Mass cooking

Recently my friends Heather, Maria and I started doing mass cooking. Some people refer to it as once-a-month cooking. I feel that name doesn't apply in this case but the gist of mass cooking is to round up some friends to and spend the day cooking and storing as many meals as possible. Yesterday I got a head start and cooked 6 meatloafs, 1 turkey and 2 hams. Today Maria and Heather showed up and I had another 2 turkeys cooked. We then made pasta dishes, pizzas, chilies, taco meat, and crockpot meals. All and all we made 54 meals and some side dishes that went into my freezer to be pulled out and cooked at a moments notice. It's homemade freezer dinners but healthier. It's helps me on those days when life is to busy to cook a meal and Mac and cheese just doesn't cut it.

The chaos.

Speaking of chaos, we were interrupted many times by our very sensitive smoke alarm. Because Heather's baby was sleeping in the room next to it I had to sprint down the hall more times than I care to count to wave a towel under it. I also had to drop everything and catch a dog before she got a chicken when Tim let loose the chickens in the back yard. It all added up to a very stressful day, but worth it in the end.

Maria topping the pizzas and Heather vacuum sealing.

The end result of much hard work.

Obama Cake

I know, I know. So immature and juvenile. But Chad needed a cake for work and I felt the need to express some pent up frustration. If an artist can express their feelings in painting or sculpture why can't I do it on a cake? Chad's very conservative co-workers thought it was great.

Boys

Not that I really thought much about being a mom when I was younger, but when I did, I wanted boys. Boys, the cute Dennis the Menace type or the Norman Rockwell type. Ornery, cute, always with a smudge of dirt on the face. The kind that would sneak a frog into church stuffed in their pocket that would then some how escape and send little old ladies into screaming fits. The kind that always had a slingshot poking out of their overalls pocket. When we found out I was pregnant with Nora I was scared to death. What would I do with a girl? I had always been a tomboy, what was I going to do if she was a "girly girl"? Or liked makeup? Oh, I was worried about it. Boys, I just knew I was made to have boys. So when Nathaniel came along I was excited. Then Tim. Now I have my ornery, cute, dirt smudged boys.

WHAT WAS I THINKING!?

It's only cute when it isn't your child.

...that water isn't clean either.

Cake Class I

My friend Shaunda asked a while back if I knew of any places offering cake decorating classes. One thing led to another and next thing we knew we were taking a class at a craft store with another friend Maria. Three kids birthday's a year was getting a bit expensive to buy cakes for ( yes there are ways to save money, but I really like to have beautifully decorated cakes and not Walmart cakes). So I set out to learn how to do it on my own. It has been a blast! We completed Wilton course one and start course two next week. Here are some of the results...

To control our family's sugar intake and weight gain I have been sending many cakes to work with Chad. His coworkers are now big fans of mine.

I made this one for Holly Hepler's birthday party and had a lot of fun making it.

Dassah and Nathaniel

It's sad I know, but I have succumbed to the cutsie "wedding" picture of Nathaniel and Dassah. It could be worse, I could be dressing up my naked babies in angel wings and laying them in clouds of cotton balls.

Pinic and Hike

Like most people we are sick and tired of winter. So when a day came along that the mercury just barley touched 50 degrees we jumped on it. We called up our friends the Sipps and planned a hike and picnic on the beach. Beach in our neck of the woods means a beach along the Arkansas (r-kansas not r-can-saw) River. The kids were just beside themselves with the excitement of a trek through the woods where there just might be bears.

The beach is out the back gate over the levy and through the woods.

We stopped in route to explore and climb a downed tree. Ella is showing Nora a snail shell.

Looking for bears or some such monster in the tree.

Tim's method of transportation.

At last at the beach where we start a fire to cook hot dogs while the kids build sandcastles.

Keeping warm. Maybe it wasn't quite 50 degrees.

Da Sipps or at least three of them.

Heading home.

(That's Wyatt)