Adam's July 27th Email!

Dear Family,
Just a reminder to sign up for the Dixon Spot so you can keep informed of family happening! There is a place on the blog just on the right hand side of the main column.
We love you all so much!
Mom and Dad

Dear Family!

This week, I've started what I like to call "Operation: Get Muscles And Be Impressive". I've noticed that my weight loss has been slowing down little by little and now it shows no signs of progression, so Elder Haymond and I have started to do some Hardcore Exercising! We get up earlier every morning and do some memorized P90X workouts. My body screams like a banshee, but Elder Haymond keeps rallying me on with this supportive cry: "Mind over Body!"

I actually thought about that phrase for a while. It made me think that we could use that phrase in more than just exercise. I was able to use it in a Word of Wisdom lesson and applied it into how we could fight addictions (the dad of the family we taught had an addiction to coffee). I encouraged him to write it down and put it somewhere he'd see it every day, and challenged him to stop coffee completely for a week. If he did it, I'd buy the family a bit of chocolate. Afterwards, two weeks. Again, the chocolate. Afterwards, three weeks. And so on until he no longer was addicted.

The addiction fighting is going way better and easier than I had thought. Guess it worked!

The same family, The Aguilars, have also committed to baptism! W00T! This'll be my first complete family to baptize! They're super nice and awesome! We're baptizing Larry and his soon-to-be wife, Leysi, their two children, Renzo and Jonathan, and their nephew, Christian. All of them work in making snacks to sell to people who are stuck in traffic, and sometimes they give us peanuts or popcorn when we happen to be stuck in traffic too. They're so cool! Heavenly Father has truly blessed us!

We're currently working on getting Larry and Leysi married so they can get baptized, and they're pretty hyped for it! 

Anyways, back to the exercise. I'm going to start a habit of doing these workouts, so when I get bikes (hope it's soon), I'm going to become a muscely monster with two different workouts everyday!

As you can tell, this week's been pretty good. I'm pretty anxious to see what this new week has in store for us! Bring it on, week! I'm ready for ya!

How is everyone there? I'll bet Lilli's having tons of fun being the Baroness! I remember her singing all the songs of that part! How's Katie doing? Is that new herbal tea working for her? How did the chess game go? Who won?

I love you all! You are always in my prayers and in my heart! Thank you for all you have done for me.

Love,

Elder Dixon

Elder Adam's July 20th email

 Dear Family,
Things on the Dixon Spot have changes just a bit. If you would like to have it delivered to your email automatically go to the blog and on the right hand side is a place you can put your email address so it come right to your email. Thank you to all of you who help us keep in touch. Dad and I feel we are so blessed to have the most wonderful family EVAH!!!!

Dear Family,

This week's been a bit tough, but we're starting to finally get the hang of things in the re birthed area! We're meeting members and they're introducing us to their family and friends that aren't members, so we've got a bunch of new people who have connections to the active members of the branch, and that makes things a ton easier for us.

Speaking of the members, we gave service to a blind member on Wednesday, and it was the most fun I've had in a while. He wants to add a kitchen room to his little house, so we got to do a bit of construction work. I'll admit, even though it was super hot, I had no water, and I had no idea how to build a room, it was a lot of fun! I learned a lot and it was pretty satisfying to see nothing turn into something that will help someone out a ton! We haven't quite finished yet, so we're going back next Wednesday to continue.

We also gave a bit more service to some investigators we teach. Their job is that they go around selling snacks and juice to people who are stuck in traffic, and one of the snacks they sell are little bags of peanuts, either fried or candied. As we taught them, we got to help them peel peanuts that have been soaked in water for a while. Sometimes, they squirt in your eyes, just like a lemon! Afterwards, they gave us some free peanuts, so it was a win-win-win for everyone! 

We haven't gotten our bikes yet. The mission is having a bit of problems trying to get them fixed, but we will get them. And I will take pictures. :P

It's the middle of summer up there and things are probable just as hot, if not hotter as they are down here. How high are the temperatures up there? 

I love you and pray for you all!

Love,

Elder Dixon

Xander's Baptism

    Xander will be getting baptized on August 1, 2015 at 12:00. The address is 2024 South 1475 West. Lunch will follow at our house. Hope to see you there!

Girl Party!

I'm having a girl party just because I want to.  Girls just wanna have fun, ya know!  So all Dixon girls are invited including sisters in law and nieces.  It will be at my house on  Pioneer day @ 5:00.  We will be having a spa/fondue/Anne of Green Gables party.  The fondue will be chocolate and cheese.  It's going to be amazing!  There will even be chocolate dipped chocolate and cheese dipped cheese.  Yassss!  We will have face masks and nail stuff and eyebrow waxing.  We will watch my favorite and have a grand chatty time.  If you would like to bring nail polish or spa stuff or something to dip in fondue that would be great but not necessary since Robert told me he's paying for it!  Partay!!!

Elder Adam's July 13th Email

Monday, Monday, Monday is my favorite daaaaaaayyyyy!

Dear Family,
Things on the Dixon Spot have changed a bit. If you would like to have the Dixon Spot come to your email just enter your email address on the little box on the left side of the blog.
Thanks,
Love you tons and tons,
Mom 

Dear Family,

We had a pretty busy week this week. We don't have bicycles yet, because the other missionaries who used them last apparently didn't use them correctly and now they're a bit broke-ish. But we will get them. We just gotta be patient.

We had an entire family attend church this week, which was pretty sweet. I have to tell you guys a little bit about this family. There's a lady in the branch who's about 55 years old. We decided to visit her and we found her 9-year old grandson, Christian, so we shared a lesson with him and got a return date.

When we came back, we found his aunt, with whom we also shared the lesson. When we went back, we found his mom! When we returned after that, we found his aunt's husband! When we went back, we found his grandfather! After that, his cousins! After that, his grandmothers godsons! I have no idea what's going on, but I love it! People from this family (named the Aguilar Family) are appearing one by one and listening to our lessons! 

Travelling in Campo Verde is pretty difficult without bikes, but we're being blessed for what we can do! It's a good reminder that the Lord doesn't make us run faster than we have strength for. All we need to do is our best and he'll make up the difference. 

What's up over there? It's that time of year for all the family reunions, no? How is everyone doing, including my cousins and grandparents? I love all the support everyone's been giving me! It's really the best!

Love,

Elder Dixon

P.S. To answer your question, Mom, I am getting your pictures, and the lillies look beautiful! 

P.P.S. To answer your other question, Mom, some socks in the package would be nice!

P.P.P.S. I got your package, Heather, and I love the socks you sent me!!!

I love you Mom!!!

I have been getting your pictures and the lillies look lovely! As for things to send me, I'm starting to run low on socks that work. :P Down here, I eat a lot of everything. It's mostly meats (chicken, all the time, everytime :P), but if I want to eat fruits and veggies, they're here too! In fact, as I'm writing this, there's a bag full of bananas, apples, pears, and mangos sitting next to the monitor waiting to be eaten. All the fruits down here are pretty good (except Aguajes...:P).

Our money situation is still a little difficult, so we've had to resort to using a bit of money that you guys put in my account. But all of it can be reimbursed, so it'll come back to me.

I love you and all the prayers and support! You are the best mom of all the moms!

Love,

Adam

Yum! Ice Cream!

Thanks Erin!

Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Creme Fraiche and Strawberry Sauce

Brown Sugar Ice Cream

5 large egg yolks

1/2 c packed dark brown sugar

1 3/4 c heavy cream

3/4 c 1% or 2% milk

1/4 tsp kosher salt

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in half of the brown sugar (1/4 c). Set aside. In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, salt and the remaining brown sugar (1/4 c) an put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium. Carefully scoop out about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Repeat, adding another 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture to the bowl with the yolks. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the egg and cream mixture from the bowl into the pan. Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Set the container into an ice-water bath, wash your spatula and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool. Remove the container from the bath, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When the base is completely chilled, freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is  churning, put the container you'll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Transfer frozen ice cream into chilled bowl and place in freezer.

Creme Fraiche

1 cup heavy cream

3 Tbl buttermilk

In a small bowl, ix the cream and buttermilk. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 to 48 hour, or until the consistency of sour cream. Then refrigerate until needed; the creme fraiche will become even thicker as it cools down. 

Strawberry Sauce

4 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned and chopped

2/3 c white or brown sugar

Combine strawberries and sugar in a small nonreactive saucepan and put the pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has a jammy consistency, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium as the mixture thickens to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and let cool for minute. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth, being careful to avoid hot splatters. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much puree as possible. Chill well before serving.

Chitty chitty bang bang

Now is the time!

buy your tickets to this awesome show!

come see me as the Baroness

Here is the link!

buy tickets here

3 recipes from the Ice Cream contest.

Keep those ice cream recipes coming and I will post them on the blog!

Georgia Peach Homemade Ice Cream

Rated: Submitted By: NANCED35 Photo By: Allrecipes Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour Servings: 32

"Made in a gallon ice cream freezer, this ice cream is fruity and creamy, and can be made in an hour - start to finish."

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped 1/2 cup white sugar 1 pint half-and-half cream 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed

milk 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups whole milk, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Puree peaches with the sugar and half-and-half in batches in a blender or food processor.
2.	In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line, about 2 cups.
3.	Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the ice cream.

Almond Joy Ice Cream  (Toasted Coconut with Dark Chocolate and Almonds) YIELD: makes 3 1/2 quarts ACTIVE TIME: 1 hour TOTAL TIME: About two days SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: ice cream maker THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN: Scooped: Better Than Almond Joy Ice Cream Ingredients 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes, packed (about 6 ounces) 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped fine (a mix of chunks and fine shavings is ideal), chilled in freezer 2 ounces roasted almonds, chopped fine, toasted then chilled in freezer Procedures 1 Heat oven to 350°F with an oven rack positioned in the middle. Spread coconut thinly and very evenly across a half sheet pan and toast just until coconut edges begin to brown and turn aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Do not overbake coconut or ice cream will taste burnt. 2 Transfer coconut to a medium saucepan and cover with cream and milk. Bring to a boil, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Cover, transfer to refrigerator, and let steep overnight or about 8 hours. 3 The next day, strain dairy through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or a bowl with a pouring spout. Press very firmly on coconut shreds to strain as much liquid out as possible. 4 In a heavy medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until lighter in color and slightly thickened. Pour dairy into saucepan with eggs and whisk until fully combined. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until a custard forms on the back of a spoon and a swiped finger leaves a clean line. 5 Strain custard into an ice bath or airtight container and chill until ice cream base falls below 40°F. Churn according to manufacturer's instructions. In last minute of churning, add chocolate and almonds. Transfer ice cream to airtight container and chill for at least 4 hours in freezer before serving. NO ICE CREAM MAKER!   Cool down your guests with this quick and easy dessert!  It’s tastes just like a cheesecake!  When planning a party it’s always nice to have several items that can be made in advance and this dessert offers just that.  I call it dessert because it’s more than just ice cream. Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (makes 8 1/2 cup servings) Ingredients 8 ounce cream cheese, softened 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk 1/3 cup whipping cream 1-1/2 cup fresh strawberries 3 honey grahams, coarsely chopped Directions Mix the cream cheese condensed milk and whipping cream until well blended.  Freeze 4 hours or until almost solid. Beat cream cheese mixture with the mixer until creamy.  Blend berries in blender until smooth.  Add to cream cheese mixture with chopped grahams; mix well.  Freeze 8 hours or until firm. Remove dessert from freezer 15 minutes before serving.  This recipe was adapted from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese Ad.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 7/7/2015

Summer Challenge #1

Dear Family,

When I was a little girl, Grandma Boekweg would entertain us by reciting poems she had learned as a child. I have been going through some of them and thought I'd start throwing out some challenges (sneaky, huh!)

Dad and I are going to throw out a summer challenge to anyone in the family that would like to accept it. Any one who will memorize this poem then recite it to me gets a prize.

Elder Adam's July 6th email

Dear Family,

I kinda got transfers this past week! I'm living in the same house in the same zone, but I'm serving in a branch called Campo Verde, which is about the distance from West Point to Salt Lake City (which, down here, is a huuuuge distance). Campo Verde is an area that's been closed for a while, and my companion and I are reopening it, so we've got no house, no pension, and no laundry services yet. We're still living in Yarina and we gotta travel to and from Campo Verde every day, which is hurting us financially. But things will work out. Heavenly Father always prepares a way for these kinds of things. It's like the story of Nephi.

A little about Campo Verde: It's a branch, so there are only a few members that go there. We had about 40 members this past Sunday. The other missionaries who worked here last left us a bunch of families who really want to get baptized. Score! Now we gotta make sure they want to get baptized for the right reason.

Another awesome thing: We get bikes! Campo Verde is the only area in the whole mission of Iquitos, Peru that gets bikes for its missionaries. We don't have them yet, but I'm looking forward to it! I will lose so much weight, biking kilometers and kilometers every day!!!

Remember how I said that Yarina was like the jungle and Mount Pleasant mixed together? Campo Verde is like the jungle and Ogden mixed together, especially the avenues where the Wolford family used to live. We've got a lot of hills.

I wish I could say more, but that's really all that I've got this week. BTW, I got your card, Mom and Dad, and your package, Heather! Thank you so much! Happy Birthday to Lilli and Katie and America! To celebrate 4th of July, Elder Haymond and I sang Star-Spangled Banner "con mucho gusto". :P Aaand, that's it. 4th of July is not quite as popular down here in Peru.

I love you guys! Keep being 110%!

Love,

Elder Dixon