There are a lot of fun things about going on a trip with 17 other people (who are related to you, nonetheless). And, when you spend a lot of time with people you rarely see otherwise, you learn some interesting things about them.

Like this little conversation that happened in the bathroom of our shared hotel room:
brother-in-law: Honey, did you pack my razor?
sister-in-law: No. Didn't you?
b-i-l: I didn't. I'll have to share yours.
s-i-l: I hate sharing razors!
b-i-l: You do it all the time, you just don't know it.

Or, the fact that you family of in-laws is INTENSELY into karaoke. And they are 'superstars.' And they like to wear boas and wigs!

Or, that nothing can make tempers flair up like a disagreement over the rules of Rook. And there are some seriously competitive "Five Crowns" players in this group.

Or, that your skinniest sister-in-law can down an ice cream cone any time, day or night. And, I could usually oblige when asked to 'get one too.'

Or, that a 'birthday cake' can be instantly crafted from stateroom towels, the "today on the cruise" schedule, and some safety pins. Amazing!

Or, that when you travel in such a large clan of folks who are fully-clothed and sober in the Caribbean, people will automatically peg you as Mormons.


Just wanted to give a 'shout out' to the gang to say "thanks" for all the fun, fun memories made at sea! We miss you all (and your antics) already!

picture my day

I have a darling friend who has challenged herself to take a picture every day this year. It is an honorable goal, a way to celebrate the joy in ordinary life. I haven't taken on such a daunting task myself, but I like the thought of it.

However, as much as I appreciate the idea of finding something interesting to treasure about even ordinary days, you have to admit, some days are more memorable than others.

Like the day you get to stand on deck and wave your white hankie "farewell" as you watch dry land getting further and further away, and the wide, blue sea spread ahead. Ahhh....



I'll catch ya after a week in the sun!

fortunate

Yes, I'm feeling fortunate today....
A closer look, you ask?
You read that right, young grasshopper. Bitty #4 is predicted to join our clan at the end of August, in this, the year of the tiger.

We are thrilled with our good fortune!


P.S. If you'd like to try your hand at home-made fortune cookies (the future looks better when you write it yourself!), this is where I got the recipe. Mine don't look nearly as pretty as Brooke's, but even the mess-up scraps are yummy to eat!

evolution

I bought Corn Pops for my kids this week. It is not usually a cereal in which we indulge. But, it was $1...so, lucky for them! I had to laugh when I saw the new box proclaiming that Corn Pops is, apparently, a good source of FIBER.

When I was growing up, we ate Corn Pops a lot (my mom wasn't a sugar-cereal-phobic mother). Only my dad called them "Sugar Pops." When we asked him why he was having a hard time reading the word "corn" which was clearly (albeit minutely) written above the word POPS, he informed us that when first invented in the 60s, this cereal, was, in fact, called "Sugar Pops." Sugar eventually got banished to the 'black' list and Corn Pops re-invented itself, emphasizing the vegetable component instead of the sweetener.

I doubt they've changed the recipe since the 80s (or the 60s, for that matter), but now that the box emphasizes the FIBER involved, I'm surely more likely to purchase it again. (insert tongue in cheek here) When it goes on sale for $1.

we went...

...we saw.

I've never, EVER laughed so hard. Ever.
My voice is gone. My smile is here to stay.

And the best part? Watching Chad rub his cheeks because they hurt so much. Only 10 minutes in.

We had a GREAT time. A HUGE thanks to our late-night babysitters, Becky and Ben. Thank you, thank you, thank you for a wonderful night out.

Sigh...

like mommy, like baby

Davis has been taking his time getting into the talking thing. He says "Da." A lot. For everything. We've been working on learning some signs, but he's been a little reluctant to use those, too.

But, yesterday I popped a couple M&Ms in my mouth, rounded the corner and scooped up my boy. His little sniffer recognized the scent. He pointed to my mouth, said, "ma ma," then did the sign for 'eat' and 'more.'

This kid's no dummy. He can communicate when it really counts:

when chocolate's at issue.

new family fave

A while ago I clipped this recipe for Ham and Cheese Empanadas from FamilyFun magazine. I'm always looking for dinner ideas that appeal especially to kids for all those nights I'm cooking and Chad is working. {Nothing frustrates Mommy more than a dinner gone cold because the kids don't like it and the hubby is at work.} "Ham and Cheese" sounded promising, although I wasn't entirely sure what empanadas were. So, off to the store I went in search of empanada wrappers. No luck. I guess we're a little too far from the border for this type of thing to be in my local freezer section. The recipe said you could use frozen puff pastry, but who wants to spend $7 on puff pastry? Not I.

So, I turned to trusty Google. Have you ever looked up recipes for puff pastry? No wonder they charge $7 for the stuff. The recipes I found involved rolling out butter (yes, butter), layering it between dough, rolling it again, folding it, refrigerating, rolling, folding, refrigerating, rolling, folding, refrigerating. all. day. long. Pepperidge Farms really earns their $.

But, then, glory be...a cheater's recipe. Completely for me! I was a little skeptical (sour cream in a pastry?), but it was seriously YUMMY! The empanadas turned out very tasty. Chad even loved them re-warmed when he got home.

I didn't take any pics of our final product. Sorry. But, here is the recipe exactly as I did it, which made 9 empanadas and enough pastry for 4 apple turn-overs for dessert (which I made using food-storage dried apples. So, so proud.) Enjoy!

Puff Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup butter, chilled and diced (I reduced the butter from the original recipe because I'm at 6,000 feet....but it worked fine for me)
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water

1. Place flour in a medium bowl. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender, until mixture is the size of small peas.
2. Add sour cream. Stir with a fork, adding water, drop by drop, as needed, until pastry forms a ball. It should still be fairly dry. Don't add too much water!
3. Wrap in plastic and chill 6 hours or overnight.
   
4. When ready to use, roll pastry thinly (about 1/8 inch).

Yield: 12-13 5" rounds

Ham and Cheese Empanada Filling (I halved the original)

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
  
• 4 ounces cooked ham, chopped
• 1 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 4 ounces mild Cheddar, shredded
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten; divided
  
• Pinch of black pepper

1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and parsley, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, transfer the mixture to a medium-size bowl, and allow it to cool.

2. Add the ham, bread crumbs, cheese, sour cream, 1/2 of the beaten egg, and a pinch of black pepper to the bowl, and mix well.

3. Roll pastry on well-floured surface until 1/8" thick. Cut into 5" rounds. Dust with flour, as needed, to keep from sticking.
   

4. To assemble the turnovers: Place 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of a pastry round and lightly moisten the edge of the circle with the egg mixture (add 1 tablespoon water to remaining egg). Fold the pastry in half and press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp the edge with a fork dipped in flour and pierce the top with the fork to allow steam to escape. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, then refrigerate the empanadas for 30 minutes or freeze for later use. (I didn't have time to refrigerate, but it didn't seem to matter)

5. Heat the oven to 375°. Brush the turnovers with the egg wash and bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet on the upper oven rack until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the empanadas to cool for a few minutes before serving. Makes 8-9 medium-size turnovers.