Key Lime Pie- YUMMMMMM!

This pie is sooooo good! I saw it on the Food Network about a year ago and it's been one of my favorites ever since. Plus it's easy! I've even learned to add my own twists to it! Wow- my first modified recipe! :) I'm learning...slowly.



1 Graham Cracker crust
zest of 2 limes
3 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)

1. Beat yolks and lime zest together on medium speed until thick or about 2 minutes
2. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk and beat 3-4 minutes
3. SLOW speed- pour in lime juice and just beat until it's barely mixed in. Don't keep beating it.
4. Pour filling into crust and bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes or until just set (like Jell-O)
5. Let cool, then freeze it and you're done!

Vanessa's awesome chef tips...
1. I like to use egg whites instead of yolks, but if you make two pies, then you can do one of each.
2. If you don't like your pie tart, use less lime juice- as little as 1/3 cup.
3. Put it in the fridge 15 minutes before you serve it and it will take away that icy feeling.
4. This looks beautiful with whipped cream and strawberries on top (and even lime slices too!) and tastes even better than it looks!
5. Oh and hey, I bet this would taste good as a lemon pie too!

One More Thing

I know I've posted a lot in the last couple of days, worthless thoughts that make me realize how scatter-brained I really am. But this one is one of my favorites.
In learning Spanish and studying Spanish literature I've come across a lot of really great information. Perhaps that's part of why i can't think straight- sometimes I think of a word in Spanish and have to struggle to translate it into English. But there's something I learned in these last 6 or so years of Spanish that I already knew- having been taught by "goodly parents" who tried to root my life in the gospel.

"Mejor estar solo que mal acompañado"

In English, that means it's better to be alone than in bad company. So, it's pretty self-explanatory. Stand up for who you really are, no matter what the world thinks of you!

One More Silly Song Lyric(s)

Amos Lee states that Beauty is the Only power in a wicked world.

Let's all remember to remain beautiful on the inside so we will be strong in this world.

Black-Eyed Peas a Good Thing?

Ok so I know that there isn't a whole lot of music here that we'd like our kids to listen to. This song- however- came to my mind today as I think of Darron leaving to Iraq because there are things that we can be doing right here at home to keep our homes and communities peaceful. Shout out to all the members of community groups who work hard to make the world a safe, nurturing, and fun place to live! I especially love the chorus of this song which I have placed at the very end where they look to God for guidance. And also the part that talks about keeping our faith alive. We control our faith, our testimonies, and our knowledge. Let's now let anyone take those away from us and let us stay strong 'til the end!

So here are the lyrics to a song entitled "Where is the Love?"
What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'
in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love

Looking Back

Aren't uncles the best? I remember walking over to Uncle Curt's house to pet old Zeb and feed the cow. Then he'd let us pick his strawberries and we'd stay and watch MASH with him and Aunt Lannie. I have such great memories of all my aunt and uncles, and Gram & Papa too!

All these pictures were taken a couple of years ago when we all made that fun trip down to Vernon to be there for Gram & Papa's temple sealing. I just found them and thought that it would be nice to share. I hope we all remember to pass on the great tradition of FAMILY to our own children and all the others we consider family.

Two inspiring quotes

I'm sure we've all heard at least one of these before, but it never hurts to look back on something that might inspire our future.

"My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or dealyed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate...at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in a maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up."
- Robert Moorehead


"I am in earnest; I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will not retreat a single inch; and I will be heard."
- William Lloyd Garrison

A New Kind of X-Effect

Do we remember having a remote control for our tv's as children? Did we have tv's at all? Now, some people have more than one tv, and most people have more than one controller. When tv's first came out, remote controllers weren't available. Can you belive that we actually got out of our seats, walked to the tv, turned the dial, and then walked back to our seats and sat down?!! Today, we can do a million things with our remotes. Here's a sample...

Change the channel, change the color, change the pitch, change the picture mode, change the width of the picture, change the display mode, switch inputs, watch dvd's, play nintendo, shop for homes, shop for cars, buy jewelry, rent movies, pause, record, fast-forward, and rewind live programs, access re-runs, listen to music...

The list goes on and on. Do you have a tv? If yes- do you have a remote? Duh! Who doesn't? So why are these things so important to us? What do they mean? A remote control means for me- INSTANT GRATIFICATION. I get to watch what I want, when I want, where I want, with who I want. I don't have to skip work to come home and watch my show. I can record and watch it later. I don't have to put the kids in the back yard so that I can enjoy the program. I can wait for them to go to bed! I don't have to run to the video store to rent a movie. I can pay for it and have it sent to my television then and there- and save the gas money! I don't have to fiddle with the radio to find a station that comes in clearly. I have hundreds of options for music on my tv! All i have to is click a button.

So what does this say about our society, and perhaps, more generally, Generation X? Our new generation, all the way back to those born in 1961, has a remote control mentality. We want everything and we want it now. A remote control, a microwave oven, a credit card, a diet pill- all of these things give us what we want when we want them. We don't have to do any work to get the product we want! A twenty-year old can get a loan and buy a brand new house. Then his/her spouse can get a loan to buy two brand new cars. Then they can use credit cards to decorate and furnish their homes and lives, dropping themselves close to a million dollars in debt.
What happened to working hard to be able to have the things you wanted? What happened to saving money?

I remember saving the money we earned by selling candy from our house to all the neighborhood kids just so i could go down to the store and buy more treats. I remember working with my class at recess, selling treats in order to pay for our field trips.

What was once a convenient piece of equipment used to change the channel on the television set, is now a necessity for those seeking yet not willing to work to acheive.

As families- mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and otherwise influential members of this Generation X, let us all work to change the remote control mentality and pass on to our children and loved ones the true meaning of hard work and the satisfaction of acheiving something you worked hard to acheive.