Happy Easter.... better late than never...

I spent Easter weekend in Salt Lake City... I went to meet many of the friends I have made on line in the past year... My bestie Lynda who has been with me with ALL my ups and downs in the past year!! It is amazing to me that you can have such a bond with a person that has lasted a year and have never set eyes on their living being... I know that I knew Lynda in the pre-existence... She is just one of those people that I have met and BANG... instant friendship...instant bonding!! I love her like a Sister...

I met Lynda at her work and then went and had lunch with her new hubby, Criss.... They are so cute together and so much in love... ahhh*wipes tear... At first I think Criss and I were sizing each other up... making sure we each had Lynda's best interest in mind... But soon we realized that we are both good for her and accepted each other... I think Criss is an amazing man and the perfect man for Lynda.... and trust me I was worried... their whirlwind courtship... engagement and marriage was so dang fast... but I am now at total ease... Love Criss like a brother!! Welcome to the family..man!!

Friday night I went on my first offical double date... Rafa and I went with Criss and Lynda to eat Italian at Criss' favorite restaurant... Don't remember the name but it was good! Then it was off to Midvale and to the LDSMingles Conference Dance and Bash... I was able to meet many of the people I have been chatting with on and off over the year!! It was so great to put 3D faces with the 2D pictures I have been looking at as we chat... A few I have met before and it was good to see and connect with them again!!

I spent Friday night up in Tremonton at Lynda and Criss's home... It was cool I felt so realaxed and comfortable... It felt like I have been in Lynda's home many many times... and actually with all the time we have spent on the phone... I have...but just not physically!! Saturday morning Criss made breakfast YUM!! I had to hit to road to get back down to SLC too meet up with Rafa and head on over to Conference....

Conference... Rafa and I went with a few others from his Branch!! Conference was amazing... I loved Pres Holland's talk... After Conference Rafa and I walked around Temple Square it was packed and I was wearing high heals... so that didn't last a whole long time.... So we went and changed clothes... and went over to the mall at Dinner at a texmex grill place... very Bobby Flay and VERY VERY good!! I had heard that there was a singles dance down in Orem so we went to look for it...Finally found it... but, the rumor was wrong no dance... so instead I went to Jeff and Nicole's... Poor Tave was sick and so Nicole got him up out of bed...partly cause he heard me... the not so quiet Aunt Meg... Tave was not so happy to see me either... UNTIL.... I pulled out my handy dandy iPhone and let him play with all of Abby's apps I have downloaded for her (well Tory has found some too!!) Well the iPhone was a hit and soon Tave was warmed up to Aunt Meg...

On Sunday morning Weston was a little shy of Aunt Meg...but not Tave... once I pulled my phone back out... Oh then Weston was right there with him... playing on my phone... Travis, Sharlene, and girls; Rob, Chelsea and kids; and Shawn and Abby all came over to Nicole's for lunch and an Easter egg hunt... Due to the 3" of snow outside...the egg hunt was held indoors... We had great food.. family... fun... and even a little conference... (to be honest I fell asleep)...

Sunday night I headed over to Travis and Sharlene's... it was fun to sit and talk with them and hear all about their plans for their future. BTW... my iPhone was a hit with Travis too... While we talked...Sharlene and I got on our computers.. and Travis played on my iPhone...With little sleep for the past three nights... I was pooped and was ready for bed early (mid-night).... Oh how I slept.. I had been warned that the bed I was getting to sleep on was the most comfortable...and it sure was... I closed my eyes and out I went... I woke to to little Kapria's voice in the kitchen... but I was not ready to get up so I rolled over and fell back to sleep...When I did get up Kapria and I sat on the couch and she played on my iphone... while Travis and I watched TV and talked... Dang I just realized I never got to see his studio!! Sorry Travis... Monday morning was such a lazy morning... I was suppose to meet some friends at the SLC temple to do a session... but my body would not move... so I took that as a sign to take it slow....

The last few things I wanted to do was find Mormon Handicrafts and go to the distribution center... so late Monday morning I packed my bags and with the escort of Kapria I loaded my car... she was so cute.. I blew my kisses and back to SLC.... I met up with Rafa and together we went in search of Mormon Handicraft... Dang it so wasn't what I remembered... but next door was a distribution center so we went there... I went ahead and bought my temple clothes so now I can go to anytime I want... and not have to find out if they have rentals... Right now my closest temple is in Omaha and they don't have rentals.... so YIPPEEE.... I am locked and loaded!!

For lunch I found a Der Wienerschnitzel!! ...and yes I ordered 2 chili cheese dogs.. it has been almost 30 years since I worked at the one in Vista... but oh how yummy those dogs tasted... The very last thing I wanted to do was find a Mexican market and buy some dulces (Mexican candies) so back to State Street and up towards S SLC... I found one!! I bought my favorite tamarino, and watermelon lucas suckers...

For Dinner on Monday night I ate at Chelsea's... I felt so bad that I got lost and was late... so I had a speed dinner and get to know her kiddo's... But it was fun to have some one on one time with Chelsea and her kids...

Hopped on a plane in a snow storm... headed back to Missouri... Home sweet home.. and back to work...

We are FAMILY...

Some of my kiddos and ME...
Abby & Tory, Joshua, me, Eric and Melissa!!

How Many?

I really really enjoy getting to know people. I draw serious satisfaction from finding countless details out about people. So here are unimportant details about me.

1. My real name is Mary Margaret... and Meg is short for Margaret... just like Meg from the novel "The Little Women".
2. I love Mexican food.. good Mexican food
3. When I was in 8 I had my own Shetland pony.. his name was Shane
4. I mix up my right hand from my left hand... but then again so does Oprah Winfrey!!
5. I can french braid my own hair!
6. I still remember my very first address and phone number. My address was 519 Ava Ave, Rohnert Park, CA... I am not going to share my first phone number cause I use it as a password... I also can still remember my Mom's California drivers license... K0480329 Don't ask me why.. I guess I listened to her give it at the grocery store just one too many times
7. My first real job was at Der Wienershcnitzel. Yes I worked and weeny world flipping hot dogs and hamburgers... and pushing french fries... My friend Karen and I had the best time in the drive thru... she was on register and I was her bagger!! Sorry if I mess up your order!!
8. My dogs names growing up were Peanuts (wiener dog), Popcorn (Australian Sheppard) and Pretzles (Poodle mix).... I don't know why... but we had a food fetish!!
9. I can gleek!! Don't know what gleeking is.. just ask and I will show you!!
10. When I was a sophomore in High School I received the "Most Promising" award from the Speech Team... Duh! I love to talk!
11. In 7th grade I won second prize in the Science Fair... and all I did was graph a comic then redrew it larger... who knew I could draw!!
12. My maiden name is Coppa... which means cup in Italian and Spanish
13. My favorite ice cream flavor is Baseball Nut from Baskin Robbins.. and I can only get it in the spring during baseball season :0(
14. I look like my Mom...
15. I learned to drive in a stick shift Toyota truck.. Thanks Mike! I passed my first time with a score of 85. I have never failed a written drivers test!
16. I am the youngest of 3 children.
    
17. I have been to 5 foreign countries and 2 continents
18. I want to learn to play the piano... I taught myself to read music
19. I love to learn and try new things... meet new people and visit new places
20. I was not born Mormon.. I was baptized Jan. 1982

How many did you know already?

...meg

Make it and Love it... cool blog

I found this cool blog and she is having a cool give-away!! Go check it out!!

MAKE IT & LOVE IT

BUT YOU CAN'T ENTER
THE CONTEST
BECAUSE...
I WANNA WIN!!

Mrs Gump (Forrest's Mom) Got it WRONG!

Life is not like a box of chocolates.... It's like strawberry jam!
























Why? Because...

1. Life is always sweet.... sometimes just too sweet!
2. Life is sticky
3. Life sometimes is turns out and sometimes it doesn't... but it still tastes yummy on ice cream!!

Yes I made strawberry jam this week too.... it has been over 10 years since I made jam. I only made one batch but it turn out rather yummy!! I purchased some apothecary jars for another project but I bought the wrong size... but I did buy the perfect size for jam! And making jam is like riding a bike... well with the instruction on the pectin are like training wheels!!

You may be wondering where I got strawberries in early March... from the freezer section at Wal-Mart... where else would I get them... you silly!!

Oatmeal...cranberry...white chocolate chip... toasted walnut cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins

1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts toasted and chopped

To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and toast nuts for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop into pieces. Set aside.

Directions: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and apple pie spice. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in the nuts, oats, and dried cranberries or chocolate chips.

For large cookies, use 1/4 cup of batter (I like to use an ice cream scoop) and space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Then wet your hand and flatten the cookies slightly with your fingers so they are about 1/2 inch thick. Bake the cookies for about 12 - 15 minutes at 350* or until light golden brown around the edges but still soft and a little wet in the centers. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 20 - 24 large cookies. If you can keep your and your loved ones fingers out of the dough!

1.2 Project 752... Toes

Week 1 Picture 2
I baby sat (Nana sat) Abby last night... she was sitting on the couch playing with a new app on my phone... her little toes were so cute... as she played with the game her toes would curl then flex... I just couldn't resist her adorable toes.

1.1 Project 752

Picture 1 Week 1
Meet Garrett... a graduating senior from Albany High School! Great Kid!! Doesn't like to get his picture taken.. but will let me take it on occasion... Isn't he just a handsome young man!!

i {heart} to cook....

Has anyone tasted canned refried beans lately...? NOT ME!! I won't eat them anymore.... I've been making homemade refried beans (frijoles) ... They are so good and so so simple to make...


Frijoles (Refried beans)

Ingredients

• 1 lbs pinto beans
• 6 ups of water
• 1 tsp minced garlic(I used bottled)
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Place beans and water in crockpot and cook on high for approx 4 hours. When beans begin to soften add garlic and onion. Cook approx another 4 hours. Use potato masher and mash the beans to the consistency you like... if the beans are too runny dissolve 1-2 tbs of cornstarch with 1/4 cups of water and add to beans and they should thicken up... add salt and pepper to taste.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken*

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 3-4 regular size chicken breasts
• 1 cup minute rice

Spray crockpot with cooking oil. Mix salsa and cream of chicken soup together. Layer small amount on bottom of crockpot. Lay chicken breasts in crockpot and layer rest of soup/salsa mixture on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours.

During last ten minutes: Take chicken out and shred it. Add 1 cups minute rice to salsa and soup mixture in crockpot. Let cook for 10 to 15 minutes until done. Add shredded chicken.
Put onto of flour tortilla shells with sour cream, cheese, and homemade frijoles!! YUM!!
* Credit goes to the blog recipes between friends..

The BEST dang banana cake with cream cheese frosting!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

Garnish

• Chopped Walnuts
  

Directions
Preheat oven to 275°. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

VOTE for Karen's QUILT

My bestie, Karen made a quilt for her grand-daughter Kapria and entered it in a contest! Please go vote for me! thanks!

Quilt Name: BRIGHT AND SASSY

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!

patience

I will pray for forgiveness... I will pray for the softening of the heart... I will pray for love... I will pray for peace... I will pray for courage... I will pray for an open heart... I will pray for a contrite spirit... I will pray for thanksgiving... I will pray for hope... I will pray for healing... I will pray for strength... I will pray for thy will be done... I will pray for you... but....

I will not pray for patience... nope I won't and no one can make me... I have seen what happens when you do... I have plenty of patience... I do! I do! I do!

Meg

...project 7/52

..... okay I am going to attempt to take and upload 7 pictures per week for 52 weeks... will they all be good.. I hope so... but I am going to attempt to improve my photography skills as I work on this goal for the next 52 weeks... comments are welcome.. good and ...ummm lets just say the constructive criticism

Meg...

being creative...

I found this quote while blog hopping and I couldn't help it I had to make it my own!!

...a game of tag

My bestest of friends posted this 'tag' on her blog and I thought it would be fun to join in:

You just open the first picture folder on your computer, and pick the 10th photo. Then tell us a little bit about it.

Here's mine: Not a fun or exciting picture... but this was taken right after I received my NEW Nikon D80... my very first SLR camera... I was having so much fun just taking pictures of all types of things... this is a volunteer Hollyhock plant sitting next to an old brick

if I could have picked the picture to post it would have been this one... with the caption reading....

...ever feel like you've just piddled your day away?

...my view of missouri

.... these were snapped all over the country side of nw missouri... some are from my backyard and some are from my travels with work... I am blessed to be able live in such beauty and have a camera to capture it!

i have FEARS... i have BLESSINGS

This week was the week to face and to conquer some of them... I have been so stressed out I actually got a sore throat!!
my fears...
financial disorder (working on the Financial Peace Course)
paperwork disorganization ( pretty much caught up)
being alone... (picked my self up and dusted myself off and put on my big girl panties)

when my fears got me down... I prayed continually to give me the strength to face them and get past them... and then I counted my blessings...
my blessings...
my friends (all of them...)
my family
my children
my creativity
my spirituality
my love for my Heavenly Father ('cause he loves me back)
my home (well it will be a home soon)
my ability to work out my problems
my work (i love it so much and it loves me too)
my calling.. (i love seminary)

Well that is just the beginning of a long list that resides in my heart!!

Meg

Chocolate Decadence in 2 minutes....

OH MY!

Chocolate Cravings...

I think I have found and I have perfected the perfect chocolate fix in a pinch!! But... I actually think it would be the perfect dessert for a romantic dinner for two...

Chocolate Decadence

in 2 Minutes

Ingredients

2 T Vegetable oil

2 T Water

1/4 tsp. Vanilla extract

dash salt

2T Unsweetened cocoa powder

4T Granulated sugar

4T Flour

2T Chopped nuts (optional)

2-3 T Chocolate Chips

Directions

In a 12 oz coffee mug, add water, oil and vanilla. Stir well.

Add cocoa powder, Stir well.

Add sugar, Stir well.

Add flour & salt, Stir well.

Add nuts, stir well.

Microwave:

1000-Watt microwave*

90 Seconds for slightly molten center Brownie.

2 Minutes for uniformly done brownie

1500-watt microwave

60 seconds makes a molten center brownie

75 seconds make a uniformly done brownie.

Right after removing from microwave sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let cool. enjoy with spoon... brownie is extremely hot right after coming out of microwave so be careful!

* To find out what wattage your microwave is just.. open the door and read the label. It should say it somewhere on there!!

Meg 2010

This is my motto for the new year!!