Mental Health Day

(tired mother's day flowers)

A couple of weeks ago, we told C that she could pick a day to take off. She's a senior, works hard, has been so busy and was getting burnt out. Just the notion of a day off picked up her spirits and she chose a day that I would have off work and we could spend the day together. She was able to miss school but would have to go to work later that afternoon.

Finally the day came. We decided to go to the new outlet mall that probably isn't that new anymore but we hadn't been there yet so it was new to us. I drove her seminary route for her and let her sleep in and then got the other kids to school. We printed off a map of the stores and talked about which ones we HAD to visit and then we hit the road.

We had so much fun. Just the two of us. The weather was perfect and because it was a regular day, the stores weren't that crowded. We shopped and bought things we just had to have. C found the perfect pair of Converse to wear with her prom dress. I bought a pair, too, just because. I found a new dress that I love and a new purse, too. C loved visiting Aeropostale and her other favorites. She found some pants that she liked and were also dress-code appropriate for BYU-Idaho. We had Chinese for lunch and Smoothie King for fun.

When we were finally on our way home, I couldn't help but feel so happy and very content. I had been able to spend some awesome time, one on one with a daughter that will be out and on her own in a few short months. We had good conversation and enjoyed each others company. It was very renewing and relaxing.

Even though it was initially supposed to be a mental health day for C, it turned out to be exactly what I needed. And I didn't even know it until it was over. I think I had been just as burnt out with my schedule and demands as C had been. It's amazing what getting out of the normal routine can do for you. We had a perfect day.

Thanks C., Love you!

What Were We Thinking???

We did not wake up Saturday and know that we were going to have a new puppy by the end of the day. We did not.

We already have a dog and a hedgehog. Over the years, we've had a snake, many birds, a cat, frogs, hermit crabs, and many fish. We are, obviously, pet people, so we knew what we were getting into. And did we want to get into that again? The house training, the "stop chewing on that" training, the "sit" and "heel" training. What about fleas? When we held that puppy in our arms did any of that matter?


Let me try to explain how such a thing might just sneak up on you--About a year ago, I told B that when his older brother, J, left for college, he could get his very own puppy. The reasoning was that he would have 4 years at home without any sibilngs. It sounded reasonable and it still does because it's about 5 years away.


Then, J started asking for a puppy. (He sometimes gets a one-track mind and is very focused on whatever ambition is his focus.) He did research and came up with this plan--The dog for us was a miniature poodle, smaller than a standard and larger than a toy. This dog would not shed, and would not make us sneeze (that's why our Australian Shepherd is an outside dog). J would train it and since poodles are the second smartest breed, that part would be easy. AND--He would help pay for it.


We thought his plan was very nice and well-thought out. Then he started asking for the puppy now. So he could have some time with it before college started (in 5 years). He's very good at planting seeds. We have always answered the kids queries with "It sounds nice," "Maybe one day," or the famous, "We'll see."


Then yesterday. It began like any normal Saturday. Some of the kids had fundraising projects for summer camps, some of us had errands to run, and the yard needed a mow and trim. Then I ran an errand right out on the main street right by our house. And there it was on the side of the road. An SUV with the back open and a sign "Mini Poodles for Sale." Just like that, the opportunity had dropped in our laps. We drove by a couple of times, held spontaneous family councils to negotiate and list pros and cons.

You kind of know that when there's that much conversation about it, it's bound to happen. As parents, we couldn't change the subject or get around it any longer. We drove by and stopped and picked one out. A cute little boy that the kids named "Ray." They named him after the heroic lightening bug in "Princess and the Frog."


We love our new li'l Ray and last night we celebrated with a pile of Beignets that C made. Yum!

Paula Deen's French Quarter Beignets

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
Nonstick spray
Oil, for deep-frying
3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.


Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. (we put it in a warm oven for 20 minutes)

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

Anticipation

baby pomegranates

baby corn

baby zukes

baby watermelon

baby tomatoes

baby lemon

It's all so hopeful right now. But soon, the bugs will come and have a feast. Then the rain will rain too hard and be too much. Then the sun will come and burn up leaves with its heat. And let's not forget the birds. They love tomatoes and lemons. I wonder if they like pomegranates. But, for now, just for today, I can dream that we will have food right out of the garden.

Delicious, wholesome, nutritious, fresh. It could happen.

Cakes and Badges (and bragging)

WARNING: This post contains stuff about Scouts. And there's some bragging, too.

We went to a Court of Honor last night. (Bragging coming up) My 13 year-old earned 11 Merit Badges in 3 months. He also earned the "Overachiever of the Year" award. Looks like I'm going to be busy getting them all on his sash. I still hadn't sewn on the two he earned at the last Court of Honor. He's busy working on his Eagle and hopes to have that done before he turns 14. Whose kid is this anyway? (more bragging coming up) Did I also mention that he plays the piano, trumpet, football, track, and has all AP classes? (OK, that was a little much, but sometimes it feels good to brag. I'm proud of him!)

In Cub Scouts we had our cake auction a few weeks ago. This is to earn money for Day Camp. Look at this cake pan. What other state has a cake pan shaped like them? Big Texas pride down here.

We made a Triple Chocolate Cake and since I'm not a big fan of red and blue-colored frosting, we went with homemade buttercream frosting. Nothing better. :) We used regular buttercream for the white parts, added a few tablespoons of cocoa for the red parts, and added a few more tablespoons of cocoa for the blue parts. I was going to put some dark cocoa in, but I had run out, which is kind of unheard of around here. B even helped decorate it a little bit.

We named it "Deep in the Heart of Chocolate." (More bragging coming up here) It brought in the most money.

K, I'll be quiet now. I'm done bragging for a while.

Cousins at Easter

Easter Weekend

6 people + 7 people = lots of people.

Lots of shoes.

Lots of cups.

Lots of Easter.

Little kids first. Wait for it.

Yay! Found one!

Hhmmmm....Where are the rest?

Sleeping people bookends.

So fun to be with family.

Cousins that have grown inches in the last three years.

After 10 minutes of being together, it's like you never left.

So, when do we do this again?

Remember me . . . .

This last month has been a busy one, as usual. Besides the busyness of spring break, school, work, kids, family, youth conference, facebook, car repairs, cooking dinner, and laundry, we have known 4 people who have passed away this last month.

Two of my hubby's aunts, who were sisters, died just a week apart. They both were favorite aunts and will be greatly missed. We were not able to attend their funerals because of distance.

And then soon after, two men in our ward (church congregation) passed away on the same day. One was older and his passing was expected and the other was an unexpected heart attack. My heart goes out to both of their families. Although they are celebrating the lives their fathers/spouses lived, they are also greatly mourning their passing.

My hubby, as bishop of our ward, conducted both funerals which were held on the same day. What a day that was. I wonder how many people who attend weddings or funerals really think about the pressure the person in charge has. Of course, my hubby handled both events beautifully, but what an insight to be behind the scenes and to feel his burden.

What has really been on my mind through all of this is the question--How will I be remembered? Both of the men who passed had not much say in what memories and eulogies would be portrayed. Although the one death was expected and the funeral may have been written out somewhat before he died, the people giving the talks can basically say what they want to. The memories are theirs. The family and friends they left behind give their perspectives of the one who has passed. The one who has passed has no more say about it.

I'm somewhat of a control freak. I've thought about writing my own funeral, obituary, talks, who sings and what they sing, etc. After pondering on that for a while I have realized that that is a bit over the top. What I need to focus on is living my life in such a way that those around me will be touched by the good things I do and remember that. That's actually kind of a bit controlling, too, although more subtle, and maybe good.

I think that when someone passes, those that are left behind are blessed with good remembrances. Our thoughts are focused on the good things that person did during their life. My father, who died over 30 years ago, was a saint. There's nothing he did wrong, no tainted memories. Even the stories about when he was a boy and would get into trouble and need a spanking were passed onto us with fondness. (I guess that thoery doesn't always ring true, though. Hitler will not be remembered for anything good and I had a certain step-father who falls into that same category.)

So, back to the question--How will I be remembered? It's up to me. How will I live my life? It's up to me. And after I'm gone, I hope that those whose lives I've touched will remember me with fondness.

What Works For Me

This is my way of organizing recipes. I thought I'd throw it out there so if someone wants to adapt it to their kitchen, they can. If you've got improvements, please let me know!

It's taken me at least 15 years to develop this system. I finally had just gotten fed up with stray recipes littering up my kitchen and pantry and so came up with this way that works for me.

First, I bought this accordian file box.

This recipe file is for all of the recipes that I've gathered that are still loose. These recipes are in that in between state of finding a copy and becoming a favorite. They look good either in the newspaper or RS Newsletter but I haven't tried them yet. They are all on different-sized scraps of paper.

I put all of these recipes in piles by category and then labeled the tabs in the file box accordingly. Just to give you an idea of what they're labeled--they are: Main Dishes, Mexican, Breads and Breakfasts, Smoothies, Fondue, Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts, Soups, Salads, Veges and Dips, and Food Storage. That's just how it ended up based on my sorting through all of the loose recipes that I have.

The file box is full and messy, but all of the recipes in it are where they're supposed to be.

Now, if the recipe gets tried and is a keeper, it gets promoted from the file box and typed into the computer and I put a ".recipe" after the name of the dish when I save it. Even if the recipe is from a book, if it's a favorite that I will make again, I type it in. All of the favorites that I like to make and use often are now in the computer. When BJ left for college, I did a search to bring up all files with recipe in the name and made a CD for her. I plan on doing this for all of the kids.

This is also handy for when someone wants a copy of a recipe. I can find it and print it or email it very quickly.

Another thing I did was print up all of these favorites and put them in plastic sheet covers in this binder.
I made my own section dividers with colored paper.

Each recipe is printed nice and big and if it gets ingredients spilled on it I can wipe it clean.

It did take some time to type them all in initially, but it's worth it to have them so handy now. I think it took 3 or 4 days just to type in all of the cookie recipes (2-3 hours each day) but now they're easy to find and share. And now I'm only typing in one or two recipes a month. Easy peasy.

Also, if a friend emails me a recipe or posts one on their blog, I can just copy it and save it to a word document with .recipe after the name. I print up a copy and either stick it in the book if I like it or in the accordian file if I'll try it later.

Now I know why it took me 15 years to come up with this--technology had to catch up.