February....

I think that was the fastest January on record. Well it has been a crazy month with kids. We had parent teacher conferences and basketball games, along with lots of cub scout training and other activities. But hey on to the next month.... This month will include more church basketball games and Blue and Gold banquet and Grant's birthday.

When it came to the parent/teacher conferences all the kids did wonderful. Mathew got all A's and so did Ella. They are also on the top of the class when it comes to reading. Grant made the Honor Roll with a G.P.A of 3.5-3.7%. I still wonder how since the kid never has homework. But I am so proud of all my children they are doing so well in school. Especially Mathew and Ella they have made a wonderful transition when it comes to taking responsibility for being on time and having there stuff together before school starts.

Anna and Caroline are doing great also. Anna is loving preschool and is learning how to write her name. She loves to go to school and see all her friends. Caroline is doing great. She has started going to nursery. She loves it and doesn't cry when we leave her there. Forrest and I are excited that she is growing up and enjoying every part of life. I told him that since she has started to like people again we just might be able to start going to the gym now. Before she would scream and not want to play with any kids. SO we will see how that goes in the next few weeks.

I am starting my next semester of school. I got all B's in my classes, so I am hoping to continue with similar grades which will be good for my g.p.a.! Forrest is working on his Chinese class and really enjoys it. So right now the kids are wanting us to teach them some sign language and Chinese. Forrest showed the kids how to say "Who farted?" in Chinese because I was tried of them saying it in English. Boy, it is sure annoying....

Well got hit the mountain of laundry that has over taken my laundry room!
See ya around,
Jodi

Peanut Butter any one！

Miss C loves peanut butter.....So someone left it out and she helped herself!

Pickles

40 lbs of pickling cucumbers

Cut them up in slices

Make the pickling sauce

More pickles and Jars!

Here is me making pickles with Forrest.

This is how we spend our Saturday!

We got a deal on pickling cucumbers. It was 40 lbs of pickles for 17.50 so we bought them. We spent our Saturday canning and making pickles. We tried some this morning and they are fantastic. We are really excited to start our garden soon. We are very confident that we will be able to stock up our food supply this year with canned veggies! Our next canning adventure will be bottling meat. My sister-in-law said it is very simple if you have all the right appliance to help. I will keep you posted on that new experiment.

Happenings....

I haven't posted in quite a while. We all got the 24 hour tummy bugs and it lasted 1 1/2 weeks so I am still trying to find my house after that. I was going to start school next week but rescheduled it for 2/01/10. That is the glorious part of on-line school at Rio Salado College.

I am just in the maintenance mode of everything right now. I am still making things homemade but just doing it one thing a day. It seems to be keeping up with all the eaters at my house. We have done some re-arranging or also known as" re-deranging"if you ask Annie. what it is called!

We ended up moving our computer into our bedroom. Since that was the only place that was quiet in the whole house. Forrest is finishing up his Chinese classes so by the summer he will have his bachelor's degree. Hurray! Me on the other hand....it will be a while. But at least the college students will have a quiet place to work and study.

Other than that nothing else is happening around here. Today Mathew got a reading award for being able to read 90 words in a minute. So he is on cloud 9 since he got the award. Today and until Saturday there is rain in the forecast. I feel bad for the dog. She is so freaked out because of water....she won't even pee in the rain. So I just pray that there will be small breaks so she doesn't have to hold it in pain. That and I don't want to clean up a mess.
That's all for now...Hope you all have a great weekend! I will post more on Monday. Forrest and I order 38lbs of pickling cucumbers so we are making pickles this weekend. We will see how it goes!

Jodi

Goings on at my house....

Today is payday so I had a list a mile long of errand to run...But someone decided to throw up last night and I got to stay up with her and sleep on the sofa. So I am laying low at the house today.

But I discovered that if you belong to Sam's Club they have a feature known as "Click and Pull" for there customers. What this is is you can do all your shopping including Grocery shopping on line. Once you put in your order for pick up they will have it all pulled for you & have it waiting in a cart. Then all you have to do is pay for it and take it home. So yesterday I did all my shopping for two weeks and it is altogether and just waiting at the store for me to pick it up and pay for it. This means now I don't have to drag all my kids to the store. I do it all from home! I loved Sam's Club before but know....I am totally in love with the store.

When it comes to the recipes...I didn't like the Cowboy Beans. It tasted like a watered down chili. So we are not doing that again. Last night I made Chicken Pot Pie and the family loved it. We had a spinach salad and homemade bread to go with it.

I have spent most of the week cooking for the family. I have made yogurt and granola this week along w/ 6 loaves of bread and 1 batch of cornbread & 2 batches of brownies. So I told Forrest tonight he is taking me out...Logan's Roadhouse here we come. The kids get Pizza tonight from Pizza Hut. They have a great deal going right now any size any topping for 10 bucks. Can't beat that. Well I have lots to do today I've gotta go....Jodi

Exercise Baby....

A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine was nice enough to think of me and give me all of her Jillian Micheal's video. So I wanted to look at them before I started the program to know what I need to get out of my exercise accessory archive in my closet. When we ever watching the videos the girls started to exercise....These photos are the result of it. Just thought I would share I thought they were totally adorable especially how Caroline is trying to keep up w/ the older girls!

Cowboy Beans!

Last night dinner was a hit even with the picky eater. You see he hates Mexican food! But he really like the red sauce that I made. The additions I made to the sauce was Fresh cilantro and 1 can of tomato paste and 2 chicken bouillon cubes. Then when the sauce has been cooking for a few hours I took an emulsion blender and made it into one smooth sauce. You can also achieve this by putting it in the blender(be careful so you don't burn yourself).

Tonight is Cowboy Beans and Mexican Corn Bread:

Cowboy Beans--Serves 8-10
The Ingredients:
1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey (optional)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins, made in the USA is gluten free)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 (10-ounce) can Rotel, or traditional chopped tomatoes, your choice
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
7 cups water
sliced jalapenos, optional

The Directions:

Sort pinto beans, and soak overnight in lots of fresh water. If you live in a climate where the house gets terribly hot overnight, put the beans in the refrigerator to soak to keep icky bacteria from accumulating.In the morning, drain your beans, and pick out any that have split open, or look discolored and shrively.Pour into a 6 quart slow cooker. Brown hamburger and onion on the stove, and drain fat. While the meat is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients into your slow cooker. Start with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar. Add the meat, and top with 7 cups of fresh water. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for about 6. If you'd like your beans to have more of a tang, add some more Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar. Top with sliced jalapenos, if desired.

So we will see if the troops like this one. Stay tuned for the verdict on this one!