Chocolate Milk Taste Test

Growing up in the Westra household, premixed chocolate milk was pretty rare. We had Nesquick powder, which we could mix to make our own with the regular white milk, and that's what we did. But true "chocolate milk" ... straight from the bottle has its own taste. Rich and creamy. Of course some brands are richer and creamier and chocolatier than others. Or so the boys claimed. Once upon a time, any chocolate milk was fine, from name brands to generic versions. Then the boys got picky. ONLY Tru Moo. Then ... no Tru Moo, only DariGold.

We decided to do a blind taste test to see if the boys could REALLY tell the difference. Landon made the rounds to several stores to pick up every brand of chocolate milk he could find. Well ... he stopped at seven and we figured that was fine. Then it was taste test time ...

... this front image is the same as posted above, 

click to the second square for more pictures

Which chocolate milk is best? We had a blind taste test to see ... Darigold won, with Kroger a close second.

A post shared by JenB (@jenblackham) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:19pm PST

We SHOULD have picked up a better blind-fold and smaller cups!

We tried to trick Daddy by adding in a cup of regular white 2%
... he could tell! No chocolate!

The kids COULD tell the difference in the various brands. Tru Moo was rated lowest by most ... it is quite watery and light on chocolate taste (which I am actually okay with myself). Surprisingly the Kroger brand was hard to tell from the name brand DariGold. Unfortunately, the Kroger stores (Smiths) don't sell the Kroger brand in the big gallon jugs (they carry Mountain Dairy as the store brand) so the Kroger in small bottles is still pretty pricey. 

As we had oodles of chocolate milk left over I offered some to the neighborhood (we have a facebook group) and one family came and took all we were willing to give and had their own taste test too! It was a fun family activity. Years ago, we had a rootbeer taste test, and we'd done the same with vanilla ice cream ... but I guess I didn't get pictures or a blog post for that one. 

A Plethora of Pears

A plethora of pears! We've been feeling a bit fruity here in the Blackham home, our cousins #McMullinOrchards dropped by a bunch a bit ago. Peaches, pears, plums and apples. I DO love fresh pears! When I was growing up, my mom would buy boxes of them and then we'd bottle them. My job was to peel them ... one for the bottle, one for my tummy, one for the bottle, one more for me. I know ... I SHOULD eat them peel and all, but alas, I'm just an appealing person!

It was so nice having unlimited pears for a week or so. We ate a LOT of them every day (as I'm not a bottling person myself). It was nice getting them green, and then waiting for them to ripen. It seems like when I try to buy pears at the store, I go for the riper ones (because I want them NOW) and I can't get them home without bruises and other damage. These pears were great!

Keaton was really into pears a while back. I bought some canned pears, and some of the little plastic, one serving packages for lunches. But it was a phase for Keaton, he only wants fresh ones now.

The Voice & What I'm Watching

I remember my mom telling me about "The Voice" ... that it was one of the shows she enjoyed. I used to watch American Idol, but it's been a few years. Now, I really don't watch "live" tv. I only watch while I workout. I had to wait until series hit DVD or Netflix before I could indulge. So I never watched any of the reality shows.

A couple years ago, the boys (Landon, Keaton and Cooper at least) did get very invested in "The Voice". I think it was season 3, the year Cassadee Pope won. While they were cheering for her at the end, she hadn't been their top pick early on. I remember them getting SO upset when one of their favorites didn't move on.

Since then, I've discovered a service called PlayOn/PlayLater, which allows me to watch anything I could watch on my computer, on the television screen (using my Roku box). Now that I could watch current programming while working out ... I have been. I'm still not live, I wait until the day after a show airs, when the network posts it to their webpage. I record it (I can skip over commercials that way), then stream it. Now I'm keeping up with a few shows ... Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, The Good Wife and The Voice. 

As I used to sing myself, I enjoy singing competition shows. I like the blind auditions, and the battle rounds are my favorite. I love duets and harmonies. At times, I maybe would like to purchase one of the songs on Itunes, but they only provide the winner's solo, not the duet version (which is what I liked).

I am SO glad I have the show recorded so I can skip over all the commercials. After only watching Netflix or DVDs for a few years, I have NO patience for commercial breaks! I get a little tired of the sad, sob story backgrounds. I feel like they must pointedly ask the performers expound on their tales of woe. I do think it is a little unfair how someone who does not get chosen for the show still gets a full spotlight, while some who make it, don't even get any air time (this will impact them in the voting rounds I think). 

I don't know who I'm rooting for this year ... or even if I'll stay watching beyond the battle rounds. I did recognize the very first person to audition in the blinds. I've been a fan of one of her YouTube videos for a while ... LOVE this cover!

Do YOU watch The Voice?

What shows keep you coming back?

Blackham (BettyCrocker) Brownies

The Blackham family likes brownies. This really isn't a new treat trend, it's been going on for quite a while. I have actually tried a few other mixes and several from scratch recipes, but the basic Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies are the family favorites. 

It was several years ago that I invested in an All Edge Brownie Pan ... it was a huge hit and we ended up making brownies a lot. Then I bought a handy-dandy pre-sectioned pan, and was surprised when the kids told me they actually didn't like the edges, in fact the middle, no edge pieces were prime. 

Landon always claims those  middle ones...

Personally ... I love the edges!

I'll generally make a double batch (using both pans) and then the kids can have some hot out of the oven, and I package the remaining ones up for lunch treats for the week.  But Landon, naughty Landon always sneaks into my stash. Big trouble if I don't have enough for lunches for the day!

The "Baker's Joy" is also almost essential to good brownies ... 

At least if you want to get them out of the pans. 

I just stocked up on boxes of brownies. They were on sale for $.79 at Maceys this past week. I feel a little bad checking out with so many, but we go through them quickly. Hopefully I get around to cutting off the boxtop and donating the 10¢ to the school too... another benefit of the Betty Crocker brand. Grayson LOVES the boxtops. That is sarcastic, in case you didn't catch it, he HATES the little cardboard scraps around!

Brownie batter is also in demand. I always have kids clamoring to be the one to get to lick the bowl and spoon. Callahan calls it "brownie soup" and would love to dig in before I even pour it in the pans! I know the whole "don't eat raw eggs" danger, but we have survived ... and have certainly put it to the test! 

Are you a brownie fan?

Do you have any specialty brownie pans?

Do you like the edges?

Three Things

For mutual one week, the boys had an interesting activity. They were to put three things that represented "who" they were into a brown paper sack. Then during the activity, everyone got to know each other a bit better, based on these three things.

• Grayson put a pinewood derby wheel, a gadget tool, and an oreo cookie in his sack. He does love his tools and gadgets (especially anything electronic), he IS the derby dude ... and oreos? Gray is my cookie monster!
• Landon selected a mini bottle of Martinellis Cider (A Drinking Problem?), a Nerf bullet (representing all things guns, see Airsoft Arsenal and Nerf Mania) and a silver dollar from his coin collection (Coin Collecting). He also put his items in his Toy Story Lunch Sack, instead of a generic paper bag. 
• Callahan selected a basketball (a small bouncy ball version), a Reeses, and inspired by Landon, a coin from his collection. I think he should have put his iphone in, because that kid is ALWAYS on it playing games and texting friends.
• Keaton put in something Star Wars (Star Wars Stuff), a Pokemon Gameboy game and one of his coins. 

I remember the elementary school doing a similar thing. A "get to know you" game at the start of the school year. I can't remember what Colton and Cooper put in their sacks. I really wanted to write this post, so I'd at least remember this activity at this point in time.

It got me thinking ... what would MY three items be? My Fitbit. I'm somewhat obsessed with my "steps" and my Fitbit feedback about my daily activity. My iphone ... it is a variety of things. My other fitness apps (MFP, etc.), my music, my books, my camera and photos, my ability to stay in contact with my family (texting, calls, email and of course the Mommy Stalker). I guess I'd throw a basketball in my bag too, as the boy's basketball is such a big part of my life too.

What three items would you put in your sack?

Rummy

We had my folks over for New Years, and we played games all night long. They brought Rummikub and taught us the "Speed Rummikub" version, which was an instant hit. The next day, my boys wanted to play it some more, but the grandparents had taken their set home with them. I was pretty sure we did have the game. I could picture it in my mind's eye ... a battered little brown box. I went down to our game closet and rooted around and sure enough, I found it.

It is a smaller "miniature" version but after a few rounds the boys adapted to the mini tiles and the smaller stands (my parents have some stands that my grandpa made which are much more user friendly). The boys have been playing every day, and have taught the game to their friends as well. We've also had my parents over again several times for "Grandparents and Games" and it's always a lot of fun. My parents had a full size version that they ended up giving to our family ... although we don't have the custom stands. While the custom ones are easier to work with, the kids do have a tradition of slapping down the plastic stands with a bang when they win.

Progressive Rummy was another favorite game when I was a teen. My friends would come over and play it with my parents. Gray and I have played it many times with my folks over the years as well. We introduced it to the kids (the older ones anyway, as it's a bit more complex) and Landon loves it. It's always so funny playing it with my mom ... she gets SO silly, often laughing until there are tears. We tease her about buying so many cards, that "they all have possibilities" and that she had "three legs" *Ü*  Grayson can be quite entertaining too!

Families that play together stay together!

A Drinking Problem?

I think we have a drinking problem here at the Blackham house. On New Years Eve, I noticed a bottle of Martinelli's Apple Cider in our food storage room. I grabbed it and brought it upstairs for our celebration. I don't drink it myself, but the boys (Landon especially) thought it hit the spot. So much so, that he wanted MORE. SO much so, that the next day he made a special trip to the store just to get some ... two stores in fact, and he could not find it in stock.

I'm not sure if there had been a run on it, or if Landon was looking in the wrong locations. I had some trouble finding any either. The first time I brought home a couple of bottles, the boys were very happy. I then found them in stock again at Sam's Club (a three pack) and bought a couple of those ... as I picked up the empty bottles and heard them clank in the trash can, it really felt like those scenes from the movies after a big drinking party.

Another popular product, directly related to the consumption of the apple cider is pebbled ice. Pebbled ice is great. I got sick back in December and just couldn't eat or drink, even though I knew I should (The Flu x2 Diet). On the final day, when the influenza bug changed to a stomach flu, and I was down 10 pounds in the week I'd been sick, Gray went and bought some pebbled ice in an attempt to keep me somewhat hydrated. It did hit the spot ... 

The bag of ice, sitting out in the cold on the back porch was still there for the first apple cider indulgence. The pebbled ice was then almost as important as the cider itself (it just wasn't the same with the old boring ice from the freezer). We've continued to re-stock, picking up a bag of pebbled ice from Maceys. As it's gotten warmer, we have had to make room in the freezer, instead of just leaving it on the back porch. We've even talked about the possibility of getting a pebbled ice maker (cost and space are a problem).

Are you a cider drinker?

Do you prefer pebbled ice?

What's Old is New Again

In general, kids watch a lot of TV ... my boys are no exception. What is rather ironic, is that my boys are watching the SAME shows I did when I was their age! Several of the networks bring back older programs, and my kids have actually gotten hooked on several of them. I figure, being 20-30 years old at this point, these shows probably have less objectionable material than what is currently out there. 

I think "Home Improvement" was one of the first ones the boys started watching. Gray and I loved this show when we were first married. We now have the complete series on DVD. The boys then started watching "George Lopez" (which is one I had NOT watched when I was younger), and then after enjoying some Bill Cosby comedy, I suggested the try "The Cosby Show", which was available on Netflix (although I don't see it there now). 

Then Callahan started to say "Whatcho talk'n 'bout Willis?" ... even though he had NO idea where it came from. The first season DVD was fairly inexpensive, so I ordered it. It sat around for several weeks, before I put it in and just started watching it myself. The boys loved it, and laughed and laughed. 

Full House started appearing as re-runs on one of the networks ... I wasn't sure if the boys would like it as much, as it had GIRLS in the children's roles, but they did (especially Callahan, he just thought Michelle was so cute, especially in the third season). I found the DVD sets for just $9 each at Sam's Club, so ... we now have the complete series on DVD. Gray and I came home from a Saturday night date to find both Callahan and Keaton shedding tears in an emotional episode ... Callahan still refuses to watch the final, season 8 finale. Funny!

... while WHAT they are watching is actually the same, HOW kids watch today is so very different! Back in MY day, we could only catch the shows when they aired. No Tivo, DVDs, Netflix ... we didn't even have a VHS recorder  back then! Times are a changing, but I love that some of the old programming still hits home.

Cheesy Breadsticks

If you know me, you know I'm not a pizza eater ... never have been. But cheesy bread? LOVE that! Any place with pizza usually has some sort of yummy bread. If we order from Pizza Hut, you need to get an order of breadsticks with cheese for Mom. Dominos Parmesan Bites? Yes please! We go to Little Caesers fairly often, never getting a pizza, just picking up their Crazy Bread and Italian Cheese Bread. That is, until I started to make my own. Thank you Pinterest! These were the "pins" that got me ...

1. Pizza Dough/Cheesy Breadsticks (Lauren's Latest)
2. Cheesy Garlic Sticks (Jam Hands)
3. Cheese Bread (Joshua Trent)

I've found I can make a bigger batch and freeze the dough just fine. I just need to pull it out and place it in the fridge in the morning if I want to make it that night. I do prefer the ball of mozzarella pulled off into little chunks (as #2 suggests) rather than pre-grated cheese. #1 is more of a "pizza" dough ... I do have a pizza stone for cooking, but I've also used an upsidedown cookie sheet. This one DOES smoke up my kitchen. I'm really surprised I haven't set off the smoke alarm yet. #3 is a little more "bready" ... the recipe calls for powdered milk, but in the comments, people asked if they could just use milk (instead of powdered milk and water) and that's what I did. 

I smother the dough with butter, sprinkle garlic salt, add the cheese ... a lot of cheese. Mozzarella and some Parmesan. Fresh baked cheesy breadsticks right out of the oven. YUM! Thanks Pinterest!

Here is what it looks like before going in the oven 

(recipe #1, with cheese tip from #2)

... I do love cheesy bread

... we all scream for ICE CREAM

A couple of years ago, we used the ol' ice cream maker several times during the summer. Enough, that I actually invested in a secondary, smaller one (that didn't use ice and salt). Alas, it sat in its box, unused, for that summer and the next. This summer I pulled it out and gave it a try ... and it's been in almost constant use ever since!  Seriously... almost EVERY day!

Of course we've still been using our regular ice cream maker as well ... a couple of times anyway. Once we've gotten used to the convenience of the small ice cream maker, it's a little hard to go back to needing ice and rock salt, of having to soak the bucket, etc. We've used it when we wanted a larger batch (it makes about four times what the little one does) ... and the kids "enjoy" the little challenge of seeing who can keep their foot in the frigid ice water once the bucket has been removed (that's what they are doing in the picture above).  Silly kids!

Another reason I've been willing to make homemade ice cream SO often, is that I've found a couple SUPER yummy, super easy recipes. We're a pretty basic bunch, so it's the basics for the Blackhams ... vanilla and chocolate!

For the vanilla, I tried a custard type (with eggs, cooking the milk), and another (cooking the milk but no eggs) ... they were a bit of a pain to make, and had to be done hours, if not an entire day in advance.  Then I tried the "simple vanilla ice cream" recipe that came in the instruction book of the small mixer ... and that has been our favorite! Just mix and go!

Super Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups Half and Half (or we've tried whole milk instead)

1 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla (we've used Vanilla Bean here too! Yum!)

Simply mix together and pour into the ice cream maker ... 20-30 minutes later, fresh, homemade ice cream!

I thank Pinterest for the recipe for chocolate ...  it tastes almost exactly like a Frosty from Wendys!  Again, it's super yummy and super easy ...

Chocolate Frosty Ice Cream

1 8oz tub Cool Whip (we have tried substituting regular whipping cream, I did whip it first)

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 quart Chocolate Milk

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into ice cream maker. My small ice cream maker only holds four cups, so this actually makes two batches. I just keep one half in the fridge and make it up in the next day or so. Just a note, IF you have any left-over (which doesn't happen very often) just put it in the freezer ... it does NOT freeze solid, but stays spoonably soft.

After stopping at Arbys one day for their ORANGE CREME SHAKE ... we experimented trying to recreate that too. After an unsuccessful attempt with orange juice, we had a successful version, using the basic recipe for the chocolate above, replacing the chocolate milk with orange cream soda (and a little whole milk to fill as needed) and the boys said it was yummy. That one doesn't tempt me ... which isn't a bad thing.

... we all scream for ICE CREAM!

Coin Collecting

Grayson wasn't an avid coin collector when he was young, but he had been given some rare coins and a birth year proof set that he had hung onto. A few weeks ago, after he returned from his work weekend (and their little detour to Mesquite for a bit of gambling) he came home with a 50¢ piece, which he presented to Colton. The kids were quite captivated, and thus the collection of coins began. Gray made a trip into a coin store and picked up a few more 50¢ pieces and silver dollars, also asking at the bank for any of the dollar coins available. He grabbed a few $2 bills too ... anything out of the ordinary. The kids seem quite into it!

 Gray also picked up some proof sets from the year the kids were born

1999 for Callahan (above)

2000 for Keaton (below)

Gray got the quarter proof sets for the little boys, but they still need the other set. And we do still need to pick up the other set for Landon ... they didn't have the new quarters in 1995 when he was born.  There was another trip to the coin store last Saturday, this time the boys went with Daddy, they thought it was pretty cool. They all came home with a Morgan dollar.

We're in the Money ...

Socks and Underwear

I think it's a familiar scenario ... a child is excitedly opening up a Christmas or birthday present only to find it contains SOCKS and/or UNDERWEAR. The child is NOT happy.  Actually, in the Blackham home, this is completely untrue. My boys LOVE getting new socks and underwear! The little boys love the cute socks with various cartoon characters on them. Christmas, Easter, Birthday ... a few new socks are almost always in the mix. I really try to discourage the boys from wearing the bright socks on Sundays ... they don't exactly go with church dress! Now the older boys are a bit more picky. They want Nike socks ... gotta have that "swoosh". Much to Grayson's dismay, the older boys like the long black ones for basketball (Gray doesn't care for that look). Of course we suffer from the well known "disappearing dryer" sock syndrome just like most families, but we also have Cooper. Cooper tends to take off his socks and shoes, leaving them to get lost and separated. We're always finding socks ALL over the house. Also Grayson will often find complete sets of socks disappearing ... only to have them resurface in Landon's laundry ... he's a sock stealer!

A while back I picked up some compression underwear that I found on clearance. It happened to be in Keaton's size, and Landon and Callahan immediately demanded some for themselves ("we're the REAL athletes in the family, come on!").  Since then I have picked up several pairs for all the boys (yes, even the little ones wanted them for their "sports") ... they are the only underwear that will do now.  This leads me to another laundry quandary ... as I sort the boys clothes (about a week's worth) ... sometimes there is only ONE underwear in the entire load. Hmmmmmm, that doesn't seem right. Although a while back (during the potty training phase) the opposite was true, 20+ pairs on underwear? I remember when Colton was going camping overnight and I told him to pack some extra socks and underwear. I checked the bag and he'd put in about a dozen of each, it made me laugh. 

... now shoe stories ... that's a completely separate post ...

Paracord Passion

Back in May, I did a post about PARACORD ... and since then, the passion for paracord has only continued to increase. All the boys are crazy about it. Pictured above is just a small sampling of some of the weave variations you can create. From left to right, they are ...

• Trilobite Bar
• KBK
• T-Virus
• Backbone
• Cobra
• Ladder Strap
• Single Half-Hitch
• River Bar
• Zipper Sinnet
• Larcks
• Double Half-Hitch
• Ripcord
• Tire Tread
• Rattler
• Tire Track
• Snake Belly Bar

If you want to see step-by-step instructions on how to make any particular weave, just search "TIAT" (TyingItAllTogether) on YouTube. That's where my boys got their info. These videos are playing almost constantly at our house!

Paracord has become so popular, it surprising it's still rather difficult to locate. If you can make the trek, Smith&Edwards seems to be the best place to purchase (both in quantity, selection and price). Gray and the boys have made several trips, and have gone ahead and bought the entire spool of several colors (see below). Yes ... that's a lot of paracord.

As you can see in the first photo, the kids now prefer buckles to simple knots on the ends. We found the best price for buckles was on Ebay. Gray is constantly finding new and better tools (for cutting and heating the cord) to make the creative process easier and better.

The boys almost always have a paracord bracelet on their arm ... I tease Landon that he has one to match all his clothes. If you glance back at the Back to School post, you'll see a paracord bracelet on the arm of each of the older boys. Older photos, and photos yet to come will be showing off a plethora of paracord as well I'm sure.

RootBeer Taste Test

Years ago, Grayson and I were invited to a "tasting party" ... not for wine, but for rootbeer. We decided this would be a fun family activity, so I bought several different brands and we broke out the Dixie cups to start the taste test. Of course we had to have the MAIN name brands ... Barqs, A&W, Mug and IBC. Then of course we needed the basic "generic" (this was "BigK" from Smiths), plus a couple others. I know there are MANY more brands out there to try, some expensive gourmet types, but this is what we had for today. We wrote numbers (1-7) on the bottom of the cups then filled them with the corresponding drinks. Everyone tried theirs and said which they liked best.

Sorry Howies ... not only did it not win "best" but several people said they did NOT like it. Barqs won for taste, with IBC close behind ... although if presentation had been part of the test, IBC would have won, because everyone thought the little bottles were "cute" ... this activity was just for fun, but I probably will change buying habits a little because of it, grabbing Barqs instead of another brand. Barqs was best!

Got Games?

I'm a sucker for games ... can you tell? Unfortunately, we don't play them as much as we could or should. During this past summer, as I instituted allowances, I tried to encourage their use saying that playing a board or card game would count one of the possible "jobs" each day. The kids would have to play different ones each day (not just the same one over and over). I just wanted these games to get some use, and figured playing them would foster some intellectual and social development. There was a lot of game playing over the summer. Monopoly is always a favorite (not MINE, but for the boys it is). Many games that hadn't been played in quite a while were rediscovered. Some games were played for the first time ... although there are still some in there that have never been played yet. The picture doesn't really even show all the various card games (which are in the big box there). Probably the ultimate family favorite is UNO, and the little boys can play on their own without any adult help. Colton will often approach other family members asking plaintively "you want to play UNO?". There is the basic game, and the variations. We have Uno Spin and Uno Attack, and I just recently picked up the ToyStory3 version (just the basic game with the familiar characters, one new card for a new twist). What are your family favorites?

Donut Day

Today is National Donut Day ... I didn't make this up, this is actually a real holiday (I even posted a link there if you want to look it up). I felt the need to support this holiday. Our favorite local donut shop is Dunford Donuts. We pass it as we come home from the park or rec center after sports, so we often stop for donuts after games. It has become such a tradition that we've started calling donuts "Saturday Circles" (not to be confused with Sunday Circles, which are Belgian waffles). But National Donut Day is the first FRIDAY in June ... today ... I can still eat donuts on a Friday (or any day really). Simple glazed donuts (or the twisted knots) are probably the traditional favorite, but everyone does have another from an assortment that catches their eye. Grayson likes the white cake donut with sprinkles. I like a chocolate frosted raised donut ... but see that big chocolate circle in the photo above? It's like a chocolate cinnamon roll ... that's actually even better. Landon likes a good maple bar. Callahan prefers a sugar donut. Keaton ... ok, Keaton just sticks with glazed. He likes to pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. Cooper loves the Dunford classic chocolate cake donut. Colton sticks with either white cake or glazed. And even though it is DONUT day ... the boys had to get some of the fudge brownies and I can't pass up their pink sugar cookie. I hope everyone has a great donut day! I know we have enjoyed it here *Ü*

Sunday Circles

This is my waffle iron ... and I love it. I guess it just makes me feel like a chef. With this waffle iron, we've started a Belgian Blackham tradition of waffles pretty much every Sunday. We call them "Sunday Circles". I'm actually on my THIRD waffle iron in about as many years. The first time the waffle iron broke, it was my own fault. It was stored on the bottom shelf of the pantry and I dropped a heavy pan on it, breaking the handle. So we bought a replacement, and after a year of use (right after the warranty expired of course) a fuse blew and it would not heat up anymore. Gray and Landon tried a fix but we ended up throwing it out. I ordered a smaller Belgian waffle iron and tried it a few times ... but it just wasn't the same. For Christmas, my mother-in-law gifted me with a new "old" favorite and the Blackham Belgians are back in business.

This is my waffle mix ... I know, we should be making them from scratch. But we tried that, and several mixes, and THIS was the winner. It's not cheap, it's not that good for you nutritionally, but it tastes SO yummy! A hint of almond ... super easy ... just add cold water. The boys always try to call "first waffle" and they often end up fighting over it. I always need to "check" each waffle as I serve them to the boys (just ONE bite ... I want to make sure they taste good). Sunday Circles ... with the 11:00 or 1:00 start time, we have our big breakfast before church. When we're on the early schedule, we have a quick and easy breakfast and wait for waffles until after church (I've found I actually prefer this). Sunday Circles ... they are different than Saturday Circles, which will be another post at a later date ...

Moab ~ Reunion, Music Park and Sand Hill

Family Reunion Time. It was the end of August, 2008, and the Blackham Bunch and the Extended Blackham Bunch, all headed down to Moab. This was to see Grandma Henry (Grayson's Dad's Mom) and those relations. In past years, everyone had stayed on Grandma Henry's property or next door, and we thought that was the plan this year. We hooked up the trailer and took it with us. We had some issues though ... got pulled over for a light not working, and then realized we weren't up to date on the registration. Oops! We stopped in Price and ended up staying at a hotel ... and then leaving the trailer there rather than risking any more problems. We'd discovered the rest of the family (Maga, Ana and Clay's family) were staying at a local hotel, and figured that would be more fun anyway. And it was.

The reunion was held at the same park we'd had it in previous years. The kids ran and played. I had forgotten it was this reunion where we got the classic picture of Maga in the funny glasses. We also visited Grandma Henry's house ... the dollhouse. A real house, but so named because of all the dolls inside. She was clearing things out and gifting items. We received a "RedBull" and a little SpongeBob couch.

We then went to a local park ... it was SO unique and different! Instead of the usual slides and swings, this was full of "musical instruments" of all sizes and shapes. There is some video under the pictures ... because you really need video to get how cool a concept this "Percussion Park" is!

... the final activity was the big red sand hill. Running up, falling down. 

Getting sweaty, and getting sand stuck. All. Over. Right before the car ride home!

Here's video from the weekend away ...

... we picked up the trailer in Price on the way home. Got hit with a huge rainstorm for the last little bit. Poor Colton had a bad cough much of the trip. The nights had been long. It was good to be back home.