HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

Got some tiles done for Halloween. Check them out.

If you would like some of your own, let me know in the comments or send me and email.

nEW rECIPE!

Asian Lettuce Wraps - Chicken & Cashew

Here is a recipe for the Asian Lettuce Wraps I made last night for dinner. First time I have ever made them or even eaten them for that matter. I don't know how good they are supposed to be, but these were like HEAVEN!  I think I have a new favorite food!

I looked around in Allrecipes (my favorite recipe website) and on Pintrest for a recipe.

As usual, I didn't really find anything that felt just right, so I used the ideas I had gleaned and made up my own.

 Here's the recipe:

ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS - 

CHICKEN & CASHEW

CHICKEN FILLING

 Canola oil for sauteing

4 chicken breasts, sliced thin and diced

2 cloves roasted garlic, smashed

2 tbls Oyster sauce (my kids call it stinky feet sauce)

1 tbls  ginger paste  (the bottled kind, not dried)

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add chicken and garlic, cook until about half done (still slightly pink inside) and then add the Oyster sauce and ginger. Continue cooking until just done, do not over cook.

TOPPINGS

2 green onions, julienne

1/8th of a green cabbage, shredded

1 stock celery, julienne

1 large carrot, shredded (like cheese)

1 can sliced water chestnuts, julienne

1/2 cup cashews, chopped

Prepare these ingredients prior to starting the chicken if you can't do both at the same time. Set aside.

Now you are ready to prepare the Cellophane noodles. I had never done this before, but it was kind of fun. I got my noodles at the Asian Food store out on Addison Ave West.  I suppose you can find them at WinCo or maybe even Smiths. You need to have everything ready and work fast. When you toss in the noodles, they expand and spread out in the pan, so allow for that when you are picking the size of your pan. Have a screen type skimmer or a slotted spoon ready to scoop them out when they are done.

CELLOPHANE NOODLES

1/3 5oz-package of Bean Thread or Cellophane noodles

Peanut Oil

Cover bottom of a large, flat bottom skillet with 1/2 to 1 inch peanut oil. Bring to high heat (don't leave) Break noodles into small batches. Throw a small batch of noodles into oil and allow to fry. They will jump and pop and spread out in the pan.  Remove quickly when they have stopped popping.  About 60 seconds. Drain and repeat with remaining batches.

SAUCE

2 tbls Oyster sauce

1 tbls Rice vinegar, unseasoned

1 tbls Hoisin sauce

1 tbls Soy sauce

1 tsp Sesame oil

Mix the above ingredients in a small cup or dish.

ASSEMBLE

Bottom to top:

Lettuce leaf (I used butter lettuce) - chicken - green onion - cabbage - celery - water chestnut - carrot - cashew - cellophane noodles - drizzle sauce

EAT!!

I let everyone put there own together.  That way I can be first in line to get mine! I hope you like it.  Let me know in the comments below.

D.

Carriage Doors for My Garage

I have such a talented husband. This last fall he built real, functioning, carriage doors for our garage!

We have had a broken garage door for quite some time, years in fact. (Let's see, it was over 10 years ago that Dallas pulled the garage door down on my head and it was broken then) ( I mean the garage door was broken then.  Not my head, at least not until he pulled the garage door down on top of it!)

We are poor or cheap, which ever you choose to call it, but lucky for us we also have talent and some tools. Dallas had to add a plainer to his stash of tools for this project, but he was happy to do it. We got the wood from the Rock Creek Mill at the mouth of Rock Creek canyon. I think the stack we got cost us around $120. If you are not familiar with the place, it is rough cut fir or pine from the south hills.

I am thrilled and think the doors turned out amazing! We are still working with the color just a bit.  I want it to match the front door and they just aren't quite there yet. But here is a picture of them with the new burlap wreaths that I made for them last week. We get compliments on them all of the time.  Neighbors even stop when driving by to tell us how cool they think they are!!

Thanks Honey!

Some SUMMER Crafts

Somehow, tie-dye seems to go along with summer. My friend Montay and I tie-dyed some Modern Woodmen's shirts a couple of days ago.  Some of them turned out really amazing!

I have learned some things about tie-dying. We have done it twice now. The first time we used  Jacquard brand of dye. It is a two step process, first you soak the cloth in soda ash (washing soda) dissolved in water. After that you use the dyes. As with most tie-dying, you then allow the items to sit for at least 8 hours, rinse and rinse and rinse with running water and then wash in the washing machine.

This time we used the Tulip brand that Michael's carries. It did not require the soaking in the soda ash, but as it all works better with damp material, we did wet everything prior to dying. The colors were, as you can see quite  bright and vibrant after rinsing them.  Unfortunately they were substantially faded by the time we got them out of the washer after washing them. That was a bit disappointing. I thought that the Jacquard brand retained the color quite a bit better than the Tulip brand.

I am thinking that next time I will try another brand I have heard about from Dharma Trading. They have so many colors I didn't even count them and they say they are the brightest 'bar none'. It was pretty fun and everybody loves tie-dye, don't they?

How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

     I have had a busy summer. Here is what I have been up to.

 I have been working for a few hours most mornings in the yard. Haven't always been a fan of yard work.  Still can't say I love it, but I DO LOVE the results.  I love my flowers, my herbs, veggies and all of my other decorating projects outside.

These are my brussel sprouts and some tomatoes. Looking forward to a plentiful harvest from the sprouts.  Dallas and my Dad and all of my kids love that vegetable. First time planing these.

This is my new raised garden bed.  We made it from DI file cabinets.  Seems to be working out quite well. I planted some of my squash and gourds.

These cute little things are my tiny hot peppers. 

These are my succulents  planted in shoes, also from DI. I have hung them on the side of our old crib turned on its side. It is standing in my claw foot tub where I have planted my ornamental pumpkins; blue and white

Some of my herbs. Bee Balm, Oregano and Basil, top to bottom

Just to show that I cannot grow everything, I have an issue with growing a lettuce bowl. Two years now I have attempted it,  (seeded it 2 times this year) but no luck.  I do much better with the volunteer lettuce that comes up in my rock garden! (See below) Letting one go to seed for next year's crop.

This our GRAPPLE tree. It is a mostly-dead-all-day rome apple tree that our grape vines uses as an arbor. Completely loaded with grapes this year.  See me later this fall after the first frost! Going to build a tree house in the tree. It will be sort of like a tree house/cave for the Grand kids!

Annual Post?

Well, here we are at the beginning of yet another year with nothing but the now annual entry in my blog. This is disappointing to me, even if not you, as I like to write and feel that I do at times have something important to say. (We can all dream, yes?) But more so lately, I have felt a bunch of words pent up inside and  the need to let them out.

Finding the time for that is a struggle for two reasons. First, I have a lot of things to do and second, for some reason (most likely ingrained from my childhood) I have an extremely hard time doing things I enjoy when the duties I don't care for are unfinished.  I know, it is a sickness; but not one that I have been able to find the cure for. The results of this infirmity is that sometimes I never really get anything at all accomplished. Nothing that I need to do and certainly nothing that I enjoy.

I think that I will make that my mission for this coming year. . . . . to do some of the things that I enjoy, even if the drudgery remains undone. What could be the harm? At this point, none of it gets done and I am not happy about it.  If I can force myself to do some of the fun things (seriously, it WILL be a daunting undertaking!) at least I will be having some fun, right? You can track my progress on the fun things to do front in my TO DO LIST to the right in the blog and I may post about them in the future. 

Idaho Republican Caucus

Well, I took part in Idaho history last week.  The Republican Party held it's first ever Presidential Caucus. It turned out to be quite the affair, or perhaps I should say ordeal!  Thank heavens that it was so well organized by my friend, Chenele Dixon; otherwise it may have imploded when over 2500 vote wielding citizens turned up. Now, don't take me wrong, it is a good thing that they came out; actually it is sad how many of us don't exercise our right and obligation to vote.  Anyway, back to the caucus - It was exciting to participate for the first time in this American tradition.  I must say, there is a different feeling about casting your vote amongst such a crowd as compared to doing it in the singular fashion of the voting booth at a primary. 

With such a crowd, there were lots of things to do; I am sure that Dallas felt like a traffic cop as he was directing the flow of citizens through the lines.  He came to me at the concessions to obtain resuscitation materials for the workers at the tables more than a few times. And yes, I was responsible for the concessions.  Seems that is my lot, to always be peddling food.  Thankfully we had that as a distraction for those who had to wait the extra time  while everyone was cataloged  and packed into the gym. (Good thinking, Chenele!)  Not many better ways to keep people happy than to ply them with food, right? 

All in all, despite the state of me feet when it was all said and done, it was a great experience.  I am glad I was able to be there, even if it was with candy bars in one hand and nachos in the other!

2011 - THE SHORT VERSION !

       Well, another year has gone - it really isn't my fault that time gets away from me.  I am pretty sure that somewhere they have been cutting the length of the years rather than making those budget cuts that they need to.  What is a girl to do?
     So, once again here is the Christmas letter with 2011 for the Jenks family in condensed form.  

Jenks Family 2011 TOP TEN!

10  – Dallas, Stratton and Crayson all switched from skiing to boarding this year when they participated in the Home School Skiing program offered at Pomerelle Ski Resort.  All of them found that they liked it better than skiing and are looking forward to the 2012 season.

9   - DeeAnn took up sewing again after more than 25 years.  The $15 DI machine turned into a pretty good piece of equipment after the $80 tune up.  She may have been able to get a new one for that, but you live and learn.

8   - Dallas is taking his Scout Master calling to heart.  They had a great time during their week at Camp Bradley in July.  The troop came home with over 30 merit badges!  He spends several hours a week working with the boys, making sure that they advance.

7   - Stratton turned 15 in July.  He spent some time during the first half of the year mentoring with a friend who checks water flows throughout the area for the Fish and Game each week.  He really enjoyed that and is wondering about a career in the agency.  He also was able to cross something off of his bucket list; he got his first pair of Converse tennis shoes.

6  - Crayson turned 12 in May and received the Aaronic Priesthood.  He has fully embraced the scouting program and has set the goal of achieving every, single Merit Badge.  He is completing at least 2 a month so far, so who knows, he may reach that goal.

5  - The whole family pitched in to help DeeAnn as she chaired a committee to put in a new beach at a local city park.  Most of the work was in fund raising; more than $13,000 was raised to refurbish and re-sand the Beach at Dierkes Park in the canyon along with purchasing and installing two, new sets of swings for the playground.  It was a worthwhile project that the whole community got involved with.

4 - In September DeeAnn and the boys went on a road trip to visit the grand kids.  They traveled 2500 miles through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and Utah. Dallas flew out to meet them in Council Bluffs for the blessing of the newest grand baby.

3  - Grandpa and Grandma Hansen took their whole crew (minus three) on an Alaskan cruise.  That was a lot of fun and a great experience hanging out with all of the Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents for a week.  Alaska is a beautiful place.

2  - This one is really a tie with first, but it took place earlier in the year, so it will fall here.  In February, Devon married his sweetheart, Kayla Cheyenne Peckham in the Twin Falls Temple.  Everyone in the family attended and was delighted to welcome her into the clan.  She survived the cruise with all of us, so it appears that she is here to stay!

1  - The top event for this year was the birth of Juliette Rosalie Jenks.  She came the day after the cruise (hence the missing three) on August 8^th.  She is a beautiful, chubby, bundle of joy and being the first girl in 2 generations of the Hansen (my) family makes her pretty special!

  

A NEW LEAF

As the new year is upon me, I am feeling an anticipation of some thing new and starting over.  With that, I am going to stop bemoaning to myself about the lack of blog entries in the last half of 2010 and go on from here.  As a balm for my negligence, I am going to post our Christmas letter and therefore update the year with the highlights.


Also, you can take a look at the adventures from our trip to Michigan this fall here: Jenks Fall Family Trip

Dear Family and Friends!                                                                                                         December 2010

                My, how the years fly by.  The Jenks’ year has been a joyful one.  It seems as the family grows, there are more things to find gladness in. 

                Ashton & Ali finished up the first year of Pharmacy school @ Creighton and started their second.  They seem to be quite content there.  DeeAnn got to visit them twice! (Lucky Grandma)  Dexter grows and grows.  He is such a charmer; he spreads delight where ever he is.  Ashton teaches primary (the entire senior primary) and Ali is in the Relief Society Presidency.  The joys of school life in the mission field!

                London & Alissa moved to Thermopolis, WY for London’s first teaching position. He is in the Science Department at the High School.  We visited them in October and can see why they might enjoy that quaint little place.  Orion is an expressive boy – much like his father was.  We love his endearing dimples and beautiful brown eyes (he got those from his Mama).  London is in the Elders Quorum and Alissa is a sweet primary teacher.  The joys of settling in! 

                Devon returned from his mission to India in August.  What a thrill that was!  He is a fine young man, excited for the rest of his life; we relish having him home with us.  That, however, will be short lived; he has found his love and they will be married in the Twin Falls Temple in February. Her name is Kayla Peckham and we are ecstatic about welcoming her into the family.  Another girl!  They are both busy with school and jobs.  The joys of just starting out!

                Stratton has reached that full-fledged teen age thing.  He attends early-morning Seminary, is working on his Eagle Project, still plays in the hand-chime choir and continues with his schooling at home. His interests remain anything science: chemistry, space, biology.  Stratton went rafting on the High Adventure trip with the Teachers Quorum this summer and proved his ‘MoJo’ when he jumped off a 35 foot cliff!  The joys of the indestructible teenager!

                Crayson is still hanging in that land of ‘tweens’; not sure if he wants to actually grow up or not.  He works hard at his schooling, has lots of collections and socializes any chance he gets.  The lucky eleven-year-old was able to attend Scout Camp with Dallas and his brother this summer and came away just a few requirements shy of First Class Rank.  He has set a goal to earn the 4 Commemorative Merit Badges.  They joys of unlimited energy!

                Dallas is working hard to take care of the family; he puts in his hours at the pharmacy in Costco and then moonlights with his decorative concrete business.  That all sounds so noble, but be advised, his real goal is to own a plane in the next 4 years.  That would be his dreams come true!  He was called as the Scout Master just a few weeks ago, after a preparatory stint as the Assistant.  He feels intimidated and eager at the same time.  The joys of being the grown up!

                DeeAnn took a leap this year and plunged into politics.  Running for a Precinct Committee Seat in the Republican Party was …. Well, it was something!  She won and with Dallas, attended the State Convention.  If you live in Idaho, you know that is was pretty wild.  Outside of the ‘Political Career’, DeeAnn is still schooling the two younger ones, Cub Scouting, volunteering around the community and wishing she had more time for beading.  The joys of being the other adult!

                All in all this has been a wonderful year!  We are grateful for our numerous blessings, hopeful for a brighter future and are looking forward to another Joy Full year.  We wish Heavenly Father’s choicest blessing upon you all!

Don't Come To Grandma's House !

This is what happens when you come to Grandma's house.  Poor, poor baby.  Dexter with his first goose egg.  It breaks my heart.  Dang those rock floors; they are not baby friendly.  I will have to be putting out rugs everywhere when they are here.


This next week is going to be a great one!  Ash, Ali, and Dexter are here from Council Bluffs; Devon comes home on Monday night; and it is almost our last week with London, Alissa and Orion before they head off to Wyoming.  We will try and pack it with as much family fun time as we can (along with painting the house, wonder how that will go?)

I Like to Ride My Bicycle, I Like to Ride My Bike !

  When I am shopping with cash, I never give correct change.  I always use paper and save the metal.  Sometimes my purse can get very heavy (makes a good weapon) before I empty the coins it into the jar.  With the help of the change from my cash register after each of our Jenks Family Grill events, I am able to save around $350 in a year that way.  Not bad.

  Well, I took some of that money and went out and bought myself a bicycle.  A CRUISER !  And it's PURPLE !  I love it.  The kids and I have been making trips around town to run errands:  the library, the bank, to buy plants for the garden.    I have found that we can make it around town just about as fast as we can in the car, with the added benefit of a little exercise.

Idaho Republican State Convention !

  Wow!  I attended the Idaho Republican State Convention as a Delegate this weekend, Friday and Saturday.  I have to say that it was an eye opening experience.  It is the closest look I have ever had at the working of the 'Political Machine', so to say.  There is wheeling and dealing and scratching of backs and manipulating and perhaps even some strong arming going on, but mostly it was fun and good natured and the system put into motion.  The system that is our government.  
  Having never been there before, I have nothing to compare to, but I found the atmosphere leaning towards the conservative.  I believe that is a shift.  'Things they are a changing'.  I was happy to see some of the new planks in the platform and thrilled at some of the resolutions that were passed.  We will all see how those resolutions work themselves out in the end.  It is my understanding that quite often they go through drastic changes by the time they appear on the floor of the House or the Senate for voting.  And we wonder why nothing ever gets done!  
  If you do not know what actually goes on at the Convention, whether State or National, I will fill you in with my newly gained knowledge!  The first thing that took place were the Committee meetings.  There are four committees to work on: Rules, Resolutions,  Platform, and Credentials.  One third of the delegation is chosen to be actual members of the committees, the rest of us just get to listen in.
  After lunch, we met for the opening and heard speeches from dignitaries, namely Governor Butch Otter, some awards were given out, we saw a short video and then we had a break before dinner.  If you would like to see the video, here is the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZs8k4pJcyk
  That night we got to see the 'ranch that Melaleuca built'.  That is where the dinner was, Riverbend Ranch.  It is owned by Frank & Belinda Vandersloot, the founder and owners of Melaleuca.  (Too bad my Uncle didn't stick with that stuff, he was telling the family about it years before Melaleuca was well known.)  It was a decent meal, the speeches were mildly entertaining and the comedian was pretty funny.  
  The next day was the meat of the convention.  The items that had come out of the committees were brought to the floor for voting.  That went on and one it seemed.  But was interesting all the same.  Then we voted on the Executive Committee for the next two years.  That went quite a bit smoother than the election in my own committee at the beginning of the month, but that is another story in and of itself.  At this point, everything is a learning experience for me.  The curve is very steep right now!  
  Despite the fact that Twin Falls County made history as the first delegation to request that their entire slate of delegates be stricken, I  came away happy for the chance to participate and making plans for next year's convention.  I made some new friends, dispelled some misconceptions and feel that bridges were built and mended.  The next two years will be something, I am sure!

Summer Update

  Well, summer has arrived on the calendar, not quite sure when it is going to get here outside.  I was trying to be a better gardener this year, but seems as if my efforts will 'bear little fruit' if the weather doesn't start to cooperate.  Funny, one morning I gave up and planted some starts over the top of my seeds and both of my boys came in that day saying, "Mom, stuff is coming up in your garden!"  Yes, I am such a green thumb that my plants went from not there to 6 inches high over night!  I only wish!
  The election has come and gone and politics has moved on to bigger and more fraudulent times.  Really!  I did win my election if you have not heard.  I got 151 votes and my opponent 123.  I consider the whole thing a success due to the fact that in our precinct two years ago the total number voting was 179!  There were another 100 voters this time, thank you very much!
  Things in the Twin Falls Republican Party have taken a turn for the worse, or maybe for the better.  That has yet to do seen.  It is possible that it was not really a 'turn' at all, just that someone got caught!  Rather than provide you with the long and sordid story, just suffice it to say that there was intrigue and mis-direction and possibly some illegal activity at my first participation.  NOT by me!  But there is something 'afoot' and it should not be long before we will see if there is any progress made towards honest and open dealings within the committee.  As things get settled, I will give more details.
  I will say that the whole political process is just that, political.  Who would have thought?  Lots for me to learn and many miles to go before things can be turned around.  It would be easy to get discouraged, but I have faith that one committee at a time we can turn our Government around and embrace the founding father's intended ideals and rule of law.
  Signing off from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

EXTREME Liberty Tree Tending

 You know, like Extreme Home Makeover or Extreme Motor Cross.

  I took on a pretty big project just one week ago. I said yes to a request to organize the Tax Day TEA Party here in Twin Falls. Not sure what I was thinking at the moment, but it was questionable if there would have been one without an organizer, so I said yes. Yes, with much trepidation. Three days! I had only three days to pull something together.

  First I needed to figure out what an organizer of such an event had to do. Good thing I had read Rules for Radicals (Alinsky) and Civil Disobedience (Thoreau) just weeks before. Oh, wait. That was Community Organizing! Just the opposite! This event would be all about exercising our rights and not giving them up to someone who says they can get us what we want - for the price of our soul. And this would be about speaking our minds and giving one another support. We would be watering the LIBERTY TREE, not pruning it down to the ground!

  So, I spent the following three days on the phone, checking emails by the minute, scribbling notes, trying to fit in school for the kids (helping their Mom put a Patriotic Program together counts as school, doesn’t it) checking more emails, tracking down mystery speakers, visiting the printer and generally out of my mind with stress. I went to bed with a huge head ache every night and felt like I was spinning endlessly during the day!

 

  I had decided that I wanted the theme to be not one of complaining, but one of encouragement for individuals to get out and do their part, to emphasize the responsibilities that go along with our rights. Last year folks were newly angry and recently frightened about the sudden (or not really so sudden) change in direction our country seemed to be taking. Maybe it was the ‘last straw’ kind of thing, but there was a bit of ranting and raving last year at the T.P. here in Twin and around the country. I was going for a calmer, more constructive air this time. 
   That called for some positive speakers on our beloved Constitution and our responsibilities as citizens and some 10th Amendment thrown in for good measure. Coming up with speakers turned out to be a bit difficult. I mean, asking someone to speak in the middle of the day, on a weekday and with three (or two or one) days notice should not be that hard, right? I was happy to find three diverse speakers who covered their assignments well.

  I also wanted to include children, as that is my main job right now – educating children. I had Cub and Boy Scouts present a flag ceremony, a children’s choir singing The Star Spangled Banner and a children’s trio who sang the first 10 Articles of the Constitution. Very nice! They all came out with signs and their educated opinions about the things that were (and are) going on. I am so proud of the children I know; they understand the issue at hand. They have a love of their freedom and understand where it comes from and that it is our duty to protect it and not allow it to be taken. It must be taken, you know. It is ours, given by God. If we do not stop it from being taken, then we are offering it up to whoever will take it. Staying free requires action.

   There you have it. My spin in the lime-light. It was an amazing amount of mental work to be done in a short time, but it came off pretty well and with only a couple of minor hitches. (Like the four trips I had to make back home after leaving the house that morning and the angry Veteran who took issue with my gold fringed flag. But those are stories for another time.)

   This must be my longest blog post, I hope that you were not too bored. Check back later for the saga of the Jenks Family Egg Hunt. I promised you that and I will provide it.

'Fich' Tacos

I made the yummiest fish tacos last week and I had to make them again already. Writing down recipes is not something I invest much time in. This used to be a tricky problem back in the days of our restaurant, Double Decker. I was always whipping something up for catering jobs and then someone would ask for me to repeat it sometime later. I don’t really know what all the fuss was about, seems like I could have just made them something else yummy and they would have been happy, but that was not always the case. Those who worked with me soon learned to follow me around with a notebook to jot down what I was putting into the concoctions. Fortunately now, my closest friends have learned that if they really like something that I make, they had better call the next day and get the recipe out of my head or they may never see (or eat) it again. I have even been known to call one of them to get my own recipe back.



Anyway, I thought that I might share this idea for fish tacos and therefore preserve the recipe in a more permanent state. I used tilapia filets, but I suppose any fish that you enjoy would work. Halibut types may be a bit too sturdy, but you could try it. I fried the fish in olive oil after a good coating of salt. I have trouble with over cooking my fish, so I was very careful to not do that. I let them cook on one side until they were white (cooked) about a half inch in on the sides. Then one flip for just a few minutes more and they are done. I use one filet per person.


While the fish is cooking, I chop cabbage, cilantro and green onion quite fine. Tiny, tiny, tiny. I used about 4 cabbage to 1 cilantro to 1 green onion. Hope that makes sense. I just chop up what I think I need for the 12 tacos that we eat. I then mix a sauce of 1 part mayo, 1 part sour cream (maybe 1/3 cup of each, see what I mean about a real recipe?) seasoned with cumin (2 tsp?) and a dash of cayenne. Red pepper flakes would be great too, unless you are a wimp like me. I roll a first-rate lime around on the counter until it is nice and squishy and then squeeze out about half of its juice into the sauce. Stir this all up. When the fish is done, you are ready. I just put the fish on everyone’s plate, give them some hard taco shells and they make up their own tacos. Put the chopped veggies/herbs in the bottom, ladle on the sauce and top with chunks of the fish.  I add a bit of fresh chopped salsa to mine with a squeeze of lime. Sj and Heavy D like theirs with shredded cheese. Cj doesn’t like them at all. No one really cares about that, all the more for the rest of us!


So there you have it – my first blog recipe. If my kids only knew how lucky they are to have me and my recipes for a Mom!  When I come up with something else great, I will be sure to share.

Too Much Fun For the Guys I Go Out With !

We cleaned our entire back yard last Saturday. That was quite the job; as you will know if you have seen it lately. We aren’t big on cleaning up in the fall. My philosophy is that all of those dead leaves will keep my perennials warmer during the winter. That must not be true, because they don’t very often come up a second year at my house. I did not inherit my Mother’s green thumb I am sad to say. Or maybe it is the effort – mine will never be equal to hers when it comes to the yard. Anyway, there was a lot of raking and blowing and sweeping and clipping and cutting and hauling of bags and branches and other ascendery trash. I am sure that the garbage guys were thrilled on Tuesday! I do have two things that I am proud of in my yard. My two bleeding hearts are well on their way to another stunning year and every one of the tulip and daffodil bulbs we planted last fall are coming up! I am so impressed with myself. (The true test will be if they come up again next spring.)

We got finished just in time because the weather then turned cold. It made me feel disheartened; I was all set for spring to be here. I am not a big fan of summer, truth be known, but I am impatiently waiting for winter to be concluded. After all of that work, my back was in trouble. So I spent a few hours at the chiropractor this week. That is a bit frustrating; I always feel I should be making better use of my time. I did manage to solve a couple of my ‘disconcerting dilemmas’ while I was lying there, face down, getting electrocuted by little patches. One of the issues that has been bugging me is the school room. It is crammed with all kinds of learning tools and if it is not pristinely clean, it is similar to navigating some kind of maze with booby traps on the floor. Needless to say, it is never pristinely clean! Two boys are its most frequent occupants. To shorten this story, as I was lying there, my face in the . . .the . . .the whatever that thing you put your face in is called, I came up with a way to multiply the free space! WhoaLaaa! So after spending half of the week at the chiropractor, I went home and with the help of Cj deep cleaned this room including moving all of the furniture! Just don’t tell the doctor!
After all of this fun, I am ready for a non-work weekend. Happily, we are going to Boise for two nights. Looking forward to that! A book and a comfy bed; I am hoping to get in a few hours of reading. There is the Jenks Family Egg Hunt, a 70 something year tradition, to be attended. All I will say about that right now is this, if you haven’t attended the Jenks Family Egg Hunt (one and all are invited, everyone is family to a Jenks) you have not truly lived, to borrow a phrase. So, that is all for now. I will try and report on the Egg Hunt next week. Perhaps I will even have photos!

His and Mine Are the Same

   Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of my marriage to Heavy D. Twenty-eight years, WOW! When he came home from work I was taking a nap; something that I don’t do very often unless it is Sunday. He questioned what I was doing and I told him that I had been thinking that I had been married to him and raising his kids for 28 years and it had made me tired and I thought I deserved a nap.
   It has been an adventure, this marriage and parenthood business. There is probably a thing or two I might change if I could go back, wouldn’t we all? But for the most part I am pleased and happy and content with it.  Being on this side instead of the beginning is more settled and comfortable.
   Last year on our anniversary I wrote a poem. I must give a nod to Emily Bronte on this one. I have borrowed from one of her quotes, a favorite of mine.

To Souls the Same

Whatever souls are made of

His and mine, at first kiss

Snapped together as two magnets.

The fusion fierce and furious.

Two halves into one sum.

Mine and his,

The same.

All my love Sweetheart!

Watering the Liberty Tree

   I have been out a few times in the neighborhood campaigning. (Who would ever have thought that I would be doing that, at least for myself?) I have collected 9 votes and been sworn at once. I don't know if I can take those kinds of odds. I need to find someone to go out with me for morale support, I guess.
   But I am still fighting the good fight. I am determined and dedicated and now after Sunday, sick to my stomach. I wonder if this battle could have been started earlier. Why have I waited so long to join in? The snowball is growing and picking up momentum. Better late than never!
   If you share in my views, take a stand of your own.  There is something for everyone to do.  Go to The Patriot Declaration, sign the petition and then find something you can do; contact your representatives, talk to your neighbors, bring Constitutionaly minded candidates into your home and let them share their view with your family and friends.  The Primary Election will be the one that makes the most difference.  We MUST get a Republican candidate on the ballot that supports the Constitutionaly Conservative view or we will see no change.  Restoration of the Republican Party is the answer.  Take it back.  Take our country back!

Suprise Party!

   I organized a SURPRISE Birthday Party for Heavy D last night. He turned 50 on the 17th. Yes, I know, he is a St. Patrick’s baby. He should be named something like Killian, Liam or Patrick, but he is not. I must say that it was a smashing success. I would define success in this case as Heavy D being surprised & pleased (he was!) and that everyone had a good time (I think). There was the little issue of the food being a bit slow and served in the opposite order of the way the order was taken – new waiter I am afraid – and some hungry small people. But the company was delightful and the cuisine was tasty. It is such a blessing to have family and friends that enrich your life and are there to celebrate the milestones with you. So, thanks to every one for your love and attention. Oh, and thanks for taking care of our bill! That was not necessary, but appreciated.

Since I will be reaching the same age in less than a year, I have been thinking about that number – 50. A nice number. A ‘half way there’ sort of number. I like numbers. Keep in mind; I was an accounting major in college. I like the way that numbers order things and help them to make sense. Numbers and counting calm me. (Note #3 on the Weird Things List) They make the disquiet in my head go away.

I also realized that by the time my own mother was 50, she had been an empty-nester for 8 years. When I turn 50, I will still have kids at home for 8 more years. That has got to make for a different life. What would my life be like if I had been done with kids when Dj left on his mission? I would have been home alone. I suppose I would have been out doing something else before that with only a teenager around. How strange is that? I could have a cleaner house and the laundry would be caught up for sure. But there are so many things that would be missed in that instance. We wouldn’t even have the same friends, since so many of them are because we have these younger kids. And then there is the home schooling – I have learned so much while teaching Sj and Cj. There is no doubt that the last two have enriched our lives and that we have taken the time to let them.

On another note, the campaign will be pushing back the Etsy store, sorry. I think I will post a slideshow of the photos that Lj1 took here on this blog. If you see something that you like, let me know and I can give you a price, pack it up and send it to you. I do have several pieces made up and as Heavy D likes to point out, there is no way that I can wear them all.  And to think that I was never a jewelry wearer before I started making my own. It is because it is ART to me and I have always had the heart of an artist. I love creating.