Hot Cocoa Mix

After a cold, snowy day, I came home from work and decided that I needed to make some home-made hot cocoa mix. I also made pancakes for dinner. YUMMY!
When I was little, my family had the best hot chocolate recipe. However, before I got too old, there were not enough of us in the house to use up an entire batch. My older brother decided to take our family recipe and make it into a mix. I thought I would share it with everyone.

FARRAR FAMILY HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa (we prefer the winco brand) If you use RICH cocoa, you may want to only put in 1/4 cup. Stir well.

Add in 3 cups of dried/powder milk. Stir well.

Put in a air tight container.

To use: add 1/4 cup mix (or more to taste) to each 8 oz of HOT water and stir well.

I will admit, I tried a new brand of powdered milk and the milk was in big clumps so it didn't mix in very well even though my water was BOILING! So you may want to beware of this.

This is great to have and costs a lot less then buying all the mixes from the store.

First OB Visit and a 3d/4d ultrasound

Mike and I went to my first OB appointment today. I was kind of nervous having been going to the Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine for so long to be seeing a new doctor.

Our OB was highly recommended to us. INSTANTLY, we knew he was the right doc for us. He started out by asking me in a hushed tone if Mike knew I was pregnant. Then he cracked jokes about how we probably won't be able to turn off the baby machine now that it is started.

During the first part of the exam, pap, etc Mike sat in the corner playing video games. When the OB got ready to do the internal ultra sound (I thought I was done with those ones. Didn't know he was doing an us at all today) I asked Mike if he wanted to come where he could see. The OB said with a straight face and monotone voice, "He doesn't care."

Yeah, he is the perfect doctor for us.

Here are some pics.

First the Alien Baby looking one.

And now the one where the baby looks like a sleeping angel (OUR KID? Right!)

Everything's Amazing & Nobody is Happy

8 Wonderful Years

Married October 13, 2001

Sealed June 14, 2008

Today, Mike and I celebrate 8 years of marriage. Boy has it gone by fast! So, I thought I would list 8 things about Mikey.

1) He is still a giant kid at heart! He keeps me young and has gotten me to loosen up A LOT!

2) He grills an awesome steak! Keeps it super juicy while still getting it well done for me.

3) He has done such a good job at working out. Maybe it is because he can play video games while working out, but who cares. It has made it so much easier for me to focus on eating healthy when he is concerned about it too.

4) He won't admit it out loud, but I know he likes country music.

5) He loves to fish, but he didn't get a single bite this year. Okay we only went twice. Once the lake didn't have a single fish. Nobody in the campground caught anything. I still like to tease him about it though.

6) He has a great sense of humor! Probably one of the few people that can say some of the things he has to my dad and make him speechless too.

7) He has been a great support to me through everything we have been through. I couldn't have gotten this far without him.

8) He will be a great dad when baby Robins arrives in May!

Yes, we are happy to announce after years of struggling with infertility, we are expecting our first around May 12, 2010. At our last u/s the little one was already moving a ton so the picture is blurry. Thanks to all who kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

Fall

So the temperature in Boise dropped drastically last week. On Monday (Sept 28th) it was around 90 degrees and by Wednesday (the 30th) it was 55? WHAT THE HECK?

Don't get me wrong, I {LOVE} Fall! Love it! But, it is nice to have a slow decrease in temp. First off, it helps us get those beautiful, colorful leaves we had last year. The best I have seen in a long time. Second, it gives me time to adjust. As we have had days in the 40s and 50s (and when lucky 60s) I find myself freezing. I didn't even get to have time where I didn't need the A/C before having to turn on the heater.

Ok, with my little vent done. I really do love the fall. I love the activities there are. I can't wait to go to the Corn Maize again this year. We get to celebrate our anniversary this month. I love the crisp feeling in the air, when I am not FREEZING!

I have really enjoyed already seeing the mountains surrounding Boise topped with snow. It is kind of interesting. They usually aren't snowcapped for another month or so.

My favorite fall weekend, was this past weekend. I LOVE Conference Weekend. It is so uplifting! I loved all the talks. April I had a few that really stood out to me. This time, I can't pick. I loved them all.

5 Things to Be Happy About in October

1. Leaves changing colors
2. Cooler Temps (even though you freeze at first)
3. Hearts Beating
4. Every candy bar ever made in a bite size version
5. 8 WONDERFUL years of marriage!

Labor Day in ST George, UT

So for labor day weekend we went to St George, Utah with my friend Sarah. My sister Joyce got us a condo from her timeshare to use (it was nice)! We spent one day in St George out and about. Saturday we went to Zions National Park and Sunday we just relaxed. Monday we headed home and when we stopped in SLC to drop Sarah off we stopped at a Chick-Fil-A and got a free chicken sandwich for wearing our BSU gear. (A special they had that day...wear your team shirt and get a free sandwich). I will try and add pictures soon. I just feel like I am so far behind on my posts.

5 Things to Be Happy About In September

1. Cooler weather
2. Good news at the beginning of the month
3. BSU FOOTBALL GAMES!!!!!!!
4. One last long weekend before fall begins
5. Great friends near and far

Just call me Becca Stewart

I have some things going on right now in my life that are very emotionally taxing. So, in order to help keep my mind off things, I have turned to baking. Yes, I have always LOVED to bake, cookies and cakes mostly. But now, I am baking everything I can. I have become quite the Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray.
We had some bananas that were getting too ripe. So I announced to Mike yesterday that while he was at school tonight I was going to make banana bread.

"You know how to make banana bread?"

"Yeah, it isn't that hard!"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Probably because then he would always want me to make that kind of stuff. Maybe because I like to feel like I am the modern bride who can cook dinner but isn't little miss crafts, cooking and such.
So after posting on facebook that I was thinking of making banana bread, my friend Jennette (who was like a second mom to me through high school) sent me a new banana bread recipe to try. It has peanut butter and chocolate chips in it. MIKE LOVES IT!
So I thought I would share the recipe with all of you:

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

3 eggs
2 c sugar
1/2 c oil
1/2 c peanut butter
2 large bananas
1 TB vanilla
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 TB cinnamon

1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add sugar, oil, peanut butter, bananas and vanilla.
Mix well. Add flour sifted together with salt, baking soda, baking powder and
cinnamon. Mix. Add in Chocolate chips. Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour.

I actually found that I had to bake it for more like 1 hr and 15 minutes and then it still was a little too soft (the top sunk a little) but it was very good! (According to Mike. I honestly am not a peanut butter person but he really wanted me to try this recipe.)

I have also made a devils food cake. I have been doing all sorts of crafty things around the house. I have been cleaning like crazy too. Last night I came up with some cool Chicken Nacho concoction. At least it is keeping my mind busy!

More 4th of July Pictures

My sister Cathi just brought me a cd of the pictures her and my niece Danielle took during the 4th of July weekend. They took them, I had a little fun in photoshop with them. But, they should get all the credit for capturing such great photos.

The above shot was taken by Danielle (to my knowledge). All I really did was a little cropping and for fun played with the saturation. These are 2 of my cousins kids. The girl in front is the daughter of Liz, and the girl behind is Liz's brother's (Mike I think) girl.

The shot above was a good shot, but the subject was not that great. Cathi, Danielle, Gregg and Mike and I camped at Massacre Rocks (NEVER AGAIN!) that night. I was walking the trails in the morning taking photos when Danielle spied me, called my name and snapped a picture. All I did was crop this one.

My sister Cathi is who I believe took this picture at Massacre Rocks. I just cropped it and played with the color a little. Was probably better in color but I don't know.

Normally, I wouldn't play around with these photos, but I have led a pretty boring life since Sienna went home and don't have any photos of my own to play with.

Way In Advance But Looking for Suggestions

Mike and I are planning on returning South this winter. Most likely to Texas! YAY! Since our friends in Texas will probably be moving next summer, this will also most likely be our last visit. At least for a while. So I have a list of things I want to do and want suggestions if anybody else knows what we should not miss. They live in San Antonio. We did go last year and we have been to River Walk, La Valitta, Alamo, Six Flags, Zoo, and Sunken Gardens. I do hope to go to the Riverwalk again and the Tower of the Americas. Here are some new things I want to do and am looking for other suggestions. (We also hope to head over to Galveston for a few days)

Natural Bridge Caverns

Moody Gardens (in Galveston)

Institute of Texan Cultures (I love these types of places)

The Missions

I am very open to anything but really enjoy taking in the architecture and culture of an area. If we don't make it to Texas, we still hope to make it down to the south, but of course, we are hoping it is Texas since we really miss the Bolanders.

The Final Crossing

Mike and I took his niece, Sienna, with my sisters- Joyce, Carma, and Amanda- and my parents, to the Three Island Crossing in Glenn's Ferry. It is the 24th and final crossing as the volunteers are getting to old and the crossing is pretty dangerous. We felt very blessed to be able to go. We have been wanting to go for a few years but have always ended up being out of town during the crossing.

They started across the Snake River at the top of the mountain and came down.

The first part was on the Sandbars so it looked deep but it really wasn't.

When it got to the deep part the people in the wagon would stand in the middle to help keep it steady. Then they tied ropes around the wagon for the people on horses to help keep it from tipping. Eventually even the driver of the wagon got inside. Sienna was amazed at the horses swimming and the wagon floating.

WooHoo! They made it! There were no problems with the crossing this year!

Carma snapped a shot of the rest of us sitting in our seats right at the bank of the river by where they came out.

Got to love camera remotes. Here is one of the entire group in front of the Snake River.

Afterward, we went over and Sienna got to play in the wagons, pet the horses and we looked around. We were stopped by a reporter who asked us questions about what we thought about the crossing. It was a lot of fun and I am glad we made it. Even though it was pretty cool out and the bugs were awful. (This is a weird cold front, Friday's high temp was 59.)

Unfortunately, our time with Sienna is coming to an end. We have to take her home tomorrow. We have really enjoyed having her these last 2 weeks. From making a belt, coloring, going to Yellowstone and Mike and her Wrestling while I edit, and post, photos it has been a lot of fun!

Yellowstone and Henry's Fork of the Snake River

This week, Mike and I took his mom and his niece Sienna to Yellowstone. Neither of them had been before so it was fun to take them through the park. We left Thursday at 4 am in the morning. We made a stop at my sister Joyce's house to drop off our stuff and then we headed to Yellowstone. The first day we did the more touristy things, like Old Faithful and the Lower and Upper Falls.

(Sorry if the pics aren't that great. I used the small point & shoot and then it got a little wet on the raft and I had to do a lot of work to recover the pictures from it. Only a few are from my SLR camera)



Sienna & Kathe at Old Faithful



While driving, we stopped at Yellowstone Lake and walked on the Sandbar that goes out in the lake.








Day 2 (Friday) We drove up to Mammoth hoping to see bears. (No such luck)
Then we went to Tower and then to Artist Point.



Artist Point



Sienna & Mike at Artist Point

Then Saturday Morning we went with Joyce and rented a raft to take on Henry's Fork of the Snake River. It was a lot of fun, even though I missed covering my back with sunscreen and got a BAD sunburn.



Above: Joyce & Sienna
Below: Me with Sienna






Mike and Sienna in the raft


All the women in the raft. Mike was DROWNING in a sea of estrogen. LOL

Sienna in the raft

After we finished the river we went back, ate lunch, packed up and headed home. All in all it was a great time and we are looking forward to having Sienna here for another week.

5 Things to Be Happy About in August

I am really enjoying making these lists. I even have to hold back from doing them more often than once a month. I may have to start throwing them in here and there. Here is my "official" list for August.

1. Family Time (even if vacationing together can be a little stressful)
2. Fudge Ice Cream Bars....yummy
3. Summer school being done...a true month break!
4. The Fair...what is better than cotton candy, rides, and a free concert.
5. Being able to float the Boise River without it being too cold.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! We sure have enjoyed it this year. Even though Mike has had school I think this is one of the best summers we have had in a while, mostly because he is free Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember to keep cool and drink plenty of H2O!