This & That

Around Here This Week

So around here this week...

This picture was actually taken a couple of weeks ago. This is a peony I planted, oh....I think 2 years ago now and it has it's first blossom. So pretty and ruffly

These, however, are not peonies although they might look like them. These are English garden roses. I have only one of them in my yard, and wish I had room for another one or two. I just love how they look.

The volunteer sweet pea is back and blooming.

And my mother wanted me to come to her back yard and take a picture of her climbing roses. Each of those bushes is probably 8 feet tall.

I believe I mentioned my husband has been on an adventure, so yep...."I'm gone" flowers arrived. It was a good thing, too, as I've had to deal with a few things in his absence.

What's this, you might ask? This is stuffing from a dog bed, which Gus decided needed to be on the outside  of his bed....on 3 separate occasions.....the same day.....

And then he proceeded to barf white stuffing all over the kitchen floor. Not happy about this at all. Then there was the sprinkler that went haywire, flooded the front pavers, and I had to turn off all the outside water to get it to shut off. I had no way to water pots, the garden or the pasture. The sprinkler guy finally came and shut the lawn system off so it wouldn't flood the house and I have water to take care of the other outside things, but the grass is turning brown since temperatures have been in the upper 80's and low 90's this week. Next week we're supposed to be over 100° so I'm hoping issues get resolved. If not, at least my husband will be home and he can deal with the headache. It never fails lately that something major always breaks when he leaves town. In the past year, it's been the washer, the dryer, the main water line to the house and now this....all when he's gone. Seriously, it's like a curse.

Moving on....I ran out of laundry soap, so I gathered up the ingredients to make a batch.

Part of this is going to go to the cabin since I'm low up there, too, but I'm waiting for the delivery of a jar to store it in.

Sent to me from the kids and grandkids this week, Collin's wife sent me this exchange that took place at her house. My response was dictated with no proof reading so "ridden" became "written."

Marc sent me this one. I had a piano in my basement that found its way to their house this week. This is quite nostalgic for me because it was the first big purchase my husband and I made after we got married. My husband was going to school at the time and I know some people thought it was a foolish way to spend money, but he knew how much music meant to me and how much I missed something to play on. I was working and we scrimped and saved and bought the best piano we could at the time. It's in remarkably good condition for its 40 year age. I did have to have the bench reupholstered when the first cover wore out.  It was the piano my older children played their first pieces on, and traveled all over the country with us to the house we live in now. After a time it was relegated to the basement when we bought an "I'm going sheep hunting for 3 weeks and leaving you to take care of  kids, dogs, garden, bills and everything else while I go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure" piano.

We won't discuss how many "once in a lifetime" sheep hunts he's been on since then, but what would I do with multiple, multiple, multiple pianos?

With 6 children, at least 5 of whom were taking lessons at a time for several years, sometimes both the upstairs and the downstairs pianos were practiced on at the same time. Yes, it was a little hard to let it go, but I love that it's found a home in the family and hope all of them will enjoy playing it.

I also got this cute video of Jude trying to crack a clove of garlic like an egg.

And if that wasn't enough cuteness here are the babies...Leo on the left and Jack on the right, I believe. My daughter reports that Leo spit up all over his outfit as soon as this was done, and that it took many, many tries to get them both smiling and looking at the camera at the same time. I'd say it was worth it, though.

Keeping My Hands Busy During June

A little bit of stitching and a little bit of crafting this month.

Starting with this UFO (unfinished object) from the last Cackle & Craft. Yep, cross it off the list of UFOs. One down......so many more to go.

I also finished off a few squares from the new ongoing project in the Primitive Gatherings wool boxes. 

The project will continue over the course of the next couple of years.

There are 4 new squares in each box that comes every other month. 

Beyond the title of the project.....Dragonfly Dreams....we have no idea how this will be finished.

All the squares are different, but I'm assuming there will be a quilt of some sort at the end of the process.

It's an interesting, very neutral color scheme, which is something I'd never gravitate toward if I was just walking into the quilt store to find a project. I guess for me that's the advantage of getting these boxes. I can try new techniques, stitches and colors I wouldn't consider. 

These block are a lot more labor-intensive than the previous long-term project....maybe you remember my little 6" squares of houses, birds and flowers. Yeah....another unfinished project as of this moment. These pieces finish 10" square, so you can see there's a lot more going on. I could finish a previous project's square in an evening or two. These take several days.

I also broke open a recent Simon Say Stamp card kit. In my opinion, this is one of the best kits they've put out.

The theme was dandelions and the patterned papers in the kit were just gorgeous, and at 8" square, were a little bigger than the usual 6" papers included in the kit. I tried out a mini-slimline design with a few of them.

With the larger paper size, I got 32 cards just using the patterned papers. I think that might be a record.

There was also a dimensional embossing folder included that I'm in the process of playing with, so another 6 cards will be added to that total when I get them done.

These were the first slimline cards I tried my hand making. It seemed like an awful lot of real estate at first, but the 8" papers were perfect for the fronts. Again, getting things pre-packaged like these kits helps me try new things I wouldn't necessarily try on my own.

And truth in advertising, you can see the photo board I photograph my cards and other projects on. I have several of these and they're just so handy for stuff like this.

From the Kitchen...

From the kitchen this week....

Because I went to see my daughter and her family including those cute boys, I did a freezer cooking session on Tuesday morning. Because my daughter was brought up in my home, she likes a hot breakfast, so this was a breakfast session. There were the required breakfast burritos, which she texted me the following day were "next level." In fact as soon as we walked in the door and had our hands on those babies, she went straight for these and heated up......more than one. But then again, she's feeding.....more than one.

I also made a batch of Strawberry Muffins. (Rachelle, this might be something to do with those leftover strawberries?), as well as some Orange Bran Muffins. Digestive health is very important, and a little bran is a good thing. I've been freezing leftovers from meals I've made and threw some of those in for dinners as well, so she's got a few meals to keep her going on especially hectic days. Since she's back at work part-time, then trying to take care of two babies while her husband is at work, dinner is sometimes problematic. 

I only cooked one meal last week and it was this Creamy Chipotle Pasta with Sausage. We had this Monday. My husband was getting ready for an adventure and we cleaned out the leftovers in the fridge on Tuesday, were in Utah Wednesday, and I was on my own after that. I think we've established that dinners when I'm on my own vary between sandwiches, leftovers, and salads, which is totally fine with me. I don't have to cook. It also means I'm not very adventurous and am not trying new recipes. I want easy, quick. I did make and take a big loaf of braided herb bread to the Father's Day festivities hosted at Evan's house. Marc smoked a brisket and while my interest in red meat is waning the older I get, it was really tasty. 

Around Here This Week

So around here this week....

We were up at the cabin for a while last weekend and wandered a little. It's the blooming time of year up there and when I got right down and looked at the little white dots on the ground, it turns out they were tiny, tiny flowers. The problems with the solar batteries have continued to get worse. So much so that we're going to have to replace a lot of the big elements of the system. That's supposed to be happening this week, so hopefully things will be better. I had to start the generator a time or two so I could have power in the cabin. I am woman.

We had Edward and Frederick with us, and this little interchange of Edward tossing pinecones at this brother really took me back in time.

A couple of fun pictures next. My husband was getting saddles out of the horse trailer and smacked the heck out of one of my rose bushes. He rescued the casualty and brought it into the house for me.

A couple of days later he was on the phone and wandering outside. While he was walking, he stood by the rose bushes in the front yard and noticed the smell, so he cut a few for me....because they smelled nice.

I spent some time here early one morning. Things are opening up and I grabbed an appointment. I was actually a little surprised by how emotional it was for me.

And this is happening. We are just frying here in the west. Notice what time it is....after 10:00 at night. This totally stinks big time, and I'm seeing triple digits in the forecast for next week. How I HATE this aspect of summer. I'll really try not to whine every week....

Sent to me from the kids and grandkids this week.....Eric couldn't get off work for the week Elisa made reservations at Redfish Lake. It's a popular place and you just kind of take the days when you can get them. So she did. She took all 4 kids by herself, set up the tent, hauled the kayak, cooked the food. She. Is. Woman. And she documented it.

You know how I love those "from behind" pictures.

There were s'mores made, although I'm not sure this one is in any way edible.

Lots o'dirt as well.

This made me laugh right out loud. 

I also loved this picture of Gwen. Again, from behind.

From Collin's family, there were donuts. Loved the slogan on the box. David definitely deserved it.

They have also been watching the progress of a robin's nest built on their front porch light. 

Yeah, as soon as they detect something above them, the mouths come open. I think my daughter can relate.

From Marc's family, Jude was the official cake batter taste-tester for Marc's birthday cake.

And from my daughter I got these pictures of the boys getting baths. Leo was pretty ok with it.

Jack was a little more tentative.

She even got a picture of a rare time when they were happy at the same time. 

Little baby toes.

And a sleeping baby Jack. There's just nothing sweeter....

Except maybe conversations with him.

 

Grandma Gwen's Rhubarb "Cobbler"

My husband's grandmother was an amazing cook. She raised a family during the Depression Era, lost one of her two sons in WWII, lived to be nearly 101, and lived right across the street from my husband while he was growing up. We loved Grandma Gwen, and one of my granddaughters has her name. She was one of those cooks who really could make magic food....something from almost nothing, and she rarely used a concrete recipe. 

My husband carries around very warm fuzzy memories of things she made, hence my job of making fruitcake every year at Christmas. It's rhubarb season here, and the hill I planted several years ago from a friend's start is producing prolifically. I made some strawberry rhubarb jam last week, the first canning of the year, and my husband has already nearly finished off one of the jars. He loves rhubarb, but a lot of people don't know what to do with it. It's just kind of weird, red celery. It's also not very sweet. You have to dump a lot of sugar on it, a LOT to make it palatable. At this point my head says, "Why bother?" but the things we do for love... On the plus side, rhubarb freezes very well without any other work than cutting it up and putting it in freezer bags.

This is a recipe Grandma Gwen used to make from the rhubarb that grew by the ditch bank behind her house. She called it cobbler so that's what my husband calls it, but really it's just some yellow cake batter poured over some rhubarb and baked. This original recipe makes 2 (9") square pans, but now that it's just the two of us, I cut it in half and like baking it in an 8" square pan. My husband likes it warm with cream poured on it....because that's the way Grandma made it.

Rhubarb Cobbler

• Rhubarb, probably about 2-2 1/2 cups to cover the bottom of a square pan. You don't want just a single layer, but what I'll call a "crowded" layer with some pieces overlapping
• 3/4-1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening (Grandma's original recipe says shortening, but I use butter. Fat is fat.)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cut up the rhubarb into about 1/2" pieces. Layer in pan and sprinkle with sugar so it's pretty well covered with sugar. Remember, we're trying to make something naturally sour and nasty, taste sweet and delicious.

Cream shortening (butter) and sugar, add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients and milk and beat for a couple of minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple of times so everything gets mixed in well.

Pour cake batter over sugared rhubarb and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes, until cake tests done in the middle. Best served warm with milk, cream, or ice cream, but reheats really well in the microwave. Makes 2 (9") square pans.

 

Around Here This Week

So around here this week....

The rose show is on, and I gathered the first bouquet to bring inside. I already have some dead-heading to do.

About half my roses live here next to the garage. I have a few in the front and a few more in the back. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any room for me to plant any more. If I could, I would.

My white peony is also blooming. I haven't been quick enough to grab any of the others, so I cut a big bouquet of these.

I tended Levi and Jude for a bit one day this week. It was right during naptime and I wasn't sure I could get Jude to go down, but when I told him he could sleep on Honey's big bed, he went for it.

It was even more in question because this has been happening at home. Even dropping the mattress to the floor didn't work, so he's now in a toddler bed.

We spent some time at the cabin last weekend. The men were chasing critters. So remember there was one, lone egg in the middle nest last time I was here. My husband made a mid-week trip with Edward and Frederick and there were 4 eggs in the nest. Sadly, now there are none, but in all honesty it's kind of a stupid place to lay eggs. Best guess is something ate them.

These hiking pictures were supplied by Marc's wife, Rachelle. Their whole family was here for the critter chasing and went on a hike during non-chasing hours. Levi equipped himself with both a stick and a sword. One must always be prepared in the wilderness.

You never know what sinister branches might be lurking around.

Meanwhile, Jude wanted to play a little Peek-a-Boo with the camera.

Grandpa got him out of the backpack at some point and showed him a few things to look at.

And got a few snuggles while he was at it.

After a long hike like that, the best thing to do is crawl on to Honey's lap and take a snooze. She might even lay you down on her bed and sit with you so you don't roll off.

Sent to me from the kids and grandkids this week....Collin's family is getting settled.

Their large backyard already looks like boys live there.

There's a tree fort that came with the house and lots of grass, perfect for having picnics on.

There's also and aerospace museum they've already been to visit. These boys love those air and space museums.

Pondering & Family History Stuff for June

The deeper thoughts/blog posts to save/project life post for the month. In truth, I haven't worked on this project for a while, so I was madly working earlier in the week to get some content other than the Project Life pages. I stay pretty current with those. 

Keep in mind that the deeper thought pages are usually prompts from the @mymodernstory IG account. I thought this particular one was interesting. It was....."How do you want to be remembered?" I've had this one percolating in my head for several weeks. 

This one was also a prompt that really hit me at this stage of my life. They asked, "What are you currently juggling in your life?" I hate to break it to busy moms who are in the throes of raising a family. It doesn't get any less busy. In fact, it might get more so.

On to blog posts I want to remember.

I've made it to 2010.

Some of them were things I needed to visit again.

And some required more pictures than are allowed in the Project Life app's editorial templates.

The solution for me was to use the collage templates I use in a regular Project Life page week, then they'll just be printed out as a page to put in these albums I'm curating for blog posts, prompts, and whatever I'm thinking about at the moment. Super easy, and it's really great that the processes are interchangeable.

As I said, I keep pretty current on my family history Project Life pages.

I've definitely had the opportunity lately to use different templates as I've experimented with number and orientation of pictures available to me any given week.

Sometimes the default one works,

and sometimes it doesn't, and I have to make adjustments.

It's part of what makes the system work for me.

Moment of honesty here, I've given away documenting my children and grandkids' lives to them. BUT....

I think we've discussed that I lead a fairly boring life on my own,

and my kids are really good at sharing snippets of their lives with me by texting me photos.

So I can easily do double duty and save a glimpse of what goes on in my extended family,

While documenting my kind of boring every day. It's the best of both worlds, and the best of family history, in my humble opinion.

The Happy Bald Kid

My Marc has a birthday today!

When he was little, he was known at our house as The Happy Bald Kid. He had the least hair of any of my children.

That it came in a glorious red, was a happy thing for me. And yes, he was capable of pretty impressive Death Glares.

He's no longer bald, and has stayed a pretty happy kid.

He works hard at being a good husband and father, a good physician, a good person in general, and a MEGA pizza maker/macho chef-y griller guy.

He's almost always fun to have around, and I love him more than I can express, just as I love all my children. Happy birthday to my Marc!

From the Kitchen

Actually most of the week has been a pretty epic fail when it comes to meal prep. 

• Monday, we were at Eric's house, and at the end of the day everyone went separate ways, with my husband taking a couple of the grandkids on an adventure. That left me with a fridge forage for dinner.
• Tuesday, my husband was too late getting back from the adventure to have dinner before some weekly meetings he has. Fridge forage again
• Wednesday, I actually managed to get something on the table and made this Hash Brown Quiche. 
• Thursday we headed for the cabin, but got away too late for cooking, so just grabbed something on the road.
• Friday and today are look-for-critters days and that means sandwiches that can be transported easily.

We fared a little better for breakfasts at the cabin with Breakfast Burritos one morning and Whole Grain Pancakes which we served with the Brown Sugar Syrup another morning. Both tried and tested recipes that work well for a substantial breakfast. Maybe this coming week will work out a little better in the execution of the plan department.

 

Around Here This Week

So around here this week....

The first rose started blooming. A big deal for me, especially since I've been behind caring for them this spring. I was mentally chastising myself for that and then I remembered. Oh yeah....twins. Sometimes you just have to cut yourself some slack.

We gathered at Eric's house on Memorial Day. Since Bryce and Sarah were in town, we wanted to maximize time with family. Eric and Elisa prepared us some really amazing grilled chicken sandwiches with pretty gourmet condiments like a spicy cheese spread and a roasted garlic-bacon aioli. I know how to pronounce aioli, I've just never made it. 

After we filled our bellies, and since the temperatures here started climbing to unbearable heights, there was some water balloon filling.

The kids waited pretty anxiously....

.....and then there was a epic battle. We filled 3 sets of balloons and when they started tossing them, they only lasted about 3 minutes each time. It started off with the grandkids, but pretty soon the grown ups were in the thick of it. No one was foolish enough to smack me directly with a one, but there was some collateral splashing that happened.

The battle Royale.

And even that wasn't enough for some.

There were popsicles after that, 

and just hanging out, but soon it was time for Bryce and Sarah to get on the road back to Utah.

Except they accidentally locked their keys in their car, which required a locksmith, before they could go.

Sent to me from the kids and grandkids this week.....I got this one from Evan and it requires a little explanation. This is my mother. The man with her is named Rich and is in her ward (church congregation). Several men from the ward came and re-roofed a shed she has in her backyard, which was an awesome thing for them to do. Rich knows a fair number of our family, so he suggested she hold up the drill and he took a selfie and sent it to Evan. My boys think it should be captioned Great Grandma's Thug Life.

From Collin, they have arrived in Ohio at their new posting,

....and the boys are enjoying new house adventures.

From Marc's wife, Rachelle....She wanted to be sure it was documented that she was the first one to cook something on Marc's new smoker. My in-town boys are big experimental grillers and feel pretty macho chef-y about it. You go, Girl!

She also sent this very sweet video of Isaac, Levi and Jude. Now that school is out, they get to come on the grocery shopping trips. 

From my daughter, she and her husband took the twins out to the cemetery where my dad is buried and took a couple of pictures.

It was a really sweet thing for them to do and I really appreciated them taking the time.

And finally, a video from past weeks I've forgotten to post. If you want to see me baby talking to Leo, and him telling me the occasional story,  feel free.