Grandpapa and The Horses

So I told Grandpapa "Please take me to see
the horses; I love them so much"

He said "OK, Lets get a good look"

Daddy says to Grandpapa "I hope you don't put
my baby on top of the fence to get a good look!"


DON'T TELL DADDY

Happy Memorial Day 2008

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. " --Ronald Reagan

I DO ALL MY OWN STUNTS

Yes Miranda is in training to be a stunt double for movies. We are starting her off young by teaching her how to remove paper from a working shredder.

Wow they grow up quick

So here we have Miranda learning to crawl in the cupboards and shut the door behind her

SUMMER FUN

We decided to make some freezer jam while strawberries were in season.
It turned our to be very delicious.

Here is a recipe that goes great with Jam
Crepes

4 EGGS
1/4 TSP SALT
2 CUPS FLOUR
2 1/2 CUPS MILK
1/4 CUP MELTED BUTTER

Put it all in the blender and hit go until the flour lumps disappear.
Cook and serve!

What's for Dinner?

This is one of my favorite recipes--Minnestrone Soup. Perfect for a rainy day like today! I have tried a few other minestrone recipes, and this is my favorite. It is meatless, which I like, and it is so filling, but you could add meat if you (or your husband) likes to have meat for dinner... It looks like a lot of ingredients, but half of them are just opening up a can and emptying it into the pot, so it's not really that bad. Also, after I make it, I usually have to add more broth/water before serving because all those good things soak up the juices.

Makes about 8 1 1/2 cup servings

3 Tbls. Olive Oil
1 c. minced onion
1/2 c. chopped Zucchini
1/2 c. frozen cut Italian green beans
1/4 c. minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
4 tsp. minced garlic
4 c. vegetable broth
2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (15 oz.) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. carrots, julienned or shredded
2 Tbls. minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3 c. hot water
4 c. fresh baby spinach (optional)
1/2 c. to 1 c. small shell pasta

1. Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Thanks, Emily for this great tag! I am tagging Angie, Tammy, and Rachel to post "What's for dinner", too!

Happy Mother's Day

As we can see Miranda took time
to tell her mommy she loves her.

We had a very fun Mother's Day and Miranda
was so exited to wear her 1 year old dress to show her Grandmas.

Tagged about the Book I'm Reading

I was tagged for a post in April--but incase you haven't noticed, I haven't really been blogging lately, so I just noticed it last night...sorry, Rach. Anyway, here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

I do happen to be reading a book right now (that I've been reading for about 6 months now, but nevertheless). It is a classic Jane Austen--Pride and Prejudice.

"Mr. Collins's present circumstances made it a most eligible match for their daughter, to whom they could give little fortune; and his prospects of future wealth were exceedingly fair."

I'm going to tag only three people: Angie, Tammy, and Emily.

These boots were made for walkin!

Lloyd news in a minute by Jeremy Lloyd

Heidi is working at home doing transcription during baby downtime. She still managed to enter a cookie making contest with this plate and 6 others.

Summer is fun because you can have your cake and eat it too.Miranda's first birthday cake(made with love by mommy)

HMMMMM?

!Boo Yea! is there any more?

We are very excited for all of the summer BBQ's and fun at the park. Skip was so excited he shaved off his fur!

Jeremy is also excited that he will be getting his mount from his guided elk hunt last year with his Dad.Mark's Elk Scored 370

Jeremy's Elk Scored350

The Sign of a Good Daddy

We went to the zoo on Wednesday this week. Every last Wednesday of the month during the winter season was free. So, there were TONS of people there. I think I saw half of you there! Anyway, there were some fun animals. (And the big cats really are "more active during the winter" if you've seen the Hogle Zoo commercial....The highlight was when the Bengal tiger roared at us for like 2 minutes! All of the kids looked something like this)
Anyway, there were some cute monkeys in one of the monkey houses. One of them was missing hair from the top of his head all the way down his back and tail. A sign on the window explained that he was under veteranary care for his hair loss. It said the balding is a sign that he is a good daddy--it was caused by carrying around his babies and by them pulling out his hair! So dads, wear your baldness as a trophey of fatherhood. No need to Bic it.

P.S. Jeremy helped me post this blog.

Winter in Utah

After reading my last post, my friend Karie sent me this great poem that her grandma sent to her. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

It's winter in Utah
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.

Oh, how I love Utah
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Utah
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!

Optimism During the Storm

To put it lightly, I detest winter. If I can count on one hand, the number of big snow storms we get in the valley for the year, then it's tolerable. But this year....sigh. I needed to do something to bring myself to a mentally 'happy place' to help cope with the rest of the season. So here it is, a very optimistic way of looking at winter. Hopefully it will help you get through the remaining months of chilliness, as well. That is unless you're like my mom--she sincerely 'loves this winter we've had!' (Now picture me with pursed lips, silently shaking my head in disbelief.)

Five Reasons Why Winter is Sometimes Better
5. Less motorcyclists to worry about hitting
4. No bugs in the house (at least that are visible)
3. Good excuse to stay in pajama pants and sweatshirt all-I mean part-of the day
2. Good excuse not to shave legs
1. And finally, there is something good to look forward to--SUMMER!

BAMBINA

Miranda is just trying to catch up on some sleep. She is so busy these days; starting to walk with help, talk, and attend to all of her other big girl jobs. Maybe Mom and Dad can steal a minute of sleep aswell.

Dia de Amor

Happy Valentine's Day (yesterday). For me, Valentine's is like Halloween. I don't really get excited about it until it's practically here, and then I want to get all festive, but it's too late. Lucky for me, though, Jeremy brought home two dozen long-stemmed roses (see photo). What a wonderful husband I have!

Cinnamon Bears

You may find this hard to believe, but I had never tasted chocolate covered cinnamon bears until a couple of months ago when a friend gave me a few with a Christmas gift. Wow. Now I've been making for the past couple of months. Since I can't go for a walk to deal with this dreadful winter weather, I can make cinnamon bears....I bought a huge bag to help share the joy with others. As for you, a picture will have to do.

Our Blog

Thank goodness for nicknames. Without them, who knows what our Blog would have been named? Here we go, diving head first into the world of Blog...Wahoo!