Fire Station Field Trip

Yesterday for pre-school we went to the fire-station. Anna was pretty shy but had fun seeing the truck. She was most excited to be able to take home her very own fire hat. Enjoy!

Homemade Fries Recipe-So easy

I had a few requests for my french fry recipe.

Large brown potatoes (3-4)
Vegetable oil
salt
sugar (litl' bit)

Cut potatoes length wise into strips. (Not to big or they'll take forever to cook) If your not going to cook right away put in cold water with a little bit of sugar (sounds weird but the sugar helps them crisp up when they go into the oil)

Heat oil. Make sure you have enough oil to let the potatoes "Swim around" Test oil by placing a tip of one potato in oil, if it bubbles right away the oil is ready. Place about 1/2 the potatoes in. You don't want to put to many because they will lower the temperature of the oil and they won't turn out as well. Let cook about 5-6 minutes. You'll know when they're done. Cook to your crispt preference. Strain out onto a paper towel and salt right away! Enjoy and let me know how they turn out! REMEMBER: They are fat free on Tuesdays! :)

This is for you mom!

Growing up homemade fresh fries were such a treat... and a guilty pleasure. Most of the time I opt for baked fries but tonight, I was craving the deep fried ones. This is in honor of my mom! :)

I'm so crafty

Tired Super Hero

Yesterday was our Ward's Super Saturday. I signed up to make each of the girls reversible super hero capes. I thought it would be a nice easy project that would take a few hours. I was wrong. The project wasn't necessarily hard, just time consuming. I think I was there for 5 hours but I thought they turned out great! I would love to get a sewing machine and learn how to sew more fun dress up clothes for the girls! Enjoy

Children's Museum: Pre-School field trip

Yesterday for our pre-school field trip we went to the Portland children's museum. I think that the girls had a great time, even though I spent most of the time chasing after Brooklyn who was constantly trying to escape.

How Domestic of me!

Tonight to go with Chicken Cheddar Chowder ( See below for recipe, its fantastic!) I made homemade rolls as a side for the first time. I was so excited that I wanted to share how they turned out. My mother-in-law makes the best rolls so I don't know if I'll ever compare but I guess this is a start.

Chicken Cheddar Chowder Recipe

2 bacon slices 1 can Corn
2-3 chicken Breasts 1/2 C Flour
1 C Chopped Onion 2 cups milk
1 C diced red ball pepper 3/4 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Clove of garlic- minced 1/2 t. Salt
4 1/2 C Chicken Broth 1/4 t. pepper
1 3/4 C. diced, peeled, potato

1. Cook bacon in pan over med-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and crumble. Set aside. Add chicken, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan, saute 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn and stir well.
2. Pour flour into a bowl. Slowly add milk stirring with a whisk until blended- add to soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Top with bacon.

* This was the exact recipe. I vary it a little. This last time I used one large can of canned chicken because I didn't have any breasts on hand. It works just as well. I also transfer the soup to a crockpot after adding the corn and then add the milk later to thicken. As it simmers it thickens. It also freezes well! Enjoy!

Silly Brooklyn

We looked over during a always hectic dinner with the girls and saw Brooklyn helping herself to the jam on the lid. By the time she was done she had licked it clean! Too cute :)

Random Fun!

Anna's Entourage

Each day when Anna goes down for a nap, a wave of panic comes over me because I miraculously have to track down all of these stuffed animals and baby's for her to sleep with. The funny thing is that she knows if one is missing. I'll think, "oh she won't notice if moose is missing," and sure enough when I'm walking out she'll say, "mom, where is moose?" It just kills me that she is so particular. I hope it is just a phase!

Anna's birthday

Anna's birthday was on August 25th. She was so excited to help me frost her sprinkle cake and to open presents. We got her a fish tank for the bathroom. They love it. Brooklyn always walks up to me as says "ishy" and then pulls my finger to the bathroom. I can't believe how fast she has grown up. She makes Aaron and I laugh out loud everyday. We love her

Anna's first day at Pre-School

Anna is doing a pre-school with a few other kids from our area. She was so excited and looked so grown up. The moms rotate teaching which is nice. She loves to go be with her new friends. I can't wait to see all she'll learn

We've had a miracle

Just wanted to let everyone know that today at church we experienced a miracle. It was Brooklyn's first week in nursery and she went the whole time and did great!!! Yeah!! It is the first time sense we have had kids that we were able to go to all our meeting without trying to simultaneously entertain a little one. I think there is a special place in Heaven for good nursery leaders because they are a life saver to us, and have a hard job teaching and watching our children so we can enjoy our meetings.