Give Thanks

Hallow's eve

Barry and I were kinda party poopers this year for Halloween. True. We didn't dress-up or even give out candy, but I did, at least, carve pumpkins with Bret, Becki and the kids.  The Sunday before Halloween, Becki made us a traditional pumpkin rice casserole which she baked inside the pumpkin- very festive! I was quite proud of my carving skills. On Halloween Barry and I got some treats and watched the walking dead mini series. Super spooky. Happy Halloween 2011.

"Nat's Run"

A few weeks ago Barry's sister Natalie had her 39th birthday and to celebrate she put together a little fun run for the fam. She mapped out a 3.9 mile route and invited all to join. So Andrea, Madison, Lizzy, Holly, Collette, Natalie, Zoe, Gianna, Miles and I took her up on the challenge and we all met at 7:00 Saturday morning (*just for the record, NONE of the husbands seemed to be up for it). The kids all biked. She made up these cute metals and Miles gave them out to us all when we got finished. I think it is a fabulous idea to do activities like this versus, well, non active things like sitting and watching a movie or the typical EATING. So many celebrations center around food, food, food. Isn't it true? My personal opinion is more things should be getting us up and out and active!! But that's just me. Does any one else agree or am I just a freak? It was a great morning and a fun way to get family together. I sorta might have gotten lost on the way back and think I ran an extra 1/2 mile or so, but that's okay. I'm looking forward to next year the BIG 4-0 Natalie : )

Better After....

I was hesitant to put these pictures up because my "before's" are so bad, but that's how they are supposed to be right? So the "after's" are more dramatic. Well, that's what I was going for -- right after the gym, 3rd day hair in all its glory. I present to you my Before and After. Katee my good pally has been my hairstylist for years and i love her! Yes, I was much over due for some hair care. TA-DAAA

Have a heart!

Last week I got a phone call from my Mom about my Pompa. She told me he was in hospital with what they called an aneurism that was close to his aorta the size of a small grapefruit!!! AHHHH!! He had surgery to make the needed repairs to strengthen the artery. He is such a trooper and made it through the operation well! 4 years ago he had a quadruple bypass where he was pretty down and out for awhile so I am grateful for every single day I get to spend with my sweet grandfather. He is dear to my heart! I am grateful for his story! His life is full of the highs and lows and he always has a story to tell.  Pomp has the biggest heart! He gives and gives. He values his family and wants nothing but their happiness. If there were ever anyone who has a heart it is Don E. Dawes!

Caramel Apples

 My sister Tami and I have decided that every fall we are going to perfect the art of homemade caramel apples. We are gonna be pro's! Our 1st attempt was last fall. We didn't do so hot. We tried really hard too. We had all the toppings imaginable that could go on a caramel apple, but they all ended up at the bottom of the cookie sheet. The caramel did not stick to the apple. They were a mess. This year as you can see, we are getting better right? yeah! We are learning some tricks. Mom joined us this year. She had a bit of a hard time with her toppings sticking. Can you tell? : ) It was really fun to hang out with the girls. We laughed and talked 'till late. It was a good time! ...and yes, I broke down, and just had to taste our yummy creations. We missed our sister Kari!! 

*Please excuse my horrible hair cut and cheesy grin haa!  I am so cute. wink : )

My new chocolate fix

So with my new no processed sugar, no processed flour diet I have been discovering new and creative ways to cook without processed sugar. In the past when I made a bowl of oatmeal I wouldn't think twice about adding a few spoonfuls  of brown sugar and butter etc. Well, now my oatmeal is my version of a no-bake cookie with no processed sugar or butter.

2/3 C whole old fashion oats,
pinch of salt,
2 tsp  or more if you want it more chocolaty unsweetened cocoa, 
water (how ever runny/thick you like it)
drop of vanilla,

and my new discovery 1 tsp more or less Agave nector
mix and microwave or cook for severl mins

after cooking, top with 2 tsp organic peanut butter (no sugar added) and ENJOY. yumm it is really good! If you are used to super sweet oatmeal it might taste a tinsey bit bland until you get used to way less sugar. Delicious and nutritious. To make it a 100% balanced snack have a 1/4 of cup of cottage cheese for your protein.

Monsoon season

 Well, Az didn't have much of a Monsoon season this summer, but the baby shower invitations and birth announcements were pouring in! I couldn't make it to all the showers there were so many. I am so excited for all my girlfriends having baby's. It's always a wonderful occasion.   Here 's couple I have pictures of. I was happy to get to help at my girl friend Jaime's shower. Some girls from our ward threw her a shower and I helped with the fruit. The shower was themed cookies and milk so I played off of that and did "peaches 'n cream"- pretty fruit cups with an orange cream sauce to drizzle on top and "strawberries 'n cream"- strawberries with a cream cheese filling.  The girls told me to plan for 60 people and that I did. I did costco sized portions and to say the least my fridge/freezer  is still full of fruit. I have got to learn some portion skills. It was a darling shower. I thought the cookies and milk table was very creative.

Barry's bff Jon's wife  Tiffany is due with a girl the end of December as well.

Latest and Greatest

A sneak peek of my house projects before the final product

I have spent a lot of my summer well, working, but also doing house projects.  I have discovered that house projects are never ending. At least for me. There is always something I want to do. SO, so far this is what I have done to my house (with some tips from my gf Melissa): Changed wall color (yes again), hung drapes, removed jute rug -which I was allergic to-, new lamps, new pillows, mirror, dug deep into my creative side and painted and hung a wall collage- that was a challenge. I am still lacking: some wall decor, a rug, end tables/coffee table, lamp on the other side of couch, lighting in living room (I hate that brown fan, its gotta go), and I would love to do a tile back splash in the kitchen, but can't decide if I am brave enough to tackle that on my own yet. I am also going to repaint the table a crisp white and reupholster the chairs. I am still not sure what to do with the entry way either. If I had my way 100% the tuscan brown leather couches would be out too, but Barry is insistent on keeping them. (it's all a work in progress) I just don't have enough consecutive days off to get it all done, but I'm working on it slowly.  I am loving the changes so far! Do you love it?

Painting this 20 foot wall in the stair well was tough!

I am an addict.

Hi my name is Lisa and I'm addicted to crossfit.  Welcome, Lisa to a new world of health.

This is my gym!!

My brother Mark gave me probably the best gift in the world. He bought Bret and I a two month membership to a training program/gym called crossfit. I was really intimidated to start. I had never, I mean NEVER worked out in a gym prior. Not even a high school weights class. So I did not have a clue about gym lingo or what to even do. But I started going and I have gone pretty much every day of the work week since. Crossfit also encourages balanced eating called the Zone eating program. The Zone excludes processed sugars and processed flour. So I have been working really hard to  X out sugar and white flour out of my diet and must say I am doing pretty well. I do have a cheat day ONE day a week so I can rid my house of the sugar that was already in it. I should just throw it all away. PEOPLE SUGAR IS SOOO INCREDIBLE BAD FOR YOU! I know, I know I have loved it too. It tastes so good. but read for yourself. You will not find an article out that that says it is doing your body an ounce of good. It makes me ill (literally and figuratively) to think I hadn't really ever monitored the sugar I ate. I have made it a new hobby to cook differently and I love it.  Anyway off my soap box, I love that I have a personal trainer EVERYDAY. They take me through each workout and push me. The first week I worked out I came home and puked twice. The workouts are intense and challenging and I am surprising myself as to what I can do. TIME DOWN, POWER UP!! WHOOT WHOOT!! Thanks Mark for allowing me to find a means to health.  love ya!

My first muscle! haahaa. Working out actually WORKS!

My Birfday

I celebrated yet another birthday Aug 3rd. It was a good one. I took the day off of work and spent the morning doing random acts of kindness. I made a few dozen cookies and gave them to random people. For example the construction workers along the side of the road, the reception staff at the hospital and the Gilbert police station. I loved the confusion on peoples face as they figured out I was just trying to do something nice. One old guy asked "how much?" The hospital staff's reaction was great. They really thought I was kidding. One guy said sarcastically as I walked up "oh look she brought us cookies" and I energetically responded Yes, yes I did actually" he looked at me astonished "Oh, which room did you need to go to," No, really they are for you all",  then he smiled so big and they all OHHH'ed and AHH'ed. I felt happy. I couldn't stop smiling all morning. The other RAOK I did was made cute cards with a nice uplifting poem inside and put them on random cars in parking lots/neighborhoods. I didn't get too inventive this year but was happy with that for the first go around. I want to try to do more next time and throughout the year. It feels good to make people smile!

Barry spoiled me as always. He never disappoints with his gift giving. I had been wanting an imac for a while.... and and imac I got! I was/AM so excited about it and to top it off he matched it with a new very comfy desk chair (I had been using and old metal folding chair at my desk for 2 yrs). I love 'em!! He also took me out to dinner at the Melting Pot. We both had never been before. I was a fun different experience. We liked it. It poured down rain while we were eating. We could hear it from way inside the restaurant.  I am so blessed and grateful to my husband for his thoughtful nice gifts. THANKS BABE!! I loved hearing from friends and family and feeling so loved and that people are glad I was born!!

Barry had he sweet assistant Amy do this wrapping for him so it would be all cute! : )

Yumm Chocolate peanut butter fondue! delish!

Count 'em up.....yup its 30!!

The husband had his birthday on July 21st and it was a BIG ONE! He shares his birthday with my beautiful Nanna. She turned 84!

So, I get a little anxious when it comes to planning. I didn't know what to do for him. The pressure was on to do something great for his 30th! When in all reality Barry would have been just as grateful for a very low key day (one reason he is amazing) I just couldn't settle for that. But, I  have found it is hard to plan well, anything with family in town and working full time. I had all these plans of grandeur in my mind and no time to carry them out. On his birthday we did make it out to dinner, where he was adamant about NO ONE SINGING to him, and them to a movie. He did get pretty spoiled this year and was excited about his new in-dash navigation/blue tooth/ipod/ backup camera fancy thing for his truck. He is so sweet I hope he had a good day.

 The day after his birthday, Friday,  I surprised him with a night out with all his buddies at a Mexican restaurant we like called El Ricos. We had a good time. He did get sung to in front of the whole restaurant I think he needed the attention on just him for a min.  He requested a German chocolate cake so that's what he got.

My sugar bear is such a wonderful man. He is the kindest, most patient and forgiving person I know. He is a loyal friend, and a hard worker. He is always making me laugh. He does so much for others without thought of himself. Happy Birthday my love!

Crosby, Party of 23: Family times super post

Toward the end of June we had my brother Mark, Holly and their kiddos Kaemon, Milea, Zallen and Bolden come and stay with us for a few  fun filled weeks.  I finally got to meet my "surprise" nephew Bolden Leo Crosby. He is such a sweet baby. We loved having their family stay with us. The kids were very entertaining. They did some cute things.  Milea and Zallen with Kaemons direction, put on some great fashion shows with my and Barry's shoes. Milea tried on every single pair of my shoes. She would come out giggling and spin around and then run back in my closet and get the next pair.  They loved netflixs. It was cute when Milea snuggled up to you when she got a bit scared during a scarier ScoobyDoo movie.  It was fun to come home from work and have the kids excited to see you. I loved watching as they would read scriptures and say prayer as a family and the big hugs and kisses that followed. I also had a really fun night shopping with Holly. We spend hours picking out outfits, trying on clothes and taking pictures. She is such a babe!!

  Here is Bolden and Daddy on his blessing day (Fathers Day) We had a luncheon at Nanna and Pomps with "hoagies" (what Pomp calls sub sandwiches)

 We also celebrated Zallen's two year birthday!! I made him a monster truck cake. It turned out pretty good. Oh Mr. Zallen is so darn cute. I love this boy. His happy grin makes me smile its precious how when he needs something he'll bang you on the chest "DaDa" and point. Happy Birthday bubba Z.

                                      

 We went to the circus!! It was very cool. I loved the elephants and the tight rope act! The kids loved my blue slushy. wink.

 Kaemon loved the circus can't you tell. Haahaa

 Out to Red Robin. Uncle Barry & Zal

 Aunt Lisa & Milea

 Over the 4th of July my whole family met up at Roosevelt lake for some fun in the sun and water. It was a packed house and sleeping arrangements were tight but we made fun memories. We played on jet skis, took turns tubing with all the kids, played games, ate food and sunbathed. I had to show all the boys how to wake surf and Kirk and I even slalom skied. Becki, Dad, Kirk and Barry even went midnight fishing till 4am. They loved it.

                                                      The boys out sunset surfing.

 Surfer Dude "Zalleto"

 

We took family pictures. Barry hates pictures. But he was a great sport. Thanks babe.

 Barry "holding" Bolden. Barry says babies need to be just a bit smaller so he can put them in his pocket. Haahaa!!

 Here are the kids on 4th of July morning with Dad and his goat. 

 The parade was rather short this year sad face but we wouldn't have miss it. Awwweee isn't my husband cute with his slurppy? We sat by the Peters fam again, I think its becoming tradition.

I am grateful for my country. I love the USA and appreciate those who stand up for our freedoms, rights and privileges. I support hard good Americans who are willing to work hard to earn what's theirs. I love the entrepreneurial spirit that exist in America and pray this enthusiasm will keep our country pure and strong.  We have the capacity to be and do anything we desire.

Kirk and Kari also came to town to spend some time before making the move to Hawaii.  We also had them and baby boy Rivers stay with us a few nights as well. The weekend after the 4th we spend another day at the lake. We ate at BOSTONS ghetto deliciousness. Yummmm! Rivers also celebrated his 1st birthday. Kari threw him a very darling and tasty beach themed party.

 yummmm........wings.......so good.