menu followup

So it doesn't get buried and missed in the comments, here are Amanda's questions to the previous post with responses mixed in (from Trina - I didn't notice the blog was logged in as Adam until I'd typed this whole thing):

Are we going to bring a million plastic containers for the chopped fruits/veggies between meals?
That would be a good idea - hadn't thought of that. I'll make sure we pack a bunch. If you have room to bring some too, that would be great.

I like the idea of all these options! Do we think it will all get eaten?
Hope so! Anything left at the end will get divided between people with coolers to be eaten on the drives home (anyone not on a plane).

In the part with all the exclamation marks, when you say leftovers, do you mean wasted or tossed food? It looks like there will be endless leftovers. 
Good point. Leftovers, in this case, is - if you prep some food, finish it. No making things that you don't eat. There will be no plastic containers left for small servings, and there will be no room in the fridge to put things. If you make some pasta salad, finish it. If you make a green salad, down the hatch. If you make sandwiches, eat them.

Will there be any salty type snacks? Chips/crackers/pretzels, or popcorn to go with our endless movie showings? 
At the last reunion, non-meal snacks (like crackers) were the responsibility of each individual family because kids eat so differently, and they were kept out of the kitchen so they didn't get mixed in with the general food. I would advise doing that again if your kids like certain things that aren't included on this big list. I think a lot of the movies will be running during breakfast, but unpopped popcorn is cheap and easy, and a big bowl of popcorn would be a nice addition to the board game tournament that it looks like will be happening. Good idea. Adam can make it on the stovetop in a pot, so we don't need microwaved stuff or a popper.

And it looks like there is dessert for the bday girl, which is wonderful. Will there be dessert any of the other days? Or any popsicles or frozen stuff? I hear it will be hot.
Lots of people in the family (adults) have been talking recently about health issues including weight loss, so we deliberately left desserts off the menu. We might bring cookies for Summer's baptism, but that depends on if I get enough baked and frozen before we leave. Dessert = fruit and yogurt. We need to wait until we get there to see how much room is in the freezer before we can decide about popsicles.

It doesn't look like you included what Aaron Murphy wanted (according to Emily) to do. 
Murph's pasta salad is folded into the "pasta salad bar." After looking at his list of ingredients and thinking about various pasta salads Adam makes, I thought, "Well, ____ won't eat this, and _____ won't eat that," etc. My concern was that there would be these big bowls of premixed pasta salad that very few people would eat and we'd waste a lot of food. So the alternate plan is that everyone can make their own individual bowl of pasta salad with whatever they want in it. There will be no pre-made pasta salad at all.

Will you still have time to enjoy Nauvoo with all this cooking?
That's why we have kitchen teams - so everyone can enjoy their time and the same 3 people aren't doing all the work every day. Thanks for reminding me that I need to put those together.

Revised Palmer Family Reunion Menu

2014 Palmer Family Reunion Menu

Concept:  Salad, potato, pasta, sandwich bars at every lunch/dinner.  Fruit & Yogurt bar at every meal. Cooks prepare basic ingredients. Individuals (and parents of small children) choose assembly. MAKE ONLY WHAT YOU WILL EAT!!!!! NO LEFTOVERS!!!!  Some meals will be major productions.  

Potato Bar:  Potatoes, butter, bacon, sour cream, dill, cheese, chives, chili, salsa

Salad Bar:  Salad greens, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives (green, black, kalamata), pepperoncinis, hard boiled eggs, sliced peppers, shredded cheese, dressing (italian, ranch, ????), carrots (sticks & shredded), celery (sticks & shredded)

Pasta Bar:  2-3 kinds of pasta, grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, broccoli, feta,

Fruit Bar: apples, bananas, oranges, melon, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries?, pears

Yogurt Bar:  Make vanilla yogurt (yogurt, honey, vanilla), granola

Cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats, Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks), uncooked oatmeal

Sandwich Bar:  PB&J, lunch meat, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, mustard, sliced cheese, bread, buns, olives

Drinking Coolers of Gatorade, Lemonade

Thursday, July 3

Dinner:

- Spaghetti, Fettuccine & Shapes Pasta (regular & GF)

- Sauce - Red, Pesto, Alfredo

- Parmesan Cheese

- Italian Bread

Friday, July 4

Breakfast:

- German Pancakes (GF Flour)

- Pancakes (Krusteaz Mix)

- Scrambled Eggs & Sausage/Bacon

Dinner:

- Cha Sui - Pork, Soy Sauce, other ingredients

- Curried Chicken: Chicken, curry, other ingredients

- Rice

- Veggies - stir fry mix (fresh = snap peas, mushrooms, watercress, broccoli, red peppers,  

onions)

- Strawberry Shortcake:  FIND A GF Recipe!!!

Saturday, July 5

Breakfast:

- Hash Browns

- Scrambled Eggs & Sausage/Bacon

- Quiche

Dinner:

- Carne asada: pork, spices,

- enchiladas: corn tortillas, sauce (Adam's secret recipe), chicken, mozzarella cheese, olives

- quesadillas: flour tortillas, cheese, salsa, beans

- rice - plain

- chips: corn tortillas MAKE OR BUY

- guacamole - buy

- veg: tomatoes, onions, peppers, lettuce, jalapenos

- salsa

- 7 layer dip: hamburger, refried beans, cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, sour cream, olives,

taco seasoning

Sunday, July 6 (Summer's baptism)

Breakfast:

- pancakes

- scrambled eggs  & Sausage/Bacon

Dinner: leftovers, various bars

Monday, July 7

Breakfast:

- biscuits: self-rising flour (white lily), buttermilk, butter

- gravy: milk, hamburger, white onion, salt, pepper

- scrambled eggs & Sausage/Bacon

Dinner:

- Pulled pork sandwiches: Slow Roast Pork, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar

- hamburger buns

- Baked Beans: canned

- Cole slaw: cabbage mix, red bell pepper, lemon poppy seed dressing

- Watermelon?

- Potato Salad: potatoes, mayo, dill pickles, parsley, vinegar, salt, pepper

 

Tuesday, July 8

Breakfast:

- Breakfast casserole: eggs, potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions

- Scrambled eggs & Sausage/Bacon

Dinner: Clean the Fridge!

Wednesday, July 9

Breakfast: Eat what's left!

Laurel and Eric’s ideas for reunion July 2014

Laurel and Eric's idea for bedrooms

What if we rotated Bedroom 5 between Nate, Eric and Tawnia. Laurel can squish in with Allie when it's Tawnia's turn or cuddle with Eric or stick Stevie in Allie's bed. Then we don't have to move our stuff so much. Nate and Amanda are on board with this plan.

Main floor:

    Bedroom 1: king size bed --

                                    Trina and Adam

                                    Tenley     Josie

    Bedroom 2: 2 queen size beds --

Mindy and Aaron --Car bed for Aria
Emily and Aaron

                                   

Down stairs

    Bunk room: 4 bunks    bottom                  top

                                    1 - Tawnia*           2 - Summer

                                    3 - Marnie - Jenna  4 - Eric or Nathan*

                                    5 - Allie                6 - Laurel or Amanda*

                                    7 – Joshy - Henry 8 - Stevie

Upstairs  

    Bedroom 3: king size bed

                                    Frank and Evelyn

    Bedroom 4: queen size bed and 2 bunks

                                    Jared and Michelle

                                    1 - Emma                 2 - Brooke

                                    3 - Clarissa           4 - Bryan

    Bedroom 5: queen size bed

• Nathan and Amanda*                              
• Eric and Laurel*
• Tawnia*
• Car bed for Katie* (Does Katie rotate?)  (I know she twists)

Reunion Menu

As the self-designated Supreme Mugwump of the culinary arts for the impending gathering of those seeking to supplant Captain Chaos following his oh-too-soon retirement (aka head chef for the reunion), I'm proposing the following menu.  Speak now or forever hold your peas (but not too long b/c they tend to get mushy after a while and aren't too enjoyable then).  This is only a PROPOSED menu and is by no means settled.  If you want something (or, conversely, don't want something), say it (as well saying what you do/don't want).  

Thursday, July 3 (check-in at 4pm)

Dinner: pasta (regular & gluten-free), sauce (red, pesto, alfredo), greek salad, bread

Friday, July 4 (Mom's birthday, dinner menu at her request)

Breakfast: German pancakes, regular pancakes, parfait, eggs, OJ/milk, oatmeal

Dinner: cha sui, curry chicken, rice, hot & sour cabbage, other veggies, dessert TBD 

Saturday, July 5

Breakfast: hash browns, eggs, fruit salad, OJ/milk, oatmeal

Dinner: carne asada, enchiladas, quesadillas, rice, chips, guacamole, veg, salsa, etc. (Does this meet your requirements Brooke?)

Sunday, July 6 (Summer's baptism)

Breakfast: pancakes, eggs, fruit salad, OJ/milk, toast, oatmeal

Dinner: pulled pork sandwiches, beans, cole slaw, lemonade, watermelon, potato salad, green salad, pasta salad  

Monday, July 7

Breakfast: biscuits and gravy, eggs, toast, oatmeal, OJ/milk, quiche

Dinner: fruit salad, pasta salad w/ chicken, green salad, other salads

Tuesday, July 8

Breakfast: breakfast casserole, eggs, toast, oatmeal, OJ/milk

Dinner: Clean the Fridge!

Wednesday, July 9

Breakfast: Eat what's left!

Notes: Lunch every day will be sandwiches (PB&J, egg, tuna, lunch meat) and leftovers.  Snacks of fruits and veggies, cheese, crackers will be available.

video challenges

Jump
Let the wild rumpus start
Commercial for PopPop
Horror film trailer
Favorite hymn or Primary song
Duck
Swing
Where I live
Duel

I had to scroll way down through Facebook to find these, so I moved them here to be more accessible.

FFF Finalists

Remember EVERYONE age 3 and over gets to choose ONE  favorite from each decade.

Here are the ones to vote on

60s
The Mortgage Bit
I Spy
The Caped Currier

70s
Hide and Seek
The Magic Wand
Run Spot Run

80-85
Suprkids
The Shortcut
Slumber Party
Across the Amazon

86-89
Super Funny
Theseus and the Minotaur
The Herman's Rebellion
The Invisible One
The Night Before Christmas

90s

 A Day at the Beach
A Christmas Carol     
The Day   
Fun With Dirt

2000s

Skits 2003 
Pure Chaos    
Adventures of Captain Chaos        
 A Day in the Life of a Custodian

Have fun and please email us with your final decisions.  Do not post them on facebook or the blog because we want the winners to be a surprise.

Dad's suggested sleeping arrangement

Dad’s bed assignments for reunion July 2014

(*) for bed rotation one or two nights in bunks

After hearing everyone's input Dad worked out this plan.

Jared and Michelle are not in the rotation because Emma has some sleeping issues so we thought it might be easier this way.  My thoughts for Aria is that she just stays in the room with whatever adults are sharing with her.  Dad and I shared her room at Christmas and as long as we went in after she was asleep, (and that was fairly early) she didn't wake us up.  When she woke up in the morning she was happy.  I'd put Mindy and Aaron last in the rotation so Aria has time to adjust. It looks like Dad put Emily and Aaron first so they would be switching rooms with someone.  As for Aaron needing a place to study he can use our room. Does this sound fair to everyone?  If you have a better idea please share it.  

Main floor:

        Bedroom 1: king size bed -- 

                                        Trina and Adam

                                        Tenley     Josie

        Bedroom 2: 2 queen size beds --

                                        Eric and Laurel*    

                                        Nathan and Amanda*

                                Car bed for Katie

Down stairs

        Bunk room: 4 bunks       bottom                     top

                                        1 - Tawnia               2 - Summer

                                        3 - Marnie - Jenna  4 - Emily*

                                        5 - Allie                   6 - Aaron*

                                        7 – Joshy - Henry    8 - Stevie

Upstairs  

        Bedroom 3: king size bed

                                        Frank and Evelyn

        Bedroom 4: queen size bed and 2 bunks

                                        Jared and Michelle

                                        1 - Emma                 2 - Brooke

                                        3 - Clarissa              4 - Bryan

        Bedroom 5: queen size bed

                                Mindy and Aaron*

                        Car bed for Aria

Update

This is an updated schedule with the changes in bold so you can find them.

Palmer Reunion

“Come Enjoy Your Inheritance”

July 3 thru July 9, 2014 - Nauvoo, Illinois

July 3 Thur - 4pm Check in

        Art Project - Make T-shirts for the 4th

July 4 Fri -  Happy Birthday Grandma

        4^th of July flag raising by Trina and Adam 9am

        Wagon ride - around Nauvoo

   Free time

        Show - Sunset on the Mississippi   6:30 to 8pm

        Fireworks from front of Temple      9pm

July 5 Sat -

        Temple Session with children - 9am

                                      (at Temple abt 8:30)
Finish filming movie

   Free time

        Show - The Promise          4:30pm (tickets)

Frank’s Fabulous Films

                “Best Movies of the Decades”

                Showing of “RETIREMENT OF CAPTAIN CHAOS

July 6 Sun -

        Church - 10 am Fast Sunday

         Baptism of Summer Caudle -

         Family Pictures
 Eric's presentation on the Meachams and Palmers 

         ”

July 7 Mon -

        Show - Anna - Amanda  10:30am (tickets)

   Free time

        Show - Rendezvous           7pm      (tickets)

July 8 Tue -

  Free time

        Nauvoo Pageant

        Frontier Country Fair - 7pm

        Nauvoo Pageant - A Tribute to Joseph Smith - 8:30pm

July 9 Wed - 11am Checkout

      Carthage Jail  - on the way out of town.  This is when we're         planning to go.  If it doesn't work for you, you can plan to go       any day during free time.

Nauvoo Reunion Plans

Time for a new update to our reunion plans.  I'm sure you've all heard that Adam is getting the menu ready and making shopping lists.

We don't quite have all the nominations in yet but if you want to start voting for the movies of the decades you can start with the following.  Remember each person over three years gets to choose one movie per decade.

The nominees for the 60s are:
The Mortgage Bit
I Spy
The Caped Currier

The 70s are:
Hide and Seek
The Magic Wand
Run Spot Run

Dad put together a tentative outline for the reunion.  We'd really like your feedback on all of this.  We love you and can't wait to see you in Nauvoo.

Palmer Reunion

“Come Enjoy Your Inheritance”

July 3 thru July 9, 2014 - Nauvoo, Illinois

(These are our suggestions for activities each day.  The rest of the time is free time.  Free tickets are needed for the shows.)

July 3 Thur - 4pm Check in

        Art Project - Make T-shirts for the 4^th (Bring a plain white t-shirt for everyone in your family)

July 4 Fri -  Happy Birthday Grandma

        Finish filming - “RETIREMENT OF CAPTAIN CHAOS”

        Wagon ride - around Nauvoo (How many want to do this?)

        Watch fireworks from hill in front of temple.

July 5 Sat -

        Temple Session Palmer kids - 9am  (We’ll need to schedule this as soon as possible.  Dad would like to have a temple session with all 8 of our children.)

July 6 Sun - Church -10 to 1

         Summer’s Baptism -

         Family Pictures

July 7 Mon - Frank’s Fabulous Films

        “Best Movies of the Decades”   Awards

        Showing of “RETIREMENT OF CAPTAIN CHAOS”

July 8 Tue - Nauvoo Pageant

        Frontier Country Fair - 7pm

        Nauvoo Pageant - A Tribute to Joseph Smith - 8:30pm

July 9 Wed - 11am Check out

        Cathage Jail on our way out of town

NOTES:    General assignments----

1 - Breakfast - 8am    Lunch - open        Dinner  - 5:30pm

        Adam is chief cook with Aaron and Eric assisting him

        Breakfast blessing and morning prayer at same time.

        Evening prayer will be between 8 and 9.

2 - How are your movies coming…..

        A - Video challenges to be shown during breakfast or whenever you want to watch them.  Bring them edited and ready to show.

        B - “Retirement of Captain CHAOS” - I want to take Captain CHAOS place…..  Send film to Frank by    June 14^th for editing into movie

        C - Vote for movies of each decade

3 - Send Mom definitions for Apples to Apples.  I’d like a definition of each person in your family and whatever else you’d like included in the game.  Brooke & Summer– I accidentally deleted the definition you included in the last post so please send new ones.  They must be approved by your parents.

4 - Sleeping areas for reunion (Who should sleep where?  Dad was going to assign rooms but I’d like your input.)

        Main floor: (6 beds)

                Bedroom 1: king size bed -- Frank and Evelyn

                Bedroom 2: 2 queen size beds --

        Down stairs: (8 beds)

                Bunk room: 4 bunks

        Upstairs: (10 beds) 

                Bedroom 3: queen size bed and 2 bunks

                Bedroom 4: king size bed

                Bedroom 5 queen size bed

                Study area upstairs

24 beds - 3 car beds - 4 air mattresses = 31

Shows and Activities around Nauvoo

www.nauvoopageant.org

(Should we schedule times for the shows now or wait until we get there?)

Just Plain Anna - Amanda              10:30am and 12:30pm       Cultural Hall

High Hopes and River Boats     2:30pm and 4:30pm

                                                        Visitor Center

Brass Band                                10am and 3:45pm

Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo            7pm and 8:30pm  

                                                        Cultural Hall

Sunset on the Mississippi         7pm

Visitor Center - open 7:30 to 7 - Mon-Sat

Historic Sites

Monday – Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Sunday 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Brickyard        - Brigham Young Home  - Browning Gun Shop
Cultural Hall - Family Living Center - Heber C. Kimball Home - John Taylor Home Land and Records - Lucy Mack Smith Home - Lyon Drug Store - Pendleton House & Log School - Post Office - Print Shop - Riser Boot - Sarah Granger Kimball Home - Scovil Bakery - Seventies Hall -
Stoddard Tin Shop - Webb Brothers Blacksmith Shop -
Wilford Woodruff Home

Pioneer past-times

Wagon ride - around Nauvoo

Carriage ride - Inspiration point

Community of Christ (RLDS)

The Joseph Smith Historic Site retells the story of the Latter Day Saint movement in Nauvoo during the early 1840s. Within the Visitor Center, guests will find original paintings of Nauvoo by David Hyrum Smith as well as other artifacts and information about the city and its people. Guided walking tours begin at the Visitors Center, starting with a short film and continuing through the Smith family's homes.

The Visitors Center is located in Nauvoo's historic flats just off Illinois State Highway 96 at Water Street. For more information, contact us or stop by. Admission to the Visitor Center, site orientation video, museum exhibits and store and Red Brick Store is free. There is a $3.00 preservation fee per person for the guided tour of the Smith homes.

Carthage Jail  Mon-Sat 8am - 9pm

                       Sun 11am - 7pm

January Reunion Update

I was trying to save time by not retyping everything so I just edited the last post not realizing that it would keep the old date and eliminate the previous update.  Oh well - sorry about that.

Now that the Christmas holidays are over and things are getting put away we figured you might have some time to get ready for the reunion. Here is an update on the latest reunion news.   I sure hope everyone is as excited about our Nauvoo reunion as Dad and I are.

VIDEO CHALLENGES

We now have four video challenges and are looking forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with.  

Jump - from Mom and Dad 

Hum (or whistle or somehow creatively present) your favorite hymn (or primary song)  - from Tawnia

Where I Live" - what makes your house/town/state unique?  - from Mindy, Aaron and Aria

Horror Movie Trailer - from Jared, Michelle, Brooke, Bryan and Emma

Best Movies of the Decades
Nominating Committee - get your votes in - send to frankandevelynpalmer@yahoo.com. Remember the committee is the eight siblings. So far we've heard from three of you. If anyone has not been able to access the videos on dropbox, please let us know.

The Retirement of Captain Chaos
Adam came up with this movie idea, remember? The grandkids hear that Captain Chaos is
retiring and they want to take his place so they make audition tapes. The final scene will be filmed at the reunion and edited onto the end so it can be shown there. Please send your portion of the movie to Dad. Also contact Adam with your idea of how you receive the news so he can "send" it from there, since his kids will be the first to know. Any questions?

Apples to Apples
I'm putting stickers on some of the cards to make this the Palmer Family version. Please
email me a definition for each person in your family. Also include schools attended, places you've lived or other things unique to you or your family

Here is my definition for Lafayette "Lafayette Oregon 
A small town in Oregon. Home to the Palmer family from 1979 to 2014. Now home to the Coles"

Clarissa came up with these definitions:

Clarissa Nicole Cole - Yes it’s a stutter but it means clear victory.

Lester Jason Lee Cole - Legion of healers from the meadow of fire.

Scrappy - Half Jack Russell Half American Eskimo - 100% Lap-Ninja

Is there anything I've forgotten?