Veggie Tortilla Soup

I came across this recipe online. I love avocados, so I thought I'd give it a shot. . . . . And holy yum! I was surprised by how delicious this was. Plus it was super easy to make! I've made it twice for the fam in the past month, we love it! It serves twelve and we're happy to eat the leftovers :)


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cans chopped green chile peppers
3 cans (14 oz) vegetable broth
1 can corn
2 cans black beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 diced avocados
tortilla chips

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat, stir in onion, red pepper, garlic, and cumin. Cook for 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.
2. Mix in tomatoes, chile peppers and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low. Add corn, black beans, and pinto beans. Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
4. Add avocado and chips before serving.
5. Eat to your heart's content :)

Christmas Cookies

For Christmas dessert I made 2 different kinds of cookies. I made these Reindeer Sugar Cookies first:

The original recipe used peanut butter cookies, but Dal is allergic to peanuts and I didn't want to risk a trip to the hospital on Christmas. What I didn't think through was that sugar cookies are thinner than most cookies, which made it difficult for the 'antlers' to stay. However, after much trial and error, help from my dad, and help from an egg-shaped cookie cutter he changed to 'reindeer shaped', we got the pretzel antlers to stay :) Thanks dad for your help! And thanks to my mom for tasting the dough before I rolled it out. I forgot the sugar, talk about gross- don't know how that happened! Haha.

I also made Chocolate-Peppermint Wafer Cookies. These are seriously so delicious!

I found this recipe on pinterest (shocker, I know). Just go to www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chocolate-peppermint-wafers-recipe-00000000024240/

The only thing I changed was I used milk chocolate instead of semi or bittersweet. Milk chocolate is the best :)

*Helpful Hint* Again, after much trial and error, and help from my parents, we found the best way to melt the chocolate and not overheat it, was to melt it in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between.

Merry Christmas!

100 Things About Me

I think posting 100 things about yourself was the popular thing on blogs a loooong time ago, but I didn't have a blog then, so here it is now :)

1. I never leave home without my chapstick.
2. I am a total germaphobe.
3. I never liked reading until I read The Hunger Games, now i love reading!
4. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
5. I have the most adorable nephew in the whole wide world.
6. I brush my teeth at least 3 times a day.
7. I LOVE Harry Potter. I read them all for the first time in two months this year.
8. I don't like animals, like at all.
9. I love stormy nights when I'm falling asleep and I hear rain hit my window.
10. My perfect vacation would include the beach, a hammock, and taco bell.
11. I really don't like driving in the slightest degree.
12. My brother Dallan makes me laugh harder than anyone on this planet.
13. I write in my journal every single night.
14. I love when Christmas falls on a Sunday.
15. I was in choir in high school. Mostly because it was an extra curricular activity that didn't include A) sweating, or B) waking up early.
16. I hate my hair pulled back.
17. I've never had a pet, and I'm not upset about it.
18. If given the chance, I'd kiss Leonardo DiCaprio.
19. It kinda drives me nuts when people use the wrong there, their, and they're.
20. I've tried to learn how to drive a stick shift 3 times. From 3 different people. Can't do it.
21. Survivor is my favorite favorite tv show ever.
22. I look up to my dad so much in so many ways.
23. I've been to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
24. When I was in elementary school I wanted to marry Aaron Carter. His concert was my first.
25. I don't understand much about politics. And I don't pretend to.
26. I'm a people watcher, possibly to the point of being creepy.
27. I love to swim.
28. I've started to learn how to cook. I love it!
29. My biggest struggle is insecurity, but I work at it every day :)
30. I don't like dreaming. I either wake up confused, or not well-rested.
31. I know American Sign Language.
32. I've never dyed my hair.
33. I don't have my ears pierced. The idea of having a hole in my ear and putting something through it freaks me out.
34. Libraries gross me out.
35. I love grilled cheese sandwiches.
36. My dream job is to be a professional organizer. I love throwing junk away and putting things in their place.
37. I'm seriously scared of mascots.
38. I've ran Ragnar twice!
39. A guy calling me 'beautiful' does nothing for me. Come up with something creative, then we'll talk.
40. Titanic is my favorite movie. I could watch it over and over and never get sick of it.
41. During the summer, sunscreen is my best friend. I burn like nobody's business.
42. I believe in Jesus. No one can change that.
43. My sister Ashlee is seriously the kindest, most selfless, most thoughtful person I've ever met.
44. I want to fly in a hot air balloon.
45. I can't whistle to save my life.
46. I love running at night.
47. Miley Cyrus is my guilty pleasure. Well, her and Justin Bieber. . . and Sean Kingston.
48. My mom has taught me so much about life, it's ridiculous.
49. I don't eat meat.
50. I don't like wearing make up. It makes me feel like I'm hiding something.
51. The best day of my life was when I got my braces off-seriously.
52. I probably say "seriously" too much.
53. My brother Bryson is my video game buddy.
54. I can't drink milk. It weirds me out.
55. I'm not afraid of dying.
56. I love puzzles and word searches.
57. I don't like sports. Please don't ask me to play them.
58. I'm a little sarcastic.
59. I read The Great Gatsby. I'm still trying to figure out why he was so great...
60. I love being in airports but not airplanes.
61. I love wearing dresses.
62. Nicole Baxter and Kim King are my best buds :)
63. When I was little my hair was so blond it would turn green during my swim lessons, so I had to wear a swim cap. I hated every second of it.
64. I recently became obsessed/addicted to pinterest.com. It's amazing!
65. I love my nails painted, but it's too much effort for 2 days worth of good-looking nails. So I rarely do it.
66. I wish I lived during the 40's or 50's.
67. I love The Gettysburg Address. I think Abraham Lincoln was brilliant on so many levels.
68. Kit Kats + The Notebook= the perfect remedy after a breakup.
69. I like to watch hockey.
70. I want to learn how to surf. I think it's so neat.
71. I don't find anything about Jim Carrey funny, but everything about Steve Carrell hilarious!
72. I kick butt at Mario Kart on Nintendo 64.
73. I think Sesame Street is so strange.
74. I could live off of peanut butter.
75. Growing up, I probably watched Arthur every day.
76. I'm not a morning person in the slightest.
77. I love Barnes and Noble.
78. Ariel is my favorite Disney princess, but Pocahontas is my favorite movie.
79. I have to curl my eyelashes every day or they drive me nuts.
80. I sing in the shower. Is there honestly anyone who doesn't?
81. I love the word 'lovely'.
82. After the Hannah Montana movie came out on dvd, I pretty much fell asleep to it every night for months. . . I just love it.
83. My hair never does what I want it to. It always looks crazy to me.
84. I've never been to a haunted house, I'm a hardcore wimp when it comes to that kind of stuff.
85. I'd like to be a mermaid for a day or two.
86. I love dancing!
87. People tell me I make them feel good about themselves because I laugh at all their jokes. I'm a laugher, it's how I roll :)
88. I took piano lessons for a lot of years. . . problem is, I didn't practice much.
89. My vocabulary isn't very big. I try to learn new words, but they don't stick very easily.
90. I love getting mail.
91. I have quotes all over my room. There's a lot of things about life I try to remember.
92. I never know how to take one of these winky faces ;) when people text it.
93. I love wearing boots.
94. I keep my nails cut really short. Long nails bug me.
95. I love yoga.
96. I have too many favorite songs to list.
97. I've seen The Lion King and The Little Mermaid Broadway shows.
98. I find Shaun White strangely attractive. I know he's not, but he's so hot!
99. I love Utah because of the mountains. They make me feel safe.
100. When I'm an old lady I'm going to have long hair. I don't want that short, curly, poof look.

Is that you??

I got an ad in the mail from Kohl's and saw that Jennifer Lopez now has a clothing line. I got to thinking, why are people more enticed to buy clothes just because a celebrity designed/wore it?


I remember back in high school I took a fashion class. I had to look through magazines for an assignment to find specific styles of clothing. In a magazine for teens I remember coming across something like this:

The magazine showed exactly where to buy these items and how much they cost. If we can't come up with jeans, flip flops, and a hoodie on our own, I don't have much hope for the world!

I find our society's obsession with celebrities kind of fascinating. Mostly I just don't understand it and am surprised at what people do with influence from a celeb. Lindsay Lohan wore this $575 dress to a court appearance. It immediately sold out. Why? I have my theories. .


A) It was a cute dress.
B) People think they'll become a celebrity if they look like one.
C) People don't know who they are, so they copy people who they feel they know.

It seems to me there are a lot of people out there who don't know, deep down, who they are. They just go through the motions of life and don't stop to think or make self discoveries. So they try to be other people because they can't be themselves. You can't be someone you don't know. Wearing a dress Lindsay Lohan wore won't make you feel good about yourself. If you're wearing it strictly because she did, you aren't being yourself at all, and how would that make yourself happy?

The next time you're out shopping, and you see something you like, don't think, 'who designed this?' or 'would a Kardashian wear it?' Wear what looks like you.

I'm awesome, you're awesome.

We are all familiar with the words 'weight loss'. We're probably too familiar with that term. There are so many pills you can take, workout videos you can buy, and exercise equipment you can purchase to achieve this 'weight loss'. Our society is so focused on how we look that we forget about how we feel. I know many times I've looked in the mirror dissatisfied with how I look. I'd think to myself, "If only I had a flatter stomach. . . if only my legs were longer. . . if only those bags under my eyes would go away. . . if only that double chin would vanish. . .(and the list goes on. . .) then, I'd be happy." Guess what that accomplishes? Nothing. It makes me feel awful about myself and leaves me feeling unworthy. The past year I've been doing the opposite, I look in the mirror and I tell myself, "I'm awesome! I look awesome!", and guess what happens? I feel awesome. Funny how that works.

"We compare our worst to everyone's best."
-Marie Osmond

Don't spend time dwelling on looking like Kate Middleton or Hale Berry. They have a village helping them look the way they do. Wishing you looked like them isn't worth it. If you want to be in better shape eat healthier and be active, but don't let it consume you. Do what makes you feel good about yourself. Have higher aspirations in life than to weigh 110 pounds.

We have so many things telling us what's pretty and what's not. It's everywhere you look; on television, on the internet, on billboards and magazines. You can't escape it. It makes me feel like we won't be accepted (by whom i don't know) unless we're sticks. However, to accomplish "stick-ness" the majority of us would have to starve ourselves, live at the gym, and/or watch every single calorie we eat. That's no way to live! Life is about balance. If you're healthy, happy, and you feel good, that's what matters. Keep telling yourself you're awesome, and you will be, because you are :)