Family Party & Dutch Oven Recipes...

Nettie from Singing a Verse of my Song is in town, so our family all got together on Saturday night for a party. It was lots of fun to get together and visit. And the cousins had a ball playing together.

My husband and I did some dutch oven cooking for dinner that night. I was asked for my recipes. I thought I would post them here for everyone.

Dutch Oven Potatoes
5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and sliced (put in salt water to preven browning)
1 lb. bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 med. onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Fry onion and bacon in dutch oven until bacon is crisp and onion is soft. Add potatoes and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. Add salt water from potatoes if they start to look too dry.

Peach Cobbler
2 29 oz. cans of sliced peaches, drained
1 box yellow cake mix
1/4 cup butter, in small pieces
1 can lemon-lime soda
cinnamon sugar

Oil dutch oven. Place peaches on bottom and sprinkle dry cake mix over the top. Dot top with butter chunks. Pour lemon-lime soda over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cook until dry cake mix is moist, and areas are cakey (?). Watch carefully...those peaches will burn easily.

Seasoned Fried Chicken
2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 tsps. garlic salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
Oil for frying

Beat buttermilk and egg together. Mix flour with seasonings in a zip-lock bag. Coat chicken pieces with flour mixture. Dip pieces into egg/buttermilk mixture and then back into the flour mixture. (This is messy, but so worth it!) Fry in hot oil (365) until golden, and chicken is thoroughly cooked. I had leftover egg/buttermilk and flour mixtures, so I mixed them together into a batter and used it to make fried onion rings. They were yummy!

A Proud Mother, and a Book Review....

I took my 5-year old in yesterday for her Kindergarten Conference. I tell you, no mother has ever been prouder! (I know, I know, I am sure you all felt this way too!) I taught my daughter pre-school, so this was an extra big thing for me. Especially to hear her teacher gush about how well she did and how smart she is. I have wondered and worried the whole time I was teaching her if I was doing everything the right way, or if she was really learning what she needed to know. So it was so great for me to finally know that I had done a good job of teaching my daughter. She is so excited for Kindergarten. He sent her home with some homework, and she was so excited to do it as soon as we got home. She is going to love Kindergarten. Stay tuned for pics next week of her first day...oh, getting weepy already.

On another note. My book reviews have kind of fizzled lately. It was too much for me to review so many books each week, so I am just going to review our book club book for the month, and any other books I find that I exceptionally love. Our book for this month was The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. It is a children's literature book and winner of the 1962 Newbery Medal. This was a fantastic book. It is set in Jerusalem at the time of Christ during Roman rule. The main character in the book is an 18 year old boy named Daniel. His father was killed by the Romans, and he has taken a personal oath against the Romans and is waiting for the "deliverer" to come that will bring war against the Romans and free the Jews from their bondage. His hatred of the Romans, leads him to join with a group of men fighting for this purpose. As the story progresses, he is confronted with difficult choices to make regarding his family, friends, and his beliefs. He also is able to listen to Christ's sermons, and starts to have a change of heart regarding his approach to freeing the Jews from bondage. It is an inspiring book, and really makes you think about the things going on in the land during the time of Christ. Not being Jewish, I never really realized the many laws that govern their religion and society. It was very interesting to read about it in this book. It also raises some good guestions. Will I know Him when he comes again? So many people didn't know Him when He walked the earth, performed miracles, and talked directly to the people. So, how will I know it is really Him? It is a wonderful book that makes you think about your beliefs and your faith. Read it with tissues.

Itybtyfrog needs....

I have seen a few of these on other blogs, and I thought I would try it out. It was really funny! You google "Itybtyfrog needs" (insert your name instead of Itybtyfrog) and see what pops up. I actually did the search with my real name, not itybtyfrog. Here are my results....
Itybtyfrog needs a home where she can have food down all day for snacking (Oh yah! Baby…bring on the pretzels and cinnamon bears)

Itybtyfrog needs money to attend college (No kidding….I can’t believe how much tuition has gone up since I was in college)

Itybtyfrog needs to find support so she won't have to feel like she needs to flirt for attention or to be accepted (WHAT?)

Itybtyfrog needs to quit holding onto a dream (Sorry, no can do, I will always be a dreamer)

Itybtyfrog needs to scrap the turtleneck (This is funny because I can’t stand turtlenecks)

Itybtyfrog needs your help & support (Doesn’t everyone?)

Itybtyfrog needs to work up a schedule (I am currently working up a schedule to work up a schedule)

Itybtyfrog needs behavioral counseling, anger management, and FOR SURE someone she can talk with. (I could probably use all of those!)

Itybtyfrog needs to be there and everyone else is encouraged to attend. (Yes this is how my life goes….I HAVE to be there, and it is just optional for everyone else!)

Itybtyfrog needs a family that can offer her consistency, structure, an abundance of love and nurturing and clear rules and expectations. (Wouldn’t that be great!)

Itybtyfrog needs volunteers. (Volunteers to clean the bathroom. Volunteers to do the laundry. Sure I could use a few of those.)

Itybtyfrog needs to get her life together (Probably)

Itybtyfrog needs a quiet home (Wouldn’t that be nice occasionally?)

Itybtyfrog needs to buy a copy machine (I already have one and I LOVE it!)

Itybtyfrog needs help, although in the long run she's going to have to figure it out for herself. (In the end, don’t we all?)

Itybtyfrog needs suggestions (Always looking for some good ones)

Itybtyfrog needs the light (This is SO true….I have to open all my windows everyday…I can’t stand a gloomy dark house.)

Itybtyfrog needs to improve her social skills (Yes, I must admit, I am a bit of a wall flower.)

Itybtyfrog absolutely needs to call the police (Whatever for?)

Give it a try, and see what you need.

A few parade photos...

Here are a few shots from the BIG parade this weekend. The parade, was actually smaller than normal since they decided to have a seperate tractor parade, and then there were no horses, or the ever famous baton twirler. The let down of the parade was more than compensated for with the fireworks display that night. It was spectacular! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

My little Beauties (those beauty queens in the parade could never compare!)

That's a lot of cousins!

Of course someone has to be blinking or looking away in every one of our family photos.

Look how patiently they are waiting for the candy throwing to begin.
This week's blogging may be kind of choppy because we have tons of fun stuff going on this week. Stay tuned for book review, exciting tid bits from visiting with Nettie (from Sining a Verse of My Song), my NEW kindergartener, our new truck, and any other random thoughts that run through my mind.

Another haircut...

Yesterday I cut my 3-year old's hair. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't. I cut off a few inches so it is about shoulder length, and then we flipped up the ends cute. She looks so cute with short hair (especially since it is so thin). After I finished cutting it she asked me, "Now are we going to change the color of it?". It was funny! I guess that was why she was so hesitant to climb on the stool to let me mess with her hair. From the worried look in her eyes I am guessing she doesn't like my new hair color...I think she was scared I was going to make hers the same color.

We are off for the weekend to my in-laws house. It is one of our favorite times to go. They have a BIG (ha ha!) parade for the 24th of July, fireworks, and other fun activities going on. So I will be back next week with (hopefully) some fun pictures of our adventures.

Hiding from my roots....

I come from a family of brunettes. Take a look at my sisters blogs (Jettara from What was I thinking, and Nettie from Singing a Verse of My Song) and you will see from their photos that my family has pretty dark hair. I guess I have been hiding from my roots for a long time....over 10 years! My hair was a honey color when I was younger so when I was 15 I decided to go back to the good ol' days of light hair. I decided recently to give dark hair another chance, so I picked out a new style and got a fun new hair cut. And last night I spent 3 hours in the bathroom trying to achieve the perfect color and adding highlights. So here are the results.
Before:
 
After (minus make-up...it was 10:00p.m. when my DH snapped a quick pic after my 3 hour dye job):
 
So I have gone back to my roots. It will take a little while to get use to, but I like it so far. 

Busy Week and Raspberry Jam....

I have been really busy this last week, so I didn't have much time to blog. I had a fun week doing activity days, going to my mom's house to scrapbook for 2 days, having lunch with Stephanie from For Better or For Worse, and making raspberry jam.
 
I love making jam. It was the first thing that I officially "canned" by myself. I tried all kinds of jam the first time around. Orange, pear, cherry, apricot. This week I made raspberrry. I love raspberry jam!!! I made about 24 bottles, and have tons more raspberries to make more. My poor husband has been picking all the berries the last couple of weeks. We have had a ton! It is a horrible job to pick raspberries....they are prickly and leave slivers in your hands, ours are really dense, so it takes my DH about 2 hours to pick them, and the thing I dislike the most about picking them...the bugs. Grasshoppers, spiders, earwigs...I would be a much better gardener if it wasn't for the insects! I thought I would share my recipe for raspberry jam. Most recipes call for far more sugar than fruit. Somehow that just seems wrong to me, so I never put more sugar in my jam than fruit. Here is my recipe:

Raspberry Jam
5 cups blended raspberries (if you want chunkier jam, just smash them with a potato smasher)
5 cups sugar
1 box pectin

Blend raspberries and put into large pan. Stir in pectin until dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil. Add sugar all at once. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove "scum" (the bubbly foam that forms on top). Makes 4 pints of jam. 

Childhood Memories...

Stephanie at For Better or For Worse tagged me to do a walk down memory lane and share some of my memories from elementary school. It was funny that she tagged me because I had spent the week shopping for school clothes for my soon-to-be Kindergartener, and thinking a lot about what I did in elementary school. So here are a few memories from my childhood...try not to fall asleep!

Kindergarten: My 5-year old always asks what I did in Kindergarten, and the first thing I always tell her is that we made butter. I don't know why that is the first thing that stands out...I must have thought it was really cool. I also got my first kiss in Kindergarten during a game of kissing tag. I swore I would never wash my cheek again...well that didn't last too long. I also learned the value of honesty in Kindergarten when I stole a pair of scissors from the lost and found box and took them home. My Mom immediately walked me back to the school and made me apologize and give them back. I never stole anything again. Thanks Mom! I also remember my pink Future Lines shoes, and running over to my friends house to show them to her. She didn't think they were cute, and it was the first time I remember feeling self-conscious.

1st Grade: I remember standing in front of the class and counting by 5's, 10's, and 100's. This was the first year I got to wear a halloween costume to school...I was Raggedy Ann, complete with red shaggy wig. I swallowed a button during a school assembly, and my overall strap fell in the toilet. (Isn't it funny the things you remember!)

2nd Grade & 3rd Grade: These two school years are a bit of a blur to me because I had the same teacher both years, and so I have a hard time remembering what happened each year. I got my curly hair fro cut off in second grade and came to school with my new "boy" hair cut, and my teacher thought I was a new student. This was the year that charm bracelets and rubber stamps were the cool thing. I still have some of those rubber stamps. I got to go to my first slumber party. I got my ears pierced. I made a boy cry because I called him a name and had to stay in at recess. When I was in third grade I got called home from school. I didn't know why. When I got home I found my sisters on the porch crying because my Grandma had died. I also remember playing some silly game where you run around with an eraser on your head (I was always good at it because I have a reasonably flat head), and heads up 7-up....I hated that game.

4th Grade: My teacher was a huge Miami Dolphins fan and had dolphins all over her class room. We had to do reports on sea animals and make actual size posters of the animal for our "Sea Wall". Mine was on the Killer Whale...I couldn't make it actual size, but I made it pretty close! We learned Morris Code this year. I still remember dot dot dot is S (too bad I don't remember the rest). This was also the year my best friend and neighbor decided I wasn't cool enough to be her friend. I carried that hurt around for a long time.

5th Grade: This is the year I discovered I was artistic. We divided into groups and we could draw different items set up on tables...one group had a animal skull, and there was a sea shell. I drew the sea shell. Later I over heard the teachers talking about how good it was. I also made a stuffed giraffe out of paper, and several other art projects that I still have in a box somewhere. My math teacher told our whole class I was the only one she felt really knew their multiplication tables. I also got sick and threw up at school this year (luckily I made it to the bathroom) and got to go home from school. I also needed to wear a bra this year. I cried for days....I never did want to grow up. My mom gave me a box of 64 crayons and I finally stopped crying. I still love to color!

6th Grade: My all time favorite teacher was my sixth grade teacher. Ms. Clark. On the first day of school she had a yellow ribbon tied around her neck and told us a story about a girl who had a ribbon tied around her neck and everyone always asked her why she had the ribbon tied around her neck, and so one day she showed them and untied the ribbon and her head fell off....as my teacher was reading this she slowly untied the ribbon around her neck, and threw her head back. A boy sat behind me this year, and he had one green eye and one blue eye. It was creepy. I had a math teacher who would hold a broom stick with both hands and jump over it. He would give you extra credit if you could do it. I could do it, but I guarantee I could not do it now! We had a school play this year. It was Hamlet and I desperately wanted to be the Queen. I unfortunately got the chicken pox the week of try outs and so I ended up having to dress up like a boy and be the Panomime King. How lame was that! I pretended to have poison poured into my ear and flopped around on stage dying. No wonder I never did any other acting. I got my first zit this year too....and right before pictures. The zit will live forever in my school pictures. I had to give my first oral report in 6th grade....I did mine on Thailand, complete with slide show and souvenirs...thanks to my Dad who had spent a year there. I also learned all the counties in Utah and had to do a report on Box Elder County. We made puzzles out of the counties and raced to see who could put their puzzle together the fastest...I won! I remember liking a boy and I wrote I Heart and his name on the bottom of my shoes in permanent green marker. I loved those shoes, but my mom made me throw them away. And it was either this year or 5th grade that we all gathered together to watch the shuttle launch. It was the challenger shuttle that blew up and killed everyone on board. I remember the teachers quickly wisking us all back to our classes.

Well I could go on and on, but I am sure you are bored to death already. It is so fun to remember all the fun things you did as a kid. I would like to here some fun memories from Jettara, Nettie, Merv and The Scent Of Elsha (I know you didn't want to be tagged again, but I know we would all love to hear about your childhood memories).

Playroom....

I have just spent the last couple of days watching my neices and nephew while their mom went to girl's camp. We had a lot of fun going to the park, playing outside, doing countless activities, and playing in our playroom. I did everything I could think of to keep all the little ones busy and happy. With my own kids I had six kids between the ages of 1 and 6. They kept me busy! Since I spent so much time in the playroom this week, I thought I would post a few pictures of the room. My husband helped me create all of my ideas for the room. I wanted it to be as 3D as possible. So the trees have texture, silk leaves, and stick out from the walls, we have rocks glued to the walls, and half planets attached to the ceiling. I painted the room to look like the outdoors...with grass, insects, plants, and fury little critters. The room has other fun features, like glow-in-the-dark constellations, a magnet board, and a castle with a slide. It was a lot of fun to paint...but it took forever! My girl's love it, but the neighbor kids love it more. My kids just think that it is normal to have a castle in your basement...they are so spoiled! Well I am off to do some shopping....I am so excited to get out of the house today!

Finally Content....

I am not usually like this. I usually study something out, think of all the options, and decide exactly what I want before I go and decorate something. Well my living room has been an exception. We have lived in our house for 3 1/2 years, and this was the 4th time we painted our living room. It was originally white when we bought the house and we first tried a brownish color, and I hated it. It made my beautiful bright living room seem like a cave, so we hurried (far too quickly) and painted it a green (Sage #3). It was far too lime, so we painted it again. This time a yellow-ish color (Marzipan). This color was okay and it stayed this color for a long time. Saturday we just finished painting it for the 4th and final (my husband insists on this!) time. We installed crown moulding, a chair rail, and wall frames. I am absolutely loving the new look. The new color we chose is called Rough Terrain....I would love to be the person who gets to name paint! I love the color. It matches perfectly with our sofa, and DH even likes it too. Finally, I am content and happy with my living room. Here are a few pictures ( the colors in the pictures aren't quite true to life, but you can get the idea).