Sauna Pictures

Here are pictures of Chris' fully operational hot box. We are the talk of the town! Did you see that sauna at the pastor's house? He got it up to 189 degrees last time he fired it up. Too hot for me.

Izzy Lu Who

Scribbling with/ eating crayons. A favorite pastime.

Good Friend

My friend Lauren came to visit this past weekend. It was nice to see her in person, it had been a while. Even though my husband had met her in college, the first time I met her I was "out-to-here" pregnant with Claire, wearing some hideous yellow dress that only fits when I am 9 months pregnant, hot, and really crabby. Thankfully, she liked me anyway and we have been friends since.

She was able to witness my life with three kids firsthand this past weekend--my disorganized cabinets, tired and naughty children, an ER visit, and pew wrestling on Sunday morning. Honestly I am embarrassed and frustrated at the state of my current life (I wish I could get it together!), but appreciated her patience with us, her kind words, and her ability to make me laugh. I certainly think that she noticed the chaos around her, but overlooked it in a way a good friend does. Thank you Lauren! Your visit meant a lot.

Cheese Soup

I made soup yesterday. It was 84 degrees outside and it just sounded good to me and to Claire who requested it. Whatever. Here is the recipe...maybe you can wait until a crisp fall day to give it a try.

Great Cheddar Soup

3 T butter
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 rib celery, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T flour
2 1/2 c chicken broth
2 1/2 c half-and-half
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne
3 T dry sherry
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (3 cups)
salt and pepper

Heat butter until foaming, add onion and cook until softened. Add carrot, celery and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat vegetables, until mixture begins to brown on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half-and-half and add bay leaf. Increase heat and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes.

Off heat, add cayenne and sherry, cool for 1 minutes. Slowly whisk in cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

**I used 1 1/4 cups of milk and 1 1/4 cups half-and-half. I also added one 16 oz. bag of cooked California mixed vegetables.

Ouch

Lily was riding on the handlebars of Chris' bike on Saturday. It is just one of those things that the girls do with their dad. Her sandal strap got caught in the spokes and ended the ride with lots of blood and tears. Chris took her to the ER. We were worried that her ankle might have been broken. The x-rays came back showing no broken bones, but her heel had no skin left. The doctors treated her like a burn victim, prescribing a cream to aid in the growth of new skin and sent her home with lots of bandages, gauze, and Disney princess stickers.

Lily has been doing well. She can't walk yet, so instead crawls to get around. Isabel is loving someone at her level, as well as someone who is slower than she is. I couldn't find Claire and Lily in the house yesterday because they were outside in the sandbox--"I just crawled out here Mom." Duh.

Her heel is already starting to look a lot better. Hopefully there will be lots more improvement before our annual camping trip on Monday. Eek.

**NOTE: This was our second trip to the ER in six weeks. Claire was performing a magic trick and swallowed a quarter which had to be surgically removed. Kind of scary. Didn't have time to blog about it. Imagine that, not having the time!

Pie Crazy

Susan gave me a easy crust recipe on Sunday. It isn't made with lard or butter (sorry Jesse), but I made a crust that turned out! Today I made a blueberry pie for my dad, another cherry pie for my husband and Pastor B. for Brewers/ Cubs game tomorrow (Go Brewers!), and a Potato-Spinach Tart with Three Pepper Crust for dinner. I am on a roll...pun intended.

Potato-Spinach Tart with Three Pepper Crust

1 c flour
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/4 t ground red pepper
1/4 t ground white pepper
1/2 t salt
1/4 c oil
2-3 T cold water

2 baking potatoes, boiled until tender, cut into slices
3-4 c fresh spinach,chopped
1/2 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 eggs
dash hot pepper sauce
cheese to cover top, optional

To prepare crust: Mix dry ingredients. Mix in wet ingredients, stir with fork until ball forms. Roll out crust in between sheets of wax paper. Blind bake crust in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Saute onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Beat eggs and pepper sauce. Layer potatoes, spinach and onions. Pour eggs over top and cover with cheese. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Rummaging

A fact that you may or may not know about me: I love going to rummage sales. I love finding a bargain--or at least outfitting my girls in cute 50 cent dresses.

I found these crucifixes at a rummage sale today. Who sells Jesus in their rummage? Who sells Jesus 4 for $1? I snatched them all up--nice wood and brass crucifixes like these are expensive at Stempers. The woman who sold them to me only said "Good for you." What was that supposed to mean?