Random Tidbits

I have a camera again! Judging by the number of comments (or lack thereof) I've gotten on my non-picture posts, I think we can safely say it's more fun to blog with pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So here are a few pictures for ya.

Dallin & Daphne in the tree house.  

It's a little scarey and unsafe, but I guess that's what makes it fun.

Prepare to meet . . .

The Amazing Hayden!

I love this smile!

What a great helper.

Pickin' cherries

It'll be amazing if we get any of the ripe ones ourselves.  

The birds always seem to beat us to the good ones.

Laundry Woes

So, today, I pulled some laundry out of the dryer that was actually warm. It occurred to me that until then, I couldn't tell you the last time I took laundry out of the dryer while it was still warm. Just thought I'd let that be known.   Laundry is my least favorite household chore.  I wish I had Mrs. Weasley's wand, or Mary Poppins magic snapping fingers, or maybe my very own laundry fairy.  

Recipes

Julianne inspired me with her roll recipe post. I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite recipes. So here's one for breakfast and one for dinner. Try them and let me know if you like them.

Waffles

1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat the waffle iron. Sift the dry indredients into a medium sized bowl. Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in smaller bowl. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. (If you are using an electric mixer, you can beat the egg whites first, then beat the batter without having to wash the beaters. The reverse is not true. If you beat the batter first and you have to wash the beaters before beating the egg whites.) Add the egg yolks, oil and milk all at one time to the dry indredients. Beat until there are no lumps in the batter. Fold the egg whites into the other batter using a spatula or other flat utinsel. Put a full 1/2 cup of batter in your waffle iron to make a 9-inch round waffle. This recipe makes about eight 9 inch waffles. (We have a waffle iron that does two small squares, and it works fine in there too.)

Arthur makes these for mother's day or my birthday, or any other special day, and always serves these with fresh whipped cream and fruit. Sooo good.

Okay, the next one I'm not going to write all the way out. I tried it for the first time earlier this month, and I was so proud of myself for making something that turned out this good. It is an imitation of Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad, and it is amazing. You can find it by clicking here. It is a lot of work, but totally worth it!!! The blend of all these different flavors is so great. Try it out the next time you feel like making a really good dinner. (Like if you'll be entertaining the first lady or something. )

No pictures

Well, I have no pictures to post because our camera was stolen a few weeks ago, and we just haven't gotten a new one yet.  But here are some random tidbits for you.

• We went on a family hike in the Sandia Mountains by our house this Saturday.  The kids had a great time climbing rocks and jumping over the little stream.  We hiked about two miles round trip, and Sean made it 3/4's of the way all by himself.  He finally gave up on the way back.  We had a very fun time, and I took lots of pictures in my mind.
• Saturday night, I took Dallin and Daphne to see a production of Aladdin, that my friend Louise Loomis directed.  She has been teaching at Manzano Day School for over 20 years, and she directs a musical each year that all the 4th & 5th graders participate in.  She hooked us up with tickets on the front row!  The costumes were amazing, and I couldn't believe how many kids she involved in it.  When it was over, I asked Dallin what he thought about it, and he said, "I LOVED IT!" with a grin as big as day across his face.   Then he asked, "What grade do I have to be in, to do a show like that?"  Hmmm . . . that got me thinking about public schools vs. private.  
  
• In our garden we have two pear trees and a peach tree.  We also have a bunch of other deciduous trees that are nice, and flowering trees, that I couldn't really identify.  Well yesterday when I was wandering in my garden, I discovered that there are apples growing on one of those flowering trees, and cherries growing on the other one!  It was like Christmas!  Two fruit trees I didn't know I had!
• Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there, and all of you people who have mothers!  I had a great day.  Arthur made me waffles with whipped cream and strawberries.  (He has a really great recipe for these that I should post.  They are delicious.)  As a bonus, we got to speak in our ward for Mother's Day.  JOY!  I actually really enjoyed preparing it, and thinking so much about motherhood and the mothers who have shaped and influenced my life  (Mom, Grammy Stone and Grandma Packard.) It made me feel so grateful to be a mother, and think of so many ways I can be better.  Of course speaking is always nerve-racking. I hate that feeling you get just before you stand up to speak, like your stomach might run away and leave your body in the dust.  So I'm glad that part is over.  But despite speaking in Sacrament, I had a great Mother's Day.  

Robin's Nest

We've been keeping an eye on the robins who live in our sycamore tree in the backyard.  This past week, the eggs hatched, and we've been watching the mother robin as she feeds her new babies.  It is so cute.  The first shot is taken from up in the tree.  The birds were waiting with their mouths open for their mom to come back, but she wouldn't come since I was up there.  I got down and then she came, but the view isn't as good obviously.  

I apologize in advance for the instability of the camera.  I was zoomed really far in and I think the camera moved every time I breathed.  (Also, the movie is much shorter than it looks.  there's a lot of dead time after the camera fades, so don't bother hanging around waiting for more.)  

 

Rock Stars

My friend Susie Tallman makes Children's Music CD's. She is awesome. It's a lot of traditional folk songs, and nursery rhymes, but she does fresh arrangements with real instruments and good vocals. It's the kind of children's music that adults can enjoy too. Believe me, I've listened to some children's music that I just couldn't stand, it was so annoying! But I'm always singing and dancing along to these. Even Arthur doesn't mind listening to this music.

Well, she is producing a new album of Christmas music and it features some vocals by Dallin, Daphne and Sharee Gariety! (That just proves, it's all who you know. ;) You can't really hear us because we're mixed in a group of people. But it was still fun to be a rock star in the recording studio for a day. Keep your eye out for Susie Tallman's upcoming Christmas Album. You can check her website rockmebabyrecords.com for it's release, and she also distributes on Amazon. My favorite albums so far are Classic Nursery Rhymes and Children's Songs-Childhood Favorites. But I think this Christmas album will be awesome!!! It's good stuff, so check it out!