Freezer Meals Can Be Simple

Tonight for dinner we had green verde pork tacos (I cooked the pork in my electric pressure cooker - much faster than a crockpot when I'm squeezed for time and forget to pre-plan).  I made the slaw that goes with fish tacos for one of the toppings.  I accidentally miscalculated the ingredients so I ended up having to make twice as much sauce for the slaw for it to work.

I decided to freeze half of that mixture and count it as a part of a freezer meal/kit.  So with this spice kit, I  wrote sticky note list of the other items needed and then saran wrapped it to the small container.  I have tilapia already in the freezer, along with pre-chopped frozen green onions and tortillas.  So I will just add fresh cilantro and broccoli slaw and wah-la  there is an easy meal!  It just realized that it doesn't have to be hard.

Here is the recipe for Fish Tacos - a staple in our family.

Swim Lessons

 The girls took swim lessons for the last couple weeks (Vivs at a level 4 and Olivia at a level 5 - this is a notation for me so I don't forget next year).  I was glad that we were able to make time for it this summer!  

The Garden is Coming Along

Tonight I found my first and only red tomato! I don't know why the tomato plants look like they need water with their leaves curling up.  I gave them more water, but they weren't dry.  I have zucchini that are steadily maturing and green beans that are close.  Plus, I have rows of onions and peppers for my canned salsa.  I am happier with my garden this year because we installed a timer with zones for automatic watering!

Swimming, Shakes, and more Shakes

Swimming for FHE at our local pool with friends and cousins.  The girls had fun jumping off the diving boards and the boys hung out with cousins!

Afterwards we enjoyed shakes at Sonic - half price after 8pm!

Shakes two days in a row!  My favorite shakes are at Arctic Circle (they are half price every day from 3-5 pm at one location here).

Instagram

I just got an instagram account and I am slowly learning how to use this cool app.  I thought it might come in handy when I go to Alaska.  I can instantly share some photos with my siblings, who I wish were coming with us.

Zion's Camp

“Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham” (History of the Church, 2:182).

 Doctrine and Covenants lesson #27 was today's topic.  The Lord clearly tells the saints that the reason that they are being driven from Missouri and having problems is because of their own transgression (refer to D&C 101).  The prophet seeks the Lord's counsel on what to do for the saints in Missouri.  The answer comes that they need help reclaiming Zion.  However, this is an excellent example of things not turning out like you expect.  Those who relied on the Lord's wisdom and who were obedient were greatly blessed by this journey in many ways.    I thought this video of Zion's camp was a great summary of D&C 103 and 105.  

Today's Work

Our family is in the middle of another house make-over project.  This one has been slower because we have been  out of town a lot this summer.  It has been rough with these extremely HOT days.  We try to get there by 8 or 9 am and work until a late lunch, then we call it a day (however, Paul worked a 12 hours today!).  Corbin and Paul have been braving the roof as they have been painting it by hand with its crazy roof angles and dangerous ladder feats.  They have been trying to get everything above the roof painted so it will be ready for new shingles.

I am the master of covering windows with paper and getting the main floor of the house ready for a paint spray gun - that is Monday's job.  The whole house needs new paint, both the interior and exterior.  It wouldn't be so bad, except that most of the interior walls are vaulted with high ceilings.  It is going to be tricky.  We have started the interior paint - there is still plenty left.

Porter spent hours today stripping wallpaper the walls in a bedroom.  The room looked like a dungeon with the dark paint and dark paper.  I can't wait to give it a white ceiling and a new wall color.

What else is on the list?
lots of interior painting!!!!
more wallpaper to remove in a bathroom and the kitchen
paint and glaze kitchen cabinets
paint bathroom vanity
choose paint colors for bathrooms and the dungeon bedroom (and paint)
paint all the trim in the house (some of it needs primed too)
install new master bathroom vanity
find new bathroom mirrors
paint interior doors
wood floors?  what to do to shine them up
paint front door inside and out
clean up garage - it's full of tons of junk
install new kitchen counters
find new cooktop
...I am sure I am missing something!

Laundry Room Curtains Hung ---Finally!

These curtains have only been laying around for a year, waiting to be hung!  I made the curtains from a table cloth that caught my eye a couple years ago at Target.  I had them ready to hang, and then I lost part of the hardware.  I just recently found the lost hardware and decided to hang them.   I also (with the help of Paul) hung the floating shelf that has been in my storage for the last 10+ years.  Somethings take me a while to get done!

Independence Day & Citizen's Last Stand

We had a great Independence Day celebration in Utah.  It started off with meeting up with Mom/Keith and Tonya & Ryan's family.  Before we made the drive to Utah, we had a little ride on the Redders golf cart train - the kids loved it!

The day was full of good food, family, fireworks, and spikeball.  I love our country and feel so blessed to live here in America.

I read the first three and the last two chapters  of this book (I need to finish the middle).  It is quite an eye-opener and makes me feel that I have an obligation to be more informed and involved in my community.  I can't just sit back and enjoy my freedoms, I need to be actively defending them.

Read an interview with the author Jeff L. Wright

Quotes found in the book that stood out to me:

"Every time history repeats itself, the price of the lessons goes up."  Anonymous

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."  Leo Tolstoy

"Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of mankind, even some act or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end.  Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way."  John Stewart Mill

Where has half the summer gone?

Wow, summer is in full swing and I feel like I am barely keeping up with everything.  It started off with a week long trip to Montana to visit Paul's parents.  That trip ended with a family reunion on his dad's side.  I will have to post more details of that trip!

Then 10 days later we jetted off to Utah to enjoy the fourth of July with lots of family at Tami's home!  That was a lot of fun being together with family and lots of cousins.  Then that weekend was full with Glenn Beck's Man on the Moon events.  I can't wait to show you my pics with Pat Gray, Richard Paul Evans, Tonia Beck, Brian Sack, Michelle Malkin, Larry Schweikart, and Michael Allen.  We had a great time.

Then the next weekend we had a big family reunion for my family that was a total blast, probably the best reunion we have had.

In between traveling (now I am getting ready for a trip to Alaska with my brother, Chad, my dad and Luanne) I garden, tend to the cow, goats, and alpacas, try to keep the yard up, help Paul with a house remodel (lots of work), and try to throw in some fun activities for the kids.

I need to remember that summer is very busy and that I can't hope to get any of "my" projects done, those have to wait until the kids are in school!

Menu Monday (just a day late)

I feel like I have been dodging the menu planning for a while now due to being here and there.  So far so good, but I need a plan for grocery shopping.

Pesto and Sausage Baked Ziti, bread, salad (new recipe to me)

Chopped Taco Salad with Homemade Catalina Dressing (new recipe to me)

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice, veggie tray (new recipe to me)

Chicken Gyro, fruit smoothie (we love these)

Quinoa Veggie Burgers, Loaded Baked Potato Salad, fruit

Pork Chalupa, rice, salad (family favorite)

Desserts: They caught me eye!

Chocolate Turtle Cookie Sundaes

Sour Cream Lime Pie

Extra:
Pesto Chicken salad on croissant

More Chickens

We have lost quite a few chickens this summer, a couple due to the heat (now we have no more White Brahma chickens) and others for unknown reasons, they have just disappeared.  Paul had mentioned this to Pres. Myers (member of Stake Presidency) in conversation, who said that we could have some of his chickens.   He was insistent that we come over and choose some chickens.  So tonight for our FHE activity we all went over to his home.  The girls were in heaven as they got to choose some more chickens. We came home with five more hens to add to our bunch.  One of them was a sad looking chicken with most of the tail missing.  Olivia said that she chose that one because she didn't think anyone else would love it, so she will.

He said that we could borrow his incubator if we wanted to hatch chickens!  Oh, the girls would love that.  We might have to take him up on his offer next spring.

Oh, they just love their chickens!