Barnard sibling Christmas rotation 2007

Shauna gives to Corey
Valerie gives to Shauna
Tammy gives to Valerie
Brett gives to Tammy
Corey gives to Brett

Baking day

Fudge Almond Cheesecake
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

Today Laura and I are going to be baking pies and making desserts for Thanksgiving. This cheesecake recipe is one that I found when we lived in Venezuela and we've been making it for the holidays ever since. In fact, it has become Peter's traditional birthday cake.

Apple Harvest Cake

Apple Harvest Cake
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

I looked for this recipe for an hour last night, so it's time I put it in a permanent, findable place. It's one of my favorite things to make in the fall. As you can tell by the looks of it, I have had the recipe for a very long time. The first time I made it was in our first little apartment in Sacramento, when Brad was in law school. I guess that would make it fall of 1978. Emily was just over a year old.
The recipe is from the back of the flour sack; the ingredients are very simple, but this combination is so delicious.

Cafe Rio Pork

Cafe Rio Pork
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

Marie was craving her Cafe Rio fix, so I thought I'd do some scouting around on the internet to see if I could find a copycat recipe. I don't know if this is a good duplicate, but it was definitely a hit. We ate them with tortillas, cheese, salsa, black beans and lots of cilantro.

Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Walnut and Coconut Cookies

I made these this morning to take to the concert reception coming up on Saturday night. They are sooooo good!!!

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Cream together the softened margarine, sugars, egg replacer, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Add this to the creamed mixture.
Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Drop by spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 14 minutes.
Turn sheets around halfway through baking (and switch racks too, if baking more than one sheet at a time).
Cool well before removing from sheet.

Dear Mother Nature, Can we have a talk?

Ummm...it's still 80 degrees outside and it is October 22nd. Doesn't Mother Nature know that Chocolate Day is just around the corner? And that we need to have an inside temperature of 66 degrees to dip chocolates? I'm putting in my order with her right now (and I hope that I don't live to regret it) for lower temperatures pronto.

Tortellini with Tex-Mex Cream Sauce

Tortellini with Tex-Mex Cream Sauce
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

I found this in a magazine some time ago, and made it tonight. Everyone liked it and it was quick and easy. I used green chilis instead of the jalapenos. Buen provecho!
I'm thinking that I might scan recipes as I make them and save them to sets. That way I can find them easily instead of flipping through notebooks one page at a time, as I do now.

!Guapa!

!Guapa!
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

Laura had a great time getting ready for the Heritage High Homecoming Dance; lots of shopping to find just the right dress and shoes; hours curling her hair and painting her toes.
It was worth all the effort!

Mid-October 07

October 18th: I just took the last batch of cookies to the schools who helped the LSO with venues. I kinda doubt that it will help but it won't hurt either. I'm just hoping that next year, when it comes time to divvy up the dates, they will remember cookies...
Brad's company was bought out by a much larger company. He has been poring over forms and letters to see if he wants to sign with them. Of course he does; it's his job and he actually likes what he does! Benefits differ slightly but all in all, it looks fine. Besides, he got a big bonus just for signing!
This is Homecoming week at Heritage High School and Laura is having fun dressing up for each days' theme. Today was opposites day; She and Francesca are "Rain and Sunshine". Very cute!

Tomorrow is the big game. It hasn't rained here for months; we are in severe, emergency conditions. Of course, rain is forecast just about the time the game begins. We'll see. Her choir is scheduled to sing at the opening ceremonies. The big dance is Saturday night. Check here for pix!!!
Back to practicing; concert is next week and let's just say that scares me....a lot.
October 19th: Big storms headed our way. The homecoming game has already been postponed until tomorrow. Marie and I were going to check out a local candy supply store today, but it started pouring rain just as we were going to leave, so we decided to wait until next week. Gotta get ready for chocolate day!!
Last night our new rug was delivered. Whoohoo! The dining room looks much more complete and warmer now, don't you think?

Wride Pride showing

Just a sample of our favorite fashionista fotographer's latest work:

Catching up....?

9 October:
October is nearly half over, and it's going to be 92 degrees today here in Leesburg. Obviously, it doesn't feel like fall yet. The leaves on the trees are still green, the grass is still brown (we're in a severe drought) and we still have raspberries on our bushes.
So...to catch up: Brad is busy catching bad guys with success. Valerie is preparing for a stake leadership meeting on Saturday the 13th and for a Spook-tacular concert by LSO at the end of October. Katie is deep into photography life at BYU, with a little rumba on the side. Laura is getting good grades at school and working on some Personal Progress projects, that will turn out to be Christmas presents.
See the married children's blogs for their updates :O)

Family recipes

These are two chicken casseroles that I have made regularly over the years. Katie asked for the recipe, and then Emily, so here they are for everyone. Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

4 chicken breast halves
3 packages (10 ounces each) frozen broccoli cooked according to package directions, or 2 pounds fresh broccoli, well trimmed and cooked until tender crisp
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 milk
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttered crumbs or parmesan cheese


Simmer chicken breasts in water just to cover for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove chicken from broth and cool enough to handle. Then slice into large pieces.
In a 9x9x2 inch pan, arrange broccoli. Layer chicken over broccoli. Make a sauce by combining soup, milk, sour cream and cheese. Add more milk if necessary.
Pour sauce over chick and broccoli to cover chicken pieces completely. Cover with buttered crumbs or Parmesan cheese. Cover pan with aluminum foil and back at 350 degrees for about one hour. Remove foil the last 30 minutes of baking to brown crumbs slightly. Makes 5 to 6 servings.


Idon Openshaw's Chicken Enchiladas

4 dozen corn tortillas - spray with Pam, fry quickly on both sides
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut in bite size pieces
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 C shredded Mexican cheese
Mix 2 cans cream of mushroom or chicken soup, 2 cups sour cream, 2 cans green chilies
Spread 1/4" layer on bottom of 9x13 pan
Layer until finished:
1. cooked chicken
2. tortillas
3. soup mix
4. onions
5. cheese
Bake at 300 degrees until warm; no bubbling

Country roads don't take me home no more

Our little corner of Leesburg is getting urbanized. We had a country road that we would use to get over to the grocery store about five minutes away. It passes by a charming state park with ruins of an old stone barn from the 1800's, past a llama farm, and an inn from centuries past called Cattail Ordinary. It has been a dirt road ever since we moved here in 1997, and we loved it. But...sigh...while we were gone in August, some big bad company paved it, and even painted lines down the middle of the road! How rude!
And talk about big bad machines...they are cutting down trees again: this time right on the corner of River Creek Parkway and Route 7. An overpass is in the process of being built plus a Wegmans on the continuing portion of River Creek Parkway. It's nice to have shopping nearby, but enough!!! We have enough! We like trees better!! Can anyone hear me?!!?

3 minute update

Emily, Maddie, Daniel and Ryan went back home last Saturday. The plan was that they would come back for October conference but they are coming back next week. Jorge Luis is going to Utah for a mission reunion, so he'll bring his family down here on the 23rd. He is actually going to stay here for a couple of days! Em and kiddles will stay for a couple of weeks. Fun times ahead!
The Loudoun Symphony season starts this week. I have been working for days to get venues for all of our concerts. Because there is no performing arts center here in Loudoun County, we are reliant upon performing in high schools. Of course, their departments get first crack at the dates. We are left with the leftovers. So far, I have managed to get dates for our October and December concerts, but March and May concerts are without venues, and I'm running out of high schools to call.
Marie and I are playing in the newly-founded Mormon Orchestra of Washington DC. Our first concert is this Saturday.
http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/location/events/0,11506,1836-1-1-3,00.html
Wanna come?
Laura is fully immersed in high school. She spent last Saturday with the other students from the music program soliciting donations for their trips. Her choir is going to Disneyworld in November and the band is going to AUSTRALIA! Hmm... when I was in high school, the big trip was to Ephraim, Utah. Anyone know where that is? Didn't think so.

Can I just tell you how cool it is to have an in-house photographer??!!

Evidence of Katie's art:

July 25 update

Brad is in Guatemala, comes home on Friday evening. Katie has had the last couple of days off. She and I went to see Phantom of the Opera last night at the Kennedy Center. FABULOUS!!! Laura was diagnosed with pneumonia on Tuesday, and is on day 11 of a fever of 102 or higher. She is one pale, thin child. Hopefully the antibiotic will kick in today.
Some workmen will be here all day replacing our airconditioning and furnace system, which was dying.
I am trying to finish up some very big projects: for Loudoun Symphony: arranging all the venues for the next year; for stake Relief Society: scheduling lessons and teachers for a daytime Institute class in two different buildings in the stake for the next school year.
I leave on Tuesday for Utah, Wednesday I fly to Portland for Brooks and Heather's sealing. Thursday I fly back to SLC, and get to work on the condo (flooring, new bed in master bedroom, staining kitchen cupboards.
Whew! Maybe I'll just go back to bed....

Harry Potter Day!!!! Warning: crazed fans alert!

Katie and Laura have been awaiting this day with huge anticipation and much dread as well: the last Harry Potter book is released today. Laura, with her 102 degree fever, reading in bed, and Katie, on hers, devouring the pages, with sporadic screams and running to each others bedrooms: "Can you believe???" "Did you read???"

Celebrating at the zoo

It was such a hot day and the mist felt so good!
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

For Em's bday, we spent the day at the National Zoo. Can I just say it was really hot? We loved the mist spritzers that are strategically stationed along the path. Maddie loved the pandas, and was very proud later in the day that she

remembered that they eat "bamboom!"
L - R: Trina, Maddie, Katie, Marie, Spencer in stroller
Ryan crashed on Daniel in the early afternoon. Aren't they adorable?!!?

She's 30??!!??

She's 30??!!??
Originally uploaded by ValerieBW

Yes, it's true. Our oldest daughter is th...thi...{{cough}}..thirty!! I'm more depressed about it than she is. We celebrated by going to the National Zoo in DC, eating Red Hot and Blue for dinner, and peach cobbler for "cake". Jorge Luis drove all the way from NYC for the occasion.

We forgot!

Or at least I forgot...that we have this blog. I'll start adding to it and you can too! I'm just back from camp where I learned a few things about myself. I need to do life WITH makeup and showers. I get headaches if I stay in the heat all day. Girl's camp is pretty darn fun.