Frowny Face

Just a note for posterity-

So far, Utah has had 39194 cases of Covid 19.  Of those 2324 have been hospitalized.  292 have died

In the US, 4.46 million have had it and 152,000 have died.

JDawgs

Our 24th of July Un-Celebration came and went.  I'm sooo emotionally drained over this corona thing....I feel like we are living in " dreaded anticipation" all of the time.  

Fun news is that Brooke and Tanner's new home is almost done.  Move in is next week!  I ran out Friday to walk through it with them.  It's going to be a lovely home for their family!  We made impromptu dinner plans while I was there....


 I have to have a few things to look forward to on my plate- and food usually does the trick.  I have read several recipes about the Famous JDawgs hot dog sauce.  My kids have raved about the sauce, how the hotdogs are cut with slits or diagonals to get more BBQed yumminess.  You can put all sorts of topping on them but the sauce stands alone!  Recipe on the cooking blog.  This is a new family favorite!!!

Nostalgic

My mom died 4 years ago and my dad 2 and I'm still not over.  I'm pretty sure most people don't get over it.  Still, after all this time, I have my boo-hoo days.  I just have a good old cry to help release all that missing.  How blessed I was to have parents that I adored.  I wake most mornings and then remember that they are gone but I close my eyes quickly and picture them, really see them, hear them and it always makes me smile.  I am a total believer in guardian angels and know that if possible, my parents (and David's parents that I adore as well) are doing all they can do to help my family with all that is going on right now.  Because all those grandparents LOVED their grandkids so much !

I have lots of food memories associated with my parents- my Dad- chilled Coke in a bottle purchased in a machine at Dad's work.  His bacon "in the waffle" that we all loved!  Bacon anything.  Blueberry pancakes.  I love my steak sauce because he loved his steak sauce.  We had lots of Van Camp beans...and he had strict instructions that you "NEVER" boil them, because it really does change the flavor.  He loved tons of onions in his fried potatoes.  Yum!

My mom and I shared a love of cooking and sharing and, of course, eating. When she died, I bet she had close to 100 cookbooks.  Before the day of convenience everything, Mom was a great fan of "snicky snacks (which is why for a million years, our family celebrates "Snicky Snack dinner" on Christmas eve.)- she loved little munchies.  One of our favorites was a Ritz cracker, with a small wedge of cheese and a slice of sweet pickle and pop it in your mouth!  We always had those little glasses filled with a spread of blue cheese or American cheese or pineapple and cheese or, our favorite, Pimiento cheese.  Stuffed celery was always a treat and never a holiday meal came and went without them...plus there were all those empty juice glasses to use!

My dad wasn't a big lover of macaroni until much later in life but my mom and I LOVED anything to do with mac!  We loved a good cheesy mac and cheese or a hamburger mac and cheese...or a good macaroni salad.  I'm not sure people love macaroni salad in this day as much.  But when I saw this recipe, for Pimiento Macaroni Salad, I got a little nostalgic lump in my throat (oh!  this missing!!!)- and knew Mom would want me to give it a try and then share the recipe with her!  David's not a mac fan either.  Maybe when he's older and a little more mature....but until then, I'll eat the whole bowl by myself!  Recipe on the cooking blog!

Re-Created and a Fiesta

Yesterday we had our monthly Sunday dinner.    Brooke's bloodhound Bella (Annee disowned her) finally got to come and visit.  She got in BIG BIG trouble that morning at Brooke's folk's house.  They were in the other room after their family church meeting and one of the kids let Bella in and she chewed up the Brazilian white tablecloth that they had used for the sacrament.  People weren't happy at the house....

So Bella got to come to our house for her second time in 8 years!  Did I mention that Bella is a bloodhound?  She has a nose that sniffs out trouble.  When she made her debut (first picture below)- she ended the visit by catching the scent of something black and white down by our barn.  She was GONE!  Unfortunately she got skunked.  It was a miserable ride all the way home.  Brooke has banished her from visiting.  Well, until today.

Tanner found this picture on his phone- 8 years ago.  Look how young Bella is!  Look how fluffy my face is (frowny face).  I immediately recognized the shirt and said, "Let's re-create!)  I didn't look close enough but I really have the same black pants.  I wear clothes from 10-15 years ago all the time!  Same shirt.  Almost same shoes. Same hairdo. I'm kind of boring that way....

Look how Bella has aged!  Her face is all gray as well as her great coloring.  She was a good girl at Grandma's and didn't even howl.  And, of course, I plied her with doggy treats.  I don't think she knows who I am but she knows I have treats.  That's what grandmas do.  I'm sure I have tons more gray as well but only my hairdresser knows.  But losing butters has slimmed my face.  Crazy place that I always carry weight!

Nacho and Taco Bar food was delish.  

Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken

Taco hamburger meat

Mexican beans

nacho cheese sauce

shredded cheese, lettuce, cabbage, fresh tomatoes

a variety of chips and tortillas

Doug made his famous salsa. Heidi brought her favorite from Costa Vida and I picked up Mango Salsa as well. 

We had olives and jalapenos

and made Hibiscus punch (which we love from Guatemala) (you can buy the mix at most grocery stores in their Hispanic section.)

The kids loved the Mexican sodas I picked up as well (because it was so novel to drink from a bottle, I think!)

Brooke made delicious No-Bake Kit Kat bars for dessert and celebrating Anne, Summer and Marci's birthdays!  And we always have ice cream bars!  Recipe for the Kit Kat bars (a winner!) on the cooking blog!

Birthday girls- Annee and Summer💕 

Turkey Trot

This morning the Toms decided to play a little pickle ball!  They are such funny birds to watch!  The Toms are kind of kicked out of the herd. (What are a group of turkeys called?  Flock?). We’ve only seen 9 babies this year and I haven’t seen all the females at least a dozen or more) since they roost at the neighbors now.

I googled it- now you know!😂😂😂


A group of turkeys is called a rafter. The red fleshy appendage that hangs from a turkey's neck is called a snood. The male turkey is known as a tom. The female is called a hen.

Secret Ingredient

While we were in St. George with the Petty's and Gwilliams', Patty made these amazing baked beans for our dinner.  I make really good baked beans but these were so different in texture and taste and I have been craving them ever since!  The secret ingredient?  Pickle juice!  Who would guess???

Recipe on the cooking blog.


And speaking of pickles,
I love since David and Travis redid our pickleball court, our family will show up at all times to play!  Thursday night was so beautiful outside- there must be fires somewhere but we just got the awesome sky.  Our world is so beautiful and family makes it perfect!

 

Foundations

I loved this post by Emily Belle Freeman- about the reconstruction that is going on within us....

(she is talking about the reconstruction/reinforcement of the Salt Lake Temple)
Do you think when God planned for the undoing of this temple, He already knew about the undoing of this world?
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The foundations that needed strengthening.
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The cumbersome parts that needed to be removed.
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Do you think He saw the holy places that just needed to be fortified in a different way?
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I remember when I heard about the restoration that was coming how surprised I was that it was going to last so long.
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Why does it have to last so long?
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And yet, I knew the wisdom in it...how sometimes it is only in the rebuilding that lasting strength is found.
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As I stood in front of that holy place I couldn’t help but consider that God knows exactly what He’s doing with this undoing.
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There is purpose in this place.
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And as I walked away from the great work taking place there, I turned back for one last glance and saw the flowers someone had planted along the borders of the undoing of it all. Someone had thought to leave a mark of beauty there.
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Bright petals surrounding the dust and debris.
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And I couldn’t help but wonder what this undoing might be like if each of us thought to plant some beauty here...in this space...while we allow God to do His work of strengthening and fortifying and removing of what is holding us back.
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Because sometimes the work of consecrated holiness is messy. But beauty doesn’t have to wait for the final restoration. Beauty can be found along every step of the way.

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I feel during this "pandemic time" (the world and personally) it has been a time of digging down to the foundations.  It has been painful.  I've learned and am learning so much.  But I love this idea of planting some beauty there as well.  I've tried to do that by mentally making a gratitude list often of the wonderful things God has done for us during this time.  Focusing on the beauty certainly is an anchor in the storm.


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Wild Horses

This week we called Kirk and Cathy to see if they needed a getaway.  Kirk has been VERY isolated during Covid (he works in health care) so it was unusual to get him out and WITH us in the truck!  But the lure of wild horses couldn't keep him away.

We headed out to a part of the west desert- about 2 hours away to some really barren BLM land.  On that land runs hundreds of wild Mustangs grazing and at dusk, they mosey to the water troughs that are filled for them to drink.  It was amazing to see these animals!  You can tell they are wild- they are all battered up from fighting with each other!  We had such a good time with our friends, just talking and sharing like we hadn't been together forever!  And seeing the horses was a little check on our Bucket List.....

We

I don't quite get the "wild" thing.  The government pays millions of dollars every year to "protect" these horses.  And the purpose?  I'm not sure.  I know the Pioneer Woman and her family get $2 million dollars a year to feed about 400 horses.  And again, the purpose?  To whose benefit?  Our government spends $50 million a year taking care of wild horses.  

Mini Vaca

After our Low Country Boil 4th of July, David got so sick- fever, chills and body aches.  The fear that goes through you- worrying about if all the family was just exposed to Covid!  He was so sick on Sunday and by the time I called the Covid Hotline, they were closed for the day.  Luckily, one of our neighbors had a test (his business does them) and brought it over and then took it to the lab the next day.  David actually felt fine on Monday.  We were suppose to go to St. George on Monday and of course, that didn't happen.  We got the results on Tuesday- negative.  this up and down thing with Covid is exhausting. 

Thursday, David loaded up the yearling racehorse and we headed to St. George to drop him off at the trainer.  Then our holiday!!!!  We stayed with Tom and Pretty Patty Petty in their new home...and had our dear friends, Tom and Penny over for a fabulous smoked ribs/tri-tip dinner so they could meet each other!  We knew they would like each other!  And our dinner was fabulous!  We talked and talked, ate and ate.  The Petty's yard and home is so fun and is totally Patty.


Patty is a quilt maker and she has fun quilts and wall hangings all over her home.

 Her craft room is organized perfectly.  That's Patty!

 Doggie Max has his personalized doggie door and own patio

 Patty made the faux picket fence and all the accessories.

 

 Their garden in the desert is so enchanting and unique.

 

The next day, after finishing our marble tournament, David and I headed over to Tom and Penny's new home.  Again, fabulous!  I'm so happy for both of my friends for this next chapter in their lives!

I had to claim ownership of this bedroom.  Penny's granddaughter thinks it is hers.  She lives in Florida.  I told her possession was 9/10th of the law!

 

 

 

 

We had such a nice time with our friends...but eventually we had to come home to reality.
Reality isn't as fun as vacation....

Celebrating the 4th with a Low Country Boil

We had a wonderful afternoon for the 4th of July- having 3 of our 5 families over for dinner (so about 20 people) and swimming/pickleball/games-Aggravation, Rumikub, Cover Your Assets- and celebrating Heidi and Elijah's birthday (and post-birthday- son Ryan's).(Ben wasn't here or we would have celebrated him too!)

I thought it would be fun to do a Low Country Shrimp Boil.  Then I felt a titch of disappointment to learn several of the grands either didn't like or had allergic reactions to shrimp.  I felt the wind squeaking out of my sails...

But we did it anyway.  I just had David grill some chicken as well.  And we had more salads and watermelon than we could possibly eat.  And banana cake with browned butter frosting.  And birthday cakes and cheesecake and ice cream bars.....and POW!  We were all exploding like firecrackers!

First in the large pots is boiling water and the spices- I used Zararains and also Old Bay. I also threw a couple of halves of lemon and onions in each pot. When that gets boiling good, add your baby potatoes.  I used red and white.  No blue ones....

We boiled them about 5 minutes.  Then we added cut up cured sausages- like kielbasa or from Costco- Aidells (I used chicken and apple), beef polish sausage.  I did 3 different kinds.  Boil about 10 minutes more.

Add corn on the cob (broken into large chunks)- cook for about 6 more minutes and finally add shrimp.  I used the Costco, cleaned, shell off but not cooked.  Honestly, just cook them when you are ready to start- they take mere minutes and shrimp gets tough the longer it cooks.  When it turns pink it is done!

I had bowls of cocktail sauce.  The yummy sour dough bread from Costco you bake for 15 minutes.  Plus Gracie helped me make Red Lobster biscuits.  I love these so much!  (we used the mix.  I made lots of garlic butter that we then drizzled over the drained boil foods.)

We sat out in another part of our big yard to find the shade.  Long tables with brown paper and parchment paper in the middle where I could just pour out the food.

Such a fun, fun time.  I love our family so much and everyone just runs off and plays or talks and we continue to eat.  Heaven!

Birthday girl Heidi- 17

 Birthday Boy Elijah- 15

“America is a tune. It must be sung together.”— Gerald Stanley Lee

Miscellaneous from the Camera Roll

I thought I would post random photos from my camera roll.  Little tidbits in and of themselves.

First is my little punkin, Summer.  I watched the littles this week because Annee had an iron infusion at the hospital!  Our poor Annee!  Her iron count is suppose to be 50 and it was 15!  No wonder she is always exhausted!  They had to give her two IV bags full of stuff!  So I got the littles time- we picked up dinner (bet you can't guess where) and then came home to eat and swim.  Love these kiddos so much!

I found this picture of "some" of our horses (I can't keep track of how many we actually have- lol)  This picture shows a few, then part of David's roping arena, then part of the equestrian gully.  You can see the trails going every which way- 680 acres to ride in.

Halle had to do a renaissance era picture for a French class.   I loved how it turned out (below).  It looks authentic!

This is the picture they were duplicating... 

Chick Rey- a long ago friend in our old, old area- posted this picture on Facebook.  Carl Reiner, a famous comedian, producer, director- passed away last week.  Chick posted this picture of Mr. Reiner and the King Sisters.  Luise King (married to Alvino Rey) was Chick's mother in law- and our friend and neighbor as well.  I visiting taught Luise for years (she is to the right of Reiner)- and learned so much from her!   Her most important lesson to me was this:  "Young people are always BORED!  Why, I've never been bored a day in my life!"  I loved watching the King Family show on television when I was little- little did I know I would come to know some of them very personally!

I found this cute picture of Hallee Babe's baptism (and me with short hair!)  I remember that day so vividly.  I love this girl who was my mini-me for so many years I felt like I was re-living my life again through her.  She texted me yesterday to see if she and her "boyfriend" could come and play pickleball at our house tonight!  I said of course, and I would try to think up some great way to embarrass her and she replied, "Sounds great!"

I have been spending a lot of time hanging with grand dog Jeter.  Look at the crazy way he was relaxing today!  Feet up on the door! lol.  This dog loves me and I love him!

I don't know if this picture will show up very well- but I loved during quarantine, how my darling DIL would read a children's book each day to all her nieces and nephews (and me!)  She is such a darling and then it also made me happy that the cow jumping over the moon I painted many a year ago still hangs in her home (it was for Heidi's nursery!  Heidi turns 17 tomorrow on the 4th of July!)

Last night David and I and Parker went to Lehi to watch Peyton's baseball game.  You wouldn't know by his grin that his team lost!  We love this little guy so much.  We have LOVED Parker living with us for the summer.  It has been a great blessing in the middle of our "storms."

That's it.  That's randomness for sure.  Life is good.  Life is hard.  Life is random.  God is always good!