Photo of the Month

My Little Lepracaun

One Man's Winter is Another Man's Spring

Spring in Utah

Spring in Alaska

Spring in Utah

Spring In Alaska

Spring in Utah

Spring in Alaska

Spring in Utah

Eric and I hiked to South Fork falls.  It was gorgeous.  We could see running water through ice windows in the falls.  

Tipping My Hat

I'm tipping my hat to these two for being troopers during our TWO week stay.  Thanks mom and dad for putting up with us. . . for eating outside when we thought it was summer and you were convinced it was still winter, for trying to smile when my kids threw up on the new carpet AGAIN, for watching the boys during the 4 hour pedicure, for hanging out at the park in the afore mentioned weather, for enduring the smell of dirty diapers, for turning a blind eye to all the toys strewn throughout the house, for listening to Warner's high pitched voice yapping and yapping and yapping, for letting Michelle and I scobb you at Rook, and for doing all of this over and over and over for TWO weeks.  While it wasn't the vacation I had envision (because of those diapers, vomiting, and sleepless nights), there is nothing quite so rejuvenating as spending time with family.  I love you both!

Crazy Hair Day

 I've always admired my brother Greg for being one of the goofiest, confident kids I know.  I think sometimes those people are born and some others need encouragement.  And while to many this may look like nothing, it has taken me YEARS to get my kids to this point of reckless abandon.  Years!  But last week when Ravenwood Elementary was hosting crazy hair day SAM and HYRUM let me give them crazy hair.  

  

Cute Cousins

Auburn, Cooper, and Talmage

Cooper's Smile is the cutest thing in the world.  I love how he closes his eyes.

Auburn is amazingly flexible.  Talmage is looking at his legs and thinking, "Wow, I could never do that!"

--
Posted By Steph and Eric to Dingleberry's at 4/04/2011 08:56:00 PM

Conference Creations

Uncle Scott and Warner created all sorts of  head gear during the second session of conference.  

--
Posted By Steph and Eric to Dingleberry's at 4/04/2011 08:59:00 PM

Dr. Mario Marathon

Scott blew everyone out of the water!  Way to go Brother.  But watch out, Michelle's been warm'in up and is ready to take you on.

--
Posted By Steph and Eric to Dingleberry's at 4/04/2011 09:03:00 PM

Fwd: Recipe of the Week

I allow myself one frivilous magazine subscription a year.  In the past I've tried O (i hate to even admit that, it wasn't my style),  Real Simple, and Everyday Food.  For the past three years I have loved receiving Cooking Light. . .and find it my monthly inspiration for trying new things like Black Bean Burgers and Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers.

   This was our favorite recipe of the week!

Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

Chicken soup flavored with coconut and curry make this Thai a reader favorite. Snow peas, spinach, and chicken breast give the soup flavor, texture, and a wealth of nutrients.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients

• 4  cups  water
• 3  cups  fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2  pound  snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
• 1  (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced shallots
• 2  teaspoons  red curry paste
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  curry powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 6  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2 1/2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 2  tablespoons  fish sauce
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 4  small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 7  lime wedges

Preparation

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

2. Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

315 (22% from fat)

Fat:

7.8g (sat 3.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 1.3g)

Protein:

29.3g

Carbohydrate:

30.9g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

62mg

Iron:

3.2mg

Sodium:

841mg

Calcium:

78mg

Tina Washburn, San Diego, California, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Sledding

I have GREAT childhood  memories of sledding.  My dad always had a stash of the rubber tire tubes that when inflated were all different sizes.  Solo rides were fun and exciting but nothing matched the thrill of piling four or more of us on one of the big tubes and clinging to each other for dear life.  I can still vividly recount the time when we hit a jump at the bottom of the run, and all of us went flying .. . i ended up face down on the bottom of the wreckage with one of my sisters on my head .. . that experience alone has redefined the term "white wash" for me.

Then there was the year that Kari and I had chicken pox.  I remember we were baned to the station wagon.  I can't remember what was more difficult to bear. . . the idea of being locked in the car with Kari (love you sister) or missing out on sledding.  

Sledding in Alaska is an entirely different adventure.  The snow is so dry that you need a monstrous hill to get any type of speed.  Last year we discovered the Loretta French Sledding Park.  We've gone there several times this winter and the boys trade off between snowboarding and sledding.   Mudge even made his first [and last] run down the steep hill in Eric's arms.  While the thrill lingers somewhere between fear of getting snow plastered on your face and the actual excitement from hurling yourself down a steep mountain side, we are definitely have a love for sledding in our blood.

UnAlaskan Alaskans

We don't fish.

We don't hunt.

We don't have a time share in Hawaii.

We don't own Snow Machines.

We don't chop or own wood or even shovel our own driveway (thanks neighbor Kay!!!).

We don't wear flannel.

We definitely don't own a gun, let alone a 2 year supply of ammo.

We can barely Cross Country Ski.

Most of our kids have never seen a bear in the wild.

Some would argue WE are BARELY Alaskans.  

sensory overload

Eric loves to tell this story  . . . When we first got married we lived in this teeny tiny studio apartment.  It was perfect for us.  We didn't own a single piece of furniture between the two of us (dare I say we even rented our bed from the University).  Our home decor was even more sparse.  When my parents came down in December they brought our Utah wedding gifts.  Amongst the presents was this little snowman garland which I hung in the kitchen where I also happened to stock the cupboards with pyrex and measuring cups and gadgets galore.  Weeks went by and I felt unsettled.  Something was definitely wrong.  And then it clicked.  It was those silly snowmen.  Their red and purple scarves clashed.  I opened the trash can, threw the garland in, and never looked back.  It was like I could breath again. 

You think time would melt that disorder.  I have kids that put together some ghastly clothing combinations.  I have yet to buy a set of towels that match.  Don't even get me started on my own apparent lack of fashion, seeing as though I'm wearing three different shades of gray and one very ratty and very much loved Ricks College sweatshirt.  There is plenty color clashing going around here, I just choose not to see it.

Last month though, my color obsession, came hurling back into my bones.  I had no idea that picking a paint color for our house would be so overwhelming.  13 samples later, we final settled on Sudan Sand and Water Chestnut.   If you thought I was color OCD before, I think I even surprised myself by rising to a new level of obsession.  

 Check out my walls.

Spring Break

Nancy Lake, Willow, Alaska Public Use Cabin #4

While pulling our sleds filled with food, sleeping bags and firewood, our chests swelled with a little Alaskan Pride. Where else in the world is this Spring Break?

While the weekend was filled with normal life events (like crying cold kids--all 3 and under, boys on the tops bunks sleeping in their underwear because it was so hot, sleeping on a wooden platform, and nothing says real life like using a outhouse in -10 degree weather), it was at the same time spectacular. My favorite moment, hands down, was standing on the frozen lake around 9PM and looking up at the dancing Northern Lights while we could hear the ice cracking around us and wolves howling in the distance.

Bacon Boys 1st Scout Campout

Christian and Tanner's 1st Scout Campout.

Snow Cave.  Lots and Lots of Digging.

Dinner:  Tinfoil Dinners.  Breakfast:  Sausage and Hot Chocolate.  Lunch:  Peanut Butter and Honey.  (As their phenomenal 11-year-old scout leader said, "It's not gourmet but we've got to start somewhere.")

Hiking down the River.  Campfire.  Smores.  

OH, and did I mention. . . It was . . . 

44 degrees BELOW freezing.  

Turkey Bacon

I grew up eating Turkey Bacon.  Oh how I wish it had been this.  Doesn't Bacon make EVERYTHING taste better?

Hyrum was invited to a friend's birthday party last Saturday.

The mother of the birthday boy overheard him reviewing the contents of his goodie bag to himself.

"Fruit Roll-Up Yum.

"Granola Bar. Oh give me a Break."

This morning at breakfast, while trying to encourage our boys to eat bite sized pieces of their German Pancakes with their mouths closed, our conversation included this comment from Eric:

"Boys we may be Bacon but we aren't Pigs."

Will the Bacon jokes ever stop? No. This is why I petitioned to be the Bacners or the Wacons (Bacon & Warner mixed). It was futile. I lost and the Bacon jokes continue. Ironically it is Mr. Bacon himself that distributes MOST of the Bacon humor.

While I'm the first to say that Bacon is delicious, it does have it limits. Our good friends, the Holts, came by the other night to deliver their White Elephant Gift to us. It was Bacon Flavored chapstick and Bacon Flavored Soda. I've put both away. Who can claim to have either of those in their food storage? We can. It will truly take desperate times for me to tip back the Bacon Flavored soda. Bleh.

My Fellow Americans Video

My Fellow Americans

Previous to this video Mudge was giving me some serious "angry eyes."  He was mad that I wasn't sharing the camera with him.  He's quite the temper tantrum thrower and will scowl and hit to show his frustration.  

A very "Mudge-ish" motion is what we have termed My Fellow Americans.  For months he would, at random moments, just raise one of his hands in a Presidential type greetings.  We would add our dialogue/commentary always beginning with "My Fellow Americans_________ (then fill in the blank)."   Our only rule is it has to sound Presidential Proper. . . for example, My Fellow Americans it is with a deep heart that I inform you of the lost sippy cup, or My Fellow Americans, I greet you today with love in my heart and sweet potatoes on my face, or My Fellow Americans, ask not what you can do with a diaper but what you can do in your diaper. . . you know something totally silly.

While Mudge typically refuses to perform on command he WILL almost always respond to "My Fellow Americans" by grinning and raising one of his hands.

Brothers

Messenger Bags 2

Here are all four bags.  (yes, Warner has a bag too, he just didn't hang his up after church last week)

I love how they are all unique.