A Prom Like No Other!

This is where it began....the Jr. Prom 2009...in the "new addition." The contractor was so sweet to clean up the room so we could take prom pictures;) Now that is a great contractor! Anyway, this was PreShie's first big dance at school, at 14, you can attend all dances. So The Boy graciously invited his sister and cousins to be his dates at the prom.

They all looked so cute! Their dress were beautiful! PreShie had her hair done by the same lady who did her hair 11 years ago when she was crowned queen of her preschool. That is a big thing in this part of the world;) It was fun to hear this lady tell PreShie how fun it has been to watch her grow up. That was a moment I was grateful I have lived in a small town.


The Boy has been terribly sick this past week with a concusion as well as a very bad cold. But, he made it through the night. He took the beautiful girls to dinner and then took them to the dance.

This is a blurry view of our temple from the campus of the JSA, the high school that The Darling atttend. This prom night was extra special....we were also celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the temple being built here. Ten sessions were scheduled in a 24 hour period. Our ward was scheduled a midnight of prom night. So at 11:30 The Boy and the Beauties headed up the hill to participate in baptisms. The Farmer and I also attended and enjoyed spending time with our children in the temple.

It was a cold and windy night...but one that I am sure that will not

soon be forgotten. It was an extraordinary night!

Another beautiful picture of our temple, with the campus of the high

school at the base of the hill.

Seeking Balance....

BETWEEN....

and...

*high school games...city league...church tournament

and

don't forget 'THE CHAIR"

it waits for me..;)

and....THE DARLINGS

and certainly.....The Farmer....

The construction project...

The Farmer says that this project is a bit like the Griswalds....

"fun for about a week, and then...not so much."

(p.s. I love it!)

And then...last but not least...

why are we so dependent on food....for heaven's sake!

Be Inspired

I learned to love her through her first book...Selected Writings...but this
book is even more amazing! I highly recommend it.

Construction Update #3

It is really getting fun now! The whole process has really been alot of fun,

but we are enjoying the details now. Hummmm.....the paint.....

still not sure how that is going to go.

The fireplace is amazing! We love it!


The molding is beautiful.

And The Rooster....is having the time of his life! He said to The Farmer the other day

"Dad, you are never going to be able to move out of this house you know." The Farmer

said, "Why is that Rooster?" The Rooster said "Because your Boy helped build it."

And he really has enjoyed the process. He eats his lunch quickly so he can

"work" with the crew. He even keeps a measuring tape attached to his pants

....just in case.

Monkee Bread...Oh, Yum!

Oh....I had forgotten...How good Monkee Bread is.....

Monkee Bread

4 cans of refirgerator biscuits

(or any bread dough works)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

pecans, chopped (as many as you like)

1 c. white sugar

2 t. cinnamon

melt butter and brown sugar together. mix white sugar and cinnamon together in

a ziploc bag. cut biscuts into fourths and coat with white sugar mixture

(shake in bag). layer half of the coated biscuits in a greased bundt pan, with lots of

pecans sprinkled on top, then pour over half of the butter brown sugar mixture.

repeat with remaining biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes.

remove from oven when golden brown and turn

out onto a large plate.

Enjoy!

Keep Calm.....

A Must???? I think so!

Especially this one!

A Little Bit Of Love....

The Darlings, wonderful church leaders, hosted a fancy sit down dinner for all the youth last Friday evening. The Boy was the date for all of the beautiful young ladies pictured above, also known as his cousins. Oh, and his sister.

They all looked so darling, dressed in their Sunday best. The Young Men had

flowers for each of the Young Women and they all enjoyed a wonderful dinner

served by their church leaders.


I love this picture! Only a look, a sister can have;)

The Boy and PreShie.

Sweet friends, and all cousins at the same time.

After the dinner, they all attended a dance hosted by the high school.

An evening of great fun!

Construction Update #2

It's coming along!

Homemade Red Chile Sauce - Chile Colorado

Homemade Red Chile Sauce....YUM! After you try this...you won't go back to the can. You can

make a big batch and either freeze it or bottle it. Red chile sauce can be used for many things like enchiladas, chile colorado, tortilla soup...or whatever you like!

First....take the dired red chile, I used around 2 lbs. for this particular batch, clean the chile

by removing the stems and seeds. Rinse with water to get any dirt off, and then place in a large

stock pot. Cover with hot water and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Some like to let it sit over night

but it is not necessary.

This is what it will look like. The chile becomes soft.

Remove chile from water, be sure to save the water, you will need it.

Place chile in a blender, with 1 clove of garlic, 1 t. salt and 1 t. sugar. Blend until desired consistency is reached, adding the reserved chile water as you blend.

I ususally fill the blender about 1/2 full with chile. Remember that it is hot.

This is what you will end up with. Pour into a strainer to separate out the skin and seed.

You will need to scrape, pushing through the chile sauce.

This is what you will be left with. It should look dry.

And there you have it! Homemade Red Chile Sauce.

Enjoy!

Be Inspired

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out on the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man,

but lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees,

The further the sky, the greater the length

The more the storm, the more the strength,

By sun and cold, by rain and snow

In trees and men good timber grows.

Where thickest lies the forest gorwth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars,

Whose broken branches show the scars.

Of many winds and much of strife,

This is the common law of life.

*The literal winds have started in our area. Something that we endure every year.

It made me think of this great poem that my mission president taught us during my mission.

It is a poem that J. Willard taught his sons, the founders of Marriott Hotels.

I Love It...But...I Hate It Too....

Ahhhhhhhhh....................dried red chile.

My favorite is red enchiladas...mild please..I am a chile wimp!

There is nothing better than homemade red sauce. BUT.....

We are making a product right now that involves HOT dried red chile and I spent the day

coughing, sneezing, my skin burning, eyes burning, well you get the point. The Boy came to see

his Mother yesterday while she was working, and he stayed for all of 5 minutes. He said "I can't stand it here!" He too was doing all of the above. So he left me to suffer alone;)

After a long day.....with HOT chile, the BORDER, the FDA and a patient customer, I returned home. On my kitchen counter sat two bags of dried red chile....MILD....and I thought it

would be a great thing to start some enchilada sauce that I have been wanting to bottle.

And so, I removed the stems and seeds of the dried pods, and put them in a large pan ready to soak. Just then The Farmer decided that going out to dinner was a great idea.

So I washed my hands and we left. While at dinner, my eye began to itch...and I scratched it

do you see where I am going with this? Guess I had a little chile oil on my fingers....which...take a note here...is not removed with soap and water.

I KNOW THIS VERY WELL!!!

But I thought...since it was mild it wouldn't be so painful....wrong!

I went to bed with my nose burning, my eyes watering, my lips burning and I guess during the night, my eye itched again and while asleep I scratched, and yes, the burning in my eye caused me to wake up.

Today, I hate chile....most days I do not.

Here is a crash course on Dried Red Chile...

This is sun dried red chile. It starts as green chile and left on the plant, will become

red and very yummy. Some feel that sun dried is the way to go, when dehydrated, the flavor can change.
It is usually picked while it is still "wet" meaning that it is not crunchy, there
is still a bit of moisture in the chile.


This not an unusual site during red chile season. Chile drying on the roof
of a business or on the roof of a home.

Chile Ristras.....a very common site in New Mexico during red chile season.
Coming next....How to make homemade red chile sauce
(aka enchilada sauce, chile colorado)

What Were We Thinking????

It seemed like a great idea at the time.....

The Rooster had a dream, he got a job (pumpkins), The Darlings were so excited to work

together toward a mutual goal. They had pictures of the dream (above) posted in

their rooms, they scoured the internet for "a great deal. All good...right?

You would think so. Well, it was found, it was purchased and then there was

the small detail of the "BORDER" and after several attempts, Uncle Penguin

was able to get it home. I'm afraid we will owe him.....FOREVER.....

Anyway....this is where we are now,


THE CHART.....The Darlings are having a hard time taking turns. I know, suprising.

So The Farmer, in all of his wisdom, came up with THE CHART. And it is posted on

the fridge. They check it everyday, sometimes multiple times to see whose turn it

will be that day. The Farmer loves a chart;)

It seems to be working at the moment, unless, out of turn, someone touches the

Rhino, And then we are back to square one!

I rode with The Boy (when it was his turn) to feed the horses. I am always amazed

at how those horses love him, and how much he loves them. He has a little whistle, and

they come. Those horses are alot of work,

but work.....he loves!

Called To Serve

In Honor of our Auntie Beth....who arrived in the mission field this week.
She called...we laughed...we cried...we talked about all that is to come.
We love her and are so proud of her willingness to serve.

Ebelskivers

EBELSKIVERS

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 T. sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 c. milk

4 T. butter, melted

(plus more for cooking)

filling of your choice, such as;

jam

chunky applesauce

pudding;)

peanut butter

sausage

any fruit

*basically anything you would like

in a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg yolks, then add in the milk and the melted butter. Mix yolks into dry mixture, stir until combined.

In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Fold into batter, gently. Put a little butter (doesn't need too much) into the well of the ebelskiver pan, then add 1 T. of batter, add 1 t. of filling on the top of the batter, then top with 1 T. of batter. To turn use skewers. Cook until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve while hot...that is when they are the best.

The Darlings enjoyed dipping them in syrup.

YUM!!

A Small Piece Of Perfection....Really!

This seems to be the theme here for recipes lately....pretty yummy....and not so good for you....SORRY! But I am so not kidding you, these are amazing! EBELSKIVERS......
or lovingly called "EVIL-SKINNERS" by my beloved Farmer. (my maiden name is Skinner by the way.) Whatever the name, they are great. Stay tuned...I will post the recipe tomorrow...I am traveling at the moment and don't have it with me, but trust me...
YOU WILL WANT IT!!

Construction Update...

Yes...those are paw prints...in the fresh cement.