Baseball Season

It's that time of year for our family: baseball and softball season. A time when our family goes crazy, busy with baseball and softball practice and games. Now you'll notice I'm seperating baseball from softball, something I wouldn't have done before having both a boy and a girl into this sport. I didn't know there was a difference but apparently boys play baseball and girls play softball and it's a distinct difference I'm told. Not something I've really noticed because I've been hit by both a baseball and softball while at the games (a whole different subject for a later time) and they BOTH hurt so, to me, they are the same game but, as I said, it's NOT.

Anyway, back to the crazy season for our family and just a heads up to my siblings who have kids. Baseball/softball season means practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings and games ALL day Saturday. On days that Todd is home from work things go fairly smooth with Todd taking Evan to practice or game and me taking Tori to practice or game or the other way around. Days that Todd is at work I'm running across our city all night long and dinner is something that's choked down either before or after practice.

I don't mean to complain because I really do love Evan and Tori being involved and away from the tv, computer, and video games (and I loved it when Spencer played also). It's really neat to see the enjoyment they get from the team comraderie and improving their skills. On top of it all it's been fun for me, a Mom who never played sports or understood sports as a young woman, to understanding the basics of a game like knowing what the top or bottom of a inning means. That's a big deal!

New Office

So, I've mentioned that I have a new job at the college working as the Student Success & Retention Coordinator. Love it! It's been a great job and I still have a lot to learn. Here's a picture of my new office that I wanted to share with you all. It's so nice to have a window again and even better it's got a view of Utah lake and the mountains.



Even though I'm in a new position, I promised my previous supervisor that I would finish up coordinating student travel to a conference in Maryland. So I traveled to Maryland April 9-12. While there I had the opportunity to eat crab legs in Delaware and watch a Phillies game in Philadelphia! Crazy, crazy trip. On top of driving all over the East (a three hour drive from Maryland to Philly) I dealt with a student going to the emergency room, a bus crash that was transporting our students and faculty, and students sleeping in so they missed their presentation. Needless to say I was very, very happy to be home with my wonderful husband and children. Todd was just amazing to be at home with the kids and is wonderful.

Here's a picture of me at the Phillies game! :-)

Yummy Cafe Rio!

Tori and Marcy had a Mom and Daughter date last weekend and took some time to eat at yummy Cafe Rio. I don't mean to sound like we took some time... our entire day out was centered around Cafe Rio. After all, isn't that what it's all about ... eating?



Tori got two enchiladas, one was beef and the other pork. She still hasn't decided what her favorite is, the beef or pork. Me, I'm all about the pork salad. Good Stuff!





Just as we finished eating fire trucks and ambulances started pulling into the parking lot and a bunch of hot firefighters started walking in to have lunch and with them was the hottest of all - Todd. One of the guys on his shift was retiring they were having a farewell lunch at Cafe Rio. The best place to have lunch anytime. I should have gotten a picture of all the trucks and guys in line but didn't want to look like to much of a dork. It was fun to see Todd and his crew

Tori's 12th Birthday

Our little girl has turned 12. She is growing into a beautiful young woman and is a wonderful daughter. You should all know what a little hero and amazing young woman Tori is and what she did on her birthday to help someone in need.

For Tori’s birthday she wanted to go snowboarding. So, even though it was on a Wednesday we took her out of school and all went snowboarding (I skied). It was a fun family day. She’s a natural and does great and thoroughly enjoys the sport. We all skied together for a couple runs and then separated until lunch.

At lunch time, we were enjoying our high priced food when I asked Tori how she did snowboarding. She told us it was fun. We talked about a few more things and then Tori said “hey, I was going down one time and I saw this old guy lying under a tree”. Now to Tori old is 30 and older but from what we gather he was around Grandpa’s age. She said she went over to the guy and asked if he was ok, she saw he was lying kind of crazy with his legs and arms at odd angles. He told her he couldn’t move and asked her to get help. So, our little 12 year old daughter went down to the bottom of the hill, found a ski patrol person, and told him there was a man that was hurt and needed help. The ski patrol asked if she could show him were the man was, she said sure, so he put her on the back of the snowmobile and up the hill they went. She took him right where the man was still laying. They assessed his injuries and determined he had broken both his legs. He was put in a stretcher and the ski patrol took the injured man and Tori back to the base. She was thanked and away she went.

All of this Tori told us in the matter of fact, no big deal, tone of voice. What a brave thing to do! I think back to when I was 12 and I wouldn’t have even had the presence of mind or concern for others to even think of approaching a strange man lying under a tree on the side of a ski slope. Honestly, I think she was such a brave and aware young woman to go over to the injured man. Then to find the ski patrol and help them find the injured man took even more self-confidence. I’m just very impressed with what she did and wanted you all to know what an amazing young woman she is and about her bravery. We love her and are so very blessed to have her in our lives!

Beef and Cheese Tamale Pie

Yummy recipe... thought I'd share. It's makes a lot so if there is only a few of you eating you may want to half the recipe. Also, it takes about 30 min. to prepare and 1 hour to cook. Well worth the time and great for feeding visitors!

Beef and Cheese Tamale Pie
Filling:
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tblsp. chili powder
1 (14 oz) canned stewed tomatoes
2 cups corn kernels, canned or frozen
1/2 chopped fresh cilantro (I just used dried)
1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided

Cornmeal Batter:
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups cold water
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Toppings:
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 tblsp. cream
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
sour-cream (optional)
1 (6 oz) can pitted black olives (optional)

1. To prepare beef filling, combine onion, ground beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and chili powder in a large skillet; saute until beef is browned.
2. Add corn and tomatoes; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch casserole dish.
4. To prepare cornmeal batter, combine chicken broth and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk together cornmeal and cold water until smooth. While broth is boiling, add cornmeal mixture all at once, whisking constantly. Stirl overt medium heat until thick and boiling. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Stir in yogurt and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often.
5. Spread about two-thirds of the cornmeal batter in casserole. Add beef filling. Top with 1 cup pepper jack and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Spoon on remaining cornmeal batter and smooth with spatula.
6. To make the toppings, stir yogurt and cream together in a small bowl. Spoon lines of yogurt mixture and diced tomatoes across top. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over top.
7. Place casserole dish on top of a large baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes; cover with foil and bake 30 minutes longer. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and black olives. Serves 10.

Our New Kitchen

It's taken me forever to get pictures of our new kitchen posted but I've finally done it. Hopefully I can get Christmas pictures up in the next few weeks also. Anyway, our kitchen is very, very close to being done and I absolutely love it! Everything is complete except for the lighting.





Our new french doors..... love them!



Our new hutch.... love it! We just got it last Friday.

Thanksgiving Video