Time for an update

Wow. Time has really flown by these past few weeks. We have been a really busy family. I'll give you a list of reasons why my blog has been neglected, accompanied by a few photos!

Reason #1: I did photography for a friend whose family was sealed in the temple. I devoted a great deal of time and attention to finishing and retouching photos for them. Here's a little sample of my hard work:

Reason #2: I have been in a spring cleaning frenzy. My house was a disaster. It is no longer. Here is what our spare room looked like (sorry I don't have an "after" photo).

Reason #3: Mothers' Day. I wanted to put together an extra special present for my mom on her special day, so I put photography skills to good use and was able to present her with framed photographs of her beautiful grandsons.

Reason #4: Television. The Office, in particular, has had a PHENOMENAL season (as if it wasn't amazing already). The season finale revealed that Jam is going to have a little Jambino. Squee!

And American Idol has been top notch as well. I am very sad, however, that my favorite did not make it to the finale. Sorry Danny! You and your many pairs of eyeglasses will be missed.

Reason #5: The Cookbook. My bestest pal just had a birthday and I decided to put together a cookbook for her as a birthday gift. Here is one of my favorite recipes that I included:

Orient Express
Marinade:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chicken broth
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Stir-fry:
8 oz cavatappi or penne pasta (really, any hollow pasta tastes good)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. broccoli florets
8 whole canned baby corn, cut in half
1 red sweet pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
½ c sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules, dissolved in 6 tbsp boiling water

Marinate chicken for about 30 minutes. Cook pasta; drain and set aside. In a non-stick skillet, fry eggs until set. Slice into small pieces and set aside. Heat 1 ½ tbsp oil in wok and stir fry chicken; set aside. Add remaining oil to wok. Stir-fry onion and garlic until tender. Add remaining vegetables and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Add a few tbsp water to wok and cover; let vegetables steam for about 5 minutes. Uncover wok and add chicken, eggs, pasta, soy sauce, and bouillon. Cook until heated through.

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Add these on top of my job as resident laudress, dishwasher, cook, maid, nurse, childcare provider, bill-payer, etc. and you have one busy woman!

Things seemed to have slowed down some for now, so hopefully I will be less neglectful of my blog. Thanks to all of you out there who actually read it! You'll be hearing from me again soon, I promise.