Recipes, before I lose them!

Last month, our ward had a class on dehydrating and Wonder Ovens.  It was very interesting and I would like to make a Wonder Oven in the near future.  I am also keeping my eye out on dehydrators on Craigslist and at Goodwill.  Anyway, there were lots of samples, and we got a couple of recipes that are soooo yummy and before I lose them, I am going to record them here.  And I'll be sharing at the same time.  How nice!  :
Marinade
This marinade was made for jerky, but would be great on any meat.  It is delicious!
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water
1/2 cup molasses
1/8-1/4 tsp pepper
1-1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Add crushed red pepper for spice, if you want to

Split Pea Soup
This soup was soooo good!  I was surprised.  It's also cheap to make.  Score!
I will need to double it for my family.

5 strips of cooked bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 big carrots, chopped
1 potato, cubed
3 cans chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 cup soaked split peas
Boil for 10 minutes and put in Wonder Oven until done.  Or cook on stove top or crock pot.

Things I love

I try not to be in love with too many "things".  Afterall, things are just things, right?  Well, every once in a while there comes around a thing that I can't help but be in LOVE with.  This is one such thing:

That's right.  It's a remote starter for my suburban.  This is one of my most prized possessions, seriously.  Here's how it works; we make sure to turn the a/c all the way up when we get out of the car.  When we are about ready to get in the car, we turn it on from wherever we are (it works from way far, so it's GREAT when out shopping!!) and the doors lock, the car turns on and the a/c starts cooling things down.  By the time we get into the car, it's nice and cool--LOVELY!!  I can't tell you how spoiled I am by this little thing!  It makes living in the hot desert BEARABLE!  AND, and and, that's not all.  There is a button on it that I can push when I'm in the car and it allows me to remove the key and the car stays on.  So, if my kids are in the car and i need to run in somewhere  (now--before you call the police on me, I only do this if my big kids are there, too.  I figure if they can babysit at home, they can babysit in the car for a few minutes), I can leave the car running and the doors locked.  That way, they can stay nice and cool, the doors are locked, and if anyone tries to open the doors, the remote beeps at me and lets me know and the alarm goes off.  The car will also turn off if someone tries to put it into gear so it can't be stolen or driven if there is no key in the ignition. Oh, how I love this little gadget.  Do you have any gadget or "thing" you NEVER want to be without?

My trip to Las Vegas

I got to take a trip to Las Vegas last week.  Here is my travel companion:

We went to see my brother and his wife sealed in the Las Vegas Temple.  It was Tailgunner's first airplane ride, and probably his last for a while.  He did GREAT on the plane, though.  Here he is looking out the window at our plane.  We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle the first night, where we tried to avoid their mean cat who just seemed to taunt my little Tailgunner.  They wanted to confront each other in the worst way!  Everywhere we went, the cat went.  And my baby boy wanted to get that cat!  Luckily, they were never allowed actual contact or my baby would have been scratched and the cat would have been kicked. (by me, haha)  We enjoyed swimming in their fabulous pool. My Aunt very kindly dropped me off at the temple for the sealing the next day.  It was beautiful, and I'm so happy to have my lovely new sister in law!!!  She's the bees knees. Aren't they cute? Me and my bro- The second night, after the sealing, we stayed in Bill's Gambling Hall and Casino.  Sounds classy, doesn't it?  :)  It actually had VERY  nice rooms.  Tailgunner and I shared a room with my niece and nephew so my brother could have a little "honeymoon" in another hotel.  Here is the night view from my window: We ordered in dinner, and wound up getting a pizza the size of Texas.  It was awesome!! The next day we did some shopping and checked into their hotel for the next night, the Mandalay Bay.  The big kids played on the beach there while us older folks walked around the hotel and looked at more shops.  I flew home that evening.  It was a great little vacation, with no one to worry about except for me and the babe.  The kiddos did great at home with my mom helping a bit, and daddy home in the evenings.

Make your own Fairy Dolls

I know I've mentioned my kids creative play with their dolls.  Like when Mallary was in the hospital in this post.  Well, here she is with her good friend Felicity.  They have now turned into fairies, courtesy of paper wings and bandana dresses.

From Aug 2010

Congressman Jeff Flake

This is a picture of our Congressman with us in our home.  Sadly, Teeny Bopper was babysitting so she isn't in it.  It's cool, because it was an honor to have him come and it's awesome to know a politician we actually like!  So, my husband has to remain neutral because of his position as chairman of our district, but I can openly say I am voting for Jeff Flake and heartily endorse him.  Go Flake!

From Aug 2010

Back to School Pics

Here are our annual back to school pictures.  I can't believe they have gone back to school!!  I miss them, and yet am glad they are progressing.  I LOVE my kids!!