When the Food Stars Align

Sometimes, I'm a genius.

Last night the time for dinner was quickly approaching. I hadn't been able to get to the grocery store this week, so, in spite of my habit of keeping a stocked pantry, we were running low on some kitchen staples. That meant the two plans I'd had in mind for a meal wouldn't work.

I rummaged through the big freezer in the basement and found a bag of breaded chicken tenders that I'd forgotten about. Huzzah, protein found! But what to pair it with? I saw a partial bag of red potatoes and thought roasted red potatoes and onions sounded good, so I carried them back upstairs. It was while walking to the kitchen that I discovered the potatoes were no longer viable as a food source for humans as they had begun feeding another life-form from the fungus family.

Awesome.

Okay, what else goes with chicken tenders? Pasta salad! I had some tomatoes that needed to be used, so I searched the internet for a recipe. Nothing caught my eye. I moved to my collection of cookbooks. Still nothing about pasta salad for the ingredients I had on hand.

Time was ticking away.

I checked the tiny freezer attached to the fridge and found stir fry vegetables. Well, that would probably be weird with the chicken tenders, but I pulled them out anyway.

Back to the cookbooks, I finally found something that I hadn't been looking for, but still looked interesting. And that's when inspiration struck.

I made Pioneer Woman's Simple Sesame Noodles, but I doubled the sauce and cooked a whole pound of noodles instead of just the called for twelve ounces. I also subbed Tabasco sauce because I have never purchased Hot Chili Oil and therefore had none in my kitchen. I used some of the sauce to saute six cups of the stir fry veggies. When they were done, I added them to the now cooked and dressed noodles. Then I cut up several of the hot-from-the-oven chicken tenders and cooked them for a few minutes in the same pan that I'd just pulled the vegetables from, adding some additional sauce.

It was amazing. I thought the breaded chicken would be an odd addition, but it soaked up the sauce and was so good. The purpose of this post is really so that I have a record of this meal and can replicate it again. The kids all loved it and asked that I put it into their lunches for tomorrow.

Did I say I'm a genius sometimes? Well, that may be true, but in this case I think I just got really lucky.

Space Tours

Moving Pictures

Peter's caught the film-making bug. I took this picture of him today, sitting at the computer, doing a Khan Academy lesson on animation. We had to insist that he join us for dinner, he really just wanted to keep learning about this subject.

A Sneak Peek

Peter has a big science presentation due today. He's been working on it for a month, gathering data, creating plans, then finally asking me to load green screen software onto one of the inexpensive phones we have. I knew Bryan might have a cleaner solution than an app, so I kept putting Peter off. I finally remembered to mention it to Bryan and, sure enough, he had lots of ideas.

Yesterday, the green screen arrived from Amazon, so Bryan set up a studio in the basement. I hope to share his movie soon, but here are a few preview pictures for now:

My Brain Was Too Full

It feels like we've run a marathon these last four days. Between church obligations and school projects, our days, and a portion of our nights, have been packed.

Did you notice I didn't post on Friday? I kept thinking that I needed to take care of it, then my brain was so full of plans and things that I needed to accomplish for the weekend, I completely forgot until Saturday morning.

Oops.

And now it's nearly midnight and we're almost done with our last project of the night. Bryan and I were both so busy ensuring that the boys finished the big homework assignments that they have due tomorrow, our evening meal was the ever faithful backup: cereal.

Goodnight all, I hope tomorrow is slower...

Photogenic Young Men

The boys had picture day yesterday. It's the only day of the year that I insist on picking out their clothes. And yesterday? I even ironed their shirts and made sure their teeth were brushed. Their hair? Well, at least it was freshly washed.

While we waited for the bus, we practiced smiling for the camera. I know Cooper is blurry, but this is the most natural smile in a picture I've seen from him in some time. I hope he replicated it for the school photographer.

It was a total accident, but I happened to catch this action shot of Peter. This picture, more than any I've taken in a long time, captures who Peter is. You can see how lanky he is and his active, fun-loving personality is shining through.

I love it.

Girl Lunch

Energized

I slept for eight hours last night. I know that I've done that before, but I certainly don't remember when. I do, however, know that I always wake up with a feeling of wonder, a sort of "Oh that's right, this is how it feels to be rested, I forgot" kind of amazement.

And I made good use of that sleep. I did laundry, I prepped dinner in the morning, Sophie and I made cookies, I had a fantastic lunchtime book club, I was on-time to pick everyone up from school and the bus and drop them off at piano (no small feat, I assure you), I picked up the violin we're renting for Cooper for this school year, I fed everyone dinner, and I did a full 5K after the kids were tucked into bed for the night.

Now maybe this looks like a normal run-on sentence kind of list, stuff that most moms do everyday, and it probably is. But I work in such a constant state of sleep deprivation that this list is a unicorn, elusive, beautiful, most likely mythical.

I may have to make this sleep thing a habit...

The Things We Do For Our Children

I have children that love peas so, in a moment of motherly love tonight, I prepared some peas for dinner. I figured they'd pair well with/be disguised by our homemade mac and cheese. Peter and Phoebe were delighted. Sophie recited a book we have about a girl who doesn't like peas. I told her that I didn't much like them either, but I would eat them anyway. Then she and I both ate our entire servings of peas.

I still hate peas.

Bach and Mozart at Lunch

Sophie and I enjoyed a lovely, free concert this week. We went to a huge, old church with some friends and listened to a harpsichord, a flute, a violin, a cello, an opera singer, a chorus, then a full orchestra as they performed music by Bach and Mozart. It was delightful and Sophie was remarkably well behaved. The majority of the audience was firmly in the senior citizen demographic, and those that caught sight of Miss Sophie were clearly amused.

The Dryer

Our dryer died a few weeks ago. Or rather, the dryer that came with our townhouse died a few weeks ago. It had slowly been giving up the ghost over many months. Sometimes it would dry really well, sometimes it wouldn't. Finally, while a load of laundry was supposedly drying, I smelled a strong burning odor.

Burning odors are not a good sign.

We unplugged the machine and notified our landlord. A repair man came and checked out the poor appliance, the burnt aroma still lingering. He gave me a printed estimate for the repairs for us to pass on to the landlord, but then said that if he had a ten-year-old machine with such a costly repair, he would just replace it.

Our landlord agreed, so we're waiting for a new dryer to be delivered next week.

In the meantime, we've been doing our laundry old school. Bryan hung three rows of rope in the basement and we setup a couple of fans. I run a load through the washer, then carry my heavy basket down to the basement, and hang up our clothes with wooden clothes pins. As I carry out this somewhat tedious task, I feel like I've stepped into another era. I feel like my next tasks should be grinding wheat for our bread, then sewing our children's frocks. And as a bonus, I don't think the basement has ever smelled so good.

I'm still looking forward to the new dryer.

A Giant Among Men

Peter's voice is changing. In the last week he's entered that zone where his voice is kind of squeaky and it sounds like maybe he has a cold because there's a gritty, gravelly quality. Except, he's not sick, he's just maturing.

In a related milestone, he is now officially taller than me. It isn't by much, but it's real. And you know, it's not as weird as I thought it would be. It kind of feels normal, at least until I see him next to his average-sized peers and then I realize that Peter is a wee bit on the giant side.

When I went to Peter's school Open House last week I got to see a movie that he and his classmates had made to thank the parents for attending. The kids had been put into small groups and handed the camera. Peter was with two other boys and was standing behind both of them in his short clip. You could clearly see both of their faces, and couldn't see anything above Peter's neck until he bent way down to have his face appear in the shot. I thought that was particularly amusing.

The sixth-graders in our district have a huge end-of-year field trip to Medieval Times to cap their ancient history course of study. And though the trip isn't until May, the permission slip (for headcount purposes) had to go back to school yesterday. I had to indicate what size shirt he will need for their excursion-coordinated attire. Wow, they think I can tell the future! With how this boy is growing, I nearly asked for an adult XL. I reined in my hyperbolic tendencies and settled on an adult medium.

I hope it isn't too short.

The Write Stuff

Tonight was our third and final Open House for the school year. I sat at Phoebe's desk, met her teacher, found out there are other kids in her class that are advanced readers so she's not alone in her reading group, and located the giant teddy bear that caused Phoebe to fall in love with this particular class.

I also found a flower outside her classroom that lists her goal for the year. "I will learn how to write." That's sounds like an excellent plan.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Sophie had her turn to speak in Primary yesterday. She was very pleased to stand at the microphone and talk. I didn't even attempt to  have her memorize the talk because it wasn't finished until shortly before we left for church. She did a great job of reciting on the fly.

I Should Respect and Worship God

While he was on the earth, Jesus taught us: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

We show love for God when we have respect for Him. Respect means to have a deep feeling of love and admiration for someone. We should respect God because He loves us. We should respect God because we love Him.

We show love and respect to God by saying His name reverently. We show love and respect for Him when we obey His commandments. We show love and respect for Him when we come to church and read the scriptures and sing church songs.

I am a child of God. He is the Father of my Spirit. I love Him and He loves me and He loves all of you too. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Coordination

Why yes, she does dress herself, why do you ask?

Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

The kids were pretending, fully costumed, that they were colonists during the time of the American Revolution. I was listening to their in-character conversation, and heard this.

Cooper: I'm an American solider.

Phoebe: Then why do you have an English accent?

Cooper: Why do YOU have an accent?

Phoebe: Because I'm a Tory. Do you know what that means?

Me: Do you know what that means?

Phoebe: Yes, it means those that fear the coming revolution.

Oh. Cool. Well, carry on then...

Keep the Commandments

Cooper gave a talk in Primary on Sunday. Our four kids make up a decent percentage of our small Primary, so we often have the opportunity to share our testimonies in talk form. Cooper had some input from visiting Uncle Jordan, and some fleshing out from Bryan while they typed up the talk, but most of this was written by Cooper.

We are Blessed When We Keep the Commandments

When we keep the commandments, good things happen to us. Many people throughout the scriptures have been blessed by keeping the commandments. Joseph and Mary chose to obey the angel and flee to Egypt. Nephi chose to obey and lived after the manner of happiness.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehites chose to bury their weapons of war, and promised to not fight anymore. When the Lamanites attacked, they wanted to take up their weapons to prevent their families from being destroyed. Instead, their sons went to fight for them

Alma 56:47 and 56 explain how the 2000 stripling warriors obeyed, all got injured, and none died.

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.

They kept the commandments and were blessed to save their families, and not die.

It is good when we obey because good things will happen. Even if we won’t get rewards we should still obey. Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 says that we will be blessed when we obey. It says:

I, the Lord, am abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

You might be able to think of a time when you have been blessed in your life for obeying the commandments.  I know I have.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

The Funcle

We loved having Uncle Jordan and his wonderful fiancé Leah come visit us for a few days this weekend. We had a fun, lowkey visit with lots of playing, eating, and chatting. And for all the fun, I only took a few pictures. In fact, one of the kids took this first one.

It wouldn't be a proper Uncle Jordan visit without a baking project. He helped the kids make cheesecake cookies. They were quite popular.

Thanks for visiting guys, you're always welcome!

From Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Princess

Princess Spider-Man hopes you have an excellent Labor Day.

One Down

There's no school today, so that means we've made it through the first week of school!

And the kids all still like their teachers!

And I'm really glad I didn't have to wake anyone up at 6:30 this morning!

In all seriousness, we had a much harder time getting ready yesterday morning than we did on Monday morning. Everyone is moving a little slower and some of us would rather be left alone to read rather than have to put on daytime clothes and leave the house.

We have next Monday and Tuesday off, then a three-day school week. I believe the week after that, when they need to be at school for a full five days, is going to be a little rough.