Article on Healthcare

You may have to register at New York Times to view this article, but it's oh so worth it (and free):

 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/opinion/31krugman.html?_r=5

Sweet Dreams

As we were driving in the car, I told Scott about a really scary dream I had last night about a Mountain Lion (don't ask questions...).  When I finished I heard this from the backseat (seriously, this is word for word):

L: Mom?  That was your scary dream?  I had a scary dream while I was sleeping too.  I was outside...and I was getting closer and closer...and I realized there was a JAGUAR!  He was saying "groooowwwwwl" and I was really scared......but then I just gave him some jaguar cookies and he said "Oh!  Cookies!".  Then he was happy.  Then I saw a monster in my room - he was coming out under my bed and he said "Roooooaaarrrr!!".  But then I just gave him some monster cookies and he said "Ooohhoooheee!  *munch munch munch*".  

Apparently I've been teaching my child that cookies solve everything.  Well, they kind of do :)

Falafel!?

The first time we had Falafel was at a Berkeley Ward Men's cook-off (Linda, did Devin win that year??).  We thought it was really yummy, but didn't have at again until now for no real reason.  Well, I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO SO good (I served it in pita bread and used a whole cucumber from our CSA in the sauce).  Landon loved it - he dipped his in ketchup of course.  Such an easy vegetarian meal!

We've also discovered how amazingly delicious roasted beets are.  How did I not know how awesome they are!?  All I did was wash some fresh beets, put them in a baking dish with some olive oil, roast them at 350 for about an hour.  Then we sliced them, put some S&P on and drizzled some red wine vinegar over the top.  If you haven't tried beets before, I highly suggest you try.  They are SO yummy!

Family Time

This is pretty much what we've been up to during the week.  Our rent includes access to our community pool and it's SO fun.  There's a kiddie pool and a big pool and always a lot of friends to play with! 

Here they are eating their lunch after swimming all morning.  

This picture's mostly for Carrie's benefit :).  The other week we had some family and friends over to eat our FAVORITE homemade dessert: spudnuts.  YUM!!

Another goal that we've had recently is to finally have family home evening (FHE) every week.  We've been doing it every Monday night and I love it!  The boys love having a dedicated night to just have fun together, sing songs and of course have a treat.  Usually we end up going to the park (that's the activity of choice at our house), but it really has made us feel closer together!

Boys will be Boys

Here's what the boys are up to these days:

Landon said this to me as I entered the room the other day:

L: Hey Zurg!

That's right.  I have apparently moved from "Mommy" to "Zurg".  I guess we've been playing Toy Story too much :).  Other favorite Landon sayings: "Mom, that's not fair!", "Well, maybe Parker realized he doesn't want that toy anymore", "I'm not coming in behind you again old man!" and my personal favorites "Mom, you look really pretty in that shirt" and "Thanks so much for this delicious pizza" and "You're the best Mom ever".  I think that last one may have been prompted by Scott, but it still felt great!

This is Parker's routine almost every night (check out his cheesy grin).  

Parker's a little chatterbox too.  He loves to annoy Landon by saying things over and over (and over).  The other night he said "Dancing Show!" so many times that Landon actually started crying.  We intervened (eventually) in between hidden spurts of laughter.  Seriously, that's pretty funny!  Landon is now working on "not being bugged" when Parker is working very hard to bug him.  These boys are so fun!

Family Visit and CSA

After my short trip to California we got to spend some time with Len and Kit.  The night I got home I gave the boys a new coloring book and Landon was so excited.  He had already stayed up until past 9pm to come get me at the airport and then he kept begging to color just "one more page!".  He's actually getting pretty good at staying in the lines - he likes coloring a lot more now that he feels like he's getting good at it!

Landon and Parker always love seeing their Papa and Mama Kit!

Parker was so intent on staying awake for every minute of their visit that he eventually ended up like this:

We were all sad to see them go, but were so glad for the visit!

As an update on our sustainability goals:

We are loving the changes we've made!  Last week was our first real week with our new plan and I can't believe how well it went.  We only ate meat three times (we didn't miss it)and we used up all of our veggies from our weekly CSA box.  This is what we got last week:

I definitely had to spend a bit more time planning our menu for the week, but it was well worth it.  I learned how to properly clean and cook leeks and turnips - they were so good!  I made a tomato leek soup with homemade bread, lots of salads, turnip potato mash, pasta with pesto (we had fresh basil from our box), mushrooms, tofu and olives (Scott said that was the first time he's ever loved a dish with tofu!), and at the end of the week I sauteed the remaining vegetables and made a veggie pot pie with homemade biscuits.  Every meal was so good and so flavorful with all the fresh vegetables.  We even had fresh homemade bread to eat all week!  It was really great and I don't feel like I spent that much extra time in the kitchen.  The only difference for me was that I really needed to plan and organize our menu to make sure that we used everything.  If you want any of those recipes, just email me!  Many of them were just thrown together, but I can at least give you an idea :).  

This week we got beets, squash, kale, onions and potatoes.  I'm excited to try some new recipes! 

Parker Poo Poo?

Ok, I just had to post this because I CANNOT believe it actually happened.  For the last few weeks Parker has been really interested in the potty and he's been telling me every time he has to go poop.  He'll come up and say "Mommy, poopoos!" and then a few minutes later he'll fill his pants.  I knew from potty training Landon that this is one of the first "readiness signs" for potty training in toddlers, but it didn't even occur to me to try with Parker (he's only 19 months for goodness sake!!).  Anyway, tonight he kept telling me "poopoos" over and over and Scott finally said, "Parker, do you want to go poopoos in the potty?".  Parker exclaimed "YEAH!!" and ran to the bathroom.  I got out our little seat and the step stool and Parker climbed right up, sat down and said "Bye bye Mommy!".  He was telling me to get out!  Then I heard a lot of grunting....

Sure enough, he totally pooped in the potty!  Can you believe that!?  I went in to congratulate him and said "Can I see?" and he said "NO!  Mine!".  I guess he's still slightly possessive over it :).  He was so excited, though and really excited when we gave him a skittle on top of it.  He then went back and went pee a little while later and all night he's been saying "more potty! more candy!".  I guess he at least gets that part of it.  I really don't know if I'm ready to do this with a 1 and a half year old, but he's really into it (at least for today).  I guess we'll just see if his enthusiasm lasts!  This is him getting his bum wiped...haha.  I really don't know what I was doing with my face:

Cali Wedding

Last weekend I was able to go back to California for Laura's wedding (a good friend from University).  It was a whirlwind trip, but I'm so glad I went!  Here's me and Laura - just like old times :)

I was so glad that Bri went too!  I hadn't seen her FOREVER and it was awesome to chat and spend some time together.  Even though our lives have definitely changed since college, I was amazed at how much we still had in common.  Now I just wish she lived closer!

Here's all of us gals.  I was able to talk with Leah (Laura and Bri's roommate) too and she's awesome!  She got married before I even met Laura, but I'm sure we would have been friends back then had she still been around :)  Her little baby made me miss my boys!

The Bachelorette was pretty fun - Laura got some great stuff.  We'll just leave it at that!

The Wedding Day.  Don't they look fantastic!?

It was so wonderful to be in the temple with these gals and to attend Laura's sealing.  As I listened I was reminded of all the promises I made on my wedding day.  I really wished that Scott could have been there with me!  We'll have to go to the temple again soon.

It was icing on the cake to go for lunch with Carrie and Liz on the way to the airport.  Carrie let me borrow her car to get to and from Lodi (her good car 'cause I can't drive stick shift...haha) so that I didn't have to rent.  Thanks Care!!  I really miss these girls.  Liz has a major belly bump now (hallelujah) and we got to celebrate some exciting news with Carrie - she's having baby #2!   

All in all it was a very fun and refreshing weekend for me!

 I think I've told a few of you how I recently subscribed to "GOOP".  It's a site that was started by Gwyneth Paltrow and I really love her newsletters!  She sends out one every week with different topics (Do, Be, Make, etc.) and every one that I've received so far has been interesting, has made me think and has given me really good ideas (like great recipes).  Anyway, as soon as I got back from the wedding I got this weeks "Be" newsletter and it was talking about how to strengthen relationships and marriages.  How appropriate!  So here, Laura, this one's for you: GOOP-Be

Bread and Tortilla's

Sorry for two recipe posts in a row, but I've had a few people asking for my bread and tortilla recipes, so here they are. For most bread recipes I use half bread/all purpose flour (unbleached usually) and half whole wheat with some added wheat germ. You can really use any combination you like!

Flour Tortilla's - My Dad's recipe

2 c flour (you can add more or less depending on how many tortilla's you want to make)
Dash of salt
A few Tbsp. of oil or shortening
Hot water

1. Put the flour in a bowl (I never really measure, I just fill my mixing bowl about 3/4 full), add the dash of salt and then add the oil or shortening. I usually heat up a pan to medium high while I'm making the dough.

2. Knead oil into the flour with your fingers until it's well dispersed and the flour clumps together when you squeeze it.

3. Add hot water (as hot as possible) and knead with your hands until the dough comes together - shouldn't be dry and shouldn't be sticky (you can add more water and/or flour to counteract).

4. Form the dough into small balls (about the size of a plum) and then flatten them out with a rolling pin (as thin as possible without tearing the dough). Put tortilla on the hot pan - when you see bubbles forming in the dough, flip to the other side. When you see bubbles on that side, remove from the heat and place inside a folded towel to keep warm. Cooking should really only take a minute or two, so adjust your heat as necessary.


Easy Bread - Mom's Recipe
*This recipe makes a ton of bread, so you may want to cut in half - I use the whole thing if I'm making cinnamon rolls and bread or some other combination.

3 1/2 c warm water (warm enough to stay warm even after you've added the milk)
1 c milk
1 egg
1/2 c sugar
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 c butter or oil
7-8+ c flour

These instructions are for my Bosch, so you may have to adjust if doing by hand, but it should be pretty similar for a KitchenAid:

1. Blend water, milk, egg, butter, sugar, yeast and salt. Sponge (let sit for 5-10 min. until foamy)

2. Add 3-4 c flour (should look like pancake batter), then add a cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the mixer. Let knead for a few minutes.

3. Cover with a towel and let rise to double. (You could transfer to an oiled bowl for this step, but I just leave it in the Bosch)

4. Form into loaves, breadsticks, scones, cinnamon buns or anything else! Baking times differ depending on what you're making, but here are my typical times: 350 degree oven, 25-35 min for cinnamon buns and breadsticks, 40-50 min for loaves (basically until the tops are brown and hard).



Berkeley Ward Sacrament Bread - Kazume's recipe (SO yummy!!)

Part 1

3 c warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1/4 - 1/3 c honey
1 c dry milk
1 c whole wheat flour
3 c bread flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a big bowl, add honey and milk - stir. Add flour and mix well. Let sit for 50-60 min.

Part 2

1 Tbsp salt
1/4 c butter, melted
1 c oats
3 c bread flour
Additional bread flour as needed for kneading, etc.

Add salt and butter to the rested yeast mixture - mix well. Add oats and bread flour and knead (by hand on a breadboard for 10 min., but I let my mixer do the work!!). Put back in bowl and let sit for 40-50 min. Punch down the dough about 20 times and hten let rise for another 30-40 min. Spread out and knead a little more. Divide into two. Form into a bowl with seam down and let it sit 5 min. Form into loaves, put in greased loaf pans with seam down. Cut a slit for air. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 min.


Bread of Puglia - Kit's Recipe
*I use all bread flour for this recipe - it's more of an artisan bread that you serve with pasta, stews, etc.

Part 1 - Biga, Universal Starter

Stir 1/4 tsp yeast into 1/4 c warm water; let stand 10 min. till creamy. Add 1/3 c warm water, then 1 1/2 - 2 c unbleached flour. Mix until a sticky dough is formed. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 6 - 24 hours (I usually just make the starter the night before and let it rise overnight). It will double to triple in volume and be wet and sticky when ready.

Part 2

1 1/4 tsp yeast
3/4 c plus 1 Tbsp Biga
1/4 c warm water
2-3 tsp salt
3 c water, room temp.

Stir yeast into warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand about ten minutes till creamy. Add 3 c water and the starter - mix well. Add flour and salt mixing until dough comes together. Add another 1-2 Tbsp. flour as needed. Knead 3-5 minuted on medium speed (with dough hook). Finish kneading by hand on a floured surface with floured hands until the dough loses its stickiness and is soft and velvety. Place dough in lightly oiled large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until tripled (about 3 hours).

On a floured surface, divide dough in thirds, flatten and roll up lengthwise tightly, turn 90 degrees and repeat to make a taut springy round. Place on greased, cornmealed baking sheets, cover with towel and let rise about 1 hour until doubled.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. About 10 min. before baking, flour the tops of the loaves and dimple them all over with your fingertips to contorl raising in the oven. Bake until crusty and hollow sounding (about 50 min.)


Banana Bread - Grandma's Recipe (I make this every two weeks - my kids love it!!)

1 3/4 c flour (I use 1/2 c whole wheat or wheat germ and the rest all purpose)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c shortening or oil
2 eggs
1 c banana (I just add 1 1/2 bananas for this)

1. Mix first four ingredients, set aside.
2. Cream the sugar, shortening, banana and eggs.
3. Combine the two mixtures. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about an hour (until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center of the loaf). Don't overbake or it gets really dry.

Whew! Happy cooking everybody. These really are our favorite bread recipes, so I hope you like them too! Here are two more I'm planning to try at some point:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kid-Friendly-Wheat-Bread/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Wheat-Bread-I/Detail.aspx
(with butter instead of shortening)

Summer Squash and Polenta

I tried out this new vegetarian recipe last week and it was really yummy. The original recipe can be found here, but I altered it a bit:

First, I made the polenta instead of buying it (this is the recipe I used and it was really good - I used skim milk and not much cheese. Also, I whisked in the polenta before heating and then cooked it while whisking until thick - this made it a lot faster and it still came out smooth)

Second, I used the veggies I had: three different types of summer squash, onion and fresh tomato. I'm sure it's good with everything it calls for, but it's not set in stone so just use whatever you have!

Third, I made the polenta earlier in the day and just poured it into the casserole dish directly to cool in the fridge (ie: I didn't fry it, but just poured the squash on top and baked). This made it way faster and got rid of a lot of extra oil.

Here's a picture:

It really was delicious - I hope you get the chance to try it!!

Our New Home

We're finally unpacked enough that I can show you some pictures of our place. I'll give you a little walk through:

This is the mural in the entryway - awesome right? I told you it was funky :)

Then you go up the stairs:

And turn the corner:

This is our laundry room -laundry ROOM - in that first door. Did I mention we have an actual room for laundry!?

This is the hallway to the boys room (mural #2 on the right):

The boys bathroom:

This is the boys room. They totally love it - Parker especially is super excited about his big boy bed (or "Blue Bed" as he calls it). Every morning when he wakes up in it he says: Mommy, BLUE bed!!

Boys closet:

Living room:

Other side of living room (complete with our TV antenna - we decided not to get cable this time around):
Kitchen:

Other view of kitchen and the kids kitchen - they love playing restaurant these days!

The master bedroom is right off the living room/kitchen, but you don't get to see that yet (aka: it's a disaster zone). Here's the master bath instead:
And here's probably our favorite place in the house:

We got that dining set from a nice older couple off of Craigslist for really cheap - it's solid oak and beautiful!! In the morning all you see out those windows are trees, trees and more trees (we back on the golfcourse). It's wonderful!

Finally, here's our little deck off the dining area:

We love our new home and this community!! We've checked out the pool (our landlord pays for us to have access to that) and the kids love it, the Farmer's market in Boulder is awesome and we just recieved our first order of beef from Sun Prairie Beef - a ranch near Yuma, CO. We can't wait to try it out tonight!

Trip to Utah

Yay for internet! We finally got everything hooked up at our new place, so I'm back to posting. Before we moved we stayed for a couple of weeks at the cabin in Utah. We had such a blast with family and friends! Here are a few of the things we did (they're totally out of order, but I don't feel like organizing it - sorry!):

Len and Kit rented a boat so all of us could go out for a ride. I hadn't been on a boat in such a long time!

All the kids (mine and Scott's sister Stacie's) wanted to ride with my sister Stacey, so this is what she looked like for most of the time:

Such a trooper!
This is what Sam looked like after doubling with Mook. He was totally stuffed in there!

My boys thought Papa's job was pretty cool:

After everyone was sufficiently cold and tired we went back for a delicious picnic that Kit had prepared. Parker thought it was funny to hide under the table to eat his watermelon:
The kids loved going to the park with their cousins. Now that Landon's older, he loved playing with everyone!

The first day that Stacey and Stacie + kids were up at the cabin, we decided to go over to the aquatic center in Kamas. It was awesome! All the kids had a blast.
Parker loved jumping off the side and Landon, Anna and Michael loved playing with the sprayers.

This was by far Parker's favorite game, though:

As we were leaving, Stacey and I decided to jump off the diving boards. After seeing us, Parker was begging to "JUMP!!". So we let him (I was in the water to catch him). I was really surprised by how far down in the water he went...I don't think we'll be doing that again anytime soon! He was so proud of himself, though. He ran up to Scott saying "I JUMP Daddy!!"
We got to meet up with some good friends from the Berkeley ward in Provo. Once Landon and Peter warmed up to eachother, they were a match made in heaven. Battle anyone?

While Stacie and the kids were at the house, we celebrated Scott's birthday. We had his favorite cake of course:

Landon really liked that lighter...

I'm so glad Stacie's family was able to stay for a couple of days. The kids sure have grown up!

After Stacie's family left, we were joined by more family. Bryson was down for a basketball camp and Brandon and Tamsin came up to visit too. Again, the boys were in heaven!

I think this was probably a close match:

Landon and Tamsin became good buddies - he kept asking for Aunt Tamsin to come wrestle and play superheroes :)

We also got to see Scott's good mission buddy Shay this trip. He's such a great guy - secretly we wish that he'll end up living near us someday. Landon got in some good superhero time:

And Scott got some good foosball time so everyone was happy!

We loved seeing everybody!! Thanks Kit and Len for letting us all invade your house...yet again :). Kit tried to avoid this picture, but I finally got it!