What I’ve been learning

April 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

Again, there’s not really anything crafty or delicious to blog about. And my life has been crazy crazy crazy but it’s the boring kind of crazy, so there’s not much to blog about there….so I thought I’d just blog about a few things that I’ve been figuring out the past few weeks. Nothing major, but I need to get some of these things out, somehow, right?
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You can feel closer to someone who’s thousands of miles away than anyone close by.
Music is the best therapy.
The family size bags of Hugs/Kisses is worth the money, guaranteed!
When you are excited to go to a class and do the work for it, you know you’re in the right place.
Sometimes you have to be yourself, and own it, no matter what other people think or say.
It’s important to remember that life is short, so apologize now and forgive now and don’t stay mad. It’s not worth it.
You can go to the airport and pretend you’re picking up a Swedish foreign exchange student. I would actually recommend this, it’s quite fun!
Two is better than one. Take that as you will!
College is stressful, but so much fun. Wouldn’t trade it for a minute.
If you try hard enough you can eat more than your weight in sugar daily. But you have to be willing to work for it.
Welcome to America Lyska! Or welcome back from California Alli…either one works

News April 11, 2013

April 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

Washington Post Headline: North Korea’s threats, campy videos are drawing Internet attention

North Korea propagandist videos have been surfacing on the Internet and have become a sensation almost overnight. With video threats of attacks on the U.S. and South Korea being widely viewed online, experts are saying that for the first time in history, North Korea has gone viral.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Senate Votes 68-31 to Allow Debate on Gun Legislation

Today the Senate voted for a major piece of gun legislation to be brought to debate in chamber. This is the first such piece of legislation to be brought to the floor in two decades.

Click here to read the full story.

News April 10, 2013

April 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

New York Times Headline: Senators Reach Bipartisan Deal on Checks of Gun Buyers

Earlier today, both Republican and Democratic senators reached a compromise measure about gun safety. The measure involves expanding background checks to those buying guns from gun shows and online. This compromise indicates that more gun safety measures will be taken by Congress in the near future.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: South Korea and U.S. Gird for Missile Test by North Korea

The U.S. and South Korea are on the lookout for the North Korean missile that experts believe could be launched “at any time now.” This longer range missile could have the potential to hit not only South Korea, but also Japan, as well as American military bases as far away as Guam.

Click here to read the full story.

Month 4

April 9, 2013 — Leave a comment

It’s official, bring on month 4! Randy’s been out three months now, and they’ve been so hard but so great! He’s learning so much and I’m learning so much, and I’m loving being independent and being a crazy college girl! It’s so awesome. I am so proud of that boy and the person he’s becoming:)

As a crazy college girl, I cook for myself. Domestic right? So last night I made one of my favorite rice dishes and it’s always a hit at our apartment, so I thought I’d share it here! Presenting…..

This is so easy and so delicious!

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· 6 Tbs. margarine or butter (can be reduced to 2 Tbs.)

· 2½ cup water

· 1 small Onion, diced

· 5 chicken bullion cubes

· 2 carrots, medium to large

· 3 cup Minute Rice

Sauté onion and carrots in margarine. Coat rice with margarine-carrot-onion mixture. Boil water and dissolve bullion cubes to make chicken broth. Add broth to the rice mixture, bring to boil and turn off heat. Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. Add cooked peas if desired. Serves six at 225 calories per serving.

Carrots, onions and butter all in the pot getting ready to cook!

I love Wyler’s Chicken Bullion cubes

All coated and ready for the water!

This recipe is seriously so good, not too unhealthy, and goes well with fried chicken (as seen above) or pork chops or just about anything!

Happy Tuesday everyone, and happy 3 months for me!

News April 9, 2013

April 9, 2013 — Leave a comment

New York Times Headline: Obama Invokes Newtown Dead in Pressing for New Gun Laws

While Congress is debating new gun control laws, President Obama made a trip to Connecticut to ensure the members of the community that nothing like Sandy Hook would ever happen again.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Early Line for 2016 Shows a Vice President Who’s Not the Favorite

In an early line up for the Democratic party in 2016, it seems that Vice President Biden may be trying to wiggle his way in next to former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. It’s very early to be looking at candidates, but those considering running are already getting their feet in the door.

Click here to read the full story.

Weekend Fun

April 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

This weekend was so much fun and there is so much to tell!

Friday we had a murder mystery dinner date. Sounds crazy right? Yes. It was crazy. But it was SO MUCH FUN. Basically we were playing clue but we were all dressed like a character from the 20’s and all had goals and items that would help us get our goals. There was lying and cheating and alliances and backstabbing and a little bit of romance here and there. Fun right? It was.

Me and my girls, all dressed up and ready to go:)

I went with Hunter Fowers which was a blast! All in all, one of the best dates I’ve ever been on.

For our murder mystery dinner we had twice baked potatoes, barbecue chicken, and chocolate cake. It was quite delicious!

Twice Baked Potato Recipe

Ingredients:
As many potatoes as you want to have
Sour Cream
Cheese
Milk

Bake your potatoes on 350 in the oven for about one hour. Once the potatoes are soft when pricked with a fork, pull them out of the oven. Cut the potatoes in half and then scoop out all the white. Don’t rip the peel when doing this, just get as much of the potato out as you can. Mash the potatoes with milk and sour cream (a splashes of milk and a few spoonfuls of sour cream). Whip or mash until smooth and not lumpy. Don’t add too much milk and sour cream or it will be too thin! Should be the consistency of mashed potatoes. Top with cheese and put back in the oven until cheese is melty and potatoes are warm through.

And VOILA. Twice baked potatoes!

Last thing of the weekend! I got to spend time with my family playing volleyball and badminton and everything, and that was so fun! I got to see my cousins and grandparents which is always a treat. I got to spend some time with Randy’s family, which is always so much fun. I got to watch General Conference which was AMAZING! There were so many talks that were exactly what I needed to hear, and I love that we get to hear from our prophet’s every six months. I am so lucky to know what I know, to have heard what I heard this weekend, and to continue to getting to learn and grow in the gospel every day.

Happy Monday everyone!

News April 8, 2013

April 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

New York Times Headline: Margaret Thatcher, Who Remade Britain, Dies at 87

Margret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister of Britain, suffered a stroke this morning and died shortly after. Many British and American leaders alike sent their love and condolences to the family, including the Queen.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Critical Week in Senate for Gun and Immigration Bills

Congress returns to Washington this week with two huge issues on the agenda: gun control and immigration. Congress is working on gun safety legislation after Sandy Hook, and an overhaul on the national immigration system. Hopefully decisions will be made and legislation will be created by next week.

Click here to read the full story.

Gabe-a

April 7, 2013 — Leave a comment

So yesterday I said goodbye to two of my best friends. Cade already got a huge long blog post because he moved out a while ago, and now it’s time for dear Gabriel.

Oh Gabriel. Where do I even start? Gabe is one of the funniest people I know. Not many people know him well enough to see how funny he is, but when you get there, it’s hilarious. Gabe has the most hilarious one-liners (seen by my #gabequotes tweets,) and keeps us on the floor laughing. Gabe is one of the sweetest people ever. He’ll act like he doesn’t want to do something, but then he’ll go do it for us in a heartbeat. He drives us EVERYWHERE, let us go spend time at his cabin, lets us punch him all the time, and just takes care of us. He is SO good to Sarah, which makes me so happy.

So dear Gabe, here’s to you. Off to Peru on Wednesday. Thanks for being one of my best friends, for being there for me whenever I need it, for driving me in the Jeep everywhere, for watching Star Wars with me and a giant bag of M&M’s, for taking me and Lauren for ice cream just to talk about Sarah, for making sure we had fun at the cabin and always letting us go there, for being yourself and always making me happy. You’re one of the best friends EVER and I’m going to miss you. Don’t forget you promised to write! Emails or letters or carrier pigeons, whatever it takes remember? 😉 Love you Gabe-a, Gabey, Gabriel, and all the other things we call you!! I’ll miss you and I know you’ll be a great missionary to those people and alpaca’s in Peru!

Yeah, this is Gabe. He’s the best:)

Also, hasn’t General Conference been great!!?? More posts on that later, but so far I have loved Henry B. Eyring’s talk about coming closer to Christ, Elder Bednar’s talk on the law of chastity, Sister Dalton’s talk about doing and being what Heavenly Father needs, and so many others! If you don’t know what General Conference is, missed a session or a talk, click here!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Rain

April 5, 2013 — 2 Comments

I love rain. It’s probably a toss up whether I love rain or sun more. Today the rain made me miss Germany. It rained every single day while we were there. But the soft, feather comforters on our bed made it ok. And the warm soup with every single meal. And walking through the big, spacious castles with the rain on the windows was so perfect. So yes, I am missing dear little Oberammergau today.

Also, I was walking today and this guy was walking weirdly close to me. I had my umbrella up and I seriously thought he was going to run into me. Then, he peaked his head around my umbrella to see my face, made a sound like “oomphhh” and quickly walked away. It was probably the funniest thing that has ever happened to me.

Also I had the weirdest dreams. I was watching two girls have a double wedding and suddenly I was the bride, to a guy with a long braid and braces. Then the RA got mad at us for having our door open. Too many scary things for one dream, right?

Happy, rainy Friday all.

If you’ve never been to Germany, I highly recommend it.

News April 5, 2013

April 5, 2013 — Leave a comment

New York Times Headline: Hiring in U.S. Tapers Off as Economy Fails to Gain Speed

Last month employers only increased their payrolls by 88,000 compared to 268,000 in February. This pattern is in line with a trend from a few previous springs where employers tapered off their hiring. Experts were expecting at least double the numbers, and are starting to factor in the spring “tapering off” of the economy as they project future employment numbers.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Judge Strikes Down Age Limits on Morning-After Pill

A federal judge ruled that the most common morning after pill must be made available to all ages, and not only be prescribed to girls above the age of 16. This contradicts the Health and Human Services secretary’s over-ruling of the FDA recommendation that the pill be universally available.

Click here to read the full story.