Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

I got to babysit my super cute nephew Will for 5 days while my sister went to NYC for Thanksgiving with her in-laws.  It was a little bit of an adjustment to remember what it's like to have a toddler around, but it was so much fun!  My kids were in heaven pretending to have a little brother, especially Jack, who hates always being the youngest.  :)

Thanksgiving with nice.... I don't know why I don't have any photos.  Oh yeah.  I do know why.  Because I was too busy chasing a toddler and trying to keep him from breaking the china and crystal, and destroying the center pieces, and mangling the decorations, and smearing mashed potatoes on everyone's best clothes, and.... well, you get the idea.

But seriously, it was really fun to have Will around.  He totally adapted so easily.  He just immediately accepted that we were his new family.  It was quite funny.  I guess it helps that I look a bit like and talk like his mom.... were are sisters, you know.

Oh.  I almost forgot.  I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day!  My first 10K!  It was super hard, but I managed to run the whole time (if you can call what I do running..... very slow running).... I didn't walk at all.  Yay!  It was way better than my first 5K, where I couldn't even run the whole time, and my knee hurt so bad for the next couple of days that I could hardly walk.  Ugh. 

So, that's progress.

Soccer

Mary and Jack just finished a season of soccer.  They both enjoyed it, but Mary had a particularly good experience.... a great coach (who worked really hard but was very kind and even-tempered), nice team mates, and she worked really hard and was successful.  They won more games than they lost, and even those they lost were close. 

Mary is #8

 Mary is very quick and aggressive.... she goes after that ball!  She likes to play defense... she was the best defender on the team.  Her coach would say things like, "Nothing gets past Mary!"  It's a little discouraging when you don't get to be the one who makes the goals, but she has learned to appreciate the fact that she made lots of great saves and assists.  She gained a lot of confidence and learned that she has a lot to offer as part of team.

Jack worked hard and enjoyed it, but he didn't have a great experience... his coaches were not committed (usually came to practice late, didn't teach anything) and spent most of the time at the games yelling (screaming!) unhelpful things at the kids ("Get the ball!  What are you doing?  Don't do that!  Run faster!") instead of coaching and encouraging.  No, they were not a winning team.  It was a especially frustrating for Jay, who refereed most of the games (as a volunteer... yes, that's him in the photo) so he had to stay out of it.  It was really disappointing (these kids are only 5 and 6 years old) especially since Mary had such a good experience.  What a contrast.

Photography Workshop

For my birthday, my mom gave me the perfect gift!  She paid for the two of us to attend this photography workshop.  It was super fun, I learned a ton, I got to have lunch at House of Tricks (yum!) and I got to spend the whole day with my mom!  See?  Perfect.

I got this great camera for Christmas (my mom has the same one), but I didn't really know how to use it (neither did my mom).... until now!  I said so-long to the "green box" and now I'm shooting in full manual mode!  It's a total blast.  I'm still not very good, but I'm learning more all the time. 

Here are some photos that I took on the "photo safari" with the teacher....

Thank you mom!!!!!




-

I swear I'm not getting paid for this....

I am in love with Lodge cast iron cookware.   But I haven't always been.  I used to think it was junk.  Growing up I watched my mom cook with these old "junky looking" pans and swore I never would. As an immature teenager I guess I equated looks with function.  Go figure.  (How did I not realize that everything my mom cooked tasted good?) 

When I got married, I got a nice set of Hard Anodized Calphalon.  It looks great and has served me well, but I have never "loved" it.  A few years ago I noticed that "Le Creuset" was all the rage.  I started to believe that maybe cast iron was functional after all, but that it was necessary to cover up that ugly exterior with colorful enamel.  I thought I was sold on it, but alas, it's expensive.  Holy cow, it's outrageous!  Definitely out of my price range. 

Last year, on a whim, I bought a 12" Lodge cast iron skillet.... at Wal-Mart.... because it was 18 bucks!  At that price, I figured I could afford to dump it if it was junk.  Oh my.  I cooked with it once and I was hooked!  It never leaves my stove top (except to get washed).... I don't bother putting it away because it's the pan I use the most.  It cooks everything beautifully, on the stove or in the oven, and cleans up in a snap!  (And it literally last forever!)  Plus, it seems like everything tastes better when it's cooked in cast iron.  Who needs enamel?

Now my skillet has a friend, who also lives on my stove top.  For my birthday, Jay my kids got me this dutch oven with a lid that doubles as a smaller skillet.  My other pots and pans are feeling rather neglected, but I don't care.

And you know what?  I LOVE how it looks.... bare-naked cast iron.  Beauty.




-

Resemblances

The internet is very interesting..... and extremely handy.  You can find out just about anything you want to know.

For example.....

You can find a recipe for any dish ever created, or instructions on how to roast garlic, which you can (and will) use in a ton of recipes.

Your husband can find instructions for how to install a better horn in the car he bought recently, which came with a really goofy, wimpy-sounding horn.

You can purchase a replacement utensil basket for your dishwasher when the original one that came with your 13-year-old dishwasher begins to sport holes in the bottom through which your daring silverware escape during the wash cycle.

Your husband can learn to play a tricky guitar solo by watching an instructional video on YouTube, so he can serenade you on your birthday.

You can pause a DVD so you can go find out what other movies one of the actors has been in, because it's driving you crazy that he/she looks familiar and you know you have seen he/she in something before, and your husband doesn't believe you but thinks it's someone else, like Marcia Brady (and it's not) because he is terrible with names....and faces.

Yeah, it's really handy.

Recently we were watching this movie with our kids.  (It's not nearly as good as the first one, but it was entertaining.  Besides, I'll watch anything with Tim and Don.)  The kids kept saying that one of the characters looked like "the guy from The Princess Diaries 2," (whose name I could not think of) which was crazy because he probably wasn't even born when the movie we were watching was made.  However, I did think that the actor looked familiar, but I figured he was just one of those "Disney-contracted actors" from the 70's who appeared in lots of their smaller films (actually, I think he appeared at least once in every television series aired between 1965 and 1995).  

When the movie was over, I watched the credits to see if the name of the actor was familiar.  It wasn't, but something about his name clicked in my head, since we had recently watched this movie.  So, I looked him up and sure enough.... though it wasn't the actor my kids thought it was, it turned out to be HIS SON.  Crazy.  How did they know?



Do you see the resemblance?

father

son

IMDb is the coolest site ever.


-

October Review

I turned 40 this month.  Ouch.  I had really wanted to go on a trip (just Jay and I) to celebrate, but everything was too expensive.  We ended up going to the cabin (it was Fall Break), with my parents, and my SIL/BIL's family.  Hooray for the Haslips and their 6 kids for mine to play with!

Ugh!  That's a lot of candles!

But I did blow them all out in one breath.... easy peasy!

.... and Grandpa gave the boys a lesson in forestry.

We also picnicked near Sunrise....

The fall colors were gorgeous.....

.... thanks Dad, for building such a great place for our family to be together!

Jay and I often write parodies for special events (family member birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, friends moving away, etc.).  We have always written them together.  Well, I should say that Jay has never written one without me.... until now.  He surprised me by singing and playing his guitar, a parody he wrote for me.... which I shall share with you later.  It was sweet and funny, and I won't do it justice by just posting the lyrics here.  (I was too "into" the moment so I didn't think to pull out the video camera, and neither did anyone else!  Bummer!)  It was sweet and funny.  Classic Jay.

Last night we went to our ward (local church congregation)/neighborhood party and "Trunk or Treat."  The kids' costumes turned out quite good. 

Jack as a Luchador...

.... and sans mask.

Mary was very cute as "Pippy Longstocking"

Collin was dressed up as a "Deviled Egg" (an egg with devil horns), but he removed his costume shortly after arriving at the party.... he is that age where he wants to dress up still, but it's not really cool.  So, I never got a photo.  Oh well.

I looked pretty good too, as Princess Leia, if I may say so myself, though on one bothered to take a picture of me.  Humph.  :P  I got lots of compliments though.  (But boy, I look really bad as a brunette.)  

My talented husband has some serious pumpkin carving skills.

The Master Story-teller Does Soaps

I admit that I, like anyone else who has spent more than a few days in a hospital bed in a conscious state, have watched Soap Operas. When you spend a month, as I did, lying in a hospital bed, unable to get up, trying to distract yourself from the pain and despair of your situation (is that a bit dramatic?), there isn't much to do but watch TV to pass the time....and there aren't that many options. At least there weren't for me. Either the hospital I was in didn't have many channels at that time, or they didn't exist. The channels, I mean.

Whatever the case, my options were....game shows (ugh!), talk shows (double ugh!), old episodes of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" (actually, it was pretty funny), and soap operas. The "soaps" seemed to be the most plentiful, and certainly the most distracting. I couldn't even tell you now (11 years later) what the shows were called or what the characters' names were. But I can tell you that their complicated lives and relationships (albeit, very silly and unrealistic) kept me sane during a very dark and difficult time in my life. Those writers really know how to hook you, reel you in, and drag you along. Very long.

I haven't watched any "soaps" since then, but I laugh with fond memories when I think of the ridiculous plots and over-the-top acting. I took an acting class in college from a professor who had acted in soaps, and he talked about what a demanding job it is....constantly getting new scripts and having to learn them quickly, filming daily with little or no rehearsal. So, I guess I can cut them some slack for being so amateurish and hokey.

BUT, over the last few days I have watched all 14 episodes of the most amazing show that I can't help comparing to a soap opera in some ways; each episode ends leaving you dying to watch the next one; it's filled with a huge cast of characters with complicated lives and they are all inter-connected; numerous plot twists and turns; and themes of money, power, social status, deceit, debt, romance and mystery... it has it all.

Unlike "soaps," this show was wonderfully written (by the screenwriter Andrew Davies no less, whom you may not have heard of, but have surely seen something he has written), superbly acted by an extremely talented cast, and not the slightest bit silly (though there are plenty of lavish clothes to be seen). Oh....and it's adapted from a novel by Charles Dickens. You won't see that on "Days of Our Lives."

So, go rent "Little Dorrit" (or check it out from the library, like I did), but let me give you some advice:

1) Don't start watching it until you know you have plenty of time to devote to it, because you won't be able to stop, and you will stay up late. Very late.

2) Turn on the subtitles.... even if you don't have trouble understanding their accents, it helps to keep the characters straight. Trust me. It's complicated.

3) Invite your husband to join you... he will enjoy it just as much as you will. Mine was hooked.


Next I'm going to watch "Bleak House." I'll let you know what I think.

Turkey Trot

Aaaaaack! I just registered for my first 10K. Now I HAVE to do it.

Yikes!

Anyone want to join me?

Indian Curry

I wanted to make Indian Curry, so I scoured the internet for recipes. There are a ton out there, and they vary widely. After getting the basic idea, and knowing what ingredients I prefer, I set out to make my own version. I thought it turned out great! Even my kids who initially turned their noses up at it, ended up liking it.

I served it with Naan bread made from "Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day" dough. (Totally in love with ABin5, I am.) See how to make it here. It requires a bit of work, and I didn't use ghee (clarified butter) so my kitchen got a bit smoky. But it was worth it! Yum!

What do you know? I finally took a photo
of something I made, and it's a terrible one.

Indian Curry (Chicken or Vegetarian)
adapted from all over the internet

I kind of just used what I had on hand, and I didn't measure anything, so these amounts are all approximate:

3 T. olive oil
1 c. carrots, chopped
4 green onions, chopped (I used the whole thing)
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 T. curry powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks* (OPTIONAL: You could sub in potatoes.)
1 c. greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 can coconut milk (the can was 13.5 oz.)
1 T. lemon juice

Saute the veggies and garlic in the oil until almost tender; stir in the seasonings and sugar, and cook a minute or 2 longer. Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 5 minutes. Serve over rice or with naan bread. (I wrapped it in a piece of bread for my kids to make it easier for them to eat, but I just tear off a piece and use it to scoop.)

*I used chicken breasts that were already cooked and just cut them up. If you use raw, just saute the chunks after the veggies and then simmer a little longer until the chicken is cooked through.

Salmon For Supper

My brother-in-law went salmon fishing in Alaska and brought us some of his catch. I cooked it for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! Everyone raved and wanted seconds. It was moist and flavorful and delicious! I wish I had some photos to share, but I will tell you what I did.

I rinsed the filets (left them wet) and spread on some mustard (I just had plain old French's yellow mustard). Then I rolled them in a mixture of bread crumbs and a "garlic rosemary" seasoning blend (obviously garlic & rosemary, plus salt & pepper, dried onion, red bell pepper and lemon peel) that I had in my pantry. I drizzled each with some olive oil and baked at 450 degrees for about 8-10 minutes (I think).

I served it with homemade Rice-A-Roni (we love this....see recipe below) and steamed broccoli (a staple at our house) with butter and seasoned salt (good ol' Lawry's!). If I may say so myself, it was a perfect meal, and my family thought so too.

Rice-a-Roni
(adapted from my mother-in-law)
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1-2 T. dehydrated chopped onion
1 c. rice
1/2 c. tiny pasta (I use either orzo, alphabets or stars)
2 T. chicken soup base granules*
1-2 tsp. ground ginger (depending on how much kick you want)
1 T. dry parsley
2 1/2 c. water

Heat oil over medium high heat; add garlic and onion and saute briefly; add rice and pasta and saute 1-2 minutes. Add seasonings and stir well. Add water and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about 25 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir before serving.

* I have this awesome one from my MIL which I think totally makes the recipe. I'm sorry if you don't have a good one. :(

Building a Bike

 Jay knows a lot about bikes, because he built his own as a kid, by scavenging parts from old bikes his mom would bring home from garage sales.  He decided to teach Collin to build his own.  They started by buying an old junky bike off Craigslist that had a decent frame. 

 They stripped, sanded, sanded, sanded, sanded, primed, painted, painted and painted.....

 .... assembled, fixed, replaced, etc.

 It turned out quite nice.  All the neighbor boys are quite impressed, and Collin is very pleased with the result.

Jay is an awesome dad.  He can fix anything, and he loves to teach our boys how to "do stuff."

Determined.... Sort of

I have a lot of "stuff" stored in my garage that I used for teaching preschool music classes. Today, Jack started begging me to get out some of the toy instruments and play with them. I really didn't want him to get them out (he makes a mess and tends to break stuff), but the constant pestering finally wore me down.

I reluctantly said (with the trademark "Mom Sigh"), "All right." He quietly cheered his victory ("yay!") and headed for the garage. I said, "But watch out for scorpions, because Daddy killed a really big one in there yesterday." (That is the absolute truth.)

Barefoot Jack didn't say anything, but stopped in his tracks, detoured from his route to the garage, and walked toward the bedroom. I smiled to myself, thinking that was the end of it.

A minute later he clomped back toward the garage wearing Collin's huge hiking boots, and said, "I'm going to wear these, just in case." As he walked through the garage door, I couldn't help laughing out loud, and thought, "Well, I guess he deserves to play with them, if he is that determined."

Not a minute passed before Jack walked back through the door and announced, "I changed my mind. I don't want to play with those anyway."

That's my boy. I'm terrified of scorpions.

Wedding Weekend

I am way behind on my blogging, but I have to tell you that I had the most incredible time in San Diego this weekend for my brother's wedding!

My family (most of us) stayed in a gorgeous house in LaJolla with this incredible view.
A photo doesn't do it justice, of course.

I took a ton of photos, but I'm not going to bother posting them, because my brother (another one) took incredible ones with his $8000 camera (well, not actually HIS, but borrowed from his summer internship employer, Adobe Photoshop!), so they put mine to shame. Check them out here.

Everything was lovely, and I am so pleased to have a wonderful new sister-in-law. She is awesome, and so is her family. All of my family was there, except for one of my sisters who is about to deliver baby number 5 any day, so she couldn't come.

So, since I'm too lazy (and embarrassed) to post the photos I took, here are some from Sarah.

(my fabulous sisters and SILs)

Maybe I will post some of my photos later.

My International Kid

What's up with Collin? Lately he has taken to speaking with a fussy British accent, or a silly French accent and saying "Oui, oui" all the time. He even throws in a bit of German.... I just heard him say "Achtung" just now.

Where did he learn this? Is this normal behavior for an 11-year-old boy who is bored with summer and ready to go back to school?