My Meatloaf Saga

So I felt so great last night when my kids were so excited about the fabulous dinner I made.  We had my world famous meatloaf and my even more famous garlic mashed potatoes.  The kids started freaking out a few hours before dinner when I began my preparations and they realized what it was.  The whole time it was baking they were salivating.  And then when I took it out of the oven they, along with their father, descended upon that meal like vultures.  They kept going on and on and on in muffled tones, what with all the food crammed in their mouth and all, about how delicious and fabulous and wonderful it was.  I hadn't seen them that excited over food in a long time.  It was a good feeling to know that I had slaved over a meal and made it out of love straight from my heart and it was so gratefully and graciously received.

Contrast that with tonight's meal experience.  The other day we were at my mom's house and she had some frozen dinners that the girls were all excited to eat.  I never buy frozen dinners.  Ever.  It was a new experience for them.  Yesterday I was at the grocery store and they had some frozen dinners on sale for way super cheap so I bought a few for the kids to eat on nights when Steve and I aren't home.  They begged me from the moment they got home from school to let them eat them.  I said no.  Those were for dinner when I wasn't home to make it.  Well I had to take Zac and Em to run a few errands this afternoon that ended up taking way longer than I expected.  Steve won't be home from work until late tonight.  And by the time I got home I didn't feel like making dinner and I didn't feel like eating anything we had anyway.  

So when I announced to the children that they could each choose a frozen dinner to eat, I pretty much got the same excited reaction that I got last night with my meatloaf and mashed potatoes that I spent 2 hours lovingly making.  

Yep.....Makes a  mom who makes dinner every night feel extra super good.

Flashback/Flashforward Friday: Saying Goodbye To A Big Old Friend

Flashback: October 1996

 

 Flashforward: October 2012 

I could not believe my eyes when I opened Facebook today and found pictures like the one above posted by all by Dallas friends.  What???  Not Big Tex!  This big guy and I go back a long ways.  Some of my fondest childhood memories include him.  I remember as a little girl going to the State Fair of Texas and Big Tex was always the first thing I wanted to see.  We would sit by him and wait for him to greet us, "Howdy Folks!  Welcome to the State Fair of Texas!", in his deep cowboy voice.  He is the largest icon for the largest state fair in the whole world!  He was celebrating his 60th Birthday this year.  Not only was he a part of my childhood, he was also a part of my parents childhood when they were growing up going to the state fair.  All day long I read posts on facebook of people mourning his loss.  A friend of mine went to pay his last respects and he posted this picture on facebook.  Someone left a cowboy hat corny dog (we call them corny dogs in TX) bouquet in memory of the big guy.

 

How appropriate.  Look at this picture I found when I was searching corny dogs.

Oh Big Tex, even though the last time I saw you was when I was in Texas during the state fair back in 1996, when I was wearing those way awesome shorts pictured above, I will still miss you and know that the fair will not be the same without you.

Never A Dull Moment - Chickens, Batman, Michael Jackson and Skunks

We had all kinds of exciting things happen here on Monday.  First, it started with the chicken in the house.  I had just taken Addy to school so I was home all alone in the middle of the day.  I was in the bathroom and when I was finished I walked out of my bedroom and SURPRISE!  There was a chicken in the hall right outside my bedroom door.  It totally freaked me out because I had both of the sliding glass doors that open onto my patio open.  My first thought was that I now knew what we were going to have for dinner - CHICKEN!  My second thought was that this chicken did not open the screen door by herself.   My third thought was WHO IN THE HECK DID???  I was certain that there was an intruder in my house.  Then I saw that the living room screen door was not shut all the way and I remembered that right before I went into the bathroom, I had gone out of that door to chase that same dang chicken off of the patio.  I left the screen open thinking I would turn right around and go back in.  But instead I went in through the kitchen door.  So once I established that it was only me and the chicken in the house, I went to work chasing her around the living room until I caught her and put her back out in the chicken yard.  Then she immediately went back to the patio and pooped on it.  Dang chicken!

That afternoon I picked Zac and Em up from school and then we picked up the other kids from the elementary.  Zac had just made this Batman weapon thrower thingy (I can't remember what he called it) in shop.  So he sat in the van and every time one of the elementary kids walked by he would hold it up and yell "BATMAN!"  like a crazy person.

What made it worse was that his arm looks diseased.  On Saturday he was helping Steve stain fence posts and he spilled stain all down his arm.  It actually looks better in this picture than it did the first two days.  His entire hand and arm were solid black when he went to church on Sunday.  He probably scared all the little kids to death with his diseased arm yelling "BATMAN!" at them.  I told him he should tell people that he has the same rare skin disease Michael Jackson had only it is having the reverse effect on him.

Then that night, as I was coming down the stairs, I happened to glance out the window just in time to see  a white stripe walk into our chicken yard.  It was dark so I could hardly see, but I was pretty sure that it was a skunk I was seeing.  I ran and got Steve and he armed himself.  We went out and walked all around the chicken yard, in the dark, looking for a skunk.  Is that brave or what???  But alas the skunk was nowhere to be seen.  A lot of the chickens were sleeping outside the coop and we thought it was because one was sitting right inside the door blocking the way for the rest of them.  (It was probably that one dumb chicken that was in my house earlier that I am constantly running off my patio)  So we pushed that chicken in the coop and started sticking the rest of them in there.  The were not liking it one bit.  So I decided to open the top of the coop and see what was going on inside there.  This is what I found:

So to make a long story short,  a whole brouhaha ensued.  Zac and Em were roused from their beds.  The four of us were trying to evacuate chickens from the coop.  Which surprisingly they were unwilling to evacuate, for as much as they didn't like being shoved in there in the first place.  Every time we would get them out, they would go back in.  We were scared we were going to be sprayed.  Anyhoo, the skunk is gone for good.  I had to take a shower and wash all my clothes when I got back in the house.  The house smelled like skunk all day long yesterday and the yard and coop still smell like skunk today!

I love my life!

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.