Soft Garlic Breadsticks

I really enjoy making recipes I've acquired from loved ones and friends throughout the years. Each time I prepare one, it's a trip down memory lane. Whenever I make my Great Grandma Peck's rolls, I remember her house and how it always smelled of fresh baked bread and canned sweet pickles. Or when I make my friend Susanna's Candy Bar Cake, I somehow start talking with a Southern accent. There's the preface to my new blog section: Recipes!

Our family fell in love with those new breadsticks you just heat & eat from the freezer section of the store. I have been on a quest to find a really good breadstick recipe ever since. The breadsticks we made as kids resembled dried up playdough, and I wanted something super soft and yummy. I found it this Sunday! It's from allrecipes.com (for the most part).

Ingredients

1 1/8 cups warm water

2 TBS olive or canola oil

3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBS sugar

3 tsp garlic powder (I used garlic salt, then reduced the regular salt)

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp minced basil

3 cups flour

2 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients in breadmaker, in the order listed. Select the dough setting, and start the machine. When cycle is completed (I just let mine run for 10-20 minutes), turn dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 20 portions, shape into balls, then roll each into a 9 inch rope. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size. Bake @ 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush warm breadsticks with butter.

Yum of the Year!

A little bribery for the kids today... I promised them if they were good while we shopped, they could pick a drink @ Sonic. Yes, here in the AZ summer we love our slushies! This advertisement caught my eye, and we had to try it. It is soooo good... cinnamon carmel crunchy yumminess!

Organized Shmorganized...

I was going a little stir-crazy at home last week, and as I was looking through blogs of other Moms to get inspired, I came across this website called www.organizedmom.net (thanks to my friend Natalie up in Utah). Inspiration found! They have this cool free trial software that totally organizes your schedule, tasks, goals, journaling, finances, recipes, shopping lists.. it's way fun! In keeping with that theme, I've set up a 30-45 minute time each day to accomplish certain household chores. I'm the type that typically pulls a marathon stunt trying to get the house all clean at once. It's exhausting! So, with this schedule, the house is deep cleaned bit by bit throughout the week.
Yes, it's true. I never thought I'd be a Coupon Mom, but I've acquiesced. I'm by no means hard core, but if I can find a bargain, I'm all over it. I've been Q-ing for 4 months now and am really amazed at the savings through the Grocery Game. My Q's got a new home-- it's an alphabetized binder and is so much easier than the "baggie method" I was doing before. Spent $72, saved $120 today!

Fix-it Men

Alexander is the ultimate recycle-r. If he sees any random thing I've thrown away, he insists that it is a treasure that needs to be salvaged for some important purpose. He was thrilled when Darren agreed to let him have any old car parts. So here it is-- the Indiana Jones whip, recycled from the broken car belt. (For the last hour he's been perfecting his skill out in the driveway). Our VentureVan died this week. Darren hasn't had a spare minute to look at it, between work, coaching basketball & church obligations. A bolt is sheared off inside our engine and a belt broke somewhere. He is amazing, though, and is working on it in 100 degree weather. What a man!

First Piano Lesson

Courtney (I mean Tinkerbell) amazed me today by asking if she could take piano lessons. I've never started a 4-year-old before, but she's definitely ready!

Sunshine & Citrus

The year before last we had a really harsh winter (for AZ) that froze all of our plants and trees. This year was marvelous, and our vegetation is doing well! Our first lemons! We have about 24 on the tree and can't wait to make some fresh squeezed lemonade!
Isn't this little orange so cute?

Snow Shoveling in July?

Have you Moms heard the quote, "Cleaning the house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing?" Today was one of those days. I am so glad the kids were having fun and actually getting along, though. They combined forces and made a fort. This fort is deluxe, complete with stuffed animals, fold-down nap pillows, light sabers (in case of intruders), music, paper chain decor, trophies, a night light... you name it, this fort has it all! All this was accomplished while I was scrubbing the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting and changing linens.
Not ten minutes later, they'd decided to make the kitchen into a literal battlefield. I think there were at least 110 army guys all over the floor.

Next, I asked the kids to throw their laundry downstairs. and they thought it would be funny to throw down half the contents of their rooms as well. The neat freak in me just couldn't take a picture.

When Darren comes home from work, I'm sure he'll ask, "And what did YOU do today?"

Adios, Santo Niño de Atocha!

The houses here have these random little alcoves built into the walls. Ours was no exception. I wondered what I could do with it, and then Darren suggested we to go to Mexico and buy a statue and some votive candles to display in it:) We have called it the Santo Niño de Atocha ever since. It was mainly a catchall for our junk.

My Mom came to visit and suggested that we make it into a little library for the kids. A trip to Home Depot later, viola! I LOVE it! Darren did a great job. Now I need to cut a thought provoking quote out of vinyl to put above it...

Kung Fu Pandas

We took the cousins to Kung Fu Panda and they all loved it. These ingenious kids made a new use of beach balls later that day-- a Kung Fu belly! Alexander & Nathan always have a great time together. They take bowing to their sense so seriously.
Abby & Courtney practicing their fancy Kung Fu belly bump move. It was cute when they were bumping each other, but then Courtney started doing it to random party guests and knocking them over.

Two @ Two

Our darling little twin nieces, Caty and Maddy, turned 2 while we were up visiting. Finally on the last day we were there, we saw them smile for the first time! We have the cutest little nieces & nephews!Here's Tyler, lovin' the yumm-o food @ the party.
Darren's sister, Cami and her daughter, sweet little Alyssa.
It was quiet. We hadn't seen Courtney & Abby for awhile. We knew something was up. They were hiding behind a pine tree, where they had discovered MUD!!! We promptly hosed them off. Abby loved it, but Courtney (true AZ style) was FREEZING!
Melisa usually dresses Caty in pink and Maddy in purple, so Aunt Natalie had to make them tutus in "their" colors.

Fat Birds

Grandma Kathie took the kids to the bread store to get a few choice loaves for the birds around the greenbelt of Idaho Falls.
It turns out that these birds are really well fed. They weren't even remotely interested in the tasty morsels we had brought for them.
Here's where most of Alexander's bread went...
Courtney was having a great time, but every picture I have of her looks like she's crying.
Darren finally decided to try a new tactic. If the birds don't eat, wad the bread up into ammunition and try to hit seagulls out of the sky. (No birds were harmed in the making of this blog).

The 4th in Idaho

Around the 4th of July, there is a field in Idaho Falls where they place 1776 flags. It is amazing and humbling to stand in the midst of them.
This year we noticed that the yellow ribbons were attached to a flag in honor of a fallen soldier from Idaho. Each had a picture and a simple tribute to each.
Admiration I loved the simplicity of what this flag said...

(and no, Alexander doesn't have a mullet-- it must be somethng in the background:)

Kid Lyrics

Our kids seem to have gotten their Mother's gift for singing incorrect lyrics to songs... Here are some of our favorites:

"It's too late to call the judge."
(It's too late to apologize)

"For your Super Bowl, yeah!"
(Pour some sugar on me)

"Busted the snowman"
(Frosty the Snowman)

"One more soakin' sleigh"
(One horse open sleigh)

What a Riot!

Knockout! Every time we go to Idaho, the Rooses want to go to a place in Rigby called "Riot Zone." I've always managed to get out of it, but this time, Darren insisted that I come along. The kids had fun (minus a few scrapes & bruises) on all the inflatable games.
Courtney is the next American Gladiator!