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."