Cooking and Awards

A meal at the BS Family home.
You could comment on the “all” yellow meal or the food tray that the all yellow meal is served on. You could maybe say “Hey, that looks like a well balanced meal for the most part.” Or you could be wondering what kind of meat that really is on the plate? But what I would like to point out is that it’s a sad time of year when most meals include a cold medicine and or an antibiotic. Is that part of the food pyramid?

Kids are Cooking!
We are all getting older, though some of us in body only. With this said the kids have been showing more interest in cooking. So we have asked them to start picking one meal a week to cook for the family. With a small cookbook with photos the kids each picked a meal that sounded good to them. (More like the picture looked good to them.)

Cole’s Dinner
Alaska Burgers which included minced onion, Worcestershire sauce, allspice and cumin to name a few ingredients in the meat.
He has not been one to eat lettuce and tomato on his burger but because the picture and recipe called for it he ate it and loved it.

Jo’s Dinner


Creamy tomato-basil soup which included tomatoes, onion, celery and garlic to give your taste buds a little watering.





Jo’s meal was a little more involved so we planned hers on the weekend. She had a very good time creating and really enjoyed the soup.

The only issue Jo had was that the soup she created was more tomato looking than the cookbook photo. And yes, this really did bother her.

First Month of New School
We have completed the first month and we have worked out a routine for the most part. Homework, play time, dinner, spelling words and then get ready for bed.
They each received an award for the month of January.
Jo: “For Kindness for the month of January, 2010”
Cole: “For Super Star Reader for the month of January, 2010”

We also broke a record this year by staying healthy until Feb. 8. Yes, perfect attendance. It was a good run, one that we all will try and beat next year. Dang colds, but yummy new food pyramid!

Life in and around Evelyn

Our old neighbors Dale and Francis came for lunch and brought us a house-warming gift as well. Dales words “We brought you something you wont have to dig out and dust off when you know we will be by.”
I opened the box and it was packages of tp and boxes of mac n cheese. I have said it before and I will say it again. We love Dale and Francis! Perfect gift!

Oma has been enjoying her living space.

Admiral in the making if you ask me.
(Smiths will know what I’m talking about.)

The kids grabbed Oma’s reading glasses and were playing with them so I took a couple shots. I couldn’t decide on which photo to share so you get both.
They sort of look like Mini Me’s I thought on the first one.
Future Teachers with this look?

A few good days of sunshine sure make us all happy!
Jo in the front playing with a neighbor girl while Cole is teaching the neighbor boy to play baseball in the backyard.

Flat land, no sidewalks and very little traffic so family walks are back on and we love them! Ok, it was like nails on a chalkboard to get the kids to go the first few times but everyone found something they enjoyed doing on the walks so now my nails are growing back.
Jo is gaining more confidence on her bike, which is GREAT!
Cole will be in full football gear or baseball attire to run and play catch with Oma. I some times wonder what neighbors think of him. I find him quite funny and cute.

Jo is showing more interest in cooking so she is helping with meals more often than not.
She really doesn’t give us a choice as she just walks in with her step stool, stands up to the stove and then says, “What can I do?”
We love her!

Made it to one of Derian’s basketball games and the competition has gotten quite a bit tougher this year. It’s been a lot of fun watching her grow and get better each year.
Had to toss in the sideways look. I see this look OFTEN!

Rachelle and Connie have dropped by a few times. Rachelle has tackled pluming jobs for us, washer and dryer for example that took us to the urgent care and four stitches in the hand. Oh, her hand that is. She was a trooper though and toughed out the rest of the day and finished the job. (Wouldn’t have paid her other wise) Ok, I felt bad! Very bad that she got hurt.
Here Connie was battling Cole with light sabers. Hitting below the belt only. I think Connie went home with more bruises on her legs than Cole did.

Another family walk included a Geocache.
Other news?
Mom is working full time now and enjoying it. The kids are in after school day care and enjoying that. It’s been quite a transition for everyone this past year and it seems to be continuing for a while longer but the one good thing is we have Evelyn and she is taking good care of us.

I am shocked that it has taken me this long to post another blog. Life seems to be settling in a bit so I am hoping I will be able to swing two or more a month.
Love To You All!

Lots Going on – Not many photos

Xmas Holiday
All the Belmont’s gathered for Christmas dinner this year at the Lampitts. (no photo) It was a full house of family, food, laughter, love and games. (ok, there was a little of the traditional family stress too but that still falls under the family, laughter and love part)

Ruiz Visits the Lampitts Estate
About two hours after Gma Marie and Gpa Norman left the house the Ruiz family pulled in for a night. We exchanged gifts, ate, laughed and shared with more love in the house.

Cole, Lanna, Maggie and Jo
"It'd hold eight kids 'n' four hound dogs and
a piggy we stole from the shed
Didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
on Grandma's feather bed"

Cole’s Hair Cut
After Cole had his summer hair cut he was going to grow it out long again for winter.
BUT THEN…
Mom: Cole, did you cut your hair?
Cole: Yep
Mom: Why?
Cole: Jo found the scissors and I said, “give them here,” and I cut it.
Mom: Why?
Cole: Because Jo did once and I wanted to try it too.
Mom: But you’re seven not four.
Cole: (shrug)
Mom: (rubbing his head with a smile) Well, ok then. Good job.

See his doo now?
The Little Man sure does like to pose.

Cole and Lil will miss each other.
Lil has brought her owners to our new home twice now and enjoyed the backyard with Cole.

Lil will miss Oma too.

(shhh, Mom thinks Oma will miss Lil too)

Tracy made her very first balloon animal and was very VERY proud.
Tracy and her Giraffe
(Though we all agree it looks like Odie from Garfield)

Evelyn, our new home!
(yes, we have named our new home)

Not many photos of Evelyn yet but now that moving and unpacking have slowed down I will snap more photos and catch up on BS-life.

Every home has their quirky things and Evelyn is no exception. I have found that the oven cooks a little more evenly and faster than our old home. (almost burnt the cookies)

Our pink toilet is so old that the water shoots out of a hole at the bottom of the toilet instead of the top for flushing.

The shower hits me at my breasts, so from there down I am quite clean. (was there some sort of height code back then for showers?) This fix has moved up the to-do list btw.

There is only one phone plug in for the entire home. We have the phone where the second hand-set needs only to be plug into power, but with the house being that much larger I have trouble getting to either phone before the fourth ring. Kind of sad really.

Some shots from our new home, although they don’t show much of Evelyn, they are photos in our new home none the less.

The kids have REALLY enjoyed their new rooms and getting their toys back. They were supposed to be getting into bed when they ran out to us saying loudly.
TAAAA DAAAA, The BS Super HEROOOOooooooosssssss!
They unpacked some dress up cloths.

It’s been raining again but Cole has played in the back yard a few times already.
He loves it back there.

Our living room is large enough that we can play the Wii as a family and not take turns standing up in the center to take our turn.

We played Mario cart, kids against the adults and the kids cleaned house!

We are happy to be living in Evelyn now. We have had some bumps in the road getting here, larger bumps while trying to get moved in and we are sure there will be more ahead. But all is happy at the Smelmont home!

Christmas Eve & Morning

For years now we have eaten dinner on Christmas Eve with Dale, Francis, their daughter Kristi, and Old Jim. Though we don’t live next door any longer (we miss them) we didn’t miss this years dinner. Unfortunately, Old Jim was ill and not able to join us.

Oma, Jo, Dale, Kristi, Francis, Mom and Cole

We sure love these people and it makes Christmas
that much brighter.

Back home the kids ran to get their pj’s on so they could exchange their gifts to each other.
Both listened to each other’s wishes this year and picked great gifts!

They were hoping Santa would FILL their stockings this year!

(didn’t happen but they were happy)

No cookies for Santa this year.
These are the houses they built at Church with Tracy and Martha.
Santa drank his milk and then almost broke a tooth biting into the houses and yes, he did take a bite of each! Mmmmm, good.

Jo’s note to St. Nick
“Dear St. Nick, this is for you but if you don’t eat all of it on Christmas it is fine and I will make some milk for you.
I hop you like it.”

After Santa
Jo’s gift from Santa and some sleeping pants from us.
Cole’s gift from Santa and Nerf guns from Jo.

Jo, Lil and Cole

With their stuffed animals from Santa!
It was a good morning with smiles all around.

Awards-SWAT-Stockings OH MY!

School Awards
Cole received the “People Respecting Others” certificate.
Both kids have had perfect attendance through December so here they are receiving another perfect attendance tag for their necklaces.
Both Oma and I made it to this ceremony knowing it would be the last at this elementary.

The man!
“For showing courtesy, kindness, consideration and respect for his/her fellow students and teachers. Thank you for your outstanding behavior on the playground!”

And yes he is dressed in full football gear, Colts to be exact. Oma brought home real football pants and pads so now when a football game comes on tv he will show up in his full uniform to watch and have us throw him a ball once in a while.

S.W.A.T.
A friend called on a Tuesday evening and asked if I wanted to be a hostage on a bus the next morning. How could I say no to this? I asked if I cold bring my mother along and was told sure. A quick call and she too jumped on the bus as well.

It was about a four hour SWAT exercise, we were the live hostages.
Knowing we would have some down time sitting on a bus we all came armed with what we thought best. Mom brought a book to read, we both made sure we had little to nothing to drink that morning and then I filled my pocket with jerky for snacking. Guess my mind works more like my Father’s, you never know when you’ll have your next meal.

It was a very interesting, and educational experience and I would volunteer to do it again in a heartbeat. Though holding your hands above your head for an extended period of time becomes quite exhausting so I don’t think a real captor would like me very much.

Xmas Stockings!
We are still living with the Lampitts and like a broken record (do we still say that or should it change to a scratched cd?) all our “stuff” is in storage including Christmas. So a quick drive to the dollar store with the family gave us an opportunity to create. We told the kids while at the store “pick out any stocking you’d like”.
Jo’s eyes got very large as she saw this giant stocking and asked. “Could I have this one?” I repeated what I had said and the smile was immediate as she quickly grabbed and hugged this sock.

Marking pens and glitter glue, we were in business.

Oh Oma…
Oma wanted to create a holy leaf and berries on her stocking. I was not quite sure what it was, Jo figured it out quickly and then we all laughed even harder as Jo pointed to her own stocking and said “Look Oma, this is holly”. And there on her stocking was perfectly drawn holy with berries.

We love Oma’s though!

HOUSE…WE HAVE A HOME!

Our first meal in our new home.
Pizza on the floor, just like it should be.