Food Glorious Food

I am thankful for tastebuds. Without them there would be no point to eating other than to keep yourself from starving to death. My dearest Danielle shared with me a yumilicious recipie for sweet pork that our ward also made for an activity. I didn't get to have any then as I was not able to attend. We made it for ourselves a couple of days ago. It was so much more yummy than I imagined it would be so I just had to share.

Sweet Pork

3.5 lb pork roast
1 bottle taco sauce (8 oz) ( I used enchilada sauce because it was what I had)
1 T Cumin
1 cup brown sugar
1 can coke (regular, not diet)

Cook pork all by itself in pot on low for 6 hours (She starts out with the pot on high and then turns to low. I used my crock pot on high for 7 hours) approximatly half of the roast should be covered with water. NOTE: About 3 hours before it is finished take out half of the water. Then add in all the above spices/liquids to finish cooking the meat. At the end of cook time shred the pork roast. It will be saucy but wonderful!


Roll the roast in tortillas with rice and black beans. We added sour cream and cheese - DELICIOUS!!!


I used canned black beans with onion and garlic added and plain white rice because I was in a hurry. These are the recipies Danielle suggested:

Lime Rice

In a saucepan saute`:
2 T butter
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced

In a large pot bring to a boil the following:
6 2/3 cup water
8 t chicken buillion
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped 2 t cumin
2 small ccans diced green chilies
1 T lime juice
1/2 t pepper
3 cups rice (approx)

After liquid starts to boil turn heat to low and cook about 25 min

Black beans

4 cups black beans
1 chopped onion
4 cloves garlic
8 cups water

Cook in crock pot on low 10 hours. Add salt and salsa when done.

Tomatio dressing
1 pkg Hidden Valley bettermilk ranch dressing mix
1 C buttermilk
1 C mayo
1-2 tomatillos
1/2 to 1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1/3 bunch ciliantro, chopped
1/2 t lime juice
1/2 to 1 small jalapeno, seed removed
(blend in food processor and add to buttermilk dressing)


ENJOY!!

My Battle Cry

Sometimes I just want to shout to the world, " This is what I believe and there's nothing wrong with it!!"

At our stake conference the second counselor put it in a way that I just love:

"True followers diligently seek to know His will not because of forced obedience or a check list of rights and wrongs but because they have found the truth, the peace and joy of living and applying gospel principles each day of their life. They have the knowledge that comes from prayer, fasting and temple attendance."

That's the truth, and there's nothing wrong with it. It's not me against you and I am not a brainwashed idiot. I have proven these things for myself and I stand by them not only because I know them but because my Father in Heaven knows I know them.

That being said I want to tell my friends how thankful I am for their willingness to take me as I am and be my friend dispite our differences. I am glad they know there is enough good in all of us to focus on, whether we have the same beliefs or not. I love sharing thoughts and ideas with you.

To my family I hope you know I'd beat the poop out of anyone I thought was trying to hurt you in any way. I'd sell my kidney for you. Eternity with all of you looks pretty great, even though I may need to get away from you every once in awhile! =P

I love you all. Thanks for making my life the joy that it is.

Once there was a way to get back homeward. . .

So there's this beautiful place in Idaho called Shoshone Falls.

It is nicknamed the Niagra Falls of the West.

It stands 50 feet taller than Niagra Falls.

This is what it looks like close to the time of year it has the most

water flow. Usually there is slightly more than this.

This is more like what it looked like when we got there.

Actually the picture makes it look like there is more water than there

was when we were there. But it was still beautiful.

Water is diverted for irrigation in the area so most of the

water was keeping fields of crops growing.

We hope to go back in April and see it in it's full glory.

Photos of the Girls

Before we left for school Laura took some photos of just the girls.

The theme was The Roaring 20's.

The girl's are the 20's I'm the 40's.

Thanks to Laura's magic camara, we all came out looking pretty good.

And we had fun doing it too.

For some reason I always think of Julia Child when I see this photo of me.

The hands REALLY give away the age. My father in law calls his wrinkles

'Grin Lines'. He always thanks my kids for giving them to him.

He says without them he wouldn't have smiled so much and wouldn't

be wrinkled so each wrinkle is a blessing.

I love that.

Mischievious Megan

When I see this picture of Danielle I sometimes wonder what maniacal plan

she has up her sleeve. She's too cute to do any thing wrong though, so

I guess it's all in the way you look at it!

Thanks Laura!!

You can find more of her work at Sugar Grenade Photography.

She's mahvelous!!

Road Trip!!!!

On the road again,

I just can't wait to get on the road again.

The life I love is making music with my friends

I just can't wait to get on the road again.

It's that time of year again. The start of another school year.

Off we go (or went) across the state of Washington and Idaho

to our children's semi permanant home at BYU-I.

Not for long though!! They both graduate in April. WOO HOO!!

It gets cold in the winter and the wind always seems to blow

but the skies are clear and the spirit on campus

is strong. Looking at the beauty around you

makes you appreciate what you have.

(Especially if it's green and growing like in Washington state!)

Even if it is soggy every once in awhile.

In some ways this is a year to celebrate. In other ways it's a little sad.

Stuart and Laura won't be there in person for guidance and to hang

out with. They have their own life to live. (on to Chiropractic College!)

Joshua, even though he was accepted at both BYU and BYU-I has decided to

finish up his Associate's Degree here at home. Not a bad idea.

We are grateful he is here with us but sad that this year marks the

end of several years of travel and schooling. It is a time of

change and exploration along with the celebration.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, it all changes again!

Life is never boring!

I'm grateful for our family!

To the Zoo!!!!

I LOVE THE ZOO!


It's a great way to spend the day with your family enjoying the sun, the laughter and most especially the companionship and love. It's fun to watch all the animals. You never know what they'll do next. We see something funny almost every time.

Although these are not all from the same visit, and one is actually a poster, they are all shots that make me smile. We have seen animals at several different zoos over the past year and I have begun to realize that some animals remind me a lot of humans.

For instance this giraffe could actually be a youth letting his or her parents know exactly what they think of that curfew time. Or maybe what they think of their homework. Or maybe it's that little trouble maker in Primay. It could even be Grandpa Jack playing around with the kids. (Check out the moustache.) And look at those eye lashes!!! Girls always seem to be jealous of boys because of their great lashes. I think giraffe's have them beat!!!



I have always loved this picture. It is so sweet and gentle. The little giraffe at our zoo is now big enough to notice people comeing by when they are in the feeding pen. It is fun to watch the playful antics of this little baby as he or she prances around, scampering back and forth.

It is the same with humans and that sweet tenderness between parents and children. As they learn to grow and walk and are so proud of their accomplishments mom and dad aren't too far away just in case they are needed.

I'm glad God created such beautiful creatures to gladden our hearts and bring us joy.

Woo Hoo! Play time!!! The two boys wrestling or dad rolling around with them. Or how about all the times the kids pull moms hair as babies because it's right there and it make a great handle. I can also envision all the moms and dads chasing their kids down the hall at church or in the chapel because the little ones think it's a great game. Or maybe they just want a little attention and we've been sitting still too long.

Patience. . . the word of the day.



THE END OF THE DAY!!

After a three hour block on Sunday, chasing the kids, who wouldn't be worn out? Or maybe this is part of the high priest group? (Tee Hee! Just kidding.) More than likely it is one of the young men in the back of the Sunday School class!!!

In reality I love my ward, my calling, my family, and I think it's fun to see how animal families can be a lot like ours.

Strange Habits

So I am trying to figure out why I like night better than day. Not really. I love wonderfully sunny days. Days like when I was a kid and you could lay out in the grass and look at the blue sky and smell the blackberries ripe on the vine. DAys where you didn't get much done, but that was ok because there were no deadlines and no one pushing you. But I liked staying up then too. (Actually, come to think of it I think my favorite days where when I could cuddle my babies and no one cared how long it took. Those days are long gone!)

It's past midnight. I have cuddled with my husband, come back to the living room and read my scriptures, hugged my youngest daughter, shared some conversation with my youngest son, and waited until my first daughter got back home from institute. Then I spent some time thinking about friends and their influence. Read some blogs and wrote this one.

As I sit here I can hear my son watching a movie as he goes to sleep and the ticking of the clock as time keeps moving on. I'm still not ready to go to bed. Maybe a little more searching on lds.org. So much information, so little time!!!

A Little Taste of Heaven!!!!

Last month Megan and Danielle came home from their monthly VT visit with the RS presidency bearing gifts. The best gifts in the world: COOKIES!!!

These cookies were the most delectable melt in your mouth heaveness that I have tasted in a long while, maybe even my whole life!!! Luckily Sister Gibson was kind enough to share the recipie. I hope she doesn't mind that I am sharing it here. Danielle was pretty insistant about it.

Here it is:

Ginger Snaps
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablesppons molasses
1 ½ - 2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp soda
1tsp Cinnamon

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min


*Sigh* I get all warm inside just thinking about them!!!

Thanks Jill!!

Interesting You Tube video

I just thought I would share this link to a cool video I saw at Deseret Book.com. It is on the Second Coming.

http://deseretbook.com/video/view/289

It has quotes from several well known leaders and was a perfect ending to a day of discussion in YW about this very subject. The spirit was strong and the attitude was hopeful.

I am grateful for the knowledge of the gospel that I have. Grateful to know that we lived before we came here and continue to live after this life. I am so grateful to have my family and to know that other family members wait for me, and can't wait to be reunited with them.

I am grateful for the power of the atonement, for the power of the Priesthood, and for the knowledge that I can be forgiven of my mistakes and try again until I work out my salvation and become as my Father in Heaven would have me be. I am grateful to know that God knows me for who I am and that I matter to Him, and that He loves all of His children, and they ALL matter to Him.

I look forward to the day when we will see Him again and live with Him and His son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us all that we may return to the presence of our Father and live with Him forever.

God grant me the ability to endure to the end, to "stand in holy places and be not moved."

GRADUATION!!!!

Since there has been such a gap in my blogging I thought I would fill in the blanks and let you know all the exciting activities the Adams family has had this year.

First, in April, Stuart graduated from BYUI. HURRAY!!!




We took several pictures, including some that Laura's friend took of our family jumping for joy, but they are not on my computer so the above picture will have to suffice. Think, Laura, Stuart, Megan, Danielle, their parents and our parents and you'll have a pretty good idea of how things were.

We loaded up all the possessions of one married couple and two single girls into a moving van and headed West to Marysville leaving Megan and Danielle behind due to the fact they were heading to Wales a couple of weeks later. You can catch all the info. about their exploits in London, Wales, Ireland, and Paris on their blogs. Pretty neat stuff.

Meanwhile Stuart and Laura settled in and Stuart went to work for Jansport while Laura went to work on her Photography.Such a talented lady. They have also applied for school at Life Chiropractic in California and are just waiting to hear the good word.

Stuart wasn't the only one with new plans for the future. Josh also graduated this year from MPHS. Those pictures were on my camara so I can share them with you!!! Megan and Danielle had fun sharing this time with him.

This one would have been great if Danielle would have been in it,
but someone had to take the picture!! Josh is with Heather and her family,
we joined in together for the shot.




He looks pretty happy that it's over with. It was a nice
ceremony though. Better than some I have been to.

Man! I need to be more aware of how I stand for pictures. Isn't

it awful that the older you get the more you look like someone you

don't even recognize?

I'm sure the whole time he was sitting there thinking "When's this going

to be over? I've got Grad Night to get to!!!" It's obvious from the picture that

not everyone was paying attention.

This was the first year any of our kids went to the all night grad party at the school. Several of Josh's friends were going so he decided it would be more fun to be with them than do nothing. He had a good time but was worn out the next day. He slept until the late afternoon and then slept again that night.

Even the cat was tuckered out.

(I have to keep this fuzzy blanket on the end of my bed for her to sleep on so she will quit bugging me and keep to herself. She's a fun kitty but boy is she quirky!!!)

So to wrap it up; Josh got accepted to both BYU and BYUI. He decided, however, to stay at EVCC because he did Running Start and has several credits there. It won't take too long to get his Associates Degree and then apply to University of Washington to pursue a degree in the health field. Good Luck to you Josh!!!

What to do when you have time on your hands.

So Danielle and I were just surfing the internet after a dinner of hot wings, corn on the cob, baked beans and zuccini from the garden, (shoot!!! i just realized I forgot the watermelon in the fridge!!) when I told her that I had seen the cutest pictures on the internet and told her to look for them. She got distracted and started looking at Jack Russell terriers, etc, and then she found this picture....







This looks an awful lot like our Molly when she greets us after we come home. She sits at the top of the stairs and smiles at us while she wiggles her little behind and squeals with delight. She always knows when Mark is home and jumps up out of her little doggie bed to rush over and meet him. Of course this picture looks a little more maniacal, or perhaps demonic, than our little dog has ever looked. Her animal of choice is a stuffed toy that looks just like her. She drags it to her bed to sleep with sometimes and has torn it nose off. That's better than the others she has had which are now just little pieces of stuffing all over the house.

It's funny how pets are a lot like people and how we would have a big empty spot in our lives if we didn't have any pets at all.

Of course some of the other things we do when we have lots of time on our hands is play text twist, typing maniac, bejeweled, etc. All in an effort to keep our brains young and healthy =)

Ready for a Game???

Got this from Megan and I'm passing it on!!!

A Free Gift For You!
Alright everyone! The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2- What I create will be just for you.3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)4- You have no clue what it's going to be.It may be a story. It may be a joke book, autographed picture of myself, handmade bag, or a little invention of my own! I may create you a blog header or paint something for you with my food. (That would be scary). I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows?5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. Believe me... it may blow your mind!The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! Sounds like fun, right? So, let's play!

Why Do Fools Fall In Love?

It might seem a little silly to be talking about this subject since Valentine's day is long past, but I have been a bit reflective lately, hence the subject of love.

In answer to the question of why, or possibly how, people fall in love I would give you the same philosophical answer that was wisely given to us by the tootsie pop advertisers, "The world may never know."

When Mark has been gone I have noticed a few things. I don't sleep well when he is not here so I make poor choices and stay up, sometimes until 2 am. By that time I know if I crawl into bed I will fall into a coma and therefore not have to lie in wait for sleep to overcome me. I also don't pick up the house as much because I work on projects more.

I thought about how easy it would be to convince yourself not to do things because they didn't matter. I thought about my life and where I might be without my good husband, besides alone and lonely. I thought about how much he loves me and our family and how hard he works to make sure we have the things we need and that we are happy. I thought about how much I love him.

I am grateful that God gave us the ability to love, the desire to share our lives with others, and the joy that doing so brings to us. I am grateful that the man I married has helped me to be better than I would have been alone, and that I too (hopefully) have done the same for him. Without him life would be just another day. I'm glad we have each other!

Hidden Treasures

I was cleaning out some things on my computer and I found a few treasures.

I have no idea why Josh and Molly were hanging out so far on the rock, but it's a cool picture. I wish I could have found a few pictures of Stuart and Laura, and some of Marks parents, etc. but he must have them all on his computer. The only picture I could find of Marks mom was in with the Halloween photos. The only things is she wasn't in costume. I wonder if Mark was making a comment. She does look pretty scary in those curlers she wears at night.

Oh well. I am grateful for the "treasures" in my life.

YUMM! TATOR TOTS!

Ode To Tator Tots!!!!!!

It has been a long time since I really enjoyed tator tots. I remember that they were the longed for item at school lunch. We never filled our pockets with them like Napoleon Dynamite did, but we all loved them.

I had a lot of things to do on Thursday so I was cleaning the house when my hair dresser called and said she could move my appointment from 5:45 to right that minute if I wanted. (10 am) Luckily I had taught Seminary that morning so I was already wide awake and ready to go. Afterwards I decided to just go ahead and run my errands. That was where I made my fatal mistake. I now know why you never shop on an empty stomach. All sorts of things were calling my name in the store as I looked for items to make "healthy" meals. When I went past the freezer section I saw a bag of "mini" tator tots. They won the grand prize, a trip home with me for lunch!!!

They were so yummy, and extra crispy, that I thought I would make a blog about them. I wanted a picture so I went to Yahoo search and typed in Tator Tot images. Some cute and interesting things came up. This was the first image:




Then this cute little guy showed up:

Let me say I would never eat either of those for lunch. EWWW!

I must say that I think this next one is my favorite though.

The title of the picture was "Life after Coffee", but I think

I can see a bit of myself early on Christmas morning, or on

mornings I go help at Seminary. Or maybe a resemblance

to Yoda? I don't know, but it made me laugh out loud.

I know!!! It's the way Josh looks when you take his place at the table!! ;o) JK!!!

THESE are the lucious nummy tots I was talking about!

Only these are full size tots. The mini ones get a bit crispier and I like that!

They bring back days of nostalgia and fill your tummy, can't get much better

than that!!! They are versitile too. I found out you can make a casserole with

them, and kabobs as well.

Another favorite image of mine with the answer of why dinosaurs

no longer roam the earth....... the mighty cholesterol.

And thats the truth!

I want Boaf! ( Name that cinematic treasure!)

No it's not land before time 3,500!

The Sun Will Come Out . . . . .

Here in the lovely state of Washing ton we often have to look at pictures of the sun to remind us what it looks like and why it's lighter outside in the am hours versus the pm hours. Yesterday I actually got excited because it was 60 degrees and I actually had to take my coat off for a while in the afternoon. We are back to normal today. It has caused me to reflect on some wonderful, glorious times, with our family when we actually saw the sun!

One year we got to go camping with Mark's brother's family and his mom and dad. We went to Bryce Canyon, among other places. It was pretty cool. I enjoyed walking down the canyon with Mark, Josh, Dad, and John. The other kids stayed up on top. It was hot but it was beautiful. I am not a camping person but I really liked seeing all the new places. One of the reason's I don't like camping is the bugs. One night we were trying to eat tacos for dinner and we kept having this huge grasshopper (locust) fly around us. We would bat it out of the way and it would come back. I made a comment about how irritating it was and Mark, taking care of me, smashed it. I couldn't eat after that. Kind of stupid, I know.

That night, as the canyon cooled off, the wind picked up. It came swooshing down through the canyon and the camp ground and the wind was ferocious. The next morning I told Mark how half the night I layed there praying that the tent wouldn't fall down and smother us. He admitted he'd done the same thing. We never knew the other was awake! It really was a fun trip. We did a lot of hiking and other things.

One of our favorite places to be is in Grants Pass at Grandma and Grandpas house. Right down the road they have a sports park with lots of hiking paths and protected waterways. It's really pretty in the spring and summer. They have this little pond with ducks and turtles. I love it when they all come out and line up in the sun. It's just one of the little fun things. I also love it in the spring when all the momma and daddy ducks come out with their little fuzz balls and swim on the pond.

It also reminds me of the year we got to go vacation over by lake Chelan. I actually think it was Perrygin lake. It was fun to relax and the kids caught some fish with Mark and grandpa. We went swimming at the state park and Danielle got her feet washed out from under her by a boat that passed too closely. I was busy with Josh and couldn't get to her. It was Grandma to the rescue! She ran, fully clothed, into the water to grab the back of Danielle and haul her up to the shore. She was sopping wet from the knees down, but Danielle had been saved!

One year on the coast we all went camping but Mark and I chickened out and got a hotel room. We were glad we did. It rained, no poured, all night!!! When we came back to camp we heard about how Michael and Brianna, John and Kara had practically floated away on their air mattresses in the middle of the night because the rain came through the tent. Grandma and Grandpa, snug in their little burrito, had no idea what had happened during the night. AHH! The beauty of a good mattress!!

I can't wait for the sun to come out. Maybe we'll get to go camping with our family again soon.

The rest of the story. . . . .

Ahoy Mateys!!! We wanted to take a cruise on the "Discovery" but we never made it back to the dock at any cruise times. We went to the house of the future and half of it was not open due to gliches in the electronics. That's not too positive a feature for the "house of the future". We did get to see a robot in action that "everyone across America could have in their home", that is if you are Bill Gates and you really want a robot to wash your dishes.

This is a fountain that is right at the beginning of Disney Downtown. I don't know the software that is on my computer so I couldn't flip it. Just turn your head a bit and you'll get the idea. It was amazing how quickly it got dark there especially because it wasn't that late. We left Disneyland about 6 so we could be with family.

This is a picture about an hour later from Uncle Lloyd's backyard. You can see the sun starting to set there. He has a fire pit in the corner that you might just be able to pick out. The fence has a gate that opens to a pathway for walkers. The area has been designated by the city as a "park" and will not be buildt on. It's really very nice.

This is the next day. (1/17/09) The whole time we were there the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. It was nice because there was no smog to bother Jack, Mark's dad. The above picture is the view of the valley from the cemetary, Rose Hills, in LA. It was a beautiful day. Most of Mark's family on his Dad's side is buried there. There are also a few from his mother's side.

The most important part of it all was that we got to visit with family. His Aunt and cousins from Utah came and his cousin Arline was already there because she lives close by. (Arline would keep an eye out for Uncle Lloyd and was able to help watch over him when he got really ill.) Most especially Mark got to be with his dad. His dad, John, gave a wonderful talk at the funeral but it was very hard on him. I was glad they got a few moments alone the day before to walk and talk, and as you can see they were able to visit on the day of the funeral as well. He is a great example to us and we love him a lot.

Funerals and Disneyland 2

So if you have to go to rent a car it might as well be a good one!

We were supposed to get a Ford Fusion or some other mid sized car but the agent speaking to us had us go out the door and wait for him to come and finalize the transaction. Right outside the door was a brand new Mustang convertable. What a gimmick they have. As we are standing there, having left our home at 3 am and dieing to get to our destination, the agent comes out and says, "So, I could let you have that car if you wanted to upgrade. It will only cost you 5 dollars." Who in thier right mind would turn that down? So Mark got the dream car. It was a good thing too. You don't want something gutless for California traffic!

First stop was Disneyland. 9:30 am on a January morning, even though it was Friday, it was a pretty good idea. There weren't that many people there. There were still some lines for admission but it was MUCH better than in August. Mark got a great picture of the Matterhorn as we walked into the park. We got to see the new walk through of Sleeping Beauty's castle. Just an animated retelling of the tale. No view of basketball courts or anything.

We did take the opportunity to share an ice cold sweetie with the white rabbit. He's been standing there a long time!!!

This is a great picture because Mark is trying to make sure we are in the photo while I am squeezing him from behind. Now he has the double chin!!

Over all it was a lot of fun. We missed out on going somewhere for our anniversary in 2008 because we waited not knowing that the resort we were planning on going to was being remodeled. This was some fun time to get away by ourselves.

Josh took care of things at home. The dog and cat are still alive and he even had the house clean when we got back. Thanks Josh!

A Wierd Family Tradition

Off to your right you will notice Sleeping Beauty's castle.

It is one of the first things you see as you come down main street Disneyland USA. We had a grand time there this summer with our family. This year they are actually opening the castle to walk through tours. An interesting idea. What do they have in there anyway?

Below you will see a very different picture of Disneyland. It is a picture from 1957. Before I was even born. I remember however my first trip there. Dad was stationed on one of the Navel bases. We went for a day to the park. I wouldn't get off of the Carosel. I loved it. I hate crowds and it was crowded back in 1966 too. My sister ran around everywhere with my dad. Oh Well at least one of us was fun.

You can actually see the old sky tram. That was fun also. On the right is a picture from 2006. It is the front entrance. When Mark and I went to Disneyland for part of our Honeymoon there was no Disney California and splash mountain or indie. It was still a lot of fun.

Now our family has sort of this twisted view of funerals in connection with Disneyland.
Mark has so much family that lives in California that whenever someone dies we go to Disneyland either before or after the funeral. Family members even help buy tickets to the park. We have been thinking that we better leave enough money in our will to provide a way for the family to get to Disneyland when we die.

Ah memories!!!