Hot Dog Party

We went to a family reunion/vacation.  There were...fifty or so of us there, and our family was in charge of one meal.  We had Sunday lunch, so we couldn't have it be a really big meal.  Too bad, because we have a tradition of Sunday tacos, and we love to share it.  Tacos are the best Sunday food, don't you think?  Easy, fast, enough jobs for everyone to grab one and pitch in.  Besides, it's easy to stretch if we happen to have company, and you can't complain about your taco since you made it.  We just always have the stuff handy to whip up a batch of tacos.  But, no tacos.

Lunch is a smaller meal, but we wanted to make it fun.  Enter the hot dog party.  We found a bunch of "recipes" for different hot dogs on the internet somewhere that I can't for the life of me find now so I can't give proper credit.  Sorry.

I whipped up some menus on the computer and printed them out on cardstock.  I gave them a "hamburger fold" so they would stand up straight, and just set them at the back of the tables.

I also made labels and slapped them on all the condiments.  On the condiments without a bottle, we cut out the tag, gave it a "tent fold," and placed it in front of the food.

It was windy so we taped all the menus and labels either on to the bottles or onto the tables.  I think the colorful print made for half the fun right there.  And then we stepped back and let everyone have fun creating.  We heard lots of "try the East Coast!  It's the best!"  And "West Coast all the way, but add cheese."  Everyone left happy.  Score.

Grandma gave this a ten thumbs up.  It was a hit with everyone there.  I took pictures of everyone in their hot dog bliss, because I figured out how to use my new camera.  Unfortunately, I don't know how to get them off the camera yet.


Hot Dog Bar For 50

160 hot dog buns
160 hot dogs (half grilled, half steamed.  To steam hot dogs, insert the dogs, standing up on end in a large craokpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours to get that 7-11 taste)

4 onions, diced
6 tomatoes, diced
coleslaw (about 3 heads of cabbage worth)
90 slices cheese

large bottle ketchup
large bottle mustard
large bottle sweet relish (got these three  - 32 oz each - in a picnic package at Costco)
medium bottle spicy mustard
small bottle (5 ounce) chili sauce or hot sauce

small jar sliced, pickled jalapenos
small jar salsa
small jar guacamole (unless your tastes run like mine - love it! - then get more)
large jar (over 100 ounces) whole pickles, sliced into spears (used almost all of it)

3 large cans baked beans
2 - 15 ounce cans sauerkraut (and we had lots left over)


And, just in case you want to give this one a try, I figured out how to share the pdf file.  (is it working?)  I took out our family name, so all you have to do is print, write in your family name, cut them out, and get ready for a hot-diggety-dog good time!

Monday Missives

Alec hasn't written home much lately.  He's been busy, I know.  (But who isn't busy?  Really!)  So I sent him a care package with a few things he had requested (shoe inserts, Febreeze, band-aids, deodorant...), and a pre-printed letter.  That way, he just had to circle a few answers for multiple choice and true/false question and sign it.  Oh yeah, and an addressed, stamped envelope.  Hoping he got the idea.

Dear Mom,
Thanks for the package!  I really appreciate all the love you send in your letters and packages!  Sorry I haven't written much, but I've been so busy.  I did want to tell you a few things about what I've been doing...

My favorite course is the
A. obstacle course  - too easy
B. 5 course meals they serve us.  try 3 meals per day, one tray of food, 10 minutes to eat it.
C. confidence course - what confidence?
E. Play Station, of course! - what is that?  :-)

I would recommend boot camp to
A. everyone age 18 and up - yes and no
B. only those who have nothing better to do. - there are better things to do
C. those who want to lose weight and get in good condition. - you have to be in good shape to get in
D. those who feel the need for punishment. - if you want punishment, go steal something

Running
A. is bad. - cuz of shin splints
B. isn't so bad. - it's getting better and easier
C.is getting much easier. - and longer
D. is great! - I have to say, I do like running now

When I get done with training, I plan to sleep until
A. 9 am.
B. 11 am.
C. afternoon sometime. - whenever I wake up, for the first week or so, them back to 5 or 6 am
D. 5 am.  Boy I love to get up early!

I am often
A. the leader. - yes
B. among the front runners. - yes
C. always dead last.
D. in the middle of the pack
E. toward the tail end. - pushing people

My attitude
A. is pretty good overall.
B. is the best in my platoon
C. is the worst in my platoon.
D. not sure - too busy to think about it. - YES
E. is that I'm gonna make it through this no matter what. - YES

T or F My mom wears army boots. - does she?

T or F After I graduate from boot camp I'm going to sleep all day long. - for a few days

Love,
Alec

Haha, this is awesome!  Sorry for not writing any letters in the past few days/weeks.  I'll try to be better in future.  :-)

Good Shot

I got my first digital camera around 2003.  My dear father-in-law upgraded his camera and sent us his old one.  I was delighted to have a digital picture-taker.  And I could download pictures right onto my computer!  How wonderful!  It ran on regular batteries, and running the screen would just suck the life right out of them, so we used the itty bitty viewfinder instead.

Five years later, I upgraded my computer and lost the software to run the now-obsolete camera.  So I splurged and bought myself a Costco point-and-shoot for Mother's Day.  Oh, it was so nice to be able to just grab and shoot nice pictures of my kiddos and life as it was happening.  I kept it on top of the doorbell box in the entryway, so it would be quick to snap a shot.  And then I dropped it.  On the rough rock floor of our entryway.  The door that held the battery in broke, and the flash never worked again. Oops!

For Christmas the next year, Trent went to the pawn shop and got me a nicer point-and-shoot.  It lasted for a little while, but then it got temperamental.  It wouldn't turn on when I told it to.  And when I pushed the shutter button, it had to think about it for a while.  It took the picture when it was good and ready to.  It led to a lot of  "1-2-3-say cheese!  Keep smiling! I pushed the button so no one move.  Stay there.  Keep smiling!  Hey, get back in there!"  and then it would take the picture.  I actually got a lot of pictures of the floor because I got disgusted with waiting and losing my subject, but when I would lower the camera THEN it would take the picture.  Of the ground.  Bad words.

And then it quit working altogether.  Most of my pictures in the past few months are beauties like these.

So they finally talked me into buying a real camera.  I found a screaming deal online with the back-to-school specials (you need a fancy camera to go back to school?), gulped, and hit the "buy" button.  It's nice but not amazing.  Which also means that it didn't break the bank.  But it does come with lenses, so it will be fun to play with the effects.

It came and the boys are so excited about it.  I'm happy that now I'll be able to take nice pictures.  I'm mostly happy that I'll be able to pick up recording our lives again.

Now if I could only figure out how to work the thing...

Idlers

I was looking in a messy boy room when I found an academic-looking tome.  It contained words of wisdom from sage men to help us live better lives.  Although the book was old, its messages still rang true.  Trent liked this one well enough that he had to shoot it.

The irony of finding this quote in a book nearly hidden in a room which was messy because its owner was too busy sitting in front of his personal distraction device... priceless.

Back To School

It's that time of year again!  Ben and Chris are in high school.  Where has the time gone?  I didn't get shots of them on their first day because 1) they aren't fond of posing for Kodak Moments, and 2) they leave so early in the morning.  And if high school didn't start early enough, they both decided to take early morning seminary.  I think it's neat that they want to start the day off in spiritual learning and introspection.  My perfect days would start that way, too.

Trent bought this baby for $500, and he has been fixing it up this summer so that the boys could take it to school.  And Ben has been practicing his stick-shifting skills so he wouldn't stall in the high school parking lot.  He's gotten pretty good at it.  The boys (Trent included!) are loving the zippy little Tracker - I haven't yet driven it at all.

David started junior high, and is pretty excited about it all.  The school is close enough to walk, so he gets up and hoofs it with some other kids from the neighborhood

After agonizing all summer about where Eddie would go to school, we decided to just have him at our regular elementary school.  As soon as the decision was made, I felt so calm.  It was nice to get some peace about a difficult situation.  The school is not walking distance from our house - it's spitting distance.  We met his teacher, and she is one of those forever-loving people you wish you could have  for a grandma.  I think he's in the right place for him.

And once they were all gone, the house was not quiet.  Because some of this broke out.

So glad I have a man who plays like a with his kids!  And so happy to have all these lovely children to love on.

Love to See the Temple

Just have to share some cute pictures, because I love these little people.  I can't believe I have been so blessed to actually have them!  And keep them.  And take care of them.  Lucky mom, me.

They love to play together.  Makes my mother-heart happy.

She wouldn't smile for me, but I think I love this face better.  Those haunting eyes just bring back sad memories of her falling out the window.  So glad she's all together now!

Family Time

I love to be with my family.  My husband, my children.  That family.  And I love to be with my brothers-and-their-families family.  And I love my two in-law families.  I am a lucky girl to have so much family, and so much love, and so much support.

So when I saw this (It's from here, even though I can't find it in their current catalog), I just fell in love.  I wonder if I could do something like this on our wall?  Happy!