Myth Buster

All my life I have heard that "Bad things happen in threes". I have had the privilege of debunking that myth in the last few weeks. Here is the list of damages since my husband left to do a job out of town 11 days ago.

First, the refrigerator and microwave stopped working. We plugged the fridge into an extension cord and it works again so, it must be the outlet. Then a few days later, the door handle to our main bathroom broke. It could be used from the outside, but if you were inside, tough luck for you-have fun spinning the handle. So Meghan took the handle off completely and now the kids stuff toilet paper in the peep hole and use part of the handle to open the door. One of them often forgets to bring the little metal "key" into the bathroom with her and so finds herself screaming out the peep hole for someone to help her. Then the lid to my toilet broke. Now, it's not completely off, just one hinge snapped in two so, it's all wobbly and sits sort of catty-whompus. After the lid broke I laughed and said, "Well, you know, bad things happen in threes. At least that's over."

Today is the big day. It's the day of baking and decorating for my 10 year old's big spa birthday. (I will post pictures of the decor and the party on Saturday) There is a ton of stuff to be done. My youngest daughter decided to wake up at 6:45 this morning and has since been a horrible, grumpy, whiney, cry-baby. I thought about taking a video to post for all of you out there who think she is just so adorable and never cries. Let's see if you still think that when the snot is running into her mouth because she won't quite screaming at her brother every time he looks at her.

So while I am trying to get her cleaned up after dumping most of her oatmeal down her clothing and she is still screaming in my ear, my middle daughter calls out from the main bathroom, "Something's leaking".

My second daughter says' "Oh, yeah, I saw that yesterday."

I am hoping that it's a bottle of shampoo or cleaning product that hasn't been closed all the way, but no. The pipe under the sink is drip, drip, dripping away. I have them clean out under the sink and put a bucket under the pipe.

Now if you count the screaming daughter (which I consider a VERY bad thing-the screaming, not the daughter) that's 5.

Myth Busted.

Flocked!!

Last night, around 9:30, my oldest daughter came in to tell me goodnight and instead ended up curling into bed with me while we overindulged in the Food Network. At 11:00, after munching on crackers and learning about the molds in cheese, we decided that neither of us could stay awake any longer so I walked with her toward her room to make sure all the lights were off.

There is a long skinny window right next to my front door and as I walked past my entry way, something caught my eye. At first, I thought that my 6 year old son had taped a picture to the window, then I realized it was taped to the outside and that I had gone in and out of my front door since all the younger children had gone to bed. So Meg and I sneaked to the front door to peer out.

Earlier, while Meghan and I were still snuggled safe in my bed, giggling blissfully unaware, some person, completely unknown to me, had done their own sneaking about and strategically placed 14, very pink flamingos in my front yard.

They appeared to be aimlessly wandering around and generally having a grand old time of it. One, in fact seemed stood at a somewhat drunken angle.

The paper taped to my window read: “You Have Been “Flamingoed”!!!

Now, the flamingos themselves are not what disturb me, Meg and I were cracking up and plotting as we went to bed. It was later, when I realized that someone (and if I’m truthful, probably more than one someone) had pranced about in my yard, whispering and smothering giggles, and even fiddled around my front door, all without being detected. I cannot even claim that it was my being asleep that caused me to miss all the outdoor action. I was wide awake being grossed out by street vendor’s hot dog water and how mold is used in cheese making (it was a very educational evening and for your information, I will never eat a hot dog-also known as a dirty dog- from a street vendor, but will happily continue to eat cheese). Perhaps, when Jeff gets home from California he will be the proud new owner of a Pit Bull or Doberman Pincer.

Luckily, for me it was a friendly someone in my front yard that dark and windy night, out raising funds for a trip to Boise with the Mayor’s Youth Council. My “flamingoed” paper gave me all the details. For $10 I can have the flamingos removed. For $20 I get to choose the next victim and for $30 I can guarantee the flamingos never come back to visit me (for this fundraiser only I am sure). It even gave me the name of the person that sent the flamingos to me. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW.

She had been at my house twice, earlier that day and never even wore a smirk or a I-know-something-you-don’t-know grin. This woman is good. They had been sent to her a few days earlier by her daughter and son-in-law. I thought for sure, that by letting her know that I would never have sent the flamingos to her, that I would be safe from them landing at my house, but apparently no one is safe.

I have to admit, that this is a pretty clever fundraiser, and something I have never seen before. What a fun way to bully someone into giving up their hard earned wages. There is no awkward door-to-door magazine sales, no bland dinners to endure, no buying things at an auction that you will then just re-donate to the next fund raising event, and most off all no standing out in the sun all day while trying to convince other people to by my old junk at a garage sale. Instead it has that “Maffia Insurance” feel to it. Wonderful! I love it and will be keeping it mind for the next time I see a really great handbag that I cannot afford.

Now the only things left to do are; choose my next victims (will it be one of you readers or some person who has no idea what may be awaiting them) and decide on the revenge for my sweet mother-in-law. The first will be done within a few hours. The second? Well, I have heard that “revenge is a dish better served cold”.

Watch out!

What Do We Eat When Jeff is Gone?

When I got done preparing this week's menu, I looked at it and thought-"It's like Homemade Junk Food Week!" Jeff is out of town, so I am cooking all MY favorites. At first, I asked the kids what THEY wanted for dinner and they started coming up with things like Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken or (ACK!) Grilled Steak! Are you kidding me? My husband is gone, this is almost like a vacation. They are lucky they are not eating cereal and boxed mac and cheese all week. I will be cooking things that go together very easy. Casseroles, One Pot Meals and the like. YUM!! I can't wait.

On the Menu This Week:

Monday - Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole with Carrots and Cheddar Biscuits

Tuesday - Chicken Pockets and Fruit Salad

Wednesday - Homemade Personal Pizzas

Thursday - Chicken Tacos, Refried Beans and Corn

Friday - One Pan Basil and Tomato Angel Hair Pasta, Salad and Garlic Bread

Saturday - Roast, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans and Rolls

Can you tell when Jeff is supposed to get home? I'll give you a hint-look for the first green veggie (salad does count as a veggie, right?) and the red meat!

This week I am going to give you my One Pot Basil and Tomato Angel Hair Pasta recipe. This pasta is an all-time favorite with my family. I cook everything in one large skillet-including the angel hair. It is one of my staple quick and easy recipes.

One Pot Basil and Tomato Angel Hair Pasta

1 pound dry angel hair pasta
3 cans diced tomatoes with onion, basil and oregano (not Italian Stewed Tomatoes)
5-10 cloves of garlic, pressed
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cups of grated Romano cheese, plus extra for topping
32 ounce box of chicken broth
Fresh basil, chopped (dried works fine, too-but use A LOT)

In a large skillet with sides and a lid, saute the garlic in olive oil just until you smell it. Add all three cans of tomatoes (DO NOT DRAIN). Cook these until they start to get bubbly, stir in the Romano cheese. Add about 1/2 the box of chicken broth and bring to a boil, salt and pepper to taste. Add the dry pasta and spoon the tomato sauce over the noodles, add more broth to cover the noodles and keep it at a boil. Add fresh basil, cover the pot and let it cook until the pasta is cooked just enough to stir it into the sauce more. Keep cooking with the lid on, stirring occasionally (separate the pasta so it doesn't stick together) until the pasta is cooked how you like it. It takes about 15 minutes and the pasta will absorb quite a bit of the liquid, I keep adding more broth until the pasta is almost done. The sauce is not soupy like a spaghetti sauce-it's more chunky. Top with more Romano cheese and chopped basil.

This is one of those recipes that I totally eyeball. You can't really mess it up. Just keep tasting it and make sure the pasta gets cooked all the way and you will love it!

*The sauce itself is gluten free (check your tomatoes and broth)-just make sure that you get a pasta that is gluten free also.


Enjoy!

Quick Pics Before the Rain Comes

On Sunday we had a beautiful, sunny day. We all decided we needed some backyard time. Zoey is learning to swing on the "Big Kid" swing and the other kids had fun jumping rope, reading in the shade and playing a bit of soccer. Then, all of a sudden the sky began to darken and the winds picked up. We all bustled inside to stay dry, but I was able to snap a few pictures before it all got nasty. Aren't they just the cutest?!

Zoey is a big girl now!

A little friendly jump roping

I love this picture of Meghan! It captures her perfectly!

They all love the new swing in the shade. Maybe we'll call it the "Book Nook"

Soccer in rubber boots, do you think it will catch on?

Nate and his big sis.

Daddy chillin' on the hammock while his girls play.

Happy Summer Days, Friends!

Menu Ideas with Two Gluten Free Recipes

I try to do a menu every week at our house. If I don't, I find that most evenings when 5:00 rolls around, I have no idea what to cook-nor do I feel like cooking-so more often than not, we have something super healthy like grilled cheese sandwiches or better yet we pick up a pizza from Papa Murphy's. This is not my husbands idea of what dinner should look like!

While I'm not a pro at the whole menu thing, I try-but it's rarely easy. It's not creating the menu that is hard for me, it's partly shopping for ONLY the ingredients needed for the menu. There are some things that I like to keep on hand and I buy them even if they are not needed for my 2 week menu. I'm sure a few of these are OK, but I have an alternate two week menu floating around in the back of my mind that I am also wanting to buying for. This is not so good for my budget.

The other problem I have is sticking to the menu. Maybe Fish Friday is just not calling my name, maybe I want Tacos! (See problem # 1) I don't believe that the menu has to be strictly followed. I am a chef that allows substitutions.

I have found that my two problems go hand in hand. It's a catch 22. So this last time I committed to buying only the things I needed for my menu and that while I could switch days around, I would only cook food that was already on the menu. I found that for the most part, this was a pretty good way to go. I cooked dinner almost every night for the last 2 weeks and rarely found myself not wanting what was on the menu-how could I, there was no other food in the pantry to choose from-if I used the cream of celery for a different dish on Monday, I wouldn't have it for Thursday's casserole! A couple of times that I got behind, we did decide to have leftovers, but it seemed to work OK because I had cooked earlier in the week and there actually were leftovers in the fridge that were edible.

So here is our menu for this week. I will provide recipes for two of the dishes at the end of the menu.

Monday - BBQ Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and French Fries (it's Memorial Day!)
Tuesday - Taco Soup
Wednesday - Chicken Noodle and Carrot Casserole, Salad and Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
Thursday - Pasta Alfredo, Green Beans and Garlic Bread
Friday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Corn
Saturday - Grilled Steak & Chicken, Rice-a-Roni and Salad

Hey, I never said we were health nuts!

Friday and Saturday are meals that either my husband or my oldest daughter can prepare as I will be off having a crafting weekend with my friend. Whoo-Hoo!!

Taco Soup
(I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen Celebrates!)

This is one of my favorite recipes. It goes together in just a few minutes and if you want, you can toss it in the crock pot in the morning on low and it's ready in a few hours. It's one of the recipes that I keep all the ingredients for in my pantry at all times! If you use a gluten free taco seasoning, this recipe can be gluten free.

(3) cloves of garlic, pressed (or minced)
(1) 32 oz. box of chicken broth
(2) cans of black beans, drained
(2) cans of diced tomatoes with chilies (sometimes called Mexican Tomatoes)-my family doesn't like chunks, so I puree these in my blender
1 cup water
(2) cans of canned chicken (costco size), drained
1 packet plus 1 1/2 tsp of taco seasoning
1 cup corn

Combine everything, except the corn, in a large pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Add the corn and simmer for 10 minutes more.

Top with your favorite toppings; grated cheese, sour cream, diced avocados, tortilla chips, and/or salsa.

Feeds my family of 7 with about one bowl left over for me to have for lunch the next day.


Alfredo Sauce

(This recipe will not turn out as thick as a jarred alfredo sauce, but tastes a lot better! My kids prefer it over a store bought sauce. It is also a gluten free recipe.)

1 cup butter
2 pints heavy cream
6 cloves of garlic, pressed (or minced)
2 cups of Romano Cheese, grated (get it at Costco) plus more for topping
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a saucepan, melt butter and sautee garlic briefly. Pour in the cream and stirring almost constantly, heat at medium high until the sauce begins to simmer. Add the 2 cups of cheese and continue to simmer, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens. It seems to take a while, but don't hurry it by turning up the heat or you will scortch the sauce--be patient, it's worth it! Pour sauce over cooked pasta noodles-gluten free if needed (we love penne because it holds the sauce in all it's nooks and crannies) -and top with more freshly grated romano cheese.

This feeds my family of 7 (and we eat a lot of it) and we generally have a bit of sauce left over. The sauce will get very thick in the fridge, but will smooth out after you heat it on the stove. If you microwave it, the butter will most likely seperate but it doesn't really affect the taste.

Give these recipes a try and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Most Improved

Today was the first half of the 4H Most Improved Horse Show. This one is a little bit different than the other horse shows for a couple of reasons; first, it's a two part show and second, the girls are really only competing against themselves rather than everyone else.

Our day started at 6:00 this morning with everyone racing around to get showered, eat, hair braided, diaper bag packed and horses loaded. We were right on track when we pulled out at 7:30.

4H requires that anyone entering the arena be wearing "show attire". This consists of a cowboy hat, western style button up, long sleeve shirt with collar and cuffs, belt, dark jeans (no holes) and boots. Yesterday, my mom and I took Taylor around town to find her a show shirt, hat and belt. We had a terrible time finding a hat that would fit her, but finally we did and it even had pink trim to match her shirt and pink belt.

They looked so aDorable in their show outfits!

Taylor and Sackett

Meghan and Silver

Jeff had the opportunity to go Bass fishing with friends today, so he missed the show--that meant that I needed to pull the horse trailer again. We left a little early in hopes that we would be among the first to arrive and I would have lots of room to maneuver and I could nose in in such a way that no one would be able to park in front of me. Imagine our surprise (and my panic) to find out that there were quite a few trailers already there. To make things worse, Meghan informed me that our group needed to be parked in the same area (I'll not fall for that again) and so I was going to have to park in the row behind the other trailers.

In my now incredibly nervous state, I did not drive forward enough and so when I turned and pulled in behind the front row, I was not only too close to the trailer in front of me, but I was also terribly crooked! For one fleeting moment I thought I was going to have to back the trailer up and try to get it straight with 15 families watching me. Thank goodness one of the guys in our club was there and I happily hopped out and let him back us up and re-park us.

The girls entered both events; Showmanship and Horsemanship. In Showmanship you are on the ground leading your horse in a pattern. For this particular show it was-set up your horse at the first cone, walk to the second cone, trot to the third cone, back your horse three steps, execute a 270 degree turn and the walk to the judge.

Horsemanship is in the saddle, riding a different pattern. Today's was-set up at the first cone, walk to the first cone, trot to the second cone, lope a circle to the left in a left lead at the center cone do a simple lead change and lope a circle to the right (makes a figure 8) in a right lead, trot to the fourth cone and back 5 steps the exit the arena.

Meg and Silver doing the Showmanship Pattern

Taylor and Sackett doing the 270 during Showmanship

The patterns have to be memorized and you are penalized for not following the pattern exactly (among other things). For most shows, they post the pattern just before the show begins, but this year the kids were given the pattern a few days in advance. The judges make notes all through the routine and then the girls will get a copy of those notes telling them the things they were marked down for and what they need to work on for the next few months. Then in August, shortly before the fair, they will do the exact same patterns again in front of the same judges and they will compare the scores from the two shows. Those from each age group and for each event that have "made the most improvement" will win "Most Improved". For Showmanship you win a show halter and for Horsemanship you win a belt buckle. Needless to say, both girls want very badly to win!

Meghan being judged during Horsemanship

Taylor during Horsemanship

They both did a great job. There is plenty of room for improvement though, so there is a chance that they could be the ones to win! I love watching them work hard and then stand before the judges. I always get a little teary eyed. This year is especially big for me not only because I have two daughters this time, but because Meghan is getting to use my dad's horse for it this year. He would be so incredibly proud of his little cowgirls! I wish he were here to see them.

Blogger's Block and Trying New Things

Well, I have to say that the day I started blogging I had so many "blogging topics" running through my head that I thought to myself, "You should probably write these down somewhere because tomorrow you won't remember any of them", and I was right-I should have written them down because now I am bemoaning the fact that I can think of nothing to blog about.

I am preparing this post using my daughter's computer as mine has been acting up lately and is now at Tek-Hut, hopefully being repaired. Could it be the Facebook apps that my husband blames it on? I choose to hope that it is not, but am willing to sacrifice them if it is.

This has been a pretty uneventful week, but there was one small event that might be slightly blog worthy. I needed to pull the horse trailer to 4H on Tuesday. While this might not sound like a big deal, for me it was HUGE. When Meghan started taking 4H, one of the first things I made clear was that I would not, under any circumstances, be pulling the horses. I managed to go a whole year without needing to and then Jeff decided to take Hunter's Safety Classes. So, Tuesday afternoon found me having my own little Driver's Ed Course with my husband as the teacher. I made sure to lay down the rules for him first.

1). Under no circumstance was he to become upset with me or yell at me.
2). He had to be super gentle and sweet with me the whole time(see rule #1).
3). I refused to back the trailer-we would nose-in wherever I needed to go and that included the driveway at home (see rule #1 and 2).
4). I would practice with an empty trailer so as not to kill my daughters' horses.

He agreed and after trying to reassure me that I would do fine and that it was much easier than it seemed, we were off. I managed to pull out of the driveway and make it to the fair grounds (about 6 or 7 miles away) and home again without any damage to myself, my husband or the trailer. I drove only on the back roads (in hopes of avoiding other traffic-which did not work) and I did not drive over 20 miles an hour for the first 2-3 miles of the trip and still not over 35 for the rest of it, even though the speed limit was 50 most of the way. I only had to be reminded to stop a little earlier and slow down to a crawl over the railroad tracks.

That night, Jeff graciously left the trailer hooked-up for me, and after the girls loaded the horses and we piled in the truck. Silver had a tiny bit of trouble loading and for a moment I thought we might not be going after all. I was a little disappointed when he actually hopped in the trailer just a few tries later--though I did feel a bit guilty for it.

After a few deep breaths and a quick prayer for safety, I once again made it all the way to the fairgrounds-remembering to stop earlier and slow way down over the railroad tracks (even though the girls assured me their dad went over them much faster). Jeff must have worried about me driving home in the dark because he ended up at 4H after his class and drove the trailer home. He also rearranged his schedule last night so that he dropped the girls off and unhitched the trailer while I followed in the van. I think that was because he was embarrassed to show up at Hunter's Safety again in a purple minivan. Now until Saturday, I won't have to pull the trailer again. Let's hope that I will be awake enough to drive it safely at 6:30 in the morning.

I will admit that I feel a little braver, having pushed myself to do something that terrified me. If my cowboy boots made me feel more like a cowgirl's mama-imagine what pulling that trailer did. Isn't God amazing in the way that He helps us take the little steps and trust in Him to keep us safe?

So, until next time-
"Put on your cowgirl panties and ride"!


P.S. Tip to other bloggers out there: If you are attempting to blog while cooking dinner, make sure you put the food in the oven that was preheated and not the cold one or 25 minutes later, your casserole will look the same as when it went in and your husband will have to grab a burger on his way to class.