Yesterday

 Yesterday was such a crazy day.  It actually started when I went to bed the night before.  I haven't felt well since coming home from Washington....I think I have an inner ear/sinus thing going on.  Dizzier than normal.  David left and took grand- Bo, to Circleville to Lynn and Laurie's ranch to gather the cattle from the mountains where they have been grazing all summer.  I went to bed early, then proceeded to wake up (from that surface sleeping that really isn't sleeping) every hour.  That is the second time this week.  It is sooo exhausting.  At 2:30, I was thinking about a recipe I saw on Facebook- called Hasselback Apples.  I then wondered where my apple peeler was....I haven't seen it in years.  I got up, found the thing and since it didn't have a box/instructions,  I decided I needed to try and figure it out.  Next I found myself on Youtube to find a video of how to use the peelere.  Ta-da- at 3:00 a.m., I had successfully done an apple.  I put it in a baggy with some water and citric acid so it wouldn't turn brown.  Can't remember any of the other projects I did during the night but I finally fell asleep at 4:30.  The morning came early since I knew I needed to feed (remember, David was out of town)  before the friends came for Pickle Ball.  Did I tell you we got a new calf?  I have a picture of it somewhere....cute as can be.  We usually don't have them since we really have the steers (Female steers?  Well, David calls them "the steers" and they all have horns but apparently girls have horns too but aren't steers....  I hate being tricked with cowboy terminology) for roping. 

I put the Hasselback Apple in to cook while I played ball.  It turned out good.  I say good because I'm really not a jump up-and-down gal for apple crisp.  David is (well, he's not a gal)- so I think he'll love me making this for him.  

 Funny Kathy, and new friends Vida (think German accent) and Cl.. (this is Funny Kathy's friend , when on the Italy trip that I chose to not go on- whose uterus fell out after a strenuous day of bike riding (the reason I didn't go on the trip! Oh, I couldn't have known about the uterus but I meant the word  strenuous!)  We laugh so hard trying to learn how to play.  After we played last week, Brendalyn sent a note that said, "Is anyone else sore from Pickle Ball?"  I answered,  "Only my belly from laughing."

After Pickle Ball, I took a nap.  I was exhausted.  I then proceeded to work on a few projects.


I glued all these plastic orange cups to a black foam board.

I put trick or treats in the cups...then using rubber bands and Halloween napkins, closed each cup off.  These are my offering for our Trunk or Treat this year instead of decorating a trunk. I did three sheets of these punch and treats.  That only adds up to about a hundred but when we are done, we're done. The kiddo gets to punch in a cup and get their treat.  I LOVE how it turned out!  One board down, several more to go. (oh- finished them today...)   Besides candy, I got Halloween slap bracelets, pop rocks and also Halloween Orange Snowball cupcakes for the treats.

I also worked on this recipe but it didn't turn out as marvelous as I imagined so I'll keep working on it. But it looked so pretty!

 When I was at Witchie Days, I ended up buying this puzzle. 

 

While I was at the rehab with Mom, every day we would go to the puzzle room and work on puzzles.  I remembered how soothing it was.  Last Sunday, after the Spoken Word on television (Tab. choir)- there was  program on about the artist Eric Dowdle who does folk art- and folk art puzzles depicting sites/cities from around the world.  Maybe you've seen them (I know Costco usually has them.)   The program took a tour of the city he was going to paint, and explained all the landmarks.  It was fascinating.  I'm going to order the program.  When I told David about it, he said, "I didn't think people did puzzles anymore"  and I told him about the rehab.  When you are closer to 100- you start doing puzzles again.  I doubt David will though and he's MUCH older than me.  (and thank you BFF Pegalita from College for messaging me that you do his puzzles too.  We don't care if our kids/husbands/whoever comes to the door mocks us because it is old school.  Cheaper than sedatives.)

A little side-note about Eric Dowdle -I was  roommates with his older sister in college.  He was a baby when she was in college so we didn't know he was going to grow up and be this awesome artist.

 This  puzzle is Witchie Days at Gardner Village where I take the little girls each year.  (Not for anyone to think we celebrate witches, we don't.  Gardner Village also has an Easter Parade and a Christmas Land and I don't know what else.  It's called marketing- lol.)

In the afternoon, I went to Addison's comp. soccer game although I wasn't feeling well (and only because it was close.) (they tied 3-3). Came home and was early to bed.  Again.  But, thankfully, this time I slept.....   Ahhhhh.

“Not every puzzle is intended to be solved. Some are in place to test your limits. Others are, in fact, not puzzles at all...”   Vera Nazarian

Witchie Days 2015

I got home last night from a crazy to-and-fro to Washington-  4 days last week, 4 days this week.  I feel like I have Delta's safety message verbatim and I'm also losing my obsession with Bishoff cookies.

I have so much to catch up on, that has happened in the last month.

1-  The Charm Girls in Oceanside
2.  Hurried trip to Idaho and David's mom's death/funeral
3.  lunch with my wonderful friend, J., that I have missed so much.
4.  family Food Bank (that I missed but my family didn't)
5.  2 frantic trips to Washington to be with my folks

and today!!!!!  Ta-da!!!!  One of my favorite events of the year!  My witchie day with the girls and girl grands!  It was perfect weather/awesome/fun/yummy...did I say perfect?

Here was this year's costume.

I found the shirts at Kohl's.

Added black leggins and fishnet gloves.

Tenillie made the hair bows

I bought yards and yards (and yard and yards) of peplin (really a fabric liner) because I loved the feel of it.  I cut strips up to within 2 inches of the top.  I knotted some of the strips, cut others in different links.  Two times around each kiddo and tied for a presto mummy like skirt!

Love this tradition and that the girls will do it for me.  I told the "big" girls they only had to dress up for 18 more years until baby Summer was an adult.  Not asking too much!  After pictures (I really took hundreds)- we eat dinner at Archibalds (kiddos choice)- it's loud and raucous and by that time, we are all starving.  Dessert is candy money to buy treats at the candy store!  Tradition.  (a yummy caramel apple for me!)

Pinterest Tries and Fails

 One of my goals is to try a new recipe at least once a week from my Pinterest files, and to make some of the seasonal crafts.  Here are recent results:


Brown Butter Caramel Cookies- winner 

 Love the brown butter flavor and the caramel tucked inside.

Candy Jars-  Tried this....actually several times.  I spent a bundle on candies and then finally gave up because...well, the problem with an edible arrangement is "it keeps getting eaten!!!!!"

I had to keep switching glass containers....my ghosts kept disappearing (you know how ghosts are!) and finally I said, "Enough!"  But dang, I gave it the old college try.....

I LOVED this succulent pumpkin and thought we might do these for the Bucket group I hosted.  I made mine a couple of weeks ago....and I'm thinking it didn't wow me.  I'm still not sure the cacti are going to take root (they actually send roots into the pumpkin!)

Oh, and I suppose my photography could be the problem (ha!)    My real pumpkin looks better than this but not as good as the tutorial.  Personally, it was a fail....

I actually did these last year.....and loved them.  Got the ideas on pinterest but for the pumpkin ones, I just mixed my cooked egg yolks with mayo and Asian sweet chili sauce and salt and pepper.  Loved them.  The spider ones are your regular deviled eggs, with olives cut to do the tops.

Since I've had so many failures, I just wanted to remind myself of projects that are non-fail.

Ghost S'More bags-

Candy jars from Martha Stewart.  Free template and copy the label on sticky paper.  

I made these simple banners for the back of my chairs.  I've made several for pictures and to put around the house.  Easy with stick on letters,  tags,  brown ink pad to discolor the edges (aging) and twine/clothes pins.

I'm always thinking about creating.  My future starts when I wake up every morning.  Every day I find something creative to do with my life.  Miles Davis

p.s.  I wonder how many fails Miles David had!!  lol

Fall Bucket

Bucket was so fun yesterday.  I love my dear friends.  I thought maybe I would cancel the luncheon this week because of the funeral and all that went with it but then I realized I needed to have something to look forward to- and the inspiration that comes from this group.  Although we have two gone (serving missions- one is over the MTC in Provo with her husband and the other serving in the temple of Nauvoo) (and a couple were gone on trips)- I feel enriched by these women's lives.  One was being interviewed on a radio station this morning about a new book she has published, one serves on the State's commission for the homeless (and serves on countless boards and is a patrons of the arts, sports, museums, you name it...), one just took her elderly father in to care for him (and she does so tenderly), another makes me laugh, one's husband is getting melanoma test results back today (prayers, prayers, prayers)...how can you not be edified by our conversation and the mutual love we have for each other?  So thankful.

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~Albert Schweitzer

Bucket Menu

Tomorrow I get to host our Bucket group at my house.  It's been so wonderful for me to have something to focus on creatively.  I've been cooking my head off today.  Cooking makes me happy.  Cleaning up?  Not so much.

I'm doing a fall celebration- and fall time means soup time.  Two of my favorite soups when we go out are the the clam chowder from Market Street Grill and the Wisconsin Cheese soup from Zupa's.  I made them both today.  Check!

Menu:

Market Street Clam Chowder
Wisconsin Cheese Soup
Beehive Rolls
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Dessert is simple but yummy.

I'm putting a small square of cream cheese on the plate, with caramel sauce and toffee bits and sliced apples.
THEN I made Brown Butter Salted Caramel Cookies....like a Snickerdoodle on steroids!  And there is a caramel tucked in the middle of each one.  And did I say I LOVED them???

Recipes on the cooking blog soon!

Ponderizing

Although we were doing the funeral all day in Idaho and missed that day of General Conference, it was wonderful to hear all of Sunday's session.  I was so filled to try and be a better person after listening to all these addresses.  3 new apostles ordained!  Wow!  How wonderful!  

I can't wait to ponder each talk but one that stuck out was Elder Devin Durrant- who coined a new word "ponderize."  He challenged to memorize a scripture a week, for a month or year or forever.  He said that 80% of ponderizing was "pondering the meaning of the scripture and thinking about it all week" and the other 20% was memorization.

I am ready to take the challenge...pulling my husband (a little reluctantly) along! lol

This is the scripture I chose after opening my scriptures and choosing something I have underlined in my many readings.  Just pondering ONE DAY about this scripture has already meant something to me!

(I'm putting the previous scripture #1 here also so that #2 makes more sense.)


Romans 12:21 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 (And)... be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

I loved hearing from President Monson- who was frail yet so strong!  Talk about literally wearing himself out in service to the Lord.  He said, among other things,

… We are surrounded by persuasive voices, beguiling voices, belittling voices, sophisticated voices, and confusing voices. I might add that these are loud voices. I admonish you to turn the volume down and to be influenced instead by that still, small voice which will guide you to safety. Remember that one with authority placed his hands on your head after you were baptized, confirming you a member of the Church and saying, “Receive the Holy Ghost.” Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice which testifies of truth. … May we ever be in tune, that we might hear this comforting, guiding voice which will keep us safe.  Thomas S. Monson

I think by "ponderizing" scriptures, it will help drown out the beguiling voices of the world.

Chef Aaron

(this is actually my journaling from our last evening in Seaside so I'm actually journaling backwards.  I just didn't want to forget this evening.....)

Charm Girl Fay has a nephew that lives in Seaside, but is a chef at an upscale restaurant at Stephanie's Inn in Cannon Beach.  He (and his gal) were expecting a baby two days later....so we met up with them for dinner one night so Fay could shower them with gifts.  This is one of them:

The box it came in was even cuter!

So, while we were visiting, Chef Aaron asked why we weren't coming to his restaurant.  Fay mentioned it was a little pricey for our budgets.  He smiled and said, "Come and I'll take care of you!"

We did.  He did.  We were SMILING BIG TIME!!!!  Wow!  What a fabulous dining experience!

 

We started with a 4 -bite appetizer....fresh crab meat on a thin lemon cucumber with a citris drizzle.  Okay, died and gone to heaven.

Then we chose either:

Pear & Apple; Blue Cheese Salad -  Pomegranate vinaigrette, Rogue Creamery blue cheese, candied hazelnuts and fresh pears 


Creamy risotto, shredded duck confit and roasted red pepper romesco sauce - this is what my appetizer was.  The risotto was rolled into balls and absolutely divine!!!  (I've never had duck confit EVER!!! lol)

We then cleansed our palates with a chef prepared mango sorbet.  Or grapefruit.  Or something magnificent I can't even remember what it was....

Then we tried:

Hazelnut Crusted Wild Chinook Salmon -  Creamy squash risotto, braised fennel, baby beets and balsamic brown butter 

Garlic Crusted Filet Mignon - Medallions of Angus beef, Parmesan smashed Rossi Farms potato, Brussels sprouts and red wine bordelaise  (the potatoes has a crisp Parmesan coating around them!)

  Marinated Rack of Lamb -  Sweet au gratin potatoes, roasted baby root vegetables, sautéed chard and Dijon reduction sauce

Dessert was a pumpkin creme brulee with biscotti dipped in white pumpkin chocolate and pumpkin seeds or a fresh apple cake (more like a bread pudding) with chef prepared cinnamon ice cream.  Truly worth the trip alone......


Still dreaming of it.....still smiling.  Oops, I think I see my filet  mignon wrapped around my hips.  Oh dear, some creme brulee on a roll around my waist..... I'll remember it for a long, long time!