Wednesday Morning

I was packing up Benj's lunch this morning and found his wax paper placemat from Monday morning.

"So, Benj, does this need to be thrown away or is it clean enough to use again?"

"Mom, I didn't use it. . . . There's a note on it. . . . and a heart."

Mental note: No more lunch notes, especially with hearts.

This Morning

"Benj, what do you want in your lunch? No-bake cookies?"

"yes!"

"And, what else? A clementine?"

"I want to take that for my snack."

"K, What else for your lunch?"

"chocolate pudding"

"You already have cookies in your lunch. You can have pudding when you get home. Do you want a capri-sun or a juice box?"

"Juice box"

"green or purple?"

"purple"

"OK How about a sandwich?"

"Bologna with mayonnaise and lettuce, cut in half."

"Got it. OK, So far we got a clementine for your snack. A sandwich, cookies, and a juice box.
How about baby carrots or an applesauce?"

"How about Doritos?"

"Don't have any. How about Fritos?"

"OK"

"Two napkins. Wax paper. Lunch done. Let's go."

The Birthplace of Texas

Yesterday we took our last day trip of the summer. We went to Washington on the Brazos State Park. Washington, Texas, was a small but very important town in the 1800's. It was located on the Brazos River so riverboats could make their way up from the Gulf for trade and was right on the road that led directly to San Antonio (and the Alamo), 170 miles to the west. There's not anything of the town left except for a few foundations and some brick rubble. The state has made the entire town site a State Park to preserve the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed by 59 delegates in 1836. We all learned a lot about Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and other "Texians." The site includes a reconstructed Independence Hall where the signing took place, a gift shop, museum, living farm, picnic area, and lots of room to run. Our friends, the Weaver's, went with us. We drove through Brenham and got some of the country's best ice cream --Bluebell--on the way home. It was a fun day!

Cotton growing at the farm. We all picked a bunch to take home. We're going to clean it, spin it, weave it, and make our school clothes out of it. :)
Benj (with Stef's help) trying out a musket.
It was about 2 feet longer than he is tall, and quite heavy.

Independence Hall (reconstructed in the 1970's).

Megan W. and Stef running through the drying corn.

Black walnuts--There were also a lot of pecan trees there. Yum!

Jace in the tool crib.

The farm area included Anson Jones's (last pres of the Republic) farm house, separate kitchen, smoke house, 2 slave cabins, barn, chicken coop, tool crib, kitchen garden, and larger garden that held the corn and cotton. Typical southern farm--a different building for everything.

Katie V. being a little cotton-picking cotton-picker, picking cotton.

The 3-day Birthday

It was Benj’s birthday recently. When you’re turning 9 it is a BIG deal! You know it’s going to be a GREAT day. You can feel it when you wake up and that feeling stays with you the ENTIRE day. When Benj woke up that day (to streamers in his doorway, which he requested) he knew it was going to be the best day of his life. He repeated throughout the day, at random times, "This is the BEST DAY of my LIFE!" He requested a treasure hunt when it came time to open his presents. He requested that he open his presents with duct tape wrapped around his wrists. He requested his favorite dinner (Sweet and Sticky Chicken Wings—yay! no corn dogs!) and cake (vanilla cake with chocolate pudding in between the layers and homemade chocolate frosting) and even specified the ice cream (chocolate chip cookie dough). This day was his dream; he had looked forward to this for a year!

What he didn’t know was that a migraine was coming. Benj has been getting migraines every month or two for about three years now and we still don’t know what sets them off. What a rotten thing to get on your birthday! It started soon after dinner and before presents and cake. He enjoyed dinner, snitched some frosting, and went in the family room while I finished the cake. About 10 minutes later he came back in crying because he knew what was coming. I left the cake unfinished, got him some ibuprofen and took him upstairs to a dark, quiet room. Oh yeah, I grabbed a barf bowl on the way--he usually throws up with a migraine but not always. The thing that has always made it better is to get him to sleep and when he wakes up it’s gone. He was almost asleep many times but he just couldn’t let go—he wanted his presents! He wanted his fun, well-planned birthday!

After about 20 minutes he sat up, said he was better and he was ready to go. Then he moaned and went back down. After another 10 minutes or so he did the same thing and pushed through the pain. We went downstairs and started the treasure hunt. He ran from spot to spot around the house looking for the clues that would lead him to his stash of presents. After about 3 or 4 clues, he was done. Jace did a couple for him and then Benj made himself follow the last clue that led to the presents. He insisted that we duct tape his wrists and then he started to unwrap. He was unwrapping presents with taped up wrists while trying to keep any light out of his eyes. We had the lights down low but of course the flash on the camera was a bit much. Anyway, after presents, he was done and he went to bed. It was so sad. He couldn’t even enjoy his presents.

( I love this pic of Benj. His suit's as low as Michael Phelps.)

The next day he was better and we went to Galveston for the day. It was the only day this entire summer that all 8 of us had work off and could go. We enjoyed the beach and played a lot and got a little too much sun. We took a picnic and a canopy that still had San Diego sand in it. We also visited the strand (shopping) and saw the movie about the Great Storm of 1900 in the Pier 21 theater. We try and have a fun family event with every birthday and this was Benj’s pick.

(Ike aftermath note for you out-of-towners: There is still a lot of damage on the island but there are a lot of things that look to be in pretty good shape. Most of the new construction wasn’t damaged and/or has been fixed. There were a few tourist shops located out on piers that are gone and a hotel that was built on a pier that is also gone. There were still some boats where they shouldn’t be and some condos with the front half still livable and the back half destroyed. The beach is gone along the seawall—the ocean comes right up to it. The cruises and ferries are running.)

After we got home Benj wanted his cake and ice cream. We are so awful--We made him wait! Erin and Katie had a singles ward party to go run to and Cait and Stef had started their fast for one of their YW friends who was starting her first round of chemo. It’s not fun to have birthday cake without everyone. So Sunday after Chris got home from interviews/appointments and whatever else he does on Sunday we pulled the cake out of the freezer and sang "Happy Birthday" to Benj—9 years and 2 days old!

All of the kids at the beach -- you might be seeing this shot again in your Christmas cards.

Benj turns sideways and disappears.

This is the condo that's livable in the front and totally destroyed in the back.

Aptly renamed the Mullet Condos.

In San Diego with cousins Conner and Cameron.

In the moat of Uncle Matt's huge sand castle project.

Wanting to help with the plumbing. (see photo above for Michael Phelps low-rider style.)

I love this picture.

Benj loves to help with dishes. He's an expert rinser. He can reach now, but used to scoot over a chair, take his shirt off, dunk his head under the water, get a little drink, and then he was ready to rinse.

Here's the recipe for our Sweet and Sticky Chicken Wings. I don't know if this originally came from Grandma Doxey or from my mom but if they both have their names on it, it's got to be good!

SWEET AND STICKY CHICKEN WINGS
Elithe Doxey
Michal Miller

Sprinkle cut up chicken (about 5 lbs of wings) with garlic salt, let stand one hour. Dip in beaten egg, then flour. Fry in ½" fat (cast iron if possible) till nicely browned.

Cover with sweet and sour sauce and bake at 325 for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes in sauce. Do not cover.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:
½ c. chicken broth (may be made with bouillon)
2 T. soy sauce
½ c. ketchup
1 ½ c. sugar
½ c. cider vinegar
1 t. salt

Mix together in a saucepan and dissolve sugar over medium heat before pouring over chicken.

p.s. Don't ask me where he got the idea for duct tape around his wrists for opening presents. It is not a family tradition. He just got in his head and wanted to do it!

i've always loved a good book

I’ve always loved a good book. So far this year, I’ve read about 30 books. I love to add them to my list and watch it all add up. But, I need to add a word of caution: just because it’s listed here in the margin of my blog does not mean I recommend it, only that I've read it. I think it's hard to generally recommend a book to a specific person. So, here’s an opinion about some of what I’ve read so far this year. If there’s a * that means I would read it again.

Pages from the Past is written by an LDS author. I like the fact that the gospel background doesn’t stand out from the story, but is a natural part of it. This book is about history and love of country and defending what you believe in with espionage thrown in.

Beedle the Bard — take it or leave it

* Team Moon LOVED it. We read it because it was a Bluebonnet Book but loved what we learned. Like how the seamstresses figured out how to sew the astronauts uniforms and make them airtight (with cement) and how the photographers had to figure out how film would work in cameras on the moon. Very interesting! Great pictures! Perfect for the 40th anniversary excitement!

* Persuasion First time I’ve read it. Loved it as most female readers love Jane Austen. Just melt into it.

* The Mayflower Loved it--but I love anything with some good history to it. Very easy to read and understand and keep all the people straight. History from Mayflower to the Cornflower. White people trying to survive to taking over. Goes over many important alliances and battles that were critical to the early history of our country.

* Potato Peel Loved it! Fun to read. Loved the format of letters. Sometimes I wish we relied on old-fashioned letters more. You can tell it was written by book lovers. Love the history in it.

* Girl with a Pearl Earring Good book. Loved the setting, especially since I was a Nederlander for a year.

Shopaholic a very fun read but not convincing.

Johannes Vermeer This was from the kids biography section in the library. Just wanted to know how he compared with his representation in "Pearl Earring."

* East My girls recommended it. Loved it! Fun, mythical, good story.

Mormon Scientist Good read—Nice to find out a bit more about the Eyring family and understand ART and how that relates to the atom bomb. Interesting, easy to understand, a little slow at times.

Elijah Good writer. Interesting story. I don’t like circuses.

13th Reality James Dashner writes a good fantasy story. This is second in the series and is one of the many series I read to the kids. If you like fantasy stories, by all means read it!--I probably wouldn't read it if the kids didn't enjoy it so much.

Surprised by Joy This had a few good nuggets but overall kind of boring.

* Freefall Cait recommended this one and it was a fun spy thriller, with a smart and pretty LDS senator’s daughter getting kidnapped by terrorists and falling in love with the SEAL that saved her, who also happens to be LDS. A little predictable but the story moved at a good pace and I enjoyed it.

* Half-Blood Prince had to read it before the movie came out. Love the HP books. (I thought the movie was disappointing.)

A Case of Need I love Michael Crichton. His Jurassic Park books are SO much better than the movies. This book was his first written after he finished medical school. Interesting tidbits about doctors and medical culture in the 70’s. The story was interesting (about abortion), but not as polished as his other books. I don’t like the downside of 70’s culture and this book focuses on it a lot.

Thousand Pages recommended by my girls. Fun and easy to read. A princess, and her lady in waiting, are bricked into a tower by her father because she doesn’t want to marry his choice (bad guy). His kingdom is burned and everyone dies by this bad guy and she doesn’t know and is still stuck. And her true love hasn’t come to check on her in a very long time.

* O Pioneers is wonderful. Loved the descriptions. Enjoyed the book. I do wish it was a bit more suspenseful. It’s missing something in the build-up at the end.

M. Poppins A whole chapter on constellations coming to life and having a circus?

Summons Definitely not Grisham’s best. I don’t like when I can guess the end and have it figured out halfway through and that’s how this one was. I felt sorry for the house that hadn’t been cared for in years and I didn’t feel much for the characters.

* Penderwicks I love this series! This is the second one and I hope there will be more. This is a Bluebonnet Book. It reminds me of a modern-day "Little Women." Well-written with endearing characters.

Change of Heart I went to the library to find "My Sister’s Keeper" and of course there was a long request list so I checked this one out to see if I liked her writing. I did and I also liked how she tackles hard topics. This lost credibility for me though when she describes an encounter with mormon missionaries. Totally unrealistic—sorry, they always travel with companions, they are not all from Utah farms, and they never ask for money. I also didn’t like the MANY comparisons between the protagonist and Jesus Christ. The gist of the story is about a woman whose hubby and daughter are murdered, the murderer is on death row and offers his heart to this woman’s other daughter who needs a transplant. She brings every religion into the story somehow—a bit of overkill.

* Bud Another good one of Christopher Paul Curtis. Newberry winner. Second time I’ve read it.

* My Antonia I enjoyed reading this a lot and liked it as much as "O Pioneers." I love the life out on the farms, trying to make a go of things. I started to lose interest when the family moved to the city and I wished it could have ended different and been more of a true romance. I guess the romance was the journey, not the ending.

* We Are the Ship Loved it! Another Bluebonnet book with beautiful illustrations. I have always loved baseball but didn’t know much about the Negro League. I learned that is where bunting came from and they also had the first night games. Interesting and informative without boring me—lots of fun stories.

Midnight Whispers A little unrealistic but loved the Australian setting. An LDS love story.

My Sister’s Keeper was a good book. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie and I still haven’t seen it yet. Written in the same style as "Change of Heart" (every chapter is different character/first-person). Good topic and she doesn’t let you down at the end, but a bit too much sex, drugs, and f-words for me.

* Seedfolks Erin recommended. Loved this book. Read it in 30 minutes and I wish it had been longer. I want to look for some more of his books.

* Buffalo Boy Stef recommended. Loved learning about Vietnam and its culture and traditions. Good story with a happy ending.

I've always been a reader, but have never considered myself "bookish." I remember getting my pillow, putting it against the wall, and laying on my back with my legs going up the wall. I could stay in this position for hours reading the day away. Now I read at night after the kids are in bed and I always have a book in my purse for those "waiting" times. Since it's summer and I have a couple of slow mornings I'm reading in the mornings sometimes, too. I like reading for the pleasure it brings--being caught up in someone else's life and circumstances, learning about how things "used to be," and finding a new perspective on something ordinary.
Why do you read?

It's All About The Food

This last week Jace turned 13 and for the last 2 months he's been telling us exactly what he wanted for his birthday dinner. He's always been a little persnickity about food. He finally narrowed it down to his basic favorites. Sushi from HEB, macaroni salad, fresh pineapple, and for dessert, NO birthday cake--just homemade chocolate almond ice cream. That's a menu I can definitely approve. The only things I have to worry about making are the salad and the ice cream. Easy!

His birthday was on a Sunday and we teased him that morning by saying, "Sorry we forgot to get you presents and since it's Sunday, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to get any." It didn't even phase him--"Mom, I don't care about presents this year. I know I'm getting the food I want and that's what's important." Does this mean he's growing up? I still don't get it. He got presents anyway and enjoyed them.

Here's some cute pictures of him.

He's always loved the piano and all music.

Holding a gater in Destin, FL

Beach Bum

I think this is about 5th grade. Swim team.


Here are the recipes for Jace's favorites:

MACARONI SALAD
from: Marca Merrell

1 pkg. (12-16 oz) Shellroni, cooked as directed on package, drained, and rinsed
4 green onions, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 pkg. Petite frozen peas
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
1 6 oz. package of frozen salad shrimp, thawed and rinsed
Garlic salt
2 T. parmesan cheese
½ tsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt
¾ c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Sugar
2 T. evaporated milk

Sprinkle mixture of shellroni, green onions, cucumber, peas, eggs, and shrimp with garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, and seasoned salt. Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and milk together. Toss all ingredients together. Makes large bowl full.


Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

2/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted (350 for 5-7 min.)
3 c. half and half
3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 - 16 oz can Hershey's syrup

In a large mixing bowl, combine the half and half, sugar and vanilla and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Use a 4 or 5 quart machine, makes 2 quarts. We've also dipped the almonds in chocolate (and let them set in the fridge or freezer) before adding them--extra yummy.

Talking with Benj

Me: So, Benj, what do you want for your birthday dinner?

Benj: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Me: That sounds good.

Benj: Yeah, does it have the sauce in it?

Me: Well, I bake it in the sauce, so the sauce is all over it.

Benj: But does the sauce go in it?

Me: I'm sure the chicken soaks up some of the sauce. And I turn the chicken every 15 minutes while it's baking so it gets lots of sauce all over it.

Benj: But, can you put the sauce into the chicken? (he's starting to get frustrated and using his hands to demonstrate putting sauce in chicken.)

Me: I don't know how to do that. I think it will turn out how I usually make it.

Benj: Do we have any corn dogs?