Indian Leg Wrestling

Both Mike and the kids were feeling squirrelly tonight so I knew they needed some physical exertion. It was time for Indian Leg Wrestling. For those of you not familiar with this fun sport here are the rules from ehow.

Instructions
Step 1
Both contestants must lay on the floor. Each contestant is required to lay on the floor with their hips even with one another, but each player laying in the opposite direction.
Step 2
Next, each player raises their legs up in the air three times with their leg at a ninety degree angle to their body. Each time their leg reaches the top they count, 1, 2, 3 and then yell "go!"
Step 3
The two contestants must lock legs at the knee and push forward with all their strength trying to flip the other contestant backward.
Step 4
Once one contestant has completely flipped the other player over the game is over and the winner is declared. Continue the process until only one person remains.

Results: The last time we played this Mike, of course, beat us all, but I could still beat Geoffrey. I was not confident that I could still beat my nearly 6 ft tall son anymore. The first three times tonight, I beat him. But then. . . something clicked and he actually used the muscles he's been developing. . and he clobbered me. Now that confidence was gained, could he beat dear old dad?
Well, almost but not quite. Dad is still the king of leg wrestling but he may one day get dethroned.

On a side note, Reagan fights dirty. Clearly she could not actually beat anyone (although dad let her flip him once) so when she starts to lose, she slips her leg out of the hold and kicks the other person in the ribs. Ouch.

So who is the King of Leg Wrestling in your home?

A Visit to Nintendo Headquarters

This evening we asked the kids for input for our annual fall trip. Rachael was "dancing' a bit as she suggested that we go visit the Nintendo Headquarters. Michael said, "No, we are not going to visit Nintendo Headquarters but you might want to visit the bathroom." Then he got a funny smile on his face and we all realized the connection as Rachael headed off to wee (wii). So now the new Roger's euphemism is, "I need to visit Nintendo Headquarters."

Granola

Today, Reagan and I made some homemade granola. Since it was past breakfast when it was done, I had it for lunch over a bit of vanilla yogurt. When Geoffrey walked in after school he immediately yelled out, "What are you making, it smells so good?! I could smell it all the way at the end of the driveway." It's eleven o'clock now, and it still smells good in the house. So to make your house smell wonderful, and have yummy breakfast for quite some time, here is the recipe that I used.

9 cups oats

2 cups sunflower seeds

2 cups sweetened coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup maple syrup (we use a homemade syrup)

1 cup oil

1 cup water

1 cup honey

1-2 T salt

2 t vanilla

Clearly granola is versatile and you can put whatever you want in it--more nuts, cinnamon, dried fruit, etc.

Pack into two jelly roll pans. The packed parts will form yummy clumps so don't spread it out too much. Bake at 275 until golden colored. The edges will bake first so keep an eye on it and rearrange if necessary. It takes at least an hour to an hour and a half at this temperature. I always get impatient and crank the oven up to 300 at the end. I can't wait until breakfast tomorrow.

Apple and Pumpkin Picking

Reagan and I got to go on two fun field trips with friends from church.
First trip--Apple Picking.
Reagan was feeling silly on apple picking day so I guess it's only fitting that she would only pose as a monkey in front of the silly tree that "grows" pumpkins.
Here is Reagan's bag of apples. She enjoyed picking them and really loved the applesauce we made later in the week.

Second trip--Pumpkin Picking.

We got there a few minutes early so Reagan got to try out the big slide and the horsey swings. This was awesome because all morning Reagan had been telling me that she wanted to ride a horse.

Reagan picked out the perfect pumpkin.

Reagan was intrigued by some of the other pumpkins that had stripes on them. Notice Reagan's stripey pants. That morning I told her that they would be perfect pumpkin picking pants since they were orange. Reagan replied with, "No MOM! These are Tigger pants!"

Two great days with some beautiful New England fall weather. Love it.

Quebec

We were thrilled to be able to take a weekend trip to Quebec City. The weather was gorgeous, the city was quaint and very French, the food was wonderful, my French was so-so but got us through, and even the kids ordered their food in French. Here are Lilly and Reagan at Porte St. Jean, one of the entrances into this walled city.
We visited La Citadelle where we saw the Changing of the Guard. La Citadelle is an active military garrison built to keep us (Americans) out.

Their mascot is a goat.

After visiting La Citadelle we walked around old Quebec. This is looking down at Dufferin Terrace. Chateau Frontenac is on the left. One night at this hotel would have cost us as much as our whole trip ended up costing us. It was impressive looking, however.

There was a large cruise ship that Reagan was amazed at. She was sure that it was a large building and couldn't possibly be a boat.

City scenes.

After a long day of touring we took the Funicular up instead of the stairs. Quebec is a very hilly city.

On Sunday we went to church near our hotel. They had a translator for the English speaking visitors which we very much appreciated. Then we saw Montmorency Falls and had a picnic at the bottom of the waterfall.

Montmorency Falls is 98.5 feet higher than Niagara Falls. There are two ways that link the upper part of the falls with the lower part.

The stairs and the cable car. We opted for the cable car.

Here we are at the base of the falls.

And here we are on a suspension bridge that goes right over the top of the Falls.

The view from one side of the suspension bridge.

The view from the other side. We saw a lot of rainbows, and even some double rainbows right near the base.

We spent the rest of our Sunday driving around L'ile d'Orleans, a small island not far from the city. Until 1935 this island was only accessible by boat, but now they have a nice bridge built that connects the island to Quebec right near Montmorency Falls.

On Monday, we spent a little more time in Quebec city and bought some yummy French bread and other treats for the way home. Now, back to reality.

First Day of School 09

Three different schools this year should make this an interesting and very busy school year.The High Schooler--Code Name: Geoffrey; Classification: The Freshman; Description: Almost six feet with freakishly large feet and hands (he barely fits in size 13 sneakers). (Usually) quite helpful.

The Middle Schooler--Code name: Rachael; Classification: Seventh Grader; Description: Beautiful, bright and (usually) delightful

The Grade Schooler--Code name: Lilly, Classification: Third Grader; Description: Think Energizer Bunny--can often be seen bouncing due to uncontrolled excitement
The Preschooler--Code name: Reagan, Classification--The Three Year old; Description: Still Irrepressible, but terribly cute.

Reagan gets to have "mom and me" preschool at home. Today we are on the letter C so Reagan is in a Chef hat and making Cookies.

Birthday and Baptism

Lilly turned eight on August 27th so we had a small party on her birthday so we could focus most of the attention on her baptism. Lilly's good friend Brighid came over for her birthday. Lilly got just what she wanted this year. A small American Girl doll.

She also got a violin from Grandma Sharon. She's been begging to play for quite some time now. Let's hope that continues! We gave Lilly a set of scriptures, the traditional gift for our eight year old children. Grandma Phylis gave her a nice scripture case that matches her scriptures.

Rachael made the cupcakes for Lilly's party.

Lilly was baptized on Saturday August 29th by her dad.

Here's a picture of Lilly after the baptism in a new dress that Grandpa Peterson gave her for her birthday. (It came with a matching dress for her baby doll as well.)
We were so pleased to have so many family members be able to attend and participate in Lilly's baptism. Aunt Bonnie played the piano, Geoffrey recited a scripture and told Lilly how much he loved her, Rachael sang a song Grandma Sharon wrote, and Jason and Grandma Phylis gave a talk. We had cookies and milk for everyone afterwards. And since I was asked by so many for the recipes I will post them here on the blog. Yum--Cookies!

For all of these cookies-don't over bake. Take them out when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy. Let them sit on the baking sheet a few minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Chocolate Malted Cookies

1 cup butter flavored shortening

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup malted milk powder

2 T chocolate syrup (or I use 2 T cocoa powder)

1 T vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Combine first five ingredients, mix then add egg. Add dry ingredients and stir in chips and chunks. Shape and bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes.

Molasses Spice

1/3 cups sugar plus 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

1 t baking soda

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground allspice

1/4 t salt

12 T butter

1/3 cups dark brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup molasses

Beat butter, brown sugar and 1/3 cup granulated sugar, add egg yolk and vanilla. Add molasses and then dry ingredients. Shape and roll in remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

2 cups flour

1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

4 large eggs

2 t vanilla

10 T butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cups granulated sugar

16 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate melted and cooled

2 cups white chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

(Sometimes we add dried cherries, or dried cranberries, or almond extract)

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy and egg and vanilla. Beat in melted chocolate and add dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Shape cookies and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate Shavings Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/4 Cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup pecans coarsely chopped--I used Walnuts

1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped coarse

4 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped fine

12 T butter

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 t vanilla

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, add egg and vanilla, add dry ingredients and gradually mix in remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 T cinnamon

2 1/2 cups flour

2 t cream of tartar

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

8 T butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 large eggs

Beat butter, shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until fluffy, add egg. Add dry ingredients. Combine 1 3/4 cups sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape cookies and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Oatmeal Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip

1 cup butter flavor shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 cups flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t ground ginger

3 cups quick cooking oats or old fashioned oats pulsed in a blender or food processor

1 cup Chocolate chips

1 cup Butterscotch chips

Mix shortening and sugar until fluffy, add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Add oatmeal and chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Low Fat Melon and Low Fat Pineapple Cookies

Cut up melons and pineapple to LOOK like cookies. Fake yourself out and pretend. Maybe not quite as tasty but much better for you.

Enjoy!