St. Patty's Day, Traditions

We are big time St. Patty's Day fans in our house because first of all, it's our wedding anniversary and second of all, we come from a strong Irish background on Grandma B's side. So we had the traditional Corned Beef dinner with a sweet Irish BBQ Sauce and Pistachio Salad and Irish Soda Bread and Blarney Stones for dessert. Blarney Stones are a homemade white cake cut into squares and frozen and then frosted with a thick gingerbread cookie-type icing and rolled in salted peanuts and refrozen. I was afraid to make the Irish Soda Bread because baking bread scares me. Yeast just does not like me. But I've been thinking the problem is that I have not been kneading my bread enough and this is why it does not rise all pretty and fluffy like I want it to. So this time I left it stuck in the Kitchen Aid with a bread hook until it had a "gluten window", which means when you tear a piece off and stretch it the bread does not break right away, but forms a thin "window" in the middle that is almost transparent. It seemed to work, and by the time it was done rising and baking it was quite fluffy and beautiful.

The one on the right has a Gluten Window

For something fun this year we decided to make Leprechaun traps, using the examples in this month's Family Fun Magazine. Here's the link: http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/ff0309-to-catch-a-leprechaun/ff0309-to-catch-a-leprechaun3.html. They have several really cute Leprechaun trap ideas. Bob painted the rocks and pots and glued them together, and then he and Buzz made some rainbows for the backdrops. We left them on the table overnight and in the morning, the Leprechaun had run through them and rearranged them and left Leprechaun tracks! He also managed to turn our milk green... Sneaky little bugger!

Leprechaun traps before bedtime on March 16th

Leprechaun traps before breakfast on the morning of March 17th... Sneakers!! :)

The boys decided to take their Leprechaun traps to school and got to show their friends and in Buzz's class, a Leprechaun even ran through his trap and swiped his pot of gold!! It was fun and the kids' friends had fun too as one of the teachers gave them golden painted beans to take home as a remembrance.

Sundays and Callings

I love Sundays. I love the quietness of the day, the time to relax and clear my head, and most of all, I love that my family is together. Sunday in our house is often spent watching Planet Earth (http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/planet-earth.html) or The Living Scriptures (http://www.livingscriptures.com/), preparing lessons or going to meetings. I currently serve as the Secretary in our Relief Society, which is very enjoyable. For the past umpteen years I'd been in Young Women and Primary, and loved them both. I always have mixed feelings about changes, not wanting to leave my current callings, but excited to see what the future will bring, and love all three auxiliaries equally. I think this calling in the Relief Society is for me entirely. I feel like my battery is being charged right now, as I catch up on socializing and homemaking skills, and refresh doctrinal knowledge. Also much more of my time is being focused on my own children right now, and so I'm sure this is part of the plan, as they are enjoying this extra "bonding time" and so am I. I feel grateful to be in this good place in my life right now. Being a mother is the greatest, and I don't really want this "full nest" stage to ever end, but know that my children will grow up and things will change, but I also know that in a way they will stay the same. As my children were babies, I looked with dread to the future when they would develop their independence, and they have, but the blessing I have found in raising children is that as they become independent they do not grow farther away, but closer. I'm not sure how this happens exactly, but I'm just grateful for it, and hope with all my heart that it continues forever.

Buzz''s Birthday

Buzz is a 6 year-old!!

Buzz turned 6 last week! Buzz loves robots and wanted robot cupcakes, so on Thursday Belle and I brought him robot cupcakes at school to celebrate. When I made them I was picturing the whole body and legs and everything and wasn't sure how to do that, but this is what they looked like...


...no legs, but the black licorice worked well for arms. The boys and I made the heads the night before with paper piecing and then laminated them and taped them to a toothpick. That was fun because the kids played with the robot heads afterwards and got to take them home. So even though they were legless, they were okay.

The next day we went to Disney. It was fun, we got to go on about 6 rides in 4 hours. Buzz wanted a remote control Eve and Wall-e for his birthday, and we had money from Grandma to add to his birthday gift. Dad found a Wall-e and Evah at the Mall on Saturday, so Canon got his Wall-e and Evah. They are really neat... they actually communicate with each other.

We went to Chili's for dinner, which was fun because a large number of people sang Happy Birthday to Buzz, and they gave him this superyummy chocolate shake dessert! When Belle first learned to say Wall-e, she always called him "Walle-cake", so Buzz decided he wanted a "Walle-cake" for his birthday. I think all-in-all, Buzz had a pretty good 6th birthday.

Mac 'n' Cheese

Books loves to eat Macaroni and Cheese and always has. He loves the boxed kind, but his favorite is old-fashioned Mac 'n' Cheese done on the stove. Here is his favorite recipe:

Mac 'n' Cheese

cooked elbow macaroni
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 cups milk
1/2 lb American Cheese, chopped
shredded cheddar cheese to taste
10 shakes of salt

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add flour and stir until a paste forms. Pour milk into pan. Add cheeses and salt. Stir continually until cheese melts and sauce comes to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Pour sauce over macaroni and serve. To reheat, add a splash of milk, microwave 30 seconds, and stir.

Love and Bragging

By now it's probably apparent that I love to brag obnoxiously about my kids. I do and I'm okay with it. I think they are great and deserve sincere praise. I believe all kids are great and deserve sincere praise, and don't get it nearly as much as they need it. Are my kids perfect. NO WAY! But are they great? Absolutely. Does that make me a supermom? Lol, not by a longshot! They are great because of who they are, and only they can make the choices they make, I can't make them for them. No mom can. We love them and set boundaries, and if we are firm in keeping them we can teach them our values, but we can't make them into who they are. Their greatness is entirely their doing. That's what I believe anyway, and thats why I believe wholeheartedly in bragging about kids.