I'll Stick With The Girls

The boys are off to a week of high adventure camp with the young men in our ward. Their week includes: sleeping in tents, repelling of cliffs, riding bikes for miles and miles in the heat, hiking to a cave that might be filled with bats, wake boarding in the freezing cold water of Flaming Gorge and floating down the Green River over category three rapids. Sounds great - if you are a boy.

My Dad didn't have any sons so he tried to make us do some boy stuff - which didn't fly at all. The worst was when he took us down the Snake river and he didn't put enough air in the raft. After the raft sat in the cold water for a few minutes, it got soft and when we hit the first rapid, it folded in half and we were all dumped into the freezing water. My mom made my Dad tie a rope across the middle of the raft so my cousins, my twin sister and I would have something to hold onto as we went over the rapids. This ended up being a bad idea because when the raft flipped, my cousin Kristy, who was probably seven or eight at the time, got caught on the rope and almost drowned. Thank goodness my brother-in-law, Rob, swam underneath and chewed through the rope so she could go free.

I think I will stick to girls camp where we did crafts, danced, sang and had a hot shower at the end of the day!

I received an interesting email from my Mom saying if you eat 4T. of fresh pureed asparagus in the morning and 4T. in the evening, it will help fight off cancer. It came from an article titled, "Asparagus For Cancer," printed in the Cancer News Journal, December 1979. It is pretty convincing, but I don't really like asparagus. My husband loves to soak a few stalks in water and then grill it on the barbecue, but I haven't ever found a way to eat it that I liked, until I found this recipe. In a few weeks, we can stop along the side of the road where the canal runs and pick wild fresh asparagus. I guess I had better learn to like it!

Asparagus and Sausage Risotto

In a pan, heat 1T. olive oil and then add one 16oz. package of sausage, 1 chopped onion and 1/2C. fresh mushrooms. Stir frequently for 3-4 minutes until the sausage is lightly browned. Add in 2T. butter and 1C. Arborio Rice. Stir constantly for two minutes then add 1/2C. chicken broth - when it is absorbed by the rice, add another 1/2C. - continue doing this until you have added 4C. chicken broth. Stir in 1/2C. white cooking wine. Remove from the heat and stir in 2C. sliced fresh asparagus that has been cooked crisp-tender and 1/3C. parsley. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Motorcycle Mania

The boys have spent a lot of time motorcycling this weekend. Even Ken rode for several hours.

I always worry when they are riding because I'm afraid someone is going to get hurt. Brayden was the only one who had a few mishaps. He tipped over twice and has major scrapes on both arms. One of the times, he was just parked in the driveway and dropped a Gatorade bottle. When he leaned over to pick it up, the bike fell over on top of him. Thank goodness he didn't end up with any broken bones though.

My oldest son broke his arm in two places riding his motorcycle last September and had to have surgery to put his arm back together. He now has two metal rods holding the bones in place and has major scars on both sides of his arm. A couple of days ago, he was going to do some welding on a set of metal apartment stairs for his Dad and some how shocked himself on those two metal rods in his arm. He is now a human lightening rod!

Alex is an amazing boy. I can hardly believe he is going to be a senior next year. He is such a great worker and can do pretty much anything his Dad needs him to do. Plus he is so dang cute! On Monday night, we were in Park City walking to the movie theater to go see Toy Story 3 as a family and there were several cute girls sitting at a table eating ice cream. They all looked at him and he just smiled - I happened to see it and said, "Should I tell them you are going to see Toy Story 3?" He just laughed. Thank goodness he is shy and not too interested in having a girl friend right now. His theory is girls just take your money, break your heart and waste your time. Good Boy! When he is twenty one I will encourage him to start dating, but until then, I'd rather he stick with his buddies riding motorcycles.

A couple of years ago, he came home with this recipe for Gooey Chex mix from a cooking class at school which has become one of our family favorites.

Gooey Chex Mix

Combine 1 1/2C. Golden Graham's cereal, 1 1/4C. Rice Chex Cereal and 1/4C. shredded coconut in a bowl. In a pan, combine 1/4C. sugar, 3T. butter and 1/4C. Karo syrup over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and keep it there for about two minutes. Pour the syrup over the cereal mixture and stir to coat. Let cool before eating.

Spurs At A Funeral?

I think it's safe to say the summer weather is officially here! (It's about time!)

Yesterday, my youngest and I spent several hours collecting the extra hay that didn't get baled and we were roasting - happily - in the warm weather. We have two little farm trucks with dump beds and we had a lot of fun racing to see who could fill up the back of the beds the fasted. Ken resorted to knocking the hay off of my pitch fork and even stabbed me once to try to beat me, but in the end I won. It couldn't be because he spent half the time just driving around honking at me instead of stopping and picking up the loose hay - but at least it got him out of the house and he was working on his driving skills without even knowing it!

Last night we were supposed to meet the horse trainer to go riding in the hills to work with our three year gelding, but right before that we had to go to a viewing for one of our neighbor's mother who had passed away. We threw on nice shirts and went to the viewing in our Levi's and boots - spurs and all. I was worried we would look out of place, but we fit right in! My mother and twin sister would be horrified because as they say, I must be conforming!

I have been craving this yummy chicken salad recipe that my friend Lynette gave me when we were in charge of a Relief Society homemaking luncheon once. It tastes great hot or cold - which is perfect for this hot weather!

Lynette's Chicken Salad

Cook 1 package of chicken flavored Vermicelli Rice-A-Roni and set aside. Boil four chicken breasts, shred and save the broth. Add the chicken to the rice then add: 1 can sliced olives, 2 chopped tomatoes, two stalks of celery - sliced and one can of water chestnuts - sliced. In a separate bowl, combine 1/4C. chicken broth, with 3/4C. mayonnaise. Stir this into the rice mixture.

You Have To Have Bad To Appreciate The Good

When I looked out the window this morning there are bales and bales of round hay out in my field from the first cutting. The guy who maintains our fields stayed up all night bailing. It sure is a pretty sight! Plus, it means the sprinklers will be back on soon so I can hear their mesmerizing click.

When I was helping to move one the wheel lines so the hay could be cut, we were walking through alfalfa that was as high as my waist. That's when I noticed a wonderful treat, lady bugs everywhere! The cute little ladies love to eat the aphids in the fields. It is said that if a lady bug lands on you, you can make a wish and it will come true. I kept trying to coax one to land on me so I could get a wish, but it didn't happen.

I also found another critter in the fields - mosquito's! Lot's and lot's of them! Okay, I know you have to have the bad so you can appreciate the good, but what good are mosquito's really? Other than they feed the birds that have perched in my eaves and are pooping everywhere or the bats that like to terrorize me at Lake Powell. I struggling to see how these pesky critters are good! Last night for mutual, we went to a field to play kick ball and by the end of the night, everyone was covered with scratchy bumps! It was hilarious to see everyone swatting and hitting themselves.

This morning about 1:15AM we got a call from Darren's Dad telling us that his brother had to be rushed to the hospital after he vomited and then aspirated after going through a drug rehab center in Michigan. This is another one of the, "you have to experience the bad to know the good situations." We just pray he will be okay.

Todd is a unique guy. He loves to be alone, and has two wolves in his back yard. But he has a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone.

A couple of years ago he came to my house and I had made some of his Mom's hardtack candy - which he loves. He asked me how to make it, so I gave him a large gallon size Karo syrup and the other ingredients along with the recipe so he could go home and make it. That was when we lived in Salt Lake, by the time he drove three hours to Vernal, he had drank almost the whole gallon of Karo syrup. Wow! Now that's a sugar rush!

Here is the recipe for that Hardtack Candy which my family loves.

Combine 1/3C. sugar and 2C. corn syrup in a pan and bring to the hard crack stage
(300*). Then stir in a few drops of food coloring and some flavoring oil to it. Immediately pour onto a greased cookie sheet and mark with a sharp knife into squares as it cools.
My family loves the red cinnamon candy the best!

Big Shots

I counted the days I have been home since school started and was amazed that out of the past twenty five days, I have only been home six days! What a whirlwind, but then summer always is! I feel like I come home, unpack, do the laundry and then pack it all up again to leave.

Monday night, we drove to Park City and stayed at the cabin so we could get up early and be in Salt Lake yesterday. As usual, it was a day filled with running the necessary errands: Costco, the spa where I keep my purses and trying to see the loved ones I miss so much. One of the big reasons I had to go to Salt Lake was so Brayden and I could get our required shots to go to Kenya. I put it off as long as I could and with only a month until we leave, we were running out of time!

There are six things required to go to Africa: Tetnus, Typhoid, Measles, Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A & B and Polio. Brayden lucked out and only had to have one shot, while I got three! (He thought that was hilarious.) Luckily the typhoid we can take orally or I would have really been hating life!

I really don't like shots, but then who does? When I signed up to go to Africa, I had no idea I was going to have to pay for $500 worth of shots or I might have changed my mind! I keep telling myself that it will be worth it so I can help the people who live in the Koins area have a better life. Kennedy held my hand while the nice nurse stabbed me and I just closed my eyes and thought of my happy place - laying on a beach in the warm sun listening to the waves crash.

While I was in Salt Lake I got to eat lunch with my wonderful Mom and she gave me this recipe for Poppy Seed Dressing - yum! Getting to see her is like getting a shot of love, knowing someone in this world loves me no matter what!

Poppy Seed Dressing

Put the following ingredients into a blender:
2/3C. vinegar, 1 1/4C. sugar, 1C. oil(olive or canola), 2T. salt, 2T. mustard, 1 green onion chopped and 1T. poppy seeds. Blend well and chill.

Going Batty!

Dar and I went to Powell on Tuesday night to celebrate our anniversary and then his mom and the kids came on Thursday night along with his cousin Greg and his family. Greg lives in Houston and it has been eight or nine years since we have seen him. It was a busy weekend, but fun. I think I need a vacation from my vacation though!

One of the nights we were down there, we started talking about the bats that fly around all over the place at night. I was telling Greg about the night my family was staying on Darren's Dad's houseboat eighteen years ago and a bat flew inside the houseboat and caused all kinds of havoc. Darren commented on how he liked the bats because without them, the bugs would be horrible.

That night, I got up to go to the bathroom and thought I saw something, but I figured it was just because we had been talking about bats so I climbed into bed. A few minutes later I saw and felt something flying towards my hair. I yelled, "There's a bat!" Darren sat up and turned the light on but didn't see anything. He told me it was just the wind from the window above my head and I was freaking myself out. When I heard something a few minutes later,I made him get up to check. So with his flashlight he looked around and sure enough he saw a bat! See it wasn't my imagination! So he army crawled to the front of the boat with his flashlight so he could open the front door to send it out. To his surprise, there wasn't just one bat, but there were THREE inside the houseboat. He said one was even hanging from the ceiling glaring at him with it's little beady eyes! He wanted me to come and help him get them out. NOT ON YOUR LIFE! Instead, I just covered my head with a pillow and waited for the bat party to end. I get the chills just thinking about it!

Greg's wife, Susie, turned 50 while we were down there and so we had a party complete with chocolate cake and helium balloons. Darren's mom brought the balloons in the car loaded with five kids and across the lake to Warm Creek in a ski boat without an enclosed cabin to put them in. I'm sure anyone who saw us leaving the dock with the balloons was thinking we were crazy for trying! Only half of the balloons actually made it to the houseboat, but it's the thought that counts!

I made my dill dip for Susie on her birthday and she insisted that I post it so she could have the recipe. I think I have already posted it once, but I will do it again for Susie's sake!

Dill Dip

Combine equal amounts of sour cream and mayonnaise. Add a bunch of dill weed and Bon Appetite seasoning along with a little onion salt.

This is great as a dip for veggies, chips, bread or on a steak, baked potato or chicken.

When we got home last night we celebrated Father's day and had steaks and these yummy potatoes that I just threw together.

Father's Day Potatoes

Slice six potatoes thinly and lay in a casserole dish. Melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour over the top of them. Add some Jamaican Me Crazy Seasoning and a bunch of shredded cheese. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes then put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes. These taste great with the dill dip too!

Twenty Amazing Years

Tomorrow, I am going to celebrate my twentieth wedding anniversary with my husband. Amazing how fast time flies! It seems like yesterday I was just graduating from the University of Utah and then a week later going through the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed to my wonderful husband.

He is an amazing man. Whenever someone needs help, he is there. A lot of his employees are the people who just need a second chance in life or someone to give them a break. Not only is he caring, he is mister adventure. He always has to be moving. Whether it is four wheeling in Moab, sky diving, scuba diving, snowmobiling, river rafting or flying to Mexico, he is always on the go. I can hardly keep up with him!

Somehow his travels always turn into an adventure - but then it wouldn't be fun if you didn't have some problem to have to work through. It just makes it more of a challenge (according to him.)

Darren served his mission in Dallas, Texas and came home with this great chili recipe. It has become a family tradition to make this yummy stuff every Halloween. The best part is how easy it is!

Darren's Texas Chili

Brown one pound of hamburger. Add 1/2C. chopped onions, and 2 cloves of garlic. Stir then let simmer for 5 minutes. Add: 2 - 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce and one can of water. Add one 8 ounce can of tomato paste and one can of water plus 1t. cumin. Simmer for 2 hours or more. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. One hour before it is done, add 3T. chili powder. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Tastes great on baked potatoes as well!