Speaking of Love......

Are you feeling particularly giving today? Good! Me too! If you are, go here: bringthaliahome.blogspot.com. They're trying to raise the funds to bring home their 13th child. She has downs syndrome and is in China. I've admired this family for years. They're the real deal. A great family. So, don't go out to eat today and instead spend your 10 bucks to help an orphan have a family. Good karma and all that, right?

I just love my dad.

Sometimes you have to post about something just because. Today, that's my dad. He's the nicest guy I know. I'm not just saying it. If you knew him, he'd be the nicest guy you know too. I recently had some health issues and since there was nothing he could do to help in that department he decided that he was coming to my house the next weekend to do yard work. This was work I could have done on my own, but who says no to yard help? Not me. He and my mom came and we worked and worked and worked. It was great and I am grateful.

But, more than anything I love seeing him with his grand kids because he loves them all so much, and they love him. Can you tell?




One of my favorite things that he does is give them all a shave. Seriously folks, it doesn't get much better than seeing a line of tiny children ready for their morning shave. So funny. First he checks their cheeks to make sure they really need one. He runs the back of his fingers up their cheeks and says "Ow, ow, ow." Oh, segue!!! One time Adam and I were talking about Grandpa and Eli was 2 and listening intently. He touched his cheek and asked "Is that the Grandpa what says "op, op, op?" CUTE! Anyway, they ALWAYS need a shave. Hairy little buggers. And then he turns his electric shaver around and proceeds; the back of the shaver vibrating their chubby little cheeks.

And he always has the happiest of customers. This little man is a regular:

This isn't even close to the nicest things that I could say about my dad. But for today, I just wanted to say something, and that's enough. I feeling like I might need a shave.

quirky

I showed you this picture of Max in the sweater a while ago. I love it. Mostly because it so perfectly displays Cecily's personality. Most of the time she stays out of trouble, somewhere close to me and does her thing. But if she's not right next to me, I don't really need to worry. She's not a trouble magnet....like one of my other children who shall remain nameless. She generally quietly putters doing her thing the way only she does it. She's easily our most artistic child and I love that she's always been more expressive with "things" because she's had a lot of speech issues and hasn't been able to express herself with speech very easily.

But as I wander throughout the house I often find little reminders that Cecily has interesting ideas, or amazing plots or different perspectives dancing around in that little mind of hers. Here is her Happy Family toddler from upstairs, wearing one of my sweaters from the main floor, flying in Eli's bi-plane from the basement. You know, I suppose if I were a toddler flying in a bi-plane I would wish I had a wool sweater on also.

So much for the special toothbrush cup. These must be train toothbrushes. But when I told her that I noticed the toothbrushes she smiled really big and giggled.

When I saw this orange balancing on a grapefruit, balancing on the peanut butter only one thought went through my mind, "Cecily's been here." No question.

Maybe she has a bit of a fruit fetish. One day I opened one of my dresser drawers that I don't use very often because it's on the bottom and mostly used for storage. I was glad I did, because there was a single banana in it. You've got it, Cecily's work. Imagine how nasty that would have been in a couple of days.

I'm not quite sure what her plan was on this day, because I caught her before the act, and she didn't carry it out once she'd been discovered.

I'm sure it would have been fun though because the combination of seven mini-pears and one creative little girl in what she calls her "personal penguin" jammies would make for quite an adventure.

We're so lucky to have a Cecily.

shame, shame, I know your name

It's been a few months since we moved into our house. We've figured out most basic areas, but a few areas were still big question marks in our heads. The nook in our bedroom was especially perplexing. Until we figured out what to do with it we used it as a resting spot for all of our (my, mostly) stuff. It was a good out-of-the-way spot to hide our shame. Pretty shameful though, eh?

I can only show you that picture because I then got completely inspired and took it over as my own arts and crafts nook. We teamed up with craigslist and just over $100 later we created this:

I'm in love with it! I know exactly where everything is and where it will go after I use it! Not only that, I have an area TO use it. I think the $1 Target pails are my favorite thing. Just the right size for a million different things. I come around the corner and walk into my nook and experience utter BLISS!

Just thought I'd share.

The other day I asked Eli to put his folded clothes away and be sure to push in his drawers. This is what I found when I went in to check and see if he had finished his job.

Craigslist, here we come.

Am I serious about knitting but not a serious knitter, or the other way around?

I really love to knit. I've knitted for years and done a lot of projects, but I began with one project in mind. I could see in my mind how cute it would be to have a little Christmas tree covered with mini-sweaters on mini-hangers that were all different. Cute right?

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I may have started out making kite-shaped dish rags, but in my mind it was all just prep work for mini-sweaters. Goal accomplished! I found a great pattern and taught myself to knit in the round and voile!

Here is a close-up of one sweater that I knit recently. Cecily loves them, and she loves her tiny dog that she named Max. So I found this on the counter the other day. Cracked me up. But this gives you an idea of what they look like up close.

While we lived in Syracuse a friend from Norway taught me how to knit Norwegian Mittens. They were easily the most difficult thing I had ever knitted and I thought they would be my first and last pair. Not so. I think we're in the double digits now, and I'm sure there will be many more in my future. I started making my own patterns and that's pretty fun too. Here are some of my recent mittens:

And, BREAKING NEWS: I'm going to be teaching a knitting class for the town of Kaysville in April and May! SOOOO, I'm just saying, I know my way around a knitting needle and I've taught a few people how to knit. All of THAT made me gasp in horror when I experienced what I experienced the other day.

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In addition to knitting I also tat and am fixing a large tatted item, so I need to match the thread before I can proceed. I went to a small needle craft shop the other day to see if they would have what I needed. When I walked in I saw that it was mostly a yarn shop. The shop owner was probably in her 30's but everything about her seemed O-O-OO-OLD. She scared me. I could go on and on about her polyester pants and school marm hair, but I won't. I went to desk and felt very distinctly that I was disturbing her even though she was doing NOTHING. Without looking at what I had or hearing me out she was "sure they didn't have what I needed." I practically had to beg to see what they had and using the lady who was waiting behind me as an escape I said "I'll just look around, go ahead and help this lady." The third time I said that she finally let me by. As I was perusing the yarn I couldn't help overhearing what was going on at the desk. The lady had a knitting question. She read the pattern and did what she thought it said but it wasn't working. So the shop owner painfully slowly explained what should be done. The lady repeated it to make sure she was understanding and THIS is what came out of shop owner's mouth: "YOU'RE....NOT....LISTENING......TO ME!" Just like that!

I had my back to them but my eye's automatically popped open and my head cocked back. Who says that, particularly to someone who is significantly older than them?

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I may not be the sharpest cheese on the cracker, but I learned a lesson that day. When I teach my group class I'm going to try not to personally attack anyone. In fact I think I might even go above and beyond and show a bit of encouragement and patience for the new knitters.

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I think that just might work. And unless they stick their fingers in their ears and sing a song really loud in order to drown out my voice I'm not even going to keep "YOU'RE....NOT....LISTENING .......TO ME!" in my back pocket.

Priorities

Long ago I gave up on the idea that Eli would ever have a job or a career that was anything less than active. He's 6 and he's been obsessed with firemen since he was 2 1/2. He wants to be a fireman, but he also thinks the military is really cool along with a smattering of a few other deadly occupations. I would like him to live past 18. I think whatever his career choice is, it will likely include hazard pay.

Today he was asking me if Nascar drivers make a lot of money and I told him that I was pretty sure that the ones that win make a lot of money, but I wasn't sure how much, and I dropped it. I'm really anti-Nascar on so many levels that I can't even speak to it's virtues. Are there any? Don't say yes. I'm totally closed-minded on the subject and I don't care to entertain any other point of view. Sorry...kinda. Not really.

Anyway, as we were talking Eli said to Cecily "What do you want to be when you grow up?" But, before waiting for an answer, he started answering it for her. This happens frequently because of her speech delays, and because of Eli's...shall we say... constant fluency of speech. I stopped him and said "Let her answer. What do you want to be when you grow up?" I won't lie, I had hopes of something sweet. After all, she's my only connection to sweetness. After considering it she got bright eyes and said "A fireman!" great. Eli got a disturbed and worried look in his eye. Cecily bounced out of the room and Eli whispered to me "Mom, I wouldn't let her do that if I were you. That helmet will seriously mess up her hair."

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Apparently we're more concerned about hair than mortality around here.

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Here is a recent picture of her throwing all caution to the wind with that helmet:

But we all know who the truly devoted fire guy is:

P.S. I'm sure that you would want to know that I'm now #1 on the library waiting list for Lark Rise season 3. I think I'll just stand outside the library eyeing people to see if they're holding purple DVD's. Not psycho really, right?

It's the TRUEST of true love.

You might think this post would be about Adam. Make no mistake, I love him. Very much. But a new love has borrowed my heart. The BBC knows a good thing when they see it/sell it. When half of the women in the U.S. (not an actual statistic) owns and loves the 6 hour Pride and Prejudice, you have to capitalize on that love. And they have.

I have never watched an entire season of anything in my whole life. Even when I watch something consistently, I always miss a couple of episodes for one reason or another. Well, all that's changed. I'm in LOVE with Lark Rise to Candleford. Here are my significant others: I love them. Even that irresponsible scoundrel Twister, and the petty, back-biting Pratt sisters. Of course I love our sweet Laura and capable Dorcas and the queen of all wives, Emmy. I could go on on and on, but don't worry, I'll stop.

Adam's friend at work asked him what we did for Valentines day. He told her that we sat side by side in our fleece jammies in bed, and on the mini-DVD players that we use for long drives, we watched our shows separately. Isn't that romantic? We really go above and beyond. We laughed, we cried, he -for his X-men, me for my Lark Rise. Every once in a while we would look at one another and smile. Ahhhh. Bliss. His co-worker wasn't impressed!?

He's taking me to the Symphony this weekend. Maybe that will satisfy her? I'm sure I'll love it. Though I really hope it gets out early enough that I can come home and watch another episode on my 7" screen.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Have you ever spent 10 hours doing your hair? If you say "yes" I'm kind of surprised that we're friends because I've always been more of a 10 minute girl and you would probably reject my kind. Even 10 minutes sometimes cramps my style. I have a friend named Jen in Rochester that decided she would be responsible for keeping track of the back of my hair. It was that bad. I would do my hair and not look at the back and then go to church. She would come along, after having to look at it for all of Sacrament meeting, and fix it. One time I was growing out layers and they were driving me crazy. On a particular day I was really busy with Relief Society stuff and the hair was driving me NUTS. I found a twisty tie in my purse and used it in my hair thinking no one would notice. I was wrong. Jen (and a few others) noticed and found something much better suited for hair in her car and took care of me. I love Jen. BUT now that I live 3/4 of a nation away and I have one of those mirrors to help you see the back of your hair, I do try to give it a glance before going to church.

While I've never spent 10 hours on my own hair, I can now say that I have spent 10 hours in one day doing hair. Yep, Cecily's. I went to Hair Night for the transracial adoption group here and was totally inspired. Especially when I heard that this hair style was practically free (not an astounding $150) and could last 6 weeks!!! SIX WHOLE WEEKS!!! Hair is a big thing in our lives and not always a fun big thing so only doing it every month and a half has huge appeal. This is what we've been doing a lot of for a long time:

Cute, right? The problem is that so much unbraided hair is drying and opens up the possibility of major knots that we get to deal with in a few days when it's hair time again. Not to mention that it's cute on day one and two but by 3-7, the frizz takes over and we just have to live with scary hair. So after much inspiration (thank you, Diana!) and lots of movies and treats for her and braiding for me, here is the new hair:

We are loving it. She loves that she has long flowing braids and I love that I can oil it and style it easily and we're out the door with bouncin' and behavin' hair in no time! This is my favorite style:

So fun! The only down side is that she looks like she got two years older over night. Anyway, that's the latest change for Cecily.

Eli has made every new aquaintance aware of his big change:

Eli is all about doing things big! He didn't just lose his first tooth, he lost his first two teeth one right after the other. Big bucks from the tooth fairy.

And last but not least, Nater man. We FINALLY have 1) a house with room for a piano, 2) a piano, and 3) a piano teacher! Big stuff. Maybe not for you, but for me. So Nate's finally taking lessons and according to his teacher he's apparently progressing very quickly. Yay for Nate - he may be a true pianist someday! AND, yay for me- I'm not flushing my money from week to week!

Doesn't he just strike you as the piano prodigy type?

Nothing like a good find

Last night, while playing a game, I had to finish this sentence: "I can't resist buying... " I had a hard time filling in the blank because I can pretty much resist buying anything. I often put things in my cart that end up not coming home with me because I talk myself out of them before I get to the checkout line. Or going shopping and not buying anything at all. The only truthful completion of the sentence is that I can't resist buying anything that's a REALLY good deal. Now, make no mistake, "cheap" doesn't equal "good deal." I hate "stuff." For it to qualify as a good deal it has to be good quality and I have to need it or really want it for a specific, practical purpose (none of this "I might use it someday" business) and it has to be a great price. Better yet, free!

We have some recent finds that definitely fit the "good deal" requirements and one is really fun (to me) so I'm sharing.

The first is a chair that Adam found at the Salvation Army for $17. Reasons I love it? 1) It's my favorite color of yummy red. 2) We needed a chair. 3) It's short and so am I. 4) It's very clean. 5) It's extremely comfortable 6) It's well constructed with just a little wear on the right arm. I wish it had a twin! We do have to fix one button so it doesn't look like it has a dangling eyeball, but that's no bigs.

Behold the chair:

I know, not thrilling to anyone but me, but not bad for $17, right? And look at how cute two of my favorite people look in it. Oh and by the way, can you tell from the picture that I really love red? I do.

The next find was once again found at the Salvation Army. We love to go there and just look around. It's always humorous, interesting, and sometimes profitable. Find #2 was ONE DOLLAR. I'll show it to you first and then explain.

Do you LOVE it as much as I do? Well, you should! Isn't that just the house that you've always wanted to live in?! Well you can't have it because I already spoke it!

It's an original ink drawing that's initialed and dated 1966. It was falling out of it's cute, perfectly simple little frame because it was backed with cardboard and the stalest masking tape ever. I took it to our little craft store and had it re-backed, papered and new hanging hardware put on for $2.25. I realize that that expenditure was more than twice the amount of the original investment, but I'm still under $3.50 for original art and I'm feeling just dandy about it!

I have it hanging in a spot that I pass by just shy of a thousand times a day and each time I see it I'm so glad that I'm stingy (ahem, brilliantly frugal).

I live!

No, I'm not dead. Just lazy/busy/lazy. But I have clean toilets, so I guess I'm not that lazy. Just lazy about bloggy kinds of things. Truth be told, I'm probably only throwing something on here today because #1- it's the Sabbath, which knocks a lot of stuff out of the running and #2 - I lopped a chunk of my thumb off today, so knitting isn't a comfortable option.

We have moved. So that should probably be shared with anyone faithful enough to check in here once in a while. If you are checking in, you ought to get a reward for being among the truest of friends.

Here are the details: An internal transfer came available for Adam and he applied for it and got it, so we thought we ought to show up. And that's when we moved. We're in Kaysville Utah now. It's nice to have family much closer, and mountains even closer than that! I really like it. I miss many aspects of living in NY, but overall it was a good thing to do.

Just to get you up to speed, here is a picture of the kids as they never are:

Here are the kids in real life, almost. I mean, 3 happy at once doesn't always happen, after all. And, they don't generally lick each other.

Cecily's yelling "Pease hep me wipe my buns!" So I'm outta here until next time.

Who's up for a big funny lie?

I haven't posted for a very long time. I feel a tiny bit sheepish about it but I have to tell you why. We have had the MOST wonderful summer and who can blog when there's fun to be had? Not me. Last Tuesday, the day before school started, my kids and I laid on my bed and drew up a list of all of the fun things we did this summer. It filled a piece of lined paper and continued onto the back. Wanna read it? I know you're saying "YES!" right now. I'll spare you. BUT, if you want to see some great summer pictures of my family and read a very funny but completely untrue story to go along with them, then you should visit my husbands blog. One of the reasons we don't blog together is because I'm too pragmatic. I really love his blogging antics even if they're not exactly factual, and you might too, so go here: empirestategreenway.blogspot.com . Except the link isn't working for me, so either tell me how to fix it, or just type it in.

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I love Eliza in the picture above. She's the one that looks like she's crying. That's actually her REALLY happy smile. She's so funny. I love our nieces and nephews!

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So, sorry I was gone. Here are few shots of my beauties to whet your appetite and leave you saying "MORE! I WANT MORE GREENWAY IN MY LIFE!"

Aren't they so cute?

I could eat 'em.

Worth blogging about? Oh, I think so.

Have you ever loved a grocery store? Me either, until now. What's to love, right? They're miserable, cold places that suck the money right out of your pocket without leaving any satisfaction in your heart.

That's precisely how I felt until I fell under the Wegmans spell. When I go shopping I think "hmmm, I can either battle the hoards, never find what I want, deal with my crazy shopping cart barnacles and THEN have the money sucked out of my pocket, OR I can go to Wegmans. The difference? Everything.

First of all, I get to drop my 3-8 year olds off at the Wegman's play place with the nicest ladies that remember my kids names (couldn't be because I take them everyday, right?) and shop for an hour with just one small barnacle. I forgot to get a picture of it, but it's clean, fun and wonderful. Then there's the store...let's let the the pictures do the talking, shall we?

Feast your eyes on that happy little shopper. Why so happy? Free cookie, for sure. But often they have free samples of freshly squeezed tangerine or blood orange juice too. SO good.


Then there is the store itself. Look over Cecily's left shoulder. See the pretty floor? Cool lights from overhead cast pretty leaf images on the floor. I don't know why, but I love it.

Then, there's this guy:

who teaches me (and other passers-by) how to make wonderful food like Milanese Shrimp. And because of him I know the finer points on how to use stuff like pan searing flour. He's the one who showed me how to make the yummiest butternut squash/spinach/dried cranberry/candied pecans dish the world has ever known. Okay, maybe the only one but I could seriously lick the pan...mmmmm.

Let's keep moving.

Last New Year's eve I knew exactly where to go for celebration food. Wegmans! We had crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms ala Wegmans in 10 minutes.

But they also have great prices on the the everyday stuff. Milk there was $1.69 this week! Why fight it? But Cecily appreciates the milk section even more than I do and this is why:

See the train hovering over the groceries? That's a working electric train over the dairy section that entertains young and old alike! I'll admit it, I stop and watch it for a minute even when I run to the store alone. It's just so cute.

So back in my Kentucky days I had no problem with Walmart. I actually kinda enjoyed it, but it was almost my only shopping option. I can hardly stand it now. All because of Wegmans. Freakish that I would feel that way about a grocery store? Maybe, but I'm not alone. No, no. Conversations including tender feelings toward Wegmans are common here in upstate NY, better known as "Wegmans country."

like mother, like daughter

I think every parent has traits, beliefs, traditions and habits that they hope to pass on to their children. I certainly do. There are times that I do things and hope that my children learn from example and follow in the footsteps of their mother. Not very often, but sometimes. This isn't necessarily one of those things.

I walked in the kitchen a while back and this was the scene before me. I knew exactly what she was doing and why she was doing it.

Look closely at the thing in her ear. It's an orange wire connector that has been in the kitchen for a while. I'll bet there isn't an ENT in the country who recommends sticking one in your ear, but I know why it's there. Have you ever had sensory overload when 3 kids are swarming around you telling you everything that comes to mind and asking you the same questions over and over? Me too! This occurs most often between 4:00 and 5:30 when I'm trying to make dinner and Adam isn't home yet. I think most mom's feel that this is the hardest time of day. It's probably why "they" created happy hour, but since I don't imbibe, I find other relaxation techniques. To ease the insanity I sometimes wear orange earplugs during the nerve grating time of day. I can hear everything, it just takes it down a notch.

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More often than not I have a dish rag or a cooking utensil in my hand and hopefully a fairly pleasant look on my face, just like Cecily. So I'm sure when she dragged her chair over to the sink and saw the orange connector, she knew just what to do. Stick it in her ear.

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Maybe tomorrow she'll do a few loads of laundry and drive Eli to school.

*Forgive the asteriks, it won't let me create paragraphs in the second half of the post. Dumb computers.

Gonna keep 'em swinging baby, he's a real wild child

I feel confident that if I asked Eli what he loved to do most in life being on his bike would be at least part of his answer. He LOVES his bike. There are mornings when he wakes up and before going to the bathroom, changing his clothes or eating breakfast he puts on his helmet. The first word he ever read was "bell" because that's what it says on the front of his helmet.


We knew last year when he learned how to ride on two wheels without any instruction or help that he would be a good rider. Duh. So, he was nothing short of giddy when he found out they would be having a "trikeathon" at his school. We talked about it everyday. He wanted to take his bike 2 weeks in advance until he realized that if he did he wouldn't be able to ride it until then. Finally the big day arrived and he was thrilled. Here is a typical picture of the scene on that day. Lots of tricycles and bright and shiny new two wheelers with training wheels. The kids were all so cute and cautious. Then there was Eli. Dirt all over his bike from many puddles, bent and rusty handlebars, and zero tread on his back wheel from skidding out. It is his most beloved item.

Keeping Eli contained is a trick and not one I find much value in unless we're at a church meeting or attempting to refuel him (both difficult but important tasks). He spends lots of time riding up and down the sidewalk and he's pretty good at staying where he's supposed to be and checking in often. Last weekend Eli was out for a ride as usual and he ran inside and said "I have some tricks to show you but Mom and Dad both have to come out." I rounded up Adam and out we went. I thought he might show us that he could ride with no feet, or stop really fast but I certainly wasn't prepared for this. I mean, he's just 4.

Trick #1 - Feet through the handlebars. I really fought back the urge to freak out. Can you imagine what would happen if he fell over? I've learned with Eli that warning him or forbidding him from doing something is usually just a challenge for him so unless he's in spiritual or SERIOUS physical danger it's better to just let him go for it. I remember when he was trying to jump down the stairs from the landing to the basement and he was barely 3. I thought about it for the split second I had and said "Jump REALLY hard Eli or you'll go "splat"." I knew he would jump anyway so I might as well offer advice. I probably wouldn't feel this way if he didn't always pull off all of his physical feats of daring with out as much as a scrape. Anyway...

Trick #2 -Knees on the seat!

Trick #3 - feet on the seat!?! Even Nate, who is usually with him, doesn't know how he learned these tricks. I think he just tries whatever he thinks of and has the confidence to think he can pull it off. He went on to show us how he can stop his bike by putting his feet on either side of the front wheel and a few others that I can't remember and didn't take pictures of.

So after the show, we wandered in saving our lectures for another time. I've only known one kid just like Eli and last I knew he was being filmed in Nepal kayaking down some of the most treacherous waters in the world. Good thing Eli only wants to be a fire fighter.

This one's for you Tiff!

Lame picture eh? Sorry, I tried.

Here is my recipe. It has a few added details that I hope make it easier to understand, but might just make it more confusing. Hope not.

Taiwanese Dumplings

1 head Chinese cabbage (nappa)
1 bunch green onions
2+ inch piece of fresh ginger grated with small grater
1 tsp. sesame oil
1-1 ½ lb. unseasoned ground pork
2-3 pkg. wonton wraps
½ c. soy sauce
½ c. seasoned rice vinegar
Several drops of sesame oil

Clean and trim then finely chop the Chinese cabbage and green onions (if you use a food processor be careful not to puree by emptying frequently). Amy note: we usually wrap the green onions in the cabbage then process. It gives the green onions the stability they need for the food processor. Place the cabbage/onion mixture in a sieve (amy note: or the middle of a large dish towel) and squeeze most of the liquid out in the sink, you won’t need it later. You now have a dry pulpy mixture. In a large bowl add the ginger, sesame oil and pork. Mix with your hands, using your fingers like a rake.

Bring a Large pot of water to boil. If you have a pot with a pasta insert (I don’t know what they’re called) they are very handy. If not, you’ll just have to fish your dumplings out with a sieve or slotted spoon.

Lay out 20(ish) wonton wraps on a clean, dry surface. Work somewhat quickly since the wraps will dry out. Place a small spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of each wrap. Using your finger, wet the edges of the wrap with water (about a finger-width wide) and fold in half, creating a triangle. Press edges firmly to seal. Amy note: I usually fold my wraps a little fancier, but a triangle will do just fine. Continue until full batch is sealed. Place batch into the boiling water, one or two at a time. When all of the dumplings are in slowly stir a few times to make sure that none of the dumplings are stuck to each other or to the bottom of the pot. If they are stuck to the bottom, gently nudge them off with your spoon. Bring water back to a boil. Boil dumplings for 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon or sieve and spread them out on a cookie sheet so none of the dumplings are stuck together. Once they cool, they can be piled on one another, but if you pile them initially, you’ll have a mess. Continue until all of the meat mixture is gone. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar and a few drops of sesame oil. Stir. Pour in individual bowls or ramekins for each person to dip dumplings in.

Having someone to help you is great! That way you can be continually folding and boiling.
Leftovers can be pan fried (be warned, they’ll stick to your pan like crazy!), added to broth soup for wonton soup or just re-warmed by microwaving or quickly re-boiling.


ENJOY!!! I hope you love them as much as my family does! Questions???

Tradition!!!

Much, much later I'm finally getting to our fun General Conference weekend. SO fun! Remember my major award? The cookbook that I got for entering a recipe? The one I submitted my families chinese dumpling recipe to? Well, in case you don't, we always have these yummy dumplings on General Conference weekend so I thought I should document it. Here some of them are before they were boiled. My mouth is watering just looking at the picture. Strange, since I know in their uncooked state they would be completely disgusting and possibly dangerous. Anyone up for a mouthful of raw pork? Mmmmm, delish.

I really should make these every day of the week. I cannot think of another food that my whole family will eat happily and willingly. We always have at least one whiner in the bunch. Not so during this meal. They love it. Who knew that pork, ginger, and nappa cabbage could produce such happy little eaters? They clearly take after the Cantwell side of the family. I made them for the Greenway's once and they were not fans. Oh well, more for me.

So check out the kiddos. Proof that this is one meal I don't have to force feed to my children.

Nate - stuffing his face

Eli - Passionate as usual, what a nut.

Cecily - post meal, minus what she's saving on her cheeks for later.

Then, as tradition in our home dictates, I made cinnamon rolls when the kids went to bed and Adam was at Priesthood session. We eat them in Palmyra outside the sacred grove on Sunday morning. They weren't my favorite this year. Too rich for me. I hold all cinnamon rolls to a very high standard. My friend Kathleen served us cinnamon rolls many years ago and nothing I have ever produced has satisfied me since. I just keep trying.


Sometimes my kids worry me. We have done the same thing every General Conference weekend since we moved here and my kids are clueless every time. We bundle them up, put the cinnamon rolls and milk in the back of the car, and get on the thruway. We almost never go on the thruway unless we're going to Palmyra. We get the same questions every time. "Where are we going?" "Are we going to church?" (even though you can't even get to church that way AND we're wearing jeans and tennis shoes.) Poor things. Think they'll ever catch on? Me either.

So here we are in Palmyra. The first time we did this I almost lost my testimony, but not quite. You know how all the first vision pictures have tons of leaves in them? Well unless spring was in July, there warnt no leaves. Nevertheless, we had a lovely time as usual but didn't eat the cinnamon rolls there this time. We usually wander, eat, go home, watch conference. This time Eli had to go numero dos after the wander part. There were no open bathrooms, so our trip was shortened a tad. Oh well, no biggie. The sacred grove is really one of my favorite places to be no matter the time of year.

Here we are:


Doesn't Cecily look thrilled to pieces? She really did have fun. Promise. I bet she just feels it in her bones that she's not getting a cinnamon roll 'til we get home. I feel your pain, Cecily. Or, maybe she's just trying to be cool. I can't tell.

So, while these were not the most important parts of the weekend, they were fun and I'm glad we have these traditions. They give our kids something to look forward to...other than the eight hours of being reminded to be quiet. Baby steps to reverence.