March Madness

March Madness has finally come to an end. Dr. J and I watched UNC tromp Michigan State last night in what I would have to say was some mighty sexy b-ball. Ok enough. I want to be cool like the guys on Dr. J's blog but man describing basketball with the word sexy, well that just seems wrong :) It was an interesting game for me though. It was four years ago that we watched UNC take down our beloved U of I team. I'll be honest, I cried off and on for two days after that game, and I will admit that I took joy in the fact that UNC underperformed in the last three tourments, but last night something changed for me. The first half of that game was like magic. The way they play, well it was incredible. Some of my good feelings probably came from the fact that I had UNC winning my braket. So here is to UNC on their newest National Championship, and here is to me and my braket! I finished out in the top 10 percent on yahoo and I only had one braket, unlike some people I know who had five or ten, hmmm. It didn't net me a million bucks and I was twelve picks off from the leader, but it sure was fun to beat out 90% of the other brakets! Maybe next year I can get up into the top 5 :)

Conchas

We had this really fun primary activity where we introduce the theme of the year for primary, "My Eternal Family". We "helped" the kids make a stamped family tree and then we sat around and everyone shared stories about their ancestors and we ate food from different countries. I had a good time and it looked like the kids had a good time as well. E and I brought Conchas, Mexican Sweet Bread that look like shells. They were delicious!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast 1/2 cup warm water 1/2 cup evaporated milk 3/8 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 egg 4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2/3 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, 3/8 cup sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, salt, egg and half of the flour. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter to knead as soon as it pulls together enough.
2.	Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in a large greased bowl, and turn the dough to coat. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3.	Make the topping while the dough rises. In a medium bowl, beat 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour until the mixture is the consistency of thick paste. Divide into two parts, and place one part in a separate bowl. Mix cinnamon into one half, and vanilla into the other half.
4.	When the dough is done rising, cut into 12 even-sized pieces. Shape into balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart. Divide each bowl of topping into 6 balls, and pat flat. Place circles of topping on top of the dough balls patting down lightly. Use a knife to cut grooves in the topping like a clam shell. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
5.	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

find original recipe here

25 Weeks

This is me 25 weeks along. For those of you keeping track, I'm actually 28...and yes my belly is bigger already :)

Free Milk!

Meijer is having a great deal this week on cereal with milk. Kellogg cereal is 5 boxes for $10. If you buy 3 boxes you get a cat (a store coupon) for one free gallon of milk. Buy 5 boxes and you get two cats. Buy 7 boxes and you get 3 cats. Milk this week is only 1.97 a gallon so I would save those catalinas for next week.

This made me laugh so hard. Poor kid!

This Little Baby Will Be Giving Me Nightmares Tonight!

Cool CVS Finds

Some of this is clearance, some of this is coupons. Can I say I love CVS!