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?

Crazy Eyes

I just had a really good laugh at this. I suppose maybe you have to be in the right mood, but I was actually in tears!


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Book Recommendations

Mary has hit a slump in her reading. Lately she can't seem to find any books she is interested in.

I welcome ANY suggestions you might have for 9-10 year old girls! Help!

P.S. She hates fantasy. She prefers books about "real" people in every day life.

UPDATED: Thank you so much for all of the great suggestions! You all are wonderful! She has read (and liked) many that were suggested, but that's actually a good thing because then I know you are suggesting the kind of books she will like. There were some I haven't heard of, but quite a few I had just forgotten about. Many thanks!

Friday Story

On Friday, the kids and I met up with Jay at his office, then we headed to downtown Phoenix for lunch at one of our favorite places, District.... then over to the Arizona Science Center to check out the new exhibit (meh, not that great).... then to the AMC Theatre at Arizona Center for a movie (love that theatre.... never busy, even on opening day of a big release kids' movie in the summer!).

We saw "Toy Story 3" in 3-D. Instead of being annoying, the 3-D effect was nice and really enhanced the already incredible animation. I was so caught up in the story (all of Pixar's stories are amazing anyway) that I completely forgot I was watching a movie or wearing 3-D glasses.

Anyway, I loved the movie (have loved all of Pixar's films), but I did NOT love the animated short which preceded the film. I was very disappointed, because I always look forward to them. All of their previous shorts have been funny, clever and gorgeous to look at. This one was flat and the story line was practically non-existent.

It wasn't "bad," just really mediocre... far from living up to Pixar's standards. One of Pixar's production managers said it is "unlike anything Pixar has produced before." Well, he is absolutely right about that, but not in a good way.

Roaring Anniversary

So, we had our 13th wedding anniversary a month ago, and I'm just getting around to blogging about it. (Gotta do it.) We celebrated with our weekend date, since our actual anniversary was on a Monday.

[It's always fun to get dressed up to go out. I'm not young and/or hip anymore (was I ever?) but I was feeling pretty good about the outfit I had put together for that night. We ended up stopping by my brother's house later, and my very stylish 16-year-old niece complemented me on my outfit! Now THAT'S success!] :)

We had dinner at Roaring Fork. We were taken to a quiet table displaying this.....
... which was a pleasant surprise. We had an amazing soft shell crab appetizer, followed by delicious fish tacos and a mixed grill platter. We couldn't resist ordering a side of their amazing green chili mac-n-cheese too. Oh yum!

And THEN they offered us a free dessert to celebrate our anniversary. We were too stuffed, so we declined. They offered to wrap it up to go, but we still declined because we were headed straight to a movie. So, they offered to keep it for us in the fridge/freezer (a delicious bread pudding with custard and ice cream) so we could pick it up after the show! (And they kept our leftovers for us too!) What service! They were so gracious.

So, then we went to see Ironman 2. I know, that doesn't seem very romantic or appropriate for celebrating our marriage, but I loved it! (I loved the first one too.) I'm a sucker for a good action flick, and besides, it was very funny as well, and had a sweet little love story to boot. :) Perfect date movie after all!

Thank you, Jay, for making the last 13 years amazing.... and thanks for making me laugh every day!

Oh, Garden Tomatoes, How I Love Thee!

I didn't get around to planting a garden this year. Bummer. But my gracious neighbor invited me over to help myself to her seriously amazing crop of tomatoes!

Oh my. I'm in heaven! I could eat these day and night (and I probably will). What could be better than a freshly picked tomato in a salad, on a sandwich, in a pico de gallo, bruchetta, or whatever. I just cut up a tomato, drizzled on a little EV olive oil, sprinkled it with coarse garlic salt and some basil, and ate it with a spoon.... I felt like I was eating something sinful, it was that good!

Musical Theatre

Collin and Mary both did 2 week musical theatre workshops, and had their performances last weekend. They were both great shows. They have both been doing the workshops since 1st grade. They love it... they have a blast and learn a lot.

Collin's favorite number from the show... "Officer Krupke" from "West Side Story."


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