The Latest Casualty

I am now down to a total of TWO pants that don't have ripped knees.
One too many crawl chases I presume.

An Experiment

Since Owen is a goat and eats everything EXCEPT food I decided to make playdough a little more eatable for him. If you look at the ingredients it really is eatable already: flour, salt water, oil, and cream of tartar. But we decided to use condiments for the coloring to give it that something extra...

Mustard, catsup and maraschino cherries. Mustard was gross, catsup was DISGUSTING, and the cherries were great! I'm referring to smell, not taste. But they all worked and once the condiments were mixed in, it was like regular playdough.

Notice his collection of worms. It got a lot bigger by the time we were done. We also had jellyfish, starfish, pancakes, cookies, a crab, and a hamburger (i.e., "crabby pattie"). Here's the recipe, it's the best home-made playdough recipe I've found (and I've tried a total of TWO recipes):

Nature's Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup water
beet, spinach, and carrot juice (which we obviously didn't have)

Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, and oil. Slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the vegetable juices to make green, pink, and orange.

The New Black

I love soup when it's cold outside and this is my current favorite. Minus the sour cream, of course. I ate it for the first time in November when my mom made it. Then was excited when Tisha had made it here for New Year's Eve. Yum.

White Chili

3 (14oz) cans white beans (drained)
1 can garbanzo beans (drained)
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breasts (I grilled mine on George Foreman)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (4oz) cans chopped mild green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
sour cream

Drain beans and rinse well. Place chicken in heavy large saucepan. Add cold water to cover and bring to simmer. Cook until tender. Drain and cool. Shred chicken or cut into cubes. Heat oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper and sauté 2 minutes. Add beans, chicken and broth and bring to a boil. At this point it can be refrigerated. If you want to make a day ahead as the flavors go through it. Next day, bring to a simmer and add cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Serve w/ sour cream.

Spilled Milk

Lara, Max's mom, gave me a copy of Marjorie Pay Hinckley's book, "Small and Simple Things" before they moved last Sunday. I've been reading it this week and that lady is so cool! I love that she says, "don't be a whiner." Usually my free second to read comes in the bathroom (sorry if that's too much info). But I'll come out all positive and ready to go! One quote I especially like is, "Find joy in your children. Don't overschedule them or yourself. You may not be able to take them on exotic vacations. It doesn't matter. When the day dawns bright and sunny, take an excursion to the canyon or the park. When it's cloudy and wet, read a book together or make something good to eat. Give them time to explore and learn about the feel of grass and the wiggliness of worms." Yesterday I got done blow-drying my hair to find Owen had dumped milk all over his Hungry, Hungry Hippos game. I freaked out. I'm pretty sure Sis Hinckley wouldn't have done that. I need to read the book a few more times...

While You Were Freezing

While everyone in AZ was busy freezing on Monday we had a high of 79. Since it was MLK Jr Day, the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores was free. And since it was free it was crowded. And since it was crowded we opted for the nature trail they had outside.

Max

No, not my nephew Max. Max - who is in our ward here. Monday night we went to his 8th birthday party and it was so cool! Monday also happens to be Elvis' birthday so it was themed around The Million Dollar Quartet (I learned that is Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis). After pizza we all (about 6 different families) had to perform a song by one of them. Most everyone did Johnny Cash. We're so not familiar with his music but love it now. I chose "Superstitious Lies" by Elvis. I butchered it cause I wasn't prepared enough and very nervous. Justin did a little riff on his jaw harp. And most everyone else sang while Bishop accompanied on the guitar. He is SO good - plays by ear and used to be in a local bluegrass band. On our way out he offered to help Justin and I learn. That made us both so excited. We'll see if it happens!

Pink-Eye

Owen woke up this morning and said, "My eyeball!" I thought that meant he was still tired for some reason. Then when I turned on the light I saw a swollen left eye with sticky eyelashes. This is our first round of pink-eye since we've had kids. Wish us luck!