A Random Photo

For the record, I don't like it when people "tag" me to answer a hundred random questions about myself, or whatever. Those things take too much time. Maybe I'm lazy, maybe I just don't like being told what to blog about. I don't know. That's just how I feel.

Now that I got that off my chest, I have one exception. Kendra tagged me for this random photo thing. I like this because I don't have to answer any silly questions. So, here goes... the 6th photo from the 6th folder.
This is Collin and Jack last summer. It was a Sunday morning and the boys were ready for church, and the girls (yes, "girls".... that includes me) weren't, so the boys were waiting around for us (by the way, we are never late for church... on the contrary, we always go 30 minutes early... long story). Jay snapped this photo of Collin reading to Jack from a technology magazine that Jay brought home from work. Not typical reading material for a 9 year old, but this is normal for Collin. I love that kid.

Notice the evidence of Mary in the Care Bear on the sofa.

Even More "Some Stuff I Want to Remember"

- Just because someone gives you something doesn't mean you have to keep it forever.

- Elephant bullets should be saved for the elephants.

- The world needs people who make things happen.

- You wait all your life for your "prime" only to wake up one morning and find you've missed it!

- If you want to master a certain quality, at as though you already have it.

- If you wait until it's convenient, you will never serve.

- From observation at a great distance, it doesn't seem worth it to be rich and famous.

"Some Stuff I Want to Remember"

- Sometimes you're right and sometimes you're wrong, and it's important to know when.

- No one has everything going for them.

- The length of a meeting has absolutely no correlation to its effectiveness.

- Just because a book is in print doesn't mean it's well written.

- An ounce of morning is worth a pound of afternoon.

- Just because you walk around with an expensive planner doesn't mean you're organized.

- It's lots more fun to talk with those who know how to listen.

- No matter how much you have, there is always more to want. Satisfaction comes in wanting what you have.

Chicken Soup With Rice

Jack's preschool teacher* (who is absolutely wonderful) uses Maurice Sendak's cute poem "Chicken Soup With Rice" to teach the children the months of the year. They memorize and recite a verse each month. Jack just loves it.

The other day when it rained, it seemed appropriate to make some soup for dinner, and I thought of "Chicken Soup With Rice." I didn't have a recipe, so I made one up with what I had on hand. Everyone loved it... especially Jack.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH RICE

- 4-6 c. water (I didn't really measure)
- 2 T. chicken soup base (I have a really good one, but if you don't have it, just use bouillon or some chicken stock or broth)
- 1 (13 0z.) can of chicken, or about 1 c. leftover cooked cut-up chicken
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- about 2 c. cooked rice (I happened to have some leftovers. If you don't, then use about 1 c. uncooked, and cook long enough to cook the rice)
- about 1 c. frozen peas and carrots (about half a bag)
- garlic salt & pepper, to taste
- ground ginger, to taste (I used about 1 tsp.)
- about 1 T. dehydrated onion (my husband hates onions, so this is the only thing I'm allowed to use because they are tiny enough that he doesn't notice)
- about 1 T. dry parsley, or 3 T. fresh

Combine in a large pot and heat through, or until rice and veggies are tender.

*If anyone who lives in my area is looking for an awesome preschool teacher, let me know and I will hook you up! She is fantastic!

"Some Stuff I Want to Remember"

- It's easy to be so busy being busy that you never get things done.

- Just because you graduated with a degree in Home Economics doesn't mean you can cook!

- If you need estrogen.... take it!

- If you don't have time now to do it right, you probably won't have time later to do it over.

- The better we like ourselves, the better we can like others.

- Others like you around more if you're flexible and easy to get along with.

Quesadillas

This is my favorite filling to use for quesadillas.

-1 can corn, drained
-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
-shredded chicken (however much you like, or leave it out)
-salsa (enough to season it, but don't add too much or it will be too watery)

Combine in a bowl. Place a flour tortilla on a hot griddle (lightly buttered on one side, if desired). Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese on half of tortilla, add a scoop of the filling and spread carefully, sprinkle on a little more cheese, and fold tortilla over itself. Cook about 2 minutes, or until browned; flip and repeat. Cut into wedges, and serve with sour cream and more salsa.

Food Storage program

My mother-in-law is affectionately known as "The Queen of Food Storage." She has given her presentation many many times, all over the country. She was asked to record a series of presentations to be shown on BYU TV. The first episode is on tonight at 7:00. Also, there is a link on her blog to her presentation on YouTube. It's really good, and worth watching if you have never heard her speak in person, which I know many of you have.

More "Some Stuff I Want to Remember"

- A lost item will be found as soon as it isn't needed.

- It's O.K. to beg the Lord.

- When it comes to communication, timing is very important.

- Kids don't stay little forever.

- You don't necessarily get what you pay for.

- The best way to get a child to come home on time, is to praise him for coming home on time every chance you get.

Spaghetti Sauce

There are certain things I think probably everyone has in their pantry, one of which is at least a jar or two of a favorite pasta sauce. Mine is Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara. Yummy, all natural, and inexpensive. Perfect! It's great to have on hand for a quick dinner (especially with Trader Joe's cheese tortellini).

But when you want to make an awesome meat sauce from scratch, this is the recipe to use. It is from my Italian brother-in-law's mother. It's very good. It makes a ton, so I freeze it in quart zipper bags.

ANGIE BARAZOTO'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE
6 lb. 10 oz. can tomato sauce (Sam's Club, Costco)
1 lb. ground beef, sausage, or turkey
4 T. olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. dry thyme
1/2 tsp. dry rosemary
1/2 cup dry parsley
3 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. basil
1 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Brown meat, onion, and garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 3 hours.

Le Artiste

Recently I had to take Jack with me to an appointment. To keep him busy and out of my way, I sat him down at a table and gave him a piece of scrap paper and a pen from my purse. This is what he created during the next 20 minutes.
I was pretty impressed that it was so detailed and careful. I asked him what it was, and he responded without hesitation.... "A robot knight."

I think I see it.

Blue Skies and a Pink Ball

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, so we had a family picnic at a nearby park. We found a perfect spot under a shady tree and right next to the lake. Collin and Jack brought their scooters, and Mary wore her roller skates, and the kids had a good time riding around the park. Collin also brought his football and tossed it around with Jay for a while. It was absolutely beautiful, and we hated to leave.

Collin lay down in the grass next to me and said, "Mom, we should do this every day." And I thought, yeah, that would be nice. It's too bad our lives are so busy that we can't find time every day to stop, eat a meal outside, and just relax and enjoy being together. My response to Collin was, "Well, we probably can't do this every day, but let's definitely do it more often."

At least while the weather is nice.

One of the many other families at the park was a young couple with their toddler... she looked to be about 18 months old. She was carrying a pink ball... it was just one of those cheap little balls that you can get for a couple of bucks at the grocery in those big bins, but you could tell she was very attached to it.

As they made their way closer to the lake, her attentive parents warned her not to get too close, but sure enough, she did... and dropped her ball and it rolled into the lake and began floating further and further away from the bank. Of course, the little girl was distressed. Like I said, it was a cheap ball, and I'm sure her parents could have easily replaced it.

However, another man and his son were driving a remote-controlled boat around in the lake. When they saw the little girl's predicament, they immediately sent their boat out to rescue the ball. It wasn't an easy task to get a pointy-nosed boat to push a ball much bigger than it, and in the right direction, but they didn't give up.

By this time, a small crowd had gathered to watch. When the ball finally got close enough to shore, the little girl's daddy grabbed the ball, and everyone cheered! He thanked the stranger for his kindness, and returned the ball to his delighted daughter. It was a sweet moment.

Where will you be next Saturday?

Here is where we will be. You should come to. Jay was instrumental in helping it get started, and now they are celebrating their 4th anniversary on Saturday, February 28th, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. It's still small, but they have come a long way, and they are still growing. So, check it out.

More "Some Stuff I Want to Remember"

- If there were no people having it easy, there would be no one to help those who are having it hard.

- It is better to eat to live than to live to eat!

- A positive attitude can help heal the body and the spirit.

- The best way to get people to not listen to you is to act like you know everything.

Enjoying the fruits.... I mean vegetables.... of our labors

Last night for dinner we had:

- Salad with lettuce from our garden
- Broccoli from our garden
- Chicken dressed with herbs from our garden

It was all delicious!

Today after school, we picked peas and ate them plain. Yum!

Jack's Birthday

Jack turned 5 on Friday. We went out to dinner as a family and he got to choose the restaurant. He had a hard time choosing.... at first he wanted Cafe Rio, then Pei Wei, then Paradise Bakery; the handful of places where we usually take the kids when we eat out... but he finally settled on Waldo's, our favorite BBQ place, where we hadn't been for a while. I had forgotten how fantastic it is! It certainly wouldn't be good to eat like that all the time, but man it's good.

The next day was Jack's birthday party with his friends. He had decided on an Indiana Jones theme, and it turned out great! I got these awesome hats (that turned out to be way nicer than I thought) from Oriental Trading, and made the satchels out of some cheap brown flannel I got for $2 (total!) at Wal-Mart, bought some tan shirts at Goodwill, and made these really cool whips (which I didn't give out until the end so that they wouldn't hurt each other... I just sent them home with them to do their destruction there... sorry parents!) by braiding strips of brown faux suede I found for $8. The kids looked awesome! And they loved their outfits, of course.
Then they had to complete a series of challenges, including reaching into a "pit of snakes" (pan of noodles) to fish out gold (plastic) coins; navigating a tunnell filled with lizards, frogs, and various bugs and other creatures (which they got to keep); swinging on a rope over a pit of plastic snakes (they kept going back to swing over and over again during the party because it was so much fun); dodging poison darts (Q-tips blown through drinking straws); playing "hot potato" with a snake (plastic, of course) because Indy hates snakes. Along the way, they filled their satchels will creatures and gold coins for completing each challenge. They found a treasure chest in the end, which held their whips, lots of candy, more gold coins, and some fake jewels and shiny rocks. They were in heaven!

The cake was just plain chocolate, decorated with some of his Indiana Jones lego characters, which I took off before lighting the candles... just in case.
It was a really fun party! Everyone had a great time, and all the parents told me the next day that they had to pry the gear off their kids before going to bed that night.
Jack was very pleased.