Back in the game.....

Okay....I'm back in the blogging game. I took a hiatus for a bit and deeply missed this therapeutic outlet.....
Soooooo.....I'm baaaccccckkkkkkk!
Let's get right to it.

It is always fun and exciting to share details of your life when your life it going great. It is exciting to read every one's comments and feel like you are sharing your bliss.

It is a bit more difficult for ME to share details when life seems to have thrown me a curve ball. I hate to burden friends with the 'not-so-happy' part of my life. I hate to be a 'downer'!

I have grown accustom to being the the 'strong one', the 'rock', being the 'shoulder to cry on'. I like the feeling of being needed and being there whenever and where ever I am needed. This IS who I am.....or at least, how I see myself. I feel in control, powerful, stable, organized, and confident in this role. Not only do I feel like this is the role that I have created with my wonderful friends but this is also the role that I play within my family. My parents see me as the daughter that can 'take care of herself', they turn to me for help, often. I LIKE this role in my family. Trevor's family sees me as the 'ultra-organized' mom that still has time for hobbies, sewing, cooking, and time to send flowers and little notes to family members living hundreds of miles away. I LIKE this role in my family.

Well....Just as God always has a plan...sometimes he needs to teach us something that we have overlooked or forgotten somewhere along our journey.

I guess it is time for my lesson.

It is time for me to turn to all of my wonderful friends and family that I have so deeply cherished for such a long long time. It is time for me to be vulnerable and look to others for support and help.

My best friend of seventeen years was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is an amazing man with tons of humor, spirit, drive, and did I mention humor? The final outcome will be very positive and the cancer is very curable but....it has hit me like a ton of bricks. It is one of those things that you never expect to happen TO YOU. He is a very young man with a lot of life ahead of him and although the diagnosis is grim, the prognosis is bright. There are a number of treatment options, each with a very very high success rate. However, one of the most troubling issues, is that each treatment option carries with it a tough recovery and some potential long term side effects. Side effects that will impact his life in the future. This is the most devastating piece of this monster.

No matter how rough the treatment, no matter what the side effects, we will still be the best of best friends. We will continue to live life to it's fullest, love deeply, play hard, and laugh and laugh and laugh.

I am with you God....I am following your lead, I will cherish each moment, each smile, and each challenge. Guide me to be the person I need to be, I will rise to meet you.

Trevor Perry....Rocky road can be an obstacle or an ice cream....am I here to help you make BOTH disappear! I love you baby!

Your truly devoted best of best friends - Holly

I addicted! Sooooo addicted!

I am not much of a 'band wagoner'. When everyone else if jumping on the band wagon when something popular comes along, that is typically when I choose to resist! When things become super popular....I typically turn the other way. I hate to jump on the band wagon!!!

I went to the store this weekend and by the check stand were several piles of extremely popular books. I decided....what the heck...I am not currently reading anything and EVERYONE seems to LOVE these books, so I bought the first book in the series.....

I read Twilight in a day and half!!!!!!! I am totally addicted and I love it and hate it at the same time!!!! I love the book and hate that I jumped on the Band Wagon! LOL

Now...I need to read the other 3 books and see the movie Twilight before the movie New Moon comes out in November! :)

He wasn't just a dog....He was FAMILY. Thank you for the gift....

Some of you will 'get' this post, others may not. That's okay. I understand that some people aren't 'dog people' or maybe some of you haven't had a deep connection with an animal. My hope is that those of you who 'get it' send out good thoughts for my family and those of you who don't really understand the deep connection between a dog and his family....I hope one day you do.

Mom and Dad (and the rest of us) are completely devastated, Tucker died on Friday, June 19th. Dad let him out and typically when it is dark, Tucker goes to the bathroom and immediately returns. He didn’t come right back. Dad started looking for him and then the phone rang. The man told Dad that Tucker has been hit by a car just north of their house. Dad walked up to get him. His collar had broken off but Tucker didn’t have a scratch on him, but he was gone. Mom and Dad were up all night Friday night saying goodbye, then early on Saturday morning they buried him in the backyard. Dad made him a cross and burned his name into it.

Tucker was dad’s buddy and mom's cuddle bug. He went everywhere with them. He was the greatest companion, I can’t say dog because Tucker didn’t know he was a dog. He was just another member of the family! Tucker belonged to Mom and Dad, but I felt as if he was mine too.

Many things made Tucker special, one reason he was so special is because he came from friends…thank you Curtis and Shauna, for giving us such an amazing gift! Tucker was also special because everyone in the neighborhood knew him and loved him. The kids in the neighborhood referred to my folks yard as ‘Tucker’s Forest’. My parent would go to BBQ’s and people they didn’t even know, would say, “Do you know Tucker?” He touch many, many hearts in his short time with us and for that we are truly grateful. The sound of the tags on his collar, the ‘nuzzle’, ‘nuzzle’ “pet me”, and his sweet, sweet face will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

As you can imagine, my Dad isn’t doing very well. His heart is heavy with sadness, but he is a man, so he doesn’t want anyone to know how he is hurting. He feels totally responsible for what happened to Tucker and is assuming all of the blame.

We will never be able replace Tucker or his love of his family. My sister, Trev and I have been talking and would like to get our parents another puppy. Mom and Dad got Tucker a month after our first schnauzer, Allie passed away. Tucker helped them heal.

He was an amazing gift and we are very thankful that God gave us 9 years with such a magical little spirit. We love you Tucker.

We will see what happens...we may find a new little puppy to expand our family. I will keep you posted.

Holly

The road is rocky but the sunset beautiful....

Oh how I have missed this....

I haven't blogged for a long time. Not really because I didn't have anything to say...it was more because, I wasn't sure how to say it.

I had a miscarriage in April.
We found at we were expecting and were very excited. We started planning how our life and family would be changing. We were getting very excited about our Thanksgiving baby. Then things went wrong....
It was devastating news, but we came thru the sadness, pain, and frustration stronger than we went in. That's what really matters...right?

I decided to share my experience, not for sympathy because we are doing great, only so that I could share the personal growth that has taken place because of this event.

Maybe this is God's way of reminding us of all of the amazing blessings in our life. I believe that every difficult moment or event that we are faced with is a test of our character. How we cope with our sadness, how well we manage our frustration, and how we cherish our family all helps us build a better 'me'.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to go thru this event in my life.
It has proven to me that I am a strong person, both emotionally and physically.
It has also shown me that no matter how strong I can be...I need people. I don't ALWAYS have to be strong.
I feel a stronger bond with my husband, we cherish our relationship and know we can endure sadness and pain together and our bond becomes even stronger.
It has made me more aware of the miracle, children really are.
It has made me love, even more, every silly song, quirky smile, and sweet giggle from my little ladies.
Lastly,
It has made me aware and appreciate more deeply everything and everyone in my life that I love and for that I am deeply greatly for this experience.

God Bless,
Holly

Here are 4 easy-awesome soup recipes!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: Rise Argyle

Bake 3 bonless skinless chicken breasts coated in ranch dressing powder @ 350 until done.
Chop into cubes and put in crock pot.
Put hot water into baking dish and scrape out all drippings into crock pot.
Add 3-4 chicken bullion cubes.
Add one chopped onion, and one chopped bunch of celery.
Add H2O until pot is 3/4 full and simmer for 1 and 1/2 hrs.
Thaw 2 packages of Granny's frozen noodles (found in the frozen food section of the grocery store).
When thawed add to soup and cooking @ a low boil for another hour or so...
Twenty minutes prior to serving add 1 can of cream of chicken soup to thicken.



Taco Soup: Minnie Argyle

Brown 1 lb. ground beef with one chopped onion
Drain off fat.
In a large pot add:
16 oz. can already diced tomatos with juice
16 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
16 oz. can tomato sauce
16 oz. whole kernel corn with liquid
1 package taco seasoning mix (dry)

Simmer with meat 20-30 minutes

When serving you may top with:
sour cream
grated cheese
olives
guacomole
crushed tortilla chips


Clam Chowder

2 to 6 cups chopped potatoes I always use 6 cups
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
add one large can of clams from Costco (comes in a two can package)
add just enough water to cook vegetables.
Don’t over cook or the potatoes or they will disappear. You want them cooked but on the firm side.
Prepare a cream sauce.
¾ cup butter: melt in pan and add 1 cup of flour mix with whip add to this 1 quart of half and half stir constantly. Sauce will thicken. When you think it is as thick as it will get add it to the cooked vegetables. (some add a tsp of sugar to this sauce) its up to you.

NOTE: I remove most of the (water clam juice) from the potatoes/onions/celery, before I add the cream sauce. Keep the water in a container to use if the soup gets too thick. I also add some when I reheat the soup it helps to keep the soup from scorching.

You can add salt and pepper to the sauce or soup. I also add Red wine vinegar (to taste).


Chicken Tortilla Soup

48 OZ canned great northern white beans
4 tsp minced garlic
1-4oz can mild chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tbls dry onions (or medium onion sauteed in olive oil)
5 Uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (shreaded at the end of cooking)
6 cups Chicken Broth
3 Cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (added at the end of cooking)

Combine all ingredients except cheese in crock pot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8 hours. At the end take chicken out and shred the breasts. Return to pot. Add cheese and stir,.

Serve with: Tortilla chips crushed on bottom of the bowl, chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and fresh lime. Add a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Enjoy!!

Hey...I found a couple of great easy recipes. Just wanted to share!

I am always on the hunt for new, creative, yummy, easy recipes. I have found a couple that I wanted to share. If you like them let me know.
If you have some great easy recipes that your family loves.....please...send them my way!!!

Buget-arritos (Super Easy)
1 can refried beans
1 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup water
Mix together and press into pie plate (I really think you could make two pies with one can of beans). The Bisquick kinda forms a crust...it is really good.
Top beans with ground beef or ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning (I used 1 lb. and I could have made two pies with 1 lb.)
Top meat with a chunky salsa
Top salsa with cheese
Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
If you want the cheese gooey, bake for 15 minutes and then top with cheese and bake last 15 minutes.
Top with avocados
Eat and Enjoy!

We ate this with chips, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
My girls really liked it. It only took about 10 minutes to assemble. I think it is a great week night fast option!

Next recipe...My next recipe is Turkey Burgers. I know...I know...no one really LIKES turkey burgers. My mother-in-law makes them all the time and folks request them from her. So I asked her the secret. She didn't give me an exact recipe but she did give me some great tips that turned out simply delicious!

Turkey Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey
1 handful of fresh spinach
3-4 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes (optional)
3-4 Tbsp. roasted red peppers (optional)
Salt or season salt
Pepper
Other spices (oregano, garlic, rosemary, thyme, combo spice)
Mix together, make patties.
Grill, Broil, or fry in olive oil.

Turkey burgers tend to be really dry...the spinach, sundried tomatoes, and/or roasted red peppers add tons of moisture and flavor.

My family loved the turkey burgers. I made little burgers (sliders), they are the perfect size for my kids and they thought the size is really fun! The burgers also reheat really well and are even better a day or so later, once the flavors have had time to blend together.

ENJOY!

I love my blog! I really do....honest!

I haven't posted on my blog for about a month now.....It isn't because I don't love my blog anymore. It is simply because I have become obsessed with Facebook! I have really enjoyed connecting with my friends thru FB. Before FB I was only in contact with two friends from high school and now I have over 50 high school friends to chat with. It is wonderful!

I enjoy living in Salt Lake and I have a ton of wonderful friends here. But I have to admit...it has been very uplifting to connect with my high school friends again. Growing up in a small town is something that some folks just don't get or understand because they have never experienced living in a small town. I loved growing up in Craig, Colorado. Connecting with my old high school friends has been like going home again.

It is nice to chat with friends that know your history and where you come from. :)