And the meals continue

So we had a few days off of the meals because we fasted for grandpa, we had the Peterson family birthday dinner, and we don't cook on the weekends =)

But here are some of the meals that we've done thus far, and my personal ratings on each (since I don't know how to do stars, I'll do asterisks. 1-Bad 5-Amazing)

Pepperoni Loaf * * *

Apple Baked French Toast* * * * *

BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes* * * *

Baked Ziti* * * * *

White Bean Chili* * * * *

The pepperoni loaf, like I said, it was a-spicey! I liked it, but when we make it next time, we'll try some different spices. Maybe that will help. And maybe not pepperoni... we'll try canadian bacon.

Apple Baked French Toast-- Oh my goodness! I love breakfast for dinner, and this was almost like a dessert it was so good. Instead of dipping the bread like normal french toast, you soak it in eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt overnight! You don't cook the apples either, so they're not gross and squishy. I loved this one.

BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes - These were good, I definitely liked them, but I wanted more toppings. Instead of using sour cream we use Greek plain yogurt... it's a change that's for sure.

Baked Ziti. Aside from the fact that I forgot the meat in the microwave, then had to pour everything back out and mix the meat in.... it was really good. It was originally supposed to be layered and pretty........ oh well.

White Bean Chili- I looooooved this one. It was SO good. I normally don't dig stuff like that... but this one was fantastic! I didn't add ALL of the ingredients... like zucchini.... but it was awesome still. I also left the onions in HUGE chunks so I could pick them out later. (I'm a picky eater.)

The rest of the week we have Sliced BBQ Pork Roast, Baked Tacos, Smokey BBQ Sandwiches. I'm exciiiited!

Grandpa is doing good!

So my grandpa left the ICU yesterday at about 4:00 pm, and he's awake, talking, and doing good! Thank you all for your prayers, and happy thoughts.

As a family, we fasted from 4:00 Tuesday and were supposed to go until he either got out, or 4:00 Wednesday. Whichever you felt you should do. I was trying for the 4:00, so a full day, I lasted until about 1:30 (which his surgery was over by then) because I went on a tour of the new fire station across the street from the school...and there were cookies... and I totally forgot. I snatched one up, shoved it down my throat, and then it hit me. I WAS FASTING! So I quickly told Heavenly Father that it was an accident, and I wouldn't ever do that again. Lesson learned.

All joking aside, I'm extremely grateful for the gospel, and the power of prayer, blessings, and fasting. I'm not saying that fasting healed him, but it probably had a hand in how the big man upstairs pushed the situation. I'm grateful for my family as well. I'm just extremely grateful this week! =)

25 years old. THAT'S A QUARTER OF A CENTURY!

So, I'm 25. My grandpa let me know that I'm officially a quarter of a century old.

But first, New Years pictures!--

This is a true story. -10 on the drive home!

So we went to my parents house and had donuts and hot chocolate. It was delicious! My mom got me some maple bars which are my favorite. We all just kind of hung out and talked, like we usually do. It was a lot of fun.

This was all done on Monday. My birthday wasn't actually until that Friday, but schedules are hard to work around. On Friday I went to work, and got gifts from most of the ladies that I work with, which was extremely thoughtful of them. I also got a gift from the little boy that I work with. I went into his room, and he came up to me and said, "Go back out! It's a surprise!" and he pushed me out the door. =) He later came into my room with a card and a gift card to Barnes and Noble. It was really nice. Justin had given me gifts throughout the day, which was very cute. I woke up to a card that had a $20 gift card to Taco Bell (7 Layer burritos get me every time), and then when I went to leave for work, there was a nice water bottle waiting on top of my car. I left work about 30 minutes early, and got home and watched some TV. When Justin got home, he gave me my last presents! He got me a brown bed spread, and some drawers to put on my shelves. I was very excited! After I got those opened, Justin and I went to DSW and I bought some shoes! OH HOW I LOVE SHOES! I got these...

Which I'm really happy about. After we went shoe shopping, we went to dinner at La Frontera. I am really starting to like that place. We went there with Mikell and Trent on New Years, and I ate my whole plate =). After dinner, we went and saw Black Swan (which is CRAAAAZY) and then came home and watched a little ghost adventures. It was a good birthday!

Saturday Justin and I went to lunch with my parents, and found out that my grandpa was in the hospital. He passed out after he ate dinner Friday night. Just tipped over at the table. But they took him to the hospital (because there were no warning signs, they said to take him in) and they ran some tests, and come to find out he has an artery that's clogged, but it's too close to the heart for them to put a stint in... so they're doing open heart surgery on Wednesday. Our family is doing a fast for him, and I can't lie. I hope it works. My grandpa has been an institute teacher for something like 15 years now, and he's amazing! I've had a lot of friends that have come with me, or just been in his class out of chance, and they all say he's just like a prophet =) He has an eloquent way of speaking, and the way that he moves his hands... he's just really awesome. I'l update as soon as I hear more about that.

And so the healthiness begins.

Last night was the opening ceremony for our e-mealz plan. I was actually tutoring at the time, so Justin made the dinner. Come to find out, the meal we had originally planned for Monday needed to be prepped the night before. So, we did our Tuesday dinner on Monday, no big deal. The dinner consisted of a salad, we were supposed to have oranges, but didn't, and the main course was a pizza roll. We bought a Pillsbury pizza crust that came in the scary can that you twist open, and we had turkey peperoni's, mozzarella cheese, and then some spices. Like I said, I didn't make it, so I can't remember the specifics. But you spread egg whites on the dough, then add everything, then roll it up, and spread egg whites on the top as well. It was a little spicy, but it was delicious!

Meal #1 - Success.

Tonight we're going to have Wednesday's dinner because, alas, we didn't have time to prep last night for Monday's original dinner. The dinner consists of apple french toast of some sort. It isn't the normal kind because you cut the bread into little squares, and cover it with cinnamon and sugar, and then you let that sit overnight, and then bake it in the oven. Something of that sort. I'll update about that when I actually get to that point.

The Dating Divas are GENIUS!

There are so many useful things on their website. Not just about dates, but about being a wife, and making life easier. For yourself, which consequently makes it easier for your loved ones. The post that they had today was about e-mealz.com which is the greatest idea ever. Justin and I once sat down, planned some meals, and what we should eat that week... and it lasted that long too. A week. It was nice having the list and everything already planned... but alas. My time is precious, and I have yet to plan again. So... needless to say, I've already signed up for the e-mealz, and I can hardly wait to use it!

Really, if you want great ideas on pretty much anything, www.thedatingdivas.com are right there!