why didn't anyone tell me!?

ok. so ive heard about the "no" stage, and of course the "why" stage.... but why didn't any one tell me about the "no mommy, YOU do it" stage????? believe me, its more frustrating then the whole "no" thing!

skadooosh

alright. here is a brief (ok, far too long) update on our family...picture style. first and by far most exciting, my lovely sister has wonderful news!

Delayna is engaged!!!!

we had several shots of both of us looking "funny", but i thought she would appreciate a nice picture of her for the blog. lucky for you, i dont care how scary i look! they are planning a late august- mid september wedding! yay!!! bring it on! tony is a wonderful guy. a return missionary and a medic in the army. he has just returned from iraq and we were able to meet him this spring over the conference weekend. anyone who is willing to sacrifice so much to serve, not only our country, but bring democracy and freedom to others is a hero in my book! we certainly pray for our troops. the only thing about it is this: a few years ago layna gave me her kitchenaid mixer because all of her roommates had one. well, she will most definitely be needing this in washington d.c. to cook for her new hubby, so sadly i will be returning it to her. well lucky for christopher, i know EXACTLY what i want!!! i have wanted this kitchenAid Artisan 5 quart mixer in tangerine for YEARS. seriously. man, i love it! i have left pictures of it on our wallpaper...notes of when sales are, you know, all the "subtle" hints chris will need ;)

next up :
ELLIE BELLY

last night we walked over to bo and larissa's and were literally eaten alive by mosquitos. poor little miss was devoured. what sweet flesh! you may have to click on the picture to get a good view of her legs. yikes!


she has discovered how much fun it is to sit up to the table. no high chair, no booster. wow. loads of fun.

don't ask. she gets it from her dad.

on monday we read a story from the friend for FHE. it was about a grandma and a trip to get donuts, so naturally, we went to get donuts for our treat. here she is waiting patiently, which is a rare occurance.

ellie has started pulling out her hair in the back of her head. the worst part is that she then proceeds to eat it. im not worried about the fact that she has created a rat-tail in the back, but that there could be hair balls developing in her stomach. i guess until i hear otherwise i just wont worry about it.

finally:

Jack Man

we played super heros today and jack decided he wanted his cape to be more of a "joseph & mary" look...singular!

here he is struttin' his stuff. these are his first pair of flip flops. it's taking some getting used to, but he's catching on! also, this is a shirt from grandma janie, who jack is THRILLED to be going to visit next week!!!!!

this is what happens when you have a 2 1/2 year old who refuses to take a nap and then crashes on the couch in the evening.

jack and the holy grail... i mean a donut

and just for laughs...

recipe!

well i have been thinking all day that i need to post something new, but nothing came to me. and then when i actually logged on i saw a note from cathy, my sweet sister-in-law, requesting the infamous tortilla recipe. SO for those of you who want it, here it is:

2 1/2 C flour
1 C very hot agua (or water for those of you who dont habla espanol)
1 tsp kosher salt (or regular is fine too)
1/4 C shortning

In a heavy-duty mixer, combine flour and salt. Add in shortening and mix until well combined (it will resemble coarse bread crumbs). Add hot water. The water hotness is the key to these being easy to make--it needs to be hot enough to melt the shortening, but not SO hot that the dough turns into an ooey-gooey mess. Or a hot mess (literally), as Mia Michaels might say. I usually get relatively warm water from my tap and then heat it for 45-60 seconds in the microwave.Anyway, after you add the water, the dough will start to come together. When it is fully combined, remove from mixer and divide into portions. Now...the recipe yield really depends on how many tortillas you want. If you want small tortillas (like for fajitas), then you'll probably get around 10-12. If you want medium tortillas (burritos), then you'll probably get 8 or so. For large tortillas (like for salad wraps), you'll get around 6. Shape portions into round balls.

Preheat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet to medium-low heat. If necessary, spray your work surface with non-stick cooking spray; you may not need to because the dough isn't particularly sticky, but it may be and you also don't want to add any more flour to your dough. Press your palm against the surface of the dough ball, trying to maintain as much of a round shape as possible. Place rolling pin in middle of flattened dough ball and roll to desired thickness, shaping in a circle as you go.Place raw tortilla on preheated skillet. Now...be forewarned--the first one may not work out great; it's like the first pancake or the oldest child (TOTALLY kidding, oldest sister and oldest child!) You're going to be watching for bubbles. If you get little blistery bubbles, your skillet is too hot and you need to reduce the heat. You're looking for big, fat, slow-bubbling bubbles. When you start to see them, flip the tortilla over and cook for another 30-45 seconds or so. This is where some personal taste comes in, but in my experience, dark marks on your tortillas (like you see on store-bought ones) usually lead to brittle tortillas when they cool down. Personally, I'm keeping my eye out for a kind of "greasy" look inside; I know that sounds gross, but that's the best way I can think of to describe it. These ones are cooked enough to not taste raw, but they're also very soft when they cool and they hold up to being wrapped, folded, twisted, and turned.If you're cooking these quickly, you can just stack them on top of each other and they'll stay warm. You can also wrap them in damp paper towels and then wrap them in foil and keep them in a warm oven (170) until you're ready to use them. But be sure and save one just for you--you have to eat it while it's still hot and you can spread some butter on it or butter with cinnamon sugar or just eat it plain and BLESS the wonder that is real Mexican food!

so- i just copied that right off the website www.ourbestbites.com . this is a great website because it has pictures to go along with the steps so i know if im doing it right! another FABULOUS recipe from the site is their creamy lime-cilantro dressing, super yummy!

i was so so so excited to get my comment from cathy... i can't wait till august!!! this reunion is going to be so much fun! we will finally be able to see ohio and what is drawing all of the brower family out there!!! we miss all of our ohio browers very much, so august, we are waiting for you! don't you think you could hurry up, maybe even skip june and july and all the hurricanes that come with them!!!

tortillaria

Buenos Dias Amigos

this past christmas, my wonderful christopher gave me this tortilla warmer. i had always thought that these were just somewhat of a gimmick...for suckas...and chris fell into the trap. (either that or he was desperate for a present to give me, and i know that was the case too). well, this thing works like a CHAMP! it keeps tortillas warm for hours!!! i love it. one of my favorite things in the entire universe is homemade tortillas. all warm and soft and floury...mmmm! i am drooling right now. wow, ok, let me get back on track here. ok so for mother's day i planned a mexican fiesta for our big family get together and asked chris to try making some totillas with a new recipe and they turned out muy delicioso! but, if you know chris, they weren't perfect. YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS! our kitchen has turned into a little tortillaria and i couldn't be happier! not that his other "specialties" haven't been fun too. he is wonderful at baking cheesecakes, great at making salsa, and he has perfected the BLT. but the tortillas are by far my favorite! i am soOoOoo lucky!!!

each time chris has practiced, his hair has grown a little darker, his mustache a little thicker, and he has started wearing a sombrero everywhere he goes. dont believe me? check it out for yourself...

adios!

what's up

what's up at the brower household? i'm glad you asked! last week we enjoyed the arrival of some goodies from alli's sweet new sister-in-law dani, and her husband dave. i was of course ecstatic about the TrUfFlEs that were sent, but jack was THRILLED with a package of smoked salmon!!! man, that boy is obsessed!

we have welcomed with open arms a new pet named "pool". yes, "pool". jack went to his friend jenna's birthday party last weekend and was given an egg. so we put the egg in warm water and within a couple days, pool was born! what an awesome party favor...i'll log that idea away ;)

we also were able to play with aunt rikki and three of her work friends!!!! before alli's wedding, rikki & co had planned a trip here for a few days and so we have been able to play with her two months in a row!!!!!! unfortunately i didnt get any pictures but our days consisted of playing in the pool, pillow fights, chocolate cake, and rubber frogs! we already miss natalie, marissa, lisa, and rik :(

everett got a new toy! and lucky for us, he wanted to share! aren't cousins the butt... ooops i mean BEST! thanks ev man!!

a typical day here goes something like this (ok, so this was how yesterday went...but most days are pretty similar):

we wake up at about 8

go to the beach. chris takes the cast net and catches bait fish which we keep in a little raft and jack throws them back into the water at his leisure. yesterday jack kissed each one and said "i love you" to each fish before throwing it back into its home. his favorite ones are ballyhoo.

go back to grandmas and eat lunch.

swim in grandma & grandpa's pool.

watch a movie and fall asleep.

go home and eat dinner with dad before he goes to work.

ok, so not everyday is like that, but i couldn't help but think that life is pretty awesome right now! i love florida and being so close to family!

long time no see

last night chris and i were downloading some recent pics onto the computer and found these loverly shots that i had forgotten about. larissa and i took these beauties while hanging lights for jacob & alli's reception. it was such a chore, with many many hours put into it, we were eaten by no-see-um's, and very dirty, but we would do it again in a heartbeat for any of the other sisters....maybe i should have put I would do it again :)

something citrus

lately i have just been craving tangerine! not the fruit, although i LOVE it, but the color. it is incredible to me! i am a color person, but not like a freak about it. but every once in a while i just get obsessed with a color and right now its tangerine!

these were just a few things i found on etsy when i searched the term "tangerine". i really enjoy picking a color and searching it on etsy. i get really excited seeing the variety of things people create.

im dreaming of a...

im dreaming of a...... not a white christmas..... a Canadian Maple Donut from TIM HORTONS!!! in august we are going to ohio for a brower family reunion, which we are way excited for. as part of our trip we, along with a couple other families, will be driving to palmyra to visit church history stuff. WELL, this morning the love of my life informed me that there are TIM HORTON resaraunts near buffalo and that we get to go!!!!!!!!!!! for those that dont know, this is a fast-food type chain in canada that my family fell in love with on our adventures in the great north. they sell soup and sandwiches and DONUTS! the best in the world. ok, they have a specific one that is so soft and delectable. with a creamy custard inside and a sweet maple top, its perfection! i can't stop thinking about TIM HORTONS!!!!!

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(yes, this is what i look like most mornings so you can stop laughing now)