Farmer's Market

Remember I was telling you about Agnes' excitement when she awoke to find me in the car? Here's the photo that goes with it.


This was my first glimpse of "B.Eliot" as Agnes says. She's actually saying Baby Eliot, but she rushes it so much it comes out B.Eliot. Cute name. This photo doesn't really catch what B.Eliot really looks like though. It's my goal to accomplish taking a photo while I'm here that REALLY looks like him.


And here's a super close-up of his dimpled chin.

How sweet is that?

This is at the farmer's market. It was a cool place. These guys know of such great places to go. This is Agnes taste-testing some pie.

We decided on cherry pie. Awesome sunglasses.

The door handle to the ice cream shoppe was an ice cream scoop welded onto the door. Isn't that the most creative thing you've heard of all day? Unfortunately I was in video mode when I took the picture. What a goof. That's why it's so bouncy- because I didn't realize I wasn't just snapping a picture. On the plus side, it only lasts for a moment and you get the idea of the scoop handle.



Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!

Or a Smurf. Or, you just ate a blue popsicle.

Strawberry Fields Forever

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the strawberry field.



"I think there's some over there." 


"Let's see if this one is good."


"Picking strawberries and putting them in the basket eating them is fun!"

How Fun is This?

I am unfortunately MAC challenged. I don't know really how to use one, and that's what Laura and Nick have, so since they're unavailable to ask, I can't get a tutorial on how to find the pictures I want to add to this post, so it will have to go pictureless until I get smarter. 

I've arrived at the home of two of the most precious kids ever created. When I got in the car, Agnes was asleep, but she woke up after just a few moments. She saw me and she smiled the biggest smile I've seen from someone her size ever (insert picture here if I knew how!). I'll have to give you the whole story later as right now I'm babysitting and Eliot does not think he should be put down (which is okay with me) and Agnes needs lots of attention her own self. 

The big news is that we're potty training. I've instantly resorted to bribery (I even brought the jelly beans with me) and Agnes is doing great! Not a single accident since we told her about the jelly bean deal. 

Here's a story from tonight. Agnes and I were coloring in her horse coloring book. I  asked her if horses were her favorite. She said they were. I asked if she liked dogs. She said, "no, they are not my favorite." I asked if she liked cats. Again the reply, "no they are not my favorite." I asked again about the horse. She said, "horses are my favorite." Like, duh, weren't you listening when I said it the first time? 

I'm going to have to walk around with a notepad so I can remember all the cute stuff she's saying. Her curly hair is the same as her mommy's hair was at her age except for the color. And here's something you may not know about Eliot. He's got a little dimple thing going on in his chin! I took a close-up of it, but again,  "insert picture here" remains a problem. 

A Friday Funny

Since I'm really on my way to the airport right now and NOT sitting in front of my computer posting this, I thought I'd distract you with a joke I heard last week. And if you don't think it's funny, it won't hurt my feelings, because I bet that at least Brandon will laugh. Here goes.

What happens when two birds kiss?


They get chirpies.


It's a canary-al disease.


It isn't tweetable.


Hahaha. "Well, laugh!" (what movie is that quote from? If you can name it, you're awesome! Uh, I mean you win a Trisha Yearwood CD!) Brandon, did you laugh?

Okay, if that was a waste of your time, try this instead. Especially if you need an idea for whatever your church calling is! And if you click here it will take you to what other people think is funny.

Laura, is this what Agnes looked like the other day when you said she was covered in marker? (disclaimer, these kids are not related to me nor are they anyone I know)

Maybe she'll "decorate" Eliot like that some day! Yikes!

And here's the answers to yesterday's grocery game: because I know you're all dying to know the answers!

1. Yucca Root ($1.59 lb) ALSO KNOWN AS MANIOC! Woohoo Cheryl!
2. Rutabagas ($1.39 lb) sorry, not parsnips. Stephanie is right, they're like white carrots.
3. Watercress ($1.79 each) even though butter lettuce was the popular answer (did you know 2 people equalled popular? I'm so disappointed SJ didn't list his answers. Sadness)
4. Tomatillos ($1.09 lb) Yay! Answered correctly!

I can't promise regular posting over the next week, but I'll get on here as often as possible to show you all the fun I'm having with my newest grandson, and my sweetest 2 year old granddaughter. I know you're going to want to see pictures. Right? Right.

Grocery Guessing Game

Did you ever walk down the produce aisle looking around at the fruits and vegetables and come across something that you had absolutely no idea what-in-tarnation it was?
I was there the other day, wandering while Bud picked out all the things needing to be picked out (because I don't pick anymore, I just push the cart and wait for him to pick and sometimes I don't even push the cart) and I saw these things.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Do you have any idea at all what these things are? Let's play a game. Tell me what you think these things are and whomever gets the most right (#2 looks pretty easy)wins! Don't ask "wins what?" cuz there is only the prize of the satisfaction that you are smarter than everyone else that reads this post- yes, all 3 of you! Unless you want the Trisha Yearwood CD that I'm still trying to get adopted by someone.
I'll give you the answers tomorrow, although I know you'll get very little sleep tonight just wondering if your answers are right. I'm looking for big answers from Samuel and Nick! And sorry #3 is a little blurry. Just squint. It's what I always do when something is blurry.

Ponderings

I was thumbing through last month's Woman's Day magazine before I tossed it and came across something that made me pause. It was an article entitled "If only I knew then..."
What caught my eye were these words- "Be kind instead of right."
The story said "...we can be inflexible in our views and insist on being right, rather than realizing the benefit and graciousness of simply being kind."
I'm going to work on that.

We got home from St. George late Monday evening. I had turned off the A/C before we left and the temperature dial read 89 degrees (that's not a band is it? No, I think it's 96 degrees for the band...maybe). We were too tired to wait for the house to cool down so we slept in the basement bedroom. It was most excellent. In fact, it was perfect. Just being grateful, Mister K. Thanks so much for all you're doing for me. And thanks for my basement bedroom(s).

Two days till the airport. Agnes called today. Can I just take a moment to tell you how bloomin' cute that girl is? That girl is bloomin' cute. It's kind of a "you had to be there" thing, but I'm tellin' ya, bloomin'.

Hello Eliot

As you know, my #5 grandchild arrived last Friday. (Laura, sorry for stealing the picture off your blog).

His name is Eliot Felix Read (unless they changed it when I wasn't looking). Here's his "stats."
He arrived at 5:45 PM, Eastern Daylight Time. His birth place was Columbus, Ohio. He weighed 8.1 lbs (tell me, why does my teeny tiny daughter deliver gigantic children?). He was 20 1/2 inches long.
Since he was too content to stay where he was, (I guess he has moving issues like so many of the rest of us...we hate to pack up and all) Laura was induced starting at around 10:00 AM. She was hoping not to go through that again because she'd also been induced with Agnes.
When big sister got to see her new baby brother, her comment was, "He's so little. He's my brother!" Isn't that cute? I have to wait for three more days before I get to see him. Then we'll be inseparable for the next two months! Yippee!

Happy Birthday Buddy Boy

Dear Mister Keeper of the Universe,
Sorry to bother you again so soon, but I have one other matter to discuss with you.
Today is my husband's birthday. Here are a few pictures of him so you can remember which one of the billions of people he is here on this little planet in your vast solar system.
This is him in Hawaii. We had the beach all to ourselves that morning. That's the morning you provided a turtle for him to swim along with since I can't keep up with him. Thank you, that was nice of you.


His favorite place is Hawaii. Thank you for making such a beautiful spot for us to visit from time to time. This is Rainbow falls. I almost missed the rainbow you made because I nearly didn't look the right way. I'm glad I looked the right way or I would have been forever confused about the name.

Oh look, he got lei'd in Hawaii. I'm talking about the flowers around his neck. Come on!

We're in Boston! Hey, way to go Celtics for beating the southern California team that shall not be named.
Bud is wearing a shark mask. To me, it looks like it was made out of a paper plate.


Buddy loves to swim, but he hates to get in the water. Next time you make a universe, can you figure out a way to let him swim without getting wet? Thanks Mr. K.

Oh, so THAT'S how it got tipped over. Too many people taking pictures like this, thinking they're so original.

So, Mr. Keeper, my desire is this. I need this guy to have a lot more birthdays. We're having so much fun together that if you could just let him stay around for another 25 or 30 years or so, that would be great. Thanks for listening again, and I'll try not to bother you for at least another 20 minutes. Have a good day Mr. Keeper.

My Newest Grandchild

Posting from the Santa Clara library today, just long enough to tell you to check out the pictures of my grandson, Eliot. Just click here.
I'll write an actual post on Tuesday of next week. Until then!

Positive Thinking

Dear Keeper of the Universe (as opposed to Master of the Universe, because I think that would be He-Man, wouldn't it?),
The picture seen here is a house that is one street away from my house. Please look carefully.



The reason I'm writing to you today, Mr. Keeper, is to explain that this is the house that a special person in my life would like to live in for the rest of her life and with that being said, I'd like for all things in the Universe to work together so she can buy this house. I realize that this house has been for sale for about a year now, and that many people have tried to buy it over that period of time, without success, for whatever reason.
The point is, it's still available and I need previously said special person (PSSP) to live in this house so that we can go on walks together (you wouldn't want blimpy people to live in your Universe, would you Mr. K?) and check on each other when we get really old and decrepit, and so we wouldn't have to sit alone in Relief Society every week. This is not too much to ask, Mr. K, so could you please align whatever needs alignment out there in the grand Universe for PSSP to buy this house. Thank you. I'm eternally grateful.
P.S. We can be ready to start packing boxes any time, just so you know.

Birthday Break

Monday is Bud's birthday. I'm taking him away from the office for a few days (because frankly, I need a break from doing nothing). We're going to where God made red dirt.


Here's the birthday boy himself.
That's him at the golf course. Maybe we'll dust off the clubs and hit swing at or around a bucketful of balls. I had the idea of trying to learn to golf left-handed for two reasons. First, I'm left-handed. Second, because I've played softball for so many years (right-handed), my body only knows how to swing as if the ball I'm trying to hit is much larger than a golf ball, and if someone is throwing the ball towards me. Every time I try to hit a golf ball, it either just dribbles three feet in front of me, or if I actually DO hit it, ZOOM-off to the right. Bud says it's due to my softball days. I'll never get the hang of it. Maybe it's because of the origin of the name of golf...Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. There's no hope for me.
P.S. I might have a new grandson today, however, I won't be able to post about it until next Tuesday when I'm back at a computer. The next few posts will appear as if by magic even though I'm off gallivanting around St. George. so, Baby Eliot, if you do come today, welcome! I'll come see you next week!

Wall Art

Look at this cute idea. I first saw it on a blog (can't remember which one...Amy do you know? Seems we frequent the same pages) and thought it would work in a kid's room but even nicer in any room would be a nature scene like this one.

Or this one

My only problem is that I'm out of walls than need decorating. I hate it when that happens! I went to the site quoted on the blog and found it on this page. I liked some of the other ideas I found around there as well. If you have spare time like I have spare time (oh wait, nobody has that kind of spare time- you guys all WORK for your paycheck) then browse around. Maybe you'll get inspired in some way.
Another blog said try something new! I thought that was a good idea. I guess I could try working while I'm at work. That would be new.

Pandora's Box Was a Radio

As I was avoiding my work, as usual, I was reading a new blog (thanks for sharing Amy) and she asked if we knew about this internet radio website. Being the "I-live-in-a-cave" person that I am, I had not heard of it. I asked my step-son if he had heard of it, and he had not. So, maybe you have not.
Here's how you can find it. Click here!
I checked it out over the last couple of days and I am loving it! I never knew that the box Pandora opened was just a radio (actually "box" was misinterpreted and it should have been jar but you probably don't care about that). You've seriously got to check this out if you spend time online and need music in your life simultaneously. Which I do.
When Bud set up the office, he didn't put speakers in the waiting room or near the spot where I sit. So, for the last two years (come August), I have been working (if you can call what I do "work") without music, unless I get it from the computer, via website or CD. The problem with either of those choices is that I get tired of both of them. Too many commercials with regular radio and the CD's are just same old-same old. Now I have found the ultimate choice in music.
You start out by telling it a particular artist you enjoy. Then it pulls from its library other music that you might (or might not) enjoy as well. You can give each song a thumbs up or down but if you thumb down a specific artist twice, it will no longer play that artist in the future.
You can also set up different "stations." For instance, I have a soft music station where I can listen to Josh Groban and Jim Brickman etc. and then another where I can hear Alan Jackson and other country boys. Or, I can show my age by listening to Carly Simon, James Taylor and Carole King. It's pretty fun. Go check it out. Go. Go!

As a Favor

Since my sister is back on Phase 1 of South Beach, she said it was torture for her to look at my blog. She wanted to try everything I was posting, and it's forbidden on Phase 1. I'm pretty sure that Phase 1 doesn't let you eat anything whatsoever. You can maybe chew on your fingernails, but that's about it.
I told her I wouldn't post any recipes until she's off Phase 1. That's too bad because I wanted to tell you all about the potato packets I made on Sunday. But a promise is a promise.
I got a new Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazine in the mail. On the cover is the most scrumptious looking ice cream pie...but, a promise is a promise.
Let's change the subject.
Have you ever shown up for an event only to find out you were there on the wrong day or time? That happened to us Saturday. Humiliation, I'm tellin' ya! We went to Bud's cousin's grandson's wedding reception with my brother-in-law and his wife. We got to the house and the street was vacant. I had expected a slew of cars but it was a ghost town. My in-laws said they'd stay in the car while we checked it out. I went up to the door and was informed that the reception was the night before. Ugh. The biggest reason for us going though was to visit with Bud's cousin. We were told where we could find him and for the next two hours we had a very nice visit, which was more than we would have been able to do if we'd gone to the reception the night before. So it turned out good, even though I was still embarrassed. I'll be more careful in the future to get the date right, that's for sure!

Hot Stuff

This is Bud's Father's Day/Birthday present. Unfortunately, he's not the one that wanted it, I did. So does that make it MY Father's Day present?

Don't look at that crack in the cement. I said DON'T look at it, and there you are looking at it. Sheesh.

The griddle on the left comes off to expose a burner underneath. This is what they meant by "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" which means get out to the backyard and light up the barbeque!

This is the infrared grilling system that is supposed to cook the meat more evenly so you don't die from an undercooked hamburger. How do you account for steak tartare then? People don't die from eating that. I just don't understand.

If you're going to cook outside, you may as well eat outside. Who wants to come over? We started out by buying four chairs, 2 stationary and 2 reclining. Then we saw the set that went with the chairs and bought it too. So now we have 10 chairs (6 stationary, 4 reclining) 2 ottomans, the big table and a side table. I'm going to put 2 reclining chairs and the side table on the front porch.

By the way, did you know that last Saturday was flag day? Did you display your flag? Broad stripes, bright stars. Long may she wave.
"Land of free, home of brave" (can you name that movie?... think short man drinking sake).

Perhaps You've Seen This

Have you ever taken a real IQ test? I haven't. There's a good reason why too. I'm not very IQish. In fact, I'm pretty much a dunce. I was sent the following little cute thing by a friend of mine, so it's probably made the rounds on email already. Forgive me if it's a repeat for you.

Here's a one-question IQ test to help you decide how you should spend the rest of your day......There is a mute who wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing one's teeth, he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done.

Now, if there is a blind man who wishes to buy a pair of sunglasses, how should he express himself?

Think about it first before scrolling down for the answer...














He opens his mouth and says. "I would like to buy a pair of sunglasses."

If you got this wrong, you might want to think about turning off your computer and call it a day.
If you got it right, congratulations. You are smarter than I am, and smarter than Katye too.

Cabin Critters

If any of you need a warning, I'm posting a lizard picture in a moment. Earlier, I was told to post warnings if I was going to show pictures of spiders, so I didn't know if I needed to encompass all creatures or if it was specifically spiders (don't worry, no spider posts planned now or in the future). Anyway, when we went to the cabin to water the plants, I was sitting in the sun getting warm. Along came this little guy, wanting to do the same. This shows his real size. He was just little. Almost cute even. We sat together content to bask in the sunshine.

Look at his tail or just before you get to his tail (since the tail isn't really even shown here).


I noticed he had some flakiness going on with his backside. Do lizards molt? I guess if they're in the snake family (are they?) then they can shed their skin. It was a little creepy looking, but not a real big deal. Then, they started ganging up on me. One was okay, but when his friend showed up, I started to wonder how many more were coming and if they'd made reservations to be there. Maybe I should just start charging them rent.



But if you listen closely, you can hear the sweet song of the birds. It's so nice up there right now. And, it looks like it's "so far so good" as far as the end-of-the-world-thing is concerned, cuz, well, I'm still alive and kickin'. I hope you are too. But I won't kick you if you don't kick me. Thanks.

A New Way to Journal

This is basically an advertisment, but I'll keep it short. A couple days ago, I was blog-surfing and found someone talking about LDSJournal.com and when I looked into it, I loved it. Here's why.

They have a section called All About Me. Here's how they describe it (they do it much better than I could).

"The 'All About Me' section was built to help members create a record of their lives for their own posterity. For most members, LDSJournal represents an opportunity to catch up on time lost from years of not journaling. But the 'All About Me' questions also gives members a chance to reflect on their lives and appreciate the blessings they have had while also giving perspective on the challenges they have faced and the lessons they have learned.We believe something can be learned from generation to generation and each member has an opportunity to share the spiritual experiences they've had, their knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and so much more. This is an opportunity to share your life because we truly believe that each Life is Worth Recording™."

So take a look at it if you haven't already seen it. There's a direct link at the very bottom of my blog that you can click on to check it out. It might be your journaling answer. Then next time President Eyring talks about writing in a journal, you won't have to feel guilty (Cheryl is excluded from all guilt since she is the master journal writer).

Thursday's Plans

I was watching a program on 20/20 and the man they were interviewing said the end of the world would happen this Thursday (that's tomorrow...I hope you didn't have any other big plans for the day or the day after that or etc). I just wanted to make you all aware!
I guess that means I made this outfit for nothing!

But it turned out pretty cute even though I never had a clue what I was doing the whole time I was doing it. I made it the smallest size possible with the pattern Laura wanted me to use, but I think it's going to be several months before my grandson will fit into it. He's due to be born in about a week. I'll keep you posted, unless none of us exist after tomorrow. Then I guess there's no point to further posts.

What Color is My Thumb?

On my day off, I spent part of the day in the yard. Bud got up at crack-o-dawn, as usual, and before I knew it, he'd pulled out the bush that was covering up my porch. What good is a porch if you can't see it because a "Big-Ol'-Bush" is hiding it? I told Bud I wanted to replace the b-o-b (yes, Bob. Jeepers, now that it has a name I'm a little sad to have caused its demise!) with some kind of pretty flowery thing. I found out the pretty flowery thing's name was Hydrangea. Bud put Bob in the back of the Jeep to toss it in the dumpster at work. It looked bigger in the car than it did in the dirt. Hydrangeas can change the color of their flower depending on how much aluminum and/or acid is or isn't in the soil. That's crazy!
Here's Bob in the Jeep

Bob's last known address. But now I can see my porch!

Welcome pretty flowering thing, Hydrangea.

It's name is Pink Elf. No, I didn't name it.
It reminds me of the grand finale of a fireworks display.

This little cluster is named Buttons and Bows. Love it.

Yes, the color on this baby is THAT bright! It's called Neon Star something or other.

Look, Amy! There's your peppers just waiting/hoping to grow big enough for you to eat them like an apple. They are happy peppers because you said you don't discriminate due to color. And behind them are a couple of celebrities- Celebrity tomatoes. Those babies take almost three months to bring on the fruit. That means nothing till September. Can I wait that long? Guess I'll have to.

And, this little guy? He's little for now, but just give him a minute or two. Break out the recipe for zucchini tacos! Hehehe...I've got green AND yellow planted. Zucchini bread and spaghetti and-and-and pancakes- oh? Maybe not pancakes.

Pretty Rice

Some of the recipes for Mom's birthday dinner came from Betty Crocker Sunday Dinner Cookbook which I bought from Deseret Bookstore. This is the last one I'll bore you with.


This one is on page 102 and it's name is Turkey Breast Stuffed with Wild Rice and Cranberries. Well, I didn't make the turkey, and I didn't cook it in the Crock-Pot and I didn't realize that I needed 4 cups of cooked wild rice. The box of wild rice I bought to make this recipe only gave me about 3/4 cup of wild rice. That would never do, but it was too late to fix it. Time to punt. I added white rice to the wild rice to make 2 cups (measured pre-cooked). Except for those changes, everything else was by-the-book. Oh, except that I had leftover red onion that I threw in there as well as a few leftover mushrooms. And after tasting it, if I'd added some pineapple tidbits, that would have made it perfect. And maybe some water chestnuts too! Okay, other than THAT, it was by-the-book. I know- you don't believe me anymore. Ugh. Here is the recipe in its original form.

Turkey Breast Stuffed with Wild Rice and Cranberries
(that name is waaaaaayyyy toooooo longgggg)
4 cups cooked wild rice
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup slivered almonds
2 medium peeled or unpeeled cooking apples (I used one green and one red, both peeled) coarsely chopped (2 cups)
4- to 5-pound boneless whole turkey breast, thawed if frozen
Mix all ingredients except turkey. Cut turkey into slices at 1-inch intervals about 3/4 of the way through, forming deep pockets.
Place turkey in 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stuff pockets with wild rice mixture. Place remaining rice mixture around edge of cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until turkey is no longer pink in center.

By the way, does posting this infringe on copyright laws? Could I be hauled off to jail for sharing this with you? I had a dream this morning that I was in handcuffs but I don't know what I did wrong to merit the bracelets. Maybe it was sharing this without written permission from the publisher! I must repent. Soon.

Sunday Go-To-Meet'n

Bud went up to the cabin a couple days ago and planted groundcover and perennial flowering plants. He told me we had to go up there today to give them a drink of water, so we went back to our ward near the cabin for church. It was very nice to know everyone there and have them meet you with enthusiasm like a long lost friend. The young woman who gave the first talk also sang later in the meeting with her older sister. It was so beautiful it made me cry. Their harmony was superb. Their talent is awesome.
Before we left the building, Bud told me we'll be going back there for the rest of the summer, since we have to water the plants anyway. The people at our new ward will think we've gone inactive by the time we get back there in September. I wonder if anyone will come looking for us in the meantime.

Ridiculously Delicious Rolls

I have been wanting to try these rolls for about two years. You'd think I'd have done it before now, but no. I figured my mom's birthday was special occasion enough, so I decided it was worth the "effort." Yep, lot's of effort.
Open a can of crescent rolls. Separate the dough at the perforations into the pre-formed triangles. Sprinkle on French-fried onions, as much or as little as you'd like (but why bother if you only put on a little?) and roll up. Place on baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes at the temperature listed on the package. And if you're feeling very very Martha (as I was on Sunday for this special dinner), brush the top of the roll with beaten egg white before you bake them. If you want even more yummy onionyness, dip the rolls into more onions after you brush them with egg white. Whew! I'm exhausted. But these were worth the effort! Don't wait two years to try them.

A River Runs Through It

This is what we saw on our way to the cabin. I love it when the river runs. Usually Murray city (famous for being hometown to David Archuleta) steals all the water from the river so we don't get to see it except for a short time in the spring, which is now.

I always stop on the bridge to look at the water before continuing on my journey, both coming and going. This shot is looking west as we were leaving, so I have sunlight issues and wish I had photoshop to jazz up the picture. But I don't so I can't. But I love the river. Or as Amy would say, "it makes me so happy."