Monday, November 28, 2011

Two times a charm…..

I found this roll recipe on Pinterest and tried it-TWICE!  Both times the rolls came out light, feathery, and delicious!  The blog that has the recipe gives step by step directions and they are pretty simple to follow.  Go visit Lara’s blog to learn how to make super rolls!

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Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?

We did (but we ate far too much food)!

JoAnn

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Blessings, books, bugs, and babies!

Blessings:

Thanksgiving is almost here and with it comes a reminder of all our many blessings.  We have so much to be thankful for, including our family and friends.  So many fond memories are stirred up as I think back on many celebrations with our loved ones.  I always miss my parents more this time of year as I think back on the holidays.  Mother was a terrific cook and she knew how to make family celebrations fun.  My mother-in-law also comes from a heritage of good cooks.  They say people often express love through their cooking-and I agree!

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Books:

The family cookbooks have arrived!

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We are so excited to see all our family recipes in print!

Thanks, Liz!  (Thanks for the pictures, too.  I helped myself!)

Bugs:

A flu bug has hit me.  I’m sitting here at the computer looking a bit like this:

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Spending the day in bed with a cold, wet towel on my head makes for interesting hair, but at least the bug waited until school was out for the holidays. 

Babies:

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This sweet baby just got a clean bill of health from her cardiologist.  She doesn’t have to be checked again until she is around three or four years old.

And there you have it.

Lots to be thankful for!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

JoAnn

 

Friday, November 18, 2011

In Denial….

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I’m just needing a little color.

(It’s snowing big fluffy flakes outside and I’m in a little denial.)

Maybe by tomorrow I’ll be ready to face a white world, but not tonight.

So, I’m sharing some bright things that make me happy.

Aren’t these flowers pretty?

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I LOVE this quilt I found on Pinterest. (click for credit)

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and this one

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These plates look so fun, too!

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Doesn’t this chair just cheer you up instantly?

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Well, I feel a LOT better now.  Think I’ll go read my new book I got at the Book fair at school.

I’m reading Matched by Ally Condie.

It’s a New York Times bestseller for young adults.

Have a great week end!

JoAnn

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Now You See it,… Now You Don’t…

Going….

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Going….

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Gone!

Thirty years  enjoying its cool shade,

climbing limbs, 

rope swings,

and leafy privacy.

Now its gone.

 (Yes, we feel a little melancholy.)

However,

We kept some of it.

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Things will be a little bare and boring for a while.

JoAnn

P.S.  #1  Did you know that all the wood was completely gone by that evening?

The tree company posted an ad in the newspaper and people came and helped themselves- to every single piece.

P.S.  #2  We found a much cheaper bid than the first one.  It pays to keep looking.  (I’d still rather have taken a little vacation!)

P.S.  #3  Guess what I got for my birthday?  A new camera.

My family decided there were too many blurry photos!

 

Friday, November 11, 2011

HGTV Comes to Utah!

I don’t normally have enough to say to write two blogs in one day, but I just had to pass on this news!

HGTV is coming to UTAH!

I’ve always wanted to enter their drawing and win a fabulous house, but I never really wanted to pick up and move across the country. 

Watch this video and you will see why.

I love Utah!

How exciting is this???

JoAnn

Veterans’ Day musings….

One of the things that I like about Fall is celebrating Veterans’ Day.

I’m always impressed how normal, every day people can leave behind their jobs as farmers, teachers, accountants, doctors, and so on, say good by to their families and friends, and head off to face uncertainty and danger while serving our country.  I wonder if they recognize the courage they possess. 

On Memorial Day we were able to check out this new war memorial in Preston, Idaho, dedicated to the local servicemen of Franklin County.  It was a cloudy, overcast day, but the bronze statue of this soldier standing guard seemed ready for what was ahead. 

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We proudly looked for familiar names.

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We found our father’s name and two of his brothers.

Can you imagine the courage of a mother sending her sons off to war?

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We saw uncles, cousins, and a brother-in-law.

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So many friends and family have served this great country.

They are all heroes!

To read more about our family heroes click here.

Thank you to all the veterans!

JoAnn

P.S.  It was a noisy, busy day at our house! 

Guess what we did?

Saturday, November 5, 2011

The Times ..They Are A Changin’…. and other “Stuff”

Good bye Halloween!

Today I boxed up all the Halloween “stuff and put it away until next year.  I had to take one final picture of the table/witch’s legs.  I got this idea on Pinterest.

(Sorry, the rug makes it hard to see-as does the blurry photo.)

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Winter pushed fall right out the door today, as we woke up to see

all this white “stuff” weighing down the tree branches.

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We finally got a bid from the tree man to cut down our huge elm tree.   Only $3,500.  Gasp!  Choke!  Cough! 

I guess it will involve a

lot of equipment, power lines,  and other “stuff”.

(We are trying to find another bid.  That money could pay for a cruise or something much more fun!)

And finally…

We will get an extra hour to sleep tonight, but I’m choosing to stay up late and do  fun

stuff” like write a new blog post.

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(clock from Google)

Have a great weekend!

JoAnn