Articles of Faith

Every once in awhile I get a good idea and even act upon it. This year our Primary has challenged all of the children to memorize the Articles of Faith. So I decided to make our Family Home Evenings about them for the next couple of months. I wanted to help my daughters learn them, but even more importantly, I want them to understand what they mean. So each week we talk about one of them and do some activities to help us understand them. (I've found resources on sugardoodle.net and aboutlds.com and lds.org). I also find pictures to illustrate them as well as I possibly can. Then I'm putting this together into a little 6 x 6 scrapbook that we can take to church and study here at home. The girls are loving it. Ella has #1-3 memorized so far, and Michelle has #1-4 memorized. We've talked about the members of the Godhead and what each of their characteristics are. We talked about the Fall and about repentance and how each of us can choose the right (or not) and that there are consequences for our actions. For number 3, we talked about obedience. We discussed our Savior's atonement. For number 4, we played a game about baptism and discussed the difference between principles and ordinances. So far, I'm really happy with what they are learning and hope that this book with its visual reminders will continue to help them remember not just the words but the meaning of these articles of faith as well.

Little Girls Book Club

I can't keep up with my blogging lately! :)

A week and a half ago, it was book club night. For me. And for Michelle. Michelle is in a book club with other 7-11 year olds in our neighborhood. The book club was started by my amazing friend Aly. Usually Aly holds book club at her house and she always has such fun activities for the girls. January was Michelle's turn to pick the book though, and she wanted to do it at our house, so we did. She chose Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, a book I had loved as a little girl. Since Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has "magic" cures for common childhood behavior problems such as being a tattle-tale, having bad table manners and not wanting to go to school, Michelle and I thought it would be fun to do some magic tricks. I don't really know any magic and didn't figure I'd be very good at it without a lot of practice, we mostly did math magic tricks.

Then we had ice cream sundaes where they could add whatever magic "cures" they needed (or wanted) on top of the ice cream. We had licorice drops to get rid of tattle tales and oreo cookie crumbs to get rid of "I thought you said-itis". They could put chocolate syrup to combat the "I don't want to go to school"ers. Since interrupters start to talk like goldfish, we even had goldfish crackers (which surprisingly many of the girls put on their ice cream!).

One fun thing about this was that after their little girl's book club, I headed over to my book club. We had read The Magic Lifein which magic plays a major role. A magic-filled night with lots of great people...cute little girls and then my friends. :)

Here's just a couple of my magic tricks (I found them online--they aren't actually mine):

Unfold the Paper - Magic Number TrickTell someone to write down a 3 digit number (example: 746). Tell them that you are each going to write down 2 more 3 digit numbers and add them, but before you do, you are going to write down the answer on a piece of paper and fold it up.
You obtain the answer by subtracting 2 from the last digit of the first number and placing a 2 before the first digit--thus 746 becomes 2744 for the answer. Now ask the other person to put their two digits down, either both at once or in succession with you. Either way, they must go before you. Now, whatever they put down, make each number, when added to the number you put down add up to 999. Don't do this but once with each person; they'll catch on otherwise. Example: (original number) 746... (Their first number) 325... (your first number) 674... (their second number) 841... (Your second number) 158...
Total 2744
They unfold the paper and you're a hero!

Name of the Dead
For this trick, you hand out three slips of paper, and ask three people to help you. Two are to write the names of living people on their slip, and the third person, the name of a dead person. These slips are folded and placed in a hat, without your touching them. You are then blindfolded, or the hat is held high over your head so that you cannot see into it. You are able to reach in and bring out the slip with the dead person's name.
This is a very easy trick. Take a sheet of note paper, and tear it into three pieces. The top and bottom pieces will have one smooth edge and one rough edge, but the center piece will have two rough edges. Have someone in the audience write a dead person's name on the center slip, and two other spectators, the names of a living person on each of the other two slips. Have the slips folded and dropped into the hat.
When you reach into the hat, all you need to do is feel for the slip with two rough edges. When you have found it, don't bring it out right away. Have the spectators concentrate on the names to make it more of a mystery. Then reveal the slip in your hand as the one with the dead person's name.

Primary

In 2010, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach an 11 year old boy in Primary. He was my only student, and at times it was challenging but it was such a great experience. I grew to love him. The world would label him as autistic but that label only tells a small part of who he is. He is a boy who loves to draw. Who can memorize commercials and tv shows better than anyone else I know. A boy who loves his family. A boy who likes oreo cookies and crackers but doesn't like most candy or other sweets. A boy who loves to look at pictures of the families in our ward and sometimes makes up stories about them. A boy who has a testimony of the gospel and who can make me laugh. Fortunately, he is a boy who has a family that loves him and has helped him to work hard and to reach his potential. Not that I'm saying he's reached his full potential yet, but he is on his way. He knows who he is and as I taught him I often could feel the Savior's love for him. It was such a great opportunity, and while I was excited for him, I was sad to see him move on to young men's.

This year, I'm having a very different experience. I'm teaching the Sunbeams, the little 3 year olds. I must admit to having been both excited and a little nervous about this. I've taught school for a long time, but I've always thought of myself as an upper grade teacher. I've taught 3rd, 5th and for one year 6th grade. This year I'm teaching 2nd grade, my youngest grade yet...but even those kids are 7 and 8. So teaching 3 year olds is a change for me. And the first week was a little rough...for them and me. It's a big change to go from nursery to primary. They kept asking where the toys were and when we would play. But it's been four weeks now and we are all adjusting well. They are darling! They are so cute and sweet. Every Sunday I have one on my lap during sharing time...and interestingly, every Sunday so far it has been a different one. It is fun to see their little testimonies and to see how much they already know. And it is fun to be teaching the very basics of the gospel...that we are children of God, that He has a plan for us, that He has given us bodies, that we can and should pray to Him. And I've found that as long as I bring a toy each week (that ties in with the lesson)then they are pretty good at paying attention so they can get to the "toy" part. The first week, we had Baby Moses in a basket. This past week we had costumes and a stuffed lion to act out Daniel in the Lions Den. Hopefully they are remembering what we are learning. I certainly am having a wonderful time teaching them. No wonder the Savior has told us to become as a little child!

Home Improvement

During the Christmas break, Alfredo did two things that made our house nicer. First, my Christmas gift from him was a computer desk. I had a small wooden desk that I bought after (or maybe even before?... but I think it was after) graduating from college, 14 years ago. It has been with me through three or four moves and 14 years. Needless to say it was falling apart. Literally. So Alfredo bought/built a new computer desk. It is huge and pretty and sturdy. Just wonderful. Alfredo also did a pretty thorough cleaning of my office...which is the one room in my house that I totally neglect and that often looks like a bomb hit. I was nervous about him cleaning it but he was kind and didn't throw too much away but did make it nice. And miracle of miracles, it has stayed clean for 3 + weeks now!! (Seriously, I'm not kidding about the miracle comment. It really never stays clean.)



The second project was to install shelves in the basement for our food storage. I had my food in a small hall closet. It was convenient (close to the kitchen) but so small that it was always overflowing and hard to reach foods at the back. By putting up the shelves, there is more space. It is better organized. I can easily see what I have or don't have. And it freed up a closet to store our towels and blankets in. They had been stored in 3 or 4 spots in the house...all the extra nooks and crannies. So this, too, is making the house much better organized and easier to keep clean.
Amazing how two such simple, fairly small projects could make such a difference. This month, keeping my house neat has seemed easier and more manageable than in the past.

These shelves were obviously still empty when I took this picture. We hadn't finished moving everything downstairs when I took the photos.



And well, before I give Alfredo all the credit (but he still gets most!), I also worked hard during Christmas break. I cleaned out closets and went through every toy in the kids' rooms and organized. I donated a trunkload of stuff to DI.

That's just some of the stuff that went to DI.

Recipes--Part 3

Quick Ravioli Soup... from busycooks.about.com
Ingredients:
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 cup pre-shredded carrots
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 onion, chopped
•2 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
•1 (18 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
•2 (14 ounce) cans Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained
•1/8 teaspoon white pepper
•1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
•9 ounce package refrigerated cheese stuffed ravioli
•1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and garlic and cook and stir until crisp tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in remainining ingredients except for ravioli and cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add ravioli; cook over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes until tender. Serve with cheese.

**Note: I often throw in other vegetables with the carrots, onion, and garlic. I've added shredded zuchinni, finely chopped green or yellow or red peppers. You could probably throw in squash. Also, I've used great northern beans in place of the cannellini beans...I don't know what the difference between the two is (they are both white...so I just use what I have on hand.) If I'm out of Italian seasoned tomatoes, I throw in plain diced tomatoes and then add a teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning. This is great with french bread and a big salad...but good enough to just serve it alone. And pretty fast. Also, if I'm busy...I'll just throw the vegetables into the broth without cooking them until crisp-tender in a saucepan. You then need to let them come to a boil, lower the temp and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender...instead of 15...makes the cooking time longer but less work for you. Also, you can substitute chicken broth for the veg. broth.


North Woods Wild Rice Soup (from
Dont' Panic...Dinner's in the Freezer)
1/2 lb. bacon (can also substitute bacon bits if you prefer)
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup celery,diced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 10 oz. can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice

Makes 6 servings. Takes about 30 -45 minutes
Directions:
Fry, drain and crumble bacon; set aside. Cook onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, thyme and paprika. Heat until bubbly. Add chicken, chicken broth, worcestershire sauce, sherry, milk and half and half. Stir until thickened. Add rice and bacon. Serve. (great with french bread and salad.)

NOTE: If you buy prepackaged wild rice, don't add any seasoning packet that comes with them. ALSO, do cook the rice before adding it to the soup. THe first time I made this, I didn't notice it said cooked wild rice and even after cooking for about an hour, the rice was still hard...not so great.


NOTE: YOu can also double or triple this recipe and freeze it in quart sized freezer bags. Label it and stick in your freezer. Then remove from your freezer 10-12 hours before serving so it can thaw. Then throw in a pan and heat until bubbly. Serve.


Creamy Chicken Soup (recipe from Monica Bills)

4 chicken breasts, with bones or whole chicken... can also use rotisserie chicken to make this recipe easier/faster
2 stalks chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 -1 chopped small onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
about 1 quart water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 package egg noodles, precooked
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine celery, carrots, onion in water with garlic powder. If using a whole, uncooked chicken, add an extra quart of water. If using chicken breasts just add 1 quart of water. If using rotisserie chicken, you don't need to add the chicken yet. Cook until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender (when I throw in a whole chicken...I bring it to boil and then simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half...half way through that time, I remove the chicken and cut it up...then put it back in to finish cooking.. For just chicken breasts it would probably need to cook for about an hour.)

Remove chicken from the pot and remove bones. Discard bones (if using a whole chicken...discard fat and skin also). Cut chicken into small chunks. Replace in pot. If using a rotisserie chicken, shred it into small chunks and add to the water with the carrots and such. If you added more than 1 quart of water, measure and make sure there is just one quart in the pot. Discard the extra water (but not the carrots,celery and onions).

Add cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk and COOKED egg noodles. Heat until warm, bubbly and semi-thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.

So creamy, yummy and delicious!!!
A little bit harder/time consuming recipe...but totally worth the effort.


Chicken with Herbs and Vegetables
Source unknown

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
6 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
4 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
10 large mushrooms, quartered
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 large tomatos, coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
cooked rice or noodles

Serves 4

Combine breadcrumbs and 4 Tbsp. parmesan cheese. Dredge chicken in mixture. (I like to cut the chicken into strips.) Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet over medium high heat until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet.

Add mushrooms and bell peppers to skillet. Saute for 3 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, and salt. Return chicken to skillet. Cover,reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and rest of parmesan cheese. Serve over hot rice or noodles.

**I just found this recipe. I haven't made it in about 2 years but it is so yummy. I can hardly wait for my next grocery shopping day now, so we can have this again. Yum!!

Chicken Taco Sandwiches
need to look up where this comes from...I think 30 Day Gourmet...but not sure

2 cups shredded chicken breast meat (can use canned, rotisserie chicken or can cook some chicken breasts and shred...I will even throw chicken in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for8-10 hours and then serve.
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup mild or medium salsa (or hot if you prefer)

Boil the chicken broth with the garlic, oregano and cumin until reduced to 1/3 cup. Stir into shredded chicken breast with the salsa.

Then serve by placing on rolls and adding your choice of toppings: lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, finely chopped onions, chopped avocadoes. You could also serve in tortillas to make chicken tacos.

Super easy recipes

These are my two go-to recipes when I haven't planned ahead or I get home late and need something fast and easy.

Stir-fry

1 pkg. kielbasa or turkey sausage (the kind that is kind of horseshoe shaped)
2 pkg. frozen stir fry vegetables (Whatever kind your family likes best)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
cooked rice

Serves 5 or 6
First, cut the kielbasa into thin slices and cook in a frying pan on med-high heat until browned on both sides (flip after a few minutes to brown each side. Then add the frozen stir fry vegetables and soy sauce. Turn down the heat to medium and cover. Let cook until vegetables are cooked crisp-tender. Serve on top of rice. This takes about 15-20 minutes total...unless I use the rice cooker not minute rice and then it is 35 minutes for the rice to cook and I wait until the rice has been cooking 10 minutes to start everything else.
This is something my mom cooked for us growing up.


Easy but good chili

1 can Nally (or your favorite brand) chili
1 can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained... these are optional...but they add more fiber and we like them)
1 clove garlic
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 pound cooked ground beef (optional)
1-2 tsp. taco seasoning

Pour everything into a pot and let it simmer for 20 or more minutes. Stir ocassionally. Add cheese on top and serve. Great with fritos sprinkled on top or served with cornbread.

Don't know exactly where I got this recipe...it's slightly possible that I kind of created it myself... but it's good and easy.

Recipes we love

From time to time, I add a recipe or two that we love. Here are a few of our favorites. I, unfortunately, can't take real credit for any of them...I'm quite good at following a recipe but haven't invented any recipes of my own. (Michelle wants me to add yet...although I really have little confidence that I will ever truly invent a recipe of my own...I ocassionally make small tweaks to existing recipes but nothing too original).


One of our very favorites... St. Paul’s Rice (by Carol Stone)..My friend Rachel sent this to me..from one of her friends

1 1/2 lb. sausage (any mild, ground sausage)

Crumble, fry, and drain.

2 pkg. Lipton noodle soup (I usually only put one)
4 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. rice

Place the soup mix, water, and rice in a saucepan and boil for 7 minutes.

5 ribs celery
1 green pepper
1 onion
1/4 t. garlic powder
pepper
1 pkg. slivered almonds (I usually forget these...great with or without)

Chop the celery, green pepper, and onion and mix together in a large bowl. Add the sausage and the rice mixture and mix well. Put into a greased 13 x 9 pan and bake for 1 hour at 350˚, uncovered. The last 15 minutes sprinkle with the almonds. Serves about 8.

Another recipe from Rachel's friend's cookbook:
Tender Baked Parmesan Chicken (Sylvia Ruggieri)

1/2 c. Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/3 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
2 T. Italian dressing
1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lb.)

Combine mayonnaise, cheese, garlic powder, and Italian dressing. Spread chicken with mayonnaise mixture, then coat with crumbs. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Bake at 425˚ for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.

DO NOT substitute miracle whip for mayo - there is a taste difference. The chicken pairs well with the rice above.


Woodland Park Italian Beef
from Don't Panic...Dinner's in the Freezer cookbook

2-3 lb. beef roast (pot, chuck or rump roast)
2 large onions sliced
1-2 green peppers sliced or diced
16 oz. jar of Pepperncini peppers with juice, sliced (the recipe calls for 2 jars, but I think 1 jar is plenty)
1/2 -1 cup water
1 tsp. ground pepper,sprinkled on roast

French rolls, sliced
provolone cheese slices

Cut roast into chunks (about 4 x4) Put roast into large roasting pan with green onion and green pepper. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour jar of pepperoncini peppers and wanter over meat. Bake at 275 for 5 hours. When meat is done and tender, shred with 2 foks. Turn oven to 200 and return beef to pan and stir in the juices and let sitin oven for 1 hour. Then serve on rolls with a slice of cheese. Add pepperoncini peppers and juice to give it extra flavor...for my kids I serve the meat and cheese without the added peppers. The meat has a yummy flavor.

(I also often will throw this in the crockpot instead of the oven and just cook it about 7-8 hours on low...probably 4-5 or so on high.)