Finally a Good Use for Conversation Hearts

I realize some people like them, but I have never been a fan. I actually can't stand them. Before I tossed them this year, I happened to see a blog post in which they were used for a sorting and graphing activity. So Matthew and Emmarsyn spent part of their "homework" time today doing pre-math activites with conversation hearts. They loved it, and since they do not share my disdain for them, they got to enjoy a few along the way.










Since Bruce was out of town today, here are a couple of more photos of our afternoon so he can see what has been going on here. Matthew was doing a new math workbook and Emmarsyn was working on some pre-writing skills. We have discovered Matthew has a bit of a math obsession. Recently, he had to have a mole removed from his arm. During the procedure and every time we change the bandage he begs us to give him math problems to distract him. He is getting pretty good at it.









And lest you think it is all work and no play at our house, here is Emmarsyn putting all of her Dora figures "in prison". This is why I try to keep them busy. As everyone knows, idleness can lead to some really bad things.

How to Win a Chili Cook-off

Just like in real estate, it's all about location. I have taken the same chili to our ward chili cook-off at least 3 times. This year I won. Now, personally, I believe my chili is pretty darn good and could have won 3 years ago, but I never got the "sweet spot" on the table. The "sweet spot" being right next to the bowls. So this year, we took the chili over just a few minutes early to test my location theory. And while it wasn't exactly a scientifically valid experiment, I think we proved that the "sweet spot" matters. To borrow another real estate term, I also did a little "staging" by putting bowls of Fritos, cheese, and green onions in front of my chili. If location isn't enough to sell a bowl of chili, Fritos certainly can seal the deal.

I thought I would post my recipe now that it is award winning. My mom actually got this recipe a church dinner years ago.

Chili
1lb extra lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 15oz cans kidney beans (do not drain)
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 T chili powder
1 t salt
1 t curry powder
1 t paprika
2 t ginger

Sautee ground beef, bacon, onion, and green pepper. Add all ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours.

A few tips and tweaks -

• I always double the recipe. If you are chopping 2 onions and 2 green peppers you might as well chop 4 of each. It freezes really well so leftovers are not a problem.
• I cook the bacon first until it is crisp, then remove it and pour off the grease. Then I sautee the onions, green peppers, and ground beef.
  
• For the big competition Saturday night, I added 1 T of sugar, about 1 t of garlic powder, and a few dashes of red wine vinegar at the end. I had never tried these before, but seeing as I won, it obviously didn't hurt.
• And, of course, serve with Fritos and shredded cheese. I usually don't do the green onions, but I figured for staging purposes a bit of color would be a good idea.

(I got a trophy for winning but it is going to be kept on display at the church, so the boys made trophies and a crown for me Sunday morning. Amazing what you can do with a few pipe cleaners.)

Check That One Off the List

If I had a "Bucket List", tonight I would be crossing off "See Billy Joel in concert." One of my first rock music memories - besides listening to Devo and Blondie on my brown transistor radio when I still lived in California (I would have been no more than 7, which makes me wonder what I was doing listening to Devo and Blondie on my brown transistor radio) - was watching the "Uptown Girl" video over and over on MTV. (Again, perhaps not the best use of my time. But, in my defense, I do not believe MTV was the same beast that it is today.)

Anyway, tonight Bruce and I went to the Billy Joel/Elton John Face2Face concert. It was definitely worth the wait of nearly 30 years. And as a bonus, we got to see Elton John. "Face2Face" refers to the fact that to open and close the show these two piano geniuses sat facing each other at matching grand pianos that rose from the floor. I could probably go on and on about how amazing they sounded in person and how I would probably go see it again tomorrow if possible, but it is late and Bruce has already gone to bed - and when I am actually up later than Bruce, it means I am up way too late.

(Since we were too high up to get a decent photo from our camera phones, I found the above image here. It was posted by Todd. I saw no copyright info, so hopefully this link and credit covers it.)

President's Day Parade

As I mentioned in my last post, the boys are holiday fanatics. They couldn't let President's Day pass by without a parade and some costumes. I believe Spencer was going for George Washington and Matthew was a clown - every parade needs a clown. There was a short indoor parade and an even shorter one outdoors. Personally, I was ready for a break after the Valentine's Day festivities, but it was not to be. In case you are curious, the bag contains Play-Doh hamburgers that they made to throw to the people in the crowd.

A Bit of Our Valentine's Day Festivities...

I'm not sure how I ended up with no pictures of Emmarsyn, but she did join in the festivities. The boys are the real holiday fanatics at our house though. They make things like heart shaped cinnamon rolls and paper conversation hearts taped to bedroom doors totally worth the effort. They even made themselves quivers and arrows and spent the morning playing Cupid.

Emmarsyn's Birthday Questions - 3 Years Old

How old are you? 3
Who is your best friend? Emery
What is your favorite thing to do? Doing the girl thing.
What is your favorite color? Pink
What is your favorite food? Some French fries and burger.
What do you like to do with your family? Playing games.
What is your favorite toy? My bug.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A big, giant mommy.
What makes you happy? Kisses and hugs.
What makes you sad? Hitting and throwing and being mad.
What is your favorite show to watch? Dora the Explorer.
What is your favorite book? My princess books and my space books.
Where do you like to go? I love to go to the zoo and parks.
What is your favorite animal? A pink humpback whale. Hey mom, it has a purple bottom.

Last year's questions.