Halloween

What would Halloween be without Edward and Bella, Hannah Montana, Cat Girl, Iron Man and Cuddly Kitten!? Joe and Julie got to see the school Halloween Parade. Our Fourth Grader went roller blading at Classic Skating. We voted early. Had a Harvest Party with Joe's side of the family. After the local Trunk-or-Treating we visited Grandma Clayton's dinner and Trunk-or-Treat and finally ended up at Aunt Annes (for her full size candy bars, glow sticks, and lighted monsters). What a great holiday! The Great Pumpkin came again this year and brought Hannah Montana watch, Littlest Pet Shop Fuzzy Dog, Star Wars Light Saber, and an "electronic" cell phone and toothbrush. Wow--he must know my little ones well! (He hauled off fifteen pounds of loot this year...a good trade). *The only exception to a great day may have been Rebekah's Ophthalmologist visit. Now we will have two children in glasses. The fear (for several days in advance) about the dilation drops verging on panic ended up going in very easily...it's the fear that gets her.

Harvest Party on Halloween

(Campbell, Eggertsen, Perri Families)

Thing's to remember: Syd's surprise visit with her little punkins (Ethan and Kayson)...Proud Pop Pop and Grammy. Divas, Cat woman, Cat Princess, Iron Man, Cat Girl, Hannah Montana, Vampires, etc. Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion Movie, Making Severed fingers for dinner (cocktail sausages wrapped in flour tortillas with BBQ sauce and ketchup), Pirate's Booty, pizza, dinner in a pumpkin, cider, and then off to the Trunk-or-Treat!

Dinner in A Pumpkin

Every year for the past few years, Julie has made a fun tradition for our family: Dinner in a pumpkin. The adults all love it (we've served it at family parties), and most of the kids eat it also. This year it was the day before Halloween (which was great, because we had it pre-made for Halloween day, which was a little hectic). The dinner is made with wild rice and turkey burger, precooked and then baked in a pumpkin. It is quite delicious!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Medium Sized Pumpkin (about 4 lbs)

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef or turkey burger with 2 T. olive oil

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

¾ cup chopped celery

¾ cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

4 oz can of mushrooms

1 can cream of mushroom or golden mushroom soup

2 cups cooked rice (wild rice is nice, brown rice and Bulgar wheat pilaf is great too).

optional: 2 Tbs. Brown sugar

Using a sharp knife, cut lid from pumpkin and scoop out pumpkin seeds and excess membrane with a scraping tool. In a large skillet, combine ground beef, chopped green pepper, chopped celery, and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until ground beef is browned. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and place mixture in the pumpkin. Place lid on the pumpkin, and put the pumpkin on a foil lined cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until pumpkin is soft and outside of pumpkin may be slightly brown. A fork poked in the side slides easily through.

*We like to toast the pumpkin seed with a little salt and some olive oil on a cookie sheet int he oven about 350 until slightly browned. Great snack for kids, lots of fiber.

**This makes several meals. Once we have had two dinners and most of the filling is gone leaving excess pumpkin, I scoop out the shell and discard. The cooked pumpkin is then pureed with a can of chicken broth and put into a heavy bottom pan. I added some cooked yam pureed with soy milk, a dash of onion salt, onion powder, ginger, nutmeg, a splash of lemon juice, fresh ground pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of margarine and we ate a yummy Pumpkin Soup with toasted Parmesan bread.

Another version is Pumpkin Stew.

Pumpkin Stew

1 ½ lbs. cubed stew meat

2 tbsp. oil

1 cup water

8 tiny onions

2-3 potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 green pepper, cut into squares

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp. bouillon

1 (15 oz.) can tomatoes

1 large pumpkin

Brown meat in oil. Add water, onions, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer 25 minutes. Cut top from pumpkin. Clean. Sprinkle cavity with salt. Place in shallow, but sturdy baking dish. A cake pan works well. Add bouillon and tomatoes to stew. Pour all ingredients into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with oil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Serve from pumpkin, scooping out pumpkin with the stew.

SIlly Pumpkin Pie Sunday

This was one of those Sundays were I feel the need to repent and be more. Be more organized, more prepared, more spiritual, closer to the Lord. Joe, whose super power is to sleep through most things was not bothered by the fact that Susie was up at two a.m., having slept several hours, she was sure it was time to get up. My headache kept me up past one o'clock but helped me notice Priesthood Meeting e-mail at the Stake Center at 7:00 a.m. and set the alarm for Joe. Unfortunately, he did not reset the alarm for me and Susie. We slept until 8:15. Hannah's second or third dress suited her. The race for church was on! Why is it with church at 9:00 a.m. that all the action starts at 8:50 a.m.? I lead the opening song at church at promptly 9:00 a.m. Joe ran back inside the house to change Susie's poopy diaper. "Go ahead! We will catch up to you," he called. Hannah was wearing Bekah's white dress shoes because she had socks on and Rebekah was complaining about it, holding Hannah's white fancy flip flops. Jonathan was putting on sandals (with a suitcoat?). I said a hurried family prayer, wished the girls well in working it out, shut the door and ran up the street to the church. After huffying into church just in time to lead the opening song in Relief Society, I sat down next to an artist (in her late 80's?) Nola Sullivan (eccentric, wonderful, hearing aid, LOUD) said, "I saw you running to church!" She laughs. Others look. I blush. I tuck my "Oatmeal to Go" breakfast bar into my scripture bag to eat later. The lesson is on Prayer. Jonathan was supposed to say his first talk today. I wrote it down on Sunday's date (not Saturday) and knowing we had nothing written down for Saturday, I didn't look at my calendar yesterday. In Primary, Sister Roney came to Jonathan to ask about his talk. Rebekah got up and came to converse with him. "I think my mom and dad forgot about Jonathan's talk. Do you have a back up plan?" The adults laugh at Bekah's candid conversation. (A teacher, still chuckling told me this dialogue after church). Well, my sweet husband sent me to bed after our home teachers came and left. He put "Lean Pockets" into the microwave for lunch and I put Susie to sleep and then came and got (wrestled wiggly tired) Jonathan to take a nap with me. Joe stayed up and helped the already ambitious girls with baking pies. When I came down a couple of hours later...the older girls were laughing at Dad's memories from childhood and anxiously awaiting the baked pies from the oven. Yum, hot pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream. Rebekah is right--sure is yummy! (The girls pulled funny faces and believe it or not this is the cutest photo of the lot...)

In Loving Memory, Rob Springman

Robert Earl Springman
Robert Earl Springman 1948 ~ 2008 Age 60, was born on January 9, 1948 in Ogden, Utah. I died, reluctantly, on October 18, 2008. The cause of my passing is not an important issue. What is more meaningful is to note what mark was left, showing that I passed this way, on what I hope is a much longer journey.The high water mark in my life is my family, followed closely by some very cherished friends. My best friend, partner, lover and confidant is, was and always will be Christine Clayton Springman. We were married for 37 wonderful years. Together we saw and did a lot. However, our most lasting accomplishment is five independent, free spirited, beautiful children. They are, from oldest to youngest, Jessica Marie Volsic, my son-in-law, Eric David Volsic and their children, my beautiful grandchildren, Madaline Victoria and Stephan Alexander, Jamie Robert Springman, Dannielle Christine Springman, Robin Amber Springman, and Alexandra Nicole Springman. Because of you there has never been a happier nor richer person alive and I will miss you all the most. My mother and father, Ruby Greenhalgh Springman and Robert Andrew Springman left here quite some time ago. I hope to see them again. My sister, Judy Ann Wilson, and her family, were the only link to an extended family we had. The visits and telephone calls really meant a lot, thanks. One brother, Richard Fred Springman, still resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. To you I apologize for not being more of a brother. Finally, to Doug, Butch, Woody, Loren, my friends and family, I want you to get together to celebrate life and help Chris and the kids. This joyous occasion will be on Sat., October 25, 2008, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at my home located at 9912 Ridge Drive, Indianapolis, IN. If you would like to send flowers, that is fine, but I would rather help a noble cause and the noblest I know is the Dachshund Rescue. My family is helping to make a donation in my name to this organization. Thank you for any help you can offer them to make this happen. This is no time to get churchy on me so, promise to dig out the old albums and play them real loud. Chill a few bottles of Korbel, Miller, Coke and Bud. Open a bottle of Kahlua and some Crown Royal and remember the good times. Celebrate life and not death. I will live on if you keep my memory alive. I love you all. Final arrangements entrusted to Shirley Brothers Fishers-Castleton Chapel *Thank you Alex Springman for the nice pictures of your father.

Pumpkin Carving!

Tonight we helped the children carve Jack O'Lanterns! Susie kept calling the pumpkin something like "umpin" ("a-pumpkin" said really fast!). Jonathan was laughing a devlish laugh while scooping out the wet guts from his insides and was extremely excited about using the new carving blades that came in the kids kits, making random stabbing gestures which kept the girls on their toes. Rebekah did not want to carve a pumpking but really, really wanted to make pumpkin pies. She asked how many we could make if we baked her pumpkin for a pie instead..."I can eat seven whole pies by myself!" (Hmm, those would have to be mighty small pies...pumpkin tarts Rebekah?) Hannah found a cat and was excited about using the purple glitter pens that came in the set...So you see, there is never a dull moment around here at Halloween hour. Can you guess whose pumpkin was whose below? Hannah's=cat, Rebekah's=spider, Jonathan's=3rd, Susie's=silly face Cute video will not load!

All About Me!

Jonathan was spotlighted in his Kindergarten class with an All About Me poster. Some highlights included: The drawing of his family in which Mom was big in the middle (sweet boy!). In the Thing I Like: he found magazine pictures of Darth Vader (Star Wars...guys with cool light sabers), a black ninja costume, apple, caramel, candy bars, The Incredible Hulk, etc. He drew a picture of a computer in their also. He had Three Wishes similar to: my own phone that hooked up to my own laptop, Star Wars Legos (Santa please!), a computer with headphones, (and a brother to sword fight with). Things he doesn't like: shots/shot needles, sickness (ear infections), and Dad's signature Zucchini dish--fired squash and cheese. What I Want to be When I Grow Up? The Easter Bunny or a Detective named Mountain Scar who wears a disguise and can turn into a mountain(?). Good Luck with those future career choices, dear boy! (Susie knows all about Jonathan and wanted to check out the cool math manipulatives on the side of the classroom). She and Jonathan are good friends. He has taught her to roar like a dinosaur, sword fight, cuddle up in his bed and read, and run after him and scream.

Tortilla Chips and Salsa Fresca

What do you make with an abundance of corn tortillas (Costco size) besides quesidillas every day for lunch (Jonathan's favorite lunch, snack, breakfast of choice--funny boy HATES corn!)? Tortilla chips to go with the salsa fresca you made with the many tomatoes from your garden!

Tortilla Chip Recipe

• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Spread out in a single layer on cookie sheets. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with salt and chili powder. Bake 12-15 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. Chips will be lightly brown when done.

Serves 6.

Per serving: 106 calories, 4 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein

(I did not add the chili powder but did make hald with plain salt and half sprinkled with California Garlic Salt and Spices, the chips on the lower half.)

Salsa Fresca

SERVINGS 3 cups

INGREDIENTS 2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes 1 cup chopped Vidalia onions 1 cup chopped green Bell pepper 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 jalapeno, finely diced 1 teaspoon salt Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

PREPARATION 1. Combine the tomatoes, onion, pepper, lime juice, jalapeno and salt in a big bowl and stir to combine.

2. Leave out at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. Be sure to bring it up to room temperature before eating.

3. Spoon off any excess liquid, gently mix in the cilantro and taste to see if it needs any more salt.

(This is not the exact recipe I used, but very similar...I found Melissa Clayton's after this. I will try her's next).

Crazy Hair Day

This week is Red Ribbon Week at school. That means that all week long the children focus on different themes that have to do with "saying no to drugs." On Wednesday the theme was "Crazy Hair Day." Hannah has early morning Choir and I had been up almost all night with Jonathan (whose "stomach ache" turned out to be a left ear infection). We had very little time for hair...Rebekah requested the upside down pony tail and Hannah the pony tail on top (Skewers were poky).

Our Deepest Condolences

Uncle Rob Springman Tonight we (Joe, Julie, and Susie) got home from Los Angeles. Mom Clayton called to update us on family news. Our hearts were saddened by the news of Uncle Rob Springman's, my father's brother-in-law, passing today. We understand it may have been a heart attack. Our deepest prayers go out to Aunt Christine Springman and to cousins: Jessica, Jamie, Danielle, Robyn, and Alex and their families at the loss of their husband, father, Grandfather, and friend. This is a sad time for my father, Keith Clayton, whose oldest sister, Yvonne Clayton Day passed away on Thursday. While we will miss Aunt Yvonne and her warm heart and incredible artistic sewing...we feel at peace about her going to a beautiful place free from the pain she has suffered as a consequence of Lupus. Yvonne will also be with her parents, Vaughn and Eunice Clayton and many beloved pets.

Gorilla Mama

Rebekah took Jonathan and Susie to the garden to pick tomatoes and zucchinis. When she got back, Susie did not want to be put down. (Susie sees Rebekah and she puts up her arms with a "up up.") Rebekah, my animal wild daughter's response was,"Susannah doesn't want to get down...she's like a gorilla stuck to it's mom!"

Jonatan Wanna-be!

Susie believes she is a "big kid." She took this hat of her older brother "Jon-a-tan"and put it on. She loves Dora (pronounced Doa), and shoes (note the mismatched ones--Jonathan's Iron-Man tennis shoe and Hannah's Lawn shoes), and chasing after cousins and kids. She balls her fists up and shakes when the older kids push her in the front door and shut her inside so they don't have to watch her! At twenty months, she unravels toilet paper in bath rooms, pulls books off the shelf (mostly Junie B. Jones'), throws (non garbage) things away, loves to wear her big sisters underwear on the outside of her outfits (and really throws a fit at the motion to take it off). Her new words are, "Go away!" "No, bad!" (When offered a food choice), and "I-geem "( ice cream, which never gets the 'no bad" comment, not surprisingly). We are so glad to have our little gal in the gang of "silly billies."

Dad's Chcken Enchilada Casserole

The children were delighted when Joe "made a face" with his dinner. Do you see it?

Sweet Man!

Ever have one of those kind of days!? It was so hard to get moving today...soo much to do and so little time. I e-mailed my pity party to Joe. He came home from work an hour early with three surprises! 1) A Hershey's Scorebar (mm, chocolate and toffee--of course I shared!) 2) Flowers 3) The Cure! (See middle of magazine and laugh!) Don't I have a sweet Man!? (I know what your thinking...you gotta get your hands on the cure for tiredness too! The cure is to stay off dairy products for some people, maybe me, because cow's milk makes some people tired...who knew?) For those of you Harry Potter fans out there...this interesting magazine could have easily been produced by Luna Lovegood's father, if you know what I mean!