Lucky I'm in Love

Here's my latest little design that is sized for my 5x7 frame. Feel free to right-click n' save this one too. This is how I feel about my sweetheart for sure!

VDay Chalkboard Art

Need something new to put in your subway art frame? My was in need of a change so I created this Chalkboard Art for Valentine's Day. This is one of my favorite songs right now and my hubby likes to sing me these lines over and over.

Just click on the image and save. It is an 8x10 but you can print it any size. Happy Valentine's Day!

Imagine It Genre Posters

These are some genre posters that I created for my classroom this year. Each one corresponds with the genres in our reading Curriculum, Imagine It! from SRA for 4th Grade. They were fun to make and were a nice addition to my classroom.

If you would like the pdf version (higher quality) then leave me a comment with your email address and I will email them to you. 

Forget Me Not

I spoke a few weeks ago in a Spanish Branch RS night time meeting. It was a beautiful dinner and a great way to get to know some new people. They asked me to speak on Elder Uchtdorf's talk, Forget Me Not. It was a great way to remember these simple things that I am quick to forget. This might just be one of those talks to re read every month or so. It has some beautiful reminders about who we are as women and what important roles we each have.

Pablo made me this beautiful handout to give to the ladies that night. I'm so grateful for a wonderful husband who is patient and kind to me and helps me remember all the good things in life.

Spring Subway Art

Look what I made this morning... I already have my blank picture frame up and waiting for this to go in. What a quick and easy way to add some color to my shelf. Please help yourself if you are in need of a little color too!

Peach Blueberry Jam

Want me to share my latest recipe? If I can make it then you know you can. This is the most simple freezer jam recipe and it can be made with any sort of fruit combo that you can imagine. Here is the recipe:

2 cups crushed fruit ( I used 1 1/2 cups peach, 1/2 blueberry)
2 cups suger (I used between 1 and 1 1/2 cups)

Bring to a boil and then add:

1 3 oz. package of jello (I used peach)

Dissolve jello and remove from heat. Let cool and pour into containers and freeze.

Super simple, huh?

Double it, triple it and it still comes out the same. I love the purple-ish color that the blueberries add to the peachy-ness. 

Those Summer Days...

Where did they go? It is hard to believe that we are already past the half way mark in September. We had a fun summer full of lots of little adventures and first's. Here is your Riquelme Family recap:

July started out with the Campbell Reunion in Idaho Falls. Pablo learned how to dutch oven cook and assisted my dad with some delish Jambalaya. Nice cooking Pablo!

We then spent the 4th of July with my family doing our traditional things--a movie, picnic and fireworks. It was Pablo's first Independence Day here in the US and it was our first without my Aunt Sandy to celebrate with. The 4th is also my brother Tim's birthday so we decided to make him some patriotic red, white and blue cupcakes.

Sometime in July we ended up buying a new car which was a fun thing to do with Pablo. After researching and test driving we fell in love with this Pontiac and added him to the family!

Pablo's 29th birthday came around the end of July. Man, he is old! His work celebrated with a giant soccer cake (Thanks Homeseekers!) and we spent the weekend in Island Park and West Yellowstone camping. We had a great time with my parents cooking yummy food, breaking in all of our camping gear and we got to see the play Joseph at the Playmill in West Yellowstone.

Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ Potatoes Dutch Oven Style Yum!

Our Summer Days ended with the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Pablo had been here a WHOLE year and so this was his first second....his second time to go to the Fair. We had a good time and even worked a shift at the Aberdeen Education Foundation's Trout Booth!

Pablo and Boston at the Fair Parade (it was Bo's naptime...)

 

 

 

 

 

3 for Thurs...I mean, Friday?

This was supposed to be 3 for Thursday but I obviously didn't get the memo. I took the prompts from my cousin Katy's blog, The House of Estrogen. It's the ins and outs of raising 4 girls--and it's pretty entertaining! Check her out by clicking HERE.

1. Three things I accomplished this week
1. Slept in on Monday until like 8:23.
2. Deep cleaned half of our apartment. (Hey I have the rest of the summer to do the other part...)
3. Mowed my grandpa's lawn.


2. Three things I want to do this summer
1. Go camping!
2. Go swimming at Lava Hot Springs (anyone wanna come?)
3. Exercise, exercise, exercise!

3. Three colors used at my wedding
1. Eggplant purple
2. Lime
3. Spring Green


4. Three things I find repulsive
1. Puke. Ewww.
2. Moldy food in the fridge.
3. Spiders--icky!


5. Three chores I make my husband do
1. Take the garbage out.
2. Make the bed.
3. I don't make him but he always does the dishes after I cook.

6. Three recipes
1. Baked Ziti
2. Baked Jambalaya from Betty Crocker
3. Anything from A Busy Nest


7. Three pictures
Due to a lack of time to upload pictures from my camera you will have to settle for a few of my favorites that my friend Emily took of me. Check out her work HERE.

OK GO

Have you heard of this group? I thoroughly enjoy their music but I mainly enjoy their videos. AND they are never edited--one shot only. Can you imagine the patience and redundancy of filming a perfect music video.

I saw this one last week and thought I would share--it still amazes me how it all worked out in one shot. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

Day 14--Almost half way there!

I just spent the afternoon with these guys and it was pretty great! Blake (the older of the two) has recently informed me that he is MY nephew while Boston (his younger brother) is Pablo's nephew. Blake and I have had some pretty great times together throughout the years.

My oldest nephew was born while I was on my mission so I didn't get to have a special new born moment with him. But I will never forget when Blake was born. I had gone on a blind date that night, doubling with my now sister-in-law Abby. (She wasn't with my brother though! haha) I waited and waited for the phone call to know that Blake was born. I then drove to my parents house in Blackfoot and got there a little after midnight. It was so hard to sleep knowing that my new little nephew was just miles away. Finally at like 4:30 in the morning my sister Laura sent me a text telling me that she and Blake were awake if I wanted to come meet him. I threw on the nearest clothes and raced to the Birthing Center to meet him.



The moment I met him I feel in love! I had never seen a baby so tiny and so special. The tears came to my eyes and I knew that I would love this guy forever! And now, four and half years later I still love this guy. He never forgets to tell me thank you, he remembers every gift I have ever given him, his hugs are unlimited and so is his love. We have such a grown up relationship sometimes that I forget how young he really is.



Now, don't get me wrong--I have some PRETTY cute nephews and one adorable niece. I love them all so much and they have been wonderful fillers since I don't have any children. They each are special and unique to me in their own way. In just a few days I get to spend some time with my PA nephews and that is a trip I look forward to every year. Being an aunt gives me a small taste of the love that my Aunt Sandy felt for me and my siblings. It really is something special.

5 Fav's

5 Fav's to start off my summer just right...



Have you had Spicy Nacho popcorn? It is super yummy and spicy!



Did you see the FREE coupon in Parade magazine a few weeks ago for one of these? Yum. I could have one every day that the sun comes out.



We bought a grill a few weeks ago and let me just tell you--best investment ever.



We are Wii-less so no Netflix but we are pretty grateful for the next best thing--Redbox. What was life like without it? Does it get any better than online reserving your $1 rental and picking it up at your convenience?!



Phineas and Ferb = Summer Vacation.

4th Year Relay-er

If you have ever read my blog you have read about Relay for Life. This year I was so busy and stressed that I didn't have time to come up with a personal fundraiser. So, in a last minute (or last week) attempt I wanted to talk about luminarias. These are white bags that give you something back for your donation to the American Cancer Society.



Here is the idea: You donate $10 to Relay for Life. You get a white paper bag to decorate (or I can do it for you) to put in memory of someone who is or has suffered from cancer. On the night of Relay we will put a candle in every bag and walk a lap of silence for those people. It is one of the main reasons why I go back every year to Relay--for those names on those bags.



If you are at all interested in buying a luminaria, please let me know! This is a great way to make a small donation and honor someone you know and love!

Need some new dinner ideas?

Day 8



Have you ever been to this website? www.bettycrocker.com
It's one of my new favorites. Not only is it jampacked with amazing recipes but they are all with stuff you already have in your pantry.

Okay, try out my favorite feature. Click on RECIPES. (It's up on the left hand side, at the top. I know it will come with a drop down menu but just click on it.) Now look at the Easy Meal Finder. Type in two or three items you have right now and it will you plenty of recipes you can make with those ingredients. I love this tool! Just thought I would share my new favorite with you--good luck with dinner tonight!

Day Siete

Have you seen this yet? Swoon my aching heart. Best 3 hours I have spent recently. Even Pablo loved it. Yes, loved. This is BBC's Sense and Sensibility and it is wonderful.

You want to know a true confession? I have yet to read this book. It is currently on the top of my To Read This Summer list. I have read Pride and Prejudice twice now and LOVE it but I think I am ready for another Austin book and I really want to devour this one as soon as my Conference *yawn* is over.

What else needs to go on my list? Please leave me some of your favorites to add to my list!

Day 6

I spent my first day of summer vacation learning about this--Total Instructional Alignment. Let's just say that today was a LONG day and I still have 4 more days ahead of me...

Day four-five-ish

Today I had the opportunity of going to YW and speaking with the girls about my mission. It made me just a little homesick for that name tag and skirt and my tiny waist. But mainly it made me homesick for the things I experienced and the way they changed my life for the better.

Meet Inez--one of the poorest yet happiest people on the earth. One night my companion and I were feeling kind of down because we had knocked doors for days on end without much success. We were both brand new in the area and we decided we would visit some members in the ward to try to get to know them better. We picked Inez's house thinking that we would be able to cheer her up.

She let us into her home which was a one room apartment she rented. It was spotless and every inch was used to it's fullest. Her couch was actually a bed rolled under a back rest and her tiny kitchen was also the living room/bedroom. She offered us all she had, strawberry banana milk made with powdered milk. This sweet sister worked in the feria (street market) and was so poor. Yet that night she taught us a huge lesson about love and happiness. She shared her testimony with us and I will never forget how strong the spirit was as she shared her simple words. I will never forget her though she may have long forgotten me and that delicious milk she made us.




Do you want meet someone else? This is Andres. I am now unofficially a part of his family. Andres has been a faithful member ever since his baptism. He has been a member 5 1/2 years now and he is currently serving on the high council in his stake. A few months after he was baptized his brand new home caught on fire while the family was at church. Many people would take that harshly and have a hard time staying in the gospel. Not Andres. His ward turned the damage into a service project and within a week they had repainted, re carpeted, and repaired all of the damage. I was able to attend their sealing as a family and they were able to attend my sealing to Pablo. What amazing examples to me they are!






I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve a mission. It has truly changed my life for the better in so many different ways. If it hadn't of been for one particular elder who had the patience to teach an 18 year old, I wouldn't be married for time and all eternity to the man of my dreams! I heart missionary work!