Scrapple

I came across this in the grocery store not long ago. My guess is many of you have never heard of it. Lucky you. Apparently it finds its roots here in the East ~ Pennsylvania Dutch I think. Its kind-of gray-ish in color. I'm all about not wasting, but some things just should not be. Scrapple is one of those things. (This food came about so certain parts of the pig after butchering wouldn't be wasted.) Yummy! The pic isn't great so I will list as many ingredients as I can before throwing up.

Pork stock

Pork

Pork livers

Pork skins

Yellow corn meal

Pork hearts

Whole wheat flour

Pork tongue

Salt

Buckwheat flour

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Diacelate?

White flour

Spices

Dextrose

Flavoring

If you really want to know more about it, read this. Enough said.

First Court of Honor

We had a fun time tonight at E's first Court of Honor. He was able to go to Scout camp this month and was excited to get his first merit badges, first aid and photography. There were only two boys in attendance as Youth Conference was this week as well. He is just one requirement short of his Tenderfoot, three from Second Class and halfway through his First Class.

I have to say how daunting this all seems to me. Its one more thing to do in an already busy life, but as I see how much he is learning and growing, I know its all worth it. A friend in the ward has been really terrific in helping me figure things out and giving me tips about making it more E's responsibility and less mine. We are figuring out how we can incorporate it in our daily schedule & school curriculum to make it more doable, less crazy.

I have to I am so proud of him. He is a really terrific kid and I feel lucky to be his mom. Oh, funny thing... When he was saying the closing prayer/blessing on the refreshments he said something to the effect of, "bless the refreshments even though they really aren't good for us". People thought it was pretty funny. Where does he get it?

Sweat baby!!

I have been doing a new workout as of late and it's tough. The idea is different from previous programs I have done in that you lift VERY heavy weights with fewer reps instead of more reps and less weight. The "off" days from lifting are spent doing intense cardio in 3-5 one minute bursts, with plyometrics and endurance lifting in-between. If I were in better shape it might not be so difficult, but as it is, I am dying through these workouts. On one particularly brutal day after finishing my routine, I looked down at my mat and this is what I saw. That is my sweat!

Can I tell you how strong and able I felt?! It was like I could do anything. I pushed myself so hard and I had the sweat to prove it. It isn't just physically challenging, but absolutely mental as well. So I'll ask, what are you doing that challenges you these days? Physically? Spiritually? Emotionally? Intellectually? (I know being a mother does this for me everyday.) If you can't think of anything, or if the answer is nothing, step up and find something that stretches you to your limit and then push yourself one step further. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Independence Day

This was a different sort of Fourth for us. When we lived in UT, the Fourth was an amazing test of endurance. It began with an awesome block party on the afternoon and evening of the 3rd, followed by movies projected on the neighbors' house. There was the task of saving space on the parade route, arguing with police and generally going until you dropped and that was just the 3rd. The 4th began early by checking the coveted "reserved" parade spot to confirm that it was indeed still saved. Crepe breakfast courtesy of Leslie was not to be missed. The parade and all is wonderful chaos was next in the lineup. After hours of cheering and celebrating, we would retreat inside for a bit before heading to Sorensen's for their watermelon bust and then if we had any energy left, we might venture over for some tasty eats at the County buildings. Naps in the afternoon and visiting with friends was customary. And to top it all off, we would haul our camp chairs out into the street to watch the Stadium of Fire pyrotechnics display after dark., finally rolling into bed around midnight. I am exhausted just thinking about it. We did it though, every year for the last seven years we did it.
This year was different. On the evening of the 3rd, Jon went out with the Elders on splits until late and I made a pie for the BBQ the next day. Isn't it pretty?

The morning of the 4th was mellow with nothing planned. That's right... NOTHING!! I really didn't know what to do with myself. No parade to hit, no running around, nothing. We just vegetated until it was time to go to a BBQ in the evening.

E and Sam, as Uncle Sam(s)

Thanks to Kristen and family for the fabulous BBQ! I especially appreciated the time we took to talk about the Founding Fathers and Our Nations' history.

The company was fabulous, the food delicious and the view for the fireworks, unbeatable.

Fireworks over the Bay ~ View from the rooftop deck

As much as we missed the festivities in UT, this was a pretty terrific day. I actually spent some time reflecting on the holiday and the freedoms I enjoy. The fireworks were great. They were all up and down the Bay. I'm not adequately describing it, but it was a lot of fun.