Crowd Pleasing Spinach Dip (aka, Knorr Spinach Dip)

1 package (10 oz.) baby spinach, chopped, or 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup Hellmann's or Best Foods Real Mayonnaise
1 package Knorr Vegetable recipe mix
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onion, chopped

Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite dippers. I like to serve it with really good bread to dip in it.

(See how much I love you, Corrie.)

Gone Are The Days of Privacy

Today, three quarters of the way through my shower, I heard the lock on my bathroom door click. In walks my TWO YEAR OLD, with the proudest look in the world on her face, as she shows me the "tool" that she just used to pick the lock.

She's TWO!! TWO and she PICKED THE LOCK!!! . . . Boy are we in trouble!

Brazilian Black Bean Chili

For the last nine years, the Wards we've been in have had an annual Chili Cook-off. James has won several times with his traditional Brazilian dish. It's true name is Feijoada, however, in order to be able to enter it into the competition, James has called it Brazilian Black Bean Chili. He has even added a smidgeon of chili powder from time to time, so that he doesn't feel like he's cheating. Well, now that we will no longer be entering competitions in those wards, we have decided to share the top secret recipe. Here it is, folks:

Feijoada (Brazilian Black Beans)

1 lb. Black beans, Soak overnight in lots of water

The next day, rinse beans. Then, put beans in pressure cooker and cover with enough water to have about 2" water above beans. Cook on high until pressure builds up. Then turn down to medium-low heat (enough to maintain pressure) and cook for about 20 minutes. Once cooled off and pressure is gone (follow pressure cooker instructions to ensure safety), remove lid and continue to simmer on stove top.

Seasoning:
4-6 cloves crushed or diced garlic, Sautee in vegetable or olive oil until golden brown, then add to beans, oil and all.
Salt to taste (approximately 4 teaspoons)

Optional:
4-6 Bay Leaves
Cilantro to taste.
Meat, (as much or as little as you like) add to simmering beans. For example: ½ lb. Pre-cooked bacon, ½ lb. smoked sausage, and/or ½ lb. pre-cooked seasoned pork. (I’ve been known to put up to 2 lbs of meat in a pot of beans, but it is optional according to personal preference.)

Allow to simmer as long as desired. The longer it is allowed to simmer, the more the flavors infuse and the thicker the end product will be. Of course, you can always add water if it becomes thicker than you would prefer.

Serve over Brazilian-style rice. (Note: if served over regular rice, the flavor may seem very bland.)

Brazilian-style rice

Hint: Brazilian rice, unlike Asian rice, is not sticky. Ideally, each grain should be separate from the others. It is also seasoned and flavorful.

2 cloves crushed or diced garlic, Sautee in 2-4 tablespoons olive oil. Then add:
2 cups regular white rice, uncooked. Sautee uncooked rice in oil until most of the translucent rice becomes opaque (white), stirring constantly. (Hint: When rice is first added to oil and garlic, it will become translucent, then as it cooks it will become opaque. Sometimes this happens very quickly.) Then add:
4 cups very hot water (should begin to boil immediately.) Then add:
Salt, to taste (approximately 2 tsp ) (Hint: The water should just barely, but definitely, taste salty.)

Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is soft and no water is left in the bottom.
Optional:
1/4 to ½ cup diced carrots
1/4 to ½ cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped chives
Sounds kind of strange, but tastes really good.

Farofa (Topping that adds lots of flavor and texture.)

Sautee minced garlic and chopped onion in butter. Add desired quantity of manioc flour (may substitute corn meal or cream of wheat). Add salt (or better yet "Arisco Tempero Compelto") and parsley. May also add chopped bacon or smoked sausage. Sprinkle on top of beans and rice.

Ah, . . . Brianna

Brianna, as most of you know, is full of energy and life. She is quick to smile, and smart as a whip --actually WAAAAY smarter! (What a dumb saying anyway!)

She talks more and more everyday, and often parrots what we say. No one in the family can say a prayer out loud without her trying to repeat each phrase. This drives Ben nuts, so when he prays, you would think it was an Olympic sport with him trying to speak as fast as he possibly can! She still keeps up rather well, which drives him nuts all the more.

Speaking of Olympics, we have to be careful what we let Brianna watch, because she attempts to imitate what she sees. I had gymnastics on the other day, and she started trying to do some tumbling, and hand-stands. Then, just today, I was watching the platform diving that I had recorded from last night. Many of the athletes were doing hand-stands on the edge of the platform before diving. Next thing I knew, Brianna was attempting a hand-stand on the edge of our ottoman!! Eye, yi, yi!!

She is fearless with those sorts of things, and is a very social girl. However, the last few weeks, she has relapsed with separation anxiety. This has been a challenge for both of us. Sometimes, she'll walk out of the room where we were just together, and as soon as I'm out of sight, she'll holler, "Mo-om, wa-aare you?" As if I was the one who left?!

When James leaves for work, she loves to stand on the landing and wave and blow kisses and say over and over, "Bye, bye, Daddy!" "Love you, Daddy!" "See you later, Daddy!"

Brianna has kept me VERY busy the last few weeks, as she goes from one piece of mischief to another. She seems determined to fully redefine the terrible twos. Today she drew all over our ottoman with a red pen. At lunch, she threw her PB & H sandwich against the wall. Then at the grocery store . . . well, let's just say that I've compiled a list of things I'd rather do before EVER shopping with her again: among them is bamboo shoots under my fingernails; scrubbing toilets in public restrooms; and getting a back-scratch on a severe sunburn!

When she throws a fit -- and she can throw a MAJOR fit -- Ben can often get her to go from crying and screaming, to belly laughing! Her laugh is brilliant, and brings a sense of hope to the world: If kids can still laugh like that, then there is still goodness in the world.

I do believe, even with all of her mischief, as long as Brianna is in the world, there will be Joy!!

Thoughts on Luke 10: The Good Samaritan and Martha

I think it is not insignificant that the account in Luke 10 of the exchange between Martha and the Savior in regard to Mary’s not helping her prepare the meal is found immediately following the parable of the Good Samaritan.

38 ¶ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
(New Testament Luke 10:38 - 42)

**Mary was living the first and greatest commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind...." (Luke 10:27) Martha was living, in part, the second: "...and thy neighbor as thyself" as she was trying to prepare a special meal for the Savior and those who accompanied Him. And inasmuch as it was the Savior she was trying to serve, she, too, was living the first.

**Martha did not receive Jesus’ very gentle rebuke until she had complained against Mary. (Luke 10:38 - 42)

**Sometimes the "neighbors" who most need our ‘compassion’ and the ‘binding up’ of their wounds, and to be carried and cared for, are the ones found in our own households. (Luke 10:33-34) Martha needed to "shew mercy on [Mary]" (v.37). She needed to "go and do thou likewise."

**Certainly the priest and the Levite were "careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and [the Good Samaritan] hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from [him]." (Luke 10:31-32, 41-42)

**I’m sure Martha would have rather been sitting at the Savior’s feet also, but seeing her guests and knowing they would need nourishment, felt it her duty to provide. In doing so, however, she failed to trust in that God who fed the multitudes.

**How often am I anxiously engaged in good causes, or "cumbered about much serving", and am missing "that good part, which shall not be taken away from [me]?"v40,42

First Day of First Grade

I just dropped Ben off to his first day of First Grade! . . . I'm a mess. I didn't have this hard of a time when he went to Kindergarten. In fact, I had wished that Kindergarten lasted longer each day. But now, he will spend more time (of his waking hours) away from me, than he will with me.

He looked so lost, and little, and forlorn as I waved good-bye to him from the doorway. I don't feel like I prepared him well enough for this. Excuse me, while I go get a tissue.

Misc.

A quick explanation: You haven't heard from me for a number of reasons: moving, vacation, and getting settled are among them. However, it is significant that I haven't had a home phone, internet, or TV (which has nothing to do with not communicating, but has been painful nonetheless) until last Thursday. However, we have yet to figure out what our new e-mail address is. I hope to call the company (local) on Monday and get that sorted out. So, anyway, if you want my new info (some of you have already let me know) you can respond in the comments, and I will get it to you (provided I have yours . . . Oh, and provided that you're not some creepy freak who's intent on stalking my family.)

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As parent, we try to instill goodness, honesty, and correct principles. In connection with this, I've been trying to teach Ben to treat others the way he would want to be treated.

The other day, Ben came to me with a necklace that he had picked out for me, and which I had purchased for $1.00. He said to me, "Mom, I've been thinking about the golden rule. Since I gave you this necklace, I was wondering when you were going to give me something.?"

So close, . . . and yet soooo far away!


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Brianna is getting more and more independent. At her two-year old check-up, the Pediatrician warned that we would probably see some regression with the big move. Boy, was he wrong! Brianna now thinks she is a teenager!! It is lucky she is soooooo incredibly cute, because she is already rolling her eyes at her parents, giving crusty looks, and saying our names with that 'I can't believe you really want me to do that' tone.
Thankfully, she balances that with her sweet, funny, darling little personality. She keeps us laughing and smiling (even when she's giving us 'tude.)

Today, during Sacrament meeting, she got my phone out and was playing with it. So that she wouldn't accidently call someone, I turned it off. When she realized this, she said, with complete authority in her voice, "No Mommy!! No, No, Mommy!! Naughty!"

Then, after church, I retrieved something from the dishwasher and closed it. She was standing there, and said, "No, Mommy. Wrong!" I said, "What? I closed the dishwasher wrong?" She said, "Wrong! Quick, go!" and she tried to shoo me from the kitchen!

She is a hoot!

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Today, when I walked out to the car, Ben said, "Wow, mom! You look soooooo pretty! You look even prettier than you did yesterday! In fact, you look marvelous!"

Hmmm, I'm feeling pretty good about now.


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Waaaah! Boo Hoo!

I'm missing my dear friends that we left. I don't yet feel a part of this ward, though everybody's nice. There's no one here who knows my heart, and no one here whose heart I know. I understand that this will come with time, but that isn't helping me to miss all my dear friends any less.

So, here's to you, my stellar friends! To those who accepted me without judgement; who allowed me into your hearts and lives; who lifted and encouraged me when I was down; who made me laugh (and cry); whom I know I could call and count on for help; who understood me, and knew my story; to each and every one of you: I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY!!!

This week, I took Ben to get registered for 1st grade. I had looked on-line to see what information I needed to bring. I gathered the information, and felt confident that we could go and get this done. However, as I sat there, filling out the paperwork, I realized: I don't have a Pediatrician yet; I don't even know anyone to call to get a recommendation; I don't know two people to put as emergency contacts who would be allowed to pick up Ben! Suddenly, I felt rather alone.

As I left with the incomplete paperwork, I decided to ease my sadness, by taking the kids to lunch. Half-way through lunch, Ben gets this horrible lower abdominal pain. He's bent over double, and crying. So, I consolidate our food into one kids meal bag; shove that into the diaper bag; pick Ben up; and try to get Brianna to follow us to the car. So, with no pediatrician, and no one to call for a recommendation, I started driving, not sure what to do. Ben is telling me he wants to go to a doctor, so I head to the ER, but on the way I realize: I don't know if we have insurance yet!! At this point, I had to remind myself that I was the adult, and that my curling up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, and sobbing would do nothing to help my boy.

So, instead, I went to this really great ENT and had him check on my boy. He determined that it wasn't appendicitis, and that was as much as we figured out. I loaded the kids back up, and headed home. On the way, the pain subsided.

The moral of the story: I miss you! I know I could have called any of you for a recommendation or for help or advice. But you were waaaaay across the country, and we were here.

The other moral of the story: Moving far away from everyone and everything that is familiar really stinks. (Sorry, Tiff.)

Holy Cow!! Have you missed me?? Because I've sure missed you!!!!

Wow!!! That is the most accurate word I can find to express my thoughts and feelings about what has transpired in my life in the last month and a half!

As Inigo says, in the Princess Bride: "Le' me 'splain. . . . No, there is too much. Le' me sum up:"

James graduated from his residency program!!!! Yay!! Yay!! Yay!! Both James' and my parents were able to fly out to attend his graduation. It was wonderful to have them there to celebrate this momentous occasion with us. At all of the festivities, we heard again and again from those he had worked with what a stellar doctor/surgeon/resident/person/etc. that he is. (Not that any of us doubted. But, after all of that HARD work, it was nice to hear them say it so sincerely.)

On that same weekend, our wonderful, beautiful, hilarious, fun daughter turned two years old! It was a pretty low-key celebration with everything else that was going on, but I think she had fun and knew that she was loved and adored. (We'll make it up to her when she's old enough to care about the festivities.)

After these events, James had to work two more weeks. Yes, I know, who ever heard of graduating two weeks before you're actually finished??!? And I spent a lot of time packing.

Our home (not our house, but everything that makes a house a home) was packed into a truck and gone about 5 days before we moved. So, we camped in our home. The kids were in sleeping bags on the floor, and did AMAZINGLY well. So well, in fact, that James and I considered doing away with their real beds all together.

The Sunday before we left, some dear friends threw us a going away party! It was fabulous! We so enjoyed having a chance to visit and say goodbye to so many dear, wonderful people who have impacted our lives and have been the truest of friends. Boy, do we miss you all!!

Then, Monday, June 30th, we closed on both houses, finished up some things around town, (got stranded with a dead car battery for an hour or two), dropped one car off to be driven across the country by some friends, and headed across the country.

The drive across the country was about what I expected. Mostly it was good. The kids, especially Ben, did really well over-all. Brianna, however, finally revolted on the third day, about 4 hours before our final destination. We endured a rough four hours, but we all made it . . . ALIVE. We stayed in a hotel that night, and took possession of our new home the next day. Unfortunately, our things (you know, all that stuff that makes a house a home) didn't arrive for another 3 1/2 days.

Then, because we hadn't had enough living out of suitcases and sleeping in hotels or on the floor, we left on vacation early the next morning. I was soooo exausted the night before we were to leave, that I SERIOUSLY considered cancelling the whole vacation. But, as I prayed about it, I felt we should go. (Plus, James wouldn't have let me cancel it.) So, we went. Boy, am I glad we did!! It was really fun! Yes, we were still tired, but we were all together and we were doing FUN things together. I think it was important that we did that. We formed great memories, and it was wonderful to see how Ben's confidence grew the more time he spent with his Daddy. Brianna was really fun as well. She has never stayed in a stroller very well; she would rather push it, than ride in it. However, our first day in San Diego, we stopped at a Wal-Mart and purchased a cheap umbrella stroller, figuring that would be cheaper than renting one at our different places of amusement. Brianna LOVED that stroller, and rode in it quite a bit. It made our whole vacation go much better. She was even able to nap in it! Thank you, stroller!

The following is a quick summary of our vacation in pictures. More detail will have to wait for another post.

Thanks to a VERY LONG lay-over on our return trip, I was able to attend a baby shower for my youngest brother's wife, and James was able to visit his sister and her brand new baby!

Since returning from vacation, we have spent a great deal of time unpacking and organizing. Our house is really starting to come together. I made James promise that we would hang pictures before we had already lived here four years. (James was a bit busy when we lived in our last house, and there were rooms that literally didn't get pictures hung for a good 3 1/2 to 4 years!)

James began working this last Monday, and is loving it! His partners are really great guys, as well as all the others he works with. Our neighborhood and entire area is just beautiful, and we feel very blessed to be here.

The first three days James worked, he was home by 5:30pm. 5:30!!!! I was so happy, I could hardly contain myself! It was a bit confusing, though. I kept thinking I needed to put the kids to bed right away after he got home. I mean, surely, if the kids are still up when James gets home, then they are up waaay past their bedtime, right?? Ha, ha!! This is great!

This last weekend, we were able to have my parents and my oldest brother and his wonderful family come for a visit! It was so fun! My parents helped with so many projects that I don't think I could possibly name them all! We had yummy food, and wonderful companionship! Thanks for visiting!

Our door is always open to our friends and family! We would love to have you come visit!

(I think James had a great time on this vacation!! He became pretty good at surfing -- well, at least in this environment!)

Seriously, You DON'T Want to Know!

My kids usually do amazingly well at staying out of trouble while I'm in the shower. There is the occasional hurt feelings or fight over a toy, but for the most part, we get through that 10-15 minutes without incident. . . . Well, not so much today.



Toward the end of my shower, I could hear my little Brianna crying outside the door. I told her I would just be a minute, and continued to rinse, etc. She is not one to just cry and cry, so when there was no sign of her calming down, I got a bit worried. I hurried and finished, dried off, threw the towel around me and opened the door to find: Brianna standing near her diaper, in a puddle, with poop all down her legs. She immediately stopped crying and said, "I oh", which in Brianna-ese means "shower, please".

Well I bathed her for the second time, and put her down for her nap. While I was busy drying my hair, Ben appears at my door. Naked from the waist down, and holding his underwear out with two fingers, he announces, "I had a juicy toot." Indeed he had.

Eye, yi, yi, here's to hoping that your day wasn't quite as "poopy" as mine!!