I "Can"

Shear beauty!

I channeled my mother yesterday. I 'canned' peaches from our own peach tree. Rick and I (well, mostly Rick) have babied this little tree for three years. It was a thoughtful gift from one of Rick's good friends that was given to us when Rick's dad passed away.

We've (he's) fertilized, watered, trimmed, sprayed and protected our precious crop all summer! And finally on Wednesday we picked our bounty.


Notice the shiney strips attached to the tree to keep the birds away. When you drove up our street the tree looked like it was decked out for the holidays! The instructions said to only put them on the tree within 14 days of harvest otherwise the birds will get used to them. Luckily, no birds. They must work.

We didn't think we had that many peaches until we started to pick them. This is only about 2/3rds of the crop. This was also before I put on my apron. :)

In process...

Nothing can prepare you for the work involved, and once you've begun, there's no turning back!

I have never canned anything before. I remember my mother's endless summer canning days from sun up to midnight. Usually canning close to 100 bottles of the precious fruits in season in one day! This was a new adventure and I had done a lot of studying. I regretted not paying more attention to her work. At the time canning was the farthest thing from anything I would ever do. Besides, you can just go the store and buy them in a can. Who would want to go through all that work? ...but, when you finally have your own beautiful little tree...

Two dozen!

I probably could have put up two more dozen if I'd had more bottles. Aren't they beautiful! Rick thinks I rank up there with Martha Stewart. The funny thing is is that I feel like Martha Stewart. I look at the beautiful bottles and pat myself on the back. I did it! I actually 'canned'.

So now with the leftovers, not counting the ones still on the tree, we're going to enjoy peaches and cream, peach crisp, homemade peach ice cream, peach pie, peaches alamode...and who knows what else I can make from peaches!

So here's to you Mom, thanks for your inspiration and the peaches ain't bad either!

Summer so far....

I know! I know! It's been too long since my last post. Posting blogs is not one of my priorities. Most of my blog worthy activites are shared with my two ultra blogging daughters and their families who post often (with videos no less!) and that tends to lessen the motivation a bit, but in keeping with the spirit of the 'blog' I will attempt to update you on my summer so far...(I might even try to change the font or the print color...wish me luck!)

June 1-5, Martin's Cove and Mount Rushmore

Rick & I, my sister Susie and her husband Mike and our brother-in-law Brownie visited Martin's Cove, WY. With an interesting overnight in Muddy Gap, in an old single wide trailer... Me: "Where are the two other bedrooms? You said three bedrooms." Middle Eastern clerk: "No, three beds!"











On to Mt. Rushmore...we actually found a very nice motel in Custer, SD with three 'separate' rooms! Loved the Black Hills! Beautiful scenery, wildlife, food and activities.

We also enjoyed Jewel Cave, Custer National Park and Ellsworth Air Force Base, home of the South Dakota Air & Space Museum and the B-2 bomber!

We loved exploring quaint Hill City and Keystone, expecially loved riding the old train.

I wish that I could end this blog on a happy note, but, since just this little blog has taken me 1 1/2 hours to prepare, I'll need to update our later activities later, maybe NEVER! I keep trying to put the pictures in order, then for some reason they'd disappear, then I'd download them again, only to have the pictures all over the place! Please enjoy what you see, it was hard! I'm sorry that the pictures seem to be all over the place. I get it looking great in my draft but the preview has everything all over the place. Can you tell I'm just a 'wee bit' frustrated?

P.S. Summer so far has been great!

Lucky Day

I actually had a 'lucky day'! They don't come along very often so when they happen you have to be ready. Ready for the surprise. Ready for the snippet of joy. When it happens you have to seize it, grab hold of it and relish the moment, try to prolong it, take advantage of it.

Lest you think that I won the lottery I didn't...but I did find money!

As I sat at my computer I looked down and behold...bills were sticking out of the 'money pocket' in my jeans! These were jeans that I hadn't worn in a while, apparently a l-o-n-g while.

Found Money! $15 bucks! Jackpot! I felt like I had won the lottery. Not a big one, but one none the less.

So...what do you do with 'newly found' money? I decided to call my husband and take him out to lunch. Luckily he had the time...

We decided to go to one of our favorite places, The Sampan at 7th East & 21st South. Yum!!! We LOVE the snowball shrimp! Large shrimp in a sweet white sauce with sugared walnuts on top of a bed of broccoli.

And when our lunch was through we opened our fortune cookies....Rick's fortune was: "The stock market may be your ticket to success." Well so far that definately has NOT been the case, but on a lucky day you can always hope.

My fortune cookie topped off the experience: "This week, you have a good head in matters of money." I can tell you I did have a 'good head' in money matters today! I wouldn't mind if more 'lucky' days would come along. It was an awsome day!

Princess Party

Last Saturday I treated my 3 little grand-daughters to a collective Princess Birthday Party. Since Kaitlyn turned 7 yrs on March 4th and Anna turned 4 yrs on March 15th and Lauren turned 7 yrs on March 19th we had a 'girls only' birthday party.

We started at my house where we had lemonade, cookies and candy and opened presents. Then we went to a kids salon called Snip-its. The girls were pampered from the moment they arrived. They were able to dress in the princess clothing of their choice...then their hair was done...

Then pretty makeup applied....nails done...crafts completed and to top it all off...

a beautiful birthday cake with 7+4+7=18 candles. What beautiful little girls we have....ahhh.....to be young again!

Then we went to Appleby's for dinner. Servers singing and all...favorite food and special dessert! What a fun day...until next year...

Moving on....

My sister Deanna left this earthly existance yesterday. Her fragile body gave in to the ravages of cancer. Now she is pain free and renewing relationships with loved ones that have gone on before. Words cannot express how much she will be missed. We loved to camp together every summer as a family (sisters and husbands) in Pine Valley, UT. The above picture represents one of Deanna's favorite places to be, her so called 'heaven on earth'. We have teased each other that she has gone on ahead to find the best camping sites. We are going to hold her to that promise.

Out of the Dreariness...

What can I say? The start of this year has been tough. My dear sister Deanna is dying of cancer. In fact at this moment I am waiting for a call from Brownie letting me know that she has moved on. One of her favorite quotes is: "Out of the dreariness, into the cheeriness, come we joyfully, home."

January 6th I traveled to Newport Beach, CA to spend some time with her. My sister Sue joined me on the 9th and the three of us had three great days together. The day I left was the hardest. I had to say good-bye. Literally. We hugged and cried and hugged some more. Words cannot express how much she will be missed. So, I will take some advise from myself and say 'see ya later' my dear sister Dee. I love you.

Santa Found Us!

Merry Christmas everyone and a very Happy New Year!!!

Jenny, Brady and the girls have been with us for almost 5 weeks now and there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Their carpet is being installed today in their new home and they're hoping to move in this Saturday. It has been wonderful having them here, especially after Mom passed away. I don't know what I would have done being here all alone. It will take some getting used to not having them here. I'm not looking forward to it. Anyway.....

Since the little ones were at my home we were a little concerned that Santa might not know where they were, but that jolly old elf knows all.....he found us and a Merry Christmas was had by all.

At about 11:30 am Kathy and her crew arrived and we had our traditional Christmas morning brunch. Everyone loves this meal and more than one said that they enjoy it more than Thanksgiving....imagine that! After the feast we opened our present to each other then just

lounged around. Watch football, read the paper, checked out the 'after Christmas' ads, ate more food, played games and just had a good time.

Here is a picture of 5 of our 'munchkins' (our 6th, Alivia was taking a nap.....

We look forward to the new year with great anticipation! What does it hold for us? Only good things!

I've got the greatest family!

My doorbell rang the other day and I answered it to find a delivery man holding a big box. He handed it to me and left. What on earth!? The box said 'Pro-flowers' on it. I opened it and there was a card: "Thank you for the tender and loving manner in which you cared for our dear mother-in-law. Brownie, Dennis, Jim, and Mike." Under the card was two dozen beautiful roses in assorted colors with a beautiful red vase! How sweet is that?!!! Look how beautiful they are....

Imagine my surprise 2 days later when again the doorbell rang....there was a box labeled 'Shari's Berries" It was part 2 of the special thank-you from my brothers-in-law. Printed on the box where the instructions: "Close and lock door. Hide behind large piece of furniture. Quietly open box. Savor and enjoy!" Twelve extra large assorted chocolate dipped strawberries! I'm not sure if you can tell, but two are already missing :).

This is me 'savoring' the decadent strawberries!

I really do have the best family in the world! Thanks guys!

Too much of a good thing is Wonderful!

33 years ago Rick & I were married. Time is now hyper-speed as we look back and realize that it was 'only yesterday'. What a wild and amazing ride! 2 wonderful daughters, 2 great sons-in-law and 6 grandkids later the future seems closer than ever before. What does it hold for us? Does it really matter? Life happens when you're doing other things, so come what may and love it, we promise we will!

Don't Say Goodbye....

Friday, November 28th....My sister & I were saying goodbye to our dear elderly Mother as we were leaving her bedside after a fairly non-communicative visit. Susie reminded me that my Grandmother Jensen always said "never say goodbye" so we both loved Mom and told her "so long." As Susie & I were walking out of her room she unexpectedly called out clearly and distinctly, "I'll be seeing ya!" Susie & I looked at each other and called back to her "we'll be seeing ya, love ya Mom!"

Mom passed away the next Wednesday evening, December 3rd. She allowed me to be there with her when she took her final breath. She was finally at peace. I thought of all the loved ones that would be there to greet her and I felt their calming presence. I had a few moments to grieve before my daughters arrived and phone calls and arrangements needed to be made.

I realize that with her loss I am sad for me. Sad that she won't be there anymore, sad that one of my life responsibilities has been lifted from me, sad that I won't hear her say "I love you, honey" anymore in this life, sad that I don't have to pray for her anymore. But what about her? Is she sad? I don't think she's had time to be sad. She's been too busy visiting with her loved ones that she has been sad about for so many years. Am I happy? Not yet, but I'm happy for her. I'm happy that she knows that I love her, I'm happy that her family gathered and celebrated her life, I'm happy that she's with Dad, I'm happy that she lived a long and full life, I'm happy that she helped create lasting memories that I will cherish until I see her again.

So, for now....."I'll be seeing ya Mom, I love you."

Kids + Cookies = Fun!

Yesterday Kathy had Jenny & her kids and me over to make Halloween sugar cookies. Kathy had premade the dough and had everything ready. She got out the flour and spread it all over countertop and the kids went at it. Rolling the dough and cutting out cute little witches hats, skull faces, ghosts, bats and pumpkins. Needless to say that flour was everywhere....on faces, hands, arms, legs, hair, and a fair amount on the chairs and floor. But what budding artists we have!

After we baked them to perfection, Kathy put me in charge of coloring the frosting. We decided on white, orange and purple. OK..normally this would not have been a problem but since Kathy's little dropper bottle of red food coloring was empty she pulls out her large 'capped' bottle of red coloring. Now orange calls for 2 drops yellow to 2 drops red and purple calls for 2 drops red and 3 drops blue, so I very carefully poured some of the red coloring into the cap to try to 'drop' it in the frosting. Somehow it flowed everywhere, making the process very difficult and totally coloring my hands.

What fun we had frosting the cookies and decorating them and especially EATING them!

What delicious works of art! Thanks Kathy!

My Dad, My Pal

I'm thankful for my Dad. I was the youngest by 7 years of 5 girls. I was supposed to be a boy. But an all wise perfect plan intent, defines where we belong. I always felt sorry for Dad. We all busted our buttons with pride when we talked about his 'glory' days as a star BYU football player. How he earned a full ride scholarship from excelling in sports at his small rural Brigham City High School. A farm boy made big. All 6' 4" and 220 lbs. of him! This amazing speciman of athletics ends up with 5 girls! Poor guy! But Daddy loved us. He took care of us. Even during hard times he never slacked, always providing for his family. I remember as a kid he would put up his arms to show his muscles, he would make them 'dance'. Then we would hang from his arms like tricky bars and he would carry us around. He taught me how to throw a baseball. Not like a girl but with a great wind up. He was always 'the softy'. I don't think he would have refused anything that we really wanted. He endured a lot in his life. He served his country. He loved God and His Son. He taught me patience, he always used to say, "If a string is in a knot, patience will untie it". Dad never showed you how to do something, he TAUGHT you to do it yourself. He was a great gardener. He loved to work in and keep a beautiful garden. He was good with his hands. He could build or fix anything. A grandson once said that 'Grandpa could put the wings back on a butterfly'. He taught me to have integrity. He taught me be strong. He taught me that big guys can be gentle. He taught me what to look for in a husband. Most recently he has taught me that I can make the right decisions. Thank you Dad. I love you.

My Mother, Myself

My daughter Jenny decided to write in her blog about the things that she was thankful for and she inspired me. I started to think about what I am grateful for and decided I'll be posting updates occasionally. Today I have been thinking about my dear Mother. I'm thankful to her for giving me life. For enduring the LONG nine months of complete discomfort and the LONG hours of labor and delivery, the LONG episodes of crying, the LONG sleepless nights. Come to think of it, she endured a lot from me. Heaven knows she was not perfect. But she did the best she could with what she knew and was taught. She'll be 89 in December and I'm always comparing her different ages to were I am now...ie; when she was my age I was.....for some strange reason in my mind she always seems older than me.

She taught me to be honest. She taught me how to work hard. She taught me to always tell the truth. She taught me patience. She taught me compassion. She taught me about God and His Son. She taught me about love.

I love you Mom, and I am thankful for you.

Hoodoo? We do!

Rick and I traveled south on a business trip to Southern Utah last week. We pulled the trailer (affectionately known as the ‘Pleasure Palace’) down to Provo on Saturday and parked at the University Mall and took the bus to the BYU vs Wyoming football game. BYU again dominated with another impressive 44-0 win. Afterwards we bused back to the trailer and journeyed on to Nephi, Utah. We stayed at the High Country RV Park. We were glad it was only for one night. After breakfast on Sunday we drove to St. George and set up camp at the Templeview RV Park which was a wonderful place.

As you can see in the picture we were able to park in the shade of the only tree in the park. Lucky for us since the temperature soared into the 90’s everyday. While Rick was busy at the conference, I jogged, shopped, read, ate, rested and shopped some more. It was good to have some ‘down’ time.

Thursday morning we packed up and headed for Bryce Canyon. The Webster’s Dictionary defines hoodoo as: 1 : a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional especially among blacks in the southern United States 2 : a natural column of rock in western North America often in fantastic form 3 : something that brings bad luck 4 : Nonsense, Hokum.

Well, we knew we weren’t going to do any traditional black magic tricks, at least not intentionally, and we really didn’t want to run into any bad luck, but we were excited to see the ‘hoodoos’ that Bryce Canyon is know for. The beautiful brilliant orange columns in fantastic forms! And believe me that’s no nonsense!

We realized that we hadn’t been there in about 30 years. Hard to believe when it’s our favorite of the ‘canyon parks’. We set up camp at Ruby’s Inn RV Park and drove into the canyon. It was sunset and the beauty of it is difficult to put into words. Friday morning we got ready and planned our day, a morning hike on the Navajo Loop trail, lunch at Bryce Point, then an afternoon hike to Mossy Cove.

What a glorious day! The Navajo loop trail was a little taxing, especially on the way up! Lots of switchbacks but beautiful. The Mossy Cove reminded us of ‘Weeping Rock’ in Zion Canyon. Dripping water has formed the cove and it has deep green moss growing all around. After hiking in the warm sun the coolness of the cove was delightful. Then we hiked over to the little waterfall that flows from the Tropic Ditch river. It was so beautiful and crystal clear. While we were there, dark clouds started to form and we could hear thunder, so we hiked back to the car and went back to camp. Lucky for us because about 15 minutes after we got back the heaven’s opened and it poured for about 1 hour! It cooled down the temperature and it smelled so good!

Saturday morning we packed up and headed home. What a glorious week. We thank our Heavenly Father everyday for the beautiful earth that He has created for us. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy it.