

Weekend with the Bradleys

This past weekend we had our annual camping trip in the Tetons with Kev's family. It is always wonderful when you get out the car and smell that mountain air and then shortly after get attacked by horseflies and mosquitoes. When we first arrived Friday, we scoped out a spot for the tent and were ready to set up. To our surprise, there was no tent packed! Our nephew was getting baptized Saturday morning so it actually worked out well. Everyone that stayed and camped had to wake up around 6 and 7am to drive in town and shower to be there on time. We however got to sleep in our comfy bed, clean and bug repellent free! Friday we hiked a shorter trail with the kids and then a few of us hiked the Tin Cup Trail. When we arrived at the top we found snow. I wish it was all gone. I am dreading the winter months, already!
We were so glad we got to go again this year and visit with everyone. We look forward to next year with you guys!The kids we so excited to hike until about 10 minutes into it. The trail was very steep and ended up being a dead end!The tin cup Trail. Thanks for being patient with me you guys! Notice the snow in the back. The guys had a snow ball fight a few yards past this point.After Trevor's baptism.Our new pillow cases from Aunt Mel. Thank you! We LOVE them!

Best mail day ever!

Thank you mom and dad Bradley for the amazing polo. I love, love, love it! We also got out Braves tickets in the mail. It'll be one of our activities during our visit to GA in a few weeks. Yay!

Holiday Weekend

The weekend began with birthday celebrations. I am now a quarter of a century old as Kevin reminded me that morning. Thanks. We took a hike up R mountain, which was steep and full of sand. From the top you could see the sand dunes, the snake river plane, lovely Rexburg, and the tip top of the Teton Mountains.After that, we bowled a few games over at Fat Cats. Just for the record, I won both. Perhaps Kevin was being polite. We did pretty well, since we never play. Ever. That evening we went to Rexburg Rapids with our neighbors. It is a pretty neat place with a lazy river, rock climbing wall in the adult pool, two huge slides, and a big kiddie pool area.

That morning, prior to our little hike, Kevin cooked me well-done eggs for breakfast. He made up for it that night and made some great steaks! Dinner was so yummy.And of course, what is a birthday without a little sweet something with candles on it? Yummy Jello cheesecake with strawberry topping was this year's pick for me. Easy and quick. Just the way I like to cook. My family skyped with us while we ate dessert and they sang with Kevin so he wouldn't have to sing a 'happy birthday' solo. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday special, you are all wonderful family and friends. The calls, messages, and cards were so thoughtful and greatly appreciated! Love you all!
And thank you Kevin for all you did to make it a great day. You are the best husband!

For the 4th, we joined some of Kevin's friends for breakfast to start the day. Then we invited anyone in the ward who did not have plans to join us for a BBQ at our apartment. Our thought was, we are alone for the holiday and want company so lets bribe them with food. Everyone brought sides or a dessert while us and another family took care of the meat, buns, and toppings. We had a great turn out and we loved having all the company!
It was an easy clean up for us- just a few dishes, sweeping, and mopping. I wish clean up was always that easy. Sometimes its two or three times that with just Kevin and I. We played croquet with some friends afterwards and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing, watching a Bewitched marathon, and played Ticket to Ride. And to finish the day off we watched the Rexburg fireworks from the stake center. Not the best location but we saw some, which was enough for me.
Happy Independence Day everyone!

Two Years

Happy Anniversary to my best friend!
Kevin has made married life such an easy transition for us. He is so willing to do anything and everything to make sure I am happy. I am one super lucky gal to have such a loving husband who supports me, picks up after me, and listens to me jabber on and on.
Life is great.
Thanks so much Kevin for all that you do for us!

Visitors!

Kevin and I ordered a bed back in April from a wonderful place called Gardner Village south of SLC. We are slowly acquiring the entire bedroom set over time because that is a little easier on our bank account. Since they only deliver in the Valley, my grandparents brought it up to us this past weekend. They have also been wanting to visit the Bar J Chuckwagon. They had seen them in Midway for Cowboy Poetry and had been wanting to visit their ranch and see the show. We got season passes to Yellowstone the previous weekend and decided to make a day trip. We traveled along the southern route of Yellowstone, passing by Old Faithful, continuing through Teton National Park, Jackson and ended at Bar J for dinner and a show. It was a great day and we saw more buffalo than the previous week! We really enjoyed Bar J. The dinner, music, and show was great! We will definitely be returning.

Memorial Day Weekend

Last weekend, despite the forecast for crummy weather, Kevin and I decided to go to Yellowstone. I was asked to work on Monday for a few hours, so we chose to go on Saturday, which worked well. I'm guessing the threats of rain kept a few people from traveling there for the long weekend. We wanted to take a different route, so we began driving north towards Canyon Village (Mammoth Springs was closed, we are assuming due to snow). There was still so much snow in the park and to top it off it was snowing. We knew we'd see no animals if we kept going this way so we went south towards Old Faithful and we ran into 3 or 4 herds of buffalo! We were pretty excited about it and had a great time together.Some brave people were fishing in the river just behind these buffalo!
A snow drift near canyon village. It's almost June and there is still that much snow?
For Memorial Day I worked in the morning so Kevin and I could have the afternoon together. We originally wanted to hike R mountain but the weather was very windy and rainy. We decided to post pone the adventure for better weather. We played games and baked banana bread. Kevin had never had icing on his banana bread and apparently it is not common to do that. I thought it was normal since my mom always had done it when she did it. I made some cream cheese icing that was wonderfully fattening and Kevin seemed to like it. It was an easy and enjoyable weekend. Hope everyone had a great one also!