A bit of advice.

When cleaning out your refrigerator, you know, that thing you do once a century when spilled goo on the shelves makes it really hard to see through them so you can see what is really in there, use caution.

Let me give you a "for instance".

Don't take a glass tray directly from the fridge and put even the tiniest corner of it in your warm soapy water at the sink.

It will explode.

I mean, like, in a million tiny pieces, while sounding like someone shot at it/you with a BB gun. Not that I've really been shot at, thankfully my brothers had better targets outside, but I imagine this is what a BB gun might sound like in the kitchen.

Then you will stand there frozen for a moment assessing the damage. You will look around at the shards of glass scattered all over the floor, counters, under the table, in the warm soapy water and wonder, "Where do I even start?", while feeling very grateful none landed in your eyes.

Yes, use caution. Maybe set one shelf out at a time on the table to ease into room temperature before trying to wash. Or, just leave the shelves in the fridge and wipe them with a rag, I'm sure you'll be able to see through the shelves well enough to make out what's in there, minus the explosion.

The Farm.

Tuesday, the kids and I made our way down to the farm where Randy and Dale were working hard on their food plots. The guys needed to pick up a fertilizer spreader, so I was awarded the task of towing the trailer with Ranger on it. Actually, I was feeling pretty cool that I was towing this huge trailer with this manly ATV ratcheted securely on board (like I did it!) cruising down the freeway.

Until I went the wrong way.

Three times.

Have you ever had to turn around while towing a trailer. Lots of prayer, folks, lots. of. it.

Coolness, aside, here are some shots of us enjoying what was left of the day by the time I arrived.

The kids were keeping a close eye on daddy turning the seed under:

Ashlynn, my new bookworm, and Addie walking down the trail:

We had to have the book (Ramona the Pest) with us at all times:

The boys trailing daddy as he spread clover seed:

The kids sticking on the trail, staying out of the tall grass (mom's orders, no ticks, please!):

Addie and I riding shotgun in the Ranger:

Time to head out....let's see how far we can run before mom calls us back!

I'll give them creative.

My sweet neighbor has lots of ivy that loves my fence. Since I love my neighbor, I trim it back on my side just enough to get the mower through without walking into spider webs (they love the ivy). It's quite a big job and I didn't have enough time to finish trimming the length of the fence, so I left the pile cut of vines to bag when I finished the next day.

Here, let me show you what it looked like:




Then, I cut it:



And put it in a pile to bag the next day:



Now, you would think with four kids, I might think twice before leaving large bunches of cut greenery just lying around. Especially the type that could, um, I don't know, take root and spread easily and aggressively.

But really, who am I to stand in the way of creative minds. Ashlynn does love plants and making things pretty. And then there's Ryder. A boy needs to be able to tie knots and attach things to other things....right?

Homey, isn't it?

Really not sure what this was. He did have his spiderman costume on, so, I have no idea...


Must give props to the detail:



Some sort of weaving going on here. Maybe we're headed for a thatched roof. For that matter, maybe my children were born in the wrong century...



Gage and Addie spent their time dragging vines back and forth across the lawn. Maybe next year I'll be mowing ivy too.

Addie.

Um, ok, I guess I'll try to smile for you, mom....

Pleeease, no more pictures....

We may have a little tomboy in the making. Sunday, I put this cute dress I bought last spring at a garage sale (for 25 cents!) on her and she tugged at it until the roses came loose. In fact, every time I put a dress on her, she cries and pulls at it like "get this thing off of me!" She would much rather be in her pants & t-shirt, outside playing in the dirt. In fact, she has skinned both of her knees this week and never shed a tear....

Lettin' it fly.

Last year, Randy bought Ryde his own bow so they could practice together. The kid loves to shoot and begs daddy to take him every chance he gets. His arrows are real so we are careful to stand behind him as he aims...I just couldn't resist snapping a few shots!

The aim:

The release:

The shots:

Retrieving the arrows:

Daddy and Gage helping to put them back in the quiver for another go:

A big shout out to the Main Man, it's his Birthday today!!! Happy Birthday babe, have a great day!!

The crust and the sauce....

I may have posted these recipes before, but I just didn't feel like digging through the archives. Here they, possibly again.

The Best Pizza Crust Ever

(This make four pizzas for me using one 13" round stone, two of the 10x14 stones, and one deep dish baker)

2 1/3 c warm water, divided
3 t active dry yeast
2 t sugar
1/4 c olive oil
6 c flour (can use all purpose, bread. whole wheat or a combo of flours)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
3 T cornmeal

In a small bowl mix 1/3 c of the water, the yeast and sugar. Let rest while you gather the other ingredients. In the bowl of a standing mixer place 2 c warm water and olive oil. In a separate medium bowl measure out 2 c of flour, add the garlic powder, onion powder, baking powder, salt and cornmeal. Whisk and slowly add to the water/oil in the mixer using the paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed until creamy and blended well. On low speed, slowly add yeast mixture (the yeast should have bubbled up in the small bowl by now) until blended. Measure out another 2 c flour in the separate medium bowl and add 1/2 c at a time to mixer. Measure and slowly add remaining 2 c flour switching to the dough hook for the last cup. Depending on the air in your house, you may not need all 6 cups of flour. Make sure the dough is not dry, a little sticky is good. Transfer the dough to an oiled, deep bowl and place in a warm area (like the oven turned off with the light on) to let rise until doubled.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into four equal parts (if you want thicker crust divide into only two or three). Shape into balls and let rest five minutes. Oil whatever pizzas pans you will be using with olive oil (I use stones, but have used cheap pizza cookie sheets and it works fine, just not quite as crusty). Slowly start to stretch the dough to ft your pan. Just let it rest a minute or two in between stretches and it will cooperate a little nicer.

Top with sauce, meats, veggies, cheese and whatever you like on your pizza. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes rotating as necessary. Enjoy!

The Best Pizza Sauce Ever!

My sister, Nicole, came up with this...so glad she wrote it down as she went!

1 T olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic
2-3 6oz cans tomato paste (depending on how thick you like it)
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 T sugar
2 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t red pepper flakes

Saute garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Let the sauce simmer 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

A New Twist.

You all know that Friday night is pizza and movie night around our house. Though sometimes it falls on a Thursday or Saturday with Randy's schedule, you can bet that at least once a week some pizza will be coming hot and fresh out of the oven.

Most of the gang prefers sausage & salami, while Paula and I load the veggies on ours. Last week I tried something a little different, I sauteed the vegetables first. Maybe this seems like common sense to some of you, but I usually just chop up what I have, throw them on raw and let the oven take care of the rest.

Something about caramelizing them first just sounded good last week, so I gave it a try. I chopped what I had: red bell pepper, mushroom, zucchini and green onions. In the saute pan with a touch of olive oil they went and I stir them until they were looking browned and delicious. The dough and sauce were in the pan ready to go, so I spread the veggies on top, put a layer of fresh spinach on top of them, then cheese and baked as usual.

All I can say.....I ate five pieces with no problems, well, I mean I was quite full, but I managed to get it all down. You have to try it, and let me know if you use other vegetables, I was just using up what was left from the week. I'll post the sauce and crust recipe tomorrow.

And the Award goes to....

Sometimes I forget that Randy's job goes far beyond a Fire Captain. He is so organized with all of his responsibilities at work, that at times, it seems effortless. Not that he doesn't put in 1000%, he's just really good at making it look painless!

And, like many accomplished people, he rarely mentions any honors he receives. His list of certifications is a mile long, including things like Advanced Swift Water Rescue, Confined Spaces (can someone say claustrophobic?), Rope Rescue Technician (he can tie any knot known to man), Structural Collapse, the list goes on and on.

Within the fire department he is also in charge of many of these teams in addition to his "regular" duties. Yesterday the city (which employs about 500) honored him with the Team Player of the Year award in recognition of his talent in organizing, training and keeping these important aspects of his job prioritized for the department and city.

So, since this is my blog, I want to give give huge props to my amazing man and his hard work! We are sooo proud of you!!

Oh yeah.

There's a...

new...

Sheriff...

in...

town!

I'm getting to be that old.

While brushing teeth last night, Ashlynn asked:

"Mom, when you were a kid did you have a toothbrush? I mean, did they invent them yet?"

Me, laughing:

"Ofcourse I had a toothbrush, silly."

Ashlynn, more serious, asked:

"Did you have an electric toothbrush, you know like this one?"

Me, more serious, responded:

"Uh, um, no, I guess that would be a no. There were no electric toothbrushes when I was a kid."

When my child can point out something that wasn't "invented yet" when I was little, I must finally admit, I'm not the youngest one in the room anymore.....

What a diffence birth order makes.

Shopping with your firstborn child (18 mo old):

• Pointing out every detail you/they see. "Sweetie, that's a pink ball and that's a red door. Oooh, look over here, this is a blue block...."
• Talking to them constantly in excited tones, making faces, basically giving them all of your attention because they are just sooo cute and sweet.
• Having them smile, wave and say "hi" & "bye, bye" to EVERYONE.
• Having them demonstrate their vast abilities at "such a young age". "Say thank you. Can you tell her what color you are wearing? Oh yes, that is periwinkle. You are sooo smart!"
• Packing the appropriate snacks for the duration of your outing, you certainly don't want them eating anything that isn't super baby food approved.
• Actually checking and restocking your diaper bag with diapers, wipes, change of clothes for various possibilities in the weather and/or "accidents", teething tablets, toys, etc.

Shopping with your fourth born child (without the older siblings) at the same age:

• Totally oblivious to pointing anything out to them. Don't they know it by now? Do they really care?
• Sticking to your list, concentrating on getting what you actually came for while enjoying not feeling "distracted" by children who can actually talk (i.e., ask for things).
• Forgetting to teach them wave "hi" & "bye, bye" to everyone. Again, don't they know that by now? Do they really care?
• Knowing they probably don't know their colors and you figure they'll get it eventually, every kid knows that by Kindergarten, right?
• Accepting just about any sample food offered, "this is lunch, kiddo."
  
• Diaper bag? What's that? Oh wait, I think there is a diaper and dried out wipes in my back seat pocket in the car.

s'more.

Here are a few more shots from our visit to
Sunny,
Beautiful
San Diego!

Ryde, enjoying the ride on the sky safari:

I think Logan was done with Auntie Lizzie trying to take his picture!

Uncle Mike giving Gage a free ride:

Lindsey, Keira, Me, Mom and Bekah at the San Diego Zoo:

Gage finally came out of his towel cacoon to play in the sand:

The starfish had no idea what was coming....