Bender and Jessica

This is Bender. He is an American Staffordshire Terrier (friendlier cousin of the pit bull.) He has a big crush on Jessica and loves to be petted by her. Jessica always makes time for him when she comes to visit.

Unfortunately, my camera is full of photos from traveling and I didn't get any cooking pictures. But for the record, we made salsa and delicious potato tacos for our cooking activity today. We also played with some neighbor kids while their parents talked to some fire officials about their burned house. We left the children for a nice stroll downtown before boarding the train for home. It was a pleasant day as usual.

Summertime!

 Jess and I had fun documenting Asher and Annika's swim lesson. She took some nice photos on her ipod. Then we ditched the kids for some girl time, which couldn't include anything other than cheeseburgers. :)

 We are really digging Warren's this summer. I can't get enough. It's everything you'd expect of a small Utah burger joint and more (SALAD BAR!).

 Then we did some printmaking and paper organizing. Jess made a pink print of an ipod and ipad.

 Animal therapy at the animal shelter. I think the "therapizing" is mutual, for us and for the animals.

 Very cute cocker spaniel.

Kittens. We love the kittens. They started purring and rubbing into the bars at the sight of us. Poor things!

Happy 26th Birthday Jessica!

 This is the poster Asher and Annika (plus the neighbor boy) made for Jess. It says "Happy Birthday."

 We made cupcakes in celebration of wonderful Jessica. Jess mixed them up herself!

 We all got to put sprinkles and candy on them.

 Jess loved the green smoothie Geoff made. What a nice way to get some spinach and kale in your system. :)

 Yum!

I love Jessica so much, and felt so lucky to have her on her special day. The children love her too. She continually teaches me and helps me focus on what is really important. She was such a good sport about being with the cupcake-grubbing, lip smacking children (they could barely wait for us to sing to her). Happy Birthday Jessica! Love you!

summer swim

Our first dip in the Ogden High School pool was a blast. We had a couple tag-alongs (Geoff, Asher, Annika too!). The first picture shows some pre-swim dancing, the second picture was taken right before the three of us fell backwards in a big soggy clump. Fun times!

Cooking Day with Ms. Drais

 Today's host of the post is Ms."Betty Baker" Jessica Drais of Salt Lake City. She will be showing you how to make her award winning marinara sauce served over ravioli with a side of sauteed green beans. For dessert she will show you how to create delicious brownies. All from scratch of course, never a box!

 These are the ingredients you will need.

 First, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil.

 Then, crush some whole canned tomatoes (preferably organic) with your hands. Add the tomatoes to the saucepan.

 Wait 15-20 minutes for the sauce to simmer. Season with basil, thyme, sea salt and pepper. Ms. Drais likes to add whipping cream or sour cream to create a richer tasting "pink sauce."

 Serve sauce with pasta of your preference. Add a green vegetable to create a well-rounded meal. Here, Ms. Drais sauteed fresh green beans in olive oil and rosemary to accompany her tasty pasta dish.

 For the brownies: Melt 1/2 c. of butter and 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate.

 Mix in the dry ingredients, eggs and vanilla. The batter should have a heart-warming chocolaty vanilla aroma.

 Place brownie batter into prepared pan (lined with tin foil and greased with butter), bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees.

 Serve warm brownie with ice cream and drizzled chocolate sauce.

Enjoy with your friends!

Please stay tuned for more cooking posts from Ms. Drais! Ta Ta for now!

Summer Monday

 Computer time at the Library

 Jess finished her painting. I'm so proud of her, she made a wonderful seascape!

 Feeding the ducks and geese. Those geese were aggressive. We thought they were coming to peck our eyeballs out, so we jumped on top of a bench. Asher claims that they pulled on his clothes even! Below is when we got our feet wet in the brooklet running by. On a hot summer day, who can resist?

Our little side-kick, Asher, popped by for a while this afternoon. This is a little video of them interacting. Jess is so good with kids, you can see her good nature and sense of humor in this one!

June Monday

 The paintings are coming along. They are works in progress and I could not photograph any of them yet, as it would violate the creative creed and our imaginative spirits. Next week though, I hope we can finish them and show them off!

 Here is a sneak peek.

 Ok. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but we spent a good while wrapped in quilts laying on the couch today listening to music off the i-pad. It was so fun and relaxing, we couldn't help it. Next time we will use that time to crochet lepers bandages, visit the old-folks-home, and comfort little tiny chihuahuas trapped in small cages (see past post), we promise. :)

 Jessica still loves her diet coke.

 This delicious lunch came from Warren's. It was really really good. When Jessica replied "kids meal," to my query about what she wanted for lunch, I knew that this is where we needed to go. It didn't disappoint.

All aboard!