Never A Dull Moment - I Believe I Can Fly

I was sitting on my bed folding laundry this afternoon and I had the windows open.  All of a sudden I heard this loud motor noise that sounded like it was right in my yard.  This isn't a strange thing.  I hear all kinds of strange noises in my yard all the time.  But it kept getting louder and louder until it sounded like it was right outside my window.  I looked out and was so excited to see the flying man right above me!  This guy lives near my mom and we see him in the sky all the time.  He has made this homemade flying machine with a chair he sits in and he just flys around the town.  We have seen him fly right over my mom's house, but never over ours before.  By the time I ran and got my camera he was already across the street and above my neighbors house.  I should have listened to my sister Farrah.  On my last post about the airplane in my backyard she said I should wear a camera around my neck.  Should have listened....

Then a few hours later the girls got out of school and we had to take my sister Lauren somewhere.  On our way back home the road was blocked by a bazillion cement trucks .  They had 3 of them parked in the street taking up the entire road while they were chatting with each other.  This is not unusual to have my way to my house blocked because it happens all the time.  There are so many houses being built in my neighborhood right now it isn't even funny.  For those of you who were at my house this summer visiting and there was only one house being built, we now have 8 houses being built and several more about to start.  CRAZY!  So they moved out of our way and I had Em take a picture of them.  Because there were so many.  There were 6 cement trucks.  What kinda house are they building where they need SIX cement trucks???  I mean for real.  This picture is horrible because my camera wasn't in my purse because I had just had it out to take the picture of the flying man; so this one is taken with my phone.

Date Knight

On September 18th Zac and I went to Chick-fil-a's Mother Son Date Knight.  We had so much fun.  We had to make an online reservation.  When we arrived there was a hostess that showed us to our reserved table.  They had a section of the restaurant blocked off with a curtain.  The tables had table cloths and candles and someone came to our table and took our order and served us our food on plates.  They gave all the boys roses to give to their moms.  We even had a visit from the Chick-fil-a cow dressed as a knight.  It was a nice evening and I enjoyed my date night with my favorite son!

Our Fruit Snack Dilemma

Earlier this morning, when I was making lunches, I made one for Addy and her friend that is coming over to play today before afternoon kindergarten.  Addy was looking in the lunches to see what I made for them to eat so she could approve it and deem it acceptable for her and her friend to feast upon.  Just the other day at the store I let her pick out some Tinkerbell fruit snacks.  She was not happy to find them in the lunches.

Addy:  Mom!  Why did you put my new fruit snacks in my lunch without my permission!?!

Me: Because I bought them and I thought you and your friend would like to have them today.

Addy: But they are mine and you need to ask my permission before you use them!

Me: But I bought them and I was making your lunch and I thought you would like to have them.

Addy: (going on as if she didn't hear a word I just said) Those are MY fruit snacks and you need to ask MY permission before you use them.  You don't like it when we use things of yours without your permission, do you?

Then she folded her arms, tilted her head to the side and gave me that mom look that says I did something wrong.

Minestrone In Minutes

The boys went on an overnight ATV trip to Moab and the girls and I were left home alone last night.  We went to Emily's soccer game, went out to dinner, then we went to the grocery store and came home to work on a little project. 

Aside from storing at least a year supply of food, our church suggests having a 3 month supply of the kind of food you eat every day on hand.  Click here to see the "All is Safely Gathered In" pamphlet.  I have been looking at different ways of doing this.  I have found several different sources that have different shelf stable meals that you can put together and have on hand.  Last week I gave one of the recipes a try.  We made Minestrone soup.  And we all loved it.  It was seriously so easy and everyone gobbled it up.  Well, all the vegetables that go in the soup are on sale at our local store this week for 49 cents a can.  The girls and I went to the store last night and bought enough ingredients to put together 12 meals in a bag.  Then we came home and put the meals together.  This is something I want to do on a weekly or semi-weekly basis.  If I can put together 6 more meals like this, that would give us 7 meals x 12.  If we eat each meal once a week then that gives us 3 months worth of dinners.  I plan on rotating them by using them but will probably only use one of each meal every month.  Unless of course an emergency arises. In that case it's Minestrone all around!

Here is Aubrey measuring out the spices and placing them in a zip-lock bag.

Addy organizing the cans 

Here is our finished product!  12 meals ready to make and eat!  

I put the macaroni in a zip-lock bag with a paper that has the recipe printed on it.

I know this is not the most fancy packaging but we do have a plethora of these bags on hand.  I haven't decided how to store these yet.  I was thinking of putting them in 5 gallon buckets, but they aren't going to fit.  I am now thinking maybe some rubbermaid totes or something.

Anyhoo!  The girls and I had so much fun putting these together.  They were so simple to do.  Here is the recipe I used.  It is my own slightly tweaked version of Wendy DeWitt's recipe.

Minestrone 

1c macaroni

1 can corn

1 can green beans

1 can tomatoes

 (we used Italian seasoned tomatoes because that is all they had left at the 

store of the brand that was on sale but when I made it last week

 I just used plain diced tomatoes)

1 can black beans (we like black, you can use kidney or whatever)

2T dry onion

2t salt

1t pepper

1t garlic powder

2t Italian seasoning

2T parsley

Dump everything into a pot (do not drain canned goods). Add  3 cups of water. Cook 20-30 min.  (I think I might have added more water, can't remember.  Wendy's recipe only calls for 1 C.  Just add whatever you might fancy.  I'm wondering if she cooks the past first even though it doesn't say that in her recipe and that is why she only adds 1 cup.  I just cooked my pasta in the same pot with everything else and added more water.)

I served it with this yummy and easy Artisan Bread. This recipe comes from my friend and neighbor Jamie:

6 1/2 C flour

3 C hot water

1 1/2 T Kosher Salt (this is too salty for me, I usually do 1 T)

1 1/2 T yeast

Mix by hand.  Let sit 2 hours in bowl.  Shape on pan (I use a cookie sheet) into 2 loaves (think artisan shape, I kinda do an ovalish shape).  Let sit 1 more hour.  Brush with egg whites.  Bake at 500 for 20 minutes.  Put a bowl of water in oven while baking to create steam.

I am so excited for a few reasons to have these meals.  Number 1 for my food storage.  Number 2 for those nights when I need something fast and easy.  Number 3 for those nights when Steve and I are on a date and the kids are left to fend for themselves.  Number 4 this meal was less than $3 per meal to make!  Try putting a few together yourself!

Never A Dull Moment - Dive Bombing

I'm gearing myself up to be able to endure duck hunting season in my backyard.  I have already been hearing the swamp boats out there staking out the best places.  You know how I feel about the swamp boats, right?  You don't?  Click here to read all about it.  So, once again it will sound like I am living in a war zone.  All day.  Every day.  For over a month.  The other day I was able to get a little early dose of war zone living.  

That morning I heard several gun shots.  I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't October already.  It wasn't.  I kept hearing gun shots intermittently throughout the morning.  Then all of the sudden it sounded like someone was dive bombing my house.  Like really.  For real.  I ran to my back door and looked out just in time to see a plane in my backyard.  Literally.  I have had airplane problems before.  Click here to read about my friend the Little Yellow Plane.  With all the buzzing the Little Yellow Plane has done to my house, it  has never been in my backyard.  See that black fence in the picture.  When I ran out my back door, the plane was only a few feet above that fence.  I ran for my camera but didn't make it in time to take a picture that go round.  It kept flying in figure 8 patterns for a while and stayed pretty low, but it never got that low again.

It really did make me think for a minute that maybe my little sleepy town had been invaded with all the gun shots and the dive bombing going on.  Who thinks like that?  I don't know?  I guess I do.  Never a dull moment!

"Rome" Around The Ward

A few weeks ago our ward Relief Society had our 3rd annual Fun Run/Walk.  Last year I wasn't in the Relief Society Presidency and they took crazy pictures of themselves dressed in Spandex and had them displayed along the route.  Someone (not me) stole those pictures after the fun run and someone (not me) started a Spandex Facebook page with them.  Although I am innocent, the blame was put on me.  A whole crazy ward ransom spandex facebook picture posting trick or treat leaving brouhaha erupted.  

Well, I am in the Relief Society Presidency now.  And we just had to come up with some kind of theme and pictures so as to not be out done by last year.  We came up with the theme "Rome" Around The Ward and those horrible posters above actually hung all over our church building for several weeks.  My kids about died when we first walked up to the church and they could see that picture hanging up on the door.  Steve didn't notice it on the way in but after Sacrament Meeting when we were sitting in the foyer, he did a double take and then gave me a look that said "I can't even believe it, but somehow I can" while he was shaking his head.  

The fun run was, well, fun!  And here are some pictures as proof.  Around the ward the trip begins with a kiss...

We had a great message by Pam after the run.

Then we had breakfast.

To see the post about how crazy fun my ward is, click here.

Yes, you will have that song stuck in your head all day.  We all had it stuck in our head every time we went to church and saw the posters (probably not the best song to be singing in your head during Sacrament Meeting).  It is stuck in my head right now as I post this.

And yes, someone did steal all the pictures again this year. 

 I don't know about you, but I think this lady is looking a little guilty.

For a little musical inspiration click here.

Flashback/Flashforward Friday - 20 Years After High School

Flashback 1988

20 YEARS!  You heard me.  1992.  This weekend is my 20th High School Reunion.  Our class slogan was "This is it ya'll" and y'all was punctuated like that on our Sr. shirts.  It was a mighty fine public education I was receiving.  I graduated from Skyline High School in Dallas Texas.  I was in the cosmetology cluster at Skyline.  Oh...my days in cosmetology.  Those were some fun times.  Above is a picture with my friend Liz taken at Freshman Homecoming.  All I can say is this: I'm so glad I live in Utah now and they have no idea what a Homecoming Mum is.  How ridiculous are those things?

Flashback 1992

 Senior Prom above and Graduation below

At my graduation, the Salutatorian  gave a lovely speech all about a dead cat.  Something that my parents have reminded me about so many times throughout the years.  On our reunion facebook page, someone brought up the dead cat speech and several others said that their parents always remind them of that also.  I just found out, after all these years, the person giving the speech was giving a nonsense speech because he was not happy about being forced to give a speech.  Now, after 20 years, the dead cat finally makes sense!

Flashforward 2012

So like I said, this weekend is my 20th High School Reunion.  And I am perfectly content to spend the weekend sitting around the house with this bunch 1,200 miles away. 

Zac's 15th Birthday

On Sunday, September 2nd  Zac turned 15 years old.  The Tuesday before his Birthday he invited 3 friends to go to Boondocks.  They spent 12 hours there that day.  They have a  pizza buffet on Tuesdays that is $5 and you can go back as many times as you want between the hours of 11am-8pm.  They might have possibly lost money on the day these boys went.  Here are a few pictures I took before I left them for the day.

From what I hear, they had a BLAST!  Steve and I picked them up at 11:00 that night.  On the way home, we were just getting on the highway.  We were in Steve's truck so we had 3 boys in the back and Steve and Zac and I in the front.    There were pretty much no other cars on the highway.  We were still in the merging lane and weren't even fully on the highway yet, and we got pulled over by the police.  Because we didn't use our turn signal to merge.  Even though there was no one to merge with.  I think this was a case of profiling.  I really think that he saw a truck full of what he believed to be all teenage boys after 11 pm on a Tuesday night and wanted to see what they were up to.  He let us go with a warning.

On Sunday, Zac's Birthday, we had my mom and my sister Lauren over for dinner.  We had just got back from our camping trip to Bryce the night before.  Saturday night I needed to go to the store and buy the stuff I needed to make dinner.  Zac would not decide what he wanted to eat.  So I told him I was going to just make him whatever I wanted.  While I was getting ready to go to the store, he was watching some show on TV about avocados.  He decided that he wanted me to make  homemade guacamole and fajitas.  That was a good choice.  Lemmejusttellya.  

 He also wanted mint juleps for the drink.  Another good choice.

And lastly he wanted my mom to make a pina colada cake.  Guess what she did???  She didn't just make him one pina colada cake.  She made him 2!  She said she knew we would eat most of one cake that night and she wanted him to have another to enjoy the rest of the week.  And enjoy he did!

To read The Birth of a Boy Named Z, click here.

Camping In Bryce Canyon

We decided to take a last minute end of summer camping trip before the kids started school.  We left last Thursday, August 30th and spent 3 days and 2 nights in Bryce Canyon.  We had never been to Bryce and we decided it is about time we went.  It was beautiful, the weather was perfecto and we couldn't have asked for better company.

The first day, we got there in the late afternoon and set up camp and read and played games and ate.   Since we had never been there before, we decided to camp in the park.  We have never done such a thing before. When we first got there and Steve and I were popping up the camper, the girls went to the bathroom.  They came running back to camp so excited.  "HEY MOM!  GUESS WHAT?!?!?  THEY HAVE REAL BATHROOMS HERE!!!  LIKE WITH REAL TOILETS THAT FLUSH AND EVERYTHING!!!!"  

The next day we went for a long hike.  We hiked the Queens Garden Trail and added a few other trails to that to make one big loop down through this little beauty:

 It really was breathtaking

If you know my husband, you know that his phone rings non stop.  I am glad he has the dang thing so he can leave town with us and still conduct business.  However, his phone worked for way way too long while we were hiking.  I was for sure that he would eventually lose reception, but he never did.  At one point one of the other hikers asked me if he ever got off his phone.  At one point, way deep down in the canyon, I said, "IS THAT THING EVER GOING TO STOP WORKING?!?"  I then told him that really, it should have stopped working a long time ago and why doesn't he just turn it off and pretend like he doesn't have reception.  Blessedly he did.

OK, so I'm going to warn you right now.  This post has a LOT of pictures.  I was able to narrow it down from over 350, but there's still a plethora that I plastered on here.

When we were hiking in Moab last year, we kept Addy going by having her act as scout to lead us from cairn to cairn.  A cairn is a pile of rocks stacked up to guide you along the trail.  Ever since then Addy has been obsessed with cairns.  We kept seeing them along the trail and every time we did, she got excited.  Well, imagine her excitement when we rounded the corner and saw this:

We all left our own little cairns.  I actually don't think they are cairns.  I think people were trying to duplicate the hoodoos that we were hiking through.  Hoodoos are the rock  formations that grace Bryce Canyon.

Everyone carried a pack with their own food and water in it.  We found a nice shady spot and ate our lunch.  We took MRE's for lunch.  The kids were so excited because they had never had them before.  Neither had I.  I was pretty surprised at how good my beef stew was.

What's up with this tree?

 And here we are at Wall Street, ready to start our ascent up the canyon.  

Up ten thousand switchbacks, I kid you not.

 

1/2 way up! Zac stopping to take a picture of where we came from.

My kids started to complain about all the switchbacks and I told them they should be thankful for the switchbacks   Otherwise they would be hoofin' it straight up the side of the cliff.

 There were times along the trail when I really felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie

YAY!  We made it to the top!

Taking in the gorgeous view of where we had just come from.

I really wish you could see this in 3D because it is stunning.

After our hike we headed over to the visitors center to take in a movie about Bryce Canyon.  

And true to form, I took that as a chance to take in a little snooze.

I think this picture speaks for itself.

Rainbow point

We are on the side of a cliff here and the railing is not around the whole thing.  My kids were so loony, I think because they were tired from the hike, and this is how they were acting the whole time.  We finally had to leave because I was scared someone was going to go over the side of the cliff.

 Back at camp.  We played games and made dinner and had a fire and roasted marshmallows.

The children warmed their feet by the fire.

Then it started to rain so we watched a movie in the camper.

The next day we drove around and took in a few view points. 

 Overlooking fairyland loop

Zac spent the entire day barefoot.  I started calling him Frodo.  It stuck.  

Everyone started calling him Frodo.  Including the lady who took our family picture above.

 We took a short hike up to Mossy Cave and saw, well, a mossy cave.  Oh, and a waterfall.

You will note that by this time, all the kids were hiking with no shoes on. 

I blame it all on that dang hippy survivalist guy.

"HEY LOOK!  A horchata river!"

Sadly our trip came to a close shortly after that.  We stopped at a picnic area and had lunch.  Then we started to make our way back home.  We loved our visit to Bryce Canyon and are already starting to plan our next trip there.  We want to do some really long overnight hikes next summer.  We shall see...