Monday....21st March.....Important Day in the Life of the Purdy Clan

Today is Monday, 21st March.

I am very tired.

I don't feel like blogging.

But...........

Sometimes I need, no, want, no,

FEEL COMPELLED

to mark a special day with a blog post.

I couldn't let this day go by without wishing my daughter, 

Jessica,

the

 

 A VERY

Can't believe that 19 years ago Jessica made her grand appearance to the world!
So, tonight for Family Home Evening, in celebration, we are going to

  This is Jessica's favorite place to eat.  She is a steak and potatoes kind of girl!  Jessica also likes their Caesar Salad.  If Jessica is particularly good today, we will tell the waiter that it is her birthday, order her a "Chocolate Thunder from Down Under" and have them sing her "Happy Birthday." 
Jessica would absolutely love the attention of that!  
Hee Hee, I know I am a evil Mum
What is life without a little excitement??
Especially on your birthday!!
 This year, Jessica requested that I make her a confetti birthday cake.  I was happy to oblige.  I made her one last year as well.  This year's cake went off without a hitch........last year's cake??  Let's just say we had problems.

Sam says, "Blue!!  Bad dog!!"

Mum says, "Blue??

Sam says, "Munch, munch, yum, yum!"

 Mum says, "Frosting hides everything!"

 Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Jessica!
Happy birthday to YOU!

 

Time goes by to quickly!

 We love you Jessica!

Sally-Ann

Just in case inquiring minds would like to know.

Jessica received a rousing, borderline rowdy, rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the crew at Outback Steak House.

Yes, she was sufficiently embarrassed and red faced.

Our mission as parents was accomplished. 

Monday......Family Home Evening & Food

 DIVAN CHICKEN

Servings: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients 

• 2   (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli, chopped (I used fresh broccoli and steamed it)

• 6 cup shredded chicken, cooked (I used a rotisserie chicken from Costco)

• 2   (10 3/4 -ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon curry powder

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (didn't use this, could substitute chicken broth if wanted)

• 1 sleeve of Club Crackers (or Ritz)

• 1 stick of butter melted
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open one end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed.  Drain the broccoli and put into a 11X7 casserole dish that has been prepared with a non stick cooking spray.
• Top with shredded chicken.
• In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste, and wine.  Whisk together to make a sauce.  Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. 
• Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula.  
• In a Ziplock bag, crush the crackers, add the melted butter, mix well and sprinkle over the top

Bake for about 30-45 minutes.

Serve with rice and salad

Tonight's Family Home Evening is taken from

Scriptures for Kids

and goes along with this month's Primary theme.

This is a great web site.

March Theme:

Heavenly Father speaks to us through His prophets

"What I the Lord have spoken, I

have spoken, ....whether by mine

own voice or by the voice of my

servants, it is the same."

(D&C 1:38)

Stand For The Right

Children’s Songbook, 159

There are many ways that Heavenly Father can talk to you. He can speak to you through the Holy Ghost. He can speak to you through the scriptures. One very important way that Heavenly Father talks to His children is through His living prophets. Tell your family that you are going to ask them a trick question. Ask, "How many prophets do we have on the earth today?" Explain that each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is sustained as a prophet, seer, and revelator. That means that we have 15 prophets on the earth! Explain, however, that the President of the Church is the only one who can receive revelation for the entire Church.

Display a picture of President Monson. Ask, “Why do we need a living prophet?” (So we can know what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do.) President Monson tells us what Heavenly Father wants us to know and do. When we listen to General Conference, it is as if God Himself is speaking to us. We can learn the way to obtain God’s promised blessings when we listen to our prophet. On a piece of paper, make a list of things our prophet and apostles have recently counselled us to do. As a family, choose one thing from your list and make a goal to do it together.

Don’t eat the prophet! - print off one set of cards from here: http://tinyurl.com/26u3qvr. Put a piece of cereal or small candy on each card. Choose one person to go out of the room. While they are away, the rest of the group chooses one of the prophets, for example, "Spencer W. Kimball." Once you’re ready, start singing, "Follow the Prophet" or "Latter-Day Prophets". The person you chose to go away then comes back when they hear you singing. They then remove the cereal or small candy off each prophet card, one-by-one. Once they take the cereal or small candy off the designated card (Spencer W. Kimball in this case), everyone stops singing and says, "Don't eat the prophet!" They get to keep the cereal/candy they collected during their turn. Then, you choose a new person to go out of the room and start all over again. They loved this game!

Fruit Pizza

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup fresh or canned peach slices, drained, cut into thinner slices

1 cup halved or quartered fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-inch pizza pan or spray with cooking spray. In pan, break

up cookie dough; press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 16 to 20

minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. In small bowl, beat

cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Spread

the mixture over cooled crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese. Refrigerate until chilled,

at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges or squares. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

Sally-Ann 

Today......a spot of tea with wonder woman.

Today I've decided that I need to stop second guessing myself so much.

How many times do we think that we are incapable of doing something?

Me?  Quite a bit.

I don't actually think I am an idiot, but I just think I can't do something.

I need someone to give me the answer.

Someone to help.

I am incapable of solving the problem.

The correct solution??  Not from me!!!

Incapable.

The definition for the word incapable is:

in·ca·pa·ble   /ɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/ Show S[in-key-puh-buhl]

–adjective

1.  not capable.

2.  not having the necessary ability, qualification, or strength to perform some specified act or function: As an administrator, he is simply incapable.

3.  without ordinary capability; incompetent.

–noun

4.  a thoroughly incompetent person, especially one of defective mentality.

—Idiom

5.  incapable of,

a.  not having the ability, qualification, or strength for (a specified act or function).

b.  not open to; not susceptible to or admitting: These materials are incapable of exact measurement.

c.  legally unqualified for.

Origin:

1585–95;  < Late Latin incapābilis. 

—Related forms

in·ca·pa·bil·i·ty, in·ca·pa·ble·ness, noun

in·ca·pa·bly, adverb

—Synonyms
1. Incapable, incompetent, inefficient, unable  are applied to a person or thing that is lacking in ability, preparation, or power for whatever is to be done. Incapable  usually means inherently lacking in ability or power: incapable of appreciating music; a bridge incapable of carrying heavy loads. Incompetent,  generally used only of persons, means unfit or unqualified for a particular task: incompetent as an administrator. Inefficient  means wasteful in the use of effort or power: an inefficient manager; inefficient methods. Unable  usually refers to a temporary condition of inability to do some specific thing: unable to relax, to go to a concert. 2.  impotent, unqualified.

—Antonyms
1.  able.

OK, have decided that I don't fit that definition and that maybe I am not incapable.

How many of us feel that we need to be 

WONDER WOMAN!

I think we all do at times.

Not just women fall into this trap.  Men sometimes think they have to solve all the problems of the world as well.

Well.........

NO MORE.
I don't have to be a wonder woman, but, I am not incapable either!!

What kind of tea bag are you??

Earl Grey?  Lipton?  Tetley?

Doesn't make any difference.

I think we all have an inner strength that can be tapped into.

We just need to show some initiative.

This week I let the store clerk at the health food store push me around and talk me out of getting something I had researched and wanted Sam to try.

She made me second guess my self........my decision.......what I knew to be right.

Today I am going back and getting what I originally went in there to get.

I am a capable woman.

I am an informed mother.

I am a

TEA BAG!!

Sally-Ann

Sam's School

 Samuel's school is always having fun parties and parades to go along with the season or weekly theme.  

Enjoy the pictures!!

FALL FESTIVAL

AND

THANKSGIVING

At Thanksgiving last year they had a carnival which was followed by a feast!  All the children wore t shirts that were decorated with their hand prints and fingerprints - they were made to represent a tree in the fall.

For the letter D, they had a

DINOSAUR PARADE!!!

 Everyone had a magnificent dinosaur tail made out of pantyhose and scrunched up newspaper.

There's no soundtrack to this story, 

just a brand new dance. 

Grab your teacher by the hand 

and swing your dinosaur pants. 

Stomp your feet on the sidewalk, 

are you ready for the noise? 

Swirl your tail around the floor, 

go on make a ROAR!
Now your doin' the Dinosaur Stomp,

stirrin' up the dust.
Doin' the Dinosaur Stomp

in the middle of the courtyard.

Yes, this once resembled a real song by John Williamson - 

"The Crocodile Roll".

My apologies, couldn't resist when I saw the photo of Sam twirling his

 dinosaur tail around. 

 N is for 

NURSERY RHYME

 

The farmer in the dell

The farmer in the dell

Hi-ho, the derry-o

The farmer in the dell

Just in case you needed a hint to know what or who Samuel was dressed as!!

 Samuel wants and needs to participate in "normal" activities.

Sam's school gives him the opportunity to do "normal" kids stuff.

My older children participated in parades and parties at school.

Now, so can Sam.

These pictures were taken at a game that Sam went to with his Dad.

Jim said it was one of the best nights of his life.

One of the hardest things for us as a family is to go to public events.

It is hard to fight the desire to just stay at home.

To stay at home in case..........

In case of what???

In case of a full blown, throw yourself down, screaming louder and louder tantrum.

In case a child walking past you will get their hair pulled out by the roots.

The constant worry of Sam running off.

Disrupting behavior.

Will the crowds stress him out and cause distress?

If there is something to be worried about, I WILL worry about it.

BUT,

we do go out as a family.

We go to church.

We go to games.

We go to fairs.

We go to restaurants.

We travel.

We go to the same places that everyone else in the world goes to.

Sometimes we cut the outing short.

BUT,

we go.

We go because we love our son and we want him to have all the experiences that make up a 5-year-old's life.

I know that people sometimes think that it must be so terribly difficult to bear.

A lot of the time it is hard.

BUT, 

the joy of raising Samuel far outweighs the difficulties that autism brings.

 He makes our family complete.

Sally-Ann