The Glitter of the Season

 

The glitter of the season should never prevent us from truly seeing

 

 

The Prince of Peace - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

 

Time Suckers

Do you have that specific "thing" in your life that just seems to suck whatever free time you have away?  I just can't seem to keep up with this blogging thing, even though I love doing it.  Thanks to my faithful friends who stick with me.

Christmas season has hit and we have been sucked into that vortex.  The house is decorated, I have made a batch of stollen and am looking forward to making treats for delivery this weekend.  This year is fudge.  Aztec, rum raisin, fruited almond, orange nut.  I like the penuche as well, but don't know if we will get that far.  I love smelling the sugar and evaporated milk boiling on the stove. 

Here is a picture of my Christmas cactus..Full bloom and gorgeous.  I have a scarlet pink one next to it that is just starting to bud. 

The stake president assigned the stake RS to be in charge of an RS choir for stake conference.  I am thinking...really - considering that meeting are the first Sunday of January that leaves December.  Who has time?  Extra time or not I am headed to the stake center tonight for practice.  I am hoping to fit a little Christmas card making in before bed.

 

We were lucky enough to be able to attend the Tabernacle Choir concert this week. Alfie Boe is just amazing.  He sang Bring Him Home from Les Miserables.  Just incredible. Tom Brokaw narrated the story of the candy bomber. The next thing you know, the pilot was on stage and chocolate bars were falling from the ceiling. It was really neat. The lights on temple square were amazing as always.

 It happens to be one of the highlights of the Christmas season for me.

Here is a shot of Riley I took the other morning  He is soooo not a morning doggie.  Can you tell he is spoiled rotten?!

Dinner group was at our house Monday night.  We served a cold platter with vegetables and shrimp as well as fresh biscuits from the oven with butter and freezer jam.  Main course was cornmeal crusted catfish on a bed of herbed rice, pea puree and barbecue sauce.  Sounds wierd, but trust me, it is delicious.  We talked about Christmas Carols and Math. (that post is to come)  Dessert was a pecan pie with a dollop of whipped cream.  I think I have perfected the pecan pie.  Two of the ladies that asked for small portions came back for seconds.  I finished it the next morning for breakfast.  So tasty! No pictures - got eaten before I could think about it. 

We attended a cousins 60th birthday party this week.  She threw quite the bash for everyone.  The highlight for me was seeing all my favorite cousins. 

We raided the candy table together and caught up on all the goings on in our lives.  I am so glad we got to see each other.

 

Duff an Yune Ja - Yune Ja looked amazing in her full Korean dress.  So good to see them.

Tracy and Kristin  His mannerisms reminded me so much of my Dad and Grandpa Roscoe.  I know that he looks a lot like Uncle Thayne, as he should.  I wish there was more time to visit and see everyone.  Yvette and her family, Janae and her family, Bonnie and Shirl were there as well.   I did try to track down the star of the show.  I don't think she even sat down to eat. 

Maybe the next time Mom comes to visit, we can have a party at our house or a place that we can all get together.  I love my crazy outgoing family!

 

Happiness is...

finding Halloween candy at the bottom of my church bag.
Almond Joy, Twix and whoppers!

Drinking from a fire hose

I sit here trying to come up with the right words to describe the past month and I think this picture says it all!

Life needs to be downsized!  More updates coming.

We recently had a stake boundary change and then more recently a ward boundary change.  The 2nd week in the ward...they had a chili cook off/cake auction fundraiser for the scouts.  Ralph signed us up.  I thought he was crazy, but his skills won out again---we won the cook off!!!  I don't remember where I found the recipe - but we have had it in our files for several years.  I don't have a picture, but trust me it is YUMMO!

Anyway  there have been requests for the recipe - here it is..

Creamy White Chicken Chili

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
***We like the texture to be a little thicker so we mix 2T of corn meal with 1/2 cup of the broth -before the cream(s) are added.  Once the corn meal is blended then we add it back to the pot and bring it to a boil.

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using) in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. Serve with your favorite cornbread, bread sticks or tortilla chips

Bragging Rights

I don't think it was even a week ago that I was patting myself on the back for staying healthy.  No sick days taken, no cold meds, cough drops, nothin!

Guess what - you should never tempt fate...I went to work today thinking I might be getting a cold.  Stopped at the store, picked up cold-eeze, feeling pretty good that I was going to catch this thing and nip it in the bud before it took over.  Boy was I wrong.

By 10:20 - I was on the phone to Ralph.  He was asking if I wanted him to pick me up around noonish...I said nope, you better come now.  The last thing my co-workers want is me spreading my highly hostile germs.

I have watched the Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Mentalist, had chicken soup from cafe rio, vitamins, cold-eeze, and drank lots and lots of liquid.  I am losing the battle.  I can't breath through my nose, can't get comfortable enough to sleep.  I feel like, well, icky, tired, achy stuffy and just plain uncomfortable.

Send good vibes my way..I don't have time to be sick.

 

There and Back again Day 7

I think this pictures sums it up...  The Drive to Garden Valley

We had a great trip and look forward to the next

There and back again - Day 6

We made the last day a trip north to Astoria and Fort Clatsop which was where Lewis and Clark wintered.  It was interesting to see and hear some the history of the area at Fort Clatsop.  The Fort has been rebuilt since the original, but it is the closest to the orignal they have had in replication so far.

 They had a walkway that followed the river and showed where they actually docked the canoes.  It was amazing to think we were walking in the same places and seeing some of the same trees.  Exploration was a hard life and there was much they learned. 

 

We climbed the Astoria Column.  It is covered in images for the history of the area. 

there were 125 stairs up a circular staircase that had only room for one person.  When someone was on their way down, I found myself grasping the center pole of the stairway and holding on for dear life.  It was a long way down.

the view from the top of the column was breathtaking... We took several shots. 

 

From there we went to the Maritime museum.  The history of ships and their purpose and cargo were fascinating.  The thing that caught our attention the most was the fact that there are special boat pilots for navigating the Columbia, and even more special boat pilots for piloting the boats between the Columbia and the ocean.  It is the only place that has such severe currents as the river enters the ocean.  Coast guard rescues are a common occurrance.   The picture is a real life simulation of a coast guard rescue. 

 

After the museum, we were hungry, so we found the Wet Dog Pub and Brewery and stopped for a bite.  We all ended up with a fish and chips plate...which included chips and halibut, cod, tuna, salmon, oysters, shrimp and scallops.  We were full and completely satisified.

 

We stopped along the pier to get some pictures... once again we found sea lions galore.  They were noisy and boy did they stink. 

 

 

Our last stop in Astoria was to the Goondocks..

Anybody that has seen the Goonies would appreciate this...

 

We did make it back to Cannon Beach in time to see a beautiful sunset on the ocean.

Another end to a perfect Day...

 

 

 

There and Back Again - Day 5

Day 5,
We all went to breakfast and Pig N Pancake.  Pretty good breakfast.  I had eggs benedict.  In place of the ham I had fresh crab. Something I will duplicate at home.

Paul had noticed an Aircraft museum on our trip to Tillamook.  Like bees to honey Mom and Paul decided to go to Tillamook to see the airplanes.  Ralph and I stayed back at Cannon Beach.  I checked out the tide pools that were exposed from low tide, which really wasn't that low.

Me at the beach
 

 

That evening we went to Mo's and had dinner before we headed to the local community theater to see You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.  It was a fun little cozy theater and the cast did a good job.
 Another perfect day at the beach.

There and Back Again Day 4

This was to be an exciting day...we were going to Tillamook and Newport and Mom was taking us out to dinner at a place called Tidal Raves which is located in Depoe Bay.

Unfortunately, when we got to Tillamook cheese factory we forgot all about taking pictures and fed our faces with samples of cheese and a big old ice cream cone.  We walked away with several different kinds of cheeses, crackers, and sweets.

We decided to take a small detour to see Cape Meares which ended up eating our time up.  We did get a couple of shots, but you can tell it was very misty and cloudy along the shore.

 

We then drove on to Depoe Bay which is where we decided to eat dinner.

 

this is a shot from just outside the restaraunt

We watched the ocean the whole time we ate.  Perfect!

 

I and Ralph had a seafood pasta.  The fish was so fresh and tasty.  Paul, of course had fried oysters and Mom had fish and chips.  Dessert could not be passed up...we were so full when we finished.  We headed on to Newport.  It was getting later at this point and most of the shops had closed, but Paul and I walked the pier. 

We got so many great shots...I will just share a few...

 

docked for the night and all snuggled in

we came back to Cannon Beach exhausted and grateful for another fun day on the coast.
 

There And Back again - Day 3

This is where things get a little fuzzy...More activities than photo's so I will do my best to not make it boring.

It was a beautiful sunny day and I spent the morning of Wednesday doing homework.  PHT! 

Paul and Mom went to the beach...without their camera - sillies.  They looked at tide pools and walked for miles and miles up and down the beach. 

One thing I noticed this time in Cannon Beach was there were bunnies everywhere...

Riley was very curious, but they didn't trust him within 20 feet.  Sadie  - all she wanted to do was chase them.  Darn that leash!  Chasing Rabbits!


When they came back we had a healthy lunch of salad and chicken and then headed into town for a little site seeing.  We sampled some jelly sticks covered in chocolate and walked around seeing many galleries, candy/ice cream shops/expensive clothing/giftyshops and antiques.  I carried the camera and only got one shot, which isn't so great...but I have to have something to post.

 

On the way back - the sun was just gorgeous and Ralph suggested I get a shot from the window as he slowly rounded the curve in the road.

 

The beaches there are just awesome.  The sand was so soft and feels so great between the toes, especially when it is warm.

At this point Ralph and I dropped Mom and Paul off at the condo and drove into Seaside for some Papa Murphy's pizza. We made a Waldorf salad with apples and pears from the garden that we brought with us.  Easy and tasty!

That evening, I still hadn't been down to the beach, so Mom relented and came with me.  It was a bit cool, and again there was a big cloud bank, but who cares....we were at the beach

Another night spent in the hot tub and pool.  Then a hot shower and to bed.