Let's Get To This Catching Up

February 4 was Homemade Soup Day. I wasn't going to do Butternut Squash Soup even though it was in "A Season of Family Meal Plans" by Jordan Page because it was Fast Sunday and sometimes I don't do so well with my energy making dinner on Fast Sunday. But I asked Jeremy and he said he was interested in trying a new taste (we've had a lot of new tastes with these books and we're only on volume 1) so I made the Viral, No Knead Rustic Bread in advance and made the soup that day. It was worth it. Jeremy really liked it.

 

We had some rolls in the freezer that I was able to get out for the next night's dinner, Smoky BBQ Beef Sandwiches. We used pork.

Here's what I've been doing as far as shelf cooking. First, pork roast is cheaper than beef roast so I sub pork for beef. Second, I usually only need about half a roast for these recipes so I use what I need for the current recipe (which often is used for more recipes in the same week) and look at another recipe in the future that would use the other half. I cook it up according the future recipe and freeze it until it's needed. Handy.

 

Another thing I'm doing with shelf cooking with these books, whatever I want. Combine recipes from one meal with recipes from another meal.

I made Sour Cream & Bacon Skillet Chicken but instead of the Classic Creamy Mashed Potatoes that is paired with it in the book, I made Crispy Mashed Potatoes again like Week 1 except with a different type of potatoes this time. I can do what I want.

Then of course there are the tried and true recipes I use. February 7 was Fettuccine Alfredo Day. I made spaghetti alfredo (#shelfcooking) because we didn't have fettuccine. I used the Guiltless Alfredo Sauce recipe from ourbestbites.com and it was so good. We've been using this recipe for years and it's our favorite alfredo recipe. Better than the jarred stuff Jeremy says.

 

February 7 was also Ballet Day. Nichole made this cute picture to celebrate.

 

We used more pork for more sandwiches, this time with hamburger buns I made, with sides of Adirondack Beans and Jojo Potatoes. Yumm.

OK. That's enough catching up for this post.

Ballet Bonding

It's been quite a few years since Nichole and I were able to go watch The Nutcracker Ballet. The last time we went was 2016. We did watch Ballet West's version on TV the very beginning of 2021 but it's different when it's live at the theatre. This year we were able to go to the Utah Metropolitan Ballet's version of The Nutcracker. 

Nichole's ballet bear again surprised her with tickets. 

The three of us (ballet bear included) had a great time and loved watching the ballet. 

It was neat to see it from a different company than we had watched before. In fact Nichole noticed in the program that her art teacher actually did the set and costume design.

I'm so glad we got this opportunity again. It really is special bonding time with my sweet daughter.

A Nutella Weekend

It was a Nutella kind of weekend. Friday the 5th of February was World Nutella Day so we had Nutella sandwiches. 

It was also National Wear Red Day. I kept reminding the kids all morning and even the night before, "Wear red. Wear red," then I went and put on a grey shirt without thinking and never changed to a red shirt even when I did think about it. Sigh.

I did however read aloud to Jet for World Read Aloud Day on that same day. You should have seen me getting into Hand Hand Fingers Thumb and drumming on a big can. "Dum Ditty Dum Ditty Dum Dum Dum."

For after school snack that same day, we celebrated Bubble Gum Day with gumballs that came through Nichole's candy dispenser THAT SHE MADE! 

She made it in one of her classes last year. How cool is that?

Saturday the 6th of February was the anniversary of when Alan Shepard hit golf balls on the moon. We ate "astronaut sandwiches" made with tortillas and... you guessed it- Nutella.

I also tried out a new recipe for macaroni and cheese to celebrate National Cheddar Day on that day.

Sunday the 7th of February some family members ate more Nutella. I told you it was a Nutella weekend. Nichole took some time to play Swan Lake music on her recorder to celebrate Ballet Day.

Science Fiction Day 2021

It's January 2. That means it's Science Fiction Day. The first one of 2021. Or... the only one of 2021?

Anyway, after our day of Jeremy and Nichole going birding, 

the boys and I dancing to ABBA music while we were supposed to be cleaning (we did some) and going for a walk/bike/scooter/stroller ride to try out Jr. and Jr. Jr.'s new helmets (and because the weather was decent today), 

we ate nachos again and then watched the movie, Artemis Fowl, since it can be considered science fiction. We also ate cookies in a tin we were given for Christmas.

 

Here is what Jet has to say about the day:

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P.S. We didn't blog about this yesterday but besides toasting the New Year and nachos, we got to watch Ballet West's The Nutcracker on KSL-TV. 

Nichole and I have fond memories of going to watch the Nutcracker ballet together a couple of years in a row (not Ballet West but another Utah ballet company). We brought her ballet bear with us each time and so Nichole made sure to have that bear while we watched the movie on TV. It was nice to watch it with the family. Some day it would be nice to go to the actual theatre again to watch the ballet live. It's so awesome.

Light The World

Light the World is being done a little bit differently this year.  It's being done on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis.  That's good for us because last year we weren't able to do very much of it at all like we were in 2016.  This year may be more manageable with how crazy our life feels right now.
You can learn more at mormon.org but here are the weekly ideas for serving like Jesus this holiday season.
Week 1- Light the World
Week 2- Light your community
Week 3- Light your family
Week 4- Light your faith

It all started on December 1 with another Worldwide Day of Service.  Jr. has been learning to make holiday balloon animals lately.  He made a bunch that we as a family took to an assisted living facility that evening.  We handed them out to the residents and spent some time visiting with them and singing Christmas carols to them.  Lucky danced around as we sang which was quite entertaining.  Since we forgot juggling equipment with us, they sacrificed some oranges so Nichole, Jeremy, and I were able to show them some juggling.  It was a nice visit.

December 1 is also Eat a Red Apple Day so when we got home we cut up a red apple to snack on.  Yumm.

Earlier that day as a family we went to the Orem Library to watch an abbreviated performance of The Nutcracker Ballet.  Nichole and I had gone to watch The Nutcracker a couple years in a row back in 2015 and 2016.  It was nice to have a little bit of that again this year (and to share it with the rest of the family).

December 2 was National Fritters Day so I tried my hand at making baked apple fritters.  They turned out and were yummy.

We went to dinner at our friends' house and watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  Lovely time with friends.  When we got home, Jr. and Lucky made snow angels on the way into the house.  Cute kids.

Unfortunately that day we went back to our old tradition of someone missing church on the day of the Christmas Devotional.  Jr. Jr. wasn't feeling well that morning so he and I stayed home while the others went.  He felt better later so I wondered if maybe he was just hungry and that made him feel bad.

Today, Jeremy, Lucky, and I went up to Pleasant Grove to build an igloo for a Young Women's activity for our old ward.  We all helped out with the igloo.

 
It's also the time of year we've started our Christmas advent- Countdown to Christmas scripture study with M&M's. 

Here we go, December.

Ouch

This evening, I slipped on a box of pop cans in the kitchen.  Ouch.  Lucky saw that I was sad and brought me a blanket to put on me while I was lying on the floor.  Later, while I was sitting on the couch, he came up to me, gave me a hug, and said, "I'm sorry you slipped on the pop cans."  Way to LIGHTtheWORLD, little guy.  Jeremy offered to help me up while I was on the floor.  I said, "I can get up."  He told me, "Jesus helped people walk and so can you."  The theme for LIGHTtheWORLD for today.  He's so cute.  I almost told Jeremy to take a picture of me on the floor to put on my blog then decided not to.  You get this picture, though.

Earlier in the day, Nichole and I went to see the Nutcracker ballet like we did last year.  Great bonding time again.  We took Nichole's ballet bear again. 
Wow.  Ballet is amazing.  It is so amazing seeing the strength and technique of those dancers.
On our way to the ballet, Nichole and I talked about what things could be done in service to go along with the theme.  She told me that there is a girl at school who is using crutches because she broke her toe doing gymnastics.  If she was at school, she could help her out.  I told her that when she gets back to school she could do just that.  Sometimes it's good to think about things that you can do for others, even when the opportunity isn't right in front of you.
I also encouraged Nichole to work on her ballet exercises her teacher assigned them to practice.  The dancers in the Nutcracker work very hard at what they do.  You can tell they practice a lot.  Amazing.

Making the World a Beautiful Place

This is Amy.  We've known her for years.  She is one of our favorite librarians at the Orem Library.  She is friendly and helpful, she definitely knows her children's books, she is very creative, and she's a puppeteer.  Every Summer for the Summer Reading Program kickoff, she and another librarian, Mark, put on a puppet show for the kids.  When Lucky was little, it was the only thing that would keep his attention during the event.  Our kids love puppet shows.  Amy and Mark even wrote a book about puppets called Dressing the Naked Hand.  We, of course, own that book.
Today Amy helped us to LIGHTtheWORLD.  December 3- "Jesus helped others to see and so can you."
Years ago, Amy asked Nichole what she was interested in.  Nichole told her ballerinas.  That was the first we had heard of it.  Without hesitating, Amy led Nichole right over to the Angelina Ballerina books and gave her her first experience with them.
Now Nichole is a little old for the Angelina Ballerina books, but after we found out she was interested in ballet all those years ago, we had the opportunity to put her in a dance class.  She is now on her fourth year of ballet.  We go to her dance performances and it is amazing the beauty we can see watching dance.  I've had some amazing experiences feeling the Spirit while watching dance, experiences I wouldn't have had if these things hadn't happened, if I hadn't known Nichole was interested in dance if she hadn't mentioned it to Amy.  Nichole and I went to watch The Nutcracker last December.  Good bonding time.  Ballet is beautiful to watch.
This evening we went to a Nutcracker Gala at the Orem Library.  The Academy of Ballet was showing selections from the Nutcracker then they handed out candy canes for the kids.

While we were there, I wrote a letter to Amy thanking her for what she did for our family.  Because of that simple act of helping a little girl find some new books, we've been able to see things that we wouldn't have thought to see.
I'm glad Amy was there and was able to get my note.  She was also grateful for it.

There is beauty to be seen around this world and what a blessing when people help us see it.

More Adventures

Tis the season... to be so busy and so tired and so overwhelmed and so not in the mood to blog.  But I'm going to blog now.  Here you go.
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to do something Jeremy and I have been talking about for years.  I took Nichole to a ballet.  We went to see The Nutcracker.  It was put on by the Utah Regional Ballet.  It was so great.  We loved it and it was so worth it.  I hadn't been to see a ballet since I was a teenager and Nichole had never been to one.  She's in her third year of ballet classes this year so it was fun to talk with her during intermission about things she was familiar with.
Jeremy and I surprised her with tickets... or rather her ballet bear and her nutcracker surprised her with tickets.

Because of the book, "The Bear Who Went to the Ballet" which Nichole got when she was 5 years old, we brought along her own ballet bear.  The ballet bear in the book got to go to the ballet with the little girl so we wanted to do that, too.

On our way home, Nichole let me know it was a good day.  I agree.

On Monday, we had our annual Polar Express Party.  Jeremy opened "the first gift of Christmas."  It was a new pocket watch to go with his conductor's uniform, but this pocket watch has a train on it.  He was very happy with it.

This year Jeremy set up our long table in the living room for us to sit at while listening to him read the Polar Express.  Nichole blew a whistle at appropriate times (and not appropriate times) and Jr. chimed in with bells at appropriate times (only appropriate times). 

Jeremy also set up Christmas lights along the table for a little added fun and of course we drank hot chocolate while watching the movie.  It's become tradition to get special gourmet flavors of hot cocoa to go with our Polar Express party.  This year the flavors were toasted coconut and chocolate mint truffle.  We also put whipped cream/topping on top and drizzled it with caramel sauce.  Yumm.

Last night, Jeremy stayed up all night to build our balloon Christmas tree.  I slept on the couch while he built it, but he woke me up very early in the morning to show me what it looked like.  This year he put real Christmas lights on it.  I miss real Christmas lights on a Christmas tree.  The tree was beautiful.

I'm excited to see it Christmas morning with all the presents around it.

So, that's a little update on some of our recent adventures.  Now I'm going to bed because there's still so much to do tomorrow.  I still have some presents to wrap and have to make food for our big Christmas Eve dinner.  I hope we don't forget to put out milk and cookies for Santa (I don't often remember), but Jeremy bought cookies this year for it since we knew we wouldn't have time to make cookies.  Have I mentioned we've been busy?   

A Couple Celebrations to Blog About

Today, April 29, is International Dance Day.
Here's a picture of my beautiful ballerina.

She had her last dance class of the season yesterday so we got to go watch her and her class dance.  She's really grown a lot this year as a dancer.  Her teacher says she should really continue ballet.  She's got the talent for it.  I love it.  It's fun to see her and say, "She's actually doing ballet." 

Yesterday, April 28, was also Terry Pratchett's Birthday.  We turned on the movie, Going Postal, and I fell asleep on the couch.  I've been tired lately.  It doesn't help that I'm up this late writing a blog post.  Silly me.  I should go to bed.
Good Night.

Ballet Day 2015

A few years ago, I was mentioning to a friend about how we celebrate holidays and that Ballet Day was coming up on February 7.  She told me about a dessert named after a famous ballerina, Pavlova.  Now that's cool.
It just so happens that in the September 2013 The Friend magazine, there is an article about a girl from Australia and one of her favorite treats is Pavlova.  And there is a recipe for it.  Woo-hoo.  So... I made Pavlova for Ballet Day this year. 

(Notice Nichole's ballet pose as she holds her piece)

I bought strawberries for it earlier in the week, but a friend of mine told me that her Australian and New Zealand friends insist that you have kiwi fruit with it so I picked up some kiwi fruit later on in the week.  Yumm.

And I forgot the whipped topping until it was in the oven, so Jeremy picked some up on his way home.  Thank you, Jeremy.

I let everyone decide how they wanted theirs topped: just whipped cream, whipped cream and one piece of strawberry.  I was the only one that wanted whipped cream, multiple strawberries, and multiple pieces of kiwi fruit.
Jr. offered to put the fruit on top of my piece.  How sweet.  I had to do something in the other room and I came back in to find this:

(I hope you don't mind the two different angles.  One is a better angle for a picture but the other shows better how much fruit there was.)

It's a good thing I like strawberry and kiwi fruit.

Since we don't have the DVD for Nichole's dance show this year yet, we watched some of last year's show.  She was doing ballet last year, too.  It was very appropriate to watch for the holiday.