KTT: Chips and Dip

This one comes from Kelly's Mom, Donna. She said this was a family secret, but gave us permission to post *wink, wink*.

Kelly and Donna like to eat chips and dip while playing games, but hate to waste the last bit of small undippable crumbs. So Donna pours them into a bowl and adds a bit of dip, mixes with a spoon and enjoys! We thought this was very cleaver. Much more cleaver than trying to pour the crumbs into your mouth from the bag (which I do, but they always end up all over me instead!) Thanks for sharing, Donna!

KTT: Potatoes

My husband loves potatoes. He truly is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. So to honor their greatness I've listed a few tips about potatoes. Potatoes have Vitamin C, fiber, protein and potassium. An average sized potato has 620 mg of potassium, 100 calories, no fat and no cholesterol.

1. If you over salt a dish while cooking (like soup) just drop in peeling chunks of potato. It will absorb the salt. Yes, it works!

2. My Mom boils the potatoes with the skins on because the skins will slide off easily when done and the potato will retain a lot of its nutritional value.

3. To keep the potatoes from sprouting, put an apple with them.

4. I like to brush my potatoes with olive oil and rub seasoning salt all over them before baking them in the oven. The skins come out crispy and full of flavor.

5. For homemade french fries Travis makes a batter of 1/4 C. flour plus a combination of seasonings like seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder. Then he adds just enough water for a thin batter. He cuts potatoes into fry shapes and adds them to the batter. He deep fries them. They are heavenly!

The Drive-in, a bicylce and a Gun

So what brought you here? The title of the post? Sounds like a joke about to go bad? Ha Ha! The unfortunate truth is that our weekend was not that interesting! I'm just posting, to post.

Wednesday I missed a doctors appt because Travis didn't get come home on time. So to curb my anger he took me to Kohls to get new towels. I know it is silly to get excited about new linen, but this is the first time in 8 years we've gotten new towels. :-) Then we went to Wal-mart and I just happen to throw in new dish towels, pot holders, an oven glove and kitchen rug and sheets. He promised me when we sell the house I could go a little crazy. The kitchen items we did need because all of ours either had paint, spackle, and/or caulking on them from working on our Minot house.

Thursday we got our first shipment in of frozen meat, vegetables, processed foods (chicken nuggets, patties, breaded shrimp, fish sticks, etc...) and some canned food. We paid for a year supply. So our second shipment will come in 6 months. We got a 7cubic foot freezer out of the deal. So our 6month supply filled that freezer plus our 3.5 cubic foot freezer. THATS ALOT OF MEAT! The chickens and cows are grown on Amish farms and are grain fed, no hormones or additives. They are plucked/killed/butchered and packaged on the farms. In other words, good quality food. We are trying to cut down the amount of meat we consume, so we're hoping this first shipment will last us a year. We'll see!

Travis had his last final Thursday night for this quarter. So he was happy about that.

Friday was spent looking at bikes and tents. I'm sure we were busy otherwise. Its funny how your whole day can be consumed by shopping. I ended up getting a bike at Wal-mart. It was a good deal. Why do we shop anywhere else? We always end up at Wal-mart because they really do have the best deals! We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. At 9:30pm we hit the drive-in to watch UP. The kiddos liked it and we only paid $15. We would've stayed for the next movie, but they needed to go to bed. Travis got pulled over on the way home, but like always, he talked his way out it. Honestly, how will he ever learn if he doesn't get a ticket!

Saturday morning Travis was up early to help someone move. He then took the older two to a gun show. He was determined to get a shotgun. The gun show was waste. He came home with two flashlights for the kids and a knife for the van. He was pretty discouraged. We went to base to get a bike trailer for the kids then to Dicks for the gun he liked. He got to Dicks and someone told him Wal-mart also sold guns. The gun at Dicks was $100 more than the same one at Wal-mart! So guess where we went :-) He got a Mossberg 12 gauge. He's excited about it.

Sunday we went to the Thompsons for a BBQ. We're lucky to have them nearby, otherwise we'd be social outcasts :-)

Backpack had a Dr. last week. He weighed in at a whooping 17lbs. The doctor gave me the okay to give him one Pediasure a day to pack on a few pounds. He just isn't fond of formula but he nurses okay. He loves food. He's our best eater! He usually just eats what we are. He's been a lot happier now that he's crawling around and eating more. We think he really doesn't like being a helpless baby!

KTT:Whipping Cream

I know, its Wednesday! I got this tip from a "Grandma's Kitchen" recipe card. I don't usually whip my own cream, but sometime I get a recipe that calls for cream and don't think to just buy Cool Whip :-) I also haven't enjoying doing it because it takes time. So when I found this little trick, I tried it. I works well.

It says, "One of Grandma's tricks to form stiff peaks quickly with whipping cream was to chill the mixing bowl and the beaters before beating the cream. She also made sure that the whipping cream was well chilled."

The Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World By Jack Hanna

The Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World – Jack Hanna

In true Jack Hanna fashion comes a book that is a delight to read. In this book he describes 10 animals in each wacky, wild, or weird category. Each page includes a short bio, some fun facts and what makes that particular animal either wacky, wild or weird. There are a few snippets of the personal adventures that Jack has had with some of the animals.

I read this book to my 4 year old son, who got a kick out of the amazing pictures, amusing facts, and comical side notes. The book was set up in such a way that we were able to read about a few animals each night without losing his attention. The wording is more geared toward an older child, with little scientific vocabulary. He does well defining words, plus there is a useful glossary in the back. I really like how he mentions God. There are few animal reference books that talk about the ultimate Creator. The DVD showed bloopers from his TV show. That was entertaining, but wouldn’t add it to my favorites list. However, I would recommend this book if you enjoy reading about animals and knowing all their funny quirks!

What do to when the parks are full...

Apparently we didn't get the memo. Tuesday we went to 4 different playgrounds only to be invaded by excited elementary kids on their field day. While they were having fun, we went away with sad faces. They are just too big for us little guys. So on the last unsuccessful attempt at happily playing we called Daddy. Trouble, equipped with a cell phone and a sad voice, asked Daddy if we could purchase a Slip'n'Slide. We got the green flag, headed to Toys R Us and bought ourselves a toy...and Backpack a swing.

Now before we went into the Daddy-of-all-Toystores the kids got a sound lecture of "we are only going in for two things. Two, count it, ONE TWO. No I-wants, no running away, no sticking things in the cart, no breaking items so we have to purchase them, no mental games, no talking, no looking, no touching, no breathing...you get the idea. Plus I bribed them with a trip to Pet Smart...which they did all things I told them not to do in Toys R Us. Does a Mom every win?? Moving on...

Although Trouble suggested that perhaps we could get a slip'n'slide that came with Matchbox cars. See what I mean by mental games!!!

Trouble had a great time slip and sliding down the hill. Backpack loved the swing. Dynomite slept.

Memorial Weekend

My Dad came to visit for Memorial weekend. We call him Papa. He flew into our little international (haha) airport. Hey, its bigger than Minot! Thursday night we had a late dinner and stayed up chatting all night. Friday Travis had class, so the kids and I took Papa to our favorite kids park. Its called Orchardly Park. The playground is divided into 5 sections and has real bathrooms. Sections:

1) Older kids and swings - with bark chips

2)Jungle gym and rope structures - foam padding

3) Splash pad - foam padding
4)Toddler playground with baby swings - foam padding
5)Huge sandbox

Papa took Backpack into the water. He loved it! He'd get that goofy wide open smile on his face when the water shot up on his feet. Dynomite enjoyed the sandbox and Trouble traveled all over.

Saturday Travis was needed at the neighbors to help assemble a huge play structure. Guess who else got to help :-) They were over there for most of the day! After that we hit the AF Museum. Papa really loved that! To really enjoy it, you really need more than one day to go through. That really wiped us out, so we went to Olive Garden for dinner. We did some shopping and Papa bought the kids their own fishing poles and kites. Travis and I snuck off to see Star Trek. Us in front of the MMIII. It is significant to Travis and his work.

No Kidding! This looks just like my Grandma Alice! It's what the POW would view as their 'dream girl' and keep them going day to day in the camps.

Backpack holding on for dear life!!

Sunday, we had to talk in church. As usual, mine was very factual and researched (another way to say BORING) and Travis' was inspired and descriptive (another way to say AWESOME). Papa took charge of Backpack and didn't mind hanging out with him in the lobby. Travis got called as the 1st councilor in the Elders Quorum.

Monday, we took the kids fishing. The community we live in has a stocked pond. It is a short walk from our house. Travis caught one right away. The kids each caught a few. I finally caught one in the end. That is because my line got tangled and I left the hook in the water as I worked away at the line. I had the pull the fish in! The kids had a blast! We had the Thompson's over for a BBQ and then drove Papa to the airport. Oops, he forgot his wallet at our house and missed his flight :-) Then we preceded to El Rancho something and has some of the best Mexican food we've eaten in a very long time. We went home and flew kites until bedtime. Papa left early Tuesday Morning. Backpack got the worms ready for us!

It was a great weekend and it was fun to see Papa with the kids. They had fun wrestling around with him and he had a good time reading to them. Thank you Papa!

What the Bull Frog said...

This last weekend we went on our Ward Camp out. This was a great way for us to gather our camping supplies and get ready for summer camping. We ate dinner at home then headed out. There wasn't the large turn out that they usually get, which was good for us since we got out to the campsite so late. We camped at Possum Creek Metropark, only 20 mins from home. Travis brought popcorn, of course, and it was a huge hit! I had glow-in-the-dark bracelets, which made it nice to identify the children at night. The kids slept soundly. When we woke up the morning, the activities committee had breakfast ready!
So after we packed up we tried a little fishing. It was somewhat frustrating for Travis because the kids were not really into it this time. He was trying to watch three poles and keep the kids interested. I was fussing with the baby, who was fussy. Then Trouble heard a bull frog. Travis asked him what the bull frog was saying. Trouble said:

"Its saying, "We're wasting our time fishing!""

Kids, gotta love them.

We left shortly after that.

Aren't we proud fisherpeople. The type of fish are Perch. I'm sporting Dynomite's pole. Its Barbie :-)