What He Did: {LittleBro}

See this guy?

{Hands down, one of my favorite candids from my wedding}

He just made the high school tennis team.
And I'd like to say that it had nothing to do with my once-a-summer trip to the courts with him to swing around a racket.
Let's be honest, I'm a terrible tennis player.
Congratulations bud!
Can't wait to see you play!

What Today Is: {Nonexistent}

I said this morning to Mike,

Mike, it's February 29th, what should we do to celebrate?!

He said nothing.

Bummer.

But then he continued. This day doesn't exist, therefore, we don't exist today, so we should do nothing.

{This is us...doing nothing...and what I wish I was doing on this sunshiney day in OK}


And then we proceeded to leave for our days full of something.

But then I got to work and had a conversation with a friend.

She said that she had a similar conversation with her husband this morning, except she got this piece of insight from him....

You know, because I make salary, by going to work today, I am essentially working for free.

Oh man. {Luckily, I'm hourly, or I would be headed home right this second to do nothing on this day that really doesn't exist.}

But I'm not kidding, I really think there should be some sort of celebration on this day. It only happens once every four years! Why has no one started a big parade or held a festival or declared it a day of utter celebration?

I wonder how many people get married today. That means less wedding anniversaries, which for men, could be great, because then they wouldn't be caught forgetting every year.

You know, people say that men always forget important days, i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, Vday, but I never really agreed. I mean, if women are anything like me {and I am one, so I would hope we have some similarities}, I spend the days leading up to my birthday and our anniversary talking about it. About what our plans are, and what day of the week it's on, and what is on my wishlist, and what kind of food I would hope is involved.

So even if Mike was thinking about forgetting, he would have to avoid me for like the entire month beforehand.

I have quite the obsession for having reasons to celebrate.

I think it stems from wanting to get out of the mundanity of life. Doing something exciting. Celebrating all the small things that happen outside of the norm.

Which by the way, we got some fabulous news the other day, something totally worth celebrating. But I guess you'll just have to wait to find out what it is! Oh the suspense.

Happy Nonexistent Day to y'all!

What We Ate: {Teriyaki Asian Turkey Meatballs}

I got a yummy and healthy recipe for ya today!
But first off, I really need to invest in a white plate.
My red plates just aren't cutting it when it comes to picture taking.

Teriyaki Asian Turkey Meatballs

The Stuff:

1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced {even though I'm pretty sure I totally forgot to put this in and didn't realize it until just now}
1/2 tsp salt
3 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

The Doing:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Mix turkey, bread crumbs, egg, salt, green onions, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil in a large bowl until well combined. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and placed on greased cookie sheet. Bake until cooked through, 15 minutes.

Serve with a side of rice {I chopped up another green onion and mixed it with the rice before serving}. Drizzle the rice and meatballs with Teriyaki sauce.

What I Found: {Emails}

From: Mike
To: Abby
Subject: RE: Where you at?
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:33:55 -0700
So I think that maybe there should be real life dragons. I would like to live back when dragons really existed, that would've been so cool to be a real knight and not like an Elton John knight. Well that's what I think. I would meet at the round  table with king arthur and begin a quest that he would give me. Pretend you're king arthur and give me a quest. 


From: Abby
To: Mike
Subject: RE: Where you at?
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:41:50 -0700

Sir Michael, the kingdom is in danger. The evil sorcerer, Botanin is gathering his army to come and fight against us. He will first take our women and children and force them to bake Brownies, all day, every day, in torturous conditions. Then he will come against us and threaten to slaughter our Ninja Turtles if we do not surrender all of our stuffed animals. We must not let him prevail. A word of caution, Botanin tames dragons for times of war. You must first get past the three dragons at his gate before you can fight against him. You must hurry, or all our women and children and ninja turtles and stuffed animals will be taken forever!


From: Mike
To: Abby
Subject: RE: Where you at?
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:52:14 -0700

Question: Do I get some of the brownies they are forced to cook? 
Question: Can the Ninja Turtles help me fight?
I embark on the journey. I begin walking through the vast countryside in search for the land of Botanin. I begin walking and find myself facing a vast gorge in the landscape. I see no apparent way of crossing the gorge until I look and see a huge bald eagle with talons that can rip your skin right from your bones. Seeing that it is the only way for me to cross I approach the bird and ask him for some assistance. The bird with rage in his eyes merely laughs at me and turns to fly away, but before he does I throw a rock at him and tell him to pick me up. He gets angry and swoops in trying to pick me up with his talons. Instead of letting him catch me, I grab on to his tailfeathers and now steer him to the otherside of the gorge where I let go and as I land I pluck a feather from the eagle for I know it will soon be useful...... your turn. 


From: Abby
To: Mike
Subject: RE: Where you at?
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:58:21 -0700

Answer: No you don't get the brownies, they do.
Answer: If the Ninja Turtles aren't tied up by then.
Comment: Botanin is an evil sorcerer, not a place.
It begins to grow dark as Sir Michael finally meets up to the river in which he must follow to get to the great mountain in which he must go over. He leans over to take a refreshing sip of the mountain water and finds himself face to face with a fish. Not just any fish, a small red fish with teeth like a shark. Popolones. Intimidating yet harmless if you can call the fish by name. The fish says, "You have 3 tries to guess my name, otherwise I will swim upstream and alert Botanin that you are coming." Sir Michael grows nervous. How is he supposed to figure out the small poplones name?


To be continued......
{Yes, the story does get longer}
{And yes, these emails are 100% real}

What Today Is: {FridayFreeForAll}

It's Friday! You know what that means?
Pizza and Dateline!
{When my sister came and visited me last October, I told her that our Friday night usually consist of Pizza and watching Dateline. And not because we are losers and have nothing better to do {even though its true, we most the time have nothing better to do} but because we love LOVE pizza, and I have a scary obsession with Dateline. Borderline crazy. My sister probably thought Oh what has this state done to you....}

Actually, we may branch out tonight and FINALLY watch Breaking Dawn. While eating pizza.

Whoa. Anyways.

It's also FridayFreeForAll!

And I had it all picked. Until last night when Mike got involved and told me that I should do this song.
Which is fine by me. Because I love this song.

So how do we feel about local high school bands? {following on the theme of yesterday}
Yep, I feel the same way. If they would just turn up the mic so I could actually hear the singer. That's really all I ask.
Oh and talent. I do ask that too.
But let me tell you, there are some high school bands out there that are actually pretty darn awesome.
And when Mike and I were in high school, this band was it.

And of course, just like every band in high school, they fade out. These guys took a little longer than normal, but eventually they stopped writing songs. But not before I snagged a download of one of my favorites!
And let me tell you, this song always finds its way into our road trips. Always. And we sing and sing, and I even kinda taught Mike how to harmonize from this song.

Anyways, long story. So there you have it.

Something You Should Know
Three%Hero


And Mike wanted to get in on today's FridayFreeForAll.

Because in his words, this song is the bomb.

So here is Mike's pick for today...

Home
Mae


And don't forget...feel free to leave your own suggestions for the next FridayFreeForAll!
If you give suggestions, I will highlight you/your blog/and your video on next week's FridayFreeForAll...just make sure you give me all the details! {And you must be a follower.}
{Oh and all music videos must be appropriate. We are family friendly on this here blog.}

What We Ate: {High School Peanut Butter Bars}

Some people look back at their middle school and high school years with fondness. And for the most part, I am one of those people. {Except middle school, I think those years were straight from the spawn of Satan.}
But let's be honest, today's focus isn't on those memories of friends or experiences.

It's on lunch.

And I know that people have their own, sometimes very strong, opinions about what is offered for lunch at school. And what it tastes like.

But I LOVED it.

The salads, the sub sandwiches, the cheese rolls {which I still crave on a daily basis}.
And people....where do they get their ranch dressing?! I neeeeeed to know this. So that I can go buy 17 cases.

But today's recipe? Peanut Butter Bars.

I am not sure if this is just a Utah high school treat, or maybe just the specific school district that I was in. Either way, you should probably make these.

High School Peanut Butter Bars

The Stuff:

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups oats

The Doing:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients together. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting

The Stuff:

1/4 cup butter, melted
3 large spoonfuls cocoa
1 tsp Vanilla
Half bag powdered sugar
Milk

The Doing:

Whip melted butter and cocoa together until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Milk should be added very slowly until desired consistency is achieved. {Which is why there is no measurement next to milk.}

What Today Was: {Bad}

What happens on a super crap day?

This for dinner is what happens.
{And I even made a special trip to the grocery store to buy this fatty awesomeness}
{And luckily their computers went down and you had to pay in cash, because oh the things that I was imagining filling the cart full of}

What I'm Good At: {Nutrition Facts}

So some people are good at sports.
Some people have an eye for fashion.

Me?

I'm a math person.

Always have been. Which I guess is what led me to current career choice. Not all accoutants are boring, you know.

I did have a moment over the Christmas holiday while in Utah with family. My 14-year-old brother asked for help on his math homework. I'm not gonna lie. Talk about an ego boost. I love that he knows that I'm a math person. {Even if it is self-proclaimed.}

Hah. I still have no idea how to do that algebra problem. I made the poor kid figure it out on his own and I quickly grabbed a laptop and googled the answer.

I know, I have stooped to a new low.

Oh if I was this proficient with the internet when I was in high school.....
But of course, that wouldn't have been necessary anyway, because remember....I'm a math person.

Anyways.

So there I sit, enjoying myself a good book.

Okay, okay. There were treats involved. Really, when is there not treats involved?
Current obsession?
Chocolate Animal Crackers. {Huge bag at Walmart...2 bucks.}


Then my eye spots a couple of the nutrition claims on the front of the bag.
Oh come on, when I buy chocolate crackers, I'm obviously not so concerned with anything but the taste.
And for an indulgence, I would say 13 crackers for 100 calories is just fine.


Then I thought I would see what else is going on in this little cracker that I'm on the brink of overconsuming.
A serving size is 16 crackers. Good
130 calories per serving. Good.
Wait. Not good.


Anybody else catch the math on that one?
See, I told you I was a math person.

Lets do the calculations, shall we?

13 crackers = 100 calories
7.69 calories per cracker

16 crackers = 130 calories
8.125 calories per cracker

Or maybe its, the first 13 crackers are 7.69 a piece, and then after that you jump up to 10 calories per cracker.

{So it's either some form of rounding going on, which even then doesn't make much sense, or they justify that the crackers are possibly different sizes therefore, rounding down...}

Either way, from a math person's point of view, things are not adding up.
But lucky for me simple math mistakes seem to not affect the deliciousness that is chocolate animal crackers.

What We Ate: {Chinese Chicken Salad}

I remember having this salad all the time growing up and couldn't resist making it this weekend.

Of course, the husband was a little hesitant in trying something new {even though I'm about 95% sure I have made this for him before}. Especially when the main ingredient was a vegetable.

His reaction?

Well, it's okay for a side salad.

I am still a little confused as to what he expects it to be a side to, since the salad has chicken in it.

Some of us have more mature palates than others.

Hence, I may be finishing off the leftovers by myself.

But don't trust Mike, he doesn't know what he's talking about. This salad is delicious!

Chinese Chicken Salad

The Stuff:

5 cups shredded cabbage
1 package Top Ramen chicken soup, broken into small chunks
1/2 cup green onion
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp white vinegar
Season packet from Ramen

The Doing:

Combine cabbage, Ramen, green onion, chicken in large bowl.
Whisk together oil, sugar, vinegar and season packet.
Stir dressing into salad just before serving.

I like mine topped with a little black pepper!

What Today Is: {FridayFreeForAll}

I hope to inspire you today. If not by the lyrics of this beautiful song, then hopefully at least by the beautiful harmonies contained within it.

I have had a special place in my heart for Christian music for as long as I can remember. There was no going back after I was first introduced to Michael W. Smith. Since then, my taste has continued to grow and develop. Growing up in Utah, you don't hear much of this kind of music. Let me just say, there is a HUGE difference between Mormon Christian music and other Christian music.

The lyrics are both equally inspiring. But I just prefer a more contemporary feel.

Here in Oklahoma there is a very large Christian population. I was delighted to find out when I moved here that there were many different radio stations devoted to Christian music.

That's when I heard this song for the first time.

When I heard this song, I nearly teared up from the harmonies. I have tried to explain the impact that harmonies and melodies have on me to Mike. It's hard for him to wrap his head around and it's hard for me to put into words. Let's just say, besides those related to me by either blood or marriage, music is my one true love. {Which is why I started FridayFreeForAll in the first place.} {But we can talk about that later.}

So here I give today's FridayFreeForAll...

Follow You
Leeland


I am also super excited to bring to you another feature from one of my best friends in the entire world, Shelly.

She's bringing in a little country with one of my favorites, Tim McGraw! She says, "...this week, I heard this song by good ole' Tim, and I couldn't help but share it. I am not perfect by any means. I have held grudges, I have let people down, I have broke hearts, I have a past just like everyone else does...But I sure hope that I am better than I used to be. For afterall, what is life all about if we stay the same?"

See why she is one of my favorite people in the world?

So, here it is....

Better Than I Used To Be
Tim McGraw


And don't forget...feel free to leave your own suggestions for the next FridayFreeForAll!
If you give suggestions, I will highlight you/your blog/and your video on next week's FridayFreeForAll...just make sure you give me all the details! {And you must be a follower.}
{Oh and all music videos must be appropriate. We are family friendly on this here blog.}

What We Learned: {Sparkling Personalities}

Happy Thursday everyone! You know, I really like Thursdays. The week is nearly over, but the anticipation of the weekend {and casual Fridays} still exists.

Anyway.

Last night, Mike caught me mid-Mac n' Cheese bite {which by the way was homemade and so not good, so I will not be sharing on this here blog} and told me that they were taking this quiz today at work and that he wanted me to take it.

A personality quiz.

I love personality quizzes. Not like Which Hogwarts house do you belong in or Which Cullen character are you but real ones. Well as real as the Internet can provide {let's be honest, we just never know what we're getting out there on the WWW}.

So go here to take the quiz.

My favorite part about taking personality quizzes, is to find out if they really are true to what I think about myself. And to find out if they are true to how others perceive me.

This one was dead on.

Not to mention it put to words the things that I thought but could never express verbally, without sounding completely self-centered.

So here are a few excerpts of what my personality claims to be...

The Nurturer

want to believe the best of people
are likely to be very sensitive to other people's feelings
has an exceptional memory about things that are important to their value systems
have a very clear idea of the way things should be, which they strive to attain
...a lot of theorizing and abstraction, are likely to be a chore
extremely dependable
they will speak up when they feel another individual really needs help
feels a strong sense of responsibility and duty
has a difficult time saying "no" when asked to do something
they intensely dislike conflict
they tend to place other people's needs over their own
need positive feedback from others
have strong feelings of inadequacy
strong ability to keep things running smoothly


Here are some of Mike's, who's was also pretty dead on.

The Duty Fulfiller

quiet and reserved individuals who are interested in security and peaceful living

place great importance on honesty and integrity
have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun
resist putting energy into things which don't make sense to them
hold a tremendous store of facts within themselves
not naturally in tune with their own feelings and the feelings of others
extremely faithful and loyal
good and generous providers to their families
excellent ability to take any task and define it, organize it, plan it, and implement it through to completion
may fall into "catastrophe mode", where they see nothing but all of the possibilities of what could go wrong
enjoys being in positions of authority
express their affection through actions, rather than through words

There are 16 different personality types, which I guess, means more accuracy? I dunno.
Go here to see the different personality types.

And if you take this quiz, let me know what you get! I'd love to learn some new things about my readers! :)