My fun plans

So Brandon, Tonya, Jessica (I assume), and Don are going skiing to Targhi..targee.. I have no idea how to spell that. In any case, if Ryan can he will go with them. He loves skiing. I loved it when I was younger, but since then I have had a lot of knee problems, in that my knee's dislocate very easily. It is hard to go skiing and not worry about plumeting down the mountain with a dislocated knee. Part of me still wants to go though, when I think about how much fun I used to have. However someone needs to watch Ethan, and since it will be an over-night trip Ryan doesn't like the idea of abandoning Ethan for that long on his poor mom to take care of. I'm trying to think of something to do for the weekend that will be fun, but honestly there really isn't anything to do. I had started crocheting a bleanket, but my sweet little boy took off with the hook when I wasn't looking and now we can't find it (that and the remote to the tv). I had this great ide for a painting, but unfortunately i need some men to model for it (it's much easier to draw from life then to make i up). So, I really don't know how to go about getting someone to model for me. Ryan won't do it, he's self consious or something. :). Anyways, that's my fun life at the moment. I need to find some new hobbies or something... that don't cost money- which of course really limits what you can do...lol. (Art is already an expensive hobbie).

Levi's coming home

My brother Levi is being honorably released from his mission this week, and is coming home to have surgery on both of his feet. Once he is able, he will go back on his mission. He is serving in The Richmond Virginia Mission. I feel sad for him because he really loves being a missionary, and it would be hard to come home and not know exactly when you will be able to go back. He left for his mission last March, so he's been out for almost a year. We are hoping that all will go well with the surgeries, that he will be able to have them both at the same time, and be able to walk again by March or April. We will see.

No Sleep

Ethan woke up crying at 1:30 this morning. I groaned and waited for a minute or so, hoping he would go back to sleep, but he didn't so i got out of bed and went into the kitchen to make him a bottle. i put the milk in the microwave and went to his room to get him. Unfortunately when i walked in the room i smelled it, and sure enough he had thrown up all over his bed. yay. so i called ryan to come get him and I cleaned the bed, put new sheets and blankets in it, and scrubbed the carpet as best as i could. Ryan had cleaned ethan up and they were watching Shrek 2, which for some reason is Ethan's favorite movie- it calms him down instantly every time. I took him from him, and ryan went back to bed while i started to feed him, hoping he would fall asleep quickly and not throw up again. No such luck. He threw up all over me and the couch. So, I called ryan out again to take Ethan, while i had to take off my sopping pajamas, jump into the shower, and then get dressed and clean up the mess on the carpet and couch. Ryan put ethan into the bath tub- the poor little guy had gotten it all over his face and in his eyes. So, once i was ready, again, I took Ethan, and Ryan went back to bed, and Ethan and I settled on the couch to watch shrek. after about an hour, when ethan was still awake and refusing to go back to bed, i decided to attempt to feed him again, but I was afraid to give him too much, so I think he maybe got about 4 oz or so. FINALLY around 4:45 he fell asleep, and I went to bed. 5:30- he wakes up screaming. He didn't want to be held, but he didn't want to get down, he didn't want me to sit down but he didn't want me to stand either- he just kept crying. ryan came out to try to help calm him but he wouldn't calm down. so, i put shrek in again, and he calmed down some. Ryan went back to bed, and I laid back down on the couch with Ethan sitting on top of me. He would wiggle and fuss every couple of seconds, and I was beginning to think he wasn't going to goback to sleep, when he finally laid his head down on my chest and fell asleep. Right in time for ryans alarm to go off (6:30). Luckily, though, ethan didn't hear the alarm, and I was able to get him into bed and get back to bed myself. So, i'm tired. Brandon is coming to visit tonight, so I need to straighten up my house (it's actually pretty clean, except the kitchen, and some general straightening up to do around the house) but i'm tired, and I need to wash another load of towels and clothes- courtesy of ethan throwing up....and clean the guest bathroom where all the nasty stuff from last night is piled- and i just want to lay down and watch a movie and go to sleep. You haven't lived i guess untill you have a kid throw up on you.... or something. :)

Creamy Spinach (or Broccoli) and Tortellini

I liked the idea Margie had of posting a recipe on her blog, and so I thought it would be fun to borrow that idea and put favorite recipes I have onto my blog every once in a while.

This is one of my favorite recipes, I got it from a friend when I was living in Centerville Utah. It's really easy, and kids seem to really like it, even though it is strong in flavor.

Creamy Spinach and Tortellini

I use my wok to cook this dish, as it tends to make less of a mess, but a skillet works fine.

1lb. uncooked fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
2 Tb. Olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (9 oz) package spinach in a pouch, thawed or 1/2 to 1 package (9 oz) of broccoli
1 cup cubed, seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup greated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Substituions:
spinach seems to give a creamier taste to the dish, however I'm not a spinach fan, so I use broccoli instead-not as creamy, but I like it.
of course you can substitute garlic powder for fresh garlic if you don't have the fresh garlic.
Ryan doesn't like tomatoes, so i normally leave that out, but it tastes better with the tomato.
Youcan use fresh parmesan cheese or you can use the kind that comes pre-grated in the can (the normal kind you use for spaghetti).

Instructions:
Cook tortellini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender and lightly browned, about four minutes (stir frequently so you don't burn the garlic- i suggest cooking the onion for a while before adding the garlic). Add spinach (or broccoli), tomato, basil, salt, and pepper; cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in whipping cream and parmesan cheese; cook until mixture comes to a boil. do not stir a great deal or else parmesan cheese will start to clump together. Reduce heat to low; stir in cooked tortellini (stir only enough to coat all of the tortellini). Cook an additional 4-5 minutes (without stirring so cheese won't clump) until thoroughly heated. Serve with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Goes great with baguette bread!

so, Ethan and I are both sick. He was really fussy last week, and on sunday started throwing up. I think it might be teething, but I don't know. I think that he is almost better from that, but now he has a cold. and he gave it it to me. I hate being sick, it saps your energy and makes me grumpy. Plus, I get to clean up baby throw up every once in a while. I hope he is done throwing up, but you never know. He hasn't been able to keep down any solids, other than yogurt, so i'm ready for him to get better so we can go back to our routine of getting him to eat more solids.

so ryan's birthday is coming up, and i'm trying to figure out what to get him. we suprisingly have some money that we coould spend on his gift and get him somethng fun, like an ipod or something. i want to surprise him with whatever i get, which is hard because Ryan never really gets excited about things. he opens the box, smiles, and thats it. looking at electronics got me thinking though, and i've decided what i want if we could ever afford it. I want a Wacom Intuos3 6X8 Pen Tablet. it's the coolest thing ever. but it's pretty expensive so it will be a while before i can afford it. grown up's toys are so expensive! :)

At the moment i am waiting for Ethan to fall asleep so that I can sneak into his room and put his blanket on him. For some reason he doesn't like having anything on him like a sheet or blanket, so you have to do it when he's asleep. Once he's asleep i'll start the green bean casserole Joan wants me to make for the Nelson Christmas party that is this afternoon/evening. Everybody is out shopping or at Joan's house at the moment, however I needed Ethan to take a nap, and I knew that wasn't going to happen at ryan's parents house, with so much going on. the house is really quet, which is kind of nice, but also leaves me feeling a bit bored. oh well.