dear mom,

i thought about e-mailing you, but i know you read my blog too, so this works just as well.

remember how you sent me the recipe for your sweet and sour chicken yesterday? well, i made it [don't worry, it was delicious. but we'll talk about that later].

anyway, it took me over 2 hours. 2 hours. we didn't eat dinner until 9 last night. and i realized something. every time i make a recipe of yours for the first time - something you made all the time while i was at home - and i realize it's kind of hard, and takes forever, and the smoke from burning oil burns my eyes a little, it makes me grow an added respect for you. really. how you made us dinners like that with 7 kids is beyond me.

now that we have that out of the way, i do have an excuse for why it took so long. i also made fried rice, which i had never made before either. it wasn't too hard, but definitely added time. oh, and it was way good too. i used so much garlic and ginger i almost died - in a good way. in fact, my fingers still smell a little bit like garlic and ginger today.

one last thing. don't be mad. i made a few changes to your recipe, and i think i liked it better. i used red bell peppers instead of green. and you know how the sauce calls for ketchup? well i forgot to put it in. i didn't realize until we were already eating. but i didn't mind the difference. and i added a dash or two of red pepper flakes, to make it just a little spicy. and i added a drop of red food coloring, to make the sauce a little more pink. you know, like it looks in real chinese food restaurants. still, i would have had no idea what i was doing without your recipe as a jumping off point.

i didn't get to take any pictures - that's the problem i run into when i cook at night. there's just no natural light. that, and i'm starving and want to eat.

i think your teriyaki chicken is next on my 'to cook' list. want to send me the recipe?

love you.

xoxo.

jana

ps. mom do you mind if i share the recipe on here? i bet people would want it, right people that read my blog? i honestly think when i made it last night that it was better than any sweet and sour i've had at a restaurant. i just need to make it again so i can get some pictures before i post it.

jennifer.

this is probably my favorite picture of my little sister. ever.

she's pretty much the best.

even when she beats me at bowling and then makes fun of me in front of our entire extended family for the next few days.

she's really good at text messaging. and writing notes. and planning parties.

in fact, she has become the self-proclaimed wedding planner, maid of honor, and bridesmaid art designer for my wedding. i'm not really sure what a bridesmaid art designer is, but jennifer has it covered.

everyone that knows her just loves her. i'm actually pretty sure that she has more friends than i do.

isn't she the cutest?

love you jen. come visit me again soon - i miss you already.

xoxo.

jana

we like bowling.

my little sister, jen, and my mom were in town last weekend for a cousin's wedding. jennifer's one request from me and the boy was that we go bowling.

so he made her a coupon.

and bowling we went.

and jennifer beat me. she didn't even have bumpers. and it was embarrassing.

at least i look kind of cute when i bowl, right?

baby maximus.

meet the newest member of the beck family. 

i love him already.

he's 2 and a half weeks old and i need to meet him.

congratulations todd and heidi! (mostly heidi). he's beautiful

xoxo.

jana

christmas in california.

a long time ago my dad bought me some reflectors for my photography.

when i was home in december, he told me i should probably pull them out and use them sometime.

so on christmas, with my cousins, i did.

ps. i never have any one take pictures of me, so this was kind of exciting.

[britney, my grumpy assistant]

[the one on the right was my favorite picture all day]

[then it started getting dark because we took so long getting ready]

[oh. and here's me]

it's fun taking pictures of people you know really well.

exhibit a.

my little men.

aren't my nephews adorable? my future kids have some serious competition in the cuteness department when it comes to the beck grandkids.

if i've learned anything from watching these boys grow up, it's to start training them young. in front of the camera, i mean. really, how many 3-year-olds know how to pose in front of the camera with their hands in their pockets? way to go melissa :)

the sun will come out...

tomorrow.

because i'll be on a plane to see some of my favorite little people in the world.

and some of my favorite big people too.

can't wait.

ps. stay tuned for an awesome soup recipe tomorrow. it was actually soup this time :)

ryan. melissa + boys

this is my brother's family.

ryan is in school to be a chiropractor. melissa is really good at making cute little boys [i'm sure she's good at making cute little girls too]. their 3 boys are some of my favorite little people in the world. i love them. it doesn't hurt that they look great in pictures.

i took these in april. i even posted them in april, but i decided that it didn't do these photos justice.

can't wait to see you guys in a week and a half.

face of friday: my awesome mother.

 yesterday, my mom flew into utah for a weekend visit. and 9 days ago was her birthday. so i thought it would be more than appropriate to share what makes judy beck so awesome.

1. she gave birth to 7 pretty cool children - #6 being the coolest [me].

2. she has the best pie recipes ever. ever. and this woman does not hide her talents under a bushel. 90% of the city of fremont knows how awesome my mom's pies are. in fact, thanks to my mother, i thought giving pies to people was just a standard life practice. the first time i went to a boy's house for dinner i brought an apple pie - they laughed at me.

3. her lasagna recipe is pretty awesome too.

4. she's a pretty funny. and i know that she thinks a lot more funny things than she actually says out loud - she's just too nice to say them all.

5. she let's me complain about how hard i think my life is. and then tells me to keep pushing forward.

6. i'm pretty sure my mom is in better shape than i am. we went on a bike ride once and she pretty much kicked my butt. and that was when i was in high school. and i was skinny.

7. she's my most faithful blog reader.

8. she writes incredible poems and stories. i'm sure you'll see them around one day after someone figures out they need to be published.

9. she's always ready to have a good time and loves eating as much as i do.

10. she is a fabulous photo assistant. and a pretty decent model too.

11. she really is the most giving person i know.

love you mom :)

xoxo.

jana

why i love coming home.

my parents are incredibly self-sufficient.

sometimes, i wonder if my dad was meant to be a pioneer.

these are his grapes. he makes his own grape juice.

he keeps his own bees and harvests the honey himself. he has the silly beekeeper outfit and everything.

[it really isn't silly. it's quite practical. it just looks silly.]

he has chickens too. we never buy eggs from the store anymore.

these are things i miss when i'm away at school.

i have to go to the store to get eggs if i realize i don't have any for breakfast. when i'm home, my dad will run out to the garden and grab some for me.

when i'm home, i don't have to think about buying vegetables. when my dinner needs a little more color and nutrients, i'll grab a zucchini or squash from the pile on the counter - cut it up, and throw it in a pan [with lots of butter]. voila. vegetables.

i'm smuggling out a jar of my dad's honey before i leave. 

and maybe a few jars of my mom's jam in the freezer.

lizzie turned 2.

and she had a party all things nemo + some awesome mexican food. i'm sure nemo would have enjoyed it.

my sister is a master of cakes.

my parents.

the happy little birthday girl.

i downloaded the pictures from my camera...

and discovered this one of my niece, lizzie.

her sign says 'jana and britney, you ditched me!'

my mom did it.

and liz looks a little homeless.

i love surprises.

so instead of flying home on the 25th like i had planned, i decided to plan my own little surprise for my family on friday. in fact, my friday morning/afternoon looked something like this:

9:00am - wake up

9:15am - reschedule plane flight

9:20-10:00am - pack

10:00am - head to the airport

11:55am - take off

1:00pm - land in oakland

4:00 - surprise my family in time for little sister's graduation

 i love surprises. it was so worth it.

i love my family.
[this isn't even all of us]




crazy eyes.




sisters


and some of my favorite little people.