Cindy's funeral and our Christmas letter from 2004- This was the talk I gave at the grave side service.

Since people were asking me for copies of this I thought I would share it on the blog. Some of you might remember it from your Christmas cards.

Uncle Garth is in Stage 4 cancer and was in Chemotherapy. He was pretty sick at Cindy's funeral. We need to keep him in our prayers.

Dear Family and Friends,                                                                                                                                                    Christmas 2004

      We hope you and your family are well and happy this Christmas season. We feel especially blessed this year.

      Many of you know that our eighth child, Joseph Michael Bryce was born last January (see picture). He was born one month early with Down syndrome. Fortunately, although he was weak at first, his health is good and he’s sitting and using his hands very well. We've reflected a lot on Joseph and his condition. After all the thoughts, prayers, and pondering, the one simple conclusion we've come to, the one truth we now believe with all our hearts, is simply this: Joseph’s condition is a GIFT. For Joseph, it means he will be free from so many of the cares of the world. He will live out his life with no guile, with no unkind thoughts. Our gift is that we have the joy of this little angel in our midst. This has a marvelous effect. It makes all of us want to be a little better, to reach a little higher, to love a little deeper, to be a little more grateful.

      We didn't reach these realizations all at once. It's been a slowly unfolding understanding of what has happened in our family. Others understood much better even before we did. Over 2000 years ago, as Mary and Joseph were taking the baby Jesus to the temple to "present him to the Lord," they encountered Simeon there. Simeon had been promised that he should not taste death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. When Simeon saw the Savior, he tenderly "took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.’” Then the key point: “And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him (Luke 2:28-33, KJV).” It was as if Jesus' parents knew, but didn't fully understand, and this caused them to marvel.

      Joseph was still very young when we attended church with Angelyn’s family in Southern Utah one weekend. Her Uncle Garth was there. Garth had grown up with his sister Cindy, now in her fifties, who also has Down syndrome. As we sat down in the chapel, Garth, a large, masculine man, eagerly asked if he could hold Joseph. As Angelyn handed him over, Garth took him into his arms ever so tenderly, as if he were a most precious and priceless treasure. As he held him close, tears welled up in his eyes. He thought of Cindy and tenderly whispered, "she taught us how to love …  she taught us how to love." Then he gently rocked Joseph, holding him close with those tears on his cheeks. As we looked upon this tender scene, which went on for several minutes, tears flowed for us too. We don't know when we have ever seen a more tender display of pure love. And this was for our son! We longed to love him as much as Garth seemed to love him. But Garth also seemed to know something about him that we didn't know, something that we couldn't even understand. Garth was our Simeon that day, and it caused us to marvel.

      We think now our family has caught a small glimpse of what Garth already knows: that Joseph will teach us how to love in ways we can't even imagine.

      Everyone else is doing great. Please come and see us in Provo when you can. May the joy of the season and love of the Savior sink deep into all of our hearts this Christmas season.

      Love, David, Angelyn, Rick, Anna, Abby, Rex, Emerald, Megan, John, and Joseph

Dinner Ideas

Angelyn inspired me to have a list of my family favorite dinner ideas posted on the inside of my pantry door. This list gives a quick reference for things to make for dinner instead of spending 20 minutes just deciding what to make. The list also increases as I try new recipes that my family enjoys, so I don't forget them, and our dinners don't get too monotonous. I also did the same lists for Breakfast, sides, drinks, and desserts, so if I'm ever hosting something or just want a variety of options, I refer to my little list. Here is my list, and I have many of the recipes somewhere on my computer, if anyone wants any. Just let me know.


Dinner Ideas

Taco soup / Zuppa Tuscana
Navajo tacos
Lasagna
Chili and cornbread/scones
Chicken/beef enchiladas (green or red sauce)
Steak/chicken with potatoes and rolls
Tinfoil dinner
Hawaiian haystacks
Chicken rice quesadilla
Irish rolls
Chicken salad in pita/croissant
Sloppy Joes/Aloha burgers
Potato logs/Pot roast
Pulcogi/ Pupusas
Tacos/7-layer dip/Chicken taquitos
Tuna melts and Tomato soup
Pineapple chicken
Pasta with tomato alfredo/marinara sauce and garlic bread/parmesan sticks
Root beer ham
Chicken BBQ pizza/Calzones
Shepherds pie
Swiss/Japanese/Polynesian chicken
BBQ country-style pork ribs
Hot-honeyed spareribs
Chicken and spinach salad
Homemade stew/White chili
Nacho casserole/Frito salad
Lemon rosemary chicken
Ham with apricot/cloves glaze
Creamy macaroni
Sticky coconut chicken w/ coconut rice
Chicken pillows
Sausage/tot casserole
Philly/roast beef hoagies with Aus Jus
Coconut chicken curry/Tikka Masala
Ham and cheese soup in bread bowls
Café Rio Sweet Pork Salad
Chicken sausage pasta
Spinach veal/chicken roll-ups
Bacon-wrapped chicken kebobs

Breakfast Ideas

Cinnamon French Toast
Pancakes with eggs & sausage/ham
Poached eggs and Toast
Crepes/waffles with coconut syrup
Coconut waffles
banana/applesauce pancakes
Milk Toast
Bread/biscuits and Gravy
Peaches ‘n Cream
Oatmeal/Super grains
Apple/banana/oatmeal/berry muffins
hash browns/farmer’s breakfast
German pancakes
Overnight Apple French Toast
Rice pudding
Sausage breakfast loaf
Breakfast Cookie
Swedish Oatmeal

Sides

Deviled eggs
Scalloped potatoes
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Fried red potatoes with seasoning
Any veggies—seasoned or cheesy
Apple slaw
Fruit & yogurt salad
Grilled pineapple/plums
Garlic butter rolls
Cornbread muffins
Buttermilk/Baking powder biscuits
Homemade French fries/Potato wedges
Scones
Tucanos colorful chef salad
Lolly’s broccoli salad
Whole wheat muffins

Desserts / Snacks

Raspberry Bread Pudding
Cinnamon breadsticks
Baked cinnamon tortilla chips/wedges
Cream cheese flan
Salty/cinnamon pretzels with dipping sauces: cheese, cinnamon cream cheese, etc.
Caramel/kettle/glazed popcorn
Candied/chocolate coated popcorn/Chex
English toffee/Brittle
Truffles: PB, oreo, cookie dough, chocolate cream cheese, red velvet (any cake + frosting)
German chocolate pizza/brownies
Pudding cinnamon rolls
Homemade Girl Scout Samoa cookies
Fruit pizza with my fruit dip
Chocolate dipped strawberries
Chocolate dipped pretzels/nut clusters
Fruit soup
Peanut butter bars/PB, mint brownies
Homemade doughnuts
Pumpkin rolls/bread
Banana bars/zucchini bread
Snickers cookies/pudding cookies
No-bake cookies/butterscotch haystacks
Fudge-white and brown
Hard tack candy
Homemade ice cream cake
Baked cinnamon tortilla strips
Cinnamon pull-aparts
Vanishing rolls
Belgian waffles w/ ice cream, fruit
Dessert crepes w/ice cream, caramel
Dulce de leche on grahams
S’mores
Banana splits
Raspberry truffle/poke cakes (BTA cake)
Coconut balls alone or w/ chocolate

Appetizers / Snacks

Spinach artichoke dip
Ham and cream cheese roll-ups
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Sweet glazed meatballs/smokies
Lolly’s stuffed mushrooms
Sugar fried plantains
Caramelized nuts

Drinks

Banana shakes
Margaritas (virgin, of course)
Strawberry Daquiri
Banana crush
Orange/berry Julius
Cheesecake shakes
Apricot slush
Punch w/ fruit ice ring
Italian ice/smoothies
Homemade berry lemon/limeade
Homemade root beer
Pina Coladas

Missionary Wall

Here is mom's new missionary wall which she is very proud of. Notice the top half doesn't have pictures on it. I need all of you to send me pictures about 2"x3" around the time you served your missions. We are doing a plaque for dad too. Angelyn, I think you have a picture of dad in a white jacket that dad says was taken while he was on his mission and that is the picture he wants on his. We have one more row which will be on the bottom and have Crystel's, Jared's, and Dad's plaque on it. Then when mom and dad go on their missions, we'll put their's on top. It looks pretty amazing when you see all those plaques up there!

Low carb diet

As most of you know I have been trying to lose about 70 pounds since I weaned Kanon. It has been over a year now and I still have forty pounds to go. I completely gave up dieting over the summer and gained back 20 pounds. I have lost ten of those but have been really struggling with it the last 6 months or so. well I have been doing some reading lately about low carb diets and was surprised to find that my favorite health authors and the diets they recommend are low carb even though they dont actually call them that. books I thought taught opposite principles like Original fast foods which pushes mostly vegetarian and Eat fat Lose Fat which pushes animal products are actually both low carb diets.
I started last week on a low carb diet but felt weak and tired by thursday. I got discouraged and went off for the weekend but after some more reading I found that this is common in the first days of the diet as your body adjusts so I decided to give it another try. It is different than atkins in that atkins limits your carbs to under twenty a day whereas i am focusing on low carb foods like green veggies, low sugar fruit like apples and berries and meat, cheese and eggs. I avoid all grains, sugar and potatoes.
I am planning on posting regular updates on my progress as some incentive to keep going and in case anyone is interested.
One of the reasons I am trying this is also because this diet is supposed to help stabilize hormones which I think i really need. though I do feel a little weak and tired, my mood is definitely improved.

WHEAT!

So I'm assuming we all have a wheat storage thanks to Wynn, and it's pretty delicious wheat. Sondra gave us a good tip for grinding wheat but a lady gave me a recipe that doesn't even require that so I thought I'd share. Pretty sure this is a smaller recipe so needs doubling for larger groups.
Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes:
pour into blender: (needs a good blender)
3/4 cup whole wheat kernels
1 cup milk
pinch of salt
Blend for 5 minutes
add:
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
Blend for 1 minute
add:
2 tsp baking powder
Blend for 1 minute
( add any fruit or nuts you desire i.e. blueberries, overripe bananas)
Pour small amounts in medium-hot buttered pan turning when bubbles begin to pop.


I thought it might be nice if once a month we share a wheat using recipe... what do you think?

Beatitudes

I was asked to sub for our gospel doctrine class on Sunday. The lesson was on Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. It was a really good lesson and I am grateful for the opportunity to study the Sermon. In my studies, I found these quotes on the Beatitudes by Harold B. Lee that I thought were too good not to share. Here ya go...


Beatitudes
Harold B. Lee (Decisions for Successful Living)
To Be Poor in Spirit: “To be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the spiritually needy, ever dependent upon the Lord for your clothes, your food and the air you breathe, your health, your life; realizing that no day should pass without fervent prayer of thanksgiving, for guidance and forgiveness and strength sufficient for each day’s need.”

To Mourn: “To mourn, as the Master’s lesson here would teach, one must show that ‘godly sorrow that worketh repentance’ and wins for the penitent a forgiveness of sins and forbids a return to the deeds of which he mourns.”

To Hunger and Thirst: “Did you ever hunger for food or thirst for water when just a crust of stale bread or a sip of tepid water to ease the pangs that distressed you would seem to be the most prized of all possessions? If you have so hungered then you may begin to understand how the Master meant we should hunger and thirst after righteousness.”

To Be Pure in Heart: “Only if you are the pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him. Mark well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord’s anointed leaders in his Church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.”

To Be Meek: “A meek man is defined as one who is not easily provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury or annoyance. Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of complete self-mastery. He is the one who has the courage of his moral convictions, despite the pressure of the gang or the club.”

To Be Merciful: “Our salvation rests upon the mercy we show to others. Unkind and cruel words, or wanton acts of cruelty toward man or beast, even though in seeming retaliation, disqualify the perpetrator in his claims for mercy when he has need of mercy in the day of judgment before earthly or heavenly tribunals.”

To Be a Peacemaker: “Peacemakers shall be called the children of God. The trouble-maker, the striker against law and order, the leader of the mob, the law-breaker are prompted by motives of evil and unless they desist will be known as the children of Satan rather than God.”

To Endure Persecution: “To be persecuted for righteousness sake in a great cause where truth and virtue and honor are at stake is god-like.”

I also liked this quote by Carlos E. Asay:

Ye are the salt of the earth:
“A world-renowned chemist told me that salt will not lose its savor with age. Savor is lost through mixture and contamination. Similarly, priesthood power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination……..Flavor and quality flee a man when he contaminates his mind with unclean thoughts, desecrates his mouth by speaking less than the truth, and misapplies his strength in performing evil acts.” Carlos E. Asay, Ensign May, ’80.

Speaking of Motherhood...

While taking a finance class at BYU, our professor, "Dr. I" as we all called him, liked to occasionally entertain us with funny, off-topic humor. Here is a little something he shared with us one class period on Mothers:

Enjoy the answers given by elementary school age children to the following questions:

Why did God make Mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of they're when we were getting born.

How did God make Mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are Mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he sy NO to drugs and YES to chores.

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spagetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be the boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She see stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just got to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this wierd thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

Photography Lesson #4 Shooting in Manual

Photography Lesson #4 Shooting In Manual


This is where you put it all together. Up until now, we’ve selected either aperture or shutter priority and let the camera do the rest. Now we’ll adjust everything manually. The meter is what tells you how much light is coming into the camera. On an SLR, you push your shutter button half way down and look through the view finder and you will see the meter scale. The arrow below the horizontal line shows you where you are at. By adjusting the ISO, aperture or shutter speed dials the arrow will move. If the arrow is to the left of the middle then you are underexposed by however many stops it is indicating. If your arrow is to the right of center then you are overexposed. When the arrow is in the center you will have one of many correct exposures. That is because ISO, aperture and shutter speeds all affect each other when changed.


Depending on what you are shooting and what your priority is such as depth of field or movement you will decide where you want your ISO, aperture and shutter speed to be. I typically set my ISO first and then set the aperture I want and then see what shutter speed I get for the correct exposure and if it is acceptable or not. When I am shooting action shots, I start with ISO and move to shutter speed next.


One thing to remember about metering is that cameras all come set to expose at a grey color. So when you shoot bright white such as snow on auto you will often get a grey colored snow because the camera has underexposed the picture. Likewise if you shoot something black or dark on auto, the camera will tend to overexpose the picture. This is something you will want to remember to compensate for. I overexpose snow pictures by one or two stops and underexpose really dark backgrounds one or two stops. The cool thing is you are now in control and you can check your pictures as you go and compensate when necessary!


Also there are different ways your camera will meter such as evaluative, partial, center weighted or spot metering. I prefer spot metering so I can meter where I am focusing and I know that spot will be metered correctly. You will have to read your manual to see how to change your preference on metering. If your camera doesn’t have spot metering, partial is the next closest. Try them all out and see which one works best for you.


As you photograph in manual, you will find that your meter jumps around a lot because the light often changes. Just remember to keep looking at your pictures every so often and keep on correcting the metering. Pretty soon it will become second nature to you.


Assignment:


Choose a subject inside, put your camera mode on M for manual and set your ISO. Then set your aperture and then look into the viewfinder and press the shutter button half way down to meter the light. Set your shutter speed accordingly until you see that you have a correct exposure. Take some pictures. Then do the same assignment outside. Congratulations, you are shooting in manual! It will seem cumbersome at first but once you get used to it you will never go back! Your pictures will be better than ever before, but you do need to practice until you have it down, so don’t stop!

ISO 400, f/10, 1/320

I overexposed this snow shot from what the meter was telling me by 2 stops.

Motherhood is for the birds

There's been a growing concern in this world about overpopulation. I hear about it everywhere. Mostly it seems to be coming from "feminists" who would probably look at our MOTHER as the plague. What is sad is I see more and more religious young married mothers saying they want small families. I have even heard the opinion that a large family isn't fair to the children in that family because the parents wouldn't be able to come to every game or support in every activity. Of course most of these people aren't from large families so I just smile and nod thinking really you have no idea the benefits a large family has and how rewarding it is for the parents. While I respect the fact that everyone has a choice and that the size of a family is a primarily between the parents and God I think it's a bit sad this new trend. I also am amazed by the hypocrisy of some getting so defensive of their choice to have small families but critical of others who love being a mother and want more. But what's worse? I have started hearing women say "I'm not meant to be a mother", "I just don't have it in me." This is such an irritating statement. I think "What do you think you were made for" and I seriously don't know how those women who would give anything to be a mother can hear these statements and not throttle the offenders.... but I digress. The main reason for this post is to relate a story from our mother Phyllis Stout biological mother of 16 children. I am paraphrasing her.

"Early June of 2010 one of my female turkey's went missing. Dad and I were sure that a coyote had got her and were a bit sad for our loss of a good hen. A few weeks later when feeding the turkey's and chickens I saw her there waiting for food. She left quickly after eating so I knew she had to be setting (on eggs) somewhere. I also knew that her eggs were no good. Our male turkey had been injured by a dog and was not able to perform his duties so I knew her eggs were not fertilized. I searched frequently for her nesting place but could not find it. In late September I stumbled upon her nest. The gestation period for turkey eggs in 25-30 days and this hen had been setting for 4 months. She looked very weak from lack of food due to the fact she would not leave her nest. She was waiting for her babies to arrive. I tried to get her to move but she just hissed and tried to peck me. There was no way she was giving up. I brought her food and water over the next couple days to keep her strength up. One morning while gathering fresh eggs from the chicken coop I decided to try one more time to get her to move. Again I could not persuade her to leave the nest. Suddenly a light bulb turned on in my head and I got close enough to put some of the chicken eggs under her. I was also able to remove the old turkey eggs. She didn't like it but I managed and she seemed fine since there were eggs under her. I waited to see if she would hatch these chicken eggs and what she would do with the baby chicks. Three weeks passed and our turkey hatched 4 of the 5 eggs. Sometimes with animals you can just tell what their feeling. And she strutted like a proud mama. She was very protective of these chick even though she was very weak still from her malnutrition during the futile months of nesting. Since she couldn't seem to get strength enough to move back to the coop and there was a cold front coming in we decided to build a coop around her and protect her from the elements."

Eventually she gained enough strength to move back to the chicken coop with her babies. To this day she roosts with her chicks (now in their teens) she also calls to them when she feels in danger and they flock to her for protection. It is a powerful thing this motherhood. An innate undeniable purpose that one has. This turkey was starving and dying of thirst all while sitting on rotten eggs. She was prepared to wait as long as she had to, and when she did have her chicks they probably didn't look quite right and I'm sure there has been some communication barriers to cross, but she was JOYFUL, because thats what motherhood is. Some may say she had some mental problem, survival of the fittest and all that. But most sane mothers will tell you that they'd do anything for their children, even risking their own lives. What a beautiful gift to be a mother. So to all those who say motherhood is for the birds, I say I SURE HOPE SO.

Petroleum Jelly/Windex

For when you need it:   Windex will get Petroleum jelly ( or vaseline or whatever) out of you or your child's hair.  Dish soap and Shampoo will not. It works, even if half a tub of Jelly is in the childs hair.

We got a piano!

Here are pictures of our new (old) piano that I have told some of you about. We found it at an estate sale last Saturday through Craigslist. It was built in 1929 but seems to be in excellent condition. Now our girls can take piano lessons!

photo assignment in motion

I had a whole series of the twirling but these were the only two that were semi in focus, should I have bumped up my shutter speed to catch the whole series Angelyn?

Also these were from a workshop I did with my cousin Gena of Gena Susan Photography. I put a youtube video showing the images I got to capture for this engaged couple in Vegas under less than optimal lighting. I learned a lot and my cousin was suprised how much I knew because of the tips from Angelyn. You can go HERE to watch the video.

Platanos Fritos

Have you ever wondered what to do with those enormous green bananas called plantains that are popping up in grocery stores everywhere? You can't eat them raw like a regular banana, and they don't look very appealing being so green, either. Well, here's what to do with them, especially if you are related to Rick, Tyler, Kyle, and probably even Crystel, as platanos fritos are most likely a large part of thier diets right now, and they will love you for knowing how to make them when they get home. Buy the plantains and let them sit on your counter for a few days. They will start to turn black and ugly. That is how you want them. In many Latin American countries, anything short of platanos "maduros" or mature (really ripe),are not fit for eating. The plantains on the left of the picture are freshly bought macho (manly!)plantians, the middle ones are just about ready for cooking and eating, and the ones on the right are a smaller variety whose name will come to me later as I rack my brain for the spanish word. So, once the plantains are nice and black, warm a skillet with about 1/4 inch of coconut oil and peel and slice the plantains lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices and add them to the pan. Fry them until they are a lovely golden brown, and turn them over and brown the other side. Serve warm with sour cream or queso crema Salvadoran style, which I found at a latin market, and frijoles, (mashed black beans) or just salted or mashed, rolled into a ball, and rolled in sugar or cinnamon and sugar.

Freezer Meals

As a Working Mother, Relief Society President, and Visiting Teacher, I am always looking for easy ways to provide meals. Feeding people also seems to be my Primary love language. I have been researching the Once a Month Cooking or Freezer meals methods but have been somewhat disappointed with the recipes and results. Frankly, I also want it to be as quick and easy as possible, Alot of the recipes take all day effort and only produce 3-4 entrees. But I found a particular recipe book that I really like. One of the reasons, it utilizes Costco shopping which of course is my favorite, its economical and it fixes alot of entree's. Freezer meals are great, if I am working late or tired, Doug can pick what he wants out of the freezer and heat it up easily. One of the recipes that have been a big hit with Doug and kids is the Salisbury Meatballs and the Sweet and Sour Meatballs. When I made this recipe it took all day to make the meatballs from scratch, but I got the meat at a really good price so it was worth it. Next time, I will probably buy the premade frozen meatballs from Costco to assemble these entrees, much faster and at a little over $2/lb its almost as cheap as making them. I like that you can make a dozen meals in a matter of hours. Here's the recipes:

Freezer Meals- Meatballs (Makes 6 Entrees, 20 Meatballs ea.)
Salisbury Meatballs
6lbs of Lean Ground Beef 3 C. of dry bread crumbs 2/3 C. Milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten ¼ C. Minced Onion 2 T. Minced Garlic (18 cloves)
1 T. Salt 2 t. Black Pepper
Sauce
1 C. Butter 1 C. Flour 1 ½ lb mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
8 C. Water 2 T. Worcestershire 4 C. half&half or light cream
2 T. Beef Bouillon Granules 1 ½ t. Black Pepper 6 One Gallon Freezer Bags, labeled
Preheat oven to 500°
With Hands combine Beef, Breadcrumbs, Milk, Eggs, Onion, Garlic, and Salt & Pepper in large bowl. Shape into 1 to 11/2” meatballs, placing them close together on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until center of meatballs is 160°. Cool Meatballs.
While meatballs are baking and cooling, melt butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft (7 min.) Stir in Flour,will be lumpy-Cook stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in Water and Half/Half or Cream; Cook, stirring until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Whisk to make smooth sauce. Add Worcestershire, Bouillon, and Pepper; stir. Cool Sauce. (Sauce will thicken when reheated)
Divide Cooled Meatballs and Sauce evenly among freezer bag-Seal and Freeze.
To Cook: Thaw, pour into Casserole dish and bake 350°, uncovered, for 30 min. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or noodles. Can also use Slow Cooker to reheat.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Prepare Meatballs as above.
Sauce:
2 C. Brown Sugar packed 1(106 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained, juice reserved
½ C. Cornstarch ½ C. Soy Sauce 2 ½ C. Red Wine Vinegar
Add Raw Green Bell pepper, Onion or Carrot to bags before Freezing, if desired.
Mix Brown Sugar and Cornstarch in Large Stockpot. Add pineapple juice, soy sauce, and vinegar; stir. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 20 min. Cool.
Divide Cooled Meatballs and Sauce evenly in 6 bags, Divide drained pineapple tidbits evenly in bag. Seal and Freeze. To Cook: See above.

Bar Keeper's Friend

This is a useful tool in cleaning porcelain, stainless steel, or ceramics. Doug introduced this to me when we were first married and Heidi raved about it when she came to visit, which made me realize some people may not know about it. I have a white porcelain sink like Monica's and Haylee's--it gets very scuffed and dirty, we also have stainless steel cookware and a glasstop stove, all adding up to a difficult job to clean and keep looking good.

Metal pans especially leave these little scuff marks on the porcelain, regular cleaning doesnt remove them.

More wear and tear--actually my sink looks worse than this alot. But then I pull out my friend (or Doug does) nice to have a domesticated husband...

and Barkeepers friend leaves it looking like this...

with very little effort. You know me I am all about minimal effort.

Its also good for cleaning copper and removing rust stains.

Gross but helpful

I got athletes foot about ten years ago. it was only one one foot and was pretty mild at first. it got worse over the years even though I tried everything I could find to treat it. my doctor told me to use the over the counter stuff as it was as effective as the prescriptions. it would get better while i was using the treatment but as soon as I quit it would come back worse. finally I read about using apple cider vinegar so I soaked my feet everyday for about a half hour to an hour. I would do it while i was on the computer so it varied each day. after a couple of days I had open sores start on the infected foot but not on the uninfected foot even though I was soaking both feet. I figured this meant it was pulling the infection from deep in my tissues to the surface so I kept soaking my feet. in about a week my feet were as soft as a new babies with all callouses and dead skin gone. when I quit using it the infection did not return. I still soak my feet from time to time because it removes dead skin and callouses and makes my feet soft and feel like i just had a pedicure. I had Ron start soaking his feet too because his would crack every time he would go with out shoes for a little while. now his feet are like new and in better shape than they have been since we got married and they never crack and peel.

Plaques

The plaques have been ordered. I still need money from some of you before we pay for them in a week. So if you need to mail me a check, please do so right away so I don't have to pay for your plaque, which I can't afford right now. My address 186 S. 2460 W. Hurricane 84737. I am still waiting for payment from: Angelyn, Stuart, & Sheldon. Haylee, I am assuming you will be able to pick them up in Price on Friday the 18th. They close early that day so I need to know when you'll be there and if you won't be there if some of your in laws could go pick them up for us.

Announcement

If you didn't know already, Ben and I announced on Sunday that we're having a baby! :) We're really excited and it's due Sept. 8, 2011 and I'm about 10 weeks along. I just thought that all of you who don't live in Hurricane would like to know. So.....now you know. :)

The How to Herb Book

I love this book. It is a book Monica recommended as a starter for learning about Herbs. Everything I have tried works. From earaches to diarrhea, to fevers, pregnancies, nausea, constipation, yeast infections, giving herbs to babies, etc. It has helped me be a better mom. There is so much information and it is very easy to read. I refer back to it over and over again. Yes, essential oils are good, but they don't cover everything, and sometimes there just isn't an essential oil for garlic, ginger, elderberry, or other awesome herbs that you may already have, or is easily attainable. Anyway, it covers more than herbs, it talks about vitamins and minerals and it explains how they work with the body, and what they are used for. It gives remedies, and talks about cleanses, juice fasts, and diets, and exercise. It is just a plethora of information that is very easy to understand. Anyway, if you are looking to learn more about general health and natural ways to heal I recommend this book. I bought a copy for mom for Christmas a couple years ago, so I know she has one if people just want to borrow hers. Just make sure she gets it back. I liked it so much I had Adam buy it for me for Christmas, after I first read it. Anyway, it is an awesome, quick reference, and I recommend it for everyone.

For example, Garlic is one of my favorite herbs now, but how do you get a child/baby to eat it? You can prick a garlic oil and squirt in mouth or rub on skin. Or, I usually cut and peel a fresh garlic clove and tape it to the bottom of their feet by their toes, with bandaids, just before they go to bed. I put the cut side next to the skin, so it can absorb right into the skin. It is painless, and very effective, and helps cut sickness time in half. Just remember to take it off the next morning so they won't be walking on it all day. (As I've obviously done before:)

Avocado Cilantro Dip

My friend made this yummy bean dip out of white beans (think Hummus, but with white beans instead) - super easy, super good for you. I'd been planning to make some and then I went to Costco and tasted their avocado cilantro hummus and decided to try to adapt her recipe. LOVE the outcome! Super easy if you used canned beans, but better if you use your own, just takes some planning. Kids love to dip anything in it - we've been using carrots and broccoli. I've even been feeding it to Bells by the spoonful - she loves it.

1 c cooked white beans
1 ripe avocado
3 T chopped cilantro
2-3 T lemon juice (I used half a lemon)
1 small/med clove garlic (big clove for more kick)
1 tsp salt
2-3 T olive oil

I put them all in a container and used my hand blender to processes. It gets pretty thick. Add oil to the consistency/smoothness that you like. I later added another half avocado to tone down my pretty big garlic clove and it was great. You could even use it as a spread on a sandwich to give it a little kick - would be super yummy on one of those veggie sandwiches.

For her recipe, omit the avocado and cilantro and increase beans to 2 cups. She uses it in place of mayo on sandwiches.

Day bed with trundle

I have inherited a twin-sized day bed with a trundle underneath that was orginally Monica's and then Lolly's. We no longer need it and I wanted to pass it along. It has an off white wrought iron frame and is quite pretty. Two twin mattresses come with it. I will be coming to Hurricane this Friday on my milk run and can bring it then - anyone up north who wants it, you could pick it up there.

Cruise for Mom and Dad

I was talking to Mom the other day about cruises. Now that Joseph is finally eating food and soon to be weened, and therefore old enough to leave behind for a few days, Doug and I have booked a cruise for the first week of March. Yeah! When I called Mom to ask her if she and Dad could babysit for us she made the comment that she feels the window closing for her and Dad to be able to go on cruises and enjoy them. I heard a longing in her voice that really hit me. I think she is realizing that Dad isn't going to get stronger, and that the time for her and Dad to be able to travel together is rapidly coming to an end. She is facing what must be a very difficult stage of life as she watches the decline of her beloved husband. Suddenly all of the "somedays" become "it is now or never".

So I have a proposition to make. Doug and I are hoping to travel a lot this year so I will need Mom and Dad to do a lot of babysitting for us. I offered to send Mom and Dad on a cruise as payment and Mom was thrilled with the idea. She has been wanting to go to Hawaii on a 2 week cruise out of Los Angeles. The problem is that it is a bit pricey. I know there are cheaper cruises, but this is the one she has been dreaming about for a long time. It is a perfect cruise for them as it is almost 10 days at sea with a lot of relaxation time--"hotel time" as Mom put it. I don't know exactly how much it will be but probably around $3000-$3500. Doug and I will pay the first $2000 so I am soliciting from all the rest of us to donate as much as possible toward this cruise. Mom wants to go the last half of April, which is half way between their birthdays, and it is also close to Mother's Day and Father's Day. So you can all just donate toward the cruise and I am sure they will be thrilled with it instead of gifts. We would like to be able to get them a balcony room or at least one with a window to help with Dad's claustrophobia. Then there is always money needed for taxes, tips, and excursions. We will probably book the cruise towards the end of March because prices tend to come down closer to the departure date. I have an account at Zions and Wells Fargo that you can put money into, or you can get it to me when we see each other again. As much as you all can contribute will be greatly appreciated--and I know it will be money well spent. The time for us to be able to do this for them is coming to an end. Like Mom said, the window is closing and there isn't going to be another one to open. So what do you all say?

Photography Lesson #3 Shutter speed

Here is number 3. I will be out of town for a while so I am posting this one early. This will give some of you time to catch up! By the way, I posted all of my 8 lesson's on my blog. It's already my most popular post.


Photography lesson #3 Shutter Speed

The Shutter is an opening in the camera that allows light into the camera (rather than a lens opening like aperture) which then exposes the film or digital media. The faster the shutter speed or higher the number (ex. 1/5000 which means 1/5000 of a second), the less time the shutter is open and that means that a less amount of light is allowed to enter. The slower the shutter speed or lower numbers (ex. 1/25), the longer it is open and the more light is allowed into the camera.

Shutter speed affects action or movement. The longer the shutter speed is open, or the lower the number, the more movement your picture will capture. So if you want to capture clear, sharp images of movement, you will want a higher Shutter Speed. If you want to see movement or blur then you would use a lower shutter speed. Tripods are recommended at the lower shutter speeds such as when you see a “ after the number. At this point you are not even in whole numbers. A good example of this is when you see waterfalls that look misty, blurry and soft. They have been taken with a tripod and at a very low shutter speed.

Generally I use around 1/100 for indoor low light shots with not too much movement because I need the camera to let in more light, but outside on a bright day I use much higher shutter speed numbers because there is more available light and I need less time to let it in.

ISO 400, f/4, 1/80

This picture shows a little blur in the hands and feet. What I should have done was up the ISO so that I could use a higher shutter speed to get a sharper, clear action shot. Still it is kind of fun to see a little movement or blur because it implies action.

Assignment 1:

Set your ISO first, and then put your camera on S or Tv which means shutter speed priority. The camera will automatically set the aperture. Start at a low shutter speed like 1/30 and take a picture of a moving subject, record all your settings and then move your shutter speed up a stop and take another picture until you have recorded them all.

Notice that if your pictures look blown out or too dark, you might need to change the ISO accordingly. Higher ISO’s outside, when you don’t think you will need it, actually gives you more playing room with your shutter speed. Also, a faster moving subject means you will need faster or higher shutter speeds.

Assignment 2:

Shoot a photograph that shows creative motion. Post your favorites to the blog.

Recipes Galore

I would like to tell you all a hobby of mine. I like looking at recipes online and then saying to myself, "oh that looks good! I'm going to make that sometime." And to be totally honest I've actually only done three recipes that I've found online and they've all turned out pretty good.

But I would like to tell you all about Tasty Kitchen. It has a lot of recipes that are delicious and have ratings and some of them even have step by step tutorials. You don't have to sign up, but if you want to submit a recipe then you do have to create a user-name and password. If you do sign up though, you can create your own recipe box and if you see a recipe you like, you can add it to your box. But I really love it, and someday when I have tons of time on my hands, I'm going to make tons of recipes from this site.
Just thought I would share.

Also, the search feature is really nice. Type in potatoes and a bunch of recipes that have potatoes in them pop up!

Missionary Plaques - Let's get em done

Okay everyone,

I found the best and cheapest place to buy the missionary plaques. They will be the same as the younger sibings have which has your picture, a map of your mission you served in, when you served and your favorite mission scripture. All for $25. I need to email everything to the lady who does them, who is in Price. Haylee will be going up there for President's day weekend and can pick them up, which will save us a ton on shipping. That's in 2 weeks and they will need about that much time to work on them. So in the next day or two I would like everyone to get the following info to me ASAP:
-The exact name of your mission
-Your favorite scripture
-The month and year you started your mission and month and year you ended your mission
-Picture (We will insert our own pictures so we're not in rush for this. But I would like everyone to mail me a mission picture so I can put them in)

My email address to email me the info (shelleygoodfellow@hotmail.com) and my address to send me the pictures 186 S. 2460 W. Hurricane, UT 84737

I could probably go off memory and try to guess all the information for everyone, but it might be wrong, so if you want it to have the correct information on your plaque, make sure you email it to me.

Angelyn, I think you may have pictures around the time we all served our missions. So if anyone can't find one, see if Angelyn might have one of you.

Mom's birthday is the first week of March so I think it would be a good birthday present to give her. This is a fairly easy thing to do so NO EXCUSES. I'm waiting...

Also, I forgot to say that you need to send me the money! You can transfer it to my Wells Fargo account, or mail me a check. It will be $26.60 with tax. So get it to me soon, or you will be paying for shipping on top of that.

Shelley

I am here...

So, I have been reading a little of the blog and enjoying everything I see. I have such great sisters! I have been very busy and hardly able to sit down to the computer at all. Do any of you ever had so much going on and so much to do that you begin to have the sensation of drowning and it is all you can do to just keep your head above water or lose your sanity? I have been having those feelings lately but the real problem is that I am just basically computer illiterate. Sara is here now and going over the blog with me to show me how to do stuff with it. She did find that the top tab was not coming up that shows where I can post things of my own, so it isn't all my fault. It is great to have her drop in every now and then for a visit. Anyway, I will do more with this now that I am more familiar with the whole "blog" world.

Monica

Missionary Plaques

If you all have read Crystel's latest letter you'll know that a member she had lunch with, sent our family's information to his friend, who writes for the Church News and mormon times, to perhaps write a story about our family and missionary service. Whether or not this happens, I think we all need to get our own missionary plaque like the ones already on mom's wall. Obviously Sondra, Sara and down already have them. There is a person in St. George that does them and I believe they are $17 each. I think we each need to be in charge of getting our own, just for mom and dad to have on their wall. Everyone needs to find a picture from their mission or around that time and send it to me along with their favorite scripture. Then I will send them all in. To the Sisters in Laws (Heidi and Sara Ann): I know my brothers won't take the initiative to get it done so you guys will have to be in charge, so let me know if you have problems and I will help you get them together. But I think NOW is the time to do it or we'll never get it done. All in favor?