Happy Anniversary!

Actually, our anniversary was in August, but Mike's work schedule didn't allow for a week-long trip back then.  So, we went to Disneyland the week before Christmas!  Had a great time shopping for our little peeps there.  And because most kids weren't out of school yet, the parks were pretty quiet.

We used GetAwayToday for our reservations.  On our first visit with the kids, we had used their service and had a wonderful experience.  This trip was no different, great hotel, great location, great prices!  We stayed at the Buena Park Radisson Suites.  It's only a couple of blocks from Knott's Berry Farm and has a shuttle to Disney.  Best of all, it had banana trees...

 

The hotel has a beautiful center court with all sorts of tropical plants.  This was literally the view out the door of our room.  The view out our window was filled with citrus trees, so we enjoyed that, too!

We went to California Adventure on your first day.  We'd never been there so it was all new to us.  We had such a great time that we didn't take a single picture that day!  Our favorite ride, without doubt, was California Screamin', an awesome, huge roller coaster.  Enjoyed it so much that we rode it two different times.  We also loved the parade.  We managed to find a bench to watch it from, near the end of the parade route.  The cast members interact with the crowd so beautifully.  It's kind of like being part of the parade.  lol!

Those of you that know Mike well are going to be really surprised by what we had for dinner.  Chinese food!  He ate his with a fork rather than chopsticks, but he seemed to even enjoy it.  I was in heaven.  I haven't had Chinese food in a very long time.  Luckily, using chopsticks is one of the skills like riding a bike...you never forget how.  

The next day began with a little rain, but we headed out to Disneyland anyway.  By the time we got to the gates, the sprinkles had stopped and our fun began.  We were able to ride four of the really popular rides before 10 am with our early entry pass.  There was actually no wait at all at any of those rides.  It took a few minutes to walk the winding path to get to the loading zone.  At about 10, more people began to show up so we started seeing some of the non-ride attractions that we'd skipped.  Look who we found back at the ranch where Santa keeps his reindeer while he's visiting Disneyland...

 

Truthfully, we're lucky to have this picture.  These two were hamming it up so much that I had a difficult time getting a good shot!  Silly guys.  I've been telling everyone that this is my picture of Pluto and Goofy.  lol!

We spent a big chunk in the middle of the day at New Orleans Square.  As a late morning snack, we had Mickey-shaped beignets!  So yummy.  Then we went off to see the Haunted Mansion.  Turns out, Jack Skellington had taken the Mansion over for the holidays.  

Next stop, the Mark Twain river boat.  I really enjoyed that!  There weren't very many people riding with us, so we were able to wander around the boat during the ride to look at everything happening on the banks.  

I had filet gumbo for lunch.  Papa had clam chowder, both served in yummy bread bowls made right in a bakery in California Adventure.  While we were eating, Princess Tiana and her Dixieland band kept us entertained.  She is the only Princess we saw up close as most of the princesses are now down in a special area in Fantasyland.

The big event of the day was the Disney Christmas parade.  It was much more crowded than the Pixar parade was the night before, but we managed to get close enough to see pretty well.  I got lots of pictures of that...

Donald got to lead the parade.  You know how jealous he gets if he's not the star.

 The Mouse himself!  And his lovely lady friend.  Ice skating.  On a float, no less.  Pretty impressive!

So glad we got to see Belle and the Beast.  *sighs*  My totally favorite fairy tale of all time.

And, last but certainly not least, Santa!  Looked like he was really enjoying himself.  Heard lots of "Ho, ho ho's"!

We also spent a day at Knott's Berry Farm, but alas, it was pouring rain the whole day.  (Biggest storm in southern California in 20 years, or so their weathermen were saying.)  We did enjoy seeing Snoopy and friends in their ice show.  We also saw an interesting show filled with special effects about Native American legends.  Really enjoyed Mrs. Knott's fried chicken dinner for a late lunch.

Learned a couple of interesting things from this trip.  One, the best things about being away is how much more that you appreciate being home when you get back there!  And two, although traveling isn't easy for me, I can do it if I really want to.  Sooooo, I'm going to be braver from now on.  Nauvoo?  Albuquerque?  Hawaii?  Maybe so!

Rumors of my demise...

have been much exaggerated.  I have not left the blogging world.  A bad cold left me barely functioning for several weeks, but now I'm almost ready again to share bits of my wacky life.  So many interesting things have happened around here lately!

Plus...I needed to do some redecorating in here!

Happiness Is....

ten dozen tamales.  Seriously.

Carin, you are my hero for helping me wade through the mountains of masa and meat.  And now we can enjoy the fruits of our labors for days to come.  lol!

Bwahahahaha!!!

Let the indulgence begin!

P.S.  Thanks to the enablers my daughters for helping me find it!

The Homestead

Mike and I had been planning on a special trip this year to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.  That is coming in a couple of months.  In the mean time, we needed a little getaway to spend some time together.  We decided to go to Midway, Utah because we had such a fabulous time there last year.  We were also hoping that there was still some fall color in the hills...

A burning bush euonymus at the Homestead...

 

A lovely red maple also at the Homestead...

A view of Deer Creek reservoir and some of its fall foliage from the Heber Valley Railroad.  I really enjoyed our train trip.  Sooooo much more comfortable than riding in the car for me.  We're already discussing the possibilities of another trip...

Gorgeous draft horses readying themselves to take a group of families on a hay ride....

And, no pictures, but we found a wonderful Mexican food restaurant in Midway. The tamales were absolutely delicious, but the best part of the meal, in my opinion, was the pina agua fresca.  Think lemonade made with pineapple puree instead of lemon juice.  So yummy!  Must. Go. Back.

Self Indulgence

I finally got around to making myself a new apron.  I needed one without a neck strap and that provided full coverage.  (I'm a slob when it comes to cooking.) Here's the front view:

Here's the back view:

Here's a detail picture of the fabric:

You can see why I've named it 'the salsa-making apron'.  Hope all that spiciness keeps me warm in the winter!

Remember When...Josh, age one month

This photo was taken by my dad around Josh's one month birthday.  You can see my mother's hands in the picture.  Josh loved spending time with his grandpa and grandma and would reward them with lots of cute expressions.

I'm posting this not only because I think Josh was adorable at the age, but because in the grand tradition of 'like father, like sons', his sons look very, very much like him!  I spent a good chunk of this past Friday hanging out with the little men and the princess.  The boys were awake for quite a while and I was really amazed at their resemblance to their dad.  I just love to see all the people I love in those little ones faces!

Out of Practice

 From previous posts to my blog, you can see that I spend considerable time sewing.  Usually, I'm working on one quilt or another.  For the last couple of weeks, I've been working on a different kind of sewing project.

Nickolas and Tristan are going to be blessed this Sunday and they needed some new clothes to wear.  Oh my heck, I'm way out of practice on sewing tiny men's wear!  Seemed inappropriate to resort to the swear words I usually use when the sewing gets tough, so I held my tongue and soldiered through.  Clearly, I need to start making more clothes for the little peeps in my life.  I need the practice!

Remember when ... Carin, age 4

I've been telling Carin for months that her son is simply the spitting image of her.  As you can see, she was the girliest little girl, but with a bit of fire in her eyes.  Kaiden is all boy (fire in his eyes, too, lol!), but they could be twins.  Same cute grin.  Same feisty attitude. Cool how that works, isn't it? 

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

 

Today is Mom and Dad's 59th wedding anniversary.  Although they had plenty of ups and downs, there was one thing that they always knew for sure...they'd always be together.  I'm sure that they're taking a minute to celebrate their earthly anniversary and enjoying the view of all their amazing family.  

This photo was taken in November of 1958.  Although you can't tell from this view, Mom is expecting... me! 

Big Job = Big Taste

Although today was the first time that I've ever canned chili sauce myself, I have had a long time love for it.  No, not the store-bought stuff with HFCS 'corn sugar' in it.  The lovely homemade tomatoey, spicy, sweet kind of chili sauce is what I'm talkin' 'bout! 

Over the years, I've tasted many people's version of this condiment.  Some were really awesome (thanks, Aunt Mary!) and some were pretty awful (names deleted to protect the innocent.)  I knew what I wanted my chili sauce to taste like and finally found a recipe that looked like it might work in the Ball Big Book.

After a trip to the Farmer's Market for tomates, I was able to harvest pretty much all the rest of the vegetables needed from the garden.  My one change to the recipe involved a jalapeno pepper.  I just couldn't figure out how a cook could call her finished product 'chili sauce' if it had absolutely no chiles in it.  So, I added one to give it a teeny, tiny little kick. 

Three and a half hours later, I was finished.  Holy cow, that took longer than the peach pie filling that I've previously whined about!  I ended up with 7 and 3/4 pints.  Since my canner only holds 7 pints at a time, that meant that I had to sacrifice and begin eating the 3/4 pint immediately.  Sam was good enough to help me out.  We ate one bowl full on tortilla chips.  Yum, yum, yum.  Then we put it on our cheeseburgers instead of catsup.  OMGosh!  It was lucious.  I'm going to really enjoy the fruits of my labors, but I don't think I'll be making another batch until next year.  I'm pooped!

Ah Ha Moment

Over the past few months, I have discovered the joy that is Greek-style yogurt.  Dedicated scientist that I am, I have eaten my way through every brand and variety that I could find.  My conclusion:  all Greek-style yogurt is not created alike.  Some are pretty darn yucky.  Some are a little bit of heaven in a plastic cup (Fage, you are my dream yogurt!)  They all have one thing in common...they are all much pricier than their French, American, and Dora, the Explorer-style counterparts.

So, ever thrifty shopper and cook that I also am, I began researching how Greek-style yogurt is made.  The manufacturers websites were little to no help.  Other than a few tidbits about it being a 'multi-step process' and 'made in the ancient traditional way' they were holding on to their secrets pretty tightly.  So, I did what I always do.  I Googled.  I found several home kitchen how-to recipes.  And that's when I happened.  The Ah Ha Moment.  I already knew how to make Greek-style yogurt!

I've been making 'yogurt cream cheese' for many years to use as a substitute for regular cream cheese in recipes.  It's really good on bagels and with salsa on crackers, especially.  This is what I do...

I line a steel strainer with a white paper towel.  It will hold a quart of yogurt.  I put the strainer over a bowl to catch the tart juice that drains away.  I usually cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.  Come morning, I just roll the yogurt cheese out of the paper towel into a container.

Well, the 'ancient traditional way' of making Greek-style yogurt is exactly the same process, only I left it to drain for only 4 hours instead of over night.  I just ate some (mixed with a bit of homemade raspberry jam thankyouverymuch) and it is perfect.  And delicious.  And it's going to save me a ton of money.

The one quart container of yogurt (cost:  $2.99) yielded about 28 ounces of Greek-style yogurt.  So, figuring about 10.5 cents per ounce, that's 63 cents for a six ounce serving.  Add a dime or so for the homemade jam and that's a whole heck of a lot less than the
$1. 79 that my beloved Fage usually costs.  Sorry, Fage, I won't be back without a really great coupon.

Peachy Keen Redux

Whew!  I feel like I had a walk on the wild side.  The peachy wild side, that is.  I checked the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving out of the library.  Got sucked in immediately.  lol!  So many 'I gotta try this' recipes in there.  Anyway, I quickly discovered that I had all the ingredients on hand to make several recipes.  My first new recipe was Peach Barbeque Sauce...

The batch was exactly four pints, so I only got a little taste, but it was yummy!  We're going to try it out tonight on oven-bbqed pork chops.

The next recipe I tried was peach salsa, one of the most beautiful salsas that I've ever seen...

Again, the batch was exactly four pints, so licking the spoon gave me my only taste.  It was good, but not as flavorful as the salsa that Carin and I made early in the summer, I don't think.  I'm going to need several (dozen) more tastes before I make up my mind.

Update:  Oh my heavens! For dinner, we had those bbq-ed pork chops that I mentioned earlier.  They were so delish!  The sauce turned out to be sweet and just a little spicy.  Woo Hoo!  I think I'm going to make another batch.

This Year's Quilt

I finished it.  At last.

This year's quilt uses Aunt Gracie-style 1930's reproduction fabrics.  The Sunbonnet Sue blocks are hand appliqued (not a common occurrence around here!)  And for the first time, I used free motion machine quilting on the entire quilt.  That is also known as aerobic quilting.  LOL!  Over all, I'm pretty pleased with the finished quilt.  And, since I've been working on it for a whole year, I'm very glad to be done.

Peachy Keen

My cup runneth over.  With peaches, that is.  Between my little, baby peach tree and the full-grown monster peach tree, I'm estimating we have 3-4 bushels of peaches.  Since the freezer still contains much of last year's bounteous peach harvest, I've had to be creative.  Four batches of peach jam hardly made a dent in the crop.  So, I've been canning peach pie filling for the first time.

It's a labor-intensive process.  Many more steps than any thing I've ever canned.  The first couple of batches came out six quarts to the tablespoon so I didn't really get a taste of the finished product.  This last batch had about half a cup over six quarts so I've finally gotten a taste.  It's very good...will be even better when I'm not absolutely sick of looking at peaches...oh, say, February.

This is also my first canning project using the starch known as Clear Jel, or Thick Gel, as the brand I'm using is called.  That is some powerful stuff!  Think cornstarch on powerlifter steroids.  The first batch I made was so thick that I nearly broke a spoon stirring it.   I cut back on the amount by 1/2 cup in subsequent batches and that seems to be working much better.  I have a few other variations that I want to try as I work my way through mounds of peaches.  I'm going to try juicing some of the softer peaches, then use that juice instead of all lemon juice in the pie filling.  I should probably get around to making a pie out of this stuff, too, to make sure that it really does hold up through the baking process, too.  Pie anyone?!?

Random

A few things that have made me smile lately...

The results of giving these adorable artists a fifty cent package of pipe cleaners and a little instruction.  Love you guys!

The deck is beginning to look like a deck.  Nice, huh?  Makes the whole yard look different, I think.

This is yet another shot of my beloved 'Betty Boop' rose.  Only this time, it's taken with my new camera.  A 10 Megapixel Kodak with a 10x Optical zoom.  I think I'm going to like it!

Beautiful Lifou

Ben e-mailed yesterday to let us know that he has been assigned to Lifou, part of the Loyalty islands chain.  It's a relatively small, coral grown island less than a hundred miles from the coast of Nouvelle Caledonie.  It's so beautiful, isn't it?!?  In fact, I was looking through the photos that Ben and I had downloaded before he left.  Almost all the really beautiful beach and grass hut shots that we'd downloaded are actually of Lifou.  *sighs*  May his mission be as fruitful as his island is beautiful.

Missionary Monday - August 30

Elder Coffey is in Fiji!

After a month's delay, Ben left for the islands early Sunday morning.  He is now at the mission home.  He'll travel with the mission president and wife to New Caledonia on Wednesday.  At last! At last!

This photo was taken by Brother and Sister Jackson who accompanied Ben to the San Francisco airport.  That smile says it all, doesn't it?

Missionary Monday - Aug 23

Been so amazing to hear about Ben's experiences in San Francisco.  It can't possibly be coincidence that he's teaching a part-member family from New Caledonia, can it?  I didn't think so.

Mission President Wade has won some votes lately as Ben is able to have his iPod, albeit filled with uplifting music.  That was one of Ben's big struggles was envisioning two years without his music.  Sam is doing the honors of filling the iPod before we send it off.

And can I just say, I love missionary e-mails.  I was on the computer when his e-mails popped in this week.  It's like a nearly real-time snapshot of what's currently going on in his life.  Waaaaay better than waiting three weeks for snail mail!

Happiness is...

...a working microwave.

...a pantry full of homemade jam.  This one is banana bread nut butter.  Yum!

...someone willing to pickle their nose to help me make pickled beets.  Thanks Carin!  You are awesome!

Pumpkin Preview

We have really enjoyed having a pumpkin patch over the years.  And so have the children and grandchildren.  Thought I'd share a little peek into what's in store this year in the patch.

This is currently the biggest of the bunch.  I'm surprised by how orange it is already.  Cool!

This one is hiding in the zucchini plant.  It's roots are actually half way down the bed.  A rebel at heart!

This little guy is growing in the middle of one of the butterfly bushed that line the back fence.  He's not looking so good.  Hope he makes it!

This one is actually dangling from the fence!  There's a companion a little further up the vine, too.  I'm going to have to think of a way to support them or they'll succumb to their own weight and fall off the vine too soon.

Hard to tell in this light, but this little one is going to be a Lumina or ghost pumpkin...white on the outside, orange on the inside.  I love those!

So, I really have my work cut out for me.  Weeds don't grow well in the tangle of vines and cornstalks, but it is difficult to keep everything adequately watered and fertilized.  And, of course, I have to appease the frost demon so that he doesn't come too early!

I'm in Heaven

gOf course, the big news at our house this week was the arrival of Tristan and Nickolas.  While we were so glad that they are doing well, Mike and I have had our hands full hanging out with Joey while her mom and dad were at the hospital.  Today, Grandpa and Grandma Hadley took Joey for a little while so that we could go to the NICU and visit the boys.

I actually got to touch them in their bassinets!  Their skin is so soft.  Each boy had to show off just a bit for us.  Tristan had a big meal while we were there.  Nickolas had to demonstrate his lung power with a couple of good shouts.  We also spent some time comparing them...so many differences in addition to the obvious similarities.  And as always with the new members of the family, it's so much fun to see little flashes of likeness to other people that we love.

Welcome to the clan, Tristan and Nickolas!

Joe's Toes

I've spent this week hanging out with my buddy, Joey.  We've played in the pool and worked in the yard and watched Dora the Explorer.  Today, she really tested my grandmothering skills by wanting 'purple toes'.  We found the perfect purple polish while we were shopping.  I've never been great at pedicures, but I've got to admit.  These are some of the cutest toes around.  Don't you agree?

Missionary Monday - August 2

Got another phone call on Thursday from Elder Coffey.  He was headed off to San Francisco for about a month to work while waiting for his visa.  He was very excited to be getting to work at last.  I had to laugh as I had written him a note (that he hadn't received yet) saying that I thought they should send him to San Francisco so that he could spend part of each day pestering the French consulate.  *snort*  Based on his e-mail today, he's got better things to do.  He's serving in a triple with two other elders who are working hard.  They had a baptism on the weekend.  Great example for Elder Coffey!

Dilly Beans

Since I've already posted lots of gardening stuff this week, how about a canning post today instead?!?  For the first time, I canned dilly beans..

I think they look pretty tasty.  They are supposed to remain unmolested for two weeks to allow those lovely beans to 'pickle'.  *taps fingers*  Now I have to wait.

Just for the record, I grew these beans with this canning project in mind.  I'm really pleased with this variety of bean.  They are so straight and smooth, made it easy to get them in the jars.  Now I just need to figure out what to do with the other 75% of the crop.  May have to make a few more jars of dilly beans!

Thanks to my awesome daughter Carin and her gracious in-laws for this recipe.

Garden Help

Since I'm having such a hard time getting all the yard and garden work done, I hired some garden help.  She's very dedicated, every flower is fully watered.  Best of all, she works for snacks.

Thanks, Miss Bean!

In The Garden - July 27

I've been slacking in my garden updates, but not in my garden work.  So many things in the garden are beginning to catch up after that cold, wet spring.

These daylilies have been a wonderful surprise this year.  I moved them from the front yard into the new bed in the back.  I did not expect them to bloom, but here they are!  The original planting out front was planted about 20 years ago.  They bloomed beautifully for several years, but as the trees and shrubs around them grew and began to shade them, they gradually stopped blooming.  For the last couple of years, there have been no blooms at all.  The biggest surprise is that the ones in front have a few blooms on them, too!

Here's my bean patch, just full of beans waiting to be bottled into dilly beans.  This variety is very slender and very straight, should make the bottling process easier.  I hope to get to them by the end of the week.

I planted some red sunflowers about five years ago.  Haven't had to plant them again, but there's always a nice patch of them self-seeded in the garden for the bees and birds to enjoy.  They've cross pollinated with both the native sunflowers and some giant ones that I planted one year.  Although there is still a hint of their red flower parentage, it has nearly been bred away.  Looks like I'll need to plant fresh red ones next year.

Be still, my heart appetite.  Due to the spring cold, the pepper plants have been very reluctant to get going and get to producing.  They are finally setting some fruit.  Now I just need to be patient while they size up and turn red.  *taps fingers*

Have a few of these hiding in the giant plants.  Looks like Granny will have a few pumpkins to share this year.  Thank goodness!  Would love to have a pile of pumpkins to photograph with the grandchildren this year to send to our missionary.  Sam tells me that the photo we sent to him of PJ and Kaid was one of his favorites while he was out in the field.

Missionary Monday - July 26

Thursday of last week, I got the 'best of phone calls, worst of phone calls'.  I was thrilled to hear from Ben at the MTC!  He's doing fine, but had bad news.  His visa has been delayed, so he won't be flying to New Caledonia tomorrow as planned.  He was a little bummed, but seemed determined to stay the course until the paperwork comes through. 

If you can spare a good thought or a little prayer for a missionary who's currently on hold, that would be great.  And if you could say a little prayer for the bureaucrat at the French embassy responsible to finish up this paperwork, that would be great, too.

As for me, I'll be praying for them both and waiting for another phone call to tell me just exactly where my son is going to be.

Missionary Monday - July 19

I know.  It's been a while since I've made written a missionary update.  It's not because Ben isn't doing fabulously at the MTC, because he is.  It's not because I'm not soooo proud of him, because I am.  It's just because I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that he's going to be several thousand miles away in just a couple of weeks.

I know that he's going to be an awesome missionary.  I know that Nouvelle Caledonie is where he is supposed to be.  I know that the Lord's hand is evident in all this.

I just miss him.  A lot.

Step 3 B - Finished!

I finished painting yesterday, but, man was I tired!  This morning, I got up and shampooed the carpet first thing, then had to wait to get in and take pictures until it was dry.  Without any further ado...

The photos are a good representation of the the color which I like to call 'Frog Frappe' (oh, please tell me that I'm not the only Sliders fan around here.)  The actual color is called 'Garden Fresh' and it's Valspar paint in an eggshell finish.  While I really like the color, the paint itself was not all that I had hoped.  It didn't cover as well as some other brands that I've used, nor does it level as well on the wall.

As you can see, I still have some finish work to do.  I need to repaint that door before I rehang it.  It still some residual Cassie-grease on the inside.  lol!  I need to rehang the blinds, too, and then it's time to decorate.  Mike is out looking at furniture sales right now to see if he can find a new entertainment unit that will fit through the door.

While I've already purchased chocolate brown slipcovers for the sofa and loveseat, I'm still looking for the perfect pillow fabrics to bring the whole project together.  JoAnn's used to have the perfect fabric in their home decor center, but it was sold out the last time I went to look.  I found some really beautiful ones on-line that may just do the trick.