Mary's 18th Birthday Party

On Friday night at 6:00 p.m. our family plus an assortment of minions invaded Old Town Yoga's beautiful upper studio!  Within 30 minutes our band of maybe 20 set up a swing dance party extravaganza that has never before or since been outdone.  Mike and his minions managed to hang twinkling white lights on 100 year old bricks, Kathryn and her minions set up tables loaded with drinks, food and, in Aunt Joanie's words, "the biggest cake she's ever seen."  Balloons were scattered and confetti was sprinkled. By 6:30 the guests began streaming in and by 7:00 the windows were steaming-up, the lights were shaking and "Johnny Be Good" was echoing as 40 of Ridgeview's finest swing dancers tore up the floor.  Not to mention the smooth moves of Mary's younger brothers and sisters and cousins.  We danced and laughed for 3 solid hours and then, just as efficiently as we had come in, the remaining guests and family turned the studio back into the empty cave it was before we arrived.  In the words of Isaac Smith, "It was the best birthday party EVER!"

Happy Birthday my dearest, darling Mary.  We love you more than words can say and can not stop thanking God for giving us such a gift as you.  EIGHTEEN!  Let life begin!

A day in the life ... New Neighbors ... Not ...

We have a rental house next door.  It's been vacant for over a month which in Ft. Collins is unheard of.  Houses rent within hours of being put on the market which leads us to the question, "Why hasn't this rented?"  It is seemingly a nice house.  The rent is high but not crazy.  It's in a great neighborhood (I mean WE live here ... it's pretty cool.)  So, I've been hypothesizing.  Is the house haunted?  Does it smell?  Is it still decorated in 1970's wallpaper?  Or, is it US?!  I watched a driver with out of state plates drive slowly around the corner, slowly pull-up to the neighbors address and then, after a few moments speed off.

Did the driver see our colorful sidewalks with multi-colored sidewalk chalk graffiti leading from our front door to the neighbors houses on each side?  Did the driver notice the plethora of bikes and scooters lined up, relatively neatly, along the side of the house?  Did the driver see our two, large, completely packed and over-flowing trash cans PLUS an equally large recycling bin waiting to be dumped?  Maybe the driver saw the kids performing the FIFTH mouse burial in our FRONT flower bed?  (We have traps in the garage and the mice seem to have been really productive this winter.  We can't bury them out back or the dog unearths them.) Or, did the driver witness us returning from the park and the endless stream of children piling out of our 15 passenger van LOUDLY? (Much like a clown car.)  Who's to say?  But, when I read this verse in Proverbs this morning I couldn't stop laughing:

If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
    it will be taken as a curse." Proverbs 27:14

We're JUST trying to BLESS our neighbors!  We love them!  We also love backyard cookouts, fire pits, lots and lots of kids and friends and friend's friends ...  But, it is possible we are being taken as a curse.  What's a neighbor to do?!

This is the Mouse Graveyard.  So far we've buried Jarry (yes, that's Jerry with an "a"), Mary, Larry, Carry and Darry.  I don't name them I just pay for the traps.

A day in the life ... Wednesday ... we STILL have colds ...

I think we've been passing a cold or a variety of colds around our house for like 7 years or since Christmas or something like that ... Luke, who in 2 short weeks will be the Music Man, requested a cold killing dinner and this is what I came up with ...

Orange Chicken

6 thickly sliced carrots
2 red bell peppers
2 cups snow peas
10 thickly diced chicken breasts
12 oz. defrosted, orange juice concentrate
3 Tablespoons of minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon (or more) red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (or more)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cold water mixed with a few tablespoons of corn starch

Put all of the meat and veggies MINUS THE SNOW PEAS into crockpot.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over meat and veggies MINUS THE SNOW PEAS and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Stir in the snow peas an hour before serving so they don't turn to gray mush.  Stir in the water and cold starch at the very end to thicken up the sauce.  Serve over rice.

This is yummy and jam packed with vitamin C, garlic, ginger, red pepper ... all things that clear the sinuses and chase away colds.  To add to it's healing properties I cooked our rice in chicken stock from Monday's dinner.  I made the mistake of just cooking it all day and the chicken was really dry but still good. I really don't like crock potting with chicken breasts because I almost never pay attention enough to get it out before it's dry.

Luke took his serving in a thermos to a youth group event so I'm not sure what his opinion is yet.  I'm hoping we are all healed by morning.  Orange Chicken and optimism ... I'll keep you posted.

A day in the life ... Taco Soup Tuesday ...

God, in all of his grace and mercy, not only gave us lovely Spring weather this week but delayed start schedule at Ridgeview due to testing.  Just the post Spring Break encouragement I needed.  Today we made a Clothesline Sheet Fort and cooked out for lunch.

Notice Tim back in the tree.  Hehe.  There was a day when our fort would have included more pirate sheets and less Hello Kitty but that tide turned about 10 years ago ...

This is our guard dog, Mistletoe.  She's so happy to have the kids able to be in the back with her all day now that the snow is melting.

And, this is our Camp Cook, Tim.  He's pretty darn cute.

During lunch the kids often play Spelling Bee or Jeopardy or Name That Tune.  Today, to include Eli, they had a Saying Bee where he had to say the words they told him.  He won.  I thought this was really clever and made Eli's day.

Tonight we're having Taco Soup in the crockpot for dinner.  An oldie but a goodie as far as recipes go ... this version is from my favorite crockpot website :

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html

I often use dried beans instead canned and this time I used ground pork instead of beef.  I also double the green chills.  It's a great recipe!

A day in the life ... Monday, Monday ... Chicken and Biscuits

I miss my blog.  I miss the everyday posts that help me think through my day and allow me to chronicle life in general.  So, as I find time (bahahahah ... inside joke between me and every other mom) I want to share snippets of my day.  The good, the bad, the ugly, the exhausting, the adorable, the fun ... you get the idea.

I didn't appreciate Spring Break or dread the Monday after Spring Break until 4 of our 10 kids started "real school".  Honestly, being a pretty relaxed home schooling mom, prior to "real school" many weeks after March 1st were Spring Break.  I'd rather do school all summer and enjoy spring than trudge through the glorious days of budding trees, daffodils and blue birds.  But, alas, kids grow and eventually need higher education and jobs.  Sniff. Sniff.  Stupid reality.  Having my older kids home was both relaxing and fun last week.  Plus there were no 5:30 a.m. alarm clocks or early bedtimes.  There was no driving, no lunches to make, no home work to juggle.  Glorious, just glorious.

All of that to say, today was THE Monday after Spring Break.  That 5:30 a.m. alarm clock didn't even go off because I was up at 5:20 a.m. dreading it.  But, once up, full of coffee (I drink 3 cups before I leave at 7:00 ... I know, I know ... I'll get kidneys stones or it will stunt by growth but walk a mile in my shoes) I was motivated.  I read my Bible, prayed and started whipping out lunches.  Out the door by 7:00, niece and nephew by 7:45, home by 8:00.  Morning chores hollered, chicken stock started, checkbook balanced, laundry started by 9:00.  School at 9:00 ... oh, how I love reading the Little House series ... Old Testament song practiced, prayed for these darling little sinners, reading, writing, arithmetic and so on and so forth.

I usually go to the gym at 11:00 but didn't today.  I just didn't have it in me.  Anna and I made banana bread for snacks instead.  Laundry switched, lunches made, served, more clean-up and finally, oh joy, Rest and Read Time.  Books doled out, kids tucked in, mom tucked in and zzzzzzzzz.  I'd like to report that I had a fantastic nap but between the giggling girls in the room next door and the naughty 3 year old it was more like me just hiding until they got so loud I had to intervene.  Mike, who had already intervened 3 times, needed a break.

Up at 2:30, clean-up again, banana bread snack at 3:00 and then shoo-ing the kids outside on a lovely Spring day.  Laundry switched, episode of an old The Middle watched then dinner to make.  I remember why I like meals in the crockpot as I debone hot chicken and strain the broth.  Whip up Chicken and Biscuits (recipe below) and while checking my email hear Mike yell down, "So, when do Mary and Luke need to be picked up?"  Oh, dang, it's 6:06 and they were done at 6:00.  Off to Ridgeview, home, dinner on the table, table cleared, dishes delegated and done.  So here I am.  A good day.  The big news of the day is that Lizzy learned to tie her shoes.  Go Lizzy!

Dinner was super yummy.  I made broth with leftover chicken bones from meals gone by and the peelings of long gone carrots, celery and onions.  The peels make dark, lovely broth.  I feel like meals like this are almost free ...  I did add 8 drumsticks to the pot  so I'd have meat for my recipe.  Which is ...

Chicken and Biscuits (makes one 11X17 pan's worth of deliciousness)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 olive oil
1/2 cup flour
3 cups broth
2 cups milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

8 carrots diced, cooked in broth
4 potatoes diced, cooked in broth
2 cups frozen peas
3 cups shredded or diced chicken

15 frozen, uncooked biscuits, either  homemade or store bought

Melt butter.  Whisk in flour.  Cook for a few minutes.  Whisk in broth and milk and cook until thick.  Add carrots, potatoes, peas and chicken.  Pour into 11X17 pan.  Top with frozen, uncooked biscuits.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and then loosely set a piece of tin foil on top (so the biscuits don't get too brown) and cook for 15 minutes more.  You want to make sure the biscuits aren't goopy  on the bottom when you gently lift them up.   Serve.  If you use fresh biscuits just cook it for less time but watch it as the tops burn easily.