JUNE "JABBER"

I'm not sure where the month went, but it's officially gone!  I filled it with doctor appointments, errands, cleaning out cupboards, but more importantly, filled it with extra time with friends, family and my grandchildren!

Monday nights, we worked on sewing projects, lead by my sister Terry for direction and inspiration! Here Jen is working on her self-designed fabric make-up brush storage roll.  Alissa is working on a reversible apron.

Time to try new recipes and cook together.  Here Alissa is showing me her fresh-baked beirocks!  Jen, Alissa and I worked on these together one afternoon, after a shopping adventure to "Last Chance" in Phoenix!  Thanks for including me in your busy lives!

Recently, I met my good friend, Susie, at this museum hidden away in Papago Park in Tempe.  I was so impressed with their displays, and is definitely worth the $5.00 adult admission.  In fact, Susie had free passes for us to use that day, and we especially wanted to view the Arizona Bicentennial Quilts.  Most of the quilts on display were antiques and hand-stitched, all with some "history" in Arizona.  We enjoyed a two-hour visit, browsing the many rooms, seeing the history of Baseball in Arizona, the original "Bob's Big Boy" restaurant statue, Wallace and Ladmo displays, and a Sandra Day O'Connor room. Susie and I ended our time together at "NCounter", a newer breakfast/lunch place on Mill by the light-rail...NCounter is owned by the same family who owns TCEggington's in Mesa.  The food was delicious! Thanks, Susie, for a fun outing!

After departing the Museum, driving East on Curry Road, I was shocked to find another "change".  Life is full of changes, but sometimes the changes seem sudden.  The above photo is the view from Weber (looking southeast) at what used to be "Lewis Camera Exchange"...yes, the shopping center has been razed.  Below is the view from Curry looking north.

Not sure what will be done with this property, but the location makes it very valuable, and time will tell what will be next...

Friday mornings found me enjoying extra time with these darling grandchildren.  We worked on puzzles and enjoyed snacks together.  Playdough, dress-up, coloring and painting, building a road for the mini-cars and trucks.  Landon and Cailyn both enjoy listening to music and dancing...

Tea Parties with "Bella", playing "restaurant,"

swinging, bubble-blowing, and last, but not least, running through Mimi's turtle sprinkler to get cooled off!

Believe me, I was in that sprinkler too to keep cool!! I've also had the chance to eat lunch with Mike a couple times, driving over to downtown Scottsdale.  He knew about this cute deli called "The Cider Mill"..where they actually brew their own rootbeer and cider, and the food is delicious. I appreciate the extra one-on-one time while I'm off this summer!

Last but not least, I've been reading and listening to books.  This past week, my friend Colleen and I went to a book talk at Dobson High auditorium.  We enjoyed seeing and hearing Jodi Picoult and her daughter speak and read excerpts from their first book jointly authored, entitled BETWEEN THE LINES.  After the talk, Jodi and her daughter signed books, and the copy I purchased will be donated to the Sklyine HS Library.  Colleen then treated me to DQ on the way home...that "blizzard" has carried me through another week of dieting!  Thanks, Colleen!

Well, June and my "jabber" must come to a close.  I wonder what July will bring?

Happy Anniversary to Alissa & Alan!

Wow!  How time flies when you are having fun!! 

Today is Alissa & Alan's 8th wedding anniversary!  Theirs is a "fairytale" romance story, beginning with how they met!
Here's a snap from their honeymoon trip to Scotland...

Along the way, they've lived in two houses...adopted two homeless cats...traded cars, changed jobs, and were courageous to try a business venture. 

They are a couple "in tune" with each other, and that is a rare gift indeed!

With each passing day, their love story continues to grow.  Congratulations and Best wishes for your 8th Anniversary and for more "happy chapters" to come in your love story!

Honoring FATHERS!

Last weekend found us celebrating DADS!  Right after church on Sunday, our immediate family gathered at our house for an "indoor picnic"--sausage & peppers (one of Vince's favorites), two different kinds of pasta salad (tuna & macaroni is one of Mike's favorites), fruit salad, and homemade apple pie! 

We enjoyed watching the guys open their gifts...Cailyn always ready to help! 

Here's Landon enjoying his first ice cream cone...

Aunt Alissa, Uncle Alan & Aunt Jennifer helped entertain their niece & nephew!

And very shortly, it was naptime, and the picnic was over...

By evening we enjoyed seeing my Dad to celebrate Father's Day with him too.  We met at a restaurant for mexican food and margaritas (Yum!)--and back at my parents' house, we enjoyed a delicious strawberry frozen dessert that my sister Terry made for the occasion!

We are glad to have a day to honor our Dads and Granddads and love them very much!!

Special Strawberry Weekend

June 9-10 found us enjoying cooler weather in the Strawberry/Pine area of Arizona.  My parents own a second home in Strawberry and over the years have made it into a delightful and welcoming retreat! 

Jen was able to join us, so we enjoyed an outing to nearby Pine for the "Strawberry Arts and Crafts Festival" and ate lunch at the Pine Deli on Saturday!  Vince and I shared a yummy philly cheesesteak sandwich, and my parents enjoyed chicken salad sandwiches. Jen loved her pulled pork burrito!

Naps in the afternoon are required, and working on a jigsaw puzzle is part of the fun too!

With cool breezes on the deck, we loved watching the birds and squirrels eat from the many birdfeeders that Dad replenishes regularly.  The birdbath was a source of enjoyment even for the large ravens AND for us who were viewing their bathing routines!

Mama Joe's is nearby and makes great pizza, so we all cheered each other with a cold beer too on Saturday night~and on Sunday we enjoyed a special dessert Mom made. Angelfood cake, fresh strawberries with strawberry ice cream on top! YUM!

While Vince helped Dad with a couple small projects on Sunday morning, Jen, Mom and I went to explore the Fossil Creek Goat Farm and Creamery!  What a great place, and very close to their home.

First we saw the llamas...and then we saw the goats AND lots of baby goats!  Earlier this spring there were 90 baby goats.  The people at the Creamery were very friendly, and told us that half the babies were donated to the Indian reservation as children there are required to raise a goat. 

Here is the Creamery store, and we were able to sample several flavors of goat cheese and some fudge!
Very spreadable, and it was hard to decide which flavor to purchase.   Mom treated us to a lavendar/pepper flavor. 

There was a beautiful garden area outside the store, but I was very amused by this sign next to the entrance:

Before we knew it, our visit had come to an end.  Here's Jen and her grandparents standing in front of one of their apple trees.  Hopefully, we will be back to visit another time this summer...making some more memories, and enjoying good times together!  Thanks again, Mom & Dad, for your wonderful hospitality!

FUN in the Kitchen!

Once in awhile I feel inspired...inspired to cook something new or different in the kitchen!  Working full-time seems to limit my ability to try new recipes...OR even branching out to my tried and true recipes! 

So it was recently FUN to cook with Jen as she inspired us to try "beer-can chicken"!  Here she is preparing the bird with "secret seasonings" rubbed on the skin.  We used a half-bottle of beer poured into an empty soda can (I didn't have an official "beer can"...but this worked fine!)  Vince did the honors on the BBQ, and the final result was moist and tasty poultry!

A few weeks ago, Jen and I had reminisced about eating "Beirocks," a "yeast dough bread pocket with a filling of beef, pork, cabbage, or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings."  The bierocks of Kansas are generally baked in the shape of a bun, but in Nebraska, they are called "runzas" and are usually rectangular in shape.  So, we made an attempt at making Kansas beirocks, using my mother's recipe, and the results were surprisingly good!

Our version contained only ground beef, but I know that the pork sausage combination is  a little more flavorful. I did a little research, and found all sorts of beirock recipes on the internet, plus the history of this food.  One source said that bierocks were "a characteristic and portable food of the Volga Germans on the American Plains...a baked bun stuffed with cabbage, onions and meat." 

In May, Terry and Ken had a "bumper crop" of apricots and kindly shared some with us.  We love to eat them for snacks, or take them in our lunches, but Jen and I baked apricot bread one Sunday afternoon!  It turned out delicious...Thanks, Terry, for sharing that new recipe with us!

Landon was fascinated with this "fruit" and tried a new taste with supervision.  I was surprised when he tried one, and wanted to eat the entire yummy piece! Mimi took the pit out quickly!

Last, but not least, I was able to do some cookie baking with Cailyn on one of their recent visits. (I kept it simple by using a cookie "box mix").  For a 3-year old, Cailyn is quite the expert on mixing up cookie dough already!  (When we bake "pretend cookies" in her play-kitchen, she knows the exact process, and I made the mistake of trying to stir the ingredients too soon, and she let me know the error of my ways!) Ha! :-)

After the stirring, it was too hard to resist licking our fingers...she REALLY likes the eating the cookie dough!  We did limit it, but I let her lick the spatula at the end! 
The cookies were delicious, and we all enjoyed the results.

There's always a "mess" to clean up when I cook, but I do enjoy being in my kitchen and preparing food for my family.  Hopefully, while I'm off work this summer, I'll be able to organize and try some more new recipes!