Recipe

Peaches n'Cream Bread Custard on the cooking blog today.  It's a yummy breakfast casserole/almost dessert!

Yellow Brick Road

..something very beautiful happens to people when their world has fallen apart; a humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor.  Marianne Williamson

Back to Schoolness.

The kiddos are all getting back to school.  I usually have had Brandi's girls most of the summer, when I've been in town Monday's and Wed.-

I'm going to miss them!  We always find something fun to do- from stopping at the store to buy whatever we want for lunch to swimming in the pool to riding horses with David, to picture scavenger hunts to painting to Gracie and me playing Skipko to making crafts (jewelry-tie dyed t-shirts,etc.) to playing Aggravation to getting Red Box and watching movies to taking weird pictures to playing "I'm going to the moon and I'm going to take an apple, basket, crayon, donkey, elephant, frankfurter, goat, helicopter, igloo,jacks, ketchup, licorice, monster, noun, octopus, Popsicle, queen, raccoon, star, t.v., unicorn, vase, watermelon, x-ray, yak, zipper.  

Whew!  That will usually get us from their house to "grandma-on-the-mountain's-house."  If we take turns picking somewhere to go to lunch it is always followed by the other girls shouting to Addi, "and DON'T PICK MCDONALDS!"  

Gracie is starting Jr. High (eek!) and has started rolling her eyes at me- when I act like myself.  She's way taller than me and I want her to wear a paper bag to school. I want ALL my granddaughters to wear paper bags over their heads to school. Thankfully Addi and Hallee still think I'm funny and dance with me in the aisles at Target and hold my hand when we walk.  A few months ago Brandi posted on Facebook- " Earlier today Addi said that her friends told her that they wish they had a grandma like you. I told her my friends used to tell me they wished they had a mother like you (probably still do .) I am truly blessed and don't think I can ever adequately express or thank you for your unfailing love, support, example, and friendship in my life! So very blessed and grateful you are mine!"

And so blessed and glad they are mine.   Whatever will I do without my girls?

Here's our countdown:
Bri's in college (U of U)
Conner is a Junior at Bingham (we got Bri and Conner when Brandi married Doug.  Bonus!)
Parker (my first natural grandchild) is starting his sophomore year at Bingham
Annee goes to a charter school in Eagle Mountain.  What grade is age 14?
Josh is that old too but he and Heidi and Elijah and Noah are homeschooled so I never know what grades they are in.  Smart little buggers...
Gracie is starting Junior High in South Jordon, Rylee is the same grade but starting her second year of middle school at Indian Hills (where her father went!).  Hallee and Addi go to grade school (3rd and 5th!!!) in S.J. and Boston, Nash and Sadie (who starts kindergarten- watch out world!) at Sprucewood!  We just have two little boys- Chubba and Ryker not in school.  

I wonder if I could get them to dance with me at the store?

I have always had school sickness, as others have seasickness.  I cried when it was time to go back to school long after I was old enough to be ashamed of such behavior.  Jacques Derrida

Home Show

The week before last, Cathy and I ran to a couple of homes featured in the annual home show.  Here are a few of the things I liked.  Lots of mission style, gray is still big with vibrant colors, glass tiles for back splashes, wallpaper is back, funky clocks.  Wish we could have seen more but it was enough.  

Never make your home in a place.  Make a home for yourself inside your own head.  You'll find what you need to furnish it- memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things.  that way it will go with you wherever you journey.  Tad Williams

Another Trip

 So- the ugliest toes in the world have been on the move again.  I flew last week to Portland to visit my folks in Vancouver.  My dad had a doctor's appointment right when I landed so I took a cab to their retirement center to wait.  Mom called and said the doctor said my dad needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately.  They swung by to pick me up and then we headed, once again, to the hospital.  I think I could find my way there in my sleep. His oxygen levels were at 77% when we got there (on oxygen!) but gradually through the week they got his levels up.  So our fun trip wasn't all that was planned but I was so glad- even think of it as a great tender mercy- that I arrived at just the right time so that I could help.  My brother was on a fishing trip in Canada, my sister-in-law in Hawaii- everyone else was gone.  Mom really needed my help and I also loved the private time I had with my dad at the hospital- just him and me.  Nothing big but just tender love.

I adore my parents.  This is such a hard time in their lives.  I know mom is worn out from caretaking....and my dad is exhausted from just trying every minute to get air in his lungs.

So, I rent the guest room there at the facility.   

#theugliesttoesintheworldareperplexedbythewalldecorandcan'tfigureoutwhatintheheckawskmeans?

Life is like that.  It's hard to figure out why this stage of life- for my parents- for my mother-in-law- have to be so dang hard.  It's very much a "what am I suppose to learn from this" situation.  But I'm thankful for each additional visit I get with each of them.  And feel so blessed to have had the greatest parents ever!

Your parents need your presence more than your presents.

Foodies

 I love creative Visiting Teaching.  Hortencia and I both love sugar cookies.  I told her we needed to find the best in town.  Those we thought were the best (Kneaders) didn't measure up.  Last month we drove all the way to Lehi and  American Fork-  Swigs ( in Lehi) and also  Pulse (in American Fork.)  I also tested Straws here in Sandy. (Swigs, Pulse and Straws also feature mixed drinks like Dirty Diet Coke.  I love pomegranate/Dr. Pepper.  Oh, and the Raspberry Pina Colada Dr. Pepper.)  Our test results came in that all three cookies tasted the same....the only difference was in the frosting...some had more cream cheese or vanilla or almond (and Pulse chills theirs.)   We actually think Smart Cookie may be our favorite (Sandy.)  We both think maybe we're cookied out....but now I'm craving hard, thin sugar cookies.  David made the comment he couldn't believe we'd drive all that way (20 miles each way) to check out sugar cookies.  I told him, "You know, it's totally not about the cookies."   Love H.!  I'm trying to think of our next adventure.  (Hungry Bear in Tai Pan has great cookies as well.)

Last month was also our Bon Appetit dinner at the Cooks.  Valene was in charge of the main courses.  She took them all from the Bon Appetit magazine July 2014 on Grilling.

 She made a yummy cold Green Gazpacho soup-

 a  minted lemonade slush

Mint and Cumin-spiced Lamb Chops

 Grilled Zucchini with Walnuts and Herbs- also grilled corn on the cob

and my favorite- Smashed fingerlings with Jalapenos.  (Valene used red potatoes)



I made the dessert.  Lime and Raspberry Bars With A Coconut Crust

Can I say delicious fare????  Recipes forthcoming on the recipe blog.

If that wasn't enough,  last week was Bucket at Zella's.  We celebrated breakfast and had Becky Lowe- who represents the dairy council and is a weekly cooking guest on Studio 5. (a local  KSL show.)

Zella made a couple of delicious breakfast quiches.  I've posted the one before (served with guacamole and sour cream and salsa) but the other was a peaches and cream quiche that was new and I loved!  

Too much good stuff!!!

Winnie the Pooh and Piglet:

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”

Montana!!! Hee-Haw!!!

Last week we went to Wind River, Montana- to visit our friends- Nancy and Scott T. who are our neighbors.  In addition to their beautiful home in Coronado Island (San Diego)- they also have an incredible ranch called The Flying Cloud.  It was built in the 50's by some alcohol baron- who used to fly people in and have lavish formal wear dinner parties.  The main cabin is huge and sprawling filled with amazing "cowboy" and historical memorabilia.  In addition to the main house, there are about 7 cabins scattered elsewhere on the property- one an octagon shape (my favorite)- one with a HUGE deck off of it where you could hold a grand party, etc.  I think they can sleep almost 40.  In beds.  Yeah, that grand....

We took two of the kiddos with us.  

Boston and Nash.  Here are some of the things that we did:

Lots of smiles and good spirits until......

We had a major blowout on the trailer.  I forgot to mention we were bringing home hay from the ranch.  We had one of those "Les Schwab" stories like you see on t.v.  They had us fixed up in no time.  For the boys, it was just another adventure.

Each time we would cross a state line (Utah, Idaho, Montana)- David honks the horn and we all raise our feet.  Tradition.

When we got to Shelley, Idaho- we stopped to see Grandma in her new diggs.  She seemed well (though disoriented) and happy.  We felt so good when we left.  Unfortunately we stopped on our way home.  She had her entire rooms packed up and was waiting for someone to take her home.  She didn't know where "home" was but "this wasn't it."  I unpacked everything......a repeat of two weeks ago.....and we would tell her that she lived in Shelley now...and she would be so happy...then 2 minutes later she was trying to pack up everything again.  We were so sad when we left.  I told David that we can't do anything about her mental state, packing/unpacking and confusion.  The only thing we can do is make sure she in a safe and lovely environment.  It wasn't very happy leaving.....

Back to Montana.  We went through Dillon, Montana where my parents went on their honeymoon.  (they got a ride there with relatives.)  My Uncle Grant is also buried there.  He's the uncle that I vicariously did meals for.  I waved and know he felt it....


Then we finally made it to the ranch!  The first thing the boys got to do was the zip line!  My oh my!  So much fun!

  They went on a long horseback ride with David and Scott, threw sticks in the pond for the dogs to swim (they loved doing that!), swung on rope swings over the pond, went fishing, shot bb guns and basketballs,  went on a couple of ATV rides (with Nancy and I- and the next day with David and I.)  We had adventures, adventures, adventures.

Everywhere on the ranch are cool gates and rock formations.  Their former "handyman" was also an avant-garde artist of sorts.

Nancy is my new hero.  When the boys were swinging too close to the pole (and thereby swinging back "into" it)- Nancy showed them how it was done.  Can you EVEN IMAGINE HER STRENGTH????  I'd hate her except she's just so dang nice.  And generous.  And beautiful.  I tried really hard to come up with something I didn't like about her.  I couldn't.  She's amazing.....

So, our last day there, David and I take the boys on the ATV's.  David wants to go up to some old mine that Nancy and I had started out for the day before but the weather turned.  

Of course David thinks he knows the way.  Never been there before.  The trail got rockier and rockier.  As Boston and I are bouncing over rocks, I mutter sarcastically "gee, this is fun!"- to which Boston replied, "It's AWESOME!"  (the difference between me and "them.")

Finally the trail is going straight up, with sheer rocks covering the trail.  I finally tell David that I'm really not comfortable riding up it....and he says fine but that he and Nash will just go up it to "check it out."  A LONG TIME passes........they finally come back....with quite the tale to tell.  Long story short.  David went up a boulder and they flipped into the creek.  David's totally in the water (bloodied up) and the ATV is on top of Nash.  They both survived. And now it is just a good story.  (Nash was kind of wishing he had ridden with me after all......) (and yes, it was the wrong trail.  Men and directions!!!)

So, the ranch is a perfect place for  doing all the above.

My favorite?  

Being the slug I love to be.

#stilltheugliesttoesintheworldbutsohappyhangingoutinahammockinmontana