Smokin'

Jesse was so excited on Saturday that he finally had an excuse to fill his smoker full of meat. The poor guy smoked chickens and brisket amidst the torrential rainfall we experienced Saturday. He stood outside fanning his flames while being drenched. He is such a sweet husband.

What I've learned

This semester was a particularly big load for me at 18 hours plus clinic and a lab. I didn't think I would make it through, not with my sanity in tact anyway. But we are finally coming to the end and we did make it through. It has proven to be a successful semester and I have learned a great deal. I was thinking tonight about what I will take away from my classes this semester and here are just a few thoughts:

1. Topics in Mathematics- quite frankly, I suck at math. I managed to do okay in this class and actually will have a B but that's only because I ended up with a wonderful teacher who understands the world is not made up of math geniuses like herself. I have learned a few things from her but the main thing is that math can be fun if you aren't frustrated out of your mind. When doing work that is within in my realm of capability I do like it, a little.
2. Sign Language- I can actually understand a great deal of sign after one short semester. Granted the signs have to be done slowly and be fairly basic, but I learned a lot. It was fun teaching the kids all the signs for the different animals. I learned a lot about Deaf culture from our fabulous sign teacher. I only took this class because I heard it was easy, but it was very fun and valuable.
3. Astronomy & Lab- probably one of the hardest classes I've ever taken, but also one of the most interesting. I learned the most from this class. The thought that really struck me was when we learned about the Copernican Principle, which states that there is nothing special about our place in the Universe. In other words, the entire Universe does not revolve around us. I knew this I suppose, but had never really thought about it. I was remembering back to when I first left home and went to school in Denton. People would ask me where I was from and I would quickly reply "Monahans, TX". "Where????" they always replied back. No one had ever heard of this place which was the center of my Universe up to this point in my short life. I remember thinking that the world revolved around me and my little community no one had ever even heard of. Quite an eye-opener to learn that there was a great deal more to the world. And now I have been confronted once again with the idea that it doesn't all revolve around me and my planet. Simple but not so simple. I love to be forced to think.
4. Aural Rehabilitation- I have the cutest little teacher who teaches this course about helping hearing impaired individuals hear and speak. I learned that there is still so much I don't understand or know about the field I have chosen. I have also learned that I love working with cochlear implant recipients. They are so grateful to have hearing. It really helps me appreciate what a gift the sense of hearing is. We should do everthing we can to protect our ears from damage.
5. Nutrition- My teacher in this class said something one day that really stood out. She made the point over and over that we can eat the foods we like, we can eat out, we can still enjoy many of the things we tend to think of as bad foods. She said that healthy living is not as influenced by what we eat but more so but what we don't eat. I really liked that and it made a lot of sense. I tend to skip a lot of meals and eat poorly when I am in a hurry. This just reinforced how important it is that I prepare good foods for myself and my family, providing lots of healthy choices that we need in our diet. It also allowed me to quit stressing about those sometimes not so good choices that I am always so worried are going to kill me.
6. Group Discussion- I learned what I already knew, which is that I hate public speaking and I don't enjoy doing group projects. But this was a super easy class. I also learned about the dangers of Group think and how important it is that we think as individuals and don't let the influence of others guide our decisions. We must always be thinkers. We watched a couple of great films that demonstrated this. "Abandon Ship" and "Twelve Angry Men". They were both old black and white movies. I really enjoyed both of them and highly recommend them.
7. Clinic- Probably the best part of each day. I worked with the cutest little guy this semester. I learned that I really am good at what I am going into and that I enjoy the work. That's a good thing to know at this stage in the game. I would hate to get into grad school and decide I hate it.
8. Finally, I learned that it is a wonderful thing to have a support system that is behind you every step of the way. My husband and kids are my greatest motivators. They are always proud of me and don't complain about all the extra time I spend studying and gone for night classes. I couldn't do this without their support. I also learned that family and good friends who listen and encourage and are sincerely happy for each and every accomplishment make this so much easier. What a great semester and a great experience overall.

Sadness

It's a strange thing, cancer. It just comes in and takes hold and there's often nothing that can be done. Greg's mom just turned up with cancer right after Christmas. This was only 4 short, short months ago. Now I hear from he and his sister tonight that she is in the hospital and it doesn't look like she will get out. If she does get out it will be straight to hospice care. Sad to say that I haven't even spoken to her since I learned that she had it. I guess I thought it would all be okay somehow and there would be lots of time. The kids are shocked and don't really know how to feel. I hope and pray I have the right words to comfort them when the time comes.

Go Horned Frogs

In case I've failed to mention it, I have been accepted to TCU's graduate program. This is quite an honor because they only take 12 applicants each year. It is a good fit for me because it's close to home and they already know me there. Being a mom and full-time student isn't always easy, so I need an understanding faculty who can work with me. I am very excited about starting school again in the fall but need to stay motivated to get through the classes I'm enrolled in now. Let's just say my grades this semester have been less than outstanding. Good thing they don't count towards grad school acceptance.

Girls Night

Jesse and Katie headed to West Texas to trade cars today and Jack is in Austin with his friend Aiden. Sydney and I are enjoying a rare occasion with just the two of us at home. She had a babysitting job today and my friends Derek and Angie came by for a visit today. But after we were done with our afternoon commitments we decided to go on a date. I let her choose what she wanted to eat. Of course she chooses crab legs so Red Lobster it was. She ate 1 pound of crab legs by herself. Then we went out to see a movie. We watched "Knowing". It was a lot of fun. We were scared a little but we got through it. Then off to Walmart (no different than my dates with Jesse since we too always end up at Walmart) to buy brownie mix and a bookshelf for Jack's room. Now we are going to watch another movie, put together a bookshelf, and eat double chocolate Ghiradelli brownies. What a perfect date!!!

Sydney Sings

Sydney auditioned a got a part in the Middle School dinner theater. They had a spaghetti supper fund raiser and the soloists performed throughout the evening. It was very casual and a lot of fun. I was so proud of her for being brave enough to sing alone in front of so many people. She is such a cute girl. Jack took pictures for the performance. Hopefully we will have the video of the performance up soon.

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

Sometimes a recipe comes along that is just too good to keep to myself. Tonight's meal was probably one of the best I've ever made. I hope you all try this recipe. Incredible and super easy. Found it on www.cookinglight.com

Ingredients
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided (I used olive oil)
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets (I also threw some flounder on the broiler pan because I had a couple of fillets. Both were great)
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice
4 lime wedges
Preparation
Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Sydney's Dinner Theater Solo

Sydney just got the news that she gets to sing a solo at the upcoming dinner theater for her school. Yea, Sydney. There will be 14 performers I think. It is this Friday night, April 17th from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Burleson High School Cafe. Very short notice, I know. I will video so everyone can see. If anyone wants to attend they are selling tickets. It's a spaghetti dinner-$6 for adults, $4 for students, Children 4 and under are free. She is very excited.

Camping

Last night we had a Ward Campout sponsored by the Elders Quorum of our Ward. We started out with dinner of Sloppy Joes and salads. The new temple pres came out to the lake where we were camping and did a special fireside about Easter. It was very nice. What a beautiful place to think about the Savior. Afterwards we had s'mores and kept warm around a big fire. It was a very cold night so not everyone was the happiest at bedtime. I was warm with my 3 layers of clothes plus thermal socks plus two quilts.
This morning the EQ made a pancake breakfast for all of us. I was in charge of an Easter Egg hunt. I had about 500 eggs to hide. I divided it up in two and sent my lovely helpers to hide big kid eggs while my friend Mary and I hid for the little kids.
Katie had fun finding the eggs. She had to stop and check for content each time she found one though. She wanted to make sure she was getting what she wanted.
It was a fun night. These are the times that make wonderful memories for our children too. I love having a ward that is fun enough to go out and camp together even in the freezing cold. Some of these people have huge families too and they were there camping with kids ranging in ages from 18-2 years. What a fun ward!

Apricot Chicken

I found this at www.cookinglight.com. My entire family loved it.


Ingredients
12 dried apricots
8 medium chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb.)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
Preparation
Rinse apricots and scatter them in a slow cooker. Pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook thighs until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. (Brown in batches to avoid crowding skillet.) Arrange over apricots.

Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. fat in skillet. Add onion and cook until just soft, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add broth to skillet; turn heat to high. Bring to a boil, loosening browned bits.

Pour contents of skillet over apricots and chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours or in the oven at 350 for 1 hour.

Carefully transfer thighs to a serving dish (they'll tend to fall apart easily); cover with foil to keep warm. Pour remaining contents into a saucepan. Boil, stirring often, until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour over chicken. (I actually didn't do this step. The sauce reduced and thickened while cooking in the oven.) Serve with brown rice and a salad or vegetable side.

Delicious!!!

Grandpa Turns 77!!!

For My Grandpa's 77th birthday his kids planned a surprise party in his hometown of Burnet Texas. We all had so much fun and he really seemed to enjoy himself.
Mom and Amy putting the balloons out.
Maebeth working on the Tripoly board.
Aunt Robin making punch.
Zach gets the cake ready.

Mom, Aunt Missy, and Lindsey during the set-up stage.
There's usually a game of 42 going on somewhere when the family gets together
Mom and all her daughters.
Grandy and that cute little Holly.

Some of Grandpa's friends from the RV club.
He was truly surprised when he walked through the door. It was a great reaction. He shut the door and walked away.

Aunt Maebeth with Katie

His "Lucky 7's" cake. Thank goodness we didn't try to put all 77 candles!
Look at the family that he created!! We are blessed to be so close even as we have grown so large.

We found a park on Saturday where Jesse led a war with recycled tire rubber. My husband invents the funniest games sometimes and the kids have a blast.
Katie plays on the jungle gym.

It began with a vision

This Tuesday is the long anticipated annual pinewood derby at Jack's Cubscout pack meeting. Jesse has worked tirelessly helping Jack come up with the coolest car. This year the car of choice is the truck, but not just any truck, a lowrider. It's quite stunning. Whether it can win the race is yet to be seen. Tune in Wednesday for a play by play of the actual event. Hopefully there will be video.

The license plate reads "lwrdr", get it!?!

Snakes

Spend much time around our family and you will meet all sorts of reptiles and amphibians. Jesse is a collector of sorts and is training the kids to be collectors also. While working in the yard this weekend he found the cutest little snake. The kids had a lot of fun with it and of course it now makes it's home in one of the empty aquariums we have lying around for just this purpose. We won't keep it long, just long enough for everyone to get their fill. It's taken me a while to get used to this lifestyle but I am proud to say I am okay with the reptiles now and even hold them on occasion.

Me holding the snake. I've heard rumor that grown men would actually put their garden tools away and go in the house at the sight of a snake just like this one, but I can't imagine ever meeting anyone like that. Oh, and I'm not talking about you, Kyle;)
Emma was trying to be so brave. She just couldn't quite hold it together at this point. Enough snake for her.
Katie loves all animals equally, including the creepy, crawly, and the slimy. She doesn't really play favorites. This little snake has been very loved since making it's home in our living room.

Slow Down!!!

My girl is just growing up so fast and I am not liking this at all. Recently she came home from school and said that the boy she has liked and has liked her for about 1 1/2 years said that he knew she couldn't "go out" and that she isn't allowed to date but wondered if she was allowed to go to the movies if there were a lot of people, as a group. Well, my first reaction is "Uh, no". And I tell Jesse thinking he would fully agree but he says "That'd be okay as long as there are lots of other kids and it's not a date". I'm thinking he's teasing or crazy but we talk about it a little while and I realize that that really wouldn't be a problem. I remember being her age and going to the sporting events after school and meeting up with groups of friends and such. Growing up in a small town we didn't have things like movie theaters or anywhere to socialize at that age so I'm not used to the idea. But we said yes and gave her the rules and this weekend was it. She was so cute. We picked her up last night at 9:00 at the front of the theater. There were 4 or 5 girls and the one boy. She said it was a lot of fun. I quizzed her too thoroughly about the goings on and she assured me everything was as it was supposed to be. She's such a cute girl. I have to say that while I stand firm on the no boyfriend thing I really love watching her go through this stage. She isn't boy crazy. Never talks about boys. Totally fine with the no boyfriend policy in our home and has never questioned our reasons. I am very lucky. This is a fun time in life and will continue to be fun if she keeps it uncomplicated.
I have to say the silly, cheesy, sappy mom part of me did come out though. As I'm quizzing her about everything she tells me he offered to by her a slushy and I almost cried. Isn't that sweet that a little 7th grade boy would offer to buy the girl he likes a drink. She turned him down of course but I loved that he offered.
I still wish she would slow down and quit growing up so fast.

Jesse and Leanne's Grand Adventure

About a year and a half ago my sister and her husband gave us two Southwest Airlines buddy passes. We could fly anywhere Southwest flies but had to use them by April 9, 2009. We have been so busy since I started back to school that we just kept putting off our trip. We had originally intended to visit Oregon but had discussed many options. The time finally came that we had to use these tickets because they are expiring. Unfortunately it's Spring Break for everyone in the country and these are non-revenue passes, meaning we are the last ones to get on the plane and only if there is room. As we are trying to figure out where to go and get the timing right so we aren't going on the most popular days, things got more and more complicated. I was really hoping we could get to San Francisco but we realized Sunday night that we couldn't get on any of the flights going to the west coast. We decided that we could just pack some clothes and get to the airport first thing in morning and make it as far as we could get. If that meant San Antonio or Lubbock so be it. But as luck would have it we were able to jump several different flights and maneuvered our way to Chicago!!! I have always wanted to go to Chicago so this worked out great. And the luckiest part was that on the day we were there the city had a record temperature of 72 degrees. The weather was fabulous the whole time. We got in Monday evening and took the "L" to downtown Chicago where we had booked a room at the Inn of Chicago. The location couldn't have been better. We were blocks from Michigan Avenue and what is famously known as the Magnificent Mile. The shopping along this street was incredible. We didn't go into many of the stores because it hurt just to look at the price tags but it was fun window shopping. We were only 10 blocks from Navy Pier. This was a fun place to walk to and look out over Lake Michigan. We were also only blocks from the Theater District. We got great tickets for a showing of A Bronx Tale with Chazz Palminteri showing at The Oriental. It was a lot of fun and a very different experience for Jesse. He's so anti-theater that I almost fell over when he said we could go see anything I wanted. I chose the gangster play over a musical because I didn't want to push my luck.
While in Chicago we had the best food I think I've ever had. We ate at a place called Rosebud on Rush. The pasta was handmade and just about melted in our mouths. It was incredible. The next day we had to have pizza and found a place called Giolano's (I think). It was the best pizza, oh my. We loved it. Later that night after our play we stopped in an oyster bar called Shaw's and had great seafood. There was a live blues band playing and it was so fun.

I LOVE Chicago. I can't wait to go back. What a fabulous city. I think it's my new favorite.

This is the only picture of us together in Chicago. Great, huh!

Looking at the city from the park at Navy Pier.



And then last night (or really early this morning)Kisha had her baby so when we came home we had a wonderful little niece to go visit at the hospital. What a wonderful Spring Break so far. Now if my kids were just home everything would be perfect.

Yea Me!!!

For the last 2 1/2 years I have been killing myself in school to make great grades because I knew that getting into grad school was necessary to practice as an independent speech-language pathologist. It has been difficult at times and I have questioned my sanity here and there because I was having to work so hard at school while trying to keep up with the family needs. But it is all beginning to pay off. I just received an acceptance letter from UNT today. I tried to tell myself that it didn't really matter if I didn't get in to any of the schools I wanted, but it did. I am much too proud a person for all of that. I don't know for sure that UNT is where I will end up because I applied to others that may work better for my schedule and life but at least I know it's an option now. I can finally breathe a little easier. I just have to pass this dang astronomy class!!!

Good Food

After the ward activity Jesse took me on a date. We went to a restaurant to get something for me to eat because with the craziness of preparing for the activity I never ate. I rarely eat at the activity because by the time I get to go through the line it's pretty picked over. So with throbbing feet and an exhausted mind and body, Jesse and I went to this wonderful Italian joint right around the corner from us. I am so sad to say we had never tried it. It was wonderful. The atmosphere was great for an Italian food restaurant-dark. The server was excellent. I asked for a recommnendation. He quizzed me about what I like and then came up with a dish he makes for himself using those ingredients. It was perfect. Jesse had the veal and was in heaven. We had appetizer and two entrees and spent $25. The name of the place is Sammy's Italian Bistro. It's right behind to Braum's. Try it out and let me know if you have a similar experience.

Katie's Open House

This is mainly for the grandparents who don't live close enough to go to open house. Katie had her open house last night for preschool. She barely made it back in time. Jesse hauled booty to get her home because I was so upset that she was going to miss it. It took about 5 minutes to go through everything but it meant a lot to her to show us all she is learning. There are butterfly cocoons in the classroom right now. They made artwork of butterflies also. They are studying butterflies right now. She also did a beautiful bird. They study all sorts of animals which is right up Katie's alley. She got to show us her portfolio. We saw all her worksheets she's done throughout the year. I love portfolios because they give a so much better picture of what they are actually doing in school instead of just the grade. Jack also does portfolios at his school and it has been a wonderful thing. I am so pleased with the school Katie has been attending this year. She has so much fun there that she doesn't even know she's learning. That's the best kind of learning, especially at her age.

Donuts with Dad

Last Friday Katie had "Donuts with Dad" at her preschool. Mom wasn't invited so I only have the one picture (which I told them 10 times at least to take before leaving that morning) to show. It's funny because with her being the last child in the family everything just holds so much meaning. It was that way with Sydney too because she was the first. It's a different kind of significance though. I know that I will never have another child in preschool again. How sad. I love preschool. All of my kids have gone and it's just the funnest time. It's when school is about exploration and having fun and socializing. No tests, no pressure. I love the relationships they build and going to the parties and picking up at the end of the day. The joy in their face when Mom walks in like we haven't seen each other for YEARS. And then the tales from the day. Someday they are a little bit "tall". I love talking to the teacher for clarification and seeing the look on her face when she hears the child's version of the day's events. I really love all of this and it saddens me as we draw closer to the end of the year. I thought maybe I needed to have another baby but quickly came to my senses and realized that one would just be the last and I will go through all this later. No matter what, it is sad and happy to change chapters in life. I look forward to all that waits around each corner and love everything about the ages my children are now. They are joys to me every day. But I can't help looking back to the time when they were all little and everything was a first instead of a last.