Friday, October 11, 2013

The Mom Dilemma

I've read two articles recently about motherhood. One talked about the working mom and one talked about the stay-at-home mom. It was a very eye opening read. It made me realize that there is a lot of anger from both parties. Each feels like it is being criticized from the other. As someone who is currently a stay-at-home mom, but who worked for a while with my first baby, I have been thinking a lot about it. Why does this have to be a wrong or right issue? Can't both parties be right? Can't both parties be validated?

I will admit it. When I was working, I cried on my way to work most days. Leaving my baby in the care of someone else was horrible. Most of the time, I made my husband drop him off because I couldn't stand listening to my sweet boy cry. I wanted to hold him and get him to stop crying and make sure that he was always happy. But as those who work know, they cry when you drop them off, even in the loving arms of Grandma or Aunts or the best babysitter in the world. You feel guilty for putting work ahead of them (even if it is only in your mind). you feel guilty for only getting to be with them for the few hours at night that you get to see them. You feel guilty if you can't do everything at work. You feel guilty if you can't give your spouse as much attention as you used to. The life of a working mom is all about guilt. You learn to balance it. Or ignore it. You learn to ignore the petty or judgmental comments that people make. They aren't you. They aren't in your shoes and they don't know why you are working. They are judging you based on their own beliefs and values. It still sucks.

However, there are hard days as a stay-at-home Mom. You feel like all you are is a slave. All I do all day long is watch children. I do three loads of laundry. I make breakfast. I feel guilty if I take the lazy way out and give them cold cereal. I clean the kitchen. I pick up toys. I think about how awesome the octopod would be to live in and want to smack the crap out of Dora. I read books. I pick up more toys. I clean crayon off of the front room wall while wondering how in the world they got a hold of the crayons that I had tried so hard to hide. I pick up toys again. I make lunch and try to bribe my son into eating carrots with his sandwich. I pick up more toys. I finally get to take a shower when I can get one of the kids to take a nap and then leave the other in front of cartoons. Which I feel guilty about. Then somewhere in there, you have to figure out dinner and pick up more toys sometime before Daddy gets home. By the time he finally gets home, I want to cry. I want to go curl in my bed and go to sleep. I feel guilty for not giving my kids the kind of life they deserve. I feel guilty for not being super mom. I always feel guilty.

The point I'm trying to make is that no matter what you choose to do, there is always guilt. You will either feel guilty for working or you will feel guilty for a million other little things that you are failing at all day long. I feel guilty for struggling so much financially and for not working. There are days when I wake up and wish more than anything that I could go to work. I miss talking to adults. I miss seeing somebody besides my husband who talks in full sentences. I miss feeling confident and capable. I miss the working me. But then I have my sweet boy come up and ask if it is time to cuddle yet. I would miss those fabulous moments when my sweet girl holds her arms out to be held. I would miss the fun games we get to play. I love so much about being a stay-at-home mom. I loved a lot about being a working Mom. No matter what you choose to do, there will be moments of doubt, when you wonder if you are totally screwing up your kids by working/staying home. No matter the choice you make, you will feel guilty at times. And that is okay. It means you care. It means you want to be the best mom possible. Don't let others ever dictate to you what your life should be. We have all been dealt circumstances that are uniquely ours. There are blessings no matter what choice you make. There are struggles no matter what choice you make. Decide what you want to do. Make the decision prayerfully, with input from your spouse and the Lord. At the end of the day, they are the influences that matter most.

I am so grateful to have so many friends and family who are such amazing moms. I have so many women to look at to try to emulate. Some of them work. Some of them stay at home. Some do a mixture of both. Yet, when I look at them, I don't see a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. I just see a great mom who loves her kids a lot and wants the very best for them. At the end of the day, happy and healthy kids are all that really matters.



















Thursday, September 26, 2013

Self-Reliance

I have been at a loss for words lately. I have been trying very hard to stay upbeat as we have watched not just ourselves, but quite a few people we love and care about struggle financially. It is such a hard thing to watch. In my own life, as hard as it is, it is manageable. But it is harder when it is people who seem to have struggled so much through the past several years, both with finances and medical conditions that seem to come one right after the other. I have questioned why, when they have sacrificed so much to try and live the way they believe the Lord would have them live. Yet I know, deep down, that we are all being blessed. Maybe not the way we would choose, but the way that the Lord sees fit.

Every six months, our church has a general conference that is broadcast world wide. It is an awesome experience to get to hear from prophets and apostles of the Lord. They provide encouragement. They provide useful advice. Occasionally, they chastise and remind us of the things we should be doing. As this fall's conference is approaching, I can't help think of what they would tell us to fix our financial problems.

I believe they would remind us, once again, of the need to be self reliant. I understand that the world we live in is very dependent upon lots of people. This isn't like pioneer times when each family had farms where they raised their own meats and crops, made their own soaps, butters, and any other goods that might be needed. We live in a time where most people live places that make anything more than a minimal garden very difficult. But that doesn't mean we can't be self reliant. If we aren't there now, it is time to prepare ourselves for that. It is truthfully about living on less. One of my favorite questions is "Is it a want or a need?" So many times in my life, I work and work and work for something that turns out to be a want, not a need. I don't need an ATV or a trailer or a really cool SUV. My seven year old mini-van will suffice. It doesn't hurt my husband to drive a 12 year old sedan. It isn't what we would love to have, but our needs are being met. Someday, when we have more expendable income, we will get that nice SUV. For now, we will survive and take care of the things we have.

One of the things we have had to cut out in our efforts to become self reliant is fast food. It has been hard. My kids love the occasional Happy Meal. But we don't eat out anymore. To eat out once takes about 10% of my monthly grocery budget. Sometimes a lot more, depending on where we go. Now it is a treat. We went to McDonald's for my three year old's birthday. He got to choose where we went. Not Mom's idea of a great birthday celebration, but a play land beats a nice sit down place in his eyes any day. We eat out less than once a month now. It is hard, especially when we have driven in to town to run our errands and find that the time has now come for dinner. Instead, I pack sandwiches in our little cooler and we find a park and sit down to eat on the grass. Not as exciting as fries and a free toy, but much better on our wallets. Last week, I didn't follow my own rule. We went out to eat one night. Then, the whole way home, I wanted to kick myself for wasting so much money. Especially knowing that I could have gotten three or four nice meals for that same amount of money if I made them at home.

There are so many other things that we can do to become self reliant. I am so grateful for our financial challenges. They have brought us closer together as a couple. As we prioritize what we really want out of life, it becomes easier to stay strong together. We sit down monthly and review our game plan. We have a budget that we stick to like glue. As extra money comes in, we decide what we want to put it towards and how it will help our long term goal of becoming debt free. It makes it easier to not spend it on something that we don't really need. But we also make it a matter of prayer. When we hit our knees and tell the Lord what we need, we find that we usually happen to have it happen. Last month we were short what we needed for our budget. We were debating what to do. I decided to clean out our freezer and found some freezer wrapped hamburger and chicken in the very back. Enough for a whole months groceries. It may seem small, but not having to buy meat for the month made up the money we were short. I believe that as we prayerfully work our hardest and tell the Lord what we need, the windows of Heaven will open and we will be taken care of. That doesn't mean that it is always the way we would desire. It means it is the way that will take care of our immediate needs.

Self reliance is such a broad topic and one I could talk about for hours. I am trying to focus on the little things in my own life that I have control over. So next time, I will focus on something else. But I do have to do a plug for meal planning, once again. If there has been anything that has had a bigger impact on our budget and sticking to it, it is meal planning. It makes it possible to avoid going to the grocery store for last minute purchases. It is so much easier to talk myself out of going out to eat when I know what I am making. I take the meat out the night before and stick it in the fridge. Then the excuse is totally gone when it gets close to dinner time. I love meal planning. It has literally changed my life. Plus, since I started meal planning when we first got married, my husband has lost ten pounds (I know, not much over a five year period) and I have lost over fifteen (If you take out all of those times when I am pregnant. That kind of kills my average!) without either of us doing any fad dieting. So, consider starting it, even if it is only one week at a time. I promise, you will see a difference!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Zucchini Overload

Usually at our house, we have a zucchini overload this time of year. Not as much this year, but in normal years, I have more than I think I can ever use. I love it! I love zucchini. I love all of the things you can make with it. So today I thought I would share a couple of my favorite zucchini recipes. Then, the next time you have more zucchini than you know what to do with, you can try one of these!

As a kid, my favorite part of zucchini season was zucchini pancakes. I have to warn you, these are not your standard pancakes. In fact, these are savory, cheesy, wonderful goodies that will leave your mouth watering. The recipe isn't exact. You will find that you have to vary it in order to get it work. A lot depends on how wet your zucchini ends up being. But here are the basic ingredients:

Shredded zucchini
finely diced onion
egg
bread crumb
cheese
salt and pepper
shredded cheese

For my little family, I usually need at least two zucchini's to make this as a meal. You mix everything together. You want the consistency to be thick enough to hold together in a frying pan, but not quite as thick as you would see a meatloaf. Then, place in a buttered frying pan (butter is best here)and form into a pancake shape. Let it fry away beautifully. Cook on each side until it is a dark brown. Golden brown looks good, but it won't hold together to flip it unless you go a little longer. Then, flip and cook through on the other side. These are so tasty. When I was in college, I made these all the time in the fall. My roommates even liked them! My husband likes to put salsa on his. Growing up, on put ketchup. As an adult, I love them just plain. Either way, they are AWESOME!! In fact, these might be dinner tonight.

One of my other favorites is a recipe I recently rediscovered. My Mom tells me she used to make it all of the time. I don't remember this. But a couple of years ago, I pulled it out of the family cookbook and made it. I loved it! Now we make it several times during the late summer/early fall. The best part about this recipe is that it freezes great. So make an extra pan of it and in the middle of winter, you can taste those fresh summer flavors.

Zucchini Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. sliced green onions
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Chili powder
1 c. sour cream
1 large tomato, sliced
3 zucchini, diced
1 small can green chilies
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 c. cooked rice
2 c. grated monterey jack (can use cheddar, too)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute beef, zucchini, onions, and seasonings in a lightly greased skillet until meat is browned through and vegetables are tender. Add green chilies, rice, sour cream, and one cup of cheese. Turn into a buttered, shallow 2 quart casserole dish. Arrange tomato slices on top. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Now, I have to be honest here. I'm not a big fan of the cooked tomatoes on top. Most of the time, I just skip that step. Especially if I'm going to freeze it. But I still love the recipe!! But dessert may be more your thing. Everyone knows about zucchini bread and zucchini cake and all of those lovely treats. But in my family, the only way to eat it was as Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. Now you can see why we loved it, right? Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. So, when you need a chocolate fix, but still want it to be a little healthy, look no further.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. grated zucchini
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. cocoa
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (opt)

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar, oil, and remaining ingredients. Beat two minutes. Place in two greased and floured bread pans or one bundt pan and bake at 350 for about one hour.

Enjoy those zucchini. Now to decide which one to make first!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Our Unexpected News

So, I've mentioned before that our little family experienced a miscarriage at the end of April, beginning of May. It was a really hard experience for me, as a mom. Especially as I'm nearing my mid thirties and I realize that the time is slowly slipping away. But about a month ago, we received some unexpected, but very happy news. We are expecting again! I'm happy to say that I have passed that lucky 12 week mark, so what better time to share it. Now that most of our immediate family knows, it is time to share it with all the rest of you!

This obviously isn't going to be a long blog post, but hopefully worth the read as you share in our wonderful joy!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Fun Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

So, this weekend, my parents drove out to stay with us for a couple of nights. The kiddos were so excited! It is always so much fun when they come out to our house. We had a friend and neighbor tell us recently that we would discover that the road coming out to our house only goes one way. People generally expect us to drive to Salt Lake to visit them, not the other way around. So, whenever someone can come, it is always such a treat. Our house is very small, but we always make room for visitors. Anyway, Saturday ended up being one of those nearly perfect days.

It was UBIC weekend where we live. This is like our town days. It was even bigger because this year, our town is turning 100 years old. They had a free concert at the park followed by fireworks. It was so much fun to watch our Rally girl as she danced along to all of the singers and to watch Grandpa and G man play in between. What a relaxing evening! We got to listen to David Osmond and the Spin Doctors. There is something about sitting on a grassy hill, listening to a band, that is so relaxing. My Dad pointed out something to me that I haven't thought of before. "Only in a little town could they have this. In a big town, people wouldn't come or the city wouldn't pay for this kind of event so that everyone could participate." There are some great blessings to living out here! But more important than the concert was the great time we got to spend as a family. Both kids were so well behaved! It never happens that way. So, I thought I would share some of our fun pictures

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

My Husband, the Teacher

So, it is coming back to that time of year. We have enjoyed the summer, but it is slowly coming to an end. In 21 days, school starts again for my husband. We love having him be a teacher, but with it come some serious budgeting issues for our little family. Like on how to stick to one. The Handsome Hubby gets paid once a month. I thought I was the master budgeter (is that a word?), but I am finding that with only getting paid once a month, I am faltering. My basic plan has always been paying all of the bills first. That pretty much means most of the money. Then, after all of the necessary bills are paid, pulling out the expenses that aren't necessarily bills. But somehow, throughout the month, things come up. I do a monthly grocery menu and budget. I plan down to the dime what it will cost. I think I have everything needed for the month. Then this Mama remembers something she needs. Or more importantly, something she really wants. Like that bag of candy that seems to call my name. Or stuff to make guacamole because that sounds fabulous, too! Before I know it, my small amount of liquid cash is gone. Then we are using the money budgeted for other things to pay for those expenses.

Starting next pay period, I am switching to the envelope method for any monthly expenses that may need to be watched more carefully. Before I was married and working in the banking industry, I recommended this for any clients that were having a hard time keeping the little bills in check. So, next month we are creating three envelopes: Groceries, Gas, and Diapers. Yep, those are the only three monthly expenses that I don't have control over with a tight fist. So, after I pay for everything, if there is any cash left in those little envelopes, it can be applied to a bill or be used for that lovely treat that we have been wanting. The only rule for the envelopes is this: when the money is gone, you are done. This is hard for a lot of people, but I keep reminding myself that it is either that or be stuck doing the juggling act. I am a clutz and really can't juggle, so any way to avoid it would be helpful to me and to my poor husband who would have to handle the panic if we go over!

Why do I talk about this? Why would I share my budgeting woes? Because I can't be the only one living this tight. I can't be the only one who fumbles in a budget. But never fear. Next month is here. The great thing about budgets is that every month you get to start over. Work on the small things that will yield the quickest results, and start again. I find that this advice is something that we should all be using for most aspects in our life. Take a deep breath. Start over, and focus on the things that you can change. The things that we can't change just get in the way. So many things in our life are out of our control. Yet we worry about them constantly. I am probably the worst person with this. I can't control that my son isn't doing well with potty training. Much to this mother's chagrin, that is something that I can't make him master. I can't make the stresses of life go away. I can only change what is in my realm of influence. This a great lesson that my husband, The Teacher, has given me. He has taught me that I need to realize I can't be in control of everything. Sometimes, you need to share the burden. Sometimes you need to let the burden go all together. He is constantly reminding me of this. I swear, there are days that he wanders around our house, mumbling under his breath "Let it go." Not in the mean way that it might sound like, but in the gentle reminder way.

Let it go. Do the very best you can in life, change the things that you have control over, and let the rest go. Thank you, honey, for teaching me this. For teaching me that next month is a new month. Tomorrow is a new day. We will figure it out. All of us.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

My Daughter the Killer

We are trying very hard to grow a garden this year. Our yard is huge, though (compared to our previous yard). We are having some weed issues and have been spending a lot of time outside in the evenings, trying to weed and get our garden in good shape. This week, though, we have discovered that our daughter is a killer. She can't be left anywhere near any of the plants. She has feet of destruction. She will smash a plant in one single bound. She has mad throwing skills and thinks that those cool balls on the tomato plants are perfect for throwing. She pulled four tomatoes off the plants on Saturday. One was just getting big. This Mom had to have a moment of silence for the tomatoes. Or maybe that was so I would remember it's just a tomato plant. Then, when we were weeding last night, she pulled out three of our green bean plants. This girl is a destroyer of anything that Mom wants to can.

She is so curious. She wants to be a part of everything. I just wish that didn't include the garden. I feel bad closing the chain link fence around the garden while all of us are in there and she isn't. But if I want any of my plants to survive her toddlerhood, it may be a necessary. I thought the biggest problems that we would have would be the deer and rabbits. Nope. It is the Rally girl of doom. She is adorable as she is doing, it, too. When she smiles at you, calling Mommy, as she pulls out the plant, it's hard to get mad. It's just impossible to be happy about it either. So, tonight, we are going to put both kids in the sandbox while Mom and Dad weed. Now, just to remember to close the gate!!

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Menu Planning

So, I have addressed this before, but I love menu planning. I LOVE MENU PLANNING. It is weird of me. I enjoy going through cookbooks and finding recipes that I want to try. I enjoy finding recipes that use items that I regularly have in my cupboards. It is especially gratifying when I find a recipe that fits the above criteria AND my kiddos will eat! But mostly, I love menu planning because it is the answer to a lot of prayers in our family. I love being a stay at home mom. I love being the person to raise my two little monsters and I look forward to raising more kids as they join our family. The problem arises in the fact that our grocery budget is extremely small. My husband is a school teacher and doesn't make a ton of money (okay, let's be honest, even that is an overstatement). We have bills like every family. So we live frugal. Part of living frugal is menu planning. When I plan a menu, I find that I spend about $100 to $150 less a month than when I wing it.

I go grocery shopping once a month. I go grocery shopping following my menu. I don't buy extra's. I don't buy much in snacks. I save money for produce for the rest of the month. But the majority of our grocery shopping occurs in one fell swoop. I take my husband with me to make sure that we are on the same page. It sounds odd, but when either one of us go alone, we spend more money. Suddenly, that bag of chips looks really good. Those cookies are on sale. We really needed that soda. So we go together. When we have the list and both of us are on the same page, we can keep on track. I also do a TON of canning in the fall. I haven't purchased canned tomatoes since we got married. I can salsa, peaches, pears, juices, vegetables, jams, and as many other items as I can lay my hands on. It is a lot of money at one time, but I can get better quality for a lot less money. My kids love it. I love it. I always know that I have those things in my pantry. I plan a huge garden, too. If I can grow what I need to can, I didn't have to buy it. I currently have 36 tomato plants growing in my garden. They are the most expensive item I can, so if I can grow it, I just saved myself a ton of money!

Will I ever go back to the type of cooking I did before? No way. I enjoy making a menu. I enjoy not having the added stress every night of trying to figure out what's for dinner. I enjoy knowing that my family has a nice, home cooked meal every night. I even enjoy knowing that if I can't cook for some reason, my husband knows exactly where to go to find out what is for dinner. Here is how I do it:

I have made a list of recipes that I enjoy or want to try. I add new things as I find recipes that seem good. On this list, I include where the recipe is or I print out the recipe and attach it to my list. They are all together. Then, when I am ready, I pull out my spare calendar and figure out what nights I want each thing. I try to mix things up and not have too much hamburger, chicken, or any other meat all together. I take into account weekends, when sometimes I don't want to spend as much time cooking. I take into account holidays, birthdays, or church events. Those all impact my menu and budget. For example, my Handsome Hubby had his birthday last week. We had steak. That is not something I normally buy. Way too expensive for our little budget. But it is his favorite and sometimes we have to budget things like that into our menu. The same can be said about going to family events. When we go visit Grandma and Grandpa, the majority of our meals are things that I don't buy. But I do have to take into account things like taking a salad to a church party or taking a meal into someone that is sick or just had a baby. I build in two extra meals a month for that.

After I plan out my menu, I go through all the recipes and my cupboards with a fine tooth comb. I mark very clearly what I need to buy to make those meals. I also mark down anything that is getting low that I may need to replace. At the end of the shopping, if I have extra money, I will pick those up. It makes it a lot easier to make sure that I don't run out of the staples. I hate going to the store to pick up one or two things. I have never walked out without purchasing several extra items, even if it is the candy bar that I used to bribe my son into good behavior ( I know, I know. That's a whole different blog entry. I also plan out anything that I need to buy from a big store that isn't close by. When I go down to Salt Lake City, I take my trip to Costco to get the things that I can only get there. I make a list for everything!

I can't guarantee that this will work for everyone. It is a lot easier for my family right now. I have two little kids who don't eat much. When I make a meal, it usually lasts for two nights and I usually have enough left overs to send the Handsome Hubby with a nice lunch every day. Someday, this won't be the case. Someday, my kids will eat every single thing I put on the table. There will not be leftovers. But I am hoping that by making and keeping these habits now, we will be able to keep our budget reasonable. If I could convince people who are tight on money to do one thing, it would be menu planning. Try it. You might learn to like it as much as I do!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Too Little Sleep

I love my children. I really do. I'm sure that all moms have used this as a mantra before. Today is one of those mornings for me. I sometimes wonder if I will ever get to sleep until 8 again. Or if I will ever get a whole nights sleep. But I know that someday, when my kids are all out on their own, that I will look back on this with fondness. Just not today. Today, I am exhausted and it is not even eight o'clock. We've already had breakfast and diaper changes and potty runs. G man has already built a fort in the front room. I would have thought he would have slept later since he didn't fall to sleep last night until after midnight. But no, apparently he has decided to be an early riser today.

Sometimes, as a mom, we do things out of habit. It's how we survive. We run our errands in an exhausted haze, with the hope for nap time being the only thing holding us together. We decide that it's too much energy to make our own lunch. We'll just eat whatever they don't. We throw on those yoga pants, yank our hair into a pony tail, and try to conquer our own little corner of the universe. Sometimes we are successful. Sometimes we are not. But we keep trying. That is how my day was yesterday. When the Handsome Hubby got home from work, most of the house was clean. The kids were fed and changed. I'd done a load of laundry. I'd even taken a shower. I was feeling mighty successful. Until the subject of dinner came up. There were leftovers, but they didn't sound very good. Neither did making dinner, so the leftovers won.

It must be ingrained in mothers to feel guilt. Once that child is in your arms, you feel guilty for everything. For not reading enough stories. For not making gourmet meals or even meals that they will try. For bribing our kids at the grocery store. For not reading enough books and watching too much television. For yelling at them when it is probably a teaching moment. For crying for no apparent reason. We live in a world of guilt. There is so much to do and only one of us. We have work or school or soccer games. We have more than it feels like we can carry on our shoulders. So we feel guilty. I would love to promise myself every day that the guilt won't come. It inevitably does. It's part of being a mom. I am learning to be grateful for the guilt. It means I'm striving to be better. I'm striving to be the mom my kids deserve. I'm striving to be the wife my husband deserves. At times, I'm still striving to be the daughter my parents deserve. But I'm still trying.

What a great opportunity we have every day. Every day starts fresh and clean. If today is starting off rough, tomorrow will be better. I have the chance to make it that way. I have the chance to change my life every day. I recently read another blog where they talked about being negative and the impact that it had on their life. It's true. The other truth is that we get to choose. We get to choose to look at the glass half full or half empty. We will slip up. We will fail. Trials will come and the world will not seem full of sunshine. It is up to us, however, to decide how to handle it. We can wallow in it permanently or we can take our five minutes of crying, straighten our shoulders, and try again.

So when you are having one of those, know you are not alone. When you hit your knees in prayer, feeling like there is nothing else you can do, you are not alone. There is an army of moms out there. They have t-shirts with stains on them. They have tired hair. They haven't worn makeup in a week. They pray for nap time and bedtime. But they have your back. They smile at the grocery store when your three year old throws a temper tantrum. Been there yesterday, have the trophy. Remember, you are part of a great and glorious tradition. A tradition of imperfection. None of them could do it all. You can't do it all. I most definitely can't do it all. So I'm giving myself a break today. I'm realizing that it's going to be a deep breath, counting the hours sort of day. It might be for all of us. We are not alone and if you feel like it, look around. We exhausted mothers are everywhere. If we could, we would give each other a high five, or a big hug and say "You can do it." And you can. Because you are a Mom.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Happy Happy Birthday

Today is the Handsome Hubby's 30th birthday. it's official. We are now in the same decade! That's what I get for being several years older than him. But he is worth it. I had a huge reminder of that today when I discovered that someone I used to be close to is going through a hard time in her life due to her marriage. It reminded me that I am blessed beyond all reason. So I am going to talk a little about that.

I didn't get married until I was 29. It wasn't that I was trying to be single. It wasn't that I had no desire to marry. It was simply that I knew what I wanted. I knew what I deserved. I wasn't going to settle for anything less. I complained a lot to my parents that I was worried that I would never get married. In fact, I think they probably felt like we were on a carousel. It was the same sob fest every time. But in my religion, most girls marry fairly young. Being single in your late twenties was not only weird, but considered rather pathetic. An example of this goes back to my senior year at Brigham Young University. I was graduating, packing up my room to leave my life in Provo, Utah (Hallelujah!) when one of my roommates came in. She was 19 years old. She looked at me and shook her head. "If I was 22 and not married, I think I would kill myself." Huh? Seriously? I was 22 years old. But I just shook my head and smiled. Wouldn't it be hard to have that mentality? As I got older, more and more people would comment on my marital state. I was told that I couldn't sit at the adult table at a family function until I could find myself a husband. I was told by a bishop that he didn't think I would ever get married because most guys don't want to marry a fat girl. I wasn't that overweight, by the way. Just a man who had an unrealistic view of how women should be. The biggest one that I heard often was that I shouldn't be so picky. Someone actually told me that "at your age, you don't have a lot of options." But they didn't know me. And they didn't know what I wanted.

If I could give any advice to my daughter, it would be this: Don't settle. Don't you dare devalue yourself like that. Don't give up on what you want just because the world would tell you that you are unrealistic. I knew what I wanted and I wanted the whole picture. I wanted a man who was was strong in the gospel. I wanted a man who was a worthy priesthood holder. I wanted a man who honored womanhood and honored me. I wanted a man who could be a provider. I wanted a man who shared my desire on having children and raising a family. I wanted a man who would lead our home in love and righteousness. I could have settled. But I would have missed out on Bruce.

Bruce and I met in a singles ward. For those of you unfamiliar with that, it is a church congregation of young single adults. It is notorious for being the meeting ground for many marriages. We fall in this category. We had known each other for two and a half years before we started dating. I will admit it: he was a nerd. But as my Mom repeatedly told me, "nerds make the best husbands." She was right, by the way. He is the first person that I could completely be myself around. He is the first person I didn't break up with at the mention of marriage. Ask my parents. That was the first sign they had that I really loved this guy. He made me happy. He made me giddy. He still does.

I know the time of day when he gets home. I would know it even without a clock. Because I still can't wait to see him. I meet him at the door with a kiss. He calls me on his lunch break. Because he misses me. I laugh at his jokes that I used to think were odd. Because I get them now. He is the person I can't imagine my life without. We have had our ups and downs. We have had times when I wanted to beat him senseless. But even with wanting to beat him, I still wanted him. He is my match. I won't say perfect, because nobody is perfect. Every single person has quirks that annoy their spouse. I am positive that my worrying drives my husband crazy. Also my apologizing constantly (it's a family thing). When I put myself down, I can sometimes see the veins popping out on the side of his neck. But he still chooses me. Every day, we wake up and choose each other. Every day we wake up excited for our lives together. Every day we choose to put our marriage first. We choose to forgive. We choose to ask for forgiveness. It is a conscious decision. We choose to ask our Heavenly Father to bless our home and our marriage. I am so grateful for that.

So, to the man who holds my heart, I say thank you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for being my eternal companion. I am so grateful for you. I am so grateful for the kind of man you are. I am so grateful that I didn't settle. Because the man that I got is so much better than I could have asked for. Even with his video games.

I love you, Bruce!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Ornery Mom

Every time I have a post written, life throws an unexpected little curve ball and I don't end up posting it, either because I decide that it is too personal or because I decide that its too something or other. Yesterday was a venting one. Now, after a good nights sleep, I will change up what I write about a little.

I am an ornery Mom. Just lately. I've never been a yeller (well, since reaching adulthood. Don't talk to my parents about my teenage years. This will just dispute everything I ever write about). But lately, I seem to be on edge. Perhaps it's the potty training that has been going on for three months. We still had five accidents yesterday. That should explain that. Perhaps it is the fact that life seems to be throwing us a lot of lemons lately. I miscarried at the beginning of May and just can't seem to shake it. Everyone keeps telling me that most women go through it. I do not dispute this. But for some reason, I am really having a hard time with this. I'll be fine for a week. But then yesterday I figured out that we would know if it was a boy or girl this week if the baby had survived. It made me cry. It made me wish for someone to talk to and then it made me feel guilty.

But anyway, back to being an ornery Mom. I feel bad, but my little guy has been spending a lot of time on time-out lately. I think he is feeding off of our stress. He is such a good boy, but he has been picking on his little sister like crazy this week. Every time I turn around he is tackling her or jumping on her or pulling her off of the couch. This is probably very normal for a three year old. I just have never had a three year old. After the kids were in bed last night, I felt awful. I felt so overwhelmed with raising these two precious gifts. I felt so scared that I am messing them up irrevocably. My husband tries to remind me that I'm doing great. He comes from a family of yellers (not necessarily in anger. They are just a loud group. Let me be the first to admit, when my husband is with them, HE is the loudest.) and he is always pointing out that he and the other seven kids that are grown and out of the house are all fine and upstanding citizens. He also points out that no Mom is perfect. My mother-in-law is super woman. She raised ten kids (she is still raising the last two) and she stayed sane. Or as sane as any woman with ten kids can be. :) But he reminded me that both she and my mom had rough days where they popped in a movie and let the kids entertain themselves. He reminded me that every once and a while, it's okay to give them a cookie for breakfast and not have to fight with them. But when you are the mom going through it, you feel like a failure.

So today, I am counting my blessings. I really do understand that my kids will grow up way too fast. Pretty soon, my G man won't come up to me and say "I just love you, Mom." He won't think holding Mom's hand is the best part about going shopping with me. I love holding his hand. He is my best buddy and I can't think of anything better than getting to be his Mom. There will be a time when he will pretend he doesn't know me. There will be one morning when he wakes up and decides that cuddle time with Mommy is dumb. I don't look forward to that day. Hopefully, by then, there will be other little kids who think it still rocks. There will be a time when my Rally girl will say the dreaded words "I hate you" and my whole world will fall apart. So I am thankful for the sweet voice that hollers "Mama" until I come and get her out of her crib.

I am so grateful for eternal families. I am so thankful for having my husband by my side for eternity and not just this life. I wouldn't choose anyone else to share this journey with. I had someone tell me once that he was lazy. I can't see it. For the last three years, that man has worked two to three jobs at a time to make sure that we are taken care of. He has worked jobs that other people would think are beneath them. He has worked hours that would make people cry. Before we moved and he started teaching, there was a time when he was only getting about four hours of sleep per a night between his two jobs. He did this so that I could stay home and raise our two little munchkins. He is the hardest working man I know. Yes, when he is home, he doesn't want to necessarily weed the garden or mow the lawn. But not wanting to doesn't equate to not doing it. For that I am grateful. He is my perfect match. He is the love of my life and my best friend. At the beginning of the day, he is the person I am most excited to open my eyes and see. At the end of the night, his are the arms that I can't wait to hold me. I am so thankful that we have a partnership. I am so blessed.

For those that know my kids, they will admit that G man is all boy. He wants nothing more than to wrestle and play. He loves dinosaurs and building things and pretending to be a super hero. He got a cape for Christmas from his Aunt Krissy and I don't think he took that thing off for more than an hour or two in a week. He has been collecting rocks this week. I am so tired of finding little pebbles all over my front room floor. But it is better than the bugs he originally wanted to collect. The big nasty cricket he brought into the house almost made this mom puke. But I am thankful for his excitement over life. I am grateful that he misses his cousins and grandparents. It means he loves them. I am thankful for those sweet moments when he folds his arms, closes his eyes, and says his own big boy prayer. It means I'm not failing completely as a mother. It is one of those sweet moments in motherhood.

My Rally girl is the complete opposite of her brother. She is sugar and spice and everything nice. She is all girl. Even the way she holds her little legs when sitting in the high chair eating her breakfast is lady like. She constantly makes me laugh. She has the best smile in the world. The best kisses in the world. She thinks Mom is pretty awesome. There are moments when I wish she would let Dad be the comforter, but then her face lights up when I walk in the room and I am okay with being her favorite. Plus, then I get to brag to her dad that I am the favorite. Another blessing. :)

I am so blessed. We have each been given far more than we deserve in this life. With those blessings come trials. When I am on my knees, pleading for help, the furthest thing from my mind is my blessings. Yet my Heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom, still sends them to me. I can never repay those or live to have earned those. I can only strive to be the woman He wants me to be. I can pray for more patience. I can pray for more peace. I can pray to get through the trials that will help me grow with grace and wisdom. One of my favorite sayings sits right above my sink. I always remember this every time it is dish time. "Blessings brighten when we count them." It is true. When I make a list of all of my blessings, I come to realize that the good in my life far outweighs the bad. I come to realize that even though we are farther from most of our family than I would like, we still have an amazing family. I have in-laws who have become my best friends. I have sisters who will cry on the phone with me. I have parents on both sides who would move heaven and earth to help us. That is pretty amazing. Most importantly, I have a Savior who is there, holding me up when I feel like I am going to fall. I have a Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers. If they think I can do the hard things, I think that maybe I can, too.

Today, I start over again. Just like every day. And if ornery mom rears her ugly head, I can handle that too. Because my moments of pure bliss far outweigh the bad. Thank you, blessings, for reminding me of that.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Technology and the Loss of Emotions

So, I love that I have this blog. Right now I am grateful that I have this blog that nobody really reads. It means that I can vent on here a little and the people that it is regarding will never know. It makes life easier. And it keeps me from doing things that would hurt feelings. I really wanted to. My fingers were poised over the delete button in the friends list on Facebook. Thankfully, my sweet husband reminded me that it would only make matters worse. If doing so proved my point, it may be that my little family are the only people that would actually be hurt by this.
I love letters. I love the feel of paper in my hands. I love watching the way handwriting tilts and swirls and you can kind of see emotions. My husband knows that the fastest way to my heart is to get a card and write a heart felt note or to just leave me a little letter somewhere. It gets me every time. I sometimes think I should have been born in another time. A time when you took time out of your life to sit down and ponder what you were going to say. You thought about all of the exciting things you would want to tell someone. You broke heart breaking news and shared in the best of times. Instead today we have messaging on Facebook, where we have replaced real feelings and emotions. We don't have to think about things. We can have instant gratification. We seem to be a world of instant gratification. We want everything and we want it RIGHT now.
The same is true with telephones. Very rarely do we pick up the phone and talk to someone. When we have a question, it somehow seems easier to pull out our phones and just text someone. Even life changing announcements happen via Facebook and text messaging. You don't dare delete anyone as a friend because you might find out that they are having something major happen in their lives. We do care. We just don't care enough to make the effort of calling them. Our lives are too hectic or too crazy to stop and call someone and just say "Hey, I was thinking about you." I can count on one hand the people who call me regularly. One of them is the man sitting next to me. That doesn't leave too many fingers. Yet, I know that there are a lot more people out there who would say that they love me. I believe them. I just think that the world we live in has skewed us so much that we forget to "forget ourselves".
This is not a condemnation of anyone. I am as guilty as the next person. There are certain people that I know would rather talk on social media or text. Instead of calling them, I go for the comfortable. But it is a bad habit to get into. Since we have moved out here, I have family that we haven't talked to on the phone even ONCE. It makes me sad. I felt like we used to be so close. They haven't called me. I haven't called them. We use it as a test. "If I call first, I'm the one giving in. I'm the one who cares more." Why shouldn't we care more? In the eternal scheme of things, if I am judged by my actions, I doubt the Lord will chastise me for "caring about people too much". I'm more likely to be chastised for focusing so much on myself that I forget others. I want to feel emotions. I want my family and friends to know that we love them. I want my kids to talk regularly to Grandma's and Grandpa's. I want my Mom to always know there is a card coming to her when she is having a hard time. It's what life should be like. So even when I feel sad and pathetic for being the person to repeatedly call you, I will. Because you matter to me. I care and I want you to know that. You don't have to care back. This isn't a competition. I don't care if I love you more. There is plenty of room in my heart and plenty of time in my home for love.
I started off this entry determined to say that I was going to stop caring. That I was done with being the only person to call. Somehow, in the end, I am seeing that it is only me that can bring emotions back into my relationships with people. Even if you never return my feelings, I can still feel that way. Isn't that how our Heavenly Father is? He keeps calling us, over and over again. Even when we won't return His calls, He still dials. Even when we ignore His efforts, He still watches over us. He drops cards and letters into our laps regularly, with moments that remind us of the divinity of God and His love for us. But do we respond? Do we take the time to get down on our knees and call Him back. I hope that I can answer this more affirmatively in the future. I hope that starting today, He knows that I love Him back. I hope that starting today, you won't be surprised to get a card from me, or a letter to brighten your day. I hope that I can get over my fear of being the first one to give in and pick up the phone. I hope that when you think of me, you'll call too. I want to hear your voice and know that I matter to you just as much as you matter to me. Let's try to let go of the easy outs and connect again on a personal level.

Friday, April 12, 2013

The Joys of Life

We have had an exciting couple of months and have failed miserably in keeping anyone informed. I hope that all of the excitement is winding down, but it never seems to with little ones. There is always something new and exciting. What an adventure we are having!

First and foremost, Rally girl is officially done with her helmet forever!! It has been amazing to watch her grow and develop. When she had her helmet on, she was behind developmentally by about 4 to 5 months. In one month after getting her helmet off, her physical therapist said that she was almost caught up. It is astounding. I know that miracles happen every day as I watch my own little miracle grow and develop. She is so fun to watch. She says her own name and if she thinks you aren't paying enough attention, she will throw her pacifier and scream her name. It makes me laugh. Sometimes, it makes me want to cry, too! She shouldn't be almost a year old. She is too spunky now and doesn't like to be held. She had her first babysitter since moving to the Basin about a month ago. It was funny. After coming home, the babysitter told us how sneaky she is. Our G man is rough and tumble and wants to play constantly. Rally will just quietly slip away and get into something she shouldn't. Makes for a fun adventure.

G man is going through potty training. This was a decision made out of desperation, not necessarily preparedness. But we are getting there. At 2 1/2 years, he was outgrowing the biggest size diapers they sell at normal stores. He is going to be big and tall like his Grandpa's! So, we made the decision to start toilet training. He is doing so well. We have even made it a whole day without any accidents. I can't wait for it to be done. We keep telling him that he is done with diapers. There aren't any more. Hopefully he is starting to understand.

We sold our Ford today to one of Bruce's relatives. It was nice. I hope they love it as much as we have. We had to drive to Heber City to drop it off. On the way home, we had to stop and get gas. Apparently he was trying to have a conversation with me while I was trying to relax. He said "Mommy" several times to no avail. At that point, he screams at the top of his lungs, "Rissa Walther, listen to me!" I couldn't help but laugh. It is funny when you realize how much they really do seem to understand. What a fun and happy boy. Now if he would stop living up to the "Terrible Two's", we would be ecstatic.

So, onto selling our Ford. We found a crazy deal on a minivan and purchased it. GULP. We are now a minivan family. GULP. It is weird to see my Hot Hubby driving a minivan. It was a necessity, though. We were just outgrowing our little sedan with long trips down to Salt Lake as often as we have. It is an older car, but meets our needs. In the long run, that is all that matters. Being debt free is more of a goal for us than having the newest cars or a bigger home. Those things may come in time, but right now, being home with my babies is the biggest thing.

I started my own little business, as well. I am now an Independent Jamberry Nails Consultant. I have loved it so far, but we have yet to see if I will be successful in this endeavor. I hope so. I hope that it will be the answer to our prayers in making us more financially fit, but only time will tell. So realize if I mention this business to you, I am not trying to push you into buying anything or trying to get you to sign up to be a consultant. I just really want my own business to succeed and am trying to do it the best way I know. WORD OF MOUTH. So with that, call me if you want to order nails, host a party, or are thinking about doing something similar to this on your own.

Our church had General Conference last weekend. It has always been my time to relax and hear from our Prophet. I am discovering that the relaxing may very well be null and void until my children grow up a little. It was a constant fight to keep a two year old entertained. At one point he yelled at me. "Mom, I am tired of being quiet. I want to play!" I forget that it is a lot more sitting time for little kids his age than he would have at church. I must be better prepared next fall! But one of the things that I loved was a talk from Boyd K. Packer. In this talk he mentioned a lot about the changing values in the world we live in. One thing he reminded people of was to not try so hard to be tolerant that we lose our beliefs. I am so grateful for our little family and our belief system. I am grateful for the fundamental role that families play. I am grateful to be a mother and to be married for eternity to my sweetheart. He makes me so happy. When the kids are being pills and I'm so tired I can hardly stand, he comes home and wraps me in his arms. When I haven't gotten to shower yet or have had to clean up potty training messes, he takes the kids outside and gives Mommy time for a much needed shower. He is my strength. He is my home. With him, I am the best me that I can be. So while the world may take away the important role of motherhood or diminish the role of womanhood, I have a man who finds ways to constantly remind me how much he needs me, as a wife, a mother, and a woman. I am eternally grateful for that.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Valentines & Chicken

My hot hubby and I got a call a few weeks ago from someone in our church group. She was wondering if we would be in charge of our Ward (what we call our congregations) Valentines dinner. Of course, he said we would love to. Then he turned to me and asked "What have we gotten ourselves into?" Now, to clarify, we were in charge of making and serving all of the food. They were expecting 75 people. I jumped in head first.

We decided quickly that Valentines deserved a special dinner. After talking to my mom (the fount of all knowledge in my culinary brain), we decided to make Chicken Cordon Bleu. It would look pretty awesome and taste even better. So last Wednesday, I set out pounding 100 chicken breasts as thin as I could get them. The best part of this story is that I don't have a meat mallet. I was planning on taking my mom's when we went into Salt Lake City several weeks ago, but I had forgotten. My husband walked in from work to see me pounding on the chicken with our heaviest skillet. After he stopped laughing, he set to work helping me finish the prep work for the chicken.

Friday was the party and was a very busy day for me. I have never cooked food for 75 people before. It took most of the day to roll the chicken with the ham and cheese. A couple of hours before the party, I then took the chicken bundles and rolled them in melted butter and then in bread crumbs. Of course, I seasoned the breadcrumbs in garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Because I was making such a large quantity, I baked these bad boys on cookie sheets instead of baking dishes, but I would encourage a smaller baking dish for just your family. Bake these wonderful little cheesy bundles at 350 until the chicken is cooked through and the breaded bundles have turned a golden brown.

The nice thing about Chicken Cordon Bleu is that it looks a lot harder to make than it actually is. I've made it for my family several times. It takes very little prep work and is great. Until you make 100 of them. I've often told my husband that I would love to open a catering company. Now I would amend that to "Only if I could hire the employees to beat that chicken thin".

I was so pleased with how great the food turned out. It was a wonderful night. A lot of our church members put in a lot of work to decorate the gym and prepare entertainment for all of it. Plus, they even provided a nursery for my two little ones. It was so much fun to be with my hubby with good food and good friends. So now, for your Valentine, go home and make some tasty chicken. He will think you slaved away on it and fall in love with you all over again!

And next time, I'm taking pictures.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Helmet Free!

We had a busy week this last week. We spent the weekend down in Salt Lake and found out at the beginning of the week that our sweet princess is now going to be helmet free! They gave us a month pass, then we will head down there again and reevaluate how her head is growing. I will admit that this Mama is super excited. Since we have gotten back on Wednesday, the girlie has worn a new bow every day. I have been saving all of these bows and head bands for months and now we can start spoiling her. I have been so impressed with her surgeon, Dr. Siddiqi, down at Primary Children's Medical Center. If any of you ever have to have this surgery, he is the way to go!

We also got to go the the baby blessing of our adorable niece. She is a beauty! We are far enough away now that we don't get to see all of our family as often as we would like, but are grateful that we could be a part of their special day.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Mi Hermana

I don't speak Spanish. I attempted for a while in high school and college, but fifteen years later, I have to admit very little stuck. But my baby sister is currently learning Spanish. In fact, she is in the sink or swim school of Spanish. She is serving a mission for our church for eighteen months in a Spanish speaking area. I get to write her on Sunday nights/Monday mornings and just finished up. It gets me thinking. So now you get to hear my rantings.

I am on a journey of discovery lately. Where we live there are a lot of people who make very little money. Yet, when I go to church every Sunday, I see true joy. They live hard lives on farms and with winters below zero. Or they work in the oil fields in below zero. But I watch them with their families and I see happiness. This is a stark contrast to me. I must admit that since graduating college, I had always been fiscally secure and responsible. I always had a savings account. I always had the money to get all of the things I needed and most of the things I wanted. So I apparently needed to learn some things about life.

My husband graduated from college in May of 2011. It took him a long time to graduate. He really isn't as young as that makes him sound. But he is super hot so that makes up for it! Anyway, we assumed he would get a teaching job immediately. I mean, a male in a female dominated field has to be in high demand, right? Wrong. Utah had some problems with an over abundance of teachers that year and he didn't get a teaching job. I was a stay at home mom at this point with our little boy and the pressure was put on our little family. My husband worked every job he could find. He delivered pizza's. He worked fast food. He substitute taught. All at the same time. I hardly ever saw him. I was miserable. He was miserable and tired. But we survived. It was a great learning experience, but we failed to learn the big life lesson. We decide how we feel.

We really were blessed at that time. We always had the money to meet our needs. Our kids never went hungry. It was what we needed to prepare us for now. I say that for the simple reason that now we are in a different place financially. My husband is only working one job as a public school teacher. We don't make a lot of money. We don't have a savings account any more. We don't go out to eat and we haven't been on a date in months. Yet, I am happy. I see people around me, finally. I see the family that makes half of what we make and yet, devote their lives to service. I get letters from my sister about the families she is serving. About how poor they are and yet, how they not only survive, but thrive.

Changing directions this year isn't about just changing our physical location. It's about changing our mental one too. I have decided that my attitude needs to be one of gratitude. My Heavenly Father has provided for us. We have all we need to meet our needs and we have family and friends who love us. I have two wonderful children. I have a husband who comes home every night and tells me how much he loves me. I could ask for more, I'm sure. But I need to be grateful for the blessing I have and not waste any time lamenting the few I don't. When we count our blessings, we will find that most of us have far more than we realized.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Monthly Menu

I will admit that I have stopped planning a menu for breakfast and lunch. It just didn't work with my little guy. I would have planned for grilled cheese sandwiches and he would want chicken nuggets. It just wasn't working. So now we have the basics for breakfast and lunch and play it a little more by ear. It makes my meal planning a lot easier. I just have to keep a closer eye on my pantry to make sure I still have those kid favorite foods in the cupboard.

Our menu for the month includes a couple of my favorites that I posted on another of my menu planning posts. Zippy Beef Casserole and Bruschetta Chicken are on the second meal planning post, so be sure to check out those recipes. We have been trying some new recipes this month, and most of them have been wonderful, but we've had a few that my sweet husband kindly told me were skipable. Yep, that's a new word. Created just for you. Here are my keepers for the month and the recipes. I will take pictures from now on to show you all the tasty goodness, but until then, you will have to take me at my word. Also, my family usually makes each of these meals last two nights. It's one of the perks of having really little kids, so realize that a normal family of four would probably go through this menu in two to three weeks instead of a month.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco's
1 1/2 lbs. Chicken
1 med. can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1- 4 oz. can green chilies, diced
1 pkg. taco seasoning

Put all ingredients in a crock-pot. Cook on low for most of the day. Shred chicken with forks before serving. Serve with your taco favorites.

Spanish Spiral Pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz)diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups rotini, uncooked
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, rotini, salt, sugar, chili powder and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until rotini is tender. *Note- I can my own tomatoes. I usually can them whole in quart jars. For this recipe, I used the quart jar and just gently crushed my tomatoes instead of purchasing store tomatoes. They taste so much better when I can them myself.

Cherokee Casserole
I found this recipe online and thought I would try it. I would love to give credit where it is due, but to be honest, I've had the recipe long enough, I don't remember where I got it.

1 green pepper, diced
1 lb. hamburger
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. ketchup
2 cups cooked rice
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Chili powder
salt to taste
3 cups tomato juice (again, I used my own canned)
3 c. shredded cheese, any variety

In a skillet, brown hamburger and saute onions and green pepper. Add chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and ketchup. Stir. Add tomato juice. Simmer on low heat until it thickens slightly. Mix cooked rice into the hamburger mixture. In a large baking dish, layer the hamburger mixture, then cheese. Repeat the process, ending with the cheese layer. Cook at 350 until heated through.

We like to serve this with a small scoop of sour cream. It is so yummy!

Onion Turkey Meatballs
This recipe had mixed reviews. I enjoyed it and thought it was pretty good. My little boy loved the meatballs and "noodles", but the hubs wasn't super fond of it. He said he would eat it again, but wouldn't choose it. Here it is for you to decide.

1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup onion soup mix, divided in half
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
3 cups water, divided
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
Hot cooked noodles or rice

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and half of the soup mix. Crumble meat over the mixture and mix well. Shape into one inch balls. In a large skillet, cook meatballs until browned on all sides and a meat thermometer reads 165. Stir in 2-1/2 cups water and remaining soup mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until juices run clear.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining water until smooth; gradually add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with the noodles or rice.

*Recipe found in Taste of Home-The busy family Cookbook*


Bacon Chicken Crescent Ring
2 tubes (8 oz) crescent rolls
1 can (10 oz) chunk white chicken, drained and flaked (I used 2 chicken breasts instead)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup finely chopped onion.
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 Tbsp. dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 cup alfredo sauce

Grease a 14 inch pizza pan. Unroll crescent roll dough; separate into 16 triangles. Place wide end of one triangle 3 inches from edge with point overhanging edge of pan. repeat, overlapping the wide ends (dough will look like a sun when complete). Lightly press wide ends together. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over wide ends of dough. Fold the points of triangle over the filling and tuck under the wide ends. The filling will still be visible. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Spaghetti
Okay, this recipe is courtesy of my amazing Mother-In-Law. One of the things I discovered quickly about their family is their love of spaghetti and the necessity for Guacamole to make every holiday dinner complete. I know if my husband has had a really bad day, it's time to whip up a batch of spaghetti. If there are leftovers, he has been known to eat it for breakfast the next morning. Yes, it is that good.


Brown in a pan:
1 lb. of ground beef 1 small onion, chopped

Add:
2 large cans (32 oz) tomatoes ground in a blender OR 1 large can of tomato juice
1/2 to 2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground marjoram
1 tsp. ground oregano
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. mustard seed

Simmer all of this together until it thickens into a sauce. Serve over hot noodles.
*Sometimes, when I'm feeling the need for a spicier sauce, I throw in some red pepper flakes. I usually do 1/2 tsp., but try it to your family's taste.

Taco's
Okay, there really isn't a trick to this meat. Just brown the hamburger and prepare it with store bought taco seasoning as you like. I also throw in some diced onion and minced garlic.

When I want to make it go a little further, I also add 1 cup of rice and double the water mixture and taco seasoning. This way, the rice actually cooks in the taco seasoned water and it is great. I actually prefer my taco meat with the rice, but you should refer back to the comment from yesterday about my love of carbs.

Sour Cream Marinated Chicken
This recipe is from my Aunt Karen on my dads side. It's been in the family recipe book for years and I always pull it out for fancier meals, like Sunday dinner.

6 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2-4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 tsp. salt salt
1-3/4 cups bread crumbs
2 cups sour cream
4 tsp. celery salt
3 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix sour cream, worcestershire suace, celery salt, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Place chicken in sauce and turn to coat. Let marinate overnight (or two to three hours if you are forgetful like me). Roll chicken in bread crumbs. Drizzle 1/4 c. melted butter over top. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over and drizzle another 1/4 cup melted butter over other side. Bake for 15 more minutes.

Mexican Haystacks
This is one of my Grandma's recipes. We love it so much that the recipe is actually huge! I've paired it down for you, but it is usually 3 times this large at my house and then I freeze it to pull out for a quick fix when I really need a good reminder of my Grandma.

1 lb. hamburger, browned
1 small onion chopped
4-5 hot peppers (I use the bottled kind found in the mexican food aisle.)
1 quart of tomato juice
7 oz. of ketchup (I had to pair it down, but roughly 1/4 of a 28 oz bottle)
cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce to taste

Simmer until consistency you like and the heat you like. Remove the peppers once it is the spicy heat that your family enjoys. When I make a big batch, I usually simmer somewhere between an hour to two hours.

This is going to be the top layer of your haystack. I will list the rest of the layers how I do it, starting at the bottom

Fritos
Rice
Lettuce
Cheese
Sauce
-I usually put a scoop of sour cream on top. That only started after I married my honey. My grandmother would call for the pure, unadulterated version. It is so good either way!

Chicken Pot Pie
Again, another MIL recipe. I will take a picture of this one when we make it next week and post it for all to glory in.

6 lbs. diced chicken
1 med. onion, diced
1 tsp. salt
2 stalks celery, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. pepper
Cover this with water, simmer until tender. Strain and retain the liquid.

Melt 1 cup butter, add 1 cup flour, cook for 5 minutes. Add 4-6 cups of retained chicken broth until it is a gravy consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook together:
4 cups diced carrots
4 stalks diced celery
2 cups diced potatoes
Combine chicken, veggies, 1 pkg of frozen peas(cooked slightly), 1 pkg. frozen broccoli(I leave this out. I'm not a big fan of broccoli in this, but you be the judge.) and chicken gravy. Place in a casserole dish and cover with a pie crust. Brush with 1 egg and 1 Tbsp. milk whipped together. Prick pie crust with a fork. Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes, until pie crust is golden brown.

Mostaccoli
This is from my sister, Cheree. It is awesome. Mainly because you just use canned marinara sauce. We made this and added sliced pepperoni to it and it was great.

Cook your pasta. Add the marinara sauce and I add 1/2 tsp of chili pepper flakes. Pour it into a casserole dish and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Taco Soup
My sister-in-law, Sarah, is responsible for this one. I really like it. It is so tasty!

1 can beans (kidney or black), drained
1 can corn
1 quart of tomatoes (blended in blended)
1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef
chopped onion
cumin
salt and pepper
chili powder
garlic powder

Brown the meat with the onions, while browning, heat beans, corn and tomatoes. Add browned meat and onions. Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and other spices to taste. Heat thoroughly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Crescents
I make this so often that I don't even have the recipe written down anymore. But I can tell you how much I love them!

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. parsley
1 Tbsp. milk
2 tubes of crescent rolls

Mix the cooked chicken, cream cheese, garlic, parsley and milk. Lay out the crescent rolls on a greased baking sheet. Pout a small scoop of cream cheese mixture in each crescent and roll up. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of milk
2 Tbsp. of sour cream

Heat together and pour over the crescents. Serve with rice.


I hope you enjoy these recipes. I don't do anything too fancy. but I do love making good, sit down meals for my little family. Please feel free to comment and share your family favorites. I would love to try some new recipes!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Missing Grandma and Bread!

So, I will admit something. I love bread. I love everything about it. My favorite thing about going to my Grandma's house was that she always had homemade bread. Not just one slice. As many as you could eat. I always intended to keep up the tradition of making homemade bread. It just didn't happen. I have a baby who is fussy regularly and a little boy who is fully entrenched in the terrible two's. This means that I mostly buy bread. But earlier this week, I made bread. And cinnamon rolls. Hallelujah for carbs! But what I found was that it was the most relaxing couple of hours I have spent in a long time.

I don't have a stand mixer and my hand mixer just wasn't sturdy enough. So this was all done in a big bowl with the best mixer in the world; my hands. It was fun. My little boy was super excited because "Mom was getting messy!" The best part about it was that I felt like I was with my Grandma again. I have to admit that I have a minor case of hero worship when it comes to her. She was my paternal grandmother and most of the time I was growing up, they lived on a farm. It was the best thing in the world to go and visit. That woman could cook! She was the hardest working woman I know.

Back to the bread. The recipe makes four loaves of regular sized bread. Poor me, I only have two bread pans! So I made cinnamon rolls with the rest of the dough. I didn't really have a recipe, so I had to call my mom on how to make the frosting. I still didn't measure, but it was super yummy, so I will take it. But here is the best recipe in the world for bread from the best woman in the world.

Grandma's Bread

4 cups warm water
8 Tbsp sugar or honey
8 cups flour
4 tsp. slat
4 Tbsp. shortening/butter, cut into cubes
4 heaping Tbsp. yeast

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of warm water (in addition to the 4 cups the recipe calls for). Mix all ingredients and knead to form a soft dough. You will probably need more than the 8 cups flour. I did! Keep adding flour a little at a time until it is no longer totally sticky, but still very very soft. Let the dough rise two times. Mold into loaves and place in bread pans. let rise about 30 minutes and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

I hope you enjoy Grandma's bread as much as I do. I'm making more tomorrow and can't wait for a couple more hours of memories!

Grandma and my cute baby boy!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Changing Directions

Whew! What a busy couple of months it has been at our house. Bruce started his new job teaching in August. We didn't close on our new house until mid October. It made us a commuter family for several months. It was so nice when we were finally all under the same roof again. It was a blessing in disguise as it made both of us realize how much we truly do depend on each other.

In July, shortly after my last post, our daughter had surgery for a condition called Craniosynostosis. Basically this is a condition where a baby is born without a soft spot. It affects roughly one in a thousand births. Supposedly, this is just a fluke thing, but I don't buy it, since Daddy also has the same condition. It generally requires surgery on her skull to create a soft spot so the baby can grow at a normal rate and brain pressure will stay in the safe zone. It was a pretty scary day for us. But our girlie did great with the surgery and we are five months past the surgery. She is now eight months old, rockin' her helmet, and the happiest little girl in the world.

Now, onto our move to catch everyone up. We moved from a suburb of Salt Lake City into a very rural area two to three hours away. It was a terrifying thing for me as I have always lived in a more metropolitan area. Yet, I've fallen in love. I love waking up each morning and looking out the window. I see rolling hills covered in snow and horses. I know when the diapers are being delivered because no one else drives down our little road during that time of day. I can't go to the grocery store because that is an hour round trip, so we eat a lot more homemade things. This is also a problem because I currently have a half pan of cinnamon rolls sitting on my counter, calling my name. I went from never eating carbs to having them be the center of my menu because that is what homemade treats consist of. We have to plan our trips into town and spend Saturdays going grocery shopping for the perishable items and visiting the library and any other errands we need. We have to drive twenty minutes to go to church. It is such a change of pace. The rural lifestyle suits me. I am now planning my large garden and trying to talk my husband into getting some hens.

I also now plan out my menu for the whole month at one time. It makes grocery shopping a lot easier since we have to travel to Salt Lake to go to the big stores. But it also insures that my budget is more strictly enforced. I will post my January menu in the next couple of days. A little late is always better than never!

I am working on my own personal goals as well. I have decided that the big goals seem so overwhelming. I had to break them down a little. My first big goal is to lose ten pounds in the next three months. It is a small amount, less than a pound a week, but will bring me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. From there we will have to work on the next ten. This is a New Years goal, but only because I wanted to enjoy my holidays with homemade fudge, caramels, and all the other good Christmas traditions. I'm a foodie at heart and that particular obsession won out for a couple of months. Next check in on the diet will be on February 1st.