Chicken Chili

We in the Harris House love our chili, and we like it spicy. This recipe is for you non beef eaters, Natalie, or those of you that just want to try a new chili recipe. I forgot to buy the jalapeno and made it without one this week. It has a great flavor. I have played with the ingredients so it is the way we like it.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
4 (15 ounce) cans white beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med-low heat. Put onion, chilies and jalapeno in a food processor and pulse until well chopped. Slowly cook and stir the onion mixture until tender. Mix in the garlic, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir until tender. Stir in Chicken broth, chicken, corn and white beans. Simmer at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Jack Cheese if you want but we do not waste our time adding cheese to chili.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We had a great day. I am most excited about my new Trivial Pursuit '80's' edition and my new Mamma Mia DVD sing along! Those of you that I saw the movie with know that this is a big deal for me. My poor family! David might, uhhh will, regret getting me this. I got a new robe, that David wore this morning. He likes it. I think he got it for himself. It is very soft. I also got the Jack Frost cartoon video. Funny story about it: We watched this last week and in the movie, they pass around an empty box and sing this song, "It's just what I always wanted.' They imagine the one thing that they really want is in this box, sing a verse and pass the box to the next person, who sings a verse and passes it along. David was like, "That's what we are going to do from now on." Rachel was not home watching the movie with us, so when we broke out singing the song this morning she was lost!

We had WAFFLES for breakfast, a Smart family tradition. And Yes Grandpa, I had Strawberries and Whip Cream on mine. (David's gift this year was a new Belgium Waffle Iron. He had pumpkin waffles today. He is so excited about having afternoon church and waffles every Sunday morning.) Then David had a 2 hour nap.

The kids had a nice morning also. Now that they are older it is not as noisy and we can actually enjoy the morning and each other. Funny thing is that Rachel woke Josh up at 1:30 AM to see if Santa had been here...They ran down stairs, saw that he had visited us already and went back upstairs to bed. David and I got up at 8:00...NICE!

To top it all off for us, not only was it 24 hours of The Christmas Story, which I always look forward too, but it is also James Bondathon. Of course, this makes for a very happy Harris house! Waffles, James Bond and Fa Rah Rah Rah Rah! This was the best Christmas!

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

My friend Diane sent me this and I could not resist putting it on here...

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare ... you cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards people!

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas...years ago!

Christmas 1979


You know you have one of these pictures...GET IT OUT and post it. I love this picture of my sister and I. This was our first Christmas in Elk Grove. Don't you just love my COOL bell bottom Shaun Cassidy pants from Sears!!! Notice that is not a question.

Christmas 1978


Every Christmas our mom made us take these pictures of us 'pretending' to put an ornament on the tree...I know you are laughing Kara!!! Don't you just love my tie on my shirt...HAHA! Looking through my photo album there are a ton of them. We both swore that we would not make our kids do this!

Baseball Weekend

We have our final baseball tournament of the year this weekend. Luckily for us it should be raining!

So if you have nothing to do and want to watch a game, we are in Manteca at Big League Dreams Park off of 120. Games are at 2:00 and 6:00. Our team will be in yellow.

Oh and don't forget your poncho!

FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

I love Christmas music!

I have added it to my blog for your listening pleasure. Feel free to sing along!

I LOVE KATE

So what does a 3 year old call a rooster, that she had been calling a duck, but could not remember that I had called it a rooster???

A Gooster!

I love 3 year olds...

For those of you bringing dessert for Thanksgiving dinner...

I love this cake. This is also called 'Kori and Natalie's Friendship Cake'...uhh, I just made that up. We had this at what I will always call a 'Relief Society' Activity. Some people call it Enrichment. WHATEVER!!! Nat and I met that night. So we call this our cake...

PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE

4 Eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
15 oz can pumpkin
Mix together above ingredients.
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp clove
½ tsp nutmeg

Mix in dry ingredients and blend well, scraping sides. Grease a large cookie sheet (Mine measures a little bigger than 12x17) and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes. For a 10x15 inch pan, cook it for 25 minutes. Cool completely and then frost with cream cheese frosting. You can add nuts to the batter or sprinkle over the frosting. But that would be yucky...

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese first with hand mixer to soften and then add in the rest of the ingredients.

Get Your Soup On!

I LOVE SOUP and it is the perfect time of the year for it. Here is my challenge to you...Put a soup recipe on your blog!

This is one that I made last night and it is sure to be a favorite at our house! The kids said it was a little too spicy though. But that's the way I like it!

SPICY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

I large onion, chopped
2 tbsp. oil
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
3 garlic cloves minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
49.5 oz can chicken broth
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
1-14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
3 cans (5 oz) white chicken, drained (I used more chicken, almost doubled it.)
1/4 cup minced fresh Cilantro
2 tsp. Lime juice
Mexican shredded cheese
Tortilla chips

In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil; add the chilies, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. I actually put my onion, jalapeno and can of chilies in my processor and pulsed it for a while. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in chicken, beans and corn. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add the cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, if desired. Top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese. Chips and cheese not optional!

NEO MAXI ZOOM DWEEBIE

Que Anthony Michael Hall...
Brian Johnson:
Saturday, March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois 60062.

Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong. What we did WAS wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us... in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct?
That's the way we saw each other at seven o'clock this morning. We were brainwashed.

I have always been a big fan of the movie, The Breakfast Club. I loved the idea of these kids coming together and their lives changing because of the impact that they had on each other.

Andrew Clark: You don't have any goals.
John Bender: Oh but I do.
Andrew Clark: Yeah?
John Bender: I wanna be just like you. I figure all I need, is a lobotomy and some tights.
Brian Johnson: You wear tights?
Andrew Clark: No, I don't wear tights. I wear the required uniform.
Brian Johnson: Tights.
Andrew Clark: Shut up.

So why am I blogging about this movie today of all days? This really is plain and simple...

John Bender: Well, Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch. All the food groups are represented. Did your mom marry Mr. Rogers?
Brian Johnson: Uh, no. Mr. Johnson.

Today I took my son to his first and hopefully his last Saturday School. As I dropped him off outside the school, I wondered which character he was. Who he was most like. Is he John Bender, Allison Reynolds, Claire Standish, Andrew Carp or Brian Johnson? I would like to think of him more as Emilio Estavez' character, 'The Athlete' as oppose to Judd Nelson's, 'The Criminal'. Then again, Anthony Michael Hall's 'The Brain' would be nice. I know he isn't 'A Basket Case' like Ally Sheedy. And he definetly is not 'A Princess' like Molly Ringwald. It might seem weird to you that I think about that, but I loved, I LOVED this movie!

Allison Reynolds: Your middle name is Ralph, as in puke, your birth date's March 12th, you're 5'9 and a half, you weigh 130 pounds and your social security number is 049380913.
Andrew Clark: Wow. Are you psychic?
Allison Reynolds: No.
Brian Johnson: Well, would you mind telling me how you know all this about me?
Allison Reynolds: I stole your wallet.

I sat there and looked at the other kids who were dropped off and wondered who these kids were and what they had done to join my son at school on this fall morning. I know you are wondering what my son did to be at school on a Saturday morning at 8:10. No, he did not tape anyone's buns together, he did not pack a pistol, and luckily there was no weed involved. He was more like Claire today...He cut class. Not to go shopping like Molly Ringwald's character, but because he didn't want to go to science class.

Richard Vernon: Well, well. Here we are. You have exactly eight hours and fifty-four minutes to think about why you're here. You may not talk, you will not move from these seats. Any questions?
John Bender: Yeah. Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?

This was a tough one for me. I felt complete disappointment in my son. I was sad that he had listened to two other kids who said, "Don't go to class and hang out with us." I was frustrated that he didn't have the courage to say, "NO!" and I wonder what will be the next thing that he gives in to peer pressure for. That is hard to swallow. I now know how my parents felt, those times that I am sure that I disappointed them. I wished that they could have been here, for me to call and apoligize too. Instead, I am sure, that they were looking down on me and saying, "We know how you feel."

John Bender: My impression of life at Big Bri's house, "Son?" "Yeah, Dad?" "How was your day, son?" "Great, Dad. How's yours?" "Super. Say, how would like to go fishing this weekend?" "Great, Dad. But I got homework to do." "That's okay, son. You can do it on the boat." "Gee." "Hon, isn't our son swell?" "Yes, dear. Isn't life swell?"
[kiss]

Now this makes me think even bigger...How many times my Heavenly Father has looked down on me and felt the same thing that I felt that day: Disappointment and frustration in choices I have made and might still make.

Brian Johnson:
Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...
Andrew Clark: ...an athlete...
Allison Reynolds: ...a basket case...
Claire Standish: ...a princess...
John Bender: ...and a criminal...

Does that answer your question?...

Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

Yes I am alive...

OK so I have been soooo busy that I have not blogged at all! Also my computer at home has an infection and I haven't had time to get it fixed.

This being said, today Josh Harris is 12 and I cannot go throughout the whole day and not recognize this on our blog. I will post some pics of his younger years when I get a chance.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHMAN!!! You are awesome and I love you...

Happy Anniversary

It has been 16 years that David and I have now been married...He says it seems like 30 years.

David and I met in Young Adults at church. He had just returned from his mission to Illinois when we started meeting as a young adult group. I remember the first time I saw him. He was sitting on the couch at his aunt and uncle's house in the corner of the room all by himself, very quietly. I don't even remember him speaking that night. Shortly after that his uncle said, "Would you like to go out with David? That quiet guy that was in the corner?" I thought, me date a quiet guy...no way. He just came across as being quiet at first.

My friend Rebecca and I went going on a trip to Disneyland. She said while were in LA, "You should go out with David Harris." At the same time, her brother David was saying to David Harris, "You should go out with Kori Smart." After our trip during Spring Break, David called and asked me out. Rebecca was at my house when he called. I laughed because we had 3 David's in our youth group at the time. When I said that David asked me out, she said, "Which one?" I said Harris. She said, "Are you sure?" The first date was on April 29, 1992. We went out to dinner at Black Angus on Florin Road. We spent alot of time together over the next couple of weeks and had a great time.

David asked me Saturday night if he could make me breakfast the next day. On the morning of June 7, I drove over to his aunt and uncles house. There was a sign on the door that said, "Kitchen blew up! Meet me at G & G Cooks house." They lived right around the corner. When I got there, there was another sign, "No luck here. Meet me at Rich and Mary's." Another house right around the corner. So I drove over there. Another sign, "No luck here either. Meet me at your house. You can catch me there." So I started to drive back over to my house. On the way there I thought, "If I see another orange sign when I get to my house, I am just staying at my house!" Well, I got to my house and as I am driving down the court, there is a big sign on the garage door that says, "Will you marry me?" I was completely shocked and happy and start crying. I know, big surprise! I put my head down on the steering wheel and then look up and there he is standing in front of the sign and walking toward my car. I said yes, of course. I ran inside and woke up my family. It was maybe 7:30 in the morning. I called Rebecca and told her mom to wake her up and then told them.

I got my first kiss from David after we watched Sleeping Beauty one night at my house on Tipton Court in Elk Grove. I think that is why I love that movie so much...

We were married October 1, 1992. Rachel joined us on June 7, 1994 and Josh came on October 22, 1996. And the rest is history as they say.






And they lived happily ever after...

ROBBED

So I came home yesterday after Rachel's volleyball game and our house had been robbed! YES I AM SERIOUS!!! WE ARE NOT JOKING!!! THIS IS NOT A TEST!!! NO REALLY!!!

My jewelry box was completely emptied, David's gun safe had been broken into, all of the stuff in our room had been pretty much ransacked, 30ish coins from Grandpa Walker dating back to 1880ish, our PS2 and a ton of games and controllers gone...HAHA the wireless ones didn't work, so there!!!

So now I have to make an itemized list of all the things...GOOD LUCK with that!!!

Funny side note...not that any of this is funny, because it is not...We went to lunch on Saturday with David's mom and bro's. It was time for fortune cookies. I opened mine and it said:

Your lost posession will be returned within a month

I am hoping this one might come true. I should have gone right out and bought a lottery ticket with the numbers on the back! If my stuff is returned, I definetly will!

Ode to Sam

My heart is full of love for this beautiful girl! Sam was one of my last Beehives or first Mia Maids and was with me all the way through Laurels and then some. The years all blend together into one big ball of fun and laughs and it starts and begins and involves this one chick, Samantha Jade Messersmith. There are so many things that I could say about her, but I won't. I will keep them in my heart. One of the coolest things about this girl is that she is one of my best friends and I know that she feels the same way about me. My one memory of Sam, that I will always hold near and dear, is her thanking me at her final home basketball game, Senior Night. Natalie, Heather and I went to her game that evening, like we had several times. In her little thank you speech she said thanks to Harris, Goff and Coleman. I mean come on, her Young Women leaders. I know that meant alot to all of us. Sam hung out at dances and activities with us because we cared about each other, not because she couldn't find someone to dance with...Look at her-she is BEAUTIFUL...but because we had a great time together. I am going to miss her more than I can say!!!

Natalie and I had the chance to have one last moment with her this week. We went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch on Tuesday and then to see Mamma Mia that evening. (See 'The Schroeders' post for details on this fun evening.)It was fun to just talk and hear about all the things that she will be doing...

See you on Sunday, November 23 in San Jose, CA. Seattle University will be playing there that day! Have a great college experience and most important...MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

GOOD LUCK SAM! You are my sunshine...

Time Out For Women

What a great day last Saturday. I had never been before. Here is a picture of Nat and I sitting in the front row for TOFW. (Thanks Steph for taking the picture!) What a great day we had with many friends. We had a great tail-gate lunch in the parking structure! THANKS DEBBIE and your sister and friends for all the work! It was sure a fun day!

Bruin Bash

Rachel served up 6 points in a row...4 of them were ACES!


What a great Tournament. Galt swept the tourney in all the divisions! Freshman squad played awesome!
GREAT JOB LADIES!

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This is a great cookie for fall or anytime of the year.

1 Pkg Carrot cake mix with pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup margarine or butter melted
1 egg
1-16 can Cream Cheese frosting (homemade is better but if you want a canned frosting try Duncan Heins 'homestyle'. Theirs is actually pretty good.)
36 candy candy pumpkins, similar to candy corns-optional

Heat oven to *350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl combine cake mix, pumpkin, margarine or butter and egg; stir until combined. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. (I cook for 12 or they dry out.) Let cool for 2 minutes and remove from trays.

Frost cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting. Top with pumpkin candy or colored sugars for a cute presentation. We like them plain. They have a muffin like consistency. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

BOULEVARD BISTRO

So, David surprised me and took me out to dinner on Saturday. What a great day it was! I went to Time Out For Women with several friends that day and then out for a FAB-U-LOUS dinner with David.

So our Friends, Bret and Debbie, own a restaurant in Old Town Elk Grove, Boulevard Bistro. We do not go there as much as we would like to, but when we do, we always have a great time and are guaranteed a great meal with wonderful company, who come and sit with us and crowd in on our 1 on 1 time...LOVE YOU DEB! You can eat with us anytime you want- it's your restaurant!!!

We were treated to some sparkling cider as soon as we sat down. We decided on starting with the Shrimp Cakes, served with a corn salsa, (my favorite) and David ordered a smoked salmon served with corn pancakes. Both came with amazing sauces drizzled beautifully on the plates. No Sweetbreads this time!

For dinner, David ordered the 'melt in your mouth' Rib Eye special, served with Heirloom Tomatoes. David went back and forth between that and the Venison. I tried the Chicken Breast, stuffed with Ricotta and peppers. This was served with green beans and basil mashed potatoes and a creamy sauce. We both were thrilled with our selection. (I know this is killing you Amy!)

On to dessert, of course. I cheated, I couldn't make up my mind...Pays to have good friends, who are accommodating and great staff...I ordered the Chocolate Decadence, YUM, and the Fig Cheesecake! Smaller portions of the two. Yes FIG Cheesecake. WOW! David chose the Raspberry Sorbet with fresh berries and then ate my cheesecake along side his sorbet. He loved the combination of the two together, of course. After we finished we went and sat in the bar area and visited with Debbie for a long time.

If you have not been to this restaurant, we highly suggest going there for date night...Tell them that David and Kori (and Mike and Amy) sent you! It is the best! They have won KCRA's A-LIST dining award for 2 years in a row and Sacramento Magazines-Best of Sacramento award and many other honors. Here is their website...
www.frontiernet.net/~boulevardbistro/
or their telephone # is 916-685-2220. They also serve Brunch on Saturday and Sunday. I can't wait to try the Creme Brulee French Toast, :-) Bret's Creme Brulee is amazing! It is my second fav dessert served there. Taking 1st place is the Chocolate Pot de creme, which they were not serving on Saturday :-( Good thing the cheesecake was YUM!

Recipes...

So Kathryn said, "Where are all your recipes??? You didn't post them right." You are right, I didn't post them, I change them out all the time. So I will be adding them back in for those of you that want them...and those of you who could care less...and/or those of you that want to steal them and put them on your own BLOG!

Salsa My Recipe!

1-14.5 oz can tomatoes and green chilies-Del Monte
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large jalapeno, cut up. (I leave in the seeds)
½ of a yellow onion
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sugar

Process onion and jalapeno in food processor. I put them in separately because I like to make sure the jalapeno is finely chopped. Transfer to blender. Add tomatoes and other ingredients and give a few quick pulses. (Depending on how chunky you like your salsa.) Place in a covered container and chill to blend flavors.

You can play with the heat of the salsa. This is medium to hot depending on your taste. If you want it milder leave out the membrane in the pepper.

Off to a great start!

The Freshman had there first official game Tuesday and they won both games! Today we play in Lodi.

Good Luck Girls...

River Cats and Merlino's Freeze

We had a great time last Friday night at the River Cats game. They played Fresno that night. It was a nice evening. A little hotter than we would have liked though! We had great seats just behind home plate and a little to the left and 15 rows back. It was $1.00 night for hot dogs and Drumsticks. Josh took a baseball and got 5 autographs on it. One of the players, #23, hit a grandslam that night. Josh got his autograph on his ball...hang on to that one!


Now all I wanted was a Merlino's Freeze!!! They had some new flavors this time. The Black Raspberry was awesome!!! I ended up with Cherry and Pineapple though. David had the Black Raspberry. I was jealous of my friend Stephanie who had Watermelon. She had gone to a different stand at the stadium. They did not have the raspberry though. She said it was YUMMY! Josh had the Orange, as usual. I forget how good that flavor is! Josh always gets Orange.

Not to be left out...

For those of you who wanted to see David in Elementary School...



I couldn't make up my mind! Don't you love the shirt in the 2nd picture???

First Day of School...AGAIN

This time it is Josh and I! Here are our pictures...


Yes, his mouth is full of food. Surprised? His Kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Szyper, who is still a good friend of ours!


This is my picture dated October 1975. It must have been pre-school. Love the plaid, not the lace though!

"SIZE MATTERS NOT..."

The score is 12-14. We are down by 2 and need 3 to win. It is the bottom of the 7th inning. The game is in over time. Bases are loaded. There are 2 outs. The coaches see a smallish boy walking up to bat. His name is Josh Harris. They move the outfield in. First pitch is thrown. It is an inside pitch. He swings. He sees the left fielder jump to catch it but it was too high. Josh hits the ball straight out to left over the outfielder. Three runs score and we win the game! And Josh is grinning ear to ear!!! And he should be: He just scored the winning run!

Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not.

Freshman Volleyball

Rachel made the final cut. She is a member of the Galt High School Freshman Volleyball team!!! They have 2 scrimmages next week Tuesday at Chavez(?) and Wednesday at Rosemont High School. Both games are at 4:00.

Go Warriors!!!

Thunder Baseball

Josh has another tournament this weekend in Elk Grove. It will be at the complex again. The first game will be at 11:10 and the second right after.


His team qualified to play in the Winter Nationals! They are held in Arizona right after Christmas.

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday wishes rolling out to Todd VanLindt today...
Sorry no picture to post...but I'm still laughing at the one from prom!

Joke...

What do you do with your bicycle after your mission???


You shoot it...DUH!




Saturday while we were at the family shoot, a group of scouts and their leaders showed up with 4 cars and an arsenal. When they started to wheel bikes out toward the hill, David says, "So which of you are the RM's?" They laughed of course.

I thought they were crazy to do this, but I also did not serve a mission for 2 years...

Happy Birthday Cash

My thoughts and prayers are with you Natalie and Jeremy today, on Cash's 1st Birthday. I can honestly say that from the beginning I have been impressed by both of your strong spirits. When it would have been easy to say 'Why me?' I never heard it. I love you both very much. Someday I know that I will meet Cash again and that I will see him healthy and happy. I know that he is always watching over you both. When I saw this picture, I thought of him.

Kori

Baseball

Here are a few pics from baseball this last weekend. We had a great Tournament. Josh did very well! There was one game where he was the only player to get a hit...good for him! That's the way it goes sometimes. He was on first base, someone threw down a great bunt, he was able to steal around to third because no one was on base. He is one quick kid!

Happy Anniversary...

Today is Kara and Todd's Anniversary.

This picture is from Kara's Junior Prom, Elk Grove High School 1989. I could have used a wedding picture, but this one was soooo much better! LOVE the white gloves Todd...You were way cool!

Fun at the Cannery

We went to the cannery last night. It was fun and we adults got our exercise for the day. What a work out! The kids were funny, singing songs together...as long as they are helping-having fun is a bonus!

Class of 2012

It seems like only yesterday, when I took Rachel to Kindergarten for the first time. I sat next to her as I was filling out paperwork. She was to draw a picture of herself and write her name. I said, "You draw the picture of yourself today and I will help you write your name when you are done drawing." We had practiced writing her name a lot, but I had never seen her do it on her own. As I was writing down all the important things for her teacher, Mrs. Moreford, I heard , "I'm done!" I turn and look to my left and she had written her name on her own! Tears started streaming down my cheeks...


Today is another milestone...The first day of HIGH SCHOOL. Here is her schedule for the semester:

1. English 9
2. German 1
3. Ag Environmental Science
4. Geometry 9
5. Life Management
6. Geography/World Affairs

School starts at 7:55 and she is done at 3:00. After school for the next few days she has volleyball conditioning. Monday are try-outs. Yeah I am kinda dumb...I forgot to take a picture of her today. That would have looked nice on here next to the Kinder one. I will take one tomorrow...On her first morning of Seminary!

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday today to Darren...I am sure that Heaven is serving Sushi today.
and Happy Birthday to Chris Harris who is serving a mission in Spain. Sorry I don't have a picture of you to post.

Saturday Night Ramblins

Yes it is 11:00. I am suppose to be writing my talk for tomorrow. I am almost done with it, but I needed to check something on the LDS website and noticed that I had mail, then thought 'check the blog.' (Hey that's important!) Is Satan tempting me away from my talk or what??? It is about For the Strength of Youth. Love that book!

So today we played baseball. Well Rachel and I watched, David coached and Josh played. Nice day out to sit at the park. I got a little red on my left arm. Missed that one with the sunscreen.

I got my hair cut this last week. 5 inches off and about 20 minutes less of hair-do time in the morning. It is great!

Have some pics but I will post them later...Back to my talk.

Golf Tournament

David and Josh went with Ranse and Ranse Gale to the 4th annual Josh Harris Memorial Golf Tournament. I know that might sound a little weird, since our son's name is Josh Harris. This particular Josh Harris who the tournament is named for was killed in a car accident. I will never forget the headlines in the Galt paper that week. It stated Josh Harris was killed in an automobile accident. It brought tears to my eyes. I was the fortunate one though. My Josh Harris was alive and well. I have since then met this family and expressed my sadness for them even though I did not have the opportunity to meet their son. Our friend Anngela introduced our Josh to Harry, Josh's dad at a boy scout fundraiser earlier in the year. We told him that Josh played baseball not football. He said that there was still time for him to get involved in football. I laughed. David met Harry's wife Carol, Josh's mom today and introduced our Josh to her. She apparently started to cry.

All the guys had a great time and brought home some golf stuff to add to their collections. Josh out drove David on a couple holes, he was very proud to say! This is a great picture taken at the 10th hole.

Back to School Blitz

Josh will be playing baseball this weekend in Elk Grove at the Kloss Complex on the corner of EG-Florin and E. Stockton Blvd. First game is at 9:00 on field 2 and second game is right after but on field 3.

We have picked up a few new players. Most of the kids are now out of Lodi and we now have 2 players who come up from Manteca.

Hope to see you there! GO GALT THUNDER!

Paula Deen Gone Bananas

I LOVE Paula Deen. Anyone who cooks with as much butter and cream as she does, has to be a great friend to have! But after watching her GONE BANANAS episode, I have to wonder about her. This recipe is so crazy it has to be good. However, I am a little hesitant to try this one...Now the Banana Split Brownie Pizza, I am all over! Anyone willing to try it? Come on Amy, you can do it. You were asking for recipes!

Cheesy Ham and Banana Casserole Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Butter
12 slices white bread
8 large slices deli ham
4 bananas, sliced on the bias
2 cups shredded Cheddar
2 cups crushed potato chips
6 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 9 by 13 glass baking dish. Butter both sides of the bread and layer 6 of them into the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping them as necessary but keep them even. Layer the slices of ham on top of the bread and then the bananas, 6 more slices of bread, then the cheese, potato chips, and bacon. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour this over the casserole almost to the top. Bake for 45 minutes until brown and bubbly. Cut into squares and remove with a spatula, like lasagna.

UOP Volleyball Camp

Rachel is at UOP this week. She is at Volleyball Camp with 5 of her friends, yes FIVE-Candice, Kayla, Erica, Ashley and Hillary. She and Candice are rooming together. They are pretty smart girls: They show up with their 2 bags each-one w/ volleyball stuff and one with clothes and other necessities. A couple of their friends showed up with 2 loads of stuff and their carts to load it in on! Love ya Sandy and Dena-you moms rock!! They have all there meals there and sleep in the dorms. I have heard from them every day and then some. They are having a great time and have been learning a lot. Rachel said that the workouts have been tough. This is great timing because they start high school conditioning next week...They will all be ready!

Service with a Smile???

My Grandma has always been the first one to say CHARITY NEVER FAILETH. Regardless of her health, she has always been the first person to volunteer her time to help others or sew something or cook something. My dad was the same way. They both have ALWAYS been great examples to me about giving of yourself and serving others. So Grandma told us, I mean asked us, to come out and help her in the yard. They live on a good acre out in Fair Oaks and there is no sprinkler system to speak of. Every where you look, there are gardens and bushes and plants and fruit trees and vegetables. Grandma and Grandpa both have always had the crazy notion that holding a hose and watering everything by hand is fun and relaxing. That was how my father was also. It always hurt my thumb. As a kid it was boooorrrring. There was always something better to do when you were 14, than hold a hose for an hour.

So Kara and I loaded up the kids and we drove out to Fair Oaks this morning to be of SERVICE.

Why do we have to go and work out at Great Grandma's house?
Because she asked us to come out and help her.
Why can't she do it herself?
Because she is 90 and Grandpa is 96. They are old and need help. She said she would buy us lunch.
...thinking...
Where are we going?

Gotta love them...

HAMMERHEADS

Josh was asked to play baseball this last week for an Elk Grove team. It is fun to be able to play here and there and get to know other kids who love to play baseball. We have met some different coaches and it is always flattering to hear them say, "I would love to have Josh play for us all the time. He is a great ball player." He was able to pitch in this tournament, play 2nd base and center field. He had some good hits. He hit a triple out to right center. David was yelling for him to "GO THREE" but he saw the 3rd base coach waving his arms around weird and he thought he was telling him to stop. Oh well...

Apples to Apples

So at Mutual last night, we played Apples to Apples. One of my favorite games. So because everyone was being so loud arguing about their cards we changed up the rules. We went around and tried to convince the person why they should pick our card. So here is what happened:

The word was STRAIGHT.
Someone threw down the word WATCHING FOOTBALL. Here is the rest of the conversation...

"I am putting down football because you cannot be gay and watch football. All the guys that I know who watch football are straight. Am I right or what?"

Bishop walks in.
"Bishop do you watch football?"
His answer..."NO."
The room erupts in laughter!

Back from Camp

OK OK OK...sheesh!

Honestly nothing too crazy happened! Unless you call me being tailed by some crazy CHP motor officer, or falling and landing flat on my face in the dirt, and tearing a hole in my pants (and those were not even mine Thanks Nat!) and gashing my hand open and bruising my knee, and then almost peeing my pants because there is no bathroom in the middle of nowhere! Did I mention that was all on the way to camp!

No really it was a fun week. All the girls had a great week. The food was good. Everyone passed off their certification. We played with matches, did some Dutch Oven cooking-chili, some tin foil desserts-bananas, sliced down the middle, add some chocolate chips and marshmellows-wrap it up and leave a little air space. The girls loved it!

We only had to chase down one girl who snuck out of her cabin and went off with some friends. Yes, she was one of mine and it was midnight when we found out...NICE!

Camp

It is that time of the summer, Young Women's Camp week. We will be leaving on Tuesday Morning (fun store), bright and early at 8:00. I know, that is not early and the girl's won't be very bright. They will have too much stuff and yes, several of them will have forgotten their permission slips, but we let them go anyway. Besides I don't think that it mentions the word BEAR anywhere on the standard LDS permission slip...

See you on Saturday. Hopefully, I will at least come home with a few good stories to post!

Overheard in the Bathroom...

So while we were at the movie theatre today, I went to the bathroom. While I was doing my thing, there was a mom in one of the stalls with her 2 kids. The mom was encouraging the little girl to hurry up because the movie was playing and "We don't want to miss it!" She said, "But I need some privacy!" I laugh silently, cause it was funny, she was like a 3 or 4 year old. So mom kept saying, "Come on you need to hurry." Then the mom needed to go too. I was done at this point and was on my way to wash my hands. As I am walking past the door where they are, the little girl says, "Mom you have a big butt." And of course mom says, "Thanks!"

And I was dying...I laughed outloud and then ran out of the bathroom!

Homerun Hitter

Shelly Gale hitting away...

Thanks for having us out for the 4th of July! We always have a fun time with the Gale Family.

Happy 4th of July

I'm Back...

Well I guess I fell off the turnip truck for a good couple weeks there. Understandable though under the circumstances...

Back to my life now. So the popular question is, "How are you doing?" Well, the answer to that is simple...We are just dealing and living and moving on. Not forgetting, just trying to move forward. This has not been an easy month for anyone in David's family, but a time to come together. Thank you especially to all of our friends, who have called or just stopped by, shared some food with us, or just shared a laugh.

It helped...

Darren...

This is one of the hardest things that I will put on my blog. David's brother Darren was in a tragic accident today. We do not know all the details at this time. However, Darren was killed while riding his motorcyle today. He was 28 years old.

This just seems crazy to me at this time. I think this is my Sally Field 'Steel Magnolias' moment. You know, the one at the cemetary, after they buried her Shelby and she is with all the star power women in the film and she starts flipping out and she wants to hit something (How do you spell Weeza?) and she realizes that her hair does indeed look like a "brown football helmet"! Darren will never show up at any gathering with his 'To-Go' containers. He would bring his own containers to guarantee that he could always take food home. He was funny that way. Darren was the one who I thought should be on Survivor because he would eat ANYTHING or do anything. I liked that he did what he wanted regardless of what you thought. He was an amazing yo-yo-er. He could do the coolest tricks ever. We went to Disneyland one year and joked that he should throw out his hat and collect $$$ because people would just stop and watch him. He also had decided that on that trip that he was going to try and get in as many peoples pictures as he could. He would just stop and stand there and smile, in the background. He also took one of Mariah and Rachel and grabbed a bunch of 'tourists' and said 'Hey get in this picture with me'. Darren would give you the shirt off of his back if you asked for it. My kids love him...they are hurting too. Josh immediately bowed his head and starting crying. Rachel teared up when she heard the news. I know that they will miss him very, very much. I am glad that David and his brothers had the chance to spend the day together before his wedding and I am sure that they are glad that they now have this memory. I am also grateful that we were all able to be together this last weekend for Dennis' wedding. I know that our last memories of Darren are those of being together: laughing and playing video games and piggy back rides and climbing the boat and yo-yo's and $2.00 bills and gold coins and wearing a cloth napkin tucked into the front of his shirt instead of on his lap and sharing plates of desserts and drawing maps on the sidewalk in Tahoe and kissing the bear statue at Harrah's and of a bowl of gummy bears and ice cream sprinkles that he was eating for dessert with Wyatt.

I am not screaming "WHY? I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY?" like Malynn aka Sally Field (If that is how you spell her name). I am not mad or angry. I am just sad, very very sad.

When David and I were married I instantly acquired 5 brothers (and one more sister, sheesh Shellee this isn't about you! HAPPY NOW???). I have only one sister in my family. Darren was my brother...Darren IS my brother and I am thankful for him.

So if you go through your Disneyland pictures and see some tall, blond guy standing in the background and smiling, send me a copy of the picture...That's Darren.

Here is the video of Darren climbing the outside of the boat during the wedding cruise. This was the 2nd time he did it...I thought it was funny. I love his laugh at the end! It brings a smile to my face...

Lake Tahoe

David's brother Dennis got married this last weekend to Karen. I left my camera in Nana's car so I have not been able to upload any of this yet...SORRY! Everyone had a great time. We had a lot of fun out on the lake, but it was very windy!

The kids swam in the lake on Saturday. It was freezing! I put my foot in the water and I thought it was going to be blue when I took it out. The kids were offered $$$ to get in...

We rented 2 paddle boats and everyone had a fun time out on the lake. Afterward we went over to the house that Matt and Shellee rented and had dinner and cake for Rachel's birthday.

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY RACHEL

Happy Birthday Rachel! I had Duff 'ACE OF CAKES' Goldman make you this...HAHA! OK I copied it off his site! It is cool though.

Thanks for being a great daughter, sister, cousin, grand daughter and especially a great friend! We are all proud of you!

FRESHMAN!!!

Well it is official, we have a Freshman in the family! Today was 8th grade Promotion. We had a nice morning and the ceremony took less than an hour. (Good thing too, due to the fact that the sun was beating down on us!) Let's see who was there...David and I , of course, Nana, and David's dad. We sat with our friends the Bohlmann's and the Duro's. We went to lunch afterward. What a great day!

Sunday Ramblins

I love Sundays! Church in the morning and a nap in the afternoon...nothing is better. Band of Brothers is on TV, so David is watching that again, along with a couple other things. I finished Percy Jackson at baseball on Saturday and am ready to grab my next book from 'the pile' of books on the counter upstairs. hmmm tough decision. Five days of school and then summer break. I am so happy about that. David's brother Dennis is getting married on Friday evening up in Tahoe. So we will head up that way after school Friday. Summer is already getting busy with sports and church things. I just look forward to sitting on the couch and reading for hours of the day...I can't wait!

We want a pitcher...