Homemade Ice Cream in Baggies!

Ingredients per 1 serving. We made 6 servings.

2 T. sugar
1 C. half and half
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. rock salt or kosher salt
ice cubes
1 sandwich ziploc baggie
1 gallon-size ziploc baggie

Fill the large ziploc baggie with ice and salt. Fill the small ziploc baggie with the sugar, half and half, and vanilla. Place the small bag in the large bag. Shake and roll the bag for 5 minutes. Once the ice cream mixture thickens to a forzen yogurt consistency it is done! YUM!

We put two ice cream baggies in one of the big baggies of ice and took turns between two people shaking the bag (so we only used 3 large baggies instead of 6). We also doubled the amount of rock salt. The ice cream was yummy and it set up fast.

I got the recipe from www.familyfun.com. Love that website!

Fort Herriman Days

Once a year a wonderful thing happens in our little town of Herriman. Everyone comes out for a rodeo, a Dutch oven cook-off, a car show, entertainment, carnival rides and some pretty awesome fireworks! I love small towns and this is one of the reasons why!


As we watched Sara run from ride to ride, unphased by something that should be scary to a two-year old, we realized that she's more like her mommy than we had ever realized before. Only the height requirements kept her from getting on the Ferris Wheel and all the other "big kid" rides.

Shotputer

Sam had his first track meet last week. His favorite events are the sprints (50m & 100m) and SHOTPUT! That was a surprise, but he loves it. At each track meet he gets to choose what he wants to do. He's thinking about trying the high jump this week. Go Sammy!

Father's Day

Am I behind on blogging or WHAT? I couldn't let June pass without mentioning Father's Day. We celebrated Father's Day early on Saturday because Aaron was leaving for Europe on Sunday. So we spoiled him the best we could.

"Bumblebee" from Transformers by Rylie
*little disclaimer: the kids have never watched the PG-13 movie (just what kind of mother do you think I am?) But they love the cartoon that we all grew up with :-)

Aaron was given some motorcycle equipment that he's wanted/needed for quite awhile. He now has a new tire and a chest protector.

The kids love their daddy! But how can you not love the "BEST dad in the WORLD"?

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

1 16-oz. pkg. oreo cookies finely crushed
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 lb. white baking chocolate (I didn't use near that much!)

In a large mixing bowl combine crushed cookies and cream cheese. Beat with a mixer on low speed until well blended. Form 1-inch balls by hand. Dip balls in white chocolate and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. To store, cover and refrigerate.

I had to stick them in the freezer for a little while before dipping them in the chocolate because they were really mushy and hard to handle. Once they were cold they were easier to handle. You can also dip them in dark chocolate. Super rich! YUM!

Great Brain & Pinewood Derby

Last week Kaeli reported on her "great brain" project. She could choose to research anything she wanted to, and turn in a written report and do an oral report. It shouldn't surprise you that she choose to do her report on gymnastics and Shawn Johnson! Aaron and I went into her classroom to watch her do the oral presentation. She did a great brain of a job!


Earlier this week Sam had his annual pinewood derby! He and Aaron designed and cut out the car. And of course Sammy sanded it. They ran out of time to finish it so while Sam was at school I painted it for him. At the derby they ended up having to stick additional stickers on his car since they already had a #9, so Sam was #999! He never came in first, but if you ask me he had a pretty cool lookin' car :-)

Rainy Day Hike

We've had quite a few rainy weeks with some impressive thunder & lightening. I love the cool rainy-smelling breeze coming in through the windows. However, with the lack of sunshine we started to feel cooped-up so on Saturday we decided to go on a quick little hike despite the forecast of more rain. We ended up getting a little wet, so we hung out in a grouping of trees hoping the rain would let up a bit. (Don't worry, there was no thunder or lightening). Here are a few pictures:

Sara and her daddy. Sara loves to travel this way, but who wouldn't!

My baby and I.

The kiddies in their dry, yet crowded, little spot.

The rain actually did let up and here is a family picture at the end of our hike.

Last week I helped throw a baby shower for one of my friends. At the last minute I was frantic to find a centerpiece. I saw some "diaper cakes" on sale online and decided I could figure it out myself. So here is the diaper cake that I made. It was a piece of cake...hee, hee. I decided this would make a good gift (not necessarily a centerpiece) for anyone expecting a baby.

Spring Performance

Kaeli and Rylie had their tumbling performance on Saturday! They have been working so hard on their "tricks". It's amazing how little they look up on that huge stage. They did so well and were so stinkin' cute up there! They haven't done very many performances on stage, but they loved every minute of it! I think they've caught the performing bug and they can't wait to do it again!!!

Lil' Shiner

While closing her eyes and being led through the house by her little sis, Rylie collided with one of the rock columns in our front room. Ouch! I don't think there's a single one of us who hasn't met the same fate with those darn columns! She hit the side of her eye, but of course the blood pooled under her eye to give her a nice lookin' shiner! She gets asked about it where ever we go. I swear a lady at the grocery store gave me a dirty look when she commented on it. I felt like saying, "Yeah! Serves her right! She won't back talk ME again!" Darn it! I wish I had said that! Oh well. Rylie doesn't seem to know how cool it is to have a black eye. I'm pretty sure Sam is way jealous and wishes he had one too. My first shiner came when I was about 5. My dad and brothers were playing baseball and I wanted to play so badly! They put me in the catchers position in an attempt to make me feel like I was playing but still keeping me out of the way. I squatted down and put the mitt right in front of my face and was ready to catch anything that made it past the batter. One of the pitches flew past the batter right into my mitt smashing my own hand into my eye. Ouch!

Y not Provo?

So we did most of our Memorial Day festivities on Saturday since rain was forecast for Monday. We ventured down to Provo and went to the Provo Farmer's Market. I love little town markets like that. The kids played at the playground and then we bought some Navajo Tacos, but pretended they were elephant ears and topped them with cinnamon and sugar instead of taco stuff. We had never been up to the "Y" so at the last minute we decided we would hike up to it. Here you can see our little trail runner! You must admit she has quite an athletic form for being only two:

Here's a view of Provo from the Y. You can see the Provo temple and the MTC from this shot:

Perched on the top of the Y. Unfortunately the Y is too big to get it in a picture:

This is what daddies are for:

After our hike we went to our favorite bakery in Provo and picked up the best cupcakes ever! The kids never know which kind to choose from their tasty variety, but you just can't go wrong here!

Junkyard!

The third graders got to create mini golf "holes" for a project. They were told to use simple machines to make them...like inclines and teeter-totters. Sammy's mini golf course had a junkyard theme. Sam designed the thing! Aaron ripped apart an old lawn mower and used random things they found in the garage (not really a junkyard, but that's OK) and they built a super cool course. They used a pulley system. I thought it was quite ingenious! I lugged it to school and for most of the day Sam got to show his schoolmates how to use it as classes filed through the gym ready to golf. He loved every minute of it.

little graduate

So long preschool...

...kindergarten, here I come!!!

running....hurdle front walkover...

Little AR-TEEST

Rylie got a whiteboard/chalkboard for her birthday. She spends a lot of time drawing. I love child art! Here are some of her masterpieces:

Rylie & Mommy (I love my long legs):

Sam & Kaeli:

Princess Castle complete with mote and princess and prince walking in on drawbridge:

Daddy (must have had a red bull) & Rylie:

Grandpa & rylie:

Sew creative...

I Made this apron on Tuesday morning for an Enrichment activity. We did a service auction and this was my entry. I ended up purchasing two different baby sitting gigs and a haircut :-) Yeah! It was a fun activity. A few sisters wanted to buy some aprons from me. Little creations like these are fun for me to make the first time, but then it gets tedious. I guess I need to decide if it's worth a little extra mula.

Look Who's FIVE!

Rylie Jane (aka: "Jelly Bean") had a GREAT DAY yesterday! She was pretty sure she woke up bigger. She just doesn't look like a four year old any more. The past five years have flown by! Rylie is super spunky, quite fiesty, very silly, and also incredibly sweet. She is very perceptive and can also be very head strong, which I think will serve her well in years to come :-)

The night before her big day, Rylie told me she wanted a ladybug cake. So I made this, and you'll notice it has a spot for each birthday:

the AFTERMATH...

These shots were taken this morning before preschool:

Rylie is bringing me sunscreen in this picture. She went on a field trip this morning to the fire station and park. Preschool is so cool! It made sense to her to wear RED since she was going to the fire station. You know you gotta match the firetrucks!

Rylie Jane through the years...

1 week old:

1 year old:

2 years old:

3 years old:

4 years old:

This morning...5 years old:

a day for women

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day! Aaron and Sam brought me breakfast in bed (chocolate chip pancakes and juice)! And of course, as any Latter-Day Saint woman knows, Mother's Day at church is the BEST! The primary kids (ages 3-11) sang in sacrament meeting and then flowers were given to each woman. For lunch and dinner I wasn't allowed to step foot in the kitchen. So I curled up on the couch and read! Aaron made me one of my faves...Santa Fe grilled pizza! And then he topped the meal off with the biggest bowl of Strawberry Shortcake I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it, but I hope to remedy that today. Then we went for a walk. The kids all gave me homemade gifts and flowers...truly the best kind of gifts ever! I love their homemade cards with the sweetest messages written in their childlike handwriting telling me that I am the best mom in the whole world...NO the whole UNIVERSE! And I love to read, "thanks for giving birth to me" or "thanks for raisin me." Those parts make me laugh. And if you haven't noticed, Aaron gave me a camera. My last camera lived a very short and traumatic life. It eventually was finished off in a drowning accident...chocolate milk...what a way to go! So with this camera I vow not to let a single child hold it, or eat & drink near it. And I vow not to take it apart and stick my metal screw driver near the flash only to be electrocuted resulting in the camera flying across the room. Thank you Hubby for the wonderful Mother's Day :-) mmm, chocolate covered cinnamon bears!!!And last but not least....Happy Mother's Day to my FABULOUS mom! It also happens to be my Dad's birthday, too! So Happy 60th to my AMAZING dad! Another highlight of the day was calling them and wishing them happiness. It's bitter-sweet on days like these because we live so far away from each other. I wish I could have celebrated with them.

This is me and my mom. I think she's about my age in the picture :-)

Soup-er Teachers

This week is teacher appreciation week! I am Sam's room mom this year and I made this image and had Aaron print it "poster-size" at work for Sam's teacher's classroom door. I love being involved in the classroom and for any parent who wonders if it's worth their time I would tell them it absolutely is. I don't do it solely to help out the teacher. I'm much more selfish than that! I do it to show my kids that their education is important to me and in turn I hope that they decide that if it's important to me than it should be important to them. Also I get to check up on my kids; see who their friends are, what their teachers are like, and see what they're really doing in class and if they're learning what's being taught! I love that I know exactly who my kids are talking about when they're recapping their day or wanting to have a playdate with a classmate. I believe that as parents we are our kids' most affective teachers even after they start school. What a big responsibility we all have! So "happy teacher appreciation week" to all the SOUP-ER parents out there...especially mine :-)

april SNOW showers bring...

CRISPY STEAK TACOS!

Our spring weather has been very "Utah" lately. On Sunday it was snowing! So we decided to bring a little warmth and sunshine to our kitchen and made this Cuban/Mexician dish. We whipped up these tacos that we saw on the Rachael Ray Show. The picture doesn't do it justice! They were soooooo good!

Ingredients:
1 2-pound flank steak, cut into 4 pieces
2 medium onions (1 peeled and quartered & 1 finely chopped, divided)
2 bay leaves
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 fresno chile, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1/2 pound cured chrorizo, removed from casing and finely chopped
6 tomatillos, husks removed, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon honey
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 limes
Soft flour tortillas, for serving

Preparation:
Place flank steak into a medium pot with the quartered onion and bay leaves. Cover with cold water and place over medium-high heat. Bring up to a bubble, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer meat until very tender, 20 minutes. Remove meat from pot and discard water and veggies. (We did that part in the crock pot and cooked it for a few hours.) Shred the steak with a fork and transfer to a medium-size mixing bowl. Add red onion, 2 cloves garlic and peppers to the bowl and combine. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chrorizo to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the shredded meat and veggie mixture to the pan, spreading it out to cover the entire bottom, and cook until crispy on the bottom. Flip the mixture over and cook on the other side until crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Add juice from 1 lime.

While the meat is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the remaining chopped onion, garlic, tomatillos, and cumin to the pan, and cook until the veggies are tender and the tomatillos have begun to release their liquids, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor (we used a blender), add in the honey, avocado and cilantro juice from 1 lime, and pulse to puree.

It says it serves 4, but we served our family of 6 with some leftovers for Aaron's lunch the next day :-) Yum!

Springy Photo Shoot

"sisters"

Sam da MAN

Kaeli Ray

Rylie Jane

Sara Kate

It doesn't get sweeter than this: