Using grains

Yesterday was our wards first enrichment activity.  My theme for this years monthly activities is "Dollars and Sense".  Each month we will be learning about and discussing a different topic that will help us stretch our dollar or manage our resources better.  My friend Chris taught a class on cooking with different grains and the benefits of each one.  Not only are these healthier, but also so economical. I am excited to try to incorporate some in our family's meal plan. I really liked the Mexican flavored millet and the quinoa pilaf.  My goal this month is try to use one of these grains each week in some form.  This is the handout she made and my scribbled notes.  Just click on it and it will bring it up large enough to read. 

Josh hang-in out

Josh received this swing for Christmas and John installed it this weekend.  It is now the most coveted gift.  Josh loves to "hang" out and read in his swing.  It is from IKEA, but I bought it from a garage sale for 10.00.  I will now have to be on a look out for another, because all the kids now want one. :)

Better than Best Buttermilk Syrup!!

On Sundays I only cook one large meal after church and everyone is on their own for dinner.  Yesterday, I actually cooked twice and made our favorite syrup for the pancakes that Jake was making.  This syrup is soooooo gooood!!! I usually double the recipe and keep it in the refrigerator.  It never last long, though.

1 1/2 C Sugar

3/4 C Buttermilk

1/2 C Butter

2 T Corn Syrup

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp vanilla

Combine all the above ingredients except vanilla in a small deep sauce pan, Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly(till light brown color). Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Note:  When you add the baking soda the mixture rises up.--always use a deep pan. :)

Cup Cake Class

By Caroline

I think cake decorating is very fun.  I made this cake today.  It was fun to make the clowns and do a big cake.  I made these cupcakes on my second class.  They were hard to do, but I like doing the different designs.  Next week I will do cupcakes again.  My family like eating the stuff I make.

Elder Hickey--update

Johnny is now in Patra.  It is the third largest city in Greece.  There are more young people due to the 2 universities. It is famous for it's carnival in the spring.  Johnny's new companion is Elder Lindfors from Finland.  The pictures above, one is in Athens and the other is at Olympia where the ancient Olympics took place.  They have been doing service I think once a week and have made a lot of friends this way.   They still only have a couple of members in this new area.  

Johnny said this in a recent letter.  

 I love life as a missionary, and as a missionary here in Greece.  I know that if we try our best, and if it is God's will, then the people with their agency will be able to accept him. 

Thanks to all who sent him letters and Christmas cards, he loved them. 

Food Dreams

The new year has brought me new challenges and opportunities.  I was just called to be enrichment leader. I have less than 6 weeks to plan the Relief Society Birthday Dinner/Meeting for 80.  I am excited to work with the women in our ward and plan some fun and informative activities.  A week after this calling I was asked to be in charge of the food at stake girl's camp.  This means the planning, purchasing, and cooking the food for 300 people for 4 days.  I have a co-chairperson and we will be asking women to help cook while at camp. Needless to say I have been having cooking, menu planning, and food dreams.  Any great ideas are always welcome. :)

Job satisfaction

Yesterday as I was making Joseph's lunch he asked me, "Mom, you like being a mom?" I replied,  "I love it."  He said, "ya, cause you have no chores" as he looked at the children's chore chart on the refrigerator. Ha! Needless to say, my job satisfaction is very high. 

New Years Goals--A Happy Home :)

Each New Years we have the children trace around their hands and write their goals on their hands.    This year we are also working on two family goals.  The first is to be more consistent with family scripture study and prayer.  The second is to talk nice to each other.  We have noticed that the children have not been talking respectively with one another.  I don't know if this is due to more teenagers in the house or all being too busy, but to improve relationships and the atmosphere in our home we all decided on this as a goal.  We made up a code(see top pictured above) to show someone if they are not talking in a kind manner.  I also put up our family banner, Natalie made from last years family reunion up as a reminder.

 The evening after making this goal I had to send one child to their room for being disrespectful.  After this confrontation, I was frustrated and angry and started getting after the 3 children in the kitchen who where not cleaning up as they should.  I noticed the two children I was talking with started to shake their heads back and forth and smile at the child behind me. I asked them "what?" and they started laughing and said Natalie told us to give you the heart sign.  We all  started laughing and I realize how much I need to improve in this area and that the mother really does sets the tone of the home. :)

New Years Eve

We spent New Years Eve with our friends, the Jonson's in Rexburg, ID.  My business savvy friend Heather has a business in her basement where she rents out formal dresses.  She has three girls and started the business after she went shopping and saw the price of formals.  She buys the dresses from graduating seniors. Our girls had a ball trying on all the different dresses. 

Hickey Family Reunion--Island Park

The highlight of the trip--amazing snowmobiling through the pine forests, over streams, and next to some hot springs where we saw 2 moose.
                                             Joseph all set to go snowmobiling.
                                   Playing the hand game with cousins
                               Katherine and Caroline having some cousin fun!!

We had a very fun and relaxing time at Karl and Nadine beautiful cabin in Island Park, ID.  This is just minutes from Yellowstone and looked like a winter wonderland!!! There was a foot and 1/2 of fresh snow covering everything.  It was fun to spend time with John's family.  We had great food, fun games, snowmobiling, winter walks and a lot of relaxing!! I even helped three people set up their own blogs!

Christmas Vacation Fun

The day after Christmas we pack up the car and started on our 7 day trip.  On the first day we went to Salt Lake to see the lights on Temple Square.  It was freezing, but we still enjoyed walking around in the beautiful setting.  We rode the traxs system from our hotel and accidentally jumped on the wrong one on the way back and had to walk 6 blocks through the slushy snow. :( Later that night John, Josh, Jake and I had a great time at the Jazz game. The next morning we headed through a snow storm for Island park, ID.