I think The Edge is in my Basement!!

For Christmas, Josiah got an effects pedal for his guitar from my folks. We haven't seen him for about two days unless we venture to the basement. He comes up for air and food.

So Far, So Good

After opening gifts Christmas morning, we were invited to our friends' the Nye's house for brunch. Upon arriving back home to the total disaster of wrapping paper, boxes and "stuff", we quickly grabbed our coats and pjs (leaving the disaster behind) and headed over to the Millers for dinner, a double feature, and a sleep over!!! Woo hoo. We had tacos for Christmas dinner. We planned on starting the movies late, but we party-pooping adults were tired and decided that 7pm was a better idea. We watched "Night at the Museum 1 & 2". Crazy and really fun movies. The next morning we got up and went to Target. Can you believe we did that??? Nuts. but not as nuts here in Kalispell as it is in many other cities!! There wasn't even a line in the return area - they were all back in the 50% off holiday aisles which was where we were going. After eating lunch back at our home away from home, and lying around like couch potatoes, we gathered up most of our many belongings (We always leave a few behind. It is kind of like a treasure hunt finding the Dunham leftovers. Someone left ONE SHOE this time - ONE. And I am not sure you can really call dirty socks treasures) and headed home. The next morning, when we showed up for church, the entire Miller family was not in attendance - including Chris and he is the pastor!! They came down with the stomach flu in the middle of the night!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! The kids and I just looked at each other and started laughing. Not laughing that the Millers are sick, but laughing at what's to come for us. Ha. When we got home, I started giving the kids Tummy Tune-up and garlic and all sorts of my concoctions. Isaiah was achy today and so, among other things, I gave him some activated charcoal and raw honey mixed in water. I guess it wasn't such a great idea, because he took one sip, looked at me like he was going to die, and then out it came. Elias is feeling a little "different", but other than that - so far so good. I guess we will see. The Millers are better now; it was a short but nasty bug.

Christmas

We had a nice Christmas - how could one not?? The plan that always existed was set in motion on Earth - Jesus came to redeem us. What's not to love about that? All the other is just icing on the cake. The one thing that made things tough for us here is that Brad was away working in Minot, North Dakota over Christmas. He has been gone two weeks and will be away another 1 1/2 weeks. That was a bummer. More of a bummer for him, though, I am sure. It has been totally freezing there and he's working LONNNNGG days. So, McGyver - this post is for you so you can see our Christmas photos!!

Everyone wearing their hats and gloves from Grandma and Grandpa.

My folks got the girls two really cute outfits form Lands End. Here is one.

Go Fish Revival

Three Christmases ago, my brother and sister-in-law sent this great CD by Go Fish. It is fun, catchy and intelligent (for the most part) kid music, by these three Christian dads. WE liked it, listened for a few days, but then it went into the pile of the zillion CDs we have and sat.....until lately. We are having a Go Fish Revival at our house. My kids must have listened to our Snazzy CD three thousand times in the past two weeks. I think it was sparked when the Super Hero song was used in a slide show at our friend's wedding in San Diego this November. Just this morning, I was getting dressed and had to succomb to the "Mom Song" ("If you work all day and you never get paid you're a mom") 8 times in a row- full blast - until I went out and told Isaiah to turn it down and play another song.... PLEASE! I really love the song, but....5 times in a row?? The kids want the Christmas CD "Snow" (great CD) and since they don't have it, they decided to listen to the next best thing - Snazzy. If you haven't heard these guys, you ought to. Some of their songs include The Jammy Song, It's Hard to Look Cool in a Mini Van, and the more serious Saved my Faith. Go here to sample and then buy one!

Let it Snow!

Raise your hand if you think that Montana should have freezing cold temperatures and lots of snow right now! Me too; but, THINKING we should have snow does not produce results!! We HAD snow a week ago, but for the past three days we have had nothing but........RAIN! Yep, RAIN at Christmas. Can't wait until the temperature drops and all that rain freezes - now, won't that be fun? Kind of like ice skating, except on the highway in your car. No, it won't be fun, but snow would be. So, for those of you who think Montana is sort of like Siberia - you are wrong. Maybe you were thinking of the East coast. ;)

The War Wagon

Shaun is driving back from California to Montana with us so that we can transport the “war wagon” to MT. It is an old step van that McGyver converted into a mobile media truck for Pacific Coast Communications business a few years ago. It has been sitting dormant for a few years. It used to have a projector and internet system inside and a screen on the outside for the display. It now houses a high performance gitty-up engine that we are going to change out to a different truck for Shaun to take back to San Diego. The heat in the war wagon isn’t the greatest…..Shaun and Brad are switching out every half hour so that no one freezes to death (it is -4 right now at 9:52 am)…..freezing to death would be bad. I’m being spared that duty – this is when being a female driver really pays off.

The best carne asada ever

On Sunday, I had the best carne asada burrito I have ever had – and it isn’t because we are totally deprived that I feel that way – I know a good carne asada when I see one! There is a little hole in the wall in Escondido called Jilbertos. The hot sauce was excellent too (that’s how we judge a good Mexican shop – carne asada and hot sauce. And the beans were great too). If someone in San diego wanted to move to Montana and open a taco shop here in Kalispell, they could make a killing. All of us displaced Californians here (not sure who lived here before we all came) lament over the great Mexican food we are missing out on (and the fact that there isn't a Trader Joe's anywhere even remotely close by, but that's another story). So, if in San Diego, go to Jilbertos. BUT don’t use the bathroom – it does NOT live up to the carne asada standard. ICK.

Welcome Home

We aren’t exactly home, but we are in Montana now, and what a welcome! It was -3 (yep, that’s negative three degrees) in Dillon where we stopped last night. HA! It won’t be near that cold in Kalispell, but it might be at the ranch. Brad met a manager at McDonald’s (my McGyver talks to everyone) and the guy RUNS to work and home every day/night – three miles – tonight in negative three degrees. Shaun says that people in Montana are crazy – we say they are just hard core!!

Do You Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is my new, fun thing. Swagbucks is a search engine - just like Google, except that searching via Swagbucks earns you rewards and prizes. JUST FOR SEARCHING through their website, like you already do, you earn points. You can redeem them for PayPal cash, Starbucks cards, Amazon gift cards, and countless other items. You can download their toolbar which sets Swagbucks as your automatic search engine. It doesn't exactly sound the same as "Google it", but maybe it will someday, so go "Swagbucks it" - right now!!

Buffalo Rapids

On Monday, we all went rafting with the Nelsons, Cassens (Happy Birthday, Weston), Maders and some of their friends. We started in Polson and rafted the Flathead River and the Buffalo Rapids. Karen and Doug Nelson and Steve Mader are pros. Doug and his brother owned a rafting company years ago and still have all the gear and expertise. I hadn't been rafting since I first visited Montana 20 years before, and I was with Doug and Steve on the Buffalo Rapids back then too. So, it was a blast from the past for me. We had so much fun. The day was perfect, the water warm and the fellowship even better. Forest was along with us on a kayak. I found out a few hours after we started that he had never kayaked before!!! He was amazing. Okay, well, he had gotten in the kayak on the Lake the day before because he figured he had better know how to flip back over if he went under. Yeah, good idea. So, I cannot technically say that he had never been in a kayak before, but in my book, jumping in the lake with the kayak to learn to flip doesn't count. We have some hard core, outdoorsy friends. He was so impressive - you'd have thought he had done this for years. All the kids did great. Doug has a great vision for teaching the kids to be proficient all these activities so that as they get older they will be has partners in adventure. He goes about it in a really fun way. On rafting trips, he gives them Pirate and Princess tests. They are fun "tests" that the kids have to do in order to steer the boats or earn other privileges. They are based on situations that they really might encounter, and his goal is for them to have already been though those situations in fun so that they can navigate through them during a possibly stressful time. For instance, one of the tests is for the kids to get in the water on one side of the boat and go under the boat to the other side. With a life jacket on, you can't swim under, so you have to dive down and then walk your hands along the underside of the boat and across to the other side. It is a very claustrophobic situation, but if a boat turns over while you aregoing over rapids, it could very well end up on top of you and you would have to "walk" your way out from under it. So, this Pirate/Princess test would make them more comfortable and less likely to freak out in a possible future situation. Jessica Cassens (13) steered her own boat. She did a great job manning her boat and hitting the rapids perfectly. The kids were in the smaller boats and really got to rock and roll on the rapids. Only one boat went over and Elias and Isaiah happened to be in it. There were bodies and paddles everywhere. I thought that Elias would freak out, but when we dragged him in our boat, he said "that was awesome!".

We stopped at two different cliff jumping spots. After doing the car shuttling back to where our cars were parked, we drove into Polson for dinner at the Burger Barn. Nora and Dan were in town visiting from Encinitas and bought ALL of us dinner.....there were 23 of us!!! We were all ready to go back and do it all again. Being on the water is such fun. It has been a fun summer for us being in the water much more than usual. We have missed that about San Diego.

Some Friends

We recently received a flyer in the mail from some of our "friends" in San Diego....it was an In N Out Burger flyer with headlines reading "Fresh is Never Far Away", listing all of the In N' Out locations in the U.S. (not enough in my book). Right next to the headline, these so-called "friends" added a personal note which reads "However, in your case I think you would have to drive pretty far. We are only 20 minutes away. Are you jealous?"

Hm. Did I mention that we LOVE In N' Out Burger? Does that sound like a very "friendly" note to you? I didn't think so. So, here is my public rebuttal: Dear "Friends", you may be only 20 minutes away from In N Out Burger while we are appx. 15 hours away, however, even though you live in San Diego and we are in Montana, WE are much closer to the water than you!!! See photo below". LOVE, The Dunhams. Is there a way to blow a raspberry in writing? If so, consider it done! ;)

The Return of Bitty Baby

Bitty Baby has been on vacation in San Diego for the past 3 months, along with many other items that decided to remain at the Curles' house when we came back to Montana...."the box" arrived yesterday. Micah was so excited that Bitty Baby was home that she didn't leave her side all day long.....she was pushed in the stroller, fed lunch and dinner (she arrived after breakfast), put down for countless naps and woken again, and in the evening we even had a tea party in her honor. Such festivities for a doll. Welcome home, Bitty Baby!

New Milestones

About two weeks ago, I tried teaching Micah to tie her shoes. We were going somewhere and she wanted to know, so I gave her the quick tutorial. She was frustrated with the push-the-shoestring-through-the-loop part, but I told her that we'd keep working on it. Two days later she put her feet up on the seat of the car and said "Look, I tied my shoes". I looked and they were tied. So I, being the kind of mother that has great faith in her children, asked "Who did that for you?" I was amazed when she answered that she indeed had done it herself and proceeded to show me just how she did it. WOW!! Too bad everyone isn't that easy. I think one of my kids (who will remain nameless), didn't get it figured out until, well...um, let's just say we have issues there.

Make Hay When the Sun Shines

...........well, that's the idea at least. It is cherry season in the Flathead Valley (well, everywhere, I guess). Our new place has 4 cherry trees.....one Rainier, one Bing, one pie cherry, and one that we can't figure out. My fingers have been black for about a week now. In the midst of moving, it is that time of year when you have to process your cherries or lose them. So, we did what all narcissistic people with boxes everywhere do.....we did cherries!! Tracy Rickel was my partner in crime. One evening last week, she and her girls came over and we all processed some pie cherries.....to the tune of 19 pies worth. Then, this Saturday at her house, we processed 84 pounds of Bing cherries.

Today, we all met here again and picked the rest of our pie cherries and after pitting them all, we ended up with cherries to make 24 pies. It is a good thing that I love cherries....or maybe it's a bad thing. I guess I'll let you know after we've eaten all those pies. HA!

The New Digs

We just did what we do every summer.....MOVED. As much as we hate doing that, we cannot believe our new place. The house itself is great, we are on three acres, there are fruit trees everywhere (3 cherries, 2 apricots - big apricots, an italian plum, a 'regular' plum, 7 apple, and a pear), and we have a spectacular view. We are right across the street from Flathead Lake with a view of the Mission Mountains just beyond the lake. Amazing. We are water people - Brad is a surfer (avid) and we miss the beach in California, so it is great being so near the water again. We didn't realize how much we missed it until we moved in here. We are thankful and hope that we can be here a while - hopefully until we buy our own place. I am ready for a new summer plan.

The view from the back (which is really the front from the road)

The front (which is around back of the house)

Welcome! The living room.

The master bedroom. I love it.

Happy Birthday Elisha

Oh, our sweet Elisha is 12 - unbelievable. There are so many things that I love about Elisha. She is just a gem of a person. People have always loved Elisha - for as long as I can remember, they have lined up to be buddies with her. I have had more requests for "play dates" with her than all of my other kids combined - times 20. Not that the others aren't loved, but there has always been something about her that draws people in mass numbers. Even adults love to be around Elisha. She is such fun; she is witty and oh-so-creative. Elisha is a great mix of tom-boy and femininity....I love that. She loves skirts and dress-ups (still), and tea parties, but one of her favorite places to be is up in a tree. And she wields a sword with the best of them. One of the sweetest things about Elisha, and one that blesses me as a parent, is her tender conscience. When she lies, loses her temper, or does something that she knows she shouldn't, she can't live with herself until she comes to tell me or apologizes. I am so thankful for her in my life. I love seeing God work in her life and I look forward to what He has in store for her. Dear Elisha, I love you - you are one of my favorite people - I want to be just like you one day.

Where there are no oxen....

Proverbs 14:4 says "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strenth of the ox." Hm. So, the natural correlation in my mind is that where there are no children the house is clean, but what would life be without our children? I needed to hear this today (and tomorrow, and the next day, and....). Bring on the dirt - it doesn't look so bad now.

My view from the front seat

Have guitar, will travel. It makes for really nice background music - USUALLY! ;)

Redwall Scmedwall

I am so thankful that my kids L-O-V-E to read, but I am ready for them to read and discuss something else. Elisha and Isaiah were introduced to Brian Jacques' Redwall series (21 big, fat books long) by Jeffrey Miller in the fall. They have both, since then, read all 21 books (at least once, some more than that). Isaiah is now listening to them on tape and CD as well. They are dramatized readings and so he now has voices to add to his own line recitals (oh boy!). Unrestrained (by me) breakfast discussion is no longer about anything other than Dibbins and Moles. They have gone over the deep end. This happened last year with the Lord of the Rings books until we made them give it a rest, so I know that this shall pass. I am sure that we all will be able to look back on it with fond memories...........someday.

Sale on Geneva Bible Pages

At GenevaBiblepages.com they sell original 400 year old Geneva bible pages made available in a variety of ways: framed, matted, or unmounted. They over ordered recently and are having a great sale in order to liquidate their extra inventory. They are offering pages at 40% off and there is even a family bundle at 50% off. They are also offering an incentive for helping them put the word out at Inashoe.com. Go check it out.

We Aren't in California Anymore, Toto

Two years ago, this never would have happened....but now.....hm, well, things have changed!!

Summer....finally

we had a late two weeks of snow. The ranch got 4 feet of snow in late April/early May while we were in sunny San Diego....it was ugly and cold here (in the teens for a few day! br!) from the day we left until the day before we got back. Nice for us, not so nice for our fellow Montanans. The cows and bulls are losing their winter coats and look so mangy. We have bison calves everywhere. We all went out to the ranch together for a few days and had some fun. Look at that clean air - can't you just smell it? How about the clear water? And the fresh grass?? mmmm.

So What Exactly are You Saying?

Tonight, I told my husband about Abraham Piper's blog (John Piper's son) called twenty two words and explained that all of his posts are 22 words or less (an experiment in getting to the point). He told me that I ought to follow that blog. Hm.

another bison recipe

Not sure what to call this recipe, but you can use round steak, sirloin, sirloin tip, or just about anything cut into chunks. Stew meat or "beef" tips work great too. Here goes:
2 lbs of chunked meat (see above!)
1/2 - 1 large onion - thinly sliced
fresh garlic - 2-4 cloves depending on your personal garlic meter!
olive oil
cumin - lots
garlic powder (not so much if you have used a lot of fresh!)
salt
pepper
steak seasoning - a few shakes
2 cans stewed tomatoes/diced tomatoes

Add some olive oil, the meat, and onion to a large skillet. Sprinkle meat with seasonings. I like to use a lot of cumin. When the meat is browned, add two cans (or equivalent) of stewed, sliced tomatoes (italian style is nice, but Mx. or any other will work). Mix everything up really well. Bring to a boil and let simmer for as long as it takes for the meat to be extremely tender
(45 minutes?), and the sauce cooks down and thickens into a gravy. The tomatoes will cook down so that they aren't big and chunky. You can break them up even more if you have picky eaters that don't like cooked tomatoes (like my kids!). Serve the meat and sauce over brown rice. For a different twist, you can leave out the tomatoes and just add broth or water instead and LOTS of cumin. Spoon the meat and sauce into flour tortillas and have your own version of Carne Guisada (that's a TX, wet version of Carne Asada). Both ways of serving are yummy! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to me

My mom and dad sent me $50 for my birthday and this is what I bought!!! I know it isn't a Steinway (or even close), but we are thrilled. And we think it is really cute. Maybe we will paint it some funky color or distress it. So, happy birthday to me - thanks Mom and Dad!

I love Freecycle

Do you Freecycle? Last week, our espresso maker died.....after breaking down and having a good cry, we resigned oursleves to regular coffee (shocking). A few days later, I posted a "wanted" ad on Freecycle: "wanted: espresso maker with milk steamer". Later that night, I got a response from a local gal that had one she didn't use. Dear Bridget handed over her machine yesterday afternoon. This is what we ended up with:

It is in perfect shape and we can barely believe it. Also, last Christmas, my son wanted a capo for his guitar. My sister-in-law got a like-new one on freecycle in her area for him. It was one of the expensive kind. So, if you don't freecycle yet, you ought to go here and check out the group in your area.

Remedy Drive

When we heard that Remedy Drive - no, when we heard that A Christian band, any Christian band, was actually coming to Kalispell, we fell out of our seats. Then, we got up and bought tickets. I had never heard of Remedy Drive, but Josiah had read about them and by the time we went to the show at a local church, we had heard their newest album a few times. When the bass player started jumping off speakers and they all started head banging, I was okay, but when the lead singer started standing on his head/shoulders on top of his keyboard with his feet in the air, I started getting a little worried! It so happened that, other than the few strange antics, the concert was really good. The sound left a little to be desired, but I enjoyed their music. It was really fun and I felt really old. After the show, Josiah went up front to check out the guitarist's effects pedals. It struck me as funny that everyone was crowding around the door waiting for the band to come out and he was at the stage checking out their equipment. We hung out until things died down and talked to each of them. Since then, we have followed their website and Josiah keeps up with what they are doing. A couple of them mentioned really enjoying CS Lewis and Tim Keller on their blogs. I was impressed with the Tim Keller part - not your typical rock band. It was an exciting night for Josiah and I. I miss that part of my life - the music part. It is especially fun sharing it with my own kid who loves it too.

Goodbye San Diego, Goodbye Curles

Can you believe we all stay in one house for almost two weeks? There is much fun to be had! And oh-so-many messes to be made.
#1
the girlies The Goodbye Parade

I hate saying goodbye - the only consolation is that we go there twice a year on business, so I always know that we will be back. It isn't the place we miss, it is the people! We love those Curles. I think next time, McKenzie is going to stow away in my suitcase - or the trailer. Her mom wouldn't be so happy, but boy would we have fun until her dad came to get her!! ;)

Carlsbad Flower Fields

We went to watch the Curles' Girls play in a Sonata festival on Saturday. It was a great afternoon of music and just happened to be across the street from the Carlsbad flower fields.

Guitar Hero

Or so he wants to be.....I went outside the other day because I heard strange, outside noises. This is what I saw. HA! Amp and all. I thought it was pretty funny!! A trampoline makes jumping around on stage a bit easier, wouldn't you say?

$1 Taco Tuesday

Have I mentioned that the thing we miss the most about San Diego is the Mexican food (well, other than our friends, of course!)? Shallow, aren't we? We lived there for many years and we miss the food (and Trader Joe's and Henry's, but those are food related as well. Hm.). We went to $1 Taco Tuesday at On the Border....the whole lot of us, except Wayne who always seems to be out of town the majority of the time that we are in SD. My husband is certain that Mr. Curles does it on purpose just to leave Brad with 11 children and the almost equivalent of 2 wives.....poor guy. Now, I know that On The Border isn't real REAL Mexican food, but we take what we can get - remember, we live in Montana. Anyone out there that is looking for a great investment ought to open a taco stand here in Montana. You know, a Roberto's/Aliberto's/Jaliberto's because almost everyone who lives in Montana is from California and we all miss the Mexican food - and the salsa.

On the road AGAIN

I am a worry wart and I am thankful to post that the drive to San Diego went without a hitch - no thawed out bison(praise God!), no crashes, no tire blow-outs, no break-downs, no run-away trailers, no one broke in and stole our things OR the bison, and we didn't lose any kids at the gas stations. Those are just some of the things I have nightmares about before these trips.

We hit some really strong winds in Idaho - the girls had to literally hold their skirts down so that they would keep from flying over their heads as they walked from the car to the gas station. That was quite a sight. We stayed in SLC, Utah (one of my favorite cities in the U.S. and no, we are not Mormon. It is my alma mater - go Utes!). Utah was and is beautiful. Day two began with lovely weather and the worst part of the drive. Vegas was - well, Vegas..... and hot.....and crowded. That's where the culture shock starts. We hit Corona, CA (beautiful!), breathed a sigh of relief, and stopped at Rubios for fish tacos. Yahoo. All along the road we listened and analyzed music (well, Josiah and I did) and listened to books on tape (Dandelion Fire by ND Wilson was the book of choice for the trip down). Once again, our adopted family, the Curles', extended their precious hospitality to us for the visit and we arrived ready for a grand adventure. We weren't disappointed.

McGyver Strikes Again

Have I told you that I call my husband, McGyver? No? Hm, well, I do, because it is fitting. He can do/make/figure out just about anything. One time, on the way to a church camping trip, we came across friends of ours who had broken down on the way to the campsite. We pulled over and with a mag-light handle, a bicycle handlebar, duct tape, and something else that I cannot remember (something strange!), he had them back on the road and running fine. Not only did they keep on trucking that weekend, but they ended up driving around for 6 weeks with it that way until they could afford to have the car fixed. ha. Well, there are similar stories, but that's our favorite. So, this week, McGyver did it again. We have been renting a truck/trailer each time we go to San Diego for a bison delivery, and this time, McGyver decided to turn our trailer into a permanently insulated box. We had friends over working with him all week (we really do have great friends!). We now have an insulated box that will require much less dry ice. We have another insulated box that goes inside the insulated trailer too. We should be good to go and no more renting trucks for us. That McGyver; he's amazing! :)

McGyver, with his lovely assistant, painting the trailer. Tad working on cooler box. Tad was here all day long - from bright and early until after dark. What trooper. I wish I had taken photos the day before too when Chris Miller and Jay Rickel were here helping out.

CROCK POT BRAISED BISON SHORT RIBS

This recipe is for short ribs, which are not good on the BBQ - too little meat and no fat. BUT, cooked in the crock pot, they are delicious!!!! Here they are!

Crock Pot Braised Bison Short Ribs

3-4 pounds short ribs

½ c. flour

1 ½ t. paprika

1 t. salt

½ t. dry mustard

2 medium onions, sliced and separated into rings

1 c. beer or stock (bison homemade or beef store bought)

1 clove garlic (or more!!)

3 T. water

2 T. flour

If you are using beef, you’ll want to brown the short ribs to remove the fat, but with bison, you can skip this step – you want all the fat they’ll give you! Combine ½ cup flour, paprika, salt and mustard; toss with short ribs. Add rib mixture to crock pot. Place onions, beer (or water or stock) and garlic in crock pot. Stir to mix ribs with onion rings (be sure onions are under ribs). Cover and cook on low 8-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. Remove short ribs to warm serving platter. If thickened gravy is desired, make a smooth paste with 2T flour and water. Turn crock pot to high and stir in paste. Cover and cook until gravy is thickened. Or you can do the gravy in a sauce pan. They are absolutely delicious served over mashed, red potatoes.
Makes appx. 6 servings.

Lime Cilantro Tacos

I promised to put two recipes on the bison website, but I cannot get on there to do it. So....I am putting them here instead. I will eventually get them on there as soon as my hubby has time to tell me how to get on! He has a secret password I guess - who knows what I might put on there! ;) The first is a Dunham family favorite. For all of you San Diegans who love carne asada, this first one will be one of your favs to. It calls for flank steak, but you can use round steak (we have our round cut really thin - it substitutes for any recipe calling for flank steak, which, on a bison is really kind of measly - they can't help it if they have little flanks, poor guys). I will put the second recipe in the next post. Enjoy!

LIME CILANTRO TACOS
1 ½ pounds flank steak (or thin cut round steak)
4 limes; 2 juiced, the other 2 cut in wedges
1 ½ t. paprika
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 c. chopped cilantro
2 T. chopped onion
Tortillas, cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, sour cream, olives - any other taco garnishes you like.

Prepare marinade for carne asada by using the juice from 2 limes salt, pepper, cilantro and chopped onion. Place all these in a plastic Ziploc style bag along with the flank steak. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Grill the flank/round until done (3-5 minutes per side maybe - watch it, tough bison is overdone bison??). Slice steak 1/8 thick along the grain first and then chop into small pieces. Fill tortillas with meat and garnish with other items. Yum!!

bison, bison, bison

We are getting ready for a bison delivery in San Diego. We leave on Thursday and, as usual, there is little thought given to much but bison right now. We eat (yep, literally), sleep, and breathe (not literally) bison. So here's a photo for you from the last time we were at the ranch. ...of bison.

Rhett and Link links

Do you know who Rhett and Link are? If you don't, then you should. These guys do skits, songs and crazy stuff for company promotions. For instance, in this video http://rhettandlink.com/blog/2009/04/08/413 Taco Bell paid Rhett and Link to do a singing drive through order promoting a new contest. The people working at the Taco Bell drive through had no idea about the deal. Here are a few of our favorite Rhett & Link links. Get ready for a few laughs....no, get ready to fall off your chair. We think they are hilarious.

http://rhettandlink.com/videos/#maine-man-series
http://rhettandlink.com/videos/#invisible-bed-fence
http://rhettandlink.com/videos/rlk-wales#mohler-mclaughlin
http://rhettandlink.com/videos/baja-inspection#
http://rhettandlink.com/videos/rlk-wales#bbq-song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM5ubGwDfI0

And don't stop there - go to their site http://rhettandlink.com/ and watch some more. You don't often find really funny stuff that is clean. They also have done some things as the Fabulous Bentley Brothers (see Genesis and 2 Chronicles - they are our favs) for Jellytelly.com, Phil Vischer's (of Veggie Tale fame) new internet programming for kids.

The Mighty Bison Slayers

We are getting ready for a bison run to San Diego at the end of the month and so for the past month we have been harvesting animals for the trip. We are so blessed to have great friends to help with the task. The funny thing is that they all love it. Good for us, huh? AND they are really good at it. Dennis (our asst. pastor) is an avid hunter and makes quick work at one of these guys. Scott has been out a few times too and really has the process down. The Haymond family is learning and enjoys getting the experience, and they were such a great help. It is fun being out there, and most of my kids love it too. Elisha LOVES gutting. She thinks it is so interesting finding the organs (ooh!). This last week, everyone but me went to the fields to do the deed.....every party has a pooper and in this case, I was glad it was me! :)

Trip to Bozeman

Last weekend, we took a trip to Bozeman to deliver some bison and visit the Olsens. It was Colleen's 40th birthday! AND, she is 4 1/2 months pregnant, so we couldn't pass it up. Up here, in the Flathead Valley, we are all out of snow, so I assumed that they would be too. Not a chance. In town and on the other end of Bozeman, there isn't any snow at all, but at their house, they had at least a foot and it snowed all day Friday and Saturday. We got out the snow mobiles and the kids went bonkers. When the weather cleared up and got beautiful (Bozeman is a beautiful valley and they get lots of sun), they also broke out the mini bike. We spent a lovely evening with our good friends, the Behrendt's, too. It is always a great time when we visit. It is too bad that we live so far away. We are so thankful for the great friends that we have here in Montana - it is hard to believe that we haven't even been here for two full years.

Montana Ranch Beauty

No photgraphic tricks here - these are the real deal! Spectacular