Food For Thought

Originally I was going to use my blog to post recipes as well as other things, but I have noticed that I haven't posted very many. I find that odd since I just LOVE food. (You may be able to tell...ha ha ha).
Most of my really good recipes come from other people who have made them and I have been able to sample. I just love those kind of recipes, because they are the "tried and true" ones. I decided that I am going to try and post a recipe that I have made once a week. Try them out if you like and if you have any good recipes, pass them on...I am always looking for something new to cook and make a family favorite.

Here is one that I got from my friend Regina (thanks Reg). It is one of Rylan's favorite dinner foods and he asks for it by name. Enjoy!


POPPY SEED CHICKEN

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
container of sour cream
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 pack of ritz crackers
1-2 TBS poppy seeds
1 stick butter (you can use less to make it healthier)
1 pkg frozen peas (optional)
casserole dish (sprayed with Pam)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil chicken breasts until fully done. Cut up into chunks. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup together into mixture. Stir in cooked chicken chunks. Stir in poppy seeds. I also stir in frozen peas.
Spread in greased casserole dish.
Crumble package of crackers into small pieces. Sprinkle over the top of chicken mixture in casserole dish. Melt half a stick of butter in the microwave. Pour over top of casserole.
Bake 30 minutes, until crackers are golden brown.


Serve and Enjoy!!! Bonn Appetite!

Second First

Today was Rylan's second first day of school. Since his birthday is later in the year, he gets to go to pre-school one more year. Nevertheless was excited to go! He is a bright child and I love how he gets so thrilled to learn new things. I hope that he keeps his zest for life! He amazes me with the things he comes up with.

Rylan I love you and I am so proud of all that you have learned at such a young age. You are one cool little boy! I hope you have a great year at school!

Dedication

I have never had the opportunity to be at an actual Temple Dedication. We were able to go to our Stake Center and watch as the prophet dedicated the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It was so neat to listen to the dedication, because we have watched the process of it being built. Rylan and Alana have shown a special interest in it. They have also watched as the temple has been erected, talked about temples in primary and as a family we were able to tour the temple at the open house before the dedication. Rylan was disappointed that he would not be able to go through it again for a few years. What I got out of the dedication meeting was that we need to be more diligent in going to the temple, because we have so many temples in such a short radius. There were stories told of the dedication that people had to the temple. Some would save their whole life to go and be sealed to their families, or take days and days just to go and spend the day there. Hearing these stories has made me realize that I need to be more dedicated to going to the temple and partake of the blessings that come from going. It's not always easy to go to the temple (in fact sometimes it can just be difficult) but here is to DEDICATION on temple attendance!!!

Here is a link you might be interested in checking out. It has some realy cool facts about the temple. Hope you enjoy! http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/oquirrhmountain/

The Fruits of My Labors

We have this apricot tree on our back yard that I just love. I have watched over the years as it has grown and become one of the prettiest trees. I love the way that the branches twist and stretch. It truly is a work of art and it is beautiful. Every spring we watch as the blossoms start to appear. We literally look out the window of the house and can see the dainty white blossoms. It is so pretty! This year we had some crazy weather and it would get warm and then really cold, so we thought that there might not be any apricots this year. My dad (who also loves this tree) would go out at about 2:00 in the morning and light this little chimney to keep the tree warm. To our surprise the apricots were plentiful. We ended up having a lot of apricots.

We picked and picked. Rylan would go out and just find one he liked and would pluck it off the tree, just to eat it. He loved having it for a snack. After a while we could not pick them fast enough, and they started falling to the ground and rotting. I hate to see things go to waste, and so I decided I wanted to try a few new things out. Here is what I was able to do with all the apricots. The Fruits of my labors:
1. Fruit Leather

2. Dried Fruit (Didn't take a picture)
3. Apricot Jam
4. Apricot Popsicles

5. Baby food (I am freezing it)
The jam ended up being the best of the three and with a little help (thanks Jan) I was able to make and can apricot jam. We now have an ample supply of it. It was a lot of work, a lot of fun and now I know how to do it. I also have to thank my mother-in-law for the canner I got for my birthday! I am so excited to have yummy jam from a tree that has been a part of my life. (so funny that I am so attached to a tree huh?) We've all been able to enjoy!

Overdue

This post is long overdue. I just keep thinking to myself that I will post the last few things and then get "caught up" on blogging. So much has happened since my last post (yes I know it was Spring time). Here's what I am going to do. I am just going to start fresh and then I will fill in all the missing pieces in my upcoming posts. The truth is I really miss blogging. Something about it is therapeutic, it helps me relax, and I feel like I am at least doing a little family history. None of which will get done if I just keep putting off posting something.
SO here is what is on my mind....
I have a wonderful new baby boy (that I should have been blogging about already, and I wanted to put pics and updates from the moment he was born on here.) Kelton. Kelton is starting to laugh now. He is such a good baby. Sooo BIG. He is 3 months old and weighs 17 lbs. He is wearing 6-9 month clothes. He loves to be around people and is so curious about the world around him. His older brother (Rylan) and his older sister (Alana) adore him and are always loving on him. It is adorable!!!!
We are getting ready to start building our house. I am soooo excited for that. However, a part of me is a little nervous to move. I always thought when we moved in with my parents that when we moved out we would have a new house and we would still be able to come home and visit. Now that my mom is gone, things have changed and I admit that I am a little afraid of the unknown. I suppose that it is easy to feel that way. Mostly I am excited. It will be fun to see our dream become a reality. I am excited to be able to start working on my food storage again and actually have a place to put it. Can anyone say playroom??? I'm sure I will still be tripping over toys, but at least they will have a designated place or room.
I have an amazing husband. So thankful for him. I am starting to realize how important supporting each other is. So many people we know have been getting divorced. Things aren't perfect, but who's is. What I do know is that we are happy, we have 3 beautiful, healthy kids, a place to live and so many things to be thankful for. Saying all this is long overdue. So glad to be back.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

I'm just going to say it. I have had the winter blues lately. I am ready for spring! I love spring time!!! I love the promise of warmer weather, new life, the symbolism and everything about spring. I am so ready for it. I am tired of snow, dark dreary days, full of cold weather and nothing to do (oh and being sick too). My kids have been climbing the walls and are ready to get out and play outside, start to do things that we haven't been able to do for a while. I am espically excited this year, because of the new baby. Since Rylan and Alana were both born in the fall, it will be a new experience for me to have a brand new baby in the spring. I am excited for it to be warmer by the time I feel ready to get out and do things. It will be nice to be able to go walking with the baby and not have to worry about the weather so much. I almost can't stand the anticipation, I am wondering what having 3 kids will be like. I have heard over and over that the 3rd either makes you or breaks you. Maybe both for me. We will see. Today would have been the perfect day if it wasn't so windy. It seemed warm and the sun was shining, however we stayed inside mostly since the wind was so strong. Like I said, looking forward to warmer weather....GOODBYE WINTER--HELLO SPRING!!!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

On March 2nd, 1904 that Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Today we pay tribute to Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday.
While most commonly known for his children's books (he wrote over 60 of them), “Dr.” Seuss was both the editor-in-chief of the college newspaper and also drew more than 400 political cartoons in two years for a New York daily newspaper. It was as a college student at Dartmouth that he started signing his work “Seuss.” Once he graduated, he started signing his work as “Dr. Seuss” when submitting it to a humor magazine. After marrying, he continued to write humor and illustrate. When World War II started, he began his political cartooning. Eventually he designed and illustrated posters to support the war effort, and joined the U.S. Army where he was the leader of the animation department.
Still, it was his children's books that have helped beginning readers and have been enjoyed by families for several generations.

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book???? That's a tough decision for me, since I like so many. The ones I remember reading most as a youth are: Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hatches and Egg, Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax and the Sneetches.
My kids love the books and would prob say: Grinch, The Horton books, and On Beyond Z.
If you are looking for some fun things for your kids to do there are plenty of craft ideas and coloring pages online. Here is what the kdis made....

Fat Tuesday

Just a little fun fact that I didn't know, but today is known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.
In celebration IHOP is giving free short stacks for anyone who comes in (the would like a donation for Children's Miricle Network) but I took the kids for pancakes for dinner since Tony wouldn't be home until late. They were really excited!!! It was yummy and a great option for dinner for me (since it has been harder for me to cook lately). The kids loved it and are already asking when we can go back again.

Breakfast from a book

Rylan often request my dad (who loves to make breakfast) to make him certain things for breakfast. The night before, Rylan will go up to his grandpa (Opa) and say something like this..."Opa, tomorrow I would like eggs for breakfast" or "Opa, I would like Chocolate German Bear porridge (Chocolate Oatmeal) for breakfast" Last night, Rylan asked for Green Eggs for breakfast. Probably from the Dr. Seuss book. Naturally, my dad jumped at the opportunity to make something special for the grand kids. So this is what we had for breakfast this morning. It was really funny, and the kids loved it. I wonder what they will think up next????

The best is yet to come!

On Sunday, I heard a talk that really got me thinking and inspired me. It was on Simplifying in our life and enjoying what we already have. One thing that really struck me and I have thought about several times since then it the quote "The best is yet to come!" It got me thinking because this life is so short and we think that there is so much to do and that things have to be perfect (at least that's how I am), and when things don't go how we plan then we get upset. Well in the eternal perspective....The best is yet to come. In my mind it makes so much sense. Just liked it, and it made me think about my mom and being able to be with her again. To be able to be with my kids and to have lots of things to look forward to here and now, and also later in the times to come! THE BEST IS YET TO COME!