My True Love

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me.......

6 Reasons I Love and Adore Matt

1.  He works so hard to provide for all our wants and needs.  He doesn't love to travel for business, but he does it because he loves us.  He has supported all of my dreams, especially my dream to be home while raising our kids, and I will forever be grateful for that.

2.  My heart is safe with him.  He has proven time and time again that he is fiercely faithful. For example when we have been in situations where there are scantily-clad women her will mutter under his breath "Look into their eyes". (That always makes me smile.)

3.  He thinks I'm pretty and tells me so, even before President Monson suggested it last conference.

4. He puts first things first.  He often tells our kids "you will never be truly happy if your relationships with God and your family are not right.  It won't matter what awards you win or how much money you make if those two things are not taken care of first."  So wise.

5.  He is the best dad I know.  He reads with Isaac almost every night.  He loves to take Addie out driving and might even stop and get her fries from Iceberg.  He massages Davis whenever he gets a chance.  And he calls and chats with Aly on a regular basis.  Those are just small examples.  Really everything he does is to show love and support for the kids.  Sometimes I feel like a bad mom, but I find consolation in the fact that they have the best dad in the world.

6.  Sister Hinckley said that President Hinckley gave her wings to fly and I have felt that Matt has done the same for me.  He believes in me and has supported me in many crazy endeavors whether it is painting a room or kitchen cabinets, spending a year certifying to teach yoga or going on an adventure together. 

Each Christmas comes with a long to-do list and sometimes I end up letting the one who I love the most slip down towards the bottom of the list.  So this year I bumped Matt to the top and decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas for him.  

So each day he has received a gift that starts with "On the ___ day of Christmas my true love gave to me"  that I printed from here.  On the first day it was "a partridge in an Asian pear tree."  Matt learned to love those on his mission.  Day 2 was 2 tickets to the Mormon Tab Christmas Concert, which was A-mazing!  Day 3 was tickets to the movie Lincoln at 3:10 (be sure to see it!).  Day 4 was tools 4 fixing things (which he is really good at and should have been included in the post above).  Day 5 was $5 Zupas gift card to go towards meeting him for lunch someday soon.   This post was going to be day 12 because there so many things I love about Matt, but he was not going to be in town to get his gift today, so hence just 6 are posted here.  

Vine Ripened Tomatoes in December

Here is a great way to have fresh tomatoes long after the growing season is over.  I always hate to just throw away all the green tomatoes when we are cleaning out the garden.  A friend recommended just cutting off the plant and hanging it upside down in the garage or basement.  Voila! We have had fresh tomatoes all fall and it looks like at least through December.  They just ripen a few at a time.  They do not taste as good as sun ripened summer tomatoes, but they are as good as the yucky store ripened tomatoes and they are organic and basically free.  So, here is our favorite recipe to use them in.  

Black Bean and Avocado Salsa (aka Cowboy Caviar)

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Mix above ingredients well.  I like to use my stick blender.

3 (15oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced (I say at least 2)

1 red bell pepper

6 green onions, thinly sliced

3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2  fresh tomatoes, chopped ( that you just got off the vine in December)

1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced small

Combined the ingredients above and then add the dressing and stir well.

Leave the avocado pit in the dip until you serve it to prevent the avocados from turning brown.  

I love to serve it with Tostitos  Artisan Roasted Garlic and Black Bean Chips.

If I am in a big hurry and we are craving this I will sometimes just throw La Victoria's Green Salsa over the beans, avocado, tomatoes and corn.  It's fast and easy and pretty darn good too.

Puppy Love

Meet Boomer

No one is more surprised that we got a dog than I am.  I don't consider myself a real "pet person",  but Boomer (or Boo) has made me a believer.   He is a Havanese. Yes, it is a real breed- we had to look it up here to make sure.  He is 10 months old and was well trained when we got him.    We did have an "Oh, no!  What have we gotten our selves into" moment when we left him the first time.  This is what we came home to...

We had put him in the bathroom while we went to church that day.  He tore up the carpet and the pad and had a hay-day with a roll of toilet paper.  Obviously he had some separation anxiety!  But since then we have put him in a crate when we leave and he has chilled out considerably.  We have even started leaving him out when we are going to be gone for short periods of time and he has done great.

Isaac and Boo on Halloween

 Boo is awesome at balancing on his hind feet.  He will dance and spin for his favorite treat, which are raw mini carrots.  He loves to play fetch and go on walks.  He is super cuddly and loves to snuggle with anyone sitting down.  The other day Isaac said, "I love Boo almost as much as I would have loved a little brother!". Which is good, since there are no plans for a little brother at this point.  

Boo loves to cuddle, especially with Isaac.