Find Shelly's Lie

1. I still have all my wisdom teeth in my mouth.
2. I've had a run-in with the Japanese mofia (yakuza!).
3. I have had a warrant out for my arrest.
4. I once collected an insect collection of over 400 bugs.
5. Tap dancing feeds my soul.

Good luck!

Stimulating your kids

Lately I have begun to worry about how much stimulation Brielle is getting on a daily basis. I don't really know how to help her learn things at her age, besides playing with her toys, and simple things like that. I just want to be sure that I am doing all that I can do to help her learn new things and in her development both mentally and physically.
How do you stimulate your kids? Are there certain books that your kids need, or certain types of toys, or certain activities? Is it bad if I put Brielle on the floor and have her entertain herself sometimes while I clean or make dinner?
Sorry, I may not be wording this the right way, it sounded better in my head. Also, I might be thinking this as well because it seems that I've done everything I can think of to do inside with a 9 month old about a thousand times. I may just be in desperate need of warm weather. Who knows! But any advice would be greatly appreciated! Both for toddler age, and baby ages!

OOPS

I pressed publish before I added my salad- sorry!!!
My favorite Spring-Summer Salad!!

INGREDIENTS
2 pears
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 ripe bananas, sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
3 cups seedless grapes
1/2 lemon, juiced
8 ounces strawberry cream cheese
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pretzels, broken

DIRECTIONS
Combine the pears, apples, bananas, strawberries and grapes. Add lemon juice and toss.
Blend together the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; add the fruit and pretzels. Fold together. Serve immediately with a dollop of lite whipped topping or refrigerate until chilled.
I don't add my pretzels until almost time to serve because they get soggy!!

SPRING!!!

Today we went to Patrick's T-ball game and pictures. We all got sunburned and we watched the game with no jackets!! It was so much fun to wear sunglasses and capri pants! Oh, this is one time of year that I am glad we live in Nampa! We actually see spring!!! Mady was not so sure she liked the sun, and was pretty grumpy to be outside- but I don't blame her since the only time she sees the sun is when we are driving in our van! She has been covered up her whole life by blankets! It is a beautiful day!!!

Jellyfish!!

Ok time to reveal the truth. You guys did pretty good! I haven't been stung by a jellyfish! But my sister has and it looked pretty painful so I'm glad that's a lie for me! :)

For those of you who were curious about the other options here are my explanations! :)
1. I had my appendix removed. Yup, when I was 4-years-old my appendix "burst" and I obviously had to get it removed! I still have a lot of memories and a nice scar from that event. And now that I'm a mom of a 4-yr-old I can't even imagine how scary that probably was for my parents!
3. I failed a class at BYU. Apparently this is more common than I thought! That's nice to hear! Well this was even more complicated by the fact that I failed the class the day before we moved to MN! So I had to retake it through independent study to get my degree! UGH! It was a Nutrition class and I HATED it!
4. I've had the police called on me. Haha... ok not because I committed a crime but because my parents thought I had been kidnapped! One night my mom and I saw someone flashing a light into one of the windows of our house. Well I went outside to see if it was one of my friends and being the dumb naive teenager that I was, I ran off after the flashing light down the street and all the way into the next neighborhood. When my mom came to see where I was, I wasn't in the front yard anymore. Since she had no idea who was flashing the light she freaked out! Well LUCKILY it was one of my friends and after I caught up with him and the stupid game ended I headed back home.... only to find my very freaked out parents who had the police on their way over to report their missing daughter! WOW! I am not excited to have teenagers!
5. I have visited 13 countries. I've been lucky because my parents love to travel and my mom hates to leave her kids behind! :) I've been to the Bahamas, Fiji, Costa Rica, Mexico, England, France, Germany, Lichtenstein (ok this only half counts since it's soooooo small), Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain.
And that's it about me!!!

In the future everyone only tag one person each. But I'm going to tag 2 so that we have 2 people going every week.... then the game won't take 16 more weeks! :) If you can't/don't want to do it just say so in the comments and we can tag someone else.
So I tag Shelly and Calise

Orzo Pasta Salad

My sister made this for Lijah's birthday party last summer and it was a hit! Monica can attest to that, right Monica? I learned the hard way that this does not freeze well, so I guess you'll have to eat it all right away. I usually don't have a problem with that.

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Chicken and Cabbage

Wow, I've got 10 out of 16 of you playing the game so far! It's so fun reading your guesses! Are the other 6 of you out there somewhere or has this blog drifted into the "check once a month or so" category?? :) Well I hope everyone plays when they are tagged! I definitely want to hear some fun stories about everyone! I'm not sure though if I should be offended that NO ONE thinks I could be lying about failing a class at BYU!? haha!

Anyway... this post isn't about the game it's about salad! And I know how this recipe sounds but trust me it IS good! Even my picky picky husband likes it and requests it for dinner! And it's definitely more of a main dish than a side salad!

Chicken and Cabbage (aka Chinese Cabbage Salad--plus chicken!)
Mix together:
4 C cooked chicken, shredded
1 large head of cabbage, chopped
2 pkgs uncooked Ramen noodles (noodles only), broken into bite size pieces or smaller
4 T slivered almonds
4 green onions, chopped (I've never used these or the almonds when I make it)

Then mix:
4 T sugar
6 T white vinegar
1 C oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Pour over cabbage mixture and toss.
*I usually half this recipe, one head of cabbage is a lot!

Everything Salad

This is a recipe I got from my sister Aubrey its yummy and probably my favorite salad.

Everything Salad
½ cup sliced almonds
3 T. sugar

Stir together in frying pan over medium heat until sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until almonds are coated and begin to turn golden brown. Spread out on foil to cool.

!/2 head green leaf Lettuce
½ head romaine Lettuce
1 Cup chopped celery
4 green onions, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges (11oz.), drained
1 avocado, chopped
1 diced apple
¼ cup craisins
½ cup crumbled bleu cheese or feta cheese

Mix all ingredients together and toss with dressing:

½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ cup light olive oil
1 T. chopped parsley
2 T. sugar
2 T. white wine vinegar

Dressing tastes better if it has an hour or so to blend together before tossing w/salad.

Salad....

I LOVE salads, especially the kind that aren't typical salads, and have lots of stuff in them. So, awhile back, I told you about this Pioneer Woman's website. Well, I'm hooked, and the thing that got me hooked, was this salad recipe. I'm planning on trying, it looks SO good, but I haven't bought everything for it yet.

Since the recipe this week is for salad, I thought I'd share. Go HERE to see the complete recipe, written by the Pioneer Woman herself! ENJOY! And if you try this before I do, let us know how it turns out!!

Find the Lie

Hey Mommy Bloggers!

I thought it would be fun to start a game on here. We have a pretty big group and there are a bunch of girls that aren't in MN so I thought it would be fun to do something where we can kind of get to know a little more about each other. So the game is called Find the Lie, and I'm sure some of you have played some version of it before but here's how it goes: I'm going to post 5 facts about myself, and 1 will be a lie. Then it's up to you guys to guess in the comments which one is the lie. Then on Friday or Saturday I will post again saying which one it was. And in that post I'll "tag" the next person who will post their 5 facts the next week (so make sure you're checking at the end of each week to see if you've been tagged). Does that make sense?
Now, this isn't going to be fun unless EVERYONE participates and tries to guess! If you are tagged and you don't want to play or can't do it that week please let us know in the comments as soon as possible so someone else can be tagged. And when it's your turn try and post at the beginning of the week so everyone has a chance to guess. Whoever guesses the most lies correct WINS!

So here are mine:
1. I had my appendix removed
2. I've been stung by a jellyfish
3. I failed a class at BYU
4. I've had the police called on me
5. I've visited 13 countries outside the US

Which one do you think is the lie?

Quirks of the trade....

I think this post is better called "quirks" of the trade, rather than "tricks" of the trade. This past week, I've really felt like a "frumpy" mom.... you know the kind where you don't shower until just before bed, and you stay in your sweats all day? Most days, I feel like I'm just a cleaning lady, cleaning messes around my house, cleaning bums, cleaning my kitchen, doing my dishes, and I clean apts. on the side here at our complex. This week was no exception. So.... every evening about when my husband was getting home, I'd run into my room, check myself out in the mirror, and wish I'd showered or at least gotten dressed. My husband loves me unconditionally, and doesn't really care what I look like when he gets home, but I care how I look for him, as well as how my house looks, for him.



So my question for all of you - is there something you do everyday (besides getting dressed and looking fabulous) to make your home a little sweeter before your hubby gets home? I feel like a good homecoming for my husband is really important to me, it sets the tone, and the mood for the rest of the evening. If he comes home to a disaster, I feel like our evening is chaotic and not relaxing at all, but if I get the living room and kitchen at least somewhat picked up, it gives him the feeling/chance to feel relaxed and play with Will, or do something as a family, instead of worrying about what I didn't get done. I had a friend whose Mom would vacuum the floor and put on lipstick, daily before her husband got home. I definately don't vacuum everyday, and I don't really wear lipstick, but I do try to pick up some toys and have the dishes done :). Is there something all you cute moms out there do to make your evenings, or when your husband gets home a little sweeter?

Crepes

I love crepes! You can put almost anything you like in them and they are fabulous. I love this particular filling, but fruit and whipped cream is just delightful.

CREPES:

4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour (I used wheat last time and they were just as good)
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix eggs and salt. Alternate adding flour and milk a little at a time while whisking (electric mixer is fine too.) until smooth. Beat in melted butter. Refrigerate batter for 1 hour before making crepes.

FILLING:

3 cups strawberries
1/3 cup suger
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Slice berries, add sugar and set aside. In blender, whip cottage cheese until smooth. Then stir in sour cream and powdered sugar.

Pecan Rolls

Wow, great breakfast recipes! Keep them coming!! And if anyone has a request for an ingredient of the week let me know!! I try to think of easy ones but I never know what will be.

Here's my breakfast recipe. These are SOO good but since you have to fill up a Bundt pan I usually only make them when there are a lot of people to feed.
And even though they are called Pecan Rolls you can definitely leave out the pecans and they are great that way too!

Pecan Rolls

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup pecans
½ small pkg butterscotch pudding
½ cup brown sugar
1 bag Rhodes frozen rolls (24 count)- I typically only use around 18-20
½ cup melted butter
1 T cinnamon

Butter a Bundt pan well. Spread pecans on bottom. Place rolls on top (all 24 may not fit). Sprinkle pudding on top of rolls. Combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and drizzle over rolls. Spray tin foil with Pam and place over Bundt pan. Cover with a dish towel and leave overnight. Bake when risen. Turn upside-down onto cake pan or serving plate to serve.

Temp- 350 degrees
Bake Time- 30 min

My Breakfast Contribution

This may sound a little unorthodox, but trust me, it's delish!

4 eggs
3 lbs of butter
1/2 jar of Cheez Whiz
4 TBSP Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Mix all ingredients together, then bake at 450 degrees for 16 minutes.
Serve hot with salad dressing on top and apple cider to drink...it's family tradition.

Oh, did I mention this recipe is only to be made on April 1st? hee hee...

German Pancakes

(from the Dittli's, whom some of you may know)
Super easy and quick:

2 Tbl. butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbl. sugar

Heat oven to 400 F. Put butter in loaf pan or cake pan and melt in oven. Blend remaining ingredients with a mixer. Pour batter into bubbling hot butter pan. Bake for 25 min. Serve hot with applesauce, fruit, syrup and powdered sugar. For richer pancakes: increase butter a bit and sugar to 1/4 cup.
If you have never made these before, you may be surprised at how BIG it "blows" up on the sides in the oven! Yummy!