Rejoice and Be Glad

Psalms 118:24 - This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 - And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

"Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it." - President Uchtdorf

I am truly grateful for so many things...yet sometimes I don't appreciate the little things that each day brings.

Today I a grateful for the unique personalities of my little pumpkins.

Seseme Street Halloween

Sunny Day

Cavities are on their way

So excited to go Trick or Treat

 

 

 

Can you tell me how to get,

How to get to Seseme Street

 

Ghost pancakes started off our day

Halloween was A-OK

Friendly Neighbors there

As we Trick or Treat

 

 

Can you tell me how to get,

How to get to Seseme Street

 

Happy Halloween!

 

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love Chinese food...especially the sweet and sour chicken with rice. This recipe tastes just like it - but it is baked, not deep fried. Yay! It is so good...you need to try this one!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil

 Sauce:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse chicken in water, pat dry and cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Coat chicken with cornstarch, then dip into the eggs. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place chicken in 9x13 greased pan. Mix all of the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Why I LOVE Dessert

When you're stressed

you eat ice cream, chocolate and sweets.

You know why?

Because "stressed" spelled backwards

is "desserts".

 

Crazy Good

AAHHHHHHH! Life is CrAzY with 5 kids! Some days I wonder if I will even have time to breathe....but life is good, in fact it is great! Here are some of our newest triumphs:

Kaylee and Aaron have started school and they come home excited about the things that they are doing in their classes...Hooray for great teachers!

 Nathan has started preschool twice a week...Hooray for a much needed break for both of us.

Megan is sleeping through the night...Hooray for sleep!

 And she keeps getting cuter and chubbier by the second...Hooray for kissy cheeks.

Travis keeps me running with a few cuddles in between...Hooray for more energy to keep up with him!

Hooray for a crazy good life!

Family Summer Rec

This has been a pretty laid-back summer because of a new baby. We didn't want to plan a big vacation and getting out is pretty hard. Eric had a brilliant idea to spice up our boring summer. We created a Family Summer Rec. We sat down together as a family and decided on 12 activities that we want to do together as a family. Then every Tuesday we have done one of those activities. Most of them are things that are free or very inexpensive. Here are the things we have done:

• We made Family Summer Rec T-shirts to wear every Tuesday
• Bike ride
• Made an obstacle coarse
• Frisbee golf
• Kid wash
• Football ice cream
• A compass treasure hunt
• Wii game night (we rented a new game)
• Family service project
• Splash Pad and Park
• Family Soccer game
• Geocaching
• A final celebration/ goodbye to Summer party

It has been so fun to have something different to look forward to every Tuesday. I found that even on the days that I wasn't excited about the activity I still had a great time! I think that we will make this a yearly tradition.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I tried these last night and it was a keeper...definitely one that I will make again!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

• 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup salsa 
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup grated pepperjack or mexican blend cheese
• 10 flour tortillas

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Combine everything except for the chicken and grated cheese. Once mixed well, add the chicken and cheese and combine well. Place about 1/4 cup chicken mixture on the lower third of the tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray tops of taquitos with cooking spray so that they get more crispy. Bake 15 minutes at 425 or until crispy and golden brown.

Dip taquitos in salsa, sour cream, ranch dressing, guacamole, or whatever your heart desires.

Enjoy!