Along the path...

Thank you to my own sweet mother who wades through the weeds of life for me, watches over me, prays for me, and loves me—sometimes inspite of myself. Mom, may you have a wonderful, peaceful Mother's Day today and every day. Below are some quotes and poem's I found about mothers and motherhood... Enjoy! I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. — Abraham Lincoln God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. — Jewish proverb A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. — Washington Irving (1783-1859) RICHER THAN GOLD You may have tangible wealth untold; Caskets of jew...

A day at the zoo. Beautiful weather. Fabulous company. Cooperative animals. Congrats on retiring, Mom! What a fun way to spend Labor Day! (Missed you much, Adam, Renee, AJ and EL.)

Thanks for being such wonderful parents. May you have the best year of marriage yet and many more to come. Love you! Happy Anniversary!!!

Creamy Tortilla Soup 8 corn tortillas 1 T olive oil 1 onion 3 cloves of garlic pressed or minced 2 whole carrots grated 2 whole zucchini grated 5 cups fat free chicken broth 2 cups salsa 2 t. cumin 2 t. chili powder ½ t. pepper 3 c. frozen corn 1 can black beans 4 T cornstarch 1/3 c. cold water 1 lb. boneless chicken breast shredded 1/3 c. cilantro fresh 4 cups fat-free half and half 4 oz reduce-fat cheese Preheat oven to 350. Cut six of the tortillas in half then slice into ¼ inch strips. Place on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray . Place in the over and turn after 4 minutes. Cook another 4 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and cool. Cut the remaining tortillas, into diced pieces. Very small squares. In a large pot warm oil and saute the onion and garlic. Add broth if necessary. Add carrots and cook then add zucchini and cook. Add broth as needed. Add the diced tortilla cover and cook 2 minutes. Add the rest of the chicken broth and bring to a boil Add salsa, spices, ...

Happy birthday, little red riding hood! Watch out for wolves and bugs along your way... Thanks for teaching me that life and family are precious and should be held close. Thanks for knowing how and when to laugh. Thanks for loving me too. Hope you have the best birthday ever and that this year all your greatest wishes come true. (Just think it's your last employeed birthday...)

(Images taken on vacation in Colorado - October 2009)

On Saturday we hiked Donut Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon--starting at the Spruces campground. My compliments to Adam and Renee's camera for capturing the colors so well--and to the lady who offered to snap us all together. It was a beautiful hike that I would recommend to anyone. Be aware though that there are streams and waterfalls; they tend to draw the kids. We saw deer and chipmunks and snakes and wildflowers and other hikers and castles (big rocks that RD stood on). Here we are at the end of the trail. My particularly saucy do is compliments to the niece I'd had on my shoulders part of the way. Thanks, EL!

Last Saturday, before the sudden cold snap, we took a family to the Hogle Zoo. The weather was perfect--not too hot, not too cold. The animals were out and about. The zoo wasn't too crowded, and we got to see them feed a penguin fish. RD loved the lizard his dad told him was a dinosaur. IC said she liked the zebras the best. In this picture, AL was a little nervous at first when the giraffe started to lower and tried to pull herself up the pole until she realized that the animal would rise up and sink down. Then, she was fine. She had a ball going around in circles and waving at everyone as we passed. The rest of my nieces and nephews who were old enough to care about riding on a carousel had ridden the turn before. What a fun day! Becca thanks for sharing this picture!

I don't cook much any more. Leftovers get really tiring and it's not much fun cooking for one. Mom's birthday was this past weekend and I offered to make Sunday dinner so she wouldn't have to cook for all of us. Since my ward starts at 12:30, it had to be something really quick that could come together from about 4-5 or a crockpot meal. I opted for the later. About 10 am, I loaded my large crockpot with 2 lbs of baby carrots, brown rice for about 13 people, 2 cans of cricken broth, plus some chicken boullion for added flavor, about 20-25 chicken tenders, and a can of cream of mushroom and a can of cream of chicken soup. For seasoning, I had hoped to use a dry onion soup mix on top. No luck. None in the cupboard. Instead I opted for celery seed, rosemary, dehydrated onion, parsley, and pepper. I'm trying to remember because I thought it turned out pretty well and might want to recreate it later. After church, I was a little worried there wasn't enough liquid in w...

Mom and I went to see Twilight this afternoon. I'm still a little queasy from all the quick camera movements and sitting so near the screen. Overall, I liked the flick. I don't know if it would have made as good of an impression if I didn't already know the storyline. Half of my enjoyment came from the expectation of what was coming next. Part came from the "crowd" participation. It was almost like being a part of a melodrama with the cheers and boos and screams from the audience. I'm not totally sold on Edward or Bella. I pictured both characters very differently from the movie depiction. That said, I'm already planning to see it again. Not so close this time, please. Any takers?

Tonight, the majority of my family met at Gardner Village for dinner at Archibald's and then planned to wander the Village. It's Witchapalooza and witching time at the Village. By the time we finished dinner, most of the shops were closing. We looked around a bit and snapped a few pictures. I'll post them another time. The witches and pumpkins and Halloween decor was frightfully fun, but I don't think I've had such poor customer service at a restaurant before. I wish I could say that the restaurant was packed. Maybe there were extenuating circumstances we weren't aware of. Maybe it was an off night for them. Maybe I'm just grouchy. Birthdays sometimes do that. Guess I'd better see the Witch Doctor or something to get it straightened out. The company was grand: mom and dad; Adam, Renee, AJ, and EL; Nathan, Bekah, RD, and AM, and me. Their service gave us a lot of time to sit and visit. RD and AJ were darling. Both were in very good moods. RD had on hi...

Well, not really. But he was a-maze-ing! Mom and I crashed our old ward's enrichment night to listen to a special speaker (drum roll puhleeze) the Grocery Guru . I was enthralled by his energy and commitment to saving us money. His ideas and tips were fabulous. And, everyone at enrichment left with a personal invitation to go shopping with The Guru. Previous to this lesson, I had begun compiling a coupon clipping folder. Now I'm following the Guru's example and upgrading to a binder. How would it be to go on a Disney cruise with the entire family for only $400? (I may be off slightly on that figure, but not by much.) Logan , watch out ! I may make it to Morocco afterall!