Poppy Seed Dressing

Thanks for all the requests! This recipe is so easy to adapt to ingredients you have on hand. Just taste it and tweak as necessary. For instance, if you change out the red onion for a yellow, or apple cider vinegar instead of regular, you might need to adjust the sugar or salt. I personally like prepared mustard like spicy brown and honey instead of sugar. The oil makes a difference, too. I like a light olive oil but the world won't come crashing to an end if you use canola. And what could be more subjective than 1/2 an onion. Like totally, how long is a piece of string? So here goes!

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

1/2 cup vinegar                                              1/2 onion (quartered)

1 cup sugar (or 3/4 cup honey)                      1 1/2 cups oil

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard                                    1 - 3 Tbsp poppy seed

1/2 tsp salt

Combine vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, salt and onion in blender container. Process until well mixed. Add oil in fine stream, processing constantly. Stir in poppy seed. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Yield: 3 1/2 cups.

Blenders do make a difference. I have a $400 Vitamix. That might seem a bit snobby but consider how much I use it. In the last 4 years we have canned nearly 3000 bottles of food. We make apricot sauce, pumpkin butter, and spaghetti sauce almost entirely using that blender and a pot. And I know exactly what ingredients are involved.

We use this recipe for salads with greens, fruit, and nuts. One of our favorites is chopped cabbage, mandarin oranges, and cashews. Also try spinach, strawberries, and almonds. Pictured above is romaine lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, and cashews. ENJOY!

Playing with Grown Ups

 After every major undertaking I like to lose some sleep and evaluate. Sleep is so overrated any way. The luncheon was overall not bad considering my inexperience. The wreaths were pretty and for the first time in my life I was asked for a recipe because it was liked, not because it was Gluten Free! I do have one major flaw that checked itself, however. I need to learn to ask for help! What was I thinking, trying to do this alone?

But I am surrounded by women who know better. A neighbor with a wedding business donated table linens and even helped set them up. I bumped in to my sister Trina at the fabric store the day before. When I told her what I was up to she insisted she had nothing else to do and spent 8 hours chopping and cooking and cleaning. (Because her three businesses, her foster children, and her grandchildren suddenly weren't enough to keep her busy). And Miss Emmie, Miss Sarah, and Miss Kelsie earned another merit badge for womanly service. I owe all of them a foot massage!

Where are the Singing Mice?

Last year.....

Miss Brianna was so totally shocked when she won Miss Idaho Days. I wasn't. I remember that week. I was 38 weeks pregnant and feeling it. I had promised to sew a beautiful dress for her but couldn't. Instead she was caring for me. I found this "Cinderella" dress at my favorite second-hand store. I paid more to have it cleaned than I did for the dress. Miss Brianna was so gracious about it. She designed a classic lace overlay and we patched up a few holes and she made it her own. Her hostess was unable to help her that week because of an ailing father. Brianna not only took care of her own needs, but every time I checked on her she was caring for one of her competitors.

This year......

I watched that graciousness and kindness bloom into confidence and leadership. And she finally got that dress I promised.

And the winner is......

This little stinker did a naughty thing. She won a beauty pageant last year. I told her not to do it. I told her to shoot for 1st runner up. She never has listened to me. She always has to go off and be herself.
Okay, I actually like that about her.
It's been a fun year following her in the shadows. She is an amazing woman. Life is all about other people to her. She sees a need and does her best to fill it. She sets a goal and then goes to work. She has a unique way to observe the world around her and captures it beautifully with a camera lens. She has just the most amazing mind and remembers quotes from books, movies, scriptures, and just from listening to people. I want to be just like her when I grow up!

So I get to be in charge of a very proper luncheon this year because of what she did last year. It's been a while since I've played with adults. It could get really interesting. I decided to have Sir Jake and Sir Tom help me make wreaths for the centerpieces. Miss Brianna is now so used to the idea of a crown, that she took a break from the dishes and showed us her moves.....wearing said wreath. Who needs rhinestones when you look this good in a plant.

Frozen Underwear

I've been known to repeat the old adage "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!" In fact it's almost our family motto. But when it comes to Super Hero unders it does NOT apply. With my five-pack of little boys all sharing clothes, I have to fold laundry with a pair of scissors close by.
I think I feel some Frozen coming on. "Let it go, Let it GO!"
I'm seriously considering an Alibaba account just so I can buy bulk underwear!

Feeding the Masses

Food. Food is a mountainous issue in our home. The volume of calories consumed under our roof on a daily basis could make Dr. Oz's hair curl. My cooking pots are so dear to me that I name them. (My Thelma pot is my favorite and named to honor my ever-generous mother.) As if the quantity isn't enough to make us strange, we also have to have everything gluten free!
Sir Jake was the first to be diagnosed with celiac disease. He had suffered with what specialists thought was asthma, RSV, and pneumonia for most of the first five years of his life. After we adjusted his diet we witnessed a miracle. He grew! His health problems went away! He was able to run and play and his immune system became stronger!
It has since been manifested and tested that we all need a gluten free diet with the exception of The Daddy. He has been so good to just eat our way at home. As much of an inconvenience as it can be, celiac has been a blessing in our lives. We pay attention to what we eat. I read a lot of labels and we ask a lot of questions. We eat less processed and more made from scratch.
To offset the ridiculous cost of GF we grow a massive garden and preserve the bounty. It's a lot of work but there is something delicious about going to bed tired with the smell of applesauce lingering on my hands.
This pic is of my favorite yard sale bargain this week. These canning rings were being offered as fill-a-bag-for-2-bucks. I offered $5 for the whole bin. Offer was accepted but I had to explain why I would ever want so many canning rings. I named thirteen reasons, all of them priceless.
Now if I can just get the thirteenth reason to let me have a turn to play!

Pearl Harbor Peaches

I know, I know. The hangar scene in the movie Pearl Harbor is the most romantic love story involving a parachute of all time. Until now.

 The first thing my sweetheart did for me when we bought our home more than five years ago, was to put in an orchard. This spring something miraculous happened. Our peach trees blossomed!! But you can't count your peaches until they're canned around here. It's the middle of June and last night it dipped below freezing!

The Man went out at midnight to put tarps on the tomatoes and peppers. It took longer than it should have. I found out why. He pulled out the parachute and covered an entire peach tree! Eat your heart out Hollywood.You can't even come close to this kind of love.

Ninja Babies and Ties

Sir Harley has this thing with clothes. He doesn't wear them. I get him dressed and the next time I see him he is down to his undies again. If I'm lucky there are undies. Sir Jake discovered an awesome way to keep a shirt on Harley. (At least for an hour or two).

These little people decided to model some ties before they mailed them to their big brother Spencer. I really like the way my feminine Miss Lula put it in her hair instead of around her neck. There is an innate difference between girls and boys right from the start. These little boys will tease their sisters all day long, but someone else even looks at Lula's dolly and they become warriors defending the Princess!

Daddy's Day

It's Father's Day so I feel the need to brag up the best Daddy ever.  I'm sure as Steve grew up he never envisioned having a family this big. He's the oldest of four children and has exactly six cousins. In fact I distinctly remember the conversation about children when we were falling in love. He asked how many kids I wanted and I replied, "as many as we have". (I meant six or eight.) I asked him the same question and received the same answer. (He meant three or four.) But life is awesome like that. You think you know what you want and then.....
Our third child, Miss Brianna, was hard to get here. A very difficult pregnancy that brought some serious health problems. We were told that IF I lived through the delivery I would be lucky and that certainly we shouldn't have any more children. I think Steve was able to come to terms with this. After all, having three children is an enormous blessing. However, I knew there were more little people meant for our family so this was a difficult time for me.
For several years we tried to adopt. We started the process to become foster parents. I spent a lot of time begging for understanding. My sweet man tried to understand me. And then one day I had a conversation with a woman who knew someone that knew someone that might be able to help me! That conversation led to a doctor and surgery and soon after we were blessed with Sir Jake. And then Miss Emily. And then I had to announce that Steve was going to be an F.O.S. He didn't take the Father of Six thing as well as you might expect. He was overwhelmed. And now it was my turn to try to understand him.
Can I just say how good God is. At this crucial time in our lives He sent angels to both of us. For Steve it was a vision of himself in heaven, a white-blonde little girl tapping on his shoulder, and she was asking him why he didn't let her be a part of the family. He started to explain that we couldn't afford her, that our house was too small, that he.....then he realized that there was no excuse he could live with. It was no surprise that Miss Sarah has the most stunning white-blonde hair.....and seven younger siblings.

The Man

The past couple of years it seems my days never start off quite the way I want them to. I really am a morning person. Deep down I'm one of those annoying women that go to bed at ten and are up reading scriptures or painting masterpieces by five. But the reality is...I have 13 children. Eleven of these blessed little people still sleep under the same roof as me. The problem is that they don't sleep at the same time.

Teenagers talk at night. A lot. And you can't get a word out of them when they wake up. So I stay up and listen. Two or three nights a week that means going to bed around 1 a.m. Then Miss Bella needs to nurse a couple of times, Sir Harley has an accident, or Miss Ivy has a nightmare. And then there is my wonderful Sir James who sleeps so soundly that occasionally we wake up to a giant thud as he falls out of bed completely dazed.

Nights are a challenge, but I am so grateful to be a mom. I'm so grateful that my children talk to me. I'm so grateful that I don't feel the need to use cloth diapers. I'm so grateful that we have a big bed. I'm so grateful that I can squeeze in a nap with the babies now and then.

My sweetheart is not so fortunate. He pretends to sleep through the carnival but I know better. Last night I found him asleep with a baby on either side of him. His big arms created safe little nests for my little ones. Then this morning he started out like every other morning. He rolls out of bed and his knees hit the floor before his feet do. He spends a long time on those knees. He thinks I don't know, but I do. I know he prays for me to have strength, I feel it. I know he prays that our children, Hermana Nichole and Elder Spencer will realize their potential as missionaries and representatives of Christ. I know he prays that he can be a better dad and a better husband.

I fall asleep while he gets ready for the day. He never complains. In fact, I've never heard him complain about going to work. Ever. Sometimes he jokes that he gets to go to work and wishes me luck. Usually, though, he just kisses me and whispers in my bed head hair that I'm beautiful.

You can't really know me unless you know me when I'm with him. Steve. My sweetheart. My best friend. The man that not only gives me wings to fly, but prays for wind so I can soar. The man that reflects eternity when I look into his eyes.

The Name

There aren't too many words that go with Crosgrove. I think my limited choices are "Crazy" or "Crisis". I decided not to state the obvious and went with "Crisis". We've been referring to ourselves as such for years now. I think it started the summer we spent four weekends in a row at the E.R. with Spencer. And since there is usually something that resembles a crisis unfolding at our home, it stayed.
Occasionally I wish we could be normal for a minute. Perhaps we could be like our friends, the "Harris Happy Household" or something. We're just asking for trouble, aren't we? But recently I had an epiphany.
A big one. Life changing big.
I received a phone call from the Hope Crisis Center in Texas. My daughter Nichole was doing service work there and one Miss Patsy found out that my little girl can sing. Miss Patsy was calling me to ask for sheet music. Nichole's voice had been an instrument to brighten their lives and start their days off on a happy note. That's when I started thinking about the purpose of a crisis center. People that have been battered by all that life throws at them go there for shelter, for a respite from the storms. They go there for love and support, to find help and friendship without judgement. I would think that in most crisis centers, those that find themselves there eventually want to give back, to be a part of something bigger than themselves.  They want opportunities to learn and grow and better themselves.
And then it hit. Isn't that what I want my home to be?
I think I'll keep the name.