California Dreamin'

2010 Space Odyssey

It's a Jungle Out There

Home Away from Home!

Thanks Mom for letting me vent here!

I was one of those....probably still am one of those.....Of course I'm one of those....BUT:

Before Kendry came along, I turned up my nose at the painful idea that my house would be taken over by my child. I would go into homes that had toys scattered from one end of to the other...and I would privately roll my eyes. My child would (never). He would be motivated by the same OCD freak force that controls his mother and he would never never never make such a mess. I even went so far as to tell my family and friends that all these parents had to do was tell their kids that toys belong in the playroom, not in every room in the house where guest can see them....and all personal property should be in your own bedroom!

I was a dreamer....still am a dreamer....

But...here comes Kendry into our lives with every inch of his cute little being, quivering with the pure joy of being alive. And, along with him comes his personal belongs that marched into our home very quickly. A swing appeared in the family room, a bouncy chair was by the swing, a beautiful car seat and stroller (Quatro Tour) and a Nap Nanny was on the floor, and OMG...a blowup bed soon emerged. I sleep on the floor because it works best for everyone in the house! Kendry sleeps in the Nap Nanny (yes, I know they are on recall...and no, I will not put it in the crib and let Kendry sleep there by himself....Kendry won't sleep by himself!)

Now suddenly, (MY???) carefully decorated and oh so scurbbed home is now a cargo space containing time bombs everywhere. It happened little by little...well over 12 weeks...within the blink of an eye. Soon we added rolling carts to hold diapers, blankets, burp clothes....the kitchen counter has formula and baby bottles.....you get the idea. Luckily my mom has just retired from teaching and has lots of storage bins!

Still this has left me dumbfounded! I stand in my mom's home, holding a beautiful seven week old Kendry, and wondered what has happened to my neat orderly life. It was somewhere in that moment that I surrendered to the fact that I was one of those parents....and I'm so happy to be one of them. I have now joined the league of the normalcy and I am so happy to be a mom even if (MY??) house will never look like a magazine again. Soon I will have to dismantle all my themed rooms: American Indian, The God Father Den, and all the Baseball stuff galore! OR will I.... because......

I realize that this is a minor problem and I know those of you who know me are laughing right this very moment....because all of this invasion has taken place in my mother's home....not mine! My home has a beautiful nursery, a well groomed living room, beautiful bathrooms and bedrooms... that Kendry and I can walk to within 30 seconds and leave all the necessities to Grandma and Grandpa! Thanks Mom and Dad....we love you!

Homeruns are in my dreams already!

The Nursery

View Full Album

Aunt Julie, Halie, and Brevin came to help put the nursery together last week. They bought all the fixins' to make it a sports den for Kendry. Aunt Julie and Brevin stayed up until midnight putting the crib together. Kendry loves the crib....we have now added a musical sports mobile above the crib. It's so nice to have family that loves and cares about us so much. We love you Aunt Julie, Uncle Jason, Halie and Brevin!

Are You Afraid of the Dark?.....How About Monsters?

Fortunately for me I was born in the 1950 which makes me a lucky member of wonderful fraternity.....the "Monster Kids". Monster Kids grew up with horror films and Aurora Monster Model Kits.

In the early 1960's my cousin and I had a very creepy collection of many cinematic creatures, actually they were Aurora Monster Model Kits that cost us (my Aunt Mary) under a dollar....they are now going for close to $100 on eBay! The pictures above are the ones I remember us spending hours putting together and painting on Aunt Mary's kitchen table. Frankenstein came out in 1961. It was an instant success and I think we both made one of him that summer! The Aurora plants ran 24 hours a day to keep up with the demand for the model. They followed with 12 more monster kits over the next five years and we continue to make them as soon as we got to Aunt Mary's every summer!

What a great childhood memory and how lucky we were to have an aunt who would let little "Girls" build monsters! She never complained about the mess we made all over the kitchen table every day and was happy to walk us down to the local Woolworth's and buy us the kits, glue, brushes, and paint to make our 'Nightmares' come to life!

Life is good!

This is Living in Utah on the 24th

Happy Birthday Utah

Pumpkin French Toast......I thought this would make a wonderful breakfast for the family on the 24th. Living in Utah we celebrate the 24th of July, so although this sounds like a Thanksgiving Morning Breakfast, we loved it just as much this morning.

4 eggs

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 slices of Texas Toast

powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

maple syrup



Mix eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, whipping cream and vanilla in a deep dish for dipping. Dip the bread into the egg mixture until evenly coated on both sides, cook on a grill heating to 350 degrees 2 - 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve hot with butter, maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

King Kendry

I'm now 5 1/2 weeks old....my favorite thing is still sleeping and drinking. I rule the house by day and by night!

1 Month Today - Happy 4th of July

Today Kendry is 1 month old. What a miracle it has been to watch as he grows and develops. Here are a few milestones we have seen this first month.

• What a great little eater he is. He is on a 2 1/2 to 3 hour schedule. He is now drinking 4 ounces of formula at feeding time. He burps really well after the first 2 ounces, after finishing the bottle he quickly falls to sleep and enjoys a good rest for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.


• We easily recognize the hungry cry....he is an on demand little guy and we love it!


• He loves sleeping in his Nap Nanny. He looks so comfy and peaceful when he sleeps!


• His bellybutton cord fell of on day 4. We thought that was early, but the pediatrician said it looked great. He has an innie button.
• He now weighs close to 10 lbs. He is really filling out and loves to stretch.
• He has very strong muscles and can hold his head up for a few moments at a time.
• He made a trip to visit his Great Grandparents and they were overjoyed to hold him in their arms.
• Aunt Julie, Halie, and Brevin made a visit for a few days....Thanks for all your help, we needed some rest!

Choosing a Pediatrician

The day to make a doctor visit came with much anticipation Thursday. Kendry needed to have has 2 week well check, 2nd PKU, and the dreaded circumcision.



Robyn made it very clear to Ali that she must see Dr. Nye. So after a few phone calls to insurance and Tanner Clinic we had an appointment for 3:45 Thursday afternoon.



Updated Stats on Kendry......he weighs 8 lb 11 oz and is 20 1/4 inches tall. The circumcision was not fun for any of us. He screamed with full lungs! All is well this morning, he had a peaceful nights sleep and the surgery looks fine this mornig.



There will be not outings for him until Sunday when he gets to go to see his great grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins.

Blessings from Heaven

Once strangers, not knowing of each other,
God brought us together
To share a special bond of love
With a sweet little boy.
You may never understand the pain
Or know the tears I cried.
My heart's desire was for a child
To nurture, love, and guide.
I may never understand the pain
Or know the tears you cried.
You said good-bye to this precious child,
Entrusting me to nurture, love, and guide.
We will see your face in his gorgeous smile,
And love in his sparkling eyes.
He is the answer to our countless prayers,
A blessing to so many lives.
No longer strangers,
We share a special bond of love
With a very precious gift
From our God above.

We are forever grateful for you and you truly are our angel.

Friday June 4, 2010

4:30 PM

6 lb 5 oz

19 1/2 Inches

Kendry Chase

Applesauce ~ Another Produce Plus

For my family there is nothing better than homemade applesauce with apples fresh from produce group, and it is so easy to do! If you want chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you prefer smooth apple sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill. The key is adding a few strips of lemon peel to the apples while cooking. The lemon heightens the apple flavor.

Applesauce – my way

Preparation time: 45 minutes. The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you'll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.

3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. Exactly what I got a produce group this week

1 strips of lemon peel

Juice from lemon, about 1 Tbsp

3 inches of cinnamon stick or 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/8 cup of dark brown sugar

up to 1/8 cup of white sugar

3/4 cup of water

Method

1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels.  Let the apples cool and mash to the texture your family loves.

Wordless Wednesday

To Bee or Not to Bee???

Tasty Tuesday – Pollo Fricassee Puerto Rico

Oh my…..the entire house smelled so good while this yummy recipe was cooking in my slow cooker….just imagine the smells in the kitchen within an hour…the alluring aromas of garlic and cilantro and onion...mmmm good.... The chicken was so moist, tender, and falling off the bones.

So with out further lip smacking here is the recipe:

2 – 3 pound chicken drumsticks

1 tablespoon adobo seasoning

1/2 (.18 ounce) packet sazon seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 large red potatoes, chunked

1 large red bell pepper chopped

1 large green bell pepper chopped

1 large onion chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Wash the chicken, remove skin, and pat dry; place into a large bowl. Season with adobo seasoning, sazon seasoning, and salt. Place the legs into a slow cooker, and cover with the potato chunks.

Puree the red pepper, green pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, wine, cumin, and oregano in a blender. Pour over the chicken and add the bay leaves.

Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, until the chicken is easily removed from the bone.

We served this with a simple green salad and Ali’s 3 bean dish. Lucky for everyone there was a few servings of the Blackberry Crisp from the weekend still left. Good food – Good times!

Book of Mormon in 30 Days

I just completed my goal of reading the Book of Mormon, the last day of April. My goal was to read the book in 30 days. And, I can happily report that I did it and, of course, I feel very blessed by the effort.

The last chapter Moroni 10 has many a versus which ring true with my belief system. Here are a few of them:

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

The chapter continues to remind us that the gifts from God are many: wisdom, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy concerning all things.

And verse 18: And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.

I know to some reading this that those verses will/might seem a bit cliché, but they are indeed the most effective means of understanding anything, not just the Book of Mormon. Remember, don't take any human being's word for it that anything is truth. Ask God for the confirmation of truth and, in His time, with your faith, it will be given to you.

Blessings to all....I'm so happy I have read the book. I'm sure I was suppose to do this a very long time ago...like 9th Grade. One of the blessings of growing old is a new found knowledge! I can do it!

Ideal Cafe

 

One of my earliest childhood memories is going out to dinner at an old fashion diner called the “Ideal Café”. I remember driving up to the place and then walking hand-in-hand with my mom and dad into the café, which was on main street those many years ago.  I felt very fortunate today to have found a picture from Google Image search of the place.  What a memory!

The old fashion diner was the best around. Gisela, our waitress, always greeted us with her happy step and cute accent inviting us to make ourselves feel right at home. She was always ready with a friendly smile and big hello whenever we walked in. Of course our order was easy…..we loved the “Hot Roast Beef Sandwich”.  I can duplicate the meal today, but I sure to miss the times when someone fixed everything up and brought it to me!

There is something to be said for the small town feel, the mom and pop shops, the diners, and the safe neighborhoods. Gotta love that small town charm and the Good Old Days. Those memories have made a lasting impression on me, I still love to go out to dinner. 

Blackberry Crisp – Blackberry Panna Cotta

• 4 cups fresh blackberries /I also added a few strawberries
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries and white sugar and set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Panna Cotta

¾ lb blackberries (about 3 cups)
1 ¼ cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 ¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
¼ cup water
1 ½ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons of blackberry syrup

For the Puree:

Wash the blackberries, and place them in a blender. Add the buttermilk to the blender.

Run the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds and any chunks. The heart and soul of a great panna cotta is its texture, so don’t let any chunks through, you'll ruin that.

Now, mix the water and gelatin to hydrate the gelatin. While it's hydrating, heat the cream and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. When the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat, add the gelatin mixture to the cream mixture. Stir until the gelatin dissolves completely. If it doesn't dissolve after a couple of minutes, put it back on low heat to help the gelatin dissolve. Really, this is the only part of the process that is tricky. If you put gelatin chunks into the panna cotta, you will be very unhappy with the texture, so keep stirring until every tiny-teeny itty-bitty chunk of gelatin is dissolved. Mix in the blackberry syrup (blackberry syrup can be made by mixing ¼ cup blackberry jam with 1 tablespoon water and nuking it until it dissolves - use 2 tbsp of this mix).

Pour the mixture into a panna cotta mold, cover and set in the fridge to solidify (this takes 6-8 hours).

Shortly before serving, make the compote:

½ cup water
½ cup crème de cassis / I use Italian Blackberry Soda Syrup
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ lb blackberries (about 2 cups)
dash of cinnamon

Mix the cassis, water and sugar, and simmer over medium heat in a double boiler until it reduces to one-third of a cup. Take off the heat, mix in the lemon juice and gently put one dash of cinnamon in there. You want a very small amount of cinnamon. Pour this mix over the blackberries.

To unmold the panna cotta run a knife around the outside of the panna cotta. Then put the hottest water you can get out of your tap into a bowl, and hold the bottom of the panna cotta dish in the bowl. You'll be melting the gelatin again here, so just let it sit until you count to 8. Any longer than that will make for an ugly mess. Pull it out of the hot water, place a serving plate upside down on top of the mold, and flip it over. Shake it a couple times sharply, and lift the mold up. The panna cotta should slide out gently. Spoon some compote over the panna cotta and serve.

My guess is that my new found produce group could be a weighty problem. But a yummy problem that will be! I’ve already had 2 servings of the crisp….panna cotta just tempting me!

Hooray for Produce

Bountiful Baskets…..

I used this service for the first time this weekend. The service has pickup locations all over the valley. I am  lucky enough to have one less than 5 minutes away. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. I left with a laundry basket full of fruit and veggies.   

Here is the list I received today for just $16.50

1 head romaine lettuce

1 bunch baby spinach

6 roma tomatoes

2 cucumbers

4 artichokes

9 bananas

8 kiwis

1 cantaloupe

1 honeydew melon

3 packages of nice big black berries

5 lb bag of small red delicious apples

I compared prices….yes I had some time on my hands this morning…..and this amount of produce would have cost me $49.00.   Seriously that made my day!   If, like me, you don't generally go out of your way to pick up veggies in the store despite the fact that you really should, BB is the antidote to your ills.  You opt in on an as desired basis any week, and I’m sure your pick up spot is literally just around the corner from you home.  

So just leave your dirty laundry at home and bring your basket........ you won't be disappointed. I loved the great value, super convenient location, and just look at the quality of those fruit and veggies.

Carlos finally comes to see us!

And he slept the entire time that he was with us.

Spring Weekends

I have been entertaining some very lovely birds in my backyard this spring!

Not exactly true....I have been providing the seed and fresh water .....they have been providing me with the beautiful songs.

My prayer is that you all may find something to sing about this lovely Spring Weekend. I will be tending to the vegetable garden....overseeing the yard work....and hopefully enjoying the company of family and friends.

Happy Spring...the sun is finally shining in Utah!