Vexation, Mistaken, Brinner

Vexation - A source of irritation or annoyance.

August 29, 2009

Saturday is my weekly weigh in. I have been losing . . . some . . . slowly . . . painfully slowly. This week brought no loss, but also no gain. I did manage to lose about an inch and a half, though. So now I'm left with having to lose 50 lbs in 18 days. I somehow just don't think that I'm going to be able to make that happen. Oh, if I only had some will power . . .

Brinner - Breakfast for dinner

August 30, 2009

Unlike most normal people, we don't have a big Sunday dinner. We have Brinner. And Lane cooks it. We have eggs, bacon or sausage, french toast or pancakes and juice. It is the best Sunday dinner ever! Once in a while, if Lane isn't working, we have a normal Sunday dinner. But more typically our Sunday dinner is on Monday when Grandma comes for Family Night.

Mistaken - Arising from error in opinion or judgement.

August 31, 2009

I sew a lot, and because of that there is little bits of string everywhere, stuck on the carpet, stuck on my clothes, you name it. When there is a little clump of dark string like in the picture, I typically shout out "Spider!" and beat the heck out of it with a shoe or whatever is handy. This leads to shame and embarrassment when I discover that I have just killed a little wad of string. You would think by now I would be smart enough to wait to see some movement before I kill it, but I guess I'm not that smart. But I am terribly brave when confronting the string, not so much with the real spider.

Red

Red - Reddish in color or having parts that are reddish in color

August 28, 2009

First you start with some GORGEOUS red potatoes . . . .

. . . drizzle with olive oil, season with fresh herbs and garlic (always garlic) . . .

. . . sprinkle with coarse ground sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and the surprise ingredient, brown sugar. Bake the potatoes, toss a salad, steam some carrots (cuz carrots ALWAYS go with potatoes) . . .

. . . and you have a delightful summer meatless meal.

My brother suggested the brown sugar on the potatoes. I was horrified at the thought, but he is a pretty good cook. I asked him how much, like a tablespoon? He laughed and said, no! Pile it on! I scooped out a half cup of brown sugar and started sprinkling it on and could only bring myself to put on about half of what I had scooped.

What do you know? The brown sugar added so much to the flavor, and I should have put on the full half cup!

Dirty

The tree branch finally broke. I was hoping that somehow it would hang on . . . I'm just waiting for the other one to break now. Let this be a lesson to us all - THIN THE FRUIT!!!

Dirty - soiled as with dirt; unclean.

August 27, 2009

Calvin brought me some red potatoes today. I love red potatoes, but don't frequently buy them because russet is so much cheaper. We ordered pizza tonight because I had a $20 coupon that was about to expire, so I guess these will be dinner tomorrow or Saturday. YUM!! Roasted in the oven with olive oil, onion, and fresh herbs . . . my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

3 weeks from tomorrow we are off on our trip! That means my countdown is almost under 20 days. It has been a long time coming, and will be over all too soon! I'm already shopping for next years cruise, so that will help with the depression when we come home and I have to prepare my own meals and make my own bed, and pick up after myself . . . I really should have a room steward at home.

Stitch

Stitch - A link made by drawing a thread through material with a needle.

August 26, 2009

This is the project I just finished. Christmas is coming, you know. Since this one is now done, I went on the hunt through my stuff for something new to work on. In my drawer of stitching treasures, I found 2 started, but unfinished projects. I closed my eyes and chose one. When I saw what I had chosen, I was pleased to find that it is actually almost half way done! So I set about getting myself organized to work on a new project, which includes putting all my floss from the last project back in my giant tackle box. This led to the unpleasant discovery that I have once again outgrown the space. I'll have to reorganize it, AGAIN, but that is such a long and horrid task I'll have to have some time to psych myself up for it. Anyway, I got busy on the new project, which includes many frustrating minutes of figuring out where I am in relation to the pattern. So I stitched the rock wall completely, and then started on the bridge, and realized why it is that I had put the dumb thing in the drawer in the first place. Every single square of the pattern is stitched, and it makes my eyes buggy to look at the pattern. It might have to go back into the drawer one or two more times before I can finish it. Note to self: don't get any more patterns like that.


I got Jack signed up for football today. Football starts off great, but the games are in the evening and by the time October comes around it's no longer fun. Just cold and miserable. And frequently rainy. Sometimes snowy. Not fun.

Overwhelm

Overwhelm - To present with an excessive amount.

August 25, 2009

I met with the out-going primary 1st councilor tonight to learn what this new calling will entail. I've been serving as secretary for about a year, so this will be new. I took my secretary notebook to my meeting, and came home with 3 more notebooks of stuff, plus a giant Triscuit box full of scout stuff. Wow. That's a lot of stuff. I guess I'll be doing some sorting and organizing.


I had a busy day today. It's funny how it works that way sometimes. Today it seemed like I just ran from one thing to another with hardly any time to rest, and then other days I don't have much to do. I still never got my laundry done today. Yeah, the laundry I've been working on since Saturday because I hate laundry THAT MUCH. I finally got my checkbook caught up and bills paid just a few minutes ago. I think I should have more money. Where does it all go? I guess I really shouldn't complain since there is enough to pay the bills. Thanks go to my wonderful husband who works so hard for us. (He reads this - I have to be nice!)


I finished another cross stitch project. Now I don't know what to do. I have piles of patterns that I should go through and get started again on something before I lose my motivation. I also need to hem my new cruise dress. I don't think I've ever had to hem a dress for myself before. It is an unusual thing for me to get something that is too long. I need to take it up about an inch and a half. Only 3 and a half weeks until we go!

Foolish, Dramedy, Vine-ripened

Foolish - Resulting from stupidity or misinformation; unwise.

August 22, 2009

Although I know better, I just couldn't bring myself to thin the apples on the tree. Now, as we approach the end of the season, my apples are small, and two of the branches have broken. There was a lesson in the Ensign a while back, I think the theme was on sacrifice or something, but the object lesson was about thinning peaches on a peach tree and how hard it is to pluck off perfectly good fruit in order to get better fruit. That was my problem. I knew I needed to thin it, but I just couldn't bring myself to pluck off that fruit and toss it away. Okay. Lesson learned.

Dramedy - "The Wonder Years" is an American television dramedy created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC, from 1988 - 1993. Set it 1968 - 1973, the series tackled the social issuess and historic events through the eyes of the main character, Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage).

August 23, 2009

While the rest of the state of Utah was properly at the dedication services of the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple, I was sinfully at home, in my pajamas, the WHOLE day, watching episode after delightful episode of The Wonder Years, which is without a doubt the best show ever on TV. I am not a crier, I don't cry at much (I did cry during "Up"). But I cry like a baby over this show. Never let it be said that I am devoid of sentiment. Well, not entirely devoid of sentiment anyway.

Vine-ripened - Ripened naturally on the vine; not allowed to ripen artificially.

August 24, 2009

I love August tomatoes. They are gorgeous and taste even better. I made fresh pico de gallo to go with our dinner tonight with my home grown tomatoes and green onions.

Dehydrate

Dehydrate - To preserve by removing water from

August 21, 2009

I am so glad that I have 2 basil plants. I cut one almost down to the ground, dried it, and all I have left is enough to fill this shallow bowl. I should have cut it before now so it could grow again and I could cut it again, but it's one of those things that is so easily forgotten. I'll cut the other one tomorrow. Luckily, basil is something that is used sparingly, so I think it will be ample to get me through a year.



I am a firm believer that everyone needs to grow herbs. Whether you grow a garden or not, you need to grow herbs. I took an excellent class on herb gardening a bunch of years ago (for those who know Tonya Lemone, you know what I mean!) and have grown herbs ever since. There are some staples that must be in every garden: basil (annual), parsley (biannual), thyme, rosemary, chives (all perennial), and dill (annual that becomes a perennial if you aren't careful!). Sometimes I grow cilantro, but both dill and cilantro are very tempermental and I haven't had good luck with them since we moved. I'm still looking for the perfect spot where they will get enough sun but not burn up. Herbs are an excellent investment. Consider that an herb start costs about $2.50 at walmart, and then consider how much you pay for herbs in the little bottles. Especially for the perennial things that you only have to buy once. Not only is it a money saver, but also consider that if we actually had to eat what's in our food storage and garden, a little basil and rosemary for seasoning might help things go down a little easier. Provident Living, Tonya Lemone calls it. I have even grown garlic a couple of times. Once I had parsley that was so plentiful I had to give it away as gifts. Another time I had chives that were taking over the yard, and just took bunches of them to my neighbors, whether they wanted them or not (who wouldn't want chives?).



I learned a neat little trick recently. I read somewhere on the internet that if you take the root end of your green onion, and plant it in a pot in a sunny window, it will keep growing back. I have some little daisies trying to grow in my kitchen window, so I thought what the heck, and stuck some root ends into each of the 3 pots. What do you know? They WILL keep growing! I have cut back each of those 3 onions several times, and they just keep growing back. I haven't bought green onions in weeks, and you all know how I put green onions in everything! Whodda thunk?

Commence, Ripen

Just when I thought I had it all figured out how to ge the pictures in the right order, it's all backwards again. This is Jack and his friend Derek and Addie and her friend Anneliese walking home after a successful first day at school.

Taylor wasn't interested in having her picture taken this morning. I think she thinks that as a 9th grader, she has outgrown this little routine.

Commence - To begin; start.

August 20, 2009

However, Jack and Addie still enjoy the routine, and made sure that I didn't forget to take their picture before they left. Addie was so excited I wasn't sure that she was going to last until it was time to leave. I think last night was kinda like Christmas for her. She informed me it was the best day of her life when she came home, and told me every single detail about her big day. Jack wasn't quite so elaborate, but is delighted that all his best friends are in his class. That poor, poor teacher.

Ripen - To make or become ripe or riper; mature.

August 19, 2009

More with the grapes . . . they are almost there. If I can just keep the birds out of them! I went berry picking tonight and got a small handful of raspberries from our new plants, about 5 strawberries, and a good bunch of blackberries. Lane will finish in the morning what is likely to be the last picking. I'll get some jam made on Saturday.

I made what I hope was the FINAL trip to Walmart for school supplies (yet another $35). Taylor needed a certain type of folder, a certain type of binder, a certain calculator, a certain COLOR of highlighter, graph paper, etc. Despite my best intentions, I always end up going back for more stuff. Who uses blue highlighters anyway?

Derby

It was the Pinewood Derby tonight at Pack Meeting.

Derby - A formal race, usually having an open field of contestants.

August 18, 2009

Jack designed, cut, built, and painted his car all by himself. As luck would have it, one of his wheels wouldn't stay on and his car never once crossed the finish line. He was really bummed about it, but I think his car is adorable. I don't think "adorable" is what he was going for, so I probably didn't make him feel any better. I think he did a great job for having done it singlehandedly, bad wheel notwithstanding.

We went out to the jr high open house today. We met most of Taylor's teachers and it looks like a good year. I was most impressed with her teacher for Honors English. He seemed like the sort of teacher you would remember your whole life, and look back on with great fondness. I asked what the kids would be reading, expecting "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Romeo & Juliet." He said in addition to both of those, they would also have "A Midsummer Nights Dream" and "Hamlet." At BYU I took a class on Shakespeare, and that's all we read for a whole semester. I finally learned how to read Shakespeare, and that was one of my all-time favorite college classes. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at classic literature as I did when I read "Comedy of Errors." So I told Taylor I would read her Shakespeare with her. I've read all 3 of those, and although my favorites are "Comedy of Errors" and "MacBeth," these are good too. I'm glad she'll get a chance to be introduced to something besides Harry Potter. She has a real love for reading, so I hope she will learn to appreciate Shakespeare before she's 22.

Tomorrow is the meet & greet at the elementary school. Addie is simply beside herself with excitement. School all day long, eating lunch there . . . it's just all her dreams come true. She has a couple of her little friends in her class. Jack also has some of his friends in his class. I am hoping that now he is a big 5th grader, he will learn to control his talking a little. Who am I kidding? The boy never stops!

Pretend, Shatter, Gap

Pretend - to represent fictitiously in play; make believe

August 15, 2009

I made a pie on Saturday, and Addie took my left over scraps of crust and some of her blue play-doh and my rolling pin in her attempt to make her own pie.

Shatter - break into many pieces.

August 16, 2009

No will will admit to being the one who broke this, nor to even knowing how it got broken, nor strangely to even have known it was in the house. Hmmm. Yeah, I don't quite believe that, but they have formed their wall of silence and are admitting to nothing. Luckily, I had an old, ugly frame of the same size that I stole the glass from so all is well now.

Gap - A space between objects or points.
August 17, 2009

Addie lost one of her front teeth. She is so excited because now she looks like a first grader should, or so she thinks. I took the 2 girls for haircuts today (and myself) so now she really thinks she has arrived, with her new haircut, a missing tooth and all. Wouldn't it be great if we could all be so happy with so little?

Cloudburst

Cloudburst - a sudden, heavy rainstorm; a downpour.

August 14, 2009

I was raised to love rain storms. Particularly the late summer type that blossom up in the late afternoons and evenings. The house I was raised in, and the house I currently live in, was perfectly designed for these summer storms. Back when I was a kid, before the trees across the street got to be so big, we could sit on our long front porch and watch the ligtening in a huge panorama from north to south, and watching the lightening over Utah Lake was the best. I can't see Utah Lake quite so well from the front porch anymore (stupid trees), but I still have the panorama. In the back yard we have the mountains and when the lightening storms are on that side, well, that's a treat too. Tonight the storm rolled in while I was at the grocery store, and yet the thunder (which everyone knows is really the best part of the storm) was so loud we could hear it clear back by the meat. Luckily when we got home and got the groceries put away, the storm was still going and so I took my little plastic patio chair out to the front porch and enjoyed the rest of the storm as it moved on to the south. I've got my kids well enough trained that when they hear thunder they come running for me: "Mom! Mom! Thunder!" If we are all together when the thunder begins, everyone immediately gets quiet, and when it stops rolling, someone aways says "Ooooh," all long and drawn out. Lane doesn't quite get it. But he wasn't raised in a house perfectly designed for summer storms. Poor boy. But he's learning.

Roast

One of our favorite vegetables is roasted broccoli. Any roasted vegetable is tasty, but we like brocolli the best. You simply start with fresh broccoli, however much you need for your family, cut into spears and placed in a pan, single layer only.

Drizzle with olive oil and toss so that all the broccoli is covered. Sprinkle generously with chili powder (yes, I did say chili powder) and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and, one of newest discoveries, coarse ground sea salt.

Isn't the red chili powder pretty on the green broccoli? Roast it in the oven at 425 for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how crisp you want it to be. My kids who have never been a fan of cooked broccoli will eat this like candy. I do the same with carrots when I roast them.

Roast - To cook with dry heat, as in an oven or near hot coals

August 13, 2009

Vineyard

Vineyard - Ground planted with cultivated grapevines.

August 12, 2009

My grapes are coming along nicely. That is the best thing about this time of year, my favorite time of year, to see the literal fruits of our labors. I am not big on the concept of delayed gratification, and growing a garden is the ultimate exercise in delayed gratification. I love my nightly walks in the yard with Lane while he carefully waters every single plant, including the grapes and the trees, and that one stupid dry spot on the lawn that never, ever seems to green up. I love when the nights start to cool off, and then in the middle of September when I look up on the mountains and start to see the very first hint of the leaves changing colors. I think that's why I enjoy the annual canning. All that standing around, stiring, blanching, peeling, mixing, sterlizing . . . it gives good time to reflect on the bounty of God's blessings and on the miracle that turns a tiny little seed into a whole tomato plant that has flopped over from the weight of all its fruit. It's the best time of year to sum up the year that has passed so far. 3/4 of the year is gone, but it's still not to late to make good on any (all) discarded New Year's Resolutions.

And speaking of resolutions, I don't like to exercise. Somehow I keep thinking that I will learn to like it, and so far - nothin'. In my next life, I want to be one of those people who spring out of bed at sunrise with a smile on her face ready to take on the day. I did manage to drag my big, fat, you-know-what out of bed early this morning to get my exercising done. I grumbled about it out loud, even though there was no one to hear me. Funny thing though, it made a huge difference in my evening to know that that nasty little task wasn't hanging over my head, waiting to be done. Maybe that will give me the motivation to get up tomorrow morning, and the morning after that . . .

Dangerous

Dangerous - Involving or filled with danger; perilous. Being able or likely to do harm.

August 11, 2009

See - the spikes, I mean thorns, on the blackberries really are perilous! You thought I was kidding!



I got all those little things done today that I have been ignoring forever and had accumulated into quite a pile on my desk. I got that HUGE pile of stuff filed, and in the time that has passed since it was the POD (July 10), it has gotten even HUGE-R. It took quite a while, but it's done. I had 3 weeks of receipts piled up that needed to be entered into my check register, as well as balancing the check book, which took 3 attempts to get it to balance out. I called my car insurance to find out why my insurance rate shot up for no good reason ("current market conditions, ma'am"). I called U of U medical center to see why they keep sending me a statement showing a $3000 insurance balance from Addie's heart cath in Dec 2007. Do I need to call the insurance? ("No ma'am. We'll take care of it on our end." Yeah, right. It's been almost 2 years!). I got all my recipes put into my recipe book or file that had been piled up. I cleared off my desk. How long do you think it will stay that way? My HS English teacher had a sign on her desk that said "A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind." God bless Mrs. Craner for validating me! I am even blogging at 7:45 instead of 10:45 so I guess that says it all. I should add that my kids have been at Grandma Sam's all day, so I've been home alone and that makes a HUGE difference.

Lesson

Tonight I decided to be Kneaders. It was a nice change from Cafe Rio. I didn't get any pictures because I was so frantically trying to get dinner ready on time that I didn't remember about photos until we had almost finished. No one wants to look at half-eaten food!


I didn't get home from work until 1:00, and I had to take Taylor out to the Jr. High for some registration stuff. After that, I took her out to Office Max to get some school supplies that I hadn't gotten during either of my first two trips. Then we had to stop at the optometrist on the way home to pick up her contacts and Addie's glasses. So with all that I didn't get home until about 2:30 and still had to make bread! Ughh!

I quickly mixed up 2 loaves of focaccia, which needed at least 1 1/2 hours to rise, before punching down, rising again, etc. Needless to say, I didn't have that kind of time. I wandered into the kitchen every 15 minutes or so, lifted the cloth to peek at how things were progressing, and shout at it "Rise, baby, rise!" I had to punch it down before I wanted to, and I got it pressed into 2 9" pans, brushed with olive oil and seasoning, and then I began the whole cycle again, this time shouting, "Rise! Rise!" even louder.

I had to stick it in the oven at 5:00 whether it was ready or not, so in it went. With 2 minutes left to bake I took it out and sprinkled it with cheese and put it back in to melt. I took it from the oven just as Grandma came for dinner. I didn't want to have to cut hot bread, but it's the best I could do with such a late start. I quartered each loaf of bread, and then sliced those to make sandwiches like at Kneaders. I had mixed up my own version of their Kneaders sauce and had the fixin's and we had sandwiches for dinner. I must say, I was surprised that the bread turned out so good and actually quite close (in my opinion) to Kneaders focaccia. We had some baked beans and homemade applesauce and I was stuffed.

Lesson - An experience, example or observation that imparts beneficial new knowledge or wisdom.

August 10, 2009

It was Taylor's turn to do the FHE lesson, and she took it from the section of her "For the Strength of Youth" book on listening to appropriate music. She did a nice job. She went to a fireside last night put on by our new stake presidency and, although she didn't want to go, she came home so glad that she had gone and had a really good experience. It is very inspiring to watch her testimony grow.

Preserve

Preserve - to prepare (food) for future use, as by canning or salting.

August 9, 2009

This is some of the blackberry syrup I bottled yesterday. After church Lane made up some French toast so we could try it out, and it was really good! I think it needed just a little bit more sweetening, but that's just my sweet tooth talking. Lane thought it was fine as is. Here is the recipe from my Ball Blue Book of Home Canning:

2 1/2 quarts berries
3 cups water, divided
1 2-inch strip of lemon peel
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups corn syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crush berries. Combine berries, 1 1/2 cups water and lemon peel in a medium saucepot. Simmer 5 minutes. Strain through a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth. Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepot; boil to 260 degrees F (adjust for altitude). Add berry juice and corn syrup to sugar syrup. Boil 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Ladel hot syrup into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield about 3 pints.



So here's what I did differently: I skipped over the whole first part with the lemon peel and the cheesecloth. I just dumped the whole load of berries into my food mill, which did an excellent job of separating the seeds out, tiny as they are. So after I did that part, I picked up with the sugar and water boiling part and continued from there. I managed to get 6 1/2 pints though, instead of the 3. The recipe in my Ball Blue Book is actually for strawberry syrup, so among all the things I changed maybe that's why the difference. I would definitely do it again, though, and add a little more sugar just for my taste.

Learn

Another busy day at my house! I got up at 7 when Lane got home from work (for those who don't know - I HATE getting up!) and we went for a long walk. We went the opposite way on the canal road, so I don't have any mileage landmarks and I didn't take my pedometer, but I think we went close to 2 miles. It's a prettier walk to the south than it is to the north, but I have walked the north route so many times I know exactly how far everything is. After our walk, we came home and the berry picking commenced. We were both bruised, scratched and bleeding when we were done, but we had a little over 2 1/2 quarts of blackberries. Instead of jam this time, I bottled pancake syrup. We're planning to have some pancakes tomorrow, so I'll report on how good/bad it turned out. It was gorgeous while it was cooking, and smelled even better.




My parents have been camping for a week in American Fork canyon. We went up to eat dinner with them and my brother & his family who are camping for the weekend. I was surprised to find that my other brother and his family had also shown up for dinner, so we had a good crowd.





Calvin and his family prepared a stew in the ducth oven. I didn't have room to sample any, but it smelled delicious and everyone else said it was wonderful!

For reasons I'm not totally clear on, my parents took their hummingbird feeder. I wasted too much time and too much of my battery power chasing this little hummingbird around trying to get a picture. Since I'm still figuring out this camera, all my pictures of the bird in flight are a huge blur.

This is just the lovely scenery at Granite Flat campground in American Fork canyon. Even though the campground was nearly full, with all the foliage around it feels really private.

Learn - To gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery of through experience or study.

August 8, 2009

I wanted to take a couple of apple pies to our picnic for dessert, so I made one (the one on the right) and Taylor and Jack made one (the one on the left). They followed the recipe and I gave them no assistance of any kind. Jack has helped me in the past, so he had to "teach" Taylor. I think the two of them did an excellent job! Even though Jack has helped me, he's never rolled out dough, nor sealed the edges. I think Taylor was really surprised to see how easy pie is and really proud that she could do it!

Fad

Oh, it was one of those days today. Too much to do! I was at work until 2:00, and then I came home, loaded up 3 kids and off we headed to University Mall to do some shopping. Michelle had told me about a sale at Aeropostale, so that was our intended destination. That store was PACKED! I am getting very anxious in crowds in my old age, so that wasn't a good sign. I found out that they didn't have anything in there small enough for Jack, but Taylor got herself some new cookie pants and a shirt. So off we went to The Children's Store. Apparently Jack is too big for that store because no pants were long enough. Ok. So, off to Macys. Nope. Their kids department also didn't have pants long enough. Hmmm. The Gap? Yeah, they had pants long enough. For $55!! I don't think so! What to do? I had always shopped for the kids at Mervyns, but since they went out of business it left me in a pickle. There are no stores for Tween boys, only Tween girls. So I threw up my hands in despair and we headed back to Kohls in American Fork. That's where I had done Taylor's shopping last month, so I knew they would have what I needed. Stupid me, I should have started there. So I found everything I needed at Kohls, for a reasonable price even. Then we went over to Target for Addie's stuff. She only needed shoes and a few other things, and since she isn't hard on her clothes I figured that Target quality would be good enough. Plus, the shoes she wanted only came in black at Kohls, and that just wasn't acceptable to my little princess.


So we now have all 3 kids, fully outfitted for school, and me, of course, financially ruined. Since this little escapade took us until 6:30, I picked up dinner at Panda Express.

Fad - A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze.

August 7, 2009

Everyone just HAD to have Converse All-Stars for school. Really? Converse? Well, I guess I'm really out of the loop. I did have to giggle a little bit when we were in Macys and the mannequin was wearing leggings with a big shirt. I pointed it out to Taylor and said "See that? That's called 1985!"

After dinner, Lane & I went out to do the evening garden watering, and I picked this many blackberries in just a few minutes. These are just the ones I could easily reach! So tomorrow I'll put on my best armor and go out and try to get what more I can. Blackberry syrup anyone?

Bubble

Bubble - a thin, usually spherical or hemispherical film of liquid filled with air or gas.

August 6, 2009

This huge bubble formed when Taylor poured her ginger ale into her cup to make her fresh lime. It stood way up from the rim of the cup originally, but had deflated some by the time I fetched my camera. It continued to deflate, until it was concave inside the glass and then it popped. I wish I had my camera when it formed - it was really big!


I got a very nice surprise tonight - one of my old college roomies stopped by for a short visit and it was great to see her! How fun to spend some time, even if it was short, catching up. I get together with the roomies once a year for lunch, but this roommate, Lori, wasn't able to come to our last gathering. Yes, I did say Lori. It got very confusing, particularly my sophomore year when we had me, Lori, and 2 Heathers in the same apartment.



I went to BSA Roundtable tonight with Lane. They had some very good and useful information for us to use in our cub dens. I don't care what anyone says, I'll take a den of scouts over a group of Achievement Day girls any day! Someday I hope I get to serve as a den mother again. That was a great calling!

Buttery

We had hoped to go for a picnic in American Fork canyon tonight, but that didn't work out. We went ahead and had our tinfoil dinners as we had planned, but since we stayed at home I decided we needed some cheddar bay biscuits, ala Red Lobster, to go with dinner. They are so, so good and so, so easy! I don't know why I don't make them more often. Note to self - 1 dozen biscuits is NOT enough.



Cheddar Bay Biscuits
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/3 cup butter - and I do mean butter! - melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
parsley flakes to taste

Combine bisquick, milk and cheese and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds. Spoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes.

Combine melted butter, garlic and parsley. Baste biscuits with butter mixture. Return biscuits to the oven for 1-2 minutes longer. Baste with butter again. Serve warm.

Buttery - Containing or spread with butter.

August 5, 2009

My neice Kassie came over tonight to finalize the whole dress-for-the-cruise thing. I had chosen a dress, and told her I wanted it in brown. So she shows up with about 20 swatch samples and tells me to choose. Yeah, right. Now I know what brides feel like when they come into my shop and I throw the color chart at them. Anyway, she had brought a few dresses with her to check for sure on the size, and it turns out that I fell in love with a whole different dress. She had managed to bring with her a dress that she kept telling me I would like, and I kept telling her that I thought it would make me look too, um, let's just say bottom-heavy. But I tried on the dress and it fit perfectly and I instantly loved it. It is a silvery shade, she called it platinum, so it's a far cry from the brown I wanted, but it's just perfect. Thanks Kassie!

I got in my hour long work out tonight and have so far resisted having a slice of the yummy cake Kassie left here last night. I am cursed with my dad's feet, so they pretty much ache all the time, and Lane even gave me a foot rub before he went to work. What a sweetie!

Grill

Grill - To cook by direct heat under a grill or over a hot fire.

August 4, 20009

Lane made THE BEST burgers for dinner tonight. I don't know what seasoning he put on them, but they were so good. He made 8 and Taylor and Jack were fighting to over the last one, after they had each already had 2. So, so good. We had fresh tomatoes from the garden to put on them, so that made them even better. I love summer meals. Why did we not eat outside? That was dumb.



My neice Kassie found me a lovely new formal for our upcoming cruise. So she came over tonight to help me figure out which dress I wanted and what color, and she brought along her husband who my kids seem to think is a toy. They played that new Wii game with him and complained after he left that he wasn't here long enough, and Jack got to play with him longer than Taylor did, and Addie didn't get to play with him at all. Kassie also brought along her newest assignment from her cake decorating class to share. It was beautiful! She does nice work. I'll have to get her to do cakes for my kids birthdays.

Victory, Puzzle, Fit

We went swimming at the city pool on Saturday afternoon. It was so hot, so the water felt great! Addie was thrilled to be at the pool, but not so happy when it was time to go. The older two kids can walk to the pool whenever they want, but Addie isn't old enough yet. I think its funny how her heart scar makes it look like she's got, um, cleavage.

Saturday night, Lane took me to dinner at Applebees. We are very weak, and it's unfortunate that Applebees is right by Best Buy, cuz we always have to go to Best Buy when we eat at Applebees, and we just can't "look" in Best Buy. We got a new game for the Wii that we thought the whole family would like.

Victory - Defeat of an enemy or opponent.

August 1, 2009

Jack beat Addie at something, and apparently he was very proud of it. Sorry about the exposure on the picture. There was too much light coming in the window so I had to adjust it, a lot.

Puzzle - A game that tests your ingenuity.

August 2, 2009

We like to do jigsaw puzzles. Taylor especially likes them. She can do a puzzly super fast if she has the time to work on it. I went do DI a while back and got a bunch of those Dowdle art puzzles and she can do those in a day or so. They are about 500 pieces, I think. This one is 1000 and takes a little longer. She'll probably have it done by the end of the week.

Fit - In good health.

August 3, 2009

I have been better about my exercising lately. Again, I am weak, so I do it in the evening since I lack the willpower to get up in the morning. Of all my exercising stuff that I have, these are my favorites. I love the Walk at Home stuff because any idiot can do it, it's just the right amount of challenging without me feeling like I'm going to have a stroke. I like the Wii Fitness Coach one because it's kind of interactive and it gets more challenging as I get stronger. It also has different areas of focus so it isn't the same old stuff all the time. Plus, it tracks my weight and inches so I can see my progress. For anyone with a Wii, I recommend it. You don't need the Wii Fit board or anything, just the regular Wii console. Wii Fit is fun because it makes everything a game.

I took Taylor and Addie to the eye doctor today. Taylor's prescription had changed slightly and we got her new contacts ordered. This was Addie's first trip to the eye dr. and she wasn't quite sure what to think. Not surprisingly, she is ready for glasses as well. She picked out some lovely purple frames with hearts on the sides. She looked really cute in them, and was so disappointed that she couldn't wear the sample home. She has asked me about a dozen times when her glasses will be done.

Tomorrow is the very exciting day of the Class List posting at the elementary school. Jack is just bouncing off the walls wondering who his teacher will be. Addie isn't quite so into it as he is. School begins on the 20th!