Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the very grouchy ladybug (in half her costume)

Buzz Lightyear--"to infinity, and deyond!"

And John McCain and Sarah Palin (better picture)

Still Not Sure About Prop 8?

If you are still unsure about Prop 8, or you just want to read a very logical, well thought out argument, please click here.

I almost forgot...

In all my thinking about food, I almost forgot that I was officially released after three glorious years as Primary Chorister. No, this didn't happen as a direct result of the primary program, which was last Sunday. They actually released me BEFORE the program, thank you very much. 

Currently, I have no new calling, so I am floating, but am assured this won't be for long! :) 

I'll miss the kids and the music. Our primary is really big, with probably 70 or 80 active kids. Our program went so well. We threw in some fun things like a violin descant on I am a Child of God and a children/teachers duet. It went really well. I love the kids! It's been a great calling.

Recipes

Do you have any good, quick, simple, healthy or scrumptious recipes? I am always looking to try new things, so please let me know. Here are a few recipes that are either easy or way yummy. No, they aren't all healthy, nor are they related in any way.

Sauteed Green Beans

whole frozen green beans

minced garlic

fresh basil (please, if you live near me, come get some from my garden. We have tons!)

slivered almonds

salt and pepper

olive oil

Basically,  heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute garlic. Add green beans and chopped basil. Saute a few minutes. Add almonds. Cook a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (This is also good with chopped grape tomatoes sauteed, and feta added at the end). 

Roasted Veggie Lasagna

1 onion

2 lbs. or more sliced fresh mushrooms

1-2 green, red, or yellow bell peppers, chopped

2-3 zucchini, sliced

*any other veggie that's good roasted. Be creative. Can add fresh baby spinach, too.

*it wouldn't be too many veggies if you doubled the above. I always feel like there should be more...

12 lasagna noodles

pasta sauce (from the store or from scratch. If from scratch, use pureed tomatoes. They're already thick and it's a great base for sauce)

mozzarella cheese

parmesan cheese (shredded is yum)

Preheat oven to 450. Spread chopped veggies on a couple of cookie sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss veggies if you like. Roast in oven for about 25 minutes, stirring once. 

While veggies are roasting, boil lasagna noodles accd. to package. 

Put a little sauce in a 9X13. Lay three noodles down. Add 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the veggies, sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan. Lay three more noodles. Keep layering until there's no more. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. 

*You could cover it and refrigerate a few days or freeze a few months. Also, if you really like ricotta, you could mix ricotta (or cottage cheese) with a beaten egg and add it to the mix, too.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream Squares

2 c. pumpkin

1 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

36 gingersnaps

1 c. chopped pecans

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices. Add chopped pecans. In a chilled bowl, fold pumpkin mixture into softened ice cream. Line the bottom of a 13X9 pan with gingersnaps. Top with half of the ice cream mixture. Layer the rest of the gingersnaps and then the ice cream mixture. Freeze until firm. Let soften a few minutes before serving. Cut into squares, garnish with whipped cream and pecan halves or gingersnaps.

Spicy Sweet Potato Spears

3 c. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into skinny spears (Costco sells them already cut up--it's worth it!)

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

1 t. chili powder

1 t. salt

2 T. olive oil

1 T. lime juice

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 T. spicy brown mustard

1/4 t. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. In large bowl, stir all ingredients then add potatoes. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, turn over (or stir if it's not quite a single layer) and bake 10 more minutes, until crispy and browned. Taste and add more salt, if desired.

*When I was nursing, I omitted the red pepper flakes and cayenne and it was still delish.

 

Vote for McCain/Palin!

Check on Flagstaff Seaman Crew to see a better picture...well, it's a video, actually. Unbeknownst to me. 

This is a picture from the computer. Our battery ran out. Hope you can see what we are for Halloween!

Family Home Evening for Toddlers

Ever heard of the new nursery lesson manual? Great, simple ideas for FHE with Toddlers. Check it out here!

Family Visit

I love it when family comes to visit us! My bro, Jared, and wife Amanda came to see my dentist spouse. They live in San Diego, but it's always great to see them. Corban is still the cutest little boy and the kids had a great time with him and Nika (the dog).

This was reading scriptures together after dinner one night. The bubbles kept the kids in one place while we read to them. Yes they were distracted, but aren't they always?! They're only 3 and 1.

And Yes, it's still this warm here. It's 95 or so every day! Where is the crisp fall weather???

More playing on/in the dog kennel. I came outside to find Nika AND Alisa in the kennel with the door locked. Thanks, Jake! 

Jared and Jake playing with the sidewalk chalk. Jared was a great sword fighter with Jake... the whole time! Thanks, Jare!

Alisa is started to get in to coloring too. She's growing up way too fast!

Getting ready to leave. Isn't Corban the cutest little button?

Corban trying to give loves to Alisa while she tries to push him away from the dog.

Jake surprised me with this beauty: (or should I say booty)

This is Alisa's 3-6 month pumpkin costume that Jake tried on the other day. Nice.

My kids zoned out watching a movie. Alisa suprised us. She is never this into movies. It is incentive for Jake to hold still during the haircut.

Flower and Flour and Jack-O-Lanterns

I was on the computer and Jake said, "Mom, I am a flower!" I turned to find this. He has part of Alisa's costume on his head. Lovely Flower.

When our house was fumigated, we accidentally left some pinto beans and some flour uncovered in the house, so we had to throw them away. I am very slow at throwing anything away, unfortunately. I get this from my dad. If our washer or dryer broke, we'd get a new one and move the old one to the basement to "fix" it later or use it for parts. I remember the second time our washer and dryer broke. I think dad switched out the oldest ones in the basement for the more recently broken ones. Who knows what ever happened to them? Dad? 

I digress. So I had this bucket of white flour (which I try not to use, but you know, sometimes wheat is just not the same!). Alisa started burying her hands in it while I was making dinner. Prior to that, she was whining at the door and clinging on my leg, so I was happy for her to take a little dip in the flour. I came out a few minutes later to this mess. Whole contents emptied. Probably about as much as in one of those big bags (between 5 and 25. The medium one. LOTS.). Why did I think it was going to stay in the bucket?

Tonight for Family Home Evening, we carved Jack-O-Lanterns. Jake and Alisa were totally grossed out by the slimy insides, so we got to do the fun part. They both loved it when we lit them and turned off all the lights and sang "oooh, oooh, this is Halloween!" just like I always did with my fam growing up. 

Jake is looking rather Jack-O-Lantern-esque, if you ask me.

We could hardly keep her off the table-especially once they were glowing.

This was in the dark (flash does wonders).

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, This Is Halloween!!! 

Just a little laugh... eeets for fun, Nacho!

Most of you have seen this, but if you have "latin roots" like I do (mission to Honduras--I heart latinos), then you'll enjoy a refresher.

Proposition 8 in Plain English

This is very straightforward. I like it because it teaches respect for differing opinions, but not condonation. There are good people whose opinions differ from mine, and I respect that. But I will also vigorously defend my parental right to teach my children about homosexuals on my time table (as in, not to my five year old kindergartener!). Please WATCH!

Warning: Not about Prop. 8

It may come as a shock, but I am posting a normal family post tonight. We went to the pumpkin patch today (ah, I love fall... although So Cal hasn't quite figured out how to cool it down! It was 95 today). The highlight was the petting zoo. I must say, my kids did not get their love of animals from me! It was a warm, fun day spent with friends.

Alisa tried and tried to wake this goat up. She threw hay on it, grabbed fur/hide, pulled ears, and poked eyes and all it did was readjust. Poor stinky animal!

How many toddlers does it take to feed a baby goat straw? Apparently, more than 4.

Tina, you fat lard! 

Parents

Jake and Jonas 

She's not shy

Dangerous contraption to send hay up to the goats on the roof. Hallie insisted on doing it even after pinching fingers multiple times! 

This is what the boys did when we told them to take a "Best Friends" picture.

The pumpkin patch

It was hot and I came home and ate this scrumptious salad for lunch. YUM! Makes me want another one right now!

Call me a bad mom, but after Jake dumped out a huge bottle of bubble bath about a year and a half ago, I refused to buy him more. I found some cute Curious George Bubble Bath at the 99 cent store and couldn't refuse... Alisa's first Bubble Bath! She immediately tried to eat them.

**Just imagine her a little older with lovely locks (as opposed to sparse growth seen now)--watch out boys!

Yes this is a rental house... No we did not choose the pink.

Sparse-haired bubble face

Seriously? Where is the justification?!

This is only the beginning. Read about what happened here. What if your kid was in this class?

Clash of gay rights and religious liberties

I read an interesting article from Benji's blog. Click here to read it. Again, I am floored at how the passing of Proposition 8 is essential in protecting religious freedom and parental rights. Check it out.

This quote from the article struck me. It is from a case where a photographer refused to photograph a lesbian couple's ceremony. Read the article. Vote YES on PROP.8!

"It's a very different situation when we're talking about promoting a message," Lorence says. "When it's 'We want to punish you for not helping us promote our message that same-sex marriage is OK,' that for me is a very different deal. It's compelled speech. You're using the arm of the government for punishing people for disagreeing with you."

Old Friend and Pumpkin Patch

This week I finally went to visit my old friend from dear ol' Coconino High, Robyn and her sweet babe, Apollo. It had been way too long. She is just as amazing as ever--I've always looked up to her. It was great to see her, her very easy-going babe, and her sweet hubby. What a great family! Can't wait to meet your new little girlie!

Baby Apollo down for a nap in his closet... :) Big boy for 10 months old!

Jake's preschool went to the Greenspot Pumpkin Patch on Tue. It was a good time. The kids are so cute and funny. Alisa was enthralled by all the animals, which she started calling Dada... ? Don't know what that's all about. She wanted to touch and pet them all. Her fingers were found in the following places: a horses mouth and mane (it bites, but didn't bite her), a pig's nose, a chick, llama's back, baby goat's mouth and body. Poor girl. She'll probably feel deprived all her life, no pets...

Jake was one of 3 who forgot to wear his t-shirt. I guess I mean that I was one of 3 moms who forgot... Oh, well. He was easy to spot in the crowd. Plus, when I'm in a hurry, I can always get him to dress himself if he can wear the Darth Vador shirt.
 

During General Conference, Jake rediscovered his hat. Alisa didn't want to be left behind, and insisted on wearing the shirt/cape, too.

The class with this farmer girl who showed us around and Mrs. Morales, Jake's teacher.

Jake picked the biggest pumpkin he could find. Everyone else was ok with little ones. 

Jake and Ryan on the tractor ride

Alisa and I on the tractor ride. It was bright.