Menu Monday

This is for you Joyce!

What is my plan this week?  Last night we attended Corbin's seminary graduation and this Friday will be his High School graduation.  Can you believe it?  My baby has grown up.  This week will be a little hectic in getting everything ready for company (yard, finish planting the garden, laundry, cooking, etc.)

Monday - Hawaiian Haystacks
Tuesday - Crock Pot Mushroom Chili (from Eat to Live.  If it's good I will post the recipe), cornbread
Wednesday - Mushroom Stroganoff (from Eat to Live.  If it's good I will post the recipe) on brown rice, veggie, fruit smoothie
Thursday - Spicy Honey Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, corn
Friday - Graduation dinner:  pita chips/hummus, potato salad, Olive garden salad w/dressing, fruit, brownies, make your own croissant sandwiches, veggie tray
Saturday - out
Sunday - Tortellini con Beschiamella, Melissa's Spinach Salad (love this one - great one for potlucks), Macaroni Grill Foccacia Bread, edamame

Monday - Memorial Day! - picnic or out for lunch

Family Scripture Study

We started our morning study with the first chapter of Jacob in the Book of Mormon.  Jacob makes it very clear what his purpose is in writing on the plates.  

He says, "Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness."

"Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world..."

Jacob stood firm in his testimony of Christ like his brother, Nephi who said,

 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can do.

 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our  children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Come Unto Christ - Theme Song for 2014 - (music video)
It wasn't until I heard this song and watched the video during our study time that it really sunk into my heart  and I was touched by the spirit.  When I saw the individuals turn to Christ, it became very real and I was reminded of my purpose.  I am here to bring my family to Christ.  It's not about clean bedrooms, tidy kitchens, well planned menus, groomed lawns (although I would love all these things) - it is about bringing them to the Savior.

FHE: Murmur Not

Many of our family discussions come from the Old Testament because that is what I am teaching this year in gospel doctrine.  I am so intrigued by Moses' life from the time he was a young rescued baby to the time he leads the Israelites in the wilderness.  There are so many stories and important teachings throughout his life.  I have taken advantage of these by teaching them to my children.  They became captivated with the old Ten Commandment movie (which we stretched out over a couple weeks as we read).  We have continued telling them about the journey to the promised land.

The children of Israel were continually blessed by the Lord from their escape out of bondage, through the crossing of the Red Sea (on dry ground), to the manna from heaven, the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, the water from a rock, and more.  The miracles performed on their behalf are abundant, it's just astonishing.  But now that they are out of Egypt I still hear a lot of murmuring from them.  It almost happens instantly that they are complaining about bitter water, and then no food, etc.

Take a look in the Bible.

Exodus 16:  8 "...for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your ^amurmurings are not against us, but ^bagainst the Lord."

It just seems to be endless.  Then they murmur about  only having manna to eat and wishing that they had food like they did back in Egypt.  Holy cow!  They also come so close to the promise land and even send 12 scouts to bring a report back about the land.  Because of their lack of faith and murmuring (except Joshua and Caleb) they now will wander for 40 years.

Oh they had come so close to the promise land in only 40 days to only turn it down.  Do they not understand that they are turning down the Lord?  With the Lord all things can be done, as they have been shown through all the miracles.

So my question is why do we murmur?  

I found a great talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell from the October 1989 General Conference.  It answers all my questions and gives more light on this subject (link here).

"Murmuring comes easy to the natural man."

"A basic cause of murmuring is that too many of us seem to expect that life will flow ever smoothly, featuring an unbroken chain of green lights with empty parking places just in front of our destinations!"

"Those of deep faith do not murmur."

"If our lips are closed to murmuring, then our eyes can be opened."

Menu Monday

Another week of menus.  I do this for me, so I have access to my menu where ever I am (if my phone is with me).

Monday - Black Bean Soup & Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup and (bread-maker) bread
Tuesday - Pizza, salad (and pie)....missionaries over for dinner
Wednesday -  20 Minute Chicken Enchilada Bowls
Thursday -  Roasted Chicken with Sticky Rice, veggie
Friday - soup and grilled cheese sandwiches or anything else easy
Saturday - Skillet Lasagna, brea

d, salad, veggie

Laundry Detergent for a Year

Last year a friend gave me a wonderful Christmas gift bag filled with homemade items.  One item was a small jar of homemade laundry detergent that I used within a month.  I thought it worked great so I mixed up a batch that lasted me a whole year.  It was a bargain at $35 (cost was the same this year), plus I felt like I wasn't damaging my washing machine (I guess that is one of the main problems - people use too much detergent).  With this recipe you only need 1 Tablespoon, sometimes I add a bit more if the clothes are extra dirty or if it's a XL load.

Recipe (all ingredients can be found on the cleaning isle at Walmart):
4 lb box of Borax
3 lb 7 oz  box of Washing Soda
3 Fels Naptha bars grated finely (cheese grater works great)
2 lb. baking soda
83 oz Purex Fabric Softener Crystals (which equals one large and one smaller bottle)
3 lb. oxyclean

This fits in a 3 gallon bucket (I think - I know my bucket is smaller than a 5 gallon).  I write the recipe on the lid of the bucket with a permanent marker along with the date that I made it so I know how long it lasts.

Mason Jars in my Pantry

At the Tuesday night Relief Society meeting we were taught some organizational tips.  One idea that I liked was using mason jars in my pantry and taking the food out of their original packaging.  I didn't like the look of the the mismatched rings and lids so I decided to make them more uniform.  I raided my spray paint collection and painted the rims various colors while painting the lids with a chalkboard paint.  And with the touch of a chalkboard marker (which I am in love with), I wrote each jars contents.  I just love the color and spunk they add to my messy kitchen pantry.

I Wish it was Tuesday

Why do I wish it was Tuesday?  Because on Tuesday at Johnny Carino's they have a great lunch special.  On that weekday, it is buy one get one free with the pronto pasta selections.  The pasta dish comes with soup or salad and endless bread.  I love dipping their bread into the olive oil and garlic, it's so yummy.  It's a great day to meet up with a friend or have a little date with your husband while the kids are in school.

I have been their once with Paul and then on several occasions with friends.  Anyone want to meet me for lunch next week?

PRONTO PASTA - SOUP OR SALAD & LUNCH ENTREE 8.99

Choose a lunch sized portion of a Carino's classic -

• Spicy Shrimp & Chicken
• Chicken Penne Gorgonzola
• Spicy Romano Chicken
• Homemade Parmesan
• Grilled Chicken Bowtie Festival
• Homemade 16-Layer Lasagna
• Chicken Fettuccine
• Chicken Primavera
• Create Your Own Pasta 

Belly Fat

(not a picture of me)

Over the past 5-6 months I have noticed something growing, it's my darn belly.  I joked to my sister a sister who is 12 weeks pregnant, that I am a good 14-15 weeks myself.  I have made it into a little joke with my family just to ease the blow.  It has become something that haunts me daily because I can feel it jiggle when I walk (I am sure you wanted to know that).  It's not like I don't exercise.  In fact, Monday I exercised 45 before attending a weight lifting class, body pump and Tuesday I attending body flow and played volleyball at the church.

I am convinced my metabolism is slowing down because I haven't done anything differently.  I still exercise regularly at the gym and eat mostly healthy (I do like sweets).

Monday night I was showing Paul my gross belly and I had him feel it.  Yuck!  He said in his very own words, "Why do you have to gross me out?"  Then he proceeded to say, "We need to go on a vigorous walk tonight (that was after my long day at the gym), so we walked two miles with Hal, the dog.

Anyone else have this dilemma?   Oh, I guess I need to watch my eating more carefully.

Menu Monday

The leftover Easter ham came in handy for Monday and Tuesday's meals plus I had extra for the freezer.

Monday:  Fried Rice, potstickers, edamame, steamed broccoli (I actually made two batches of fried rice and put one on the freezer).
Tuesday:  Tortellini con Beschiamella (favorite from Richaels), veggie, salad, rolls
Wednesday: Brown rice, Mom's Stroganoff, veggie, salad
Thursday: Black Bean Soup & Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup and (bread-maker) bread
Friday:  homemade pizza and fruit smoothie
Saturday:  leftovers please!
Sunday:  Costa Vida salad made at home

Easter Sunday

We had a fabulous Easter weekend.  It was full with several sessions of stake conference but we also had time to make more family memories.  Once again Corbin found the golden egg!

 Vivian stuffed the eggs for the outdoor hunt while the others were at a early morning youth fireside.

 We actually started our Easter celebration with the scripture eggs that retell the story of Christ's resurrection.  I found the information here for the resurrection eggs HERE.

 Porter is sharing his scripture with us.

 Baskets are ready to go.

 Everyone is searching high and low for eggs.  Do you see Tisha in the background?  Her and David joined us for dinner.

 Porter is still looking!

 Olivia is counting her eggs.  They each got to find 18 - that keeps everyone happy. 

 Tisha made this delicious gluten free Easter cake!  Oh course, the peeps and jelly beans were sought after.

 Little things around the house.

We all enjoyed Corbin's bunnies, Shadow and Copper.  This was our first time with Copper - isn't he precious!  He was patient with me and my need to cuddle him.

Finally we have a Trader Joe's

The day has finally come that we have our own Trader Joe's!  I was introduced to this fun store while I was visiting Tonya in Texas.  And my last visit to the store was in San Diego.  They have all sorts of different foods.  I came home with a bag full of things like brown rice and quinoa chips, a frozen Indian dish, hummus and sourdough bread, Gorgonzola crackers, chocolate chip dipper cookies, a bag of gummy Easter bunnies, and chopped basil (pictured above).  I like how you can pop out  a piece of basil like an ice cube - it's very handy.

Pictures of Christ

I have been thinking about Easter and what I could give the children.  In the past I have sporadically  done the Easter dresses and ties, but this year I wanted to focus on the real meaning. So I decided that I would like to give them each a picture of Christ for their bedroom.  I started looking at Seagull book, but didn't really find anything without spending a fortune.  So I decided to choose a 5x7 print and frame it myself.  With Olivia's help we chose these pictures specifically for each child.  

Wicked Comes to Town

This year Paul and I took Olivia to see Wicked.  She has been listening the the soundtrack for several weeks and knew all the songs by heart!  It was fabulous. (Above is a picture of the cast).

The pictures below were found at this site.

 

Blossoms All Around

Last Friday after mowing the lawn, I captured these photos of the trees around our home in blossom.  Last year we had a late hard freeze so our fruit trees never blossomed which means there was no fruit!  This year I am grateful to see everything growing so beautifully.  I was even grateful for the first pinecone on one of our baby pine trees lining the driveway.  It's such a wonderful time of the year when new life springs forth so abundantly.

Because of Him

Because of Him I can do all things and live with Him again. Click here for the full Easter Story with beautiful pictures of our Savior.

I wish your family all a Happy Easter weekend as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is the one who teaches me how to love, how to be a mother, how to forgive, and how to be guided by the spirit.  I know that he lifts me through my trials and that he can make me whole again.  May we all feel of his infinite love and peace.

Menu Monday

Today - eat out!  It was too crazy of a day, plus it was on the way to the park where we had FHE with the Turleys.  We started with a nice lesson from Pres. Uchdorf's message about anchoring ourselves to Christ before the storms come.  Then a little (or should I say HUGE) rice crispy treat and a game of bocce.  The kids were wild and crazy tonight, we all had a good time.

I have no idea what to make for the remaining days of the week.  I have been on a soup kick and have made all kinds of new soups, including cream of asparagus soup (which Porter begged for me to make a second time), Hearty Beef Barley soup, egg drop soup, and some yummy vegetable soup (too lazy to look at my phone for the name).   Maybe I should venture out and try something else because Vivian throws a fit when she hears I am making soup!

Ok, let me think.

How about something easy this week?

Taco Tuesday
Wednesday - Hawaiian haystacks
Thursday - a huge cobb salad, and baked potato with fixings (made ahead)
Friday - homemade pizza with fruit smoothie
Saturday - please be leftovers!!!
Sunday - roast beef, carrots, potatoes thrown in the crockpot, salad

Okay that sounds nice and easy to me. I don't have to do any shopping for these items, this was just a quick menu pulled out of my head.

Manna from Heaven

This content of this video comes from a CES fireside and this Ensign article.

This week I studied and prepared to teach the gospel doctrine Old Testament lesson #14 which covers the first couple months of time after the of the Israelites escape bondage from the Egyptians.  The House of Israel face many challenges and opportunities to learn how to recognize the hand of the Lord in their lives as they are taught by the prophet, Moses.  One BYU scholar said "that while the Lord gets the people out of Egypt, the real challenge is getting Egypt out of Israel."  Isn't that so true with us today as we live in the world, but try to get the worldliness out of ourselves?

The manna from heaven provided them with physical food and a daily reminder of who they relied on for both their physical and spiritual nourishment.  Can you imagine living 40 years on manna and quail?  The word "manna" comes from the Hebrew word "man-hu" meaning, "What is it."

So many lessons can be learned from this manna, including lessons of:  strict obedience, faith that they would be provided for daily, avoiding greed, and keeping the Sabbath day holy.  

Recently our family has been studying Moses in the Bible and the Book of Abraham.  Our children are facinated by the old 1956 movie, The Ten Commandments.  We have been reading the scriptures with the children and then watching the movie in short segments as we read.  It has taken us a couple weeks.  It is really funny how they beg to watch the movie, they have never begged for any other movie like they have this one.  It has been a great opportunity to teach them what we know from the scriptures and what Hollywood elaborated on.

Corbin Performs At Talent Show

Many of you have seen a mini-clip on Instagram of Corbin and Josiah's performance of the song, The Cave.  Here is the video in it's entirety.  I was so proud of Corbin because this is the first time he has done this.  Porter said, "I never knew that Corbin could sing so well."  Enjoy!

We'll Bring the World the Truth - Porter on Flute

Porter you sound terrific!

After a very long break playing the flute, Porter picks up right where he left off.  He pulls out the Children's Songbook and plays his favorite songs (I twisted his arm a bit and used the whole - "you can play XBox after you practice bribery"!), including this song, We'll Bring the World His Truth.  He last played in the 7th grade band (he is currently in 9th) and then he continued playing at home for a year on his own.  He definitely does not want to be in the high school band (because it's also a marching band and very time consuming).  Do I encourage him to continue playing?  Do I find him a flute teacher?  Or do I have him take his note reading skills to the piano?  I would really like him to learn how to play the piano, also - but he is not too excited about the idea.

Music and Lyrics

He'll Find a Way to Say, I Love You

I pulled out this album and have been listening to it the past couple days.  One song in particular really struck home for me because I am starting to recognize the love that surrounds me.  It has been a particularly rough last year for our family (that is the reason I quit blogging because everything seemed too painful, too overwhelming, too hard, and I didn't know how much I should share).  The song, He'll Find A Way, really spoke to my heart.  I am beginning to recognize God's love in my life "which can been seen in all directions....He'll find a way to say 'I love you'."  His love is always there.  I have learned that I need to humble myself and accept that love from everyone.  Also I have learned that I need to do all that I can and then turn it over to Him.

When life gets crazy and you've had enough,
and the more you search for some kind of meaning
the more you feel you're out of luck;

When your mind tries to reason and nothing adds up,
lay it all down.
Take a good look around.

Chorus:
His love can be seen in all directions!
His infinite peace longs to hold you every second.
From the thorns in His crown to the sunset colored clouds
He'll find a way to say 'I love you.'

When tears won't relieve you, when your heart feels numb
and your mind keeps replaying the painful,
thoughtless things you've done;

And you're starting to wonder just who you've become,
believe you'll make it!
Give your worry up-
let Him take it.

Chorus

Feel His love with each breath you're breathing.
It's as sure as your heart is beating!

Chorus

He'll find a way to say 'I love you.'
He'll find a way."

Studio C's Season 4 Launched Yesterday

A New Season of Studio C has arrived and we are only a day behind it's launch!  It's good family fun.  The kids can't seem to get enough of this comedy.  Check it out!

We love Ann's dancing, it's so terrible and uncomfortable.

This is another favorite clip about Lobster Bisque.  Anyone hungry?

Check out Studio C's Youtube channel

Menu Monday

Monday: Chopped Cobb Salad, Spinach Artichoke Pasta, bread

Tuesday:  Tacos, Cilantro Lime Rice, cornbread muffins, chips & salsa (missionaries coming over for dinner)

Wednesday: Tuscan White Bean Soup,  Red Lentil Coconut Soup, grilled sandwiches

Thursday:  Fried Rice, Kung Pao Chicken, edamame, potstickers

Friday: Pizza Rolls, veggie tray, smoothie

Saturday:  Bacon breakfast muffins, whole wheat toast, smoothie

Sunday: Roast, potatoes, carrots, bread in bread-maker, salad

Porter Turns 15

I can't believe that Porter is now 15!  He had a fun birthday with a lunch outing to Tucano's with Mom (he was able to skip a couple school classes, too).  We had plenty of good food.  Then later we enjoyed some time at Wahooz, burgers at Wendy's, and then pie and icecream.

Later in the week he had a friend party with at bunch of boys from church and cousin, Braden.  Paul kept them happily entertained with Minute -to-Win-it Games, and a youtube viewing game.  I kept them happily feed with a pizza lunch and ice cream sundaes.  All in all the party was a success and everyone had fun.  We love you, Porter.

40 Day Challenge

Our family attended the stake youth fireside because Porter was assigned a small talk about his family history experiences.  He shared that by accepting the bishop's challenge last year (spring time) that he has since found 1400 names.  I would have to say that most of those names were found within the first couple months.   From this Porter has definitely kept our family (including aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, and ward members) busy at the temple.

A 40 day challenge was presented to the youth to:

• Search out one name to take to the temple
• Learn a story about an ancestor and share with family or peers
• Learn about an ancestor and find a picture of them
• Pray so you and the rest of the youth can find a name
• Pray that the "name" you find will accept the gospel and ordinances performed
• Lead a FHE lesson to inspire family members to participate in family history and temple work for past family members

Elder Jeff Erikson, an area authority, also came to the conference.  He told us that the number one priority given in his leadership training meetings with the general authorities is that of "hastening the work of salvation".  He told us that the youth ages 12 and up are now invited by the First Presidency to attend the Saturday night meetings of Stake Conference.  And that the youth of today are more ready than ever to be missionaries because they are learning the missionary lessons now in My Gospel.  He asked us to review Elder Bednar's talk, The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn (GC Oct 2011).  In that talk the youth are given comfort that they will be safeguarded from the adversary i f they do this work. 

"As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you. Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives".

It was a fabulous reminder to me that I am raising children in the generation that is preparing to meet the Savior.  I need to rise up to the occasion and be like the mothers of the sons of Helamen.  "Yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them."

Porter Bakes Chicken

Porter was on dinner duty tonight.  He made a very tasty dinner of Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken, potatoes, and salad.  This morning (because of late start Wednesdays) he had enough time to get the chicken all ready and in the pan to bake later.  It turned out delicious!  He made not only one chicken, but two!  So we have an extra in the fridge.  

We realized my mistake of putting the chickens wrong side up, Paul discovered that as he was carving the meat.  However we discovered that it kept the breast meat really moist!

I Want Jesus to Walk with Me - Alex Boye and MOTB

I shared this music video with last week's gospel doctrine lesson #5 - when it talks about Enoch walking God.  I love this song with Alex Boye!

Menu Monday

After our FHE lesson, I had a menu planning activity for everyone.  With many cookbooks pulled out of the cupboard, each person was asked to plan one dinner plan.  So with paper and pencil in hand, they each wrote out down their menu and made a list of ingredients that they needed from the store.  The last step was to write their items on the weekly menu board.  They thought it was great fun.  Now we will see how they like cooking their meals this week.  

Dr Phil's Southern Oven-fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and lemonade (Olivia's day)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Fruit smoothie, scrambled eggs in tortilla (Vivian's day - she said she would start with breakfast for dinner before learning how to make harder things)

Roasted Herb Lemon Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad (Porter's day - this is a huge upgrade from what he wanted to make which was macaroni and cheese out of a box)

Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour chicken (with this canned sauce), spring rolls

Grilled Tuna Sandwiches, 7 Layer dip and chips (Corbin's day)

Bubby's Grilled Bacon, Apple, & Cheddar Sandwich, Chopped Cobb Salad (Tiff's day) recipes out of Bubby's Brunch Cookbook

Menu Monday

I am loving that I have some time to cook, now that the kids are back in school!

  Here is what's on my dinner menu:

Teriyaki Chicken Bowls & Brown Rice

Slow Cooker Nacho Soup & Homemade Wheat Rolls

Fabulous Fettucine, Rosemary Foccacia Bread, Salad

Tacos & Crisp Cucumber Salsa (fresh from the garden)

Salmon, Baked Potato, salad

Lemon Chicken Romano, Brown Rice, Salad

Freezer Meals Can Be Simple

Tonight for dinner we had green verde pork tacos (I cooked the pork in my electric pressure cooker - much faster than a crockpot when I'm squeezed for time and forget to pre-plan).  I made the slaw that goes with fish tacos for one of the toppings.  I accidentally miscalculated the ingredients so I ended up having to make twice as much sauce for the slaw for it to work.

I decided to freeze half of that mixture and count it as a part of a freezer meal/kit.  So with this spice kit, I  wrote sticky note list of the other items needed and then saran wrapped it to the small container.  I have tilapia already in the freezer, along with pre-chopped frozen green onions and tortillas.  So I will just add fresh cilantro and broccoli slaw and wah-la  there is an easy meal!  It just realized that it doesn't have to be hard.

Here is the recipe for Fish Tacos - a staple in our family.