Happy Birthday to Phil

Phil is so lucky to still be in his 30's! (One more year) We had birthday cookies instead of cake. He is almost done at Utah State, finishing up his Masters. The last class ends June 5th. He will be so glad when the stress lessens. With school, bishopric, work and family, he might make it through before a mental breakdown occurs.

Piano, Violin, and Cello

This has been the month for recitals and concerts. Jarom started playing the cello this year. The concert at his school was very good. I really admire his orchestra teacher. She knows how to get those kids to play together and it sounds great.

Jenicca memorized "Moon River" for her piano recital. She also played a part in a quartet piece. She did very well. I am impressed that she can memorize like that. I have tried to memorize piano music. I cannot do it. I need to have the music in front of me or I draw a blank.

Joshua's ninth grade orchestra was very impressive this year. I especially liked the Mozart number they played. I wanted to get a picture of him in front of his school, since this is his last year there. Can you tell he is almost too cool to get his picture taken by his mom? I had to be sneaky and quick.

I am so pleased with their progress this year in music and in school. Joshua and Jenicca both have a 4.0 grade point average. They are bright, talented, and good kids. They make my life more fun.

Pioneer Day

Jarom's fourth grade class had Pioneer Day today. They did a variety of activities like making butter, quilting, pioneer games, making medicine bags, making ice cream in a bag, dutch oven cooking, making bread, and for the grand finale they had a square dance. I helped the kids make homemade icecream. It was very fun.

Some of the boys and girls were not very excited to square dance, but one of Jarom's best friends is a girl in his class. They had a fun time dancing (as is evident by the picture). One boy asked the teacher's aide if she would hurry and break his leg for him so he wouldn't have to dance.
Do you want to make ice cream?? You need 2 quart size ziploc bags and one gallon size bag. In one quart size bag add 1/2 cup whole milk, one Tablesoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Get the air out of the bag and zip it closed. Put that bag into the other quart size bag and zip tightly. Place that into the Gallon ziploc. Add 4 cups crushed ice and 4 Tablespoons rock salt. Get the air out of the bag and seal. Shake, knead, and massage bag for 5-8 minutes until you have a soft ice cream. Yum.

RECIPE OF THE DAY

Pollo Durango (Café Sabor) Herald Journal May 2009
1. Cook one cup chicken cut in pieces and one cup sliced fresh mushrooms together in butter in a pan.
2. Combine ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, ½ cup sour cream and ¾ cup tomatillo enchilada sauce ( I used equal amounts of green enchilada sauce and Herdez Salsa Verde because the canned green enchilada sauces I found did not have tomatillos in their ingredients. You can purchase tomatillo enchilada sauce from Café Sabor at their restaurant too.)
3. Drain the grease off the chicken and mushrooms and add a pinch of cilantro.
4. Combine the chicken/mushrooms with the sauce.

I doubled the recipe for my family. It is very good. It tasted just like Café Sabor. We served it with rice and beans, and it is sooo easy.

Bumble Bee!

I was stung by a huge bumble bee yesterday. It was in my kitchen for some unknown reason, and it ended up on my ankle. I am slightly allergic to bees and mosquitoes and some spiders too. I immediately took 2 Benadryl and put some ice on my leg. I was able to sleep last night and make it through the day without too much pain, but tonight my leg is getting quite swollen, and it burns and itches. This reminded me to get the insect repellent out. It will be my perfume this summer.

Juliana speaks

I was at the grocery store yesterday with Juliana. She is starting to be observant of people around her, maybe a little too observant. I was standing in line to check out. There was one lady in front of me. The checker was a nice gray-haired grandma. She was being friendly and making conversation with the other lady and me. I made some comment and smiled. She continued talking to the other lady, but Juliana became very stern and scowled at me. She said "Don't talk to that old witch!" She continued, "That lady is a witch." I was hoping the checker did not hear her or at least not understand her. I quickly changed the subject to quiet her down. I was confused why she thought she was a witch, until I got a better look at the checker. She had a prominent nose with several wart-like moles on her nose. Josh reminded me later that Juliana has been watching Snow White lately. That explains why she knows about witches and their warty noses. That Walt Disney is going to get me in trouble.

April Fools Day

April Events

Due to some technical difficulties, I have not posted for a while. April was a fun month. The kids had spring break. We were able to go to Denver to visit my sister Shanna and her husband Taft, and their kids. We had fun getting away for a few days. The weather was great that week. We went to Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. We also visited the Aquarium right near the football stadium, and we had a fun easter egg coloring day and easter egg hunt.

For April Fools Day we had our traditional April Fools meal. The missionaries came for dinner that night. They thought it was a fun tradition. We wore hats and ate with strange utensils. Try eating chicken rolls with a whisk! For dessert we had fish sticks and peas and carrots. (Wafer cookies covered in peanut butter then dipped in crushed cornflakes. The peas and carrots were skittles and m&ms) We also had a April Fools dinner with the primary presidency and husbands a couple days later. Fun!!