Hearty Nachos

Occasionally I like to share a recipe that is fast and good. It just so happens that "fast and good" is my motto in life. I don't know about you, but cooking dinner is often difficult when you've got to pick up from baseball practice, drop off at basketball tryouts, and attend a half-time show to see your daughter dance. So here's what I do on those crazy days:

*Brown ground beef and drain.
*Stir in one envelope onion soup mix, one can black beans (rinsed and drained), one cup salsa.
*Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer five minutes.
*Instructions call for one cup cheddar cheese to be sprinkled on top, but I like to add my cheese (and lots of it) while it is simmering so the cheese melts in.
*Top with other items you might enjoy like olives, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, green onions, or cilantro.
*Serve with chips (and fruit to make it a balanced meal).
*Vegetarians might like to omit the beef and double the beans? Never tried it, just a suggestion.

Life Lessons

Funny how you learn life lessons in the darnedest ways. I learned one just yesterday, and here's how it happened. . .

You see each morning I give thanks for a new day. I also give thanks for a peaceful nights rest. Though my children are growing up, memories of waking up in the night to soothe small children are not too far in the rear view mirror. But night before last, my 12 year old son woke up at 3:16 AM with growing pains in his legs. The pain seemed so severe I wondered if his back brace was cutting off circulation to his legs or perhaps pinching a nerve.

I made him comfortable on the couch next to my bed, administered children's Motrin, heated up rice bags for his legs, then snuggled him and stroked his face til he was comfortable enough to fall back to sleep. In doing so, my heart was swollen with love for the little guy I am privileged to call son. I felt a sense of gladness that I could be there to comfort him, and not working the midnight shift at Del Taco. I felt lucky to be a mother. I felt blessed with health and strength, his and mine. And while these emotions surged through me, I thought how funny it was that I gave thanks each morning for NOT having these kind of experiences. I realized how experiences that are difficult are the ones that help us grow the most.

The life lesson I learned yesterday? Embrace life no matter the situation or hour of the day.

Super Sunday

Sunday we had bacon cheeseburgers, six kinds of chips and soda in glass bottles. When our digestive tracks could handle more food, we had banana splits. The occasion for such indulgence? A football game.

We also made the Superbowl more interesting by taking family bets on whether the Star Spangled Banner would be sung in "over" or "under" one minute 45 seconds. It was 1:47. On what color Gatorade would be poured on the winning coach. Orange. On who the MVP would thank first, God, team, family, or no one. God.

The Saints won, which is good for New Orleans because they deserve something good. But I was kinda pulling for the Colts because I think Peyton Manning is funny in a lot of commercials.

And speaking of commercials, this was our favorite one.

One Simple Act

My mom gave me a book for Christmas. I'm finally making time to read it. It's called "One Simple Act - Discovering the Power of Generosity" by Debbie Macomber. I like it.

It's about how little things we do, the key word being "little" or "simple" can make big differences in other people's lives. And how when we do these little things, we somehow feel better ourselves. Luke 6:38 is referenced, it says, "Give, and it will be given to you. . ." I looked up "give" in the Bible dictionary and there were a page and a half of references, so it's gotta be a good thing.

Recently my 9 year old daughter, Muckus, decided to perform one simple act for me. Laundry. I didn't ask her to, she just started doing it. She'll throw a load in when she wakes up, move it to the dryer before she leaves for school, then fold it and put it away when she gets home from school. It's a small act that's a huge life saver for me. We now have socks, towels and baseball uniforms when we need them.

So I'm trying to negotiate that one simple act I can do each day that will help to lighten someone's load. And if along the way I inspire my other three kids to do simple acts like washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms, well that will just be a bonus now won't it!

Robertos

Recently a quaint little taco shop opened up in our town. Roberto's. We love tacos as much as the next guy so we love to frequent Roberto's. And the bonus of eating at Roberto's is pellet ice. Nothing like a Coke over pellet ice, not that I've had one recently mind you, but I speak from experience when I say the soda was awesome! I believed it was Roberto who was serving me up my bean and cheese burrito, drink and churro, all for only $2.99.

Then suddenly I realized that there were Roberto's Taco Shops everywhere. The Weinerschnitzel on the Boulevard was turned into a Roberto's, which is a crying shame because I love a good mustard dog as much as I love tacos. Sonic was turned into a Roberto's, which could be a blessing so I am not tempted to indulge in soda flavored with syrup. Roberto's everywhere! In fact, there's probably a Roberto's near you and now I'm thinking that is not Roberto at all who greets me regularly.

And just the other day when I was driving by, I happened to notice a big banner on one of the local Roberto's which read: UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP, NOW FRESH FOOD DAILY. This gave me pause for consideration as to whether I'd like to continue to frequent Roberto's. My negotiations made me realize, food that is fast and cheap is probably not even worth $2.99.

Tradition

Lots of comments have been made about “The Clark Family” and what a great family it is. Well I’m here to say - that’s exactly right and I’ll tell you why. . .TRADITION. Tradition just so happens to be one of the reasons why the Clark family is happy bunch. Let me expound.
A few of my favorite Clark Family traditions are the water fight after the 4th of July parade (though I like to avoid the water myself) and the 4th of July Gala where all adults gather together for a lovely meal and celebrate our freedom. Awards are given to family members who showed extreme courage throughout the year. I think I know which Clark family member will be getting the award next year.
There’s also the Labor Day river run where we rent rafts and make our way down Provo river - the kids LOVE it!
A “turkey bowl” on Thanksgiving morning where every man becomes a kid again throwing the pigskin around and a few kids end up in tears, followed by-bowling that evening (to make up for the tears) after a fantastic turkey dinner.
Grandpa’s tailgate parties on Cougar game days are unmatched when it comes to food and fun. Each pre-game meal includes a to-die-for roast along with cold soda, chips, cottage cheese and pickles. Everyone wears Cougar blue - eats to their hearts content - then walks to and from the games together talking about life and sharing in the excitement of the game.
Halloween night is another favorite where we all end up at Umi and Grandpa’s house after trick-or-treat and show off costumes to each other.
I could go on and on about late night lift rides at Sundance, weekly Monday family nights, pumpkin patch parties at Lucy and Rics, Christmas gifts of service to one another, Clark Family ski day, and on and on and on.
The pattern I’ve noticed is: family togetherness (and maybe really good food). When you’re making memories together during the good times, it’s easy to jump in and help each other out during the rough times. I just so happened to be at Umi’s house when we got word of Stephanie's accident. It wasn’t long before each brother and sister came offering love and support to one another. Prayers were offered and hope for the future was found - no matter the outcome. Because we have often gathered together to celebrate the joy in life, it is second nature to gather together when one of our own faces a challenge. We are there for the moves, the illnesses, the heartache and disappointment. We help carry each other’s burdens and celebrate each other’s triumphs. I guess when I think about it, tradition is just another word for love.

Muckus

We have a nickname for my baby girl. It's Muckus. It all came from the time she was just a wee little baby and we talked to her in high pitched voices with nonsense words. For example, "How's my little shmucky moo moo?" And somehow "shmucky moo" turned into "mucky lucky" which eventually turned into Muckus.

One time when Muckus was in first grade we went to her school carnival for fun and games. She happened to be bowling for soda which involves rolling the ball to knock over empty soda cans and if successful, you win a soda. She rolled her ball and when it was so close, but no cigar, I shouted "Oh Muck, you were so close!" It was immediately clear that several people around me had heard me incorrectly and thought I was shouting obscenities at the school carnival. Misunderstandings are sometimes difficult to negotiate.

C Jane happens to call my baby girl "muggles." Not sure if it was Harry Potter influenced or if it's taken from the root word Muckus. And recently "muggles" was reduced to "mugs" which is what I'm calling her these days. And I think that's appropriate seeing as mug is what I like to do with her.