COOKBOOK REVIEW // 40 Family Friendly Recipes eBook

I recently got the eBook, 40 FAMILY FRIENDLY RECIPES, and I started making recipes from it right away to know if it was a book I should recommend to you. And it's a WINNER!  It's got a perfect mix of solid, dependable, meals that aren't too "out there" and a few recipes that step just slightly outside of the box so you can give your family a bit of adventure without going completely out of their comfort zone.  Also, every single recipe has a photo and a lot of the recipes have many photos that show steps.  Love that!  And....drumroll....it's ONLY $5.00!!!

The very first recipe I made was SMOKED SAUSAGE WITH VEGGIES. It's basically a one-skillet dinner using kielbasa, peppers, onions, and potatoes....all things my family likes. I used Jennie-O Turkey Kielbasa in place of the regular pork variety.  Our entire family loves that turkey sausage and that's a really good swap-out that doesn't taste substantially different, but is much healthier.

Holy cow, every kid at our table was asking for seconds and eating it all up (myself and my husband too)!  Some of us topped it with ketchup and others went with light sour cream. I love that it was everything in one pot...meat, starch and veggies.  So easy and fast!  This is going straight into our permanent rotation.

Next we made the ENCHILADA LASAGNA. On this night I was cooking for both our family and my Sister-In-Law's family and she is a vegetarian.  I made the recipe in a large pan and at the same time made a single size portion in a loaf pan where I replaced the chicken with black beans.  I also used a Reduced-Fat Mexican cheese blend on both lasagnas.

We topped our lasagna with shredded lettuce, light sour cream, chopped green onions, and fresh cilantro.  Another winner, although next time I will add a small can of diced green chilies for just a bit of heat!

Overall, we LOVE this cookbook so far!  A definite must-have AND it's only $5.00!!!  Seriously, just buy it.

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UTAH FUN // Layton Splash Pad

As I mentioned recently, it doesn't even feel like Summer since my kids are still in school.  Today I realized how lame I am being and decided we were going to do something fun, school or not!

We got all of the kids in swim suits and grabbed some Little Caesars pizzas, fresh grapes, bottled water, and juice popsicles, and headed to the local Splash Pad.

We kept the popsicles, grapes, and water ice cold in this tote (oh my gosh, people, I love it! America's Test Kitchen was right to make it number 1!). 

Jude and Cecilia needed some persuading to get in the water, even the kiddie features. Jude liked it for about 2 minutes and then retreated to the cold grapes waiting for him at our picnic.  Cecilia got a taste of the freedom to splash and she was hooked!  We had to drag her away, shivering, when it was time to leave.

Hoping I get my act together more often so we can enjoy these Summer months to their fullest!!

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Life Lately - June 2016 Edition

The redheads are still in school, thanks to the year-round schedule, until July 1st.  This entire last month has been a deluge of "theme days" that are kind of driving me crazy. We have had "games day", bring in electronics to play, watching movies, bring in your favorite fruits, and dressing crazy. Two more weeks of this non-school school. Sheesh. I hate this feeling of our Summer being on hold until July.  The good news is that next year the school returns to a traditional schedule!

I keep saying I am going to potty train Jude this Summer.  Not sure why I am waiting until the redheads are out of school, because this is pretty much Summer.  Honestly, I just don't know how to potty train a boy.  And people LOVE to say how hard boys are to potty train. But it's gotta happen.

Poor Bianca is bored to death since her pre-school ended in May.  I feel so bad for her, but there's not a lot we can do as we work around the baby's naps and the redheads school schedule.

Matt and I watched Making a Murderer on Netflix this month and I highly recommend it.  So gripping.  Since finishing I have read a number of rebuttal articles online.  Yes, the documentary may be skewed, but it's still totally worth watching.  Next we plan on watching Chef's Table on Netflix, but July also brings the return of one of our favorite shows The Great British Baking Championship on PBS!

I have been asked to be a part of a state-wide initiative, headed by the Governor's Wife, called Uplift Families.  Along with a bunch of other cool stuff, like lunch at the Governor's Mansion, I get a booth at the Uplift Families Conference this year.  That means I have to find a way to get my butt in gear and produce a product that goes along with my FHE blog before August.  It's something I have wanted to do anyway, and now I have a deadline.  Here is a picture of me and Utah's First Lady. She was lovely and truly inspiring.

I've been able to have visits from many far-away friends this Summer! The kids and I spent an afternoon at the Museum of Ancient Life with our friends from Pennsylvania, the Crapo family.  It was so fun to see them again!!  Look at cute little Evie Crapo with her hand on Jude's back to make sure he's safe.  Notice Jude's own big sister (on the right) completely ignoring him.

We also got to see an opera and share BYU Creamery ice cream with my dear friend, Kirsti, and her daughter while they were visiting from Boston.  The thing about being a Mormon who lived on the East Coast and then moved back to Utah is you get to see your Mormon friends regularly.  Every Mormon has ties to Utah and I love these visits!!

In May I did some social media work (on a bit of a trial basis) for a local business here in Utah and I was pretty impressed with myself!  Is that weird to say?  Well, there's is nothing better than feeling like you did a job really well.  I am likely working with them in the Fall and that will be awesome since we plan on putting all of that money towards a down payment so we can purchase a house next Summer. This rental is TOO SMALL for a family of 7!

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Family Updates so you Know We Aren't Dead

Longest. Blogging break. Ever.

Sorry, guys.

Let's just say things have been pretty busy/crazy/overwhelming here lately.  Here's a one-sentence update on each of us so you know we haven't all ceased existing.

MATT - Recently obsessed with riding his bike for 15+ miles at a time.

EMILIE - Overloaded with writing her FHE blog.

ELLA - Has purple streaks in her hair and doesn't want school to end.

EVANGELINE - Constantly reading Harry Potter.

BIANCA - Her usual cheery self, but with a mega-black-eye from Memorial Day.

JUDE - Having food items break apart is a fate worse than death. 

CECILIA - Strong willed with brute physical force to back it up, but also very sweet.

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BOOK REVIEW: Prayers that Changed History

PRAYERS THAT CHANGED HISTORY

By Tricia Goyer

★★★★☆

Sometimes it's easy to forget how many famous and public figures through history had a firm and unwavering belief in God.

In Prayers That Changed History, the stories of twenty-five notable people are presented along with how prayer changed their lives and changed history. Following each historical example is a biblical story that ties to that person’s life and actions, as well as ways you can use the power of prayer in your life as well. Because God isn’t done changing the world yet, and he would love to use you to make history.

This book is an excellent collection of stories of strong, smart, history-changing men and women who turned to God in their time of need. This is such a great book for Faith-based households and especially great to read to young children and teens. I think this would be an excellent addition to every family's bookshelf and a great reminder that greatness is often helped along by a great God.

BUY IT HERE.

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BOOK REVIEW: Mothers of the Village

Mothers of the Village: 

Why All Moms Need the Support of a Motherhood Community and How to Find It for Yourself

by C. J. Schneider

★★★★★

You probably already know these four things about me:

1. I am an extrovert.

2. I need girlfriends around me to survive.

3. I have five kids, even though I planned for four.

4. I moved 2,200 miles across the country a little over a year ago.

When we got to Utah I was frazzled and worn out. I had a three week old baby and I knew nobody in our area. We unpacked and got kids registered for school and started attending church, but the friendships I was longing for, strong female friendships, didn't come automatically as they had for me in Pennsylvania.  Postpartum depression settled in and I withdrew further into my cocoon of stress and newness and struggling to survive the first few, sleepless, months of having an infant.

This book was basically written just for me.

Here's a portion of the books' description...

C. J. Schneider found herself in the middle of a perfect storm after giving birth to her third child and moving to a new neighborhood. Conditions for misery and postpartum depression were ideal: she was isolated, lonely, and exhausted with three young children at home. As she started talking with other mothers, she realized that she was not alone in her experience of feeling alone.  So many mothers feel like something is out of joint, something is missing and maybe the truth is that we're all just missing each other.

Mothers of the Village affirms that as mothers connect with each other and learn to work with each other, despite the challenges, they may find a piece of themselves that they have felt missing all along.

Right?!

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