"There is more to life than increasing its speed"

So what do I do now that I'm done with school and not working?

Organizer from Staples that has eternally
 revolutionized our desk space.

I clean. Gone are the days that our laundry would sit in the dryer for a week, aching to be folded. These days I can get through 4 or more 

loads of laundry in one day---from dirty to folded and put away! I've created cleaning checklists for every room in my apartment (from a Level 1 basic clean to a Level 4 intensive clean) and have been trying to go a little more in depth each week in my cleaning. We're talking dusting, wiping baseboards, removing light fixtures and washing them, etc. What about Organizing? or De-cluttering? Foreign words indeed to a busy, stressed out student. But in the past few weeks, the amount of trash and DI bags our little apartment has seen leave the doorstep is quite astounding. 

I cook. We've been "going grain" (okay, bad joke). With my Kitchenaid and new wheat grinder as my tools, I've been mixing up whole wheat flax bread, waffles and tortillas. I've also been experimenting with other grains like oats (steel cut, oat bran, etc.), flax, and lentils.

Next up on the "grains to try" list are couscous (which I've never had much success with in the past) and quinoa. I even tried my hand (actually both hands, arms, biceps, shoulder muscles, and what core muscles aren't being stretched to oblivion) at homemade filled pasta. 

It was exhausting.

But the result was delicious. 

Now I'm yearning for one of these.

If you ever have some pent-up stress or anger, a stretch of hours on your hand, and/or want a good workout--try making pasta by hand with a rolling pin. I used this great tutorial and this delectable recipe.

At first I was more concerned about making them pretty. I used heart shaped cookie cutters and thought they were adorable. Then I cooked one and tried it---way too much pasta, not enough filling. Then I just starting cutting the dough with a knife, around the filled part, and squeezing the edges together with my fingers. They were a little more rustic in appearance, but much tastier.

The Menu

The Husband

The Food

I exercise. But today I'm trying to lay down and put my feet up a little more (hence this long blog post). My back just hasn't been the same since I hiked the Y last week and I really want it to get a little better so I can keep exercising. Usually, I go on up-hill walks with friends, or walk/run on the treadmill at Pete's work gym. Getting to see him a bit during the day is extra motivation to go work out :)

Sunset view from the Y parking lot through the pollution.
 (Thanks Ush and Ash for the phone call!)

I study. NCLEX is coming up on February 15th! I haven't been too zealous in my study habits, to be honest (it seems there are lots of other things to keep me busy). I'm trying the slow and steady approach instead. I've been doing about an hour a day since January 1st, plus a few study sessions with friends. As it is getting closer, I plan to take some more lengthy practice tests.  

I prepare.  Or at least try to. I'm probably a little bit behind in this area right now considering I only have 2 months before my due date. Making lists of baby things I need to get, slowly collecting items, and researching products is quite the task. I have also been reading baby books, parenting books, breastfeeding books, and talking to new moms. While I know nothing is really going to prepare me, the planner in me just has to try. This week Pete and I start prenatal classes. We'll see how that goes :)   

All in all, these days are wonderful. I'm busy enough to still be using my planner but oh-so-much-less stressed out than when I was a student. My daily schedule is flexible enough that when a friend calls and asks me to babysit that day or needs to be picked up from the airport, I can do it! I enjoy my church calling (Enrichment Leader--planning R.S. activities) and put forth more effort into it instead of stressing about it. 

Random tidbit: For some reason, tuna and pickles taste sooo good these days.
When all amount of carbs and chocolate have failed me, tuna saves the day!
My friend gave me this cute little present when I babysat her little boys :)

In a way, I think these 2-ish months after graduating are kind of the calm before the storm.

But a good storm. 

Lots of life transitions are ahead
First baby.

Moving away from Provo/Utah.

Pete starting school again.

Eventually finding a job.

While I'm a little nervous that everything is going to hit like a ton of bricks at the same time, for now I'm just enjoying the present.

And frankly, enjoying the present is pretty easy. 

Of course there are still hard things and bad days.

And the fact that finding a comfortable position for my back is proving impossible.

But overall, life is wonderful.

Surprise! Pete wasn't expecting a PT school phone interview on this morning (as evidenced by his attire and pokie just-got-out-of-bed hair). The school had never finalized a time for the phone interview, so Pete was a little caught off guard. I took this picture after the interview. Usually, Pete's wearing a suit and tie and prepared with questions and info. about the school, faculty, etc. We just decided to laugh about it and I had to get a picture.

While Pete is busy with jobs, church callings, and the logistics of PT school applications, we usually get to enjoy (homework free!) evenings together. 

And sometimes we go a date--on a weekday. 

Just for fun. 

When will life be like this again? 

Maybe when we're retired and all our kids are grown and gone...

if we can still walk by then. 

Basically, these days are precious; I love them. 

But I definitely don't take them for granted. 

I'm so grateful for all the blessings I have in life and the wonderful things that are ahead.

Happy Birthday Quentin!

My younger-but-taller brother Quentin is 15 today!
When I think about Quentin, I just automatically think "cool."
I mean, with a nickname like "Q-man," who can deny the coolness?
I'm surprised we share similar genetics.

Left to Right: Quentin, Mallory, Steph, Nate, Wyatt

Q has tons of really awesome qualities. First of all, he is a really hard worker. From the time he was just a little tike, he was spending hours in the driveway daily playing basketball, perfecting his moves and shot. He also works hard to keep his things clean, nice, and organized--he regularly and meticulously cleans his room and even his shoes. He is a multi-talented kid---he bakes, cooks, runs fast, plays basketball, and grows apricot and avocado trees. He is persistent and patient (I wouldn't be willing to save an avocado pit for months in the fridge, plant it, and wait for it to grow).

This is kinda what his avocado tree looks like

My favorite things about Q are how relaxed and non-dramatic he is and what a persistent hard-worker he is. I love remembering him as a little boy rarely seen without some sort of ball in his hand. I'm sort of in denial that he's in high school and growing up so fast. In fact, I don't really have any recent pictures of him, so this is all you get...

This was a looong time ago at the Catherine Creek 5k. Long gone are the days when I could out-run him.

Running fast at a Middle School meet

Another thing I notice about Quentin is that he's really nice and loving towards little Nate---he tolerates the 4 year old's whining much better than I do. Nate appreciates it enough that when he was younger, he put forth significant effort to say "Q" (a long, drawn out "cuuuhheeeww"), whereas "Eric" merited a one-syllable "Urk." Kinda funny.(Not that Eric was really mean or anything, though...Quentin was just special I guess).

Little Q and Little Nate

July (?) 2010

Happy Birthday Quentin! 

Hope you have a good one :)

The Health Challenge

Pete and I have been doing a Health Challenge contest with some other family members. It's extremely basic, not diet-ish at all, and it feels good to know that I'm getting enough water, fruits and vegetables, exercising, and keeping at least some kind of control on the sweets.

Here's how it works...

Each participant keeps track of points awarded for the following items:

• Journal- 1 pt for writing down everything you eat daily.
• Liquid- 1 pt for each cup of liquid (except soda) that you drink (up to 8 cups/day).
• Fruits and Vegetables- 1 pt for each  serving of fruit and or vegetables you eat (up to 5 servings/day). *1/2 cup chopped veggies=1 serving; 1 cup leafy greens=1 serving
• Exercise- 1 pt for each 10 minute increment you exercise, up to 15 pts a week (30 mins/day for 5 days) 
• Sweets- 1800 calories per week, no points gained, but -2 points for every 100 calories you go over 1800

We have an excel spreadsheet that helps us keep track of daily points and weekly totals that looks like this:

It has been really fun--like a hobby--for me to come up with new ideas on incorporating veggies and fruits into our daily meals and snacks. I love finding new ways to be healthy!


Here's some recipes and tips that have helped Pete and I get our daily fruits/veggies points. I'll probably be posting more as time goes on and I make new discoveries. In the meantime, I'm open to any suggestions!


Ideas:

• Bake squash or sweet potatoes and keep them in the fridge for a microwaveable snack. Top with cottage cheese for added protein.
• Keep easy veggies on hand such as frozen peas, canned green beans, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, etc.
• Dump a can/bottle of spaghetti sauce in the crockpot and load it up with chopped veggies (my favorite  are zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, and carrots). Let it cook until veggies are soft. You may need to cook without the lid for a 1/2 hour or so towards the end to let the steam blow off and get the sauce thickened up. Heap on top of whole wheat pasta and enjoy. (Side note: whole wheat pasta can be nasty. I recently learned that the "Barilla Plus" brand is good).     

                

Recipes:

Fruity Spinach Drink (2 half cup servings vegetables, 3 half cup servings fruit)

• 2 cups packed spinach 
• 1 cup frozen berries (I use a Costco bag of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
• 1/2 banana
• water

*these measurements are really relative, you can add more or less of just about anything.

Instructions:

Blend up the spinach and water in a blender. Then, while blending, slowly drop in the berries and banana. Blend well.

Tips:

•  Add a large spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate to the blender (yummier, but more sugar).
• Eat it in the morning to jump start your veggies for the day! I used to put it in a bottle with a lid, stick a straw in it and take it to class.
• If you think drinkable spinach is just more than you can handle (I promise it's good!), try the next recipe instead.
• Get creative and try adding other things like oranges, mild tasting veggies, or even oatmeal for added fiber.

Fruity Spinach Smoothie (3 half cup servings fruit, 1 half cup serving vegetables)

• 6 oz light vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup spinach
• a little less than a 1/4 cup fat-free milk or water
• 1 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 cup frozen berries (I use a Costco bag of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
• half a banana

Instructions:

Add yogurt, milk/water, spinach, and OJ concentrate to blender. Pulse and blend. Add in frozen berries and half a banana and blend well. You won't even be able to tell there's spinach in it! Seriously! Test it out on kids if you have them :)

Such pretty colors! You can use a normal blender or a magic bullet.

Yum!

Lunch Wrap (2 half cup servings vegetables)

• 1 “Flat out” wrap (or other high fiber wrap)
• 2 cups lettuce
• A bit of low-fat ranch
• Fat-free croutons
• 2 pieces of bacon (I discard fatty parts or use 50% less fat real bacon bits)
• 1/4 of an avocado, cut in thinly sliced pieces
• A few grates of fresh romano/asiago/parmesan cheese

In a bowl mix lettuce, cheese, low-fat ranch, croutons and some freshly ground black pepper. On wrap, layout bacon pieces and thin slices of avocado. Dump contents of bowl on top and wrap!

Wrapping is kind of hard/messy/impossible. You could put less lettuce on, but I like to maximize the veggies, so I keep the two cups, wrap it up the best I can, and eat the lettuce that falls out with a fork.

Tips:

• Add in chopped tomatoes
• For more protein, add some cottage cheese in with the ranch or replace the ranch with low-fat or fat free cottage cheese (you could add some garlic salt/pepper in the cottage cheese to give some added flavor)
• Add spinach to the lettuce for more nutrients

Chicken and Veggie Teriyaki Stir-fry (As many cups of veggies as you make!)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Chicken breasts/tenders (I do enough chicken to feed the two of us and then freeze the leftover sauce in tupperware for next time). 

Directions

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegars, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
2. Cut chicken into strips and brush with sauce and non-stick spray. Grill.

Oven directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Eat the chicken with stir-fried or steamed veggies atop brown rice. (Add a little sauce to the veggies when they are done cooking).

Tip: I've found that when stir-frying veggies, you only need a tbsp of oil or even less to do a substantial amount of veggies. Heat the oil, add the veggies, and cover with a lid. Take lid off every so often to stir the veggies and towards the end of cooking, take the lid off to let the water off. You want the veggies to still be crisp and brightly colored--not soggy and dull--so test with a fork to make sure they're not getting too done.

I got the original recipe from the link below and tweaked it a bit (less sugar, different vinegars, and grilling instead of baking).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Teriyaki-Chicken/Detail.aspx

2010 Holidays

Pete and I tried hard to have lots of Christmas spirit this year. 

First, we bought a Christmas tree. 

We searched for the tree of our dreams at a little tree selling place in Provo--and then found it. Then we found out it was $40...so with hopes and dreams slightly dashed, we kept searching for a different tree-of-our-dreams that would cost more like $20.

Luckily we were successful.

We only have three ornaments on our tree and I've never bought any.

Let me explain...

One ornament is of the Boise temple, and the other two are "WillowTree" angels for each year Pete and I have been married (all gifts from my parents). So far we have an angel ornament for 2008 and one for 2009. Every time I saw them on our little tree I thought of how each year we will get one more ornament and each year our Christmas tree will look a little more full and beautiful---just as our lives will be with each passing year.

But maybe I'll be less cheesy and sentimental some Christmas and just buy some ornaments. We'll see :) 

And if I've never bought Christmas ornaments, you can bet I haven't bought a star or angel for the top of the tree. What you can barely see in the first picture above would be a small starfish--that I found under our bed--from our honeymoon in Maine. 

Our second act in the Christmas spirit was making yummy Christmas treats for friends and co-workers. Most people were already out of town by the time we made and delivered them though...so if you didn't get one, that's probably why.

Gingerbread Rice Krispy Treats, Peanut Butter bars, and Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Pete making cookies :)

 We also went to a Christmas Voice Male Concert together (free tickets from Pete's co-worker!), watched "Elf," attempted to read the Gospels (we're still working on it), and listened to Christmas music.

We spent a relaxing Christmas and New Year's with my family in Oregon. Pete was able to get a good amount of time off of work and it was wonderful to get away from Provo for a while. I was going to be awesome at picture documentation, but it didn't really happen. This is what I ended up with:

Pete and Mallory working a puzzle.

Pete watching football :)

In Boise at the Idaho Botanical Gardens (lit up for Christmas!)

Some of the fam.

Pretty snowflake cookies me and Mallory made

With the memory of attending the Hendricks Family beautiful 2010 Christmas Program fresh in my mind, Mallory and I created a program for Christmas Eve at the Jensen home. Complete with scriptures and varied music (guitar, piano, flute, and vocals), we had plenty of talent to work with. However, I'm sad to report that those possessing the talents weren't always cooperative (4 year old Nate was tired, grumpy, and crying at the start of the program...we won't talk about his emotional state at the end). But for putting it together mid-day with little practice, I would declare it a success!

All in all we had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season full of yummy food, every-other-day early morning exercise, and lots of reading books. The New Year rolled in with a bang and I'm excited for all the wonderful things ahead in 2011!

The Bump

I can't really bring myself to just post fat pictures of me all over facebook, but I guess on the blog is okay (for documentation purposes, you know). Really, I've come leaps and bounds by being willing to even take the pictures. So, without further ado, here's the 30 week bump:

Baby Names

Oh baby names. 

Such a hard thing to decide. 

At first we couldn't think of any...now we have too many. 

Finally, I've been through the entire Baby Name Bible (the girl section) and after having many conversations like the one below, we've assembled a list.

Steph: "Oooh, I kind of like 'Olive'"

Pete: "Or we could name her 'Avocado'" (in other words, 'Olive' is a no-go)

Steph "What about 'Lake'? It's kind of pretty and naturistic."

Pete: "Lake?! You're kidding, right?" (guess that one is out as well.)

I would really like to settle on a name before she is born...but as the months have gone by, I'm thinking we are going to have to see her before we know for sure. The table below has the names we are thinking about (in alphabetical order) and the meanings are to the right. The meaning of a name is kind of important to me...I don't really want to name my child something that means "bitter," "weary," or "little dog." Fair enough?

I think it will be so fun to look back after a year or so at the names we were thinking about for our little girl!

Abigail (Abby)	Hebrew, “my father is joyful”
Darby	Irish “free one”
Eden	Hebrew, “place of pleasure, delight”
Emery	German, “industrious”
Gracelyn/Grace	it’s a virtue J
Henley	English, “high meadow”
Jane	English, “God’s gracious gift”
Julia	Latin, “youthful”
Maggie	Greek, “pearl”
Nora	Greek, “light”
Rebekah	Hebrew, “servant of God”
Rowan	Irish, “little red-haired one” (you never know!)

Here are some potential combinations we like (we really like Jane...that will probably be her middle name):

Gracelyn Jane

Emery Jane

Julia Grace

Abigail Jane

Rebekah Jane

Darby Jane

Feel free to let us know what you think! Kindly, of course :)

Happy 26th Birthday Peter!

A couple days ago, I said to Pete: "What if our baby girl looks like you?"
His response was a horrified noise that sounded something like "Behhhhh."
I think he must have been picturing a baby girl with a scruffy beard or something---clearly, he wasn't thinking of how cute he was as a tiny little one:

One of the things I like most about Peter is simply that he’s kind. He has true compassion for others and a caring nature devoid of guile. In the two-and-a-half years we’ve been married, I am overwhelmed by how much love he shows me in small, everyday actions and how much I have to learn from him.

If my life were a movie, the only parts worth watching twice would be the parts Pete’s in. Once he comes onto the screen for the first time, the narrator would say (cheesy) things like:

“And then she met Peter.”

“They had so much fun doing absolutely nothing.”

“They married young and then grew up together.”

“She didn’t know life could be so good…and then it just kept getting better.”

I love Pete because our hearts our similar. I love him because he’s different, he’s weird, and he’s funny in a way that makes me laugh every day. I'm so excited for the wonderful things that are ahead of him in life (fatherhood, Physical Therapy school, continuing to be an awesome husband, etc.) and to see the way he continues to use and develop his talents.

On Pete's birthday, I also tend to think of his wonderful mother (after all, she's the one who gave birth to him!). I am so grateful for the way Pete was raised. I know much of his character and much of what I love about him is attributable to his wonderful mother and father and I love them too!

Happy 26th Birthday Peter!!

Thanks for making my life beautiful :)