Catching Up

I'm so behind on journaling and thought I'd just share some things from my camera this past week.

 

I think it is about the 5th year for son Ryan's Ward's Father and Sons camp over at our house.  There were lots of tents, lots of boys and dads, carne asada sizzling over hot grills and lots of salsa you could burn your sinuses out with.  The boys did as much swimming and horse back riding as they wanted.   

 

While the father and sons were partying out back, we had Kirk and Cathy over for dinner (steak and salmon) and Hand and Foot.  Always fun.

I've shared about my funny bird that kept bouncing into our windows.  For over a month.  I'm not sure why he started or why he quit.  It was for hours and hours each day.  Crazy.  And I've shared how a woodpecker started working on a knothole in our entry porch.  Well, we had a new family move in.  Blackbird?  I think they are too big for starlings.  Very protective and lots of poop.  Birds!  At least they aren't magpies, and yes, we will repair the hole when this little family moves out.

Both Nash (6)  and Boston (8) had birthdays this week.  T and T invited all the families to the ballpark for baseball and kickball, snowcones and cake and ice cream.  The weather was wonderful (I looooove spring) and fun.  I didn't get a picture of the birthday boys but Rylee was sporting gorgeous blue lips from the snow cones.  There is a snow cone machine at Costco right now that is excellent.  It's Tenillie's favorite and works great.  I think we need two at Lake Powell.

 

 

Wed. was Creative Cooking.  Our theme was Brunch ideas.  I found this wonderful scrambled egg tostada with caramelized onions and red peppers on top.  So delicious. 

 

I also made a Warm Chutney Spinach salad (with bacon and eggs) which is my new favorite salad.

Debbie Lamb made beautiful Maple rings. 

 

 

 

Nancy Tillotsen made a fabulous overnight Blueberry French Toast and Jancie Trotter made a Berry Cheesecake parfait (with brie cheese in it)- anxious to make both !  Recipes as always on the cooking blog   www.constantgrowingamazementcooks.blogspot.com 



Wed. was a busy day of cooking and more cooking.  I helped with a shower for darling Megan Sieverts who is getting married.  Hostesses Jan England and Sherrie Alston requested a repeat from the last shower I did....Salt Lake Tortelleni Pasta salad.  It uses the cheese-stuffed tortillinis and it is chock full of artichokes, garbonzo and pinto beans, olives, parmesan cheese, grape tomatoes, etc. or whatever you really love.  Bernstein's Cheesy Italian dressing. It's a great salad.  I also got bread from Zupas again and made the veggie stands with them.  They are filled with spinach dip and the stacking veggies. 

Last night was Rylee and Sadie Jo's dance performance.  It was held at the Grand Theater at the old South High (where they filmed High School Musical.)  I loved seeing the girls dance.  Rylee is getting so good...and Sadie was over the top excited...not for the dancing (although she loves dancing) but making sure everyone knew that she wanted flowers!   During the day Tenille said to Sadie (they call her Jo Jo) that they needed to go to Costco to get the flowers and Sadie said indignantly, "Mom, I'm not getting my own flowers.  I want to be surprised."  Okay then....

 

 

 

 

There were about 15 dance numbers after our girls were done (a long program) but the grand finale is when all the dancers come on stage and bow, etc.  Well, during the last dance number, they had smoke machines...and they set off the fire alarms so we all had to evacuate..... so that was the grand finale!  Travis and I laughed and laughed.  Craziness!

 

 

“Sane is boring.”
― R.A. Salvatore

Last Week

 

 

On the day of the last post I did, about the poem The Guest House, Cathy and I met our sons (they have a business together) for lunch and we (Cathy and I, not with our boys!) ran by a cute boutique store....and outside was this stone.  What are the odds???

 

I'm in garden mode.  Today I'm sharing a few things from my garden.

Below is a stepable ground cover that I have in my whimsy garden.  It is called bronze dutch clover and I love, love, love it.  It's filling in nicely around  my stepping stones under my wrought iron chair.

 

When I picked up my sweet friend, Cali, (visiting from Cedar City) last week from her folk's home, her parents had this ice plant all around their front beds.  It was in bloom and looked so lush.  I'm going to try some and hope the deer don't think it looks like dessert.

For Mother's Day- several of my kiddos gave me potted flowers which I adore.  Flowers just make me happy.  I am having to police the sweet ones from my critters.

Friday night we drove up to Sundance Ski Resort (with new friends Debbie and Ron) to attend the wedding reception for my friend's (Lynda Raddon) daughter, Rebecca.  It was held at the Robert Redford Conference Center...and was so lovely.  Robert wasn't in attendance (ha- he was probably in the kitchen!)   I loved how childhood pictures were displayed clipped to tree branches.

 

Saturday I had soccer duty with Parker.  It was raining cats and dogs but after the game, I brought him home with me so we could then go see a play my DIL Marci and kiddo Josh was in.  Their charter school does a Shakespeare play each year and then goes to a competition.  Marci actually wrote some of the music (here she is dressed in 20/30's style since they did "As You Like It" in a different time frame.)

 Marci showing off the cute leggins I got her in France.

 When I saw these pictures of Josh, I thought, "What????"  then I realized that I had my setting on fish bowl.  Sorry Josh!  Sorry Marci!

Last week was also Girl's Night Out.  Funny Kathy hosted at a new restaurant called "The Asian Potato."  We thought that name sounded "un-Asian" and asked the proprietor where the name came from.  They said they wanted a name like other restaurants- Sweet Tomatoes, Copper Onion.  They just went through a list of vegetable and found one.  Well, okay then....

It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.  Douglas Adams

The Guest House

I refound this poem that I remember reading in college (but I totally wouldn't have gotten it then) and it stirred lots of emotion.  Life is hard and full of trials...but this reminds me maybe I need to have a change of perspective.

The Guest House

(Rumi)

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
... as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be cleaning you out
For some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from the beyond.


I was talking with a friend who said, "This morning I was laying in my bed with my bedroom doors wide open looking at our mountains. I was thinking that I'm almost scared to take in all the beauty of Spring. There was for a moment a feeling like, I'm afraid to really love you Spring because you will leave and I will grieve the loss of you. But then, I remembered that that is not the way to live my life. I need to bust open my heart and take it all in, even knowing the mountains are going to turn brown then gray way too soon."

She also shared a quote from the book-  The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

'Most people are in love with their particular life drama.'

'When you live in complete acceptance of what is, that is the end of all drama in your life.'

'There are cycles of success when things come to you and thrive, and cycles of failure, when they wither and disintegrate and you have to let them go in order to make room for new things to arise, or for a transformation to happen. If you cling and resist at that point, it means you are refusing to go with the flow of life, and you will suffer.'

'Dissolution is needed for new growth to happen. One cannot exist without the other.'


I really need to focus on mind control.  To look not only fear but "change" in the eye and embrace it for what we can learn.  I've been thinking about the movie Groundhog Day.  Sometimes we live our dramas over and over in our minds, thinking that it might change the outcome.  Instead, "the doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."  (quote from Flora Whittemore)
 

Eggstravaganza

This past Saturday was our annual Eggstravaganza.  We had a smaller group this year but still well over 100.   With 3,000 eggs hidden on the property, it will be interesting to find them all summer long.  We found several from last year while doing yard work.

I made 15 dozen ham and cheese sliders (funeral rolls!) and 10 dozen hotdogs.  I also made a top ramen salad and everyone brought salads, chips and dip or desserts.  Yum!

 

 

 

 

We had company over the weekend as well.  My nephew Dee and his wife Christine and 3 kiddos, plus niece Ashlee and her son Crae.  It made for a fun Mother's Day.  After church, all our kids came over for dinner.  We kept it simple.  I made two chicken marinades- one the Peri Peri chicken (everyone loved it!) and our old family standby which is half Italian dressing/half Kikoman teriyaki- and David grilled the chicken up. Love our family.  It was a busy weekend, a little exhausting but fun traditions.

Sunday, at church, I was released from teaching Gospel Doctrine (the adult Sunday School class) after teaching it for 4 years.  It has been my lifeline during a difficult 4 years and for that I am grateful.  David was released last week from being Scoutmaster (after 3 years and almost monthly camping trips!!!  Glad THAT'S over!)- and David and I were then called to be the new 7-8 year old Primary teachers.  I had these same kids in the nursery, then as Sunbeams (3-4 year olds) so I know several of them.  It will be interesting to team teach with David ...he thinks it will be no sweat but then he hasn't looked at the lesson or started planning or realized the short attention span the kiddos have. It will be an experience!

I've been loving getting flowers planted.  You know I have to plant stinky plants so the deer won't eat them but I noticed this morning as I was watering that all the flowers were nipped off the pink geraniums.  Delinquents!  My friend, funny Kathy, surprised me dropping off two flats of blue salvia, my favorite flower.  Need to get them planted and several other flats.

Monday night for home evening, two gals in the Ward brought their girls (one each) to ride in the gully.  This was for the service auction.  David took them riding, then they came up and I fixed fruit smoothies and brownies while we sat on the lawn and visited.  Nice evening.

Yesterday my friend Cali was in town from Cedar City.  I was lucky enough to get to spend time with her...I miss her so much!  When we were neighbors, we were instant friends...but she was only here a few years.  We felt like we got cheated so it is always wonderful to spend time together.  Lunch and a garden center.  Perfect.  (occasionally I have published a few articles she wrote for a humorous column on an online magazine. I encouraged her to write, she encouraged me to paint- so we love both and share  together.)

My newly wed daughter had hip surgery a few weeks ago and is on crutches and has a follow up Dr.'s visit today.  The girls are off track (AGAIN!)  so we are going to play a little today.  Hallee Babe and Miss Addi-tude love to ride with David but Gracie Raye of Sunshine and I might go get pedicures or whatever she would like to do.  She loves to cook so maybe we'll try out some new recipes.  Love these girls!

Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer. ~Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Yesterday was Bucket group- hosted by Sheron Fitch.  As you soon as you walked into her kitchen, you felt loved!  It is always beautiful.  Our theme was A Few of Our Favorite Things.  We were asked to bring 4 of the same item.  Something we love. We then put our names in a bowl and names are picked so you go home with 3 new items (our 4th item is being mailed to Karlin who is in Baltimore Maryland serving a mission.)  It is a fun activity and good to hear about new products.  I took cute geranium paper plates and napkins (thanks, PPP) since I have a paper plate fetish...but also geraniums remind me of spring (since that is what I have to plant since deer eat everything else!)  I also took boxwood basil- my new find.  Regular basil gets so leggy in my garden.

 

I came home with a Mexican soap bar good for ring around the collar, some darling handcrafted earrings, a headlamp (we love those!) and a book.  Some other favorite things were - Neutrogena UltraSheer dry-touch sunscreen for your face (not oily or greasy), Peppermint Patties, the perfect ice cream scoop (found at Bed, Bath and Beyond),  a favorite cutting board plus Frank's Original Hot Sauce.  So fun!

 

 

 

Like I said, Sheron is the ultimate hostess.  Her table was so bright and springy. 

 

 

I loved the centerpieces she made.  She made pompoms out of bright colored yarn (90 twists around two fingers makes a good tight ball)- and she hot glued them on a forsythia branch!  Adorable!

She served one of our family favorites- Poppy Seed chicken over rice, salad and rolls.  But THIS Fruit Pavlova was the piece de'resistance.

Recipes on the cooking blog!!!

How I love our Bucket group...Bucket truly IS one of my favorite things!

...til some bunny loves you!

 Last week Elsa and I threw a shower for our friend, Lynda Raddon's daughter, Becca.  I made the favors- Lindt foil bunnies in bags with crinkle paper and the tag "...til some bunny loves you."  (On the blackboard too.)  Elsa's home is perfect for a shower....everything she does is lovely.

 

 

 

I made individual veggies cups in french baguettes.  I bought my yummy bread from Zuppas, filled them with spinach dip and stick vegetables.

 

 
I also made Cheese stuffed Tortellini pasta salad.  Always a favorite.  Recipe on cooking blog.  Elsa also served sparkling lemonade and mini bundts from Nothing But Bundts.

So excited for Becca!  Not a lot of people know Becca since she's been away so this shower was really an act of love for friend Lynda.  It worked!

Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. ~Robert Heinlein

Happily Ever After!

 Yeah!  Niece Mallorie's wedding was this weekend in Blackfoot, Idaho. She's like one of my kids (she lived with us for awhile) and I love her like my own.  They got married in the Rexburg Temple.  It was the first time I had seen it and I loved being there.  I went to Rick's College there (now BYU/Idaho) and it changed my life.  Mallorie and I just held each other in the sealing room and sobbed.
 

 

 

 

I loved the chalkboard greeting at the reception.

 

 

 

They had the reception at their church.  Angie and sisters Cami and Ashlee (and everyone) did an over-the-top job of decorating.  It was nothing beyond amazing.  Mallorie is our "bling" girl and there was bling!

 

 

 
I loved the lit cake table.

 

I loved the cake! 

 Mallorie is a softball nut.  Sam is totally baseball so of course, a ball backboard had to be included (lit up) with her equipment and his!

 

 Angie and Ashlee designed the table chandeliers.  Mallorie's dad welded or made the high bars and it was lit and had bling hanging.  Amazing!

 
 Love this girl!  And I love Sam.  I love this new family that they have created.  I'm glad I'm a part of it.
 

 
(It was so fun- all during the evening I would hear differnt people squeal, "Aunti M!!!!"  I love all Mal's friends that have come through the years and stayed with us. I love our house with a revolving door...)

I could do a whole blog on "Mallorie Moments"- we've been through a lot together.  Boy drama.  Work drama.  Friends drama.  School drama.  We also have many funny movie moments, hand and foot games, inapproriate food accidents- but I'll just share one memory.  When she lived with us, she begged me to go lay out with her to get a tan.  It only takes me about an hour to pull on my bathing suit and start breathing again but I do it.  I haul out the lawn chairs from the pool (inside) to the lawn outside and wash them off.  I get our cold drinks and a towel.  Finally we get settled on our chairs.  No kidding, 5 minutes went by when Mal says, "It's too hot out here.  I'm going in....."

What????????

 

Mallorie's Sam doing the happy dance (left.)