Last leg….

The ending of the school year can be rough.

Sometimes even down right rocky.

To make matters even worse,

This year I’ve been sick.

My husband got the same thing and he is almost back to normal.

I ended up with a sinus infection that resulted in having to

teach for three days without a voice to a class of active students ready for summer’s freedom.

(Image)

I crawled home exhausted every evening only to realize I couldn’t sleep (something to do with needing to breathe). I annoyed everyone around me. (Who likes to hear those barrel blasting coughs?) And, I haven’t had enough energy to pick up a single thing. (Yes, I could be on a certain television show about people who aren’t known for being tidy!)

My poor little doctor was even concerned that I might have PInk Eye, but I assured him that it was just from a little melt down I’d had earlier in the day.

Can I make it 4 more days?

JoAnn

To be continued…

 

This smile…..

M a d e    m y    d a y !

Thanks, Aubrey!

P.S.  And….I’m enjoying some time digging in the dirt today!

What makes you happy?

JoAnn

I also get to see little Olivia again this afternoon.

 

Meet Olivia Anne

On Monday, (one day before my dad’s birthday) little Olivia Anne joined our family.  Here she is with her proud mama, Irene.

She weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces and is as cute as a button.

We are so excited to get to know her better.

Grandpa Ken has been working on the playhouse getting the sheet rock up so she can come over and play with her cousins this summer.

 

Do you think she will like reading up here in the loft?

Maybe her nice aunties will make some more of this delicious dinner they cooked on Mother’s Day!  (Thanks, everyone!)

It has been a good week!

JoAnn

P.S.  10 more days!  I think I can…I think I can…I think

Happy Mothers’ Day!

Happy Mothers’ Day!

I am thankful for my wonderful mother.

I sure miss her!

I am also grateful for my amazing mother-in-law, too.

This is our first Mothers’ Day without her.

She will be thought about a lot and remembered fondly.

My sister Linda sent me the following email about mothers.

It is out of the mouths of babes.

Enjoy:

Why did God make mothers?

given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house..

3. To help us out of “there” when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else.

3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

1. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them..

2. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.

3. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Moms don't have spare time.

2. She pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

JoAnn

Cauliflower Soup…Yum!

 

One of my family’s  favorite home made soups is Cauliflower Soup.

This soup is creamy and rich (definitely not diet food).

It was one of our favorite dishes that didn’t have a recipe- until a few years ago when Liz made me figure one out for the family  cook book.

The recipe really started about forty years ago when I was a BYU student spending a semester in Salzburg, Austria.  We lived at the Hotel Steinlechner, just blocks from the beautiful  river.

It was a dream come true for me-a small town country girl who had never really traveled much!

I don’t think I have ever been to a more beautiful, romantic  place.

Ever!

And the food…..

Heavenly!

(The above  photo was from Google.)

These photos were typical daily bike ride views.

Check out this interesting tourist link.

Anyway,  back to the soup….

(It is hard not to get side tracked as I relive experiences through my old photos.)

Our chef at the hotel was a really good cook, and he was a nice enough person to allow us to wander in to his kitchen on a few occasions.

He shared some of his recipes with us.

Most of them didn’t translate very well due to the different ingredients, measurement systems, (my understanding of German) etc., but I did remember that he added  a different spice to his Cauliflower Soup.

NUTMEG.

A few years later I combined a few recipes and came up with a similar version of his soup.  My friend Camille Jensen had a tasty clam chowder soup recipe and I used the white sauce part of it.

I still like to throw things in the mix, but the recipe is pretty close to how I make it.

Cauliflower Soup:

1 large head of cauliflower

1 cube of butter or margarine

1 cup flour

4 to 5 cups milk

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 to 2 teaspoons chopped or dried onion

1 to 2 cups grated cheese

1 teaspoon salt

pepper (to taste)

Cut the cauliflower in to bite size pieces and steam in a small amount of water (1 to 2 cups).  I add the salt and the onions now, too.  Cook until tender and then mash up the cauliflower with a potato masher.  (I like to leave a few little pieces for texture and visual appeal.)  Do not drain off the water.  In a large skillet, melt the butter and blend in the flour.  Add the milk and stir until it is smooth and it thickens.  I usually add the cheese and the nutmeg as I am stirring the milk.  After the milk mixture is ready, combine it with the cauliflower and water.  Simmer until the flavor melds together.  Serve up hot.

I hope you like it!

JoAnn

P.S.  The only reason we didn’t gain 200 pounds while we were there was because we spent hours each day walking or biking to all the beautiful places!

 

Writers’ block…..HELP!

I’m tired of looking at my same old post,

but don’t have much to say.

This field where I grew up will soon be full of green plants (corn?),

and I’m hoping to soon have something interesting to blog about.

Did you know that the Preston Citizen (newspaper) comes out once a week and it only takes you about five minutes to read all of it?

Every single word.

It used to have wonderful “news” such as who traveled to Logan to spend time with family or who had company from out of town for the weekend.

Or…

“Miss JoAnn Hall from BYU came home for the weekend.”

Maybe they had writers’ block, too!

Have a great week!

JoAnn

P.S.  My class is all finished with our end of year testing!  Yeah!!!

 

 

Teacher Appreciation

We are officially on “countdown” at school.

Every morning someone updates the number of days left- posted on the board in the faculty room.

We are at 21more days!

Students are getting restless.

Teachers are tired.

Testing is exhausting!

Where is summer?

To help us get through this time, our PTA hosted a wonderful luncheon today.  We have a pretty small PTA, but they really out did themselves.

A large majority of our parents are Hispanic and since the parents furnish the luncheon, we get wonderful home made Mexican food.

There were lots of spicy meats and rice dishes to put on tortilla shells.

The yummy desserts included some Flan.

This picture of Flan came from Google, but it was similar to what we had.

(I didn’t have my camera there!)

Everything was delicious!

My cute students have been writing me notes and letters all week, too.

Their creative thoughts (and spelling) make me smile.

I’m keeping them out where I can see them to help me hang on a little longer.

Now.….if I can just keep the restless ones busy!

JoAnn