Buy Me Some Peanuts And Cracker Jacks

I am getting ready to write a post about our latest trip to National Park and going through pictures I saw these:



I took these at Inigo's first fully played baseball game last week. (I say 'fully played' because his first 'official game' was rained out after the first inning.) This is Inigo's first season in the Babe Ruth League.

• It's the first season where someone (usually the coach) pitches the ball to the batter.
• It's the first season where you can actually strike out.
• It's the first season where they will call you out if the baseman catches the ball before you get there.
• They're still not keeping score (to my knowledge).

It's a challenge for these 'newbies' to change their style of playing from the laid back/relaxed mode of City League T-ball where:

• Everyone gets a chance to bat every inning.
• Everyone gets a base hit.
• No one gets out on base.

As a result of these changes, the games move a little faster and the players shouldn't get quite so bored. (As the T-ball coach last year, when my team was in the field, I spent the majority of my time trying to keep the kids on their feet and not sitting down drawing pictures in the dirt, or even wandering off chasing butterflies. YES!! It happened!!!)

If you look closely at the largest picture (where Inigo is bent over with hands on knees) you can see that these kids are still trying to get used to the 'Big Leagues.'

• The player in the red shirt in the background is still playing in the dirt. He had dirt in his hands and watching it drop down to the ground. Possibly a future physicist?
• Inigo is staring off in the distance... probably at a squirrel or a bird or an airplane...

Then if you look at the picture to the left of the big one....

• Inigo is chewing on his mitt.... Hmmm.... and looking at me..... Hmmmm.... Where's the ball?

So the action in these games isn't as fast as it will be in the coming years, but it's definitely more exciting.

Inigo is having a MARVELOUS time!!! He's only had two practices but already I can see his game is improving and he is running better and faster.

Making Faces

My friend, Steck, dared me to make a collage of some of the faces I pulled while jumping off the bench at National Park last weekend.


I did...


...only because who can turn down a good dare?

... and because my trial version of Photoshop Elements 8.0 has expired and I am going to get as much use out of it for as long as I can. (Once I close it, it's gone forever!) (Saving $$ so I can purchase it!)

... and because as sole owner and user of this blog, I can delete this entry if and when I feel like it!

But like my Uncle K2 said on FB when he saw one of these pictures: "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

Maybe I'll be brave enough to leave this up. Maybe I'll just delete it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

(Believe it or not, I did take some very nice, beautiful pictures of our trip. I'll try to get a post of those done in the next day or two. It was a BEAUTIFUL trip!)

Steck mentioned that I didn't add the funniest face I pulled. (And I will admit this made me roll on the boardwalk laughing when I saw it on my camera.) It was unintentionally omitted, so here it is.

JUMP!

"I Wanna Be Done With Piano ...FOREVER!"

The point of this video is not that Inigo is playing the piano.

The point of this video is not that my piano is horribly out of tune.

Nope.

The point of this video is what Inigo says when he finishes playing his song.

(Hint: It's the title of this blog post.)

P.S. This is totally spontaneous and not prompted at all. He didn't even know I was going to be videoing.

Run For Cover!!!

Do you ever have days where you look in the mirror and this face is looking back at you?

• Do you ever have days that you feel like you're flying on your broomstick (instead of driving your SUV), high in the sky, spelling out the words "SURRENDER CHILDREN"
  
• Do you ever have days where the best laugh you can choke out is a shrill cackle that sends those same children ducking for cover?
  
• Do you ever have days where just the mention of your name sends shivers of fear down the spine of those who hear it?

Okay, it's not really that bad, but let's just say that I've been pretty grumpy lately. Instead of being the fun loving and slightly nagging Witch Valerie from Princess Bride, I've been more like the Wicked Witch of the West.

I'm working on finding Valerie again. She's in there! But until I can reel her in.....

Toto..... you're not in Kansas anymore! You'd better run!!!

Grab your coat!! No... wait! Put on your flip flops! No.... wait!

Recently we didn't know whether we were winding our bums or scratching our watch.

The weather was so confusing!

Last week started off freezing cold, windy and SNOWY!! We had to dig out the snow boots and pants, gloves and zip the fleece jacket back inside the winter coat.

Literally, three days later, we were opening all the windows in the house, hanging laundry on the line (and it dried!!) and mowing the lawn.

The boots turned into flip flops. Long sleeves turned into short.

This is typical spring weather in Florin. Of course it can't rain in April. That would be too normal. Other geographical regions get to live the proverbial

"April showers bring

May flowers....."

We get,

"April sleet brings

frozen feet."

...which then turns into

"May's flurries brings

planting worries "

Sometimes we can stop worrying about snow in June, but no one holds their breath for that. July and part of August are truly the only two months in the year where we're mostly certain that it won't snow.

Nothing is 100% around here. I have heard of it snowing on July 4.

Just saying.

We Are Amused

You may not think Inigo's writing assignments are funny, but (almost) every time he brings home another creative writing piece, we crack up.

Here are two that I found as I was going through his book bag:

"Hey I am the super hero. You are not.
K.
Let's fight the villains.
Yay.
You are dead villains.
I need help."

(I would like to add that he spelled villains correctly! Maybe that's because Max has an extensive collection of Disney Villains at his office and he knows how much we love them!)

Here is his second paper:

(The prompt is: Things a snowman would say:)

Would you like to go to the bathroom?
I like snowball fights.
I like Captain Underpants.

His age is very apparent in this piece. Seven year old boys are obsessed with bathroom functions and violence! (Not that a snowball fight is violent, but.....)

His first grade teacher has had the kids write in journals this year. She hasn't let me bring it home yet and I am very anxious for the end of the school year so I can finally get my hands on it and see what he's come up with!

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Sidenote: I have done something to my lower back. I don't know what. But I can hardly move. I thought that maybe going to the gym would help me loosen it up, but I can't hardly walk up the stairs without severe pain, so can't go! I have a gazillion things to get done today. I think extra strength (insert your fave pain reliever's name here) will be my chocolate today.

GAH!!!

Rolling in the Dough

It's time for another Cookie Recipe!


Sadly, my last batch of cookies were a FAILURE!!! Yes, it pains me to say that, but they weren't good. We're not the kind of people that can just throw cookies away, so we choked them down, but I put the recipe away and made a note NEVER to make them again... (I'm sure they failed because there wasn't a drop of chocolate anywhere in them! They were Lemon Cookies.)


ALERT!!!!


My recipe today isn't a cookie recipe.


I know, I know!! Three recipes into my cookie part of my blog and I've already broken two of my rules:

1. Only post cookie recipes
2. Post all recipes, even if I don't like them

Rules were made to be broken, right? It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission is my philosophy! (Not really, but it sounds so --- rebellious.)


So the recipe I've chosen to share today is my mom's most famous, most fantabulous, most delectable CINNAMON ROLLS!


I didn't ask permission to post it, so I hope it's okay. We're back to the permission vs. forgiveness philosphy again. Maybe I'm a bigger rebel than I thought.


Here's the dealio on this recipe: My mom created it out of a dinner roll recipe and it's truly the yummiest roll you'll ever eat. I rarely make a whole recipe for my small family. This is so easy to cut in half.


This is the ONLY bread/yeast recipe that I can succeed at. I can't make bread, I can't make homemade rolls, etc. If a recipe calls for yeast, I know that if I make it, it will be hard, small and -- in the wrong hands -- will have the potential to become a deadly weapon. Seriously. I have even bought bread mixes that don't turn out. It's sad to be a Mormon Mom and not be able to make breads, but I've learned to deal with it. Maybe that's why I make a gazillion cookies each year. I'M COMPENSATING!


I made this batch for Conference/Easter weekend. Traditionally, I always make them for Conference. The children expect it. Max dreads it (they give him heartburn) and I look forward to it. I also make them when we go camping. It's so yummy to wake up in the mountains and eat scrambled eggs with a side of homemade cinnamon roll....


Without further ado, I give you:


Grammy's Cinnamon Rolls (this recipe is broken down into steps which makes it very easy to follow!)

1. Sprinkle: 3 TBSP yeast on 1 Cup warm water

2. Sprinkle: 1 tsp sugar on yeast and let stand (make sure the yeast and sugar are mixed and covered with water. It needs to grow. BUT BE CAREFUL that you don't mix it too much.)
   
3. Scald: 2 Cups milk (I don't use a thermometer when I scald. I pull the milk off the heat when the milk is just about ready to boil)

Add: 1 Cup sugar to scalded milk


4. Pour scalded milk over 2 cubes margarine (I always use butter) which are in bowl to be used for mixing.


5. Add: 6 beaten eggs to cooled milk/butter



6. Add: yeast mixture



7. Add: 3/4 TBSP salt (this is a fun one to cut in half!)
   
8. Stir: in 5 Cups flour. Stir well.
   
9. Add: 5 more Cups flour



10. Let covered dough raise once (I always put a wet dish towel over the dough and set it on top of the stove with the oven door open and the temperature set on low.) Let it rise to DOUBLE



11. Roll dough on floured surface, making a rectangle.



12. Spread the filling evenly over the dough (filling recipe is below)



13. Roll up the dough and cut in 2" sections



14. Place rolls on well greased pans; cover and let raise (spray some plastic wrap with Pam and put it over the rolls)



15. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350* (watch them! In my oven, I only bake them for 15-18 minutes.)
16. Remove from pans immediately (that is what the recipe says to do, but I never do.)

Filling
2 cubes melted margarine (again, I use butter)
2 Cups sugar (I hate brown sugar in my cinnamon rolls, so use granulated sugar)
4-6 TBSP cinnamon
Raisins or nuts to taste (only if you want. I know I never put raisins in my cinnamon rolls!! Yuck!)


I just use a basic butter frosting to put on top. If you prefer a glaze or a cream cheese frosting, by all means top them with that! Just make sure you put a LOT on!

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These store well, so you can make them a day or two in advance, but I insist that you have one the first day you make them. They are so light and fluffy and will melt in your mouth.

Mmmm......

Thanks Mom!!

Ain't Foolin' No One!

Last year was the first year I cooked an April Fool's dinner. (I know, I know.... I was such a slacker the previous 15 years!!) The kids had so much fun with it I decided to do it again this year! This was our menu:

To keep everything a surprise, no one is allowed in the kitchen while I'm cooking. Once the table is set and the food is ready, I call everyone to the table. It's similar to Christmas morning: the anticipation.... waiting to see what they're going to get....



At first they were both so excited!! Inigo's eyes lit up when he saw the birthday cake... I'm sure in his brain he was saying, "Seriously? Birthday cake for dinner? This April Fool's Day is pretty darn cool!" (He's still somewhat naive.) He was even more thrilled when he saw the "fish sticks". He LOVES fish (so he tells himself) but his mom doesn't and as such she doesn't allow it to be cooked in her house. So when he saw the food he thought he'd hit the Mother Load... cake AND fish sticks!?! Life doesn't get any better than that!



Buttercup was a little more wary. Age and experience was her friend in this case.


Inigo's first taste of his "fish stick" was surprising to him -- to say the least. It was a little more crunchy than he anticipated. And was that peanut butter flavored fish? His enthusiasm deflated a bit after that first taste.

(Fishstick = sugar wafer cookies covered in peanut butter and crush corn flakes)



But that birthday cake.... ooooo...... it was calling his name!!!



Buttercup was still wary. She gently tried the "peas" and found that they were sweet and delicious. She was thrilled to spoon some onto her plate! Inigo absolutely refused to taste them.



(Peas = Airheads candy rolled into small balls)

After blowing out the candles, we cut into the cake....

This left Inigo totally and completely deflated. What!?!? It's not really cake? It's meatloaf with pink mashed potatoes?

OH!!! THE HORROR!!!

Even Buttercup, who suspected what the cake was, wasn't thrilled. I used instant potatoes, which she can't stand because she has a history with them. (When she was younger we had to mix nasty tasting medicine into them.) And no one in my family is ever thrilled when I make meatloaf.

Max can stomach meatloaf once or twice a year, so I was happy that he wasn't gagging over the meal.




To be truthful, the meal wasn't as horrible as Inigo's face says. (I thought the meatloaf tasted pretty good!!) He just couldn't get his brain to wrap around the oddity of pink potatoes. He had a little taste of them and acknowledged that they wasn't as gross as he thought, but he couldn't get his mouth to close over that fork! Unfortunately, he went to bed hungry!



Buttercup did very well and cleaned her plate. She only made a gaggy face because, well, that's what teenagers do! (She was also looking forward to having ice cream after dinner and knew if she didn't eat she wouldn't get any!)



Was this year's meal a success? Max would think so! He ate more than half of that pink potato birthday cake! Buttercup would even say yes. Inigo, who still has some things to learn about the concept of April Fool's Day, would probably ask me to NEVER cook like that again.

I guess that means I'm going to do it again next year!! Watch out family!!!

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The conversation over the dinner table included the lesson on eating what is put before you; that the cook spent lots of time preparing the meal and that it's rude to say, "OH GROSS!" and make gagging noises. It's especially rude to rush off to the bathroom and fake throw up in the middle of the meal. (Yes, it happened!)

I mentioned to Inigo that I thought that maybe he should cook dinner one night and see how much work is involved and maybe he would be more compassionate towards the cook.

Lo and behold, unbeknown to me, tonight he conspired with Max to cook dinner! He decided to make spaghetti, which is quite hilarious because I feel about spaghetti the same way I feel about pizza. I HATE IT!!!! The question was; do I let him know how it feels to have someone say they hate your meal? Or do I choke down the spaghetti and let him think that I loved every bite of it.

You know what I chose... don't you? I ate every bite of that spaghetti (minus one) with nary a gagging noise coming from me. He was so proud of his accomplishment.... and I was proud of him for being 7 years old and wanting to cook dinner!

Unfortunately, he cooked a few too many noodles. But, he's a growing boy! He ate them anyway!