Mom, don't ya love the snow? ***

This is me with a fake smile. Dee just asked me if I love the snow. I told her that I love that SHE loves the snow but that I don't love the snow in April. I love the snow in November, December January and February. Maybe even the beginning of March. April snow drives me crazy. I am going crazy.

This is Dee with her new friend. She made him with the 5 inches of snow that fell during the night and continues to fall as I write.

Here is Pedro after our morning activity. All tuckered out! Good thing the significant amount of Diet Coke he drank with lunch was from BYU and it was caffeine free- otherwise, this would not be the scene in the back seat.

***Restaurant Review! I don't have 7 restaurants for the days of the week but I do have this one that you could eat every day of the week if you wanted!

Jared and I went on a date last night. We ate at Himalayan Kitchen on 360 south-ish and state street in downtown SLC. If you are suffering from weather fatigue, you should try it. It is some of the best restaurant food I have EVER had. Don't be scared to try something new. It is amazing and the staff is so nice.

Shhhh with a side of spaghetti sauce

We decided to let the hermit crabs come out and play for a while.

This is Pedro telling himself to be quiet...

...and this is Pedro screaming as loud as he can right after he shhhh'shd himself.

Famous Spaghetti Sauce from Stephanie Allgood (not sure if she was the original author but she gets the credit on this blog!)

The other night we had a family of 8 over for dinner. If you add that to our family of 6, we have quite a large number to feed. (14 if you need help with the math). I wanted something easy that could be cooking while we were watching general conference but something that packed a flavor punch! We don't eat red meat hardly at all but this sauce is one of those things we surrendered to.

1/2 pound hot italian sausage
1/2 pound mild italian sausage
1 pound 90 percent or more- lean ground beef
*Brown in large skillet and set aside-reserve a small amount of grease or clean out the skillet and add olive oil and sautee:
1 large white or yellow onion- chopped
1/2 bell pepper- diced
5 stalks celery- chopped
*Cook until softened and add:
2 cups mushrooms- sliced
*Cook two more minutes and pour meat and vegetables into a very large stock pot. Sautee 5 minutes and add:
1 T. Basil
1 T. Oregano
1 T. Salt
2 tsp. Ground pepper
1 T. Parsley
*Cook on medium-high approximately 2 minutes and add:
1 large can (I think it's 24 ounces) of crushed tomatoes
1 number 10 can of tomato sauce (or smaller cans that equal 106 ounces!!!)
***optional***add 1 tsp red pepper flakes to sauce if you want to spice things up a bit.
Bring to Boil and then lower heat to simmer. Let simmer covered, stirring every 20 minutes for atleast 6-8 hours. Serve over thin spaghetti noodles and shake some parmesan or romano over the top.

Introducing our new additions!

Warning! Do not get hermit crabs if you do not plan on dropping at least a hundred dollars! They need- a glass terrarium. The stupid plastic ones with holes in lid will NOT work. They are supposed to have a minimum of 70% humidity and if you live anywhere in Utah, this is impossible with a lid with holes in it. Also, they need to have a 75 degree climate. Well, the nice people at the pet store tell you they are fine at the temperature you keep your house. Well, unless you are a lizard and keep your house at 75 degrees, you need a special heater for your terrarium. Make sure to get a glass lid for your terrarium if you are keeping hermit crabs. The moisture will escape, dehydrating your hermit crabs. The reason I know this is because...

Taco and Burrito are our leap into pet ownership!

We did everything wrong when we got them. We bought the "Kritter Keeper" plastic container and all the gimmicky stuff that goes along with them. Do your research if you plan on keeping your hermit crabs alive for more than a few days. With the purchase of the glass terrarium we will buy tomorrow, we will have spent well over a hundred dollars. Beta fish are probably a better option if you are looking for a 20$ and under pet.

Welcome to the family Taco and Burrito!

Because.

As a parent, no matter if you have super shy, introverted kids or loud, outgoing, gregarious kids-- you will say "because" a lot. This post if for my quiet child and my loud child and my dramatic child to them I say, BECAUSE! Some of the questions recently that I wish I could have said "because" to and left it at that....but I didn't, I had to explain.

Finally warm enough to walk to school again!

What is that mom? A tampon. What is it for? Um. Why do you need it? Because.
Why are there waves in the ocean? Um, I forget. Why, didn't you remember? Because.
Why are you making that for dinner? Because.
What is the difference between hail and frozen rain? Sheesh, Because.
Why do baby turtles get eaten by birds? Because.
Will you be the room mom for my class next year? We'll see. Why not?! Because.
Why don't we want to spend money on a parakeet? Because.
Why aren't the hermit crabs moving? Because.
Why did you get baptized when you were a big kid and not when you were 8? Because....Okay, this one I will explain.

*Because when I was in high school, I was struggling with my faith in the church I went to. There was nothing wrong or bad that was happening, I just didn't feel committed to a God that I didn't feel like I knew. I didn't understand how God could be 3 things in one being. I couldn't understand it. Maybe that is my own limitation but I received an answer and that is where my faith started to develop and mold into what it is today- Below are some of the reasons I am still a Latter-Day Saint...

*Because, I believe in God. I believe that I have a Father in Heaven and I believe that Jesus Christ is both my Savior and a man that lived before the earth was created in premortality. I believe he is my brother and that helps me understand his role in my life. Having a Heavenly Father and a Savior helps me to grasp them each as individuals and I know that they are like me. I can relate to them because I understand who they are.

*Because I believe that every church must be an entity that evolves with the times and needs of it's members. To evolve, it is a necessity to have a person that is led by God, that can speak for God on the earth (as the prophets of old did in the primitive church). Our prophet today spoke about Social Media being a good thing for the growth of the church and for news to travel quickly. 15 years ago, there was no social media. There was barely internet! I believe in the power of the priesthood and I believe this organization existed when Christ was on the earth.

*Because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints requires sacrifice. Joseph Smith said, "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation." I believe we are tested on this earth and as we go through trials and seek to rely on the Lord through those trials, we gain greater confidence and also a deeper insight into the sacrifice of the Savior. I wouldn't say I am grateful for trials, maybe I should be able to say that. But instead, I recognize the purification that comes through trials in an attempt to make us more Christlike. Hopefully, we are taking that opportunity.

*Because I believe that there is more than just relaxing and hanging out in the afterlife. I believe in progression. Progression won't stop when we die.

*Because I believe that I am responsible for my own sin and not for the sins of Adam and Eve.

*Because I believe that I can be with my family for eternity. I am grateful for that knowledge. It makes me want to be a better person. A better wife, daughter, mother, friend, grandaughter, aunt, and sister.

Pedro on the toy at the car wash. Saving lives one car wash at a time. My hero.

*Because I just spent Saturday and Sunday in front of the television for 4 hours each day. We heard from the prophet of our church and the 1st presidency and the quorum of the 12 apostles. We heard from other church leaders as well as they celebrated the 75 year anniversary of the inception of the welfare program of the church. The church in many disasters and conflicts, has been the first to have resources available on the scene. I am grateful for the organization of the church and consider it to be one of the reasons I joined the church as a "big kid."

For this and many other reasons, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was baptized when I was a big kid and feel like I know who I am now more than ever. I am grateful to be a part of an organization where service and charity and love of our fellow man and woman is of paramount importance. Of course there are some members of the church who act poorly and they will make an accounting of that just as I will make an accounting for my inadequacies. I think most of us are doing the best we can.

Unless you are one of my kids or have been in a sacrament meeting with me where I have spoken, you don't know why I am what I am. Because. Because. Because!

Get well soon!

My mom came this last week and was sick the entire time and is still sick back at her home in Arizona. Even though she was achy and gross and snotty and coughy the whole time, she still hung in there with us and we had a lot of fun with her. Unfortunately common, she took almost all the pictures but I did manage to snap two the last day.The girls had a great time with her and were very sad to see her go. Peter.... not so much ;)
We love you mom/nana/carolyn! Get well soon!

ahh, spring!

The thermostat tipped 60 degrees and we flooded outside. My kids played for hours in the neighborhood. I went on a couple of walks. I didn't realize how much I loved the sunshine because I REALLY love rain. Yesterday was a perfect day. Even the Cutco knife demonstration was not annoying. We bought a couple! We were in all in good moods!

kids actually PLAYING outside!
I took Beck and Pedro to the gardens and out to lunch yesteray. Oh the happiness.
Beck wanted to pose every second minute.
In the greenhouse
Pedro had forgotten what sunshine felt like!

My kids have grown weary of the same old snacks around the house. So, while they were at school today I decided to make up a recipe for whole wheat apple cinnamon mini muffins. I ground some wheat, chopped some apples and came up with this:

Kim's Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffin Recipe

Preheat 375 degrees

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups ultra-grain flour (from Costco- it's a blend of flours) or you can use All-purpose flour instead- or stick with all whole wheat
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
6 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups buttermilk (or dump 2 T. of vinegar or lemon juice into a glass measuring cup and fill with milk to 2 cups. Let sit covered for ten minutes and then use in place of buttermilk.)
3/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup wheat germ, if you have it- it is optional
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
1 cup of applesauce
2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
4 cups finely diced apples

Mix dry ingredients (flours, sugars, baking powder, wheat germ, and cinnamon) and then add wet ingredients and mix until just combined
I poured mine into my mini muffin tin and baked at 375 for 12 minutes. If you make standard size muffins, bake for 18-22 minutes. This batch made 90 mini muffins. If you aren't interested in 90 muffins, go ahead and halve the recipe. These were surprisingly delish!

Happy Birthday, Punky!

It is my nephew's 11th birthday today. I can't believe he is 11. I remember the day he was born. I remember the phone call to the police at Christmas time, he wanted to see what would happen. I remember racing my mom and my sister to his crib when he made a squeak (I usually won). I remember him walking around outside the temple when Jared and I got married. He had the sweetest little legs and cheeks, AND HAIR!

I am so lucky to be your aunt, La'Ray. I feel happy to know you. I feel grateful to be able to watch you grow up. You know that if you need anything, Jared and I are a phone call and a "quick" trip north away. This year, I know you will do great things as an 11 year old!