Bread, Bread, Bread!

I know I have a problem, but I LOVE good, quality bread! I have been making our own bread for years, and now I found a new blog dedicated solely to bread. It's been fun experimenting with other recipes, and even more fun to have great success with those recipes.

Here's some dark chocolate cherry pull apart bread:

And, some cherry vanilla bagels:

I'm not sure what I'll try next, but I'm excited to give a new recipe a chance!

HERE is the blog- bon apetit!

Murder Mystery

A friend of mine works at our local community college. She posted on FB about the school putting on a murder mystery dinner- for $5/person you get dinner, dessert, and a show.

Our girls have been BEGGING us to take them to a murder mystery dinner, but the problem is that most of these programs are for adults only. I asked my friend if kids could come, she said yes- and it was a match made in heaven! Especially since for only $5, even if the girls had a horrible time and were miserable and we needed to leave early, it was not a large investment.

The girls could not have been more excited about this. Midday today a lot of snow started falling, and we were all very sad at the thought of the event being cancelled. Audra said some prayers that it would stop, and it worked.

The night was a success! Camille wasn't as thrilled and thought it was a little boring, and Audra and Claire got so into it. They were taking notes, asking lots of questions, and really trying to figure out who the murderer was.

And- we guessed who the murderer was correctly! We didn't have enough clues as to why he was the murderer, so we didn't win the grand prize (which is OK- the grand prize was plastic cow pies).

I'm so glad that our girls are really, really good kids. I love that when things come up that sound fun, we can know that our girls will behave, follow directions, and we can have an enjoyable time. Even though Camille didn't have a great time, she was awesome to just come sit on my lap and snuggle. I'm glad that we can take them places!!!

2/3 Complete

It is hard to believe it, but we are already 2/3 of the way done with our school year! We are finishing up a unit on movement and friction and are about ready to start a unit on horses.

On Thursday we got a pretty decent snowstorm, one of only two we have had thus far. Ben had Friday off of work, so while everybody else was at school, Ben took the girls sledding- something they have been craving with the lack of snow. Were they in school, the snow would have been melted by the time they got off. It was nice that they got to enjoy the hills with no other crowds, the powder was untouched (so Ben gave them another quick lesson on friction), and they had a great time spending quality time together. Just one of the perks of  homeschooling.

It's been a great year- with ups and downs, of course- so far. The girls are loving hanging out together and are learning by leaps and bounds.

Which is why it was interesting when on one of my homschooling FB boards a public school mom posted this homework assignment, and the frustration of what the teacher wrote as her kindergarten son was scolded for getting this answer "wrong":

The assignment was to circle the three items in each row that go together.

The mom wrote on the homework: "We said all these go in the house except a fox."

The teachers three notes say: "While I appreciate Bobo's creativity, I also want him to understand that there is sometimes a right and wrong answer to things and you can't always reason your way out of them. If this had been a test his answer would be wrong. If he does something like this in the future- help him understand how to get to the correct answer."

Ummm....WHAT? This is a kindergarten assignment- not the ACT! And his answer was completely acceptable. This question does not have one correct answer, it has several! And, plenty of lawyers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn how to "reason their way" to different answers- how on earth is that a bad skill to have?

But, sadly, this is what teaching has become. Even kindergarter's have to worry about getting the "right" answer- the one the teacher wants, even if there is more than one answer.  This mom was fed up with this particular charter school, as this was not her first issue with them, and is contemplating homeschooling as a result- a very scary proposition.

I realize most teachers are not this ridiculous in kindergarten. This is definitely an extreme example. But I feel like it is one small example of how far our particular school district has fallen, and it reiterates my decision to homeschool. Whenever I start to think about how royally I am possibly screwing my kids up, I just remember that at least my 4th grader doesn't have to spend 6 weeks a year taking meaningless tests. Tests that only have meaning to the teacher because now their paycheck depends on it- thus making it necessary to worry about whether a fan or a fox belongs in the correct row on a kindergarten worksheet, with no room for alternate answers to a flawed question.

Dolls, Dolls, Dolls

Just in case you thought it was possible to have too many dolls...

Cute Camille

Me: Camille, what did your teachers think of your haircut?

Camille: They loved it and said I looked SOOOOOOOOOOOO cute!

Project Linus

When the girls heard another Project Linus service project was planned, they all begged me to take them. I was glad that they were so excited to participate! Next time we go, I think they can do some of the sewing- though they insist they actually prefer the coloring of the quilt squares. Why am I not surprised?

And, just a cute picture of them doing...something....on the couch:

They sure do love each other!

Valentine's Party

Every year I think I will be an awesome Pinterest mom who goes all out to make really awesome Valentines. And in the end, I pull out the store bought cards and just have them sign their names. It seems like even that is a ton of work! The girls had a homeschool Valentine party, and then Camille had her pre-school party, and Audra and Claire have a card exchange at Cloverleaf tomorrow. They each had to make about 50 cards- phew! I'm glad it's almost over...

But, the party was great- especially because they got to watch Gnomeo and Juliet and there were A LOT of treats. I pretty much think the only thing they ate today was sugar. Oh, well.

Valentine Fondue Night

I am pretty sure we have ourselves a new tradition.

Inspired by The Melting Pot and our love for the Wisconsin Cheese Trio served there, I thought it would be fun to make some fondue for Valentine's Day. I looked up some recipes, and it seemed pretty easy (it was). The cheese was expensive, but turned out to be worth every penny.

For the main course I went with homemade pizza, because we usually have pizza for Valentine's Day so I wanted to continue that. Of course, in retrospect, I realize that we then had  A LOT of cheese tonight, but nobody complained.

I researched some different Melting Pot chocolate fondue recipes, and found one that was basically just milk chocolate and caramel mixed together, so I went with that as it sounded good. I was right- so incredibly delicious!

Really, it was so delicious!!! We even talked about how we could find a way to do this twice a year instead of just once. This will definitely be our new Valentine's tradition!

 HERE is the cheese fondue recipe. I substituted white and red vinegars for the wine and sherry. It was a little strong, but still delicious. Next year I want try something a little more mild than the white wine vinegar. It seems silly to buy a bottle of wine just to use 3/4 cup once a year, but we'll see. Like I said, this was still delicious, just a little strong.

Homemade pizza:

Camille's favorite part was dipping marshmallows. Audra preferred the brownie bites to dip, while Claire liked the strawberries and bananas. Good thing we had a big selection!

HERE is the chocolate recipe (which I didn't follow- I had some leftover chocolate sauce and just used that with caramel sauce. YUM!)

YouthFest

Last Friday Audra had the opportunity to go YouthFest for 4H. This is a leadership camp for 4h-ers across the state from Friday night to Sunday. I planned to pick her up late Saturday night so she would be home for church on Sunday, but she was still incredibly nervous. Like, INCREDIBLY nervous. We all said lots of prayers for her and Ben gave her a blessing.

Despite her nervousness, I really felt that she needed to go to branch out. Since we homeschool, I worry that they don't get to practice being away from home and from me as much as schooled kids, so I wanted her to take this opportunity to get out and be herself without Mom being right there.

Turns out, there was nothing to worry about- she rocked it!

On Friday night her leader sent me this text: "Audra is so independent and so sweet! It seems she is really having a good time."

Here's a friend that Audra made:

When I got there Saturday night she was so sad! They were having a dance (after learning the swing), and NINE boys had asked her to dance! One of her friends said, "She keeps getting asked to dance!" Audra loved every minute of it, I am sure. She raved and raved about what a great time she had, and admitted that she didn't miss us at all.

It was neat for her to branch out. She is such a special kid. I mean, really, she is extraordinary. She simply has the sweetest and kindest personality. I'm so lucky to be her mom! It's incredible to see the person that she is growing into- she is going to change the world with her empathy, graciousness, and sweet spirit. I love being able to have a front row seat.

Sun Day!

It has been incredibly warm recently- very UNlike typical winter weather. We have really had one of the most mild winters I have ever experienced since moving here. I'm not complaining, believe me!

Today it is 70 AND Ben had the day off of work, so I insisted that we go out and enjoy the weather. We hurried and finished our schoolwork and then headed with a picnic lunch to the park. It was a bit windy (it is supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow- I know, crazy. But that type of temperature change IS typical for Colorado), which made it perfect for a kite. It was just beautiful. It was great to get outside and enjoy some nature.

And, I love days like today, because it reminds me how grateful I am for this little family of mine. I couldn't possibly love these guys any more than I do!

(This first picture was actually taken yesterday on our walk to take Camille to school. We had to stop and watch the ducks!)

Marching Drums

We are doing a short one week military unit, so the girls made military drums yesterday. They have been going around the house banging away. It's so funny- we spend so much money on toys and cool gadgets, but really- the best toys always seem to involve recycling some sort of box- or, in this case, oatmeal container.

And then, I had to throw this one as Camille was just too cute with this jester hat:

Let's Sew!

The girls have been really doing great with their sewing projects for 4H. Even though it can be a lot as sewing does require a lot of patience, they are both rightfully proud and excited about their creations. They have pretty much already surpassed me in their knowledge of sewing! It has really been a lot of fun for them.

Claire made the bag that is on her back that
she turned into a baby carrier. She wears it all
the time as she carries her baby everywhere!

The girls each made their
own skirts. Audra's was pretty
difficult, but it turned out
great. 

I'm so glad they are learning so many skills that will help them throughout their lives. That is what I love about 4H- it really teaches them real life skills. I wonder if I can get the girls to make me a skirt...

Religious Freedom

Last night as part of my training for Public Affairs (my volunteer assignment at my church), I had the wonderful opportunity to learn from Steve Collis, Chairman of the Denver Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Society, and expert in litigating for Religious Freedom. (I know some of you are lawyers or married to lawyers, so feel free to correct me or add insight to this as needed!)

Normally, I roll my eyes when somebody mentions "religious freedom" because so much of what people talk about revolves around fear and misinformation. But, Steve knows his stuff! It was an awesome opportunity to hear from somebody who actually knows what is really going on in regards to religious freedom and was willing to share his insight. I did not want the night to end! I could have listened to him for hours.

He started out relating the history of Religious Freedom (hereafter referred to "RF"). RF is, of course guaranteed in our Constitution- but, it is very ambiguous. When our country started, everybody was Protestant so there were never any RF issues. But then those darn Mormons came along with all of their crazy religious ideas. Suddenly, RF was put to the test, and as any student of Mormon History knows, RF lost. Big time Mormons were forced to give up some of their practices, lost voting rights, and almost lost their statehood as the courts decided against them time and time again.

Things settled down as Mormons complied with the laws, and then in 1993 RF was severely challenged again, and lost, ironically, because of a certain man named Justice Scalia. In an opinion with the acronym RFRA. You can research it if interested, but it basically said the government can make laws against religions if it is reasonable and applicable to all, not just religious institutions. So, that made things very muddy and didn't clarify RF at all. A couple of years later another law passed that made things even less clear called RULF (I think). Very crazy, but basically- nothing definitive about RF from the courts, though everything in regards to RF goes through The Constitution test.

This is Article 1 of The Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

All RF litigation hinges on two questions:

1. Is the government promoting one religion over another?

2. Is government preventing someone's exercise of their religion?

If the answer is is "yes" to either question, there is a problem.

Here's where it gets fun...

Generally speaking, when litigation occurs, RF wins. In fact, he pulled up the last 20 cases the SCOTUS was involved with, and 17 out of 20 times RF won, by a vote of 9-0. As in, unanimous. So the idea that RF is under attack by the courts is simply unfounded.

Where RF IS under attack, however, is culture wars. That's very different.

One person raised his hand very angry about the change in Boy Scouts that transgender boys can now be included. He wanted to know why the courts allowed this. Very calmly, Scott said, "That was not a legal decision- it never went to the courts. As a private entity, the BSA can choose who they allow into their clubs. It was a cultural shift that changed the BSA's mind, not a legal one.

How do you fight a cultural shift? His response: Being good missionaries. Show people that following Christ makes you a better person so that they will want to join your cause. Christians showing up to protest at Matthew Shepherd's funeral, for example, did not help the cause of Christianity in any way.

This was the part I loved best:

He talked a lot about how right now in the cultural wars neither side is willing to budge an inch. Almost every problem that occurs- from who bakes whose wedding cakes to where Mosques can be built- can be reached through compromise. But nobody is willing to compromise!

He talked a lot about the Utah Compromise (where LGBT groups were guaranteed a number of rights in UT) was one of the greatest pieces of legislation passed in regards to RF, but nobody outside of UT will replicate it. Ironically, right now, the LGBT has more rights in Utah than in any other state. The only way that happened was because the Mormon Church got behind the legislation, which meant the members got behind it, which meant the legislators got behind it.

But the LGBT community believes it was a loss because they didn't get 100% of what they wanted. They believe they had to make great sacrifices because they knew that's the best they could get in such a conservative state, but that they don't need to compromise anywhere else so they won't.

And, on the other side, no other state has a single entity (religious or otherwise) that will get behind a compromise bill to allow one to go through, as nobody else on the right is willing to budge, either. So in every other state there is deadlock.

He said almost every case he sees is on the local level in local communities. For example, right now in Aurora (just down the street from my house), a Muslim community wants to build a community church, basically a YMCA. It will have a basketball court, swimming pool, prayer room, and the like. Basically, it's like every Mormon church building built all over the world (except we should add pools to our buildings). The Muslim community simply wants what every other religious community wants- a place where their kids can come hang out and stay off the streets and out of trouble.

But the city of  Aurora is turning them down because they are Muslim. This is a gross infringement on their RF based on The Constitution.

He talked about why that was a problem for all of us. First, it's against The Constitution. Secondly, if they can turn it down for them, they can turn it down for us, too (like how every time we try to build a temple city councils try to stop us- that is also an infringement to RF). It is in all of our best interest to allow ALL religions, even ones that our not our own, to build buildings and exercise their RF. If we only defend RF when it affects us personally, that's a huge problem.

And that's my very brief summary of an incredible night where I actually got EXCITED about RF instead of just annoyed!

Car Troubles

It's been an expensive couple of weeks for our poor cars (and our poor checking accounts!). It started out with my battery going out and needing to be replaced. Then, Ben got a pretty bad flat and we realized that rather than repair it, we really did just need to get him all new tires. Then, I got one of my tires replaced because it got a screw in a spot that couldn't be repaired, so now we are getting all new tires for my van as well. For the record, new tires are not cheap! But, you can't go around on bald tires, so there you go.