Dave - Are these MY kids?

are these my kids???

Mormons Make HOT Werewolves

So the month of November flew by and I was planning on doing a post about when I dated the olympic volleyball player... but that will have to wait for another time. I just saw this totally hot picture of my friend and she has her hands all over Kiowa Gordon. Boy I wish I had my hands all over Kiowa Gordon... don't you. Ida has all the luck. Oh yeah she slept on the ground for 3 days to touch him. FOr those of you who aren't 14-16 thats Embry in New Moon. Embry is one of the Wolf Pack. Werewolf Pack. Smokin shirtless hot werewolf pack. Here's the kicker..... he's a totally sweeeeeeeet kid from Stephanie Meyers home ward in Az. That's right ladies he's not only hot, a werewolf (techincally shape shifter) but LDS, too. Does it get any better than that? If I were a few years younger I might have to stalk him.

I think it's so cool that I am way more of a groupie than any of my highschool students. It's even cooler that I am considering buying the Edward Barbie Doll to play with. OKAY OKAY OKAY i already bought it. Anyway reading is good. If a book can spurn this much chaos I think that's hot. I think Stephanie Meyers is H.O.T.

Ceviche

I stole that picture off the internet. http://chicagoist.com

But this is my recipie, so I'm not totally lame.

Marinade in a glass bowl overnight:

raw fish and/or shrimp chopped finely (about a handful and a half)
lime juice
lemon juice
orange juice
dash of ground oregano
finely chopped red onion

Then when you are ready to eat/serve drain off the citrus juices (save a little in case you want it saucy) and add:

1-2 chopped roma tomatoes
cilantro chopped
1 squeeze ketchup
El tapatio sauce to taste

I usually eat it with chips like a salsa. You might want to salt and pepper it also. Enjoy!

Suzie "helping" Dave find his lost puppy?....


Hemet East Siders- you shoulda seen his tats


Dr. Bishop Spencer Holtom as his very best.

The Halloween Party was a blast. I'll let Melissa tell all the stories.

If this Doesn't strike fear into your Heart I don't know what will...

Here's the gang. Some of them are mine. The gypsy, genie, and hamburger made out! They will be hopped up on sugar all the way until the new year.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is the best salmon I have ever made. It might be the best salmon I have ever tasted. It combines some of my favorite flavors.

I loved the fish and the glaze. I put the glaze on the fish before cooking and after. I put the buttered glaze on my rice. I put the glaze on my vegetables. Then I licked it off the plate. When I started to lick the kids plates my husband said I was being gross. This from a man who thinks it's romantic to waft his stinky leftover fart with the bed covers... imagine.

I would have taken a fancy picture with my fancy new camera but it was all the way up in the cupboard so the kids won't get to it and I was WAY to hungry. But believe you me the plates looked so pretty. The pink of the salmon against the white of my corelle plate and the sprig of cilantro sitting on the top just right

My friend Matt gave me this recipie and he got it from Cooks Illustrated and I tweeked it a tiny bit.

Sweet Jalapeño Glazed Salmon:

INGREDIENTS:
1 C JALAPENO JELLY (I make it every year at Christmas and don't have that many friends)
1/2 C PACKED FRESH CILANTRO LEAVES AND STEMS
1 TSP GRATED FRESH LIME ZEST AND
2 TBSP FRESH LIME JUICE
2 SCALLIONS, CHOPPED
2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED
2 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
4 (6-8 OZ) SKINLESS SALMON FILLETS, ABOUT 1.25 INCHES THICK (I had salmon and something white... I think Rock Bass from San Felipe? I'm pretty sure it was fish)
SALT AND PEPPER


DIRECTIONS:
1. Process the jelly, cilantro, lime ingredients, scallions, and garlic a
food processor until smooth. (I used a blender)
2. Transfer the glaze to a small saucepan and cook over medium until just
bubbling (about 2 minutes). Measure out and reserve 1/4 cup of the
glaze.
3. Stir the butter in to the remaining glaze.
4. Use heavy-duty tin foil to make four 7×5 trays.(I had no idea what the
crap they were talking about, I covered the wire part of the BBQ with
foil and sprayed with Pam then slapped the fish on there.)
5. Coat the trays with spray oil.
6. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and brush each fillet well with
1tbsp of the reserved 1/4c of sauce.
7. Put the fillets on the trays.
8. Place the trays on the cooking grill.
9. Cook until the glaze forms a golden brown crust (6-8 minutes).
10. Flip the fillets, keeping them in the trays, and spoon half of the
buttered glaze over the salmon.
11. Continue to cook until the fish is done (opaque and flaky)
12. Transfer the trays to a wire rack, tent loosely with foil and let rest
for five minutes. Transfer the fillets to a platter, spoon the
remaining buttered glaze on top and serve.

Mrs. Heffenbotom would you like some more Koolaide tea?

 

Only really great dads have tea parties out on the FRONT lawn and only the best will actually set the table up out there for a little more ambiance.

 

 

Seriously So Inspired

So I have really gotten into a blog called Seriously So Blessed. The author is Tamn and she is (perhaps) my idol. As most of you know I went to BYU, but I was not like most of the other girls who went to BYU. I refused to wear hairbows and bake cookies. I died my hair burgandy. (This was 15 years ago ladies). However, I ALWAYS, believed the church was true, and in so doing, I served faithfully in the callings I was asked to do, and volunteered to do a few extras. After waiting for several missionaries, I decided I wanted to go on a mission. So I did.

In the years that preceeded my mission, I was WILD. Not too wild, only wild enough to not be one of those frilly mormon girls. I wore Malboro t-shirts, I snuck my bikini into the pools. I listened to AC/DC and the Beastie Boys. It was so much fun. There were a few times when I got a little crazy with the wild and this is one of them.

At the rife old age of 19 I was hanging out with my friends in our apartment at the Riviera (THE RIV) and someone said, I think I want a tatoo. There was some assention in the group, so we DROVE to CALIFORNIA soon thereafter and got them. From the moment the first needle touched my unblemished white posterior I knew what I was doing was wrong... BUT I did it anyway. I will never understand what possesed me that day..but it wasn't good. So I marked myself. Not only did I mark myself, but I did it in rebellion. NOT GOOD. NOT GOOD AT ALL.

Then came the guilt. The guilt of knowing. Knowedge is sometimes a terrible thing. So I felt this horrible weight all the time. Finally I decided to figure out what the H I was going to do. Either I was going to not feel guilty or I was going to get rid of the guilt one way or another I couldn't stand it anymore. So I did what I knew. I prayed. I prayed and I prayed. And I read the scriptures. One day I came across a passage in the BOM and it was about the Amlicites. They were sinning... not as bad as the Lamanites yet, but getting there. Then they MARKED their bodies with red to show their rebellion. (See ALMA 3:13-26)When I read that, I thought I was going to suffocate. I thought my throat closed so tight that I would die. That's exactly what I had done. In my desire to be different from all those other girls... I had marked my body (permanently) in rebellion with a small daisy flower. NOT GOOD. NOT GOOD AT ALL.

So I repented. A lot. I cried and I prayed and I repented. And the most wonderful thing in my life happened. I recieved and answer to my prayers.

Fast forward two years. I have turned in my paperwork, and was called to the Chile Santiago West Mission. I went to the MTC, which was an experience in and of itself, and arrived in Chile. My trainer Hermana M was lovely and she took me to work. Then the next day we went to church. Sunday nights were P-Day Eve. All the elders and sisters got together in their zones to turn in their numbers for the week and we went. Hermana M had talked about our zone leader. She said he was (breathlessly) wonderful. When we arrived I knew I was in trouble. Elder J was someone who I knew from before. He had been shown my small mark of rebellion in a parking lot of Taco Bell. Bare body parts had seemed a lot funnier before. Anyway, he looked at me and couldn't place me. My hair was now in the sister missionary mode, and the long skirt and birkenstocks were very different than the sundress and bare bottom he had seen before. He said, "Do we know each other?" I said, "NO, I don't think so." LIE LIE LIE the spirit told me. He studies me carefully and then seems to forget. A rousing game of Uno sucks me in and I hope that my previous nakedness has been forgotten. But alas, it wasn't to be. About an hour later he stands from across the room and points at me. All the elders and my comp look at me. Elder J yells, "I DO KNOW YOU! WE USED TO CALL YOU BUNNY!" at that moment I knew it was all over. His eyes got wide when all the little cogs in his brain finally snapped into place. His mouth fell open and he wispered, "you have a tatoo." All the heads in the room slowly turned from his face to me. Then, 10 other mouths fell open too. Elder J said softly, "I know who you are." That's when the wild child caught up to me. First full day of the mish and I'm already outed.

willow

 

phoenix
 

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Dave's got a few tricks up his sleeve.

 

 

If I didn't know any better I would say that these were the most innocent and sweet things in the world.....

Where were You?

Where were you 8 years ago?

I was a brand new mother with an 8 week old baby. I was babysitting my nephew who was 18 months old. I turned on the news to see what the weather was going to be like before I dressed (you never can tell in September)and that's when I saw it. All the terror and confusion. News casters seemed panicked. I watched as the buildings filled with smoke and fire. I watched as the second plane hit. I cried as they speculated how many people were in the buildings. I watched as the smoke and people began pouring out. I watched some fall to their deaths. I watched others emerge from the buildings crying. I watched the buildings fall one by one. I cried. I breast fed and cried. The babies were so quiet that day. They let me watch TV all day long. I don't think I heard a peep out of either of them. All I could do was cry. Then I cried for the passengers of the plane and the workers in the Pentagon.

Then everyday heroes emerged and I was so proud to be American.




This is where I clipped these photos from:
http://911.navexpress.com/

well hello there. I know my posts have been very lack-lustre lately. I've been thinking about a few really funny posts... then my hubby said, NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I know you are thinking since when did you listen to him anyway!? But since it directly relates to him, I won't post it. Although, it was some really funny stuff, personal stuff, that I won't reveal. Maybe later. When it itsn't so fresh in his memory. Or maybe when he's not so sore, and I'm not afraid he'll want to wring my neck for a little good natured teasing... just sayin' I'm not gonna tell. You can't make me.

On a less funny note. I have good news, Dave's buying a new camera today. We haven't had a camera for a couple months now. So I can get back to taking my breathtaking photos for you all to enjoy. Who doesn't love a good lizard on the head picture?

We haven't burned up. I'm waiting till judgement day for that.

Work Schmurk

I don't know why I didn't remember, but work, is really a lot of work. It takes so much time and effort, and the kids are so , so, so teenager-ish. They mope in with their floppy arms and feet acting as if the class, no matter how entertaining, will never meet their expectations. So I do the painstaking song and dance that I have carefully choreographed and they stare. They stare with eyes that would scare the most gruesome creature. They stare with sightless eyes. No wonder Twilight is so popular... Stephanie Meyer must have known they would identify with monsters. Let me correct that...Vampires and Werewolves. Anyway I made it through my first week. The monsters didn't eat me.

I know I have a zillion things to blog about!


Willow and Poppy started school. Poppy's first day was good. She lookes darling in her new little dress/tunic thingy with leggin's. She didn't seem nervous and took all the chaos in stride. Her only complaint was that the wood chips got in her sandals during recess. She is such a funny little girl.

Willow said, "this was the best day ever at Little Lake", so I think she likes her teacher. Willow's class has about 8 mormon kids in it so she had friends from church to play with.

Phoenix and Lily went to the babysitters (Kimmy)house and had a great time. They played and enjoyed themselves outside on her new swing set. Lily is still getting used to taking her nap a little later. They only see kimmy on Wed Thurs and Friday.

I started school (teaching spanish) the same day as the girls. I will be teaching at a small school in our district that offers excellerated courses. I teach 3 hours a day (2 /90 minute blocks)

Our days are pretty hectic, but it all works surprisingly well.

Willow got Baptized

Dave baptized Willow last weekend and we are as proud as we could be. She is quite an amazing young lady. I don't think I could capture what I really feel about her. Sniff. Sniff. I adore her. She is the lovliest parts of me... (and Dave) NO wonder these little spirits are so valiant. So beautiful. So fair. I wish for her all the blessings the eternities have to offer.

The Hostess with the MOstess

Your guess is as good as mine about how Tim caught this one...

This is definitely the Hostess with the Mostess. This is my sister-in-law, Leca, she's amazing. She took the bull by the horns and decided that it was high time we all got together and saw each other. She called and finagled and made lofty promises and pretty much orchestrated a Family Reunion. We all converged on her house in the middle of July and I was amazed at what I found. NOt only was the house immaculate but it was turned into TAYLOR MANOR. A room for each of us with comfy accommodations and all the clean linens you could ask for. My room was equipped with all the necessary amenities. Portacrib, pillows, sleeping bags, color coded towells,extra blankets, shampoo, and even little unopened soaps so that I didn't disgust anyone when I left a long black hair stuck to it! Dave swears he had mints under his pillow.... but I couldn't find mine, he must have eaten mine too.

But wait! The accolades didn't even make it to the Hostess with the MOstess... my husband, who was all in favor of staying at a hotel, commented many times on how nice it was. How nice it was for the Airport Shuttle (Tim's mini-van) to haul us all back and forth. How nice it was to have a car waiting for us at the rental place (Tim's garage). How nice it was to have a water park at the hotel for the kids to play at (Tim's backyard). How nice it was to have meals planned and prepared for us (Tim's Kitchen).

Then a few days after we arrived safely back home, my husband, paid the ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT to The HOstess with the Mostess... he said to me, "Can you just set up the house, just like Aleca did when my family comes?" Let me tell you she really is the Hostess with the Mostess. So from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU. The family reunion was wonderful because of you!

PS if you want to see pictures of the reunion check out Leca's blog (which never gets neglected).

The Tour de US is finally done

Did you notice that I was gone for a while? Well I did. I would look at that old blog post and think, "when is she going to update that?" then I would remember that SHE was me and that it would be rude to hog the computer while visiting someone elses house. We have had a busy month. With family reunions from both sides, an anniversary trip, a week at the beach, and a couple "sleepovers" with some friends kids. I'll post a couple about the trips and then I'll get back to posting about random stuff. Okay?

The Finger

Lily the wee tiny one at our house broke her finger. She loves to sneak outside. She loves to wander the neighborhood looking for mud, puddles, or morsels of food on the ground. She is one. You see my problem here right? It is not alright for a 1 year old to run around the neighborhood like an urchin. She isn't Oliver Twist. She isn't even Harry Potter. She has two parents who love her, cloth her, and even, yes, feed her. So being outside free like a lark (she must have know that's what I wanted to name her)is her goal in life. About two weeks ago she was trying to get out and Phoenix was trying to get her back in and the door slammed on her left pointer finger. The rest is pure guess because all I saw was the aftermath. I think it was caught in the door and she panicked and pulled it out. By that time it was pretty well squished. The nail was taken right off. All of it. It left a gaping hole where the little bone was exposed. ewww. We went to Urgent Care and waited the mandatory 3 hours and they said that the bone was broken and that the nail was totally gone. Sianarra. Adios. Chao. They bandaged it and plinted it and said to give her the antibiotic and tylenol.

NOw, lest you think I am an awful parent... we did all that the doctor ordered and the finger is looking better. Still no nail, but she is able to use it and the splint came off. The MD's think that the nail will do one of three things: 1) not grow back at all. 2) grow back and be warped, either wavy or bumpy. or 3) It will grow back and be perfect just like new. Hopefully it grows back perfect in everyway. The last thing I need is to be blamed for some horrible accident I couldn't control! I'm sure I will be blamed for lots of things that I can. Bring on the therapy!

SAVE the FROG

Mr. Froggy (IT)


The make-shift bedpan/habitat



Yesterday Lily had a doctors appointment. They needed to take new x-rays of the smushed finger, which is healing nicely by-the-way. We also had swim lessons, and I needed to go to the Ensign Book Store to get some things for Willow's birthday which is coming upon us fast. Anyway it was a fully planned day. I decided that at swim lessons we would shower all the chlorine off there at the Diamond Valley aquatic center so that all we had to do to get ready for the day was dress. While in the shower, Poppy yelled, "There's a frog in my shower!" I go to check it out. Sure enough there's a little tree frog hopping around her drain. Phoenix catches it, and the begging begins. "Please mom, can we keep it? Puh leasssee mooommmmyyyy? It won't be any trouble. I won't let Lily eat it. I'll keep it in my room.....? Please. Please. Please. PLEASE" How can you resist? I actually have quite a soft spot in my heart for little froggies. I think they are one of natures sweetest creatures. So I say yes and we load into the car to go home, ready for the next leg of our day.

You say, but wait I know this isn't all. Yep, not 2 minutes after we get in the car the frog is lost and I am thinking ,"Melissa this has got to be the dumbest thing you've ever done." We search the car when we arrive home, but to no avail. So, already late for the next errand we leave hoping beyond all hope Mr. Froggy escaped the bullet shaped mini-van. We stop at the dry cleaners (be ready today at 4:00). We stop at the gas station to go potty again, and then we get to the mall. We go inside to get some lunch (mmmmm Miguels)and some face cream for mom. After we have shopped and eaten I am nearly sure that I will be smelling a putrid dead animal in my car in a few days. I am pondering how long it will take to go away when I look over at the passenger seat and who do I spy, but Mr. Froggy riding along. When we arrive at Kaiser, I think ,"what am I going to do? It is really hot now and he surely will die if I leave him in the car this time". So I load the children out and MacGyver a shoe box scavenged from the parking lot to carry IT in. We head into Orthopedics and the children are so excited that we found the frog that THEY are jumping all over. While we stand in line to check in, IT escapes and the four of them run off after IT screaming and bouncing. Everyone looks at me. I see the accusatory statements in their eyes. A frog at the hospital, really? Squealing in this place of healing, really? Please keep IT and THEM away from me.

One of the receptionists gets me a plastic bed pan to keep IT in. I take the motley crew outside and in the trash can on the very top is a nice big piece of aluminum foil. I'm all about going green... so I recycle it to make a lid for the bed pan/make-shift frog habitat. Then we put the whole thing back inside the shoe box and it only escaped once more during the X-rays.

When we got home I put IT in a bulk sized ice cream tub with a rock, some water, some dirt, some foliage, and some ants for dinner.

Later that evening I was looking for some info on IT and found that here in my little town of Hemet/ San Jacinto/ Idylwild we have a frog that is endangered. It's called the Mountain Yellow legged Frog and there are less than 200 living in the wild. Let me reassure you Mr. Froggy is not an endangered frog! He isa very common Pacific Tree Frog. I thought you might want to read an article about our endangered froggy (go to the link).

Lily's finger X-ray

I need one of these. Oh how I need one of these. The super cool antique schwinn Dave got for me is kind of a nightmare. Looks cool and vintage like me but a nightmare all the same. Please oh please pick me!

Lord of the Hemet Flies

Now that I have not died yet. I am going to do another post on my blog. Here's a few tidbits of life. The kids have been running amock for several weeks now while I was trying to die. They think they are orphans. Phoenix has forgotten how to wear a shirt. Poppy goes without panties, and Willow is the queen of the island. They all have sticks that they leave by the front door at night. It reminds me of Lord of the Flies. I hope very much that Lily doesn't become Piggy.

What the CRAP?

You heard it. What the CRAP...? I'm yelling or at least I would be if I could get that much sound out of my mouth right now. I have not been feeling good. I know that seems like a euphamism for her "cheese done slid off her cracker" nowadays. I thought so too. I thought I must be depressed because I haven't enjoyed being back in Hemet all that much. Then it started. I was always tired. Dog tired. Do dogs get tired that's a wierd saying. Anyway I whined to my beloved that I was tired. He came home with a coke for me. I thought well maybe I should see that Dr. who helped me be human again after Lily came. The one that seemed way too relaxed. Working shouldn't make me this tired I kept thinking. Then I got a fever and I thought oh good now I have the flu and it will be done and over in a few days. A week later I still had a fever. Then my lymph nodes all over swelled right up. So I must be infected. So my beloved sent me to Urgent Care they said, ummm Hmmm ophhh uhhhuhh and then they gave me a prescription for antibiotics. After a week on the antibiotics my tonsils swelled up too. Now I can't swallow the horse antibiotics they gave me. Back to the doctors my beloved sends me. This time they suck my blood (not in the oh baby edward way either). I urinated in a cup. And they swabbed my decks again.

I got an email saying that I was positive for mono. Yeah that 16 year old kissing disease. I have it as a 35 year old mom. Cool. I guess I'm what you'd call a late bloomer. This is a picture I got off the internet. But I swear that this is exactly what my tonsils look like. Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of your tonsils? WHat the crap!

The Fruits of my Labor

I was rushing around the other day getting all the little things in the house picked up when I realized it was quiet... too quiet. Then I went in search for the 4 most precious things I hold. I finally found them inthe front yard of all places. They decided to have a pic nic. They dragged out their folding chairs and their lunches and set up camp. I stood at the doorway letting the flies in for a long time. People slowed as they drove by to see what the pow -wow was. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. I DID THAT. I MADE THEM. THEY ARE MINE. That is only partly true. Dave helped.

As Mothers Day rolls around I am reminded of all the hours I spent bringing those little ones into the world and all the hours after making sure they know who they left to come here to me. I spend all day trying to teach them about the parents who they left in Heaven and the Older Brother who awaits their return. I am thankful for the time I have with each of them.

Argggg, I bin lookin' for me treasure Matey!

Willow lost a top tooth. The lazy Tooth Fairy finally came (a night late). She couldn't be more thrilled.

Today was a big day for me. I went back to work, kinda... You see in another life I was a School Teacher. I taught highschool spanish. Sí hablo español. It seems like forever ago. Really it was only 3 years ago (in September it will be 4). I went to substitute at the same school that I taught at. The Huskies have changed more than I could have imagined. The Principal is new and so are all the Vice Principals. The Foreign Language Dept has changed. Now German is offered. Some of my old friends are there still, but most have moved on to bigger and better things. One is a Principal, one the Activities Director, a couple others Vice Pricipals. I was a little envious that they had taken the next step in their careers... until 9:00am rolled around. All I could think of was Lily. It was her nap time. Would Dave remember? Would he do it right? Did she miss me? Did he know how to put her blanket so she could feel the silky side? Then lunch time came and I knew that Poppy asked for Macaroni and CHeese... was there any in the cupboard? 12:35pm time to pick Miss Willow up from school. Did they remember in time to walk? 2:45 Dance Class. Phoenix gets a little treat while we wait. I missed them all sooo much. I know I sound a little pathetic, don't I. When I arrived home all was well with the munchkins. Dave had taken great care of them. They did ask where I had been, but no one seemed too disgruntled that I had been gone. I go back tomorrow for another day. We'll see how it goes.

Shamrock memories

Tomorrow is St. Patricks Day. My mom always had us go outside to the front yard to pick our teachers a boquet of shamrocks (long stemmed clover). I had my children do the same when we lived there. (FYI They still grow by the wierd tree in front of the basement window in the front of the house.) It was always so fun. We would put on our greenest clothes and hope all the other kids knew we knew it was St. Patty's day. The leprachaun will come to play a few tricks on us too. Maybe he will hide some of his pot of gold for the kids to find. It depends on how much energy he has by 9:00 tonight. Stay tuned, if I can find the camera I'll take pictures.

I made the most delicious Quesadillas today and thought I'd share: You could use these as your green lunch tomorrow:

1- 2 uncooked tortillas
1 handfull of mozarella cheese
1/2 handfull of Cotija mexican cheese grated (crumbled)
1 cup tomatillo salsa
1 (1/2) avacado (you might as well eat the whole thing because it will just turn brown!)

Cook the tortilla on the stove top on a skillet or griddle, add butter if you must... Then sprinkle on the mozzarella and the cotija cheese on one half and let it melt a little. Cotija cheese is a hard Mexican cheese that crumbles like feta but is really mild and buttery to the taste. It is kinda salty too. I LOVE it. You can buy it at the regular grocery store here in Cali, I imagine you could find it in your neck of the woods too. Cotija is the name of the type of cheese, not the brand. Then fold the tortilla in half and let it toast until all the cheese is nice and melty. Cut the avocado and put it in the tomatillo salsa or add the avocado after if you are going to dip the tortilla in the salsa. If you put the avocado in the salsa you should eat it all so you don't waist it because the avocado's will turn brown. Here's a recipe that I nicked off some website. I didn't make my salsa I bought it from the little young women in the Ramona Branch for their girls camp fundraiser. See what a charitable person I am. Yeah I know I'm a paragon of Virtue.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe

To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven, or boil them. Roasting will deliver more flavor; boiling may be faster and use less energy. Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos.


Ingredients
1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste


Method
1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.
2a Roasting method Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.
2b Boiling method Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.
2 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.
Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.
Makes 3 cups.

Lily

Lily 1 year

Lily 8 months

Lily 3 months

Lily 1 month

Lily 1 hour

Lily 1 minute (ewww slimy)

My baby is 1 year old. I can't believe it! 12 months ago I was laying in a hospital bed thanking my lucky stars that the castor oil worked! She was laying on me and we were happy. My brown eyed baby has been a joyful addition to our family. She is our baby born in the wilderness and the Lord has blessed us. She is up and walking as of today! She stood up and walked across the room to take the phone from Phoenix.

Playdough is my NEMESIS

I know you might all think that play dough is fun and cute... but really it's the bane of any mothers existence. We hate it. It's messy and sticky and mixed with carpet makes you want to stick a fork in your eyeball. Yep that good. But here's the crux of it... in order for your children to grow up semi-normal you have to let them play with it. They need to squish it through their fingers, and take a tiny taste of it's salty bouquet. Children need to make figurines out of it and let them dry. How else are you going to know if they are true genius sculptors? They need to mix the colors until it is one solid clump of grey dough. They need to learn how to ball it up and roll it out into a snake. So what to do? Here's what to do BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES and whatever else. I declare this NATIONAL PLAY DOUGH DAY.

PS if it gets in your carpet, the easiest way to get it out is to let it dry, and then pick it out or cut that string or two out.

Here's a really good recipe that smells yummy (that way we KNOW the kids will want to eat it):

KOOL-AID PLAY DOUGH

Mix:
2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1 tbsp. alum

2 pkgs. unsweetened Koolaid (that's the little ones ladies)

Add to dry ingredients:
3 tbsp. oil

2 c. boiling water

Knead until well mixed. Let cool. May feel sticky at first, just keep working with it.

Just checking

wouldn't ya know...

Which Disney Priness Are YOU?

click on the cartoon to see it bigger

What with all the gushing about how fab our spouses are... I thought that we could all use a little snicker.