wonderful new soup to try

if I was good with the computer I would post a picture! but we all know better than that! I shared this with a few family and friends but I wanted to share it with everyone! this is now our new favorite soup it was a huge hit with the family... the only thing I changed was the amount of chipolet I added. use less and taste it as you decide how much to put in.

***BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHIPOTLE BISQUE

Double the recipe

1 medium butternut squash

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped carrots

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 to 6 cups chicken broth

3 tsp minced, canned chipotle in adobo

½ cup sour cream

Salt, fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Pierce squash and bake

Scoop out seeds, discarding the stringy pulp. Put the seed in a sieve and rinse. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, celery and carrot for 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes more.

Puree the saute vegetables and squash with 4 cups broth in batches in a blender,

Add more broth to get the desired consistency. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes

Meanwhile, toast the reserved squash seeds in a small occasionally until crunchy, about 30 minutes. Season heavily with salt and set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir 1 tsp of the minced chipotle into sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the remaining 2 tsp chipotle into the bisque and ladle into soup bowls. Top each with a dollop of cream and a sprinkling of seeds.

Steelhead fishing in Idaho

This is becoming a Swallow family tradition! This was the first year that Rylee, Kyle and myself came on the trip! But it will not be the last time we go!There will be no more " get away weekend with the boys" for Reed. We all had so much fun. I am sure that Susan and myself had the best time. We had a guide who was fun and took great care of us. Because it was so wet and cold, all the bets were that Susan and I would be the first ones in the bunk house and Reed knows how much I hate to be cold so he was a little worried when we were the last to show up. When every other boat was in but us they were sure that something had happened to us! but because of our wonderful guide who had extra rain gear and a heater, we were probably the only ones who stayed dry.
We were able to she Grandpa and Grandma Swallow at their home. It is a really cute place they seem to be very comfortable there.

How do they survive themselves?

All I can say is "Need I say more" And people ask how Kyle got is foot ran over? From what I can tell the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! I don't even want to know why she is under the truck or who took the picture.

more wedding pictures

Matt and Julie got married in Segin, Texas on Sept. 12 2009 we all had a wonderful time! it was the first time that my childern have all been together in over two years! Matt and Julie and Julies family put so much time and work into their special day! and it was worth it... I thought that everything that they did turned out wonderful and we had a great day! We are so glad to have Julie be a part of our growing family. We are very blessed.

Matt and Julies Wedding day

Rylee Jean

All I want to know is when did my little girl grow up! Rylee is my cowgirl all the way to the bone! I do love that about her... here are more picture that Ashley took for us, it's to bad it isn't her senior year. Just think of the money we could have saved! But I have to say that Rylee is more the my cowgirl she is a great example to me and everyone around her, she has a great personality and most importantly she has a beautiful strong testimony of her Savior Jesus Christ .

Grandpa and Grandma Mull

While Ashley was here she took so many wonderful pictures of everything and everyone! She will do very well with her photography career, I talked my Dad and step Mom into allowing Ashley to take some special pictures for me, here are just a few, are they not just the cutest!

Birchbay

Shortly after Kyle returned from his mission we took a trip to see family that live in
Birchbay close to the Canadian boarder, it was breath taking with the wonderful sunsets
we had a wonderful time seeing Moms side of the family it had been to many years since we had all been together, we all hope to see eachother more often...

Update on Cinch

This is Cinch after three months! she still won't pose for the camera and reminds me of a mule with her big ears which Rylee calls her Devils horns, but her ribs no longer are showing and her butt is filling in, we are now just working on getting her muscles developed, the vet wants us to try and get 150 more pounds on her before winter. She had a little filly that only lived about 12 hours she was premature, I was a baby and didn't handle it all very well...Oh well what can I say that's who I am.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Reed who is FIFTY!!! can you believe it and his Dad Blaine, who share the special day, we won't mention how OLD Grandpa Swallow is...I am grateful to Blaine for being such a wonderful father to Reed and raising such a wonderful son. because of him I have a wonderful husband and my children have been blessed with a great father.

Home Safe and Sound!

Sorry I have been so slow to post a note about Kyle finally getting home off his Mission, but we have all been beyond busy! Mimi and Papa were there along with Aunt Renea, Keith, Shannel and Lucas and their sweet (sick little family it was not the most fun car ride home for them) I was a totally stress head driving everyone else CRAZY... but what joy when we saw him walk into the lobby, (bueno es q' yo hago lo q' me de la gana! TOMA TOMA) I wish I know what that said! it has been so much fun having him home and seeing the changes and growth! We have had so much fun as he shares stories from his mission, the Lord has blessed us all while he was away but even more with a safe homecoming!

You want me to do what !

This is boone, he is so funny he is always finding something to play with. that is the tarp hanging out of his mouth, Rylee and I were using it with Lil Girl getting her to walk over it and not be afraid or it, one morning I looked outside and all three of them are running circles around the corral and Boone is shaking that tarp at them. I guess he wanted to speed up the process with Lil Girl. The tarp had been outside the fence who knows how he got it!

Cinch

We would like to introduce Cinch, she is a bit of a mess right now, as you can see by the pictures. Well, I had been looking for a horse for myself to enjoy and not one that is Rylee's! Even though she is so good about sharing her boys with me... anyway with the economy the way that it is there are lots of people needing to thin down their herd or just can't afford their horses anymore. Well I had been emailing with this lady who needed to get rid of some horses for health reasons so she said.
When I got to her place there were a lot of horses that were in the same shape as the pictures you see of our Cinch and when she looked at me with those eyes of hers I couldn't leave her, and Reed was no better. It is a good thing we didn't have a stock trailer or Reed would have brought more home and we really will never be able to have more than 4 if we want to keep our pasture healthy.
Anyways as you can see she is in need of lots of TLC and we have had so much fun giving it to her, oh ya she should be having a foal the end of July or in August sometime we are praying for a little colt...
Reed Rylee and I have all felt the baby moving and kicking, and yesterday for the first time, it was amazing!! I will post updates as she improves. Reed got lucky and thought of her name and we all thought it was perfect for her. So it has stuck.

Spring Flowers

Just wanted to share some pictures of a few of the flowers in our yard. They sure are pretty and have a nice fragrance. They'll continue to look nice as long as we can keep the dogs out of the flowerbed. They sneak up on the birds in the bushes.

Look who is 23!!

Happy 23rd Birthday Mark, as I was going through all my stacks of pictures before the day of digital cameras, I was looking for the perfect pictures of you, now I could have picked the adorable little baby pictures and cute toddler stage but I thought nah, lets go for the wonderful teen years! Mark allowed us to pick out his ringlets and this is what we discovered!

Mark was already worried about his muscles!

It looks like you put your fingers in a light socket to get a doo like this, back in the day it was coo.

We have shared so many wonderful birthdays with you and look forward to many more. We love you so much and think of you often. We wish we were there to celebrate this special day with you and to make you a "Red-Purple Cake"!! We are proud of your choice to serve your fellowmen through serving your country. We pray for your safekeeping as you look forward, never backward in this new phase of your life. We know you will be a good example to those around you and because of who you are, others will look to you for guidance and strength.

"REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE"

We'll Love You Forever, We'll Like You For Always!

Do you remember when ...you would always ask us to "Touch This" meaning your muscles? Some things never change!
Do you remember when...you used to run as fast as you could to get to our bedroom at night in West Richland? Thank you Ashley for taking our place.
Do you remember when...you used to take Rylee fishing with you every where?
Do you remember when...your loving parents would send you, Kyle and Matt outside to run laps around the house to get rid of all your extra energy to give us a break from rough housing?
Do you remember when...you kids tricked us by wrapping each others christmas presents, then telling the others what they got?
Do you remember when ...you used to sleep by the edge of my bedroom door so I couldn't go fishing without you? Do you remember when...a good day of fishing is never on a big boat, on large waves, in the ocean?
Do you remember when...a good day of duck hunting was coming home with one, two, and sometimes three limits? (Not from 3 people) These were all yours? Do you remember when...you hooked on to your first steelhead at Ringold with a bass pole and a Mepps Spinner? Do you remember when...you out fished your Dad? (Nah) You did have the touch. There are countless memories to talk about and many more to come. We are grateful to celebrate YOU on your day!!

Love, Mom and Dad

Happy Birthday Carol May 11th!!!

Mom and Sweetheart, we want to wish you the happiest birthday of all!! Your only 39 right?? This is your special day to relax most of the time. Find time to sit back and let the day find you. Take in some of your favorite things, a nice piece of blueberry cheesecake, a good book to read, relax, enjoy a nice dinner and a beautiful sunset. Your Birthday is always a special day and we love you so much!!

Your the Bestest.

Reed

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY & HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART

Mothers Day!

When I went to the mail box today there was a long oblong package, covered in duct tape from Kyle, as I started to open it I found a soggy box, and inside the box was this soggy rose that Kyle had sent me from Spain! I Cried not because the Rose was almost beyond recognition, I was just so touch that he thought about it and sent it! This soggy little rose will always have a special place in my heart! He also had a special note that he had written to me.

Who would have thought it could happen again!

Ok, I swear I am telling the truth! Reed went to get his hair cut on Saturday, in a real shop, (not some relative, sorry Mike) Anyway, we are visiting with the lady and the guard falls off the clippers and she doesn't even notice, she takes a swipe down the center of Reeds head, we now have a reverse Mohawk going on! You know me I can't stop laughing, and the poor woman is horrified! swearing that has never happened before! Well anyway we had to shave his head down to nothing as you can see, and If he has the courage to go back to the same lady she promised him a few free hair cuts! I am not sure that Reed thinks it is all worth it... But, he was a great sport as always!!