Bacon Bits

7 Months Old!!!!

2012-01-14T20:48:00.001-08:00

so stinkin cute

too funny not to share

(he was so over our photo shoot)

Easton James

7 months

Easton Loves:

his binki

baby einstein

splashing in the bath

mommy

books

making loud noises

Easton Hates:

getting dressed

being lotioned

having his nose picked

hair clippers

Easton is sitting up now and rolling all over the place. He will sit and play with toys on his own. (such a big boy ) Its fun to see his little mind working as he explores all the things that are now within his reach because he can move around. We've had to be a lot more careful about leaving the room when E is on the ground. He's fast and he rolls into the weirdest places. I have found him under chairs and high centered on toys.

He is so noisy lately. He babbles and yells all of the time. He has this nasty little scream that he started a few weeks ago. Both Casey and I despise it and we are trying to teach him its not ok to scream. UGH!!!

He is a little piggy! He eats solids so well now. Just the other day he finished two full containers of baby food in one sitting. At first I was worried the poor little guy was starving, but then I realized who is father is and what that guy can eat. I guess Case passed on his impressive appetite to our son.

Casey gave him his first haircut a few weeks ago. He didn't take off too much and E's hair really does look better, but it was hard for me to watch my baby get his first haircut.

Love our silly monkey so much!!! I kind of want time to stand still though because my baby is growing up way too fast. He recognizes both Case and I really well now and will kick with joy when either of us walk into a room. ( melts me) What a joy Easton is in our lives.

6 months old!!!!

2011-12-14T20:17:00.001-08:00

Love this baby!

How can you resist this face?

E loves to hang out by the tree

and admire the lights

showing off his two front teeth

chipmunk cheeks ;)

Easton James

6 months

16 lbs

27 in

Little E is six months old today. My heart is breaking because my baby is getting so big. The time is flying by way too fast. Every day we love him more and feel so blessed to have this silly baby boy in our lives.

Easton has his two bottom teeth now. He is constantly gnawing on anything and everything including fingers so watch out! His drooling has reached a new level of impressiveness. If I don't put a bib on him I have to change his clothes after about 1o minutes because he is dripping wet.

He now reaches for things with both arms stretched out. ( so adorable) He is becoming more and more snugly. He loves silly voices and has this funny little half laugh he does that melts me. Each morning after he wakes up we go visit Grandma Chrispy and Easton dances for us in the mirror. He moves his little legs so fast like he's doing an irish jig. We love it!!

Easton is a happy boy and generally doesn't fuss. He is becoming more vocal and will just yell happily all of the time. He is mesmerized by Baby Einstein and would watch for hours if we would let him.

Easton Loves:

bath time

baby einstein dvds

his blue teddy bear

dancing

funny voices

his bink

Easton Hates:

getting dressed

having his face wiped

having his nose picked

baby einstein toy that makes animal noises

My Heart......

2011-11-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

....belongs to this yummy baby boy!

5 Months Old!!!

2011-11-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Easton 5 months

Easton Loves:

green beans

pulling off his socks

reaching for everything

baby einstein

bath time

Easton Hates:

having his nose wiped

being left alone

getting dressed

I cannot believe how fast the time goes. E's first tooth broke through this past week and he rolled from back to belly for the first time a few days ago. He is entertaining the idea of scooting. He tries so hard to move and gets very frustrated when it doesn't happen. He is getting really good at eating solids. He really loves green beans and seems to not care for peaches. He has found his feet and tries to shove them in his mouth any chance he gets. He still drools like a St. Bernard ;) Easton is a very happy baby. He is really good at napping during the day and is getting better at night. He makes everyone around him happy. His smiles are the best and his laughs and coos melt our hearts daily. Life with him around is heaven!

My Boys

2011-11-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

Oh I love these boys!

Chillin

2011-10-31T21:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T20:45:00.001-07:00

Easton's first Halloween was a busy one!! Saturday night we went to Great Grandma and Grandpa Pyper's neighborhood to trick or treat with all of the cousins. Sunday we got together with both sides of the family for a delicious taco dinner and then a lively round of "Cackle Witch Cackle". Monday night we went to Claudia's for chili, cornbread, and homemade doughnuts!!! We had lots of long days and late nights and E was a champ! He is becoming such a mellow good baby! He looked adorable in his little skeleton outfit and his "mummy loves me" jammies. E's skeleton outfit glows in the dark and so we would turn out all of the lights and have him dance in front of the mirror. It was hilarious and Easton loved it ;)

4 months old!!!

2011-10-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Easton at 4 months:

14 lbs 4 oz

25.5 inches

Easton Loves:

grabbing things and shoving them in his mouth

going from sitting to standing with moms help

assisted sit ups

tummy time

bath time

baby mozart

Easton Hates:

having his nose prodded for boogers

being strapped into the car seat

being hot

waiting for food

Easton is a tall little guy with just the perfect amount of chub! He is growing nicely and is reaching milestones right on track. He has just started entertaining and talking to himself. I can tell he loves the sound of his voice. When he is chilling with his toys he gets really serious and it's almost like he is yelling at his toys. It is hilarious.

He is very social and loves watching people. He gives smiles freely and is laughing much more often now and for longer periods of time. He currently loves to dance in front of the mirror with mom. His favorite song is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider".

Easton went through a two week period of constipation. So horrible for everyone!!!! He was miserable and so were Case and I. After lots of diluted fruit juice, tummy massages, rectal stimulation, and finally several suppositories, our little guy is back on track and pooping all on his own!!! Hooray. (sorry if that is tmi, but I wanted to write it down so I have a record of it)

I was so desperate to help E sleep better that I decided to revisit swaddling (so many of my friends swear by it) I went online and read several articles about swaddling and different techniques. The first time I tried it he fell asleep within 1 minute. Miracle!!!!! It was always such a struggle to get E to sleep and now it's no big deal. He does still wake up more than I would like at night, but he always goes right back to sleep after eating or putting the binki back in. Why oh why did I not figure out swaddling earlier? ;))

We love our little man and cannot believe how much he is changing and growing. He is becoming more adorable everyday. He is our biggest source of entertainment. We love watching him be the silly baby that he is!

On the Move!

2011-10-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Easton is officially rolling over. The first time he did it he kind of scared himself and looked really worried but then broke into a huge smile because he was no longer on his tummy. (victory) He used to detest being on his tummy but is now starting to enjoy tummy time. While on his tummy he scrunches his legs up and tries to get on his knees! This is very alarming to me because he is still so little. I am not ready for my baby to start moving but he has other plans. He has been a mover and shaker since day one. He rarely holds still.

He is becoming more vocal and loves to hear himself gab. When he is tired he gets this really serious tone that makes me giggle. He is going to be a goofball like his dad. He loves to be silly and has the most adorable smile in the world!

He has started falling asleep in his crib which is a miracle! I usually had to rock him or nurse him to sleep or there was serious screaming. We decided to practice the extinction method and let him cry himself to sleep. (so sad ) It works! We still aren't perfect (all 3 of us sometimes struggle) but for the most part it has gone very well and he really only cries for a few minutes at the most now! I believe this helps him sleep longer and he is able to put himself back to sleep when he wakes up at night. Wahoo for better sleeping at the Bacon's!!

Easton has started to recognize his food! When I get ready to nurse he holds his hands out and tries to grab on. So adorable. With his bottle he grabs on and brings it to his mouth. Such a little smarty pants. He is so impatient with his food so it's really funny to watch him frantically reach for it!

Easton loves sitting in the bumbo. He also really enjoys watching Baby Mozart from the Baby Einstein series. It's 18 minutes of guaranteed time for me to get things done!

We are moving!!! Casey has decided to go back to BYU for winter semester and finish a BA in Computer Science. We are going to live with his parents in Provo to save some cash and have help with E when we can't coordinate work and school schedules. We are excited for this little adventure and feel great about this next step in our lives. We are sad to be leaving our fabulous apartment and our wonderful friends and especially moving away from Kim and her fam! We will have to come back to PG often to visit our peeps!

3 months old!!!!

2011-09-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Easton loves his squishy ball

3 months old

Easton is 3 months old today! E is getting so big and is becoming so much fun to play with. He is very interactive and talkative. He has a full belly laugh now and loves when Case and I sing to him and play little games with him.

He is very close to rolling over. He scoots in circles by kicking his legs and pushing off of things. He loves to grab things and put them in his mouth. He especially loves to do this with blankets. He loves his squishy ball (because it is so light and easy to grab) and he also loves his baby einstein music toy.

Easton drools constantly. He is pretty much dripping with drool. He reminds me of a little hound dog with his droopy cheeks and all of that drool ;) He still loves his bath and still hates to sleep. He is getting better at night but it's always a struggle to get that boy to go to sleep!

We love him more everyday and are having so much fun getting to know him and his goofy personality.

Conversations with Easton

2011-09-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Easton is a very chatty baby. His noises are so hilarious and adorable. However, when he makes these noises in the middle of the night instead of sleeping they are a little less adorable. Disregard my lameness as I talk to my son. I know I sound like a doofus and I am ok with that ;)

Bacon Bit's Project Corner

2011-08-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

I needed a wedding gift for my cousin Jordan and his beautiful wife Lori and had no idea what to get for them. I have a limited budget for gifts and so I racked my brain for ideas.

A few years ago my sister's friend made her a fun cake stand using a random decorative plate and a glass dessert cup. It was adorable! I decided to head to Hobby Lobby and see what I could come up with.

They had so many gorgeous plates and most of them were on sale for 50% off! After finding the perfect plate I went to the candlestick holder section and found the base for my creation. (also 50% off) I used Scotch brand maximum strength adhesive (I learned afterwards that E6000 is even better for this type of project) to glue it together and then finished it off with some fun ribbon.

Grand total for this project was $11.00! I love the way it turned out. It looks like something you would buy in a boutique and it was so easy to do!

Baby E

2011-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Life is so wonderful now that Baby E is in our lives. He is a happy, smiley, social baby and we can't get enough of him. He has blessed our lives and made us so happy. We are truly smitten with our silly baby boy.

Easton is a very strong baby. He is constantly wiggling and moving which makes holding him kind of tricky. He loves to lean his head all the way back when you are holding him so he can look around and check out the situation. He is not a snugly baby. Only with mom and only when he is super tired. He isn't fussy but he is stubborn and will let you know when he isn't digging the situation. When he is hungry he gets this really funny impatient little cough that will turn into a snort if I take too long. Sometimes I will take a little longer on purpose just so I can hear the snort. It's hilarious! ( I know I am a mean mother)

Some of Easton's favorites:

taking a bath (this is his most favorite thing to do)

soft blankets

his binky

being sung to and/or talked to

being on his back

his swing

being held like a football

Some of Easton's not so favorites:

sleeping

being in the car

loud noises

being swaddled

being hot

Easton does not like going to sleep. He would rather be awake and part of whatever is going on. He can be so super tired and basically catatonic but will fight to keep his eyes open at all costs. At night after nursing he will fall asleep in my arms but the second I put him down his eyes pop open and he wants to play. He gets me every time with his goofy little smile and his funny squeals. Its hard to be mad at him when he is so stinkin cute.

Easton just had his 2 month well check and is currently 12 lbs 11 oz and is 23 1/2 inches long. He definitely is growing nicely ;) He is starting to get too tall for his 0-3 month clothes which makes me so sad. He has lost his newborn look and is now such a cute little baby. He looks so much like his dad it's crazy. He basically is a mini Casey and I'm just fine with that. I happen to quite like the way Casey looks.

What an amazing thing to be a mother to such a wonderful sweet baby boy. I knew I would love being a momma but I had no idea how much.

my current obsession

2011-08-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am in love with a little blog known as ourbestbites.com LOVE!!!! Let me just say AMAZING :) Every recipe I have tried I have loved and I have tried many. I always have people ask me for the recipes. I love to cook and share my creations with others and I'm telling you these ladies do not disappoint! Two mormon girls started it years ago as a way to share recipes with friends and family and now they are a blogging world sensation. You must go to their blog and check it out. You can also buy their cookbook which I have and adore. You can get it online, at deseret book, or currently at Costco.

Recipes not to miss:

Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn ( I make it without the pecans. To die for)

Key Lime Tarts ( so incredibly easy and very impressive looking and tasting )

Caramels

Mint Brownies (when I made these several people commented on how they are way better than BYU's famous mint brownies ;0)

Lemon Zucchini Fettucini ( probably my favorite pasta dish I have ever made )

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Bacon Artichoke with Penne Bake

Grilled Taco Chicken (I use this easy yummy chicken for lots of different recipes )

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

Creamy Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing ( so delicious and so close to cafe rios recipe )

Herb-Rosemary Focaccia Loaves ( these are dangerous because I can eat the whole loaf in one sitting)

Breadsticks ( I make this recipe and roll them in cinnamon and sugar and serve with cream cheese frosting. Remember tricky sticks from pizza pipeline?)

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Garlic Bread Seasoning ( I will never use anything else for garlic bread again )

Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip ( so tasty with granny smith apples )

Fluffy Orange Fruit Dip

The only thing I don't like about my new obsession is that I am never going to be skinny again. I have the hardest time not trying all of the yummy fattening delicious recipes! Our Best Bites should be called Our Big Butts! Go check out the blog and make something tasty. I promise you will love it.

2 months old!!!!

2011-08-14T19:53:00.001-07:00

My Baby is getting so big! He is already

2 months old! Time has gone by

way too fast.

Easton enjoying the bumbo for the first time.

He is still a little small for it. His head was quite

floppy because he is such a squirmer but he still

loved it and was all smiles.

I love this outfit. His face is hilarious in this

picture. I love his little tiny faux hawk!

Chunkin Chortle

2011-07-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Emma 6 m0, Kael 8 mo, Easton 1 mo

Casey's brother CJ came home from his mission last week and so we had lots of family in town for his homecoming address. We also blessed Easton on Sunday. As many of you know Casey called the baby Chort before he got here. The name kind of stuck and now several family members lovingly call him Chort. Elora, sister to Kael, likes to call Easton Chunkin Chortle. It's pretty funny considering how chunky Kael is. Kael is massive and probably one of the jolliest babies you will ever meet. I had to get some pictures of Easton next to him because its comical really.

Sock Monkey

2011-07-21T11:09:00.001-07:00

Easton loves to fling his arms like a crazy person! He has been scratching his face so much that I finally gave in and put some mittens on. The mittens did not stay due to his crazy arm flinging and so I resorted to socks! He looks so silly but I love it and it prevents the nasty scratches on his tiny darling face! Love my little sock monkey ;)

1 month old!!!!

2011-07-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

This picture is too funny. I found this little tie

and just had to get it for Easton. He looks ticked

in this picture.

He was slowly sliding down as I took the picture.

We are still working on posing for photos.

Easton is 1 month in this picture. I cannot believe

He is a month old. It has gone by so fast.

practice photo shoot

2011-07-11T18:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Shelby has an awesome camera and asked if she could "practice" doing a newborn photo session with Easton. I was super excited because she was willing to do it for free. Easton is just a week old in these pictures and I think for her first time taking pictures of a newborn she did an awesome job! Thank you Shelby for capturing our precious boy!!

How do you like to sleep?

2011-07-10T12:57:00.001-07:00

I don't think there is any question what position Easton likes to sleep in. We try to swaddle him all nice and tight and he freaks out. He immediately starts squirming until his hands are up by his face. This can get tricky because he ends up whacking himself in the face and it usually wakes him up or pops out the binki. He definitely has a strong little personality :)

tub time

2011-07-05T12:14:00.001-07:00

Baby E loves bath time. Without fail he pees the second he gets settled in to that warm water. This is very disturbing to me and so I usually am holding him up out of the pee water trying to get him clean. This is not an easy task. Bath time for me is a little stressful, but he loves it!!

First 4th of July

2011-07-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

This is our first family photo. Aren't my boys handsome? I realized I didn't have any pictures of the three of us together, ( not in love with my post baby self ) so I gave in and let Kim snap a photo of us. Easton looked so patriotic in his little red white and blue. He is getting bigger and it is breaking my heart. This tiny phase won't last very long and so I am trying to cherish it and enjoy him as a newborn. I cannot believe he is already 3 weeks old!

Rockin his new shades from the twins

Squishy

2011-06-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up my physical state right now. I am one squishy lady. I want to be non squishy and so I am starting to think of ways to get motivated and get my squishy self into shape.

I don't love feeling squishy but I do love my squishy baby. He has ultra squishy cheeks and I love to squish his squishy cheeks up to my squishy cheeks and have a very squishy moment. I guess squishy isn't so bad ;)

Baby Boy Is Here!!!!

2011-06-28T16:31:00.001-07:00

Introducing

Easton James Bacon

Born June 14, 2011 at 10:41 a.m.

8 lbs 4 oz and 20"

He is finally here and we couldn't be happier. He is healthy and happy and in my opinion pretty adorable. I am documenting the labor and delivery just so I will have an accurate account. Feel free to skip this part.

I started feeling contractions early Monday morning around 2 am. I had lost my mucus plug the night before and was having bloody show and so I was pretty excited and thinking I was possibly in labor. The contractions were strong enough to keep me awake and coming every 5-7 mins. This went on for several hours but I didn't want to wake Case because I wasn't hurting that bad and really wasn't sure if I was in real labor or not. Around 7 am the contractions all but stopped. I was so depressed that it was a false alarm. I had to keep myself busy so I started cleaning the house like a mad woman. Throughout the morning I had contractions here and there. They were strong and painful but not close together. Around 2 p.m. I was out and about shopping and the contractions started coming very close together. They were painful enough that I had to stop what I was doing and breath through it. By 4 the contractions had been 3 mins apart for 2 hours and I was starting to get very uncomfortable. By 6 I was very ready to go to the hospital. We checked in around 7:15 and they checked me right away. I was dilated to a 2 and so they had me wait an hour and see if I was progressing. In an hour I was at a 3 and by 9 p.m. I was at a 4. I was in pain and decided I might as well get the epidural. Why endure more pain than necessary ;) The epidural was magical. It did slow my progress down a little bit. I stayed at a 4 for a few hours. The nurse came to check me and decided to call the resident in to break my water. She left to go and get the resident and while she was gone I heard a pop and then felt a gush. My water had broken on its own and from that point on I progressed about 1 centimeter every hour. By 6 a.m. I was at a 10 and fully effaced but little Easton's head had not dropped. The Dr. decided to have me rest for an hour or so to see if his head would drop on its own. At 7:45 a.m. I started pushing.....and pushing, and pushing. I pushed for 2:45 mins before the Dr. came and decided I needed a little help. At 10:35 a.m. they got me ready with the forceps and by 10:41 a.m. Easton had arrived.

Labor and Delivery was nothing like I expected. I didn't know what to expect. I felt like it was never going to end, but it was relatively painless and my recovery has been pretty smooth. We feel so blessed that our baby is finally here and that everything went so smoothly. Easton is straight from heaven and has such a sweet and loving spirit. I look at him and am just bursting with love. Being a mom is amazing, emotional, and challenging, but so incredible and worth all of the sleepless nights. We love our baby boy.

39 1/2 weeks......still pregnant

2011-06-10T14:37:00.001-07:00

Yes I am still pregnant. No I have not had the baby yet. Yes I am about ready to pop. I took a picture of my belly today, stretch marks and all, and I was horrified. It's massive. I am not posting that picture. I will post the one with my belly covered though. Impressive right? I am still getting bigger even though I didn't think that was humanly possible. Please hurry Baby Bacon.

Memorial Day

2011-06-10T11:23:00.003-07:00

Grandma Helen's grave

My Parents grave

Casey and I drove down to Salina to visit my parents' grave for Memorial Day this year. It was freezing and super windy but it was nice to see my Grandpa Jack and Jer and Sarah and the boys. I haven't been in years to see the grave and so it was nice to pay tribute to the people I love the most! I look horrible in all of the pictures but such is life when you are 9 months pregnant ;)

Pregnant Diaries

2011-06-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Oh how I am longing to be done with this wonderful phase called pregnancy. It is such an amazing, crazy, and emotional roller coaster! I am so blessed to have had a pretty much textbook perfect pregnancy. Nothing has gone wrong, I didn't have to deal with throwing up, and besides being rather large, I really have felt amazing. All of that being said I am really anxious to be done with it.

I am incredibly emotional right now and every little thing makes me break down and cry. My feet are so puffy and swollen by the end of the night they look like they will pop if touched. I am so achey that everyday normal tasks are rather difficult and I feel like I am a freak show because everywhere I go people stare and give these looks like "you poor pitiful girl". (I have to add that lots of people are actually really sweet and tell me how cute I look and then they rub my belly which actually doesn't really bother me so it's not all bad ;))

I think the worst part and the hardest part for me to admit to is how jealous I am of all of my friends who have already had their babies. We were all due within a few weeks of each other and now their babies are here, healthy and happy, and I am still a beached whale feeling miserable. I know I should be patient and grateful that little man is still growing and developing but man its hard!!!!

I am so excited for this baby boy to get here I am forgetting to relax and enjoy the quiet lazy moments I get to have each day. I know these will be few and far between, if any, when baby gets here. I need to quit wishing away the days and just enjoy every second for the miracle and blessing that being a woman and having this experience is. Baby will come when he's ready and I need to just chill and be ok with whenever that is. Wish me luck!

Passion Tea Lemonade

2011-04-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this drink at Starbucks. They use the TAZO Passion herbal tea and mix it with delicious tart lemonade. I crave this drink every time I pass by Starbucks in the airport. The problem is it is ridiculously expensive( just under $4 for a 20 oz cup) and so I decided to start making my own from home.

You can buy TAZO brand tea at most grocery stores. It regularly costs around $3.50 a box. I found it on sale at Target for $2.47 for 20 filter bags. For the lemonade I just use bottled lemon juice ie: Real Lemon ( I use the WalMart brand which is $1.68 for 32 fluid oz.) You can get 63 TBLS out of 1 32 oz bottle.

First I take 6 oz of H2O and heat it in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Next I take 1 tea bag add it to the water and let it steep for 2-3 minutes.

While the tea is steeping I measure 10 0z of H2O, 4TBLS of lemon juice, and 4TBLS sugar ( you can also use Splenda) and mix them together in a 20 0z cup.

After tea is steeped I discard the tea bag and mix the tea with the lemon sugar mixture stirring well to dissolve the sugar.

Finally I add ice to the top of the cup and stir again.

It tastes just as delicious as Starbucks and it costs approximately $0.25 to make.

Tip: If you like really tart lemonade instead of using equal parts lemon juice and sugar just add more lemon juice. Enjoy!!!

Pity Party

2011-03-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am usually pretty upbeat and sunny, but lately I have been so negative. I find myself getting annoyed very easily or just feeling incredibly down. I don't want to blame pregnancy because honestly I have had a wonderful pregnancy so far. I am so grateful for how great I feel physically. Emotionally is another story. I have really been struggling with the way I look. I don't like calling myself superficial but maybe that's what it is. I feel like I used to be pretty cute and stylish with nice hair and cute clothes and fun makeup. Lately I feel frumpy, pasty, and so sadly out of style, that its hard for me to look in the mirror.

I don't want to have these feelings and I try really hard to accentuate the positive and look for the good but I have never felt so hideous in all my life. I feel like a huge part of it is I don't feel like I have the energy or the means to make it better. Obviously there is nothing I can do about my largeness right now. I am pregnant and carrying a tiny darling human being around inside of me. Its hard to feel cute when you are bigger than you've ever been in your life and are bound to just get bigger. I know there is hope after our little boy gets here but how on earth do you stay positive while going through the process? I want tips and possibly a pep talk. Or maybe what I really need is a swift kick in the butt!

I was reading a friends blog the other day and she was listing the simple pleasures in life. The little things that make her happy. Maybe that's all I need to do. Just shift my perspective on life and realize how unimportant being stylish and having nice hair really is and focus on what I do have and what makes me happy.

I love that I have a husband who makes me laugh. Even when I am feeling rotten he always manages to make me smile.
I love that I live so close to my sister and I get to see her often.
I love feeling baby bacon move inside of me.
Ice cream makes me happy.
I love TLC.
I love my snuggie.
I love my smiths rosebud salve.
I love serving in the YW's.
I love reading a good book.
Spring is one of my favorite times of year. Even when its raining ;)
I love 30 rock, but mostly Tina Fey.
I love having lunch with friends.
I love my bed and cozy pillows.
I love drinking a big glass of milk. It makes me think of my mom and smile.
I love making other people feel good.
I love Sonics happy hour.
Warm bread in any form can pretty much turn a bad day into a delightful one.
I love taking bubble baths.
Getting a pedicure is a tiny piece of heaven.

I already feel better after making this short list. There are hundreds more I could mention. I am so thankful to be alive and healthy. I am thankful for the many opportunities I have been given and the many blessings my Father in heaven has given me. I have so much to be thankful for including a wonderful support system of family and friends. Instead of feeling sorry for myself and letting Satan eat away at my self esteem I think I will focus on the many talents and traits that I have been given. It doesn't matter if I am roughly the size of a barge or if my teeth aren't perfectly white and straight. What does matter is that I have the gospel in my life and a wonderful husband and fabulous friends. Ok so no more pity party for this lady! Bring on the sunshine and happy thoughts!!!!

Two down One to go!!!!

2011-03-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

I am officially in my 3rd Trimester!!!! I am 28 weeks and feel massive and cannot believe I am going to get bigger. I feel so good and feel so lucky that my pregnancy so far has been complication free. Baby Bacon is still as mobile as ever. He especially loves to move right after I eat anything sugary.

I have gotten some pretty random comments from strangers. Some comments are really nice. Some not so nice, but without fail people always ask me these 3 questions:

1. When are you due?

2. What are you having?

3. Do you have a name?

I can answer the first two with out any hesitation, but the third is becoming a thorn in my side. No we do not have a name. We don't even have a list of possible names. At first it drove me crazy, then I just didn't care, and now I am so sick of not having an answer for the third question that I get cranky anytime someone asks what we are going to name him.

I have names that I like but Casey doesn't like any of them. Casey hasn't been able to give me any serious suggestions. Just funny names like Chort and Thor. Sorry but we are not naming our baby Chort. I am begging all of my blogging friends to help me out and send me some name ideas. I like more traditional names like: Charlie, William, James, Henry.... Keep in mind the last name Bacon. It's not the easiest last name to coordinate with ;) Thanks in advance to all of your brilliant ideas and suggestions.

He Has His Mother's Eyes

2011-03-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

6 Months

3 Months

9 Months

1 1/2 years

2 years

Lately I have been having some pretty vivid and crazy dreams about our baby. In some of my dreams he is down right creepy looking and he can walk and talk as a newborn. Some of these dreams make me laugh and some make me want to cry but all of them have got me thinking about this little guy! I think its only natural to wonder what your kids are going to look like. Its fun to think of the features they might have from one or both parents. Honestly I don't know what Baby Bacon will look like, but I do know I will love him no matter what and all that really matters to me is that he is healthy and has all of his bits and pieces and that they work properly.

I went through a bunch of our baby pictures today and thought I might post them for you all to see. Enjoy us and all of our tiny darlingness ;)

Large and in Charge!!!

2011-02-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

I have been so lazy about blogging. Mostly because I am a lazy human but also because growing a baby is exhausting. ;) I am 22 weeks this week but look about 30 weeks. Its all good because I have plenty of stretchy pants that make me happy and I never have to suck in. (I actually tried the other day and I think I peed a little)

I won't say that I love being pregnant but I will say that I already love this little guy and cannot wait to meet him. He is starting to get really strong and his punching and kicking skills are impressive. Being pregnant is such a miracle and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity. That being said.....I will be extremely happy when this little guy is out of my stomach and in my arms!

Quick update!

2010-10-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting my blog because I feel like I haven't had one free minute for over two months. Case and I have traveled to London and South Korea recently plus we have had lots of fun with family. Coming soon are pics and accounts of said fun times....stay tuned!

Girls camp 2010

2010-08-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

I had the joy of attending girls camp this year as an assistant camp director. I was extremely intimidated by this calling because I feel so out of touch with teenagers. I'm in the primary and so I didn't really know any of the girls other than my two cute nieces. I was stressed and felt so inadequate but it actually turned out to be amazing. The girls are so adorable and fun and they treated each other with love and kindness. I truly bonded with them and I loved my experience at girls camp.

Skit Preperation

Crafting

Ok this picture has some awesome history. If
you zoom in on this picture you will see a very
interesting and confusing situation. Oh Mary
how we all love you for this picture.

Trust and Confidence Games

Sergeants in Charge

Best part of the day.......

Oh how we loved the river!

Setting up camp

cupcakes and cakestands

2010-08-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of my friends in my neighborhood are having birthdays this week and so I decided to make some cupcakes for them. As I was making the cupcakes I realized I didn't have any cute plates to put them on. I decided to run to target to see what they had and I found some darling plates. I decided to make them into cake stands and give them as gifts! There isn't a whole lot to them but I think they turned out pretty cute!

The cupcakes are banana bread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I just used my banana bread recipe and cooked them for 18 mins. ( my banana bread recipe can be found on one of my older posts from 2008) They are really moist and taste so delicious with the cream cheese frosting! One of my new favorite cupcakes!

letter to a complicated old friend

2010-08-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Dear blonde hair,

Hi old friend! I miss you and think you are golden and beautiful. You make me feel young and fun! You also tend to make me a little more carefree. I think it's time you came back to me.

What do you think? Do you think you can behave yourself this time and not make my hair dry and gross? Do you think you could stay nice and shiny golden just a little longer and hide my nasty dark and recently graying strands? Do you also think you could cost a little bit less? You are kind of expensive and I am kinda not rollin in the dough.

Listen I know I am asking a lot but brunette and I are kinda having issues lately and I'm seriously considering leaving brunette behind. Think about it. Please get back to me in a timely manner as this is very time sensitive. Also no pressure but even though brunette and I are having our issues I think brunette is building an incredibly strong case against you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours truly,

Stacey Bacon

Easy Tasty Corn Chowder

2010-08-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

I made this corn chowder tonight and served it with BLT's. It was delicious! Casey doesn't like summer squash so he picked out all of his squash pieces, (he's a good sport) but I loved it just the way it was. Super fast and easy and a great way to use up squash from the garden.

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

Get 2 RISK-FREE ISSUES!

Ingredients

2 slices applewood-smoked bacon
3/4 cup sliced green onions, divided
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 pound yellow summer squash, chopped
1 pound frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided
2 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to drippings in pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.

So Refreshing!!!!!

2010-08-07T11:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday as I was thanking passengers and bidding them farewell after

our flight, a lady smiled at me and said, "You look so healthy! It is so

refreshing to see a healthy young lady. There are too many skinny

girls in the world! " To which I replied......"uh thank you?"

What is wrong with people? I know she was trying to pay me a compliment

but seriously who wants to be told she doesn't fit into the skinny girl category?

I know I'm not a toothpick. I don't want other people telling me this. Sheesh!

Girls Weekend!

2010-06-22T07:48:00.001-07:00

Casey was out of town this past week and so I invited Chloe over to keep me company. I love spending time with Chloe and we always have so much fun because we always do little projects and crafts when we get together. Abbey's birthday was coming up so I decided to make her a headband. Chloe was my model so I could see the finished product.

Kim found this darling idea for "grate gifts" for fathers day. They are brownie cupcakes that look like the grill. I think they turned out adorable. I especially love the shishkebabs ;)

Thanks Chloe for keeping me busy so I didn't miss Case as much!

Hawaii 2010

2010-05-24T09:36:00.001-07:00

Our Awesome Swimming pool!

We enjoyed many hours laying out by this massive gorgeous pool

This is a beautiful courtyard on the hotel grounds.

There were a couple of black head swans and some cute ducks

wandering around.

Of course there were beautiful flowers everywhere!

There were several hammocks throughout the grounds

Casey's best totem pole pose :)

This is the beach that is right outside the Marriott

I love this picture. Casey is smiling so nicely! I think

the dark silhouette of the palm trees looks beautiful.

Eating at Portifinos and enjoying the view!

This beach was gorgeous. The sun was setting

and there were surfers everywhere. I do not love

this picture of me but I think Casey's look is especially lovely!

The gang at the 4 mile mark of our 8 mile hike.

We all look a little rough!

Hanakapiai Falls

The views and scenery on the hike were stunning.

This picture is my favorite of the whole trip. I've

swallowed my pride and posted it (lets be honest

I look like a weirdo) Casey's face is priceless! We were

facing into the sun and the squint factor was in full force.

Oh how I love Hawaii! Casey and I were able to go to Kauai the first week of May. We joined his parents and his sister Cari and her husband Jason. We stayed at the Marriott and enjoyed every minute of it.

We went on a beautiful hike to Hanakapiai Falls. It is an 8 mile hike round trip. 4 miles into the Falls and then 4 back to the start. I'm pretty sure that's the longest and most beautiful hike I have ever been on. I was absolutely filthy and should have planned better for photo opportunities. We woke up extremely early and I opted for no make up and a braid. (not my best look) Parts of the hike were a little tricky. We had to cross the river several times and grapple on some steep rock inclines but all in all it was a nice easy hike! I loved it!

The rest of the time we just relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine and refreshing ocean air! We ate many incredible meals and delicious desserts. ( my favorite was a delicious carrot cake with the most amazing cream cheese/butter cream frosting I've ever tasted)

I've been to all the major Islands now and I'm thinking Kauai is my new favorite. I love them all for the different beauty and fun they have to offer but Kauai is the epitome of what I think Hawaii should be ;) I cannot wait to go back!

Easy Cute Headbands

2010-05-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

I was watching Studio Five one morning and they were making these cute necklaces out of metal washers. I loved the necklace idea but even more than that I loved the cute fabric flowers that were pinned to some of the necklaces. I researched some blogs and finally found an instructional post on how to make the flowers.

They are super easy to make and I thought they would be darling on a headband. If you know me well you know I have quite the impressive collection of headbands ;) I have been obsessed with making them for a few months now!

From sun to snow to torrential rain in less than a day....oh the joys of traveling the country

2010-03-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed some fabulous pool time in Santa Barbara yesterday. I went out to the pool around 5 pm and enjoyed the 70+ degree warmth for a few glorious hours. Just over twelve hours later I touched down in Denver to nearly a foot of snow and temperatures in the twenties! What the what?

I am in Arkansas now and I am soaking wet! I went for a walk in a comfortable 59 degree climate and after a 20 minute walk and an hour in Barnes and Noble I decided to make the trek back to my hotel. It looked pretty gray outside but I figured I could make the 20 minute walk back before the rains came. Uh.....I was wrong. Lets just say that It's a good thing I wear a padded bra! I pretty much look like I decided to take a shower with my clothes on.

Call it a perk or call it a curse; different time zones and different climates in just around 24 hours! I'm off to sit in the jacuzzi to warm my drenched body.

Matte about you

2010-02-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with this new product by Essie. I love keeping my nails nicely polished and I am all about new and trendy colors. Having a "matte " finish on your nails is a big trend right now and Essie makes this top coat that turns any glossy color into a matte finish! It is so cool and works so fast. I think my favorite thing about it is that once you put it on it takes about 30 seconds to dry and then your good to go. You can touch your nails and not get any nicks!

Grrrrr.....

2010-01-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Honestly I am finding it very hard to wipe the scowl off of my face. Its ridiculous really and thinking about it and writing down on my blog is actually making me smile. What a sour puss i've been for the last few days. Everything is irritating and too loud and too bright and too lame. Ha! I seriously need to lighten up. I think Casey is afraid of me. (sorry honey I do love you but do you really have to wear your ski helmet at the breakfast table? On any other day this would make me smile. )

I am still in pain from my darn tooth surgery and I want to blame my ornery mood on this fact but frankly that's just an excuse. I am choosing this behavior and I need a spanking. A good kick in the pants is what I need and a total attitude adjustment. My life is amazing. Wonderful husband, nice place to live, great job, fabulous family, really awesome friends, a ghetto booty that won't quit, etc. I really am so blessed and need to get off of my high horse and settle down. This is my public apology to any one who has suffered from my foul mood! The grump is officially leaving the building and Little Miss Happy Pants is here to stay!

Oh boy oh boy!

2010-01-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Ha that title kinda makes it sound like I am announcing a bun in the oven. Nope still no babies. It's actually just how I've been feeling lately! Just busy and sometimes overwhelmed. In my last post I promised pictures.... that clearly didn't happen. I was sick for my whole 4 day trip and pretty much just slept the entire time.

When I got done with that trip Case and I started babysitting for a family in our ward. We babysat from Friday the 8th to Saturday the 16th. It was a long week but the kids were darling and for the most part everything went really smoothly. Casey left for the annual Bacon Beaver Creek Ski Trip on Thursday so I had the kids for a few days by myself. I've decided I like parenting a whole lot better with a helper. :)

Saturday night after I left the McGees my mouth started hurting and I had a really bad headache. I woke up many times that night from a severe toothache. I took some ibuprofen and hoped it would get better fast. After suffering through church and another sleepless night I decided to call in sick to work and go to the Dentist. I haven't been to the dentist in many years (like 12....how horrible is that?) Needless to say things weren't exactly perfect in my mouth. Dr. Call decided to extract one of my wisdom teeth (the one giving me problems) right there on the spot. It was quite the experience. The tooth didn't want to come out and I was getting a little anxious. ( it is so not fun to be awake for that whole process) It came out finally and they sent me on my way! I am not feeling better though. My mouth is still killing me :( I'm sure it's just from all the digging around to get my tooth out. Man I am not a big fan of dental work.

I am sitting at home by myself in pain and missing my husband (he gets home tomorrow) So I am trying to keep myself busy so I don't think about the pain.

Here are the pictures I promised. They are just some of my favorites from Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are quite a few....sit back and enjoy!

Case and I in Vegas for Thanksgiving

Case and I eating at the Encore. He surprised me with a
fabulous room on the top floor of the Encore!

Enjoying a Black Tie Sunday at Serendipity

Serendipity is such a cute girly place ;)

All of the nieces and nephews! Love these kids.

Miss Lily! She is such a doll!

Bekah did a beautiful job on the tables

Miss Hannah! I sure love that smile

The delicious spread

The "under six club"

This picture is not the best but I had to show off
Lily's darling outfit.

Jeff's girls adore Casey. You could always
find one of them snuggled up to him.

Casey's makeover. Chloe and Alexis worked him
over quite nicely.

All of us dressed in white at the Vegas Temple
after Taylor went through for the first time.

If you look closely at Casey he has a very charming
look on his face.....uh

I had a dinner party at my house for Relief Society.
I loved how the table turned out.

Our gingerbread house :)

Casey chillin in his gift from Kim and Mat

Christmas morning at Grandma Chrispy's

Casey loved his giant stocking filled with goodies!

My beautiful new piano

Sledding at Thanksgiving point

All bundled up :)

The cutest snowbunnies I know

Baby Jason wasn't too impressed with sledding

Uncle Tyler built a ramp for the kiddies

Miss Hailey caught some great air

Jason is Casey with blue eyes. It's crazy how much they
look like each other.

Baby Blakely on her blessing day

Suffering with holiday withdrawl!

2010-01-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

I am excited for a new year and new adventures but boy am I sad the holiday season is over. Case and I have been super busy partying it up with family and friends and as a result I have been very lax about blogging. I have tons of pics and fun things to share and update but alas I am starting a very busy work week this week so we'll see if any pictures get added.

We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Vegas this year with my entire fam! It's always wonderful to get together with all of my brothers and sisters and their darling families. Case and I had never been to Jeff and Bekah's new place in Henderson and we had not met the newest member of the Martin clan...little miss Lily! Casey is smitten by little Lily! It's impossible not to be. She is so happy ALL THE TIME! She has the most infectious smile and the sparkliest eyes. We had tons of delicious food and a very crazy (to say the least) family photo session. Thanksgiving was wonderful this year! Thanks to my brothers and sisters and the joy they bring into my life!

Casey's sister Cherie had a beautiful baby girl the first week of December. Blakely Pyper Barton is a beauty and such a sweet baby. She is so well behaved and I have enjoyed that precious new baby joy every time I am around her.

Christmas was fabulous this year. It always comes and goes way too fast. Casey surprised me this year and got me a beautiful electric piano. I am in Love! I have been wanting a piano for ages so it was quite an emotional morning for me. I love that man of mine! We spent Christmas Eve and morning at Casey's parents house. We enjoyed watching Maddie and Hailey marveling over Santa and his goodness. We also got to talk to Elder Bacon briefly Christmas morning.

Chris and Melia flew in from Cali on Christmas night and Case and I picked them up from the airport. We enjoyed some sledding and some great food and we got to see Sherlock Holmes (great little flick ;)) We enjoyed some game night time with the old crew. It was nice to catch up with everybody. Blakely was blessed on the Sunday after Christmas. More delicious food and fun family time.

New years eve Case and I went to see Avatar. Its pretty sweet. I loved the effects. I've never seen anything like it. We brought in the new year by watching a little sports center and then straight to bed at about 12:15! We are so exciting!

This post is pretty boring without pictures so I'll try and add them this weekend. Happy New Year to all of you bloggers out there! Enjoy 2010 and all it has in store.

New do!

2009-11-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

I decided to switch it up a bit and change my hair! I cut bangs about 3 months ago and have been loving the change but wanted something a little more dramatic. It turned out really dark....I feel a little Elviraish but I actually love it! I look so different it's going to take some getting used to but its a fun change! Pay no attention to the dorky poses. It's really awkward taking pictures of yourself ;)

Gratitude Attitude

2009-11-21T19:47:00.000-08:00

Casey and I are speaking in church tomorrow and our topic is....can you guess? Yup it's gratitude and may I just say how wonderful it is to study and prepare a talk on gratitude? Ok so this time of year is full of giving thanks and of course I think about it and even write down some of the things I am thankful for but what a blessing (and wake up call) it has been to truly ponder gratitude and what it means. It is amazing to me how much joy comes from sitting down and counting your blessings! Having an attitude of gratitude is a way of life and it is contagious. When you are around someone who brims with gratitude doesn't it make you feel wonderful and so thankful yourself? Thank you to all of you for your posts on gratitude. It puts a smile on my face to read about what makes you all happy! I am thankful for....

cuddling in bed with Casey before we fall asleep

hot chocolate

kisses from babies

laughter

sunshine

the smell of winter time

soft cozy blankets

love notes

clean sheets

books

lipgloss

Christmas music in November....thank you cozy 106.5 (dont tell my husband)

sisters

anything miniature (aka tiny versions of bigger things)

pumpkin roll

tv on dvd

Just to name a few. And of course The Saviour and His atoning sacrifice for me. I love the gospel and I love the Lord! I am truly a blessed woman and am so thankful for all that I have!

Halloween Highlights

2009-11-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love Halloween! I've loved dressing up since I was a teeny young thing and I still get so excited for this time of year! I had my Halloween decorations up the first day in Oct. because I couldn't wait any longer. Casey and I are on the activities committee in our ward and were in charge of the cotton candy machine at our ward Halloween party. We couldn't make it fast enough. I think our booth was the hot spot for sure! I dressed up as a colonial maiden and Casey was a sumo wrestler. I loved how our costumes turned out! We both looked so fat it was pretty funny. On Halloween we were able to attend a football game that Ivory was cheering at and then later we joined Kim, Mat, and the kids for some pumpkin carving. Later on Case and I took Chloe out trick or treating with her little friend. They got so much candy they could barely carry their bags! Halloween 2009 was a success :)

I had a ball decorating for Halloween

I think we need to loose a few pounds

Casey took the cotton candy making pretty seriously

Mat's "Head on a Platter" costume was a big
hit. Kim wore my mermaid costume and looked
so sassy!

Cotton Candy Booth

"Halloweenies"
I found the recipe for these in a fun little
Halloween treat book and couldn't resist making
them. I think they turned out adorable!

Casey diligently carving our pumpkin

Kim's kids rocking their costumes

Cedar Breaks 2009

2009-11-05T22:54:00.001-08:00

I really wanted to go camping pretty bad this summer and kept bugging Casey about it. Pretty much every week I asked him if we could buy camping gear and go. Finally, this past July, we ended up going with our good friends Zane and Jessica. We decided on Cedar Breaks and it was beautiful. Casey and I didn't have any camping supplies....not even sleeping bags so we did a lot of research and shopping around to find a tent and all of the other necessary supplies. We had a great time just enjoying nature and each others company! We are excited to go camping a lot more next summer!

I love that our tent has a front porch :)

Zane and I cooking my famous breakfast burritos

Posing at the scenic outlook.....Oh Case

Jessica and I posing like the cheesers we are

We went on a little hike that led to this pond
It was a nice easy hike with so many beautiful
things to see along the way

This pond was so quaint and cool looking...
(up close though it was kinda nasty!)

I couldn't get enough of the flowers....so pretty

Doesn't he just have such a charming smile?

One Fabulous Year

2009-11-05T22:33:00.000-08:00

Case and I celebrated our one year anniversary on June 20, 2009! The first year of marriage flew by and I must say I love being married. Yeah I know that is so cliche' and everything but it's so true. I was born to be a wife and a homemaker. Who knew I would love taking care of a husband and home so much. Case is a fantastic husband. It is so wonderful to be married to your best friend. We truly laugh constantly and I love that marriage is like a constant sleepover. The only difference is Casey will not be painting his or my toenails anytime soon. For our anniversary we stayed at the Homestead up in Midway. We were able to eat at Ruth's Chris in Park City just like we did on our first night as a married couple. I only have one picture from the weekend but I have to share because it's too funny! Casey put on his church shoes with his basketball shorts and kept calling them his slippers. It was a little weird honestly. Then he fell asleep wearing them and I had to take a picture because it was cracking me up!

Hawaii 2009

2009-11-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Casey and I were privileged enough to join his family on a trip to Hawaii this past May. We went to Oahu and stayed at the Marriott. It was a wonderful week of relaxing and delicious food! Oh how I love vacationing with the Bacons! I just picked some of my favorite pics to share. Enjoy!
We laid out everyday and just enjoyed the scenery.....Gorgeous!

Our beautiful resort

We loved posing at every restaurant we went to

Prime Rib at Haleiwa Joe's

One of the nights the guys all went out for Sushi so the
girls all went out and had a relaxing dinner and then a nice
walk along the beach! Such a fun night

Delicious shaved ice from Matsumotos... Doesn't Casey look
so excited to eat his?

This is at the Polynesian Cultural Center at the luau. Trust
me when I say this was the best picture of Casey and I.
So sad but so true :)

The beautiful Honolulu Temple

Case and I had the chance to hang out in the U.S.S. Bowfin
at Pearl Harbor before catching our flight back home

I'm Back!

2009-10-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers! It's been so long since my last post! Things have been crazy busy in the Bacon household. We've had birthdays and camping trips, vacations and anniversaries, crazy work schedules etc... So much to blog about and so little time....plus some laziness and lack of discipline to get anything done! Well I've made the resolve to blog at least once a week. Maybe I'll be caught up by Christmas! I will have pictures and updates from the last six month soon! So sorry to all of my blogging friends whose blogs I have not looked at in months. I am going to be much better! Loves to you all!

On my way to a fit new Mii....

2009-04-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Have any of you tried the Wii fit? I love it! Case got it for me as an early birthday present and so I busted it out tonight and had some fun! I was nervous to get weighed...I have no idea how accurate it is but I weighed less than I thought I would. Also my BMI was within normal range! That's always a happy thing. I still have a very long way to go but I'm excited to get in shape!

I have been pretty good this week with eating well and being active. I broke down and had sugar today and I put sour cream ( it was light sour cream) on my tostada tonight...baby steps my friends ;) If anybody has any tips on how to ward of cravings I'd love to hear them. It seems like when I'm trying to be good sweets just sing to me. Don't even get me started on bread.

Wake Up Call

2009-04-07T16:40:00.001-07:00

Do you ever think....."Oh my goodness how did this happen?" Whether it's a messy house, an empty gas tank, a forgotten birthday, or a double chin? It seems like at those moments many of us tend to make excuses or worse than that we shirk all accountability and blame others. I know I do and honestly I am embarrassed. Well lucky for me I had somewhat of a wake up call yesterday. I realized how empowering it can be to know that I have the ability to take responsibility for my actions and become a better me! I can make a difference and I can change. For months now I have been unhappy with my body. I have gained weight simply from being inactive and making poor choices. Guess what? I can fix that! All I need is discipline and motivation and I can get back into shape and back into my skinny jeans! Its seems like common sense but for some reason it had slipped my mind and as a result not only was I unhappy but I was letting outside forces rule my life! It won't be easy in fact I'm sure I'll fall flat on my face many times, but any effort to improve one's life is worth the battle. This concept works with anything we are struggling with. It's pretty amazing what we are capable of once we are willing to take the first step! It's official....the first step has been taken!

Chick- a -Bitty!

2009-03-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

Kim and I went shopping for Easter decorations today and found some fabulous little things at Robert's. I love spring and all of the fun pastel colors. I went to Michael's after we went to Robert's and found some little chicks I thought were so adorable. My nickname when I was really little was Chick-a-Bitty and so I've always been partial to baby chicks. I decided to make some nests with Easter eggs and the little chick. I think it turned out pretty cute especially since I am about as crafty as a tree stump. I can't wait to make something else!

Complete Closet Makeover!

2009-02-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have a really hard time keeping my closet clean. It was getting embarrassing and poor Casey was just dealing with it kindly. I don't mean to let things get so bad I just have always struggled with hanging things up after wearing them. If you notice in the "Before" pictures you will see there is barely anything hanging up. I am mortified to admit this and show it openly on my blog but the "After" is so great I just had to share! Enjoy and try really hard not to judge me. The rest of my house is quite lovely and clean ;)

BEFORE

AFTER

Best Valentines Day Yet!

2009-02-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

I simply adore Casey and his amazing thoughtfulness and his ability to make me so darn happy! I had a super busy week last week and just felt like I was falling further and further behind on everything from housework to my spiritual well being. Leave it to my fabulous husband to pick up the slack and keep our lives running smoothly. Last Wednesday, when I got home from work late, he had cleaned the entire house. He mopped and swept and vacuumed and scrubbed and shined! The house looked amazing.
I got home at 4 a.m. Saturday morning and was so tired that I knew I wanted Valentine's Day to be low key and low maintenance. We had a wedding to attend that afternoon and on the way home he told me I had an appointment for a mani/pedi! My favorite ;) While I was being pampered he was at home putting the finishing touches on a meal he had been preparing for the past two days! (to keep it a surprise he had done a lot of the preperations at his mom's house) He had candles lit and everything! After our fabulous meal he brought out a stack of all of our chick flick movies and let me choose which one I wanted. So sweet and so perfert! It was just what I wanted and more. I truly picked a winner :)

Annual Bacon Beaver Creek Trip!

2009-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

Case and I had the privilege of spending last weekend with his parents at Beaver Creek Ski Resort in Colorado. Our Condo was gorgeous and the resort was so charming.

There were two master suites so Case and I got
the upstairs suite. The view was awesome...

and so was the king size bed!

This was our view from the living room area!

I was a little nervous to ski because I hadn't really skied before. Casey was such a perfect and patient teacher. We had a few mishaps ( okay I had a few mishaps) and there were a few tears shed, (look people I'm emotional ok?) but all in all it was actually a ton of fun. I was so sore the next day that every muscle was throbbing. I walked like and 80 year old who had to go poo poo. :) It's definitely time to get in shape!

I knew I loved Costco!

2009-01-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

So last night Case and I made a quick trip to Costco for a few things. It actually was a pretty frustrating trip. I wanted to get eggs, socks, and razor blade refills. They were out of eggs, the only socks they had were halvsies...you know the work out socks, and the razor blade refills were a crappy deal. I could get them cheaper at Walmart. I was feeling pretty bummed. While we were checking out Casey asked if I'd go get him a polish dog. I glady obliged. Somehow in the process of paying for his hotdog and filling up his drink I sat my wallet down and left it! It was closing time and not very many people were around. I didn't even realize it was missing until this morning when I was getting ready for work and packing my flight bag! I was sick because I realized immediately what had happened! At this point it was in the hands of the Costco workers.....Well they did me right! Casey called later this morning ( I was flying around the country) and they had it there and waiting for me with not a penny missing of the $250 cash I had inside! Way to go Costco. I truly love you!

Yummy soup for Yucky weather

2009-01-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

The weather has been horrendous all day and both Casey and I were under the weather yesterday. Needless to say we both wanted some comfort and something soothing for our sick bellies. I was searching for chicken noodle soup recipes and found this one on the food network. Courtesy of Tyler Florence. I made it tonight and not only was it fast and easy it was delicious!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs ( I didn't have fresh so I used dried and it turned out fine)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock, recipe follows ( I used store bought chicken stock because I didn't have the time or the energy to make my own)
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken ( I used a rotisserie chicken I bought at Walmart. They also sell them at Costco. The chicken was really moist and seasoned very well)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Chicken Stock:

1 whole free-range chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed, giblets discarded
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 turnip, halved
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts); too much will make the broth taste weak. Toss in the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.

Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When its cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones; hand-shred the meat into a storage container.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or if you plan on storing it, place the pot in a sink full of ice water and stir to cool down the stock. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze.

Yield: 2 quarts

New Year's 2009

2009-01-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

We had another crazy, busy, and super fun week! My family all got together for New Years this year. Everyone arrived Wednesday and we started the party at Kim and Mat's place. We had a delicious turkey dinner and tons of yummy snacks and treats.

Hannah enjoying the fun!

The Kids had tons of fun gaming it up downstairs with the Wii and Air Hockey

Uncle Casey in action

Ben and Jason playing Air Hockey

So much joy in this little face!

Ben's up 4 to 1!

Baby Brent and those sparkly blue eyes

Josh in his party gear

Cole bustin a move

Hannah enjoying the New Years Slush

Work it Alexis

Case and I were in charge of a balloon drop for the

festivities. Case spent hours blowing up balloons.

His finger was blistered and his jaw ached the next day...

but it was so worth it when it was all said and done!

We had poppers and streamers and balloons
and don't forget the Martinelli's for toasting!

Toasting to a Happy New Year!

Taylor working the feathered tiara!

What a cute couple eh?

After midnight we put all of the balloons from the
balloon drop into the kids jump house.

It was a big hit....until someone got hurt. Oops!

The kids pretty much attacked Uncle Casey all week long.

We went sledding on Friday

The kids had a blast despite icy cold conditions

and a few minor injuries

It was the perfect day for sledding!

Tanner and Carter sleeping on the LuvSac at our place!

We really had a great week with the Fam! We are happy everyone came up to share a lot of laughs and to make a ton of fun memories. Case and I want this year to be the best yet and will do everything in our power to make it that way! Happy New Year everybody!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

Casey and I had a wonderful Christmas. We spent lots of time with family and friends. Casey spoiled me and got me everything I wanted for Christmas and more. Our first Christmas as a married couple was perfect. We had parties everyday starting the Saturday before Christmas until the Saturday after. We spent some time with Casey's extended family as well as a lot of time with his immediate family. We had the opportunity to get together with our old " Game Night" crew. We went to Tuccahno's and then down to Kevin and Audrey's for some pictionary and some Rock Band!

First Official Wedding Picture

2008-12-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

I printed our first professional wedding pic today! Shellee is such an amazing photographer. Casey picked this one. We had a hard time deciding on one that we both liked equally. We came up with this one and I think it turned out great. I'm normally not in love with close ups but with soft focus and touch ups anyone can look good right? I'm excited to find a frame and get it hung up somewhere in our place! Yeah for wedding pictures!

The Joy of Giving

2008-12-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying the holiday season! I have a lot of my Christmas shopping done and decided that while Casey was away playing Volleyball tonight I'd sneak in his gifts and get them wrapped! I listened to Christmas music and sipped some candy cane hot chocolate. I love the way our tree turned out this year and now it looks even better with gifts underneath!

Christmas Surprise

2008-12-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

We flew home from California Wednesday morning after a week of holiday fun and I pretty much had to pack my bag forthwith and go to work. I came home late last night after an exhausting two day trip only to find the most wonderful surprise. I walked in the door and there in the living room was a fully decorated Christmas tree! Casey had pulled it out and decorated while I was away! I was so happy I wanted to cry. He had also picked up a beautiful Christmasy bouquet of flowers to display in our kitchen! It was the best surprise I've had in a long time. I am so thankful for a thoughtful and hardworking husband. Oh and he also got me a new heater to have during the day because I am always freezing....an early Christmas gift from the one I love. Thanks Case. I adore you! ( can I just brag a little bit more?.....He cleaned the bathroom too!)

Love at Los Hermanos

2008-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Casey and I met while working at Los Hermanos in Provo six years ago. (Can you believe it's been six years?) Tradition at Los Hermanos states that if you meet there and then get married they will paint your names on a booth! Just the other day one of our good friends from Los let us know our booth was finally finished. It is booth 16-2 upstairs. We celebrated our booth the other night with our good friends Zane and Jessica! Yeah for our booth. We used to joke about how cheesy a booth with "Stacey and Casey" on it would be. I secretly love it! I couldn't stop smiling sitting there in our booth!

Tis' the Sesaon

2008-11-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

I am so ready for Christmas! I have secretly been listening to Christmas music every chance I get. Casey is strictly opposed to listening to Christmas music, or doing anything Christmasy for that matter, until Dec. 1st! This year we are going to St. George for Thanksgiving and then straight to LA for Christian's recording session for one of the three movies he's working on right now. I work the rest of the week and won't have a chance to decorate for Christmas until Saturday the 6th! Sad. :( I am usually a "you must wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas" kind of girl, but I may bend the rules and start today. Hopefully Casey won't disown me! I am so excited to have our first Christmas as a married couple this year!

Laughter: Good For The Soul

2008-11-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

This face was born on our honeymoon! I was laughing so hard I had snot coming out of my nose!

You know how you can do the stupidest or weirdest thing around little kids and they just laugh and laugh? Well that's how it is with Casey and I. He does something super weird or kooky and I cannot stop laughing. I get the giggle fits and I almost pee my pants daily. I am so happy to be married to someone who is not only handsome and hard working but extremely entertaining as well. Laughing is such a natural high and I am grateful to have so much laughter in our home. I love you Case! Thanks for making me smile!

Halloween with Stace and Case

2008-11-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Cole after all was said and done

Josh looks drunk

Carter got sweaty and had hair dye all over his face

Casey the pyro

Pumpkin lighting ceremony

Senorita Choley Inez

Lizzy Luv Bug

The Pro

Me, Cari, Chris, Cheri, Hailey, and Maddie

What a smile!

His form is incredible

Maddie aka Hannah Montana (that wig was hilarious)

The littlest witch!

Case and Hailey

I love Halloween! I've always been such a big fan of dressing up and Halloween is one day of the year where I can do it and not be considered clinically insane! I was a mermaid and Casey was a vintage golfer. I was kind of bummed that we weren't a coordinated couple for our first official married Halloween, but both of us had our costumes from last year that we never got the chance to wear! We had a blast visiting the nieces and nephews and even did a round of trick or treating with the kids! Enjoy the pics! Oh and for those of you who aren't aware of my husbands problem with contorting his face and not smiling normal ever....please do not be alarmed; for Casey these faces are normal! ( Aren't I lucky?)

I FOUND IT!!!!

2008-10-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Case and I went to LA to visit Casey's brother's family this weekend. I had a panicked morning on Saturday because I slept through my alarm and missed my flight. I had exactly 30 minutes to shower, pack, and get out the door in order to make the next flight. I was about halfway to the airport when I realized I didn't have my wedding ring. I always take it off when I shower so I just figured I had forgot to put it back on in my rushing. I hated not having it while away but I felt confident it was on the bathroom counter waiting for me.....It was not. When I got home today I decided to take a little nap. I had completely forgotten about my ring. I woke up to Casey calling and needing me to pick him up from work. I hadn't brushed my hair yet for the day so I went to the bathroom to freshen up and realized "oh yeah my ring I should put that back on" I got a bit panicky when it was no where to be found. I tore the bathroom apart looking for it while having nightmares that it had fallen down the drain or I had flushed it down the toilet. I said a little prayer to calm down and did a quick sweep of the house one more time....No Ring! I started bawling and called Casey in hysterics ( He probably thought someone had died) He assured me we would find it and that it would be ok. I had this feeling I should check the bedroom again. I decided I might as well pull all the bedding off just to say I'd been thorough and there it was! Lying under all of the covers in the middle of the bed! How'd it get there? Not a clue. Does anybody else have a story of losing their wedding ring to make me feel better about being such an idiot? If so I'd love to hear about!

Yeah for Twighlight!

2008-10-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Find Out!">
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

I saw this on Aimee's blog and loved it. Oh I can't wait for the movie!

Maybe Baby?

2008-10-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

I had taken a few weeks off from blogging because Case and I have been super busy traveling and working. We've visited family three weekends in a row and this weekend will make four! It's nice that we can just pick up and leave whenever we feel so inclined! Casey was just commenting last night how in the not too distant future we won't have that luxury. ( was he hinting he's ready to start trying for a baby?) He kept mentioning kids and me being done with flight attending.....yeah! We'll see what happens! I don't think I'm quite ready yet and he sure was tired last night maybe he was delirious ;)

Crazy about Austenland

2008-10-16T07:41:00.001-07:00

Kim recommended this book to me the other day! It was a little slice of heaven to read. Many of you know I am obsessed with all things Pride and Prejudice and this was just so adorable. It's witty and fun and very creative. All of the books I have been reading lately are intense heavy reads that I'm enjoying but they are taking forever to finish. This book is short and sweet and can be read in about three hours. I highly recommend it in all of its darlingness to anyone who wants a quick happy little read! Thanks Kim!

Marriage Tag

2008-10-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Tonya

What's your husbands name? Casey William Bacon

How long have you guys been married? 3 months and 13 days ;)

How long did you date? hmm that's a great question. We dated off and on for almost 6 years.

How old is he? 28

Who eats more sweets? I do. It's pathetic. I tried to get Casey to eat one reeses peanut butter cup and he wouldn't do it.

Who said I Love You first? I did

Who is taller? Casey is. It was a dating requirement of mine ;)

Who is the better singer? Casey has perfect pitch. He has a wonderful singing voice.

Who is smarter? Casey has oodles more common sense than I do. It's nice to have someone to explain things to me. I am smart but he uses his brain more than I do.

Who does the laundry? We both do.

Who pays the bills? Right now we both do....I think I'll take over

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do ( is that bad?)

Who mows the lawn? Our landlords. If we had a lawn of our own it would 100% be Casey.

Who cooks dinner? I do. Casey is an amazing cook though and cooked a ton for me while we were dating......what happened there?

Who drives? Casey

Who is the first to say they are wrong? I would say me most of the time.

Who kissed who first? Casey kissed me. It's a funny story and we both tell it very differently.

Who asked who out first? Oh man. I asked Casey to come to Harry Potter with me. That is also a funny story.

Who wears the pants? Case. However I usually get what I want.

Know you know a little more about Casey and I I tag..... Kim, Lacey, Sarah, and Aimee

Stitch Witch

2008-10-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

The other day Kim and I were picking Carter up from a friends house and she had this costume "The Stitch Witch" in her van. ( the picture I posted is the actual picture on the costume) I was asking her if that is what she was going to wear for her Halloween costume. It's quite short and revealing for an adult but Kim had purchased it for Ivory. On a thin and not so developed teenager it wouldn't look quite the same. She was joking and saying how Mat would love it if she would wear it and then just out of the blue Carter comes up front to look at the costume and the picture of the lady on the front and he said
" Casey would really love it" Kim and I started cracking up. It was so cute that he was recognizing that Casey thinks of me the same way Mat thinks of Kim. It was adorable.

Halloween Costumes

2008-09-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween because it's an excuse to dress up and not feel ridiculous. Ok you may still feel ridiculous but it's all in good fun! I'd love to know what everyone is dressing up as this year. If you have any cool costumes from past years that you'd like to tell me about I'd love that too! Leave a comment about your favorite Halloween Costume. Mine was the Chiquita Banana Lady! I'll have to dig and see if I can finds some old pictures.

3x5 Tag

2008-09-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Aimee tagged me with this fun little post.
List: 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions/Collections, 3 Facts About Yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

3 Joys

Sunshine
Fall
Snuggling

3 Fears

All Bugs
Getting a paper cut in my eye
losing people close to me

3 Goals

Get Fit
Learn to love to run
Finish Book of Mormon by the end of the year

3 Obsessions

Gilmore Girls
Cupcakes
Purple

3 Facts about me

I really hate grocery shopping
I talk in a southern accent when I am at work
I am a bed hog

I tag Kim, Lacey, Desi, Sarah, Jen

Roasted Tomato Soup

2008-09-17T10:03:00.001-07:00

Tomato soup is the ultimate comfort food for me. Especially when it is creamy and has bits of tomato in it! I've been searching for a yummy recipe and I came across this one while watching the Food Network ( a new obsession of mine) Tyler from "Tyler's Ulitmate" made this soup and a homemade Mac and Cheese. I had to try it. I used garden tomatos given to me by Kim and our landlords. It turned out delicious and I felt so Martha Stewart because it comes out tasting so gourmet.

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes) 6 cloves garlic, peeled 2 small yellow onions, sliced Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 quart chicken stock 2 bay leaves 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.

Sisters

2008-09-12T08:19:00.001-07:00

Angela, Me, and Kim

I adore my sisters. Not only are they stunningly gorgeous they are also quite witty, creative, generous, patient, loving, and kind.

Kim- She is an incredible mother and is so dedicated to working hard, being healthy, and serving her family and community. We can talk for hours about nothing and laugh until we cry. I love you Kim.
Angela- She is fashionable, extremely great at recounting stories, an awesome multitasker, wonderful mother and wife, and dear friend. I love to talk fashion and celebrities with her! I love you Ang!

Make Up Bag Tag

2008-09-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready this morning and realized that I don't use most of the the stuff in my make up bag on an everyday basis. I decided to condense some of it into a five minute face bag. You know the basics that I don't leave home without! I love all of my make up and every once in a while I get crazy and do something cool and use my fun colors, but my everyday look is pretty basic. I thought it would be fun to see what other people have in their make up bags! I tag Lacey, Andrea, Kim, Sarah, and Tonya :)

Double Trouble

2008-09-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

We took about twenty of these photos

This one is a little better but not much!

We have plenty of places to sit but they chose
to sit on this chair together. It was too cute.

About a month ago I babysat for Kim so she could attend BYU's Education Week. I just had the twins because the older kids had all just started school. We had a great morning playing Legos and the Wii. I decided to put together a picnic and take the Twins to discovery park. I brought a huge gatorade for the three of us to share. I had maybe two sips and the Twins polished off the rest in about 10 minutes. We visited the bathroom 3 times in 45 mins ;) After the park I decided to be brave and take them to Costco. I figured how bad could it be right? The second I get them out of the car they start into a full on fist fight with screaming and punching and scratching. Boys can be so violent! Once we calmed down and got inside the boys started enjoying themselves and all of the yummy samples. Josh loved his cracker with salmon spread on it. "The salmon is wonderful" he told the lady. Twenty minutes and two cinnamon sugar churros later all was well and we were happy and smiling and on our way home. It was so fun to spend time with just Cole and Josh. They are adorable and kept me laughing with all of their funny comments.

My Favorite Blondies

2008-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Andrea, Lacey, Me, and Tonya

These three beauties are some of my dearest friends. Each has truly touched my life and added so much happiness. Andrea and I bonded in the eighth grade and were inseparable until we moved away to college. We had so many crazy fun times and late night walks and talks. We had a secret coded language and we loved to bake! Lacey and I had a blast in high school and truly became best friends my Sophomore year of college. Lacey helped me through a pretty rough time in my life. We have so many of the same likes it's crazy. Tonya and I met at Infotrax eight years ago. We had such an incredible summer the year after I started. Boating, dragging SF main street, dating stupid boys! Tonya is such a sincere amazing true friend. I love you girls. It was so great to have you all at my wedding.

Autumn Bliss

2008-09-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.

I love the crisp jacket weather in the evenings and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg and pumpkin.
I love fall fashion and wearing scarves.
I love wearing tights with dresses.
I love football season and rain.
I love being able to eat soup and not feel ridiculous. ( I eat soup in the summer because I really love soup but people look at me weird)
I love the start of the holiday season.
I could go on and on. Fall is perfect and I am so happy it is here!

Cole the Camera Man

2008-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Casey and I went to the Owlz game yesterday to hear Chloe sing the National Anthem. She was super brave to sing in front of all of those people. She looked adorable! While we were waiting for her to sing Cole was snapping away with my camera. After every picture he'd look at it and laugh hysterically. It was so funny to see the joy he was getting from something so simple. Here are some of his best shots!

A Tribute to Prince William

2008-09-02T04:19:00.001-07:00

I came across this picture of a red eye tree frog and it made my heart a little sad for my deceased pet! Some of you may not have known this but I owned a red eye tree frog. His name was Prince William and I adored him. He was my first pet that was just mine and I was so excited the day I bought him at the pet store. The silly thing is I couldn't touch him. I was too afraid, but I loved him just the same. ( He was a jumpy little bugger) My roommate Beth was a little skeptical at first but soon she warmed to his nocturnal ways. He slept all day stuck to the wall of his terrarium in a little green blob! He was a fierce hunter! He ate live crickets! (yes I had to keep live crickets in my house in a little cage) Does this sound like my kind of pet? I actually loved watching him hunt the crickets. He was such an athlete. He liked my voice and would wake up when I got home from trips to say hello and then he'd go right back to sleep until nighttime. I miss you William. Hopefully life is fulfilling and joyous in froggy heaven!

Feeling Purpley

2008-09-02T04:06:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed with all things purple these days! I have purple fingernail and toenail polish on right now and I keep searching for purple things to make me happy. Yeah for purple...incidentally I am now craving grape juice! It's 5 a.m. and I couldn't sleep. Casey head butted me and it woke me up and I couldn't fall back asleep. Oh the joys of sharing a bed. I am a bit of a bed hog and I think I was severely on his side. He has a large wonderful head and he got me good. He didn't even stir ;) I should go back to sleep but I think I am going to go download Stephanie Meyers half book Midnight Sun off of her web page. My sister Kim was telling me that someone had leaked it and Stephanie was ticked and decided to stop writing and just post the book to her site and not finish the project. Sad but also Wahoo! because now I have some Stephanie Meyer to read!

Baked Rigatoni

2008-08-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Casey and I love Ottavio's in Provo and they have this delicious dish called Rigatoni Ottavio's.
I wanted to recreate it but didn't know where to begin. I started looking for recipes online and couldn't find anything that seemed even remotely close. I decided to be brave and experiment.... It turned out delicious. It's not exactly like Ottavio's but its darn close and it tastes great!

Baked Rigatoni

1 lb ground beef
3 garlic gloves minced
1/2 box Rigatoni Pasta (8 oz)
11/2 jars Bertolli's Vodka Sauce
fresh or dried basil to taste ( i use alot)
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions
3.Brown ground beef and garlic in large sauce pan
4. Add sauce and basil
5. Simmer sauce on Med Low heat while pasta is cooking
6. Combine pasta, sauce and 1 c. of mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
and pour into a casserole dish.
7. Top with more mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (I was quite generous because we love cheese but you can use less to make it less fattening )
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly

Oh So Tired

2008-08-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ashlee had such a cute post on her blog that I am copying it because I truly get so tired of certain things. I also added a positive list because my life is filled with wonderful things as well.

What I am tired of.....

People calling me Ma'am on the airplane...What am I like 60?

Coming up with new ideas for dinner. (I've been married for under two months. I'm in trouble if this is already a problem!)

Always wanting to eat things that are bad for me. i.e. pizza, cookies, chocolate, candy! Why can't I just crave an apple for heavens sake!

Three inch roots that are the color of mud when the rest of my hair is like golden straw....I really miss you Julie. Come back from vacation already! My hair needs you. ;)

Not having DVR. Oh how I miss not having to watch commercials.

Being so stinking far away from all of my girls from high school. I love you and miss you all!

Landlords who think they can come into our place any old time for whatever reason. Creepy!

Being told my shoes are non compliant. I tell you SkyWest Management needs to get a life!

Things that I will never tire of....

My husband's appreciation for shows like Felicity and 90210.

The smell of fresh warm laundry.

Clean sheets.

My softest ever pillows.

The sound of babies laughing...Probably one of my all time favorite sounds. It's contagious.

Getting dressed up in a crazy costume for halloween.

BYU football season.

Wearing new clothes for the first time.

A great pair of jeans that fit my body amazing!

Laughing with my husband.

Making someone I don't know smile.

2008 Olympics

2008-08-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

I am loving the Olympics. I am getting behind on sleep from staying up so late watching. I think the athletes are so amazing and I feel emotionally attached to the entire US Olympic team. Watching Michael Phelps is especially incredible. He truly is an unbelievable athlete. The men's 4x100 freestyle relay was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen. If you get a chance, sit down and enjoy the Olympics, and cheer on our American team! Go U.S!

Wedding Slideshows

2008-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

The amazing and talented Shellee Draper just finished up our wedding pics. here are some slideshows that she created! Enjoy!
http://www.photographybyshellee.com/Slideshow/StaceyBridal/index.html
http://www.photographybyshellee.com/Slideshow/thebacons/index.html
http://www.photographybyshellee.com/Slideshow/Bacon/index.html

2008-07-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Calling all Twilight fans! It's almost time for book number 4 "Breaking Dawn"! How are you going to celebrate? My sister and I usually go to the midnight unveiling of new books and then try to stay up all night reading. Heaven forbid anyone finish it before we do! What a nightmare to have it spoiled before we get to the end! To all of you who have not given in to the guilty pleasure known as the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer may I recommend it.

Pure Breath Mints

2008-07-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

My new favorite thing is Pure breath mints. I found them at Target and the handy little tin has a mirror inside for touch ups. It is small enough to slip into the tiniest of bags! Love it! The ones you buy at Target are black but if you go to

http://sugardaisy.stores.yahoo.net/mirrormints.html

you can buy all kinds of cute little tins.

Memories.....

2008-07-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

The Perfect Day

2008-07-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

Case and I amongst the Chaos of "The Group Picture"

My Luncheon...So Pretty!

Yummy cake from Kneaders.

So happy!

Casey and I were married on June 20th in the Salt Lake Temple. It was such a gorgeous day and everything went perfectly. I had so many helpers and a ton of support and as a result I had my dream wedding! Thank you to all who helped! I love you all! Here are some pics from the big day!

Yummy Banana Bread.

2008-07-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me know I hate bananas with a passion...However I love banana bread and I found a yummy recipe that Casey and I adore.

Ready

¼ pound (1 stick) butter, unsalted and at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup organic Sucanat sugar, or brown sugar of choice ( I use brown sugar)
1 ½ cups organic unbleached flour( I use regular bleached flour and it works fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed banana, super ripe
1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream (SECRET INGREDIENT)

Set

Electric mixer
Sieve
Spatula
9x5x3 bread loaf pan
Parchment paper
Cooling rack
Preheat oven to 350°F

Go

Sieve together the flour, salt and baking soda then set aside.
Cream the butter in the mixer.
Once the butter is fluffy, add the sugar and blend the mixture well.
Then, add each egg, blending in between.
Mix in one third of the dry ingredients and then one third of the banana.
Repeat twice.
Add the vanilla extract.
Blend in the sour cream.
Turn the batter into the loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Let batter stand for 15 minutes.
Bake for 1 hour. To test if it is done, insert a knife and if it comes out clean, its ready.
Turn the finished loaf on to a cooling rack.
Serve when you can’t stand to wait any longer!