Happy Father's Day, Dad

Even though my Dad is no longer physically with me, his spirit and example will be with me forever.

I had a dream just the other night about camping with Dad.  Such good times and memories.   Oh how I wish we could go just one more time.  He and Mom have always been my best cheerleader.

I was thinking about some of the things he taught me.  I could never name them all, but here are a few, in no particular order....

• Righty tighty Lefty Loosey
• The best things in life are the simple things
• fresh garden corn and tomatoes
• a slice of watermelon
• fishing on the shore of a mountain lake or bank or the river
• Hugs
• being tucked in at night
• a good joke
• a wild flower
• If you take care of your "things" they will last a long time
• TV is a waste of time when you could be working on your hobbies
• Count, Count Count.  Music...its all about the numbers
• Music is not all about numbers - feel and emote
• Home Made is the best
• As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord
• Be honest in all your dealings
• Family is important - take care of them
• We are blessed to be American - Be Proud of it and don't waste your privileges
• Always do your best and believe in yourself
• Work Hard
• Be aware of those that have less then you and be willing to share and give
• Honor your heritage.
• How to tie a fisherman's knot
• How to roll a sleeping bag up so tight it will fit back into it's original cover
• A Sunday Afternoon nap is good for the soul
• How to shoot a rifle and hit the target
• If you are quiet, you can see and hear a lot more things.
• Chores First - Play second
• A can of peanuts or bag of chips helps take care of the munchies

 I am sure there are more and I could go on for quite some time.  Although, at this time, I don't have children, I would hope when my opportunity comes that I will be able to be as good of a parent as he was.  Happy Father's Day Dad!

Sadness

My Mom's little Millie Pup was hit by a car this morning and is no longer with us.  We will miss your zoom zooms, your licka licks, your teethy grins and your cuddles.   I wish I had better pictures, but here are a couple, courtesy of my SIL Mar.

14 years and counting

Happy Anniversary to the Love of My Life

Whew!

Time has flown and it has been a fun time.   I took some time off of work to spend with my Mom while she was here visiting.  Here is a run down of some of the things we did.  (I should probably break this post down into many, but it is an accomplishment just to get it done.)

One our favorite things to do to relax is knit.  Mom came with a lot of extra dish cloth yarn and since we both like home made dish cloths we decided to make a few.  During the down/TV time Mom knitted dishcloths 23 as of yesterday- I made a few of these, but she made the majority of them.  There are so many cute patterns out there and it is a great way to refresh your skills.  They even work great for facial washcloths.  We got our year supply.

We spent a little bit of time at the Family History Library.  It was fun to hear about my anscestors and learn a little about researching.  We did get to a point on one of them that we had to request a marriage certificate to progress any further.  We were in dungeons, looking at some microfilm and the power went out.  Thank goodness for emergency back up lighting.   Kind of funny, but memorable experience.   Hopefully this visit is one of many that Ralph and I make as we pursue some of our history's

We did a little bit of shopping.  Actually we spent three days running around looking in stores and hanging out.  Muphy's law...when you don't have money to spend you find lots of things you like.  We did find some super sales over the weekend and found a few steals.   We did splurge and purchased matching bracelets that we can add charms to.  The first charm we got were mom/daughter charms. Every time I look at it I think of her and how special she is to me.

It feels like I have done a lot of cooking lately. I love it!   Ralph normally takes care a lot of that, but it has been fun to get back into the kitchen and get my hands dirty.  I have made 5 batches of artisan bread since Mom has been here... along with two pots of soup. Here is one of the recipes that tastes so good and is a nice change from the normal food fare.

Picture from Sunset Magazine

Singapore Turkey Stew

• 1  pound  ground lean turkey
• 1/2  teaspoon  Chinese five spice
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot chili flakes
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 2  cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1  tablespoon  grated fresh ginger
• 1  can (13 1/2 oz.) coconut milk
• 1  can (14 1/2 oz.) fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 1  head bok choy (12 oz.), rinsed, stem end trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1  can (14 oz.) baby corn, drained
• 2  Roma tomatoes (about 8 oz. total), rinsed, cored, and chopped
• 1/4  cup  drained canned sliced water chestnuts
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 1  tablespoon  lime juice
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, five spice, chili flakes, and salt. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Pour flour onto a large rimmed plate and roll balls in flour to coat lightly.
2. Pour oil into a 4- to 5-quart nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in a single layer. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned all over and barely pink in the center (cut to test), 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
3. Add garlic and ginger to pan and stir just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add coconut milk, broth, and meatballs; bring to a simmer. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until meatballs are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in bok choy, baby corn, tomatoes, water chestnuts, green onions, and lime juice and cook, stirring often, until bok choy leaves are wilted and stems are barely tender to bite, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve from pan.

I also got to make breakfast and dinner for Ralph's birthday.  Yes, I threw the diet out the window and had home made biscuits with sausage gravy and soft scrambled eggs.  For dinner we had bbq pork ribs with mashed potatoes, veggies and a salad.  His birthday cake was a peanut butter cake with chocolate filling and a cream cheese frosting.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it before it was devoured by family.  It was very tasty.

Speaking of Ralph's B-day here is a picture of his card... it was fun to make and even more fun to give it to him.  He did express how much he enjoyed home made cards.  I then felt guilty because he is usually the one that gets left off the list.  I know!!!! he should be the first on the list.  I am committing to do much more betterer.

  

Valentines in the mail

Snail Mail that is.  I am doing everything I can to keep the US post office in business.  Apparently they have posted another loss for January - not because of me.   Anyway...here is one of the cards that got mailed today.

I have seen this bear used to string up all kinds of goodies - so this is not my original idea, but a cute one none the less. The card was thrown together at 10:30 ish last night because I needed to get it in the mail today in order for it to reach it's destination by Monday.  (coloring done with a blender pen - didn't turn out so great in the picture - looks ok IRL)

Stamps - Under the stars, well scripted
Ink - Black Stazon, chocolate chip, early espresso, soft suede
Paper - chocolate chip, Valentines Bundle DSP, real red, whisper white
Accessories - small heart punch, linen thread, three heart punch

More valentine projects will be posted between now and Monday.  Two more cards to make and several cookie boxes. 

I had the opportunity to participate in a Focus group at Stampin UP - I went with my BFF Wendy (she is so much fun to hang with) and we got see some fun stuff.  Can you beleive they are planning a year in advance.  Wowsers.  The Stampin Up building just exudes "fun".   You walk in a say...gee I would love to work here.  I imagine that your work would still turn into a J-O-B then again maybe not.  Playing with paper, stamps and ink 8 hours a day may not be such a bad idea.  I do get a free stamp set out of the deal.  Made it worth taking the morning off to hang with my friend talking about some of our favorite things.

Mom is here for a visit.  YAY!  We have all kinds of plans - catching up on sleep is at the top of the list for some.   We plan on doing some geneology work, window shopping, hair coloring, reading, cooking, eating, exercising because we ate, and temple attendance.  Good times. 

Since their arrival Ralph & I have been taken off the top of Riley's favorite list by a little black dog named Millie Pups - she puts up with Riley, barely, and all he just wants is to play with her.  He wouldn't even stick around for his morning belly scratch before he had to go check on Millie.  He usually loves to ride in the car to drop me off at work but as soon as we came outside he completely emptied his bladder in one spot (not usual for a boy doggy) and pulled on his leash to go back into the house.  He had no interest in coming with me.  He would rather have stayed home to play with Millie.  Where's the LOVE????

Ta Ta for now

What a cute family

Three weeks ago we had the privilege of attending the sealing of my niece and her husband to their little boy that they were able to recently adopt.  He is such a cute little bug and they are such good parents.  We sure do love them.

The sealing took place at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  As all temple are beautiful so is this one.  I especially liked the natural light and art work inside.  Can't wait to take time to do more ordinances there.  Baby ABC slept through the whole thing.  I was a little surprised that the temple workers didn't allow one of the "grandmas" to hold the baby during the sealing, but then again how do you choose which Grandma.  Both so deserving.

After the sealing we adjourned to a local church for a luncheon put on by the family.  It was very tasty as I had been very good on my diet all week so it tasted extra good to me.  Blimpie sandwiches, chips, cookies and diet coke.   It was also fun to see everyone.  Thanks for inviting us to be a part of this special occasion in your lives!  I am so glad we could make it.

And We Now Resume our Regularly Scheduled Program...

A few days off of work, a lot of cooking, some company, and a good time was had by all.  And now we resume our regular programming. . . .

Okay, there was a lot more to it than that!  It just seems like so much has happened in the last week. . .where do I begin????

My mother, sister in law and I attended Deseret Book's Time Out For Women.  It was so fun to be with my favorite ladies and be rejuvenated and filled with the many great messages that were shared over the conference.  Lunch on Saturday was at Olive Garden.  My sweet friend took us out - I keep reminding myself just how lucky I am to have such great friends.  The conference ended so quickly.  I have reserved a copy of the DVD just so that I can review the many great things that were spoken of. 

We spent a day in Huntington with my family.  Although it was a short visit - we got to see all the family and renew our friendships.  We got to have dinner with the Mayor and her family (my aunt)  She spoiled us rotton.  She always does.  The drive back was in the snow and we ran out of washer fluid for the windshield.  Made for a fun drive - NOT!  We got home safe and sound thanks to Ralph's superb snow driving skills.  We also picked up a pointsettia from the greenhouses run by my cousin.  She does such a great job with  them and they are so pretty.

My two brothers arrived on Monday - a day ahead of the icky storm that closed the freeways down.  We took some time to see Harry Potter, get some family pictures taken, eat lots of yummy food, get Christmas cards started, a craft project finished, football games watched, and visit together.  It went so fast and I was so grateful to my family of consenting to spend the holidays at our house.  I had fun hosting and hoped everyone had a good time. 

Speaking of hosting...I love a finely dressed table for special occasions.  I made the cutest table favors.  I had hoped my brother got a closeup shot of them, but this is the best I could find.  The bags were made from a sizzix die.  I used the Thanksgiving wheel for the background.  I created a turkey using the scalloped punch, and other various punches to finish him.  I filled them with yummy goodies to be munched on after the meal as we went about our activities.  As you can see, we were spoiled by all the yummy food. 

I am now hitting the Bah Humbug stage of the holidays.  I haven't been too motivated to pull out the Christmas decorations.  I did get all the Thanksgiving and Fall decorations taken down tonight.  This weekend hopefully some of the Christmas spirit will enter my heart.  I want to be excited, but there are just parts of Christmas that are hard to get excited about without having children/our won family to share it with. 

We had a Sleepover

Since the kids were out of school this weekend  and there were no soccer games we opted to have 4 crazy monkey's stay over night.

We started with Pizza and rootbeer.  We had lots of laughs and silliness.  One of the monkey's told us that BYU stands for Barney's Yellow Underwear.  Of all the monkeys this one is the most loyal to the blue, so we are not sure how this came up.  It was entirely unsolicited from the Red fans.  Once two large pizzas were almost demolished we decided to watch a movie.
 

I had rented How to Train Your Dragon.  Dream Works never disappoints.  We loved it.  We talked about whether it was going to be a happy ending and if friendships would be formed, which dragon we would want to fly and how much Toothless' mannerisms mimicked Rileys.  They loved the Fat bumble bee dragon.  Ralph decided this is one movie we will add to the collecitons.  YAY!  At this point dinner had settled enough we changed into jammies and had cookies and popcorn as we settled in to watch the next movie - Karate Kid.  Thirty minutes into the show it was a 80% vote to go to bed.  We got teeth brushed and got them all settled in.  At this point we couldn't get them to shut up.  Finally monkey #4 was removed from the room for 5 minutes.  In that time the rest of the monkeys were asleep and we settled the 4th one in.  All was quiet except for Riley's snores.

This morning everyone slowly got up and Ralph and I prepared breakfast...buttermilk pancakes, bacon, fried potatoes and onions and chocolate milk.   I haven't had a heavy breakfast like that in ages.  Ugh - good thing I have the rest of the day to recoup.  Their Dad came and picked them up - and then all was quiet. 

The rest of today will be spent making phones calls, cleaning my stamp area, prepping for opening exercises tomorrow, a little bit of exercise and watching a football game.   Isn't it a shame the weekends fly by?

Ta Ta for now 

Happy Birthday & Guilty Pleasures

Well it is another day to celebrate a birthday.  My aunt is having a birthday as well as my SIL who lives in WA.  Here is the card I put in the mail on Tuesday for my SIL.  Hopefully she will get it by today. 

One of her favorite colors is pink - so I thought I would give it a whirl.  Don't you just love this image.   She is so cute.  The inside reads "just thinking of you on your birthday"

This week has been jam packed with "stuff" going on.  Besides having to be at work everyday...

• I had to attend a meeting down at the Tabernacle on Tuesday. The topic was scouting and the new Duty to God program.  The flyers the ward received designated that primary presidents needed to be there.  I tried to get out of going, because I knew based on the other information given on the flyer - I wouldn't need to be there.  Plus - I hate extra meetings.  The counselor in the bishopric guilted me into going saying "that we have been asked to be there and that is why we go".  I went and sure enough I was right - nothing presented was applicable to my calling.  However I don't like to be a "negative nellie" so I found things that would work for me personally that were presented.  Avid scouters can be real scarry sometimes.
• My VT came over last night.  I always enjoy visiting with her.  She is a lot of fun. 
• Tonight I have my presidency meeting - whew the Primary program is Sunday and I have to do a little blurb to introduce it. 
• Date night on Friday as well as finishing my prep for my stamping group. 
• I think Ralph is also planning on doing some kind of pickles on Saturday as well as my stamp club and a football game in the evening.  We are playing San Jose.  Should be a fun time.

Always something going on - I guess that is the way I like it.

Guilty pleasure...last night we watched the season opener of NCIS (comcast on demand) as well as a new Ghost Hunters.  I also worked on getting the paper cut for my class this weekend.  We are going to do a couple of cards and one of those cute candy wrappers, Halloween style.   I love to spend evenings that way.  Another guilty pleasure...most of my Fall/Halloween decorations are up.  I love them.  Ralph allowed it on the condition I get rid of my favorite pair of shorts at the end of "short wearing season".  They are way to big for me, but I just can't seem to part with them.  He wears shorts all year so based on his calendar I should get to keep them right?  Another guilty pleasure...I get to go to lunch tomorrow at Jimmy Johns.  I love their sandwiches.  Hopefully I will be able to make a smart choice diet wise.  Sometimes those Itallian meats call my name!  Maybe I can just put another hour of exercise in.  LOL You are thinking yeah right -when would you do that.

Work to be done so, Ta Ta for now

Mom and Me

Mom came for a short visit over Labor Day weekend.  We didn't take any pictures except for this one.  We had such a good time together.  This picture is during our lunch break while visiting the Swiss Days Festival that takes place in Midway, UT.  (notice my beefy arms?) There were loads of people there - busy busy busy.  There were several things we saw that we liked, but not enough to come home with it.   

Actually -  I did come home with with some cute magnets to go on my magnet board.  They are "stinkin"  cute!  My BFF Wendy and I purchased several to highlight different times of the year. 

The Utes play New Mexico State today.  Our quarterback is still out with injury as is our center.  Hopefully the team will have their heads on straight and it will be a great, clean game.  As much as I would like to travel to Albuquerque to watch the game, my couch won't be such a bad place either.  At least there won't be a sun burn to deal with.

Ralph bottled 14 quarts of tomato juice yesterday.  We will be grateful for the cup of hot tomato juice on those cold winter evenings. 
Well - things to do and places to go.
Ta Ta for now

Happy Birthday Mom Curtis!

We celebrated MIL Curtis’ 80th birthday yesterday. The evening turned out quite nice. All of the Curtis children and their spouses were able to make it as well as several grandchildren and great grandchildren. We went to a barbecue place that catered dinner for us. The food was good, but….........ok, I will just leave it at that. (I complain and criticize too much - that is my food snobbery rearing it's ugly head) Ralph and I had been asked to do the birthday cake. Instead of posting the whole recipe and process, I will post links and give basic instructions. If you need more help contact me. Here is a picture of a slice of this decadent goodness.  Unfortunately once we arrived at our venue - the cake could not be refrigerated so the cheesecake was a little soft.

***We made a New York style cheesecake (click for link)– I only spread the graham cracker crust mixture on the bottom, not up the sides, and I kept it thin.  I also did not use the sour cream topping.

***We made Aunt Vinnie’s Chocolate cake – Doubling her recipe and cooking it in 2-9in rounds made enough for two cakes. If you opt for Aunt Vinnie’s recipe – I would only 1½ her original recipe. Any standard cake recipe for a 9 x 13 or 2-9in rounds would work – just make sure it is a firm, dense cake.  (if you want Aunt Vinnie's recipe and don't have it - contact any of the Curtis Clan - they should have it.)

***The filling was dulce de leche which can be bought or made. To make it place a can of condensed milk (unopened) in a pot of water – make sure the can is covered with water throughout the whole process. Boil 2 to 3 hours depending on how dark you want your caramel.  We did three.  After it was cooked and cooled we mixed in coconut and walnuts. This was used in between the layers of cake. For two cakes we used 5 cans – probably could have gotten away with 4.

***Assembly- slice both cakes horizontally in half. Layer them – and frost with your favorite frosting. Cake needs to be kept chilled.

Things to note :

• Make sure your cheesecake pan is the same size as your cake pans. You don’t want to have to trim edges to make them fit. Not that you couldn’t – just another process and waste of cake. 
• If we make this again, I would put a layer of chocolate cake on the bottom and not use graham cracker crumbs at all on the cheesecake. 
• Save Room For Dessert!!!

 Here is the birthday card I made for her. I really like how it turned out.

Stamps – Happiness Shared, French Script (retired) Warmest Regards

Paper – Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Always Artichoke DSP

Ink – Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, More Mustard, So Saffron

Accessories – Wheel Bella’s Border, blender pens, Kraft taffeta ribbon (retired), corner rounder punch, slot punch

Here is a picture of the inside. Ralph wrote a great letter to her that we put inside. He included several limmericks and a poem that I will probably post later with his permission. 

The family all pitched in and gave her a beautiful vase from OC tanner engraved with a Happy 80th birthday from her family.  I will have to get a picture of that and post it sometime as well. 

All in all - it was great to get together to celebrate someone so loved and accomplished.

Ta Ta for now

Football Countdown and a birthday wish

I can hardly wait – we got these in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I am completely giddy! In less than two weeks and I will be sitting in Rice Eccles Stadium watching the Utes play football against Pittsburg. The Vegas odds are Utes by 3 – I hope it ends by 10.  I love football season. Sitting in the stadium - enjoying the weather, watching the crazy fans, yelling at the team and coaches, cheering them on, and Red (my favorite color) - everywhere!  GO UTES

Since we are on the topic of football…I was going to let this go but I decided to speak my piece. I am not impressed with how BYU has handled the whole going independent “thing.” I think a lot of teams have been shafted. I won’t go into the whole story.   As ESPN's Colin Cowherd has reported…Independence is overrated – everybody needs somebody. BYU doesn’t have what it takes to make it as an independent. BYU can talk all they want – even if they go 12 and 0 you are not going to get any home and home games with the big boys. It sounds a lot cooler than it is. BYU is selling out.  Here is the link.  ESPN Radio - THE HERD  If you are interested you will have followed the media stories and if you are not interested the last place you want to read about it is here. At this point I think BYU is going to end up with egg all over their faces no matter how this turns out
Gary’s birthday was yesterday and I am sad I was not there to celebrate with him. I did make a card and I made sure it got there on his birthday. I had to take a picture of it with my phone camera as I got to work and realized I hadn’t gotten a picture yet. Thus you get the washed out look from this great flourescnt lighting we have in the office.  The inside reads – May your layers be many and your frosting be thick.

Stamps – Voila, fabulous phrases, Twill background
Ink - Stazon Black, blush blossom, basic gray, river rock, bashful blue, sahara stand, daffodil delight, not quite navy
Paper – Not quite Navy, Garden Green DSP, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Basic Black
Accessories – white gel pen, crystal effects

Ta Ta for now

It's Time to Pay the Piper

Last week my brother, his wife and Lucy dog came for a visit.  I took some time off and now I am having to pay the piper so to speak as I get back to work.  Why is it you can take a half day off of work and end up with what seems like three days worth of catch up?

Anyway...we had such a great time together and they spoiled me rotton.  I was not ready to see them go, but they had to get to a niece's wedding reception on Saturday evening.  Here is a run down of the highlights in no particular order.

• We had a king size bed given to us by our little neighbor lady.  Just in time for guests.  Gary helped Ralph get the bed upstairs and set up.  We then decided to go get some sheets and a mattress pad for the bed. Gary got a little bit of shoe shopping in.  He likes new shoes - just like me!  (thanks Gary and Mar!) 
• We found some time to watch movies - Bandits, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and Prairie Home Companion. 

• We went to the Utah Symphony at Deer Valley Resort.  Mark O'Connor was the guest performer.  He is an amazing fiddler. Devil comes back to GA I would have loved to hear more.  Because we needed ADA parking and seating we got the royal treatment.  We had close parking, escorted to our seats that were great, they checked on us during intermission and driving out of the parking lot was a breeze.   We took a picnic dinner that was very tasty. A big thanks to Emily for getting us the tickets.  Woot!!  By the end of the evening most of us were wrapped in blankets.  It got kind of chilly,
• The Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecake was everything I had imagined and then some.  So worth every calorie!  Thanks Gary and Mar!Reeses Peanut butter Cheesecake post
• We went to MacCools Pub for an early birthday dinner.  My oh my the food was fantastic.  We sampled ribs, mussels, sweet potato fries, lamb shank, buffalo shepherds pie, Lamb - french dip sandwhich, seafood cakes and a little bit of chocolate bread pudding.  Thanks Gary and Mar!
• Mar and I got a little bit of paper crafting done.  
• I now have a table in my craft room to work on - so no more traipsing up and down the stairs with stamping supplies. (Thanks Gary and Mar!)

Sam - my little friend went home with them.  Actually we (me, Ralph and Riley, despite the peeing and the destruction he brought to our house, had started to become attached to the little guy.   I know my brother will treat him well and give him a very loving home.  Sam wore Riley out...Riley slept for at least the next 20 hours.  He did not have to be on his guard anymore that Sam might eat his food, or get something he would miss out on.  They played, slept and wrestled often.  Thanks for an exciting week.

A Baby Shower and Chores

Today we are having a family shower for my neice who just not quite a month ago adopted a little baby.  He is the Cutest little guy.  She has already had a couple of showers and had a lot of the baby supplies before he even arrived - just so they could be prepared.  So I thought and thought about what to give...another baby outfit of which she will have several - or something else. 

I opted for a box of home made thank you cards - 30 of them.  It seems like sending a thank-you card is becoming a lost art.  I know how much it means to me to receive a thanks for all you do/did.  So, by giving this gift to her, she can give back to so many.  I am also including a package of diapers. (expensive little suckers)  Glad I don't have to budget those in.  So..with that thought here is a picture of the card and the package.

I used the Cuttlebug baby folder for the background in whisper white.  I then cut out a giraffe with the special delivery cricut cartrdige in barely banana and creamy caramel.  The tag is cut with the same cartridge with gable green.  I printed the sentiment on my computer and punched it with a 3/4 in punch.  The flower is punched with a stampin up flower punch and adhered with a white brad and tied with a piece of linen thread.  Simple, but effective and oh So cute - I know!!!!! 

I wrapped 8 hershey nuggets to match the box I made so that the new mommy could have some chocolate as she wrote out her thank you cards.   I always wonder, when I give gifts of "myself" meaning I created and made them - how they will be received and if the receiver will appreciate the work that went into them as a home made gift. 

The family decided on taco salad and fruit.  It happens to be one of my favorite meals and easy to fix.  I get to bring lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers.  I am all for the veggies!

After the shower - hopefully I will get some exercise in, (especially after having pizza for dinner the night before) some house cleaning, some thank you notes to my Stampin up customers for their orders before they get delivered, and a sharing time for Sunday planned.  Whew - Don't you just love weekends.  All that free time 

Happy Birthday Dear Dad

For your birthday... I would sing you a song, invite as many family members as we could to your party becausebeing around your family always made you happy.  I would take you fishing, fix your hooks and any knots that somehow showed up on your line.  I would hold your hand and walk with you at what ever speed you could handle.  I would fix you one of your favorite meals - fried shrimp, fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in vinegar,corn on the cob smothered in butter, seasoned salt and pepper, a slice of watermelon with a scoop of ice cream and home made cookies.  I would ask you to tell me one more time about how you put the smoke bomb into some ole guys pick up - or about the stunts you and Marlo would pull.  I would play the piano or my flute for you - not that my skills are great - but you wouldn't care.  I love you so much and I have such great memories of our times spent together.  I miss you terribly!!!

I know you are doing great things where you are - and I know that one day we will see each other again.  Until then...

Love your Dolly

No Conditions Ever!

xoxoxo

What a crazy weekend

Guess what - our heater is finally fixed.  We needed a new ignitor (? seems like you should say ignition, but I don't think that is right)  It is finally warm and I dont' need socks, sweats, Riley and a blanket to keep warm tonight.

While I wait for 3 more points to rack up on a silly mafia wars game I play on facebook, I thought I would update you from the weekend.  It makes me tired just to think about it.

Ralph planned our Friday evening.  I love it when he does that.  We had chicken, bacon and avocado sandwhiches on sourdough bread.  Very tasty!  We watched Hancock.  Turned out to be funny and a little crude.  I would classify this movie as a great "summer" flick. 

We awoke early Saturday morning to go and clean the church.  We only had to clean one set of bathrooms - gross, but it moved quickly.  We had a half hour before the service projcect started, so we helped set up tables and chairs for lunch to be serverd after the activity.  We stuck around and did our part to help clean up the neighborhood.  We cased several of the alley ways in our area for garbage and Riley got to come with us.  Ralph ended up with a nice gash on his leg from a broken Captain Morgan bottle we carried around in our garbage bag.  It wasn't pretty.  We finished our assigment and instead of waiting around for lunch which was at least a half hour away we went up to Ralph's Mom's to work in the garden.

We finished pruning the trees.  Prepped the two old apple trees for removal and cleaned up all the pruning remains so that David could run them through his chipper.  We planted beets, carrots, and 3 varieties of peas.  We came home bushed - Riley was exhausted from playing with Gus and Willy.  We did a little bit of grocery shopping and came home with ingredients to make jam.  Whew.  Three batches later I was ready for bed.  We made, strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, and strawberry/blackberry.  We were completely tired out.

The next morning - Sunday - we were at the bishops office bright and early.  To make the long story short - I was asked to serve as the Primary president and Ralph was asked by the stake to serve as an assistant to the high priest group leader.  It was a pretty overwhelming day.  We had dinner with Richard and his clan as well as Ralph's sister and her family and his Mom.  I love those kids!

I was glad to come home, and not ready for another week.  But alas - I haven't figured out how to control the minutes and seconds of the day so here I am, running with the flow.

Headed for bed
Ta Ta for now