24 Days until the boys head back to school so HURRY HAVE FUN ...

Being the flibbertigibbet that I am, I thought the boys new school, Heritage Christian Academy, started after Labor Day (as all schools should). I remember at the beginning of summer looking at their calendar and thinking, "Hooray!  They have common sense!"  Well, I got a copy of their calendar on Monday and about had a heart attack when I saw that the first day is the 22nd!!!

THE 22ND!  WHAT?!  I'd better join their board and make it my mission in life to talk some common sense into these people! (NOT! Totally kidding! I've been practicing the sentence, "No, I'm sorry, I can't volunteer" all summer. I haven't actually used it in real life as is obvious by the number of kids at my house each day or the number of rides I give or the number of friends house keys I have in my purse but I'll start on the 22nd .... probably.)

Anywho, this new revelation gives the boys exactly 2 less weeks to finish their online summer math class and me two weeks less of not acting like a grown-up.  Sooooo disappointing. In response to this realization we crammed a lot of fun in this week.

It started on Sunday when we skipped church so as not to give our lovely church family pink eye, colds or the flu and drove up the Poudre Canyon away from the things of man.  We ended up at Chambers Lake where we had a relaxing, muddy, smokey time.


Lizzy spent her time practicing gymnastics on large rocks. (???)

I love this picture with Tim fishing and Rachel with our dog in the background.
The ground Rachel is standing on is spongy and the kids could bounce on it like a trampoline.

Eli turned the 2nd picnic table into a stage for his play, Peter Pan.

Mike and the boys whittling or, in my words, making sharp sticks.

Grandpa & Luke solving the problems of the world.

Luke and Mike

Lizzy, Eli and Rachel

We love our beautiful Colorado.

Mike, who doesn't drive with the entire van full of kids as much as I do, decided that the high school boys were too big to sit in the back seat of the van and shuffled our seating arrangements. After driving in the car with three teenage boys a foot from his ear I'm hoping he's rethinking this arrangement. Either that or try to pass legislation that allows open containers of alcohol in vehicles. Between their music, loud guffaws, bickering and smells I almost wonder if we need one of those dog grates to keep them in the way, way back.

On Tuesday we went to dance as usual. As I was sitting on the bank of the Big Thompson watching Tim prepare his rod,  Tim casually said, "Oh, look!  A baby snake!" Ahhhhhhh!  There is never just one baby snake?!  Granted it was just a little garter snake but, ewwwww, I kept imagining baby snakes crawling up my legs or back ... ack, ack, ack!

One of the highlights of my summer is always my garden.  Look how tall my zucchini leaves are reaching towards the sun!

The joy of gardening.

On Wednesday we worked really hard around the house in preparation for our excursion to Castle Rock on Thursday.  (Mostly I just used the excursion as an excuse to get some really awful chores done by the kids.)  Tim and cousin, Winston, using our little chain saw chopped up broken branches that had fallen in a storm.  Grandpa came to "supervise" but it's questionable as to who was supervising whom.  ;-)

They used the wood to make the cat a teepee. Ha!

It even has a rabbit fur bed!  The dog knocked it down and the cat ignored its existence.

After our hard work we took dinner to the pool where I snapped a picture of this adorable little sea monkey.

He likes to bop the other kids on the head with a net to sprinkle them with pixie dust so they can fly to the pool's Neverland.  It's weird ... the kids just think he's hitting them and cry.  No imagination in kids these days!  I was questioning the wisdom of going to the pool until 9:00 p.m. the night before we have to leave the house by 7:40 a.m. to drive to Castle Rock as I peeled kids out of bed the next morning.  Adulting has always been really hard for me.

The next morning after a very rough start we made it to Patrick and Marcy's house by 10:00 ish and had the most wonderful summer day!  You can gauge the level of fun children have in a day by the amount of filth they accumulate on their bodies and the number of bandaids doled out.  Let's just say we had to open a new bar of soap to tackle this filth and went through an entire box of bandaids. For adults I suppose the level of fun might be measured by the number of laughing tears shed and Chardonnay consumed ... Good times!


Looking for Marcy in her middle school class picture.

















Tim is King of the Cousins.  How cute is this that sweet Everett is sitting and chatting with Tim at dinner.  Gah!  So cute!

Friday morning we all slept late and did very little. Lizzy went to a neighbors to play and as she was walking home Luke was just pulling up from work.  She said, "Hey, Luke, look at this!  Water!"  One of our neighbors had waterfalls of water flowing from her SECOND story windows!  Luke called 911 and within 10 minutes we had a fire truck and 4 police cars on our street!  Such excitement and such tragedy. This poor neighbor is a recluse and sick.  The police had been trying to get inside the house and yard for fifteen years after concerns from neighbors.  Now that they have seen the inside, the house will be condemned. I feel so sorry for this poor woman who had been living is this mess and pray this will lead her to the help she must need. Lizzy is the neighborhood hero for seeing the water and telling someone!



So that was our week. 8/11 of the house slept until 10:30 this morning ... I was not one of them. You'd think by now they would have built up a higher resistance to summer fun exhaustion ... sheesh.

The dog days of summer ...

The newlyweds are back from their honeymoon, the 4th of July has passed, Mike has started traveling after a lovely 3 week break and the dog days of summer are lingering.  This morning, as usual, I was the first one up and there were children sleeping in every nook and cranny of the house. In an effort to keep it that way for as long as possible, I snuck out to the back patio to read and witnessed the following miracle.

"And the lion shall lie down with the lamb ..." 

The lion is obviously our cat, Sparkles a/k/a Kitten, and the lamb, well, is our sweet, chocolate lab.

We've had a pretty mundane week with the exception of an outbreak of pink eye, a stomach bug and now, I believe, a cold.  We're catching up after a long stretch of no sickness all in one week. Yay for us.

Mr. and Mrs. Stephens 

Luke and Mary (Mary is a spoil sport.)

I've found the best way to keep the older kids close is to bribe them with food. In this case my bait was burgers with blue cheese, red onions and other out of the ordinary toppings. It is ironic that these toppings deter the younger kids but lure the older kids. I have to prioritize my targets.

Earlier in the week, while the girls danced, Tim and Eli bonded at the river. We are very fortunate to have our dance classes hosted at the lovely house of Mrs. Teddy Gee whose home backs up to the Big Thompson River. She graciously shares her home, the river and her sweet dog, Henry.

Today Mike comes home and I'm praying everyone is on the mend so that we can enjoy a nice summer weekend. We may have to escape to the mountains to keep the kids from climbing the walls and from contaminating the city with our germs!

Let the dance season begin!

This weekend the girls competed in their first dance competition of the season.  We had a lovely time visiting with friends, humming to the bagpipes and catching up with my brother, Patrick's, family.

The Maclean and Stephens girls waiting to dance.

Waiting for awards ...

Lizzy sword fighting.

Samantha and Rachel getting ready to fight.

Anna, Rachel, Lizzy, Sophie

Henry, Everett, Thomas and Eli

It was fun but, obviously, exhausting.

We spent Sunday at church and resting. Today we are catching up. I put this in the crockpot this morning and it has smelled wonderful all day!  We will have fresh zucchini from our garden with the meal. 

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables

Serves 12.

8 potatoes, cubed

2 lbs. baby carrots

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 Tablespoon thyme

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 Tablespoon pepper

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup olive oil

Layer potatoes, carrots and chicken in crockpot putting a drizzle of olive oil, a teaspoon of thyme/salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper on each layer.  Cover with chicken broth and white wine and cook all day. We like things a bit crispy so when done I drain off the liquid and broil the chicken and potatoes to crisp up the tops. 

Happy Monday!

Free Chick-fil-a AND a concert ...

... what a fun day!

We see the Cinemark Summer Movies on Tuesdays which yesterday was "Box Trolls".  After the movies we dressed up like cows (which is totally normal) and headed to Chick-fil-a for our annual trek for free chicken.  (Large families love free food! Well, all families love free food but large families LOOOOVE free food!)

Rachel, Anna, Eli and Lizzy

(The older boys should be publicly shamed. They didn't want to dress up so walked over to Wendy's to buy cheaper food with their own money.  Spoil sports!)

While getting Chick-fil-a was fun the rest of the day just got better and better! 

First, the air conditioner repair guy came and fixed our a/c for under $200!  Thank you, Lord!  

Then, after all of this excitement, we drove to Denver to see the Rock, Paper, Scissors tour with Peter Gabriel and Sting!  We thought that maybe one would open for the other but, holy moly, they combined bands and did a 2 1/2 hour concert together! They played back up for each other, sang together and even did choreographed dances together!  What?! It was wonderful and so much fun!  (Plus, Mike and I were some of the younger groupies in attendance!  That's rare!)

Mike and I have a problem when we attempt to take selfies ... he makes so many funny faces in the attempt I start laughing so hard he can't take the picture. It's just too funny. One day I'll share the "Selfie Incident of 2015" when Mike had to provide a selfie for his new company's website.  Oh, my goodness, I may have never laughed so hard. He claims he has deleted all evidence which is a real shame ...

Today will be quite anticlimactic after yesterday!  Although, my dearest darling niece and nephew have returned from their trip to Chicago so we're excited to have their sweet little faces back to adore. 

Eli, Winston and Lily

They are the only three up so far and are playing so very sweetly. Absence makes the heart play nicer or something like that. 

Being a Wednesday night in the summer we will grill tonight. Burgers or sausages ... nothing to prepare or plan. Another benefit of summer, I suppose. After a few days of no air conditioning Summer is going to have to prove herself to me again before I am lured into affection once again ...

Elitch's and the Newsboys!

This weekend we took Ben (16), Jacob (15) and Tim (14) to Elitch's and the Newsboys concert in Denver! The boys had never been to an amusement park, a water park or a concert.  As for Mike and me, we had not been to Elitch's since it first opened at it's new location in 1995!  I hadn't been to a water park since high school and Mike hadn't been since the night before he went to Marine Corp boot camp!  It was quite the eventful weekend, to say the least.  

Let this picture record the last time Mike and I will ever ride a roller coaster.  It was fun in a terrifying, "Oh Lord please save me, I want to live!", kind of a way. We both kept saying, "Why was this so fun when we were younger?"

There are no pictures, to my knowledge, of us at the water park.  If anyone has some, please destroy them immediately. 

And, finally, the Newsboys concert.  This was the highlight (for us at least) of the day. It was really fun and encouraging. 

Jacob, Ben and Tim 

Just before, "God's Not Dead!" Really fun!

Because the weekend was long and exhausting and ... exhausting, I have yet to make a meal plan for the week. My fall back when I have no plan is to revert to the menu plan I've used for years which is:

Monday = Italian

Tuesday = Mexican

Wednesday = Asian or Grill

Thursday = Eggs or Soup

Friday = Pizza

Saturday = Date Night/Freezer Food

Sunday = Leftovers

So, therefore, unless sun stroke and exhaustion has further warped my mind, it is Monday and we will have Italian. 

I will toss frozen meatballs in my crockpot, cover them with sauce, cook all day and serve over pasta or veggies. There you have it ... dinner!

(Yesterday I used similar crockpot magic and combined frozen chicken thighs and green chili to create burrito/taco filling.)

Thank you God for crockpots and simplicity.

Pioneers and Chicken Tortilla Soup

First, you HAVE to see how the Chicken and Dumplings turned out!


(I put it under the broiler to get it browned on top at the very end.)

The boys were at youth group last night so we actually even have left-overs!  Sweet Lizzy was ravenous after two hours of swimming followed by two hours of gymnastics and ate a huge bowl plus a granola bar plus a yogurt.

After chores yesterday morning the little kids decided to play pioneer.  I find this really funny because after we wash dishes, start laundry, sweep the floor and start dinner then they go outside, set up a camp and pretend to wash dishes, do laundry, sweep the ground and make pioneer "soup".  In fact, I had to call Rachel back in to sweep and she said, "But mom we're playing!" (YES!  You are pretending to do the job I need you to actually DO inside!)


Anna, Lizzy and Rachel playing pioneer.  They use the clothesline to make a shelter and wear pioneer dresses my mom made them a few years ago.  Cuties!

Tonight we'll have crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I've used various recipes in the past but now just toss the following in the crockpot:

Left-over chicken or 6 chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts
1 diced onion
1 diced bell pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can beans (black, navy or pinto)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt (give or take)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Chicken broth (enough to cover it all)

After cooking all day shred the meat, if necessary.  Top each serving with the following:

Shredded cheddar or monteray jack cheese
Crumbled tortilla chips
Sour cream
Avocado pieces

Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Two years later, definitely older and probably wiser ...

... it depends on who you ask.  Yep, I haven't posted in two years?!  I have draft posts waiting in limbo with titles like "Stop Listening to Oprah" and "A Day in the Life - Fall, 2015" which I either didn't have the gumption to post or got so busy in that specific day in the life I didn't have time to post.

I blame my lack of posting on 3 things: Facebook, time and Google.  Facebook because it's easier to post a witty remark with a snappy picture than to write a blog post. Time because it seems to be flying by as I juggle off-spring (I can't even call them "kids" anymore ... sniff, sniff) between the ages of five and twenty-something. And, finally, Google because they took over Blogspot some time ago and ruined everything.

But, alas, the time has come.  My oldest, Josiah, is married to the lovely Michaela and my second oldest, Mary, is engaged to the wonderful Quincy. As they leave the nest, I have more to share with them than can comfortably fit in a wee, little Facebook post.

Mary has always cooked with me but wants "details" and Michaela hasn't always cooked with me and might like the big picture of how to feed multitudes on a tight budget with real food!  Outside of cooking, I'd like them to see the dailies of our family as they build families of their own.

So, on this perfect summer morning with only the two littlest awake and Mike already upstairs working, I will begin.


Lovely Lizzy eating breakfast.


Eli in his Spiderman jammies playing with the cat in the garden.

When the kids were little I didn't like summer.  We lived in Texas where it was HOT and buggy. The brief time they could play outside was mosquito/fire ant infested and taking 7 kids under the age of 9 to the pool was not only absurd but dangerous.  But, now I'm not only back home where the mornings and evenings are cool, mosquitos are comparatively tiny and the kids can swim, I am really starting to love this summer thing.  The mornings are slow and late sleepers abound. The kids are big enough to do big chores.  The pool is close, heated, salt-water, has life guards and comes with a cafe that serves wine!  Seriously, it's like the Promised Land.  We have a lovely summer routine.  Dress, breakfast, chores, activity (library, summer movie, park day ...), lunch, Rest & Read, pool, dinner, relaxation and, finally, bed. Ahhhhhh ...

On the menu for dinner today is Chicken and Dumplings.  I roughly use the Pioneer Woman's recipe which is here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/chicken-and-dumplings/ (If you'll remember in the past I assured you that if Ree and I were neighbors we'd probably be best friends.)  If you are like me and can't stand scrolling through the 5 pages of pictures and instructions and just want the *&%!% recipe, here it is:

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Chicken, Cut Into Pieces (cut Up Fryer)
• Salt And Pepper
• 1/2 cup Finely Diced Carrots
• 1/2 cup Finely Diced Celery
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
• 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Dumplings:
• 1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1-1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley (optional)
• Salt As Needed

INSTRUCTIONS

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour.

Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.

In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.

Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

I hope my friend Ree can forgive me but I just don't care what each step looks like through the lens of a camera.  I just don't.

But, here's the important thing I do differently that I want to share.  When I make anything with chicken broth I really make broth.  I take 10 lbs. of frozen chicken pieces, the skins/peels/ends/scraps from all the onions, carrots and celery I've used over the previous weeks, 5 bay leaves, a generous palm full of salt and pepper, 2 gallons of water and then simmer it in my roaster ALL day!  See:



Obviously, if you haven't saved all your veggie scraps for weeks just toss in hunks of onions, carrots and celery.

This will make enough broth for Chicken and Dumplings and soup another day. If you have a smaller family it would make maybe 4 to 6 meals!

This is such a cost effective way to feed a family.  I buy 40 lb. boxes of chicken leg quarters which are divided into 4 10 lb. bags at the restaurant supply store for .40 per pound!  Any meat that is cheaper than $1.00 per pound is a steal.  You may say, "my family doesn't like dark meat," or, "soup doesn't sound good in the summer" but I assure you this meat will be so tender they won't be able to resist eating it!  In terms of soup in summer, I just tell my kids, "Of course we're eating soup, it's Thursday. Duh!" We have soup or an egg dish every Thursday and have for years.

Enjoy!