surviving winter

Some of the last of the black snow.

It actually hit 60 degrees today...yay!!

Was a bit ill at ease all winter wondering if three certain plants would survive or go the way of winterkill.

Well here they are:

My 'Sage' tree

My lilac bush

My Azalea bush.

WooHoo

They all look healthy and are budded out!

Happy Spring!!

more frequently, I'm thinking...

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY Dear God, so far today, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, and I haven’t lost my temper. I haven’t been grumpy, nasty or selfish, and I’m really glad of that! But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Thank you! Amen.

( author unknown )

Allllmost Spring

March 21st counts to me as the first day of Spring...
We've been having temperatures flirting with 50's and the Sun trying to shine through a little more frequently...but alas, this IS Coeurd'Alene, and we dither in Winter a littttle longer than everyone else.
Yes, tomorrow....snow....no 50's.

But....I surprised my mom with a quick visit, and at her house (4 hours south) the forsythia was in bloom.
Such a nice assurance that Spring really IS coming.

Also went to a Memorial service for one of my HS classmates, who went through life mentally challenged though high funtioning. Such a sweet womam. I'm happy that she is set free in our Lord now.

Her Dad once commented that she was labeled mentally challenged...and his reply was, she lives everyday to it's fullest. It's the rest of us that are mentally challenged.

I know that God restores us to perfection and that is a huge comfort. I do look forward to seeing her on the other side someday. RIP Betty.

Who I am...

Who am I?

I am ...a wife, a mom, grandma, sister and sometimes a friend (but not a very good one)

I want... a retirement to magically appear. (the last ten years or so have been an 'a$$ kicker')

I have... the BEST family a person could ever dream of having.

I wish... I really 'got' manifesting. I'm a little hit and miss with my skill.

I hate... mean-hearted people.

I fear... not always being able to be independent and comfortable.

I hear... ummmm peace. It's a quiet evening around here. March Madness going on downstairs though.

I search... good question...I'll get back to ya on that one.

I wonder... how much faster can life spin?? I mean seriously...I feel like I am at the end of a semester in school and wish I had tried harder.

I regret... my inability to focus better. Not exactly a choice though.

I love... my family, half and halfs (my fam knows this), comfort food, dates with my sweetheart.

I rarely... have my 'sh!t' together....so very abstract-random.

I always... imagine I might one day change myself...(I know...I know....whatever I'm smokin...)

I usually... have a whole committee talking in my head...drives me crazy. Even in my sleep the talk about me comes in the form of a committee. There is usually, no kidding, a wise ass, an idiot, a smart black guy, etc...

I dance....oh, that would be never!

I sing... to favorite oldies, like ones I have burned to CD. ALONE.

I never... seem to achieve as much as I'd like.

I sometimes... get melancholy.

I cry... when I'm happy...when I'm sad...when I'm touched by kindness...

I am not always... sweet but I try to hide those lapses.

I lose... oh, you name it. If I've put it 'away' I'll likely never find it again. Outta sight--outta mind!

I am confused... a good deal of the time, unfortunately. I mistakenly have the habit of looking at things assuming they are complex, but really they are usually a lot simpler than I think they are going to be.

I need... a pedicure....on a regular basis. Makes me happy.

I should... figure out HOW to focus better.

WHO ARE YOU ?

this post brought to you by following my daughter's lead

MO...................

Practice these terms, learn to be comfortable with your Moism.

MO - Mormon

NO MO - Non-Mormon

NO MO' MO - Ex-Mormon

MO NOPOLY - Utah

MO TOWN - Provo

MO PEDS - People walking across the street to Temple Square or the MTC in Provo.

MO HAIR - Missionary standards haircut.

PO MO - A financially challenged Mormon

MO LASSES - Mormon Babes!!

MO TEL - Bishop's interview, tithing settlement, church court, etc.

SU MO - Grad of BYU Law School

MO GUL - Large white Utah bird frequently seen in Church history books, parking lots and dumps.

MO RALLY - Third quarter BYU drive against the U of U.

MO SEY - LDS sense of time. See also LOCO MO TION.

LOCO MO TION - Post-game exodus from Cougar Stadium.

MO NOGOMY - LDS marriage practices.

MO TIF - Two or more Mormons engaged in a heated difference of opinion.

I always thought she dodged a bullet!

My darling daughter has announced that she's thinking of dying her hair red...

Seriously?? Having had a batch of boys --4 0f the 6 some shade of red...I always figured if I had a girl she'd probably be a redhead.

To my very pleasant surprise...I did get a girl and she had Blonde hair!!

Wow dodged a bullett!!

(And there's NO BUDDY like a brother!)

I know she's a beauty, no matter what color....

Just seems a littttttle ironic!

Kaylynn and Julie....our March Birthday girls!

Trying to watch a movie while the adults had their conversations going...

Cars and ...Tom and Jerry.

I had 4 kiddos and 2 banana chairs.

I think I needed a 'banana bench'

or a rocking reclining love-seat.

Everyone wants to be front and center.

Our Logan, Utah family visited and while here we had birthday dinner and cake for the two ladies in the family with March birthdays. Julie on the 8th and Kaylynn on the 20th. It was a most enjoyable day!! Blowing out the cake was a joint effort.









Owen spent considerable time 'posing' for the camera, looking at the pictures and posing again and again. What a hoot. He seems especially born with that See-camera bug (which really started with my Dad..who incidentally was buried 15 years ago today..hope he was watching and enj0ying).

More camera work with Owen. CJ also has the photography bug.

Greysons smiles are so rare and fast...it's a wonder I could capture one...but after having a little birthday cake and ice cream, he was on such a sugar high that I think there were more smiles than usual.

It was the best of times...How was your week-end??

So there were three little boys...

There were three little boys who were instructed to come to school prepared for show and tell with symbols of their religion.

The first little boy said I am Asher and I am a Jew and this is The Star of David.

The next little boy said I am Adam and I am Catholic and this is The Crucifix.











And the third little boy said I am Ammon and I am Mormon and this is a Casserole.

Haha

Conveniences....

This is the end of my posts regarding "Mormon" dishes ... it has been interesting to me, sorry. They have a common theme of quick. easy, tasty, cheap, and full of opportunity to use food storage (making it easy to keep those items rotated). If you have raised a large family, and tried to keep a food storage, (rotated), you will appreciate what these offer to the busy mom of a large family.

Which brings me to my next "curiosity". It's socialogically interesting to me to see the LDS families of today 'shrink' in size. Whereas I thought avoiding the use of birth control, and multiplying were councel from above ... It gives me pause to wonder ... if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever... why this?.....

Any comments welcomed.
For a concise POV on what I've been noticing I offer this link:
www.mormonmatters.org/2008/02/10/mormon-family-shrinkage/

The infamous french green bean casserole...

This has become a 'holiday' favorite as evidenced by the tv commercials, and by the stacks of ingredients always on sale at holiday time.

But this is another one of those ubiquitous dishes always on the pot-luck table at LDS functions.

Green Bean Casserole

2 cans french cut green beans
3 oz package of cream cheese
1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
3oz can of french fried onions.

In 2 1/2 qt. dish place drained beans, then chunks of cut up cream cheese spread on beans. Add soup letting it ooze down and top with onions. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

"Heavenly" Rice

No picture, people....more evidence that this must be an "M" recipe...

Heavenly Rice
3/4 C uncooked rice
1 can crushed pineapple drained
1 pint whipping cream (for die-hards of quality taste)
1 C sugar
1 Lg. package cherry jello
2 teas vanilla

Cook rice in water called for on rice package cooking instructions then drain and rinse in cold water. (drain again, well).
Add pineapple and sugar.
Disolve jello in 1 C hot water and then add to the rice mixture and cool.
When it begins to set, fold in whipped cream until smooth.
Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 C of nuts if desired.
Chill.

So, I hear/tell---that ----

The whole world wasn't acquainted with Shepherd's Pie. During the Olympics held in Utah it became apparant that that was a Utah thing.

Below is laregly Rachel Rays' recipe...rewritten in my own words. Wonder when she visited??
SHEPHERDS' PIE
Boil 2# potatoes for 10-12 minutes - drain pour into bowl
combine 2 T sour cream with
1/2 C cream and 1 egg yolk
salt and pepper to taste
mash together til mostly smooth
while potatoes are cooking crumble and brown 1 3/4 # lean hamburger
in large skillet, add chopped carrot and onion and saute for 5 minutes
In another small sauce pan combine 2 T butter and 2 T flour with 1 C beef broth and 2 T worchestershire sauce---thicken into a gravy (abt 1 minute)
Add gravy to meat and vegetables
Turn into a 9 x 13 greased dish
top with potatoes evenly
sprinkle with sweet paprika and top with chopped fresh parsley
Broil until potatoes are evenly browned

sounds good to me....you have a different version? Please share.

How about Chicken Rice Roger?

I was reading Ann Lamott a while back.

She is one of my all time favorites (a generous amount of irreverant humor).

Love her work (mostly).

In one of her 'novels' which seems to be semi-auto-biographical, she talks - as a child - to a friend. They think that all of a sudden in the 60's divorce is becoming prevalant....and she quips to her friend "Maybe it's because of too much Chicken Rice Roger."

I was thinking maybe Chicken Rice Roger might've been one of those "M" recipes but after second thought, it calls for Chicken Breasts which for 'us' is kind of spendy....we are more into hamburger.

Stand-by for more of those "M" recipes.

I'm having fun with this!

PS.

Tried that Chicken Rice Roger today.

Sooooo very easy.

2 1/2 chicken meat (I use chicken breasts boneless)

A small or half onion well minced.

at least 3 oz of mushrooms sliced and cleaned (buy them that way)

1 C rice

2 C chicken Stock

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon of pepper (the pepper lends a great flavor--don't skimp)

just brown the chicken

spray grease a 9 x 13

pour uncooked rice in the bottom

cover with onion and mushrooms

sprinkle pepper

pour stock over all

arrange chicken pieces on top

cover--bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours

sooo very easy, simple, tasty--

not heavy at all.