I hope I'm not the only crazy person in the world that would would cut up 80lbs of chicken for the freezer, but I can't resist a sale! FYI - 80 lbs of chicken doesn't look like much when you pack it in next to a side of beef!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Chicken, Chicken and MORE Chicken
This past week Chicken went on sale at Macey's. I debated buying the bulk 40lb package because I really wasn't that excited to prepare it for the freezer. I bought only three 5lb packages that day. Then, over and over again my thoughts haunted me. All I could think was, "I should go and get that chicken!" So on the last day of the sale, Mom was headed home from work. I happened to call as she was passing Macey's and she was willing to stop and pick some up for me. It sat in the sub zero (garage) for two days before we had time to get to it. As a side note, I'm amazed that there was any left. In a normal economy they would have sold out on the first or second day. It's speaks volumes of how tight people are these days.
We got a late start that night because I got a crazy idea to clean the garage! Now the living room is filled with two years of girl clothes, extra linens and craft supplies. Hummmmm, was that worth it? Anyhow, after helping me sort clothes for a bit, we got to work on the chicken. We decided to prep it all the way this time instead of just cleaning it up before we put it in the freezer. We figured out which part was the tenderloin, and cut up about half of it into chunks ready for the pot! It took longer than we expected (like that should surprise anyone) but already the hard work has paid off. From freezer to table is so fast when it's all prepped and ready!
I hope I'm not the only crazy person in the world that would would cut up 80lbs of chicken for the freezer, but I can't resist a sale! FYI - 80 lbs of chicken doesn't look like much when you pack it in next to a side of beef!
I hope I'm not the only crazy person in the world that would would cut up 80lbs of chicken for the freezer, but I can't resist a sale! FYI - 80 lbs of chicken doesn't look like much when you pack it in next to a side of beef!
Mormon Tabernacle Choir and David Archuleta
We were getting the little camera ready for CJ to take on tour and found these pictures we hadn't downloaded yet. KC, Dave, Grandma and I went to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert on December 17th. David Archuleta and Michael York performed with the choir, and it will be made into the Christmas spectacular 2011 for PBS.
When the concert was first announced I knew I wanted to try and get tickets. I registered in the email lottery for four tickets (that was the limit). Even though I had registered for the lottery several times before, I was hoping more than ever to get tickets this time around. This was back in late October, early November and KC was still blind at the time. He said to me one day, "the only thing I want is to hear the choir sing in person". I promised him that if we got tickets, he would be the one to go. I remember feeling so sad that night, thinking to myself, "we've entered into dozens of these lotteries and never gotten tickets before." The papers had said there were over 1.5 million requests for only 80,000 seats. Long story short, four tickets arrived the next morning in the mail. It was a special moment for me, and I knew if nothing else great happened this year, KC would have the opportunity "HEAR" something great!
As time passed and thanksgiving came and went, KC's excitement grew in anticipation of hearing the choir. His hearing had become more developed than I ever imagined it could. A few weeks before the concert, KC's vision returned and one of the first things he said to me was, "now I'll be able to SEE and HEAR them!"
The day of the concert came. I had proudly told so many people that WE got tickets. I was offered lots of things in exchange for them, but there was no way I was giving them away. There was lots of controversy because some people were selling them on KSL for hundreds of dollars. I had heard on the news to go early and we adjusted our plans accordingly. We arrived in down town salt lake more than 2 hours before showtime and were shocked to find the parking lots almost full, and people everywhere. Our plans had been to stop and eat, but once we saw the crowds we made a quick stop at the convenience store and ate a few cheese sticks and crackers on our way up the hill. They weren't kidding when they said to come early. I later found out that they routinely over distribute tickets by 10%. Well, that 10% that showed up late (which wasn't really late at all) didn't get in. They were NOT happy people at all! There were hundreds of people waiting in standby lines, hoping to get in. Little did anybody know, even people with tickets wouldn't get into this concert.
We navigated our way through the security lines and into the conference center. Our tickets ended up being on the last section (as far stage right as you could go) up on the balcony. We settled in and Mom and I got up to go use the restroom. On our way back down, we spotted some dear friends whom we hadn't seen in quite some time. What a sweet miracle that they had received tickets for the same section as us. We first met Todd and Angela Anderson on our very first day in Chicago. We lived in the same apartment complex for the first few years. They were our first "family" we adopted there. It was so much fun to catch up before the concert began.
The music was pure, the dancer's delightful and Michael York and David Archuleta were each amazing! The night was a good as it gets. We can hardly wait for the PBS Christmas Special to air so we can experience it all again. One of my favorites was the Cat and Mouse song!
After the concert we decided to enjoy temple square instead of fighting traffic and crowds. We walked over to the temple grounds to see the lights and feel the wonderful bustle of Christmas all around us. I was thrilled when I realized that Dave had the little camera with him. Had I known earlier I would have taken pictures of us in the conference center.
There were many tender moments as KC saw things he wondered if he might never experience again. For me personally I kept noticing things I swear were never there before. Mom kept saying, that is there every year. Then I realized this may have been the first time I was there without the girls. It's amazing what you miss when you are counting 1,2,3.....1,2,3....1,2,3......where are they now.....1,2,3!
I really wanted to eat dinner at the Lion House. We crossed the block and were so disappointed to see that hundreds of people had the same idea. We finally settled on getting something to eat on the way home. Nothing looked good as we headed towards the freeway. Grandma finally suggested we stop at JCW's so that became the new plan. We laughed as we said, "on to plan D or was it E now?" As we headed south, the road conditions deteriorated. It took us almost an hour and a half to get to Thanksgiving point. We almost didn't make it there before they closed at midnight. We were glad to take a break from the icy roads, and we were starving! I had the best peppermint milkshake I've ever had, and the onion rings were awesome. We could have died from a heart attack, but we would have died happy!
The feelings of that night came flooding back tonight as I looked up the concert on YouTube. KC came into the study with a cute smile on his face, head cocked to the side and said, "what is that?" Both David and I said, "Can you remember?" Sure enough after a few measures of the song he started recalling events from that special night.
Don't you LOVE the big smile on his face! It says it all.
When the concert was first announced I knew I wanted to try and get tickets. I registered in the email lottery for four tickets (that was the limit). Even though I had registered for the lottery several times before, I was hoping more than ever to get tickets this time around. This was back in late October, early November and KC was still blind at the time. He said to me one day, "the only thing I want is to hear the choir sing in person". I promised him that if we got tickets, he would be the one to go. I remember feeling so sad that night, thinking to myself, "we've entered into dozens of these lotteries and never gotten tickets before." The papers had said there were over 1.5 million requests for only 80,000 seats. Long story short, four tickets arrived the next morning in the mail. It was a special moment for me, and I knew if nothing else great happened this year, KC would have the opportunity "HEAR" something great!
As time passed and thanksgiving came and went, KC's excitement grew in anticipation of hearing the choir. His hearing had become more developed than I ever imagined it could. A few weeks before the concert, KC's vision returned and one of the first things he said to me was, "now I'll be able to SEE and HEAR them!"
The day of the concert came. I had proudly told so many people that WE got tickets. I was offered lots of things in exchange for them, but there was no way I was giving them away. There was lots of controversy because some people were selling them on KSL for hundreds of dollars. I had heard on the news to go early and we adjusted our plans accordingly. We arrived in down town salt lake more than 2 hours before showtime and were shocked to find the parking lots almost full, and people everywhere. Our plans had been to stop and eat, but once we saw the crowds we made a quick stop at the convenience store and ate a few cheese sticks and crackers on our way up the hill. They weren't kidding when they said to come early. I later found out that they routinely over distribute tickets by 10%. Well, that 10% that showed up late (which wasn't really late at all) didn't get in. They were NOT happy people at all! There were hundreds of people waiting in standby lines, hoping to get in. Little did anybody know, even people with tickets wouldn't get into this concert.
We navigated our way through the security lines and into the conference center. Our tickets ended up being on the last section (as far stage right as you could go) up on the balcony. We settled in and Mom and I got up to go use the restroom. On our way back down, we spotted some dear friends whom we hadn't seen in quite some time. What a sweet miracle that they had received tickets for the same section as us. We first met Todd and Angela Anderson on our very first day in Chicago. We lived in the same apartment complex for the first few years. They were our first "family" we adopted there. It was so much fun to catch up before the concert began.
The music was pure, the dancer's delightful and Michael York and David Archuleta were each amazing! The night was a good as it gets. We can hardly wait for the PBS Christmas Special to air so we can experience it all again. One of my favorites was the Cat and Mouse song!
After the concert we decided to enjoy temple square instead of fighting traffic and crowds. We walked over to the temple grounds to see the lights and feel the wonderful bustle of Christmas all around us. I was thrilled when I realized that Dave had the little camera with him. Had I known earlier I would have taken pictures of us in the conference center.
I really wanted to eat dinner at the Lion House. We crossed the block and were so disappointed to see that hundreds of people had the same idea. We finally settled on getting something to eat on the way home. Nothing looked good as we headed towards the freeway. Grandma finally suggested we stop at JCW's so that became the new plan. We laughed as we said, "on to plan D or was it E now?" As we headed south, the road conditions deteriorated. It took us almost an hour and a half to get to Thanksgiving point. We almost didn't make it there before they closed at midnight. We were glad to take a break from the icy roads, and we were starving! I had the best peppermint milkshake I've ever had, and the onion rings were awesome. We could have died from a heart attack, but we would have died happy!
The feelings of that night came flooding back tonight as I looked up the concert on YouTube. KC came into the study with a cute smile on his face, head cocked to the side and said, "what is that?" Both David and I said, "Can you remember?" Sure enough after a few measures of the song he started recalling events from that special night.
Don't you LOVE the big smile on his face! It says it all.
Our First Activity Day Activity
Today the girls went to their very first "ACTIVITY DAY'S" activity. Because it is only held every other week, and they were sick last time, they felt like they had waited "FOREVER" to go. (Are you feeling the drama yet?)
They haven't talked about much else since Sunday when the activity was announced. They insisted that we pick them up from school so they wouldn't be late! (Even with 40 minutes to spare!)
Dave dropped them off at the church, and they said they wanted to walk home like BIG girls. So we said that was OK. At 5:20 they still hadn't returned home so I hopped in the car to go and find them. Sure enough, they were just coming around the corner, a cute little group of pink faced girls on top of the world. They walked home with Abby and Phoebe. I pulled over to the sidewalk, and rolled down the window. They were adamant about walking the rest of the way home. My heart sank just a little, because they looked so grown up, on the corner chatting with "the girls".
When the door flung open, the bounced in with excitement. I couldn't believe the enormous amount of energy they brought home. All I could think about was the sweet leaders that just tried to teach them something with all that energy bounding around. (I hope they are all OK tonight!) Just like after school, they all tried to speak at once. So I calmed them down and tried to figure out what they had done today.
After listening at length to each one of them, I'm sure I heard close to every tiny detail of the event. It's good to know that they are paying attention, even when you might think they are not listening.
Today they learned about gratitude. They made cute little necklaces that said THANK YOU! They decorated little heart shaped boxes that were filled with candy. I didn't see the candy because it was eaten before they made it home. They each got a gift bag with several Thank-You cards to write this coming week. But best of all, a little sheet with the instructions: How to write a proper thank-you note. This is the best part because I think it's a lesson every one of us could use. I can't wait to have them practice.
They haven't talked about much else since Sunday when the activity was announced. They insisted that we pick them up from school so they wouldn't be late! (Even with 40 minutes to spare!)
Dave dropped them off at the church, and they said they wanted to walk home like BIG girls. So we said that was OK. At 5:20 they still hadn't returned home so I hopped in the car to go and find them. Sure enough, they were just coming around the corner, a cute little group of pink faced girls on top of the world. They walked home with Abby and Phoebe. I pulled over to the sidewalk, and rolled down the window. They were adamant about walking the rest of the way home. My heart sank just a little, because they looked so grown up, on the corner chatting with "the girls".
When the door flung open, the bounced in with excitement. I couldn't believe the enormous amount of energy they brought home. All I could think about was the sweet leaders that just tried to teach them something with all that energy bounding around. (I hope they are all OK tonight!) Just like after school, they all tried to speak at once. So I calmed them down and tried to figure out what they had done today.
After listening at length to each one of them, I'm sure I heard close to every tiny detail of the event. It's good to know that they are paying attention, even when you might think they are not listening. Today they learned about gratitude. They made cute little necklaces that said THANK YOU! They decorated little heart shaped boxes that were filled with candy. I didn't see the candy because it was eaten before they made it home. They each got a gift bag with several Thank-You cards to write this coming week. But best of all, a little sheet with the instructions: How to write a proper thank-you note. This is the best part because I think it's a lesson every one of us could use. I can't wait to have them practice.
Six-point formula to the proper thank-you note:
Learn it, know it, memorize it - and it will never fail you.
1. Greet the giver - "Dear Aunt Sally"
2. Express your gratitude - "Thank you so much for the slippers."
3. Discuss use - "It gets very chilly here in the winter, so I will use them a lot when winter comes."
4. Mention the past, allude to the future - "It was great to see you at my birthday party, and I hope to see you again soon."
5. Grace - "Thanks again for your gift."
6. Regards - "Love, Leslie"
Now get it in the mail.
They will love it.
Thank-you note writing is one of the loveliest traditions.
Let's start a movement to revive a little gracious living.
WHAT AN AWESOME ACTIVITY DAY ACTIVITY!
I'm so grateful for inspired programs that help guide and teach our children. I'm also grateful for the leaders that are willing to serve in callings like these. It takes a lot of preparation and patience. I want them to know just how much we love them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)