My 3 Monsters: July 2008

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7.31.2008

We Had a "Moment"

I truly believe that the Lord knows when you're doing the very best you can and He picks up your slack wherever possible. Such was the case this week. Family Night Monday was swimming. No lesson. No treat. Just swimming and then I took off and went to the gym. It was all I could do. Really. I felt kind of bad about it, but yesterday we had an entirely unplanned experience that taught my kids more effectively than I have ever done. Sydney decided, for fun, to gather up all the loose change in our house. And in our cars. And in my wallet. It completely filled one of those red plastic cups. Then she begged me to take her the CoinStar machine at the grocery store. I agreed, making sure that she understood it was MY money, not hers. MINE. (That's not the good lesson part yet.) Before we went everyone tried to guess how much money was in that cup full of pennies and nickels. $10. $12. $100. (That was Dylan.) Off we go . . . and get a whopping $19!!!!! So, those small insignificant pennies bought us pizza and soda and cookie dough last night with enough money left over to go to the Big Pool today. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass." And my kids GET it. I must be living right.

7.30.2008

Words, Words, Words

I found me another favorite new online toy!!! It's called Wordle and I just can't get enough. Check out "Me in 100 Words (more or less)" on my side bar. You enter a bunch of words or a website that you enjoy (I entered the URL of this blog), it scans whatever you enter for frequently used words and uses them to create a unique work of art. You can mess around with the color, fonts and layout. Too much fun for a design geek like me. You can only save it as a pdf file and I'm a design geek, not a computer geek, so this was the best I could do to allow you to view it, too. (Click and it will enlarge at least.) Try one yourself.

7.29.2008


Packed and ready to go .

This is the view I wake up to every morning. Do you think my kids are excited about school starting in 5 days??? Can you believe it's July and we're going back to school? And what do you think of all that camo, huh? These backpacks, carefully prepared by my children, are sitting in the corner of my bedroom. My heart leaps in a giddy little whirl every time I see them. I love those dang monsters, but they gots ta go. Ummm . . . I mean for the wonderful educational opportunities that . . . whatever. You know I adore my children, but absence does make the heart grow fonder. Here's to Monday, August 4th! Cheers!

7.28.2008

Luck Be a (Prayerful?) Lady Tonight . . .

Do you ever have those moments where you get a glimpse into the mind of your child? Where you can see how well they grasp gospel principles and gauge how well you're doing as a parent? We had one of those tonight at dinner with Dylan. He must have been hungry because he dove right into his food before I reminded him that he needed to wait for the prayer. "Awwww," he says, "I wish we didn't have to pray so I could just eat!" Sydney jumps in with, "But Dylan, praying is important." "No it's not. It does nothing," he counters. I feel the need to take control and rein things in at this point. "What about when our air conditioner was broken and we were waiting for the repair man in the hot house and we said a prayer that he would come quick and be able to fix it fast. Then it happened, right?" "That was just a lucky prayer," he says. JUST A LUCKY PRAYER?! Wow. Bearing in mind that he is 6, I think I know what we'll focus on in Family Night for the next few weeks. Kids are funny.

7.27.2008

Humor Me . . .


Brent gets tired of playing the "Guess how much I paid for this" game. You'll be kind enough to play along, won't you? SO . . . Guess how much I paid for this cute sweater? Need some hints? It's Ann Taylor and the original price tag says $78, but it was marked down to $44.99. Now, guess how much I paid for it. C'mon, guess!

$4.48!!!!!!!!!!!!! No joke! Here's the deal . . . I buy some of my kids' clothes at Goodwill. I'm not ashamed to say it. (Well, maybe just a little, but hopefully you wouldn't guess it to look at them.) My kids wear out their clothes so fast and they don't care (yet) where they come from. I'm cheap. That's how I roll. And I happen to have a pretty well-stocked Goodwill here. I often find cute brand new stuff, with the tags still on. In fact, I just got Sis some Abercrombie & Fitch jeans there. $1.50! Yep. That's the kind of stuff I buy. For my kids. I've never been humble enough to look for myself. I walked in on Saturday and on the first rack, right in front of my face was this brown crocheted sweater. I thought, "Hmm. That's cute." When I looked closer I thought, "That's really cute. And it's my size." THEN I saw the original price tags. IT HAS NEVER BEEN WORN!!! So, I quickly looked both ways to make sure no one I knew was there and threw it in the cart.

So, I guess the cat's out of the bag. You won't tell anyone will you? And you'll tell me if we look like ragamuffins in our second hand clothing? Thanks. You're real pals.



7.25.2008

Also Funk Reducing . . .

Brent and the boys (his guy friends) decided to invite their wives to Guys Night Out last night. We saw The Dark Knight (ehhhhhh . . . it was guys' night after all) and sat at Applebees until 1:00 a.m. enjoying some laughs and half price appetizers. Laughter (and shoes on clearance at Target) is the best medicine!

Who Knew?!

You know how sometimes you just get down in the dumps? Nothing in particular bugging you, except that EVERYTHING is bugging you. Please say it's not just me. I've been feeling especially "dumpy" since we got home from Utah. It's hard to come home from a week at camp with no domestic responsibilities and a week of vacational bliss and jump straight back into work. To find the will to bring some semblance of order to the messy home you neglected for a month in the pre-camp frenzy. To fill the bare cupboards with food and, AND, put a remotely healthy and/or edible meal on the table on some sort of regular schedule. To wash every article of clothing you own and simultaneously entertain the world's most unentertainable children. Oh, and get the air conditioner fixed while living out of a hotel indefinitely, to boot. Especially when, as you are peeling yourself out of bed every day to attempt to perform this magic, you are reminded by a daily photo in your e-mail inbox of the fun your siblings are having at the family reunion in Colorado without you. And your calendar is mockingly counting down the days until the other half of your family will be gathering at the idyllic family cabin by the lake, once again without you. There are not enough pills in the world to keep me in my happy place under these conditions.

Pity party finished, I prayed for help. Help to see the sunshine again and get it all together. I didn't know what I needed, but I prayed for SOMETHING. And went to bed confident that tomorrow would be better. I awoke to a phone call from the Relief Society presidency informing me that a sister in our ward's son had been killed in a motorcycle accident and, as the only member of the compassionate service committee in town, I was needed to coordinate meals for the three or four nights and a luncheon for 80 people after the funeral service Saturday. My first, gut reaction was, "NO!!!! Nononononononononononononononono! I was supposed to have been released from this calling when I was called as Young Women's secretary. I prayed for help FOR MYSELF last night! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" But I quietly said, "Sure. That won't be a problem." I turned to my friends (and I must say that I have always had a knack for picking the best friends) and everything has worked itself out.

SO, who would ever have guessed that what I needed to get out of my funk was to plan a funeral? The Lord works in mysterious ways.

7.24.2008

A Shocking Realization


Riley has a friend whose family reminds me of the Flanders family. The dad is the kind of guy who would say, "Hidely Ho there neighbor," or, "Good morning, good afternoon, and, in case I don't see you, good evening". The mom is very much the same. Nice, nice people. Just the kind of folks you'd want your kid spending time with. But they couldn't be more different from us. I'm sure they would never giggle when their son farted at the dinner table. I guarantee their kids don't walk around in their boxer-briefs for the better part of half an hour after their baths. I don't think she's ever fed her kids brownies for dinner. (Ummmmm . . . we were all much younger, none of us were diabetic, and Brent worked until 9:00 every night. Don't you judge me.) And surely they don't drink milk straight from the carton. (You've been warned.) Thinking about it today, I came to the shocking realization . . . if they are the Flanders, what does that make us?


So sad.

7.23.2008

A Labor of Love

And I don't mean the kind in which you agonize for a mere 13 hours and are rewarded with a beautiful newborn to love and cherish, into the eyes of which you gaze affectionately. No, I mean the kind where you agonize for hours measuring, taping, caulking the tape, painting, ruining, re taping, repainting and then touching up four brown stripes around the pink walls of your beloved daughter's room and almost ruin your brand new BYU t-shirt in the process. I mean the kind where you you work with your hands above your head for so long you almost forget you had feeling in them in the first place. I mean the kind in which you paint no less than twelve coats of magnetic paint in an eight inch stripe on one wall and then hand-make flowered magnets by which beloved daughter can hang cherished photos of friends. I mean the kind where you cut 154 10 inch squares of carefully selected fabric and 77 squares of batting and sew and snip for hours on end. I mean the kind in which you spend all your free time for two weeks creating the bedroom-of-her-dreams for your your beautiful ten year old baby girl. And then . . . THEN . . . you get to look into her eyes and know that she knows you love her. Ahhhh -- labors of love. Good stuff. (Photos will follow . . .as soon as I go get batteries for my poor old camera.)

7.22.2008

A Few Loose Ends

OK, so really embarrassing that I have time (and desire) to post three times in one day. I got a speeding ticket this morning and I am "escaping" real life for a while . . . and the kids are playing nicely, which won't last forever. I have a few bits of business that I must address :

  1. I overuse ellipses. I don't care. It's my thing . . .
  2. If I read your blog and I have not given it a cutesy nickname yet on my sidebar, never fear. The comedic geniuses here at My 3 Monsters are hard at work and your day will come. If I don't know about your blog, it's time to fess up.
  3. Dylan is happy to help all you singles out there find boos. I talked to him about it today. I suggested we set Uncle Ryan (Brent's brother) up with Aunt Leslie (my sister). Dylan says no. First, Les isn't blond. Second, she is already dating Uncle Robbie (my brother). I guess because he always sees them together he just assumed . . .
  4. Check out these pictures of my boo. Scroll down until you find him. You'll be glad you did.
  5. When did Thermos containers start costing $15?! That's outrageous. In my day they came free in your Dukes of Hazard lunchboxes. A thermos wasn't a luxury, it was a right. Oy, the crumbling economy . . .
  6. Thank you to Aryn for the link (long ago) on your blog to your friend who sells IDeclare jewelry. I got the neatest necklace from B and the kids for mother's day that has 3 small charms with my kids' names on them. I'm loving it.
  7. Brent loved Batman (surprise, surprise). It was the best movie of all time, I guess. He's going again Thursday night. When do I get a night off? How kind of you to ask. Take it up with the boss man.

I think that's all that was on my mind at 1 a.m. when I couldn't sleep and began my mental list of pressing concerns. Go about your normal business.


I Feel Just Like J-Lo or Angelina Jolie . . .

NO, not because of the ampleness of my bootie or lips. I have my own personal hairstylist. Jealous? Let me explain. After spending some time with her cousin, Kennedy (who has exceptionally cute hair), Sydney has taken an interest in styling hair. And, as the only other person in the house with hair longer than half an inch, I am the beneficiary of her services. It's actually kind of fun. Yesterday I wore the cutest trendy messy-bun with half a dozen sparkly clips in it. Is that still stylish if you're 34? (Mock me if you will, but I would have worn it in public if I'd had anywhere to go.)

While we're on the subject of hair, it has been a long time since I had a really good haircut. Several years ago I had a gal in our ward doing it and was blissfully happy. Until her 4 month long "mullets are super stylish and you're going to get one whether you want one or not" phase. Thanks, but no thanks. We had to break up. I've been Fantastic Samming it since then and I just need to go on record as saying that Sam, whomever he or she is, has no business calling him or herself "fantastic". Maybe "Cheap and Utilitarian Sams". That I'd believe. Thankfully, I have found the woman of my dreams. She is Alina, the resident follicular miracle worker in the ward. I have an appointment for August 12th and I can hardly sleep I'm so excited. So, I plan to be all cutified when everyone comes out for the baptism. Between Sydney and Alina, how could I not be?!

I Kissed a Girl . . .

Brent dreamt a few nights ago that I cheated on him . . . with a girl. And not just any girl, probably the most revolting girl that we know. (If you've ever been to Phoenix to visit us you'll know who I'm talking about.) I got the distinct feeling that he was a little angry about it, too. I mean in real life. Come on! Shouldn't I be the one with a chip on my shoulder? Why would he even ever think (even in his dreams) that I would turn my back on the eternal bliss I have with him? And for a toad, no less. Also, does he think that she's the best I could do? Because I gotta tell ya', I've been hit on by much better looking ladies than his little dream allowed. So, we've talked and I told him that if, IF, I'm going to be going around kissing people in him little dreamland I would very much appreciate it being a strapping young man or at least a beautiful girl. Otherwise, what's the point? If I'm going to break his subconscious-heart I think I'd prefer to do it with a bang!

7.21.2008

Boo's on the Brain

Yes, I've been messing around with the layout again. I'm entitled to my whims.

So, apparently the future is weighing heavily on Dylan. He talks often of his "boo" lately. When we went to Linens-N-Things he pointed to a big ol' tacky black and gold bed set and said, "That's the bed I'm gonna' share with my boo". Last night while watching HSM:Get in the Picture he saw a a beautiful blond girl on screen and stopped dead in his tracks. Staring at the TV he said, "That's what my boo is going to look like!" Now, I don't know if he has had some kind of revelation or if he just likes blond girls in tank tops, but he was pretty convinced that this girl was where it was at for him. Maybe he can give Uncle Robbie and Uncle Ryan some pointers in the companion-of-my-future-life-selection department. He seems to have it all figured out. Whatever.

7.19.2008

Let's Review . . .

The Mom.

Not the mom.

The mom.

Persuasive. Commanding presence, but not the mom.

The mom.

Nurturing. Sweet. Still not the mom.

Just so we're all clear. (Ahem, Sydney.) This has been somewhat of an issue for the past, ohhhh, 8 years. We were just having a little fun with her today. (But, seriously, I'm the mom.)





7.18.2008

I Feel So Violated!

This is not a good thing, right? Brent went to see Batman at midnight last night. (Why? That's another post altogether.) Actually, he went at 9:00 p.m. and came home at 3:00 this morning. That's not really the problem. I'm kind of creeped out this morning by the fact that he entered the house at 3:00 a.m., walked all the way back to the bedroom, changed into pajamas, brushed his teeth (here's hoping), and got into bed next to sleeping me and I never heard a thing. NOT ONE THING! Would I have woken up had it been a stranger who meant to do harm to me and/or my possessions or children (wait, reverse that order)? Was my subconscious lulled into a sense of security by Brent's familiar presence? And HOW did I not wake up? Any who have had the honor of meeting my husband know that he is certainly not ninja-esque. I should have woken up . . . and didn't. Creepy.

7.17.2008

Summer, You've Worn Out Your Welcome.

I caught my kids playing the weirdest game this morning. One kid is "the boss" conducting a job interview with kid #2. The third kid is, by my best guess, a disgruntled employee. Child #3 paces behind the boss holding a binder (to make him look official, I think) making faces at the boss and doing silly things to try and make the interviewee laugh. The interviewee must not laugh and answer all the bosses questions to try and get hired. If the boss catches the disgruntled employee in the act of buffoonery, he will fire him a la Donal Trump on The Apprentice. The boss also gets to choose what kind of a job they are hiring for. Today I saw Sydney try to get hired on as a Christmas tree grower (So, how long have you liked Christmas trees, asked Dylan) and Riley try to get a job as a video game "guy" (What makes you interested in video games, Sydney questioned). It was all very entertaining, but how many days until school starts?

7.16.2008

Philanthropy . . . 20 Grains of Rice at a Time



This is probably a testament to how out of the cyber-loop I am, but I just discovered the funnest website. It's called freerice.com. It's a vocabulary game, but for every correct answer, 20 grains of rice will be donated through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Now don't say I never did anything nice for anyone. I intended just to check it out last night and ended up playing for an hour until Brent kicked me off the computer and began playing himself. This one's going right up there with dictionary.com as a favorite website. I am a solid level 44. How about you?

7.15.2008

Boo, Who?

Dylan was in an especially oratorical mood last night and, among other things, expounded on his future "boo". Or girlfriend or wife, to you and me. She must:
  1. be just like his mom
  2. be blond with skin like Sydney's (just like mom???)
  3. not be sassy
  4. not wear retainers
  5. be pregnant, but not fat (hopefully not when they meet . . . )
  6. enjoy playing video games on the his-and-hers plasma TV's he is going to buy
  7. let him sleep in his big truck (???)
  8. enjoy going to Denny's and bowling on dates.

Those are his words, not mine. To loosely quote Jane Austen, if such a woman existed she would be a fearsome creature to behold. Honestly, I can imagine worse daughters-in-law than that. Good luck to you, my son. Good luck.


7.14.2008

I failed yesterday to mention that my sweet little Riley is now 8 years old. Where does the time go? Seriously! This is so cliche, but it truly does seem like just last week that he was a tiny little guy who smelled like heaven and fit perfectly in the crook of my arm. It seems like no time at all since I first met this wonderful, courageous kid with the gigantic cowlick and a grin as wide as the day is long. At what point did he become a math whiz (perfect score on his standardized tests this year!) or a gaming expert? And since when do 8 year olds ask for iPods and have opinions about music? I feel like somebody hit the fast forward button on my life when he was fresh and new and the years since have all been a blur. I know it's traditional for the birthday boy to make a wish, but I have a few wishes of my own:
  • I wish everyone in the world could see this kid's smile in real life.
  • I wish he felt like he had more to smile about. The weight of the past couple of years has been a lot for a little guy to bear.
  • I wish, for one instant, he could know how much I love him. I tell him and tell him, but can he ever really know? Do any of us really understand the depth of our mothers' love?
  • I wish he would still let me kiss him goodbye before he got on the bus before school.
  • I wish I could go back and relive July -December 2000 and take the time to appreciate it all. To just sit more and snuggle my precious boy knowing how soon it would all be over.
  • I wish he didn't have to be so brave. But I'm glad that he is.

We gorged ourselves on peanut butter and jelly cake and mac and cheese yesterday and laughed as he danced and sang along to his iPod when he thought no one was looking. He told my mom, "I only got one present from my mom and dad, but it feels like a million because it is so good." Ahhhhhh. I adore that kid!


7.13.2008

Top . . . Seven?

Will you all forgive me, based on the week I have had, if I can only remember seven mildly entertaining things from last month? I'll try to get to ten, but no promises. (Deep breath) Away we go :

10. Handlebars. You may or may not have heard this song by The Flobots. You can hear it now by scrolling down and double clicking it on my play list. If you want. This song has been very popular in our house this month. "Me and my friend saw a platypus" ?! Classic lyrical genius!

9. The $60 dryer solution. Our clothes dryer has been struggling for, like, a while. I just ignored it and started drying the clothes for two cycles instead of one. Then three . . . finally I took the initiative and called the home warranty company thinking that a $60 service call now would maybe save us in the long run. The guy comes out. Nothing wrong with the dryer. It's in the duct work. That'll be $60,ma'am, and have a nice day. So Brent thinks maybe, just maybe, he'll take a look at the vent outside. Bird's nest. Pulled it out (for free) and the dryer is now right as rain. Are we the dumbest homeowners ever?! (Please don't answer.)

8. Word Girl. One of the highlights of my non-cable tv day is watching Word Girl with my kids on PBS. First, that my children will watch an educational program and enjoy it is nigh unto a miracle in its own rights. That I enjoy it, too, is almost too serendipitous to be believed. Word Girl is a super hero who fights crime with her pet monkey, Captain Huggyface, and her awesome vocabulary. It's better than it sounds.

7. Our growing family. So, yes, I've put on some weight lately. No, this is not an announcement. Dylan came home from primary with a paper chain that was supposed to represent the people that are sealed to him -- his eternal family. Only Dylan's had like eleven links on it. I asked him who each link represented. Mom, Dad, Sydney, Riley, Jamie (my friend), Chris (her husband), Hunter, Caden, Savannah, Reagan, and Logan (their kids). Interesting.

6. Yember. Dylan's latest contribution to the lexicon. It means "do you remember". I can't decide if he's lazy or has just learned to talk really fast so he can get his thoughts out before someone else starts speaking. Most likely the latter. In our home someone is always talking. Always!

5. Dylan: That guy sucks at golfing. The first time he swung he didn't even hit the ball!" In case you're curious, "that guy" was Davis Love III playing at the US Open. His first swing? A practice swing, as you may have already imagined. That kid . . .

4. Overheard at Benihana:
Woman: We'll take the lunch special hibachi chicken.
Waitress: I'm sorry, we only serve the lunch specials Monday through Friday.
Woman: (befuddled pause) Well, can we still get lunch and just have it not be special?
At this point I was trying not to laugh out loud and choking on my water in the process. I'm sure the conversation continued and they got it all sorted out because said woman did, in fact, eat her decidedly un-special lunch with the rest of us.

3. One of my little campers continually praying that we would, "live life to the fullest". Don't get me wrong, I agree with the sentiment, I've just never really imagined using that particular phrase in a prayer.

2. One of my other little campers asking me why I, "put crap on her bed every day". I kept my personal belonging pretty well organized so I'm thinking she was referring to the "treats" I carefully planned and made by hand that I assumed she would enjoy finding on her bed every day. Note to self: next year don't magnify this calling quite so much.

1. Taco Bell's new Queso Crunchwrap. Queso's here and Queso wants to party, people!

Whew!!! I MADE IT!!! All ten, boo yah! Hope you all had a great month and sorry this is late.


7.11.2008

Ahhh . . .

Home again, at last. With cool air to boot! I'm wondering what's around the next corner, because the past few weeks have been such a labyrinth of . . . erm, delightful (why not?) surprises. For tonight I think I'll just kick my feet up and sit a spell. Turn the brain on auto pilot. Catch up on some of my shows. Enjoy some blessed silence (in an hour when the monsters go to bed). Let tomorrow bring whatever horrors it may. That Top Ten is still coming. Sooner or later.

7.10.2008

Impromptu Vacation, Day two

The fun continues. The air guys did not show up today because they could not get a hold of us to confirm our appointment the afternoon before. Which of the three numbers had they tried to call, we asked. Only the home number. THE HOME NUMBER, PEOPLE!!!! It's 108*! You're supposed to come fix our AIR CONDITIONER! Do you think we're going to be at HOME!! Maybe, MAYBE that's why we gave you are cell number and , AND, the number at THE HOTEL in which we are forced to stay. That would have been my train of thought. Call me crazy. And thanks for just letting me vent. Trying to keep a stiff upper lip in front of the kids is exhausting work. So desperate was I for solitude this afternoon, I drove all the way to IKEA just to drop the kids off in the play land and wander aimlessly for 90 minutes. Sydney just so happens to be one inch too tall to enter the play land. ARRRRRGH!!!! So, I gallantly offered to come home this evening (in the heat) to cook some frozen pizzas for dinner. I may have a steady stream of sweat rolling down my back, but at least it's quiet. Pray they come between 9 and 1 tomorrow like they promised.

7.09.2008

And the Vacation Continues . . .

OK, so I am submitting cheerfully or looking at the bright side of things or whatever you want to call it. We are frantically packing. AGAIN. This time we are checking into a hotel in scenic downtown Chandler, AZ thanks to a non-functioning air conditioner. A brand new this year, cost us our whole tax return and then some, non-functioning air conditioner. Gotta love it. Sears can't come out until tomorrow afternoon, and don't think I didn't grovel in my fruitless attempt to get them here sooner. Alas, we were saved by Hotwire.com, my favorite travel website. Super nice hotel, available NOW for check-in, $50! Off we go for a fun adventure!

7.08.2008

You Ask For It, You Get It !

Cafe Rio inspired recipes, cilantro lime rice, cilantro dressing and sweet pork with Coke
Here at My 3 Monsters we (and by we I mean I) aim to please. My good friend, Aryn, asked for more recipes and I just so happen to have a few new ones to share. I know what a big Cafe Rio fan you are, Aryn, so I hand picked these just for you. Having never actually eaten there, I'm not sure how these compare to the original, but we LOVE them.  I'm not even sure how these are served at Cafe Rio -- we just pile them all in a bowl and chow down. My mouth is watering at the thought. Here you go!

Cafe Rio Lime Rice

  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cans chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp. lime zest
  • 2 C. rice (not minute rice)
  • 4Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 4 tsp. sugar
  • 6 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Combine butter, garlic, chicken broth, lime zest and rice in a medium sized pan and bring to boil.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro.  When rice is finished cooking, remove from heat and stir in cilantro mixture. 

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

  • 3 lbs. Pork Roast or Pork Shoulder for Carnitas
  • 1/2 jar salsa {can blend in a blender or food processor to remove chunks, but I usually don't}
  • 1 can Coke

Place all ingredients in crock pot on low for about 6 hours. Take meat out and shred. Return to sauce in crock pot and leave on low. Serve with lime rice.

Cafe Rio Dressing

  • 1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
  • 1 C. mayo
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 1/2 C. milk
  • 1 C. Herdez Salsa Verde

Blend in blender until smooth. Allow to chill for at least an hour to set up.

Cafe Rio inspired recipes, cilantro lime rice, cilantro dressing and sweet pork with Coke


There you have it. Enjoy! You know what I'll be eating this week. Check in tomorrow, folks.

Also Fun, but Not Pictured

  • Our tour of the Sweets candy factory (fresh taffy straight off the line . . . mmmmm.)
  • Almost seeing Hannah Montana at Stadium of Fire for the 4th. Sis and I tried to buy some tickets from the online classifieds as soon as we realized old HM was in town to no avail. I'm really pretty glad it didn't pan out.
  • Driving the hour and a half up to Logan to have Uncle Ryan serve us lunch at Firehouse Pizza where he works. Quarter tank of gas: $20.00, Lunch: about $30.00, Brent harassing his little brother: priceless.
  • The Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. (I tried to take photos here, but camera was out of batteries.)

7.07.2008

Come Away With Me

Yep, I'm back and bloggin' again. Here is my photo journal of the past ten days. I'm still working at remembering that I have a camera so not everything fun is represented, but here are a few of the highlights.

"My Girls" performing their dance to "We Like to Party" (hear it on What's Playing on my iPod). Cute stuff. I was taking photos with three cameras and didn't do very well.

A few of my third years on our hike up Temple Canyon. Aren't they cute?!

Megan really mugged for the camera. My kids love this one because it looks like she's really high. She's actually about three feet off the ground.

Boo boos. My poor baby girls. These are two of our favorite babysitters.

One of the most favorite parts of the Utah trip was seeing new baby Shaw. Isn't he sweet as can be?

I hope my kids didn't get any ideas about our family getting a new baby, too.

Cougar Pride. You're never too young to start, right? We made a special trip to the BYU bookstore just to get these bad boys.

I love seeing our kids with their cousins. Warms my heart. I just wish Brit had been in this picture, too.

Dylan and Brit helping Riley "screw his courage to the sticking place" so to speak. He ended up being my most courageous kid, taking more swings than the other two put together.

That's my boy!

Sissy takes the plunge, too.

Sis and Kennedy got really brave by the end of the afternoon.

Dylan didn't enjoy swinging so much (though he did give it a go, which made me proud). He liked trying to catch the rope and bring it back for people.

His one swing . . . back and forth and back and forth and so on until his hands finally slipped from the rope and he was forced to drop. Crying and carrying on ensued.

He preferred rock hopping.

Until he cut his foot. Or got bit by a pirhanna. Not sure which. A cowboy and his horse fell in just about the same place earlier in the afternoon. No telling what strange things were afoot under that water.

Sparklers. Too too fun. (I took pictures of everybody else before I realized my camera has a special night flash. They didn't turn out too good.)

So, good times had by all. All five of us anyway. I can't wait for our next vacation.


7.06.2008

Home For Good!

Home Safe. Sleeping. In. My. Own. Bed. (First time in 10 days!!!)

7.04.2008

Happy 4th

So, I've been gone a long time (it feels like) and I finally stole away into the loft and sneaked onto the computer while the kids are helping grandma and papa make home-made ice cream. Ahhhhh . . . . sweet, sweet freedom for a moment. This had been a most idyllic 4th of July. We took the kids swimming at "the water hole" with their cousins. It is exactly as it sounds, a deep spot in a creek with a rope swing on one bank. Hours of fun. Now we are getting ready for a BBQ culminating in the consumption of the aforementioned ice cream and fire works. Never had a more perfect 4th. These Canadians sure know how these things are done. Hope you're all enjoying your day. Be back in a few days for good.

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