Sweet Smoothies

Matthew makes the best smoothies! He has the knack. He combines about a handful of Costco mixed frozen fruit, a little sugar, milk and a little yogurt. I think they taste better than Jamba Juice. A few of his friends have been impressed. He cooks other foods quite well. He can make a great omelette, hash browns, and other food. One person commented several years ago how lucky I am to have kids who liked cooking. At that time, when Matthew was 11, I laughed and said it's either a skill or out of desperation. I didn't cook very well, so they adjusted and I've enjoyed the benefits. You will have to try one of his smoothies!

Valentines Day - A day a of small disappointment and simple joys

The day started out really hopeful. I had envisioned making tons of delicious sugar cookies, perfectly decorated, and complimented by starving Dobson High Wrestling team. I got a cookbook for Christmas titled “The Fat Sisters Cookbook’ (never trust a skinny cook). There are a lot of great homemade and family tested recipes How could I go wrong? After my four kids were all off to school, I started this soft dough cookie recipe. All was going so well, just like I could be happily casting for one of Rachael Ray’s guests. I followed the recipe exactly, and began to prepare the counter to knead the dough, with really high hopes….Now, before I finish my experience, I need to let you know my prior baking history. I have finally learned after 17 years how to make a loaf of bread. I was excited to have accomplished such a feat. The second time I made bread, it wasn’t light a fluffy, but rather small and crunchy, like hard French bread. I have tried every chocolate-chip recipe and they almost always turn out like I made little chocolate-chip cakes. I’ll have to entertain you with my many cooking failures next time…..However, this time I knew it was going to be different…..The beautiful soft dough ran through my fingers like old Elmer’s glue. I was crushed, and added more flour. I finally got the dough off my fingers and added more to the pathetic form on the counter. The entire batch stuck to the marble-rolling pin. I added more flour and my vision had to change. I remembered I had a heart-shaped pan and scraped the glob in the pan. I made a heart that looked like my preschooler made in class, but it tasted good, and I did save the cookie and had our friend’s daughter decorate it and she happily gave it to her dad for Valentine’s day. Moral of this disappointing story…don’t try new recipes on a Holiday.
The Simple joys of the day were going to the temple and doing work. I feel closer to our baby daughter, Amber, who was only with us for a short time. I also remember how much service my grandmother Viva Lunt gave at the temple.
Another Simple Joy is seeing 30 second-graders decorate little bags with their names on them and passing out Valentines to their classmates. Remember how much fun it was to pick out those cheesy-phrased Valentines and write your name on everyone of them? Just look at their faces. Zachary is on her right.
Another happy moment is visiting with my 94-year-old grandmother. An over-energetic toddler is truly welcomed amongst the Elderly at her Nursing home the Citadel. Here they are enjoying a Disney episodes.
I enjoyed the cute e-card my husband sent, and my kids liked their simple surprised in their backpacks.
As far as the starving Wrestling team is concerned, they didn’t get to enjoy my cookies, but did get to devour all of Zachary’s class party’s left-overs. My son, a JV wrestler was sad to see the Varsity team not make it to the final two teams. Dobson did get third in 5A state division, and I did enjoy watching the met, wearing my proud ‘Dobson High Mustang’ shirt, never yelling at the refs---(oh another story)….a simple joy on this Valentine’s day.