Honey Grilled Sweet Potato recipe

If anyone wants to try a non-marshmallow, non-buttery sweet potato recipe that is yummy, try these Honey Grilled Sweet Potatoes. This recipe's directions were for the grill but since we don't have a grill, I tried to adapt it to the stove. Trial #1 sweet potatoes got an "okay". Trial #2 sweet potatoes got "mmmmm"s (as in yummmmm). I used the ingredients in bold.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes OR 1 can cooked sweet potatoes
1 can of pineapple chunks* (drained)
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup honey OR 1/4 cup organic blue agave nectar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
Cook sweet potatoes in microwave or oven until soft, then take off skin and cut into cubes (or use already prepared sweet potatoes in a can). Spray large frying pan with cooking spray and add cooked sweet potatoes, drained pineapple chunks, and pecan halves. Heat on medium, turning often. Drizzle most of the agave (or honey) on top of ingredients and let it heat through, marinating, for a few minutes. Add the rest of the agave (or honey), sprinkle with the cinnamon and garlic salt and stir while it bubbles for about one minute. Cover and serve warm!

*For less sugar, use unsweetened pineapple chunks.

Pillowcases for gifts ala my sister

My sister is a stay-at-home mom of five and is known in our family for making fun pillowcases as gifts. I love having new pillowcases that go with the holidays and she is finally taking her pillowcases (and other hand-made items) public. She also takes special requests. Get your order in early, as time and fabric is limited!

See the Blog Pillow Case Place or PillowCasePlace at Etsy.

My Big Boy

Xavier made this Lincoln Log creation all by himself about a month ago. I didn't notice him making it, so when I turned around I was amazed at his imagination and building skills! Each log is close together and he even balanced a second row.

One of my favorite nicknames for Xavier is "Baby Boy" because to me, no matter how old he is getting, he really is my baby boy. However, he often reminds me that he is not a baby anymore. At the grocery store the other day, a little girl younger than he was pointed to him and said "Baby boy!" He was polite enough not to push her over for saying that, but he quickly came back to me and told me, mostly to reassure himself, "I not a baby boy. I a BIG BOY." So there you have it. Xavier is not a baby anymore. He's a big boy, and only his mommy gets by with occasionally calling him "baby boy".

I Spy...YOU reading this post

About two weeks ago, my friend Miru from Japan sent me a birthday package in the mail that included an "Anpanman Sagase" book for me to do with Xavier. It's the Japanese version of an "I Spy" book. That started a new thing for Xavier. He loves to find things by looking. At the park today, we spent 10-15 minutes playing an "I see..." game while we walked around. I would start by saying something like, "I see a boy walking" and he would respond with something he saw. At first he said whatever I said, but pretty soon he started adding on to mine ("I see a blue car" instead of just "I see a car.") and then said the things he noticed on his own, like "I see a shadow," or "I see a duck in water." I always find it fascinating what he notices. X is an observant little boy.

We played a similar game for Family Home Evening tonight. Joe and Xavier lay on their stomachs and I was the caller. They had to look around the room and visually find the things in the room that I asked them to find. Xavier's were easier--Can you see Mr. Potato Head? Can you see a book? Can you see something brown? Joe got harder questions--Find three things that show your personal preferences, find three things that remind you of me, etc. Joe had me find three things in the room that made me feel happy. It's a fun, easy game that requires NO preparation whatsoever. :)

Another fun thing we found with our imaginative little Xavier right now is the use for random boxes. His diaper box was converted into a fire truck with some construction paper and he likes to put stuff in it and push it all around the house. We also found two great books about using your imagination while playing with boxes. One is called Not a Box by A. Portis, and the other is Panda the Train Engineer by Oda Taro. I make up my own words for Not a Box (basically repeating, "It's not a box! It's a ..." and letting Xavier fill in the blank) but the idea of the book and the pictures are great.

Any suggestions for fun books or activities you've done with young kids lately?

Kami No Ko

Xavier is singing the primary song "I am a Child of God." He then sings the Japanese version "Kami no Ko Desu."

Here are the lyrics, see if you can follow along:

I am a child of God
And He has sent me here
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me
Help me find the way
Teach me all that I must do
To live with Him some day.

Kami no ko desu.
Watashi ya anata
Afureru megumi ni
Kansha shimasu.

Watashi wo tasukete
Michibiite
Itsuka mimoto e
Yukeru youni

Happy Halloween!

Cowboy Dad, Fireman Sam, Cooking Mama

Happy Birthday to Me!

Boy, am I glad I finally got on Facebook! I have never, ever in my life gotten as many birthday wishes as I did this year. Not to mention that I think every one of my 10 siblings, parents, grandparents, and in-laws wished me a happy birthday, too! Maybe they somehow knew it was my "golden" birthday, meaning I turned the age that my birthday date is, if that makes any sense. It was truly a historic day. And now my life is officially one-third over because I really don't want to live much past ninety if I can help it!



My dad and I were born on the same day and he always claims that I'm his very favorite gift, even on years when I can't give anything! I also think he knows that I have a hard time celebrating by myself because somehow it always seems to turn out that he will be coming to visit right around our birthday time. This was true even when we lived in Japan! I love it. Thank you always, Dad, and Happy B-day! Xavier (below) loves to help blow out candles. This time he got to try several times since Joe used one of those little trick candles!



Joe was the amazing husband he is and didn't stop giving me birthday presents and wishes all day long. He did the dishes, made me Swedish pancakes for breakfast, did all the phone calls for work, took me shopping for just the kind of plates I've been looking for, even smiled at my indecisiveness and let me go back and get the plates I originally liked as we were halfway to the checkout, took me out for a family bday dinner, and wished me happy bday even when we got in bed way after midnight when he is usually such a stickler for saying the day is over after 12o'clock! He also helped Xavier give me a present and even splurged on the buy--two fish, not just one! Ollie and General Sherman are holding up so far, and I am realizing that I have a lot to learn on taking care of pets. Joe says this is just a step toward getting a dog. He might be right. I had a really great birthday (even if I did cry over my statistics class in the middle of it). Joe is a great support to me and I love him more and more each year. He even patiently let me give a kids' Halloween party on one day's notice and didn't complain when I put away all the Halloween decorations just a few minutes before our first trick-or-treaters in two years trekked up our rickety stairs for some candy. What a sweetie. Happy Birthday to me!



P.S. Don't worry, the fish have been relocated to a bigger bowl and are awaiting a real fish bowl which will be arriving a few weeks from now when our friends pack their house for their move to Germany.