Easter 2008

We had a very busy Easter weekend this year! Saturday we hunted for eggs behind the school gym. It was SO cold. Adalin had a great time digging in grass and leaves for eggs! I feel like this is the first year that she has really had a lot of fun doing things like this! She really anticipated Christmas a few months ago and this year, really got excited about the Easter egg hunts. She understands (as much as a 3-year-old can) what Easter means and why we celebrate it. She tells us, "Jesus died for us so we can go back to Heavenly Father someday. And he came back alive! That means we can come back alive too!" Amazing.
Sunday was filled with festivities. I bought way too much Easter candy, as always, and decided to get rid of some by having a little Easter egg hunt at our house (indoors) with some of Adalin's little friends. It was fun and the girls all got A LOT of eggs.
We went to church to find some wonderful, uplifting messages. Afterwards, we rushed home, I cooked up some mashed potatoes, balsamic green beans and chocolate zucchini cake and brought them over to our friends, the Lofleys, for a wonderful turkey dinner.

You know, I don't fully understand the Atonement of Christ, but I am thankful for it. I know with all of my heart though that He died for me and that He truly lives again. There has been no other event in history of greater importance to mankind than the Atonement of Christ. He stands on the right hand of His Father and died so that all may live again in the kingdom of Heaven someday. I think that is amazing. There is much on this earth of value to many that people could give of themselves for the benefit of others. People give their own lives for what they believe to be true and right. Christ gave everything he had for us. He lived a sinless life, one that no other man could have lived. I know that He loves me and that he is always willing to help me whenever I call His name. He will never forsake me and will always know and care about what I am going through in my life. He loves me more than anyone could ever love anybody. He is the perfect example to me of service and love, of devotion and righteousness. I guess I just want to publicly pronounce my gratitude for the life that he lived and gave so that I may live forever with my Father in heaven when this life is finished. I know He lives and that He is the only source by which man may gain exaltation and eternal life.

Kira Ate Cake

We celebrated Kira's birthday last night after a rough, busy and crazy weekend. Here are some pics and also check out our home video blog to see her dig in. She was very methodical about the whole thing. She wanted to just use one finger and kept inserting it deeper and deeper in the cake, licking her finger in between. She finally grabbed it when she started to get bored. It was funny.

Today Is...

Kira's 1st Birthday!!!

Happy birthday Muffin girl! Too bad she's sick. The last two nights she has thrown up in her sleep and yesterday evening she couldn't keep much down either. Adam has been planning the 2008 Rotator Cuff Basketball Tournament for the last few weeks, and the games begin tonight at 5 and go through tomorrow afternoon. So we wouldn't have had the chance to have a little family party tonight anyway! We were planning on celebrating Sunday, so this little stomach bug came at a reasonable time.

What can I say about Kira that would describe her sweetness? She is such a pleasant child and is just a pure joy to be around. I know a lot of parents say that about their kids, but seriously, I have NO complaints when it comes to this little girl. She is so happy, sleeps well, eats very well, smiles all the time, laughs and plays with her sister and is very easy-going.

A few things she can do on this special day:

- She has taken 4 steps as of 2 days ago

- Her vocabulary consists of the words: Baby, Dog, Daddy, Ball, Pig, Mama, Hi, Uh Oh, Nana (banana), Adin (Adalin)

- She claps when you say "Yay"

- You ask her, "Where's your head?" and she pats the top of her head and you could also ask her where her tummy is and she would know and be able to show you.

- Loves the bath!

- Often sits with Adalin on the floor and plays, fills my heart with joy!

- Loves bananas, eats a bowl of oatmeal every morning, always chokes on tortilla chips, crumbles bread between her fingers, feeds the dogs, pretty much eats anything! There aren't many foods she doesn't like. In fact, I can't think of one right now. She once thoroughly enjoyed eating frozen green beans with Adalin while I cooked dinner. It kept them happy!

- Loves balls, preferably basketballs (wonder why)

- Still doesn't have very much hair, though it is growing in in the back more!

- Is starting to be very vocal about what she wants! She wants a drink during dinner, she says, "DA!" until you get her one.

Our Home Video Blog

If you scroll down and look to the right, you will see a new link to our new home video blog. I thought since I am going to publish this blog every year as a journal, that videos that we take wouldn't be all that great to post here, so if you are in the mood for some Franson videos, go watch! Currently I have one up of Kira taking her 1st 4 steps! So exciting! It is sideways.. anyone know how to fix that? Just don't turn your camera longways when taping? I did rotate it in my picture program, but it still uploaded sideways...

Closing Time

We close on our house tomorrow! I am really happy that it was such a smooth process and that we are so blessed to not be stuck with a house that we can't sell, especially with today's economy.
I have to admit that it is a little strange that at 2pm tomorrow my house won't technically be mine anymore. If it wasn't for the awesome people buying it, it may feel even stranger. They are so laid back and it has been very nice to not feel controlled through the process of selling it.
Living in this house has been a wonderful experience. It has taught us a lot about plumbing, pets, paint and perennials. I am glad that we aren't moving very soon though because I think selling my house and moving within a few weeks of each other would be very traumatic for me. I am a very sentimental person and I hang on to places. This has been my first house and I love it. In a way I feel that it will always be partly mine, like it is partly everyone else's that has lived here. I will miss it a lot.

The Park

It was 50 degrees today and it felt so good. At 5:00 I decided to ignore that I should be thinking about what was going to present itself for dinner, so I packed up and went to the park with the girls. Adalin hasn't been to the park since the fall and was SO excited to go. She ran from the car to the jungle-gym (about 30 yards) and remembered exactly what to do! Kira loved climbing up the steps, but that was the extent of her play. We will be back there often I have a feeling.

I failed to mention that I finally got my new camera. It has been a year since my other brand new one got stolen and I have been using my OLD 2MP camera since then... It was wonderful to finally take pictures that turn out! These were taken on the "Children" setting, designed to take pictures of moving children in bright light. I love it! I think part of the reason I took the chillins to the park today was so that I would have an excuse to use my new camera outside the house for the first time!

Another Milestone

Kira took her first step a few days ago! It was officially on Thursday, March 13th, 2008. You won't believe this... I didn't even see it. I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and Adam was playing with Doops in the living room. He stood her up, held her shirt in front of her that he had just taken off and she took a step towards it and stabilized herself afterwards! He said, "Aw, mommy missed it!"
I said, "What!"
"Kira just took her first step!"
I was SO mad! So mad. I am proud of her though! I keep trying to get her to do it again too, but she hasn't yet. Go Kira!

I was "tagged" a while ago to share nicknames that we all have for each other. Since I used one of Kira's above, I thought that I would share the whole fam's nicknames, some used by friends and more distant family.

Adam: Ad, Biff, Franson

Melissa: Mel, Sissy-Melissy, Meliss

Adalin: Buzz, Winky, Silly, Lightyear, Pretty

Kira: Doopa, Doops, Doopy, Muffin girl, Top-top, Fruitsy, Fruit-land, Loopy-loo, Chubby-choo

And the Zoo's... these make me laugh

Isis: Nut-job, Spaz

Yukon: Yukey, Bone-head

Kitty: Titty (don't ask)

A Hike in the Woods

My parents visited a few weeks ago. We had such a good time with them here. My dad worked feverishly on our house. His work ethic is amazing. He finished painting Adalin's room, painted the molding in Kira's and did the chair rail job, all pretty much by himself.


We had some nice weather so we decided to go out to 1000 Hills State Park for a little stroll in the woods. Keep in mind that there had been quite a bit of snow on the ground a few days previously, which had, for the most part, melted. Melted Snow = Water, Water + Dirt = Mud. Yes, it was muddy, but oh so fun! By a few minutes into our hike, we didn't care so much that our shoes were slipping off our feet because they were suctioning themselves into the earth. We dressed for the occasion, hence Adalin's green rubber frog boots. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to get out in nature after a long winter in my house. There is something that the great outdoors does to my soul that only it can do. It was wonderful! The problem usually is just getting out and actually going. The dogs had the time of their lives. Jack, my parents' Black Lab had never been off lead before in his life, allowed to run freely through water and trees. The dogs ran for an hour straight, through mud inches deep and didn't even care.

The highlight of our hike, THE RIVER...
We came to a stream about 10 feet across. Adam grew up in Maine and crossed streams and rivers constantly as he played in the woods as a boy. This stream was no big feat in his eyes, though my parents and I looked at it like, "Well, I guess we should turn around now, eh?" City people. Adam walks across it while boasting of his water-proof hiking shoes... do we have those? No. He informs us that we will carry us across. Um, OK. Adalin first, no big deal. So he picks me up and carries me across. That was fun. Then came my mom's turn... she gets on big back, no she jumps on his back, he no doubt looses his balance. Then she successfully mounts, piggy back style and across they go. Half way across, Adam's foot breaks through the layer of ice that previously made the stream only a few inches deep, whose true depth was discovered to be 2 feet. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. My mom fell off his back into the river, catching herself with one arm, sprang up and ran the rest of the way across. My dad decided to jump it. Smart move. He made it.

This Stuff is Good

This is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I could eat this cake out of the pan all day. Could is the key word. There are also Orange and Chocolate Raspberry versions that I need to get from my mother-in-law. I NEED to try them too! Enjoy!

Lemon Butter Pound Cake

In large bowl, beat till light and fluffy:
2 sticks butter
1/2 c shortening
2 2/3 c sugar

Then add:
3 c flour (spoon lightly into cup to measure)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
3 Tablespoons pure lemon extract

Scrape bottom and sides of bowl several times.
Add 5 eggs, one at a time, beating until completely blended, but not whipping.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13" pan at least 2" deep. Pour in batter and bake at 320 degrees about 1 hour 15 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare a mixture of 6 ounces of lemonade concentrate and 3/4 cups sugar. Microwave for a minute and mix well till thoroughly dissolved. As soon as cake is out of oven, run a knife around sides of pan and prick top all over with a fork (a meat fork if you have one). Pour lemonade mixture over hot cake and spread to cover completely, including sides. Let it soak in completely; then sprinkle sugar lightly over top. For a crunchy texture, sprinkle again before serving. Ages well; freezes well.

Finals Week

Adam: "Sorry, you need your husband back; not a basketball-talking, sleeping, sick, med-student."
Melissa: "It's OK, I'm being patient."

Getting Stuff Done!

I am sure we all know how there is always something unfinished that screams, "Hey! When are you going to pay some attention to me?!" everytime you look at it. There have been a lot of those around here. I can't tell you how wonderful the satisfaction is to finally be done with some of these around here...

The Clock

Every time my mother has visited, she says, "Maybe we could work on the clock and finally get that done." Every time she leaves, it isn't done. I bought a raw, undecorated clock 3 years ago at Roberts, 50% off. I always wanted a large, beautiful clock in my living room but could never swallow paying so much for one. I have began painting it 3 different times, never completing it b/c I didn't like how it was turning out. My parents have been here this past week, and I just couldn't bear the thought of my mom seeing the unfinished clock propped up against the wall, on the floor, unfinished again and saying, "There's the clock, still haven't finished it, huh?" So as they were making their way across the Midwest in their car Saturday, I sat down and finished it. It took me 2 1/2 hours. 2 1/2 hours!!!!!!! That's it. Why on earth couldn't I do that 3 years ago? The middle is decoupaged, using scrapbook paper that I bought a few months ago. I mixed the green to match. I didn't like it at first, but now I LOVE it. I can breathe now.

The Chair Rail

People have walked in my house for the last year and a half wondering, "Hmmm, was she shooting for an artistic look? Ripped paper or something?" When we painted our living room we measured 40 inches from the floor, made little tick marks around the room, and just rolled the tan and white to the tick marks, not really making a straight line. It was interesting, but we got used to it. My dad and I went to the Depot store, as Adalin calls it, bought the rail and he painted it for me and put it up. So it's done! Ahhh, what a relief, it looks so good. This is how I pictured it would look when we painted so long ago. I love it! Thanks Dad!

Orange Muffins with Honey Butter

Orange Muffins with Honey Butter

Ingredients
· 1 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
· 1 tsp. baking powder
· 1/2 tsp. baking soda
· 1/4 tsp. salt
· 1/4 cup softened butter
· 1/2 cup honey
· 1 egg
· 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
· 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest

Orange Honey Butter
· 1/2 cup softened butter
· 1/4 cup honey
· 1 tbsp. grated orange zest


Directions
· Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
· Cream the butter and honey with a whisk or electric mixer.
· Gradually whisk in the egg, orange juice and zest; mix in the dry ingredients little by little.
· Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin tins; bake in a 350° F oven for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a skewer or the tip of a knife.

Grandma Haack's Authentic Italian Spaghetti Sauce

If you want Authentic Italian, here you go. My "Grandma GG", Anntoinette Jannetta Haack's, parents were born in Italy and she made this sauce all the years that she was a mother. She is 94 now and still going strong! She still makes this sauce. As a child, my grandfather would "taste" the sauce all day, dipping bread into it and occasionally sneaking a chunk of Italian sausage out of the pot. Use nothing but the best and freshest ingredients for the sauce to taste right. Use the sauce over any type of noodles (homemade or fresh pasta is best), for a special pan of lasagna, for chicken Parmesan, you get the point.

Authentic Italian Spaghetti Sauce
Antoinette Jannetta Haack

Day 1

8-10 oz. round steak, pounded to about 1/4 inch thin
2 bunches Italian parsley, chopped, divided
4-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Place one handful chopped Italian parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in center of piece of steak. You may also use two smaller pieces of steak, each pounded thin and make two rolls if you can't find a piece large enough. Roll up steak tightly and secure with skewers, toothpicks or cloth twine. Sear on all sides in a skillet over med-high heat. Place in bottom of crock pot.

1 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage
2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
handful of torn fresh basil

Slice sausage into 3/4 inch pieces and cook in skillet over medium heat until done. Be cautious not to over cook them or get them too dark on the outside. Put crushed and diced tomatoes and basil in pot over the steak. Put sausage in as well. Stir carefully paying attention not to disturb the steak in the bottom.

Meatballs

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 lbs. quality ground beef
salt & pepper to taste

In large mixing bowl, place other bunch of parsley, bread crumbs, eggs, raw ground beef and salt/pepper. Mix (your hands work best) until well combined. Roll into balls about the size of a small walnut, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Brown meatballs over medium heat, again making sure they don't get too dark, until they are mostly done. Dab with paper towel or drain in colander. Put these into the sauce too.

Cook sauce in crock pot on high for 8 hours, uncovered, adding water if needed throughout the day.
Let cool to room temperature, cover and place in refrigerator overnight.

Day 2

Heat sauce back up in crock pot for 6-8 hours, uncovered.
Once warm, add one small can of Contandina tomato paste plus 3 cans of water. Stir until well incorporated.
The sauce may require additional water throughout the day. It should be a dark, rich color and most of the sausage and steak should be dissolved from cooking so long.