Book Club - Playing for Pizza

Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game against Denver, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock and, of course, was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams.

But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

This is the beautiful city of Parma. Wouldn't we all love to be enjoying a vacation in Italy?

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player - any former NFL -layer - at their helm. Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers and heads off to Italy..

Book club was so much fun talking about how wonderful it would be to vacation in Italy. Dreams do come true for some of us. Nina will be vacationing there in June this year. I'm so jealous...."Nina, could you just not be so smilie and happy about it?" I hope you get to see every cathedral you want to....2 a day will be nothing for your agenda. You promised that you would put Parma on your itinerary and take pictures of the stadium...James will be so happy. Maybe you can catch a soccer game! Well maybe not!

Of course, we enjoyed Pizza for dinner.

Jill can't wait to visit Italy when little Zack is all grown up. Nancy, Nina and I tried to schedule a tour ---remember when I got my passport. Go-Ahead tours cancelled our trip because not enough people wanted to go ~ I don't believe that for even one second. WHO DOESN'T WANT TO GO TO ITALY?

Vickie was our host and did a fabulous job as always. She wasn't sure she liked the book because of all the football jargon. I loved it, but there aren't to many books I don't love.



Vickie and Nina fixing our cheesecake dessert.

There were only 6 of us attending Friday night. Nancy was in Phoenix to a Nuevo Riche conference. Lisa was home with a sore throat. We missed both of us. Steven took our picture, he was so cute....he had to take several......we are difficult when it comes to following directions.

I have been looking for a couple of lamp bases for almost a month. My dad made these great stained glass table lamps. I thought they would look perfect in my new office. Finding just the right base was not all that easy. I shopped every place around to find them. DI, Salvation Army, Duncan Lighting, JC Penney, Sears, Target, Walmart.... finally I went to Kelly's Glass in Ogden....they are perfect.

Here are the two of them glowing in the office. See how nicely the one fits under my window. There are several lamps throughout my home that my father has made. DH would really like to take up the hobby. I don't know where he will find the time, but I think I'll surprise him with a beginners class that starts in May.

Wonder how that will go over???

Tasty Thursday

Lunch was a quick and easy fix today. We had Spring Vegetable Ramen Pleasure. It took minutes to put together and I loved it...the grandkids...well vegetables are questionable for Halie, Brevin asked for seconds. We had garden salad on the side. After Brevin had Chocolate Mint Pudding and Halie asked for Strawberry Ice Cream. Here is the recipe for our Spring Vegetable Ramen Pleasure:

You will need: 2 3 oz packages ramen noodles (any flavor)
1 cup julienned carrots
12 ounces fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut
into 1 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Teriyaki sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions (discard seasoning packets). Drain and keep warm.

In a large skillet, cook carrot and asparagus in hot oil over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. I actually precooked the asparagus in boiling water for 5 minutes then tossed it into the skillet. Stir in the cooked noodles. Add teriyaki sauce; toss to coat. Makes 4 servings

As Close As I Get to Being A Bird Farmer!

Look what arrived this morning. There were actually 4 Yellow Finches in our backyard. The kids were in the hot tub when they excitedly called "GRANDMA... Yellow Birds"... With watersquirts in hand they were over joyed.

The backyard is not very attractive at this time of year. Soon these bushes will be covered with lilac and the ground will have wild geraniums galore. The birds don't seem to mind the drabness of the branches.

And why is it the male bird is always so beautiful? Good thing that in the human world, females get all the credit for being beautiful.

These little gregarious birds are so fun to watch. There are usually 2 of them together. Today we were lucky and had 4 over for lunch.

John was AMAZING - 1 hit 0 runs 6 innings ~ 40 Degrees

Spring Things

Our studies this week have focused on Spring Things That Grow. I found these popcorn rocks in the gift shop while in Wendover. They are covered with vinegar and are going to grow crystals when the vinegar is all evaporated. It will take about 3 weeks for the complete process, so the kids will come back to see their completed project sometime in May.

We also planted 4 little pots of 2 tomatoes, chives, and basil. We will transfer them to our garden in the backyard when they are 4 inches high. This will also probably take 3 weeks. Won't that be wonderful?

Outside in our neighbors back yard is a beautiful apricot tree with blossoms galore. We learned the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree", then went out and took this picture. The process of bud, flowering blossoms, and then apricots took some explaining. I hope that understand the concept.

This is how we finished lesson time today. We made Mother Goose Popcorn. My Aunt Mary put the recipe in our Famiglia di Buffo recipe book. Halie and Brevin had so much fun making the syrup to pour over the popcorn. They were so excited when we put the red food coloring into the mixture.

Here they are eating it up. We did all this before we even got dressed this morning. I know that is probably a no - no, but we did it anyway.

All this and it is just:

10:30 AM....I need a break!

~ It's Baseball Time ~

The

Boys

Are

Back

In

Town

When it's baseball time, the weather is suppose to be beautiful, sunny, and extremely warm....well this is Utah! Tonights game was a rainout - no that would be SNOWED OUT! But not to worry, I still had a wonderful evening. Because there was no game, we had dinner with John, Matt and Xavier! DODGER BOYS~ Matt (being the SLC Guy) - suggested we have dinner at Squatters. Great place to get reacquainted with everyone. Dane, Donya, Donya's daughter - Karissa, Keith and Cody joined us.

Matt and John lived in our home during the 2005 season. Words can't describe how awesome they are. I loved every minute there were living with us.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will be back at the field tomorrow night. John is the starting pitcher for the Las Vegas 51's. They are the AAA team for the LA Dodgers. Maybe if the sun comes through, I'll get some pictures from the ballpark. John will be pitching in the bigs very soon this season. I have high-hopes that I will get to be at several of those games.

Manica Monday

Spring Vacation started for my grandkids this week. I am so excited to have them with me for the full week. We bought new bikes and went for a 2 mile ride this morning. The weather was beautiful, we saw a snake on the trail, and Halie rides like Evil Knievel. I of course could keep up with her, but Brevin is a little more timid so my choice was stay with the caboose rather than keep up with the leader of the pack.

After the bike ride we had lunch at our local Applebee's. Eating out is always an adventure with kids. Look at the lady behind us, I'm not sure what she was feeling, but it doesn't look happy! It wasn't the kids fault, they were really well behaved. Halie had chicken strips and Brevin had pasta.

We tried to have quiet time after lunch....that didn't happen. They had another trip into the hot tub and then we grilled for dinner. Carmen joined us for dinner.

Tomorrow we have nail appointments and indoor activities because the weather is going to be snowy again.

"Oh What A Night"

Friday night we fly to Wendover to the Peppermill Concert Hall to see Tony Orlando in concert. It was more than a concert. Tony puts on a fantastic show, with so much energy, you can tell he is someone who loves to make people happy, he loves God, and he loves our country, and it shows.

We went to celebrate our 26th Anniversary with Al's cousin Adrian. It was also Adrian and Mary Anne's anniversary as well. So we thought this would be a fun way to remember our anniversaries. We bought tickets a couple of months ago and Adrian always has enough points to get our rooms for little or nothing.

So we started our trip by flying with Dane and Donya in Al's comanchee. Al loves to fly, but I struggle to find presence when I'm in the air! Friday afternoon was nice enough, a little windy....but not enough to stop us.

Dane and Donya in the backseat. I think Dane is taking a picture of me, taking a picture of them!
Here is a view from the front seat just as we pass over Antelope Island.

This is the Great Salt Lake with the Oquirrh Mountains range. The Oquirrh Mountains run about 30 miles south from the southern end of the Great Salt Lake. The mountains got their name from a Goshute Indian word meaning “wooded mountain.” The tallest point is Lewiston Peak 10,676 feet. This picture was taken looking through the front windshield of the plane. I don't know why my camera has given off such a blue tint. I love the reflection of the mountain range in the Great Salt Lake. If you look close you can see the blur of the airplane prop.

This is MagCorp. I had no idea what this business was until today. I have seen it many times when flying to Wendover, and I finally decided I needed to learn about it. My son was at our home today, so I asked him. He knew right off what it was, because a friend on Flickr had pictures of it. They have produced magnesium metal products since 1972. Using primary solar energy, the natural brine of the Great Salt Lake (which has nearly four times the magnesium concentration of the world's largest ocean) is concentrated, purified and dried into magnesium chloride powder. The powder is melted and introduced into electrolytic reduction cells to produce pure magnesium metal. Lots of controversy about this business because of all the pollution they create.

This picture was taken after the show. Al and I are with Kerry Cole. Oh is he ever amazing and a nice guy as well. He plays keyboard and has an incredible voice. Literally, he can sound like just about anyone you ask him to. He started with Willie Nelson and ended with Led Zeppelin. I could not believe his talent. When we met him after the show, he was so happy to talk with us and very gracious about having his picture taken with us.

I don't know how long Tony stayed signing autographs, but I'm so glad I was able to have his autobiography signed, as well as my ticket stubs. This was the cute lady in front of me in line. Her name is Rosie and it was her birthday.


Our neighbors were also at the concert. We had no idea we would both be their celebrating our anniversaries. I didn't get a picture of them, but I got their ticket stubs signed....since I was the one standing in line for autographs.

Almost time to leave beautiful(not sure that is the right word for the place in the desert)......Wendover! We had breakfast with Donya and Dane, then took the shuttle to the airport.

These 3 guys were foraging for food this morning at the airport. Another lesson for me today, I have never seen this bird before. None of us knew what it was. Of course my Western Birds Guide didn't let me down. They are male Yellow-Headed Blackbirds. What a great weekend. Thanks to everyone who made it so fun!

Ten Word Short Story

Like I don't have enough to do... This morning I woke very early and started blog hopping. I came across a site with this novel (pun) idea. So I spent the next 1 1/2 coming up with my first short story.

Here are the words for the week's ten Word Challenge: fruitcake, necromancer, gibberish, marshland, Lone Ranger, hog-wild, effluvia, plaintiff, phonograph, fern.


AND HERE IS MY STORY.....friends I don't have to tell you I am no "Adriana Trigiani"



How about some pen name suggestions?

Connecting to Life

The season was upon us and tenement in which we lived bustled with noisy activity. The phonograph blasted the songs of the season, and the aromas coming from the kitchen definitely let you know fruitcake was baking in the oven. The Law Firm I work for finally made the right move and closed down for a 2 week winter vacation.

The day was going well until Monica Winters, a college roommate, called to let me know that she was coming to Newhurst with her latest fling for the Christmas Holiday. I haven’t heard from Monica for several years. We parted ways when she became so heavily involved with her belief and practice of necromancer.

I remember well the details of our very last conversations, I’m sure that these words escaped from my mouth, “Puhlease! Don't tell me you buy into that antique mumbo jumbo.” Monica was not in the least deterred. Nor was I with my conviction and arguments. “Monica, the spirits of the dead are not at anyone’s beck and call. It is only the egotistical soul that believes this. One cannot conjure nor command spirits.” These were my closing arguments as she slammed the double wide doors in the foyer, causing the ferns to tumble off of their pedestals.

This did not sit well with Monica and her hog-wild enthusiasm. Monica always wanted the last word in any argument during our law school days. So I was not surprised when the phone rang and she let out with vengeance, “There is great beauty and divinity in the darkness, though fear of the unknown keeps you from looking. If you had an open heart and are pure of spirit, you could be graced by the presence of spirits, but only if you are humbled by Love and Faith. Obviously, you are not ready to receive their message, nor would you appreciate a visitation.”

Oh was she right about that!

Now I had only 8 hours before she would be waltzing through our front door with the latest “Lone Ranger” by her side. I could only imagine what would happen when the gibberish of Monica’s latest craziness started vibrating throughout our peaceful dwelling.

Why had I said yes? That’s my history, I’m a pushover. Even when I was the plaintiff in my divorce, I let my former husband walk away from all the judgments against him. I just wanted out!

At the firm I’m always the one picking up a last-minute assignment and tending to clients’ every wish. Just before we left for the holiday, I put up some resistance to buying the marshland. What good could possibly come from buying property that has effluvia from decaying matter? I’m sure behind their closed doors they were all say, “This isn’t the Kristen we know.” Perhaps consciousness has become a part of me.

Time was quickly getting away from me. Shopping, laundry, and food preparation would have to be completed within just a few hours. I so wanted just a few minutes before the craziness of Monica took over my life again. Breathing deeply I curled my body into my favorite reading chair and left my own over-enthusiastic world to step into another.

What's for Dinner?

The seasonal availability of asparagus is a very short window. DH doesn't even like asparagus, but tonight it was a hit! This dish is made with Grilled Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta. It's quick and easy, my kind of dinner.

Here is what you will need:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed

1 pound bow tie pasta

1/4 cup butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper

fresh chopped parsley

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Here is how you do it:

In a large pot, bring six quarts of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook to tender - crisp, about 2 1/2 minutes.

Take asparagus out of water and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, set aside.

Return pot to stove and water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions in the asparagus water.

In a large skillet, set over low heat, combine butter, garlic, cream and chicken stock. Stir in salt, pepper, lemon zest, and juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chicken, cheese and drained pasta.

Cut cooked asparagus into bite size pieces on a diagonal. Add asparagus and parsley to the pasta and toss all ingredients together.

Turn off heat and let pasta sit to allow the sauce to thicken and all ingredients to heat through.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the top.

Power of Positive Thinking

A week ago I took my Nine West Sunglasses to our great Dr. Stacy Rencher. I really wanted my prescription in my sunglasses. Dr. Rencher said maybe ~ maybe! The lens is big, curved, could easily pop out of the frame.....etc. So I said, "Hey, make it a challenge!"

Lookie, lookie, I have prescription Nine West Sunglasses! Just for the day that the magnificent sun made a powerful appearance.

Oh I am so happy!

Phenomenon

OMG! I awoke this morning to a truly unusual sight. There is this giant blistering orb of fire, in the sky. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what it is, but it warms my skin and hurts my eyes. So I’m really hoping that if it stays around for awhile my new shades will be ready today….I’ll check that out today too. After taking in a few minutes of this glorious view, quickly snapping a picture, I thought I better do to my research this morning and see if I can possibly figure out what this unidentified thing might be.
So I do the http://www.ask.com/ thing and ………there you go……. the answer is…..it’s the SUN!!
The magnificent, sacred Sun!
I’m sure that is something very familiar to my friends who are already enjoying the Baseball Season in Florida, Arizona, and California…..but it certainly hasn’t been a part of my world for hmmmm 6 months???? The birds at the aviary in my backyard were out in full force. Maybe the little hummers will join us soon. I can’t begin to tell you how very grateful I am for this phenomenon. I will find every excuse I can to be outside the entire day soaking up the fabulous rays.

I'm either an ADD Adult or Compulsive

Today is another fine SPRING DAY....Not...the wind is blowing, it has rained, and the sky is gray! So I decided it was soup for dinner. Off to the store for a few ingredients I don't have in the pantry. And to my wondering eyes - what should appear but this great looking Sago Palm - This handsome evergreen plant is neither a palm as it is often referred to as "Sago Palm" or fern, but is a primitive, cone-bearing plant that is related to conifers and requires both female and male plants to produce seed. The nice lady at the store said they are very easy to keep alive. I had to have it! It's now in my beautiful office, where I will enjoy it's aliveness.


But this is what I really went to the store for! Homemade Tomato Soup.......oh it smells so delicious I can hardly wait for dinner time. (In fact, I didn't wait...had a few little tastes while putting it all together.)

And this is what was also on special at the store today (not on the shopping list)..... $5.98 a case for these sumptuous looking strawberries. I also bought an Angel Food Cake, just in case I needed a few more carbs today!

Come on over if you can stand to get out in the rain, and join us for dinner.

The Comment Bug

Oh how I wish everyone was in tune with "A NEW EARTH", but like Eckhart has said, "Not everyone is ready."

OBVIOUSLY!

Some SLIM BALL posted a SPAM AD/VIRUS under the Comments section of my blog site! No, not just once, but twice, yes three times and more. What happened is when I went to read the comment a dialog box popped up to warn me that there was a virus that would cause my system to crash. Then it said that in order to remove this threat, I needed to download some software called XP Anti-Virus 2008.

BUT THIS XP ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE IS ACTUALLY A VIRUS!Fortunately this virus did not do any harm and I was able to delete it with some of my own anti-virus software.

This was so upsetting that I actually stopped blogging for almost a full month. I have now gone private on my comment sections. I so love to hear from kind, wonderful people, but slim balls are not allowed in my world!

ANY TYPE OF SPAM AND/OR VIRUS IS ILLEGAL AND WILL BE REPORTED TO BLOG SPOT.COM. THIS TYPE OF THING IS UNACCEPTABLE AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED ON MY WEBSITE! I AM POSTING THIS MESSAGE TO WARN OTHERS ABOUT THIS.

Unfortunately for me, I had some very nice comments from 3 of my friends this morning and I quickly hit the delete key for them, thinking or not thinking I was on the publish key. I was able to go back and read your nice thoughts, but they are now lost in space.

My Friend is Getting Married

Lynette and Gary are going to be married in June. Hooray! Gary is one lucky guy because my friend Lynette is: an angel, with sparkling brown eyes, and a figure like a fairy. We are all so jealous of that figure! Just look how darling she is.

I am so happy for the two of you. Life is going to be great. For sure my favorite wedding for 2008!

Willow Tree

In the backyard of my parent's home stands this majestic willow tree. I don't know that my mom would think of it as majestic, but it certainly defines their backyard. I remember being with my friends and swinging from the branches many days. Then my own children had their time to swing from it's branches. Now my grandchildren are enjoying the same old tree.

Once again I can't take credit for this picture, thanks again J for uploading all these fantastic shots.

This tree certainly gives off an energy that is uplifting. I love the inspiration that surrounds it.

Extra Hour of Sunlight

Time to Spring the clocks forward. What do you think? Here is my list of pros and cons. Add a few of yours if you care to comment.

Pros:

1. I know it is almost opening day for baseball.

2. It was established in 1916 for some war effort, and now it is a law, and I do follow laws and rules...but, hasn't that long since passed?

3. I know it is almost opening day for baseball.

4. Summer is coming soon.

5. Baseball spring training is here!

6. The sun is beautiful.....look at that ray of sunshine today.

7. A trip to spring training is sounding good.

8. I can actually walk without freezing my tush off!

9. Did I say it is almost opening day for baseball?

10. Only 20 days to opening day of BASEBALL!

Cons:

1. Less sleep

2. Less time to get ready for work....really!

3. Less sleep

4. It is dark in the morning.....really!

5. Less sleep

6. Giving up an hour of sleep is hard on my body.....Really!

7. DID I SAY LESS SLEEP.

8. Naturally your body wants to go to sleep when the sun goes down and wake up to it. On daylight savings time you do neither.

9. Life is always an adjustment to circumstances...why do we have to add one more?

10. I'm sure my kids (although they love to sleep) and grandkids (they never sleep) manage just fine, but I am an old lady and I kind of like the idiom: "Early to bed, early to rise, makes this girl healthy, wealthy and wise!"

My Neighborhood Was FLOCKED

What a beautiful Sunday Morning. Look at the blue, blue sky and the perfectly flocked trees.
Here is a look at the neighborhood street. It was breathtaking to see the sky so blue and the trees so white with fresh snow.

The first thing I thought of was my dad with the vacuum out in the front yard flocking our Christmas Tree. Oh it was an experience to remember! One particular year I remember the bag of flocking went sailing down the road because Dad was sick and tired of the vacuum plugging up. Trying to fool Mother Nature....was not easy back then.

Today We Celebrated Dr. Seuss Day!

We always celebrate Dr. Seuss birthday in March. This is a copy of the page we put in our portfolio this year. Each student got to wear the HAT

Smiled big because of that.

TO DR. SEUSS Theodore Geissel,

friend of my youth provider of wisdom,

laughter and truth

Yertle the Turtle,

the Cat in the Hat

The Grinch and the Lorax

and creatures like that

all taught me lessons

I'll never forget and I thank the good doc

I ain't forgotten them yet

Strangely named felines and odd colored fishes

If I ran the circus and other fun wishes

they led me to wonder about what I would be

when I got much older like a hundred and three

Would I ever like Green Eggs and Ham

Would I ever dislike that Sam I Am?

I found that the world was a funnier place

And his stories put many a smile on my face

And now I'm grown up and have kids of my own

and I read the good doc when I have them at home

and pass on the lessons I learned at his knee

though I'm not that much older just thirty and three.

A friend sent this poem to me in an e-mail...I don't know who to give credit! Some people are just so darn creative.

Copper Bell Rain Chain

After the movie Nina wanted to drive by a new store Homebase. We did a track race through the place, it had some amazing ideas! The picture above was one of my favorites, so I came home did a little research here is what I found:

Copper Bells Rain Chain

Rain chains ('kusari doi' in Japanese) are hung from the corners of your roof, attached to the gutter system to guide the flow of water gently to the ground; they have been used in Japan for hundreds of years.

Years ago, people used rain chains to guide the water into large barrels to catch the water from the roof for household purposes and gardening. Rain chains are a beautiful alternative to traditional downspouts. They guide water visibly downward to the ground.

This is known as an "open" waterflow system. Rain chains also sound great! Using our gutter attachment piece, rain chains are easily installed for an efficient and beautiful waterflow system.
These exclusively designed, pure copper bell cups are breathtaking! They feature a folded lip at the top and hand hammered accents.

Saturday Girls Trip

Spending time with friends is always a great way to avoid the "Winter Blues". Today was one of those lucky days in my life when I got to spend time in the company of three very close friends. These great ladies always provide me with a uplifted energy and renewed spirit.

I am very passionate about food, I am not a connoiseur in any form but I do enjoy a good meal. Fine dining would always be my choice and exactly my cup of tea. We had lunch at "The Garden Restaurant" in Salt Lake City....what a view and yes the food was fabulous. Look at those beautiful smiles. I have been blessed with some really good friends throughout my life. I am very happy to have these 3 in my life today. Where would I be without their understand hearts, gentle words of encouragement, and simply always being there.....day or night!

After lunch we saw the movie "Bonneville".....did they get the title from the Salt Flats?

We all enjoyed the experience, maybe we connected with one of the characters, or maybe it is just our age. The story is about a recently widowed Arvilla ( Jessica Lang ~ maybe Nina and LeAnn), who is accompanied by her friends Margene (maybe Nancy) and Carol (of course Lynette), on a trip from Pocatello to Santa Barbara. Arvilla takes her husband Joe's vintage Bonneville and heads towards Santa Barbara to deliver Joe's ashes to his recentful daughter, Francine. En route, however, a series of offbeat adventures leads the women on a journey that will change their lives and show them there is more than one way to keep a promise. Her friends, life-of-the-party Margene and goody-two-shoes Carol, volunteer to go with her for moral support. Expecting to fly, they're surprised when Arvilla picks them up in her '66 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, and shocked when she cruises serenely past the airport and hijacks them on a reluctant road trip that becomes the ride of their lives.

The movies theme of warm hearted friendship, self-discovery, and the memories that make life worth living is what we are all seeking.

I have been extremely lucky and truly blessed indeed to have these women in my life. Thanks girlfriends for your gift of friendship. I'll do a road trip with you any day!