Halloween!

We had a great time on Halloween.

We decided to have a small party for Kevin and a few of his toddler friends. We started off with 5-10 kids in mind, but by the time we invited people, we ended up inviting about 30 kids. Luckily, not everyone came (though they all wo
uld have been welcome).

We ended up with about 30 people, parents included and about 12 kids under the age of 8. I cooked most of the food, though I had some help and some people brought more food. This is what the table looked like afterward:

My jello worms are in the white bowl. A lot of people wouldn't eat them because they looked gross. :) Success!

We had mummy hotdogs, deviled eggs, jello worms, and pie. My aunt brought some quesadillas and fruit. Some other friends brought some doughnuts. I also made lemonade. The night before, I took a clean plastic glove, filled it with water, and froze it. Then, I put the hand-shaped ice inside the lemonade so it looked like a creepy ghost hand. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. For games, we fished for bugs and had a pumpkin beanbag game. The kids got to keep their plastic bugs and they won glow-sticks by throwing the beanbags in the cardboard pumpkin's eye and mouth. 

Kevin was so excited for his "Halloween Party." The whole day that we were preparing for it, he kept talking about it. I think he really enjoyed himself and he loved having all the friends and family over. A big thank you to everyone that came. I hope you enjoyed it as well!

After the party, which we kept short so as not to infringe on Halloween time, Grig took Kevin trick-or-treating. Kevin dressed up as a knight. I stayed behind to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. 

I was pleased with how many people came by our house. 

Kevin had a pretty good haul too. 

Grig found a pretty nice treat while they were out as well. He was walking down the middle of the street, and he looked down to see something that looked like a giant roach. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a giant water beetle. 

Being my amazing husband, he caught it and brought it home. 

He's holding the bug in his hand.

We kept it until tonight, when we decided it would die if we didn't let it go hibernate. They eat bugs and fish. We don't have any of those in our house and winter is coming. It was fun to have around for a while though. 

Here's a closer look at the bug

We had an excellent Halloween, and our son was a fantastic kid. He had such a great time. The next day, he was pretty upset when I was putting the Halloween decorations away. He didn't want Halloween to end. Then I explained that next was Thanksgiving, then Kevin's birthday, and then Christmas and he decided that it was okay. 

I'm pretty excited for the holidays this year. He's at such a fun age!

Why Communication is Important (a.k.a. Too Many Meals)

This week turned out to be kind of nuts. I have a really hard time saying "No" to people. In fact, sometimes, it's almost impossible. So, last week, without talking to each other, Grig invited a family over to eat Friday night and I invited a family to eat Monday. Then, when we did talk to each other, we invited another family to eat Saturday night.

The Monday night dinner went well. We had our neighbors over for chicken quesadillas. They were a big hit. Then we had Family Home Evening with them and played a game that went along with a spiritual theme. Then, we had otter-pops for dessert and they went home.

Tuesday, I ended up waking up early to drive Grig to work so I could use the car later. The missionaries were having their Preparation Day (P-Day) where they have time off from proselyting to do laundry, go shopping, and have some recreational fun. I had told the missionaries that when they wanted to, I would take them to the Pepperidge Farm Thrift store nearby. They were pretty stoked, and they told me that they wanted to go on Tuesday. So, about 10:15 a.m., Kevin and I went and picked up the Sisters. We had a good time. Kevin started getting grumpy at one point, and we all sang to him until he cheered up. We didn't sound too bad, if I do say so myself. We all bought some bulk cookies and goldfish. It was awesome.

Then, I drove the Sisters back to the Tabernacle where they could e-mail their families. Later, I picked them up from a field where they were playing games and took them back to their home.

Wednesday, I was expecting to have a fairly boring day, but in the morning I got two phone calls. One was from my aunt who wondered if I could watch her kids while she went to the temple. I quickly agreed, because Kevin loves to play with his cousins. However, a few minutes later, I got a text from my neighbor who needed to use my computer. She came over for a while, and we had a good time talking. She brought her little girl, and she and Kevin had a great time. However, she wore him out and fifteen minutes before his cousins were supposed to arrive he fell asleep.

My neighbor was still using the computer when my cousins arrived, so for a little while we had a pretty full house. Kevin didn't stay asleep very long, and then as Grig called home during lunch, my neighbor left. The rest of the time was filled with games, a movie, and a trip to the playground. We had a good time! Grig got home while the kids were still around, and after we played tag we headed home to wait for their mom to come back and get them.

Whew! We had a lot of fun, but I hadn't gotten anything done and I was a bit tired. So, while Grig and Kevin had a nap I relaxed and read for a minute. Good, but busy, day.

Thursday started off with someone ringing incessantly at my doorbell. I was dreaming about it, and by the time I emerged from my deep sleep and stumbled to the front door, no one was there. However, a few minutes later, someone began ringing the bell again. It turned out to be a couple neighbor girls who had missed the bus. She wanted a ride, but I told her I didn't have a car and she should go tell her mom that she had missed the bus. I think they were scared to tell their parents they had missed the bus. Either way, I couldn't have taken them without their parent's permission. So, that started off the day a little crazy, though things went pretty well after that. It was a little less busy, so that was kind of nice. Havelock went to work pretty late, and just as he left Grig came home early. They're starting to cut back on their hours.

We talked for a while and did a few other things. It was nice. We have company coming tonight and tomorrow night, so hopefully the next couple of days go well.

It's good to talk to your spouse before you invite people to dinner, but sometimes you can't. That was kind of the situation this week. It's been a crazy, but awesome, week. We've had a whole lot of fun! Communication is important, but so is service. As we've served those around us, we've had a lot of joy come into our home.

Random, cute picture of Kevin. Enjoy.

Why Do People Hate Meatloaf?

In our home, there is one dinner I make that is loved above all others:

Meatloaf.

This week, we had a birthday party for my brother-in-law Havelock.  I asked him what meal he wanted me to make, and after he thought about it for a moment, he told me, "Would it be too much trouble if we had meatloaf?"

I told him I'd been expecting him to say that. 

Lately, whenever we have guests over to eat in our home, that is usually what I make them. I made up the recipe myself, and it is quite delicious and moist. If you want to try our version, here it is: 

Emma Tank’s Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup corn

1 chopped onion

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup barbeque sauce (or ketchup)

Topping:

3/4 cup ketchup (or barbeque sauce)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Spray the bread pan with non-stick spray.  Put meatloaf in pan, press down to fill all edges.  Combine topping, pour on top of meatloaf.  Cover all surfaces.  Cook at 375 for 1 hour 25 minutes.

Well, there you have it. Our favorite version of meatloaf. I may have posted it here before, but that's okay.

I've actually never understood the perception that everyone hates meatloaf.  It's always been a favorite of mine. I don't know why so many people seem to loathe having it for dinner. Served with mashed potatoes and cooked carrots, it can be quite delicious. 

However, after looking up meatloaf pictures on google, I found some pretty disgusting looking versions. Maybe that's why people don't like meatloaf.  They just haven't found my version yet. ;)

Let me know how you feel about meatloaf. I really am curious to know why people dislike it.

Having the Missionaries Over for Dinner and My Meatloaf Recipe

Every time I add a picture that is not mine, I accompany it with a link to the original image.  Click on the picture to go there.

 Last night was an exciting night!  On Sunday, they passed around a sign-up sheet for anyone that wanted to feed the missionaries.  I was really excited.  It is my first time ever feeding them as a married couple.

When I was on my mission, I loved eating at members' homes.  They usually cooked us really extravagant dinners, because for them, it was a special occasion to feed the missionaries.  Unfortunately for the missionaries, when it is a special occasion every night, it becomes really difficult not to gain weight.  However, the food was always good, regardless of what culture it originated from, and in Texas there is a lot of different cultural backgrounds.  Sometimes people would take us out to eat as well, and that was a nice treat.

So, after I picked up the Sister Missionaries, I told them the ground-rules.

1- Don't eat anything you don't like

2- If you get full, don't feel the need to finish your food, we can doggie-bag it for you

That was basically it.  I just remember too many nights when I left stuffed to the gills, and spent the rest of the evening trying to walk off the delicious food.  One time we had salad for dinner, and that was a rare treat!

We ended up having rice with cream of mushroom gravy and meatloaf.  It is my own special recipe.  I think it's probably the best meatloaf I've ever eaten too.  The missionaries seemed to enjoy it.  In fact, the newer sister was being really polite, and cleaning up the dishes.  However, when I told them that there was another pan of meatloaf, she got really interested, and though she kept trying to tell me it was okay, I could tell that she wanted some more.  

So, I got her a paper plate (so that she wouldn't feel guilty about dirtying another one) and she happily ate some more.  

Here's my recipe for meatloaf, if you're interested.  The problem is, I kind of eye-ball stuff, so this is just a basic guideline.  I tried to write down the measurements based upon how much I put in, and it seems to turn out okay.  This is enough for one bread-pan.

Emma Tank's Meat Loaf Recipe: 

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger

1 cup oatmeal

¼ cup corn

1 cup chopped onion

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup barbeque sauce (or ketchup)

Topping:

¾ cup ketchup (or combo barbeque sauce and ketchup)

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Spray the bread pan with non-stick spray.  Put meatloaf in pan, press down to fill all edges.  Combine topping, pour on top of meatloaf.  Cover all surfaces.  Cook at 375 for 1 hour 25 minutes.

It turns out really good and moist.  Personally, I think the corn adds a lot. 

Anyway, it was a really nice evening.  Kevin showed off his walking, and while they shared a spiritual thought he kept walking back and forth between them.  He really liked them.  Afterward, they were going to walk to another appointment, but it cancelled, so I drove them to another place to do some service.  They seem like very good missionaries.  One was from Tonga and the other was from Wyoming. 

Having them over, reminded me a lot of my mission and how much I loved being a missionary for my Savior.  I have had very strong spiritual experiences since my mission, but there is no other calling in life like being a full-time missionary.  When you sacrifice everything in your life for an 18-month to a 2-year mission, the Lord blesses you in turn.  I can't explain how much I grew over that period of time.  I learned a lot about myself and how much the Lord loves every one of his children.  It doesn't matter where you live or what you are doing.  The Lord loves you.

One of my favorite sayings goes like this:

The Lord loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.  

The Lord constantly is requiring us to grow and change for the better.  If I allowed my own son to only stay in kindergarten his whole life, he certainly would not grow into the man I know he is supposed to become.  The older grades may be tougher, and he may suffer because he has to learn harder things, but in the end Kevin will be better for it.  

I know the gospel is true and Christ is my Savior.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's church on Earth and He has set it up.  It is not a church of men, but of God.  

We pray for you, and keep you in our hearts. 

LIfe Without a Microwave

I've had a microwave my whole life.  My parents always had one, and when I went to college the apartments were already furnished with one.  I've never really thought about not having one.

On my wedding night, my new husband and I came home to our new apartment with the leftover fried chicken, tired and hungry after a long day only to find that our new apartment didn't come with a microwave.  We ate some chicken cold and that was that.  The next morning, that was the first purchase we made as a newly married couple.  We bought a microwave.

When my husband was hired at his new job, we came and looked at the apartment.  Both my husband and I were relieved to have a larger microwave there, and I thought I saw it hanging over the sink.  So, we decided to give our microwave away to my brother and his fiance as a wedding present.  We wouldn't be needing it anymore. 

However, to our surprise when we moved in, there was no microwave there!  Both Grig and I could have sworn that there was one, but we decided not to worry about it.  We would start a microwave fund and buy one again when we had the money.  Things were pretty tight for a while though, and two weeks later, we still didn't have money for it. 

Have you ever lived life without a microwave?  It's kind of hard, but as my Grandfather reminded me, they didn't used to have microwaves at all.  I learned to reheat everything on the oven.  I had twice as many dishes because I'd remove the Tupperware from the fridge and then I'd have to put the food in a pan to reheat it.  I used to just be able to put the Tupperware in the microwave and be ready to go.  For a couple weeks, it was a pain and then I began to get used to it.  We probably could have gone on indefinitely without a microwave, except for one thing.

Microwave popcorn.

I love microwave popcorn.  I eat it quite frequently.  When I was pregnant I ate it even more frequently, but it still is one of my favorite snacks.  I could figure out how to cook anything without a microwave except my popcorn.  Its loss made me sad.  But I could endure, no matter how hard it was. 

But don't worry, the story has a happy ending.

A couple weeks after we moved, I received a call from my cousin.  They were in the process of moving, and the apartment we were moving into already had a microwave (for realsies).  She asked if we wanted her.  I am pretty sure that the Spirit told her to call us, because there was no reason why she would think we didn't have a microwave.  We told her we would love one, and a couple weeks later, we were able to go and pick it up!

I'm grateful to my cousin and to the Lord for providing us with a microwave when we didn't have the means to get one ourselves.  It just makes life a lot easier.  I don't regret the skills that I learned in those four weeks though.  I now can cook without a microwave, and we found out that fried quesadillas as so much better than microwaved quesadillas. 

Guess what the first thing I made with the microwave was when we finally got it home?

You guessed it. 

Microwave popcorn.