Back to school jitters.....

It's started already.

I'm back at school.

  

No, not the real school-just the weird and crazy dream land about the real school.

(If any of you are teachers you probably know what I mean.)

 (photo by Google.com)

You find yourself in a classroom full of students.

You can't find any of your plans.

The students are unruly.

The principal is watching you.

Sometimes you even can't find your students.

(I've lost more students over the years than you can imagine!)

It is always such a relief to wake up!

I still have a few more weeks of summer vacation left, but if I keep dreaming about school all night I might as well be back.  Maybe that is nature's way of easing us back in to the routine.

I do, however, have sacks full of school supplies stacked in my bedroom.

You have to love those good sales!

♥

JoAnn

P.S.  I just saw this great clip on The Lettered Cottage.


It is pretty cool!
Wouldn't it be great if we all "believed" in each other?

Staying in touch.....

It's been hard having two of my grandchildren move away 

(and their parents).

Yes, I know that a four hour drive isn't the end of the earth, but it does take more effort to be together now.

We have found several ways to stay in touch.

1.  Phone calls.  (I love free long distance!)

2.  Talking on Skype.  (Thank you Andrew and Irene.)

3.  Writing letters (e-mail and the stamped kind).

Maddie gets to treat her family to Slurpies.

She even got letters from both grandmas on the same day.

(We all miss them!)

THANK GOODNESS FOR MODERN TECHNOLOGY!

Have a great day.

♥

JoAnn

Dear Camera.....

I'm sure it must be the camera- 

not the photographer- 

right?

♥

JoAnn 

PS.  Maybe if I only try for the backsides......

I'm linking to Mosaic Monday at The Little Red House.  Go over and check out some of the mosaics!

The good earth.....

This morning I went with my walking partner/friend Sheila to pick up her "Bountiful Basket".

I had never heard of it before, but it is called Bountiful Basket Food Co-op (BBFC).

It is a group of mostly volunteers who work together to share the bounties of the harvest.

 On their web page it says they encourage you to help out occasionally by arriving an hour early, but it isn't required.  

For $15.00 total you get one basket of fruit and one basket of fresh vegetables.  You bring your own baskets to transfer your produce.

You don't know what you will get each time, but they put in 6 different vegetables and 6 different fruits (around 40 pounds).

Today's basket included fresh pineapple, nectarines, grapes, corn on the cob, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, Romaine lettuce, and plantains.
(How do you cook plantains?)

Not a bad price for delicious, fresh food!

(And don't we all need to eat more fruits and vegies?)

Since I was a little jealous as we loaded her baskets in the car, I decided to join in and do it next week.

(It is only once a week and first come-first served.  You order on-line.)

****

I also thought I'd share some pictures of our walk.  We enjoy the wildlife we have seen (birds, geese, deer, baby raccoon, and baby skunk) and the natural habitat of the Jordan River Parkway.  The ponds are just getting filled up with water, but already have some residents.

It is a nice escape from city living!

*****

We have also been watching this community garden being created.

  (Yes, it is a little late in the season to get started!)

I think it is for some of the refugees that have relocated here from countries like Sudan.

What a great idea.  I hope they can harvest something before winter, but next year it should be all ready to go.  I hope they will be able to fill up their baskets with delicious produce, too!

"The poetry of the earth is never dead."

-John Keats

Have a great weekend!

♥

JoAnn

A lazy day....

Yesterday was NOT a productive day for me.

The day started off fine with my morning walk and some yard work, but as the heat started moving in and the humidity from the little rain storm started rising, my energy and motivation all melted away.

I don't think I accomplished anything worthwhile the rest of the day!

MY SUMMER IS GOING SO QUICKLY THAT I HATE WASTING A WHOLE AFTERNOON!

 ***

A while ago my sister and I saw this quote on the wall of The Rock Loft.

(The lamp covered the "ful" part of the word.)

Chocolate?  I agree.

Heat?  No way!

Does anyone have a solution for rejuvenating yourself when summer's heat dries you up?

♥

JoAnn

PS  I saw this great little video on The Lettered Cottage today.  Check it out. 
It's all about kindness.  Good food for thought.

The party is over.....but it was grand!

We had such a great week with our family!

It was hard to see the time end, but we made some fun memories and look forward to doing it again.

I've been thinking about what a family is and what it means to me.

I thought I'd share my list.

The Family:

♥Families are not critical when they come to dinner and find you cleaning up spilled barbecue sauce that you dumped in the hot oven and all over the floor-all the while sporting a funny hair-do that dried before you could blow dry and style it.

♥Families are great teammates who will play games like Double Nines, Phase Ten, and Hand and Foot while sweetly sabotaging you in order to win.

♥Families are good sports about not using all the hot water and waiting in line for bathroom time.

♥Families share, borrow, trade, and buy things for each other.

♥Families get excited for each person's triumphs and overlook those little things that could be annoying.

♥Families like to remember and joke about those often embarrassing but still funny moments (and refuse to let you forget about them).

♥Families can carry on multiple conversations simultaneously while keeping track of what everyone is saying.

♥Families are a built-in support system (and an instant party).

♥Families are good at "spoiling" all the little ones (who don't seem to suffer because of it).

♥Families are your best friends!

"And thank you for a house full of people I love.  Amen."

-Terri Guillemets

♥

JoAnn

Movie night on the back lawn.....

After a long, hot hike to Timpanogos Cave, what better than a relaxing movie under the stars?

(If Star Trek can be relaxing.)

Add a bonfire and some marshmallow smores (and some spilled popcorn, Michelle.  Haha!).

Set up a giant screen and hook up a projector.

Get some cozy seating ready.

Don't forget the blankets and pillows!

Let's hope our neighbors didn't mind!

*****

 Here are a few more random pictures of a fun week.

Yes, Liz was on the hike.

(When you are the photographer you don't always get your picture taken.)

Cooling off!

We have LOVED having all of our family here for a few days!

♥
JoAnn

Hiking to Timpanogos Cave...

Yesterday, some of the family bravely climbed up to Timpanogos Cave.
(Click to learn more about the cave.)
(Click here for more cave pictures

It is a fairly steep hike up a beautiful mountain side, with scenic views of the valleys below.

Despite the high temperature yesterday (103 degrees) they had a fun time and lived to tell about it!

Yes, there are a few stiff muscles today, but nothing too serious.  

Joshua climbed his first mountain at age 1 month.  Way to go!

(click to enlarge pictures)

We're having a great time.  

More pictures later.  I'm off to make a salad for lunch!

♥

JoAnn

Family gathering....

The whole family is gathering together for a few days 

and I am so excited!

(Karl will be here tomorrow.)

We don't have anything too exciting planned, but it sure will be nice to visit and catch up with everyone.

Stay tuned......

♥

 JoAnn

Thanks for the family portrait, Heidi!  Remember when you drew it way back in grade school?   (Hope you don't mind my not-too-neat-editing-addition-of-Liz who hadn't been born yet!)
Notice how we all have our hands in our pockets?
Heidi hated drawing hands-too hard she'd say.
So how come Katie got hands?

P.S.  Thanks, Andrew, for driving to Pocatello to pick up Liz and the girls!

Summer fun....

Life is good!

Don't you wish you had all the energy that kids have?

Maddie and Brooklyn we missed you!

♥

JoAnn

Baked beans....from scratch!

 

Summer picnic + baked beans = delicious!

Nothing tastes better with barbecued chicken, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs,
or a juicy steak than good old
baked beans.

There is even something about the color and texture of them that makes your mouth water.

( And don't images of rugged cowboys come to mind?)

Yet, as much as I look forward to eating them, the ones in the can from the store always leave me a little disappointed.  Yes, I've tried doctoring them with brown sugar and some onion.  I've added bacon or ham.  Even some mustard.  But still, they are only so-so.

My mother knew how to make REAL baked beans.

They are not hard to make, but do require planning ahead.

I'm sure you could "doctor" them up to your own liking if you want them more spicy, but we love this recipe just how it is.

Mid's Homemade Baked Beans

2 cups white beans  (dry uncooked beans)

2 cups tomato juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound salt pork (cut into small pieces)

3/4 cup brown sugar 

First, rinse the beans in cold water and then cover with water and let them soak overnight.  Add plenty of water because they will expand.)

The next day, boil them on top of the stove for about one hour.  Make sure the water doesn't all evaporate.  Add more if necessary.

Leave just enough water to slightly cover the beans and then add the rest of the ingredients.  I usually spoon off the foam first.  

(Salt pork is found in small packages in the meat department.  Cut it up into bite sized pieces.  

I don't use the thick outer skin layer.)

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 5 hours.

They do take a long time to make, but mostly it is slow cooking (while you are doing something else), but the smell that fills your house is heavenly.

I usually double the recipe and add the remaining extra tomato juice left in the can.  It makes them a little more juicy and then I'm not feeling wasteful. 

We enjoyed eating them today at our birthday party for my father-in-law.
He turns 92 on Tuesday!
Happy Birthday!

♥
JoAnn

Enjoying life's sweet moments....

"Life is to be enjoyed, not endured."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Number ONE on my summer "Bucket List" is enjoying my grandchildren.  

What greater joy is there?

♥

JoAnn

P.S.  Thanks for the top two pictures, Liz (and Katie who owns the camera).
Thanks, Andrew, for the bottom one.