Cracked Black Pepper Beef Sandwiches with Juice

I am constantly on the quest of discovering new and simple meals. As a very busy mother of three small boys and the wife of a very hungry husband, I have to be able to create delicious meals with everyday ingredients. One of the important things for new cooks is to be able to create a dish that is not overwhelming and yet still delectable down to the last bite.

My college roommate, Joy, had to have been the worst cook I have ever known when we were younger. Now she can cook today and can make a mighty scrumptious meal, but when we lived together in the dorms at Ricks College in Idaho she didn't know how to make spaghetti, much less condensed soup in a can. I remember Joy being able to make three things: ramen noodles, mac and cheese from a box, and toast. She was not made out for the cooking dorms to say the least.

Thank goodness Joy is in Spain right now or she might have flown all the way from Nevada to kick my hiney. Just keepin' it real. Keep reading...

Dizzy with Deliciousness

Wednesday was absolutely divine.

To try to make myself feel more welcome at church, I've decided to put myself "out there" for say and get involved in as many activities and groups as I feel comfortable. I've decided to just be myself and if people like it, then great. If they don't like me, then I've either got to reassess my approach or move on.

One of the activities that I have decided to try--at least for now--is a playgroup and potluck held twice a month in a hostess' home. Honestly, I feel intimidated by other mommies and so this is huge step for me to take. Today's theme was brunch and so I decided to bring along my Creamy Watermelon Pie. My husband tried to make it this time, and although it tasted just as great as how I make it, it did look a little different. Oh well. It's not what is on the outside that matters as much as what is on the inside.

Just like this delicious made-from-scratch cornbread. It didn't matter that it looked like cake as much as it mattered what it tasted like in my mouth. Perfectly sweet and flavorful.

(That baby back there is pretty sweet too. I especially liked it when he dumped his toys in the toilet for the first time while I was there. I just had to smile and laugh a little, because I know this won't be his last time to play in the toilet. I think I am a bad luck charm for kids being mischievous.)

This though. This! Oh my goodness. Lord have mercy!

This.

This was the most delicious, delectably divine dish I have ever laid eyes upon or bathed my tastebuds in! This French Toast concoction was so divine with its butter syrup topping that it had me dizzy with deliciousness. So dizzy in fact that I forgot the name of it. Heck, I didn't even scribble the name of the dish down when I copied the recipe.

Creamy Watermelon Pie. Sweet cornbread. French Toast concoction of some sort. I was on a sugar high all afternoon. Then sometime around five I crashed. That is what you do when you're dizzy, right?

I've never been that intoxicated on sugar in my life. At least that's what I'd like to believe.

Lessons at the Lake

We went to the lake Tuesday afternoon as a family since my husband has the night shift this week. I guess I shouldn't have complained about him being gone at night, because at least we get to do some extra things together during the day before he goes to bed in the afternoon. It is rather easy having him gone at night as I sleep through it all while he prepares fields for tournaments. It is almost like there isn't a difference...well except my husband begged me to stop at Big Lots in Lewisville so he could store up on energy drinks.

He bought twenty-four cans of energy drink. This is a lot for the man that tells me to quit drinking my caffeine.

Hmmphf.

Grapevine Lake was absolutely spectacular! The water was just the right temperature for me, the kids and Lily. Even my husband jumped in and played a little. I was really surprised that Lily enjoyed the water as she hates taking a bath. However, there she was jumping in and dog paddling to me and my husband. She totally looked like a wet tailless rat.

Enough making fun of Lily though...my husband put her to work after she decided to dry off on all the clean towels and the picnic blanket. Lily in the end taught us some lessons for some good family fun:

The only thing that would have made the day better would have been tubing on the lake. The last time I went tubing was on Joe's Valley Reservoir in central Utah. Oh what fun it was to ride until I fell off! Well, at least it was better than these guys who had to be towed by another boat.

I'll just keep counting my blessings.

Wishful Thoughts from a Heat Exhausted Texan

As I ran errands around town Monday--namely I got my hair cut and styled and I picked up my middle child's eyeglasses from the optometrist--I fancied about going on another vacation. Honestly, I think all this gosh-forsaken heat is getting the best of me and making me want to actually move back to Wyoming. Okay, maybe not Wyoming, but at least a nice, cool vacation spot such as the Colorado Rockies or the Northwest coast.

Just put a fork in me already. I am done.

All my daydreaming got me thinking about our vacation out west earlier this summer. It got me thinking of that Beaver Creek campground in Arizona where our tent got sprayed by a skunk in the middle of the night. Then how we actually got up early the next morning and hauled our butts back south to Montezuma's Castle just as they opened so we could see the cliff dwellings and the kids could chase lizards and annoy folks.

The cliff dwellings were fascinating!

We read each of the educational plaques that lines the pathway and we learned about the Sinagua Culture as it is known. I thanked God I have a Nutrimill and don't have to use this to grind my wheat or corn.

Wait a minute! Maybe I need to go back and see if they'll loan me one, because it seems my kids tried to grind a sheetrock screw a week ago in my Nutrimill and broke the darned thing. You should have seen me screaming and the sparks flying!

After we left Montezuma's Castle, we then drove north through Flagstaff (where we discovered our brakes were starting to grind) and then to Lees Ferry where we stopped and took lots of photographs.

Just so you know.

The boys...all four of them. It is a good thing I am not in this photograph, because I was all sweaty and greasy and stuff and that would have embarrassed you and me both. Just thank me later.

The last leg of our trip through northern Arizona took us through a National Forest where we stopped and rested and hiked through the forest with the kids. The cool air we felt was a welcome change from the heat of the last several days. I felt so appreciative for this spot that I even left the permanent port-o-potty with a roll of toilet paper--since they were out and all. Y'all can thank me later on that one too.

Finally, after driving what seemed like forever, we made it to Utah as we passed through the border town of Kanab. I wanted to go through Colorado City and Hildale and see how a Fundie settlement looks, but my husband said I wasn't allowed to go anyplace where my big mouth might cause me to get put into jail or worse shot. Oh well, it was probably better that way.

As we passed Kanab, we stopped at the roadside attraction, Moqui Cave. The cave itself was interesting, a former hideout and saloon turned modern artifact museum, but the best part for me were the souvenirs available to purchase. I know I am Mormon and I am not supposed to find it funny, but I can't help cracking up when I go to Utah and see copies of the Book of Mormon for sale as souvenirs. I really wonder if non-LDS tourists actually purchase them.

It must have been bad luck to laugh though as that night we were destined to sleep on a mystery mountain in the freezing wind and cold rain somewhere north of Panguitch. What can I say? I grew up in Texas and Utah is a whole 'nother culture to me. Y'all would probably think the same thing about Texas.

Please forgive me. I think the heat's got to me now.

Lessons in Spirituality...Sort of. Okay, Not Really.

This last week has been extremely hard for me as my husband has had to work a lot more overtime than what we are used to. To top the overtime off, he has been busy doing lawn care for folks in our community as well so I've only seen him for one or two hours each night before we've gone to bed. Add to that the daily frustrations of raising three uncivilized boys, and understandably yesterday I was about ready to pull my hair out at the fireworks show. Although I must say it was quite hilarious to me when my boys screamed once the fireworks starting shooting in the air. I couldn't help laugh.

VIP seating is the best.

Today was my third Sunday attending church after being inactive for over a year. Last week I felt awkward attending Sunday School because I didn't know anyone, and so after about twenty minutes of listening to the lesson being given I made an excuse to my husband that I had to go to the bathroom. So, I quietly left and sat in the foyer. Today however, I decided to go to Gospel Principles (a different Sunday School class) after much encouragement from another member. I actually enjoyed this class as it was much smaller and the teacher is an excellent promoter of thought.

Promoter of thought...wait, this might not be good. Afterall, I have issues with my thought filter.

So, the lesson in Gospel Principles was on fasting. I am not entirely sure if the lesson given had anything to do the fact that it was indeed today Fast Sunday, but I forgot to eat breakfast this morning so I hope that counted. Probably not, especially since I had brought along my caffeine drink and was sneaking sips out of it in between classes.

The Gospel Principles teacher then asks: "Who really does everything we own belong to? Our money, our tithes, our vehicles, our homes, the air we breathe?"

I muttered sarcastically under my breath: "The bank," except I must not have been quiet enough because the teacher who was in the front of the room heard me all the way from the back. Well, at least they thought it was funny, because they all laughed. I hope.

After church, a member of the bishopric who I think has taken us under his wing complimented that our children were so well behaved during Sacrament meeting (worship services). I told him thank you and that it was a nice break from nearly pulling my hair out yesterday. The children then were let out from Primary and one by one my children greeted me with their smiling faces and sweet personalities. Finally, we had accomplished a reverent, peaceful, and spiritually uplifting day at church. I smiled at my four-year-old's teacher and then turned towards the back door to leave when suddenly the teacher declared:

"Your youngest pulled down his pants today and mooned his entire class."

Well crap. Maybe next time.

And now the same kid wants to know if we can make a cigarette house. You know, like a pretzel house. No. We don't smoke.