family – Page 37 – Gracious Rain

September 14, 2011October 12, 2021

Cooking School

I’ve heard about the Taste of Home Cooking School that tours the country and teaches all kinds of amazing stuff–but I’ve never gone before…

tonight.

We–my sister Laurie and I–spent the whole evening watching this cute little gal cook about 10 different dishes using all kinds of yummy ingredients. She made BBQ Chicken Pizza, Pumpkin Whoopee Pies, Chocolate Agave Cake, Raspberry Pork Roast, and so much more. Dang–it made us so hungry!

They gave away about a million prizes–dishes, cookware, groceries, jewelry…

and about a dozen or so cookbooks. Ooooh…I wanted one of those! These guys even gave away all the food that she made and the dishes that went with them. So much fun.

This lady won a toaster oven or something wonderful like that. Hey, wait…I KNOW her! Congratulations, Alice!

We each received a prize bag filled with recipes, kitchen gadgets and sponsor products. I was just about to take of picture of what was in the bag–when my camera battery died.

Wow.

So much for me being the Taste of Home Cooking School reporter of the year. I guess you’ll just have to imagine the picture of my sister and I having a wonderful time and learning so many new things to cook. Maybe we’ll even show you a few of them soon.

In the meantime–it’s nice to know Papa Murphy’s is still just around the corner.

You know…

just in case.

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September 5, 2011October 12, 2021

Things We Have An Abundance Of…

Peaches…again…and for as long as we can get them. Today may just be a jam day. We’ll see.

T-shirt yarn to make some lovely projects with–you’ll see…very soon! :}

Pine cones…they’re everywhere! We gather them up and do our noble best to save them as fire-starters–but they just keep coming back. Do you suppose they grow up from the concrete?

Firewood—since that mighty wind came along and huffed and puffed and blew the fence down. Thank goodness for the strong and sturdy fellows that gathered and stacked it all.

Blueberries…by the busload, whipped into so many lovely things–stay tuned.

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Pretty girls with watering cans to help our thirsty garden. Tomatoes are still sleeping–what is going ON?

Finger puppets from WeeKnit–and we haven’t even gotten out our Halloween and Christmas ones yet! HA! Obsessive you say? I haven’t begun to be obsessive…yet! :}

Blue Jays–you know, the huge, bossy, squawking kind that chase all the other birds away and fill their mouths up with sunflower seeds and fly away somewhere else to shell and eat them. Silly things.

The tail end of our gorgeous summer flowers–showing off, I suppose, one last time before they sleep for a while.

What about you on this lovely day–what do YOU have an abundance of?

August 29, 2011September 19, 2017

Boy, Oh Boy

No, no. It’s not a new 80’s boy band–it’s those cute little guys in Siberia.

I really just LOVE them.

Especially that big guy in the middle…who seems to have a thing for yellow ties.

Who knew?

Can you believe that he’s been gone 6 months this week?

Well…I can. Seems like years.

Happy 6 month “anniversary” my sweet Bald Kid.

I love you.

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Happy Birthday Mary Jo!

August 19, 2011March 2, 2017

Right Now

I am…

~wishing I was just a bit younger so I could play “dodge the sprinkler” with Miss Chomp on a hot summer day.

~anticipating all the magical things that can be made with a few old T-shirts…stick around and you’ll see!

~grateful that my children still find joy and friendship in a really good book.

~loving the very idea of fresh-from-the-garden cucumbers drizzled with a mix of Italian and Ranch dressing. You must try it!

~looking soo-soo forward to the new little ladies who are coming to live with us soon…stay tuned.

~longing for a bit more rain to water all the places I haven’t gotten to this week.

~deciding NOT to let Beany-the-quail-slayer out for the night…for obvious reasons.

Yeah, he’s on time-out.

~happy that my cute little–or not so little–nephew is home from Russia and that he’s amazed that Pizza Hut still exists and will still bring real, live American pizza right to your door.

~waiting, and waiting for a letter–paper in my hand letter–from my far away in Siberia boy–whose going to be in so much trouble if he doesn’t write to his mother very soon…and I mean it.