Nursery

When John was a baby, his parents were on a very tight budget. So tight that John slept in a cardboard box the first six months of his life.

 To make sure their grandbabies don't suffer the same fate, Karen and Alan buy their children cribs to use for their babies.

John and I had so much fun assembling ours.

 This is what we have so far in the nursery. The picture was a Christmas present and bookshelf was from my own nursery, I just painted it.

We can't wait til February/March to put this room to use!

Cake Cookies and Pesto Pizza

This recipe is being posted at the request of my sister. It is perfect for lazy people. Like the kind who eat cereal for 2+ meals per day when her husband is out of town.

 Pick a cake mix, add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 2 eggs. That's it! Just scoop and bake like regular cookies. I think mine take 14 minutes at 350 degrees.

John likes the devil's food mix. They taste brownie-like. To be honest? I don't love these cookies.

But with enough cream cheese frosting on top, I don't really care what I'm eating.

(Half batch of frosting: 1/2 stick cream cheese, 1/2 stick butter, 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla)

To prove I'm not lazy when John doesn't desert me for Idaho, I made these pesto chicken pizzas for dinner. Just add pesto, cheese, and cooked chicken to English muffins. Come to think of it, they're really easy to make, too. So maybe I'm just as lazy when he's in town as not.

Cruise

The rest of our trip revolved solely around food.

 A galley tour showed how they prepare 14,000 meals per day.

 Mmm creamy mashed potatoes. 

 We definitely received some food inspiration on the cruise.

 Dressed up for dinner

 Cesar and Melroy were the best. Our water was always filled, they let us try all the rolls we could want, recommended great starters and entrees, and we somehow always ended up with more desserts than we ordered. 

It's no wonder we all came home heavier than when we left. The sign of a successful vacation.

Curacao

While Karen and Alan went diving today, John and I went on an aquaboat adventure.

 We stopped at at a beach and around tugboat wreckage to snorkel. We saw some cool fish that I named and John later identified for me. Bee fish (??), rainbow mustache fish (Parrot Fish), toothpick nose fish (Trumpet Fish). . . 

 After lunch we went to see the cute town and cross the floating bridge. 

We were sad it was our last stop, but they sure didn't disappoint.

Aruba

Today was girl's day. The boys went SCUBA diving and we explored the island. Our bus didn't look as cool as the kukoo kunuku, but it was air conditioned. 

 Our first stop was the butterfly farm.

 We learned all about butterflies and saw hundreds of them flying around.

 Next was an aloe plant. After this demonstration we went in to see the factory part. Surprisingly, most of the work is still done by hand.

 The last stop was a natural bridge. There used to be eight bridges, but they've been collapsing and only one is still standing.

 After reuniting and eating on the boat we ventured out to the beach.

It was amazing. Not much to see snorkeling, but the ocean was warm and beautiful. 

My feet enjoyed the soft, non-burny sand.

St. Kitts

Alan signed us up for a strenuous mountain biking adventure then conveniently became too ill to accompany us. So while he rested in our air conditioned room, we rode bikes about 14 miles through the heat, humidity, and hills. 

(For someone who only rides her bike to 7-Eleven, it was hard)

At the top of the highest hill you can see the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other. (And John in the middle)

 Karen wanted to take this little guy home with us. There are supposedly thousands on the small island, but they don't come out of the shade in the heat. Smart monkeys. 

When we returned to the ship, we showered, rested and ate guilt-free the rest of the night.

Charlotte Amalie

 Our first stop on the cruise was in St. Thomas. We went snorkeling at Turtle Cove, where we saw turtles, fish and coral. It was my first time snorkeling and I loved it.

 On our boat ride back. It was hot, but I kept my towel on to avoid a sunburn.

 John at the front of the boat, daring the sun to burn his white skin. 

 John's pirate face showing off his awesome tattoo from the trip.

The sun won. 

Luckily the ship sold aloe vera.

Puerto Rico

After a few more business trips, John accumulated enough toiletries for our trip.

We spent the weekend exploring the beach, Old San Juan, the rain forest and the bio-luminescent bay. 

 Some places were flooded from recent storms. The rain forest had just opened back up that morning.

View from the top where the tower is. 

 A rushing river.

And beautiful, misty waterfall.

The kayaking company took these pictures of us in the bay Saturday night.

Sunday we went to church in a Spanish-speaking ward, which was fun, then boarded the boat!

Crescent Creations

 I used my couponing skills and bought some crescent rolls for a dollar at Safeway. I've been experimenting ever since.

This one is very tasty, but should really be an appetizer and not an entire meal. I just rolled cooked bacon and cheddar cheese in the middle and baked them in the toaster oven.

 This is John's seal of approval.

Next I tried chicken pot pie. Just squish some together at the bottom of a pan and bake them a few minutes. Add filling (I used flour, milk, bouillon, cooked chicken and frozen vegetables). 

Roll out a couple triangles into a square to put on top and bake.

 Mine was soupy, so less milk next time. Perhaps I should start measuring. Or using a recipe.

John didn't mind, of course. He's easy to please.

Sebra Visit

 Bethany and Warren came down for Dallin's homecoming. We kidnapped their girls for a while because they are just too fun.

 This is Soph's house, complete with a pillow to block out the sun.

 Other people always have cooler toys.

I tried to get a picture with both girls, but it was not easy. 

Tickling seemed to help with smiles, but not blurriness. Come again soon Sebras!