In the kitchen

We had another cool, cloudy, 50-degree day. Is it just me, or are those of you experiencing similar weather finding yourself drawn to your kitchen? Honestly, I am just loving these cool days, and my oven has been getting quite the workout.

Tonight I made homemade chicken noodle soup and banana bread. My house was filled with intoxicating scents! I had to share the chicken noodle soup recipe. It's another Becky Higgins gem; actually, each of her recipes I have tried have been true gems (I am a recipe junkie - adore a good recipe). You can go to her site for the recipe, or here it is:

chicken noodle soup

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. granules)
2 cans chicken broth
1 c. chopped carrots
2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 (half) can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. milk
1/2 cube (4 Tbsp.) butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (2 pieces)
4-6 oz. egg noodles

Boil chicken until fully cooked. Cook egg noodles. Dissolve 2 bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water. Add chicken broth and vegetables to the liquid until tender. In separate bowl, whisk a half a can of cream of chicken soup and milk until smooth. Whisk soup and milk mixture into broth and vegetables. Melt butter then stir into flour. Add to soup mixture. Add chicken and noodles. Optional: Season to taste with salt & pepper or Schillings garlic & herb seasoning.
*************************************************************************************

It was SO easy and super tasty (I definitely recommend using some sort of garlic and herb seasoning).

Also, are you looking for kid-friendly snack that is fun, quick and even a bit healthy? My friend Elizabeth made these during a get-together once, and I made them again yesterday. I only got a picture of 1 because they go so quickly!

I don't even know what they are called; we'll just call them Nilla Wafer/banana/pudding treats.

Simply take a Nilla Wafer, pipe some vanilla pudding on top (from a pastry bag, or you can spoon a dollop on the wafer). Then place a banana slice on top. Make as many or as little as you like. My kids literally devour these! A perfect after-school or whenever snack.

New calling

I got a calling in my new ward today .... first counselor in the Primary Presidency! They re-did the presidency, and there is a new president. I am excited to work with the presidency, who all seem fantastic. I seem to be in a Primary holding pattern, as my last four callings have been in Primary (Valiant 11 teacher, Primary secretary, Primary president, and now 1st counselor). I'm definitely building lots of primary experience! And with 120 kids, it should keep me pretty busy!

The faces I love

It was a cool, cloudy day today - only in the 50s! We all wore jeans and long-sleeve shirts, and I can't help but feel cozy on a day like this. I decided to devote the evening (Brian was working) to just being silly and playing with my kids. So tonight, we:

- Had a rockin' '80s dance party. This included: Isabel wearing only underwear, her dangerous pink heels, lip gloss and a purse (for some reason she thinks dancing means strip down; I SWEAR she did not get this from me) and trying out some rather interesting new moves; Connor doing some really good headstands; and Lucas doing his usual cool groovin'. And it must be noted that "dance" is one of his first words. Every time he hears music now, he says, "da..." It's only a matter of time before he adds "nce."

- Played a crazy game of "monster hide-and-seek." This is a game my dad played with my brothers and sisters and I in the fall/winter, when it was dark in the evenings. He would hide somewhere in the dark and we would find him, scared out of our ever-lovin' minds. It was terrifying fun! It made me smile and brought back so many memories as I lay crouched in a dark corner, hearing them trying to be brave and speculating about where I was, and then hearing the screams of fear/delight when I jumped out of my spot.

- Had a super-speedy game of "who can clean up the fastest." I think it was a tie.

- Ended with one of my very animated versions of "The 3 Little Bears." They L-O-V-E this story. I add more fluorishes each time, and they - all 3 - are captivated. As I was telling it, I realized they were all lying so close to each other, and had to capture it (even though it wasn't the greatest angle). This was totally unposed:

Sweetest faces, precious gifts, joys of my life.

Mmmm good

I love how much pretend play Lucas has already learned by having 2 older siblings. Currently, his favorite is to pretend to eat. He'll take a pretend bite, then smack his lips for a while. It's so stinkin' cute! I caught it on video tonight after bath time, when Isabel was feeding him and he was playing along. Don't you just love little imaginations?

Peanut update

Just wanted to clarify a few things, answer a few of your questions and give an update regarding Connor's scary peanut reaction at school yesterday.

1. Yes, as is standard, parents are asked NOT to bring anything to school that has peanuts; I'm not sure if this includes things that have "may have a trace of peanuts" warning. Either way, I guess some parents don't pay attention to this.

2. The teacher did apologize profusely for not having read through the forms. She did take full responsibility, but did say it is tremendously helpful when parents verbally point out something like a peanut allergy too. So next time I will be sure to tell teachers, etc., about 10 times - just to be sure.

3. One of the school nurses for the district called and told me how they are handling the situation.

4. The principal - who I hadn't yet met - called today. I thought this was a very good measure. Clearly the school - and district - are having conversations about Connor's situation yesterday, taking it extremely seriously, and making sure this error doesn't happen again. Yes, a mistake was made - fortunately the outcome wasn't worse than it was - but they have all taken ownership and been proactive in making sure we feel good about things. I have to say, the principal sounds phenomenal (I had heard excellent things about him). He is going to personally point out Connor to the cafeteria manager to make sure he is never given anything with peanuts or exposed to peanuts. He told me that their goal is be a "compliment to our parenting." Nice to hear. He said he hopes next time we talk it will be about Connor's many successes, not his emergency situation. Us too!

So, I feel it is resolved, scary as it was. I do hold the teacher accountable for not having read these forms 3 weeks into school, but a lesson has been learned and we are all moving on.

I accept!

My friend Elizabeth awarded me this most prestigious award, Kreativ Blogger.

Upon accepting my award, I am to list 6 things that make me HAPPY and then send on the award to 3 more "Kreativ friends."

Here are my 6 happy things:
1. Shopping with my mom and sisters. Always a super fun time, with honest opinions and lots of laughs. Miss them!

2. Time to myself. I love being a mom, wife, freelance writer, etc. But I do value some me time when I can get it, to go walking/jogging, crafting, reading, shopping,etc.

3. Fall. Best season, hands down. From pumpkins to Halloween, birthdays (Isabel, me and Brian) to back-to-school, and cooler weather to wearing jeans/sweatshirts/sweaters, I love everything about fall.

4. Being with Brian, Connor, Isabel and Lucas. Love them to pieces. Especially love fun family outings or hanging out at home.

5. Friends. Been blessed to have lots of good ones. Y'all know who you are ;) Some are old friends, some are new friends, and they are scattered 'round the country. They all bring different things to my life.

6. Music. Lots of kinds of music.

And now ... I award the Kreativ Blogger award to ... Lori, Susan and Vycci.

Bad day

Just been sort of a bad day 'round here. I'll share a few of the, um, highlights.

First, Connor's school called to say Connor had thrown up at school. A lot. Violently. Turns out, snack time today was granola bars that may contain traces of peanuts. Um, looks like they did indeed contain a trace. His face was also red, swollen and splotchy (ya know, the usual scary reaction). Fortunately, his reactions have not severely inhibited his breathing, but with peanut allergies, they say each reaction can get worse. No thanks. His teacher had not yet read the 3 forms I filled out each indicating a strong peanut allergy (her bad). And, I guess I need to verbally tell his teachers about the allergy IN ADDITION TO filling out the 3 forms (my bad). And, when his teacher announced they were having granola bars and was anyone allergic to peanuts, Connor for some reason didn't speak up (his bad). Consider us all having learned a big lesson. This has been my big fear (well, one of them) about school, him being exposed one way or another to peanuts. Reacting that strongly to a TRACE terrifies me.

So now we have a plan in place. He is only allowed to eat classroon snacks with no trace of peanut warnings anywhere. If they do have a warning or actual peanuts, he gets to have a safe snack from the class snack stash. And, he is not going to be able to partake in homemade birthday cakes/cupcakes for classmates' birthdays - you just never know when peanut butter might have come into contact with stuff. So, I have to provide a little Connor stash of Hostess cupcakes for those days. Poor kid. But what else do we do? It's just too scary to mess with.

Second, my mom called to tell me my grandpa had been in an accident. He was driving (which admittedly is sketchy these days), and they think he had a mini-stroke or something. He ended up hitting the same car 3 times, then running 2 red lights, and crashing into a firetruck that was actively involved in helping someone else. The police told him he is NEVER TO DRIVE AGAIN. It's for the best, but so hard to watch someone's independece being taken away. And his doctors are worried that he is experiencing early stages of Alzheimer's. He is becoming very difficult for everyone to handle.

This is complicated by the fact that my grandma just last week had a hysterectomy to remove her endometrial cancer. She can't drive for 6 weeks, and is having a difficult recovery. My poor mom is shouldering much of this burden right now. It really is true how life comes full circle, and you start caring for the parents who once cared for you.

Brian and I are fortunate to still have 5 of our 8 grandparents, and we'd love for that to continue for a long time. And all of them have been in pretty good health, too. So it's hard to think of my grandma and grandpa having these problems.

Third, can you see Lucas's shiner?:

Slammed into the coffee table. After his brother pushed him (another reason it was a bad day, grumpy kids all around.) It's pretty swollen and increasingly bruised.

Here's to a better day tomorrow!