Cupcakes and Barbecues.

First things first, 2 weeks ago.

Here is a picture from when Connor visited a couple weeks ago. Remember how I said that I'm a big dumb loser who deleted all the awesome pictures before they were uploaded to my computer? Well, God had a wee bit of mercy on me and let me have 2 of them back. Here's one:

We hiked Mount Palomar and found this "lookout tower". Pretty neat, huh? There are so many great pictures from this day! Too bad no one will ever get to see them...

I would show you the other picture but it is a blurry photo of a homeless man in LA who we thought looked like Morgan Freeman. It wasn't Morgan Freeman. Don't be too disappointed.

Now, onto the past week. Here's some food for you to look at.

Looks like a normal loaf or french bread, right?

Wrong! It's actually HUGE! I learned how to make giant bread!

These are my new obsession. They're chocolate covered strawberries! Have you made them before? They are the easiest thing in the world and you feel semi-healthy eating them. I love them even more than chocolate ice cream with sprinkles! Ok, maybe not that much. But they are dang good. I wonder if they'd be better if I added sprinkles? I'll let you know how that goes.

This is Steamed Veggies with Brown Rice and Tofu. It was pretty yummy. I had never had kale before, I liked it a lot. It's from the book Skinny B in the Kitch. (That "B" is a word, a word that rhymes with Kitch. I edited it in order to keep this blog family friendly. You're welcome.)

Anyone want to try my barf colored smoothies? They taste good, I promise.

They're this color because I used an Acai Berry smoothie pack and Spirulina (a powder that has healthiness in it). The smoothie pack is purple and the powder is green which apparently makes the color of throw up. There are also bananas, strawberries, soy milk and flax seed in this smoothie. It tasted really good! Even Scott thought so.

These are homemade granola bars! I put them in little baggies so I can put them in Scott's lunch or grab one as I'm running out the door. They're way good. Ever since Brittany White posted her granola bar recipe I've been itching to find one I like. Well folks, I succeed!

Here's the link: Creative No-Bake Granola Bars

And this is a recipe from a cookbook I bought called Veganomicon. They're chocolate waffles and they are super yummy. I finally got to use our waffle maker. Thanks Courtney and Larry! It worked perfectly.

Can you guess what this is?

Yes! You're right! It's a snail! And snails come out when it rains which must mean that it finally rained here in California! Ok, you're partially right. It misted. Not really rain but still an excuse not to go outside. Any excuse to stay in and play you're brand new Sims 3 all day long is ok with me. It was a nice change from the perfect weather that forces me to get out and do stuff every other day. Ugh, California. Why must you be so sunny and warm all the time? I just need a thunderstorm. I need to stay in my pajamas and not feel guilty. Can someone please talk to Arnold about this? Or maybe God?

Ok, next up... CUPCAKES! I completed Wilton Cake Decorating Course 2! And we had a baby! Just kidding about that last part. That's Tucker again. The perfect little baby we babysit from time to time.

Our focus was flowers. Here is our fridge with my certificates on it.

Here are the goods:

And this was not from the class but it was the greatest cupcake I've ever had in my entire life. Well, maybe it was equally as good as the cupcakes from our wedding. But regardless, they were dang good. They're Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes. Oh man. You have to make these. Here's a link to the blog I got them off of: Chef Chloe.

Oh, and here's my mullet. I finally got it cut. Now I look like Justin Bieber. Jessica, I need you.

Scott's battalion had a barbecue last weekend and it was a lot of fun!

Here are some of our friends:

This is Noah and his girlfriend Brittany.

This is me and my friend Erica. She's going to have a baby boy very soon! I cannot wait.

This is the family I wish I had. Well, the little boy and the puppy. I don't know much about the rest of the people.

They had different games set up for them to play. The boys decided to compete in tug-of-war.

Isn't my husband so strong?

This is the other team, they didn't stand a chance.

Next up, girls turn. I whipped that team into shape.

This is our anchor, Tyler.

We tried so hard! The rope hurt my hands. And the pulling hurt my shoulders. And I got a little sweaty. I don't think tug-of-war was made for girls. But that girl in the front sure had a good time.

There was also this thing. It's very dangerous. Don't let your kids near it...

...or your 22-year-old husband.

All in all, it was a great week.

We've got a busy month ahead of us. I'm leaving for Colorado to hang out with my Young Life leader, Julie Ware, and all of her Young Life girls at Crooked Creek Ranch! It's gonna be a blast. Pray for all of us to have a safe trip and for these girls to have the best week of their lives!

And Scottie Baby is going to 29 Palms, California to train for his upcoming deployment. Pray that he learns a lot and stays safe.

We love you guys and miss you more than you know.