Wednesday Harvest

Mason started picking beans this morning.

Bless him!

It was the first school morning yet that any of us have had any time to spare!

We're finally getting into the swing of things.

We even read scriptures this morning.!

Well... Most of us....

Samantha got her pigtails fixed and then she started helping too

Jacob even got into the fray helping me by getting bowls and picking snails off my boxes

Yuck. I didn't take their picture but between Mason and Jacob we also harvested 5 snails.

who have a lovely new home in my red trash can.

Lunch today:

Tomatoes and green beans.

mmmmmmmmmmm.....

PINEAPPLE TERIYAKI BEEF ROAST

PINEAPPLE TERIYAKI BEEF ROAST

2 1/2- 3 lbs Beef Rump Roast; cut into 5-6 slices,

1 (16 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, do not drain

1 cup water

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4-6 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tablespoon cornstarch

white or brown rice, cooked ( we used 3 C Rice + 6 C water)

Directions:

Add the pineapple with juice, water, soy sauce, sugar, & spices to a crock-pot. Stir to melt the sugar then add in the beef cubes. Cover with a lid then cook on high for 6 hours. Take 2 forks and shred meat up. If does not shred easily, cook a bit longer. When shreds easily. Remove meat to serving dish and cover to keep warm. Pour juices into shallow pan and bring to boil. Mix Cornstarch with 2 tbsp of warm water then stir into the sauce. When thickened, pour into bowl for serving. Another way to thicken the sauce is to mix cornstarch and water and pour into crockpot with meat and juices. Recover crockpot & cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Served family of 7 with some leftover

The original recipe said to cube beef but I didn't want to take the time so I just cut it into several big slices. I planned to shred it when it was cooked anyway. I adjusted the recipe to make more sauce b/c we like a lot of sauce for our rice. If you don't then you should probably half the sauce. The whole liked this recipe. Yea! I wished I'd taken a picture. It looked so pretty on the plate. We served it with fresh grean beans from the garden sauteed in butter and garlic salt. mmmmmmmmmm

Angels....

...bring chocolate

and flowers

Just because-

they saw you for 2 minutes passing in a building and you looked

worn out

and spent

and in need of a hug....

and chocolate

and flowers.

Angels are also very, very good listeners.

Thank you my WEdNesDaY angel.

I do feel better.

First Day of School 2011-2012

The first to leave today were my high schoolers!

Carly was patient with her- too much like her mother- slow-poke sister. Her hair wouldn't do what she wanted it to do so Carly suggested a hat. Of course the hat was in the laundry so a quick scrub job with a wet towel and she was ready to go.

Carly was checking the clock trying not to get upset but they were kind to pose for a picture before leaving.

Carly had to ride the bus in 10th grade. Rachel has a guaranteed ride!

Rachel might not sidestep that fun school experience entirely though! Sometimes Carly has to leave school directly and go to work and some days she leaves early to attend her CNA classes off-campus. For most days first semester Rachel will be staying after school to practice with the XCountry team so no bus probably for her until second semester. Then- she'll get to experience all the fun the school bus has to offer.

Carly is excited about starting her senior year.

She's got her CNA class this fall to prepare for nursing school and medical English. She made the Chamber choir which is the highest audition choir and is excited about that. I hope her last year is all she hopes it will be.

Next to go were my youngest 2. My elementary babies.

(Don't tell them them I said that!)

They are starting 5th and 3rd grades. I can't believe it.

He's almost as tall as she is!

They are excited about their classes and teachers and I am excited that I was hired once again at the same school where they go as a Title One Aide. I get to work in the same program as I've worked in the last 2 years. I was very worried all summer that I wouldn't have a job there with budget shortfalls, etc. My hours were cut by one and our program was cut by 2 people but I still remain for which I am grateful.

Today Mason came in to find me because he hurt his toe playing soccer at recess. What a nice thing to be there for them at work too. He was fine but I could hug him and check his toe, make him bend it this way and that and declare it bruised but unbroken!

Today was a no-student day for me. It was a set up the classroom day. Kids tomorrow!

Last to go was Jacob on his way to his first of 3 years at the Junior high!

See ya mom!

I'll be fine.

I know.

*sniff*

Sharp Dressed Man

Polo shirt, tennis shoes And I know where I am goin' to.

Black Vest, clip-on striped tie, I don't need a reason why.

They come runnin' just as fast as they can Coz' every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.

Finding her place

Rachel has been running all summer. She decided she'd try out the cross country team this year as she anticipates the next life jump from little pond to big pond; her first year of high school. It was a blessing to have 2 brothers in our neighborhood driving every day to Cross country as well. They'd pick her up around 7:20ish and she'd get home between 10:30 and 11:00.

She was kind of frustrated from time to time feeling like it took away her summer but you should see her tan... and those legs! She is looking good!

The team would run several miles in the canyons or in the neighborhoods and do weight workouts and ab workouts after running. She said, "those cross country people are intense!!!" She wasn't sure she was made of the same stuff.

Some of the girls she made friends with at the beginning of the summer dropped out midway through leaving her feeling out of place. The other girls that are left are nice but are good friends to each other and she feels alone. She's the only girl in her grade left.

In Cross Country the races are essentially 5K runs from what I understand. (3 miles)

The night before her first race which was this past Thursday she was very anxious, wondering if she had made a mistake with cross country, feeling slow and uncompetitive, friendless. I hate feeling like that and wished I had more of a solution to offer than the advice: weigh the pros and cons and think about what is best for you. Is quitting the right thing or sticking with it the right thing? She has a cross country PE class as part of her schedule so it would be more involved than just saying "I quit"

Plus... My little Rachel doesn't like quitting.

She decided to see it though. She came home from her first race happy and seeming to be at peace with her decision, feeling better about being part of the team.

Two days later (Yesterday) she left bright and early for her 2nd race. She left at 6:30 in the morning. Again... SO grateful for those boys who come pick her up! She thought she'd be home about 11:00 so I started watching for her but about 1:30ish she rolled in. My parents were in town and we were all in the corner of our yard in the shade of the big walnut tree, sitting and gabbing and up walks Rachel grinning from ear to ear with a medal on her chest.

5th place out of 67 JV girls with a time of 22:11.

So proud.

All that running made her HUNGRY.

She grabbed a Krispy Kreme doughnut and some green beans out of the garden.

Would you call that a balanced meal?

She's in love....

Where did I go wrong?

Why can't she be interested in a nice Sprite?

What's wrong with a bubbly A&W Root beer?

*sigh*

I blame her father.

In defense of the treasure hunt.

I love author, Robert Farrell Smith's, quirky sense of humor. He has written several LDS romantic comedies. He uses silly metaphors, eccentric characters set in Hick towns and his main character is usually a good hearted, endearing returned missionary who's a little lost personally and finds redemption through falling in love with a wonderful girl and a goofy congregation who he comes to love and who love him back unconditionally. They're not realistic but they're fun!

My all time favorite is Captain Matrimony:

Recently I was at my parent's cabin and had time for relaxation and reading. They are also fans and had a new one I'd not read before called "The Miracle of Forgetness".

It was a little harder to get into but I kept at it simply because I had liked his other books so much and about halfway through I was sold.

In this book the main character gets involved with a girl who turns out to definitely NOT be the girl of his dreams and she kidnaps him and takes him on a terrible theme date; part of the horror is a treasure hunt. He despises the entire thing, especially the treasure hunt which made me a little squirmy because I have sent Mark on many treasure hunts during our almost 20 years together. Mark, however, loves the treasure hunt. (At least he always looks like he's having fun and seems very happy during and after)

The first treasure hunt I sent him on was for his 23rd birthday. We had been dating a few weeks and he knew I was planning something because I had come to his work to pick up his condo keys. I told him I was making him dinner. I decorated his apartment with streamers and balloons, even taping a balloon to the outside of his door so it would be the first thing he'd see.

I placed a card with the first clue up against the TV and then I left. When he got home he thought he had me all figured out. He decided I was acting so cagey I must be throwing him a surprise party. He saw the balloon on the door and was sure he was right. He threw open the door to make his entrance and nothing. He wasn't perplexed, we must be hiding in the bedroom! He flung open each bedroom door with a surprised smile prepared. Now he was flummoxed. He sat down on the couch wondering what was up.....

Finally, he spied the card, opened it up. The first clue led him to a couple clues in the condo and then to the laundry room down the hall. Aha, a strange place to be surprised but that must be it. We were all waiting in the laundry room! He walked down the hall to find nothing but another clue in the dryer. This clue sent him down to the BBQ pool area. It was all making sense now. We were waiting at the pool. An evening BBQ and swimming pool party would be just the ticket for an August bday boy in Palm Springs California. What a smart little girlfriend he had! He was so sure he even went back to his condo and changed into his swim trunks so as to be ready for the party.

He hurried down to the pool area and SURPRISE!! nobody was there. He was really confused now. He found the next clue in the BBQ and went back upstairs to change. This clue sent him to a waterpark in town where a mutual friend worked. He wasn't taking anything for granted now and left his swim trunks at home. At the water park he got a present (a new tie)& his final clue that sent him to a fabulous little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant we both loved called El Gallito where I was waiting for him. It was a party for 2! He got a kick out of the whole thing and we had a great evening.

Through the years I have sent him on anniversary and birthday and father's day treasure hunts, some all at home, some where he has to drive around and find me. If he didn't enjoy it, knowing him, I am certain I would hear about it.

The most recent treasure hunt I sent him on was for Father's day.

This time the kids were in on it. I always write little rhyming clues and this year Carly wrote the clues with lots of help from her brothers and sisters.

We had bought him a few of his favorite treats for Father's day.

There were 2 boxes of ACT II butter Lover's popcorn, one package for every night he was going to be in North Carolina training for his new job the first half of July. Rachel usually makes him popcorn almost every night and we didn't want him to be without!

There were also Cheez-It crackers, Oreos and a red Tshirt that says "Awesome DAD".

The kids wrapped each present individually and hid one present with each clue so he would be collecting presents along the way.

He was like the Pied Piper.

He would read his clue and then march to where he thought the next clue would be

singing "left, left, left, right, left"

The kids would march behind him singing too.

He made it fun for them.

Now you tell me-

Doesn't this guy

look like he's having fun?

Agency: Revisited

Mason got his stitches out saturday afternoon at the Instacare.

Thankfully, once again it was not a busy time and we only waited a few minutes before getting called back. I was a little irritated when we checked in that the receptionist wanted me to go over all the details of the accident again. I would answer a detail and then say "it should all be in his chart. We explained it all to the nurse and doctor on Monday night." Then she'd ask another question. Is this to trip us up in case we're abusers? Make sure our story is the same 2nd time around? If that's it, I'm pretty sure we got our details right and it's less irritating if it's to protect a child. If not, it's just annoying!

Mason had the same nurses as Monday night so they remembered him and talked to him & made him feel comfortable. A new doctor came in and checked his stitches and healing cut briefly, determined all was well and exited, leaving the nurse to remove the stitches. The suture was very fine and so it was hard for her to grasp the individual stitches with the tweezers and cut.

Mason laid down on the table with his eyes closed and was very brave and patient. I could see a tear held back in his eyelashes and I could see the determined set of his chin. It was wrinkled telling me he was flexing his little muscles to hold back tears and you could see just a touch of wobble to that cute little chin. She had to scrape a little at the minimal amount of scabbing and had to pull the sutures up to find a place to get the edge of the scissors in to cut.

This might not be a big deal for a lot of kids but for my little Mason, this was huge. He has had a big problem with fear of pain. He has had serious freakouts at the dentist and the doctor and even when he had a large plantar's wart on the bottom of his foot and we were trying to treat it. I would need to check it every few days and reapply the Duct tape and he would kick and cry and make me so crazy I couldn't stand him for a few minutes. (The duct tape totally worked by the way. The medicine the doctor prescribed was $70 and my insurance wouldn't cover it. My friend Wendy told me about the tape method and we did it on his foot. We left a piece on, covering the wart's surface, day and night changing it every few days for a few weeks and it disappeared, never to reappear!)

During the process, the nurse asked him a couple times if he was okay. He didn't respond. I think he was finding his own happy place of coping. He asked a couple of times "are you done yet?" but he asked calmly and stayed patient through the process.

We took him to Macey's for ice cream afterwards.

I've tried to make a big deal out of his brave attitude. It is nice to see your children climb their own little mountains.

Just like the first half of this whole situation.....

It's all about Agency!

Mark's Zippy Pot Roast

Mark made up this recipe when we wanted to have Nacho's for Mason's after baptism lunch for family. It was so good we decided we better write it down. We made it again for sunday dinner a couple weeks ago and it was just as good the 2nd time!

Mark's Zippy Pot roast

3 1/2 lb pot roast

1 can diced green chlies

1 onion, diced

6-8 cloves garlic

Kosher salt

pepper

(we also have used the same amt of london broil b/c it was on sale. It worked out really good)

rub salt and pepper into both sides of roast. Smear garlic on all sides

place in crock pot.

sprinkle onion and chiles over and under

cook on low til shreds. Doesn't have much juice but enough to mix with meat and is sooo good.

Bon Apetite!

Beef and Broccoli

This is one of our favorite dinners when London broil and Broccoli are on sale. Yum. I have adapted it to our tastes from a ward cookbook from our newlywed ward in Palm Desert California.

Beef & Broccoli

1 1/2 -2 lbs London Broil 2 med. onions, chopped 3/4 C soy sauce

1/4 C sugar + 1-2 T, divided 3 T oil + 1tsp, divided garlic salt

ginger 2-3 large bunches broccoli 4 C rice

8 Cups water 2 T cornstarch dissolved in 1 C water or beef broth

1. Slice meat thinly, place in container w/tight fitting lid.

2. chop onion. Can be small dices or big chunks, personal preference. Add to meat.

3. sprinkle meat/onion with garlic salt. Add a pinch of ginger powder. (I don't like a lot of ginger flavor so I don't add much. If you do... add more!)

4. Combine soy sauce, 1/4 C sugar, 2 T oil. Pour over meat/onions.

5. You can start this marinating the night before or just before you prepare broccoli and rice.

6. Start Rice. Bring 8 C water to boil. Add rice. Boil hard 3 minues. Cover, reduce heat to low and cover. Set timer for 25 minutes.

7. Start trimming broccoli. I cut florets smallish and I love the stalks so I strip the outer tough layer off the stalk and then chop the rest in bite size pieces. Put 1 tsp oil in pan, get it very hot. Pour trimmed broccoli in and sprinkle with 1 T sugar. Stir well and sprinkle with more sugar if desired( 1 T). Stir around til turns bright green, maybe 30 seconds. Pour 1 C water into pan and cover with lid. Let steam for a couple minutes and remove when tender crisp. Put broccoli in serving dish.

8. Put 1-2 tsp oil in large skillet. Drain off marinade from meat/onion and save. Put meat/onions in skillet. Cook til meat is done and onions carmelized. Add reserved marinade and let boil a couple minutes. Add 1 Cup water or broth with 2 T Cornstarch dissolved in it and simmer til thick. Pour over broccoli and stir well. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Feeds our family of 7 easily

June Birthdays

My oldest girls are both born in June. 5 days apart. I am grateful that they are close in spirit as well. They do their share of griping at and fighting with each other but it really is minimal compared to lots of sister relationships I've seen.

Rachel's junior high years have been tough on her socially & emotionally. She has had several friends betray her in ways that left her untrusting and self-concious. Her 9th grade year was so much better than the first 2 had been. She has finally found a group of friends she can trust and that treat her with kindness. She has become more confident and happy.

Her last bday party was right after 5th grade......

It was a hawaiian theme and we had rice crispy treat sushi (those have gummy worms in the center and are wrapped with fruit roll-up "seaweed") and in lieu of a cake she had fruit flowers standing in a bowl of blue jello.

Our ironing board became a "surfboard" on a blue blanket ocean for photo ops. The kids loved it. We made a pinata shaped like a pineapple and 2 coconuts. We had water games. It was one of our best parties.

At that time I was doing an every other year bday party policy so the next one would have been after 7th but she declined. After 8th grade she declined as well. She just wasn't interested in having friends over. This year I asked her what she wanted to do and she didn't outright decline but was somewhat noncommittal. "I don't know...."

Carly came to me privately and said "I want to throw Rachel a surprise party". I was so touched that she would do this for her. We put our heads together and I bought some chips nad dip and veggies and made lemon muffins but Carly was the one who contacted friends, made invitations, planned games, decorated, entertained and got it all ready to go.

Her birthday was on a Monday, the monday after Mason was baptized so it had been hectic and busy with family visiting. Auntie Christy was still here so the 3 of us went out that morning. We got haircuts and went to lunch at Mimi's cafe and then hit the mall for a bit. At the arranged time, one-ish; if I remember right- we came back home with the excuse of dropping me off so to watch the kids and picking Carly up to continue shopping with them. We walked in the house through the garage as instructed and it was awfully quiet. Carly had everyone waiting to yell SURPRISE!!!!! in the front room. She had decorated the table and the room with streamers and balloons. Rachel was headed down to the family room but glanced in the front room and got the surprise of her life!

Along with her favorite student council and drama friends from school, her cousins Katrina and Mallerie came all the way from Heber and 2 of her very good friends, Damon & Jordan, that moved away a couple years ago came all the way from Santaquin! Very exciting.

"Who did this? Was it you?" she asked as she looked at Carly standing proudly in the midst of them. Carly nodded and they both got a little teary as they hugged. It was a nice moment.

She blew out candles on her lemon muffins

She hugged all of her friends and ate chips and laughed and talked

She opened many thoughtful gifts from all her wonderful friends

Carly put together a "how well do you know Rachel" quiz that they all had to answer. They reviewed the answers together and Carly had a candy bar prize for the winner.

They played frisbee outside and just hung out and talked and laughed and were teenagers.

Afterwards Rachel said it was the best party ever and admitted that part of the reason she hadn't wanted a party for the last few years was because she gets so stressed about who will come and what will happen at the party during the planning stages that she just doesn't feel it's worth it to feel so anxious.

With this party she got all the fun and none of the planning anxiety. That all fell to Carly and I. Mostly Carly!

Carly's birthday a few days later was quiet and small comparatively. She had a big blowout last year for her 16th bday if you'll recall.

She requested an ice cream cake so that was super easy. Crushed up some oreos and layered them with vanilla ice cream in a spring-form pan and voila! Ice cream cake.

I did make a small one just for her that no one could touch and she could eat as quickly or as slowly as she wanted. She made it last a few days.

Orem City always generously provides fireworks the week of Carly's birthday and this year right on her birthday so we walked over to the hospital grounds after cake and watched the fireworks go off.

Then home to bed.

The end.

....til next year.