A Little Catching Up

So I have missed a couple of things I wanted to catch up on. There seems to always be so much that I want to make sure and remember while they are still fresh in my mind. This blog is and has been a place for me to record our family happenings so I can come back to them later.

This Summer, on Doctor's orders, we actually didn't do any camping or hiking :( Instead we rented a beach house in Newport on the Balboa Peninsula and sat on the beach everyday. I can't go to the beach and not get in, so I spent many hours swimming in the ocean with a big belly. We planned our little get away with a BIL and his family which was heaven for MJ. We had to find a place last minute and at one point we were really discouraged and thought it wouldn't be possible. And then we found it, the perfect little get away two short blocks from the beach (I pretty sure walking down our drive way is longer) and the perfect size for our two families. There's nothing better than getting up, eating breakfast, spending all day at the beach, eating yummy food and staying up late watching some good movies (like JAWS). And Repeat. I have loved going to the beach since I was very small. There is something so relaxing about being by the ocean and swimming in the water. The sound, the color and the smell is so soothing to me. I do think that they need to come up with a body board built for pregnant bellies (can you imagine), I did miss that this time around.

our new family portrait

Our theme for Father's Day this year was alien/monsters. I thought it was very fitting. This was the picture drawn on the card by a very talented boy. Can you see the little alien/monster in by belly? I say alien/monster with affinity and great affection of course, they are very welcome in our family. Yes I really do have one in there. A baby boy, a sweet baby ready to make his debut before the end of the year. See how he has those little horns on his head. Well I was very shocked at 16 weeks to feel a little pain in my lower tummy. I thought something must be wrong, no one had ever said that it's painful to feel the baby kick, so of course I thought there was something wrong. It felt like little jabs with a small needle or horns. When my next appointment came I asked the doctor and she just smiled. "oh you didn't know you signed up to be a punching bag?" she asked. I guess I didn't. She told me that right now it's the equivelant of someone poking you on a very sore muscle over and over again, it gets a little bruised. And then I saw it with my own eyes, the little stinker was using be like a punching bag. Cute little one, he can't help it. Now it doesn't hurt anymore, but he sure does remind me that he's in there.

By Popular Demand

I just want to apologize for being a slacker on the potato salad recipe, or being a slacker period. I know I've had many ask for it the last two months and I haven't posted. Sorry I didn't do it in time for the Fourth of July, but hopefully you can use it for Pioneer Day? This salad is very special in my family. Mike will not eat potato salad except for this one, and it’s all of our favorites. I have never measured the ingredients out since it's all in my head (same reason I haven't posted the recipe for empanadas), but this is my best guess. Read the whole recipe before you begin.

Lily's (my mom) Potato Salad

6-7 cups of salted cooked peeled potatoes (boil them whole, peel first to avoid headache)
1 ½ (about) cups of peeled chopped steamed carrots (I use four carrots and steam the whole)
¾ cup chopped green onions
¾ cups of chopped celery
6 hard boiled eggs quartered or cut in six parts lengthwise
1 cup mayonnaise (you could add more if you like)
3-4 Tblsp. mustard (I use regular and brown together)
2 cans of black olives drained
¼ - ½ cup of vinegar
Salt to taste

Boil peeled potatoes in salted water until fork penetrates, but they are still firm. Steam carrots (I steam them in the same pot above the boiling potatoes). Start hard boiled eggs at this time. When finish, I drain the potatoes and eggs, and put them all (carrots too) in the freezer until cooled. I get the other ingredients ready while the potatoes, carrots and eggs are cooling. Chop up green onions and take the whites of the onions (and green if you like) and soak in the vinegar for about 10 minutes or more. This is so the onion taste isn’t so strong and it also gives it a tangy taste. In a large bowl add potatoes (quartered lengthwise chopped in ½ inch pieces) and chopped carrots and mix with mayonnaise and mustard and salt to taste. Add green onions (with vinegar and green parts), celery, olives and mix. Add hard boiled eggs, I usually cut them smaller than quartered lengthwise). If it still seems too dry add more mayonnaise or a little milk (sometimes I use the juice from olive can). Enjoy now or later!

It might start to mush, some of the potatoes will be too soft, it's okay it's supposed to be able to clump up a little bit. It will keep for only four to five days because of the hardboiled eggs. If you have a little more or less than what the recipe calls for, don’t worry. I never make the same salad twice! You just kind of have to guess how many potatoes will make six to seven cups and I always end up with more; it still tastes fabulous. Let me know if you have any questions.

New addition to the family!

Last week Mike's family welcomed a new baby girl. Her name is Isla (pronounced eye-lah) and she is beautiful. Her name is scottish and it means follower of God. She is so precious with thick dark hair and and bright eyes. We were so excited to meet her.

Girls can't wait to meet their new baby sister!

We had some soup weather, will it come back?

Potato Soup from Becky Mortimer

1 1/2 c. sliced leeks or green onions
1/4 c. of water
5 c. of cubed potatoes
3/4 c. chopped celery
1 1/3 c. cubed carrots
1 tsp. salt
2 c. water
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
4 c. skim milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Sauté leeks or green onions in 1/4 c. water in large kettle until tender. Add potatoes, celery, carrots, salt and 2 c. water. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine in a medium saucepan. Add flour, pepper and one teaspoon salt; Cook until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk and bouillon cubes. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Stir into vegetables. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with some green onions. Then enjoy!

Sometimes I find bread bowls at Ralphs for 59 cents. I don't get the sourdough ones (they are expensive) but they have them. Vons lets you special order them for 99 cents each. I cut the top, angled downward into the bowl. Then instead of removing any part of the inside I just push it out to the sides and bottom, just to make it sturdy. I take the tops and cover them with olive oil, butter and cheddar cheese and broil them. I also put the bowls in the oven to warm them and harden them a bit. This soup doesn't need fancy bread bowls though, it's yummy.

Mormon Helping Hands Day!

We had an opportunity to volunteer at the Earth Day Arts and Family Festival today! It was a Stake wide service project. We put on some yellow vests and spent the morning walking around Old Town telling people about it and passing out flyers. They had tons of booths that focused on conservation, gardening, recycling and tons more. They had booths to teach people how to make your own compost, save rain water, use and buy recycled material, planting flowers that are native, the list goes on. They had tons of hybrid, smart cars and electric cars that you could sit in. The Armory Center for the Arts also opened its doors and offered crafts, movies and live music. There was live music outside with dancers and Japanese drummers. They had delicious food and other booths for kids, including a School Bus turned into a woodshop just for kids.

My favorite booth was the Gardening one. If you watched the Oprah Earth Day special, there was a family from Pasadena featured on the show. They were there! They took 1/10 of an acre(front and back yard) and grew over 6,000 pounds of food last year. Everything is either edible, medicinal or used to promote their own bees. All the food they don’t use is sold to local restaurants and neighbors. They have chickens, ducks, bees and goats. Their roofs are covered with solar panels, they use rain water for irrigation, and even have an outdoor solar shower. I was fascinated with their toilet sink, the water they use to wash their hands flushes the toilet. They also collect oil from restaurants and use it to fuel their bio-diesel car. It was very informative and lots of fun.

Who is this big kid?

I can’t believe how much he’s grown! It seems like I just met him yesterday with his chubby cheeks and wild child disposition (he was still in diapers). Now he’s all grown up, a young man. A sweet and tender hearted boy and I’m so grateful to be a part of his life. Not only is he kind and loving, but he’s also funny and silly too. As a family we have had so many wonderful adventures and I look forward to so many more.

Here he shows his love for riding his mini bike. Mike took this old Honda mini bike apart and restored it for Christmas. They have really enjoyed taking it out on the trails. Love you son!

Being Thrifty

One of my favorite things to do is go thrift store shopping. I’ve been going since I was very young out of necessity. My mom taught me all of her tricks of the trade. At the time when we started going, she could be described as a poor person with expensive taste, a curse is what she would call it. In Chile she didn’t know anything about second-hand stores. No one there would sell used clothing, furniture or appliances. Going to the thrift store here, wow, she couldn’t believe what people got rid of. Yard Sales were her favorite! She would go almost every Saturday morning; of course I would go too.

It was fun getting things for so little. I learned to be frugal and to appreciate the things that I had. I also learned to only buy what I need, a lesson I struggle everyday to hold on to. Now when I buy something, I ask myself several times “will this end up in a Yard Sale or donation pile?” and “do I really need this?” It makes me wonder who many hundreds of dollars I've saved over the years. I love going. I see it as doing my part to recycle. There are so many people out there who buy clothing like crazy. I can only imagine they shop every week to explain the volumes of clothing that show up there. Then they clean out their closets and dressers and we all have the opportunity to benefit. I really enjoy getting a such a bargain for clothes that are lightly worn or many times still have the tag on them. Of course like everyone else I enjoy purchasing new clothes at the store, but I’m so used to getting a good deal, I hate to pay full price for anything. Some of my most favorite pieces of clothing (and shoes) have come from thrift stores.

So for all of you that would like to start, here is some info you might enjoy: At the Salvation Army on Del Mar and Fair Oaks they are having a sale today 40% off clothing. At the Goodwill in Pasadena, their children’s clothes are on sale $1, and they bring out new carts every half an hour, this sale goes until Tuesday. Happy Shopping!

A Little Springtime Fun

We were so fortunate to have my nephew visit with us a few weeks back. We have been in a pizza making mood (since it's still cool enough to turn on the oven), so my nephew was able to join in the fun. He made his own pizza with only a teeny bit of help.

when he rolled it out it was in the shape of a heart

I really like making Pizza because it's really easy, but also because everyone can get involved. Trader Joe's makes really good pizza dough, but if you don't have a TJs you can get some dough mix at Wal-Mart for about 40 cents (usually I use two per pizza) and you just mix it with some warm water. It comes in a little packet (like a soup mix), and it's ready to go in minutes.

Mike and I decided to take Jonathen to The Huntington Library, since springtime is such a nice time to go. We also wanted Jonathen to see the Abraham Lincoln exhibit that is there right now. We went on a day that wasn’t too crowded and we got a lot of attention from the volunteers there. Jonathen is old enough now to where he can enjoy the art galleries. At one gallery they have these iPod like tour guides. Some of the art and objects have a small number posted next to them, then you type in the number and you can hear about that art piece. It was very interesting and informative and Jonathen had fun finding the numbers and learning about the different pieces. I was really surprised at how much he really liked it.

There are many gardens to walk through, one of them being the Salad Garden, where everything is edible. I learned so much about different foods that can be grown easily, and I can’t wait to try some of them myself. They had some volunteers walking around, and one walked with us and encouraged us to pick some plants and smell them. We l earned about cultivating herbs and what they look like in plant form before they come to us at the supermarket. We had lots of fun!