Labor Day Weekend!

Amy, Cody, Eli and Susan all came home for Labor Day Weekend!  Yay!  We had a quiet, but good time together.  There was a lot of drizzley rain, so we didn't do as much outside as usual, but that was good, too!  I didn't take as many pictures on my phone .  Sometimes I just grabbed the closest phone, so I reserve the right to steal pictures from Amy and Susan after they put their pictures up.

You can clearly see where Susan inherited her ability to wake up beautiful and glorious first thing in the morning!

Nap time for everyone!

Look at my little love!

The grandad took pictures of me when I fell asleep with Eli.

We got in some good backyard fishing!

Suzu caught two at once!

The dad caught THREE at once!

Suzu took some time out from fishing to play with this cutie!

Amy and her double catch!

Susan caught her hair in her reel!

We had our annual chile relleno day!  

Last year, the dad and I did it all by ourselves.  It just plain wasn't as much fun.

So this year, we froze our relleno chile until we had some kids at home!

Much better idea!

We made chile relleno burritos with all the leftovers.  Eli is helping to carry them to the freezer!

Now Eli IS the burrito!

August Tidbits

School began in August, and pretty much that has taken up most of my extra time, but here are a few tidbits of the month.

Got our chile all roasted and ready to freeze!

While we were waiting for the chile to steam, we ate some peaches from our own tree!

I hadn't been to a rodeo since I was a small girl, so we had VIP passes to Ceremonial.  We went to the rodeo.  It was so much fun!  I can't wait to go to another one!

This is the team calf-roping.

Gotta have roasted corn!

A tasty and delicious Navajo burger!

We got home, and it was time to peel the chile!

Just one of the several bunches of grapes from our vine!

The chile is packaged and ready to freeze!

That night, we went to the Arts Crawl downtown.  For the second month in a row, we won the basket from La Montanita Coop!

For Family Home Evening, we made Peach Pie Filling from Palisade, CO peaches,

We were supposed to use Cook-type Clear Jel.  I thought we had some, but we only had the instant kind.  You don't use the same proportions of the instant and cook-types.  We had one ton of the mixture left over.

I hope that wrong kind of Clear Jel doesn't affect the finished product!

We finally went to go the the geocache that is by the water tank near GHS.  We followed the parking directions on the cache description, and we came to a raine we coulodn't cross because of running water.  We hiked for a couple of miles round trip back to the car and looked for another way to the tower.  We found an access road that was gate locked.  We climbed the gate and headed on up.  Notice the dark clouds starting to gather in the background?

We climbed to the top of the hill, found the cache, and then it started to rain torrentially, and thunder and lightening was all around us.  We were pretty scared as we ran the mile or so down the muddy, slick road to the car.l

Once we were safe in the car, we started laughing like crazy!  It was really fun once we were out of harm's way.

A group of us from work go hiking after school on Wednesdays.

This is just cute, so I stuck it in !

Two our our four new hens are laying now--the Americana, and the Barred Plymouth Rock!

We stopped on our way home from the temple to get a geocache on our 36th Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to us!  We also went out to dinner with Carol and Mark, but I forgot to take picctures.

We made Bipenbap for Sunday Dinner.

It turned out great! (Annelise Dew joined us for dinner!)

Another picture just becaue it's cute!

I love our new principal.  Her name is Tara Udeh!

Another week hiking!

Chelsea's Survey

We did Chelsea's Questionnaire for FHE.  Here are our answers!

1. What is your stress relief method?

D-Eating

M-Eating something that generally involves chocolate.

2. What random piece of information do you know?

D-McKinley County, NM is the only county in the United States that is named McKinley.

M-There are 22 documented Indian Tribes in NM.  Found it out at a Culture Education Training today.

3. Two truths and a Lie.

D-I like tomatoes.   I like zucchini.  I like okra.

M-We went to Star Wars on our wedding day.  I had a Donny Osmond alarm clock.  I was Miss America 1984.

(I used these at a RS activity.  No one questioned the Miss America bit.  They just couldn't believe we went to Star Wars on our wedding day.

4. What is your favorite type of cheese?
D-Colby Longhorn or Pepper Jack
M-Probably sharp cheddar

5. What is your favorite thing about yourself (not body, more personality and spirit)?

D-I am a Decker

M-I can do a lot of things well.

6. What is one thing you would change about yourself (not body, that's another question later)?

D-I should be more loving to people that I don't like.

M-I'd like to feel more charitable when I act charitable.

7. Happiest memory?
D - Marriage

M - Marriage

8. If you could jump into a book or movie and become one of the fictional characters, which would it be?

D-The chauffer in Sabrina (Sabrina's dad).  He just listened as he drove people, and invested according to what he heard, and built up quite a nest egg.

M-Gotta be one of the quilt club ladies in the Elm Creek Quilters series.

9. What's your love language?

D-Gort clateau borata nicto.

M-Physical touch, quality time

10. What is something you wish you were good at?

D-Piano

M-Piano

11. If you didn't have to sleep, what would you do with that time?

D-Probably more indexing and Family History

M-Quilting

12. If you had all the schooling/skills and made all the money you would ever need, what would be your dream job?

D-Bee keeping

M-Working at Osuna Nursery

13. Biggest pet peeve?

D-People with too many pet peeves

M-Parents who make up stupid stories as to why their child is late to school.  (Seriously, how many flat tires can one car get?)

14. Who's your celebrity crush?

D-I don't have one.

M-Hugh Jackman

15. Current short term goal? Long term goal?

D-Make it through the County Commission Meething, Retire with enough money to be comfortable

M-Find a way to love Caleb and Phillip at school, Retire with enough money to be comfortable

16. Favorite scripture story?
D-Elijah calling down fire from heaven

M-The Nativity

17. Favorite color to wear?
D-Yellow shirts

B-Probably navy blue

18. What's one regret you have?
D-Not starting out on the clarinet

M-Not being a nicer younger sister

19. What's your dream car?
D-My pick-up

M-My Toyota hybrid

20. Your last meal (catered and with as many courses at you want) would include...?

D-Pork burnt ends smothered in a spicy BBQ sauce and potato salad.  Blueberry No-bake cheesecake for dessert.

M-Cookies

21. Describe your personality in 3 words.

D-Dull, boring, quiet

M-Optimistic, motherly, happy

22. Favorite place you've ever visited/traveled to?

D-Our whole Nauvoo trip

M-Boston

23. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you ever thrown one for someone?
D-McMullins gave me a surprise birthday party as Bishop when I turned 40

M-Susan called a bunch of my friends and they came over for cake one year.

24. Name something that you've worked on and overcome .

D-Flossing or using the WaterPik daily

M-Gossiping with one of my coworkers

25. What does your best/happiest birthday look like? What would you do, see, get, etc?

D-Same thing as I do every day... try to take over the world!

M-Phone calls from my children and grandchildren

26. What brings you satisfaction?

D-Working on a project and having it turn out the way I envision it.

M-Watching our children and their families looking for the good in each other.

27. Favorite dessert?
D-Blueberry no-bake cheesecake

M-Cookies!

28. Can you keep a secret?

D-Yes.

M-Yes, if I can tell the dad.

29. Would you rather a foot, hand, back, or head massage? Have you ever had a professional massage? Did you like it/would you ever want one?

D-Neck massage.  I've never had a professional one, and I never want one.

M-Back, but not too hard.  No, I don't want a professional massage.  I don't like pain.

30. What reality TV show would you want to be on?

D-Iron Chef

M-Chopped, as a judge

31. What is you favorite way to stay in touch with people?

D-Ask Barb how everyone is doing

M-Phone, texts, email, instagram (not facebook)

32. Marvel or DC?
D-A little of both

B-I can't remember which superheros are which most of the time

33. Favorite type of music?

D-Classical or symphony

M-Show Tunes

34. Favorite type of clothes to wear?

D-Button-up shirt with a pocket, non-jeans pants, socks and real shoes, not fake shoes.

M-Jeans and a Tee shirt

35. Favorite class in high school? Favorite class in college?
D-Band, Choir, Seminary in HS;  Conflict of Laws in Law School

B-Film Criticism in HS; Folk Dance classes in College

36. Favorite type of pie?

D-Pecan Pie

B-Not Mincemeat

37. How did you gain your testimony?

D-When I was 12 while I was home from church recovering from an appendectomy, I listened to the dramatized Joseph Smith storu, and I received my first strong witness.

M-I've always had a basic testimony, but I have received testimonies of many different principles by living them through the years. 

38. Favorite/dream calling in church?
D-Stake Clerk

M-Type up the bulletin

39. Do you have a favorite apostle to hear speak? Who and why?

D-Elders Bednar and Holland-I like their vocabularies

M-Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Cornish - they speak to my soul

40. Least favorite or dreaded church calling?
D-Ward Mission Leader

M-Any pianist or organist

41. If you had to change one thing about your body what would it be?
D-No Diabetes

M-My ponch


42. Favorite physical feature of yourself? Favorite physical feature of your significant other/dream guy?

D-My ear lobes.  Barb's face when she gets out of the shower with no make-up

B-My elbows, of course.  Doug's strong hands when they hold mine.

43. Describe what the best/perfect pizza is for you.
D-Thin crust, just a little sauce, two kinds of cheese, green chile, onions, mushrooms and either pepperoni, sausage or salami

M-Salami and green chile

44. Favorite TV show?

D-Good Eats

M-Probably still Monk

45. What food or food combo do you like to to eat, but other people think is gross or weird?

D-Mustard bread

B-Peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich

46. Favorite candy/candy bar?

D-Dark chocolate peanut M&Ms

M-Tootsie Rolls or dark chocolate Dove

47. What "beauty" splurge would you ever want to do (eye lash extensions, tanning bed, perm or color, botox, etc)?

D-Nothing that the resurrection won't cure

M-Hair highlights

48. Scariest thing you've ever done?
D-I moved my young family from our home 1200 miles away to go to Law School

B-Sent my babies off into the world for college/missions.  I don't know why it was scary, though.  They were well-prepared.  I guess I was afraid to not have them with me all the time anymore.

49. Would you rather be surprised with gifts or have people ask you and get what you want?

D-I'd like people to surprise me with what I want even if I don't know I want it

M-I think surprises

50. A genie popped out and granted you with 3 wishes. What do you wish for?

D-No diabetes, Sufficient funds in retirement to serve a couple of missions, Not sure what else

M-To be healthy and happy, to have healthy and happy children (and their spouses), Healthy and happy grandchildren

51. Coolest high school accomplishment? (You know... what did you brag about yourself for on your college applications?)

D-Best actor award for playing Mr. McAffee in Bye-Bye Birdie

M-Getting to work at Buffetts Candy Store

We Made Our Own Sauerkraut!

I've kind of been on a fermenting kick right now.  I do that.  I get in kicks where I learn all I can about something, and then I jump in full force.  Right now, it's fermenting.  I read a book by Travis Stork (From "The Doctors").   He said one thing that is uber important is probiotics and digestive health in keeping your whole system running the way it needs to run.  He also said taking probiotics doesn't really do the trick.  Our bodies are designed to run on food, and the good gut bacteria is far more beneficial if it comes from food.  Fermented foods are the good gut bacteria producers.

One of those fermented foods is sauerkraut.  We love sauerkraut, so it only seemed natural that we should try making our own.  We did, and we love it!  I doubt we'll ever go back to buying it in the can.  (Besides that, the canning process kills those bacteria anyway.)

It's super-simple and cheap to make.  The only thing we had to buy for it (and we didn't have to, I just wanted to) was the sauerkraut crusher.  It's that wooden thing on the countertop. You slice up cabbage and sprinkle with with pickling salt.  Then you stir it up with your hands and wait.

They you crush it up, and wait a little longer.

Then you crush it and put it in the jar

Then you make sure all the cabbage is down below the cabbage water, put it in a dark, coolish place and wait.

Check it after a week or two.  We did, and it was delicious.  We took a jar down to Phoenix to eat on hot dogs at the dad's birthday when Eli was blessed.  It was tasty!

We waited a  couple more weeks, and tasted it again.

We snuck some into an Isotopes game so we could put it on our ballpark hot dogs!

A couple of weeks later, it was just to the sour-ness we like!  We put it in jars in the refrigerator to slow the fermentation process way down.  It will keep just fine in the refrigerator until we finish it.  In another week or two, we plan on starting another batch!

Milk kefir and water kefir are also fermented and highlty probiotic.  I've been working on making both kinds for a few weeks now.  We really like them!  We started getting our probiotics through food by buying and drinking milk kefir.  We liked it, but $3 a quart is too price.  We looked online and found how we can make our own, and it's much cheaper.  Milk here is $2.19 a gallon, so we can make a whole gallon of milk kefir for the price of a gallon of milk.  We drink it plain and it tastes like buttermilk.  We also make smoothies, salad dressing, and use it in cooking.  The dad can't drink milk becauuse of all the carbohydrates in it.  He can drink this, becausen the bacteria in the kefir grains eats all the lactose (milk sugar).  I can drink it because...  well, you know what lacose does to me!

The water kefir was a little trickier at first.  I made some pretty nasty stuff.  But now, I've gotten the hang of it!  It's naturally carbonated, and I've made some pretty cool-tasting stuff!

 

We also tried our hand at making Kimchi.  It actually turned out better than I thought it would.  We especially like to include it in stir-fry dishes. 

Kimchi doesn't take as long as the sauerkraut to ferment.  It's done after just a few days.