Savory Stacks

One of the things I look forward to when spending time with Mom and Dad is delicious food ....


Usually it's a gourmet breakfast, but this visit Dad made for us his own special recipe: Savory Stacks, and told me I can share this secret recipe with a few of my closest blog friends :)


So here you go:


On a cookie sheet place open faced English Muffins (tastiest if you use Thomas' English Muffins)
Stack beginning with a slice of mild cheese (Dad uses provolone or mild cheddar)
Followed by a round tomato slice, salt, a ring of red onion, a round avocado slice salt, then topped with another silica of mild cheese...
Place on the 2nd rack and broil just until cheese is melted


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Grandparents

My parents made the big trip from Texas to Nevada for the Memorial weekend. We're all LOVING having them here! Among other things, we took a trip to Hoover Dam and saw the beautiful new bridge.

A child needs a grandparent to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world.

~Charles and Ann Morse

I Recommend ...

First, a *sweet* thank you to Teresa in the Middle Side of Life. Teresa has quite the life - filled with responsibilities of real importance. I love keeping in touch with Teresa.

Next, for your blog-surfing pleasure I recommend the following:

Newlyweds Tom & Megan talk in their sleep. At least, Megan does.

For some good belly-laughing, check out

Sleep-Talking Sagas ...

each post is entirely made up of a voice recording of that night's monologue. As Tom says:

Thanks to a voice-activated recorder, I can finally share my wife's strange, sleep-induced anecdotes with the world.

Next, nature expert, Mojave Brad, shares his desert adventures through photos, anecdotes and tidbits of trivia at his self-title blog:

Mojave Brad

It's surprising how alive the desert really is!

And finally, in the mood to just look at amazing pictures? No reading, no listening, just looking? Check out

A Fairytale of Photos.

The variety, the beauty, the magic of their photos are amazing!

I promise you won't be disappointed!

Blogging is an art, same as any other method of self-expression

Hugh MacLeod

Girls Weekend ...

In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.
Charles Lindbergh

Well, our boys are all climbing Mt. Whitney. This makes me very happy for many reasons:

Since our boys were small, Brad took them on climbing, camping, hiking, and adventure outings. When our oldest grew up and left home, I was afraid those outings together would be over. But now Trevor & Steven are both back from Ukraine, Bryan still has a few more months at home, and Brad is still abounding in energy. So they're now having this 4 day adventure together.

Brad has taken the boys to the top of volcanoes in Alaska and Indonesia, rafted down raging rivers, built igloos and snow caves and slept in them for nights at a time, and has been on many, many overnight scout trips with them. Climbing Mt. Whitney with them all being adults: that's a good "cherry on top".

So this means that we girls need to find something to occupy us for the weekend .... let's see ... ummm. Hmmm. Well, no pizza nights for us as we'll be finishing up our week-long diet. But that won't stop us from watching chick-flicks, doing make-overs, playing games, and swapping stories. It's going to be so relaxing.

I'd love to hear your weekend plans.

bountiful desert

Can you believe we've got GRAPES growing in our desert yard?

I'm so excited about them that we're going to plant two more vines this week ... yay!

"Earth laughs in flowers"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm a real "rainforest" type of girl ... but I have to say:

The desert is absolutely beautiful!

getting fit

It's sort of like laundry ... never done.

I mean, I can't think of very many times in my life when I've been totally thrilled with the condition of my body. But I'm on my way.

It doesn't bother me at all to tell everyone I'm 52 years old. And to warn all of you youngsters out there that your metabolism really will slow down! Mine has. So it's a real fight to stay fit. On the upside, since I have to fight harder than ever to fit into my clothes, I at least know that all that work is keeping my heart and lungs healthy.

(image from foodnetwork.com)

So, since Monday, our family has been on a "kick-start-your-metabolism" diet. Don't worry - I'm all about health, so this isn't a scary fad diet (when I was a teenager, I once went on a watermelon & fresca diet. I know - my frontal lobe wasn't yet developed PLUS I didn't tell my Mom about it, so there was no one to talk sense into me) I'll let you know next week how it went. So far so good.

(image from alttransport.com)

Meantime, I love Wii Fit. And Jillian Michaels. And our eliptical (decrepit as it is, it still makes me sweat).

Oh, and I love water.

What are you doing to stay fit?

dreaming

A man must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur, and dreaming is nursed in darkness.

Jean Genet

I love dreaming.

And I love sleeping.

Now I love it even more since Brooke redesigned our bedroom.

At the foot of the bed is a quilt made by my Grandma Call. She had been living in Arizona and needed a window covering to keep the hot sun out ... so she just "whipped this up". Lucky me to have it now!

The picture at the head of the bed was a gift from my sister, and ended up being the inspiration for our beach-themed bedroom. (Thanks sis!)

Brooke has taught us that freeing ourselves of STUFF actually frees our minds and relaxes our bodies. I love spending time in our bedroom now ...

Another week or so and our bedroom will be absolutely perfect!

Do you love your bedroom, or do you need a daughter to re-make it for you?

hope

"Hope is an emotion which brings richness to our everyday lives."

Steven E. Snow

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."

Christopher Reeve

flecks of gold

Elder M. Russell Ballard, recently shared the story of a young man during the California Gold Rush who left everything to make his fortune. Day after day, as the rocks piled up, he got more and more discourage. One day an old prospector came by with a bulging pouch ... during the conversation, when the young man claimed there was no gold where he was searching, the prospector picked up a couple of rocks from his pile and crushed them together to reveal several sparkling flecks of gold. The young man said that he was searching for nuggets, not just flecks. So the old man opened his pouch and revealed millions of flecks of gold.

This is the way of life ... finding joy in small things, making a difference in people's lives with small actions, etc.

"So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving help with mundane tasks, but what glorious conseequences can flow from small but deliverate deeds!"

Spencer W. Kimball

Family Mission Statement

I wish I'd have heard about having a family mission statement when our children were little, but as they say: better late than never.

(runner-up picture. It was so windy that we couldn't use the tripod, so we put the camera on the car and that made the picture tilted ... plus, this was at the end of the day and the kids were getting grouchy. The waterfall is pretty, but I really love the other picture - and I'm the mom, so I win)

We discussed a few different options during one Family Night, and there were lots of good ideas - some long phrases, some single words separated by commas, some lines from scriptures, some famous quotes. But the one that seemed to fit our family best at this point in our lives is

Lead Thou Me On

from the hymn, "Lead Kindly Light".

I totally love that song. What is says to me, and to our family is this: We will put our trust in Him. And we're working to truly believe "one step enough for me". I love the entire song. It sends shivers down my spine ... but I can so relate to the 2nd verse ... hoping that my years of stubborness will be forgotten.

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.

Do you have a mission statement?

I'd love to hear from you about it.

Mom's Choice

Here's what I love about being the mom:

I get to choose which family picture we blow up and put on the wall

I get to choose our family mission statement

I get to choose what we have for dinner

.....

I could go on, but you get the idea.

In actuality, it just appears that I choose those things - the truth is that we moms are really trying to please everyone, so we alternate and make it look like those things are all mom's choices. Even still, I LOVE that the family made the sacrifices they did to be together for Mother's Day and that everyone looked at the camera for at least one picture :)

PS - I did actually get my way with the family mission statement (more on that in another post) AND I really do love this picture.

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Mom Update

Well, it was a little over a year that this blog began.

The day before Mother's Day last year, my family chopped off my locks and shaved my head.

Mom was just getting ready to start chemotherapy.

Now, a year later, chemo treatments finished and strength gradually returning, Mom is doing well and her hair is even growing back!

From my mother, my father, my siblings and me ... from my children, my cousins and my friends:

Thank you so much for your love, thoughts and prayers.

Mothers

"Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us."
-Sheri Dew


Happy Mother's Day to all the women of the world who exemplify motherhood in it's truest sense. And special love and honor to my mothers!





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Desert 5 Spot

This is gorgeous, isn't it! Can you believe this vibrant flower blooms in the desert? Now here's what's really interesting to me: each petal has a spot, and each spot has just enough nectar to attract insects. The insects visiting are the means of this flower propagating. I just learned this. Here I thought the entire purpose of those bright red spots was to be beautiful and please me!

PS ... Who knew that purple and red could "go" so well?!

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Donny Osmond's Silver Strand

Donny's Silver Strand is all about serving others:

One of my favorite quotes about service is this:

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.

~William Penn