M is for Marc

Not very many people get their own post, but this one deserves it! Marc is one of my favorite little guys. Well, I love all my little guys (Linc and Q and Jackson). I guess I should preface this post by mentioning to all non family members that my family and extended family are very close. Especially on my mom's side. There is my family, Cathy's family, and Cal's family. Cal's kids are all aged 19 and below, my family is 19-26 (minus Alli), and Cathy's family is 28-(don't worry Kel, I won't post your age on here).

Point of the story being Cathy's nest is all married with children and I like to pretend that my cousins' children are my nieces and nephews. So I have the cutest nieces and nephews. They are:

Jackson and DeLaney and Addie (kids of Jeff and Kelli)

Marc and Abby (kids of Marcus and Steph)

Lezlee and Linc and Quince (kids of Spence and Rach)

Marc came to visit me in October and here are a few pics I took of him. They didn't turn out too well because he was in constant motion and I'm not a very good photographer. Luckily he's the cutest so they are still good!

cool tree in our front yard

and a post of pictures wouldn't be complete without a picture of my favorite little girl

C is for Catchup

(not to be confused with ketchup)


Recently I found a list of topics to blog about that I had made in October. Some of these are still relevant, some are not. I had a hard time blogging about them, because for some reason I was obsessed with not repeating the letters in the title of my posts (I wanted to have "_ is for ____" for every letter in the alphabet before I started to repeat letters). Breaking that OCD habit has made blogging so much easier. The list made in October is as follows:



P is for Problems

-I was excited for the proposition of playing cards with my mom and her friends on a Saturday night
-I've been in Oklahoma so long that I know the neighbors
-Finding a job is hard
-Lawn service sucks
-My wakeboard bindings are broken
-The water is too cold
-My computer keeps breaking
-I made homemade bread
-I miss my friends
-No one sends me packages anymore


No worries people, now as of 12/15/08:

-I have my own friends to hang out with
-Luckily two is plural so when I say "friends" I'm not lying
-There have been no more neighborhood parties
-I have a job, or two
-The grass is dead so I no longer have to mow it!
-Maybe father will get a new wakeboard for next year
-It's December and I've accepted that it's too cold outside and I will not be in the water again till May
-After a new hardrive, hours on the phone, and sending it in three times to be fixed, my computer is finally working. Kind of.
-The homemade bread was a one time deal
-I'll leave it up to YOU to solve the last two!!! :)



Love Lauren


PS - My brother sent me this funny email and I decided it was blogworthy ...got to love failblog!

http://failblog.org/2008/12/02/homework-fail/
make sure you read the line at the bottom - of what it was SUPPOSED to be.

PPS - It's OK if you didn't get it. Mere didn't get it the first time. She probably still doesn't get it. "Girls next door to what?" I love her innocence.

G is for Gingerbread

On Sunday, the Pitts, Babcocks, and Giers came over and we decorated gingerbread houses. The kids decorated graham cracker houses, and the adults (yay I'm an adult now!) got the real deal. For the first time in my life, mine turned out (in my own opinion) better than my Moms (not pictured)! Warning: many pictures of the same thing to follow -- I'm still refining my decision making skills...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

Love Lauren

T is for Twilight

To be honest, I am rather ashamed that it has taken a month for me to blog. I guessed it's because I haven't been feeling very witty, thus unable to live up to my usual standard of wittiness and I wouldn't want to deliver something boring. I'm not going to go on and on about how I'm such a bad blogger and I'll get better --that's just annoying. Instead I decided that I'm not going to blog for other people anymore, I'm going to blog for myself. As Taylor's friend Zack says, "When the brain fails, the internet always has your back." Moving on the the main topic of this post...

I have too fallen subject to the Twilight craze. I read each of the books within a two day span and I saw the movie on the day after opening night. Not so much of dire need, but because that's when everyone was going. It wasn't very good, but better than I thought it would be (mainly because I had very, very, very low expectations for it). But I did enjoy it and will see the sequel if it's ever created. At first I felt the Edward character DID NOT fit, but he kind of grew on me. The image of the Jacob chosen was good, but his voice bugged me and he was a horrible actor. He sounded more like a big city boy than an indian living on a reservation. The girl that played Bella was prettier than I thought she would be. Rosalie wasn't as pretty as I thought she would be, Jasper was really small. And all the Cullens paleness was done so horribly. It really looked liked white makeup on them not blended very well. Anyways, I can't even remember the rest of my critiques right now I'm so tired. Love to all! Goodnight!

W is for Watermelon

How does your garden grow? Well ours grows pretty decently. This year we had butternut squash, jalapenos, red hot peppers, half a tomato, beets, parsley and watermelon. Two watermelon started to grow, but one was viciously attacked by animals. The other grew beautifully, however, father fell under the notion that it would sever the tie of the vine when it was ripe, which never occured. One day we could resist no longer and picked our overly ripe watermelon! Here is the account in pictures (much better than words).

Father with his garden grown watermelon

the first cut

almost completely cut through

one half

the watermelon being sliced for consumption

me taking the first bite

I hope you were all able to feel as you were a part of this monumental occasion.

Love Lauren

elle is for lauren

Many rage about my generation for constantly having cell phones and ipods attached to our ears and never having peaceful moments of quiet reflection and mediation. I cannot, nor will not, deny that I am a part of this always plugged in generation. However, I do have time for reflection as I shower, as well as in those quiet moments while I lay in bed unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep as my thoughts bounce all around my head. Two days ago while taking a shower I pondered this very topic, which was thought of because of the following.



While showering after a long day of work I was thinking about many different topics, and they all started to combine in thoughts. I thought about how badly I wanted to update my blog, but didn't have time because if I were to be on the computer, I needed to be searching for a job. I was thinking of my unsuccessful search for a job. I considered change and how much I sometimes like change. It was then that I considered changing my name to Elle (not legally of course, but to be used with every new acquaintance). I then thought of how I wouldn't want to do that, because when I have a baby girl I would like to name her Elle. This is a big deal, I tend to not think much of the future, I have no idea how many kids I want or what I want there names to be. I have no idea of where I'll want to live, then or now, I have no idea where I want to get married or even what I'll want my colors to be. I have no idea of any details at all. All of it just gives me a big headache and unnecessary stress. It makes me wonder, was I ever a little girl? Did I ever dream? I guess it just proves that despite my addiction to shopping, I am just not a girly girl.

By reading the previous paragraph and contemplation on other thoughts, I can now realize why I choose to stay plugged in. By being plugged in: I stay focused; I avoid mindless thoughts; I avoid stress; and I avoid daydreaming which results in a waste of time for me.

S is for Slave

I haven't been blogging, I've been slaving. Slave, esclavo, sklave, schiavo, slaaf, escravo, 奴隶, 奴隷. That's right. The past few weeks my whole existance can be explained by that five, sometimes more or less depending on the language, letter word. Gosh, now I know how Cinderella felt -- "Lauren do this", "Lauren do that", "Lauren get me some water", "I'm hungry, make me some food"...

...(entering dream sequence)...feed the dogs, do the dishes, go swimming with your sister, walk the dog, mow the lawn, make lunch, make dinner, clean my room, do the dishes, vaccuum the house, dust, quit playing the piano, find a job, get me some popsicles, pick this up, run this to the post office, get alli off to school, do the dishes...

No, that is not some sick nightmare, that is my life.

In the past week I have constantly been cleaning:

the kitchen

this room

the dining room

the living room

and (unphotographed) the other living/piano room, the guest room, alli's room, the study, and the entire upstairs (my room).

There has also been one other unfortunate job that has been thrust upon me, but I think that one will have to be saved for another post...

** A special thanks to http://www.freetranslation.com/ for providing me the translation of slave into spanish, german, italian, dutch, portuguese, chinese, and japanese.

M is for Modeling/Monster

I've created a monster. The other day I wanted to use my old camera, actually my moms old camera, a Canon AE-1. I've had it since I did photojournalism in high school. Might I add that I was one of the best sports photographers at Tomball High! Anyways, I haven't used it in forever and have essentially forgotten what a majority of the settings were, its not automatic so I couldn't just point and shoot but had to pick the f-stop and focus and everything. It was fun trying to figure it out again, but it has been half a decade and I think I've lost my touch. It was weird going to the store to drop off film, and having the suspense of not knowing AT ALL what the pictures I was going to pick up would look like. Aunt Cathy was baffled that people still even used film.

Back to the monster I created, I had to have something I wanted pictures of, I didn't want 24 images of landscape, so I told Alli that she was going to have a fashion show/modeling shoot. She pulled out her princess dresses, jewels and did her own hair and make-up and then we went to the back yard. I have never laughed so hard as I did when she started doing poses. I want everyone to know, I did not even once pose this child or tell her what to do. But I got everything from arms outstretched, to struts, to pouted lips, to smiling faces. It was way fun.

Here are some pics I took. The quality and sharpness isn't as good as the original because I scanned them in and the scanner wasn't workin too well and made the edges of some of the photos weird, so they are all cropped a lot. Feel free to come over and see the originals! Enjoy!

Below is Sampson T. Nuttall

Any ideas for the next shoot?

Love Lauren

T is for Texas

"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."

That is the pledge of allegiance to the Texas state flag. I used to have to say that every morning after the pledge of allegiance to the US.

I love Texas.

I forgot how much until I went down there last week to help watch my cousins adorable one year old, Marc, because she just had a baby.

Here is Abigail with her grandma, Cathy.

Me entertaining Marc, or vice versa.

Little Marc loves cell phones. Here he is with his mom, my cousin Stephanie, playing on my cell phone.

While I was in Dallas, I also got to hang out with my friend from Jerusalem--Mitch Murdock. We had a fun time and the most entertaining, yet stressful, cooking experience. I didn't take any pictures, but I do have one from when he visited at my house and stayed in Alli's room. This photo is creepy. Only few will understand the meaning behind this photo.

Now I'm back in Oklahoma taking care of my mother who just had surgery on her ACL on Friday. Basically, instead of getting a job, I've been a professional caretaker for the past few weeks. Haven't been getting paid, but have been provided with food, housing, and the necessities of life.

Love Lauren

PS - I'm missing my "besteez" like crazy. (Allie, imagine yourself photoshopped into this picture)

R is for Recipes

In the words of high school musical "What time is it? Summertime! School's Out - Scream and Shout!" Sadly, summertime is now over and what time is it? Time for Lauren to finally, grow up, get a job, and live on her own. I'm currently living in boring old Oklahoma with my parents as I decide on what I am doing with my life. Oklahoma wouldn't be so bad... if I had even just one friend within half a decade of my age. My only friend here, Jessie Babcock, is 15. Her mom is, well, let's just say if Jessie is 15 her mom is atleast half a decade older than me. Anyways, enough of my whining, I need to move already. Point of the blog post is that soon I will be living on my own. I will have no mother to cook my meals, no roommate who is an expert chef (Thank you Rachel Zackrison), and no sister to trade off cooking with (Love you Meredith). I need to learn how to cook real meals.

This is a real request for favorite recipes, don't send me a ton because if you do I will probably disregard them, but if everyone reading will send me a few of their favorites, it would be much appreciated. Send to laurennuttall@gmail.com, or post them as a comment so others can see them. Thank you in advance.

Here is one of my favorite recipes given to me by Rachel.



Title: Chicken Enchilladas - Rachel's Recipe

Description:This is the recipe I've made at beach week the past couple years. Enjoy!


Ingredients:1/4 cup chopped pecans1/4 cup chopped onions2 T. margerine1 4oz can of diced green chili peppers, drained3 oz. cream cheese, softened1 T. milk1/4 t. groud cumin2 cups chopped cooked chicken 12 7-inch flour tortillas1 10 3/4 oz can condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup1 8oz carton sour cream1 cup milk3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese2 T. chopped pecans


Directions:1. In a skillet, cook pecans and onion in margerine over medium heat til onion is tender and pecans are lightly toasted. Remove from heat, stir in 1 T. of the green chilies.

2. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 T. milk, cumin. Add nut mixture and chicken. Spoon onto tortillas, roll up, place seam side down in a greased 3 qt rectangular baking dish. (**I usually put a little bit of the sour cream/cream of chicken mixture in the bottom of the baking dish to keep it from sticking)

3. In a medium bowl combine soup, sour cream, 1 cup milk, and remaining canned chilies. Pour the soup mixture evenly over the tortillas in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and extra pecans. Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes.

************ I find that the filling mixture isn't quite enough. I usually double the "chicken mixture" (cream cheese, pecans and onions, chilies, chicken) to make heartier enchilladas. I also put some cheese inside before I roll them up. Enjoy!

Number Of Servings:6 servings

B is for Break Dancing

Ok so my little sister is adorable and here is a video of her breakdancing. She LOVES to practice her breakdancing! Sorry for the messy room, I'm currently moving into the upstairs of my parents house.

P is for Pictures (and Parties)

I've been home for exactly two weeks and one day and everyday has seemed like a party. The Christie boys, our second family, came two weeks ago from tomorrow and we have been hanging out, swimming, going to the lake, and going to frontier city, the amusement park. We've taken tons of pictures and videos of tubing, boating, rollar coasters, and jumps off the diving board. Not too much to write about and most of the pictures are on the other computer.

Alli and I at the airport with the welcome home sign she made me.

(Notice the backpack--I really did backpack Europe!)

AD and Kevin after a spaghetti dinner.

I love my brother, this shirt is perfect for him!

AD and I at the arcade making tons of dough, well, tickets.

We are so fierce! Yes, we earned 1700 tickets on the Elvis coin machine. That's what I like to call skill.

No worries, I didn't pass up the photo booth! I was slightly confused on where to look and when to pose...

This is me on the boat. Boating makes me happy!

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have another blog soon. Let me know what yall think of the new design.

Love Lauren

C is for Construction

My blog is now officially under construction. Please let me know if you would like to do my blog design for me or know of places where I can get cute designs. I like the corner on this, but the hot pink and blue are too much.

D is for Dancing

So today I was obsessed with watching dances from SYTYCD and this was by FAR my favorite. It's amazing. Hip hop to Bleeding Heart, and it works! I probably watched it twenty times. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5mUv3_2Qig

A is for America

That's right. I'm back in America. Home of the free, land of the brave. It's good to be back where everyone speaks English, or at least tries to! I'm excited to be home, but sad my adventures have come to an end. Not to mention I will not longer see my dear friend Heidi who I have spent pretty much every waking morning with since April 30th till July 5th. I realized when I got back how bad I was at keeping in touch via email and updating the blog, as well as journaling. So, I'm either going to be making changes on the blog, or making a scrapbook, which everyone will be welcome to see! If anyone wants a preview of what I did, you can look at Rachel's blog. We weren't there at the same time, but she is there now and keeps it very updated and I have done pretty much all the same things!

Anyways, it is great to be home. I was separated from my Europe partners, Heidi and Spencer in Washington D.C. when they stopped there and I was going on to OKC, and I realized during my 4 1/2 hour layover, that it was the first time I have been by myself doing my own thing since before I left for Jerusalem. What did I do to past the time? Well, the first hour was spent getting through customs and dealing with a crying baby. At this point I wanted to slap a little kid in the face and be like SHUT UP ALREADY! I know, this doesn't sound very kind, but this is after I was on a flight for nine hours when half the time some people in the front, I never even saw them, let their baby scream and scream and scream. There was a point where they let it scream for about an hour or two straight. No exaggeration, ask Heidi and Spence. No one picked it up, or tried to help it or anything. I think they were French.

Anyways, after customs I proceeded to the terminal where my flight was. I left my cellular in Provo, so I called my mother from a pay phone. I used a phone card for the first time in my life. The phone card was a gift given to me by my neighbors for my high school graduation. Being a college grad, I decided to cheat the system by calling her and giving her the pay phone number to call me back. So she did, and I felt like a drug dealer answering a ringing pay phone. We then talked for over 90 minutes. The other two hours were spent wandering the halls wondering what I should do with myself. I think I walked the terminal 15 times. Finally, I was able to get on the plane, I pulled my pillow and blanky out of my bag, got my sudoku and ipod and patiently waited on the 3 hour flight back home.

While on the phone with my mother, I told her if anyone loved me they would be at the airport, with signs, when I got home. This was my welcome crew.

Yes that sign says, welcome home Lauren when are you going to get a job? And yes, that is toilet paper AD is holding. She always has had potty humor.

Yes I look nasty, but keep in mind that I just backpacked Europe for the past 17 days and I had been traveling for around 22 hours (that includes traveling to airports, waiting time, and flights).

I'm home safely and just chillin in OKC. My four little boys are coming today so our house will be a party for the next two weeks! If anyone wants to visit me, arrangements can be made. :)

Love Lauren

U is for Update

Sorry guys, long time no update.

I love Jerusalem! It's been amazing here! I've been able to do so much. Here is a brief update of what has been going on. We went to Galilee for ten days and it was absolutely wonderful! We went all over the place in the Galilee and swam in the sea of Galilee. Brief places that I remember going are Caesarea, Mt. Tabor, Nimrod's Castle, seeing a 2000 year old boat, Mount of Beatitudes, and the Galilee Branch of church. We have been to soo many places, those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

The other day we had a really exciting field trip, we went to Masada, walked around there and saw one of Herod's castles. It was pretty cool. We then went and floated in the Dead Sea and found mud and put it all over ourselves, not going to lie, it wasn't that fun and with open cuts the it breached being painful, but it was all worth it for the crazy pictures we took. We then went to Ein Gedi, the spot where David hid from Saul. There were amazing waterfalls there -- so pretty! After that we went to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was then we found out how much of a baller our professor is--he is a master of Israeli things and Hebrew and helped to translate one of the scrolls. Amazing. Anyways.

Here are pics. Enjoy!

Love Lauren

heidi, me, and allie at masada

floating in the Dead Sea

ethiopian women, we let our hair down, literally

ashley, me, dr. seeley, and heidi and qumran

random pic, me and allie overlooking the dome of the rock, mount scopus and the mount of olives, if you look to the top left, the "mormon university" is cascading down the top

and no worries folks, they have diet coke in israel, boo yah