Quickie ;)

Hi! (angewa)
Thought I would jot down a little blog quickly as I FINALLY have some internet. (thank you Jesus for Starbucks-never thought I would say that. At least its in Barnes & Noble. PLUS).
I have a HUGE Cahn-ah-duh blog in the process of being written, but without internet at the casa, I have no desire to finish it.
Since Dave doesn't have to go back to work until Friiieeeday, we have been soaking up some good "us" time. We managed to figure out a way to play Catan with two people. Its a little weird. But we were really craving us some Catan, seriously, we've played at least 8 times, in the past 3 days. It definitely passes the time. Andrew would be so proud.
So, I've been super inspired by this blog, and younghouselove is seriously my guilty pleasure. I am sad everytime they don't have a new blog. They make me want to build furniture and buy uphosltery fabric so I can make curtains. But the other blog, Fitnessista, has truely motivated me to being healthy and fit again! So hopefully this summer will begin a whole new journey to becoming healthy, cause right now, I am not so much. But I did eat some spinach today. yay me. And if you are, perchance, pregnant like someone I know, she is too, so she has some good exercise tidbits and a TON of extremely healthy snacks and meals for you to check into.
OH! Read this. oh em gee. I about peed my pants. If you at all enjoy conversations about poo, you will enjoy this post. Don't be scared.
hope its nice where you are!
Its kinda cold here. and cloudy.

Onward!

Where do I begin.  The last few weeks have been a whirlwind; so much has happened in such a short time I don’t know if I will be able to recall it all.  And it doesn’t help that I’m not very lively right now. It’s a little after 7am here and I’ve yet to find some caffeinated beverage, so I may not be very entertaining, more informative probably.  

 Leaving Sierra Vista was bittersweet, Dave and I have been so blessed with wonderful friends, I wish we could have stayed.  I hate goodbyes.   I hope I will have the privilege to find more friends as good as the ones I have now.  I think of you often.  Memories will keep me going until I get to see you all again.

                Our drive to Wisconsin was grueling.  The first day we drove for 16 hours, all the way to North Platte Nebraska.  We got the LAST room at a decent hotel (apparently, the Nebraska boys state golf tournament was monopolizing all the hotels) and tried to smash a good night’s sleep into 6 hours.  The next day we struggled, driving through a horrible storm, torrential downpour accompanied with 50 mile an hour winds.  But finally, we made it to my parent’s house.  It was good to be home.  Most of our time there was spent hanging out, and preparing for my sister’s graduation party.  My mom’s sister and her family came from North Dakota to help as well; they always are such a great party staff. I don’t know how we would’ve gotten our wedding together without them.  Side note: Dave and my ONE year anniversary is on Sunday, awwwww.  The party was a lot of fun, it did end up raining and even hailing at one point, Kayla even ran out in it to save some tents she had borrowed from a friend.  Everyone thought that was pretty funny.  

Wednesday, the day after we arrived in WI, we went to a Twins game with my brother, and Dave’s brother who lives in the cities, since none of us had see the new Target Park.  The park was cool! 

I do love an outdoor ball game.  But man, do the twins suck right now.  It was embarrassing.  At least it was a quick game, and I got some delicious concessions food.  So it was a worthwhile trip.

All in all, the Swanson visit was wonderful, I got to see many friends and family that I hadn’t since the wedding, and it was nice to catch up with everyone.  I also got my hair cut, long overdue.  Chopped a good 8 inches off.  I feel like a new woman, I don’t know why I always try to grow my hair out, short hair just looks so much better.  Gave the dog a bath, since I found out he hadn’t had one since I gave him one for the wedding, yeeeeesh.  Oh! And DUNN BROS, how I miss my free coffee and other assorted drinks, I was definitely spoiled when I worked there.  So far, haven’t found a decent replacement in AK either. 

Sunday morning we got up early so we could make it up to Superior in time for Dave’s church.  Pastor Tom saw us and actually called us up on stage so he could pray for us, it was nice.  We spent the next few days living at Dave’s parent’s house.  They had a party for Levi (brother-in-law) and also a party for us so that Dave’s family could all see us before we left.  I’m still getting to know everyone, but they are a great group of people, and I am excited to know them better.  We got to go golfing with Dave’s brother at this little rinky-dink golf course.  A par 64.  (Normal is 72) I was feeling pretty good about my score at the turn, until I realized it was only a par 31 nine.  It was a fun course though, the greens were CRAP.  They looked like the surface of the moon.  But it made for a lot of laughs, and not as much pressure to make the putt, since you really had no idea where the ball was going to end up after going over all those potholes. 

Looking back, it seems like months ago that I saw Arizona, even Wisconsin; it’s hard to believe it’s only been a few weeks.  I miss it all already, but I’m thankful I have wonderful people and places to call home. 

Soak that view in... 

 Hope its nice where you are!

Bye Mazda!

So bad.  I am sorry for the delay.  Life is getting crazy(er) as we get closer and closer to moving.  We are throwing lots of things away, and trying to be as organized packers as possible. :S
Last week, we sold Dave's Mazda :(

I remember the first day I saw that little red car.  It was last October and Dave and I were hanging out for the first time.  Aw.  I remember thinking "what kind of grocery getter is that?" but it actually is a pretty awesome car.  Much sportier than you would think. Kind of like a go cart.  Which we all know are a heck of a lot of fun.

Since we are moving to Alaska, and driving our other car up to WI.  We decided to sell the Mazda instead of having it shipped.  Hello craigslist.  I don't know how anyone sold anything quickly before that badboy.

So we listed it, aaaand waited.  We got a couple nibbles, but nothing panned out.  So this last Saturday, Dave reposted it (and dropped the price 200 :( )and within a couple days we started talking with a man named Augusto.  Augusto is an interesting fellow.  And just the kind of guy we wanted to sell the car to.  He is a captain, here in Ft. Huachuca AZ for a class.  Funny thing, he's in the Chilean army.  We were very surprised with how awesome his English was over email. (turns out he was using translator, smart guy.)  But he wants the car only for the 6 months he will be here, and then he is gonna sell it, probably to another foreign officer.  This works nicely for us.

The other people who were interested in the car were turned off by the rust, the mileage, and the price.  Augusto didn't ask any questions, didn't care about the rust, the mileage, the AWESOME belt squeal on some quiet mornings (very embarrassing), or the fact that the air conditioning only blows steamy hot air right now.  AND, hes paying cash.  WIN.  Also, he doesn't want the sub woofer, I can't imagine why not :). So Dave knocked the price down and decided to take out the speaker.  Which we can sell for a few bucks.  Its all working out.

So last  Wednesday night, mechanic Dave started to remove the sub woofer.  Oh boy.  I am so glad he is mechanically incline.  Because I wouldn't have had ANY idea how to do that. But I sat in the car, and gave moral support.  

Good thing we bought that camping lantern.  Seriously.

Apparently, there were about 6 cords wrapped to and fro around the car.  So Dave ripped off interior panels and whatnot (which I had no idea you could do, I guess I thought cars were permanently sealed water tight everywhere- silly girl brain).  He even managed to pull the driver's seat out.

After a good 30 minutes, Dave had only broken one cord.  We (meaning him) then put everything back together and turned the car on to check to see how the normal speakers sounded.

Do you see that?  It says mute.  Greaaaaat.  After all that work.  No sound.  I have to admit, I thought it was pretty funny.  Dave did not.
But then, he took the cd  player out and put it back in and voila!  Sound.  Definite sigh of relief from both of us.

The next day Dave finished everything up with Augusto.  They actually ended up coming back to our house so Dave could help him get some insurance.  Which was not the easiest experience either.  But it did all work out.  And now we have a nice chunk of cash sitting in some unnamed area of our apartment.   
Oh, and when Augusto left, he planted a big one on my cheek.  I do like foreign customs.

And with that, I wish you happy Monday,

Courtney

Cake Pops!

I am so excited to have discovered cake pops.  Although I wish I had been smart enough to come up with them I am content to make and eat them.  A lot of them.
Seriously, how amazing do these look.

Source

There are SO many cute ways to decorate them too!  I read recently in a blog that someone used them instead of a wedding cake, how smart!  I am jealous I did not have this idea as well.

Wednesday afternoon I had the privilege of watching a lady from my church decorate a cake!  Her name is Anna, and she makes THE cutest cakes for friends, family, and people from church.  Her cake-making started out just for family, but lately, she has been selling a ton of them!  What a fun way to make a little extra money.  I don't know how she does it with 3 kids under the age of 5 o_o.

Very impressive.  After learning so much from her, I REALLY had the itch to make a cake.

Rolls for Randy

I think my mom will be quite surprised to see me writing a blog.  Lets just say I haven't had a great track record with putting my thoughts down on paper.  (Thankfully, she helped me through high school and college :) thanks momma).  I've been dragging my feet with this blog, no clue where to start, or what to write about.  It took me 3 days just to write my biography, which I'm sure I will change very soon.  Hopefully, this blogging will broaden my writing ability! (ha! fingers crossed)

Because I am terrified of starting this blog, I thought my first post would be comprised of an area of comfort for me, food.  Better yet, baking.  I do love to bake. 

I never like to turn down an opportunity to bake, and then not have the guilt from eating 1 (or 57) too many.  I have promised my wonderful pastor that I would make him cinnamon rolls (weeks ago actually, whoops).  I am not sure if this is in the best interests of his current diet, but nevertheless I did promise. Hopefully these rolls will not add rolls, heh heh.

At this point, I don't have a standard cinnamon roll recipe that I use.  I usually go to allrecipes.com (awesome!) and search around until I find one that has a bunch of reviews, and I am sure will be yummy.

This particular recipe is called Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns.
Yes please.


Side note: I would bake SO much more, if my brother was here to consume everything before I could, and if butter wasn't so dang expensive.

Recipe
I did change some things about it, so if you want the original recipe, here it is.

Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns - Modified

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2-2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter

1. In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 1/2 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (or until it is smooth and elastic, or when you get tired and/or bored)
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. While dough is rising, melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan; set aside. (I actually did around a cup for each, more caramel is always a good thing).
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18x14 inch rectangle. Spread with butter, leaving 1/2 inch border uncovered; sprinkle with brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. With a piece of thread cut into ~15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.

I love the thread cutting method.  No more squished rolls or sticky knife to clean!

In this recipe I spread the butter and then sprinkled the sugar and brown sugar, and then I went over it with the rolling pin.  I haven't tried that before, usually I will just mix the butter, sugar and cinnamon together before I spread.  That way, the sugar isn't falling all over the table and floor. yuck.  This new method works pretty good though.

 Here is the finished product, yum! Chewy and dense from the whole-wheat flour, but so good and buttery sweet. 

yum.

Hope you enjoyed all this!

Courtney