Life is Consuming

Here's a brief update on our family. I now know why Laura only made posts about once every three weeks. There just isn't time! Holy cow! Do you know the words to Count Your Blessings? They completely epitomizes my life right now. That reminds me! (It's one of the songs I'm playing in Sacrament meeting on Sunday). And, you should have seen our spectacle last Sunday! I'm playing the organ, and here comes Christina, running across the stand, completely upstaging the conductor in the middle of the opening song. All I can think is, "Where is Jake?!" Well, between him being in and out of the chapel, running Alex home to pee in the potty because he wouldn't go at church, and being totally mortified, he never came and got her! And what am I supposed to do? Stop playing while everyone sings and make her sit down? That would just compound the situation! To make it worse, this continued for the WHOLE meeting! Can I just say something here? THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! It's a good thing we know this. It's also a good thing we have a couple young women in the ward who have agreed to help Jake this Sunday, so it doesn't happen again. THANK YOU!!!

Mercedes doesn't like green beans or pickles, but she likes pickled green beans. What's up with that? (I just had to say that for you, dad). She also has a new knick-name from our neighbor, which I think is super cute! He calls her Beamer*. I like it!

Alex is tired of his cast. Yesterday, I caught him trying to cut it off twice with two different pair of scissors! Can you believe that? He's starting to talk more in sentences too. We had been loading the washing machine, I left the laundry room, and he shut the door behind me. After a few minutes, he hadn't come out, so I opened the door to check on him. Quick as lightning, he whirls around, points at me, and says, "No mom, out, door!" What was he doing, you might wonder? Playing in the kitty litter with the cat. NASTY!!!!

Jake is doing well in school. He's almost half done with both of his seven week courses. Then he has three more classes to finish, and he'll be ready for fall. He's tired and really discouraged about the way USU offers their Accounting Degree here in the Basin, but knows somehow it will work out. You're doing good, Dear. Just hang in there and do the best you can. We love you and are very proud of you!

Oh, and Chicken Nugget is psycho. She likes to play fetch at three in the morning. Unfortunately, this means I get to play fetch at three in the morning. Good thing she only plays for about three minutes.

Well, I think that about sums it up. I hope all is well with you! Love you too!!!

*Just for clarification, Mercedes of Mercedes Benz is named after the Daimler Company's French Distributor's eleven-year-old daughter in 1907, and is a Spanish name once reserved for Spanish aristocracy which means "our lady of mercy." She wasn't named after the car, I just loved the name from all my Spanish classes in Middle School, High School, and College.

My Little Neighborhood Family

Do you know what I love? I love my children; and, I love all the little children that live on my street! I'm glad they come to play dress-up, cars, and puzzles, race their bikes, and slide on the slide. I love that they come get me when one of them falls off their bike and "needs" help getting up. I'm glad they ask me for help tying their shoes or zipping up their boots. I'm glad ALL the children play so well together, and that their little skiffs are quickly forgotten - for their are many many skiffs. I'm glad I have the opportunity to be their neighbor because they are teaching me much patience, which I so dearly need. I'm glad my home can be a refuge when they are sad. And, even though it does occasionally cause problems, I'm glad they like walking in just to be here. I hope they will always feel comfortable coming "home."

What We're Going to Do this Summer...

• Eat Ice Cream cones
• Make ice cream
• Play at the park
• Play in the sprinklers
• Go to the Big pool
• Eat a dinner of all fresh corn
• Blow bubbles
• Swing
• Slide
• Play at the lake
• Catch a butterfly
• Camp in the backyard
• Have a BBQ(or many)
• Shop at the Farmer’s Markets
• Go to the Zoo
• Make Jam
• Make popsicles
• Pick fruit
• Eat dinner entirely from our garden
• Garden
• Make lemonade
• Play in a creek
• Play in the summer showers
• go for a walk in the rain
• Play baseball
• Go to a baseball game
• Find rainbows
• Go to the library
• Read lots of books
• Go to a movie on a hot day
• Play mini-golf
• Learn to ride a tricycle
• Have lots of picnics
• Build a sandcastle
• Fly a kite
• Hula hoop
• Make dandelion chains
• Make mudpies
• Feed ducks
• Have a campfire
• Play flashlight tag
• Pick flowers

Chicken Pot Pie

This may taste a little peppery; but, when eaten as left-overs, it's more mild. If you use less pepper, you'll wish you hadn't.

1 (15 oz.) can Veg-All

2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of potato soup

1 1/2 c. cooked chicken

1/2 c. milk

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 (9 inch) pie crusts or biscuits* (if you use the recipe below, half it)

1 egg - if using pie crusts

Combine everything, but the egg. If using a pie crust, fill with mixture and crimp edges to seal. Slit top crust and brush with egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

If using biscuits, pour mixture into a greased 9 inch pan. Drop biscuits on top. Bake according to your biscuits recipe. (For the recipe below, I heat the oven to 425 degrees and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until biscuits are done).

*Drop Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 c. oil or butter, softened

1 1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and milk, mixing well. If the dough seems too runny, just let it sit for a couple minutes. It will be fine. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 8 - 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 10 - 12 biscuits.

Baked Beans

For my first try, this was awesome! I think the recipe is basic enough, you could add what ever you like to make it your own. My mom always adds molasses, brown sugar, prepared mustard, and ketchup. Her baked beans are the BEST!!! Even this is different from the original.

2 c. small white beans*

6 c. water

2 T. dehydrated onion

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. brown sugar (I used granulated)

1/4 c. honey

1/4 t. dry mustard

1 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1/2 c. bacon or bacon bits (optional)

What I did

Soak beans overnight. Simmer over low heat until done - about two hours. Drain, reserving liquid. Place onion, oil, brown sugar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and one cup reserved liquid in crock pot. Mix. Add beans and stir to coat. Add enough liquid to almost cover beans and cook. I cooked mine two hours on high and two hours on low.

You could also quick cook your beans and then make this if you don't want to soak them all night.

Or

Soak beans overnight. Simmer over low heat 1-2 hours or until done. Drain, reserving liquid. Add onions to beans and put into a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir together oil, sugar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and 1 c. of reserved liquid. Pour over beans and stir gently. Add enough remaining liquid to almost cover beans. Bake at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. Stir in bacon or bacon bits the last 30 minutes. If you cook the beans this way, you may want to cook them in a dish that has a lid. If they begin to dry out, add a little liquid and cover them.

*When cooking beans, never never NEVER add salt until they are soft, because it prevents them from softening.