Little Helpers

Yesterday I decided to make cookies with Miriam and Simon. Miriam has been asking about making cookies for a while now, so I decided to try making some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Simon has to be where ever Miriam is, so of course he climbed right up on the chair to help. Did you know that making cookies with two kids "helping" you takes two times longer? Making cookies after nap time probably wasn't the best idea because it cut into dinner time. It was a good thing Michael was working late and I had only planned to heat up leftovers.

I am pretty sure a lot of cookie dough was eaten.

I got the recipe off the oatmeal canister. Probably a bad idea. The first batch was way overdone due to instructions to cook for 15 minutes. I didn't even think, but this is way too long for a cookie. Anyway, I adjusted and I think they turned out okay... even if it took 2 hours to make them.

Can I Have S'more?

On Sunday we decided to ring in the fall weather by making s'mores. It was a beautiful night. Miriam and Simon were not quite sure what was going on at first. Michael had shown Miriam pictures of s'mores earlier in the day to try to explain what we were going to be making. Once they figured it out they were in heaven, as many marshmallows and chocolate bars as they could eat. Again I didn't have my camera so Grandma came to the rescue with her fancy phone. I really should get one of those iPhone things :) The s'mores were delicious, tasty, and super messy. What more could you ask for on a wonderful fall evening?

 

Glenn Family Reunion

Last weekend we were able to attend the Glenn Family reunion (my Mom's parents and her siblings). I hadn't seen most family members since we left two years ago, some even longer, so it was nice to be able to see everyone for a couple of days.

On Friday we went down to the BYU campus. We toured museums and had a video scavenger hunt. Miriam loved hanging out with her cousins. For lunch we had to stop and get JDawgs, a must for visits to Provo.

Before we left we stopped by the building where Michael used to work while he was a student. However no one he used to work for was there, so we stopped and let the kids play in the water fountain while we soaked in the BYU air.

On Saturday we had lunch with Michael's sisters (at La Casita - another must during our visit), so we didn't make it up to Draper to hang out until around four o'clock. After so much going on during the week we were tuckered out. Both kids fell asleep on the way there (which never happens) and Michael fell asleep as soon as we got there. Rest assured he did not fall asleep while driving.

happenings of the day

drum roll please... Michael took his last final exam as a college student. All he has to do is turn in a completed project on Wednesday and then GRADUATION here we come. We are excited to celebrate next weekend with family and friends. (as a side note i am extremely bummed about the weather forecast. we have had beautiful weather, 70 degrees and sunny, for about 3-4 days and it is supposed to last 2-3 more days. as soon as graduation comes it is going to drop to 55 degrees and rain is in the forecast for the next week. what is up with this?)

I was so excited about dinner tonight. Hot house cucumbers were on sale and so I figured we would make a nice Greek salad with some chicken. Michael lived in Greece for about 2 years when he was very little and so his family loves Greek food, which is something I do not mind one bit. It is all very delicious. (Mom Bishop stop reading now and pick up at the next paragraph.) As we sat down to eat Michael stopped for a minute and then asked, "Did you get any feta?". What? Feta? AHHHH!!! I forgot to buy the feta cheese. Then Michael says, "Feta is probably my favorite part of Greek salad". FAILURE!

Tonight we decided to cut Miriam's hair. The back of her hair has never been trimmed and so it was starting to look mullet-ish. I trimmed up the back to even it all out from her bald spot growing back in. It looks much better and I wish I would have remembered to take pictures.

Natalie's Baby Shower

I was able to throw my sister, Natalie, a baby shower yesterday. I think it turned out well. It was fun to have everyone over to celebrate her little boy. I made her a banner and had some festive balloons for the occasion.


My sister-in-law, Robyn, made a TON of caramel popcorn that we put in little popcorn boxes. The 'ticket' said, "Natalie is about to pop. Thanks for coming to celebrate..." (I forget all the wording). They were really cute though. I also made cookies that my sister, Ashley, decorated.


We also had spinach artichoke dip with bread, veggies with dip, and fruit with dip. It was all very delicious. I didn't even get a picture before the strawberries were gone.


I was able to get Natalie/baby boy some blocks. She also received many other wonderful baby things. I just love baby showers and seeing all the fun baby gear. It is enough to make one baby hungry.


Congratulations Natalie and Ryan! We look forward to the arrival of baby Hendricks!

So Grown Up

Miriam is getting so big. We bought her plates of her very own. She loves eating all by herself, although she still lets me feed her (which is nice sometimes). I am sure her 7 teeth help her eat all the grown up food. Miriam is a great eater.

Miriam's First Solid Food

Miriam has been patiently waiting to try solid food. For the past month she just stares at us longingly whenever we are eating. She loves to play with a spoon and feel a part of the meal. Last night we finally decided to have her try rice cereal.



Overall it was a huge success. She loved it. She was very good at keeping it down. I think Michael even enjoyed it too.

(By the way, I cut my hair.)

Great Cookbook

We have been having a great time trying new recipes every week. We plan our meals on Monday night and grocery shop on Tuesday night for the week. A majority of our recipes have come from a new cookbook called Everyday Food. We have liked almost all the recipes we have tried out of this book. They are perfect recipes for us because most of them are for about 4-6 servings. We haven't wasted any leftovers.

Some of our favorites include:
1. Sauteed Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce
2. Flank Steak with Lime Marinade
3. Spicy Black-Bean Cakes
4. Beef and Orange Stir-Fry
5. Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts
6. Tandoori Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

We think you should all go and get this book and try these recipes. However, I am going to post them on our family recipe blog if you want to try before you buy.