Quote From My Lover

Delivered with a sly smirk:

"If the house continues to stay this clean...I'm going to wish you quit your job a long time ago."

Unexpected Success

Well, there were several recipes I wanted to make last night, but only had the ingredients for half of each. I finally decided to combine what I did have and make a new recipe. Justin complimented the meal several times and Kinley and Tanner literally fought over the chicken. Justin and I had to divide up our own portions because one large chicken breast wasn't enough for our 21-month old! It was a teensy bit too salty, so I've modified the recipe a little to represent what I will do NEXT time. I served it with attempted "Kayla mashed potatoes" and peas.

Mushroom Onion Chicken
Ingredients:
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen)
1 package lipton onion soup mix
3 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Stir together mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and sour cream. Spread liberally over the chicken in a large baking dish. Bake on 350 for 90 minutes if chicken is frozen, 60 minutes if thawed. Cover with tin foil for the last 30 minutes of baking. Stir around the sauce with a fork before serving.

**Can also be used as a sauce for rice if you cut up the chicken when it's cooked and mix it all together well. The chicken is very tender and easily cut or shredded.

Maybe this isn't a new recipe, but I haven't had it before, certainly not cooked with chicken.

Follow-Up:
Tanner does not like mashed potatoes and he detests peas. For part of my lunch today I mixed up some of the leftover sauce with mashed potatoes and a very large portion of leftover peas. Tanner just tackled me to the ground and wouldn't let me have a single bite of it. He just ate 3/4 cup of peas mixed about the same amount of potatoes and sauce. Must be all the MSG :)

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Orange Sauce

Ok, you have already gotten two of the recipes from our brunch recipe exchange last Saturday. Here is the recipe for my "most favoritest-est" recipe of the morning. Don't worry, the pancakes don't taste like cottage cheese at all, they are just perfectly delicious. And the orange sauce can also be used for crepes, french toast, or anything else. The sauce is quite naughty, but so very scrumptious!! This recipe was provided by Hilary C.

Pancakes (Makes about 8-10)
3 eggs
1 cup of cottage cheese
1/2 cup or more of flour.

Mix together with electric mixer. I used my food processor this time and it gets more of the chunks out of it, but if it has some in it, it tastes just the same. Pour on griddle and cook on medium heat. These take a litte longer than normal pancakes. Cook till golden brown.

Orange sauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 to 1 cup orange juice
4 T grated orange peel (optional)

Melt butter and sugar in saucepan and let it cool. Add orange juice, eggs, and orange peel. (Adding the OJ first helps to cool the butter/ sugar mixture faster) Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Serve warm over cottage cheese pancakes.

**Sauce can be frozen and scooped out of freezer bag in desired serving increments if you make this in large enough quantities that you want to save it for a later date. Just reheat on stove or in microwave.

Happy Monday!

What a swell day. Today I spent the morning with Heather W. and Lisa working on our crazy FHE packets for the exchange coming up next week. It sure beats being at the office! I had such an awesome weekend, just reveling in my bliss. Honestly, I can't believe how much lighter I feel. I've just been whistling around the house for days -- and did I mention that the house I was whistling in was actually CLEAN?

Working mothers have my great sympathy (and empathy, incidentally) because it's a very difficult thing to try to keep balanced. I didn't even know how hard it was until I gave it up! Ask me how I feel in 6 weeks, but for now, I'm just enjoying myself immensely, hardly believing that I don't have to go back to work tomorrow...or the next day...or the next day...

Also, I thought I would mention that I love PhotoShop PSE. I scanned in this black and white coloring page and turned it into a colored masterpiece in just a few minutes!

Interesting Recipe

Johanna brought a very interesting item to the recipe exchange. She brought something called "cream of coconut", which can be purchased in the Latino section of the grocery store (probably) or at a Latino store. You open the can, pour it into a bowl and heat it up in the microwave or on the stove. Then you serve it warm as a syrup substitute over pancakes, crepes, french toast, or anything at all. That's it! She recommended french toast, while I tried it on a crepe and it was absolutely delicious. I brought some home for Justin and he gave it a thumbs up.

Transition

Well, it still doesn't feel real yet that I'm not going to work on Monday. Then again, nothing has really been different yet, since I have always had Thursdays and Fridays off anyway. I am still in the mindset that I have to plan everything on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that it doesn't interfere with the office. I keep saying in my head, "well, I guess I can do that on Tuesday because...WAIT a minute! I can do that on MONDAY or TUESDAY or any day I FEEL LIKE IT!" I think it's going to take some time to make the adjustment. I welcome it :)

We had a great breakfast recipe exchange this morning at Kirsten's house. There were some MIGHTY delicious recipes there. I'll share some of my favorites when I get copies of the recipes. Here is the recipe for what I created this morning. I was quite happy with how it turned out.

Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
18 eggs
6 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 cups shredded cheese
1 red pepper (diced)
1/4 cup onion (diced)
2 cups finely chopped ham
3/4 cup milk

Directions
Mix eggs and milk well. Stir in additional ingredients. Pour contents in to well-greased 9x13 pan. Bake uncovered on 350 for 90 minutes, until knife inserted in center of casserole does not come out wet. Serve with salsa and/or ketchup

**Casserole can be prepared the night before, if needed, and baked in the morning. Leftover casserole reheats in the microwave just fine.

Sleepy Boy

Here is my little goose at the end of a nap. Here here is dragging not one, but TWO Bambis down the hall...

Yes, Of COURSE I'm Aware...

No, it has not escaped me that swings are intended for infants up to 9 months or so. Tanner didn't get the memo. This morning I offered 6 different times over a 2-hour period to set the moose free. He wasn't having any of it. Good grief, it doesn't even have batteries... It doesn't bother me and it amuses him so much that I can't bring myself to put it into storage. Here he is pretending that the flash is blinding him...

My Little Princess

I'm afraid the whole concept of a candid shot has been completely lost on my favorite gal.

Changed for Good

Kinley and I have been discussing the concept of "changing for good" (meaning to make a positive change in your life) ever since she heard that phrase in a song recently. Tonight she came to me and said, "Mommy did you know that our WHOLE family made a change for good? We didn't have a baby named Tanner and now we do. That means our whole family made a change for very very VERY good."

Thank you, Mom, for the music that brought this little conversation about!

Harry

Ok, I've decided I need to re-read books 5 and 6 before I read this final release. Don't ANYONE ruin it for me!

Pioneer Day Celebration

In honor of Pioneer Day (and DeAnna's birthday), I took her to see a concert in Salt Lake. My sister introduced me to The Nashville Tribute to Joseph Smith at Christmas time. It's become a favorite around here. When I found out that they were releasing a new album entitled "Trek: a Nashville Tribute to the Pioneers", I was thrilled! They were having several concerts to introduce the new album and we went to the one at Cottonwood High School (which is a monstrous campus, by the way). The auditorium had balcony seating and something like 12 entrances if that gives you any idea of how bizarrely large this high school was.

It was GREAT. It was the perfect companion album to the original release. We absolutely loved it. I bought the CD, as well as a replacement for my pirated version of Joseph :)

FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM!!!!!!

Today was my my very last day working at the orthodontist office! I can't believe it. I've been swirling around so completely wrapped up in the joy and excitement of it all, that I forgot until 3:30 this afternoon that there might also be some sadness, perhaps even some mourning involved in closing this chapter in my life. I got a little weepy, emptied out my belongings in a strange surreality, and assuaged my moment of gloom with farewell treats. I'm very very tired tonight, but that is most likely due to staying out way too late last night with DeAnna (more on that in a later post).

I've looked forward to this for a long time, most especially these last 6 weeks since I put in my notice. I suspect that the reality of waking up tomorrow in my "new life" as a full-time stay-at-home mom will be as anti-climactic as turning 30 turned out to be. But I shall embrace it with gusto and gratitude!

Only ONE MORE DAY!

I can hardly stand the anticipation!!!!!

Quote of the Day

Life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Wa HOO! what a ride!"

We Beat Our Kids

Or so you'd think. Tanner crashed face-first into the side of my armoire last night. These pictures from this morning show him actually much improved from what it was before! Can you believe these parents of mine?

It doesn't get much more pathetic than this...

Happy Saturday

Justin took Kinley to see Meet The Robinsons at the dollar theater this morning. It was rated G so I didn't worry too much (I'm still not over him taking her to see King Kong last year!) Justin said it had a good message, but was kind of boring. That's my kind of kid movie! As anticipated, Kinley loved it :)

Tanner spent the morning spinning me around in the chair while I experimented with new shadowing techniques in PSE. I tried to keep him awake until Kinley and Justin returned, so that the kids could nap together, but he fell asleep on my lap instead.

I'm in a ridiculously good mood today. I'm finally finished with my tummy-bug for realsies, and I'm looking forward to my final two days at the office coming up this week. Those two realities are working together to create an unnatural rush of endorphins and motivation! In honor of those endorphins, I spent the last two days cleaning the house and getting to the bottom of the laundry pile. That always makes me very happy indeed. Nothing more satisfying and inspirational than a clean house and a row of empty laundry baskets, I say!

Anne

I have decided to read the Anne of Green Gables series, and I must admit that I am loving them. I didn't know how I would feel about them because I grew up addicted to the PBS movies. My sense right now is that they don't take away from each other. They are both spectacular.

I'm only half way through book #2 and I'm in no rush to get through the rest of the series. I'm enjoying the journey too much!

Kinley and I watched the first half hour of the PBS movie yesterday, which we borrowed from a friend. She enjoyed it much more than I expected her to. A new generation of Anne Fans!

Curious Cuties

When I left the kids alone watching Curious George this afternoon, I didn't realize it was the episode where George takes all the pots and pans out of the kitchen and makes himself band instruments... This is what I found when I came downstairs: Life imitating art...or at least George.

Summer Uniform

This is Tanner's uniform these days. It's been so miserably hot recently, plus I've gotten a, umm..."little" behind on laundry.

This face gets away with way too much, but I'm just not strong enough to resist it!


This is his "playing" face. He loves to look at us either out of the corner of his eye... Or with his head down, peeking up at us sneakily... It's so hard to catch the full mischeivous nature of his little grin with the camera!

Kinley and Her Face

She is such a goose...

Going for a Record, I Think

Last Saturday, when I was starting into the throws (no pun intended) of my tummy-bug, Justin did his husbandly duty and went to Wal-mart in search of food he was able to cook for the three members of the family who were still eating. That purchase consisted of a block of cheese and an obscenely-sized bucket of the the fattiest ground beef to ever be on clearance ("but it was so much cheaper"). Justin's specialty is tacos.

Here we are...6 days later. The kids have been living on various kid-friendly atrocities from the freezer and food storage closet. I just started eating again this morning, and still didn't quite make it to the store for more suitable groceries.

Justin just finished his 22nd taco since Saturday night. He has had no variation in his dinner since his grand adventure to the store last weekend. And more bizarre? He's not quite sick of them yet.... He's so funny.

PS

If you can't hear the shade of sarcasm in my overly exhuberant expectations for my life as a SAHM below, then we aren't really friends. :)

Update!

Well, as of this morning, I am officially healed...mostly. We're at about 98%, so I'll take it! I did make it to work yesterday, though I had to come home to lay down for about 3 and a half hours in the middle of the day. Still more improved this morning, and quite happy about it, thank you very much!

Only one more week of work, which is two more days. One week from this moment, I will be a full-time stay at home mom. Woo hoo! One week from today I will be the perfect housekeeper, mother, friend, lover, community activist, etc. I'll be under budget, exercising every morning, and only serving meals that you would find on magazine covers. I'll have an overabundance of creativity, patience, compassion, and genius. I can hardly wait!

My friend Heather keeps trying to convince me that I'm going to be the same unmotivated, disorganized scatterbrain that I always am, only now I'll have 7 days of it instead of just 5. Can you believe her lunacy??? :) Her and her silly voice of reason. Thththththththth.....

Speaking of other bursting bubbles, I need a shower. Ta ta!!

Marked Improvement

Not that you care, but things have dramatically improved. I even managed to wash my pillow and blanket and sterilize the basement (where I was quarantined) this afternoon. I am pretty well convinced it wasn't a flu (at least not "the" flu that's been going around the neighborhood), but a nasty, lingering food bug. We'll wait and see if it appears elsewhere in the family, but I'm pretty confident. KFC is now officially off my list of dining options. Incubation, symptoms, duration, all just a little too coincidental...

Turning the Tide

Hallelujah, we've turned the corner. I managed to keep down three pieces of toast and a bowl of rice yesterday. This morning, I feel terribly achey and extremely tired, but other than that, very very much improved.

The Good News

Hey, I've lost 7 pounds! I guess there is a silver lining after all? Nah, I'd rather work out...

I keep thinking it's going to get better, then I go and do something foolish like eat a piece of toast because I'm starving.

Can't Hack It

I. Hate. Being. Sick.

Life Lessons From Kinley

This is what Kinley said to me this evening:

"Mommy, when you threw up, it made me want to throw up, but I didn't. I just went like this (insert gross gagging sound). And Mommy? Sometimes we call it 'throw up' and sometimes we call it 'puke'. It has two names... Just like 'trampoline' has two names: 'tramp' and 'trampoline'."

Nice.

Bizzy Bizzy

This week has been uniquely busy. And now that I have a chance to breathe, I'm sick with a stomach "something or other" that has been going around the neighborhood. I thought I was better yesterday, but I took a nose dive during the night and on it continues. Tanner had it last weekend and I feel great pity for him.

Attention Fellow Twilight Junkies!!

Don't forget! Eclipse comes out August 7th!!

Thank you, Lyndsey, for alerting me to the first chapter, posted online by Stephenie! YEA!! I must go read it RIGHT NOW!!! Click the link below to read it yourself...but ONLY if you have read Twilight AND New Moon...

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/eclipse_chapter1.pdf

I Love Enrichment

I truly do. We had a great time tonight at the stake center pavilion. We had an outdoor social based loosely on the book "No One Can Take Your Place", by Sheri Dew. We ate Hawaiian Haystacks (so delicious); we all had to get in line for dinner in order of our birthdates in the year...backwards. Sheila, born on December 31st was first in line!

Then we had a spotlight guessing game with several great stories from the sisters. We played a quick game where you roll dice in a circle and if you get doubles you put on gardening gloves and try to open a package (that has been dutifully wrapped several times). The person who ended up successfully getting inside got to keep the surprise -- trail mix. To remind us of "the trail (legacy) we leave behind..." I somewhere in there gave a brief message, taken from the text of the book.

The rest of the evening was spent just visiting, mixing, and mingling. We had a great turnout, about 60 people. Not bad for such a warm evening. And the sisters seemed to enjoy it; they lingered quite a long time.

I just love Enrichment. Can't we do it weekly?

Mini-Golfing

We took the kids miniature golfing this morning at Trafalga. It was really warm, but very fun. More fun than I was expecting, not as fun as Justin was hoping; so just about right. By the end, we were all dripping sweat, but it was a great family activity. We had the entire course to ourselves, as we were apparently the only family interested in melting together at 10 this morning!

Tips from Dad

Is is a golf club? A samurai sword? A baseball bat?

Just cruisin' the green... Got my sippy cup.

Hole #14: Kinley's favorite. And we're surprised why?

Aren't we a sweaty bunch?

Cooling off with a Jamba Juice. Our family favorite: Caribbean Passion.

Jane Eyre

I just finished one of my new all-time favorite books, Jane Eyre. I don't recall reading it in high school, as everyone else appears to have done, though I may be mistaken, as some of the story felt suspiciously familiar. Thank you, Mandee, for the strong recommendation; it was well deserved. I savored every pithy exchange between the principals, and found myself quite enchanted with the entire story.

Eww.

This morning Kinley came to me with a peculiar "scratch" along her arm. She asked me what it was, because it didn't hurt and looked out of the ordinary. I informed her that it was not, in fact, a scratch, but a small trace of dried-up boogers, obviously left over from an unconscious snot-wipe during the night. If you think my first-born would be grossed out by such a revelation, you are much mistaken. She turned away quickly, then back to me with a twinkle in her eye. She held up her now clean arm and announced, "Mommy, it's gone! I licked it off with my tongue for a great magic trick! I made it disappear! Isn't that awesome??!!"

Sigh...

Happy 5th of July!!!

We bypassed the main fireworks last night at the stadium in lieu of our own private show in Mapleton, at Danny and Mardie's. My eye problems have worked some emotional damage into my lifestyle, to be sure. Every sparkler seemed a major eye injury just waiting to happen, every fountain an instrument designed for maximum corporal damage. How the other adults present could handle the mini-bombs so cavalierly, I'll never know! Tanner was terrified of the particularly lively explosions, so I gamely took him inside to watch the show from the cheap seats (the window well).

Spencer Wilson

I am pleased to announce the arrival of my newest nephew, Spencer Thomas Wilson, born to Courtney and Matt just last Friday. Congratulations, guys!!!

Veterans Memorial Pool

DeAnna drove up from Nephi today to spend the day with us. We had a picnic at the park and then spent a few hours at the pool. Kinley's bravery is growing in leaps and bounds, and Tanner is no fraidy cat himself! I took way too many pictures. I've tried to be selective!

Something I did not get pictures of was our adventures going down the loopy, giant, adult slide. I took them both down once and they really loved it! I was so pleased that they let me take them down with me!!

Tanner was all "fearless fish" today. He was so confident and so shockingly fast that I had to chase him all over the pool!

Little man... great big swim trunks...
Kinley getting more brave by the minute...
Tanner toppled several times, and came up out from under the water laughing (and gasping).
He went down the little slides all by himself repeatedly and couldn't get enough of it. He didn't even mind getting completely drenched. DeAnna dropped him down the top and I caught him at the bottom. The rest of the time he spent splashing our friends and flinging himself down face-first in the super shallow section, trying to copy Kinley's "swimming" techniques.
Kinley roamed all over the pool playground, trying out the swim tricks she saw other kids doing.
Magical Moment...I still can't believe we are to "this place", as demonstrated below. I was so very proud of her, and I feel I should publicly thank Jake for setting the fine fishy example for her to follow. After two trips to the pool in the last two weeks, she has become a mermaid. Last year I don't even think she got her hair wet the entire summer!!!
Little studly muffin...

Tuesday

Tanner definitely understands most of what we say to him. One of these days he is going to give us his first soliloquy, I can just feel it. Today I am tired, as I have been for a week or so. I'm rather anxious to get on with my new phase of life, the one where I'm not working part-time. I'm a person that generally makes a decision and then moves on with it immediately, without pause and without regret. This (seemingly short to outsiders, I suppose) delay is killin' me!

I'm anxious to begin floundering for an acceptable schedule and routine. I've been coming up with some ideas, many of which conflict with the others. I don't feel like I can adequately try them on for size until I'm actually done with work and things settle down.

Not that they will, of course, because life never works out that way. When I announced my plans to quit my job, Courtney made me promise I wouldn't go and do something crazy, like join the pre-school version of the PTA. I ever so solemnly pledged to refrain from such an endeavor. But you never know what's going to happen in life (at least I never do; if you have discovered that secret, please let me in on it!) So, that being said, this past Sunday morning we met with the bishop and I was called, then sustained as the second counselor (enrichment) in the Relief Society of our ward. The Lord has a strange sense of humor, wouldn't you say? Nevertheless, I absolutely adore the sisters in our ward, which is why Justin and I are never overly anxious to move out of the neighborhood--lack of back yard notwithstanding. Now we just need a new enrichment leader to fill in the spot I vacated.

So, in other news, I still need to figure out a routine around here, one that will allow me to do my calling, parent my children in the way that I want, and still find time, somehow, for all of my other passions, manias, and obsessions. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Last night I went with some friends out to dinner at La Dolce Vita. Boy, that was really amazing Italian food. I had only gone there once before, many years ago, and I don't remember it being quite so very delicious. What made it even better was going without our children in tow! We just talked and laughed completely uninterrupted! What a novelty!

We are going to the Veteran's Pool this afternoon with DeAnna and her kids. We have never been to this particular pool, but I'm anxious to take the children there, after their enthusiastic reaction to the Scera Pool last week. We'll actually be going in the heat of the day this time, which will be interesting. Then, hopefully, they'll sleep like rocks during nap time!

We need to go to the store tonight and get some goodies for tomorrow. We'll probably BBQ something, and I'll likely make a jello something, now that jello is apparently my thing! I refuse to buy lime flavor, and you'll never catch a shredded carrot anywhere near my jello creations. Nevertheless, I do feel a nagging sense of having gone completely over to the dark side...

I wish it wasn't going to be so depressingly hot all day tomorrow. 100 very dry degrees. Just perfect for standing for hours in the sun with small children to watch a parade. Or in the late afternoon, when the temperature peaks, it will be ideal for sitting for a similar number of hours, saving a spot to watch the fireworks with those same small children. Hmmm...it's only going to be 98 this afternoon. Maybe it's too cool to take the children swimming after all... (For those who don't know me well, this would be my sarcastic side).

Well, hunger pains are gnawing, and guilt regarding the state of my kitchen is weighing on my soul. Time to be productive! Toodles!

Blueberry Delight!

Truly, I made a masterpiece this weekend! I chose another Jello adventure for a family luncheon this afternoon (am I so "Utah" or what?) This, my friends, is divine. It was the highest rated Jello recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/, so I gave it a whirl. Absolutely perfect. Delicious. Decadent and naughty, perhaps...

BLUEBERRY SALAD

INGREDIENTS
2 (3 ounce) packages raspberry flavored gelatin mix
2 cups hot water
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Combine hot water and gelatin; stir until dissolved. Stir in pineapple and blueberry pie filling. Pour into a 9x13 inch dish and chill in refrigerator until firm.
Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Spread over firm gelatin. Chill until serving.

Saying Please

We've been teaching Tanner a little bit of sign-language, since he still can't express himself verbally and his need for communication is so high. His success with it is yet more proof that he does understand what is going on in the world around him, but he simply doesn't have the words to comment on it.

This is a picture of him saying "Please." He now has it down (though not without promting quite yet). When he first started trying it out, instead of using one hand to make a small circle on his chest, he would use both hands and rub his belly!