Book Review #3 - An Assmebly Such as This

Author Pamela Aiden has big shoes to fill when she decided to take on the characters of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. An Assembly such as This shares their love story through the eyes of Mr. Darcy. This is the first of a trilogy, ending when Darcy and Bingley leave Melbourne and head back to London.

I enjoyed this book as it dives more in Mr. Darcy and the complex man that he is. I was a little surprised and at times gagging over Fitz’s obsession with Elizabeth. He spends three quarters of the book fixated over Elisabeth and is unable to have a thought that does not include Miss. Bennet; although, all this obsessive behavior on the part of Mr. Darcy does make the proclamation of his love seem more understandable.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars ***

Laundry

Every Monday is laundry day. Since I hate doing laundry so much, I try to have it be a one day all day event, instead of making it drag on forever being a task that is always on going. If my Monday is busy it usually turns into a two day event, but still that leaves me 5 laundry free days that I can devote to more fulfilling tasks such as, cleaning the bathroom, picking up Lego and knight figurines. Anyhow I have recently come to realize that every week I do 1 load that is purely kid Pajamas. I can't believe that. I’m thinking of implementing a sleep in your underwear policy. Think of all the Laundry that will save me over the years.

Jarom Funny – last night during scripture study we were talking about King Benjamin; he was preaching to the people about how we are all beggars and we should share with those who need it because ultimately everything that we have comes from our Heavenly Father. To drive home this point, Spencer asked the kids where our food came from, thinking they would answer Heavenly Father. Jarom answered, "Ummmm, the plate".

Getting Air

Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending the ward primary sledding activity. It was the perfect day to go sledding; lots of snow, nice temperature, and great company. Jarom was a sledding master. He loved tobogganing down the hills. As soon as we arrived at the hill, he jumped in his sled and off he went. We didn’t even really see much of him until the end of the activity. Every once in awhile I’d ask him if I could take a trip down the hill with him to which the reply was always, “NO!!!” Nolan invited his school buddy Leon and they had a great time racing down the hill and seeing who could get the most air off the jump.

Cousin Cosmo's Greek Chicken

I made this recipe for supper tonight and it was so yummy I wanted to share it with everyone. I posted the recipe as I found it on allrecipes.com, but I made some changes when I cooked it.

I didn't coat the chicken in flour before cooking it, just added a little to the sauce to thicken it up (it was still very runny). I also omitted the water and chicken bouillon and added a can of chicken broth instead. I added twice as much spinach as the recipe called for and next time would add even more. Probably three quarters of the bag.

Cousin Cosmo's Greek Chicken

Original recipe yield: 6 servings
PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 40 Min

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon, crumbled
2 cups loosely packed torn fresh spinach leaves
1 ripe tomato, chopped

DIRECTIONS
On large plate, combine 1 tablespoon flour, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine cheese, lemon juice, and oregano. Set aside.
With a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread cheese mixture on each chicken breast, leaving 1/2 inch border. Fold chicken breasts in half; secure each with toothpick. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture.
In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups water, chicken bouillon cube, and remaining flour; pour over chicken breasts in pan. Add spinach and tomato to skillet, and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Discard toothpicks before serving.

Hockey Night in Winnipeg

Last Saturday night Jarom went to his first hockey game. Spencer frequently gets free tickets to sporting events from work and up until now it has always been Spencer, Nolan and one of Nolan's friends that went. Last time the boys were headed off to a game, Jarom bawled because he couldn't go, we quickly realized it was time for Jarom to go. They all had a great time at the Hockey game! Nolan was especially happy because the Moose won.

Humorous Anecdotes

A couple of weeks ago for family home evening we talked about the First Vision. On Monday night for FHE we were talking about what a testimony is and what we needed to have a testimony of. When Jarom turned over the picture of Joseph Smith, he excitedly yelled "hey, this is that missionary who went in the tall grass and said a blessing"; Ummmmmmmm.. close.

Birthday Bash

As many of you may know, my mom celebrated the big 5 0 last week. Since a person only turns 50 once, I flew home and surprised her. We couldn't really let the occasion go by without something to mark the importance of it, so Rachel, Patrice and I, (with Morg footing the bill) planed a big party. We had a tropical theme; serve fruity drinks, shrimp trays, chicken wings, veggie trays, fruit trays and then a fondue. It was lots of fun. I can’t wait for my mom to turn 60 so we can do it again.