Morning tea

I'm pretty sure my niece and brother-in-law find us to be uncultured American pigs after discovering we did not have the proper English breakfast tea on hand this morning, let alone a proper drinking mug or kettle. An emergency run to the grocery store and borrowed mug from the neighbors, and all was well with the British Invasion.

And on a totally unrelated note. That sweet Union Jack background? Yeah. They're leggings my SIL gave me.

British Invasion {Bees game}

Jeff's sister, Vickie, and family are finally here! They live in Long Ashton, England and the last time we saw our nieces and nephew {and Uncle Glen... where's Glen?} was eight years ago when they were just little pipsqueaks! I still can't believe they aren't the cute little flower girls at my wedding. The kids and I were probably the most excited to have the "British Invasion" here in the states. It was the first time Pearl and Cole had met Aurelia (18), Alexis (16), and Sam (11) and having new cousins was super exciting. I just loved getting to know my cute, spunky, and very different teenage!!! nieces. And my brother-in-law, Glen, is just the nicest, calmest, easy-going guy around. He was so much fun too!

Because they haven't been to the states for a looong time, they had a huge list of must-see's and must-do's. So Jeff and I pretty much told our employers we were going to be gone a lot and probably on short notice to take the British Invasion sightseeing. We drove to Logan a lot too, having dinner and visiting whenever we could.

Our first official outing was going to a real American baseball game. The first time for Aurelia, Alexis, and Sam. I made the mistake of not saving Jeff a seat by us because I was left to try and explain every rule, stat, and scoreboard lingo to the three of them. At one point the guy in front of us saved my rambling by explaining what each of the player's stats were. And no popcorn, candy, lemonade, or sno-cones for these serious sports fans... unlike my two children who think any sporting event is just an excuse to spend all of their parents' money on overpriced food.

After the game we made the kids {I still think Aurelia missed out on a truly American experience} run the bases on the field. And get a picture with Bumble the Bee. Aurelia and Alexis soon learned that the sooner they obliged my photo requests, the sooner they could be done with me and my camera. Samuel on the other hand still needs some work.

The British Invasion stayed with us after the game.... we desperately need a bigger house. As my sister-in-law reminded me, when she was here a few years ago {just her} I promised the next time I'd have a bigger house so they could stay with us longer. One night was about all we could handle in our tiny house. We had an epic morning tea fail. Oops. Who knew the British were so serious about their tea?

And then we went shopping. My nieces told me they wanted to "go to a store that we don't have in London, Aunt Jenny" {now say this again with a British accent}. We ended up at Target. Then the Gap, Nordstrom, Chicos, Forever 21, and Starbucks. Uncle Glen needed a sanity-saving cup of coffee. Did I mention the British Invasion were also mesmerized by the drive-through Starbucks EVERYWHERE? Seriously. I think the ability to go to a Starbucks on a daily basis was the highlight of their "holiday" to the states. 

Cole on the other hand was not amused with the day-long shopping spree. I'm pretty sure all the men were feeling the exact same way.

Even I reached my shopping limit.

Fiiz

Pearl and I thought a treat from Jeff's favorite soda shop would "brighten his day" and chase the grouchies from today's relentless heat away. Oh. And Pearl's drink you see was a delightful delicious slushy surprise.

Lagoon Trail

For Young Women's tonight, we took the girls on the Lagoon Trail. I'd never been on it before and it was a pleasant surprise. It was even dog friendly, so Hannah told me to bring Blu and she'd bring their chocolate lab. It was a bit crazy with a bunch of teenagers and two dogs, but super fun and great weather. The trail goes behind Lagoon and ends at Farmington Pond. 

The girls said they'd go on the rope swing if we went, but only Tegan was brave enough to actually follow through with it. But luckily for them, they still got wet.... the dogs were more than happy to run around them and shake right next to them!

Even though they roll their eyes at me every time I want a picture, they still humor me! I love these girls!

Living Planet Aquarium

This kid suckered me into taking him to my office retreat at the new Living Planet Aquarium and spending every dime I had on a drink and souvenirs that he will probably never play with again. 

And since he'd already been to the aquarium for his Dad's office retreat, he wasn't too keen on letting me watch any of the fish, penguins, otters, or birds for more than 2.5 seconds. 

Dad is always the favorite. Even when we visit his office, it's always way more fun than mine. It probably doesn't hurt his favorite parent status that he has treats and cool Aggie gear everywhere. 

St. Louis Style Pizza

The only problem when making Cooks Country St. Louis Style Pizza {with a delicious cracker thin crust} is that it sets my smoke alarms off because you have to cook it at such a high temperature. The sacrifices.

 
St. Louis Style Pizza from Cooks Country

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 cups American cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 3 drops liquid smoke
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water, plus 2 Tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil and 1T sugar and oregano in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Toss cheeses with liquid smoke in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Combine flour, cornstarch, 2 tsp sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine water and olive oil in measuring cup. Stir water mixture into flour mixture until dough starts to come together. Turn dough onto slightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times, until cohesive.
4. Top each piece of dough with half of the sauce and half of cheese. Carefully pull parchment off of baking sheet onto hot oven stone. Bake until underside is golden brown and cheese is completely melted, 9-12 minutes. Remove pizza and parchment from oven. Transfer pizza to cooling rack and let cool a few minutes. Assemble and bake second pizza. Cut into 2" squares. Serve. 
5. Note - dough can be made in advance. Once mixed tightly wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate up to 2 days. 
6. Variation - If you would like to add pepperoni arrange them on a paper towel lined plate, cover with paper towl and microwave 2 minutes. Let cool. Add to pizza either before or after cheese. 
7. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place pizza stone (or inverted baking sheet) on rack and heat oven to 475 degrees.
8. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press into small circle and transfer to parchment paper dusted lightly with flour. Using rolling pin, roll and stretch dough to form 12" circle, rotating parchment as needed. Lift parchment and pizza off work surface onto inverted baking sheet (not one in the oven). 

Pearl's Art Camp

We sent Pearl to art camp this summer.

For two whole weeks!

The camp was sponsored by the Cache Valley Center for the Arts. The theme was earth and sky and it just happened to coincide with the British Invasion coming across the pond. So we decided to just leave her at Grandma's house to play with her "new" cousins for the entire two weeks. It was the longest she'd ever been away from home and when the weekend rolled around and we told her we weren't taking her home {it was our anniversary so we'd planned to leave her and Cole in Logan with my parents and then back to Jeff's parents for art camp week}, things got a little teary. I felt bad but more so that I felt bad that I just wanted an entire weekend with my husband and no kids. It was pretty heartbreaking though and I know Jeff felt really bad about leaving her.

But she survived.

My niece Ruby and Pearl's friend Gabby also went to art camp with her I work with Gabby's mom and Gabby's grandparents live in North Logan. That's how we found out about art camp in the first place, because Gabby goes every year.

Pearl wanted Jeff - and only Jeff - to come to their parent showcase on the last day. That's when I felt really bad but decided that if she was so adamant about it, that I better respect her wishes and stay home. She brought home several pottery works she's made and some paintings. I think she had a fun time and leaned some new techniques. They sang and did theater performances for the parents too.

Pearl has always been really creative and artsy - which might explain why her room is a complete mess all the time! We wanted to find something to help her improve on her talents and I'm guessing we'll be sending her back next summer.