My New Favorite Ten-Year-Old

I'd like to share 10 facts about Ben:

1. Favorite color: GREEN

2. He LOVES cars, especially fast, expensive sports cars. Go figure.

3. When he grows up he wants to be a professional keeper (soccer goalie, for those of you not in the know) or an NFL running back. Either one.

4. Favorite vegetable: CELERY

5. Favorite meal: Hot wings with steak and fries.

6. His best friends this year are: Matthew, Evan, Max, Cutter, JonJon, Joseph, Jacob, Brandon, ect. ect.

7. Favorite sport: Soccer (or lacrosse, although I argue he has so little experience watching or playing lacrosse it can't be a favorite.)

8. Favorite subjects in school: PE and Math

9. Favorite hobby (besides sports): building models

10. He's an absolutely amazing brother, friend and son. His teacher adores him this year because he is so kind and genuinely nice with everyone.

Ben is one-of-a-kind and we are so happy he is in our family.

Love you, Ben!

Guess What Jake Brought Home from School...

The swine flu.

That's right. My eighth grader, who is not the most social person, brought home the swine flu.

He's on tamiflu and we're prepared in case the rest of us get symptoms but we're hoping Ben's birthday plans aren't affected by the illness.

My guess is that A LOT of people are going to get it. Let's hope it's not too severe.

That's my excitement for today. Plus a soccer tournament for Ben in Denver. He's becoming a really great goalie. Way to go, Ben!

Get well soon, Jake.

Baked Potato Soup

I hosted the "lunch bunch" last week at my house and served a family favorite.







Here's the recipe.



INGREDIENTS

9 baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups whole milk (I use 2%)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup bacon bits, divided
4 green onions, chopped
10 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream



DIRECTIONS
Prick potatoes with a fork and bake for about an hour. Scoop out the flesh and mash with a little milk. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook a couple of minutes. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes, salt, pepper, (use an immersion blender before adding anything else, if you want it less lumpy) 1/3 cup bacon bits, 2 tablespoons green onions and a little bit of the cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Serve topped with remaining bacon, onions and cheese.



It's not healthy, but it sure is delicious. How I love fall and curling up with a warm bowl of soup!

Check Out What I Brought Back from Korea

Here are a few of my Korean finds...

A "Rolex" for Dave. (Which may or may not have stopped working already...)

A new vase.

A "super-soft" blanket for Rachel to dance on, because what else would you do with a super-soft blanket?

A couple of fabulous purses.

Some parasols.



The idea to make crepes(said with French accent) for breakfast with creme(also said with French accent). Delicious! Betty Crocker's recipe is not as good as yours though, Annee. You truly are a Renaissance woman.

Lori posted more wonderful details about our adventure HERE.

Let me publicly thank her for not posting every single picture of my rear end that she took and for keeping the pictures of my bad hair days to a minimum. That's a good friend.

The one detail I need to add is that I returned to Colorado to find a little piece of Korea in my very own family. I had been commenting on the bus ride to the airport on the eclectic fashions worn by Korean children. Every color in the rainbow makes for a good Korean outfit.

Check out what Rachel was dressed in to welcome me home (after she went to Costco, and Lowe's, and to a soccer game).

Korea may be over 6000 miles away but when Dad and Rachel are in charge of the outfits, it feels like I'm right back there. (A snowman shirt and snowflake tights in September--what the heck?!)

This picture is for you, Kurt. It's a paper chain made of origami cranes, I think. It was impressively long.