A Concrete Home...hmmm?

Chris, his brother, Robert, and their dad have been in concrete and excavation for many, many years. When Robert was on his mission, Chris hurt his back so after much prayer and inspiration decided to go back to college. Robert, however stayed in construction and a couple of years ago started his own concrete business, Landmark Concrete. After researching concrete homes and the benefits they offer he has now started building concrete homes. So, of course, he wanted us to build a concrete home too. Chris was sold almost right away but like every new situation I am faced with, I was full of questions and hesitations so I hit the internet trying to find all the pros and cons of concrete homes. How would I hang pictures? Would it interfere with the aesthetics of the home? Is it more expensive? etc., etc., etc. While it is a little more expensive up front, Chris and I have found that the benefits far out way the extra cost and will definitly save us on our monthly home owners insurance as well as on utilities.

Benefits of a Concrete Home:

• Energy Effecient=much lower utility costs (because of better insulation)


• Environmentally Friendly (It is sooo "IN" to be Green!:))


• Because concrete walls contain no organic material they don't grow mold, mildew or other harmful micro-organisms. (our inside walls are still wood so there is still the possibility but it is a lot less.)


• More sound resistent against high winds, storms and other outside sounds.


• More resistant to fire!


• Because a concrete home is less likely to grow mold, have termites, burn down etc. you have much, much lower home owners insurance.

Now that you all want a concrete home...you can contact Robert at http://www.landmark-concrete.com/ :)

Did you like my little sales-pitch for you, Robert and Anna? :)

Week 8...And Finally Some Progress!

For the first 5 weeks it seemed that everytime I went to the house, all I saw was dirt being moved from one pile to another. I have to admit I was a bit frustrated that I wasn't seeing much progress AND Chris was gone ALL day! WHAT was he doing? (YES! I was honery!) :) I had to actually go and work a couple of days with him to find out what he was actually doing with the dirt to realize that there was progress, it was just slow. But the last three weeks have been a lot better as far as the progress that you can see...here are some pictures!

The basement walls and Chris helping Robert layout the basement for framing...

Here is Keith, Chris' 17 year old brother. Both he and Robert helped to frame the basement while Chris was at work so they were able to get a lot done....we couldn't have done it without them!!! You can tell Keith worked hard if he can sleep on a concrete floor in the heat! I can't tell if he was thinking that the ladder would actually provide more shade...?


The basement is mostly finished being framed. There are three bedrooms, a bathroom, a food/cold storage room (my fav), another storage room, and a family room. We are only finishing the basement about 20% for now but we are hoping to have it finished within a year...that might be being overly optimistic but we are going to try!

Here is Allie walking in her future bedroom. And the other picture is of the garage walls being formed for the concrete walls. Did I mention we are having a concrete home? More on that to come...

All In A Days Work!

Here are some of the best recipes yet! And a kitchen tip!

Kitchen Tip #2

If a recipe calls for a different type of flour like cake flour (in the first recipe) and all you have is all-purpose, don't fret! Here is a substitution that works really well.

Put 2 tbsp. corn starch in the bottom of a measuring cup and add the rest all-purpose flour (I have tried this method on several different recipes and it works really well). If the recipe calls for less than a cup just shift a cups worth of all-purpose flour together with the corn-starch a couple of times and use required amount.

Blueberry Buckle

(Courtesy of Alton Brown)

For the cake:

Nonstick cooking spray

9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups
For the topping:

3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup

1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
For the topping: In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. (I tasted it hot out of the oven and cooled slightly and it definitely tastes better cooled...the ginger is much stronger at a hotter temperature.)

Fruit Dip

This is a great recipe to dip fruit in for something a little different and I like it because I always have the ingredients on hand...

2 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Blend ingredients together and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with any fruit.

Sandwich Ka-bob

Cut up sandwich ingredients into bite-size pieces and put onto a stick/skewer. Kids think it is fun and different! Serve with the following...

Domino Squares

(Courtesy of kraftfoods.com)

Blueberries, (or raspberries) whipped cream and graham crackers. Arrange to resemble domino's. Fun! Fun!

Chili's Bar and Grill Southwest Egg Rolls
This recipe is the recipe for the Southwest Egg Rolls that you can get from Chili's on the appetizer menu. I usually get them for dinner because they are so filling especially if you eat them with a dinner salad. The recipe seems a little long but it is totally worth it!

4 chicken breast fillet

4 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

8 tablespoons minced green onion

1 1/3 cup frozen corn

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

8 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained

8 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

4 dashes cayenne pepper

6 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

20 egg roll wrappers

Avocado-ranch dipping sauce

1 cup smashed, fresh avocado (about 2 avocados)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons buttermilk

6 teaspoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

4 dashes dried dill weed

4 dashes garlic powder

4 dashes pepper
Preheat barbecue grill to high heat. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks. Set chicken aside until it cools.
Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and saute for a couple minutes until tender. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight, and then pierce with a toothpick to hold together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five egg rolls. Arrange the egg rolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
While the egg rolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry the egg rolls in the hot oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels or a rack to drain. Garnish with the dipping sauce, chopped tomato and onion.

Cookies and Cream Freeze
(courtesy of Kraftfoods.com)

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
14 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
MELT chocolate as directed on package; set aside until ready to use. Line 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Arrange 8 of the cookies evenly on bottom of pan. Crumble remaining 6 cookies; set aside.
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Remove about 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture; place in medium bowl. Stir in melted chocolate.
SPREAD remaining cream cheese mixture over cookies in pan; sprinkle with crumbled cookies. Gently press cookies into cream cheese mixture with back of spoon; top with chocolate mixture. Cover. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 15 min. before serving; invert onto serving plate. Peel off foil; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before cutting to serve.

Cousins! Cousins! And More Cousins!

I thought I was keeping up on my pictures but it turns out that I am taking pictures faster than I can think. I just downloaded another 100 from my camera...most of which inspired this next post!

With 12 cousins in town, Austin, Allie and Abigail always have someone to play with on a regular basis. It is definitely the best part about living where we do. Here are some pictures with their cousins and the many activities they get to do together!

Swim Lessons
Daddy was able to take off an hour from work so he could swim with Allie one day! Allie absolutely loved it! Here is Allie, Daddy, Aunt Lisa and Emma.


Austin got to dive off the low dive and the high dive! He loved the High dive and said he wasn't afraid at all!

Utah Summer Games
For the last couple of years, Chris' brothers compete in the arm wrestling portion of the Utah Summer Games. This was the first year we were able to attend. Jacob and Taylor also competed in the kids divisions. Jacob got the silver. Taylor got the bronze. Robert got Gold in Left-handed and Silver in Right-handed. Keith got silver in Left-handed.
Jake competing

Keith is in the red hat!

Allie and Dallin just playing!

Robert is on the left!

Dating Co-Op!
To try and make sure that Chris and I make the time to date and spend time together, we have a "Dating Co-op" with 4 other couples (all family). We take turns babysitting each others kids everyother week. It is really awesome! Since we have 10 kids at a time sometimes, I usually have an activity or two to keep them from running amuck! This week we decorated cupcakes. They made butterflies and it has been the most liked activity yet! (of course, whenever there is food involved, it is sure to be a hit!)




And last but not least...just hanging out!

Cousins by blood - Friends by Choice!

Flashback Friday

My friend Mandy and her family went to the San Diego Zoo this last week and she had a picture of her kids on the "Famous" Gorilla statue. When my family lived in CA when I was a child we went to the San Diego Zoo often, mainly because at the time kids under 16 got in free (wouldn't that be nice). Now you pay a whopping $24-34 per person...none the less there isn't another zoo like it. Anyway, for flashback Friday I had to post our pictures by the "famous Gorilla."

My brothers and I at the SD Zoo in 1990ish.

Austin at the SD Zoo in 2005.

House Update - Week 5

The last 4 weeks have been filled with work, work, work, a mini vacation, and then lots more work! Poor Chris has been working his guts off...(literally...lol!) Good thing for Sundays or he would never have a break...and I don't know if fighting Abigail for 3 hours at Church is really a break. But he is so awesome because he never complains. Here is what we have accomplished so far on the house...
Once the basement was actually dug we had a a lot of compacting, watering, compacting, testing every day for 4 days, or was it 5 days?

Chris's brother Robert's crew took over and set and poured footings while Chris started on connecting sewer and water to the house.

The footprint of the house actually makes it look really small??

And finally...the walls are being set!

Michele's Wedding and Story

This last weekend, Chris and I had the privilege of attending my friend, Michele's wedding in California. We dropped the kids off in Vegas with my sister and headed to California for a mini-vacation. This was the first time we have had a break from our kids for hmmm...well, a really long time. I was so excited to see Michele again...it has been about 2 and half years since the last time we were able to get together and that was only for about an hour. We had an awesome weekend preparing for her wedding and dancing the night away at her reception. Everything was beautiful and she was absolutely gorgeous! Here are some pics of her wedding.

Did I mention that we made all her flowers? They turned out beautiful!!

Her handsome boys...Luke, Zack and Kyle

This was the best wedding cake we have ever tasted...it was soooo good!

Her sisters...Ashley and Melanie

Me and Michele...just like old times.


I also made her a book...
Here is a link to the book and a picture of her looking at it...she loved it...woohoo!

Click here to view this photo book.