Wow Berks!

Berkley loves the camera. Not so much being in front of it, but behind it. She's really good. Here are a few pictures she took the other day. She's one of those artsy-fartsy kind of gals. What do you think?

We had so much fun with our cousins this week. It's always hard to see them go. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long before we see them again.

Goin' to the chapel and we're... gonna get married!

What a day. What a wonderful, special day it's been. We are thrilled with the outcome of this fairy-tale wedding. Joe's Mom, CC,  remarried today after being widowed for 14 years. We couldn't be happier for her and her new husband, Dave. He's a pretty terrific guy and we're so excited for the two of them to start their lives together. They make a great couple.


The wedding took place at Heritage Gardens. It was beautiful. CC really knows how to throw a party. 


I took quite a few amateur pictures of the big day, but I can't wait to see the "real" pictures taken by the photographer. 

The dress

 The shoes

 The girl

 The bouquet

 The K I S S

The rice

The goodbye's

Bryn

 Bryn and Berks

LeRoy

 Sean

 Bryn, Olivia and Rachel

 New cousins, Chan and Mason

 Berks and her new cousin Makaela

 The grounds were breathtaking

 LeRoy

 Lindsey and I

 Love this girl

 LeRoy

 Linds and Ju

 The flowers were so beautiful

 Our new cousin Macy with Olivia, Bryn and Rach

 Oh man! Now I know why I have tons of wrinkles around my nose... I'm constantly scowling. I've gotta stop doing that.

 Love my lil' love bug

 Ju, Sean, Olivia, Bryn, Rach and I

 Brynnerz

 Jack Hall (Lindsey's baby)

Chan with sweet lil' Molly (Max and Vinny's baby) Isn't she the cutest?

 Berks with Henry (Julia's baby)

 Henry Gates

 My cute parents

 Jack Hall

 Chan and my Dad saying goodbye... so sweet!

CC and Dave leave in the morning for New York and then off on their 10 day cruise. What a whirlwind and what a fun ride it's been.  xoxo

a blessed people

What a fun 4th of July weekend we've had this year. We spent most of our time at the Cottonwood Club. Our day started early with a fun, family 3k at the club. The kids were so cute. Bryn rode her bike, while Joe, Chan, Berks and I ran it. (Mason was out of town at my parents cabin)


After the run, we stayed and played tennis for about 3 hours. Our friends the Browns joined us for the festivities. It was fun to be surrounded by great friends and family. Chan was a rockstar on the tennis court. I think he might have the bug to start playing again. (at least I hope)


Berkley was so sweet to take the kids to the pool while we played tennis. She's getting so big and mature. I love that I fully trust her with little kids, especially around the pool. She's a mama bear and I love that about her.

After swimming, we rushed home to shower and get ready for a pre fireworks BBQ. Thanks to the Rocks for a wonderful dinner and introducing us to new friends. Grace is quite the entertainer... I just love that girl!


After dinner we headed back to the Cottonwood club for a wonderful fireworks display.  It was spectacular. 

 Love this picture of Bryn. She was astonished by the fireworks. 

Lastly, we raced home just in time for our traditional "light the street on fire" display.  


I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to raise my kids in a close knit community. We had a great day together. We talked about our Country and how blessed we feel to live in a place where we have the freedom to choose.  We are truly grateful to the servicemen and women who continually and selflessly serve our country so that we can partake of these luxuries. 


We are truly a blessed people.

How does your garden grow?

I'm so excited about my humble little garden this year.  I have 8 plants growing in individual pots. I LOVE IT!!! It's easy, no mess and NO WEEDING! 

Oregano

 Strawberries

 Basil

 "Big beef" Tomatoes

 "Early girl"Tomatoes

 Chile peppers

I have everything I need now to make fresh salsa. It's going to be a lot of fun. I've been using the herbs quite a bit as well. My cute friend, Alyssa Earl, gave me her homemade spaghetti sauce recipe and I couldn't wait to try it out.  I topped it off with fresh Oregano, basil & parmesan cheese. It tasted AMAZING... so fresh and delicious. 

I had to alter the original recipe somewhat because I didn't have all the ingredients on hand and I was too lazy to go to the store. I'll give you her original recipe and then the adapted version as well. It is the best spaghetti sauce I've EVER tried. I'm serious about that. It is insanely good.

Also, it makes enough to feed a small army. I fed my family, a neighbor family, and froze two more bags for my extended family to enjoy in Bear Lake with left-overs in my fridge. You can also freeze individual zip-loc bags and pull one out at a time for a quick & amazing meal. 

This recipe makes a HUGE pot. You can see that it filled my soup pot to the very tippy top.

Alyssa's spaghetti sauce

2 lbs. ground meat (I used ground turkey)

1 lb. Italian sausage (I used 2 lbs. regular ground sausage)

1 onion, chopped

2 tsp. garlic salt

4 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste (I used 3 (6oz.) tomato paste)

2 (10 oz.) cans tomato soup (I used 1 (26 oz.) tomato soup)

2 (10 oz.) cans cream of mushroom

2 (23 oz.) cans tomato juice (I used 2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes)

(I also added 1 (10.75 oz.) can tomato puree and 1 cup hot water)

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

3 tsp oregano

3 tsp. basil

6 Tbsp. brown sugar (I used 7 Tbsp.)

8 bay leaves

(I also sprinkled sauce with fresh oregano, basil and parmesan cheese at the end)

Brown meat and onion with garlic salt. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer over low heat 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally. Freeze and store in gallon zip-loc bags or jars. Remember to leave room for expansion.

I also made a big salad. Have you tried broccoli slaw? It's yumm-o!  I used spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli slaw, tomatoes and walnuts in this salad. The dressing is a Lite-house Fuji apple dressing from the grocery store. It is really light and refreshing. You can also add berries, apples, feta or pretty much anything your family enjoys. Toss ingredients together with dressing and you're good to go. 

Last, but definitely not least... Dessert!

I can't tell you how simple this cake is to make. It is so moist and fresh. You'll LOVE it. 

Quick lemon cake

1 (1lb.) package of angel food cake

1 (15.75 oz.) can of lemon pie filling

Fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries or raspberries)

Whipped cream 

(I used a large tub of cool whip and mixed in a small box of lemon pudding mix)

In a bowl, combine the cake mix and pie filling. Spread the cake batter into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool and slice. Top with fresh berries and cream. 

Happy 4th of July weekend!