Shout out to all of my English relatives--

I love trifle! I love to eat it and I love to make it. It just tastes so refreshing. For those that don't know, a trifle is an English dessert prepared in a glass bowl with layers of cake, pudding, jello, fruit, and whipped cream. I was cleaning out my freezer and found some things to make a CHOCOLATE TRIFLE. It was so good. It's great if you're wanting something a bit richer than typical trifle. Here's how I did it, however, you can tweek it however you'd like it.

CHOCOLATE TRIFLE
(everything is already made, you just assemble it)

1 chocolate cake
1 pkg. cherry jello
strawberries
1 pkg. chocolate pudding
chocolate cool-whip

It tastes great and of course, looks very pretty. Enjoy!
P.S. I've also done a lemon trifle--very good,too.

Purging Ourselves

We had a garage sale Friday evening. I like to have one every summer. During our garage sale in 2005 I went into labor with Matt. Everytime I stood up I had a contraction. So, I kept telling myself to just sit so I could stay a little bit longer and make some more money. We had planned on doing our sale both Friday evening and Saturday morning. However, we sold everything on Friday. We made $200 in 2 hours. Not too shabby. I hate holding onto things that I don't use. I think this comes from my army childhood. We always had to go through all of our things every move and get rid of stuff. So, I have little emotional attachment to most material things.

Left to His Own Devices

Matt enjoys playing with his Aquadoodle. For those that don't know what this is, it's a white mat that changes colors when written on with a 'water' pen. The pen holds water and is transferred to the mat when you write/draw on it. Yesterday while Matthew was playing with it, he ran out of water in the pen. He then attempted to refill the pen from the sink but had no luck. So what did he do? He took matters into his own hands. He peed on it.

P.S. And it worked!

Post Script to "Modern Day Revelation"

Thank you for all the comments to the previous post. I figured it would generate discussion. Also, I must say that Robert is not an egotistical jerk. He thought I might have portrayed him poorly. That wasn't my intention. He is the farthest thing from a jerk. Anyhow, I'm realizing maybe I'm not as smart as I thought I was. Perhaps I need to dial down on the 'ego' meter and up on the 'humility' meter.

Modern Day Revelation

I tell this story to stimulate some conversation. I must preface it with telling you that there were no harsh or angry words shared and nobody had their feelings hurt. The other day Robert and I were discussing how to go about doing a home repair. I can't remember exactly what it was. We each had our own ideas of what would be the best way to do it. I can't remember, either, how we got to this point in the conversation, but this is what was said:
R: Well, I'm just smarter than you.
H: What? (total shock on my part)
R: I'm smarter than you.
H: What? You really think you're smarter than me? (I can't believe what I'm hearing).
R: I don't know. I just think I am.
H: Really? (In my head I'm thinking, 'you're not smarter than me. I had a 4.0 in college)
H: How long have you thought that? Since we've been married?
R: (shoulder shrug)
H: Wow, all this time, 11 years, I've lived with the guilt of thinking I WAS SMARTER THAN YOU.
So, now, Rob and I think we're smarter than each other--and there is no more guilt. Are we the only ones who think we're smarter than their spouses? Come on, fess up.

Is that a snake bite?

Last night Matt woke up at 1:30am screaming and kicking his legs. His right foot and ankle were swollen. We turned the light on and found two puncture wounds on his ankle. He said it itched and hurt whenever it was touched. It looked just like a snake had bit him. So, we went in search of a snake, not thinking and not hoping we would find one. He fell back asleep so we kept checking on him every 30 minutes or so. Around 5 am he woke up and was screaming and kicking about again. So, Robert took him into the ER. The doc said that even though it looked like a snake bite, it most likely was a spider bite. So, now he's drugged up on antibiotics and benadryl, and Adam and I are at home playing games. I have to admit Adam was pretty excited to "ditch" church since he didn't want to go with Robert and sit through all of his meetings. I don't blame him. Six hours of meetings sounds boring to me, too.

It's Long Overdue...

So, I was looking through past posts and realized it has been over two months since I posted a recipe. I had such good intentions when I started this blog earlier this year to post a recipe each week. As you can see, that didn't happen. However, I had a good reason. I went on strike. Sort of. Since school ended I really haven't felt like cooking. And, so I don't. Well, that's not true. I cook every night but it's not anything too fancy. We grill hamburgers, make pizza, etc. I've only sauteed garlic once this summer. And making bread has gone out the window. And, I don't feel guilty. Anyhow, I've been thinking about the 4th of July and foods to prepare. For any and every Leonard celebration or party, we make this SEVEN LAYER DIP (Leonard is my maiden name). We got the recipe 20 years ago when we lived in good ole Sierra Vista, Arizona. So, I'll be making it, and I'm sure my folks and siblings will be making it, too, for the 4th.

SEVEN LAYER DIP

1 can refried beans
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
2 avocados, mashed
16 oz. (2 cups) salsa
1 pt. sour cream
1 small can chopped olives

Layer in order. Garnish with shredded cheese. Make a few hours ahead of time so the flavors can blend. Eat with chips.

So, there--enjoy the recipe. Now I can be free of the guilt I was feeling for procrastinating this recipe post.