Curbing

The curbing is in. Yea! It looks really great. Todd always says pictures are better when someone is in the picture. So . . . he posed for me. Sorry, he is in the shadows and kind of hard to see.

I looked at trees yesterday.

We were all set to plant seed but found out the sod might be in our budget. I am always the first on the bargain boat and the cost of seed compared to sod is quite a bit of different. But . . . the thought of having a yard full of grass in only a day just might be enough for me to jump out of the boat and swim for the shore.

The Lost Cookie

When Niko came home from his visit yesterday he had a mini bag of chocolate chip cookies shaped like Hershey's Kisses. I was talking to Todd on the phone as he tried to open the bag. He gave one big pull which ripped the bag apart and cookies went flying everywhere. Even though I was a little distracted while talking on the phone I still helped him pick up the cookies from the couch, coffee table, and floor and then place them in a bowl.

Hours later I felt something poking my stomach just above the belly button. I lifted up my shirt to see what it was . . . a lost cookie. I can hardly believe I didn't notice it was there for almost 3 hours.

A Hug and a Kiss

When Niko first came to live with us last October he couldn't say any words. His first response whenever he was upset was to scream and run away from everybody. It has been a challenge to help him understand that when you are upset you go to someone you love for comfort and get hugs and kisses.

I was feeling like he has overcome that tendency to run away but yesterday I am quite confident in my assumption.

After having a teary conversation while talking with a couple of family members, Niko comes running up to me and says "hug" as he stretches his little arms around my neck and pats me on the back. Then he turns my face towards his, looks me in the eyes, and says "kiss." He then plants a very big kiss on my cheek. He then looked at my face again to see if I was okay. This made me tear up even more. He wiped a tear from my cheek and then checked my face again. He then put his cheek on my cheek to wipe the tears. I was smiling because he was so sweet. He must have realized he did the job because he then climbed off my lap and went on his merry little way.

No, I don't think it is the responsibility of little kids to comfort their parents. But what a treasure it was today. Now I know he gets the whole concept of comforting. It is something I wish I had learned at the age of two.

Be Back Later

I was just about to sit down and blog for a few minutes . . . but the landscape curbing "guys" just showed up . . . so I'll be back later. I'm going to go watch and maybe take some pictures.

Yard Update

Curbing goes in on Monday. Yea! Then we can start on flower beds and grass. I wonder what grass looks like!?!

Simple Scones

This is the recipe I referenced earlier today. I found this recipe on my favorite recipe site, http://allrecipes.com/ . Our family loves these. We call them English scones because scones made in Idaho are a completely different thing, small pieces of raised bread dough fried in oil. These Simple Scones are what the rest of the world thinks of when they hear the word scones. They are easy to make and we usually have all of the ingredients on hand. Within a half an hour you can make, bake, and start eating them. Yum, Yum!

Simple Scones

Submitted by: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 180 members
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

DIRECTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.

3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

5. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2007 Allrecipes.com
Printed from Allrecipes.com 7/6/2007

Pulling Out The Big Guns

The last few days have been so hot, well over a 100 degrees. Today it is suppose to be 108 degrees. We have let the kids play long endless hours outside despite a yard of dirt and the heat. They never seem to know when they have had too much heat. We usually have to take a pitcher of water outside to provide drinks continually. Then we finally call them inside because they are so red in the face and their hair is so wet from sweat that it appears to be pouring rain outside, which it has not.

Besides the heat, the kids have been completely filthy dirty.

So today as the temperature reaches 108 we are all staying inside. I made all of the kids take long showers until every speck of dirt was gone. They are dressed in clean clothes and I even did the girls hair in pig tails and a braid. They had to finish all of their chores before playing with toys, the game cube, or watching TV.

The boys all finished their chores fairly fast, Justin and Jay by 11am and Thomas by noon. The girls were a different story. Kim is out of town so we all are pitching in to do her jobs. The little girls were finding every excuse to not get their work done.

Yes, our kids have daily jobs to do, but they are by no means too much. It should only take them about 40 minutes to do everything on their list including reading for 20 minutes. They are things like keeping their rooms clean, putting their clean clothes away, clean their cubby, emptying the dishwasher, reading for 20 minutes, and cleaning chores like vacuuming, dusting, or washing mirrors.

I just couldn't get the girls to do their work. I started to make lunch and told the girls they couldn't have lunch until all their jobs were done. There was grumpy faces and feet stomping but I held my ground. Still nothing was being done.

At about 3pm I decided to pull out the big guns. I knew the girls would be very hungry by now. I decided to make scones, a favorite family recipe. It smells up the house, they are fast to make, and the oven doesn't need to be on very long on a hot day.

I will post the recipe later.

The scones come out of the oven. I call on the intercom, "If your chores are done, come to the kitchen for a hot scone." To sweeten the deal, I placed the scones on the kids favorite plates.

I got these cute flower plates from one of my best friends. One day while visiting her family in Southern California I saw her plates and commented on them. Only a few short days after arriving home, two sets of matching plates, bowls, cups, and utensils arrived on our doorstep. Thank you, Celeste! They truly are the kids favorite plates. We are still enjoying them.


The girls came rushing to the kitchen and grabbed a plate. I did a quick check of their lists hoping everything was really done. But not even close. Now there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the girls finally kicked into gear and within minutes they enjoyed their scones together (just in time for dinner).

From A Distance

Erica wore these corny glasses all afternoon that made me giggle every time I looked at her.

Our 4th of July was spent eating Danish Pancakes, playing games (Skip-Bo and The Farming Game), and watching fireworks. Todd lit some fireworks in the front yard and then we went out on the back deck. We could see the fireworks across the whole valley. It was really great but it just doesn't even compare to seeing the fireworks up close. We have resigned ourselves to watching from a distance for a few more years until all of these little kids are older.

Happy Fourth of July

Our family 4th of July tradition is to have Danish Pancakes for breakfast. Yum, Yum! We usually invite a bunch of people and eat outside. Well, this year there is no yard. So just our "little" family had breakfast together at the table.

At a Loss for Words

I had a really creepy earwig thing happen. I am definitely not going to write about that. Actually, we have had quite a few creepy earwig things happen lately. I'm not going to write about any of them.

Someone did something very hurtful to someone in our family. It will make me sad and I don't want to stoop to their level. So, I will not write about that either.

Hummm . . .

Since I am at a loss for words (and thoughts) today I think I will add something to the sidebar of this blog instead. Here is a list of blogs I like to check out (on the sidebar to the right).

And as Erica greeted me first thing this morning . . . "Happy 4th of July Eve!"

Fasting

Sometimes fasting seems like a chore. It feels like I am starving instead of fasting.

Then there are days like today. When I realize I really need the help, guidance, and answers, the whole fasting experience feeds my heart and mind.

The Cousins Minus Kim