ITS BEGINING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ...

CHRISTMAS!!!!
I can't wait. I have already started listening to Christmas music and I am going to get all of my Christmas decor up tonight!!! So exciting! All we need now is a little snow!!! I seriously can't believe that we don't have any yet. This truly is the best time of year! It is the time of year that we all come together and become more aware of others. We have the spirit of giving. It is a time when we come together in love and service. Most of all, It is a time to celebrate our Saviors birth and life. We need to always remember the true meaning of Christmas and keep it in our hearts all year round. I love everything about this holiday!!! Just please don't go by to fast!!!!

FALL IS HERE!!

I am so excited!! Fall is my favorite time of year. Its the BEST. It has the best sights, smells, tastes, decor, temperature, holidays and more! I can't get enough of this season. I do love that I live somewhere that has a beautiful fall season. I can't wait to start getting the fall decorations out and fully immersing myself into this season. Yay! Hooray!! FALL is HERE!!

Elder David Burtenshaw

Left us standing extremely proud and with tears streaming down our faces, 2 years ago at the Twin Falls Airport. He was on his way to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He would be serving in the Burmingham, England mission. I remember standing there that day watching him wave out to us from the airplane window thinking " This is going to be the longest 2 years of my life. It is going to be so hard to have him gone." Don't get me wrong. I was so proud of him, but I was going to miss him terribly. 2 years have gone by and I am very proud to announce that he is going to be coming home on Wednesday July 22nd at 6:00 pm. He has served so faithfully, and is definitely coming home with honor. It has been such an amazing experience for me to read his letters and to watch him really grow up. He is turning into such a great man. Yikes!I just called him a man! My little brother is growing up! Congratulations David!!! You did it!

The Fray

Eric surprised me with tickets to The Fray, as an early birthday present! Happy Birthday to me! I was so excited. We had so much fun just being together. Sitting on the grass at the Usana and getting some r&r while listening to great bands. Jacks Mannequin also came with them. They were fun to see as well. All in all it was a really great night! Thanks for the wonderful birthday present!!!It was a blast!

Addiction Dance

Recently, I have become a fan of So You Think You Can Dance. It is a really fun show and it has some truly amazing talent. This is one of my favorite dances of the season and I have watched it over and over again. It is so compelling. I wanted everyone to have the opportunity to experience it. The theme is about addiction and trying to be able to overcome it. So powerful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Burtenshaw Family Reunion

Last weekend was the Butenshaw/Jensen family Reunion. It is when all of us siblings get together and basically have a 3 day party. It was so much fun. Thanks Dad and Darla for all that time and effort you put into planning and making thing happen.  We are lucky that you care enough to get us all together. Also, our camera has been broken for a while now, hence all the posts without pictures. I am very proud to announce that we bought a new one! I am so excited! Its a great camera and now I can get back to capturing all the memories we are making!! Yay! Here's a slide show of some of the fun. I need to make another because there are a ton more pictures! Enjoy!

FLOWERS COME OUT OF DARK MOMENTS

Lately, I have been feeling very thought provoked.  I was looking online and different quotes and tying to find one that was describing how I was feeling. Here is what I found:

"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed." - Corita Kent.

Things don't always go as you plan, but they always seem to work out for the best and the way that they are suppose too. We get so caught up in our darkness, that sometimes we don't open our eyes to see the flowers that have come out of it. We forget to look at the blessing that are there infront of us while we are going through our trials. 

I feel that lately I have been so caught up in my own "darkness" That I have forgotten to see how truly blessed my life is. Don't take this the wrong way, I am not depressed or anything wierd like that, but there always seems to be some sort of personal trial that we are faced with. Something that we are going through that tries our faith and we have to remember what is truly important and that it will work itself out in its own way. That we will live through these moments and be better for it. I really have so many amazing things to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family, amazing husband, great friends, the gospel, the cutest nieces and nephews on the planet and million other things that I could name. As I said before, Flowers come out of dark moments and I have the most beautiful ones of all.

If your read all of this you are a champ! Thanks!

My Inner Chef

Since I have been married, I wasn't really in love with cooking. It was ok, but I wasn't very creative and didnt really try new recipes. It could have been because the stuff I wanted to start with was a bit more pricey and hard, but none the less I just didn't love cooking. Then I started watching the Rachael Ray show and learning that a lot of the stuff she was cooking was pretty simple and good on my pocket book. All of a sudden I had this great passion for cooking. Who knew? I love to cook now. I love just looking through cook books and I live to watch the food network channel. It is just so much fun. So, through this discovery I have found so many chefs that are just amazing! One of my favorites is The Barefoot Contessa. My cousin introduced me to her, and I am obsessed! So last friday I decided to make her recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup and Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. It is our new favorite thing. Its really not expensive and it makes tons of food, so you can definitely freeze it. The cornbread is amazing. You don't even have to add the other stuff if you don't want. Anyways, I am going to put them on my blog. Try them out! You won't be sorry!



Mexican Chicken Soup

3 split (3 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
9 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
1 can of corn
1 can black beans

Directions

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.



Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk or milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers
Directions

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ADAM LAMBERT

I love love love him!!! He is freaking amazing! If you didn't get to see him perform last night, you need to watch it. He is fabulous!

This sounds fun!

One of my bestest friends, Melissa, had this on her blog and I am totally excited to do this. Read and enter this fabulous contest...you know you want to!The deal:The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me. To you! It will be my choice and made especially for you. Just so we’re on the same page, here are . . . The details:No guarantees you will feel absolute true love, but possibly happiness, fervor, or chocolate. What I create will be just for you. It will be done sometime this year. You have no clue what it will be… cookies, a photograph, a piece of homemade jewelry.It may be some other random thing I am capable of making or doing that would be enjoyable to you! I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you! That’s for sure. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.The fine print:You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. When you get your lovely homemade goods from me, post a picture on your blog so I know my love arrived without a hitch!

Fear Not I Am With Thee...Oh Be Not Dismayed.

Its amazing how one phrase can make you feel so safe and that things will work out. Yesterday in primary we were learning the 3rd verse to the hymn How Firm A Foundation. I have had this song memorized since I was a teenager. It was one of my moms favorite hymns and today I really  understood why.  There is such a power in the words of these verses. I think that sometimes in life we feel like we are all alone and that nobody understands what we are going through. The savior does know what we are going through. In this verse of the song he says, " Fear not I am with thee, oh be not dismayed. For I am the God and will still give the aid. I will strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand. Up held by my righteousness, omnipotent hand." What powerful words. How can you not help but feel his comfort and love from them. I have just not been able to stop thinking about this verse so I thought that I would share. 

American Idol

Well, I have decided that in honor of American Idol starting up again, I would post my very favorite audition from last year. You can't help but laugh your head off. It is definitely a good one. So anyways, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!