My first "How to..." blog!

Yeah, I never "how to" anything... considering I'm not the greatest instructor and I have yet to find time to get creative! Tonight I am babysitting and was given permission to dig for what I could find ;)
Tonight's how to? S'mores in the oven... With mini marshmallows and chocolate chips... a little modification but oh well!! I made this up myself... so if you are slightly hesitant with my results, I don't recommend making it  :)

Step One:
Put the children to bed :)










 


Step two: Preheat oven to 375... a generally used heat, so that's what I did

Step 3: ingredients!
I used:
• 2 whole pieces of graham cracker (holds the mini's on better)
• Enough foil to wrap around finished product
• as many mini marshmallows and chocolate chips that I could make fit!







Step 4: put ingredients together
1 graham cracker on the bottom
Marshmallows and chocolate chips
1 graham cracker on top
I put the 'mallows on first and lined them up (OCD and they stay on better.) I tried to just throw them all on... yeah not going to work.  Then I pile chocolate chips on top. 
If you find you're having difficulty keeping the treats inside, I folded the foil to make a few walls like this:
 



Once you are satisfied with the middle, place the second graham cracker on top and wrap the treat like a present in the foil.










 

Step 5: place in oven.












Step 6: patience!  It took longer than I thought (actually I have been typing this whole thing on my phone since I put them in...) I looked up online recipes for the simple treat to get time estimates.  Didn't help. Most said 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees.  So far I am on 11 minutes and I have checked it twice.  The marshmallows are melted but the chocolate chips still need some time.


Read while you wait :)
Final time: 15 minutes










 

Step 7: remove from oven
Step 8: enjoy!!  Be careful... it's hot!!
Soooo I over cooked the marshmallows a little (but not burnt!) The graham crackers broke.... And the chocolate chips don't LOOK melted, but they melted as soon as I took a bite! It was delicious! And yes, I made a super long step by step about a really simple dessert but it was fun! And I feel like Lindsay :)
Oh, and thanks Bray family for the kitchen use, ingredients, and cute kid!

To Be Different

"I saw the second you walked away, the second you turned away."

This was said to me yesterday. And I thought to myself "are you nuts?" But then I realized... Maybe I have walked away. No more rules, goodbye structure? Yeah, okay. So maybe I did. Have I changed that much?? Am I so far from truth that people can see? I don't feel different, nor do I feel like I'm doing wrong. But I guess I'm bias. I wish people would consider telling me these things when they notice and then maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to get "back on track"... Not that I feel like I'm "off track," but I know for certain that I am always in need of improvement... Everyone is. But am I "off a cliff"? I'm not sure. I'm not sure how I got to this point of "walking away" but I'd like to come back...

The Right Thing

Sometimes I wonder what I am doing.  I wonder why I don't follow my heart. I know the the right thing to do... and yet I know what others will say. I know whose hearts I will break. I know how awkward life could get. But I know it's the right thing. I don't know what to do or who to talk to. I can't do it today. Or tomorrow. Or ever, it seems like.  I need to do the right thing. No one knows my thought process. No one is there to make me do it. I'm not a child. Just do it. But I can't. I'm talking in circles and I know that no one will understand. I know it won't go well. And this could ruin things.  UGH. Stupid right thing.

"Holy Tao!"

Addie likes to say "Holy Tao" instead of cow.. And pretty much that's what I am saying. I have never had life be SO crazy as it has been this last month.

Let's see what I have done (in a somewhat chronological order)

• Moved. In love with my new home and LOVING the Schmidt family. Ari calls me "the big sister" at least once a day and Addie loves to hang in my room with me. I get tons of time with Misty and I like to to rib Steven a little :) so happy here.

• "New" job. I'm babysitting again! I've missed my kids!! They're all old and talking. Sassy. Smart. Singing. Dancing. Practically adults. With more poopy diapers and crying. I know it doesn't pay as well as another job but I wouldn't trade it. I have had Kate and Dylan Monday- Thursday and starting this week I will have Brooke and Emily again on Thursdays. So excited :)

• BABY. My baby sister had a baby.... Okay so she is almost 20, not a baby, but still. I am in love. Sophia Anne Evagene Repair. She took my middle name as well as my Hawaiian grandmother's first name (Evagene). I cried the day my sister told me. I call her So So. So. Phi Anne. Soph. Phia. Bopper Boo. Etc. she was born on June 1, 2012 at 9:11 pm. 6lbs 12oz. 20inches long. I help my sister 4-5 days a week and I love it! She's been to church with me twice since she was born (18 days ago) and I am so excited for her to grow up at Faith Center :)

• My Mother. Yeah she came for a visit. With her fiancée. Awkward. It wasn't as terrible as I thought, but emotionally it tore me apart. Pretty much spent the entire week with her (because the baby came when she did) and with my family. It helped build my relationships with my sisters, especially with my little sister, but there were definitely emotional consequences to this visit.

• Mexico. Okay, so I haven't gone yet, but I'm leaving in 16 days. 4th of July. I'm more afraid of this than anything I have ever done in my entire life. But it will be okay... I hope. I know I am supposed to go on this trip... God has made that quite clear, but it doesn't erase my fears. Prayer is requested before and during this trip. July 4-14!!

• Kids camp. Again, haven't gone. But I am for the first time ever. July 30- August 3. I'm excited but I again really would like prayer.

• Summer. I haven't had a lot of summer experiences besides last weekend at the lake but I know how crazy July will be. I'm working Monday-Friday this week 8-9ish hour days plus uturn, a hopefully very progressive orthodontist appointment, CPR recertification, Wednesday night family dinners, and this week spoiling the boy. Each week entails different after work activities... Most of the time with my sister. We've been growing closer and it's amazing! Not to mention that my oldest sister (Vivian's mom) is officially back at church with my other niece. Mini family at church. I cry thinking about it. I've spent a lot of time with my best friend Amy and her sister, Tia, just got to Hawaii after being in Africa for 6 months on a missions study. I can't wait to have my girl back next month!! I've missed having my practically other sister around. So much happening. New friend(s). Carina is kind of hysterical and it scares the crap out of Cameron (one of my best friends and brother of Carina) how well we get along. It's great.

• Year one. Done.
More about that later.

I'm heading to bed.


Here's my So So. Amy Strombeck photography :)