White Christmas today

Merry Christmas! It's spring but it's nice to look outside and see the nice white, clean snow. It's a good reminder to remember the true events of today, for today is the real Christmas; Happy Birthday to Jesus Christ! April 6th.

Naturally Green

Today in honor of St. Patrick's day, I challenge you to eat something green that you haven't tried, or haven't had in a long time. No, I don't mean green moldy food, or putting green food coloring in your comfort food. Try something that was meant to be green.

Here are some examples:
Broccoflower
Tomatillos
Asparagus
Spinach
Broccoli
Green Apples
Green Pears
Cucumbers
Peas
Spinach
Celery
Lettuce
Green onions
Green peppers
Green onions
Green olives
Basil
Parsley
Cilantro
Avocados
etc. etc. etc.

What was my choice? Broccoflower! I have never tried it. I have always gotten white cauliflower or broccoli. Today, I tried it. Was it good? Yes! It tasted pretty much like white cauliflower. This could be a colorful addition to salads or other dishes.

I was very tempted to try tomatillos. I've had them but have never purchased them or made anything with them. I found this recipe that I thought I might try. After reading the interview about my brother's hot dog stand and other taco stands, it made me want to try tomatillos. They weren't on sale so I'll have to get them later. :)

If you're squeamish about the green food, you can always disguise it, or blend it up. You could make herbed bread and it would be delicious!

Tonight I'll probably make "green pasta" as Oaklen calls it. We just had this Spinach Pesto pasta last week but I figure I should make again since it's St. Patrick's day and we have more spinach. Side dishes will include broccoflower, cucumber, celery, and more!

Happy green eating, I guarantee that you'll feel good.

Merry Christmas 2009

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! :)

Happy Easter

May you remember the reason for Easter and rejoice in happiness.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I had some fun with photoshop...
Have a Happy Valentine's Day! :)



We are having a primary activity today and will be going Valentine caroling, singing the following songs. You should sing these to someone you love today...they may be cheesy but I bet they'd still bring a smile to his/her face!

1. If you love me and you know it
Sung to: "If you’re happy and you know it"
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you love me and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
_____________________________________

2. Love your Friends
Sung to: "Row, Row, Row, your boat"
Love, Love, Love your Friends,
Love them all year long.
Especially on Valentine's Day,
As we sing this song!
_________________________________

3. The Primary Brings a Valentine
Sung to: "Mulberry Bush or Pop Goes the Weasel"
The primary brings a Valentine,
a Valentine, a Valentine.
The primary brings a Valentine,
It says we love you!
_____________________________________

4. You are my Valentine
Sung to: "You are my Sunshine"
You are my Valentine, My special Valentine,
And I do love you, oh yes I do.
You are my Valentine, My Special Valentine,
And please say you love me, too!
_____________________________________

5. Do you know my Valentine?
Sung to: "The Muffin Man"
Do you know my Valentine,
My valentine, my valentine?
Do you know my Valentine?
His/her name is _____________.
_____________________________________

6. Be my Valentine
Sung to: "London Bridges"
Will you be my Valentine, Valentine, Valentine?
Will you be my Valentine, Be a friend of mine.
_________________________________

7. Valentine for you
Sung to: "Farmer in the dell"
A valentine for you
A valentine for you.
A valentine, a valentine
A valentine for you.
__________________________________

8. 10 Little Hearts
Sung to: "One little, two little, three little Indians"
One little, two little, three little hearts,
Four little, five little, six little hearts,
Seven little, eight little, nine little hearts,
Bring love on Valentine's Day.
_____________________________________

9. We Wish You a Happy Valentines
Sung to: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
We wish you a Happy Valentines
We wish you a Happy Valentines
We wish you a Happy Valentines
and a smile your way!
_____________________________________

10. Hello, Hello
Sung to: "Hello, Hello" (Primary Song)
Hello, Hello! Hello Hello!
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hello, Hello! Hello Hello!
We’re glad to smile your way!
_____________________________________

Christmas 2008

Here are some pictures from our Christmas 2008. We spent the 24th & 25th with our family. From Santa Oaklen got a Bob the Builder set and Salem got his "Spiderman set" that he wanted. :) Grandma Elaine made the pajamas and Grandma Josephson made them red hats. What a great Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Weekend Highlights

We had a fun, relaxing weekend.
1. On Thanksgiving we feasted with Darrell's extended family. We watched old family slides/pictures and saw some cool things. When we drove home I asked my family what they were thankful for. Salem said "eggs" and Oaklen said "Um...orange" with a big grin. :) Darrell was thankful for our family and I was thankful that we have a healthy family.
2. On Friday we spent the morning putting up our Christmas tree and decorations. The boys were quite excited and loved putting ornaments on the tree and putting up their Fisher-price manger scene.
3. Saturday we were able to see Santa arrive at the Sugarhouse Santa Shack in style riding in a fire truck. (There were 2-3 news cameras but I haven't been able to find anything online about it.) The boys had a great time. Salem said he wanted a "spiderman set" and Oaklen didn't say anything at first but nodded when Santa asked him "Do you want toys for Christmas?"

Here are some pics...(click to view a larger image.)

A Halloween to remember

I'm catching up and am finally doing a post about Halloween 2008.

This Halloween will be one to remember...
1. Salem was a lion. We had talked about him being other things throughout the year, like a pirate, darth vader, or batman, but when he saw this lion costume that I had, he really wanted to be a lion.
2. This was my first school Halloween parade to attend, the first of many I'm sure. It was interesting to see all the costumes that the kids wore, and it was weird that I was the adult watching the kids. I always felt silly walking in the Halloween parades at school, so I felt for those awkward kids.
3. Oaklen was an aligator/crocodile/dinosaur (I couldn't quite tell what it really was.) He only wore his costume halfway through the time we spent being at Salem's parade then he took it off. He refused to wear it the rest of the day.
4. Oaklen got sick! (No it wasn't from too much candy.) We went to visit my friend Candace and he puked on her carpet! He had no symptoms of anything, and afterward was as jolly as a lark, so I'm not really sure what happened to him. I spent some time cleaning up the mess, and I doubt Candace was able to eat the soup I brought due to the likeness of the stuff I was cleaning up. Sorry Ace!
5. We visited Darrell's employer. They always go all out for Halloween and the kids get to go down aisles of decorated cubicles.
6. Darrell was an old man for his costume. His team did different demographic segments and he was "gray power" older people who live in quiet comfort.
6. We came home and watched a movie since we all were pretty tired. Afterward, we went outside for a little trick or treating. The boys enjoyed the blow-up Tigger across the street and I snagged a picture of Oaklen next to it.

Frankenstein Soup AKA Split Pea Soup

Last night I made Split Pea Soup and tricked Salem into thinking that it was "Frankenstein Soup." He was so intrigued with the Frankenstein green soup with orange eyeballs (carrots) and white fingernails (onions.)

I got him to eat a small bowl of the soup by telling him the story of how I caught the Frankenstein and melted him into the pot. As he ate each spoonful I'd tell him more about my adventure of calling the Frankenstein hotline to find a Frankenstein to capture for the soup. His eyes were so big as I was telling him the story, he ran to the mirror to see if he was turning green like a Frankenstein (since you are what you eat!) It was pretty cute.

This tactic worked really well to get him to eat this soup but I'm sure it was a one-hit wonder. He'll be savvy to my scheme next time around.

Here is the recipe that I used, I got it from Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. I don't currently own this book so I check it out from the library pretty much every other month.

Split Pea Soup with Herbes De Provence
Serves 4 - 6

1 tablespoon safflower or canola oil
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, and rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 large bay leaf
2 large carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 large celery ribs, diced
6 cups boiling water
2 cups dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
.....
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
salt to taste

Heat the oil in the cooker. Cook the garlic over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, just until it begins to brown. Immediately add the onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another minute. Stir in the basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel, and bay leaf. Add the carrots, celery, boiling water (stand back to avoid sputtering oil), and split peas.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 6 minutes (I cooked it for 15 minutes, as that is what I found works best). For a hearty texture, quick-release the pressure by setting the pot under cold running water. For a smoother texture, allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape.

Remove the bay leaf. Stir the soup as you add the parsley and salt to taste. This soup will thicken considerably on standing. Thin as needed with water or stock.

I found this picture after googling the recipe, it looked just like this.

My mom the clown

Darrell can literally say "My mother-in-law is a clown!" For those of you who know my mom, you'll appreciate these pics...

We had a family Halloween get-together featuring M&M the clown. :) The kids thought it was hilarious! Thanks for the fun time!

4 more months...are you ready?

Salem's 1st Christmas - 2003


Oaklen's 1st Christmas - 2006

Four more months until Christmas, yeah!

I told Salem that there were 4 more months till Christmas and then he wanted to know how many days. I didn't want to figure it out at the moment (Sorry Carl if you're disappointed.) so I googled it and found some websites with a countdown application:
http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/xmas_cnt.htm
http://www.emailsanta.com/clock.html

Easter 2008

Below are some pictures from Easter weekend. We had three different Easter Egg hunts: one at each grandparent's house and one Easter morning in our house.

Oaklen finally discovered that those "nicely wrapped little rectangles" were chocolate! He successfully opened a few and got quite the chocolate face. I was a nice mom and let him indulge just a little since it was Easter. He made up for it by carrying around some broccoli and munched on that for a while. He likes to eat all the flowers off the broccoli and leave the stem. He enjoyed finding the eggs and many times we would "recycle" the egg by taking it out of the basket and dropping it so he could find it again. He kept pointing and saying "egg!"

Salem had the 4-yr-old excitement. He enjoyed the whole weekend. He was a good sport about the candy and only ate a little. He enjoyed the baseball mitt that the Stidham's gave him and wore it the whole day on Saturday. On Sunday there was an empty basket with a picture of Christ next to it, signifying Jesus Christ's tomb, he thought that was neat, especially since he got to keep the picture. In primary on Sunday we talked about the resurrection and Salem raised his hand and asked "Are animals resurrected too?" It was so adorable! (Yes, animals are resurrected too.)

Darrell was able to be home on Sunday morning and didn't have any church meetings. That was a treat. He also was able to come home with us after church, which was unbelievable. He started walking out to the car with us and I thought he was just going to help us into the car, but he came home too!

We had great fun with lots family.

My life isn't....

My life isn't all hearts & flowers...




Sometimes it's shamrocks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!