Rain, Rain

Takin' Time on Tuesdays with Joni

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY! COME BACK ANOTHER DAY (like next spring!)

I lived in Arizona for almost two years. I loved our time there. The one thing that almost never happens is a rain storm. Every day was beautiful warm weather. But, for a short time in August the monsoons come and I loved it. In the late afternoon the clouds would roll in and then it would pour. We often spent those evenings sitting on our back porch watching the downpour. It was warm outside and the fresh smell of rain was so nice. We loved these storms.

Well, I don't live in Arizona anymore, but Roy, Utah. And for some reason, we are getting so much rain. It feels like Washington or England or something. We are only days away from summer vacation and we have only worn our summer clothes a couple of times. All of my kids' winter clothes have holes in the knees but we still keep wearing them because I don't want to buy more winter clothes and I keep thinking summer will be here. Maybe it will never come.

(This is our backyard last week. It also serves as a retention pond, but still. That's a lot of water!)

The one hard thing about rainy days is they become inside days. After a long winter of being inside, it feels so nice to go outside. So what do you do on a rainy day? Build a fort and let the kids play and have lunch under there. I used to build a lot of forts as a child. They would include sheets draped over chairs with stacks of books to hold the sheet down. This meant at any moment the fort would fall and books would hit you in the head. Not until I included my husband in fort building did this problem get solved. He went and got our fitted sheet, the one with elastics on it to hold it to the bed. He wrapped this around the chairs and problem solved. No BOOKS! The sheet stays on its own! It is now so easy to build a fort, I am willing to do it every day! So, if you are stuck inside because of the rain, sickness, or whatever reason, grab some chairs, a fitted sheet, and have a fun day in a fort!

(I built this in 30 seconds and the kids are already to play!)

Recipe of the Week: Cheese Quesadillas (Gluten Free)

-I struggled with corn tortillas because I couldn't find one Gluten Free. Though the ingredients were gluten free, they were always made where the flour tortillas were, so they weren't gluten free. I finally found a way to make homemade corn tortillas. It is so easy and yummy they have become a weekly staple in my family.

-I use Maseca corn tortilla mix. I bought mine at Walmart and it was really cheap. Also, on the side it says Gluten Free! I follow the recipe on the back and mix a nice dough.

-I roll the dough into 16 small balls and cover them with a damp paper towel so they don't get wet.

-Then, I take a ziploc bag and I cut it down the sides so it opens like a book. I put a ball of dough in the middle of the ziploc bag so it is covered top and bottom with plastic. Then I use my rolling pin and I roll it into a flat circle. Because it is rolled inside the plastic, it doesn't stick and is easy to pull it off and put on the griddle.

-This is a two man job, so my husband and I have fun making these together. He cooks the tortillas on the griddle while I roll them out.

-After they are all cooked, we put them back on the griddle by stacking them: tortilla, cheese, tortilla. We cook them until the cheese is all melted and yummy.

-We serve them with sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, and avocados.

-They are so yummy! Enjoy!